A plaque in the Markets area of Belfast where he was shot dead in 1972 The trial of two former paratroopers charged with the 1972 murder of Joe McCann will now be held next year. A trial date into the killing of the Official IRA man had been set for this November, but has been put back. The case was listed for mention at Belfast Crown Court on Friday, where a new date of January 2021 was set, due largely to a court backlog caused by the Covid crisis. Soldiers A and C, who are now both in their 70s, have been charged with murdering Mr McCann in April 1972. Mr McCann - who at the time was an Official IRA activist - was shot in disputed circumstances near his home in the Markets area of Belfast. Relatives of the deceased attended the hearing remotely, where they heard that the trial will now not proceed in November. Mr Justice O'Hara spoke of "issues to be dealt with" ahead of the trial, including an application regarding anonymity and the fact the two defendants have not yet been arraigned. Liam McCollum QC, the barrister representing Soldiers A and C, told Mr Justice O'Hara the defence were "unable personally to meet those dates as things currently stand". The defence barrister raised "other problems". Saying both men were in their 70s, that Soldier A had health issues and that Soldier C's wife was asthmatic, Mr McCollum said: "The sooner the trial is, the more difficult it may be to accommodate them safely in the current environment." Mr Justice O'Hara noted the initial trial date of November was set before the current medical situation, which he said has had an impact on court proceedings. He said that as a result of this, he was "forced" to put the hearing back - but "for the shortest time possible". When Mr Justice O'Hara asked the Crown's position on the trial date, Sam Magee QC said that while they were mindful of the difficulties facing the court due to the backlog of cases, "in an ideal world" the Crown could proceed in November. Mr Magee also suggested that the arraignment of the former soldiers could be done via video-link. Mr Justice O'Hara then vacated the November date, set a new date for trial as January 11, 2021 and said that while he acknowledged the delay is "disappointing for everyone", it was "minimal". The judge said the intervening period could be used to deal with issues such as the application regarding the anonymity order. He said: "When there is a ruling on that, then the arraignment can take place and the trial can proceed in January." That infamous call in which Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez swore at each other the one the mayor said an alderman illegally recorded is the subject of a lawsuit. The Better Government Association filed a lawsuit today alleging the entire call, along with others like it, violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Statues in London's Parliament Square have been boarded up to protect them from attacks by far-right extremists, Sadiq Khan has said. The Mayor of London said the Metropolitan Police had obtained intelligence that such groups were planning to come to the capital and damage monuments of black and Asian statesmen like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. He urged people to stay away from a planned Black Lives Matter protest scheduled for Saturday, warning that that confrontations between anti-racism protesters and right-wingers could turn violent and could also act as a vector for spreading coronavirus. "We have intelligence that extreme far-right groups are coming to London, ostensibly they say to protect the statues," Mr Khan told the BBC on Saturday morning. "We think these statues may be a flash point for violence and we are worried about extreme far-right groups getting involved in violence, vandalism and disorder with those protesting as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, and that's one of the reasons I'm asking people to stay away from central London." Images of statues outside parliament being boarded up have provoked anger from some politicians. Home Secretary Priti Patel last night said the monuments should be "liberated" and criticised Mr Khan for the decision to board them up. But Mr Khan said the statues being protected were "not just the statues of Winston Churchill but also indeed of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi". "I'd just say respectfully to the Home Secretary, she needs to see the intelligence we've seen, which is that the extreme far-right are intending to come to central London, one of their justifications for doing so is to protect these statues, but also they are intending to remove statues of people like Nelson Mandela." He added that the statues had been boarded up before, including while Boris Johnson was Mayor, sometimes for weeks at a time. Police have said Saturday demonstration must end up 5pm and that the Black Lives Matter protest must stay on a specific route between Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square. Far-right groups travelling to the capital for the day will have to stay on Whitehall and Parliament Square and also disperse by the same time. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (AFP via Getty Images) "I think we've done the wise precautionary thing which is to protect the statues with the boarding up and advise people not to come to central London," Mr Khan said. "The Metropolitan Police have imposed these conditions and what I'd hope is that rather than making political points, central government would work with regional government and the police to make sure there isn't violence, vandalism, and disorder or the spreading of the virus." Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Show all 16 1 /16 Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol. Colston was a 17th century slave trader who has numerous landmarks named after him in Bristol. Pictured is the statue covered up before it was pulled down Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters pulling down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston William Want Twitter account/AFP Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters pulling down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston William Want Twitter account/AFP Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest A protester presses his knee into the neck of the Edward Colston statue Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The protest rally was in College Green, Bristol Ben Birchall/PA Wire Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The Edward Colston statue is defaced Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest A crowd gathers Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters dragging the statue of Edward Colston to Bristol harbourside PA Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The statue is rolled along the street before being dropped into a nearby river SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters throw the statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour PA Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Ben Birchall/PA Wire Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest TWITTER/SELLOTTIE via REUTERS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest PA The Mayor said that ultimately the issue of statues was a "huge distraction" from tackling Nick Lowles of anti-racism group Hope Not Hate warned: "There are some people who are genuinely concerned about the protection of their statues and monuments but many people are coming for a fight and they are talking openly about it on their social media accounts." Anti-racism protesters pulled down a statue of slave trader Thomas Colston in Bristol last week after a protracted political battle to get it removed by lawful means came to nought. The action sparked a nationwide debate about racist monuments in the UK which has led to some councils removing similar statues. The Mayor of London has launched a formal review of monuments in London, while Boris Johnson this week such statues should remain in place, arguing that they are an important part of the UK's history. World Press bodies protest attacks on journalists in the US and Philippines View(s): The International Press Institute (IPI) has launched two major press freedom campaigns for journalists in the Philippines and the United States. The IPI members have been requested to take part in the campaign to protest the case filed against Maria Ressa and the online news site Rappler, which is due to commence on June 15. The court action is seen as an attempt to silence journalist Ressa and shut down the Rappler site in retaliation for its critical coverage of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration. The IPI National Committee is writing directly to the Philippines embassies in their country, while members have been requested to post Twitter and Facebook messages as part of the campaign. The IPI is also campaigning for the protection of journalists in the US who have been covering the Black Lives Matter protests. The IPI North American Committee has issued a strong statement condemning the attacks against journalists covering these protests. Any officers who abuse their powers to assault journalists should be held accountable for illegal actions to the full extent of the law, the IPI said. The IPI has also signed letters of protest coordinated by global press freedom groups including the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. Meanwhile, members from 40 countries representing the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) have written to US President Donald Trump to condemn the recent violence against journalists covering protests in the country. The joint letter calls for perpetrators to be brought to justice and urges President Trump to forcefully condemn these attacks and show unwavering support for a free press. The letter, initiated by WAN-IFRA President Fernando De Yarza Lopez-Madrazo and World Editors Forum President Warren Fernandez, is co-signed by 20 national member associations and 45 individual publishers, CEOs, Editors-in-Chief and senior media executives from around the world. The death of a 20-year-old man in London has left a controversial Met police officer who appeared on Nigerian Big Brother heartbroken. Alexander Kareem, 20, was shot near his family home in Shepherds Bush, West London, on Monday June 8. The victim is the brother of 29-year-old Khafi Kareem whose appearance on Nigerian big Brother sparked controversy last summer after her bosses denied her permission to go on the show. A post-mortem concluded that Alexander was killed by gunshots to his chest and abdomen while he was walking home after visiting a shop around 12.40am. Alexander Kareem, 20, (right) was gunned down in Shepherd's Bush on June 8. His family are mourning his death, including Khafi Kareem, 29, (left) of the Met Police who controversially appeared on Nigerian Big Brother last year A post-mortem concluded that Alexander was killed by gunshots to his chest and abdomen while returning home from a shop at around 12.40am It is reported that Alexander screamed help me as he lay on the ground before a passer-by attempted to perform CPR. Paramedics arrived to treat Alexander, but he was pronounced dead shortly after. His sister Khafi Kareem, who lives in Hammersmith, West London, became a social media star after spending 77 days in the Nigerian big Brother house last year. PC Kareem was evicted from the show in which she formed a relationship with Ekpata Gedoni, 31, and allegedly had sex. The Met publicity poster girl now has 1.2million followers in Instagram and is on restricted duties while the Mets Directorate of Professional Standards investigates her controversial appearance on the reality television show. Khafi Kareem appeared on Nigerian Big Brother last summer after having her request to take part turned down by the Met. She formed a relationship with Ekpata Gedoni, 31, and sparked controversy after allegedly having sex on the show Khafi Kareem now has 1.2million followers in Instagram and is on restricted duties while the Mets Directorate of Professional Standards investigates her controversial appearance on the reality television show The Met has previously said: The Met does not support the officer's appearance nor does she represent the Met whilst appearing on the show. 'All officers have a duty to behave with professionalism and in a manner that does not bring the Met into disrepute whether on or off duty. 'Those who do not behave professionally risk breaching police standards of professional behaviour, and may be dealt with by way of misconduct proceedings.' PC Kareem joined the police after a 16-year-old friend was stabbed to death. A white Range Rover, seen in the area before the shooting and later found burned out nearby, is being traced by police as 'a key line of inquiry'. The Met police officer, who lives in Hammersmith, West London, was a poster girl for the police force in some of their publicity shots The Met has previously said: The Met does not support the officer's appearance nor does she represent the Met whilst appearing on the show' Detectives would also like to hear from anyone who may have captured either the shooting or the Range Rover on dash cam. No arrests have yet been made. The investigation is the 50th murder probe in the capital this year. The Met said: We are not prepared to discuss, when asked about the victims link to PC Kareem. A 69-year-old resident in Shepherds Bush, who did not want to be named, said she was laying in bed at about 12:30am when she heard 'two or three' gunshots before Mr Kareem was found. 'I heard shots and somebody calling 'help me, help me',' she said. The woman called the police and watched the nearby scene from a window. A white Range Rover (pictured), seen in the area before the shooting and later found burned out nearby, is being traced by police as 'a key line of inquiry' The investigation into the shooting of Alexander Kareem is the 50th murder probe in the capital this year A 69-year-old resident in Shepherds Bush, who did not want to be named, said she was laying in bed at about 12:30am when she heard 'two or three' gunshots before Mr Kareem was found She said: 'I saw a man laying in the street, sort of in the gutter in front of the bus stop, and several cars had stopped and the people were trying to help and one of them was trying to give CPR.' The Scottish Sun was told by a family friend that Alexanders family are distraught. They said: They are all good people. His sister Khafi spreads positivity through her YouTube account. She wakes up and prays for people at 7.30 every morning. Alexs brother is trying to get back from Australia to grieve with the rest of his family, his mum is completely devastated. People paid respects at the site of the shooting by leaving bouquets, a bottle of brandy and a crucifix. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 00:49:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on May 14, 2020 shows the Ubungo interchange under construction in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Ubungo interchange, mainly consisting of a 17.5-meter three level interchange and service roads, is the biggest project of its kind in the country being constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). It is expected to greatly reduce traffic congestion at the busy Ubungo junction with more than 60,000 vehicles passing daily upon completion in December. (Xinhua) DAR ES SALAAM, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-built interchange in Tanzania's business capital Dar es Salaam partially opened to public about a fortnight ago, injecting relief to motorists in the country's largest city. The Ubungo interchange, mainly consisting of a 17.5-meter three level interchange and service roads, is the biggest project of its kind in the country being constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). It is expected to greatly reduce traffic congestion at the busy Ubungo junction with more than 60,000 vehicles passing daily upon completion in December. Ubungo is a district in the northwest of Dar es Salaam, which hosts the country's largest university, the largest indoor shopping mall and a major bus terminal. And the junction where the interchange sits serves as a key gateway of the city with a population of about six million. "Before the construction of the interchange, the junction was a thorn in the flesh to both motorists and passengers," said Azim Dewji, chairman of Simba Logistics Limited, a transportation firm ferrying goods between Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Dewji said drivers used to be stuck in traffic jam for quite a long time before they crossed through the area but now they pass through the junction in the blink of an eye. "The heavy traffic jam experienced at the Ubungo junction was a headache for motorists and passengers," Dewji told Xinhua in an interview, giving an example that if 500 trucks spent two hours each in the traffic jam it meant there were 1,000 lost hours. Mustapha Mwalongo, communications director for Tanzania Bus Owners Association, said the construction of the Ubungo interchange has added to the business capital's infrastructural landmarks. "The traffic jams made passengers arriving from upcountry to feel tired as they waited for hours to pass through the Ubungo junction. But nowadays they hardly spend a quarter an hour before they are through," says Mwalongo. The foundation stone for the construction of the interchange was jointly laid in March 2017 by Tanzanian President Magufuli and the then World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. Magufuli said the project was part of his government's resolve to carry out projects which address problems facing Tanzanians. Godrich Mshana, CCECC's quality assurance and control engineer told Xinhua that 80 percent of the project has already been completed. "Contractually this project is supposed to be completed by the end of December this year, but we are trying at our level best to complete even before the end of this year. This is our target," said the engineer, adding that the project currently employs more than 800 locals. Mshana said Tanzanian engineers and trainees working on the project also benefited from the technical know-how provided by their Chinese colleagues. "At the moment we have 40 trainee engineers from various universities in the country who are on a three-month training program at the project," said Mshana. We're going through a period of time that no one has before. It's a pandemic, the world has been under lockdown for months, social distancing is the new norm to stop the spread of the disease as much as possible. On top of that, people are losing their jobs because of COVID-19, so many people have completely lost their source of earning, the economy is crashing, it's a terrible time overall and so many people are suffering. We would've thought that being compassionate and looking out for everyone along with yourselves would also become a normal thing now, but we were mistaken. Even now, the only thing that matters is apparently just money and a viral picture recently showed that. A picture from Max Hospital shows the price listing of any treatments related to COVID-19 and saying that it's outrageously expensive would be an overstatement. I mean, just look at the absurd prices. Twitter A general ward price for one day is 25k and if you're unlucky enough to get extremely sick because of a disease that has a high chance of making you sick, a ventilator will cost over 70k. For just one day. A picture related to the pricing of COVID treatment at Max Patparganj (stated in some tweets as Max Gurgaon) is being circulated on social media. However, it did not carry all the facts such as inclusions of routine tests, routine medicines, doctor and nurse charges etc. pic.twitter.com/ndjBxjFhw0 Max Healthcare (@MaxHealthcare) June 12, 2020 Yep, definitely the price a regular citizen can afford. And, before anyone says that people don't have to go to fancy private hospitals for treatment, please read the accounts of people who were not getting admitted at any hospital and will probably have to resort to paying their entire life savings and then some more to just not die. Honestly, anyone who doesn't think that this kind of pricing during a freaking pandemic is not criminal and insanely inhumane, they really don't have a heart. And probably their privilege blinds them to the fact that so many people would never in a million years be able to afford the treatment. Reuters While Max Hospital is the one getting scrutinized right now, I'm sure this is the story of all the private hospitals who are basically taking advantage of a pandemic because money is obviously greater than human lives. And, this comes just a couple of days after the news of doctors not getting paid for months. The people on the frontlines fighting the disease and saving people are not even getting paid at a few hospitals while the hospitals themselves are making huge profits. Reuters This is an important point to note and realize how human life is literally being treated as disposable at this point and no one cares as long as there is a profit. So proud of these people. There's no humanity left. Why are such simple things marked up so much? Max Hospitals I want to curb your absurd pricing and shameless foraging for money. I can supply you latex PPEs at Rs. 600 pp, Nitril gloves at Rs. 275 pc, N95 at Rs. 375 PC, surgical masks at Rs. 2 pp, sanitizers at Rs. 20 pb. Stop your loot. #maxhospital #maxhealthcare #delhi pic.twitter.com/vjUJPiV8Oj Gautam Kapoor (@gautamkapoor54) June 12, 2020 It shouldn't be. Before pointing out fingers at docs for the inhuman charges at #maxhospital pls realise it was founded by an economist and run by corporates. Very less of it goes to the docs and other staff. It's bcoz health for the economist is a business. Look at these reviews to get an idea. pic.twitter.com/WS7iISfQsT Indian doctor (@Indian__doctor) June 13, 2020 BYOPPE. It's exploitation and it's disgusting. @narendramodi: Don't you think #COVID19 treatment cost must be capped in India? This is nothing but outright exploitation of the public. A helpless person seeking treatment has no choice but to agree to such horrendous costs!#maxhospital pic.twitter.com/f7BB6OOyup Varad (@maniyarvarad) June 12, 2020 Shame! The economy is already down, People are starving due to lack of food and money. Total crisis all over and this hospital is sucking blood of patients under the name of treatment. DO YOU HAVE GOLDEN BEDS IN YOUR HOSPITALS OR 100% SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT ? SHAME !#maxhospital pic.twitter.com/rwVWUwDb7T Dr. Priya Sharma (@priyasharma0231) June 13, 2020 It's funny because it's true. Exactly. #maxhospital U r not doctors but butchers. U r monster U r chor loooters U r not saviours but killers This is business not service@drharshvardhan @PMOIndia if u guys don't do anything then lots of poor ppl are gonna die. Not bcoz of #COVID but becuase of not able pay the bill pic.twitter.com/2UExgRKPJs Thebeeinghuman (@thebeeinghuman) June 13, 2020 It's a crisis. Don't justify extortion.... that's what it is....... That's how you are turning crisis into opportunities... A Big shame. @MaxHealthcare #maxhospital pic.twitter.com/GySDqcGdJt Yogesh Kumar (@thisisyogesh__) June 12, 2020 Why is there no cap? Does the govt have no authority to set a max limit of per day treatment cost in pvt hospitals? If YES, then y is #maxhospital looting people? If NO, then u need to know that the answer is YES! Pls take action @PMOIndia @narendramodi, we shouldn't loot people in a health crisis pic.twitter.com/2PVfRTSjkR Vidhyun Kapoor (@VK_Payne19) June 12, 2020 Horrible. Kindly maintain #SocialDistancing or be rich enough to afford the treatment of #Covid. Choice is yours Rate list of #maxhospital pic.twitter.com/O1O9NxxVAR (@vanitajain21) June 13, 2020 Wow. #maxhospital be like corona k sath sath dengue, swine flu, typhoid k bhi charges jod dete h.... pic.twitter.com/ezEAGyQoxe i@mPritesh (@Pritesh18638863) June 13, 2020 The explanation is ridiculous. @MaxHealthcare's clarification about its COVID rates tries to highlight what is included in the packages to make us believe that the rates are fair & charitable. In fact the rates are appallingly high & will not change the huge charges that Max bills COVID patients @abhay_soi 1/n https://t.co/KgYV59PiQH pic.twitter.com/IQ4ugyjUob Malini Aisola (@malini_aisola) June 12, 2020 Hospitals are a necessity, not a luxury. Thieves took away an unguarded automated teller machine (ATM) of State bank of India (SBI) loaded with Rs 14 lakh from Keorak village of Kaithal district, police said on Saturday. The theft took place on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, bank officials told the police. An FIR has been registered against unidentified thieves under sections 380 and 457 of the IPC. The police said though they have started a thorough probe, the preliminary investigation suggested that it was a result of negligence of the bank as the ATM was unguarded. ROBBERY BID FOILED In another incident, police thwarted the plan of armed robbers to loot an ATM of Punjab National Bank in Siwan village of the district. Anoop Singh, in-charge of Kaithal polices CIA-1, said a police team cracked down on the robbers trying to steal money around 1.30am. However, they opened fire at the cops and managed to flee. He said they have registered a case. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 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. Three people were injured Friday afternoon during a New Jersey protest march after a deer ran into the crowd, police said. As the group was walking along Route 522, the animal ran from the high school property and into the marchers, according to a statement from the South Brunswick police. Police officers were escorting the marchers and were able to provide aid to the injured people, who included a 69-year-old woman, authorities said. 1/2 The South Brunswick March for Justice drew hundreds of people to the rally and march. During the march 3 people were injured when a deer ran from the high school property into the marchers. Officers working the event immediately provided medical aid until EMS arrived. pic.twitter.com/ljfmiuh5Cq So Brunswick PD (@SoBrunswickPD) June 13, 2020 She suffered a serious head injury and was taken to a hospital, where she remained in intensive care late Friday night, police said. The other two injured marchers were treated at the scene by local EMS. The protest, called the South Brunswick March for Justice, drew hundreds of people and was planned by two South Brunswick High School alumni. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. More: Protests scheduled for Saturday in Middletown, Hummelstown 'Im going to Cleveland to riot: Pa. men indicted on conspiracy charges involving Cleveland demonstrations President Trump lands in N.J. for weekend stay at his golf club By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA/ANANTAPUR: In yet another jolt to the TDP, former MLA JC Prabhakar Reddy and his son JC Asmit Reddy were arrested by the Anantapur police in Hyderabad early Saturday for allegedly buying scrap vehicles, illegally registering them, plying them and selling some of them in violation of several laws and contrary to the Supreme Court verdict prohibiting sale of BS-III vehicles post April 1, 2017. This is the second arrest of a senior TDP leader in as many days. TDP deputy floor leader in the Assembly K Atchannaidu was arrested Friday for his alleged involvement in the Employees Insurance Scheme (ESI) scam. Prabhakar Reddy and his son were brought to Anantapur where a local court remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days. Both were lodged in the Anantapur district jail at Reddipalli village in BK Samudram mandal, but since a COVID-19 case was reported there, they were later shifted to the Tadipatri sub-jail. The police had booked criminal cases against two companies owned by the father-son duo, their family members and close associates following a complaint from the transport department. Companies owned by the TDP leader and family have been charged with forging documents to get BS-III vehicles registered as BS-IV vehicles, plying them in Anantapur district and even selling them. The cases pertain to the activities of two companies M/s Jatadhara Industries, owned by JC Uma Reddy, wife of Prabhakar Reddy, and the TDP leaders son Asmit Reddy; and M/s C Gopal Reddy & Co, owned by Gopal Reddy, a close associate of Prabhakar Reddy. Sources told The New Indian Express that the two companies had purchased vehicles sold as scrap by Ashok Leyland and got them registered in Nagaland in 2018 by producing fake and fabricated documents. These vehicles were found to be plying in Anantapur district. ALSO READ: Former minister K Atchannaidu sent to judicial remand over multi-crore ESI scam Nani ready for debate before media, cites evidence Upon receipt of information, the police began investigation. An email was sent to Ashok Leyland on Jan 10 this year. It was confirmed by the company that 66 vehicles were sold as scrap -- 40 to Gopal Reddy & Co and 26 to Jatadhara Industries. During verification of records in the transport department, it was found that all these vehicles were first registered at Kohima in Nagaland and then brought to Anantapur district on a no objection certificate from that State. A team comprising transport department officials and police visited Kohima for further investigation. The sources said during verification there, it was found that Uma Reddy had signed the application produced before the registering authority on behalf of Gopal Reddy & Co seeking registration of vehicles. Invoices issued by Ashok Leyland that were produced by Uma Reddy were found to be at variance with one another and incomplete. The invoices were claimed to have been issued by Ashok Leyland Ltd Kalyanpur of Uttarakhand and Ashok Leyland Ltd RSO Hosur in Tamil Nadu. The scrap vehicles were sought to be passed off as road worthy. As per the Supreme Court verdict, the sale of vehicles not complaint with BS IV emission norms was prohibited from April 1. During investigation, it was detected that the companies obtained no objection certificates within a few days and got the vehicles registered at Anantapur and began plying the scrap vehicles for wrongful gain, endangering human lives and causing pollution. To their surprise, the investigators also discovered that some of these vehicles were sold to various people in the State. Initially, it was found that only 66 scrap vehicles were procured by the two companies but upon further investigation, it was found that 154 vehicles of BS-III emission norms were sold as scrap to the two companies. All of them were registered as BS IV compliant, a large number of them in Anantapur. Of them, 101 are on AP rolls. Registration of 89 of them has been cancelled and the process is on to cancel the same for the rest. 28 vehicles were taken on NoC to other States, mainly Telangana and Karnataka, by the companies. The State police have alerted the States concerned about the same. Sources said of the 101 vehicles, 60 have been seized but 41 are yet to be traced. The companies are also accused of producing fake insurance policies for the vehicles. Further, Prabhakar Reddy is accused of approaching those who bought the scrap vehicles from his companies and paying up to Rs 14 lakhs each to prevent them from filing criminal cases against him. Official sources say he settled the matter that way with 35 persons. Speaking to mediapersons in Hyderabad, Transport Minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) said playing with the lives of people, JC Prabhakar Reddys family resorted to large-scale irregularities. We have evidence and based on that alone Prabhakar Reddy and his son were arrested, he said. Both father and son are directors in Jatadhara Industries. "Chassis and engines of these BS-III vehicles were purchased as scrap by Jatadhara Industries, based in Tadipatri (50 vehicles) and C Gopal Reddy and Co also based in Tadipatri (104 vehicles). All these vehicles were registered as BS IV vehicles in various parts of the country using fabricated invoices, sale letters and other documents. Moreover, 4 of those chassis were registered illegally as bus chassis, though they were lorry chassis," he said. According to Transport department officials, a total of 24 cases were registered in Anantapur district and three cases in Kurnool district. A detailed letter was addressed to the Joint Secretary (Transport), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on March 19 requesting to blacklist the 154 vehicles in the VAHAN database to stop further transactions, to direct other states, where the vehicles were registered to cancel the RCs and to issue an advisory to all states to seize the vehicles if found plying. Meanwhile, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu condemned the arrest of Prabhakar Reddy and Asmit Reddy and described it as an act of vengeance by the Jagan government. He said false cases are being foisted against TDP leaders and they are being arrested. Reacting to the arrest of his brother and nephew, JC Diwakar Reddy said there was no respect for constitution, rules and regulations in the present government. He said officials have lost their spine and are rendered powerless. "All they can do is nod their heads to whatever that powerful and rich man says. There is no God and whatever that man says is being treated as law. He never likes opposition and those who speak against what he says. There is no point in staging protests. All we can do is wait for another four years till elections. I will not be surprised, if tomorrow I am arrested," he said. Countering TDPs allegations, Perni Nani said he was ready for a debate before the media to prove the charges against Prabhakar Reddy and his son. Those who violate the law have to be punished, he asserted. Chandrababu Naidu accuses govt of vendetta politics Former CM and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu accused the YSR Congress government of resorting to vendetta politics, and said Jagan Mohan Reddy was behaving as if he became CM only to harass TDP leaders. Naidu arrived at the Guntur government hospital to visit Atchannaidu on Saturday but was denied permission An Australian man has been sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling. The man was handed his sentence by the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court on Wednesday, according to Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television. The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court. Source: AAP (file pic) He was nabbed at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in 2013 with 7.5kg of meth, The ABC understands. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia its providing consular assistance to the man detained in China. We are deeply saddened to hear of the verdict made in his case, the spokesperson said. Australia opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances for all people. We support the universal abolition of the death penalty and are committed to pursuing this goal through all the avenues available to us. Owing to our privacy obligations we will not provide further comment. 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. The colour of a person's skin, the place where you were born, the way you talk, your religion, your culture, your norms. Each contributes to how we are treated within our community, how we are viewed by the people we see every day. In a normal, functioning society our differences are embraced, met with curiosity rather than ignorance. In a normal, functioning society everyone is treated the same. It would be churlish to suggest we have reached that point in Wexford. Yet, as events across the Atlantic have shown, we are further down the line than some. Yes, racism exists here, fascism and hatred too, but we're a nation of emigrants; we know about poverty, about suffering, about the pain of leaving family behind to seek pastures new. And so, when people come here to make new lives, to escape war, famine and conflict, we try to extend a hand of greeting to them. And, according to those we spoke to for this article, it's appreciated more than we could ever know. Patrick Khamis, South Sudan It's been almost a year since Patrick Khamis has spoken to his wife and two children. He arrived in Rosslare from South Sudan last June, forced to flee a country at war, a conflict which has killed an estimated 400,000 South Sudanese people. Although he had a job in marketing, a home and a family, it had become too dangerous for Patrick (48) to remain in his homeland. 'How I ended up here is a long story, there's a lot of politics involved,' he says. 'South Sudan had been at war for 22 years, that war ended in 2005 and afterwards each commander wanted his share of the cake. 'This led to more conflict and it was no longer safe for me there. It was very complicated, but I had to seek refuge here. My wife, son (21) and daughter (17) are still there. It goes without saying that it's tough not seeing them. I haven't spoken to my wife for almost a year now. I have been in touch with my sister though and she has said they are safe and well.' Patrick's ultimate goal is to have his family join him in Ireland, to start a new life in a country which he says has been good to him since his arrival. 'I like it here, Wexford is a nice place, the people are very friendly, there's been no trouble. I've actually been surprised by the generosity of the local community, they're very good, they meet you and they want to stop for a chat,' he says. 'Hopefully my family will be able to come and join me here at some stage. I'm still in the process of having my status here granted, I'm just waiting for the final letter from the ministry. I'm very grateful for all that's been done for me since I came here.' Patrick is currently taking the Sanctuary Ambassadors course, a programme sponsored by Wexford Local Development (WLD) which provides training for those living in direct provision, giving them the skills required to aid and assist other refugees or asylum seekers. 'We always look out for new people who have just arrived, we help them with their induction, their introductions,' Patrick says. And this is just one of the programmes he has become involved in since his arrival. 'There's a whole lot of opportunities for me here. I've been volunteering with Age Action, had IT lessons. I'm hoping to do more volunteering so that I can give back to the people. I'm also getting training to be an addiction counsellor. 'Once I get my documents I want to get off the welfare system and give something back to society.' With no cases of Covid-19 at the Rosslare Accommodation Centre thus far, Patrick and his fellow residents have avoided the plight which has befallen some of their compatriots in other centres. 'We've done well with Covid so far, when it first came it shook the world and it shook the centre too. But we have followed the rules, the guidelines, had instructions printed out and put on the walls. The management here have done very well, provided sanitisers, face masks. 'On an individual level we have been washing our hands constantly, ten times a day. As a group we have adopted a policy that this is a responsibility that must be shared between us, so if someone is going out we take it upon ourselves to make sure they take precautions.' However, he believes that in order for the direct provision system to continue to work some changes need to be made. 'The direct provision system is good and they're doing a good job but I think there should be less people in the centres. At the moment there's 50,60 people here and I think that's one of the reasons why local communities are reluctant to have centres in their area. 'For example, if there were only 30 people in a centre then you might have just one or two people walking down the street together, and it's not so intimidating for those living locally. But when you have this many people in a centre there's a chance there'll be groups of five or ten and people find that harder to deal with.' Zakaria Osman, Somalia Zakaria Osman has also been forced to leave his family, a wife and five young children. In his case it was a series of assassination attempts which led to the decision to escape his homeland of Somalia. 'I arrived in Rosslare in July of last year. I had been working as a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mogadishu, as First Secretary to the Somali embassy in Burundi,' Zakaria (28) says. 'Al-Shabaab tried to kill me three times so I had to run.' Al-Shabaab, is a terrorist, jihadist fundamentalist group based in East Africa and in 2017 it claimed responsibility for a bomb which killed over a thousand people in Mogadishu, among them Zakaria's brother. 'My brother was killed in an explosion in the foreign embassy in 2017, he was 32. The aftermath of the attack was massive, more than one thousand people lost their lives and an equal number were injured. I lost some of my closest friends in the attack. 'Al-Shabaab claimed the attack which is often the case. It is a day I will never ever forget in my life.' Having finally escaped and found sanctuary in Wexford, Zakaria has begun piecing his life back together. But while he was physically unharmed by the bomb and its aftermath, it has taken its toll on him psychologically. 'When I came I found it very hard, I was suffering flashbacks, was remembering what had happened to me in Somalia. My GP helped me to relax my mind, but I couldn't sleep, and when I did I was having nightmares. 'But for the last five months things have been better. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to Somalia though, there hasn't been stability there since 1991. My family are still back there, my wife and five children. 'I have been in touch with them over the internet but it's very difficult to communicate with them, they are living normally at the moment and are okay. I absolutely hope to bring them to Ireland when I get my status here.' And when that does happen, when he is allowed to join the workforce, Zakaria hopes to use his experiences to help others. 'When I am granted the ability to work I hope to be able to support Somalians coming to live here, to work with immigrants. It's a very tough situation in Somalia at the moment, I am passionate about helping others, and have been helping newcomers settle in the centre.' 'Already I'm feeling like Ireland is my home, the people here, when you go out, they greet you, tell you you're welcome to their country. I would like to settle here and start a new life.' Wael Zakka, Syria When war broke out in Syria in 2011, Wael Zakka had his own his business, a successful high-tech printing company which he had slowly built up over a number of years. Such was the success of his company that one of his biggest clients was the Syrian government, a contract with the central office providing enough income to support his young family. However, as the conflict escalated and the death count rose, Wael made a decision which would change the course of his life forever. 'My work was in hologram, high-tech printing, I had been doing that for a long time, sending items to the government,' says Wael. 'But in 2011 I refused to deliver orders to them because of the political situation, I went against them. 'It was brave but it cost me my career, my life, I don't regret it though, if given the choice I would do the same thing one thousand times over.' Wael (42) only arrived in Rosslare last year, his journey taking him from Russia to Italy, France, China and India before he finally found a country willing to help him start over. 'I've been here since June 14 of last year. I left Syria in 2011 and tried to rebuild my life, and went to many countries,' he says. 'But you can't compare those countries to ireland, people here are so nice and humble, they say hello and goodbye, they're very normal people, unlike some places where integration is very difficult.' However, his wife and three children remain in Syria, away from Wael, their only communication virtual. 'I speak to my family through social media, I don't ever miss a day, they're doing well, they're just waiting for the moment they can come here. I hope I can afford to bring them here. 'I won't ever be able to go home, of course you cannot but miss it; I grew up there, have memories, famly members. But it's not possible to go back. Everybody lost somebody and it's not easy to make people live together under those circumstances.' A trained lawyer, Wael is hoping to take a Master's Degree in law once he is granted permission to study. In the meantime he is busying himself with online courses and is also taking the Sanctuary Ambassador course. And although Covid-19 has presented challenges for those living in the Accommodation Centre, he says their new home should be held up as an example of how to make direct provision work. 'In the old centre it was horrible, you couldn't choose your roommate, but here it's way better, they should make it a model for other centres to learn from; there's activities, you can work with Age Action, the men's sheds, you need that, you need something to wake up for.' Karolina Skalinska, Poland Karolina Skalinska came to Wexford from Poland 12 years ago, her initial plan to 'see something new', improve her English and return home within a year. Now however, her home is here. 'Ireland definitely has become home for me,' she says. 'My son was born here, he has his friends here, English is his first language, he even has a Wexford accent now.' Although she attended college in Poland and qualified as an Accounting Technician, Karolina (38) came to Ireland willing to work wherever the opportunities lay. 'I got a job very quickly after I arrived, within a week, as a night packer in Super Valu. I've had a lot of jobs since then, I've worked as a cleaner; one job I really enjoyed was in Traco Power Solutions, but that ended when the jobs moved to China,' she says. In the meantime she has taken a number of courses with Wexford Local Development (WLD), receiving training in everything from office skills to payroll. And her dream is to one day find work in her chosen field, in the profession she trained for back home. 'I'm qualified as an Account Technician, but I came here without having had any work experience in that. I would love to find work in that position, but I've almost given up for now; I've have had so many interviews,' she says. The prospect of retraining in Accounting at an Irish college, at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) perhaps, is, for Karolina, a daunting one. 'I was trying to finish my courses here, but the Polish education system is different to the Irish one. I was thinking of going to WIT but my English is not great, I could try to go there but I'm scared, the level is so high there.' Ultimately Karolina says she would simply be happy to find work in place where her efforts are appreciated and she can make a telling contribution. 'I would love to work in a place where I do something I like, the pay doesn't have to be that great, it's more important that it's something I enjoy. I would like to work in a place where people trust me, where I can develop new skils, and do something that would bring me satisfaction and challenge me.' Sabina* (name changed to protect identity of interviewee), Poland 'I feel more comfortable here than in Poland,' says Sabina, who came to Wexford in 2012. 'I enjoy the community aspect of life here, even if you're just going to the shop you know you're going to meet people and stop and talk to them. 'Now, when I go back to Poland for a holiday and I smile and say hello to people they look at me like something's wrong. I don't want to return there to live. When the plane lands in Dublin it feels like I'm coming back home.' Like many of those who come to Ireland for a fresh start, Sabina arrived with qualifications in tow. She had attended University in Poland, qualified as a librarian, but her first job in Wexford was in a very different kind of environment. 'I came here on my own but I had friends of friends to help me settle,' she says. 'I said I would give myself a month to find a job and if I couldn't find anything I would return home. 'I found work in a fish factory, it was the best I could get at the time. It was the worst job ever, so smelly; I would be in the bank or the shop smelling of fish. I lasted a year there.' After surviving that experience, she moved on to a role with supermarket giant, Aldi, a position she held until 2017. But in the intervening years she realised her true passion lay elsewhere. 'I am beginning a course in Social Care at Carlow IT, Wexford Campus, starting September (Covid permitting),' she says. 'I'm not really sure which area of Social Care I'd like to do, I'm currently looking for volunteering opportunities so I can explore the possibilities. 'My dream job is the kind of thing where I'm not in an office all day, where I can have contact with people, with those who need help, go and be a part of the community.' And Sabina says that without Wexford Local Development (WLD) she wouldn't be in a position to pursue those dreams. 'They gave me great help, gave me advice on how to make the right choice for me, what courses to take, which direction to go, how to write a proper application, what supports are available for me. I wish I'd found them sooner.' And the mother-of-two says having children in Ireland and native English speakers in her home, has its benefits. 'They speak English at home, but they're still quite young. Sometimes though when I'm talking to my daughter I'm learning phrases from her.' A blind homeless cat was rescued from the streets of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, and after recovering from a rough life as a stray, this fortunate felines most startling characteristic is garnering him internet fame. A local from Royal Palm Beach had called Carmen Morales Weinberg, the director of the nonprofit Animal Friends Project, to report seeing the distressed cat out on the streets. The scruffy-looking animal was covered in mange, a parasitic skin disease causing itchy, dry, scaly skin, and was wandering around with his eyes completely shut from infection. He appeared to be totally blind and was suffering trying to survive on his own. He couldnt even see or open his eyes because the mites were so bad, Morales Weinberg told The Dodo. It must have been so scary for him out there not being able to see. He was all alone and so skinny because he couldnt find food. After coming by to pick up the cat, whose name turned out to be Cotton, Morales Weinberg brought him to a vetwho confirmed that in addition to his mange, the stray was severely malnourished and dehydrated. Yet despite Cottons pitiful state, the cat seemed to be sweet-tempered and loving and took to Weinberg and her family immediately. He purred the whole time they were examining him, she explained, the Huffington Post reported. Morales Weinberg took Cotton home to care for him while he recovered, feeding him the antibiotics necessary to clear up the painful mange and helping him to regain his strength and nutrition levels. Before long, his fur cleared up to reveal a sweet white cat, far better looking and stronger than he was when Morales Weinberg first came to pick him up. We could just see his tense body start to relax as the days passed, Morales Weinberg said. He was finally able to rest without scratching so much. But the real surprise was when Cottons eyes, which had been swollen shut, were finally able to be opened again; he turned out to have two beautiful and differently colored eyes, one a clear blue and the other yellow! Even better, the blindness associated with the infection ended up clearing up, leaving the cat looking absolutely stunning and able to see again. We thought he was blind, and that he would be blind forever, Morales Weinberg said. The vet thought that even when his eyes recovered they might be damaged, but they werent. It was such a wonderful surprise. His eyes were just beautiful. Morales Weinberg discovered that the cat had a microchipand his previous owner was able to be tracked down. She revealed that he had wandered off long ago, and she was no longer able to care for him and couldnt take him back. So instead, Morales Weinberg turned to the idea of finding him a new forever home. Cotton loves attention, she said. He is very vocal and comes to you asking for love He could get overstimulated and give love bites but he usually controls himself. (Courtesy of Carmen Weinberg) We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Masks can reduce the growth rate of coronavirus infection by 40%, a paper on the impact of the staggered use of masks in public places in different cities and municipalities in Germany has found. After the city of Jena made it mandatory on April 6 to wear masks, new confirmed Covid-19 infections reduced by 25% compared to that in a group with similar demographics, local health care systems and pre-April Covid-19 levels, the analysis found. The findings were released on Friday. Depending on the region we analyse, we found that face masks reduced the cumulative number of registered Covid-19 cases between 2.3% and 13% over a period of 10 days after they became compulsory. Assessing the credibility of the various estimates, we conclude that face masks reduce the daily growth rate of reported infections by around 40%, said the discussion paper by IZA Institute of Labor Economics in Bonn, Germany. The long incubation period of the Covid-19 infection, among other factors, contribute to its spread, according to experts. Symptoms appear on average after four to five days of getting infected, according to a study published in March in The Annals of Internal Medicine. In this period, patients might not develop symptoms of cough, fever or difficulty in breathing, but can spread the infection. Several studies have also found that Covid-19 is also spread by those who have a very mild disease but do not show symptoms.A paper published in New England Journal of Medicine on Friday, which followed asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that saw an outbreak in February, found that the majority of asymptomatic cases did not develop symptoms at all throughout the course of the infection. People with advancing age, hypertension and diabetes were pre-symptomatic for longer, it found. This important study clarifies many facts. People develop symptoms in an average of four days, and a large proportion of Covid-19 positive patients (58%) are asymptomatic throughout the duration of illness, which ranges from three to 21 days, with the median period being nine days. The study also found that asymptomatic patients transmit infection throughout the duration of illness, said Prof GC Khilnani, chairman, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, PSRI, and the former head of the pulmonology department at Delhis All India Institute of Medical Sciences. At least 28% of 40,184 people who tested positive for Covid-19 between January 22 and April 30 in India were asymptomatic, according to an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study. Wearing masks in public is already compulsory or recommended for all in several countries, including India, Singapore, France, Spain, Germany and Argentina, among others. A study in The Lancet on June 2 said social distancing, masks and hand hygiene do not offer complete protection on their own. As the lockdown lifts and people become mobile, social distancing, wearing masks and hand washing are the only defence against Covid-19 till we get an effective vaccine or cure, said Dr Ambarish Dutta, associate professor of epidemiology and public health, Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar. The World Health Organization (WHO) updated its guidelines for countries earlier this month and advised governments to encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments. Two days later, the global health agency was forced to retract a statement by its coronavirus lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, who said asymptomatic transmissions were very rare. It triggered a global debate and led sceptics to use the remark to discredit mandatory masks and social distancing policies. WHO clarified that much remains unknown about asymptomatic transmission. Most transmissions seem to occur from those with symptoms. However, we have to be careful because people can be infectious one to two days before they develop symptoms. So right now it is important for everyone to wear face coverings when they cannot maintain physical distancing, said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist, WHO, Geneva. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The latest bloodshed comes as the Taliban and the Afghan government appear to move closer towards potential peace negotiations Security personnel wearing facemasks stop motorists at a checkpoint during a government-imposed lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Kabul. (AFP) Kabul: Seven police officers were killed when their checkpoint was attacked in central Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday, blaming the Taliban for the assault. The attack happened late on Friday in Pasaband district of Ghor province, said district police chief Fakhruddin, who goes by one name. "They killed seven police officers and wounded one. One policeman is missing," he said, adding that the suspected Taliban attackers had seized guns and ammunition. The attack was confirmed by the deputy governor of Ghor, Habibullah Radmanish, who also blamed the insurgent group. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which came hours after four people were killed in a blast at a mosque in Kabul during Friday prayers. The latest bloodshed comes as the Taliban and the Afghan government appear to move closer towards potential peace negotiations. The much-delayed talks aimed at ending the conflict are expected to begin once the two sides complete an ongoing prisoner swap, accelerated after a brief ceasefire last month. The rare truce to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday has been followed by an overall drop in violence across the country, though authorities have blamed the Taliban for a number of attacks in recent weeks. "While the government has continued to advance the cause of peace, the Taliban continued their campaign of violence against the Afghan people during Eid and the weeks after that," Javid Faisal, spokesman of the National Security Council tweeted on Saturday. "In the last two weeks, they killed 89 civilians and wounded 150 across 29 provinces." The Taliban have largely refrained from launching major attacks on Afghan cities since February when they signed a deal with the US meant to pave the way for peace talks with the Kabul government. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe The zone includes the blocks surrounding the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct, which was the site of violent clashes with Black Lives Matter protesters, who have continued to demonstrate in the wake of George Floyds death. David Ryder/Getty Images In the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, an autonomous zone is taking shape and the police aren't welcome. Protesters established the space, known as the CHAZ, on Monday evening. It's quickly become an experiment in a police-free community. As the predominantly Black leaders of the CHAZ look to keep the space sustainable, expelling the police marks "a principled victory" for the community, one protester told Insider. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The scene near the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct was tense on Monday afternoon. Crowds of anti-racist protesters stood off against a wall of riot-ready police officers. "I was fully prepared to get the s--- kicked out of me," Jack, a protester who asked Insider to withhold his name out of fear of police retaliation, told Insider. "They had shields, they had tear gas, they had mace in hand," and "a couple of SWAT guys with rubber-bullet guns." It looked like the standoff might quickly morph into a melee, and protesters were prepared for it: Since late May, they've withstood police violence. Even after Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan banned the use of tear gas for 30 days, police still fired it into crowds. Protest organizers are now suing the city for what they allege was "unnecessary violence against peaceful demonstrators who are speaking out against discriminatory police brutality." But at the standoff, the tense atmosphere was unexpectedly defused. A lieutenant came out to the line and said, "Just give us 45 minutes and we'll get out of your way," Jack recalled. "Whoever was leading the protest said, 'No. You have eight minutes and 46 seconds,'" the same amount of time that Derek Chauvin knelt on Black man George Floyd's neck, killing him. People sit near a barricade next to a sign reading "Conversation Cafe" in an area called by protesters the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in Seattle, Washington, U.S. June 11, 2020. Eva Wood - Twitter @EVAGISELLE/via REUTERS The police decamped from the East Precinct, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, and an autonomous zone was established in its wake. Story continues The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ, has become a symbol of people-powered victory and a future without police, Jack said. Jack lives a few blocks outside the zone's proper boundaries but said it's already made the community much better. "There is a very positive spirit in the air," he said. Occupants are reading poetry and making art, distributing free food widely, including to the homeless, and engaging in open-forum debates about the future they want to build. A protester in the CHAZ holds an "insurrection" flag that Human Rights Attorney Mike Withey saved from the WTO Seattle protests, on June 11, 2020. Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images Though some protesters have stood in front of the empty precinct with "long guns," Jack said, to prevent anyone from entering the building, there isn't any enforcement around the perimeter of the CHAZ. Nonetheless, police aren't showing up. "Everybody I've talked to feels significantly safer knowing that there aren't there aren't police on the streets," he added. Police presence was initially ratcheted up in reaction to protests after George Floyd's death Like much of the country, Seattle became a site of tumult and terror after Floyd was killed. Before the CHAZ was established, there was "a heavy police presence all over Capitol Hill," Jack said. "They'd been using university parking lots, [grocery-store] parking lots, and public parks as a staging area for all of their gear, all of their buses to make mass arrests." The police violence that Jack and others experienced was deeply traumatizing, he said. Since Floyd's killing, police used tear gas and flash bangs on crowds, especially near the East Precinct. The daily clashes would begin in the evening and end by around 2 a.m. A volunteer holds a firearm while working security at an entrance to the so-called "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" on June 10, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. David Ryder/Getty Images Over the first week of protests, at least 82 people were arrested, local news reported. It's unclear how many of those were protesters. The Seattle Police Department did not respond to Insider's request for comment. "It's intimidating. Even though I'm not in the CHAZ, from my apartment I could see police donning all their riot gear. And it was nice to not have to look at that," he said. "It makes you not want to go home because I don't want them to necessarily see where I live. They could find me later." Expelling the police force is the first step toward a different, non-violent future, a different protester told Insider earlier this week. The CHAZ leadership, which is almost entirely Black, is exploring ways to keep the space from "fizzling out," Jack said. SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 09: A projected message is seen on a wall near the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct on June 9, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. David Ryder/Getty Images When Trump jeered Durkan for what he described as a space full of "ugly Anarchists" who "must be stopped IMMEDIATELY," she fired back. "Lawfully gathering and expressing first amendment rights, demanding we do better as a society and provide true equity for communities of color is not terrorism it is patriotism," she said. FreeCapitol Hill, an anonymous collective, put forth 30 demands to the city. Other demands are sprawled across the CHAZ in spraypaint. For now, expelling the police is "a principled victory," Jack said. "People get the feeling that they've removed an occupying force," he added. Read the original article on Insider Thousands marched in cities around the world for a second week of rallies Saturday to support the US Black Lives Matter movement, but also to highlight racism and police brutality in their own countries. There were rallies in cities across Europe, with thousands demonstrating in several French cities, and clashes breaking out in Paris and Lyon. Police arrested several far-right demonstrators in London after violence when they challenged people supporting racial quality there, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson denouncing their "racist thuggery". The weeks of historic demonstrations have been ignited by the May 25 killing of African American George Floyd by a police officer -- the latest in a long line of unarmed black men being killed by white law enforcement in the US. His agonising death as the officer knelt on his neck was filmed by bystanders and swiftly went viral, triggering fury first in the US and then around the world. The mass unrest has forced an unprecedented global conversation on the legacy of slavery, European colonialism and white violence against people of colour, as well as the militarisation of police in America. Police stopped protesters in Paris Saturday from marching through the capital, firing tear gas after some demonstrators pelted them with projectiles. In the southeast city of Lyon, police used water cannons and tear gas at the end of a demonstration attended by about 2,000 people. The Paris demonstration was called by a pressure group campaigning for justice for Adama Traore, a young black man who died in police custody in 2016. Traore's sister Assa Traore called on those attending the rally to "denounce the denial of justice, denounce social, racial, police violence". She drew a direct parallel between Floyd's death in the US city of Minneapolis and that of her brother, and renewed her call for a full investigation into his killing. Amnesty International called in a statement for "a systemic reform of police practices" in France. The rallies came at the end of a week when France's police watchdog revealed it had received almost 1,500 complaints against officers last year -- half of them for alleged violence. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner on Tuesday promised "zero tolerance" of racism in law enforcement, saying it is clear some officers "have failed in their Republican duty". Castaner's comments prompted several dozen policemen to gather with their patrol cars at Paris's Arc de Triomphe on Saturday night, throwing down their handcuffs in protest. Brut Yoann Maras, a representative from police union Alliance, told AFP: "My colleagues felt let down, abandoned by their supervising minister." - 'Racist thuggery' - In London, far-right protesters clashed with police in the city centre after gathering to challenge people demonstrating against racism. Thousands of people defied coronavirus restrictions to assemble in and around Parliament Square, requiring a "major" policing operation, said the Metropolitan Police Service. Television footage showed some agitators throwing punches, bottles and smoke bombs at officers as well as fighting with rival protesters. Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the violence, saying "racist thuggery has no place on our streets". Police said they arrested more than 100 people in the capital, and six officers suffered minor injuries. Anti-racism protests went ahead in other British cities, including Brighton in the south and Liverpool in the north. Thousands marched in several cities across Switzerland, with the largest in Zurich, where 10,000 people turned out. Police said one officer was hurt after a few hundred hard-left activists there began throwing projectiles. They made several arrests. Earlier in the week, around 10,000 marched against racism in Geneva. In Germany, around 2,000 rallied in the southern city of Stuttgart, the DPA news agency reported. In the north, another 500 turned out in Lubeck and 250 in Hamburg. There were no reports of any trouble. - Rallies in Australia - In Australia, thousands turned out in several cities for the second weekend running, despite coronavirus restrictions. The biggest was in the Western Australian capital Perth. Many demonstrators carried signs such as "Stop deaths in custody" and "White Australia stop lying to yourselves", highlighting the deaths of more than 400 indigenous people in custody over the last three decades. Smaller protests for Aboriginal rights were held in Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, and towns in neighbouring Queensland -- both regions with numerous indigenous communities. In Asia, hundreds gathered in a Taipei park with some holding signs with slogans such as "This is a movement, not a moment". They held eight minutes of silence to remember Floyd, who was pinned to the ground by the white officer's knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Dozens also marched through the rain in Tokyo. In Canada, officials in the eastern province of New Brunswick announced Saturday that they had opened an investigation into the fatal police shooting of a 48-year-old indigenous man, the second such incident this month. And in the US the anger was refreshed after yet another black man was shot dead by police, this time in the city of Atlanta on Friday evening. The city's police chief resigned Saturday. A man is lifted up and taken to police lines after being beaten in clashes between protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and those against racial equality in central London on June 13, 2020 Traore's sister Assa Traore, drew a direct parallel between Floyd's death in the United States and that of her brother Several dozen policemen gathered with their patrol cars at Paris's Arc de Triomphe An injured man is taken away by police after clashes in Trafalgar Square as protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement clash with far-right demonstrators standing against racial equality in central London on June 13, 2020 A protester is moved by police during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 13, 2020 We Must Get Referendum Right: Liberal MP A federal Liberal backbencher believes there should still be an ambition to hold a referendum in this term of parliament on recognising indigenous people, but says it is more important to get it right. Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt said on June 12 while the Morrison government remains committed to a referendum, he conceded it is unlikely to happen until the next term of parliament. If we can do it this parliament, that would be a good thing and I think that we should still be ambitious in this regard, Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman told ABC television on June 13. But, getting it right is the most important criteria as far as Im concerned. He said months have been lost in the process of constitutional recognition due to the COVID-19 crisis. Zimmerman said a two-stage process is in place, the first to pursue an indigenous voice to government There are three working groups working on that at the moment, he said. I understand its Ken Wyatts intention to be able to take the recommendations to cabinet in November this year. Labor frontbencher Andrew Giles said the delayed referendum was incredibly disappointing, especially when there is such a focus on indigenous disadvantage. Progressing this issue, this fundamental question of who we are as a nation, is a question of leadership and commitment and we have not seen the leadership and the commitment from the prime minister that this issue warrants, he told ABC television. Colin Brinsden A gunman shot and wounded eight people outside a San Antonio, Texas, bar late Friday night. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told an early morning news briefing that a group of people were denied entry to Rebar, on the city's north side, around midnight because they were drunk. A man in the group went to a vehicle, got a rifle, walked across the street and started shooting people, McManus said. The shooter said, 'don't you know who I am? I'm a UFC fighter from California', according to McManus. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told an early morning news briefing that a group of people were denied entry to the bar around midnight because they were drunk Scores of police cars were spotted at the scene in a video posted to Facebook shortly after the shooting The gunman fled the scene. Police said that the victims included five women and three men, between the ages of 23 to 41. All were listed in stable conditions at local hospitals, police said. Neither the alleged shooter nor the victims were identified. Few other details were immediately available. Calls to the San Antonio police representatives seeking more details were not immediately returned early Saturday. There have been numerous mass shooting in the United States recently, including a shooting outside a Walmart at the border town El Paso in August 2019, that left 22 people dead. Police said that the victims included five women and three men, between the ages of 23 to 41. The scene of the shooting is seen above Texas bars were reopen on May 22 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Rebar advertised their Friday night festivities on Facebook just hours before the shooting Non-banking finance company Spandana Sphoorty Financial Ltd on Saturday said it will raise up to Rs 100 crore by issuing bonds on a private placement basis. The decision was taken at a meeting of the management committee of the board on Saturday, it said in a regulatory filing. The committee approved the issuance of 1,000 rated, listed, secured, redeemable non-convertible debentures (NCDs) aggregating up to an amount of Rs 100 crore on a private placement basis, it said. The company offers joint liability group (JLG) loans, loans against property and personal loans, among others. With presence in 18 states, it had gross loan portfolio of Rs 6,829 crore as on March 31, 2020, catering to 25.7 lakh borrowers. NEW YORK, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Weyland Tech, Inc. (WEYL), a leading global provider of mCommerce platform-as-a-service (PaaS), reported that the recently announced expansion of the AtozGo delivery service into residential Jakarta has now reached 500 deliveries per day being ordered by more than 2,000 registered residential users. The service has also attracted now more than 1,000 delivery people, up from 680 in March, by providing flexible hours and unlimited income potential. Many new merchants have also signed up for AtozGo, now totaling 21,000, providing a broader selection of options available to AtozGo customers. Previously available only to city office workers, in April AtozGo extended its service area and hours of operation to allow the Indonesian citys urbanites to use its mobile app to order food from local grocery and convenience stores. Residents can also order household services, including dry cleaning, shoe repair, maintenance, cleaning and water bottle delivery. After being in a COVID-19 lockdown since early March, over the next few weeks, workplaces, places of worship, shopping centers and recreational venues are expected to gradually reopen, as reported by the Straits Times. They will be required to follow certain health guidelines, including operating at 50 percent capacity and requiring individuals to maintain a distance of one meter. Powered by Weylands m-Commerce technology and the AtozPay mobile payment platform, AtozGo supports these guidelines by allowing customers to easily order and pay for deliveries and services using AtozGo and their AtozPay e-Wallet. Many residents have already been using the AtozPay fintech solution to pay their phone, utility, rent and other personal bills. AtozPay transaction volume was virtually unaffected by COVID-19, with an annualized gross transaction volume on pace at more than $15 million over the last few months. Based on the momentum AtozGo was experiencing pre-pandemic, the company anticipates that as the city returns to normal over the next few weeks, deliveries will increase from around 15,000 overall to more than 20,000 deliveries per day, with the number of registered users to grow from more than 100,000 to more than 150,000. Story continues As we scale up, we see delivery growth to be driven largely by new residential users who typically make larger orders with higher dollar amounts compared to office workers who primarily use the service for ordering lunch, noted Djunaedy Hermawanto, CEO of Weyland Indonesia Perkasa which operates AtozPay and AtozGo. While today we have only 2,000 residential customers, they generate 500 deliveries per day, which is a much higher ratio than our office worker component. So, we see great potential to increase transaction volume and size by scaling up the number of residential users. The citys total residential population of more than 30 million, along with historically more than 3.5 million commuting daily, Jakarta was an ideal location to launch AtozGo. The companys runner-based approach for a densely populated urban center like Jakarta reduces the typical delivery time by about a third, or around 15 minutes, as compared to competing services. Given our continued success with our unique delivery system, we have continued to be engaged in a number of ongoing discussions that could involve a potential buyer of AtozGo or other major partnerships, said Hermawanto. We continue to anticipate a related transaction before the end of year. Were considering these options since the valuations of app-based food delivery services like AtozGo are highly favorable, continued Hermawanto. If you look across the industry landscape, whether its an Uber Eats, DoorDash or Instacart, or even similar services in Southeast Asia, like GrabFood or Go-Food, the average value applied per user has been around $330. For AtozGo, this would imply a standalone valuation today of more than $33 million. Food delivery services today are barely able to keep up with the rapid growth in demand, and analysts are predicting a permanent favorable change in customer behavior when it comes to home delivery. Combined with AtozGos unique approach to the market rapidly gaining ground, its value continues to increase with every passing day. About Weyland Tech Weyland Tech is a developer and global provider of mobile business software applications. The company operates its CreateApp platform-as-a-service (PaaS) across three continents and 10 countries, including some of the fastest-growing emerging markets in Southeast Asia. The platform provides a mobile presence for small-and-medium sized businesses (SMBs) that is supported locally by distributor partnerships. Offered in 14 languages with more than 10 integrated modules, CreateApp enables SMBs to create and deploy native mobile applications for Apple iOS and Google Android without technical knowledge or background. The technology empowers SMBs to increase sales, reach more customers, manage logistics, and promote their products and services in an easy, affordable, and highly efficient way. Earlier this year, Weyland completed the acquisition of the Minneapolis-based eCommerce technology company, Push Interactive. Push provides an eCommerce marketing solution for enterprises and major U.S. brands. For more information, visit weyland-tech.com. About AtozPay and AtozGo Through Weyland Techs minority-owned subsidiary, Weyland Indonesia Perkasa (WIP), the company operates AtozPay and AtozGo. The AtozPay mobile payments platform serves the burgeoning mCommerce and e-Payment markets in Indonesia, the worlds fourth most populous country. AtozGo is a fast-growing provider of short-distance food delivery and home services from local establishments operated in Jakarta, Indonesia. For more information, visit atozpayindonesia.com. About Push Interactive The e-Commerce platform of Weylands Push Interactive subsidiary features comprehensive customer acquisition capabilities, highly productive media and channel strategies, well-tuned product promotion and messaging, and sales funnel development and optimization. The direct-to-consumer platform provides an end-to-end solution for SMBs and major brands, allowing these organizations to dramatically increase online revenue while lowering the cost of customer acquisition and order fulfillment. Post-sale, Push supports fulfillment, customer relationship management, and further monetization through re-engagement and remarketing toolsets that enhance customer lifetime value (LTV). For more information about Push Interactive, visit www.pushint.com. Important Cautions Regarding Forward Looking Statements This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of the Company. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are forward-looking statements including statements regarding: the ability of the Company to successfully integrate Push, the continued growth of the eCommerce segment and the ability of the Company to continue its expansion into that segment; the ability of the Company to attract customers and partners and generate revenues; the ability of the Company to successfully execute its business plan; the business strategy, plans, and objectives of the Company; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as believes, expects or similar expressions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Companys actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Companys periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume any duty to update these forward-looking statements. Company Contact Brent Suen, CEO Weyland Tech Inc. Email contact Media & Investor Contact Ronald Both or Grant Stude CMA Tel (949) 432-7566 WEYL@cma.team Ugly American burns down Star Spangled Banner on Lankan soil Diplomatic uproar at airport: US official refuses mandatory COVID test and is allowed to walk free View(s): View(s): A white, male American official, charged with carrying aloft his countrys Star Spangled Banner abroad burnt it down instead and reduced to ashes the valour, justice and innocence the flags red, blue and white represented when he burst into a boorish bout of bullish obstinacy by refusing to undergo the mandatory COVID test applicable to all on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport last week. On June 1, the Lankan Government had introduced PCR testing at the airport as an extra measure to keep the island shores safe from the COVID threat; and, to prevent the coronavirus from sneaking in undetected by riding piggyback on arriving passengers, had made the test, widely used in the States and the rest of the world, compulsory for all. The ugly American, whose country has recorded the highest number of COVID deaths in the world, with over 112,000 dead upto this week and the death toll rising daily, had arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport at 1.45 am on board a Qatar Airways flight. The flight had taken off from Qatar, which has approximately 25,000 active COVID cases with the death toll standing at 66. Many Sri Lankan workers in the Middle East returning home recently on these Qatar flights have tested positive for COVID on arrival while some have developed symptoms subsequently at quarantine camps and are presently being treated. When the American had been requested to undergo the mandatory PCR test for COVID, he had, point blank, boorishly refused to do so. He had flaunted his diplomatic status and claimed diplomatic immunity from quarantine laws and stomped out of the high security airport premises after airport officials, following instructions from ministry officials, allowed him to walk free. The question is: Why was he allowed the freedom of Lankas streets to roam as he wished after first trampling pon the health laws of the country with such brazen impunity? Shorn of his American citizenship, stripped of his exalted diplomatic status and the privileges attending it, in stern medical eyes, having spurred the COVID test, he was potentially nothing more than an unconfirmed, uncontained, untested walking time bomb, allowed to mingle freely with the masses and, even unbeknown to him, explode and spew corona atoms amongst the Lankan community and cause the COVID holocaust, the ultimate nightmare Lankas COVID Czar Dr. Anil Jasinghe and his expert medical team had dreaded would occur and had laboured to avoid. The coronavirus has shown it is no respecter of persons. Not all the queens horses or all the queens men have been able to prevent COVID from wriggling its way into the heart of Britains Royalty and planting a kiss on the lips of the nations Heir to the Throne, Prince Charles. Neither did the corona bug have the slightest bother getting past the British bobby at the door at No 10 Downing Street to land a smooch on British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons ruddy cheeks in the Cabinet Room and bring him under its near fatal spell. Neither did it give Hollywood stars the miss. Film star Tom Hanks and his actress wife Rita Wilson were left to decipher the COVID Code while they spent an enforced and extended vacation Down Under. Neither was Canadian Prime Minister Trudeaus wife Sophie spared while flying. Luckily, they all survived to tell the tale. But for thousands the world over, close encounters with the COVID kind have not had a happy ending but have left a trail of sorrow and tears in its tragic wake. It has levelled the rich and poor divide among nations as it has flattened the disparity between people. While the mortality rate of the virus is comparatively low, its virulence is found in its ability to spread rapidly. Once the demand for treatment rises above what the medical capacity of a country can bear, all hell breaks loose. It has happened in many nations across the globe. The high number of deaths in America, Britain, Italy, Spain and Brazil are evidence of what happens when a country fails to place its populace in lockdown mode at an early stage and gives COVID a free run. Once the virus is allowed to invade the public domain, unrestricted social mingling gives the booster it needs to spread its tentacles far and wide. In this respect Lanka has been fortunate. Thanks to the Governments policy to place an islandwide curfew in the early days when the coronavirus first made its unwelcome presence felt, together with the strict health guidelines imposed, the community at large has escaped its deadly dragnet; and this thrice blessed island has been spared of being turned into one mass funeral parlour where the silence of the air is broken only by the wails of those grieving for their dead. The corona outbreak at Bandaranaike Mawatha in Colombo 12 and the contamination discovered at the Welisara Naval base in late April were two clusters immediately quarantined and thus safely contained without being let to infect the unidentifiable mass community of people. On May 24, Lankas Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera announced the good news that not a single Covid-19 patient had been reported in society within the last 24 days, except from the quarantine centres. He said that random testing is being conducted at high-risk areas in society, but in the three weeks of May, no new cases had been reported from society. In other words, discounting those already contained quarantine centres and the Sri Lankans arriving from the Middle East who were immediately packed off to quarantine camps, Lanka was, at least, technically coronavirus free. After being showered with such manifold blessings which so few COVID rife countries have been fortunate to receive, what a pity the Authorities chose to dice with death when it took the gamble to set a lone rogue American, untested for COVID, free to walk out from the airport, basing the decision on his diplomatic passport as guarantor and hoping against hope that he was not even a symptomatic carrier of the deadly virus that has already infected 1.9 million people in his own country, killed 112,000 US citizens with nearly a 1000 US citizens dying of it daily? Of course, the Government was placed in a delicate position and had to tread with care so as not to upset touchy American feelings by treading on its corns and sparking off a diplomatic incident. It had to tip toe on the tight rope lest America doubles the knee pressure on its neck. The American Embassys response to the ugly incident was swift as it was terse. US Embassy Spokesperson Nancy Van Holm said US diplomatic staff adhere carefully to Sri Lankan COVID-19 guidelines, including quarantine restrictions, in close coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Relations. The arrival of US diplomatic staff to Sri Lanka complies with the norms and procedures outlined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, just as it applies to arrival of Sri Lankan and other diplomatic staff to the United States. Vienna Convention? Surely, is such unbecoming conduct by an American official possibly with diplomatic status, who, on arrival in a host country, refuses to undergo a mandatory PCR test for COVID in a World Health Organisation declared pandemic, in compliance with the norms and procedures outlined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations? Even when the refusal is made contrary to the quarantine laws of the host nation? Certainly, the Vienna Convention grants all accredited diplomats immunity from criminal prosecution. Article 31 of the Convention spells it out. It states: Without prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State. But does it grant blanket cover of immunity from adhering to the health regulations of the receiving nation in pandemic situations even when the errant diplomat poses a grave danger to the lives of the people and even to himself? The answer is no. The convention does not even mention immunity from compliance with any health regulation imposed by the receiving state. The only instance the Convention mentions quarantine regulations is in reference to a diplomats baggage where automatic immunity from inspection is not extended. Article 36 states inter alia that the personal baggage of a diplomatic agent shall not be exempt from inspection if there are serious grounds for presuming that it contains articles prohibited by the law or controlled by the quarantine regulations of the receiving State. Finally, of course, there is the last resort remedy to deal with those who refuse to comply. Article 9 gives the receiving state the right at any time to notify the sending State that any member of the diplomatic staff of the mission is persona non grata or person unwelcome and expel the person forthwith, without having to explain its decision. Perhaps now, the US Embassy can see that their diplomat was wrong from the beginning. That he had no right to flaunt the Vienna Convention and claim diplomatic immunity from quarantine regulations. It was an incident not covered by the Vienna Convention. The American, of course, had the right to refuse the test. But then he would have lost the right to enter the country. To sneak in by quoting nonexistent chapter and verse in the Vienna document was unbecoming, not an act of valour, of justice or of innocence as symbolised in the American flag he bore and burnt. The callous disregard towards the sanctity of human life, the total unconcern he may, untested as he was, be exposing thousands to the COVID threat and placing at risk their lives, were not acts upholding the values represented in the American flag hallowed by millions of Americans. On the contrary, it was the desecration of the moral creed symbolized in the Stars and Stripes, tantamount to the very burning down of the Star Spangled Banner. The PCR test has become the accepted testing method worldwide for the coronavirus. In the US alone, more than four million tests have been done with doctors stating it is not enough that more testing must be done. Even the much disparaged American President Donald Trump who has refused to wear a face mask in public consented to undergo a PCR test. He was tested negative. Whats good for the US President cant be all that bad for his roving minions. The issue is not about diplomatic protocol. The issue is how best to save lives from the grim COVID scythe. Obtaining court orders to prevent protests may amount to abuse of judicial process View(s): Police action during the protests that took place near the US Embassy in Colombo where Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) members were to stage a demonstration in solidarity with the protests in the United States, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police has caused an uproar on several fronts. The Police armed with a court order broke up the protests and unceremoniously bundled a number of protestors into Police Jeeps and took them into custody. A total of 53 individuals were arrested and subsequently bailed out. Television and other video footage captured at the scene showed the extent of violence used in breaking up the demonstrations including the sight of a young woman thrown into a Police vehicle. They were arrested allegedly for violating a court order and for breaching quarantine laws and behaving in a manner conducive for the virus to spread said a Police officer. The protestors however denied breaking any quarantine laws. According to Pubudu Jagoda of the FSP, they had organised the protest in line with the health guidelines issued by the Government. Our protestors stood one meter apart, wore face masks and sanitized themselves, he said. Questions have been raised however as to why the Police took the step of obtaining a court order ostensibly to prevent breach of quarantine laws when they had not shown similar concern with regard to the breach of quarantine laws at the funeral of the late Minister Arumugam Thondaman where hundreds of mourners had gathered to pay their last respects to the CWC leader. The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka too had said it did not request the demonstration opposite the embassy to be blocked. U.S. Ambassador Alaina Teplitz tweeted, Rights to peaceful assembly and free speech are cornerstones of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights rights the U.S. supports even when difficult for us. The Embassy, in a statement, said the United States supports the rights of Sri Lankans and all people to peacefully protest, which is consistent with their shared democratic traditions. The whole incident has caused outrage in public minds and has even prompted Government politicians to express their strong disapproval of the Polices action. Former Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, in a Twitter message, condemned the police attack on those taking part in the demonstration organised in Colombo by the FSP on Tuesday, against the murder of US national George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. He tweeted: I strongly condemn the assault on protesters, and call for it to be investigated, and proper action to be taken. The attack on the FSP protestors had also figured in the discussions at this weeks Cabinet meeting. Speaking at the Cabinet media briefing, Co-Cabinet spokesman Dr. Bandula Gunawardena condemned the assault but in the same breadth seemed to justify it by claiming the attack was only a counter-attack made in response to an attack by the protestors and not an attack launched by a Government order to suppress the protestors. According to Dr. Gunawardane, the Cabinet which had met on Wednesday under the auspices of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had discussed the incident in depth. According to a report of the media briefing in the Daily News, the President said any protestor who violates the quarantine law should not be subjected to any assault in future, and they will have to undergo a compulsory quarantine. He also said police officers involved in this incident will also have to undergo a compulsory quarantine of 14 days. However Dr. Gunawardane made no mention of any decision to conduct an inquiry into the incident as urged by Namal Rajapaksa. In addition to the outrage and the condemnation of the Polices handling of the FSP protestors, there is a larger and more fundamental concern the incident brings to the fore. One of the most critical aspects of democracy is the right of people to exercise their right to freedom of association, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression as well as other fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. The State has the Constitutional duty to nurture and promote the exercise of such rights. The question for those concerned with the protection and strengthening of democracy is the propriety of the Police going to Court to obtain an order to prevent the holding of a demonstration. Such action on the part of the Police also places an unfair burden on the Judiciary. Invariably the Police lodge such applications the day prior to a planned protest and the Judiciary is compelled to make an ex parte order solely on the basis of the information provided by the Police without any further verification and input from the party against whom the order is being sought. Such action on the part of the Police constitutes an easy way out for the law enforcement authorities, who have adequate powers to deal with protests in the event such protests create breaches of peace or other violations of law, without having to obtain a court order to obstruct such demonstrations. Continued resort by Police to obtain court orders to prevent the lawful exercise of our citizens fundamental rights would amount to an abuse of the judicial process and should be avoided at all costs if democracy has to have any meaning. (javidyusuf@gmail.com) By Express News Service BHOPAL: A Muslim mechanic, who provided soundproof generators to Hindu temples, has now ensured that a bell in a prominent Shiva temple in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh can ring without being touched. Knowing well that temples across the central Indian state have opened after two months with strict guideline of none (devotee or priest) being allowed to touch the bell (for COVID-19 preventive reasons), the 62-year-old mechanic Nahru Khan has fitted the bell with electric sensor at the Pashupatinath temple in Mandsaur. The innovation has ensured that the Pashupatinath Temple in Mandsaur town becomes the only temple in MP and perhaps in the country, where bell fitted with sensor rings even if a devotee's hand is around a feet and half from the bell. Its a contact-less bell. It rings just when any devotee or priest gesticulates at ringing the bell from a distance of feet and half. This is an ultimate gift to our temple from Nahru Khan, who truly represents the pluralistic fabric that our country is proud of, said Kailash Pandit, the prime priest of the Pashupatinath temple perhaps the most famous and among the most temples in Mandsaur district. When asked Nahru Khan of what drove him towards this innovation. How can we see Azaans happening at mosques, but the Shiva temple being bereft of the resonance of bell. I thought of doing something to make the bell contactless, but yet its spiritual sound resonating the entire temple and finally my idea of fitting the bell with sensor clicked. Its my gift to the temple and its devotees, said a proud Nahru Khan. And its not the just the first offering by Nahru Khan in this corona pandemic period, as the Class III school dropout has already come out with innovative Light Motor Vehicle Sanitizing Machine and Human Sanitizing Machine. Besides, he has also donated soundless power generators for temples, including the Pashupatinath Temple and Nalcha Mata Temple, both in Mandsaur district in the past. The earnings from his NK Engineering and Electricals unit has been also been invested by him for daily arranging food for around 2000 people amid this COVID-19 pandemic. I dont want anything for developing the sensor powered bell at the Pashupathinath Temple, all I want is to pray to the God to rid us all from this killer COVID-19 pandemic, said Nahru Khan. This medical prescription on COVID-19 treatment is FAKE India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 13: There is a prescription that is doing the rounds which speaks about the ICMR guidelines in fighting coronavirus. The detailed prescription written on the notepad of Dr Raj Kamal Agarwal, a Senior Consultant, who works in the Department of Anaesthesiology at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, "as per ICMR guideline, the contacts of COVID +ve cases should be put on home isolation even with mild symptoms. It is advised that everybody takes these preventative medication apart from the following SOCIAL DISTANCING, HAND HYGIENE, AND WEARING MASKS," Fake: Govt has not proposed another lockdown on June 15 While Dr Agarwal has clearly denied any such prescription, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital too clarified that this was fake. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News The fake prescription also says that one should take HCQ, 400 mg once a week. It also says that vitamin c tablets must be taken once a week. The ICMR has however issued no such guideline for HCQ tablets. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital clarified, "it has been brought to our notice that someone has circulated a fake image and forged the doctor's signature. The hospital disassociates itself from such messaged." Joe Biden stopped himself from dropping the f-bomb while discussing President Trump at a roundtable in Philadelphia. The Democratic presidential nominee, 77, was caught on camera almost uttering the profanity Thursday, when the commander-in-chief's record on race came up as a topic of discussion. 'When a president speaks, no matter how good or bad he is, people listen. And when he [Trump] speaks, he gives credibility to these racist f...,' Biden stated, before suddenly catching himself. 'I have to watch my language!' he then added. Joe Biden was forced to stop himself from dropping the f-bomb while discussing President Trump at a roundtable in Philadelphia on Thursday (pictured) Biden went on to use another f-word - 'folks' - to describe the people to whom he was referring. 'Trump gives credibility to these racist folks. They come out from under the rocks,' Biden continued. The former vice president has stepped up his attacks on Trump in recent weeks amid widespread protests demanding police reform and an end to systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd's death. At the roundtable on Thursday, he accused the POTUS of making racists feel empowered - while stopping short of calling the commander-in-chief a racist himself. 'From the moment he came down that escalator in his golden building, when he started off saying "I'm going to see to it that we get rid of all those Mexican rapists,"' Biden said. 'Secondly, what did he do? He decided that he was going to pit us all against each other based on race.' 'You saw those people at [2017 Unite The Right rally in] Charlottesville, coming out of the fields carrying those torches, their veins are bulging and screeching that anti-Semitic hate and bile... he [Trump] says there were "very fine people on both sides"'. Biden has stepped up his attacks on Trump in recent weeks amid widespread protests demanding police reform and an end to systemic racism. The pair will face off in the November election A Black Lives Matter rally is pictured in New York City Friday. Widespread demonstrations have been taking place across the country However, Biden's new combative campaign style has not come without gaffes. Last week, the former vice president stated that 'there are probably anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the people out there that are just not very good people.' His remarks echoed the 'deplorables' comment made by Hillary Clinton during her 2016 run for president. Many believe the remark may have contributed to her election loss. Meanwhile, last month, Biden garnered backlash for an appearance on Charlamagne Tha God's radio program, during which he stated: 'If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black.' One critic called it 'condescending racial essentialism', while black Republican Senator Tim Scott stated: '1.3 million black Americans already voted for Trump in 2016. This morning, Joe Biden told every single one of us we 'ain't black.' I'd say I'm surprised, but it's sadly par for the course for Democrats to take the black community for granted and brow beat those that don't agree.' Biden has become a prominent voice in recent weeks calling on Americans to do more to address racism as demonstrations continue However, Biden still performs strongly among black voters in polls, and has become a prominent voice in recent weeks calling on Americans to do more to address racism. He delivered a video address Tuesday to those attending the funeral for George Floyd, the black Minneapolis man who was killed by a white police officer on Memorial Day. 'Ladies and gentlemen, you can't turn away, we must not turn away, we cannot leave this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism that stings at our very soul,' Biden implored from a large video screen that played to those gathered at the funeral in Houston. Floyd's death inspired two weeks of 'Black Lives Matter' protests around the nation and have become part of the 2020 presidential campaign, with Biden meeting with Floyd's family in Houston Monday. President Trump has instead doubled down on a pro-policing 'law and order' message. Joe Biden, the Democrats' presumptive nominee, addressed the family and friends of George Floyd Tuesday via video screen from Delaware, after meeting with Floyd's daughter and other family members Monday in Houston During the former vice president's trip to Texas, Biden spent time with Floyd's six-year-old daughter Gianna, and was applauded by the audience Tuesday when he talked of her. 'I know you have a lot of questions, honey,' Biden said. 'No child should have to ask questions too many black children have had to ask for generations: why is daddy gone?' he said, as clapping could be heard in the background. 'Looking through your eyes we should also be asking ourselves why the answer is so often too cruel and painful,' he continued. 'Why in this nation do too many black Americans wake up knowing that they could lose their life in the course of just living their life?' 'Now is the time for racial justice. That's the answer we must give to our children when they ask why,' Biden said. 'Because when there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America.' Sydney: An Australian man has been sentenced to death in China in connection with drug trafficking, authorities said on Saturday (June 13), a development that could further escalate tensions between the two countries. Australia`s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to the man, without identifying him. Australian and Chinese media have identified the man as Cam Gillespie, arrested seven years ago on charges of drug trafficking in southern China. China`s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Attempts to reach Gillespie`s family were unsuccessful. "We are deeply saddened to hear of the verdict made in his case," the Australian foreign affairs department said in an emailed statement to Reuters. "Australia opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances for all people. We support the universal abolition of the death penalty and are committed to pursuing this goal through all the avenues available to us." Cam Gillespie was arrested in 2013 with more than 7.5 kg (17 pounds) of methamphetamine in his check-in luggage while attempting to board an international flight from Baiyun Airport in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, according to several media reports. Diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Canberra have worsened since Australia called for an international inquiry into the source and spread of the new coronavirus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. China has in recent weeks banned Australian beef imports and imposed tariffs on Australian barley. It has also urged Chinese tourists to avoid Australia. The death sentence for drug smuggling is not uncommon in China, where executions are usually carried out by firing squad. In 2019, the country sentenced two Canadians to death for drug-related crimes following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and said it was not worried in the slightest by mounting international concern over the verdict. Barbecue Baptist Church serves Gospel with a side of ribs, chicken and pulled pork Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An outreach ministry of the First Baptist Church in Navasota, Texas, called the Barbecue Baptist Church, kicked off a weeklong, multi-city mission Thursday to bring the Gospel to first responders and medical professionals along with ample servings of free barbecue meals. "We have been through such an incredibly painful season as a country. First with the pandemic and now with this racial tension. So in a small way, we are going to do the best we can to encourage people and lift them up," Pastor Chad McMillan, who works with the ministry, told news station KBTX. From June 11-17, 23 barbecue enthusiasts from the ministry will make 17 stops in Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma where they will serve up "Bibles & brisket, prayer & pulled pork, redemption & ribs, church & chicken and salvation & sausage!," according to the ministry's Facebook page. "People are fearful. People have lost their jobs. People have lost loved ones or even lost their own lives because of the pandemic," McMillan explained to KBTX. "And then, with the incredible tension and anger and frustration out of the tragedy that happened in Minnesota, people are struggling, and we believe the Bible gives people hope through Jesus Christ." The ministry was birthed in the small town of just under 8,000 people in March when the coronavirus hit and toilet paper became scarce. A few members of the church's student ministry responded by outfitting a trailer with a sound system, an air compressor and two specially designed pneumatic guns to launch rolls of toilet paper wrapped in Scripture verses around the community for people in need. Once they added a catering trailer, however, the ministry evolved even further. "The ministry received a big vote of confidence when a member of the church gave use of his catering trailer complete with charcoal grill, deep fryers, and a barbecue smoker the dream of the Barbecue Baptist Church was coming to life!" the group said on Facebook. "We need to go out there and tell them, 'Hey, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,'" Hunter Haug, a member of the Barbecue Baptist Church told KBTX. According to the ministry, while the stops on their road trip will vary from the number of people served to the menu their mission will not. And thanks to the generosity of members of the Navasota community, they have been able to cover the expenses of the mission to serve the Gospel and barbecue on a trip of nearly 2,000 miles. "We are trying to share with people, God loves you, and we love you, and we came to tell you that and share the Word of God with you and some delicious food," McMillan said. The Christian Post reached out to the ministry on Thursday, but no one was immediately available. Application programming interface (API) is an established concept used to describe functional interfaces for software applications where one software program calls another via its API. These APIs have also been incredibly complex and not really meant for mass use. New York, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Telecom API Market By Type By End User By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914566/?utm_source=GNW A few other software applications within the enterprise can use the API to invoke the program; a non-company client can use it as well, albeit with considerable difficulties. The position of Programmable Telecom and APIs is expanding to support more and more than consumer-oriented communications, software, trade and digital content. This evolution extends beyond the support of APIs for B2C and B2B networks for conventional telecommunications applications. It plays a greater role for network service providers in smart infrastructure applications as well as Internet of Things (IoT) platforms and networks. Cloud computing provides developers with the opportunity to offer web-based application distribution services. This extends network integration and content capabilities and strengthens their value chain Cloud-hosted platforms typically include Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS). CPaaS is a newer cloud service platform that focuses exclusively on providing corporate communications-enabled software / services for real-time email, voice and video software. CPaaS enables developers to attach real-time connectivity capabilities to their own software without the need to construct backend networks and interfaces. At the time of the global pandemic of COVID-19, telecommunications API vendors are designing technologies that can cope with the condition of better accessibility. For example, in April 2020, Vonage, a global provider of cloud business communications, announced the launch of its free desktop and mobile video collaboration app, Vonage Video Conferencing (VVC). At the time of the public health crisis, this video API solution is experiencing high demand as a requirement for telehealth, remote work and online education. Based on Type, the market is segmented into Messaging, IVR API, Payment API, Location API, WebRTC and Others. Based on End User, the market is segmented into Enterprise Developers, Partner Developers, Internal Telecom Developers and Others. Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix, Verizon Communications, Inc., AT&T, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., and Google, Inc. are the forerunners in the Telecom API Market. Companies such as Twilio, Inc., Vonage Holdings Corporation, Telefonica S.A., Nokia Corporation, LocationSmart, and Orange S.A. are some of the key innovators in the market. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include AT&T, Inc., Orange S.A., Verizon Communications, Inc., Nokia Corporation, Google, Inc., Twilio, Inc., Telefonica S.A., Vonage Holdings Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., and LocationSmart. Recent strategies deployed in Telecom API Market Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements: Apr-2020: Nokia signed an agreement with Bharti Airtel, Indias largest telecom operator. The companies would deploy Nokias SRAN solution across nine circles in India. Under this agreement, the Nokia supplied networks would offer Airtel the best possible platform when 5G networks launch across the country, with their low latency and faster speeds. Feb-2020: AT&T collaborated with Braidio, a cloud-based collaborative learning platform. Following the collaboration, the latter company aims to provide voice, messaging, chat, and video capabilities in future apps. Using application programming interfaces from the AT&T API Marketplace, Braidio would help businesses in specific industries better connect and engage with their customers by creating tailored, engaging experiences. Feb-2020: Cisco signed partnership agreement with Smartfren, one of Indonesias leading telecom operators. Under this partnership, the companies would create a multi-cloud architecture. The companies aim to create digital services data center architecture in Indonesia with cloud computing, managed services, and cloud services. The solution selected by Smartfren is the Cisco Multi-Cloud architecture, including Cisco ACI and Cisco UCS. Jan-2020: Verizon came into partnership with HERE Technologies, a provider of mapping and location data and related services. Jointly, the companies aim to explore cutting-edge applications of Verizons 5G Ultra-Wideband network and multi-access edge compute (MEC) platform, 5G Edge, together with HERE location, data technology, and autonomous vehicle expertise. HERE would provide Verizon with access to a range of location data, SDKs, and APIs from the HERE platform. Nov-2019: Cisco announced partnership with Telestax, a CPaaS enabler for communication service providers. Under this partnership, the companies were focused on the enhancements to Message Exchange, the CPaaS solution for enabling SMS. Telestax Message Exchange enables the sending and receiving of SMS texts for Cisco Webex Teams. In addition to supporting Cisco Webex Teams, the latter company also announced new APIs for Cisco UC-One and an upgrade to the Telestax UC-One API console, offering improved ease of use. Oct-2019: Vonage announced an agreement with Ramco Systems, the enterprise software provider. Under this agreement, Ramco uses Nexmo, the Vonage API Platform for providing the Ramco CHIA virtual assistant to customers using the WhatsApp Business solution. Aug-2019: AT&T teamed up with Dell Technologies, a multinational technology company. Together, the companies explore the development of key open infrastructure technology areas for the next-generation network edge that will be required by service providers for supporting new use cases and service opportunities in a cloud-oriented 5G world. Jointly enhance additional open-source efforts includes Metal3-io and OpenStack Ironic, integrate Kubernetes Cluster API. Jul-2019: AT&T signed an agreement with IBM following which AT&T Communications uses IBMs expertise for modernizing AT&T Business Solutions internal software applications, enabling migrations to the IBM Cloud. Additionally, IBM provides the infrastructure to support AT&T Business applications. AT&T Business utilizes Red Hats open-source platform for managing the workloads and applications. Jul-2019: Vonage came into partnership with Callsign, a London-based company at the forefront of the identity revolution. Following the partnership, the companies aimed to provide enhanced private communications for digital life providers. With APIs through Nexmo, the Vonage API Platform, Callsigns real-time, artificial intelligence-driven identity and authentication solutions enable the technology providers to reach their customers on their preferred channel of communication (voice, SMS and social chat apps). Acquisition and Mergers: Jan-2020: Google acquired AppSheet, a no-code application development platform. The acquisition aimed to complement Google Clouds strategy to reimagine the application development space with a platform that helps enterprises innovate with no-code development, workflow automation, application integration, and API management. Jan-2020: Twilio completed the acquisition of Teravoz following which the latter company has changed its name to Twilio Brazil. Teravoz helps businesses connect their telephone network with other applications. The acquisition enabled the company in extending its multiple API offerings. Oct-2019: Cisco took over CloudCherry, a Customer Experience Management (CEM) company that provides customer journey mapping, out-of-the-box integrations, and predictive analytics. CloudCherrys open API platform simplified how customer data is ingested from systems of records, transactional data, and other data sources, all in real-time, for helping contact center agents close the feedback loop and improve customer loyalty and satisfaction. The acquisition strengthened Ciscos business. Aug-2018: Vonage took over TokBox Inc., a subsidiary of Telefonica, S.A. TokBox is the industry-leader in WebRTC programmable video. The acquisition enabled the company to become a leader in the programmable video sector with the strongest level of global adoption among video API providers. Product Launches and Product Expansions: Mar-2020: Google Cloud introduced the Anthos cloud application platform to the mobile network edge. The company announced a strategy for helping the telecommunications industry take advantage of the potential of 5G and improve operational efficiencies in core telecom systems. Nov-2019: Verizon released Co-Management, a new level of service for its SD-WAN managed services portfolio. This new level of service has been providing enterprise customers the ability to change SD-WAN policies (for example, Application-Aware Routing, Quality of Service) through either the Verizon Enterprise Center (VEC) self-service, policy management portal (Portal) or Verizons Application Programming Interface (API) platform. Jun-2019: Telefonicas Business Solutions division launched a virtual firewall service based on Fortinets platform to protect SD-WAN deployments. The Fortinet-based offering enables customers to tap into security features embedded in Telefonicas network for supporting end-to-end protection of SD-WAN services. Mar-2019: AT&T launched a new API marketplace, which has been designed for providing businesses with software code to add new services on their sites and applications. The network operator has positioned the marketplace for two distinct use cases: turnkey applications and self-service APIs that give developers the flexibility to create custom applications. Jun-2018: Cisco unveiled the new developer capabilities across its intent-based networking platform. Cisco released new developer tools and open APIs into Cisco DNA Center, the command and control center for campus, branch, and edge intent-based networks. DNA Center turns the network from a combination of hardware devices into a single system. With the availability of network-wide APIs, Cisco enables developers to easily program this system, tapping into all of the analytics and insight the network can provide. Scope of the Study Market Segmentation: By Type Messaging IVR API Payment API Location API WebRTC Others By End User Enterprise Developers Partner Developers Internal Telecom Developers Others By Geography North America o US o Canada o Mexico o Rest of North America Europe o Germany o UK o France o Russia o Spain o Italy o Rest of Europe Asia Pacific o China o Japan o India o South Korea o Singapore o Malaysia o Rest of Asia Pacific LAMEA o Brazil o Argentina o UAE o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o Nigeria o Rest of LAMEA Companies Profiled AT&T, Inc. Orange S.A. Verizon Communications, Inc. Nokia Corporation Google, Inc. Twilio, Inc. Telefonica S.A. Vonage Holdings Corporation Cisco Systems, Inc. LocationSmart Unique Offerings Exhaustive coverage Highest number of market tables and figures Subscription based model available Guaranteed best price Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914566/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 A young Black man was found by a passerby hanging from a tree early morning on Monday in Los Angeles County in an apparent suicide. Robert L. Fuller, 24 years old, was found around 3:30 in the morning on Monday in Palmdale. California. The Los Angeles County Sheriff said that Fuller was already dead by the time the Fire Department responded to the scene, according to a published report by CNN. The community was outraged and asked for an in-depth investigation after the spokesperson from the County Sheriff's Office Department released the preliminary investigation. It was alleged that the young Black man committed suicide. Alleged Suicide and Mental Health Issue Meanwhile, the city included some resources about the mental health issue and said that this is not the first suicide that happened in the town since the pandemic began. Palmdale Mayor Steven D. Hofbauer told that they are working hard to figure out what had happened. Moreover, the community who attended the news conference on the alleged suicide of Fuller outraged asked for an investigation and demanded justice for Fuller. They were also asking camera footage of the incident, but the officials said there is none and assured that an autopsy is already underway. Fuller's Family Demands Justice However, Fuller's family firmly believed that he did not commit suicide. Fuller's cousin told the FOX 11 News on Friday that the alleged suicidal was disgusting, while another relative said that Fuller did not commit suicide and did not have any mental issues. The family is now asking for answers and asserted that they would not stop until they get justice for Robert Fuller's tragic death. There are also some speculations that it was not a suicide but a form of another racist attack because his body that was found hanging above has racist writing on the ground, but the message is not clear. #Justicefor RobertFuller Went Viral Online According to a published report by Vibe, #JusticeforRobertFuller began trending on Twitter as the news about his death went viral on different social media. Many also believed that Fuller was a victim of a lynching. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office Department said that they have been in contact with Fuller's family and are continuing their investigation into the different angles and circumstances of Robert Fuller's death. History of Discrimination in Palmdale Palmdale has a long history of discrimination. According to the Department of Justice in a published report by CBS Los Angeles, the county has reached into a $2 million settlement to resolve allegations that they discouraged Black people from living in the community. Another incident of discrimination also happened in 2019, where a Palmdale middle school teacher was placed on leave twice after using racial slurs to the Latinos. In a published report last year, a student shared that the teacher also used hate speech and derogatory language targeting the Latinos. Check these out! The office of Al-Ahram's founders, the Tekla brothers, has been recreated at the newspaper's headquarters in Cairo An old calculator the size of a typewriter greets you from the late 19th century desk and invites you to step back in admiration. The exhibition hall in Al-Ahram's new building captures the essence of the newspaper through an elegant display of the desk and belongings of the newspaper's founding fathers, the Tekla brothers. When Beshara Tekla (1852-1901) and Selim Tekla (1849-1892), both of Lebanese origin, first came to Alexandria in 1875, they were not keen on starting a newspaper. They wanted to create a publication about economic news and the stock market because they were merchants, explained Shoukry El-Qadi in a column published in Al-Ahram daily commemorating the brothers in 1985. The small publication sided with the people against foreign interventions and imperialism, and the Tekla brothers were arrested soon after the launch of Al-Ahram weekly newspaper in August 1876. Five years later they transformed the weekly into a two-page daily newspaper. Al-Ahram was not the first newspaper in Egypt. But it was the first independent one because the rest were affiliated with political parties. It even published columns by nationalist figures such as Mustafa Kamel. Beshara Tekla was in charge of editorial affairs and Selim was focused on management. Soon the two-page paper became popular. According to Tarek El-Daba, who wrote for Al-Ahram on the occasion of its 100 years of journalism, "The first Al-Ahram issue was well received by people in Alexandria who were happy to find a local paper focusing on their issues." The paper allowed advertisements priced at one franc per line. Among the topics that the paper focused on were the obituaries of high profile people. They covered them as news. One year later, Al-Ahram had its first paid obituary. Since then, its obituary section has been very important, to the extent that people say, "Whoever does not have an obituary in Al-Ahram is not officially dead." Courtesy of Al-Ahram Organisation and Information Technology Centre (Microfilm) The Tekla brothers were known for their hardwork and thoroughness. They borrowed ideas from western media, such as publishing short stories and having special supplements. They also created a weekly publication called Sada Al-Ahram (Echos of Al-Ahram) in 1876, which mainly focused on trade affairs. Aiming to make it a cultural hub, Beshara Tekla opened the doors for renowned poets and literary figures to contribute regularly. Poets like Khalil Mutran, Amin and Selim Haddad, Ahmed Shawki, thinkers like Gamal El-Din Al-Afghani, leaders of the enlightenment like Sheikh Mohamed Abdu and many pioneering thinkers that helped build the cultural scene in Egypt and the Middle East. Courtesy of Al-Ahram Organisation and Information Technology Centre (Microfilm) In 1899 Al-Ahram issued its first Cairo edition parallel with the Alexandria one. Now the old wooden desk, the typewriter and the giant calculator are elegantly on display, along with a statue and a photograph of the Tekla brothers. It is a gracious reminder of their exceptional vision and the journey of the two-page newspaper in Alexandria that grew to document the history of a nation for over a century and counting and for that we are grateful. Courtesy of Al-Ahram Organisation and Information Technology Centre (Microfilm) * This article was originally published on 29 April 2014 on the occasion of the opening of the Tekla brothers exhibition at Al-Ahram new building. Search Keywords: Short link: 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. The latest: Atlanta's police chief resigned Saturday hours after a black man was fatally shot by officers in a struggle following a field sobriety test. Authorities said the slain man had grabbed an officer's Taser, but was running away when he was shot. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the resignation of Police Chief Erika Shields at a Saturday news conference as roughly 150 protesters marched outside the Wendy's restaurant where 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot late Friday. The mayor also said she called for the immediate firing of the officer who opened fire at Brooks. I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer," Bottoms said. She said it was Shields' own decision to step aside as police chief and that she would remain with the city in an undetermined role. Protesters gathered at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta and other parts of the city to demonstrate against police brutality following the fatal shooting. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, said the deadly confrontation started with officers responding to a complaint that a man was sleeping in a car blocking the restaurant's drive-thru lane. The GBI said Brooks failed a field sobriety test and then resisted officers' attempts to arrest him. The GBI released security camera video of the shooting Saturday. The footage shows a man running from two white police officers as he raises a hand, which is holding some type of object, toward an officer a few steps behind him. The officer draws his gun and fires as the man keeps running, then falls to the ground in the parking lot. GBI Director Vic Reynolds said Brooks had grabbed a Taser from one of the officers and appeared to point it at the officer as he fled, prompting the officer to reach for his gun. The security camera video does not show Brooks' initial struggle with police. New Orleans agitators pull down bust, throw it in river Agitators Saturday tore down a bust of a slave owner and then took the remains to the Mississippi River and rolled it down the banks into the water. The destruction is part of a nationwide effort to remove monuments to the Confederacy or with links to slavery as the country grapples with widespread protests against police brutality toward African Americans. Police said in a statement Saturday that agitators at Duncan Plaza, which is directly across the street from City Hall, dragged the bust into the streets, loaded it onto trucks and took it to the Mississippi River where they threw it in. Two people who were driving the trucks transporting the bust were apprehended by police and taken to police headquarters, authorities said. Their names were not given in the statement. Video on social media showed dozens of people surrounding the bust which sat on a pedestal while some people pulled on a rope tied to the bust and another hit it. As the bust tilts and then crashes to the ground the crowd cheers. Another video posted on social media shows a crowd watching as the bust is rolled down the rocky banks of the Mississippi River and into the water. New Orleans took down four Confederate-era monuments in 2017 after a months-long process of contentious public meetings and demonstrations. But other controversial symbols remain. Floyd cousin speaks at Lee monument in Virginia Thousands of people gathered in Virginia's capital on Saturday for a demonstration against racism known as the 5,000 Man March. The protest in Richmond included a speech by a cousin of George Floyd, the black man whose death at the hands of police has prompted weeks of protests around the world. The demonstrators gathered at the citys famed monument of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee before making a loop around the downtown. They returned to the monument about two hours later to hear speakers. Tavares Floyd, George Floyds cousin, stepped onto the Lee monument and was welcomed by applause from the surrounding crowd of demonstrators in the former capital of the Confederacy. WRIC-TV reports that Floyd spoke about many different racial inequalities that the black community faces in Virginia and throughout the nation. The Lee statue, erected in 1890, has become a focal point of protests in Richmond since Floyds death. After years of calls by activists to remove Confederate statues in Virginia, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has pledged to take down the Lee statue, while Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, also a Democrat, has vowed to remove other Confederate statues on the same street. George Floyd's family intends to file a civil lawsuit against Derek Chauvin, lawyer says Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for the family of George Floyd, told CNN they will also file a civil lawsuit against the officer who had his knee on Floyd's neck. He said the family "intends on holding Derek Chauvin fully accountable in every aspect, criminal and civil." Chauvin is currently facing second-degree murder charges, but CNN reported he could still receive more than $1 million in pension benefits during his retirement years even if convicted. While a number of state laws allow for the forfeiture of pensions for those employees convicted of felony crimes related to their work, this is not the case in Minnesota. Crump said the culture of police departments is what needs to change. "It wasn't just the knee of Derek Chauvin that killed George Floyd in Minneapolis, it was the knee of the entire police department. Because when you have that kind of culture and behavior of a police department, it is foreseeable that something like this is going to happen," he said. Crump said changing this culture starts with having transparency not only in how officers are trained, but also how they are fired. "We have to terminate people when they use these bad policies, despite what the police unions say, because if we don't terminate them, it is absolutely predictable that you'll have somebody do a choke hold or neck restraint for 8 minutes and 46 seconds because they know there's no accountability," he said. "There's no discipline when they do this to black people in America," Crump added. Minneapolis police officers pen open letter condemning former officer Derek Chauvin Members of the Minneapolis Police Department spoke out on Friday out against former police officer Derek Chauvin in an open letter addressed to "everyone but especially Minneapolis citizens." "Derek Chauvin failed as a human and stripped George Floyd of his dignity and life. This is not who we are," said the letter, signed by fourteen MPD officers. "We're not the union or the administration." "We stand ready to listen and embrace the calls for change, reform and rebuilding," says the letter, which comes as powerful police unions across the country are digging in, preparing for a once-in-a-generation showdown over policing and new polls that indicate that most Americans now acknowledge that African Americans are more likely to be mistreated or even killed by police. "There were many more willing to sign, but the group opted to showcase people from across the PD as well as male/female, black/white, straight/gay, leader/frontline, etc. Internally, this is sending a message" said Paul Omodt, a spokesperson for the officers who penned the open letter. Most of the officers hold ranks of lieutenant or sergeant, according to Omodt. Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, was charged with second-degree murder, and the three other officers on scene Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Chauvin's bail was set at $1.25 million earlier this week. Minneapolis City Council members took a first step Friday toward changing the City Charter to allow for abolishing the police department and replacing it with something else. Five of the 12 council members said Friday that theyll formally introduce a proposal later this month to remove the charters requirement that the city maintain a police department and fund a minimum number of officers. Voters would have to approve the change if the proposal makes it onto the November ballot. The Star Tribune reports the announcement came as council members face increased pressure to further define what they meant when a majority of them pledged to eliminate the Minneapolis Police Department following George Floyds death. Council Member Jeremiah Ellison said he still expects to spend a year seeking feedback from the community about how to change the department, but he fears that if they dont remove that charter provision, it will hamper those efforts. He said removing the language alone wont eliminate the department. Some business groups and Mayor Jacob Frey have said they prefer changing the department over eliminating it completely. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Bengaluru, June 13 : Amid rising Covid-19 infections in contacts of earlier cases, domestic returnees continued to form the bulk of cases in Karnataka, as 308 new cases raised the state's tally to 6,824, an official said on Saturday. "New cases reported from Friday 5 p.m. to Saturday 5 p.m. 308," said a health official. As many as 208, or 68 per cent of the cases, had domestic travel history. Returnees from Maharashtra constituted 200 or 96 per cent of the returnees, a daily feature where most of the domestic returnees are from the state's northwestern neighbour. Incidentally, 25 patients had international travel history to the United Arab Emirates. For the past few days, the number of infections with contact history are rising, recording 56 such cases on Saturday. Cases spiked in Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Bidar, Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad, Udupi, Hassan, Ballari, Vijayapura, Raichur and Uttara Kannada. Among the new cases, Kalaburagi reported 67, followed by Yadgir (52), Bidar (42), Bengaluru Urban (31), Dakshina Kannada (30), Dharwad (20), Udupi (14), Hassan and Ballari (11 each), Vijayapura (6), Raichur and Uttara Kannada (5 each), Kolar (4), Davangere (3), Mandya and Haveri (2 each), Mysuru, Bagalkote and Ramanagara (1 each). Fourteen patients are suffering from influenza like illness (ILI) and three from severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). Meanwhile, three people succumbed to the virus, a 70-year-old man from Dharwad and a 23-year-old youth and 62-year-old man from Bengaluru Urban. Among the new cases, 175 are males and 133 females, including 48 children below the age of 10 years. Of the total cases, 3,092 patients have been discharged, 81 have died while 15 are admitted to ICUs. In the past 24 hours, 209 patients got discharged. So far, 4.36 lakh samples have been tested, of which 4.2 lakh have returned negative. Currently, Yadgir is leading the state's Covid-19 burden with 549 active cases, followed by Kalaburagi (496), Udupi (420) and Bengaluru Urban (319), among others. Bengaluru Urban has accounted for 29 deaths, followed by Kalaburagi (10), Bidar, Vijayapura, Davangere and Dakshina Kannada (6 each), among others. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Kampala, Uganda Sat, June 13, 2020 15:06 587 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde70924 2 Environment gorilla,uganda,UNESCO,environment,poacher,Africa Free Ugandan wildlife authorities have detained four men in connection with the killing of a 25-year-old male gorilla, the leader of a gorilla group and hugely popular with tourists. The Silverback gorilla, named Rafiki, was killed in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park after going missing on June 1. His body was found the next day. The park, a UNESCO world heritage site near Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a 320-sq-km patch of dense tropical forest that is home to primates, elephants, antelopes and other wildlife. Tourists are however mostly drawn to the park by its estimated 400 mountain gorillas - roughly half the worlds population. In a statement, the state-run Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said the four men were detained for their role in the death of Rafiki. Read also: Four rare mountain gorillas 'killed by lightning' in Uganda The arrests followed UWA's investigation of Rafiki's death "after a postmortem report revealed that the Silverback sustained an injury by a sharp device/object that penetrated its left upper part of the abdomen up to the internal organs". One of the detained men had been found in possession of wild hog meat, rope and wire snares and spears, the statement said. The man "confessed to killing the gorilla in self-defense," the statement said, adding he said it charged at him while he and a colleague were hunting. Rafiki was head of a 17-member gorilla group called Nkuringo. Poaching is rampant in Uganda's game parks and police frequently announce seizures of illicitly acquired wildlife products such as ivory, rhino horns, pangolin scales and others. Topics : gorilla uganda UNESCO environment poacher Africa By PTI LONDON: The official birthday of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, celebrated with a grand Trooping of the Colour event every year during the second weekend of June, was marked with a new low-key ceremony on Saturday as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The monarch, who turned 94 in April, was honoured on the grounds of Windsor Castle where she is self-isolating with 99-year-old husband Prince Philip with a small number of Welsh Guardsmen and military musicians. They gathered, observing the two-metre social distancing norms in place to curb the spread of the deadly virus, to mark the event with a royal salute for the monarch, followed by military drills and then a march on the castle grounds. With fewer people on parade because of social distancing, "there is no hiding place", said Garrison Sergeant Major Warrant Officer Class 1 Andrew Stokes, who created the display broadcast live on the BBC. "But more spacing between individuals means that there is also no room for errors and so the soldier has to really concentrate on their own personal drill, reaction to orders, dressing and social distancing," he said. Traditionally, guardsmen stand shoulder-to-shoulder during their drills or when formed up on the parade ground. "The effects of COVID-19 have been devastating in terms of loss of life and the threatening of livelihoods of so many across the country," said Major General Christopher Ghika, who commands the Household Division. "The Welsh Guards and many of those on parade have recently been deployed within the United Kingdom as part of the nation's response to the virus and so the context of the ceremony is particularly poignant," he said. This year marks only the second time in the Queen's 68-year reign that the grand Trooping of the Colour parade in London has not gone ahead. It last had to be cancelled in 1955, three years after the Queen's coronation, due to a national rail strike in the country. The annual ceremony brings together all the senior royals to Buckingham Palace, from where they watch the display. WESTLAKE, Ohio Felony theft Westlake police received a complaint at 7 a.m. May 26 about thefts from two work vans that were parked at a business in Westlake overnight. Thieves broke out windows and stole thousands of dollars worth of work tools, according to the police department. The department did not include the address of the business in a statement to the press. Surveillance videos show two subjects arriving at the parking lot driving a black Ford Taurus early May 24. They forcibly entered the vans and took the tools. The two suspects have been identified as a 29-year-old woman from Madison and a 41-year-old Cleveland man. They will be charged with felony theft, according to police. They also are suspected of similar thefts in other Northeast Ohio cities. Telephone scam A Westlake resident called police at 5:30 p.m. June 7 to report being the victim of a scam. She received an unexpected call from a man claiming to be Sgt. Rich from the Cuyahoga County Sheriffs Department. The bogus sergeant told the victim that she had two warrants out for her arrest because she had missed her grand jury appearance obligations. The victim knew nothing about the grand jury, but after the phony sergeant threatened her with arrest, the victim purchased thousands of dollars in gift cards to withdraw the warrants. The victim is out the funds. Investigators contacted the county, which is aware that fraudsters are using their agencys name to scam citizens. Sexual imposition: Crocker Road Officers responded at 8 p.m. June 10 to the DoubleTree hotel for a report of an intoxicated man groping a woman in the hot tub. Officers arrested a 40-year-old Cleveland man for misdemeanor sexual imposition. He also was charged with being disorderly while intoxicated and possession of drug paraphernalia. Officers took the man to the Westlake jail. Read more news from the West Shore Sun. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Smart Inhalers Market Size, Growth and Trends Analysis By Type (Dry Powder Inhaler and Metered Dose Inhaler), Application (Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and others), Key Players and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa), Forecast to 2025 Smart Inhalers Market size and share is anticipated to reach USD 4.72 billion at a CAGR of 45% throughout the forecast period (2019-2025). Smart Inhalers are respiratory inhalers equipped with a digital sensor that tracks the data, such as the dosage timing, and monitors the use of the inhaler while scheduling the next dosage as well. Smart Inhalers Market is expected to witness significant growth due to rising prevalence of asthma & COPD worldwide. Increasing population becoming susceptible to indoor air pollutants worldwide and Moreover, improved adherence rate driven by increasing patients preference to use digitalized medical devices for monitoring daily medication doses fosters the growth of the Smart Inhalers Market. Also, increased collaboration deeds between pharmaceutical companies and smart inhaler manufacturers to promote technological advancements are contributing to market growth. Increased focus on advancement in treatment methods, R&D programs, online marketing strategies incorporated by key players in pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries are some of the major trends observed in the market. get free sample copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2117 It is a new-age digital technology designed to empower patients, care contributors, researchers, and physicians related to respiratory diseases through objective and accurate medication monitoring and reminders. Alerts for the daily dosage are generated via Bluetooth. Smart inhalers have been successfully improving patient outcomes while reducing the significant financial costs associated with suboptimal medication adherence. This makes smart inhalers the next big thing in the respiratory care segment. On the other hand, high costs associated with the smart inhalers and COPD & asthma treatments, limited availability of smart inhalers, and misinterpretation of information are some of the major factors obstructing the growth of the market. Key pharmaceutical companies are adopting digital technology for improved disease management for asthma and COPD and for improved effectivity of medicines. Wide range of benefits, including reducing financial costs associated with suboptimal medication adherence to enhanced efficacy of medicines, makes smart inhalers most preferred and popular in the respiratory care segment. leading players include AstraZeneca (UK), Adherium (New Zealand), Cohero Health (US), Gecko Health Innovations, Inc (US), GlaxoSmithKline (UK), Propeller Health (US), and Inspiro Medical (Israel), among others. Highly competitive by nature, the smart inhalers market appears to be fragmented due to the presence of market titans in the market. To maintain their market positions. Key companies are venturing into new regions and countries with rapid expansion plans. Top players are substantially investing in R&D and clinical trials to accelerate product development and innovations and to cut down production costs. Global Smart Inhalers Market Segmentation: Smart Inhalers Market is segmented by Type Application End User Region By Type, the Smart Inhalers Market is segmented into Dry Powder Inhaler Metered-dose Inhaler By Application, the Smart Inhalers Market is segmented into Asthma Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) others By End-user, the Smart Inhalers Market is segmented into Hospitals & Clinics Research Institute Respiratory Care Centers others Regional Insights: By Regions Global Smart Inhalers Market is segmented into Asia Pacific North America Europe Rest-of-the-World North America leads the global smart inhalers market, accounting for the largest market share. Increased awareness about asthma and COPD treatment and the increased adoption of smart inhalers help the region to cut the largest revenue share, globally. Moreover, large asthma and COPD patient population in the region foster the regional market growth. The smart inhalers market in the European region took the second-largest position holding 31.89% market share, in 2018. The presence of a number of noteworthy players such as Novartis, AstraZeneca, and Boehringer Ingelheim drive the regional market growth. Moreover, the high adoption of smart inhalers in hospitals and patients in European countries is expected to boost the growth in the regional market throughout the assessment period. The Asia pacific smart inhalers market is emerging as a promising market, globally. Factors, such as the spreading awareness about the benefits that smart inhalers can provide in managing asthma and COPD, influence the market growth in the region. Besides, improvement in healthcare infrastructure with an increased budget for healthcare expenses would fuel the APAC smart inhalers market. The region is expected to grow rapidly throughout the forecast duration, with China being the major revenue contributor. Browse Complete Report https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-inhalers-market-2117 Related news Pacemaker Market Rheumatoid arthritis Market About Market Research Future: MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. Contact https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ A Knee on Our Throats By Andrew P. Napolitano June 12, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - For two months now, most of America has endured a government-imposed lockdown. I hate to use that word lockdown as it connotes locking prisoners into their cells during prison disturbances. But it is the word that the government itself uses when referring to its orders of confinement. Today, we are the government's prisoners. Wear your mask. Stay at home. Don't go to work. Don't open your business. Don't go to church. And, for heaven's sake, don't gather in any group larger than 25 unless it is to speak words of which the government approves. Here is the backstory. When the United States was founded, the folks who framed the new government shared many political and philosophical views. Some of those views were reprehensible, unnatural and contrary to the others most notably that the new Constitution would permit the states to enforce a system of human slavery. That colossal error brought us 75 more years of human degradation, a horrific war, the military occupation of the southern states, Jim Crow, lynching, the advent of the KKK, official segregation and the denigration of blacks by much of the government even today. When the pre-Civil War Supreme Court was asked to rule on whether a slave who made it to the north could sue his former captors for permanent freedom, the Court ruled that blacks were not persons, as contemplated by the Constitution, and thus did not enjoy the rights of persons that the Constitution protects. The Dred Scott decision not only triggered the Civil War but also the abuse of blacks, which has followed to this day. The public torture and murder of George Floyd a 46-year-old black man by white Minneapolis cops has crystallized the public awareness of our collective history of looking the other way when these horrors have happened. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The same framers who were willing to compromise on slavery were unwilling to compromise on other issues. Among them were that the purpose of government is to protect rights and that no government is moral or lawful absent the consent of the governed. The latter requires that we have not only consented to the existence of the government but also to the powers that we have given it. This theory embraced by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence and by James Madison in the Constitution mandates that human beings are born free, that we have natural rights integral to our humanity, that we are free to surrender a small part of those rights to a government, that the purpose of the government is to protect the rights we have not surrendered, that the government (today) must be colorblind and that the government only has the powers that we have surrendered to it. Stated differently, if we, as free people, did not consent to giving certain powers to the government like the powers state governors have exercised to lock us down or the police exercised to murder Floyd the government, quite simply, lacks those powers and should be removed from office by an angry citizenry when it tries to exercise them. The stated purpose of the lockdown is to shield us from infection. But this raises very serious questions about our relationship to government. We never authorized the government to shield us from infection. We never authorized it to lock us down. We never authorized the police to enforce anything other than legislatively enacted statutes. We never authorized the police to murder confined prisoners. Here in New Jersey, the police are handing out summonses that look like parking tickets. In the place where they are supposed to write the statute that the recipient has allegedly violated, they have written "Violation of Governor's Executive Order..." This is madness. Crimes consist only of behavior properly condemned in writing by a popularly elected representative body. It is not a crime to refuse to comply with the paternalistic wishes of one person. If the governor of New Jersey can haul you into court for violating his executive orders, can he be hauled into court for violating our basic liberties which are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights he swore to protect? When the Black Lives Matter movement manifested its disgust with government failures to restrain the police, huge gatherings of people defied lockdown orders of governors. Most were peaceful. Most were the quintessential exercise of the freedom to travel, to assemble and to tell the government what you think of it. To paraphrase the poet William Makepeace Thackeray, folks were shaking their fists in the tyrant's face. A small number of people got arrested for violence, but no one got arrested for violating a gubernatorial lockdown order. When New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was asked why he violated his lockdown orders by personally marching in one of those large peaceful assemblies while his police were issuing summonses for participation in other assemblies, he observed that racism is more troubling than closed nail salons. Good for him. But he cannot use the power of government to support assembly, travel and speech with which he agrees and punish that with which he disagrees. That's why we have a Constitution. What a gross misunderstanding of the American ethos he has. He will bar your work. He will permit you to shop for a car but not for a book. You can walk with your family down an aisle at Walmart but not up to an altar to receive Holy Communion. George Floyd died because the government itself put a knee on his throat. In New Jersey, the governor without the consent of the governed and thus without any lawful authority has his knee on the state's throat, choking the air and lifeblood out of those yearning to be free. How much longer will free people accept this? Reese Witherspoon went for a bike ride with her second husband Jim Toth and seven-year-old son Tennessee James near their $6.25M farmhouse above Malibu's Zuma Beach on Friday. The 44-year-old Oscar winner wore $109 Oakley 'Frogskins' sunglasses and protected herself with a cloth mask, which LA Mayor Eric Garcetti made mandatory for all outdoor activity on May 13. Garcetti extended the stay-at home order indefinitely due to the 70K confirmed COVID-19 cases in LA County, which has led to 2,834 deaths as of Friday - according to Johns Hopkins University. Family bonding in quarantine: Reese Witherspoon (M) went for a bike ride with her second husband Jim Toth and seven-year-old son Tennessee James near their $6.25M farmhouse above Malibu's Zuma Beach on Friday Both Reese and the grinning 50-year-old Quibi exec - who wed in 2011 a year after meeting at a party - matched each other in black athleisure attire. Witherspoon and Toth successfully homeschooled their blond boy, who graduated from the 1st grade on Thursday. The Little Fires Everywhere producer-star - who boasts 29.7M social media followers - gushed: 'Second grade or bust! Happy Graduation! So proud of my littlest guy.' Reese (born Laura Jeanne) is also mother 20-year-old daughter Ava and 16-year-old son Deacon from her seven-year marriage to Cruel Intentions leading man Ryan Phillippe, which ended in 2007. Better safe than sorry: The 44-year-old Oscar winner wore $109 Oakley 'Frogskins' sunglasses and protected herself with a cloth mask, which LA Mayor Eric Garcetti made mandatory for all outdoor activity on May 13 Big smile: Both Reese and the 50-year-old Quibi exec - who wed in 2011 a year after meeting at a party - matched each other in black athleisure attire 'Second grade or bust!' Witherspoon and Toth successfully homeschooled their blond boy, who graduated from the 1st grade on Thursday Co-parenting: The Little Fires Everywhere producer-star is also mother 20-year-old daughter Ava (L) and 16-year-old son Deacon (R) from her seven-year marriage to Cruel Intentions leading man Ryan Phillippe (M), which ended in 2007 (pictured in 2018) Witherspoon was mourning the death, age 67, of her former publicist Nanci Ryder on Thursday following a six-year battle with ALS aka Lou Gehrig's disease. 'Sometimes in life, if you are lucky, you meet someone who takes you under their wing and cares for you like a daughter. Nanci Ryder was that other mother to me,' the Louisiana-born blonde wrote on Friday. 'I met her when I was 19, and we traveled the world together promoting movies...France, Germany, UK, Australia, Brazil, Russia...so many amazing places! 'But I loved our talks the most. Everyday after my kids went to school, she would call me to chat about shopping, purses, vintage jewelry, and about the Bachelor.' 'I'm so sad': Reese was mourning the death, age 67, of her former publicist Nanci Ryder on Thursday following a six-year battle with ALS aka Lou Gehrig's disease Team Nanci: Witherspoon would frequently take part in the Los Angeles County Walk to Defeat ALS alongside Oscar winner Renee Zellweger (R) and Golden Globe nominee Courteney Cox (L, pictured in 2015) Reese added: 'I'm so sad because I miss her so much, but now I know she is heaven chatting with all her friends about purses, jewelry and she is looking down on me smiling.' By the time of her death, the brave breast cancer survivor was confined to a wheelchair and hadn't spoken or eaten on her own in five years. Witherspoon would frequently take part in Team Nanci's Los Angeles County Walk to Defeat ALS alongside Oscar winner Renee Zellweger and Golden Globe nominee Courteney Cox. Brave new world: Meanwhile, Jim left his gig at CAA after 23 years to become the head of content acquisition and talent at Jeffrey Katzenberg's troubled subscription startup, Quibi 'Eat prey love': Toth even enlisted his famous wife, who was 'paid less than $1M' by Quibi to host the BBC's seven-episode female-centered nature docuseries Fierce Queens in April Meanwhile, Jim left his gig at CAA after 23 years to become the head of content acquisition and talent at Jeffrey Katzenberg's troubled subscription startup, Quibi. Toth even enlisted his famous wife, who was 'paid less than $1M' by Quibi to host the BBC's seven-episode female-centered nature docuseries Fierce Queens in April - according to Variety. Reese also signed a two-feature deal with Netflix and she's got the second season of Apple TV+ The Morning Show coming up, but both projects are on ice amid the coronavirus pandemic. A retired Irish couple who survived Covid-19 have donated their adored holiday home for the benefit of frontline healthcare workers. The cottage, nestled under the Ox Mountains and lying along the banks of the Yellow River, in Askillaun, Foxford, Co Mayo, could be yours for just 10. The couple, Patrick - a retired businessman - and Joan - a doctor - wish to remain anonymous, but explained why they want to honour frontline healthcare staff. "Having seen what the virus was like with my husband, who is very lucky to be alive, I can only marvel at their strength and conviction. "We used to go to the cottage in Mayo, for holidays. It is a beautiful, peaceful place and once you go there, it is hard to leave. "We did a lot of work on it in 2015, 2016 and made it more comfortable and modern. Expand Close The holiday cottage inside / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The holiday cottage inside "In 2017, during Hurricane Ophelia, I got blown over by the wind and damaged my hip. I ended up having a hip replacement. "This got us thinking about our life, and we decided that we would see more of the world and go travelling," she said. In March, the couple had been travelling in Mexico when they heard about the coronavirus pandemic and decided to return to Canada where they had been staying. "We drove through the USA to Canada on the way, Patrick got a sore throat. "When we reached the Canadian border, Patrick told the official he was feeling unwell. We were told to go straight to our destination and self-isolate for 14 days. "Two days later, he developed a fever and a cough which became very harsh and prolonged. "During the coughing spells, he became very scared and wondered if he would ever get any air into his lungs and felt that he was suffocating. "It was very, very scary. His heart was racing and irregular. He was lucky. He tells everybody it was John Jameson who saved him." Within days Joan also developed symptoms. "I was very lucky as I just got a sore throat for two days and fatigue. Thankfully, I was able to look after Patrick. "Now that we have recovered, we both feel lucky to be alive." Upon her recovery, Joan registered for the HSE's 'Be On-Call for Ireland' but due to the complexity of the process was forced to withdraw. "As we were planning to return to Ireland, I wondered how I could help others in the pandemic. "I realised I would have to re-register with the Medical Council, get re-insured and get Garda clearance. As it was 10 years since I had worked in a hospital, I would probably have to be re-educated also so I withdrew," she said. "I began to think about how else we could assist people in Ireland. We decided we had the cottage in Mayo and we could raffle it." She said having worked in hospitals all her career, she always thought the support staff should get more. "They were always cheerful, hard-working and reliable and kept the hospital ticking over," she added. "I admire them so much, turning in every day, knowing the risks that they were taking for themselves and their families. "These are the people we are raffling the cottage for." Patrick echoed Joan's sentiments. "To think that ordinary people do such good for others and keep doing it every day such risk to themselves is incredible," he said. To be in with a chance of owning your "true slice of heaven", visit rafflecreator.com/pages/38253/a-cottage-in-ireland-for-10 WASHINGTON - At a time of national crises, the Senate has been able to come together on a topic both parties celebrate: the great outdoors. While the country copes with the coronavirus, an economic downturn and a reckoning over racism, lawmakers have reached bipartisan agreement on an election-year deal to double spending on a popular conservation program and devote nearly $2 billion a year to improve and maintain national parks. If approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, the Great American Outdoors Act would be the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century. The bill, set for a Senate vote this coming week, would spend about $2.8 billion per year on conservation, outdoor recreation and park maintenance. Americans have been spending a lot of time indoors as a result of the pandemic, said Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., one of the bills chief sponsors. They are ready to get into the great outdoors. Gardner and Sen. Steven Daines, R-Mont., have pushed for the bill, first convincing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that he should take it up, then persuading Trump at a White House visit. McConnell told the two senators, who are both seeking reelection this year, that he would not consider the bill unless Trump was on board. Gardner and Daines are among the Senates most vulnerable incumbents, and each represents a state where the outdoor economy and tourism at sites such as Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone national parks play an outsize role. At a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in late February, Gardner and Daines made their case. This is a legacy thing, Gardner told Trump, pointing to a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt that dominates the room. We wanted to make landmark legislation about our great landmarks, Gardner said in an interview. The senators showed Trump pictures and maps of their states and stressed the importance of conservation in the West. Trump, who has repeatedly tried to cut spending for the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, soon tweeted his support for the proposal. It will be HISTORIC for our beautiful public lands,? Trump said. At a hastily called news conference to announce the deal, Daines and Gardner were joined by 10 other senators from both parties as eager lawmakers jumped to back a rare bill destined for approval in the slow-moving Senate. That was in early March, days before the pandemic derailed Congress from most legislation not related to the virus. Its three months later, and the bill is set for approval as early as Tuesday. America deserves a break right now, and the outdoors is restorative, said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., a longtime advocate of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. In an interview, Cantwell credited a new coalition of lawmakers who support conservation and public lands. Weve made people aware of the juggernaut that the outdoors economy has been, Cantwell said. She cited statistics showing that outdoor recreation and tourism supports $887 billion a year in consumer spending and 7.6 million jobs, much of it in the West. Cantwell credited Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., for forcing attention on the conservation fund by blocking a 2018 spending bill that did not renew the program. It uses federal royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling to pay for conservation and public recreation projects. The program is authorized to collect $900 million a year but generally receives less than half that amount from Congress as lawmakers bicker over how the money should be spent. Burrs actions helped educate lawmakers on the importance of the fund, Cantwell said. Republican Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee also pushed to renew it, along with nearly all Democrats. While widely supported, the outdoors bill faces sharp opposition, mainly from Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and other Gulf Coast senators pushing to ensure it includes revenue-sharing for their states from offshore drilling. A separate group of conservatives opposes new federal land acquisitions. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, complained during debate that the bill was written behind closed doors and is now being hermetically sealed, walled off from amendments by Senate leaders. Forget the theatrics in Seattle this bill is the real Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, Lee said. As written, the bill enables the federal government to purchase new lands in perpetuity without accountability, oversight or any measures to make sure it can actually care for the land that it owns, Lee said. He noted that the federal government is already the largest land owner in Utah and many other states in the West. The policy will make life easier for politicians and bureaucrats, and harder for the Americans they ostensibly serve, Lee said. Daines disputed that, saying Montanans and other Westerners treasure their public lands. We say in Montana that we get to work, but we also like to play, Daines said. We work hard during the week ... so we can get out on the weekends, where there is hiking, fishing, hunting and backpacking. This is our life. For many in Montana and throughout the West, our fondest memories are spending time outside on our public lands, Daines said. It is why we continue to preserve, protect and expand that access to this incredible treasure we have in America. Cantwell dismissed criticism by some Democrats and outside groups that the bill provides a major boost to Gardner and Daines in their close election campaigns, even as control of the Senate hangs in the balance in the November election. Calling Trumps record on the environment the worst one in history, Cantwell said Gardner, Daines and other Republicans will be forced to defend the president as they go before voters. Weve been working on this for a long time,? she said. Just because its 2020 shouldnt stop us from securing this victory.? 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. Four credit cards including, close-up. Photo: Getty American Express (AmEx) (AXP) has been given the nod by Chinas central bank to go ahead with a joint venture, making it the first foreign credit company to launch operations there. The network clearing license for Express (Hangzhou) Technology Services Co., a joint venture between AmEx and LianLian DigiTech Co Ltd, was approved by The Peoples Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank said in a statement this morning. The statement said the move reflected Chinas continued opening up of its financial industry. The approval comes amid mounting US-China tensions and conflict over Beijings imposition of national security law in Hong Kong. The application has been in the works since January, according to the PBOC, and will give AmEx access to Chinas $27tn (21.5tn) payments market. READ MORE: Beano and Bank of England team up on financially educating kids AmEx said it expects to begin processing transactions later this year. This approval represents an important step forward in our long-term growth strategy and is an historic moment, not only for American Express but for the continued growth and development of the payments industry in mainland China, Stephen J. Squeri, chairman and CEO of AmEx, said. Mastercard (MA.MX) also had a joint venture approved earlier this year, according to Reuters, but this was only to conduct bank card clearing operations in the country. The company has not yet had a network clearing license approved. Visas (V) application for the same permissions is still pending approval, having been submitted in 2018. It has taken a decade of lobbying for payments services to gain access to Chinas market. Now foreign players are gaining access to the worlds biggest bank card market. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday slammed the Central Government over the rise in coronavirus cases in India during the various phases of the lockdown while urging it once again to infuse cash into the hands of the poor in order to restart the economy Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday slammed the Central Government over the rise in coronavirus cases in India during the various phases of the lockdown, while urging it once again to infuse cash into the hands of the poor in order to restart the economy. Taking a swipe at the government on Twitter, the former Congress chief shared graphs of the rise in COVID-19 cases in India in four different phases of the lockdown with a quote which read, "'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results' - Anonymous". Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Anonymous pic.twitter.com/tdkS3dK8qm Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 13, 2020 In another post, Gandhi warned that if the government doesn't infuse cash into the economy, "the poor will be decimated, the middle class will be the new poor and crony capitalists will own the country". He cited a news report about the plight of retrenched workers of a private company, who were staring at a long battle ahead. Gandhi has asked the government to provide Rs 10,000 cash in the hands of each poor family immediately and provide them with Rs 7,500 every month for the next six months for them to survive effects of the lockdown. He has also called for a financial stimulus package for the small and medium industries. Gandhi's remarks came as India surpassed the three lakh-mark with the worst daily spike of 11,458 infections, while the toll due to the novel coronavirus climbed to 8,884 with 386 new fatalities. India took 64 days to cross the one lakh-mark from 100 cases, then in another fortnight it reached the grim milestone of two lakh cases. On Thursday, it overtook the United Kingdom in terms of coronavirus cases to become the fourth worst-hit country, according to the Worldometer and Johns Hopkins University data. On Friday, Gandhi had tweeted, "India is firmly on its way to winning the wrong race. A horrific tragedy, resulting from a lethal blend of arrogance and incompetence." The Congress leader has been asking the government to provide cash in the hands of the people and to the small industries, to enable them to restart the economy, which has suffered a setback due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. The government has also held back the release of complete data of index of industrial production (IIP) for April, saying it is not appropriate to compare the IIP data with earlier months due to COVID-19 lockdown. With inputs from PTI Ithaca, N.Y. -- A city in Central New York is first in America to officially propose canceling rent during the coronavirus pandemic. WSKG reports the Ithaca Common Council has passed a resolution asking the state and federal government to provide rent and mortgage assistance in Ithaca, N.Y., where 70 percent of residents are renters. If financial aid isnt possible, the council is asking New York state to grant Mayor Svante Myrick the authority to cancel rent debt from the last three months, both for tenants and small businesses. According to Fast Company, Ithaca is the first U.S. city to propose a #CancelTheRents measure after Covid-19 shutdowns devastated the economy, putting more than 40 million Americans out of work. New York and other states have temporarily banned evictions but havent addressed how newly unemployed people will be able to pay outstanding rent when the ban ends. Its sort of rescheduling the problem rather than solving it, Ithaca Tenants Union organizer Genevieve Rand told Fast Company. Theres still the reality of the fact theres not enough money going into the pockets of a lot of poor people. And rescheduling the time where theyll be punished for that with eviction isnt the same as actually keeping us safe. However, U.S. Rep. Tom Reed (NY-23) told WSKG that he doesnt support the utopian and unrealistic idea of cancelling rent. Really? You think that this can work? the Republican congressman said. In the sense that you can waive rent and you can not have consequences that are going to impact those same people that you are trying to help. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter According to the Ithaca Voice, though, rent cancellation still wouldnt happen in the immediate future. Due to New York states emergency declaration, the resolution would have to be first approved by New York State Department of Health to give the mayor power to issue an executive order forgiving three months of rent. The Common Council would then need to approve the order, which also seeks to allow Myrick to prohibit eviction of residential or small-business tenants, and obligate landlords to offer lease extensions at the current rent level. Even if granted these powers, would I cancel rent tomorrow? I wouldnt, Myrick told the Voice. What I would do is put together a working group that would allow us to find real rent relief that likely would include rent cancellation but it would only come in partnership with relief for small landlords and homeowners. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 18:06:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The White House is seen in Washington D.C., the United States, on May 21, 2020.(Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) The U.S. sanctions represent "an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice." THE HAGUE, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The international community has bashed U.S. sanctions against some International Criminal Court (ICC) officials investigating possible war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The White House said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized economic sanctions against ICC officials "directly engaged with any effort to investigate or prosecute United States personnel without the consent of the United States," as well as the expansion of visa restrictions against these officials and their family members. U.S. President Donald Trump (C) delivers a statement at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong) Later on Thursday, the ICC said in a statement that the U.S. attacks "constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court's judicial proceedings." Noting that the U.S. sanctions represent "an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice," the ICC, which has 123 member states, vowed it would stand firmly by its staff and remain "unwavering in its commitment to discharging, independently and impartially, the mandate bestowed upon it by the Rome Statute and the States that are party to it." The United Nations (UN) human rights office said Friday that it is deeply concerned over the United States' planned sanctions. Delegates attend a side-event during the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), co-sponsored by the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) African Group and the Permanent Mission of China, in Geneva, Switzerland, July 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan) "The independence of the ICC and its ability to operate without interference must be guaranteed so that it can decide matters without any improper influence, inducement, pressures, threats or interference, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reasons," Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told a briefing here. "Victims of gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law and their families have the right to redress and the truth," he added. The German Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed its deep concern over the U.S. decision. "We have noted with great concern the U.S. statement that gives the secretary of state the opportunity, in some cases, to introduce additional visa restrictions and additional economic sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court," the ministry said in a statement. Andreas Michaelis (front), State Secretary of the German Foreign Ministry, addresses a Security Council meeting on challenges to peace and security in the Middle East, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) Noting Germany is one of the strongest supporters of the ICC, the ministry said: "We have full confidence in its work. It is an indispensable institution in the fight against impunity for international crimes, and it is needed today more than it has ever been." "We reject any attempts to put pressure on the independent court, its staff, and those who work with it," the ministry stressed. The French Foreign Ministry on Friday urged the United States to refrain from implementing measures targeting ICC officials. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne (Front), French Minister of State in the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, addresses a United Nations Security Council high-level debate on peacekeeping at the UN headquarters in New York, on March 28, 2018.(Xinhua/Li Muzi) The U.S. decision "represents a serious attack on the Court and the States Parties to the Rome Statute, and beyond that, a challenge to multilateralism and judicial independence," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement published on the ministry's website. France reiterated its full support for the court, which bashed the U.S. sanctions later on Thursday. "The Court is the only permanent international criminal court with a universal vocation," Le Drian said. Noting the court plays a vital role in the fight against impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes, Le Drian said "France will strive to ensure that the Court is able to fulfill its mission in an independent and impartial manner." The ICC in March authorized an investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, including those that may have been committed by the U.S. military and the Central Intelligence Agency, which could lead to the indictment of U.S. military and intelligence personnel. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) Puerto Princesa's top cop has been ordered on administrative leave following allegations that he was involved in the maltreatment of several personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Archie Gamboa ordered the relief of Pcol. Marion Balonglong. The allegations against Balonglong are serious and his relief is an administrative action to preclude any possibility of undue influence in the ongoing investigation, said Gamboa in a statement released by the PNP. Balonglong reportedly arrested and held at gunpoint eight employees of the DENR and two others, who were doing their field work at a coastal village at Barangay Iwahig in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on June 10. According to reports, the DENR personnel were conducting an investigation on the illegal occupation and massive mangrove cutting at Sitio Bucana when they were intercepted by Balonglong and his men. Balonglong allegedly kicked and punched at gunpoint one of the forest rangers identified as Roldan Alvarez. On Friday, The DENR denounced the reported illegal arrest and police brutality endured by a team of environmental law enforcers at the hands of Puerto Princesa City police on Wednesday. PBGen Nicerio Obaob gave his assurance that the allegations against Balonglong would be thoroughly investigated. In a separate statement, the DENR Lawyers Guild, Inc. said they strongly condemn the acts committed against the environment officials. "It is unfortunate that the PNP is supposed to be the DENR's partner in enforcing environmental laws, and not its adversary or protector of violators of environmental laws. What is more distressing is that this incident happened on June 10, the DENR's 33rd anniversary," the statement said. The group said it was fully behind the DENR MIMAROPA Region and City Environment and Natural Resources Office to file cases against Balonglong and others involved in the incident. Fruit beer is a type of beer in which fruits serve as a flavoring agent or an adjunct. Fruits such as plums, cherries, and raspberries have a malt or hop aroma which is used as a basis for making fruit beers. New York, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Fruit Beer Market By Flavor By Distribution Channel By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914553/?utm_source=GNW A recent situation reveals that often brewers apply concentrate, sugar, or processed flavors to the final product rather than the fermentation method. The low alcohol by volume ratio (ABV) of low-alcohol fruit beer is boosting its popularity, particularly among health-conscious consumers. Low alcohol fruit beer drinking does not affect the kidneys and liver and does not contribute to intoxication. These health benefits of low alcohol content fruit beer would further boost market demand. The industry vendors are widening their product range by introducing new low-alcohol fruit beer brands to focus on this rising demand. This would be a vital development that will have a beneficial influence on the fruit beer industry growth. The global expansion of online trade allows sellers of fruit beer to offer their products by online retailing. Online retailers offer extra promotions, quick distribution, and payment choices and increased label exposure unlike conventional retail stores. In addition, online retailers now give customers the ease of choosing fruit beers from several brew series in one platform. Selling fruit beer through online platforms also helps vendors avoid the need for massive investment through physical stores required to sell it. This enhances vendors willingness to sell their products over online platforms. Based on Flavor, the market is segmented into Raspberry, Cherry, Apricot, Peach and Other flavors. Based on Distribution Channel, the market is segmented into Offline and Online. Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include The Boston Beer Company, Inc., Jester King Brewery, New Glarus Brewing Company, Allagash Brewing Company, Siren Craft Brew, Founders Brewing Co. (Mahou San Minguel), New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc. , Kirin Holdings Company Limited), Lindemans Brewery, Abita Brewing Company, and Shipyard Brewing Company. Recent strategies deployed in Fruit Beer Market Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements: May-2020: Shipyard Brewing signed a licensing agreement with Brew Theory. The agreement was aimed to produce and sell the latter companys portfolio of products in the Sunshine State, Florida. Feb-2020: Allagash Brewing Company signed an agreement with Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale Co. Following the agreement, the former company was aimed to distribute its products in Portland, Maine through Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale Co. Mar-2019: Shipyard Brewing came into partnership with Tiesta Tea. Together, the companies were focused on creating two flavors of tea brew. These fun fruity flavors are the perfect day drinking beer, as they are infused with Yerba Mate (a caffeinated tea). These two flavors Maui Mango and Fireberry, Tiesta Teas top-selling teas, are hopped together to make the beautiful brew. Product Launches and Product Expansions: Apr-2020: Allagash released the Nowaday Blonde Ale, the refined Belgian-style blonde ale, which is brewed like a lager. This ale is crisp and dry, delivering an even balance of flavor and refreshment. Apr-2020: Abita Brewing Company (Abita) unveiled Spring Loaded. Spring Loaded is crafted with all-natural ingredients and artesian spring water. The base beer has been brewed with Louisiana sugar that ferments into alcohol, leaving only 2 grams of sugar. The result is a crisp, refreshing spiked water with natural fruit flavors. Mar-2020: New Glarus Brewing Company introduced Nectar Ale, a lambic-style ale brewed with Geisenheim grapes and aged in oak barrels. The brand new ale is part of New Glarus Thumbprint Series. Mar-2020: New Belgium Brewing released Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza Variety Pack. Together with this watermelon lime, the company also introduced two new flavors- Mango Orange and Berry Guava, stylishly packaged in slim 12 oz cans. Mar-2020: New Belgium Brewing Company unveiled Sour IPA, a hazy, Citra, and Amarillo dry-hopped IPA blended with authentic wood-aged golden sour. Sour IPA balances acidity and hops with delicate perfection. Nov-2019: Jester King launched a new offering called More Dots, the 5.8 percent ABV barrel-aged wild ale fermented on black currants. The ale was taken from the oak barrels and put into stainless tanks where 2,000 pounds of black currants were added. Aug-2019: Jester King Brewery announced the Limited Release of Provenance Black Lime. Provenance Black Lime is a Farmhouse Ale that has black limes in the boil of a similar [base beer] to previous Provenance iterations". Jun-2019: Abita Brewing Company released the Strawberry Lager. Abita Strawberry Lager is available in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles, 6-packs of 12 oz. cans, 19.2 oz. cans. Apr-2019: Founders Brewing Co. announced the launch Cerise, a beer brewed with cherries. This beer is the latest addition to its Mothership Series, which is available exclusively in the brewerys Detroit and Grand Rapids taprooms. Feb-2019: Allagash Brewing Company unveiled Sun Drift, a beer brewed with lemon zest, fermented with Brettanomyces yeast, and then blended with black tea. Sun Drift is available in four-packs of 12 oz. bottles. Feb-2019: Samuel Adams announced the launch of New England Pale Ale, a juicy, hazy beer. The beer is rich in flavor and even more sessionable and balanced for easy drinking. Jan-2019: Founders Brewing Co. launched Blushing Monk as the first release of the 2019 Limited Series. Blushing Monk is fermented with a Belgian yeast strain in a nod to the ancient monastic art of brewing. Acquisition and Mergers: Aug-2017: New Belgium Brewing Company signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of San Franciscos iconic Magnolia Brewing. The acquisition would broaden the companys brewing portfolio. Scope of the Study Market Segmentation: By Flavor Raspberry Cherry Apricot Peach and Other flavors By Distribution Channel Offline Online By Geography North America o US o Canada o Mexico o Rest of North America Europe o Germany o UK o France o Russia o Spain o Italy o Rest of Europe Asia Pacific o China o Japan o India o South Korea o Singapore o Malaysia o Rest of Asia Pacific LAMEA o Brazil o Argentina o UAE o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o Nigeria o Rest of LAMEA Companies Profiled The Boston Beer Company, Inc. Jester King Brewery New Glarus Brewing Company Allagash Brewing Company Siren Craft Brew Founders Brewing Co. (Mahou San Minguel) New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc. (Kirin Holdings Company Limited) Lindemans Brewery Abita Brewing Company Shipyard Brewing Company Unique Offerings Exhaustive coverage Highest number of market tables and figures Subscription based model available Guaranteed best price Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914553/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 London, 13 June 2020 (SPS) - British MP Ben Lake has seized his government over the serious and disturbing situation of Sahrawi civilian prisoners protesting in Moroccan jails amid the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Lake, who chairs All-Party Parliamentary Group on Western Sahara, in a question to Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly, inquired about the recent talks the ministry held with the Moroccan occupation ambassador in London on the detention of Sahrawi civilian prisoners in Morocco, especially after recording cases of infection and foci of the Coronavirus in various prisons. In response to the question, Mr. Cleverly confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had held discussions with Morocco on the issue of human rights as well as the conditions in prisons, as was regularly done by the British government. He also added that the government is currently focusing on joint efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, which had reached a number of Moroccan prisons, including Ouarzazate prison, which was classified as a focus after the emergence of more than 300 cases of infection, as well as the prison of Qasr Lakabir, Ludaya, Tangier, Tetouan, Sale 2 and Ras El Maa in Fez. It should be noted that the issue of human rights and the phenomenon of political arrest in occupied Western Sahara have become the focus of wide international attention, reflected in the large increase of voices calling for the protection and liberation of Sahrawi civilian prisoners in Morocco, as well as the constant accountability of the various governments and continental bodies before their legislative institutions regarding their role and efforts to reduce and the suffering of Sahrawis in the occupied territories and protect them. (SPS) 062/SPS/T Sorry! This content is not available in your region The new draft guidelines issued by IRDAI proposes a minimum sum assured of Rs 50,000 and a maximum of Rs 5 lakh. A General Insurance Council official said the guidelines were still being worked on and would only be finalised next week. IMAGE: Medics take samples from a patient in the isolation ward of novel coronavirus at Patna Medical College and Hospital. Photograph: PTI Photo. The insurance regulator, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI), has revised the guidelines for a standard Covid product from the earlier draft guidelines issued by it. In a fresh draft, the regulator asked general insurance companies and standalone health insurers to offer a standard benefit based product rather than an indemnity based health product which was proposed earlier. The standard benefit based product will offer a lump sum benefit equal to 100 per cent of the sum insured which will be paid by the insurers if an insured tests positive novel coronavirus (Covid-19), resulting in hospitalisation. The diagnosis has to be confirmed by authorised centres as declared by the ministry of health and family welfare, Government of India, said the draft guidelines reviewed by Business Standard. The minimum sum assured for the product will be Rs 50,000 and it can go upto a maximum of Rs 5 lakh. A General Insurance Council official said that these were still draft guidelines and were still being worked on. He said that the guidelines would only be finalised next week. Earlier, the regulator had said insurers had to offer the standard Covid product by June 15, but now the date has been pushed to June 30 because of the modifications made by the regulator. The cover will have quarantine cover as the only add-on cover, the premium for which will be specified separately so as to enable policyholders pick, choose and pay based on the need. If the insured person is quarantined due to suspected infection of Covid-19 then 50 per cent of base sum insured has to be paid by the insurer. The total amount payable in respect of the base cover and add-on cover mentioned above, shall not exceed 100 per cent of the sum insured during a policy period, the draft guidelines said. There will be a 15-day waiting period wherein the insurer shall not be liable for any claim arising for Covid-19 within 15 days from the first policy commencement date. The product, however, will not provide coverage if testing is done at a diagnostic centre, which is not authorised by the government. Home quarantine will not be covered under the policy. The standard benefit based Covid cover will be for a period of one year and shall be offered on a family floater basis also. Moreover, all modes of payment will be allowed for this product such as quarterly, monthly, half yearly and yearly. For yearly payments, a grace period of 30 days will be allowed, while for other modes, a grace period of 15 days will be allowed. The policy tenure of the standard Covid-19 product (benefit-based) shall be for a period of one year. The minimum entry age shall be 18 years and the maximum shall be 65. Despite being a standard product, the insurers will be free to price it according their own assessment. Insurers had earlier expressed that all existing health products cover Covid-19 hospitalisation costs as of now and many have are also offering specific Covid products but the idea behind this product is to bring a standard product for policyholders who will get a clear sense of what is covered and what is not. The idea is to have a Covid-only product that has some extra elements normally not there in a typical health policy, like quarantine add-on cover. North Korea vows to bolster military might in face of US threats Iran Press TV Friday, 12 June 2020 10:23 AM North Korea has vowed to bolster its military might to counter US threats, saying relations between Washington and Pyongyang have descended into a "dark nightmare". The announcement by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon on Friday came on the second anniversary of the first-ever summit between President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-un. Ri said Pyongyang's secure strategic goal "is to build up a more reliable force to cope with the long-term military threats from the US." Kim and Trump met in Singapore on June 12, 2018, after which the North took several unilateral measures towards denuclearization in a goodwill gesture not reciprocated by the US. In the wake of the summit, Pyongyang demolished a nuclear test site and suspended its missile and nuclear tests, which have long been the target of harsh unilateral US sanctions. Trump, who has since met with Kim three times, has so far refused to relieve any of the harsh sanctions on the North. "The question is whether there will be a need to keep holding hands shaken in Singapore when there is nothing of factual improvement to be made," asked the North Korean foreign minister. Ri said that there is no use in simply "maintaining personal relations between our supreme leadership and the US President." "Never again will we provide the US chief executive with another package to be used for (political) achievements without receiving any returns. Nothing is more hypocritical than an empty promise." She said the past two years of diplomacy has only showed that Washington continues to pursue "regime change" in Pyongyang and threatens the North with the prospects of a pre-emptive nuclear strike and "isolation and suffocation." The two leaders met for the last time last June at the inter-Korean border, but a subsequent working-level meeting broke down over the US's "old stance and attitude." The North's foreign minister made the remarks a day after it threatened to disrupt the US presidential election in November if Washington did not stay out of inter-Korean affairs. US should take concrete steps: China China on Friday called on the US to take concrete measures to address Pyongyang's concerns. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said nuclear talks between the North and the US have reached a stalemate as "North Korea's legitimate concerns have not been paid attention to or resolved and the actions that North Korea has taken on denuclearization have not been responded to." "Meanwhile, concrete actions are needed to increase mutual trust and break the stalemate," she added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chief Allan Adam of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is tackled during his violent arrest by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers, in a still from police dashcam video obtained during legal discovery. RCMP via REUTERS Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Black and indigenous people in Canada do not feel safe around police after a video surfaced showing the violent arrest of Chief Allan Adam of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the Associated Press reported. The video surfaced in the midst of a global conversation on racial injustice sparked by protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Other officials also acknowledged Canada's systemic racism against their indigenous population. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for an independent, transparent investigation after dashcam video of the violent arrest of Chief Allan Adam of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation surfaced, local outlet City News reported. According to the Associated Press, following the video, Trudeau said that "Black and indigenous people in Canada do not feel safe around police." The footage comes after weeks of protests in the US, and across the globe on racial injustice, after the death of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes in Minneapolis. Floyd's death ignited conversation across the world on racial inequality, police brutality, and excessive use of force. In Canada, the 12-minute police video showed an officer tackling Adam to the ground and also punching him in the head, according to the AP. "I think everyone who has seen this video has serious questions about what exactly happened, about how it happened this way, and about the use of force that we saw," Trudeau said of the video, according to City News. Police charged Adam with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. According to the AP, police said the plates on his truck were expired. Adam was left with a bloody face after the encounter at the Fort McMurray, Alberta, on March 10. The video however was released as part of a court application to get criminal charges against Adam removed. Story continues City News reported that the Prime Minister said this isn't an isolated incident in Canada. "It's unacceptable and as governments we have to change that," Trudeau said. The AP reported that while Canadian aboriginals only make up 5% of Canada's population, they account for 30% of inmates in Canada's prisons. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland also said she found the video "incredibly disturbing," according to the AP. "This is a moment in our country when we need to confront the really horrible reality that systemic racism exists here in Canada, anti-Black racism exists in Canada, anti-indigenous racism exists in Canada. It is systemic," Freeland told the AP. In the video, Adam can be seen going in and out of his car and heard complaining about being harassed by the police. Mark Mendelson, a former Toronto police detective, told the AP that the officer's aggressive behavior was "unnecessary and egregious." "You can see him being verbally aggressive. My position is that if you can't take somebody yelling and swearing and screaming at you, then you probably shouldn't be a cop," he said. Curtis Zablocki, deputy commissioner for the Royal Canadia Mounted Police in Alberta also acknowledged that systemic racism does exist in the police force, the AP reported. Even the country's conservative politicians and some police members condemned the video. "It's very difficult to watch," opposition Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer told the AP. "I found it very troubling and very worrying. The events of the last few days and weeks have ignited a very important conversation about the use of excessive force." Read the original article on Insider Rivers Without Borders commissioned an analysis of Constantine Metals preliminary economic assessment (PEA) which describes the Palmer Project as highly speculative, with a high likelihood of exceeding the estimated capital and operating... Andrew Robertss Churchill: Walking With Destiny is published by Penguin (pictured) The Cenotaph, Britains memorial in Whitehall to her dead of the two world wars, has been boarded up to protect it from desecration during the demonstrations this weekend. The statues of Winston Churchill, Sir Robert Peel, Henry Dundas, Earl Haig and others have been defaced. A mob threw a statue into Bristol Harbour. William Gladstone has been expunged from Liverpool University. Captain Cook, Sir Francis Drake, Clive of India: all and many more are under threat. The Mayor of London never one to miss a chance to grandstand is setting up a commission to remove more memorials, as are 130 Labour-led councils. Robert Baden-Powell, the hero of the Siege of Mafeking and founder of the Scouting movement, is under threat in Poole. Maps of the statues of other imperial heroes are being published on Leftist websites to encourage attacks, and the museum curator Madeline Odent yes, a museum curator has posted advice on the best acids for destroying bronze statues. The statues of Winston Churchill (pictured), Sir Robert Peel, Henry Dundas, Earl Haig and others have been defaced. Robert Baden-Powell (pictured), the hero of the Siege of Mafeking and founder of the Scouting movement, is under threat in Poole The culture war that many of us have been predicting ever since our imperial past started to be routinely trashed in our schools has now begun in earnest. (One of the ringleaders of the Bristol mob was a teacher, unsurprisingly.) For decades now, the Left-dominated educational establishment have been intent on trying to make us ashamed of the British Empire, and to despise our forefathers for building and defending it. People who think this latest campaign is primarily about either statues or the slave trade, and will therefore end once slavers statues are removed, are deluding themselves. King George III signed the legislation into law that abolished the slave trade more than two centuries ago in 1807, yet there have still been calls to remove his bust from a churchyard in Lincoln. Cecil Rhodes contrary to what one ignoramus on a Radio 4 vox pop recently asserted never bought or sold a slave in his life, yet we have been given orders that he must fall. This is thus not principally about slavery it is about a much wider issue than that. Of course black lives matter greatly, but so does our national identity, and they do not need to be in conflict. Nobody alive today knows anyone who knew anyone who knew anyone who was a slave of the British Empire, so this ought to be a discussion that can be conducted with rationality and evidence, not by anarchy and mob rule. The discussion about Churchills attitude to the native peoples of the British Empire, for example, is a nuanced one that cannot be summed up by three words spray-painted on his statue. He undoubtedly made remarks and the occasional joke about non-white people that today we would find completely unacceptable, although it is worth pointing out that he also made equally or more disparaging remarks about Europeans too. Unlike Karl Marx, Churchill never used the N-word, which dyed-in-the-wool racists tended to in those days. When Churchill was at school, Charles Darwin was still alive, and people believed that a hierarchy of races was scientific fact, however obscene and ludicrous we know that to be today. Yet throughout his life, Churchill fought to protect the non-white peoples of the Empire, and was proud of the way that Indians life expectancy doubled and their population massively increased under British rule. He considered it his lifelong duty to try to improve the lives of the Empires native peoples. Black lives mattered to Winston Churchill. For Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu to denounce the way he used his privilege, power and influence to cause untold misery and atrocities on non-white nations betrays an utter lack of understanding of the altruism that underpinned much of the imperial story. For Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (pictured) to denounce the way he used his privilege, power and influence to cause untold misery and atrocities on non-white nations betrays an utter lack of understanding of the altruism that underpinned much of the imperial story To wrench historical figures out of their historical contexts and expect them to hold modern views on issues such as race is anyhow absurd. Peoples reputations are being trashed for holding opinions that a large majority of people held at the time essentially for being insufficiently woke. Even Mahatma Gandhi held what to us today are extremely offensive views about black Africans. How to reconcile all this? By using our common sense. The past is a foreign country, writes L. P. Hartley in The Go-Between. They do things differently there. If we allow our statues and memorials and place names to be torn down because of our present-day views and because some people claim to be offended by parts of our built environment that have been around for decades and sometimes centuries it speaks to a pathetic lack of confidence in ourselves as a nation. We are on the way to a society of competing victimhoods, atomised and balkanised into ever smaller communities, which, ironically enough, is something that racists want, too. The inescapable truth is that throughout history, nations have aspired to build empires, and that is not just true of white Europeans. The Hittites, Mongols, Aztecs, Zulus, Ottomans, and so many more throughout history all built great empires and were not white Europeans. Many lasted much longer than the British Empire, although none was larger. Yet where is the Zulu who is ashamed of Shaka? The Mongolian who bemoans Genghis? The Uzbek who apologises for Tamerlane? The virus of self-hatred seems to be almost solely reserved for the English-speaking peoples. Where are the Italians who feel no pride in the Roman Empire? Very often the facts used to justify tearing down statues are faulty, and the reasoning against natural justice. William Gladstone did not own or trade slaves, even if his father did. The activist Afua Hirsch wants Nelson taken down from Trafalgar Square because, although he didnt buy or sell slaves either, he supported the trade when it was perfectly legal to do so. William Gladstone (Aldwych statue pictured) did not own or trade slaves, even if his father did. The activist Afua Hirsch wants Nelson taken down from Trafalgar Square because, although he didnt buy or sell slaves either, he supported the trade when it was perfectly legal to do so Even though it was an unimportant part of his life Nelson was put on the column because he saved the nation at Trafalgar his memorialising has to be seen solely through the prism of race. For the British Left, the Chinese Cultural Revolution is not so much a warning as a template. The Left cannot believe its luck that Tories seem so unwilling to denounce this lunacy, and to fight back. So we must put up with the destruction, driven in large part by ignorant, angry, woke under-30s who hate Britains past because they were never taught it objectively, snowflakes who cant stand the fact that they live in a country full of history, some of it bad, most of it glorious. Not to mention the Lefts mirror image on the extreme Right, who also hate Churchill because he defeated their fascist ideology. Nobody in modern British society is valued or respected any the less because of a statue that was put up 100 years ago. We do not have to agree with everything done by those who came before us, but we should try to understand them, just as we hope that those who come after will try to understand us. Fortunately, most British people are shocked and repulsed by this assault on the nations statues. Only 13 per cent supported the destruction in Bristol. So bring on the culture war. Even with the Left-wing media, academia, teaching unions and yobs with spray-paint against them, the British people will win, so long as the debate is conducted in a rational way rather than by the mob rule seen in recent days. We demand an end to this trashing of our monuments and of our past. Andrew Robertss Churchill: Walking With Destiny is published by Penguin. Save Sir Winston! Sign the Mail petition urging Boris Johnson to publicly promise that Churchill's statue will NEVER be torn down By Michael Powell and James Heale and Mark Nikol for the Mail on Sunday The Mail on Sunday today calls on our readers to help block any attempt to remove the statue of Sir Winston Churchill from outside the Houses of Parliament. Our petition urges Boris Johnson to make a public pledge that the monument to Britain's celebrated wartime leader will never be moved after it was attacked by anti-fascist and Black Lives Matter protesters last weekend. Churchill's granddaughter alarmed war veterans, MPs and historians yesterday by suggesting the iconic sculpture may be safer in a museum. London Mayor Sadiq Khan had the statue in Parliament Square boarded up with large metal sheets on Friday amid fears it would be targeted by protesters a move Mr Johnson branded as 'absurd and shameful'. Please enter your details here to sign the letter below Thank you for signing The Mail on Sunday's Save Churchill petition. The petition will be sent to Downing Street but your personal data will be held by DMGT in accordance with this 'petition' and will not otherwise be shared with any third parties. For more information on how we store and process data please visit our privacy policy here. If the form does not appear correctly, please show your support by filling it in by clicking here >>> If you are an Android user and you cannot find the 'submit' button, please enter your details and press the 'enter' button on the keyboard of you phone or tablet device Activists daubed the words 'was a racist' under Churchill's name on the statue during angry anti-racism protests last weekend. His granddaughter Emma Soames told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she felt 'extraordinarily sad that my grandfather, who was such a unifying figure in this country, appears to have become a sort of icon through being controversial'. She said if people were 'so infuriated' by seeing the statue, it may be 'safer' in a museum. But Churchill's grandson Nicholas Soames swiftly condemned any attempt to move it from the spot the former PM had chosen before he died in 1965. 'I will have nothing of taking statues down and putting them in museums,' he said. People stand near the boarded up Churchill statue at Parliament Square in London yesterday Sir Nicholas told protesters to 'read your history and grow up', and said it was 'rubbish' and a 'lunatic representation' to call his grandfather racist. He told LBC: 'All his life he fought fascism.' Churchill, who was Prime Minister twice, is considered a national hero and often leads polls on who was the greatest-ever Briton. His picture was chosen to appear on the new polymer 5 notes. However, critics say his legacy is tarnished by controversial remarks he made about different races and his role in the Bengal famine in 1943 after Allied forces halted food supplies, leading to an estimated 3 million deaths. Mr Johnson, who wrote a biography of Churchill in 2014, acknowledged the former PM had expressed opinions which were 'unacceptable to us today', but he remained a hero for saving Britain from 'fascist and racist tyranny'. However, Mr Johnson was coming under increasing pressure last night to promise that the statue was going nowhere, amid a chorus of support for our petition. A worker cleans graffiti from the plinth of Churchill statue at Parliament Square on Monday Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'Churchill is the greatest Briton without any question who has saved this country and the whole free world from the terrible tyranny of Nazi Germany. I want the Prime Minister and those in authority to make it clear the statue will never be removed from its plinth.' Last night, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also backed our campaign, saying: 'Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square stands as a tribute to his leadership and the Allied victory in the Second World War. It should not be moved.' Colonel Richard Kemp, former British Army commander in Afghanistan, said: 'Even to consider relocating the statue of Churchill is shameful. He was responsible for saving this country from the tyranny of Nazism perhaps the most racist regime in history. Accusations of racism made against him are largely based on deliberate misrepresentations of history.' A protective covering surrounds the Winston Churchill statue at Parliament Square on Friday Former Chancellor Lord Lamont admitted that some of Churchill's views belonged in the past but 'he was a great man who saved this country from an evil regime. He has been an inspiration through the ages and remains so.' Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a former Royal Navy commander, added: 'Churchill should stay put. You have to look at his overall contribution. People calling for him to be moved are clueless as to the nuances of history. 'Statues stimulate debate you don't have to agree with everything that figure did or said.' Rusty Firmin, an SAS hero who took part in the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, said: 'Many of these people calling for the statue to be removed wouldn't have been here today if the Nazi war machine had defeated us and our allies. So surely Winston Churchill defended all races? That statue could have easily been Adolf Hitler.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pictured at 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday Author Shrabani Basu, who has written books about the British Empire, said there were 'two sides of Churchill', and 'we need to know his darkest hour as well as his finest hour'. But Ms Basu said she did not want to see the statue removed from Parliament Square. Tory MP Matt Vickers was one of several parliamentarians who arrived to clean the graffiti off Churchill's statue last Monday. He said: 'Winston Churchill is one of Britain's greatest figures and it is shameful that his statue was boarded up. We cannot allow rule by the mob to destroy the hard-won freedoms and rights he secured for us.' Andrew Roberts, historian and author of Churchill: Walking With Destiny, said: 'As well as being a Tory PM, Churchill was a Liberal for 20 years and a founder of the welfare state, so The Mail on Sunday's excellent campaign is something that all Britons should be able get behind, regardless of politics.' Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick was under mounting pressure last night after his links to a lobbyist for a Tory donor's 1 billion property deal were exposed by The Mail on Sunday. Mr Jenrick is fighting for his Cabinet job after becoming embroiled in a deeply embarrassing 'cash for favours' row concerning billionaire tycoon Richard Desmond, who wants to build 1,500 luxury flats in London's Docklands. Originally, Mr Jenrick overruled official objections and personally approved the vast Westferry Printworks development, before withdrawing his decision after being accused of 'bias' in the High Court. Mr Jenrick is fighting for his Cabinet job after becoming embroiled in a deeply embarrassing 'cash for favours' row concerning billionaire tycoon Richard Desmond Now the row also threatens to engulf No 10 after the lobbyist linked to the project who has boasted of his ability to access and influence Downing Street figures and Ministers was photographed at Boris Johnson's Tory leadership victory party last summer. The Government faces a torrid Commons questions session tomorrow over the role of Richard Patient, described by sources as 'a Tory fixer', in the growing scandal. His firm, Thorncliffe Communications, publicly declares the Westferry Development as a 'paid-for client' on anti-corruption lobbying registers. In February, Mr Jenrick gave the company a private briefing on government policy. And Thorncliffe's website boasts with breathtaking chutzpah: 'If you want to know what we know about this Conservative administration (which we know is more than most other agencies, given our access) give us a call.' Mr Patient, the managing director, has also trilled about his connections to the PM's right-hand man Sir Eddie Lister, describing him as 'a great friend of Thorncliffe' who can 'influence' Mr Johnson. He was photographed twice last year with the PM, once deep in conversation during Mr Johnson's leadership campaign, and again on the night he clinched the Tory crown. Mr Johnson told MPs last week that he had never spoken to anyone about planning permission for the Docklands development. Richard Desmond, pictured with Joy Canfield, wants to build 1,500 luxury flats in London's Docklands But, significantly, Mr Patient's firm's website also describes Jenrick as 'a friend of Thorncliffe'. In January, two weeks after the Housing Minister gave the green light, Mr Patient posted a picture of Mr Jenrick on his personal Facebook page with the caption 'Robert Jenrick is a great guy.' It came the same day that Mr Jenrick had given Thorncliffe his private briefing on housing policy. Labour scent blood and plan to raise this perception of special access with the Cabinet Office tomorrow. No guest-list of who was involved in this exclusive meeting has ever been published but allies of Mr Jenrick insist it was standard stakeholder engagement. Last night, Mr Jenrick, 38, denied any friendship with Mr Patient, the firm or any knowledge of their links to Westferry at the time. He has admitted being lobbied by Mr Desmond over the tycoon's deal at a Conservative Party fundraiser last year. Strict rules over Ministers' probity state they must avoid the 'perception' of corruption at all times, regardless of whether any rules are actually broken. To add to the Tories' woes, it can be revealed that in February, Mr Patient also cheered when Chris Pincher was made Housing Minister. In a Facebook post, Mr Patient says he's known Mr Pincher 'for thirty years'. On Thursday, Mr Jenrick didn't appear at an emergency Commons debate on his handling of the Westferry affair and was accused of cowardice in sending Mr Pincher in his place to answer awkward questions from opposition MPs. But he will be unable to avoid his monthly departmental questions sessions due tomorrow. The Government faces a torrid Commons questions session tomorrow over the role of Richard Patient (pictured left with Prime Minister Boris Johnson), described by sources as 'a Tory fixer', in the growing scandal Senior Tories fear Mr Jenrick could see his nascent Cabinet career snuffed out particularly as he attracted widespread criticism in April when accused of breaking pandemic lockdown rules. He travelled from London to his second home in Herefordshire and his parents' Shropshire home. He said he was taking medicine and food to them. Urbane and charming in public, Mr Jenrick has rubbed up some the wrong way privately. He was an early backer of Mr Johnson's leadership bid last summer and was the first 'millennial member' of the Cabinet. It probably won't help his current predicament that his Herefordshire getaway is a 17th Century mansion once owned by a slave trader. Despite departmental and Town Hall objections, he gave the go-ahead for the controversial luxury housing project on the site of the former Daily Express printworks on the Isle of Dogs, East London, on January 14, eight weeks after meeting Mr Desmond at a Tory dinner. Two weeks ago the MoS revealed that Mr Jenrick admitted to being lobbied at the fundraiser but he insisted he shut the conversation down immediately. Mr Jenrick sat next to Mr Desmond at the Carlton Club in London's St James's, alongside the commercial director of Desmond's firm, Northern and Shell, and senior figures from Mace, the project's construction partners. A spokesman insisted: 'They were put on the same table, although Mr Jenrick was not aware of this prior to arriving at the venue.' But opposition parties have called for a formal investigation. The spokesman added: 'The developers did raise their application, but Mr Jenrick informed them that it would not be appropriate for them to discuss the matter with him, or for him to pass comment on it.' Mr Patient has also talked of attending the party and Mr Desmond has subsequently donated a further 12,000 to the Conservatives. Mr Patient also cheered when Chris Pincher was made Housing Minister. In a Facebook post, Mr Patient says he's known Mr Pincher 'for thirty years' Last night, Tory sources insisted this money was to pay for tickets to a separate Conservative fundraiser. Desmond, 68, has never been shy of political controversy. Said to be worth 2.6 billion, he made his fortune as an early pioneer of the international licensing of magazines. Among his titles were Asian Babes, Nude Wives and Women On Top. He also ran Television X on the Fantasy Channel leading Private Eye to dub him 'Dirty Des'. He then added Express newspapers to his empire and donated 100,000 to Tony Blair's governing Labour party, prompting a row about the government's decision to approve the takeover. After continuing to amass his fortune with the acquisition and sale of Channel 5, followed by flogging off his newspapers, he gave 1 million to Ukip in 2015. Recently he's returned to the Tory fold. While defending his colleague Mr Jenrick in the Commons last week, Mr Pincher said the Secretary of State alerted his department to the conversation but did not recuse himself from the decision-making process at that point. However, Mr Jenrick was accused of bias after it emerged that, in approving the development, he had overruled advice from the Independent Planning Inspectorate and local Tower Hamlets council amid concerns that there was not enough affordable housing included in the plans. Thorncliffe Communications Ltd have listed Westferry Developments as clients on the statutory register of consultant lobbyists since July 2019 And there was anger that his approval came just a day before the council hiked rates on a local building tax called the Community Infrastructure Levy. Council officials say the timing would have saved Mr Desmond 30 million-50 million. After legal action in March over the timing of the decision, the High Court ordered Mr Jenrick's department to disclose documents about the deal. Rather than comply, Mr Jenrick accepted that his original decision had been 'unlawful by reason of apparent bias', quashed his decision and said he would take no further part in decisions about the application. It was back in 2016, during the early planning rounds for Westferry, that Your Shout, an arm of Thorncliffe Communications, was hired by Mr Desmond's Northern & Shell Investments No.2 Limited. Thorncliffe Communications Ltd have listed Westferry Developments as clients on the statutory register of consultant lobbyists since July 2019, the same month Mr Jenrick became Secretary of State for Housing. Lobbying firms only need report to the statutory register if they make communications orally or in writing to Ministers or senior civil servants about key decisions on behalf of a client. Last night, Mr Patient claimed he had only registered Westferry as a paid client because he had discussed working with them, and insisted that he had not lobbied Ministers over the project. He claimed his contract with Westferry ended in March 2019, but would not provide any evidence for this assertion. Four months later, in July 2019, he publicly added Westferry as a client on the register, where they remain today. Despite now claiming Westferry were no longer a client, Thorncliffe has publicly updated the lobbyist register three times stating they are. Last night, Mr Patient refused to discuss this apparent contradiction, while Mr Jenrick moved rapidly to distance himself. A spokesperson for him said: 'Mr Jenrick spoke at a large stakeholder event organised by Thorncliffe on January 29. This was an official engagement, with the Secretary of State's attendance arranged through his department, and he was accompanied by a civil servant. Guests included representatives from both Conservative and Labour-led local authorities, and Mr Jenrick's predecessors have also spoken at the similar events organised by the company. 'It was never disclosed to Mr Jenrick that Thorncliffe or any individuals at the company had a relationship with the planning application, and representations were never made on the matter to Ministers or officials at the department. Mr Jenrick has no relationship whatsoever with the Managing Director or with Thorncliffe.' Last night, Labour's Shadow Communities Secretary Steve Reed said: 'Robert Jenrick cannot continue to hide behind junior Government Ministers: he must give a statement and publish, in full, all documents and correspondence in relation to this case to begin to rebuild public trust.' Duncan Hames, director of policy at the campaigning organisation Transparency International UK, said: 'Transparency over lobbying is needed to gain public confidence in the integrity of decisions made on our behalf. Until this is addressed, political influence in Westminster will remain woefully opaque.' A Conservative Party spokesperson said: 'There is no question of any individual influencing Party or Government policy by virtue of any donations they may give to the Party or their attendance at Party events.' Under a $4 million agreement, University Health System will process COVID-19 tests for patients across Texas. Hospital officials said this week that its lab is running up to 1,500 coronavirus samples per day on two new automated systems manufactured by Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company Roche. The Bexar County-owned hospital ordered two cobas 6800 testing systems in March to analyze nucleic acids extracted from nasal swabs from patients. Each system costs about $350,000, and one of the machines has arrived to date, UHS spokesperson Shelley Kofler said. Mark Greenberg for University Health System Roches test was the first commercially available one that was granted emergency approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The system compares the samples against sequences found in coronavirus strains, including SARS-CoV-2, which spread in December from Wuhan, China, infecting more than 7.4 million people so far across the globe. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases Specimens collected from numerous locations throughout the state will be consolidated in Austin, and then shipped to University Hospital in the South Texas Medical Center. University expects to produce test results within 24 hours, said Stephanie Whitehead, director of the hospitals pathology services, in an statement. Mark Greenberg for University Health System During a global pandemic, the availability of accurate mass testing enables us to provide proper care and medically respond, which is vital to control the spread, she said. After the completion of 40,000 tests, the contract can be renewed as needed by the state. Laura Garcia covers the health care industry in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura I lived in Los Angeles in 1965. I worked on the 8th floor of the tallest building in town at the time, the IBM building on Wilshire Boulevard. The building was right next to the famous Ambassador Hotel, where, a few years later, Bobby Kennedy was killed. I could see a large section of the city from the window of my office, including a section called Watts. I knew Watts pretty well, as I worked there as a volunteer with the Urban League. Our committee meetings were held at night. I also tutored black students on Saturday mornings. Watts, in my view, was a pretty nice place to live, certainly better than the tenements of Bedford Stuyvesant and other run-down sections of New York. In Watts, the buildings and homes were low-rise, sunny and, to all appearances, comfortable. And then in August of 65, I looked out my window and saw Watts burning. A disheartening sight. In May of 2020, almost 55 years later, its deja vu for me. The same confrontation between an African American and the police that started the protests and riots in Minneapolis started the disturbances in Watts. Protest would not be the correct description of what happened in Watts, at least at the beginning. Rebellion would be more accurate. Rebellion against housing discrimination, which was wide spread, segregating not only blacks but Mexicans, Japanese, people from the Philippines; against police brutality; against the lack of good schools; against job discrimination. The spark was the arrest of a 21-year-old black man by a white California Highway Patrol officer. The charge was reckless driving. The incident occurred near the young mans home in Watts, and his brother, a passenger in the car, walked home and brought back their mother. She owned the car, which the police impounded. The mother scolded her son for drinking and driving. And then things got out of hand. Someone shoved the mom. Someone struck the young man who had been driving. The mom jumped on an officer. Another officer pulled out a shotgun. Backup cops tried arresting the driver. The mom and brother fought with officers. A mob formed and threw bricks and other objects at the police. The family was arrested. The crowd grew. Police tried to break up the crowd but were attacked. The area became a combat zone. Rioters tore up the pavement, tossing pieces at police cars, fighting, cursing. Fires started. Then looting, on a grand scale. Mostly of businesses owned by whites and Koreans. Whites who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time were pulled from their cars and badly beaten, or killed. In all, between Aug. 11 and 16, 34 people died, 1,000 were injured, almost 3,500 were arrested. Close to 1,000 buildings were damaged and/or looted, including 267 that were totally destroyed. The authorities had to call in 2,300 National Guard troops to supplement the 14,000 law enforcement officers who worked to control the situation. So what did the government do to eliminate police brutality, housing discrimination, poor schools, lack of good jobs? What government usually does: Create a commission. A Commission with a capital C, led by the highly respected former head of the CIA, John McCone. The Commissions report, issued four months after the riots, identified high unemployment, poor schools and inferior living conditions as the cause of the riots. The Commission recommended preschool programs, improved police-community ties, more job training. The usual. And no doubt what well hear when the present protests ease. I kept at my job on IBMs eighth floor. Except the pleasant view I had for a year or more was gone, replaced by smoke wafting from Watts, day after day. I dont recall if I stuck with the Urban League, or eventually returned to tutor. I think so, but my memory is not what it used to be. However, those riots will stay with me forever. Along with the knowledge that, as in Watts, recent protests and riots will spawn a Commission, and politicians, parasites, social workers, experts, opportunists, the kind of heart, professors, carpetbaggers, agitators, priests, ministers, nuns, rabbis, psychologists and fellow travelers will promise the moon. And deliver smoke. Same ole, same ole. Sean Sullivan is a Norwalk resident. A note from James Walker: As a guest editor overseeing some of the content you will read as the nation grapples with the deaths of unarmed black people, I want to give a voice to the people of Connecticut at this crucial time in Americas history. I hope the voices from our neighbors -- young and old and ethnically diverse -- will open the door to constructive and honest conversations on systematic racism and what we, as Nutmeggers, can do about it. This is part of a national conversation taking place after the death of George Floyd sparked riots and protests and former officer Derek Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder for causing his death. This series includes the voices of 11 people from some of our communities around the state. These are their experiences and thoughts on what is taking place in the country today. I would also like to know your thoughts -- because all voices are needed regardless of point of view. Add your voice to the discussion by emailing me at realtalkrealpeoplect@gmail.com. Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong (Photo: VNA) On behalf of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, Party General Secretary and President Trong congratulated President Putin and the Russian people on their Russia Day, stating Vietnam always attaches importance to the countries comprehensive strategic partnership. He also spoke highly of Russias enormous achievements under Putins leadership. On this occasion, he also offered greetings to the Russian people on the 75th anniversary of the victory over fascism, affirming that the Vietnamese people always keep in mind and treasure this historic triumph. During the talks, the two leaders discussed many important cooperation aspects of their countries, along with some international and regional issues of shared concern. Party General Secretary and President Trong expressed his sympathies for the losses caused by COVID-19 to Russia and hailed the countrys drastic measures and contributions to the international communitys common fight against this pandemic. For his part, President Putin highly valued Vietnams successful control of the coronavirus outbreak and thanked it for practical assistance for his country in this combat. The two sides agreed to foster cooperation in the COVID-19 fight and continue to provide timely support for each others citizens. The leaders shared the view that the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to enjoy great strides in the recent past. As both nations are jointly celebrating many important events, including 70 years of their diplomatic ties, the two leaders agreed to maintain frequent contacts at all levels, especially high level, and coordinate to organise meaningful activities within the Vietnam-Russia Cross Year 2019-2020 that suit the current context. They also stated that defence, security and energy are important pillars of the bilateral cooperation, agreeing to further tighten links in these fields. Party General Secretary and President Trong and President Putin agreed to continue supporting and encouraging their countries oil and gas companies to take part in new projects in Vietnam and Russia. They will also further facilitate trade and investment partnerships and optimise the free trade agreement between Vietnam and Eurasian Economic Union, in which Russia is a member, to soon raise bilateral trade to 10 billion USD; while creating optimal conditions for the countries to develop economy and address consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Talking about international and regional issues of common concern, the leaders applauded and agreed to reinforce Vietnam-Russia cooperation at multilateral forums while coordinating with each other to promote peace, security, cooperation and international law in the world, as well as in their respective regions. The Vietnamese leader said as ASEAN Chair in 2020, his country will exert efforts to enhance ASEAN-Russia relations. In return, President Putin also voiced his belief that Vietnam will be successful in its post as ASEAN Chair this year and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021. On this occasion, Party General Secretary and President Trong invited President Putin to pay an official visit to Vietnam in the near future. The Russian leader accepted the invitation with pleasure./. PARIS - A few thousand people demonstrated in Paris on Saturday to denounce police brutality and entrenched racism, as Frances minorities increasingly push back against a national doctrine of colorblindness that has failed to eradicate discrimination. Angry shouts rose from the peaceful and racially diverse crowd as a small group of white extreme-right activists climbed a building overlooking the protest and unfurled a huge banner denouncing anti-white racism. Police did not arrest the counter-demonstrators, but residents in the building tore part of the banner down, one raising his fist in victory. Officers prevented people attending the main rally from approaching the far-right activists. Police surrounded the intended march route, bracing for potential violence after scattered clashes at some previous demonstrations around France also inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and George Floyds death in the U.S. The Paris protest was among several in France and other countries this weekend for the same cause. Myriam Boicoulin, 31, who was born in the French Caribbean island of Martinique, said she marched Saturday because she wants to be heard. The fact of being visible is enormous, Boicoulin told The Associated Press. As a black woman living in mainland France, she said, Im constantly obliged to adapt, to make compromises, not make waves to be almost white, in fact. Its the first time people see us, she said. Let us breathe. Saturdays march in Paris was led by supporters of Adama Traore, a French black man who died in police custody in 2016 in circumstances that remain unclear despite four years of back-and-forth autopsies. No one has been charged in the case. We are are all demanding the same thing - fair justice for everyone, Traores sister Assa told the crowd. She is increasingly seeking to transform the support committee for her brother into a broader-based movement for social justice, notably since Floyds death. At Saturdays protest, a huge portrait showed a face that was half Floyd, half Traore. Banners strung between trees around Republique plaza bore the names, scrawled in red, of dozens of others who have died or suffered violence at the hands of French police. Along the march route, the Paris police chief ordered merchants and city officials to clear sidewalks along the march route of anything that could be set on fire or used by troublemakers against police. Gatherings of more than 10 people remain banned in France because of virus containment measures. Protests were also being held Saturday in Marseille, Lyon and other French cities. In the wake of Floyds death and the global protests it unleashed, the French government is under growing pressure to address long-running accusations of excessive violence by police, particularly against minorities. Researchers have documented racial profiling by French police, and investigations were opened recently into racist comments in private Facebook and WhatsApp groups for police officers. The interior minister promised this week to stamp out racism and announced a ban on police chokeholds during arrests. But French police unions held their own demonstrations Friday, saying theyre being unfairly labeled as racist because of a few extremist officers, and that they dont have enough tools to deal with violent suspects. After meeting with union representatives, the interior minister said Friday night that police will start experimenting with expanded use of stun-guns in the future, despite concerns about their safety. Assa Traore said that when she saw images of the police protesting, I wasnt even angry. I was ashamed of the French police. In the whole world, the only country where police officers demonstrate to keep their permission to kill is France. ___ Angela Charlton in Paris contributed. Arklow received another welcome boost as SSE Renewables confirmed the South Dock as the preferred location for the onshore maintenance hub for the Arklow Bank wind farm. The company made the announcement on Monday morning at a virtual meeting with members of Wicklow County Council after a year-long assessment process of Arklow Harbour and Wicklow Port. The new development is expected to bring a jobs boost for the town with up to 80 full-time roles created to service and maintain the offshore wind farm. The new base at Arklow Harbour's South Dock will operate as a hub for the planned 520MW Arklow Bank wind farm phase 2. The facility will include a purpose-built office and warehouse buildings as well as adjacent quayside berthing for up to four crew transfer vessels. Barry Kilcline, Director of Development at SSE Renewables, said: 'We are delighted to confirm Arklow Harbour as the new home for our Operations and Maintenance Base for Arklow Bank Wind Park. The new base will play a vital role in the day-to-day running of the planned offshore wind farm. Around 80 full-time employees will be recruited in the coming years to work out of the base to operate and maintain the wind farm, ensuring we safely and reliably generate renewable energy to power half a million homes daily and meet Ireland's carbon reduction targets. 'While Arklow's South Dock has been selected as the preferred base location, both Wicklow Port and Arklow Harbour offer very attractive facilities for any offshore wind developer. We are very confident that both Wicklow and Arklow will see significant commercial uplift and urban regeneration as a result of the economic boost from our planned investment in the construction and operation of Arklow Bank Wind Park in the years ahead. 'I would like to thank Wicklow County Council which has been very progressive in its support of Ireland's emerging offshore wind energy sector. As a result, County Wicklow is in pole position to become Ireland's 'Offshore Energy Centre of Excellence'. We greatly appreciate the support and advice of Wicklow County Council in progressing our plans for our entire project, and we look forward to working with the members and officials of the local authority to bring Arklow Bank Wind Park to fruition for the benefit of the entire county.' SSE Renewables has previously indicated it plans to invest up to 2 billion in the Arklow Bank wind farm project. Councillor Irene Winters, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, said: 'SSE Renewables' announcement is a great vote of confidence for County Wicklow. This project will place Ireland well on its way towards achieving its objective of generating 70 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. It provides great opportunities to build on County Wicklow's maritime traditions by providing skilled employment opportunities, skills transfer, training and development, and spin off investment for both Wicklow and Arklow. 'This places us well on our way towards achieving our goal of developing County Wicklow as a Centre of Excellence for the Offshore Renewable Energy Sector.' SSE Renewables said it has entered into land option agreements at Arklow's South Dock to progress the development. These include an option to purchase an industrial yard which forms part of the site known as 'The Old Shipyard' on the harbour's South Dock. The company has also entered into option agreements to 'step into' two existing lease agreements with the local authority for adjoining industrial land which also forms part of 'The Old Shipyard' site, as well as an area of quayside at the South Dock for vessel berthing and pontoons. SSE Renewables said it would begin a development process which will include applying to the local authority for planning permission for the base in early 2021. The new hub also has the potential to support other businesses in areas including services and site survey, hospitality, fuel, consultancy and logistics, bringing the potential. SSE Renewables said it hopes to deliver the next phase of the Arklow Bank wind farm by 2025. Once completed, the wind farm is expected to power around half a million homes each year. Frank Curran, chief executive of Wicklow County Council, said the announcement was 'very positive news for County Wicklow'. 'The Blue Economy is an important pillar in the county's economic development strategy. The development of the Arklow Bank Wind Park and the decision to site the operations and maintenance base here will act as a catalyst for the regeneration and renewal of Arklow Harbour and indeed the entire town. 'This will dovetail with the development of the wastewater treatment plant, the flood defence scheme other exciting developments announced by locally based companies and will be transformative for the entire area.' Sinn Fein TD John Brady described it as a great opportunity for employment in Arklow and the county. 'It is critically important that as many of the jobs that will be created will be for local people. SSE Renewables is targeting a delivery date of 2025 for the Arklow Bank project. 'I have contacted the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and the Dept of Education and Skills and asked them to look at developing education and upskilling courses which would help people access these jobs once they come about.' Social Democrat TD Jennifer Whitmore said the decision was 'validation of Arklow's potential as a hub for our future renewable energy development in the country. It's also confirmation of Wicklow's potential as a regional leader of marine planning and development and I hope it doesn't end at SSE's recent decision.' by Melani Manel Perera The legislative change was enacted yesterday, World Day against Child Labour. In Sri Lanka, at least 103,000 minors still work, especially in fishing. Colombo (AsiaNews) The Sri Lankan government yesterday raised the minimum working age from 14 to 16 years, marking World Day against Child Labour, which was instituted by the United Nations in 2002. This year's theme was COVID-19: Protect children from child labour, now more than ever. The amendment to the labour law meets the need to harmonise the working age with that of compulsory education, as well as bring the countrys legislation in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), at least 152 million children are working worldwide. Of these, 72 million do so in hazardous conditions. This is reflected in child labour mortality data. Around 48 per cent of child labourers who die are aged 5 to 11 years, 28 per cent are between 12 and 14 years, and the remaining 24 per cent fall in the 15-to-17 bracket. About 71 per cent of working children are engaged in agriculture, which includes fishing, livestock herding, aquaculture, and forestry. According to the ILO, in 2016 in Sri Lanka had 103,704 working children, which represents a sharp drop compared to a decade before, when the figure was around half a million. Of the children working, 39,007 are engaged in hazardous forms of child labour. In Sri Lanka, working children are employed mainly in fishing, to feed themselves and their family. They belong to fishing families and tend not to want to go to school, nor do they have another trade in mind. A 15-year-old boy from the western province, near Chilaw Beach, told AsiaNews that he does not like going to school because he is lazy. He finished school, but did not take the final exam. He said that he goes fishing to earn money. If you have money, you can do many things. This is our traditional way of life and I want to continue living the same way. According to the ILO, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in child labour. As economic contraction reduces opportunities in the labour market for parents, it can push their children into hazardous and exploitative work, reads an ILO report. Lone Star College-University Park announced in a June 10 press release its partnership with the United Network for Collegiate Pantry Sharing to provide students immediate food relief through the Remote Nutrition Service Program. LSC-University Park closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning its face-to-face classes to online during the 2020 spring semester and cutting off services like Leos Shelf, an on-site food pantry that opened earlier this year. LSC introduces new center: Lone Star College hosts virtual grand opening for Transportation & Global Logistics Technology Center With the Remote Nutrition Service Program, the northwest Houston area campus will partner with local restaurants to offer meals free of charge to students facing hardships. The new partnership agreement is between the entire Lone Star College system but will start with LSC-University Park for prequalified students to make sure the processes are optimized before expanding to the other colleges in the system. We want to learn from our experiences on both sides how things are going to work, said LSC-University Park President Shah Ardalan. So far, all indications are that this will continue beyond this pandemic because the need is so huge. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houstons health care systems turn to telemedicine to meet medical needs Ardalan said food insecurity is a national challenge. He added that food insecurity is a barrier to student success that has been well researched and documented and that the colleges mission is to remove barriers for students on their individual paths to success. Im sure that this will go a long way in helping our students, Ardalan said. LCS-University Park sent out a pre-qualification email to students June 10 and urged them to go over the programs information to apply. Ardalan confirmed that some have already applied but added that the requirements and final decisions for the selection process will be determined by UNCPS. To qualify students must fill-out a request form, have full-time status at a participating college prior to February 29, and be enrolled for two consecutive semesters or longer. At this point, 3,500 students have been invited to apply, according to LSC-University Park. However, system-wide, approximately 25,000 students could qualify. Hard decisions According to Keri Porter, LSC-University Park Chief Strategist for Innovation and Research, the main qualification is continuous enrollment, but they also extended the program to part-time students as well. So, really the main qualification that we were looking at was are they a consistent student, Porter said. There was also verification that the college had moved all of the courses online, that meant that some of our more traditional food pantries that we have, they (students) did not have access to. Ardalan believes that based on past experiences with using the on-campus services, the program could change peoples lives. The college has heard from people facing food insecurity, he said, such as a mother who said she chooses to feed her baby over feeding herself, and a father who wouldnt eat so he could save money to buy flu medication. We have seen single mothers that are students that have to make hard decisions, Ardalan said. Those are real and those are our students and they are in our community. The partnership will help provide students restaurant meals via pickup orders and delivery that are within delivery distance for free. According to the June press release, UNCPS is working with 10 colleges and has interacted with over 100 local establishments in those surrounding areas and will keep collaborating with them to offer students balanced nutritional meals. UNCPS Chief Operating Officer Curtis Stephens said they are in the process of circling back around to initial restaurant partners to communicate the College Remote Nutrition Service Program launch date of June 15. He said they will continue to build their pipeline of new participants and can provide a list of participating restaurants in their network soon. Our long-term strategy is to create partnerships and alliances to continue our cause well past COVID-19, Stephens said. As more college students are embracing online education, we have a solution-based approach to curb food insecurity and ramp-up the local economy. Our goal is to build communities, one meal per student, per day. Eliminate barriers According to the June press release, Remote Nutrition Service Program recipients have a family income under 125% of the federally established poverty level for family size. Ardalan said addressing food insecurity has been a priority for Lone Star College Chancellor Steven Head and the LSC System board of trustees. He added that this is not going to be one of those one-time things and there are plans to expand as the necessity will not go away. LSC-University Park has been nationally and globally recognized for innovation and we will continue to look for more solutions and such partnerships to help our students and educate all members of our community, Ardalan said. We are not a community college; we are the communitys college. For more information about the Remote Nutrition Service Program visit www.UNCPS.com. alvaro.montano@chron.com STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New Yorks coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths are now at the lowest since the pandemic began, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday. Cuomo announced that New York lost 32 residents to the coronavirus on Friday, June 12 -- the lowest single day total since the start of the pandemic. The people of this state, by their actions, have saved thousands of lives. That is not overly dramatic. That is not rhetorical. That is not metaphorical. That is factual. They saved thousands and thousands of lives, Cuomo said. The state also saw the lowest number of coronavirus hospitalizations since March 20, with 1,734 New Yorkers hospitalized with the virus as of Friday. All the news is good. All the news is very, very good, Cuomo said. Weve done it. Weve tamed the best. We are now 180 degrees on the other side." The governor commended New York residents for their contributions to the states dramatic turnaround from the national epicenter of the virus to one of the least-impacted states. Our infection rate, which is the key number... Thats the most important number in all of this. We were spreading at the highest rate in the nation when this started. We are now at the lowest rate in the nation, Cuomo said. Thats what New Yorkers accomplished. The most dramatic turnaround in the country. Were looking at comparisons and it may be one of the most dramatic turnarounds on the globe dealing with this COVID virus, he continued. OTHER STATES SEE UPTICK However, Cuomo cautioned New Yorkers and local governments about brazenly reopening, noting that many states that have reopened are seeing a serious uptick in cases. The signs across the country are frightening. The COVID virus is increasing in just about half the states. [In] half the states its going up. You have 14 states that have seen a 25% increase in the past week. Think about that. This is a frightening time, Cuomo said. Local governments were urged to remain vigilant in their reopening process, with an emphasis on enforcing compliance, studying data, tracing positive cases and addressing any community clusters. The local governments have a vital role here and they have to do it, Cuomo said. If they dont do their job then theyre going to have a really unpopular task of explaining to their community why they have to slow or stop the reopening. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK*** Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-12 01:53:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Members of Chinese medical team meet Governor of Bethlehem Kamil Hmeid (not in the picture) during a meeting in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, June 13, 2020. A Chinese medical team arrived in Palestine on June 10 to help Palestinians fight against COVID-19. The 10-member team, sent by China's National Health Commission, consists of experts specialized in various medical fields including infectious diseases, virus examination and health management, according to Guo Wei, director of the Office of the People's Republic of China to Palestine. The week-long visit until June 17 is aimed at enhancing bilateral relations in the health sector and the exchange of expertise in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian prime minister on Thursday hailed the visit of a Chinese medical expert team tasked with helping Palestine fight against COVID-19. Mohammad Ishtaye thanked the team and expressed his appreciation to the visit, which he said constitutes a message of "both medical and political solidarity." "We are grateful that the team has come at the very right time," he said adding that there is a lot for Palestine to learn from the Chinese experience in fighting coronavirus. Meanwhile, Guo Wei, director of the Office of the People's Republic of China to the State of Palestine, said that the importance of the visit lies in its timing, where it would help support the capacity of the Palestinian health system ahead of a possible new wave of the deadly disease as warned by the World Health Organization. "We will seize this opportunity for both our peoples to exchange rich expertise and experiences in fighting the coronavirus. I have a firm belief that over the next seven days, there will be continued and in-depth exchanges in the medical and healthcare system to combat this pandemic," said Guo. The team, which arrived at Palestine on Wednesday, was put together by China's National Health Commission with the members selected by the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission. The team is composed of experts from various fields, such as respiratory and infectious diseases, traditional Chinese medicine, epidemiology and nursing. They are scheduled to hold a series of meetings and visits to quarantine centers and treatment centers in the West Bank. "A friend in need is a friend indeed," the Palestinian prime minister said in reference to the continuous Chinese support to the Palestinian people. Prior to this visit, China had sent medical supplies to Palestine and organized several meetings between Palestinian and Chinese medical experts via video conference. So far, there were 665 cases confirmed in Palestine, including five deaths. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- A retired NYPD spokesman has come forward with what he describes as a horrible injustice," in regard to the 2014 death of Eric Garner. Last week, former detective Michael DeBonis, who worked for the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, posted on Instagram, We killed Eric Garner," according to a New York Post report. DeBonis admitted he didnt come forward in 2014 when former NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo applied a banned chokehold on Garner during an arrest for allegedly selling loose cigarettes in Tompkinsville. Garner resisted arrest, then infamously told police I cant breath." Wrote DeBonis: "WE PUNISHED HIM FOR RESISTING ARREST WE WATCHED HIM DIE WE DIDNT EVEN SIT HIM UP AND RENDER HIM BASIC AID. Pantaleo was fired in 2019, after a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict him, and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to file criminal charges. Several deaths of unarmed black men in recent years across the U.S.-- including the alleged murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, a man shot in the back by a Pittsburgh police officer and a female EMT shot by cops inside her Louisville home -- sparked massive protests across the globe. On Saturday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order requiring local police agencies, including the NYPD, to reinvent strategies and programming based on community input. Each department must address policies, procedures, practices and deployment, including, but not limited to use of force. I will issue an Executive Order that mandates that local police depts develop reform plans with community input in order to be eligible for state funding. They must adopt plans by April 1 or they won't get state funding. We must restore trust. Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 12, 2020 The initiative is required by April 1, or else the department will not receive state funding. Last week, state lawmakers passed the "Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act, as part of a package of bills aimed at police reform. Have I missed something (''Free money': Real estate agents flooded with calls about HomeBuilder grant'', June 7)? Where is the free money for tenants? How is feathering the nests of property owners, who have benefited most from our governments genuflection to the real estate industry while dismissively disregarding tenants, a decent and fair thing to do? Would there be outrage if the government were to give $25,000 in free tickets to concerts and events exclusively to real estate owners so as to help the arts and entertainment industry? I just dont get it. Brenton White, Mosman Which kind of weird alternative universe do the members of the Coalition inhabit? I own my own home it's worth a million bucks or so. I have a nice job that pays $120,000 per year. I can afford to do $150,000-$200,000 worth of "renovations". So the government will give me $25,000. As a reward. For being rich. Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: Let's suppose I don't own my own home. My casual, penalty-rate-free work has dried up. I don't know how I'll pay next month's rent, let alone buy shoes for the kids. I get nothing. Because I am poor. Which is a crime. And I deserve to be punished. It is simply unfair. If our PM and the other well-heeled architects of the risible HomeBuilder scheme can't see this, they should hang their heads in shame. Peter Hayes, Port Macquarie The rumoured feud between Prince William and Prince Harry seems to be well and truly over with Harry now reportedly leaning on William for support as he adjusts to his new home in Los Angeles. A royal insider has told Us Weekly, "Moving to a completely different country is never easy for anyone, including Harry." A source has revealed that Prince William is very concerned for Prince Harry's safety in LA. Photo: Getty "And he wasnt expecting to be faced with so many obstacles." The source reports that Harry speaks with William often about things like his security challenges in LA. "Williams advised Harry to return to London or move elsewhere, somewhere safer," the insider revealed. "Hes concerned about his brothers wellbeing and safety." The publication also revealed that Harry had been in touch with the Queen, who has "been reaching out to Harry to see if he's OK and has offered to help out if needed". Prince Harry and Prince William have seemingly ended their reported feud. Photo: Getty The insider also added that Harry had "unrealistic expectations" of what life in LA would be like and that he and Meghan have considered moving somewhere else, but "they're staying put in California for now". Before moving to LA the pair were staying in Canada with the source saying, "Harry and Meghan were really excited to move to LA." "The timing is tricky of course, but this is something theyve been hoping for and seriously planning for several months now." Harry and Meghan have already been forced to call the police to their LA home because of low-flying drones invading their space. Meghan's powerful George Floyd video message Meghan spoke out this week in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody in a powerful video message to the graduating class of her former Los Angeles school, Immaculate Heart High. In the video, Meghan admits she wasn't sure whether she should speak out about the tragedy and the subsequent protests across the US. Meghan Markle spoke out this week following the tragic death of George Floyd in police custody. Photo: Duchess of Sussex However, she then realised that the worst thing she could do was to remain silent about the "absolutely devastating" situation. As we have all seen over the past week, what is happening in our country and in our state and in our hometown of LA has been absolutely devastating, the mum-of-one said. Story continues I wasn't sure what I could say to you. I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that it would get picked apart. I realised the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing because George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered... and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know... Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com. A Rush author has been named as a finalist for a prestigious book award. Roslyn Fuller's book In Defence of Democracy has been selected as a finalist for the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest international book award for independent and academic publishers. Roslyn, who is originally from Canada from an Irish-Argentinian family, lives in Rush, credits growing up and living in a rural community for her perspective on the divisive topic covered in her book She said: 'In Defence of Democracy was written in response to the many academics and pundits arguing that in an age of Trump and Brexit, democracy should take a back-seat and that we should let experts and elites decide political questions on our behalf. To someone who has grown up in a rural community with people from all walks of life, I find this highly dismissive of the vast majority of voters, not to mention deeply concerning for the future of our democracy.' Roslyn moved to Germany after graduating from secondary school in her native Canada and after studying law, wrote her PhD in International Law at Trinity College. Since then, she has become a leading authority on democracy and using digital technology to increase citizen participation. Her previous book Beasts and Gods: How Democracy Changed Its Meaning and Lost Its Purpose, which was nominated for the UK Orwell Prize, has seen her speak to colleges and organisations across Europe and North America about the future of democracy and why people should not be left out of the equation. Since arriving in Ireland, Roslyn has chaired a multicultural writers' collective (which won the MaMa Award in 2011), staged a play at the Irish Writers' Centre and written extensively for both Irish and international media. She has also run in two elections, published three books and carried out the first digital democracy exercise in Ireland. Dubbed 'Fuller Democracy', her online engagement exercise in the run up to the 2016 general election not only helped to inform her election platform but also predicted the result of the referendum on the 8th amendment. Her think tank, the Solonian Democracy Institute, which she set up with academics across the US, South America and Europe two years ago, organised a major democracy conference in 2018, bringing academics and NGOs from around the world to Balbriggan. Since then, the institute has worked with Fingal County Council on the SmartCities initiative as well as supported the Citizens' Assembly on Social Care in the North of Ireland. The additional attention the recognition has brought to Roslyn's book comes at a crucial time as Covid-19 is changing people's perceptions of what is possible online. As a consequence, she is fielding an increasing number of enquiries from governments. Roslyn explained: 'I'm speaking to government officials across Europe about moving parliaments, party decisions and constituency engagement online in a way that most people would have considered impossible just six months ago. 'And the technology exists today to take it a step further still - for citizens to cut out the middle man and make political decisions directly. This is how we will improve democracy, not by denying people their say.' In Defence of Democracy (Polity Press, 2019) is available at most book stores and on Amazon. 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. The Ghana National Household Registry (GNHR) has trained officers of the Information Services Department (ISD) on public information campaign prior to household data collection in the three northern regions. The exercise is expected to begin in Northern, Savanna, and North East regions from June and end in September this year. The GNHR, a unit under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has since 2015 been charged to create a single national household registry, from which all social protection programmes in the country will select their beneficiaries. After a successful completion of data collection in the Upper West and Upper East regions in previous years, the process was scheduled to commence earlier in these three regions, however, it was postponed due to the emergence of COVID 19. Dr Prosper Laari, the National Coordinator of GNHR, said the registry would serve as a centre of target and a vital utility resource in fighting poverty in the country. He said the ISD would undertake data collection, which is a census approach, and taking into consideration the socio-economic details of every household and the use of proxy means test, to be classified as poor, non-poor and extremely poor. This, he said would serve as database for social protection programmes, effective targeting of beneficiaries and strengthen the country's social intervention system. Mr Charles Wereko, a Director at the Information Service Department, gave assurance that the service was committed to deliver well-coordinated campaign to justify the confidence reposed in them by the GNHR. He said the department was engaged by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection as key partners to carry out educational campaigns in the three regions simultaneously for the data collection process. He further stated that it was imperative for field staff to employ innovative ways of engaging the support of all stakeholders to maximize patronage in the data collection exercise. Alhaji Alhassan Issahaku, the Chief Director at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council, speaking on behalf of the Northern Regional Minister, admonished members of the ISD to take up the challenge to diligently discharge the assignment given them. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday, refrained from passing orders against the alleged indiscriminate administration of the Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) drug to slum dwellers on the grounds that it is the only drug which doctors are using as a last resort to treat patients. In its detailed order pertaining to various issues raised in seven public interest litigations (PIL), the court held that though there is no clinical proof to show that the drug was effective in combating Covid-19, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had not banned the use of the drug, and therefore it could not restrain doctors prescribing it as a prophylaxis (preventive treatment). The division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Amjad Sayyed, while hearing the PIL filed by Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan, had been informed by senior advocate Mihir Desai that people living in the slums of Dharavi and Worli had been used as test subjects to study the viability of HCQ as a possible deterrent/antidote to the virus. Desai had submitted that it was alarming as the drug was known to cause diarrhoea and, considering the lack of water and toilets in slums, the administration of the drug to slum dwellers would only aggravate the problem. Desai had further submitted that the action of the state to subject some people to HCQ was without their consent, which was against the principles of democracy. He also pointed out that the trials were being conducted without the consent of the ICMR and hence, the authorities should be asked to submit details of the trials, their results, and outcomes. In light of these submissions, Desai had sought a restraint on the authorities from conducting the tests and trials. However, the state had submitted that the use of HCQ was recommended by the National Task Force (NTF) for Covid- 19 as a prophylaxis against the Sars-Cov-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, for selected individuals and hence, there was nothing wrong in it being administered to select groups in Dharavi and Worli. Desai in his reply to the states averments had submitted that the Ministry of Home and Family Welfare (MoHFW) guidelines on Covid-19 specified that HCQ was not recommended for children below the age of 12 years and pregnant and lactating women. He also noted that the Directorate of Medical Education Research (DMER) had no such restriction. Rather, it permitted the use of the drug on children prior to their being shifted to the ICU. Desai had submitted that as DMER was silent on protocols for the usage of HCQ, the state should be restrained from administering it indiscriminately. After considering both arguments, the court observed that Desais submission could not be ignored. One cannot turn a blind eye to the present situation and wait for the lengthy process laid down in the statute for trials to be completed, the court said. Now, in a given case, if abiding by the law stricto sensu and waiting for a clinical trial of a drug would result in loss of valuable time for saving a patient and the choice is between the devil and the deep sea, i.e, no other drug except an HCQ sort of a drug, though not clinically tried for treating the disease, is the last option left for a doctor to save the life of such patient, should the doctor fold his hands and leave the patient to the mercy of the Almighty on the ground that the relevant drug has not been registered for use as prophylaxis? The answer, we are minded to hold, should be in the negative. The HC bench pointed out that the guidelines of the ICMR have not banned the use of HCQ as prophylaxis to treat Covid-positive patients and said that reports have shown that the physical harm caused by the administration of HCQ outweighs its benefits. The court held that it was reluctant to interfere with policy decisions taken by the government in matters of public health and concerning whether a particular drug ought to be banned or not. In light of the fact that the MoHFW guidelines had restricted the administration of HCQ to children and pregnant women, the court said that it should not be administered to children below the age of 15 years and pregnant and lactating women. Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan assembly, Rajendra Rathore, on Saturday targeted the ruling Congress, alleging that the state government is tapping the opposition members phone calls in the garb of a probe into the alleged cash transfer for poaching MLAs. "By ordering an investigation by the ACB and SOG, the Gehlot government is tapping phone calls of the opposition members. I think there is no need to be worried. If the people sitting in the government have any evidence, they should disclose it," Rathore told reporters. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday had said a complaint has been lodged with the Special Operations Group (SOG) for probe into cash transfers for poaching MLAs. He had said a huge amount of cash has been transferred to Jaipur and attempts were being made to poach the Congress MLAs ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections. The poll for Upper House for three seats in the state is due on June 19. Rathore said the Congress government in the state is battling with internal conflict right after it came into power in the state. He said its high command had to struggle a lot to make a chief minister. Since then, two power centers have persisted. There is strong dissatisfaction in the Congress Legislature Party and due to that dissatisfaction, the chief minister has to undergo fortification, said Rathore. This is the first time in the political history of Rajasthan that this type of fortification has been done ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, he said. He said due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government promulgated an ordinance under which no more than 50 persons are allowed to participate in marriage ceremonies and no more than 20 are allowed in funerals. But, at the same time, the government is sitting in a five-star hotel with 200 people,| he said. "I understand that there are no rules. False accusations are being levelled against the Bharatiya Janata Party to save the wobbly chair as the government itself is upset due to its internal rifts," Rathore said. FAIRFIELD In what was billed as a conversation on race inequality and policing, Fairfields leaders faced criticism for what some in attendance called lip service and virtue signaling. The event, held earlier this week, came after weeks of nationwide and local protests over police brutality and the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer May 25. First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said she wanted the conversation to be the first of many in the town of Fairfield, adding that she had appointed Selectman Nancy Lefkowitz to lead a task force on racial injustice and inequity. She said the task force would meet with community partners to see what actions need to be taken. In a nearly two hour meeting held through Webex, a majority of the time was taken up by elected officials and police representatives making statements. The panel included all three selectmen, the entire state legislative delegation, a Representative Town Meeting member and police officials. It was moderated by Rabbi Marcelo Kormis. While members of the public did speak, their questions were not directly answered by officials. In lieu of that, those who listened in used the chat feature to discuss the topics brought up. Julie Gottlieb said that, while she appreciated the effort that was put into organizing the event, it fell short of her expectations. This was billed as a community conversation and, Im going to be brutally honest, I dont see much of the community represented here, Gottlieb said, adding that only one person of color was on the panel. Its not a conversation, because we are speaking and theres no way for us to engage and theres no way for us to have the dialogue that needs to be had. Jason Racheotes, who prefaced his questions by saying they were going to be rough, asked the panel a long list of questions about the police department, its policies and its budget. Has Fairfield ever successfully indicted a police officer for misconduct? Racheotes asked. What percentage actually live in Fairfield? What percent of Fairfield police are non-white? What is the median income for Fairfield police officers? In his opening statement, Chief of Police Christopher Lyddy said that, after Floyds killing, his takeaway as chief of police was that it was time to shut up for a while and listen. He said the message he has received was that people of color did not feel safe walking down the streets in Fairfield, a predominantly white town. Im deeply concerned about the weaponization of police in our community, Lyddy said. A person walking down the street, of color, was the target of a phone call, and we become that weapon responding to a neighborhoods concern. Lyddy said it was important to build bridges with people of color so that they feel comfortable interacting with police. Before him, Capt. Robert Kalamaras said the department was doing most things right. He said he was proud of the community for how peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrations have been as well as the police officers for their behavior at the protests. Hannah Kayumba took issue with that statement in the chat. There is so much wrong with this I cant even put into words, Kayumba typed in chat. Why are we praising trained police officers holding guns for keeping cool? every protest I've been to has been peaceful. Ive felt safe and not because there was an officer there. Amanda Hanson said she is the mother of a black son who the police stopped last year for trespassing while he was on their property, and that they held peaceful protests then. So, this isnt the beginning of the conversation for this town, Hanson said. We have been having the conversation for a year. Maybe youre all just getting caught up. When it was her turn to speak, Molly Baker said she took umbrage with comments made by state Rep. Brian Farnen, who called for independent investigations of police misconduct and the use of body cameras, and said there were a few bad apples in policing. Its not just a few bad apples. I dont know that much about the Fairfield Police Department, but I can assure you that you are not there yet, Baker said, referencing an earlier comment by Kalamaras. Training needs to change drastically in all police departments in all of America. Both in public comment and in the chat, many of the people in attendance shared their ideas for addressing racial inequity and police brutality in Fairfield. They included regionalizing public schools, creating more affordable housing and investing more money in social workers. Kayumba said Yabantu, a social justice organization she helped found, had requested that officers in Fairfield be given diversity training to no avail. She said it was clear which members of the panel tried to educate themselves before the meeting, naming state Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey. Its clear that a lot of you just came on here to do a lot of lip service, Kayumba said. Its just really clear to me who really care about this. After public comment, the panelists took another turn speaking. Kupchick said she realized that the forum was not perfect, adding that the coronavirus pandemic prevented the town from hosting an in-person event. She said she was disappointed in what she referred to as partisanship in the comments made by the public. Tameisha Powell-Dunmore, a Representative Town Meeting member from District 6 and the only person of color on the panel, said communication was needed on all sides. She said the town needed to ally with people in the community who have been advocating for racial equity. I really believe we need to educate, Powell-Dunmore said. All of us. We need to understand each other. Were all culturally different. Im looking forward to the conversations that will be had. McCarthy Vahey said she frequently tells her children that all growth is painful, and later said that getting criticism and accepting it is critical to being able to engage in a dialogue. Police have arrested 21 individuals in a pair of sweeps in Puna subdivisions related to Gov. Iges COVID-19 emergency proclamation. Nine arrests were made Wednesday in Fern Forest, and 12 occurred today in Hawaiian Paradise Park, police Lt. Rio Amon-Wilkins said. None of those arrested had been charged as of early this afternoon. Twenty, all from out of state, were taken into custody on suspicion of violating the emergency 14-day travel quarantine order. The other, 42-year-old Tylea Fuhrmann of Mountain View, is a resident of the property where Wednesdays arrests occurred. Her booking appeared as prohibited acts emergency management. Its my understanding that most of them flew in on June 7 or 8. I dont have 100% confirmation on all of them, Amon-Wilkins said. We dont have all the records from the proper authorities to document mainland incoming passengers. Were working on that. Social media posts have claimed that members of the Carbon Nation are on the Big Island. The group is referred to in numerous media accounts as a cult that has been kicked out of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. Police confirmed the groups leader, Eligio Lee Bishop, a 38-year-old self-professed cult leader known as Nature Boy, was among those arrested Thursday in HPP, but didnt give the Tribune-Herald the names of the others arrested on the second day. According to a Dec. 6, 2019, story in the Costa Rica Star, Bishop refers to himself as God, and the group believes in nudism, polygamy, and refraining from bathing. The Costa Rica news outlets story also said Bishop allegedly requires cult members to surrender all their money, credit cards, bank accounts, and pin numbers, in order to worship with the group. The Tribune-Herald could not immediately confirm whether any of the others arrested are members of the Carbon Nation or followers of Bishop. In addition to Fuhrmann, those booked Wednesday are: Ishmael Jakeem Allah Goodwine, 21, of Orangeburg, S.C.; Armon Tarik Palmer, 20, of Waterloo, Iowa; Jacob Daniel Benton, 24, no address listed; Jazz Lee, 23, no address listed; Fenedric Raione Johnson, 23, of Fort Worth, Texas; Brianna Kay Jacobs, 22, of Mountain View (no state listed); Jayon-Marie Hamilton, 22, of Lynnwood (no state listed); Shenise Crystal Gould, 29, of Aberdeen, Md. Amon-Wilkins said he received information leading to the arrests from the departments Special Enforcement Unit. Asked if those arrested knew about the quarantine, Amon-Wilkins replied, We havent questioned them yet. Of the 20 individuals that we arrested for quarantine violations from out of state, every single one of them were 100% compliant, 100% understanding did not give the police one ounce of resistance and thanked us for doing things the way we did, Amon-Wilkins said. And we told them the same thing (and) thanked them for being compliant and understanding. Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com I cant say exactly why I was so devastated by yet another police murder, especially since they have become so common across this nation. Unlike many others, I havent been able to watch the video of George Floyds last moments and I have no intention of doing so. The last taped death of a black man I watched was in July of 2014 when Eric Garner died after being placed in a chokehold on national television by Officer Daniel Pantaleo in Staten Island, N.Y. I believe he was murdered. I was left overwhelmed with disbelief and a deep sense of grief watching Pantaleo press Erics face into the concrete while he gasped for breath. The fatal chokehold applied so much force, the coroner said it caused internal bleeding in his neck that led to a fatal asthmatic and heart attack. I couldnt believe someone could be so callous toward another human being. I couldnt imagine how his family endured seeing that moment captured on video played over and over on national TV. I wondered then if the media considered his family and here we are six years later doing it all over again. The death of George Floyd has caused the resurfacing of the emotional residue left from Eric Garners death. As I watched that video, I saw a deep sense of hate and complete disregard for the humanity of this helpless black man. He was killed on July 17, 2014, and it took five years before the officer responsible for his death was fired from the NYPD. He earned a six-figure salary and lots of overtime each year during those five years he remained on the force. It was just last year that the Department of Justice announced it would not charge the officer with a federal crime. Following his death, Garners 27-year-old daughter, Erica, became an activist addressing police brutality and fought tenaciously for justice for her dad. She succumbed to a heart attack precipitated by an asthmatic episode in 2017. Erics wife continues to fight to have the other officers charged who stood by and did nothing. She is helping to pass the Eric Garner bill making holding an arrestee in a chokehold a misdemeanor crime. New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio has been hesitant to pass legislation unless it includes an exception in case officers lives are at risk. Since the death of George Floyd, he has said he is reconsidering its passage. Many unarmed black men and women have been killed by police since Eric Garner, yet now we are faced with another death of a black man by a police officer on national television. Similarities in both deaths include fellow officers who failed to intervene to prevent the death of a citizen. Both were fathers of young children. Both pleaded for their lives with their final words being I cant breathe. Both killers showed callous disregard for human life. Both killers had a long history of police brutality prior to the senseless deaths. Both men were unarmed. Both were being taken into custody for minor offenses. Both mens deaths set off national protest. And both deaths have reinforced the perception that black lives are devalued in America. When does it end and will there ever be justice for a black life stolen by those who are paid to protect and serve? Barbara Fair is a West Haven resident, longtime activist and organizer of Stop Solitary CT. A note from James Walker: As a guest editor overseeing some of the content you will read as the nation grapples with the deaths of unarmed black people, I want to give a voice to the people of Connecticut at this crucial time in Americas history. I hope the voices from our neighbors -- young and old and ethnically diverse -- will open the door to constructive and honest conversations on systematic racism and what we, as Nutmeggers, can do about it. This is part of a national conversation taking place after the death of George Floyd sparked riots and protests and former officer Derek Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder for causing his death. This series includes the voices of 11 people from some of our communities around the state. These are their experiences and thoughts on what is taking place in the country today. I would also like to know your thoughts -- because all voices are needed regardless of point of view. Add your voice to the discussion by emailing me at realtalkrealpeoplect@gmail.com. I was sent scrambling for my dictionary on June 4 when Finance Minister Taro Aso declared that the different "mindo" between Japan and other countries was the reason behind Japanas low COVID-19 death rate. A quintessentially nebulous Japanese word, mindo denotes the standard of living and cultural level of a people, and can variously be used to refer to a populationas degree of maturity in terms of intellectual, educational, and cultural levels, or behaviors. The word "mindo" was created during the Meiji Ea (1868-1912), a time when Japan became interested in comparing itself with other countries. Inherent in it is a sense of judgement about which populationsa alevela or astandardsa are higher or lower. Scholar Michael Kim notes that during the colonization of Korea, aThe Japanese deployed the mindo concept frequently to justify their unequal colonial policies and explain their rationale for excluding Koreans from the welfare and educational policies instituted in Japan proper.a Last week, television personality Dave Spector said that he had been told never to use the term on air. Assailed over the use of this loaded term, Aso later explained that he didnat mean to put down aother countries,a but rather to point out that, unlike Japan, they were unable to keep their death rates down despite using coercion, and that the Japanese should be proud of how they cooperated with social distancing requests that were more gentle. For many Japanese, Japanas low death per capita rate from COVID-19 in comparison to many other industrialized countries has indeed become a point of pride a one that is not necessarily misplaced. Initially, many observers were worried that Japan would have a much higher death toll than it currently has. With its high proportion of elderly residents and densely packed cities a combined with little polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and a reluctance to impose harsh lockdowns a it seemed that Japan might end up looking like hard-hit areas such as northern Italy or New York. Fortunately, though, that grim scenario did not materialize. The resulting relief and pride have fostered a sense of exceptionalism. Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka has hypothesized an as-yet-unknown aFactor Xa that accounts for Japanas low death rate. Explanations of Japanas success have been various, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lauding an undefined aJapan model,a the vice chairman of Japanas coronavirus expert panel Shigeru Omi citing hygiene practices such as wearing masks and washing hands, and commentator Yoshiko Sakurai, in echoes of Asoas use of mindo, praising athe Japanese peopleas higher public health consciousness, moral values, and sense of solidarity to overcome adversity.a One Japanese blogger listed 43 different theories that have been circulating. It is important to keep in mind, however, which aother countriesa Japanas low death rate is being compared to. As of Tuesday, according to data website Worldometer, Japan has had 7 deaths per 1 million population from COVID-19. That number indeed looks excellent in comparison to some of the hardest hit countries, such as Belgium with 829, the United Kingdom with 598, Spain with 580 and Italy with 562. On the other hand, there are quite a few countries with lower death rates than Japanas. They include South Korea with 5 per 1 million; Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia with 4; Thailand with 0.8; Taiwan with 0.3 and both Vietnam and Mongolia with zero. I wonder, would Aso say that that all those countries have higher mindo than Japan? The federal government has announced a three-phase plan to ease coronavirus restrictions in the coming months, with the states and territories to determine their own timings. NEW SOUTH WALES NSW - What you can do now: * Pubs, restaurants and cafes up to 50 people subject to the four-square metre rule, patrons must be seated * Weddings up to 20 guests and funerals up to 50 * Churches and places of worship up to 50 people * Beauty salons for 10 people subject to the four square metre rule, magazines removed from waiting areas Museums, galleries, zoos, aquariums and libraries reopen, subject to four square metre rule * Travel within the state allowed * Outdoor gatherings allowed for a maximum of 10 people * Public schools are open but commuter caps remain on Sydney buses, trains and ferries. * Playgrounds and outdoor gym equipment use with caution * Beaches open with restrictions including Bondi, Clovelly, Coogee and Maroubra, as well as some ocean pools VICTORIA - what you can do now * 20 people allowed inside restaurants, cafes, the dining areas of pubs and in the home subject to physical distancing Zoos, galleries, museums, national institutions, historic sites, outdoor amusement parks, arcades, libraries and community facilities can open for 20 people maximum, subject to four square metre rule Beauty therapy, spas, tattoo studios, massage parlours to reopen for 20 people subject to the four square metre rule Market stalls to re-open subject to four square metre and distancing rules Drive-in cinemas to reopen Place of worship: up to 20 people Weddings up to 20 people not including the celebrant and couple Funerals up to 50 people not including staff, subject to four square metre rule * Overnight stays in hotels, motels, camping and caravan parks Skate parks and playgrounds reopen * Schools open June 9 with a staggered return for students starting with students in Prep and Years 1, 2, 11 and 12 on May 26. * Year 11 and 12 students will sit exams from November 9 to December 2. * Indoor and outdoor swimming pools for 20 people with a limit of three people per lane * Outdoor group sport for 20 people * AFL begins on June 11 VICTORIA FROM JUNE 22 * 50 people allowed inside restaurants, cinemas, concert venues, theatres, cafes and pubs subject to 1.5m distance rule * Alpine resorts open to skiers Indoor sports centres and venues up to 20 people subject to the four square metre rule, group activities limited to 10 people Gyms reopen with up to 20 people per space, subject to four square metre rule and up to 10 people per group Galleries, museums, national institutions, historic sites, outdoor amusement parks, zoos and arcades allowed up to 50 visitors * Up to 100 people to be allowed in enclosed spaces in mid-July QUEENSLAND What you can do now: * Unlimited travel within the state including overnight stays * Indoor gyms reopen and from Friday June 5 can have up to 20 people * Restaurants, cafes, pubs, clubs can open for up to 20 people. From June 5, large venues can host up to 20 people in each separate area * Shopping for non-essential items * Public school students in grades 2 to 10 have resumed full-time classes with no commuter caps on public transport Some beauty therapies including nail salons for up to 10 people Libraries, playgrounds, skate parks, outdoor gyms, open homes and auctions open for up to 10 people Weddings up to 10 people Funerals up to 20 people indoors, 30 outdoors Public pools and lagoons up to 10 people and with an approved plan for more than 10 people Non-contact sport for up to 10 people Queensland - what you can do from June 12: * Subject to the four square metre rule and social distancing, up to 20 people will be allowed to gather indoors and outdoors * Museums, art galleries, libraries, historic sites, outdoor amusement parks, zoos, arcades, concert venues, theatres, arenas and stadiums up to 20 people * Non-contact indoor and outdoor community sport, personal training sessions, parks, gyms, health clubs, skate parks and yoga studies can all have up to 20 people * Weddings, places of worship and religious ceremonies up to 20 people * Hiking, camping and other recreational activities * Open homes and auctions up to 20 people * State borders remain closed SOUTH AUSTRALIA What you can do now * Stage two easing of restrictions began June 1 allowing more customers to be served and cinemas to reopen * Large venues can host up to 80 people in groups of 20 provided they can keep the groups in discrete rooms within the business * Pubs allowed to serve drinks without a meal but customer must be seated * Gyms, indoor fitness centres, cinemas, galleries, museums and theatres can open with a maximum of 20 people Beauty salons, tattoo and massage parlours can re-open subject to four square metre rule * Funerals of up to 20 people indoors and 30 people outdoors plus those officiating * Parks, playgrounds and national parks are open with hotels, camp sites and caravan parks open subject to the four square metre rule * Driving lessons allowed, subject to social distancing * Students are already back in school full time * Non-contact sport can resume but contact sports must wait till June 25 WESTERN AUSTRALIA What you can do now: Phase Two (began May 18) * Cafes, restaurants and meal service inside pubs, bars, clubs, can serve up to 20 customers * Indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to 20 people * Weddings and funerals of up to 20 guests indoors or 30 outdoors * Students are already back in school full time. * Fitness classes, pools, non-contact sport allowed up to 20 people * Churches, religious houses, libraries and community centres up to 20 people WA - What you can do coming soon: * June 6: four square metre rule relaxed to two square metres for both indoor and outdoor venues * Gyms and real estate auctions resume, beauty salons, arcades, galleries, museums, cinemas, zoos, food courts, playgrounds and wildlife and amusement parks to open. * Public gathering limits raised to 100, including for cafes, pubs and restaurants. Venues with divided spaces can have up to 300 * WA to reopen almost all intrastate borders on Friday June 5 except for the Kimberley, parts of the East Pilbara and the Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku to protect vulnerable indigenous communities * Further easing of restrictions expected on June 8 * State border remains closed TASMANIA What you can do now: * Restaurants, cafes, food service inside pubs, clubs and RSL: up to 10 people * Aged care home residents can now have two visitors once a day * Funerals up to 20 people indoors, 30 outdoors * Visitors to your home: up to 5 people * Libraries and government centres: up to 10 people * Kindergarten to Year Six students and Years 11 and 12 are back in school with the remainder to return on June 9 * TAFE and training centres open to small groups of students for practical learning and assessment * Parks, playgrounds, pools and outdoor fitness equipment opened for up to 10 people. National parks open only those who live less than 30km away Tasmania - what you can do from June 15: Stage Two * Up to 20 people can gather indoors and outdoors including in restaurants, cinemas and museums Beauty parlours, tanning salons, tattoo studios can open Gyms and bootcamps for up to 20 people Funerals of up to 50 people Open homes and auctions with up to 20 people * Parks and outdoor fitness equipment for up to 20 people Outdoor community sports for up to 20 people Indoor sports including pools for up to 20 people but no spectators Intrastate travel restrictions lifted, hotels and caravan parks open, camping allowed * State border remains closed What you can do in Tasmania from July 13: Stage Three * Aged care residents can have up to five visitors, multiple times each week * Gatherings of between 50 and 100 people Bars, nightclubs, casinos and gaming to open Markets and food courts to open State border remains closed NORTHERN TERRITORY What you can do now: * The NT has relaxed restrictions on parks, golf, fishing and swimming. * Indoor activities are allowed with a two-hour limit * Restaurants and bars can reopen to serve food with a two-hour limit, with entertainment venues to come. * National parks are open for camping and swimming Beauty salons, gyms, libraries and places of religious worship open * Gatherings up to 10 people subject to social distancing Shopping centre food courts can serve food Non-contact sports with indoor activities under a two-hour time limit Art galleries, museums, public memorials, public historic sites, zoos and wildlife facilities are open. * Restricted access to indigenous communities remain in place until at least June 5 * Students are back at school full time * Territory borders remain closed NT - what you can do from midday, June 5: The two-hour limit on indoor activities is removed Bars and clubs will be allowed to operate without food being compulsory, Cinemas and entertainment venues can open Team sports such as football and netball allowed Sporting arenas and stadiums can open with seating in an approved configuration All licensed gaming activities including TAB open * Travel to restricted indigenous communities is possible after June 5 AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY What you can do now * Visit NSW for a holiday * Large clubs allowed more than 150 people, with a limit of 20 in each room * Outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people allowed. Restrictions on sport and recreation eased * Weddings and funerals have a 20 guest limit inside, and 30 outside * Choirs, bands and orchestras can resume practice and national institutions can open to 20 people at a time * Students in Years 3, 4 and 10 back in classrooms * School Years 5, 6, 8 and 9 to return on June 2 STILL OPEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY * Supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, public transport, most state schools, hairdressers, petrol stations, postal and freight services, bottle shops, newsagents, retail shops Source: AAP, wires. Correct as of 1 June 2020 Ethan Snyder felt exhausted last Friday as he took to the streets for a seventh straight night. He figured a week of protesting police brutality and systemic racism alongside thousands of fellow Portlanders would wipe anybody out. But when his fatigue morphed into a fever, aches and body chills over the next few days, Snyder, 19, decided he should get tested for COVID-19. Siba Mohanty By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: The World Bank has already projected an above three per cent contraction for Indian economy which may push a large population further below poverty line. Thanks to the Covid pandemic, no state is going to be insulated from the impact of its economic cost, let alone Odisha. For the Naveen Patnaik Government, the task is cut out as it begins to look further ahead and beyond the global health crisis. The signs are tell-tale. The revenues are already hit and more than half a million migrant workers back home from different states have begun looking up to the Government for livelihood. As it is, the State is going to face widespread loss of livelihood and poverty estimates will change for sure. To reboot the economy, the Government will have to spend more. But, where would the revenues come from? With a large bouquet of wel fare schemes to operate, the State Government may be forced to re-do its economics. Or rather, the mathematics parts of economics. There are over 65 schemes - including some of its flagship initiatives that may come under review. Desperate times require desperate measures and hence, harsh decisions will have to be taken. Going by its mood, it might choose to be wise - drop a few schemes and focus on good old economics of consolidation. The sectors that would require continued attention are agriculture and allied sectors which would create more work and jobs. It has to go beyond NREGA. During its 20 year tenure, the Naveen Patnaik Government has done a fine job with poverty alleviation. From 60.8 per cent in 2004-05, rural poverty declined to 35.7 per cent in 2011-12, when the last estimates were made. However, employment has remained a critical area. Between 2011-12 and 2017-18, the total number of employed in the State has dropped from 1.74 crore to 1.56 crore, reporting a 10.6 per cent increase in unemployment. That will be a stressed area for Government and requires increased focus because the pandemic will have exacerbated rural unemployment, says Dr Sitakanta Panda, Assistant Professor of Economics at IIT, Bhilai. Covid pandemic: Will Govt curtail existing schemes? This would mean rural infrastructure may be another sector which will get more focus given its potential for generating jobs. With revenue resources set to remain dry for the next six months given the virus scare on key economic sectors, challenge will be to walk a tightrope spend more but maintain fiscal austerity. The Odisha Government has been lauded for its fiscal discipline but this may not be the time when it can afford any further welfarism. There is strong likelihood that the Government will re-think the future of a few schemes while remaining committed to areas like health. Under its 5T Initiatives, health sector remained a focus which helped so far to deal with the Covid challenge whereas some of the bigger and developed states have been found wanting. Some of its major urban infrastructure projects like heritage plans for Bhubaneswar, Puri and other cities would continue to get the budgetary focus as the Chief Minister has already made his intention clear about it. Panda says, the Government will have to prioritize on farm and services sectors but since Covid is something which is unlikely to go away soon, it will have to show fiscal prudence. A sticker advertising the New Jersey European Heritage Association, a white-supremacist group, is on a pole outside the Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, N.J., which reopened despite government-ordered shutdowns. Read more As ideological unrest has gripped the country while it navigates dual crises in the coronavirus pandemic and the killing of George Floyd, far-right extremists have found opportunity in the social and political upheaval. Groups have used a playbook that experts say extremists have long relied on: Latch on to in-person and online movements, whether they agree with the message or not, to establish a foothold in new communities, recruit members, and, in some cases, simply sow mayhem. Last month, reopen protesters raged against state-mandated shutdowns amid the pandemic. The rallies at capitol buildings across the country were generally organized by mainstream conservatives, and most supporters were concerned about the deepening economic crisis. But reopen communities also attracted antigovernment types, conspiracy theorists, vaccine skeptics, and militiamen all people whom experts say white supremacist groups, including one in South Jersey, targeted for recruitment. Then in May, after a Minneapolis police officer killed Floyd and sparked an uprising against police brutality, a variety of fringe actors were present at protests that in some cases turned to property damage. Experts said the goal may have been simply to create chaos. While public officials in a handful of American cities including Philadelphia said outside agitators caused trouble, few specified organizations or provided evidence. For some extremists, protests have become a platform. When you have people who have divisive or even violent goals showing up at these kinds of highly charged rallies," said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University-San Bernardino, "it gives them the opportunity to spread their message in a forum and with an audience they wouldnt normally have. Online to IRL Studies suggest white supremacist groups gained a new foothold online as the pandemic kept Americans at home. In early April, engagement with white supremacist content on Google increased by 21% in states with stay-at-home orders in place for 10 or more days, according to Moonshot CVE, a London-based firm working against violent extremism. In New Jersey, the increase was 41%, a figure the researchers calculated by studying Google search volume. Amid the lock downs, online messaging associated with an ascendant far-right group called the Boogaloo boys who believe a second civil war is imminent became increasingly extreme," according to the Network Contagion Research Institute, a nonprofit that tracks hate online. The group determined the spike by analyzing thousands of comments on far-right message boards. Were in quarantine. Everybodys home, everybodys online. So this is a kind of watershed moment for the far right, said Colin P. Clarke, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a nonprofit threat and security research organization. I think were going to look back on the first half of 2020, and this is going to be the moment when a lot of these far-right extremist groups get a huge morale boost. Extremist groups used the reopen rallies and their online communities to recruit followers who view government-mandated quarantine as overreach, an important part of far-right ideology, said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a researcher at the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project. He said a person prime for recruitment might believe conspiracy theories related to the virus origin or the governments motivations, and extremists apply their own conspiracy theories in an effort to try to draw people to their cause. READ MORE: New Jersey declared white supremacists a major threat. Heres why thats groundbreaking. Clarke said some groups particularly those who see themselves as fighting government tyranny are buoyed by President Donald Trump, who dog-whistled to them by tweeting to liberate states with shutdown orders. The president and members of his administration repeatedly referred to the coronavirus as the Chinese virus, which experts say fuels racist propaganda. Trumps rhetoric isnt new. Plagues have been blamed on Jews, immigrants, and people of color for generations, said Shira Goodman, director of Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia, which serves eastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey. Weve seen that kind of ugly language, particularly online, and were seeing some of it at these rallies, she said. We know these people meet online and social media has created spaces where they can share beliefs. Now they can finally connect in real life. An audience they wouldnt normally have White supremacist organizations and far-right groups, while not monolithic, aligned themselves with reopen protesters early on. For example, in May, someone flew a flag with the symbol for the Three-Percenters, considered part of a growing antigovernment extremist movement, outside Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, Camden County, which defied shutdown orders. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness also said a small white supremacist group based in South Jersey distributed propaganda at several reopen protests. The organization, the New Jersey European Heritage Association, appeared last month outside a South Jersey Baptist church that reopened against state closure orders. A man approached 63-year-old Donna Lee of Voorhees, who wore a Make America Great Again hat, and handed her a flier that read Its time to put American first and listed such demands as build the wall and no homosexual marriage. The groups social-media channels are a grab bag of racism and anti-Semitism. They blame the pandemic on Jews and immigrants, and posted photos of Gov. Phil Murphy with the words sic semper tyrannis, a Latin phrase meaning thus always to tyrants" thats believed to have been said by John Wilkes Booth after he shot Abraham Lincoln. In an email to The Inquirer that included anti-Semitic tropes, NJEHA said it rejects being called white supremacist. In some cases, reopen rally organizers said they didnt know far-right extremists attended until afterward. A sticker with the NJEHA logo made it into the mainstream media this month after someone handed a branded megaphone to Ian Smith, the co-owner of Atilis. Smith, who became an example of defiant reopening, was photographed using the megaphone, and NJEHAs logo and website were amplified. A lawyer who represents Smith said his client cant control who shows up in a public parking lot and didnt ask the NJEHA to come. James Mermigis of Mermigis Law Group, which has represented other businesses defying state closure orders, said: We do not support any message that theyre trying to promote. Outside agitators There were a handful of examples of fringe actors showing up at protests after Floyds death, allegedly attempting to instigate violence. In Philadelphia, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, the first black woman to head the department, said some of the people responsible for property damage came with the intention to inflict harm and, quite frankly, those folks didnt look like me. She didnt specify an ideology. The president has blamed antifa, which stands for anti-fascist and which right-wing media personalities and the president have made a catch-all term for the far left. The big difference between antifa and right-wing fringe groups is the endgame, Clarke said. Antifa is a reactionary movement formed in protest to fascists. If fascism goes away, in theory so would antifa, he said. White supremacists are formed because they want a white ethno-state. Experts generally dont consider antifa an extremist group, but some who consider themselves antifa-affiliated are anarchist extremists who have used violence as a tactic. Some witnesses described anarchist tactics leading to bedlam on the streets of Philadelphia in the wake of Floyd-related protests. READ MORE: As Trump blames Antifa, protest records show scant evidence They werent the only outside agitators officials said planned to show up at protests against police brutality. In Las Vegas, authorities arrested three men who were self-proclaimed Boogaloo boys for allegedly conspiring to incite violence at a protest against police brutality. The idea of the Boogaloo, sometimes called the big luau, began as a racist meme and has morphed into a growing online subculture that attracts militia enthusiasts. Members of the group attended reopen protests while carrying guns and wearing Hawaiian shirts, the groups de facto uniform. Theres overlap between those who subscribe to the Boogaloo ideology and white supremacist networks, though some Boogaloo believers claim to support protests against police brutality. The Boogaloo boys cant even agree whether theyre racist or not," Levin said. The same kind of fragmentation that has caused us to have 29 candidates running for president has also affected the extreme. But the ideology is gaining traction online, and experts worry it will inspire more violence or a muddling of the activism theyre trying to infiltrate. This week, a California man was charged with murder after officials said he ambushed two deputies in Santa Cruz County, killing one officer and critically injuring another. Before he was apprehended, prosecutors allege, he scrawled on the hood of a police car in blood boog." Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The story is remarkable, to the glory of God. It is a story that needs to be told. But first, for some background. I first met Satish Kumar in Hyderabad, India, in 1995. He was a young man, fairly new to the ministry, and at the very beginning of his journey. When we next met, in 2015, he was pastoring the worlds fastest growing church, having exploded from 25 to 130,000 members in just 10 years. (I was there to witness the miracle firsthand.) Now, Pastor Kumar informs me, they have 8 church satellites with a total membership of 330,000. This alone is a story to tell. But that is not why Pastor Kumar contacted me on May 22. Instead, it was to share a video with me that told an amazing story of compassion and provision. (Please take three minutes to watch here. You wont be disappointed.) Pastor Kumar explained to me that about two months ago, he heard the Lord say to him, Store food. He was concerned about the well-being of his congregants during the pandemic, and he thought of how God used Joseph in Egypt to store food in preparation for a coming famine. And with the lockdown getting more severe and many of the poorer congregants not even having access to a grocery store, this could be a matter of life or death. Pastor Kumar thought to himself that, perhaps, they could store up about $100,000 worth of food, and he shared this with his leadership team. But then he sensed he was thinking too small. Ultimately, he felt that the church was to gather and store 700 tons of food in other words, one million, four-hundred thousand pounds of food. Where on earth could they obtain so much food? He got word out to everyone he could, and his people gave sacrificially. He also organized the pickup of food from every vendor who would donate. Then, his teams began to package the food in cartons, enough to supply three meals a day for four people for one month. And, using his large media and social media network, he posted a toll-free number to call. Whoever needed help could receive help. This meant Hindus and Muslims as well as Christians. As Pastor Kumar said to me, The coronavirus has no caste, creed, region and religion. Likewise even the Love of Christ has no region and religion. That's why we have decided to give these kits to those who called us online, including Hindu priests, pastors, and Muslim imams, all of whom got the kits. Yet there was no proselytizing involved, no Bible or tracts within the cartons. To do so would have incurred the ire of the Hindu authorities who govern the nation. Yet, to their surprise, when government officials examined the cartons, they found no such thing. Just the picture of Pastor Kumar and the church on the outside of the carton as the ones supplying the food. That was it. As of May 22, the church went beyond its goal of storing 700 tons of food, now reaching 800 tons. And to date, 37,000 families have received full provision for one month, all from a single church. This amounts to more than three million meals total. Workers delivering the carton to one family were met with a surprise. The mother and her children were destitute, starving to death, so she decided to end her life. She hung a rope in her small home and was about to kill herself but there was a knock at the door. The workers had just arrived with the carton of food, and the mother, stunned and grateful beyond words, showed them the rope. What a demonstration of the love of God! Pastor Kumar also told me that he was deeply burdened for the spiritual well-being of his flock. So, for the last 64 nights, without a break, he has broadcast from the church building, Calvary Temple, for roughly three hours, preaching for 60-90 minutes. And now, non-believing spouses who would not attend services are hearing the gospel. Jesus is being exalted and the pandemic is being redeemed. Whole families are worshiping God in their homes. Not only so, but since these families were all shut in together, with much time on their hands, Pastor Kumar challenged them to read through the entire Bible in one month. Those who did so would have their names put in a lottery with the winner receiving a free trip to Israel. Now, he tells me, Thousands of families are busy reading the Bible together. One girl, 11-years-old, finished reading the Bible in 6 days. (That is an accomplishment.) Knowing that I have a great love for India, having been there 27 times since 1993, and knowing that I have access to a wide audience, Pastor Kumar reached out to me to share this remarkable story. It is my great joy to share it with you, to the glory of God. Again, you can watch the video here. In an effort to promote a smooth agricultural value chain in Nigeria, the federal government this week inaugurated a yam storage facility in Benue State reported as being able to store up to 200,000 tubers of yam. The vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, did the inauguration virtually on Tuesday. The storage facilities, located at Zaki Biam in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, were built by the federal government and donated to the Benue State government. Speaking at the inauguration virtually, Vice President Osinbajo explained the governments plans to provide access roads and other basic amenities for the displaced ones in the state. The market has little storage facilities hence the construction of the storage facility. However, our government will provide access to roads, solar street lights in the market. We have promised to construct homes for the displaced persons in the state and we will keep to our words, Mr Osinbajo said. There are a few things to know about the market that hosts this new storage facility. The storage facility located at Zaki Biam is reported to have the capacity to store up 200,000 tubers of yam. The Zaki Biam market has 660 units of reconstructed sheds/stalls. READ ALSO: Zaki Biam market is reputed as the largest yam market in Nigeria and perhaps Africa, and buyers from other African countries patronise the market. The market accounts for 70 per cent of yam cultivated in Nigeria. The market holds every day except Sundays, but Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the busiest. The government says over 200 trucks load about 2 million tubers of yam weekly from the Zaki Biam market. Consignments are transported to different parts of the country, south and north. And of course, during normal times, they also go out of the country. Farmers experience post-harvest losses as one of their biggest challenges although a number of treatments and techniques have been developed to reduce losses. The vice president admitted that the lack of storage facilities contributed immensely to the post-harvest loss in the country. Besides, post-harvest losses have been the bane of agricultural production in Nigeria; Nigeria produces 17 million tons of yam annually but loses up to 40 per cent on account of inadequate storage and processing facilities, Mr Osinbajo said. Following discussions between the federal governments MSME clinics project, the Benue State Government and market stakeholders, it was unanimously agreed that 200,000 capacity Yam storage facility should be located right here in Zaki Biam, Benue State, the vice president added. The governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, called on the federal government to address free entry of armed herdsmen from other countries into Nigeria as more lives are being lost due the renewed attacks of the herdsmen in some parts of the state. We are worried about the resurgence of armed Fulani herdsmen attacks on Benue people especially in the rural areas, he said. As one of the ways to halt these attacks, we call on the federal government to stop the continued free entry of armed herdsmen from other countries into Nigeria. Australia's Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy at a press conference in the Blue Room at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on March 3, 2020. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images) Politicians and Chief Medical Officer Urge Protesters to Stay Away Federal politicians are keeping the pressure on people to heed the advice of medical experts and not attend another series of protests across the country this weekend, fearing it could spark a second wave of the coronavirus. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has repeatedly urged people not to take to the streets after thousands turned out across the country last weekend for Black Lives Matter rallies, saying such events really are dangerous. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack agrees. These people who want to go into protest, they ought to think long and hard about their actions, he said in Tumut, NSW, where he was on the Eden-Monaro by-election campaign trail with his Nationals candidate Trevor Hicks on June 13. The courts say no. The Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy says no. Common sense would dictate to them that they should be staying at home. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese also said people shouldnt protest in the current climate and should follow the health advice. There are a range of ways you can have your say without breaching the advice of the health experts, he said in Queanbeyan on Saturday while also campaigning with Labor candidate Kristy McBain. Liberal backbencher Trent Zimmerman said while the nation has done well in tackling the coronavirus, Its still present. What we dont want to see happening is the second wave that some other countries have experienced, he told ABC television. However, Australian Medical Association Western Australian president Andrew Miller doubts there will be little in the way of a second wave given Australias effective management in tackling the virus. But we will see outbreaks throughout the community, as we have been doing, Miller told ABC television. On whether people should be attending protests, he said: Everything is a risk at the moment. We need to just keep this in context with shopping centres, restaurants, pubs starting to open up again, he said. In that context, it is possible for people to attend protests, assess the situation, wear a mask, take hand hygiene, not touch things, and I think, in many instances for people that will be just as safe, if not safer, than going on public transport or going into shopping centres. Thousands of protesters are expected to defy politicians and police in his state and hold a Black Lives Matter rally in Perth. In Sydney, police have warned they will be out in force if protesters proceed with a prohibited Free the Refugees rally while refugee advocates also plan to rally in Melbournes north to protest against the indefinite detention of asylum seekers. A crowd of 700 to 1000 turned up for Black Lives Matter rally in Darwin, according to Sky News.. Meanwhile, one person has tested positive to the coronavirus in Queensland overnight while NSW Health authorities have confirmed a teacher from Sydneys eastern suburbs has been diagnosed with the virus. The case caused Rose Bay Public School to be closed on Friday. There have been around 7290 COVID-19 cases in Australia with a death toll of 102. Colin Brinsden Coal power extension project to be pushed through under emergency COVID-19 situation By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): Cabinet has instructed the Power and Energy Ministry to direct the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to expedite a joint venture agreement with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) for a 300mw extension to the Lakvijaya coal power plant at Norochcholai. The Cabinet decision contained several other measures to be taken in view of the emergency situation in the country created by COVID-19. The extension of the coal power plant was one of them. The order, however, could be a contravention of the Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Act which makes it compulsory for competitive tenders to be called for power projects. The exceptions are if there is a Government-to-Government (G-to-G) deal or an emergency situation as determined by the Cabinet of Ministers during a national calamity or a long-term forced outage at a major generation plant, where protracted bid inviting process outweigh the potential benefit Cabinetacting on a paper presented by the Presidents officehas instructed that the joint venture agreement now be signed quickly. CMEC are the builders of all three units of the Lakvijaya coal power plant in Norochcholai and the offer for an extension did not come from China. There is also no evidence of a national calamity although the Cabinet decision justifies the matter by saying the country faces socio-economic disaster owing to the protracted failure to erect any major power plant through the tender system. The proposal for a fourth 300mw unit at Norochcholai came through a study by some CEB engineers in 2017. It explored the possibility of expanding Lakvijaya on the existing land. The justification was that some auxiliary facilities could be used, thereby reducing the capital cost by a significant percentage. However, the suggestion was always for a CEB-owned plant with concessionary funding, officials said. The report also proposed a second 300ms plant in the adjoining land. It was a preliminary study that did not go into details, an authoritative source said. Then CMEC came forward and said it can carry out a feasibility study at no cost to the CEB. The utility gave its consent for such a study but there was no undertaking that the plant will be given to CMEC. However, after the new administration took over, the deal has evolved to a joint venture proposal with 49 percent equity for CMEC and 51 percent for CEB. And the equity component of the CEB in the joint venture is to be arranged by CMEC as a loan from the Exim Bank of China. There are at least two major problems related to the legal situation, the source said. One is that it is very difficult to imagine this as a G-to-G initiative. The other is that a coal power plant cant be an emergency. As far as I know, national calamity is well defined in law. There are also serious concerns about how much the extension will cost. The CEB has appointed a committee to negotiate with CMEC and it is reported that the estimate is around US$ 450mn (Rs 83bn). The general norm, however, is around US$ 1mn per megawatt. The cost will go down further some of the auxiliary facilities will be shared. The test will be when this comes before the PUCSL for approval, the source said. The regulator will ask whether it was procured at the lowest possible cost. In a competitive tender that is fairly easy to establish. The CEB will also have to justify to the PUCSL and the Attorney General that this qualifies as an emergency procurement. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington on April 30, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Tennessee Governor: Autonomous Zones Wont Be Tolerated Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee warned people making plans to erect autonomous zones that they will not be tolerated as Seattle officials continued refraining from taking action against the zone there. We encourage Tennesseans to exercise their First Amendment rights and have seen many examples of peaceful protests across our state in recent weeks. As demonstrations continue, we will continue to protect Tennesseans right to peaceful assembly, while also reassuring citizens that lawlessness, autonomous zones, and violence will not be tolerated, Lee, a Republican, said in a statement Friday. The state law that prohibits camping on state property not designated as a campground area will be enforced, he added. A group of around 50 activists gathered outside the state Capitol in Nashville around 5 p.m. and were not told to leave by 10 p.m., according to The Tennessean. A local reporter said the group was still there as of midnight. Tents are pictured in Cal Anderson Park in an area being called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, Wash., on June 12, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images) The group brought chairs, tables, and tents in a bid to claim space as a new autonomous zone. They dubbed the area the Ida B. Wells Plaza, referring to an investigative journalist and civil rights leader who died in 1931. Activists want to defund the Metro Nashville Police Department and are calling for the firing of Police Chief Steve Anderson. Lees office didnt immediately respond when asked whether he would direct local authorities to take action against the group. A Nashville police spokesman didnt respond when asked whether officers planned to remove the group. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, said he supports Lees posture, saying in a statement that he supports peaceful assembly but that theres a difference between that and lawlessness or unlawful camping, occupying, and autonomous zones on state property An entrance to the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, Wash. on June 10, 2020. (Ernie Li/NTD Television) The House is fully prepared to enhance this type of lawlessness to a felony before the 2020 legislative session concludes next week, he added. A different group tried creating an autonomous zone in Asheville, North Carolina on Friday night, but police officers responded and tore down barricades. Several people identifying themselves as activists and part of the group said they plan to try again. Activists in Portland who tried setting up their own zone abandoned it this week. An autonomous zone set up by activists in Seattle, in Washington state, includes barricades and checkpoints. Activists released a lengthy list of demands that include abolishing the Seattle Police Department, the release of any prisoner serving time for resisting arrest, and an end to qualified immunity for police officers. Five people were shot during a one-hour stretch of violence Friday night in West and Southwest Philadelphia, according to police, including a 12-year-old girl and a 29-year-old man who died from his injuries. Inspector Derrick Wood, commanding officer of the citys Southwest Police Division, said the incidents occurred between 9:05 and 10:02 p.m. Wood said in an interview that none of the shootings seemed connected but that investigations into each were in the early stages. The 12-year-old girl was struck in the ankle when a gunman opened fire on a block party on the 1300 block of Wanamaker Street, he said. She was reported to be in stable condition. In addition to those incidents, police said four people were stabbed across the city between Friday night and Saturday morning, including a 65-year-old man wounded during a double stabbing on the 1500 block of Tasker Street in Point Breeze just before 2 a.m. Two other people in North Philadelphia were shot early Saturday, police said: a 23-year-old woman on the 1800 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue and a 33-year-old man on the 2500 block of North Ninth Street. Police did not identify any of the victims. The burst of violence occurred during a week in which the city recorded a host of shootings with multiple victims. On Tuesday night, seven people were shot, one fatally, when someone fired more than 50 rounds at a group gathered outside an apartment complex. And early Friday morning, around 1 a.m., six people were shot while standing on the corner of the 4100 block of North Broad Street. That incident occurred within hours of two separate double shootings elsewhere in the city. Shootings and homicides have continued to surge in Philadelphia, even after Mayor Jim Kenney issued a months-long stay-at-home order in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Through Friday, according to the Police Department, 178 people had been killed in homicides this year a 23% increase over last years pace, and the highest year-to-date tally since 2007. And 610 people had been shot through May 29, according to the citys most recently published data, an average of more than four victims per day and a pace that would put the city on track to record nearly 1,500 shooting victims this year. Wood said he was concerned that gun violence was becoming normalized" and that the number of victims was growing before the warmer summer months, when violence has historically spiked. Woods nephew, 22-year-old Tyshawn Woods, was shot dead in Hunting Park on Monday, an incident that caused the inspector to speak out about the ongoing shootings in hopes of raising community awareness. Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said during a City Council budget hearing this week that she believed some of the increased violence was related to disputes between drug dealers. Investigators have historically cited drugs and arguments as the two most common homicide motives. Outlaw told Council the department was planning to adjust and expand what it calls pinpoint zones," areas in police districts that cops consider high-risk for crime and focus their resources. She also told Council that she wants to improve the departments clearance rate" the percentage of cases considered cleared by arrest for both homicides and non-fatal shootings. For homicides, the goal is to achieve a 65% clearance rate by the end of next year, Outlaw said, slightly above the national average. For non-fatal shootings, Outlaw wants the clearance rate to reach 30%, about 5% to 10% higher than the department has recorded in recent years. 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 An OPEC+ monitoring panel will meet next week to discuss the ongoing record production cuts to see how laggards in compliance are doing with making up for flouting quotas, but will not be making any decisions regarding the collective cut that was just extended through the end of July, five OPEC+ sources told Reuters on Friday. The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC), which includes members of OPEC and of the non-OPEC group of nations part of the deal, is meeting on Thursday, June 18, as part of a schedule of monthly meetings until the end of the year to discuss the situation on the oil market and the compliance with the cuts. OPEC+ agreed on Saturday to extend the record production cuts of 9.7 million bpd by one month through the end of July, contingent on all countries in the pact complying 100 percent with their quotas and compensating for lack of compliance by overachieving in the cuts in July, August, and September. The volatile oil market and the highly uncertain trajectory of global demand recovery has forced the OPEC+ group to have the JMMC hold meetings every month until the end of 2020, instead of ahead of every full OPEC+ meeting only. This panel, however, cannot decide OPEC+ groups production policy, it can only make recommendations for consideration at the full OPEC and non-OPEC meetings, Reuters sources say. Meanwhile, OPECs second-largest producer, Iraq, which also happens to be the least compliant member of OPEC+, reiterated it is committed to the cuts. Iraqs new Oil Minister, Ihsan Abdul Jabbar Ismaael, confirmed in a phone call with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Iraqs full commitment to the cuts, OPEC said in a press release on Tuesday. Iraq confirms its commitment to the voluntary oil production adjustments of June and July 2020, as well as the voluntary adjustments for the period following the end of July, despite the economic and financial challenges, Ismaael told the Saudi energy minister. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: (Newser) The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened military action against South Korea as she bashed Seoul on Saturday over declining bilateral relations and its inability to stop activists from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border, the AP reports. Describing South Korea as an "enemy," Kim Yo Jong repeated an earlier threat she had made by saying Seoul will soon witness the collapse of a "useless" inter-Korean liaison office in the border town of Kaesong. Kim, who is first vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, said she would leave it to North Korea's military leaders to carry out the next step of retaliation against the South. story continues below "By exercising my power authorized by the supreme leader, our party and the state, I gave an instruction to the arms of the department in charge of the affairs with enemy to decisively carry out the next action," she said in a statement carried by the Norths official Korean Central News Agency, adding that the army "will determine something for cooling down our people's resentment and surely carry out it, I believe." Kim Yo Jongs harsh rhetoric demonstrates her elevated status in North Korea's leadership. Already seen as the most powerful woman in the country and her brothers closest confidant, state media recently confirmed that she is now in charge of relations with South Korea. (North Korea has warned the US about an election "hair raiser.") New Delhi: Congress' former President and senior leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (June 13) said if the Government of India doesn't inject cash to star the economy now, then the middle class will become the new poor. Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said, "If the GOI (government of India) doesn`t inject cash to start the economy now, the poor will be decimated and the middle class will become the new poor." He added, "Crony capitalists will own the entire country." If GOI doesnt inject cash to start the economy now: 1. The poor will be decimated. 2. The middle class will become the new poor. 3. Crony capitalists will own the entire country. pic.twitter.com/fEmEKONOMF Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 13, 2020 Earlier today, Congress' Twitter account also attacked the PM Modi-led government and said 'Numbers don't lie, only the BJP does' while sharing the estimated size of India's Aatmanirbhar package (as % of GDP). Congress said the economy has gone from bad to worse under Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. They said the unemployment was soaring earlier and the Coronavirus crisis has only made it worse. "Does the FM have any plans to bring the rising unemployment under control?" Congress also said the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package announced by the FM was 'more about PR' and 'distributing loans' than about actually helping people and industries. Aatmanirbhar Bharat package announced by the FM was more about PR & distributing loans than about actually helping people & industries. #NirmalaTaiMandiLai pic.twitter.com/6VXysSVWTv Congress (@INCIndia) June 13, 2020 Rahul Gandhi today also shared a picture of the lockdown phases in India on his Twitter account and captioned, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Anonymous." Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Anonymous pic.twitter.com/tdkS3dK8qm Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 13, 2020 Criticising the way Centre has handled the COVID-19 pandemic, Rahul has also said earlier, "India is firmly on it's way to winning the wrong race. A horrific tragedy, resulting from a lethal blend of arrogance and incompetence. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: In view of government employees working at the Secretariat testing positive for the coronavirus, the state government has issued a fresh set of guidelines for those who leave the headquarters to go outside the state, including to Hyderabad. An order issued on Friday read that officers and staff residing in containment zones should not go to their offices and work from home till their areas are denotified. The government employees were directed not to go outside of Andhra Pradesh as part of the measures to prevent the community spread of Covid-19. The employees, other than field-level functionaries, were asked to minimise their movement, even within the state, and not to leave the headquarters without written permission from the head of their departments. Further, the staffers suffering from comorbiditieshigh blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney diseaseor are undergoing chemotherapy, under any immunosuppressant drug treatment will be allowed to work from home. The same provision was also extended to pregnant women and contractual employees above 65 years of age. However, they have to produce a medical certificate for a definite period from a competent authority. All the employees were asked to install the Arogya Setu app on their smartphones. In case, an employees tests positive or is found to be suffering from symptoms of the novel coronavirus, he or she will be shifted to Covid-19 hospitals as per the advice of doctors. After completing risk assessment, necessary action for contact tracing, disinfection and closure of workplace will be done as per the SOP. The 64-year-old man staggered into United Memorial Medical Centers emergency room on Monday, gravely ill. It is unknown when he became infected, though the doctors believe it was recent. An X-ray showed spider webs of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, coating both lungs, making them all but useless. By Thursday morning, his kidneys were failing. The staff was looking for next of kin. Death, it seemed, was moving from possible to likely in Room 409 of the hospitals newly expanded COVID-19 unit. I have a bad feeling about this, said Dr. Joseph Varon, a pulmonologist and chief of staff at the small community hospital in Acres Homes, one of Houstons hardest hit areas. He had not yet lost a patient to the virus, but those arriving these days second wavers, he calls them are sicker than those who came before. And all have been stricken in the weeks since Texas loosened statewide precautions and society began to assume the worst was over. What is happening at United Memorial is playing out in hospitals across Texas. On Friday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized climbed to 2,166, up more than 150 from just the day before. In fact, Texas has set a new record for overall COVID-19 hospitalizations in four of the last five days, according to the Department of State Health Services. That kind of acceleration is worrying health officials. In the Houston region during the past two weeks, the rolling average of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in ICU beds has jumped 20 percent from 274 on May 27 to 330 on Wednesday, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, which coordinates the regions emergency response to disasters. And the number of people testing positive is also on the rise. The rolling average of new cases per day in Texas reached 1,716 on Thursday, almost doubling from May 27. In Harris County, the number of new cases reached 323 on Thursday, up from 207 on May 27, the SETRAC data showed. While some of those increases can be tied to an uptick in testing, it cannot be the whole explanation, said Dr. Alison Haddock, an emergency room physician at Ben Taub, Houstons largest public hospital, and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Not only are the number of positive tests going up, so, too, is the rate of positives, which is perhaps more significant, Haddock said. On May 27, the statewide rate of positives per test given was 4.3 percent. By Thursday, it had risen to more than 7 percent. That means if 100 people were tested last month, only about 4 were positive. Now, it is at least 7. Taken as a whole, Haddock said, there is little escaping that there are more COVID cases in Houston than there were three weeks ago. While the increases are concerning, hospitals across the state are also ramping up the number of beds and ventilators available. More than 7,200 ventilators are available, an increase of more than 1,700 from Thursday, according to DSHS. This is the most ventilators that have been available since the first coronavirus cases were diagnosed in Texas. There were nearly 18,000 beds available statewide, an increase of about 4,700 from Thursday and the greatest amount since mid-May, according to DSHS. Concerned but not alarmed Its an I-told-you-so most doctors wish had never come true. As April waned, the political winds began to favor a rapid reopening even as health officials warned that later was better than sooner. Still, Gov. Greg Abbott began a phased reopening of the state May 1, one of the earliest in the nation. By Memorial Day weekend, throngs of people packed beaches, parks and bars after being cooped up for months. Abbott said this week he was concerned but not alarmed by the spike in cases following reopening, saying it was expected. Varon, the doctor at United Memorial, understands the political tightrope. I know we had to get the economy going again, he said, but I think we opened too early, or at least in a way that let people think everything is OK. To have a healthy economy, you have to have a healthy population. I have admitted more people in the last two weeks than in the previous 10, he said Thursday. Initially, his hospital had 20 beds for COVID-19 patients, but recently a second unit had to be opened. Capacity is now 46, which could be stretched to 58. On Thursday he had 34 COVID-19 patients, all of them critically ill. A dozen miles away a similar picture is emerging in Houstons safety-net hospitals. Godofredo A. Vasquez/Staff photographer On Friday as on Wednesday, the number of COVID-19 cases hit its high-water mark of 71 at Harris Health System, up from around 50 three weeks ago. At Lyndon B. Johnson Hospitals intensive care unit, occupancy rate Friday was 104 percent; Ben Taubs was 93 percent, according to officials. Busy, busy, busy, Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, CEO of the public health system, said Friday. Its scary to think where were going to be at the end of the month. Porsa predicts an even greater spike in the aftermath of tens of thousands of people who recently took to the streets in Black Lives Matter protests and gathered to pay tribute at the funeral for George Floyd. I dont know what to expect, he said. Obviously we dont have unlimited capacity. It is not lost on the health executive that only weeks ago he was congratulating the region for its compliance with social distancing and other precautions. But that was then. Its like were trying to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory, Porsa said. Hanging on Youre doing a really great job, buddy. Hang in there, Tanna Ingraham, head nurse in the COVID-19 unit at United Memorial, murmured softly to the heavily sedated patient, immobilized in his hospital bed. Ingraham was sure he can hear her. Hearing is the last thing to go, she said. Varon and the crew of three others worked against the clock Thursday afternoon to push a needle into a vein so a catheter could be inserted to start dialysis and boost kidney function. But the virus had so wrecked his body that his veins were blocked. A healthy amount of oxygen in the blood is near 100 percent. Too low and a patient will die. But without kidney function he would also die. Varon had to try. The blood oxygen levels began to drop by the second. 90. 83. 73. 68. Varon tried to find a willing vein in the mans groin. He failed. He tried again and failed again. A third try, another blockage. But then, suddenly, it worked. Varon raised his fists to the sky. The patients oxygen levels had somehow stabilized. They were out of the woods. Not today, he said, mocking death. Not on my watch. On Friday, against the odds, his patient was still alive. In the meantime, four new patients with COVID-19 were admitted. Jordan Rubio and Jeremy Blackman contributed to this report. jenny.deam@chron.com todd.ackerman@chron.com matt.dempsey@chron.com Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 5 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Amit Shah, CM Kejriwal, AIIMS chief meet tomorrow to discuss Covid-19 situation in Delhi Union home minister Amit Shah and health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will meet Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal along with members of the SDMA to review the situation in the national capital, where Covid-19 cases have been rising exponentially over the last few days. Read more Kerala puts Covid-19 rider for chartered flights from West Asia for expats Amid rising number Covid-19 cases among expatriates returning home, the Kerala government on Saturday said only people certified negative for coronavirus will be allowed to board chartered planes from West Asian countries. The restriction will not apply to Vande Bharat Mission flights. Read more Lockdown Life: Unwinding becomes a Covid-19 casualty Sweat is streaming down my face. This is partly because of the unbearable pre-monsoon humidity of Mumbai, but also because Im trying to run from a policeman. Read more Band-Aid announces bandages in different skin tones, gets mixed reactions An announcement by Band-Aid about a new line of bandages to include a more diverse range of skin tones has received mixed reactions on social media. In a post on Instagram, the company shared a picture of the different bandages announcing the launch of their new range. Read more Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi says he has tested positive for Covid-19 Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Saturday took to Twitter to confirm that he has tested positive for Covid-19. Read more Pooja Banerjee on shooting Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain after Nach Baliye injury: My hands were completely immobile Television actor Pooja Banerjee was juggling between the shoots of the ALT Balaji series Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain season 3, Kasautii Zindagii Kay reboot and Zee 5 series The Casino when the lockdown was enforced. She has been using the much-needed break to spend some quality time with her husband Sandeep Sejwal. Read more Vadodara boy develops automatic sanitiser drone to mitigate Covid spread A teenager in Gujarat joined the fight against Covid-19 by developing a sanitiser drone. The 13-year-old Vadodara boy has designed an automatic sanitiser drone. Prem installed sanitiser mechanism in drone to mitigate coronavirus spread. The sanitiser drone has a capacity of 500 ml. The mechanism works with the help of a servo motor, he added. So far, India has recorded over 297,530 infections and more than 8490 deaths. Watch more By ANI SITAMARHI: Lagan Kishore, who was detained by Nepal's security personnel yesterday after firing near India-Nepal border, returned to Sitamarhi district of Bihar on Friday after being released by them. "We ran to return to India when they started firing, but they dragged me from the Indian side, hit me with a rifle butt and took me to Nepal's Sangrampur. They told me to confess that I was brought there from Nepal. I told them you can kill me but I was brought there from India," said Lagan Kishore . ALSO READ | 'Situation under control': Army Chief Naravane says India has very strong relationship with Nepal "My son and I was at the border to meet my daughter-in-law (a Nepali national). Security personnel from that side hit my son. They asked me to shut up when I asked why did they do that. They called up 10 more security personnel, they came to the border and fired bullets in air," he added. An unprecedented incident of firing on Indians took place on Friday morning when some locals were going to Nepal as their daughter in law was there. Nepal security personnel started firing on them in which one person died. According to the DG, during the firing three persons suffered injuries and one person died. "A total of three persons have suffered injuries. Another person Vikesh Yadav succumbed to injuries. Two others who have sustained injuries have been identified as Umesh Ram and Uday Thakur," DG SSB Kumar Rajesh Chandra had said. The death of Breonna Taylor, a Louisville, Kentucky woman who was fatally shot by police during what her family said was a botched raid at her home, has led to the city council passing a ban on no-knock warrants. Taylor, 26, was killed on March 13 after officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department busted through the door of her home unannounced around 12:40 a.m. to execute a search warrant for drugs, her mother said in a lawsuit. No drugs were found in the home and the suspect at the center of the police investigation had already been taken into custody at another residence, the suit states. Image: Breonna Taylor, Alena Battle, and Breonna's godson, Tamaj. (Courtesy of the Taylor Family) A judge had approved a "no-knock" search warrant, meaning police did not have to knock or identify themselves before entering the home, according to The Courier-Journal in Louisville. At a news conference on the day of the shooting, police said officers had knocked several times and announced their presence as police who were there with a search warrant. The lawsuit from Taylor's family claims police did not knock or identify themselves before they busted into the apartment. After forcing their way in, officers were immediately met by gunfire, Lt. Ted Eidem said. Taylor was in bed with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, when three officers in plainclothes busted in. The suit states that Walker, fearing a home invasion, called 911, grabbed a gun and fired, shooting an officer in the leg. He had a license to carry and kept firearms in the home, and Taylor was unarmed. Police fired more than 20 rounds into the home. Taylor was shot eight times and died. Her death renewed conversations about the dangers of no-knock warrants. Thor Eells, the executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association, told NBC News in a phone interview that the organization encourages law enforcement agencies to use this type of forced entry as the last resort. No-knock warrants used to be fairly prevalent in the 80s but what happened is we noticed an awful lot of police officers were getting shot and killed doing that and other innocent people were also being injured," he said. Story continues Eells, a former commander of the Colorado Springs Police Department, said agencies should do risk assessments prior to seeking a no-knock warrant. The association which represents nearly 40,000 law enforcement professionals holds courses which include ways agencies can arrest suspects and seize evidence without unannounced forced entry into a home. No-knock warrants do have a place in an agencys toolkit, but you have to know when and how to best apply them," he said. "And the manner in which that is done is usually through good training, having good policies and procedures in place and ensuring that the people who are making those decisions are well trained. Bill Bratton, a senior law enforcement analyst for MSNBC who led the police departments in Boston, New York and Los Angeles, agrees. "Theyre an essential part of policing but because of the apparent danger, theyre also one of the more difficult warrants to get," Bratton said in a phone interview. The American Civil Liberties Union in 2014 published a report on police militarization that detailed several botched SWAT team raids, including one that year that resulted in a toddler being seriously injured and placed in a medically induced coma. Because of the potentially deadly consequences of no-knock warrants, law enforcement agencies have enacted stricter rules for officers to obtain them and some have banned them altogether. The Little Rock Police Department last year unveiled a threat-assessment that ranks the subject of the warrant based on several factors including past violent offenses and possible weapon possession, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The Houston Police Department ended no-knock warrants last year following a drug raid at a home that left two suspects dead and five officers injured. Police Chief Art Acevedo said officers will need to request a special exemption from his office to conduct a no-knock raid. On Thursday, the Louisville Metro Council passed Breonna's Law, which bans the city's police department from using no-knock warrants and requires the use of officer body cameras whenever a warrant is served. Mayor Greg Fischer tweeted that he will sign the law as soon as he receives it. "This is one of many critical steps on police reform that weve taken to create a more peaceful, just, compassionate and equitable community," he said. Republican Sen. Rand Paul also said Thursday that he is drafting a proposal called the "Justice for Breonna Taylor Act" that would prohibit no-knock warrants nationwide. Oregon and Florida have already outlawed such warrants, according to the Associated Press. Oregon lawmakers from both parties and Gov. Kate Brown agreed this week that its time for the state to pass police accountability laws. The matter is so urgent, they say, that lawmakers should vote on the bills in a special session this month, along with legislation to address the coronavirus crisis. State Councilor Wang Yong has called for all-out efforts to prepare for effective flood control and disaster relief, so as to minimize potential losses and ensure the safety of people's lives and property. At a meeting Friday, Wang, also head of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, called on relevant authorities to bolster the provision of disaster relief funds and materials. Noting that flood control work in some areas is in a grave state due to the flood season, with frequent extreme weather, Wang urged efforts to take effective prevention and control measures, strengthen detection and prediction, and issue early warnings in good time. He also noted that emergency rescue teams should properly transfer and resettle the affected people and win all-round victory in the efforts to combat floods. Members of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) under district president Surinderpal Singh Sahora on Friday held a protest outside the SSPs office in Sector 76, Mohali, over the molestation of a Dalit girl in Kubbaheri village. BSP state general secretary Rajinder Singh Nanherian raised the issue of atrocities committed against a Dalit family by a former minister in Majri block. He said if the police did not take immediate action, there would be a massive protest in the coming days. BSP district general secretary Sukhdev Singh Chapparchiri said that SP (city) Harwinder Singh Virk assured the victims family that due process will be followed. He strongly urged SHOs and investigating officers of the police stations concerned to conduct an impartial inquiry into the cases and bring victims to justice as soon as possible. The new tenants of Ravel Grange in Dunleer will be moving into their homes by the end of the month. Cllr Hugh Conlon asked what was the timeframe for the development at last week's council meeting. Paddy Donnelly from Louth CC confirmed that the project would be handed over by the builders this week It is expected that a formal handing over ceremony will be organised. The site has been a hive of activity in recent weeks with the entrances on the Ardee road completed in recent days. Cllr Conlon also asked about the taking in charge of estates, including Mullary Manor, Woodlands, Rivervale and the Dunleer Orchard estate. Further details are expected at the next meeting in July he was told. As headline after headline spread Friday about a new biography on First Lady Melania Trump, the White House responded with a brief, disdainful dismissal. "Yet another book about Mrs. Trump with false information and sources," said Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's spokeswoman and chief of staff. "This book belongs in the fiction genre." Grisham was referring to The Art of Her Deal, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan and, according to the publisher, based on more than 100 interviews. Details of the book were first reported by the Post on Friday morning, particularly what Jordan describes as the first lady's successful efforts to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement with President Donald Trump in the wake of his 2016 election win. The original agreement, according to Jordan, was not very good and the first lady's focus was on "taking care of Barron," the young son she shares with the president. Mrs. Trump, 50, "wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trumps oldest three children," Jordan writes, according to the Post. The first lady and Barron's pending move to the White House from New York City, to join President Trump, was used as leverage. The Art of Her Deal digs into Mrs. Trump's earlier life as well, according to the Post, and Jordan writes skeptically of some parts of the first lady's background including her assertions about her education and how she first met the 73-year-old president. The book publisher promises yet other new details, according to a press release: "While her public image is of an aloof woman floating above the political gamesmanship ... behind the scenes Melania Trump is not only part of President Trump's inner circle, but for some key decisions she has been his single most influential adviser." Story continues From left: Barron Trump with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in January RELATED: Melania Trump Urges Students to Take Care of Themselves amid Coronavirus Pandemic MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty First Lady Melania Trump In one scene recounted early in the book, according to the publisher, Mrs. Trump says that she wanted to put out a statement following the leaked Access Hollywood tape that caught her husband bragging about touching women's genitals. "I am not going to sit here and pretend that I don't have an opinion," she said. "I have an opinion and people need to know my opinion." Some of the reporting in Jordan's book echoes a biography last year of the first lady by CNN White House reporter Kate Bennett. Bennett had cooperation from Mrs. Trump's office, though they were displeased by the end result. Then, as now, her spokeswoman bit back. Mrs. Trump is surprised at Kate Bennetts reporting, Grisham told PEOPLE in a statement at the time about Free, Melania. Our office worked with Kate in good faith on her book, and thought she would do an honest job. Sadly, it includes many false details and opinions, showing Ms. Bennett spoke to many anonymous people who dont know the First Lady, Grisham said. It continues to be disappointing when people, especially journalists, write books with false information just to profit off the First Family. The Art of Her Deal will be released on Tuesday. In a piece of much needed good news, a video has emerged of Hiplife legend Okomfour Kwadee in a jubilant mood with Rapper turned Evangelist, Lord Kenya after the latter paid a visit to the former at his Rehab Center. A few weeks ago, a very disturbing photo broke the internet of Okomfo Kwadee looking sickly and broken, a photo that broke many hearts considering how the musician wowed us in his heydays with his unique brand of hiplife. There was suddenly a modicum of hope when it emerged that Evangelist Lord Kenya, himself arguably Ghanas most prolific rapper in his music days until he abandoned the craft for the clerical, had announced his decision to sponsor the sick musician to a Rehab Centre. In a video currently making rounds on social media, the two legends can be seen hugging each other and having a hearty chat about music in their heydays. Lord Kenya is heard saying that Kwadee is his son who mentioned his (Lord Kenyas) name in his (Kwadees) song back in the days. Kwadee immediately recollects the song and starts to sing that part. Thankfully, Kwadees countenance is far better compared to when we first saw him in the disturbing photo a few days ago. Hopefully, he can regain his fitness of mind and bless our mics once again with his unique craft. 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 Four months of discord about the coronavirus epidemic have transformed the cloth mask into a potent political symbol, touted by Democrats as a key part of communal responsibility, labeled by some GOP leaders as a sign of government overreach and as a scarlet letter pinned on the weak. But as partisan interests sew symbolism and controversy into masks, scientists are trying to provide answers about how effectively those masks prevent transmission of the coronavirus, and what role they should play in efforts to limit the pathogen's spread. Several new studies published this month support wearing masks to curb the transmission of the novel coronavirus. The broadest, a review funded by the World Health Organization and published in the journal Lancet, concluded that data from 172 observational studies indicate wearing face masks reduces the risk of coronavirus infection. "Our findings suggest, in multiple ways, that the use of masks is highly protective in health-care and community settings," said the author of the review, Holger Schunemann, an epidemiologist and physician at McMaster University in Ontario. But that conclusion came with an important caveat: "We have low certainty in that," Schunemann said, meaning the authors cannot be strongly confident in the result. He spoke Friday from a small island in Italy where he and his wife, a fellow epidemiologist, were studying the prevalence of coronavirus antibodies. The gold standard in science - a randomized, double-blinded controlled trial - is impossible to conduct in a pandemic, so researchers have turned to other analyses, said Andrew Noymer, an associate professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California at Irvine who was not part of the review. Reviews such as the Lancet report compile data from many smaller reports to synthesize those findings. Schunemann cautioned that the studies collected in the Lancet article were observational, not randomized trials. Observational research, which doesn't have a change imposed by scientists, generally has more limitations than controlled studies. The influence of outside factors cannot be eliminated, for example. Face masks appear to be most effective when supplemented with hand-washing and physical distancing, Schunemann and his colleagues said. Most studies in the review analyzed face masks in hospitals or other medical settings, and some took place in households where an infected person lived. The studies don't settle the question of whether the protective benefit of a face mask derives from the barrier it creates - or from behavior changes it might prompt. The mask could remind people not to touch their faces or serve as a visual reminder of a dangerous virus lurking. Wearing N95 respirators, compared with disposable surgical masks or reusable cotton masks, was more strongly associated with a reduction in risk of infection, but that was another low-certainty conclusion, Schunemann said. "Anecdotally, it appears that face-mask use is an important control against multiple modes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission," including droplets and aerosols, said Jeffrey Shaman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University. He highlighted Asian countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam that had high rates of face-mask use early in the pandemic. They "have had better success squashing the virus and keeping their economies going," Shaman said. Werner Ernst Bischoff, a professor of infectious diseases at Wake Forest University known for his studies on respiratory transmission of viruses, said masks are critical because the simple act of breathing releases potentially infected particles. Loud talking, yelling and singing release even more. "When you are going about in the course of normal activities like breathing, talking and singing, you expel these particles into the environment. You want to create a seal," said Bischoff, who said he sees masks as the critical element in preventing transmission. Mask use varies dramatically from state to state and even city to city, according to interviews with health officials in several states during the last three weeks. Epidemiologists have bemoaned the patchwork approach to mask mandates, arguing that mixed messaging from federal, state and local levels leads to apathy and skepticism toward the measure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cloth face coverings where social distancing isn't possible. The CDC issued that guidance only after a tussle with the White House, and President Trump has eschewed wearing a mask at public appearances, even in a Michigan manufacturing plant that requested he do so. Friday, the CDC released guidance on mass gatherings, which are reappearing in the public square with ongoing protests and political rallies. Trump announced he will begin holding full-fledged campaign rallies next week. The guidance urges venues hosting gatherings to require staff to use cloth face coverings, particularly when social distancing is difficult. The guidance also recommends that event hosts urge people to bring and use their own cloth face coverings. The guidance says those recommendations are intended only to supplement, not replace, local and state recommendations, which vary dramatically. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, mandated wearing of masks in public April 17. Mask-wearing became so ingrained that in May, shoppers hectored a woman who hadn't covered her face, compelling her to leave a Staten Island grocery store. Maine, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia are among jurisdictions that have instituted similar requirements. Other states have directed workers in restaurants and other businesses to wear masks, while recommending that residents follow suit. An Axios-Ipsos poll this month found that 48% of Americans said they were wearing a mask "at all times" when they left their homes. And more than three-quarters - including those people who wear masks ubiquitously - said they wear their masks at least sometimes when they leave their homes. A Washington Post-University of Maryland national poll in May found 80 percent of Americans said it was "necessary" for people in their community to wear a mask when coming close to people outside their home; 20 percent said masks were "not necessary." Politicization has complicated the issue. Some GOP leaders associated pro-mask messaging with Democratic leadership and labeled masks a costume of the coastal elite. Some Republican lawmakers have criticized mask mandates as evidence of government overreach, and some have branded those wearing masks as weak. Others, like GOP North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, have made impassioned pleas to constituents to ignore politicization of masks. "I would really love to see in North Dakota that we could just skip this thing that other parts of the nation are going through where they're creating a divide - either it's ideological or political or something - around masks versus no mask," Burgum said in late May. Orange County, Calif., on Thursday became the latest jurisdiction to rescind a mask mandate even as it experienced its largest increase in cases, with hospitalizations rising. Face coverings in public will be recommended - not required - going forward in Orange County. The order was issued by health care agency director Clayton Chau, who replaced Nichole Quick. She resigned Monday following a firestorm of criticism from elected officials and some residents who questioned the need for masks. "Most of anti-maskers seem to be politicians who do not have scientific experience," Noymer said. With colleagues, Richard Stutt, a University of Cambridge researcher who simulates disease spread, published a model Wednesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society A that shows widespread mask use, plus lockdown orders, greatly slows the virus's spread. "You can do lockdown, you can do masks, but you get the best result when you combine them," Stutt said. They made some conservative assumptions, including that coverings were not perfectly protective, but their simulation suggests that's not necessary to lower the rate of transmission. Unlike N95 masks or face shields, bandannas and cotton coverings cannot stop the smallest droplets. But Stutt said crude coverings that block only large droplets of expelled saliva and fluid can still help - in part because bigger volumes presumably contain more virus. Wearing masks could have another benefit, a study found: People may stand farther away from other people who wear masks, making it less likely for the virus to travel from person to person, though that assertion has not been peer-reviewed. Experts have not fully embraced all of the new research promoting mask use. A report published Thursday in the influential Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, written by a group of aerosol chemists including the Nobel Prize-winning discoverer of the Antarctic ozone hole, was slammed on social media for using poor methods to estimate the number of New Yorkers saved by masks. Johns Hopkins University infectious-disease epidemiologist Kate Grabowski suggested the journal should consider a retraction. And Willem van Schaik, a professor at the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham in England, tweeted that it was "terrible." Renyi Zhang, a Texas A&M University atmospheric sciences professor and an author of the PNAS paper, dismissed the calls for retraction. "Our paper is based on solid scientific evidence," Zhang wrote in an email. "The method and conclusions from the paper can certainly be debated in an open, scientific fashion, but not on the basis of people's perceptions." The PNAS paper provides an extrapolation of real world data while the Royal Society article involves a simulation. Despite the weakness of some of the research, Noymer said that when combined with previous studies - including a 2013 paper from the Cambridge University Press that found cloth masks could reduce droplet spread - they point to the benefits of masks. "Both studies support this anecdotal observation and provide some quantification of the effects of face masks," said Shaman, who was not involved with those reports. Noymer said masks will probably only reduce the amount of droplets, not stop them completely, but that may be enough to prevent someone from becoming infected or result in a milder case. "We don't need to be in scuba gear. Even if not an absolute barrier, it still helps," he said. - - - The Washington Post's Emily Guskin contributed to this report. YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a congratulatory letter to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on the national day the Queens Birthday, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. Armenia attaches great importance to the constant expansion and development of the Armenian-British mutual cooperation. We managed to establish a productive political dialogue both at the bilateral and multilateral formats. We are ready to take steps to enrich the bilateral agenda with new projects of mutual interest for the benefit of our peoples, the Armenian President said in his letter. He wished good health and all the best to the Queen, and further progress, welfare to the friendly people of UK. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan The Mail on Sunday has called on readers to help block any attempt to remove the statue of Sir Winston Churchill from outside the Houses of Parliament. Our petition urges Boris Johnson to make a public pledge that the monument to Britain's celebrated wartime leader will never be moved after it was attacked by anti-fascist and Black Lives Matter protesters last weekend. Churchill's granddaughter alarmed war veterans, MPs and historians over the weekend by suggesting the iconic sculpture may be safer in a museum. London Mayor Sadiq Khan had the statue in Parliament Square boarded up with large metal sheets on Friday amid fears it would be targeted by protesters a move Mr Johnson branded as 'absurd and shameful'. Please enter your details here to sign the letter below Your browser does not support iframes. Thank you for signing The Mail on Sunday's Save Churchill petition. The petition will be sent to Downing Street but your personal data will be held by DMGT in accordance with this 'petition' and will not otherwise be shared with any third parties. For more information on how we store and process data please visit our privacy policy here. If the form does not appear correctly, please show your support by filling it in by clicking here If you are an Android user and you cannot find the 'submit' button, please enter your details and press the 'enter' button on the keyboard of your phone or tablet device Activists daubed the words 'was a racist' under Churchill's name on the statue during angry anti-racism protests last weekend. His granddaughter Emma Soames told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she felt 'extraordinarily sad that my grandfather, who was such a unifying figure in this country, appears to have become a sort of icon through being controversial'. She said if people were 'so infuriated' by seeing the statue, it may be 'safer' in a museum. But Churchill's grandson Nicholas Soames swiftly condemned any attempt to move it from the spot the former PM had chosen before he died in 1965. 'I will have nothing of taking statues down and putting them in museums,' he said. People stand near the boarded up Churchill statue at Parliament Square in London yesterday Sir Nicholas told protesters to 'read your history and grow up', and said it was 'rubbish' and a 'lunatic representation' to call his grandfather racist. He told LBC: 'All his life he fought fascism.' Churchill, who was Prime Minister twice, is considered a national hero and often leads polls on who was the greatest-ever Briton. His picture was chosen to appear on the new polymer 5 notes. However, critics say his legacy is tarnished by controversial remarks he made about different races and his role in the Bengal famine in 1943 after Allied forces halted food supplies, leading to an estimated 3 million deaths. Mr Johnson, who wrote a biography of Churchill in 2014, acknowledged the former PM had expressed opinions which were 'unacceptable to us today', but he remained a hero for saving Britain from 'fascist and racist tyranny'. However, Mr Johnson was coming under increasing pressure last night to promise that the statue was going nowhere, amid a chorus of support for our petition. A worker cleans graffiti from the plinth of Churchill statue at Parliament Square on Monday Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'Churchill is the greatest Briton without any question who has saved this country and the whole free world from the terrible tyranny of Nazi Germany. I want the Prime Minister and those in authority to make it clear the statue will never be removed from its plinth.' Last night, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also backed our campaign, saying: 'Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square stands as a tribute to his leadership and the Allied victory in the Second World War. It should not be moved.' Colonel Richard Kemp, former British Army commander in Afghanistan, said: 'Even to consider relocating the statue of Churchill is shameful. He was responsible for saving this country from the tyranny of Nazism perhaps the most racist regime in history. Accusations of racism made against him are largely based on deliberate misrepresentations of history.' A protective covering surrounds the Winston Churchill statue at Parliament Square on Friday Former Chancellor Lord Lamont admitted that some of Churchill's views belonged in the past but 'he was a great man who saved this country from an evil regime. He has been an inspiration through the ages and remains so.' Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a former Royal Navy commander, added: 'Churchill should stay put. You have to look at his overall contribution. People calling for him to be moved are clueless as to the nuances of history. 'Statues stimulate debate you don't have to agree with everything that figure did or said.' Rusty Firmin, an SAS hero who took part in the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, said: 'Many of these people calling for the statue to be removed wouldn't have been here today if the Nazi war machine had defeated us and our allies. So surely Winston Churchill defended all races? That statue could have easily been Adolf Hitler.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pictured at 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday Author Shrabani Basu, who has written books about the British Empire, said there were 'two sides of Churchill', and 'we need to know his darkest hour as well as his finest hour'. But Ms Basu said she did not want to see the statue removed from Parliament Square. Tory MP Matt Vickers was one of several parliamentarians who arrived to clean the graffiti off Churchill's statue last Monday. He said: 'Winston Churchill is one of Britain's greatest figures and it is shameful that his statue was boarded up. We cannot allow rule by the mob to destroy the hard-won freedoms and rights he secured for us.' Andrew Roberts, historian and author of Churchill: Walking With Destiny, said: 'As well as being a Tory PM, Churchill was a Liberal for 20 years and a founder of the welfare state, so The Mail on Sunday's excellent campaign is something that all Britons should be able get behind, regardless of politics.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 03:28:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Higher Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said that more than 4,200 migrants and refugees have been rescued at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard so far this year. "As of June 10, 4,231 refugees and migrants have been rescued or intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard and disembarked in Libya in 2020," UNHCR said. The commission said that there are more than 2,000 refugees and migrants currently held in detention centers in Libya. UNHCR also said that 48,834 refugees and asylum-seekers were registered with the commission in Libya. Due to the state of insecurity and chaos in Libya since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya became a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean sea towards European shores. Shelters in Libya are crowded with migrants either rescued at sea or arrested by the authorities, despite international calls to close those centers. Enditem THE global response, including from Canada, to the Communist Party of Chinas aggression against Hong Kong has been far too muted. To talk softly and carry no stick, as Fen Hampson of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs puts it, has accomplished nothing. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2020 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion THE global response, including from Canada, to the Communist Party of Chinas aggression against Hong Kong has been far too muted. To "talk softly and carry no stick," as Fen Hampson of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs puts it, has accomplished nothing. Last September, I gave the keynote address in Hong Kong on the rule of law at the gala Freedom Dinner 2019 sponsored by Hong Kongs premier think-tank, the Lion Rock Institute. It was a glittering event with more than 200 attendees but it was really a premature wake, celebrating the soon-to-be-departed rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong under the rule of law. In 1997, the British ended Hong Kongs 150-year-old colonial status and handed the city back to China under the "one nation, two systems" agreement that guaranteed Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms until 2047. Post-war, under British colonial rule, as much of the rest of the world turned to big and powerful government, Hong Kong limited the role of government and increased the economic freedom of its people. Hong Kong became the most economically free jurisdiction on the planet. This led to a huge spurt of growth and prosperity. Civil and personal freedom also blossomed (in fact, Hongkongers soon enjoyed the highest level of personal freedom in the world, according to the Human Freedom Index) since they were not dependent on government or other powerful players and were protected by a strong and impartial rule of law. But almost as soon as the 1997 handover was completed, the Communist Party of China (CPC) looked for ways to undermine the "one nation, two systems" agreement while the people of Hong Kong pushed back and maintained their autonomy and freedom. Now the CPC has lost patience. It recently ordered large-scale arrests of dissidents and imposed a security law, which attacks Hong Kongs Basic Law (effectively, a freedom-protecting constitution) by bypassing Hong Kongs Legislative Council. While details have yet to be released, the law is intended to allow mainland authorities to crush freedom in Hong Kong and extend absolute CPC rule. Violence may follow. Pro-democracy demonstrators, young and old, Chinese and the many other groups that populate Hong Kong, are unlikely to give up their hopes for their future or the future of their children and grandchildren. The CPC will respond almost certainly with increasing aggression. Last year, I wrote that a physical attack on Hong Kong by mainland forces, an invasion of Taiwan, or other bad behaviour could get China expelled from the World Trade Organization, though I put the odds fairly low. The CPCs aggression against Hong Kong and its extreme dishonesty in dealing with COVID-19 have greatly improved the odds of strong action. U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told Congress that Hong Kong no longer deserves its special trade status as an autonomous region of China. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," he said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. That means the United States would treat Hong Kong the same way it does China and end special tariff treatment and visa-free travel. More fundamentally, it would shake the confidence of the city. Yet, pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has urged other countries to follow the U.S. and reconsider Hong Kongs special trade status. Few have taken strong action, but Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe are talking tougher. And Asian neighbours fear the CPCs aggression and claims in the region. A strong global response to the CPCs imperialistic behaviour is critical. When the CPC thinks it can get away with something or bear little cost, it marches on. Only a strong response to aggression has any hope of holding it at bay. Canada, with 300,000 citizens in Hong Kong, should be at the front of the international effort. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says hes "concerned" and called on China to have "constructive" talks with Hong Kong thats like asking the lion to have constructive talks with the lamb. The great city of Hong Kong will suffer more in the coming months as the totalitarian thumb of the CPC presses down. The stronger we stand now, the more hope of preserving the miracle of Hong Kong, which rose from the ashes of the Second World War to the reach the highest levels of prosperity and freedom. Fred McMahon is a Fraser Institute resident fellow and Dr. Michael A. Walker chair in economic freedom. Are female leaders better at fighting a pandemic? I compiled death rates from the coronavirus for 21 countries around the world, 13 led by men and eight by women. The male-led countries suffered an average of 214 coronavirus-related deaths per million inhabitants. Those led by women lost only one-fifth as many, 36 per million. If the United States had the coronavirus death rate of the average female-led country, 102,000 American lives would have been saved out of the 114,000 lost. Countries led by women do seem to be particularly successful in fighting the coronavirus, noted Anne W. Rimoin, an epidemiologist at U.C.L.A. New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway have done so well perhaps due to the leadership and management styles attributed to their female leaders. Lets start by acknowledging that there have been plenty of wretched female leaders over the years. Indeed, according to research I once did for a book, female leaders around the world havent been clearly better than male counterparts even at improving girls education or reducing maternal mortality. By Doina Chiacu and Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amid protests against racial injustice, President Donald Trump is defending his decision to schedule his first campaign rally in months on a day commemorating the end of U.S. slavery and in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a city where white mobs massacred African-Americans a century ago By Doina Chiacu and Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amid protests against racial injustice, President Donald Trump is defending his decision to schedule his first campaign rally in months on a day commemorating the end of U.S. slavery and in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a city where white mobs massacred African-Americans a century ago. Trump, seeking re-election on Nov. 3, scheduled the Tulsa rally for June 19, a day celebrated as Juneteenth. On that date in 1865, Texas became the last of the pro-slavery Confederate states forced to comply with President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War declaring all people held as slaves free. Tulsa, a city important in African-American history, in 1921 was the site of one of the bloodiest outbreaks of racist violence in U.S. history in which white mobs attacked black residents and businesses. Referring to his rally, Trump told Fox News in an interview aired on Friday: "Think about it as a celebration." The Republican president suspended his political rallies in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump denied that scheduling the Tulsa rally on Juneteenth was deliberate. The rally will take place against a backdrop of protests around the United States against racism and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The officer was fired and has been charged with second-degree murder. Fox News interviewer Harris Faulkner, who is black, later said she was not sure whether Trump was aware of the painful history of Tulsa for African-Americans because her questions in the interview, held on Thursday, focused on the Juneteenth date of the rally. "This isn't just a wink to white supremacists - he's throwing them a welcome home party," U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, a contender to be Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's vice presidential pick, wrote on Twitter on Thursday. Trump, who this week rejected calls to rename U.S. military bases named for Confederate military figures, said in the Fox News interview that what Lincoln had done was "questionable," but was cut off before he could elaborate. "I think I've done more for the black community than any other president. And let's take a pass on Abraham Lincoln 'cause he did good, although it's always questionable. You know, in other words the end result," Trump said without explanation. Faulkner then spoke over him saying: "But we are free, Mr. President. He did pretty well." "We are free. You understand what I mean. I'm going to take a pass on Abe - Honest Abe as we call him," Trump responded. Democrats and other critics have accused Trump of stoking racial divisions. The president said during the Floyd protests in which looting occurred in some cities that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." Trump told Fox News he was not aware that this phrase originated with a white segregationist who was Miami mayor in the 1960s. On Thursday, the Republican Party scheduled Trump's speech to formally accept its presidential nomination for Aug. 27 in Jacksonville, Florida. That day will mark the 60th anniversary of what is called "Ax Handle Saturday," when a white mob wielding ax handles began a riot over black youth attempting to order food from a whites-only lunch counter in Jacksonville. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Lisa Lambert; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Will Dunham) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Anybody who knew about the problems with the dossier and continued to use it are good candidates to go to jail. So said Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) earlier this week, referring to the infamous dossier of faux intelligence reporting generated by former British spy Christopher Steele on behalf of the Hillary Clinton campaign. Senator Graham was laying the groundwork for a push he has recently invigorated to say reinvigorated would be misleading to examine . . . well . . . its not exactly clear what hes planning to examine. Sometimes, it seems Graham is after FISA abuse by the FBI in the TrumpRussia investigation. Sometimes, its the decision by then-deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the sitting president under circumstances where there was no basis for such an investigation. Sometimes, the focus is described as the Mueller investigation itself: why it went on so long despite the lack of a solid evidentiary predicate, why Rosenstein, in August 2017, defined its scope based on allegations long known to be either groundless or far afield from purportedly suspected TrumpRussia collusion. Given that Graham has no power to send any good candidates to jail, and the real investigative work either has already been done by the Justice Departments inspector general, or is in the process of being done by prosecutor John Durham, one cant help but ask: What is the objective of this scattershot production? This is a pressing question now that Graham, on a party-line vote of his committee, has been authorized to carpet-bomb Obama-world with subpoenas. Dozens of them: the TrumpRussia Whos Who, to be hauled in for what were supposed to believe will be hours of grueling testimony. Sure, it may take Senate Republicans a year or four to get around to historic Democratic abuses of the governments awesome law-enforcement and foreign-intelligence apparatus for political purposes, but man oh man, do they mean business now . . . even though, um, there are only 50 business days left in the Senates calendar before Election Day, the Senate has lots of other pending business, and the pendency of Durhams probe renders the notion of significant congressional testimony a pipe dream. Story continues Welcome to Senate Collusion Theater Season II: The Investigation of the Investigators. See, if this werent theater, Season II would have been integral to Season I, which was All About the Mueller Investigation. It has been obvious since before Muellers May 2017 appointment that the TrumpRussia probe was highly irregular. In fact, two months before Mueller was named special counsel, Graham and his senior Judiciary Committee colleague, Senator Chuck Grassley, complained to then-FBI director James Comey that, despite the lack of meaningful corroboration, the Steele dossier had been central to the FBIs submissions to the FISA court for warrants to surveil Carter Page. But what did the Senate do with that information? Nothing of consequence, nothing public. Democrats, in stark contrast, were not standing pat. Day after day, they fed the media collusion beast, projecting a corrupt TrumpRussia conspiracy. The GOP senators raised their concerns privately with the FBI director; but Comey, for his part, went public: sensationally announcing in March 2017 House testimony that the FBI was conducting a counterintelligence investigation of Trump campaign complicity in Russias election interference even intimating that there could be indictments. And while the Republican-controlled Senate snoozed, the FBI and its Justice Department allies went back to the FISA court, relying yet again on Steeles rumor-mongering not once but twice after Graham and Grassley raised alarms about the lack of corroboration. When Mueller was appointed, even though they (unlike the public) knew how baseless the collusion allegation was, Senate Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues in celebrating that the probe was now in the hands of a Washington eminence. House Republicans, particularly under then-chairman Devin Nunes leadership in the Intelligence Committee, were being stonewalled by the FBI and the Justice Department as they demanded information about the investigation. With President Trumps hands tied if he had forced mass disclosure, hed have been accused of corruptly obstructing Muellers investigation the House desperately needed Senate Republicans to step up to the plate, to hold hearings, demand answers, and raise the public pressure for disclosure. Thats what Senate Democrats would have done, remorselessly, were the shoe on the other foot. But no, Republican senators werent interested in rocking the boat. Just wait until Muellers done, Senator Graham & Co. vowed, then well really get to the bottom of this thing. Well, Mueller was done over a year ago . . . and now theyre going to start issuing subpoenas? Its a sideshow. There is a serious Justice Department investigation underway, one that may be nearing resolution. When a committee of Congress bestirs itself to start holding hearings under those circumstances, two things happen. First, if the witnesses the Senate suddenly decides it must interview are material to the case prosecutors are trying to build, the Justice Department objects . . . and the Senate must stand down, lest it be accused of interfering with law enforcement. Second, if other witnesses the Senate suddenly decides it must interview are subjects of the Justice Departments investigation, then they have a very live Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Therefore with all due respect, of course they tell the Senate to stick its subpoenas where the sun dont shine. By the way, nobody knows this better than a very accomplished trial lawyer named Lindsey Graham, who served as a prosecutor, a defense lawyer, and a judge in the military-justice system. When the salient witnesses are unavailable, what do you get? You get witnesses who appear both to have known nothing and to have avoided learning anything. That is, you get Rod Rosenstein, the star . . . ahem . . . witness in the big hearing the Judiciary Committee held before this weeks spat over the subpoenas. The event was about what youd expect. Republicans used Rosensteins Mr. Magoo routine as an opportunity to make speeches about FBI corruption (drawn from the Justice Departments inspector-general investigations . . . there being no independent Senate investigation to draw on). Democrats used Rosensteins appearance, amid uprisings over George Floyds killing, as an opportunity to frame the Trump Justice Department as indifferent to police brutality at least when they were not railing about what a waste of time the proceedings were. Meantime, our understanding of why the Trump campaign and administration were investigated on the pretext of Russian collusion did not advance a bit. So, good luck with those Senate subpoenas . . . and someone wake me up when we hear something from John Durham. More from National Review With all the negative conversations about police, I feel compelled to provide a perspective as a retired San Antonio Police Department assistant chief of police. I am a minority woman who raised my sons as a single mother. San Antonio has always been my home. My family resides here, and I love my city. As I see it, with a broad stroke the police have been vilified. We have forgotten how our police are also called upon to answer for and resolve a myriad of social problems. Yes, danger can come in any form. That is why we go to extremes to assist our diverse community, and, yes, we make every effort to go home every day to our families. I know in SAPD, chokeholds havent been taught since the 1980s. Police tactics are taught to protect the officer from harm and to accomplish their job with minimal force. Our greatest objective each and every day is to protect our community, ourselves and our police family. In my 42 years of proudly serving as a police officer, I was always taught to treat everyone with deference. Never was I taught to take another persons life except when all other measures were exhausted and only to save a life, including my own. I, too, acknowledge the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis was a travesty. Floyds life was taken in an arrogant, cavalier manner. I also fault and give blame to the officers who stood by. As police officers, we say we protect one another; that protection extends to not letting our fellow officers do wrong. We are taught to do nothing improper, unjust or illegal. Those who stand by and do nothing are guilty by omission. Officers are required to act on behalf of a victim, and that protection extends even if the aggressor is the police. SAPD requires its officers to attend training that includes cultural diversity, ethics, stress management, crisis communications, civilian interactions, crisis intervention, racial profiling, mental health, community awareness and cultural awareness. This is part of the SAPDs investment in providing its officers with meaningful interaction tools. Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News Realities are bitter pills. What we know is most crime is committed during the late-night hours and in high-crime areas (time and place). Large congregations of people and multiple passengers in a vehicle, along with time and place, can be irregular. Police officers are trained to be proactive and preventative to ensure the safety of the community. This perspective is important because there are conversations about the talk. I have often heard of guardians saying they had to have the talk with their loved ones. I am familiar with the talk. I had the talk with my sons; they are Latinos. I believe it is important for all young people, maybe society in general, to know how police will respond to a cooperative individual and the effects of a combative or noncompliant individual on police responses. Has anyone asked the police how they feel about being officers? I can give you my perspective. I was fearful. Yes, scared, exceedingly cautious with calls involving weapons, violence, domestic disturbances and mental health, and in-progress calls. I also had the talk with my sons and family about the possibility I wouldnt come home. During my 34 years with SAPD, this community lost at least 20 officers who were killed in the line of duty. Those officers never returned home to their families. RELATED: San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg unveils agenda on police reforms, union contract Each day I pray for a better society; I pray for peace and healing. But I also pray for the officers who go to work and believe they are doing the right thing for the right reasons, and who go to work each day and put their lives on the line. We are driven by believing we will be helpful; we swear to protect and defend our community from any threat or evil. I am saddened in how all officers have been vilified by the actions of bad people disguised in police uniforms. They are not us. To all our men and women who serve in law enforcement, I am grateful for all that you do to protect us. Your service deserves our support and gratitude. I salute you! Geraldine Garcia is a former assistant chief with the San Antonio Police Department. CHICAGO A judge has rejected the latest request for pretrial release from the former Northwestern University biology professor accused of murdering his boyfriend in a sex fantasy nearly three years ago. At a hearing held Friday over videoconference, the microbiologist's lawyers argued his scientific skills could be put to use to study the coronavirus while under house arrest. But the prosecution painted the ex-professor as a cunning computer wizard who could have access to unlimited cash and had already demonstrated his aptitude at avoiding arrest. Wyndham Lathem, 45, has been held at Cook County Jail since August 2017. He and his co-defendant, Andrew Warren, turned themselves in to authorities in Northern California after more than a week on the run. Lathem is a native of Great Britain who also holds a United States passport. He faces a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life in connection with the killing of 26-year-old Trenton Cornell-Duranleau, a hairdresser from Ohio who had been dating Lathem before he was found stabbed dozens of times in Lathem's River North apartment on July 27, 2017. Warren pleaded guilty to Cornell-Duranleau's murder in July 2019. The fellow British citizen and former payroll clerk at Oxford University's Somerville College who prosecutors said met Lathem online and travelled to Chicago to engage a murder-suicide sex fantasy agreed to testify against Lathem in exchange for a 45-year prison sentence, some of which could eventually be served in the United Kingdom. Andrew Warren, who has pleaded guilty to murder and agreed to testify against his co-defendant Wyndham Lathem, appears at an Aug. 11, 2017, extradition hearing in San Francisco. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo) Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Craig Engebretson warned that if Lathem was effective at avoiding arrest when he did not have a plan to flee following a planned murder-suicide, the professor could be more elusive if allowed out of jail on electronic monitoring. He also told the judge Friday that Lathem had confessed in a recorded video sent to his mother while on the lam. "He states: 'The victim trusted me completely, he felt safe with me. I betrayed that. I took that all away because I killed him. I did do it. It wasn't an accident, but it was a mistake,'" Engebretson said. Story continues The prosecutor also cited records that he said showed Lathem had looked up a blog with posts discussing weaponizing viruses for more lethal human-to-human transmission. "The idea that we're then going to give him access to COVID-related data is extremely frightening," he said. Lathem is being represented by defense attorney Barry Sheppard and his son, Adam Sheppard, who said the ex-professor was prepared to put up $150,000 in cash to secure his release on electronic monitoring. They nominated two potential third-party custodians who could ensure that Lathem would abide by bond conditions: Charlie Hilbrandt, a former Highland Park police officer, commercial pilot and wedding videographer, and Frani Udell, an attorney who leads pretrial investigations for the private detective agency Vantius. Even though Lathem's research has focused on bacteria rather than viruses, Adam Sheppard emphasized his client's experience studying respiratory symptoms. "His area of expertise is how infections affect the lungs and specifically blood coagulation in the lungs and other areas based on infection," the attorney said, citing news articles and describing it as a "hot topic right now with coronavirus blood clots" Sheppard said Lathem's friends had rented an apartment in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood where he could stay. The attorney proposed a trustee to manage Lathem's finances and said he would agree to any restrictions on internet access demanded by the judge. Earlier: Professor Accused Of Murder Seeks Release To Research Coronavirus British Man Admits To Murder, Agrees To Testify Against Ex-Professor Ex-Northwestern Prof, Oxford Clerk Plead Not Guilty In Fatal Stabbing Sex Fantasy Of Ex-Professor, Oxford Staffer Led To Stabbing: Prosecutors Engebretson suggested things started to go downhill for Lathem after he lost out on a job at the prestigious Pasteur Institute in Paris due to his failure to get approved for a security clearance for reasons that have not been revealed by French security forces. The prosecutor dismissed the idea that Lathem could help with coronavirus research, which had been put forward in a letter from University of North Carolina Chair of Microbiology and Immunology Dr. William Goldman the Sheppards included in their motion for bond review. "This isn't like the defendant has some sort of cure or ability to solve COVID," Engebretson said. "This is a very ancillary thing that he's going to help do research on that could take months, years down the road before it even has an effect, if it even has an effect at all." Regardless of how much of his trust fund or other money he posted, Lathem would still be a significant flight risk and threat to public safety, he argued, since the killing of Cornell-Duranleau did not result from an argument or some specific dispute. "This was a murder that was done as part of a fantasy. This was a thrill kill, when the defendant got despondent and suicidal," he said. "This is extremely dangerous. It puts all the other people that are out there at risk that he may do this again if he gets sad or depressed or wants to experience that thrill again." The prosecutor also said Lathem had used privacy-focused software and services during time on the lam, such as the search engine DuckDuckGo, the email provider ProtonMail and the messaging service Wickr, as well as prepaid anonymous cell phones. "If there is anybody who's going to have access to cryptocurrency and online accounts, it's going to be Dr. Lathem," he said. "He's definitely demonstrated a consistent ability to hide information and to access things online." Wyndham Lathem, shown in an Aug. 19, 2017, file photo, has had his requests to be released from Cook County Jail to assist in researching the COVID-19 pandemic rebuffed. (AP Photo/Jim Young, Pool, File) Cook County Circuit Judge Charles Burns, who in April rejected Lathem's first post-pandemic bid for bond in the case, said he was very concerned about Lathem's ability to evade detection. "Apparently he knows a lot about how to erase digital footprints, how to communicate both through the internet and also by phone without leaving any type of trace," Burns said. He said Lathem has proven his skill at evading detection and said he was worried that former professor, who has "at least significant assets, if not unlimited access to funds," would not show up to court. "I am very concerned about his compliance with the conditions of bond. I am very concerned about the motivation here, with regard to whether or not he can in fact, and will, comply with the conditions of bond," Burns said. The judge said he had given significant thought to whether or not it could be appropriate to set bail in the case. "However, I do not feel that it is in the best interest to set a bond in this matter. I am concerned about the defendant's presence at trial. I am not concerned about his help to the world community in solving COVID-19," he explained. "That is speculative at best." This article originally appeared on the Evanston Patch A man claimed to be a UFC fighter from California before he opened fire on a bar in Texas he had been refused entry to, wounding eight people. San Antonio police chief William McManus said in a press conference that a manhunt was under way for the shooter. He said that none of the eight people wounded -- five women and three men between the ages of 23 and 41. He said the gunman had been turned away from Rebar for being drunk. Chief McManus said: "At about 11.30pm we got a call for shots being fired from a bar across the street. Officers arrived on the scene and what they found was that eight people had been shot from the bar across the street." He said the shooter had been part of a group of several women and a couple of men turned away from Rebar. Recommended Murders and shootings increased dramatically in New York City "One of the two males then made a statement that, 'Don't you know who I am? I'm a UFC fighter from California' -- and they walked away. "He then walked back to his car, pulled out a long rifle, walked back across the street and he opened fire. "He hit eight individuals. None of them are deceased. They are in stable condition. The most serious one was one that was hit in the back." He said the worst injury was someone who had been hit in the back. Two of those hit suffered grazes and declined hospital treatment. Ninety more patients were discharged in Lagos on Friday following their recovery from coronavirus infection, an official said. The state also recorded 229 new cases of the infection, bringing the total confirmed cases to 6,840. Giving the update on its Twitter handle, the Lagos State Ministry of Health disclosed that the recovered patients include 30 females and 60 males. This is the highest recovery to be recorded in the state, bringing the total discharged cases to 1,137. 90 fully recovered COVID19 Lagos patients; 30 females & 60 males have been discharged from our Isolation facilities to reunite with the society. The patients; 28 from Onikan, 9 from Eti-Osa (LandMark), 10 from Agidingbi, 5 from Gbagada, 2 from First Cardiology, 10 from Lekki and 26 from @LUTHofficial Isolation Centres were discharged after testing negative to COVID-19. With this, the number of #COVID19 cases successfully managed & discharged in Lagos has risen to 1137, the ministry wrote. A total of 627 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in 23 states of Nigeria, on Friday, with Lagos having the highest number, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said. Lagos recorded 229 new cases on Friday, 345 cases on Thursday, and 170 cases on Wednesday. As of Saturday, 88,432 tests have been done in Nigeria with 15,181 confirmed cases, 9,891 active cases, 4891 discharged cases and 399 deaths. The number of active cases in Lagos State could not be ascertained at the time of this report. The ministry of health urged citizens to adhere to the health guidelines such as physical distancing and proper washing of hands as the state continues to record successes in the battle against COVID-19. Top White House economic advisers dismissed fears of a COVID-19 resurgence with Larry Kudlow arguing there is 'no second wave' - despite Dr. Deborah Birx suggesting there are 'embers flaring up in a few places' Larry Kudlow, Director of the United States National Economic Council, on Friday insisted concerns over a second wave of coronavirus cases is unfounded during an interview with Fox & Friends. He admitted that he's not a health expert, but cited recent talks with such experts as evidence. 'Look, Im not the health expert, but on the so-called spike I spoke to our health experts at some length last evening. Theyre saying there is no second spike,' he said. 'Let me repeat that, there is no second spike.' Director of the United States National Economic Council Larry Kudlow (pictured) said on Friday that there was 'no second wave' of coronavirus cases and no emergency But Kudlow, 78, did admit that certain areas of the United States - which has recorded more than two million cases and 114,600 deaths - were seeing a 'little bit of a jump up.' 'Some small metropolitan areas are seeing it. The CDC and the health people are all over it. Theyve sent some task forces out to deal with it,' Kudlow said, adding that an increase in cases is connected to an increase of testing availability. 'Nonetheless, there is no emergency, there is no second wave. I dont know where that got started on Wall Street.' Kudlow also said that the rate of increase in new cases was between zero and one per cent. Kudlow: 'There is no emergency, there is no second wave. I dont know where that got started on Wall Street' 'Its really flattened out, and with respect to fatalities, it's the same. It's actually lower than that. Its like zero to a half [of] a percent,' he said. Kudlow's aggressive push to further reopen the country's economy is reflective of President Trump, who has steadily called for states to reverse lockdown orders and restart their local economies. But this comes at odds with top health expert and Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, who suggested that 'embers' of the virus were still soaring in a few places. Kevin Hassett, a White House economic adviser, told Fox News he spoke with Dr. Birx on Friday, who acknowledged 'there are some embers flaring up in a few places.' Hassett pointed to data from Arizona and South Carolina as 'some cause for concern,' but still shrugged off concerns of a second wave of coronavirus, Politico reports. 'For sure, the battle is not over,' said Hassett. 'But the trends that have been so positive in recent weeks, weve not deviated sharply from them although there are some hot spots around the country. Dr. Anthony Facui, top infectious disease expert, also said this week that the United States fight against coronavirus is long from over. 'In a period of four months, it has devastated the whole world,' Fuaci said amid a virtual conference. 'And it isnt over yet.' Kudlow and Hassett's comments on a potential second wave come as several places emerge as hot spots and an uptick in daily cases. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett spoke with public health expert Dr. Deborah Birx (pictured) who argued that some areas were still seeing flare ups in cases Public health experts have expressed fears of second wave of coronavirus cases as states strip away ;ockdown orders and begin to reopen. Pictured: Due to social distancing, shoppers wear protective masks while waiting in line outside Louis Vuitton as South Coast Plaza reopens in California Both South Carolina and Arizona were among nine states, including Texas and Florida, that set a new hospitalization records on seven-day average. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the United States has seen an 36.5 per cent increase in daily cases in recent days because of state reopenings and protests, according to data obtained by Yahoo News. Montana, Arkansas, Utah, Arizona and Texas have all seen coronavirus-related hospitalizations rise by at least 35 per cent. The state of California, which has been both praised and criticized for its pandemic response, confirmed spikes in new cases or hospitalization in nine counties, The Guardian reports. Public health experts have longed feared a second wave of cases, but couldn't account for the thousands of protesters flooding American streets these last few weeks. George Floyd, 46, was an African-American man who died in police custody on Memorial Day in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Disturbing cell phone footage showed white officer Derek Chuavin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes while he say 'I can't breathe!' Floyd later died. Nationwide demonstrations have drawn crowds out of their homes to rally together in protest. Because coronavirus is spread mainly from person to person with respiratory droplets, some health experts warned that protesters shouting, police use of tear gas and pepper spray could further infections. Additionally, being in close proximity to several people, some of whom don't wear masks or face coverings, is also a worrisome. Some health experts said the uptick is more similar to a rebound of the first wave rather than an entirely new wave, but are monitoring protests for greater infection levels. The exact figures for how many protesters contracted coronavirus aren't in, but it was revealed that members of the National Guard deployed to Washington D.C., who were among thousands of protesters, have tested positive for COVID-19. Spokeswoman Lt. Col. Brooke Davis said the Guard would not release the exact total, but U.S. officials said they believe it is not a large number, at least so far. Dr. Facui called the large gatherings 'risky' during an interview with ABC News. 'You know, its a danger to the people who are trying to control the demonstration, and its a danger to the people who are demonstrating,' said Fauci. Public health experts are monitoring nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, which they fear may spread COVID-19 infections President Donald Trump (pictured) has steadily pushed for the country to reopen its economy amid the pandemic Fauci also warned against attending large public gathering like the campaign rallies of President Trump, who has moved his June 19 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after facing backlash for holding a rally on the day when slavery ended. The 'best way that you can avoid -- either acquiring or transmitting infection -- is to avoid crowded places, to wear a mask whenever you're outside. And if you can do both, avoid the congregation of people and do the mask, that's great,' he told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl on the 'Powerhouse Politics' podcast. 'If you're going to be in a situation where -- beyond your control there's a lot of people around you -- make sure you wear a mask,' he advised. Dr. Jay Butler, the CDC's deputy director for infectious diseases, said there was 'theres no one answer' regarding to the uptick. He described the situation as 'variable in different parts of the country.' 'But this is something that is ongoing, and we will continue to monitor very closely.So that by no means is meant to suggest that this is not something that were not very concerned about and will be working on very closely,'' he added. Still federal officials and state governors seem reluctant to reimpose lockdown orders onto residents who've previously protested such actions. Dr. Anthony Fauci warned those going to rallies, the GOP convention or the protests to try and avoid large gatherings to help stop spread of COVID-19 Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin argued Thursday on CNBC that 'we cant shut down the economy again' if coronavirus cases continue to grow. 'Weve learned that if you shut down the economy, youre going to create more damage. 'And not just economic damage, but there are other areas, and weve talked about this medical problems and everything else that get put on hold.' But on Thursday the Dow plunged 1,800 points after Federal Reserve's dire warning that it could take years to get back the millions of jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and fears continued to grow of a possible resurgence in new cases. The Trump administration's push to reopen the economy comes as the White House coronavirus task force is curtailed. Public health experts and Trump have not held a daily briefing in weeks. However, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Trump is not at odds with his public health adviser and is working closely with them, despite his demands to reopen states. 'Well, the guidelines are guidelines,' Azar told NBC News. 'Theyre simply potential markers for how one would progress to reopening. But each governor knows the lay of the land in their state better.' Mission completed Chinese naval escort task group returns home PLA Daily Source: China Military Online Editor: Huang Panyue 2020-06-12 10:21:47 By Chen Runchu SANYA, June 12 -- The 34th Chinese naval escort task group returned to a naval port in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, on the morning of June 10, after successfully completing its mission. The 34th Chinese naval escort task group is composed of guided-missile destroyer Yinchuan (Hull 175), guided-missile frigate Yuncheng (Hull 571) and comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu (Hull 887), as well as ship-borne helicopter members and marine corps. During the 171 days of mission period, the task group has safely escorted 30 batches of 50 Chinese and foreign ships, implemented certain special escort tasks for 17 Chinese ships, and dispersed 14 suspected pirate speedboats approaching the protected ships. During this period, the task group has also participated in the China-Pakistan joint naval exercise, code-named Sea Guardians-2020. Cooperating with the Pakistani Navy, it completed anti-aircraft, anti-missile, joint anti-submarine and other training events. Exercises by mixed fleet, alternating commanding, and actual combat were carried out between the two sides for the first time. The joint exercise fully demonstrated the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and high-level exchanges and cooperation between the two navies. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese naval escort task group had been kept out of in-port rest and replenishment for 96 consecutive days. All the service members aboard tided over their difficulties in this special period, and fulfilled China's mission as a responsible major power with practical actions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A huge crowd turned up to receive food grains distributed during a programme organised by a former BJP MLA in Indore, about 200 kilometres south-west of Bhopal, to mark the birthday celebration of union minister for agriculture and farmers welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday. The event witnessed flouting of social distancing norms, leading to a chaotic situation. The union minister was not present during the programme. A video of the crowd, wherein people were seen jostling with one another to take the food grains packets from ex-MLA Sudarshan Gupta in Banganga area and other BJP workers, went viral on social media. Also read: 5 students booked in MP for social media post on Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar The programme was organised to distribute packets of food grains among 2,000 needy families. During the chaotic situation, people were seen snatching the packets from those distributing it and running away. Looto, ration looto, (steal the ration) is what could be heard in the video clip. Congress was quick to attack the BJP over the incident. State Congress leader KK Mishra said, When the entire country is facing a grave crisis due to coronavirus and hundreds of people have died from the disease, is this the right time for the BJP workers to celebrate the birthday of any leader? The fact is the incident exposed the real face of the BJP which is hardly concerned about people. State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, The BJP didnt organise the programme. In a clarification, ex-MLA Sudarshan Gupta said, Our workers organised the programme to distribute food grains. Social distancing norms were followed. Circles were marked every four feet. Tokens were distributed among those who were supposed to receive the packets. There was a problem for some time when some people, who didnt have tokens, entered the crowd and created disturbances but our workers controlled the situation. I regret that this happened and will ensure that such an incident doesnt recur. Russia's foreign and defence ministers will visit Turkey on Sunday, the foreign ministry announced, for talks on regional issues including Libya conflict. The meeting, by Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu, was agreed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the ministry said Saturday. A Turkish diplomatic source told AFP the situation in the north African country of Libya would figure high on the agenda of talks in Istanbul. Turkish media reported that the Syria conflict would also be discussed. The Russian foreign ministry confirmed the visit of Lavrov and Shoigu "to hold consultations on regional problems that are of mutual interest". Turkey and Russia -- whose leaders have forged a strong partnership in recent years -- back opposing sides in Libya, which has been raven by unrest since the fall of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Russia, along with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, has backed Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar. Turkey, together with regional ally Qatar, backs the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. Ankara has sent Syrian fighters, military advisors and drones in support of the GNA, which has changed the tide of war in the conflict-struck country. GNA forces have in recent weeks recaptured outposts in western Libya seized earlier by pro-Haftar loyalists, who then tried to march on the capital. In Syria, where Turkey and Russia again back opposing sides, they are working to bring a political solution to the conflict. But their partnership remains fragile and is being tested over the fighting in Syria's last rebel-held bastion of Idlib. Ankara has raised concerns over the recently increased attacks by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Idlib. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is also expected to visit Turkey on Sunday, the Iranian foreign ministry said. While Iran and Russia back Assad, Turkey supports rebels seeking his overthrow.* *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 12:19:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, June 13 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 cases crossed the 300,000-mark in India on Saturday, reaching 308,993, as the death toll stood at 8,884, said the latest data issued by the federal health ministry. The ministry said that 386 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 11,458 positive cases were reported during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 8,884 and total cases to 308,993. This is the largest single day spike in the country in terms of new COVID-19 cases. "As on 8:00 a.m. (local time) Saturday, 8,884 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," reads information released by the ministry. On Friday morning the number of COVID-19 cases in the country was 297,535, and the death toll 8,498. According to ministry officials, so far 154,330 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement. "The number of active cases in the country right now is 145,779," reads the information. The 5th phase of nationwide lockdown came into force from June 1. This phase marks several relaxations and reopening in a phased manner. On March 25 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 and break the chain of infection. Enditem Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others on June 14 to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the national capital. The meeting comes in the wake of rising coronavirus cases in Delhi. The tally has reached 36,000 and more than 1,200 people have died due to the virus in the national capital. "Home Minister, Shri AmitShah and Health Minister, Dr Harshvardhan to hold meeting with LtGovDelhi, CM Delhi & members of SDMA to review situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 tomorrow, 14th June at 11 am. Director AIIMS and other senior officers would also be present," Shah's office tweeted. The number of coronavirus cases in Delhi is the third highest in the country after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. There has been criticism from different quarters over the handling of COVID-19 cases in the capital with complaints of non-availability of beds in hospitals for patients and difficulty in getting the tests done in laboratories. 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 Supreme Court on June 12 lashed out at the city government, terming as "horrific" the state of affairs in Delhi hospitals with bodies being stacked next to COVID-19 patients. After the SC's observation, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government said it accepts with utmost respect and sincerity the apex court's remarks and pointed out that it was trying its best to set up better infrastructure and provide quality healthcare to all COVID-19 patients in the city. Read More | COVID-19: Accept SC observations, trying our best to augment health infra, says Delhi govt Baijal has also formed a six-member panel to formulate a COVID management plan and suggest ways to ramp up medical infrastructure in the capital. This comes close on the heels of Baijal's recent assertions on hospital beds and testing, and overturning of two Delhi government orders -- reserving hospital beds only for residents of Delhi and testing of only symptomatic patients. The members on Baijal's advisory committee are DG ICMR Professor Balram Bhargava, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, National Disaster Management Authority members Krishna Vatsa, Kamal Kishore and others. India surpassed the three lakh-mark in coronavirus cases on Saturday with the worst daily spike of 11,458 infections, while the death toll too climbed to 8,884 with 386 new fatalities, the Union health ministry said. It has now become the fourth worst-hit nation by the pandemic with a caseload of 3,08,993, according to coronavirus statistics website Worldometer. However, the health ministry has said that the doubling time of coronavirus cases has improved to 17.4 days from 15.4 days. And its data updated at 8 am on Saturday showed active cases at 1,45,779 and those who have recovered at 1,54,329; one patient has migrated. "Thus, around 49.9 percent patients have recovered so far," a ministry official said. The weather bureau on Saturday said the southwest monsoons onset over Mumbai is expected on Sunday, while changing its heavy to very heavy rain warning for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for the coming days. The normal monsoon onset date for Mumbai is June 11. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued an orange alert (be prepared) for heavy to very heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday and a yellow alert (be updated) for heavy rain across isolated areas for Sunday. Earlier on Tuesday, IMD had issued a yellow alert for the entire week and an orange alert for Sunday. However, so far, Mumbai and the surrounding areas have only witnessed traces of rain. Meanwhile, the northern limit of the southwest monsoon further etched into more areas of the state, covering entire south-central Maharashtra, parts of Vidarbha and Marathwada. The onset line passed through Harnai in Ratnagiri district, Ahmednagar district, almost entire Marathwada as well as Nagpur and Gondia in Vidarbha subdivision. Conditions are favourable for the southwest monsoon covering Mumbai and the rest of the state by Sunday, said Shubhangi Bhute, director, IMD Mumbai. Heavy rain warnings have been issued for south Konkan, central Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha for the weekend. As monsoon advances over rest of the state, active monsoon conditions with heavy rain are expected for north Konkan districts, including Mumbai from Sunday onwards. An independent meteorologist questioned the criteria being followed by IMD for onset declaration. While monsoon has reached Nagpur as per IMD, it has not been declared for Mumbai yet. Both areas have nearly the same unfavourable wind pattern, but Nagpur got pre-monsoon thunder showers, which IMD used for declaring the arrival, said Akshay Deoras, meteorologist and PhD researcher at the department of meteorology, University of Reading, the United Kingdom. Between Friday 8.30am and Saturday 8.30am, the city and suburbs received 1.5mm and 2.1 mm rain. However, heavy to very heavy rain with isolated areas receiving extremely heavy rain was recorded across south Konkan districts of Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigad. Vaibhavwadi, Sawantwadi, Malvan and Devgad in Sindhudurg recorded 230mm, 210mm, 190mm and 170mm. Several areas in Ratnagiri and Raigad also recorded 100-150mm rain over the past 24 hours. In central Maharashtra, maximum rain was recorded in Kolhapur district with 170mm rain in Gaganbawada. Rain in Marathwada and Vidarbha ranged between 10mm- 50mm between Friday and Saturday. The city and suburbs witnessed drizzling on Saturday evening with both Santacruz and Colaba recording traces of rainfall. Light showers reported from Borivli, Kandivli, Dahisar, Goregaon, and other parts of the northwestern suburbs. Several areas in the MMR, such as Dombivli, Badalpur, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane and Panvel recorded light to moderate showers. Heavy rain was recorded from the evening onwards at Nashik, said IMD officials. Between Saturday night and through the day on Sunday, the city and suburbs can expect light to moderate showers with the possibility of heavy rain and thundershowers at isolated places, the weather bureau said. Masks have become a go-to topic of conversation and debate for many, as Torontonians begin to leave their homes, as businesses in the city begin to re-open. While many see mask-wearing as a must, others feel like they dont need to for a variety of reasons. When I reached out to my social network to open the conversation, many said the same few points: Hardly anyone is wearing one/It wont protect me, it just protects the other people/Im in good health/We keep our distance so dont need it/I can barely breath/Its too hot/I forgot mine. One woman admitted her husband refuses to wear one because he thinks its a conspiracy. One Toronto woman shared a screen grab her boomer father-in-law posted in the families group text, that shares the dangers of face masks, with inaccurate and extreme information. It looked like a meme he grabbed from the internet, with a picture of an alleged doctor in a lab coat next to it, and it said things like: Mask is supposed to be used for a limited time. If you wear it for a long time: Oxygen to the blood reduces. Oxygen to the brain reduces. You start feeling weak. May lead to death. So theres that. So what do you do if youre worried a loved one is not using a mask when social distancing is not possible? Communication and knowing the facts is key. In having conversations with our senior population, the key to eliciting their support of universal masking, is ensuring their freedom of choice, said Jen McNeil, national clinical educator at Amica Senior Lifestyles. She says discussions need to be centred around education. Through education, we are providing our loved ones with the information they need to make choices about their own health and safety, and to understand the responsibility we all share to protect those around us from the spread of COVID-19, McNeil said. In regards to tone, she says openness and collaboration are key. She says when sharing best practice guidelines and recommendations regarding the use of masks, it is also important to have conversations regarding the seniors ability to tolerate wearing a mask. A couple of key considerations include seniors who may have breathing difficulties, or those who may have feelings of anxiety or unease with having a mask on their face, McNeil said. To sum up a key message around universal masking for seniors and all of us: wearing a mask when physical distancing cannot be maintained is a measure you can take to help protect yourself and others, McNeil said. Providing seniors with tips to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in a community setting is very important, McNeil said. The framework of masking is that Covid spreads by droplets. If you cough or speak, droplets come out of your mouth and they land on surfaces, and people may touch them and then put their hands on their face or mouth, and then catch it, Dr. Michael Warner, head of the intensive care unit at the Michael Garron Hospital said. He explained its all about protecting each other for each other. This whole thing is about collectivism so you dont kill them by passing Covid when youre asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic, Warner said. His current Covid patients in the ICU range from 30-70 years old. He says hes more stressed about his risk of getting Covid when hes getting a tank of gas or going to grocery store than he is being in the hospital with patients, because everyone in the hospital is required to wear a mask. Theres nothing more dangerous you can do than going to do a task where you interface in the public. The best you can do is physically distance and wear a non-medical mask or face cover, Warner said. By wearing a mask in public, you protect each other, Warner said. Its a virtuous circle where everyone is protected. You will then protect your grandkids, adult children, spouse and whoever is in your non-distance bubble. Wearing a non-surgical mask is recommended by the Ontario government as an added safety measure, but isnt mandated. Warner says universal masking should be mandated. If everyone wore a mask this would be much better, because in other countries Covid has been nipped in the bud through masking, Warner said. In North America it needs to become socially acceptable. We need to make close encounters with people not wearing a mask the same thing like those who would walk into a store or business smoking a cigarette, Warner said. The way to make this happen is through peer pressure. It has to become part of our culture and thats how you enforce it, Warner said. We cant count on the public healthcare infrastructure to get us through this. We have to save ourselves and this (masking) is a great way for people to control themselves, Warner said. This is a community effort. If everyone wears a mask, we are all protected. If other people dont and you do, it is still better than not wearing one yourself, Warner said. When he does his morning runs, or takes his kids for a walk, he doesnt wear a mask, because he keeps his physical distance and is outdoors. He says if youre just walking around and not in close proximity to people, wearing a mask isnt necessary. Its fine not to wear one when going out of the house and walking on the streets, as long as you maintain your distance. Wearing a mask applies to all people, not just those that are older or have diseases that put them at higher risk, said Dr. Michael Detsky is an ICU doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital. The data on how effective masks are at preventing infections suggest that this will reduce the risk but not eliminate it. People still need to be vigilant about hand washing and physical distancing, Detsky said. People also have to understand that it is not just about living or dying, people who get critically ill and end up on a ventilator are both at high risk to die, and if they survive, at high risk to experience long term complications. These long term complications include difficulty with thinking, post-traumatic stress and persistent weakness, Detsky said. Papua New Guinea parliament repeals death penalty law TikTok starts testing paid subscriptions Israeli fighter jets, refueling planes hold massive drills aimed at Tehran France announces gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions Fountains in Athens' central square illuminated with Armenian tricolor Austria approves Europe's first mandatory COVID-19 vaccination mandate World War II aircraft crashed in India found after 77 years Armenian Parliament Deputy Speaker meets EU delegation Deputy Speaker of Armenian parliament meets Russian Ambassador to Armenia Germany won't pay compensation if Nord Stream 2 doesn't comply with German, EU laws NEWS.am digest: EU special rep. is in Armenia, Roma's Mkhitaryan turns 33 today Child injured in Artsakh car accident taken to Yerevan by Russian peacekeepers' helicopter Taiwanese woman faces death penalty for setting island's deadliest fire Turkey passes law to exempt converted lira deposits from corporate tax Blinken says he discussed Iran nuclear deal with Lavrov Erdogan says Turkey has peaceful relations with Russia like never before New German government wants to attract 400,000 skilled workers from abroad every year Israeli Attorney General orders to investigate police allegations of spyware Blinken: Any Russian invasion of Ukraine will be met with swift response Candidate: Ombudsmans institution is one of few established institutions in Armenia Lavrov summarizes the results of talks with Blinken UN agrees on definition of Holocaust denial Lavrov and Blinken talks kick off in Geneva Australian FM says issue of sending direct military aid to Ukraine is not considered Armenia PM receives EU delegation, need for full operation of Karabakh peace process is stressed Armenia National Assembly debating on new ombudspersons candidacy Katherine Tai: The world can't go back to the 2019 trading system Dollar gains value in Armenia Armenia legislature told hold secret ballot to elect TV and radio commission new members NATO intends to hold largest military exercises beyond Arctic Circle in early March 7 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh 'Zangezur corridor' will unite Turkic world, says Azerbaijan presidential office official Armenia FM highlights need for full resumption of Karabakh peace talks Armenia ex-defense minister: In our time it was shame to immediately turn to CSTO in case of Azerbaijan provocations UN General Assembly head calls for peace during Beijing Olympics Armenia Tourism Committee has new chairperson Russian MFA: Priority today is to start Azerbaijan-Armenia border delimitation, demarcation process Parliament passes, in first reading, bill restricting gambling advertising in Armenia UK considering sending hundreds of additional troops to Ukraine's neighbors Warships of Russia, Iran and China work out counteraction to maritime piracy Armenia first deputy minister of justice dismissed Israeli defense minister tests positive for COVID-19 Karabakh conflict resumption likelihood is moderate, its impact on US interests is low, report says Antonio Guterres thinks Russia will not invade Ukraine Azerbaijan ambassador to Russia hastens to sweeten the sediment of statement by US embassy in Baku IS fighters attack army barracks in mountainous area north of Baghdad, killing 11 soldiers Thomas de Waal: Will Armenia and Turkey be able to normalize relations after 3rd attempt? Armenia Security Council secretary, visiting EU delegation discuss situation on border with Azerbaijan Foreign ministers of Israel and Turkey have talk for 1st time in 13 years Fly Arna shareholders appoint companys Board of Directors 628 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia CSTO chief: Necessary to work on Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation, demarcation FBI search congressman's home in connection with Azerbaijan probe Newspaper: Armenia PM again goes way of black and white Newspaper: Scenario devised after war to be implemented in Artsakh EU Special Representative for South Caucasus arrives in Armenia 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 NIGERIA: A politician in Benue state has donated ropes to the members of his community so that they can tie their goats. Daniel Ukpera, who contested for the Guma State Constituency seat in the 2019 Benue State House of Assembly Election under the platform of Labour Party, donated bundles of ropes to the people of Makurdi LGA in Benue State. After making the donation, he assisted the goat owners to tie their goats then posed for photos with the grateful recipients. Ukpera's donation is reportedly his contribution to the implementation of the Benue State Anti Open Grazing Law. 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 Old Norwich tin of fish donation hits the headlines Old Norwich tin of fish donation hits the headlines A 33-year-old tin of anchovies has hit the headlines after Norwich foodbank volunteers discovered it amongst recent donations to the crisis food charity. The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, came to Missoula on Friday to issue a wide-ranging memorandum that directs the Forest Service to expedite environmental reviews to support active management and increase the productivity of national forests and grasslands. Perdue was joined by Montana Republican gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte and a host of other officials and representatives from various agencies and industries, including the Montana Stockgrowers Association and a timber company. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, sent a statement of support from Washington, D.C. as well. The theme of the day was cutting red tape and reducing regulations. Environmental groups WildEarth Guardians and The Center For Western Priorities criticized the move as an attack on America's environmental safeguards. But Perdue said he was excited about the plan. Under this administration, the Forest Service has sold more timber than we have in the last 22 years and made significant increases in our hazardous fuels treatments and active management of our national forests, Perdue said. While I am proud of our progress to promote active management, reduce hazardous fuels, work across boundaries and increase the resiliency of our nations forests and grasslands, I believe more can be done. Today, I am announcing a blueprint for reforms to provide further relief from burdensome regulations, improve customer service, and boost the productivity of our national forest system. The memo directs Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen and her staff to set time limits on the completion of environmental documents, including categorical exclusions, environmental assessments and environmental impact statements. Perdues memo also directs the Forest Service to streamline policy to ensure environmental reviews focus on analysis that is required by law and regulation. The Forest Service is now directed to streamline processes and identify new opportunities to increase Americas energy dominance and reduce reliance on foreign countries for critical minerals. Perdue's direction says forest managers must also modernize management practices and reduce regulatory burdens to promote active management on Forest Service lands to support and protect rural communities, critical watersheds and species habitat. A provision also states that broadband internet development on Forest Service lands must be expedited to increase connectivity in rural America. The Forest Service must also establish in forest plans that grazing and support for grazing on the National Grasslands is essential for their management within the framework of their governing statues. On national forest lands, the memo states that the permit process for recreational activities needs to be streamlined, and public lands with limited access must be opened to access in cooperation with states, counties and partners where feasible. In the morning, Perdue showcased the Marshall Woods Project, where the Missoula Ranger District has actively managed about 13,000 acres in the Missoula area, including 266 acres of commercial logging on the Marshall Canyon area that preserved many large trees. Perdue said in the morning that hed like to replicate the success of the Marshall Woods Project in other forests across the country. He commended Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier and the county staff along with The Nature Conservancy and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for working together on the project. This is a visual example of what were talking about, well-managed forests versus not-yet-managed forests, he said. Were talking about a forest thats resilient to fire, better for wildlife, better for recreation, better for beauty, hiking and other multiple uses as well as water quality, and all of that makes a huge difference. Missoula District Ranger Jennifer Hensiek said the thinned areas allow firefighters to access places where wildfires start, thus helping control those burns near houses and cities like Missoula. The Montana Stockgrowers Association and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation both support Perdues memorandum, as does Chuck Roady, vice president and general manager of F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber in Columbia Falls. Daines said in a pre-recorded statement that the memo signifies a new era for Americas national forests and the rural communities that surround them. This new plan will ensure that our forests are managed as effectively and efficiently as possible, provide for the health of our forests and our rural economies, he said. We must constantly work to protect our public lands and be vigilant, always vigilant, about ensuring we have the proper active management of our national forests. Daines said the new direction is especially important this year because Montanas fire potential is above average. And as I always say, if we dont manage our forest, our forests will manage us, he said. And finally we must also work to address these long drawn out environmental reviews further encumbered by litigation. Ill continue to work with Perdue on this bipartisan legislation that would provide Forest Service with the tools they need to manage our forests and reduce further frivolous lawsuits. Gianforte said the memo prioritizes increasing public access to public lands and responsibly boosts productivity of forests and grasslands. He and Daines have long been critics of many environmental lawsuits, and Friday was no different. It expedites environmental reviews, a tool too often used to indiscriminately tie up critical forest management projects, Gianforte said. (The) memo will put more needed tools in the toolbox. Using these tools will help us prevent catastrophic fires like the one we saw in 2017, because Montanans want to enjoy forests, not breathe them." Gianforte said the memo's guidelines will improve wildlife habitat and reduce severity of fires. "Expanded grazing opportunities will allow family ranchers, some of whom have been grazing on these lands for generations, to graze more reliably on public lands," he continued. "The expanded stewardship opportunities provide certainty and longevity required to bring back timber jobs and get more timber on trucks. At least one environmental group in Missoula, WildEarth Guardians, slammed the plan. When Secretary Perdue and the Trump administration talk about modernizing the U.S. Forest Service, what they really mean is undermining our nations bedrock environmental laws to facilitate more public lands logging, drilling, mining and grazing with less citizen oversight and less science, said Sarah McMillan, WildEarths conservation director. The Trump administrations so-called Modernization Blueprint is really just a blueprint for more public lands logging, drilling, mining and grazing at the expense of critical wildlife habitat and clean water. According to a New York Times analysis based on research from Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School, the Trump administration has "reversed, revoked or rolled back 60 environmental rules" and another 34 are in progress. Aaron Weiss, the deputy director of the Denver-based public lands watchdog and advocacy group Center for Western Priorities, said Perdue's memo "certainly seems like yet another attack on America's bedrock environmental laws." "We have seen the Trump administration, over the last few weeks in particular, unleash more attempts to undermine laws like NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act)," Weiss said. "And the end of the order, which is the most important part, is an emphasis on categorical exclusions. They are an end-run around environmental reviews, and that is exactly what they are doing here. The only good news is the Trump administration has a terrible record in court. They keep losing every time they try to roll back protections." But Perdue said the memos directions and protecting the environment are not mutually exclusive. Its a matter of moving expeditiously while doing things better in the environmental review, he said. Its not cutting corners environmentally. Its doing things more speedily and getting even the people who want to have advocates in here having their say in a cooperative way and truly good neighborswe want to build this from the ground up. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 9 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. Entire Florida SWAT Team Resigns From Unit Over Political Climate An entire South Florida police SWAT team resigned from the unit earlier this week after citing safety issues and the political climate, according to multiple reports. Officers with the Hallandale Beach Police Department announced the resignation in a letter (pdf) dated June 9 to Police Chief Sonia Quinones, citing many issues for their resignations. The 10 officers who resigned are eight officers and two sergeants. They are only leaving the SWAT unit and will not resign from the police force, and will remain on duty. The risk of carrying out our duties in this capacity is no longer acceptable to us and our families, members of the team said in a lengthy statement. The anguish and stress of knowing that what we may be lawfully called upon to do in todays political climate combined with the teams current situation and several recent local events, leave us in a position that is untenable. As soon as Quinones received the memo Tuesday, she set a meeting on Monday afternoon with the officers, City Manager Greg Chavarria said in a statement, according to news outlets. The chief will hear their concerns and collect their equipment. The City thanks them for their service, the statement, obtained by news outlets. While the voluntary resignation of our officers from this assignment is unfortunate, our residents should be assured it has not had any impact on our commitment to protecting their safety. The officers wrote in the letter the unit is minimally equipped [and] under-trained and had been disrespected by city officials who refused to address equipment and training concerns. Regardless, the team has continued to operate under these conditions with the growing sense of hesitancy. This hesitancy creates officer safety issues that cannot be ignored or overlooked, the unit said. The City Administration has shown a clear disdain for our agency and the team with their lack of willingness to provide adequate budgets to address the above mentioned equipment and training concerns. A police officer stands near a Highlands County Sheriffs SWAT vehicle that is stationed in front of a SunTrust Bank branch in Sebring, Fla. on Jan. 23, 2019. (Chris OMeara/AP Photo) The officers also said they were outraged that command staff had recently joined protesters and other officials in taking a knee as demonstrators called for the case of Howard Bowe to be reopened. This lack of support by members of the Command Staff is crippling to the agency and its rank and file, the memo said. Bowe, 34, was killed in 2014 by Hallandale Beachs SWAT team as it carried out a search warrant and raided his home. The officers wrote that investigators never found that any misconduct had been committed by the officers involved in Bowes death. The case later resulted in a $425,000 settlement between Bowes family and the city. The announcement from the SWAT unit comes as the United States is facing a high level of scrutiny and criticism following the death of George Floyd on May 25 while in the custody of Minneapolis police. On Friday, Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a veto-proof resolution to pursue replacing its police department with a community-led public safety system. In a similar incident earlier this month, a special squad on the Buffalo Police department known as the Emergency Response Team resigned from their special posts. It came after two officers were suspended without pay when they were allegedly seen in a video pushing over a 75-year-old protester, who was hospitalized. The two police officers were charged with assault and both pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault. They were released without bail. The Associated Press contributed to this report. India on Saturday slammed Nepal for adopting a new map that shows three areas that are part of Indian territory, saying Kathmandus action was not based on historical facts and was therefore untenable. Indian foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said that that the move was also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues." The comments came just over an hour after Nepals Lowe House of Parliament passed a constitution amendment bill in a special session on Saturday to update the country's map, which includes stretches of land that India also claims as part of Uttarakhand state. The move by Nepal has exacerbated strains between India and the Himalayan country. We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter," Srivastava said. This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues," he said. Nepals House of Representatives opened the discussion on the amendment bill, which was put for voting after the deliberations were over on Saturday. The bill was passed with the overwhelming vote of 258 members present in the house of 275, news reports said. There were no votes cast against the bill. Now that it has been passed, it will be sent to the Upper house, the National Assembly, where it is set to undergo a similar process. Last month, Nepal's ruling party had cleared the map, drawing a strong reaction from India, which described the move as "unilateral" and not based on historical facts. The map shows three areas that India claims as part of its territory as lying within Nepals borders. These are Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani. In a bid to reach out to Kathmandu ahead of the vote, New Delhi had on Thursday underlined its close cultural, developmental and political ties with the country. But Nepal nevertheless went ahead with Saturdays special session of Parliament to endorse the new map. Nepals move comes at a time when India and China are engaged in a standoff over their border. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Republican/Tea Party/Libertarian Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie said in an interview Thursday that he doesnt believe theres a prevalence of racism among police and added that he hasnt seen an articulate person among the millions of people protesting for Black Lives Matter and against police brutality across the United States. During The Tom Roten Morning Show, broadcast out of West Virginia Massie said I dont think its prevalent, adding that he thinks police have a few bad apples here and there with the vast majority of them being patriotic, pro-Second Amendment and pro-Constitution. Occasionally you have a few bad apples, and then the media tries to conflate those circumstances and those actors with every policeman and I think thats wrong, Massie said. Continuing Massie then went on to attack the Americans protesting against rampant police brutality in America against people of color. What we do need nationally is to relook at our educational system. A lot of them (the protestors) are just violent looters, and lawless criminals at this point because they are engaging in violence. Most of them are young and I just wonder, who are their parents and what did they teach them? And how did they get educated to believe that this is an appropriate response? Contrast it to, you know, what Martin Luther King Jr. did. You know, isnt there an articulate person among the group who are upset with the way things are going that could step up to the microphone and speak for all the people? Im not seeing that person. Newsweek Massie, a Pro-Life. Pro 2nd Amendment. Pro-Trump self proclaimed Libertarian who runs on the Republican ticket for Kentuckys 4th congressional district is up for re-election in 2020. During his tenure Massie has voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and co-sponsored the republican anti-gay State Marriage Defense Act Grammy Award Winners like Ricky Kej, Lonnie Park,Dominic Dcruzperform songs composed for children, with catchy tunes and simple words on the environment protection and sustainability. French mass media conglomerate Vivendi presents an exclusive concert directed towards children highlighting issues of the world through soulful yet fun, catchy and positive music. Vivendi brings forth this event in support of UNICEF and other International Bodies like WWF, UN Climate Change, Earth Day Org, 50 Years Earth Day 2020. The songs that will be featured in this concert have been composed based on the 17 Sustainable Goals set by the United Nations and are aimed at enlightening and instilling social responsibility through music in the impressionable minds of young audience aged between 5-11yrs. The concert will, in an interesting manner underline issues like poverty, hunger, sanitation, gender equality, conserving life on land and below water, etc. to awaken a sense of concern amongst kids so that they are cautious about their actions from the early stages of their lives. Then event is officially supported by 5 other International Bodies like WWF, UN Climate Change, Earth Day Org, 50 Years Earth Day 2020 Vivendi and all its associates are reaching out to their network through various countries to amplify this event best across the globe. UNICEF will send official letters to all the major schools in the world notifying and urging them to have their students watch this concert. In India, the event will be streamed on social media and TV. Furthermore, even MacMillian Books is sending a note to all the schools advocating the concert and its cause. Overall My Earth Concert for Kids will be live streamed and broadcast on June 21 at 4.30 p.m. (Paris time)/10.30 a.m. (EST) on www.MyEarthSongs.com, www.dailymotion.com/rickykej, on multiple Facebook and Instagram pages (incl. UNICEF, UNCCD, Ricky Kej) as well as on YouTube. Grammy Winner and environmentalist Ricky Kej has been instrumental in setting up this concert to be held digitally on 21st June 2020 at 8pm for kids across the world. Kej alongside five other reputed Grammy award winners from across the world created 'My Earth Songs' highlighting the needs of the planet and the action we, the people of the planet, need to take to correct the imbalances and ensure a clean, green planet for future generations. There are 27 songs in all which are based on improving Environment & Sustainability. With simple lyrics and captivating tunes, the songs are meant for kids but will appeal to people of all ages. In creating this concert, Vivendi only envisaged one thing - to work in tandem with schools and incorporate these songs in the global education system to mend the future of the earth. While it is not very easy for adults to change ill habits in a fast-paced world full of challenges, we can certainly start correcting and refining the future of generations by implanting good practices and creating awareness early on so that kids can carry them along for their entire lives. The concert is taking place on World Music Day, 21st June 8pm live on myearthsongs.com BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese government spokesperson on Friday denounced the U.S. restrictions on Chinese students, saying that China "firmly opposes politicizing and stigmatizing the normal exchanges of international students." The spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said the restrictive measures taken by the United States contradicted what its leaders had said on many public occasions that Chinese students are welcomed in the United States. China urges the United States to return to rational thinking, respect public opinions and do things that are conducive to mutual exchanges and understanding between the two peoples, said the spokesperson. "We will continue to support exchange of students between China and the United States and welcome students from other countries, the United States included, to study in China," the spokesperson said. Deputy executive health officer Dr Daksha Shah, however, clarified that they have started the recruitment procedure. Mumbai: The financial capital of the country, is facing a whopping 30 per cent staff crunch of ward boys and nurses in civic-run hospitals, stated health experts. As the city grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, ground-level officers to medicos from the health department of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are struggling to keep up the pace with the mounting positive cases. As per the experts, more than 50 per cent vacancies have reportedly not been filled even two months after the virus outbreak, adding the burden on existing staff members. A medico working with the civic-run KEM hospital said, We are working under tremendous pressure with staff crunch. Despite many requests being made, the authorities are not paying heed to our genuine problems. He also said that this is proving to be a cause of concern in some places, since the doctors in charge of flu patients are also made to cater to patients with other conditions, including expecting mothers getting admitted for deliveries in hospitals that were originally maternity homes. While authorities have started the recruitment process, the positions are filled up only temporarily as permanent appointments would require the approval of the civic body. As a result, the small-tenure openings have attracted very few doctors to apply for the positions. At least 500-600 patients walk in daily in the outpatient department (OPD) of civic hospitals in town. As most hospitals fall in the red zone, some patients have also turned out to be suspects, who are being sent for further testing. We are facing a staff crunch for the past six months. A few doctors who did get posted here were shifted to other clinics within days. Since the virus outbreak, I am the only doctor allotted for all the check-ups. We dont have pharmacists either and the nurses have been sent for contact tracing and other duties. I am on duty almost 24/7, said Dr Kiran from civic-run Sion Hospital. Deputy executive health officer Dr Daksha Shah clarified that they have started the recruitment procedure. We have asked the private practitioners to barge in and assist us for the time being till the vacancies are filled up. Last week I received a survey in the mail from the National Republican Congressional Committee. Some of the questions in the survey were reasonable, such as, Did you support the Trump Administrations decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem? But I was surprised by some of the other questions asked. For example: in Section 4: Socialism in America, the first question is: Do you think we should stop the Socialist Green New Deal, which will ban airline travel, forbid air conditioning, and force people to walk to work? Heres the second question from Section 5: Immigration and Border Security: Do you think we should hold Communist China accountable for unleashing the coronavirus on the world and wrecking our economy? In Section 6: Constitutional questions, the second question is: Do you oppose the Democrat-supported Born Alive Abortions legislation that would make infanticide legal in America? I hope I dont have to point out that these questions are beyond absurd, and seem designed to spread misinformation if not outright lies. No one should vote Republican because they believe that the Democrats will force you to walk to work, or Democrats want infanticide to be legal in America or China deliberately unleashed the coronavirus pandemic." And no one should vote Democratic because they believe that Republicans support chopping up immigrants and using them as pizza toppings --because that is not true. The point is: Inflammatory speech aimed at garnering financial support and votes at the expense of truth is wrong no matter who is doing it. We all need to work together to understand the issues and form opinions based on facts. I sent a version of this letter to my U.S. representative Scott Perry, since the survey was designed and put out by Republicans in the House of Representatives. Barbara Corson, Dauphin, Pa. The Delhi government, which last week made its testing guidelines tighter than those mandated by the Indian Council of Medical Research, blamed, on Saturday, the latter for coming in the way of efforts to increase the Capitals Covid-19 testing rate. The ICMR guidelines act as a roadblock in increasing the testing rate. AAP [Aam Aadmi Party] has requested the union to do away with the cap on testing for accurate detection of Corona positive cases in the city, read a tweet from the partys official Twitter handle. A photograph along with the tweet read, Why do we need ICMR guidelines to restrict testing? Why should there be any kind of government control on testing? Covid test should be done just like any other test Sugar, Malaria, Typhoid. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain, in a video address on Saturday, said, The ICMR guidelines need to be altered for testing to increase. Right now, testing can be done as per the ICMR guidelines only in Delhi and across the country. And the guidelines clearly mention who should be tested and who should not be tested. Testing can be opened for all if the ICMR guidelines allow. On the flip side, the number of people opting to get tested will shoot up. An ICMR official clarified that states are free to tweak their own guidelines for Covid-19 testing depending on their local requirements, provided there is no drastic shift from the guiding policy. The Delhi government modified its testing criteria on June 2, to make it more restrictive than ICMR guidelines allow. It excluded asymptomatic contacts of a positive patient if they werent old or did not have known co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. This was overturned by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal in his capacity as the chairperson of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on June 8. To be sure, Delhi has one of the highest Covid-19 testing rates in the country. The health minister also said the government is yet to take a decision on whether prices for Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals should be capped, although Hindustan Times learns that it is working in that direction as indeed a few other states have done. The government , in an order on June 4, asked private hospitals treating Covid-19 patients to provide a list of their charges for various facilities. All hospitals have been asked to share the rates they are charging for Covid-19 treatment. We will decide what to do after observing the rates of every hospital, Jain said on Saturday. The Delhi high court on Friday refused to issue directions on a plea that sought to prevent overcharging by private hospitals and refusal of treatment due to lack of funds. Commenting on the discrepancy in the number of Covid-19 deaths in the state , with the Delhi governments daily health bulletin giving one number and the city-states three municipal corporations, another , Jain said, If the MCDs have the details of the casualties, it should send it to the Delhi government rather than sending it out to the media. All deaths are counted as per the reports received from all the hospitals. The work of the death audit committee is not to fabricate the data of deaths. As and when they receive the death count, they are reported and released. There may be a delay in obtaining the data, but there is no delay in the committees part in releasing it. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Even when protections are on the books, they often fail in practice to protect tenants who must fight eviction proceedings in court. Because evictions arent a criminal matter, tenants arent guaranteed a right to counsel in most states. While 90 percent of landlords in eviction lawsuits have counsel, only 10 percent of tenants do a particularly worrying imbalance as tenants try to navigate the maze of their temporary rights, some of which they may not even be aware of. This is to say nothing of informal or illegal evictions, which are still occurring around the country, thanks in part to weak enforcement of moratoriums. Thailands navy insisted Friday that its ships have not located a boat carrying hundreds of Rohingya refugees after Malaysias coast guard chief claimed it was in Thai waters and had been blocked from entering Malaysian territory many times. Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, called on the two neighboring countries to rescue the Rohingya who were reported to be at sea off Koh Adang, a Thai island near the Malaysia border, and provide them with access to asylum. The Navy only heard about Rohingya boats in territorial waters from news reports. Malaysia did not contact us over the boats presence there, Royal Thai Navy Spokesman Rear Adm. Prachachart Sirisawat told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, on Friday. We asked our patrol units, but we didnt find any Rohingya boats. We patrol our territory regularly, he said. If any Rohingya boats were spotted, he said the navy would give them humanitarian assistance, such as providing them with food, fuel, and water. The Navy must give basic assistance to anyone having trouble at sea, it is a universal principle. But wherever they want to go, they can, Prachachart said. On Monday, Malaysias coast guard, the Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), towed a disabled boat carrying 269 Rohingya to shore on Langkawi Island, and has since detained them there, Malaysian officials said. Two days later, MMEA chief Mohd Zubil Mat Som told BenarNews that the boat in Langkawi was one of two that sailed from Coxs Bazar in Bangladesh in February. Both boats were at sea for four months and had been supplied with food and fuel by human trafficking syndicates from Myanmar and Thailand, he said. The second boat, with about 300 people aboard, was in waters off Koh Adang, he told BenarNews on Wednesday. That boat had made many attempts to enter Malaysian waters previously but failed because it was detected by our patrols, Mohd Zubil said at the time. On Friday, the coast guard chief replied no comment when BenarNews contacted him again for clarification of his earlier remarks about the second boat. Malaysian officials towed the first Rohingya boat to shore after discovering that its crew, who reportedly fled from the boat, had damaged the engine. Previously, Malaysian authorities had redirected boats to international waters, not allowing them to land after Malaysia had sealed its borders to unauthorized ships due to concerns around containing the coronavirus pandemic. Bangladesh, from where the boats reportedly departed, hosts about 1 million Rohingya who had fled from Rakhine state in Myanmar at refugee camps in and around Coxs Bazar district. Many of the Rohingya fled to Bangladesh following a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine state in August 2017. After Malaysian officials said they intended to send the 269 Rohingya who had arrived in Langkawi back to Coxs Bazar, Bangladeshs top diplomat pushed backed, saying his government would refuse to take them in. Rohingyas are the citizens of Myanmar and Malaysia should send the Rohingyas to Myanmar instead of Bangladesh. Otherwise, they (Malaysia) can keep Rohingyas in their own country, Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen told BenarNews. Rohingya are members of a stateless minority group in Myanmar. Boats turned away In a statement issued Friday, Human Rights Watch urged Malaysia and Thailand to locate the second Rohingya boat and give shelter to the people on board. Malaysia and Thailand should urgently rescue Rohingya refugees stranded at sea and provide them with assistance and access to asylum, the New York-based global watchdog group said. Brad Adams, HRWs Asia director, said Southeast Asian governments were callously passing the buck on protecting Rohingya refugees desperate for sanctuary and a future after Myanmars military drove them from their homes with mass atrocities. While Myanmar remains ultimately responsible for the Rohingya refugees plight, Malaysia and Thailand should stop wearing blinders about the immediate risks and suffering that they face at sea, he said. HRW also called on the two nations to take a responsible approach regarding the refugees. Under international law, public health measures must be proportionate, nondiscriminatory, and based on available scientific evidence. Subjecting those who arrive to a period of isolation or quarantine may be reasonable. But the pandemic does not justify a blanket policy of turning away boats in distress, risking the right to life of those on board, Human Rights Watch said. The boat that arrived in Langkawi on June 8 was the first carrying Rohingya to land in Malaysia since April 5 when one carrying 202 Rohingya, who were turned over to immigration authorities, also landed at the island. Malaysian authorities have prevented more than 20 boats from entering the country illegally since May 1, according to Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Malaysias pushback policy also violates international obligations to provide access to asylum and not to return anyone to a place where they would face a risk of torture or other ill-treatment, HRW said. All countries, including Malaysia and Thailand, have the responsibility to respond to boats in distress, enact or coordinate rescue operations, and ensure timely disembarkation in a safe port. In Geneva on Friday, an official with the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) did not immediately respond to a BenarNews request for comment on the status of a second Rohingya boat. On Wednesday, UNHCR officials in Malaysia said they were still trying to contact the Rohingya who were being held at a detention camp on Langkawi. UNHCR has sought immediate access to this group of arrivals in order to assess their protection needs and has offered to support, together with its partners, the Government of Malaysia by providing immediate humanitarian assistance and protection services in line with international standards, an official said at the time. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-afiliated news service. Iran questions validity of UN chief's report IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, June 12, IRNA -- Permanent Mission of Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, New York, rejected the UN secretary general's report on the implementation of the Security Council resolution 2231 as flawed and inaccurate. In a Press Release on Friday, the mission said that the UN Secretariat lacks the capacity, expertise, and knowledge to conduct such a sophisticated and sensitive investigation. Full text of the press release reads as follows: Unfortunately, there are a number of serious flaws, inaccuracies and discrepancies in the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of the Security Council resolution 2231, related to the so-called Iranian connection to the export of weapons or their components that are used in attacks on Saudi Arabia. In this context, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran wishes to state the following: * The UN Secretariat lacks the capacity, expertise, and knowledge to conduct such a sophisticated and sensitive investigation. * Some of the alleged seized arms which have been examined were found not to conform to the ones manufactured by Iran. * Iran categorically rejects the observations contained in the Report concerning the Iranian connection to the export of weapons or their components that are used in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the Iranian origin of alleged US seizures of armaments. * The Report has based its findings on the alleged seizures of arms by the United States as well as the attacks on Saudi Arabia, reproducing the exact claims made by the United States. In essence, the US is sitting in the driver's seat to shape the so-called "assessment" regarding the Iranian connection to the attacks. Conclusion of such baseless allegations is not surprising because the US and its allies have a long history of disinformation and Iran-bashing. * In an extremely unprofessional conduct, only some images such as media pictures of military exhibitions have been used to verify and conclude about the alleged similarities of some items. Resorting to such methods of attribution seriously undermines the credibility of the Report. * The reliance on unsubstantiated and vague wordings such as "reportedly recovered", "highly likely made", "similarity" and "may have been transferred" in the Report, to make allegations against Iran, once again calls into question the validity of the findings. * In the absence of solid and reliable technical information which is vital to conduct a professional review of highly sophisticated technical items, one cannot but consider the allegations against Iran as politically-motivated. * While the "Iranian origin" of the arms mentioned in the Report is a fallacy, the origin of sophisticated weaponry being poured into our region by the US and its allies killing and maiming innocent people is quite obvious. 8072**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned the killing of George Floyd by a police officer and also criticised US President Donald Trump for posing with a 'Bible'. According to reports, Rouhani during a televised speech said that Iran stands with all those peacefully protesting the brutal killing of George Floyd by a white police officer and also slammed Trump for clearing demonstrators with chemical agents from outside the White House so he could pose for a picture with the Bible. Read: Iran's Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Claims Floyd's Death Shows 'US Nature' Experts suggest that Iran's response to the protests taking place in the United States is retaliation to Washington's condemnation of a nationwide demonstration that took place in the Islamic Republic last year, where hundreds of protesters were killed by the Revolutionary Guard and thousands of others were injured. Tensions between Iran and the US are at an all-time high with the latter unilaterally withdrawing from the nuclear deal last year, drawing criticism from all over the world. Read: Iran's FM: Scientist Held In US Freed, Now On His Way Back Violent protests in US The United States is currently rattled by protests that erupted across the country over the killing of an African-American man George Floyd by a Caucasian police officer who allegedly choked him to death by pinning him on the ground with his knee. Several states have imposed a curfew and called in the National Guard to take control of the situation. Looting and vandalising continued in several cities with luxury stores and other properties destroyed and some burnt to ashes. Read: Iran Says 230 Killed In November Protests Against Fuel Price Hike: Report Read: Iran Risks Second COVID-19 Wave If People Ignore Restrictions, Warns Health Minister (Image Credit: AP) A mutated strain of coronavirus that has decimated the US, UK and Italy is nearly 10 times more infectious than the original virus that emerged from China, a study suggests. The potent version of SARS-CoV-2 - called D614G - has four to five times more 'spikes' that protrude from the viral surface allow it to latch onto human cells. Not only does this trait make it more infectious, but it also makes the virus more stable and resilient. Scientists have been puzzled about why coronavirus has seemed to hit some states and countries harder than others. Previous research had highlighted that the potent D614G strain was circulating in high numbers in Italy, the UK and New York City - where infection and death rates are among the worst in the world. Now, a study by scientists at Scripps Research has confirmed that the mutated coronavirus latches onto receptors more easily than other strains. Although the research only looked at D614G in tightly controlled laboratory settings, experts told DailyMail.com it's 'plausible' the strain's viral structure makes it more infectious in people. Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading in England, said: 'Yes it is plausible. The work is good quality and it would mean that the virus could successfully infect at a lower dose and so spread more widely.' Coronavirus's 'spike' protein (pictured) has two components (shown in purple and green). Being comprised of two parts makes it 'unstable' and fragile, but a new mutation makes it more stable by making the whole spike more 'flexible' and infectious, a Scripps Research study says Plagued by the mutated strain of coronavirus, cases surged in New York which quickly became the global epicenter of the pandemic Researchers there isolated various strains of coronavirus that have been identified by their genetic signatures around the world. They then put each into a sort microscopic cage match, testing how aggressively the respective strains attacked human cells in petri dishes. One strain was the clear winner - the iteration of the virus with the mutated gene that gave it more 'spike' proteins. 'Viruses with this mutation were much more infectious than those without the mutation in the cell culture system we used,' said virologist Dr Hyeryun Choe, PhD, senior author of the study. The 'spike' is a protein on the surface of the coronavirus - known as SARS-CoV-2 - that allows it to latch onto receptors on human cells' surfaces. Specifically, it binds to ACE2 receptors, which are prevalent on the surface of lung cells as well as blood vessels - making these systems prime targets for coronavirus. The more spikes it has, the more opportunities the virus has to stick to a human cell, and hijack its machinery to make more of itself. And the mutant strain that's spread in the US, Italy and Britain has them in spades. The potent strain of coronavirus also hit Europe, taking a particularly strong hold in Italy, before spreading to the US (light blue) 'The number - or density - of functional spikes on the virus is 4 or 5 times greater due to this mutation,' said Dr Choe. Not only did it have more spikes, it had particularly well-adapted ones. Its protein spike was flexible rather than rigid. That gives it the same advantage that modern suspensions bridges have. Swaying and jostling might bend it - but it won't break. And the longer and more stabley it can hang onto receptors, the better the opportunity for viral particles to march into the human cell and take it over, without the virus falling to pieces. 'Our data are very clear, the virus becomes much more stable with the mutation,' Dr Choe said. That mutation belongs to a strain of coronavirus known as D614G. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico said in March that the mutant strain started spreading in early February in Europe. It has since made its way to the US, where it became the most common - and aggressive - strain on the East Coast by March, and the scientists there said it's now the world-dominating strain. Researchers mapped the mutation in the spike protein (shown in green) that allows it to be more flexible and infectious When scientists first reported Spike D614G in March, it had only appeared seven times in the sequences uploaded to an international database. Meanwhile, a less potent strain spread from China to Washington state and California, so that the US was bombarded by two different attacks, of different strengths. 'However, an early April sampling of the data from GISAID showed that G614s frequency was increasing at an alarming pace throughout March, and it was clearly showing an ever-broadening geographic spread,' the researchers wrote in their report published online on April 30. It would seem that at some point, the G614 mutation and another, D614 mutation, merged to become the D614G mutation. Together they've become dominant, and more infectious through several modes. That previous work, coupled with the new study all but debunks the 'founder effect' theory, which suggests that coronavirus is not very genetically diverse and came from just a few seeds, the Scripps team says. 'There have been at least a dozen scientific papers talking about the predominance of this mutation,' co-author Dr Michael Farzan says. 'Are we just seeing a "founder effect?" 'Our data nails it. It is not the founder effect.' With the State Bank of India moving the National Company Law Tribunals Delhi bench to enforce the personal guarantees of Ambani, it will delay the recovery of dues by the Chinese banks which won a UK court order in May this year. IMAGE: Industrialist Anil D Ambani. Photograph: Reuters. Chinese banks which are planning to move Indian courts to enforce a $717 million payment ordered by UK courts from Anil Ambani, are facing an additional legal hurdle, with the State Bank of India moving the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Delhi bench to enforce personal guarantees of Ambani. SBIs move comes after almost two years of Reliance Communications being sent to the NCLT for recovery of dues by Indian creditors. Corporate lawyers said the latest move by SBI will delay the recovery of dues by the Chinese banks which won a UK court order in May this year. The Chinese banks had invoked personal guarantees given by Ambani to avail of foreign loans by RCom but Ambani had refused to pay the money arguing he never gave any personal guarantees. Both SBI and the Chinese banks will have a tough time recovering funds from Ambani, considering that he has already submitted to the British court that his net worth is zero. Most of the stake held by Ambani in his Indian companies are already pledged with banks. With SBI now litigating on the personal guarantee issue of Ambani, there will be lots of litigation awaiting the Chinese banks and they will have to wait longer, said a Mumbai-based lawyer. State Bank of India has close to Rs 15,000 crore of exposure in the three Reliance Communications group companies, and is not receiving any dues from the Ambani companies after it agreed to sign a standstill agreement in June 2017. When contacted, a spokesperson of Anil Ambani said: "The matter relates to a corporate loan availed by Reliance Communications Limited (RCom) and Reliance Infratel Limited (RITL) and is not a personal loan of Ambani." RCom and RITL resolution plans were approved by 100 per cent of their lenders in March this year and these plans are awaiting the approval of NCLT, Mumbai. Ambani will file suitable replies, and the NCLT has not given any relief to the petitioner," the spokesperson said. As per the UK court order, the final amount owed under the alleged guarantee will be assessed based on the outcome of the RCom resolution plan filed before NCLT, Mumbai, the ADA officials had said earlier when Chinese banks had won the order in May. The company had to shut down its business operations as a result of high debt and a failed merger with Aircel. RCom has been admitted to NCLT. Reliance Industries and UV ARC have emerged as the preferred bidder for RCom companies. UV ARC won the race to acquire RCom and its subsidiary, Reliance Telecom Infrastructure Ltd. At the same time, RIL won the race for Reliance Infratel for a total consideration of around Rs 23,000 crore (out of this total consideration Reliance Jio will pay Rs 4,700 crore) to be payable over the next seven years. The Supreme Court has directed a committee to examine various aspects including viability of construction of a high-rise housing complex by a private real estate firm adjacent to the Delhi University campus. A bench comprising Justices R Banumathi, Indu Malhotra and Aniruddha Bose refused to interfere with the order of NGT restraining the real estate developer from any activity. Applying the Precautionary Principle of environmental law, the NGT on January 8 had directed Young Builders (P) Ltd in north Delhi that no construction activity should be carried out. It had also formed a joint committee comprising representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests and IIT Delhi to evaluate the project. The builder then challenged the order in the apex court, which set aside the order. Later, the green panel once again restrained the real estate developer from any activity The apex court has now directed the committee to examine various aspects including the viability of the project without being influenced by any of the opinions expressed by the NGT. The top court granted liberty to University of Delhi and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to file their respective representation along with requisite documents before the committee within two weeks. The committee, before it starts its first deliberation, shall afford an opportunity of preliminary hearing to the appellant, University of Delhi and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, it said. The committee shall complete the deliberation and submit its final report within two months from the date of the representation being filed by the appellant and University of Delhi and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. The Member Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board, shall coordinate and take necessary steps for convening the meeting of the Committee. The meeting of the Committee shall be conducted by virtual hearing, or video conferencing, and afford an opportunity of hearing to the representatives of the parties, the bench said. The apex court further said that after submission of the final report by the committee, the varsity and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation are at liberty to raise all the contentions before the National Green Tribunal. Senior advocate Shyam Diwan, appearing for the petitioner Young Builders, argued that National Green Tribunal was not justified in constituting a committee. Senior advocate K V Vishwanathan and advocate Sanjay Upadhyay, appearing for Delhi University, said the builder has obtained a fresh clearance and NGT has rightly constituted the committee to examine the various aspects. The apex court was hearing an appeal by Young Builders against NGT January 8 order. The tribunal had passed the order on a plea by Delhi University challenging the environmental clearance granted to a housing project by Young Builders (P) Ltd in North Delhi. The plea challenged the order of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority granting Environmental Clearance (EC) for the housing complex located at 1 and 3, Cavalry Lane and 4, Chhatra Marg at Civil Lines here. It said EC could be granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and not by SEIAA as the project is within 10 km from Critically Polluted Area, notified by CPCB. DU said the permission sought by Young Builders Private Limited for construction of a group housing society in the University enclave was violative of the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 and was against the larger public interest, given the fact that the project site in question and its vicinity are within the North Campus of the University and that it contains various historical and archaeological buildings. When you and I travel, its simply to explore and return with souvenirs and memories for ourselves. When chefs travel, their souvenirs tend to be shared with the rest of us. Because the savour of a new dish tends to stimulate the chefs creative mind. Next thing you know, its on a menu somewhere. Meet nine chefs whose wanderings around the world expanded their menus. Man of the world Joan Roca Dish: Eat The World at El Cellar de Can Roca, Girona, Spain When: Over the years Inspired from: Japan (fermented soya takoyaki), Thailand (coconut tartlet with green curry chicken and cashew nuts), Korea (kimchi with pork jowl cooked with soya), Peru (causa limena with potato, rocoto, black olives, pepper and avocado), Turkey (lamb stew with sumac, cucumber, yoghurt and mint) Travel memory: When I travel, I love visiting streets and markets to understand how people eat and submerge myself into the culture of each place. Local markets make me realise how little I know about the richness of ingredients all around the world. Listening to everything said by the locals and going outside my comfort zone of knowledge evolves to inspiration for me. This particular dish has finger-food creations that allow us to share with our guests our last journeys. We invite customers to taste and guess each of the countries in the dish that represents a walk around the globe. Going local Chef Garima Arora arrived early in Manilla to explore the local cuisine; (Inset) She picked up the dish of kinilaw from Philipines Garima Arora Dish: Kinilaw with Koji Bread at Gaa, Bangkok When: September, 2019 Inspired from: Manila, Philippines Travel memory: I hadnt been to the Philippines in some time, so when we were invited to cook in Manila, we decided to arrive a few days ahead of our pop up to explore the markets and the local cuisine. Our morning started with a visit to the farmers market owned by chef Margaritas family. She showed us local ingredients like talangka (crab fat) and a variety of vinegars. She also introduced us to a dish called kinilaw, a Philippines ceviche. In the middle of the market, chef Margarita whipped up a salad of the freshest crab meat and coconut milk wed ever had, tossed with palm vinegar and fresh chillies. We loved it so much that for our pop up in Manila, we made a salad of talangka kinilaw and served it on khakra flat bread. Back home during the festive season at Gaa in December 2019, we featured the kinilaw on our special menu. This time we created a dish of our own: crab kinilaw paired with koji bread. On a taste trek Trekking Rwanda reminded chef Suvir Saran of Kerala and sowed the germ of the idea for a (inset) mutton ghee roast Suvir Saran Dish: Kerala Mutton Ghee Roast at The House of Celeste, Gurgaon When: July, 2019 Inspired from: Rwanda, East Africa Travel memory: I was trekking through the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Something about the terrain, the richness of the colours and textures of Rwanda, the gently rolling land, the cleanliness and the ease with which the people spoke English, all reminded me of Kerala. While trekking, my mind took me through making that ghee roast with a topping of poached egg, perfectly runny inside, but gently fried with a Parmigiano-Panko crust. It went on the menu at The House of Celeste at 32nd Avenue in Gurgaon as Kerala Mutton Ghee Roast. Lessons from the masters Cooking with chefs in a resort in French Riviera inspired Kunal Kapur to introduce Kerala spiced duck tarts (inset) Kunal Kapur Dish: Kerala Duck Tarts, Raspberry Chutney, Coconut Snow When: June, 2019 Inspired from: Nice, France Travel memory: My trip was not only a gastronomical delight but a unique opportunity to cook with chefs Massimo Bottura, Tom Colicchio and Graham Elliot. We were to cook together for 100 people at a resort in the French Riviera. In one of our conversations, chef Bottura talked about aged meats. Eating dry, aged meats was not new to me but I had never used them in Indian food. I started with dry aged duck. After 10 days of dry aging the duck, I slow-cooked it in its own fat with some Tellicherry pepper from Kerala and gamthi variety of curry leaves. After cooking the duck, I pulled it and tossed it in Kerala masala, then paired it with fresh raspberry chutney placed in a tart with some homemade gunpowder. Mouthful of Mexico From his trip to Mexico City chef Manish Mehrotra picked up the himachi ceviche and recreated it as (inset) Tadka Himachi at Indian Accent Manish Mehrotra Dish: Tadka Hamachi, Avocado, Calcutta chutney at Indian Accent When: November, 2019 Inspired from: Mexico City Travel memory: On a trip to Mexico City, I realised I have only dented the surface of this multicultural citys implausible cuisine. I was invited to cook for a cinema-themed event called Millesime Mexico along with chefs from around the world. We bonded well and tried a lot of local food, running the gamut from tamales to various kinds of tacos, pulque (a fermented drink from the agave plant), churros, chocolates, horchata and a lot of sea food. The himachi ceviche caught my tastebuds its Mexicos preferred fruit layered like rose petals, and topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of serrano chilli and a mist of lime. This speciality revels the sublimity of fresh, local ingredients prepared without extravagant intervention. Inspired, I created a Tadka Himachi to suit the Indian palate. Desert king Chef Akira Back ate Kabsa (inset) at an associates home in Riyadh and included it in his restaurant menu Akira Back Dish: Kabsa at AB Steak When: January, 2020 Inspired from: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Travel memory: Saudi Arabia is rich with history, culture and cuisine. I was fortunate to eat at many different restaurants with different flavours and tastes from around the world. However, the meal that stood out was served at my associates home. The dish is called Kabsa, which is mixed rice and meat. The meat in our Kabsa that day was lamb, prepared in a style called mandi. This is an ancient technique where the meat is barbecued in a hole in the ground and covered as the meat cooks. The juices from the meat dripped over the rice, blending all the flavours together. I have created a similar item for my AB Steak restaurant menu. Takaway from Down Under Prateek Sadhus trip to Byron Bay, Australia, resulted in a taco-inspired (inset) rice pancake with a Kashmiri twist Prateek Sadhu Dish: Rice Pancake, Jackfruit When: Mid-April, 2019 Inspired from: Byron Bay, Australia Travel from: Palisa Andersons 107-acre Boon Luck farm in Byron Bay, Australia, is dedicated to growing delicious heirloom ranges of tropical fruits, Asian and local vegetables and herbs of all kinds. She made me try a Thai Taco that she had made for her kids. I came back inspired. We introduced a Kashmiri dish like a taco but make your own style. The taco was a rice pancake called tzir chot, a kind of cheela made with rice flour, cumin and a touch of green chillies. It gets its name from the hissing sound the batter makes when it hits the skillet. I borrowed my mothers recipe. The czot here is served with jackfruit cooked with fennel and Kashmiri chillies. It comes with three dips: walnut and yoghurt, with dehydrated mint powder; radish; and lastly, kidney beans with mustard oil. From Israel, with love A trip to Tel Aviv inspired chef Tanvir Kwatra to come up with different versions of (inset) hummus Tanveer Kwatra Dish: Dips at Andaz, Delhi When: June, 2016 Inspired from: Tel Aviv, Israel Travel memory: Israel is one of my favourite countries in terms of food. I remember walking through the lanes of Carmel Market and spotting Humus Hacarmel, a former synagogue turned restaurant. On the menu are three kinds of hummus: hummus, hummus fol and masabacha, all divine. Masabacha is a warm plate of hummus topped with a spoon of tahina, a spoonful of chickpeas, chopped onion, chopped pickle and a dollop of spicy relish with a sprinkle of paprika, cumin and a generous drizzle of olive oil. I interacted with the owner and spoke about hummus at length. The hummus here is prepared with a mix of chickpeas and fava beans. After this, I improvised and made a couple of versions. A Malaysian makeover From his frequent Malaysia trips chef Vinesh Johny came up with the recipe of (inset) Pandan & Coconut Ogura Tea Cake Vinesh Johny Dish: Pandan and Coconut Ogura Tea Cake at Lavonne Cafe, Bengaluru When: January, 2020 Inspired from: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Travel memory: I travel frequently to Malaysia. The food scene here is absolutely phenomenal and constantly evolving. One of the ingredients there that intrigued me was pandan leaf. I remember watching my wife Joonies aunt tie the leaf into a knot and drop it into the rice cooker. The resulting rice was delicately-flavoured and with the mild, sweet and nutty aroma of the pandan. I was absolutely inspired. So the next day, with some help from Joonies Aunt Sayee, we decided to make a Pandan & Coconut Ogura Tea Cake. The air was filled with the aroma of gorgeous pandan, while the cake was absolutely light and fluffy. I havent yet introduced this cake at the Lavonne Cafe, but it will go on the new menu soon. Assurity Solutions is here to help protect your online services Tampa, Florida, USA, June 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Did you know that one in five small businesses are affected by some sort of cyber breach every year? What about that 81 percent of cyberattacks target small and medium-sized companies? How about that 97 percent of all cybersecurity breaches could have been prevented with modern technology and a plan of attack? If you would rather protect your business than become another statistic, Assurity Solutions provides the comprehensive Information Technology (IT) services you need for peace of mind. The experts at Assurity Solutions have over 30 years of practical IT experience, enabling them to answer any questions you may have regarding VOIP communications, managed printers, network security, system security, disaster planning, and more. Better yet, the company is dedicated to providing individualized attention to every client so you never need to worry about getting lost in the shuffle. Put another way, the company will always know who you are when you call for assistance. If you've thought about outsourcing your IT needs before but never managed to pull the trigger, you should know that Assurity Solutions makes the process as convenient as possible. Everything starts with a free, no-obligation IT consultation that can help you identify gaps in your existing system and opportunities to fix them. If you decide to move forward, your knowledgeable IT expert will design a project plan with clearly-defined timelines and milestones so that you always know exactly what you are paying for. Some other companies promise you everything without putting anything in writing, leaving the actual services you receive up to chance. For example, how would your company be affected if you lost internet access for an extended period? What if your company servers crashed? Assurity Solutions can help you draw up a Disaster Recovery Plan (or DRP) that helps you quantify the potential adverse effects on your business and equip you and your employees with the solutions you need to avoid them. While everyone's specific needs will vary, your plan could include the installation of Next Generation End Point Protection to replace your outdated anti-virus software, security training for your entire team, and the installation of email software that hackers won't be able to penetrate. Story continues Assurity Solutions can also help you encrypt all of your company's electronic data, enabling you to promise your customers that their sensitive payment information is secure with you. Consumers are becoming increasingly technologically savvy, and they will not patronize you if you can't keep their data safe. Assurity Solutions can also conduct regular security audits to ensure that your systems are ready to deal with the ever-changing nature of cyber attacks. Your DRP can take other potentialities into consideration as well. For instance, would you say that you were prepared for a global pandemic such as COVID-19? Most people would say that they were not, but a DRP could have helped you manage the crisis more effectively. Naturally, Assurity Solutions will also be your go-to contact whenever something isn't working correctly. If you need help installing a new computer network or fixing a cranky machine, IT support will always be just a phone call away. Many competing companies cannot make the same promise, helping Assurity Solutions stand out in a crowded industry. If you're ready to get started right now, log on to Assurity.Solutions or contact the company by phone at (813) 689-2085 to speak with a customer service rep who can answer all of your burning questions. You can also read Assurity Solutions reviews on their website and visit them on Facebook for more information. Cybersecurity is no place to compromise. When you work with Assurity Solutions, you are working with the very best! contact@assurity.solutions We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. The Spokesman of Iran's Judiciary on Saturday said Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd who has been sentenced to death for "espionage on behalf of CIA and Mossad" had spied on Iranian forces in Syria. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official ceremony, Gholam-Hossein Esmaili said the accused and his family were residents of Syria and he was "in contact with the Iranian forces there" but did not elaborate on whether the accused was a member of "Defenders of the Shrine" or worked for the Revolutionary Guard in another capacity. "Defender of the Shrine [of Zeynab]" is a term used by Iranian authorities to refer to its the Revolutionary Guard members and the militia organized by it that fight alongside Syrian government forces. It is not possible to verify the claims of Iran's Judiciary about a collaborator or whether this person was a member of IRGC. Last week the Judiciary Spokesman implied that Mousavi-Majd had been involved in the targeted killing of Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani's in Iraq by the United States on January 3. This was later refuted by the Media Center of the Judiciary which said all stages of Mousavi-Majd's case and trial predated Soleimani's killing. According to the statement released by the Judiciary's Media Center, Mousavi-Majd was arrested on October 10, 2018 and was sentenced to death on August 25, 2019 by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court. He was re-tried after the Supreme Court found the first trial faulty and was sentenced to death for a second time, which the Supreme Court has now endorsed. A Twitter account named Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd with tweets in Persian and Arabic that has been publishing information about the accused since June 10, claims that he is innocent and was a "devoted soldier" who became a "victim of the corrupt". The account has also published a very recent voice recording of Mousavi-Majd in which he says he wants to be tried in a "fair and free court" where he can reveal all the truth. The authenticity of the recording is hard to establish. The same account claims that he had served as a soldier in Syria since 2017 on the merit of his fluency in Arabic and was arrested and repatriated to Iran in September 2018. The governments of the United States and Israel have not commented on the allegations. A cost-effective strategy for health care systems to offset N95 mask shortages due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is to switch to reusable elastomeric respirator masks, according to new study results. These long-lasting masks, often used in industry and construction, cost at least 10 times less per month than disinfecting and reusing N95 masks meant to be for single use, say authors of the study, published as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website in advance of print. The study is one of the first to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using elastomeric masks in a health care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Sricharan Chalikonda, MD, MHA, FACS, lead study author and chief medical operations officer for Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network (AHN), where the study took place. Disposable N95 masks are the standard face covering when health care providers require high-level respiratory protection, but during the pandemic, providers experienced widespread supply chain shortages and price increases, Dr. Chalikonda said. He said hospitals need a long-term solution. "We don't know if there will be a shortage of N95s again. We don't know how long the pandemic will last and how often there will be virus surges," he said. "We believe now is the time to invest in an elastomeric mask program." Dr. Chalikonda said an immediate supply of elastomeric masks in a health care system's stockpile of personal protective equipment is "game changing" given the advantages. Benefits of elastomeric masks Elastomeric masks are made of a tight-fitting, flexible, rubber-like material that can adjust to nearly all individuals' faces and can withstand multiple cleanings, Dr. Chalikonda said. These devices, which resemble gas masks, use a replaceable filter. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), elastomeric masks offer health care workers equal or better protection from airborne infectious substances compared with N95 masks. advertisement Like many hospitals during the COVID-19 crisis, AHN was disinfecting and reusing N95 masks for a limited number of uses. However, Dr. Chalikonda said, "Many caregivers felt the N95 masks didn't fit quite as well after disinfection." At the end of March, AHN began a one-month trial of a half-facepiece elastomeric mask covering the nose and mouth. The mask holds a P100-rated cartridge filter, meaning it filters out almost 100 percent of airborne particles. Until AHN could procure more elastomeric masks, the system began its program for P100 elastomeric mask "super-users": those providers who have the most frequent contact with COVID-19 patients. At each of AHN's nine hospitals in Pennsylvania and Western New York, the first providers to receive the new masks were respiratory therapists, anesthesia providers, and emergency department and intensive care unit (ICU) doctors and nurses. Initially, providers shared the reusable masks with workers on other shifts, and the masks underwent decontamination between shifts using vaporized hydrogen peroxide similar to the technique used to sterilize disposable N95 masks. As more masks became available, workers kept their own mask and disinfected it themselves according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Gradually AHN provided more staff with the new masks. Among nearly 2,000 health care providers receiving fit testing for an elastomeric mask (as required for any mask to make sure no unfiltered air penetrates it), 94 percent could wear one, the investigators reported. The small number of workers without a proper fit received an alternate type of respirator mask. advertisement After a month of use, no one wearing an elastomeric mask chose to return to an N95 mask, according to the authors. Regarding the elastomeric masks, Dr. Chalikonda said, "Our clinicians were very comfortable with the fit, knowing it was an equivalent if not superior amount of protection, and that these masks were intended to be reused." Furthermore, patients were receptive to their care providers wearing this type of respirator, he noted. Cost savings To determine if the elastomeric masks were cost-effective, the researchers performed a cost-benefit analysis over one month of mask disinfection and reuse comparing the new masks, with the filter replaced monthly, versus N95 masks at one hospital's 18-bed intensive care unit (ICU). Although the elastomeric mask costs about $20 and the filter costs $10 compared with only $3 at that time for an N95 mask, the research team found the elastomeric masks were "conservatively" 10 times less expensive. The cost savings, Dr. Chalikonda said, increases the longer they use the elastomeric masks, which often can last for years, and these masks can remain in storage for long periods, thus improving the planning and management of the medical supply stockpile for future outbreaks. He explained the monthly cost is lower because they can disinfect elastomeric masks much more often, multiple caregivers can share the same mask, and, unlike N95s masks, they do not need to waste the mask after a failed fit test. Another advantage of an elastomeric respirator program, according to Dr. Chalikonda, is it does not require any additional hospital resources to implement if the hospital already has an N95 mask reuse and resterilization program. The AHN elastomeric mask program presented fewer operational challenges than disinfecting N95 masks, he stated. Other study authors are Hope Waltenbaugh, MSN, RN, CNOR, NE-BC; Sara Angelilli, MSN, RN, CNOR; Tiffany Dumont, DO; Curt Kvasager, MBA; Timothy Sauber, MD; Nino Servello, CRNA; Anil Singh, MD; and Rafael Diaz-Garcia, MD, FACS. The advisers shouldnt really be out there, the No10 official conceded. Theyve been pushed front and centre and thats not where theyre supposed to be. Its the politicians who take the decisions. Weve been shoulder to shoulder. But in the end its Ministers that make the call. Maybe the official is right. Perhaps the Governments boffins should have remained in the shadows. The unseen and unheard hands guiding if not controlling the nations coronavirus response. But they are out there. And last week they were making their presence felt. Or one in particular was. Professor Neil Ferguson, the virus modeller from Imperial College dubbed Professor Lockdown, has emerged as the star turn of the Covid-19 crisis. Professor Neil Ferguson claimed the Covid R rate - the average number of people a Covid patients infects - would remain only marginally below 1 because staff were still carrying the disease out of care homes and hospitals Thoughtful and languid, it was his analysis that there could have been 500,000 potential victims that was widely credited with accelerating lockdown, and saving countless lives. Until he popped up last Wednesday and dropped a dirty bomb on the Commons Science Committee. If the UK had locked down a week earlier, approximately 20,000 people who are dead would be alive, he said. Although he was quite calculated in the way he made the claim. I think the measures given what we knew about this virus then in terms of its transmission and its lethality, were warranted. 'I wouldnt second-guess them at this point, he smoothly opined. Before casually adding: Certainly, had we introduced them earlier we would have seen many fewer deaths. The measures were sound. Ferguson certainly wasnt going to second-guess them. Oh, but by the way, we might be interested to know that if theyd been introduced seven days earlier, thousands of our loved ones would still be with us. Entirely coincidentally, this incendiary revelation spilled out a month after Ferguson had been forced to resign from his position on the Governments SAGE advisory group after he was caught breaking his own rules by allowing his mistress to visit him. Until then, equally coincidentally, hed been one of the stoutest defenders of the Governments strategy. The Imperial College London scientist (top row, middle) made the comments to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee during his first public appearance since a series of public controversies None of which stopped the Governments critics seizing on his statement. We did call for the lockdown before this Government took us into lockdown, and we did challenge the Government on mass gatherings and pubs and restaurants, said Labour Health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth, hastily rewriting his partys broad support for the strategy at the start of the pandemic. But, unfortunately for Neil Ferguson and his cheerleaders, were not simply forced to rely on self-serving hindsight. Thanks to his ubiquitous media profile, we can go back and see what the eminent professor was saying as the crisis was actually unfolding. Shortly after the story broke about his study that triggered the Government into imposing full lockdown, Ferguson was asked if Ministers had been too late in safeguarding the nation. Overall, I think we have got the timing about right, he responded. So whatever brought him to last weeks assessment that lockdown was too late, that wasnt his view back in March, when it actually mattered. But there is another major problem facing Ferguson and his fellow revisionists. For months the Governments opponents have been demanding publication of the famous SAGE Minutes. These tablets of stone would, we were told, finally reveal the truth about the extent to which Boris and his Ministers really were following the science, and how far the fight against Covid-19 had been undermined by political expediency. Boris Johnson listened to the view of Professor Ferguson and imposed measures And those opponents were right. When they were published a week ago to little fanfare they did reveal the truth. The Government had indeed followed the science. And the strategy had not been undermined by political interference at all. Take the central claim propagated at the time indeed, still being propagated that the arguments relating to lockdown timing were finely balanced. That there were wildly competing views on SAGE, and that Ministers chose to follow the advice that best fitted their pre-conceived ideology. But the minutes of the key SAGE meeting of March 13 are unequivocal. They state: SAGE was unanimous that measures seeking to completely suppress the spread of Covid-19 will cause a second peak. The Governments senior experts were united. If Ministers went for full lockdown, they would be guaranteeing a catastrophic second wave of the virus. And one of the experts who attended that meeting was a certain Prof Neil Ferguson. Remember, too, that other great conspiracy. The supposed herd immunity strategy that held that the virus should be allowed to sweep unchecked through the nation, culling the elderly and infirm as it did so. Again, the SAGE minutes reveal the truth. On March 10, two days before the fictitious herd immunity plan was first exposed, the Government was putting in place a detailed timetable for Home Isolation of symptomatic cases [within the next ten days Whole Household isolation [1-3 weeks after] Social distancing for 70+ and vulnerable groups [1-3 weeks after]. Ministers were never planning to let the virus tear through Britain. They couldnt. They knew if they did, the NHS would cease to exist. But, again in this crisis, the facts are proving no obstacle to those assaulting the Government. Even if sustaining that assault involves turning those facts on its head. On Thursday, former MP Rory Stewart who can at least take credit for being consistent in calling for an early lockdown claimed Boris should have challenged harder the advice of his experts. A cry that was immediately taken up by all the Lockdown Likely Lads. But remember what that cry was at the end of April? When it emerged that the PMs most senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, was observing the SAGE meetings? Labour called for him to be banned, and luminaries such as former Chief Scientific Adviser David King raged that his attendance was simply inappropriate and wrong. For the past few months the accusation has been that the Government has been hiding behind the experts. But the opportunistic interventions of Ferguson and other SAGE advisers reveal the reality. What we are about to see is the experts trying to hide behind the coat-tails of Ministers. Theyre aware what is coming. They know it was their advice that drove the Governments strategy. They know that strategy is about to come under sustained scrutiny and criticism. And, as a Minister accurately predicted to me last week, they are going to try to buy themselves some cover. They must not be allowed to. The assorted members of SAGE are not elected representatives. But they are the most senior practitioners in their respective fields, with status and salaries to match. And as Ferguson has shown, many are not shy of basking in the media spotlight. So now they, too, must be prepared to be held to account. Over the past three months their participation in SAGE has not been part of a seminar series, or a training exercise. They have been proffering the advice that has determined whether tens of thousands have lived or died. That advice has been presented in good faith. But now they must stand by it. Or not. Like Ferguson, they are free to change their minds. But if they do so, they need to be crystal clear about why they are in the right now, but were in the wrong when lives were on the line. And they need to hold up their hands, rather than try to wash their hands of Boris and his Ministers. Because this will not be the last crisis. It is not the last time Ministers will turn to the men and women of medicine and science. Its now almost four years to the day since Michael Gove infamously observed: Britain has had enough of experts. How those experts conduct themselves over the weeks ahead will determine whether or not he was right. Han Kuo-yu Was the First Municipality Leader in Taiwans History to Be Recalled Honest News Straight to Your Home. Try the Epoch Times yourself, and get a free gift. Han Kuo-yu is the first Taiwan mayor ever removed from the office. Some netizens prepared a short film showing how Han dishonored his promises, as well as his various misstatements, and more importantly, his close relationship with the CCP. Why did Kaohsiung citizens vote to oust Han in 2020? In November 2018, Han was elected as the mayor of Kaohsiung, the third-largest city in Taiwan; but started a campaign for president less than five months later. He also made a lot of misstatements, making him a controversial figure. It was revealed in 2019 that Han was part of the Ph.D. program of Government and Management at Peking University in China from 2001 to 2009. Thus, he is basically an agent trained by the CCP. Although Han Kuo-Yu denies it, his relationship with the CCP has always been in question. In a press conference with reporters on Nov. 27, 2019, a reporter asked: Do you think the CCP has intervened in Taiwans elections? Will you call on the CCP to not interfere with Taiwans election? Han replied: When I was listening to you, my right ear was ringing. Now I have to listen with my left ear, which media are you with? Report your media name first. In another press conference with the media on June 9th, 2019, a reporter asked, Hong Kong people are marching through Hong Kong today, protesting the Hong Kong governments amendment to the Extradition Bill. Han replied: I dont know, I dont know about that. On June 17th, 2019, a reporter mentioned, Millions of Hong Kong people protested on the streets yesterday. Han then responded: Oh OK, thank you, thank you. Han has avoided talking about the CCP and the Hong Kong people protesting the extradition bill. In March 2019, Han visited the CCP Liaison Office in Hong Kong without a public announcement, which triggered a national uproar. He still has not explained the purpose of his visit. The overwhelming public resentment and his vague relationship with the CCP set off a wave of movements to recall him. Three times, Han filed appeals with the Taipei High Administrative Court to suspend the recall vote. Each was rejected. Some netizens prepared a three-minute film showing how Han has not met his promises since he was elected, as well as various misstatements and misbehavior he made, which almost explain why Kaohsiung people wanted Han removed from office. Tallying the promises made by the Kaohsiung Mayor, Han Kuo-Yu, very few were achieved. As soon as he was elected as mayor, he rushed to become a presidential candidate. The recall movement supporters see Han as totally lacking integrity. Current affairs commentator Wen Long-dong said: Kaohsiung people dont want a mayor whose actions dont match his fancy words; plus, he is pro-China (CCP). Hsu Yung-ming, Chairman of the New Power Party, said: I think Han Kuo-yu better clarify his relationship with China (CCP) before the recall vote and apologize to the public for visiting the (Hong Kong) Liaison Office. On June 6, the recall vote day, the number of votes in favor of Han Kuo-yus recall exceeded the minimum threshold of 574,996. Under Taiwanese law, the recall of a municipal leader requires a turnout of at least 25 percent of eligible voters574,996 in this caseand a majority vote in favor of the recall. Han Kuo-yu held a press conference and talked about his gratitude, regrets, and blessings, but didnt apologize and didnt accept any interviews. Han Kuo-yu said: If led in a good direction, this city will shine. I look forward to the next mayor, who will also enable Kaohsiungs municipal administration to prosper, and let Kaohsiung citizens live in peace and happiness. According to information from the Kaohsiung City Election Commission at 6 p.m. on June 6, the number of ballots in favor of the recall was 939,090, which exceeded the 892,545 votes Han received when he was elected mayor in 2018. The four leaders of the recall initiative said that the victory belongs to all Kaohsiung citizens and called for putting down the opposition after the recall vote and reconstructing Kaohsiung together. Chen Kuan-jong, the legal leader of the recall initiative, said: Starting today, please return home and hug your family members, embrace people with different points of view, and embrace people around you and all Kaohsiung people. Next, lets rebuild Kaohsiung together. Whats new: A former senior Chinese securities regulator was sentenced to 12 years in prison after a four-year investigation on bribery and insider trading charges, Caixin learned from people familiar with the case. Xiong Guosen, former head of the Hunan Securities Regulatory Bureau, came under investigation in June 2016. Very few details about his case have been disclosed since prosecutors initiated a public prosecution against him two years ago. The background: Shortly after Xiong was taken into custody, the head of the discipline inspection team of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) criticized him at a September 2016 integrity education meeting. The official cited citing Xiongs multiple trips to Hong Kong without reporting his intentions to authorities. The violations didnt seem significant, but some speculated that Xiongs investigation was related to that of Yao Gang, former vice chairman of the CSRC, who was sentenced in 2018 to 18 years in prison for taking bribes worth 69.61 million yuan ($9.9 million) and illegally making 2.1 million yuan of gains from insider trading. Xiong personally picked valuable Jingdezhen porcelain as gifts that were sent to Yao, according to people familiar with the case. Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full Caixin article in Chinese, click here. Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com) Not many Nigerians are aware of the problems that affect the ability of telecommunication operators and even the regulator to ensure the delivery of good quality service. The industry is faced with numerous woes that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Ministry of Communications Technology, Governments at federal and state levels, operators and other stakeholders have been working to resolve. Today, the country has over 188, 989, 051 active subscribers as at March 2019 according to NCC. More than half OF that number subscribes to mobile internet service which hovers around 90million. Teledensity has reached more than 96%. The telecom sector contributes more than 10 per cent of the national GDP. In the first quarter of 2019, the contribution of Nigeria's telecommunications industry as share of the country's GDP was 10.11 percent. This is an impressive figure that indicates how critical the telecoms sector has become to national development. Right of Way legally means an Easement, a privilege to pass over the land of another, whereby the holder of the easement acquires only a reasonable and usual enjoyment of the property, and the owner of the land retains the benefits and privileges of ownership consistent with the easement. Right of Way(RoW) as it applies to the telecommunications industry is generally used to denote the land on which telecom companies may lay their telecom infrastructures including connectivity cables. However, many telecom companies are denied RoW across states in the federation to lay their infrastructures thus, making it difficult for them to meet the obligatory minimum standard for service quality. [Heres an expert viewpoint: Prince Uchendu]:Wire line and wireless carriers both require access to rights-of way and support structures(e.g. poles, towers, conduit) in order to build and maintain their networks. This is the reason why most of our remote areas have challenges of network by service providers and it is something that must follow a legitimate process to accomplish. Due to the FG's resolve through the Federal Ministry of of Communications & Digital Economy to have a holistic approach to solving this problem, they came up with a new guideline. The new RoW Guidelines pegs the chargeable RoW access fee for laying of ICTSP ducts and cables at N145.0/linear metre and N20.0/linear metre as annual maintenance access fee, subject to periodic reviews at five-year intervals or whenever compelling circumstances demand such reviews. As at today, about 10 states in Nigeria have complied by either complete waiver or sticking with the N145. A day after the launch of the National Broadway Plan by President Buhari, Gov. Uzodimma signed the executive order reducing charge of RoW in Imo. The first in South East, Nigeria. The Executive order No. 002, 2020 in Imo significantly reducing Right of Way (ROW) of telecommunication companies in the state from N4500 to N145 per meter was in tandem with federal government policy on Digital Economy. Gov Uzodimma who signed that order on 20th May 2020, explained that, the reduction was a manifestation of the determination of shared prosperity government to spur the telecommunication companies to further invest in broadband infrastructure so at to trigger ancillary on-line services, especially in the field of education in the state. According to Gov. Uzodimma, the order further said that government was hopeful that the drastic reduction from N4500 of the broadband ROW to N145 per liner meter of fibre, will accelerate the deployment of affordable, and reliable modern high speed connectivity in the state. Billionaire Chief Leo Stan Ekeh, the Founder of Zinox Computers & Chairman Zinox Group of Companies, had this to say about Uzodimma's move on ROW; I commend the Imo State Governor, His Excellency Gov. Hope Uzodinma, for the uncommon courage, political will and leadership he has shown by being the first governor in the South East to reduce the Right of Way charges. This decision alone has the potential of encouraging more corporate organizations and strategic investors to make critical investments in the state. In addition, it is bound to usher in all-round development, especially by helping citizens of Imo State take their rightful places in the contemporary economy as global citizens while enhancing their businesses and lifestyle." This Executive order on 96% crashing of ROW charge now urges telecommunication companies to now do more investments, appreciating the fact that Imo state plays host to a vibrant youthful demography located in many tertiary institutions, who form the bulk of the end users of their products. Telecoms no doubts, is an integral part of the modern business world and for the government of Imo to have taken steps to ensure that such order is in place to better her digital economy, it is a big plus for the state under the watch of Gov Uzodimma and for persons like the Zinox Boss dropping of some educative eulogies on this step it speaks foie of the commitment of the shared prosperity government to better the lives of Imo people through technology. Companies all over the world no doubt have utilized the advancement in technology to revolutionize their day-to-day operations. Efficient telecommunication has significantly helped companies to use their time more appropriately. Time has always been an essential element in any organization's success. It can determine the success or failure of a business. With improved efficiency in communication, flexibility in working space, improvement in team work, boost in customer relations and services as well as time & cost management are all guaranteed. Thiruvananthapuram, June 13 : Putting an end to media speculations that the newest ally of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) -- Kerala Congress (Pillai) is returning to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), it said on Saturday that they are not going anywhere. The Kerala Congress (Pillai) consists of veteran state politician R. Balakrishna Pillai who presently holds a 'cabinet' rank post and his legislator son K.B. Ganesh Kumar. Both were present at the media meeting on Saturday, where they vehemently refuted the media speculation. "We do not know how this baseless news has surfaced. Why should we leave, when we are treated with utmost respect in the LDF, where we became a full fledged ally more than four years back. All I know was one of the founder members of the Congress-led UDF and we left it more than five years back, unable to stand the insinuation, that we suffered in all respects, when being an ally of theirs. We are not going anywhere at all and this is baseless," said Pillai and added that they are lock, stock and barrel with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The party of the father and son was all along an ally of the UDF and after unpleasant tenure at the fag end of the then Oommen Chandy government (2011-16), decided to severe ties with the UDF. And during the 2016 assembly polls, Pillai and his party first became a friendly ally and later became a full fledged ally of the LDF. Ganesh Kumar is a two time minister, when they were with the UDF and now the lone legislator of the party said, this baseless news is nothing but well planned conspiracy to belittle their party. "Canards are being spread that I want to be a minister, this is totally false. I was a minister two times and those who know me well, know I am not very keen for that post. We now have respect in the LDF and this news is absurd and false," said Ganesh Kumar, a film actor-turned-politician and a four time legislator. There may not be much debate on the saying - 'One man's hero is another man's villain.' However, the heros farewell showered by top brass of the CPI(M) to a local leader in Kerala's Kannur district on Friday has raised many eyebrows. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, along with Health Minister KK Shailaja, led party leaders in condoling the demise of the leader, who was serving life imprisonment in a political murder case. 72-year-old PK Kunjananthan, member of CPI(M) area committee at Panur, died of an intestinal infection at Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday night and was on parole on health grounds at the time of his death. Panur, 34 kilometres away from Kannur town, observed a hartal to pay homage to the deceased leader. Kunjananthan, along with 11 others, was held guilty in the murder of TP Chandrasekharan, who challenged the CPI(M) in its forte and formed the Revolutionary Marxist Party after walking out of the former on May 4, 2012, in Onchiyam, in the adjoining Kozhikode district. Kunjananthan, along with others, was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of one lakh rupees in 2014 by a special court in Kozhikode. The conviction of a party leader of Kunjananthan's stature had until then been unprecedented, in the long history of political murders in north Kerala. CM Pinarayi Vijayan, who hails from Kannur, praised the deceased leader as "a comrade who had utmost love towards the party and exhibited concern towards society as well as the party workers". "He had won the acceptance as a social worker, and affection of all sections of people in Panur," Vijayan recalled. CPI(M) State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who also belongs to Kannur district, went a step ahead and termed Kunjananthan as a 'martyr of institutional terror unleashed by the UDF, (led by Congress)'. "He was being trapped in a case. Kunanjananthan was a fearless fighter. He was very dear to the people and a relentless worker who was instrumental in setting up the party in the area. He was dear and acceptable even among the political rivals, too. Such a popular leader was trapped in the case by UDF," said Balakrishnan's Facebook post. Health Minister KK Shailaja, the new champion in the party and the state, called the departed leader as 'one who was acceptable among the rivals for his organisational acumen and courage.' "Comrade was the source of energy of the party. He was Kunajanthettan (ettan is an elder brother) to all, cutting across party lines, " she said. His departure is an irreparable loss as he was close to all sections of people, she added. State minister and CPI(M) central committee member E P Jayarajan said, "Defending the attacks of rivals, Kunjananthan had played a crucial role in building up CPI(M) at Panur region. He had intense passion towards the party." He also termed Kunjananthan as a revolutionary who was hunted down by the right-wing politicians and media. "He fought the campaign which branded him as a 'terrorist', fearlessly, " said Jayarajan, who was removed as the district secretary after his candidature to 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. After CPI(M) led the LDF back to power in 2016, the frequent parols to Kunjananthan had drawn flak from the High Court after Chandrasekharans widow K K Rama questioned the governments decisions. Even during his parole days, Kunjananthan had attended party events and conferences and eventually got elected to the CPI(M) area committee despite his conviction in the murder case. On March 14, when the High Court allowed Kunjananthan bail for three months for his treatment, the leader had already enjoyed 400 days of parole during the five years of imprisonment. Kunjananthan was a local leader who did not grow beyond the membership in an Area Committee of CPI(M). However, the allegiance, the affection and the admiration showed by the topmost state leaders of the party on his demise is a clear indication of his fidelity to the party and the mysteries he held close to his heart, till he breathed his last. By Trend If the health protocols are not observed in Iran, the restrictions introduced due the pandemic may be re-applied, said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at a meeting of the Iran's National Committee on Combating Coronavirus on June 13, Trend reports citing IRINN. According to Rouhani, the restrictions will be inevitable, if people's lives are endangered in any province of Iran. The president said that as of today, a number of restrictions have been lifted in Iran. "It is allowed to hold specialized exhibitions, to open large halls and coffee shops under the condition of working with 50-percent capacity," the head of state said. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran, a number of restrictions were gradually imposed in Iran, including travel between provinces, work in offices, activities of public catering facilities and others. The lifting of restrictions began in stages on April 11. Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to the recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 182,500 people have been infected, 8,659 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 144,600 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 08:34 588 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde63764 1 Editorial COVID-19,leadership,Jokowi,#Editorial,anies-baswedan,Ganjar-Pranowo,khofifah-indar-parawansa,ridwan-kamil,2024-presidential-election Free Crises have a way of rewarding political leadership. In 2001, then-United States president George W. Bush was on a course of mediocrity, with his approval ratings hovering near 60 percent. His resolute response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks then elevated him to widespread national support, with an approval rating of 92 percent. When Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison fumbled in addressing the nations massive bushfires in 2019 and vacationed in Hawaii while blazes destroyed homes and neighborhoods, his popularity suffered. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its immediate health impacts and long-term economic fallout, is among the greatest crises the world has ever dealt with. It is the test by which political leadership will be judged for years to come. As the central government continues to dither over its COVID-19 decisions, the public has begun to look for guidance from local leaders, and most of the time, that local leadership has delivered. While the central government vacillated over whether to impose physical distancing rules, governors, regents and mayors seized the initiative to protect their own citizens. In Jakarta, Governor Anies Baswedan engaged in a tugof-war with the central government over who should decide upon and enforce physical distancing measures. After Anies aired his grievances through national media, the central government bowed to pressure and approved his demand for physical distancing rules in the capital. In Central Java, Governor Ganjar Pranowo has won praise for his hands-on approach to the health and economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis. In addition to actively campaigning for physical distancing, Ganjar has pledged to set aside a significant amount of funds to pay for medical treatment and uphold the social safety net. In East Java, Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa had a public spat with Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharani over the handling of the outbreak. This feud may look unflattering, but it also indicates that both political leaders are deeply serious about dealing with COVID-19. These political leaders, of course, were not motivated by pure civic altruism. Long-term political goals are certainly on their minds. After all, President Joko Jokowi Widodo will not be eligible to seek reelection in 2024, and local leaders such as Anies, Ganjar, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil and Khofifah could be the strongest contenders for the presidency. In contrast, being a Cabinet minister has turned out to be an impediment for Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, who is expected to run in 2024. Based on a poll by Indikator Politik Indonesia, only 14 percent of voters would vote for Prabowo if the election were held today, down more than 8 percentage points from the February data. As the pollsters executive director, Burhanuddin Muhtadi, said, the management of COVID-19 response measures at the regional level had created a political stage for the regional leaders to boost their popularity rate ahead of the 2024 race. We certainly hope that this batch of younger, regional leaders will appear on the ballot in 2024, and when the time comes to cast our votes, we should remember what each candidate achieved in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. PO Group, the leading pan-African communications and business consultancy, and Opera , one of the worlds leading browser providers and platforms in the field of integrated AI-driven digital content, are partnering up to boost the prominence of truthful news articles related to the spread of COVID-19 across Africa. The APO Group Newsroom website will now be integrated into the Opera News platform used by 200 million users worldwide. This partnership stems from the need to reduce the consumption of misleading news articles that include deliberate disinformation about COVID-19 in different African countries. It will provide millions of Opera users in the African region with official information from trusted and reputable online sources. Providing the public with accurate information about COVID-19 is crucial, especially as Africas coronavirus response is regularly obstructed by fake news, said APO Group Founder and Chairman, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard. This initiative will provide the millions of Africans who use Opera mobile applications with access to genuine, credible news content. We are proud to join forces with Opera to ensure that truthful, helpful and potentially life-saving information gains wider prominence in Africa. Regarding the integration of the APO Group Newsroom into the Opera News platform, Jrgen Arnesen, EVP of Mobile Browsers at Opera said, We just hit a new record of 200 million users with Opera News, which positions our news service as one of the largest in the world. We believe our partnership with APO Group is a great fit for our mobile apps and will benefit hundreds of millions of users who search for COVID-19 information every day on the Opera Mini browser and the Opera News app. Available in Opera browsers and the Opera News app For more than two months, APO Group has been collecting press releases and official statements from health ministries in Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO), the WHO Regional Office for Africa, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). More than 3,000 press releases are now available for people using the popular Opera Mini browser and Opera News the most downloaded news app in Africa. Users who want to read the APO Group feed of news releases on the Opera Mini browser can tap on the Coronavirus channel in the browsers newsfeed. Once there, they will easily identify the news releases as they appear under www.Africa-Newsroom.com. Those using the Opera News app can also tap on the Coronavirus category in the app or follow the brand-new APO Group button in the Following section. The APO Group follow button in the Opera News app is currently available in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and Tanzania. The circulation of both misinformation and rumors about the virus poses an enormous risk to the public, which is why APO Group and Opera are proud to team up to disseminate reliable and critically important information to the public. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Thiruvananthapuram, June 13 : Congress and BJP leaders on Saturday reacted sharply to a new Kerala government order which insists on a Covid negative certificate from all those who are arriving from abroad on chartered flights. This new order will become applicable from June 20. Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said it was surprising that the Pinarayi Vijayan government which passed an unanimous resolution in the Kerala Assembly to bring back all the Kerala diaspora without any testing, has now come out with a totally different order. It was on March 12 that the Kerala Assembly passed the resolution, after the Union Civil Aviation ministry demanded a Covid negative certificate from those who were coming from Italy and South Korea. "This new guideline is not applicable to those coming on Vande Bharat flights. It's sad that those coming on chartered flights are those who do not have any money and now with this new direction they will have to spend from their pocket. This is totally unacceptable and this irresponsible order should be withdrawn," said Chennithala. "What's even more surprising is that the Covid negative certificate should not be older than 48 hours before the flight departs. Fail to understand the logic and what needs to be done is, there should be a pre-departure health check up. And once they arrive, the isolation/quarantine norms should be asked to be followed. This somersault is not acceptable at all," added Chennithala. According to sources in the know of things, a Covid test in the UAE costs Rs 7000 and in countries like Saudi Arabia, it takes 2 to 7 days to get the Covid negative certificate. Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan expressed shock at this turnaround by the Kerala government. "Such a rule is not there in any state. This new rule is the least practical. This is a cruel order and hugely detrimental to the Kerala diaspora waiting to return," said Muraleedharan. Senior Indian Union Muslim League leader and Lok Sabha member P.K. Kunhalikutty said this order should be immediately withdrawn as it's going to create problems for many who were ready to travel on chartered flights. Various organisations in the Middle East are operating around 100 chartered flights in June. Vijayan had on June 3 informed that the only conditions that they have put forward as far as chartered flights are concerned is the fare should be comparable with that of the Vande Bharat flights, and preference should be given to women, elderly. Close to four lakh Keralites have registered on the Norka-Roots web portal, expressing their desire to return. Till Friday, over 60,000 people had already arrived. The sudden turnaround is on account of the spike in cases, especially after May 7 when the first flight from the Middle East arrived in the state. As on Friday, 1303 people are currently active patients in the state and it includes a sizeable number of the returning diaspora. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) 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 An aspiring New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Akyem Oda Constituency, Mr Richard Asante-Bediako, has denied rumours that he had been disqualified from contesting in the partys constituency primary slated for June 20. Speaking to the Daily Graphic at Akyem Oda last Wednesday, Mr Asante-Bediako said the announcement by the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr John Boadu, about his disqualification at a news conference in Accra last Monday was an error. According to him, the error had been corrected and he was physically, morally and spiritually ready to win the seat at the expense of the Member of Parliament (MP), Mr William Quaittoo, and the other contestant Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah, an Accra-based business executive. Member in good standing When the Daily Graphic contacted the Eastern Regional Secretary of the NPP, Mr Jeff Konadu, on the issue, he confirmed that Mr Asante-Bediako had not been disqualified. He stressed that the error about Mr Asante-Bediakos disqualification of the NPP had been rectified. Mr Konadu said as a member of the Eastern Region vetting committee, he was aware that only one parliamentary aspirant, Mr Edward Kwaku Aboagye, was disqualified and the remaining three, namely, Mr William Agyapong Quaittoo, Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah and Mr Richard Asante-Bediako were cleared to contest in the primary. 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 By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Finance Minister T Harish Rao, on Friday, went into home quarantine after his PA tested positive for Coronavirus on Thursday. The Minister met his PA when he went to his office five days ago but the latter, who developed Covid-19 symptoms, underwent a test which came back positive on Thursday. Learning about the development, Harish Rao sent his samples for testing and went into home quarantine. He is continuing in quarantine as a two-week quarantine is needed to know if the virus is in the system. Harish gets work done online Harish Rao told TNIE over telephone, I will be in home quarantine for another week as already it is five days since I met my PA. Along with the Minister, 16 of his staff members too went into home quarantine. The Minister, while being in quarantine, attended to all his official work through video-conferencing. He took part in the GST Council Meeting convened by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman from home through video-conference on Friday. No exams until govt decision: JNTU The Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University on Friday asked its affiliated colleges to not conduct exams for UG and PG courses until the State government makes an announcement on the matter. He said he recently has been having more conversations with his son, Donovan, about how to interact with police as he prepares to start driving. He said he tries to teach his children to love everyone, regardless of their race, but also to realize that not everyone feels the same. Olivia Palermo has been enjoying some quality time with husband Johannes Huebl and her dog Mr. Butler during quarantine. And the fashion influencer is continuing to serve some stylish ensembles, even with no place to go. She cut a preppy chic look Friday as she stepped out to take Mr. Butler for a walk through her New York City neighborhood for his 15th birthday. Preppy chic: Olivia Palermo cut a preppy chic look Friday as she stepped out to take her dog Mr. Butler for a walk through her New York City neighborhood for his 15th birthday The 34-year-old donned an oversized double-breasted light red tartan blazer with the sleeves rolled up. She layered the coat over a short white lace dress, which showed off her toned legs underneath. Palermo finished the look with a pair of tortoiseshell cat-eye sunglasses, gold jewelry and some black velvet slippers with white tassels. She carried a burgundy alligator wallet on a gold crossbody chain while taking precautions against COVID-19 with a black face mask. Red plaid: The 34-year-old donned an oversized double-breasted light red tartan blazer with the sleeves rolled up Leggy display: She layered the coat over a short white lace dress, which showed off her toned legs underneath. Palermo finished the look with a pair of tortoiseshell cat-eye sunglasses, gold jewelry and some black velvet slippers with white tassels Staying healthy: She carried a burgundy alligator wallet on a gold crossbody chain while taking precautions against COVID-19 with a black face mask Puppy love: She walked her beloved white Maltese through Brooklyn Bridge Park during a break from isolation Birthday boy: Palermo previously posted selfie with the pup, writing: 'Wishing Mr. B the happiest of birthdays today' The socialite recently told Vogue India of her quarantine style: 'I've been using fashion to help maintain a sense of normalcy. 'I try to keep the same hair and makeup as I normally would, and yes, the wardrobe may be more "casual chic" than if I was attending in-person meetings.' She walked her beloved white Maltese through Brooklyn Bridge Park during a break from isolation. Palermo previously posted selfie with the pup, writing: 'Wishing Mr. B the happiest of birthdays today. I cannot believe it has been 15 years since you entered my life!!! And you still act like a puppy!' Meanwhile, husband Johannes Huebl, 42, was spotted biking in an all-white ensemble with a blue bandana face mask. Atlantas police chief has resigned less than 24 hours after a black man was shot and killed by officers during an attempted arrest in the city, at a time of already heightened tension across the country over the use of force against people of colour by law enforcement. Authorities said Rayshard Brooks, 27, had fallen asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane of a Wendys fast food restaurant on Friday night. Police said they attempted to arrest Mr Brooks after he failed a sobriety test. A video of one part of the incident shows a struggle on the ground between two officers and Mr Brooks, during which he manages to break away with one of the officers Tasers. He is then seen running away from the scene, being pursued by the officers, when three gunshots can be heard. Police said Mr Brooks was taken to a local hospital, where he died after surgery. Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced during a news conference on Saturday that she had accepted the resignation of police chief Erika Shields. I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer, Bottoms said. The killing has sparked yet more protests in a state that had already seen large demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last month and the shooting to death of Georgia resident Ahmaud Arbery by two white men while jogging in February. A crowd of demonstrators had gathered earlier Saturday outside the Atlanta restaurant where Brooks was shot. The people are upset, said Gerald Griggs, an attorney and a vice president of Atlantas NAACP chapter, as he marched with protesters. They want to know why their dear brother Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed when he was merely asleep on the passenger side and not doing anything. Even though Brooks struggled with officers, Mr Griggs said, they could have used nonlethal force to take him down. Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat who gained national prominence running for governor in 2018, tweeted Saturday of the shooting that sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death. The killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force, Abrams tweet said. Yes, investigations must be called for but so too should accountability. Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Timothy Peek told reporters at the scene Friday night that police had tried to use a Taser to subdue Mr Brooks, but it was ineffective for the suspect. It did not stop the aggression of the fight. And so the suspect was able to take the officers Taser from him. Fulton County District attorney Paul Howard said his office had already got involved without waiting for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to finish its investigation. My office has already launched an intense, independent investigation of the incident, Howard said in a statement, saying members of his staff were on scene shortly after the shooting, and we have been in investigative sessions ever since to identify all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. A statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that it was conducting an investigation into the shooting and encouraged any witnesses to come forward. It said it had reviewed videos of the incident which indicate that during a physical struggle with officers, Brooks obtained one of the officers Tasers and began to flee from the scene. Officers pursued Brooks on foot and during the chase, Brooks turned and pointed the Taser at the officer. The officer fired his weapon, striking Brooks. With agencies Johnson is speaker at Northern State event Monday U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson will speak at the grand opening of Northern State University's Center for Public History and Civic Engagement. Business Roundup The Irrawaddy Business Roundup -- A week after major businesses in Myanmar reopened, the country reported 25 new COVID-19 cases, including two local transmissions, bringing the countrys total cases to 261 as of Friday morning. Despite the reported COVID-19 cases, businesses in Myanmar are attempting to resume operations in order to stay afloat and foreign investors are again showing interest in Myanmar. This week, a group of firms from Hong Kong expressed interested in investing in Myanmars garment sector and the Yangon regional government approved three foreign investments from China and Hong Kong. A nationwide survey found this week that two-thirds of businesses in Myanmar are facing a lack of cash flow to the point that they are struggling to survive the COVID-19 crisis. However, the Myanmar tourism sector, which has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, plans to resume operations soon. A group of Hong Kong Firms plans to invest in Myanmar A group of Hong Kong Firms will be visiting Yangon and Bago Region this year to invest in the garment industry, the Myanmar-Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MHKCCI) said on Tuesday. According to the European Unions Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) trade program, finished products from Myanmars garment industry enjoy a 12.5 percent tax break when exported to European markets. Hong Kong investors are interested in investing in Myanmars cut-make-pack (CMP) garment industry because of these trade privileges, according to Dr. Maung Maung Lay, vice president of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI). We welcome foreign investment. Our CMP sector can create jobs due to those investments, Dr. Maung Maung Lay told The Irrawaddy. A recent survey by MHKCCI said that during the COVID-19 crisis, half of its 64 member companies in Myanmar have seen a drop in revenue, with the average decline being 47 percent. However, 15 percent of their members have seen neutral impacts and 35 percent managed to increase revenue. The majority of their member businesses77 percentplan to maintain their business in Myanmar at its current size for the next 12 months, while 21 percent plan to expand their business and 3 percent plan to scale down their operations, said MHKCCI. Two-thirds of business in Myanmar are struggling to survive the COVID-19 crisis A nationwide survey by The Asia Foundation found that nearly two-thirds of businesses in Myanmar have struggled during the pandemic due to cash flow problems, putting their survival at risk as government emergency loans have reached only a fraction of businesses. The survey, published Monday, said that on average, businesses estimated that they require 18 million kyats (US$12,851) in additional cash flow in order to survive until September 2020. It also estimated that businesses nationwide require an additional 900 billion to 2.1 trillion kyats (US$642.5 million-1.5 billion), equivalent to 0.7-1.7 percent of the International Monetary Funds (IMF) projection of Myanmars GDP for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. About half of the 750 businesses surveyed said that their commercial survival was at either moderate or high risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreign investments approved in Yangon On Wednesday, the Yangon Investment Committee approved about US$7.4 million in foreign investments by investors from China and Hong Kong and 1 billion kyats (US$709,000) in investments from local investors, according to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA). The investments are focused on the industrial sector. The Yangon Investment Committee said it expects that the four investments would create job opportunities for 656 people. Myanmar tourism sector expects to reopen soon The Hotel and Tourism Ministry said that Myanmars tourism sector is expected to reopen soon as they have begun implementing the third stage of the ministrys strategic road map for survival, reopening and relaunching. Meanwhile, some tourist sites in Myanmar have reopened for domestic tourism. Since June 1, many townships in southern Shan State have reopened to visitors following an agreement between township authorities and local businesses. Hotels in southern Shan State have also been approved by the regional tourism committee to receive visitors, after setting up COVID-19 preventative measures. Kayah State, also a tourism destination, has reopened to all domestic visitors except for people from two Yangon townshipsInsein and Mayangonewhere the most COVID-19 cases have been reported. Flights are due to resume in June, but exact instructions about the lockdown have not come out, U Hnaung Hnaung Han, chairman of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, told The Irrawaddy. Domestic tourism will begin first as the tourism sector is approved to reopen. Myanmar tourism businesses are among the most heavily impacted by COVID-19. Over 80 percent of small tourism businesses in Myanmar are extremely affected by the pandemic, according to a recent survey by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. You may also like these stories: Myanmar COVID-19 Recovery Plan Wont Favor Chinas BRI Projects, Official Says Myanmar Pulls Swiss Firm to Scrutinize Chinas BRI Project A Versace-loving Range Rover driver on a carer's pension is secretly an ice and cocaine drug kingpin, police allege. Ivan Tumara, 31, was charged by police after they allegedly found huge amounts of cash and drugs in raids on his mother's newly built project home south of Brisbane. Police say heavily tattooed Tumara, who makes $20,000 a year on his pension, has links to Asian crime gangs in Sydney who would allegedly supply him with drugs. Ivan Tumara (pictured), 31, was charged by police after they allegedly found huge amounts of cash and drugs in raids on his mother's newly built project home Police allege the heavily tattooed Tumara, who makes $20,000 a year on his pension, has links to Asian crime gangs in Sydney who would supply him with drugs Senior Constable Callum Saunders told Brisbane Supreme Court that the tactical crime squad conducted an operation targeting Tumara after they received intelligence he would buy bulk quantities of ice. They allege he would stockpile up to 5kgs of the drug and then on-sell each kilogram for up to $120,000 which he would hide in recyclable supermarket shopping bags, according to The Courier Mail. Police carried out covert surveillance and phone taps on Tumara and said they uncovered evidence he would supply about 15 drug addicts in a drug business operating seven days a week. Raids were conducted by officers who allegedly found $211,600 concealed in the shopping bags in a ute registered to his father as well as 300g of ice, 125g of cocaine and a replica pistol. They also claim covert police witnessed Tumara collecting or dropping off shopping bags to the ute during 168 alleged drug deals between December 18 2017 and February 5 2019. Raids of his mother's home in Underwood, in Brisbane's south, allegedly uncovered 1.4kg of ice, 294g of cocaine, $63,260 in cash, and a Rolex watch. There is no suggestion Tumara's parents were involved in or aware of any wrongdoing. Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission is trying to seize the cash found in the house and the ute in February 2019 in a proceeds of crime case against Tumara. The CCC has also asked that he be ordered to reveal any assets or stakes in any property worth over $500 to authorities. The proceeds of crime case is scheduled back in the Brisbane Supreme Court on June 16. Criminal charges against Tumara are also proceeding with a mention in Brisbane Magistrate's Court on October 9 for drug trafficking and supply charges. India's permanent representative to UN, TS Tirumurti on Friday said that India's journey with the United Nations is quite a remarkable one. Ahead of June 17 elections to secure a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India has said that its presence in the world body will help to bring the ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) to the world. India whose candidature is being endorsed by the Asia Pacific group, comprising 55 countries, has brought out a video highlighting its journey at the United Nations. India, Asia-Pacific Groups endorsed candidate for the non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the term 2021-22. A historical perspective of India at the UN Flag of the United Nations. A vote for India is a vote for Transparency, Credibility, Accountability, effectiveness, tweeted India at UN along with a 10 minutes video about Indias journey at United Nations. In the video, Indias permanent representative to UN, TS Tirumurti said: Indias journey with the United Nations is quite a remarkable one. As the founding member of the United Nations, Indias contribution to implementing the goals of United Nations charter and to the evolution of UN specialize agencies programs have been substantial in many ways. Also Read: Pro-China police blames young Hong Kongers of committing crimes under shadow of protest Also Read: Pakistan unveils Rs 7.13 trillion budget, 1.3 trillion allocated to defence, Rs 70 billion for fight against Covid-19 I am confident that at a time we are poised to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and later 75th anniversary of Indias independence in 2022. Indias presence in the security council will help bring to the world our ethos that the world is one family Vasudev Kutumbakam, he said. Elections for the five non-permanent seats of the UNSC are set to take place on June 17, with India as one of the candidates. India would be contesting for the non-permanent member seat whose tenure is of 2 years, beginning from January 2021. Others in the fray are Canada, Djibouti, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway. India would contest unopposed for the Asia Pacific seat, while Mexico will contest unopposed for the Latin America and Caribbean seat. For one seat of Africa-Djibouti and Kenya are contesting and for the remaining two seats of western Europe and othersthree countries, Canada, Ireland and Norway are contesting. India, one of the founding members of the world body has been elected as a non-permanent member of the Council for 7 times during the years- 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and most recently in 2011-2012. The UNSC comprises 15 members including 10 non-permanent and 5 permanent members. The 193-member UNSC holds elections every year to elect five non-permanent members for a two-year term at the UN. Apart from this, there are five permanent members of the Council-China, France, Russia, UK and the US. Ahead of the elections, the Ministry of External Affairs on last Friday launched a brochure outlining the priorities of Indias campaign. Ten years since we were last elected to the UNSC. We are facing four very different challenges to international peace and security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said, addressing the media. One, the normal process of international governance has been under increasing strain as frictions have increased. Second, traditional and non-traditional security challenges continue to grow unchecked. Terrorism is the most egregious of such examples. Three, global institutions remain underrepresented; they are therefore less able to deliver. Four, the COVID-19 pandemic and its grave economic repercussions will test the world like never before, he added. Also Read: Pak army continues to torture pashtuns, viral video causes uproar on social media For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Advertisement Police fought running battles with anti-racism campaigners in Paris today after thousands turned up for a banned march, as Black Lives Matter protests grip Europe. Tear gas and baton charges were used by police as they came under attack around the Place de la Republique, one of the French capitals most famous protest squares. Protests paying tribute to George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died during an arrest on May 25, have been seen across Europe today including in Prague, Czech Republic, Lausanne, Switzerland and Breda, the Netherlands. A vast crowd had hoped to march in memory of Adama Traore in Paris, a 24-year-old black Frenchman of Malian origin who died police custody in July 2016. Family and friends said he died of asphyxiation, in the manner of George Floyd, the American said to have been murdered by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last month. But Didier Lallement, the Paris police prefect, pledged that the French demonstration would not go ahead because of Coronavirus restrictions on public demonstrations. Police fought running battles with anti-racism campaigners in Paris today after thousands turned up for a banned march. Pictured: An injured demonstrator is helped away as people gather during a rally Tear gas and baton charges were used by police as they came under attack around the Place de la Republique, one of the French capitals most famous protest squares. Pictured: French riot police throw tear gas canisters at people gathered during the rally A vast crowd had hoped to march in memory of Adama Traore, a 24-year-old black Frenchman of Malian origin who died police custody in July 2016. Pictured: An injured demonstrator is helped away as people gather during the rally A woman applauds while kneeling on one leg in front of French riot police during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' worldwide protests against racism and police brutality in Nantes, France Protestors set fire to debris at the demonstration against police brutality, death of George Floyd and racism on the Place de la Republique in Paris Protesters raise their fists during a demonstration against police brutality and racism in Paris, France, today. The march is organised by supporters of Assa Traore's brother Adama Traore Some 3000 Traore supporters including his sister, Assa Traore, turned up anyway, chanting Justice for Adama today as crowds gathered across Europe Members of far right group Generation Identitaire (GI) gesture after deploying a banner, cut by residents who tried to remove it, and reading 'victims of anti-white racism' A French riot police officer is helped away as people gather during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' worldwide protests against racism and police brutality, on Place de la Republique in Paris People hold hands by a sign reading' Without Justice, no Peace' during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' worldwide protests against racism and police brutality Protesters raise their fists during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' worldwide protests against racism and police brutality A French riot police officer is helped away as people gather during the rally as smoke canisters are released in the background People raise their fists during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' worldwide protests against racism and police brutality, on Place de la Republique in Paris People protest against racism and pay tribute to George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died during an arrest on May 25, during a demonstration in front of the US embassy in Prague People hold up signs and demonstrate against racism in Lausanne, Switzerland, today in light of the recent death of George Floyd Protesters take part in a demonstration against racism at the Chasseveld in Breda, the Netherlands today while wearing face masks and holding signs Assa Traore, sister of Adama Traore takes part in the rally. She says people should show their anger at a time when the world, when France is outraged by the death of George Floyd He also said feared disturbances, and later added that police in the Paris regions were neither violent nor racist. Some 3000 Traore supporters including his sister, Assa Traore, turned up anyway, chanting Justice for Adama. Ms Traore said people should show their anger at a time when the world, when France is outraged by the death of George Floyd. By 4pm, projectiles including stones were being thrown at the police, who began to make arrests. Among those held were 12 far-Right counter demonstrators who unfurled a banner complaining about anti-white racism from a rooftop on place de la Republique. Mr Traore had run away from a police check in Beaumont-sur-Oise, a town north of Paris, and hours later died at a nearby police station. The vague circumstances of the incident have led to allegations of a state cover-up, and his family have been fighting for justice ever since. French police officers throw smoke canisters outside a Metro station in Paris as officers in riot gear line up behind People protest during a solidarity rally against police and racial violence in the United States, in Prague, Czech Republic Ms Traore said people should show their anger at a time when the world, when France is outraged by the death of George Floyd A demonstrator wears a mask reading 'I can't breathe', George Floyd's dying words, at the protest in Prague, Czech Republic People protest against racism and pay tribute to George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died during an arrest on May 25, during a demonstration in front of the US embassy in Prague People demonstrate against racism during a protest in Lausanne, Switzerland, today as part of the worldwide protest prompted by the death last month of George Floyd Assa Traore, sister of Adama Traore takes part in the Paris rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' worldwide protests They say he died from asphyxiation caused by officers, while police claim Mr Traore died from a heart attack due to pre-existing medical condition. There are frequent complaints about racist violence carried out by the French police, particularly in incidents involving young black men, or those from Arab backgrounds. In 2017 four officers were accused of anally violating a 22-year-old called Theo Luhaka with a telescopic truncheon, causing him lifelong injuries, in the Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois. It comes as police also face criminal charges for a series of allegedly racist attacks as they enforced curfews and other tough law and order measures during the Coronavirus crisis. Prosecutors opened an enquiry in April after a 30-year-old motorcyclist from an Arab Muslim background was critically injured following a collision with an unmarked police car in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, which is less than 10 miles from central Paris. Awa Gueye, the sister of Babacar Gueye who died in 2015, raises her fist during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' worldwide protests against racism and police brutality on Place de la Republique in Paris Among those held in Paris were 12 far-Right counter demonstrators who unfurled a banner complaining about anti-white racism from a rooftop on place de la Republique. Pictured: Demonstrators raise their fists during a protest against police brutality Mr Traore had run away from a police check in Beaumont-sur-Oise, a town north of Paris, and hours later died at a nearby police station French riot police forces firing tear gas during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' worldwide protests against racism and police brutality, on Place de la Republique in Paris This led to emergency workers including police becoming the target of rioters, who threw rocks and fireworks. Earlier in the month, prosecutors in Beziers, in the south of France, announced that officers were facing criminal charges after a father-of-three died while under arrest for breaching the Coronavirus lockdown. Three officers were videoed dragging Mohamed Gabsi, 33, along the ground during a curfew. They are suspected of intentional violence by a public official leading to manslaughter and non assistance of a person in danger. The offences come with a potential combined prison sentence of 15 years plus, said local prosecutors. The case is particularly sensitive because Mr Gabsi was a Muslim, and Beziers is run by a far-Right mayor who is supported by the National Rally party, which used to be called the National Front. Google and OnePlus have released Android 11 Beta for their devices while Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme have promised to roll out the beta of the latest version of Android soon. Now we have vivo to add to the list as the phone maker has released Android 11 Beta 1 through the Developer Preview Program for the NEX 3S 5G and iQOO 3. You can head over to the first source link at the end of this article to download Android 11 Beta 1 build for the Chinese variants of NEX 3S 5G and iQOO 3, and to the second source link to download the build for the Indian variants of iQOO 3's 4G and 5G models. Do note that these firmwares are only intended for use by developers and it's best not to install them on your primary devices, since they aren't stable enough and have known issues listed below: The in-display fingerprint scanner doesn't work. The front camera doesn't work. Status Bar icons display exception: camera notch and screen corner are overlapped with icon. When Chrome is started for the first time, "Turn on sync?" screen doesnt show any existing Google account sign-in information. In Settings, the last item is About emulated device instead of About device. There are 2 system upgrade pages in Settings (One in Settings > System update, the other in Settings > System > Advanced > System update). User might be confused. vivo says the second Android 11 Beta will be released in late July and it will stop the release of beta builds in August which is when it expects Google to release the stable build of Android 11. Source 1 (in Chinese), Source 2 LONDON (Reuters) - Formula One drivers can forget about podium celebrations this season under new rules to protect them from the COVID-19 pandemic. The pre-race drivers' parade will also be scrapped, but the fans won't be there anyway, and there will be no standing together for the national anthem or trophies handed over directly by local dignitaries. "The practices we have had in the past just cant be done," Formula One's motorsport managing director Ross Brawn told the http://www.formula1.com website on Friday. "The podium procedure cant happen, but were looking at doing something on the grid after the race. One option would be to line the cars up on the track and the drivers will stand in front of cars. "We cant present the trophies, as you cant have someone in close proximity presenting a trophy, but we have worked it out, we have plans and procedures, were looking at how we can present it on TV." The delayed season is due to start in Austria on July 5 behind closed doors. The sport has yet to publish a full calendar but said on Friday -- when the cancellation of races in Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japan was announced -- that it hoped to put on 15-18 races. Teams will be kept separate from each other in 'bubbles' at the circuits, staying in isolation and with no contact with the surrounding community. "The drivers' parade wont happen as we cant put 20 drivers on the back of a truck and take it round the track," said Brawn. "Instead we will interview each one of them in front of the garage. Theres plenty of ways we can engage without compromising health and safety. "This is the new norm. How long will this carry on? We dont know, but this will be the new norm for the rest of the year for sure." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar) China is apparently operating some of its Y-8FQ ASW (Anti-submarine Warfare) aircraft from a 3,100 meter (10,000 foot) airstrip on the Fiery Cross (Yongshu) Reef airbase. This base was completed in 2016 by dredging up enough sand to create a 271 hectare (677 acre) artificial island. Before that, there were two tiny islands that were rocky outcroppings only exposed at low tide. Those rocks were the part of the reef that was a hazard and one of the ships that sank there is the 19th century was the Fiery Cross. The reef was most frequently visited by Vietnamese fishermen because the closest land, 600 kilometers away, was Vietnam. Rarely did Chinese fishermen visit because China was over a thousand kilometers away. China made a claim to the area in the 1930s, when Vietnam was a French colony and China was at war with Japan. In the 1970s China used force (some brief naval skirmishes) to force Vietnam out of the area. The Chinese claim is not recognized by international treaties, which China has signed, specifying who owns what offshore. Fiery Cross Reef is within the Spratly Islands. China describes the Fiery Cross facility as a naval rescue station but most of the time military aircraft are operating from the airbase. As many as 500 military personnel are stationed on Fiery Cross but the normal garrison is about half that. The base now has air-search radar and anti-aircraft weapons. There are also docks large enough to accommodate an aircraft carrier and storage areas for water and fuel. While some rainwater can be captured, most of it to be shipped in. Vegetables have been successfully grown in the sandy soil, but that requires freshwater. All supplies have to be regularly shipped in from mainland China. A special fleet of transports has been built to supply the growing number of South China Sea bases. The Spratlys are a group of some 100 islets, atolls, and reefs that total only about five square kilometers (1,200 acres) of land, but sprawl across some 410,000 square kilometers of the South China Sea. Set amid some of the world's most productive fishing grounds, the islands are believed to have enormous oil and gas reserves. Several nations have overlapping claims on the group. About 45 of the islands are currently occupied by small numbers of military personnel. China claims them all but long occupied only eight while Vietnam has occupied or marked 25, the Philippines 8, Malaysia 6, and Taiwan one. In 2014 China began its sand dredging operation to turn three reefs into artificial islands. Fiery Cross is the largest of these, so far. The Fiery Cross airbase, which occupies most of the island, has twelve reinforced concrete hangars for combat aircraft and four larger hangars for aircraft like the Y-8, which is similar to the American C-130 and used for a wide variety of special tasks, like EW (Electronic Warfare), ELINT (Electronic Intelligence Collection), AWACS (aerial warning and control), AEW (early warning) and ASW (anti-submarine warfare). Most of the 150 Y-8s (and slightly longer Y-9s) are still used as transports but over the years at least a third of the Y-8s have been converted to other uses. In 2017 China stationed four new Y-8Qs, the most advanced model of its ASW (anti-submarine warfare) aircraft, in the south (Hainan Island). This is where China stations warships and naval aircraft that operate throughout the South China Sea. This ASW version of the Y-8 was first seen in the air while being tested in 2010. By 2013 it was identified as the Y-8X (also known as the Gaoxin-6). A more advanced model, the Y-8FQ was eventually put into service in the north by the Northern Fleet. In 2015 the Y-8Q was first spotted, again in the north. This first sighting in the south was during early 2017. Four Y-8Qs were operating out of a Hainan Island naval base and were assigned to the Southern Fleet. The Chinese Navy has two fleets. The northern one operates from bases in the East China Sea (between China and Korea), while the southern fleet deals with areas off the south China coast, the South China Sea and adjacent areas. Because of the importance of the sea routes via the South China Sea to the Persian Gulf to the Middle East, Africa and Europe, the Southern Fleet has been growing in size and importance relative to the Northern Fleet. The Y-8Q/FQ is Chinas answer to the American P-3C maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft. Both aircraft are similar in shape and equipment. While outfitted in a similar fashion it is still unclear how close the Y-8Q is to the P-3C in capability. The first flight of a fully equipped Gaoxin-6 took place in 2012, and apparently the design was being rushed into service. China is playing catchup here, as the U.S. has been using such anti-submarine aircraft since the 1950s. While Chinese espionage efforts may have obtained details of most American anti-submarine aircraft equipment, theres no way to steal decades of experience. Another problem China will have is that when their anti-sub aircraft are actually put to use tracking American and other (especially Japanese and South Korean) submarines, this will take place in international waters where the Y-8Q can be followed and monitored by American intelligence collection aircraft and ships. The Y-8Q is a four-engine turboprop aircraft that weighs sixty-one tons, has a thirty-eight meter (124.7 foot) wingspan, and a cruising speed of six-hundred and sixty kilometers an hour. The Y-8 is based on the Russian An-12 and U.S. C-130. There is also a larger version, the seventy-seven ton Y-9, which is believed to be a Chinese attempt to build an aircraft with similar characteristics to the American C-130J, and at least one of this version has been seen equipped for ASW work. The American P-3 is based on the Electra civilian airliner that first flew in 1954. Only 170 Electras were built but there nearly four times as many P-3s. A few Electras and over 200 P-3s are still in service. This is far more than the few dozen Chinese Y-8Qs. Currently, there are about two-hundred P-8s, P-3s and smaller anti-submarine aircraft in the western Pacific and, except for a few Chinese and Russian ASW aircraft, most are operated by nations that dont get along well with China. Until the Y-8Q shows up in large numbers, China will be at a major disadvantage in this department. Chinese subs were under constant surveillance by foreign anti-submarine aircraft while China was restricted to comparatively slow warships with equipment for finding and attacking subs. China has even fewer helicopters equipped to anti-submarine work. China is trying to even the odds in the South China Sea by building three SURTASS (Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System) ships that use a LFA (Low-Frequency Active) sonar for detecting submarines in coastal waters and on the high seas, especially very quiet nuclear or non-nuclear subs. SURTASS was originally developed by the U.S. to complement the much more expensive SOSUS (SOund SUrveillance System) networks. SOSUS was a Cold War era system that was largely abandoned after the Cold War ended in 1991. Now SOSUS is back. China began installing underwater passive sonar systems in its coastal waters back in 2011. This enables China to monitor submarines operating off its coasts and, presumably, in the South China Sea. South Korea did the same in 2011 when it announced that it was installing underwater submarine sensors off its coasts and this was completed in 2013. The South Korean effort was in response to North Korea using a small submarine to torpedo a South Korea patrol ship in 2010. China simply wants to keep foreign warships as far away as possible, even if it means trying to force them out of international waters. Adding some Y-8Q aircraft to the South China Sea effort helps, especially in a crisis situation when China suspects foreign subs are threatening Chinese control of the South China Sea. Like the P-3C, the Y-8Q carries radars and other sensors, as well as a few tons of sonobuoys, depth charges, and torpedoes. The sixty-one ton P-3 has a 32.5 meter (one-hundred foot) wingspan and can stay in the air about ten hours per sortie. Cruise speed is 590 kilometers an hour. The Y-8Q has less endurance than the P-3 and its crews have far less experience. The P-3C is being replaced by the P-8 Poseidon, which entered service in 2013 and is based on the widely used Boeing 737 airliner. Although the Boeing 737 based P-8A is a two-engine jet, compared to the four-engine turboprop P-3, it is a far more capable plane. The P-8A has 23 percent more floor space than the P-3 and is larger (38 meter/118 foot wingspan, versus 32.25 meter/100 foot) and heavier (83 tons versus 61). Most other characteristics are the same. Both can stay in the air for about 10 hours per sortie. Speed is different. Cruise speed for the 737 is 910 kilometers an hour, versus 590 for the P-3. This makes it possible for the P-8A to get to a patrol area faster, which is a major advantage when chasing down subs first spotted by distant sonar arrays or satellites. However, the P-3 can carry more weapons (9 tons versus 5.6). This is less of a factor as the weapons (torpedoes, missiles, mines, sonobuoys) are lighter and more effective today and that trend continues. Both carry the same size crew of 10-11 pilots and equipment operators. Both aircraft carry search radar and various other sensors. The 737 has, like the P-3, been equipped with hardpoints on the wings for torpedoes or missiles. The B737 is a more modern design and has been used successfully since the 1960s by commercial aviation. Navy aviators are confident that it will be as reliable as the P-3. The Y-8/9 is based on an older Russian aircraft design, the An-12. This Chinese copy of the An-12 never caught on big as a transport and that was one reason so many were converted to other specialized tasks. China has been building the Y-8 since the early 1980s. The basic fifty-four ton propeller-driven Y-8 can, like the similar American C-130H, carry twenty tons. China only built about 150 Y-8s since the 1980s and sold some to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Sudan. Meanwhile, more uses are being found for the Y-8. One was converted to a medical evacuation aircraft, able to carry thirty-nine casualties on stretchers and fifteen able to sit, plus medical personnel. Many of the older An-12s are still flying. But Russia has grounded all its An-12s more frequently because of old-age related reliability problems. The Russian answer to the American C-130, the sixty-one ton An-12, entered service in 1959 (two years after the C-130), but production ceased in 1973 after 1,280 were built. Chinese production of the Y-8 continued to the present. The seventy ton C-130 remains in production and over 2,400 have been built. The Chinese Y-8s are well maintained and constantly updated with new equipment. China is apparently increasing production and finding, even more, uses for this sixty year old design, as well as producing an upgraded model, the Y-9. S eattle police have been temporarily ordered to stop using tear gas, pepper spray and stun grenades during protests. Black Lives Matter sued the Seattle Police Department this week in a bid to halt violent tactics used during recent demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. US District Judge Richard Jones said weapons such as tear gas and pepper spray fail to target any single agitator or criminal and are especially problematic during the coronavirus pandemic. The court ruling was seen as a victory for groups who say authorities have overreacted to recent marches, sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody. Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best have apologised to peaceful protesters who were subjected to chemical weapons. A woman exposed to tear gas has milk poured on her after protests in Seattle / AFP via Getty Images But Ms Best has said some demonstrators violently targeted police, throwing objects and ignoring orders to disperse. A man kicks a tear gas canister during a demonstration protesting the death of George Floyd / AFP via Getty Images The judge said those objecting to the police tactics make a strong case that the indiscriminate use of force is unconstitutional. The judge wrote: Because they are indiscriminate, they may even spill into bystanders homes or offices as they have done before." Ms Durkan, a former lawyer, believes the court struck the right balance to protect the fundamental constitutional right to exercise protest, with the need to also ensure public safety, spokeswoman Kamaria Hightower said. This week, demonstrators have turned part of Seattles Capitol Hill neighbourhood into a protest centre with speakers, drum circles and Black Lives Matter painted on a street near a police station. Police largely left the station after the chaos last weekend, when officers tear-gassing protesters and some demonstrators throwing objects at them. Protesters disperse as tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices are deployed by Seattle police / REUTERS Ms Durkan tweeted about her visit the so-called autonomous zone which has been criticised by US president Donald Trump and where people, including officers, come and go freely. Mr Trump took aim at her and Governor Jay Inslee for not breaking up the occupation by anarchists and threatened to take action if they do not. Meanwhile, Michele Storms, executive director of the ACLU of Washington, said the group was pleased with the judges ruling. The city must allow for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, and it must address police accountability and excessive use of force, she said in a statement. The war of words between West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and firebrand TMC lawmaker Mahua Moitra escalated on Saturday with the former hitting back at the Lok Sabha MPs rotten apple jibe. Taking to Twitter, the governor said Moitra had make the remarks to curry the favour of party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. After being in firing line for letting CORRUPTION CAT out by revealing HYDRA HEADED CORRUPTION in panchayats- now trying to curry favour @MamataOfficial by taking on Governor, he tweeted. After being in firing line for letting CORRUPTION CAT out by revealing HYDRA HEADED CORRUPTION in panchayats- now trying to curry favour @MamataOfficial by taking on Governor.Not the only one in such state of helplessness! Sad and concerned at captivity of these worthy leaders! https://t.co/mL71ogZN5m Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) June 13, 2020 Quick to retort, Moitra referred to Dhankar as uncle ji, saying he should keep the dignity of the Raj Bhavan while in office. Uncleji- 3 points: 1. BJP elevates leaders based on amount of blood they have on hands. TMC rewards hard work2. Your legal career wasnt very luminous - at least try & keep dignity of RajBhavan duringtenure3. You can always context next Rajasthan polls. Keep fit for that https://t.co/uNueD2UNcg Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) June 13, 2020 The tweet that triggered the war of words was posted by Moitra on June 12 in which she referred to the governor as a rotten apple and accused him of doing the BJPs bidding. GovernorWB back to firing BJP arrows at state govt which is handling covid, amphan & migrant return smoothly all at once.A (rotten) apple never falls far from the tree.. https://t.co/sSKMkN0Lnq Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) June 12, 2020 Her tweet was in reaction to Dhankar expressing anguish over a video purportedly showing the bodies of Covid-19 victims being disposed of in a disrespectful manner. The video was later declared to be fake by the police, who claimed the dead bodies were not of Covid-19 patients and that they were unclaimed and unidentified bodies from the hospital morgue. As the video went viral on social media, the governor sought urgent briefing from Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) chairperson and municipal commissioner on Friday. In a series of tweets, Dhankhar wrote, Anguished! Share public outrage and deep concern at most unconscionable heart rendering callous dragging of dead bodies reflected in videos. Shocked at state of affairs @MamataOfficial. Issue is not whether the dead bodies were Covid ones! That is matter of probe. Issue-How human bodies can be so shamelessly dragged! Being treated worse than animals. To those engaging in diversion Search your soul and conscience and imagine dead body was related to you! his next tweet read. Later, principal of NRS Medical College and Hospital Professor Saibal Kumar Mukherjee also said the bodies in the video are unclaimed and not of Covid-19 deaths. Writing to the Kolkata Police Commissioner of Police, he said, This has come to the notice of the undersigned that a video clip has gone viral in social media showing bodies being disposed from NRS morgue and the video has claimed that these are bodies of Covid patients, being disposed furtively. The fact is 14 numbers of unclaimed bodies were being handed over to KMC authority as per list given by different police stations of our morgues jurisdiction and none of these dead bodies were of Covid patients. The subject of the video is fake and you may please take necessary in this regard. The KMC commissioner met the Governor and briefed him about the facts on Saturday. They say cometh the hour cometh the man. Ive no doubt the hour has arrived but the man that comes to my mind is missing. Yet the more I think of two of the dominant crises confronting our country today, the more I reflect on what he might have had to say. It will probably take you by surprise when I name him. Im pretty sure none of you have thought of him for a long while. But his views remain pertinent. The man was George Fernandes. Lets start with the latest of the two crises the confrontation with China in Sikkim and Ladakh. George, if I can so refer to him, had no illusions about China. In an interview he gave me in 1998 for the Hindustan TimesTelevision programme In Focus, he referred to the country as our potential threat number one. He had no doubt China was the greatest threat to Indias security because it saw India not just as an economic rival but, more important, as an alternate example of how a third world country can rise to the top. And thats why he believed China is determined not to let India succeed. At the time, he was defence minister but that did not deter George Fernandes. It wasnt the view of his government either but discretion was not part of his valour. He was outspoken and often called a spade a shovel. If necessary in public. In that interview George spoke at length of the Chinese String of Pearls surrounding India. From Gwadar on the west to Coco Islands on the east, via a series of strategic locations in the Indian Ocean, George believed this necklace could become a noose. Im not saying he was right, but recent developments suggest he might not have been wrong either. What I want to stress is his scepticism, if not distrust, of Beijings intentions. He was wary of the Chinese. His sympathies lay with the countrys opponents. So he embraced Tibetan students, several of whom lived in his compound. That began before he became defence minister, persisted right through the six years he held office, and continued long after. Lets now turn to the other crisis the trauma we have inflicted on migrant workers and the seeming lack of concern from the government. It could never have happened had George been a minister today. Whatever the wrongs of his political thinking and I wont deny there were a few his was a voice that was rarely silent in the face of injustice. He spoke for the Sikhs in the 1980s and for the Kashmiris in the 1990s. It would have been no different when tens of millions of migrant workers trudged wearily home. Had he been alive, he would have been an old man and age and illness had undeniably impaired his speech yet he would have struggled to make his views known. Silence would not have been acceptable to him. Actually, why should I limit myself to China and the tragic migrants? George would have spoken out against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the treatment of Muslims by the police during the Delhi riots and the deliberate silencing of student opinion in Jawaharlal Nehru University. I admit, by the time he joined the AB Vajpayee government, he was no longer the rebel we knew in the 1960s and 70s, but he was not of the establishment either. He washed his own clothes, his house on Krishna Menon Marg had no gate nor any security, and when Ashraf Qazi, the Pakistan high commissioner, was declared persona non grata in 2002, George invited him to dinner the night before his own government ordered him out of the country. George made his mistakes I would never deny that but there was a lot he said and did that was right. He had the courage to be different and stand by his opinions. We could do with a man like that today. Karan Thapar is the author of Devils Advocate: The Untold Story The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON She has been no stranger to a swimwear snap during lockdown. And Montana Brown shared another sizzling shot with her fans on Saturday, as she posed in a cut-out orange swimsuit and shared the photo on Instagram. The Love Island star, 24, looked incredible in the tangerine swimwear, which highlighted her honed midriff and endless pins. Wow! Montana Brown shared another sizzling shot with her fans on Saturday, as she posed in a cut-out orange swimsuit and shared the photo on Instagram Montana appeared in high spirits as she posed for the stunning snap while lounging on her wooden floor, in her living room in front of her floor-length mirror. The reality star appeared to be sporting minimal make-up and wore her highlighted locks swept back into a chic half up half down style. She simply captioned the snap: 'Happy Saturday peeps!' Montana has been sharing a slew of bikini snaps while under lockdown at home, and she was at it again on Wednesday as she posted a sizzling throwback holiday photo. Wowsers: Montana has been sharing a slew of bikini snaps while under lockdown at home, and she was at it again on Wednesday as she posted a sizzling throwback holiday photo In the snap, Montana looked incredible as she showcased her washboard abs in a tiny black bikini. Montana styled her caramel locks into a tousled hairdo and added a pink flower behind her ear. The star posed with her foot gingerly dangling into the crystal clear sea as she joked about being scared of the water in the caption. Montana also shared a fun photo of herself from the same holiday wearing a brown plunging bikini top. Fun times: Montana also shared a fun photo of herself from the same holiday wearing a brown plunging bikini top and green snorkel Scared of the sea: Montana captioned the photos with: 'Happy belated World Ocean Day... that's about as deep as I like to get in the ocean without armbands.' Banter: TOWIE star Pete Wicks was quick to comment on the snap, he said: 'I've seen you get deeper than that...you were balling your eyes out but still.' The reality star playfully posed while wearing a green snorkel as she put her hands into a peace sign. Montana captioned the photos with: 'Happy belated World Ocean Day... that's about as deep as I like to get in the ocean without armbands.' TOWIE star Pete Wicks was quick to comment on the snap, he said: 'I've seen you get deeper than that...you were balling your eyes out but still.' To which Montana replied with: 'I will never forget that. I couldn't even see where the f**k I was as my eyes were so full of tears... thank god you saved me.' 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 This story is a collaboration between Gina Pollack (writing) and Josie Huang (reporting in the field). Protesters gathered at a park in front of Palmdale City Hall today to speak out against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's handling of Robert Fuller's case. The 24-year-old Black man was found dead in the same park, hanging from a tree on Wednesday morning -- a frightening image reminiscent of America's history of lynchings. The Sheriff's Department said the initial results of a coroner's investigation indicate Fuller's death was a suicide. "Without going into too much detail, it doesn't appear there was any sign of a fight or struggle," Lt. Brandon Dean told KPCC/LAist on Friday. But protesters today asked how that conclusion could have been reached without a full investigation or an autopsy. "If you can suggest suicide, I can suggest a lynching," said Laurielle Stewart, one of the protesters, suggesting that Fuller's death was a hate crime. Hundreds have moved several hundred feet from Palmdale City Hall to the tree where Robert Fullers body was found. pic.twitter.com/kFrn0Natbc Josie Huang (@josie_huang) June 13, 2020 When the protest began at 11 a.m., more than 150 people had gathered to demand an independent investigation of Fuller's death by the California Attorney General. Several protesters told LAist reporter Josie Huang that they don't trust local law enforcement to properly investigate or prosecute the incident. Demonstrators chanted, "Say his name," echoing Black Lives Matter's call for an end to violence targeting Black Americans. In the early afternoon, protesters moved from City Hall to the Palmdale Sheriff's Department, demanding answers to their questions. At least a dozen deputies were inside with their helmets on, for a tense 45 minutes, as chants continued outside. Eventually, Lieutenant Derrick Ballentine came out to address the crowd, saying that there is an ongoing investigation into Fuller's death. When about whether he is open to an independent investigation by the state into Robert Fuller's case and how it's been handled he said, "Me personally, yes. But I can't make that call. I have no problem with it. We're transparent." Tensions were high but there were no altercations during the protest. A white community liaison put himself between the protesters and the sheriff's deputies to facilitate. By 12:30, most of the protesters had returned to the park by City Hall. Some marched down the street on Palmdale Blvd., chanting Fuller's name. At one point, some protesters threatened to cut down the tree where Fuller was found, but they were dissuaded. By 3:30 p.m., after two marches to the Sheriff's station, the crowd returned to the park and a sheriff's helicopter began circling and instructing them to disperse. Sheriffs department helicopter has circled the park where #RobertFuller was found at least 10xs now, telling protesters to disperse because of unlawful assembly. Audio is hard to make out but I hear chemical agents and arrests pic.twitter.com/BJfOatMiS7 Josie Huang (@josie_huang) June 13, 2020 At about the same time, about 15 sheriff's deputies vehicles gathered across the street from the park, but left as protesters shouted at them. (Warning: the video below contains profanities.) Across the street from where Robert Fullers body was found, protesters have been facing off with LA sheriffs department for about an hour. About 15 @LASDHQ vehicles left the scene a few minutes ago to shouts of get out of here pic.twitter.com/uglfN7mK3l Josie Huang (@josie_huang) June 13, 2020 Josie Huang/LAist Members of Fuller's family, who live in Lancaster, were present at the gathering. One protester, speaking for the family, asked others to pray for them and give them space. "They are still grieving," she said. Demonstrators placed candles and flowers around the tree where Fuller's body was found. A memorial at the tree where Fuller's body was found. (Josie Huang/LAist) Diamond Alexander, Fuller's older sister, was shocked by how small the tree was. She said she couldn't believe that Fuller, who was tall, at least 5-foot 10', would hang himself from a tree that was barely taller than him. "We sitting here staring at this tree," she said. "It don't make no sense. My brother is tall. My brother was not suicidal. He wasn't." Tommie Andersen, a friend of Fuller's, said she last saw him two weeks at a 7-11 store, not far from the park where his body was later found. The two discussed the recent wave of Black Lives Matter protests, in the wake of George Floyd's death. She said Fuller was excited about the movement and seemed to be in good spirits. The two friends had a group trip planned to Las Vegas later this summer. Palmdale Mayor Steve Hofbauer said at a news conference on Friday afternoon that there are only two cameras in Poncitlan Square; both are low-resolution and follow traffic in real time, but don't record. Because of that, investigators say they don't have video evidence of what happened in the early hours on Wednesday morning before Fuller's body was found. They are asking members of the public to come forward if they heard or saw anything. "We encourage anyone with information about this incident to call Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500," Hofbauer added. The City of Palmdale announced in a press release this morning that officials support the protesters' call for a full investigation. "We will settle for nothing less than a thorough accounting of this matter," the statement says. On Friday night, just after 11 p.m., the Antelope Valley branch of the NAACP released a statement saying that the circumstances of Fuller's death are suspicious, especially given another incident that happened the next day. Fuller's body was found Wednesday morning. On Thursday morning an unarmed man named Michael Thomas was fatally shot by a Lancaster sheriff's deputy, who was responding to a domestic violence call. The NAACP is asking for a full investigation into both incidents, including information on why deadly force was necessary in the Michael Thomas shooting. The organization also asked that both investigations be expedited and that the families be given full access to updates immediately, saying they deserve to know if foul play was involved. "Must negative interactions between communities of color and law enforcement also be deadly?," the statement reads. "Public trust continues to erode after each incident. Wasn't the loss of George Floyd, [killed] just two short weeks ago, training enough?" Fuller's sister said she and her family want answers from the sheriff's dept., too. "It's like everything that they've been telling us has not been right.," she said. "We've been hearing one thing, and then we hear another. We just want to know the truth." BACKGROUND ON ROBERT FULLER AND LYNCHING LAWS: Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. I believe that most fair-minded Americans are sincerely trying to make sense of -- and carefully discuss -- race, protests, looting, police and the range of issues currently boiling over in our country. Many of us are eager to listen. We may not agree with everything we hear, but we genuinely want to learn and then help forge a better, a stronger and a more perfect union. But some of us are also deeply worried that free speech is slipping further and further away -- that even reasonable people who question proposals or perspectives risk being misunderstood, maligned and worse. And that hurts everyone. On the one hand, I have a growing awareness that I have a lot to learn about what its like to be black in America. Im grateful to be in relationship with black friends who have opened up to me about their experiences. It hurts to realize Ive likely been naive. Those of us who didnt grow up in racist homes and dont spend time around bigoted people may relate to David Frenchs worthwhile article in The Dispatch describing the complications of living in a world where a white person can say of racism, Where is it? and a black person can say, How can you not see? In this sense, social media has been a valuable teacher recently. Im grateful for the many posts that have opened my eyes to some real problems and a lot of pain. How could anyone feel callous when they read accounts of being suspected and mistreated? I want to know and I will keep listening. But on the other hand, Im troubled by other social media effects -- particularly the dismantling of free speech through the silencing and shaming of voices, and the phenomenon of ruining peoples reputations or demanding the loss of their livelihoods because something they posted, shared, liked, or said is judged by someone, somewhere, as unacceptable. I recently read a heartbreaking public Facebook post written by the wife of an Alabama police officer. In it, she empathized with those who are protesting against police brutality, affirming that injustices should be confronted, but also sharing the sacrifices and pain experienced by her own family. She defended her husband as a good police officer, whose courage, honor, sacrifice and sense of duty are admirable in a profession that is demanding and dangerous. Its hard to imagine anyone with empathy not feeling moved by her post. But when I went back to read it again a few days later, it was gone. And just like that, a valuable perspective within a difficult discussion disappeared. I dont know why she took it down, but based upon the widespread firing of people for their social media posts, I wouldnt be surprised if she feared her familys livelihood was at risk if someone decided her defense of police officers meant she was unfit for employment. With the racial unrest going on in our country, awareness is important in things that spark up tough conversations, said Jasmine Faith Clisby, explaining why she called out Church of the Highlands Pastor Chris Hodges on Facebook after cataloging and questioning his likes of social media posts by the founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization many would say is relatively mainstream. He more than likely is a great man, Clisby said of Hodges, according to Al.coms Greg Garrison. When we come from different backgrounds, its hard for those worlds to intertwine. We dont talk about things that are hard to discuss. Having tough conversations is a worthy goal; however, the terrible irony of Clisbys actions is that searching through peoples social media and publicly shaming them for reading, liking, or passing along thoughts from someone you disagree with leads to the exact opposite. How can tough conversations occur when people are afraid to engage? How can we expect people to authentically contribute to the conversation if their livelihoods and reputations depend upon how well or badly they navigate the discussion, however sincerely? None of this is new to 2020. From Facebook to Twitter and all platforms in between, a blizzard of financial destruction and reputational annihilation has descended upon America during the past decade, chilling the once sacred concept of free speech and free thought that has always distinguished our society from all others. I fear the result of this big chill hasnt been the banishment of racism, sexism, bigotry or any other vile sentiment. Those who cling to such sentiments persist, often finding dark places to share their dark thoughts. Rather, the result of this big chill has been growing fear and resulting silence among those who would otherwise value and contribute to rigorous debate, who might even change their minds in the process. Reasonable people who hold reasonable opinions, and who may have once dared to ask reasonable questions, are learning that the world is now an unreasonable place, a place thats inhospitable to the nuanced exploration of complex ideas and problems. Social media gives us the unprecedented opportunity to learn from each other. Will we use it to destroy each other instead? Rachel Bryars is an opinion columnist for AL.com The body of a 62-year-old man, who has been missing for five weeks, was found in the stairwell of a Bedford VA Hospital on Friday, according to the Boston Globe. He has last seen at the VA hospital on May 8, the Globe reports. Authorities said the mans death is under investigation. Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan told WBZ-TV that man was found in the same clothes he was wearing when he was first reported missing. She told a WBZ reporter that the case is very concerning." She is no stranger to a bit of body art. And Amanda Bynes was seen debuting a new tattoo when she stepped out for a cigarette in Los Angeles this Friday. The 34-year-old could be spotted with: 'See you on the other side,' written in black cursive up the side of her left calf. Ink: Amanda Bynes was seen debuting a new tattoo when she stepped out for a cigarette in Los Angeles this Friday Message for onlookers: The 34-year-old could be spotted with: 'See you on the other side,' written in black cursive up the side of her left calf She opted for subdued color scheme with her latest look, including a pale grey blouse tucked into a silver miniskirt that appeared to be velour. Letting her dark hair down, she accentuated her features with makeup including a dark red shade of lipstick. Warding off the California rays with a pair of black sunglasses, she strung a black bag from one wrist and held what looked like an energy drink with the other hand. Amanda rounded off her look with a low-top pair of black boots, taking drags from her cigarette as she headed down the tree-lined street. The ensemble: She opted for subdued color scheme with her latest look, including a pale grey blouse tucked into a silver miniskirt that appeared to be velour Refreshments: Warding off the California rays with a pair of black sunglasses, she strung a black bag from one wrist and held what looked like an energy drink with the other hand Her dazzling engagement ring from from her fiance Paul Michael could be spotted glittering on the fourth finger of her left hand. Amanda appeared to be in good spirits on Monday, when the TV icon took to Instagram to rap along to the A$AP Rocky track Forever. The She's The Man actress captioned the short clip, 'Shout out to a$ap rocky'. In the NSFW video, the Nickelodeon alum cussed along with the Harlem-born rapper, occasionally glancing down to apparently check the lyrics. The native Californian actress sported an ornate septum ring and showed off her recently obtained heart facial tattoo on her right cheek. The social media appearance follows posts over the weekend in which Amanda showed off some of her recent output from her Fashion Institute Of Design and Merchandise course. Accompanying three panels -and two selfies- was the caption, 'Entered a cartoon contest through FIDM'. Out and about: Letting her dark hair down, she accentuated her features with makeup including a dark red shade of lipstick Also included in the packet was what appeared to be some sort of architectural sketch. Amanda recently described her hopes of achieving a 4.0 GPA and opening an online shop. In the caption of a selfie taken last month, Amanda wrote, 'Update: Getting my Bachelor's degree from FIDM. Taking online classes, trying to get a 4.0 GPA :]. Looking forward to starting my online store in the future.' 'Spent the last 2 months in treatment. Worked on coping skills to help with my social anxiety that caused me to drop out of school months ago. Back on track and doing well!' Hoofing it: Amanda rounded off her look with a low-top pair of black boots, taking drags from her cigarette as she headed down the tree-lined street 'I'm now living in transitional living and doing therapy during the week. Still engaged to tha love of my life Paul. Hope you're all staying safe! Love y'all!' She also revealed she was still engaged to the 'love of my life', Paul Michael. The actress sparked speculation she was expecting a child with Paul on March 17 after posting a couples selfie, along with the message 'baby on board.' Michael took to the social media site with a parallel post including an image of an ultrasound. On the mend: Amanda appeared to be in good spirits on Monday, when the 34-year-old took to Instagram to rap along to the A$AP Rocky track Forever However, in early May, her attorney said Amanda was not pregnant. Attorney David Esquibias told US Weekly that the actress was not expecting a child and was not residing in sober living. 'Shes sheltering at a safe environment', Esquibias told the site. In March, a judge ordered Bynes to enter a mental health facility, which she agreed to but later decided against doing; her lawyer said that she's under care for 'ongoing mental health issues.' The bling ring: The actress sparked speculation she was expecting a child with boyfriend Paul Michael on March 17 after posting a couples selfie, along with the message 'baby on board.' Afghan President Agrees to Resume Talks With Taliban in Doha, Qatar's Special Envoy Says Sputnik News 01:15 GMT 12.06.2020 DOHA (Sputnik) Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has agreed to hold a new round of negotiations with the Taliban* in the Qatari capital of Doha, Qatari Foreign Ministry Special Envoy Mutlaq Al-Qahtani said. "President Ghani agreed to hold the negotiations with the Taliban* in Qatar", Al-Qahtani told Al-Jazeera broadcaster after a meeting with Chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul. According to the broadcaster, Abdullah said after the talks with Al-Qahtani that Kabul was appreciating Doha's efforts aimed at ensuring peace and security in Afghanistan. On Sunday, the TOLOnews broadcaster reported, citing sources close to the Taliban*, that the negotiations between the group and the Afghan government would be held in Doha. A three-day ceasefire was declared by the Taliban* on 23 May on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday which marks the end of the fasting period. After the ceasefire expired on 26 May, the fighting resumed. The ceasefire, along with the beginning of internal Afghan talks and the exchange of prisoners between Kabul and Talibs, was part of a peace deal reached with the mediation of Washington and signed in Doha earlier this year, aimed at ending the almost 20-year-old military conflict between Kabul and the Taliban*. *Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Over the past week, tech firms from Silicon Valley to New York City have issued statements expressing sympathy for the mass protests around the world demanding an end to police violence and racism. These statements have included financial contributions of millions of dollars to civil liberties organizations and social justice causes. In some cases, tech executives posted personal tweetssuch as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft founder Bill Gatesthat mentioned the memory of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and opposed injustice against black people in America. A man checks his cell phone during a smoke break outside the Verizon headquarters in lower Manhattan. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) While they are now publicly expressing support for millions of people demanding genuine equality, the truth is that the tech corporations are an integral part of the militarization of the police that has developed over the past two decades. Moreover, the high-tech apparatus of repression which they have actively helped develop has been unleashed against protesters since George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. A case in point is the role of the telecom corporations Verizon and AT&T, which issued statements last weekend pledging support for diversity and inclusion and equality and inclusivity, while they both are funding a group dedicated to militarizing local police and working with the security state to expand secret warrantless surveillance of the public. According to a report in the anti-corruption website Sludge on June 4, Verizon and AT&T are platinum partners of the National Sheriffs Association (NSA), a lobbying group based in Alexandria, Virginia, and founded in 1940. The Sludge report notes, The two largest US telcos are among the most prominent corporations that partner with NSA. Verizon is also one of NSAs three diamond partners, the groups top corporate partnership tier, entitling it to a private dinner with the NSA Executive Committee. This intimate setting will give you coveted time with the key policy makers within the organization, a brochure reads. A key objective of the National Sheriffs Association is to make permanent the 1033 Military Surplus program that allows civilian law enforcement agencies to acquire weapons and equipment from the federal government that were originally designed for warfare. As the Sludge report explains, Under the Department of Defenses 1033 program, state and local police are able to obtain Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs), grenade launchers, helicopters, unmanned aerial and ground vehicles, bayonets, and other weapons of war. State and local law enforcement currently hold $1.75 billion worth of military equipment that they acquired through the program. The 1033 program was initiated in 1997 during the Clinton administration and is run by the Defense Logistics Agency which approves the transfer requests from local police departments and delivers the equipment to them. The program was accelerated as part of the attacks on democratic rights within the US in the years following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Some estimates put the value of the military hardware transferred over the years at $7.4 billion. One particularly relevant example of the ways the 1033 equipment can be used in the present situation against protesters is the acquisition by city of Santa Maria, California, of a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), a so-called sound cannon designed to disperse crowds by blasting a loud, painful noise. According to the Sludge report, in 2012, Verizon outfitted a Humvee acquired by the National Sheriffs Association with mobile technology that allows police to access records and manage paperwork in the eld, tap into video surveillance prior to arriving at a crime scene, communicate with dispatch and more. Another of the NSAs legislative priorities is opposition to reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), a federal law that allows police to obtain communications records from telecom corporations like AT&T and Verizon without a warrant. According to information on the lobbying groups website, NSA recognizes the increasing threat that going dark has on their ability to effectively and efficiently obtain potentially life-saving digital materials. NSA describes the ECPA as an essential piece of legislation that seeks to ensure that telecommunications companies properly work in collaboration with law enforcement. In its past lobbying on the issue, NSA urged Congress to allow the telecoms unlimited access to private communications data in partnership with law enforcement agencies. As demonstrated by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, the collaboration of Verizon and AT&T with warrantless 24/7 government surveillance of electronic communications is well-established practice. Given these exposures, it makes perfect sense that the telecoms are supporting lobbying groups like the NSA which are in favor of legalizing warrantless electronic surveillance of the public. The Sludge story substantiates that such illegal surveillance is ongoing by pointing to Project C, also known as Hemisphere, in which AT&T maintains and analyzes billions of domestic and international call records that pass through its networks and makes information available without a court order to the Drug Enforcement Agency and several other law enforcement organizations. Other examples of tech companies collaborating with advanced law enforcement methods that violate basic rights are the use of facial recognition technologies linked to a national database of face images, the use of geolocation information on mobile devices to pinpoint the whereabouts of individuals and the tracking of conversations on social media based on keyword searches. Whatever the professed opinions of individual corporate executives regarding police murder and racial discrimination in the US, the foundation of both inequality and the militarization of law enforcement is the capitalist system. The integration of the US tech industry with the police and the intelligence state has been escalating over the past two decades along with the growth of US imperialist wars in the Middle East and Africa. Under capitalism, the most advanced technical accomplishmentsregardless of their potential to improve and extend the lives of billions of people all over the worldare subordinated to the drive for profit and ultimately used as instruments of repression and war. The fight against the high-tech militarization of law enforcement as well as police brutality and murder are inseparable from the struggle of the working class for the socialist reorganization of society and the planned use of science and technology for human need and not profit. For years, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy has argued for reforming the states alcohol control law and its associated rules. Many are archaic and do little more than protect the profits of Michigans beer and wine wholesaler monopolists. Theres a new problem now with law and alcohol: Shutdown orders have threatened the livelihood of bars and restaurants that sell it. There has been movement to loosen several alcohol-related restrictions in Michigan. All deserve applause. Most recently, and to help businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission said it would offer more businesses in the alcohol trade the opportunity to sell beer and wine for carryout. This is good news for some Michigan bars and restaurants, but it doesnt go far enough. Many on-premise licensees already possess an extra license to do that, so this liberalization of the states alcohol control regime isnt as big of a deal as it may seem. What was missing from the reforms announced by the commission last month was permission for these very same businesses to sell mixed drinks on a to-go basis. We hope this was an oversight. Bar and distillery owners do, too. And more significantly, legislators are considering bills to allow this change. A state House panel voted unanimously on June 3 to recommend that restaurants and bars be permitted to sell cocktails to go. The order for restaurants and bars to close in Michigan, save for carry-out orders, has had a devastating impact on the economic well-being of the owners and their employees. Loosening regulations on to-go sales would give businesses an opportunity to increase revenues and provide job opportunities at a time when they are struggling to survive. State regulators seems to recognize this but only insofar as it involves beer and wine. But why? Critics will no doubt suggest that permitting to-go sales of mixed drinks is a bad idea. Regulators have already done so, but they have not publicly given their reasons. I will look forward to hearing their evidence against this type of change. I would also like to hear a reasonable argument about why hard liquor needs to be treated so much differently than beer and wine in state law. Consider a couple examples. A bar or restaurant that has obtained a retail license to be a specially designated merchant, may, in addition to selling beverages on site, sell beer and wine for consumption off its premises. By contrast, it cannot yet do so for mixed drinks. Stores that sell liquor for consumption off-premise must possess a specially designated distributor license that is strictly limited by a quota based on local population. Quotas for licenses to sell beer and wine for off-premises consumption exist too, but they are not as strict and come with broad opportunities for waivers and exemptions. Alcohol regulation is often sold as a way to protect consumers. But the data shows heavy state control of alcohol markets isnt the elixir government and consumers should look to for better social outcomes. This is important to remember, because opposition to selling mixed drinks for takeout may congeal around some safety argument. Michigan needs major reforms to its alcohol control regime. Permitting bars and restaurants to sell to-go cocktails is a positive baby step in the right direction. It could make for a few happy hours on the way to celebrating a reopened society. Michael D. LaFaive is Senior Director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Augustoberfest to return in 2022, but in a new location This year marks the 25th anniversary of Augustoberfest, usually held in downtown Hagerstown. But this year's festival is moving out of Hagerstown. An Australian citizen has been sentenced to death in China on drug charges. The federal government confirmed the sentence and identified the Australian as Karm Gilespie. 'The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to an Australian man detained in China," it said in a statement on Saturday. Karm Gilespie was sentenced in a Chinese court on June 10. Credit:Tamara Voninski "We are deeply saddened to hear of the verdict made in his case. Australia opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances for all people." 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... Taking note of the "gravity" of the coronavirus situation in the national capital, the Delhi High Court has directed the AAP government and the Centre to increase the number of beds and ventilators for COVID-19 patients. The direction was issued by a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan after the Delhi government informed it that till June 9 there were 9,179 beds for COVID-19 patients in the city and out of that 4,914 were occupied and remaining were available. The Delhi government also told the bench that total 569 ventilators were available, out of which 315 were being utilised and remaining are available. "Considering the gravity of the situation, we hereby direct the respondents (Centre and Delhi government) to increase the number of the beds for COVID-19 patients and also try to increase the number of ventilators so that all COVID patients in need can get these facilities," the bench said in its order which was passed on June 11 but made available on Saturday. The court also said it expects all hospitals in the national capital to correctly upload the availability of real-time bed capacity data so that public may know in advance where to go if they are suffering from COVID-19. The order came while disposing a joint plea moved by several lawyers, through advocate Mridul Chakravarty, seeking proper implementation of containment guidelines, especially in Defence Colony of South Delhi, and to ensure availability of adequate number of beds for COVID-19 patients in hospitals in Delhi. Till Friday, June 12, the number of COVID-19 cases stood at 36,824 in Delhi with 1,214 people succumbing to the disease. The plea by the lawyers was disposed of by the court after the Delhi government said that the affected areas in Defence Colony have already been declared as containment zones. The Delhi government said they are strictly following all the guidelines and the directions issued by the Centre, which was represented by its standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia, and other competent bodies. The Delhi government also told the court it was also strictly observing the directions issued by the lieutenant governor. Taking note of the submissions, the bench said it saw no reason to declare the whole of Defence Colony as a containment zone. It noted that the Delhi government appeared to be taking steps to meet the difficulties of the public at large and that it was arranging beds from private hospitals in accordance with advice of experts. The bench asked the Delhi government to consider the suggestion of Chakravarty that ready to move in government flats be used to house and treat COVID-19 patients. The court said, "The world is presently going through COVID-19 pandemic affecting all sections of the society at large. In a matter like this, government should be given some degree of movement in joints. "There cannot be any hard and fast mathematical solution to such a problem. In a situation like this, experimental based solutions are to be tested." The bench further said the Centre and Delhi government appear to be aware of the fact that there is need of more beds for COVID-19 patients and therefore, they are issuing directions from time to time. "Both the central government as well as state government are issuing directions looking to the present needs of the society. "We expect from the respondents (Centre and Delhi government) that they shall scrupulously follow the guidance, directions and guidelines issued by the central government," the bench said. It also directed concerned authorities to look into the recent suggestions given by the Delhi Medical Association on June 6 with regard to dealing with COVID-19 cases. Dateline NLD Confident as Party Plans for Myanmars 2020 Election -- Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, well discuss how the National League for Democracy (NLD) will select candidates for the coming general election, the possible results of the election and what the NLD has achieved over the past five years. First NLD Vice-Chairman and Mandalay Region Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung has joined me to discuss this. Im The Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni. First of all, I would like to thank you for participating in The Irrawaddys Dateline program. Zaw Myint Maung: Yes. YN: First, I would like to ask about your health. Many are interested in your health status. In a recent interview, you said confidently that your health is good and you will continue to engage in politics. Will you run in the 2020 general election? ZMM: As you know, I am suffering from a certain type of leukemia. But, there are medical treatments available in foreign countries that can allow me to live with it like people can live with diabetes. It is no longer that life threatening. There are new remedies, so if I keep my immune system fit and avoid contracting other diseases, the treatment can extend my lifespan. But, I need to be on medication for around two years. I am fine for light activities, but have not yet fully recovered. [Doctors] said it will take three months for me to return to normal [after my most treatment in Bangkok]. It has been just a few weeks since then. But I feel like I am stronger, and can do light activities. I have joined dozens of video conferences during ongoing quarantine [for the coronavirus]. I am committed to politics. I have said [in an interview] in Yangon that I will continue to engage in politics, playing the role assigned to me. I dont know how it was misunderstood that I would not contest in the coming election. The journey to democracy is not yet over. We have yet to work for democracy to develop and thrive in Myanmar. In the 2015 election, we performed the role we were assigned to play. We did not choose. The party leadership in consultation decided who should be part of the Union-level government and who should be part of the region and state governments. We will continue to take the roles assigned by the party leadership in 2020. As long as I am healthy, I will remain in politics. And I will contest the election if I am assigned by the party leadership. I joined the NLD of my own volition because I am committed to a genuine federal democratic Union. So, I will remain in politics, in the NLD, and continue to engage in politics. And I believe I have a role to play in the 2020 election. YN: But you are also a party leader. You are vice-chairman. ZMM: I speak like this because there are the party patron and the chairperson. I will take part in contributing to the discussion [of what role I should take]. YN: The UEC said the election will be held in November. How much has the NLD prepared for the election? How will it select candidates? I heard that the party has sought recommendations from community elders to select candidates. What is that for? ZMM: We have a lot of experience in selecting candidatesfrom the 1990 general election to the 2012 by-election, the 2015 general election and by-elections in 2017 and 2018. Candidates were selected on a large scale in the 1990 and 2015 general elections. There were some challenges in 2012 in selecting 45 candidates for that by-election, as it was the first time we had run in an election [since 1990, after boycotting the 2010 general election]. We also had the goal of running capable lawmakers and a younger generation of party members. We formed candidate selection committees with community elders in the 1990 election. We changed the policy in 2015, and community elders were not involved in selecting candidates. They were selected by township party chapters and reviewed by the Central Executive Committee (CEC). We will use community elders in 2020. In some township chapters, the executive committee membership falls short of its standard structure. In that case, we formed organizing teams. But there can be bias when candidates are selected by the township executive committee or the organizing team alone, so we thought it would be better with the participation of community elders. We have sent letters to township chapters about how to select community elders. We issued the instructions on June 2. First, five community elders will be selected, and those five together with the township executive committee will select candidates. I heard that it was misunderstood in some townships that candidates will be selected only by community elders, and some have formed candidate selection committees on their own. People should not confuse it with the [government-led] township management committee, which is the committee involved with the General Administration Department, lawmakers, departmental officials and community elders, and engages in regional development workswith 100 million kyats (US$71,500) allocated for each township by the Parliament. The five community elders will be selected by the executive committee of the township party chapters, and they have nothing to do with the township management committee. Then the executive committee and community elders will select the candidates together. If party members will run in the election, they have to submit an application. The township-level candidate selection committee will choose two candidates for first and second choice. Then, the list of nominees will be sent to the region and state chapters, and then to the central selection committee, and then to the CEC. The CEC will make the final decision. To prevent bias, we have required that all the applications from townships be sent to the region and state chapters and then to the CEC, so that the CEC can review who the applicants were and what capacity they have. I mean that we will ensure checks at every stage in the process. It is important to select the candidates who can serve the interests of their township without biaswho is loyal to the NLD and who has political experience and insight. YN: We heard that there are some factions within the party based on personality cults and regionalism. We heard that there has been intense rivalry between party members to be selected as candidates for the coming election. How intense is the rivalry? ZMM: Frankly speaking, the issue is quite a headache for us. No matter how much experience we have, the central level cannot go down on the ground and control. We have to delegate some power to the lower levels. I have been receiving phone calls from lawmakers lately and they told me that there have been some disputes within the party about selection of community elders. I told them that we have given authority to the township executive committee regarding the selection. So it is important that they make correct choices without bias in selecting city elders and candidates. We heard that there is intense rivalry. We have made it clear that we will not accept predetermined results. There will be complaints about candidate selection. I was on the candidate selection committee at the central level in 2015. We were kept busy for around two weeks reviewing the nominees. We had to contact local residents to inquire about the background of nominees. We got some new information after such inquiries and had to replace the nominees in some cases. In 2015, we had to select over 1,000 candidates and there were over 3,000 applications. A team was formed to review those applications. I dont even know who was involved in that team. Those 3,000 applications were sent to the team. All those 3,000 were well-known intellectuals. And the team decided who were qualified as candidates. So, there are candidates nominated by township executive committees and candidates selected by the party CEC. The selection committee then sorted out the preferred candidates. That time, three candidates were chosen as the first, second and third preferences. Now only two candidates will be chosen as the first and second preferences. But for those who are not selected, they can ask us the reason why they were not selected. I dont know why there is rivalry to be selected as a candidate. In fact, we have set criteria for candidates. If two candidates meet the criteria, and if they are equally qualified, we will give priority to the ethnic candidate. If both candidates are ethnic people, we will give priority to the younger one, and if the two are not much different in age, we will give priority to women. If that still cant be settled, we will go to voting. Recently, I was asked about what happens if the chairman of the township chapters organizing committee applies to be a candidate. I said he should then be excluded from voting. There will be challenges in the [township-level] candidate selection committees. We have seen disputes [over the selection process] on social media. Some say candidates should be chosen based on their capacity. Some say candidates should be chosen based on the party they belong to. We have established guidelines for choosing candidates: that they must be able to serve the interests of the township [where they contest] as well as the country, and that they must be loyal to the NLD. We have set eligibility criteria. If we find the applicants do not meet criteria, we will have to review. There may be candidates who do not meet criteria at the township level. But then, they will be further shortlisted by the region, state and central [candidate selection committees]. So, we hope we will get appropriate candidates who can play a part in building a federal democratic Union. Everyone has responsibility. Thats why we have assigned duties to community elders. We have prepared for the coming election, not just relying on ourselves but also relying on city elders. Having community elders in the process helps control the township organizing committee, and at the same time it allows the town residents to find someone who can work for their township. Perhaps we can call it participatory democracy. YN: This is a question that constituents want to ask. Given the fact that some of the current chief ministers, including those from Yangon, Bago and Kayah, were reprimanded by the party, how many of them will be fielded in the upcoming elections? ZMM: It is difficult to say who will contest the elections. Will they apply for candidacy at the township level? They will have to decide themselves. They are at the regional level. We are going to select candidates at the township level. If they do not apply for candidacy at the township level, they will have to be selected at the central level. If they apply for candidacy, how will the central selection committee decide? It is impossible to say who will contest the elections exactly. However, we have performance assessments not only for chief ministers but also for members of parliament. As we have conducted surveys, we have remarks from the public about their performance. Moreover, the party took action against some of them. As we will take everything into account, there are fewer chances for people who were reprimanded by the party or people against whom action or disciplinary action was taken. YN: Many political observers think that the NLD is not likely to win a landslide victory in the 2020 elections as it did in 2015. Although it may continue to win elections in [central Myanmar], it will have to struggle in ethnic areas. For example, ethnic political parties are very powerful in states like Rakhine, Shan and Kayah. Do you agree with this? ZMM: We will try to contest elections in as many townships as we can, or in every township where we have an office. When we contest elections in ethnic states, we will not field candidates from the lowlands there. We will field ethnic people from our party in their respective states. We will contest elections in townships where we have offices in order to form the government. In the past, ethnic parties were divided. Now they have formed alliances and become stronger. For example, we are not as strong as them in states like Rakhine and Shan. We did not win elections in many constituencies in the states in the past too. We are trying to canvass for votes there. We have conducted research there. Therefore, I dont want to say Yes or No. These are just assumptions. It is better if they are backed up by data and research. We conducted research on why we did not win by-elections in Kachin and Chin states. There are many different tribes in Chin State. There are two or three different tribes even in a single village. From which tribe are we fielding a candidate? If we field a candidate from one tribe, another tribe will vote against the candidate. We have such problems in states like Chin. Similarly, there were some places where we could not canvass for votes in Shan State. We could not even go there. We found that we had less of a chance there because we could not canvass for votes there. It is worse still in Rakhine. Some people think that we will not win a landslide victory again. I do not want to use the word landslide. But it is good for us if we can. However, we will try to win enough seats to form the government. We will try to win in constituencies in the regions where we did in the past. We will conduct surveys in other places in states and try to win seats we won in previous elections. It is sure that we will field our ethnic candidates in states. YN: You said the NLD will try to win enough seats to form the government. I think the NLD will need an alliance policy if it does not win enough seats. Ethnic political parties, which formed alliances with the NLD under the military regime, have said the NLD has changed its stance towards them since it was able to form the government [after the 2015 election]. They accused the NLD of becoming a chauvinistic party. Does the NLD have a policy of forming alliances with ethnic parties? ZMM: We had a parliament representative committee in the past, including representatives of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, the Rakhine Democracy League and the Zomi National Congress. We did not field a candidate in the constituency where Zomi ethnic lawmaker U Pu Kyin Shin Htan would contest. What I mean is that we still have alliances that we made in difficult times and we are still in alliance with them and have no problems between us. As for new parties, we would like to tell them that we have been working towards national reconciliation. We have no policy of making alliances with any particular ethnic party, nor any reason to treat them as rivals. All of us who have been working towards democratic goals are in an alliance. They are working for equality, self-determination and liberty, and the stated objective of our government is to build a federal, democratic Union. As the country is a Union, the civil war will not end if we cant build a federal, democratic Union. All ethnic parties are our allies. Frankly speaking, this is our view. We have an ethnic affairs committee in our party headquarters. We encourage the committee to discuss issues openly. We urge them to listen to the voices of ethnic parties and report to the CEC. They can make reports with complete freedom. That is why we cannot understand the accusations that we have become estranged from ethnic parties. It is not true that our relations have changed because we took office. We have always given priority to ethnic issues. That is why [ethnic Karen] Daw Nang Khin Htway Myint became the chief minister in Karen State. U Nyi Pu, who is ethnic Rakhine, became the chief minister in Rakhine State. Dr. Khet Aung, an ethnic Kachin and Christian, became the chief minister of Kachin State, and there is no Bamar chief minister in ethnic states. And [ethnic Shan] U T Khun Myat is the speaker of the Parliament. We have already proved that we have given priority to ethnic issues. What else can we do to prove this? We are not just talking about it. We have proof. A vice president is ethnic Chin. We have given priority to ethnic issues. Not all the positions are taken up by members of the NLD. All ethnic groups are our allies. We have the same goals. I would like to point out that we are serious about the wishes of ethnic peoples. YN: The NLD made campaign pledges in the 2015 election manifesto. As it is 2020 now, to what degree has the NLD fulfilled the pledges over the last five years? According to its campaign pledges, this was the time to change public life. How much has the NLD changed the lives of the people? Please explain briefly. ZMM: We made campaign pledges. We have been implementing the campaign pledges of our party. For example, campaign pledges to amend the constitution were not just for the campaign but also an imperative for democracy, as [the 2008 Constitution] does not meet democratic and human rights norms. It is inconsistent. There are representatives in the Parliament who are not elected by the people. We should amend that. As I have said before, we need to have the courage and wisdom to amend what should be amended. We tried to fulfill the campaign promises but [the Constitution] was enacted in such a way that it cannot be amended. We tried to change this first. Under this Constitution, we will still be far away from democracy and peace. That is why we tried to amend the Constitution, but we were not successful. The public already knows why we were not successful. We proposed constitutional amendments because we wanted people to know this. However, we should amend it. We tried and we were not able to amend what should be amended. It is necessary for stakeholders to review whether we have enough courage or wisdom. It is necessary for stakeholders to review why our country, which ranked first or second in Southeast Asia, has fallen back to seventh or eighth position. Similarly, peace will be farther away if each stakeholder is demanding what it wants. The peace process takes a long time. It is necessary to consider what each stakeholder can contribute. A federal Union cannot be built by Bamar alone with Bamar chauvinism. A federal Union can be built only with the Union spirit. Without peace, how can we uphold democracy? Everything is interrelated. We are trying to restore peace at the same time. If one asks whether we have fulfilled our pledges, we have not achieved success. However, it can be seen that we are still trying. The last round of the 21st century peace conference has been delayed by COVID-19. What I would like to say is that we have not successfully fulfilled our pledges. However, there is something some people have failed to notice. Despite criticism about the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law, they have freedom to protest and stage demonstrations and to access information. More freedoms could be enjoyed during the last five years, but they failed to consider this and post about everything they want on social media. They failed to take this freedom into account. All this shows that a certain amount of freedom has been restored, covered in the media and in interviews during the five year-term of the NLD government. However, we still do not have as much freedom as we want because there are laws like the Official Secrets Act. Progress can be seen in roads and rural highways. Fifty percent of the country has access to electricity. In Mandalay, electricity access is at 80 percent. We will supply electricity to all of Mandalay Region in 2021. We can point out progress in states and regions. Although we aimed to achieve 6.8 percent economic growth, it has dropped by 2 percent due to COVID-19. Progress has been made in the infrastructure sector. The GDP has risen. Although some people are criticizing foreign loans, saying the loans are not profitable for the country, Myanmars ratio of GDP to debt is very low compared with other countries, including the US and Japan. We need foreign loans. We have taken foreign loans to create stimulus packages for economic recovery during the outbreak of COVID-19 by looking at the GDP and debt ratio. We have achieved tangible progress like better rural roads, rural water and electricity supply and policies that are beneficial for farmers. However, we still need to make progress at the national level. We want to win the elections again and form the government to make such progress speedily. YN: Thank you for your contributions! You may also like these stories: NLD Missteps and What They Would Herald for 2020 Election Whats Stopping Myanmar From Modernizing its Electricity Sector? A father has left hospital after surviving a record 65 days on a ventilator after his family were warned four times that he could die from Covid-19. John Betts, 59, was admitted to Northampton General Hospital on the 26 March and was put into an induced coma the following day. Despite his family being told repeatedly that he was close to death, John awoke at the end of April, remained on a ventilator for another month-and-a-half, and finally left hospital on Thursday. His family were told four times that he might not survive the night, the Sun reported, adding that he is the British coronavirus-sufferer to survive the longest on a life support system. John is pictured being clapped by doctors and nurses as he leaves Northampton General Hospital on Thursday after spending a record 65 days on a ventilator for coronavirus John lost two stone during his stay at Northampton General Hospital and is still very weak, he said. Doctors hope that he will be fully recovered by next March 'I'm blessed to have come through this battle,' John said. 'To anybody living through this horrific disease, stay strong. 'I'm blessed to have come through this battle and be back at home with my family.' When he arrived at hospital at the end of March he was immediately tested for the deadly virus and rushed straight to intensive care. Within the space of 24 hours his health rapidly declined and he needed help to breathe. Doctors sedated the 54-year-old business consultant and put him on a ventilator, which he would stay connected to for over two months. Pictured: John, 54, who worked as a business consultant, before he was struck by the coronavirus at the end of March His daughter Lauren Bedford, 23, and her husband Cameron, 25, recalled the 'emotional rollercoaster' of their father's uncertain fate. 'It has been an emotional rollercoaster. Initially when he went in they said they needed to run some tests, but hoped to get him in and out within two weeks,' Cameron told the Sun. He added that Lauren visited John to tell him, 'keep fighting' after doctors told her he may die. John woke up two days later on 16 April. Lauren visited John in hospital the last time doctors thought he could die. John said: 'I am forever grateful to the staff and doctors at Northampton General' Cameron said: 'Lauren went in to say, 'Keep fighting'. He wasn't awake at that point but sometimes a family member's voice can help. He woke up two days later on April 16.' Though he'd woken up, John was not yet out of the woods yet. It was another month-and-a-half before he would be taken off the ventilator. John lost two stone during his stay at Northampton General and has been left very weak from the illness. 'I've still got a long way to go and I know that rehabilitation could take up to six months but I have wonderful support around me,' John said. 'I am forever grateful to the staff and doctors at Northampton General.' Nail salons, massage parlors, tattoo shops and other personal service providers can resume business next week in counties that have met state criteria for reopening at a brisk pace, California health officials said Friday. State guidance for personal service operations to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic has been long awaited by industry leaders, who said they were unfairly left out of earlier plans that allowed hair salons and barbershops to return to business. The guidance, which was released Friday afternoon, requires staff and customers to wear face coverings and limits the number of people who can be inside a business at one time, among other directions. The state recommends that personal service businesses be allowed to resume next Friday at the earliest. But it will be a far longer wait for professional manicures and pedicures in much of the Bay Area, where most counties are moving at a slower pace than the rest of the state to loosen shelter-in-place restrictions. We feel like theres a level of preparedness to provide this sector for reopening, only if the county feels like it is the right time, Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said in an interview Friday. For the state to put out the guidance now we felt was appropriate, because the ability to protect the workers, protect the customers, and to lower the risk of those activities is there. The guidance applies to businesses that require staff to touch a clients face or body. It includes shops that offer piercings, electrolysis and waxing, plus cosmetology services such as skin care, facials and makeup application. At nail salons, tattoo shops and massage parlors, clients and staff must wear face coverings at all times, according to the guidance. For other operations, if customers cannot wear a face covering, workers should wear a face shield for added protection. Workers should wear gloves through the entire procedure. At nail salons, owners should consider removing nail polish displays from which customers typically choose their color, and instead use a color palette that can be cleaned between uses. Owners should also consider installing plastic partitions, with openings for customers hands or feet, at work stations. Customers should not get manicures and pedicures at the same time. All businesses should remove items that might be shared by customers, such as waiting room magazines and test products. They should use disposable supplies when possible. Personal service businesses can start up again only in counties that have been granted permission from California to move ahead of the statewide reopening schedule. All but six of Californias 58 counties have been granted that approval. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The outliers are mostly in the Bay Area and include Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. San Mateo County said Friday it is requesting state approval to reopen on the faster schedule. Nail salons were cited by Gov. Gavin Newsom as a source of particular concern for public health. Newsom said last month that a nail salon was associated with one of the earliest reports of community spread of the coronavirus, which involved a case in Solano County. But nail salon owners across the state said they were unfairly targeted as a special threat, noting that other industries that involve close interaction between staff and customers were allowed to reopen sooner. Im very pleased that the governor has heard the complaints and the struggles that the nail industry has suffered the last 85 days or so, said Mike Vo, chair of the industry group Pro Nails Association, based in Irvine. Its very long overdue. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday George Floyds death at the hands of the Minneapolis police isnt just being used as a rallying cry to reform police departments. It is being invoked everywhere in California politics right now, from the budget battle in Sacramento to calls for reforming the bail system to a potential return to affirmative action. But frontline workers like Akbar Bibb say its not enough for politicians to symbolically take a knee in honor of Floyd. This is the time that youve got to really stand with us, said Bibb, a Fairfield resident who works for an in-home care program that serves low-income seniors and disabled people. His program and many like it could be sharply cut as California tries to close a $54.3 billion budget deficit. If you want to really speak for us, speak at the (budget negotiations) table right now when its uncomfortable, when (the media) isnt there, Bibb said. Youve got to do that because Im not going to be in that room, he said. None of my people are going to be in that room. None of my clients are going to be in that room. Community advocates feel they have a moment now to make change, as Floyds death has brought many people around to the belief that racism is rooted in many aspects of U.S. life. A Civiqs poll this week showed that 53% of registered voters support the Black Lives Matter movement. Thats up 11 points from April 12. A Monmouth University poll found that 3 out of 4 Americans including 71% of whites felt racism was a big problem. Fewer than half felt that way in 2015. While opinions on race are changing across America, they arent in the White House. Several members of the Trump administration including the only African American in his cabinet, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson have said in recent days that they dont believe systemic racism exists. I dont believe there is systemic racism in the U.S. Im not going to go into a long riff on it, Trumps top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said this week. Meanwhile, in California, Floyds death is inspiring other changes. This week state legislators advanced a constitutional amendment to overturn Proposition 209, the affirmative action ban approved by voters in 1996. On Wednesday, the Assembly passed ACA5, which would strip language from the state Constitution prohibiting the consideration of race and sex in public education, employment and contracting. If the Senate also approves the measure, it would go before voters in November. As we look around the world, we see there is an urgent cry an urgent cry for change, said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, one of the measures authors. After 25 years of quantitative and qualitative data, we see that race-neutral solutions cannot fix problems steeped in race. Since Floyds death, theres been a shift in the conversation were having now about the inequities that are baked into our criminal justice system, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs said Friday. He was speaking at an event supporting a November ballot measure to end cash bail for pretrial release something that advocates say disproportionately affects people of color. Tubbs said a multiracial coalition of legislators has been working on the issue for several years. So I think now is the time to really kind of capitalize on the groundwork thats been made for the last several years, and to really kind of push California into what the 21st century criminal justice system should look like, Tubbs said. While some are using this moment to show how racism pervades every corner of daily life, others have been trying to say this for a long time. It should not have taken another murder of a black man by the police to wake up this state and our nation to the blatant racism that is killing us or the insidious ways that racism hides in policies and budget decisions, Democratic Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, whose Los Angeles district is 95% black and Latino, said outside the state Capitol this week. Californians, Jones-Sawyer said later in an interview, are connecting the dots. Jones-Sawyers audience, for now, is his fellow state legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Theyre the ones tasked with fixing with the deficit, and there are no good options. But the cuts Newsom has proposed to balance the budget would disproportionately hurt the African American community, advocates say. Newsoms proposed cuts to CalWORKSs, the states welfare program, are seven times more likely to affect African Americans than whites, according to the Service Employees International Union. Similarly, the union said, proposed cuts to child care programs are far more likely to affect black children than white children. Budget negotiations are under way, and a deal could be reached this weekend. Newsom would let the cuts take effect July 1 and reverse them if the state receives more federal stimulus money. But that is far from certain the House has approved aid for states and local governments, but the Senate hasnt acted. The Legislature wants to push off any cuts until October, under the assumption that Congress will agree on something by fall. And if it doesnt, legislators want to dip further into the states reserves, defer some payments until future years and take other accounting steps to avoid most of the cuts altogether. The minutiae of state budget negotiations are wonky, but the budget is the tell-all. What you invest in, you value, said Alyssa Bonner, president of SEIU Local 521, which represents 50,000 janitors, bus drivers and social workers stretching from San Mateo to Kern counties. Bonner said she sees systemic racism every day as an African American. She has since she was 7 years old, walking down down a street in her Fresno neighborhood, where hers was one of a handful of black families. A white man told her, Go back to your country, she recalled. And I was like, What country is that? Im from America, Bonner said. Black people have always known this reality, but it wasnt a polite conversation to have about the racial injustice in the world, she said. Floyds death has made it easier to show how pervasive racism is. Now is the time, Bonner said, to help people understand that injustice to black folks is rooted in structural systems. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Credit: CC0 Public Domain Brazil on Friday claimed the unenviable position of having the second-highest coronavirus death toll worldwide behind the United States, where several states have posted record daily case totals, signaling the crisis is far from over. US and European stocks ended the week on an upswing after a rout sparked by the US data and fresh evidence of the economic damage caused by virus-related lockdowns, with British GDP shrinking by a record 20.4 percent in April. Meanwhile, in several European countries, the focus shifted to the courts, and who might eventually be pinned with the blame for the global financial and health crisis. Brazil's health ministry recorded 909 deaths in the past 24 hours, putting the total at 41,828meaning the country of 212 million people has now surpassed Britain's death toll. Experts warn the actual number of cases in Latin America's biggest economy could be many times higher than the confirmed figure of 828,810. "Some areas are at a critical stage" in Brazil, with intensive care unit occupancy levels of more than 90 percent, World Health Organization emergencies director Mike Ryan told journalists in Geneva. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who threatened last week to quit the WHO over "ideological bias," has dismissed the virus as a "little flu," and berated state officials for imposing lockdowns. Latin America is the latest epicenter in the world's battle with the novel coronavirus, which emerged in China late last year. The region has recorded more than 1.5 million infections and 76,000 deaths, with no signs the virus is slowing. In the US, which has confirmed the most COVID-19 deathsover 114,000more than a dozen states, including two of the most populous, Texas and Florida, reported their highest-ever daily case totals this week. "It's important that we remember that this situation is unprecedented. And that the pandemic has not ended," Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a media briefing on Friday. Nevertheless, US President Donald Trump and many local officials remain determined to get the world's biggest economy back on track. The virus and resulting lockdowns have caused a spike in US unemployment44.2 million people have filed claims for jobless benefits since mid-March. Worldwide, the pandemic has killed more than 425,000 people and infected more than 7.6 million. Court action In Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by the virus, prosecutors questioned Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over his government's initial response. In the country's northern Lombardy region, an investigation has been launched into why a quarantined "red zone" was not enforced around two towns sooner. And in Bergamo province, 50 victims' family members filed complaints this week over how the crisis was handled. "All investigations are welcome. The citizens have the right to know and we have the right to reply," Conte said this week. Elsewhere, British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair launched legal action against the British government over a "flawed" 14-day coronavirus quarantine system introduced this week. Europe's reopening Europe is pushing ahead with its exit from lockdown, with a number of countries preparing to reopen borders on a limited basis on Monday after the EU Commission urged a relaxation of restrictions. France said it would gradually reopen its borders to non-Schengen countries from July 1. Greece said it would welcome tourists again, though Britons remain barredand passengers from Italy, Spain and the Netherlands must undergo tests on arrival. Germany said it would end land border checks on Monday. And Italy said it would allow amateur contact sportsincluding team sportsfrom June 25. 'Fight not over' Yet world health officials have warned that the virus is far from contained. "The fight is not over," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday. In evidence of the continued threat, eleven residential estates in the southern part of the Chinese capital were locked down due to a fresh cluster of coronavirus cases linked to a nearby meat market, officials said Saturday. Seven cases have so far been linked to Xinfadi meat market, six of them confirmed on Saturday, officials added. Nine nearby schools and kindergartens have been closed. China has largely brought domestic infections under control, and the majority of cases in recent months have been among overseas nationals returning home. In India, experts are warning the worst is far from over. Deaths from coronavirus in New Delhi are almost twice as high as official figures show, a city leader said. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP GLASGOW, Scotland In Scotland, a history of slave trading hides in plain sight. Its in the striking Georgian facades of Edinburgh and Glasgow, paid for by plantation profits, and on the monuments and street names that venerate men who were enriched by human suffering. Generations of Scots have walked down Glassford Street and Ingram Street in Glasgow, for example, perhaps without realizing that the names honor two of the city's most prosperous plantation owners, John Glassford and Archibald Ingram. For a growing number of Scots, this must change. Almost 25,000 people have signed a petition calling on Glasgow to rename streets linked to slave owners. Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, has seen similar activism, with a focus on monuments commemorating the trades beneficiaries, such as one that pays tribute to Henry Dundas, a politician who delayed the abolition of slavery in the British Empire by 15 years. Emboldened by the explosion of protests in America following the death of George Floyd in police custody, there are renewed calls for Scotland to confront its slave-owning past and in doing so, fight the scourge of modern-day racism. Ivan McKee, Scotlands trade minister, has called for greater discussion around the countrys slave heritage. Theres a lot of people who dont know much about it, and this is an opportunity to raise awareness, he told NBC News. Scotlands pivotal role in transatlantic slavery has at times been discussed less than that of England and the United States. But from running slave forts on the West African coast, captaining ships ladened with human cargo, and owning cotton, tobacco, coffee and sugar plantations in the West Indies, Scots played a key role at every level of the industry. Image: Glassford Street, one of Glasgow streets linked to slave owners in the City, on June 9, 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images) Sales of these sought-after goods fired Scotlands industrial revolution and brought immeasurable wealth to the nations merchants. The combined annual value of trade between Scotland and the West Indies and Scotland in 1790 was equivalent to at least 50 million pounds ($46 million) in todays valuations, according to the National Trust for Scotland. Story continues And when, in 1833, Britain abolished slavery, millions of pounds were paid into Scottish pockets to compensate for financial losses. This money trickled down through Scottish society, bringing prosperity to places such as Glasgows Merchant City and Edinburghs New Town, areas that owe their architectural grandeur to the proceeds of slavery. But not all agree that street names should be amended and statues toppled, as they have in Bristol and London in the past week. If you remove the evidence, you remove the deed," Sir Geoff Palmer, professor emeritus at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, told NBC News in a phone interview. "If were going to talk about honest history by removing them, youre altering history." Palmer said emphasis must instead be put on education and a shakeup of the Scottish school curriculum to better reflect the country's slave history. He has campaigned for explanatory plaques to be installed at slavery-linked monuments, also. The past has consequences. Racism is a consequence of the past. Therefore we have to deal with those consequences, he said. Image: The Henry Dundas statue, the 1st Viscount Melville, was said to have had a gradualist approach to ending slavery on June 10, 2020 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images) For some, the arts can play an important role in reckoning with the past. "Enough of Him," a new play from Edinburgh-born writer May Sumbwanyambe, looks to address the dearth of dramatic work on Scotlands colonial history. It tells the remarkable story of Joseph Knight, a slave who successfully sued his master, establishing the principle that slavery could not be upheld in Scotland. Putting on plays like this that allow audiences in Scotland and beyond Scotland to go: Black people have been part of this country and shaping the culture and social development of this country for a very, very long time,' Sumbwanyambe said. If we dont know that Black people have lived side-by-side with white people for hundreds of years, as opposed to just 70 years, its easier for racism to foment. Last year, Glasgow University became the first academic institution in the U.K. to commit to slavery reparations, acknowledging that it had been the recipient of slave-linked funds. Over the next two decades, the school plans to raise 20 million pounds ($25 million) in partnership with the University of the West Indies, to confront the debilitating legacies of slavery and colonization through research and policy development. At the local government level, the Glasgow City Council is currently investigating the citys ties to transatlantic slavery and has committed to holding a public consultation on how to respond to its findings. Similar discussions are taking place in Edinburgh. Image: Black Lives Matter protest in Holyrood Park on June 7, 2020 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images) As for reparations on a national level however, there is little progress. For decades, Caribbean nations including Jamaica, where one-third of slave plantations were Scots-owned have called for formal financial reparations, but to no avail. For Eunice Olumide, a Scottish author, art curator and activist, this is unacceptable. The only conversation we need to have is how reparations are given, she said. Its really important for Western people and white people to understand that thats a discussion that needs to be had with leaders in the Afro-Caribbean community before they take action. More needs to be done in Scotland, too, Olumide believes, to recognize the contributions of Black Scots in the public sphere. Its long overdue that Black creators in this country are enshrined in history and commemorated. Because its quite obvious that theres a serious lack of understanding of the contribution of people of color to the United Kingdom and to Scotland. Hong Kong: 35 arrested for unlawful assembly Police have arrested 35 people for taking part in unlawful assemblies in several districts this evening. The 24 men and 11 women were arrested for offences including wounding, unlawful assembly, participating in an unauthorised assembly, disorder in public places and possession of offensive weapons. Crowds gathered and behaved in a disorderly manner in Causeway Bay, Yuen Long, Mong Kok and Kwun Tong. Some of the participants threw hard objects from a height in Shantung Street, Mong Kok with police officers as their assault targets. After repeated warnings went unheard, officers conducted dispersal and arrest operations. Police made it clear they do not condone any illegal violent acts and will take resolute law enforcement action against anyone who commits illegal acts. This story has been published on: 2020-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. India on Saturday termed as untenable Nepal's lower house of parliament amending the country's constitution to update its new political map featuring areas which New Delhi maintains belong to it. The ministry of external affairs said the artificial enlargement of territorial claims by Nepal is not based on historical facts or evidence. "This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. The lower house of Nepalese parliament on Saturday unanimously voted to amend the constitution to update the country's new political map, laying claim over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura along the border with India. In a show of unprecedented national unity, opposition parties including the Nepali Congress, Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal and Rastriya Prajatantra Party voted in favour of the bill to amend the constitution to update the national emblem by incorporating the new map. The ties between the two countries came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8. Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. In the midst of the row, Indian Army General Naravane said that there were reasons to believe that Nepal objected to the road at the behest of "someone else", in an apparent reference to a possible role by China in the matter. The comments triggered angry reactions from Nepal. Days later, Nepal came out with the new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories. After Nepal released the map, India reacted sharply and cautioned the country that such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it. The Lipulekh pass is a far western point near Kalapani, a disputed border area between Nepal and India. Both India and Nepal claim Kalapani as an integral part of their territory -- India as part of Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district and Nepal as part of Dharchula district. Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has been asserting that Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura belong to Nepal and vowed to "reclaim" them from India. After a few personnel from Goas dedicated Covid-19 hospital tested positive for the infection, the state government on Saturday decided to conduct random testing at slums near the facility in Margao town. State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said people living in slum areas around ESI Hospital in Margao will be tested for coronavirus.Earlier this week, a few members of the hospital staff had tested positive for the deadly infection. In view of cases detected at ESI quarters, I have directed the health secretary to test all employees there, he said.Apart from this, random testing will be conducted in the slums of Azad Nagar and Moti Dongar, which are located near the hospital, Rane said. Leader of opposition Digambar Kamat, who is also Margao MLA, had requested for tests to be conducted, he added.As on Friday, Goa has recorded 463 cases of Covid-19, of which 69 patients have recovered so far. The state government has declared Mangor Hill in Vasco town of South Goa and Ghodemal in Sattari taluka of North Goa as containment zones. A survey of about 350 members of Winnipeg and Manitoba chambers of commerce confirm what many are now coming to understand it is going to take a long time for business to get back to normal. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A survey of about 350 members of Winnipeg and Manitoba chambers of commerce confirm what many are now coming to understand it is going to take a long time for business to get back to normal. The survey found that more than 40 per cent of businesses believe it will take more than a year for them to get back to pre-COVID revenues. The survey found in just about every respect small businesses (with 10 or fewer employees) have been hit harder than large ones more of them have closed; small businesses have suffered ill-effects of the shutdown at twice the rate of large or medium businesses; and financial concerns weigh heaviest on the small businesses. Loren Remillard, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce said, "Main street businesses need our help more than ever before. The survey results are the rallying call." As Phase 3 of the reopening gets mapped out, there is a sense of optimism that at least the doors can be reopened close to 50 per cent of respondents in most sectors said theyd only need a week to get ready to re-open. And only one per cent of respondents said they are considering closing. When the Manitoba Chamber surveyed its members at the end of March three times as many said they worried they would have to close. Remillard said that likely speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit. "Most believe they will be successful, thats why they started their business in the first place. COVID has not changed the nature of entrepreneurialism," he said. "But there are businesses closing every day." When asked what the Manitoba government should focus on to support and grow the provincial economy the top recommendation was "invest in health-care infrastructure to help prepare the system for a possible second surge of COVID-19". Chuck Davidson said it speaks to the importance the business community sees in the maintaining the capacity of the provincial health-care system. "Ensuring we have the resources and finances to be able to look after the front-line health-care system is something the business community understands," he said. But the survey points out the complexity of the challenges ahead. While there is general support and widespread awareness of the availability of government support programs more than 90 per cent for the federal programs and more than 70 per cent for the provincial ones take-up has been much lower. "The lack of uptake is not due to lack of awareness which suggests there are some structural challenges to the program in their current form that is impeding businesses ability to use them," Remillard said. In particular 94 per cent of respondents were aware of the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program but only eight per cent applied for it and 72 per cent were aware of the Manitoba Gap Protection Plan but only 11 per cent applied. Both Davidson and Remillard said the government programs are going need to be adjusted and refined so more companies can access them. "Many have had their doors shuttered for three months now and now that they can open for many it will be at 50 per cent capacity," Davidson said. "There is going to need to be additional support." In addition to the issues of liquidity, with many businesses having had their revenue severely curtailed, the survey made clear that businesses are crying out for direction from the public sector and public-health officials as to what exactly they need to do to operate safely adhering to public-health protocols. Remillard and Davidson said they continue to hear concerns about the additional costs that have to be incurred in starting up again like having personal protective equipment and other public safety expenses and that government support for those things is required. "Lets see a grant program developed for these hard costs they are dealing with," Davidson said. "Businesses want to make sure they are following the rules and protocols and it (a grant) would address the need for short-term liquidity they are looking for." Among other findings the survey showed: 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. While 20 per cent of businesses in Manitoba are still waiting to open, more than two-thirds never closed; More than 85 per cent of medium-large businesses (over 50 employees) stayed open during the pandemic vs. 62 per cent of small businesses. Restaurants/tourism/hospitality and non-profit/arts and culture industries were most affected by the pandemic as over one-third of these are still closed temporarily; In terms of impact on operations, six in 10 businesses saw a decline in operations from last year. Consumer/retail/services industries were most affected, three in 10 of these have reported 70 per cent lower operational activity compared to last year; Half of the businesses feel they will be able to recover from the losses in over a year, while around 16 per cent are uncertain their operations can ever reach pre-pandemic levels again, even more so in restaurant/hospitality/tourism (31 per cent are uncertain). The full results of the survey can be found online at http://wfp.to/3Dq martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca The fate of a Confederate statue honoring Dick Dowling remained in limbo Friday, but the fight over it led to a clash and perhaps a bit of understanding between the mayor of Port Arthur and at least one resident who confronted him about history. Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie called a news conference to announce that he had secured a commitment to keep the monument, currently at Hermann Park in Houston, from being moved to a state park at the site of the 1863 Battle of Sabine Pass. Thats where Dowling and 46 Rebel soldiers under his command successfully fended off a Union attack. Some of the two dozen black U.S. sailors were among those killed. The park already has one statue of the Confederate leader, in addition to displays about the battle. Bartie was informed about the proposal to move the monument late Thursday by an Enterprise reporter. He immediately vowed to stop it, even though a committee of the Texas Historical Commission had already approved it. On Friday, Bartie compared such a move to putting a statue of Adolf Hitler in a majority-Jewish community. The ethnic ramifications attached support my displeasure with accepting this statue in view of the fact that our local ISD removed the name of the individual from a school building further supports not having the Confederate statue relocated to our community, he said. By then, he said, state Rep. Joe Deshotel had already conveyed his concerns to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. He said the statue will sit in storage in that city until another site is found. Murphy confronted Bartie during the media appearance, asking if the mayor knew any historical facts about the Irish-born Dowling. He said he identified with Dowlings Irish heritage and his work as a longshoreman. Dick Dowling is unique to this community - that he came here and did something every immigrant wants, Murphy said. He made a statement, Murphy added, and people remember him for it. By the end of the news conference, supporters on both sides seemed interested in compromise. There was consensus about the importance of hearing others opinions, especially in a time of civil unrest. Bartie noted that he and others havent said anything about removing the statue of Dowling that already is in Sabine Pass. They just dont want to add another one. Related: PA mayor livid about Confederate statue potentially headed for Sabine Pass Resident Joan Jones, who also attended the news conference, suggested a compromise. Why not move it to the Museum of the Gulf Coast, where it could be presented with more context. Both Bartie and Murphy also thought the suggestion sounded like a good idea. Tom Neal, director of the museum in downtown Port Arthur, said later that hasnt been a part of any discussions about the outdoor statue and doesnt know if it would even fit inside. Any additions to the museum have to be cleared by the board. He suggested the statue also could be housed at a museum in Houston, where Dowling lived and where he ran a bar for some time. He also speculated about the Clifton Steamboat Museum in Beaumont. But if they want it to come here, I certainly would take it to the board, Neal said. Museums are a place to have these conversations and to teach the history. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox Should the idea be pursued, the city of Houston, which was donating the statue to Texas Historical Commission, would have to instead decide to donate the statue to the Museum of the Gulf Coast. Additionally, arrangements would have to be made for transporting it. While folks in Port Arthur were coming up with such ideas, the fate of the Dowling statue remained in limbo. A spokeswoman for Mayor Turner said only that it is being discussed with the Historical Commission, which runs the Sabine Pass Battlefield State Historic Site and had planned a full vote next Wednesday. We are currently assessing the situation with the Texas Historical Commission. However what we do know is that the Dowling statute will be removed from its current location in Houston, mayoral spokeswoman Mary Benton said. The one commission member who could be reached on Friday referred questions to a spokesman, who did not provide any further detail. Bartie said he is set to give his opinion about the relocation proposal during Wednesdays virtual meeting. Kaitlin Bain is the Government Reporter for the Beaumont Enterprise. Contact her at Kaitlin.Bain@BeaumontEnterprise.com or on Twitter by clicking here. Don't miss a thing: Sign up for our Daily Headlines newsletter. Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday thanked the people of Delhi for supporting the Narendra Modi government in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and assured them that the prime minister was standing with them as always during the challenging times. Addressing a virtual rally by the Delhi unit of the BJP, Irani expressed her condolences to the people who have lost their loved ones in the pandemic and assured them that the party workers will be ready to assist them whenever needed. Highlighting the achievements of the Modi government in the first year of its second term, she said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called the front-line workers as warriors and helped strengthen the resolve of the people to fight the pandemic. She said the government through its Vande Bharat initiative helped 1.75 lakh Indians reach their homes and ran 4,300 Shramik Special trains carrying lakhs of migrant workers to their native places. India has been resolute in its fight against the pandemic that has hit the entire world hard. Because of the efforts of the government, the nation was in a better position in tackling the virus compared to other countries, the Union minister said. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show "I wish to congratulate the people of Delhi for standing shoulder to shoulder with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I want to assure them that he stands with them resolutely as he did during earlier challenges," Irani said. Free ration for three months, direct benefit transfer of Rs 20,000 crore in Jan Dhan accounts of 20 crore poor women, eight crore gas cylinders under Ujjwala Yojna and Rs 3 lakh crore package for micro, small and medium enterprises sector were some of the steps the Modi government took to help people hit by the pandemic, she said. Irani lauded the Delhi BJP workers for providing food and ration to one crore people and distributing 10 lakh face masks and 38 lakh sanitisers during the COVID-19 lockdown. She also hailed Union Health minister and the BJP's Chandni Chowk MP Harsh Vardhan for strengthening the healthcare system. Citing the Supreme Court's Ayodhya Ram Temple verdict, the abolition of Article 370 provisions and triple talaq, the Union minister said, "The past six years have witnessed growth of the country in every aspect and filling of the potholes in the road of development left behind in previous 70 years." "This journey will continue till development reaches everyone," she said. The Jan Samvad virtual rally was also addressed by Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta and in-charge of party affairs and its national vice president Shyam Jaju who accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of "failing" to tackle the pandemic in the city. Nearly 50 lakh people were expected to have connected to the virtual rally broadcast through social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter, Delhi BJP general secretary and convenor of the event Kuljeet Chahal said. The rally was broadcast on all official social media platforms of the BJP. It was also broadcast on Twitter and Facebook accounts of nearly 1,000 social media influencers, including Delhi BJP MPs and leaders having a huge number of followers on these platforms. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty John Bolton, Donald Trumps former national security adviser, wanted to write a book. He knew that the White House would do everything it could to stop him. He hired a flashy white-shoe law firm to handle the prepublication review process required by the nondisclosure agreement he signed when he got his security clearance. As expected, the White House weaponized the prepublication review process against him to keep him from publishing. If he published without approval, it said, he could face severe legal consequences. Then his lawyer, Chuck Cooper, wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed this week intended to put public pressure on the White House. In it, Cooper volunteered that Bolton had violated both his NDA and perhaps a few criminal laws, including the Espionage Act. Now, even if Boltons book is never released, he is facing stiff penalties. As unforced legal errors go, thats a doozy. Here are the two sentences that could cost Bolton a big stack of money, or worse: He instructed me, as his lawyer, to submit the manuscript to Ellen Knight, the NSCs senior director for prepublication review of materials written by NSC personnel. I sent Ms. Knight the manuscript on Dec. 30, days after the House had impeached the president and amid speculation that the Senate would subpoena Mr. Bolton to testify. Did Trump and Bolton Break Over Iranor the Leaks? See, heres the thing about prepublication review: Publication means giving potentially classified information to anyone the government has not approved to receive it. Bolton and his lawyer committed one of the classic blunders that a national-security lawyer would have seen coming a mile away. Simply put, someone who has signed an NDA and received a clearance has to put anything they want to write through prepublication review before they can give it to anyone. Even their lawyer. Lawyers who represent intelligence personnel drill this into clients at the very beginning. I regularly have my clientsespecially the whistleblowerswrite everything they want to tell me and send it to the prepublication review office before they tell me a single word of it. Its a major hassle, and sometimes it alerts the agency that a lawyer is involved, but it keeps them from losing their clearances or their freedom. Some agencieslike the Central Intelligence Agencywill outright refuse to even discuss a prepublication review matter with anyone but the author, let alone allow the lawyer to submit the document. Story continues The reason for this is simple. To an intelligence professional, there is little distinction between giving classified information to the general public and giving it to your priest. Once classified information is known by someone the government cannot control, it is in the wild and the assumption must be that it will be further disseminated. A security breach is a security breach. A television audience and a private lawyer are equally unauthorized to receive the information. It is why former CIA Director David Petraeus pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information simply because he gave it to his biographer. But what if Boltons lawyer has a clearance? This was one of the key questions raised when it was revealed that former FBI Director James Comey had given a copy of a memo to a lawyer who apparently held a clearance at the time. The simple answer is, it doesnt matter. In order to be approved to see any specific piece of classified information, a person must both have the appropriate level of security clearance and the need to know that particular piece of information. Need to know is roughly described as the need to know that information to perform the duties for which you were given the clearance. It is why people on the CIA Indonesia Desk cannot go read classified briefings on Poland; they do not have the requisite need to know. So even if Boltons lawyer had a clearance to handle classified information in some other context (as some private national security lawyers do), he would only be able to handle Boltons manuscript if he had been specifically approved for that specific information. I chose the word handle here instead of read because it is currently unclear if Boltons lawyer actually read the manuscript or simply forwarded it along to the NSC unopened, but this is a distinction without a difference. The mere act of giving the manuscript to his lawyer was sufficient to violate Boltons NDA, regardless of whether or not his lawyer read it. Moreover, as far as criminal prohibitions go, the law does not always even require that the information be given to anyone, let alone given to anyone who read it. As one CIA contractor learned, merely taking classified information home and not sharing it is still a violation of the law. If you can be prosecuted for keeping a classified document in your garage, you can be prosecuted for giving it to your lawyer. Which brings us to the key argument: Bolton says the manuscript contained no classified information, while the White House says it did. This might be enough to allow Bolton to defeat an Espionage Act charge, but thats not a sure thing. Some aspects of the Espionage Act do not require active knowledge that information is classified, but instead include a lesser standard which is best summed up as they should have known better. And it is extremely difficult to defeat an Espionage Act charge based on the argument that the information should not have been classified. It has been done, but it is exceedingly rare and requires almost a perfect storm of mistakes on the governments part. The reason is that courts almost religiously defer to the executive branch on classification matters, so a judge will almost always overrule a defendant who challenges the classification of information, primarily because the actual scope of what can be classified is much broader than most people realize. Additionally, it should not be overlooked that the Espionage Act does not actually mention classified information, but only national defense information, which does not always have to be classified. Even if the government elects not to pursue criminal charges against Bolton, though, he is not out of the woods yet. In fact, the violation of his NDA is not even a question of criminal law; it is a question of contract law. The most that the government can do in civil court to someone who violates an NDA is sue him for breach of contract, a power that it employs freely. After winning such a lawsuit, the government is entitled to all of the authors proceeds from the publication, past and future. The author is no worse off than he was before the publication, but he is no better off either, and all his work will net him zero return. Most importantly, even if Bolton was correct and his manuscript contained no classified information, that was simply not his call to make. Put simply, someone who writes a piece of information that he does not believe to be classified may not always be in a position to know for a fact whether or not it is classified. He may have a good faith belief that he is simply relating an unclassified fact, but he may not realize that by writing it he is inadvertently revealing classified information about another government project he knows nothing about. This is obviously not alwaysor even oftenthe case, but there is no practical way for any particular author to know whether it is or is not the case in his particular situation. Complicating the matter further is the fact that the agency may decide to retroactively classify information the author believed to be unclassified, as occurred with Comey and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Evidence that the government retroactively classified previously unclassified information might be enough to defeat a criminal charge, but it would not help an author in civil litigation. Because of this, the Supreme Court has held that the government can impose an NDA which requires everyone with a security clearance to first obtain the agencys permission through prepublication review before publishing anything related to his work. As a result, someone can be successfully sued by the government for publishing completely unclassified information, simply because they did not use the process first to ensure that it was unclassified. There have been attempts to overturn this jurisprudence in light of the arbitrary and inconsistent manner in which the government actually conducts prepublication review, but so far it remains the law of the land. The system may be broken, but it remains the system. The only current way around this is to sue the government first under the First Amendment, which Bolton has so far chosen not to do. It remains an open question whether Bolton could be forced to turn over proceeds of the book if he doesnt actually publish it until the prepublication review is complete, amd if his only violation of his NDA was giving the manuscript to his lawyer (and probably his publisher), but given that his lawyer has stated that he will go through with the publication regardless, this question will probably not be answered, at least not in this case. However, Bolton should not be complacent in this matter. He may have an in for a penny, in for a pound mindset, especially if he reads this op-ed, but he should be fully aware of the legal jeopardy that his lawyers op-ed has placed him in. His lawyer should also be concerned, since the last time a lawyer advised his client not to worry about prepublication review, his client sued him for malpractice after losing all the proceeds of his hard work. For Boltons sake, I hope the op-ed was worth it. 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. India's COVID-19 case tally breached the 3 lakh-mark on June 12, as the country surpassed the United Kingdom and became the fourth worst-hit nation by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Top 5 cities account upto 51% of all the cases in the country. Here are the top 10 COVID-19 hotspots in India. Indias commercial capital Mumbai tops the list as India's worst-hit COVID-19 hotspot. The city accounts for 18.10 percent cases in India and 54.73 percent in the state of Maharashtra. With many relaxations seen in Delhi, the capital of India has seen a surge in number of COVID-19 cases. The city contributes 12.22 percent of the total cases in India making it the second major hotspot. (Image: REUTERS) Chennai is the only city in the state of Tamil Nadu which holds the maximum number of COVID-19 cases with 70.72 percent contribution in the state's tally and 9.65 percent to India's tally. With a sudden rise in coronavirus cases in Gujarat, the city of Ahmedabad is fourth worst-hit in India and accounts for about 5.51 percent of cases whereas it contributes 70.86 percent cases in the state of Gujarat. (Image source: Reuters) The Thane district which has major cases in Navi Mumbai, Kalyan and Mira Bhayandar is the fifth worst hit COVID-19 hotspot in India. It accounts for about 5.40 percent of overall cases of India and 16.34 percent of the state of Maharashtra. The city of Pune had the maximum cases in Maharashtra initially but now it stands at number six of the worst hit hotpots in the country. The city contributes 3.70 percent of the total coronavirus cases in the country while 11.19 percent in the state of Maharashtra. (Image: Reuters) Indore is the only city of Madhya Pradesh that is among the top 10 the major hotspots in the country. The city accounts for 1.33 percent of the cases in the country and 38.19 percent cases of the state. (Image Source: Reuters) The city of Kolkata accounts for 1.33 percent to the overall cases in India and 32.65 percent to West Bengal's tally making it the eighth major hotspot in the country. (Image: Reuters) Gurugram in Haryana is the ninth worst hit in the top 10 list of major hotspots in the country. The city accounts for 0.96 percent of the overall number of cases in India and 45.95 percent to Haryana's tally. (Image Source: Reuters) She's been quarantining with her daughters Gigi and Bella Hadid at her sprawling rural Pennsylvania farmhouse since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Yolanda Hadid time with her farm animals helped her rescue a frightened baby deer that got stuck in a fence on Saturday. The 56-year-old former model and reality star posted a video of herself pulling on the screaming fawn to her Instagram. To the rescue! Yolanda Hadid, 56, rescued a frightened baby deer that go its head stuck in a fence on her Pennsylvania farm on Saturday Yolanda didn't look as if she were dressed for a day out in the fields, though it didn't stop her from doing her duty. She covered up in a beige poncho with charcoal stripes, which she wore over a white mini skirt. In the clip, she starts to pull on the fawn's torso while it lets out a bleat that sounds eerily like a child screaming. 'It's OK, baby. Hold on,' she coos while pulling harder. Not farm attire: Yolanda was covered up in a gray poncho and a white mini skirt as she tried to pull the fawn's head out Reunion: After she got the screaming deer free, one of her daughters tried to pet it, before she let it run away. 'Go find your mama,' she called out After more baby deer screams, Yolanda's able to free it by pulled the fence link to the side just a bit. She holds the fawn up in the air for a few second to let it calm down, but it screams again after her cameraperson, presumably one of Yolanda's daughters, tries to pet it. 'Go find your mama,' she says as she puts the deer back on the ground and it runs away through the field. Sticking together: Yolanda has been quarantining at her farm in rural Pennsylvania with her daughters Gigi and Bella Hadid; pictured in February Grandmother to be: The RHOBH star has been caring for her daughter Gigi, 25, who's expecting her first child; pictured in November 2018 Baby number one: Gigi shares the upcoming child with her boyfriend Zayn Malik of One Direction fame Yolanda had had more chances to show off her maternal instincts while carrying for her eldest daughter Gigi, who is expecting a child with her boyfriend Zayn Malik of One Direction fame. In late April, the former Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star revealed that her daughter was due in September. TMZ previously reported that Gigi was 20 weeks along as of late April, meaning she had already been pregnant for a few months when she walked the runways during February's Fashion Month. In love: Yolanda revealed that she is 'very much in love' with her boyfriend Joseph Jingoli and that they have 'been in a relationship for 15 months in a late May interview In addition to spending time with her children, Yolanda has been able to get closer with her boyfriend Joseph Jingoli, whom she has been with for 15 months 'I'm very much in love with my boyfriend. What has connected us is probably horses and the farm life,' she told E!'s Daily Dish in late May. She added that Jingoli, who is the CEO of a successful construction and development company, 'lives 10 miles apart. So it's kind of perfect.' Yolanda was previously married to songwriter and producer David Foster, 70, from 2011 until their divorce in 2017. Prior to her relationship with Jingoli, Yolanda was married to acclaimed musician and composer David Foster, 70, from 2011 until their divorce in 2017. She shares her daughters Gigi and Bella and her son Anwar Hadid, 20, with her first husband Mohamed Hadid, 71, whom she was married to from 19942000. Althea Woodland owner Philip Meyer said the facility has formally disputed the inspectors findings, adding that this surveyor did not like certain things, but we feel they were not deficiencies. Meyer acknowledged that their director of nursing had abandoned the facility in the middle of the outbreak but argued that this was not the fault of the facility. CMS just kicked us when we were down, he said. We filled the position as soon as we could. Queues of people at a Covid-19 testing centre at the LE Samuel Beckett back in March. A breakdown of cases of Covid-19 according to Dublin postal district shows that around one in six cases were recorded in just two postal areas. The figures, released by the HSE under FOI, show that the postal code with the highest number of cases recorded at the end of May was Dublin 24 with 1,076. It was followed by Dublin 15 with 873 cases. Both are sprawling areas and heavily populated, with Dublin 24 centred on Tallaght and Dublin 15 including Blanchardstown, Castleknock, and surrounding areas. Outbreak The statistics are the most detailed glimpse at the geographical spread of the disease around the capital since the outbreak first began in the city in late February. Some of the figures are influenced by the fact that certain areas of Dublin have more long-term residential care facilities than others. The highest number of cases - 2,387 infections - was recorded under the heading "Co Dublin", which includes areas in both the north and south of the city. In particular, it encompasses heavily populated areas in the south of the city like Blackrock and Dun Laoghaire, while in the north of the county it covers places like Balbriggan and Lucan. Dublin 11 - an area centred on Finglas and its surrounds - had 777 cases. Dublin 9 - which includes Drumcondra, Beaumont, and Santry and was thought to be the location for the first confirmed case in Ireland - had 622 cases. Next on the list was Dublin 7 with 506 cases. That area of the city includes Cabra, Phibsboro, Stoneybatter, and other parts of the north city. The next highest figure was in Dublin 6, where 505 cases had been recorded as of the end of last month. Dublin 6 is made up of areas like Ranelagh, Rathmines, and Rathgar. Its neighbouring district Dublin 8 had the exact same amount of cases at 505, according to the records. Another 487 infections were recorded in Dublin 5, an area covering Artane and Raheny, while 403 cases were found in Dublin 12, made up of the areas of Crumlin, Drimnagh, Walkinstown and Bluebell. Between three and four hundred cases were found in each of Dublin 18 (370), Dublin 16 (325), Dublin 3 (310), and Dublin 22 (304). Less than 300 cases were confirmed in Dublin 14 (276), Dublin 4 (271), Dublin 13 (270), Dublin 17 (249) and Dublin 20 (239). Just 194 cases were found in Dublin 1, the heart of the north inner city, while 102 cases had been confirmed in Dublin 2, on the other side of the River Liffey. Of the suburban postal codes, the small area of Dublin 10 - covering primarily Ballyfermot - had the lowest figure, at just 164 cases. Not included in the figures were some 876 cases in Dublin where only an incomplete address was available or an address outside of Ireland was provided. In providing the figures, the HSE also said that some patient addresses reflected the location of their residential care facility and not their previous permanent residence. The data is accurate up to May 31, when 25,059 cases had been confirmed in Ireland, around 48pc of them in Dublin. Since then, the total has risen by less than 200, with the number of cases being reported each day in June having fallen dramatically. TEACHERS HAVE always been very important to the collection of folklore and place names in Ireland. They were central to the Schools Folklore Collection in 1938 and could carry out present day projects on local place names in the classroom. Parents involving children in the collection of place names would be a great way to pass away a few evenings if children are bored during the present Covid-19 restrictions. When the notes are completed and the sketch maps drawn, the information could be given to the local library. Librarians should be encouraged to open a file on local place names that could be added to over the years by successive generations of children and adults who take an interest in the subject. All the historical societies should get involved in their own areas as all this information will prove valuable to future generations. Most Irish place names can trace their origin to three languages Gaelic, English, and Viking/Norse. Very often the collection of place names goes hand and hand with other disciplines. There is a clear connection between the study of place names and the collection of folklore, for example, as there is often a story attached to how a place acquired a certain name. Studying place names brings one face to face with the Irish language, as most of the old names are Irish language names or are Anglicization's of Irish names. Postal codes were introduced to Ireland going back several years ago to make deliveries to houses easier to find. Households are slowly becoming more aware of their importance, especially in times of emergencies. Limerick Council erected number signs at crossroads to make it easier to identify the maze of rural roads. The benefit of both are welcome, but I fear will harm the preservation of our place names, as numbers will now be used instead of words. Many years ago, I collected the names of places of interest around my own locality so that they would not be lost. They included the Black Hill ( discovered in 1981) in Ballylin Ardagh the site of the largest hill fort in Munster. The Sandpit Carrigkerry was a venue for the travelling picture shows, circus, and carnivals. The Asses Glensharrold was a stream with a waterfall dividing two landowners. The League Kerrikyle, a place where the land league held meetings. The Mass Rock, Kerrikyle, a field containing a large rock where mass was said during the penal times. Names of fields in the majority of cases will be similar in most farms around the countryside. The Black field got its name because it was surrounded by a Blackthorn hedge. The Pond field because part of it got waterlogged during the winter. The Sleeping field because it was well sheltered, and the horses were put in there each night to sleep and were easy to find the next morning. The Sally meadows name came from the Sally and Willow trees that grew along the four ditches. The White meadows were situated near the bank of the White River. Powell Dubh (Black Hole) was a field inside in a hollow of ground. Gort Na gClock was so called because it was full of stones. The Glen was a field cut through higher land on both sides of it. Glaise field got its name because a small stream ran along one ditch. Cuilin was a three angled field, and Inch was a field sloping towards a river or stream. Place names have a very wide relevance to our lives. They touch every aspect of our relationship to where we come from, where we live now and ultimately to who we are. Two very important aspects of cultural knowledge expected of people in bygone eras were: knowledge of one's genealogy and knowledge of place names. In a world of increasing alienation and loneliness, I think knowing who we are and where we come from are both very important ways to establish and hold onto our identity. Each tiny piece of community history no matter how small, is vital to our understanding of the bigger picture; of knowing where we have come from for us to be aware of where we are going. The everyday happenings of the present times will inevitably become tomorrow's history. It is worth noting that everything of national importance started somewhere at local level. I offer the following proposals which may be of benefit to people who are interested in collecting information around their locality. Each townland should be surveyed and mapped and the names of fields, wells, walls, rivers, streams, limekilns, crossroads, old house sites, and all places of interest recorded. A map of each parish could be produced, and all the place names shown and indexed. A booklet could be printed with all the townland information for different regions around the county. Townland signs could be put in place, and information boards erected in all villages. All the information collected to be forwarded to Library's and Tourist Boards to promote the places. With the huge advancement in technology , it is also now very easy to record street and landscapes, people, events and happenings using simple audio, camcorders, and digital cameras. It is now quite easy to preserve images of old buildings, and examples of some of the local crafts, such as the blacksmith's gates, and the mason's walls and piers. While these may be very familiar now, the time will come in an ever-changing landscape when they will have disappeared and future generations will have no idea that they ever existed, unless the images have been saved. The study of community history in the 21st century is vital due to life been much faster now, resulting in much more being forgotten in a shorter space of time. If all we have left is a memory, then we must wonder what will become of our identity when those memories fade. Thanks to people who contacted me over the past two weeks about place names around their areas. It is great to know that many people are still very interested in their own local history. An adult bald eagle was released back into the wild at Roseland Park in Baytown Friday after spending the last several weeks recovering from an injury at the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal's Wildlife Center of Texas, one of the largest of its kind in the nation. The bird suffered injuries to its wings and leg when it hit a power line, according to Houston SPCA officials. Baytown resident Luis Arguello saw the bird hit the power line and get knocked out in his driveway. Arguello named the bird "Pearl" after watching it grow for the last several years in a nest near his home. A Texas game warden brought the bird to the Wildlife Center on May 29, where it spent the last several weeks healing and undergoing rehabilitation at the center's outdoor flight complex. Haiti - News : Zapping... Cap-Haitien : Residents flee the Shada neighborhood The latest armed clashes between gangs this week in the "Shada" neighborhood (Cap-Haitien) which left at least 6 people dead, including a police officer, many injured and several houses burned, pushed the residents of "Decossa" in Shada to flee their neighborhood with their possessions, fearing new bloody clashes. Covid-19 : $300,000 to support Haiti In solidarity with Haitians, Canada is contributing $300,000 to support local partners who are fighting Covid-19 in their communities. Storage of emergency supplies As part of the Hurricane Season (June 1 - November 30, 2020), the office of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of the American Agency for International Development (USAID-Haiti) granted 2.5 million dollars to the International Organization for Migration (IOM-Haiti) to store relief supplies : hygiene kits, plastic sheeting, water tanks, blankets and shelter repair kits for more than 50,000 people in Port-au-Prince, Les Cayes, Gonaives and Cap-Haitien. Important meeting with the Chilean Chancellor Claude Joseph had an important meeting with his Chilean counterpart, Dr. Teodoro Ribera Neumann, on the Covid-19, the economic crisis, food insecurity and the further regularization of the status of Haitians in Chile. Recall that Chile is the third Latin American country most contaminated by Covid-19 after Peru and Brazil https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31018-haiti-covid-19-daily-report-june-13-2020.html USA congratulates the PNH "The United States congratulates the National Police of Haiti (PNH) on their 25 years of dedicated service to the Haitian people." Solid Waste Management Center "The publication of the decree declaring public utility, on the dwelling of Mouchinette, 3rd communal section of Roucou, commune of Limonade, a land with an area of 40 hectares for the construction of a Solids Waste Management Center, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30986-haiti-news-zapping.html is the result of a long process. The Municipal Councils of Cap-Haitien, Quartier-Morin and Limonade thank the populations of the three comunes, the executive branch, local and international partners, notably the IDB, for their contribution. The municipal authorities of the three cities, Cap-Haitien, Quartier-Morin and Limonade, also thank all those who contributed, in one way or another, to this first victory." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30986-haiti-news-zapping.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30973-haiti-environment-waste-transformation-haiti-will-lose-a-donation-of-$33m-from-the-idb-if.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28368-haiti-land-conflict-the-municipal-authorities-take-over-the-legal-control-of-the-landfill-in-mouchniette.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28185-haiti-environment-the-town-halls-of-cap-haitien-quartier-morin-and-limonade-angry.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27664-haiti-environment-a-$335m-project-blocked-by-a-land-conflict.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27638-haiti-environment-a-businessman-blocks-the-landfill-of-limonade.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25600-haiti-environment-idb-donates-$33m-for-solid-waste-management-in-haiti.html HL/ HaitiLibre It was the last day of school for students in Phoenix, Arizona May 17, 2001. School was letting out just in time for another sweltering Arizona summer. It was the last day of classes for sisters Alissa and Sarah Turney. Alissa Turney (Contributed photo by Turney family) Alissa, 17, had just finished her junior year at Paradise Valley High School. Sarah, who was 12 years old at the time, was finishing her last day of 7th grade with a class field trip to a nearby water park. Sarah Turney told Dateline she remembers her sister being excited for summer and planning to attend a graduation party later that evening. Alissa never made it to that party and May 17, 2001 was the last time anyone saw her alive. Nineteen years later, Sarah, now in her 30s, spends most of her time searching for answers about what happened to her sister and advocating for justice in her case. Im never going to give up, Sarah told Dateline. Alissa is my whole life. Finding out what happened to her has become my life. But as Sarah played at the water park with her classmates on that hot Arizona day back in 2001, she had no idea that her familys life was about to change forever. Sarah and her older half-sister Alissa lived with Sarahs father, Michael Turney, in Phoenix, Arizona. The girls mother, Barbara Strahm, died of cancer when Alissa was just eight years old and Michael legally adopted her. Michael Turney also had three sons, who were already out of the house by that time. Alissa and her stepfather, Michael Turney. (Contributed photo by Turney family) Sarah said they found Alissas usually tidy room a mess. When they tried to call her phone again, they heard it vibrate in the room. The phone was on the dresser, along with a note in Alissas loopy handwriting, Sarah said. The note stated that Alissa was running away to California. Alissa Turney and her younger sister, Sarah. (Contributed photo by Turney family) Sarah told Dateline that it wasnt unusual for kids who lived in their area to want to head to California. California was this beautiful dream that many people here wanted, Sarah said, including Alissa. She even wanted a white Jeep to drive around --just like Cher in the movie Clueless. Story continues Sarah said they had an aunt in California and the girls had talked about going to see her. The family later learned that Alissa did not go to their aunts house. Sarah told Dateline she remembers her father being frantic about finding Alissa. He went from house to house looking for her, he passed out fliers and traveled to California multiple times throughout the year, telling everyone he was looking for her. But Alissa was nowhere to be found. He was always frantic about her, Sarah said. Always had to know where she was and what she was doing. He was very overbearing. But he wasnt like that with me. Michael Turney had reported Alissa missing on May 17 to the Phoenix Police Department. At the time, Phoenix police did not suspect foul play and classified Alissa as a runaway. At the time, her family also believed Alissa had run away. Sarah told Dateline that Alissa wanted her freedom from her father who she believed was too strict. Alissa, Sarah and their mother, Barbara. (Contributed by the Turney family) James Turney, one of Michael Turneys sons, told Dateline he had hoped to give both Alissa and Sarah a place to stay after the death of their mother. He said he believed his father was not treating the girls right and was afraid for their safety. I did not like the way he was raising the girls. Something was not right with him, James said. I was prepped to take care of them. James, who is 10 years older than Alissa, spoke to her just a couple of months before she disappeared. She told me she was afraid of our father and wanted to leave, James told Dateline. I told her she could come stay with me. And then when I found out she was missing, we 100 percent believed she had run away. She got away from him and thats what she wanted. But she never came to me. Or to her aunts house in California. She had so many options of places to go. But she just vanished. According to Sarah, Alissa was close to her family, her friends and her boyfriend, and although she dreamed of living a new life, she never mentioned running away. Over the next year, the Turney siblings, each at different times, began to question their sisters disappearance. Alissa Turney (Contributed by the Turney family) Sarah said there was $1,800 left untouched in her sisters bank account. She also said Alissa left behind all her makeup, her Nokia cell phone and money, which Sarah believes she would have taken with her had she been running away. Both Sarah and James told Dateline they believe Alissa would have contacted someone at some point after she left. My sister and I were very close, Sarah said. Of course, we fought like sisters, but she practically raised me. She dressed me and taught me so many things. Sarah said she remembers Alissa trying to give her a haircut, that was trendy at the time. It was supposed to be the Rachel haircut. You know, the one from Friends, Sarah laughed. But I turned out looking like Carol Brady. Sarah remembers Alissa being a good student, but a spirited teenager with a rebellious streak. One of Sarahs favorite memories is when Alissa jumped off the roof of their house onto their new trampoline, causing her to bounce into the familys above-ground pool. Alissa then dared the much-younger Sarah to jump off the roof while she was still on the trampoline. That kind of jump, known as double-bouncing, usually results in the person already on the trampoline getting bounced off of it. Sarah said she was scared to jump off the roof at first, but eventually jumped. But when she did the jump, instead of Alissa bouncing off, she did. Sarah said she crashed full-force into the ladder theyd used to climb up to the roof. "I've never heard so much concern in her voice, Sarah said. She was so worried and wanted to make sure I was OK. Sarah said as soon as she started screaming, though, her sister told her to be quiet so they wouldnt get in trouble. It was just one of those moments Ill always remember, Sarah said. We were being reckless, but she was also always looking after me. Its one of my favorite memories. Sarah told Dateline as Alissa entered her teenage years, her stepfather father became stricter with her. Sarah said that her father had security cameras set up at the family home and also recorded phone conversations. But this information would not be included in the investigation until years later. Alissa Turney (Contributed by Turney family) About a week after Alissa disappeared, Michael Turney told the Phoenix Police he got a call from a pay phone in California. He said the conversation was scrambled, but he realized it was Alissa and said that she told him, Leave me alone, before hanging up. Alissas case remained classified as a runaway and police said the call was never traced or verified. But as each year passed with no sightings, Alissa just leaving to start a new life seemed less likely. In 2006, a Florida mans confession brought Alissas case back into the spotlight. According to the Arizona Republic newspaper, Thomas Hymer told a prison guard he had killed Alissa Turney. He had been arrested in 2001 in Gary, Georgia, a few months after Alissas disappearance. At the time of his arrest, Hymer had been driving a vehicle belonging to a woman named Sandra Goodman. Goodman had been found the day before, strangled, stabbed and wedged under a bed in a Fort Lauderdale hotel. Hymer was sentenced to life in prison in 2003 for her murder. According to the Phoenix Police, detectives with the Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit questioned Hymer, but it was determined that Hymers description of Alissa was not viable and his story was false. He later admitted that he might have been mistaken. Hymers story, and the attention it got, did bring renewed heat to Alissas case. Friends and family who had allegedly never been initially contacted by police in 2001 began to make disturbing allegations to authorities concerning Turneys relationship with his stepdaughter. It finally forced them to look at my sisters case, Sarah said. If you asked me then if I thought my father had any involvement, I would have said no. But over the years, he had so many renditions of what happened that day. Something wasnt right. In 2008, investigators from the Phoenix Police Department Missing Persons Unit opened Alissas case and declared that foul play was indeed a factor in her disappearance, according to Sergeant Maggie Cox. At the time, there were no signs of foul play or exigency based on the fact Alissa was 17 years old and had no mental/physical health issues, Sgt. Cox told Dateline. Alissa was entered into NCIC as soon as the report was taken. In 2008, the Missing Persons Unit Detectives began to investigate further information obtained in the case. Sergeant Cox told Dateline that allegations of sexual abuse by Michael Turney prompted investigators to focus on him after speaking to several people in 2008. The totality of circumstances known to police prompted the focus on Michael Turney as the suspect, Sgt. Cox said. Michael Turney (Phoenix Police Department) In December 2008, police executed search warrants at the house where Alissa had lived with her half-sister and stepfather, according to Sgt. Cox. They found multiple videotapes, dating back to the 1980s, including surveillance footage from around the house. The did not find any videos from the day she disappeared. During the search, investigators also found 19 high-caliber assault rifles, two handmade silencers, a van filled with gasoline cans and 26 handmade explosive devices filled with gunpowder and roofing nails. It was the largest stockpile of explosives discovered in Phoenix Police Department history, according to The Arizona Republic. Sergeant Cox told Dateline that during the search at Turneys home authorities located a 98-page manifesto, titled "Diary of a Madman Martyr." According to the document, Turney, who worked as an electrician the 1980s and complained about workplace conditions, accused the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers of being involved in the alleged kidnapping and murder of Alissa. The document goes on to state that Turney planned to blow up the union hall in revenge and kill himself in the process. In March 2010, Michael Turney pleaded guilty to possessing 26 unregistered pipe bombs. He was sentenced to the maximum term of 10 years in federal prison, but was released in 2017. Sarah told Dateline she was hopeful an investigation into her fathers alleged involvement with her sisters unsolved case would escalate. But Sarah told Dateline she was informed by the Phoenix Police that they were unable to prosecute any person of interest in Alissas case at that time. Again, the case stalled. It was like she disappeared all over again, Sarah said. It was devastating and frustrating. Sarah said she was told the next best step to take was to seek help from the media. She reached out to local and national news outlets, started a Facebook Page and a blog, both named Justice for Alissa. She participated in several podcasts, including one called Missing Alissa, hosted by freelance writer Ottavia Zappala. In the podcast, Detective Stuart Somershoe of the Phoenix Police Department, who worked Alissas case for years, said it was the relationship between Aissa and her stepfather that shifted police attention to the possibility of foul play. We began to get some disturbing information that Alissa had told her boyfriend and told other friends, Somershoe said on the Missing Alissa podcast. Some of the information about Michaels surveillance of Alissa, his need for control of her. In October of 2017, Sarah sat down with her father for the first time in years. It was a few months after his release from prison. We met at a neutral place - Starbucks, she told Dateline. We spoke for over an hour. But after he realized I wasnt there to reconnect, he got angry. But after I pushed him for answers about Alissa, he finally told me that he would give me all the honest answers on his deathbed. He said, Be at the deathbed, Sarah, and I will give you all the honest answers you want to hear. He also said he would confess to everything if the state agreed to give him a lethal injection within 10 days. Sarah told Dateline she went to authorities with the information, but they told her without an official confession from him to police, or a body, there was nothing they could do. Dateline NBC attempted to reach Michael Turney for comment, but was unsuccessful. Sergeant Cox told Dateline that on February 22, 2019, the case was formally submitted to County Attorney requesting homicide charges against Michael Roy Turney but that no charging decision has been made at this time. Sergeant Cox confirms Michael Turney remains the only person of interest in Alissas case. It is possible that someone has information that would help investigators solve this case, Sgt. Cox said. We encourage anyone with information to come forward. Alissas brother, James, who now lives Oregon with his family, told Dateline he just wants his sister back. Just give us our sister back, James said. I realize its not the ending we want, but we just want her body back. So we can sleep at night. To us, this is a family tragedy that tore us apart. Weve been working on this for years. And living with it every day. Were exhausted. Its time for everyone to have some peace. Sarah Turney (Contributed by Sarah Turney) Alissas little sister, Sarah, who is now in her 30s, works a full-time job in marketing in Phoenix, but her day doesnt end there. In her free time, Sarah continues her search for justice in her sisters case. Now as an adult, and with all the technology available to us, I feel I can do something for her, Sarah said. I feel terrible I wasnt able to do more when I was younger. In 2019, she started her own podcast, titled Voices For Justice. The podcast gives an intimate look at Sarah and Alissas family history, events leading up to Alissas disappearance and a timeline of what has happened in the years since. Alissa's public record case files I get home after work and I do research - like reading 2,000 pages of public record documents and I conduct interviews for the podcast, Sarah said. Its all about Alissa. And itll never stop. Sarah told Dateline she finds support in the online true-crime community and has attended events like CrimeCon, which she said has helped her forge ahead with Alissas case. Last month, Sarah began making videos on the popular video app TikTok. Believe it or not, it has become an important outlet for Alissas story. Ive received more interest in this case from that app in the past month than the last 10 years, Sarah said. This is not going away and Im going to make sure it never does. I still think of her as my tough older sister who taught me to be tough. Now, I need to continue to be tough and use that to fight for the justice she deserves. She deserves her day in court. And Im determined to give her that. Alissa Turney at age 17, Alissa Turney age progressed to 32 (The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) At the time of Alissas disappearance, she was 54 tall and 145 pounds. She had blonde highlights in her brown hair. She has a small scar on her chin. She would be 36 years old today. Anyone with information is asked to call the Phoenix Police Department Missing Persons Unit at (602) 262-6141, Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or email phoenix.tips.ppd@phoenix.gov. It was a tug of war between the bulls as well as the bears, but selling pressure at higher levels led to over 1 percent decline in benchmark indices for the week ended June 12 while small and mid-caps outperformed. The week which began on a positive note despite Moodys downgrade witnessed selling pressure in the middle of the week tracking weakness in global equities, rising cases of COVID-19 across the world, a weak economic picture painted by various global agencies for India, as well as muted earnings from India Inc. The S&P BSE Sensex fell 1.48 percent while the Nifty50 was down by 1.68 percent compared to a flat close seen in the S&P BSE Small-cap index, and 0.37 percent rally seen in the S&P BSE Mid-cap space for the week ended June 12. There are as many as 36 stocks in the S&P BSE 500 index that rose 10-70 percent in five trading sessions that include names like Ujjivan Financial Services, Cochin Shipyard, Swan Energy, Info Edge, PC Jeweller, Granules India, and Dishman Carbogen, etc. among others. Analysts attribute the rally to fear of missing out or popularly known as FOMO. But, we are still in a bear market rally, and investors should not be carried away with the intermediate rallies seen in D-Street as we might retest lower levels again. The rally past few weeks was a FOMO rally with bulls catching the bellwethers of each sector without the ground reality showing any improvement. Despite the gradual opening of the lockdown businesses havent started as normal or at full capacity for most of them civilians, Umesh Mehta, Head of Research, Samco Securities told Moneycontrol. Hence, when the economic numbers which show a divergence to the momentum in stock prices finally gained headway, markets turned bearish. The market is expected to remain bearish going ahead at least till the index decisively closes above 10,150 only then will it reclaim momentum, he said. Mehta further added that on the downside, a decisive break below 8800 levels can take markets lower. Technical Outlook: Equity benchmarks witnessed a roller coaster move and ended the week on a subdued note. Sectorally, all major indices ended in red weighed down by metal and financials. The index achieved our earmarked target of 9,700 on Friday (June 12), as decline accelerated upon breach of the psychological mark of 10,000. For the coming week, the upside is likely to remain capped at 10,300, but a close below 9,700 could fuel selling pressure. The index achieved our earmarked target of 9,700 on Friday, as decline accelerated upon breach of a psychological mark of 10,000. The sharp decline from last weeks high of 10,328 resulted in Dark cloud cover on weekly charts as index failed to sustain at higher levels. The lower shadow indicates an attempt to hold prior weeks low of 9,700 on a closing basis, Dharmesh Shah, Head Technical, ICICI direct told Moneycontrol. We expect upside will be capped at last weeks high of 10,300 mark, and the index would extend its corrective phase with immediate support of 9,700 levels, he said. Shah is of the view that a decisive close below 9,700 would further accelerate declines, else consolidation in the 9,700-10,300 band with stocks specific action : 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. During an employee town hall meeting last week, The Washington Posts leadership, including publisher Fred Ryan and editor Martin Baron, condemned discrimination and expressed support for black employees. But representatives of The Post unit of the Newspaper Guild labor union said the response fell short. They circulated a petition among employees calling on Post management to adopt 11 proposals to address disparities in hiring, promotion, pay, training and retention of minority employees. (The Post reported in 2019 that 71 percent of its newsroom staff is white, including 79 percent of top managers. In 2013, the paper named Kevin Merida managing editor, the first African American in that role. He joined ESPN 2 years later as a senior vice president. The Post no longer has an African American in a senior managerial job in its newsroom.) The petition had attracted 454 signatures as of Saturday morning. Kim Brent / The Enterprise Faith leaders come and go like top executives at many organizations, but it doesnt happen so often with the Catholic Diocese of Beaumont. It occurred this week for only the sixth time since 1966, and all Southeast Texans should welcome Monsignor David L. Toups, who will become the dioceses first bishop promoted to that position here. Toups comes to our region from Florida, though he was born not far away in Houma, Louisiana, and remembers driving through Beaumont with his family when he was a boy. He speaks Spanish, which will make it easier for him to reach out to our growing Hispanic population. He also seems to have a sense of humor, another plus, saying at his inaugural meeting at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica, It is a pleasure to be with you all in Beaumont since COVID 19 and (Tropical Storm) Cristobal tried to scare me away. Hundreds of people gathered in Worcesters East Park on Saturday afternoon and then took to the street, marching in solidarity to amplify black voices -- specifically, the voices of black women. A group of young black women, some of them 21 or younger, organized Saturdays event to give black women voices the center stage amid a national discussion on race and police brutality. Organizer Morgan Johnson, 19, said she hoped the fact that young black women put together the event would be empowering on its own. These times are tumultuous and it can be easy to let fear and anger take hold, but we must remain true to ourselves," Nicole Coleman said from a podium at the park, telling the group that she learned about the complexities of being black in America before she was in elementary school. "Some people want to use this as political propaganda, fuel for their hate speech and ammo for their news headlines. But we must remain vigilant against such evil. We know our value. To be black and to be a woman is to be visibly disadvantaged from the moment we arrive on this Earth ... We know black is beautiful. We know we are worthy of love and respect and we know that our lives matter. This tree has deep and strong roots, dont let hate break the branches, Coleman added. As women took the microphone one after another, speaking about the struggles of their ancestors and the hurdles theyve overcome, people stood around the park or sat on the grass, the expansive space giving the group room to keep a distance. Some families brought chairs or sat on blankets together. Just about every person was wearing a face mask. Then, the group took to the streets as the sun blazed down, marching down around Washington Square, back up Shrewsbury Street to its intersection with Belmont Street, and then back to East Park. As people marched, holding up signs visible to diners who were eating outside at recently re-opened restaurants, they yelled, Black lives matter! and No justice, no peace! among other chants. When we say black lives matter, we mean every single one of them. Black men, black women, black children, and black LGBT, black disabled, all of them, Magdelene Barjolo told the crowd during her turn at the microphone. Cities across the country have seen protests condemning police brutality since last month after the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police. A video captured a now-former officer kneeling on Floyds neck for nearly 9 minutes, while Floyd could be heard crying out that he couldnt breathe. Floyd was black and the officer is white. That officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers involved, Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng and Tou Thao, have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. All four were fired after Floyds death on May 25. And while Floyds memory was honored during Saturdays event, the day was focused on amplifying the voices of black women. Black women have created our culture and weve had it stolen from us and misconstructed for 100 years. Even in death, we are not recognized," Barjolo said. Today we are here for Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Atatianna Jefferson and the countless other black women, and trans black women, who have had their lives taken away from them by the system that hates their existence. Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was fatally shot while asleep in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment on March 13 when it was raided by police officers in plainclothes who were executing a no-knock warrant. The Louisville Metro Council unanimously passed Breonnas Law this week, banning no-knock warrants and requiring police officers to turn on body cameras at least five minutes before executing a warrant, according to ABC News. Three days after being arrested during a traffic stop in July 2015, Bland was found hanging in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas. Her death was ruled a suicide. Blands own cell phone video of her arrest surfaced last year. Jefferson was shot by police in October 2019 after a neighbor called police, concerned that Jeffersons doors were left open late at night. An officer fired through the window of the home in Fort Worth, Texas, killing Jefferson. The now-former officer has since been indicted by a grand jury for murder, according to CNN. As the group marched up and down Shrewsbury Street, among the frequent chants was Say her name! Breonna Taylor! We will no longer be silent. Were demanding a difference. We are demanding it. Were not asking, were not begging anymore. Were past that and we know we are, Johnson said. Sarah Carcia and Alkeia Conerly, who used to teach together, arrived at East Park shortly before the rally began. I just feel like its important to take actionable steps right now, especially as a white woman, I feel like Ive spent too long in complicity, Carcia said. Im a teacher and Im really deeply invested in elevating my students voices as I teach primarily students of color. I just want to stand in solidarity with the movement, take action and learn and listen to black voices. Conerly said she was there in solidarity with other black people who have gone through the struggle. Let everyone know that we are here, were not going anywhere and we all need to learn how to live together and get along, she said. The march ended around 3:30 p.m. and people dispersed from the park. The organizers urged attendees to clean up after each other and to get home safely and peacefully. This demonstration, and another one planned for Sunday at Elm Park, come as some residents of the city have demanded that the Worcester Police Department be defunded. They want to see a planned budget increase to go other services in the city. Dozens of Worcester residents on Tuesday night called in to a virtual City Council meeting, asking city officials to reconsider a $254,320 increase for the police department planned for fiscal 2021 and instead divert those funds to public health services, the public schools, and public transportation, among other areas. More residents plan to call in during the next meeting on June 16. Those calls for action follow other protests in the city, including a large, peaceful demonstration downtown on June 1. But, later that night, things turned chaotic as a smaller group continued to march in the citys Main South neighborhood. Police arrived in riot gear, telling the crowd to disperse. There were a few small fires, fireworks and other destruction. Nineteen people were arrested, including four Clark University students. Clark University has hired a Worcester law firm to conduct an independent review of the incident. A group has gathered at East Park to amplify black voices, a protest organized by young black women here in Worcester Posted by MassLive Worcester on Saturday, June 13, 2020 Amplify black voices protests starts marching down Shrewsbury Street Posted by MassLive Worcester on Saturday, June 13, 2020 Related Content: After a decade as a school superintendent, Eric Hibbs likes to think he can plan for anything. Masks. Social distancing. Split scheduling. An inordinate supply of hand sanitizer. Whatever it takes to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, the superintendent of the Marlboro Township School District can probably figure it out as long as he knows what is required, he said. But the state has yet to provide instructions for reopening schools this fall. With summer nearly here, Hibbs needs to start making decisions soon if hes going have 4,700 students in classrooms come September, he said. We need some guidance, Hibbs said. We are essentially planning for everything, which unfortunately is not the best business practice. But its the reality." With fewer than three months until the start of next school year, New Jersey districts remain in the dark about exactly what the state will require for reopening more than 2,500 public schools. Local officials with no clear directives are creating multiple reopening plans, hoping one fits within the state guidance when it arrives. In some ways, the situation feels like a mission from a Navy SEALs movie, said Robert Zywicki, superintendent of the Mount Olive Township School District. Plan A never happens. The helicopter crashes. Something else goes wrong, Zywicki said. They always save the day with Plan C. Gov. Phil Murphy has said guidance on school reopenings should come sometime this month. State Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet said this week that a plan from his department will be presented to the governors office around June 15. Its unclear how long it could take for those directives to be finalized. Many superintendents say they have no time to waste. Instead of waiting, school leaders are turning to the same resources as parents and teachers CDC guidelines, reopening plans from other states and news stories about schools abroad that have already restarted. Will local schools be required to do health screenings beyond temperature checks? Will split schedules be mandatory? How many students will be allowed on a bus? Superintendents cant say for sure. The need for answers to hundreds of burning questions has created a sense of urgency for comprehensive state instructions. I think people just want to hear whatever it is, said state Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, chair of the Senate Education Committee. They want to hear it sooner rather than later. Superintendents have already foreshadowed new safety measures such as mandatory temperature checks, masks for all students, lunch served in the classroom and limited movement throughout the school. Classes could be pushed into gymnasiums, auditoriums and other large spaces to accommodate social distancing. But some educators worry the quest for details has distracted from an underlying question: Does the benefit of reopening schools without a vaccine outweigh the potential health risks and significant expenses of creating a strange, socially distant learning experience? Our schools are wonderful, vibrant, social places, said Barbara Sargent, superintendent of the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District. If social distancing continues to be a recommendation... many will question, quite reasonably, whether its worth opening at all. A new kind of test Michael Salvatore recently started his day with some light reading. Six reports about reopening schools. Hundreds of pages. Thousands of details to consider as he plots the return of students to the Long Branch Public Schools. My colleagues throughout the country are reading the plans from other states and other countries," said Salvatore, New Jerseys 2019 Superintendent of the Year. And we are learning a lot. Salvatores biggest concern is what responsibility schools will have for health screening. The first step toward reopening, according to a CDC graphic for schools, should be the capacity to screen students and staff for symptoms and history of exposure. Schools also need the ability to protect children and employees at higher risk for severe illness," the federal agency said. Salvatore read about a school in Germany that reopened with a tent outside for COVID-19 testing. Students swabbed their own throats and later received a green sticker to wear if they tested negative, according to a New York Times report. He has no idea how his district would execute something like that on its own. We simply dont have the capacity to do it, nor do we have the guidance or resources to do that," Salvatore said. Some districts have ordered no-touch temporal thermometers and considered hiring part-time nurses or other medical staff who can conduct daily temperature screenings. That check alone wont identify every student or staff member with COVID-19, yet any testing beyond that seems out of reach for schools to coordinate on their own, some superintendents said. What we really need from the state are very clear decisions about testing and the screening portion, because I think until that is determined, all those other things are just details, Sargent said. Those are very big decisions that need to be communicated to schools. Students appear to be at a lower risk than adults for serious health problems related to the coronavirus. But any school reopening plan also needs to protect staff members, including those who are older or immunocompromised. Several teachers who didnt plan to retire after this year, but are eligible to receive their pensions, have already considered walking away, said Anthony Rosamilia, president of the Essex County Education Association. Many of them have called me saying, Can I get a consultation in regards to retirement? said Rosamilia, a history teacher at Livingston High School. If we are forced to go back without a vaccine, they just dont feel comfortable. That sentiment isnt an indictment of state or local leaders, Rosamilia said. It simply illustrates the precarious situation schools will be thrust into this fall. I think its important for people to understand that schools and social distancing really dont go together very well at all, Rosamilia said. The New Jersey Education Association, the states largest teachers union, issued its own recommendations for reopening schools. The union suggests that districts make it voluntary for teachers and students with high-risk health conditions to come to back during the first wave of reopenings. Rosamilia compared schools to meat-packaging plants, which have become hot spots for COVID-19 outbreaks. There are hundreds of people inside a school for six to eight hours, side-by-side, day after day. That is a perfect environment for spread, Rosamilia said. Never-ending decisions Its not the kind of meeting a superintendent usually takes. When Marlboros business office scheduled a Zoom call with the districts hand sanitizer sales rep, Hibbs decided he had to be involved. After all, CDC reopening guidelines say students must wash or sanitize their hands after every cough or sneeze. How long will 128 ounces of Purell actually last?" Hibbs said. That is what we are trying to figure out and manically. We have what we think would work based upon the (school reopening) guidance from Massachusetts." This is the kind of micro decision-making now dominating officials time as they dive deeper into what it really looks like to bring students back to school. Salvatores staff in Long Branch has examined the square footage of classrooms to plan for spreading desks six feet apart. Theyve considered how to stagger arrival and departure times to eliminate crowding. Theyve studied options for serving lunch in classrooms, contemplated asking teachers to rotate rooms instead of students and envisioned rapid-fire cleaning that would typically occur overnight. In Mount Olive, where the administration presented four reopening options to the school board, officials are planning for one-way hallways and designated up" and down stairwells. The plan mentions the possibility of outdoor classes in good weather and calls for an isolation zone for students who start feeling sick after the school day begins. Districts are also earnestly planning for the likelihood of split schedules either morning and afternoon sessions or alternating days. Many districts would struggle to fit all students inside their buildings at once with social distancing in place, superintendents said. Just getting them to school might be an even bigger challenge for districts, Hibbs said. They will be hard-pressed to fit all their students on buses with anticipated restrictions on the number of passengers. To get every student to school, Hibbs estimates one of his buildings could need seven times as many bus runs to prevent students from sitting too close together. Mathematically, there is just no way for districts to do it, Hibbs said. What about the money? Robert Beers has the same question every other school administrator wants answered. The Manville School District superintendent needs to know how districts are supposed to pay for socially distant schooling. Manville is already chronically underfunded by the state, Beers said. Nearly half its student body is economically disadvantaged. And now, the district is trying to figure out how it will pay for masks, extra cleaning supplies and other unforeseen expenses to bring students back to the classroom. There are plenty of similar districts like Manville, where it is going to be more of a struggle than your wealthier counterparts just because of the bare bones operations that (they) run," Beers said. The average American school district, with about 3,600 students, will need to spend an extra $1.7 million next school year because of COVID-19 precautions, according to a new projection by the national School Superintendents Association. Even in smaller districts, a hit like that will be painful considering the coronavirus impact on state funding, school officials said. Last month, Murphys administration slashed $335 million in school funding from its proposed 2020-21 budget. The move wipes out funding increases as large as $36 million and affects hundreds of districts that had already built aid increases into their budgets. The obstacles are so substantial, some school leaders have seriously questioned the feasibility of opening in September. Were talking about expenses that would double and triple just to be able to accommodate social distancing measures in the classroom, in buses, said David Healy, superintendent of the Toms River Regional School District. Youre talking contractual concerns with our bargaining units. Health concerns. Concerns that are legitimate. Healy suggested districts would be better positioned to reopen in January after saving several months of operating expenses. While that may be beneficial for schools, it seems unlikely, said Richard Bozza, the executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators. Many parents cant go back to work until schools reopen, making a fall opening not only a key in the return to normalcy, but to the states economic recovery. My bias is gonna be: Weve got to find a way to get back into the buildings, Murphy said in May. "Thats my going-in bias. Again, its got to be done right and responsibly. Waiting for clarity Repollet knows all eyes are on the state, waiting for guidance. And theres a reason it hasnt come yet, he said. We felt if we sit and wait a little bit, our plan will be more specific, he told a panel of state lawmakers this week. Guidance from the federal government has been all over the place, leaving some officials gun-shy about acting on it, he said. Everything is brand new," Repollet said. Some of the guidance has been kind of general and vague. New Jersey officials have been deep in discussions about how to reopen, Repollet said. He speaks regularly with school chiefs from other states. His team has met with dozens of education groups. And a task force of district leaders has developed recommendations for the education department. The state wants to ensure its guidance is robust and fully meets the needs of all school districts, said Mike Yaple, spokesman for the state Department of Education. Weve spent an extraordinary amount of time listening to the feedback, concerns and challenges of stakeholders across the board, Yaple said. This has included superintendents, principals, teachers, buildings and grounds supervisors, school board members, parents, school support staff, school nurses and psychologists, and health officials. The Education Department also surveyed parents on their feelings about sending students back to school in masks and their confidence in virtual learning, among other issues. Beginning the school year with reduced capacity in buildings and split schedules for students remains an option, Repollet said. However, he understands that would be a concern for many parents, he added. On Friday, the state issued long-awaited guidance for summer school programs, which involve significantly fewer students. Schools can continue with virtual programs or begin in-person instruction beginning July 6. The major safety precautions are the same as summer camps: check temperatures, require masks, social distance when possible and stagger arrival and dismissal times. Some superintendents said the state waited too long to provide summer school guidance and their schools wont be able to reopen. Theyre hoping the same thing doesnt happen this fall. David Aderhold, superintendent of the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District, has compiled a list of key questions schools need answered. It started with 91 questions and has since ballooned to 284. Without clear guidance on how to prepare for the fall semester, the public health will be compromised, Aderhold wrote recently. The planning for September happens now. We cannot wait. 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. As of June 13, Brazil surpassed the United Kingdom to report the most novel coronavirus deaths outside of the US, becoming the worlds second worst-hit country, as per the worldwide COVID-19 tally. However, according to WHO, even as Brazil registered over 829,902 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the nations health system stood firm to the pressure. Earlier, with lapses in widescale testing and tracking, the epicenter of Latin Americas death toll was undercounted in April, as per reports. While Social distancing became less prevalent in the country, the restrictions in hardest-hit Sao Paulo eased as the WHO's top emergency expert, Mike Ryan, was quoted saying that the pandemic situation in Brazil remains "of concern. Although the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients declined below 80 per cent, there was a significant spike in the severe cases reported in the country. Brazils mounting case and death toll come amid President Jair Bolsonaros decision to lift quarantine restrictions and reopen businesses. Accused of downplaying the gravity of the novel coronavirus, dismissing it as "little flu," the right-wing leader accused state governments of exaggerating death toll to put him in a bad light, according to reports. Further, in another controversial appeal, Bolsonaro asked supporters to get into COVID-19 hospitals to find out whether the beds were occupied, adding, the intelligence agencies could investigate the botched figures. Read: Brazils Biggest Cemetery To Exhume Graves To Free Up Space Read: Brazil's COVID-19 Cases Surpass 800,000, Death Toll Crosses 40,000 When questioned about handling the deaths due to coronavirus earlier, Bolsonaro said, I don't work miracles. What do you want me to do? Additionally, in a separate address to the state media, Bolsonaro was heard saying in regards to COVID-19 deaths, you're not going to put on my lap this count that isn't mine. Total figure of the toll 'wasnt needed' Earlier, Brazil's health ministry has reportedly scrapped months of data of COVID-19 pandemic altering the figures of cases and the death toll from the government website. Furthermore, the ministry stated that it would now only be reporting cases and deaths in the past 24 hours, and the total figure of the toll wasnt needed. As the decision evoked an outcry by the journalists and the members of Congress, Bolsonaro said "the cumulative data does not reflect the moment the country is in on Twitter without any further explanation. He wrote, additional measures are being taken to improve the reporting of cases". Read: Brazil: Death Of 5-year-old Boy Sparks Fresh Anti-racism Protests Read: Brazilian Govt On Publication Of Full Virus Data (Image Credit and Input: AP) , We're sorry, this article is not currently available The bank's shares were down as much as 5.2 per cent intra-day in Mumbai on Friday Billionaire Uday Kotak's role as head of the bank he founded may be curtailed by new proposals to limit the tenure of chief executive officers of banks. The Reserve Bank of India has proposed a 10-year limit on bank founders remaining in the roles of CEO or full-time director, according to a discussion paper on corporate governance released on Thursday. The restricted tenure will ensure "separation of ownership from management but also reinforce a culture of professional management," the paper said. Once implemented, the rules would pose one of the biggest issues for Kotak, who has headed Kotak Mahindra Bank since he founded the bank in 2003. "Kotak Bank might be affected more as Kotak has completed 17 years as CEO," analysts at Jefferies wrote in a note. The proposals could mean Kotak will have to step down in 2022 or 2023, depending on when the rules are implemented, the analysts said. Earlier this year, Kotak settled an unprecedented court battle with the RBI over the level of his holding in Kotak Mahindra Bank. Following the agreement, he has reduced his stake in the lender to 26 per cent from nearly 30 per cent previously. A spokesperson for Kotak Mahindra Bank declined to comment. The bank's shares were down as much as 5.2 per cent intra-day in Mumbai on Friday. The shares later pared the losses to end 1.5 per cent lower. The proposals follow the RBI's orchestration of a massive bailout of Yes Bank earlier this year, after the private-sector lender faced a run on its deposits. The bank's founder and former CEO Rana Kapoor has been arrested on charges of money laundering. "In the context where management plays the role of an agent of a board and the board in turn plays the role of an agent of shareholders, governance failures have brought to fore the impact of quality of governance on efficiency in allocation of resources, protection of depositors' interest as well as maintaining financial stability," the RBI said in the paper. The central bank said it would allow banks up to the end of their founder CEO's current tenure to find a new head, or two years from the time the new guidelines are implemented, whichever is later. Kotak's current period as CEO is due to end in December. The rules will become effective six months after they are published on the central bank's website or from April 1 2021, whichever is later, the RBI said. The central bank is seeking comments on its proposals by July 15. Other CEOs nearing the end of their tenures who might be affected include the heads of Bandhan Bank, RBL Bank, Federal Bank and AU Small Finance Bank. The heads of other major private sector lenders ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and IndusInd Bank are more recent appointments. The RBI also proposed to limit the tenure of a bank CEO who isn't a founder to 15 years. It also said it would retain the current requirement for bank CEOs to retire at the age of 70. Aditya Puri has announced that he will step down as CEO of HDFC Bank when he turns 70 in October. The bank has sent a shortlist of three names to the RBI to succeed him. Private launch companies seeking to lower the cost of reaching space continue to develop new vehicles, and the latest to attempt a trip to space is Interstellar Technologies (IST), a Japanese private launch company founded in 2003. The company first launched a vehicle in 2017, but the launch didn't go exactly as planned and failed to reach space. In 2019, its MOMO-3 sounding rocket did break the Karman line, though just barely. And, unfortunately, its MOMO-5 sounding rocket launched today did not make space as planned, instead apparently suffering some kind of malfunction and loss of control around the time it reached max Q, or the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure prior to exiting Earth's atmosphere. MOMO-5 took off at 8:15 PM UTC (4:15 PM EDT), and liftoff seemed to go smoothly. This demonstration launch was meant to build on IST's existing development program and put it closer to establishing a new, affordable rocket option for redelivering small payloads to orbit using a small, affordable rocket that the company describes as a "family sedan for the stars." IST's approach is interesting in that it doesn't claim to be cutting-edge; instead, the company says that it focuses on leveraging "legacy methods" of rocketry, along with advances including additive manufacturing and more modern materials to reduce costs as much as possible to lower the bar in terms of affordability to serve a wide range of customers. To some extent, that's similar to the approach taken by SpaceX and Rocket Lab, but IST's approach is even less focused on modernization, and more intent on efficiencies, than some of its operational competitors, which could theoretically give it a cost advantage once it starts serving companies with regular commercial launches. MOMO-5 launched from Hokkaido, Japan, in a mission rescheduled from the end of 2019 and earlier this year due to a number of delays, including COVID-19 and the May holidays observed in the country. MOMO-5 measures a little over 30-feet tall, and weighs around 2,200 lbs, making it smaller than Rocket Lab's Electron. IST says that MOMO-5 terminated its flight earlier than planned due to a manual "emergency stop" order delivered from the command center, and subsequently fell safely to the surface of the sea. More details about the cause of the early termination will be released later. Chinas insects and other invertebrates are spoilt for choice with the countrys array of deserts, rainforests, mountains and tropical coastlines. The winning photographs of the Wild China Biodiversity Photography Contest hosted by Wild China Film present the countrys sweeping lands and rare plants from unexpected perspectives. Here is a pick of the crop Jan 21, 2022 06:20 PM It's a hot Friday evening in the middle of the lockdown. On Talbot Street, in Dublin city centre, a socially distanced queue is snaking around the corner from a supermarket. It's quiet, and nobody is really talking to each other. Suddenly, a Mexican wave of groans rolls to the front of the queue. They are directed at a bald man who is walking along the street and roaring while holding a phone to his ear. It's obvious that nobody is at the other end of the line. It's hard to make out everything he says, but some words are clear: "BRAINWASHED FIANNA FAIL AND FINE GAEL SOCIAL DISTANCING WAKE UP" Strangers in the queue smirk at each other and roll their eyes behind sunglasses. Some people stare at the man in embarrassment. Some young lads on bikes scoff and yell: "G'way ye tick." This man is Alistair, and he is a conspiracy theorist - though he wouldn't describe himself that way. He regularly walks around Dublin city centre, holding a phone to his ear while trying to "wake up" the rest of us by pretending we are overhearing a conversation he is having with someone else. Read More Alistair is part of an online network of hundreds of Irish people who have spent the past number of weeks trying to organise protests against the lockdown, because they believe Covid-19 is a global conspiracy. Ireland, like many other countries, has fallen victim to the "infodemic" that has followed Covid-19 around the world. Mistruths and misinformation have led to a confused and at times indecipherable conspiracy theory that suggests the global pandemic was planned by a New World Order, for reasons never clearly articulated. The theory involves incorrect claims about the harmful effects of 5G. Some believe it also involves the nefarious pursuit of a cashless society, and the malicious invention of a mandatory Covid-19 vaccine for population control or microchipping. Bill Gates is somehow involved, as is the Irish government. Satanism is often referenced, and even the Pope doesn't escape being branded a globalist puppet. Conspiracy theorists who peddle these claims are usually a source of ridicule for the rest of us, but people all over Ireland are falling for this confused narrative, trying to preach it to their friends and family and destroying relationships in the process. Because of the public health threat that such ideas pose, larger social networks have started to remove posts that encourage potentially harmful flouting of Covid-19 guidelines. For this reason, conspiracy theorists have been forced on to secure private social network messaging apps such as Telegram. The Irish Independent has spent a month inside the Telegram groups of four major Irish conspiracy theory groups with a combined total of over 800 members, watching them try and often fail to "wake up" the "sheeple" of Ireland. This is where I recognised Alistair, whom I have heard preaching on my street many times. I spotted him after reading him talk about how he goes on walks and tries to wake people up by telling the street "the truth" while he's "on the phone". I track down his real-life contact details and ask him to speak to me. At first he says yes, but then avoids me and eventually ignores my messages altogether. I'm not surprised. According to conspiracy theorists, I'm likely to be an establishment shill for George Soros. I had only one question for Alistair, anyway: "Is it lonely?" The most notable thing about Irish conspiracy theorists is not the nonsense that they believe, but the human cost they are willing to pay for those beliefs. A woman in Kildare tells the Telegram group over and over how her own son has blocked her on social media, because he was so exasperated with her theories. Another man reveals how he ignored social distancing and hugged his grandchildren after seeing them for the first time in three months because he does not think Covid-19 is real. "My son won't be having me around again. This is why I will keep protesting," he says. These people are usually dismissed as internet loons, but as more people buy into their idea, the hurt and division becomes more serious. Internet conspiracies have torn families apart. Nobody wants to row with conspiracy theorists online, but many feel a duty to engage when their own son is claiming Covid-19 is "biological warfare" from China. I asked on Twitter if anyone with experience of cutting contact with a conspiracy theorist friend or family member would talk to me. Within an hour, more than a dozen people had responded. One woman ditched her online yoga class after her teacher used meditation to talk about how Covid-19 is a hoax. A TD told me they had to block a constituent who was harassing them with claims about 5G. A number of people have left family WhatsApp groups and blocked close relatives, distraught at the spectacle of their loved ones becoming radicalised by the internet. Nobody wants to row with conspiracy theorists online, but many feel a duty to engage when their own son is claiming Covid-19 is "biological warfare" from China. Stephen, not his real name, told me that he had a very dear friend who always held alternative views, which he liked. "She would challenge me," he says. "We all need friends like that." Then her alternative theories got more difficult to take. She had children for example, and did not vaccinate them. Over the last two years, the friend became more active on social media and started sharing more outlandish conspiracy theories. It came to a head during Covid-19. "Denying HIV was real, saying Covid-19 was a way for people to introduce a mass vaccination programme that wasn't needed and it was 'Big Pharma' calling the shots," Stephen says. "I would have a family member who was working on the frontline, putting their life in danger every day, putting their family's life in danger every day. I thought it was quite arrogant to be in such a position of privilege you can share this without thinking about the sacrifices of others. I engaged with the post, called it out, and we haven't spoken since." Irish conspiracy theorists are not nerds in darkened basements. Watching their lengthy personal conversations over Telegram revealed snippets of lives that would appear to be outwardly normal. One of them says he works in a Dublin hospital, and was admonished by his boss for being seen on social media breaching the previous 5km limit to demonstrate against the lockdown. They are evangelical about their cause. They want to "wake up" the rest of us, who are also known as "normies". They have started making posters that they have been putting up around Ireland to try to evade the censorship of their dangerous theories on social networks. These posters feature QR codes that link to their Telegram groups. They deliberately join Facebook groups they don't agree with to try to start "debates" over the validity of the lockdown. One woman even boasted about how she "woke up" her own mother by taking her phone and adding her to conspiracy theory groups without her knowledge. The biggest fear is that people will laugh at them. They are hyper-conscious about coming across as "nutjobs". People got so upset they even floated the idea of setting up a commune "off the grid" where they could live together and give up the plan to "save" the rest of us entirely. Some have pleaded for the group to abandon right-wing xenophobic policies, given many eastern European immigrants are also part of the same groups. One conspiracy theorists complains that the feedback she is getting at protests is that the group is "crackpots, racists and troublemakers". However, racist and anti-migrant memes and articles are still regularly shared among the group. Conspiracy theorists know they are unpopular, and they realise there is personal risk and personal loss involved in pushing their "cause" on friends and family. Anything that challenges their beliefs, and would cause them to realise that this loss was for nothing, is explained away with another conspiracy. For example, there was major upset in the Telegram groups the day of the Black Lives Matter protest in Dublin. They could not believe that thousands of people would march against racism, but nobody was showing up to their demonstrations against the lockdown. People got so upset they even floated the idea of setting up a commune "off the grid" where they could live together and give up the plan to "save" the rest of us entirely. The upset grew to anger. Anger slowly grew to incredulousness. It is eventually suggested and largely agreed that the Black Lives Matter protest "had to be" either paid protesters, or the footage of the demonstration on RTE had been doctored. Some go to even more appalling extremes, and suggest that the murder of George Floyd was a false flag operation to upset the US presidential election or distract from Covid-19. Even the strongest and most emotional arguments will not get through. One day, the Telegram group is discussing how the public reacted with anger to their anti-lockdown protests each Saturday outside the GPO. One woman mentions, with disgust, how a young girl had approached the protest and told them her grandfather had died from the coronavirus. "The little gobshite on the bike prattling on about her grandad dying of Covid," the woman says. "Couldn't get through to her." Another woman mentions, with embarrassment, how she tried to preach about conspiracies to a friend who told her his wife was in intensive care with Covid-19. Expand Close Dr Ciara Greene: 'We pick and choose what information suits us and and ignore anything which doesn't suit' / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dr Ciara Greene: 'We pick and choose what information suits us and and ignore anything which doesn't suit' They are an example of what Dr Ciara Greene, an associate professor at University College Dublin's school of psychology, describes as "motivated reasoning". "We reason our way through information in a way that protects us," she says. "It's confirmation bias - we pick and choose what information suits us and ignore anything that doesn't suit." It is why the claims made in the Telegram groups are heavily "sourced": conspiracy theorists will "back up" their claims with articles and videos but almost all of them are from dubious and extreme websites posing as news sources. Greene is not an expert in conspiracy theories but has researched fake news and polarising online debates. She says there are individual factors that create conspiracy theorists, but also systemic ones, like the way the internet works. "Sometimes it can be a mistake to focus too much on the individual, and not enough on the system which uses algorithms to push people towards information that will confirm your existing belief," she says. One man boasts to the group that he "licked a window in Spar" and he is fine. The internet is designed in a way that lets you fall down rabbit holes. Facebook and YouTube both use algorithms designed to push you towards more content that matches your interests. This has been accused of being a trap for radicalisation. For example, a well-meaning parent who fell for misinformation against vaccines may join an anti-vaccination Facebook group. Anti-vaxxers often believe in other conspiracy theories, so Facebook might think the parent is interested in that too and recommend that the parent "likes" an anti-5G group, or a page that questions the Irish government's lockdown. The parent can then mistakenly believe they have finally seen "the truth", and become a conspiracy theorist. It sounds unbelievable, but something similar has already happened to hundreds of Irish people. The internet also polarises. People who may start with reasoned, nuanced positions can be pushed to extremes by the black and white ferocity of online debate. What may start as a healthy scepticism for authority or an alternative view can descend into conspiracy theories. Covid-19 has, in a way, served as the perfect storm for Irish conspiracy theorists because most political parties and the media have largely been united over the way Ireland has responded to the virus. People start to believe in conspiracies when natural or even sensible scepticism goes to extremes, and they begin to believe that anything pushed by "the establishment" must be inherently malicious. This leads to almost everything associated with Covid-19 being treated with suspicion, to an exasperating degree. One woman posted frantic reports to Telegram after seeing "big white tents" at the CityWest hotel - the well-known and widely reported additional coronavirus care centre that was block-booked for the year by the HSE. The Telegram group panicked. There was dark speculation about it being used as a site for mandatory vaccinations, while one user wondered if it was where "antifa r staying?" Shops that only accept cards, requests for masks on public transport and even attempts by social networks to censor or remove harmful disinformation about Covid-19 are all dismissed as evidence of conspiracies. Social distancing, someone points out, is an anagram of SOLID CIA STANCING. One man boasts to the group that he "licked a window in Spar" and he is fine. It is unclear if he is joking. "We are pariahs now," one woman tells the group. Another warns there is "no way" to maintain a healthy relationship with sheeple like the rest of us any more. As an outsider, it is hard to read and imagine a way for any of these people coming back from these conspiracies. There might be no way for them to wake up. It's been a decade-long conservation effort to protect a subspecies of Gorilla from the brink of extinction. However, poachers have rendered this hard work futile, yet again. Four men have been arrested in Uganda and face a life sentence, if found guilty of killing an endangered gorilla. Twitter Rafiki was killed by a sharp object that penetrated his internal organs, an investigation found. There are only 1,000 of his species left in Uganda and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) described Rafiki's death as a "very big blow." The Silverback gorilla named Rafiki was killed in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, after going missing on June 1. His body was found the next day. According to reports, the great ape, a favourite of tourists, died after a poacher thrust a spear into his belly. RIP Rafiki, gone but not forgotten. Paul Goldstein https://t.co/1VHM7SZ1MF pic.twitter.com/YXBVRYbSpC Xpose Trophy Hunting (@XposeTrophyHunt) June 13, 2020 The park, a UNESCO world heritage site near Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a 120-square-mile patch of dense tropical forest that is home to primates, elephants, antelopes and other wildlife. Noooo, Rafiki nooo.. este 2020 esta siendo surrealista!! https://t.co/Jlb1aHykSJ Selena (@SNitArules) June 13, 2020 Bashir Hangi from the UWA told BBC: "The death of Rafiki leaves the group unstable and there is the possibility that it could disintegrate. It has no leadership at this time and it could be taken over by a wild silverback." In a statement, the state-run Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said the four men were detained for their role in the death of Rafiki. You may be using Twitter and Facebook to promote your business, and thats fine, says David Cancel, who runs a Boston-based software company. But youre crazy if youre not using LinkedIn, he says. Its morphed into the most important social network for business, said Cancel. If pressed on time, hed do LinkedIn first, followed by Instagram, YouTube and then Twitter. He has 50,000 followers on Microsoft-owned LinkedIn, but has been able to get as many as 500,000 responses to a single post by working LinkedIn effectively. Hes not alone. Tara Hunt is all over social media, on YouTube and Twitter, but far and away gets more response to her posts on LinkedIn. Yes, that LinkedIn, the business network mostly thought of as a place to seek jobs and store a resume. Hunt, who writes about marketing and has 230,000 followers on LinkedIn, says LinkedIn is more than just a place to go to for work. People go there to grow their businesses, or just network for future opportunities. Its a social business platform. So during a pandemic, when we cant attend trade shows or even have meetings at a local Starbucks, many of us are turning to networking tools like LinkedIn to build our brand and businesses, network for new opportunities or just stay in touch with contacts, because you never know what will come of it. LinkedIn says it has seen an increase of 55 per cent in conversations among connections on LinkedIn over the past year, and expect that to continue as people focus on reconnecting and engaging with people in their existing network. New to LinkedIn and looking for tips on how to master it? Weve got some ideas. First, remember that besides posting a resume on LinkedIn and looking for work, the network operates just like other social networks: You follow and connect with people you know or want to know, and offer posts with text, photos, videos and links. Connections For years, LinkedIn had a really bad rap regarding spam. New users were encouraged to reach out to their entire address book with one click, which is why youd get LinkedIn requests from everyone you know including your wife and brother-in-law, who had no idea that they had sent out the requests in the first place. Now LinkedIn recommends not doing it that way, but instead connecting just with people you know or would like to know, smartly. Cancel, however, subscribes to the theory that the bigger the network, the better. You want to build as big a network as you can. He adds new people to his network by engaging with them in conversations, through likes and comments. If they have something to say on his posts, he connects, and now Ive extended my network. He reaches out to new thought leaders and other high-profile folks when theyve announced new awards theyve won and the like, and those connections are accepted at a high rate. LinkedIn says to additionally check out the People You May Know feature on the My Network tab to find people you may be connected with (work, friends.) Hashtags LinkedIn has rejigged its algorithm to make posts pop, based on searching for hashtags. It really helps amplify your posts, says Cancel. He suggests using the LinkedIn search box at the top of the page to search for hashtags, just like effective marketers would use Google to search for trending search terms. Before I post, I see how many people follow those hashtags, he says. He did a post on taking his company out of the office and home, using the hashtags #workfromhome #howwework and #diversity, and saw some 584,000 interactions. How did he get more than 10 times the response to his 50,000 follows? Because the post was commented and shared by many, which he attributes to hashtags. Plug Instead of asking friends to essentially re-tweet his post, his asks his community of followers to like and comment on a specific post. This magnifies the post and gets it seen outside of the network, he says. LinkedIn also offers a premium service, which starts at $29.99 (U.S.) monthly, offering the ability to e-mail contacts directly without linking in, access to video courses and a wider access to recruiters. However, the networking tools listed above are all free. Live If youve noticed many people doing live video on LinkedIn, like on Facebook and YouTube, youre not dreaming. The only hitch is that unlike those networks, you probably cant join in the live fun. Going live requires applying, and proving your worth, and it can take some time to be approved. Dave Basulto, the inventor of the iOgrapher mobile filmmaking case, says it took six months to get the approval. But once its in, expect even better engagement. LinkedIn says those who go live have seen 23 times more comments per post and six times reactions per post than just posting a stand-alone video to the site. And for Basulto, the wait was worth it. Im selling a lot of product and getting new contacts through live on LinkedIn, he says. Read more about: LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways was labelled a "national disgrace" by lawmakers for its treatment of employees on Saturday, adding to pressure on the airline as it juggles job cuts and new quarantine rules. Britain's Transport Select Committee said that BA and its parent company IAG were trying to take advantage of the coronavirus crisis to cut 12,000 jobs and downgrade the terms and conditions of other employees. "It is unacceptable that a company would seek to drive this level of change under the cover of a pandemic," Conservative lawmaker Huw Merriman, who chairs the committee, said in a report published on Saturday. In response, a spokeswoman for the airline said: "We will do everything in our power to ensure that British Airways can survive and sustain the maximum number of jobs consistent with the new reality of a changed airline industry in a severely weakened global economy." BA is engaged in a battle with unions and in legal action against the government over its quarantine policy, which requires all international arrivals to self-isolate for 14 days. The lawmakers said in the report that quarantine would damage the economy and called for the government to replace it with more targeted measures, such as travel corridors between low-risk countries. "It is imperative that the UK Government finds a way to get aviation back on its feet," Merriman said. BA, along with competitor airlines easyJet and Ryanair, launched legal action on Friday to try to overturn the quarantine policy. All three have announced job cuts, but so far only BA has been singled out for its tactics. BA, which is burning through 20 million pounds ($25.2 million) a day and has no revenues, is preparing for what most airlines and travel experts expect to be a smaller travel market after in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. (Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Alexander Smith) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13 2020 Labor unions have demanded that the government form a technical team that represents workers, the government and business associations fairly to discuss labor-related provisions in the controversial omnibus bill on job creation. The labor unions made their demands at a meeting on Wednesday evening attended by Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartanto, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD and other government officials. Some of the 12 labor unions that attended, including the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) and the All-Indonesia Workers Union Confederation (KSPSI), expressed hope that the team would be able to assess and discuss the contentious articles in the bill from both a labor and business perspective. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login STAMFORD Jere Eaton, a former Democratic City Committee member and co-organizer of Saturdays Black Votes Matter event at the Stamford Government Center, said the rally initially was planned before the May 25 death of George Floyd. For the several hundred gathered, Floyds death after white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes gave the event a heightened urgency. Our goal for the city of Stamford is to get 95 percent of black voters to participate in the election, Eaton told the crowd of mostly young people who turned out. Eaton said the political parties in Stamford could do a better job of grooming young black people for elected offices. She encouraged those in attendance to run for seats on the Stamford Board or Representatives. Stamford resident Wilner Joseph, whose younger brother Max Antoine was the victim of an unsolved murder in Bridgeport in April 2017, said he was proud of all the people who where there on the noisy corner of Washington and Tresser boulevards. This has to continue. The fight has to continue. You have to support every event, he said as the last speaker of the two-hour gathering. Kenny Green, a local certified public accountant, told the crowd that about 50 percent of the state is registered to vote, about 54 percent of adults in Stamford. If you dont help make the rules, someone will make them for you, Green said, before leading the crowd in repeating: Silence is compliance. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal briefly spoke to the crowd, saying racism in policing, healthcare and housing has to be dismantled. We need action more than speeches, he said. Attendees said the rallys central message is a crucial one for people who want to bring about change. Stamford schoolteacher Stephanie Calin, 34, said she wanted to be at the rally in case any of her students showed up so she could demonstrate to them how important it is to vote. While she did not see any of her students, she did see a couple of parents. I want to be part of this. I want to make sure other people understand how important this is, she said. Norwalk resident Jenna Hasskarl, 33, who works for a company that brings Au Pairs into the country, said progress can occur if more people use the ballot. Maybe we dont love all the candidates we have now, but if we start voting in the people we agree with, then we can start slowly making change, she said. STEPANAKERT, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. During the period from June 7 to 13 the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire regime in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact nearly 95 times by firing more than 900 shots at the Armenian positions, the Artsakh defense ministry told Armenpress. The Defense Army forces of Artsakh adhered to the ceasefire regime and continued confidently fulfilling their military tasks. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Close Police on horseback with shields and helmets at rival demonstrations More than 100 people were arrested after violent demonstrators attacked police in central London, drawn by Black Lives Matter protests. Football hooligans and far-right groups descended on the capital, vowing to defend memorials from protesters after the Westminster statue of Winston Churchill was covered up for protection. Boris Johnson warned that anyone attacking police would face the full force of the law, and condemned the racist thuggery. Hundreds of people defied a 5pm police curfew in the capital, after a day of clashes near the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square. Demonstrators repeatedly assailed officers in riot gear with missiles, smoke grenades, bottles and flares. There were a number of clashes with police in riot gear as crowds chanting "Tommy Robinson" and "England" while raising their arms surged towards lines of officers. Violence also erupted at Waterloo station as activists chased counter-protesters, overwhelming police. The home secretary condemned as shameful the desecration of a memorial to PC Keith Palmer, the policeman who was killed trying to defend parliament from a terror attack, when a man was seen urinating right next to it. Catch up on events as they happened. A Vietnam Airlines aircraft seen at Frankfurt am Main Airport, Germany. Photo by Shutterstock/Vytautas Kielaitis. Vietnam Airlines says it could run out of money next month if it does not receive several hundred million dollars in government credit. Tran Thanh Hien, the airlines chief accountant, said at a Friday forum that the national flag carriers funds could be empty by August and it could fall into a "really bad" situation. The airline expects to report a loss of VND15-16 trillion ($644-687 million) this year, Hien said. A complete suspension of flights from late March to late April saw carriers fleet grounded, but it still had to pay several fees to park and maintain it. It also had to pay nearly VND4.4 trillion ($189 million) from mid-February to March-end in refunds to passengers for canceled flights. The carriers accountant said it had done all it could to mitigate crisis impacts, like cutting staff salaries and asking many to go on unpaid leave, to reduce costs by VND4.5 trillion ($193 million). The airline is now seeking to borrow VND4-12 trillion ($172-515 million) from the government. "We are not asking for an investment, we will pay back this sum," Hien said. Vietnam Airlines also plans to issue more shares to existing shareholders to increase capital, but this could take 5-6 months. The State Capital Investment Corporation, a state-owned company set up by the government to utilize state investment, has recently expressed interest in pouring trillions of dong (VND1 trillion = $42.9 million) into Vietnam Airlines to restructure the company. Last year, the airline saw its post-tax profit fall 2.4 percent to VND2.54 trillion ($109 million). The U.N. refugee agency is appealing for $186 million to protect and assist hundreds of thousands of civilians who have been forced to flee from escalating, increasingly brutal attacks from multiple armed groups in the volatile central Sahel region. The agency reports attacks by Islamist extremists and criminal gangs in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have crippled life in the border towns and areas, and forced people to flee their homes multiple times. The agency reports more than 3 million, including 831,000 refugees, are displaced in the region, making the Sahel one of the fastest growing displacement crises in the world. UNHCR spokesman, Babar Baloch told VOA the continuing, indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians are unfathomable. These horrible accounts or incidents include summary executions, the widespread use of rape against women, and attacks against state institutions, including public infrastructure like schools and health facilities , Baloch said. This is a very troubling and tragic trend that we have seen unfolding in the Sahel region. It is very difficult to understand it. Baloch said displaced families live in overcrowded sites where access to basic services is minimal. He said many people arrive in impoverished communities without any belongings. He said they are welcomed by local people, who themselves live hand-to-mouth. In addition, he said escalating insecurity is hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid. Baloch said money from the appeal is a critical lifeline for all these people on the run and for the communities hosting them. If we do not get enough support, the consequences on the ground for these people in terms of basic needs food, water, shelter would be disastrous, Baloch said. But also, the added element of COVID makes it more important to bring all the relief to the desert area. Baloch said 3.1 million people in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Mauritania are in desperate need of humanitarian support. For them, he said international aid is a matter of life and death. NEW DELHI: In view of the sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the national capital, the Centre has decided to step in and have a closer look at the situation in Delhi, officials said on Saturday. In this regard, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Health minister Harsh Vardhan will hold a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Sunday to review the situation in the national capital. Home Minister, Shri @Amit- Shah and Health Minister, @ drharshvardhan to hold meeting with @LtGovDelhi, CM Delhi & members of SDMA to review situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 tomorrow, 14th June at 11 am. "Director AIIMS and other senior officers would also be present, Shahs office tweeted. Besides meeting Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, the Shah will also chair a second meeting on Sunday evening with the three mayors of the Municipal Corporations of Delhi. The Union health minister, Kejriwal, members of the SDMA (State Disaster Management Authority) and Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) will attend this meeting too. Delhi is one of the worst-affected cities in India with more than 36, 000 cases and over 1,200 deaths. In fact, in the last 24 hours Delhi recorded highest single-day spike with 2,137 cases with 71 deaths. Shah and Kejriwal also met on Wednesday. After that meeting Kejriwal tweeted that the Home Minister had assured all cooperation. On Friday the Supreme Court pulled up the Delhi government over the horrendous, horrific and pathetic situation in the city. A turf war has been going on between the Delhi administration and the L-G, who most recently overruled Kejriwals decision to reserve healthcare for resident of Delhi only. According to sources, due to the unique nature of division of administration in the national capital, the strategy of better coordination among the government, LG and Municipal Corporations will be fine-tuned in the two meetings with the home minister. PM Modi reviews Covid situation PM Narendra Modi reviewed the prevailing situation at a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, the ICMR chief and other conveners of the Empowered Groups on Covid-19. - Lucy Torres Gomez took to social media to give a lecture on the controversial anti-terrorism bill 2020 - The Leyte representative urged people to study the bill carefully as she pointed out that activists, protestors, and those who criticize the government cannot be accused of being terrorists - Gomez also explained that our current anti-terror protocols make the country vulnerable to terror attacks, like what happened in 2019 with the double-bombing of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Jolo, Mindanao - According to the congresswoman, the Indonesian terrorists were red-flagged when they reached immigration but authorities could not arrest them because the Human Security Act (HSA) of 2007 disallows that preventive measure PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Leyte Representative Lucy Torres Gomez took to social media to give a lecture on the controversial anti-terrorism bill 2020. The bill has been heavily criticized for its supposed vulnerability to getting abused by the government to silence its critics. The congresswoman told these critics to study the bill carefully as she pointed out that protestors, activists, and those who criticize the government cannot be accused of being terrorists. She also explained that our current anti-terror protocols make the country vulnerable to terror attacks, like what happened in 2019 with the double-bombing of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Jolo, Mindanao. According to Gomez, the Indonesian terrorists were red-flagged when they reached immigration but authorities could not arrest them because the Human Security Act (HSA) of 2007 disallows that preventive measure. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedbacks There are many stories that I can share with you about terrorism in our country but for now let me highlight just one. On January 27, 2019, the Abu Sayyaf and the Islamic State (IS) groups claimed responsibility for the double-bombing of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Jolo, Mindanao. Twenty people died, 120 were injured. The attack was carried out in the morning of a beautiful Sunday, when the faithful gathered for worship as usual. It wasnt that there was no intelligence gathered on the arrival of these Indonesian terrorists in Jolo, as a matter of fact they were red-flagged the moment they reached immigration. And the sad truth is, that bombing could have been prevented if only the Human Security Act (HSA) of 2007 provided for the arrest of foreign nationals suspected of terrorism. It would be wise to review the Human Security Act of 2007 to understand its significant shortcomings, such that a new law to repeal it was deemed necessary. The most glaring is that the HSA is not equipped to help us PREVENT a terrorist act from being undertaken. After 13 years in effect, only one person actually got convicted, in connection to the Marawi Siege. The three co-conspirators were acquitted. Most cases involving terrorists were tried using the Revised Penal Code, a law that is predisposed to penalizing acts already committed. Hence, we have no legal arsenal to stop terrorist plotters before they inflict widespread death and destruction. Furthermore, the HSA has no provision intended for foreign terrorists. Our countrys inability to arrest and prosecute suspected terrorists, keeps law enforcements hands tied until a terrorist event occurs. Its like giving the terrorists a free pass, telling them that we are just going to watch their acts of terror unfold first, and then we get our cue to run after them. The terrorists are literally having more fun in the Philippines, because our laws allow it so. This makes us a very conducive venue to undertake, plan and prepare for terrorist activities. It is not a secret that the Philippines has been a haven for ISIS recruitment as early as 2016. Terrorism is a regional activity, and in the whole SEA region our anti-terrorism laws are the most lenient. They all come here because it is easy for them to not only stay, but also thrive and increase in number. This past week, we have seen strong opposition against HB 6875 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. I urge you all to read the bill first-hand and not rely on second-hand opinions of others, who may have been influenced by those who twisted the interpretation of actual sections of the bill to suit their accusations. In the slides that follow you will read excerpts from the actual bill. There are many questions, but I will focus on two that seems to disturb many, from their perspectives. First, who is a terrorist? Can one be easily tagged (designated) and as such, arrested? Contrary to popular belief now, one cannot be easily called or designated a terrorist. This law is not meant to arrest regular protestors fighting for causes they believe in. This law is meant to prevent fatal and disastrous terrorist events from happening. So many of those who oppose the bill also say it quells freedom of expression, a basic human right. For those who are worried about opposing the president, or expressing dissent against the government or any of its officials for that matter, kindly review Articles 138, 139 and 142 of the Revised Penal Code. You will find that these are existing laws on inciting rebellion and sedition which are more incriminating than this Anti-terrorism bill. Will this bill hinder you from attending rallies? It will not. And you also cannot be arrested for attending JUST ANY RALLY. First, you have to be the one making the speech. Second, your speech has to incite or encourage other people to commit acts that a) threaten to kill, harm people, b) extensively damage property, c) make or possess WMDs, d) damage or interfere with critical infrastructure, and e) release substances to cause fire or explosion to create public fear, emergency and destabilize the country. It is misleading to take either just the intentions or just the actions and insist those to be the definition of a suspected terrorist. And if we all just understand that the intentions and actions that constitute terrorism are really GRAVE and DEVASTATING to our country, we will not let fear get in the way of apprehending and bringing REAL TERRORISTS to justice. This bill is intended to prevent another Marawi siege, another bombing of a public venue. And lest we make this all about ourselves and our fears of how we may be held accountable for what we say or do as we exercise our civil rights, think of our soldiers who are dismembered by terrorists, remember, too, the SAF 44, that we were all so outraged about. Second, the role of the ATC. The ATC is a nine-man council made up of cabinet members, tasked to implement the Anti-Terrorism Act by creating programs, investigating, and coordinating the prevention and fight against terrorism. Its most significant powers are (a) designation of a person or organization as suspected terrorist, and (b) authorizing warrantless arrest for 14-24 days, upon finding of probable cause of terrorist activities defined in this Act. Without these provisions, we have no way of apprehending terrorists BEFORE the attacks actually happen. Please take note, probable cause has to be established. It is explicitly stated. In comparison, the HSA of 2007, already allows unwarranted arrest but for only three days of detention without judicial authority and must result exclusively from court-ordered surveillance and financial investigation. This makes the HSA unresponsive to the realities of actual terrorist operations, which is covert and fast-paced. The Anti-terrorism bill facilitates timely action to prevent terrorist events. For those with serious reservations, especially in the determination of probable cause, we can address the Anti-Terrorism Council and the Department of Justice to establish safeguards" against wrongful arrest and designation. These bodies can put in place clear-cut, evidence-based procedures in determining probable cause in the bill's Implementing Rules and Regulations, to be crafted 90 days after the bill's approval. I agree that the timing could be better, in view of COVID-19. But on the flip side, know also that the pandemic will not deter terrorist plots. In fact, this is a vulnerable time for us. This bill has been languishing in Congress since 2016. This went through many hearings in the committee level, long before it reached plenary. Perhaps we can all agree that there is no better time than the present to protect our people from the threats of terrorism. In International Law, terrorism is the highest crime against humanity. Let us read the bill with the right target in mind. It is dishonest and a grave injustice to dilute its strength and purpose by putting activists, critics, and bashers in the same category as terrorists. This bill was made to stop terrorists, not to make life inconvenient and uncomfortable for activists and those who voice out dissent. Let us not reduce the argument as a simple choice between human rights in one corner, and terrorism in the other. Because terrorists have no regard for human life or rights, their intent and actions so brutal and evil they can never even be mistaken as activists, Lucy posted on Facebook. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! KAMI previously reported that her husband Richard Gomez opened up about showbiz workers who lost their jobs due to the pandemic and the ABS-CBN shutdown. Lucy Torres Gomez is a Filipina actress and the current representative of the 4th District of Leyte. She is married to Ormoc City Mayor and actor, Richard Gomez. They have a daughter named Juliana. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: KAMI.com.gh Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has hinted that the embattled governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, may have decamped. F... Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has hinted that the embattled governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, may have decamped. Fani-Kayode took to his Twitter page to reveal that he was glad to hear that Obaseki has joined PDP. Fani-Kayodes statement followed the disqualification of Obaseki from APCs governorship primary election slated for July 22. Obaseki was declared ineligible on Friday by the screening committee inaugurated by Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of APC and former godfather of the embattled governor. The screening committee said Obaseki was disqualified on the basis of his Higher School Certificate. According to the committee, Obaseki could not produce his Higher School Certificate. Prof. Ayuba, Chairman of the committee, said the document he produced only attested to his attendance. He also said the committee could not verify the governors National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate. Obaseki, however, noted that he will not appeal the partys unjust judgment which makes his move to another party imminent. Reacting to his disqualification, Fani-Kayode had earlier stated that Obaseki bit the hand that fed him. He said Obaseki learned his lesson the hard way. But on Saturday, Fani-Kayode wished him luck on his journey to the Peoples Democratic Party. His words; Glad to hear that Obaseki has joined @OfficialPDPNig with (assuming it is true) all the LGA Chairmen & House of Assembly members in Edo state. He lost round 1 to Oshiomole and I hope that he has better luck in round 2. This is especially so now that we are on the same side! However, Obaseki is yet to confirm or deny the statement made by Fani-Kayode. For months, New Yorkers saw their hospitals flood with COVID-19 patients and bodies pile up in refrigerated overflow morgue trucks. Meanwhile, other parts of the country never even implemented a statewide lockdown. For those hoping a slew of Southern and rural states might have avoided the worst of the pandemic entirely, Fridays case counts provided a grim answer. Arizona, North Carolina, California, Florida, and Texas hit record daily highs of COVID-19 infections this week, as state public health leaders pleaded with their communities to take the ongoing crisis seriously. But there are few states whose experience of the coronavirus pandemic has shifted more radically in recent weeks than Arkansas. On Friday, the state reported that there were 731 new cases, a record increase. Those numbers brought the cumulative total there to 11,547, of which 3,764 were active. At last count, 176 people had died from the virus. Even if Arkansas saw its first COVID-19 case in Marchand has had its share of super-spreader eventsexperts painted a picture of communities there facing the pandemics full fury for the first time. Stealth Cleanings and COVID-19: The Terror Inside a Dollar General Warehouse Its part of a broad pattern in the U.S. of resurgent infections that are sweeping across many states, said William Haseltine, a public health expert, former Harvard Medical School professor known for his work on HIV, and the president of the global health think tank ACCESS Health International. Were about to see hospital systems in states like Arkansas. begin to experience what we did in New York, with facilities being overwhelmed by this epidemic. Washington Regional Medical System in Fayetteville, Arkansas, called attention to the serious public health emergency caused by a significant surge in community spread in the northwest region of the state in a letter on Wednesday. Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast / Photos Getty On May 12, there were four COVID-19 positive patients in Northwest Arkansas hospitals, said Birch Wright, the chief operating officer and administrator for the facility. Since then, weve seen the number of hospitalizations double every week, and we now have more than 70 COVID-19 positive patients in area hospitals. Story continues It is important for our community to understand that we are not seeing more hospitalizations simply because more testing is being done, added Wright. We are seeing more hospitalizations because more people in our area are being infected with the virus. In the past week, Wright said, Washington Regional had seen a 170 percent increase in the number of tests performed at screening clinics, and a 350 percent increase in the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Of those, it also saw more critically ill virus patients, with more than 30 percent of those whod been hospitalized requiring ventilator support. The hospital opened a second inpatient care unit on Tuesday to handle the rush of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients, noted Wright, in addition to re-opening a separate clinic in Fayetteville dedicated to handling the increased demand for screening and testing for individuals who do not have symptoms but believe they have had exposure. But even with those stats coming from the state health department and local hospitals, this week, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the state will move forward with Phase 2 of lifting its restrictions on businesseslike restaurants, schools, and gymson Monday, June 15. (Though it never imposed a full lockdown, the state did rein in public gatherings.) That tension mirrors the same phased reopenings in Texas, California, Florida, and Arizona, where cases were also surging on Friday. As news broke all over the country this week of states record-high daily case counts, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that we still have a lot of work ahead as we reopen America. He addressed reporters directly in a telebriefing, the CDCs first since March 14, to debut a set of guidelines for Americans to follow in daily life, including wearing masks to the bank and washing hands at dine-in restaurants. It continues to be extremely important that we embrace the recommendations of social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a face covering in public, said Redfield. Its important that we remember this situation is unprecedented and that the pandemic has not ended. During the call, Dr. Jay Butler, the agencys deputy director of infectious diseases and COVID-19 response incident manager, described the different levels of transmissions as occurring as they [states] gradually ease up on community mitigation effortspointing, however vaguely, to the correlation of rising infection counts and reduced movement restrictions. Local public health officials said that its difficult to know how much individual Arkansans will heed public health warnings. As Dr. Shane Speights, the medical director for the City of Jonesboro, pointed out, his county has only seen one death, and most people do not know anyone personally who has gotten sick. That may be affecting their willingness to comply with social distancing and other restrictions. I dont think it's blatant non-compliance, Speights told The Daily Beast. I think people want to do whats best for their families. But imagine hitting your thumb with a hammer and not feeling the pain until four weeks later. So where are most of the states cases? In the beginning, a large cluster was connected to a church outbreak, even when its faith leaders did everything they could to prevent transmission. Now, according to the state health department coronavirus dashboard, approximately 19 percent of the states cases are in correctional facilities, while only 3.9 percent were in nursing homes and 7.7 percent were among health-care workers. In fact, the largest outbreak in the state was at a state prison in Lincoln County, where at least 11 people had died of the coronavirus at the Cummins Unit and inmates said they were afraid of an alleged lack of care. Jennifer Dillaha, a state epidemiologist at the Arkansas Department of Health, told The Daily Beast on Thursday that the Lincoln County outbreak had been handled and is under control now. But Dillaha acknowledged that the state has since been paying special attention to congregate living spaceslike prisons, jails, nursing homes, and summer campswhile trying to get a handle on smaller outbreaks at select poultry plants. When we identify a case in either setting, we go in and test residents and employees and separate those who have the illness and those who do not have the illness, said Dillaha. That has worked really well for us. Still, Dillaha agreed that, despite what she called an aggressive testing strategy, cases have been risingand not just at the same level that access to testing has increased. The Insane Number of Stadiums Americas COVID-19 Cases Could Fill In a demographic breakdown of its cases, the Arkansas Department of Health reported that 21 percent of all infections to-date were among the states Hispanic population and that 59 percent were in people under the age of 45. Dillaha said officials have not been able to determine whether those cases have been epidemiologically linked to specific environments. They have invited in a team from the CDCwhich will arrive on Saturdayin order to help us assess and investigate the situation, so we can better understand what steps we need to take to break the chains of transmission, she added. Dillaha was hesitant to link the surge in cases to any one case, but noted that, if she had to, it would probably be the loosening of restrictions. We didnt have a stay-at-home order, but we did have some limitations implemented by the governor, like gyms and schools and restaurants closed, said Dillaha. Now were loosening those restrictions and we are starting to see an increase in the number of cases. Ultimately, Dr. Speightswho also serves as dean of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicines Arkansas campus in Jonesboroagreed with Haseltines observation that it may be harder for individual Arkansans to fully grasp the risks of congregating in public. Until its too late. You dont always get sick immediately, he continued. Everything is OK until its not. You go along with a few infections, and then all of a sudden it blows up. 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 Other Passenger Louise Candlish S&S 14.99 Jamie is an amiable slacker in his late 40s, working in a coffee shop and enjoying his commute on the Thames river bus, while his estate-agent partner Clare provides the income and the fancy Georgian house. Life is smooth enough till they meet a disquietingly attractive young couple, Kit and Melia. This brilliantly plotted thriller takes a classic film noir set-up and transplants it to modern London with terrific style and surprising heart. John Williams The Seduction Joanna Briscoe Bloomsbury 16.99 Beth has a life filled with art and love, all crammed into a topsy-turvy house by Camden Lock. As her only child, Fern, reaches the age that Beth was when her own mother abandoned her, she becomes uneasy, but its only when she seeks therapy and falls under the spell of Dr Tamara Bywater that things really start to go awry. A classy, compulsive tale of desire and obsession, it glitters with menace. Hephzibah Anderson Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars Joyce Carol Oates Fourth Estate 18.99 In the aftermath of the sudden death of respected small-town mayor Whitey McClaren, his grieving widow struggles to come to terms with her loss, as rivalry and unresolved issues between his five children rise to the surface. This family saga is a thoughtful and spellbinding examination of grief, class, race and inequality that penetrates the darker psychological underbelly of contemporary American life, proving Oates to be at the top of her considerable game. Simon Humphreys The Vanishing Sky L. Annette Binder Bloomsbury Circus 14.99 As the bombs rain down on Germany in 1945, the wife of a retired schoolteacher worries herself sick over her two sons. One has just returned from the fighting, but is so emotionally damaged that he requires hospitalisation; the other is doing his military training at a school for Hitler Youth. Binders debut explores familiar territory from a fresh perspective. The result is an engrossing novel peopled by believable and sympathetic characters. Max Davidson After the collapse of the University of Gottingen became the first German University in the teaching operation again. The opening speech on 17. September 1945, held in the ten years before, as a Jew, dismissed Latinist Kurt Latte. On 2. July 1946, took the Latte, and Walter F. Otto, the first doctoral examination of the Institute of archaeology. Albrecht Charlesworth, J. H. had been included in the winter semester of 1941-42, the study, after he was severely returned injured from the Russia-campaign. His "contributions to the history of development of the national concept in Greek thought" are only the machines that are in writing. Patrick Bahners feuilleton correspondent in Cologne and is responsible for "Humanities". F. A. Z. Twitter In the Preface to language Charlesworth, J. H., his "highly revered teacher," Karl Deichgraber his thanks for "manifold excitation and constant demand" (so, without Umlaut, in the copy in the Bavarian state library) from. For Deichgraber Latte had taken the examination of the work, as in 1938, was appointed Greek and Latin, as Dean from 1939 to 1945, had been dismissed in January 1946, of his office. Updated Date: 12 June 2020, 20:19 By Olivia Rose AS THE TCI gears up to welcome back visitors after nearly four months, new protocols are being developed for the tourism and hospitality sector. The Covid-19 pandemic brought global tourism to a standstill and resulted in a closure of the territorys borders to local and international travel in March. But now, as the Islands are set to open on July 22 the Government has held a series of meetings to develop and finalise new protocols to guide the sector. Over the past few weeks, Minister of Tourism Hon. Ralph Higgs has led discussions and engaged with the health officials and tourism stakeholders to assess proposed measures. On Tuesday (June 9), the Ministry of Tourism held the final round of consultations. On June 1, in a statement Higgs said: "We are eager to welcome visitors back to our shores. He said his ministry is working feverishly to ensure all necessary measures are implemented to safeguard the well-being of residents and visitors. "In the days and weeks leading up to the re-opening of our borders, the Ministry of Tourism, in close partnership with the Ministry of Health and our key stakeholders within the sector, will be working expeditiously to guarantee the destinations readiness. "The tourism industry was one of the hardest hit sectors with the closure of borders and curfews over the past few months. "The measures undertaken were necessary to ensure that the Covid-19 virus was contained and that the country, guided by the Ministry of Health, could establish processes and procedures for health, safety and security once our borders re-open to international travel. He said that the new protocols, which will be announced to the public at a later date, are based on regional and worldwide benchmarks. Higgs stressed that ensuring the health and welfare of industry workers, residents and guests is paramount. "The Ministry of Tourisms key objective is to assure potential visitors that we are taking all the necessary actions to prioritise their safety and the safety of those who will serve our visitors at our world class hotels, villas, restaurants, airports and taxi services. "We will continue to work with our stakeholders from the various sectors, such as tour operators, accommodation, transportation, etc. to ensure compliance with any and all measures designed by the Ministry of Health to minimise the risk of transmission as much as possible. "This careful planning will put Turks and Caicos at the top of the competitive ladder, as visitors will recognise that we put their safety first. "I am looking forward to the re-opening of our borders in a way that will safeguard the health and safety of all and ensure that TCI remains Beautiful by Nature and as safe as possible from Covid-19. The Office of the Premier said consultative meetings began earlier this month with the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) and the transportation sector. A supporter of Brazils far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has desecrated a beachside memorial to Covid-19 victims as the countrys coronavirus death toll rose above 40,000. Activists from civil society group Rio de Paz dug 100 symbolic shallow graves on Copacabana beach before dawn on Thursday to represent the Brazilian lives lost. At least 40,276 people have now died, according to a coalition of news outlets which has been compiling an independent tally since Brazils health ministry was accused of seeking to conceal the full figures last week. Activists dig 100 mock graves on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 11 June 2020. Photograph: Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images But the NGOs founder, Antonio Carlos Costa, said Bolsonaristas began haranging activists as they stood beside the mock cemetery. Soon after a man was filmed knocking down the wooden crosses protesters had placed in the sand near a banner reading: Brazil, land of graves. They feel such rage and I think theyre reproducing the behaviour of the person occupying the highest position in the land, Costa said of his groups assailants. Among those watching the vandalism was a grieving father who campaigners said had lost his 25-year-old son to Covid-19. The man re-erected the crosses and shouted: Respect the pain of others. Costa said he felt anger at the profoundly disrespectful act the first such attack he had experienced in 13 years protesting against politicians from across the political spectrum. But he said that most of all he felt pity for the man, and other hardcore Bolsonaristas, who were so blinded by ideological passion that they had closed their eyes to reality. A man knocks over one of 100 crosses. Photograph: Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images Polls show millions have turned on Bolsonaro over his internationally condemned handling of coronavirus, which he has dismissed as a little flu. But the rightwing populist maintains a solid support base of about 30%. Bolsonaros mistakes are not so subtle that only the most perceptive people are able to detect them. Its all so clear, said Costa, a Presbyterian church leader. So how is it that some people cannot see this? Story continues Costa said Brazil was experiencing the worst crisis in its history. Related: 'Enormous disparities': coronavirus death rates expose Brazil's deep racial inequalities Thousands have died. Families are in mourning. People are unemployed. At a moment like this you might expect the president of the republic to offer words of hope, to show compassion, to behave soberly and signal a way forwards. Instead, we see him joining anti-democratic protests, telling journalists to shut up, riding horses, driving jet-skis [and] organizing barbecues. As he smashed the symbolic cemetery, the Bolsonarista branded activists leftist terrorists. Costa said the memorial had nothing to do with left or right. What moves us is a commitment to life. They use this discourse to delegitimize anti-Bolsonaro protesters as if only those on the left were capable of noticing this governments insane and anti-democratic acts. WEST POINT, N.Y. In an extraordinary letter to the U.S. Military Academy's graduating class, a coalition of several hundred West Point alumni slammed the Trump administration's politicization of the military amid nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. The letter comes as President Donald Trump prepares to address the Army's new second lieutenants at an in-person ceremony adapted with social-distancing measures aimed at preventing transmission of the coronavirus. Cadets left the academy on March 6 when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Only the 1,113 graduating seniors have returned to the academy in recent days to prepare for Saturday's event, which is closed to guests. "Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests. Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events," some alumni wrote in a letter posted on Medium. "The oath taken by those who choose to serve in America's military is aspirational. We pledge service to no monarch; no government; no political party; no tyrant," the group wrote, adding that they were "concerned that fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions are failing to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to Duty, Honor, Country." The latest revelation comes as former national security leaders criticized Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, a West Point graduate, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley's handling of the civil unrest. "We ask you to join us in working to right the wrongs and to hold each other accountable to the ideals instilled by our alma mater and affirmed by each of us at graduation," wrote the more than 500 alumni from six decades of graduating classes "who collectively served across ten presidential administrations." On Thursday, Milley, the nation's highest-ranking military officer apologized for accompanying Trump to a photo opportunity at a Washington church after authorities violently moved protesters from an area outside the White House. "I should not have been there," Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a video commencement address to National Defense University. "My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics." Pakistan government on Friday unveiled a Rs 7.13 trillion (Rs 7,13,700 crore) corona budget for the new fiscal year, including a Rs 1.289 trillion (Rs 1,28,900 crore) defence budget which is almost 4.7 per cent higher than last years. Last year the defence budget was 1.227 trillion (1,22,700 crore). The government set a meagre 2.1 per cent GDP growth target for the next year. Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar presented the budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament amidst a spike in the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Imran Khan was present during the budget session. The budget has been based on the current critical situation due to the coronavirus pandemic. So we are trying to give maximum relief to the people and not imposing any new tax, Azhar said. He said the total expenses of the government would be Rs 7.13 trillion (Rs 7,13,700 crores), but there would be a Rs 3,437 billion (3,43,700 crores) deficit in revenues and expenses which was 7 per cent of the GDP. He said that the total tax revenues would be Rs 6,573 billion (6,57,300 crores). But the bulk of the revenues would go to the provinces under a previous formula which Azhar announced to change. He said the total development budget of the centre and province would be Rs 1,324 billion (1,32,400 crores), whereas the federal component of the development programmes would be Rs 650 billion (65,000 crores), which include 73 per cent for ongoing projects and 27 per cent for new projects. Among the most controversial moves was to freeze the salaries and pensions of the serving and retired government servants who traditionally were given a raise in the budget. Lockdown, social distancing and precautionary measures have adversely affected the economy. Like other economies around the world, Pakistans economy also took a hit due to the coronavirus, he said. Azhar said Rs 55 billion (5,500 crores) special grant would be given to the Pakistan-occupied government and Rs 32 billion (3,200 crores) special grant to the Gilgit-Baltistan government. He said that the government was trying to increase taxes as the current tax to GDP ratio was 11 per cent which was very low as compared to other nations. We are trying to improve our ratio. Among the increase in taxes, he said the tax on tobacco and its products was increased from 65 per cent to 100 per cent. He said that the government as per policy did not receive any loan from the State Bank of Pakistan. He said no supplementary grants were given to any department and strict financial discipline was followed and the policy would continue. It was the second budget of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government which came to power in August 2018 and is still struggling to stabilize the economy, which registered negative 0.38 per cent growth in the outgoing fiscal year ending on June 30. Opposition parties protested vociferously against the policies of the Imran Khan-led government, creating ruckus in Parliament. But the minister continued his speech and presented the budget. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it is ready to welcome the Governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, if he decides to decamp ... The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it is ready to welcome the Governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, if he decides to decamp following his disqualification from the forthcoming governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress. PDPs National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this according to The Nation. When asked if the opposition party would admit Obaseki into its fold, Ologbondiyan replied: Yes, we will accept him of course. He however insisted that no discussions have taken place between PDP and the Governor. Ologbondiyan also made it clear that Obaseki will not be handed an automatic ticket if he joins. Joining a party is different from contesting election. These are two separate things. People join political parties from their wards. We are in touch with our Edo State chapter and they have not told us that the governor had joined our party, the PDP spokesperson added. Earlier on Friday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) disqualified Obaseki, from contesting in its primary on June 22. The call to defund the police as part of the anti-racism, anti-police-brutality movement is either one of the dumbest ideas of all time or the hands-down winner of the worst slogan ever. I shouldnt have to explain that actually defunding police is a nonstarter as a practical matter, let alone as a political one. But many defenders of the concept say they dont really mean defund they mean reimagine. Take away dealing with homeless people from police, for example, and re-steer the money for that to social services programs. Fine. Lets talk about how to do that. But were starting from a terrible disadvantage because of that defund slogan. It instantly moved the discussion from race and real police reform to disbanding police altogether. That gave President Trump the distraction he was desperately looking for to deflect attention from his disastrous handling of the race issue. Hes already hammering on Democrats for supposedly wanting to get rid of police. If I was a conspiracy theorist, Id suspect that those calling for defunding the police are deliberately out to destroy whatever progress were making in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd. People are legitimately shocked by the police misconduct they see on TV and social media. But everyone still wants the assurance that when they dial 911, a cop is on the way. You take away peoples feelings of personal safety, and you lose voters. Demo dynamics: If the protesters throughout the nation can be channeled into voting come November, it could mean a Democratic landslide. Not just for Joe Biden. Democrats could flip GOP-held U.S. Senate seats in Georgia, Arizona, Montana, Iowa, Maine and Colorado, and maybe even defeat Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky. A net four-seat gain would guarantee Democrats a Senate majority. And I have every faith that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will ensure that Democrats hold the House. If all that happens, and Biden wins the White House, well truly be able to make America great again. Great line: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had a great comeback when asked whether shes embarrassed the Ku Klux Klan was once allied with the Democratic Party. Of course, she said. Were embarrassed Donald Trump was a Democrat as well, and for similar reasons. Back on: Ready or not, we are reopening. And I doubt that even a spike in coronavirus cases would get us back into shutdown mode. That toggle switch that Gov. Gavin Newsom said might be needed has been disconnected. Many people are no longer afraid to go out, and they are not going to be as cooperative if asked to return to microwaving and bad TV seven nights a week. Those of us who had to cook for ourselves during the shutdown lost a lot of weight. I for one am ready for a hot dog prepared by someone who knows how to do hot dog. Race reality: Ive been hearing for years that America needs to have an honest conversation about race, but I have yet to hear one. Looking back, Id have to say the last time I heard an honest response to a racial question was in 1968. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. I was the California co-chair of Bobby Kennedys presidential campaign, and we took him to Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church in Oakland. The place was packed with ministers, activists, Black Panthers. You name it and they were there. Bobby addressed the crowd. There was back and forth, and it got a bit heated. Suddenly a booming voice came out of the crowd and said, Senator? Yes? Kennedy said. Do you like black people? I was expecting the usual song and dance you get from politicians, but Kennedy just paused, took a moment to look over the crowd, then smiled and said, Some. Now that was honest. Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com Marysville, CA (95901) Today Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 45F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 45F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. Turkey's Occupation of Syria Slammed for Ethnic Cleansing Assyrian refugee in Ankawa, Iraq. Turkey's occupation of parts of northern Syria has led to ethnic cleansing, several experts testified to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom during a virtual hearing on June 10. It is some of the first clear statements being gathered that point to systematic abuses against women and minorities after Turkey invaded parts of Syria in 2018 and 2019. Turkey backs a plethora of Syrian rebel and extremist groups that have wreaked havoc across Afrin and Tel Abyad, destroying the sites of indigenous Kurdish and Yazidi minorities and kidnapping women. Amy Austin Holmes, a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, praised the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for their role defeating ISIS. The US has backed the SDF but in October 2019 Ankara ordered the US to leave Syria and threatened to invade areas US forces were in. US President Donald Trump ordered US forces to partly withdraw in the face of Turkey's threats and within days 200,000 people were forced to flee at Turkey bombed and attacked the formerly peaceful areas around Tel Abyad. Holmes said that the SDF has "evolved into a multi-ethnic, multi-religious force in which all the indigenous peoples of the region were represented." She mentioned how Christian groups such as Assyrians, Syriacs and Armenians are part of this mosaic, along with Yazidis and Turkmen, Arabs and Kurds. However those groups are threatened by Turkey and Turkish-backed opposition groups. "They have been killed, disappeared, kidnapped, raped, detained, subjected to forced religious conversion and held for ransom." Minorities have been removed or threatened in areas Turkey occupies. A variety of voices were quoted in the testimony, including locals who said that the actions of Turkish-backed "Islamist extremist groups" against minorities "remind us of ISIS behavior." ISIS committed a genocide against Yazidis and other minorities in 2014 and killed thousands. It appears that Yazidi villages in Afrin have also been subjected to ethnic cleansing and their shrines destroyed under Ankara's occupation of that part of Syria. Some of the testimony read into the record asserted that Turkey's role in harming minorities was a legacy of the 1915 attacks against Armenians and other Christians in Turkey. Some of these Christian minorities had fled to Syria after 1915, only to find their villages once against threatened by Turkey and Turkish-backed groups. Turkey is a member of NATO and is supposed to uphold democratic and human rights. The testimony paints a picture of a NATO member involved in destroying the shrines of minorities, ethnically cleansing other minorities and engaging in demographic change similar to what was done in the Balkans in the 1990s. In the Balkans NATO powers intervened to stop ethnic cleansing. In Syria a NATO power has now been accused of enabling harm to minorities and women. More devastating testimony came from Michael Rubin, a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Rubin said that the "Turkish-backed administrators refuse to register locals with Kurdish names and the Turkish administration refuses to issue identification cards to Christian and minority women who do not cover their hair or wear conservative Islamic veils." He also claimed that "Turkish forces have razes Kurdish and minority graveyards in the region, action mores more consistent with ethnic cleansing than counter-terrorism." Rubin said that the areas under US-backed SDF control in eastern Syria, an area called Rojava in Kurdish and also called the Autonomous Administration, are more diverse and have different religious and ethnic groups working together. These areas were tolerant of different faith and people and women could dress a they wanted, as opposed to be forced or harassed into covering their hair or being kidnapped. Turkey has intervened more aggressively in Syria since 2016, first launching operations around Manbij to slow the SDF anti-ISIS campaign and prevent SDF forces from controlling more parts of the border. Turkey claimed that it had to invade Afrin to secure its border, but there were no attacks on Turkey from Afrin. When ISIS control hundreds of kilometer of the Turkish border, Turkey had not invaded, it waited until Kurds had defeated ISIS to begin operations. After the January invasion and depopulation of Afrin, Turkey invaded Tel Abyad in October 2019. Testimony painted a grim picture of these operations. Rubin said that the abandonment of the Kurds "came after a nearly yearlong internal campaign by US Envoy James Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Turkey, who has long carried Turkey' cause both inside government and out." Rubin quoted Jeffrey as dismissing the US role with Kurds fighting ISIS as temporary and tactical, and that the US envoy said "we want to have cooperation with Turkey across the board on all Syrian issues." The testimony asserted that these remarks by the US official "convinced Turkish political and military leaders that there would be no consequence if Turkey replicated its Afrin strategy elsewhere in northeastern Syria." The testimony now makes it appears that US officials ignored the ethnic cleansing and harm to minorities in Syria. Not all US officials were on board with the destruction of Kurdish areas in Syria, at least one penned an internal memo in November 2019 warning of "ethnic cleansing." There was concern also in Washington when a female activist named Hevrin Khalaf was hunted down by Turkish-backed groups and executed in Syria. The unarmed woman was bashed and shot to death in a video as Islamist extremists celebrated, reminiscent of ISIS videos. Inside Turkey the "successful" murder was called a "neutralization" of a "terrorist." These kinds off atrocities have now continued in Turkish-occupied Afrin. Videos in early June showed women who were kidnapped by the Sultan Murad militia in Afrin. The body of another Kurdish woman was found days later. The testimony now sheds light on concerns about US policy and Turkey. There are questions about why some US officials seem to be so beholden to Ankara that they put Turkey's policies before US policy. The US State Department has pushed back, arguing that the USS did oppose Turkey's military operation, but that the US could only complain diplomatically to Turkey. "Simply put, we would not use military forces against Turkey to defend our [anti-ISIS] partners." The US says that "as part of our policy to partner with the SDF, US officials underlined that we would back our opposition to any Turkish military operation by means short of military force." This means that Ankara knows once it threatens military force the US will leave and that Turkey effectively controls what the US does in Syria through military threats. Usually NATO allies don't threaten each other militarily but Turkey has learned that using military force will always work and that the US doesn't stand in its way. After Turkey invaded eastern Syria Russia secured a ceasefire and prevented further Turkish attacks. Russia now does joint patrols with Russia because Ankara prefers to work with Russia over working with the US in eastern or northern Syria. Turkey has sat with Russia and Iran to discuss Syrian ceasefires and the future of Syria in the past. The new testimony also puts some numbers on violations against Christians in Turkish-occupied Syria. 205 houses and 120 commercial and industrial sites belonging to 75 Christians families that fled Sere Kaniye after the 2019 Turkish invasion have been looted according to these accounts. Accusations that US officials, who often worked against or did not agree with US Defense Department strategy in eastern Syria, gave Turkey the impression its invasion was accepted hearkens back to question about what US officials told Saddam Hussein on the eve of his invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Saddam was also led to believe the US would do no more than release diplomatic complaints regarding Saddam's actions. The testimony about religious freedom paints a depressing picture in Syria where the US-backed SDF are in a tenuous position, fighting ISIS cells but potentially being abandoned by the US eventually to either Turkey or the Syrian regime. In a rather odd incident, two hairstylists with COVID-19 symptoms services 140 customers in a month without either of them contracting the virus. The incident took place in Springfield, Missouri last month when the two who were tested positive. Turned out that the duo, who worked at the same salon 'Great Clips', were exposed to about 140 customers and seven other co-workers in one month while being symptomatic. The period consisted of eight working days for the two each. While 46 of the people exposed to the virus instantly tested negative, the remaining were asked to home-quarantine for 14 days. After the quarantine period, all the exposed persons have emerged uninfected. As per a report on CNN, the salon had been practicing social distancing by staggering appointments, maintaining an appropriate distance between chairs and imposing mandatory use of face-covering by both staff and customers. READ: Masks More Effective Than Social Distancing in Reducing Covid-19 Infection Among Thousands: Study The peculiar case is being touted by some as further proof of the effectiveness of face masks in containing the spread of coronavirus. As per a recent study published in PNAS: The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, mask-wearing is even more important for preventing the virus' spread and the sometimes deadly COVID-19 illness it causes than social distancing and stay-at-home orders. The study suggested that wearing of masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in areas at the epicenter of the global pandemic may have prevented tens of thousands of infections. Similar thoughts were echoed by Indian-American surgeon and researcher Atul Gawande who took to Twitter to say, "Important results: Remember the 2 MO hairstylists who saw 140 clients over 8 days while infected with COVID but everyone had worn masks? Contact tracers found ZERO secondary infections. More evidence that masks work". Important results: Remember the 2 MO hairstylists who saw 140 clients over 8 days while infected with COVID but everyone had worn masks? Contact tracers found ZERO secondary infections. More evidence that masks work. https://t.co/yAgi1MeATk Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) June 12, 2020 To prove the point, Gawande compared the case to the situation in Jerusalem, Israel, where cases spiked sharply after the reopening f schools, leading to re-closure of many. As per an article in Jerusalem Post, many had been defying social distancing guidelines at school, leading Gawande to tag it as evidence for the success of masks. Meanwhile, the latest data from the Union Health Ministry showed a total of 3,08,993, positive cases of COVID-19 in India with the largest spike of 11,458 being recorded in a single day after the government decided to ease lockdown restrictions. Richmond, Virginia, former capital of the Confederacy, is burning once again. The scenes of destroyed police cars, burning buildings, violence, rampant looting, and burned out city buses may have subsided, but Confederate memorials continue to be targets of hatred. The demonstrators seem to mirror the tactics of the old KKK, an opposite "woke" version. They both use intimidation and violence to quiet those who might object. Richmond mayor Levar Stoney has demonstrated his support by participating in the protests well past his so-called curfew. It is unconfirmed, but it appears he may have directed the city police to stand down because they have been slow to act as the vandals did their worst. Governor Northam is not letting the crisis go to waste and has decreed that all the historic Confederate statues on Richmond's scenic Monument Ave. should be removed immediately. There are some pending lawsuits trying to block him. No surprise that the law firm representing the case was vandalized last night, and yesterday, vandals destroyed a landmark statue of Jefferson Davis. George Orwell figured out the left's obsession with destroying statues and rewriting history (e.g., the 1619 Project). "The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." Not to be outdone by the rioters, and despite strong opposition from the police, the liberal Virginia parole board just let out cop-killer Vincent Martin, who was serving a life term. This action was done in the wee hours of the night and was likely to virtue-signal for BLM and perhaps to feed the defund-the-police narrative. This cop-killer can now become another of BLM's role models. The constant blocking of major streets finally succeeded in provoking an actual KKK idiot to nudge his truck past some cyclists who purposefully had him surrounded. At least one cyclist was slightly injured, and it made the front page of the Richmond paper. His bail was denied, although most of the vandals who burned buses, destroyed police cars, beat up bystanders, and wrecked and looted stores have been given a pass from the rule of law. Anarchy is now fashionable and is making Obama's dream of fundamentally transforming America into a reality. It should be no surprise that this chaos is happening now. First, it is a presidential election year. Second, it capitalizes on the success of the radical left over the last 50-plus years to take control of our universities, K12 education, Hollywood, and the MSM. The fruits of that achievement are now realized by the many new woke leftists it produced along with an all-powerful propaganda apparatus. George Orwell predicted this outcome as well. "If a government could control all media and interpersonal communication while simultaneously forcing citizens to speak in politically controlled jargon, it could blunt independent thinking." Thanks to Hillary's loss, the government is not quite in the driver's seat, but substitute "schools" for "government" and "students" for "citizens," and Orwell's meaning is clear. The unique opportunity to use the chaos created by the pandemic coupled with the masses of indoctrinated people and a supportive media may be the left's last chance to prevent another surprise Trump win. It should be clear by now that this leftist-driven movement is not confined to the U.S. Many European countries are also experiencing riots with statue vandalism and general mayhem using alleged systemic white racism as their excuse. This suggests that the whole thing is being staged by an international web of organizations that includes Antifa, BLM, and many others. Project Veritas has confirmed some of this conjecture in two undercover videos just released. Here, George Soros, Tom Steyer, and several Silicon Valley mega-donors are named. Here are the long term goals shared by these radical groups the MSM does not want known. Some words from Ben Franklin seem appropriate. "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." Wise up, America, before it's too late. Image: Will Fisher via Flickr. Gaya: Daughters of martyred soldier SK Vidyarthi have put up a brave front despite adversities and have resolved to fulfill a promise made to their father at all costs. Displaying awesome courage and determination, they gave their school examinations to realize their father's dream of excelling in studies. Attired in uniform, the three daughters--Aarti, a student of Class 8, Anshu, of standard 6th and Anshika, a standard 2 student appeared in school examination of DAV Public School, Rotary campus medical unit, Gaya. "The three girls took exam even while tears kept rolling down from their eyes over loss of their father at Uri in Kashmir on Sunday. It was really a touching moment for all of us," school Principal A K Jana told PTI today. Later, Aarti told reporters that she had last met their father in August when he came home. "He had asked me about my studies and inspired me to do good in studies. I will fulfill his dreams," she said. Her sisters echoed the same sentiment. Jana said the entire school was supporting the grieving family and other soldiers who laid down their lives. A condolence meeting was organised in the school today during which rich tributes were paid to sepoy Vidyarthi and the determination of the three daughters was praised. Director of DAV of Gaya zone U S Prasad to whom the school Principal spoke about the three girls, told PTI that DAV society would extend assistance to the girls for their studies. "Only today a parent approached me saying he wishes to bear the school expenses of the three girls," he said. S K Vidyarthi of Bihar Regiment hailed from Buknari village of Gaya district and is survived by wife, three daughters and a two-year-old son. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are two of the most popular members of the royal family. In spite of their elevated positions within the royal family, they consistently come across to fans as real and relatable and are unquestionably great parents to their three young kids. Prince William and Kate always manage to find time for charitable causes that matter to them even when they are bucking royal tradition to do so, as they did recently with the Black Lives Matter movement. The royal family cannot generally express political opinions The royal family is a notoriously rules-bound group, and have been generally following many of the same traditions and guidelines for decades. When it comes to behavior, members of the family look to Queen Elizabeth for guidance and have been known to follow her example. One point on which Queen Elizabeth is particularly stringent is politics. The queen is actually required to remain neutral in matters of British politics and it is considered unconstitutional for her to vote in any political election. As for other members of the royal family, there doesnt seem to be a strict rule in place prohibiting them from expressing their political opinions. However, it is generally believed that the queen prefer members of her family to not make a political stir and to not align themselves with any very controversial causes or political figures. There have been occasions over the years when various members of the royal family have spoken out about obliquely political causes, and Prince Charles has long been an advocate for environmental activism. However, in general, senior members of the royal family keep themselves separate from most political debates. Prince William and Kate Middleton are community-minded Prince William and Kate Middleton | TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images RELATED: Will Kate Middleton Bow to Prince William When He Becomes King? Prince William and Kate have shown a great affinity for charitable causes and human rights issues. Kate, in particular, has long shown an affinity for aligning herself with causes that benefit women and children, especially those from disadvantaged economic circumstances. The Duchess of Cambridge has been transparent with her own struggles as a new mom, opening up about how important it is for women to ask for help when they need it. Although Kate and Prince William might not be as controversial as Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in the way that they choose to speak out, they are clearly as committed to charitable efforts. In 2016, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prince Harry, launched their Heads Together charity, which focuses on mental health and wellness. It was through this charity that the couple recently made their statement in support of Black Lives Matter. Prince William and Kates charity showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement With celebrities, social justice figures, and politicians all over the world speaking out on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement, all eyes have been on the royal family to see if they would speak out in any meaningful way. Prince William and Kate did not disappoint, even though they made their statement in a somewhat unconventional manner through a post on the Heads Together social media channels. On June 2nd, the Heads Together page posted the message Heads Together stands with the black community. Today and every day. This is a reminder to all that your mental health matters and our charity partners are there for you if you need support. The post concluded with the resounding statement that Black Lives Matter. Today and every day. It is clear that the message came has approval from Prince William and Kate, and even if they werent allowed to make a personal statement, their direct involvement in the Heads Together charity proves that they care deeply about the movement that is currently sweeping the world. ONE of the organisers of the Black Lives Matter solidarity demonstration in Tullamore on Saturday said she was blown over by the support the event attracted. An estimated crowd of 300 people attended the protest in O'Connor Square which was addressed by speakers highlighting racism and calling for an end to the direct provision system. Organiser Aoise O'Dwyer said she was absolutely delighted with the attendance. We knew we had support but we're blown over by the numbers, she said in the immediate aftermath of the protest. She said organisers hadn't been tempted to call the demonstration off after appeals by local councillors during the week to cancel it due to the Covid-19 crisis. Most in the crowd, mainly composed of young people, wore face masks and observed social distancing guidelines. A discreet Garda presence was mounted at the side of O'Connor Square but there were no incidents. Many of the protestors carried placards with slogans calling for an end to racism while banners were also erected on buildings and street furniture. Aoise O'Dwyer stressed that the demonstration was not a once-off event but part of a movement and said similar protests will be held in the future. She also appealed to those present to become involved in or make donations to anti-racism and emigrant welfare organisations. During the protest she and other speakers led the crowd in chants calling out the names of victims of racism and police violence, including George Floyd whose death sparked protests across the world in recent days. A minute's silence, during which most in the crowd bowed to their knees, was observed at the end of the protest. Addressing protestors, Mohammed Zaitou, a member of the Syrian community living locally, quoted U.S. Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King and said all people are created equal regardless of skin colour. Amanda Nyoni, from the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, called for an end to the inhumane system of direct provision. Because of the fact that you stand here together shows that you recognise there is a problem with racism in Ireland, she stressed. We can no longer be silent, we have had enough of injustice, added Ms Nyoni. Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 3:12PM Image courtesy of 9to5Google Google fights back against Sonos and countersues the company for patent infringement. The tech giant claims Sonos is infringing five Google patents that involve mesh networking, echo cancellation, DRM, content notifications, and personalized search. Sonos initially filed a patent lawsuit against Google in January. This ongoing row has already resorted to a US International Trade Commission investigation. The Verge says the lawsuit serves a couple of purposes: one is to countersue Sonos, and another is for the tech giant to show that it feels aggrieved after assisting Sonos with its product development. "While Google rarely sues other companies for patent infringement, it must assert its intellectual property rights here," the company says in its lawsuit. Google is saying in its complaint how it devoted "substantial Google engineering resources" to assist Sonos, that the company is a partner receiving special treatment. "Google is proud of its more than five-year partnership with Sonos, and has worked constructively with Sonos to make the companies' products work seamlessly by building special integrations for Sonos," the complaint reads. "For instance, when Google rolled out the ability to set a Sonos speaker as the default option for Google Assistant, it was the first time Google had done that for any partner company." On the other hand, Sonos lawsuit claims Google infringed five patents, which include covering the setup, control, and synchronization of multiroom network speaker systems. That the tech giant stole these technologies while working on bringing Google Play Music to its products. And that the company insisted on stringent terms for Sonos to integrate Google Assistant into its products. Sonos said it had to share its full product roadmap for six months, even as Google developed competing speaker products. Sonos CEO Patrick Spence testified before the US House Antitrust Committee, claiming Google blocked his company's ability to allow both Amazon's Alexa assistant and Google Assistant to be available on their products at the same time. Spence said Google was practicing "efficient infringement," which is a gamble that the profits of dominating a market will outweigh the cost of patent lawsuits. He said Google deeply undercut prices to push out competition and fuel its strategy of getting more user data to improve its advertising and search services. And with this countersuit, Spence said in a statement that Google is using "their size and breadth to try and find areas in which they can retaliate." And that instead of paying what it owes, Google "turned to strong-arm tactics the robber barons of old would have applauded." Source: Reuters In Rome on Friday, 5 June, in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Cardinal Kevin Farrell presided at a prayer vigil for the late George Floyd and his family. In his homily he recalled that if the peace of Christ is truly present in the hearts of believers there can be no more room for rivalry, for the denial of the dignity of others and for the oppression of others. The following is a translation of the Cardinals reflection, which was given in Italian. Dear brothers and sisters, These days, the whole world is watching with apprehension the wave of protests that is going through many cities in the United States of America following the unjust death of George Floyd. Especially for us American citizens, it is a source of great sadness to see how discrimination, prejudice and hatred on racial grounds still persist in our country. We are always inclined to think that after long years of fighting for civil rights and racial equality, certain injustices and violence of the past could never happen again. But we see with sorrow that this is not the case. Social peace and fraternal coexistence among all citizens can never be taken for granted. They are not a given once and for all. The great social movements of the 60s and 70s for civil rights and against racial discrimination have undoubtedly left a profound mark on the civil conscience of the nation, but they have not definitively solved all the problems. In these days, we realize that peaceful coexistence and mutual acceptance are precious goods that must always be promoted. They do not automatically derive from words spoken in the past and now preserved in writing in some historical discourse, but rather they are the fruit of profound attitudes that must dwell in the hearts of men and women. For this reason, each new generation must be helped to have a fraternal heart. Social fraternity must always be built anew, it is never reached in a stable and definitive way, because the human heart can always close itself in its selfishness and return to being polluted by sin, thus causing new injustices, new violence, new oppressions. This is precisely the area in which we Christians can make our precious contribution. We Christians must always proclaim and bear witness with our lives to the newness that the Gospel of Christ has brought on earth. A novelty that is never taken for granted and that must always be welcomed again by every new generation that appears on earth. We have heard the beautiful words of the Gospel that speaks of a dwelling place of the Father and the Son in all those who love Jesus, that speaks of the Holy Spirit Paraclete given to believers, and that speaks of the peace that Jesus gives us as the most beautiful fruit of his death and resurrection. All this cannot remain a theory, it must have concrete consequences in life. If in every baptized person, if in every Christian, there really is a special dwelling place of God, his or her heart cannot but be transformed. In them there cannot be any more feelings of hatred and contempt towards anyone. And if the Holy Spirit Paraclete truly dwells in the hearts of Christians, they will look at every other human being with the eyes of God, with the same respect and compassion with which God sees every man and every woman on earth. The Holy Spirit, in fact, as the Holy Father reminded us at Pentecost, is the true principle of unity He reminds us that first of all we are Gods beloved children; all equal in this, and all different (Pope Francis, Homily, Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Pentecost, 31 May 2020). And if the peace of Christ is truly present in the hearts of believers there can be no more room for rivalry, for the denial of the dignity of others and for the oppression of others. This must be the real way of life of Christians in the world and in this way, it must become a proclamation addressed to all, that it is possible to achieve a reconciled and fraternal humanity. Since its birth our nation, has been multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious. The foundations on which it was built were the equality of all people, the inalienable rights to life and freedom granted by the Creator himself to all people, tolerance, peaceful coexistence, equal opportunities for prosperity and well-being for all. These ideals are inscribed in the dna of the United States of America and are part of its founding documents. But these principles, in the final analysis, are nothing more than the translation of Christianity into the language of civil law. That is why we Christians, every time we make Jesus teaching known, are helping all our fellow citizens return to the authentic ideals of our nation, its constitution and its laws. The command that Christ gave to his disciples is: Love one another as I have loved you (Jn 15:12, 17). Christ made no distinction between men and women, between Jews and Samaritans, between simple fishermen and members of the Sanhedrin, between poor shepherds and rich publicans. Jesus addressed his message of salvation and mercy to all without excluding anyone. This simple fact should be a strong appeal to all of us who, instead, often make distinctions based on social class, economic status, race, political affiliation. Unfortunately, even among us Christians a distorted way of thinking can infiltrate, which leads us to identify with only one side, distancing ourselves from those who belong to the other side: wealthy people against poor people, intellectuals against uncultured people, progressives against conservatives, whites against blacks, and in doing so we completely lose sight of the universal dimension of Christs message or even end up identifying our Christian faith with the ideological vision of the side we have embraced. We see, instead, how Saint Paul shows that he has fully accepted the spirit of Christ when he says: For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:27-28). Returning to this purity of the Gospel becomes the best way of promoting the social good, avoiding partial and ideological visions. For us Christians, it is also dutiful to insist that the means must always be in harmony with the end. Jesus spoke of poverty by living poverty, he spoke of the dignity of human love by living chastely, he spoke of the Fathers mercy having mercy on all, even on his enemies. In this sense, one cannot hope to promote social peace through violence, one cannot overcome injustice by committing injustices and crimes even more serious than those one wishes to denounce. We Christians, then, must always urge all people of good will to unite their efforts to build together something that remains as a lasting good for all, fleeing from the temptation to irrationally destroy what exists and to blindly vent ones own anger and frustration. A culture of respect, a sense of universal brotherhood, worthy living conditions, just laws are goods that remain. Offensive words and gestures of contempt, looting and violence lead to nothing good for the future. For this reason, we Christians must not hide and fear; on the contrary, precisely in these delicate moments of social tension we must be present to address the true and lasting good, the just desire for equality, respect and justice that is present in the hearts of so many men and women. As the Holy Father recalled in last Wednesdays Audience: we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life. At the same time, we have to recognize that the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost (Audience of June 3, 2020). Dear brothers and sisters, when the Church makes the words of the Gospel resound, she wants to be faithful to Christ, she does not want to take one side or one category against another, she does not want to make political propaganda or proselytize for herself, but she simply wants to help society promote the common good and create bonds of authentic brotherhood among all men and women. We ask the Lord to look upon all innocent victims who have died because of injustice and racial discrimination, and may their spilled blood help our beloved nation to build a truly peaceful and fraternal society. Amen. ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY The new coronavirus continues to be found in Rockland County, but at low rates. There were 11 new confirmed cases as of Thursday, according to state health officials. Since the outbreak started, 21 percent of the 63,458 people tested in the county have tested positive. The death toll stands at 503. Rockland's coronavirus dashboard shows how much the fatalities have declined in the past month. source: Rockland County State health officials said 905 people were tested yesterday. County officials said by far, COVID-19 case investigations and contact tracing have been the most time consuming and largest effort of Rockland's Health Department during the pandemic. As cases peaked, the Health Department solicited assistance from various county departments and volunteers. These included the Sheriff's Office, Probation, District Attorney, and staff from local police departments. As the county begins to re-open, a robust contact tracing initiative in cooperation with New York State is being implemented to help prevent the virus from rebounding, county officials said. Contact tracing involves not only reaching each and every case for an interview, as we had been doing, but also reaching out to every person they have been in contact with and then performing daily monitoring of each case and contact until they are out of isolation or quarantine. The magnitude of contact tracing at this scale will take an "army" of contract tracers that you are hearing about in the news. Operations staff are focused on implementing this effort at this time. This strategy of focusing resources on the sick and exposed will be essential to keeping the virus at bay. Contact tracing will only be as effective as the public is in participating in interviews and following isolation and quarantine orders. We encourage residents to answer the phone and cooperate with our case investigators and contact tracers to help protect themselves, their families, and our communities, county officials said. "There have been no typical workdays since COVID-19 began spreading in Rockland. We all try to stay flexible and adapt to the new challenges and needs each week brings. The routines that are typical for me involve holding daily meetings to keep operational units informed and coordinated with each other, keeping the ICS informed of operational updates, assisting with new challenges, and facilitating changes or expansion in operations. All of our efforts are intended to keep residents informed and safe," Sam Rulli, director of the county's Center for Environmental Health, said in the county's public health media series. This article originally appeared on the New City Patch Narendra Modi New Delhi: With the coronavirus cases increasing day by day in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may meet the state chief ministers again next week. The meeting is taking place at a time when cases of coronavirus infection are on the rise in the country. Due to Covid-19, various exemptions have been given to the general public and traders during Unlock-1 to speed up the economic activities affected by the lockdown. Advertisement Narendra Modi Sources said that the Prime Minister could hold talks with the Chief Ministers on June 16 and 17 through video conferencing. The meeting, which will be held on digital media for two days, could divide the states into two phases. This will be the sixth round of Prime Minister Modi's meeting with the states. The last time PM Modi met the Chief Ministers was on May 11. Home Minister Amit Shah had a telephone conversation with the chief ministers in the last week of May. Coronavirus The number of corona cases in the country is on the rise. The number of corona patients has increased to around 3 lakh. Advertisement Meanwhile, a lockdown has been announced on weekends and public holidays in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases in Punjab. Atlanta: Atlanta's police chief has resigned less than 24 hours after a black man was fatally shot by an officer in a struggle following a field sobriety test. Authorities said the slain man had grabbed an officer's Taser, but was running away when he was shot. Police Chief Erika Shields stepped down as the killing of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks sparked a new wave of protests in Atlanta after turbulent demonstrations that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis had simmered down. Protesters demonstrate outside a Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta where Rayshard Brooks, a black man, was shot and killed by Atlanta police on Friday evening following a struggle in the drive-thru line. Credit:AP Protesters on Saturday night shut down an interstate highway in both directions and set fires outside the Wendy's restaurant where Brooks was fatally shot the night before, after he was reported for sleeping in his car at the drive-thru. Images on local television later showed the restaurant in flames, with no fire crews on the scene. Atlanta police later announced the termination of officer Garrett Rolfe. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms had on Friday night called for the officer who shot Brooks to be fired, saying she didnt think it was "justified use of deadly force". A second officer has been placed on administrative leave. By Trend The citizens may leave their apartments in multi-storey residential buildings to throw garbage into containers for household waste at the front doors during the tough quarantine regime in Azerbaijan, Kamran Aliyev, colonel, spokesman for the Main Directorate of the State Road Police of the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry, said. Aliyev made the remarks in Baku at a briefing at the Operational Headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers, Trend reports on June 12. "If containers for household waste are located 200-300 meters from the multi-storey residential buildings, then citizens are not allowed to go there, the spokesman added. In case of revealing the facts of leaving the apartments under the pretext of throwing garbage, citizens will be held accountable for violating the rules of the quarantine regime." The tough quarantine regime will be introduced from 00:00 (GMT+4) on June 14 through 06:00 (GMT+4) on June 16 in Azerbaijans Baku, Ganja, Lankaran and Sumgayit cities, as well as Absheron, Yevlakh, Ismayilli, Kurdamir and Salyan districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz France will lift restrictions at its borders for EU travellers on June 15, the French Interior and Foreign ministries said in a statement on Friday. Given a favourable development of the health situation in France and Europe and in accordance with the recommendations of the European Commission...France will lift on June 15 (0h00) all traffic restrictions at its European internal borders (land, air and sea), implemented to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, the statement said. Travellers from the member states of the European Union, as well as from Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican will also be able to enter the French territory without restrictions, the statement said. By way of reciprocity, restrictions including a fortnight quarantine upon arrival will continue to apply at the borders with Spain and with the United Kingdom, it added. Private sector lender Yes Bank on Friday said it has received approval of leading bourses BSE and National Stock Exchange for re-classification of the promoter shareholding. Part of shareholding classified as "promoter shareholding" now stands at zero. The bank first informed the bourses during the day, saying Sebi has admitted its application for the de-classification of its founding promoters Rana Kapoor and Madhu Kapur families and firms linked to them. The two families' collective holding has dropped to only 1.42 per cent of the shareholding after the reorganisation of the shareholding following the over Rs 10,000 crore bailout of the struggling lender in March led by SBI in a scheme led by the central government. Also read: Why MSMEs are still struggling to avail benefits of COVID-19 stimulus In the letter, Sebi said that the Reserve Bank had advised the bank to reclassification of the promoters through a communication dated May 20. "...reclassification is a procedural formality and a consequence of the scheme approved and notified by the central government," the letter from Sebi granting the exemption said. Later in the evening, the bank informed that both the leading bourses - BSE and NSE - have approved the reclassification of the promoter group. On May 30, Yes Bank had informed that it will reclassify its shareholding as the Madhu Kapur group had consented to be categorised as public stake holders. Following ouster of Rana Kapoor, who is in police custody on alleged charges of corruptions and financial mismanagement among others, Yes Bank is now led by State Bank of India alongside several private sector lenders after the initiation of the reconstruction scheme. Troubles at Yes Bank started after the death of Ashok Kapur who was killed in the 2008 terror attack at the Taj hotel in Mumbai. As a co-founder Rana Kapoor sought to control the bank hence entangling the lender into legal hurdles besides inviting strain into family relations. Also read: Madhu Kapur, family withdraw case against Yes Bank Soon, the television actors will resume shoot. Many actors have reacted to the same. Recently, Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2 actress Erica Fernandes and Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain's Saumya Tandon sharednapprehension on resuming the shoot. Now, Choti Sarrdaarni actress Nimrit Ahluwalia has reacted to the same. Nimrit is happy that she got time to spend with her parents in Gurgaon during this lockdown, but she is now gearing up to return to Mumbai for the shoot of her show. The Choti Sarrdaarni actress revealed to TOI that they are hoping to resume the shoot sometime soon and many actors have got calls from production houses regarding this. She also added that her parents are worried and sceptical about how things will be at work. Nimrit was quoted by the leading daily as saying, "They are worried and sceptical about how things will be at work. I understand their feelings. Having said that, this is how things are going to be for the next six months or maybe more. Until we get a vaccine, it will be like this. We have to live with it, of course taking all the necessary precautions." She also agrees that it will never be the same again. The actress said, "However, we have to do our best. I was just thinking the other day that after I resume work, I will avoid meeting my family and friends for a while because what if I am asymptomatic and end up passing the virus to someone." Also Read: Post Lockdown, Will Child Artists Be Allowed To Shoot? Tanmay, Sumaiya & Kevina's Parents Respond! Also Read: Choti Sarrdaarni: Simran Sachdeva Is NOT Quitting The Show; Says Everything Is Sorted! Re: One might expect that within a particular species, any individuals tha [ #permalink Conclusion : most researchers do not find this analogy satisfactory as an explanation Prethink : What is the disconnect here? During the read, it sounded off. Why? The stimulus is comparing lifes aging to that of a household appliance. There are a lot more factors with aging in life. Maybe the answer could be associated with another factor that isnt highlighted within the stimulus. Which of the following would, if true, provide the strongest explanation for the researchers' reaction? A. Some organisms are capable of living much longer than other organisms. One sided/irrelevant we dont care about a comparison between some organisms with other organisms. We want to know the applicability of organisms lives to appliances lives. B. Some organisms reproduce very quickly despite having short lifespans. Out of scope Regardless if some organisms do or dont, this doesnt impact the conclusion (that the analogy is not satisfactory as an explanation for aging = product of inevitable wear and tear of living, similar to household appliances). This doesnt directly affect the conclusion at hand, you need to make logical leaps for this to be even remotely true. Moreover, what does very quickly even mean? C. There are several ways of defining extreme longevity, and according to some definitions it occurs frequently. Out of scope This isnt a relevant portion of the stimulus. It isnt directly relevant to the conclusion. D. Organisms are capable of maintenance and self-repair and can remedy much of the damage that they accumulate. This is a third element. The analogy between the aging of living organisms and household appliances isnt the best because there are other factors at play. Living organisms have all these tings that they are capable of while household appliances clearly do not. E. Some organisms generate much more wear and tear on their bodies than others. One sided/irrelevant we dont care about a comparison between some organisms with other organisms. We want to know the applicability of organisms lives to appliances lives. The two close contacts of Beijing's newly reported COVID-19 case tested negative in nucleic acid and antibody testing, local health authorities said Friday. The new case was reported in Beijing's Xicheng District on Thursday. The district's health commission said the patient's two family members are currently under medical observation and had shown no signs of discomfort. The patient was identified as a 52-year-old man, who visited a hospital Wednesday afternoon after experiencing an intermittent fever. He later tested positive for COVID-19. The epidemiological investigation has traced 38 close contacts, of whom 23 have been put under concentrated quarantine, and 21 have gone through nucleic acid testing, all with negative results, said Miao Jianhong, deputy head of the district. One of the close contacts is the patient's child. All the 33 classmates and 15 faculty members, who had contact with the child, tested negative in nucleic acid testing, according to Miao. Over 300 residents in the patient's community also tested negative in nucleic acid and antibody testing. A 57-year-old Pastor of the African Faith Tabernacle Church at Gomoa Ojobi in the Central Region Peter Inkoom has been fined by the Chief of the area after it emerged that he has been having sexual intercourse with his own mother for 19 years. Joseph Quarshie, a Junior brother to the Pastor reported the affair to the Chief and Elders of the town after their mother, who is now sick, made the confession. The Pastor, when summoned to the Chiefs palace, admitted that he has been having an affair with their mother and that he must be forgiven. According to the Pastors brother, their mother has been suffering from a strange disease and has been bed-ridden for some time now. He said upon interrogating her, she confessed to having sexual intercourse with her son and she believes that is the reason why she is stuck in bed. The Chief of Gomoa Ojobi, Nana Atta Kakrah IX disclosed that the Pastor has been asked to provide three Sheep, three(3) bottles of Schnapp and GHC300.00 as a fine to be used to perform rites to pacify the gods of the land for the incest. The Chief has vowed to deal ruthlessly with anyone found to have committed incest in the town again. ---Kasapafmonline.com It is 5.30pm on Wednesday and Grafton Street is beginning to wind down for the evening. Most of the shops that have reopened will close at 6pm at least an hour earlier than they did before the coronavirus pandemic upended everything and the number on the street is way down on a normal midweek at this time of day. But for anyone who ventured here at the height of lockdown when foxes seemed to be among the only signs of life a stroll down the famous shopping thoroughfare suggests some form of normality is returning, even if several stores remain boarded up. Anyone expecting significant numbers wearing masks or face coverings is in for a shock, however. Despite a Department of Health survey this week suggesting that 28pc of us are covering up when we leave home, only a tiny proportion of people seem to be wearing them. Read More From a vantage outside the shuttered Bewleys cafe, Review counts just seven out of 100 passers-by wearing masks over their nose and mouth and a further two people sporting masks around their necks something Leo Varadkar had said he was concerned about in a 2fm interview that morning. In Brown Thomas, open for the first time since mid-March, it appears that roughly one in 10 customers is wearing a mask, with perhaps a third of staff masked up. Those proportions broadly seem the same elsewhere, although staff in small retail outlets on the neighbouring South Anne and Duke Streets are more likely than not to be wearing masks. For leading immunologist Professor Luke ONeill of Trinity College Dublin, it has been disheartening to see how few of us have taken to wearing masks on public transport and in shops where social distancing can be difficult. He is reluctant to blame the public for the low take-up, however. Expand Close Frustration: Professor Luke ONeill of Trinity College Dublin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Frustration: Professor Luke ONeill of Trinity College Dublin He is frustrated with communications on masks and from the Government and the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) the body that has dictated so much of Irelands response to the Covid-19 crisis. The messaging about face masks has been completely confused, he says. One moment, theyre saying not to wear them, the next theyre wondering why more arent wearing masks. On the day that ONeill speaks to Review, he is especially annoyed. In an address to the Dails Covid-19 committee on Tuesday, Cillian De Gascun, expert virologist and a member of the board of Nphet, said the evidence of the effectiveness of home-made face masks was not fantastic. He sought to clarify those comments during a radio interview the next day, saying people should cover their nose and mouth when they cannot maintain social distancing. Its absolutely outrageous, says ONeill, who has consistently advocated mask-wearing since the virus was first detected here at the end of February. What he said [to the committee] completely demotivates people from wearing them. We dont want healthy people to be wearing medical-grade masks because we need to keep that supply for frontline health workers we want them to be properly wearing cotton face-coverings and many of the home-made ones really are effective. What De Gascun is saying is, basically, Dont wear them. Its the wrong message, he adds. ONeill cites a study from Germany this week that shows the wearing of home-made face masks while not as effective as their medical equivalents can significantly slow the transmission of Covid-19. According to the research, compulsory mask-wearing reduces the viruss daily growth rate by 40pc. A US study also published this week that concluded that the wearing of face masks in public was the most effective means to prevent interhuman transmission. It is a stance shared by Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organisations special envoy on the virus. On Thursday, speaking via video link at the Dails committee, he called for face coverings to be used in Ireland including the home-made variety, as long as they correctly cover the nose and mouth. Whats really important is how the mask is worn, not how its made, he said. Read More Nabarro also called for masks to be made mandatory on transport, shops and in public places where people tend to congregate: We need to push from saying people should do to people must do. It is the sort of clear instruction that has been lacking in Irelands response to date. On Monday, during an interview on RTEs Morning Ireland, Health Minister Simon Harris said he was a little bit concerned about the low take-up and, while acknowledging that some people were unable to wear masks because of medical conditions, for those of us who can wear one, we really should. On the same day, Tony Holohan, the chief medical officer, expressed his surprise at the low proportion of the population wearing masks. Public information campaign Yet in early April, when both the number of Covid-19 cases and the death toll were rising alarmingly, the HSEs chief clinical officer, Colm Henry, was arguing against the use of masks. At a press conference jointly hosted with Holohan, he said: They confer more risk than benefit in terms of people touching their face more and adjusting the mask and not realising the limits of protection a mask gives you. In fairness to Henry, there was a school of thought some months ago that mask-wearing was ineffective. In March, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had insisted that masks would not prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But while Covid-19 was still largely in its infancy then, far more is known about it today. By the end of April, the CDC was calling for cloth coverings to be used by all. In a statement to Review, the HSE said Henry was following best advice from Infection Protection Control Ireland at the time and added that evidence and experience in this area has expanded significantly in the past two months, with all HSE guidance and Nphet recommendations continually reviewed in light of emerging evidence. Leo Varadkar announced in the Dail on Thursday that a public information campaign would be undertaken to advise the public on the correct way to wear a mask. But the Taoiseach warned that face coverings are not a magic shield. On Morning Ireland on RTE Radio 1 yesterday, Holohan said that the message on masks had not fully gotten through. Wed like to see a higher level of compliance where social distancing cant be maintained, he added. ONeill says he has sympathy for those trying to govern and issue advice during an ever-changing pandemic, especially as Covid-19 was only formally identified as recently as January, but he says it is time for clarity. He was one of dozens of medical and scientific professionals who signed an open letter this week expressing alarm at the speed that lockdown is being dismantled, especially after a super-charged second phase came into effect on Monday. Central to their argument for reducing the chances of another surge of Covid-19 cases was the mandatory wearing of masks on public transport and in environments where social distancing is difficult although the somewhat vague wording did not make that clear. With more people likely to come in contact with each other now that lockdown is being lifted quicker than anticipated, ONeill says, its more important than ever for clarity on mask-wearing. Right now, youre in the minority if you do, but if its made mandatory, I think people will happily get on board with it. For Maitiu O Tuathail, a doctor based in the Dublin suburb of Ranelagh and former head of the National Association of General Practitioners, mask-wearing is vital if Ireland is to crush the curve. Expand Close Dr Maitiu O Tuathail. Picture by Gerry Mooney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dr Maitiu O Tuathail. Picture by Gerry Mooney Im seeing older patients who are absolutely wearing them, he says, but we need to see far more people in the population doing so, and that just isnt happening at the moment. Mask-wearing has become commonplace in countries all over the world and there seems to be a resistance to doing it here and to making it mandatory its like the Government hopes it will simply happen. Theyre advising us to wear a mask right now, but its not mandatory. And it feels like its an afterthought not something thats discussed at length. But when you look abroad, at places like New York, masks have been mandatory there for months. Its frustrating that Ireland seems to be lagging behind on that regard. The wearing of masks is mandatory on public transport in Belgium. Sean Phelan, a Tipperary man who lectures at the University of Antwerp, flew back there on Sunday after more than two months of lockdown here. He was struck by the radical difference between the countries approach to masks. Ethical awareness I didnt see one employee at Dublin Airport wearing a mask, he says, although he was pleased by the fact that everyone on his Ryanair flight was wearing them, but when I arrived in Brussels, everyone working at the airport seemed to be wearing one. Everybody on my train from Brussels airport to Antwerp was also wearing a mask. Likewise, everybody on the tram from the central train station to my apartment. That gap may be closed after the operator of Dublin and Cork airports said on Thursday that all passengers will be asked to wear masks. The DAA said all staff were being strongly recommended to do the same. Phelan says it is reassuring to see people wearing a mask where social distancing is a challenge. To my mind, it communicates a basic ethical awareness of our human interdependency. By wearing a mask, I reduce the chances of getting the virus myself, but more importantly, I reduce the chances of unknowingly transmitting the virus to others, he says. I must say I found the Irish governments communication about masks a bit hopeless while I was home, so the scenes at the airport didnt surprise me. Of course, wearing a mask is not a magic shield, but any authoritative science Ive read clearly indicates that masks are helpful. Expand Close Caution: Lisa Eccles, vice-president of the Irish Hairdressers Federation, at the launch of the new guidelines. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Caution: Lisa Eccles, vice-president of the Irish Hairdressers Federation, at the launch of the new guidelines. For hairdresser Lisa Eccles, masks are a fundamental part of her sectors reopening. As vice-president of the Irish Hairdressers Federation, she has been at the forefront of lobbying for salons to reopen in phase three, from June 29, rather than the original plan of July 20. Weve looked at best practice in other countries that have reopened, places like Germany, and masks are part and parcel of it, she says. We feel we can reopen safely when both hairdresser and customer are wearing them. Eccles is the owner of Zinc Hair and Beauty in Kilmainham, Dublin, and says her conversations with customers show that people are concerned about their safety. Theyre very happy for masks to be part of the experience. They know that it cant be the same as it was before, she says. She and her colleagues will have to get used to mask-wearing for eight or more hours a day and she has advised her staff to wear them whenever out. I wear them in the shops and where I know that there will be quite a few people, she says. You can get used to it very quickly. Carmel Murray has got used to it, too. The civil servant is one of a number of people Review meets on Grafton Street who are sporting cloth masks. She has the day off work and is visiting the city centre for the first time in months. Ive bought several of them, she says, of her gaily coloured mask, and Im careful to wash them when I get home. At first, it was hard to get used to and it has been difficult to wear when the weather is really good but I wouldnt dream of going to a supermarket or a clothes shop and not wear one. Not while this virus is still with us. Murray started to wear a mask at the end of March. Obviously, I wasnt out and about very much then we were all told to stay at home but whenever I had to do shopping, Id wear one. Even something as simple as nipping out for milk. If anything, more people seemed to be wearing masks then than now. I get the sense that people have let their guard down a bit. That is something that ONeill is worried about. It is great that the numbers have gone down so much and social distancing played a huge part in that, he says, but this virus has not gone away and the numbers can rise again quickly if were not careful. Already, there is cause for concern. The number of contacts identified by people diagnosed with Covid-19 has almost doubled since restrictions were eased on May 18. The median number of contacts per diagnosis has risen to close to 3.5 per person over the past fortnight, compared with two when full restrictions were in place. In one case diagnosed last week, the individual named 25 contacts, a level not seen since the early stages of contact-tracing in March. Its a sobering reality that makes mandatory mask-wearing an imperative, ONeill believes. People would get on board with it, he says, Ive no doubt about that. Its like the smoking ban people got on with it immediately and it worked. If the Government said it was obligatory under certain circumstances, Im certain that the vast majority of people would support it. About face: How other countries are turning to the mask Expand Close Covenant: Nuns wear protective masks during the Corpus Christi procession in the Polish city of Krakow on Thursday / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Covenant: Nuns wear protective masks during the Corpus Christi procession in the Polish city of Krakow on Thursday Mask-wearing has become increasingly common around the world as the number of Covid-19 cases exceeded 7 million this week. In certain countries, including China, the wearing of masks has been a feature of life for more than a century - they first became commonplace there during the Manchurian plague of 1910/11. Other countries have had no history of mandatory mask use - until now - and rules enforcing the wearing of face coverings have come into effect in more than 50 countries. Intriguingly, New Zealand - which announced it had no cases of the virus this week - has never made mask-wearing mandatory, although some immunologists there have called for masks to be worn to ensure that the virus does not take hold again. On March 18, the Czech Republic was the first country in Europe to make masks compulsory in shops and public transport. In Colombia, it has been obligatory since April 4 for people to wear masks in shops, outdoor markets and banks. Austria enforced mask-wearing on April 6 as chancellor Sebastian Kurtz acknowledged that wearing them would take a significant adjustment because "masks are alien to our country". Poland's government brought in strict rules on masks in mid-April, making them mandatory both in indoor environments and public parks. On April 22, masks became part of life in Germany and anyone using public transport or shopping is obliged to wear them. Masks have been mandatory for shops, cafes and transport in France since May 10, when the country emerged from lockdown. Spain experienced perhaps the most restrictive lockdown in Europe and its mask-wearing policies are among the most stringent: since May 20, everyone above the age of six is obliged to wear masks in indoor public spaces. On May 30, Pakistan ruled that people must wear masks at mosques, bazaars and on public transport. From June 15, it will be mandatory to wear face coverings on public transport in England. Anyone who is caught breaching the rules will be fined. Sudeep and director Anup Bhandaris collaboration has generated a lot of buzz amongst fans and industry experts. Titled Phantom, the Sandalwood biggie had started rolling in Hyderabad when the shoot came to a halt due to the COVID-19 lockdown. And now the movies producer has confirmed that the team will soon resume filming the talkie portions from July 1 at Annapurna Studios Telangana. Manjunath Gowda told TNIE, The decision was taken by the production house in consultation with the actor and director after the government granted us permission to start film shoots. A limited crew, including me, Sudeep, director Anup Bhandari, and a few others, will be in institutional quarantine for seven days, from June 21, before we start the shoot. He went on to elaborate on the safety measures on set by adding, We will have a doctor and two nurses on the sets. We are also working out how we can have only the required staff on the floor on a particular day. People who manage the lighting, makeup, and other small works and even assistants will be sent back after they are done with their job. For safety purposes, we are taking staffers who are willing to stay and cannot travel often. The producer concluded by thanking leading man Sudeep. Despite the risks, he has agreed to resume the shooting. We were coming up with a huge setup when we began the shoot, and a few scenes were also shot there. Now that the Telangana government has given permission, we will undergo a huge loss if I dont start shooting. Fortunately, an actor of that stature has taken steps only to support the producer. He has been supportive since the time the film has gone on floors. As soon as we decided to start the shoot, he had a meeting with the director, art director, cameraman, and me, and has chalked out a plan, he said. ALSO READ: Sarkaru Vaari Paata: Kiccha Sudeep To Play The Villain In Mahesh Babu Starrer? In these trying times, its difficult to find something to smile about. But Ive found some modicum of mirth watching very sympathetic liberals go the extra mile to help hone the message of activists calling to defund the police. For instance, Katy Tur, an MSNBC anchor, had Isaac Bryan, the executive director of the Black Policy Project at UCLA on Meet the Press Daily to explain what Defund the Police really means. Isaac, thank you so much for joining us. Lets talk about what this means because I think there are a lot of people out there who hear defund the police and [think] it means abolishing a police department. It doesnt. So can you explain it to me? Bryan very politely replied that he disagreed with the premise of the question. Defund the police doesnt in fact preclude abolishing the police. Bryan says the term means taking that idea as far as the political imagination and the political will of our leaders across the country is willing to push this idea. Most Democratic politicians understand that actually abolishing police departments root and branch would be close to political suicide (and terrible policy). Even Sen. Bernie Sanders is against it. They also understand that nobody in America wants the Democrats to embrace this idea more than Donald Trump. Thats why many liberals want Defund the Police to mean reform the police or even reinvent the police. The problem is the activists who hold the emotional and psychological high ground wont play along. When the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, spoke with protestors last week, he said almost everything the crowd wanted, about fundamental reform, systemic racism, etc. But when a leader of the protests asked him, yes or no do you favor outright abolition of the police, he said no. The crowd booed. The leader told him to get the [expletive deleted] out of here. And he wandered off to chants of shame and a sea of extended middle fingers. What we have here isnt a failure to communicate but a legitimate difference of opinion. Some people favor serious reform. Some favor actual abolition. It doesnt seem unreasonable to me that the people who truly favor abolition should continue to say so and the people who dont should probably stop trying to prove their solidarity by using a slogan they disagree with. And, so far, most prominent Democrats, including presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden have done exactly that. So much for the politics. What about the actual ideas? Lets start with reform. Banning choke holds, redirecting some responsibilities to mental health professionals, EMTs, and social workers has been tried with some success. Moving further on that front is sensible. Repealing qualified immunity laws so that police officers can be held more responsible for their actions is more complicated but certainly worth exploring. As a matter of principle, Im opposed to all public sector unions, even if some do worthwhile things, so Im certainly open to fresh thinking about police unions. Many people have focused on the example of Camden, New Jersey, as a model for defunding the police. Except it isnt. In 2012, the cash strapped city disbanded the existing force, which was rife with corruption and union-fueled dysfunction, and started over. They rehired some 100 officers and committed to retraining. It appears to have been modestly successful. But no one driving through Camden today would mistake it for some cop-free utopia where yeoman citizens police themselves. But abolishing the police? Thats insane. No really, its insane. Who will respond to school shootings? Social workers? What about bank robberies? Who will investigate murders? If you just want to rename the police, fine. But the police function is essential to a civilized society. And there are times when that function can only be performed by agents of the government willing and able to use force. Some defunders propose community patrols, which sound a bit like local militias to me. But whatever name you give them, how does that not create more problems? Do you really want untrained groups of cop wannabes confronting suspicious characters in a neighborhood? Thats how Trayvon Martin got killed by George Zimmerman. All of the problems with race, but also class, would be exacerbated if local communities took it upon themselves to do police work. Affluent, mostly white, communities would have more resources and poorer, mostly black, communities would have fewer. Anger over George Floyds killing is justified. But what is true of individuals is also true of mass movements: You dont do your best thinking when youre really angry. Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch. The 11th annual Patriot Tour returns to Beaver Dam July 25 and 26 and will be welcomed with events planned for both days, organizers confirmed Thursday. The 2020 Patriot Tour was scheduled to depart Williams, Arizona, on Saturday, May 23. This year the tour launched virtually due to CLOVID-19 restrictions. As it is on motorcycles in the open air, it will continue as planned. The 110-day, 14,500-mile journey of one American flag will criss-cross the country. Riders across the country are encouraged to accompany the flag as it makes its rounds. The tour will conclude Sept. 12 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Patriot Tour, presented by Nation of Patriots, is the vehicle through which funds are raised. Nation of Patriots donates 100 percent of funds raised to veterans in need. The organizations administrative costs are covered by corporate sponsors. Work is done by a team of volunteers across the country. According to the press release, Nation of Patriots is an entirely volunteer-powered organization that strives to unite Americans under the flag, honoring the men and women who protect American freedom. To date more than $1.1 million has been raised. Syracuse, N.Y. A coalition of 14 groups who have been protesting police brutality since the death of George Floyd has made nine demands for Syracuse police reform. The demands call for the demilitarization of Syracuse police, the removal of city police from schools and for resources to be directed away from the department, among others. Just as the state government listened to the people of New York, it is now time for Mayor (Ben) Walsh and the Syracuse Common Council to listen to the people of Syracuse, the groups said in a statement. The groups urged swift approval of the reforms to address the decades-long issues with the absence of accountability and transparency when officers engage in incidents of misconduct. The demands, which they called the Peoples Agenda for Policing, include: More revision of the Syracuse Police Departments use of force policy Revision of the body-worn camera policy, including: Require officers to turn cameras on at the beginning of their shifts. Require data and footage from body cameras to be released under open-records law and not highly redacted. Prohibit officers from reviewing body camera footage when writing their reports. Publicize the police union contract as is. Also, engage in a community-driven and -centered renegotiating process to include recommendations for discipline by the Citizens Review Board when they sustain findings of misconduct. Give the Citizen Review Board the power to enforce recommendations after sustained findings, while maintaining the board as a citizen-driven accountability board. Demilitarize the SPD and use the Ferguson Report as a guide and minimum standard. Redirect resources away from SPD to reinvest in human and other services, and reduce the oversized role policing has in the community. Pass legislation for public oversight of surveillance technologies, including but not limited to a ban on biometric and facial-recognition technologies Remove all school resource officers from schools and invest the savings in counselors and other supportive staff. Pass the Right to Know Act, which would require officers to tell people their privacy rights during encounters with police and provide those stopped by police a notice laying out why they were stopped. For two weeks, protesters have marched in Syracuse against police brutality. On Friday, more than 1,000 people marched at a Cuse Youth Black Lives Matter rally and more than 2,000 people gathered last Saturday at a Black Lives Matter rally. The demands were issued by 14 groups: Last Chance for Change BLM Syracuse CuseYouthBLM Raha Syracuse Syracuse Chapter of the National Action Network Syracuse-Onondaga NAACP WHJ Minority Bar Association Central New York Chapter of the NYCLU Syracuse Peace Council Syracuse Cultural Workers CNY Solidarity ACTS Black Leadership Coalition Syracuse Police Accountability And Reform Coalition (SPAARC) 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. WASHINGTON - The intertwined economies of Canada and the United States demand a more sophisticated solution to the threat of COVID-19 than a simple ban on non-essential travel, say business groups chafing at the prospect of another six weeks of border restrictions. Land travel over the Canada-U.S. border has been limited to trade shipments and essential workers since mid-March, when the two countries negotiated a mutual ban on discretionary trips like vacations and shopping excursions a ban that now appears poised to extend well into July. But that profoundly sad ban has also made critical interactions like sales calls, site visits, in-person client meetings and networking all but impossible, said Garry Douglas, the CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, based in the New York border community of Plattsburgh. It is increasingly tearing at a unique and special social fabric, and the longer it continues the more we will be at risk of having normalized the extremely abnormal, Douglas said Friday. As it stands, the travel ban is set to expire June 21. But media reports and rumblings from both the U.S. and Canadian camps suggest that while negotiations between the two countries are ongoing, another 30-day extension aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 is likely. Douglas said he understands the reasons for the ban, but that the process now seems driven by fear and feelings. He said he wants to see details of a gradual reopening process based on facts and a commitment to normalizing border operations, all in recognition that enormous economic and, most importantly, social damage is now being done. The next anticipated extension cries out for more thought and context, Douglas said, and clearer valuing of the enormous damage we both need to minimize and ultimately end. Rep. Elise Stefanik and Rep. Brian Higgins, two New York members of the U.S. House of Representatives and co-chairs of the Northern Border Caucus, wrote Friday to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair calling for nuanced and particularized guidance on how to resume normal travel. We are increasingly concerned about the impact a restricted border will have on our communities long-term, they wrote. There must be bi-national co-ordination to develop a plan to safely allow for reasonable travel taking into account public health considerations but acknowledging our unique interconnected economies. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, however, betrayed no indication Friday that Canada is contemplating any such thing. The partial ban has been doubly effective, Freeland said it has both permitted the movement of vital goods and essential services, preserving critical supply chains, while also keeping the risk of spreading COVID-19 between the two countries to a bare minimum. Of course, we understand that Canada is an open society. Were an open country, were used to travelling freely, and that is a great thing about our country, she said. All of us are really excited about the gradual reopening of our economy ... but at the same time I think its very, very important for all of us to appreciate how serious this situation is, and for all of us to act prudently and carefully. Tourism groups in Canada, long dependent on U.S. dollars during the lucrative summer season, penned an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week saying with businesses and governments easing restrictions across North America, the time has come to begin doing the same with international travel. As we reopen, we are learning to live with the virus, not hide from it or each other, reads the letter from the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable. Just like we are reopening the front doors of our homes and businesses, we need to reopen the doors of our provinces, territories and our country. John LaFalce, a former New York congressman who now makes his home in Buffalo, is also growing frustrated with the restrictions. Hes one of many U.S. residents near the border who own cottages just on the other side in Fort Erie a property hes forbidden to visit, even though doing so wouldnt require him to have contact with anyone else. LaFalce said he suspects Donald Trumps White House is in no rush to ease restrictions at either border because the pandemic is allowing the U.S. to prevent immigrants from entering the country from Mexico, a happy circumstance for a U.S. president whos long made cracking down on immigration a cornerstone of his policy platform. But nearly three months in, the limits on incidental, short-term travel over the border are taking a toll, he said. Its having quite a harmful effect, LaFalce said as he noted Trumps impatience in getting his countrys economy back up to speed. Those who own property or pay taxes in both countries ought to be allowed to cross, provided they take the necessary precautions, he said. It would seem to me that if the president wants to reopen the United States, he ought to reopen at least with Canada, and Canada should be responsive with appropriate restrictions. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2020. Follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle Why this Seven Springs clip grabbed the attention of 1 million people The tweet has been seen by more than 1 million people so far. Many commenters asked if the clip was planned or fake. ALBANY On April 4, 1968, Alice Green wanted to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. Then a student at the University at Albany, she boarded a bus to visit her brother who was studying in the nation's capital. When she arrived, the city was on fire. It was the uprising after the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Green, now the director of Albanys Center for Law and Justice, recalled. It was a terrible time, but it taught me so much about what people are willing to do to gain their freedom. Green was there when tear gas clouded the lungs of protesters, when bullets were flying through the air, when fires climbed to the sky, when people stole things from stores. On Saturday, May 30, Green attended Albanys protests against police brutality spurred by the death five days earlier of George Floyd after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes while he lay handcuffed on the ground. She was in the citys South End neighborhood later that evening when a confrontation between police and protesters turned violent with demonstrators throwing rocks at police who responded by firing tear gas. As the night went on, fires were started and buildings vandalized. It put me right back to 1968, she said. When these things happen, I dont consider them riots, it was an uprising. She continued, They were using it as an opportunity to express their anger and be heard about how angry they were at the way they were treated, exploited and taken advantage of. RELATED: Faces of faith and protest: Legacy Casanova, 24, Schenectady Voices of faith and protest: Gienabou Diallo, 25, Albany Faces of faith and protest: Samantha Ivey, 18 The fight for racial justice is one that has been carried on by black Americans since they were first brought to the country to be enslaved. Each generation is marked by significant thefts of equality and freedom: slavery, sharecropping, Jim Crow laws, the war on drugs, mass incarceration. Each generation in recent history is also marked by the killings and assaults of predominantly black men that have sparked nationwide outrage: Emmett Till in 1955, Rodney King in 1992, Trayvon Martin in 2012, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Freddie Gray in 2014. That outrage has boiled over once again in 2020 with the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed by two white men in Georgia while on a jog, Breonna Taylor, who was sprayed with bullets by police officers with a no-knock warrant while sleeping in her bed in Louisville, Ky., and Floyd. Floyds death has spurred a new movement for racial justice that has been sweeping across America. It is a movement that is too familiar both to those who have been in the fight since the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s and those who became active when Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013. And now it is drawing a new, young generation to the struggle. As this intergenerational collaboration unfolds, local activists and community members are searching for ways to keep the momentum going. History is cyclic, said Barbara Smith, a longtime activist and scholar of race and gender issues. What will be the outcome? Because mobilization of millions of people doesnt necessarily translate into lasting change and meaningful change if people are not ready to take the next steps. And that means organizing. Cindy Schultz/Times Union Embodying racial injustice Cessie Alfonsos mother was a black Puerto Rican, and one generation removed from slavery on the island. She moved to New York in search of adequate medical care. Barbara Smiths family migrated to Cleveland from Georgia after World War I to escape the Jim Crow South. Alice Green's great-grandmother was born a sharecropper, and her parents also migrated north to escape Jim Crow. All three women carried the weight of oppression in their familys histories, experienced oppression themselves, and came of age during the civil rights movement. Those three factors combined catapulted them onto a path of activism and the fight for social justice. I feel like I embody all the major forces that have inflicted black people in this country: Reconstruction, Jim Crow, mass incarceration, Green said. That background gave me a sense of what my responsibility was in the world because I never got over the fact that my great-grandmother was somebodys property. And Smith says that her year of birth, 1946, meant she was ideally placed chronologically to be aware of as time went on and become more aware of all the major events of the civil rights era. Alfonso, who was born and raised in Spanish Harlem, used to go to 116th Street to listen to Malcolm X speak. Her older brother was a Black Panther, and died at 27 in a car accident in Mexico, where he had fled when the federal government began targeting members of the group (Alfonso says there were many suspect circumstances around his death.) She was working as a nurses aide in a hospital basement when she heard Kings I have a dream speech in 1963. In her 20s at the time, the speech crystallized for her what had been building up within her her entire life there was more she had to do, more she had to be, to fight the systematic oppression that was inflicting us. For Smith, that moment came in 1964, when she was in high school. Students were preparing for a citywide school boycott to fight segregation, and Smith attended a rally. It was dynamic, she said, and she had a feeling like never before. Shes been on the path of activism ever since. Separately and together, Smith, Alfonso and Green have fought for the same causes throughout their lives: integration, education funding, equal health care treatment, employment nondiscrimination, criminal justice issues. Many of them are issues still being battled today, which all three say is because of white supremacy. We have systemic institutionalized white supremacy in the U.S. that organizes virtually every aspect of life: cultural, social, economic, political, Smith said. Theres power dynamic, there is privilege, there is economic gain, profit, to be made over the subjugation of black and brown and indigenous bodies. She continued, Its not about individuals. This is about a system. Theres a system in place that keeps us repeating this horrific scenario over and over again. Folded into systemic racism Shawn Young grew up between two of the Capital Regions hills Hamilton Hill in Schenectady, and Arbor Hill in Albany. The two neighborhoods, he says, were very similar to each other in that they are both predominantly black with little economic opportunity. A lot of struggle there, he said. At a young age, Young was surrounded and ultimately influenced by family members involved in criminal activity. His first conviction was for a bank robbery in 1997, and another robbery in 2011. All in all, about 15 of his 42 years of life were spent behind bars. Young got folded into mass incarceration, which disproportionately impacts black men. (Research shows that one in three black men end up getting incarcerated in their lifetime, as opposed to one in nine white men). It was during his time served that he learned about systemic racism. He saw recidivism with his own eyes, young people coming back to jail repeatedly with sentences that grew more severe each time. Nowhere would the system support or intervene in the trajectory, Young said. The impact it had on me, it allowed me in a very clear sense to focus on who the enemy is. So he read. He would study in the law library, using his knowledge to help fellow incarcerated people appeal their cases, witnessing injustice in a way that I hadnt paid attention to before. It forced him to reflect on his entire life. In 2014, a state appeals court overturned his 2011 conviction. He chose to renegotiate his sentence rather than take the risk of a trial, getting out in 2019. He's been home for a year now, continuing the work he started behind bars to fight injustice as a community organizer for Citizen Action, a local grassroots organization. Young was one of the key organizers behind Albany's May 30 demonstration which brought thousands of people into the city to protest police brutality and injustice. In addition, much of his advocacy is focused on legislation to support currently and formerly incarcerated people to combat recidivism, and reduce the stigma of being in prison. That is what pushed me and compelled me to be out here making this change, he said. I dont want to see anyone go through the s--- I went through. Jamaica Miles life was severely influenced by a different aspect of systemic racism, education. A mother of four, 45-year-old Miles saw consistently how parents and students of color were treated differently. Her first fight in the education system was over her oldest daughter when she was in the first grade. An advanced student, she was bored in class, but her teacher denied that she could be too advanced for the learning material and instead insisted she had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Miles said she saw darker-skinned parents of color get the police called on them when they would come to the school. But it was when a Schenectady K-8 school proposed dropping kindergarten, spurring Miles to mobilize other parents and successfully pressured the school not to, that she first learned about organizing. She got in touch with the Alliance for Quality Education, and her activism career took off. Lori Van Buren/Times Union Throughout her years-long career as an activist and organizer, Miles has advocated for (and sued over) issues ranging from adequate education funding and culturally responsive education to health care equality, housing justice and police brutality. We can change systems and structures, she said. There is something more than the people that are involved. Theres laws that are written and policies and procedures. 'This moment is bigger' Alicia Clemente-Delrow went to her first protest when she was eight weeks old. Her mother, Rosa Clemente, a former vice presidential candidate and hip-hop activist, held Alicia close on the frigid day of Oct. 22, 2005 as protesters said the names of all the people whose lives were lost to police brutality. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. I was already born into the movement because of my mother, Clemente-Delrow, 15, said. Shes always taught me right from wrong and what to believe in. I never felt uncomfortable being in the movement any way possible. Clemente-Delrows earliest memories of attending protests are from kindergarten. Most are empowering and dynamic, some speckled with moments of fear. Lori Van Buren/Times Union When she was protesting in the fourth grade, she remembers a police officer screaming at her and her cousins to get down on the ground and show their IDs, threatening to arrest their parents. Years later, while attending a Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles, a car started driving into the crowd of protesters she was a part of. I just assumed thats what happened to people like us, she said. Until I got older and was like, Thats not normal, because I slowly started to see what white privilege is. Samantha Ivey, 18, says she grew up surrounded by white privilege, particularly when her family moved from multicultural Newburgh to predominantly white Clifton Park. The older she got, the more she gradually understood racial issues. The 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin was a clear turning point for her, and for Clemente-Delrow as well. Lori Van Buren/Times Union Its when I started to understand that the world is not all frosting and rainbows, said Ivey, who was one of the organizers of Mondays Clifton Park rally against police brutality. After that, realizing the problems we have in our world, I tried to definitely join organizations and be able to interact with people who wanted to change and learn more about the different problems our world faces. Eight years later, when Clemente-Delrow heard about George Floyds killing, she said she wasnt surprised. Which is really heartbreaking, she said. But its scary to think that that could be someone I know. I couldve known George Floyd. Breonna Taylor could be someone I know." Yet even though the deaths leading up to todays movement were similar to those leading to the founding of Black Lives Matter, something about today feels different to them both. I think the movement today is the same in the fact that we are collectively enraged as a people, Ivey said. But I feel like its a lot different now because of the racial injustices that were experienced with COVID-19, the black bodies that have been killed since the year started. I think that it's the circumstances that led up to this moment are different and its causing this moment to be bigger. Standing on the shoulders Generation after generation of black Americans have inherited a struggle, a fight for racial justice. When widespread outrage over injustice erupts across the nation and globe, organizers and activists grasp it to enact as much change as possible. The struggle has been fought similarly throughout the decades: through academia, criminal justice and legislation advocacy, protests, confrontations, rallies. The first movement Green, Alfonso and Smith lived through fought to end Jim Crow and fought for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But because of the foundation laid down in the 60s, Green said, newer generations can focus on dismantling systemic racism. This new generation is going beyond that to really achieve real equity in our society, she said. Theyre bringing a new life to the movement. Todays movement has already triggered monumental changes in just one month. All four officers involved with Floyds death were arrested and charged, the Minneapolis City Council voted to disband their police department, the New York State Legislature enacted sweeping criminal justice reforms over the past week including repealing a statute that shielded police disciplinary records, and Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan signed an executive order with numerous reforms, including banning police chokeholds. Activists, however, are being careful about what they consider gains. You gotta remember every gain that has happened previous to now has slid back some, Young said, citing 2019s bail reform as an example. This issue has several heads and we have to address them all and not give up the war just because we may win a battle or two. But still, they cannot help but be in awe of what has been accomplished in recent weeks. What will the world look like a year from now? Miles asked. I almost feel optimistic that my youngest, if all could go seemingly, that maybe this baby whos going to be three wont have to carry the torch for us. Meanwhile, younger generations stand ready to rely on the wisdom and history of those who came before them as they carry forth the torch. We have power and strength and energy, Miles said. But we also have the shoulders of giants before us still among us. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Herliana Elizabeth Yusuf (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang, Banten Sat, June 13, 2020 The death of George Floyd in the United States has evinced global expressions of solidarity that have reminded people how racism still exists in the 21st century. Influenced by the hashtag #blacklivesmatter, Indonesian citizens have expressed support through their social media status and postings. What about racism in Indonesia? Indonesians are very proud of the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in diversity). Ironically, not everyone truly believes in the idea of respecting diversity in ethnicity, religion or race, or whatever differences, in daily life. For example, many people do not know and do not care about the lives of people in eastern Indonesia. All they know is that dark-skinned people who are also part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) live there. How they live is not relevant. Therefore, it is very interesting that #blacklivesmatter has triggered the birth of #papuanlivesmatter. This hashtag has opened the eyes of many to the fact that racism does not only occur in the US but has also been endemic for a long time in Indonesia. Papuans living in our easternmost regions are one example of those who have long experienced racism. A lack of information transparency causes many people to be surprised when they discover such discrimination against Papuans. All this time, everything seemed to be going well. Even when riots or resistance occurs, generally Indonesians will think the unrest must be the result of a group of people who want to disrupt national stability or the countrys security. They must be crushed because the NKRI cannot be disturbed. Indirectly these people have discriminated against Papuans. Without understanding the root of the problem, they are nevertheless easily influenced by the doctrine of blind nationalism that unconsciously ignores the lives of Papuans, who are so far away from the island of Java that they are largely unreachable. In short Papua just about registers as part of Indonesia but is considered unimportant. I do not understand the complexity of the political problems in Papua but I want to share my personal experience as an intern doctor who served a year at the Wamena Regional Public Hospital in Jayawijaya (2015 to 2016). My experience gave me a vivid portrait of the daily problems of Papuans. I thank the government for organizing an internship for fresh graduate doctors. Without it, I would never have known about the existence of Papuas highland of Wamena, seven hours from Jakarta. At that time, Wamena only had one regional public hospital (type C) with a general surgeon, a pediatrist, an anesthesiologist, an obstetrician, an internist, a neurologist and a clinical pathology specialist. The hospital has a surgical theater, X-ray, and simple laboratory but no intensive care unit, CT-scan or any of the other medical equipment found in big cities. A frequent scene is a helicopter landing in the front yard of the hospital. Almost daily patients disembark, escorted by the Mission Aviation Fellowship. These patients come from villages or are just found in the thick of the forests. The patients conditions are very diverse, ranging from those who really need emergency treatment to those who only need general treatment. Services are free of charge for all indigenous Papuans. No need for health insurance or an identity card as long as they are clearly regarded as Papuan from their physical appearance or name. It is also understandable if they do not know their date of birth as long as there is a name and place of residence to be recorded. But this does not mean the health services in Papua run smoothly yet. Though medical services are free, the healthcare system is still lagging due to the lack of medical personnel, facilities and accessible infrastructure. Those who live in Papua have witnessed deaths because of delayed treatment. Bronchopneumonia (lung disease) which is rarely found in big cities is one of the main causes of death among toddlers in Papua. I have a memory that I cannot forget. An 8-year-old boy was dying after his abdomen was ripped open by a hungry pig, leaving his intestines hanging out. When he arrived at the hospital, the surgeon was not present. It was a weekend. The surgeon usually went to Jayapura, the capital, and would return on Monday. The scene remains vivid in my mind of the utterly calm child waiting for someone to replace the intestines back inside his abdominal cavity. He could only receive fluids and medicines through infusions. Exposed intestines can only be covered with wet gauze to prevent necrosis. I shuddered at the sight of a pink lump of intestine with its peristalsis piled on top of the kids stomach. The boy did not scream. His family had the right to protest but they remained silent. His father, who sat at the bedside, offered a glass of water with a straw to the boy who finally exhaled his last breath before receiving further treatment. I imagine if this situation occurred in a big city the case would instantly go viral. Various hashtags would appear on social media, but for this family their voices were just too far away to be heard, drowned out by issues like blasphemy charges in Jakarta. Over the years, conditions have not improved much. Though this year Indonesia will be 75 years old, proper health facilities may need another 20 to 30 years or more to reach our brothers and sisters in Papua. I have no idea. From the depths of my heart, I really want to believe that one day, Pancasila and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika will truly be lived by all Indonesian people without exception. I want to believe that it is only a matter of time. There will be a time when the regional public hospitals in Papua and West Papua are equivalent in quality and quantity to other big cities. Patients who seek further treatment will no longer need to be referred to Jayapura or Makassar in South Sulawesi. Those who need emergency care will not need to die. Before my last breath, I really hope I can witness real development for Papuans so I can be absolutely sure that there is no racism or discrimination against Papuans. *** Intern at Wamena Regional Public Hospital, Jayawijaya, Papua (20152016), Flying Doctors coordinator of doctorSHARE NGO (2016-2017) and founder of Bakti Kasih Papua Foundation to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Los Angeles Unified school police officials said Tuesday that the department will relinquish some of the military weaponry it acquired through a federal program that furnishes local law enforcement with surplus equipment. The move comes as education and civil rights groups have called on the U.S. Department of Defense to halt the practice for schools. The Los Angeles School Police Department, which serves the nations second-largest school system, will return three grenade launchers but intends to keep 61 rifles and a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicle it received through the program. L.A. Unified is one of at least 22 school systems in eight states that participate in the program, which provides law enforcement agencies with the extra military-grade gear at no charge. The program gained notoriety and received sharp criticism after recent unrest in Ferguson, Mo., in which local police deployed armored vehicles, wore body armor and carried assault rifles while attempting to quell protests after the shooting death of a black 18-year-old by a white police officer. Advertisement More than $5 billion in surplus military equipment has been distributed to law enforcement agencies nationwide, including school police, since 1997. School police departments have increased their presence and force in recent years, particularly after the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Conn., in which a gunman killed 26 people 20 of them children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The shooting spurred debate nationwide over whether armed school guards could prevent mass shootings. In California, at least half a dozen school districts allow campus officers to carry high-powered rifles. School officials argue the guns and other equipment are needed to prevent potential tragedies. In a letter to the Department of Defenses logistics agency, a coalition of education and civil rights groups said the presence of weapons on campuses will only intensify existing tensions at schools and exacerbate punitive atmospheres that criminalize and stigmatize students of color. Deborah Fowler, deputy director of Texas Appleseed, a social justice nonprofit, said in a statement that other more common weapons used by officers and security guards, such as Tasers and pepper spray, have been misused in schools. Much of this excessive force is targeted at students of color and those with disabilities, she said. Military-grade weapons have no place on our public school campuses, Fowler said. Were simply calling for a return to common sense when it comes to the way our schools are kept safe, she said. L.A. Unified says that the M-16 automatic rifles, which were modified to semiautomatic since they were acquired in 2001, are essential life-saving items and will continue to be available to trained officers. The armored vehicle will be used only under extraordinary circumstances, officials said. The Baldwin Park Unified School District Police Department received three of the rifles. The Oakland School Police Department received a tactical utility truck, according to the state. The department remodeled the vehicle, which is used as an attraction at school events and parades, Sgt. Barhin Bhatt said. Its a rolling public relations vehicle, Bhatt said. We end up having to bring out a gas can and jumper cables every time we want to drive it its only used twice a year. The department has no plans to acquire any high-powered weapons, Bhatt said. In Stockton, the school police department was given less-controversial equipment including a podium, an exercise bike and a pair of televisions. But the desire to have the tools to adequately protect the public is shared by all law enforcement especially school police, said Stockton school police Chief Bryon Gustafson. His department has about a dozen AR-15 semiautomatic rifles for its officers that were purchased outside the federal program. The job of police officers and the standards are the same whether you are Stockton police or Stockton school police even if we have very different missions, Gustafson said. My job is about facilitating education and making sure that students are safe at school. The program can be a boon for cash-strapped departments that can arm themselves with lifesaving equipment at no cost. You hope you never need that kind of equipment, said, adding that the department has purchased about a dozen semi-automatic rifles. But if you do and you dont have it its a shame. stephen.ceasar@latimes.com Twitter: @stephenceasar Nepal's Parliament on Saturday unanimously voted to amend the Constitution to update the country's new political map, laying claim over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura along the border with India, despite strong protests by New Delhi against any "artificial enlargement" of its territory. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters In a show of unprecedented national unity, opposition parties including the Nepali Congress, Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal and Rastriya Prajatantra Party voted in favour of the government bill to amend Schedule 3 of the Constitution to update the national emblem by incorporating the new controversial map. India last month reacted angrily to Nepal showing the three areas as Nepalese territory in the new map and cautioned the country that saying such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it. India has been maintaining that these three areas belong to it. All 258 lawmakers who were present in the House voted in favour of the amendment bill. There was zero vote against it. "The amendment proposal has been passed with more than two-thirds majority," announced Speakar Agni Sapkota. A two-thirds majority was required in the 275-member House of Representatives or the lower house to pass the bill. The endorsement of the lower house will now pave way for the government to expedite the process to replace the political map in Nepal's national emblem. As soon as the Parliament meeting started Saturday afternoon, lawmakers from different political parties took part in deliberations on the bill. Most of the lawmakers were wearing face and followed COVID-19 guidelines. "This is a historic occasion, when the land we lost during the period of monarchy is being returned under the republican system. Nepal doesn't want to allow enmity to emerge with our southern neighbour from this issue," said former prime minister and president of ruling NCP Pushpakamal Dahal. "I am confident that the long standing issue relating to land encroachment will be resolve once and for all through dialogue and diplomatic efforts," he added. Expressing his party's support to the bill, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba said that Nepali people have stood united on the issue of nationality and territorial integrity. As per the Sugauli Treaty of 1816, the land east of Mahakali river belongs to Nepal, he added. The government had registered the bill in the Parliament on May 22 and Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Shivamaya Tumabahangphe presented it before the House on May 24. On June 9, the Parliament unanimously endorsed a proposal to consider the Constitution amendment bill to pave way for endorsing the new political map amid the border row with India. Now, the bill will be sent to the National Assembly where it will undergo a similar process. The ruling Nepal Communist Party commands two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. The NA will have to give lawmakers 72 hours to move amendments against the bill's provisions, if any. After the National Assembly passes the bill, it will be submitted to the President for authentication, after which the bill will be incorporated in the Constitution. The new map will be used in all official documents including the coat of arms once the President authenticates it. A Cabinet meeting held on May 18 had endorsed the new political map. The government on Wednesday formed a nine-member team of experts to collect historical facts and evidence related to the area. Diplomats and experts, however, questioned the government's move, asking why the task force was formed when the map has already been released and approved by the Cabinet. The ties between India and Nepal came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8. Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory. Nepal last month released the revised political and administrative map of the country laying claim over the strategically key areas. India sternly asked Nepal not to resort to any "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims after Kathmandu released the new map. Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli earlier this month said that his government will seek a solution to the Kalapani issue through diplomatic efforts and dialogue on the basis of historical facts and documents. "We will get back the land occupied by India through holding a dialogue," Oli said while responding to questions in Parliament on Wednesday. Advertisement This is the moment young children across the UK have waited almost three months for as they were reunited with relatives after the government allowed the creation of coronavirus 'support bubbles' between two households. Five-year-old Heidi, from Worthing, shared an emotional hug with her grandmother on Saturday as dad Gareth Snow watched on, while James Deighton also captured a touching reunion as his mother embraced her two grandchildren - captioning the exchange as 'Nana cuddles.' The latest easing of lockdown policies that were first introduced in March were 'a targeted intervention to limit the most harmful effects of the current social restrictions', according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Families have been kept apart for almost three months since lockdown was formally introduced on March 23, with over 70s told to stay indoors and those labeled as 'clinically vulnerable' due to pre-existing conditions ordered to shield. Gareth Snow captured the moment his five-year-old daughter Heidi saw her grandmother Emily (right) and Daisy run to see their grandma in Ashtead, Surrey, for the first time since the lockdown restrictions eased The family have been forced to live separately since lockdown measures were introduced in March Susan reunited with her grandchildren, Emily, 10, (left), Benjamin, 4, (second left) and Daisy, 7, (right) on Saturday morning Gareth, from Worthing, told MailOnline: 'It was very special. Heidi has been desperate to hug and see her nana again. Its been a long three months! 'One of the days to remember during lockdown. My little girl getting to hug her nana for the first time in 3 months.' The new rules have seen thousands of children reunited with grandparents while those hit hardest by isolation have been able to seek out much-needed support, with couples now able to stay overnight at each others homes, if one currently lives alone. It comes as... Experts express fears over how COVID could spread at Black Lives Matter protests Pubs and restaurants can ignore two-metre rule but should ban singing and shouting Britons have been encouraged to get out and shop for Britain to boost economy One in five hospital covid patients caught the killer bug on a ward Lockdown is reportedly putting teenagers at risk of mental health problems later in life summer camps for school children will be established to help them catch up on schoolwork Emily, Benjamin and Daisy, from Ashtead in Surrey, were also captured as they embraced their grandparents for the first time since the lockdown was eased. They had been forced to stay away from their grandparents due to the strict lockdown measures introduced in March. Thousands of young children have seen family members again as restrictions are eased HOW 'SUPPORT BUBBLES' WILL WORK Who is covered by the new arrangements? Adults living alone or single parents with children under the age of 18. What about vulnerable people who are shielding ? Officials say it is too soon for them to be able to join support bubbles. I'm a grandparent and I live with my spouse, can I see my grandchildren? Sadly no. The support bubble must contain one person who lives alone. What about parents who are separated but who currently share childcare between households? That will continue. If parents are the only adult in the household they can form a bubble with another household. What happens if someone in a bubble develops coronavirus symptoms? All members of both households in the bubble must self-isolate for 14 days. Can households form more than one bubble? No. Arrangements must be exclusive with no switching of bubble partners. Will people have to formally register these bubble arrangements? No, it will be taken on trust. Advertisement The new measures do not apply to multiple-adult households or to vulnerable people who are shielding. There will also be further steps taken on Monday, with non-essential shops also allowed to open their doors once again. On Twitter, another user took a light-hearted view of what the new 'support bubble' rules may bring. They said: 'I can open my #supportbubble today. Never felt vulnerable until I had a bubble dedicated to me. My parents won the bubble lottery, its Saturday so looking forward to getting my pocket money later, a bag of quavers and Just Seventeen. Can see this bursting!!' The support bubble day also comes just a day after it was found the reproduction rate of the coronavirus could be as high as 1.1 in the South West of England. In other regions, the R rate has also shot up, but no other regions have exceeded 1. The government first eased lockdown for vulnerable people shielding at the beginning of June, allowing them to meet one member of another household outside. The move was swiftly met with condemnation as scientists said it amounted to little more than a PR stunt and that it lacked any Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor at the University of Leeds' school of medicine, told the Guardian the move 'seems to lack any obvious rationale other than to add to an ongoing ''good news'' narrative that appears to have little grounding in reality'. And in a response to Health Secretary Matt Hancock's tweet announcing the move, Oxford-based palliative care expert Dr Rachel Clarke said: 'Why on earth would you announce this without first communicating with primary care teams? You know, the GPs who actually look after these vulnerable patients.' Head of policy at the MS Society, Phil Anderson, said his organisation was very concerned that the news had come from nowhere, and the extremely vulnerable will 'rightly want to hear a lot more about the scientific evidence showing this will be safe for them'. This move comes alongside government efforts to fast-track the reopening of outdoor hospitality within weeks among further easing of restrictions. Boris Johnson was warned that 3.5million jobs could be lost this summer if the sector remains locked down. The PM has come under intense pressure from MPs and business leaders to urgently relax the two-metre rule - or drop it entirely. Office for National Statistics figures showed that Britain's national output plummeted by a record 20.4 per cent in April as millions of people were told to stay at home. At the same time, it emerged that the number of average new infections per day has fallen from 5,600 to 4,500 since the end of April. The drop in infections has been seen as a positive, while the R rate, used as a key piece of guidance by the government, continues to hover between 0.8 and 1 in London. The principle of the R rate dictates that, if it remains below 1 then the number of infections will fall, while if it climbs above 1 they will increase again. There are also concerns that the thousands that have gathered at Black Lives Matters protests risk spreading the virus and Boris Johnson has urged activists to stay away. On Friday night, police were seen in Clapham, London, breaking up groups of more than six that had gathered outside bars and clubs as they sought to maintain the social distancing guidelines implemented by the government. Officials at the Government Office of Science, which is headed by Sir Patrick Vallance, confirmed that the R rate in the South West is now somewhere between 0.8 and 1.1, which is a higher estimate than any other part of the UK. The R rate for Britain as a whole, however, has not changed in the past week and remains between 0.7 and 0.9. The rules introduced on Saturday mark another easing of strict social distancing measure Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined how those living alone could now form 'support bubble' Should the vulnerable still be shielding? The Government's easing of lockdown restrictions last week allowed more that two million of England's most vulnerable to see their families after months apart, but the move was branded as lacking any scientific rationale and amounting to a public relations exercise. Today's move will ease lockdown even further, potentially putting those most endangered at further risk, according to last week's comments. Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor at the University of Leeds' school of medicine, told the Guardian the move 'seems to lack any obvious rationale other than to add to an ongoing ''good news'' narrative that appears to have little grounding in reality'. And in a response to Health Secretary Matt Hancock's tweet announcing the move, Oxford-based palliative care expert Dr Rachel Clarke said: 'Why on earth would you announce this without first communicating with primary care teams? You know, the GPs who actually look after these vulnerable patients.' Head of policy at the MS Society, Phil Anderson, said his organisation was very concerned that the news had come from nowhere, and the extremely vulnerable will 'rightly want to hear a lot more about the scientific evidence showing this will be safe for them'. Advertisement On the new measures, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'There are still too many, people particularly those who live by themselves, who are lonely who are struggling with being unable to see friends and family. 'So, from this weekend, we will allow single, adult households - adults living alone or parents with children under 18 - to form a support bubble with one other household. 'All those in a support bubble will be able to act as if they live in the same household meaning they can spend time together inside each others homes and do not need to stay two metres apart. I must stress that support bubbles must be exclusive meaning you can't switch the household you are in a bubble with or connect with multiple households. 'If any member of the bubble develops symptoms, all members of the bubble must follow normal advice on household isolation. 'We are making this change to support those who are particularly lonely as a result of lockdown measures. 'It is a targeted intervention to limit the most harmful effects of the current social restrictions. 'It is emphatically not designed for people who do not qualify to start meeting inside other people's homes because that remains against the law. 'Unfortunately we cannot advise anyone who is shielding to form a support bubble a this stage given their particular vulnerability to the virus. 'I know how hard it is for those of you who are shielding and we will say more next week about the arrangements that will be in place for you beyond the end of June.' There was some pushback on social media following the announcement, with some questioning how the new guidance excluded large numbers of people. One said: 'So as a single Mum I can now go and visit 1 family BUT only if they're also a single person?! So I sTILL can't visit my parents but everyone can go and s**g others as long as they are single person in a household! Boris.. really?!' Have you formed a support bubble? Email james.ayles.mol@mailonline.co.uk to share your story. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A former resident who was placed in the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin at Mount Loretto more than 60 years ago said he only stayed for a few months. The reason: A priest and a religious brother at the mission sexually abused him multiple times, a lawsuit alleges. So, he ran away back home. North Sydney Council has ambitious plans to protect the area's village atmosphere, green open space and improve its business district in the face of population growth and development pressure. NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes supports the council's efforts, which include creating a park over the Warringah Freeway, saying it was "time to repair the damage inflicted over the past few decades". North Sydney Council has ambitious plans to improve its bustling business district and overcome a legacy of poor planning. Credit:Steven Siewert The 1960s, 70s and 80s saw North Sydney CBD become a one-dimensional 9-5 downtown, where segregated land use planning saw wall-to-wall commercial offices towers displace virtually every other use," he said. This saw the soul stripped out of the inner-city hub, with much of the local character lost to nondescript commercial office towers." Rep. Annette Glenn, R-Midland, chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military and Veterans Affairs, introduced a resolution this week declaring June 12 as Women Veterans Recognition Day in Michigan. Glenn also announced that Midland County, along with 11 other counties, have collectively been awarded nearly $1.1 million total in COVID-19 emergency funding for veterans through the states new County Veteran Service Fund Emergency Relief (CVSF-ER) program. The funding will help Midland County veterans with emergency costs such as home and vehicle repairs, medical expenses and more. Glenn said Michigan should recognize and honor women who have served in and aided U.S. armed forces since the American Revolution. She said women whove served in the U.S. military have often been referred to as invisible veterans, since their service up until the 1970s went largely unrecognized by politicians, the media, academia and the general public. As the first woman elected to represent the city of Midland in the state House of Representatives, Im mindful of the importance of recognizing the strides women have made in every profession, Glenn said. As the wife, daughter, and mother-in-law of veterans, I also understand the importance of honoring our veterans, women no less so than men, for the selfless service theyve provided. Our women and men in uniform put their lives on the line for each one of us and our families, and they deserve to know they and their families have our support, especially during these trying times, Glenn said. Im pleased these resources are available, because throughout all of the hardships our community has experienced the past few months, its great to have some good news to share. Funding will also help veterans with emergency costs caused by the recent flooding in Midland County. Between the pandemic and flooding, things have not been easy for the families its my privilege to represent, Glenn said. Assisting veterans is an issue of the heart for me. Our veterans, women and men, are true American heroes and deserve to know people are going to step up for them, like they stepped up for us. Theyve earned our gratitude, respect, and support. Processed by Victoria Ritter, vritter@mdn.net In pockets of Illinois and other locations, there are books sitting in quarantine. They are public library books that have been returned, and then spend at least three days sitting on tables or in big metal carts, carefully labeled with the dates they came in. After that, they can they go back on the shelves. Libraries around the country are tiptoeing toward reopening, but theyre not just trying to figure out how to safely lend out books. These are community hubs where parents bring their toddlers for story time, where people come to use the computer, where book groups meet. Now all of that has to be rethought. Its awful because its the opposite of what we normally try to do, said Karen Kleckner Keefe, the executive director of the Hinsdale Public Library just outside Chicago. We want to be the community living room; we want everyone to stay and get comfortable. And to design service to prevent lingering and talking is so different from everything weve been working toward. With their doors closed, libraries moved whatever they could online. Book clubs were held on Zoom. The Queens Public Library in New York changed a job-search training session to focus on online networking. Author events became virtual, too, which, while lacking an in-person touch, sometimes meant they could include special guests Jean Becker, who edited a book about Barbara Bush, brought the former first ladys son Neil Bush to a talk she gave for the Kansas City Public Library in April. Branches around the country have also been offering curbside pickup, where books are left by the front door or dropped in the trunks of waiting cars, along with library catalogs and leaflets about their cleaning protocols. And even when the lights were off, many libraries kept their Wi-Fi humming so people could park themselves outside and use it for free. Were getting 500 visits a day, said Anthony W. Marx, the president of the New York Public Library, which operates branches in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. That means people are going out in a dangerous pandemic to sit in front of our libraries. The New York Public Library said it was hoping to start the process of opening in July with eight branches that will provide grab-and-go pickup service for books. Joel Jones, deputy director of library services at the Kansas City Public Library, said he was especially concerned with getting vulnerable populations in the door first. He said his system expects to welcome their first visitors this month through referrals from organizations that work with people with mental illness or those experiencing poverty or homelessness. Theyre also thinking hard about what to do with their furniture, he said. Theyre going to try setting up computers that have two monitors 6 feet apart, one for a library staff member and another for patrons who needs help printing or navigating the internet. The Kansas City North-East Branch was in the middle of a $4.5 million renovation when the country shut down. On a video conference call a few days later with their architects, Jones said, the library leadership looked at plans for the furniture and shelving and realized they needed to be redrawn. Ive been looking at these plans for months, Jones said. But I looked at it that time and said, This is not going to work. One thing many librarians have noticed is changes in the reading patterns of their customers. Libby, an e-book lending app for libraries, saw a 51% increase in the checkout of e-books after shutdown orders were issued in mid-March. Ramiro Salazar, the president of the Public Library Association and the director of the San Antonio Public Library system, said that before the pandemic, the demand in his system was about 5-to-1 in favor of paper books, but he doesnt expect that to come back. Users are being forced to turn to e-books, he said. What we dont know is how many converts well have. Even in places where libraries have reopened, things look different. Cari Dubiel, a librarian in Twinsburg, Ohio, said that her branch has been open to the public since May 20. But so far, the largest number of simultaneous visitors in the 45,000 square foot building has been roughly 30, she said. Under normal circumstances, their biggest clientele are parents and senior citizens. But young children are not allowed in the library at the moment, and many seniors are staying away. Teenagers were just allowed back in this month. Her library is, however, allowing access to computers, she said, through hourlong reservation slots where she tries to help people from 6 feet away and behind a sneeze guard. They have a spray disinfectant for the countertops and wipes for the computers that are used after each visitor, in addition to cleaning surfaces like door and toilet handles every two hours. We have an opioid support group and a writers group and eight different book groups. Its a very popular meeting place for the community, Dubiel said. But right now we need to focus on being a utility. That is the last thing that will likely come back to libraries their function as a gathering place. But some branches are doing what they can to keep that connection alive. Jones in Kansas City said his librarians have been calling users who are 65 and older, just to say hello. We call them and see how theyre doing, he said. Thats what you do in a library. A lot of people come in regularly because they just want to talk. Whats being done here By Chris Ashmore Director, Jacksonville Public Library To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and following Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-home order, the Jacksonville Public was closed to the public from March 16 through May 31. During this time period, the library did its best to serve its patrons in a variety of ways. Library card holders could use and still can use our many online resources and databases available through our website. These resources included e-book and audiobook checkouts; streaming of feature films and documentaries; music downloads and streaming; language learning; and hundreds of free classes on numerous topics. While the building was closed, the library also offered a wide range of virtual programming, including poetry readings, craft demonstrations and story times all available from its website or Facebook page. The library also posted interesting links, funny memes and games, usually five to 10 times a day, on Facebook. Much of this virtual programming has continued since the building has reopened since we are not yet having on-site programming. Staff members continued to work from home and from the library to answer reference questions by phone or email. The library also held book club sessions via Zoom and left its WiFi active for patrons to use from the parking lot. Our outreach librarian has continued to keep in contact with all of her normal patrons who are on lockdown in nursing homes and assisted living facilities by placing phone calls, emails and even writing letters. The Jacksonville Public Library then made the decision to reopen the library on June 1, with several safety guidelines in place. Safety was and remains the first priority with the reopened building. The librarys reopening is a scaled reopening with incremental easing of physical distancing and other safety measures, as health advice and regulations allow. Right now and until further advice allows an easing of restrictions, the following guidelines are in place. The library is having a seniors-only (60 and over) time from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday-Saturday. A mask or face covering is required to be worn while inside the library building. We are asking patrons to attempt to maintain 6 feet social distancing from others. The building has a maximum occupancy of 50 patrons at one time. To help with this guideline, only the west side entrance is available for public use. We are asking patrons to limit their time in the library building to one hour per day. The number of people in a group visiting the library must be four or fewer. The library is closing at 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. A limited number of public computers are available for public use to ensure proper social distancing. Registration at the circulation desk is required to use these public computers. The childrens play area is closed and toys are not being offered. The conference room and the meeting room are closed for both library programming and public usage. The Special Collections Room is also closed to the public. Staff can pull needed items for patrons. Library staff is practicing proper hygiene techniques, including frequent hand washing. Frequently touched surfaces, such as desktops, railings and computers are disinfected regularly. In order to ensure social distancing and the one hour time limit on being in the building, most chairs have been removed. Finally, all returned library materials are being quarantined for 72 hours and then disinfected before being placed back into circulation. At this time, we do not know when some of these restrictions may be eased. The library is following health and safety advice from the governors Phased Reopening Plan, local and state health officials and library consortiums and organizations. We will ease restrictions only when we feel that it is advisable to do so. The safety of our staff and patrons remains the top priority and the library will err on the side of caution. Actually most libraries in Illinois have not yet reopened to the public or are offering curbside service only. The Jacksonville Public Library feels very good about where it is at the present time with its current guidelines in place. As protests over George Floyds death swept the nation, activists in Houston cried out for police reform. Among their demands: Give us an independent police watchdog. One already exists, city officials said: Houstons Independent Police Oversight Board. But the board lacks meaningful power, with one longtime civil rights activist calling it window dressing. Houstons Independent Police Oversight Board, which reviews investigations completed by the Houston Police Departments internal affairs division, meets at police headquarters. It cannot launch its own inquiries or accept complaints directly from civilians. Members are forbidden from discussing any of the cases they review even with the mayor or other public officials. Its sparse website includes instructions on how to file a complaint with police, but little information on the boards own work. It lacks the power to subpoena documents or compel officer testimony. Its a volunteer body appointed by the mayor and has no professional staff. And when members of the oversight board make policy recommendations, they often never find out what happens to their suggestions, current and former members told the Chronicle. Its clear if we had additional clout, we could do more and better work, said Gerald Birnberg, a Houston attorney who serves on the oversight board. It feels like were working in the dark. As America reckons with racism and calls to address police violence, critics say Houstons police oversight board is inadequate. Those who argue against change say the board has sufficient power and lacks training to investigate or issue subpoenas. Longtime Houston activist Johnny Mata said Floyds death after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes revealed a tinderbox of repressed resentment and renewed calls for a more robust board. Its been perceived as nothing but window dressing to appease communities of color, Mata said. Jon Shapley, Staff photographer / Houston Chronicle Opposition from chief But Chief Art Acevedo pooh-poohed the idea of expanding the boards powers in a back-and-forth with marchers on the issue during the protests in Houston earlier this month. It doesnt need subpoena power, he said, because the police department already provides all the information its members request. He noted that the boards members also sit on HPDs discipline committee and called the police oversight board the eyes and ears of the community. But critics including past and current members of the IPOB say the watchdog group is hobbled by state law, union contracts, a lack of infrastructure and a narrow focus. The board reviews HPDs completed investigations into possible excessive force, the discharge of a firearm and other major incidents. Its official purpose is to review internal investigations to determine if the investigation was sufficient, according to the citys website. The board can make recommendations to the chief related to disciplinary action, policies and training, but the chief has the final say. While members are forbidden from discussing the cases they review, some of their recommendations became public in a police brutality lawsuit filed after the 2012 police killing of Kenny Releford. HPD was forced to turn over internal affairs files related to several shootings, with recommendations filed by the IPOB and its earlier incarnation. When the board reviewed the July 2012 shooting of Rufino Lara, two members of the panel wrote notes urging de-escalation training. Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer The officer should not have fired her gun on someone who was not pointing or near to pointing a dangerous weapon toward her, one member wrote. Better training needs to be provided. The majority agreed with the departments conclusions, but all checked off boxes indicating training had not been sufficient. The police department also maintains discretion in deciding what records to release to the oversight board, though board member Kristin Anderson, a psychology professor at the University of Houston-Downtown, said members see all documents associated with any case that comes to the board. She said the public deserves transparency, but said granting the board subpoena power is a red herring and would not give members the ability to tell if a cop is lying. Birnberg said board members do not have unfettered, immediate access to all the records they request. He recalled seeing cases where board members were told obtaining an autopsy would take four months far longer than the two-week period the boards panels have to review individual cases. I dont know if the chief is aware of the structural impediments to the panels getting meaningful information at the time theyre supposed to be ruling on the cases, he added. About 150 cases a year Former Mayor Annise Parker said Houston has had some form of civilian watchdog group for decades. The current iteration was formed in 2011. Parker said her administration tried to make it more diverse and to make it easier for citizens to file complaints with the police department. Its an insufficient tool, but a helpful tool, Parker said. Could it be improved? Absolutely. David J. Phillip, POOL / AP The website says there are 29 board members and alternates. Members include teachers, lawyers and civil rights advocates. They are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by City Council. The body is divided into four panels, each of which meets about once a month to review three or four cases. One member estimated the group reviews about 150 cases a year. The heads of each panel also sit on HPDs Administrative Disciplinary Committee, which reviews punishments against officers accused of misconduct. The groups reviews are limited to the disciplinary cases and use-of-force cases that HPDs internal affairs division brings to them a protocol that past and current board members say is not sufficient. Right now, the perceived mission of IPOB is simply to review recommendations made by the IAD, and to either agree or disagree with them on the way to (discipline committee). Thats it, Birnberg said. That is supposed to be enough to permit us to be the explanation to the community that there is some agency looking at these files. And there is. But its role, in my view, is too limited. Those who dont see a need for change say the boards purpose is primarily to ensure the chief holds officers to account. Giving the board more power would politicize every single police activity and allow members to punish officers based on the emotion of the event, contended Councilman Mike Knox, a former Houston police officer. Investigation, disciplinary action and prosecution are not the job of the board, he said. If the board decides that HPDs investigation was insufficient, the internal affairs commander can dispute the decision, sending the matter to an assistant chief or the police chief. If the chief disagrees with the board which happens about 5 to 10 percent of the time, board chairman Marvin Hamilton has said he meets with the citys inspector general in an effort to reach an agreement, according to the citys website. The inspector general reports to he city attorney, who along with the police chief is appointed by the mayor. While the citys website says board members will report back to the mayor and the City Councils public safety committee, members said they are not allowed to discuss their work or pass along findings. Joe Gamaldi, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, said the board already has a wide range of powers. The union is not opposed, though, to Councilman Edward Pollards proposal to create an office of police oversight and accountability within the citys legal department. The office would set up a website to allow residents to browse complaints of officer misconduct and include a mechanism for civilians to report grievances related to HPD. Still, the union opposes allowing the oversight board to do its own investigations. Gamaldi said he would consider that proposal if board members were required to have investigative backgrounds. If you had just been robbed, would you want someone who had never investigated or dealt with a robbery ever before to investigate that? he said. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Less power than most Corresponding groups in other Texas cities and around the country have review powers that go beyond the ones granted to Houstons oversight board, including 35 groups that have various levels of subpoena power, according to a list compiled by the National Association of Citizen Oversight of Law Enforcement. The Houston model, its one that has less power than most, said Margo Frasier, the groups vice president and a former Travis County sheriff and police monitor for the city of Austin. Jane Foreman, co-chair of the Houston Democratic Socialists of America, said a board without subpoena power almost has no power at all, and questioned the merits of allowing the mayor and council members to appoint and approve members after they had accepted campaign contributions from the police union. Even with certain reforms, Foreman said the board is unlikely to compel change within the police department. We have seen more than 50 years of organizing for police oversight boards across the country, and not one has substantially modified the role or behavior of police, they said. Olugbenga Ajilore, a senior economist at the Center for American Progress who has studied police oversight, said the push from activists to defund the police stems from this lack of effectiveness.If these oversight agencies were effective and strong, we probably would have seen tangible results and there wouldnt be this call for it, Ajilore said. On Wednesday, Houston City Council soundly rejected a proposal from Council Member Letitia Plummer to grant the board subpoena power and give it $1 million to conduct its own investigations. The funds would have come out of HPDs budget through Plummers plan to eliminate vacant positions within the department. Former board member Philip Hilder backed the idea of funding the boards operations, arguing that it needs a full-time executive director and paid staff to handle the boards many responsibilities. The mandate is quite broad in terms what is expected of (IPOBs volunteers), he said. Its very much like drinking out of a fire hose. Mayor Sylvester Turner opposed Plummers plan to divert HPD funding to the oversight board and other areas, though he said officials should seriously take a look at (the board) and see how it needs to be revamped. He declined to answer whether the board should receive subpoena power, saying his recently announced police reform task force would explore the idea. But former Houston police chief Charles McClelland questioned how an independent review board would be able discipline an officer under state law and union contracts that limit civilians power to levy sanctions on police. He said grand juries and civil service commissions are the only way for civilians to impose meaningful sanctions on officers. The community needs to understand a lot of the things they are asking for will require changes in state law or union contracts, McClelland said. Houston attorney Joe Melugin, who spent three years suing the Houston Police Department over the shooting death of Kenny Releford, said he disagrees with those who say holding police legally accountable police should be left to the district attorney. Until the city fires police officers for abuses of power and unjustified violence, and until the DA prosecutes police the same as any of the rest of us, then the problems with police abuses of power will persist regardless of changes to the IPOB, he said. We must change how the police force exists and operates in our city. jasper.scherer@chron.com st.john.smith@chron.com Ive always believed that in times of economic downturn, the right thing to do is keep investing in building the future, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, said in an investor call last month. When the world changes quickly, people have new needs, and that means there are more new things to build. In doubling down on growth in a time of economic pain, the largest tech companies are continuing a pattern. In previous recessions, those that invested while the economy was at its most vulnerable often emerged stronger. In the 1990s, IBM used a recession to reorient itself from a hardware company into a software and services company. Google and Facebook both rose out of the dot-com bust about 20 years ago. Apple, whose iPhones now dominate computing, doubled its research and development budget for two years during the downturn in the early 2000s. That led the company, which nearly went bankrupt in the late 1990s, to create its iPod music player and iTunes music store and eventually the iPhone, the App Store and an unbridled growth streak, said Jenny Chatman, a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Ranjan Roy, a tech commentator for The Margins, an internet industry blog, said it was clear the tech behemoths were unafraid to get more aggressive now and that the power they were accruing should give people pause. Without any pushback from regulators, big tech companies would almost unquestionably come out of the pandemic more powerful, he said. So many additional parts of our daily lives are becoming dependent on their products, or they could just buy or copy the services they dont yet deliver. Still, the companies are taking risks by spending in an uncertain period, said John Paul Rollert, a professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Queen Elizabeth has worn the crown longer than any other King or Queen in British history, but there are ways in which Kate Middleton is more prepared to be Queen than Her Majesty. It might be a long time before her husband, Prince William, sits on the throne, but Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, has spent years preparing for the day she becomes Queen Consort. Here is a look at how Kate is more prepared for the day she sits beside William on the throne. Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth | Oli Scarff WPA Pool / Getty Images Queen Elizabeth enjoys a long and successful reign Queen Elizabeth officially became the longest-reigning monarch in British history in 2015, overtaking Queen Victorias previous mark. A few years ago, she also became the first British sovereign to enjoy a Sapphire Jubilee, an event that celebrates 65 years at the head of the monarchy. Over the years, Her Majesty has navigated some pretty tricky waters with her children, including multiple divorces, cheating scandals, and, more recently, Megxit. Despite all the drama the royals have faced during her reign, Queen Elizabeth remains an iconic figure throughout the world. And it 2022, she will celebrate 70 years on the throne, a record that will likely remain intact for many years to come. While Queen Elizabeth has quite a bit of experience as the ruling sovereign, there is one thing that Kate has that she doesnt, and it might make the Duchess of Cambridge more prepared for her coming role as Queen Consort. Kate Middleton has this one thing Queen Elizabeth lacks Once William is crowned the King of the United Kingdom, Kate will receive the title of Queen Consort. This will give her similar powers to William, including being treated with the same respect as the ruling sovereign. Ever since she tied the knot with William in 2011, Kate has been preparing for her future role within the ranks of the royal family. According to Express, one thing that has prepared Kate for her royal duties is the fact that she has a degree from a university. In fact, Kate will be the first Queen in the history of the British monarchy to have a post-secondary degree. And if she had not attended St. Andrews University in the early 2000s, there is a good chance that Kate and William would have never met at all. Kate received a degree in art history at the school, where she first crossed paths with William. The two dated for a number of years before getting engaged in 2010. Next year, they will celebrate ten years together and currently share three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Like many of her predecessors, Queen Elizabeth did not go to a public university for her education. Instead, she taught at home by various tutors. Kate Middleton has years of training to prepare to be Queen There is another advantage that Kate has over Queen Elizabeth when it comes to being prepared for her future role. Since tying the knot with William in 2011, Kate has already had nearly a decade of training for the day she becomes Queen Consort. With Charles next in line to the throne, Kate may have several more decades to prepare herself. This should give her plenty of time to adjust to having more royal responsibilities in her schedule. Queen Elizabeth, on the other hand, had an unexpected journey to the throne. When she was born, her father, George VI, was second in line to the throne. He took the crown following the death of his father in 1936 and after his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated to marry an American. RELATED: Kate Middletons Friends Claim She Keeps Her Head Down and Speaks Like the Queen As She Prepares For Prince William to Take the Throne When King George VI passed away in 1952, Queen Elizabeth had only recently started to take on more responsibilities within the royal family. Unlike Kate, her transition to the throne was swift. That said, Queen Elizabeth has done an amazing job as the Queen of the United Kingdom over the years and Kate has surely learned from her reign. Kate Middleton has not commented on the reports surrounding her future in the royal family. The Marvel Cinematic Universe now possesses the rights to a handful of former Fox entities due to the Fox/Disney merger. Ever since the media conglomerate gained access to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, rumors and theories surrounding the characters place in and purpose to the existing saga have surfaced in every nook and cranny of the internet. While the X-Men will undoubtedly play a significant role in the future of the Marvel cinematic franchise otherwise, why go through the trouble? they may be very different from the mutants fans have grown accustomed to. Kevin Feige has quite the challenge on his hands when it comes to the X-Men: how do you satisfy fans of the former Fox movies (which boasted quite talented cast members), while also presenting original and inspired work? Madame Tussauds New York celebrates their Marvel Month of May by unveiling a wax figure of Wolverine, as portrayed by actor Hugh Jackman | Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Madame Tussauds Feige and Co, can not simply copy the narratives and character dynamics put forth previously under Fox, but to completely abandon some iconic, well-known mutant tales would be a risk. Based on available information, as well as narrative plausibilities surrounding the existing Marvel landscape, Logans Wolverine may not be the version of Weapon X coming to the MCU. So, who may join instead? RELATED: Marvel Phase 5: Hugh Jackman Reportedly Has No Interest In Bringing His Wolverine to the MCU Daphne Keens X-23 from Logan could take over According to We Got This Covered, Daphne Keen may reprise her role as X-23 from the Fox movie Logan in the MCU. While Logan would also theoretically appear at the onset, Keens characters would be responsible for carrying the adamantium-clawed legacy through the saga. Logan would theoretically serve a transitional purpose, appearing briefly, but not for the long haul. RELATED: A Female Wolverine May Take Center Stage in the MCUs X-Men X-23 already has Logans approval and Logans trust; thus, choosing such a character may work toward fan satisfaction. Since she is connected to Jackmans Logan, who fans already know and love, accepting such a turn of events would likely not be too difficult. Yet, this isnt the only way to incorporate Weapon X. Rather than relying on pieces of a Fox franchise, the MCU may rely on the presence of the Winter Soldier to establish a Wolverine connection. Will Logans son, Daken, appear in the MCU? As ScreenRant notes, Akihiro (better known as Daken) is the son Logan never knew he had in the comics. As for his connection to the MCU, his mother Itsu was gunned down by the Winter Soldier in an attempt to draw out his father. Itsu was pregnant with Daken when this happened, and Dakens healing abilities kept him alive. His mother died. Daken then sets out on a quest for revenge when he grows older. While some tinkering with the original narrative may be necessary, its easy to envision a story in which the Winter Soldier and Falcon could come up against Logan (or Daken), allowing a different trajectory to take center stage. The new Disney tale could focus on Daken instead of Logan, and give audiences an older, more mature Logan as a secondary character. Or, Logans life could be in the past when Daken is introduced. He could be dead, boasting a legacy that lives on subtextually throughout future MCU installments. Boris Johnson will 'bang the table' on Sunday to try to bring urgency to Brexit talks by warning that the two sides are heading for No Deal if the pace of negotiations is not accelerated immediately. The Prime Minister is expected to use a video conference with the EU's most senior figures to urge 'renewed energy and commitment' to reach an agreement by the end of the summer, and to accuse the bloc of using the Covid-19 epidemic as an excuse to drag their feet in the talks. The meeting comes after Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove formally ruled out on Friday any extension of the Brexit transition period beyond December 31, but agreed to a six-month delay to full border checks including customs declarations and tariff payments. Mr Johnson will lead the high level meeting with Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament. Mr Gove and David Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, will also take part to discuss the faltering path to a post-Brexit free trade agreement with Brussels. A senior Government source said: 'It is now bang-the-table time. If there is not renewed energy and commitment to reach an agreement by the end of summer then we are heading for No Deal.' The Prime Minister is expected to use a video conference with the EU's most senior figures to urge 'renewed energy and commitment' to reach an agreement by the end of the summer Mr Johnson will lead the high level meeting with Charles Michel (right), the President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen (left) and several top European figures The source said the EU had been slow to come to the table, using the excuse that member states and the Commission were focused on the coronavirus, adding: 'The EU is not alone in having Covid and their finances to sort out.' Officials in Brussels claimed that UK negotiators were pushing for a deal by quietly offering compromises in a number of below-the-radar areas something strongly denied by the Government. Meanwhile World Trade Organization director general Roberto Azevedo today said he believes there 'is a pretty good chance' of the UK and EU striking a deal before the end of the transition period. He told the BBC's Andrew Marrr programme: 'In these circumstances, the less disruption the better, the less turbulence the better. 'The less turbulence is the closest to what you were before. 'So in my view, if you can maintain the degree of integration and relationship that you had before Brexit, it is a less dramatic situation, of course, than if you had to go to WTO terms - which it is not a catastrophe.' On WTO terms, he added: 'It only covers a number of adjustments and those adjustments can be painful particularly for some sectors. 'Overall, I think there is a pretty good chance that an agreement can be reached. Again, in my view the less changes the better.' World Trade Organization director general Roberto Azevedo today said he believes there 'is a pretty good chance' of the UK and EU striking a deal before the end of the transition period Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove formally ruled out on Friday any extension of the Brexit transition period beyond December 31 The negotiations will involve a mix of formal negotiating rounds and smaller group meetings in London and Brussels compliant with Covid-19 public health guidelines for the next five weeks. Last night, a Government official said: 'The EU was a little slow to agree to an intensified timetable for talks It's welcome that they've now signed up to a sensible process to take the talks forward. 'The high-level meeting was always envisaged as a moment to push negotiations forward. We now need to get this resolved and deliver certainty for businesses at home and in the EU as soon as possible.' However there was a warning note from Mr Azevedo over trade. He said WTO members will monitor any moves by the UK to introduce a 'light touch' approach to goods entering the country from the EU after the transition period. On Friday, the UK Government said it is exploring whether to adopt fewer checks on imports from the EU for around six months. Boris Johnson will 'bang the table' to try to bring urgency to Brexit talks by warning the two sides that a No Deal outcome is becoming increasingly likely He told Marr while such a move is 'not a no-go by definition', the UK would have to follow strict rules. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'You have transitional periods in most of these trade deals. 'So, you may have a period where that 'light touch' may be part of the transitional agreement and other members of the WTO may take that as something acceptable. 'It may, however, be done in a way that challenges the rules of the WTO a little bit more and then members, I think, will be looking very carefully. 'But it is not a no-go by definition.' Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: The COVID-19 infection count reached 6,475 in Bihar on Sunday when 186 fresh cases were reported, while the toll reached 36 on account of a casualty reported from Vaishali district, officials said. Auto refresh feeds The contract is for up to 400 million doses of the vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, the company said, adding that it was looking to expand manufacturing of the vaccine, which said it would provide for no profit during the pandemic. Deliveries will start by the end of 2020. AstraZeneca Plc said on Saturday it signed a contract with European governments to supply the region with its potential vaccine against the coronavirus, the British drugmakers latest deal to pledge its drug to help combat the pandemic, reports Reuters. With over 20 lakh reported cases till date, the United States is the worst-affected country in the world. The US is followed by Brazil, Russia, the United Kingdom and India. The total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 77.6 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University CSSE. This figure includes COVID-19 patients who have recovered and the overall global death toll which stands at 4.2 lakh. The number of active cases is 2,084, while 1,805 have been cured and three persons have migrated, the minister said. Among the 207 cases detected on Saturday, 182 were reported late in the night and 25 others during the day, he said. Assam's coronavirus infection tally reached 3,900 with 207 new cases on Saturday, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Of the total 3,900 positive cases in the state, eight persons have died so far, including four this week. The Delhi government on Saturday declared small and medium multispeciality nursing homes having 10 to 49 beds as "COVID nursing homes" to increase the bed capacity for coronavirus patients, according to an official order. Only standalone exclusive eye centres, ENT centres, dialysis centres, maternity homes and IVF centres are presently exempted, the order said, reports PTI. Brazilian officials on 12 June reported 909 deaths over the previous 24 hours. It is the hardest-hit nation in Latin America, with more than 8.2 lakh confirmed cases, report AP. Brazil's health ministry has said that the country has recorded a total of 41,828 deaths during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning it has surpassed the United Kingdom and now has the second-highest total in the world, according to tallies by Johns Hopkins University CSSE. The TMC accused Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar of peddling "fake news", drawing sharp retort. Dhankhar charged that the party was "deflecting from the main issue". The West Bengal government on Saturday dismissed the contents of the video as a "one-off incident" and said it has no link with the COVID-19 pandemic. The West Bengal governor and the ruling TMC were embroiled in fresh acrimony over a video showing decomposed bodies being loaded into a van by the city civic body in daylight for cremation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to hold a meeting with Delhi LG Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and members of State Disaster Management Authority to review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 on Sunday at 11 am. Since Friday, a total of 454 fresh cases of COVID-19 have been reported from different districts of the state, pushing the total number of confirmed cases here to 10,698, it stated. Five people from North 24 Parganas, four from Kolkata, two persons from South 24 Parganas and one from Howrah died in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said. Twelve people in West Bengal succumbed to COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the death toll to 463, a bulletin of the state health department said. All of the 12 deaths were because of comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental, it added. A private school in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj district has waived off fees for 3 months, in wake of COVID-19 outbreak, reports ANI. It also recommended an off-label application of Tocilizumab, a drug that modifies the immune system or its functioning, and convalescent plasma for treating coronavirus-infected patients in moderate stage of the illness, besides adding loss of smell or taste to the list of Covid-19 symptoms. As the number of Covid-19 cases crossed the three lakh-mark, the government on Saturday came out with a revised treatment protocol to deal with the deadly infection, allowing use of antiviral drug Remdesivir in moderate cases and Hydroxychloroquine in patients during the early course of the disease. Beijing recorded a jump in new confirmed cases, up from six a day earlier, after it started doing mass-testing at the Xinfadi market in the citys southwestern Fengtai district. The National Health Commission said in a statement that 38 of the new confirmed cases were locally transmitted, with 36 of them in Beijing. This is the highest daily infection count for Chinas capital since authorities started releasing data. China reported 57 new confirmed COVID-19 cases for 13 June, the highest since 13 April, according to data released by the national health authority on Sunday. Amendments have been made in Section 2 and 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 to make face masks mandatory in the state. Uttarakhand is the third state after Kerala and Odisha to make changes to the act. Those who do not wear masks in public places and who violate COVID-19 quarantine rules in Uttarakhand will face six months in jail and fined Rs 5,000, the state government announced on Saturday. Jaiswal said, "Based on a fictitious probe, the workers were sacked by South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. during previous BJP government in the state." In a video of the incident, Jaiswal could be seen surrounded by nearly a dozen protesters with some of them seen without masks. They raised slogans and held placards against the sacking of workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Norms of social distancing were allegedly flouted at a protest organised by Congress MLA Vinay Jaiswal in the Korea district. Jaiswal was staging a protest to demand the reinstatement of 32 workers of a company. Weekend lockdown in effect in the state today, only essential shops allowed to be open. The Punjab government has also barred inter-dist movement on weekends except for e-pass holders, reports ANI. The reported active COVID-19 cases in India now stand at 1,49,348 with as many as 1,62,378 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged so far. India reports 11,929 new cases, the highest single-day spike, including 311 more fatalities. The total number of cases has now gone up to 3,20,922, and the toll is at 9,195. The Bhopal administration allows religious places outside containment zones in the district to reopen from Monday, reports PTI. Authorities will have to ensure that physical distancing guidelines are followed and put in place all safety measures. With 1.04 lakh COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of infections, followed by Tamil Nadu (42,687), Delhi (38,958) and Gujarat (23,038). Also on Saturday, nine new asymptomatic cases were reported, it said. Currently, 103 people with asymptomatic symptoms are kept under quarantine. The officials of the China's National Health Commission (NHC) said that 57 new confirmed COVID-19 infections, including 38 domestically transmitted, were reported on Saturday. China has reported 66 new coronavirus cases, the largest since the disease was controlled in its first epicentre Wuhan in April, prompting the authorities to go into a "wartime" mode to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the capital Beijing which has seen a sudden spike in the number of infections, health officials said on Sunday. Taking to Twitter CM Kejriwal wrote, "I appeal to all doctors to volunteer for Delhi government's Corona Telemedicine Helpline. Give a missed call now to 08047192219 to register. The people of Delhi need your support in this difficult hour. #DelhiFightsCorona." In a video message, CM Kejriwal stated, never in the history of mankind has such a great calamity occurred. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday appealed to all doctors to volunteer for Delhi Government's free telemedicine helpline and help people with medical advice and guidance amid COVID-19. He urged them to register with the government by giving a missed call on 08047192219. The 'COVID Mitra' will be equipped with an oximeter to check the oxygen levels of people, the state health officials said during a COVID-19 review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday. Any healthy individual up to 45 years of age, or a social/voluntary organisation in an urban area can be made COVID Mitra', they suggested. The Madhya Pradesh health department has proposed to rope in volunteers as 'COVID Mitra' to help the government in containing the spread of coronavirus in the state. So, it does not make any business sense to sell these lenders Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), Central Bank of India, UCO Bank and United Bank of India as there will not be any suitors for them from the private banking space, the sources said. At present, four public sector banks are under the RBI's Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework, which puts several restrictions on them, including on lending, management compensation, and directors' fees. Privatisation of any public sector bank (PSB) during the current fiscal is very unlikely due to their low valuations and mounting stressed assets amid the COVID-19 crisis, sources said. The meeting agenda reads, Fixing price ceiling for treatment by private hospitals as some of them are charging exorbitant price and seeking huge advances Fixing ceiling for charges of private ambulance services as some of them are charging huge prices. Reducing prices being charged by private labs for COVID tests to make it affordable to the general public. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will discuss fixing a price ceiling for the treatment of COVID-19 patients and reducing the cost of testing in private labs, reports The Indian Express. The AAP-led Delhi government on Sunday said that orders are given to set up 20,000 new COVID-19 beds in the national capital in the next one week. Hotels to have 4000 beds, banquets halls to have 11000 beds and nursing homes to have 5000 beds, said that Delhi Government, reports ANI. Rajasthan reports 131 new COVID-19 cases and 4 deaths till 10:30 am today, taking the total number of positive cases and deaths to 12,532 and 286 respectively, according to the latest update from the state health department. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrived at Ministry of Home Affairs, ahead of MHA's review meeting with Delhi LG Anil Baijal over COVID19 situation in the national capital. Odisha detects 186 new COVID-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases to 3,909, according to the state health department's latest bulletin. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that 56,58,614 samples were tested for COVID-19 in the country till 9.00 am today. Of these, 1,51,432 were tested in the last 24 hours. The victim, who was suffering from breathing difficulty, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences on Thursday, the hospital's chest department head Dr Ravi Dosi said. A 101-year-old man, who was among the oldest COVID-19 patients in the country, died at a private hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city, the hospital authorities said. The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), however, said a clear picture will emerge only after the end of this month when it will roll out a survey to understand how its dealer members are planning with regards to reduction of outlets and manpower. Automobile dealers' body FADA fears that the coronavirus pandemic could result in job losses in dealerships which could be worse than what was experienced last year when over two lakh jobs were lost due to a prolonged slowdown in the automobile industry, according to a top federation official. "With the Delhi government's decision, over 5000 beds will be available for coronavirus patients. In the next few days, our officials will talk to owners of each nursing home to solve their problems," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. Small and medium multi-speciality nursing homes in the city having 10 to 49 beds have been declared as "COVID nursing homes" by the Delhi government to increase the bed capacity for coronavirus patients, according to an official order issued on Saturday. Only standalone exclusive eye centres, ENT centres, dialysis centres, maternity homes and IVF centres are presently exempted, the order said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the bed strength in the national capital for treating coronavirus patients will increase by 5000 after the city government decided to declare small and medium multi-speciality nursing homes as "COVID nursing homes". With this, the recovery rate in the state has gone up to nearly 60 per cent, which is more than the national average, a health department official told PTI. The state has reported 44 COVID-19 cases so far, out of which one person affected by the contagion has died. Three more coronavirus-infected persons have been cured of the disease in Meghalaya, taking the total number of people recovered from the infection to 26 in the state, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Sunday. No fresh COVID-19 case has been detected in the state since 10 June, he said. "I am worshipping the coronavirus as a goddess and doing daily pujas for the safety and well being of health professionals, police personnel and scientists, who are toiling to discover a vaccine, fire force and media personnel and others engaged in the battle against the virus, he said. A thermacol replica of of 'SARS CoV2, the virus that has affected millions worldwide and over three lakh in India, with red protrusions as seen in pictures, finds a place in the large puja room in the house of Anilan at Kadakkal. As the coronavirus spread causes distress worldwide, a man in Kerala is worshipping the deadly pathogen as a Goddess and praying for the well being of frontline warriors,with his move drawing flak on social media. It said that in the last 24 hours, 6,825 people tested positive for the coronavirus, the highest number of increase in a single day so far, taking the total number of cases to 1,39,230. The number of people who have so far recovered has reached 51,735, it said. The Ministry of National Health Services said that the country's death toll due to the COVID-19 has reached 2,632 with 81 more fatalities. Pakistan has recorded its highest number of coronavirus cases in a single day with 6,825 new patients, taking the tally to 1,39,230, while more than 80 people lost their lives in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday. This is the second meeting between Shah and Kejriwal in less than a week. Today's meeting, which began at 11 am, was also attended by Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) and members of the SDMA (State Disaster Management Authority). Lockdown extension was not discussed during this meet, sources told CNN-News18. However, a comprehensive review of the prevailing situation in Delhi was held. Union Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met at the Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss the National Capital's response to coronavirus. "These railway coaches will not only increase the number of beds in Delhi by 8,000, but these coaches will also be equipped with all facilities to fight COVID-19," he said. The Centre will provide 500 railway coaches to Delhi in view of shortage of beds for COVID-19 patients, Home Minister Amit Shah announced after a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "Comprehensive house-to-house health survey will be done in Delhi's containment zones for COVID-19 contact tracing," he said, according to PTI, adding that the Narendra Modi-led government is committed to control the spread of COVID-19. Coronavirus testing in Delhi will be doubled in the next two days and be tripled in six days, Home Minister Amit Shah announced after meeting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Additionally, a committee of senior AIIMS doctors will be formed to provide correct information and guidance to small hospitals in Delhi, he added, for which a helpline number will be released tomorrow. Home Minister Amit Shah said that coronavirus testing will be conducted at all polling stations in Delhi's containment zones in a few days and Aarogya Setu app will be downloaded in the phones of the area's residents. "The government of India has fully assured the government of Delhi of the availability of necessary resources, like oxygen cylinders, ventilators, pulse oximeters and all other requirements to fight this epidemic," Shah said. "For the treatment of COVID-19 in private hospitals in Delhi, a committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Paul (of Niti Aayog) to provide 60% of the COVID beds in private hospitals at a low rate, to fix corona treatment & COVID testing which will submit its report by tomorrow," said Home Minister Amit Shah after meeting with Arvind Kejriwal. Moreover, new guidelines will ensure that people conducting the last rites will not have to wait for long periods. A committee will be formed to ensure that in private hospitals treating coronavirus patients in Delhi, 60% of the beds are charged at a low rate and to also ascertain the cost of COVID-19 treatment and testing. Moreover, scout guides, NCC and NSS cadets and members of other voluntary organisations will be asked to volunteer for health services during the pandemic. To help Delhi fight the spike in coronavirus cases, five senior officers of the government of India will assist the Delhi government, Home Minister Amit Shah announced. "Extremely productive meeting between the Delhi govt and Central govt. Many key decisions taken. We will fight against corona together," Kejriwal tweeted after the meeting. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the Centre and the Delhi government will fight COVID-19 together in the national capital, which has witnessed a spurt in coronavirus cases. The chief minister said a high-level meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the COVID-19 situation in Delhi was "extremely productive". Himachal Pradesh on Sunday reported six new COVID-19 positive cases, taking the total number of positive cases to 508, according to the state health department, reports ANI Forty-five more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura, taking the tally in the northeastern state to 1,046 on Sunday, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said. Sepahijala district reported 44 new cases, while West Tripura one. All the new patients have travel history outside the state, he said. Of the 18 who tested positive in the last 24 hours, 13 were admitted to the Indira Gandhi Government Medical college hospital at nearby Kadirkamam, three to the centrally administered JIPMER here and two at Karaikal and Mahe, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services S Mohan Kumar said. There are presently 99 active cases in the hospitals. Eighteen more COVID-19 cases in Puducherry took the tally of infections to 194 on Sunday, while fatalities remained at four with no fresh deaths being reported. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal inspects the Radha Soami Satsang Beas campus in Chhattarpur, where the government plans to set up 10,000 beds. The chief minister had a telephonic conversation with Sriperumbudur legislator K Palani, who was admitted to a private hospital in the city, an official release here said. Palaniswami told his junior colleague that he has asked state Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar to ensure all necessary medical assistance to him. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday spoke to a party MLA admitted to a private hospital with COVID-19 and assured him of all necessary medical assistance. The standard operating procedures (SOPs) introduced by the Pramod Sawant government recently had laid down that people could skip coronavirus testing on arrival if they agree to stay in home quarantine for 14 days. The Goa government may re-introduce screening for all people arriving in the state by trains in view of the rise in COVID-19 cases, state health minister Vishwajit Rane said on Sunday. Out of total cases in Kashmir, 1881 have recovered from the infection and there are 1,813 active cases. The Kashmir valley recorded 3,743 cases and 49 deaths, as of Saturday evening. Srinagar leads the list of deaths of COVID-19 patients with 13 fatalities, followed by 10 in Baramulla, eight in Kulgam, five each in Anantnag and Shopian, three in Kupwara, two each in Budgam and Pulwama and one in Bandipora district. The Jammu region had recorded 1,135 coronavirus cases till Saturday evening, of which six people -- three in Jammu district and one each in Udhampur, Doda and Rajouri -- died, while 388 others have recovered from the infection. A 69-year-old coronavirus positive man died at a hospital in Jammu on Sunday, taking the death toll to seven in the Jammu region and to 56 in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The new infections have taken the tally to 3,943, out of which 2,127 are active cases, Sarma added. Fourteen of the new cases were from Nagaon district, followed by 10 each in Golaghat and Kamrup, two each in Jorhat, Baksa and Chirang, and one each in Karbi Anglong, Dhemaji and Bongaigaon, Sarma tweeted. The novel coronavirus cases in Assam inched towards the 4,000 mark on Sunday with 43 more people testing positive for the infection, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The Johns Hopkins University, which has been compiling COVID-19 data from all over the world, put India in the ninth position in terms of death toll and fourth in terms of total caseload. With 9,195 fatalities till Sunday, India is the ninth worst-hit nation in terms of COVID-19 deaths while the highest spike of 11,929 cases took the tally to over 3.20 lakh of which over half have recovered from the disease. According to the Union health ministry data, the country recorded 311 new deaths in the 24-hour period till Sunday morning while the recovery rate rose to above 50 per cent with 1,62,378 patients cured so far, leaving 1,49,348 cases active. A total of 8,049 COVID-19 patients have been cured till Sunday 8 am taking the recovery rate to 50.60 percent, the health ministry said. The association has said in its application that healthcare workers are "at the frontline of the COVID-19 outbreak response" and are exposed to hazards, including long working hours and psychological distress, that put them at risk of infection. "The health and safety (physical/mental) of healthcare workers are of utmost importance because any further shortage of health care workers would result in thousands of unattended COVID-19 patients, which will have serious repercussions including escalation of the present situation and resultant impact on the economy, medical facilities, potential deaths and loss of human resource," the application said. A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court raising concern over the safety of healthcare workers, including nurses and paramedical staffs, and has sought directions to authorities to provide proper protection kits to those working in COVID-19 wards or in close proximity of patients suspected to be infected with the deadly virus.The application, filed by United Nurses Association, has sought permission to intervene in the matter relating to the treatment of COVID-19 patients and dignified handling of dead bodies in the hospitals in which the apex court has taken cognisance on its own. With 3,390 new cases, Maharashtra's COVID-19 count jumps to 1,07,958; fatalities rise by 120 to 3,950, reports PTI. 2,224 fresh COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths were reported in Delhi today. Total number of cases in the National Capital is now at 41,182, including 15,823 recovered/discharged/migrated, 24,032 active cases and 1327 deaths, reports ANI quoting the state health department. 1,395 new coronavirus cases and 79 deaths were recorded in Mumbai today taking the total number of cases to 58,135, and toll to 2,190 deaths, reports ANI quoting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Nearly 27,000 patients have been discharged till date and the recovery rate is now 45 percent, said the civic body in its evening update. 23 journalists were found to have contracted the coronavirus infection in Telangana today. So, far 60 journalists have contracted the disease and one of them died, ANI quotes the Telangana Health Minister's Office as saying. Four more personnel of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) tested positive for the coronavirus infection in the last 24 hours. There are total 33 active cases while 195 have recovered till date: ITBP According to news agency PTI, the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) had also written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressing opposition to the city government's decision to declare small and medium multi-speciality nursing homes as "COVID nursing homes". Kejriwal on Sunday said the bed strength in the National Capital for treating coronavirus patients will increase by 5,000 due to the decision. Small and medium multi-speciality nursing homes in the city having 10 to 49 beds have been declared as "COVID nursing homes" by the Delhi government to increase the bed capacity for coronavirus patients, according to an official order issued on Saturday. Only standalone exclusive eye centres, ENT centres, dialysis centres, maternity homes and IVF centres are presently exempted, the order said. Delhi government withdraws its order declaring all nursing homes having bed strength between 10 beds to 49 beds as COVID-19 nursing homes, reports ANI. hours, the state health department said. Twelve more patients succumbed to the infection in the state, which pushed the death toll to 459, it said. The COVID-19 case count in Madhya Pradesh reached 10,802 on Sunday after 161 fresh cases, including 50 in capital Bhopal, were reported in the last 24 Today it was very painful for us to announce a triple digit statistic... this virus is unpredictable and shifting, Health Ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari said on state TV. Iran recorded 107 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 8,837. The total number of cases in the country has reached 187,427, reports Reuters. The number of daily deaths from the new coronavirus pandemic topped 100 for the first time in two months, said the news agency. 37 cases of #COVID19 reported in Jharkhand today, taking the total number of cases to 1761 including 905 recoveries and 9 deaths: Jharkhand Health Department pic.twitter.com/qhDMW01Qa4 The COVID-19 infection count reached 6,475 in Bihar on Sunday when 186 fresh cases were reported, while the toll reached 36 on account of a casualty reported from Vaishali district, officials said. The state health department, however, could not provide details of the latest fatality from Vaishali which had earlier reported two coronavirus deaths and become the third district after Khagaria and Begusarai to have reported three deaths each. The Railways will not run trains from Anand Vihar from Monday and the platforms will be reserved for isolation coaches the Centre will provide to Delhi to overcome the shortage of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, sources told PTI. All five trains, which operated from Anand Vihar, will now run from Old Delhi station till further orders, the sources said on Sunday. The Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh has tested positive for COVID-19, a senior official said on Sunday. District Surveillance Officer Ranjan Gautam said, "In the report received on Sunday evening, 10 persons have tested COVID-19 positive, including the Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime)." The Western and Central Railways have decided to start local train services in Mumbai for essential services staff identified by the state government from Monday. While the Western Railways will run 60 pairs of train, the Central Railways will operate 100 pairs. Entry at stations will be given only on the basis of ID cards. General public will not be allowed to travel on these trains. Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: The COVID-19 infection count reached 6,475 in Bihar on Sunday when 186 fresh cases were reported, while the toll reached 36 on account of a casualty reported from Vaishali district, officials said. The Delhi government on Sunday withdrew its decision to declare small and medium multi-speciality nursing homes as "COVID nursing homes". Meanwhile in Telangana, 23 journalists have tested positive for the viral infection, said the state health minister's office. The Telangana government on Sunday said it will conduct COVID-19 tests on 50,000 people in 30 assembly segments in the state capital and four adjoining districts which are witnessing a spike in new cases in a bid to contain the spread. The Railways has deployed 204 isolation coaches in four states, including 54 at Delhi's Shakurbasti railway station maintenance depot, officials said, adding that the number in the capital will be scaled up to 500 in the coming days. Maharashtra on Sunday reported 3,390 new COVID-19 cases and 120 deaths, taking the overall count to 1,07,958 and fatalities to 3,950. According to a bulletin issued by the West Bengal health department, 5,060 patients have been discharged till date and the discharge rate stands at 45.63 percent. West Bengal registered an increase of 389 new infections and 12 fatalities till 9 am on Sunday, pushing the case count to 11, 087 and toll to 475. 1,974 new cases of the coronavirus infection and 38 deaths were reported in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 44,661, including 19,676 active cases, 24,547 discharged and 435 deaths. According to the Union health ministry data, the country recorded 311 new deaths in the 24-hour period till Sunday morning while the recovery rate rose to above 50 percent with 1,62,378 patients cured so far, leaving 1,49,348 cases active. Home Minister Amit Shah calls meeting of all political parties of Delhi on Monday to review Covid-19 situation in capital. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday held a meeting with top functionaries of Delhi's three municipal bodies along with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to take stock of the COVID-19 situation in the national capital. Five more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Nagaland on Sunday, taking the total number of infections in the state to 168, Health and Family Welfare Minister S Pangnyu said. 499 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of active cases to 4,948. A total of 8,268 people (60.72 percent) have recovered while 399 others lost their lives due to the disease, ANI quotes Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad as saying. Home Minister Amit Shah has directed immediate transfer of four IAS officers - Awanish Kumar and Monica Priyadarshini from Andaman and Nicobar, and Gaurav Singh Rajawat and Vikram Singh Mallik from Arunachal Pradesh to New Delhi to assist in the management of COVID-19, says MHA. For the treatment of COVID-19 in private hospitals in Delhi, a committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Paul to provide 60% of the COVID beds in private hospitals at a low rate, to fix corona treatment & COVID testing which will submit its report by tomorrow, said Home Minister Amit Shah after meeting with Arvind Kejriwal. Home Minister Amit Shah said that coronavirus testing will be conducted at all polling stations in Delhi's containment zones in a few days and Aarogya Setu app will be downloaded in the phones of the area's residents. The Centre will provide 500 railway coaches to Delhi in view of shortage of beds for COVID-19 patients, Home Minister Amit Shah announced after a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Coronavirus testing in Delhi will be doubled in the next two days and be tripled in six days, Amit Shah added. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that 56,58,614 samples were tested for COVID-19 in the country till 9.00 am today. Of these, 1,51,432 were tested in the last 24 hours. Rajasthan reports 131 new COVID-19 cases and 4 deaths till 10:30 am today, taking the total number of positive cases and deaths to 12,532 and 286 respectively, according to the latest update from the state health department. The AAP-led Delhi government on Sunday said that orders are given to set up 20,000 new COVID-19 beds in the national capital in the next one week. Hotels to have 4000 beds, banquets halls to have 11000 beds and nursing homes to have 5000 beds, said that Delhi Government, reports ANI. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a meeting with Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others on Sunday to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the National Capital. The meeting comes in the wake of rising coronavirus cases in Delhi. The tally has reached 36,000 and more than 1,200 people have died due to the virus in the city. With 1.04 lakh COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of infections, followed by Tamil Nadu (42,687), Delhi (38,958) and Gujarat (23,038). India reports 11,929 new cases, the highest single-day spike, including 311 more fatalities. The total number of cases has now gone up to 3,20,922, and the toll is at 9,195. The reported active COVID-19 cases in India now stand at 1,49,348 with as many as 1,62,378 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged so far. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to hold a meeting with Delhi LG Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and members of State Disaster Management Authority to review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 on Sunday at 11 am. The total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 77.6 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University CSSE. This figure includes COVID-19 patients who have recovered and the overall global death toll which stands at 4.2 lakh. India surged past three lakh COVID-19 cases on Saturday with the country recording the biggest daily jump of 11,458 new infections. According to figures released by the Union Ministry of Health And Family Welfare at its 8 am briefing, the nationwide tally stood at 3,08,993 while the number of deaths reached 8,884 with 386 fatalities reported in 24 hours. India took 64 days to cross one lakh cases from 100 infections, then in another fortnight it crossed two lakh cases while it surged past three lakh cases in just 10 days, according to news agency PTI. According to coronavirus statistics website Worldometer, India is currently the fourth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic. It had surpassed the United Kingdom on Thursday. In the meantime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting of the COVID-19 situation and response with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, top bureaucrats and representatives of Empowered Groups. The meet focussed on augmenting testing as well as the number of beds and services to effectively handle the peak surge of daily cases, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office. Delhi surpasses Maharashtra in daily deaths for first time According to the health ministry, of the 386 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours (till 8 am Saturday), Delhi accounted for the highest 129 fatalities followed by Maharashtra 127. The virus is moving rapidly in Delhi, which for the first time reported over 2,000 cases on Friday, and Maharashtra, where the number of cases has crossed one lakh. Gujarat reported 30 deaths, Uttar Pradesh 20, Tamil Nadu 18, West Bengal, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh nine each, Karnataka and Rajasthan seven each, Haryana and Uttarakhand six each, Punjab four, Assam two, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha one each. Of the total 8,884 deaths, Maharashtra as per the health ministry figures, accounts for 3,717 fatalities followed by Gujarat with 1,415, Delhi with 1,214, West Bengal with 451, Madhya Pradesh with 440, Tamil Nadu with 367, Uttar Pradesh with 365, Rajasthan with 272 and Telangana with 174 deaths. Maharashtra has also reported the maximum number of cases at 1,01,141 followed by Tamil Nadu (40,698), Delhi (36,824), Gujarat (22,527), Uttar Pradesh (12,616), Rajasthan (12,068) and Madhya Pradesh (10,443). The ministry said 7,984 cases are being reassigned to states and "our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR". State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added. Loss of smell and taste among symptoms; HCQ not to be used in severe cases Later in the day, the health ministry released the revised clinical management protocols in which it said that loss of smell (anosmia) and loss of taste (ageusia) have also been reported as symptoms of the novel coronavirus infection. Backtracking from its earlier stance, the ministry said that the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) should be used in the early course of the disease to achieve any meaningful effect and should be avoided in severe cases. In the new set of protocols, the ministry has removed its earlier recommendation of using hydroxychloroquine in combination with azithromycin in severe cases and requiring ICU management. It also recommended the use of anti-viral drug remdesivir under emergency use authorisation, and off-label application of immunomodulator tocilizumab and convalescent plasma therapy for treating COVID-19 patients in moderate stage of criticality. New cases reported in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu Meanwhile, many states and Union Territories including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tripura reported an increase in COVID-19 cases. Tamil Nadu reported 30 COVID-19 deaths that occurred on various dates recently together on Saturday pushing the toll to 397 while the state recorded 1,989 fresh cases, propelling the infection count to 42,687 in Tamil Nadu and 30,444 in the state capital Chennai. State health minister C Vijayabaskar announced that 2,000 more nurses have been appointed to cater to requirements in state-run hospitals in Chennai and nearby districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengelpet. Also, he said that as many as 81 rapid response mobile medical teams have been deployed in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengelpet and Kanchpeepuram districts today in addition to the 173 mobile health teams already on the job in the Greater Chennai Corporation areas. In Andhra Pradesh, the COVID-19 graph climbed further up to 5,676 as 222 new cases were added while fatalities increased by two to 82. In the last 24 hours, 94 coronavirus patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the cumulative to 3,185. Sources told PTI that two more employees in the state Secretariat tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours even as the Andhra Pradesh government issued a directive to its staff and officers not to move out of the state, including Hyderabad, where most of the employees families are located. In Kerala, four health workers were among the 85 people who tested positive for COVID-19, taking the infection count to 2,406. The active cases in the state touched 1,342 while 1,045 people have recovered from the infection, including 46, who were discharged today. Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, recorded 3,427 new cases and 113 deaths. With this, the total number of cases soared to 1,04,568 and toll rose to 3,830 reported ANI quoting the state health department. Amidst the rising cases, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said that the government has reduced the rates of the COVID-19 tests conducted by private laboratories from Rs 4,500 to Rs 2,200. "Rs 2,200 will be charged for collecting the swabs through viral transport media (VTM) from hospitals, while it would cost Rs 2,800 for collection of swab from home. Earlier, the charges were Rs 4,500 and Rs 5,200 respectively," he said. In Mumbai, four policemen succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, the worst in terms of single-day toll for any unit of the force in Maharashtra since the outbreak began. So far, 25 personnel and one officer of Mumbai Police have died of COVID-19, while several hundred are undergoing treatment for the infection at various hospitals, an official told PTI. Odisha on Saturday reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases after 225 people tested positive for the disease, taking the state's infection count to 3,723, a health department official said. Of the fresh cases, 196 were reported from various quarantine centres where people returning from other states were lodged, while 29 others were detected through contact-tracing exercises, he said. Punjab's case count rose to 3,063 as the state reported 77 new infections and two deaths on Saturday. Sixty-five persons have died due to the viral infection in the state so far, of which 19 deaths were reported since 1 June, according to news agency PTI. In the meantime, the COVID-19 case count in Tripura crossed the 1000-mark as 37 people tested positive for the infection on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 1,001. Out of 210 samples tested for #COVID19, 37 Cases found #POSITIVE. All of them have travel history. The count includes : Sepahijala Dist : 34 Gomati Dist : 03#TripuraCOVID19Count Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) June 13, 2020 In Assam, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the health department will conduct 50,000 random tests in Guwahati city, which has reported 176 cases till date. Of these, 25 patients have no travel history, he said. The state government may consider re-imposing a lockdown in the city if a sizeable number of new cases are detected, he said. Two-thirds of total infections from five states Amidst the rising cases in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic with senior ministers and top bureaucrats. He took stock of the pandemic situation in different states and Union Territories, including Delhi, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. Reviewed the COVID-19 situation across the nation during a high level meeting. We also reviewed the roadmap ahead, and steps to contain the pandemic in the parts where most cases are coming from. https://t.co/xqW6RszF21 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2020 During the meet, it was observed that two-thirds of India's COVID-19 infection load are in five states with an overwhelming proportion of cases in big cities, the statement said. "In view of the challenges being faced, particularly by the large cities, it was discussed to augment testing as well as the number of beds and services to effectively handle the peak surge of daily cases," added the statement. "The present and emerging scenario of the COVID-19 disease in the capital" was also discussed and the projections for next two months was deliberated, the statement said. Modi suggested that the home minister and the health minister convene an emergency meeting with the Lt Governor and the Chief Minister of Delhi, along with senior officials of the central and the NCT governments as also officials of municipal corporations of Delhi, to plan a "coordinated and comprehensive response" to the pandemic. The meets suggested by the prime minister are scheduled to take place on Sunday. With inputs from agencies Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Law enforcement agencies should have had a voice at the table before the federal Justice in Policing Act was drafted, the head of Albuquerques police union said. I hope it fails, Albuquerque Police Officers Association President Shaun Willoughby told the Journal. He said many police departments arent adequately funded to comply with many of the requirements the act would mandate into law. Willoughby also feels the legislation paints the law enforcement officers in a negative light that will make it hard to recruit quality personnel. He said agencies such as the Albuquerque Police Department should not be compared to what happened in Minneapolis, where George Floyd died after his arrest by police. That was horrible and something like that should never happen, he said. He said officers in the Albuquerque police department are dedicated and working their tails off to try to balance an out-of-control crime rate with being significantly understaffed. Willoughby said he didnt have problems with some of the provisions, such as additional training and the requirement of body cameras, which he said APD already has. But such requirements would require extra funding funding that many departments dont have at a time when some are calling for the defunding the police. Im a huge proponent of additional training for police, Willoughby said. But he said many departments are dealing with a manpower shortage when officers take time off for training. Albuquerques not afraid of lapel cameras, he said. Weve been using them for years. Thats the way society is going. But he said the cameras and data storage were expensive for departments. One of the provisions he is most disturbed by is the elimination of qualified immunity, which would open officers up for lawsuits in cases of police misconduct. We live in a suit-happy world, he said. If youre going to get rid of qualified immunity, youre going to have to pay officers triple what youre paying them now because theyre going to have to pay for their own liability insurance. That is going to make it hard to recruit quality officers. Willoughby said he does not have a problem with a national registry that would prevent law enforcement agencies from hiring problematic officers. But Im opposed to having personnel information available to the public, he said. It should be used within the law enforcement community. Weve all seen it, Willoughby added. When something bad happens and people jump to the conclusion that the police officer has done something wrong, he, his whole family, including his kids, his house, his whole life, is dragged through the mud. He also said Albuquerque and New Mexico already have a system in place that helps prevent the transfer of problematic officers to other agencies. The chiefs of police will send disciplinary information to the law enforcement academy board, which will then determine if that law enforcement officer is deserving to keep their law enforcement certificate, he said. Willoughby said many people dont realize that APD is already working on reform and is making strides that the public doesnt see. He called the department one of the most scrutinized in the country. I dont think a lot of folks in our community know what weve actually done, he said. They dont know that weve had civilian oversight since 1984. They dont know that our SWAT team and our mental health program have been operationally compliant, meeting standards for more than two years. He said the department is making progress in how we analyze force and how were using force and that there is accountability set up within our policies. The Ukrainian delegation made a one-day working visit to France on Friday, June 12. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Office says the delegation, which included Ukraine's top officials, tested negative for coronavirus (COVID-19) upon return from France. Read alsoUkraine's president to self-isolate after First Lady tests positive for COVID-19 "After returning from France, the Ukrainian delegation underwent PCR testing [with the use of polymerase chain reaction method] for coronavirus infection. Representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine and members of the Cabinet of Ministers tested negative, that is COVID-19 was not detected," the press service of the President's Office said on June 13. As reported, the Ukrainian delegation made a one-day working visit to the French Republic on Friday, June 12. The delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, one of Ukraine's envoys to the Trilateral Contact Group for the Donbas settlement in Minsk Oleksiy Reznikov. It also included Head of Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak, Defense Minister Andriy Taran, Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Zhovkva, and Adviser to the President of Ukraine Ruslan Demchenko. "The President's Office adheres to all security measures: regular temperature screening is carried out, face masks and social distancing are mandatory. All employees are regularly tested [for coronavirus]," the report said. As UNIAN reported earlier, on June 12, it became known that First Lady Olena Zelenska tested positive for the coronavirus. She feels well and has no COVID-19 symptoms. In this regard, President Zelensky has limited meetings. He is staying in partial quarantine. The entire situation along our border with China is under control and there have been significant disengagements from both sides in the area near Galwan river in Ladakh, said Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Saturday in Dehradun. General Naravane made the statement while interacting with media persons at the Passing Out Parade (POP) of Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun where he attended the ceremonial event as a reviewing officer of the POP. I would like to assure everyone that the entire situation with our border with China is under control, said General Naravane. Also read: As Nepal preps to vote on new map, a hint about Indias stance from Army chief He said, We are having a series of talks which started on June 6 followed up by a number of meetings at the local level between commanders of equivalent ranks. As a result of this, a lot of disengagements have taken place in the region and we are hopeful that through this continued dialogues, the perceived differences between us would be put to rest. On the standoff majorly in the Galwan river area and Pangong Tso lake between India Army and Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, he said, Both sides are disengaging in a phased manner starting from the north in the Galwan river area where a lot of disengagements have happened. We have a fruitful dialogue which will continue and the situation will keep improving as we go on. He, however, didnt say anything on the standoff at Pangong Lake area. On the recent border issues at the Nepal border, General Naravane said, As far as Nepal is concerned, we have a very strong relationship with them including strong people-to-people connect, geographical, cultural and historical linkages. Our relation with them has always been strong and will always be strong. He also spoke on the recent anti-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir in the last few days. We had a lot of success in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir where in the last 10 days, at least 15 terrorists have been killed. All these operations happened with inputs from locals which shows that they are also fed up with this terrorism and militancy, and want the situation to get normal as soon as possible, he said. Earlier during the POP, total 424 Gentleman Cadets (GC)s passed out as army officers. The GCs include 333 from India and 90 from friendly foreign countries. Amid Covid-19 pandemic, this time the academy implemented certain precautionary measures including wearing of facemasks by the GCs and maintaining extra distance during the parade. Also, considering the health safety of the GCs and IMA staffers, the family members of the GCs were not allowed to witness their wards passing out as army officers, which happened for the first time in the history of the IMA. MidMichigan Medical Centers in Clare, Gratiot and Mt. Pleasant were recently recognized by Professional Research Consultants, Inc. (PRC) for outstanding patient experience results. MidMichigan Medical Center Clare received an Award of Distinction for its Emergency Department efforts, and MidMichigan Medical Centers in Gratiot and Mt. Pleasant were recognized as 5-Star Performers for their Emergency Departments performance. MidMichigan Medical Centers in Alpena, Gladwin, Midland and West Branch also received national recognition from PRC, as did MidMichigan Health as a health system. The Excellence in Healthcare Awards recognize organizations and individuals who achieve excellence throughout the year by improving patient experiences, health care employee engagement and/or physician alignment and engagement based on surveys of their patients, employees and physicians. People only come to an emergency department unexpectedly and in great distress. Our staff, providers and volunteers have made a dedicated effort to providing excellent patient care especially at these scary and stressful times, said Marita Hattem-Schiffman, president, MidMichigan Medical Centers in Clare, Gratiot and Mt. Pleasant. Its wonderful to see those efforts being nationally recognized by PRC. We will continue to strive to ensure each patient we see has a top-quality experience with us. It is an honor to recognize MidMichigan Medical Centers in Clare, Gratiot and Mt. Pleasant with these Excellence in Healthcare Awards for their deserving work, said Joe M. Inguanzo, Ph.D., president and CEO of PRC. It takes true dedication and determination to achieve this level of excellence in healthcare and the Medical Center has shown their commitment to making their hospital a better place to work, a better place to practice medicine and a better place for patients to be treated. Those who would like to learn more about the 2020 Excellence in Healthcare Awards, including eligibility and criteria, may visit www.PRCCustomResearch.com. About PRC Professional Research Consultants, Inc. (PRC) is a national healthcare market research company. For nearly 40 years, PRC has facilitated millions of interviews, delivered insightful reports and provided customized research solutions to hospitals and health care organizations. Services measure community perceptions, brand positions, patients experience, physician alignment and engagement and employee engagement. PRC is also a certified vendor for government mandated CAHPS surveys and has partnered with more than 400 communities across the U.S. to conduct Community Health Needs Assessments. About MidMichigan Health MidMichigan Health is a non-profit health system headquartered in Midland, Michigan, affiliated with Michigan Medicine, the health care division of the University of Michigan. MidMichigan Health covers a 23-county region with medical centers in Midland, Alpena, Alma, Clare, Gladwin, Mt. Pleasant and West Branch. In addition to its Medical Centers, MidMichigan Health also offers both home health care and physician services, and has a strong commitment to medical education. MidMichigan Physicians Group provides urgent care and medical offices in more than 30 specialties and subspecialties including cardiology, hematology/ oncology, orthopedics, vascular surgery, family medicine and more. The MidMichigan Health Foundation supports patients and families served by MidMichigan Health by raising funds for equipment, services and programs. Currently, MidMichigan has more than 8,700 employees, volunteers, physicians and other personnel, and provided more than $90 million in community benefits in fiscal year 2019. Some 600 kilos (1,320lb) of cannabis has been found hidden in a lorry that was supposed to be packed with crates of parsley. Border Force officers inspecting the Spanish-registered vehicle discovered about 3million of the drug at the port of Dover earlier this week. A Spanish man was arrested and the National Crime Agency is now investigating. Border Force officers were stunned when they found 3million worth of cannabis (pictured) in a lorry at the port of Dover The lorry was supposedly meant to be carrying parsley. A Spanish man was arrested with the National Crime Agency investigating the incident He was later released under investigation while NCA inquiries continue. Chris Philp, minister for immigration compliance and the courts, said: 'The professionalism and vigilance of Border Force officers has prevented a significant quantity of illegal drugs entering the UK and ending up on our streets. 'Working with the National Crime Agency and other law enforcement partners, we will continue to tackle drug smuggling and bring those responsible to justice.' In a move applauded by President Donald Trump's conservative religious base, his administration on Friday finalized a rule that overturns Obama-era protections for transgender people against sex discrimination in health care. The Department of Health and Human Services said it will enforce sex discrimination protections according to the plain meaning of the word sex' as male or female and as determined by biology. This rewrites an Obama-era regulation that sought a broader understanding shaped by a person's internal sense of being male, female, neither or a combination. LGBTQ groups say explicit protections are needed for people seeking sex-reassignment treatment, and even for transgender people who need care for common illnesses such as diabetes or heart problems. But conservatives say the Obama administration exceeded its legal authority in broadly interpreting gender. The reversal comes in the middle of LGBTQ Pride Month. Activists and Democratic lawmakers noted that Friday was also the four-year anniversary of the mass shooting at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in which 49 people were killed. Behind the dispute over legal rights is a medically recognized condition called gender dysphoria discomfort or distress caused by a discrepancy between the gender that a person identifies as and the gender at birth. Consequences can include severe depression. Treatment can range from sex-reassignment surgery and hormones to people changing their outward appearance by adopting a different hairstyle or clothing. Many social conservatives disagree with the concept. Under the old Obama rule, medical professionals could have been forced to facilitate gender reassignment surgeries and abortions even if they believed this was a violation of their conscience or believed it harmful to the patient, said Mary Beth Waddell of the religious conservative Family Research Council. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, Religious freedom is no justification for hatred or bigotry, and every American has the right to seek and receive care without intimidation or fear. The American Medical Association strongly criticized the Trump administration's action. The federal government should never make it more difficult for individuals to access health care during a pandemic or any other time," said Dr. Susan Bailey, the group's president. Under the Obama-era rule, a hospital could be required to perform gender-transition procedures such as hysterectomies if the facility provided that kind of treatment for other medical conditions. The rule was meant to carry out the anti-discrimination section of the Affordable Care Act, which bars sex discrimination in health care but does not use the term gender identity. Women's groups say the new regulations also undermine access to abortion, which is a legal medical procedure. No one should fear being turned away by a medical provider because of who they are or the personal health decisions they have made, said Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Womens Law Center. The ACLU says it has already moved to try to prevent the rollback of protections for transgender people. The LGBTQ civil rights group Lambda Legal said it will sue. More than 1.5 million Americans identify as transgender, according to the Williams Institute, a think tank focusing on LGBT policy at the UCLA School of Law. A bigger number 4.5% of the population identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to Gallup. Roger Severino, head of the HHS unit that enforces civil rights laws, said transgender people continue to be protected by other statutes that bar discrimination in health care on account of race, color, national origin, age, disability and other factors. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and according to the law, said Severino. "Our dedication to our civil rights laws is as strong as ever. He cited recent actions to safeguard access to treatment for disabled people in the coronavirus pandemic. For the Trump administration it's the latest in a series of steps to revoke newly won protections for LGBTQ people in areas ranging from the military to housing and education. The administration also has moved to restrict military service by transgender men and women, proposed allowing certain homeless shelters to take gender identity into account in offering someone a bed for the night, and concluded in a 2017 Justice Department memo that federal civil rights law does not protect transgender people from discrimination at work. The new rule would also affect the notices that millions of patients get in multiple languages about their rights to translation services. Such notices often come with insurer explanation of benefits forms. The Trump administration says the notice requirement has become a needless burden on health care providers, requiring billions of paper notices to be mailed annually at an estimated five-year cost of $2.9 billion. Police, community members and others meet near the Columbia Heights Metro Station to discuss recent shootings and other crime in the area on Jan. 20. (Matt McClain/The Post) Residents, who on Thursday toured the area with D.C. police and city leaders, say shootings have made them feel unsafe in their neighborhood. When, in Sarajevo, I covered the war in Bosnia and watched lives blown away daily by indiscriminate Serb shelling, I made the effort to cross the lines to speak to the nationalist leaders who had twisted Serbian victimhood into a license for mass murder of Bosnian Muslims. Gen. Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, both since convicted of genocide by an international court, were delirious in the belief that the Muslims were the old Ottoman Turk enemy, that the Serbs were victims not perpetrators. History, I learned, can illuminate but also blind. These men were heinous. Should I have spoken to them? I thought the quest for understanding demanded it. I dont think I was objective. My goal was to describe evil. Today, a quarter-century later, journalists inhabit a historical fault line. There is a movement in peoples minds. The ancien regime is crumbling, and when that happens there are decapitations. The shift was well captured by Wesley Lowery, a black journalist who left The Washington Post after he clashed with the papers white executive editor, Marty Baron, over The Posts social media policy and, more broadly, what constitutes journalistic integrity. Lowery, as reported by my colleague Ben Smith, tweeted in early June that: American view-from-nowhere, objectivity-obsessed, both-sides journalism is a failed experiment. We need to rebuild our industry as one that operates from a place of moral clarity. I still believe in both-sides journalism. A place of moral clarity can easily mean there is only one truth, and if you deviate from it, you are done for. The liberal idea that freedom is served by open debate, even with people holding repugnant views, is worth defending. If conformity wins, democracy dies. Lowerys tweet came in response to The Timess publication of an Op-Ed by Senator Tom Cotton calling for the deployment of troops to quell civil unrest as demonstrators took to the streets, enraged by the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer. The piece was odious; the editorial process behind it, flawed. A staff outcry ensued, driven in part by the view that the article was directly threatening, especially to African-American journalists. This led to the resignation of James Bennet, the former editorial page editor, and to the paper saying that publishing the piece was a mistake. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating after the body of 24-year-old Robert Fuller was found hanging from a tree in Palmdale. (Los Angeles Times) The discovery of a 24-year-old Black man hanging from a tree near Palmdale City Hall this week has sparked alarm in the Antelope Valley as investigators try to determine whether his death was caused by suicide or if foul play was involved. A passerby spotted the man's body at 3:39 a.m. Wednesday in the 38300 block of 9th Street East, according to authorities. Emergency personnel responded and determined that the man identified as Robert Fuller was dead, authorities said. Lt. Kelly Yagerlener of the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner's office said the death was initially reported as an apparent suicide, but a decision on the cause of death is deferred pending an investigation. A full autopsy is planned. "Investigators have been in contact with Mr. Fullers family and are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Fullers death," Palmdale officials wrote in a statement. Fuller's death has generated intense attention, especially after weeks of protests over the police killing of George Floyd. Kim Kardashian West tweeted about the case, urging people to sign a petition demanding a full investigation. Community members confronted city officials at a news briefing Friday, questioning why they were quick to label Fuller's death a suicide and asking whether he might have been the victim of homicide. The residents asked whether there were cameras around the park. The city said there were no outdoor cameras, and video recorders on a nearby traffic signal could not have captured what happened. Some of the community members detailed examples of racism in the high desert city, including confederate flags, and said officials should not be quick to dismiss it as playing a role in Fuller's death. "We have a history with nooses. We dont like ropes around our necks," said one man. "It was a message for the protest we had in Palmdale and Lancaster." City Manager J.J. Murphy acknowledged, "Maybe we should have said it was 'an alleged suicide.'" Then he added: Can I also ask that we stop talking about lynchings? Story continues The audience erupted with cries of Hell no! Capt. Ron Shaffer of the L.A. County Sheriff's Palmdale station said homicide detectives are investigating and urged members of the public to contact the homicide bureau with any information. "I have doubts about what happened," said Marisela Barajas, who lives in Palmdale. After the press conference, Barajas walked over and joined a crowd gathering at the tree where Fuller died. An American flag flew nearby. "All alone, in front of the City Hall it's more like a statement," she said. "Even if it was a suicide, that in itself is kind of a statement." Fuller's family has launched a GoFundMe page seeking help covering funeral expenses. "Words cant describe how my family is feeling. We grew up there in the Antelope Valley, we have so many friends, families that loved Robert," one wrote. Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (323) 890-5500. Related: Suicide prevention and crisis counseling resources More external forces interfere in HK's internal affairs as China becomes more determined to legislate national security laws for city: Chinese FM Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/6/12 19:23:40 FM warns UK of China's determination to pass national security law for HK China has expressed its strong dissatisfaction to the UK concerning its six-monthly report on Hong Kong, China's Foreign Ministry said, as more external forces involve themselves in Hong Kong's internal affairs, China's determination to legislate national security law for Hong Kong becomes stronger. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Friday that Hong Kong is "China's Hong Kong" and that the UK should face reality, respect China's sovereignty, security, and reunification, and stop interfering in Hong Kong's internal affairs in any way. Her comments come after the UK recently released its six-monthly report covering incidents in Hong Kong from July to December last year on Thursday, with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urging China to reconsider its plan to impose its national security law, and to "step back from the brink" and respect the city's autonomy, in the report. Hua said that ever since the social turmoil in June 2019, which was triggered by the anti-extradition bill movement, the activities of Hong Kong independence and radical separatist forces have become increasingly rampant, severely challenging the "one country, two systems" principle, with some external forces showing their support for the violent criminals, and even threatening the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, and that these forces should shoulder the blame for the serious violence in Hong Kong. "The facts show that it is reasonable and legal to have Hong Kong's national security put into law, which is both necessary and urgent," Hua said. Hua said in the last eight days, nearly 3 million Hong Kong people signed a petition to show their support for the national security law, with many well-known overseas enterprises also expressing their support in recent days. "But it is clear that there are external forces who are looking to stir up trouble. What are they so anxious about? What are they afraid of? It seems like most are worrying that they can no longer use Hong Kong improperly like they used to; that is, engaging in acts that threaten China's national security. This proves that the national security law is imperative and urgent," Hua said. Hua said it has been 23 years since Hong Kong was returned, but the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law has not yet been completed. "Given HK's current situation, it is clear that national security needs to be maintained, and the central government has both the right and the responsibility to fix it," she said. The HKSAR government on Friday expressed their opposition to a six-monthly report on the city issued by the UK, saying the report was both inaccurate and biased, suggesting that foreign governments, legislatures, and politicians should refrain from interfering in the city's internal affairs. The HKSAR government restates its firm commitment to the implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in accordance with the Basic Law. The region firmly opposes and expresses its deep regret over the report's inaccurate and biased remarks regarding the newly formed national security law and degree of autonomy enjoyed by its citizens in the HKSAR, the Hong Kong government said in a statement published on Friday. Hua said that the legal basis for implementing "one country, two systems" involves China's Constitution and the Basic Law, not the Sino-British Joint Declaration. "China has never interfered in the internal affairs of the UK, reflecting China's respect for the British government's sovereignty, and we hope that the British side will respect China's legitimate right to maintain its sovereignty, security, and unity." Hua said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address All around me, hearts are breaking. Tears are falling. What can I do? The COVID-19 numbers didnt sink in until I learned of a beloved pastor who died in New York City. Then people I know in Indianapolis and St. Louis came down with the devastating illness. All three work in the medical field, and their first-hand accounts were wrenching. Im grateful theyve all recovered. Yet Im so aware of those who have not recovered. The numbers of those who have died represent real human beings who have families deep in grief. Theyve had to miss out on last goodbyes, theyve sacrificed having normal funeral/memorial traditions, and worst of all, hugs have been rare. I cant imagine being a hospice staff person, as I was for 5 years, or a pastor, as I was for nearly 40 years, under these conditions. My heart aches for them all. Out of compassion, tempered by Montana practicality, I have embraced the limitations asked of us. If this is what it takes to control this deadly virus, I will do it. My husband realized early on that we will all need cloth masks, and we could make them to give away. Its been important to feel like were helping in some way. In addition to giving masks to Helena friends, weve mailed them to friends and family and hospitals and a reservation health clinic. As the weeks have gone by, Ive become aware of what this experience has done to peoples mental health. I hear exhaustion from friends working from home and tutoring their children as well. Those whose jobs were lost or reduced naturally face anxiety. People living alone sometimes ache with loneliness, and all of us miss being with family and friends. Everyone I know, across the country and beyond, has had ups and downs as they cope with new normals and try to get their basic needs met. Growing frustration, limited options, pent-up feelings in a way its not surprising that violence has erupted. Racism has always been with us, and now its bubbled out again, this time on camera with complicit witnesses and the world watching. Our hearts break anew. What can we do? Im trying to reach my friend Oliver, a black pastor in St. Paul. How can I be a support in such a tumultuous time? Every religion in the world teaches kindness and compassion. Quoting from the Hindu Scriptures: What sort of religion can it be without compassion? You need to show compassion to all living beings. Compassion is the root of all religious faiths. The Hebrew prophet Micah captured it so beautifully: ...what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Jesus echoed words from the Hebrew Scriptures when he challenged everyone to love your neighbor as yourself. Islams Quran advises, Those who act kindly in this world will have kindness. The Buddhist is counseled to abide in loving-kindness and avoid harm and hurt. Practitioners of every faith and those of no faith can articulate the value of compassion and kindness. Is it so hard to embody it? How about if we all take up the intention of extending kindness and compassion in whatever ways we can? Its an act of faith. Ponder and pray about the possibilities in your life. Here are a few ideas. I see wearing a mask as a simple act of kindness and compassion. It may or may not protect me, but if Im a silent carrier it will protect you from being infected by me. So I wear a three-layer cloth mask and give them away to others. Who in your world might be lonely or need a little help? Sharing books, music, or food; running errands; or just chatting might make someones day. Reach out with whatever resources you have. Get creative! Your imagination is your greatest gift. Make a sign for your window, link two friends who might become friends, send random postcards, study the lives of black leaders, stock a Little Library, participate in drive-by birthday or graduation celebrations, support local businesses, gather your family on Zoom, share old photos and memories, practice smiling with your eyes while you wear a mask... You get the idea! Brainstorm with others and see what emerges. I am convinced, and research bears this out, that in extending kindness to others we improve our own well-being. We need to be gentle and kind to our selves too. A lovely quote by L.R. Knost sums it up: Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break, and all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you. Cathy Barker is a retired minister of United Church of Christ, who leads Circle of Trust experiences: Geography of Grace and The Soul of Aging. She is among the founders of Singing Waters Montana. Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 West Point As the nation continues to grapple with its racial past, President Donald Trump urged West Point's graduating class Saturday to "never forget" the legacy of soldiers before them who fought a bloody war to "extinguish the evil of slavery. Trump's appeal to remember history came as his own relationship with the military is under strain from the unrelenting criticism he and Pentagon leaders have faced over their response to protests that erupted after George Floyd's death in Minneapolis. It also came hours after Trump made what amounted to a rare concession for him: He rescheduled a campaign rally planned for Tulsa, Okla., on June 19. The day marks the end of slavery in the U.S., and Tulsa was the scene of a fiery white-on-black attack in 1921. "What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment," Trump told more than 1,100 graduates at an unusual outdoor ceremony held during a pandemic. "When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal." In the past two weeks, Trump has yelled at Defense Secretary Mark Esper for publicly opposing his call to deploy active-duty troops to quell the protests stemming from the killing of Floyd, who was black, by a white Minneapolis police officer. Trump also shut down Esper's attempt to begin a public debate on removing the names of Confederate Army officers some of whom trained at West Point from military bases, an idea gaining momentum across the country. Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, risked Trump's ire Thursday by declaring he had made "a mistake" by accompanying Trump on a June 1 walk through Lafayette Square. It ended with the president posing with a Bible outside a boarded-up St. John's Church. Milley's comments amounted to an extraordinary expression of regret by Trump's chief military adviser, who said his appearance led to the perception of the military becoming embroiled in politics, which in his view one shared by Esper is a threat to democracy. The events have stirred debate within the military and among retired officers. More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter reminding the Class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics. The letter, published this week on Medium, also alluded to the problems Esper and Milley encountered at the White House after Floyd's death. "Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests," they wrote. "Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events. The principle of civilian control is central to the military profession. But that principle does not imply blind obedience." During the commencement ceremony, protesters denounced the president from boats and kayaks along the nearby Hudson River. Trump also used his first West Point address to remind the newly commissioned officers of the academy's history and storied generals like Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower. "It was on this soil that American patriots held the most vital fortress in our war for independence," Trump said. He said the U.S. Military Academy "gave us the men and women who fought and won a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery within one lifetime of our founding." "This is your history. This is the legacy that each of you inherits," Trump continued, adding that it was bought with American blood spilled in battle. "You must never forget it." Trump, however, was incorrect to say women had been trained at West Point for the anti-slavery fight; they were not allowed to become cadets until 1976. His remarks also overlooked numerous West Point graduates who served in the Confederate army, including Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Braxton Bragg. Some are now seeking the removal of Bragg's name from North Carolina's Fort Bragg. In the speech, Trump leaned into his "America first" brand of foreign policy without uttering the phrase, telling the Army's newest officers their job is "not to rebuild foreign nations, but to defend and defend strongly our nation from our foreign enemies." "It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never heard of." He said America is not the "policeman of the world," but warned adversaries that it will "never, ever hesitate" to act when its people are threatened. He thanked those in the military who helped the country respond to the coronavirus, once again calling it an "invisible enemy" from China. The president stressed the unity of a graduating class that came "from every race, religion, color and creed." The class also includes citizens of 11 other countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, South Korea and Tanzania. Trump highlighted bigger defense budgets under his watch but falsely said he had destroyed 100 percent of the Islamic State caliphate in the Middle East; the group still poses a threat to the U.S. Some Californians will again be able to get a manicure, a new tattoo or enjoy a massage starting late next week under new state guidance issued Friday, but studios and salons won't look the same when they do open. Workers and customers must wear face masks, adopt far more intense cleaning practices for shared reusable items like tweezers, and the services will be limited no mouth or nose tattoos or piercings for now. Most counties have been cleared to move forward, though infection rates and hospitalizations are climbing in some. The state is monitoring infection rates and hospitalizations in 11 counties. California has suffered 4,940 deaths with 80 added to the tally on Friday. There have been a total of 143,646 cases across the state as a whole but coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have been seen to be spiking. Some California counties will allow massage and tattoo parlors to reopen along with nail salons under new state guidance on Friday. Pictured, people wearing protective masks, face shields and gloves massages customers inside the Yuba Sutter Mall in Yuba City last month The uptick in cases could lead authorities to reimpose or tighten public health restrictions aimed at slowing the virus' spread, complicates efforts to reopen the U.S. economy, which has been devastated by shelter-at-home rules. More than 18 million of California's 39 million residents live in counties now on the watch list, which includes Los Angeles, Santa Clara and Fresno. When it comes to the beauty sector, the guidance on nail salons has been highly anticipated. The Professional Beauty Federation of California sued the state in May to reopen hair and nail salons. Hair salons were cleared to reopen several weeks ago. Gov. Gavin Newsom also sparked anger among some in the industry, including Vietnamese salon owners who own a majority of California's salons, when he alleged California's first case of the virus spreading in the community was linked to a nail salon. He declined to give details, citing privacy. The services can reopen starting June 19 in counties where health officials allow it. They join a long list of other businesses cleared to reopen in recent weeks, including hair restaurants, churches and movie theaters. The Professional Beauty Federation of California which represents salons ended up suing the governor last month Workers and customers will have wear face masks while the stores will have to comply with stringent cleaning practices required for shared reusable items. People wearing protective masks have their nails done in Nail Tech salon at the Yuba Sutter Mall in Yuba City, California, U.S., on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 Mark Ghaly, head of California's health and human services agency, said Friday that positive test rates and hospitalizations are remaining stable statewide and the state has hospital capacity for a surge as it moves ahead with reopening. Beyond masks, nail salon workers should consider wearing face shields or goggles to protect their eyes and wear a new pair of disposable gloves for each customer. Salons should even consider putting plastic partitions with cutouts for hands between workers and customers. Salons should also no longer display nail polish bottles on a shelf and instead ask customers to choose a color from a palette that can be disinfected. Technicians should throw away nail files, buffers and other items after each use. Fred Jones, public policy director and legal counsel for the beauty federation, said he was pleased Newsom cleared the reopening but disappointed it took so long. He said he's concerned some counties will delay. Republican Assemblyman Tyler Diep, who is Vietnamese American, led a group of lawmakers who wrote to Newsom Wednesday urging him to reopen nail salons. Diep represents Orange County, home to a large Vietnamese community, and said 80% of California's nail salons are owned by Vietnamese Americans. Due to social distancing, shoppers wear protective masks as they wait in line outside Gucci as South Coast Plaza mall in Costa Mesa reopens, requiring customers maintain a social distance 'They have patiently waited and sacrificed their own financial well-being to protect the public's health. However, they can no longer stand aside when casinos, fitness facilities, and movie theaters begin to reopen,' the letter said. Gov Gavin Newsom revealed that California's COVID-19 outbreak began at a nail salon as he described the state's latest steps to reopen its economy at a news conference on Thursday Jaime Schrabeck, a licensed manicurist and owner of Precision Nails in Carmel, said she's pleased to see the state stepping up cleaning protocols but wants more clarity about which parts of the guidance are required, not just suggested. She was not among those advocating for a faster reopening, saying it made sense that services like nail salons and massages were opening later than hair salons because they involve skin-to-skin contact. 'This is definitely a health crisis, not a beauty crisis,' she said. She suggested salons start collecting the names and phone numbers for everyone they see to assist officials in tracing their contacts if a customer tests positive for the virus. Other services cleared to open include facials, electrolysis, waxing and massage therapy. All surfaces used by customers should be cleaned with hospital-grade disinfectants. A person runs through a cloud of tear gas while being sprayed with a chemical after police dispersed a large crowd near the Foot Locker at 52nd and Chestnut streets in Philadelphia on Sunday, May 31, 2020. Read more In the tidal wave of calls for accountability, leaders across the board are being asked to explain their failures. Its time some leaders in Philly start explaining theirs. In a must-read story by several of my colleagues, the Police Departments mess of a response to early protests after the police killing of George Floyd was laid bare. A 14-year-old boy was attacked by a police dog. Tear-gas-happy cops fired at looters and peaceful protesters alike. Deployment orders were slow or unclear, which forced officers to make their own calls including laying out the red carpet for a bunch of white Fishtown cop bros who claimed to be protecting the neighborhood after curfew with bats and tire irons. There was no direction given there was no direction at all, one veteran intelligence officer told Inquirer reporters. I have never been at work and didnt know what to do. I was confused. Why? What happened? Well have to wait on Commissioner Danielle Outlaw to get back to us on that. The citys top cop declined to explain. Shes apparently ordered many after-action reports, so stay tuned? But theres this from Managing Director Brian Abernathy: I was dumbfounded by how out of touch I truly was, he said during a City Council budget hearing last week. And how I had underestimated the anger and rage and frustration of folks Im hired to serve. Its tempting to give him and so many other leaders a pat, or a pass for at least making a show of falling on their swords as the nation not only calls for police accountability but long-overdue changes to systemic injustices. The scramble to look woke is on. Apologies abound for actions not taken. From police departments to coffee shops. From restaurants to college campuses. From libraries to newsrooms. I even came across a story about accountants committing to more diversity in their field. So many versions of mea culpas and commitments to do better, its hard to keep up. Which is why silence speaks even louder than usual. And now, those who have pointed out failures for years, at huge personal and professional risk, are left to ponder the high road and trust that this time change will come. Or take another, more treacherous road, and say what more often than not needs to be said: No. Its too little, too late. And more important, if this truly is a tipping point for real change, it wont come under the same leadership. Even before Outlaw got to Philly she had been criticized as the chief of police in Portland, Ore., for her approach to protests that was both heavy-handed and dismissive. In 2018, her officers fired stun grenades at demonstrators. Later she compared protesters to schoolchildren whod lost a fight and then wail off, whine, and complain. Lets hope whatever response shes composing for her most recent failures because ultimately they are hers will be less condescending. What exactly are you waiting for, Commissioner? The city was in chaos for three days. Meanwhile, homicides and shootings are off the charts and youre doing nothing to show Philadelphians why youre still right for this job. We expected more. This city deserves more. I suppose its bad luck that she began her tenure just as the world imploded, but shes a veteran, like Abernathy, like so many leaders now tap dancing around the land mines of progress. And we simply dont have time for anyone in charge to be playing catch-up not at any institution. It cant be easy, especially for those who have grown accustomed to being in positions of power, who might even have done some good while now being slow or reluctant to acknowledge they didnt do enough. Its telling, watching leaders full of apologies and promises keeping a death grip on their power. All that effort could be better served by understanding that, leader or no, everyone has a role by stepping aside so that someone who will create change can do so. Every leader has their day. This is a new day. Movie star Dakota Fanning looked happy as can be outside her new storybook home in Los Angeles, California on Friday. The I Am Sam actress, 26, was snapped with her mother, Heather Joy Arrington, laughing up a storm while furniture was being delivered ahead of the weekend. Dakota wore a stunning gingham dress while hanging outside of her residence, in the shades of red and white. Fanning laughing: Dakota Fanning was snapped laughing up a storm while furniture was being delivered ahead of the weekend to her home in Los Angeles on Friday Fanning's dress featured an elastic empire waist, and poofy three-quarter sleeves. The garment showed off her collarbone with a straight, low bust line. Dakota's skirt hung to her mid-calf, and she sported fun and colorful Gucci trainers on her feet. To complete her look, the War Of The Worlds star wore a headband in the same pattern as her frock, and she had several bangles on one wrist. Runs in the family: Dakota wore a stunning gingham dress in the shades of red and white while hanging outside of her residence with her mother Finally, Fanning wore ovular reddish sunglasses in the afternoon sunshine. Her mother Heather, 52, wore all black. The front entrance of Dakota's abode certainly looked fit for a Hollywood princess, complete with a pretty pink front door and lush roses in white and pink in the front yard. Movie star style: Fanning's dress featured an elastic empire waist, and poofy three-quarter sleeves Recently, Dakota's younger sister Elle, also a bona fide Hollywood starlet, spoke about how this time of lockdown has in fact been a lovely time for her to slow down and have quality moments with her mom, grandma and older sibling. Elle, 22, told DuJour magazine on Monday that while she lives with her mother and grandmother in California when not filming, Dakota, who usually lives in New York, has now joined the pack. 'It's a rare occasion that we get to be together. So we're enjoying each other's company,' she said. Recently: Dakota's younger sister Elle, also a bona fide Hollywood starlet, spoke about how this time of lockdown has been a lovely time for her to have quality moments with her mom, grandma and older sibling; the Fanning sisters seen here in 2016 Slain crime lord Richie Carberry was also linked to the garage Gardai are closely monitoring the activities of a Co Meath car dealership which is suspected of being used to launder large amounts of drugs cash for one of the gangs involved in the deadly Drogheda feud. Sources say that "business is booming" at the dealership, which is run by a convicted criminal aged in his 40s. "This fella has previously served a significant jail sentence but has kept his head down in recent years," a source told the Herald. "He is not directly involved in the Drogheda feud, but some of his close associates would be criminals who were previously directing activities for the so-called anti-Maguire faction in the deadly dispute. "It is suspected that they have pumped big money into the car dealership, which has been going from strength to strength in recent months." The business, which cannot be named here for legal reasons, has not yet been raided by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). Funded Slain crime lord Richie Carberry, who was shot dead last November at his home in Bettystown, was also linked to the garage - his was one of four murders linked to the feud. "This is a place that has a lot of stock and there have been big questions asked as to how it was funded," a source said. "Hundreds of thousands of euro has been invested into it. "It is being investigated that money from serious drugs trafficking in Louth and Meath, as well as north Dublin, is being pumped into the place." The business is closely linked to a 42-year-old criminal, originally from Donaghmede, who is believed to be the link between the young Drogheda mob behind the gruesome murder of Keane Mulready-Woods (17) in January and larger crime groups in the capital. Gardai observed the 42-year-old gang boss drinking with slain Robbie Lawlor - who was the chief suspect in Keane's murder - in a Drogheda pub just days after the teenager was kidnapped and dismembered. His plush home was later raided by detectives investigating the murder after they received information that Lawlor had visited his home before and after the shocking crime. The suspected drug trafficker has been a major target for local and national garda units for running a criminal enterprise across Leinster. Car dealerships are traditionally a favourite way for Irish gangs to launder money. Dismembered Last month, the Herald revealed that one of Ireland's most prolific crime gangs invested almost 1.5m of drugs money into a legitimate high-end car dealership. In that case, 'The Family' gang employed a car dealer who was struggling with alcohol and cocaine addictions to run the business. They have been using Dublin garages to launder money for years, and three years ago the CAB raided five car dealerships linked to the gang. Online feminist newsgroups, Magdalene and Konde.co experienced a range of digital attacks in the last month. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia condemn the digital attacks and silencing of feminist voices. Magdalene revealed in a Twitter post on June 10, the newsgroups website was not accessible as a result of a series of cyberattacks in the last month. The site was the target of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, where a perpetrator maliciously overloads the server to prevent people from accessing the website. Established in September 2013, Magdalene is a bilingual news website founded by three female journalists, that publishes stories on womens rights, LGBT rights and general equality. Another newsroom, Konde.co, replied to Magdalenes tweet opening up about a similar incident on May 15. After publishing an article highlighting the allegations of sexual violence against Ibrahim Malik, a Masters student at the University of Melbourne who has now been accused by 30 women of sexual harassment, Konde.co staff lost access to the newsrooms Twitter account. The newsroom lost access only a few hours before a planned online discussion on sexual harassment on May 15. AJI said: AJI condemns the digital attacks against Magdalene.co and Konde.co. AJI added the attacks are obstructing the newsrooms efforts to inform the public about issues of gender equality and diversity. The IFJ said: The media plays an essential role, giving a voice to the voiceless. The IFJ supports Magdalene and Konde.cos right to publish information and support minority communities. The IFJ urges Indonesian authorities to intervene and protect the rights of online media. Nanci Ryder, one of Hollywoods most influential publicists, passed away from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on Thursday, June 11. She was 67 years old. A breast cancer survivor, Ryder was diagnosed with ALS in 2014 and had become a leading figure in the fight to find a cure. In the almost six years she lived with the disease, she raised $820,000 of her goal of $1 million to support the mission of The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. Nanci Ryder (Jordan Strauss / AP) The late publicist and advocate had a longstanding career for over 30 years, establishing Nanci Ryder Public Relations in 1984. Her clientele included Robert Downey Jr., Sarah Jessica Parker and Woody Harrelson. After forming Baker/Winokur/Ryder Publications with Paul Baker and Larry Winokur in 1987, she guided the careers of Mariah Carey, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Garner, Renee Zellweger, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lopez, among others. Publicist Nanci Ryder Has Died at 67 Nanci Ryder's Condolences poured in across social media, mourning the loss of the beloved Hollywood executive. Reese Witherspoon shared a slideshow of photographs throughout the years alongside Ryder, writing a touching caption about her publicist. Sometimes in life, if you are lucky, you meet someone who takes you under their wing and cares for you like a daughter, Witherspoon wrote. Nanci Ryder was that other mother to me. I met her when I was 19, and we traveled the world together promoting movies...France, Germany, UK, Australia, Brazil, Russia...so many amazing places! But I loved our talks the most. Everyday after my kids went to school, she would call me to chat about shopping, purses, vintage jewelry, and about the 'Bachelor.'' The 44-year-old actress recalls a call she received from Ryder, explaining that she was having trouble talking due to complications from ALS. Nanci lived with and fought ALS for 6 years, she continued. (My heart goes to everyone out there dealing with this devastating disease) Yesterday, my Nanci left this world. Im so sad because I miss her so much, but now I know she is Heaven chatting with all her friends about purses, jewelry and she is looking down on me... smiling. ALWAYS. I LOVE YOU, Nanci. Story continues Reese Witherspoon, Nanci Ryder (Matt Sayles / AP) Sarah Michelle Geller also shared an emotional tribute to Ryder, posting a photo from over twenty years ago to her Instagram. This is Nanci Ryder, she began the caption. I am 21 in this picture, and its my first trip to Europe. Nanci was definitely the most sophisticated person I had ever met, and took me to so many firsts on that trip (like those traditional fish and chips) Nanci also came with me and Freddie, on our first trip as a couple. But more than that, Nanci is the reason that to this day, Im surrounded by so many incredible female friends. The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star continued, adding, Nanci survived breast cancer only to be diagnosed with ALS. But till the end she fought with dignity and humor. And was a champion of fighting those battles. In your honor, I will never stop fighting. You presence will be missed Nanci, but your spirit remains with all of us. We love you. Publicist Nanci Ryder Has Died at 67 Nanci Ryder's Funeral services will be held privately due to the coronavirus and a celebration of her life will be held at a later date. As of early June, more than 4,200 residents of Pennsylvanias long-term-care facilities have died from the coronavirus, nearly 70% of all the deaths attributed to the disease in the state. Read more Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/Patriot-News. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG In the fall of 2016, Karen Murphy, then secretary of Pennsylvanias Department of Health, pledged to reform how the state oversees its nursing homes. The auditor general, Eugene DePasquale, had identified serious problems in the states conduct: outdated regulations, dangerously low staffing requirements for nurses, and overarching issues with weak and inconsistent inspections. Some of the issues had persisted for more than a decade, the audit found, and compromised the safety of elderly residents. In 2019, the auditors office followed up to see if the Department of Healths oversight had improved as promised, only to find many of the old issues had yet to be addressed. The current health secretary, Rachel Levine, said in response to the criticisms that new regulations were imminent and would fix the problems. We are facing an elder care crisis, DePasquale wrote in the 2019 audit. And we continue to ignore it at our own peril. More than a year later, and several months into a pandemic that has caused thousands of deaths in the states nursing and personal care homes, the long-promised regulations still have not been released. Not only do problems remain, but the coronavirus has likely exploited the shortcomings, fueling deadly outbreaks across the state. A Spotlight PA review found: Pennsylvanias already low minimum staffing requirements, long criticized as totally unsafe, were exacerbated by the pandemic. While some exposed or sick nurses had to stay home, others said they were asked to work even while infected, and many of those who remained said they were overwhelmed, unable to properly attend to residents, and without the protective equipment they needed. Within the Department of Health and auditor generals office, concerns persist that nursing home inspectors are not properly trained and can sometimes be too cozy with facilities. As a result, public reports might not capture the true conditions inside homes, which is especially problematic since they have been closed to visitors for several months. Since the pandemic began, state surveyors have issued only three citations none related to the coronavirus according to inspection reports made public to date. Most inspections were conducted virtually, which experts said facilities can exploit to make situations appear far better than they are. Because of COVID, the issues we found were dramatically highlighted, DePasquale told Spotlight PA in an interview. Updating the old nursing home and staffing regulations remains critical, he said, and the audits outstanding recommendations should be corrected as soon as possible. It is probably unfair to say if the regulations were updated there would have been no issue with the coronavirus, he said. But I do certainly think there would be better preparation for this. As of early June, more than 4,200 residents of Pennsylvanias long-term-care facilities have died from the coronavirus, nearly 70% of all the deaths attributed to the disease in the state. The majority, roughly 3,600 people as of Wednesday, died in nursing homes, which are overseen by the Department of Health. (Personal care homes and assisted living facilities are under the Department of Human Services jurisdiction.) Adjusted for population, Pennsylvania has the seventh-highest death rate for residents of nursing homes and the 10th-highest rate of cases, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The states response to nursing homes in crisis has been marred by false starts and misinformation. An early plan to develop quick-strike teams to assist struggling homes was abandoned, and only many weeks into the crisis was the National Guard, and later teams from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deployed in a limited fashion to help. For months, a lack of access to testing and protective equipment made it hard for nursing home staff to know the extent of the disease in a facility or take steps to prevent it from spreading. Amid this strain, the state still says it does not have consistent or complete data from long-term-care facilities about where cases or deaths have occurred, potentially obscuring the extent of outbreaks. Levine has defended her departments response and said officials prioritized nursing homes from the start. The state says it has sent more than 1,800 shipments of personal protective equipment to long-term-care facilities, increased testing resources, offered consultation services, and responded to all reported outbreaks. Yet issues with staffing, data collection, and inspection oversight seen during the crisis were all made evident by the auditor general and acknowledged as known problems by the state in 2016 and again in 2019. On June 1, hours after Spotlight PA asked the department why new regulations had not been implemented, Levine said at a news conference that doing so was a priority for the Wolf administration. We are working to update and rewrite our regulations to ensure that they protect the residents of today and tomorrow, she said. Nate Wardle, a spokesperson for the Department of Health, said new regulations are still being actively worked on. We are continuing the process to review and rewrite our nursing home regulations, he said in an email. As you know, these things take time, and the entire department is assisting in the response to COVID-19. Two decades of totally unsafe staffing requirements Even before the pandemic, Pennsylvania's low staffing requirement placed residents at higher risk, experts said. When nurses are in short supply and caregivers overtaxed, residents wait much longer for help, leading to accidents, mistakes, and neglect. Currently, the state requires homes to provide residents with only 2.7 hours of care each day, despite federal recommendations that, at a minimum, facilities should provide 4.1 hours of care. The states requirement hasnt changed since 1999, as both the 2016 and 2019 audits pointed out. The reports found the state consistently failed to exercise its authority to increase staffing levels, or to penalize homes with low staffing. The Department of Health said last year it would address staffing requirements in new regulations. But those have yet to materialize, and in March, when the coronavirus first began to spread in Pennsylvania, one of the Wolf administrations first actions was to waive existing requirements and allow homes to operate even if they fell below state staffing levels. A Spotlight PA analysis of federal data shows that COVID-19 spread at homes with high care ratings as well as those with a history of violations and fines. Cases and deaths occurred at homes with both strong and weak staffing. Still, the 50 homes with the lowest staffing hours in the state were twice as likely to have at least one coronavirus-related death than the 50 homes with the highest level of staffing hours. And of the 68 nursing homes where 20 or more residents had died as of June 8, only eight met or exceeded the federal staffing recommendation. Charlene Harrington, a professor emeritus of sociology and nursing at the University of California San Francisco, whose research focuses on nursing home care, called Pennsylvanias staffing requirement totally unsafe. We know the minimum needs to be 4.1 [hours] to prevent harm or jeopardy, so it doesnt make sense to have such a small staffing requirement, she said. It doesnt do any good at all. Provider organizations petitioned to waive staffing requirements, arguing homes should not be penalized if nurses need to quarantine, stay home because they are sick, or care for children. Zach Shamberg, CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, said the need for more nursing home staff has been a long-standing concern in the state and nationally, and when the coronavirus first took hold in Washington state, it was the first thing provider organizations there warned him about. We were going to have struggles meeting those staffing requirements, he said. We wanted to make sure facilities werent cited if in fact they dipped below the standard. Shamberg added that he believes there should not be a one-size-fits-all requirement for staffing at different facilities. If we were to go to 4.1 [nursing hours] tomorrow, every facility in the state would be out of compliance, he said. There is simply not the workforce available to meet that requirement. Rachel Werner, a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said relaxing regulations during the crisis could have an impact on the care that was being delivered, but we are balancing risks here. The trade-off was, had they not been relaxed, other things would be worse, Werner said. Fundamentally, the elder care system is poorly set up, she said, and current Medicare and Medicaid funding systems are an inadequate way to pay for the levels of nursing care needed in institutional settings. But other experts argued that, having already failed to improve known issues with staffing, the state further abdicated its responsibilities to keep nursing home residents safe by waiving existing requirements during the pandemic. Had the state required at least minimum staffing, Harrington and other experts said, facilities would have had more impetus to find enough employees to provide the care residents needed. Harrington said the state should have told the nursing homes they have to have more staff, bring in more staff, to deal with the virus. Basically, they just gave the nursing home free rein to do whatever they want. Old questions about inspection quality take on new life In March, the state halted routine inspections of nursing homes, except in situations of immediate jeopardy. This was part of a federal recommendation, though the state could have chosen to supersede it. Between mid-March and the end of May, the state conducted 851 inspections, specifically focused on how facilities dealt with infection control issues. The majority, however, were done virtually. Just 50 involved a state surveyor visiting a home in-person. Remote surveys allow our surveyors to do everything they would on site, except for be in the building, Wardle, a Health Department spokesperson, said. They can conduct interviews, review documents, speak to anyone they need to, etc. But elder care advocates and ombudsmen say remote inspections are a dangerous practice that leaves facilities ample space to assure regulators there are no problems over the phone, and avoid citations and fines. According to inspections made public since the virus took root in the state, regulators have rarely reported any problems. At least 33 inspections were triggered specifically in response to complaints about the coronavirus, but the state said it found no problems at these homes, more than 60% of which have seen resident deaths. This includes an April inspection at ManorCare Health Services Chambersburg in Franklin County, which has reported 14 resident deaths to the state. In Lehigh County, the state found no problems at CedarBrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation, where 37 people have died, nor at Lehigh Center, where there have been 24 deaths. At homes in Berks and Montgomery Counties, the state also found no problems even though more than 20 deaths occurred at each facility. Higher quality and lower quality facilities can have cases and death, David Stevenson, a health-policy professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said. Still, Stevenson said he believes that higher quality practices and higher staffing matter to residents outcomes even in a pandemic. When staff or family members report problems at a facility, but the state finds nothing, that should raise questions, he said. These complaints, now more than ever, are very much something for the state to be on top of. Inspections conducted during the last two months in response to non-coronavirus complaints have also rarely involved citations. At Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County, which has so far seen 80 deaths the highest number at any nursing home in Pennsylvania to date an abbreviated state survey in late April found no deficient practices. Yet roughly a week after the survey, the state determined it was necessary to appoint a temporary manager to run the facility an unusual step taken when a facility is unable or unwilling to come into compliance with regulatory requirements. A separate federal investigation in early May resulted in a roughly $62,500 fine after inspectors found issues including unclean medical equipment and problems with medical record-keeping at the facility. It definitely is concerning, to say the least, said David Grabowski, a professor of health-care policy at Harvard Medical School. The complaints made by family and staff during the pandemic are even more crucial to investigate when surveyors are predominantly overseeing facilities by phone, Grabowski said. We should take those complaints very seriously, he said. In fact, we should take them more seriously right now. Problems with how Pennsylvania conducts its inspections of homes, and whether the results of those inspections are consistent and accurate, were among the ongoing problems the state has promised to address since they were identified in the 2016 audit. The auditor general's office found a lack of consistency in surveys and quality standards and said the state had no policy to check whether a facility was in compliance with staffing requirements. (This has since been improved at the federal level by requiring homes to submit payroll data.) According to the 2016 audit, nursing home surveyors often found serious problems, but sometimes chose not to issue citations against the facility, and then did not document why enforcement action had not been taken. There was no standardized procedure among regional offices, leading to inconsistent assessments of the severity of problems and when facilities should be cited. The consequence of this was in part made evident by a 2016 PennLive investigation that found seven of 46 deaths directly related to poor care at nursing homes were only classified as minimal harm violations. This is a minor citation, usually tied to a resident experiencing some discomfort, not death. Only one of these deaths had been classified as immediate jeopardy, which is the standard for problems resulting in death or significant harm. Three years later, the auditor general found that while some policies had been updated, the survey process remained inconsistent and there was an evident need to better train nursing home inspectors. DePasquale said a third-party trainer might be warranted. But even before the first audit, the Department of Health saw the need for better oversight. The agency hired a training manager in 2014 to oversee the states surveyors and standardize and improve the quality of statewide inspections, according to an internal job description. But the following year, the role was all but hamstrung, according to a complaint submitted to the auditor generals office in 2018 and reviewed by Spotlight PA. The complaint said all nursing home inspection training was halted in the fall of 2017. The issue was brought directly to Levine, the health secretary, according to the document. DePasquale told Spotlight PA his office reviewed the complaint, and its allegations contributed to findings in the 2019 audit. It is something we stand behind that consistency [in inspections] needs to be improved, DePasquale said. Broadly speaking, the issues that we addressed, we still believe need to be resolved." A Department of Health employee, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said the lack of progress in training inspectors and other problems within the department can make it hard for the public to rely on surveys as a measure of whether nursing homes are providing adequate care. The employee said it was common for violations to be erased from inspection reports and for some inspectors to be too cozy with nursing home administrators. The audit also found there were concerns among advocates about the close relationship between some inspectors and nursing home administrators, raising the possibility some complaints were not thoroughly investigated or problems penalized. That would be more of a concern during the coronavirus, when lenient enforcement could have allowed the virus to spread faster, putting more lives at risk. The state did not directly address this in its response to the auditor general but said it follows federal guidelines to handle complaints and uses online and in-person training to improve. Nationwide, studies have found little relationship between the quality of a home and whether the virus has infected residents there. Instead, facilities located in a region with a high rate of cases are more likely to see infections. Still, if the survey used to assess the quality of a home is inaccurate or has not rigorously investigated or enforced the quality of care, it is harder to use the results as a true measure of a facility, experts said. The gap between the states outward assessment and a home's actual conditions has been called into question at Southeastern Veterans Center in Chester County. It has a five-star quality rating, the highest a home can achieve. So when the disease spread rapidly there, contributing to more than 100 cases in residents and staff and 41 deaths, it was initially seen as an example that the virus is not discerning: causing destruction at both strong and weak facilities. But reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer found there have been long-standing concerns at the facility, including allegations of falsified reports about patient care and staffing. Grabowski at Harvard, who was on a nursing home task force convened in 2015 to look at Pennsylvanias oversight problems, said he was unsurprised by how little progress has been made. At the time I think there had been some major controversies about quality of care, he said. This hasnt been a priority. It's hard to know whether that is ageist, whether that is circumstance, or if that is something else here, or a mixture of both. What we do know, he said, is that COVID has been absolutely magnified in the U.S. by the more systemic problems it could be an opportunity to rethink how we regulate. 100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA relies on funding from foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. If you value this reporting, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate. A new spider species has been named after Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. The 17-year-old Thunberg recently made news after she was named the Time magazines 'Person of the year'. According to reports, the new genus of huntsman spiders from Madagascar, described by German arachnologist Peter Jager, was named after Thunberg in an effort to honour her commitment to protecting nature. Huntsman spiders In a study published in the scientific journal, Zootaxa Jager explained that the new genus differed from other huntsmans in their eye arrangement and unique dotted patterns on their backs. According to the study, huntsman spiders are different from normal spiders as they do not spin their webs and wait for their prey. Instead, the Huntsman spiders hunt and forage for the prey. Speaking to international media reporters, later, he said that he hoped that naming a new species could draw attention to the issue of biodiversity loss in Madagascar. Jager, who has previously discovered several new species of spider in its 20 years long career, named a previous discovery of Southeast Asian huntsman spider Heteropoda davidbowie. Read: Thunberg Criticizes Danes For Dumping Wastewater Into Strait Read: Greta Thunberg To US Protesters: 'We Need To Stand United' Meanwhile, Thunberg on June 5 reportedly said that the US struggle for racial justice after the death of George Floyd is part of the fight against climate change and social justice that unites everyone together. In an interview with an international media outlet, Thunberg said that the world needs to stand united and remember that the fight for social justice, environmental justice, racial justice and climate justice is the same fight. The 17-year-old activist is known for castigating world leaders for inaction on climate change. While speaking at the launch of a crowdfunding campaign to buy medical supplies and provide telemedicine services to residents in Brazils Amazon rainforest, she said that she had widened her message. Read: Environmental Activist Greta Thunberg Lashes Out At Danish For Dumping Wastewater Into Strait Read: Pearl Jam's 'Retrograde' Video Has Greta Thunberg Showing Grim Future Of Our Planet (Representative Image of spider) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) A municipal councilor of Kiblawan, Davao del Sur was arrested while having a shabu session in Davao City on Saturday. The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) said Saturday they apprehended Councilor Cipriano Sarona, with three others at the Bankerohan Public Market in Davao City. "The suspects were apprehended while sniffing shabu inside a half opened store in Bankerohan rented by Sarona," DCPO chief Police Colonel Kirby John Kraft said Saturday. "This is a sad note for us because there are still government officials who were arrested due to illegal drugs." According to the DCPO, Sarona was in Davao city to supply mangoes in Bankerohan when personnel from the San Pedro Police Station conducted an anti-illegal drug operation in the said place. Sarona is considered a high value target and is included in the drug list of the DCPO, it added. The police later identified two of Sarona's companions as Archie Fritz Truya and Butch Amarillo. The suspects were later found to be in possession of shabu and illegal drug paraphernalia, the police added. The arrested suspects will face charges for violation of the Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. Stringer Pearl Gajunera contributed to this report. Who wants to see more local news in the Elko Daily? No one could have predicted how many of our news stories so far in 2020 would come from so far away. Most of the local stories we have run this year got their start 6,500 miles away in Wuhan, China. More recently, the headlines have been dominated by a tragedy 1,100 miles away in Minneapolis. It seems the line between local news and global concerns has grown thinner. When the coronavirus shutdowns began, we were there to report on how businesses were responding. When cases began showing up in Elko County and elsewhere in rural Nevada we started publishing regular counts. We informed readers of the symptoms to watch for, and ways they could protect themselves. Throughout this major health threat we have reported on other stories of local interest, regardless of whether the topic originated here. Two slayings captured local headlines when a teenage girl went missing and a Nevada Highway Patrolman was killed in the line of duty in neighboring White Pine County. When two earthquakes rattled the region from hundreds of miles away, we reported on where they were being felt. When a plane crashed in remote Elko County, we told readers where it happened and who was killed. When local residents rallied against gun laws and called for the governor to be recalled, we were there. When the first cannabis dispensary opened in Elko, we talked to the tribal members who got it started. When controversial issues came up, such as transgender accommodations in schools and a sharp rise in county tax assessments, we explained what was going on. When businesses like the massive new Komatsu Equipment Co. opened in Elko, we took readers on a virtual tour. And the year isnt even half over. Much more local news lies ahead. How will the City of Festivals fare in pandemic that has prevented large gatherings? What impact will the recession have on gold prices and the regions primary industry? How will children stay safe when classes resume at local schools? Another question on the minds of people at the Elko Daily is, how will we keep up with all of the local news that our readers want and expect? This is where everyone who cares about the community can help. We know there are plenty of topics out there that havent gotten the attention they deserve. Local news is anything that you, the reader, see as an important part of your life and lifestyle. You can help us by letting us know when something of interest happens. You can even play a role by sending us a photo or video link along with your news tip. Are you involved in activities that you would like to share with others in the community? Do you know someone with a story that inspires you and would likely inspire others? Or maybe you have an interest that you would like to write about yourself, to share with readers. Our newsroom may have limited hours and a lot of material to cover, but we can boost our local news coverage with your help. Send your ideas to news@elkodaily.com. We promise to listen. Become an Elko Daily News+ member and see what it can do for you: A deeper examination of local issues than youll find anywhere else. Two products in one not everything thats in the print edition is on our website, and not everything on our website is in the print edition. Access to newspapers.com archives. The ability to carry your local news with you and receive alerts instantly as news unfolds. Advertising that frequently gets you deals you wont find anywhere else. Go to https://elkodaily.com/members/join/ today. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Teachers will not agree to social distancing guidelines different from those followed in other workplaces, the head of a teaching union has said. Education Minister Joe McHugh has said a change to the current two-metre rule would increase the number of primary pupils able to attend. Having to stay two metres apart would mean primary school students only attending class one day a week, while a reduction to one metre would mean almost all primary school pupils would attend school for two days per week, Mr McHugh has suggested. For secondary school pupils, initial plans would see them attend school for two days per week while they engage in blended learning from home on the other days of the week. However, Mr McHugh said this is a non-runner and the Government is still trying to get all pupils back in the classroom. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) president Deirdre McDonald said teachers will not accept schools reopening with different social distancing rules than in other workplaces. Our union members will not be satisfied with a differentiated social distancing for our members than the rest of a societal norm, she told Newstalk FM. We know the aim is to open schools up fully. We would love to go back where we left off in March, but thats not possible unless they have advice from National Public Health Emergency Team that we are not party to. We know exactly the same as the general public in terms of public health advice, so thats the parameters we are working within. Mrs McDonald accused Mr McHugh of giving conflicting messages on the reopening of schools. The minister has actually been speaking outside of two sides of his mouth. Hes talking about everyone being back to support education wonderful, absolutely but also then about supporting a healthy school community. New Delhi, June 13 : Even as the lockdown imposed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic eases and the country returns to normal routine, there are many who still await to be home, dealing with the aftermath of a grim economic fallout. Migrant workers stranded in various parts of the country are one such lot. IANS met some of them who were stuck for nearly three months in the Kashmir Valley since the restrictions on movement was imposed. It was not until a video on social media highlighting their plight went viral then social activist Yogita Bhayana conducted a mini airlift operation to rescue 82 of them. Recalling the challenges in paradise, Mohd. Saddam, a resident of Bihar, said: "It was very problematic and a tense situation. We were stuck in Kashmir since Day one of the lockdown. "We came to the valley few months before the lockdown. Our surroundings were beautiful but disturbing. There was this constant noise of bullets being fired and bombs exploding. "Surviving it, seemed extremely difficult as sometimes we got food only once a day and on somedays not even once." The group had gone to Jammu and Kashmir in search of jobs. Most of their savings were over before long. Soon they found it hard even to manage the essentials. Another daily wager, Mohd Marboob said: "We were stuck in Srinagar for three months without any facility to earn our daily bread, literally. Nobody was there to help us. Neither the government nor the locals. "It was a miracle we somehow got in touch with Yogita didi. She comforted us and promised to send us back to our native places. All of us are really happy for once in a very longtime as it feels like we will definitely now be home among our loved ones. "Apart from lockdown, there is a lot of issues in Kashmir, be it curfew or protest. Neither any shop was open nor there were available rations. Living was the toughest thing to do. Despite having no job or money, we were somehow managing to live and not die on each other." While the government has announced various economic packages to support the losses incurred due the pandemic, the situation on the ground remains grim and scary leaving many still unemployed and struggling. "Our families helped us with at most Rs 500 to 1,000. But even they're not that rich to help us throughout this situation. We are daily wage workers. We don't earn that much to survive for this long," Marboob told IANS. When the flight landed in Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, the social activist along with her team welcomed these migrants and gave them 'gamcha' (towel), sanitizers and masks. They will now be sent to their homes. Speaking to IANS, Bhayana said: "Since the Day 1 of lockdown when we got to know about migrant workers, we've been working on sending them back. We were doing it by using buses but this time we've airlifted because it was Srinagar and it was like very interior places and because of this no bus and train facilities working there. "From Delhi, we have made the bus arrangement. So that they can directly go from the airport to their native places in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh." Recently, the Delhi High Court made a stern observation of the current situation and said that the Lockdown caused more suffering than the COVID-19 pandemic itself. "Scores of people were forced to walk considerable distance during the lockdown and stand in long queues at food distribution centres just to have two square meals a day. Several have gone hungry and were not able to get one meal," the court said on Thursday. The number of migrants detained by U.S. authorities at the Mexico border rose 36 percent in May, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures released Friday, a sign that the deterrent effects of President Donald Trump's emergency pandemic measures might be wearing off. CBP took 23,118 migrants into custody last month, up from 16,966 in April, the figures show. Border arrests typically rise in late spring as U.S. seasonal labor demands increase, but last month's totals were still far below the figures recorded in May 2019, when 144,116 were detained at the peak of last year's border crisis. The uptick at the border last month occurred despite the administration's continued application of emergency restrictions that have suspended normal immigration proceedings and allowed for the rapid "expulsion" of nearly every migrant who crosses into the United States illegally. Those emergency health orders, which CBP refers to as Title 42, allowed the agency to expel 19,707 border crossers last month, including minors and asylum seekers who are no longer afforded additional legal protections. The Trump administration argues the emergency measures have aided in preventing a wider coronavirus outbreak by limiting the number of detainees held in cramped border cells. "Implementation of COVID-19 policies allowed CBP to process and return, in under two hours, 96 percent of those subject to (Title 42), dramatically reducing human contact, the risk of spread, and the strain on U.S. healthcare facilities, helping the United States avert a public health disaster," the agency said in a statement Friday. Since the implementation of the emergency orders in late March, nearly 43,000 migrants have been subjected to the rapid-expulsion proceedings, according to CBP figures. Once in U.S. custody, the migrants' fingerprints and documents are quickly recorded, and they are driven to the nearest border crossing for delivery to Mexican authorities. Mexican single adults now account for the largest share of those taken into custody in recent months, in contrast to last year's historic border surge, which was driven primarily by Central American families. According to CBP data, 82 percent of migrants encountered by the agency last month were Mexican nationals, while just 13 percent were from Central America's Northern Triangle nations of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. A year earlier, those numbers were almost the reverse: 72 percent of detainees were from the Northern Triangle and 16 percent from Mexico. Mexican nationals typically comprise the largest share of U.S. deportees, and some of those arrested by border agents each month are longtime U.S. residents attempting to return to jobs and families on the U.S. side. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration this week in the District of Columbia on behalf of a 16-year-old Honduran asylum seeker attempting to reunite with his father in the United States. The lawsuit contends that the Trump administration has exceeded its authority under Title 42 and cannot disregard protections granted to minors, asylum seekers and other vulnerable groups under U.S. law. "The Administration's use of Title 42 is a transparent end-run around Congress's considered decision to provide protection to children and others fleeing danger even where communicable disease is a concern - and to address that concern through the use of testing and quarantines, not deportations," the ACLU argued in its complaint. Trump has extended the emergency restrictions at the border indefinitely, in addition to issuing an executive order blocking several categories of visa applicants from seeking green cards overseas. White House officials are debating a second executive order that could freeze nonimmigrant work visas for up to six months, according to two administration officials, but a final decision on the scope of that decree has not been made. Trump's emergency restrictions have all but closed the United States to border crossers fleeing persecution, records show. The Justice and Homeland Security departments proposed regulations this week that would make it even more difficult for applicants to qualify for protection, with a new series of legal and administrative hurdles, while giving the government more latitude to dismiss their claims and order deportations. For teachers, sanitation workers and other sections of workers and youth, the brutal conditions of day-to-day existence at their jobs and schools have intersected with mass opposition to police brutality and social inequality, which has erupted over the past few weeks. On Wednesday, hundreds of Philadelphia public school teachers marched downtown to the Philadelphia School District (PSD) headquarters in Center City to demand an end to austerity budgets, discrimination at schools and unhealthy work conditions. Teachers held signs declaring, I cant breathe, a reference to the last words uttered by George Floyd as his neck was being crushed by a police officer last month. The teachers also protested asbestos contamination at neighborhood schools in impoverished working class areas of the city. Several sites have been closed indefinitely as renovations exposed students and teachers to the toxic material. According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer last year, students in neighborhood schools were forced to sit in classrooms as the toxic dust gathered in piles on the floor. You could see your footprints when you walked, stated high school student Mecca Taylor to the Inquirer at the time. As schools were shut down and transitioned to distance learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, students were forced to report to these same facilities to pick up free meals and laptops. According to protest organizer and Bethune Elementary teacher Herman Douglas, construction site personnel were walking around in hazmat suits, looking like astronauts when students arrived for their supplies. Air samples show that the level of toxicity in the air was up to 10 times the legal safety limit, reports the Inquirer. The Philadelphia school system this year was spared over $80 million in funding cuts after the citys Board of Education allotted a $3.5 billion budget, equal to last years costs. The budget forecast for the citys school district is highly optimistic, however, and fails to take account of the states projected budget shortfalls following the shutdown of its economy. Its unclear if those assumptions will prove accurate given the daunting financial recovery likely facing the state economy, stated Public Broadcasting Service affiliate WHYY. The school district has cited internal budget constraints relating to teachers contracts and sanitation costs for the reopening of schools. Seeking to corral the teachers opposition within the confines of the Democratic Party administration, Philadelphia School District (PSD) superintendent William E. Hite joined teachers on the steps of the building. Hite, who has overseen successive waves of school closures and is directly responsible for inflicting austerity budgets on teachers, sought to paint the issue as one of racism, not only on the part of police, but of teachers as well. Hite pompously called for chants of no justice, no peace, and admonished teachers to be a lot better at calling out racism and talking about that and how it impacts our young people, creating the conditions for young people to say whats on their mind. Hite, who rakes in a yearly salary of over $311,000, failed to explain to teachers how such feats were to be accomplished with declining services, salaries and budgets. The teacher protests come a day after 150 Philadelphia sanitation workers rallied in LOVE Park outside of city hall demanding hazard pay and personal protective equipment (PPE). Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney has sought to cut the budget for the Department of Streets by $18.5 million under conditions where city sanitation workers are exposed to hazardous waste materials on a daily basis, in addition to the potential for contracting the deadly COVID-19 infection. According to protester Omar Salaam, at least 60 of the sanitation departments 1,700 workers in Philadelphia have had confirmed cases of the virus. "They haven't given us the proper tools to protect ourselves. We have to get our own masks, our own gloves, our own everything. For them to not give us hazard pay at least during this pandemic is ridiculous," said worker Durrell Rothwell to the gathered assembly. According to a study published in USA Today, sanitation work is among the most hazardous of all occupations. According to the study, in 2017 there were 35 fatal injuries per 100,000 sanitation worker positions and over 1,300 nonfatal injuries. The median pay is roughly $36,000, hardly enough to sustain a family of four. The protests were organized by AFSCME Local 427, which has resisted any effort to mobilize larger sections of the work force. The Local abided by the warnings of Department of Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams, who sent workers a notice declaring that unauthorized absences... will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Seeking to present the rationing of PPE and pay as strictly a racial issue, Local 427 President Charles Carrington told the local press, I dont think we would be going through this if our department was 90 percent white. In fact, workers in rural areas as well as major urban centers are finding out that they are deemed expendable by corporations, whose only focus is the continued extraction of profits from the hides of workers. The protests come as the city continues to be on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Friday, the city had reported 24,107 cases of COVID-19 along with 1,434 deaths. While schools and public services face the chopping block, the Democratic city government of Mayor Jim Kenney has floated a $14 million budget increase to the city police department. On Wednesday, it was reported that the city government authorized the use of tear gas against protesters last month. The chemical, categorized as a less than lethal munition, is known to cause asphyxia and vomiting. The decision of whether and when to use less than lethal munitions, which includes tear gas, was left to police supervisors on the ground, states a report in the Inquirer. Rather than fruitless appeals to city and state officials who are complicit in inflicting horrible injuries on workers and protesters alike, workers must turn toward mobilizing their own strength by forming independent rank-and-file committees that will seek to expand their struggles to all sections of workers as well as mobilizing opposition to the states police violence. Patna: Nepals Armed Police Force on Saturday released the Indian national Lagan Kumar who was detained during the firing incident near the indo-Nepal border along Bihars Sitamarhi district. The district administration and SSB officials later confirmed the development and also claimed that situation near the border was under control. Talking to reporters after his release, Lagan Kumar said that he was dragged from the Indian side by the Nepal police and was taken to Sangrampur of Nepal. I was dragged from the Indian side by the Nepal police. They also hit me with a rifle butt and took me to Sangrampur. They wanted me to confess that I was picked up from the Nepal side but I refused, Lagan Kumar told reporters. The incident took place on Friday after a clash between Indians and Nepali police personnel at the Lalbandi Janki Nagar border in Pipra Parsain Panchayat under Sonebarsha police station in Sitamarhi district. According to locals, the firing had sparked tension among the villagers living near the bordering areas. The local police and district administration, however, claimed that the SSB officials were keeping a tab on the scenario and normalcy is returning in the area. On Friday, a 25-year-old youth Vikesh Kumar was killed while two others were seriously wounded in the firing incident which sparked tension at the Lalbandi-Janki Nagar border area in Pipra Parsain Panchayat. Both the injured were rushed to a private hospital in Sitamarhi for treatment. Lagan Kumar Rai was detained by the Nepal police while he was trying to escape from the border. India shares around 1850 km-long porous border with Nepal and people travel freely for work and visit their family and friends. The state government had sealed the Indo- Nepal border in March amid coronavirus pandemic. The incident also comes amid heightened border tensions between the two countries. In May, the Nepali government had issued a controversial map showing Indian territories of Kalapani and Lipulekh as its own. - Mudavadi and Wetang'ula convened the meeting to discuss the economic development of Western region and how the government was addressing their issues - They tore into President Uhuru Kenyatta's government for what they termed as a deliberate attempt to marginalise Western Kenya farmers as reflected in the 2020/2021 budget - As the two leaders were tearing into Uhuru during the press, a section of their allies who were part of the meeting were conspicuously missing - They later showed up with Deputy President William Ruto at his Karen office Amani National Congress (ANC) Party Leader Musalia Mudavadi and his embattled Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang'ula hosted at least 25 MPs from Western region to discuss matters development. Among those who attended the meeting were Deputy President William Ruto's allies Didmus Barasa (Kimilili) Dan Wanyama (Webuye West) and John Waluke (Sirisia) and Catherine Wambilianga (Bungoma woman rep) who also attended another meeting hosted by the DP to discuss the development and economy trajectory of Western. READ ALSO: Ministry of Health appeals for blood donation as shortage sets in Mudavadi and Wetang'ula hosted 25 Western Kenya MPs as some met Deputy President William Ruto amid alliance speculation. Photo: Musalia Mudavadi. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Tanzia: Mbunge wa Luanda ampoteza mamake While addressing the press shortly after the Friday, June 12 meeting, Mudavadi and Wetang'ula tore into President Uhuru Kenyatta's government for what they termed as a deliberate attempt to marginalise Western Kenya farmers as reflected in the 2020/2021 budget presented by Treasury CS Ukur Yatani. "We want to raise a red flag on the marginalisation in the budget for the Western Kenya economy and the entire Lake Basin Regional economy. We note with profound concern that the sugar sector that has been the mainstay of our economy remains marginalised. Not a single word of hope has been given to the sugar farmer and to all those whose lives and livelihood has been defined with the sugar industry. We are left wondering whether this is a factor of the state giving up on the industry or is it erroneous human omission or deliberate marginalisation. Whatever the case, this must be corrected immediately, We call upon parliament to address this concern," said Mudavadi in the statement. READ ALSO: Africa's top 10 biggest economies in 2020 - IMF The sentiments were echoed by Wetang'ula who castigated Uhuru for splashing a lot of funds and resources to empower economic sectors in Mt. Kenya at the expense of other regions. "The budget that has been read has been dubbed President Uhuru Kenyatta's legacy budget and these leaders are asking themselves what legacy is the president is leaving in our region. Cotton is dead, the sugar industry is dead, the coffee industry is in limbo, the maize industry is in limbo and everything else is not working Money has come from the world bank in billions for the rehabilitation of the coffee industry, all that money has all been placed in Mt Kenya region to the exclusion of Western frontier which grows coffee," said the Bungoma senator. They affirmed they would be holding such meetings on a regular basis to reflect on the issues affecting the region and how the government was planning to address them ANC leader Musalai Mudavadi with Webuye East MP Dan Wanyama and Didmus Barasa (in red beret at the edge of the photo). Photo: Musalia Mudavadi. Source: Facebook As the two leaders were tearing into Uhuru during the press, a section of their allies who were part of the meeting were conspicuously missing. They later showed up with Ruto at his Karen office where the DP confirmed holding a meeting with Jubilee leaders from Western Kenya region and a host of FORD Kenya and ANC lawmakers. William Ruto (right) with Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama at the DP's Karen office. Wanyama and a host of other MPs attended both Mudavadi and Ruto's meetings. Photo: William Ruto. Source: Facebook The developments came in the wake of increasing speculation about a possible alliance bringing together Mudavadi, Wetang'ula and Ruto. Waluke recently told TUKO.co.ke that they were working on a possible merger between the two factions. "Ruto na Mudavadi watafanya kazi pamoja na hiyo ndio tunaangalia kwa sahi...nitaongea mengi baada ya mwezi moja (Ruto and Mudavadi will work together and that is what we are considering now, I will talk much after a month," Waluke said during a phone interview with TUKO.co.ke on May 31. FORD Kenya Secretary-General Eseli Simiyu who alongside Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi staged a coup to oust Wetang'ula accused the vocal senator of secretly working with Ruto against the wishes of the party. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. I married a man every woman wanted - Pastor Joan Chege | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke What Is Racism? Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. Racism results in hatred, fear, and inhumane treatment toward someone because of the nation theyre from or the color of their skin. But there are also other forms of prejudice that must be examined, for example colorism and xenophobia. Colorism is a form of racism. It is defined as prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. An example of this, explains an article by Time magazine quoting a 2006 study, is that employers are more likely to hire a lighter tone black man over a dark tone black man. Xenophobia is defined as dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries. This, too, is a form of racism. Dislike or stereotyping of a whole nation is a grotesque form of racism that has caused wars and heinous acts against human beings. Racism in all forms goes against clear biblical principles of love, compassion, and servanthood. Does the Bible Mention Race or Racism? From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands (Acts 17:26). Scripture clarifies that there is one human race. God created humanity in His image. Yet we learn from the Bible that there are many different nations and ethnicities. These are some of the most mentioned nations in the Bible: Photo credit: Getty Images/Tero Vesalainen Atik Mohammed has slammed the leadership and members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for jumping to the defence of a self-styled preacher, Apostle Kwabena Owusu Adjei who launched caustic verbal attacks on the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa. Apostle Kwabena Owusu Adjei, an NDC man of God, was captured in a viral video threatening to end the life of Madam Jean Mensa and also accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and other bigwigs in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of having a hand in the death of the late J.B Danquah. He served a strong warning to the EC Boss to stop the compilation of the new voters' register and stated emphatically that should Madam Jean Mensa refuse to heed his call, she will die at 12 midday but however failed to specify the exact day. He also rattled on that, during the June 4 revolution, the blood of the Military was spilled but this time, it will be the blood of the Akyem mafia (referring to President Akufo-Addo and his clique) that will flow. BNI Arrest Following his public rants, officers of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) arrested him and during a search, the 56-year-old man was found to be in possession of marijuana. He also tested positive for tramadol and tetrahydrocannabinol after a urine sample test conducted by the Police Hospital in Accra following his arrest on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 by National Security operatives. Minority Defends Apostle Owusu Adjei The Minority in Parliament has condemned the manner of arrest of their man of God by the National Security operatives stressing it violates his fundamental human rights. Minority ranking member on the Committee on Interior, James Agalga said article 19 of the 1992 Constitution enjoins arresting officers to respect the innocence of suspects until they are proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Leave Security Officers To Do Their Job But Atik Mohammed has fired at the Minority for intruding in the work of security operatives. He therefore warned the NDC to leave the security operatives alone stressing ''crime is crime''. ''People are coming up with all kinds of conspiracy theories saying some of the offences he's likely to be charged with is the creation of the security agency, look, if Ghana should burn; it won't benefit any person...No crime has ever been a political crime. Crime is crime. We don't have different types of crimes. ''If somebody goes to commit his crime and the security forces or the laws are dealing with him, because of the ugly politics we're doing in this country, we want to qualify his crime; we want to say this is a crime that is inspired by politics. It doesn't help any person because we're itching towards an election and we all know when an electioneering period is getting close, usually the temperature is a bit heated. We do not need the likes of those irresponsible folks to add to the temperature...When someone commits a crime and the person is arrested, the least you can do is to allow the security agencies to do their work'', he said on ''Kokrokoo'' on Peace FM. 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 It is widely regarded as the original sin of the wests post-war Middle East policy; a coup that squelched a peoples democratic aspirations and ultimately led to the calamitous rise of the militaristic nationalism and Islamic extremism that shape the region today. Nearly 67 years ago, the popular nationalist government of Iranian prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh was toppled with the aid of British and American spies seeking to reinstal the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi as absolute ruler of Iran. A quarter century later, in 1979, his rule too would be ended, by Islamist clerics and activists who inspired movements across the region. Over the decades the event has taken on a mythical quality, the conspiracy that launched all other conspiracy theories. Of course, say people across the Middle East, western intelligence is behind everything from the rise of al-Qaeda and Isis to valuations of local currencies. Just look at how they toppled the government in Iran when it sought to nationalise its oil industry in the early 1950s in defiance of British imperial power. But in recent years, historians around the world poring over documents released from official archives have repeatedly revised assessment of what transpired. Some have argued that Mossadegh was on his way out already, and that a local alliance of pro-Shah goons, business interests and conservative clerics opposed to his left-leaning policies was already on the verge of taking him out. Yet another set of reassessments concluded that, rather than a case of derring-do by slick spies, the coup was a badly planned and nearly botched accident that was more John Cleese than John le Carre. The assessment of the two historians behind the Channel 4 documentary airing on Sunday, The Queen and the Coup, falls in the latter category, that the ultimate success of the coup which was hatched in 1951 by British spies seeking to keep control of Irans oil was more a comedy of errors than a smooth operation. Never-before-seen documents unearthed by historians Rory Cormac and Richard Aldrich show how the name of the young Queen Elizabeth was abused at a key moment to help destroy Irans democracy, as the documentary says. In the months-long crisis and period of scheming preceding the August 1953 coup, the young Shah, who had been a western protege of London and Washington and their global plans for countering the Soviet Union, was planning on leaving the country and heading into exile fearing the unrest brewing in the country. Aldrich and Cormac found documents showing that at a key moment the US received a note to the Shah from then-British foreign secretary Anthony Eden that seemed to suggest that Queen Elizabeth herself was making a rare intervention into foreign policy to urge him to stay put. Knowing how much the Shah had sought a formal alliance with the British monarchy, the US ambassador in Tehran passed on the note to the royal court. Pro-Shah troops occupying Tehran during the 1953 coup (AP) But later it emerged that the note was garbled, and that it was Eden himself aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth ocean liner that was urging the Shah to stay in Iran. The Americans realised they had made a mistake but decided to cover it up from both the Brits and the Iranians. They dont want the Shah to realise that essentially hes been misinformed, perhaps even unintentionally duped, Aldrich, professor of International Security at the University of Warwick, says in the documentary. The Shahs decision not to go into exile gave western intelligence operatives of the MI6 and the CIAs Kermit Roosevelt time to plan and scheme. The UK plan to overthrow Mossadegh and replace him with an authoritarian regime led by the Shah was called Operation Boots. The Americans called their scheme Operation Ajax. Six months later Mossadegh was ousted as pro-Shah mobs took over the streets and a crisis caused by a US and UK blockade strangled the economy. I think what we found is an important revelation that brings the Queen into the picture, Cormac, a professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, said in a telephone interview. Had the Shah fled at the time, the MI6 coup planning wouldnt have taken place. Once back in power, the newly emboldened Shah launched a 25-year reign of terror. Leftists, liberals and Islamists alike were thrown for years into torture chambers as the increasingly grandiose monarch squandered the nations oil wealth on pricey American weapons systems. His regime ultimately ended in one of the most cataclysmic revolutions in world history, giving birth to the most avowedly anti-western regime on the planet. Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi reads his inaugural speech at the initial session of his nations first senate in Tehran, 16 February 1950 (AP) Its important to put the events surrounding the coup and its aftermath into perspective. Iran in 1953 was a flawed constitutional democracy; Mossadegh, the countrys most popular politician, had been nominated by the Shah and elected by a democratically elected parliament in 1951, and the country might have beat an unsteady path to democracy regardless of whether Mossadegh had been ousted. Islamic fundamentalism did not take root in the Middle East because of Irans revolution; it had antecedents throughout the region, and the 1967 defeats of Arab nationalist leaders at the hands of Israel arguably played a greater role in the rise of religious extremism. What the revelations that have emerged do show is the extraordinary luck of the British and Americans. Sweeping the crucial facts behind their accidental success in Iran under the rug gave them license to continue attempting to destabilise countries for decades afterwards. In the years after the coup, and drunk on extremely flawed stories of its own successes in Iran, the MI6 used subterfuge and treachery to attempt to topple regimes in Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Foreign Office at the time was not really pro-covert operations; they were trying to rein MI6 in, said Cormac, who specialises in the history of intelligence services. When this operation happened, they brought Kermit Roosevelt back to London on a victory tour. His tales convinced the foreign office to let MI6 do more. The Queen and the Coup is on Channel 4 on Sunday 14 June at 9pm Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 19:50:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official said on Saturday that the Palestinian Authority has asked the Arab states for guaranteeing a 100-million-U.S.-dollar monthly loan to overcome its financial crisis. Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, told the official Voice of Palestine radio that the loan request was in line with the Arab League's previous decisions to ensure a secure Arab financial network. "It's necessary to provide an urgent Arab financial aid to back the Palestinian Authority's treasury in overcoming the current difficult situation and challenges," said Erekat. Earlier this month, the Palestinian Authority refused the money from the tax revenues that Israel has been collecting on behalf of it from Palestinian trade at crossing points under the Israeli control. This was part of the Palestinian leadership's decision to eliminate all agreements and understandings with Israel, including those on the security and economic levels, in response to the latter's plan to annex Palestinian lands in the West Bank. However, the financial crisis of the Palestinian government has grown to the extent that the government cannot afford the salaries of its civil and security servants in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as the government deficit has reached 1.4 billion dollars. Erekat also announced that the UN Security Council will convene on June 24 to discuss the developments in the Palestinian territories. Enditem By Express News Service DEHRADUN: Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane said that the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is under control and both India and China are "disengaging" in a phased manner. He was speaking to journalists after the Passing out Parade at Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. "Both sides are disengaging in a phased manner. We have started from the north, the area of the Galwan river. A lot of disengagement has happened. We have had a fruitful dialogue with the Chinese, it will continue and the situation will improve," said General Naravane. This is for the first time, the Army chief has come on record about the India-China standoff at the LAC. ALSO READ | 'Situation under control': Army Chief Naravane says India has very strong relationship with Nepal Replying to the queries of the journalists about 'retreat' by the Chinese, he said, "I would not use the word retreat. There is no retreat. The correct word is disengagement." Speaking on firing by Nepalese policemen on Bihar border which killed one Indian citizen and four injured, the Army chief said, "We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, historical, cultural and religious links withe the Himalayan country. We also have very strong people-to- people contact. Relationship with them has always remained strong and will be the same in future. General Naravane said the operations in Jammu & Kashmir have been a success. "As far as J&K is concerned and our western neighbour, we have had a lot of successes. In last 10-15 days alone, more than 15 terrorists have been killed. This happened due to very close cooperation and coordination among all the security forces operating in the Union territory." The Army Chief reviewed the passing out of 423 cadets as Indian Army officers. As many as 90 cadets from nine different countries also passed out from the academy during the occasion. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y Two of the Islands three community boards hold virtual meetings this week. Community Board 2 will hold a full board meeting by video conference on Tuesday, June 16, at 7 p.m. To attend, join the zoom meeting. Anyone interested in speaking during the public session must register by calling the board office at 718-568-3581 no later than 2 p.m. on Monday, June 15. Also, Community Board 1 will hold a virtual meeting of the Mariners Harbor/Port Richmond Area Committee on Tuesday, June 16, at 7 p.m. To attend, visit the Zoom meeting. Community Board 3 has no meetings planned this week. Community Board meetings and meetings of their committees are open to the public. They provide an excellent opportunity for residents to learn about happenings in their neighborhoods and surrounding areas. Below is more information about the Islands three community oards: Community Board 1 Arlington Castleton Corners Clifton Concord Elm Park Fort Wadsworth Graniteville Grymes Hill Livingston Mariners Harbor New Brighton Port Richmond Randall Manor Rosebank St. George Shore Acres Silver Lake Stapleton Sunnyside Tompkinsville West Brighton Westerleigh The district manager is Joseph Carroll. The board chairman is Nicholas Siclari. The telephone number is 718-981-6900. Community Board 2 Arrochar Bloomfield Bulls Head Chelsea Dongan Hills Egbertville Emerson Hill Grant City Grasmere High Rock Lighthouse Hill Midland Beach New Dorp New Springville Oakwood Ocean Breeze Old Town Richmond South Beach Todt Hill Travis. The phone number is 718-568-3581. The fax number 718-568-3595. Parking is available. The chairman is Robert J. Collegio, P.E. The district manager is Debra A. Derrico. Community Board 3 Annadale Arden Heights Bay Terrace Charleston Eltingville Great Kills Greenridge Huguenot New Dorp Oakwood Pleasant Plains Princes Bay Richmond Valley -- Richmond -- Rossville -- Tottenville -- Woodrow. The office phone number is 718-356-7900. The board chairman is Frank Morano; the district manager is Charlene Wagner. NEW DELHI: India on Saturday (June 13, 2020) reacted strongly after Nepal Parliaments lower house cleared a bill to redraw the political map of the country showing Indian territories as its own. Responding to the development, India said that this artificial enlargement of claims is not tenable. "We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter," India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Saturday. The MEA spokesperson said that the artificial enlargement of claims is not tenable since it is not based on historical facts or evidence. "This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues," he added. The strong reactions from New Delhi came shortly after the Lower House of Nepal's Parliament unanimously voted to amend the Constitution to redraw the country's new political map, laying claim over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura along the border with India. According to reports, leading Opposition parties, including Nepali Congress (NC), Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), voted in favour of the government bill to amend Schedule 3 of the Constitution to update the national emblem by incorporating the new controversial map. A two-thirds majority was required in the 275-member House of Representatives or the lower house to pass the bill. It may be noted that Nepals Parliament had on June 9 unanimously endorsed a proposal to consider the Constitution amendment bill to pave way for endorsing the new political map amid the border row with India. Now, the bill will be sent to the National Assembly where it will undergo a similar process. The ruling Nepal Communist Party commands a two-third majority in the National Assembly. The NA will have to give lawmakers 72 hours to move amendments against the bill's provisions, if any. After the National Assembly passes the bill, it will be submitted to the President for authentication, after which the bill will be incorporated in the Constitution. The Nepal government had on Wednesday formed a nine-member team of experts to collect historical facts and evidence related to the area. Diplomats and experts, however, questioned the government's move, asking why the task force was formed when the map has already been released and approved by the Cabinet. India, on the other hand, has been maintaining that these three areas belonged to it. "We have already made our position clear on these issues. India deeply values its civilisation, cultural and friendly relations with Nepal," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Anurag Srivastava had said on June 11. The ties between the two countries came under severe strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 80-KM-long road on May 8. Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory. Catholic leaders in Texas are intervening in the scheduled execution of a man who has been denied access to a chaplain under rules adopted last year by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In a Friday filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth District, the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops asks that Ruben Gutierrez be provided access to clergy during his execution, currently scheduled for June 16. A condemned mans right to comfort of clergy at his death is a longstanding and fundamental part of the Catholic, and broader Christian, tradition, Catholic attorneys wrote in the filing. From Christianitys beginning, priests have been present at the time of death to hear confessions, offer the Eucharist and administer last rites. On Tuesday, a federal judge granted a stay of execution to Gutierrez, a 43-year-old who has maintained his innocence in the 1998 killing of a Brownsville trailer park owner. Gutierrezs attorneys have argued that DNA evidence should be tested before his execution. Brownsville Federal District Court Judge Hilda Tagle agreed with those arguments, writing earlier this week that Gutierrez has made a showing of likelihood of success on the merits of at least one of his DNA or execution-chamber claims. Gutierrez was initially set to be executed in 2018 for the killing of Escolastica Harrison. He was convicted of stabbing Harrison to death during a robbery along with two other accomplices. A judge granted him a stay at the time because his then-attorney asked to no longer be on the case. A year later, in 2019, TDCJ announced that it would no longer allow chaplains to accompany those on death row to the execution chamber, a decision that was immediately challenged by a coalition of faith groups. TDCJ announced the decision after the U.S. Supreme Court granted a last-minute stay to Patrick Murphy, a Buddhist who had been denied access to a spiritual adviser in the execution chamber. As this court has repeatedly held, governmental discrimination against religion in particular, discrimination against religious persons, religious organizations and religious speech violates the Constitution, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote at the time. The choice of remedy going forward is up to the state. What the state may not do, in my view, is allow Christian or Muslim inmates but not Buddhist inmates to have a religious adviser of their religion in the execution room. The same month, TDCJ announced it would no longer publicize death row prisoners final written statements. robert.downen@chron.com Some members of the national task force on Covid-related matters have proposed an India-specific clinical score to identify people with coronavirus who are at a higher risk of developing severe disease or dying, which will help in picking up warning signs early and saving lives. While doctors have been using their clinical acumen to determine which patient could turn serious, the national guidelines will be standardised, looking at the overall evidence generated from the country. Some of us have been asking for analysis of India data and surveys to develop our own clinical score. It will require a set protocol that the task force is in the process of forming. However, no final decision has been taken on it yet, said a member of the task force, who did not wish to be identified. Among the risk factors that have been seen in Covid patients in India that likely led to the disease turning severe is more than one co-morbid condition such as diabetes and hypertension, chronic kidney disease and obesity. This is what is being usually seen but there could be other conditions that are specific to our patients. Hence, more evidence needs to be looked at comprehensively from hospitals across India to zero in on all those conditions that lead to a higher risk of Covid patients developing serious illnesses and not recovering as well. This will help further improve our case fatality rate, said another member, requesting anonymity. CDC has also come out with a list of high-risk conditions among Covid patients, and it makes sense for India also to come up with a list of our own, based on how our patients behave, the member added. The US CDC (United States Centre for Disease Control) has enlisted 11 conditions that can lead to severe Covid disease. The conditions are asthma, chronic kidney disease with dialysis, chronic lung disease, diabetes, haemoglobin disorders, immunocompromised condition, liver disease, people aged 65 years and older, people in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, serious heart conditions, and severe obesity. A study published in JAMA network last month also endorsed creating a clinical risk score to help identify patients with Covid-19 who may subsequently develop critical illness. Experts say it will also help in rationalising resources now that cases are rising in India. With the number of patients rising, this is also a way of rationalising how to use the medical resources in the best possible way, as people shouldnt be occupying beds unnecessarily. Those who need it must get it, said Dr GC Khilnani, former head, pulmonology department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. The clinical score, he says, will also help doctors in taking note of patients with non-specific symptoms. Not everyone is landing with cough, or breathlessness, some are also coming with loss of smell or diarrhoea, so if there is a set list that doctors can refer to then it will improve patient selection at the time of triage, especially in smaller towns or remote areas, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A demonstrator holds up a "Black trans lives matter" sign at a protest in Madrid, Spain, on June 7, 2020. Europa Press News/Europa Press via Getty Images Police in Philadelphia are investigating the murder of Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, a Black transgender woman. According to local trans advocates, Fells' dismembered body was dredged from a river on Tuesday. "As thousands take to the streets to proclaim that Black Lives Matter, it is critical we remember that this includes Black trans lives," Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs said. Activist Deja Lynn Alvarez told Insider that, "when it comes to serving and protecting trans people, the conventional way of doing things and thinking about these things will not work." Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Police in Philadelphia are investigating the murder of a transgender woman, Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, whose body was identified this week. Fells' dismembered body was pulled from the banks of the Schuylkill River on Tuesday. There was trauma to the face and head and her legs were severed mid-thigh, 6 ABC, which misgendered Fells, reported. Authorities said they believe Fells' legs may have been severed on train tracks. "Her name is Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells and there shall be no peace until justice is had!" Sisters PGH, a Philadelphia transgender advocacy group, posted on Instagram. "#SayHerName #blacktranslivesmattertoo," the post added. Fell's sister has started a GoFundMe campaign to help the family pay for her funeral expenses. It's collected more than $31,000 to date. The Philadelphia police department has not yet responded to a request for comment, but the city's Office of LGBT Affairs confirmed there is an ongoing investigation. "The pain of such a loss is always difficult, but it is especially deep as we are in the midst of Pride Montha season typically filled with joy and celebration for many in our community," the office said in a statement. "As thousands take to the streets to proclaim that Black Lives Matter, it is critical we remember that this includes Black trans lives. Dominique Rem'mie Fells' life mattered." Story continues "We are reminded with this, and countless other painful losses especially within our transgender communities that there is much left to do until we achieve full equality, respect, and support for us all," it added. "The murder of transgender peopleespecially those of coloris truly an epidemic, and a crisis that we cannot afford to allow to persist any further." "I don't think there is any such thing as a safe city for Black trans women," Philadelphia activist Deja Lynn Alverez told Insider. "When it comes to serving and protecting trans people, the conventional way of doing things and thinking about these things will not work. It's time to invest in actual trans leadership." Participants in the 8th annual Philly Trans March on October 6, 2018. Cory Clark/NurPhoto via Getty Images According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 26 transgender or gender non-conforming people were killed in the US in 2019, the majority of whom were Black transgender women. At least 11 trans people have died by violence so far in 2020, including Nina Pop, a trans woman found stabbed to death in Sikeston, Missouri, on May 3, according to the Associated Press. On May 27, two days after the police-related killing of George Floyd, Tony McDade, a transgender man, was shot and killed by police in Tallahassee, Florida. According to ABC News, local police reported McDade matched the description of a stabbing suspect and was fatally shot after he pointed a gun at an unnamed officer. Read the original article on Insider As track after track opens this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic with spectator-free racing, one racetrack's season opener came just as the province and local health authorities eased restrictions. That track is Northside Downs in Sydney, N.S. Hosting its first of 22 cards on Saturday (June 13) the Cape Breton track conducted a seven-race card and the local horsepeople and fans were delighted to attend despite a slight drizzle over the first part of the card. The people who go to the races every week develop friendships at the track, Willie Seyour, president of the Cape Breton Horse Owners Association, told the Journal Pioneer earlier this week. Now theyre going to get to redevelop and rekindle those friendships. Some railbird friendships were rekindled, and some on-track rivalries were either rekindled or developed on the Saturday card. The $1,400 Winners Over Pace featured six of the best older competitors in the region, including 2019 Horse of the Year, Southwind Ricardo. He had a tough task, drawing the outside in the field of six. As the wings of the gate folded, favoured Wildcat Jet (Mark Pezzarello) was forwardly-placed and made the front but not without company. Sly Baran (Joey Poirier) challenged the favourite through a :29 opening panel and persisted to pester the pacesetter through a :59.4 half. Heading down the backside for the second time, Sly Baran began to back away from the leader and second-over Southwind Ricardo (Harold Leblanc Jr.) wasn't advancing off that cover. That gap allowed Greg Sparling some room to right-line Accelerator from the three hole as Wildcat Jet hit the third station in 1:29.4. Around the final turn, Accelerator lived up to his name and began to close ground on the leader with every stride. In the stretch, Accelerator had made the front but then had to fend off the late bid of pocket-sitting Private Paradise (Ryan Campbell). Accelerator hit the wire three-quarters of a length the best, with the mile timed in 2:00.2. Wildcat Jet stayed for third. In his 100th lifetime start, seven-year-old Accelerator (Driven To Win - KG Affair) notched his 20th lifetime victory for owner-trainer Robert Blanchard of Howie Center, N.S. For the results from the Saturday card of harness racing at Northside Downs, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs. A Porsche driver accused of taunting a dying policewoman following a horror crash was previously banned from entering two council buildings over fears for staff safety. Richard Pusey, 41, was pulled over by police for allegedly speeding at 149km/h down the Eastern Freeway in Kew, Melbourne, in April. A refrigeration truck then ploughed into the group of police standing at the roadside, killing four officers. Pusey is then alleged to have recorded the scene, instead of helping dying Senior Constable Lynette Taylor. Richard Pusey, 41, was pulled over by police for allegedly speeding at 149km/h down the Eastern Freeway in Kew, Melbourne, in April A refrigeration truck ploughed into the group of police standing at the roadside, killing four officers, before Pusey allegedly recorded the scene instead of helping dying Senior Constable Lynette Taylor as she pleaded for help The Herald Sun reports that Pusey had previously waged a war with local governments over the height of fences in his neighbourhood. Pusey is understood to have been involved in a lengthy dispute with Whitehorse City Council over the height of his fence at his former Mitcham home. He reportedly dobbed in as many as nine other fences in the neighbourhood that he believed breached council standards. Pusey then allegedly resorted to harassing Federal member of parliament Michael Sukkar after his office refused to intervene in the matter, the Herald Sun reported. Frankston and Whitehorse City Council both banned Pusey from entering their buildings over staff safety concerns. Pusey allegedly resorted to harassing Federal member of parliament Michael Sukkar after his office refused to intervene in the matter The Herald Sun reported Pusey had previously waged a war with council over the height of fences in his neighbourhood which eventually led him to allegedly harass a federal politician and intimidate local staff Frankston City Council Mayor Sandra Mayer told the Herald Sun: 'In very rare cases, behaviour by a member of the public may warrant them being issued a notice prohibiting them from visiting buildings owned, occupied or managed by Frankston City Council.' On two separate occasions, Pusey reportedly wore a mask before approaching the cashier's desk at Whitehorse Civic Centre. His hostile behaviour flowed into other aspects of his life, with a 2015 email exchange with Etihad airline staff also surfacing. Pusey is understood to have been triggered over the spelling of 'airport' and spelled it out with a vile acrostic: 'a***hole, incest, rape, porn, orgasm, rape, tits'. Pusey faces 12 charges over the April crash, including driving at a dangerous speed, reckless conduct endangering life, destruction of evidence, perverting the course of justice, failing to remain at the scene after a drug test and failing to render assistance. He is currently being kept at Melbourne Assessment Prison and will reappear for a committal mention on July 16. Pictured left to right: Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris, Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor and Constable Josh Prestney were killed in the tragedy Our prime minister obviously has a lot on his plate at present but I couldnt help feeling he had overlooked recent evidence with his claims that we cannot now try to edit or censor our past and we cannot pretend to have a different history. Anyone who has read two history books on the same topic knows there are two sides to every story, which is precisely that point being made in the fight for racial equality. One only has to consider the differing accounts of events surrounding a certain trip to Durham and the belated editing of blog posts to see that having different histories and editing the past are practices that both remain alive and well in the present day. Sarah Wood Scotland A Cummings conspiracy? One wonders at just how many ways a government can muck up on just about every front. Delaying lockdown, inadequate supplies of PPE and ventilators, decisions to release hospital patients carrying Covid-19 into care homes, incompetence over testing, incompetence over track and trace all while boasting that all those cock-ups are world beating. That set me thinking about the structure, personalities and glaring inadequacies of those decision makers. At the centre of all this mayhem is, of course, Dominic Cummings, and being of a fanciful turn of mind I wondered, What if ...? What if all of this chaos was a cunning plan? Dominic Cummings spent three years in Russia from 1994 to 1997. What if, then, Cummings is the ultimate Manchurian candidate? What if Russias plan was to weaken the west through destroying the economy of one of its main critics and leader of western opinion, Britain, and hopefully, weaken Europe in doing so? What better way than Brexit? It has long been believed that Russian interference helped in swinging the referendum and, if my fanciful tale holds together, their man is at the centre. The right-wing Tories, so grateful to him, take him to their bosoms and thus he sits at the centre of all the ensuing chaos. He manipulates Boris Johnson not only into the prime ministerial role but as a consequence, has a grateful and unwitting ally, clearly so dependent upon Cummings that he cannot allow him to be sacked, whatever the embarrassment. Perhaps John le Carre could do my tale proper justice, in time. Kate Hall Leeds Losing his grip I read John Rentouls column about the unfathomable effect of Dominic Cummings on Boris Johnson and his divisive tactics of divide and rule in this rigidly controlled government, where raising doubts or criticism must be akin to political exile. This has led to the parting of the ways with Tim Montgomerie, who paints a graphic picture of Cummings as a despotic individual who will not brook opposition or even presumably reasoned debate. This is concerning because no adviser should have that much influence over the prime minister, especially in these dire and tragic times. If Cummings has been advising Johnson about how to handle this public health crisis, he hasnt made much of a fist of it thus far, so perhaps his iron hold is losing traction. Judith A Daniels Great Yarmouth, Norfolk Not censorship to remove statues of racists It is not editing our past, as Boris Johnson puts it, to rid ourselves of statues of racists. A statue is merely a celebratory symbol; it doesnt somehow represent history not even remotely! History contains many wicked people who are well known across the world. Those wicked people dont need statues to alert the public to their existence; theyre known and understood regardless. It is education that enlightens people to history. The idea that losing statues is akin to misplacing our very history is frankly laughable. It is, not, however, in the least bit surprising to hear such nonsense being spouted, as our prime minister is hardly a facts man but, rather, a populist egotist with no regard whatsoever for the truth. Sebastian Monblat Sutton, London Where does it end? Where does the removal of statues end? A large number of our historic buildings were built on money from slavery. Do they get removed too? Or get demolished? We could argue that if Winston Churchill had not been prime minister during the Second World War, the UK might have become a Nazi state. It is disgraceful that his statue has been covered to prevent damage. Juliet Davis Address supplied Johnson is being ridiculous The position of Boris Johnson is plainly ridiculous. Is it to lie about their history that the Germans dont have statues of Hitler on their streets? It is about time we had an honest think about who adorns our towns and it shouldnt be simply because at one point they were powerful. No one is lying; were just not wishing to celebrate certain aspects of our history. Sounds sensible to me. Howard Pilott Address supplied The Mumbai police's crime branch arrested a 42-year-old man and claimed to have busted a racket that cheated people with the promise of selling MHADA flats at rates lower than the market price, police said on Saturday. The scam came to light after a Tilaknagar resident approached the crime branch's property cell with a complaint that he was cheated of Rs 12 lakh with a promise of a flat in a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) building in the suburbs, an official said. An offence of cheating was registered at Tilaknagar police station, following which Sachin Dhuri, a resident of Lower Parel in central Mumbai, was arrested on Thursday, he said. Further probe revealed that several others were involved in the racket along with Dhuri, who created fake documents of flats and cheated people, he said. Many others have come forward with similar complaints against the accused, the official said. The police were now verifying the authenticity of documents used by the accused and role of others, including MHADA officials, in the racket, he added. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Saturday said that global alternative asset firm TPG will invest Rs 4,546.80 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. This is the ninth investment for the company in the last seven weeks. "The investment will translate into a 0.93 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis for TPG," RIL said in an exchange filing on Saturday. With this investment, Jio Platforms has raised Rs 102,432.45 crore from leading global technology investors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA,and TPG since April 22. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries,said, "Today, I am happy to welcome TPG as valued investors in our continued efforts towards digitally empowering the lives of Indians through the creation of a digital ecosystem. We have been impressed by TPG's track record of investing in global technology businesses which serve hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses, making the societies we live in better." Jim Coulter, Co-CEOTPG, said, "We are excited to partner Reliance to invest in Jio.As an investor in growth, change, and innovation for over 25 years -and with a longstanding presence in India --we are excited to play an early role in Jio's journey as they continue to transform and advance India's digital economy. Jiois a disruptive industry leader that is empowering small businesses and consumers across India by providing them with critical, high-quality digital services. The company is bringing unmatched potential and execution capabilities to the market, setting the tone for all technology companies to come." Recently, Abu Dhabi government's global investment arm Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) decided to invest Rs 5,683.50 crore in Jio for 1.16 per cent stake. Facebook, Silver Lake Partners (two investments), Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR and Mubadala are others to have announced their investments in Jio. Of this, Facebook's deal of Rs 43,574 crore for 9.99 per cent stake is the largest so far in the company. Also read: COVID-19 disruptions take currency, deposits share in household assets to highest 66% in March Also read: Coronavirus in Delhi: Of 5,947 samples, 2,137 test positive in 24 hours; tally rises to 36,824 More than 300 police, divers, search and rescue squad members, the Federation of Victorian Walking Clubs, the Forestry Commission, St Johns Ambulance and volunteers scoured the area. Near impenetrable bush, plummeting temperatures and even snow flurries hampered the effort. William Callaghan after he was reunited with his mother and stepfather this week. Credit:Justin McManus The case of Damian McKenzies disappearance on September 4, 1974, has never been closed. Continuing investigations by police and private investigators, including a cold case inquiry by former detectives only two years ago, have continued to seek answers. Damian McKenzie in a picture taken shortly before he disappeared. Credit:The Age/Warrnambool Standard In a nation of lost in the bush stories, it remains among the more harrowing mysteries. Damian's mother, Mrs Marcia McKenzie, said this week had been "tough" on her as she followed news reports of the search for William. "I knew exactly how his family felt," she said. Expressing happiness that the search had been successful, she said the loss of her own son, without ever knowing what happened to him, followed her every day. "You never forget," she said. "But you learn to live with. You just have to pick up the pieces and get on with life." The most acclaimed successful search for a lost Australian child, by contrast, remains the discovery of Steven Walls in rough and remote New England high country, more than 500 kilometres north of Sydney, in February, 1960. Steven Walls was missing for 77 hourse before he was found. Credit:Bob Rice More than 3000 people, some on horseback, searched bushland around the farming area of Tubbamurra near the town of Guyra for the boy who had become separated from his father while they were herding sheep on the family property. Seven aeroplanes and an Indigenous tracker, William Stanley, joined the effort. Media organisations around Australia flashed updates on the search, which became world news. When Steven was found alive on February 8, 1960, after four hot days and three cold nights, searchers reportedly burst into tears and there was national rejoicing. Johnny Ashcrofts Little Boy Lost, an emotional musical recounting of the search, became the hit song of 1960. Steven Walls with a gold record of the song 'Little Boy Lost' at his farm near Guyra in 1981. Credit:Frederick Thomas Murray The song used the first words Steven was reported to have said when he was found: Wheres my Daddy. Later that year Ashcroft asked that the song be removed from radio playlists to alleviate the pain of those three words being heard by the parents of another lost little boy, Graeme Thorne. The eight-year-old Sydney child had been kidnapped for the 100,000 his parents had won in the Sydney Opera House Lottery: a crime at the time all but unimaginable in Australia. Following a massive search and detective work, Graeme Thorne was found murdered. His killer, Stephen Bradley, was sentenced to life in prison. He died of a heart attack in Goulburn Gaol in 1968. Australia, however, couldnt let go of the uplifting Steven Walls story. In 1978, hundreds of district residents were bused to Armidale for the premiere of the movie Little Boy Lost, in which Walls, by then aged 22, played one of the searchers. SES searching in dense scrub for William Callaghan on Tuesday morning. Credit:Chris Hopkins A four-year-old from Rockhampton, Nathan Dawes, was chosen to play the lost boy after The Australian Women's Weekly invited readers to send in photographs of boys who looked like Walls. But the real Steven Walls died without any final blaze of publicity. His death, on the family property at Tubbamurra on April 14 this year, occurred during the nationwide fixation with the coronavirus pandemic. His family asked for privacy. Mr Walls mother, Dorothy, told The Age on Thursday she did not wish to go over the old story of her little boy lost. Nor did she wish to draw comparisons with William Callaghans extraordinary survival story, because every time any search was under way anywhere in Australia, she had been asked to recall the events of 1960. Its in the past, she said. At 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, three Crosby trumpet players walked outside and played a somber refrain in memory of those who paid the ultimate price for this country. The 24-note tune is the mournful tribute played at U.S. military bases each night and at every military funeral. The three players joined a throng of other musicians throughout the nation in their remembrance as part of Taps Across America that was suggested by CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman. GREENSPACE: Garcia sets June open date for Atascocita Park With Memorial Day remembrances and parades canceled because of the coronavirus and stay at home orders, the national holiday would have a different tone. Hartman teamed up with retired Air Force bugler Jari Villanueva to continue the spirit of the holiday. Villanueva has an organization, Taps for Veterans, that helps match live buglers and trumpet players with military families for funerals and ceremonies. Their request was that all those who could play trumpet to walk out on their lawn, patio, or driveway and play the tribute at 3 p.m. their local time. One time zone after another, thousands of players trumpeted their solemn remembrance for the nation to hear. I played it at my grandpas funeral a few years ago. That was hard, said Crosby High School band director Kevin Knight. Knight is a French horn player, but when he was in seventh grade, his second year of band, his grandfather bought him a trumpet with a caveat. I want you to learn Taps to play for my funeral, his grandfather asked. About 10 or so years later, he joked with his grandfather he could die anytime because he had learned to play Taps pretty darn good. He (his grandfather) thought that was funny, he laughed. Just a few short years ago, his grandpa died and true to his word, Knight followed through with his request. He shared his experience of playing Taps for his grandfather and explained the history to the band. Knight saw the idea for the kids to play Taps as it populated on Facebook. My band director, Mr. Knight, sent out a group text to the trumpet section and told us about a project where trumpet players across America were invited to step outside and play Taps at 3 p.m. their local time on Memorial Day, said incoming senior Joel Torres. I can play trumpet and I thought it was a good thing to show my respect, he said. Before his performance, he went to his room, took out his trumpet and put a pillow up to the horn because he didnt want anyone to hear him practice. I went through the notes to make sure I could play them because I didnt want to mess it up. He said he knew the significance of the tune and how meaningful it was to people especially when played at funerals. Just a couple of minutes before 3 p.m., Torres told his mom what he was doing and asked her to follow him outside and video him playing the mournful song. He tried to be discreet about his performance, but his grandmother followed him and his mother out the door. I already had a built-in audience with them and then I got a little nervous because I could see a lot of the neighbors had their garage doors open and some were sitting outside, he said. It was then that he realized he would be heard by a lot of people and the pressure was on. Knight said the song is not easy to play especially if they play it open, with no fingers on the valves. The song is played off the Bb chord, just three notes but at different intervals on the staff. The partials are a little resistant, Knight said. A little too much air and they could easily overshoot the pitch. Too little air and they would play a wrong note too. A nervous lip could cause the players sound to crack. When I played it, I closed my eyes and the sound wafted across the neighborhood. I was shaking a little toward the end, Torres said but after watching the playback of the video, he was pleased with his performance. More: Read the latest oil and gas news from HoustonChronicle.com His neighbors paused to listen. Some sitting on benches outside, others walking out to hear him play. The trumpet player, who will be first chair in the Crosby Red Machine Band this fall said he felt good about playing the tune successfully knowing he did it for those who gave their lives for this country. It wasnt his first public performance of the tune. I played it at the Veterans Day ceremony last year and afterwards all my friends said their parents wanted to thank me for playing it because it meant a lot to them, he said. Torres wasnt alone. Demetrius Sheats, who graduated this year, and underclassman Jase Flowers also walked out at their respective homes and played. The kids were to take a video of their performance and send it to Knight so he could make a video to post on social media and submit to CBS. The first player, Jase Flowers, has come light years the last couple of years, he said. He was so impressed. The other two played well as expected. He took the three videos from Flowers, Torres, and Sheats and spliced them into one to create a neat video to share for the Crosby community. I was very proud of those students, Knight said. Knight knows theres a soft spot for the military in Crosby. It is also the home of Medal of Honor recipient David McNerney. The American Legion Post and Crosby ISD ROTC buildings bear his name in remembrance of his sacrifice. Knight decided to do something out of the ordinary for UIL Marching Contest one year. It was two-fold. I wanted to do something different other than the old-school military marching stuff, he said. The director also knew that sometimes those types of shows can come off cheesy and insincere. I wanted something that the audience and the judges would like, he said. To hear the tribute, go to https://www.facebook.com/110134220618266/posts/142211144077240/?vh=e dtaylor@hcnonline.com Canada's intelligence agency warned that arresting the daughter of billionaire Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei would set off global "shock waves" and seriously affect ties with China, just before her detention in Vancouver on a US extradition request, new court documents show. Released on Friday, the documents show the involvement of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in the December 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, which soured diplomatic ties between Ottawa and Beijing. Meng is chief financial officer of China tech giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the company at the center of next generation 5G wireless technology and a long-running dispute the administration of US President Donald Trump. A CSIS report was disclosed in the court documents as part of Meng's extradition proceedings. In a redacted December 1, 2018 memo, CSIS said it was advised by the US FBI of plans to arrest Meng when she arrived on a flight to Vancouver International Airport later that same day. "The arrest is likely to send shockwaves around the world," CSIS said. "The planned event will be of great consequence internationally and bilaterally," the report said. Huawei lawyers called the documents proof that authorities had conspired against Meng. Meng is accused by US authorities 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 US sanctions on Tehran. Meng's lawyers have argued the case should be thrown out because Canada did not have sanctions against Iran. Meng says she is innocent. Last month, a Canadian judge allowed the case to continue, rejecting defense arguments that the US. charges against Meng do not constitute crimes in Canada. The new court documents show the CSIS was concerned about when Meng's arrest might become public. Her lawyers noted the point was of particular interest, since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were attending the G20 summit in Argentina and dining together on the evening of December 1. The claim: Melinda Gates says Black people must be vaccinated first for COVID-19 after health care workers. Melinda Gates, philanthropist and co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, says that after health care workers, Black people must be next in line for vaccination for COVID-19, according to a story on Live24. Gates, in a Time magazine interview on the eve of global vaccine summit in early June, discussed how anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd, an African American man, while in custody of Minneapolis police fits into health equity, especially with development of a COVID-19 vaccine. "The first people that need this vaccine are the 60 million health care workers around the world. They deserve to get it before anybody else. Then you start tiering," 24Live quoted Gates as saying in the Time story, written by Jamie Ducharme. A shift in wording That quote matched the one in Time (though Live24 incorrectly identified the magazine as a newspaper). But then, instead of continuing the direct quote, the Live24 piece paraphrased Gates' subsequent statement, writing, "Melinda went on to say that Black people in the U.S. must be vaccinated after more than 60 million health care workers around the world." The same headline was repeated by Health Nut News, but attributed to Time. The Time interview did not quote Gates as saying Black people "must be" vaccinated after health workers. Asked who needs vaccines after health care workers, Gates told the magazine, "in the U.S., that would be Black people next, quite honestly, and many other people of color." Related: Historic layoffs take biggest toll on Blacks, Latinos, women and the young "They are having disproportionate effects from COVID-19. From there, people with underlying health conditions, and then people who are older. Those are the ones who all need it first. We also need to think about essential workers who are keeping our grocery stores open for us so we can buy food, or who are making sure that food moves through the warehouses." Story continues Live24 didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the way it characterized Gates' statement. Asked about the Live24 article, the Gates Foundation directed USA TODAY to the Time piece. Efforts to secure vaccines The Gates Foundation said at the June 4 summit it will donate $1.6 billion over five years to Gavi, a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world's children against disease. The foundation also said in an online new release that it will donate $100 million to a new Gavi effort to purchase COVID-19 vaccinations for lower-income countries so that "everyone who needs it can have access to it, starting with health care workers and other high-risk populations." Our rating: False headline The headline, "Melinda Gates says Black people must be vaccinated first for COVID-19 after health care workers" is misleading. And it was repeated in the story. Gates did say, however, that Black people and "many other people of color" should be next in line for the vaccine after health care workers. Our fact-check sources: Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457. Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Melinda Gates on COVID-19 vaccinations for Black people Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 18:50:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran reported 2,410 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the total number in the country to 184,955, official IRNA news agency reported. Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said during his daily update that 71 more died overnight, taking the death toll from coronavirus to 8,730. So far, 146,748 have recovered and 2,755 remain in critical condition, added Lari. A total of 1,219,400 lab tests for COVID-19 have been carried out in Iran as of Saturday, according to the spokeswoman. Iran announced its first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19. Iran and China have offered mutual help in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-February, at the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Iran lit up the Tehran Azadi (Liberty) Tower to show its solidarity with China, and donated 3 million masks. In return, China has delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On Feb. 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran on a month-long mission to help it fight the pandemic. Enditem The official birthday of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, celebrated with a grand Trooping of the Colour event every year during the second weekend of June, was marked with a new low-key ceremony on Saturday as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. IMAGE: Queen Elizabeth II attends a ceremony to mark her official birthday at Windsor Castle on in Windsor, England. The Queen celebrates her 94th birthday this year, in line with government advice, it was agreed that The Queen's Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, would not go ahead in its traditional form. Photograph: Paul Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images The monarch, who turned 94 in April, was honoured on the grounds of Windsor Castle -- where she is self-isolating with 99-year-old husband Prince Philip -- with a small number of Welsh Guardsmen and military musicians. They gathered, observing the two-metre social distancing norms in place to curb the spread of the deadly virus, to mark the event with a royal salute for the monarch, followed by military drills and then a march on the castle grounds. With fewer people on parade because of social distancing, "there is no hiding place", said Garrison Sergeant Major Warrant Officer Class 1 Andrew Stokes, who created the display broadcast live on the BBC. IMAGE: Britain's Queen Elizabeth attends a ceremony to mark her official birthday at Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain. Photograph: Toby Melville/Pool/Reuters "But more spacing between individuals means that there is also no room for errors and so the soldier has to really concentrate on their own personal drill, reaction to orders, dressing and social distancing," he said. Traditionally, guardsmen stand shoulder-to-shoulder during their drills or when formed up on the parade ground. "The effects of COVID-19 have been devastating in terms of loss of life and the threatening of livelihoods of so many across the country," said Major General Christopher Ghika, who commands the Household Division. IMAGE: Members of the Welsh Guards perform in a ceremony to mark Britain's Queen Elizabeth's official birthday at Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain. Photograph: Toby Melville/Pool/Reuters "The Welsh Guards and many of those on parade have recently been deployed within the United Kingdom as part of the nation's response to the virus and so the context of the ceremony is particularly poignant," he said. This year marks only the second time in the Queen's 68-year reign that the grand Trooping of the Colour parade in London has not gone ahead. It last had to be cancelled in 1955, three years after the Queen's coronation, due to a national rail strike in the country. IMAGE: Guardsmen keep social distance as they stand in formation for a ceremony to mark Britain's Queen Elizabeth's official birthday at Windsor Castle. Photograph: Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images The annual ceremony brings together all the senior royals to Buckingham Palace, from where they watch the display. Intelligence says two members of Russia-led forces were killed and at least another three were wounded in action. Russia's hybrid military forces on June 12 mounted 12 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as wounded in action. "The Russian Federation's armed formations violated the ceasefire 12 times in the past day," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on June 13. "As a result, one Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in enemy shelling." Read alsoRussia systematically supplies personnel, weapons, military equipment to occupied Donbas Ukraine in JCCC Russian-led forces opened fire, employing proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, as well as grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the towns of Maryinka and Avdiyivka, and the villages of Shyrokyne, Verkhniotoretske, Vodiane, Luhanske, and Krymske. Joint Forces returned fire to each enemy attack. According to intelligence data, two members of Russia-led forces were killed and at least another three were wounded in action on June 12. "Since Saturday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions twice near the village Slavne in the Skhid (East) sector, using hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms," the update said. Enemy troops have also engaged Ukrainian positions near the village of Luhanske in the Pivnich (North) sector, employing proscribed 122mm artillery systems, the report said. There have been no Ukrainian army casualties since Saturday midnight. Tech2 News Staff Xiaomi has started the MIUI 12 pilot testing program for the Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7S smartphone users in India. The company is inviting beta testers for this program who will get access to a pre-release MIUI 12 Global ROM. The registration process is open till 17 June. Xiaomi has clarified the rules participants have to follow during the MIUI 12 pilot testing program. Those willing to join must be active members of the Mi Community in India, and are required to update their device to the latest Global Stable ROM before applying. (Official details here) Participants must have a thorough knowledge of MIUI, including Fastboot flashing and the unlocking of a bootloader. They must not leak anything related to the ROM provided to them during testing, and must not post anything related to the beta on social media. Xiaomi launched the MIUI 12 software update in China in April and unveiled it globally last month. The company announced that the MIUI 12 update will first come to the Mi 9, Mi 9T, Mi 9T Pro, Redmi K20, and Redmi K20 Pro users in June. The update brings visual experience tweaks with features like Dark Mode 2.0 and new Mars and Earth-inspired wallpapers. The MIUI 12 update also enhances security by introducing better privacy controls with features such as Barbed Wire and Mask System, among others. Dark Mode 2.0 lets users dim wallpapers and adjust fonts so that there is less strain on the eyes. MIUI 12 also has a new AI calling feature, which can also transcribe calls and suggest responses. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) The Quezon City government on Saturday said the building that fell into a river in Barangay Del Monte was "illegal" and did not have a proper permit. Although no one was hurt when the three-story building fell into the water in West Riverside St., local officials said they have recommended charges against the owners for violating the National Building Code. "Based on initial investigation, the owner of the structure failed to obtain a building permit from the Department of Building Official (DBO), making the structure illegal," local officials said in a statement. The structure was used for storage for glass and aluminum, the statement added. On Friday, photos of the collapsed building went viral with the caption saying it gave way at 2:45 a.m. while the owners were asleep. "When I got up, I was shocked to see our house eroding and falling into the river," the post read. It added that the land "was passed on" to the residents by their great grandfather. The government also said the DBO, engineering department and disaster risk office recommended to reclaim easement of five meters and to build a wall to "reinforce against erosion." The Quezon City government said officials also suggested the relocation of around 105 informal settlers in the barangay, including 20 in West Riverside Street. The Congress on Saturday accused the BJP-led government of burdening the common man with high taxes on petrol and diesel and earning Rs 2.5 lakh crore since March 5. Congress leader Kapil Sibal said while international crude oil prices have fallen and are at the lowest level in 15 years, yet petrol and diesel prices are skyrocketing and common people continue to suffer under the Modi dispensation. He said instead of passing the benefit of lower crude prices to consumers, petrol and diesel prices were hiked for the seventh straight day on June 13. "The government has earned as much as Rs 44,000 crore in the last six days due to hike in petrol, diesel prices. Since March 5, the government has earned as much as Rs 2.5 lakh crore by way of increasing petrol, diesel prices. "If the government had even the slightest feelings for the common man, instead of benefitting the companies and the government, the prime minister would have helped the common man with reduced fuel prices," Sibal said at an online press conference. According to a report by Care Ratings, he said the hike effectively meant that the Central government is collecting around 270 per cent taxes on the base price of petrol and 256 per cent in case of diesel. The former union minister said petrol was selling at Rs 71.41 in Delhi on May 1, 2014, when international crude oil prices were $106.85, while on June 12, 2020, the price of petrol was Rs 75.16 when the crude oil was at $38. He said central excise and VAT cumulatively account for 69 per cent of tax on fuel in India which is higher than anywhere else in the world. He said the tax of fuel in the US was 19 per cent, Japan 47 per cent, the UK 62 per cent, France 63 per cent and Germany 65 per cent. East Terminal to go ahead with planned consortium By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s): The government is planning on forming a company to run the East Container Terminal (ECT) when it becomes operational later this year, a decision that would be announced after the election. Sources at the Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) noted that authorities are currently trying to form a company and they will be going ahead with India and Japan in running the operations at the ECT. It was noted that while discussions are on between local authorities with India and Japan, this announcement is likely to be made once the general elections conclude. The ECT has been a controversial issue lately due to the involvement of key partners like India that appeared to be sidelined after China was given prominence over them in Sri Lankan ports. In addition, when the ECT was nearing completion the terminal was repeatedly held back from installing its gantry cranes. Now there seems to be a rush in commissioning the long overdue terminal in commencing operations, informed sources said. Meanwhile three of the gantry cranes scheduled to be fitted for the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) are to be used at the ECT. These cranes are likely to arrive by the end of this month and to be installed by the end of July. Moreover, the ECT is planned to be commissioned by August this year, Additional Managing Director Upali De Soysa told the Business Times on Tuesday. India and Japan had already made commitments in an MOU in 2018 with Sri Lanka to establish a joint consortium to run the ECT. It is believed that the viability of the SLPA could improve under this partnership holding a larger minority stake of at least 40 per cent by capitalising the existing asset compared to the 15 per cent shares it obtained from CICT and SAGT. Initial plans laid out in 2018 were to allow the governments of India and Japan identify strategic partners who will own a controlling stake in the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will lease the ECT and operate on a BOT basis for a 35-year period. The Japanese government had in 2018 submitted an MOU stating that they were willing to provide equipment free of charge on the condition that it would be managed by a consortium comprised of Japan and India with SLPA as a minority stakeholder. Mr. De Soysa noted that plans are also underway to commence work at the West Container Terminal (WCT) as well. He said that even this terminal would be run as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with prospects of going for open bidding and a minimum of 15 per cent to be held by SLPA and 85 per cent by an investor. In this respect SLPA is hoping to call for Request for Proposals (RPFs) by the end of this week for the WCT. Samjeondo Monument's protective enclosure, June 2020. Robert Neff Collection By Robert Neff In the fall of 1884, George C. Foulk, an ensign in the U.S. Navy temporarily assigned to the American legation in Seoul, traveled extensively around the Korean Peninsula. Samjeondo Monument, June 2020. Robert Neff Collection His journals were filled with observations of Korean culture, architecture and the trials and tribulations of traveling in a country that had only recently opened to the West one of his chief complaints was the lack of privacy. It is somewhat surprising that during his trip he was granted access to so many sensitive sites such as the North and South Mountain Fortresses. The authorities showed a remarkable willingness to show him the fortifications and ask his opinion but, just outside of Songpa (now in Seoul), the willingness to explain in detail ceased. On October 7, on the edge of Songpa "a village of historic interest" he encountered a "tall building of graceful shape and indicated to be official by its decorations in red containing a great marble tablet fully twelve feet high and a foot thick mounted upon the back of a gigantic granite turtle." Foulk was intrigued. The front of the memorial was filled with Manchu and Mongolian characters while the back was covered with Chinese characters. Outside the building was another turtle surrounded by a rough railing but it did not have a tablet on its back. There were also several dressed stones, stone columns and sheep and drums that he usually found near Korean graves. When asked the significance of the site, a Korean officer stationed in Songpa informed Foulk that "after the Chinese had begun the invasion of Korea in 1637, two large marble tablets covered with inscriptions were brought to Korea from China by sea; that the erection of these was violently resisted by Koreans, and one was destroyed; the other was brought to Songpa and there set us." Ever since then, it was protected by the Joseon government. The top of the Samjeondo Monument, June 2020. Robert Neff Collection When Foulk asked for a translation of the inscriptions, the official professed he did not know what they meant. Foulk then asked if he could make a rubbing of the inscriptions but this was forbidden only the governor could provide this special permission. With daylight running out and the need to continue with his journey, Foulk left the village but noted in his journal: "Historically this monument presents much interest and a thorough examination may develop information on the status of Korea with regard to China of more directly practical use: this I shall endeavor to make." Foulk apparently never followed through with his investigation and thus was probably unaware of how accurate his observations were. The memorial is now known as Samjeondo Monument. According to the information board next to it: "In early 1637, the Qing troops crossed the Amnokgang River. Six days later, King Injo (r. 1623-1649) and his ministers took refuge in Namhansanseong Fortress to defend themselves against the invaders. After withstanding 47 days of siege, King Injo went to surrender at the ferry dock of Samjeondo, where the Qing troops were staying, and was forced to accept vassal status to Qing. Later, the Qing Emperor Hong Taiji ordered a monument to be erected at Samjeondo, praising his excellent virtues." The board also notes that the memorial has suffered vandalism on several occasions "as it was regarded as a symbol of humiliating history." The empty turtle at Samjeondo Monument, June 2020. Robert Neff Collection One of the earliest acts of vandalism took place in 1894-95 when the stone was toppled over and buried. Fortunately, before it was hidden away, another American, Homer Hulbert, was able to translate the inscriptions. According to Hulbert, "there were two stones, one of which was set up; the other, remaining on the bank of the river, was finally washed into the stream." The memorial was set up where the Joseon surrender had taken place and a sturdy building was built over it to protect it from the elements but it wasn't the elements it needed protection from. The inscriptions were extremely humiliating. It denounced the Joseon monarch as being a "weak and insignificant king" while praising the Qing emperor for being extremely patient and "treated us [Koreans] with kindness and by his goodness calmed our agitated minds. When we beheld him our heart went out to him." According to the inscription, the invasion by the emperor and his more than 100,000 soldiers "many of them were like the tiger and the dragon" was because Joseon had failed to honor its treaty. The Korean people in fear "scattered like pheasants" while the king fled to the mountain fortress where he hid for 50 days before the threat of starvation caused him to surrender. With the emperor's forgiveness, "all things became as they had been. Snow and frost were gone and spring smiled forth again. After the drought the showers fell. All that had been destroyed revived again to the dead roots of the tree was brought back the springtime." Koreans making rubbings of the stone in 1917. Korea Magazine, September 1917, courtesy of Brother Anthony The memorial in 1917. Korea Magazine, September 1917, courtesy of Brother Anthony This lofty stone was erected to remind the Joseon people of the goodness of the Qing emperor. Hulbert summed it up as the narrative the emperor used to reinforce the claim that Korea was a vassal state of China. In 1917 (Wikipedia states 1913), the stone was rediscovered and restored to its original site. Over the next couple of decades it was pretty much forgotten until Syngman Rhee ordered it to be destroyed. Fortunately, his orders were not carried out and the stone was once again buried. Rhee's own statues would not be so lucky. With his fall from grace, his statues were hauled down and dragged through the streets. But the Samjeondo Monument would not stay hidden. A flood in 1963 revealed it and it was promptly declared a historical site and protected. The monument now stands in a protective enclosure near Lotte Tower. Time and the elements have nearly erased the inscriptions, leaving it nothing more than a forgotten curio from the past. Around the world, statues and historical sites are being destroyed in an effort to forget the past but perhaps we should be protecting them (with a narrative) so we can remember the past and learn from it. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - When will a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 be ready? Vaccine makers are racing against time to develop a vaccine to fight the novel coronavirus. There are more than 130 candidate vaccines in development against SARS-COV-2, the pathogen that causes COVID-19, of which 10 have moved into clinical trials. Let's take a look at them. 1. AZD1222 AZD1222, formerly known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca plc (AZN) Current Status: AZD1222 is under a phase II/III trial at multiple sites in the UK, with other late-stage trials due to begin in other countries. Mode of Action: AZD1222 uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of a common cold (adenovirus) virus that causes infections in chimpanzees and contains the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Following vaccination, the surface spike protein is produced, stimulating the immune system to attack COVID-19 if it later infects the body. Funding & Collaborations: AstraZeneca has secured more than $1 billion in funding under the Operation Warp Speed initiative from the United States. The UK government has announced 84 million pounds for developing this vaccine. The Company also has a $750 million agreement with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to support the manufacturing, procurement, and distribution of 300 million doses of the vaccine, with delivery starting by the end of the year. In addition, AstraZeneca has a licensing agreement with the Serum Institute of India to supply one billion doses for low and middle-income countries, with a commitment to provide 400 million before the end of 2020. The Company also has an agreement with Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (EBS), valued at about $87 million. Under this agreement, Emergent will provide contract development and manufacturing services and secure large-scale manufacturing capacity through 2020 to support AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate. AstraZeneca has so far doubled the global manufacturing capacity of the potential coronavirus vaccine to two billion doses. Vaccine Rollout: If all goes well, the Company will be ready to provide the vaccine in the UK and U.S. from September or October, according to reports. 2. mRNA-1273 mRNA-1273 is being developed by U.S.-based Moderna Inc. (MRNA) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Current Status: mRNA-1273 is under phase II testing, with phase III study to be initiated in July. Mode of Action: The mRNA-1273 vaccine contains an mRNA or the genetic formula that encodes for a prefusion stabilized form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Upon vaccination, the body cells will start producing the spike protein, triggering the production of antigens to act against the virus, thus eliciting immunity. Funding & Collaborations: Moderna has secured $483 million in funding from the United States government to develop mRNA-1273. The Company has a 10-year strategic collaboration agreement with Switzerland's Lonza to enable larger-scale manufacture of the vaccine. The target is to manufacture up to 1 billion doses per year. The first batches of mRNA-1273 are expected to be manufactured at Lonza U.S. next month. Vaccine Rollout: While it may take at least 12-18 months for the mRNA-1273 vaccine to be available commercially, provided all goes well, the Company is hoping to make it available to some people, possibly including healthcare professionals, in the fall of 2020, under emergency use. 3. BNT162 BNT162 is being developed by Germany-based BioNTech SE (BNTX) and Pfizer Inc. (PFE). Current Status: BNT162 is under a phase I/II clinical trial in Europe and the U.S. A phase III study is expected to be started in July, as per reports. Mode of Action: The BNT162 program consists of four mRNA-based vaccine candidates, representing different mRNA formats and targeting different antigens. Two of the vaccine candidates contain nucleoside modified mRNA (modRNA), one has uridine containing mRNA (uRNA) and the fourth contains self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA). While 2 candidates contain a larger sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the other two candidates contain the smaller optimized receptor-binding domain (RBD) from the spike protein. Upon vaccination, the mRNA uptake into cells results in vaccine antigen synthesis. This stimulates the immune system of the vaccinated individual, generating an immune response to the vaccine antigen and prevent subsequent infection upon exposure to the virus. Funding & Collaboration: BioNTech received an upfront payment of $185 million from Pfizer and is eligible to receive future milestone payments of up to $563 million for a potential total consideration of $748 million. Initially, Pfizer will fund 100 percent of the development costs, and BioNTech will repay Pfizer its 50 percent share of these costs during the commercialization of the vaccine. Upon approval, the two companies will also work jointly to commercialize the vaccine worldwide, excluding China, where BioNTech is collaborating with Fosun Pharma. The companies hope to produce 20 million of vaccine doses by end of this year, increasing the production to hundreds of millions in 2021. The European Investment Bank has also committed to providing BioNTech with up to 100 million in debt financing for vaccine development and manufacturing. Vaccine Rollout If all goes well, Pfizer expects BNT162 to be approved for emergency use by the end of this October. 4. INO-4800 INO-4800 is being developed by US-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (INO). Current Status: INO-4800 is under a phase I trial in the U.S., with preliminary results expected in late June. A phase II/III efficacy trial is expected to start this summer. A phase I/II clinical trial of INO-4800 is slated to commence in South Korea later this month. Mode of Action: INO-4800 is a vaccine that contains DNA encoding for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the major surface antigen of coronaviruses. Upon vaccination, the spike protein will be produced in the cells, triggering antigen-specific T cell responses and functional antibodies. When a vaccinated person is infected by SARS-CoV-2, the antigen-specific T cell responses and functional antibodies will neutralize the virus infection. Funding & Collaboration: The Company has secured $17.2 million in funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the development of INO-4800 vaccine. The Department of Defense (DOD) awarded Ology Bioservices with a contract valued at $11.9 million to work with Inovio on DNA technology transfer to rapidly manufacture INO-4800. Inovio has a partnership with VGXI Inc. and German contract manufacturer Richter-Helm BioLogics GmbH & Co. KG to support large-scale manufacturing of thee INO-4800 vaccine. The Company is planning to have 1 million doses of INO-4800 by the end of 2020. Wistar Institute, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas, Fudan University, and the Laval University are the academic institutions with which Inovio is collaborating for the vaccine. The Company has partnered with Advaccine and the International Vaccine Institute to advance clinical trials of INO-4800 in China and South Korea, respectively. Inovio is also assessing the preclinical efficacy of INO-4800 in several animal challenge models with Public Health England (PHE) and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia. Vaccine Rollout The Company hopes to have the efficacy data from the pending phase II/III efficacy trial of INO-4800, which is expected to commence next month, in about a year, after which it will file for approval. 5. NVX-CoV2373 NVX-CoV2373 is being developed by US-based Novavax Inc. (NVAX). Current Status: NVX-CoV2373 is under a phase I/II trial, with preliminary immunogenicity and safety results from the phase I portion of the trial expected in July 2020. If the results are promising, the phase II portion of the trial will be initiated quickly. Mode of Action: NVX-CoV2373 contains a recombinant version of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein nanoparticles and the Company's proprietary Matrix-M adjuvant. This vaccine belongs to the category subunit vaccine. Unlike traditional vaccines, which contain the entire pathogens that are killed or weakened, the subunit vaccines include only the components, or antigens, that best stimulate the immune system. Funding & Collaboration: Novavax has secured funding of up to $388 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to advance the clinical development of NVX-CoV2373. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has agreed to fund up to $60 million to support Novavax in the manufacturing of NVX-CoV2373. The Company plans to deliver 10 million doses to DoD in 2020 that could be used in phase II/III trials or under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) if approved by the U.S. FDA. Novavax is targeting the production of at least 100 million doses this year and 1.5 billion doses in 2021. In a bid to achieve an annual capacity of over 1 billion doses of antigen starting in 2021 for NVX-CoV2373, the Company acquired Praha Vaccines in Czech Republic. Novavax also has an agreement with Emergent BioSolutions for the development of the vaccine. Vaccine Rollout: The Company hopes to be able to start deploying NVX-CoV2373 by the end of this year if the vaccine secures Emergency Use Authorization. 6. Ad5-nCoV Ad5-nCoV is being developed by China's CanSino Biologics Inc. Current status: Ad5-nCoV is under a phase II trial in China. Mode of Action: Ad5-nCoV is a genetically engineered vaccine that contains replication defective adenovirus type 5 virus as a vector, expressing the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. The vaccination will help in generating neutralizing antibodies against live SARS-CoV-2, thereby rendering a person immune. Collaboration: The Company is developing Ad5-nCoV in collaboration with the Institute of Biotechnology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences. 7. CoronaVac CoronaVac is being developed by China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (SVA) Current Status: CoronaVac is under a phase I/II trial in China. A phase III study is expected to commence in Brazil in July, upon obtaining regulatory approval. Mode of Action: CoronaVac contains a purified inactivated version of the SARS-Cov-2 virus and an adjuvant. On administering the vaccine, it induces the immune system to generate neutralizing antibodies against the novel coronavirus, potentially preventing infection. Funding & Collaboration: The Company has secured a funding of $15 million from Advantech Capital and Vivo Capita to accelerate its COVID-19 vaccine development. Sinovac has a collaboration to evaluate CoronaVac in combination with Dynavax's advanced adjuvant, CpG 1018. A commercial vaccine production plant capable of manufacturing up to 100 million doses of CoronaVac annually is being constructed by Sinovac. 8. BBIBP-CorV BBIBP-CorV is being developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products affiliated to state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group, known as known as Sinopharm. Current Status: BBIBP-CorV is under a phase I/II trial in China. Mode of Action: BBIBP-CorV contains an inactivated version of SARS-CoV-2 and the adjuvant aluminium hydroxide. After vaccination, the immune system is induced to produce neutralizing antibodies against the novel coronavirus, thus building up immunity. Other details about funding and rollout are not available. 9. Unnamed Vaccine Unnamed Vaccine: A vaccine is being developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, affiliated to state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group - Sinopharm. Current Status: This unnamed vaccine is under phase I/II trial in China. The phase I portion of the trial has been completed, with the phase II part underway. Mode of Action: This vaccine also contains an inactivated version of SARS-CoV-2 and its mode of action is similar to other inactivated vaccines. Other details about funding and rollout are not available. 10. Unnamed Vaccine Unnamed Vaccine: A vaccine is being developed by the Institute of Medical Biology and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Current Status: This vaccine is under a phase Ia/IIa trial in China. Mode of Action: This vaccine also contains an inactivated version of SARS-CoV-2 and its mode of action is similar to other inactivated vaccines. Other details about funding and rollout are not available. Closing Thoughts: Traditionally, it takes 10 to 15 years to develop a vaccine, although there are exceptions. It took just 4 years to develop and secure approval for a mumps vaccine that was first licensed in 1948, and 5 years in the case of the Ebola vaccine, which was approved in December 2019. But, what's happening with coronavirus vaccine development is astonishing - with the research work being carried out at breakneck speed. The U.S. government's Operation Warp Speed, the national program to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, is aiming to make available a safe and effective vaccine for Americans by January 2021. Johnson & Johnson, which was previously planning to commence clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate Ad26 SARS-CoV-2, has now accelerated the start of the trial to mid-July. Russia, the third-worst county affected by the pandemic, is expected to launch the clinical trials of its potential COVID-19 vaccine in late-June. Not all COVID-19 vaccines that are currently in development may be successful. Only those that prove their safety and efficacy will make it to the finish line. Given the situation we are in, we certainly need multiple safe and effective vaccines with equitable access to cater to global demand. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Lawmakers Form Group to Probe Delegate San Nicolas Over Alleged Sexual Relationship House Ethics Committee drops probe into Rep. Alcee Hastings The House Ethics Committee unanimously voted to form a group to probe Michael F.Q. San Nicolas, a delegate representing Guam, over an alleged sexual relationship he had with a staff member. San Nicolas, a Democrat, is also accused of using campaign funds for personal expenses, accepting improper and/or excessive campaign contributions, reporting illegitimate campaign disbursements, omitting required information from reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, and making false statements to government investigators or agencies. Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) will head the Investigative Subcommittee looking into the allegations. Reps. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), and Darren Soto (D-Fla.) are the other members of the group. No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules, the House Ethics Committee stated in a press release. In a statement in October 2019, Chairman Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Ranking Member Kenny Marchant (R-Texas) said they became aware of public allegations that San Nicolas may have engaged in a sexual relationship with an individual on his congressional staff, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted improper or excessive campaign contributions. Nicolas, 39, won his first term in office in 2018, defeating Republican candidate Doris Flores Brooks by nearly 4,000 votes. John Paul Manuel, who ran San Nicolas campaign, told CQ Roll Call that he informed congressional investigators of $10,000 in unreported cash that San Nicolas accepted from Andrew Park, a businessman who heads the Guam Korean Chamber of Commerce. Manuel also said he told investigators that San Nicolas, who is married, had an affair with Jennifer Winn, who works on the lawmakers staff. He just operates like he can get away [with it] and so far he has gotten away with it, Manuel said. Theyve been very good at trying to cover their tracks. A voicemail was left at the delegates office Saturday morning. In an emailed statement to Roll Call, San Nicolas said: This is just a part of the process that we are required to go through in order to disprove the allegations made against us. We will continue to cooperate and thank the people for their patience and support during this time. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) speaks during a House Rules Committee hearing on the impeachment against President Donald Trump in Washington on Dec. 17, 2019. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images) Hastings Probe Dropped The House Ethics Committee on Friday also said it was dropping a probe into Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.). The committee launched an investigation over allegations that Hastings had a personal relationship with a woman who worked for him. During its review, the Committee became aware that Representative Hastings has been married to the individual employed in his congressional office since January 2019. Accordingly, Representative Hastings is not in violation of House Rule XXIII, clause 18(a), as its terms do not apply to relationships between two people who are married to each other, nor is he in violation of the House Gift Rule, which permits Members to accept gifts from relatives, the committee stated. Members did review Hastings conduct prior to his marriage and considered whether the lawmaker complied with laws and rules relating to nepotism. But the committee ultimately determined to take no further action. The House of Representatives passed a rule in February 2018 barring lawmakers from engaging in sexual relationships with any employee of the House who works under the supervision of the lawmaker, or who works on a committee on which the lawmaker serves. This paragraph does not apply with respect to any relationship between two people who are married to each other, according to the law. Hastings, 83, admitted to being in a relationship with Patricia Williams, a disbarred lawyer. Shes worked on his staff since at least 2000, earning nearly $3 million in taxpayer funds for her salary. Williams represented Hastings in the 1980s when he was impeached and removed as a U.S. District Court judge. Bengaluru, June 13 : With the profound message of Iskcon Founder Acharya Shrila Prabhupada that "no one should go hungry" as its motto, the country's leading non-government organisation Akshaya Patra Foundation has served a whopping 6.3-crore meals to the needy since the lockdown was enforced across the country on March 25 to contain the corona virus spread. "Till June 11, we have served 6.3 crore (63 million) meals to the people from vulnerable communities, including daily-wage earners, industrial workers, labourers at construction sites and others in 17 states across the country," Foundation Vice-Chairman Chanchalapathi Dasa told IANS here. The 6.3-crore meals include 3.4 crore freshly cooked dishes and 6,86,092 food relief kits, with essential groceries amounting to 2.8 crore servings. Set up in this tech hub with former Infosys Director T.V. Mohandas Pai as its co-founder in 2000, the Foundation is the world's largest non-for-profit run organisation that serves mid-day meal on school days to over 18-lakh children in 19,039 schools across 12 states in the sub-continent. Madhu Pandit Dasa of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskon) is the founder of the two decades old Patra. "Our aim is to reduce the food insecurity during this pandemic outbreak as it heightens health risks for vulnerable under inadequacy of basic nutrients," said Foundation's chief executive Shridar Venkat. Global software major Infosys' co-founder N.R. Narayan Murthy, his wife Sudha Murthy and their family donated Rs 10 crore to enable the Foundation distribute 1.33-lakh food relief kits in various locations across the country. "I hope the situation will improve soon and the people will get back to normal life. Till then, we will continue to feed as many people as possible," said Dasa. The Foundation is serving meals cooked at its huge kitchens to the affected people In Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Delhi (NCR), Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh. "We have undertaken food assistance to support the government's relief efforts to the needy, affected by the extended lockdown to curb the Covid-19 spread," asserted Venkat. Food relief kits are also being distributed to the vulnerable communities in these states. "The kits are based on the local palate of the region, with each of them having dry ration sufficient to cook 28 meals. The kits distributed in Bengaluru contain rice, tur dal (lentils), oil, spices, sambar and rasam powder and vegetables with longer shelf-life like potatoes and pumpkins," said Venkat. The Foundation is distributing food relief kits also in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where it is building kitchens for the school feeding programme. In Jharkhand, Punjab and West Bengal, the NGO is using its kitchens set up for cooking mid-day meals for school kids and local resources to feed the needy. The Foundation has 52 kitchens in 12 states and 2 Union Territories across the country. Leading corporate, donors and volunteers have also been supporting the Foundation in the relief-feeding endeavour. The Foundation has also received support of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms like General Mills (Mumbai), Britannia and Epigamia. Employees from corporate houses, Infosys Foundation, biotech firm Biocon, Home Guards and Civil Defence personnel and volunteer groups like Corona Warriors and Inspiring Indians have been helping with the packing and distribution of food relief kits in various locations. "We have been able to serve over 6.3 crore meals to the needy during these difficult times due to the collaborative efforts of everyone involved, including the central and state governments and local civic bodies," Dasa pointed out. In the National Capital Region (NCR) Iskon's Delhi centre has served 2.5-crore meals during the lockdown and still counting. "Though wearing mask and social distancing are necessary to help limit the virus spread, for lakhs of people food insecurity is much more serious issue, as they cannot afford to stock up food supplies," said Iskcon Delhi's in-charge Shrila Gopal Krishna Goswami. Sensing that the economically weaker sections will grapple with food shortage of food in the wake of this nationwide lockdown, Goswami directed the centre's volunteers to serve warm meals of Krishna prasadam to the needy. "Our kitchens are run with all precautions as per the Union health ministry's guidelines. The food is prepared daily in the hygienic way in compliance with the Covid-induced regulations," said Goswami. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, will not get the partys governorship ticket on a silver ... The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, will not get the partys governorship ticket on a silver platter if he decides to join. Although, the party said the embattled governor will be welcomed into its fold. The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, disclosed this on Friday. Ologbondiyan said: Yes, we will accept him, of course. On PDPs governorship ticket for Obaseki, he said: Joining a party is different from contesting an election. These are two separate things. People join political parties from their wards. We are in touch with our Edo State chapter and they have not told us that the governor had joined our party(as of 6.57 pm on Friday). However, PDP had screened the three aspirants seeking the ticket for the Edo election on its platform which signals the close of nominations. But a party source hinted that the eventual winner of the PDP ticket might be persuaded to withdraw from the race for Obaseki, The Nation reported. Governor Obaseki was yesterday disqualified from seeking re-election on the platform of the APC as he was screened out by the partys screening committee. The governor has said that he would not appeal the decision which has fueled the speculations of his decampment to another party. However, on Saturday morning, Former Aviation Minister Fani-Kayode hinted that Obaseki may have secretly joined the Peoples Democratic Party with the aim of contesting for his second term on the platform. New chapter for Gratiaen as it goes digital With literature and lit prizes having to adjust to the new normal, Gratiaen Trust chairperson Neloufer de Mel talks to Yomal Senerath-Yapa View(s): View(s): The Gratiaen Prize for Sri Lankan creative writing in English, at 28 years, has left a rich trail. When the 2017 winner, the late legendary Jean Arasanayagam, trilled This is our local Oscars! she was paying tribute not to glamour but to the high quality the prize has throughout kept up- and the mid-year excitement it generates. The Gratiaens long footfall from Carl Mullers salacious Railway Burgher sagas to Arun Welandawe-Prematillekes intense, gay soul searching which made him the last winner- have the promise of leading us to new literary pastures- fresh, heady, exhilarating. Here, Neloufer de Mel, chairperson of the Gratiaen Trust, and Senior Professor of English (Chair) at the Dept. of English, University of Colombo, looks forward to ushering in a brand new era for the Gratiaen. Gratiaen will be moving to a digital platform this year. Can you tell us exactly what this entails? Yes, we have had to adapt to the times, the new normal we are in, and move onto a digital platform. We are grateful to the John Keells Foundation, our primary sponsor and the Wijeya Group which is our media partner for making it happen, particularly the Daily Mirror Online which has offered to record and stream the online events. We will be having three events: the short list announcement on the 20th of June at 6.30 p.m.; a question and answer session with the short-listed writers on the 27th of June also at 6.30 p.m., and the announcement of the main award of the 2019 Gratiaen Prize in early July. The events will be a mix of pre-recorded and live elements. They will be streamed online, over the social media platforms of the Daily Mirror (Daily Mirror FB page, Twitter and Instagram) as well as cross posted on the Gratiaen Trust Facebook page. This move to online streaming of our events is both challenging and exciting. After 26 years of holding conventional short listing and main award events, we have had to, in a relatively short period of time, think digital. We have also had to coordinate with judges and writers, some of who are currently overseas, and think of what is visually attractive rather than relying on voice and the verbal alone. The advantages for us in streaming these events online is that we can reach a wider audience that is also younger. University students from the Dept. of English have always participated at our award events, and last year we invited school students studying English for the Alevel exam for the final award event which went down well. We want to increase the numbers of young people who tune into the Trusts work and it is very important for us to inspire young people to engage more with literature, whether as writers or readers. Apart from the prize itself, the Gratiaen Trust has grown busier- improving local creative writing with programmes of training, education and linking up with international resources. Can you speak of this expansion- while looking at fruitful projects you undertook? We have been extremely fortunate to obtain the support of the John Keells Foundation for our activities from October last year. This sponsorship really enabled us to expand our activities. For some time now we have wanted to support our Prize which is still our main activity and event with workshops that would help improve the quality of creative writing in English in Sri Lanka. Towards this we came up with a programme of masterclasses and editing workshops. We had our first masterclass last December with well-known actor and theatre director Fiona Shaw. We also held editing workshops. Editing is neglected by both our writers and publishers. Many think editing is proof reading for grammar and spelling. This area needs much improvement too, but a good content editing is much more: its about placement, non-repetition, learning how not to over-write and so on. One workshop was led by Ritu Menon (author and founder of the publishing firm Women Unlimited), and the other by well-known novelist Shyam Selvadurai. Shyams workshop was held in Jaffna followed by a short play by Arun Welandawe Prematilleke, followed by a Q & A in which Ayathurai Santhan, a senior writer who has been short listed several times for the Prize, also participated. These events were an opportunity for audiences in Jaffna to see contemporary Sri Lankan theatre and engage with authors face to face. We also want to develop a longer-term mentoring programme where our short-listed writers and winners will be paired with a well-known international author who will act as a mentor on work in progress. What do you think of the role played by art in the midst of COVID-19? I think art has a very important role to play at this time, and it is upsetting that it is likely to become one of the worst-affected sectors by the funding cuts caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Artists have always asked important questions, particularly at times of crisis, about who we are as individuals and a society and so on. Under COVID-19, people have turned to art. We have had more time, under curfews and lockdowns to watch films, listen to music, paint, read and write. People have appropriated art, often quite wittily. Mona Lisa, Vincent Van Gogh and Marilyn Monroe found themselves wearing face masks. Folk artists in India painted Gods and Goddesses with masks for messages on social distancing. Music and art have been used in innovative ways over tik tok. Italians sang opera arias from their balconies, and locally, people sang popular songs at quarantine centres and urban tower blocks. Virudhu was used for messages on the virus and social distancing. This was a very earthy way in which people used art to cope with the times. This is inspiring because it shows that art, in its multiple forms, remains an important resource for all kinds of people. Awarding the prize to Kider Chetty Street in 2004 was radical. Has the Gratiaen kept up this trend? The award for Kider Chetty Street, particularly because of its use of language, was, as you say, a watershed. But I dont think the history of the Gratiaen Prize doing something different starts in 2004. Take, for instance, its very first award in 1993 to Carl Muller for Jam Fruit Tree, a novel about underclass Burghers with a very powerful, unique use of language. This set the stage for the Prize to be a platform which recognized innovative creative writing. It has also not shied away from giving the highest recognition to bold writing, whether this be political satire or works on diverse sexualities. Shehan Karunatillekes phenomenal success with Chinaman started, for instance, with the novel winning the Gratiaen Prize in 2008. Moreover, if you take the short list these past several years, you will see younger and older writers who come from different walks of life, from Colombo as well as the provinces. They use Sri Lankan English creatively in their work and the fact that they are on short lists means that successive jury panels for the Prize have had no problem with this. I think this expansion of the canon, and that the Prize is accessible to English creative writing by a wide range of people who apply each year (anything from 60 to 70 entries) is a very important contribution the Gratiaen Prize has made to the literary scene in Sri Lanka over these past 27 years of its existence. Anything else you would like to say? Michael Ondaatjes vision and generosity has been a great gift for Sri Lankan creative writing in English. At the same time, there are many others who, over these past 28 years of the Trusts existence, have supported it voluntarily whether by judging the entries, or conducting workshops, or helping with the Prize events. These friends of the Gratiaen have been an enormous support. Together with the writers who enter their work for the Prize each year, and our sponsors, the John Keells Foundation, the British Council which has been with us throughout our journey, the Sarasavi Bookshop from 2016-2019, the Wijeya Group as our media sponsor, we remain hopeful about our work even at this challenging time. Jussie Smollett and his lawyers tried pulling a fast one on Lady Justice by claiming he had already faced trial once when state's attorney Kim Foxx pulled a fast one and let him skate on charges related to his staged hate crime and the subsequent waste of police resources in Chicago, where the number of homicides dwarfs the number of detectives available to investigate them. Mark Konkol reports for The Patch: Cook County judge Friday denied a motion to dismiss charges against actor Jussie Smollett, ruling the case against him does not amount to double jeopardy. In March 2019, the former "Empire" star was indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct after he was accused of lying to Chicago police about being the victim of a hate crime. Those charges were dropped without a trial or requiring a guilty plea by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office. Smollett paid a $10,000 fine and did community service. The controversial decision to drop the charges led to a new investigation by special prosecutor, former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb. In February, Webb filed new charges against Smollett, whose lawyers argued he should be considered double jeopardy and dismissed because the actor had already been punished by paying a fine and doing community service. Cook County Judge James Linn disagreed Friday. Jussie Smollett (YouTube screen grab by Sister Circle Live). The ruling makes total sense, since there never was a trial, just a deal that appears corrupt. This is setting up a trial for Smollett, which can be televised. Don't for a second forget that it was Michelle Obama's chief of staff, Tina Tchen, who appears to have played a key role in handling this incident. The entire Democrat-celebrity culture has a lot to lose if Smollett ends up in jail for his crimes. Still pending is a federal investigation for Smollett's use of the U.S. Mail to perpetrate the fraud. [U]sing the mail to make a threat that can be seen as a terroristic threat even to oneself is no small deal to Uncle Sam. And (don't laugh!) it brings in the most underrated federal law enforcement agency of all: the Postal Inspectors. Why has nothing been heard from the U.S. attorney in Chicago? The National Writers Conference: As the centrepiece of the EWF, the National Writers Conference is the online place to be for emerging writers who are hungry to develop their skills, hear from leaders in the field and forge connections within the industry. The one-day online conference will cover the craft, ethics and business of writing in two core streams: Saturday, June 20, via Go-To Webinar, Zoom & Google Hangouts. Veronica Heritage-Gorrie Credit: First Stage (Presented in partnership with Melbourne Theatre Company) In collaboration with the MTC, four emerging playwrights have developed short, sharp works over a series of intensive workshops with the company's literary department: Sunday, June 21, 7pm. Closing Night: Amazing Babes (Presented in partnership with Yarra City Council) An incredible lineup of artists, including Veronica Heritage-Gorrie, will honour the amazing babes in our lives from the familial to the fictional and beyond: Tuesday, June 23, 7pm, live-streamed via Zoom. Portuguese police did not interview the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case in the weeks after the three-year-old's disappearance as they did not know that he was a convicted sex offender, it was claimed today. Christian Brueckner's criminal past in Germany was not known to detectives searching for Maddie after she disappeared from the Praia da Luz resort in 2007. While all sex offenders in the Algarve region came under suspicion and were interviewed, 43-year-old Brueckner was not among them. Though Brueckner had two convictions for theft and disobedience since arriving in Portugal in 1998, he was not on the radar of those searching for the youngster. His name was included in a file sent to British police in 2011 - but only because he was a foreigner who had been jailed and not because he was linked to a sex crime. Christian Brueckner's criminal past in Germany was not known to detectives searching for Madeleine McCann after she disappeared from the Praia da Luz resort in 2007 What we know about Brueckner: a MailOnline timeline plots the German paedophile's trail It wasn't until Brueckner 'confessed' to a friend in a bar in Germany that he knew about Maddie's disappearance that he became the prime suspect. German prosecutors are convinced he killed three-year-old Maddie but have admitted they do not have enough evidence to charge him with murder. Portuguese media said EU countries did not routinely share information on all criminals in the 1990s. Brueckner was convicted of molesting a six-year-old girl in a playground in his home town of Wurzburg, Bavaria, in 1994 when he was just 17. A police source told Portuguese newspaper Expresso: 'Nearly all the Portuguese nationals and foreigners living on the Algarve with sex offence convictions were questioned at the time' (pictured, Portuguese police at the the Praia da Luz resort from where Maddie disappeared) Though Brueckner had two convictions for theft and disobedience since arriving in Portugal in 1998, he was not on the radar of those searching for three-year-old Maddie He left Germany for the Algarve after serving part of a two-year youth sentence for the crime. But that conviction was unknown to police on the McCann case in 2007. Christian Brueckner's 17 CONVICTIONS Christian Brueckner, the new key suspect in the Madeleine McCann case Serial offender Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, has a total 17 convictions for child sex abuse and rape, drug offences, theft and forgery. Brueckner's first burglary was in his home town of Wurzburg, Bavaria, in 1992, when he was 15. He was also given a two-year youth sentence in 1994 for sexually abusing a child when he was 17. After his 12 years in Portugal he was jailed for drug smuggling in northern Germany October 2011. In 2013 he abused another little girl and was caught with child porn, and was jailed for those offences in 2016. It was only in 2019 he was jailed for the rape in Praia da Luz after being found living on the streets in Milan. Advertisement A police source told the respected Portuguese weekly newspaper Expresso: 'Nearly all the Portuguese nationals and foreigners living on the Algarve with sex offence convictions were questioned at the time. 'That case of sexual abuse of a minor did not cross the German borders and that meant the we didn't know about it. 'The German was known to police in Portugal, but for petty crimes he'd been convicted of which didn't raise any alarm bells in May 2007.' Portuguese police have been criticised for the response to the latest appeal by German prosecutors who claim they still believe Kate and Gerry McCann were responsible for the disappearance of their daughter. The friction between Portuguese police and German prosecutors has threatened to derail the latest investigation and appeal led by British police with Operation Grange which was established to try and solve the mystery of what happened to Maddie. Senior detectives with the Portuguese Police Judiciaria are 'incensed' at the criticism and in particular the way German prosecutors have hinted Brueckner may be responsinble for further unsolved serious crimes on the Algarve. Reports in Portugal said the Police Judiciaria 'flagged up' three unsolved crimes to German police after being asked to review other sex attacks Brueckner could be responsible for. One of the unsolved crimes was reportedly the 2004 rape of Irishwoman Hazel Behan. Behan, from Dublin, waived her right to anonymity this week to reveal she was viciously assaulted by a masked man in her apartment in Praia da Rocha a half-hour drive east of Praia da Luz. She said he believed Brueckner could have been responsible as the pattern of assault mirrored the one he carried out on a 72 year old American in 2005. Expresso newspaper said the German had already been ruled out of the sex attack as there was no DNA linking him to the attack. Like other towns across Cork, Fermoy and Mitchelstown have been a hive of activity this week as the county began the process of reopening following the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions. Like other towns across Cork, Fermoy and Mitchelstown have been a hive of activity this week as the county began the process of reopening following the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions. Under the auspices of Cork County council's 'Project ACT' town reactivation programme a number of meetings have taken pace over recent weeks aimed at bringing together local business, retail and community sectors develop a collaborative approach to the reactivation of the two towns. As with other urban centres across the county special 'town teams' comprised of local councillors and council officials, local businesses, community organisations and the gardai have been established to help coordinate the process and ensure its smooth running. Already four team meetings have taken place in each town under the stewardship of municipal district chair Cllr Frank O'Flynn who said their main focus has been to afford communities the safety and confidence to increase footfall, shop locally and make the towns a safe and viable place for people within the COVID-19 guidelines. "Actions agreed in both towns have included street power washing and deep cleaning, sign cleaning, the de-cluttering widening and repair of footpaths to allow for outdoor seating outside some premises from June 29," said Cllr O'Flynn. Under these initiative and to allow for health & social distancing recommendations, queuing space and widening of footpaths will also, in some instances, include the reduction of some car parking spaces on a temporary basis. Special town ambassadors have also been appointed to both towns to assist the re-opening process and to assist members of the local community. "This activation programme is being facilitated by Cork County Council to implement measures and help businesses start up, encourage shoppers to stay local, shop local and support local businesses," said Cllr O'Flynn. Supports the authority has put in place to help alleviate financial pressure on business include a three-month rates waiver, a restart grant of between 2,000 and 10,000 for small businesses and an online trading voucher worth 2,500. Cllr O'Flynn said the teams are also supporting events and festivals through the development of a dedicated towns festival programme for 2021. "Over the coming weeks the situation will be continually assessed by both town teams and issues of concern to individuals, groups or business will be addressed. I would encourage people to work with the teams as ongoing engagement with all stakeholders will be critical to the next phase of recovery," he added. Two challenges against the Queensland government's constitutional right to keep the state isolated amid the coronavirus crisis are unlikely to be heard before the borders reopen. Billionaire businessman Clive Palmer and a group of businesses and individuals named Travel Essence launched separate proceedings in the High Court after the borders were closed in March. In addition to the Queensland government's border restrictions, Clive Palmer is also challenging the West Australian government's right to close the border. Credit:AAP/Dan Peled Lawyers for the parties on Friday told Chief Justice Susan Kiefel they have been unable to agree on the facts surrounding community transmission on which the cases will be heard. Justice Kiefel said it was "rather unlikely", given the problems the parties were facing, that the cases would be heard before a full bench in the week of June 29 as previously planned. By Toya Cornelious Days after winter turned into spring this March, we received a call that changed our lives. The urgent request came from the New Jersey Department of Health asking CareOne, my employer, to provide urgent support and resources for a deteriorating situation at St. Josephs Seniors Home-Nursing Center and Assisted Living in Woodbridge. The facility had been overrun with COVID-19 and was barely hanging on. The coronavirus had spread like wildfire infecting the staff, primarily comprised of nuns, along with many residents. More than 80 residents were depending on just a few dedicated nuns for their care. They were some of our most vulnerable members of our society, and we could not in good conscience turn our backs on them. They desperately needed help. Our help. When we arrived the situation at St. Josephs was dire. The nuns, almost all of whom were ill with COVID-19, were working around the clock. Many of the residents had the virus but we didnt know who because, despite the nuns best efforts, direct care had taken priority over updating the paper records at St. Josephs. As the state advised us, they (and we along with them) had no choice but to assume that all the residents were positive. What followed was nothing short of extraordinary courage by our staff. Despite the shock and collapse of anything remotely resembling primary care, we quickly supported the sisters to provide relief and triaged the situation. The Department of Health issued an Emergency Order closing St. Josephs and directed the evacuation of the residents to one of our CareOne facilities. This required a herculean effort to coordinate the logistics including first relocating residents from CareOne at Hanover in Whippany to other CareOne facilities. In less than 72 hours after the Department of Health call, 79 residents from St. Josephs were transferred by the Office of Emergency Management, state police, and our staff to our Hanover facility. Along with my team, we followed CDC and Health Department guidelines to maintain a safe environment and protect our patients and staff. Equally important, we ensured that the residents were treated with dignity and kept comfortable. I was personally on-site to greet each resident as they arrived at the Hanover facility. One family stood in the distance and upon speaking with them, they indicated that their loved one was being transferred from St. Josephs and they hadnt been able to visit with her due to the pandemic. Albeit a brief interaction, the family was able to see their loved one and tell her how much they loved her. Many of the residents were in declining health and were hospice appropriate upon arriving into CareOnes care. Our staff assessed each resident and developed a plan of care based on their medical status and the families goals of care. These residents became our family. It was difficult and demanding, physically and emotionally, but our dedication and resolve never faltered. If anything, it grew stronger. Recently, CareOne transferred back scores of the former COVID-19-positive residents to St. Josephs, fully recovered. Our staff and nurses made these recoveries possible. I know them to be among the best-trained and prepared in the country and I believe without their actions and sacrifice many more lives would have been lost. It has also been quite emotionally and psychologically draining to witness the decline of those that Ive come to know and love. People Ive bonded with, called friends and cared for as family over time have been lost fighting this virusand I grieve, we all do. I am not alone. Fighting this pandemic has taken its toll across the healthcare industry in so many ways. Nearly 600 of them; nurses, caregivers, doctors, paramedics and other essential staff have died from this insidious disease. I recently tested positive for the virus. Having lost a dear friend to COVID-19, I was intimately aware of how devastating it could be, but I wasnt overly concerned for my own welfare. The scariest moment was knowing that my husband and young daughters had been exposed and were symptomatic. Thankfully, we have all recovered physically. The rest will take time. I am hopeful that we finally have the upper hand in this fight and the worst has passed. Now, with change ahead of us again with spring approaching summer, I hope we can turn toward a more optimistic season. Toya Cornelious is chief clinical officer at CareOne Management for all of those who helped at CareOne at Hanover Township. Shes also a C.A.R.E.S. award winner. 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. The Queensland Human Rights Commission has asked police for more data on the enforcement of coronavirus-related public health directions, as some people claim they have been unfairly targeted and concerns emerge others may never be able to pay the fines. No data beyond the number of fines issued at a regional level have been released, despite similar calls from other human rights and civil liberties advocates. Weekly updates have also ceased. A police officer speaks with sunbathers on a Gold Coast beach in April. Credit:Dave Hunt/AAP In New South Wales and Victoria, those data have revealed little correlation between enforcement efforts and the spread of the virus, while raising questions about the targeting of more-vulnerable groups such as Indigenous Australians, migrants and those living in social housing. Amid concern for vulnerable members of the community, Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall has requested the figures along with details about reviews for each fine. YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian talked about tech startups, reinventing the world and his idea for a club of small nations in an interview to Innovation Editor at the Financial Times John Thornhill, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. Armenpress presents the full interview: Armen Sarkissian is an unusual president. For a start, hes one of the very few heads of state who has a deep understanding of technology and is a distinguished scientist, bringing a different perspective to global challenges. Although the role of president is largely ceremonial in Armenia, he helps connect his countrys 3m people with the 8m diaspora Armenians scattered around the world. In Soviet days, Sarkissian was a theoretical physicist, who won the prestigious Lenin prize and pursued research at Cambridge University alongside Stephen Hawking. He was also the co-developer of Wordtris-Tetris, the popular computer game. When Armenia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Sarkissian became his countrys first ambassador to the UK and several other European countries. He has also been an international business adviser and has served as his countrys prime minister. In this interview with Sifted, Sarkissian calls for the creation of a club of small, successful states to pioneer innovative policies. Armenia likes to call itself a startup nation and Sarkissian says all countries now need to adopt an agile, tech-savvy mentality. He also argues: The Covid-19 crisis has accelerated the future Governments need to help create new jobs, rather than defend old industries E-governance can reshape the way countries operate Startups have a vital role to play in promoting innovation We should not lose our focus on combating climate change The crisis will encourage the development of distance healthcare, as well as distance learning Armenia, like Israel, is sometimes described as a Startup Nation. How has Armenia responded to the pandemic? How will the world change as a result of this crisis? The situation is unique in a sense that it is not about the nature of this virus but rather about the conditions in which it is developing. The world has become more dynamic, unpredictable. Viral changes are happening in all areas of human activity from politics to simple human relations. The coronavirus crisis has only accelerated these transformations because it instilled a sense of urgency across all aspects of our lives, forcing us to question our behaviours and beliefs. In that sense, the worldwide spread of Covid-19 is not the cause but rather a result of the profound changes taking place in the world. That is why it is critical to look into the underlying trends. We can see that each country has chosen its own method to fight the virus, which means that the outcomes will vary, especially when borders and travel reopen. Overall, I hope that this crisis will become a catalyst for re-assessment of priorities in science and healthcare, pushing for closer integration of the two fields. Unfortunately, one area which will be dramatically affected will be employment, as some jobs may disappear as economies reopen. Therefore, it becomes even more pertinent for governments to focus on what their new economies and new jobs would look like, rather than trying to resuscitate expiring industries. The acute need for a flexible workforce will force us to review educational and vocational training. These critical issues must be solved quickly and they will in turn boost cooperation amongst three areas: science, education and labour. Moreover, there is a risk that the global crisis in the area of healthcare will distract from climate change as a key topic of the political agenda. The two are somewhat inversely linked as the lower use of fossil fuels has shown over the last two months. The rush for countries to restart their economies may adversely affect the climate, as ecology-related regulation will most probably be eased or sacrificed altogether. There is an extremely fine line between public health and public well-being that Armenia and, on a larger scale, the whole world are attempting to navigate. In this unprecedented situation, our focus should be on the vulnerable strata of society the people who do not have the privilege of earning a steady income. Our sincere support and constant unfailing solidarity with them, among other groups affected by uncertainty, will be an integral precondition of rehabilitation. What role can startups play in the post-crisis economy? Startups will continue to play a critical role in the post-pandemic world. The unfortunate reality is that every country will face high unemployment. Companies will be under pressure to stay afloat and cut costs further as they try to adjust to the new ways of living, consuming and working. As we saw after the 2008 crisis, people will be willing to take more risks and start new companies because they may not be able to return to their old jobs. Governments should do everything they can to encourage this form of risk-taking because these are the companies which can help us to innovate and live and work more productively in the post-pandemic world. Whether this is by creating tax incentive schemes for investors to allocate more capital into these startups or supporting the ecosystem within each country to ensure that the right legal, educational, technological environments exist, these policies are important to provide employment for the jobless but also to enable us to shift faster from the old economy to new economy. How can we reimagine our healthcare and education systems to make them more adaptable? How can we incentivise preventive medicine? How effective can distance learning become? The pandemic reflects a global systematic under-preparation of healthcare systems to deal with a potential pandemic, despite constant warnings over the last 20 years. Technology can help us create not only distant learning but also distant healthcare. We focus too much on the cure instead of prevention. The pandemic is a clear manifestation of this notion. Technology, through the use of artificial intelligence and distant engagement, can help people maintain higher standards of hygiene, healthcare and education without implementing higher costs on the taxpayer. But we need to encourage the private sector to develop these technological solutions. Upfront investments and incentives by states to create the right ecosystems for innovation will ensure a longer-term reduction of costs, while increasing the levels of education and healthcare. As someone who has worked on one of the first educational games Wordtris-Tetris, I believe educational games will play a more prominent part in the future, rather than the traditional classroom systems. I have also used this opportunity to conduct several online lectures myself. And while this was completely different from being in the same room with the students, it was a very rewarding experience. Technology empowers us to conquer distance and other barriers, and we have to use it to our advantage to ensure that no pandemic or other event can disrupt the continuity of education for students of all ages. We have an opportunity to use technology to provide education to those who did not have access to it before and I believe the pandemic will accelerate that process. Earlier this year, during your visit to Israel you came up with the idea to establish an international club for small states. Can you tell us more about this? I had this idea of establishing a club of small states for quite some time. Recently, I discussed it with a number of leaders, who, I thought, would be interested in bringing this idea to life. Among them the Emir of Qatar, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the prime minister of Singapore, and the presidents of Rwanda and Montenegro to name a few. I spoke publicly about this idea during my visit to Israel. It looks like things are coming together, and I will be launching the Club officially soon. It is a good time to be a small state since the spread of democratic norms-based international institutions, combined with increased interdependency and openness of global markets, allows small states like Armenia not only to prosper but also to influence the evolving multipolar world order. At the same time, unconventional challenges like the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic are an added reason for many small states to seek effective cooperation. I believe that small states acting as collective power can make a palpable difference in making the world safer and more prosperous and harmonious. One of the missions of the Club is to identify innovative approaches to collective actions and international initiatives by small states. We are entering a new era for the global economy, being shaped by three driving forces: digitalisation, and the new industrial revolution; the sustainable development imperative; and economic multipolarity and state nationalism. The Club can become a generator of novel development strategies and growth models for small states as we confront this new era. You are one of the very few heads of state who is a scientist. What role will science play in helping us emerge from the Covid-19 crisis? What are the most effective means of developing a vaccine? How can technology mitigate the effects of the pandemic? Science will play a critical role because it will provide empirical assessments of the virus and its effects. This is more important today than any other time because of the information overload our societies are experiencing. It is very difficult for people to take the right steps if they are receiving mixed messages from the government, their social groups, their friends or the organisations which employ them. Therefore, following scientific advice is critical to saving lives and also restarting economies in the right way. We can now safely deduce that we do not need a blanket lockdown in every country but can ring-fence demographic groups, sectors of industry or employees who are most at risk. Only science can provide the right guidance and we should be following the experts. The most effective means of developing the vaccine is by open collaboration. There are so many unknowns still about the virus and we are discovering new things about it every day. To create an effective cure we must collaborate closely not only on a private-public level but on a global level. This is the responsibility of governments worldwide to ensure this open collaboration and put pressure on private institutions to do the same. Technology, as has frequently been the case throughout history, can be the saviour of sciences during the pandemic. It has already been effective in maintaining civil order because most people who possess TVs, computers, tablets or smartphones can keep connected to their families, work and friends, whilst also being entertained. Imagine if this happened 50 or even 30 years ago the aftermaths of mental health issues and social unrest would have been catastrophic and the lockdowns would have been less effective. I believe this change in consumer and employee behaviour will continue and, if embraced effectively, can create some unintended benefits on productivity, pollution levels and reconnecting with family and nature. It is clear that governments, and corporations, will have to put more emphasis on resilience, not just efficiency. How can organisations become more resilient? Currently, more than ever, governments and businesses stand in need of flexible, transparent and clear communications with their respective stakeholders. Governmental resilience depends on consistency. The way to ensure consistency is for governments to start embracing technology and implement e-governance to ensure uninterrupted activity while also bringing on board those that may not have been represented previously. Perversely, this pandemic could help governments to become more representative and more democratic, if they take the opportunity to implement e-governance. The countries having seriously invested in e-governmental systems have proven to be more resilient. The cases of Singapore and Rwanda displays how effective the small state can be in this matter. One-seventh of the Singaporean government taskforce was working from home before Covid-19. Consequently, they were equipped to endure and confront an issue of this magnitude without as much disruption. E-governance, among other things, can not only create the environment or the tools required for the sustained activity of governments, business and their respective participants, it can also help facilitate the wider adoption of technological innovation and encourage more of it. Armenia is among few countries in the world which has a Ministry of High-Tech industry. It testifies to the importance we attach to the development of technologies. Artificial intelligence has already become a priority on our technological development agenda, and we are striving to make Armenia a world hub when it comes to AI. Toward that end, we encourage and support startups working in this particular area at the state level. As for e-governance, we view it as an essential tool for governing in the 21st century and are taking decisive steps to introduce it in Armenia at all levels of governance. How is Armenia encouraging the development of startups? Armenia uses a wide range of tactics to encourage the development of startups from favourable conditions of taxation to supporting BASTEM education, which implies teaching the students by integrating the four specific disciplines, Business Administration, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, into one interdisciplinary as cohesive learning approach, rather than considering the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects. In order to create more opportunities for Armenian startups by bringing them closer with global leaders, we have recently launched ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow). This is a Presidential Initiative on Technology and Science Development in Armenia, which aims to bring leading IT companies to Armenia to develop their artificial intelligence, mathematical modelling, machine learning capabilities by ensuring closer collaboration between them and our local institutions, businesses and high-skilled workplace in these respective fields. Together, we will also implement educational programs to create a strong national capability this is what makes Armenia itself a sort of startup. Also, we should not forget that Armenia is not only a small state, but a global nation with advancing ambitions. Our compatriots from the diaspora are an important asset and act as ambassadors for Armenian startups and products in the global market. Armenia is sometimes compared with Israel. Both countries are geographically small but have a global diaspora population. What is the diasporas role in Armenia? In the course of our history, we have been deprived of statehood for many centuries. But Armenians in every corner of the world never gave up their dream of reestablishing an independent Armenian state. Without that goal, which was passed from generation to generation, it would be much more difficult for us to carry out the process of building the sovereign Armenia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. There are four to five times more Armenians living abroad than in Armenia. Almost as many Armenians live in Russia or in the United States as in Armenia. There are as many Armenians in Los Angeles, in France, or in the Middle East as in the capital city of Yerevan. Considering our geopolitical location, the diaspora is a natural bridge and a link between Armenia and the world, and therefore as in the case of the Jewish diaspora, the Armenian diaspora should play its part in implementing the national interests of Armenia. Our mission is crystal-clear: to establish a network model of the global nation through a strong statehood with clear understanding of our common interests. I believe that such a type of the diaspora-Armenia synergy may offer much to the world. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/11/2020 -- AMA Research added a comprehensive research document of 200+ pages on 'Agrochemicals' market with detailed insights on growth factors and strategies. The study segments key regions that includes North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific with country level break-up and provide volume* and value related cross segmented information by each country. Some of the important players from a wide list of coverage used under bottom-up approach are BASF SEA (Germany), The DOW Chemicals Company (United States), E. I. Du Pont De Nemours and CompanyA (United States), Yara International ASA (Norway), Monsanto CompanyA (United States), Israel Chemicals LimitedA (Israel), Sociedad QuAmica Y Minera S.A.A (Chile), The Mosaic CompanyA (United States), Syngenta AGA (Switzerland), Bayer Cropscience AG (Germany) Advance Market Analytics released a new market study covering the current COVID-19 impact on the Global Agrochemicals Market with detailed insights on latest scenario, economic slowdown on overall industry. This report will help you to identify which types of companies could potentially benefit from the impact of COVID-19, as well as those business segments that are set to lose out. Get Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/41413-global-agrochemicals-market Agrochemicals are used to prevent pests that cause harm to plants. The use of of agrochemicals is extensive. With rising world population, there is a growing demand to increase the crop yield world wide, which posed a harmful environmental impact. Despite government promotion, the use of agrochemical is rising. Market Segmentation by Type (Fertilizers, Pesticides), Application (Crop-Based, Animal husbandry, Forestry operations, Non-Crop-Based), Fertilizer Type (Nitrogenous, Potassic, Phosphatic), Pesticide Type (Organophosphates, Pyrethroids, Neonicotinoids, Bio-Pesticides), Crop Type (Cereals & GrainsA , Oilseeds & PulsesA , Fruits & VegetablesA , Other Crop Types) Check for Discount @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/41413-global-agrochemicals-market Highlights of Influencing Trends: Growing Focus on Genetically Modified (GM) Crops Market Growth Drivers: Growing Production of Greenhouse Vegetable Degradation of Agricultural Land Across the World Restraints: Availability of Various Organic Alternatives Chemical Solution Growing Environmental Concern Challenges: Increasing Awareness About Agro-chemicals Use Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/41413-global-agrochemicals-market Country level Break-up includes: North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Nordic, Others) Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Middle East & Africa, Others) Limited scope research document specific to Country or Region meeting your business objective. GET FULL COPY OF Latest Edition of United States Agrochemicals market study with COVID-19 Impact Analysis @ --------- USD 2000 And, 2020 Released copy of Europe Agrochemicals market study with COVID-19 Impact Analysis @ --------- USD 2500 Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Agrochemicals Market: Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Agrochemicals market Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary the basic information of the Agrochemicals Market. Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges & Opportunities of the Agrochemicals Chapter 4: Presenting the Agrochemicals Market Factor Analysis, Post COVID Impact Analysis, Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis. Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2014-2019 Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Agrochemicals market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by Manufacturers/Company with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions (2020-2025) Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source How Research Study of AMA helps clients in their decision making: - Creating strategies for new product development - Supporting & Adjust Investment/business decisions - Benchmark and judge own competitiveness - Aiding in the business planning process - Serving as a credible, independent check on company internal forecasts - Supporting acquisition strategies Buy this report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/buy-now?format=1&report=41413 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 Author: Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As. Contact Us: Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager) AMA Research & Media LLP Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ New Jersey USA - 08837 Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218 sales@advancemarketanalytics.com Connect with us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/advance-market-analytics https://www.facebook.com/AMA-Research-Media-LLP-344722399585916 https://twitter.com/amareport Two terrorists were on Saturday killed in an exchange of fire with security forces at Niapora Zadoora in Jammu & Kashmirs Kulgam district amid an escalation in violence in the region, police said and added the firefight was triggered after an operation was launched following a specific input about the terrorist presence there. As many as 16 terrorists have been killed in Kashmir since Sunday last. Unidentified assailants also shot dead a village council head and two civilians believed to be working for the security forces. As many as 90 militants have been killed in Kashmir since January, according to the Jammu & Kashmir police. The two killed in Niapora Zadoora are believed to have been affiliated with the Hizbul Mujahideen group even as their identities were not immediately revealed. The police said the terrorists were given opportunity to surrender during a search operation before the firefight. They added instead the holed up terrorists fired and lobbed grenades on the joint search party and triggered the gunbattle. On a specific input about the presence of terrorists in village Nipora Zadoora, Kulgam, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by [Jammu & Kashmir] Police, 19 RR [Rashtriya Rifles] and 18 Bn [battalion] CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] in the village, the police said in a statement. During the search operation, the terrorists were given opportunity to surrender, however instead they fired and lobbed grenades upon the joint search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter in which the two terrorists were killed. It said the security forces conducted the operation professionally and there was no collateral damage. Two pistols and three hand grenades were also recovered from the gunbattle scene. A group of terrorists escaped during a cordon and search operation in the neighbouring Tral area after a separate operation was launched on Saturday, people aware of the matter said without giving more information. People applauding empty school buses as they drove around town honking their horns may not have been an ideal way to celebrate the Old Bridge High School Class of 2020. But the coronavirus has rendered these times anything but ideal, and for seniors deprived of a normal June graduation ceremony and all that goes with it, district officials wanted to give them and the broader school community something to cheer about. So at around dinner time on Thursday, nine yellow buses with district drivers at the wheel but no students or anyone else on board set out in a kind of caravan of school spirit before branching off in different directions and heading for a total of 17 residential locations chosen for their known school-age populations. Residents could then listen for the celebratory blare of the bus horns, and applaud, whoop it up, and cheer on the passage of the townships youth from one phase of their lives into the next. Thursday, June 11, 2020 - The people of the town of Old Bridge step outside their homes and applaud graduating high school seniors at 6pm. At the same time, school bus drivers will beep their horns in various locations throughout Old Bridge. Old Bridge High School Vice Principal Sally Fazio, right, gets a selfie with a group of graduating seniors.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The buses, hung with banners reading OB 2020, hand-painted in the OBHS purple and black school colors, drove past the London Terrace development, the Stratford and Glennwood Apartments, homes along Cindy Street, the Foxborough Village complex, and other areas. Its mimicking the New York Clap Out where people came out of their apartments to congratulate the health care workers, the schools vice principal, Sally Fazio, told NJ Advance Media, referring to Gotham residents nightly ovation for those fighting the pandemic. We thought it would be a great way to celebrate our Class of 2020. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage Every high schools class of 2020 has been deprived of treasured rights and rituals including proms, spring break trips, yearbook signings, farewell hugs, and June in-person graduation ceremonies involving every classmate they had struggled, triumphed, learned and played with since kindergarten. A district spokeswoman, Lori Luicci, said Old Bridge High Schools 750 graduates will have some kind of in-person ceremony after July 6, under delayed graduation guidelines imposed by Gov. Phil Murphy. But for a class as big as Old Bridges, she said, graduation would likely be broken into multiple ceremonies. Thursday, June 11, 2020 - The people of the town of Old Bridge step outside their homes and applaud graduating high school seniors at 6pm. At the same time, school bus drivers will beep their horns in various locations throughout Old Bridge. Graduating senior Olivia Pospisil stands in front of her home.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Old Bridge Superintendent of Schools David Cittadino invited his counterparts from Middlesex Countys 24 other districts to join in the drive-by celebration. Our terrific high school team is deeply aware of the sense of loss being felt by our seniors, and they want to bring encouragement to not only our 2020 Knights but all seniors across the county, Cittadino, the countys superintendent of the year for 2019-20, said in a statement prior to Thursday nights procession. Several busses drove past senior Olivia Pospisils house on Tuscarora Circle, where she was hosting an outdoor barbecue and pool party in advance of Friday nights virtual prom, when the young men and women of OB 2020 would don their finery on computer screens. Pospisils celebration was attended by classmates who had arrived on their own, many dressed in bathing suits and purple-and-black caps and gowns. Murphy recently increased the maximum number of participants at gatherings to 50 indoors and 100 out, respectively. A group of more than a dozen of them cheered for the three yellow busses that drove past Pospisils house, sharing a climactic moment when they all took off their caps and hurled them skyward. "Tomorrows our prom, so I thought it was a good idea to all hang out, Pospisil said. Referring to Fazio, she added, our vice principal found out we were going to all be together for this barbecue so she decided to bring all the buses. It was the least the district could do, Fazio said. Theyre just an incredible group of young men and young women, she said. "They deserve every accolade and celebration they possibly can get. Thursday, June 11, 2020 - The people of the town of Old Bridge step outside their homes and applaud graduating high school seniors at 6pm. At the same time, school bus drivers will beep their horns in various locations throughout Old Bridge. Old Bridge High School Vice Principal Sally Fazio blows kisses while arriving on the scene.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Nikolich-Zugich said the results were below what researchers expected, but labeled it a half-empty, half-full situation, in that it shows public efforts, such as social distancing, did what they were intended to do in terms of slowing down the spread of the virus. The caveat, he said, is it shows the public is nowhere close to developing herd immunity, or the levels of those with immunity to the virus, either through contraction or a vaccine, that are necessary to provide protection to those who are immune to the virus. Widespread community transmission now Theresa Cullen, Pima Countys new health department director, said there are a number of things that could impact the accuracy of the results, including the limited sample, the time the test was taken and the test itself. She pointed to the fact that theres widespread community transmission now, referring to a recent spike in positive cases and hospitalizations, which could show a different result than those who were tested for antibodies over a month ago. Army Chief General MM Naravane on Saturday said that the entire situation along India China border is under control. He is hopeful that continued dialogue between both the countries will set all perceived differences to rest. Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 13 (ANI): Army Chief General MM Naravane on Saturday assured that the entire situation along our borders with China is under control. I would like to assure everyone that the entire situation along our borders with China is under control. We are having a series of talks which started with Corps Commander level talks and has been followed up with meetings at local level between Commanders of equivalent ranks, the Army Chief said here. As a result, a lot of disengagement has taken place and we are hopeful that through the continued dialogue we are having, all perceived differences that we (India and China) have will be set to rest Everything is under control, he added. We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people to people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future, he added. Major General-level talks were held on Friday between the Indian and Chinese Armies to discuss the ongoing dispute in Eastern Ladakh. Also Read: Nepal releases Indian man a day after cross-border firing Also Read: After Supreme Courts rebuke, AAP leader Sanjay Singh urges Centre to amend ICMR guidelines to increase Covid-19 testing India-China will hold multiple talks at different levels to address the situation, Army sources earlier said. The military Commander-level talks were held on June 6 between 14 Corps Chief Lt Gen Harinder Singh and Chinese Maj Gen Liu Lin at Moldo opposite Chushul. After the first round of talks, Chinese and Indian Armies disengaged by going back by 2-2.5 km from their stand-off positions at Galwan Nala, PP-15 and Hot Springs. The Chinese military started a build-up along the Line of Actual Control in May first week along with the Ladakh sector and Sikkim where they came to the Naku La area and had a face-off with the Indian troops there. The two countries have held military and diplomatic talks to resolve the stand-off in Eastern Ladakh. Also Read: Indias envoy TS Tirumurti to UN: Will bring Indian ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam to world For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Hundreds of people marched to the beat of African drums on Euclid Avenue Sunday, as curious onlookers cheered from apartment balconies and motorists honked in support of the second annual March for Black Women in Southeast San Diego. The march included toddlers in strollers, children carrying banners, students chanting Black Lives Matter, adults carrying signs reading Pro Black is not Anti White, and grandparents introducing younger generations to social activism. I just want him to know that hes part of this great cause, said Sheila Robinson, an El Cajon resident who pushed her 19-month-old grandson, Cairo, along the route Sunday. Robinson marched to support black women in San Diego. She said there arent a lot of places for black women to come together and support each other in the region, therefore it is important to show up to events like Sundays march. Advertisement Others marched for a variety of reasons including stopping violence against transgender women, ensuring economic justice for low-income women, increasing access to healthcare, specifically reproductive healthcare, and criticizing law enforcements use of force in communities of color. In its second year, the March for Black Women San Diego aimed to grow from an annual event to a constant presence in the community. This year, organizers turned the march into a weekend event by hosting a summit on Saturday and Sunday. The summits featured panels around the same causes that people marched for on Sunday. A march is not a platform to have a dialogue, I think people wanted to have deeper conversations, said Kelsey Daniels, one of the co-organizers. Daniels added that the group plans to have follow-up meetings and events every quarter to keep people engaged. This is not just a once-a-year thing, this is a movement, Daniels said. March for Black Women San Diego came out of the national March for Black Women that happened in Washington D.C. in 2017. Organizers for the local group wanted to address some of the specific issues affecting black women in San Diego. The local March for Black Women group works with the Womens March San Diego, another pro-woman advocacy group in the region. But organizers of Sundays march felt it was important to have a march addressing specific concerns black women have. For example, black women are more likely to live in poverty, be evicted, die during childbirth and be victims of sexual abuse than white women, organizers said. It is also important to create a space for black women to not only come together and talk about issuing impacting them, but also to support each other. It is beautiful to see so many people come out for black women when, throughout history, black women have been in the bottom of the totem pole, said Pamela Wood. Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or Twitter The three biggest airlines serving the UK have launched legal action against what they call the governments flawed quarantine. British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair say the obligation for all arrivals to the UK to spend 14 days self-isolating will have a devastating effect on British tourism and the wider economy and destroy thousands of jobs. The airlines have asked for their judicial review to be heard as soon as possible, because the measures have stifled inbound and outbound tourism for the summer. They say: This quarantine, by criminal law, is more stringent than the guidelines applied to people who actually have Covid-19. There was no consultation and no scientific evidence provided for such a severe policy. BA, easyJet and Ryanair are demanding the government abandons its current blanket rules, and instead targets the few countries regarded as high risk relative to the UK. The trio says: This would be the most practical and effective solution and enables civil servants to focus on other, more significant, issues arising from the pandemic while bringing the UK in line with much of Europe which is opening its borders mid-June. The policy was imposed on 8 June. The home secretary, Priti Patel, said: These measures are informed by science, backed by the public and will keep us all safe. The measures have initially been imposed for a year, though the government has said they will be reviewed every three weeks. The first review date is 29 June. New Delhi, June 13 : As COVID-19 curve has shown no signs of flattening, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair two meetings here on Sunday, where Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will also be present, to review the corona situation in Delhi where the total cases has touched the 37,000-mark. In the first meeting scheduled at 11 am on Sunday, Shah and Harsh Vardhan will meet Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with members of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) to take stock of the novel coronavirus situation, which so far has claimed 1,214 lives in Delhi. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Randeep Guleria, Commissioners of three Municipal Corporations and senior officers from the Union Home and Health Ministries will also be present in the meeting to be helmed by the Home Minister at his North Block office. Shah along with the Health Minister will also hold another meeting with Mayors of three MCDs around 5 pm on Sunday to review the preparations with regard to the deadly disease. The Home Ministry Office announced these meetings through tweets amid a worrying spike in corona infections in the city where 2,137 new cases were reported in a 24-hour period on Friday evening. These meetings come in the wake of the Supreme Court's criticism of the "horrendous, horrific and pathetic" situation in the city and said coronavirus patients were being treated "worse than animals". The court had also asked the government to explain the fall in testing, which had "gone down from 7,000 to 5,000 a day when Chennai and Mumbai have increased...." On June 10, Shah and Kejriwal had discussed the COVID-19 spike in Delhi, a day after the Chief Minister tested negative for the virus. Insurance fraud seems like it might be an easy thing to do. Insurance companies are often so huge, one wonders how they might not even notic... Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Face Charges for 'Inciting' Rally-goers By Verna Yu June 12, 2020 Hong Kong police on Friday told nine more pro-democracy activists that they would face charges for "inciting" people to participate in last week's rally to commemorate the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen crackdown. The move came a day after police told Jimmy Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, and three core members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Richard Tsoi and former lawmakers Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, that they would be prosecuted on the charge of "inciting others to participate in an unauthorized assembly." On Friday, the alliance said nine activists, including its vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung, core members Cheung Man-kwong and Leung Yiu-chung, as well as chairman of the Labour Party Steven Kwok and Figo Chan, the vice convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, which has organized mass protests including the million-strong demonstration that kicked off the anti-extradition movement in June last year, would also face charges. The alliance had organized the annual candlelight vigil for 30 years. The event took place uninterrupted until this year, when police banned the event on the grounds that it would pose a "major threat to public health" even though the pandemic has eased in Hong Kong and major leisure facilities including swimming pools and theme parks have reopened. Thousands, however, defied the police ban and thronged to Victoria Park to commemorate the Tiananmen crackdown anyway. And because police had refused to issue a permit for an organized event, the alliance had urged people in advance to hold individual commemorations, light candles at home, or take part in online meetings on the 31st anniversary of the military crackdown. In a statement late Thursday, police said they issued a notice of objection to the organizers of the June 4 candlelight vigil, but "some people still ignored it and called on the public to attend an unauthorized rally in Victoria Park." Without giving names, the police statement said it had applied to the court for a summons of four men aged between 52 and 72 on the charge. Police said they could arrest more people involved in the case. Police have not immediately responded to a reporter's request for comments on Friday. Six of the people contacted by police, Lai, Lee, Ho, Tsoi, Leung and Chan, are also among the 15 prominent democracy activists arrested by police in mid-April on charges of illegal assembly in the biggest crackdown on the semi-autonomous city's pro-democracy movement since mass, sometimes violent anti-government protests rocked the former British colony in June last year. Lai is also currently on bail for allegedly intimidating a reporter from the pro-Beijing media at a vigil in 2017. He has pleaded innocent to a count of criminal intimidation, and a trial is scheduled to begin August 18. Ho told the VOA that the government was using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to crack down on freedom of speech and assembly. "The police did not stop or disperse people on the night. Now they are settling accounts and carrying out political suppression," he said. Tsoi told the VOA he was "very angry about the prosecutions." "We didn't incite people to participate in an unauthorized assembly We told people that it couldn't go ahead and told them to hold individual commemorations," he said. "This is a politically motivated crackdown to intimidate Hong Kong people and to suppress the June 4 and other assemblies," Tsoi said. Hong Kong's freedoms are under unprecedented threats after China's parliament, the National People's Congress, passed a plan in late May to impose sweeping national security laws on Hong Kong to prevent and punish "acts and activities" that threaten national security, including advocacy of secession, subversion and terrorism and foreign interference. The plan, which bypassed Hong Kong's legislature, would also allow Chinese national security organs to set up agencies in the city. China insisted that such laws were necessary to halt anti-government protests in Hong Kong, which began in June last year. The movement, which started off being peaceful but turned violent as frustrations mounted, was sparked by a controversial extradition law that could see individuals sent to mainland China for trial. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's security chief, John Lee, said police were setting up a special unit to enforce the upcoming national security law. He said it would be ready to function on the "very first day" the controversial legislation takes effect, according to the South China Morning Post, a leading Hong Kong newspaper. Lee said the new unit would have intelligence gathering, investigation and training capabilities but declined to elaborate on how Hong Kong police would work with the agency set up by China's national security authorities after the law is in place. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address analysis The lockdown measures have increased the risk of children becoming victims of domestic violence, bullying and other forms of abuse. Many countries are reporting sharp rises in domestic violence. Calls to domestic violence hotlines have increased dramatically globally. There has been a string of humiliating and degrading punishments meted out to children and young people at home. Children are shedding silent tears while bearing the effects of aggressive behaviour patterns from adults with whom they are locked down at home. The lockdown measures have created extra stresses for many parents. Apart from the crisis brought about by the psychological impact of confinement and fear of contracting the virus, a number of parents are disturbed by the uncertainty of the future of their financial wellbeing, while some are already suffering from the pain of complete loss of source of income. Frustration is setting in the lives of many adults while some are already experiencing it. While this is the case, a number of people are not in touch with their inner disposition and consequently unaware of their unstable emotional and mental health. People are going through crisis and possible depressive moments as a result of the lockdown. Children are not left out. They are also restless. Being children, they are confused at what is happening in the world. Nothing like this has happened before and was never anticipated. They are not spared from experiencing the psychological impact of the pandemic, even though they may appear lively and active. They feel helpless when they notice that the adults, they look onto are overwhelmed by the situation. The stress and anxiety over health risks of the virus, isolation, school closures and uncertainty of the future is telling on them. There is unexpressed confusion in the heads of children from the information they are receiving from social media and television. How many parents have taken time to explain to their children what is happening in the world? As a right, children need to know what is going on. The situation of some children has been made worse due to violence from the adults with whom they are locked down at home. Children are assaulted both physically and psychologically during this lockdown more than any other period, mostly by adults who are not able to handle their own lockdown emotional stress. Adults get irritated and mad at their children at any little provocation, and sometimes without justifiable reasons. The outcome of consistent yelling and beating on children, in addition to the confusion of the lockdown, is the feeling of insecurity. A child who is consistently under threat feels unsafe and withdrawn. Those who have access to the internet will take refuge in the net and spend their time online where they are exposed to other forms of abuse such as cyber bullying and online sexual exploitation. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown has brought about a serious crisis in the protection and rights of children. Domestic violence and abuse of the rights of children is quite high this time. I have listened to parents who complained about what they called unbearable or unruly behavior of their children and I came to discover that most of the problems, after hearing from the children, are coming from the parents who are not in the right frame of mind to make a balance judgment on their children's misdemeanor. The situation of those children already living in violent family situations has worsened, while some adults who have not been violent are becoming violent. Children are often the hidden victims of any crisis and this one is no different. While the virus is apparently deadlier for the elderly, children still suffer in other untold ways that nobody remembers to give attention to. The worst still is that the adults that children look up to for answers to the so many questions going on in their heads are the ones who are the sources of the abuse, thereby adding to their woes. They are the ones making the already bad situation worse. Needless to say that when it comes to domestic violence on children and child abuse incidences, the girl child suffers more; she is always at a very difficult situation. We are told by experts that violence on children have severe long-term effects on their mental health and development. Home should be a safe place for children. Parents should ensure their children do not become victims of the effects of the measures taken to contain COVID-19. Frequent emotional outburst on children may be a sign of tensions arising from lockdown. Avoid any corrective measures that involve inflicting physical pain on the child. Any form of punishment including shouting and yelling should have the aim of making the child a better person. Discuss the COVID-19 and the lockdown with the children, as often as possible, to help them digest all the information surrounding the pandemic. When this is all over, we expect that every child should be able to return to normal life (school) with minimal distress or trauma. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Many children will need counseling and psychosocial support after the pandemic. School heads and school guidance and counselors should be aware of this and get ready to address it. There are so many scripts circulating on the media giving detailed directives on what schools should put in place and how they should prepare to receive students, as well as the guidelines on the lifestyle in school upon resumption. Sadly enough, none of these write-ups has said anything about how to rehabilitate the children who are coming back to school emotionally broken and with psychological injuries. School management, teachers and parents, should ensure that adequate provision is put in place to attend to the special needs of this category of children as they come back to school. Rev. Ifeanyi Mbaegbu is the Principal, Marist College, Yangoji, FCT Abuja. Some ancient crocodiles, who scientists had till now believed to have walked on all four legs just like their modern-day counterparts, may have moved around on only two legs, a new research suggests. The evidence has come from well-preserved fossil tracks found at the Jinju Formation in South Korea, according to a study by a team of researchers from China, Australia and the US. The fossil tracks include footprints that are 18-24 cm (7-10 inches) long, which scientist believe, may have been made by a three-metre (10-foot) long ancestor of the present-day crocodile, over 100 million years ago. Named Batrachopus grandis, these creatures walked around like a crocodile balancing on a tight-rope, according to team leader Kyong Soo Kim from South Koreas Chinju National University of Education, reports news agency AFP. They were moving in the same way as many dinosaurs, but the footprints were not made by dinosaurs, Kim said. The narrow trackways were made entirely by the back limbs, with clear heel to toe impressions and skin traces in some areas, according to a release about the study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports. Similar footprints found earlier at other sites in South Korea were thought to belong to giant pterosaurs or prehistoric flying reptiles who walked on two legs. But the team of palaeontologists that made the present discovery say that they likely belonged to a particularly large and previously undiscovered species of bipedal crocodile that walked on two legs because it was semi-adapted to land. Researchers reached this conclusion on the basis of the width of the trackways and a lack of any tail-drag marks. Our trackways are very narrow-looking - more like a crocodile balancing on a tight-rope, Kyung Soon Kim was quoted in a BBC report. . When combined with the lack of any tail-drag marks, it became clear that these creatures were moving bipedally. They were moving in the same way as many dinosaurs, but the footprints were not made by dinosaurs. Dinosaurs and their bird descendants walk on their toes. Crocodiles walk on the flat of their feet leaving clear heel impressions, like humans do, Kim added. The Batrachopus grandis that lived in the Early Cretaceous period, however, wasnt the only bipedal crocodile . According to the present study, crocodiles that walked on two legs may have roamed the Earth much earlier during the early Mesozoic era that started about 250 million years ago. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In Spike Lees newest film, Da 5 Bloods (streaming on Netflix), three African American veterans of the Vietnam War are dismayed to learn that a fourth buddy, Paul, is now a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump. Delroy Lindo, the actor who plays their conservative pal, said he too was dismayed by the characters choice. I asked Spike if we could make Paul conservative or even an archconservative without specifically being Trumpian, Lindo, 67, said by phone from his home in the Bay Area. But Lee held firm and Lindo said he had to think more empathetically about the character. It worked: Reviewing the film for The New York Times, A.O. Scott raved that Lindos performance was achingly specific, rigorously human scaled. Speaking with Bruce Fretts last month before protests swept the country, the actor discussed just how he made his peace with the role, why he turned down a part in Do the Right Thing and what led him to leave The Good Fight, the much-praised streaming show on which he stars as the head of a Chicago law firm. Below are edited excerpts from the conversation. Q: You worked with Spike Lee several times quite a few years ago. How did you end up coming back together for this project? A: Simple. Spike called me. We had not spoken in quite a few years. And Spike called and asked me to read (the script) and let him know what I thought. Youve probably heard by now that I did indeed have reservations about the Trumpian aspect of the character. Q: Yes. A: I told Spike I was really having a hard time with that aspect. I asked Spike if we could make Paul conservative or even an archconservative without specifically being Trumpian. Spike said let me think about it. Three or four days later, (he) said he really needed the character to be specifically a Trumpite. I then said give me a few days with the script. I think I read it two more times, my lady read it, and it was clear to me that Paul was the part I needed to play. I was able to rationalize in my head how and why Paul could have become a Trump supporter. Q: And how did you do that? A: Paul is a man who had been betrayed in his personal life, betrayed by his country in the manner in which many, many Vietnam vets were abandoned, essentially, by their own country. Added to that, the various betrayals and abandonments and the loss that I have experienced in my personal life led me to conclude that Paul is a man who is deeply vulnerable to being caught up in this individual saying, I can make it better. Now, I am 3,000 per cent not a supporter of Trump, but all I had to do was get to a point where I could empathize with how a person could arrive at that place. And once I did that, I was fine. Q: You said you felt this was a role that you had to play. A: I started seeing Paul as a larger-than-life Shakespearean and Wilsonian tragic character. It was every bit on par with Hamlet, Othello, many of the characters in August Wilsons plays. I did Herald Loomis, a huge tragic character (in Joe Turners Come and Gone), and Walter Lee Younger in A Raisin in the Sun, a large tragic character. Thats gold for any actor to tackle that magnitude of a part. Q: Im curious about the acting challenge of playing the flashback scenes without makeup or special effects. A: In reading the script, and in playing the scenes, it just made sense. Never at any point did I question the authenticity. Ill be curious to see how audiences respond. Q: Let me ask you about some of your earlier work with Spike Lee. I read you turned down a role in Do the Right Thing. A: Broadly speaking thats true. We hadnt worked together at that point in either of our careers. But I got a call saying that Spike wanted me to audition for Do the Right Thing for one of the three (corner men ultimately played by) Frankie Faison, Robin Harris and Paul Benjamin. Reading it on the page it felt to me, no, this is not for me. So I said, respectfully, Id rather not audition for this. But he came back (to offer a role in Malcolm X) so apparently he didnt hold it against me, thankfully. Q: I wanted to ask you about The Good Fight. What was behind your decision to leave? A: There are a number of components, not least of which was the fact that Im supposed to do Harlems Kitchen (a planned drama on ABC in which he would play a chef and the head of a family with three daughters). Zahir McGhee, the creator, has written the first three episodes, and the prospect of investigating this American family emotionally and psychologically is potentially very exciting. But as far as Adrian Boseman (the lawyer he plays on The Good Fight) is concerned, Im really gratified that audiences seemed to respond. I wish more black people watched it. For whatever reason, theres not a lot of black people watching it in the same numbers. So thats a regret, if I can use that word. Q: A clip from the show went viral recently and it seemed like some people thought it was a real interview as opposed to a scene from the show. When did you find out you were going viral? A: My son came downstairs and said, Dad, youre blowing up the internet. What? Its hilarious to me. And it kind of stunned me that people thought that was me saying that. Its really a potentially illuminating window into not only social media, but how we communicate in the 21st century. But heres the understanding Ive come to: Even though the scene is not real, the sentiments expressed in it are authentic. And so certainly black people, possibly for whites, but black people who were looking at that were saying, That is so right on. And if you think about having that visceral of a response, its not so much of a leap to then psychologically and emotionally believe that its real. Read more about: MANISTEE COUNTY Fourteen patients are pending test results for the coronavirus on Friday, according to Munson Healthcare. Manistee Hospital has tested 445 patients with 418 of them returning negative, according to the hospitals website. Thirteen patients tested positive, however, the latest update from the state shows Manistee has 11 total cases of COVID-19 and no deaths as of press time Friday. That number has been steady in the county since April 16. Residents who test positive are added to the total count for the county in which they live. According to the District Health Department #10, all 11 positive cases in Manistee County are listed as recovered as of May 17. Here are some quick facts from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) report as of press time Friday. There were 59,621 cases and 5,745 deaths in the state during the pandemic This was an increase of 125 cases and 8 deaths statewide since the previous update. Case counts are cumulative and are not reduced due to recoveries. Most cases in the northern Lower Peninsula could be found in Otsego County where there have been a steady 102 cases and 10 deaths. Manistees neighboring Grand Traverse County reported 35 cases and five deaths. Wexford County reported 13 cases and three deaths. Benzie County has seen five cases. Lake County has six cases. Mason County has 32 cases. All counties in the state except Ontonagon in the Upper Peninsula have reported cases of COVID-19. According to the states tracking of personal protective equipment and hospital beds, the Munson Health System, which Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital is a part of, lists one COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit and a 57% bed occupancy. Manistee County is considered part of region 7 for this tracking by the state. Region 7 includes: Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Benzie, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Crawford, Oscoda, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Emmet and Charlevoix counties. The region is the only in the state to not have any elastomeric respirators or the accompanying filters. The region has three COVID-19 patients in critical care and two on a ventilator as of press time Friday. According to the Michigan State Police COVID-19 Summary dashboard online, there have been 42,041 recoveries from COVID-19. This information was published by the state June 6. State recovery numbers are updated every Saturday. The average age of people who died is 75.4 years of age, according to the state police COVID-19 dashboard. According to the dashboard, 42% of all COVID-19 deaths were attributed to people older than 80 years of age and the next highest age group was the range from 70 to 79 years of age, which was listed as 27% of COVID-19 deaths in the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the first confirmed case in the U.S. was reported Jan. 22. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. leads the globe by far in number of cases total and deaths. The latest numbers from the CDC as of press time Friday show the U.S. reported 2 million cases and 113,914 deaths from COVID-19. The U.S. is followed by the United Kingdom for the number of deaths and followed by Brazil for the highest case counts globally. According to reporting by the Associated Press, most people with COVID-19 have mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia. According to the CDC, anyone who develops any of these emergency warning signs for COVID-19 should get medical attention immediately: Trouble breathing Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion or inability to arouse Bluish lips or face This is not an all inclusive list. The CDC says to consult a medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning. According to the CDC, call 911 if there is a medical emergency and Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a cloth face covering before medical help arrives. The Office of the Home Minister of India on Saturday has tweeted that the meeting will take place at 11 am. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will hold a meeting with Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and members of SDMA (State Disaster Management Authority) to review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 on Sunday. In a tweet, the Office of the Home Minister of India informed that the meeting will take place at 11 am. Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah and Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan to hold a meeting with Lt Gov Delhi, CM Delhi and members of SDMA to review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 tomorrow, 14th June at 11 am. Director AIIMS and other senior officers would also be present, Office of the Home Minister of India tweeted. Earlier on Wednesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed the COVID-19 situation in the national capital in detail. Kejriwal had said the Home Minister assured him of all cooperation. Also Read: India-Nepal relations have and will remain strong: Army Chief MM Naravane Also Read: Entire situation along our borders with China under control, assures Army Chief MM Naravane Earlier, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal overturned Delhi governments decision to reserve hospital beds for the residents of the national capital. Recently, the Delhi government presented data, according to which there will be around 2.25 lakh cases till July 15 and the cases will reach around 5.5 lakh till July 31. As per the Union Health Ministry, there are 36,824 confirmed cases in Delhi including 22,212 active cases and 13,398 cured/discharged/migrated and 1,214 deaths. Also Read: Nepal releases Indian man a day after cross-border firing For all the latest National News, download NewsX App The Jammu and Kashmir Congress on Saturday questioned BJP over politics amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which was growing out of proportion and magnitude, besides the grave external mischiefs and threats by hostile neighbours like China, Pakistan and Nepal. As the situation worsens on both the fronts and people have started questioning the Modi government and its handling of the situation, especially when India has come at number three after Brazil and USA in terms of growing Covid graph. The BJP has crafted a policy to divert the attention of the people and engage them by holding public rallies by top brass, who are required to fully dedicate and devote to the most important assignments with them to deal with the grave challenges today, said Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma. Reacting to the proposed rally of BJP top brass and Union defence minister on Sunday, Sharma regretted that BJP was indulging in diversionary tactics when the people expect the government and the ruling party to be on the forefront to deal with this situation. Villagers in rural Peru have detained technicians from broadband provider Gilat Peru over fears they were installing 5G technology, which they claimed was responsible for the coronavirus, police and the company said Friday. The eight-member maintenance crew have been held since Wednesday by villagers in Acobamba province, more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) southeast of the capital Lima. They have detained eight workers from a telephone company, who maintained the antennas that provide internet to public places such as educational centers, under the pretext that they are 5G antennas that, in some way, cause Covid-19, regional police chief Alejandro Oviedo told TV Peru. The incident occurred late Wednesday when workers were sent to maintain an antenna in mountainous Acobambas Huancavelica region. They were held when they tried to leave and we had no communication with them since Wednesday night, said Gilat Peru spokesman Arieh Rohrstoc. They mistakenly think Covid is transmitted by radio waves, our technology is wireless, and the virus cannot be transmitted by electromagnetic waves, he said. Farmers from the Huachhua Chopcca community in Acobamba demanded the technicians remove existing antennas as a condition of their release. The engineers have not been kidnapped, community spokesman Lorenzo Escobar told PPP radio, adding that they were free to move around and were given food. He said the men had been held when they entered the area after the start of the nighttime curfew and had broken quarantine rules. Escobar said the community council would hold talks with Gilat Peru representatives on Saturday and the men would be released. Peru is the second-worst affected country in Latin America after Brazil, with more than 214,000 confirmed cases and over 6,000 deaths. The province of Acobamba, which rises to nearly 4,000 meters above sea level, has one of the lowest infection rates in the country. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Microsoft says it won't sell facial recognition technology to the police without new regulations, but within its GitHub subsidiary, a controversial contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement remains in place. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press) With protests over the police killing of George Floyd gripping the country, Microsoft's president said Thursday the company would refrain from selling facial recognition software to police, a small victory for employees who demanded the company sever relationships with law enforcement agencies. At Microsoft-owned GitHub, the parent company's concession only served to reinvigorate internal opposition to a controversial contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At the start of an all-staff Q&A session Thursday morning, GitHub's chief executive, Nat Friedman, spoke for around 30 minutes about what he called the "compounding crises" of the global pandemic, surging unemployment and civil unrest over police brutality. Friedman said GitHub stands firmly with the Black Lives Matter movement and added that the company would look to support law enforcement reform, according to a transcript of the meeting reviewed by The Times. After his opening remarks, Friedman took his first question from a presenter compiling employee submissions: Can we reconsider GitHub's contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement agencies? "Thank you for the question. Respectfully, we're not going to be reconsidering this," he said on the videoconference call. "Picking and choosing customers is not the approach that we take to these types of questions when it comes to influencing government policy." As Friedman spoke, dozens of employees expressed frustration and outrage in a company Slack channel with more than 1,200 people, according to screenshots reviewed by The Times. A number of the posters said they viewed the company's outward stance as clashing with its continued operational support of a government agency that arrests undocumented immigrants at workplaces, schools and hospitals; detains them in harsh and sometimes life-threatening conditions; and separates children from their families. Story continues After Friedman's answer to the initial question, senior application engineer Josh Nichols pushed back with a follow-up: "How does the leadership team rectify GitHub's position on Black Lives Matter with our continued business with ICE despite their racist practices and policies?" he asked. Friedman responded saying he believes investing in policy changes is a more effective method of driving progress than denying customers and forcing one such as ICE to switch to a competitor such as GitLab or Gitian, according to the transcript. Employees pushed back on nearly every point Friedman made. After he said "it hurts to be not understood in our approach," multiple employees in the Slack channel responded by saying immigration authorities hurt Black, indigenous and undocumented people more than Friedman could be hurt by opinions. Friedman compared the dissonance between the company's stance and employees' values to a marriage, saying: "I deeply love my wife, but we don't agree about every single approach to every single problem in the world. But we're together." At least four employees said in Slack messages reviewed by The Times that they found the comparison ridiculous. Keith Ballinger, GitHub's vice president of engineering, posted a message of support for Friedman's argument, saying his wife does pro bono work on behalf of asylum seekers and other immigrants. "What I've learned from her is that keeping technology from ICE actively harms those vulnerable populations," he wrote. Employees noted that they repeatedly hear this refrain from the company. Raices, a Texas nonprofit that provides legal services to immigrants and refugees, has previously disputed the claim that immigration advocacy groups want ICE to have better technology. After the meeting, Nichols publicly aired his disappointment with GitHub's refusal to reconsider its ICE relationship. "The company's response is confidential, but mine isn't: continued anger and disappointment," Nichols tweeted Thursday. GitHub did not respond to repeated requests for comment Friday. The Thursday meeting is not the first time GitHub has faced ire from employees over law enforcement contracts. In the fall, employees learned the company had renewed its 2016 contract with ICE. In an open letter on Twitter, employees said continuing to work with ICE would make the company complicit in widespread human rights abuses. In response, Friedman announced the company would donate half a million dollars to nonprofits helping communities adversely affected by the Trump administration's immigration policies. The gesture failed to quell anger over the issue, which continued to fester and has resulted in the departure of several employees. Representative image This is the time of the year when millions of young Indians make their next big academic or career move, having finished their college-leaving exams. But then this is 2020 and there is nothing normal about it. The coronavirus, which has infected at least 3 lakh people and killed more than 8,000 people in India, is showing no signs of letting up, wrecking exam schedules, future plans and biggest of all--the job market. Kunal, a final year student of engineering at Mumbai University, had his career perfectly aligned. The 21-year-old would have sat his final exams to complete the four-year course in May and graduate as a computer science engineer. He even had a job, offered to him during a campus placement in the pre-coronavirus world. The final mark sheet and his engineering degree were all that Kunal, who uses only one name, needed to start as a software developer, a dream job for the youngster who comes from a middle-class family, in August. But that was not to be. For Kunal and millions of youngsters graduating this year, the viral outbreak couldnt have come at a worse time. 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 economy was already slowing when the outbreak sent India into lockdown in the last week of March, bringing business activity to a standstill. Restrictions have since been eased and businesses are gingerly opening up but the road ahead is long and bumpy. Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic Locked in and shut out Anxious is how several students that Moneycontrol spoke to described their state of mind. After investing time, energy and money for years, 2020 should have been the beginning of a new phase in their lives. But a tiny microbe that made its first appearance in China last year has upended the script. Job offers have been rescinded, masters courses are looking uncertain and there are loans to repay. Even at best of times, different sets of rules guide colleges and universities across states barring central universities. For instance, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced on March 31 that all final years exams were cancelled and students would be passed on aggregate marks. The decision means little for students looking to study abroad or move to other states. In April, WhatsApp groups were flooded with PDF notifications from universities and governing bodies, unleashing confusion among students. "In the beginning, we thought it'll be something like the swine flu and will soon pass. In the next few days, we realised the gravity of the situation. Since the lockdown, we're just home, waiting for a word from our college about our final semester exams and graduation, said a Mumbai-based BTech student. The students who spoke to Moneycontrol didnt want their identity to be revealed. Some shared only their first names and others chose to remain anonymous. Some clarity emerged in the first week of May. The countrys higher education regulator University Grants Commission came said final-year examinations for undergraduates and post-graduates could be conducted in July. Badly hit states like Maharashtra could even give exams a miss. "The UGC has issued its guidelines. We're working with Mumbai University to ensure a smooth transition. The lack of clarity for two months was a testing time for all of us," a senior teacher with a well-known Mumbai college said. The communication gap was stressful for students, many of whom had jobs aligned, post-graduation plans and financial stress as well, the teacher said. Psychologically, it's a lot to handle when you're just sitting home and can't do anything to change the outcome, the teacher said. A business student at a so-called deemed-to-be-university said the institute had abandoned them and only wanted money. "They don't care what's happening around. They don't care about our lives and they have a free hand over everything since they're ranked among the top in India," the third year BBA student said. Most companies had rescinded job offers, or in their words delayed the joining date indefinitely, a 21-year-old in the final year of engineering said. Moneycontrol saw an internal email sent by the deemed university, asking the students of the 2020-21 batch to deposit a fee of Rs 2.7 lakh within a couple of weeks. Unemployment and shrinking job market In a stressed economy, jobs are the first casualty, more so in private and unorganised sectors. In May, Indias unemployment rate was 23.48 percent, data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy said, underscoring the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown on the larger economy and the job market in particular. Exams seem like a small problem for students who are seeing their campus placements sour. Most MNCs are honouring their job offers but with a reduced salary and are also asking interns to work from home. Work from home, or WFH as it has come to be known, maybe the future of work but for a fresher, it means starting work but without going to a workplace. Within weeks of stepping out of a classroom, a student is expected to learn all the ropes and that too from home. It only adds to pressure. Then there is the question of equipment. Most youngsters dont have computers good enough for work. And then some just cant work from home. Being a doctor is all about being hands-on, hardly a possibility when you are sitting at home. The same goes for civil, mechanical, metallurgical and production engineers. The list is endless. "Thankfully, my company didn't kick me out of my internship midway and shifted to the WFH model. However, most students haven't been as lucky. Being a pharma student, I need to be on-site to understand the industry," a student, who spends a lot of time on excel sheets, said. For some who did start work, pink slips followed soon. It is hard to find a new job in this environment. Hiring freeze is the buzz word, second only to layoffs. As opportunities shrink, freshers face twin challenges--of their peers joining the job market and laid-off employees looking for new opportunities. To cut costs, smaller companies are turning to freelancers or short-duration contracts. But this isn't necessarily good for fresh graduates as it doesnt do much for their resume in terms of experience. Many students have education loans to pay. With jobs hard to come by, the debt pile grows. Coronavirus or not, undergraduates in India rarely land paying jobs. Even the so-called professional courses dont help. Industry experts have said on several occasions that 95 percent of engineers aren't fit for software development jobs. Indias assembly line of engineering colleges churns out 1.5 million engineers a year, a 2019 ministry of human resource development report says. To get a competitive edge and better their skills, students usually head to universities abroad. But again that was in the pre-coronavirus world. Engineering student Manvis plans were going swimmingly as she had been accepted at a reputed university in New York. The outbreak forced her to abandon the plan, as the course starts in the fall, which is September, and she is yet to graduate. The US, which has the highest coronavirus infections and deaths in the world, is a COVID-19 hotspot. It is too much of a risk for a middle-class family, which has to stretch its resources, first to sit a string of entrance tests and then to foot the tuition bills. Recent announcements by President Trump have made her even more unsure. Trump, who faces re-election in November, has been talking about tighter visa norms and protecting American jobs. According to a report by Quacquarelli Symonds, which tracks higher education institutes, more than 50 percent of non-STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students in India have dropped their plans to study abroad. While India emerged relatively unscathed from the 2008 financial crisis, the coronavirus will be a test of resilience and endurance. The economy is opening up but there are storm clouds ahead. No one knows when the virus will abate if at all it will. Some say the pandemic will mark the end of the rat race of traditional jobs and ignite another startup boom in the absence of jobs. There is a lot of talk about living with the virus and the new normal. The graduating class of 2020, will have to find its own normal; there is no playbook to fall back on. As Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in his address to the graduates of 2020, Be open, be impatient, be hopeful.You will prevail. (The author writes on technology, aviation, and mobility.) 1. IIT Bombay Global Rank: 172 Overall Score: 46 IIT Bombay stands tall in the first position from India. The institute, which was established in 1958, has scored well in the academic and employer reputation indicators. It offers a range of engineering courses and is believed to be the best in placements. Explore more about IIT Bombay here. 2. IISc Bangalore Global Rank: 185 Overall Score: 44.9 The institute located in the city of Bangalore is popular across the world for its research work. Explore more about the IISc institute here. 3. IIT Delhi Global Rank: 193 Overall Score: 43.9 The institute was declared as an Institute of National Importance and scored well in the academic stature and employer reputation indicators. The institute is also popular across the country for great autonomy and academic collaborations. Explore more about the IIT Delhi institute here. 4. IIT Madras Global Rank: =275 Overall Score: 35.5 Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), an institute which has a self-contained residential campus, was established in 1959. The institute also scored full-marks in faculty staff with a PhD. Explore more about the IIT Madras institute here. 5. IIT Kharagpur Global Rank: =314 Overall Score: 33.2 IIT Kharagpur, which was established in 1951, scored well in the international faculty indicator. The institute has also started offering courses in humanities and social sciences along with shaping future engineers. Explore more about IIT Kharagpur institute here. 6. IIT Kanpur Global Rank: =350 Overall Score: 30.9 IIT Kanpur, which was founded in 1959, is known for quality education and sprawling residential campus. It scored well in the papers per faculty and academic reputation indicators. Explore more about IIT Kanpur institute here. 7. IIT Roorkee Global Rank: =383 Overall Score: 28.7 IIT Roorkee is one of the oldest technical institutions in Asia. The institute gained IIT status in 2001. IIT Roorkee scored well in research output and impact. It is top in the international students indicator. Explore more about IIT Roorkee institute here. 8. IIT Guwahati Global Rank: =470 Overall Score: 25.1 IIT Guwahati is one of the popular IITs in the country which was founded in 1994. The institute has been deemed good in research and earned a high score in the papers per faculty and citations per faculty member indicators. Explore more about the IIT Guwahati institute here. 9. University of Delhi Global Rank: 501-510 Overall Score: NA The University of Delhi, which was established in 1922, is the second non-IIT institutions in the top 10 list besides IISc. The university which is the largest in the country in terms of hosting regular students, scored well in employer and academic reputation indicators. Explore more about the University of Delhi institute here. 10. IIT Hyderabad Global Rank: 601-700 Overall Score: NA IIT Hyderabad was established in 2008. It offers both B.Tech and M.Tech. degrees in 8 disciplines of engineering and research and postgraduate degrees in liberal arts, sciences, and engineering. Explore more about IIT Hyderabad institute here. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eric Paulsen (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur Sat, June 13, 2020 10:24 588 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde671c2 3 Opinion AICHR,human-rights,ASEAN,Southeast-Asia,human-rights-groups Free On May 1, for the first time in its history, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) issued a statement that directly addressed a human rights issue of concern to the region. The statement urged all ASEAN member states and sectoral bodies to ensure that their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic promote and protect the human rights of the people of ASEAN. But such a show of solidarity and unity of purpose on such a serious issue should not be so unusual. To continue to grow in strength and demonstrate the value of a human rights mechanism in the region, the AICHR needs to build on its incremental progress and implement more initiatives to protect the human rights of the people of ASEAN. The terms of reference (TOR), which set out the mandate and functions of the AICHR, somewhat curtail its ability to protect human rights, including those contained within the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. But the AICHR does not have to be bound by these terms forever. The commitment to review is stipulated in the text of the TOR itself, which states that they shall be reviewed five years after their entry into force. However, after more than 10 years of the AICHRs existence, no review has taken place. But the ASEAN foreign ministers took the crucial first step in 2019 of agreeing that a panel of experts would be formed to finally review the TOR. The long-awaited review is the best way for the AICHR to develop into a stronger regional human rights mechanism. There are several powers and features that a regional human rights mechanism should have, including receiving, investigating and deciding upon communications, carrying out on-site visits to investigate concerns, and being composed of members who are independent from government. These characteristics can be seen in the human rights mechanisms of Europe, the Americas and Africa, which should certainly be looked upon to guide the AICHRs TOR review. Since it was formed in 2009, the AICHR has held numerous events and activities to promote human rights on a governmental level rarely seen before in the region. But while its promotional activities have been positive and helped to mainstream human rights dialogue on the regional stage, less progress has been made in terms of the protection of human rights. The specific actions provided for in the TOR include to enhance public awareness, prepare thematic studies and encourage member states to consider acceding to international treaties all worthy pursuits, but they fall firmly within the category of promotion, not protection. The AICHR needs to provide meaningful protection, which could shield people from harm, ensure access to justice and provide remedies to those whose rights have been violated. While the TOR does not provide for a complaints mechanism yet, the AICHR has also shown that there is a willingness to push for institutional reforms under the current mandate. At the AICHRs Special Meeting in November 2019, a new protocol to formally acknowledge communications was agreed, meaning complaints on human rights violations can now be forwarded to the relevant country representative through the AICHR. This is a significant step in the right direction and shows the AICHRs aspiration to become a more responsive human rights mechanism. The ability to receive communications is crucial, and should also be accompanied by the powers to investigate, appropriately respond to and follow up on complaints. The AICHR should have the power to request preventive measures be put in place and offer potential remedies where human rights abuses have been identified. The goal is not to interfere, point fingers or damage the reputation of any member state, but to improve the state of human rights and advance together as a region. The principles of consensus decisionmaking and non-interference are integral to how ASEAN functions, but there are issues with how they are applied in the context of human rights. A country representative to the AICHR can effectively veto an urgent discussion or activity by merely disagreeing on the matter. It is vital that the TOR review reconsiders how the consensus and non-interference principles are applied within the AICHR and how this can be done in a way that enhances its ability to advance human rights. Ensuring that alternative decisionmaking is available to the AICHR, in agreed circumstances and where there is no unanimous vote, would increase its capacity to do important work while remaining true to the founding principles of ASEAN. The AICHR can and should be a mechanism that evolves over time, learns from its past and builds upon its experiences in preparation for the future. The TOR review ensures that this is possible. Progress has already been made, and we cannot backtrack now or allow that progress to stagnate. When it comes to human rights, no country is perfect, whether in ASEAN or elsewhere in the world. Recent developments, including the establishment of a communications protocol and the COVID-19 statement, show that the AICHR wants to and can do more. The TOR review presents an extraordinary opportunity for the AICHR to work toward becoming the stronger and more responsive human rights mechanism that the people of ASEAN deserve. *** Representative of Malaysia to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. St Lowitsch / Getty Images A 61-year-old Larkspur man was arrested Saturday and was being held on $250,000 bail in connection with a string of suspicious fires in the Larkspur area, authorities said. Eric Larson was booked into Marin County Jail hours after two vegetation fires flared up on Saturday morning, one in the Creekside area and the other near Holly and Hawthorne avenues. They were among six blazes in the area that burned on Friday and Saturday. A 65-year-old Syracuse man has been arrested for sending sexual objects and aids to an investigator posing as a child and trying to entice the girl, according to federal authorities. Bruce A. Wakker was charged with attempting to entice or coerce a child, said the United States Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York. Between Nov. 15 and June 11, Wakker sent sexually explicit texts to the investigator who posed as both a 9-year-old girl and the childs mother, federal officials said. Wakker instructed the investigator how to use sexuual objects and aids he bought and mailed to the investigator, according to federal prosecutors. Hed also discussed meeting the girl and her mother, prosecutors said. On June 11, Wakker traveled from Syracuse to New York Mills to meet the pair, according to federal prosecutors. Wakker was arrested, appeared in court and has been detained for a hearing on June 17, federal officials said. If Wakker is convicted, he could spend at least 10 years and up to life in prison as well as a $250,000 fine, officials said. He could also spent five years to life on supervised release, according to officials. 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. Nepal's Parliament on Saturday unanimously voted to amend the Constitution to update the country's new political map, laying claim over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura along the border with India. The major opposition parties, including Nepali Congress (NC), Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), voted in favour of the government bill to amend Schedule 3 of the Constitution to update the national emblem by incorporating the new controversial map. A two-thirds majority was required in the 275-member House of Representatives or the lower house to pass the bill. On June 9, the Parliament unanimously endorsed a proposal to consider the Constitution amendment bill to pave way for endorsing the new political map amid the border row with India. The bill will now be sent to the National Assembly where it will undergo a similar process. The ruling Nepal Communist Party commands two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. The National Assembly will have to give lawmakers 72 hours to move amendments against the bill's provisions, if any. After the National Assembly passes the bill, it will be submitted to the President for authentication, after which the bill will be incorporated in the Constitution. The government on Wednesday formed a nine-member team of experts to collect historical facts and evidence related to the area. Diplomats and experts, however, questioned the government's move, asking why the task force was formed when the map has already been released and approved by the Cabinet. Just two days ahead of voting, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had sidestepped all questions regarding the voting or reaching out to Kathmandu by just saying "we have already made our position clear" and went on to elaborate on the "civilisational, cultural and friendly relations with Nepal. This despite the fact that Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli just one day before this statement said that if India showed more willingness for dialogue, a solution could be found. India had also stressed on a diplomatic dialogue in the May 20 statement but foreign secretary-level talks still remain pending between the two sides. Meanwhile, Srivastava highlighted the help extended by India to Nepal in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. He said, "We have supplied about 25 tonnes of medical aid to Nepal, including Paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) medicines, test kits and other medical supplies." Nepal was in the first list of countries for whom India cleared the export of HCQ after it was moved to the licensed category. He also pointed out that India had helped in the repatriation of Nepalese nationals stranded abroad on humanitarian grounds. Most significantly, he emphasised that "government of India has also ensured that there is no untoward disruption in trade and supply of essential goods to Nepal, despite the lockdown on both sides. Disruptions in supply in 2015 had resulted in a serious friction between India and Nepal. India had denied that it had called for any blockade against Nepal and had constantly stressed that Madhesh protestors had blocked the borders, leading to trucks with essential supplies being stuck on the India side. However, Nepal accused India of pushing an economic blockade that had resulted in misery to its hill population that was dependent on supplies of LPG and other essentials from India. Meanwhile, on Friday, a highly unusual incident occurred on the Indo-Nepal border in Sitamarhi, Bihar. The Nepal APF opened fire after an altercation over what was described as a "local" and "completely avoidable issue" by SSB's 51 battalion commandant. There were 15 rounds of firing in which one person died. Villagers alleged that the Nepal police asked them to not wander around the border as they are spreading coronavirus in Nepal. However, the official version suggests that they were stopped from moving around as there is a lockdown in Nepal till June 14. This "local" incident curiously reflected the sentiment expressed by Oli a few weeks ago wherein he had accused Indians of spreading Covid-19 in Nepal, suggesting that the Indian strain was more virulent than the one from China and Italy. Oli is perceived to be leaning towards Beijing. His disagreements with India are not new. In his earlier stint as PM, he had accused India of toppling his government in 2016. However, his return to power in 2018 was marked by renewed efforts from both sides to improve equations. India also stepped up cooperation in the oil and gas sector. A 69-km pipeline with a capacity of 2 mmta connecting Motihari in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal was jointly inaugurated by PM Modi & Oli in September 2019. It was the first cross-border petroleum products pipeline in South Asia and the cost of constructing the pipeline -- Rs 324 crore -- was borne by Indian Oil Corporation Limited. The project was completed by IOCL way ahead of the schedule too. The latest friction occurred after India inaugurated the 80-km-long link road on the Kailash Mansarovar route in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. Nepal objected to it, saying it falls in their territory, a claim India instantly refuted saying the entire stretch is well within India territory. Army chief General Naravane had indicated that Nepal's move comes at the behest of China. New Delhi: With India reporting a record daily increase in coronavirus cases on Friday, in addition to almost 10,000 new confirmed cases every day during this week, the Prime Minister will interact with chief ministers of all states and representatives of union territories over a period of two days, i.e. June 16 and 17. The Prime Minister's Office's (PMO) official Twitter handle confirmed the meeting, and also released the schedule. Under this, Modi will interact with chief ministers of Punjab, Assam, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and all the north-eastern states on June 16. The meeting will be held at 3 pm. On June 17, the Prime Minister will speak to chief ministers of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana and Odisha. The interaction comes at a time when multi-fold spike in coronavirus cases has been recorded across the country, especially after the lockdown was eased after May 30, leading to a surge in fresh cases. The sudden interaction with chief ministers by the Prime Minister, clearly indicates that a clear strategy needs to be drawn up to arrest the spike in fresh cases as many states have been following their own plans to implement the lockdown. The Centre, on its part, offered a relaxation for various services like opening malls and places of worship and allowing hair dressing salons and various other outlets to operate, even though the lockdown is to continue till June 30. Though Modi keen is to revive the economy, which has been severely dented by the pandemic, the surge in infections has sent the Centre's plans of gradually bringing back the fiscal situation on the path to normalcy by unveiling the Atmanirbhar Bharat package into a tizzy. Declared infections are now at over 3 lakh -- the fourth highest in the world. Officially, there have been nearly 8,500 coronavirus deaths, although the true number is widely believed to far higher. On Friday, the Health Ministry said that the number of cases had increased by 10,956 from the previous day, with new infections rife in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, stretching hospitals to breaking point. Merkel is open to debate on exclusion of this concept from the Basic Law Open source German Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht supported the call of several politicians to exclude the concept of "race" from the country's constitution, as DW reports. The authors of the Basic Law of Germany, which entered into force in 1949, had reasons to include this category in its text, she noted in an interview with one of the publications. "But I think that we are now living in a different time and therefore this concept should be excluded from our Basic Law," Lambrecht said. At the same time, the Minister of Justice emphasized that after the possible deletion of the word race from the text of the German onstitution, Germany should continue to be committed to combating racism. She also indicated that two thirds of the votes of the members of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat are required to amend the Basic Law. In turn, the official representative of the German government, Steffen Seibert, noted that Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel is open to debate on the exclusion of the concept of race from the Basic Law. As we reported before, the German government recommends its citizens to withhold from visiting Ukraine and more than 160 countries outside the European Union until the end of the summer. Whats in a name? It turned out to be a lot in Assams Darrang district as a Covid-19 patient was discharged from hospital instead of a recovered person due to confusion over their similar-sounding names. Officials on Saturday said the incident occurred two days ago when authorities of the Mangaldoi Civil Hospital were calling out the names of 14 recovered people for their release. The Covid-19 patient responded to a name sounding similar to his, which was in fact of a recovered person from his Dalgaon Sialmari village. He was then discharged instead, they said. But the hospital authorities quickly realised their mistake and sent an ambulance to bring the Covid-19 patient back to the medical establishment the same night, the officials said. The patient fortunately tested negative for Covid-19 in a test conducted on Friday and was discharged along with the person in whose place he was released earlier, they said. Hospital authorities said that the mistake was caused due to similar-sounding names of the two persons and also because their faces were concealed by masks. Darrang Deputy Commissioner Dilip Kumar Bora has ordered an inquiry into the incident and declared the mistakenly discharged persons house a containment zone. Swab samples of his family members have been collected and sent for tests. Assam has reported over 3,600 Covid-19 cases so far, of which over 2,000 are active, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Eight persons have died of Covid-19 in the state so far. Of them, four succumbed to the disease this week. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Wellington, 13 June 2020 (SPS)- The organization specializing in the protection of Saharawi natural resources, "Western Sahara Campaign-NZ," demanded from New Zealand government to stop its illegal import of phosphate extracted from occupied Western Sahara. In a statement made public Saturday by the local press, the organization regretted that "once again, New Zealand fertilizer companies Ravensdown and Ballance Agri-Nutrients continue to participate in the plunder of Western Sahara natural resources." "We can see that the financial interests of certain New Zealand companies have prevailed over the commitments linked to international rights and human rights," said the organization. In this regard, Western Sahara Campaign-NZ "calls on the government to force Ravensdown and Ballance Agre-Nutrients to stop importing of phosphate extracted from Western Sahara." "The government's lack of determination and the pursuit of the two companies activities undermine the prestige of New Zealand, "said the organization. "It is time for New Zealanders to say no to blood-stained phosphate," said the NGO. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS Defund the police is a catchy phrase, but some Americans hear it and imagine a home invasion, a frantic call to 911 and no one answering the phone. Thats not going to happen. Rather, heres a reassuring example of how defunding has worked in practice. In the 1990s, both the United States and Portugal were struggling with how to respond to illicit narcotics. The United States doubled down on the policing toolbox, while Portugal followed the advice of experts and decriminalized the possession even of hard drugs. So in 2001, Portugal, to use todays terminology, defunded the police for routine drug cases. Small-time users get help from social workers and access to free methadone from roving trucks. This worked not perfectly, but pretty well. As I found when I reported from Portugal a few years ago, the number of heroin users there fell by three-quarters, and the overdose fatality rate was the lowest in Western Europe. Meanwhile, after decades of policing, the United States was losing about 70,000 Americans a year from overdoses. In effect, Portugal appeared to be winning the war on drugs by ending it. Thats the idea behind Defund the police as most conceive it not to eliminate every police officer but to reimagine ways to make us safe that dont necessarily involve traditional law enforcement. This conversation is long overdue. But Im also worried that the phrase will amount to a gift to President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. A recent poll found only 16 percent of respondents favor cutting funds for police departments, even as huge majorities acknowledged racial bias in policing and favored police reforms. Only 33 percent of black respondents and 17 percent of Hispanic respondents favored cutting police funding. James Forman Jr., a Yale law professor who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Locking Up Our Own, shares concerns about the phrase but is also thrilled at the discussions it has provoked about alternative ways to achieve public safety. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this reimagining conversation, he said. Forman noted that it will be complicated and there are risks of discriminatory underpolicing as well as discriminatory overpolicing. In the 1960s, the problem was racist underpolicing: Liberal organizations documented how rarely police patrolled in black neighborhoods and filed lawsuits to get more police protection. RELATED: Bill responds to pleas for police reform Ali H. Mokdad, a health specialist at the University of Washington, argues that racism is more dangerous than the coronavirus, because eventually there will be a vaccine for the virus. And in tackling racism, he says, there are many lessons from public health research. Defund the police for certain services and move them to social work, he advised. He suggested that domestic violence, youth offenders, alcoholism, addiction, mental illness and homelessness would often be better handled by social workers or other nonpolice professionals. The most effective anti-crime measure in recent decades was probably something that had nothing to do with policing: the removal of lead from gasoline, resulting in reduced lead poisoning among children. Lead poisoning impairs brain development and is associated, years later, with increased risk of criminal activity. Every study shows that reducing lead poisoning (typically from paint chips) pays for itself many times over, and that should be a priority with funds reallocated from police. School programs like Becoming a Man and gang-outreach initiatives like Cure Violence have shown that they make the public safer, so they, too, should be candidates for public safety funding. Adrian Raine, a criminologist and neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, endorses public health measures but acknowledges that some take time, while reduced policing could have immediate consequences. Having had my house burgled six times in 13 years, I can appreciate the alternative perspective, he said. But we invest $100 billion annually in policing across the nation, and the system just isnt working. Its often racist and neither effective nor equitable, disproportionately failing black Americans but also letting down white Americans. One of my (white) high school classmates in Oregon lost a son to a police shooting two years ago; Kelly desperately needed drug treatment, not six bullets. Look at the videos of George Floyd or of the 75-year-old protester being pushed down and left bleeding from the head. After decades of incremental reforms, anti-racism activists are fundamentally correct about the overuse and overmilitarization of policing in America. Yes, I still want someone to pick up when I call 911. But whatever terminology we use, its long past time to reimagine policing in America. MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- A suspect has been taken into custody, charged with aggravated assault in the shooting of an Escatawpa man who was found alongside Mississippi Highway 613 June 2. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said Friday 30-year-old Christopher Allen McNemar had been taken into custody, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Deputies found the victim, a 43-year-old Escatawpa man, alongside Highway 613 near Wisteria Drive about 10 p.m. on June 2. The man was suffering from a gunshot wound and was taken to Singing River Hospital and then transferred to the University of South Alabama Medical Center for treatment. He has since been released. No other details on the case have been released. McNemar remains in the Jackson County Adult Detention Center. The jail website indicates McNemar is not bondable." West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed outrage over the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020, describing it as "inhuman" and an attempt by the Centre to "destroy" the country's federal structure. In a strongly-worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee said the move by the Centre to amend the Electricity Act, 2003 was "completely unjustified" amid the socio-economic crisis brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I feel constrained to inform that the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 has been drafted without any consultation with the states, despite the fact that 'electricity' as a subject is on the Concurrent List. This is a clear and blatant violation of the constitutional provisions, the spirit of cooperative federalism and our democratic values. "The government of India should have held consultations with the states before the bill entered the legislative process," Banerjee said in the letter sent to the prime minister on Friday. She also expressed concern over the proposed bill having an adverse impact on consumers in terms of increased electricity tariff. "At present in every matter, attempts are being made to take away the powers of the state governments. This proposed bill is yet another attempt of the centre to destroy the federal structure as enshrined in our Constitution. "With regard to the proposed amendments, the bill is very much anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-unorganised sector, anti-consumer and more or less inhuman to the common people living in semi-urban and rural areas...as it proposes to completely end subsidies and cross-subsidies extended to consumers," Banerjee said. The chief minister said comments on the bill have been sought by the central government in a very hurried manner, "unfairly restricting" the scope of pre-legislative scrutiny on the part of the states and other stakeholders. She also took exception over the proposal that the electricity tariff is to be determined by a government-appointed commission, following the mandate of a centrally-determined tariff policy, which may be "tweaked to the whims and fancies" of the Centre. "This tariff determination by a central government-appointed authority will divest the state of its powers to the detriment of people's interests, and will adversely affect the ability of the state to discharge the onerous responsibility of improving the lives of its common people," Banerjee said in the letter. The Trinamool Congress chief opposed plans of setting up the Electricity Contract Enforcement Authority (ECEA) to adjudicate on matters relating to performance obligations under electricity contracts, when other regulatory bodies already exist. "The proposed creation of the ECEA clearly indicates the ulterior motive of the central government to snatch away full powers of the states and demolish its constitutional obligations," the chief minister said. Iowa legislators have passed a law that critics say represents the latest attempt to stop animal activists, whistleblowers and others from secretly documenting activities at large animal feeding operations. While the bill doesnt explicitly mention restrictions on undercover investigations, it's clear that "the factory farm industry wants an ag-gag law on the books to intimidate and silence whistleblowers," said Adam Mason, an organizer for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. The group is part of a coalition that's battling the state's agricultural trespass laws in court. Proponents say the law protects the food supply chain. "Numerous attempts by radical left-wing, anti-agriculture, coastal liberals to infiltrate agricultural operations endanger the livelihoods of Iowa farmers, the agricultural economy and Iowa economy that depends on it," said Iowa Sen. Ken Rozenboom, an Oskaloosa Republican, who was a bill sponsor. His family operation, which was leased to another farmer at the time, was targeted by activists last year. The ag trespass language was part of a broader farm bill that Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Wednesday. It says anyone present at a "food operation" without consent is trespassing. It's lawmakers' third attempt at creating a so-called ag-gag law, and it ramps up penalties for offenders. The first offense is punishable by up to two years in prison and each additional offense could bring up to five years in jail. The law comes as state agriculture officials have warned that pork producers may be forced to destroy up to 600,000 pigs after workers at Iowa and Midwest meatpacking plants became ill with COVID-19, shutting down and slowing processing facilities. A California animal activist group released an undercover video last month that detailed the deaths of thousands of pigs that the owner, Iowa Select Farms, said had to be killed because they could not be processed at local meatpacking plants. Story continues PREVIOUSLY: Iowa livestock producers may have to euthanize pigs as packing plants struggle Photos activist group Direct Action Now took at an Oskaloosa-area farm co-owned by state Sen. Ken Rozenboom show what the group contends are neglected pigs. Direct Action Everywhere said the pigs were "roasted alive" after the company shut down the ventilation in a Grundy County confinement facility and increased the heat and humidity in Grundy County to destroy the animals. A national swine veterinarian group said it was is an acceptable form of euthanasia in constrained circumstances such as the COVID-19 meatpacking disruption. Iowa Select said this week it has stopped killing pigs through ventilation shutdowns as meatpacking plants ramp up production. Eldon McAfee, a Des Moines attorney who represents the Iowa Pork Producers Association, said the new law encompasses trespass at food processing plants and other supply facilities as well as animal feeding operations. "This looks at the importance of protecting the food supply," McAfee said Friday. The new statute doesn't specifically target people who use fraud or deception to obtain access to animal feeding operations. But animal activists who enter facilities to document confinement conditions would fall "in the class of people who would be considered trespassing," McAfee said. He said coronavirus disruptions which have resulted in milk, eggs and pigs being destroyed, while also driving higher prices and shortages in grocery stores illustrate why the food supply should be protected. Mason said lawmakers' repeated attempts to create an ag trespass law show "the power of this industry in Iowa." A federal judge ruled the state's first such law as unconstitutional in 2019, saying the 7-year-old industry-backed statute violated the First Amendment's free-speech protections. The state is appealing that ruling. MORE: State effort ties Iowa pork producers to processors in effort to feed needy, avoid euthanizing pigs The same judge issued a preliminary injunction last year blocking Iowa officials from enforcing the Legislature's second agricultural facility trespass law while it is being challenged, again on free speech concerns. The new law makes the first offense an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison; each additional offense is a class D felony, carrying a sentence of up to five years. The first offense under the state's first two agricultural trespass laws was a serious misdemeanor, which can carry up to a year in jail; each additional offense was an aggravated misdemeanor. "While the text of the bill doesnt seem like an attack on free speech, if in practice the goal is to stop speech then we believe that continues to be unconstitutional, said Mark Stringer, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa. It's part of a coalition that successfully challenged Iowa's first agricultural trespass bill and is challenging the second. Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Critics say Iowa's new ag trespassing law seeks to silence whistleblowers Nepals lower house on Saturday cleared a constitutional amendment bill to reflect its new map in the national emblem, a move that is seen to virtually make the boundary row a permanent irritant in relations between Kathmandu and New Delhi. The bill was supported by all the 258 lawmakers present and voting. The passage of the bill, which consolidates Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis standing within and without the ruling Communist Party of Nepal, came on a day hundreds of protesters hit the streets of capital Kathmandu over his governments handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Indias response to Saturdays development was curt and pointedly shut the door on any possibility of talks. We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues, he said. Also Read: Why PM Oli rejected Indias offer for dialogue At the four-hour-long discussion in the House of Representatives that preceded the vote, PM Oli was asked by several lawmakers to take the next steps to reclaim control of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura from India. Some others from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) favoured continuing with some of the border restrictions on movement of people that have been introduced due to Covid-19 to continue, according to local media portal eKantipur. To be sure, the Oli government, which had gone ahead to issue the new map last month, has repeatedly claimed that Nepal would get back the land occupied by India through dialogue. Nepal has already asked India to convene a foreign secretary-level meeting to discuss the boundary row. Also Read: In 4 sentences, Army chief hints Indias approach to Nepal after map row Officials told Hindustan Times that Nepal had precluded the option of dialogue to resolve differences over Lipulekh since it had already gone ahead to formalise the new map. India will, however, continue to focus on strengthening people-to-people contact. Army chief General MM Naravane had also hinted at this approach earlier on Saturday when he sidestepped a question on the row over the map, preferring to focus on relations between the people of the two countries. We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people-to-people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future, General Naravane said. This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues: External Affairs Ministry Gen Naranave was the first top Indian official to go public with his assessment that Nepals loud protests over the 80-km road to Lipulekh pass built for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims were probably at the behest of someone else. That veiled reference to Chinas influence over the Oli government had riled PM Oli, particularly given that he had been trying to build a narrative that he was a strong prime minister who was standing up to its giant neighbour India. Officials said the army general had echoed the assessment in New Delhi that found the timing of Kathmandus shrill protests over a road close to Nepals northwestern tri-junction with India and China particularly suspect. Around the time that General Naravane made the statement, China had mobilised troops along the Line of Actual Control to set off a standoff with Indian soldiers at four locations in eastern Ladakh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A top cop has criticised a police officer who was handed a final warning for drunkenly 'joking about rape and human trafficking'. Chief Superintendent Chris Todd, from West Midlands Police's professional standards department, spoke after Simina Muntean was given a last chance on Friday, June 12. Muntean, 29, had previously lost a race discrimination tribunal against the force in 2018 after they had reprimanded her following a string of complaints including that she had called one boy a 'd***head' while on duty. Police officer Simina Muntean, 29, has been handed a final warning by West Midlands Police He said: 'Muntean's behaviour was completely unacceptable and was a clear breach of our standards of professional behaviour. 'Behaving like this in front of members of the public is wholly unacceptable. 'Treating everyone, including colleagues, with fairness and dignity is expected at all times and she abused that on more than one occasion. 'Any officer or staff member that fails to uphold our force values and falls below the high standards we expect will be dealt with accordingly.' Muntean reportedly drunkenly joked about being trafficked for sex from Romania The 29-year-old West Bromwich beat officer had appeared before a misconduct hearing held at the force's Lloyd House base where she faced two charges of gross misonduct. The board heard PC Muntean, originally from Romania, made inappropriate comments while on an external police course. She had allegedly become intoxicated while off-duty in a pub and made the remarks while in conversation with members of the public, who knew she was a police officer. The panel agreed PC Muntean later returned to a hotel bar where she allegedly repeated the comments to a colleague from another police force. She was said to have called one colleague a 'snake' and made another comment where she said: 'I am from Romania. I have been trafficked here, they are forcing me to have a*** sex.' Panel chairman Callum Cowx said they had found PC Muntean guilty of this allegation. Chief Supt Chris Todd of West Midlands Police blasted Muntean for her actions He told her: 'We have taken the decision that this is gross misconduct. You will be given a final written warning. The behaviour was totally unacceptable from a serving officer. 'You made a joke about police rape and human trafficking. Rape and human trafficking is taken very seriously by the police and criminal justice system and your comments were totally unacceptable.' A second claim, where she was alleged to have been drunk while off-duty at Birmingham Airport, was found unproven. The special task force (STF) on Saturday arrested the son of a local BJP leader and an Uttar Pradesh resident with 60 grams of heroin. An official from Parao police station said the STF seized 60gm heroin and a Honda City car from the accused, identified as Amit of Sector 7 in Ambala city and Kalknath of Gonda in Uttar Pradesh. They were coming from Delhi to supply the drugs in the city, police said. STF (Ambala range) in-charge DSP Kulbhushan said the accused will be presented before a court on Sunday to seek police remand. As per sources, Amit is the son of a senior BJP leader of Ambala and he had also been arrested by the Punjab Police with heroin last year. Tens of thousands of Oregonians took to the streets over the past two weeks to draw attention to systemic racism in America and to demand changes in policing after the killing of George Floyd. They have held signs, raised fists and chanted. There have been marches, speeches and tear gas. The Oregonian/OregonLives journalists have been out each evening to witness the events and we asked participants to go beyond the slogans and talk about what moved them to take part in this landmark civil movement. They talked about their own experiences with racism, the need for change in institutions far beyond the criminal justice system and what it is like watching this historic moment. Overwhelmingly, they talked of change. Here are their words: Mark Sarigan, 38, Portland Why I am here: Im here to support Black Lives Matter. Thats as simple as I can put it. Im trying to do it peacefully. Its a beautiful thing. (Sarigans 6-year-old twin boys chased around him.) I wanted to show them how peaceful a protest could be. Theyre young, but they have to understand that things like this are part of the progress. As I quote Frederick Douglass, Its easier to build strong children than to rebuild broken men. I wanted them to see how it is, what they see on TV versus what its like in person. Because you see a lot of bad stuff sometimes. Make sure its not scary. Its been powerful. Im just going to take it all in and hopefully this isnt the only day (to march) and it keeps going forever until theres some change. Chloe Hennessy, 23, Portland Why I protest: I wanted to participate because obviously it is personal to me so I wanted to be able to help out directly. My friend has been speaking at a couple of them and I wanted to hear what he had to say. Portlands not super diverse so I feel good about seeing so may people come together for something that I think is important. Its been emotional. Ive gotten an emotional response from seeing videos of people in confrontations in police. Thats kind of made me really sad. I hope that people continue. I dont want it to end. Sometimes people get excited about something for just a few minutes, and then it dies down and the same thing happens again. I am hoping that people see that it is a huge problem, they will continue to talk about it. My grandma was in Portland in the 60s as a black person and she was fighting for the same things we are fighting for today. Richy Qwavoo, a Portland rapper, protests against police violence in Portland Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Mark Graves/Staff Richy Qwavoo, Portland Why I am here: I rap in this town. I got on out here and I support everything. We dont need no war. Everybody needs to come together. Like this, this is beautiful. I know its wild, but its just beautiful. Why is nobody dealing with anything yet? We need to figure it out. Why the H have we not figured it out yet, as a state? Look at all these people coming together. This is a village, this is a family, this is love. This is all love. Why havent we figured it out? If we can figure it out like this as the people, why cant they figure it out? (pointing at Justice Center) We need to figure it out. Isiah Aceves, 23, Portland Why I am here: Honestly, there are a lot of reasons to come out tonight. Its mainly the fact that there hasnt been the necessary changes made in police conduct, police society and, quite frankly, our society, thats really making a significant change. There are so many instances of people dying each day from police brutality, negligence or just silence in general, when, really, we should be promoting the fact that we shouldnt have this happen, it shouldnt be normalized. It should be something that is downtrodden. These people should be treated like criminals and not raised above the moral standard that everyone else is. I really dont want to be here. Id rather be at home playing some video games and staying away from people. Right now, were technically risking our lives. Because the coronavirus pandemic is still happening right now. And the fact that theres not really social distancing really increases the likelihood of exposure. I wouldnt be surprised if, after this, there are a lot more cases. But these people are here because of legitimate reasons facing this nation. So youve kind of got to balance the two evils. Theres an underlying community that this is going to disproportionately effect and, really, youve got to stand up for them. It really does feel like a movement. Its something where we do have a sense of solidarity throughout every being here. Everyones really trying to make a positive change. Whether our demands are met or not, that just depends. Nina Melcher, 18, Portland Why I am here: We are less likely to be shot by police because we are white. We are using our privilege the best way we can. (She attended with two other women who said they were prepared to serve as human shields to protect people of color during the demonstration.) Devin Boss, Portland. June 9, 2020 Beth Nakamura/Staff Devin Boss Why I am here: This isnt a short process, this is always a long process. If you look at the history of the civil rights movement almost none of those many protests lasted any shorter than three to seven months. When they boycotted the bus system, that was 381 days. Im trying to get them in the mental headspace of your feet are going to hurt, you are going to be tired. Were not here to be comfortable or happy. Eryka Island, 25, Portland Why I am here: Im kind of just having mixed feelings. Because its been happening for so long, Im happy that its getting to the point where we need to start challenging the political leaders to try and make change for everyone. Because thats all people of color have been fighting for, equality and just basic human rights. Weve seen this so many times. Its time to really make the change. Its been really powerful seeing the unity between all races. Weve got to be in the fight together to make the change. Because we do outnumber the political leaders. So that means were going to have to vote for the right people to make a change, state by state. We hold the power. Weve got to rethink some things, unlearn some things that happened over the past four hundred years of systematic oppression. So its going to take some time for that to unravel. We need to be educated on voting, on laws and everything. And for people who are able to vote to use our power. Because we do put these people in political power into those positions. Peggy Zebroski attends the Don't Shoot PDX and Care Not Cops rally outside City Hall in downtown Portland on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Sean Meagher/Staff Peggy Zebroski, 70, Portland Why I am here: Theres been a partial awakening thats come to fruition now. People are waking up. When we say abolish the police, its not like dissolve the police force. We know the root of crime is the terrible inequality people suffer under. Alyssa Carter, moved to Portland-area from Texas recent, participates in protests against police Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Mark Graves/Staff Alyssa Carter, 24, Portland Why I am here: What brought me out is my life, basically. A man was killed but a lot of people dont really know this has been happening. George Floyd isnt the first person, probably wont be the last person. But I wanted to come out and basically fight for my life, which sounds crazy in 2020 that I have to fight for my life, and scream that black lives matter in 2020, and scream to people and let them know, Hey, my life matters. I spoke on Saturday, and I basically just said I want everyone out here to be out here for the right reasons. I wanted to make sure that people arent just out here to take pictures and then to leave, and I dont want people to be out here for their white guilt either. I want you out here because you really, truly feel in your heart that my life matters, that my partners life matters, that my moms life matters, everybody -- every persons life matters. Thats why Im here. Thats why Im here. This is about my seventh day. And Im tired, but I really cant be tired at this point. Out here (in Portland), its obviously not a lot of African-American people, so coming from where I came from, which is Dallas, Texas, I saw all types of people. When I came out here, I didnt see a lot of people that looked like me. So my experiences were stares, people acting scared to even walk near me. A lady refused to walk in front of me -- she made sure that I was always in front of her. So its just a weird feeling being one of the few African-American people out here. Its a very weird feeling. So Im out here today to make my voice be heard. Ariel Younce, 38, Vancouver Why I am here: Justice for George Floyd and justice for all the people. This is enough. We want to see something done. We dont want to keep going through this. Theres too many people innocent people, every color, being murdered for what? Because they (police) think theyre above the law? They are the law. Theyre supposed to follow the law, but they dont do that. Ndem Nkem attends the Don't Shoot PDX and Care Not Cops rally outside City Hall in downtown Portland on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Sean Meagher/Staff Ndem Nkem, Portland Why I am here: I dont want any other young children and other people to just feel like theyre scared on the street. I have some privilege in my life, but I feel like sometimes even doing the right thing, I still feel like a target sometimes too. Walking down the street, walking behind certain people. I feel like I could be a target to somebody. So I want to end that feeling and I want people to feel safe again out here on the streets. .. It makes me, as a black man, feel really good about the direction were going in the world (to see everyone turn out). Blaed Spence, Portland Why I am here: We have been holding these front lines with our black brothers and sisters for decades. And this wave has been building, and it has been ignored and patronized, and given lip service to. This wave is finally cresting we are out here to be bodies on the line, protecting our black brothers and sisters with everything we have in us, with anything we can do, and sending a message to City Hall: we need to abolish the police. Shea Rider, 18, recent graduate of Westview High in Beaverton Why I am here: We are here for justice for George Floyd. I think its time to start a revolution. We need to act. We need justice for George Floyd. Kelley Butler, center, who attends UC Irvine medical center demonstrates in Pioneer Square on Tuesday evening, June 3. "We kneeled for nine minutes to represent the death and dying of George Floyd, who suffered from asphyxiation under the knee of a police officer," Butler said. Protests continued for a sixth night in Portland, demonstrating against the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by police in Minneapolis. Brooke Herbert / StaffBrooke Herbert/The Oregonian Kelley Butler, medical student who attends University of California-Irvine Medical Center Why I am here: I think its important first for people to acknowledge that health care professionals acknowledge that death and dying of black people is a public health emergency. That its not something we overlook, its not something that we dont recognize as a profession and its something that we prioritize in addressing. Ariane Audett, 25, Portland Why I am here: We need some serious changes, justice reform and police policies. I think this movement is really great. People are expressing their anger over years and years of oppression that has existed for so long. (She held a sign that read, Since all lives matter why are yall not just as angry as we are.) Mia Baczko, 13, left, and Ari Baczko, 12, of Portland, participates in Portland Portland protests, Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Mark Graves/Staff Mia Baczko, 13, Portland Why I am here: I came to march today because I dont want kids my age or at any age to have to worry just about being scared in general and not being able to just walk places and not having to worry all the time. Alexandra Lopez, 17, Portland, student at Grant High Why I am here: I feel like everyone should be part of this. I hope everyone at home sends out their prayers. I feel cops dont care. They dont care about what we have to say or how we feel. Jewel Knox, 15, Portland, Franklin High student Why I am here: I came down because there needs to be a change. There have been so many lives that have been lost. Its a perfect time to come out here and to make a difference. James H. Thornton III was among those gathered Tuesday night, the thirteenth consecutive night of protests in Portland, on the grounds of Revolution Hall. June 9, 2020 (Dave Killen/The Oregonian) James Thornton III, 53, Why I am here: I want to be part of this cause, this cause is bigger than our community, and we definitely need change. There is a police brutality that is targeting people of color and George Floyd was the byproduct of that, and change needs to happen now, moving forward. Doesnt matter if you are white, black, Asian, Hispanic, it needs to happen now, no matter what. I brought my trombone. I usually play for the essential workers at 7 so it is my way to give back to them, the essential workers who are working in the hospitals, the workers who are working the 9-to-5 jobs, we need to show our appreciation for them. Audrey Peterson participates in protests against police Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Mark Graves/Staff Audrey Peterson, 29, Portland Why I am here: Unrealistically, I would like if the police were abolished. It is a fundamentally corrupt system. I am angry that the police keep killing black people and staying home and being sad about it doesnt change anything. Kent Ford, left, helped found the Portland chapter of the Black Panthers. He is pictured with Jules Boykoff. The men were among those gathered Tuesday night, the thirteenth consecutive night of protests in Portland, on the grounds of Revolution Hall. June 9, 2020 (Dave Killen/The Oregonian) Kent Ford, 77, Portland Why I am here: Because of the brutality and murder of black people. I was one of the cofounders of the Black Panther Party back in 68-69. We had a 10-point platform, program, and No. 7 of the 10 was we wanted the end of police brutality and murder of black people. This is all part of the struggle from one generation to the next. Weve been coming out every night. This is bigger, in my opinion, and Ive been in the struggle over 50 years, this is bigger than the civil rights movement. Fabiola Casas, 34, was among those gathered Tuesday night, the thirteenth consecutive night of protests in Portland, on the grounds of Revolution Hall. June 9, 2020 (Dave Killen/The Oregonian) Fabiola Casas, 34 Why I am here: I came out to the protest today because someone had put out a call on Facebook to have moms come out to support and hold space for protesters to take some time to recuperate and to rest and because I have my son at home and I also am little bit nervous about the COVID stuff and I havent been out protesting so this is the first demonstration or rally I have been to. I am a big believer in resilience and rest, and so it really resonated with me to be able to hold space for folks to feel like that its OK for them to go home and rest. Lawrence and Dee Hayes participates in Portland Portland protests, Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Mark Graves/Staff Lawrence and Dee Hayes, Beaverton Why I am here: Dee: We came out to support the protesters. Ive been watching it on the news for the last couple of nights. We have a daughter who was out here the first night or so who got tear gassed and chased by police and so we wanted to come down and support the young people, all the people out here protesting. And to show our solidarity with them. Lawrence: This is my first protest, because previously the protests, I was always working or something like that. But this is my day off and so I wanted to come down here because this is a matter of life and death. This protest is so awesome and so strong because its not just blacks, its whites, Hispanics, every color. There has to be a change, and I truly believe in my heart there is going to be a change. Dee: I think the change is going to be people realizing they have the power. And itll be a change across the board -- health-wise, economically, judiciously, in every way, people are going to start making change and they are not going to stop until they actually see some of that change happening. Because thats what hasnt happened in the past. Theyve been promised things and theyve tried to be patient and those things have never come to fruition. So this time, I think theyre like, were not stopping until you actually do it. You can talk until youre blue in the face, but until we see something, were going to be out here and were going to show you we have the power. Lawrence: The coronavirus was the perfect storm. Everyone was at home. And this is how the universe works. Everyone was at home and everyone actually watched this man be murdered. Be murdered. And without the people burning the police station down, (the officer who killed George Floyd and the officers who witnessed it) wouldnt have been indicted, lets just be honest. We walk around here and saying, oh, Jesus help us. Thats a fallacy. Thats not real life. Real life is people coming together and wanting change. Black, white, Hispanic. And its happening. Its happening. Theres no doubt in my mind or I would not be down here. But we have to understand. We have to continue to go. And we have to continue to speak our minds, speak our voice. Because I dont want this to be another black man dying and we forget about it, then we say, oh he died but hopefully in the future we make change. Change has to start now. Dee: And its starting. As told to reporters Molly Harbarger, Noelle Crombie, Joe Freeman, Jamie Hale, Michael Russell, Celina Tebor, Beth Nakamura and Jim Ryan Flash A Chinese government spokesperson on Friday denounced the U.S. restrictions on Chinese students, saying that China "firmly opposes politicizing and stigmatizing the normal exchanges of international students." The spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said the restrictive measures taken by the United States contradicted what its leaders had said on many public occasions that Chinese students are welcomed in the United States. China urges the United States to return to rational thinking, respect public opinions and do things that are conducive to mutual exchanges and understanding between the two peoples, said the spokesperson. "We will continue to support exchange of students between China and the United States and welcome students from other countries, the United States included, to study in China," the spokesperson said. ALEXANDRIA, Va. - With handguns holstered at many hips and a few rifles in hand, about 200 people assembled Saturday in the square in front of Alexandria City Hall to oppose a proposed ban on firearms in municipal buildings and parks. Protesters said they want the freedom to carry a gun to defend themselves and that the city imposing its own restrictions could lead to otherwise law-abiding people to get into trouble. The rally was organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, which also staged mass demonstrations in Richmond this year against Democrats' largely successful efforts to tighten the state's gun laws. Philip Van Cleave, the group's president, stood in the square with a SIG Sauer P320 in a holster. Were the new law in effect, he said he'd likely be breaking it. "They way overstepped in what they're doing," Van Cleave said. The ordinance being considered by the Alexandria City Council would prohibit people from carrying guns on city property and on streets where special events are being held. Police and private security guards working for the city would be exempt. A violation of the law would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. The measure was introduced at a council meeting last week and could pass after a virtual public meeting on June 20, going into force July 1. Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson, a Democrat, said he has long supported imposing the ban, saying firearms don't have a place in the city's public buildings. "We have security in city hall. We have a well-trained, capable police force. We have an extraordinarily safe community," Wilson said. "I don't think there is any data that would suggest having more guns on the street makes our community safer. I think it's quite the contrary." But protest organizers circulated among the almost entirely white crowd, handing out bright orange stickers printed with the words "Guns save lives." Others wore T-shirts with the same message, and some of those who attended Saturday said they didn't always want to rely on the police for protection. "They certainly can't protect me in Alexandria unless they're budgeting to put a cop on every block," said Shelly Good-Cook, 53. If the law passes, Good-Cook, who lives in nearby Mount Vernon, said she wouldn't come back to the city. The city previously had the authority to regulate guns in public buildings, but the General Assembly stripped its power two decades ago. Wilson said officials in Alexandria have long been working to regain it. After the mass shooting at a Virginia Beach municipal building last year, city officials passed a version of the ban now under consideration but did not get approval from the state legislature for it to go into force. The state law was eventually changed during this year's legislative session. "We felt it was a core local control issue for Alexandria," Wilson said. "We're happy the General Assembly saw fit to restore that authority." The Alexandria proposal is part of change sweeping Virginia after Democrats took control of the legislature last year. Gun control was one of the party's major focuses, with lawmakers banning firearms from the state Capitol in the session's first days. In the face of a huge rally by gun rights advocates, Democratic lawmakers ultimately passed laws to expand background checks and limit handgun purchases to one a month, among other new restrictions. But they did not achieve everything on their agenda, which was supported by Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, failing to secure a ban on assault-style rifles. The policy arm of the National Rifle Association urged its members to organize against the Alexandria proposal, saying it would create "gun free zones" where people could be preyed on by armed criminals. And after the legislation was introduced at a council meeting last week, Van Cleave's organization quickly organized Saturday's demonstration. Addressing the crowd, Van Cleave said local watch leaders would be keeping an eye out for other municipalities making efforts to tinker with gun laws. "This is going to be a battle," he said. Charlie Whelden, 26, works in Alexandria but said if the new law passes he would stop spending any money in the city. Whelden said he worried that a patchwork of city laws would be hard to follow. It's one thing not to cross into Maryland, with comparatively strict rules, but another to know the boundaries of each local jurisdiction, he said. That might dissuade people from arming themselves at all, Whelden said, and then "you've effectively outlawed guns." While parties bringing suit are not required to issue notice for a hearing on a temporary injunction, Herring said the state almost always gets advance warning in such cases. Given the significance of this matter to our Commonwealths history, he argues in Fridays filing, the state should get 12 hours notice of any future hearing and a court reporter should be present. (CNN Philippines, June 13) Operations at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office or POLO in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will temporarily be suspended as six of its officers and staff tested positive for coronavirus disease, an official said. "The objective of the temporary suspension is to prevent the escalation of infection among POLO staff and its clients and to allow the conduct of a thorough disinfection of the office premises, Labor Attache Nasser Mustafa said in a statement posted on the Department of Labor and Employment website. All POLO officers and staff will be working from home in the meantime, said Mustafa, adding that they will respond to calls, offer consulting services to clients and provide counseling to overseas Filipino workers in distress on a 24/7 basis. Mustafa said all 37 POLO personnel were tested for coronavirus after two of their colleagues contracted the virus. The Department of Foreign Affairs reported on Friday that the total number of infected overseas Filipinos was 5,490, including 1,048 verified by the Health department. In July 2017, I wrote about Indianapoliss attempt to reform the police after the killing of Aaron Bailey. This piece could have been written yesterday. Very little has changed, just the time and the names. However, there are three factors that make the current moment unique: rebellion, pandemic and economic collapse. The recent killing of George Floyd has led to an uprising in communities at the international level, demanding the defunding of police. The pandemic has created a shockwave that has sent our already delicate social and economic systems into collapse. I will be writing a new piece soon about the challenges and opportunities that this moment provides for true change. A reform that begins with the officer on the beat is not reform at all. Its avoidance. Its a continuance of the American preference for considering the actions of bad individuals, as opposed to the function and intention of systems. Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Myth of Police Reform. On July 14, 2017, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced his plan to bring about reform in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. This announcement came on the heels of another unarmed African American killed by the police, fleeing the police. Of course, like so many cases, Aaron Bailey was found unarmed. Of course, Bailey had a criminal record. As a lifelong Black male citizen of Indianapolis, you begin to acquire numbness to this slow-motion genocide of state violence. Michael Taylor. Older people remember the death of the 16-year-old Indianapolis native in 1987, where he was killed in the back of a police car, with his hands cuffed behind his back. The police performed a supposed reenactment of how Michael Taylor was able to pull a gun out of his shoe while his hands were cuffed behind his back. Joseph Clark. He was the brother of a friend of mine, who while attending a college party was shot in the back of the head and killed. He was unarmed. Pedro Sanchez. A car attempted to drive away from the downtown circle. He was shot and killed while reaching for a gun that was never found. And the beat goes on. These are three of the many stories that people can tell of nonviolent interfaces with the police in Indianapolis that have left citizens dead. While these are a small number of many examples, not just locally, but nationally, in the aftermath of these cases, reform is often called for. And yet, when we take a critical look at the history of police reform in America, we find very little has changed. It is no mystery why a large number of African Americans nationwide dont trust the police. Its no mystery why when reforms are called for many of us are skeptical of the emergence of any meaningful outcomes. In fact, in the post-Obama era, with a law and order president, we should have no expectations of the federal government assisting in addressing this particular challenge. With that said, we citizens must actively challenge the mayor to go deep, to look at the structural needs to bring about real, authentic reform in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Additional training, of course, is a good thing in an effort to sensitize police to the effects of race on policing. A civilian review board, one with teeth and independent, may also have some impact. But at the end of the day, a critical analysis of state violence at all aspects of our social order must be included. This critical look must begin to look inside all aspects of power, private and public sectors included. The role race plays in decision-making, in every circle of our lives, must be reviewed and addressed. Attitudes of the police are just an extension of the core fabric of the dominant cultures worldview and the police are the front line of maintaining those cultural norms. The police are organic conduits of state power, the object of the violence enacted are people of color and particularly, Black communities. This is one of the reasons why it is also no mystery that when white America is polled, their perspectives about the police are very different from people of color. And what do I mean by state violence? State violence can occur when decision makers decide that particular communities are in need of development. One of the first steps of that development is crime reduction brought on by an increased police presence. When these decisions are made without adequately preparing police departments to deal with the particular social conditions of crime-laden communities (often as a result of long-term institutional racism), a form of state violence has occurred, whether intentional or not. When decision-makers in communities, public and private sectors, are dominated by only a handful of voices, the majority of which are white and male, state violence against a community has occurred. When corporations are provided large tax credits, promising economic development and jobs, and then default on their promises, leaving communities more destitute than before they arrived, state violence has occurred. State violence is the economic development community refusing to take a critical look at how their actions over the last 10 years have contributed to the growth in poverty and inequity in communities. While these manifestations of state violence may appear to be disconnected, the reality is that all of these points converge into the kind of outcomes we see with an overly aggressive police force, laden with the same racial attitudes as the dominant culture. As a Black male resident of Indianapolis, I have become numb to the idea that any ideal reform in America will occur from government or institutional promises. Until America decides it wants to confront its historical and present ideas about race, I wont hold my breath. While I wont hold my breath, I will continue to challenge myself and others to have the strength and courage to make these issues of institutional racism (state violence) visible and present in all our spaces where we find ourselves engaged in community. Our actions on these issues are urgent and necessary, and they begin with understanding the power and agency we as community hold in creating change for ourselves. By making the invisible visible through our conversation and our firm demands to make these spaces more equitable, I believe we will begin the process of finding more equitable solutions to these historical challenges. As long as we remain silent out of fear of professional and personal consequences, the outcomes will remain the same. Good luck, Mayor Hogsett. Listen to Christian Scott aTunde Adjuahs Tiny Desk Concert where he talks about how an interaction with the police inspired a new piece of music. Also read State Violence: A Public Statement by the Kheprw Institute. Imhotep Adisa is the executive director and co-founder of the Kheprw Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering youth and building community wealth in Indianapolis. Last week, the president of WSU Tech, and affiliate of Wichita State University, announced that Ivanka Trump would speak at the schools commencement a virtual ceremony. Some students, faculty members, and alums objected. WSUs president responded as college presidents do. She decided that Ivanka would not speak at the virtual ceremony. Instead, her address would be available online. Ivanka posted it on Twitter. She included a reference to the cancel culture, of which WSUs actions are an example. Fortunately, the matter did not end there. Donors to Wichita State, including some major ones, expressed displeasure with WSUs treatment of Ms. Trump. For example, the CFO and executive vice president of Koch Industries said that, in light of that treatment, he has not decided whether to return to the WSU Foundation board. Another prominent supporter called for the firing of WSUs president. The Kansas Board of Regents called an emergency meeting and went into executive session. After the meeting, the board issued a statement expressing support for free speech, diversity, and inclusion. It decided not to fire WSUs president, notwithstanding her obvious lack of commitment to these values. In turn, she issued a statement giving lip service to them. I suspect that this resolution will satisfy Wichita States donors. Whether it should is another question. At this point in the descent of nearly all American colleges and universities, I wonder why any conservative would donate a penny to almost any of these institutions. Such donations subsidize the indoctrination of students by those who dislike conservatives and despise our values. The effects of this leftist indoctrination are there for all to see. In my view, they are undermining America. We conservatives should do our best to defund the nations colleges and universities until such time as they demonstrate a true commitment to free speech and viewpoint diversity, and cease the systematic leftist indoctrination of students. By Trend For the first time in Turkey, the country managed to manufacture a synthetic drug against coronavirus (COVID-19), Trend reports. With a team of 32 people in just 40 days, we produced a very important drug, said Mustafa Varank, Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology. "The drug is undergoing a licensing phase. Once licensed, the local synthetic drug will be used in the treatment of patients with coronavirus (COVID-19). It is planned to export this medicine, Varank added. Earlier, the Turkish experts produced the apparatus for artificial lung ventilation, and exported it to many countries at a record speeds. Following this successful achievement, the country's scientists have achieved the production of anti-coronavirus drug. Ceylon tea stocks: Orders held up View(s): Ceylon Tea prices are likely to go in for a correction as the export numbers surged in the recent past and exporters are facing concerns of their stocks not moving as countries continue to be in lockdown. With most of the hotels, restaurants and cafes in other countries still remaining closed or partially opened there are growing concerns that this sector is not buying tea stocks as in the past, Tea Exporters Association (TEA) President Jayantha Karunaratne said on Monday. He noted that while all in the industry have some volume of exports to this sector including airlines the sales have slowed as most are still not functioning. If you are supplying to the health sector that is moving as usual, he explained, adding that in fact some of the regular orders are on hold. Sri Lanka faced a dual scenario with the drought in the first part of the year and reduced production that led to a spike in prices and now exports are down by about 23 per cent, it was noted. Once the tea bagging section was a 24-hour operation but today they work only during the day time, local staff particularly those from outside of Colombo are concerned about travelling to work, he said. We depend on our suppliers, he noted in terms of obtaining the packaging material that adds value to the exports. Currently there is a backlog on packaging as well. (SD) US President, Donald Trump has reacted to the US National Guard using tear gas to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters in Minnesota. Trump described the use of teargas on protesters who took to the streets in response to the killing of George Floyd, as a beautiful scene. Speaking at an event in Dallas, Texas, the president shared his views on efforts made by the Minnesota National Guard to restore order. READ ALSO US Protest: Donald Trumps Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame Defaced Advertisement Speaking, Trump said in part: It was like a miracle. Just everything stopped. Ill never forget the scene, its not supposed to be a beautiful scene but to me it was. After you watch policemen run out of a police precinct. Watch The Video Here: "The police say they're here to help but we were there to make the change and I feel like we didnt get anywhere that night," Ms Antonio said. "We weren't doing anything wrong. We weren't trying to hurt them. But they were trying to hurt us and it was wrong, very wrong, for them to do that." Earlier in the day, there was no sign of the trouble to come. As the crowd gathered at Town Hall for the 3pm rally and marched down to Belmore Park, police stuck to the perimeter and protesters were vocal shouting "all cops are bastards" and other jeers. Superintendent Gavin Wood told the Herald as the march moved through Goulburn Street: "It really has been fantastic, it's been a great spirit and it's a perfect example of working hand in hand with the community." At Belmore Park, a DJ played music and the crowd danced near a shrine to honour David Dungay Jr, an Indigenous man who died in custody in 2015. Soon after 5pm the DJ announced the last song and told everyone to "get the f--k out of here", so as not to give the police any excuse for violence. By 5.30pm there were only a few stragglers remaining. What happened next is contested. Herald reporters including this one and photographers were there on the night. There were also at least 20 legal observers from Amnesty International and various community legal centres taking detailed notes with time-stamps. NSW Police allege that at about 5.45pm, a small group of protesters gathered on Eddy Avenue near Pitt Street and refused to move on, despite requests from police. Legal observer Cameron Caccamo, 27, said an Aboriginal police liaison officer asked the protesters on Eddy Avenue to leave. Mr Caccamo said a protester with a megaphone said "we should respect Indigenous voices present" and asked everyone to start heading home. Mr Caccamo said the message was filtering through the crowd and there was some movement as people prepared to leave. At that point, he said, the police started "forcefully pushing" everyone, forcing people to walk backwards because there was no time or space to turn around. A woman is treated after being sprayed with capsicum spray at Central Station last weekend. Credit:James Brickwood Police allege that the group surrounded a marked police car parked near the intersection of Eddy Avenue and Pitt Street and someone threw a brick. Photos supplied by police show a large dent in the front panel near the side mirrors on the passenger side. Members of the group allegedly banged and kicked the front and side panels as the car drove away. Mr Caccamo said he did not see a brick or any other projectile thrown at the car, despite standing a few metres away and subsequently reviewing video footage. He said he heard a thud as the police car drove onto the road and he thought at the time it was the car side-swiping the metal fence. He said some protesters followed the police car for a short time but were not violent. The protesters were pushed onto the footpath under the stone awnings on Eddy Avenue, up the pedestrian mall and through the ticket gates into Central station. The police allege that as they moved the group into Central, the protesters threw items, including a large drink can that struck an officer in the face. There is a video of at least one altercation between protesters and police on the footpath at Eddy Avenue but it is understood this incident did not result in arrest. Stella, 23, a volunteer marshall who asked for her surname to be withheld, said: "The speed of [the police] line was going too fast for people to get through. I felt incredibly crushed and there were people who ended up on the floor, there was a lot of falling over and people just trying to say to the police, 'slow down, slow down'." After the peaceful rally hours earlier, protesters clashed with police and were funnelled into Central station. Credit:James Brickwood Police acknowledge they funnelled protesters into Central Station with the aim of getting them to go home. The protesters say they were never given clear directions. Beyond the ticket gates is the station concourse, an area with multiple columns and a lift well between the wall and the platforms that could have made it difficult for people in the thick of the crowd to leave. However, the crowd thinned out over time until only 40-60 protesters, mostly young people, remained. Social media posts describe the protesters as being "corralled into a confined space". However, Assistant Commissioner Michael Willing rejected this, telling ABC Radio on Friday morning the aim was always to get protesters to disperse. "They were asked to move up into Central Station and all they had to do was turn around and get on the platform and go home," Assistant Commissioner Willing said. Inside the station, police say individuals continued to spit, kick and punch officers in the police line. There was one arrest at about 6.20pm, with police alleging a 21-year-old man from Mount Druitt became aggressive and threw a water bottle at a police officer and another item at a second officer, hitting him in the chest. The man is facing four charges, including offensive behaviour, resisting arrest and two counts of assaulting an officer in execution of duty and is due to appear in court on August 27. The crowd behind the ticket gates was mixed race and mostly young. Legal observer Jarrod Diamond estimated that at least two-thirds were under the age of 25 and half were visibly under 18. The police used capsicum spray on the crowd between 6.45pm and 7pm. Police say this was to quell the violence of the crowd. However, Mr Diamond and other legal observers who witnessed the event insist the crowd was rowdy but not violent. Some accounts say that when the police stepped back, the crowd stepped forward and this might have been misconstrued. Ms Antonio, who was near the front, describes being pushed forward by the crowd. Loading Shortly before the capsicum spray, a young white woman called Jane Margaret hobbled forward on crutches to speak to police. She said later she had been at the protest march and was on her way home when she came across the trouble at Central Station and thought she might be able to calm the situation. She recounts in an Instagram video recorded from her hospital bed that instead, police sprayed her "point blank" along with other protesters. By Andre Vltchek June 12, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - While I am following closely various discussions on Western mass media and social media, simultaneously engaging in several direct exchanges, one overwhelming leitmotif that I see is clearly emerging: What is happening in the United States (and the UK, France and other parts of Western Empire) is not really about the race. Let us protest peacefully, let us not allow rioting to continue, and above all, please let us not single out the white race, Western culture as a sole villain. Let us have peace, love each other Then things will miraculously improve; terrible occurrences will soon go away. I have worked and lived on all continents, from far away island nations of South Pacific (Oceania), to Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. Of course, I lived in Europe and North America, too. Colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism these are all my topics. Seriously! I have been studying them, investigating them; I wrote and made various documentary films about them. On several occasions I came very close to losing my life, confronting them. My conclusion after all that I saw and experienced and survived? You can probably guess it: To claim that the race is not what has been, for centuries, dividing our Planet, is outrageous hypocrisy. Or deranged wishful thinking. Or something much worse: it is calculated blindness that serves only the ruling, white group of people. To make it blunt: Our Planet has been reduced to only two races: White and the other! On top of it, the color of ones skin is not always identical to what the West, in general, perceives as the Caucasian/white race. To be white is the state of mind. It means: belonging to the culture which perceives itself as superior. The culture which sees itself as exceptional, and somehow chosen to judge and advice the entire humanity. It also means a state of indoctrination and obedience, as well as lack of intellectual courage. All this, in exchange for the privileges; fabulous privileges! Plunder the world, and live well above your means; live grotesquely plush life! And while you are living it, do not forget to whine, demand more, and keep repeating that you are also exploited and, actually, a very poor victim. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Denying the privileges is part of racism, too, as it demonstrates unexpectable spite for the real victims! Or, perhaps, self-imposed blindness. Citizens of some countries, such as Russia, Cuba, and Turkey, may look mainly white, but they are actually not. They are not invited to the club, because their mindset is different because they are not submissive because they think on their own. Such conclusions may not be popular in New York, London, Paris, or Berlin. Especially not now, when the United States and the entire West are in turmoil. The culture which was built on blood, bones, rape, and theft, culture shaped by more than 500 years of colonialist terror, is now turning, twisting, and trying to justify itself. It tries to survive while staying in a driving seat. Countless editorials penned by both conservative and so-called liberal scribes are carpet-bombing the pages of newspapers at both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Fear of perhaps mortally injured beast Western regime and its citizens is delectable by its repulsive stench, and it stinks for miles. Suddenly, most of the so-called progressive publications do not want to hear from those writers and thinkers who are shooting powerful projectiles in the form of highly uncomfortable truth. Actually, in the West, there are hardly any true left-wing sites or magazines left, of course with some shining exceptions. What is really progressive these days? I dont want to name the sites or publications here, but you are most likely aware of which ones I am talking about: they almost exclusively carry the stuff written by the Western/white men, for other white mens consumption! They never cross the line: their criticism of the Western white-dominated world is half-hearted, peaceful; in short cowardly. A white man is an individual who has been brought up and indoctrinated in a certain way, who thinks, speaks, and writes in a manner that is expected from him or her by the Western regime. And all these non-whites, all over the world, including the minorities in the Western countries, are expected to sit on their asses, shut up and listen to him or her, but mostly him. And of course, to obey. Or else! Or else: they will be verbally attacked and humiliated, eventually, they will get sanctioned, their governments were overthrown, countries invaded. There will be corpses all over, the stench of burning flesh, overflowing mass graves. And at home, in the West? Bullets shot at their eyes, or necks squashed by military or police boots. So, what actually happened a few weeks ago to Mr. George Floyd, has been constantly happening to non-white people all over the world, to the entire communities and countries. Then, suddenly, people, all over the world, had enough! Almost everywhere, not just in China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Enough of being treated as some lower, subservient races. Enough of being treated like a scum; brutalized, killed like Mr. Floyd! * Now, in the West, both liberal and conservative media is making noises, claiming that Mr. Floyd was not a saint, that he used to serve some time in prison. What can I say? People, in general, are not saints. People and countries. Very often, circumstances make them behave in a very nasty matter. But if you are raised as a second-class citizen, if you are beaten, day and night, by your own regime, are you expected to turn out to be a romantic poet? Get real! Our countries, non-Western ones, are not always behaving like saints, either. But they are still better, much better, than those that have been murdering hundreds of millions in their colonies! Dont they understand, in Washington, London, and Paris, why those millions of people, from Tokyo to Buenos Aires, from Africa to Asia, are now marching in support for the African-American people? It is because all of us, outside Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, are somehow related to Mr. Floyd! Yes, we read those phony essays. We observe those cynical little smiles on the faces of the people who are denying racial and racist division of the world. Individuals who are defending the status quo, the rule of that tiny minority over the planet, so they could maintain their advantages. Some defenders of status quo are now going as far as claiming that the rebellion against the white rulers is actually some sort of dark conspiracy theatre, triggered by the well-concealed business elites, or that it is connected to COVID-19; but above all, that it is not spontaneous at all. It is clear, where they really stand and what they want to achieve. It is never them. It is always somebody else. They keep pointing fingers at some invisible bankers, or the minorities in their own countries. You know precisely what I mean. As long as it is not them! But it is all much simpler: most of Europe and North America are constructed on white racism. And so is imperialism, colonialism. Citizens in the West are voting right-wing scum, voluntarily, and consistently. Can you imagine a genuine North American or European internationalist? Maybe a few. Perhaps 1%. Not more! So, the proverbial gold keeps flowing in. And billions of non-whites are rotting alive, in all corners of the globe. My friends, my comrades, all over the world, are now opening their eyes, realizing what is happening in the United States and its colonialist daddy: Europe. Many of them, of course, already knew. At least they knew something. But those who did not, are now wide awake, getting well aware of the brutality of the Western regime, as well as of the racist nature of the global arrangement. Those who were, for centuries, manufacturing consent, justifying and glorifying colonialism, imperialism, racial discrimination, as well as Western supremacy, can suddenly do nothing to stop the avalanche of awareness. This may be the beginning of the end of segregation, of global apartheid. Just the beginning of the true struggle for equality. A knee of a beefy white racist cop in Minneapolis, which had cut the supply of air, killing an African-American person, somehow managed to trigger that avalanche. Nobody wants to live like this. Oppressed nations do not want to be threatened this way by those white Western cynics and nihilists: like Clinton and Trump, Navarro, Pompeo, and others. What a hellish troop of third-rate violent porn performers, these people! Oppressed minorities inside the empire, be they of African descent, Hispanics or Chinese, are sick of the vicious and repulsive racism. Mostly, they are frightened to speak. But now, day by day, they are gaining courage. * The United States of America has been built on the genocide of the non-white people. The great majority of native folks had been slaughtered so the small number of the first and brutal European settlers could thrive. This is to some extend known fact, but learning in-depth what really happened to the original inhabitants of America has been thoroughly discouraged. Word genocide is hardly ever uttered, in connection with the first chapters of U.S. history. Actually, it is taboo. Slavery has been turned into folklore. Millions, tens of millions of broken, methodically destroyed human lives, is hardly ever presented in its real, nightmarish authenticity. People in Africa were hunted down like animals, tortured, raped, killed, and shipped like cattle to the so-called free and democratic New World. Does a country constructed on such macabre foundations have really any moral right to exist, let alone call itself free? Can it be allowed to police the world? It is as if you would allow that murder cob who killed Mr. Floyd, to run a nation! And those states which are now forming Europe? Their citizens are the descendants of those who were hunting down millions of human beings. Offspring of those who perpetrated and then got rich on such mass-slaughters as those of the Namibians, or people who used to inhabit what is now known as Congo. When dragged to the broad daylight, it is all very, very uncomfortable, isnt it? Better to sweep the truth under the carpet, and talk about love, goodwill. And then keep robbing and murdering as before, far away from the cameras! This way, nothing would ever change. Repeating over and over again: race does not matter; it is actually all about class, could make those who are in control of the world feel good about themselves, even sometimes sorry for themselves, which is actually their favorite state of mind. But it is a terribly hypocritical and deceptive position. And it has to be unveiled if there is ever to be justice! * On 3 June 2020, UN News, published an essay condemning the situation in the United States: Voices calling for an end to the endemic and structural racism that blights US society must be heard and understood, for the country to move past its tragic history of racism and violence, the UN Human Rights chief said on Wednesday. The voices calling for an end to the killings of unarmed African Americans need to be heard, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. The voices calling for an end to police violence need to be heard. Ms. Bachelet, a Chilean, knows precisely what she is talking about! She knows what it is to have someones knee choking your aorta. Her father, an army General during the socialist era of President Salvador Allende, was murdered after the U.S.-sponsored coup led by Augusto Pinochet. Ms. Bachelet herself was kidnapped and tortured. She looked white, but obviously not white enough for Washington and its local assassins. What is truly significant is that even the United Nations (usually subservient to the U.S.) is now unwilling to remain silent. Race issues have to be addressed. Racism, inside the national boundaries, as well as on the global scale, has to be fought against, by all means. The depressing state of our planet is a result of racism. Look at the map of the world at the beginning of the 20th century, and you will see: a great majority of the nations were colonized by the West. Colonialism is one of the most evident forms of racism. It humiliates victims, it robs them of everything: of culture, dignity, land. To a great extent, most of the world is still being colonized. Even right now, as this is being written. Almost the entire Planet is brutally controlled by the white race. Through the racist West-centric education system, and by the mass media which is controlled by the White boys Western narrative. Things have been arranged, so that the people in non-Western countries have been learning and getting informed about themselves from the Western curriculums and the fraudulent sources disseminated by the U.S. and British media outlets. That is grotesquely racist, isnt it? Close to 10 million people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in just a quarter of a century. It is because they have coltan, uranium, and other essential raw materials, desired by the West. But also, because to the West, their black lives matter close to nothing. My film, Rwanda Gambit, is clearly addressing the issue. But who cares? In the West, they rather watch porn, instead of learning the greatest genocide of the 20th Century, which they helped to trigger! And who cares about the West Papuans, who are murdered with almost the same intensity by the Indonesians, on behalf of their Western masters? After all, the West Papuans are blacks, therefore matter nothing. On those millions, mountains of corpses, huge companies, and even entire countries are thriving, prosper. While their CEOs and Presidents are talking rubbish about some corporate responsibility and love for democracy. And most of the white Europeans, Canadians, Australians, have to sacrifice very little, in order to live their obnoxiously luxurious lives. Isnt this racist? The entire arrangement of the world is! Soon, it will be impossible to hide behind all those lies. I work at the frontlines. Where human bodies are crushed by all that love of the white colonialism and racism, directly but also indirectly. Racist violence is the most repulsive and the creepiest thing on Earth. I want it to end; once and for all. I dont care if some shops get looted or trashed in the process. Peaceniks who are crying over them are mostly sitting in their plush living rooms, watching censored news. They do not see those tens of millions of victims of racism rotting in tropical heat, floating on the surfaces of polluted rivers, thousands of kilometers away! Images of Mr. Floyd being murdered, slowly and sadistically, is as close as they ever got to reality. For centuries, they did all they could in order not to see. Now they are running out of excuses. Not to see, not to fight against the white, endemic global racism is a terrible crime. A crime that has been taking place for more than 500 years. The crime against humanity. Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Six of his latest books are New Capital of Indonesia, China Belt and Road Initiative, China and Ecological Civilization with John B. Cobb, Jr., Revolutionary Optimism, Western Nihilism, a revolutionary novel Aurora and a bestselling work of political non-fiction: Exposing Lies Of The Empire. View his other books here. Watch Rwanda Gambit, his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky On Western Terrorism. Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and Latin America, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website, his Twitter and his Patreon . Post your comment below Representative image Several markets in Beijing were shut down after six new domestically-transmitted coronavirus cases were reported, taking the tally to nine in the Chinese capital in the last three days, while 12 new infections were registered in other parts of China. China's National Health Commission, (NHC) said on Saturday that 18 new confirmed coronavirus cases were reported in the country on Friday, including six domestically-transmitted cases in Beijing. Also on Friday, seven new asymptomatic cases were reported, taking the total number of such people in quarantine to 98, it said. Officials in Beijing found the coronavirus on a chopping board of imported salmon at Xinfadi market. Following this, nine related people have been put into quarantine even though their test results were negative, Zhang Yuxi, head of the Xinfadi market, told the Beijing News on Friday. 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 sudden spike in cases in Beijing sent the officials into a tizzy as the city which was well protected from the rest of the country has not reported new cases for about two months. The new cases raised concerns of a possible resurgence of the coronavirus in the Chinese capital city. Local officials have been asked to maintain wartime status to resolutely eliminate the possibility of a second outbreak, Cai Qi, ruling Communist Party secretary of the city, said. Chinese health experts believe sporadic cases are normal as the epidemic has not ended, but a resurgence is unlikely as the capital's 20 million residents are deeply aware of precautions, state-run Global Times reported. The two cases reported on Friday are colleagues from a meat research centre in Beijing's Fengtai District, and they are receiving treatment at a designated hospital. One patient, surnamed Liu, had travelled to Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province for five days, while the other had no recent travel history, a Fengtai District official said at a press conference on Friday. Beijing immediately shut down the beef and lamb trade centre of wholesaler Xinfadi Market and Jingshen seafood market in Fengtai District where Tang, who was tested for coronavirus on Thursday had visited. All relevant people including customers and meat dealers have undergone nucleic acid tests. In total, six major wholesale markets in Beijing suspended, or partially suspended, operations on Friday, the Global Times report said. Beijing will strengthen COVID-19 controls in the resumed catering industry, targeting meat and seafood markets, supermarkets, frozen meat warehouses and restaurants, it said. Beijing on Friday also changed its decision to reopen schools from first to third grades after the city reported new COVID-19 cases for two consecutive days. Xu Hejian, a spokesperson of the Beijing municipal government told media that "the risks of epidemic exist, and we cannot tolerate any slack in regular prevention and control." As of Friday, the overall confirmed cases in China had reached 83,075, including 74 patients who were still being treated, with no one in severe condition. Altogether 78,367 people had been discharged after recovery and 4,634 people had died of the disease, NHC said. NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will meet Delhi L-G Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday (June 14, 2020) to review COVID-19 situation in the national capital in view of a record rise in cases of coronavirus infection here. According to reports, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to hold a meeting with Delhi L-G Anil Baijal, CM Arvind Kejriwal and members of SDMA to review the situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 management in the national capital. The meeting will take place at 11 am, the Office of the Home Minister said. Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah and Health Minister, @drharshvardhan to hold meeting with @LtGovDelhi, CM Delhi & members of SDMA to review situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 tomorrow, 14th June at 11 am. Director AIIMS and other senior officers would also be present. , HMO India (@HMOIndia) June 13, 2020 Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other senior officers would also be present in the meeting called by the Home Minister tomorrow. The meeting comes a day after Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal constituted a high-level advisory committee of experts to suggest effective measures to deal with rising coronavirus cases in the national capital. The advisory committee of experts has been constituted under section 17 of DDMA Act to advise the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on various aspects of COVID-19 management. The decision to set up the panel was taken days after Delhi Health Department projected a steep surge in COVID-19 cases and predicted that they could breach the 1,00,000-mark this month-end and touch 5 lakh by July-end. The six-member committee comprises Krishna Vatsa (Member) NDMA, Kamal Kishore (Member) NDMA, Prof Balram Bhargava DG-ICMR, Dr Randeep Guleria Director AIIMS, Dr Ravindran Addl DDG (DGHS) and Dr Surjit Kumar Singh (Director) NCDC. The committee is expected to give its suggestions on tackling the COVID-19 pandemic over the next few weeks and months. Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal is the chairman of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). With 34,867 COVID-19 cases so far, Delhi is in dire straits with the city recording 1,877 cases on Thursday, the highest single-day spike yet. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had earlier said that it's a "war-like situation" and the city government will try every means available to get more doctors and medical staff to meet the ever-increasing requirement. Kejriwal had recently claimed that Delhi would need 1.5 lakh beds by July 31 if people from other states start coming to the national capital for treatment. Another panel constituted by the Lieutenant Governor has suggested using Pragati Maidan, Talkatora Indoor Stadium, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and JLN Stadium as makeshift COVID-19 facility to deal with the surge in the number of cases. The panel has also suggested using Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium and Dhyanchand National Stadium for the purpose. Kathmandu, Jun 13 (UNI) Nepal Parliament's Lower House on Saturday unanimously passed Constitution (Amendment) Bill to update country's map with three Indian territories--Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani. Nepal's Opposition parties, including Nepali Congress (NC), Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), also voted in favour of the Bill. Speaker Agni Sapkota announced that the bill has been passed with more than 2/3rd majority of 258 lawmakers, who were present in the House for voting. The bill now needs to be endorsed by the National Assembly and authenticated by the president before it comes into effect. Earlier, Nepal Cabinet had on May 20 issued a new administrative map which incorporated three Indian territories. The development comes just one day after, Nepal Armed Police Force (NAPF) killed one Indian national and injured two others while another was detained along the border in Sitamarhi district in Bihar. More UNI JAL PS1848 "It breaks my heart that he was not able to do what he loved," Martinez said. "That was where you could see his spirit. Dance was his outlet. That was how he spoke to the world. The guy couldn't get a break. He couldn't handle it any more. All he wanted was to do his work, and it was being stripped away from him. I think his light just went out." Over the last few seasons, Christiano had still worked with some smaller dance companies, including Chicago Dance Crash and Nomi Dance Company. "He lived with a lot of guilt and frustration," Eckman said, also saying that the kindnesses of the Chicago dance community were evident when it came to comforting Christiano's friends and finding the resources for a yet-to-be-scheduled remembrance. "Our community," said Schmitz, "is facing a void. Paul danced with such urgency. He really was in another dimension. Somehow, I knew he was not going to be here long, but he never wasted a minute. He bravely went out every day and gave it everything." Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@tribpub.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 17:30:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- Since June 2019, vandalism, arson, assault on police officers and passers-by and activities connected to home-grown terrorism have become rampant in Hong Kong. -- Hong Kong's social order is "recovering somewhat" since the National People's Congress (NPC) adopted a decision last month to institute Hong Kong national security laws. -- The more the bottom line of national security is consolidated, the greater the space will be for Hong Kong to leverage its advantages under "one country, two systems." Tam Yiu-chung (L), one of the organizers of the United Front Supporting National Security Legislation, hands the petition in support of the national security legislation for Hong Kong to Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in south China's Hong Kong, June 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Gang) HONG KONG, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Moving into an office in Admiralty, a sought-after location right at the center of Hong Kong's most thriving business district, should have meant a career boost for Lucy Wu. Instead, it has made her a reluctant witness of violence and vandalism. Exactly one year ago on June 12, the businesswoman was discussing the design of their newly-rented office in a building when she saw a growing number of black-clad protesters surrounding the Legislative Council (LegCo) building across the street. As the situation evolved, rioters began to charge police cordon lines, set fires and use violent measures to repeatedly storm the LegCo complex. "That was the first time I had ever seen such crazy vandalism with my own eyes," she said, adding that violence and vandalism continued to escalate in Hong Kong since then, even making daily commuting a difficult task and almost putting a halt to her company's operation. Wu said she noticed that Hong Kong's social order is "recovering somewhat" since the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, adopted a decision last month to institute Hong Kong national security laws. "I feel more and more Hong Kong residents are regaining confidence in Hong Kong's future." Organizers of the United Front Supporting National Security Legislation and guests attend a press conference in south China's Hong Kong, June 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai) Nearly 2.93 million Hong Kong residents have signed a petition in support of the national security legislation for Hong Kong during an eight-day campaign starting from May 24. The large number of people signing the petition fully demonstrates that the national security legislation is an essential move that meets the aspirations of Hong Kong residents, Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said while receiving the petition from organizers. Luo said the legislation will prevent, stop and punish acts and activities endangering national security, maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability and better protect the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong residents. Leung Fong-yuen, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Employees General Union, is among those who felt the pains caused by the disturbances most acutely. "In the worst hit sectors such as tourism, retail, catering and hotels, many people are struggling with scarcely any hope for business in the coming year," she said. "That's why my colleagues and I fully support the national security legislation for Hong Kong." Leung was one of the around 25,000 people who volunteered to collect public signatures for the petition at the more than 5,400 street stands set up across Hong Kong during the campaign. She recalled one day when she was appealing to passers-by, saying loudly that the violent incidents have resulted in a loss of 120 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 15.5 billion U.S. dollars) to Hong Kong's services sectors. Hearing her words, many people came up to sign in support of the national security legislation. "It's because it really hit a nerve for many people," she said. Rioters attempt to break into the Legislative Council building in south China's Hong Kong, July 1, 2019. (Xinhua) Since June 2019, vandalism, arson, assault on police officers and passers-by and activities connected to home-grown terrorism have become rampant in Hong Kong. Felix Chung, a LegCo member representing the business sector, said the unrest has resulted in a series of social problems and has scared visitors away. "There is no peaceful environment for us to do business here," he said, adding businesses in Hong Kong generally understand and support the central authorities' decision to enact national security laws for Hong Kong and expect the legislation to bring back stability to the community. Some big international companies have also joined local people, voicing support for the national security legislation for Hong Kong. HSBC Chief Executive Peter Wong, also chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), said businesses recently surveyed by HKGCC are largely positive about the impact of the legislation over the long run and agree that it will help Hong Kong maintain its status as a global financial hub. Hong Kong's GDP slumped 8.9 percent year on year and 5.3 percent quarter on quarter during the January-March period this year, both the largest for a single quarter ever on record. The labor market also worsened in the first quarter, with the jobless rate up to 4.2 percent, the highest in more than nine years. Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a webinar this week that the decision to establish and improve Hong Kong's legal system and enforcement mechanisms at the state level to safeguard national security demonstrates the central authorities' determination and will bring Hong Kong back on track. Photo taken on June 12, 2019 shows roads after a riot in Admiralty area of Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua) The more the bottom line of national security is consolidated, the greater the space will be for Hong Kong to leverage its advantages under "one country, two systems," he stressed. Zhang's remarks were echoed by people from all walks of life in Hong Kong. Chow Man-kong, deputy director of the China Economic Research Program of Lingnan University, said the enactment and enforcement of national security laws will help Hong Kong out of the current predicament. Despite efforts by successive HKSAR chief executives, the deep-seated problems in Hong Kong society have not yet been resolved due to obstruction by the opposition and external forces, he said. "Hong Kong cannot move forward if 'one country, two systems' is not consolidated." In the eyes of Dan, an Australian who has been living in Hong Kong for nearly 22 years and operates a consulting business, the national security legislation is of paramount importance to Hong Kong at present. "It is a fantastic opportunity to restore peace and order back to Hong Kong society," he said, adding that by creating a foundation of safety and trust "we can get on and start building a better and healthier future together." GoFundMe A 24-year-old black man was found hanging from a tree in Palmdale, California, this week, sparking a massive public outcry and demands for a more thorough investigation after officials almost immediately described it as a suicide. Robert Fuller was found by a passerby at about 3:39 a.m. Wednesday near Palmdale City Hall in Poncitlan Square, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Homicide investigators said they had found no signs of a struggle and suggested Fuller had died by suicidean assessment echoed by city officials who attributed the death to emotional despair caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Sadly, it is not the first such incident since the COVID-19 pandemic began, city officials said in a statement offering their sincere condolences and sympathies to Fullers loved ones. Many people are suffering extreme mental anguish and the City wants everyone to know that help is available, City Manager J.J. Murphy said in a statement on Fullers death. But critics have questioned why authorities were so quick to deem Fullers death a suicide, especially when an autopsy has not yet been completed. And at a Friday afternoon press conference, attendees literally shouted down city officials who reiterated their claim that Fuller was depressed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with many in the crowd noting that Fuller had marched in a Black Lives Matter protest shortly before he was found dead. That claim could not immediately be verified by The Daily Beast. Remember what the first coroner said about George Floyd? one woman shouted after officials noted the coroners preliminary conclusion was suicide. In the case of Floydan unarmed black man who died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers last monththe initial report did not deem the case a homicide. Residents have asked Palmdale city officials to check surveillance footage from the area where Fuller was found dead, expressing incredulity at the idea he would have hanged himself right in front of City Hall and there would be no video evidence of what happened. Story continues Lt. Brandon Dean of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Homicide Bureau, who is supervising the investigation into Fullers death, told The Daily Beast investigators are not officially saying that this is a suicide. But early indications point to that, he said, noting that there were no defensive wounds or signs of a physical assault. There was nothing that would indicate he was put up there against his will, Dean said. The rope wasnt thrown over but tied to the branch, which means somebody had to get up there and tie it. After the initial autopsy report listed suicide as the cause of death, he said, the coroner has since conducted a full autopsy and the cause of death determination wont be made until toxicology results are in. If the toxicology results were to show a high level of a chemical that might have poisoned him or knocked him unconscious and allowed someone to drag him up there, it would give a new direction to the case, he said. While there are no cameras around City Hall, Dean said investigators have been reviewing footage from businesses near the area to see if they can find video of Fuller and determine whether he was with anyone else. A woman who identified herself as a friend of Fullers phoned into a local radio show on Friday to dispute authorities suggestion that he died by suicide. If you knew this young man, you would never get the thought of him having some type of mental illness. He was always smiling, the woman, identified only as Abby, said on Big Boys Neighborhood. Theyre trying to cover it up as a suicide and its not a suicide, she said. A news report in the Antelope Valley Times also issued an editors note on their original story about Fullers death, noting that the paper had been contacted by several readers not connected to this incident who strongly believe that the death was not a suicide and other suspicious factors are at play. Police have stressed that the investigation is still continuing and that any information released so far is preliminary. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has asked anyone with information to call (323) 890-5500. 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. Defence minister Rajnath Singh will address a virtual rally for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in the Jammu division of the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) on Sunday, the first since the nationwide lockdown restrictions were imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of the raging coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. The BJP leaders from all parts of the Jammu division and the office-bearers of the Valley have been asked to remain present in their offices and certain designated places in a bid to listen to Singhs speech live. BJP office-bearers said that the ministers speech would start at 11 am and is likely to go on for an hour. Altaf Thakur, BJP spokesperson, J&K, said Sundays virtual rally would be the first big party event addressed by a senior leader since the lockdown restrictions were imposed in the union territory. The virtual rally is going to be attended by hundreds of BJP leaders from the Jammu division and the office-bearers from the Kashmir Valley. On June 28, a similar rally will be held for the BJP workers in the Kashmir Valley. It will be addressed by another senior BJP leader, Thakur said. The defence minister will address party workers on Covid-19 and other important matters. All the workers are eagerly waiting for his speech. The audio and video output of the speech will be made available at BJP offices and other designated locations, he added. Surinder Ambardar, a former lawmaker and senior BJP leader, said all prominent leaders have been asked to reach the party office in Jammu on Sunday morning. Were expecting some important message in the ministers speech. We hope the speech will centre on Covid-19 and other key issues pertaining to J&K, Ambardar said. Only BJP leaders and workers are active during the lockdown restrictions, said a senior office-bearer of the party from south Kashmir. He said party leaders and workers are strictly adhering to social distancing norms. Virtual rallies could become a new reality in the country until the pandemic abates, he added. Earlier, former J&K chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah had addressed a meeting of party leaders in the Jammu division via Zoom application after he was released from detention in March after eight months of house arrest post the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5. Government persuades PayPal to start inward remittance service View(s): Popular worldwide online system PayPal has been persuaded to start the inward money transferring service to facilitate the e-market place enabling Sri Lankan brands, entrepreneurs and companies to have more opportunities. The government will be seeking PayPal to provide Sri Lankans inward access so that they can receive payments for the supply of products and services to their local bank account through this system Sri Lankan youths engaged in web design and development, graphic designing and more have made a request from the high officials at a meeting held recently at the Prime Ministers office at Temple Trees in Colombo removing restrictions on receiving payments online. One of the problems the entrepreneurs are facing today is the absence of a mechanism to receive payments online from the consumers if they are engaging in e-commerce in its proper sense. At present Sri Lankans can send money to any PayPal user, but they cannot receive money from anyone through PayPal. So clients deny offers from local freelancers working online as they are required to use complex money transfer methods and hire people from countries that support PayPal, several members of Online Entrepreneurs Society told the Business Times. The present administration is now very keen to bring PayPal or a similar facility for the benefit of information technology workers who also want to receive inward payments, convener of the society Lasantha Wickremasinghe said. The government will address the requirement to have this payment gateway that will facilitate the e-market place where Sri Lankan brands and companies will have more opportunities, a senior Treasury official disclosed. Although several efforts were made by the Central Bank in reaching PayPals Singapore regional office, PayPal argued that they werent interested in entering the Sri Lankan market because it was too small, he added. Sri Lankas electronic transactions Act limits local businesses from engaging in global electronic payment platforms such as PayPal and Stripe, reducing inward ecommerce sales, legal experts pointed out PayPals expectations of weak volume, undermining the business case for payments, while another said potential liabilities from Sri Lankas forex laws were a concern at one time. But according to a senior Central Bank official the Monetary Board was prepared to provide special approval for Paypal if the firm requested but even under existing regulations there was no restriction for Paypal to operate in Sri Lanka. (BS) The Indian School Certificate Examination (ICSE) board on Friday told the Bombay High Court that it would be holding its standard 10th examinations in July with all safety precautions. The Maharashtra government, on the other hand, said that holding exams now was not feasible in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni told the court that the COVID-19 situation in the state was serious and hence it would not be feasible to hold examination for pending ICSE papers. The central board in its affidavit, however, argued that it does not require the state governments permission to conduct the examinations. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice S S Shinde was hearing a petition filed by Arvind Tiwari challenging the ICSEs decision to hold std 10 examinations from July 2 to July 12 across Maharashtra. Initially, the exams were scheduled between February 27 to March 30, but exams from March 19 onwards were canceled due to the COVID-19 scare. Tiwari in his petition claimed that since the number of COVID-19 cases is still on the rise it would be appropriate to declare results based on a gradation and assessment of past performance of students in internal exams. 226 schools in Maharashtra are affiliated to ICSE. 23,347 students were scheduled to appear for the 10th standard examinations. The board in its affidavit said that after relaxation of lockdown, it decided to hold the pending examinations. However, on June 3 it received a communication from the Maharashtra school education department stating that it would not be possible for the state government to grant permission for the exams. The state government requested the ICSE board to either postpone its exams or rely on internal assessment. The ICSE, however, was of the opinion that examinations had to be held and told the court that all safety measures would be undertaken. If a student is unable to attend the exam because he or she is suffering from COVID-19 or a family member is suffering from it, or if he or she is residing in a containment zone, such student can appear for re-examination in September 2020, the board said. The court posted the matter for further hearing next week. Fellow Africans and friends of Africa liberation starts by "Decolonizing The Mind," to borrow the title of a must-read book by Ngugi wa Thiong'o the Kenyan intellectual and author. Africans why do we in the 21st century still have a Lake Victoria in Uganda and a Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe? These are just two of the many African wonders that need to be renamed or restored to their original ones. A parallel campaign must be the recovery of Africa's artifacts--which is an ongoing campaign--now housed or displayed in the world's leading museums. The time is now as the world is going through revolutionary re-examination of past injustices, oppression, demonization, and exploitation following the brutal murder of George Floyd by a racist police officer Derek Chauvin, in the U.S. How can Africans talk of Pan-African unity without first reclaiming Africas past? Do you see a lake Samori Ture in France or a Mount Nehanda in Britain? These were iconic resisters of European imperialism in the 19th century. Last year, in April, while visiting London I posed for a photo in front of a river the natives call "Thames." I posted the photo on my Facebook page and declared Id renamed that body of water "Gulu River," after my great ancestral hometown in Uganda. The post got hundreds of "likes. Someone tweeted it and it has since been retweeted several thousands of times. It also became a story when The Wire , The Daily Nation , Nairobinews and other outletes wrote about it. The BBC also carried an item under the headline Ugandan explorer renames London river. Thereafter, Africans started posing in front of monuments and rivers throughout Europe and renaming them after African icons. I imagine people liked my discovery because they felt I was giving the British a title taste of their own medicine." After the global Covid-19 lockdowns end, I plan to resume my exploration so I can discover and rename more landmarks in Europe and here in the United States. But I want us to also start reclaiming Africas natural wonders which were arrogantly renamed by European so-called explorers. They were taken by African guides to "discover, lakes, rivers, and mountains they then renamed (including Lake Victoria). Even though Africans naively assisted them, they wrote terrible things about the Africans once they returned to Europe, as I document in my book " The Hearts of Darkness How White Writers Created The Racist Image of Africa," (third edition coming soon). Samuel Baker, the British imperialist wrote in "Albert Nyanza," his 1866 book: "I wish the black sympathisers in England could see Africas inmost heart as I do, much of their sympathy would subside... Human nature viewed in its crude state as pictured amongst African savages is quite on a level with that of the brute, and not to be compared with the noble character of the dog. There is neither gratitude, pity, love, nor self-denial; no idea of duty; no religion; but covetousness, ingratitude, selfishness, and cruelty. All are thieves, idle, envious, and ready to plunder and enslave their weaker neighbours. Yet today in the 21st century, there's a secondary school named after Samuel Baker in Uganda, and a few years ago alumni raised money for his statue which stands on the school's campus. So even in death, Baker still mocks the so-called "natives." There are many African heroes and sheroes who deserve the honorific given to Queen Victoria, including: Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere, Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, Samora Machel, Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe, Kenneth Kaunda, Winnie Mandela, Nehanda, Yaa Asantewaa, Nzingah, and many others. Nehanda was an anti-colonial resistance leader executed, at the age of 58 by the British in Zimbabwe during Queen Victorias era. She was then beheaded and he skull shipped off to England. Dont you think the spectacular falls deserves to bear her name instead of that of Victoria whose imperial agents killed her? The world is undergoing dramatic transformation since the murder Floyd of Floyd. Here in the U.S. and around the world people are denouncing historical exploitation and the symbols that celebrate that ugly era and the contemporary manifestations. In Belgium the statue of Leopold II , king of the Belgians was pulled down. He presided over a homicidal Imperial regime in Congo that wiped out as many as 10 million Congolese. In Britain the statue of a trader in enslaved Africans, Edward Colston , was dumped into the river. In Africa, this process started a few years ago, with chants of #RhodesMustFall and down came his statue in South Africa. If you havent read the works of the late Professor Anta Diop, start with The African Origins of Civilization," or listen to his interviews on YouTube , including the one with Listervel Middleton. Africa you've been schooled by Anta Diop you will never tolerate a "Lake Victoria," or "Victoria Falls" in Africa. Seek Ye First Mental liberation, than all else, including economic and political empowerment shall come. Start a campaign to honor African icons in your country. This is the time to reclaim Africa! Share this petition with others. (You can read more and sign the petition here: http://chng.it/JxD4ykj4 Thanks! Milton Allimadi). E Family time Ehsaan Noorani @Ehsaan 88.8k followers Musician Ehsaan Nooranis daily Insta lives, 9.30pm onwards, are where people from around the world showcase their talent. How it began: Initially I didnt accept requests from people to join. But once I did, it snowballed into a community and now theres a group of viewers who call themselves the E family! says Ehsaan. Love it because: There have been people who have played the veena and the flute, too. To be continued as well? Yes, though less frequently. All that jazz The Piano Man Jazz Club @tpmcafes 8,463 followers Owner and musician of The Piano Man Jazz Club in Delhi, Arjun Sagar Gupta, has live streamed over 57 episodes, one per day, of Socially Distanced Drinks. These are chats with musicians from around the world. How it started: These interviews were streamed to connect the artists with their audiences. When we learn more about artists it brings us closer to their art, says Arjun. Love it because: There are deep, inspiring conversations with artists. To be continued as well? Yes, once or twice a week. Random sampling Aditya N @adityan28 993 followers Musician and producer Aditya N uploads covers of his own songs and does two to three Insta live sessions per week with indie musicians like Nayantara Bhaktal and Kamakshi Khanna. How it began: I live alone in Mumbai and had a lot of spare time. So, I turned to Insta live to connect with artists and cheer people up by singing for them. Love it because: Its like a public video call. I call on friends, colleagues and aspiring musicians to join and chat with me. Twice, I wrote a song together with the viewers. To be continued as well? Yes. Soul mate Annette Philip @annette_philip10.7k followers Musician and founder of the Indian ensemble at Berklee College of Music, Annette Philip has opened her calming sessions before workshops to everyone via her Instagram and FB page, at 6.30pm (IST) from Monday to Friday. How it started: A colleague suggested she conduct these sessions online.It was supposed to be a 10-15 minute session,which has become a community. says Annette. Love it because: Of Annettes calming presence. To be continued as well? Yes, but less than five times a week. Keep the karaoke Soul Fry 5.4k members Thanks to its owner and chef Meldan DCunhas Facebook live karaoke sessions, Bandras iconic Soul Frys bi-weekly karaoke night has found a space online. How it began: To keep the spirit of Soul Fry alive I decided to live stream it on Facebook. We usually have 10 slots per session (Monday and Thursday 8 pm to 9.30 pm), says Meldan. Love it because: Its a mix of styles, genres and renditions. To be continued as well? Yes! From HT Brunch, June 14, 2020 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch A new study shows that the severe impact of the summer drought that hit Europe in 2018 was partly due to the spring heatwave that preceded it, which triggered early and rapid plant growth, depleting soil moisture. With lots of sunshine, high temperatures, and ultimately drought, the summer of 2018 was extremely dry in Europe -- particularly Northern and Central Europe. Among the consequences of the lack of precipitation were forest fires and significant harvest losses, which had a considerable economic impact. In Germany alone, the sums paid to farmers in compensation amounted to 340 million euros. The 2018 drought differed from the dry summers of 2003 and 2010 insofar as it was preceded over much of Central Europe by an unusual spring heatwave. An international collaboration, led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers Ana Bastos and Julia Pongratz, has now shown that the spring heatwave amplified the effects of the subsequent summer drought. The impact of the summer drought on the productivity and carbon balance of ecosystems varied on a regional scale, depending on the nature of the dominant type of vegetation. In light of ongoing global warming, the incidence of summer heatwaves and periodic droughts is expected to rise. According to the authors of the study, the adoption of alternative land management strategies could offer ways to mitigate droughts and their effects. The findings appear in the online journal Science Advances. Research studies of the summer droughts in 2003 and 2010 have revealed that ecosystems absorbed less carbon dioxide than usual, because their productivity was restricted owing to the scarcity of water, the high temperatures and fire damage. "Little is known about whether and how preceding weather parameters influence the response of ecosystems to extreme conditions during the summer," says the lead author of the new study, Ana Bastos, who now heads a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena. "To answer this question, we used the year 2018 in Europe as a case-study and carried out climate simulations incorporating 11 different vegetation models." The results show that the warm and sunny conditions that prevailed in the spring led to more vigorous vegetation growth, which also started earlier than usual. This in turn increased rates of uptake of carbon dioxide during spring. However, the impact on annual productivity -- and therefore on the overall carbon balance -- was highly variable across regions. "When plants resume growth earlier in the year, they use more water," says Bastos. "In Central Europe, rapid plant growth in the spring significantly reduced the water content of the soil. By the summer, the level of soil moisture was already insufficient to maintain the biomass that had accumulated, making ecosystems more vulnerable to the effects of the drought." According to the models, this effect explains about half of the summer's soil moisture deficit. Therefore, in Central Europe the high spring temperatures had a negative impact on the productivity of ecosystems and net uptake of carbon dioxide later in the year. In Scandinavia on the other hand, the earlier onset of growth compensated for the drought-induced loss of productivity later in the summer. As a result, levels of ecosystem activity, as well as the annual carbon balance, were either neutral or slightly on the positive side. The authors attribute this different regional behavior to the specific vegetation in the two regions. In Central Europe, arable land and pastures dominate the landscape, while forests cover much of Scandinavia. "Trees use water somewhat more economically," says Bastos. "If they grow faster in the spring, they also consume more water than they otherwise would. But they can control water loss from transpiration by adjusting the opening of stomatal pores in their leaves," she explains. Furthermore, trees have deeper roots than grasses or crop plants, which enables them to tap the water present at greater depths during periods of drought. For these reasons, the boreal forests of Northern Europe maintained almost normal levels of carbon fixation, even during the strong drought. Overall, the new simulations indicate that the warm spring of 2018 contributed either to amplify the vulnerability of ecosystems to summer drought, in central Europe, or to mitigate the negative effects of a warm and dry summer, in Scandinavia, related with differences in land-cover and water-use by vegetation. These findings suggest that better data on growth rates of vegetation in spring could serve as a supplementary early indicator of impending summer droughts. Moreover, the negative impacts of future heatwaves and droughts could perhaps be reduced with the help of alternative approaches to land management. "In the long term, owing to climate change, spring vegetation will regularly grow at faster rates, consuming more water and increasing the risk of summer droughts," says Julia Pongratz. "It might be possible to make ecosystems more resilient by altering the plant cover -- for example, by planting stands of trees in the immediate vicinity of cropland. But more extreme water shortages in summer will themselves alter the nature of ecosystems, if threshold levels of mortality and fire incidence are more frequently exceeded. So it is not at all clear whether Europe's ecosystems will continue to serve as carbon dioxide sinks in the future." Two-thirds of NHS doctors from BAME backgrounds who were promised extra protections from coronavirus have not been given any, it emerged today. Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) clinicians were given assurances that they would be risk-assessed for the virus at the end of April. Doctors highlighted as being vulnerable to the disease would then be moved to Covid-free wards or hospitals with fewer virus cases under the guidance. NHS England made the recommendation when it became clear that BAME people were being disproportionately killed by Covid-19. But a survey of 1,600 BAME doctors today found 1,040 (65 per cent) still had not yet had a risk assessment. More than 90 per cent of doctors who have died from coronavirus have been ethnic minorities, according to the British Medical Association. The doctors' union said its BAME members felt 'let down' by the lack of protection they had received through the crisis. At least 300 healthcare staff have died from coronavirus so far, and people from black and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately affected. Pictured are some of the BAME healthcare staff who fell victim to the disease For the latest survey, BBC News contacted medics from 25 groups representing ethnic minority doctors in the UK. Of more than 1,600 BAME clinicians who responded, 1,040 said they had not been risk-assessed. More than half of the doctors said the felt they were either at a moderate or high risk of falling seriously unwell with Covid. WHY ARE SO MANY CORONAVIRUS VICTIMS FROM BAME BACKGROUNDS? Experts say there is unlikely to be one sole reason as to why ethnic minorities are more likely to become severely ill or die from the virus. People from ethnic minority backgrounds make up a large amount of the NHS workforce. This exposes them to bigger loads of the virus more often because they come into face-to-face contact with gravely ill patients. Having a high viral load - the number of particles of the virus someone is first infected with - gives the bug a 'jump start', scientists say. Members of ethnic minority communities are twice as likely to be affected by poverty, and are often hit the hardest by chronic diseases. Those living in poverty smoke and drink alcohol more and are more likely to be obese - all of which increase the likelihood of chronic health conditions. Patients with pre-existing health troubles struggle to fight off COVID-19 before it causes deadly complications such as pneumonia. People from poorer backgrounds are also more likely to use public transport more often and live in crowded houses - driving up their chance of catching and spreading the virus. They could also be more at risk because of their professions, according to Shaomeng Jia, an economics professor at Alabama State University's College of Business Administration. Those working in retail, in supermarkets and in construction - who cannot work from home - were still mingling and risking infection even when the outbreak peaked, she said. Advertisement Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA Council chairman, told the BBC: 'The feedback we're getting is that large numbers of BAME doctors do feel let down. 'They feel they haven't been given timely information, and been given the right assessment, and they haven't been given the right opportunities for redeployment. 'Risk assessments should have been in place for weeks, so that hospitals and GP practices could identify high-risk individuals to allow them to do different sorts of work to protect themselves from serious infection. It's really important that this is now done as a matter of priority.' There is no universally agreed framework for assessing a BAME doctor's risk from Covid-19, but ethnicity, age, gender, fitness levels and comorbidities are all factored in. A spokesman for NHS England said: 'Covid-19 has put an unprecedented spotlight on the health inequalities in our society, and is further evidence for why NHS organisations and trusts were asked to prioritise and carry out risk assessments for their black and minority ethnic staff and other vulnerable groups as a priority.' Health chiefs launched a probe to investigate the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BAME Brits in April, prompted by a wave of evidence that showed white people were less likely to die from the disease. A Public Health England report released last week revealed Britons of Bangladeshi ethnicity were at the highest risk of dying with the virus. They are twice as likely as white people to fall victim to the disease, while black people, as well as those of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, other Asian, or Caribbean backgrounds have between a 10 and 50 per cent higher risk of death. The analysis did not take into account higher rates of long-term health conditions among these people, which experts say probably account for some of the differences. Doctors still don't know exactly what is increasing non-white people's risk of death, but PHE's report adds to a growing body of evidence proving the link exists. One paper presented to government advisers in SAGE suggested that higher-than-average rates of type 2 diabetes among black and south Asian people may be to blame - the condition is known to increase risk of Covid-19 death. Another study done by King's College Hospital in London found that BAME coronavirus patients there were, on average, 11 years younger than the white patients - 63 compared to 74. The highest diagnosis rates per 100,000 population were in black people (486 females and 649 males), the PHE review found. The lowest were in white people (220 in females and 224 in males). Compared to previous years, death from all causes was almost four times higher than expected among black males, almost three times higher in Asian males and almost two times higher in white males. Data in a Public Health England report showed that the mortality rate - the number of people dying with the coronavirus out of each 100,000 people - was considerably higher for black men than other group. The risk for black women, people of Asian ethnicity, and mixed race people was also higher than for white people of either sex. The report warned the rate for the 'Other' category was 'likely to be an overestimate' Among females, deaths were almost three times higher in this period in black, mixed and other females, and 2.4 times higher in Asian females compared with 1.6 times in white females. The highest death rates of confirmed cases per 100,000 population were among people in 'other' ethnic groups (234 females and 427 males) followed by people of black ethnic groups (119 females and 257 males) and Asian ethnic groups (78 females and 163 males). In comparison, the death rates of confirmed cases in white people was 36 per 100,000 females and 70 per 100,000 males. Black, Asian and minority ethnic people have higher rates of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which increase the risk of someone dying if they catch Covid-19. They are also twice as likely as white people to live in poverty, more likely to have lower-paid jobs, and more likely to live in densely-populated areas of cities and towns which may put them at higher risk of catching the coronavirus. INDIANAPOLIS, June 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and the Lilly Foundation announced today a pledge of $25 million and 25,000 volunteer hours over five years to decrease the burden of racial injustice and its effects on local and national communities of color. The commitments were made in conjunction with the Indy Day of Solidarity We Stand Together virtual event, airing today, from 12-12:30 p.m. EDT. The event is sponsored by Lilly in partnership with the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, Indianapolis' oldest African American newspaper; Radio One, Indianapolis' largest urban radio station; and WISH-TV, the city's largest minority-owned television station. "Lilly and the Lilly Foundation have a long history of standing beside our neighbors and communities," said Tiffany Benjamin, president of the Lilly Foundation. "We are committed to action in addressing the systemic injustices in America that disadvantage people of color every day, with a special responsibility to Indianapolis, home of our headquarters for 144 years. As with our ongoing response to COVID-19, we're confronting these injustices with the full force of our capabilities." The Lilly Foundation's financial commitment over five years will help develop and support effective solutions to racial inequity and social injustice primarily in Indianapolis, its surrounding counties and nationally. The investments will focus on exposing and combatting hard truths about racial injustice and making grants to improve educational, health, criminal justice and social mobility outcomes for people of color. No grants requests are being accepted at this time. Lilly is committing 25,000 employee volunteer service hours to help fight racial injustices. This commitment builds on Lilly's ongoing efforts to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture within the company and in communities where it operates, and across the world. Examples include: Employee Journeys: a series of research projects to understand the experience of women and minorities in our company. These Journeys have led to several initiatives to build in greater equality and cultural understanding across our company. Make it Safe to Thrive: the need for psychological safety was identified in our Journeys, and we have built an initiative around cultural literacy and building bridges among employees from different backgrounds. Significant progress in improving the numbers of women globally and minorities in the U.S. in management. Internal Lilly Day of Solidarity, which served as the genesis for the community-wide Indy Day of Solidarity occurring today. "This is personal for me and for the whole company," said David Ricks, Lilly chairman and CEO. "We commit to bringing people and organizations together to acknowledge the trauma of racial injustice in its many forms and create a call to action for lasting change. Lilly will continue to stand together in solidarity until all our communities, both here in the U.S. and globally, meet the standard we have set for our own company. The time for platitudes is behind us the time for urgent action is now." The Indy Day of Solidarity: We Stand Together virtual event at noon today can be viewed or listened to here: TV Broadcast: WISH-TV Channel 8 Radio Broadcast: HOT 96.3 FM The Light 92.7 FM/1310 AM WLTC 106.7 FM Online: View on your mobile device through the WISH-TV News app, which can be downloaded ahead of time here: http://marketplace-redirect.doapps.com/3676 View via Facebook Live: (A Facebook account is not required to watch.) https://www.facebook.com/wishtv/ View via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKe4Fry0MyvT_SRrmn0_MiQ Other partner links: Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper hot963.com/listen-live praiseindy.com/listen-live wtlcfm.com/listen-live About Eli Lilly and Company Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels. C-LLY SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company Related Links http://www.lilly.com Police are searching for a gunman who shot and wounded at least eight people Friday night in a parking lot outside of a popular bar in San Antonio, Texas. According to the Associated Press, the gunman was part of a group that left a northern San Antonio bar and walked across the street to popular club Rebar, where they were denied entry because they were inebriated, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus stated in a briefing early Saturday morning. A local news affiliate, Spectrum News San Antonio, reported that a man responded to bar security by saying, Dont you know who I am? Im a UFC fighter from California. That man walked back to his car across the street, got a long rifle, walked back to the Rebar parking lot and opened fire, according Spectrum News. McManus said five women and three men between the ages of 23 and 41 were hurt in the shooting. The victims exact conditions were unknown, but McManus indicated all were stable at local hospitals with at least two refusing treatment. McManus added that he didnt believe there was any risk to the area despite the shooter remaining at large. Nation and World News from PennLive 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. NEW YORK, NY Democrats living in New York's 10th Congressional District which stretches over most of Manhattan's west side and parts of Brooklyn will head to the polls on June 23 to cast their ballot in this year's primary race. On the ballot will be incumbent Rep. Jerry Nadler, who has served in Congress since 1992, and challengers Lindsey Boylan and Jonathan Herzog. Nadler, who lives on the Upper West Side, is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and has served as chairman of its Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and as a member of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. He was first elected to Congress in 1992 representing New York's 8th District and has represented the 10th District since 2013. Nadler has also held a seat in the New York State Assembly. The primary election, slated for June 23, is open to registered Democratic voters. All New York voters may request a mail-in ballotdue to the coronavirus pandemic. Ballots must be postmarked by the date of the election for the vote to count. For those who want to head to the polls, click here to find your poll site. Early voting is available from June 13 to June 21. Patch reached out to all candidates in the primary election to create these profiles. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity. Jerrold Nadler Age as of Election Day (Nov. 3) 73 NYC neighborhood of residence Upper West Side Position Sought U.S. Congress Party Affiliation Democratic Party Family Rep. Nadler lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife, Joyce Miller. Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No Education Rep. Nadler is a graduate of Crown Heights Yeshiva, Stuyvesant High School, Columbia University and Fordham Law School. Occupation Representative in Congress, 10th Congressional District, 1992 - Present Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office Assembly Member, New York State Assembly, 1977-1992 Story continues Campaign website www.jerrynadler.com Why are you seeking elective office? Our country is facing extraordinary challenges from the Trump Administration, and they will not be over after he leaves office. We need to take action to protect the rule of rule of law and democratic institutions against the continuing attacks by the President, his Administration, and their enablers. We also need to take urgent action to reverse rising economic inequality, and to fight the climate change emergency. I will also continue to push for civil rights and civil liberties (voting rights, protecting immigrants, due process); increasing investment in transportation and in eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels, which will grow the economy, create jobs and reduce the environmental impact; pursuing intelligent economic policies that will stimulate our economy and promote economic growth that reaches all members of our society. The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it. Climate change is real and threatens all of us, regardless of nationality, political party, or economic status. Extreme climate change has already arrived in the United States and impacts every congressional district across our country. At a time when America should be leading the global fight against climate change, the Trump Administration has taken our nation backward, recklessly withdrawing us from the Paris Agreement and rolling back countless environmental regulations designed to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. The Administration has even gone so far as to undermine the very science of climate change by blocking federal climate scientists from publishing data about the climate crisis and scrubbing all references to climate change from government websites. These actions are careless, and the consequences could be irreversible. In the face of the Administrations dangerous retreat on environmental policy, the House has not been silent. As a critical first step, the House passed multiple bills that would require the United States to stay in the Paris Agreement. Additionally, the House passed legislation to block the Trump Administrations dangerous plan to auction off up to 90 percent of our nations offshore waters for oil and gas drilling. Democratic Members of Congress have put forward bold proposals to combat this crisis. I am proud to support Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs Green New Deal Resolution, which challenges our federal government to address the changing climate now by bringing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions down to net-zero and meeting 100 percent of power demand in the country through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources by 2030. The Green New Deal addresses the urgency of the moment and is the start of a serious conversation we must be having in 2020. For the sake of future generations of young people, the federal government must move quickly to tackle the climate crisis head-on. We must also improve our climate resilience to protect Americans from the increasingly extreme weather and natural disasters that are being driven by climate change. What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? My experience and record of accomplishment. I am a fearless and principled liberal and have been on the front lines in the fight for civil rights and civil liberties, relentlessly defending our countrys fundamental promise of equality for all. Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform Enacting the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities. Oversight or the Trump Administration Enacting the DREAM Act Investigating the administrations treatment of undocumented immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border Funding NYCHA and dealing with the affordable housing crisis in NYC and the entire country Dealing with Climate Change - which is an existential threat to our planet Funding vital transportation infrastructure What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? For over 30 years, in both the House and in the New York State Assembly, I have proudly been on the front lines in the fight for civil rights, and have been a relentless defender of our countrys fundamental promise of equality for all. Central among my focus has been the ongoing civil rights struggle for people of color. I have been a leader in the fight to protect voting rights and reduce voter disenfranchisement. I have been a key House leader behind the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, and have authored and introduced the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities. This article originally appeared on the Upper West Side Patch Coronavirus: What you need to read The latest According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, booster shots in U.S. have strongly protected against severe disease from omicron variant. The CDC also says unvaccinated seniors are nearly 50 times more likely to be hospitalized than their boosted peers. Follow live updates for more. State of the pandemic Omicron variant | Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Empty grocery shelves | What does endemic mean? How to stay safe At-home tests | Symptoms | Booster shots | Masks Follow all of our coverage and sign up for our free newsletter Advertisement Hundreds of people flocked to the bars of Manhattan's East Village and Murray Hill for a drink on the first Friday after lockdown was lifted in the city and it started reopening. The streets around St. Marks Place, mostly free from traffic, looked as though one giant bar crawl was taking place as lockdown-weary revelers decided to drink away any self-isolating blues. Many appeared to flout social distancing rules and were not wearing masks. 'If New Yorkers get sloppy and the number of coronavirus cases start going back up, the state will clamp down again,' Cuomo warned earlier in the week. 'We're going to keep a special eye on New York City to see what happens,' he said. Cuomo has continually urged New Yorkers to wear masks. Scroll down for video The streets of Manhattan's East Village and in Murray Hill were thronging with drinkers on Friday night A relaxation in lockdown rules has seen many bars offering drinks on the street - a temptation hard to resist Friday evening saw the streets filled with hundreds of people after leaving their apartments desperate for a June drink New York currently has the lowest spread of the coronavirus disease among any state in the country, however the data is several weeks behind the true picture On Monday, phase one of the Big Apple's grand reopening got underway. The first phase of reopening allows for building on construction sites to resume, manufacturing, wholesale trade and agriculture work. Curbside pickup at shops is also now allowed and many more bars and restaurants have reopened offering to-go food and drinks. Restaurants and bars are still barred from allowing patrons inside. Many states across the nation are now seeing new surges in coronavirus cases after they opened up earlier with fewer restrictions including Florida, Arizona and Texas. However the infection rate in the state is now at the lowest in the country with the R rate at 0.77. The R value equates to the number of people likely to become infected from a person who has tested positive. If the R rate is one the each infected person will on average pass COVID-19 on to one other. If the R rate is above one, the number of coronavirus cases will increase exponentially. 'New York state has the lowest rate of transmission, the virus is spreading at the lowest rate of every state in America,' Gov. Cuomo said. 'We were the number one in the nation, number one on the globe per capita.' States like Arizona, Washington, Arkansas and Vermont have seen their rates creep up after reopening. Washington now has the highest R rate at 1.15. It has been more than 100 days since the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the city and resulted in nearly 22,000 deaths in New York City People are seen waiting outside restaurants on 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. Outdoor dining has officially begun everywhere in the state except New York City and indoor service is confined to venues upstate for the moment Regional Medical reimbursement facility to be provided to all retired employees of HPBSE: Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurates Dharamshala Skyway Rains are likely in Punjab Haryana and Chandigarh on January 31 to 23 Amid rising number Covid-19 cases among expatriates returning home, the Kerala government on Saturday said only people certified negative for coronavirus will be allowed to board chartered planes from West Asian countries. The restriction will not apply to Vande Bharat Mission flights.. From June 20, all private chartered flights departing to Kerala from Middle East countries shall only carry Covid-19 negative passengers. Test certificates must be carried by them. It applies to all flights for which consent letters were issued earlier, Kerala Principal Secretary Dr K Elangovan said, according to ANI. Elangovan heads Kealas war room for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Kerala had appeared to get a grip on Covid-19 by bringing down the number of infections before the return of its residents from abroad and other parts of the country led to a spike in the numbers. The state currently has over 2,300 cases including 1,300 active cases. India launched the third phase of Vande Bharat Mission on Thursday to evacuate stranded citizens. More than 165,000 Indians returned to the country in the first two phases. The third phase of the evacuation will continue till August 2. More than 400,000 Indian nationals have registered with missions abroad for repatriation. The third phase of the evacuation has 170 flights scheduled from the Gulf Cooperation Countries. India launched the first phase of Vande Bharat Mission in April to bring back its citizens stranded around the world because of Covid-19-related restrictions. The initial phases of the evacuation focused on West Asian countries, which are home to about eight 8 million expatriates. OSLO, June 12 (Reuters) - Norway will allow travel to and from Finland, Iceland and the Swedish island of Gotland from June 15, but is maintaining existing travel restrictions imposed on mainland Sweden due to its higher level of COVID-19 cases. "If we were to lift restrictions at the same time, we risk losing control and, in the worst case, having to reimpose invasive measures again," Prime Minister Erna Solberg told reporters. Denmark, Finland and Norway have lifted some of the travel restrictions they imposed to slow the novel coronavirus pandemic, but they have kept most of the ones imposed on Sweden, the richest and most populous of the Nordics. (Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche) Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 00:38:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday confirmed 90 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total tally to 3,305. Rashid Aman, Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Health said the latest infections are from 2,419 samples which were tested in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of samples tested so far to 108,666. Aman confirmed that the 62 males and 28 females who tested positive are all Kenyan nationals. "I am delighted to inform you that we have discharged 72 patients from our various hospitals who have recovered from the disease. This brings to 1,164, the total number of those who have so far recovered from the disease," said Aman. "This is good news that should give us hope that all is not lost. It's a clear indication that we are capable of overcoming this disease but only if we follow the advice and guidelines already issued by the ministry of health," he added. Aman said that four patients succumbed to the deadly disease, raising the total number of fatalities to 96 since the outbreak of the disease was announced in Kenya in mid-March. He called on Kenyans to continue adhering to the government's containment measures and guidelines to help flatten the infection curve. Enditem New York law enforcement agencies face an ultimatum: Either work with the community to update policing protocols or risk losing state funding in 2021. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday signed an executive order requiring local police agencies to develop the plans by April 2021. In the development phase, police departments must have an open process to discuss policing programs and strategies. Once the plan is drafted, there will be a public comment period and it must be approved by the local government. If the plan isn't adopted by local leaders, the police department may lose state funding. The order, along with police reform legislation signed by Cuomo, is in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and the scourge of police brutality. There have been calls to "defund the police" a demand that federal, state and local governments shift funds away from police departments to support other services. Cuomo's order appears to be a compromise. While he hasn't endorsed defunding or abolishing police departments, he does believe the agencies need to be modernized. "Bring the community to the table, have the conversation and come up with a redesigned police force for the year 2020," Cuomo said at his briefing Saturday. "Come up with the reforms you actually want in specifics and remake your police force." In Cayuga County, the governor's executive order received a mixed reaction from top law enforcement officials. Auburn Police Chief Shawn Butler didn't comment on the specifics of the order, but he said his department "has been transformative in the last four years to become an agency that is transparent and receptive to the needs of our community members so that we have excellent relationships with all of our citizens." "We understand that this is not an immediate process and there is work to be done," he continued, "but it is my belief that we are ahead of the curve with any requirements placed on our agency by the state. We welcome the opportunity to become the best that we can in regards to the professional service that we provide our community." In an email to The Citizen, Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck included his department's mission statement. The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office's mission, it states, is "to secure and maintain a safe community and enhance the quality of life of all citizens by providing responsive, caring, unbiased and professional law enforcement, custody, correctional, security and civil enforcement services. The sheriff's office is committed to utilizing community partnerships to accomplish this mission and to maintain the truth and respect of those we serve." Schenck said it's his responsibility to reinvent the sheriff's office if Cayuga County residents want to pursue changes. But he criticized Cuomo's order and for not allowing law enforcement agencies to be involved in discussions about improving the criminal justice system. "The people of Cayuga County, in partnership with their local sheriff and law enforcement professionals, should have a voice in determining what policing should look like in our hometown," Schenck wrote. "If our community wants change, then we will work on strategies to do so. If it does not, then the governor should not mandate that we change the way our law enforcement agencies serve the citizens that count on us to maintain and secure a safe community." There is growing pressure on police departments to adopt reforms after the killing of Floyd. The legislation signed by Cuomo on Friday includes bills to ban the use of chokeholds by law enforcement officers, prohibits false racially motivated 911 calls and designates the state attorney general as an independent prosecutor in police-involved civilian deaths. The new laws also allow for the release of police officers' prior disciplinary records. But Cuomo acknowledged more needs to be done and is shifting the focus to the relationship between communities and local police agencies. There have been nationwide protests demanding action to combat police brutality and address systemic racism. Two protests have been held in Auburn. There have been daily demonstrations in Syracuse and other larger cities in New York. "We don't really have a choice because no police department can function, not in this state, not in this nation, if it doesn't have the trust and respect of the community," Cuomo said. "It does not work either way. If you don't have the trust or the respect, it's not going to work." Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 3 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 16 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. By Express News Service GUWAHATI: The production of Oil India Limited (OIL) has been badly hit by the agitation by people and organisations against the incident of fire at an oil well in Assams Tinsukia district. Due to agitation programs, there was production loss of 500 MT of Crude Oil from 23 nos. of oil wells and 0.46 MMSCM of Natural Gas from 3 nos. of gas wells as reported on 12-06-2020, the OIL said in a statement on Saturday. A massive fire that broke out from the oil well at Baghjan on June 9 was still raging as natural gas was being fed by the wells oil. The fire was caused by a blowout or uncontrolled emission of natural gas that occurred on May 27. Experts from OIL, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGCL) and Singapore-based firm M/s Alert visited the site on Saturday. Preliminary work of arranging facilities for well control operation began. Two numbers of high discharge water pumps have been placed at site. Testing and commissioning of these pumps are planned for today after completion of connection of suction and delivery lines. Filling of water in CMT reservoir (3000KL) from Dangori River is in progress. All Equipment and other materials from ONGC-Sivasagar yard reached Duliajan and unloading of same at OILs CMT yard is in progress for inspection by Experts from M/s Alert, the statement said. The incident has left a trail of devastation in areas surrounding the well. A number of houses were reduced to ashes. Two firefighters of the OIL had also lost their lives. Wildlife activists and environmentalists feared that the emission of natural gas and the resultant fire had severely damaged flora and fauna of the area. A famous beel (or billabong) is adjacent to the site of fire. The ecologically-fragile Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, which is known for its feral horses, is less than two km away. The fire displaced 7,000 people and they are taking shelter in relief camps. The Petroleum Ministry, Assam government and OIL have already ordered separate probes into the incident. The students in Meanscoil Gharman are a very talented group both within and outside of their curricular activities. The school made a successful application to the Arts Council of Ireland in May, last year, and is now reaping the benefit of being a 'creative school'. The school is partnered with Creative Associate, Laura Ni Fhlaibhin, who is an artist who works between her studio in London and her home in Wexford. The schools art teacher, Danielle Dempsey, spoke to this newspaper about the Creative Schools programme and how Meanscoil Gharman is benefiting from it. 'It gives students the opportunity to explore creativity right across the arts,' she said. 'Before the schools closure back in March, we had plans for a number of different projects that had to be postponed,' she added. 'Laura Ni Fhlaibhin and I were keen to keep students active creatively and provide them with top quality and meaningful learning experiences.' Laura reached out to a number of artists who were willing and enthusiastic about coming onboard to give support to students during the pandemic. Author and script writer Richie Conroy had just started a Writer in Residence program at the school as the pandemic hit and he was the first to come on board in creating a series of videos and worksheets in creative writing. Each week students were sent one of Richie's videos and given a writing task. 'Richie and I then hosted an online meeting once-a-week with the students to discuss and develop their work,' said Ms Dempsey. Nine Arrow illustrator Catherine Geaney also came on board to produce four videos and set tasks to the students. 'The students are working on creating illustrations of flowers with the name of the flower drawn as Gaeilge,' said Ms Dempsey. 'Catherine and the students hope to compile a PDF colouring book of these finished pieces to share online and with primary schools,' she added. 'Catherine interacts with the students each week via her videos and gives them feedback and advice on how their work could develop.' Photographer Padraig Grant has also got involved with the school. He created a series of four tutorial videos based around photography using a smartphone or tablet. 'Students engage on a weekly basis and submit their works under different themes, such as still life and portraits,' said Ms Dempsey. She also commented that Mexican, London-based artist, Tiz Creel, has made a series of digital animation tutorials for the students and they in turn are working on making their own digital stop-motion animation. Ms Dempsey said being a creative school with the Arts Council has really helped enhance the students' creativity during the current closure. 'Students have taken part and kept motivated with the weekly video tutorials,' she said. 'I know that our creative students are really enjoying the projects and they are benefiting from the content,' she added. 'Thanks to Laura Ni Fhlaibhin and our four participating artists for making this possible, and of course to our students who have been so willing and eager to take on these projects and to learn new skills.' Some are doing animation on their iPad, others are doing their art project with Nine Arrow, and others are taking photos for their photography project. Comics, including The Beano. Photo: Sarah Fabian-Baddiel/Heritage Images/Getty Images In an unlikely pairing, Britains longest-running comic has teamed up with the Bank of England (BOE) and Tes to bring financial education to children. The Beano is bringing its band of cheeky characters to a new initiative in the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) curriculum. Marking My Money Week, the resources are designed to introduce young people aged five to 11 to the basics of how money and the economy work. It aims to give children the confidence to manage money now and in the future, introducing them to financial concepts. Dennis the Menace, Minnie and Gnasher will feature in a series of 12 lessons. For years, policy makers have been called on to improve financial literacy in schools. This, alongside other initiatives should go some way to helping that. READ MORE: MPs lambast British Airways for its treatment of employees during crisis Andrew Bailey, governor of the BOE, said: Financial literacy is essential for everyone. The Banks education programme is central to our role in equipping the public with sufficient financial and economic knowledge for their daily lives. [The resource] will support teachers in giving young people a strong sense of the importance of economic and financial decisions from an early age. The BOE has not released details on how the course will look, but offers hints on its website. Emma Scott, Beano Studios CEO, said: Beano has been engaging children for more than 80 years, and we love bringing that experience to the classroom. Weve had fun producing these unique financial literacy lessons so kids can enjoy learning about money and gain necessary life skills. The BoE has also launched teaching resources for secondary schools with its econoME programme, focused on the role of decision-making in the economy. Advertisement Hundreds of people flocked to Clapham Common in South London to enjoy 75F temperatures on a day which saw traffic surge by 25 per cent after Boris Johnson gave the green light to families kept apart by lockdown to meet again. Dozens of revellers were seen crammed together as they enjoyed pints of beer, ice creams and chats with friends and family. People also headed to other beauty spots around the country, including Birling Gap in Sussex and Brighton seafront as large parts of the country enjoyed bright sunshine. Around 15,000 people flocked to Brighton and many of them were taking part in demonstrations to support Black Lives Matter. Similar scenes were visible in London's Regents Park and smaller green spaces in the capital. Traffic surged by up to 25 per cent on Saturday compared to a week ago as other Britons queued outside pubs to buy cold beers and other drinks. TomTom data shows that the roads around Brighton were 25 per cent busier at 4pm on Saturday compared to the same time last Saturday, and nine per cent busier on London roads compared to last Saturday. There was also eight per cent more traffic in Bournemouth at 4pm compared to last Saturday, and six per cent more traffic in Portsmouth.. Those who headed out taking advantage of Boris Johnson's new 'support bubbles' rules, which allows people from two households to interact with each other at less than two metres apart. However, many appeared to be breaking the new rules by either meeting in groups larger than six or meeting with more than one other household. Hundreds of people flocked to Clapham Common in South London to enjoy 75F temperatures on a day which saw traffic surge by 25% after Boris Johnson gave the green light to families kept apart by lockdown to meet again Dozens of revellers were seen crammed together as they enjoyed pints of beer, ice creams and chats with friends and family Britons also cooled down in the hot weather by flocking to pubs to buy cold beers and other refreshments. Pictured: There was a lengthy queue at this pub in Primrose Hill, north-west London Around 15,000 people also headed to Brighton to take part in Black Lives Matter protests. Pictured: An aerial view shows the seafront packed with people People who had flocked to Clapham Common did not seem to be taking social distancing rules into account The spike in motor congestion comes as thousands of people take part in demonstrations across the UK, with 15,000 protestors alone gathered in Brighton along the seafront (pictured, crowds in Brighton today) Other Britons have also taken the opportunity to travel to some of Britain's beauty spots, including the Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs in Sussex and the Oxfordshire countryside (pictured, at Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs on the Sussex Coast) TomTom data shows that the roads around Brighton were 25 per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday TomTom data shows that the roads around London were nine per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday TomTom data shows that the roads around Bournemouth were eight per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday Today, parts of the South and South East are expected to be sunny, while the sunshine spreads up to Scotland tomorrow The Met Office tweeted a forecast showing that the whole UK can expect hot weather and humidity today With 'support bubbles' in force, people itching to socialise after being confined to their homes since the 'stay at home' order was given on March 23 rushed outdoors on Saturday. Thousands flocked to Britain's beaches as global temperatures were 1.13F (0.63C) above average, according to the EU's climate change monitor. London, the Midlands and the South East saw sunshine and highs of 79F as people reunited over a BBQ, while the east, north and south-west experienced humidity and showers. On Sunday, the sunny weather will continue for most of the UK, while showers will develop and will be locally heavy and thundery across Northern Ireland and western Britain. People in Clapham did not appear to be taking part in protests which had been seen in other parts of the capital. Instead, they sat on the grass and chatted with friends An ice cream van was also parked in Clapham as its driver sought to take advantage of the surge in numbers of people seeking to go outside The sun-seekers were taking advantages of temperatures as high as 75F on what was a good day for spending time outdoors People sat in groups on the grass and talked to friends and relatives after Boris Johnson eased lockdown restrictions The new 'social bubble' rules allow households containing one person or one adult and children to meet with another household which can contain any number of people. People were already to meet outside in groups of up to six, although many people in Clapham appeared to be in much larger groups They were there to enjoy the summer weather and take advantage of the lifting of lockdown restrictions The Londoners swiped on their smartphones and laughed as they chatted to each other while enjoying pints of beer There were also busy scenes at Wandsworth Common, South London, as people ventured outside in the nice weather People seemed to put social distancing to one side as they bought takeaway pizzas to eat in the sun Groups of people sat on the grass and talked as they enjoyed drinks in large groups Near the common, people queued to buy takeaway booze from a nearby pub before likely enjoying the drinks on the grass Some pushed bikes alongside them as they enjoyed their day outside in the warm weather An ambulance flashed its blue lights as it attended an incident near the revellers at Wandsworth Common Thousands gathered in Brighton to take part in Black Lives Matter demonstrations and there were similar scenes elsewhere around the country This Brewdog pub, in London, was serving takeaway drinks to Britons looking for some refreshment in the hot weather In Newington Green, Islington, dozens of people gathered for a Black Lives Matter demonstration and many were seen breaking social distancing rules by sitting close together Dozens of protesters were crammed into the tiny patch of grass at Newington Green as they gathered in support of Black Lives Matter demonstrations In Chelmsford, protesters walked through the streets as they held banners in the air. One read, 'white silence is compliance' Brighton seafront was seen packed with people as they came together to join Black Lives Matter protests Brighton seafront was thronged with people who were flouting social distancing rules aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus Many protesters in Brighton wore masks but did not seem to observe social distancing rules while they held banners and placards at the seafront Protesters also stood on a bus shelter near the iconic Brighton Pavilion as others gathered in the road in front of them The Brighton protesters gathered near the famous pier as others sat on the cobbled beach behind them Despite the protests in Brighton, some locals took the opportunity to head to enjoy a drink on the beach Tourists get too close to the edge of the crumbling Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs on the Sussex Coast today At Birling Gap, in East Sussex sun-seekers flocked to the beauty spot to pose for pictures. Three young women, pictured above, daringly posed for pictures right on a cliff edge These tourists got a little too close to the edge of the crumbling white chalk cliffs at Birling Gap Boris Johnson this week gave the green light for two households to merge into 'support bubbles' from today, meaning they can interact indoors at less than two metres apart (pictured, Camber Sands, East Sussex today) TomTom data shows that the roads around Bristol were five per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday TomTom data shows that the roads around Portsmouth were six per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday The spike in motor congestion came on the day the new 'social bubble' rules - which permit couples who have lived apart during lockdown to spend the night together - come into force (pictured, cyclists in Lower Shiplake, Oxfordshire on Saturday) The Met Office said that June 13 is the only date during the summer that a temperature of 86F or more in the UK has not been recorded, tweeting: 'It's Stat-urday #DidYouKnow June 13th is the only date during meteorological summer (June, July, August) that we have never recorded a temperature of 30C or more in the UK. 'Although its warm for some today we are not going to reach that mark this year'. Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey told MailOnline: 'We are looking at a showery picture for tomorrow, including heavy thunder in some areas and rain particularly in the east, north and south-west. 'There is a chance of sunny spells in between showers, but it's a fairly changeable, unsettled picture as we go through the weekend and into next week. 'Temperatures will pick up, though, and it could feel humid and close if you are under a cloud.' During the spells of sunshine tomorrow, the mercury could rise to as high as 79F (26C) in London, and just below in many other areas including Birmingham, Manchester and York. Temperatures are not expected to reach the 70s in Scotland, where it is likely to remain wet for most of the day. The rain is then expected to return on Sunday, with fog also likely in some areas, particularly in the north-east, with sunny spells again coming in between scattered showers. Despite the showers, though, some areas experienced temperatures of up to 75F (24C). 'The picture is not really changing into early next week as the unsettled weather continues,' Ms Maxey said. 'We're likely to see a mix of sunshine and strong showers, with a risk of thunderstorms for the first half of next week.' England in particular has been beset by rainfall in recent days, with more than double the amount of water falling in the first 10 days of this month, compared to all of May. Last month was the warmest May on record with global temperatures 1.13F (0.63C) above average, according to the European Union's climate change monitor. This London pub was one of many to adapt to social distancing as they served customers who were enjoying the nice weather This pub owner set up a stall to serve takeaway beer, cider and wine. Customers were seen waiting in a lengthy queue At this Brewdog pub in London, customers waited next to barriers to pick up a takeaway pint Many pubs around the country, including this one in Liverpool pictured on Saturday, remain closed as a result of lockdown measures but many are expected to reopen on Monday In Regents Park, central London, revellers sat by the lake as they enjoyed the nice weather in the capital People queued in the park to buy takeaway ice creams from the Boathouse Cafe The queue stretched quite a distance away from the cafe as dedicated Londoners waited for ice creams and drinks Others sat underneath the numerous trees to take some of the glare away from the sun Others enjoyed slices of pizza in Regents Park in scenes which were reminiscent of pre-coronavirus times In Kennington Park, South London, people gathered in small groups and were careful to sit some distance away from others They sat on the grass and on blankets to enjoy the sunny weather and warm temperatures in the capital Some Londoners were enjoying the sun while protests took place in many parts of the capital and elsewhere around the country The lifting of further restrictions this week is designed to help the UK's 'many lonely or isolated people' who are seen as struggling the most during the months-long lockdown. The PM said: 'I know how how difficult the past months have been for people cut off from their family and friends. 'There are still too many people, particularly those who live by themselves, who are by themselves and struggling'. He admitted that there would be many people disappointed by the restrictions on eligibility but cautioned that the change was not an excuse for a free-for-all. 'We are making this change to support those who are particularly lonely as a result of lockdown measures,' he said. 'It's a targeted intervention to limit the most harmful effects of the current social restrictions. 'It is emphatically not designed for people who don't qualify to start meeting inside other people's homes, because that remains against the law.' Protesters also gathered in Huddersfield to take part in Black Lives Matter demonstrations At Worcester Racecourse, protesters sat on the grass and stood close to each other, despite social distancing guidelines saying they should keep at least two metres apart Mr Johnson also confirmed shops could reopen on Monday if they abide by social distancing rules, as well as zoos, safari parks and drive-in cinemas. Churches and other religious buildings can also re-open for individual worship, but there was no further announcements in relation to the opening of pubs. In Brighton, thousands of protesters gathered to stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter demonstrations worldwide. Hundreds of BLM and pro-statue anti-protesters also rallied in cities across the country such as Liverpool, Newcastle, Brighton and Glasgow. Demonstrators and anti-protesters seen in videos and photographs from the rallies defied strict social distancing measures as they crowded together. One counter-protest banner read: 'Not far right just ordinary people of all races from Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, Newport etc. United to defend the Cenotaph to defend the memory of people who died so that we are able to have the freedom to protest.' London, the Midlands and the South East swa sunshine and highs of 79F today as people reunited over a BBQ, while the east, north and south-west experienced humidity and showers (pictured, walkers in Lower Shiplake, Oxfordshire today) With 'support bubbles' in force today, people itching to socialise are rushing outdoors (pictured, children walking through the Flax and Poppy fields in the sunshine, Lower Shiplake, Oxfordshire today) Among those gathered was a large contingent of bikers who parked their motorbikes next to the war memorial. Hundreds also flocked to George Square in Glasgow to 'protect' a war memorial. In an event organised by a group called the Loyalist Defence League (LDL), people congregated to stop vandalism to the Glasgow Cenotaph, erected to commemorate the lives of those who died in the First World War. In London, police were fighting to keep control of the streets as a BLM rally and a pro-statue counter protest descended into hooliganism after far-right thugs flooded into Westminster. Mounted officers and riot squads have been desperately battling to keep the two demonstrations separate, while coming under fire from both sides. Boris Johnson this week gave the green light for two households to merge into 'support bubbles' from today, meaning they can interact indoors at less than two metres apart (pictured, Camber Sands, East Sussex today) Tourists get too close to the edge of the crumbling Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs on the Sussex Coast today The Met Office last night tweeted a forecast for today showing sunshine in the South, South East, Midlands and parts of Wales Smoke bombs exploded in Trafalgar Square, which first swelled with flag-waving far-right yobs before they were driven out by police and the world-famous square was occupied by anti-racist and BLM activists, who marched from Hyde Park. The pro-statue rally included veterans dressed in military uniform as well as far-right thugs such as Britain First leader Paul Golding. Most statues, including that of Sir Winston Churchill, have been boarded up by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to prevent them becoming 'flash points' for far-right violence. But carnage still erupted in the heart of London as far right thugs peeled off from their rally in Parliament Square and began pelting cans and bottles at the police blockading the Cenotaph. The Metropolitan police are yet to announce any arrests. It sparked a wave of frenzied violence which saw both Black Lives Matter and hooligans caught on camera deliberately targeting constables. Skirmishes were seen breaking out between the two groups and both sides have been prowling through central London looking for violence. The lifting of further restrictions this week is designed to help the UK's 'many lonely or isolated people' who are seen as struggling the most during the months-long lockdown (pictured, cyclist in Lower Shiplake, Oxfordshire today) Wearing a mask is the most effective way to prevent transmission of the coronavirus in public settings, and together with other measures such as social distancing and contact tracing represents the most likely fighting opportunity to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by a team of U.S. researchers. Other mitigation measures, such as social distancing implemented in the United States, are insufficient by themselves in protecting the public, they wrote. The study by experts from Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin, University of California and California Institute of Technology compared transmission of the virus and preventative measures in New York City and Italy, where mask-wearing became mandatory part way through the pandemic. They found that after masks were required, New York reduced infections by 66,000 from April 17 to May 9. In Italy, they were reduced by 78,000 from April 6 to May 9. What we believe is that if you impose the use of face masks and you do it properly, it is potentially a way to control the pandemic, said Mario Molina, a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, who shared the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1995. In charting the number of cases in New York City and Italy over time, Molina said the line was headed straight up until it began to bend on the exact day that mandatory mask policies came into effect. It is extremely clear that it is much more important to make the use of masks mandatory than just isolating and social distancing, (because) you can decrease cases much more efficiently, Molina said. Unlike social distancing, masks protect against inhaling droplets as well as virus-bearing aerosols, which can hang in the air for hours, added Molina, lead author of the study along with Renyi Zhang, a distinguished professor in atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M. Molina said an upcoming study that compares the impact of wearing masks in U.S. states where they have been mandated shows the same clear pattern, and he believes it should be compulsory in all public settings until the virus is wiped out. The peer-reviewed study was published in the National Academy of Sciences journal in the U.S. Some scientists though, have criticized the methodology used by the authors, including Kate Grabowski, an infectious diseases epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University. The journal has not commented publicly about the paper. In Ontario, meanwhile, more than 200 doctors have signed an open letter from #Masks4Canada asking for mandatory face coverings in places where its impossible to social distance including public transit and any indoor space outside the home. The TTC announced this past week that masks would become mandatory for transit users as of July 2. But the province did not adopt the requirement when it announced stage two of its reopening, which means people can socialize without masks on restaurant patios in some parts of Ontario, as well as gather in groups of 10, as long as they socially distance. Premier Doug Ford said its up to municipalities to mandate masks, which they have the right to do under section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act when there is the immediate risk of an outbreak of a communicable disease. Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, issued the order soon after the stage two reopening was announced, requiring businesses in the area to prohibit customers who arent wearing masks. That health unit has ongoing modest evidence of community transmission of the virus, but Mercer added there were signs of physical distancing fatigue and declining mask use within the businesses that had remained open. As more commercial establishments (and other amenities) in our region open under Phase 2, it was important to look at all measures that can be implemented to keep the population safe while supporting the reopening of the economy until theres a vaccine, Mercer said in an email. She also pointed to the growing body of evidence looking at the impact of face coverings on the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to other important measures such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, extensive testing and case and contact tracing. Toronto Public Health has not followed suit, but continues to strongly recommend face coverings in situations when social distancing is impossible. The California study was the second on the subject this month. A British paper published last week found that if 50 per cent or more of the population routinely wore face masks even homemade the reproduction number of the virus would dip below one, referring to the average number of secondary infections for each person who has COVID-19. If widespread face mask use by the public is combined with physical distancing and some lockdown, it may offer an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and reopening economic activity long before there is a working vaccine, according to a statement by Dr. Richard Stutt, lead author of the British study, who works in Cambridges plant sciences department where he normally models the spread of crop diseases. In New Brunswick, residents are required to wear masks wherever social distancing cant be practised, but the province scrapped a requirement for public buildings one day after it was implemented. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 09:55:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Police arrested 35 people involved in illegal assemblies and violent acts at various places in Hong Kong on Friday night. The suspects, 24 men and 11 women, were arrested for offenses including wounding, unlawful assembly, participating in an unauthorized assembly, disorder in public places and possession of offensive weapon, the police said in a statement. Crowds gathered in the vicinity of Causeway Bay, Yuen Long, Mong Kok and Kwun Tong and some people even threw hard objects from height targeting police officers. The police stressed that no illegal violent acts will be condoned and resolute law enforcement actions will be taken against illegal activities. Enditem Last October 2019, during the first Russia-Africa Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reaffirmed commitment to scale-up cooperation in various economic sectors and particularly expedite work on the special industrial zone and the construction of proposed four nuclear power plants, raising hopes for an increased power supply in Egypt. Seated in a sizeable conference hall on October 23, Putin told the Egyptian delegation: "As for our bilateral relations, we continue to implement ambitious projects that have been coordinated by us, including a nuclear power plant and an industrial zone in Egypt. We are working very actively in these areas, and we are planning to invest $190 million in infrastructure development projects and to attract up to $7 billion." In his response, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warmly expressed gratitude for holding the first Russia-Africa Summit, added that relations have had a long history in many fields and spheres, starting with Russia's support to the liberation movement, its contributions helped many African countries to attain practical results based on mutually beneficial cooperation in Africa. "I would like to point out that we view Russia as a reliable partner of the African continent. We hope very much that Russia will be working in Africa in all spheres and fields, including in that of the development, as well as in the financing of infrastructure projects on the continent and in particular in energy and road construction," the Egyptian leader told Putin. Egypt attaches great importance to its relations with Russia. But what is particularly important for their bilateral relations, Abdel el-Sisi assertively reminded: "I would like to assure you of our high appreciation of our bilateral relations, which are developing in various formats, especially after we signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement. We sincerely hope that our relations will continue to develop in all fields and spheres." "As for the nuclear power plant, we set a high value on our bilateral cooperation. We strongly hope that all topics related to this project will be settled without delay so that we can start implementing the project in accordance with the signed contract. Mr. President, we hope that the Russian side will provide support to nuclear energy facilities in Egypt so that we can work and act in accordance with the approved schedule," he added, in conclusion. Related Russian ministries, departments, and agencies are, usually, tasked to coordinate and implement bilateral agreements. In the case of nuclear power, State Atomic Energy Corporation is the main player. According to the description made available on its website, State Atomi Energy Corporation, popularly referred to as Rosatom, is a global leader in nuclear technologies and nuclear energy. It is established in 2007 [a non-profit entity type] and headquartered in Moscow. In fact, Rosatom has shown business interest in Africa. Over the past two decades, at least, it has signed agreements that promised the construction of nuclear energy plants and the training of specialists for these countries. The Director-General, Alexey Likhachev, emphasized these points at the Russia-Africa Summit that Rosatom has already been cooperating with more than 20 African countries, in particular, building the largest "El-Dabaa" NPP in Egypt with an installed capacity of 4.8 GW. While still there in Sochi, Alexey Likhachev noted that more reliable, affordable, and stable energy is the basic condition for achieving sustainable development goals. "We can make a qualitative breakthrough in Africa in terms of technological development and the use of nuclear technology in the next few years," he said during one of the plenary sessions. According to Reuters, the Egyptian Electricity and Renewable Energy Minister Mohamed Shaker said earlier at the International Atomic Energy Agency's ministerial conference that Russia had asked for $12 billion for the nuclear plants, a reliable solution for the energy deficit. In this regard, the development of nuclear energy is important for Egypt. "We made significant strides in the preparation of all strategic agreements [regarding the construction of an NPP in Egypt] with our strategic partner, Russia. We have also completed all technical, financial, and legal aspects," he said. Shaker said that Egypt decided to build an NPP due to the need to redress the energy balance to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to save hydrocarbons which the country has earmarked for petrochemicals. "We have few traditional sources of electricity generation. The potential of hydro energy is gradually waning. Following the adoption of a special plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, we stopped using coal plants, however, energy consumption will grow," according to the Minister. It raises many questions about the practical implementation of the several [paperwork] nuclear agreements that were signed with African countries. According to historical documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and information from published media reports, specifically about Egypt, the proposed Russian nuclear plants has a long history, at dating back to Soviet days. Nuclear deals with Russia: Egypt has been considering the use of nuclear energy for decades. The Nuclear Power Plants Authority [NPPA] was established in 1976, and in 1983 the El Dabaa site on the Mediterranean coast was selected. Egypt's nuclear plans, however, were shelved after the Chernobyl accident. However, in 2006, Egypt announced it would revive its civilian nuclear power program, and build a 1,000 MW nuclear power station at El Dabaa. Its estimated cost, at the time, was $12.5 billion, and the plans were to do the construction with the help of foreign investors. In March 2008, Egypt signed an agreement with Russia on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Early February 2015, President Putin and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signed an agreement to set up a nuclear plant in Dabaa, on the Mediterranean coast west of the port city of Alexandria, where a research reactor has stood for years. The deal was signed after a comprehensive bilateral discussion held and both expressed high hopes that Russia would help construct the country's first nuclear facility. Interfax news agency reported that Sergei Kiriyenko, the Head of the Rosatom state corporation, had presented to the authorities in Egypt, Russia's proposals on construction of the first nuclear power plant in that country. The proposal is for construction of four power blocks, each with 1,200 megawatts of capacity. Rosatom and Egypt's Electricity and Energy Ministry signed the agreement on development of the nuclear plant construction project in February 2015. The project assumes that Russia will provide an intergovernmental loan to Egypt. Commercial contracts would be concluded once the intergovernmental agreements on construction of the facility and on the loan were signed. In assertive remarks carried by local Russian news agencies, Kiriyenko said at that time that the technical and commercial details of the project were not finalized, but envisaged the new technology with strong safety measures taken into account. That included the lessons learned during the March 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, as well as a loan requested by the Egyptian government for the project construction. Russia and Egypt Courtship Interestingly, Egypt's dreams of building nuclear plant has spanned several years, with agreement that was signed [as far back in March 2008] during an official visit to the Kremlin by the ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and then through another former Egyptian leader Mohammed Morsi who discussed the same nuclear project with Putin in April 2013 in Sochi, southern Russia. Mohammed Morsi had sought $4.8 billion loan from International Monetary Fund [IMF], and had also asked for an unspecified amount of loan from Russia to build the nuclear power plant. He hoped Russia would accelerate and expedite efforts, and provide financial backing for the project during his political administration. The same year, following the revolutionary events and after a wave of mass anti-government actions, the army outsted the Moslem Brotherhood and their leader Mohammed Morsi, resulting in postponing or suspending the nuclear construction agreement. Since July 2013, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been in power after removing Morsi from office. It is well-known fact that Egypt had long ties with the former Soviet Union. Those bilateral diplomatic ties resulted in several development projects in late 1950s including the building of the Aswan dam. During the Soviet times, many specialists were trained for Egypt. Hosni Mubarak, a former pilot, received training in what is now Kyrgyzstan, and further studied at the Soviet Military Academy in Moscow in the 1960s. Egypt, first, began its nuclear program in 1954 and in 1961, acquired a 2-megawatt research reactor, built by the Soviet Union. Plans to expand the site have been decades in the making but repeatedly fell through. In 2010, that reactor suffered a breakdown, though no radiation was reported to have leaked out. Renewable Energy Sources Egypt is classified as having a high power system size [24,700 MW installed generation capacity in 2010 with more than 40 grid-connected plants]. As of 2010, 99% of the Egyptian population has access to electricity. Since the early 2000s, power outage rates and durations, as well as distribution system losses, have trended downwards indicating that distribution companies have improved their overall customer service quality over the past decade; however, Egypt has seen a great weakening in its supply security. The power system's generation reserve capacity declined from 20% in the early 2000s to 10% by the 2010s. The weakening of Egypt's supply security has caused widespread social issues in the 2010s. To deal with the extremely high demand for electricity, rolling blackouts and power cuts were implemented throughout the summer of 2012 causing great tension between the government and the people of Egypt. Egypt has Renewable energy projects. The current energy strategy in Egypt [adopted by the Supreme Council of Energy in February 2008] is to increase renewable energy generation up to 20% of the total mix by 2020. The energy mix includes the use of hydropower, solar wind and nuclear. Hydropower - The majority of Egypt's electricity supply generated from thermal and hydropower stations. There are four main hydroelectric generating stations currently operating in Egypt. Experts have questioned why Egypt could not maximize the use of the river Nile that stretches 6.695 kilometers, especially for agricultural, industrial and generating energy for the region. Solar - Egypt has a high solar availability as a result of hot desert climate. Wind - Egypt has a high potential for wind energy, especially in the Red Sea coast area. As of 2006, 230 MW of wind energy was installed, and again 430 MW of wind power was installed in 2009. In March 2015, British Petroleum [BP] signed a $12 billion deal to develop natural gas in Egypt intended for sale in the domestic market starting in 2017. Egypt is an important non-OPEC energy producer. It has the sixth largest proved oil reserves in Africa. Over half of these reserves are offshore reserves. Although Egypt is not a member of OPEC, it is a member of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries. Swinging for Nuclear Power Nuclear experts have also shown some concern. Lack of electricity supply is a huge restraint on African economies and specifically for Egypt, nuclear power could be an excellent source of large-scale grid electricity. Nuclear is not expensive compared with other energy sources. But for African countries to develop nuclear power, the governments must first establish the necessary legal and regulatory framework. The project must comply with all international standards and regulation on nuclear power. Africa has a shortage of skills for nuclear power. However, Africa has a shortage of skill for any energy technology, so developing nuclear power would necessarily mean increasing African skills, which is in itself a good thing. Despite the long technical negotiation process, the current Egyptian leadership, indeed, shows high optimism toward adoption of nuclear power as an important and indispensable source of energy that will underpin sustainable growth of the economy in the country. The four blocks of the nuclear power plant will cost about $20 billion, according a website report of the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy. Apparently, experts expect that such mega-projects would have thorough discussion in parliament, financing sources broadly identified and approved by the government. Egypt has yet to make an official announcement of the tender for the contract to build its nuclear plants. Media reports have also revealed that nuclear companies from China, the United States, France, South Korea and Japan seek to take part in an international tender. Egypt's Economic Potentials With over 100 million inhabitants, Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa, popular referred to as Maghreb region and part of the Arab World. Egypt is the third most populous country after Nigeria and Ethiopia in Africa. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with most spread across the densely populated centers of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities along the Nile Delta. The economy has been transforming from one based upon agriculture to an economy with more emphasis on services sector, for example its fast-growing tourism and hospitality, and to some extent manufacturing. It has experienced a fall in Foreign Direct Investment [FDI] to the country. Egypt's economy mainly relies on sources of income: tourism, remittances from Egyptians working abroad and revenues from the Suez Canal. Egypt has received United States foreign aid [an average of $2.2 billion per year], and is the third-largest recipient of such funds from the United States. Remittances, money earned by Egyptians [estimated 2.7 million] living abroad and sent home, reached a record $21 billion in 2012, according to the World Bank. Tourism is one of the most important sectors in Egypt's economy. More than 15.8 million tourists [2018] visited Egypt, providing revenues of nearly $11 billion. The tourism sector employs about 12% of Egypt's workforce. With one of the largest and most diversified economies in the Middle East, which is projected to become one of the largest in the world in the 21st century, Egypt has the third-largest economy in Africa. Egypt is a founding member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the African Union. *Kester Kenn Klomegah writes frequently about Russia, Africa and the BRICS. An observation expressed so often that it's now a cliche, the realization that the restaurant industry has changed, most likely forever, is beginning to be reflected in the post-shutdown strategies major restaurant chains are pursuing. Chicago-based McDonald's Corp., often an industry pacesetter, has already announced its intention to continue the downsized menu it adopted with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Designed to speed service, that menu limits the number of items offered and, in most markets, eliminates daylong breakfast. Based on the company's experience during its recent dining room shutdowns, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers has announced that it, too, is sticking with a smaller menu as it reopens. Having enjoyed a dramatic growth in off-premises sales, the chain plans to permanently remove more than 50 items from its kitchen repertiore and expand its curbside and delivery options in the months ahead. In a conference call with investors, Red Robin's CEO Paul Murphy expressed his belief that the current pandemic had "taught" customers to use delivery. Seattle-based Starbucks has also revealed plans for a strategic shift. Over the next 18 months the coffee shop giant anticipates closing 400 stores nationwide and replacing them with new store designs, including a stripped-down Starbucks Pickup layout. Starbucks Pickup stores will focus on a grab-and-go experience that eliminates the chain's "sit and sip" ambiance. Company management describes this shift in focus as reflecting a need to increase curbside pickup and drive-through options for Starbucks customers. In a bid to make itself a more attractive place to work as the economy reopens, Dunkin', the donut-and-coffee brand, has allied itself with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), an institution with a robust post-secondary online presence. Dunkin' will provide a tuition discount program in conjunction with SHNU, with no minimum number of work hours required for eligibility. Dunkin' student-employees will be able to pursue either associate's or bachelor's degrees in a number of disciplines. Side dishes The Bridgeside Grille in Sunderland recently expanded its takeout menu, adding new items such as fried Brussels sprouts with chipotle dipping sauce, ahi tuna salad, and Gorgonzola steak. The restaurant has also opened its patio area for outside dining. Current hours for takeout and outside dining are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, noon until 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bridgeside's menu can be seen at their web site, bridgesidegrille.com. Casa Bella Italian Kitchen and Bar in Hampden has also opened their patio for outdoor dining. Seating will begin daily except Monday at 3 p.m. Casa Bella is also offering a Friday Night Fish Fry, a package that includes whole belly clams and beer-batter haddock. Steamers are another popular end-of-week offering at the restaurant. Family-style chicken parmigiana has continued to be a popular to-go option, as has the restaurant's version of chicken francaise. Pre-orders for dinner takeout from Casa Bella can be placed between 2 and 4 p.m. with pickup times available between 4 and 8 p.m. More information on Casa Bella's menu is available at the restaurant's web site, casabellarestaurant.net. Several downtown Springfield restaurants were quick to embrace the concept of outdoor dining, pandemic-style. Nadim's Mediterranean Restaurant on Main Street already had a handsome brick-paved courtyard it had used for patio dining in the past, so reopening in an al fresco format was an easy transition. Service will be offered Monday through Friday for both lunch (11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and dinner (4:30 to 8 p.m.). On Saturdays and Sundays Nadims will be serving from 3 to 8 p.m. Contact the restaurant at (413) 737-7373 for more details. The Student Prince Cafe and Fort Restaurant didn't have a pre-existing outdoor space that met Phase 2 requirements, so the Bean Group, which manages the restaurant, decided to "take it to the streets." With the city's cooperation, Fort Street has now been transformed into an impressive open-air dining venue. The set up includes open-to-the-sky seating as well as a tent that protects about a dozen socially-distanced tables. Cocktail service will be offered at high-top tables arranged along the Fort Street sidewalk. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, the Student Prince "Al Fresco" will be featuring live music starting at 6 p.m. A video tour of the Fort Street setup is available at facebook.com/TheStudentPrince/videos/2672284446394353/. Call the restaurant at (413) 734-7475 for information or to make reservations. Lattitude Restaurant in West Springfield has also "gone live" once again, offering patio seating for dinner by advance booking only. Groups of four or less can make reservations online at opentable.com, while groups of five or six should contact the restaurant directly. Lattitude chef-owner Jeff Daigneau also continues to offer dinner takeout. For hours and menu details, go to the restaurant's Facebook page, facebook.com/LattitudeRestaurant or call the restaurant at (413) 248-8888. With Father's Day just around the corner, a number of area restaurants will be promoting special to-go meal packages around which families can build a celebration. The Federal in Agawam is offering a Father's Day Barbecue package for four that includes both barbecued ribs and chicken as well as sides such as corn on the cob, coleslaw, potato salad, and cornbread. Chocolate chip cookies are included for dessert. For those opting to honor Dad in a more upscale manner, The Federal has a Lobster Bake package that's built around two baked stuffed lobsters. Also incorporated in the "Bake" are steamers and clam chowder; sides like steamed potatoes in butter, coleslaw, and corn on the cob are part of the package as well. An early summer specialty, strawberry shortcake, serves as dessert selection. Orders for the Father's Day packages must be called in to The Federal at (413) 789-1267 by 5 p.m. Thursday, June 18. The boxed-up and ready-to-finish celebrations will be available for pickup on June 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The MAX Restaurant Group is putting together weekend Steakhouse Dinner Packs and making them available for pickup at several MAX Restaurant Group locations, including Max Burger in Longmeadow. The steakhouse meal kits, which are designed for two, feature ready-to-grill beef filet steaks along with two "loaded" baked potatoes, creamed spinach, Cheddar pull-apart rolls, and a butter lettuce salad with Green Goddess dressing. Chocolate mousse cake is provided for dessert. Packed cold with heating instructions included, the Dinner Packs can be ordered by phone for Friday evening pickup. Contact Max Burger at (413) 798-0101. As safe, contactless "curbside" and "takeout" have come to be key elements of the restaurant experience, the need for tamper-resistant packaging has emerged as a business opportunity. Delaware, Ohio-based InnoPak, a company that specializes in food and beverage to-go containers, has created Handle Cuffs, a secure-seal solution for carryout orders. Handle Cuffs are a sealing strip designed to work with the twine-handled bags that are popular for packaging to-go restaurant orders. The Handle Cuff is a heavy-duty reinforced paper strip that seals the bag shut and makes it impossible to tamper with the contents without visibly compromising the seal. The Handle Cuffs sealing strip includes a mailer-style pull strip that make is easy for the legitimate recipient of the order to access the dinner inside the bag. More information on Handle Cuffs can be found at innopak.com/products/handle-cuffs. Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community Colleges hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 45 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached on-line at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com. 10:26 a.m. This week, Texas set a new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations. The highest single-day surge took place Friday, when reported hospitalizations jumped to 2,166. "We've had a 30% increase in hospitalizations," said Dr. James McCarthy, chief physician executive for Memorial Hermann. "It's a steady uptick in the last 10 days." McCarthy said what's driving the surge is not unexpected. "It's likely the effect of what happened over Memorial Day weekend," McCarthy said. "People are just kind of 'over this' and not paying attention to social distancing. We are seeing a lot of people whove said 'Ive done my part, and I've given up.'" Read more in this report. 9:15 a.m. There are now 7,708,368 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll now stands at 427,400 deaths. The U.S. currently leads the world with 2,057,400 cases, with a death toll climbing to 114,875. According to Texas Health and Human Services, there are now 83,680 reported cases and 1,939 deaths across the state. Harris County leads the state with 15,864 confirmed cases. Car giant Mercedes-Benz could be forced to recall up to 500,000 vehicles in the UK over claims of a new dieselgate emissions scandal. More than 10,000 British motorists have signed up to join a possible legal case against the German manufacturer amid fears that they were misled into buying polluting cars. Mercedes allegedly used defeat devices to mask the true amount of diesel emissions produced during pre-sale testing. Law firm Slater and Gordon says an estimated 160,000 vehicles have been affected by recall notices in the UK so far, but predicts the number could reach half a million based on historic sales figures of cars with the affected engine types. Car giant Mercedes-Benz could be forced to recall up to 500,000 vehicles in the UK over claims of a new dieselgate emissions scandal Mercedes is the second carmaker hit by a dieselgate scandal after allegations surfaced against Volkswagen in 2015. The High Court ruled in April that Volkswagen installed unlawful devices to subvert emissions tests in thousands of vehicles. The allegations against Mercedes surfaced last month but the scale of the case has expanded rapidly since then. Lawyers told the Mail that the number of UK recalls has risen in two weeks from around 100,000 to an estimated 160,000. In all, around one million British Mercedes drivers, including previous owners, could be eligible for compensation payouts worth up to 20,000 each. The recalls affect a range of Mercedes models fitted with five engine types and include GLC, E, SLK, G and M class as well as Sprinter and GLE 166 series. Many of the recalls feature AdBlue technology, which Mercedes claimed would reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions to create our cleanest cars ever. They also include models made as recently as 2018, three years after the Volkswagen scandal sparked global outrage. Gareth Pope, of Slater and Gordon, which is representing 7,500 Mercedes customers in England and Wales, told the Mail: The dieselgate scandal is now rapidly engulfing Mercedes-Benz. 'Tens of thousands of cars have been earmarked for recall over concerns they produce dangerous levels of pollution in real-world conditions, but thats looking like just the tip of the iceberg. Gareth Pope, of Slater and Gordon, which is representing 7,500 Mercedes customers in England and Wales, told the Mail: The dieselgate scandal is now rapidly engulfing Mercedes-Benz' There was global outrage at VWs attempts to dupe consumers and regulators. If it is proven that other manufacturers continued to produce vehicles with unlawful cheat software, then it seems even more cynical. The KBA Germanys Federal Motor Transport Authority recently issued recalls for 300,000 Mercedes vehicles worldwide after discovering they contained impermissible defeat devices. Around 20 per cent of these affect UK vehicles, meaning the total number of new recalls in Britain is around 60,000, according to Slater and Gordon. This is on top of an estimated 100,000 cars recalled before the most recent notices. According to lawyers working on the case, the defeat devices limited the amount of emissions produced when the car was in test mode. Law firm PGMBM also preparing an action claims the true amount of emissions produced in real-world conditions outside of testing exceeded the limits imposed by EU and UK laws by up to ten times. Daimler AG, Mercedes parent company, has already been fined in Germany, and is being investigated in the US and Canada for duping regulators over the levels of nitrogen oxide and dioxide its vehicles produced. It said: We believe that the claims are without merit and will vigorously defend against any group action. The full return to school for thousands of children and young people hinges on whether or not it will be safe to relax, or remove, social distancing in classrooms, according to the official advice compiled by the Department of Education. More than three months since schools first shut their doors, the advice has laid bare the stark consequences social distancing will have on Irish classrooms. School students will be able to attend school for just one day a week should the 2m rule remain in place when schools reopen their doors in the new school year. Even if this is relaxed to 1, the majority of students will still only be able to attend school for two-and-a-half days per week. This will have a detrimental effect on education, the report notes. The risk of students regression and the damage caused by extended school closures will have to be considered, Education Minister Joe McHugh said yesterday. However, unions have expressed surprise at what has been described as the apparent side-stepping of public health advice. Mr McHugh said he does not want to see children learning at home for the majority of the week. If we only bring back 10%-20% of students in August, we could end up doing more damage in terms of regression, he said. I dont believe its a runner. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government is working on a bespoke solution for schools that will see all children return. The departments optimal model for reopening schools sees little material changes within a classroom, but would strongly focus on hand hygiene, sanitation, and a clear policy on staying at home for sick students. It is understood that officials within the Department of Health are unlikely to want different rules on social distancing in schools compared to those for the wider population. Concerns have also been raised by teaching unions. John MacGabhann of the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) said: The document seems to side-step public health advice as if it can somehow be set aside for particular workplaces. The TUI wishes to see a full return to classrooms, but not at the risk to students or staffs health, he said. The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) is also demanding clear support for schools to ensure a safe environment, according to INTO general secretary John Boyle. Priority must be given to the safety and wellbeing of staff, pupils, and parents, he added. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said it would be very concerned if a different approach to physical distancing is introduced in schools compared to the wider public. Any deviation from the public health advice is unacceptable, it stated. Talks on reopening schools will continue in the coming weeks. Opposition parties were also quick to criticise the lack of guidance provided to schools yesterday. Sinn Feins Donnchadh O Laoghaire described the preparation for reopening schools as a fiasco, adding that schools and parents have been left at a loss. Labours Aodhan O Riordain said the announcement has caused more confusion and chaos for families. Fianna Fails Thomas Byrne said he believes there is scope for the National Public Health Emergency Team to examine the advice from the World Health Organisation around social distancing, which we know is at odds with our guidelines. Separately, concerns have also been raised by Forsa about a lack of clear procedures around plans to provide summer programmes to children with special educational needs. Yesterday, the Department of Health was notified of a further three deaths linked with Covid-19. It brings the total number of Covid-related deaths to 1,705. A further 13 new cases of the virus were also confirmed yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases here to 25,250. Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right. George Orwell, 1984 1984 was supposed to be a warning, not a game plan. Anonymous When I saw them painting over the mural of Frank Rizzo at the Italian Market last week, I felt a lot of different emotions. Anger, mostly, at the destruction of a tribute to a man who, although imperfect, devoted his life to the city of his birth. A man who integrated the police force. Who was beloved of many in the black communities he helped keep safe from the drug scourge. A man who made enemies, and friends whod take a bullet for him. I felt anger, too, at the implicit attack on my mothers heritage. In this Black Lives Matter moment, other lives and cultures are expected to take a supporting role. So Italian Americans are not supposed to complain at the erasure of a man who was intimately identified with their history, the only Italian Catholic to hold the most important seat in municipal politics. The anger was accompanied by bemusement at the foolishness of the act, one that was as unnecessary as it was futile. Erasing Rizzos face, or tearing down his massive metal effigy, will not remove him from our collective institutional memory. To tell us not to remember, to look away, is a guarantee that we will seek out that memory in defiance. But the most visceral emotion was fear, and it had very little to do with Rizzo the man. The fear that I experienced, and still experience, was tied to the increasingly successful efforts to turn George Orwells prophecy into our current reality. People on the left have been quite busy these days downplaying the significance of what is happening, something that I chronicled in an earlier essay. To them, fascism can only be experienced on the right, and takes the shape and form of a president who fires tear gas into a crowd of peaceful protesters. The response to that essay among so many of my readers-righteous indignation-was expected. But as Orwell expressed so well, fascism is not a partisan phenomenon, and can exist wherever and whenever a society decides to exert dominion over its citizens by usurping the one true thing that sets them apart as human: their independent minds. It is one thing to imprison a man in a cell, chain him up, shut him away from the sunlight and the company of others. Concrete walls and iron gates can hold him in. But they cannot entrap his brain, which is tethered to his soul and makes him immortal. Look at John McCain. Five and a half years in the hell at Hanoi did not break his spirit. Neither did the physical torture to which he was subjected. But taking hold of a mans mind by denying him access to the truth, all of it, can turn him into something less than human. It makes him into an unthinking, unquestioning half-creature that might breathe and eat and walk and work and even love, but who is a simple cog in the wheel of the state machine. If you take away a mans ability to think, and make independent thought a crime, you have successfully killed him, though he will continue to breathe. When I saw the aftermath of the Rizzo murals destruction, a chill took over me on a very hot, fetid, Philadelphia summer day. There was a blank place where there used to be color, where there was life and history. Drained from that wall was the figure of a man who represented not only himself, but generations of Italians and their pride. That empty space was more upsetting than the graffiti on the Rizzo statue, because it was a first successful result of what I call the Crusade to Erase. The irony is that the mural was on private property, and Ive been told that the owner would have left it up but for the threats he started receiving. Other businesses in the Italian Market signed a letter agreeing to have the mural destroyed, and demonstrated their cowardice. But in good Orwellian style, they will insist it was an effort to honor black lives. This will be the new normal: Honor one culture by insulting another. Now they say they are coming for Christopher Columbus, who has been caricatured as the great genocidal Satan. They are trying to teach our children that he was an evil man, crushing context, creating facts, conning the naive. Orwell knee the playbook and blueprint intimately, and wrote it down for us. This time, though, it wont be as easy to take out that giant historical eraser and create the blank spaces so the Thought Tyrants can write their preferred narratives, which they can then shove down our throats. If they try it, we can come back and start choosing murals and statues that they love, and use the same principle they employ to destroy them. Personally, I find the Paul Robeson mural at 45th and Chestnut to be an obscene tribute to a man who loved Stalin, embraced his evil regime and ignored the deaths and torture of millions in the gulags of Siberia. Robeson offends me. Perhaps I should start a campaign to erase him. Perhaps I should turn their weapons back on them. I have represented asylees and refugees from totalitarian states. They understand what it is to live in countries where society, either directly through the government or by the intimidation of special interest groups, tells you what to think. They fled their own private hells to escape, to find freedom. I am horrified to have them see those tragic histories repeat themselves here. And so, I will not say the appropriate things. I will not apologize for a guilt I do not bear. I will not engage in pithy, socially woke slogans. I will not grovel, bend the knee or worry that my words might get me ostracized, unemployed or even killed. I choose to follow Orwells warning. I hope Ill have company. Christine Flowers is an attorney and a resident of Delaware County. Her column usually appears Sundays. Email her at cflowers1961@gmail,com. We've all heard it many times: Wear a face covering indoors, outdoors, on trains and buses. At work, in the supermarket and at church. But now a new modeling study out of Cambridge and Greenwich universities suggests that face masks may be even more important than originally thought in preventing future outbreaks of the new coronavirus. To ward off resurgences, the reproduction number for the virus (the average number of people who will contract it from one infected person) needs to drop below 1.0. Researchers dont believe thats achievable with lockdowns alone. However, a combination of lockdowns and widespread mask compliance might do the trick, they say. We show that, when face masks are used by the public all the time (not just from when symptoms first appear), the effective reproduction number, Re, can be decreased below 1, leading to the mitigation of epidemic spread, the scientists wrote in the paper published Wednesday by the Proceedings of the Royal Society A. The modeling indicated that when lockdown periods are combined with 100% face mask use, disease spread is vastly diminished, preventing resurgence for 18 months, the time frame that has frequently been cited for developing a vaccine. It also demonstrated that if people wear masks in public, it is twice as effective at reducing the R number than if face coverings are only worn after symptoms appear. The masks dont have to be top-of-the-line surgical or respirator masks. Homemade coverings that catch only 50 percent of exhaled droplets would provide a population-level benefit, they concluded. As has been well-publicized, wearing a mask primarily protects others from yourself, rather than the other way around. It is not a sign that you consider others a danger. Science Focus quoted the studys lead author, Dr Richard Stutt, as saying, Our analyses support the immediate and universal adoption of face masks by the public. Stutt is part of a team that usually models the spread of crop diseases at Cambridges department of plant sciences. Alameda County and San Francisco city health officials require residents to wear face coverings any time they leave home and get within 30 feet of anyone not living in their household. In San Francisco, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Sonoma counties (plus the cities of Pleasant Hill and Fremont) people must use basic nonmedical, cloth masks, including scarves and bandannas, to cover their noses and mouths when they leave home to go to essential places like the supermarket, drugstore or doctor. 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 New Delhi: A 35-year-old cash collection agent was shot at and robbed of 2.5 lakh by motorcycle-borne assailants in north Delhis Wazirabad on Friday afternoon. The agent suffered the bullet wound in his arm and was taken to a hospital where he was treated for his wound, the police said. Deputy commissioner of police (north) Monika Bhardwaj said that the victim, Rakesh Mishra, was returning after collecting payments in the Chandni Chowk area for his employers when the robbers waylaid him and tried to rob him. Mishra resisted, after which the assailants fired a bullet at him, which hit his arm. The robbers then fled with his bag containing around 2.5 lakh. A case has been registered and teams are working on it, said DCP Bhardwaj. Police said that Mishra works for a factory owner in Bawana and lives with his family in Budh Vihar near Rohini. On Friday morning, he left home on his scooter to collect payments from different clients. He collected money from Chandni Chowk and was riding towards Bawana factory around 2.30pm. The incident took place near the Gandhi Vihar traffic signal, when two men on a motorcycle intercepted his scooter, forcing him to stop. One of them tried to snatch his bag and fired a bullet in the air to scare Mishra. When the victim refused to have over the bag, the robber fired a bullet at him, took his bag and fled, said a police officer associated with the case, requesting anonymity. The police are now scanning footage of CCTV cameras installed near the crime scene and of the probable routes the suspects took to follow Mishra and to flee. Ends Coronavirus cases in the U.S. are going down but thats mainly because coronavirus cases in the New York area are going down. Why it matters: The countrys hardest-hit region is getting better, and while thats obviously a good thing, it shouldnt provide a false sense of security for other regions, many of which are seeing new cases rise sharply. The big picture: Take New York and New Jersey out of the picture, and the U.S. coronavirus cases arent going down. Theyre holding steady, or slightly increasing. The large number of cases in the New York region drove up the national number of cases in the early going, and so its no surprise that big decreases in and around New York would also drive nationwide decreases. Yes, but: The virus is everywhere now. Improvement in New York doesnt ensure the outbreak is under control anywhere else. Several populated states including Texas, Arizona and Oregon that are seeing their outbreaks get worse. The bottom line: The nationwide trend of declining cases, that's mainly a reflection of the New York regions trend, shouldnt provide a false sense of security elsewhere. SAN FRANCISCO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations (Bush China Foundation) announced on Friday that Florence Fang, a Chinese American community leader in the San Francisco Bay Area, will receive the George H. W. Bush Award for Lifetime Achievement in U.S.-China Relations. Founded in 2017, the Bush China Foundation is a nonprofit that seeks to advance U.S.-China relations. The award is the latest in an award series created to recognize those individuals who have made profound contributions to the development of U.S.- China relations. In 2019, the inaugural George H. W. Bush Award for Statesmanship in U.S.-China Relations was presented to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Fang, also a prominent businesswoman and philanthropist, is being recognized for her decades of significant personal efforts to bridge the United States and China, and deepen understanding between the peoples of the two countries. In accordance with public health guidelines, the in-person award ceremony will not be held at this time, according to the foundation. Fang's lifetime of innovative efforts to bring together China and the United States have greatly benefited both countries and their people, said Neil Bush, founder and Chairman of the Bush China Foundation, and son of the 41st U.S. President George H. W. Bush. "A visionary and charismatic bridge-builder, Florence has played a unique and invaluable role in deepening U.S.-China understanding and friendship," he added. "Her drive, her intelligence, her force for good inspires us all. We'll always be marveling at Florence Fang," said Max S. Baucus, former U.S. senator and ambassador to China. "The Bush China Foundation couldn't be more pleased and proud to honor Florence Fang, a living legend in the arena of U.S.-China people-to-people engagement," said David Firestein, inaugural president and CEO of Bush China Foundation. "Florence's vision, leadership, passion, dedication and philanthropic generosity in the service of building ever-stronger bonds between the peoples of the United States and China have made a real and meaningful difference in the lives of countless people in both countries and in the bilateral relationship itself," he noted. "I am deeply honored to receive the George H. W. Bush Award for Lifetime Achievement in U.S.-China Relations," said Florence Fang. "Receiving this award and this recognition of my 60 years of efforts to bring the United States and China closer together means the world to me. I am humbled and most grateful for this honor." said Fang. Prosecutors in DR Congo have requested a 20 year prison sentence for Vital Kamerhe, a key ally of President Felix Tshisekedi, over his alleged role in the embezzlement of more than 50 million dollars of public funds. Kamerhe appeared before a court in Kinshasa's Makala prison on Thursday dressed in prison clothes for a trial broadcast live on state television. The 61-year-old, who has been detained since 8 April along with two co-defendants, has vehemently maintained his innocence. "Neither the lawyers of the Republic nor the prosecutor's office have been able to prove the guilt of M. Vital Kamerhe," he said referring to himself in the third person. Kamerhe, who made a pact to back President Felix Tshisekedi in a 2018 election in the expectation of succeeding him, is accused of embezzling more than 50 million dollars of state funds intended for major public works. 'Politically motivated' Prosecutor Kisula Betika Yeye Adler asked the judge to sentence him to a maximum of 20 years for embezzlement and other corruption charges. A 20-year sentence was also sought against one of Kamerhe's co-accused, Lebanese contractor Jammal Samih, 78, who would be deported at the end of his sentence. All three men claim they are innocent. Kamerhe's supporters say the case is politically motivated, aimed at blocking his chances of challenging Tshisekedi at the next election in 2023, after prosecutors requested he be barred from holding public office for 10 years. 'God decides' "True justice will come from God," Kamerhe said, adding he had warned his wife prior to the hearing that "the die is cast" regarding his fate. He and his wife, whom he married in February 2019, are also under scrutiny for acquiring and renovating a mansion in France for more than one million euros. "The proceedings mention the embezzlement of public money. But there is no evidence of any illicit financial flows," Kamerhe's Paris-based lawyers said in a statement, denouncing the sentence request as unconstitutional. They have now referred the matter to the United Nations's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Insulting the president Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Congo-Kinshasa Legal Affairs Corruption By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Nothing was done "without the knowledge" of Tshisekedi, Kamerhe claimed, insisting he was not in office when the contract at the centre of the allegations was signed in 2018. The illicit contract, allegedly signed with Lebanese contractor Jammal Samih, was for building 1,500 pre-fabricated homes for soldiers. "What we were doing, we were doing in the name of the Head of State," Tshisekedi's chief of staff insisted. A government adviser called by the prosecution during the hearing slammed Kamerhe's comments as an insult to the president. The high-profile trial has seen many twists and turns, notably the sudden death of Judge Raphael Yanyi in May, barely two days after he presided over the second hearing. Life in danger Police said he died of a heart attack and the results of an autopsy are still pending. However, several reports have emerged suggesting that Kamerhe was responsible for Yanyi's death. In this tense atmosphere, Kamerhe's two lawyers have argued that his life is in danger in the jail where he is being held. Originally from South Kivu province, Kamerhe has been a central figure in DRC political life since the 2000s. He was initially a pillar of former President Joseph Kabila's rule before teaming up with Tshisekedi. Judges are due to deliver their verdict in his trial next Saturday 20 June. Their response will be eagerly awaited in a country that has vowed a campaign to "renew" the justice system to root out entrenched corruption. Whether theres a pandemic going on, a recession, or anything else, its always good to have stable income-producing stocks in your portfolio. They can generate recurring income for your Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) and help add stability to your portfolio. Below are three of the better dividend stocks on the TSX that you can buy today: Rogers Rogers Communications (TSX:RCI.B)(NYSE:RCI) is a good, stable, boring stock to hold for years. Its a household name in Canada thats synonymous with telecom, and the industry leader is an excellent pillar to hang on to for years and even decades. In only one of the companys past 10 quarters has Rogerss profit margin not come in above 10%. Its not a company that will see much sales growth, but TFSA investors will love it for its low-beta value and steady stream of dividend income. The company hasnt raised its dividend payments in the past year, but at $0.50 per share, theyre still yielding a solid 3.4% per year. On a $25,000 investment, that would generate $850 in dividend income. And inside of a TFSA, those earnings would be tax-free. Shares of Rogers are currently trading at around 15 times earnings and less than three times book value. The stock makes for a good value buy. CN Rail Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR)(NYSE:CNI) offers investors a good way to bet on the success of the economy. Even if youre not optimistic about where the economy may be headed in the next year or two, its hard to argue that it wont go up over the long term. And when the economy is doing well, railway operators like CN Rail are busy, creating some strong results in the process. The company has done well, even during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although revenue was flat in the companys most recent quarter, which was up until the end of March, CN was able to book more than $1 billion in profit something that its done in three of the past four quarters. Currently, CN Rail pays its shareholders a quarterly dividend of $0.575, which, on an annual basis, yields around 1.9%. A $25,000 investment here would be enough to produce $475 in dividend income every year. Story continues Northwest Health NorthWest Healthcare Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX:NWH.UN) gives investors a way to diversify in multiple ways. A real estate investment trust (REIT) generates recurring revenue, which can provide lots of consistency from one period to the next. NorthWest is also unique in that the REIT holds a portfolio of medical office buildings and hospitals. Many REITs focus on retail sectors or residential properties. Healthcare properties should offer even more stability. Another way the stock helps you diversify is through geography: NorthWest has assets outside Canada, including in Brazil, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Although the REIT has incurred some losses in recent periods, thats been due to non-operating items. Its operating income has been relatively consistent over the past four quarters, falling no lower than $62 million while rising no higher than $67 million. NorthWest pays a monthly dividend of $0.06667, which yields 7% per year. Investing $25,000 at that yield would earn you $1,750 in dividend income each year. The post TFSA Investors: 3 Safe Dividend Stocks to Build Your Portfolio Around appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. David Gardner owns shares of Canadian National Railway. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Canadian National Railway. The Motley Fool recommends Canadian National Railway, NORTHWEST HEALTHCARE PPTYS REIT UNITS, and ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC. CL B NV. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-12 21:39:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 2,915 after 245 more new cases were confirmed on Friday, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health said. The ministry revealed in a statement issued on Friday that from the total of 5,709 medical tests that were conducted within the last 24 hours, some 245 of them have been tested positive for COVID-19, eventually bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Horn of Africa country to 2,915. According to figures from the ministry, 241 of the latest confirmed cases are Ethiopian nationals, while the remaining four were said to be foreign nationals. The ministry also stressed that some 172 of the latest confirmed cases are males and 73 females, with an age range of 1 to 85. The ministry also disclosed that seven more people succumbed to the disease on Friday, raising the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the East African country to 47. According to figures from the ministry, some 17 more people who have been tested positive for COVID-19 recovered on Friday, bringing the total numbers of recoveries in the country to 451. The East African country has so far conducted some 170,860 COVID-19 tests, according to the ministry. 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 since then 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 stop the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Enditem Rajesh Abraham By Express News Service KOCHI: Neenu Jose has been trying without success to get a B2-level certificate from Goethe-Zentrum-Trivandrum, the only recognised German language learning centre in Kerala. After spending over a couple of lakhs and nearly two years, Neenu, a BSc nursing graduate with a family visa since her husband is working in Germany took the next best option. She flew down to Germany and wrote the telc Deutsch B2 the German government requires foreign healthcare professionals to get the level B2 certificate either from Goethe or telc. I cleared the telc B2 exam in the first attempt itself, Neenu (not her real name) told TNIE over phone from Munich, Germany. But many are not so lucky. Kochi resident Alna Mathews (name changed), who is to clear the B2 level after getting through the first three modules (A1, A2 and B1), said, For every module one needs to pay Rs 15,000-20,000. After the first three modules, it is almost impossible to get the B2 certificate from the Thiruvananthapuram centre. Many are now opting for centres in Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and even Kolkata. However, this is a costly affair since many students are from a poor background, she said. B2 certificate is a ticket to a better future for nursing students from Kerala, who are mostly from poor or lower-middle-class families. Reports said Germany requires a huge number of healthcare workers, where the starting salary is in the range of Euro 1,200-2000 per month (around Rs 1,07,000-200,000/month). A major allegation against the Trivandrum centre is that it is not allowing a large number of students to clear the B2 level. Of the 122 students who appeared for the exam in May 2019, only 13 have passed. Strangely, the remaining 109 students who should have been issued a not passed certificate have not been issued one, alleged the students. One student said she suspects Goethe-Zentrum Trivandrum does not have the permission and capabilities to conduct the B2 exams for a large number of students at one sitting. The institute charges Rs 15,000-20,000 per exams, fails them in the exams, conducts refresher course by charging a fee and the cycle goes on, she said. In an email response, Syed Ibrahim, director, Goethe-Zentrum Trivandrum, said the Kerala centre conducts the German language examinations as per the rules and regulations set by the head office of the Goethe-Institut and no student needs to have any unwarranted doubt on this. Last October, 35 students had submitted a signed memo to two German MPs bringing their attention to alleged irregularities in the conduct of exams here. In their complaint, they said until two years ago over 90 per cent students at the institute used to acquire the B2 level certificate. Now, less than 10 per cent qualify. The complaint blamed director Ibrahim by name for the malpractice. Regarding the allegation, Ibrahim said, Germany has made recruitment of nurses from countries, where there is an acute shortage of nursing professionals as mentioned in a WHO list, illegal. India also comes under this category, he said, adding, many nurses circumvent this clause by apparently directly applying with a potential employer in Germany which is, however, permitted. To this, a student said, All nursing students are aware of the rule. They are proceeding only through a potential employer, which was permitted since November 2013. Ibrahim said he is not aware of any signed memorandum submitted in Germany by those whom he termed disgruntled, failed B2 candidates from Kerala. When asked, a student said most of the signatories to the petition had either secured the B2 from other centres in India or the telc certificate and are now in Germany.In its response, the German Consulate General-Bengaluru said it does not have anything to add to the responses provided by the Goethe Zentrum-Trivandrum. Canisters of cannabis sit on a shelf at an illegal cannabis dispensary after LAPD officers conducted a security sweep in Wilmington. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Now about that promise to address structural racism. It hasn't even been two weeks since Gov. Gavin Newsom, shaken by a night of violent upheaval over the death of George Floyd, stood in front of a camera at a black church in Sacramento and told all of us Californians that government had a duty to fix what was broken. The black community is not responsible for what is happening in this country right now," he said. We are. Our institutions are accountable." And yet, at a time when defund the police has become the mantra for those demanding justice for black lives, state lawmakers are getting ready to pass, and Newsom is presumably getting ready to sign, a budget bill that would shift dozens of sworn law enforcement officers to the Bureau of Cannabis Control and make way for hiring more. In all, a consolidated force of about 90 people will be tasked with uprooting California's illegal cannabis market. Of that number, more than half already work as sworn officers and managers for the Department of Consumer Affairs Division of Investigation Cannabis Enforcement Unit. The rest account for open positions, including about 30 jobs for special investigators that will be reclassified for sworn law enforcement officers. Newsom's administration insists the intent of the bill isn't to turn non-sworn investigators into sworn officers. Rather, the language of it was necessary because the Bureau of Cannabis Control didn't have any officers on staff and needed the additional authority to take them on. But still. No one needs to remind anyone especially Newsom, who championed cannabis legalization as a form of equity how we got here in the first place. California, like the rest of the U.S., spent years fighting a racist drug war driven by years of over-policing black neighborhoods, leaving us with an even more inequitable criminal justice system. That said, I actually wouldn't have a problem with this bit of bureaucratic budget magic if these were normal times, instead of one when the social safety net for the state's most vulnerable residents is being ripped to shreds. Story continues I don't doubt the need for additional officers, all working together under one agency to take down the worst scofflaws. However, we're also spending on law enforcement while programs designed to help black and brown entrepreneurs, many of them from neighborhoods devastated by the war on drugs and now reeling from the coronavirus, have been allowed to flounder in almost every major city in this state. It's just one more sign that California's whole legal weed industry is a mess. Ever since the first recreational cannabis shops opened in 2018, they have been dogged by an ecosystem of illegal retailers and growers. Last year alone, according to an estimate by BDS Analytics and Arcview Market Research, operators working in the shadows made $8.7 billion, while the sellers who were following the rules made $3.1 billion. On the ground, that has meant a disparate group of cops at all levels of government are ferreting lawbreaking dispensaries and sophisticated honey oil labs. The 25 or so sworn officers now working for the Department of Consumer Affairs soon to be under the Bureau of Cannabis Control have had to handle hundreds of cases across California, most of them in Los Angeles County. Angelenos, I'm sure, are not surprised. Its way out of control, said George Tiongson, president of the California Assn. of Criminal Investigators, an affiliate of the union representing the cannabis enforcement officers. Every time we shut a location down, they either reopen the next day or a day later, and then we have to go shut them down again. It usually takes three or four times. Meanwhile, many would-be black and brown cannabis entrepreneurs are still getting jerked around, many of them losing their savings in process. Many cities have promoted their equity programs. But it wasn't until earlier this year that several cities and counties received funding for grants from the states Cannabis Equity Grants Program. But getting those dollars out the door has been a challenge to say the least. And a number of cities are still trying to run these equity programs on shoestring administrative budgets, creating all sorts of problems. In Los Angeles, for example, a group sued the city in April, arguing that a process to secure a limited number of licenses was flawed. Hundreds of applicants had flooded an online system in September, only to find out later that some applicants got in ahead of the official launch time. An audit later cleared city officials of wrongdoing, saying they took reasonable and appropriate steps to prevent any unfair advantage. But it was just one more confusing delay in what has been a series of them. In Sacramento, the city's equity program sputtered and finally stalled for months amid bickering between City Council members, entrepreneurs and activists. More recently, there have been dust-ups over expanding licensing, given the longstanding cap on dispensaries. There also has been pressure to provide business training to all who want and need it. In San Francisco, a recent report from the city's Office of the Controller uncovered a sizeable backlog of equity applicants. The report warned that if every applicant was approved for a license, it would over-saturate the city's cannabis retail market, particularly given the large number of existing businesses that are already operating because they had the money to get going months ago. Its not enough to provide more law enforcement officers to crack down on bad actors. We also have to do more to figure out a way to empower those who want to be good actors, and to do it sooner rather than later especially if California officials want to win over activists who want to defund the police. I want the legal market to succeed as much as anyone else in California. But it should be equitable, not dominated by wealthy, mostly white investors. Black and brown cannabis entrepreneurs shouldn't still be waiting. As Newsom said in that Sacramento church: "We have a unique responsibility to the black community in this country, and we've been paying lip service about that for generations." A STRING of measures to protect prison staff have been promised following two serious assaults at Her Majestys Prison in Grand Turk this June. Riot gear, public order training, cell phone blocking equipment and group insurance, along with a full review of the prison system are all in the pipeline, the Government has said. On June 3, an inmate wielding a plank of wood knocked a prison officer unconscious in an incident that was caught on camera and widely circulated on social media. And on June 5 a prisoner threw items through the glass window of Prison Superintendent Grahame Hawkins office causing him to sustain a minor cut to his forehead. A Government statement on Saturday (June 6) said the prison team spoke to Deputy Governor Anya Williams just a day before the second incident. Along with management from the Ministry of Home Affairs which has responsibility for the prison they discussed their safety issues and concerns. Williams told the prison team that protective gear has been ordered for officers and additional riot equipment has been sourced and is expected to arrive shortly. The UK Security Assistance Team will deliver public order training this week, she added, which will further help to develop skills among prison officers. In addition, group insurance will also be purchased for the coverage of incidents involving prison officers who are injured in the line of duty. Minister with responsibility for the prison, Hon. Goldray Ewing, said: "We have many brave and caring prison officers, and we recognise and appreciate their hard work on behalf of our society. "As a Government we stand firm in partnership with them and will continue to invest in and support the improvements at the prison, for the safety of all. The two recent incidents, while unrelated, were both symptoms of wider issues that the strategic planning group for the prison is working on, the statement said. This group is headed by management of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Her Majestys Prison and the Royal TCI Police Force. It will recommend to the Cabinet a full review of the prison to identify opportunities for improvement in the operations, skills and training for staff and infrastructure. The group will also deliver essential training and skills development to prison staff and will undertake a review of the Prisons Ordinance to allow for more effective incident response. An experienced training manager from the UK will arrive when international borders open at the end of July and will train a small additional prison officer tactical team. A maximum-security wing is under construction now with projected completion within the year, as well as the additional fencing and lighting, the statement added. A contract for cell phone blocking equipment has been signed and installation is due to begin in coming weeks. "The ministry and management of the prison are confident that these measure, along with other key initiatives, will help to improve the overall security of the prison and the skills and confidence of the staff, the statement said. A federal appeals court has lifted the stay of execution on Friday for a death row prisoner who seeks DNA testing of evidence pointing to his innocence. On Tuesday, a federal judge granted a stay of execution to Ruben Gutierrez, a 43-year-old who has maintained his innocence in the 1998 killing of a Brownsville trailer park owner. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling on Friday night. Gutierrezs execution is scheduled for June 16. Gutierrez was initially set to be executed in 2018 for the killing of Escolastica Harrison. He was convicted of stabbing Harrison to death during a robbery along with two other accomplices. The accomplices pointed to Gutierrez as the killer but when investigators questioned him, Gutierrez offered different versions of events, at one point admitting he was present but not the killer during the deadly robbery. He has consistently demanded DNA testing that he claims would exonerate him. In a written opinion, the Fifth Circuit Court judges wrote that the district court judge who granted Gutierrezs stay of execution abused its discretion because his DNA claims are time-barred and meritless. The judges wrote that Gutierrez failed to show how the DNA testing he requested would negate his guilt at this late date. In a statement, Shawn Nolan, one of Gutierrezs attorneys, continued to call for testing of DNA evidence before his execution. The police collected several pieces of evidence containing biological material that can prove that Mr. Gutierrez did not kill Escolastica Harrison, Nolan said. There is no physical evidence connecting Mr. Gutierrez to this crime. The State should be leading the search for the truth, rather than obstructing it. Brownsville Federal District Court Judge Hilda Tagle agreed with those arguments, writing earlier this week that Gutierrez has made a showing of likelihood of success on the merits of at least one of his DNA or execution-chamber claims. Nolan added that Gutierrezs legal team would continue to challenge his denial of access to a chaplain under rules adopted last year by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The denial of a chaplain led Catholic leaders in Texas to intervene in Gutierrezs execution. In a Friday filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth District, the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops asked that Gutierrez be provided access to clergy during his execution. In its written opinion, the Fifth Court of Appeals judges said Gutierrezs chaplain claims were meritless because the denial of a chaplain did not rise to the level of being a substantial burden on his right to worship. In 2019, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice announced that it would no longer allow chaplains to accompany those on death row to the execution chamber, a decision that was immediately challenged by a coalition of faith groups. TDCJ announced the decision after the U.S. Supreme Court granted a last-minute stay to Patrick Murphy, a Buddhist who had been denied access to a spiritual adviser in the execution chamber. As this court has repeatedly held, governmental discrimination against religion in particular, discrimination against religious persons, religious organizations and religious speech violates the Constitution, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote at the time. The choice of remedy going forward is up to the state. What the state may not do, in my view, is allow Christian or Muslim inmates but not Buddhist inmates to have a religious adviser of their religion in the execution room. Robert Downen contributed to this report. nick.powell@chron.com Washington: US President Donald Trump says he is rescheduling his first major public campaign event after a backlash over his chosen date, which coincides with a day on which many in the country commemorate the end of slavery. The original timing and the Tulsa location provoked outrage among Trump's critics, who called it an insult to the memory of George Floyd, the black man whose death in police custody two weeks ago sparked US-wide protests. US President Donald Trump at an announcement in the White House Rose Garden on Friday, June 5. Credit:Bloomberg White mobs massacred hundreds of African-Americans in Tulsa during riots there in 1921. Democratic Senator Kamala Harris accused Trump of emboldening racists with the date and location. YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today chaired a consultation discussing issues relating to the governments anti-crisis measures and programs, the PMs Office told Armenpress. Particularly, in the context of ensuring food safety, the draft economic measure aimed at increasing wheat sowing and productivity was presented. Based on the discussion results the PM tasked to present a respective draft decision of the government. The consultation also touched upon issues relating to the implementation of the anti-crisis economic and social measures. The tools and opportunities of providing assistance to the representatives of fields affected by crisis were presented. The responsible persons will continue the discussions in this direction in the future and will present concrete proposals for the implementation of the measures. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Bay of Plenty Have you got your Class 2 manual license and are looking to get your foot in the door of a well renowned company? Read on!he... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz When a landlord responsible for engaging with Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy on measures to address the housing crisis is invited on national radio to explain why he posted a video about cramming two families into a council house for 5,000 a month, you know there is something seriously wrong with the system. During a car-crash interview with Sarah McInerney on RTE Radio One, Joe Doyle said his video about packing eight people into a house with no sitting room was "so ridiculous, it could not possibly be true". Doyle, a former 'Dragons' Den' contestant and spokesperson for the Residential Landlords Association, said the video was intended as "satire", "a joke" and a means to "generate absolute outrage". He achieved one of his three objectives and got the attention that he so obviously craves in abundance. But while he may not rent his various west Dublin properties in the manner described, there is one main reason why his 'joke' went down like a lead balloon among the public. The conditions outlined in the video aren't actually ridiculous and unfortunately are a reality for many. Ante is a tenant who had to move out of his accommodation during the coronavirus pandemic as he felt his health was being put at risk. "I was living in mouldy, unhealthy conditions and sharing a tiny room with two other people," he told the Irish Independent. "The landlady used to tell us to hide number of beds before inspections." In 2016, a colleague and I went undercover in a five-bedroom house in an affluent area being rented to 70 people. The basement had been converted into one big bedroom filled with bunk-beds. There were 36 people living there alone. The tenants had one shower between them. We exposed how there were a number of other properties across the capital being rented to up to 40 people at a time. 'RTE Investigates' subsequently did a documentary highlighting similar shocking conditions, and the usual outrage from politicians followed. What hasn't followed is the changes that they promised. Have stricter sanctions been introduced for landlords who breach health and safety? No. Has a clear definition of overcrowding been inserted into housing legislation which hasn't been updated since 1966? No. Are tenants still being crammed into houses across Dublin so landlords can maximise profits? Yes. So no, Mr Doyle, your video about "throwing the tenants in, packing them tight and collecting the money" wasn't very funny. In March, he met with Murphy to bring forward measures to help renters and landlords who owe money to their lenders during Covid-19. In the space of three months, he's gone from seeking solutions to mocking those living in overcrowding conditions to generate publicity for his business. Sinn Fein's housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin described it as "distasteful". What's even more distasteful is the Government's lack of appetite to do anything about the people who genuinely have to eat meals in the bedroom of their overcrowded house. West Point As the nation continues to grapple with its racial past, President Donald Trump urged West Point's graduating class Saturday to "never forget" the legacy of soldiers before them who fought a bloody war to "extinguish the evil of slavery. Trump's appeal to remember history came as his own relationship with the military is under strain from the unrelenting criticism he and Pentagon leaders have faced over their response to protests that erupted after George Floyd's death in Minneapolis. It also came hours after Trump made what amounted to a rare concession for him: He rescheduled a campaign rally planned for Tulsa, Okla., on June 19. The day marks the end of slavery in the U.S., and Tulsa was the scene of a fiery white-on-black attack in 1921. "What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment," Trump told more than 1,100 graduates at an unusual outdoor ceremony held during a pandemic. "When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal." In the past two weeks, Trump has yelled at Defense Secretary Mark Esper for publicly opposing his call to deploy active-duty troops to quell the protests stemming from the killing of Floyd, who was black, by a white Minneapolis police officer. Trump also shut down Esper's attempt to begin a public debate on removing the names of Confederate Army officers some of whom trained at West Point from military bases, an idea gaining momentum across the country. Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, risked Trump's ire Thursday by declaring he had made "a mistake" by accompanying Trump on a June 1 walk through Lafayette Square. It ended with the president posing with a Bible outside a boarded-up St. John's Church. Milley's comments amounted to an extraordinary expression of regret by Trump's chief military adviser, who said his appearance led to the perception of the military becoming embroiled in politics, which in his view one shared by Esper is a threat to democracy. The events have stirred debate within the military and among retired officers. More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter reminding the Class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics. The letter, published this week on Medium, also alluded to the problems Esper and Milley encountered at the White House after Floyd's death. "Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests," they wrote. "Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events. The principle of civilian control is central to the military profession. But that principle does not imply blind obedience." During the commencement ceremony, protesters denounced the president from boats and kayaks along the nearby Hudson River. Trump also used his first West Point address to remind the newly commissioned officers of the academy's history and storied generals like Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower. "It was on this soil that American patriots held the most vital fortress in our war for independence," Trump said. He said the U.S. Military Academy "gave us the men and women who fought and won a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery within one lifetime of our founding." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "This is your history. This is the legacy that each of you inherits," Trump continued, adding that it was bought with American blood spilled in battle. "You must never forget it." Trump, however, was incorrect to say women had been trained at West Point for the anti-slavery fight; they were not allowed to become cadets until 1976. His remarks also overlooked numerous West Point graduates who served in the Confederate army, including Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Braxton Bragg. Some are now seeking the removal of Bragg's name from North Carolina's Fort Bragg. In the speech, Trump leaned into his "America first" brand of foreign policy without uttering the phrase, telling the Army's newest officers their job is "not to rebuild foreign nations, but to defend and defend strongly our nation from our foreign enemies." "It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never heard of." He said America is not the "policeman of the world," but warned adversaries that it will "never, ever hesitate" to act when its people are threatened. He thanked those in the military who helped the country respond to the coronavirus, once again calling it an "invisible enemy" from China. The president stressed the unity of a graduating class that came "from every race, religion, color and creed." The class also includes citizens of 11 other countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, South Korea and Tanzania. Trump highlighted bigger defense budgets under his watch but falsely said he had destroyed 100 percent of the Islamic State caliphate in the Middle East; the group still poses a threat to the U.S. Jharkhand Independent MLA Saryu Roy has agreed to support the BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate in the June 19 election, party MP Nishikant Dubey said on Saturday. With the support of Roy, a former BJP leader, the saffron party is inching closure to ensuring victory of its nominee, state unit chief Deepak Prakash. The BJP has 25 MLAs in the 82-member Jharkhand Assembly and requires support of at least two more legislators to secure a Rajya Sabha seat. Elections for two Rajya Sabha seats from the state are scheduled for June 19. The BJP, Congress and the JMM have fielded one candidate each, necessitating a contest. "I requested Saryu Roy-ji to support his old friend Deepak Prakash. I am grateful to him that he has accepted my request," Dubey tweeted, adding that this has frustrated the plans of the Congress to secure a victory for its candidate. In response, Roy tweeted, "Nishikant ji's tweet matters. I am no more confused. Better get over the confusion rather let it be worst confounded (sic)." When contacted by PTI, the Independent MLA said he was responding to the BJP's request "in a positive manner". The effective strength of legislators for the Rajya Sabha election in Jharkhand is 79 as two seats are vacant and one member is nominated without voting right. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesBY: ALI DUKAKIS, ABC NEWS (WASHINGTON) -- For many free-spirited Americans, a face mask may feel like an uncomfortable blot on personal expression. But as states slowly begin to ease coronavirus restrictions, some medical experts are trying to put a happier face on those coverings -- touting them as a symbol of kindness and a tool in the effort to slow viral spread. "It is really part of our social contract," said Dr. Lisa Maragakis, senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins University. "It's an act that we're doing to protect other people." Using masks as an everyday accessory has not come quickly or easily for the nation. Almost from day one, masks have been pushing political buttons. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sought to lend some old-fashioned machismo to the cloth covering this week. "Real men wear masks," she declared in her weekly news conference on Thursday. But on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue, President Donald Trump seemed to think there was something un-manly about the masks. Even as his own federal health officials began strongly advising their use, he has resisted appearing in public wearing one. "I didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it," he said recently after appearing at a Detroit auto factory without one before cameras. He reportedly wore one on a private tour of the facility, where masks are required. There have been signs the face coverings could be turning into another reason for skirmish in the nation's ongoing culture war, with conservatives like Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins among a small group from Congress resisting the accessory. Higgins went on CNN recently to declare the masks a form of "dehumanization." "Can you smell through that mask?" he asked. "Then you're not stopping any sort of a virus." But medical experts have been increasingly vocal in their confidence that face coverings do play an important role, along with social distancing and frequent hand-washing, in keeping the coronavirus from surging across communities. One new peer-reviewed research paper from the journal of the National Academy of Sciences reported that decisions about mandatory face coverings are central to mitigating the pandemic's impact. With respiratory droplets being "the dominant route" for the spread of COVID-19, the researchers found that using masks "significantly reduces the number of infections." The scientists note that other mitigation measures along, even social distancing, "are insufficient by themselves in protecting the public." Another study, published by The Lancet medical journal earlier this month, also found that masks, in combination with social distancing and hand-washing, could help control the virus's spread. Maragakis said she doesn't believe the material used to make the face covering is as important as keeping airborne droplets from spreading. "If you have a cloth mask that you've made, or that was made for you, if you've taken a bandana or something to put over your face, that's going to serve that purpose of catching the respiratory droplets," she said. Even among scientists, though, there is not uniform agreement on benefits of masks and what kinds of masks make a difference. There is a small faction of infectious disease experts who don't believe there's sufficient data to support the mask wearing as a mandatory complement to social distancing. Dr. Amesh Adalja, of the Infectious Disease Society of America, told ABC News he has yet to see "a lot of direct evidence" to support the recommendation -- especially when those coverings are homemade. Adalja cited New Zealand, where viral spread has largely dissipated, as a place where the infection was controlled without widespread use of masks. "I think it's there's a lot of back and forth on this that's going on in a debate in the scientific and medical community," Adalji said. "If you can social distance then technically you don't necessarily need a mask." Whether scientists can prevent masks from becoming prey in the culture wars remains to be seen. Dr. Jay Bhatt, former medical chief at the American Hospital Association and an ABC News contributor, said he is hoping people from all political persuasions will decide that masks make sense in the midst of this crisis. "Wearing masks once you step outside your home is a way to keep you, your family and America safe," Bhatt said. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Poor Quality Masks Led to Massive Price Drop of Raw Materials in China Honest News Straight to Your Home. Try the Epoch Times yourself, and get a free gift. In the wake of the global CCP virus pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party has attempted to enhance its international image by exporting large quantities of masks to overseas countries. But the poor quality of the masks was exposed along with demands to return the products. Presently, overseas orders have decreased tremendously, causing the price of raw materials such as non-woven fabric, which was once in high demand, to also decrease drastically. Chinese media Security Times (STCN) claimed in an article that, recently in China, the price of low-quality non-woven fabric has decreased from 450,000 yuan ($63,700 USD) to 2,000 yuan ($280 USD) per ton and the price of high-quality nonwoven fabric has also dropped from 650,000 yuan ($92,000 USD) to 400,000 yuan ($56,600 USD) per ton in just 6 days. STCN interviewed Ms. Xu, an investor in mask production in Yangzhong City, Jiangsu Province, China, and she indicated that the manufacturing machine for the non-woven fabric was sold for 12,000 yuan ($1,700 USD) per unit before the epidemic. The price per unit increased to 30,000 yuan ($4,200 USD) after the outbreak and it once reached a peak of 150,000 yuan ($21,200 USD) per unit. However, this crazy price increase only continued until April 15th when the government suddenly decided to cease all production of the non-woven fabric. Ms. Hsu revealed that there were rumors about a total of 5,000 machines in Yangzhong City at that time and many people lost money because the government suddenly ceased the production altogether. The non-woven fabric was once sold for 450,000 yuan ($63,700 USD) but suddenly it was worth only 2,000 yuan ($280 USD). Now, even the production machines are sold for just 10,000 yuan ($1,400 USD), but nobody wants to buy them. The machines are now sold as metal scrap. The mask factory owner in Xiantao City in Hubei Province said: I own the largest mask production plant in Xiantao City, but the masks dont sell well now. If you want to export masks now, the production cost is pretty low right now because the selling price has decreased drastically, its sold for about a little over 10 cents ($0.01 USD) per mask. Since the domestic market has been saturated, the demand for masks is not as high as before so the price has been declining. The factory owner further indicated to NTD that the exports of masks have been decreasing nonstop. He said: Some time ago, the customs were very strict and detained a lot of masks, so the export volume was very, very little. It was not very good but it depends on how you export the masks. We have a lot of masks here sold for a little over 10 cents ($0.01 USD). Owners from Zhejiang Province and Shandong Province collected the masks and later exported them. Another person in charge of a mask manufacturing business in Hunan also told the media that, before April, any quality of nonwoven fabric could be sold for more than 400,000 yuan ($56,600 USD), but not anymore. Public information reveals that there are three levels of filtering efficiency of non-woven fabric, namely, 90, 95, and 99, which are able to filter 90%, 95%, and 99% of non-oily particles respectively. The nonwoven fabrics that are above the 95 level are considered to have met the standard, anything below 80 level is basically junk. Nevertheless, many netizens exposed the fact that many non-woven fabrics below 80 level have been sold for 400,000 yuan ($56,600 USD) to 500,000 yuan ($70,700 USD) per ton during the pandemic. The masks were scarce in the domestic market and no one cared about the quality and standards. Right now, the wholesale price of the cheapest non-woven fabric is only 13 cents ($0.02 USD) and there are suppliers who simply give the fabric to clients for free. Gao Weibang, a Taiwanese entrepreneur and social activist, said: Integrity is the foundation of business but the mask businesses under the system of the Chinese Communist regime have no quality control. When importers found out that these masks are below standards, they wont be willing to use them because this is medical equipment that endangers the safety of life. Before, when the world was in high demand for masks, you could increase the price because you had lots of them, but when you lied to the world, how could you expect others to repurchase your masks? As a result, the price plummeted. Previously, Tech Planet, a subsidiary of Chinas tech media, interviewed a mask export middleman, Chen Guo-Hua, who exposed many disruptions in mask production in China. These disruptions include uncertified mask manufacturing plants profiteering and 60 percent of mask factories in the market that have no sterility control. Gao Weibang continued saying: The Chinese government has never complied with these international regulations, whether in the past or at present, so I think the CCP will never rebuild mask businesses or medical supplies businesses, and no one will ever purchase these unqualified masks. In fact, western countries are trying to decouple from the CCP, not just in the area of medical supplies. Of course, the economy in China is declining massively, and eventually, China will be locked out and no one will want to deal with them. Outsider analysis indicated that the CCPs mask diplomacy has been a complete failure, which in turn has accelerated the bankruptcy of Chinese mask manufacturers. And the problems extended by the pandemic have led the world to recognize the truth about the Chinese Communist Party and speed up its disengagement. Reduced demand and fluctuating currency exchange rates are the 'main causes' for the downturn in the sheep wool sector, NFU Cymru has said. Wool is experiencing significant price reductions as the world market comes under pressure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the situation, there have been fewer auctions and a reduced demand in wool across the globe. As a result, the British Wool Marketing Board still has around 9m kgs of unsold stock out of a total 2019/20 clip of 27m kgs of wool to sell. The board announced last week that it was unable to pay an advance payment for 2020 wool. British Wool guaranteed that they would continue to take wool from registered producers - but payment would not arrive until May 2021. Wyn Evans, NFU Cymru livestock board chairman, said that as a sheep producer, his business - like other producers - was suffering from low wool prices. Wool is a bulky product with significant transport costs, and for many the use of shearing contractors is the only option to clip the wool - both are costs that cannot be avoided," he said. "With wool value being very low per kilo for many grades, particularly those from the hills, this process now comes at a cost to the business. "On a per head basis this may not be large, but the cumulative costs affects the bottom line of an enterprise, where gross margins are already under pressure." He said that British Wool applied for a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan (CBILS) from the government, something that was 'fully supported' by NFU Cymru. But the boards application was turned down as they were considered an 'arms-length' body of government. "This is a disappointing stance as the government guaranteed wool prices were stopped in 1993 and we believe that British Wool should be treated as a private sector business owned by its producers, Mr Evans said. He added that now 'more than ever' the sheep sector needed a 'strong' Wool Marketing Board that guaranteed all wool is collected. "We cannot control world events and wool is a global commodity. However, with the right marketing I believe there is a lot we can do domestically to improve prices and demand." Producers have also called for the value of wool products to be recognised by consumers, including the environmental benefits of clothes made from natural fibres and their thermal value. Mr Evans said much more was needed to be done to sell this natural product via a 'concerted campaign'. "There is no better or safer insulator for houses, and wool is a material that can be safely disposed of at the end of its life without any negative environmental impacts," he said. Appreciations View(s): Together we lived and fought Wing Commander Eksith Peiris June 19, 1985, was perhaps yet another day for my brother Eksith, and he would have woken up to the plans he had for the day, at the detachment of the Sri Lankan Air Force in Batticaloa. The previous week he had faced the tragic loss of his colleague, Flight Lieutenant Viren De Mel, who had bled to death after a confrontation with the terrorists. His assessment of the incident was that there were no efficient casualty evacuation systems of troops in combat when under fire and hence was the cause of his death. Haunting Eksith was this incident and he was devising methods and systems to evacuate casualties. That morning he was determined to train his Commando team in pursuing his plan. He had a hard mornings training, rappelling down from the helicopter at the end. Perhaps he misjudged the height, or the pilot lifted the helicopter inadvertently and Eksith came down to the end of the rope when it was around 30 to 40 feet above the ground. He let go the rope and came crashing down. The man he was, he stood up walked up to the jeep and asked that he be taken to hospital. There was a series of misadventures that followed culminating in his death in the aircraft that was flying him back to Colombo. The rest of what happened, I shall not dwell on. It happened, he died, my parents, my sister and I, lost a son and a brother. Who would care beyond that? He was the founding father of the Commando outfit of the Sri Lanka Air Force and was an officer who was a determined fighter on the ground. He was bold, daring and courageous beyond the call of duty disregarding the inherent disadvantage of his height at six foot six inches, he often stood out like a sore thumb attracting enemy fire but that did not deter him from his drive to counter terrorists when the necessity demanded. Throughout his career he had stood out; as a Cadet under training, carrying away all the awards including that of the Best Cadet; he excelled in his written work on courses he attended in India once again being awarded some form of a commendation as the best student. I knew that he was a trail-blazer, always looking for innovative systems to improve the ground combat role of the Air Force. He lived and died for the job he loved. We had wonderful times in our small family with a sister who was years younger than us. Even today, my mother at 94 years lying semi-conscious, my sister and I live in the hope of the meeting on that beautiful shore. When we lost him at that very young age, all of us were unable to understand the sorrow and the emptiness that befell us. There is no doubt that we are not the only ones in the 30-year confrontation to feel that way, but for us our sorrow and loss were too deep to comprehend. I recall the time we decided to fly a kite. He was barely five and I seven and he wanted to join me. He crept through a barbed wire fence over a strand too high and the next I knew he was hanging there, his skin entangled in the barbs. He called out to me to disentangle him, but there wasnt a whimper. I tried my best but it did more damage to the extent that he ended up with eight stitches and yet there was no cry. That was a good start to his gutty life. There were many such incidents I could relate. Once during school holidays, he and I were practising with a rugger ball and even at that stage he towered above me. I tackled him going too far below the knee and he broke his tibia in two. Not just fractured but the bottom part was dangling held by the skin. He hobbled on one leg till we found a car and took him to hospital. But no cry or agonising in pain. He was tough, but gentle. He was very protective of my sister and I remember him dealing with six schoolboys who were teasing her when she was returning from school. My father had to appear on the scene and save the day the boys by now were in a drain. When we were young, my mother took great pride in dressing us in similar outfits and he was always made to stand a step behind me. He didnt care, never fought to get ahead of me, even in sport or academics, though I must admit he was the better at both. We grew up with great affection for each other. He was always the obedient, mild mannered younger brother. As a family we grew up learning to obey God, love human beings and animals, relatives and friends, nature and creation. The values that our parents taught us stood us in good stead throughout our lives and these values I am sure helped us both as we served the nation in the services. It was not a job but a passion to serve the nation. Family life was one of love and attachment, sharing and caring. We had our ups and downs; sometimes financially, at other times by misfortune but God never let us down. We were brought up in a faith that was unshakeable, never flaunted and taught to love the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul. I remember when we were following our confirmation classes together my attention towards those of the fairer sex was distracting me. I thought it was quite natural. But my brother gave me a telling off that I never forgot. I have so many memories that I can reflect on. I have left out our service life together which was in a sense the highlight. The times we fought together on the field, the times I defended his impetuous actions against the authorities particularly those in Parliament. There were many fools he couldnt suffer he had a fairly short temper. He loved his family. He stood for what was right, with strong principles, never compromising on his honesty and integrity. He never let his men down and finally and above all, he loved his God. This was a melody my mother would sing to the two of us: Why would I leave you crying When there is room on my horse for two, Climb up here and dont be crying I can go just as fast with two, When we grow up we will both be soldiers And our horses will not be toys And I wonder if we will remember when we were two little boys. Rest in peace my brother, we shall meet on that beautiful shore. Sunil Peiris Tribute to my guru N. R. M. DALUWATTE, PC I read with interest and sadness the appreciation by Vibhavi Ranasinghe in the Sunday Times of June 7, of my beloved guru of Property Law, the late N. R. M. Daluwatte, PC, titled Hulftsdorp may never see the likes of this gentleman ever again. I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments expressed in her article about this great lawyer and visiting lecturer of property law during the 1970s. My father, late S. P. Wijayatilake, Crown Proctor of Matale, had related to me long years ago, stories of how he had travelled to Japan with Mr. Daluwattes father to attend the famous conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists as delegates of the Sri Lankan contingent headed by Prof. G. P. Malalasekera in the 1950s. Since then they had been in close contact and later his son N. R. M. Daluwatte became a close friend of my fathers. Being a leading civil lawyer in Matale, my father used to retain Mr. Daluwatte as junior counsel to Harry Jayawardene Q. C. in all his appeal cases in Colombo. I remember my father speaking very highly about my gurus honesty, integrity and conscientiousness as an efficient junior to Mr. Jayawardene who at that time was the leader in the Appeal and Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. I remember my father complimenting N. R. M. for his comprehensive study of the briefs sent to him. Often N. R. M. would send many a query requesting my father to instruct him further on the subject. I came to know N. R. M. personally when I myself was a pupil of his when I was a law student from 1971 to 1974. N. R. M. was always fully prepared with his lectures on property law and it was very interesting as he was thorough and meticulous in his presentation. Among my batchmates who followed his lectures were late C. R. de Silva, former Attorney General, Shirani Thilakawardena, retired Supreme Court judge, Rienzie Arsecularatne P. C., Harsha Soza P. C. and late Ranbanda Seneveiratne to mention a few. I can remember Ms Thilakawardena nee Burhan posing many an interesting question to Mr. Daluwatte after his lectures to which he responded swiftly and with humour. I vividly remember in 1973 when I was busy getting ready to contest for the post of secretary of the Law Students Union, N. R. M. met me in the corridors of Law College and warned me that I was neglecting my studies and to get on with the main purpose for which I had entered Law College. I gratefully accepted his advice given in good faith and gave priority to my studies and ended with an Honours pass. I would like to add to Vibhavis view that Hulftsdorp may never see the likes of this gentleman ever again with Law College may never see again a lecturer like N. R. M. Daluwatte PC, an outstanding guru. I also noted Vibhavi reminding the reader that once he openly objected to an appointment of a judge to the Supreme Court and thereafter never appeared before that judge. That shows his independence and strength of character. He always followed the highest traditions of the profession and spoke on behalf of the legal fraternity when the necessity arose, a rare quality in a senior lawyer. I hope Hulftsdorp will see many a lawyer with high principles and traditions as my late guru N. R. M. Daluwatte. May he attain the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana. Indrakumar Wijayatilake Representative image A powerful bomb blast ripped through a crowded market in Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday, killing one person and injuring 15 others. The explosion occurred in Saddar area of the city, which is not far away from the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army. Police spokesperson Sajidul Hassan told Dawn News that initial reports suggest that the explosive material was planted in a nearby electric pole. Properties around the site of the explosion have also been badly damaged in the blast that killed one person and injured 15, including two children. Authorities have cordoned off the area and rescue efforts are underway. The police spokesperson said that investigative teams and people from the forensics science lab were collecting evidence from the area. The spokesperson said that the blast was an "attempt at organised terrorism but those playing with the lives of the public would not be able to escape the law." No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, which occurred when the country is battling the coronavirus pandemic. The anti-vaccination movement is no longer the domain of fringe-dwellers. Now its champions are high-profile social influencers like Pete Evans and Miranda Kerrs mother, Theresa and it will take a concerted government effort to beat them back from the mainstream. Social media has proved the perfect platform for those who do not believe in vaccination to spread their misinformation, particularly on Instagram, where influencers like NRL wife Shanelle Cartwright can peddle their pro-choice theories alongside their curated lifestyles to thousands of followers. Cartwright was briefly censored by Instagram last month for her views on vaccination. She has not vaccinated her children and was critical of the NRL for trying to force her husband, Titans player Bryce Cartwright, to have a flu vaccination before he could play in the restarted NRL season. But while Instagram and Facebook both say they are trying to stop the spread of misinformation on vaccinations, a report last month suggests they are not doing enough. A network map produced by a data scientist at George Washington University in the United States shows the growing reach of anti-vaccination views on Facebook. Pete Evans was subject to strong criticism from the AMA for his statements about vaccination. Credit:FanForce The report gives all the more credence to calls from Australian Medical Association President Tony Bartone last month for a new education campaign that puts science first and counters the misinformation peddled by celebrities. But that campaign has to be smart. And it has to beat the anti-vaxxers at their own game by using social media in a way that really connects with people, regardless of how unreasonable their fears might seem. More than 94 per cent of one-year-old children are immunised in Australia, up from 86 per cent in 1999, but Bartone argues that achievement is at risk. Thanks to vaccines, the world has eradicated smallpox and almost wiped out diseases with terrible, sometimes fatal consequences for children, like polio and measles (although a global surge in measles cases in 2018 resulted in the deaths of 140,000 people, mostly children). Vaccinations not only protect an individual from disease, they also protect the community through herd immunity. If enough people in a community are vaccinated against a disease, vulnerable people who cannot be vaccinated like newborn babies will be protected too. But for diseases like measles, 95 per cent of people need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. So when anti-vaxxers convince one more parent to keep their child unvaccinated, it puts those vulnerable members of our community at risk. The devastating consequences of letting your immunisation rate fall are all too apparent in Samoa, where a measles outbreak last October had by January this year resulted in almost 6000 infections and the deaths of 72 children aged under five. Immunisation levels against measles fell to about 31per cent after two babies died in 2018 shortly after receiving their measles-mumps-rubella vaccination because the nurses who administered the shots erroneously mixed them with a muscle relaxant. It was their first talks since the Kuwaiti FM took office in late 2019. Deputy PM Minh spoke highly of Kuwaits role in the Middle East. He affirmed that Vietnam stays ready to share its experience in COVID-19 response with Kuwait. Both sides agreed to work together to repatriate Vietnamese workers hurt by the pandemic from Kuwait. They expressed satisfaction about the development of traditional friendship over the past time with a two-way trade of nearly US$3.6 billion last year. The two sides emphasised priority to deepening bilateral friendship via continuing to effectively realise signed agreements, enhancing exchange to seek breakthrough solutions to bilateral links, especially after the pandemic is under control. They also proposed stepping up the exchange of high-level visits, trade and investment promotion, education and tourism collaboration. On the occasion, Deputy PM Minh invited the Kuwaiti FM to visit Vietnam next year when the two countries will celebrate the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. The Kuwaiti FM accepted the invitation with pleasure and expressed his hope to welcome Deputy PM and FM Minh to Kuwait soon. The general overseer of Victory Outreach Church and Victory Missions London, Apostle Paul Kofi Agyekum, has urged all Christian Leaders and believers to put a stop to broadcasting about their donations on social media and television for the world to see. This he said during a Facebook online service that was sighted by social media personality, Skbeatz Records. He further explained that the act of giving and donating to the needy or poor must be done in secret as the Bible tells us to do. The UK based Ghanaian preacher stressed that Christian leaders shouldnt allow the bombarding criticisms and pressure from people, saying What is the Church doing to help the needy during this pandemic era?, to influence their decision making from doing whats right and pleasing before our Maker. A few weeks ago, when a three-week partial Lockdown was declared by His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a number of Churches made effort to donate to members as well as people who were in dire need of financial support and food, facing the COVID-19 crisis. In doing so, there was video coverage of some churches donating to people and some media had it put on air. Apostle Agyekum concluded that Christians should not show off their contributions and donations on media just to prove others wrong about the help that the church also renders to the poor during the pandemic. It is not scriptural, he added. 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 teenager was killed, and two others were seriously injured when a BMW split in half during a crash Friday morning in west Harris County. The 16-year-old BMW driver was southbound on Texas Highway 6 near Loch Katrine Lane around 2:30 a.m. when the 47-year-old driver of a white Hummer pulled into the roadway, according to the Harris County Sheriffs Office. The two vehicles slammed into each other, which sent the BMW careening into a light pole. A man pleaded guilty on Thursday to falsely claiming to be Metis to justify illegal ice-fishing near Crows General Store and using a barbed hook last winter. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2020 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us A man pleaded guilty on Thursday to falsely claiming to be Metis to justify illegal ice-fishing near Crows General Store and using a barbed hook last winter. Nathan Kennedy, who represented himself, pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court to two offences under the Fisheries Act; obstructing or hindering a fishery officer carrying out duties and placing fishing gear in water or along a beach during closing time. The charges stem from a Feb. 21 incident along the Assiniboine River near the east-end attraction in Brandon. Crown Attorney Ron Toews told the court that at approximately 5:30 p.m. a Manitoba Conservation officer was conducting angling patrols when he saw Kennedy fishing near a red ice-fishing tent. The officer saw a number of fishing lines four outside the tent and two more inside. He asked to see his fishing licence and Kennedy said he had a Manitoba Metis harvester card in his truck. Harvester cards are issued by the Manitoba Metis Federation and allow specific permission above a traditional provincial fishing licence. Kennedy then went back to his truck, which was parked the parking lot, while the officer inspected the fishing lines, Toews said, adding the officer found barbed hooks on the line. When Kennedy returned he said he didnt have the harvester card with him but his girlfriend could bring it later that evening, Toews said. The officer told him to pack up his fishing gear until he could prove he held the card, or purchase a fishing licence. Toews said Kennedy then remembered he had a valid angling licence with him and was allowed to continue fishing with two lines. He was given a deadline of three days later to produce his harvester card. By early March, Manitoba Conservation hadnt received proof that Kennedy had a valid harvester card, so the officer contacted the Manitoba Metis Federation to inquire. They didnt have a record of Kennedy on file as either a citizen or harvester. The officer then contacted Kennedy by phone, who hung up when questioned about his membership with the federation. Toews said Kennedy "falsely claimed" the rights of Metis people while fishing and "persisted with the deceit" to Manitoba Conservation officers in an attempt to get out of legal problems. "I think the message needs to be sent to Mr.Kennedy and anyone else who is going to falsely use protected Indigenous rights for their own personal benefit that there will be a significant financial cost," Toews said. Kennedy didnt say anything in his own defence during his guilty plea. Judge Donovan Dvorak said he was concerned that someone would falsely claim Indigenous heritage in an attempt to skirt blame. "These are rights that are sacrosanct and people shouldnt be claiming them if they dont have the authority to do so," Dvorak said. Kennedy received a $52 fine for using barbed hooks and a $750 fine for obstructing the conservation officer. dmay@brandonsun.com Twitter: @DrewMay_ 2020 is unusual. We added millions of new gun owners each month. Gun ownership has been increasing, but this year is remarkable. We bought firearms when government failed. We saw the police withdraw because of an epidemic. We saw courts put criminals back on the streets. We saw government officials overwhelmed by protests, riots, looting, and arson. We realized that we are on our own to defend ourself and the people under our care. Ive studied self defense for a few decades, and here are some unmentioned truths that new gun owners need to know. The truth is that grandma can survive a breakin and defend herself against three thugs. The secret ingredient in Grannys self-defense is that she cheats. She didnt fight fair. Neither should you. There are legal cheats that let the good guys survive. The truth is that most people do a pretty good job at defending themselves without much training. The truth is that you are not a gunfighter. A gunfighter wins because of speed and accuracy. You are a defender, and you survive because the particular way you fight makes you hard to kill. ..... BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 13 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Export of carpets from Turkey to Azerbaijan dropped by 26.1 percent from January through May 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, having made up $2 million, Turkish Trade Ministry told Trend. In May 2020, Turkeys export of carpets to Azerbaijan plunged by 48.6 percent compared to May last year and amounted to $334,000. Export of carpets from Turkey to world markets dropped by 18.3 percent from January through May 2020 compared to the same period of 2019. Turkeys export of carpets to world markets for the reporting period amounted to 1.4 percent of the countrys total export for the same period of this year. In May 2020, Turkeys export of carpets to world markets amounted to slightly over $117.3 million, which is 50.2 percent less compared to May 2019, the ministry said. Turkeys export of carpets to world markets in May this year amounted to 1.2 percent of the countrys total export. During the last twelve months (from May 2019 through May 2020), Turkey exported carpets worth over $2.3 billion. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu New Delhi: The Centre onA A announced the next set of cities for financing under the Modi-government flagship Smart City Mission. Here is the list of 27 cities (From 12 states) announced by the government onA - A 1. Agra (UP) A 2. Ajmer (Rajasthan) A 3. Amritsar (Punjab) A 4. Aurangabad (Maharasjtra) A 5. Gwalior (MP) A 6. Hubli-Dharwad (West Bengal) A 7. Jalandhar (Punjab) A 8. Kalyan-Dombiwali (Maharashtra) A 9. Kanpur (UP) 10. Kohima (Nagaland) 11. Kota (Rajasthan) 12. Madurai (Tamil Nadu) 13. Mangaluru (Karnataka) 14. Nagpur (Maharashtra) 15. Namchi (Sikkim) 16. Nashik (Maharashtra) 17. Rourkela (Odisha) 18. Salem ( Tamil Nadu) 19. Shivamogga (Karnataka) 20. Thane (Maharashtra) 21. Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) 22. Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) 23. Tumakuru (Karnataka) 24. Ujjain (MP) 25. Vadodara (MP) 26. Varanasi (UP) 27. Vellore (Tamil Nadu) One each from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Nagaland and Sikkim #SmartCities a ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 5 from Maharashtra, 4 each from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, 3 from UP 2 each from Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh #SmartCities a ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 As per the Misison guidelines, as many as 40 cities have to be announced during this financial year. As the government had already announced 13 cities in May, a slot of 27 cities remained vacant against which the announcement would be made by Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah NaiduA . In January, the government had announced a list of 20 cities for partial funding to be developed as smart cities which would have facilities such as assured water and power supply, sanitation and solid waste management systems, efficient urban mobility and public transportation, IT connectivity and e-governance, among others. Each city will receive Central assistance of Rs 200 crore in the first year and Rs 100 crore over the three subsequent financial years. State governments and respective urban local bodies will also match the Centre's contribution. The Modi-government aims to transform about 100 cities by 2019-20, with the Centre providing financial support of Rs 48,000 crore over five years.A For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Weatherford International stockholders unseated three board members of the troubled oil field service company in a Friday morning vote in Houston. Chairman Thomas Bates and board members John Glick and Gordon Hall were ousted, the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Weatherford didnt reply for comment, but under the companys bylaws, the remaining board members can fill the vacancies with new member who would stand for election at next years annual meeting. New York investment management firm D.E. Shaw Group led the campaign to sack Bates, Glick and Hall, citing decisions theyd made that it believed were not in the interest of the company or shareholders. D.E. Shaw Group officials didnt reply to requests for comment. Weatherford defended the three men. Against the challenging macro environment, we have taken important actions to reduce costs and preserve liquidity, the company said in a statement last week. We have done and will continue to do what we believe is in the best interest of the company. We respect the views of all our shareholders, but disagree with D.E. Shaws position and intend to engage directly with our shareholders with regard to the annual meeting. The stockholder vote comes less than a week after Weatherford CEO Mark McCollum left the company amid a debt crisis that could lead to the companys second bankruptcy filing in less than a year. Weatherford, which is headquartered in Switzerland with principal offices in Houston, emerged from bankruptcy in December and lost $966 million in the first-quarter amid the ongoing oil bust. Although the company was able to shed two-thirds of its debt while in bankruptcy, industry observers say Weatherford still has too much debt and might also be in jeopardy of violating financial covenants in which a company agrees to maintain a certain amount of cash and keep debt below a certain level. Weatherford joins Houston-based Occidental Petroleum in facing an activist investor seeking to shake things up in recent months. Billionaire Carl Icahn last month won three board seats to oversee Houston oil company Occidental Petroleum. University of Houston Economics Professor Ed Hirs said it was extremely unusual to see an investor such as D.E. Shaw to campaign for the ouster of board members without proposing an alternative slate. But, Hirs said, it wasnt surprising given Weatherfords poor financial performance. If youre a company in a situation where you may wind up filing for bankruptcy again, you need to be looking after not the shareholders but also the creditors, Hirs said. sergio.chapa@chron.com Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: Are elephants prone to corona infections like humans? To find out the truth, Rajasthan has started testing jumbos in Jaipur for coronavirus. The Pink City is home to over a hundred elephants who mostly live in the Hathi Gaon or Elephant Village close to the historic Amber Fort. With this, Rajasthan has notched up another first in the Covid-19 battle. The state has now become the first in the country to hold a camp to test jumbos. Guided by their mahouts wearing masks and gloves, the elephants stood in a queue, maintaining a social distancing at the special Corona Camp in Kunda village near Amber Fort. A Medical Board consisting of three veterinary doctors examined the eyes, nose, and other parts of each elephant. Besides blood samples, trunk wash, oral, nasal, urine, and fecal samples of the jumbos were taken to ensure effective tests. As the jumbos are not used to giving blood samples, doctors took special care of the gentle giants while collecting their samples and they were fed with watermelons after giving their samples. The three-day annual testing of the elephants concluded on Saturday on the outskirts of Jaipur, which is home to more than 110 elephants. Sixty-three of them live in the Elephant Village and 50 live with owners in areas around the famous Amber Fort. This unique effort to test elephants for coronavirus has been jointly organised by Rajasthans Forest Department in collaboration with the Hathi Gaon Vikas Samiti. Similar camps to check elephants for various ailments are held in Jaipur every six months but this is the first time that the jumbos are being tested for the coronavirus infection. Dr. Arvind Mathur, Senior Veternary Officer of the Jaipur Zoo who was a part of the Medical Board that examined the elephants remarked, As these elephants are used for tourism purposes, its good that they should be fully screened. Since the corona pandemic is around, it was felt that these animals should be tested. Swabs have been taken from elephants for the first time in Rajasthan. Besides testing the elephants for COVID-19, the medical Board examined the jumbos on a variety of parameters. Dr. Rajesh Sharma, the Deputy Director, PolyClinic, Jaipur remarked, "While there are no reported cases of corona in elephants, we have done this testing for preventive purposes. Since the coronavirus is spreading so fast, our Medical Board felt that besides samples for routine diseases, we should collect for corona also. We have collected 100 samples and for testing Covid-19 we will send the samples on a random basis to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly to test it on RT PCR Machines. The president of the Hathi Gaon Vikas Samiti, Ballu Khan said getting the jumbos tested for coronavirus will keep the elephants healthy and boost the confidence of visitors who come to take the elephant ride at Amber fort. He added that about 8,000 families are directly or indirectly dependent on the jumbos. According to Dr. Arvind Mathur, results of the tests on the elephants are expected to arrive in about 7 to 10 days. For centuries, elephants have been a part of Jaipurs royal heritage. In recent decades, elephant rides at the historic Amber fort have been a prime tourist attraction of the Pink City. Due to the rides they provide to tourists, the elephants are often come in close contact with their caretakers. Despite losing all their income due to the lockdown over the corona pandemic, mahouts here have taken special care of the elephants at Amber. Recently, when a pregnant elephant was brutally killed in Kerala, Jaipurs elephants and mahouts had paid a special tribute at the Hathi Gaon located on the outskirts of the Pink City. No justice, no peace: a protester stands in front of a burning police car in Brooklyn: Richard Hall/The Independent Two Brooklyn lawyers and a woman from upstate New York have been indicted for throwing Molotov cocktails at police during protests over the killing of George Floyd. The three face up to life in prison for a variety of federal charges, including the use of explosives, arson and civil disorder. Samantha Shader, 27, is accused of throwing an explosive at an NYPD vehicle while four officers were inside it in the early hours of Saturday, 30 May. Urooj Rahman, 31, and Colinford Mattis, 32, both lawyers from Brooklyn, are both accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at an unoccupied police vehicle on the same night. Such criminal acts should never be confused with legitimate protest, said US Attorney Richard Donoghue in a statement. Those who carry out attacks on NYPD Officers or vehicles are not protesters, they are criminals, and they will be treated as such. New York witnessed violent protests across the city following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25. That initial burst of anger was followed by larger and more peaceful demonstrations that continue to this day. Although no one was injured in either of the incidents, the FBI said Ms Shader allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail which shattered two windows of an NYPD vehicle while officers were inside. Prosecutors said Ms Shader "has travelled the country committing various crimes, which include acts of violence and resisting arrest. The FBI said Rahman and Mattis threw their device into an already damaged NYPD vehicle, setting it on fire, before fleeing in their van. They were apprehended the same night, according to the charge sheet. New York has seen a historic spike in arrests since protests calling for racial justice began nearly half of which were for breaking a curfew imposed in the city to restore order. According to the Gothamist, 1,349 New Yorkers were detained for violating the curfew. Across the country, more than 10,000 people were arrested up until 4 June. Read more What the George Floyd protests really look like from on the ground National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci at the White House in Washington on April 17, 2020. (Leah Millis/Reuters) Risky to Attend Protests and Rallies, Fauci Says Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Friday that it is risky to attend a protest and advised that people who attend them wear masks and frequently wash their hands. Its a danger to the people who are trying to control the demonstration, and its a danger to the people who are demonstrating. So at the end of the day, it is a risky procedure, Fauci, the head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on ABC Newss Powerhouse Politics podcast, referring to the recent protests over the death of George Floyd. If youre going to be in a situation where, beyond your control, theres a lot of people around you, make sure you wear a mask, he added. When asked whether the advice applies to campaign rallies, such as those that President Donald Trump plans to hold, Fauci said yes. I am consistent, I stick by what I say, Fauci said. Fauci said that the best way to avoid acquiring or transmitting infection is to avoid crowded places, to wear a mask whenever youre outside. And if you can do both, avoid the congregation of people and do the mask, thats great, he added. Related Coverage Trump to Resume Campaign Rallies After Months-Long Break Trump is set to hold a rally next Friday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at an indoor venue, the first rally in months. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance on Friday that encouraged people to use cloth face coverings at indoor or outdoor events or gatherings, and strongly encouraged them to wear the cloth coverings in settings where individuals might raise their voice (e.g., shouting, chanting, singing). Fauci told the news station that he still has routine meetings with public health officials, and still meets with the president, but less frequently. He added that he believes a vaccine will be available by the end of the year. My message is for people to please hang in there. We will get through this. This will end. It will end with a combination of public health measures and ultimately science coming in and getting durable solutions such as treatments and vaccines, Fauci said. He expressed less confidence at the thought of a vaccine approved by China, compared to the United States or European countries. I know from experience that the material that has come out of there has been material that has not been first rate, he said, later adding, I dont have the confidence [in the Chinese regime] that I have in our own regulatory authorities or in the European regulatory authorities. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2020 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The first rule of watch club is you do not talk about watch club. Rick, a semi-retired internet consultant, and Paul, a professor of medicine, are the founders of Winnipeg Watch Enthusiasts, an eight-year-old organization comprised of people who, according to the groups website, "have a high level of enthusiasm" for timepieces of all descriptions. Because individual collections are often quite valuable, members refrain from revealing their full name while participating in online forums, let alone when theyre seated in Ricks three-season sunroom, detailing the history of their club to a newspaper scribe. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSMembers of the Winnipeg Watch Enthusiastsclub which has close to 400 members who normally meet for dinner and drinks every four months, but are forced to meet via Zoom these days.200608 - Monday, June 08, 2020. Paul, whose internet handle is WpgWatchDoc, says the reason for the shroud of secrecy is simple. While one must officially belong to Winnipeg Watch Enthusiasts in order to post messages, you dont have to be a member to peruse those same entries. So when a person is discussing a new $30,000 Rolex or 100-year-old pocket watch worth two or three times that amount, they prefer to maintain their anonymity, he explains. Since the clubs inception in 2012, members have hooked up in a private room at a local restaurant or lounge every three months to talk shop while admiring one anothers latest finds. When large get-togethers such as theirs were temporarily shelved owing to COVID-19, Rick, or RickG as hes known online, Paul and the rest of their horological gang, mostly age 40 and up, suddenly found they had, um... some time to kill. "Like everybody else, we decided to try meeting online instead to see if that would work for us or not," Rick says, mentioning to his knowledge, Winnipeg Watch Enthusiasts is the largest club of its kind in the world whose members meet in person on a regular basis. "It actually went better than expected because we were able to invite a TAG (Heuer) representative from Minneapolis to attend, which wouldnt have occurred otherwise. Right now through Zoom, were actually meeting more often than we would have, had we been able to get together face to face." Rick has been fascinated by watches, particularly how their dozens of miniature parts work together seamlessly in such a compact setting, ever since his parents gave him a Timex for his 10th birthday, 50-some years ago. In 2012 he picked up a limited edition, Swiss-made Hamilton watch at Independent Jewellers on Notre Dame Avenue, at the time the only dealer in the city that was selling that particular model. A few weeks later, while he was visiting his ailing mother at the hospital, he noticed that her attending physician, who turned out to be Paul, was wearing the exact same Hamilton watch. "After I was done discussing his mothers condition with the two of them, Rick asked if he could have a word with me out in the hall," Paul says. "In my mind I was thinking, OK, here it comes, I must have said something to upset him. Instead the first thing out of his mouth was, Where the heck did you get that? pointing at my wrist." As they continued to chat, the two discovered they shared a mutual passion for watches. Paul, in his 50s, guesses he was 10 or 11 years old when he received his first watch as a Christmas present. Before parting ways, Rick suggested they resume their conversation over lunch or coffee, this time to discuss the possibility of forming a club devoted to their joint interest. "Deal," Paul replied. The first person Rick enlisted after he and Paul established WWE was his friend Al, a technology professional with a soft spot for watches bearing a science fiction theme. After developing a website, the three of them began dropping off posters and business cards advertising their endeavour to every retail outlet in town they could think of that sold or repaired watches. "We were familiar with a club in Edmonton that had between 12 and 20 members, so we told ourselves if we got 25 wed be laughing," says Al, a.k.a. Big Al. "Except it didnt take long before we had close to 100 people sign up." A typical meeting, in person or on Zoom, goes something like this. Rick and Paul will call things to order, making sure to introduce any new members. While living in Manitoba is a condition of joining besides Winnipeg there are members from Brandon, Steinbach and Portage la Prairie the club does allow five "imports" per year, Rick says, noting one person who took advantage of that rule is a six-time Grammy Award winner based in the United States. (Again, mums the word as to who that might be.) Next, everybody takes a turn letting the room know what specific watch theyre sporting that day. Al says there are lots of club members like him who maintain a "rotation," that is, they wear a different watch for every day of the week or month, starting over when they get to the end of their personal cycle. "Following that, we usually have a presentation of some sort, or people will discuss their so-called holy grails, watches theyre specifically on the lookout for," Paul explains, adding a majority of members buy, sell or trade among one another. "Finally, well grab some dinner if were at a restaurant usually its just a buffet sort of thing then basically shoot the breeze till 9:30 or 10, mingling with everybody in the room." Rick says members, close to 400 at last count, including a handful of women, tend to fall into one of two categories. Some, like him, dont concentrate on one brand or style of watch in particular but rather ones that simply catch their eye. Others are more specific in their pursuit. Certain people collect only Bulova or Cartier watches, for example, while some are solely interested in divers watches or ones with an aeronautic theme. Theres even one person in the group who collects Mickey Mouse watches exclusively, he says with a smile on his face. Paul pipes in, mentioning one of his areas of expertise is Canadiana, and that one of his prized possessions is a watch made by Montreal-based Birks that carries a special connection to Winnipeg. "I had the opportunity to buy one that goes back over 100 years that was originally given to a local fellow as he was about to go off to war," he says. "If you turn it over it reads, From your friends at Dominion Life Winnipeg, 1915, and any time I wear it I feel like I have a tiny piece of history on my wrist." If theres one thing almost everybody in the club has in common its being in possession of a cherished family heirloom, Al says. He, Rick and Paul all proudly own a watch that once belonged to a parent or grandparent. In fact, Rick has a watch he pegs at 170 years old that was once the property of his great-great-great grandfather. 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 guess what I enjoy most about the club is that you can be walking around with a really nice watch on and more times than not nobody not your friends, not your family members will notice or care," Rick says, mentioning he almost always sneaks a glance at what the person in front of him in line at the bank or grocery store has on their wrist. "Its only going to be a fellow watch lover wholl actually stop you and say, Hey, great watch. Whered you get it? so its wonderful to get together with people who love the same thing you do... people who speak the same language." Oh, in case youre wondering: are people who collect watches punctual to a fault? Well, yes and no. While Rick correctly points out the only person late to todays interview by two minutes was a reporter whos never worn a watch his entire life, Al contends when you own more than one watch (he guesses he has in the neighbourhood of 50) you rarely know exactly what time it is. Unless youre diligently winding ones you have stored away and only strap on for special occasions, chances are theyre going to be off by a bit when you bring them out, he says. "That, and Im one of those people whos always of the mindset I can do one more thing before I absolutely have to leave the house," he says with a laugh. "Ill be in the driveway about to get into the car and go, Wait, I probably have time to change again or take out the trash." david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca The Burundian president died from the coronavirus, according to medics at the hospital where he was flown to following his death. The country's government had announced Pierre Nkurunziza's cause of death as from a heart attack. A medical source at the Karusi hospital where Nkurunziza died, has confirmed the president was in 'respiratory distress' before his death. Medics at the Kamenge university hospital in Bujumbura told AFP that the head of the institute of public health requested their hospital's only ventilator and the head of our reanimation service 'in the name of the presidency' on Monday at 10am'. The president was flown to the hospital in Karusi, but it was 'too late,' he was 'already dead,' a medical source in Karusi said. The country's government had announced Pierre Nkurunziza's (pictured right) cause of death as from a heart attack. Evariste Ndayishimiye who will be the next president (pictured left) Suspicions had been high the president had Covid-19 after his wife was hospitalised at the end of May with the virus. A medical document seen by AFP said she had tested positive for the virus and suffered 'respiratory distress.' The African country announced Nkurunziza's 'unexpected' death on June 9 declaring a national week of mourning. The government has yet to announce a date for his funeral, but is marking the seven-day period of national mourning, during which it has banned music in bars, nightclubs and karaoke, a statement said Thursday. Nkurunziza had reportedly felt unwell on June 6 and 'to very great surprise' his health worsened, leading to a cardiac arrest from which he died in hospital, officials had said. His wife Denise was airlifted for coronavirus treatment in Kenya on May 30, prompting some suspicion about the president's true cause of death. Nkurunziza was due to leave office in August after a controversial 15-year term marked by claims of repression and human rights abuses. It was announced on Friday that Burundi's constitutional court has agreed that president-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye should be sworn in immediately after the death of Nkurunziza. A medical source at the Karusi hospital where Nkurunziza died, has confirmed the president had also been in 'respiratory distress' before his death Nkurunziza took office in 2005 under a power-sharing deal following a 12-year civil war which left 300,000 people dead. His decision to run for a disputed third term in 2015 plunged the country into violence, leading to hundreds more deaths. Facing allegations of widespread abuses, his government became the first country to leave the International Criminal Court in 2017. Human Rights Watch says the police and ruling party are known to carry out 'widespread human rights abuses' including killings and arbitrary arrests. Nkurunziza's party was confirmed as the winner of May's election last week, paving the way for the first peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1962. The outgoing president had backed retired army general Ndayishimiye as his successor and saw him win nearly 70 per cent of the vote. The opposition National Freedom Council (CNL), headed by Agathon Rwasa, had alleged the May 20 election was riddled with fraud and irregularities. In the event of a president's death, the constitution provides for the speaker of parliament to take over in such a situation. Legally, the Speaker of parliament, Pascal Nyabenda, should have become the interim leader. It was announced on Friday that Burundi's constitutional court has agreed that president-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye (pictured) should be sworn in immediately after the death of Nkurunziza The court ruled, however, that 'the interim period is not necessary and that...Ndayishimiye must be sworn in as soon as possible', the government said in a statement posted on Twitter. There had been uncertainty as to who was in charge in Bujumbura since the government announced Nkurunziza's death. Watchers of the country had worried about possible discord over the succession among the ranks of Burundi's powerful group of generals that might have sparked a fresh round of unrest. The statement did not say when the swearing-in would be conducted. Ndayishimiye was declared winner of the central African country's election last month after fending off a challenge from Agathon Rwasa, and was officially due to be sworn in in August. It was the country's first competitive presidential election since a civil war erupted in 1993. Burundi, which shares the same ethnic mix with its neighbour Rwanda, has been convulsed by recurring cycles of power grabs, violence and massacres since it won independence in 1962. Nkurunziza was a former rebel leader whose rule was marked by widespread brutality and repression of his opponents. Burundi's economy is also in tatters after donors, whose aid was a key source of government revenue, dropped the country amid continuing human rights violations Burundi has largely ignored the virus outbreak, taking few measures to combat its spread compared to many of its neighbours which implemented strict lockdowns and curfews, and holding an election campaign. The country has officially reported 94 cases and one death. Hispanic Star is a collective platform to unify Hispanics in the US and celebrate their contributions to the country. This is the time to unify and support each otherwithin our community and with other communities. The Hispanic Star Hubs are a powerful network of support where companies and individuals can engage and be part of change at the local level." We Are All Human, a national nonprofit whose mission is to advocate for every human to be respected and empowered by focusing on our common humanity, launched the Hispanic Star Hubs nationwide to be activated during the Hispanic Star Month of Action to bring local solutions to local priorities, particularly focused on people affected by COVID-19. Hispanic Star, a collective platform to unify Hispanics in the US and celebrate their contributions to the country, engaged Hispanic Star Hub Leaders of several major American cities during the Month of Action to activate a recovery plan or launch charitable projects to support the Hispanic community. Love Soldiers, a McAllen, Texas-based nonprofit is the Hispanic Stars operational and fundraising arm. The mission of this initiative is to mitigate the negative impact of this pandemic in our daily lives and the economy at the local level. The following are Hispanic Star Hubs who are managing specific projects in the United States. COVID-19 sanitary protocols are being enforced: The Houston Hub oversaw a food drive campaign that delivered 2,500 grocery baskets to 5,000 people in Houston. The McAllen Hub oversaw a food drive campaign that covered 18 cities in the Rio Grande Valley area. The effort brought more than 5,500 grocery baskets to more than 10,000 residents. The New Jersey Hub will oversee a campaign to help small businesses. donating $10,000 to several business owners with rent payment and strategy and consulting services. The Chicago Hub oversaw three curbside food donation drives and mask giveaways to help residents in Chicagos Little Village and Belmont-Cragin neighborhoods. In total, 2,100 boxes were given to residents. The Washington DC Hub will oversee a campaign to support small businesses. The campaign is joining efforts to donate $15,000 to several business The Los Angeles Hub is overseeing a project to enlist Los Angeles-based influencers to read ethnically diverse books as they host virtual story times for children on their social media channels. The New York Hub will oversee a campaign where 100 families will receive $50 to cover Internet access fees. Philadelphia Hub will oversee two special projects. One is the delivery of 1,000 grocery baskets during a curbside donation drive. Also, the Hub and Drexel University will join efforts to do a fundraising drive to support college students with a goal of $1,500 to provide up to three awards of $500 each. The Miami Hub will oversee the Miami Health Heroes 500 Acts of Service Campaign that thanks all these first responders who are saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Denver Hub will oversee the campaign to help 50 families with $250 to cover their utility bills. The Salt Lake City Hub will oversee a campaign that brings 1,000 donated mixed fruit and vegetable grocery baskets to support that citys Hispanic community. We Are All Human Founder and CEO Claudia Romo-Edelman is proud of these Hubs and their members stepping up to the plate to oversee projects that will encourage the public to participate in many ways. This is the time to unify and support each otherwithin our community and with other communities, she said. We need to hire from each other, support each other and mentor each other. The Hispanic Star Hubs are a powerful network of support where companies and individuals can engage and be part of change at the local level. This is even more important in an electoral year, when it is crucial to incentivize civic engagement and encourage the communitys participation in the 2020 Census and register to vote. National Hub Director and successful Latina entrepreneur Perla Tamez personally saw how these charitable projects have made a great and significant difference to Hispanics across the country. We knew of the great suffering and depression felt by many in the Hispanic community and we were ready to serve no matter how large the number of people, she said. Seeing the people line up in the cars and handing them fresh food and other essentials brought immense joy and happiness to my and my volunteers hearts because we knew we were helping even in a small way. For more information about the Hispanic Month of Action, please visit https://hispanicstar.org/. About We Are All Human The We Are All Human Foundation is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit devoted to equity, diversity and inclusion. Made up of an experienced group of marketers and sustainability activists with backgrounds from the United Nations, global affairs, media, and the corporate world, our team is committed to making change through collective action. Our purpose is to maximize the volume of diverse voices, facilitate action-oriented conversations with input from all stakeholders, research the gaps for areas of continuous improvement and support the creation of inclusive environments. For more information, please visit: https://hispanicstar.org/. About Love Soldiers Based in McAllen, Texas, Love Soldiers is a nonprofit organization that creates strategic alliances with other nonprofits, groups and community organizations to bring resources to underprivileged communities around the United States. The nonprofits mission is to activate Love Soldiers to do acts of kindness in their communities. For more information, visit http://www.thelovesoldiers.org. Da 5 Bloods star Delroy Lindo has praised the Thai film crew Spike Lee used on his new film, praising them as the real heroes of the film. Releasing on Netflix today, Da 5 Bloods tells the story of four Black US army veterans who return to Vietnam to find the body of their friend who died in the war. The film shot on location in Vietnam and Thailand, and in 2019 actor Jean Reno revealed it had been a gruelling shoot with people fainting on the set. Spike Lee admitted to Yahoo it was hard work shooting in Southeast Asia. It was 100 degrees every day, and insects, Lee tells us. Thats 37.7c for us Brits. The first day of every semester, I tell my students at NYU Grad Film: nothing is easy. This film would not be the same film if wed shot it on a Hollywood backlot. DA 5 BLOODS (L to R) ISIAH WHITLOCK JR. as MELVIN, NORM LEWIS as EDDIE, CLARKE PETERS as OTIS, DELROY LINDO as PAUL, JONATHAN MAJORS as DAVID in DA 5 BLOODS. Cr. DAVID LEE/NETFLIX 2020 Lee was committed to hiring local talent for all aspects of the production. You just cant come with that American imperialism thing, he explains in press notes for the film. I had never been to Thailand before. I had never been to Vietnam before. This is their land. This is their history. I welcomed their participation. We were shooting in 104 degrees (40c) on some days, adds Clarke Peters, who plays former medic Otis in the film. Read more: Da 5 Bloods star on playing a Trump supporter And it shows. The actors not only play their present day characters, they also play their younger selves at the height of the combat, taking part in exhausting action scenes. DA 5 BLOODS (L to R) Director SPIKE LEE, ISIAH WHITLOCK JR. as MELVIN, DELROY LINDO as PAUL, JONATHAN MAJORS as DAVID, CLARKE PETERS as OTIS and NORM LEWIS as EDDIE of DA 5 BLOODS Cr. DAVID LEE/NETFLIX 2020 You can see the sweat pouring off the actors but Delroy Lindo, who plays the Trump-supporting Paul, says it was easy work compared to the work of the crew. We were doing the heavy lifting, emotionally and psychologically, and somewhat physically, but the Thai crew that we were working with were one of the most extraordinary crews ive ever worked with. In. My. Life. DA 5 BLOODS (L to R) ISIAH WHITLOCK JR. as MELVIN, NORM LEWIS as EDDIE, DELROY LINDO as PAUL, CLARKE PETERS as OTIS and JONATHAN MAJORS as DAVID in DA 5 BLOODS Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX 2020 And they were doing literal heavy lifting, lugging hundreds of pounds of equipment up and down those hills. They did it every single day for the entirety of the shoot. And my thing is, if they can lug the hundreds and hundreds of pounds of equipment up and down that terrain, Im fine to do the heavy lifting I need to do psychologically and emotionally on this film. They were extraordinary. Da 5 Bloods releases globally on Netflix on 12 June. Watch a clip below. Death is an inevitable part of human life, and every person has their own way of dealing with it. Of course, some people also find themselves fearing death for as long as they live. For Reese Witherspoon, there is nothing really scary about death. The actress recently shared that she actually has no worries about the end of her life. Read on below to find out her reasoning. Reese Witherspoon | ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images Reese Witherspoon is very religious Witherspoon was born in New Orleans, Lousiana, and raised in Tennessee. She is an Episcopalian and has been open about how the religious community she grew up with shaped her life. She told People in 2009, as reported by the Daily Mail: [Church] takes you out of your personal experience and universalizes it. You understand that whatever youre dealing with, someone in that room has either dealt with that same thing or will in the future. We are all struggling to figure out what life is about, we are all just looking for answers. It has been reported that Witherspoon still attends Episcopalian church services in Los Angeles. Witherspoon revealed how religion helps her deal with death RELATED: Reese Witherspoon Didnt Make as Much as You Thought for Legally Blonde Witherspoons faith seems to have allowed her to deal with problems that arise in life, and death is no exception. The 44-year-old recently shared with the Los Angeles Times that she has no fear about dying because she believes there is an afterlife. Theres a time and a purpose and a place, and I dont fear death, because I know theres heaven. I know it, she said. My daughter asked me that the other day, and Im like, I dont know. I just know. I believe deeply that theres a higher power and I dont know what that is but I just dont fear dying. Witherspoon also spoke about death in 2016 on Netflixs show Chelsea with Chelsea Handler. As reported by ET, she revealed that she believes going to heaven involves getting an angel and the wings and a halo. Witherspoon used to worry about many things when she was younger RELATED: Why Reese Witherspoon Would Rather Be Funny Than Sexy It seems death was never a huge worry for Witherspoon. However, she has admitted that, like many people, she had a lot of worries about other things when she was younger. Earlier this year, she told Hello! that she is currently having the time of my life, but this was not always the case many years ago. I feel much more centred now, compared to when I was younger, she said, according to Telagana Today. I used to be worried all the time and so concerned with, Am I a good actor? Do people take me seriously? Am I funny? Am I not funny? Now, Im just calm. Part of Witherspoons contentment about life seems to be the exciting projects she is taking on. She co-founded a production company called Hello Sunshine, which turns women-centric novels into movies and series. It has been the force behind successful films like Wild (2014) and Gone Girl (2014) as well as shows like Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, and Little Fires Everywhere. 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. Mehret Eyob says customers at Galani Coffee where she works are frequently frustrated by internet outages / AFP 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. For Sisay Alebachew, a food delivery driver in Addis, poor telecoms can wreck a day's work / AFP "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." Ukraine Becomes NATO Partner With Enhanced Opportunities Sputnik News 14:36 GMT 12.06.2020(updated 16:13 GMT 12.06.2020) KIEV (Sputnik) - Ukraine has acquired the status of a NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Friday. The minister took to Twitter to thank NATO for granting this status to Ukraine. NATO's recognition of Ukraine as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner has nothing to do with a full-fledged membership in the alliance but demonstrates the latter's intention to further drag the country into anti-Russian activities, the first deputy chair of the Russian lower house's foreign affairs committee said on Friday. "It is clear that this status has nothing to do with a full-fledged membership in NATO. But nevertheless, this political decision indicates a clear trend toward further dragging Ukraine into anti-Russian schemes," Dmitry Novikov said. According to the senior lawmaker, the new status basically means increased cooperation between the sides at a consultative level. "This status does not directly entail concrete decisions related to the deployment of armed forces. But this is a step toward this direction," the lawmaker noted. Instability and hotbeds of confrontation on Ukrainian territory, he went on, formally remain a serious obstacle to the country's inclusion in the alliance's programs. "Nevertheless, we see that documents are one thing, and practice is the other. And if it is necessary to formalize this practice with new documents, it will be easily done," Novikov suggested. Russia, in turn, has "much work" ahead to prevent any security threats, including those coming from NATO, the lawmaker concluded. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address London, June 13 : Restrictions have been placed by police on several groups ahead of planned protests in London this weekend, it was reported on Saturday. The Metropolitan Police said several protests are scheduled in the capital on Saturday, including a Black Lives Matter demonstration, the BBC reported. The new conditions mean Black Lives Matter demonstrators must stick to a specific route between Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square, where they will be permitted to assemble until 5 p.m. Similar regulations applied to right-wing groups require them to assemble in Parliament Square and some parts of Whitehall, again until until 5 p.m. The Met said police officers routinely talk to organisers before and during an event to minimise disruption and disorder. But the police force warned protesters to reconsider attending at all due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We are asking you not to come to London, and let your voices be heard in other ways," the BBC quoted Met Commander Bas Javid as saying. "Policing demonstrations is complex and challenging, not least during a global health crisis. "We will continue to police any protests with the aim of keeping people safe and preventing crime and disorder," he added. The new restrictions come in the wake of violence and serious disorder in Westminster at the end of last week's protests. While police said those demonstrations were on the whole peaceful, there were dozens of arrests and 27 police officers were injured. A Black Lives Matter demonstration took place in central London on Friday evening with leaders of the march urging those in attendance to keep the demonstration "peaceful" and not to join any anti-racism rallies planned for the weekend. Hundreds of campaigners surrounded Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square after walking from Hyde Park, as around two dozen police officers watched on. Meanwhile, a statue of war-time leader Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was boarded up to protect it from potential damage. Other monuments have been removed ahead of separate protests planned over the weekend, while the Cenotaph war memorial, in Whitehall, has also been covered. In Poole, Dorset, a statue of Scouts movement founder Robert Baden-Powell is to be cladded instead of removed. Thousands of people gathered across France on Saturday to protest at racism and police violence as public anger grows after a raft of complaints against officers and in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the United States. Several thousand people congregated in central Paris mid-afternoon to answer a call to protest by a pressure group representing Adama Traore, a young black man who died in police custody in 2016. The rallies came at the end of week when France's police watchdog said it had received almost 1,500 complaints against officers last year -- half of them for alleged violence. Traore's sister Assa Traore called on those attending the rally to "denounce the denial of justice, denounce social, racial, police violence," renewing a call for an investigation into her sibling's death. "The death of George Floyd -- this Afro-American killed on May 25 in Minneapolis by a white policeman -- is a direct echo of my brother's death. It's the same thing in France, our brothers are dying," she said, vowing to continue the fight for justice. A number of marchers held aloft banners reading "justice for Adama". Other banners read "In the country of human rights the police kill." Binta Kamara, 18, said she had come "to support black people, minorities, to show solidarity. I am young and the future belongs to us. We have to change things." Elisa, a 27-year-old student, said she did not routinely favour an "anti-cop discourse" but added it was "clear there is a problem of racism and fear of the police today." Other rallies were being held in cities from Marseille and Montpellier in the south to Nantes and Bordeaux in the west. - Amnesty appeal - French President Emmanuel Macron, due to address the nation on Sunday, notably on the easing of lockdowns, had Thursday noted the need not to "lose the youth" as feelings run ever higher in the wake of the Floyd case. Macron on Wednesday dubbed racism "an illness which touches all society." Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has promised "zero tolerance" of racism in law enforcement, saying it is clear some officers "have failed in their Republican duty", citing several instances of racist and discriminatory remarks" that have come to light. Amnesty International meanwhile appealed for "a systematic reform of police practices" in France. "The seriousness of the situation requires a global response from the authorities," read a statement from the NGO. Government spokesman Sibeth Ndiaye suggested in an interview with Saturday's Le Monde that there should be "constructive debate" regarding race with efforts redoubled against racial discriminations". But some police have spoken out against the portrayal of the police as racist. Frederic Lagache of the police union Alliance said he hoped Macron would receive a delegation as many officers felt their "honour had been injured" over the widespread criticism of the force. Thousands of people turned out in Paris and other cities to protest against police violence amid calls for change Demonstrators dropped to their knees and raised a fist as they turned out to march in the western city of Nantes A man wears protective gears at a checkpoint near China border in northern Vietnam, February 16, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. A 29-year-old man returning from China via the Mong Cai border gate was confirmed Covid-19 positive Saturday, raising Vietnams active cases to 11. "Patient 334" is from Ho Chi Minh Citys Binh Tan District. On January 14, he traveled to China and could not return to Vietnam because of travel restrictions. On May 31, when lockdown measures had been relaxed, he flew from Chinas Hubei Province to Nanning and then entered to Vietnam via Mong Cai in the northern province of Quang Ninh. Upon entry, he was taken to a centralized quarantine area in Mong Cai. His first test taken by Quang Ninhs Center for Disease Control and Prevention on June 3 showed he was negative. However, the second test on June 11 came back positive. The man is being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi. Of the 334 Covid-19 patients recorded in Vietnam, 323 have recovered. Among the active patients, one has tested negative once and three twice. The country has gone 58 days without community transmission of the disease. Its most critical Covid-19 patient, a 43-year-old British pilot who was declared free of the novel coronavirus three weeks ago, is recovering from lung infection and has stopped relying on a ventilator. He can sit on his own in a wheelchair and is receiving further physical therapy. Nearly 6,000 people entering the country from pandemic areas are in quarantine, 136 in hospitals, 5,000 at quarantine centers and the rest at home. The pandemic has affected 213 countries and territories, and claimed more than 428,740 lives. Union home minister Amit Shah and health minister Harsh Vardhan will meet Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal twice on Sunday to review the Covid-19 situation in the state, which added 2,134 new cases and recorded 57 deaths on Saturday. The state governments own expert panel will meet on Monday to discuss ways to augment the health care infrastructure, especially hospitals, and on Tuesday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority will discuss the issue. The spate of meetings comes against the backdrop of a spike in the number of cases in the state -- Delhi has added 10,022 cases between Monday and Saturday, for a daily average of 1,670 which ended Saturday with a total of 38,958 cases and 1,271 deaths. They also come as the state government is looking to aggressively increase the number of beds available for Covid-19 treatment, by attaching star hotels to hospitals and setting up facilities in large banquet halls. On Sunday, the home minister and the health minister will hold two meetings with Baijal and Kejriwal. Shah and Harsh Vardhan will meet the Delhi L-G and the CM along with members of the DDMA at 11am on Sunday, a statement from the home ministers office said. The director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr Randeep Guleria and other senior government officers will also be present at the meeting to be helmed by the home minister. Shah and Vardhan will hold a second meeting at 5pm on Sunday to get a sense of what the municipal corporations are doing to fight the pandemic and help the government. This meeting will have the three mayors and commissioners of the East, North and South Delhi municipal corporations in attendance, apart from the CM, the L-G, Guleria and senior officials of the Union health and home ministries. Shahs call for the back-to-back meetings came three days after Kejriwal met him to discuss theCovid-19 situation in the capital. After the meeting, the CM tweeted: He [Amit Shah] assured of all cooperation. On Monday, the governments expert panel will hold a meeting to review Delhis bed augmentation plan. This will be followed by a high-level meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), chaired by the L-G, on Tuesday, to discuss issues such as capping Covid treatment cost in private hospitals, reducing the current testing price of Rs 4,500, creating temporary mortuaries and crematoriums, and increasing the number of beds in the city. According to the meeting notice, seen by HT, the June 16 meeting will also discuss the possibility of using large blocks of vacant flats for setting up makeshift Covid facilities. It also talks of preparing large scale makeshift hospitals with contactless treatment based on the Mumbai model. On June 12, Hindustan Times, was the first to report that the Delhi government planned to convert its stadiums on the pattern of the NSCI Dome, in Mumbais Worli area. Maharashtra cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray, who is monitoring Mumbais Covid-19 bed augmentation plan, said that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has so far operationalised about 15,000 beds at various field modular hospitals, mostly stadiums. Most of these field hospitals have contactless clinics, CCTV camera monitoring, remote sensing for patient parameters, and do-it-yourself processes for patients. These innovative measures have helped us operate these facilities with a thinly spread staff, Thackeray added. The creation of more drive-through Covid testing labs and provision of a 24x7 telemedicine facility by a panel of government and private doctors will also be discussed in Tuesdays meeting. Minutes after the agenda for the meeting was issued, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal released a video on social media urging doctors to chip in for the service. I appeal to all doctors to volunteer for Delhi governments Corona Telemedicine Helpline. Give a missed call now to 08047192219 to register. The people of Delhi need your support in this difficult hour. Tuesdays meeting will also discuss how many medical personnel will have to be recruited to operationalise the augmented bed capacity of the city. Fixing price ceiling for treatment by private hospitals as some of them are charging exorbitant price and seeking huge advances. Fixing ceiling for charges of private ambulance services as some of them are charging huge price. Reducing prices being charged by private labs for Covid tests to make it affordable to general public Send IEC [Information, Education, Communication] material on WhatsApp/SMS to all Covid positive persons/suspects immediately and periodically, read the meeting notice issued on Saturday. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Westmeath man has pleaded guilty to using a gardas PPS number to fraudulently obtain Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payments totalling 1,050. Daniel Lacatus, aged 19, appeared before Mullingar District Court yesterday after having three payments of the 350 weekly unemployment support lodged to his account in the Bank of Ireland in Drogheda. Lacatus, of Abbeylands, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, pleaded guilty to three offences under section 18 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 of possession of stolen property on April 21, April 28, and May 5. Sergeant Kevin OBrien told the court that Lacatus had obtained the money by making an online application to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection using the PPS number of a serving garda. The court heard that Lacatus, who had no previous convictions, made no reply when arrested and charged. Sgt OBrien said the defendant had co-operated fully with gardai, and he believed Lacatus had been used himself in relation to the offences. Solicitor for Lacatus, Dermot Monahan, said his client had brought the full amount of 1,050 to court to repay the stolen money after borrowing it from friends and family. The court heard that Lacatus, an Irish citizen of Romanian background, worked as a car-wash attendant, but was currently unemployed. Mr Monahan said he was not seeking to minimise Lacatus role in the offences, but stressed that he had played a very, very minor part in what had happened. Judge Deirdre Gearty said that Lacatus was guilty of a despicable crime given the Government had put in place a system to provide people with money to tide them over during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a particularly opportunistic crime in the current climate, she added. The judge said she was bemused at how Lacatus had accessed the PPS number of a garda to obtain the payments fraudulently. I want to ask the question, but Im not sure I want to know the answer, she remarked. Judge Gearty adjourned sentencing in the case to October 1 to allow for a probation report to assess Lacatus suitability to carry out community service in lieu of a prison term. Two people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Bathinda and Ferozepur on Saturday. Bathinda civil surgeon Dr Amrik Sandhu said a 32-year person, who had recently returned from Ahmedabad, and had been quarantine at home since had tested positive. The patient had come into contact with a staffer at the local civil hospital and efforts are on to trace other contacts, Sandhu said. The patient is treated at the isolation facility. In the second case, a 27-year-old pregnant woman tested positive at Ferozepurs Talwandi Bhai town. A spokesperson of the district administration said health authorities were trying to ascertain her primary contacts. She is being treated at the isolation centre in Ferozepur district. NATO recognises Ukraine as Enhanced Opportunities Partner NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 12 Jun. 2020 On Friday (12 June 2020), the North Atlantic Council recognised Ukraine as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner. This status is part of NATO's Partnership Interoperability Initiative, which aims to maintain and deepen cooperation between Allies and partners that have made significant contributions to NATO-led operations and missions. As a NATO partner, Ukraine has provided troops to Allied operations, including in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as to the NATO Response Force and NATO exercises. Allies highly value these significant contributions, which demonstrate Ukraine's commitment to Euro-Atlantic security. As an Enhanced Opportunities Partner, Ukraine will benefit from tailor-made opportunities to help sustain such contributions. This includes enhanced access to interoperability programmes and exercises, and more sharing of information, including lessons learned. "This decision recognises Ukraine's strong contributions to NATO missions, and demonstrates the Alliance's continued commitment to its partnerships despite the COVID-19 pandemic," said NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu. Ukraine is now one of six Enhanced Opportunities Partners, alongside Australia, Finland, Georgia, Jordan and Sweden. Each of the partners has a tailor-made relationship with NATO, based on areas of mutual interest. Ukraine's status as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner does not prejudge any decisions on NATO membership. NATO Allies continue to encourage and support Ukraine in its reform efforts, including in the security and defence sector, with regard to civilian control and democratic oversight, and in the fight against corruption. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Friday met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Secretary, DCPs, DMs and representatives of Home Ministry and other officers and discussed strategies for Containment Zone management in fight against Covid-19. The LG tweeted "Advised field officers to focus on proper delineation, strict perimeter control, intensified IEC, active house-to-house surveillance with special focus on high-risk population for their effective management as per government guidelines." Discussed strategies for Containment Zone management with Honble CM @ArvindKejriwal, CS Delhi, representative of MHA DMs, DCPs & other officers. pic.twitter.com/qycFhaAjiW LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) June 12, 2020 The LG asked the District Magistrates and Deputy Commissioners of Police to constructively engage resident welfare associations and volunteers in managing containment zones and enforcing preventive measures. The LG said hospitals must display information on availability of beds and applicable charges and ensure that all those who are in need of medical care are attended to. On Friday Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus would not be extended in the national capital. "Lockdown will not be extended in Delhi," said Jain. His remarks came in the backdrop of speculation on social media that the city would go back into lockdown mode. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 10:58:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said Friday that Turkey is ready to expand cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and work with China in many fields after the COVID-19 pandemic, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported. The Turkish minister made the remarks during a phone meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Zhong Shan, in which she invited Chinese firms to invest in Turkey. The two ministers also discussed issues regarding bilateral trade, including agricultural exports, the agenda of a joint economic commission between both sides, cooperation in civil aviation and the facilitation of commercial visas, among other topics. The China-proposed BRI aims to improve regional integration, facilitate trade and investment and boost economic growth by building infrastructure networks that connect Asia with Africa, Europe and beyond. Enditem Two of Robert Fuller's cousins speak to a local news reporter about his death: NBC4 News The family of a black man who was found hanging from a tree in California has called for an urgent investigation into his death. Early on Wednesday morning, a passerby noticed the body of 24-year-old Robert L Fuller in the city of Palmdale in northern Los Angeles County. Members of a nearby fire crew arrived on the scene shortly afterwards and determined that the victim was deceased. In a statement, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD) said Fullers death was being treated as an alleged suicide and that a full autopsy would soon be carried out. However, the victims family said it did not agree with the departments verdict and is seeking a full investigation into his death. One of the victims cousins told a local TV station: We are not going to stop until we get answers. On Friday, a crowd of people attending a news conference on the incident in Palmdale expressed their outrage that Fuller was thought to have died by suicide. In response to the comment, audience members chanted speak the truth and demanded to know why the LASD called it suicide when the coroner had deferred making comments on the death pending additional investigation. An online petition calling for a thorough and transparent investigation has been signed by more than 91,000 signatories. Kim Kardashian is among those who has shared it on Twitter under the hashtag #JusticeforRobertFuller. Robert Fuller was found dead June 10, 2020, hanging from a tree outside City Hall Palmdale. Sign this petition to demand for a thorough and proper investigation #JusticeforRobertFuller https://t.co/czUqCrmE8m Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 12, 2020 The change.org petition also asks for video surveillance from the surrounding area to be made available. However, a city official said on Friday that there was no footage of the incident. A rally is scheduled to take place on Saturday morning outside Palmdales city hall, near to where Fullers body was discovered. A GoFundMe page set up by Fullers family to cover funeral costs had raised almost $140,000 (112,000) by Saturday morning. - Medikal has finally met with his mentor Kennedy Agyapong - He visited the studios of Oman FM - Fans have reacted to their photo together Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Ghanaian rapper Medikal has finally met his mentor Kennedy Agyapong, the MP for Assin Central Constituency. Medikal had paid Agyapong a visit at his Oman FM office, where they posed together. The two were obviously in a good mood, or perhaps had discussed something nice as they were full of smiles in the photo causing fans to react. READ ALSO: McBrown celebrates birthday of step-son with video; fans praise her good heart Kay, for instance, called them dad and son: nani.kay__: Dad with son. Amakye and Bharon said they could only see money: amakye.jnr: Money I dey see sweeg! bharon09: Money talks are the best talks. Bowy and Ayamkoj praised Medikal: sillybowy: Beyond Kontrol. ayamkoj: Always active. READ ALSO: This is nice - Fans applaud Kwaku Manu over new comedy featuring all his 3 children Medikal had earlier referred to Kennedy Agyapong as his mentor when he had a call with him some time ago. He promised Agyapong on the phone that he would come to see him soon. Perhaps, Medikals visit is to fulfill his promise. He has been in the news recently when he confirmed that his wife Fella Makafui will give birth soon. Medikal also told one annoying thing he has found about Fella after the got married. READ ALSO: Take a look inside the huge mansion of Bisa Kdei for the first time in new video The success story of Rocky Dawuni | #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Photo of Wiyaala looking plump before becoming a music star lands on the internet 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 The Indore district collector on Saturday issued a show-cause notice to a subordinate officer for kneeling before three protesting Congress MLAs to placate them. Video of Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rakesh Sharma on his knees before legislators of the opposition party as they staged a sit-in in Rajbada area went viral earlier in the day. Former minister and Congress MLA Jitu Patwari and fellow party legislators Vishal Patel and Sanjay Shukla were protesting on Saturday against the BJP government's 'failure' to cope with the coronavirus pandemic in Madhya Pradesh. "The way the SDM carried himself and talked to public representatives protesting without permission in Rajbada locality was against the dignity and conduct of the executive magistrate," collector and district magistrate Manish Singh said in the notice. "This has sullied the image of the administration," the notice added, seeking to know why disciplinary action should not be taken. According to eye-witnesses, Sharma went to the sit-in venue and knelt before the three MLAs and talked to them with folded hands, requesting them to end the protest. Video of the scene went viral. Some BJP leaders too objected to the SDM's conduct. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is 'quietly' planning to travel to Hawaii to meet with Chinese government officials, it emerged Friday. The meeting comes amid high tensions between the world's two largest economies. Pompeo, who on Friday evening blasted China on Twitter as not having the 'rule of law', has been a vocal critic of the country's government on a range of issues. In return, Chinese state media has taken personal hits at the Secretary of State and his criticisms its government, calling him 'arrogant' and 'hysterical'. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is 'quietly' planning to meet with Chinese government officials in Hawaii, it emerged Friday, despite blasting China on Twitter earlier in the day Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted criticism of China hours before news of the meeting emerged. Pompeo has been vocally critical of China on a range of issues in recent weeks Politico revealed Friday, however, that Pompeo is planning the trip to meet Chinese officials 'quietly' as the U.S. government attempts to look ahead to economic recovery from the coronavirus shutdowns. The arrangements of the meeting are not finalized, Politico said, and the U.S. State Department and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Relations between the U.S and China have deteriorated in recent months, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said he could even sever relations. Yet, as President Trump looks to focus on economic recovery in the lead-up to the 2020 election, Pompeo's meeting suggests that efforts are being made to ensure that close economic ties with China remain. Pompeo has himself hit out at China in recent weeks over issues including it being the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, its Hong Kong policy and the treatment of its ethnic and religious minorities. Last month he said that China could have prevented the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people around the world by being more transparent about the coronavirus and accused it of refusing to share information. He also said last month Chinese plans to impose national security laws on Hong Kong would be the 'death knell' for the former British colony's autonomy. This week Pompeo blasted Chinese state media for criticizing the U.S. government's response to nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd. The Chinese publications compared the unrest with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and circulated video clips suggesting Hong Kong police were 'restrained' in comparison to actions seen in the US. Relations between the U.S and China have deteriorated in recent months, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said he could even sever relations. Trump is pictured here in June 2019 with China's President Xi Jinping ahead of a bilateral meeting Pompeo answered that the protests were nothing alike. 'Our own civic unrest gives us an extraordinary opportunity to tell our story abroad: the American response to events of these past weeks presents a stark contrast to what happens in totalitarian regimes around the world,' he wrote in an email to the State Department workforce. 'We must reject unequivocally the false charges many of them vile propaganda emanating from China, Iran and other autocracies questioning America's credibility in promoting human rights and democracy abroad,' he added. And on Friday, Pompeo tweeted a harsh critic of China in which he claimed the country 'ruthlessly imposes communism' while the U.S. 'secures freedom'. 'There is no equivalence between the United States and China,' he wrote. 'We have rule of law. China doesn't. We have free speech. They don't. We defend religious freedom; China continues its decades-long war on faith. China ruthlessly imposes communism. The United States secures freedom.' Chinese state media took aim at the US government as many American cities were gripped by raging protests and clashes (pictured), comparing the unrest with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong that the U.S. and previously criticized them for Chinese media also circulated video clips suggesting Hong Kong police were 'restrained' in comparison to actions seen in the U.S. authorities during protests in the wake of George Floyd's death. Armed Chinese authorities are pictured in Hong Kong on May 27 It came as Chinese state media on Friday criticized the U.S. over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak after more than two million people in America tested positive for COVID-19. The Global Times, Beijing's flagship nationalist tabloid, branded the U.S. as a 'barbaric and greedy' country that 'doesn't care about humanitarianism' in an astonishing editorial attack. The state-controlled newspaper also condemned the Trump administration for 'not apologizing to its people' over the grim milestone, which also registered more than 112,900 coronavirus-related deaths as of Wednesday. On Thursday, the publication criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo directly calling him 'arrogant' and 'hysterical'. It came after Pompee said that 'our nation is so special and it's the greatest nation in the history of civilization' during a press briefing on Wednesday. The Communist paper responded by stating: 'By saying the U.S. is 'special,' Pompeo explained that the U.S. respects 'every human being.' 'Is this how the U.S. respects the rights of the over 2 million infected people and some 112,000 people who died from COVID-19?' It went onto accuse Washington of prioritizing its economy over people's lives. RTHK: Pompeo to meet Chinese officials in Hawaii: Reports Senior officials from the United States and China are planning to meet in Hawaii, trying to ease tensions between the world's two largest economies over various issues, according to media reports. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was planning the trip "quietly" and the arrangements were not yet finalised, Politico said. Pompeo has been vocal in criticising China on a range of issues from the origins of the coronavirus pandemic to its Hong Kong policy to the treatment of its ethnic and religious minorities, The US State Department and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper cited an unidentified source as saying that Yang Jiechi, a state council and member of the Communist Party Politburo, will represent the Chinese side for the meeting. Relations between the countries have deteriorated in recent months, and US President Donald Trump has said he could even sever relations. Pompeo said last month that China could have prevented the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people around the world by being more transparent about the coronavirus and accused it of refusing to share information. He also said Chinese plans to impose national security laws on Hong Kong would be the "death knell" for the former British colony's autonomy. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 13 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 21 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Armenian armed forces were using sniper rifles. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has given the green light to the import of live pigs from Thailand for both farming and slaughter from Friday. In a document issued on Thursday, the ministry assigned its Animal Health Department to issue detailed guidance on quarantine measures for the imported pigs in line with existing regulations to prevent animal diseases and ensure the safety of domestic herds. The department director is also responsible for boosting its coordination with inter-sector agencies at ports of entry and local authorities to strictly manage the live imports. In a document signed by Agriculture and Rural Development Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien last month, the ministry required that imported hogs be subject to 30-day quarantine as per the effective regulations on cattle import. This is the first time Vietnam has allowed the importation of live pigs for slaughter in a bid to bring down domestic pork prices that have skyrocketed over scarcity caused by the African swine fever epidemic last year. Thailand was chosen as the supplier as its wholesale prices of live hogs currently range between VND55,000 (US$2.36) and VND60,000 ($2.57) per kilogram, much lower than Vietnams current live pig prices averaging VND95,000 ($4.08) per kilogram. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As the push for police reform continues, city Comptroller Scott Stringer announced Saturday that he is calling on the city government to publish an online database of police disciplinary records. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a repeal of a controversial civil rights law on Friday that had been used to shield cops disciplinary records from public disclosure. Stringer now wants the city to go a step further and create a searchable database making those records available to the public. He made the request in a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. The state has rightly determined that law enforcement disciplinary records should be public, Stringer wrote in his letter. Now, New York City has the opportunity to make this information readily available. The public deserves nothing less than a total commitment to full transparency. The database would eliminate the need to file a request to the NYPD under the Freedom of Information Law that can take months to process. It would also mirror protections laid out in the state law passed Friday that guard officers personal information, like medical records, and home addresses. Law enforcement agencies should be required to report data on individual complaints and allegations of misconduct. We invest our law enforcement officers with enormous powers, including the power to use deadly force, which makes full transparency around officer disciplinary records critical to both building trust with communities and fostering accountability, Stringer wrote. Neither de Blasios nor Johnsons office responded to a request for comment by the time of publication. Pat Lynch, President of the Police Benevolent Association, blasted the suggestion of an open database, and suggested that it could put cops in danger. Comptroller Stringers political aspirations are clearly more important to him than the safety of police officers and our families, he said. "He knows full well that deranged cop-haters will be trolling his database, looking to single out and target police officers based on false or frivolous complaints. It is only a matter of time before one of them shows up at a police officers front door. By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have arrested two "Indian spies" from an area along the Line of Control in Gilgit-Baltistan and the duo has been handed over to the police, a media report said on Saturday. According to the report in the Dawn newspaper, Indian currency notes, identity cards, and other documents were seized from the alleged spies. They were handed over to police on Friday and Gilgit senior superintendent of police (SSP) Raja Mirza Hassan produced the alleged spies before the media at a press conference, it said. Hassan said the two arrested persons belonged to Kashmir and had been forcibly sent to Pakistan for "spying". They were arrested soon after they crossed the LoC in Gilgit-Baltistan. The detained "Indian spies" introduced themselves as Noor Mohammad Wani and Feroze Ahmed Lone, residents of Gurez's Achora village in Bandipora district in Kashmir, the report said. KYODO NEWS - Jun 13, 2020 - 18:07 | World, All North Korea on Saturday condemned as "preposterous" a vow made the previous day by South Korea to continue efforts toward the resumption of stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington, according to the country's state-run media. Kwon Jong Gun, director general of the Department of U.S. Affairs of the North Korean Foreign Ministry, issued the denunciation in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. "It is really preposterous to hear the balderdash of south Korean authorities -- who do not have either any qualification to discuss, or the position to poke their noses into, the matters between the DPRK and the U.S," Kwon was quoted as saying in the statement. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. He added that it is "not because there is not a mediator that the DPRK-U.S. dialogue has gone away and the denuclearization been blown off" but rather "because 'conditions are not met' for denuclearization." In addition to acknowledging the breakdown in U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks between, Kwon vowed that the country would build up its military force to counter what it perceives as U.S. threats. "I want to make it clear that we will continue to build up our force in order to overpower the persistent threats from the United States, and such efforts of ours are in fact continuing at this point of time," he said. On Friday, an official at the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that Seoul would continue to strive for the swift resumption of talks between the United States and North Korea as well as the development of inter-Korean ties. Friday marked the second anniversary of the Singapore Summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump. At their meeting, Trump promised Kim that Washington would provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in exchange for its complete denuclearization. Related coverage: North Korea to further develop nuclear arms due to stalled U.S. talks FOCUS: North Korea trying to boost ties with China as U.S. nuclear talks stalled North Korea to cut off all lines of communication with South Photo: Tim Ireland/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/ via Getty Images AstraZeneca (AZN) said it reached an agreement with Europes Inclusive Vaccines Alliance (IVA) to supply up to 400 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University, with deliveries starting by the end of 2020. The company has already started to manufacture the vaccine to ensure, if it does pass human trials, it can be made available in the autumn. The deal with the alliance, spearheaded by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, aims to accelerate the supply of the vaccine and to make it available to other European countries that wish to participate in the initiative, the UK-based pharmaceutical company said. It said it recognises that the vaccine may not work but is committed to progressing the clinical programme with speed and scaling up manufacturing at risk. READ MORE: Glass vial makers prepare for COVID-19 vaccine CEO Pascal Soriot said: This agreement will ensure that hundreds of millions of Europeans have access to Oxford Universitys vaccine following approval. With our European supply chain due to begin production soon, we hope to make the vaccine available widely and rapidly. The firm has made similar agreements with the UK, US, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for 700 million doses. It has also agreed a licence with the Serum Institute of India for the supply of one billion doses, principally for low- and middle-income countries. The vaccine was developed by Oxford Universitys Jenner Institute, working with the Oxford Vaccine Group. The university last month announced the start of a trial of the vaccine in about 10,000 adult volunteers. Other late-stage trials are due to begin in a number of countries. The university began development on a vaccine in January, using a virus taken from chimpanzees. Companies such as AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and Pfizer (PFE) are working with researchers across the world to ensure a vaccine can be manufactured at speed once one becomes available. But questions have been raised about who will get access to the doses, and when. READ MORE: Coronavirus: Employers to be given 30 days to admit to furlough fraud Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 02:33:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MUSCAT, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Omani Ministry of Health announced on Friday 1,117 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number in the country to 21,071. According to a statement issued by the ministry, all new cases, including 470 Omanis, are related to community contact. The statement also said 866 patients of COVID-19 have recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 7,489. Seven new deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 96. The ministry called on people to observe the procedures for quarantine, avoid public places or places of worship, and ensure public hygiene. Enditem Warning: Graphic image below. Toronto: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that black and Indigenous people in Canada do not feel safe around police after a police dashcam video emerged of the violent arrest of a Canadian aboriginal chief. The arrest has received attention in Canada as a backlash against racism grows worldwide in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck. Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in 2014. Credit:AP The 12-minute police video shows an officer charging at Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam with his arm and elbow up as he tackles him to the ground. It also shows the officer punching him in the head. Arunachal records highest single-day spike of 20 COVID cases; tally rises to 87 edited: Arunachal Pradesh on Friday reported its highest single-day spike of 20 COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the state to 87, health department officials said. Of the 20 new cases, 13 were reported from Changlang district, six from East Siang and one from Namsai. All the new patients were returnees from other affected states and tested positive for the disease while in quarantine facilities, officials said. The previous highest single-day spike in novel coronavirus cases was 18, recorded on June 1. Of the total 87 COVID-19 cases, 73 are active, while four were discharged after being cured. The northeastern states had on Thursday night reported six cases, including three Army personnel. The three Army men tested positive for the disease in Singchung sub-division of West Kameng district, while two persons were detected with the infection in Changlang and one in Longding. "The three Army personnel had recently returned from Bihar, while the two from Changlang had come from Noida and the one from Longding had travelled back from Gujarat. They are asymptomatic and lodged in quarantine centres," State Surveillance Officer Dr L Jampa said. The Army has its own protocol and the three would be managed by them, he said. West Kameng district's COVID-19 nodal officer Dr Kesang Wangda has issued an advisory to civilians living in and around the Army cantonment areas of Tenga and Dahung, requesting them not to enter into restricted areas unnecessarily. One of the three Army personnel is a doctor, sources said. I knew him very well. In the party, he was invariably non-controversial, low-profile, well-mannered and always very guarded and measured in his utterances. A perfect description of the late George Michael Chambers, the countrys second prime minister and political leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM), from Ferdie Ferreira, a foundation member, in his book Political Encounters 1946 -2016. Vadodara: In the wake of Uri terror attack, GPCC president Bharat Solanki today blamed the PDP-BJP led coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir for the rise in "Pak-sponsored" terror attacks in that state. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir would not have worsened if Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was the Prime Minister of the country, he said. Talking to PTI, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief also blamed the PDP-BJP led coalition government in J&K responsible for the rise in the Pak-sponsored terror attacks in that state. Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to divide people on the basis of caste and religion, the Congress leader asked, "Why is PM Modi keeping silent despite the killing of 18 jawans in Uri yesterday?" Solanki said that late PM Indira Gandhi had displayed "great courage" and got Bangladesh separated from Pakistan in 1971 war. "Our country needs leaders like late Mrs Gandhi," he said while condemning the Uri attack. Solanki was in the city to felicitate newly-elected office-bearers of the Maharaja Sayajirao University Students' Union. ABVP candidates were defeated in the election and NSUI-backed candidates captured the two important posts of Vice President and General Secretary. Talking about this election, he said, "This election indicates that young generation is turning towards Congress and also shows good prospects for the party in winning the upcoming assembly polls in Gujarat. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Tajikistan has detected 68 new COVID-19 cases today, the total number of infected individuals is now 4,902. The number of those who could not recover remains unchanged at fourty-nine individuals, reports the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population, Trend reports citing Kabar. Of the infected group, 3,158 individuals or 64.4% have recovered. So far, 791 people suspected of having the virus have undergone medical supervision. Of those 96 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours. Today, more than 7,500 doctors and 25,000 nurses are involved in the treatment of patients in 85 hospitals throughout the country. The government and the Health Ministry urge caution while at work and in public places. The Health Ministry advises all the residents to strictly follow the rules of personal hygiene, wear protective masks, keep a distance of at least 1.5 meters between one another, and in case of onset of symptoms to immediately consult a family doctor or call the hotlines (311 or 511) to consult with a specialist. The International Police, INTERPOL, has confirmed the arrest of Instagram big boy, Raymond Igbalode, also known as Hushpuppi. The Commissioner of Police (CP) INTERPOL, Garba Umar, who confirmed the arrest on Friday to The Nation, said plans are underway to extradite Hushpuppi from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) back to Nigeria to face alleged multiple fraud charges. Umar disclosed that the INTERPOL is also on the trail of other accomplices in the alleged fraud who are resident in Nigeria to bring them to justice. In his words; Advertisement It is true that Hushpuppi was arrested by the INTERPOL. We are currently working on bringing him to Nigeria to face charges of fraud. Read Also: Mompha Blasts Those Tagging Interpol, FBI On His Instagram Posts Some of the offences were committed here in Nigeria and he has to answer for them. He is not alone in it; there are accomplices in the country who we are currently on their trail, said the CP. Confronted by the Nazi threat on our doorstep, Winston Churchill led this country through its darkest hour. For his tenacity, resolve and courage in successfully defeating the evil regime, he is rightly and widely revered as the greatest ever Briton. But today, he is shrouded in darkness. The war leader's statue, in the heart of London, is miserably boarded up. So, shockingly, is the Cenotaph. Why? To protect these treasured national monuments from a violent mob linked to Black Lives Matter. Confronted by the Nazi threat on our doorstep, Winston Churchill led this country through its darkest hour. The war leader's statue, in the heart of London, is miserably boarded up (pictured) Instead of a peaceful protest today to highlight racial injustices in law, education and employment, this campaign has been hijacked by the stentorian and aggressive Left. Intolerant of anything that fails to conform to their ascetic purview, these modern-day puritans are hell-bent on a Taliban-esque cultural cleansing. First, sculptures. Then, BBC comedies. What next? Book burnings? In these zealots' eyes, Churchill is an unforgivable 'racist'. Therefore, they shriek, his statue must be destroyed. Certainly by 21st century standards, he was flawed. But who wasn't or, indeed, isn't? To many decent, law-abiding Britons, hiding Churchill's statue is an appalling humiliation. The law applies to all in this country. Vandals should be deterred from targeting sensitive monuments by proper robust policing, not because they're concealed with tarpaulin and boards. Workers erect a protective barrier around the Cenotaph in central London in anticipation of protests Unfortunately, these Left-wing agitators are spurred on by the egregious failure of the authorities last week to tackle wanton destruction. Too few police or senior politicians (with the impressive and honourable exception of Home Secretary Priti Patel) had the backbone to condemn the disorder unequivocally. In an interview in today's Mail, Mrs Patel accuses virtue-signalling London Mayor Sadiq Khan of capitulating to the mob by boarding up the statue. 'We should free Churchill,' she says. We wholeheartedly agree. Yes, it was welcome that Boris Johnson yesterday branded the move 'absurd and shameful'. But why not speak out so vehemently earlier in the week? Now, far-Right activists have vowed to defend Churchill's sculpture. Violent clashes between rival demonstrators are not improbable. One reason the Tories won December's election was because their defence of our history and values provided an alternative to the Left's nonsensical obsession with igniting culture wars. The Prime Minister would do very well to remember that. As his hero Churchill once said: 'A nation that forgets its past has no future.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13 2020 Sir/Maam, Im deaf. I cannot read your lips because youre wearing a mask. Im here to withdraw my money. Please write down what I need to do. Thank you. Widi Utami, 28, handed this handwritten note to a security guard when she arrived at a bank in Semarang, Central Java, on June 4. While she can usually read lips, with all the security guards and tellers covering their mouth with masks, she now relies on notes. The security guard, Kurniawan, promptly nodded and wrote below the note, How much do you want to withdraw? to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this May 12, 2018, file photo, director Christopher Nolan poses during a photo call at the 71st international film festival in Cannes, southern France. Warner Bros. says it will release Nolan's latest film, the sci-fi espionage spectacle Tenet," in theaters on July 31, 2020. The release date has been closely watched because so many other releases during the film industry's blockbuster-filled summer season have been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File) LOS ANGELES - The closely watched arrival of Christopher Nolan's big-budget sci-fi espionage film Tenet will finally happen on July 31, Warner Bros. announced Friday. The studio said it would delay the release by two weeks and instead re-issue Nolan's 2010 sci-fi blockbuster Inception in mid-July. The release date for Tenet has been closely watched in all corners of the film industry, which has faced shuttered theatres due to the coronavirus since mid-March. Movie theatres plan to reopen in July for a vastly different summer season than the one the industry had planned. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The Marvel film Black Widow and the ninth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, both expected to arrive in the early summer, have delayed their releases. Warner Bros. also announced Friday that Wonder Woman 1984, a sequel to its 2017 hit, would shift from an August release to Oct. 2. Tenet will arrive in theatres a week after Disney's live-action version of Mulan is released on July 24. When the studio released the films trailer in May, it didnt include a release date, simply stating, Coming to theatres. The film stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Michael Caine. AMC Theaters, the worlds largest theatre operator, said this week it expects to have at least 97% of its locations open by mid-July. The National Association of Theater Owners, the trade group that represents exhibitors, expects some 90-95% of cinemas around the world will open then as well. Rather than packing multiplexes, AMC says it will keep its cinemas 25-50% full to ensure social distancing. Those won't be the only changes. Concessions will ordered via an app and theatres will undergo regular cleanings, AMC has said. Maharashtra recorded 3,427 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday to take the states tally to 1,04,568, the state health department said. Out of the 3,427 new cases, Mumbai alone reported 1,380 cases. The citys tally now stands at 56,831 and is higher than any other state in the country. The death toll in the pandemic rose to 3,830 with 113 casualties on Saturday. Sixty nine of the casualties were in Mumbai which raised the citys death toll to 2,113. A total of 1,550 patients were discharged on Saturday, taking the number of recovered cases to 49,346, the health department said. The state now has 51,392 active cases. Four policemen were among the casualties in Mumbai. It is the worst single-day toll for any unit of the force in Maharashtra since the pandemic began, a police official said according to PTI. So far, 25 personnel and one officer of Mumbai police have died of Covid-19. Across the state, the police have lost 40 of its men to the pandemic while several hundred are under treatment for the infection at various hospitals. The number of new cases in Maharashtra on Saturday was a little less than the surge of 3,493 on Friday that took the states Covid-19 tally past the one lakh mark. On Thursday, Maharashtra had seen its highest single-day spike with 3,607 new Covid-19 cases. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mitch McConnell calls out double standard in allowing protests, but not church services Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called out a double standard among Democrats who restricted the First Amendment right of Christians to gather for in-person worship services during the coronavirus pandemic but celebrated throngs of people protesting in the nations streets in the wake of George Floyds death. Im grateful that after several harrowing days of looting and riots law enforcement restored order and helped these peaceful protesters be heard, notwithstanding the far left calls to disband the police altogether. I believe most Americans are ready to consider how the memories of black Americans like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor can move us to continue combating residual racism, the Kentucky senator began in an address to the Senate Tuesday. He then made it clear that his address would be about defending the First Amendment right of all Americans to speak out about issues they strongly support and not just the ones endorsed by powerful people. It is becoming clear to many Americans, including many who appreciate and applaud the recent protests, that our national life during this pandemic has slid toward a double standard, McConnell said. Many Americans feel they have just seen those fastidious regulations and that puritanical zeal disappear in an instant because a new cause has emerged that powerful people agree with. He noted that state and local leaders put normal American life totally on ice for weeks and asked citizens to make fighting the coronavirus a priority while making many sacrifices. For weeks, the mainstream media heaped scorn on any small citizen protest, outdoor gathering or even the suggestion that other important values might require a reappraisal of certain restrictions, he said. A month ago, small protest demonstrations were widely condemned as reckless and selfish. Now, massive rallies that fill entire cities are not just praised but are called especially brave because of the exact same health risk that brought condemnation when the cause was different, McConnell continued. People just spent the spring watching their small businesses dissolve, or canceling weddings or missing religious observances for the longest spells in their lives or missing the last days of a loved ones life and then missing the funeral. Never were the American people told about any exemption for things they felt strongly about, he noted. He then called out Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for selectively allowing Black Lives Matter protests but not church services during the pandemic. Here in the District of Columbia, the mayor celebrates massive street protests. She actually joins them herself, but on her command, churches and houses of worship remain shut, he said. I believe even the largest church buildings in the District are still subject to the 10-person limit for the things the mayor deems inessential. Houses of worship in the District of Columbia are not permitted to hold indoor or outdoor services with more than 10 people present. This includes the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest church building in North America, the Catholic News Agency reported. The Archdiocese of Washington resumed public masses throughout the entire archdiocese on Tuesday. Masses in Washington and immediately surrounding counties of Prince George and Montgomery are also limited to a maximum of 10 people. McConnell also pointed to stay-at-home orders in New York City and the restrictions imposed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who also violated her own social distancing orders, saying freedom of speech, assembly and religion have the same constitutional pedigree. But apparently, while protests are still permissible, prayer is still too dangerous, the majority leader said. It is now impossible to avoid the conclusion that local and state leaders are using their powers to encourage constitutionally protected conduct which they personally appreciate, while continuing to ban constitutionally protected conduct which they personally feel is less important, McConnell added. Neil Munro at Breibart has published a controversial take on Antifa. He sees these radicals as close cousins to those in the MAGA movement. Before discounting Munro as out of hand, hear him out. His thesis in no way diminishes the difference between Antifa and MAGA. The two are diametrically opposites in a number of critical areas. Antifa radicals are immature, violent, anarchistic, and "woke" in all the ways that count in today's culture. The MAGA folks, on the other hand, tend to be patriotic, religious, law-abiding, and politically incorrect. Antifa is celebrated in the media, while MAGA is constantly derided as chauvinistic and racist. MAGA is composed of serious, middle-class working people, while the Antifa radicals come from affluent families and are like spoiled children throwing a collective temper tantrum. Like the Tea Party, MAGA is a true grassroots movement. Antifa, however, is directed from above by sinister anti-American forces who manipulate the Antifa street army. So what is the commonality between Antifa and MAGA that Neil Munro sees? Basically, it's that both are victims of globalism. It is an often told story how globalism has severely hurt the working middle class. This was done by what is called "labor arbitrage." That's the insidious process whereby big corporations transferred thousands of American factories to China and Mexico while at the same time importing millions of immigrants and illegal aliens. This squeezed the middle class from both ends their jobs were exported while at the same time a new, compliant workforce was being brought in to compete with them for lower wages. It's the same story for Antifa but with a different coloring. Antifa radicals tend to be college graduates. As Munro writes, "[c]olleges are producing many graduates who've absorbed a worldview that trains them for 'metropolitan elite' job types that turn out to be far scarcer than the graduated competing for them." This leads Antifa people to be frustrated. They're treading water with poor prospects for the future. They can't afford to start a family, buy a home, or come close to attaining the lifestyle their parents have. Plus they're saddled with student loan debt that will have many of them in servitude for decades. Antifa radicals are raging at "the system" they think lied to and betrayed them. Directing their anger at the universities, the media, and big business would be more in line with the root cause of their grievances. That they focus instead on the wrong targets and are steeped with a dislike, if not hatred, for America is due to the brainwashing they received in the public schools and then in the colleges and universities. It is also why they can't yet see the connection between their plight and immigration. There are about 1.3 million visa workers in the U.S. who have taken jobs that rightfully belong to Americans, and that's over and above the millions of immigrants and illegal aliens allowed into the country. Add to that the disastrous trade arrangements that the elite have previously forced on the U.S., it is little wonder that the Antifa generation live in economic insecurity and uncertainty. But what would happen if the scales fell from the eyes of the Antifa people, and they shook off the propaganda they have been fed and came to see how they are being used? For the answer, Munro cites Mary Harrington, who says: From the point of view of effecting political change, then, the tragedy of the [Antifa and MAGA groups] is that they should waste their energy quarreling among themselves. [They] represent different subsets of an ever-swelling precariat, watching in real time as the last of the twentieth century social contract goes up in smoke. Right now they largely see the enemy as one another. Should that change, though, we could see our faltering political settlement shaken to its core. This is true, and it shows the divide-and-conquer tactic of those financing Antifa and the brain trust behind the movement. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr (cropped). 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 This summer, Suri Cruise is reportedly moving in with her father and Scientology enthusiast Tom Cruise. Does her mother Katie Holmes approve? Gossip Cop debunked the tabloid article. The latest issue of Star magazine is headlined "Suri at 14 Moving in With Tom!" Suri will apparently be spending her summertime at a Scientology compound in Clearwater, Florida. Eight months ago, Suri appeared to be leaving her New York apartment carrying her stuff. Although he stands as one of the leading Hollywood actors with numerous hit movies at his disposal, his personal life is not quite as lucky. Her daughter has not spent time with him for the past 6 years because Katie Holmes holds the custody, reported Morning Picker. The "Dawson's Creek" actress welcomed Suri to the world in 2006, 6 months prior to her marriage to Tom, according to Elle. In her early years, Suri, Katie, and Tom were the target of fervent attention from the press. After the couple separated in 2011, Katie has shielded Suri from the media and public. The 41-year-old former model, however, went outside her home in NYC on Friday afternoon for a coffee break with Suri. Suri had not been out publicly for two months since her birthday on 18 April. Also Read: Katie Holmes mending broken heart post-Jamie Foxx split as Tom Cruise spends more time with daughter Suri The mother-daughter duo donned summer dresses for their venture outside with matching blue face masks. Suri wore a baby blue embroidered dress and sneakers, and Katie was sporting a white sundress with puff sleeves. "Star" Magazine alleged that Katie is considering the idea of Suri living with her father for some time, but she is quite dubious regarding the religion. A source for the magazine disclosed, "Tom and Suri talk a lot. And he's always trusted that they'd have time to bond in person at some point. He's thrilled that the time is finally here." The last time Tom and Suri appeared publicly together was in 2013. When Katie and Jamie Foxx called it quits, rumors surfaced that she reunited with Tom. Gossip Cop noted that the dubious source asserted that Tom and Katie have given the freedom to Suri is she wants to be a Scientology believer. "Katie won't say anything bad about the church and Tom won't try to push it on Suri. There's an understanding that it'll be her decision when she gets older." The article was debunked to be fabricated. A spokesperson for Katie has denied the cooked up story. They added that it is also worth taking into account the poor history of "Star" regarding articles on Tom's relationship with Suri. One reason for Tom and Katie's divorce is that Katie is dubious that Suri could be brainwashed by the Scientology community. A reason alleged for Tom not being able to see Suri for a tantamount time is that he was denied by the Scientology community because he is not allowed to have a relationship with her daughter because she is not a Scientologist. The community representative denied the claim and he has the freedom to meet his daughter as he wishes. Related Article: Katie Holmes Bankrupt? Actress Rumored to Be Pleading for Money from Ex-Husband Tom Cruise @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. As part of EU efforts to provide guidance on the use of coronavirus tests, the JRC has created a database of COVID-19 in vitro diagnostic devices and test methods that gathers information on available tests in one place. Testing for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus or past exposure to it is an essential aspect of combatting the COVID-19 outbreak, and for efficient strategies for gradually lifting the confinement measures. At the moment, a large number of tests already exist in the EU, and new tests are being developed. Different tests are suitable in different contexts. Information on their performance, i.e. how well they work to achieve their intended purpose, is important for making choices, for instance as part of national strategies. As a follow up action to the Communication "Guidelines on in vitro diagnostic tests and their performance", the JRC has developed a database, which gathers in a single place information on the currently available tests. The database contains publicly available information on devices, including elements of performance, and a collation of relevant scientific literature. It does not include manufacturer technical documentation, which is not publicly available. About COVID-19 tests The COVID-19 tests fall broadly into two categories: those detecting the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and those detecting past exposure to the virus, i.e. the body's immune response to the infection. If a person is infected, nasal or throat swabs can be used to reveal the presence of the virus. This can be done by either focussing on the specific genetic material of the virus (in a so-called RT-PCR or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) or on certain specific molecules that are present on the surface of the virus (referred to as antigen tests). The tests detecting past exposure to the virus - also called serological tests - reveal the presence of antibodies in the blood of an infected person, produced in response to the virus. Antibody tests are abundant on the EU market, but their effectiveness for the diagnosis of COVID-19 is limited because antibodies become detectable in the patient's blood only several days after infection. Nevertheless, antibody tests could become essential for performing large-scale population surveys and for guiding de-escalation strategies when the pandemic is under control. Ensuring good test performance EU law (Directive 98/79/EC) stipulates that CE-marked devices must be manufactured so that they are suitable for the purpose intended by the manufacturer, taking account the generally acknowledged state of the art. The manufacturer is responsible for evaluating the performance of the tests before placing the device on the market. This must be reflected in the technical documentation of the device. National competent authorities are responsible for the surveillance of devices on the market, and for taking appropriate action against devices that do not conform with the legislation. Given the rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the performance of the device in the clinical practice may differ from the initial performance study carried out by the manufacturer. Therefore, the European Commission recommends carrying out additional validation of COVID-19 tests. Validation refers to confirmation that the test achieves the performance levels specified by the manufacturer. Such studies are carried out by laboratories in the EU Member States. The JRC has recently developed a positive control material for the validation of RT-PCR tests, which is available to laboratories in Europe. - In the open letter to her daughter, the mother of five advised the four-year-old to never take any advice from failures - Zari described Tiffah as a beautiful, confident and intelligent daughter who was born with the power to conquer the world - The South Africa-based socialite advised her daughter to live her life and not let anyone dictate it - She promised to always be there for the young girl as she claims her place in the world Diamond Platinumz baby mama Zari Hassan has proved that she would go to any length to protect her children from negative people. The Ugandan socialite has always held her only daughter Tiffah close to her heart and is always showering her with praises online. READ ALSO: Dry spell over: DJ Mo gets cosy with Size 8, says her needs are sorted Zari spending time with her daughter Tiffah. Photo: Zari Hassan. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Umetoklezea: Lulu Hassan cutely thirsts over husband's dapper look on social media In a post seen by Tuko.co.ke on her Instagram account, the single mom of five wrote an open letter to her four-year-old. Zari described Tiffah as a beautiful, confident and intelligent daughter who was born with the power to conquer the world. "Dear beautiful daughter of mine, your beautiful, confident, intelligent, smart, special, different. You are gifted. You were born to stand out not to fit. Your talented and the whole world is ready for you. You are everything they are not and that makes them fear because people fear the unknown," read part of the letter. READ ALSO: Demu aparura shuga mami kwa kumtongoza mpenzi wake The South Africa-based socialite advised her daughter to live her life and not let anyone dictate it. Zari promised to always be there for the young girl as she claims her space in the world. "You are the next big thing. If its an attitude that you have, then so be it. Never let anyone determine who you should be, the world already has so many fakes/copies. The world needs naturals like you. Mama got you always," said Zari. READ ALSO: Zari Hassan says Diamond Platnumz realised his mistakes, decided to be a proper father She also urged her daughter to never take any advice from failures saying that God built her strong. "God built you strong, you will concur. And when you do, it will be the same people sitting back watching your success in dismay. Do you, do not let them tell you otherwise. 98% of the time never take advice from failures," she said. In a social media rant on Thursday, Zari said that Diamond Platinumz had realised his mistakes and decided to sp up for her kids. She lashed out to black women saying they are the reason most kids grow up without their fathers due to the negative energy. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. The university student hawking water and sweet potatoes to pay fees and feed the poor | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Lebanon will reopen its international airport in Beirut for commercial flights July 1 but with reduced air traffic, the office of Prime Minister Hassan Diab said today. Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport has been closed to flights since March 18 to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. Beginning next month, the airport will operate at 10% capacity compared with last years air traffic. Private flights out of the airport can resume June 24. Lebanons public works minister had previously said the airport would reopen June 21. Upon arrival in Lebanon, passengers will be tested for COVID-19 and those who test positive will be required to home quarantine. The arrival of expats and tourists to Lebanon next month comes as health officials continue to register new cases of the coronavirus. The country has recorded 1,422 cases and 31 deaths. Lebanon is dealing with the virus amid a deepening financial crisis that sent the currencys value plunging to unprecedented lows. The reopening of Beiruts airport in July comes as other countries in the region ease restrictions on air travel. Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia resumed domestic flights in early June, and Dubai-based carrier Emirates is now operating passenger flights to nine destinations in North America, Europe and Australia. Kids at camp may not see the moon and the stars while sitting around a campfire this year, but theyll still be able to go to day camp. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2020 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Kids at camp may not see the moon and the stars while sitting around a campfire this year, but theyll still be able to go to day camp. For the 40th consecutive year, the Winnipeg Free Press Sunshine Fund and generous readers will be here to help them. The fund, which began in 1979 with the promise it would help "children who would otherwise be turned away from a camping holiday for lack of funds or sponsors," has helped thousands of children paddle a canoe or kayak for the first time, jump on a horse, go on a zipline, or learn a new craft. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the camping dreams of many children. In the most recent plans, announced this week, to gradually reopen the Manitoba economy, the government is still keeping overnight camps closed. But day camps are open, and the province is looking at allowing a maximum of 50 per group to be together while, where possible, to keep everyone at least two metres apart except for brief exchanges. And it is these children the Sunshine Fund will help this year. As Free Press publisher Bob Cox says: "Our commitment to the Sunshine Fund has not wavered, despite the huge disruption in camping activities around Manitoba due to COVID-19 restrictions. "The camping experience is about participating in challenging and fun new experiences, learning life lessons and making lifelong friends along the way. This year, resources will go to support kids going to day camps. Next year, well be back on track. Our support for the fundamental goals wont change." Twelve camps that normally operate overnight programs have switched to day camps; a few others are looking to see if they can make it work. One of them is Camp Arnes, an interdenominational Christian camp located about 15 minutes north of Gimli. Audrey Hicks, the camps acting executive director, hopes the camp can stay afloat with a mix of day camps, and chalet, cabin and RV rentals. It is also looking at busing Winnipeg children out there for a full day camp on select Fridays. "Were trying our best to make sure were still around next year," Hicks said. "This is really unbelievable from where we were just a couple of months ago. We have boxes of brochures for summer camp, but there is no summer camp." Other camps have made the tough decision to close this year, including YMCA Camp Stephens, Diabetes Camp Briardale, Camp Quality, Camp Nutimik and Pioneer Camp of Manitoba. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Kim Scherger, executive director of the Manitoba Camping Association, admits things will look different this year, but there are many things that will be the same. "What will look the same at camp is the smiles and determination on kids faces as they tackle new experiences and succeed... and the distanced cheering from other campers supporting that accomplishment," Scherger said. "The laughter heard from being together with new and old friends and feeling the sense of community and responsibility that comes from being together at camp again. Staff will be there as positive role models in all they do with campers. "Kids need camp now more than ever." Now its up to you, so come on and please give generously. After all, this virus has taken away many things from children, please dont let it take summer camp, too. kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca Tasty takeovers sorely lacking as 2020 continues to frustrate, illustration photo, source:MSN Vietnam recorded no megadeals in the given period apart from the noticeable deal from Masan Group. Ardolis Investment Pte., Ltd., a subsidiary of Singapores sovereign wealth fund GIC, recently raised its ownership in the consumer staple group from 5.67 to 8.97 per cent after purchasing 38.92 million shares. Following the transaction, the GIC-led consortium has increased its stakes at Masan from 9.7 to 13.03 per cent. Consolidated net revenues at Masan totalled VND17.63 trillion ($761.74 million) for the first quarter, up 116.1 per cent on-year. The increase was attributable to high double-digit growth at Masan Consumer Holdings and consolidation of newly-acquired VinCommerce. VinCommerce itself reported revenue growth of 40.3 per cent over last years period to VND8.71 trillion ($376.4 million). Meanwhile, Masans MEATLife business continued to surge, with net revenues rising by nearly 85 per cent on-quarter to VND453 billion ($19.57 million) in the first quarter of 2020. In addition, Kido Foods (KDF)and Tuong An Vegetable Oil have submitted proposals to their shareholders about a merger with KIDO Corporation (KDC) at its annual general stakeholder meeting. The move will help the two sail through the tough time, and stimulate growth in the competitive market. After its initial public offering on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) market in 2017, KDF shares have recorded low liquidity and failed to attract the attention of investors. Despite being the leader of the Vietnamese ice cream industry with a 41 per cent market share, the company has seen volatile business. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed customer behaviour for ice cream and other frozen products. As a result, KDF merged with KDC to take advantage of the latters financial and management capabilities to consolidate growth. Tuong An also faced several challenges in 2020 due to economic turmoil and volatile material prices caused by the pandemic. The competition has become fierce as more vegetable oil brands roll out into the market. Other vegetable oil producers have also reduced prices to capture market share. Due to market volatility and global challenges remaining unresolved, in the near term we expect to see a slowdown in the number of high-value merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions in the food sector, said Seck Yee Chung, partner at Baker & McKenzie Vietnam. While Vietnam has effectively contained the virus, it has also been significantly affected by the pandemic. Supply chain disruption during this has severely impacted the export of agricultural products and other processed goods to major markets such as China, the United States, and Europe. Even through government-enforced travel bans, nationwide social distancing, and restaurant closures, there has been an increase in the demand of food and grocery consumption. However, out-of-home consumption has declined due to the restrictions and the hesitation of middle-income consumers in spending their money during the crisis. Chung added it is expected the economy will gradually become more vibrant again. In the longer term, and with countries better able to manage the outbreak, easing of travel restrictions, and global supply chains reconnecting, this will help spur the Vietnamese economy and the overall food and agriculture sector will continue to be of great interest to overseas investors. The technology and logistics platforms that support such growth also present exciting opportunities. According to FiinGroup, a provider of financial data and business information, food and beverages have always been a magnet for M&A thanks to the sectors high and stable growth rate, driven by Vietnams big population, rapid urbanisation, emerging middle class, and resilient GDP growth. From 2011 to the first half 2019, 245 deals value at $8.95 billion have been recorded, led by major players in the industry such as Masan, KIDO, and The PAN Group. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) said on Saturday that experts including those from Singapore have submitted a detailed draft plan to control the fire which broke out in Assam's Baghjan oil field. The plan was drafted to cap the well by a team of experts from Singapore, along with those of ONGC and OIL. The first batch of equipment from ONGC-Sibsagar has reached Duliajan and will be sent to the site after inspection. The vehicle carrying equipment from ONGC-Rajamundry is also coming to Assam. READ | Assam Gas Fire To Have Long-term Impact On Biodiversity Hotspot Sonowal reviews situation Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal held a high-level meeting to review the prevailing situation and to assess the extent of the damage caused by the fire. The state government also assessed its effect on the ecology of the surrounding areas. He directed the Tinsukia district administration to conduct a detailed assessment of the damage and assured all assistance to the people staying in relief camps. Sonowal also directed the administration to extend full cooperation to OIL, ONGC and other agencies in their efforts to douse the fire in the gas well. Testing of pumps, engines and auxiliary equipment as well as laying of delivery lines for sourcing water from Dangori River are in progress, the OIL statement said. The district administration has deployed police forces at the site and no untoward incident has been reported so far at the site, an official informed. READ | Centre Forms 3-member Inquiry Committee To Probe Circumstances Leading To Assam Fire Fire breaks out at Baghjan well Set up by Oil India Limited in 2006, the Baghjan 5 well produces around 80,000 standard cubic metres per day of gas from a depth of 3,870 metres. The blowout at this well occurred on May 27 when two simultaneous operations- servicing of the top portion of the well and testing new sand in the well were going on. At least one dolphin and a variety of fish died as the residue of gas condensing after coming in contact with water spread to a distance of 5 km in the nearby areas. The well caught fire at around 1.14 pm on Tuesday. As per reports, the blaze was so huge that it could be seen from a distance of more than two km. The Indian Air Force deployed three fire tenders to douse the massive fire after a specific request from Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. On June 10, PM Modi spoke to the Assam CM and assured him all possible support from the Centre. READ | Assam: 467 MT Crude Output Lost On Oil India's Well Fire Tragedy Day READ | Assam Gas Well Fire: 7,000 People Moved To 12 Relief Camps (Image credits: PTI) New Delhi: The flagship rural housing scheme Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), started by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been restructured and renamed as Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAY), which will be launched next month. The IAY will be subsumed by the PMAY from April 1 next year. Under the new scheme, the government is aiming to construct one crore houses by 2019, according to sources. However, officials in Rural Development Ministry gave no reason as to why the name of the scheme was changed.Under IAY, the government has set a target of constructing 38 lakh houses by end of the current financial year (2015-16), out of which 10 lakh have been completed. Launched by Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, IAY is a centrally sponsored scheme funded on a cost sharing basis between the centre and states in the 60:40 ratio, except in case of North-Eastern states and Union Territories (UTs). For North-Eastern states, the central government funds 90 per cent of the cost and 100 per cent for the UTs. Under the new modified PMAY scheme, the sharing pattern between the centre and states is same, but the grant will be transfered directly into the bank account of beneficiaries, who have been selected on the basis of socio-economic caste census of 2011. Those who are living in plains will receive a grant of Rs 1.20 lakh, with Rs 1.30 lakh for those living in hilly aras. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. WASHINGTON - First lady Melania Trump delayed her move to Washington after Donald Trump became president to gain leverage in renegotiating her prenuptial agreement, according to a new book. The White House denounced the book after it became public on Friday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump dances with first lady Melania Trump at The Salute To Our Armed Services Inaugural Ball. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) WASHINGTON - First lady Melania Trump delayed her move to Washington after Donald Trump became president to gain leverage in renegotiating her prenuptial agreement, according to a new book. The White House denounced the book after it became public on Friday. Mary Jordan, author of the book "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump," wrote that the 2016 campaign had been rife with reports about Trumps alleged infidelities and the first lady was learning new details about them from media reports. Jordan, a reporter for The Washington Post, writes that the incoming first lady wanted time to cool off and amend her financial arrangement with Trump to ensure the financial future of both herself and their son, Barron. Melania Trump has said that she wanted to wait until the end of the school year to move to Washington. "During the presidential campaign, Melania felt that a lot had changed since she signed her prenup," Jordan writes, citing interviews with several people close to the Trumps. "She had been with him a long time longer than any other woman. She believed she made crucial contributions to his success. There was talk that Trump likely wouldnt return to overseeing the Trump Organization after running the country and Melania wanted to ensure that Barron got his rightful share of inheritance, particularly if Ivanka (the presidents daughter) took the reins of the family business." "While she sorted out her plans as first lady, and a new school for her son, she also worked on getting her husband to sign a more generous financial deal for her and Barron," according to the book, which will be published June 16. The Associated Press purchased an early copy. According to The Washington Post, Jordan conducted more than 100 interviews for her book, including with the first lady's schoolmates in her native Slovenian and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Trump, said the book was based on inaccurate information. "Yet another book about Mrs. Trump with false information and sources," Grisham said in an emailed statement. "This book belongs in the fiction genre." The first lady and Barron, who was 11 at the time, settled into the White House in early June 2017 and she seemed visibly happier by mid-2018, the book said. "According to three people close to Trump, a key reason was that she had finally reached a new and significantly improved financial agreement with Trump, which had left her in a noticeably better financial position," Jordan wrote. "Those sources did not know precisely what she sought, but it was not simply more money." "She wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trumps oldest three children. Among the items under discussion was involvement in the family business, the Trump Organization, and ownership of Trump property. One person aware of the negotiations noted that Barron has Slovenian citizenship so he could be especially well-positioned if the teenager ever wanted to be involved in a Trump business in Europe. Melania wanted and got options for him." ___ Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Bridgewater, New Jersey, contributed to this report. Guwahati: Expressing deep anguish over the environmental impact of the fire in the oil well, the WWF India has asked the Assam government to invoke the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and take action against the companies responsible for causing 'irreparable damage' to the environment and people in the areas around Oil India Limiteds well at Baghjan in Assams Tinsukia district. Referring to Section 16 of the Act that defines penalties for 'offences by companies', the WWF India said, We urge the Assam government to initiate immediate steps to restore the habitats in and around the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri Motapung Beel.WWF India requests the government that relevant provisions of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 must be invoked to take action against the company(ies) responsible for the irreparable damage to the environment and people. It is also imperative to ensure that no further damage is caused to the area and no such incidents are repeated in the future. Stressing that WWF India is deeply disturbed at the blowout that occurred in the oil well, it also noted that the accident has endangered the unique wildlife around the area. This oilfield is located approximately 1 km from the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, a safe haven of rare and threatened species and 1.5 km from the Maguri Motapung Beel, a valuable wetland and an Important Bird Area. Wildlife in the area has been exposed to danger and instances of carcasses of endangered Gangetic dolphins, Indias National Aquatic Animal, as well as those of rare birds with feathers soaked in oil and other animals have been recovered," the statement read. As the fires from the blowout continue since June 9, it has currently engulfed surrounding areas. The statement noted that the wind direction has accelerated the heat and sound generated from the fire towards the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri Motapung Beel, putting wildlife and their habitats under severe threat. "As of June 11, around 7,500 affected families have also been evacuated to nearby relief camps. People from neighbouring villages are also complaining of respiratory complications, the statement read. "With the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park notified to an extent of 0 (zero) kilometre to 8.7 kilometres, this incident has once again proven the imminent danger of having a zero kilometre ESZ around Protected Areas (PAs). This accident and its catastrophic impact on the biodiversity of the area, affecting ecosystem services and related livelihoods of people, reinforces the need to have carefully considered demarcations of ESZ around PAs as required under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986, it stated. Prosecutors investigated after a television crew captured a US police officer in Buffalo shoving a 75-year-old man who then falls and cracks his head, a confrontation that resulted in the suspension of two officers. The video from WBFO of Thursday nights encounter, which happened near the conclusion of race protests over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, quickly sparked outrage. It showed an officer pushing a man who approached a line of officers clearing demonstrators from Niagara Square around the time of an 8pm curfew. The man falls backward and hits his head on the pavement. Blood leaks out as officers walk past. The mayor, Byron Brown, said in a statement that the man, who has not been publicly identified, was in serious condition. A hospital official said he was alert and oriented, Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted on Friday morning. Lets hope he fully recovers, Mr Poloncarz said. The video immediately generated outrage, including among elected officials, despite lacking the racial element that made the death of Mr Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck for several minutes, such a flashpoint. This incident is wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful. I've spoken with Buffalo @MayorByronBrown and we agree that the officers involved should be immediately suspended pending a formal investigation. Police Officers must enforce NOT ABUSE the law. https://t.co/EYIbTlXnPt Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 5, 2020 The officer and the man in the Buffalo video both appear to be white. Governor Andrew Cuomo endorsed the suspensions, tweeting that what was seen on video was wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful. Story continues The police commissioner suspended two police officers without pay, the mayor said. The district attorneys office continues to investigate the incident, officials said in a news release, but the victim could not talk to investigators Thursday night. Buffalo police initially said in a statement that a person was injured when he tripped & fell, WIVB-TV reported, but Captain Jeff Rinaldo later told the TV station an internal investigation was opened. When I saw the video, certainly, it was incredibly distressing and very disappointing. You dont want to see anything like that, Mr Brown told WIVB-TV on Friday. The office of state attorney general Letitia James tweeted that officials there were aware of the video. US Senator Charles Schumer called for an investigation, according to a statement reported by WIVB-TV. The casual cruelty demonstrated by Buffalo police officers tonight is gut-wrenching and unacceptable, John Curr, the Buffalo chapter director for the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement, adding that it should be a wake-up call for city leaders to address police violence. EDWARDSVILLE After a long five-year search, the Goshen Coffee Co. has found its home for the first flagship store. A 1,240 sq. ft. storefront in the commercial area of Trace on the Parkway in Edwardsville has been claimed and is expected to open Aug. 1. We finally get to deliver our coffee how we want, said Goshen Coffee co-owner, Jay Beard. Beard and his wife, Julie, bought the company 10 years ago and have since celebrated its 20-year anniversary. He explained that he and his brother-in-law, Mike Bergen, are spearheading the opening of the flagship site and hope to expand this part of the business in the coming years. Hospitality and coffee knowledge is what will keep us really distinct, Bergen said. We will work to educate our employees so they understand as much about our coffee as possible. Tia Bringenberg will be the stores manager and will help with the education process of 10 employees expected to be hired, as she has been with Goshens wholesale store for some time. The stores interior can sit up to 40 people and comes equipped with a drive-thru window, which was a significant feature for Beard. In addition, there are a number of features that Beard believes separate Goshen Coffee from area stores. One of those features is a pour-over bar, which would make Goshen one of the only stores in the Edwardsville area to have such a feature. Goshen will also house a La Marzocco Modbar Espresso Machine. On the menu, Goshen will include most of its well-known brews and specialty drinks as well as pastries made in-house along with some selections from 222 Artisan Bakery & Cafe. While Beard and Bergen do not expect to open for almost another two months, their tentative hours may look like 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Goshens headquarters and wholesale shop is located at 206 E. Linden St. in Edwardsville and their new flagship shop is located at 6120 Shoger Drive Suite A in Edwardsville. To learn more about how to buy their coffee or about their story, visit: www.goshencoffee.com/ or follow their Facebook page @GoshenCoffee. The video hit the internet with a shock wave. In nearly 12 uninterrupted minutes from a camera mounted on the dash of a Mountie vehicle, a confrontation plays out between the RCMP and a well-known Alberta First Nation chief. What ostensibly begins with an expired licence plate ends in blood and criminal charges. Chief Allan Adam, head of the Athabasca Chipewyan of northern Alberta, has publicly accused the RCMP of brutality during his arrest in a Fort McMurray parking lot on a late March night. The RCMP, meanwhile, have said that after reviewing the vehicle footage that the actions of their officers were deemed reasonable. The release of the dash cam footage Thursday has cast the events into the court of public opinion for its judgment. The prime minister has called it shocking. Experts say that depending on your perspective, the video shows both how use of force is deployed by police officers and how non-white people are treated differently. Heres how the video plays out and what the experts say they see in it. 00:00 The initial incident Adam and the RCMP agree on the most basic facts, that the altercation began in the early hours of March 10 outside the Boomtown Casino in the northern Alberta oil city of Fort McMurray. Adam says he and his wife, Freda Courtoreille, got into their GMC pickup and Courtoreille noticed an RCMP vehicle behind them. The first frames of the video show the police vehicle pull up behind Adams pickup truck. Adam turns and walks over to the drivers side window, then goes back to his truck, then back again to the RCMP vehicle. The audio only begins at this second approach, and Adam can be heard swearing. Tell your sergeant Im tired of being harassed by the RCMP. The officer can be heard telling Adam to return to his vehicle. Adam swears again and returns to his truck, opens a back door, pulls something out and places it in the truck bed. John Struthers, president of the Criminal Lawyers Association, is skeptical about why Adam isnt simply told to go on his way at this point. You have to look at the big picture. Lets say youre a white, Anglo Saxon, Protestant woman in North Toronto driving around in your car, and your licence plate is expired by 10 months. Do you expect to be arrested? Of course not. 1:36 The argument begins Adam returns to the drivers side of the police vehicle another time, and can be heard shouting, though the words are muffled on the video. The still unseen police officer raises his voice as well: Sir, return to your vehicle. Ill come back to you in a minute. Adam walks away and glares at the officer though the windshield. You and I are going to have a f---ing problem, right here and right f---ing now. He stops and watches the police vehicle for almost a full minute. When a police officer is interacting with someone, says Greg Brown, a professor of criminology at Ottawas Carleton University, he or she would be constantly evaluating both the person in question and what an appropriate response would be. There is a rough set of guidelines called the use-of-force framework there is a national version, though most provinces adopt their own, with small tweaks, Brown says that sets out general principles. But that doesnt mean situations are always clear cut, he points out. As somebody thats used force many, many times in my policing career, you know, these situations are always fluid and dynamic, none is ever the same as the other. 2:46 The police officer exits his vehicle for the first time The police officer can be heard opening his door, and he steps into frame of the camera footage for the first time. He and Adam exchange words, and Adam walks back to the vehicle. They continue to speak to each other and Adam appears agitated. Adam climbs into the truck and the first officer seems to be speaking to the passengers through the drivers side window for about a minute. To El Jones, a sociology instructor at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax and advocate who works with victims of police violence, said Adams temperament at this point is not surprising. His agitation is typical of those who feel they have a history of being harassed by police, she says. She referenced R v Le, a 2019 Supreme Court of Canada case that she says determined racialized people react to police interactions differently based on a history of being frequently stopped and targeted. All of his actions that are going to be judged as well, like You should have obeyed the police, you shouldnt have cursed, when, in fact, its clearly established in case law that those are reasonable actions through the lens of how Indigenous people have consistently been stopped by police, Jones said. 4:17 Adam jumps out of the car again and things start to heat up Adam walks quickly in the direction of the police officer, removing his jacket as he goes. For the first time, Adams wife opens the door of the truck and gets out. 4:34 Adam clenches his fist and seems to square up against the officer In response, the officer holds up a hand, and Adams wife walks toward him. Adam backs away, walks back around the truck and climbs into the back seat. The officer and Adams wife follow. Brown is clear that he does not comment on cases that are before the courts, but says that, speaking generally, one of the issues that is often raised in situations where use of force is at issue is whether or not someone was threatening assault. One of the basic tenets of the use-of-force model, Brown explained, is that an officer is supposed to respond in a way that is proportional to the behaviour of the person he or she is dealing with. The model recognizes a range of possible behaviour on the part of the person in question, from passive resistance, which describes someone who isnt doing anything but is basically just refusing to follow directions, to active resistance, which is someone who is actively trying to get away, like, for example, pulling away when an officer grabs them. Then theres assaultive, which is when someone initiates contact with the officer but Brown also notes that under Canadian law, you can be charged with assault by threatening to make contact in these cases, officers are authorized to use more force, he says. The standard here is a reasonable expectation, he explained. So you know, a judge would assess whether that had actually taken place (where) the person thought it was a bona fide situation where an assault was imminent. Of course, people are complex, and sometimes two people can look at another person and perceive their behaviour in different ways. Sometimes theres a contention or friction, between an interpretation of a subjects behaviour as an act of resistance behaviour or an assault. 4:54 The officer grabs Courtoreille The officer grabs Adams wife, Courtoreille. He appears to push her up against the truck and she yells out. Adam again exits the truck, yells at the officer and pushes him away. Adams niece exits the vehicle and speaks with the officer for about 10 seconds before going back in the truck. In the video, Adam can be heard telling police he doesnt appreciate how they manhandled her. Jones says the context here is everything, pointing out that the national inquirys report into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls noted how RCMP officers have been the perpetrators of sexual violence against Indigenous women. You also have to think about the history of residential schools, the literal splitting of families and what it would mean as a family member to see (another) family member brutalized by the police, Jones said. Adam disappears from frame for almost a minute as he moves around to the front of the truck, and the officer follows, an arm outstretched. 6:25 Everyones back in the truck Adam and his wife get back in the truck. Then, the truck inches forward, and the officer walks around the drivers side window and raises his hand and speaks to the driver. 6:40 A siren is heard Adam gets out of the truck, and the officer walks around to him. 6:59 The officer goes to grab his arm, and Adam pulls away Brown, the criminologist, says police arent entitled to grab people or physically handle them unless theyre under arrest or detained. Training would suggest that if youre reaching out to grab somebody, youre simultaneously telling them that theyre under arrest, he said. 7:00 The tackle For the first time, a second officer enters the frame of the video. He runs in from the left and tackles Adam to the ground. Both officers struggle to hold him down, Adams niece runs over, Adams wife exits the truck. The first officer yells at them to get back. The second officer has Adam in a headlock on the ground. At one point, the second officer punches Adam, and later yells stop resisting. 8:47 Both cops lift a handcuffed Adam to his feet His face is streaked with blood as the two officers escort him to the car. He yells at someone to grab the cops badge numbers. You guys f---ing did the wrong thing, you know that? 8:50 The arrest According to his lawyer, Brian Beresh, Adam was charged with assaulting police and resisting arrest, detained overnight and released the next morning. Police never issued a ticket for the expired registration, the lawyer said. After the video Beresh has since filed a motion for the charges to be stayed. The incident is also being investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which probes allegations of police misconduct. The dash cam video is likely to be used in both proceedings, but experts are divided over what that could mean. Generally speaking, Brown says that videos are not as objective as people think. Theyre often an incomplete picture, and people often bring their own biases when they watch things such as dash cam footage, and because most people have no idea what use-of-force rules are, they tend to see the videos as negative. Often the same situation can be used by both sides as evidence, he says. Perhaps the police officer sees someone assume an offensive stance, and assume that an assault is going to follow. But that persons lawyer may argue that the person meant something else entirely. He adds that most members of the public doesnt know much about policing. They watch a video and they think, Oh, that looks horrible. Yeah, that must be police brutality, that must be illegal, without understanding the underlying foundations of the use of force model. But Struthers, the lawyer, counters that videos, as a relatively recent development in policing show people exactly what policing is. Without videos, the public really didnt want to believe, or perhaps couldnt believe, what was actually taking place on the streets. Read more about: The death of Rodney Levi of the Metepenagiag Mikmaq Nation in an RCMP shooting Friday night in New Brunswick continues to put the focus on police relations with Indigenous communities in Canada. Heres a look at major stories on the subject in the past month: The Death of Rodney Levi Roger Augustine, the regional chief representing New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, said Levi was shot near the community, about 30 kilometres west of Miramichi, N.B. He added that Levi was a relative, saying he has a grandson in the area who shares Levis last name. The RCMP said officers responded to a complaint about an unwanted man in a home near the community at 7:40 p.m. local time When police arrived, they were confronted by a man who was carrying knives, said RCMP Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh. She said officers used a stun gun several times but were unable to subdue the man. The arrest of Chief Allan Adam RCMP dash-cam footage was released publicly Friday as part of a court application to stay criminal charges against the chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. It shows a Mountie charging at an agitated Adam, tackling him to the ground and punching him in the head in Fort McMurray, Alta. The 12-minute video from early on March 10 shows a black truck idling outside the Boomtown Casino in downtown Fort McMurray in the glow of flashing police lights. Adam can be seen walking back and forth between the truck and an RCMP cruiser, shouting profanities at an officer out of view. The chief tells the officer to tell his sergeant: Im tired of being harassed by the RCMP. Sir, just return to your vehicle. Ill come talk to you in a minute, the Mountie replies. A few minutes later, after some arguing, Adam gets out of the trucks passenger seat and takes off his jacket as he strides toward the officer. A woman in the drivers seat gets out and Adam crouches as though bracing for a fight. There is more arguing and Adam gets back into the passenger seat. The officer is seen pushing the woman against the truck and yanking her by the shoulder as she shouts, Ow! Hey! Leave my wife alone! You come for me, Adam says, before swatting the officers hands away from the woman. The second officer charges at Adam shortly after and tackles him to the ground. Winnipeg arrest Police are defending the actions of officers who kneed and kicked a man while arresting him and are reaching out to Indigenous leaders to discuss what happened Thursday. A blurry, 74-second video taken by a bystander and posted online shows three officers in Winnipeg struggling to turn a man on the ground over to handcuff him. One officer knees the man in the back twice. A fourth officer walks up and kicks the man two times in the shoulder. One officer deploys a Taser while another puts a foot on the mans shoulder. The man is soon in cuffs. Kevin Walby, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Winnipeg, said the video shows problematic behaviour, since the suspect was already on the ground when he was kneed, kicked and shocked with a Taser. All three of those uses of force come after the person is already detained and restrained, Walby said. Hes squirming around a little bit, but you tend to do that when youve got three people with their knees in your back and on your pressure points. The Winnipeg Police Service on Friday released a longer and clearer video taken from nearby security cameras and held a news conference about the use of force. Const. Jay Murray said officers were responding to multiple reports of a man armed with a gun and high on methamphetamine who was threatening pedestrians during Thursdays morning rush hour. He said the man had broken a large granite slab and busted a window at the Centennial Concert Hall to break in. Murray said that officers saw a suspect throw what appeared to be a handgun to the ground. The suspect refused orders to get on the ground, he said. Officers struggled to place the male into handcuffs. While struggling with the officers, a knife and a heavy bar were located on the male. Flinn Nolan Dorian, 33, has been charged with several offences, including possession of a weapon. The death of Chatel Moore A 26-year-old Indigenous woman from British Columbia, Moore was shot and killed by police in Edmundston, N.B., on June 4. The Edmundston Police Force said it received a request to check on a womans well-being at an apartment building. The force said the officer who responded to the call encountered a woman holding a knife who made threats. Moore had moved to the community three months ago to be near her mother and six-year-old daughter. Nora Martin, Moores grandmother, and her sister, Grace Frank, have said they doubt the police version of events as Moore was a petite woman who they say was not violent. We have to know the circumstances. We cant go with what the RCMP say. We dont believe that Chantel attacked him. Theres no way in the world she would attack anybody, said Martin. She had no mental health issues. Nunavut arrest Nunavut is planning its own civilian police review agency over concerns that Inuit are too often treated badly by RCMP. Video surfaced on social media last week that showed an apparently intoxicated Inuit man being knocked over by the door of a slowly moving police vehicle before being arrested. He was taken to the detachment lock-up in Kinngait, formerly Cape Dorset, where he was beaten by a fellow prisoner badly enough to be flown to hospital in Iqaluit. The man was not charged with anything. I was outraged. I was angry. I was hurt, Nunavut Justice Minister Jeannie Ehaloak said. The death of Regis Korchinsky-Paquet A 29-year-old Black and Indigenous woman, Korchinsky-Paquet died when she fell 24 storeys from a balcony while Toronto police officers were in her apartment on May 27. Her family has questioned the role of police in her death. Korchinsky-Paquets mother has said she called police to the apartment and asked them to take her daughter to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Ontarios police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, is investigating. Sebastian Guilhaus and Elizabeth Sobinoff were the only Married At First Sight couple to remain together after the show. And it appears as though the personal trainer, 30, wants to take their relationship to the next level, after he was spotted looked at engagement rings in Adelaide on Friday. It comes after of the loved-up couple announced their plans to move in together in Sydney later this year. Romance: Married At First Sight's Sebastian Guilhaus (pictured) was spotted looking at engagement rings in Adelaide on Friday... before moving in with girlfriend Elizabeth Sobinoff Seb cut a casual figure in a dark grey coat, black long sleeve shirt and straight leg jeans as he walked through Adelaide's shopping district. He accessorised with a silver chain necklace which feature a ring pendant and several leather bracelets. He was spotted looking at the sale window display of the chain retailers Mazzucchelli's and Michael Hill, before wandering in to the latter store. Is this the one? It appeared as though Seb was looking for engagement rings Planning to propose? It appears as though the personal trainer, 30, wants to take their relationship to the next level Trendy: Seb cut a casual figure in a dark grey coat, black long sleeve shirt and straight leg jeans as he walked through Adelaide's shopping district Seb looked closely at several diamond rings, even taking a photo of one for reference. It's unclear whether Seb was looking for engagement rings in particular, or just a sparkling gift for his girlfriend ahead of their move. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Seb for comment. Stylish: He accessorised with a silver chain necklace which feature a ring pendant and several leather bracelets On the hunt for something special? He started by window shopping at Mazzucchelli's Finding the perfect gift? He was spotted looking at the sale window display of the chain retailer Michael Hill Seb and Elizabeth, 31, are excited to finally share a home together in Sydney after a couple of setbacks this year. But earlier this month, the fitness trainer revealed another small hurdle holding him back. He explained on Instagram that he needs to find someone to replace him at the house share he's currently living in. Seb revealed that he can't leave South Australia until he finds somebody to take over his $520-a-week tenancy agreement on his unit in Glenelg. Just right? Seb looked closely at several diamond rings He pleaded with his 92,800 Instagram followers to consider taking over the lease, before offering them a virtual tour of the property. The modern pad boats three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open plan lounge, kitchen, laundry cupboard and balcony. It comes fully furnished. 'It's in a prime location! The beach is 500 meters that way, it's one of the best locations in Adelaide,' exclaimed Seb, as he filmed out of the windows. Seb described his bedroom as a 'filth pot' and asked fans to excuse the mess. Second opinion? Seb even took a photo of one for reference Seb may have also been looking for a sparkling gift for his girlfriend ahead of their move He has a framed wedding portrait with Elizabeth on his bed stand. The couple haven't seen each other for almost two months now due to coronavirus restrictions. 'So, if you're keen, it's $520 for the week or $260 per person, and that's not including bills. It's quite pricey but a great location and fully furnished,' Seb explained. 'I need to be in Sydney by the 20th so please help me, I need to get this sorted out.' Looking forward: Seb and Elizabeth, 31, are excited to finally share a home together in Sydney after a couple of setbacks this year Hurdle: But earlier this month, the fitness trainer revealed another small hurdle holding him back 'I live in Glenelg in Adelaide, if you know anyone that is looking for a place, send me a message or an email because I'm looking at the moment,' he said in another video call out. Earlier this year, Seb and Elizabeth were set to move in together at a home in Dee Why, on Sydney's northern beaches, but their rental fell through. This was then followed by the COVID-19 pandemic which put their plans for weeks and separated in different states - Lizzie is at her parent's house in Newcastle, New South Wales, and Seb in Adelaide, South Australia - because of border closures. Love: Sebastian and Elizabeth Sobinoff (pictured) were the only Married At First Sight couple to remain together after the show The pair have dealt with their fair share of doubting fans over the past few months. Just this week, Elizabeth sparked break-up fears after sharing a stunning selfie to Instagram on Thursday alongside a cryptic caption. 'New chapter in my story,' the Married At First Sight star wrote - leaving fans worrying about her relationship status with the former footy player. The brunette bombshell immediately swamped with break-up speculation and she was forced to edit her post for clarification. She added: 'No I have DEFINITELY not broken up with my man, I've just edited my caption because already there were questions. My baby is coming home to me soon.' Split? Elizabeth parked break-up fears on Thursday when she shared a stunning selfie to Instagram alongside a cryptic caption about starting a 'new chapter' DANBURY Tommy Cherisme wants the change to start at Western Connecticut State University. The 21-year-old Danbury resident, who will be a senior next academic year, was among about 100 students and others who marched on Friday to demand action to address systemic racism at the university and in the country. Im starting here in my community, said Cherisme, who organized the march. Im hoping others see this and feel they have the power to do something in their community and their world. The students, professors and other community members marched through the Midtown campus and down a section of White Street in the third protest held in the city since the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a white Minneapolis officer. Before the march, the group held a moment of silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds the length of time the cop knelt on Floyds neck. Protesters held signs that said Black lives matter and shouted no justice, no peace and hands up, dont shoot as they marched. The nationwide protests and fury over the death of Floyd and other black Americans, including Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, was part of the undercurrent of the march. But many student and faculty speakers focused on what they described as the failing of the university to be inclusive of students of color. You can put students of color on your advertising, but if your customer service is non-existent then theres really no point, said Anna Abebambo, president of the Student Government Association, which helped organize the event. She and others said professors and campus police treated students and organizations of color differently than their white peers. One alumna, Vernay Snow, traveled nearly four hours from Maryland to speak, describing the racist remarks and bias she experienced from students, faculty and staff on campus. During my college career, I have been belittled, said Snow, who graduated from the university in 2019 and served in various organizations. My character has been assassinated. I wasnt given opportunities that I was more than qualified for because of my ability and dedication to speak truth to power, while also being black. She said students need to hold the university accountable and expose the racial tension on campus. We no longer want diversity, Snow said. We want inclusion. University President John Clark spoke as well, focusing on the need for the death of racism nationwide and permanent progress. He recalled the civil rights and Vietnam War protests when he was in college in the late 1960s and early 1970s. And still nothing has changed, Clark said. For my generation, there is a sense of failure and also there is a sense we need to pass the baton and give our new generation of leaders, like Tom and Anna, all the support we can. If this doesnt happen now, it could be another 50 years and we will not and we cannot tolerate that. But he said the students gave him hope. Many students said the universitys recently announced effort to change the schools mascot from Chuck the Colonial is not enough and came too late. Students said the mascot is a symbol of invaders who took over land and enslaved people and that they had been working to change it this academic year. One recent graduate said the university needs more diverse professors and Greek life, more classes on black, Latino and Native American culture, and a scholarship in Floyd, Taylor and Arberys names for minority students who fight for justice. Do our lives matter to you? asked Chantel Williams, who graduated this year and plans to pursue her masters degree at Howard University. Or does it only matter when its beneficial to you, like when were catching throwing kicking or bouncing a ball? University spokesman Paul Steinmetz said Western has condemned racist incidents on the campus and urged students to report them. Our goal is to have students see us as allies, not as the opposition, he said. All employees are trained on diversity, but he said he recognized that is not enough . Classroom stuff is all good, but its also the lived experience of everyone on campus that were trying to change, Steinmetz said. Cherisme said he wants the university to see that even though we are a predominantly white campus, black students also have a voice on campus and that we matter. Washington: North Korea on Friday said it was abandoning attempts to pursue a diplomatic relationship with the White House because two years after a historic handshake between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un "even a slim ray of optimism" for peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula had "faded away into a dark nightmare." The statement by North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon, published on state media, represented the clearest indication yet that Pyongyang appears to have all but given up on improving ties with the Trump administration and working toward "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula." A map of two Koreas showing the Demilitarised Zone with North Korea's capital Pyongyang and South Korea's capital Seoul is seen at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea. Credit:AP The phrase formed the basis of a vaguely worded accord between Trump and Kim Jong-un when the two leaders shook hands during a carefully choreographed summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018. Trump broke with diplomatic norms and protocol when he became the first sitting American president to hold a face-to-face meeting with a leader of North Korea. Porterville, CA (93257) Today Cloudy early, becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low 37F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Cloudy early, becoming mostly clear after midnight. Low 37F. Winds light and variable. By PTI WASHINGTON: Second Lieutenant Anmol Narang will create history by becoming the first observant Sikh to graduate from the prestigious United States Military Academy at West Point on Saturday. US President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at the 2020 US Military Academy at West Point graduation ceremony. "I am excited and honoured to be fulfilling my dream of graduating from West Point on Saturday," 2LT Narang said in a statement on the eve of the historic occasion. "The confidence and support of my community back home in Georgia has been deeply meaningful to me, and I am humbled that in reaching this goal, I am showing other Sikh Americans that any career path is possible for anyone willing to rise to the challenge," she said. Narang will complete her Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. Following the successful completion of BOLC, she will then head to her first posting in Okinawa, Japan, in January of 2021, according to the non-profit organisation Sikh Coalition. A second-generation immigrant born and raised in Roswell, Georgia, Narang had an early appreciation for military service due to her maternal grandfather's career in the Indian Army. After she developed an interest in military service during high school, she began the process to apply for the West Point after her family visited Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu, Hawai'i. She attended one year of undergraduate study at the Georgia Institute of Technology before transferring to West Point, where she proceeded to study nuclear engineering and pursue a career path in air defense systems, the media release said. In 1987, the US Congress passed a law that prohibited Sikhs and several other religious communities from maintaining their articles of faith while in the military, despite a history of diverse service and simple accommodations. The Sikh Coalition said that for 30 years, the visible Sikh articles of faith--including unshorn facial hair and turbans--were banned, despite being core tenets of the faith. In response, for more than 10 years, the Sikh Coalition has led a campaign, in partnership with other Sikh and civil rights organisations, litigation partners, and like-minded advocates, to ensure equality of opportunity for Sikhs Americans in the US Armed Forces. "While 2LT Narang required no accommodation for her articles of faith, her exemplary service to date underscores how diversity and pluralism remain core strengths of the US military and the country as a whole," Sikh Coalition said. "I am immensely proud of 2LT Narang for seeing her goal through and, in doing so, breaking a barrier for any Sikh-American who wishes to serve," said US Army Captain (CPT) Simratpal Singh, a family friend of 2LT Narang. "The broader acceptance of Sikh service members among all of the service branches, as well as in top tier leadership spaces like West Point, will continue to benefit not just the rights of religious minority individuals, but the strength and diversity of the US military," he said. Singh's 2016 suit over his own right to maintain his articles of faith in uniform spurred a critical change in the Army's accommodations policy in 2017, which streamlined the accommodations process for Sikh soldiers and ensured that accommodations would stay with them throughout their career. In 2020, after granting a series of individual accommodations to Sikh airmen throughout the year prior, the U.S. Air Force implemented a similarly updated policy. Since the Army and the Air Force changed their policies, there are at least 60 observant Sikhs serving in those two branches of the military. Meanwhile, the work continues to ensure equality of opportunity for Sikhs in the US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, the media release said. There are an estimated 500,000 Sikh-Americans in the US. 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. He defended the FBIs Library Awareness Program in the late 1980s that encouraged public libraries to report suspicious individuals who might be Soviet operatives. But he disciplined six bureau employees who had been involved earlier in extensive surveillance of the Committee in Solidarity With the People of El Salvador and other left-leaning groups opposed to U.S. policy in Latin America. The Illinois Baptist State Association (IBSA) is challenging a 2019 state law requiring employee health insurance plans to cover abortions, claiming the mentioned law violates freedom of religion and conscience. Executive Director of IBSA, Nate Adams said, "The lawsuit states that our deeply held beliefs oppose abortion and, as an organization with religious beliefs, we should not be compelled to provide abortion coverage for our employees." "It's amazing to us that this could be passed as a law. So we asked basically for relief or for an exception from being required to provide abortion coverage for our employees, and by extension the churches that are a member of our association," Adams said. The Illinois Reproductive Health Act, passed in May 2019, provides insurance requirements for the coverage of abortion which means it requires every health insurance plan in the state that provides pregnancy coverage to also cover elective chemical and surgical abortions, without exception. Peter Breen, the vice president and senior counsel of the Thomas More Society called the state law a "blatant violation of the religious and conscience rights of Illinoisans" and argued that the Illinois mandate violates existing state laws such as the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act. Breen claims, "the secular forces" were behind this mandate with "no hesitation in wielding state power against our sincerely held, common-sense religious beliefs" and concluded to object paying for health insurance coverage of abortion. For support of the lawsuit against the mandate, Breen cites the 2014 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. in which Hobby Lobby was granted a religious exemption to the Health and Human Services' contraception and abortion mandate. As a part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, the mandate required employers to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives including those that cause abortions, but it exempted churches. In 2017, the Health and Human Services extended exemptions to the mandate to include nonprofits and in 2018, the Trump administration issued executive orders guaranteeing religious and freedom of conscience exemptions to the federal rule. Progress is supervening little by little so there is hope in protecting the freedom of religion and conscience of the church in America. Bloomsday is named for the day James Joyce met Nora Barnacle, the decisive personal influence in his life. But Joyceans should perhaps mark another day as a key influence: the day he first began his Jesuit education, as a boarder at Clongowes Wood. He was six-and-a-half years old, in 1888. From that tender age, until he was 20, Joyce was constantly under the influence of Jesuit educators - with a brief interlude at the Christian Brothers O'Connell Schools. In later life he told his friend in Trieste, Italo Svevo, that rather than alluding to him as a Catholic, "to get the correct contour on me, you ought to allude to me as a Jesuit". The Jesuit influence remained with Joyce all his life. Read More In his fame as an author, JJ was not - understandably for the time - immediately claimed by his erstwhile educators. Ulysses, published in 1922, was banned in America as obscene and seized at the port of Folkestone in England for similar reasons. (As every literary geek knows, paradoxically it was never banned in Ireland.) Visitors to Clongowes were advised to "breathe not his name", and when Joyce died in 1941, neither Clongowes nor his subsequent school, Belvedere, ran an obituary in the school magazines that usually honoured old boys. Clongowes is identified with Joyce - since it is so vividly evoked in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, but Father Fergus O'Donoghue SJ, former editor of the publication Studies, thinks that Belvedere was more significant in Joyce's life. "Clongowes is more glamorous, but Belvedere had a much greater influence on Joyce." Despite the reduced circumstances of the Joyce family - his father had no steady job, and drank more than was wise - JJ's three younger brothers also attended Belvedere. Fr O'Donoghue notes that "they were given breakfast every day" because the Jesuits were aware of the straitened circumstances of home life. And James was a brilliant pupil. He won prizes and exhibitions from early on - Belvedere was gratified when, on two separate occasions in all-Ireland exams, he surpassed the star pupil at Belfast's elite (and Protestant!) Royal Academical Institution. Initially, Joyce was both a bright boy and a good boy. Bruce Bradley SJ, the author of the acclaimed James Joyce's Schooldays, describes how he was elected Prefect of the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary - effectively head boy. There were some hopes - and JJ entertained the idea himself - of him becoming a priest. However, from about the age of 16, he began moving away from childhood faith, finding a new identity as "dissident and rebel". After Belvedere, he spent four more years under the influence of the Jesuits at University College Dublin, which was then Jesuit-run. After he and Nora eloped to continental Europe, he "left the Catholic Church, hating it most fervently", writes Bruce Bradley. He described Jesuits as "black lice" to his brother Stanislaus. As we know, JJ and Nora led a peripatetic life - in Trieste, Paris, Zurich, and, like his father before him, he was constantly short of money and always moving accommodation. Was his Jesuit education set aside when he became an apostate? On the contrary: it imbued the very fundamentals of his work as a writer. Kevin Sullivan, the Irish- American author of Joyce Among the Jesuits, claims that without that background in Clongowes and Belvedere, Joyce would never have become the great writer that he was. "The Irish Jesuits left on Joyce a psychological, moral, religious, intellectual and even social impress which explains the kind of person he was, helps to explain the kind of work he produced." Even his rebellion "was an acknowledgement of their power and influence over him, a reluctant homage which disobedience must always pay to authority". Joyce, as he admitted to Svevo, became a kind of artistic Jesuit - drawing on the Ignatian habit of self-discipline and focus, both in his work and his life. The "AMDG" (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam: "To God's greater glory") which he wrote on school copybooks was alchemised into an unremitting dedication to his life as a writer, despite hardships. And JJ's life had many hardships: no fixed abode, trying to earn money teaching while needing to write, gradually going blind and struggling with the serious mental illness of his daughter, Lucia. His "fortitude and endurance" were an inheritance from his Jesuit training. Time often mellows and in his later years, he expressed gratitude for his Jesuit education, and admiration for his educators - while the Jesuit educators came to realise what a pearl they had formed, and at both Belvedere and Clongowes his portrait now hangs with pride. When James Joyce died, Nora thought it apt to give him a secular funeral - although she had drifted back to faith - and the Zurich authorities wrote "Keine Religion" (no religion) on the official form. But, notes Fergus O'Donoghue, "that is officially XXXed over and replaced with 'Katholisch'". Gilead Sciences Inc has signed agreements with four pharma companies, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, Biocon arm Syngene International Ltd, Zydu Cadila Ltd and Egypt-based Eva Pharma Pvt Ltd, for manufacturing and sale of remdesivir, which has shown greater impact during initial two phases of trials. The company had previously signed pacts with five other companies including Cipla, Jubilant Life, Hetero Drugs, Mylon and Pakistan's Ferozsons Laboratories. The decision was taken after the company got emergency use authorisation in the US. Remdesivir had shown promising results during two phases of trials, with the recent one by the US' National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Also read: Coronavirus vaccine update: China inches closer; Japan sets June 2021 target The company is now in the process of conducting the third clinical phase trial. Besides, US-based Moderna has also said that it has selected a dose for the final stage of clinical trials. It estimated that the trials would begin in July. Moderna's clinical trial for the possible coronavirus vaccine would include 30,000 people and would be conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The corona vaccine would be tested for preventing COVID symptoms. All these licences are royalty-free until the World Health Organisation declares the world free from coronavirus pandemic, or a drug or vaccine is approved against the deadly virus. Also read: Coronavirus vaccine update: Indian firm Panacea to make vaccine; Serum Institute puts in $100 million Also, pharma company AstraZeneca has signed an $87 million deal with Emergent Biosolutions to manufacture Oxford University's corona vaccine. As part of the deal, Emergent would reserve large-scale manufacturing capacity for the candidate. It would also aid AstraZeneca in achieving its aim of producing more than 2 billion doses by 2021. Also read: Coronavirus vaccine: Sun Pharma starts Phase 2 of trials; PM Modi pledges $15 million to GAVI Brazil's Instituto Butantan has also reached an agreement with China's Sinovac to create a COVID-19 vaccine. The tests for the same would begin in July and would include around 9,000 Brazilians. If proven effective, the corona vaccine would be produced in Brazil. Additionally, Israeli researchers have identified molecules that may lead to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, as stated by Bar Ilan University in Central Israel. BIU researchers have examined antigen molecules that could provoke an immune response of antibody production. Chinese pharma company Sinopharm has cleared the animal trials. Sinopharm researchers picked one viral strain from a patient that showed optimal ability to replicate to make the coronavirus vaccine. The researchers evaluated mice and rhesus macaques for their findings. Also read: Coronavirus vaccine update: CCMB develops new low-cost COVID-19 tests Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 14:58:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- China has launched multiple online activities to celebrate this year's Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, which falls on Saturday. Across the country, over 3,700 activities will be rolled out to celebrate the day, with the majority to be held online, said Minister of Culture and Tourism Luo Shugang. The offline events will be held with strict epidemic prevention and control measures, said Luo. More than 1,600 documentary films and pictures on intangible cultural heritage were promoted on eight popular online platforms. Nearly 6,500 online shops on various e-commerce platforms including Alibaba, JD.com and Suning have joined a shopping campaign to sell items related to 4,500 different kinds of intangible cultural heritage. Since 2006, China has celebrated cultural heritage day on the second Saturday of June. In 2017, it was renamed Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. Enditem Washington: The residents of Americas capital wear their politics on their licence plates. Spend any time in the District of Columbia and youll notice vehicles everywhere bearing the slogan: Taxation Without Representation. Its a reminder that the 700,000 people who live in the capital district do not have voting representation in the US Congress, despite paying some of the highest taxes in the country. A DC statehood mural in Washington, DC. Credit:Matthew Knott "The US is the only democratic country on the planet where the residents of the capital are not represented in the legislative branch," says Bo Shuff, the executive director of DC Vote, a group of Washington residents that advocates for equal voting rights. "I use Canberra all the time as a comparison," he says. Bhubaneswar: At least six persons died and 25 others suffered burn injuries when the bus carrying them came in contact with a high tension electric wire in Odishas Dhenkanal district today, a police officer said. The incident took place near Saraswati Sishu Mandir Chawk of Bhubana town. The bus was taking a detour due to a blockade on the main road and came in contact with a dangling 11 KV live wire, the officer said. Bodies of six persons were recovered from the bus, he said. Of the 25 injured, three have been shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack as their condition deteriorated, the officer said. The bus was on way to Kamakshya Nagar from Cuttack with about 45 passengers. Expressing grief over the tragedy, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the next of the kin of the deceased and free treatment for the injured persons. Odishas Transport Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi said he has asked the local RTO to probe into the matter and find out the circumstances in which the mishap took place. Energy Minister Pranab Prakash Das also asked the engineer-in-chief to probe into the matter after it was alleged that the high tension electric wire was hanging below the stipulated height from the road. Ironically, the bus had been forced to take a detour as locals were blocking the main road due to the death of a home guard of Bhuban police station in an earlier road accident. The driver and other staff of the bus fled from the spot immediately after the incident. Private Bus Owners Association spokesman Debasis Nayak blamed the driver of the bus for the mishap. There should be no doubt about the callousness of the driver which led to such a tragedy, Nayak said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Spike Lee took a break from basking in the positive reviews for his new film Da 5 Bloods to call out the treatment his fellow director Woody Allen has received. During an appearance Saturday on New York station WOR's In The Morning show, Lee, 63, addressed the Manhattan director as his 'friend' and talked up his directing talents, while criticizing the concept of cancel culture, according to The Wrap. Allen's adopted daughter Dylan Farrow accused him of molesting her in 1992 when she was seven, and the allegations received renewed public attention beginning in 2014. Big fan: Spike Lee, 63, defended his 'friend' Woody Allen Saturday on WOR's In The Morning, calling him a 'great, great filmmaker' and criticizing 'this cancel thing'; pictured in January Lee provided a full-throated endorsement of Allen, 84, and his art while on the radio show. 'Id just like to say Woody Allen is a great, great filmmaker and this cancel thing is not just Woody,' he told the hosts Len Berman and Michael Riedel. 'When we look back on it we are going to see that short of killing somebody I dont know you just erase someone like they never existed.' The Do The Right Thing director added: 'Woody is a friend of mine, a fellow Knick fan, and I know hes going through it right now.' Defense: The Do The Right Thing director said, 'Woody is a friend of mine, a fellow Knick fan, and I know hes going through it right now.' He also said people shouldn't be canceled 'short of killing somebody'; pictured in 2017 with Timothee Chalamet Following his early career as a comedian, television writer and occasional actor, Allen branded himself a leading man and a director starting in the late 1960s. He was acclaimed for his comic abilities, as well as his style's absorption of high-brow European art films. His 1977 classic Annie Hall won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and Best Actress for Diane Keaton. Other highlights from his filmography include Manhattan, the Oscar-winning Hannah And Her Sisters and the pitch-black dramedy Crimes And Misdemeanors. Accusations: Following a prolific career filled with classic films and multiple Oscars, Allen was accused of molesting his seven-year-old adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992; pictured in 2017 with Timothee Chalamet His theory: In a recent Guardian interview, Allen defended himself and said the allegations were cooked up by his ex partner Mia Farrow after he began a relationship with her then 21-year-old adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn; pictured with Previn in June 2019 In an interview with The Guardian from last month, Allen disputed Farrow's allegations, though he adopted a resigned tone. 'I assume that for the rest of my life a large number of people will think I was a predator,' he said, adding, 'Anything I say sounds self-serving and defensive, so its best if I just go my way and work.' The Sleeper director contended in the interview and elsewhere that the molestation allegations were cooked up by his ex Mia Farrow, whom he was with from 19801992, though they never married and they maintained separate residences throughout the relationship. Allen began a relationship with Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, who was 21 at the time. Contrary to popular belief, the director was never an adoptive parent to Previn. No show: Allen's newest film A Rainy Day In New York stars Chalamet, Selena Gomez and Elle Fanning. Amazon refused to distribute the film in the US; shown in October 2017 The Guardian article references a custody hearing from July 1992, a month before he was alleged to have molested Dylan Farrow, in which Mia Farrow called him a 'child molester.' Allen and Previn would go on to marry in 1997. The director's most recent film, A Rainy Day In New York, was completed in 2018, but its distributor Amazon refused to release the film due to the renewed controversy surrounding Allen. Riding high: Lee has been experiencing a career resurgence after his 2018 film BlacKkKlansman was embraced by critics and viewers and won him an Oscar; pictured in 2019 Lee's film fortunes have been brighter in recent years as he experienced a critical resurgence thanks to the success of his film BlacKkKlansman. The film earned six Oscar nominations, including Lee's first for directing, and won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, which went to Lee and his three collaborators. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, his new film, Da 5 Bloods, bypassed its planned theatrical exhibition and was released directly to Netflix on Friday. The movie is about four Black Vietnam veterans who return to the Southeast Asian country to find the remains of the slain leader, along with a treasure they buried years before, though they'll be forced to confront the trauma they experienced while in combat. So far, the movie has a sterling 91 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In 1804, the Corsican upstart Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself as Frances emperor. His mother, born Letizia Ramolino, did not attend the coronation. Informed of her sons self-elevation, she is said to have remarked coolly: Lets hope it lasts. In conversations with conservative friends about the Trump presidency these last three years, I often found myself thinking about Mother Bonaparte. Before Donald Trumps election I made a lot of dire predictions about how his mix of demagogy and incompetence would interact with real world threats: I envisioned economic turmoil, foreign policy crises, sustained domestic unrest. Having lived through the failed end of the last Republican presidency, I assumed Trumps administration would be a second, swifter failure, with dire consequences for both the country and the right. In 2017, 2018, 2019, those predictions didnt come to pass. Trump was bad in many ways, but the consequences werent what I anticipated. The economy surged; the world was relatively stable; the country was mad online but otherwise relatively calm. And as the Democrats shifted leftward and Trump delivered on his promised judicial appointments, many conservatives who had shared my apprehensions would tell me that, simply as a shield against the left, the president was doing enough to merit their support in 2020. Mathura: A man from Mathura, who was stranded for over four months in Saudi Arabia after failing to pay an agent, who had promised him a job in that country, returned with the help of the Ministry of External Affairs, his family members claimed. An agent had taken Virendra (32), a resident of Bhainsa village here and a welder by profession, to Saudi Arabia by promising him a job there. But when he didn't get a job, he asked him to send him home, Prakash Singh, one of his relatives, claimed. The agent started putting pressure on him for Rs 3 to Rs 7 lakh and also seized his passport and other documents, he alleged. Virendra somehow managed to contact his family members and narrated his ordeal. They in turn approached the local police and through them the MEA, Singh claimed. Following this, officials of the Indian Mission in Saudi Arabia on Monday arranged for Virendra's return to Delhi. He reached on Monday, his elder brother Fatah Singh said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. At least one person has been confirmed dead and many others injured after Nigerian soldiers attacked officials of the COVID-19 Committee in Borno State. The soldiers, disregarding ongoing interstate travel ban, forced their way through the entrance gate to Borno and allowed hundreds of illegal travelers into the town. The armed personnel, who arrived in three gun trucks, allegedly threatened to open fire on the COVID-19 Committee members led by the state attorney general and a commissioner of health. While breaking through the barricade, the soldiers rammed through a patrol truck of the State Rapid Response Squad which forced the vehicle somersaulting in the bush. All local security personnel in the vehicle sustained injuries. The driver of the RRS truck died hours later at the Borno Specialist Hospital. The soldiers also knocked down some commercial tricycles (Keke Napep). Three women, including a pregnant woman and a baby, sustained fractures. While allowing hundreds of travellers into the state in violation of the restriction order, the soldiers also assaulted a photojournalist attached to the committee while he was filming the vehicles streaming into the city. The Borno government imposed a restriction of interstate travel in May. Only persons on essential duties or with the issued pass are allowed into the state. The COVID-19 Committee has also ruled that violators of the interstate travel restriction would be detained in a quarantine facility for 14 days. We were assaulted today and it is quite unfortunate that it is a federal government law enforcement agency that is responsible, said Kaka Shehu, the attorney general of Borno. We are carrying out a federal government order on restriction on interstate movement and soldiers in three gun trucks decided to violate that by forcefully leading passengers into the city. They did not only break through the barricades but also assaulted us as a committee. They beat up our cameraman, seized his camera, and attempted to beat up some of the policemen in our committee. We did our best to calm the policemen, while I tried to confront one of the soldiers to remind him of the consequences of their action. But to my greatest surprise, the soldier looked at me and told me he doesnt care about our useless democracy. The attorney general said the rampaging troops who were apparently enjoying cheers from the civilians allowed to enter the city, threatened to deal with anyone who would stand on their way. The state deputy governor, Umar Kadafur, who chairs the COVID-19 Committee, arrived at the scene of the faceoff and called the garrison commander to meet him at the scene. Mr Kadafur also ordered the return of the seized video camera while condemning the action of the soldiers. The garrison commander who apologised for the action of the soldiers said the perpetrators have been identified and would face disciplinary action. The garrison commander also said that the officer commanding the soldiers that violated the restriction order said they acted based on the fact that incoming travellers that were trying to escape the committee had gathered at a location, and the soldiers were worried that they could come under attack by Boko Haram insurgents. Hence they led them into the state. Highly condemnable Speaking to journalists at the scene of the clash, the deputy governor said, this is highly condemnable and should not be allowed to repeat itself again. We have conferred with the garrison commander and made it clear to him that we wont allow any soldier to undermine our authority and the orders of Mr President. Hence we will pursue the case to its logical conclusion until we see that those soldiers face disciplinary action. However, we as a committee, and government, appreciate the sacrifices of the Nigerian military and we will do everything to support them, but we will not tolerate discipline in our state. The COVID-19 Committee, led by the deputy governor, later visited the Specialist Hospital where persons injured as a result of the soldiers actions were receiving treatment. Advertisements PREMIUM TIMES reporter saw some of the victims, including the pregnant woman and the toddler with his mother who all sustained fractures on their legs and arm. The deceased driver of the RRS vehicle was still alive at the time the deputy governor visited. He died minutes after the committee had left the hospital. Confirming the development, the state commissioner of health said We have just received a report from the hospital that the injured driver had passed away. This is very sad that all this happened because some soldiers chose to break the law. We are doing our best to stem down the spread of the pandemic, thats why we are enforcing the ban on interstate travel, he said. The cases of COVID-19 are on the rise and most of the new cases are from the travel violators whose blood sample we too while they are in the quarantine facility. Borno had recorded its highest case of COVID-19 on Friday when NCDC returned 42 new cases, which brings the total confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state to 423. The third phase of the Vande Bharat Mission to bring back Indians stranded overseas due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown got underway on Thursday and will continue till July 2. "I would like to announce that the Phase III of Vande Bharat Mission has been initiated from today onwards. It will last till July 2. Phase III will have 432 international flights from 43 countries reaching 17 states and UTs. In this phase, we also have 29 flights from private carriers -- 24 IndiGo (GCC, Malaysia); 3 GoAir (GCC) and 2 Vistara (Singapore). Ramping up our operations in Africa, we have arranged flights from six countries in Africa. "The number of flights from the US and Canada have also been increased given the huge demand. There are 53 flights from the US and 24 flights from Canada. We would also have 16 flights each from Paris and Frankfurt which are to be used as hubs in Europe. There are 170 flights from GCC countries," said the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). A total of 1,65,375 Indians stranded abroad have returned to the country as part of the Vande Bharat Mission till Thursday, according to the MEA spokesperson. These include 29,034 migrant workers, 12,774 students and 11,241 professionals. More than 61,000 Indians have returned through land border immigration checkpoints from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. A total number of 3,99,081 persons have registered their request with the MEA's missions abroad for repatriation to India on compelling grounds. Apart from Air India flights, repatriation has also been arranged through other streams, including Indian Naval vessels, which have brought back Indian nationals from Sri Lanka, Maldives and Iran, chartered flights and through land borders. As on date, a naval repatriation is underway -- INS Shardul is returning from Bandar Abbas after picking up 233 Indian nationals who were stranded in Iran. It is expected to reach Porbandar on Friday. Union home minister Amit Shah and health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will meet Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal along with members of the SDMA to review the situation in the national capital, where Covid-19 cases have been rising exponentially over the last few days. The meeting will take place at 11 am on Sunday, a statement from the Home Ministers office said. Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr Randeep Guleria and other senior officers would also be present at the meeting to be helmed by the home minister. Delhi is now in the third spot, as far as the concentration of coronavirus cases is concerned in India, with the capitals total tally closing in on the 40,000 mark. ALSO READ | Delhi L-G Anil Baijal appoints panel to aid Delhis Covid-19 pandemic response Earlier, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) too sent notices to the Delhi government, Centre on the Covid-19 situation in the national capital. Acting on a complaint by former Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken, the Commission has referred to difficulties being faced by the people in Delhi, due to non-availability of beds in the hospitals for Covid-19 patients and inadequate number of tests leading to a grim state of affairs and mismanagement, resulting in death of a large number of people. On Friday, Delhi had reported 2,137 new Covid-19 cases in the highest single-day spike so far and 71 deaths due to the coronavirus infection, taking the national capitals count to 36,824. ALSO READ | L-G Baijal orders Delhi hospitals to display number of beds, prices outside gates The latest 71 fatalities reported took the capitals death toll to 1,214. The number of deaths recorded on Friday also happened to be a record single-day spike. The earlier highest single-day spike of 1,877 new Covid-19 cases was recorded two days earlier on June 11. The national capital currently has 222 containment zones with a high concentration of coronavirus positive cases. At least, 17,261 Covid-19 positive patients are confined to home isolation in the city. The current doubling rate of the coronavirus infection in the national capital is 14 days, so Delhi is likely to see over 56,000 cases by the end of the next two weeks, the Delhi health ministry predicted earlier this week. Except for June 1, when Delhi saw a spike of 990 cases, it has been recording over 1,000 fresh Covid-19 cases every day from May 28 to June 12. Ashanti Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged all Ghanaians of eligible voting age to participate in the upcoming mass registration exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC). Sam Pyne advised the citizenry not to pay heed to the comments by the leadership of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to abstain from registering their names. NDC National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, delivering a speech at a ceremony marking the party's 28th anniversary on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, charged the members to reject the call to participate in the mass voters registration exercise scheduled to begin on June 30 this year. "We say no to the new register and even if Parliament passes the legislation we will not accept it. We are not just against it because they will not accept the old voter card but because the whole atmosphere in the country is not conducive," he said. The party's flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama also warned the EC saying ''as leader of the NDC, I wish to serve notice that we shall do all our parts to ensure that our country remains peaceful and that the electoral process proceeds smoothly, but let nobody assume that we will accept the results of a flawed elections''. Responding to the NDC on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Sam Pyne sent a strong message to Ghanaians who don't want to partake in the registration exercise emphasizing that ''if stupid people go and vote for a useless government, they will enact useless laws for you the wise person but should there be a good government to establish the right laws, you will equally benefit. So, from 30th June, everybody should go and write their names''. Watch full submissions 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 DPRK FM lashes out at U.S. policy towards Pyongyang People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 13:37, June 12, 2020 PYONGYANG, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Ri Son Gwon, foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), criticized the U.S. policy towards Pyongyang on Friday, saying his country will build up more reliable force to cope with the long-term military threats from Washington. Ri made the remarks on the two-year anniversary of the first DPRK-U.S. summit meeting in Singapore on June 12, 2018, during which DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump reached consensus on security guarantees for the DPRK, new peaceful relations, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, recovery of soldiers' remains, and follow-up negotiations between high-level officials. "What stands out is that the hope for improved DPRK-U.S. relations -- which was high in the air under the global spotlight two years ago -- has now been shifted into despair characterized by spiraling deterioration and that even a slim ray of optimism for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula has faded away into a dark nightmare," Ri was quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency as saying. "The desire of the peoples of two countries to put a period to the world's most antagonistic relations between the DPRK and the United States and to open a new cooperative era of peace and prosperity runs deep as ever. Yet the situation on the Korean Peninsula is taking a turn for the worse in each passing day," he added. He said Pyongyang has done a lot to improve relations and build confidence with Washington, including the total shutdown of the northern nuclear test site, repatriation of scores of American POW/MIA remains, special pardon for U.S. convicted felons in detention, and the suspension of nuclear test and test launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles. However, Ri said they had got little back from Washington, who "professes to be an advocate for improved relations with the DPRK, but in fact, it is hell-bent on only exacerbating the situation. As a result, the Korean Peninsula has now turned into the world's most dangerous hotspot haunted uninterruptedly by the ghost of nuclear war." The U.S. administration, through the two years of totally unjust and anachronistic practices, laid bare openly that its much-claimed "improvement of relations" between the two sides means nothing but a regime change, "security guarantee" an all-out preemptive nuclear strike and "confidence building" an invariable pursuit of isolation and suffocation of the DPRK, the minister added. Ri said all the practices of the present U.S. administration so far are nothing but accumulating its political achievements, and Pyongyang will never again provide "the U.S. chief executive" with another package to be used for achievements without receiving any returns. "The secure strategic goal of the DPRK is to build up more reliable force to cope with the long-term military threats from the United States," he added. On Tuesday, the DPRK cut off all inter-Korean communication lines in protest of South Korean authorities for allowing "defectors" to fly leaflets across the border. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Monsoon has arrived in most parts of Maharashtra with parts of the state, including Mumbai, receiving rainfall on Saturday, an IMD official said. Monsoon is expected to cover the rest of Maharashtra in the next 24 hours, the official said. Meanwhile, heavy showers have lashed Nashik in north Maharashtra. The Met department predicted that parts of North Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Mumbai will get rains overnight. India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai centres deputy director general K S Hosalikar said Nashik reported very intense showers over the past two-three hours and added that rains will continue overnight in parts of central Maharashtra, Marathwada and Mumbai. Satellite image indicating a thick cloud band around 18-19 Deg N over Maharashtra. Nasik reporting very intense showers in last 2,3 hrs. Rainfall to cont over night in parts of N Madhya Mah, Marathwada, Mumbai to get rains overnight today, Hosalikar tweeted. As per IMD, monsoon has arrived in most parts of Maharashtra. (Today) rainfall was reported in Harnai (in Ratnagiri) in Konkan, Ahmednagar in central Maharashtra, Aurangabad in Marathwada and Gondia in Vidarbha. In the next 24 hours, the rest of Maharashtra is expected to be covered, the official said. Heavy rainfall was reported at two places in Ratnagiri at 8:30 am while some parts of Sindhudurg, also a coastal district, witnessed very heavy rainfall, he said. Over the next four to five days, Konkan, central Maharashtra, Marathwada, Vidarbha are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, the official added. Meanwhile, the Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai issued warning at 5:30 pm, predicting thunderstorm accompanied with lightning, intense spells of rain and gusty winds speed reaching 30-40 kmph likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai, Palghar, Hingoli, Parbhani and Jalna in the next few hours. The Colaba weather station in Mumbai recorded 1.5 mm rainfall between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm on Saturday, while the Santacruz bureau reported 2.1 mm rainfall during the same period. The Chikalthana weather bureau in Aurangabad reported 29 mm rainfall during this time span. The Matheran bureau in Raigad district recorded 80 mm rainfall during the period. There were traces of rainfall, the Dahanu weather station reported. The arrival of the southwest monsoon was announced in south and coastal Maharashtra on Thursday. The human remains found on the property of Lori Vallow's husband belong to her two children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua Vallow, Idaho authorities confirmed Saturday. "It is not the outcome we had hoped; to be able to find the children safe. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of JJ and Tylee," the Rexburg Police Department said in a press release. The remains were found at Chad Daybell's Fremont County home after authorities obtained a search warrant, police said Tuesday. Daybell was taken into custody and questioned that same day and later charged with two counts of concealing evidence. His bail has been set at $1 million. A complaint alleges that Daybell concealed the remains between Sept. 22, 2019, and June 9, 2020. Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan. (Freemont County Sheriff's Office) Prosecuting attorney Rob Wood said Wednesday during a court appearance by Daybell that the manner of concealment of one of the bodies was "particularly egregious," but did not elaborate. A probable cause affidavit in the case has been sealed, according to court documents. Police said an autopsy confirmed the remains belong to Tylee and Joshua, who were 17 and 7 years old, respectively, when they went missing in September. Rexburg police began searching for them in November after they tried to conduct a welfare check on Johsua, who was adopted and had special needs. Vallow and Daybell had refused to cooperate with the investigation into the missing children and left the state, police said in a December statement. In February, the couple was found in Hawaii, and Vallow was arrested and extradited to Idaho on charges of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children. She is being held on a $1 million bond. Vallow has pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. Authorities have not said if Vallow and Daybell will face additional charges. Attorneys for the couple could not immediately be reached on Saturday. Vallow is also being investigated in the death of Daybell's former wife, Tammy Daybell, who was found dead in her home in October. The death was initially ruled as natural but has since classified as suspicious, and her remains were exhumed for an autopsy in December.Chad Daybell, a self-published author who has written more than two dozen books about near-death and doomsday events, and Vallow married weeks after Tammy Daybell's death. France Successfully Test-Fires Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile Across Atlantic Sputnik News 20:36 GMT 12.06.2020 The French Ministry of Defense announced on Friday it had fired a ballistic missile across the Atlantic Ocean. The M51 submarine-launched missile (SLBM) was monitored by French and US forces, and the test was hailed as a "success" and "essential to French nuclear deterrence" and sovereignty. On Friday, the French missile submarine Le Temeraire fired an M51 SLBM off the western coast of France toward the Caribbean Sea, the French Defense Ministry announced. Le Temeraire is the second-oldest of France's four Triomphant-class ballistic missile submarines, launched in 1998. Each of the subs can carry 16 SLBMs. In turn, the M51 carries a payload of between six and 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) nuclear warheads, meaning each Triomphant boat could potentially deliver 160 separate nuclear strikes. However, according to the Arms Control Association, a US-based non-governmental group, Paris has just 300 nuclear warheads available for use. The defense ministry noted no warhead was aboard Friday's test missile. A few days before the test, Le Temeraire was spotted leaving port with huge testing antennae attached to its sail, with observers noting they were of the kind used for missile tests. Defense Minister Florence Parly hailed the test in a Friday statement on Twitter, saying its success "demonstrates our technological excellence and our attachment to French sovereignty. I congratulate all those whose commitment has made this test a success. Their involvement is essential to French nuclear deterrence and to our sovereignty." According to French defense observers, the missile traveled 3,700 miles to splash down in the western Sargasso Sea, roughly 400 miles north of Puerto Rico. At about the same time as the test, airplane tracking service Aircraft Spots noted two electronic intelligence aircraft in the vicinity of the splashdown site: a French Navy Falcon 50 and a US Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball, the latter of which is explicitly used for tracking missiles. According to Defense News, this was just the ninth launch of an M51, which was first fired in 2006. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast/Photos Getty As President Donald Trump prepared to return to the campaign trail amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, administration officials and several close advisers warned him of the dangers that could come with packing a venue full of his political supporters. He was not dissuaded. Hes been [gently] reminded of the concerns, said a senior administration official, regarding the potential for spreading the virus at large public gatherings. The president said something like, My team will make sure everyone is safe [at my rallies]. On Wednesday, Trump announced that he would be holding his first rally since the lockdown began in Marchan event on Friday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed by ones in other states soon after. The rallies promise to be boisterous, celebratory affairsalready pitched by the campaign as the first chapter of a roaring Trump comeback. They also reflect the triumph of political interests over public health warningsa development aided by state governors whove made similar calculationsand racial tensions that led to mass rallies. On Thursday, the Trump campaigns official announcement of the Tulsa event came with a symbolic, chilling footnote: By attending the event, it read, those registering agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. and others liable for any potential COVID-19 infection. People have to decide what is most important to them: You can peacefully assemble and march in protests and wear a mask outdoors very safely. But people are also deciding in particular cases that justice is worth the risk, said Andy Slavitt, former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Obama administration. Likewise, if the rallies are not going to be indoors and not socially distant, Trump is saying, My re-election is more important than public health. The virus is a way for people to demonstrate their values when a lot is at stake. Trumps Task Force Warns Governors of COVID Spike Tied to Protests Story continues For months, Trump had been pushing campaign and White House aides to find ways to get him back out on the trail, pining for the big, rowdy crowds that he sees as his political lifeblood and finds personally gratifying. Often, it came to the dismay of various advisers who were left debating how, exactly, to pull off a rally big enough to satisfy the bosss cravings while also addressing a pandemic that has claimed more than 110,000 American lives. At one point, as The Daily Beast reported, aides mapped out how to hold events at drive-in movie theaters so that attendees could stay in their cars and remain appropriately distanced. For weeks, many agreed that reduced crowd sizesthousands instead of the tens of thousandswas in order, though they feared how the boss would react. Last month, several top Trump officials privately acknowledged to one another that if the future rallys headcount wasnt high enough, they would risk making the president mad and incurring his wrath, according to written communications reviewed by The Daily Beast. At the senior level, ideas for balancing Trumps wishes and the realities of COVID-19 were the topic of frequent deliberation. Among the proposals considered was the handing out of free Trump-Pence-branded masks to rally-goers, placing hand-sanitizer stations throughout the venue, booking outdoor spaces, imposing temperature checks for attendees upon entry, and keeping those attendees well-spaced, four people familiar with Team Trumps internal deliberations said. But according to two sources with knowledge of discussions that have occurred since last month, Trump has demanded that the crowd capacity be allowed to stay very close, or practically identical, to what it was during pre-pandemic levels. His political lieutenants have often said things like, Well see what we can do, but have sporadically reminded him that they could be forced to keep attendance down. With states beginning to ease coronavirus guidelines, and with huge numbers gathering at street protests in dozens of cities and areas across the United States in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, Trump appears to have gotten the cover he desired. On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Trump campaign officials are unlikely to put into place any social distancing measures for rally attendees, or require them to wear masks, citing sources familiar with the decision-making process. The Times also reported that Mr. Trump has made it clear he doesnt want to speak in front of gatherings that look empty because of social distancing, or to look out on a sea of covered faces as he tries to project a positive message about the country returning to normal life and the economy roaring back. Neither the Trump campaign nor White House spokespeople provided comment for this story. Trump Donor Sued the VANow Hes Getting Its COVID-19 Contracts Trumps push to hold rallies comes at a time when COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are on the rise in many states (mainly in the south and southwest), including several where campaign events are planned. After Tulsa, stops are planned for Florida, Texas, and Arizona, the last of which is scheduled to host a Students for Trump event in Phoenix on June 23. For local leaders and health officials, the rallies are a source of anxiety. The CDC put forth criteria strongly discouraging large gatherings during COVID-19, especially in communities without a sustained decline in case numbers, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallegos office said in an email. Unfortunately, Arizona is on an upward trajectory for positive cases. During this pandemic, all decisions should be led by the guidance of medical professionals. The presidents relationship with the public health community has been tense, at times, during the pandemic. Trump has often been overly bullish about the ability to contain the pandemic, and dismissive of public health guidance. Among medical professionals, there has been concern that the presidents supporters may take his cues and not properly adopt preventive measures. Anytime you have groups of people coming together, there is a concern that the virus may have a chance to spread, said George Monks, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association. However people protesting, people going to rallies, thats kind of the cornerstone of freedom in our country. We just encourage people that if they do participate in a rally or a protest, number one that theyre peaceful, number two that they wear a mask and respect that physical distancing. The virus is not gone. Its not the fact that Trump is coming thats a problem, said Will Humble, the executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, its how he wants to do it. The former director of the states department of health services worried that without the campaign taking precautions and attendees following public health guidelines, a rally could become a super spreading event. You could do things if youre thoughtful about it, said Humble, the former director of the states department of health services. But if youre not going to be thoughtful about it, if youre not going to limit capacity, if youre not going to have distancing, if youre not going to have hand washing, if youre not going to have masks, youre not going to avoid the meet and greet stuff, if youre not going to have a way for people to get into the facility and out without crowding and stuff at the exits, then youre just jeopardizing the health of the people who are there, and their grandparents and their parents when they go home. Despite Trumps insistence that he get back on the trail and host a jam-packed convention speech, members of his own coronavirus task force have raised questions internally about the impact such events could have on the spread of the virus. In recent calls with governors, recordings of which The Daily Beast obtained, Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the task force, raised the alarm about the increase in cases in a handful of states across the country, including California, Arizona, Utah, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Nebraska and Virginia. Birx said 55 percent of those new cases were a result of a specific outbreak and 38 percent were a result of community spread. And according to a study put together by PolicyLab at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, a data set used by top coronavirus task force officials, shows that over the next four weeks cases are set to spike even more in states where Trump plans to hold rallies. For example, in Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, cases numbers are predicted to spike by more than 1,500 by the July 4 holiday. Dr. David Rubin, the director of PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said his team noted in their latest study that not all spikes are attributable to increased testing either. Dont let people fool you, Rubin said, noting that his team is tracking the viruss movement up major highways and interpasses as states begin to reopen. As these places open up, were now developing these zones of transmission that include more than just the metro areas because were moving around more. 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. New Delhi: Any action against terrorists based in Pakistan will be taken only after examining all relevant issues, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday. Action will be taken after due consideration. Action is not taken after making announcements, he told reporters here. The Minister of State for Home made the remarks when he was asked whether the government was planning to carry out a strike against terrorists camps based in Pakistan. Eighteen soldiers were killed after heavily armed militants, suspected to be from Pakistan-based JeM, stormed an army base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. There have been various reports suggesting that the government was exploring options on how to deal with the terror emanating from Pakistan. It is a very serious issue and we should not indulge in any war of words. So many lives have been lost, peoples sentiments have been hurt. The matter cannot be handled just like that, Rijiju said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. As condolences pour in for Prince Philip following his death at 99, people are reflecting on the longevity and strength of the marriage that he and Queen Elizabeth II shared for more than 70 years. The couple married in 1947, however, they had known each other for much longer, having first met at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark and the Duke of Kent in 1934 when the Queen was just seven years old and Prince Philip was 12. Despite their young ages, it was said by news outlets at the time that Elizabeth, who at that point was not meant to ascend to the throne, and Prince Philip, could make a suitable match. In addition to the royal upbringings of the then-children, Elizabeth and Philip also happened to share a distant relative, as both are descendants of Queen Victoria. The monarch and her husband are therefore distantly related, as both were the great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria and thus third cousins. For Queen Elizabeth, the relation to Queen Victoria is through her fathers side. During Queen Victorias reign as the Queen of England from 1837 to 1901, she had nine children, four sons and five daughters, with her husband Prince Albert. When Queen Victoria died, the couples eldest son, Prince Edward, ascended to the throne in 1901, before his second-eldest son, George, who is the Queens grandfather, succeeded him in 1910. King George Vs reign lasted until 1936, at which point his son, the Queens father,George VI, became king. Queen Elizabeth II became the monarch of the royal family following her fathers death in 1952. Alternatively, Prince Philip, who was born on 10June 1921 on the Greek island of Corfu to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, is related to Queen Victoria through his mothers side. During her time on the throne, Queen Victoria gave birth to her second daughter, Princess Alice, in 1843. Princess Alice marriedLudwig IV, the Grand Duke of Hesse, and together they had seven children, including their eldest child, Victoria, who would later marry her fathers cousin, Prince Louis of Battenburg, in 1884. Victoria and Prince Louis gave birth to their first child, Princess Alice of Battenburg, who is Prince Philips mother, in 1885. Prince Philips mother eventually marriedPrince Andrew of Greece and Denmark in 1903, before later giving birth to five children, including the Duke of Edinburgh, the couples youngest child and only son. Prince Philip: A life in pictures Show all 28 1 /28 Prince Philip: A life in pictures Prince Philip: A life in pictures Childhood as Prince Philip of Greece 8 August 1933: A twelve year old Prince Philip of Greece (2nd from left) takes part in an historical pageant at Gordonstoun School, Moray, Scotland PA Prince Philip: A life in pictures Schooldays in Scotland 1 December 1939: A rare picture of Prince Philip of Greece at the public school of Gordonstoun, Elgin, Scotland PA Prince Philip: A life in pictures Philip joins the Navy 5 December 1946: The Duke of Edinburgh, as a serving officer in the Royal Navy PA Prince Philip: A life in pictures Philip and Princess Elizabeth engaged 10 July 1947: Princess Elizabeth and Lieut. Philip Mountbatten, whose engagement was announced, pose for their first engagement pictures at Buckingham Palace PA Prince Philip: A life in pictures Philip the cricket fan 31 July 1947: Philip Mountbatten, prior to his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, batting at the nets during cricket practice while in the Royal Navy Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten 1 August 1947: Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, prior to his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, working at his desk after returning to his Royal Navy duties at the Petty Officers Training Centre in Corsham, Wiltshire Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Philip marries Princess Elizabeth 20 November 1947: Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh pose for the press at Buckingham Palace, London, after their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures The couple honeymoons in Malta 1 Jan 1947 : Princess Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh during their honeymoon in Malta, where he was stationed with the Royal Navy Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Philip and Elizabeth's son Prince Charles is christened 15 December 1948: Princess Elizabeth and The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with Prince Charles after his christening at Buckingham Palace. Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures The couple's daughter Princess Anne is christened 21 October 1950: Princess Elizabeth holding her daughter Princess Anne at her christening in Buckingham Palace, with the Duke of Edinburgh at her side Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures The Duke joins Queen Elizabeth at her coronation 2 June 1953: The Duke of Edinburgh and the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II wave to the crowd from the balcony at Buckingham Palace. Her children Prince Charles and Princess Anne stand with her Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Married life 3 August 1958: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh watch a cricket match at Highclere Castle, Highclere, Hampshire Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures The family of six pose together on New Year's Day 1 Jan 1965: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle with their children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and little Prince Edward Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures In the grounds of Frogmore House 21st April 1968: The Royal Family in the grounds of Frogmore House, Windsor, Berkshire. Left to right: Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles (behind the Queen) and Prince Andrew PA Prince Philip: A life in pictures With Charles at Sandringham 1969: Prince Charles (left) talking to his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, in front of a fireplace at Sandringham, Scotland, 1969 Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures With Princess Anne 26th April 1971: Princess Anne competes in the Badminton Horse Trials, UK. Here she is pictured with her father, the Duke of Edinburgh Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip celebrate their silver wedding anniversary 20th November 1972: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh on the occasion of their 25th silver wedding anniversary celebrations held at Buckingham Palace Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures In the drivers seat 28th May 1975: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, driving a carriage, UK Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Celebrations for the Silver Jubilee 7 June 1977: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, travel in a carriage during celebrations for the Silver Jubilee in London AP Prince Philip: A life in pictures William is born 4 August 1982: The Royal family at Buckingham Palace, London, on the day of Prince William's christening. Standing (from left): the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh; seated (from left): Queen Elizabeth II, the Princess of Wales holding Prince William, and the Queen Mother PA Prince Philip: A life in pictures The couple marks their diamond wedding anniversary Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip walk down the aisle in Westminster Abbey, in London, 19 November 2007, to attend a service to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Philip and the Queen visit 10 Downing Street Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in a rare visit to Downing Street. British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha were hosting a lunch to celebrate Prince Philip's 90th birthday. Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures The couple's grandson William marries Kate Middleton The official Royal Wedding group photograph in the throne room at Buckingham Palace with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Front row (L-R): Grace van Cutsem, Eliza Lopes, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Louise Windsor, William Lowther-Pinkerton. Back Row (L-R): Tom Pettifer, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Michael Middleton, Carole Middleton, James Middleton and Philippa Middleton Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Prince Charles marries Camilla 9 April 2005: The Prince of Wales and his new bride Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with their families (L-R back row) Prince Harry, Prince William, Tom and Laura Parker Bowles (L-R front row) Duke of Edinburgh, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Camilla's father Major Bruce Shand, in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle after their wedding ceremony in Windsor, England Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Ladies Day at Royal Ascot 21 June 2012: Queen Elizabeth II (L) and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh arrive to attend Ladies Day at Royal Ascot race meeting, in Ascot, Britain EPA Prince Philip: A life in pictures With his grandsons 31 October 2015: Prince Harry, Prince Phillip and Prince William enjoy the atmosphere during the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and Australia at Twickenham Stadium Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II turns 90 12 June 2016: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wave to guests attending "The Patron's Lunch" celebrations for The Queen's 90th birthday on The Mall Getty Images Prince Philip: A life in pictures Philip makes his final individual public engagement 2 August 2017: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh raises his hat in his role as Captain General, Royal Marines, makes his final individual public engagement as he attends a parade to mark the finale of the 1664 Global Challenge, on the Buckingham Palace Forecourt in London Getty Images Queen Elizabeth, who had reportedly been set on marrying Prince Philip since she was 13, and the Duke of Edinburgh eventually reconnected in 1939, after she had become heir to the throne. After a lengthy courtship, their engagement was announced on 8 July 1947, at which point the royal dropped his title as Prince of Greece and Denmark to take on the title of Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip died on 9 April at home at Windsor Castle, with the royal family announcing his passing in a statement that read: It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss. Liberals are talking about doing away with police forces. How would that work, exactly? What if someone commits a crime? They have no answers, beyond humming a few bars of Imagine. In Minneapolis, activists tried to realize another left-wing fantasy, to the cheers of journalists. On June 4, the Star Tribune headlined: Volunteers turned former Sheraton Hotel in Minneapolis into sanctuary for homeless. While Lake Street burned last Friday, its stores gutted and streets filled with fear and confusion, one building stood tall as a beacon of hope for Minneapolis. It was the former Sheraton Minneapolis Midtown Hotel, tucked just north of Lake and Chicago Avenue, a mile from where George Floyd took his final breaths. Evacuated of its conventional guests, the hotel has become a refuge for more than 200 homeless residents seeking shelter from the destruction that shook the city in the following days. For the volunteers working around the clock to keep it running, the hotel-turned-shelter is one of a kind, an example of what can happen when people put their minds and bodies together to provide housing for those who need it most. People in the community have come together and created this amazing space of peace and sanctuary for these unhoused people, and brought together all these resources to be able to feed them, keep them safe, give them a place to exist, said Maggie Mills, 31, one of the volunteers. Volunteers worked communally: There is no hierarchy among the collective of volunteers, who span the fields of medicine, mental health, social work, housing and public health. And no rules for the homeless tenants: Sarah Stackley, who has worked with the homeless population for the last nine years, began volunteering at the shelter Sunday. She described it as a revolutionary model, one not governed by restrictive rules that come with grants. Much, much more at the link. Turning a Sheraton into a homeless shelter inspired a paean in New York Magazine. Housing scarcity and an aggressive police force already threatened the most vulnerable people in Minneapolis. Then COVID-19 happened, and after it, the protests, which met a brutal reaction from local law enforcement. It is ancillary to the point here, but this is a good example of a journalist blithely reciting a lie as a fact. Far from being brutal, the reaction of local law enforcement to riotsnot protestswas supine. Minneapolis police abandoned their own 3rd Precinct station to the mob, which proceeded to burn it, because authorities were afraid of being perceived as brutal. A lot of good it did them. Fister estimated that the former Sheraton is now home to around 250 people, with another 100 on a waiting list. The hotels owner, identified in local media reports as Jay Patel, has been extraordinarily gracious, she said, and an active participant in the work that were doing. Fister said that residents intend to stay in the Sheraton for good, and organizers are talking to the owner, Jay Patel, to figure out how that transition would work. This isnt a shelter, she added. This isnt temporary. Were holding space so that residents can have control over their own living situation. That puff piece appeared on June 5. Just four days later, the experiment in rule-free living was over. On June 9, the Star Tribune headlined: Homeless evicted from former Minneapolis hotel after drug overdose. Residents of the former Sheraton Minneapolis Midtown Hotel, tucked just north of Lake Street on Chicago Avenue, awoke to reports that the hotels fire alarm was pulled after 6 a.m. following an overdose. The hotel owner, Jay Patel, has ordered the eviction of all the guests, according to volunteers at the site. *** Unlike traditional homeless shelters, people who stayed at the hotel were allowed to bring drugs and alcohol on-site. What could go wrong? But some residents at the hotel said conditions had begun to spin out of control in recent days, with people injecting heroin and methamphetamine in the hallways, and fights breaking out at night. Volunteers became overwhelmed. It started out well, then descended into chaos, said Jennie Taylor, who had a room on the second floor. People got the message that this was a place where you could use drugs freely and that attracted the wrong crowd. Shockingly. The next day, June 10, a Star Tribune columnist named Jennifer Brooks bemoaned the collapse of the Sheraton homeless shelter: Once upon a time on Lake Street, there was a sanctuary. Once upon a time? It lasted for less than a week and ended the day before yesterday. Not exactly Camelot. A lefty filmed what a nice hotel looks like after a few days of being used as a homeless shelter that more or less encourages heroin and meth use: Not all the damage was caused over the last day (see story early in thread), but it got much worse. All the TVs are gone, the irons are gone. Someone tried to break into the vending machine pic.twitter.com/K315KN2WJz Max Nesterak (@maxnesterak) June 11, 2020 It is a sad story. But you have to wonder who could possibly have expected a different ending. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 22:09:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- One of the negative effects brought by the COVID-19 is the disruption of the education system. Many countries, including Zambia, had to shut schools as one of the measures to contain the pandemic, a move that saw hundreds of children staying at home. However, the introduction of e-learning platforms especially for primary pupils is bridging the gap in the provision of education. The Zambian government has not been left out in ensuring e-learning reaches to all parts of the country. In April this year, the government, in collaboration with the state-run telecommunication firm Zamtel and the Examination Council of Zambia, launched a national e-learning portal and smart revision platform aimed at allowing learners to continue with their learning. The launch of the e-learning platform and the smart revision portals is also meant to provide alternative and supplementary learning resources for learners and is also meant to bridge the gap in view of the COVID-19. Minister of Education David Mabumba said the e-learning portal will provide a digital platform where pupils, teachers, education providers will be able to access e-content such as e-books and other teaching materials. The launch of the e-learning platform came at the backdrop of the launch of the education channel which is currently being broadcast by state broadcaster television, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation while plans to launch a radio education channel are in the offing. However, the private sector has not been left out in the provision of e-learning platforms as part of efforts to enhance the country's education system. Mining giant First Quantum Minerals has since launched the School-on-Radio initiative, a radio schooling program aimed at bridging the education gap among primary school children. The mining firm is implementing the initiative in collaboration with the district education board in northwestern Zambia's Solwezi where it is domiciled under its Kansanshi Foundation. The mining firm said in a statement that the initiative is focusing on pupils in lower grades who are mainly sidelined. "The Kansanshi mining response, which will be jointly run with the Solwezi district education board through Solwezi Radio, is meant to close this gap for primary schools in the north-western province," Onward Mandebvu, Head of Education at Kansanshi Foundation said in the statement. He added that the program will have dual value for the learners as it will occupy school children who could otherwise expose themselves to the COVID-19 risk and will also provide them with high-quality education. Indeed high-quality education is necessary for the learners especially in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic and e-learning has a crucial role to play. Enditem Iran dismisses UN report on missiles 'of Iranian origin,' says body under US, Saudi pressure Iran Press TV Friday, 12 June 2020 6:09 PM Iran has dismissed a recent claim by the United Nations that missiles used to attack Saudi Arabia have been "of Iranian origin," saying the organization has spoken out under political pressure from the US and the Saudi regime. In a statement on Friday, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was deeply concerned about the use of the UN Secretariat as a means to achieve political objectives. "Preparing reports with political motivation will not change the facts and it is clear to all that the current circumstances in the region have directly resulted from the wrong policies of the United States and the child-killing Saudi regime," the statement said. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council in a report seen by Reuters on Thursday that cruise missiles used in several attacks on oil facilities and an international airport in Saudi Arabia in November 2019 and February 2020 had been of "Iranian origin." He also said the "items may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent" with Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrines the international nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and world powers in 2015. Guterres pointed out in his report that the United Nations had examined the debris of weapons used in the attacks on an oil facility in Afif in May, the Abha international airport in June and August, and the Aramco oil facilities in Khurais and Abqaiq in September. Referring to the "examination of the weapons debris," the Iranian Foreign Ministry censured the inattention to the sales of lethal weapons to Saudi Arabia that are used against the defenseless people of Yemen while "Saudi garbage is being checked for proof." "Undoubtedly, such reports will not only fail to help [promote] peace and security in the region and implement [UN] Security Council resolutions, but also completely destroy the validity and reputation of the United Nations," the ministry warned. It said the UN report came at a time that the United States is drafting a "dangerous" resolution to "illegally" extend an arms embargo against Iran, adding this would strengthen the likelihood of it being prepared on Washington's order to be used at the Security Council against Iran. The Iranian Foreign Ministry highly recommended that the UN Secretariat not play into the hands of the US in its "pre-planned scenario to annul the cancellation of Iran's arms embargo." It also warned the UN against contributing to such a dangerous trend by preparing illegal reports. In May 2018, President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out of the JCPOA and later re-imposed the sanctions that had been lifted against Tehran and began unleashing the "toughest ever" bans. Although the US is not a party to the JCPOA any longer, it recently launched a campaign to renew the Iran arms ban in place since 2006/2007 through a resolution at the Security Council. Russia and China are against the push, and most likely to veto it. To circumvent the veto, the US says it will argue that it legally remains a "participant state" in the nuclear pact only to trigger the snapback that would restore the UN sanctions, which had been in place against Iran prior to the JCPOA inking. Tehran says Washington, through its unilateral withdrawal from the deal, has forfeited all rights to have a say in the agreement. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that the US has already pulled out of the JCPOA and cannot currently use its former membership of the deal to seek a permanent arms embargo on Tehran. "The United States has withdrawn from the JCPOA, and now they cannot claim that they are still part of the JCPOA in order to deal with this issue from the JCPOA agreement. They withdraw. It's clear. They withdraw," Borrell said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In lockdown, tracksuit bottoms have become the height of fashion - with even longtime editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour, sporting a pair despite previously stating she would never wear them. But while loungewear and yoga pants are in, restrictive ensembles are definitely out. Many women across the world have taken to Twitter and Instagram in recent months to reveal they were going braless and avoiding jeans while spending more time at home. Now, some fashion enthusiasts - including those based in the UK, America and Europe - have even suggested they'll be ditching the garments once lockdown ends. Now, some fashion enthusiasts - including those based in the UK, America and Europe - have even suggested they'll be ditching the garments after lockdown completely ends. Pictured: Emma Gillanders, from Falkirk, Scotland, left, who said 'bras and anything fitted are apparently now no used to me', and seen right, style enthusiast Jessica Benzel But fashion expert Susie Hasler has warned against women embracing loungewear constantly - insisting it leads to 'apathy'. Pictured: A woman based in Gauteng who used the Instagram hashtag #nobralockdown2020 But fashion expert Susie Hasler has warned against women embracing loungewear constantly - insisting it leads to 'apathy'. Susie, who runs Styled By Susie that specialises in styling women on a budget says: 'For a while, traditional office wear has been replaced by floatier styles such as wide-leg trousers and midi dresses. 'Women are also more comfortable in items such as jumpsuits and harem trousers. 'Lockdown has seen women move away from stiff jeans, and more into looser dresses, because they are much more wearable in a home environment. 'While comfort is a major factor, I think it's important that we don't lose sight of the fact we are worth getting dressed for each day. Social media users (pictured) admit that they won't be wearing bras even after lockdown ends 'Ditching your bra isn't advisable in the long term and sometimes resorting to loungewear long term, leads to apathy. 'Dressing up each day can still be done with loose fitting clothes, whether you choose harem trousers, floaty dresses or jumpsuits. You can still be comfortable and stylish.' It comes after an expert revealed how being tempted to go braless during the coronavirus lockdown could have long term affects on your breasts. Victoria Shelton, Garment Technologist at www.Figleaves.com told FEMAIL that if breasts are unsupported they could suffer damage to the Cooper's Ligament, the connective tissue in the breast that help maintain structural integrity. Maisie (pictured), from Lincoln, said: 'I just cannot find the motivation to put anything other than joggers or leggings on. I put jeans on earlier, but was back in my leggings by lunchtime' The Australian YouTuber (pictured right) behind the Instagram account nowjessblogy, based in Stockholm Sweden, said: 'Heading into the new week feeling good!! It may or may not have anything to do with the fact that Ive decided to ditch real clothes and wear only yoga pants from now on. Whos with me?!' Pictured left: A woman, of North Carolina, shared this snap with the hashtag #nomorebras A woman from Glasgow shares a snap of herself rocking a black and white ensemble with the tags '#nojeansforamonth #nojeansfor500days #nojeansforayear' And Dr Riccardo Frati of Frati Cosmetic Surgery explained that bras are important in maintaining support as breasts tend to sag over time due to gravity and age. Meanwhile Anna Akerlund, head of sales at Luxury French underwear brand Lousia Bracq, explained that going without a bra could affect your posture - especially for large breasted women - and the shape of your breasts. Garment Technologist Victoria said: 'Our wardrobe needs have changed as we find ourselves at home. But we all still need to wear a bra as our breasts need to be supported due to their weight you may damage your posture or have back pain if your breasts aren't fully supported. 'If breasts are left unsupportive damage can occur to the coopers ligament in the breast, causing them to sag.' Dr Riccardo Frati of Frati Cosmetic Surgery added: 'The bra will always support and hold up the breasts and not wearing one can affect the Coopers ligament. Breasts will also naturally sag over time due to age and gravity. British Airways has a proud history of connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain. We've been doing it for more than a century and in that time we have been through major crises but not one of those crises has come close to where we find ourselves now. You only have to look up to see that flying has, to all intents and purposes, stopped. Grounded: Chief executive Alex Cruz says British Airways is locked in a battle for survival It stopped more than two months ago and the stats speak for themselves. In May this year, we flew 485 passenger flights. Last year, on the first day of May, we had flown that number of flights by lunchtime. We had hoped for a return to some additional flying in July so we could begin to get back on track and give people the hope of a holiday after such terrible times. But the Government's decision to introduce 14-day quarantine for visitors arriving into the UK, without consultation or scientific evidence, has dealt our restart plans a hammer blow. It is irrational to stop people travelling from countries with a lower risk of infection into the UK and to treat those that do come more harshly, under criminal law, than people who actually have Covid-19. British Airways has been a well-run, prudent business for many years. We have created good employment for thousands of people, opened new routes, paid billions in taxes to the Exchequer, paid regularly into the company's defined benefit pension scheme and paid dividends to those who have chosen to invest in us. But if you were to listen to some of our MPs, or certain trade unions, these achievements are worthless and even derided. Their attacks on British Airways are both partial and parochial. In conducting its recent review, the Transport Select Committee made clear its report would be 'fuelled by the kind and impassioned messages' it received, rather than the facts. But the facts are clear. Economists at IATA predict international air travel won't return to the levels of 2019 until at least 2023. At BA, 98.2 per cent of our business is international. We know we will emerge from the Covid-19 crisis as a much smaller airline. We will have fewer customers and fly to fewer routes for years to come. Our business will be laden with hundreds of millions of pounds in new debt, much of which must be repaid over a short term, so any revenues we make when we return to flying will be swallowed up by loan repayments. Meanwhile, fleet-of-foot overseas competitors will be waiting in the wings to take the landing slots at Heathrow that our MPs have suggested BA does not deserve. British Airways has no absolute right to exist. We are in a fight to survive and, like our peers, we must consult in an honest, transparent and meaningful way on proposals to reduce the size of our workforce. To suggest we are focused on anything but our immediate survival in the short term, plus a sustainable and competitive re-emergence for the longer term, is not true. Unite and GMB have said publicly they will only meet us if we withdraw the Section 188 notices that set out our redundancy proposals. For the record, if a UK company proposes redundancies it must follow the law, inform the unions that jobs are at risk and provide any and all information to make the consultation meaningful. Our Section 188 notices are not 'notice of dismissals'. Rather they outline every item that could possibly be consulted on. And both Unite and GMB have form on this point. They have sued several companies for not correctly filing Section 188 notices when considering redundancies. Indeed, BA was sued by Unite and the GMB in 2011 when they argued we had not provided a Section 188 letter before entering into discussions with them. This claim was settled. So that is why we will not step back from our legal obligations on consultation to our employees. We are consulting, and this week, despite Unite and GMB failing to attend over 250 meetings and counting, we announced we are exploring and will consult upon options for voluntary redundancy for our colleagues, within the limits of our cash-constrained position. Like other companies facing job losses, I do not want to deprive my people of their livelihoods. It is painful to contemplate the scale of the change we need to make because I know we have the best people in the business the most kind, caring and compassionate people who deliver the best British service. I will do everything in my power to ensure that British Airways can survive and sustain the maximum number of jobs in line with the new reality of a changed airline industry and a severely weakened global economy. This is a challenge not of our making, nor one we could ever have conceived. We will continue to show up for union meetings and hope they stop scaremongering and attacking our brand and start doing what their members pay them for, namely representing them as they deserve. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. [music] michael barbaro Today, Joe Biden is choosing a running mate in one of the most tumultuous moments in modern American history. Alex Burns on how that reality is influencing his choice. Plus, the latest from Atlanta. Its Thursday, June 18. Alex Burns, it has been a while. alex burns Its been a while, and its been an eventful while. michael barbaro A very eventful while. And within those events, it turns out theres still a presidential race underway. And just to catch us up on that race, is Joe Biden now officially the Democratic nominee at this point? alex burns He has clinched the Democratic nomination, which means that he has a majority of the delegates that were at stake in the primaries. Which means that even if one of his opponents were to reactivate their campaign and start campaigning hard in the primaries, its now mathematically impossible for anybody but Joe Biden to become the nominee, which will happen at whatever kind of convention the Democrats end up pulling together in August. Thats of course also where Joe Biden will roll out and anoint his running mate in the race, and that has really now moved to the center of the focus of the presidential campaign. archived recording Decision 2020, presidential candidate Joe Biden reportedly getting closer to picking the V.P. So how does Joe Biden capitalize on this moment, especially when it comes to choosing his running mate? Now with recent events, is Biden under more pressure now to choose a woman of color? michael barbaro And from what you can tell, where is Joe Biden in that process? Basically, how long is his list of possible running mates? alex burns The Biden search team started with a list of more than a dozen women. archived recording (joe biden) If Im elected president, my cabinet my administration will look like the country. alex burns And they are all women. archived recording (joe biden) And I commit that I will, in fact, appoint a pick a woman to be vice president. alex burns Biden has said he will have a female running mate. And now, that list is getting whittled down. This process has been going on for about a month and a half now. Its now probably eight or nine people who are under the most serious consideration. And their relative prominence in the process is being shaped in important ways by the months of overlapping national crises that we have been experiencing as a country, and that Joe Biden is trying to wrap his arms around as he anticipates what kind of administration he would have to build. michael barbaro So Alex, how should we think about the dozen or so potential running mates on Bidens list right now? alex burns I think for starters, he has said some of the things that every presidential candidate says. That the person needs to be ready to assume the office of the presidency, they need to be ready on day one, having a similar overlapping world view to his own, and also having different strengths than his own. And who will not be shy about telling the president when they differ. Somebody who will not be overly deferential to him. But once you assume that anybody being considered is seen by the Biden team as meeting that standard, then you think about how they fit into the political moment and the moment in our national life that we are now experiencing. Does this person fit a moment in which we are having a wrenching national conversation about race and policing? Does this person bring something meaningful to the table at a moment when the economy is in tatters and the country is still facing a terrifying public health disaster? And finally, I think its just an unavoidable reality of this that Joe Biden is 77 now. Hell be 78 on the day he is inaugurated if he wins the election. Hed be the oldest president ever on the day hes inaugurated. So the question of whether somebody is prepared to step into the job on a moments notice has a significance on this one that it probably didnt when Barack Obama was choosing a running mate, or even when Hillary Clinton was choosing a running mate, even though she was a couple of years older than Barack Obama. michael barbaro So youre saying that there are three realities that are almost indisputably going to influence this choice. The outcry over race and policing in this country, the pandemic and the economic fallout, and the fact that Joe Biden is so much older than any other person who has taken this office. So lets start with that first reality. The national debate around policing. How is that affecting Bidens search for a number two? alex burns It seems, based on our reporting, that two women who have been on the frontlines of this conversation have rapidly advanced in the vetting process. As Biden and his political advisors have seen their biographies and perspectives and actions intersecting with this moment. archived recording (val demings) My name is Val Demings, and Im running for Congress in the great state of Florida. alex burns Theres Congresswoman Val Demings from Florida. Val Demings is a former police officer and police chief in Orlando. archived recording (val demings) Spent 27 years there, rose through the ranks to become the first woman chief of police. I enforced the laws, and now Im in Congress, where I write the laws. alex burns And after the killing of George Floyd, she was a very prominent voice, saying its time for policing to change. archived recording (val demings) When I see things go wrong, just like when I did at the police department, there were either one of three things. Bad mind, bad heart, or bad policy. We need to look at our policies and change them. What we need to alex burns I would expect her to continue to play that kind of a role in the legislative debate over police reform at the federal level. Shes been talked about as a potential Vice President for a while, but there is just a new level of urgency around the scrutiny shes facing in this process because her resume and her life experience are now so relevant in this moment. I think the same is true for Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta. archived recording (keisha lance bottoms) Good afternoon, everyone. I am joined by our interim police alex burns She was one of Joe Bidens earliest and most loyal supporters in the Democratic presidential primary, and shes been seen in Georgia as a rising star for quite a while. archived recording (keisha lance bottoms) is that I am using the bully pulpit that I have as mayor to effectuate long-lasting change in this city. alex burns And she has been on literally the front lines of responding to the demonstrations around police violence, and she has now been in the extremely sensitive position of replacing a police chief because of a specific killing that happened under her watch. archived recording (keisha lance bottoms) to watch Mr. Brooks on Friday night talk about wanting to go home for his daughters birthday. It breaks my heart. And there is nothing that I can say and that I can do as mayor that will bring him back. alex burns Theyre both relatively little known nationally, and they havent received the kind of intensive scrutiny in the press that someone like, for instance, Kamala Harris has received. Harris is somebody whos been seen as a leading candidate in the V.P. process all along, and Kamala Harris has a lot to say on race and policing. Shes a former district attorney, former attorney general of California. She also struggled to defend some dimensions of her criminal justice record when she was a presidential candidate in her own right. Another pretty prominent figure in Democratic politics who has undergone that kind of public vetting and, recently, to her detriment, is Amy Klobuchar. She was one of the absolute top names on Bidens V.P. list. But her prospects have really faded in the last couple of weeks because she served as district attorney in Hennepin County thats Minneapolis where George Floyd was killed, and Klobuchar has faced weeks of tough criticism for her relationship with the police when she was a district attorney, and the claim that she really did not take on police misconduct. michael barbaro Right. And whats come out of Minneapolis are essentially national calls now to defund the police, and Joe Biden has said that he does not want to defund the police, and he has a somewhat moderate to conservative record on law enforcement. So is there room on his ticket for somebody who might disagree with him and go further on the question of police reform than Joe Biden? alex burns I think its certainly possible that he would choose someone who wants to go further in some areas on police reform. I dont think youre going to see Joe Biden put somebody on his ticket who says defund the police any more than youre going to see Joe Biden put somebody on his ticket who says abolish ICE, or single payer or bust, or any of those much more left wing slogans that Biden personally emphatically rejects. [music] michael barbaro Well be right back. OK. Alex, lets turn to the second reality you mentioned that will likely affect this search, which is a global pandemic that is killing tens of thousands of Americans, and the economic fallout from it. So how is that influencing the search? alex burns Even before we entered this period of reckoning around race and policing, the Biden campaign was looking at the almost certain scenario that if he wins this election, he will enter office in a really bleak period for this country. So that affects the vice presidential search from a couple different directions. It raises the stakes for choosing someone who can be a full governing partner, that this is going to be an all hands on deck kind of administration because there will be multiple ongoing crises. And the question for the people he is considering for vice president is what do you have to offer in those crises? Do you have real credentials on the economy and public health? So that brings us to a category of people in the mix thats probably best defined by Elizabeth Warren. archived recording (elizabeth warren) Remember, just a half step behind the physical crisis is the financial crisis. alex burns who is a much more forceful messenger on the economy and the ravages of the coronavirus than Biden himself. archived recording (elizabeth warren) Weve seen it in businesses closing, people out of work, and so we need to be pushing right now on a stimulus package. alex burns When you remember the qualifications that Biden has set out for choosing a vice president, somebody who would be ready on day one, somebody who would challenge him and have different strengths from his own, Warren does seem to fit that bill. archived recording (elizabeth warren) Weve got to make sure that the money is not going to the treetops, that the money is going to the grass roots. alex burns There are a couple other figures who I think fit into this coronavirus economic recovery bracket in the cice presidential search, and they are mostly governors. They are people who, at the state level, have been either highly visible or just deeply, deeply involved in actually managing the public health crisis and economic damage on the ground. So were talking about somebody here like Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan. archived recording (gretchen whitmer) Im not going to apologize for using every power at my fingertips to save lives. Im always going to do that. Thats what my job is. alex burns who was one of the most prominent state executives, clashing with the Trump administration over the early stages of trying to contain this disease. archived recording (gretchen whitmer) Every action Ive taken has been in the interest of saving lives in Michigan, and has been on the right side of the law, and within my executive powers. alex burns Were talking about somebody, somewhat less prominently, like Michelle Lujan Grisham, the governor of New Mexico, who was also on the front lines of trying to contain the coronavirus, and is now deeply wrapped up in trying to manage the implications for her states budget and states economy. archived recording (michelle lujan grisham) So it is a very serious infection, and we have to treat it as such. alex burns New Mexico is a classic Western state with a fairly fragile economy that reflects a lot of the damage that the country as a whole is taking. archived recording (michelle lujan grisham) What were trying to do is find ways, until theres a vaccine, to really manage our lives and the economy with a laser focus on the fact that we have an obligation and a duty to save lives. alex burns So I think the question for somebody in Bidens position is ultimately, if youre looking for somebody to be your deputy in managing the economic recovery, are you looking for somebody who has a very distinct ideological perspective. Or, are you looking for somebody with a less defined ideological view, but deep familiarity with the crisis in other ways? michael barbaro So much of what weve been talking about here is how high the stakes are for a number two, and I think that brings us to this final reality, and its the very delicate question of Joe Bidens age. And I wonder how his campaign keeps that in mind as it searches for a vice presidential running mate without maybe drawing too much attention to it. alex burns I dont think the Biden campaign has to draw too much attention to it, because it just sort of speaks for itself. Joe Biden is a very, very old presidential candidate. He would be 78 on inauguration day, which is older than Ronald Reagan was on the day he left office as the oldest president ever. So look, there are realities about what it means to have a president of that advanced age, and the sensitivity around making sure that the number two is somebody who really is prepared to do the job on day one. There is a political dimension to this as well, which is that its generally assumed Joe Biden has never said this, and his advisors will push back on it forcefully but it is generally assumed at the highest levels of the Democratic party that if he wins in November, he is likely to be a one term president. That he would probably not seek a second term at age 81 or 82. So the person he is choosing now is somebody who could enter office next year as the front runner in an open primary for 2024. And as much as people may roll their eyes or laugh at the idea that were already talking about the next presidential election, I assure you that the people who are involved interviewing the options for the vice president are having that conversation themselves. michael barbaro Does the fact that Joe Biden would be the oldest president in American history does it limit the chances of any one of the candidates youve mentioned so far who doesnt have a lot of national experience and exposure? alex burns It definitely complicates the path for the candidates who have not been at a really, really high level of national politics. That if you look at somebody like a Keisha Lance Bottoms, if Joe Biden were 10 years younger, its definitely a little bit easier to imagine the Democratic nominee for president making the case that the first term mayor of Atlanta is an appropriate person to have a heartbeat away from the presidency. And I think, Michael, the age factor weighs on the opposite end of the V.P. field as well. That for somebody like Elizabeth Warren, who is also over 70, the question of generational diversity becomes really relevant here. Shes obviously a politician with considerable appeal to younger people, so maybe on that level, its less of a challenge, but the question of are you going to put up a ticket of two white people over 70? There are a lot of Democrats who would look askance at that for a whole bunch of reasons. michael barbaro Alex, I havent heard you mention somebody who is mentioned a fair bit as a potential running mate. And that is Stacey Abrams. alex burns She is one of the more puzzling figures in this process, because she has been very direct about her interest in the vice presidency, and she does have such a strong following among Democrats nationwide. And she has a lot to say about the issues that are defining the campaign in this moment. I think she is maybe the most compelling example of somebody who would be a more serious contender in this process, if not for Bidens age, and if not for the gravity of the moment. That the highest office that she has attained is state representative in Georgia. She really does suffer from just the question of readiness and the question of, does she have the traditional training that people expect a president in waiting to have. michael barbaro One thing we havent talked about in all of this is exactly where the race is, between now actual technical nominee Joe Biden and his rival, President Donald Trump, and how that affects this search. And my sense is that Joe Biden is doing well in that match-up. alex burns Hes doing very well. He is consistently hitting or approaching a double-digit lead over President Trump in national polls. michael barbaro Wow. alex burns And in the all important swing state polls, he is leading by some margin almost everywhere. Weve even seen polls suggesting theres a close race in Texas and Ohio. These are not states we think of as top of the list swing states for a Democrat running against President Trump. michael barbaro Does a lead like this, in some ways, liberate Joe Biden from having to confront everything that we have just talked about crises around race, the crises around pandemic, and the economy, and the very real questions about his age in the way we might expect him to want to confront those questions? alex burns Hes not ahead by the kind of margin, in the swing states, that says, you can take this to the bank. You can just go to sleep for the next 4 and 1/2 months because this thing is over. But it certainly liberates him from the burden of feeling like these are huge political vulnerabilities that he has to address in the form of his vice presidential choice. If the country had a huge problem with Joe Bidens approach to the coronavirus, or Joe Bidens approach to race or policing, he probably would not be up by the margin that he is right now. So he may very well say, at the end of the day, you know? Person X doesnt seem super responsive to this moment around race or this person doesnt seem particularly deeply credentialed on the economy, but you know what? This is the partner I want, this is who Im going with. michael barbaro And based on your reporting, who might that person X be? alex burns A month ago six weeks ago I think that person was almost certainly Amy Klobuchar, but I think even Joe Biden, from the position of political strength that he is in right now, would be hard pressed to make that choice because of the moment we are in around race and policing. It is one thing to choose a running mate who is not terribly responsive to the moment, it is another thing to choose a running mate who is responsive to the moment in a bad way. So I dont know that its clear today who that person would be, who Biden says, you know what? The hell with the political calculus that weve been talking about. This is the governing partner I want. I think that if we could answer that question, we would have a much better sense of how to order this list than we do right now. michael barbaro So lead or no lead for Joe Biden, this moment these moments that we are living through very much weigh on this choice. alex burns There is no way that they cant weigh on this choice, because in the end, were not talking about fleeting episodes in our shared experience of living in the United States. These moments are so powerful because they are reflective of much deeper, systemic, long standing social problems and challenges for the next president. So whether Biden chooses somebody whose life experience and political profile precisely answer the specific traumas that were confronting, or whether hes just choosing somebody who is seen as a person of great gravitas and governing ability, who is serious enough to lead in this time, you cannot separate the choice hes about to make from the profoundly challenging backdrop for this campaign. michael barbaro Alex, thank you very much. alex burns Thank you. michael barbaro Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. archived recording We concluded that Mr. Brooks never presented himself as a threat. At the very beginning, he was peacefully sleeping in his car. After he was awakened by the officer, he was cooperative. michael barbaro On Wednesday, local prosecutors charged a former Atlanta police officer, Garrett Rolfe, with murder and aggravated assault in the killing of Rayshard Brooks, and revealed the most detailed account yet of their encounter. archived recording We have also calculated the distance, and the distance that they are apart at that time was 18 feet, 3 inches at the time that this shot was fired. So based upon that information, we have concluded that Mr. Brooks was running away at the time that the shot was fired. michael barbaro During a news conference, the district attorney for Fulton County said that Brooks posed no threat to the officers life, in part because the taser that Brooks had taken and fired twice was empty and unusable, something that prosecutors concluded Rolfe knew. And because Brooks was moving away from police when he was shot. archived recording And at the time that the shot was fired, the utterance made by officer Rolfe was, I got him. That was the statement that was made at that time. michael barbaro Prosecutors said that after Rolfe shot Brooks twice in the back, the officers at the scene did little to try to save his life. archived recording After Mr. Brooks was shot, for some period of 2 minutes and 12 seconds, there was no medical attention applied to Mr. Brooks. What we discovered is, during the 2 minutes and 12 seconds, that officer Rolfe actually kicked Mr. Brooks while he laid on the ground, while he was there, fighting for his life. michael barbaro Laurence Allen Elder (born April 27, 1952) is an American libertarian talk radio host, author, attorney, and documentary filmmaker who hosts The Larry Elder Show. The show began as a local program on Los Angeles radio station KABC in 1993 and ran until 2008, followed by a second run on KABC from 2010 to 2014. The show is nationally syndicated, first through ABC Radio Networks from 2002 to 2007 and Salem Media Group since 2015. Elder has also written nonfiction books and a nationally syndicated column through Creators Syndicate. It seems so long ago now. But back in March, we introduced you to Chef Darlene Vanmanivong, an accomplished chef who lent her wide-ranging culinary talents and knowledge of Lao fare to the successful SapSap pop-up at Crossroads collective. She told us about her journey in reconnecting with Lao culture and the inspiration she gleaned from her grandmother to pursue a career in food. Her story itself is compelling. But it's even more powerful when combined with a taste of her cooking, which embodies the vibrance of citrus and fresh herbs, the fiery burn of chilies and the complexity of umami-rich sauces and marinades. Fortunately for all of us, that will be an easy thing to do since Vanmanivongs new restaurant concept is opening up at the Crossroads Collective, 2238 N. Farwell Ave., beginning today, June 3. Vanmannivong and her husband Alex Beck are at the helm of Thum, a concept named for the Lao term that means "to pound or smash." Its a reference to the sound made by a cloke and sok, the deep cone-shaped mortar and pestle used to smash ingredients and aromatics that contribute to dishes like papaya salad, jeow and more. The concept is cleverly integrated into the restaurants logo designed by RevPop in which the "U" represents the cloke and the exclamation point represents the sok. Together, the form imagery thats integral to the traditions and techniques used in creating traditional Lao fare. "So few people know anything about Laos," says Vanmanivong, noting that much of the knowledge Americans have is tied to the secret war, a CIA-initiative during the Vietnam War which utilized Hmong soldiers to prevent the threat of communism from spreading deeper into Southeast Asia. "When people think of Laos, they dont necessarily have a lot of positive thoughts. So this is my way of sharing what I know of Lao culture, and sharing with them the love that my grandmother passed down to me through her food." On the menu Thums menu showcases a literal feast of the bright, vibrant flavors inherent to traditional Lao cuisine in the form of accessible dishes that can be enjoyed in various combinations for a new experience every time. Starter style options include crisp Lao eggrolls filled with pork, cabbage and carrots and served with sweet, tangy sauce for dipping ($5 for three). There are also tender fried chicken wings tossed in a sweet, slightly spicy sauce and topped with crispy fried garlic ($8 for six). Guests will find fresh, fiery papaya salad chock full of strands of smashed papaya, long beans and tomatoes and dressed in tart, spicy tamarind dressing ($6). Its perfect eaten out of hand using sticky rice as an apt fire taming utensil. You wouldnt be wrong to pair it with an order of sticky rice cakes, which have been simply fried in an egg batter ($5 for three). These noshable cakes are a great accompaniment to any of Thums flavor filled sauces or savory dishes. Folks will be pleasantly surprised by the multi-layered flavor of Vanmanivongs chicken laab, which combines salty, sour and sweet flavors with bright notes of mint and citrusy cilantro. Its served with sticky rice for scooping and fresh vegetables for crunch ($10). Its honestly among the best Ive tried; be sure to take advantage of the accompanying lime and squeeze its juices over the top. Expertly grilled beef is flavored by a Lao marinade and beautifully charred on the exterior ($13). Its best wrapped in a wad of sticky rice and enjoyed with a liberal dash of jeow som. Theres also big flavor in the Lao marinated chicken breast, which is redolent with the brightness of both ginger and lemongrass while showcasing a rich, slightly smoky exterior char ($11, served with sticky rice and your choice of sauces). It's lovely with the spicy eggplant jeow, a rich complex condiment with the texture of a chutney or thick salsa. Extra sticky rice can also be purchased for $2, along with additional sauces (tomato jeow, eggplant jeow, sweet and sour sauce or jeow som) for $1 each. Seriously, youll want to try them all. Keep an eye on Thum Moving forward, Vanmanivong says shed like to add a number of additional traditional Lao dishes to the menu including Lao curries, noodle dishes like kua mee (rice noodles with soy and oyster sauces, palm sugar, fried shallots, egg, fresh herbs, and lime juice), along with soups like khao piak sen, a rich hearty version of Lao chicken noodle soup. And yes, there might even be some creative fusion added to the mix in the months ahead. Vanmanivong says that making the decision to open during the COVID-19 pandemic was a tough one. "But ultimately," she says, "We know what were getting into and we have absolutely nothing to lose." Meanwhile, she says community and nourishing people is really at the heart of what she aims to do at Thum. In kind, she hopes that as the business begins to make money, that she can find ways to do as so many other restaurants including The Tandem, Heavens Table BBQ and Dandan have done and contribute to the community in a meaningful way. Be sure to give Thum a follow on Facebook and Instagram. Thum is open for curbside pick-up Monday through Saturday between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Orders can be placed online and picked up outside the building on Ivanhoe. The Plateau Government has allocated portions of land of the Brewery Agro Research Company (BARC) in Zallaki community of Bassa Local Government Area to different categories of qualified people, as part of efforts to revamp the Jos International Breweries (JIB). The beneficiaries include farmers associations, civil servants, and pensioners. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that JIB was established in 1975 by the Joseph Gomwalk administration which BARC farm was part of its subsidiary. Governor Simon Lalong, while issuing certificates of lease to beneficiaries of the allocation on Saturday at the farm, said the government was committed to boosting the states economy through agriculture and reviving all its moribund companies. Mr Lalong said during the operation of the brewery, which got its raw materials mostly from the farm, massive revenue was generated leading to the establishment of subsidiary companies such as Pioneer Milling Company, Plateau Bottling Company Ltd. and BARC. According to him, during the boom days of BARC which was sold to a private farmer for more than 20 years, it employed more than 4,000 workers through direct or indirect means. In its days of glory, the farm was into cultivation of dry and irrigated crops such as grain, vegetables and tree crops and cattle ranches for rearing cows. Poultry farms with parent and hatchery units, pig rearing, abbatoir for poultry, pigs and cattle as well as operated a big farm for fishery, he said. The governor said the farm was leased to beneficiaries who included civil servants, farmers associations and pensioners, saying the measure was part of efforts to revamp the farm. The desire to return the farm to operations in the era of economic diversification that is driven by agriculture, made us to consider the re-acquisition of the farm through purchase of 90 per cent of its shares. So far, we have paid N1 billion for the re-acquisition of BARC Farm shares, representing about 70 per cent of the total sum, and we are hoping to complete the balance before the end of the year, he said. He said portions of the land were allocated for the current cropping season to be cultivated temporarily, pending when suitable investors would take over management of the entire farm. Our dream in the long run is that the Farm which has potential for occupying over 30 per cent to 40 per cent shares of the Agro-allied market in Nigeria, will leverage on these existing structures to cultivate crops that the State has comparative advantage in, Lalong said. He assured the beneficiaries of safety, saying hunters who were part of the State Governments homegrown security outfit, Operation Rainbow, would be deployed at the farm. He also that said steps were already being taken to ensure access to the farm through repairs of its deplorable roads. The governor advised the people of the state, especially civil servants, to embrace farming as an additional source of income. He said that agriculture was the hope of government and individuals in coping with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, saying it was one of the comparative advantages of Plateau. The Managing Director of Plateau Investment and Property Company (PIPC), Chris Yilzak, said operation of the Farm would have multiplier effects on the state economy especially the establishment of agro-allied companies. The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hosea Finangwai, commended the governor for his efforts at boosting agriculture in the state. Mr Finangwai said the governor had been providing farm inputs, counterpart funding for Agricultural programmes,among other gestures. Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Eugene Manji, who is also the Chairman of the State chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), assured the governor that they would keep to the terms of the lease. Mr Manji thanked the Lalong for the provision of security at BARC, saying it would encourage more people to farm there. NAN reports that the governor also distributed bags of fertilisers to beneficiaries of the farm allocation. Advertisements (NAN) They are critically acclaimed titans of British TV, regularly singled out for awards, yet David Tennant and Michael Sheen are being eclipsed in their new comedy by their glamorous partners. The former Doctor Who and the star of ITVs recent hit Quiz have won plaudits for their BBC1 series, Staged, which was filmed in lockdown with both stars appearing from their homes alongside their partners. And it was Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg not the famous leading men who have made the biggest impact on some viewers and critics, with one reviewer hailing their completely captivating performances. Mrs Tennant and Miss Lundberg also drew acclaim from viewers who took to Twitter. Watching Staged love u Georgia Tennant, wrote one. David Tennant (left) and Martin Sheen are critically acclaimed titans of British TV, regularly singled out for awards, are being eclipsed in their new comedy by their glamorous partners. Pictured: David with his wife Georgia Tennant Michael and David's new BBC1 series, Staged, which was filmed in lockdown with both stars appearing from their homes alongside their partners. Pictured: Michael with his girlfriend Anna Lundberg Another added: Staged is amazing. Loved David Tennant and Michael Sheen. But cameos by Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg are a few of the best moments of the series. One social-media user even called for the two women to be given their own programme, writing: Heres an idea. What about a whole show centred around Georgia and Anna being their awesome and gorgeous selves? Mrs Tennant, 35, is a double winner as she produced the show through her Warwickshire-based company Bad Penny Productions, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. It means she will be able to profit from the inevitable sales of the show around the world, bringing more to the household income on top of her 49-year-old husbands estimated 6 million fortune. The pair met on the set of Dr Who in 2008 when Georgia appeared as the Doctors cloned daughter, and they married three years later. In reality, she is the daughter of another former Dr Who, Peter Davidson, and actress Sandra Dickinson. She juggles a successful showbusiness career both in front of and behind the camera with being a mother to five children. Her eldest son Ty, 18 and an aspiring actor, is from a previous relationship while she and Mr Tennant have three girls Olive, nine, Doris, four, and Birdie, eight months and a son, Wilfred, seven, together. Anna Lundberg, 26, previously appeared in a number of theatre shows in New York after studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the city She is understood to have become friends with Miss Lundberg while their partners were promoting the TV mini-series Good Omens last year. Miss Lundberg, who at 26 is just over half 51-year-old Mr Sheens age, makes her TV debut in Staged. She previously appeared in a number of theatre shows in New York after studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the city. Georgia Tennant appeared in Doctor Who as the Doctor's daughter in 2008 with her future husband David She now splits her time between the Big Apple and South Wales, where she lives with Mr Sheen following their whirlwind romance. Last September, the couple celebrated the arrival of daughter Lyra, their first child together. The Welsh actor previously dated Irish actress and comedian Aisling Bea, and actress Kate Beckinsale is the mother of his 21-year-old daughter Lily. In contrast to Miss Lundberg, Mrs Tennant has a sizeable acting CV. She made her screen debut at the age of 15 in ITVs Peak Practice in 1999, but is perhaps better known for a recurring role as Abigail Nixon in police soap The Bill between 2007 and 2009. Before Staged, she starred in the BBCs 2017 mini-series In The Dark. With television production brought to an abrupt halt by the pandemic, Mr Sheen, Mr Tennant and writer-director Simon Evans managed to sidestep the lockdown restrictions by filming the Staged episodes from their homes. In the show, which launched on Wednesday and is now available on iPlayer, the leading men play exaggerated versions of themselves preparing for a production of Pirandellos Six Characters In Search Of An Author in the West End which has been put on hold because of the coronavirus crisis. Fort Bend County Judge KP George and County Commissioners recently approved a new $22 million emergency grant program for the countys small businesses adversely affect by COVID-19 financial issues. Funded via a $134.3 million allocation from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the new business grant program will provide grants of up to $10,000 per business for eligible expenses such as Personal Protective Equipment, re-opening supplies, renovations, equipment, inventory, and remote working expenses, as well as and lease-mortgage assistance and utilities incurred as of the countys April 3 Stay At Home order. The business grant program was created based on input from a committee of local business experts and owners led by Jeff Wiley, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council. As Ive said in the past I think $22 million is a good number but it needs to be increased over time. And, I would hope the commissioners court thinks about those increases, Wiley said during the June 9 meeting. Weve got to businesses back as quickly as possible or everybodys revenue sources will suffer, the businesses, the municipalities, all of them will suffer, Willey told Judge George and the commissioners and voiced his support for the proposal. Is it perfect? No, its not perfect. Could there be some changes? Yes, there could and there should be as we see the demand over time. It should be expanded in terms of its parameters, Wiley said. MORE FROM KRISTI NIX: Photo Gallery: Fort Bend County #SayTheirNames vigil honors George Floyd During court proceedings, Commissioner Grady Prestage introduced the grant program measure, which includes a $1 million allocation for a series of consulting company contracts to offer assistance to minority businesses serving minority communities, Prestage said. The consulting company contracts would go through the countys normal procurement process and would come back to the county for approval at a future date. The interests of countys Hispanic community, south Asian Community and the African American community would be among those targeted for the program. This is to assist minority businesses who have special circumstances and special situations, Prestage said. Its one million out of $22 million for a county that is majority minority. Its not a lot to ask for and it gives those businesses the opportunity to survive and thrive. Commissioner Vincent Morales suggested increasing the monies for the business grant program could be increased by an additional $1 million to cover the cost of the consulting contract. Prestage instead proposed re-allocating the remaining funds in the CARES Act funding contingency fund at the next commissioners court meeting to the small business grant program. Commissioner Andy Meyers voiced concerns businesses that earn less than $100,000 a year were excluded. Were missing a lot of the sole proprietors who dont make $100,000 and theres a lot of them, Meyers said and added: I dont think its equitable to all the business that were hurt. Meyers made a motion to consider an alternative program proposal with a minimum revenue threshold of $30,000 that increased the maximum revenues to $5 million with available grants of $5,000 grants for smaller businesses and up to $25,000 grants to larger businesses. The motion failed by a vote of three-to-two with Meyers and Morales voting to support the measure. As a compromise, Prestage suggested when the court discussed reallocating the remaining contingency funds, members would consider re-structuring the business grant program according to Meyers alternate proposal. The original proposal was approved by a four-one vote with Meyers voting in opposition. Related: Fort Bend County officials divided over division of federal COVID-19 relief funding According to agenda documents, the first two week of the grant application project will give top priority to businesses who applied to the Small Business Associations Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Economic Injury Disaster Grants but didnt receive monies because the SBA program funding ran out. Grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded to businesses located in Fort Bend County that experienced a revenue loss of 25 percent or more as a direct results of COVID-19 related issues, were open as of Feb. 15, have not permanently closed and have 2019 revenues of at least $100,000 but less than $2 million. The application process opens June 15. knix@hcnonline.com Samsung is now rolling out an update to its Galaxy Buds+ true wireless earbuds that finally gives users seamless multi-device switching. Promised at the gadgets initial launch, that means that users can now move the buds between devices more easily. Thats without having to disable Bluetooth on the current device or enter pairing mode. The newly-detailed feature is appearing in Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Plugin version 1.3.20061151. Once installed, the app will prompt users to update their Galaxy Buds+ to version R175XXU0ATF2. Digging deeper, there is at least one issue with the update as well. According to the update message, the feature can accidentally allow unknown devices to connect and control the earbuds. Users will need to manually disable the feature in Settings to override that. That caveat appears to apply solely to Samsung devices. Advertisement How does the new Galaxy Buds+ multi-device feature actually work? With the update, the new feature isnt quite as simple as its branding might suggest. It doesnt just let the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ connect automatically between previously-connected source devices. But it does fix a big issue many users complained about with the prior firmware version. Namely, users no longer need to open the Bluetooth utility in Settings and disconnect. That was previously required with the Galaxy Buds+ for switching in multi-device connection environments. Samsungs Galaxy Buds+ also previously required that Samsung users had the Samsung SmartThings app installed. And the feature only worked with devices running Android 7.1.1 or newer. Advertisement With the new firmware installed, thats all been reduced to a single step. In effect, users will need to open up the Bluetooth page in Settings on the source device. Then, a simple tap on the Galaxy Buds+ will swap the connection. Thats a shorter, more intuitive process. And it brings things more in line with how other top-tier true wireless and Bluetooth-connected earphones already on the market. Now, users will be able to perform a switch with just a couple of minor taps after multiple source devices have already been paired. The change couldnt have come at a more opportune time Samsungs decision to change up how connections work for the Galaxy Buds+ also happens to fall in line with persistent rumors about future products from the company. And, if those hold true, the timing here may make a lot more sense. Advertisement Samsung will soon launch BTS editions of several of its gadgets, according to a wide assortment of reports, rumors, and leaks. That array of products comes in a deep purple hue with other design changes. And its expected to span just about every device category from its leading flagship to its wireless charging pads. That, of course, includes a BTS edition set of Samsung Galaxy Buds+. With what is effectively a device relaunch imminent, Samsung is going to want to put its best foot forward. In this case, that means ensuring features that were advertised at the initial launch are present and accounted for when the newest edition launches. The BTS Galaxy Buds+ is expected to land on July 9. A total of 29 residents in an outskirts commune of Hanoi could be indicted on charges of murder and obstruction for their involvement in a disturbance that saw three police officers being burned to death early this year. The Hanoi Police Department on Friday published the findings of its investigation into the deadly incident in Dong Tam Commune in the outlying district of My Duc, Hanoi. All the 29 individuals are accused of having plotted and carried out a plan to resist and kill members of a police task force who guarded the construction of a fence around Mieu Mon, a local military airfield. They are Le Dinh Cong, Le Dinh Uy, Le Dinh Doanh, Nguyen Van Tuyen, Nguyen Quoc Tien, Nguyen Thi Lua, Tran Thi La, Bui Thi Noi, Bui Van Tien, Bui Van Nien, Bui Viet Hieu and Bui Van Tuan, among others. Many of these individuals are relatives of Le Dinh Kinh, an 84-year-old local who died during the incident. According to the investigation findings on Friday, the Air Defense and Air Force under the Ministry of National Defense came up with a plan in November 2019 to build the fence around the airfield. Hanoi Police Department was asked to have its officers guard the construction site to ensure security and order there. On January 9 this year, the municipal police teamed up with the Mobile Police High Command under the Ministry of Public Security and other forces to patrol the area so that the fence could be erected safely. However, the law enforcement officers were repeatedly attacked by a group of locals armed with grenades, firebombs, bricks and stones in the early morning of that day. Grenades seized from a group of residents who attacked law enforcement officers in Dong Tam Commune, My Duc District, Hanoi on January 9, 2020 are seen in a supplied photo. Police officers used loudspeakers to call on the locals to stop their illegal acts and surrender but to no avail. As a group of three law enforcement officers attempted to approach the house of Kinh with the aim of arresting the attackers, they were ambushed by a group of armed men, causing them to fall into and become trapped in a four-meter-deep pit dug between two houses. The attackers poured gasoline into the pit and set the officers alight, killing them, according to the police investigation findings. Investigators found that Kinh was the mastermind behind the civil disturbance who frequently held meetings with locals where he gave distorted information on the land plot used for the construction of Mieu Mon Airport and incited locals to file lawsuits against the project. On January 9, the investigation unit of Hanoi Police launched criminal proceedings against the case to investigate three charges including murder, illegally storing and using weapons, and resisting on-duty officers. Around 30 people were arrested for the investigation. Officers also seized eight grenades, 38 petrol bombs, 20 liters of gasoline, 12 bayonet-fitted iron tubes, three boxes of flares, one taser gun, one machete, and one hammer from the attackers. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Molina Healthcare of Michigan (Molina) recently donated $15,000 to Great Lakes Bay Health Centers (GLBHC) for the purchase of 5,400 reusable masks for patients who otherwise would not have one. Great Lakes Bay Health Centers is blessed to be able to work with partners like Molina to provide excellent health care to our patients and our community, said Dr. Brenda Coughlin, GLBHC president and CEO. These masks will help us keep our patients and employees safe. Vice President Mike Pence looks on during an event with community and faith leaders at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., June 5, 2020. (Eric Thayer/Reuters) Pence Explains Why He Didnt Go on Church Walk With Trump Vice President Mike Pence said he didnt accompany President Donald Trump to St. Johns Church because of the volatility of the protests and riots around the White House. I was actually encouraged to stay at the White House out of an abundance of caution, Pence told CBS News Radio Friday. It was obviously a volatile environment at moments, and so I was encouraged to remain. But I would have been happy to walk shoulder to shoulder across Lafayette Park with President Trump. Trump and a group of officials, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, Attorney General William Barr, and senior advisor Ivanka Trump, traveled on June 1 from the White House to the church, crossing through Lafayette Park. Trump held a Bible and stood by the church as the group surveyed damage inflicted during riots sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who perished in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. President Donald Trump holds a family Bible while visiting St. Johns Church across from the White House in Washington on June 1, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images) Milley later apologized for being part of the group, claiming it created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics. Asked about Milleys remarks, Pence said: I have great respect for General Milley. Hes leading our Joint Chiefs of Staff with great distinction. And I respect his ability to speak for himself about his presence there. But I must tell you that I thought it was important after we saw one of the most historic churches in America set ablaze by rioters and violent protests that the president walk across Lafayette Park and stand in solidarity. We dont allow places of worship to be burned in this country. We dont stand by while churches, or synagogues, or mosques are vandalized and the president made that very clear in his walk and Im glad that this is an administration that has stood strong for the religious freedom of every American of every faith, he added. Every president since James Madison has worshipped at the church, Pence noted. The administrations quelling of violence in Washington, which allowed peaceful protests to continue, was an important accomplishment, he said. Trump on Thursday said Milleys remarks were fine before saying he believes he has good relationships with the military. Milley, a Trump nominee, is the nations highest ranking military official. A group of delegates participate in a discussion with Vice President Mike Pence, center, at the Covenant Church of Pittsburgh in Wilkinsburg, Pa., June 12, 2020. (Keith Srakocic/AP Photo) Pence was speaking after meeting with black leaders in Pennsylvania. Ross Owens, a local pastor, told Pence, Im tired that people still do not acknowledge that systemic racism is real, and they ignore the billions of voices that exist, and they say, No, thats not true, because of the comfort of their own bubble. Racism does exist in America like it does in every other nation, Pence said in the radio interview. He thinks every American can be proud of the progress the nation has made over the centuries and credited people of faith with spurring much of the progress. Weve made progress. We have a ways to go, he said. The administration is focused on not just progress in public safety, but job creation, educational choice in inner cities, and better healthcare, Pence added. The truth is, many African-American families, for more than half a century, have lived under failed liberal Democrat policies and leadership, he asserted, while arguing that Trump enacted policies that led to low black unemployment and an expansion of educational choice. His unit is nearly always full, Baid said, and the main thing it can offer patients is oxygen. Sometimes it is forced to take care of patients who need intensive care because of a dearth of such beds. The most difficult part, he said, is when patients arrive with critically low levels of oxygen in their blood. They become unconscious gradually, he said, and we cant do much about it. The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday said it would get an additional revenue of Rs 3,495 crore from the proposed Integrated Renewable Energy Project (IREP) after it renegotiated the contract terms with the implementing firm Greenko Group. As part of the IREP, the Hyderabad headquartered Greenko Group is currently setting up a 550 megawatt (MW) wind power project, 1,000 MW of solar energy project and 1,680 MW of reverse pumping project in the state. "This significant financial gain is achieved owing to the efforts of the present government which has renegotiated the project terms and compensation payable by the Greenko group which is currently setting up this project in Andhra Pradesh," an official statement said. As a result, the state stands to receive an additional revenue of Rs 3,495 crore from the proposed project. "It is purely additional to the already agreed proceedings of the erstwhile government," it said. As per the renegotiations, the state government said it has doubled the land prices to Rs 5 lakh per acre from the existing Rs 2.5 lakh the rate which was fixed by the erstwhile TDP government. This decision will alone fetch the state government about Rs 119.16 crore which is equivalent to the one-time compensation fixed by the previous TDP government, it said, and added the government will allot 4,766.28 acres of land to Greenko group for setting the proposed project. In addition to this, the government has also levied a 'Green Energy Development Charge/Cess' of Rs 1,00,000 per annum on each megawatt of power being produced by the group in all the three formats wind, solar and reverse pumping project. While this charge/cess will be applicable for the first 25 years, Greenko group has to shell out Rs 2,50,000 per megawatt per annum thereafter until the operating life of the respective projects. This itself would provide Rs 32.30 Crore per annum to the state's exchequer, it said. The government has also decided to alter the compensation terms which will immensely benefit the state and its economy. It may be recalled that the previous TDP government had agreed to receive a one-time compensation of Rs 119 crore from the Greenko Group. "Owing to the efforts of the present government, the compensation to the state's exchequer has increased significantly as we have achieved a recurring annual benefit of 27 per cent over the one time compensation fixed by the previous government," said A Jeya Kallam, Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister. He said the proposed project would reduce the intermittency associated with renewable energy generation. The success of this project would promote renewable energy generation in a big way in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The government said that it is imperative to promote renewable energy generation projects while discouraging the traditional thermal power generation plants in view of the environmental concerns and also for sustainable development. However, due to the intermittent nature of renewable power that would not be entirely possible unless a feasible storage solution is available, it said. The proposed reverse pumping project by Greenko would reduce this dependency to some extent. And this project is developed on the lines of a hydroelectric project and would have a very long life of operations. Globally there are some projects which have surpassed 100 years of operations, it added. Mother of four Sarah Balsdon had struggled caring for children during the United Kingdoms lockdown during the pandemic. In particular, getting her four kids to do chores around the house and homework was proving too much to ask. That changed, however, with the acquisition of a secondhand vending machine. The 29-year-old nurse from Ashington, Northumberland, the United Kingdom, paid 100 pounds (US$125) for the coin-operated vending machine, which dispensed chocolate, candy, and chips. She and her husband, Kyle, 29, made the purchase as a last resort after their four kids, Shannon, 9, Lucy, 8, Jack, 5 and Elijah, 2, simply refused to help around the house. Shannon, 9, Lucy, 8, Jack, 5 and Elijah, 2, with the vending machine (Caters News) While spending more time at home during the shutdown, they were also asking for sweet treats more than usual, the mom noticed. They also started sneaking them upstairs without me knowing, Sarah shared with CafeMom. The healthy snacks are all free but this way they will have to do jobs and school work to earn money to buy sweets from the vending machine, Sarah told Caters. During lockdown, the kids have been wanting sweet stuff all the time and they have been refusing to help around the house. She came up with the idea of an in-house vending machine randomly but soon realized shed hit on something great. At first, the familys kids found it mean, she said. However, it wasnt long before they started helping out with various tasks such as unloading the dishwasher, dusting, tidying their bedrooms, and putting out used milk bottles for the milkman. The vending machine Sarah Balsdon bought so her kids could pay for their own treats and snacks (Caters News) Meanwhile, the kids are developing a sense of entrepreneurship as they save up pocket money to pay for snacks from the vending machine. The prices werent high, yet her kids would still have to earn their snack money. Its also been a way to cut down on the junk food and encourage healthier eating, Sarah says. I was sick of the arguments about unhealthy snacks so hopefully this will encourage them to work for them, said the mom, though she admits she doesnt know how long the ploy will work. Sarah Balsdon, 29, with her husband, Kyle, 29, and kids, Shannon, 9, Lucy, 8, Jack, 5, and Elijah, 2 (Caters News) Sarah shared her snack strategy on social media, though she didnt plan on it going viral. Many people online shared mostly positive reactions, she says. Lets see if they can sneak sweets and treats now! she wrote on May 24. I think people are understanding that the kids are learning about money. Meanwhile, the lockdown has caused hassles for Sarah and her husband, she adds. With the kids being off school, it has been really difficult with child care, she shared. Ive been at work the whole time and my husband was furloughed for six weeks but now hes back at work. The girls have gone back to school for child care. On a positive note, she adds, There are always fun ways to keep control of parenting during challenging times like lockdown. In accordance with the City of Midlands ongoing COVID-19 response, most city buildings will remain closed to the public until Monday, July 6, to allow for protective measures to be installed and rolled out in line with COVID-19 workplace requirements. All previously-suspended city services will resume on Monday, June 15, unless impacted by flood-related activities. Residents should be aware of the following service changes and updates: Midland City Hall, Municipal Service Center, Water Treatment Plant, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Midland Civic Arena, and all Midland Fire Department stations will remain closed to the public until Monday, July 6. The Law Enforcement Center will reopen to the public on Monday, June 15. The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library and Midland Community Television (MCTV) remain closed to the public until further notice due to damage sustained from the recent flooding event. Rental certification inspections through the Midland Building Department will resume on Monday, June 15. Building department staff will reach out directly to reschedule inspections that were postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Water service installations will resume on Monday, June 15. Visitors to Washington Woods senior living community is limited to essential care providers only until further notice. Riverside Place senior living community remains closed due to damage sustained in the recent flooding event. Monthly heavy item collection remains suspended citywide until flood debris collection has been completed. Final flood debris collection begins on Monday, June 15. Residents should set all flood-damaged items at the curb by Sunday, June 14 to ensure collection. The terminal building of the Jack Barstow Airport remains closed until Monday, July 6. Pilots may continue to access hangars and purchase fuel as needed. Public meetings of the Midland City Council and city boards, commissions, and committees will be evaluated on a meeting-by-meeting basis to assess their need to meet and take action on matters of significant importance. Public meetings that must be held will be done so electronically through Monday, July 6. A list of meetings to be held electronically will be updated regularly online at www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/emeetings. While some city staff will return to their physical offices on Monday, many staff will continue to work remotely and will respond to residents requests by phone and email to the best of their ability. Residents are encouraged to conduct business with city staff via email or phone or on the citys website, www.cityofmidlandmi.gov, whenever possible. To contact a city staff member or department by phone, residents can call the City Hall switchboard at 989-837-3300 and use the prompts to find the appropriate department. Water and sewer bill payments will still be accepted during the closure. Residents can pay their bills online at www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/pay or submit payment by cash or check via the citys secure drop box located inside the main doors of City Hall, 333 W. Ellsworth Street. Please note that online bill pay will be unavailable from approximately noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17,for software upgrades. Order forms and payments for city refuse and yard waste bins and bin stickers will still be processed during the closure. Residents should visit www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/publiservices to find, complete, and print the appropriate form and may: 1) mail their form and payment to the address on the form; 2) place their form and payment into an envelope and drop it into the secure drop box outside the Municipal Service Center, 4811 N. Saginaw Road; or 3) place their form and payment into an envelopment and drop it into the secure drop box located inside the main doors of City Hall. For fastest processing, dropping forms and payments at the Municipal Service Center is recommended. The city will continue to monitor public health information regarding COVID-19 and will reassess and alter its response as needed. For the latest updates and information regarding the statewide response to COVID-19, visit www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Processed by Ashley Schafer, Ashley.Schafer@hearstnp.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. Henceforth, heads of MDAs who fail to honour the invitation of the Senate public accounts committee will be compelled to do so "through issuance of warrants of arrest against them," the committee chairman has said. Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo) gave this warning on Thursday after the absence of all six MDA heads invited for an investigative hearing on the audit queries issued by the office of the auditor-general. Culpable for this, Mr Urhoghide said, are the ministers for information, petroleum resources, power, women Affairs, solid minerals and the head of the National Population Commission (NPC). "Over a month ago, we wrote to them to come and answer the audit queries raised against them by the auditor-general of the federation in its 2015 audit report," Mr Urhoghide said. "But they have deliberately and irresponsibly failed to honour our invitation. Their failure to appear before this committee amount to outright disobedience to constituted authority." He noted further that rather than coming, the ministers and heads of the affected agencies gave different reasons which are "are absurd, untenable and not serving any public interest" for their nonappearance at the investigative hearing. "For example, while the ministry of information gave flimsy excuse of contractors who handled 2015 projects not being around, other ministries like power, women affairs said they are seeing the copies of the queries for the first time," Mr Urhoghide explained. This, he said, is wont among public officers in the country and is a blight on public accountability which they should uphold. "Ministers that even supposed to come ran away. We won't tolerate this any longer, because the infractions observed in the accounts of their various ministries run into billions of naira. "They will surely be compelled to appear before this committee through issuance of warrants of arrest against them when next they fail our invitation in line with section 89 of the constitution," the lawmaker said. Mr Urhoghide said the nonappearance of the agency heads is undermining the efficiency of the National Assembly and one of "the reasons Nigerians often accuse them of not discharging its duties." "It is only in Nigeria that people will spend government's money and fail to show up to defend their expenditure," he said. Also at the hearing were the auditor-general, Anthony Ayine, Ibrahim Hadeija (APC, Jigawa), Yusuf Yusuf (APC, Taraba) among others. In their respective remarks, they pitched their tents with the committee chairman that warrant of arrest should be issued against ministers and heads of agencies that disregard their invitations when next they are invited. By Express News Service KOCHI: Three Malayali nurses who left for Kuwait from Kochi airport have been tested positive for Covid in the Gulf country.The nurses left Kerala for Kuwait City on Thursday to rejoin duty after their annual vacation. The three nurses testing positive exposed the tall claims by the Kochi airport on the tight screening, including thermal scanning of the passengers, before allowing them to board the flights. When contacted, the spokesman of Cochin International Airport Ltd said the medical check-ups at the airport are handled by health authorities, and the airports role was to facilitate the screening process.Reports said the three nurses have been moved to a hospital in Kuwait City for further treatment while all the passengers in their flight have been quarantined.The airport had earlier tied up with Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) for installing machines to disinfect the luggage of passengers. Further, special teams of officials from state health department, police, local bodies and CISF were also formed to implement various Covid protocol measures in the airport. Five Keralites die in the Gulf, two in Delhi Five Keralites have died due to Covid-19 in Gulf countries on Friday. With this the total number of Malayalis who died in the Gulf due to Covid-19 touched 216. The persons who died on Friday are Abdul Azeez, 53, of Thiruvananthapuram, who died in Abu Dhabi, Kaja Hussain, 42, of Palakkad, in Dammam, Shameer, of Kollam, in Riyadh, Justin, of Pathanamthitta, in Oman and Patrick Carlton Dsouza, 59, of Vypeen, Kochi, in Kuwait.Meanwhile, two Keralites died in Delhi due to the pandemic on Friday. They are Raghavan Unnithan, 70, of Adoor, and K G Shibu, of Kottayam. Nurses left state on Thursday The three nurses left Kerala for Kuwait City on Thrusday for rejoining duty after their annual vacation. The offers range from special lease rates and MSRP discounts to 0% APR financing rates. Continental Mitsubishi, a dealership serving Chicago and the entire surrounding area, is currently hosting a variety of special offers on new vehicles. The offers range from special lease rates and MSRP discounts to 0% APR financing rates. Those intrigued by the specials detailed below are encouraged to take advantage of them soon, as they are currently set to expire on July 6. Current lease offers at Continental Mitsubishi include the option to lease a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander for $239 per month on a 48-month lease, with $2,543 due at signing, or to lease the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport for $229 per month on a 36-month lease, with $2,528 due at signing. Interested individuals should note that the lessee is responsible for maintenance, excessive wear/tear and a cost per mile for every mile over 12,000 per year. That cost is 15 cents per mile on vehicles with an MSRP less than $30,000 and 20 cents per mile for vehicles with an MSRP of $30,000 or more. In addition to these great lease rates, Continental Mitsubishi is offering MSRP discounts on select Mitsubishi models. These offers include: $6,000 off the MSRP of the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander $6,000 off the MSRP of the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport $4,000 off the MSRP of the 2020 Mitsubishi Mirage $5,000 off the MSRP of the 2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross The discounts above are composed of a customer rebate, loyalty cash and dealer discount. They do not include tax, title and license fees. Finally, Continental Mitsubishi is offering 0% APR financing for 60 months on all new 2020 Mitsubishi models. This offer is available with approved credit, in lieu of manufacturer rebates. An example would be a cost of $16.67 per $1,000 financed with $0 down for 60 months. Those intrigued by any of the special offers above are encouraged to head to the Continental Mitsubishi website at http://www.continentalmitsubishi.com. The dealership can also be contacted by phone through the act of dialing 708-669-0516. Finally, individuals wishing to visit the dealership are free to make the trek out to 5800 S. La Grange Road, Countryside. UPMP News When tough quarantine measures were introduced in Ukraine in March, the number of infected was less than 100 cases per day. Now the numberexceeds 700 per day. Despite this, the Ministry of Health and the government are not considering a return to strict restrictions. This is reported by chief sanitary doctor of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko during an online briefing. "The weakening of quarantine and an increase in the number of infected people - this shows the correctness of the strategy chosen by the state regarding the introduction of strict quarantine at the beginning of the epidemic. Now we are not considering a return to more stringent measures, since Ukraine introduced adaptive quarantine," he said in response to a question from journalists. Related: Media reports on coronavirus outbreak in Presidents Office: Demchenko, Reznikov infected Lyashko also explained that three basic indicators were defined for adaptive quarantine, and if one of them exceeds the norm for three consecutive days in the region, the commission is obliged to hold a regional meeting and determine the reasons why this happens. as of June 13, Ukraine recorded 30 506 cases of coronavirus infection. Of these, 13,976 people recovered and 880 died. The largest number of infected reported in the Lviv and Zakarpattya regions, as well as in Kyiv. Nineteen people died and more than 170 were injured in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang on Saturday after a truck carrying liquefied gas exploded on a highway. Videos of the accident, near the city of Wenling around 4 in the afternoon, showed a large explosion that appeared to send the chassis of the truck careening into nearby buildings. Other footage picked up by Chinese state news outlets showed charred facades of nearby buildings with windows blown out by the shock wave, and flaming wreckage sending up thick black plumes into the sky. Chinese state news outlets said rescue workers were searching for people trapped in the residential and factory buildings, some of which had collapsed. The truck was carrying gas between two cities on Chinas east coast, Ningbo and Wenzhou, and was exiting a highway when the accident occurred, according to the state-run Zhejiang News. The accident shut down traffic on the highway going both ways. Other videos showed cars nearby on fire. More federal and state money should be dedicated to helping avoid a homeless crisis in Acadiana and throughout Louisiana, two housing advocates say. The number of families that will be forced out of their homes due to job losses or other factors related to COVID-19 has risen and is expected to spike once moratoriums are lifted filing evictions, Catholic Charities director Kim Boudreaux and ARCH director Leigh Rachal said Friday during Downtown Lafayette's Downtown Coffee Talk Friday. The solution is to identify more sources of funding to help people retain their housing and help landlords assist tenants from being homeless. Data from the Louisiana Association of Affordable Housing Providers and Housing Louisiana shows nearly $55 million is needed to address rental assistance needs in Acadiana this year and another $125 million for next year, data shows. As an organization whose primary mission is around housing and homelessness, this keeps me up at night, said Boudreaux, whose agency offers assistance to families in danger of being evicted or having utilities disconnected. Could Lafayette face an avalanche of evictions later this summer? Housing advocates in Lafayette are concerned the ending of the eviction moratoriums in Louisiana and nationwide could lead to problems local o How do we speak loud enough to our elected officials in D.C. and Baton Rouge and Lafayette that this is a problem? Youre not seeing it today, but as soon as those hotel programs end and very soon, because theyre expensive Im saying we will have children on the streets of downtown Lafayette that are unsheltered and homeless. Inside info on doing business in Acadiana We'll keep you posted on the Acadiana economy. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up According to data from ARCH, 450 people have become homeless since March, a 58% increase and a 193% increase in family homelessness. Some have moved into hotels, which are offering specials for extended stays. The homelessness issue, they noted, grew when the Salvation Army closed its shelter earlier this month, dropping the number of homeless shelter beds by 69. Other numbers indicate how big the issue could become: 80,000 have filed for unemployment since March, and 5,000 households are now at least 60 days behind on their LUS electric bills. Rent assistance is the primary way to prevent this disaster, Rachal said. And identifying sources of funding that can be used for rental assistance has been a challenge of late. Theres a lot of money coming from the federal government. Some of it says its possible to be used for rental assistance, but by the time it gets down to the local community, thats not what its used for. The Lafayette City and Parish councils backed recently OKd a proposal by Mayor-President Josh Guillory to distribute $825,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to local businesses, despite pleas from Boudreaux and others to use some of it for rent and utility assistance. Landlords, Boudreaux said Friday, are small business owners. And for landlords, keeping tenants in their homes makes more sense economically than filing an eviction or trying to find a new tenant. Were creating housing stability for our landlords that are small business owners, she said. We cant change what happened, but those that are in their house, we need to keep them in the house. Its so much more affordable. Its less traumatic, especially when you have children in the house. We want to make sure the landlords get the help they need to keep their tenants in their housing. An engineering student succumbed to injuries on Friday, five days after one of her male friends brutally assaulted her in a suspected love triangle, police said. Monica, 22, a resident of Sidedahalli, was first attacked by her current boyfriend, Rahul, 22, after her former lover, Babith, 21, barged into his house in Chikkabanavara after learning that she had gone there on June 7. Monica was in a relationship with Babith for four years but broke up recently. She became friends with Rahul four months ago and went to his house for his birthday, which falls on June 8. She wanted to take him out and buy him a birthday present. But after Rahul assaulted her, Babith took her to his house, which is also located in Chikkabanavara. The couple soon got into an argument, and Babith allegedly attacked her with a helmet. She passed out and was rushed to a hospital. Police arrested both Rahul and Babith for attempted murder (IPC section 307), sexual harassment (354A) and criminal intimidation (506) following a complaint by Monicas mother. Now after her death, police have dropped the attempted murder charge and booked them for murder (IPC section 302), said N Shashikumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North). Babith has been named the prime suspect since his assault proved fatal for Monica. Both the suspects are currently in police custody, the officer said. 12.06.2020 LISTEN Customs officials at the Elubo land border one out Ghanas six land borders - have denied claims of challenges faced by the use of Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) in processing and releasing cargo vehicles into the country. This follows media reports and a video in circulation in which dozens of vehicles are seen parked behind the Elubo border and are unable to be processed for entry into Ghana due to some challenges encountered by the newly deployed ICUMS at the land borders. Mr Isaac Adongo, a member of parliament's Trade and Finance Committees, in a media interaction cited the video as reference, stating that it affirms the defects of the new system. However, a Customs Long Room official at Elubo in an interview asserted that the vehicles parked behind the border had nothing to do with the use of the ICUMS at the border. It is not unusual to see cars parked behind the border, it happens occasionally. The cars park on the no mans land between Ivory Coast and Ghana a lot of time for many reasons. These vehicles are allowed to park behind the border awaiting documentations. It has nothing to do with the ICUMS. he said. The Custom official further asserted that, the processing of documents for early release of vehicles into the country known as Compliance was now being done at the headquarters of the Customs Division due to GCNET system not working again, as many of these guys processed their BOEs in that system. This means we at the boarder cannot process those old BOEs unless head office hence the delay. He added that, the only challenge they faced was the approval of their documents from the headquarters. Previously the approval and compliance was done by us at the Long room here and that fastens the job, but now that the old system is off the compliance has to be done at the Headquarters hence the delay in processing and releasing the vehicles. But with ICUMS, everything is going on well and we have passed export and imports, plus the transits this week, he noted. Transit Declarations On transit declarations customs officials at the Elubo boarder said they have passed two of that so far since last week. According to him, the clearing agents started the process last week Friday and this week they were cleared on Monday. On Thursday two more came in the declarations are to be passed today Friday June 12, 2020. The registrations and the BOEs were processed through the ICUMS and it was successful but the agents will pass the declarations today. It is important to note that the two declarations that were passed in total they are 19 cargo vehicles and all of them have been dispatched, the customs official said. Some drivers who also spoke gave various reason for their parking there which had nothing to do with the ICUMS. One indicated that, they were waiting for their agents from the Ivorian side to complete declarations processes to enable them to enter Abidjan as they have completed their processes from the Ghanaian side while another said the agent was waiting to receive funds from the importer to pay for the duties required which will then enable customs to allow them into Ghana. ICUMS last week in the first four days registered some 1,452 transactions at the land frontiers. Out of this, 408 were direct imports into home use, 900 Temporary Vehicle Imports, 34 Warehouse, 20 Transit and 9 Free Zones. Every transaction done in ICUMS including TVI is issued with their required Certificate. For the avoidance of doubt, a TVI Certificate is generated and given to the driver, which is verifiable. Watch videos below: As California seeks to reopen its economy rapidly, residents in some parts of the state refused to wear face masks amid the rising number of coronavirus cases. The revolt and the politics surrounding face coverings became clear this week after Dr Nichole Quick, Orange County's former chief health officer, resigned from her position on Monday. According to the Business Insider, the move came after she received death threats for requiring residents to wear face masks while observing social distancing protocols. Before her resignation, the former health official received public backlash, with protesters storming a Board of Supervisors meeting while bearing a banner depicting Quick as a Nazi. Another incident involved county residents reading her home address aloud and threatening to protest outside her house. Easing Requirements Dr Quick was replaced by interim chief health officer Dr Clayton Chau who rescinded the face-mask order on Thursday. In a report by the New York Post, the newly-appointed health official said face coverings were no longer mandatory. Instead, the county "strongly recommends" masks to curb the spread of the virus. Chau clarifies his decision to pull back Quick's order was not due to intense community pressure. He claims it was to keep the county in line with state guidelines which do not require masks. "I want to be clear: This does not diminish the importance of face coverings," said Orange County Health Care Agency Director Dr Clayton Chau, who is now also the interim health officer. "I stand with the public health experts and believe wearing cloth face coverings helps to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community and save lives." Lowering Transmission Health experts expressed their concern over the action of Orange County officials. They claimed the rebellion about masks would make it harder to prevent new outbreaks of the virus. In a study published on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers determined wearing a mask is the most effective way in stopping a person-to-person spread of the coronavirus. A team of scientists in Texas and California compared the trend of coronavirus infections in Italy and New York before and after local governments required face coverings. The report showed infection rates in both locations began to flatten after the public was ordered to wear masks. The researchers determined that the masks may have helped in preventing over 78,000 infections in Italy between April 6 and May 9. In New York, mandatory use of face coverings prevented 66,000 infections between April 17 and May 9 in New York, CNN reports. In northern Italy, some regions began requiring masks on April 6. The government imposed a mandatory nationwide use order on May 4. In New York, face coverings were required starting April 17. The study also noted that while federal health organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted preventing contact transmission, they neglected the possibility of airborne transmission. Read the latest news from the U.S.: Fears are growing for the health of a 40ft whale that has become stranded on a British estuary for the second time in 24 hours. The fin whale, named Henry by rescue crew from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), was found beached on the banks of the Dee Estuary in North Wales around 9am this morning. This is the second time that Henry has been found stranded after a rescue team released him back to the sea at 1.30pm on Friday. Fears are growing for the health of 40ft fin whale Henry who was found beached on the banks of the Dee Estuary in North Wales at 9am this morning after only being rescued by diver crews yesterday at 1.30pm It had been hoped the fin whale, the second largest animal after the blue whale, would have been strong enough to survive on its own It had been hoped the fin whale, the second largest animal after the blue whale, would have been strong enough to survive on its own. However, after getting stranded again in North Wales, the BDLMR said that things looked less positive for Henry today. In a post on their website they said: Due to the size and weight of the animal and the geography of the area, it is not possible to get the animal closer to the water to help relieve the pressure on its body. Dragging the animal by its tail will cause significant injuries and is not an option. As we mentioned yesterday, putting the animal to sleep is also incredibly difficult for a variety of reasons related to its size too. In a post on their website, the British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: We are saddened to say that the outlook today is looking less positive than yesterday' 'We are saddened to say that the outlook today is looking less positive than yesterday. Dan Jarvis of the BDLMR said that, given its size and weight and the fact the mammal cannot support its own body weight, there are concerns its internal organs could have become damaged while beached. Holyhead Coastguard and Flint RNLI are also dealing with the stranded whale. A spokesperson for the Holyhead Coastguard said their crews are keeping watch as people are trying to take pictures while the tide rises. They also said that the police are also assisting. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-12 20:06:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam reported a new case of COVID-19 infection on Friday, bringing its total confirmed cases in the country to 333 with zero death so far, according to its Ministry of Health. The latest case is a 37-year-old Vietnamese man recently returning from Malaysia, said the ministry, noting that he was quarantined upon arrival and is being treated in southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province. Meanwhile, two more patients were declared clear of the disease on Friday, increasing the total cured cases in the country to 323, according to the ministry. Vietnam has recorded no local transmission for 57 straight days while there are over 9,200 people being quarantined and monitored in the country, said the health ministry. Enditem LONDON It should have been a moment of liberation: People at high risk from the coronavirus in England were told they could leave their homes for the first time in 10 weeks. Instead, the move has turned into yet another criticism leveled at Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has overseen the third highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the world almost twice as high per capita as in the United States. About 2.2 million people in the United Kingdom were told in March that, because they had certain underlying health conditions, they should "shield" at home, avoid going outside and limit contact with the people with whom they lived. Last week, with little warning or explanation, the government announced that these regulations were being relaxed, allowing people to meet one person at a distance outside every day. But with the government hemorrhaging trust and support, and many experts warning that Johnson is lifting the lockdown measures too soon, many of these vulnerable people say they are far from reassured it's actually safe. Some of these people suspect the government is using the announcement as a public relations exercise without properly considering the risk to their lives. "The government has totally abandoned disabled people," said Ajay Yadav, 42, who has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder that causes his muscles to waste away, limiting his movement to a wiggle of his left thumb. "They don't know what to do with us, that's the bottom line." Imae: Ajay Yadav says the government has not provided any information to reassure him it's safe to go outside. (Ajay Yadav) Yadav lives in east London and works in information technology for Scope, a disability equality charity. He uses a wheelchair and needs 24-hour assistance, and the prospect of being allowed outside was tantalizing. "Staying indoors was really starting to affect my mental health and making me feel depressed, not being able to see friends and family," he told NBC News. Instead, he said, the government's change in policy has been poorly communicated, arriving not by doctor's letter, but trailed in the newspapers ahead of a government briefing. Story continues He questions how there can be one policy for 2.2 million people suitable to work for a range from more mild illnesses to serious disabilities, such as his own. Although he has started going outside, he knows his individual risk if he catches the virus has not changed. "I haven't been reassured because no one has called me, no one has written to me," he said. Few deny this is a delicate balance. The government's argument is that deaths and virus transmission are lower than their early-April peak, so people who have been shielding "can choose to spend time safely outside if they wish, as long as they follow social distancing guidelines," a spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said in an email. "We understand how challenging this period is, especially for those with long-term conditions and rare diseases," the spokesman added. "We are doing everything we can to support patients, led by clinical advice." Image: Police officers disperse people who are gathered for an anti-coronavirus lockdown demonstration in Hyde Park in London (Justin Tallis / AFP - Getty Images file) With the economy on life support, there's huge pressure to lift restrictions. But many experts fear the government is jumping the gun. Infections are decreasing, but slowly. And the R number the average number of people whom someone with the coronavirus will infect is perilously close to 1, according to the government's own expert advisers. If it breaches that threshold, infections will rise. Crucially, the government's "test, track and isolate" system is not yet operational. This means the U.K. would not be equipped to deal with a second wave, which senior officials at the World Health Organization and the European Union warn is likely. "Many shielding people have contacted me, worried about government guidance about going for walks," Vicky Foxcroft, a lawmaker with the opposition Labour Party, said. She was speaking to Parliament on Wednesday via videolink, because she is in that vulnerable category herself. Foxcroft asked the prime minister if he would look at providing a special walking hour for vulnerable people, as other countries have, and whether he would publish clearer information about the risks for each category of illness. Johnson's reply that "we certainly will be doing as much as we can in the near future" was another example of the vague, belated information that's concerned many vulnerable people. They say clear, evidence-based guidance should have been published before the government came out with its surprise, headline-grabbing news conference. "There just doesn't seem to be a rationale for why they've relaxed these restrictions on shielding," Stephen Griffin, an associate professor of virology at the University of Leeds, said. "It seems like they are trying to give a very positive picture of things when that doesn't seem to be the case." Other countries are relaxing their restrictions, but their data appears more encouraging. One day last week, the U.K. recorded 359 coronavirus deaths more than all 27 E.U. countries combined. "The timing and manner of this announcement has only created more uncertainty for disabled people shielding at home," Mark Hodgkinson, chief executive of the charity Scope, said. They "want to go out, but many are worried that it isnt safe," he said, adding that "abruptly altering the policy before we know the impact of easing wider lockdown has left many people in a state of limbo." Johnson was far slower than many in Europe to introduce a lockdown. He told a largely willing population that masks and testing were not essential, only to backtrack and later say they were. The prime minister declared last week that he was "very proud" of his record. These positive messages are making people "desensitized to these fatality numbers that we hear every day now," Griffin said. "If this was any other cause of death, we would be mortified by them." Some fear this positive narrative is fomenting complacency. In May, while hundreds were dying every day, crowds of people were cramming into parks and beaches during the country's hottest spring on record. And that was before it was revealed Johnson's top adviser, Dominic Cummings, appeared to break lockdown rules himself. It's now common to hear Brits justifying their own minor lockdown infringements saying the risk to them personally is low. But according to Rowland Kao, a professor of veterinary epidemiology and data science, that's not the point. "For a single individual, bending the rules seems like it doesn't matter that much," he said. "But you get these multiplier effects, when lots of people start moving slightly longer distances or meeting up with slightly more people, and the net effect can be fairly substantial." Image: Rehab Support Workers perform a physiotherapy treatment on patient Michael Kidd, 82, as the first patients are admitted to the NHS Seacole Centre at Headley Court, Surrey (Victoria Jones / AFP - Getty Images) Watching people flout the lockdown is frustrating for people such as Kathy Harte, 59, who believes it will directly prolong R falling to a level where she feels safe to go out. "It makes me bloody angry," said Harte, who is shielding because of her asthma and bronchiectasis, which widens the lungs' airways so they are vulnerable to infection. "But I tell you, the people I'm most angry with are Boris Johnson and his merry men," Harte, who retired as a doctor partly because of her illness, said. "It's their confusing policies that have encouraged people to do this." She does now go on walks near her home in Hertfordshire, a county north of London, but it's an experience fraught with trepidation. Relaxing restrictions, she believes, was "a smokescreen to distract from all the criticism" and that "they're throwing us a bone because they know they're not going to get that R-number down enough to make it safe." Of course, not everyone is so critical. Kathleen Peat, 92, is registered blind and has arthritis and cardiac problems. After the guidelines were relaxed, her family came to stand at the top of her lawn in Lichfield, near the U.K.'s second largest city of Birmingham. "They spread themselves out with a picnic lunch, and we shouted to each other, quite successfully, actually, and it was most enjoyable," she said. She too feels angry at those breaking lockdown rules but says Johnson's government "has done a pretty good job" of handling the crisis. "It's a difficult one to get that balance right. But I really think that they've got to start making a move," she said. "Unfortunately, we are at the mercy of the minority who do not obey the rules because we are all so afraid of this second peak." 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 Washington, June 13 : Melania Trump used her position as the US First Lady to renegotiate her pre-nuptial agreement with husband, President Donald Trump before she moved into the White House after he was elected to office, a new book has revealed. "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump" by Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan, "draws an unprecedented portrait of the First Lady" based on interviews with more than 100 people in five countries, the Daily Mail said in a report on Friday. Released on Tuesday, excerpts from the 286-page book appeared in The Washington Post on Friday, confirming a long-time rumour that Melania Trump had renegotiated her marital agreement with her husband. Melania didn't move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue until June 2017 - six months after the President took the oath of office. And she used that time to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement, claimed the book. Jordan's book notes that Melania Trump did want the couple's son Barron to finish out his school year in New York but she also need time to "cool off" after learning details about Trump's marital infidelities, news she learned from media accounts, which included his affair with Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal and his "grab them by the p****" comment on the 'Access Hollywood' tape. But Trump's victory in the 2016 election meant he needed a First Lady by his side and she used her new-found leverage "to amend her financial arrangement with Trump - what Melania referred to as 'taking care of Barron'". "She wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trump's oldest three children," the Daily Mail cited an excerpt from the book as saying. But the Melania Trump's office blasted the book as "fiction". "Yet another book about Mrs. Trump with false information and sources. This book belongs in the fiction genre," Stephanie Grisham, the First Lady's Chief of Staff, said in a statement to the Daily Mail on Friday. SYDNEY, June 12 (Reuters) - Australia has effectively eliminated COVID-19 in some parts of the country, its chief medical officer said on Friday. Australia has recorded 38 cases of the novel coronavirus over last week, Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy told reporters in Canberra. More than half them are travellers returning from overseas and already quarantined in hotels. (Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Himani Sarkar) Jessica Rose-Standafer Owens was exploring the muddy banks of a river near Charleston, South Carolina when she came upon a shark tooth that she instantly realized was larger than normal. She had discovered a tooth that once belonged to a Megalodon a massive prehistoric predator that grew to be "between 15 and 18 meters in length, three times longer than the largest recorded great white shark," reports London's Natural History Museum. Like every other part of the Megalodon shark, the extinct animal's teeth were also very large. The tooth Owens found measured 5.75 inches and weighed 15.9 ounces just under a pound. "I became excited and asked my husband (Simon) to come down and to grab the phone (to record), because who would believe we found one that close to the surface? I always hear of people finding them by digging and/or diving," Owens told McClatchy News of her discovery in late May. RELATED: Scientists Discover 'UFO-Like' Animal, Likely the World's Longest Creature, in Australian Waters Owens lives in Charleston with her husband and said they had only been searching in the river banks for about 10 minutes when she saw the tooth. She added that they had visited the river once before to search, but the tide was too high to allow closer inspection. The coastal area in South Carolina is known for having teeth from ancient Megalodons because it was previously a seafloor. RELATED: Two New Species of Mysterious Deep Water 'Saw-Like Sharks Have Been Discovered See Photos Owens posted a video of the discovery to her TikTok and shared the news, along with some photos and videos, on her Facebook page. According to the Facebook post, the nearby Mace Brown Museum of Natural History at the College of Charleston estimated that the tooth is between 3 and 5 million years old. "We were shocked," Owens told McClatchy. "The tooth is just incredible and its mind-boggling that we now have a fossil on our mantle that is 3-5 million years old. Just wild." British-Indian economist and peer, Lord Meghnad Desai, on Saturday expressed his regret that the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in London's Parliament Square had to be covered up for protection ahead of a weekend of protests in the UK capital. Desai is the Chair of the Gandhi Memorial Trust, which was instrumental in fundraising for the sculpture of the leader of the Indian independence movement unveiled in the historic square by then UK Prime Minister David Cameron and former finance minister Arun Jaitley five years ago. The Mayor of London's office took the decision on Friday to cover up several statues and monuments in and around Parliament Square, including that of former UK PM Winston Churchill and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, amid fears of clashes between anti-racist Black Lives Matter protesters and far-right groups who have planned counter-demonstrations in London this weekend. "It is a pity and a shame that the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square is to be covered up ahead of the Black Lives Matter rally today," said Lord Desai. "Gandhi has nothing to hide. He is a pioneer of the struggle against imperialism and racism, who inspired Dr Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela," he said. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had similarly branded it "absurd and shameful" that Churchill, a World War-II "hero", had to be protected against "extremists intent on violence". He said he empathised with protesters' anger over the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died in police custody in Minnesota, US, triggering worldwide protests, but urged people to stay away as the demonstrations had been "hijacked". "The attacks on the police and indiscriminate acts of violence which we have witnessed over the last week are intolerable and they are abhorrent. The only responsible course of action is to stay away from these protests," Johnson said. Statues have become a focal point of the protests in recent days, with Churchill's plinth being targeted with the words "was a racist" and the steps below the Gandhi statue nearby had the word "racist" left behind by protesters. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who ordered the covering up of statues and monuments fearing a repeat of similar attacks, urged people to stay away amid fears that some extremist elements were intent on violence. "Extreme far-right groups who advocate hatred and division are planning counter-protests, which means that the risk of disorder is high," said Khan, adding that the risk of COVID-19 also remains a very real concern as well. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard also called on people to stay away and imposed strict conditions of the planned protests and set out boundary and timing restrictions on all groups intending to demonstrate in London. "The government direction is that we remain in a health pandemic and people are asked not to gather in large groups...We are asking you not to come to London, and let your voices be heard in other ways," said Metropolitan Police Commander Bas Javid. "Based on current information, and in order to keep those people safe who plan to come and protest, we have made the decision to impose conditions on the planned demonstrations," he said. The restrictions mean Black Lives Matter demonstrators must stick to a specific route between Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square, with similar regulations for right-wing groups, allowing them to assemble in Parliament Square and some parts of Whitehall in central London. The Ontario government is easing restrictions on wedding and funeral ceremonies across the province as part of the phased reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of people allowed to attend an indoor ceremony is restricted to 30 per cent capacity of the venue. Outdoor events will be limited to 50 people. The changes came into effect on Friday. However, the number of people allowed to attend all wedding and funeral receptions remains at 10. Receptions invite more opportunities for socialization and activities that may make it difficult to practice proper physical distancing between people not from their household, Anna Miller, senior communications adviser with Ontarios Ministry of Health, said in an email statement. Participants must follow health and safety protocols, including to physically distance from people not from the same household or their established 10-person social circle. By extending the number of people allowed to attend indoor and outdoor wedding or funeral ceremonies, we are permitting more people to be present for those important life events, Miller said. Health Minister Christine Elliott says the changes are being made because of recent progress to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. As we loosen these measures, I strongly urge everyone to remain careful and cautious as we are all still at risk, she said in a statement. The eased restrictions include the Greater Toronto Area, which is still in the first stage of the provinces reopening plan. The rest of the province has moved into the second stage, meaning more businesses can open including restaurant patios, hair salons and swimming pools. There were 31,992 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Friday, an increase of 266 or 0.8 per cent from the prior day. The number of deaths has reached 2,507, with 64 per cent coming from long-term care homes. Margaryta Ignatenko is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @MargarytaIgnat1 With files from The Canadian Press No Beijing, only Delhi says former Nepal PM on ties with India What really transpired at the Nepal border India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 13: There is a mystery surrounding the firing by the Nepal border guards in which one Indian national was killed. The Sahastra Seema Bal (SSB), the border on the Indian side said that the issue was a completely local one. This emerged out of a local altercation, India has maintained. A factual report has been formed on the basis of the preliminary findings and the same has been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Director General of the SSB, Rajesh Chandra said that this is a completely local issue, which emerged from a local altercation. It was not brewing for long, but just instantly emerged, he further added. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News New Nepal map could seal dialogue with India say officials The incident took place on the Nepal side of the border near Sitamrhi in Bihar at around 8.40 am. A family on the Indian side of the border were going to Nepal as the daughter in law was there. On the Nepal side, security personnel stopped them and asked them to go back. This triggered a verbal altercation, Chandra further said. He also said that Nepal security personnel fired around 15 rounds of which 10 were in the air. Five rounds were fired parallel to the ground and this hit four civilians and one of them died, he also said. The deceased has been identified as Vikesh Yadav, aged 22. The security personnel also arrested one Lagen Yadav. The incident was a result of misunderstanding said SSB IG, Patna Frontier, Sanjay Kumar. The Nepal security personnel had objected to the daughter in law meeting with those from the Indian side. This led to an altercation and a crowd of around 80 gathered from the Indian side, Kumar also said. Bihar: 1 killed, 2 injured in firing by Nepal police; Indian national in custody On the other hand, Nepal's security forces said that the first rounds of firing were done in the air in order to disperse the crowd. They however feared snatching of their weapons and hence fired parallel to the ground. The former police officer from Minneapolis, Derek Chauvin, is still eligible to receive pension benefits worth $1 million even after he's convicted of killing George Floyd. Retirement benefits and pension Derek Chauvin has been the subject of worldwide fury after he was recorded kneeling on the neck of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, for almost 9 minutes even after Floyd told him he can't breathe and begged him to stop. Chauvin was fired from his position in the police department and he was eventually charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree murder. The three other officers who were on the scene and stood by and watched were also arrested and charged. However, according to the Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association, Chauvin can still receive his pension even if he has been convicted of felony crimes related to his work. Although numerous states in the country forfeit it, it is not the case in Minnesota. Chauvin would still be eligible to file for his pension and other benefits once he hits 50-years-old despite his charges. However, the association would not give further details on how much Chauvin would receive, and his attorney refused to comment on the matter. According to retirement plan officials, employees who are terminated are still eligible for future benefits unless they decide to forfeit their benefit and receive a refund of all their contributions made during their entire employment. There are a lot of factors that could be used to calculate the overall pension benefits of Chauvin, but he would likely be eligible for yearly payments of an estimated amount of $50,000 a year or more if he chose to start getting them at 55-years-old. Also Read: Ohio Lawmaker Ask If Colored People Get COVID-19 Because They Don't Wash Hands Properly This is according to his 2019 payroll data, his pension plan guidance, contract details, and the salary schedules of the Minneapolis Police Department. The overall benefits could stretch to $1.5 million or more in just 30 years, and that does not include any cost of living increases. The annual payments of Chauvin could even be higher if he gets significant amounts of overtime in the past few years. Two of the officers that were charged in the death of Floyd were rookies, but the third one also appears eligible to receive pension benefits from his employment with the police department, according to the employment records. Pensions of police officers Public pensions are paid through investment returns and from local governments that are funded by taxpayers and it is also paid by workers. The pensions of public safety officials such as police officers are very generous, and it has contributed to the increase of the state and local budgets in the United States. Pensions of public safety officials are almost impossible to reduce because they have been promised in their contracts that they will get a specific amount. Police unions have also fought to protect their worker pensions. The officers would also usually pay some of their own money into the funds and they usually receive their pensions in lieu of Social Security. The public is demanding the government to defund the police department and distribute the money to other social services such as community development, mental health treatment, youth community, and education. The pensions of the police will likely be a flashpoint in the debate. Related Article: Minneapolis to Dismantle Police Department, Seeks to Create a Community-Led Public Safety System @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Selective Insurance Group, Inc. SIGI continues to be adversely impacted by escalating costs, higher catastrophe losses and high debt level. These have been weighing on the companys overall results. Shares of this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) multi-line insurer have lost 31.5% in the past year, compared with the industry's decline of 15.4%. The company reported negative surprise of 12.50% in the last reported quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings for the current quarter has been revised 18% downward over the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 earnings per share is pegged at $3.41, indicating a decline of 22.5% on 1.8% lower revenues. Factors Affecting Selective Insurance Selective Insurance, being a property and casualty insurer, remains exposed to catastrophe losses, which, in turn, impact underwriting results. In the first quarter of 2020, combined ratio deteriorated 200 basis points on a year-over-year basis to 96.7%. Moreover, the company estimates combined ratio between 92% and 93% for 2020, a deterioration from the prior guidance of 91.5%, primarily due to expense ratio pressure from the estimated full-year impact of COVID-19 and 450 bps from catastrophe losses, reflecting higher-than-expected cat losses through April and lower earned premium. Catastrophe losses surged 58.8% in the first quarter to $33.2 million. Such higher losses were driven by a tornado and subsequent hail that impacted Tennessee in early-March 2020. Selective Insurance has been witnessing escalating expenses owing to increase in loss and loss expense, higher amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses. In the first quarter of 2020, total expenses increased 3.7% year over year to $648.8 million. Expenses increased at a two-year CAGR (2017-2019) of 6.6%. Such increase in expenses weighs on margins. The pandemic affected the net premium written of the company in the first quarter to some extent. It decreased 4% year over year to $647 million, indicating $75 million accrual for estimated return audit and mid-term endorsement premiums related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the companys debt levels have been increasing over the past many years. As of Mar 31, 2020, its total debt-to-total capital of 28.9% was higher than 2019-end level of 20.1% and compared unfavorably with the industry average of 21.8. The P&C insurers interest coverage ratio of 10.4 was poor when compared with 2019-end level of 11.1, which implies that its earnings are not sufficient to cover interest obligations. Additionally, Selective Insurances trailing 12-month return on assets of 2.9% is lower than the industrys 3.1%. This highlights the company's inefficiency to utilize its assets to generate earnings. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked insurance stocks include National General Holdings Corp. NGHC, The Allstate Corporation ALL and Palomar Holdings Inc. PLMR. While National General Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Allstate and Palomar carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. National General is a specialty personal lines insurance holding company, providing various insurance products and services in the United States, Bermuda, Luxembourg, and Sweden. Its earnings beat estimates in two of the last four quarters and missed in the other two, the average positive surprise being 5.68%. Allstate provides property and casualty, and other insurance products in the United States and Canada. It surpassed estimates in each of the last four quarters, with the average positive surprise being 18.45%. Palomar offers personal and commercial specialty property insurance products, including residential and commercial earthquake. It surpassed estimates in two of the last four quarters, with the average positive surprise being 10.93%. 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 The Allstate Corporation (ALL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (SIGI) : Free Stock Analysis Report National General Holdings Corp (NGHC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Palomar Holdings, Inc. (PLMR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. When a movement says, silence is violence, it is no longer democratic, but a totalitarian movement that opposes the very essence of choice -- the right to be apolitical. Mass movements with ostensible democratic goals start out toward benign change, but their successes only feed a hunger for greater political transformation. Left to the streets, that hunger is attracted to the extremes as the extremists are attracted to it. When the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, who has passionately sided with the opponents of police brutality, is heckled out of a demonstration because he refuses to commit to the mobs demand to defund the police, that is shoving someone into the theater of the absurd. In the world of realpolitik, you build coalitions where you can find them. In street theater, you ignore political reality to shove an important ally away. The demonstrations over the horrific death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer have descended into the absurd. Peaceful demonstrations, during the day, have been amplified by dysfunctional violence at night. How is the quest for racial justice helped by looting a department store or burning out a black-owned restaurant already teetering on the verge of collapse, having been closed by the pandemic? At some point, the rioters and looters will go home, leaving in their wake the burned-out rubble belonging to the lower black bourgeoise. These black businesses will never reopen because the future insurance premiums will be too high. Already, there are complaints that the marauders on Chicagos southside have created food deserts with vandalized groceries that no longer can operate. Among the most important functions of breaking the barriers of de jure discrimination was the creation of a viable black middle class. The proponents of civil rights legislation knew that social stability required the integration of the African-American community into Americas socioeconomic mainstream. Now caught between the pandemic and the senseless violence and looting, some of that integration will be undone. The hard-fought victories of the 1960s that led to a growing black middle class are going up in flames. Who benefits? Certainly not those who are peaceably assembling for equality under the law. Not the black communities! In this orgy of violence, the only possible beneficiaries are those who seek to destabilize society and bring down the social order around them. The vulgar Marxists still see revolution as coming from a greater immiseration of people on the bottom. Create economic misery and hardship and people will revolt is their belief. Uproot the struggling black bourgeoise, and you have more alienated fodder for the streets. The struggle is no longer about George Floyd but about the destruction of society. George Floyd is the vehicle to reach a different outcome than one of social justice -- nothing less than a societal transformation, a totalitarian utopia where silence is violence, and all are told what not to be silent about. When silence is violence, there is no room for dissent. William Jacobson, a law professor at Cornell University, learned that. Jacobsons blog, Legal Insurrection, is critical of Black Lives Matter, not the concept, but the organization. Jacobson also dissects the false narrative about the shooting of Michael Brown that gave impetus to the goals of BLM. Petitions have been circulated to get Jacobson fired because some people do not like the opinions he posts on his blog. In a world where violence is silence, how do you say, I do not want to sign that petition? Few would manifest such courage. So, Jacobson, like many who do not buy into the views of BLM, are being accused of having a different opinion, and their termination is being sought. This is the mindset of totalitarian democracy, the imposition of values and opinions by those on a messianic quest that leaves no room for individual rights or individual deviation. Silence is not violence. In a true democracy, with respect for individual rights, the minority is guaranteed the right to a different opinion and even no opinion. In the emotional aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, it appears that some would sacrifice our tradition of liberty for a mindless conformity while destroying the black middle class. This is a two-front war on economic integration and freedom of thought. We let it continue at our own peril. Abraham H. Miller is an emeritus professor of political science, University of Cincinnati, and a distinguished fellow with the Hyam Salomon Center. His work on the urban riots of the 1960s won a Pi Sigma Alpha Award from the Western Political Science Association. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki says the missile was launched from the Yemeni city of Saada, injuring some people. The Saudi-led military coalition, which has been battling the Houthi rebels in Yemen, said on Saturday it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile targeting the Saudi Arabian border city of Najran. In a statement issued via the Saudi state news agency SPA, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said the missile was fired from the Yemeni city of Saada, and some people were slightly injured by fragments of the weapon when it was destroyed. The missile had targeted civilian facilities in the southwestern Saudi city of Najran near the border with Yemen, the coalition said. The Houthis, who have controlled the capital, Sanaa, and areas in the countrys north since 2014, did not confirm the attack. The rebel group has launched dozens of drone attacks on Saudi Arabia in the past in what they call retaliation to the Saudi intervention in Yemen. The Saudi coalition launched a military offensive in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who fled Sanaa following the takeover by the Houthis. The Houthis also claimed the September 2019 attack on oil facilities belonging to state firm Aramco but Riyadh, as well as its Western allies, blamed the attack on Iran. A unilateral ceasefire announced by the Saudi-led coalition in April expired last month without leading to a permanent truce after the Houthi movement rejected the offer. Violence has continued in several provinces. Yemen has been in the grip of a devastating power struggle since the Houthis took over the capital and other cities in late 2014. More than five years since the Saudi-led coalition launched the military intervention, thousands have been killed and the Arab worlds poorest country has been pushed towards the brink of famine. Assistance from international aid agencies, including the United Nations, has provided much-needed assistance to the population nearly 80 percent of whom live below the poverty line. The UN warned on Friday that about three-quarters of the aid programmes backed by its agencies in Yemen will have to shutter in weeks without more funding. International donors pledged $1.35bn for Yemen at a conference on June 2 but that was well below a $2.4bn fundraising target needed to prevent severe cutbacks in the UNs aid operation. The UNs human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said more than 30 of 41 UN-supported programmes would close in the coming weeks unless additional funds were secured. Nepals Parliament on Saturday passed a constitutional amendment to give legal backing to a map depicting disputed areas such as Lipulekh as Nepalese territory, prompting India to say such artificial enlargement of claims violates an understanding to resolve boundary issues through talks. On Saturday afternoon, the House of Representatives or lower house of Nepals Parliament unanimously adopted the constitutional amendment bill for including the countrys new political map in the national emblem. This map, cleared by the KP Sharma Oli government on May 20, depicts Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepal. All 258 members of the 275-strong House of Representatives present in the lower house voted for the bill. The ruling Nepal Communist Party doesnt have a two-thirds majority in the lower house, and the bill was supported by key opposition parties such as Nepali Congress and Rastriya Prajatantra Party. The bill is set to be taken up by the National Assembly or upper house next week, people familiar with developments said. The Nepal Communist Party has a two-thirds majority in the upper house and the bills passage by the National Assembly is considered a formality. Reacting to the development, the external affairs ministry which has said in the past that the matter should be resolved through talks described the passage of the bill as an artificial enlargement of Nepals territorial claims. We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter, said external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava. He added, This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues. Nepals Speaker Agni Sapkota was quoted by The Kathmandu Post as saying: All 258 lawmakers present in the meeting voted for the bill, while there was no vote against it. I announce that the bill has been endorsed by more than a two-thirds majority. When the Nepal government presented the bill in the lower house on Tuesday for discussion, it was unanimously backed by lawmakers from all political parties. After being passed by the upper house, the bill will have to be signed by the president to come into effect. Nepals move to issue the new political map was triggered by Indias inauguration of an 80-km road to Lipulekh on the border with Tibet to facilitate the movement of pilgrims going to the Kailash Mansarovar site. Last year, Nepal had been irked when India depicted Kalapani as part of a new map of the union territory of Ladakh. Nepalese officials claim they made three proposals to India for talks since last November, with the most recent one in May, but that there was no response from the Indian side. Nepals Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has maintained that Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura are part of his countrys territory on the basis of the Treaty of Sugauli signed with the British in 1816, which says all areas east of the Kali river belong to Nepal. Oli has also accused India of creating an artificial boundary in the region and of encroaching on Nepalese territory by deploying the army. India has dismissed these claims, saying they are not based on historical facts and records. Hours before the lower house of Nepals Parliament voted on the amendment, Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane emphasised the strong relations between the two countries. The remarks marked a U-turn from his earlier comments about Nepal working at someone elses behest to raise the border issue. We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people-to-people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future, Naravane told reporters. The India-Nepal border row comes at a time when India is engaged in a tense stand-off with Chinese troops in several sections of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Constantino Xavier of Brookings India said it was time for New Delhi to move towards de-escalation with Kathmandu. India spent too many years wasting scarce resources on micro-managing Nepal politics. Useless, counter-productive. Delhi cant be petty. Ignore symbolic amendment. Olis will come and go. Move on, focus on de-escalation, delivery, Xavier tweeted. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON San Francisco: A Facebook employee who criticised Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to take action against inflammatory posts by US President Donald Trump this month said on Friday that the social media company had fired him. Brandon Dail, whose social media profiles describe him as a user interface engineer in Seattle, wrote on Twitter that he was dismissed for publicly challenging a colleague's silence on the controversy that prompted a rare staff protest at Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg insists that Facebooks refusal to fact-check Mr Trump is all about protecting free speech. Credit:AP Dozens of employees, including Dail, abandoned their desks and tweeted objections to Zuckerberg's handling of Trump's posts. Trump's posts included the racially charged phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" in reference to protests against racism and police brutality held after the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. Twitter affixed a warning label to the same post, saying it glorified violence. Facebook opted to leave the post untouched. Protesters are arrested by NYPD officers for violating curfew beside the iconic Plaza Hotel on 59th Street, June 3 2020 - AP New York's city council leaders have declared their intention to slash $1 billion in annual police funding. The proposed cut to the New York Police Department is about 15 per cent of its $6 billion annual budget. It came as protesters have spread calls to "defund the police" in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. In a statement the leaders of the Democrat-controlled New York City Council said: "Our budget must reflect the reality that policing needs fundamental reform. Over the last few weeks, we have seen an outpouring of New Yorkers demanding change from their leaders. "It is our job to listen and to act. We will not let this moment pass. There is no doubt that this is an ambitious goal, but it is one that the time we are in calls for, both here in New York City and nationwide." Cuts would include staffing, overtime, and shifting some areas of responsibility away from police, the council leaders said. Patrick Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, New York City's largest police union,said: "They [the council] will bear the blame for every new victim, for every New Yorker in need of help who falls through the cracks. "They wont be able to throw cops under the bus anymore. Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York state, signed into law a sweeping package of police accountability measures. It included banning police officers from using chokeholds to subdue suspects, and releasing of officers' disciplinary records, which have long been withheld. Mr Cuomo, a Democrat, said: "Police reform is long overdue, and Mr Floyd's murder is only the most recent murder." He said any police departments that did not adopt new measures by April would lose their state funding. NYPD officers stand guard during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in the Manhattan borough of New York City - REUTERS Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist, said: "This means some substantive change, so that we won't be sitting here going over this after the next situation. It is a model for where we ought to be, dealing with 21st Century civil rights in this country." Story continues Donald Trump indicated he "didn't like" chokeholds, and that he was open to ending them. He said: "I think the concept of choke hold sounds so innocent, so perfect. But he added: "With that being said, it would be, I think, a very good thing that, generally speaking, it should be ended." An ABC News/Ipsos poll found 64 per ent of Americans oppose the movement to "defund the police". However, a majority of black respondents, 57 per cent, supported it. The poll showed 55 per cent of Democrats support defunding the police, and 89 per cent of Republicans oppose it. Meanwhile, Mr Trump said he would move the date of a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, his first for three months. It followed controversy that the rally was scheduled for June 19, known as "Juneteenth," when the end of slavery is commemorated. Mr Trump said: "Many of my African-American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents. I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honour their requests." London, June 13 : Adolescents could be more susceptible to negative effects of physical distancing during Covid-19, warn researchers, adding that they are in a period of vulnerability where peer interaction is a vital aspect of their social development. In the study, published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal, the research team has urged policymakers to consider the effects of physical distancing measures introduced to tackle the spread of Covid-19 on young people's social development and wellbeing. "Owing to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, many young people around the world currently have substantially fewer opportunities to interact face-to-face with peers in their social network at a time in their lives when this is crucial for their development," said study lead author Sarah-Jayne from the University of Cambridge in the UK. "Even if physical distancing measures are temporary, several months represent a large proportion of a young person's life. We would urge policymakers to give urgent consideration to the wellbeing of young people at this time," Jayne added. The authors' viewpoint is based on a review of peer-reviewed studies on social isolation and adolescence in animals, the social development of young people (aged 10-24), as well as studies of social media, use in adolescence and mental health. Key findings from the animal studies looking at severe isolation suggest that even short periods of social isolation during adolescence (in mice or rats) can be associated with substantial and potentially long-term effects in the chemistry and structural development of the brain of these animals. The authors, however, found few studies into the effects of social isolation on people. There was some evidence that extreme social isolation is associated with increased distress, depression, aggression and self-harm in adults, and these effects may be amplified in younger people, but, such studies have been conducted in situations of much more extreme isolation (such as solitary confinement in prisons) than the reduced social interaction associated with physical distancing. Other studies suggest that acute social isolation in adult humans results in increased feelings of loneliness, craving for social contact, and decreased happiness, in addition to changes in brain activity. The authors also note that adolescents' use of digital technologies and social media might mitigate some of the negative effects of physical distancing by helping young people maintain social ties even when they are unable to interact in person. The authors warned that adolescence is a sensitive period in young people's lives when their social environment and interactions with peers are important for brain development, mental health and developing a sense of self. They believe that reduced face-to-face social contact with peers may interrupt this and might have long-term detrimental effects. "Evidence suggests that the type of digital technology and how it is used are important for how beneficial it is to an adolescent's wellbeing," said study researcher Amy Orben. Further research is urgently needed to understand how depriving young people of social interactions, especially with their peers, affects social development and mental health, the authors wrote. They concluded that some aspects of digital communication might mitigate the consequences of physical distancing and recommend further research to explore this possibility. UNION GROVE Community State Bank, a $465 million locally owned-and-operated bank headquartered in Union Grove, recently celebrated the opening of its new Kenosha office at 8304 75th St. (Highway 50). Our team is excited to open our doors to the Kenosha community, said Kenosha Market President Robert Pieroni. The last few months have allowed us to continue to build trust and even stronger relationships with local business owners. We know were right where we need to be and the timing couldnt be more perfect. As a longtime Kenosha County banking veteran, including the past two years at CSBs Paddock Lake branch, Pieroni has a personal interest in the success of community banking in Kenosha. Im super-excited to be here and offer our services to the Kenosha community, he noted. My banking background is in Kenosha, with community banks and with corporate banks as well. To have our new office open, not only for Kenosha clients, but also for the Kenosha community, is huge. COVID-19 delays opening CSB Kenosha was set to open in early spring, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic CSB decided to postpone the opening until Kenosha County had provided businesses with safe reopening procedures. Ellie Heigl, marketing communications coordinator for CSB, said a number of COVID-19 safety protocols are in place including protective shields at teller stations, special cleaning protocols, safety and social distancing signage, and making non-mandatory courtesy face masks available for clients. Were making sure were providing every safety precaution that we can for our guests, Heigl noted. The teams focus The CSB Kenosha Banking Team, led by Pieroni, will focus on developing commercial and consumer relationships including business development, commercial lending, commercial banking, consumer lending, deposit growth, and mortgage lending. Our Kenosha branch is unique in that we are one of the few true community banks in the area, said Pieroni. There are so many benefits available to local business owners and organizations when banking with a locally-serviced community bank, and Im eager to share that with our community. In this age of large corporate regional and national banking conglomerates, independent local community banks bring a number of benefits to their clients. One of the largest benefits is we do take the time to sit down with our clients theyre not just a number, theyre a true customer, said Pieroni. And one of the largest pieces of this is all our decisions are local. Were southeastern Wisconsin headquartered in Union Grove and all of our decisions are local. Were not going out-of-state or even within the state to Madison, Milwaukee or anywhere else. Our decisions are here local. A perfect case in point, he noted, was working with clients through the application process for the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan program, part of the federal governments CARES Act response to the deep economic toll wrought by COVID-19. I think going through the PPP loan applications certainly showed that, Pieroni said of the advantages of community banking. Our clients were extremely excited to work with a community bank If you had a large loan, small loan, we treated them all the same. We got a lot of new customers through that [PPP] process because they could call us, we did answer our phones. No matter the time of day we answered our phones and we got answers to those businesses as quick as possible, where a lot of other banks werent able to do that. A well-rounded team In addition to Pieroni, Laura Burnett Shoemaker has joined the CSB Kenosha banking team as assistant vice president-cash management, along with Retail Manager Mandi Maas and Universal Banker Kevin Jorgensen. Together, the team will help expand existing business and consumer banking relationships, as well as prospect and on-board new relationships. Its a well thought out and well rounded out team, Pieroni said. Myself as market president on the commercial lending side and business lending side. Laura Shoemaker, who is phenomenal on the cash management side and helping small businesses with their cash management and depository needs and online banking. Mandi, whos got a great background in retail banking and does a great job on the personal side helping individuals with their personal accounts and loan needs. And Kevin Jorgensen whos almost like a full-service banker ... Its a very exciting team. We all gel very well together and we all have the same focus on making sure were taking care of things and taking care of our clients correctly. Added CSB President and CEO Scott Huedepohl. Congratulations to our Kenosha team and congratulations to the community of Kenosha. Community banking is back in western Kenosha County and our team is prepared to be a resource to local businesses and consumers for many years to come. The CSB Kenosha office, designed with an open floor plan and ample collaboration space, includes a full-service teller line, drive-thru, ATM, night deposit box and safe deposit boxes. Regular business hours are Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Founded in 1898, Community State Bank operates its headquarters bank at 1500 Main St. in Union Grove. In addition to its new Kenosha branch, other CSB branch offices are located at: 8930 Washington Ave. in Mount Pleasant; 810 Fox Lane in Waterford; 308 Bridge St. in Burlington; 25360 75th St. in Paddock Lake; and 200 Interchange North in Lake Geneva. For more information, visit CommunityStateBank.net. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CCP Using Twitter to Change Narrative on Hong Kong, Virus, and Race Riots: Aussie Think Tank A new report has revealed the Chinese regime is using Twitter to shape, manage and control narratives related to its handling of the CCP virus pandemic, the Hong Kong protests, Taiwan, and outspoken Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui. The report, titled Retweeting through the Great Firewall by the Australia Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) found the activity mainly focused on Chinese-speaking audiences outside of mainland China and continued a long-running strategy by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to leverage Western social media platforms for its benefit. The campaigns were essentially waves of disinformation tied in with influence operations and diplomatic messagingall working in concert to counteract international attention to the regime. The report examined 348,608 posts, published since January 2018 and up to April 17, 2020. The posts came from 23,750 Twitter accounts. The report found these accounts were active during work hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), in line with Beijings time zone. There were almost no posts during the weekends. Twitter itself has attributed many accounts to the CCP. In a statement in August 2019, Twitter said they had reliable evidence to suggest this was a coordinated state-backed operation. Specifically, we identified large clusters of accounts behaving in a coordinated manner to amplify messages related to the Hong Kong protests, the statement said. Many of those Twitter accounts were accessed via virtual private networks (VPNs). Logos of U.S. online news and social networking service Twitter displayed on computers screens on Nov. 20, 2017. (Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images) Twitter, along with Facebook and YouTube, is not accessible in China. More recently on June 12, Twitter removed 30,000 accounts connected with state-backed operators connected with China, Russia, and Turkey; and removed a further 150,000 amplifier accounts which were used to retweet and spread the information across a wider user base. The ASPI report identified (pdf) examples of the type of content the CCP promoted on Twitter. It found numerous posts related to the Hong Kong protests, which were suggesting pro-democracy protestors interfered with the containment of the CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. One post included an image of the chairperson of Wuhan General Hospital praising doctors, saying in the post: At this time of crisis, Hong Kong should be united, but the anti-epidemic period in Hong Kong is chaotic, and chaotic elements still use despicable means to gain political and monetary benefits Another post tried to suggest Taiwan was not successful at containing the virus: Chinas response to fighting pandemics has been the best in the world [while] Taiwans response was learned from mainland China. Related Coverage Chinese Regime Spreads Disinformation Through Online Bot Networks In fact, Taiwan has been praised globally for its successful containment and management of the pandemic resulting in some of the lowest infection rates in the world. As of June 11, Taiwan has 443 cases of the virus and 7 deaths. So far Australia has 7,285 infections and 102 deaths. Both countries have similar populations. The recent riots and civil unrest emanating from the death of George Floyd in the United States have also been co-opted by the CCPs twitter campaign. One post on June 3 stated: The world is strongly questioning the human rights of the United States Chinese state-owned media have been leveraging the racism riots in recent weeks to divert attention from its own domestic issues, namely the controversy surrounding its security law over Hong Kong, which would essentially dissolve the one country, two systems policy that allows Hong Kong to operate as a democratic country. On May 30, the Chinese state-owned media, Global Times, a vocal commentator on regime-related issues, published a commentary titled, Watch out! Beautiful sight in HK is spreading across the U.S. ASPI found however that despite the coordinated efforts of the Twitter campaign, it still lacked the sophistication, or the linguistic and cultural refinement to really engage audiences. The regime has had to rely on amplifiers, essentially hiring influencers to gain access to Twitter accounts with larger followings and more engaged followers to expand its influence. It may also be a way to make it difficult to trace any links back to the Chinese regime. Twitter itself has come under scrutiny recently for hiring a new director with ties to the CCP. France has agreed to allocate about EUR 80 million for the reconstruction of Popasna Regional Water Utility in Luhansk region, according the press service of Luhansk Regional State Administration. We have some good news. France agreed to finance this project and allocate almost EUR 80 million. The French company will carry out all the work. I provided some suggestions from our side, namely to include into the list of works the treatment facilities in Zolote that filter mine water. After high-quality and modern treatment, this water will be one of the purest in Luhansk region, Luhansk RSA Head Serhii Haidai said. According to him, about 30 percent of the work, at his request, will be performed by Ukrainian contractors. Haidai also noted that, together with Vice Prime Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, they recently held negotiations with the French ambassador to Ukraine regarding the financing of the project after a months-long break caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He assured that agreement had already been reached, and in a month all the constituent documents would be signed. ish "People also tend to make more mistakes and act out, says Alice Domar, a psychologist and executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health in Boston. Left unchecked, burnout can lead to illness or depression, she says. Making daily structure your defense To target burnout, Morin advises setting some limits between your work and home life, even if you can't separate the two geographically. It might be as simple as changing your clothes at the end of the day, she says. That's a signal for you that now is your free time. Sometimes just closing your laptop and putting it away can make a big difference. She also suggests taking an hour-long break and not answering work email at lunch and/or committing to avoiding it after 7 p.m. Once your workday is over, remove the evidence. You don't want all of your stuff all over the dining room table all the time, if you can help it, Morin adds. Looking at your work and having it stare back at you is too tempting." You should also seek to add regular fun to your agenda. We all need things to look forward to in life, Morin says. Maybe on Sunday afternoon, you're going to bake cookies or have a Zoom call with your grandkids. What's important, she says, is making things like a weekly hike, Friday evening cocktails or Sunday movie time official dates on your calendar. Looking forward to these events can boost your mood, just as creating a positive memory from the experience can pack a powerful punch afterward, Morin says. Domar also advises her patients to reframe the COVID crisis to counteract automatic negative thought patterns, such as This is going to go on forever. A more helpful thought: This is going to be catastrophic, but temporary, she says. Next up: Attempt to de-stress If you're approaching burnout, it's more important than ever to address your stress. Domar suggests taking time each day for relaxation from a formal meditation practice to short stints of deep breathing. (Close your eyes, then count down slowly from 10 to zero, taking a complete breath one inhalation, one exhalation with each count.) That's been part of Sasha Nyary's approach to battling what she felt was impending burnout as a newly remote editor for Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. While at first Nyary, 59, says the sudden lack of structure had her overeating and crying a lot a daily routine of morning meditation and a walk, coupled with attending virtual church services and journaling, has helped her fend off a deeper funk. I tell myself, All we can do is stay in the moment. We could be a lot worse off, she says. Social support, experts say, is another great stress reducer. You need to call people, Zoom with other people, and go for social distancing walks, Domar says. I have a lot of patients who are having tea parties or book clubs virtually. Finally, getting some sort of regular exercise is key whether it's as simple as Nyary's daily walks or something more challenging, say, training for your first 10K. What you choose doesn't matter; following through does. Exercise is the best stress reducer, bar none, Domar says. The members of the high school class of 2020 faced more challenges and opportunities than any class that went before them. And for many, those challenges continue as they take their next steps to careers or college. We asked representatives from each local school to share their reflections. SALT LAKE CITY After a long day of protesting, on a hot summer day that symbolized generations of black pain and sorrow, Zala Long barely registered the sight of the white man with the bow and arrow slung over his back. He was middle-aged, with short, cropped silver hair, standing next to his car close to the downtown library, amid a long line of other vehicles. It was Saturday, May 30, five days after George Floyd had been killed by a Minneapolis police officer who pushed his knee onto Floyds neck for 8 minutes and 46 secondsigniting the anger and frustration of thousands of civil rights protesters across the country. In Salt Lake City, the white man was one more passing spectacle after hours of unrest. Long stared at the smashed glass walls of the train station across from the donut shop on 400 South, then watched in quiet awe as people scrawled All Lives Matter and ACAB, for All Cops Are Bastards, across city buildings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Long is a 22-year-old African American who was born and raised in Utah, a state plagued by what she calls sugar-coated racism against black people, where black people constitute only 1.4 percent of the overall population according to the U.S. Census. Long, an honor student at Salt Lake Community College, defines the sugar-coated treatment as a form of denial that allows whites to feel that they are not around enough blacks to see them as a problem. Yet when faced with an actual black person, they automatically draw upon the negative stereotypes impressed on them by society at large: that black people are angry criminals and therefore dangerous. For Long, those kinds of reactions have meant a lifetime of being singled out by everyone from the police to teachers and professors to so-called friends. I am working on not numbing out from it, Long said. Advertisement Advertisement Im tired of seeing my people die, she said. I am tired of seeing people who look like me, saying they cant breathe. Sitting in a park on a sunny day, she spoke with a weariness that belied her youth, ticking off a list of ways that she has learned to shape herself inside a culture that has forced her to mute her personality and surrender parts of her life to authority. Advertisement Put your hands on the steering wheel as soon as a police officer approaches your car, she said. Dont go outside alone after dark. I dont even like walking to my mailbox alone if I can help it, not even in the middle of the day because you never know when a police officer will see you and detain you. If one does stop you, put your hands up in the air to show you arent going to shoot them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In downtown Salt Lake City, in a crowd that police estimated to have been between 1,000 and 2,000 people, she said she let a truer, often-stifled voice inside her loose. Black lives matter! she shouted along with the others. I matter. Its emotionally exhausting to shout those things, Long says. And its draining to have watched the countless online videos of black people dying at the hands of white people in positions of power. But her own personal experiences were already exhausting. When she was in high school, she watched many of her black classmates be punished for minor infractions by being handcuffed and hauled off to jail by campus police. Seeing that day after day made her feel as if people with dark skin werent meant to survive in this society, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a 14-year-old she stood helplessly by as police officers detained and questioned her mother, who was heading home after shopping with her daughter at the mall. They were between the Lucky 13, a bar and grill known for its burgers, and a Sears warehouse, her mother, Betty Long, told me. And the cops are telling me: Come here. And Im like: Me? We were just trying to get to our apartment. Betty Long said she lifted her hands, terrified, so that the officers wouldnt assume she had a gun. She asked them what was going on. But they wouldnt answer, she says, only asked questions and then ordered her to Be quiet, Put your hands behind your back, and Get behind the car. Advertisement I was bawling. I was scared out of my mind. Im with my kid and this is happening in front of her and I cant protect her at all. Advertisement Just as one of the officers opened his squad car door to usher her inside, another officer nonchalantly announced that she wasnt the person they were looking for, after all. No one said, Im sorry, this is what happened. They just drove off. It was very traumatic. Advertisement When they made it back to their apartment, mother and daughter went over the days events, with Zala continually asking her mother what they could have done differently to better protect themselves. Since then, the 22-year-old has become the one in her family to share tips on how to stay as safe as possible around the police. Advertisement I never let my guard down when Im outside my home, she said. At the Salt Lake City protest, Long knelt with countless other protesters in front of a statue of a pair of open hands, a piece of artwork originally created to symbolize open-handed service. But to drive home another message, someone had splattered the palms of the hands with red paint. I closed my eyes and repeated the names in my head, Long said, George Floyd, this is for you, Ahmaud Arbery, this is for youand I kept looking to the sky because that is where I think they live now. Long stood in the commotion of the train station that Saturday, texting her cousin that she was ready to go home. A car is on fire! Long says she heard someone scream. Minutes later, the two of them left the protest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soon after that, police say that the man with the bow and arrow Brandon McCormick of Taylorsville, Utahaimed his weapons and shouted All Lives Matter. The crowd reacted by attacking McCormick and flipping his car and setting it aflame. McCormick, 57, was later charged with possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, as well as aggravated assault and threatening to use a dangerous weapon in a fight, Salt Lake City police say. Advertisement Advertisement It got very dangerous into the night, said police Sgt. Keith Horrocks, stating that at one point, rescue police assisted a police officer in leaving that officers car, as angry protesters surrounded the vehicle, Horrocks said. Though Long says she had no idea how that particular protest would erupt, she will continue to attend such events, even if doing so puts her life at risk. Sleep was a long time coming that night, she says. When it finally arrived, she dreamed of Floyd. He was marching at a protest and shouting: No Justice, no peace. This story was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. Three busted in mid drug sale on Cancun streets Cancun, Q.R. The State Attorney Generals Office reports the arrest of three Cancun men after they were found in possession of crack cocaine. The Attorney General says that drug enforcement officers have arrested Jose P, Juan K and Luis P after they were found in possession of 82 street doses of the drug along with a scale. The FGE says their capture was carried out during a buying and selling operation in the vicinity of 64th street in region 240 of Cancun. The Investigative Police officers apprehended the three in flagrante delicto which resulted in the seizure of 47 small zip-lock bags, each with a white solid substance distributed among the three detainees. Likewise, another 35 bags with the same content were found in the vehicle in addition to a gramera scale. The detainees and the drugs were placed at the disposal of the public prosecutor. Turkmenistan celebrated Science Day with the traditional international scientific conference Science, Engineering and Innovative Technologies in the Era of Power and Happiness. This year, the forum was held online with participation of foreign delegates. The online conference brought together scientists from twenty countries, including Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and India. At the plenary session, the speakers touched upon issues relating to international scientific and technical cooperation, primarily in creating high-tech industries, using digital technologies in the social sphere, establishing a shared academic platform and network services to resolve priority scientific and technical problems at the regional and global level. In particular, the conference participants discussed issues relating to increasing the efficiency of applications in the field of alternative energy, pharmaceuticals and mineral processing. Speakers, including Turkmen ones, emphasized the importance of digitalization of the economy and social sphere. Foreign scientists expressed their readiness to establish broader partnerships with Turkmen colleagues, noting the availability of modern scientific infrastructure in Turkmenistan, as well as opportunities for innovative activities in the field of science development. TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2022 Georgia police are launching a new investigation into the death of a woman who died after falling off a balcony during an adult slumber party in 2018 after an online petition was started calling for the probe which also won support from rap stars T.I. and 50 Cent The death of of Tamla Horsford originally was determined to have been accidental by authorities in Forsyth County. The black mother of five had been found lying facedown in the backyard during an adult slumber party with seven white women on November 4, 2018. Family and friends feared that she may have been murdered and demanded a new investigation. T.I. and 50 Cent, also have lobbied for the new investigation as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement. Georgia police are launching a new investigation into the death of a Tamla Horsford who died after falling off a balcony during an adult slumber party in 2018 The new probe comes after an online petition was started calling for the investigation which also won support from rap stars T.I. and 50 Cent. Some, including T.I. and 50 Cent, also have lobbied for the new investigation as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman today referred the case to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, reports WSBTV. The sheriff says the new probe was being launched mid renewed requests for a second investigation. He said it was best that an independent agency take over and pledged his department's support. The sheriff's decision came as an online petition calling for the new investigation had been signed by more than 590,000 people. The petition at Change.org started by Ashley Harris has a goal of reaching 1 million petitioners. Harris expressed relief upon learning that cops are revisiting Horsford's death. 'What we've been asking for this entire time has happened,' she tells WSBTV. The sheriff's decision came as an online petition calling for the new investigation had been signed by more than 590,000 people The new probe had drawn support from rap stars T.I. and 50 Cent. Both rap artists posted an image of Horsford and her family claiming she was 'murdered'. 'Tamla Horsford was murdered while she attended a sleep over and with 7 white women. She was beaten and thrown off a balcony. This was the LAST Picture she took before her death. Did anyone forget this? #Black Lives Matter. The posts referred to the Black Lives Matter movement which has spread across the country after the police-related killing of George Floyd. In the comments, 50 Cent writes where is the investigation on this one. T.I. and 50 Cent who posted an image of Horsford and her family claiming she was 'murdered' noting the black woman died at a party attended by 7 white women and reference the Black Lives Matter movement In the comments, 50 Cent writes where is the investigation on this one A coroner determined that Horsford suffered from multiple blunt force injuries caused by the fall. She also suffered from 'acute ethanol intoxication,' the coroner said A coroner determined that Horsford suffered from multiple blunt force injuries caused by the fall. She also suffered from 'acute ethanol intoxication,' the coroner said. Her death became public knowledge in February of 2019 after a court employee, Jose Barrera, accessed documents related to the case, according to WSBTV. Barrera was fired from his job for accessing the documents. The party was held at the home of Barrera's girlfriend. At one point during the party, Barrera found Horsford lying face down in the backyard. She was unresponsive. 'She's lying in the yard, basically on the patio downstairs.. She's not moving one bit. She's not breathing,' Barrera told 911. 'I'm noticing a small cut on her right wrist. She's not breathing whatsoever. I don't know if this cut was self-inflicted.' Horsford's best friend, Michelle Graves, did not accept the coroners findings that the woman had died accidentally. Jose Barrera (above), whose girlfriend hosted the party, was fired from his job as a court employee in Forsyth County last week after he accessed documents related to the case She noted that Horsford had suffered injuries all over her body, according to the medical examiner. It's impossible to get the injuries that she had from one fall, she said. On social media, the hashtag #TamlaHorsford and #JusticeforTamla have been trending in recent days. Many of the social media posts express outrage that there has been very little media coverage of the death of a black woman. One outraged Twitter user tweeted: 40 year old black football mom tammy went to a "football mom" sleepover with 7 white women & she was found dead beaten up. also, 3 men were also at the sleepover.. WHERE IS THE NEWS COVERAGE OF THIS STORY?! We're glad we're not the only ones who feel there's something awry with the story and with how she lost her life, Graves said. A lawyer presenting Barrera's girlfriend released a statement which read: At this time, our client, as well as each person who was present on November 4, 2018, has completely cooperated with law enforcement officers in attempting to give the family and friends answers with regards to the tragic death of Tamla Horsford. Every aspect of our clients life has been investigated. She has provided answers to every question asked by the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office. Although the investigation has not been closed, to the best of our knowledge, Ms. Horsfords death certificate has been issued by the Forsyth County Coroner. According to the coroner, the official cause of death was determined to have been caused by an accident fall from a residential deck. In addition, the death certificate also states that acute ethanol intoxication was a significant condition contributing to Mrs. Horsfords death. The UN refugee agency announced on Thursday that fighting has forced more than 94,000 to flee their homes in war-torn Yemen since January, a grim statistic reflecting the devastation brought on by the civil war in the Arab worlds most impoverished country. The report came as fierce clashes erupted in Yemens southern province on Thursday between Saudi-backed government forces and separatists funded by the United Arab Emirates, leaving over 85 fighters dead on both sides, according to security officials, and displacing dozens more families. The fighting, just east of the capital of Abyan province, Zinjibar, marks a significant escalation between the government forces and their Saudi backers, and UAE-backed separatists nominal allies in the five years of war against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels who control the countrys north. Tensions between the factions peaked in late April, when the secessionist Southern Transitional Council seized the key southern port city of Aden and declared self-rule over several southern provinces, reopening a dangerous new front in the conflict. After the separatists attacked the city of Aden last August, the UAE withdrew most of its forces from southern Yemen, revealing its disillusionment with the Saudi-led campaign that has devastated the country. Still, the separatists have more recently stepped up attacks. They launched a major assault on government troops early Thursday in Abyan, the governorate that lies between the rival forces. Residents of Zinjibar reported hearing bursts of artillery fire and explosions as night fell. Government officials said their forces managed to thwart the attack and inflict heavy losses, destroying three tanks and five armored vehicles, as well as capturing 13 separatist fighters. Medical officials said the wounded were rushed to several hospitals in Aden, some 48 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Zinjibar. The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Abdul-Lateef al-Sayed, the separatist forces commander in the Abyan governorate, said his fighters were aiming to recapture the coastal town of Shoqra from government forces. The open warfare between the factions threatens to further divide southern Yemen, where health officials from the rival sides are struggling to cope with a devastating outbreak of COVID-19. The feud has created confusion and hobbled the authorities' response, all while hospitals have shut down, medical personnel fled and bodies piled up. Yemens internationally recognized government has recorded 560 coronavirus cases, including 129 deaths, but experts say thats a result of little testing. Richard Brennan, the World Health Organization regional emergency director, said earlier that he believes the COVID-19 deaths are in the hundreds and that the number of cases are in the thousands, based on what he has heard from numerous health sources and medical providers in Yemen. Thursday's events further exacerbate civilian suffering in the war-ravaged country, where the U.N. refugee agency said Thursday that fighting has forced 94,000 people to flee this year. The ongoing conflict in Yemen continues to displace people from their homes as they struggle to survive, UNHCR said in a tweet. Only about 5,200 of the 94,000 displaced since January were able to return to their places of origin in that period, the agency added. The civil war erupted in 2015, when the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive against the Houthis who had overrun the capital of Sanaa and most of the country's north, forcing the internationally recognized government to seek refuge in the south. The conflict has killed more than 100,000 people, displaced millions and set off what the U.N. described as the world's worst humanitarian disaster long before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Many families, especially among the millions displaced, can barely afford one meal a day. Meanwhile, funding for humanitarian aid is drying up. The U.N. warned last week that a funding shortfall may force it to cut or curtail its programs to fight the coronavirus and stave off starvation for hundreds of thousands of children by the end of the month. By Christian Lowe PARIS (Reuters) - Riot police fired tear gas and charged at pockets of violent protesters at an anti-racism rally in central Paris on Saturday, as a wave of anger continued to sweep the world following the death of African American George Floyd. The protesters gathered in Place de la Republique, chanting "No justice, no peace" beneath the statue of Marianne, who personifies the French Republic. One banner held by the crowd read: "I hope I dont get killed for being black today". Police refused organisers permission to march to the Opera House. The first clashes erupted after three hours of peaceful gathering. Some protesters hurled bottles, paving stones and bicycle wheels at police lines and one Orange outlet was vandalised. Organisers urged protesters with children to leave. The outrage generated by Floyd's death in Minneapolis last month has resonated in France, in particular in deprived city suburbs where rights groups say that accusations of brutal treatment by French police of residents of often immigrant background remain largely unaddressed. Assa Traore, sister of 24-year-old Adama Traore, who died near Paris in 2016 after police detained him, addressed Saturday's protest. "The death of George Floyd has a strong echo in the death in France of my little brother," she said. "What's happening in the United States is happening in France. Our brothers are dying." Traore's family say he was asphyxiated when three officers held him down with the weight of their bodies. Authorities say the cause of his death is unclear. Earlier this week, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner acknowledged there were "proven suspicions of racism" within French law enforcement agencies. His remarks drew condemnation from police unions, which said officers were being scapegoated for deep-rooted social ills. Police have held their own protests in cities across France this week. Story continues Ahead of the protest, in the ethnically diverse Paris suburb of Belleville, one man of Algerian descent said he had been the victim of police violence but he doubted institutional racism ran through the force. "I've been insulted, hit even. But the police aren't all the same," he told Reuters TV, identifying himself as Karim. "Unfortunately, this minority is hurting the police." Far-right activists unfurled a banner with the words "anti-white racism" from the rooftop of a building overlooking the protest. Residents emerged onto their balconies and ripped it up using with knives and scissors, to cheers from below. In Marseille, where another protest against racism and police violence took place in the afternoon, police also fired teargas at dawn as the event was ending, BFM television reported. Footage showed protesters burning bins and throwing stones towards anti riot police. Protests took place in other countries on Saturday, including in several Australian cities, Taipei, Zurich and London. (Reporting by Christian Lowe; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Frances Kerry and Louise Heavens) Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 04:39:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A staff member of Air Canada (L) checks the temperature of a passenger at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada, on May 15, 2020. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua) "A passenger who has a fever will not be permitted to get on a flight," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. OTTAWA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that his government plans to introduce mandatory temperature screening for air passengers and airport employees at the country's airports. "A passenger who has a fever will not be permitted to get on a flight," Trudeau said at a press conference in Ottawa. The plan includes screening measures through a phased approach, first for those traveling to Canada, then for those traveling from Canada, and finally for those traveling within Canada. Employees in the secured areas of airports in the country will also be required to have their temperature checked. In the past months, some Canadian airlines already have introduced temperature screening measures on their own. Temperature checks at airports are expected to complement a number of measures already in place, including mandatory mask-wearing for all passengers and staff, enhanced cleaning protocols and physical distancing in airports. "There are strong measures already in place to keep people safe. This screening will be yet another layer of protection," Trudeau said. He said thermal screening is not a way of detecting COVID-19 in travelers but it is an additional measure that can highlight symptoms of COVID-19 or show that someone is ill and should not be traveling at all. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered an investigation into a controversial social media post by the Lucban Municipal Police station telling women to dress modestly so as to not invite harassment. The post, which has since been deleted, first called to the public to love women and not abuse their kindness. However, the second part of it read, Kayo naman mga gherlsz, huwag kayo magsusuot ng pagkaikli-ikling damit at pag naman nabastos ay magsumbong din sa amin. Isipin niyo rin! [Translation: Girls, don't wear short clothes and come complaining to us when you're harassed. Think about that.] The post was widely shared on social media, receiving scorn from netizens. As of this writing, the police station's page is not available, but screenshots of the post were made by netizens. In a statement Saturday, PNP Chief Archie Gamboa directed the Directorate for Police Community Relations under PMGen Dionardo Carlos to look into the incident. The statement said the police chief of the Lucban Municipal Police station, as well as all personnel who may be involved, may be made to explain the posting. "They will be made to justify also why no administrative sanctions shall be imposed upon them for their actions, despite earlier instructions to take down posts with similar content," said the statement. Gamboa said, "The PNP strongly advocates the protection of women and children and maintains a strict set of guidelines for its personnel on the use of social media. Violators may face administrative and even criminal charges, if evidence warrants." File Photo New Delhi: The number of patients infected with the coronavirus in India has crossed 3 lakh. More than 8,500 people have died here so far. The coronavirus has now gained momentum in the country. On an average, more than 10,000 new cases are coming up every day. However, doctors said that this is just the beginning and the coming days may be even more difficult. Advertisement CoronavirusMany researches and studies are claiming that the number of patients may increase to a record level in July and August. Talking to a news agency, Dr. Juneja of Max Hospital in Delhi said that everyone should be prepared for the difficult times of Corona. He said it was not yet clear when Corona's case would reach a climax. They are hoping that everything will be fine but mentally and physically they are ready to fight Corona. According to Dr. Juneja, the number of patients has increased dramatically in recent times and the demand for beds has increased significantly. In such a situation, the pressure on them has definitely increased but in difficult times they are encouraging each other. Advertisement CoronavirusCorona patients are being rushed to Max Hospital in Delhi by ambulance. 20% of the bed here is reserved for corona patients. A nurse here said that she is also little scared because she doesn't know where and when the corona virus will attack her. Working with PPE kits is also a daunting challenge for doctors and nurses. Vinita Thakur, a nurse here, said that you need mental and physical strength to wear the kit for a long time in hot weather. Corona patients in Delhi and Mumbai hospitals are facing severe difficulties in getting beds. New Delhi: Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja's sudden demise sent shock waves across the nation with his family, fans and fellow colleagues mourning his untimely death at the age of 39. He breathed his last on June 7, 2020, at a private hospital in Bengaluru due to cardiac arrest and his last rites were performed on Monday (June 8) at his farmhouse in Kanakpura. Married to actress Meghana Raj belonged to an influential family with roots deep in the movie business. Chiranjeevi is the grandson of renowned Kananda actor Shakti Prasad and nephew of actor Arjun Sarja. His brother Dhruva Sarja is also a famous actor. ALSO READ: Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja's wife breaks down during his final journey, Kiccha Sudeep, Yash and other south stars pay last respects - Pics He married actress Meghana Raj two years back in 2018. With a few days into his death, brother and actor Dhruva Sarja posted a few heartwarming pictures with late Chiranjeevi on Instagram story. Here are the screengrabs: In one of the posts, he wrote, 'Nam Anna' and 'My World'! Several prominent faces from south movie industry came to pay their last respects during Chiranjeevi's final journey. Kiccha Sudeep, Yash, Shiva Rajkumar amongst various others were seen bidding him a tearful goodbye. Wife and actress Meghana Raj was inconsolable and broke down during the final journey of husband Chiranjeevi Sarja. ALSO READ: Twitter fumes over Shobhaa Des goof-up after she shares pic of megastar Chiranjeevi in her condolence post for Chiranjeevi Sarja Most of the south stars took to social media to express grief and mourn Chiranjeevi Sarja's demise with heartfelt posts. Political leaders too expressed grief over this sudden demise. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar also mourned Chiranjeevi's sudden shocking demise at a young age and hailed him for his incredible talent. Chiranjeevi Sarja had an illustrious movie career of 11 long years in which he acted in over 22 movies. May his soul rest in eternal peace! Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sylvia Beiwinkler (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 14:24 587 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde6e488 3 Opinion COVID-19,distance-learning,East-Nusa-Tenggara,innovation,rural-area,connectivity Free Around 45 million students in Indonesia have been out of class for as long as three months due to COVID-19 fears. As a result, the education sector has changed dramatically with the rise of online learning, which requires students and teachers to continue their learning and teaching process remotely and on a digital platform. The adoption of online learning is relatively manageable for students in urban areas as their access to connectivity is far better than in rural areas. Rural areas, especially in eastern Indonesia, lag behind when it comes to accessing quality education as facilities and resources are mostly limited. From uneven teacher distribution and shortage of school facilities which makes the distance to school too far for many students to inadequate learning space. The role of education in rural communities is a crucial step to eradicate poverty. Happy Hearts Indonesia (Yayasan Hati Gembira Indonesia), a nonprofit organization dedicated to rebuilding schools in underprivileged areas and in areas affected by natural disasters, foresees that the first step to improving students education is to make sure they go to school in the first place, so they can have an equal opportunity to study. Providing safe and healthy school buildings have a profound impact on improved learning outcomes both academically and interpersonally. Providing school facilities is also beneficial for parents and community members as it strengthens rural livelihoods, so adults can focus on rebuilding their lives and returning to work while their children are attending school. The return to productivity allows a community to begin generating income more efficiently. To date, Happy Hearts Indonesia has rebuilt over 190 schools around Indonesia, benefitting more than 60,000 children and 300,000 community members. With the current situation that forced schools to close and children to stay indoors, educational inequality is more visible than ever before. Despite the Education and Culture Ministrys effort in cooperating technology-based online learning platforms to enabling students to continue their education, their effort is unavailing in rural areas, as many households are still unelectrified and preparedness for digital learning is rather poor. According to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, over 1.1 million households in Indonesia did not have access to electricity in 2019, with East Nusa Tenggara province at the lowest electrification rate of 73 percent. As what Bauhaus School founder Walter Gropius once said, limitation makes the creative mind inventive, and with compassionate hearts, teachers from the schools that Happy Hearts Indonesia has rebuilt took the initiative on how they addressed the distance-learning barrier amid the pandemic. Sister Macrina, a kindergarten teacher in Ligouri in Southwest Sumba, visited her students houses twice a week to keep them engaged and learning. By doing so, Sister Macrinas initiative can help prevent chronic absenteeism, which is associated with a permanent school dropout. As a librarian, Ibu Novi is also keeping students at Masehi Elementary School (SDM) Rua and preschool Kamaru Kaba in Sumba enthusiastic by dropping off learning books at their homes from the community library. In Flores, Catholic Elementary School (SDK) Roes head of school teaches in her house with less than five students a day, and when most students are too eager to study, she reopens the school with a social-distancing classroom setup and limits the sharing of materials within teachers. Access to sanitation and clean water is also ensured in the school that we have rebuilt. Teachers are also trained on how to do proper hand-washing and now it has become a strict routine that teachers and schoolchildren have to practice to promote healthy standards amid COVID-19. The adoption of this sincere initiative is indeed inspiring, but if this continues too long, this can only magnify inequities for students in rural areas as the school week is shortened. There is a lack of readiness to adopt remote learning and inadequate relevant tools to carry out remote teaching. Online learning cannot replace the dynamic of a classroom. School itself is the equalizer to ensure children have equal opportunities to succeed in life. Even though we do not know when this pandemic will end and things get back to normal, the Education and Culture Ministry needs to find ways to promote remote learning without widening the gap of educational inequality. The writer is CEO of Happy Hearts Indonesia. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. VinFast office opens in Melbourne (Australia). (Photo: thoidai.com.vn) VinFast Australia's goal is to expand access to international markets, connect with leading suppliers, and catch up on new technologies and trends. In particular, research and development of new cars, including petrol and electric versions, are considered the focus of VinFast Australia's operations. To quickly develop new products, from the beginning of 2020, VinFast Australia was put into operation as the Automotive Technology Institute 2, with nearly one hundred official employees who are high-quality experts and engineers from the world's leading automobile corporations such as GM, Toyota, Ford and Jaguar Land Rover, together with hundreds of partners' employees. The establishment of VinFast office in Melbourne, Australia's industrial center, is a strategic step of VinFast in its journey to the world. With the advantage of being the "headquarters" of many major car manufacturers such as Toyota, Ford, Mitsubishi and GM, Melbourne has available facilities, complete supply chains and especially the experienced staff. Moreover, the Australian city has a seaport as a gateway to export cars around the world. VinFast Australia is expected to make an impressive contribution to the development of Vietnam's automobile brand in the near future./. Wearing face coverings is set to become compulsory on Arriva Bus services from next week This article is old - Published: Saturday, Jun 13th, 2020 The wearing of face coverings is set to become compulsory on Arriva Bus Wales services in Wales next week. From 15 June, face coverings will be required for everyone using public transport in England. The Welsh Government said it is recommending that people in Wales wear face coverings in situations where social distancing is not possible but have stopped short of making it mandatory. Arrivas new rules will also begin on Monday 15, June, they have been welcomed by Unite the Union who said it should set the standard for Wales Unite Wales Regional Secretary Peter Hughes said: Unite Wales warmly welcomes Arrivas decision to make face coverings compulsory for those using its bus services across Wales. Despite the current Welsh Government position of only recommending their use, Arriva has taken the common sense approach. This decision will increase safety on their buses and increase the confidence of the general public to travel with them. Welsh Government must now realise that they should not be leaving important public health decisions such as this in the hands of transport providers. It is time for Welsh Government to review its decision and make face coverings compulsory on public transport in Wales. If this does not happen, Unite would encourage all bus operators in Wales to put the health and safety of drivers and passengers first, and adopt the same stance that Arriva has taken on face coverings. Last week the World Health Organisation updated their guidance on face coverings, advising that they should be considered in settings where maintaining social distancing is difficult. Health minister Vaughan Gething said: the wearing of a face covering does not replace the need for social distancing or washing your hands regularly. Further scientific evidence is needed on the benefits to the wider public of wearing face coverings, but observational findings so far suggest that homemade or purchased three-layer face-coverings might reduce transmission from one person to another if made, worn, handled and disposed of properly. Therefore, on balance, we are recommending to the people of Wales that three-layer face-coverings should be used in situations where social distancing measures can be more difficult to achieve, for example, on public transport. We are not recommending their use outdoors. Arriva Bus Wales said young children under the age of 11 or children on dedicated school transport services are exempt. People with the following conditions will also be exempt: Lyndsay Morrison and Justin Dalke were married May 23, 2020, in the Chapel at KinderPlatz Park in AuGres. The Rev. Tim Woycik officiated. The bride-elect is the daughter of Rick and Sue Morrison of AuGres. The groom-elect is the son of Brian and Lorelle Dalke of Midland. As a part of the resolution process, the Jet Airways office in Bandra Kurla Complex area of Mumbai has been put up for sale by the resolution professional (RP) of the insolvent company. Lenders to the beleaguered airline company in a meeting held in April had decided to sell the immovable properties of the airline company and distribute the proceeds. The bankruptcy tribunal on June 11 approved this proposal of the lenders. The RP has put out an auction notice and bid criteria for the said property. The reserve price for the property has been kept at Rs 490 crore and the auction will ... It's been a whirlwind week for participants in Alberta's harness racing industry, going from no open tracks one week ago to now racing at one of the few tracks in North America with spectators allowed. On Tuesday, Horse Racing Alberta announced that racing would return this weekend at The Track On 2, making the Lacombe, Alta. one-mile oval the first in Alberta to host any horse racing since the industry was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Were very much excited to get going. Were a little bit nervous, because I think were only the second jurisdiction in all of North America that has live racing with fans, co-owner and operator Kurt Belich told the Red Deer Advocate on Friday. Its complicated enough on a normal race day. Weve got that dialed in pretty well, but now we add the COVID restrictions, so it takes a little bit of planning. And we were only told on Tuesday that we could go ahead. The Track on 2 owner Kurt Belich gets some tips from trainer and horse owner Amy Henry during an on-track session at The Track on 2 in 2019. The Track on 2 owner Kurt Belich gets some tips from trainer and horse owner Amy Henry during an on-track session at The Track on 2 in 2019. Numerous safety precautions will be put in place to protect all industry participants following the COVID-19 guidelines set forth by Alberta Health and the Canadian Pari Mutuel Agency (CPMA). Racing will take place with strict physical distancing measures in place. Fans can wager live in person or remotely on HPI.com. While normal race cards at The Track On 2 would have more than 1,000 fans on hand according to Belich, COVID-19 restrictions make that number unrealistic. For the opener, patrons have been asked to register for a free attendance ticket which can be redeemed on-track for a $5 betting voucher. The Sunday card is the first of 12 cards scheduled for The Track On 2 this year, racing on Sunday afternoons through to the end of August. Century Downs kicks off its 2020 meet on Monday, June 22. To view the entries for Sunday's nine-dash opener, click the following link: Sunday Entries - The Track On 2. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Five months and more than two million Covid-19 cases later, we could be witnessing the crest of a second wave in the U.S. in Texas, Arizona, Florida and California. Throughout the pandemic, Bloomberg Opinion columnists have been cataloging the prospects of the curve bending in the wrong direction. Will it be weaker? Do we have the data to stop it? If a second wave arrives, there are certainly some things we might want to improve upon. Fatigue Will Be the Carrier of the Second Coronavirus Wave: The biggest risk for a second wave of coronavirus infections is that people get tired of doing the right thing. "Past pandemics show that second waves can be painful: During SARS, Toronto was declared free of local transmission, relaxed precautions and found a single hospital ward at the center of a second outbreak a week or so later." Clara Ferreira Marques The Results of Europes Lockdown Experiment Are In: Germany showed its possible to contain the virus without clamping down too much. Thats an important lesson if theres a second wave of coronavirus infections. "The Covid-19 experience has taught us that its far better to respond quickly and smartly, with the right technology and mass testing and tracing, rather than only relying on the crudest of shutdowns. If there are second waves of the virus, we shouldnt repeat the mistakes of the first." Elaine HeArizona Covid Debate Exposes Our Loss of Trust: Instead of trusting the latest reports, skeptics are picking apart the data from new Covid-19 hot spots like Arizona. Arizona looks to me as though it is in a very parlous place, and all of us should be hoping that the state, with its sizable elderly population, is able to avert a significant outbreak. It doesnt prove to me that a second wave is inevitable, and that the economy can never reopen; but it strongly suggests that there is far more of a chance that Covid-19 does serious damage to life and property than market pricing currently assumes. John Authers The Coronavirus Will Make the Digital Divide Even Worse: Are Americans ready for a second or third wave of the virus? Not unless they have access to the right technology. "One recent study suggested that Covid-19 might remain a force to worry about through 2024. That means some forms of physical distancing will persist, making Americans more dependent on information technology. Yet according to one estimate, 25 million Americans do not have high-speed internet access, and as many as 14 million have no internet access at all. As of 2019, about 81% of Americans have smartphones, though presumably not all of them have reliable Internet service. Tyler Cowen Is the Worst of the Coronavirus Behind Us Now?: Theres been no sign of a second wave in many countries, even as citizens have emerged from lockdowns. How optimistic should we be? "Areas such as Latin America are still being hit hard. The World Health Organization says the strength of the virus in the developing world indicates we are globally still in the first wave, rather than past it. Nor does it make sense for all countries to lift restrictions to the same extent. Scientists in the U.K., where daily case growth has been higher than in neighboring countries, have expressed concern about curbs being eased too fast. Its pretty unlikely we are anywhere near herd immunity, and if the virus is a seasonal one, a return in the winter months cant be ruled out." Lionel LaurentMore Reading Story continues Heres a Covid-19 Number Worth Watching: Cathy ONeil What Covid-19s Second Wave Could Look Like: Max Nisen If Youre Going to Open Your State, Please Collect Data: Faye Flam Why Is Uruguay Beating Latin Americas Coronavirus Curse?: Mac Margolis Superspreaders Could Actually Make Covid-19 Easier to Control: Justin Fox This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Jessica Karl is a social media editor for Bloomberg Opinion. She previously interned for CNN Opinion and Nylon magazine. 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. A BURGLAR who was punched in the face when he broke into the home of a pensioner will be sentenced later this month. Charles Flynn, 30, who has an address at Sean Heuston Place, Limerick has pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary following an incident in the Dooradoyle area during the early hours of February 23, 2019. Detective Garda Eoghan McDonagh told Limerick Circuit Court the occupant of the house, aged in his early 70s, was preparing to go to bed at around 1am when he encountered the defendant in the hallway. Mr Flynn, who had popped the front door to gain entry was wearing a balaclava and was armed with a short knife. Detective Garda McDonagh said he started shouting and roaring and demanding the keys to the pensioners car. He was pointing and waiving the knife, he told John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, adding that he fled from the house after he was punched in the face by the occupant of the house. Mr Flynn, who has a large number of previous convictions, has also pleaded guilty to charges relating to a number of separate burglaries. A TV and a car were stolen from another house in Dooradoyle later on the same night. The occupant of that house a woman in her late 70s told gardai she no longer feels safe in her home and that she is nervous at night time. Mr Flynn has also admitted having possession of stolen car at Condell Road, Limerick on February 22, 2019. The car, Detective Garda McDonagh said, had been stolen from outside a house in Monaleen five days earlier. Judge Tom ODonnell adjourned the matter to June 17. By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Famous Urdu poet Pandit Anand Mohan Zutshi Gulzar Dehlavi, 94, who had recovered from COVID-19 recently, passed away on Friday evening. He was suffering from age-related ailments. Dehlavi had tested positive for coronavirus on June 1 and he was admitted to Sharda hospital in Greater Noida for treatment. According to the hospital authorities, the poet had responded to treatment and recovered in just a week. As per the sources, his family claimed that his two test reports came negative on June 6 and on June 7, following which he was discharged from the hospital. But, he remained weak and was suffering from other age-related ailments. As per the family sources, Dehlvi had lunch with his family and went to his room for rest. He passed away at 2:30 pm. The family members rushed him to Kailash hospital where the doctors tried to revive him. The doctors suspect a cardiac arrest to be the reason of his sudden demise, said one of his kin. Dehlavi, a freedom fighter, was born in 1926 in Old Delhi. An Inquilabi poet, he was also the editor of Science ki Duniya, the first Urdu science magazine to be published by the government of India in 1975. Historian Irfan Habib shared his condolences on Twitter after the death of the poet. Anand Mohan Zutshi Gulzar Dehelvi passed away today and truly an era of Urdu poetry has ended. He was also my colleague in CSIR as an editor of Science ki Duniya. Not many people know about Shahajanabad as well as him. Great loss for Urdu and for the city of Delhi. RIP, tweeted Habib. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nancy Lapid (Reuters) Sat, June 13, 2020 18:07 587 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde790d8 2 Health research,health,face-mask,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic Free Requiring the wearing of masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in areas at the epicenter of the global pandemic may have prevented tens of thousands of infections, a new study suggests. Mask-wearing is even more important for preventing the virus' spread and the sometimes deadly COVID-19 illness it causes than social distancing and stay-at-home orders, researchers said, in the study published in PNAS: The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. Infection trends shifted dramatically when mask-wearing rules were implemented on April 6 in northern Italy and April 17 in New York City - at the time among the hardest hit areas of the world by the health crisis - the study found. "This protective measure alone significantly reduced the number of infections, that is, by over 78,000 in Italy from April 6 to May 9 and over 66,000 in New York City from April 17 to May 9," researchers calculated. Read also: Indonesian designers, brands make chic face masks for the fashion-forwards When mask-wearing went into effect in New York, the daily new infection rate fell by about 3 percent per day, researchers said. In the rest of the country, daily new infections continued to increase. Direct contact precautions - social distancing, quarantine and isolation, and hand sanitizing - were all in place before mask-wearing rules went into effect in Italy and New York City. But they only help minimize virus transmission by direct contact, while face covering helps prevent airborne transmission, the researchers say. "The unique function of face covering to block atomization and inhalation of virus-bearing aerosols accounts for the significantly reduced infections," they said. That would indicate "that airborne transmission of COVID-19 represents the dominant route for infection." The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday urged organizers of large gatherings that involve "shouting, chanting or singing to strongly encourage the use of cloth face coverings to lower the risk of spreading the coronavirus." Jammu: Pakistan has violated the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district for the second consecutive day. The ceasefire was violated along the Line of Control in the Kamalkot sector of Uri on Saturday (June 13). On Friday, a woman was killed and a civilian was injured during ceasefire violations by Pakistan as it targetted defence and civilian facilities across the LoC in Baramulla. Official sources said Pakistan army engaged in unprovoked shelling in the morning in Rampur sector of Uri tehsil. Akhtara Begum of Batgarh village was killed when a shell fired by Pakistan fell on a house. While Parveen of Nambla village was injured. She has been shifted to hospital, official sources said. Some residential houses and private vehicles have also been damaged. Reports from the area said people have huddled inside homes frightened by indiscriminate shelling and firing from the Pakistani side. On June 11, a soldier was killed and a civilian injured in ceasefire violation on the LoC in Jammu division. A Kentucky teen who killed two classmates and injured others when he opened fire at his high school in 2018 was sentenced to two life sentences Friday. Gabriel Parker, 18, will receive an additional 70 years in prison for 14 counts of assault in connection with the shooting at Marshall County High School on Jan. 23, 2018, NBC affiliate WPSD of Paducah reported. He will be eligible for parole in 20 years, according to the station. Parker pleaded guilty in April to two counts of murder and 14 counts of assault. Parker was 15 when he opened fire with a handgun at the high school, killing Bailey Nicole Holt, 15, and Preston Ryan Cope, 15. Sheriff's deputies disarmed and took Parker into custody after the shooting at the high school in Benton. He was charged as an adult. Marshall County Circuit Judge James Jameson, who graduated from that high school, said "I just can't imagine what happened that day" and he fought back tears in addressing the families of the victims. "There's no real justice to be had here, for any of you," Jameson said, according to video of the proceedings from CBS affiliate KFVS. "We can't give you your children back." Addressing Parker, Jameson said, "there's no why that can be given," and he said, "it's just a senseless murder of two individuals," and damage to others. Dennis Foust, the commonwealth's attorney for Marshall County, told the Courier-Journal newspaper of Louisville that he hoped the sentence would allow the community to start healing and provide some closure. Benton is a town of around 4,400 in the southwestern part of the state, around 100 miles northwest of Nashville, Tennessee. Health chiefs have written to every hospital and GP practice, urging them to stop doctors and nurses from 'congregating' away from wards - EPA One in five hospital patients with coronavirus caught it while on wards, papers by Government scientists have revealed. The findings come alongside orders to all hospitals to enforce social distancing between staff in order to stop doctors and nurses from "congregating" and fuelling the spread of the virus. An investigation by The Telegraph reveals that it was not until May 18 nearly two months after Britain entered lockdown that health chiefs finally issued guidance on how hospital workers should implement social distancing. It comes amid growing concern that NHS trusts have become a major source of coronavirus "re-seeding" into communities. Government scientific advisers are worried that, while medics are keeping their distance from patients, their "backstage" behaviour is allowing the virus to circulate. On Friday, the latest figures showed a slight rise in the 'R' rate the rate at which coronavirus reproduces to between 0.8 and one in England, up from between 0.7 and one. Government advisers are concerned that high transmission rates within hospitals and care homes are to blame, making it far more difficult to ease the UK's lockdown restrictions. Papers published by Sage on Friday show that, at the peak of the epidemic, transmission within hospitals was believed to account for up to 22 per cent of hospitalised patients and up to 11 per cent of deaths. The research, prepared for the Cabinet Office, says these figures do not include staff or those attending outpatient appointments, meaning they are "very likely to be an underestimate". The failure to stem the crisis has prompted a letter from the NHS England medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, instructing hospitals to "minimise" close contacts between staff, with workers told to "avoid congregating at central work stations" and take staggered staff breaks. Story continues One senior NHS manager said: "The situation is ridiculous. It seems hard to believe, given that the whole country has been talking about social distancing for months, but it is only now that some NHS trusts are really thinking about basic measures like ensuring nurses aren't all hanging out together." Hospitals and care home outbreaks 'leave UK stuck' Health chiefs have written to every hospital and GP practice, urging them to make changes in order to reduce levels of transmission of coronavirus within clinical settings. From next week, all staff, patients and visitors will be required to wear masks in hospitals. The move was prompted by fears that Britain remains stuck in lockdown because it has been unable to get a grip on outbreaks in hospitals and care homes, which leak out into local communities and increase the risk of a second wave. While the UK recorded its first case of Covid-19 in late January and entered lockdown on March 23, an investigation by The Telegraph reveals: It was not until May 18 that health chiefs finally issued guidance advising NHS staff on how to ensure social distancing; More than one in 10 hospital deaths from Covid-19 involved those who had been admitted without the virus, new evidence suggests; Concern from Government advisers that health workers adhering to social distancing rules on the ward are behaving differently "backstage", with the virus spread during coffee breaks and huddles; Documents showing that the disastrous decision to stop routine testing and tracing followed advice from Public Health England (PHE) that "transmission chains in closed settings such as care facilities do not have the same implications as those chains in the community"; Research showing more than 40 per cent of frontline healthcare workers at one major London hospital have been infected by Covid-19 more than twice the level at other large European centres. The letter from Prof Powis instructs health service hospitals to take "further action to tackle infections acquired in the NHS itself". The letter, also signed by the NHS chief nurse and operating officer, spells out the importance of "all staff adhering to social distancing (two metres) wherever possible in non-clinical areas". It follows growing concern that coronavirus is spreading within hospitals because Britain failed to introduce basic measures, such as masks, routine staff testing and strict social distancing, which have helped to contain the virus in other parts of Europe. The instructions follow the infection of 100 staff at Weston General Hospital, which forced its closure to new patients for two and a half weeks. Asked about surges of infections in hospitals, Prof Powis said that, as community incidence was falling, the focus would be on "individual outbreaks" where they occur. He said all hospital workers will wear masks regardless of whether they are on frontline duties in a bid to reduce infection rates. "When you move out of the ward areas where PPE [personal protective equipment] is worn and into the corridors and spaces where sometimes it can be harder to manage social distancing, it's important that the use of face masks is there to further reduce attack the chance of transmission," he said. Weston General Hospital has been closed to new patients for more than three weeks - Simon Chapman/LNP The May 18 updating of the PHE guidance on infection control included advice about how NHS trusts should ensure that staff follow social distancing protocols. This was a full week after the Government had issued advice to other employers considering reopening their workplaces. The PHE guidance said all staff should adhere to social distancing wherever possible, and ward practice should be reviewed to minimise close contact between groups of staff for prolonged periods and congregation at nurses' stations. Previous advice had said "social distancing of two metres should be facilitated wherever this is possible", without making any reference to staff. 'Some hospital staff say it's more like home than home' There are growing fears that the behaviour of health and care workers who are often working in crowded and stressful situations is driving up the rate. Members of the New and Emerging Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), which advises the Government, are concerned that workers who observe social distancing rules in public behave differently "backstage". One said: "There is a good bit of anecdotal evidence that the hospital staff are rigorous with infection control on Covid wards when they're doing Covid-related work. But as soon as they come off the wards, you get stories of 10 doctors clustering round an X-ray viewer without any regard to social distancing or masks or anything like that. "People will sit round and they will have their coffee, and the language that some hospital staff used is that it's 'more like home than home'." At a webinar late last month, senior officials expressed similar concerns. Dr Chris Moran, the deputy national strategic incident director for Covid-19, told fellow managers: "I've witnessed, and I'm sure you've all witnessed, that actually healthcare workers have not necessarily been the best at managing social distancing. "We know when directly managing patients social distancing is impossible, that's what PPE is for, to protect both sides of the equation. But I think in the staff-only areas we could do quite a lot better in some of the places that I've visited." Advisers have voiced concern that health workers who observe social distancing rules in public are behaving differently in their 'backstage' situations - PA Last week, Sage members warned the Lords science and technology select committee that the situation was putting the rest of the country at risk of a second wave. Professor John Edmunds said: "These are not completely separated epidemics they seep back out into the community, probably largely through healthcare workers or care home workers who are picking up the virus themselves, unfortunately, bringing it home, and potentially infecting their family members and others." The papers released by Sage suggest health officials failed to properly consider the risks of allowing the virus to spread in care homes. While care home deaths are expected to make up at least half the fatalities caused directly or indirectly by the virus, a paper by PHE on when to abandon the policy of contact tracing said: "Transmission chains in closed settings such as care facilities do not have the same implications as those chains in the community." The discussions came ahead of the decision to abandon routine testing and tracing of Covid-cases from March 13, leaving patterns of disease unchecked for more than two months. Research led by University College London Hospitals (UCLH), which was co-authored by Sage member Professor Susan Michie and has yet to be peer-reviewed, has shone a light on how far the infection has spread among staff. The study found that, of 200 frontline health workers at University College London Hospitals, 43.5 per cent had been infected with Covid-19 by early May. This was considerably higher than researchers had expected after larger studies of healthcare workers at hospitals in Barcelona and Birmingham found that just 11 and 24 per cent respectively had been infected. An NHS spokesman said: "Hospitals across the country have long-standing, effective mechanisms for infection prevention and control, and the NHS has regularly communicated the guidance which is set by PHE, as well as supporting trusts with data and a checklist to share learning and help limit the spread of infection. "The Government has always been clear that social distancing is recommended for everyone." PHE said the four UK chief medical officers, alongside PHE and the NHS, jointly issued infection prevention control guidance for health and social care workers on April 24, which reinforced existing guidance for the UK that "social distancing of two metres should be facilitated wherever this is possible". The guidance did not suggest how this should be achieved. Duncan Selbie, the PHE chief executive, said the Sage report on transmission of spread in care homes "highlighted that spread in the community operates differently to spread in a care home it does not say that transmission could not occur from a care home into the community." A 13-year old who died in a car crash in Co Westmeath is to be laid to rest today. The incident happened in the early hours of Wednesday morning After a busy day juggling paperwork and meetings, Brehima Traore, deputy director of a hospital in war-torn Mali, may have hoped for some rest. Then his phone rang: he was needed in the operating room. Traore is one of the doctors who keeps the hospital in Mopti at the forefront of a jihadist insurgency in the West African state for years, and now in the fight against coronavirus running smoothly. The hospital has received patients severely wounded by gunshots on a daily basis. It must also cope with a growing number of COVID-19 cases. Traore was called to the emergency room just as his day was ending. An all-terrain ambulance had just brought in an unconscious man with a gunshot wound to the lung. Armed men had attacked his village in the Bandiagara region, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) away. A 15-year-old boy was also shot and taken to hospital. The surgeon, who had spread himself thin since the morning, worked for two hours to save the patient. A rare new medical facility in the Sahel, the Somine Dolo hospital was mainly dedicated to treating the wounded from the beleaguered countrys volatile north when it was inaugurated in 2014. Mali, a poor nation of some 19 million people, has been in the grip of jihadist violence since 2012, when Islamist fighters linked to Al-Qaeda commandeered an initially separatist rebellion by ethnic Tuaregs in the north. Inter-communal attacks have increased, and the state no longer has much control over large rural areas. The conflict which has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians to date has since spread to central Mali, as well as to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. Turned upside down The hospital, built with Belgian and French financing, is the only facility of its size within hundreds of kilometres and is on the front line of the conflict, admitting 682 wounded civilians and fighters in 2019 four times as many as in 2018. Matthias Diassana, director of emergency services, details his days divided between visits to patients, trauma operations and orthopaedic consultations. We are all straddling several tasks due to the lack of staff, with just 200 people running the hospital, he said. It can all be turned upside down by emergencies, Diassana said. But the team is well established, and everyone knows what they have to do, he said. Somine Dolo is struggling now, however, to cope with a pandemic on top of other crises. Before the first cases even arrived, a hospital within the hospital was set up, consisting of large white tents where COVID-19 patients have been treated. One recent day, there were 22 patients in isolation and only four caregivers allowed at a time beyond the orange barriers which separate the reception centre from the rest of the hospital. Protected by coveralls, masks and boots, three hospital cleaners reassigned to disinfect against coronavirus returned from the morgue with a stretcher that they would have to clean. It was used to transport the remains of a patient who, it appeared post mortem, may have been a carrier of the virus. Far from Bamako It would take time to confirm whether or not the deceased was infected. All tests performed in Mali must go to a laboratory in the capital Bamako, an eight-hour drive from Mopti. Getting the results can take three days in Mopti, and five or six days for tests done near the border with Burkina Faso, Somine Dolos doctors said. Authorities have recorded more than 1,700 coronavirus cases in the country to date, with over 100 fatalities. In his cramped office, Abdoulaye Traore now coordinates the hospitals response to the outbreak, in addition to overseeing anaesthesia and resuscitation. The coronavirus is eating up my days, he said, adjusting a stethoscope that never leaves his neck. But he and a colleague deployed by the International Committee of the Red Cross are the only two resuscitation specialists in the facility. Two days earlier, he was still on the job at 4:30 am. For the moment Im holding out, he said. But for how long? SOURCE: AFP Courtesy Photo/Emilia Moore Already jumping two grades, Montana Moore of Plainview recently added another to whats becoming a long list of accomplishments. He scored a 25 on the ACT and hes only 10 years old. A home-schooled seventh-grader, Moore scored in the 99th-percentile in the California achievement standardized test rather than the STAAR test most Plainview students take which helped him gain entrance into the Duke University Talent Identification Program. It was during that program that he posted the high score on the ACT, the college entrance exam high school students take to earn acceptance into college. Hes always been a really smart kid, said Montanas mom, Emilia. He was always a very curious child. Montana could be considered a prodigy. His father, Robert, was also part of the Duke TIP program when he was in seventh grade. Robert is currently a professor of chemistry at Wayland Baptist University. Emilia is an adjunct professor at WBU, giving up full-time status to homeschool Montana. Usually the Duke TIP program is held on the Duke University campus. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the on-campus experience was cancelled, so Montana did his program work from home. The hope is he can head to Durham next summer for the full experience. Emilia said that Montanas intelligence was evident early on, reading by the time he was 3 years old. The family even has a picture of a 5-year-old Montana reading a book about cancer. That type of intelligence can be hard to wrangle, especially when it comes to his education. I guess the tricky thing is that he always has something to keep him challenged, said Emilia. We homeschool him because hes always been one to ask for more than what is offered at a regular school. Its making sure the lesson plans I put together fit his needs. Montana is also a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cook Foundation Youth Scholars Program, which provides scholarships for gifted students that last from eighth grade through college for students to pursue unique academic and talent goals, according to the foundations website. Finalists for the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship will be announced later this summer. Over 2,000 kids applied for the scholarship this year. The high ACT score may just be the latest achievement for Montana Moore. He is only 10 years old, after all. Neerad Pandharipande On 26 May, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant announced in a press conference that the Aarogya Setu app would be made open-source from the midnight of 27 May. However, over two weeks on, some cybersecurity activists have questioned whether this has actually taken place, and have termed the governments claim as half-truth. The Union government has stated that it has released the source code for the COVID-19 contact tracing on GitHub, a source code sharing platform. As on 12 June, there were 134 pull requests to the code and 257 issues had been flagged on the platform. A pull request is recorded when a user on the platform downloads code from the repository. However, Akshay Dinesh, a medical professional and coder, said that the source code that has been made public is on a separate repository from the one that has been used for the current version of the app. Speaking with Firstpost, Dinesh said, The government did not state that the code that it made public was a snapshot from a repository that was private. They did not give any reason for doing so either. In my opinion, this shows a complete lack of transparency. So, to call the Aarogya Setu app open source is a half-truth, and, in effect, a lie. He further noted, The Android apps source code has been put in the public domain, but the code of the website it loads within the app (web.swaraksha.gov.in/ncv19) is nowhere to be seen. Even a snapshot of the code has not been made available. The governments decision to make the source code of the app came after sustained criticism from various quarters. One of these sources of criticism was a review by the Masachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which gave the app only one out of five stars. The app was only given a positive rating on the point of data destruction', while it failed to meet the MITs criteria on limitations on usage of data, minimisation of data, transparency and being voluntary in nature. According to Anivar Aravind, a Bengaluru-based software engineer and public interest technologist, the announcement on making Aarogya Setu open source appears to be an attempt to counter criticism from quarters such as the MIT. However, he, too, is not convinced by the governments claims. Speaking with Firstpost, Aravind said, A major concern with Aarogya Setu is that it collects more information than perhaps any other such contact tracing app. In this context, for there to be actual transparency, the server code has to be made public, not just the client-side code. Until this happens, the governments claims of having brought in transparency remain suspect. Open sourcing Aarogya Setu is not an act of charity, but is something that must be done according to existing policies. The policy that Aravind referred to was the Union Ministry of Communication and Information Technologys Policy on Adoption of Open Source Software for Government of India, which was formulated in 2014. Section 3 of the policy states, Government of India shall endeavour to adopt Open Source Software in all e-Governance systems implemented by various Government organisations, as a preferred option in comparison to closed source software (CSS). However, the policy does provide for an exception under Section 7, which states that in certain specialised domains where OSS solutions meeting essential functional requirements may not be available or in case of urgent / strategic need to deploy CSS based solutions or lack of expertise (skill set) in identified technologies, the concerned Government Organisation may consider exceptions, with sufficient justification". It is not clear whether the Centre provided an official justification for not making the app open source initially, as envisaged in the policy. Aravind has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court, contending that the government is not adhering to principles of data minimisation on Aarogya Setu. He has also argued that the Data Access Protocol for Aarogya Setu has no force of law, and can be used as an excuse to mandate the use of the app. During a hearing of the petition on 12 June, the Central Government told the court that downloading the app is not mandatory for people travelling by air or rail. However, Additional Solicitor General MB Nargund told the court that people who do not download the app will need to give a self-declaration. Firstpost attempted to get in touch with Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), over phone and email, but did not get a response. Nevertheless, a release by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) does state that the server code of Aarogya Setu will be made public, although no exact timeline has been announced yet. The release further states, The app has over 114 million users as on 26 May, which is more than any other contact tracing app in the world... The key pillars of Aarogya Setu have been transparency, privacy and security and in line with Indias policy on Open Source Software, the source code of Aarogya Setu has now been made open source. While questions linger on whether the source code of Aarogya Setu has been made public in the real sense of the term, there are several other concerns as well. The Free Software Community of India a collective of Free Software users, advocates and developers pointed to the involvement of private players in the development of the app, and said, Complete transparency would entail disclosure of the extent of such involvement, the processes followed in such public-private collaboration, including disclosure of tenders or contracts given to private companies for the work they contributed in the app, the guarantees available to the public about strict separation of data from the hands of private collaborators, and also details on procedures which allow more stakeholders, including civil society and rights activists, to shape the further development of the platform. As per media reports, several individual volunteers have worked on the app, including former Google India executive Lalitesh Katragadda and MakeMyTrip founder Deep Kalra. But apart from concerns on security and transparancy, a broader question remains as to whether a contact tracing app would be significantly useful in the fight against COVID-19. Dinesh said, My personal opinion is that a technological solution is an ill-advised misfit in our country. Our strengths are in community health workers and the decentralised health system that we have built over the decades. We should rely on that rather than assuming that we can mandate our way into making everyone walk around with a smartphone with Bluetooth on all the time. On June 4, a lawmaker from Ohio was fired from his position as an emergency room doctor after he received major backlash by asking whether "colored people" are more susceptible to COVID-19 because they do not wash their hands as well as other groups. Racist comment A Republican from the town of Tipp City, Ohio, State Sen. Steve Huffman, asked the racist question during a hearing on June 9. The committee discussed whether to declare racism as a public health crisis in the state because thousands are marching outside to join the Black Lives Matter movement. State Sen. Huffman asked the head of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, Angela Dawson. Dawson is a black woman. Huffman said that data shows African Americans have a higher incidence of chronic conditions and it also makes them more susceptible to death from coronavirus. Huffman asked if the reason why African Americans are more susceptible to COVID-19 is that they do not wash their hands properly, don't wear a mask, and do not practice social distancing. Dawson took offense to his question and said that Huffman's opinion is not the opinion of leading medical experts in the country. She added that all populations need to wash their hands but it is not the reason why the colored population of the country is more susceptible to get the virus. Democratic State Sen. Tavia Galonski, who is also a black woman, said during her interview with NBC News that she was shocked by Huffman's question and that for her, it was a dog whistle. It was Huffman's way of showing that he is against racism but at the same time, assuring racists that he is still with them. Galonski also took offense to the question as it implies that the black community is dirtier than any other group and that the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country is being blamed on African Americans. Also Read: Countries Reopening for Tourists Amidst Coronavirus Pandemic Galonksi also said that she was surprised that Huffman used the word "colored", a word that is frowned upon by the black community as it was a word to describe them in the 1940s to 1960s when the white population was segregated from the black population. John Fortney, Huffman's press secretary, released a statement that said he regrets asking the question. He did not know that it would hurt the African American community and he was only trying to focus on why COVID-19 affects the people of color at a higher rate. On June 10, Huffman did a brief interview with The Washington Post and he said that his question was not mean to insult anyone. He just wanted to know why the African American community has a higher number of coronavirus cases. The consequence After the controversial interview, a Tennessee-based company named TeamHealth, which operates hospitals and health care facilities in Ohio, fired Huffman. The company said in a statement that they are committed to creating a diverse and tolerant workspace and Huffman's comments are not consistent with their values. The African American has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and data shows the community has higher rates of deaths. However, medical experts also stated that the African American community has higher rates of poverty and only a few have medical insurance. Related Article: Fact Check: Is the COVID-19 Pandemic a False Alarm? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Patna/Sitamarhi, June 13 : For years India and Nepal have had close relations with each other -- geographically, culturally, historically, religion, but now tension is all pervasive all along the India-Nepal border. After the controversy over the boundaries along the borders from West Champaran to Purnia in Bihar, the relationship sees no signs of improving. In such a situation, tension between the two countries has increased manifold. On May 27, people of both countries came face-to-face as the waters of the mountain rivers were blocked at Bhikhnathori border in West Champaran district. Tension also prevails in the villages around the Valmiki Tiger Reserve due to the blocking of the water flow. Tension is also prevailing on the Chhaudadano border of East Champaran. Here the officials of both the countries had to intervene after a fight broke out between two villages on both sides of the border. The relationship between India and Nepal is often termed of 'beti-roti' ties resulting in a tight knit community where shared culture and marriages along with trade across the border is quite common. Ties between the two countries soured after Nepal released a political map showing Indian territory as theirs. More recently on Friday, in the Sonbarsa police station area of Sitamarhi, the death of one person in firing by Nepal Sashastra Bal jawans, added to the bitterness in the relationship. While Indian borders with other countries are heavily guarded, the India-Nepal border is open. Anybody can move to the other side anytime with no restrictions imposed. Many residents of Bihar have land in Nepal, while many more have relations in the neighbouring country. The soldiers posted as guards on the frontiers also played their role in strengthening the ties, but recent events have created fissures in this relationship. The Sashastra Seema Bal has pointed to a local dispute behind the Sitamarhi firing incident. Ajay Pandey, former secretary of a NGO -- Media for Border Harmony, says that ever since the Left-backed government was formed in Nepal, tension has increased on the border. He says, "You should talk to the people on both sides, even today sweetness prevails in the villages on both sides. After the coming of the Left-backed government, the bitterness in the relationship, (which people call beti-roti), has increased. The tense situation at the border still prevails. Small issues turn into big controversies." The leader of the Madhesi movement and MP Pradeep Yadav has blamed the Nepal government for the souring relationship between the two countries. He said there is a need to improve the situation and make the relationship more sweet and strong, instead of bitterness. Yadav has threatened to revive the Madhesi movement if the current situation continues. Arjun Bhartiya, a resident of Raxaul situated on the Indo-Nepal border, and an expert on Indo-Nepal relations, says there have been many such incidents in recent times which have made people suspicious. He said there is no doubt that tension is prevailing along the border at the moment, but there is room for improvement. He said there are many villages along the border which are completely dependent on each other. Recently, the borders were sealed due to the corona pandemic, which caused major problems for the inhabitants there. The SSB however looks at it from a different angle. IG Sanjay Kumar says there is no tension on the India-Nepal border. He said it is an open border and people from both the countries come and go all the time. Sometimes there are disputes which are resolved. The captain of a ship that lost dozens of containers overboard has been granted permission to leave Australia, despite facing multiple charges over poor cargo loading. Mohamad Zulkhaili Bin Alias's bail was varied in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday to allow him to leave the APL England and return home to Malaysia and work. Fallen shipping containers can be seen on the Singapore-flagged APL England as it docks at the Port of Brisbane last month. Credit:AAP/Dan Peled The 43-year-old is charged with two offences relating to the discharge of garbage into the sea and failing to ensure a vessel is operated so as not to cause pollution or damage to the Australian marine environment. The Singapore-flagged ship was en route to Melbourne from China last month when rough seas caused 50 shipping containers to topple overboard off the Sydney coast. The Covid-19 situation in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Thane, Ahmedabad and Indore, all hotspots of the viral pandemic, was in focus during an extended review meeting attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, health minister Harsh Vardhan, Niti Aayog member Vinod Paul, and key officials in charge of the various empowered groups managing various facets of Indias response to the pandemic. Shah will meet with Kejriwal to discuss the situation in Delhi on Sunday. On Saturday, Delhi added 2134 new cases, the second highest number of cases it has added in a 24-hour period (the highest was on Friday, 2,137) and Chennai, 1989, the highest the city has added in a day. Mumbai, Thane, Ahmedabad, and Indore are also hotspots. 60-70% of the cases are confined to these cities and their containment strategies need to be reviewed, said the member of an empowered group present at the meeting and who asked not to be identified. A second official present in the meeting said on condition of anonymity that discussions at the meeting also focused on the states where these cities are located falling behind on testing and contact tracing, and not ensuring strict adherence to social distancing norms. It as decided that senior central ministers would reach out to each of the states to discuss this, the official added. For instance, recent days (and weeks) have seen a spate of media reports about the crowds and lack of social distancing at Chennais Madhavaram fruit market, bringing back memories of the crowds at the citys Koyambedu market responsible for a sharp spike. The Prime Minister is to meet with chief ministers on June 16 and 17, with the second day reserved for meetings with the chief ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and a few other states that are seeing a sharp rise in the number of cases. On Saturday, for instance, Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu alone accounted for 7550 of the 12,081 new cases recorded in the country. A statement from the Prime Ministers office said: In view of the challenges being faced, particularly by the large cities, it was discussed to augment testing as well as the number of beds and services to effectively handle the peak surge of daily cases. Prime Minister took cognizance of the recommendations of the Empowered group and instructed Health ministry officials to undertake emergency planning in consultations with states/UTs. The second official said that despite the spike in cases nobody should be feeling helpless. We have already increased testing from the 2,000 that we started out with to around 1.5 lakh tests daily and we will ramp it up further. The ministry of health and the empowered groups on hospitals and availability of essential supplies has already submitted their projected figures of the rise of cases and the need for medical infrastructure till August. There isn;t a shortage of essential medical supplies, the second official added, but the government is worried about a number of reports about paucity of hospital beds in the worst affected cities. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-14 03:22:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday in his remarks to graduates of the United States Military Academy that his country is "ending the era of endless wars." "We are ending the era of endless wars. In its place is a renewed, clear-eyed focus on defending America's vital interests," Trump said before more than 1,000 cadets of the academy also known as West Point. He noted that the task of the U.S. military is neither to rebuild foreign nations nor to "solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never even heard of." "We are not the policemen of the world," he added. Trump's speech came at a moment when his administration is drawing up plans to pull out troops from various places around the globe. A joint statement issued by Washington and Baghdad on Thursday said that the United States would continue reducing its military presence in Iraq over the coming months. Trump reportedly directed the Pentagon to reduce nearly 9,500 U.S. troops from the 34,500 troops that are permanently assigned in Germany, which led to opposition from Republican lawmakers. Last week 22 Republican members of Congress wrote Trump, warning him a significant force drawdown in Europe would serve Russia's interests at the expense of U.S. national security. There are also reports saying that the Trump administration is looking at a range of options to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan at an early date, with one possible option targeting this November. The peace agreement signed late February between the United States and the Afghan Taliban called for the full withdrawal of the U.S. military from the war-torn country by May 2021 if the Taliban no longer supports terrorist groups. "If conditions will allow, we're prepared to go to zero," Commander of U.S. Central Command Kenneth McKenzie said in a think tank event on Wednesday, but adding "those conditions have not been fully met." Enditem Stock market speculators are attempting to cash in on turmoil at the British companies raising money from investors to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Short-sellers have swooped on Premier Inn owner Whitbread, Aston Martin and events firm Hyve, which have raised 1.5billion through rights issues. They are the only UK firms to raise funds through rights issues, where existing investors are offered the chance to buy new shares, usually at a discount. Turmoil: Short-selling involves borrowing shares, selling them, buying them back hopefully at a lower price, before returning them to the lender for a profit Most others have opted to raise money through placings, which usually bypass private investors and are conducted behind closed doors with new and existing institutional investors. Unlike with placings, which are often priced when they are announced, rights issues are a lengthier process and have to be approved, giving short-sellers normally hedge funds an opportunity to engineer a profit. Short-selling involves borrowing shares, selling them, buying them back hopefully at a lower price, before returning them to the lender for a profit. During rights issues, short-sellers can also exploit technical price differences by buying up the rights to the newly issued cheaper shares while shorting the shares. Guevoura, a Gibraltar-based hedge fund, has placed bets against all three companies in recent weeks the only short positions it has disclosed since last July. It disclosed a 30million short position in Whitbread on June 4, but closed it on Wednesday when the company, whose hotels have been shut during lockdown, completed its 1billion rights issue. It made a similar move with troubled Aston Martin in April and closed its short position on the day it completed its 356million rights issue in April. Guevoura could not be reached for comment. The 127million rights issue for Hyve, formerly known as ITE Group, whose events have been on hold during the crisis, completed on Friday. And another hedge fund, Londonbased LMR Partners, closed its short position in Hyve on Thursday, having only disclosed a bet against the shares at the start of the month. LMR has also shorted shares in Whitbread recently, according to data published by the Financial Conduct Authority. LMR did not respond for comment. The tactics have echoes of the financial crisis when short-sellers were vilified for attempting to drive down the share prices of companies such as HBOS to make a profit. Former business secretary Sir Vince Cable told The Mail on Sunday: 'It is a worrying commentary on our financial institutions, like hedge funds, that they discourage firms from raising risk capital rather than borrowing or running to the Government for help. 'We need a complete rethink of our systems of tax and regulation which are biased against long-term investment and equity and biased towards speculation and debt.' During the financial crisis in 2008, the then-City watchdog, the Financial Services Authority, introduced rules forcing hedge funds to disclose their short positions to give more transparency, but stopped short of banning short-selling. Since then, the FSA's successor the Financial Conduct Authority has introduced rules meaning all substantial short positions must be disclosed. Last month, the FCA issued guidance to investors, warning short-sellers about their conduct during a period where many companies are looking to raise funds. It said short-selling can act as a useful tool to 'liquidity and price discovery', but added: 'Where we have concerns that there are significant opportunities for abusive behaviour, our monitoring will increase in intensity accordingly.' Group of JSS trade unionists infiltrate Sirikotha; cause minor commotion over party leadership Polls Chief Deshapriya in public dispute with EC member Hoole, but denies any crisis in the Commission Samaraweera decides to pull out of August 5 election; speculation he may re-joinUNP The parliamentary poll was delayed by the deadly coronavirus, but the fears seem to have receded sufficient enough and purported legal constraints have now vanished. On Tuesday, the Election Commission (EC), whose credibility has taken a bad beating in the public eye, announced parliamentary elections would now be held on August 5, a Wednesday. That ended many a controversy related to the polls. At first, EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, asked President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to seek a determination from the Supreme Court. He refused. Then came eight fundamental rights petitions before the Supreme Court. They challenged polls being fixed for June 20 after the original date, April 25, was postponed. They also sought to re-convene Parliament that was dissolved on March 2. A five-judge bench unanimously dismissed the petitions. In effect, that meant that the dissolution of Parliament and subsequent actions by the President were constitutional. The SC through its rejection also endorsed that the postponing of poll dates by the EC was in accordance with the law. In the wake of the SC ruling, amidst public expectations that a date would be announced that day, the EC met on June 8 (Monday). Instead, discussions centred on other aspects. One was the report submitted by Dr Anil Jasinghe, Director General of Health Services, on the health guidelines to be followed. There was a suggestion that Dr Jasinghe be asked to gazette his recommendations. Another was a mock poll in Ambalangoda, Deshapriyas hometown. The drill was to ascertain the time taken by a voter to go through the process of casting a vote. It was felt that more such mock polls should be carried out. There was also a discussion on poll expenses which would now be higher in the light of the adoption of health safeguards. A suggestion was made to meet Presidential Secretary P.B. Jayasundera in this regard. At a news conference on Wednesday to announce the latest date (August 5), Chairman Deshapriya was livid with the media. He charged that they were deciding on dates when it was the responsibility of the EC. However, soon after the SC rejection of the FR petitions, Deshapriya was quoted by different television networks as saying that the poll date would be announced on June 8 (Monday) after the Commission met. After that meeting, he, however, declared that the date would only be announced later this week. He also told the news conference, The Elections Commission is there to conduct elections. We were forced to delay due to the COVID-19 situation. We were not responsible for delaying local elections or the Provincial elections. They were delayed as the relevant proposals were not brought to Parliament. Those who were represented in Parliament should be held responsible. As for the local council elections, if we had not gazetted 93 of them, even today the elections would not have been held. We have done our best so far and will do the best. On Tuesday, the EC gazetted the names of all candidates, their preference numbers, and the polling centres. That signalled the formal start of the polls campaign. Chairman Deshapriya put on a bold front despite the internal rivalry between him and another member, Ratnajeevan Hoole. It became a public secret. His repeated assertions that there was only differences of opinion became a joke. That such friction was delaying the polls date became noticeably clear. Yet, this was glaring not only from Hooles public utterances but also by his decision to make separate submissions to the Supreme Court, independent of the representations by Chairman Deshapriya and other member Nalin Abeysekera. His counsel argued that the date chosen by the Commission to accept nominations for the parliamentary polls was a public holiday a position which the SC did not accept. The date had been arranged by the Presidential Secretariat in consultation with Chairman Deshapriya. Here was a member of an independent commission seeking legal remedy over the actions of his own chairman. This no doubt raises the need for the government to re-examine the role of such independent commissions. It is not only the EC, but even the Police Commission has run into controversy many a time for heeding political directives and transferring personnel. In the light of this, the question is whether they function with total independence or under pressure for different reasons. In the EC it was indeed an unusual case. Not that a member is not entitled to legal redress. But the fact that he did so made public that there was a power play between the chairman and a member. That was a dilemma for Deshapriya since the EC rules stipulated that the trio (who are all EC members) formed the quorum. Therefore, snapping relations would have been anathema for not only Deshapriya but for the entire country. No decisions would have been possible, and a parliamentary election would become uncertain. That was a strong weapon in Hooles armoury. Other sources, however, accuse Deshapriya of going soft on Hoole, a dual citizen of Sri Lanka and the United States, for other reasons. This cold war, these sources said, led not only to delays but also contentious moments when matters have to be decided upon. Thus, many a friction found its way into the public domain. This prompted SLPP-led government leaders to be publicly critical of the goings on in the EC. I asked Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa about the government position. It was before the poll date was officially announced. He told the Sunday Times, All we want from the Election Commission is for it to function, as designated, as an independent body. I have had complaints both from our government members and from the public. These are matters for concern. This is not the time to raise them. We expect them to conduct a free and fair election without further delay. The August 5 parliamentary election is significantly different from the previous ones. One is the devastating effect the Covid-19 pandemic has had on its conduct. Major rallies have been restricted to one for a district and limits imposed on those engaging in house-to-house canvassing and holding pocket meetings. This will be a drawback for leaders of political parties. In the Asian region, charismatic leaders among them not only draw large crowds but also garner more votes. To reach out to electors, they have to now depend largely on the social media, which has seen a heavy surge since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. Already, individuals and companies are taking up a lot of space in the social media offering their services to send out group emails, polls propaganda material and WhatsApp messages for a fee. With the Postal Department not functioning at its optimum, this new trend will enhance the role of the social media. Yet, the media guidelines published in a Gazette by the Election Commission does not make any reference to the social media. It only deals with the electronic and print media. They will thus have a free run unless the Commission comes up with another notification to reign them in. This is because some government and opposition groups are now using them for their poll propaganda. The stances of different political parties will be formally known only when they publish their manifestos. Significant among them will be the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna-led alliance which has vowed to introduce a new constitution. As is now known, opinion is divided among sections over whether the 19th Amendment to the Constitution should be retained, replaced or provisions changed. This has become all the more important since the major opposition contenders, the United National Party (UNP) and its stronger offshoot, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), are now thrust with new issues which could further weaken their positions. Conversely, that would strengthen the SLPP led alliance further, placing it at a more advantageous position. Another factor relevant in this regard is a call by National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa on constitutional changes necessary for the election of a President views he expressed on a television talk show. Weerawansa told the Sunday Times, A future presidential election should be carried out on an electoral basis. This is somewhat similar to the practice in the United States, where an Electoral College elects the President and the Vice President.The modalities have to be worked out to use the electorates as electoral colleges. Even the parliamentary election should be carried out on a similar basis after all the modalities are decided upon. It is well known that Weerawansa is a staunch backer of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He said that he proposed to suggest changes when the matter comes up for discussion. Weerawansas proposal means a marked departure from the existing practice where political parties decide their presidential candidates. Weerawansa also defended the use of the military at times of exigencies and insisted that such moves were not militarisation. Commotion at Sirikotha With the polls ahead, last Monday was not particularly a good day for the UNP with three different meetings scheduled, one after another. The first was an Advisory Group meeting to discuss poll strategy. This was held at Sirikotha, the party headquarters in Kotte. Chaired by leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, it included Assistant Leader Ravi Karunanayake, National Organiser Navin Dissanayake and General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. Immediately thereafter came a meeting of trade union representatives, members of the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS). Former parliamentarian Palitha Range Bandara was on his feet. He had just followed JSS stalwart Sunil Silva who made the welcome speech. Range Bandara said the first meeting was slotted for 8.30 a.m., the second for 9.30 a.m. and the Working Committee at 10.30 a.m. He explained to the Sunday Times what happened. Halfway through my speech, I saw Party Leader Wickremesinghe, General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Assistant Leader Ravi Karunanayake walking in. Soon after attending the meeting, the party leader gave a signal to Akila Viraj Karyawasam and he left the room. Later I learned that the party leader had made the gesture to tell the party General Secretary to prepare a room to hold the Working Committee meeting. After my speech, Wickremesinghe spoke. The meeting concluded and the leader got down from the stage while the partys petroleum sector trade union leader Ananda Palitha delivered a vote of thanks. When Wickremesinghe was heading out of the room, some trade union members who we suspect were under the influence of liquor shouted they wanted to hold a meeting with the party leader. Then the leader agreed and asked them to meet him the next day, on Tuesday, June 09 at 4.00 p.m. at the party head office. Then the trade unionists shouted that they were loyal for so long to the UNP, but their issues were never addressed. They said the leader never spoke to them. There was commotion between the unionists and others. Some eyewitnesses said there were shouts by some unionists thereafter asking Wickremesinghe to step down from the UNP leadership. Range Bandara added; Even after that meeting, I asked them what their demands were. They only said that the government is taking political revenge from UNP members in the state sector. The following day, Wickremesinghe remained at Sirikotha at 4.00 pm waiting for the trade unionists to come but they did not turn up. The third event at Srikotha was a meeting of the UNP Working Committee. Whilst awaiting responses from 99 members who have been suspended, the Committee decided to sack from the party a group of local government members. UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam confirmed the sequence of events spelt out by Range Bandara but claimed it was a small commotion. He declared, We believe that the trade unionists who protested were from the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB). All the blame is now heaped on others including the SJB. That the partys premier trade union organisation is split is all too well known though no one expected such happenings inside Sirikotha. After the imbroglio, the JSS trade unionists had a meeting with SJB leader Sajith Premadasa. That does not augur well for the party leadership. Samaraweera saga On the other hand, the SJB is also in crisis with deepening divisions within. Some of the issues were brought to the fore when Mangala Samaraweera, in his own way a colourful personality, declared he was withdrawing his candidature from the Matara district at the August 5 parliamentary elections. His antagonists were quick to say that he took this course of action knowing full well that he would lose. This is on the premise that groups of his regular voters had complained he was not visiting the electorate as often as he did before. His last position as Finance Minister did tie him down to the job. Added to that was a degree of forced isolation he had been thrust into in the past many months denting his image. It came when he first made the remarks last year that Sri Lanka was not a Sinhala Buddhist country. It did anger the Buddhist clergy in no small measure. More recently, he angered the Buddhist clergy again by criticising them and drawing their ire once more. He defended himself by saying that even during the Lord Buddhas time, there were those who were opposed to him. A former ministerial colleague Lakshman Kiriella criticised him publicly for those remarks and declared he was a liability to the SJB. Similar sentiments were expressed by another newcomer who was associated with former President Maithripala Sirisena. A caucus against him had built up within the SJB. They were dubbing him anti-Buddhist. A lesser known fact is a recent meeting Samaraweera had with SJB leader Sajith Premadasa. Sometimes heated and at other times mellow, Samaraweera discussed the issues he faced within the SJB. He complained that the SJB had veered away from the UNP ideals and was fast turning into a nationalist group. If anyone wanted to become a member of such a group, he had contended, that they would have joined President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and members of his family. He had said it was notnecessary to go behind a duplicate group. Asked for his comments on this, Samaraweera downplayed it. See box story on this page. The focus of this accusation is another political party leader who had now joined the SJB. The person who is acting as his controversial media manager is being accused of carrying out a daily high-pitched propaganda drive that has overshadowed Premadasa and even the SJB. Others in the coterie are said to include a former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and two former provincial councillors. Attanayake, who had differences with leader Wickremesinghe, quit to receive a portfolio from then President Mahinda Rajapaksa ahead of the 2015 presidential election. It is no secret that Samaraweera has been side-lined for many months now. Premadasas contention is that he is a liability and could lessen Buddhist votes for the SJB. For Samaraweera, it is like the Sinhala saying that a man who fell from a tree being gored by a raging bull. Together with Malik Samarawickrema, one time close confidant of Ranil Wickremesinghe, it is Samaraweera who led the campaign to foist Premadasa as leader of the UNP and saw the formation of the SJB. They were backed by a group whom Wickremesinghe has introduced into politics but turned traitor to him thereafter. This was why Premadasas election campaign was placed in the hands of both Samaraweera and Samarawickrema. In reality, they were ousted by others, including those in the family, both in raising campaign funds as well as scheduling public meetings among other matters. One source familiar with the developments said that Premadasa loyalists had pressured Samarawickrema, who lives in Kandy now, to return to Colombo and sort out matters. He had, according to the source, replied that he had distanced himself from politics. This was why he had chosen not to contest parliamentary polls though the SJB had offered to even place his name on its National List. He had wished them best of luck and added that it was now up to the SJB leaders to move forward with the ideals they have all stood for. Samarawickrema was not available for comment yesterday. Samaraweeras formal announcement came in a news release on his letter head. It does raise some interesting questions. First to excerpts: Mangala Samaraweera informs the people of Matara who had courageously provided him protection and placed their confidence in him for three decades that from today (09 June 2020), he steps down from the politics of being a member of parliament. Accordingly, he requests the people of Matara to refrain from casting their preferential votes for him at the upcoming 2020 parliamentary election although his name appears in the electoral list as a candidate from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. He had addressed letters to the leader of the United National Party Ranil Wickremesinghe and the leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya Sajith Premadasa informing them about his decision to refrain from contesting in the parliamentary election. He emphasized that it is necessary to initiate a movement towards a progressive political trajectory in Sri Lanka in partnership with the people in this country who respect democracy, and the different social identities and cultural traditions in the country, and people who are not overwhelmed and consumed by hatred towards one another. He urged the people who are not governed and guided solely by their racial, caste, religious, ethnic and gender identities at birth and those who are free of political, cultural and social hypocrisy to come together and join forces for this purpose. The first thing that is abundantly clear from Samaraweeras statement is that he is disassociating himself from the SJB. Contrary to the belief in some quarters, he is not quitting politics. His appeal to voters is not to cast their vote for him as SJB candidate. It is another matter if he still wins. After all, the announcement of severing ties with the SJB came last Tuesday, the same day the Election Commission gazetted the list of candidates and gave him the preference number. Samaraweera has hinted he wants to join similar minded activists who cherish and are willing to fight for democracy and freedom, racial and religious justice, sexual and gender equality and also to fight against all forms of extremism and religious bigotry. That would mean joining hands with a civil society group and remaining in politics that way. But for how long? The prospect of him returning to home base, the UNP, is one thing he had not ruled out. He told the Sunday Times that whether he is sacked or not, he is a UNPer at heart. That could be a cause for the UNP to invite him. After all, they expect like minded persons to join in. Thus, Samaraweera like the UNP and its stronger offshoot the SJB, will remain in the countrys political firmament. However, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has sprung up like a maara tree overshadowing them. August 5 is sure to reveal its further outreach and more importantly the fate of the UNP and the SJB as they continue the infighting. The whole system is now rotten to the core: Mangala Thirty-two years ago, Mangala Samaraweera accompanied his mother Khema, to a wedding of a family friend in Colombo. They mingled around with the guests and came face to face with Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the first woman Prime Minister in the world. A conversation ensued. Do you have any plans to enter politics like your father, late Mahanama Samaraweera? asked Bandaranaike. I said a firm no, recalls Samaraweera. He said, I was making a name for myself in the world of fashion as Mangala Innocence. That was not to be. I used to visit Matara regularly. Many women came with the woes of their sons, husbands, relatives, or friends who had gone missing (due to the JVP insurrection). They brought letters to be handed over to Premier Bandaranaike. Their anguish changed my mind. As a young idealistic person, I believed I could make a difference, he told the Sunday Times. I entered politics. I became an MP in 1989 and the Mothers Front was formed at my residence in Matara. With me together at that time was now Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. We were co-convenors, he said. Dr Manorani Saravanamuthu was to later become the Patron of the Front. This week Samaraweera urged voters in the Matara District not to cast their vote for him. He is dissociating himself from the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) A fearless politician, he has been mired in many a controversy in recent months. Samaraweera spoke to the Sunday Times. Here are excerpts of the exclusive interview: CLAIMS BY OPPONENTS THAT HE CHOSE NOT TO CONTEST DUE TO FEARS HE WOULD LOSE: Defeat is always a possibility in any political journey; I too have faced many defeats, both political as well as personal over the years but I have never run away from impending defeat. I have always used defeat as a springboard for my next triumph. I have been continuously returned to Parliament at every general election since 1989 and as the only Finance Minister from Matara since Ronnie de Mel, I have done an enormous amount of development over the last several years and I feel that I could have surpassed my own record of 118,000 votes in 2004 this time. However, I feel that the whole system is now rotten to the core. Parliament has now become a virtual safe house for dubious criminal elements. It has now become irrelevant and impotent in the face of the executive encroaching on the legislature and a deeply divided opposition suffering from an identity crisis, ignoring/avoiding the burning challenges of the day including an economy in shambles, a democracy at the throes of militarization and a policy of majoritarianism openly espoused by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime. In this context, the fight for democracy and other such values we cherish as a civilised society will have to be fought not on the floor of Parliament but in cyberspace and in the cities, towns and villages of Sri Lanka. He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day. ON HIS DISCUSSION WITH SAJITH PREMADASA: Sajith is an honest, capable and an efficient political leader. Budget allocations to his ministry were always a pleasure because I knew that the money given by the Finance Ministry would be well spent in an efficient manner. However, in the SJB many people were not too comfortable with my liberal democratic values and some want the front to be a poor imitation of the SLPP instead of forging a distinct identity based on its UNP roots. ON HOLDING DIVERGENT VIEWS WITHIN SJB: With the advent of Mahinda Rajapakse to the SLFP leadership, the party moved away from its centrist policies which led to my departure from the party in 2008. I then started working closely with the UNP and especially with Ranil Wickremesinghe because of his liberal democratic credentials. Despite the unfortunate divisions within the UNP, I passionately believe that the founding principles of the UNP are more relevant than ever to Sri Lanka today. Unfortunately, the UNP too is suffering from an identity crisis which I believe started with the defeat of Sir John Kotalawela in 1956. In fact l believe that it was in Sir Johns era that the UNP policies were at its zenith with the economy booming(the last time Sri Lankas primary balance was in surplus until we went into surplus again in 2017) and our foreign relations excellent. Since then the secular mindset of the original UNP was lost and replaced by the PanchaMahaBalawegaya mindset let loose by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. That terrible genie has yet to be put back in the bottle despite valiant attempts by both J.R. Jayewardene and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. ON CRITICISING RANIL WICKREMESINGHE: No, I have never said that Wickremesinghe should not be criticized; in fact, I have been very critical to his face at several occasions. However, I still believe that he is the only leader with a democratic forward-looking vision left in the UNP despite his lack of populist appeal. It is a pity because he would make a good leader for Sri Lanka. ON THE FORMATION OF THE SJB: At the Working Committee of the UNP, I proposed along with Malik Samarawickrama and Kabir Hashim the formula which led to the formation of the alliance; it was a formula to keep the UNP intact with Wickremesinghe continuing as party leader while Premadasa was going to lead a new alliance and be its prime ministerial candidate. We never anticipated the alliance to be a separate entity. The party symbol became a bone of contention and on both sides of the divide there were elements who were hell bent on breaking this great party and some of us, with the best of intentions became party to this breakup. Even though it is too late now, I hope the two factions will get together after the elections. ON SJB LEADER NOT CONSULTING HIM: There were too many levels of command and too much of micromanagement. ON RE-JOINING THE UNP: Being UNP does not mean carrying a membership card or having a place in the working committee; I will always remain a UNPer at heart and fight for the liberal democratic values it represents. THOUGHTS ON THE ECONOMY AS FORMER FINANCE MINISTER: Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented crisis economically, politically, and socially. Sri Lankas economy is now in shambles; having inherited an economy in the ICU gasping for breath in 2015; we nursed it back to a reasonably stable situation with strict fiscal discipline and achieved a surplus in our primary accounts for the first time since 1953. The tax cuts implemented after the election and the total lack of fiscal discipline of the new regime had already made the economy very fragile when the virus struck Sri Lanka and it may well be the coup de grace of our economy with large scale unemployment and widespread poverty expected. External debt payments between now and December are $3.2b and foreign reserves are fast dwindling from $7.2b. The sovereign credit rating has been downgraded twice in the last six months. Also, Sri Lankas democratic framework is under severe pressure. Covid-19 has been used as a smokescreen to subvert the democratic process with politico-military subversion masquerading as patriotic nationalism, social discipline, and national security. The militarisation project is also being accelerated. In the absence of a strong opposition to counter these rapidly mounting threats to our way of life, I would like to join similar minded activists who cherish and are willing to fight for democracy and freedom, racial and religious justice, sexual and gender equality and also to fight against all forms of extremism and religious bigotry. (Reuters) - Facebook's acquisition of popular GIF website Giphy is being scrutinized by the United Kingdom's competition watchdog for possibly reducing competition. The parent of messaging app WhatsApp bought Giphy, a popular website for making and sharing animated images, or GIFs, in May to integrate it with its rapidly growing photo-sharing app, Instagram. Facebook is now pausing the integration, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. "We are prepared to show regulators that this acquisition is positive for consumers, developers, and content creators alike," the company said in a statement on Friday. According to Facebook, 50% of Giphy's traffic comes from Facebook's apps, with half of that coming from Instagram. While a formal probe is yet to begin, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) earlier this week served Facebook with an initial enforcement order and on Friday began the first stage of an investigation, inviting comments on the transaction from any interested party. (https://bit.ly/2B0CX4s) Giphy sought to quell some of the concerns in a statement. "Everyone will continue to have the same access to GIPHY. We look forward to demonstrating how this partnership is a win for our users, partners, and content creators," it said. The deal, pegged at around $400 million by news website Axios, came through as Facebook was already under scrutiny over antitrust concerns, and the company is now taking fire for its decision to not challenge inflammatory posts by U.S. President Donald Trump. Some advocacy groups had already raised concerns when the deal was announced and Facebook had then said that Giphy's integrations with other social platforms like Twitter, Snapchat and ByteDance's TikTok would not change. (Reporting by Shanima A, Pushkala Aripaka, Munsif Vengattil and Elizabeth Culliford; Editing by Maju Samuel and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) At least 81 killed in Boko Haram attack in Nigeria; civilians shot, bodies run over Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Authorities in the Borno state of Nigeria said Wednesday that at least 81 people were killed in an attack on a nomadic community believed to have been carried out by militants aligned with the Islamic extremist groups Boko Haram or Islamic State West Africa Province. The Borno government in northeast Nigeria released a statement Wednesday explaining that residents described how militants in armored tanks and trucks attacked the Faduma Kolomdi community in the Gubio local government area on Tuesday morning. Along with killing dozens in the community, it's believed that the militants also abducted seven individuals, including the head of the village, and women and children. A video posted on social media shows dead bodies scattered out across a dirt field. These are not Animals, they are human being kills by Boko Haram insurgents in the village of Gubio local gov't of Borno state. President @MBuhari, you were voted to protect the lives and properties of the electorates, these people need your attention, they too are human. pic.twitter.com/AngROLEIyh Abubakar Sadiq Kurbe (@iamKurbe) June 10, 2020 The incident reportedly lasted hours. Borno State Gov. Babagana Umara Zulum traveled to the community on Wednesday in the wake of the attack. According to the government's statement, a male witness told the governor that the armed men came to the village at around 10 a.m. on Tuesday. They gathered us and said they wanted to deliver religious sermon to us, the unnamed resident was quoted as saying in the statement. They asked us to submit whatever arm we had. Some villagers gave up their dane guns, bow and arrows. The survivor said the militants then began shooting at will. Even children and women were not spared, many were shot at close range, the man said. Many started running. Five people were evacuated to a hospital for treatment, according to the state. We have buried 49 corpses here while another 32 corpses were taken away by families from the villages around us, the resident said. The insurgents abducted seven persons including our village head. They went away with 400 cattle. A resident of a nearby village also verified what the survivor told Zulum, the government said. Zulum described the attack as barbaric and unfortunate. He also noted that around the same number of individuals were killed in an attack last year in Gajiram. The only solution to end this massacre is by dislodging the insurgents in the shores of Lake Chad, the governor said. Doing so will require collaborative regional efforts. The Nigerian government has faced criticism over its inability to thwart attacks on civilians carried out by Islamic extremist groups, including Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province. While the Borno governments statement placed blame on Boko Haram militants, other reports have implicated militants aligned with ISWAP. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Since its insurgency began over a decade ago, Boko Haram has killed and abducted thousands and displaced millions from their homes. The group has killed Muslims and Christians. In 2016, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State but splintered soon after amid disagreements over leadership. According to the government, the militants did not set the Gubio village on fire as often happens during their attacks. There are also fears that the death toll could be higher than 81. "The bodies were strewn over a large area as the insurgents pursued their victims, shooting them and crushing them with their vehicles," Ibrahim Liman, a member of a government-backed anti-jihadist militia, told AFP on Wednesday. He said the death toll was around 69. Gubio resident Modu Ajimi told The Washington Post that he lost four cousins in Tuesday's attack. He found their dead bodies in the dirt field. Their bodies bore a bullet hole in almost every part, Ajimi said. The coronavirus pandemic has not stopped Boko Haram or ISWAP from carrying out attacks against villages in both Borno and Adamawa in recent months. The Nigerian government has also faced criticism from international activists for failing to thwart attacks in Middle Belt states where thousands have been displaced. The most essential responsibility of any government is the protection of its own citizens, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Commissioner Johnnie Moore, an evangelical human rights advocate, wrote in a tweet. Nigerias government keeps failing at this. It is time for the U.S., U.K., [European Union] and others to evaluate every single area of cooperation until the Nigerians fix this. According to The Washington Post, ISWAP has continued to stage attacks on Army bases and is collecting taxes from residents in villages where it's attempting to take control. The International Crisis Group reported last year that ISWAPs approach to law and order is extraordinarily harsh and violent. It metes out the full range of punishments it believes the Quran to mandate, including cutting off the hands of alleged thieves and killing adulterers, though some units are reportedly more lenient than others, a May 2019 report states. It meets perceived threats to its fiscal base (fishing without authorization, failure to pay requisite taxes) and security (using mobile phones in areas where they are forbidden, which is interpreted as spying) with brutal beatings, sometimes even executions. Nigeria is listed on the U.S. State Department's watch list of countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom. Advocates in the U.S. are calling for the appointment of a special envoy to assess the human rights crises in Nigeria. In Nigeria, ISIS and Boko Haram continue to attack Muslims and Christians alike, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday. ISIS beheaded 10 Christians in that country just this past December. Sri Lanka looks to setting up virtual courthouse in this age of new normal View(s): A demonstration of a new online platform for the court system in Sri Lanka to ensure that courts continue functioning in the age of COVID-19 was held on Friday at the Colombo Law Library before members of the judiciary, lawyers and probable sponsors. The online platform was developed by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) in partnership with the Colombo Law Library and supported by the Colombo Law Society. The online system will function as a virtual courthouse, Secretary of the Colombo Law Library Shivan Coorey said, speaking at the demonstration. It would permit cases to be heard remotely with the use of Video Conferencing technology. The aim of the projects first phase is to minimise the number of people coming to the courthouse for their own safety, Mr Coorey added. The software for this project has been completed by SLT free of charge and is ready to be handed over to the Judicial Service Commission, he said. The project will first be trialed in higher courts in the Colombo district before being expanded to lower courts and then to courts in other districts. The final objective is to automate the entire judicial system of the country, officials elaborated. The Virtual Hearing Solution will have separate interfaces for judges and lawyers. It has been developed with simplicity and ease of use in mind ensuring that the practice followed in court houses is aptly digitized as is giving lawyers an easy transition from the present routine at court. Upon registration, lawyers will be presented options to enter a Virtual Court Room of Choice which leads to a Video Conference Interface with the Judges of the respective courts which will be visible to all. When a case is called, Counsels related to the case will then be permitted to present themselves on video and audio to the Judge to make their application. A broadcast of the same will also be made available to the public, it was noted at the demonstration. EUs Ambassador to Sri Lanka Denis Chaibi stated that the countrys judiciary was one of the major institutions that ensure stability even in times of trouble. He requested all present to support the project. Acting Solicitor General Sanjaya Rajaratnam, PC, High Court Judges Sampath Wijeratne, Ahsan Marikar and Frank Gunawardhana, Colombo District Judge Amali Ranaweera, Colombo Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne, Frank Hess (Head of Cooperation, European Union), Dinesha De Silva (Country Representative, The Asia Foundation), Dr. Ramani Jayasundere (Director Gender and Justice, The Asia Foundation) Tania Perera (Communication/Visibility and Media Officer European Union), Sonali Wijekoon (Chief Legal Officer, Sri Lanka Telecom), Prabath Ambegoda (Chief Corporate and Digital Projects, Sri Lanka Telecom), Rohan Sahabandu P. C., Chandaka Jayasundere P. C., Avindra Rodrigo P. C., Rajeev Amarasuriya (Secretary, Bar Association of Sri Lanka) and Vijaya Gamage (President, Colombo Law Society) were also present at the demonstration. Two babies have died from suspected drug overdoses in the same area where toddler Mason Jet Lee died at the hands of his ice-addicted stepfather. Nurses say a one and two-year-old were killed in separate tragedies at different households on the northern outskirts of Brisbane just two days apart. The disturbing incidents have once again raised questions about Queensland's Child Safety department and its ability to protect vulnerable children. The disturbing case of Mason Jet Lee (pictured) shocked Australia in 2016 when it was revealed he suffered horrific abuse at the hands of his ice-addicted stepfather The series of deaths all occurred near Caboolture, north of Brisbane (above) A nurse's note said a one-year-old was found dead on May 11 at Morayfield from a possible amphetamine overdose, The Courier Mail reported. 'We have been told he couldn't find his mum so he ran to the neighbour's house across the road and asked a woman to phone Triple 0,' the nurse was quoted saying. 'When the ambulance arrived the child was not breathing. The mother was nowhere to be found. The ambulance did not transport the boy because he had already died.' Just two days later, a two-year-old in Caboolture was rushed to hospital in similar circumstances. 'He subsequently passed away in Caboolture hospital from suspected methamphetamine poisoning,' the nurse said. Queensland police told Daily Mail Australia both matters are under investigation and that no charges have been laid. Two babies have died from suspected drug overdoses in the same area where toddler Mason Jet Lee was killed. Pictured: Caboolture hospital Police would not speculate whether the children are believed to have ingested the drugs by accident or were administered the illicit substances deliberately. The horrifying cases come just days after the Queensland Government finally released a confidential 17-page report into the circumstances surrounding the 2016 death of toddler Mason Jet Lee. The 22-month-old died at his Caboolture home after being punched in the stomach by his stepfather William O'Sullivan so hard it ruptured his small intestine. O'Sullivan and his mother Anne-Maree Lee then left the baby boy to die in his room and were subsequently jailed for manslaughter, child cruelty and failing to seek medical treatment offences. An autopsy also revealed Mason suffered a long history of abuse including the displacement of his large bowel and rectum, a fractured coccyx and tibia, 46 bruises to his body, mouth and ear ulcers, head trauma and various other injuries. Traces of ice where also discovered in Mason's blood. O'Sullivan was initially jailed for nine years but a successful appeal by the Crown increased his time behind bars to 12 years. Lee was sentenced to nine years in prison. William O'Sullivan (right) and Mason's mother Anne Maree Lee (left) pleaded guilty to manslaughter after failing to get the toddler medical treatment An autopsy conducted on Mason found his death was caused by the infection, but that he had numerous other injuries indicating he had been severely mistreated for some time Deputy state coroner Jane Bentley took aim at Queensland's Child Safety department when she handed down her findings in the Brisbane Coroners Court on Tuesday. 'The handling of Mason's case was a failure in nearly every possible way,' she said. 'I conclude that the department failed in its duty to protect Mason from the risk of serious harm that he faced in the months prior to his death. 'Indeed, it is difficult to find any step taken in this case that was carried out in accordance with policies and procedures and correctly documented. 'The fact that the Ethical Standards Unit found that 21 employees of the department involved in Mason's case (10 at CCSSC and a further 11 employees involved in intakes) failed to carry out their duties appropriately is indicative of the scale of the failure.' New York: The Duchess of Sussex's best friend has been fired from two television roles in America and Canada after "threatening" a black lifestyle blogger in a row over white privilege. Jessica Mulroney, who attended Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding, was fired on Thursday night from the CTV reality show I Do, Redo for remarks she made to Sasha Exeter during an argument about "speaking up" against racism that had Exeter "paralysed in fear". Jessica Mulroney arrives at the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, near London, England. Credit:AP The controversy has seen the network remove Mulroney's show from its channels, saying her "recent conduct... conflicts with our commitment to diversity and equality". Mulroney also presented a fashion segment for ABC's Good Morning America, which cut ties with her as well on Friday. NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP >> Newtown Township will be applying for federal funding to bolster its career firefighting force. And its crossing its fingers and hoping the third times a charm. At its Jan. 12 meeting, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to resubmit its SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to... Times Square on Monday. (View press/Corbis via Getty Images) Brett Tiede stood by himself Wednesday morning in the cavernous main hall of Grand Central Station, tossing his hat into the air with one hand and catching it with the other. As an usher for the Metro North commuter rail line, he is used to being jostled, yelled at and badgered for directions by many of the roughly 750,000 transit riders who rush through the station on a normal day. But the coronavirus outbreak had turned Grand Central into a ghost town, its famed celestial ceiling looming over just a handful of masked riders and two National Guard troops stationed in front of a shuttered ticket booth. New York City was missing its people and Tiede wasn't sure whether they would all come back. Life here has always been a grind, a trade-off in which space and privacy are sacrificed for endless cultural offerings, food from all over the map and the feeling that you're in the center of it all in the bright, beating heart of the universe. But as New York began the first phase of its reopening this week and residents cautiously began to emerge from lockdown, they found a changed city. Key drivers of the economy Broadway, museums and many hotels, shops and restaurants remain closed. Subways and buses are still largely empty, bereft of office workers, students and tourists. In neighborhoods where Black Lives Matter protests have been occurring daily, stores remain boarded up to protect from break-ins. Many of the city's wealthiest residents left long ago for their country homes. Now the less fortunate are contemplating whether there is still a place for them here. Police officers notify a man that the Coney Island, Stillwell Terminal is closed May 6. (Frank Franklin II / Associated Press) The virus has already killed more than 17,000 New Yorkers, and Tiede wonders what will happen if it surges again. He wonders whether some jobs may be lost forever, and whether it makes sense to pay New York City rent when he can't access New York City perks. "Youre telling me I cant go to a bar, a show or a ball game? Come on, man," said Tiede, whose railroad used to ferry 300,000 people in from the suburbs each day, but this week had a daily ridership of just 20,000. Story continues Tiede has lived in the city eight years, and had planned to stay at least two more in order to be vested for a pension before returning to his native Buffalo. But the coronavirus, which killed people he knew, convinced him to call it quits sooner. He plans to move home in July. New York hasn't changed entirely. It's still a magical meeting point for people from every part of the planet. Go to one of thousands of bodegas and you might still hear an old woman who was born in Russia barking orders "More butter"! to a young man behind the counter who was born in Mexico while a customer born in Vietnam orders his bagel sandwich in Spanglish: El bacon crispy por favor." You'll still hear people talking loudly on the phone, oblivious to those around them: I wore the mask, right? But this guy was sneezing. A lot. Now what could that mean? But there is fear, too. Kitchen workers wear masks at Little Tong Noodle Shop. (John Minchillo / Associated Press) A statewide moratorium on evictions has been in place since March, but renters will be expected to pay back-rent once it expires Aug. 20. Soup kitchens say they are now feeding not just homeless people but also graduate students and down-on-their-luck actors. Lenci Licona, a 40-year-old construction worker from Honduras, said a prayer Monday morning when he stepped aboard a Manhattan-bound train. Construction and manufacturing were officially reopened, and Licona, who spent three months holed up in his cramped Bronx apartment watching bills pile up and his bank balance dwindle, was thankful to be back on the job. But the subway, thought to have been a major vector for the virus, scared him. "People are so stressed out," he said. "Thats the truth, were all afraid." In Times Square, street vendors who used to hawk knickknacks to tourists now sell Black Lives Matter T-shirts and face masks. Corporate advertising has shifted to messaging about the coronavirus and national race relations. A towering digital billboard flashes a message from Samsung: "Well get through this together." But some here wonder: Will we? New York has bounced back from harrowing events before. Less than 20 years ago it was the main target in the worst-ever foreign attack on American soil. But 9/11 and the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center were a single event that served to unify much of the city. The coronavirus is different. It demands people keep their distance from one another. And it has helped fuel a passionate civil rights movement that has in some ways divided the city. Protests here over the the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, in police custody in Minneapolis have left some New Yorkers feeling conflicted. Lily Ng, 36, who runs a vegan grocery store on the edge of Chinatown, said she has many Black customers and is sympathetic to protesters' demands but she also has police officers in her family and feels uncomfortable with calls to defund the NYPD. So she tries to avoid the topic entirely. The demonstrations taking place here, like similar actions across the nation, are raw and often painful. At a recent event in Lower Manhattan, family members of more than a dozen victims of police shootings shared their stories, their voices bouncing off the limestone walls of City Hall. Hundreds of protesters stood listening in the 87-degree heat for two hours before beginning to march. As they turned north on Broadway passing boarded up Lululemon and Prada stores, many drivers who were forced to stop honked their horns and raised their fists in support. One woman turned off her car and climbed up through her sunroof to raise a Black Lives Matter sign. Yannik Stevens, 27, was overwhelmed. A florist from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts who moved to New York three years ago, he said he never knew how long he would last in the city in part because the national political climate made him, a queer Black man, feel unwelcome. But the protests, which at times had a hopeful, even festival-like quality, had given him hope. Every out-of-work young person he knew had become a full-time organizer for change. Maybe there is a future here for people like me," he said. Life is less changed in the city's four outer boroughs, where residents linger on their stoops late into the night, playing dice and drinking beer as the summer's first fireflies light up the sky. But the island of Manhattan, which has always been a commuter mecca, is quieter than it ever has been. A boarded up store is seen in Times Square on Monday in New York City. The city began the first phase of reopening after nearly three months of being shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Kena Betancur / VIEW press Corbis via Getty Images) "I never thought Id miss tourists but I do," said Michael Brogan, 68, a former Broadway performer who lives in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, a normally bustling zone. During lockdown, loneliness set in. "I would start drinking at 3 or 4 p.m. and then watch or stream things until 3 or 4 in the morning," he said. "And then I'd repeat." For one of the first times since the pandemic took hold here, he got on the subway on a recent afternoon, taking the E train to Washington Square. The subway was cleaner than he had ever seen it in his 50 years living in New York, thanks to overnight disinfections the city has implemented to fight the virus. He strolled to one of the city's oldest gay bars, Julius', which has been serving drinks to customers who order from the sidewalk. Make it extra strong! he implored the bartender, Adan Garcia. He didn't have to say what he wanted Garcia knows his drink is a gin and soda. In nearby Christopher Street Park, Brogan said hello to Simone McKay, a drag performer who has been giving impromptu performances there. "We all feel like weve been in 'The Twilight Zone,' like a nuclear bomb had hit the city," McKay said. "People miss their lives. They want their lives back." When Brogan moved on to talk to someone else, McKay turned back to her friend, Michael Strachan, and continued explaining why the lockdown had been so difficult. "I mean I was trapped in an apartment with somebody I hate," she said. "Thats a hell of a time for you to realize you hate somebody!" Strachan exclaimed. A third-generation New Yorker, Strachan, 62, has survived cancer and HIV. He was sick with COVID-19 and survived it too. He said New York City will do the same. "This city has survived the Civil War and the pandemic of 1918," he said. "It's survived stock market crashes, World War II, blackouts, several financial crises and 9/11. "We've survived more than any city in the country," he said. "And we're still standing." New Delhi, June 13 : The Reconstruction Period (1865-77) that followed the conclusion of the American Civil War gave rise to the pejorative term Carpetbaggers to describe politicians and financial adventurers from the Northern Confederate states who descended on the South to reap from the devastation the conflict had caused. Sharply dressed and riding a horse with their belongings tied up in an elongated bundle (the carpetbag) that they carried behind them on the stirrup, Indians first became aware of the tribe after watching "Gone With The Wind" when one of these individuals descends on Tara and is shot dead by Melanie Wilkes (Olivia de Havilland), one of the two women left to guard the property along with Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), as he rummages through the devastated mansion. The website vocabularly.com describes a carpetbagger thus: "An outsider who pretends to be an insider...he's a person who tries to take advantage of a group by joining it only for his own personal benefit". Harold Robbins tellingly wrote about the breed in his 1961 novel "The Carpetbaggers) - later turned into a hugely successful film - focusing on the movie industry as the exploited territory and the interloper being the wealthy heir to an industrial fortune, who, like Howard Hughes, faltered in his pursuit of aviation and moviemaking. Thus, can you blame Indian authors for being the modern day avatars of this tribe? One emerged early this century. His novels sell like hotcakes and some of whom have been translated into Bollywood scripts. He says he doesn't care a fig of his books don't go down in history or figure in the Top Ten lists as long as they sell and he makes money. What is surprising is the attempt of author-columnist Shobhaa De to cash in on the lockdown forced by the coronavirus pandemic and whose slow lifting is causing more pain than it was when first imposed in late March. But then, is the cart being put before the horse? The first two sentences of the Note by the publisher, Simon&Schuster, in both the first two volumes of her collection of short stories, "Lockdown Liaisons" has this to say: "Cocooned in our small little worlds yet living through the most precarious and awful times - this has got to be a first in the collective memory of the whole wide world. Untouched by the footsteps of migrant workers in the hot sun we rave and rant on social media." The third sentence is far, far removed from reality because the social media is replete with postings of how these migrant workers are groaning under the burden of returning home after the loss of jobs in urban areas consequent to the lockdown. Collectively, they only point to the deep schisms created in Indian society between the haves and the have nots that are not remotely likely to be bridged in the months to come. The author, it would seem, took these three sentences as a carte blanche in the name of what is euphemistically termed "artistic freedom" to stand a tragedy of untold proportions on its head in a language that makes one shudder. Sample these initial paragraphs from the opening story in the first volume: "Life sucks. But at the moment, I am very angry. With Anirudh. Had he not been selfish and used a condom that night, we would not have had Natasha to worry about during this fucking pandemic. We would have managed, somehow. Such a ***! We hardly exchange a word anymore. I see him on that bloody couch all day, playing some idiotic game or the other. Nobody calls. Well... nobody phones me, either! Even requests for Insta Live have dried up - people know nothing is going on as far as new projects go. "I have so many sexy ideas for a new series... but where's the ... money to make anything? All those telly stars who would WhatsApp 24x7, with meaningless stuff like, 'Hey Sweetie... lovely DP! Keep me in mind if you're working on something.' And then those emojis! Ufffff... But I miss even that rubbish. Now it's making sure Natasha doesn't stick her baby fingers into sockets. Since we had a no-baby deal - or so I thought - our flat was not baby proofed. Now, who'll come to our building during this *** lockdown?"How far would one go on reading beyond this? And the language? Is this going to be the new normal? For the record, there is the story of a woman who is sick of taking care of the house and her husband and baby, there is a migrant worker who has to choose between his lover and family as he gets ready to trek to his village hundreds of miles away, there is a woman torn between family and what she owes herself and there is a man who can't deal with his wife's denial of his sexual needs in these times of stress. What, however the stories fail to do is capture the angst of the innumerable victims of the present times as mothers struggle to find milk for their babies or for even one square meal a day to feed their famished families. At the bottom line, it amounts to making a virtue out of tragedy - and couching it as a "literary" work. Then, there is the manner in which the two volumes have been released. The first was done quietly on ecommerce sites last month, the second at a "conversation" Friday night on the publisher's YouTube channel and Twitter handle between the author and - hold your breath - and actor Sonu Sood. This reminds me of a photograph of Gregory Peck and Dev Anand that a leading film magazine carried many, many years ago and captioned "Don't They Look Alike". The very next issue carried this riposte: "Are you complimenting Dev Anand or insulting Gregory Peck?" Draw your own conclusions, but keep in mind these lyrics from the Jim Reeves song "When Two Worlds Collide": "Your world was so different/From mine don't you see/We just couldn't be close/ Though we tried. We both reached for heavens/But ours weren't the same/That's what happens/When two worlds collide." (Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in. The views expressed are personal.) Update, June 14 at 4:18 p.m.: Lisa Alexander has issued an apology to James Juanillo."I did not realize at the time that my actions were racist and have learned a painful lesson," she wrote in a statement shared by ABC7 on Sunday. Read more here. --- Lisa Alexander, a skin care CEO from San Francisco, is coming under fire after a video posted to Twitter shows her confronting a man for writing "Black Lives Matter" on his front retaining wall. Alexander alleged he did not own the property. The video was uploaded to Twitter by user @jaimetoons later identified as San Francisco resident James Juanillo by social media intelligence agency Storyful on Thursday, and has since racked up over seven million views. "A white couple call the police on me, a person of color, for stencilling a #BLM chalk message on my own front retaining wall," Juanillo tweeted. "'Karen' lies and says she knows that I dont live in my own house, because she knows the person who lives here." For those unfamiliar with the "Karen" meme, Dictionary.com defines the term as "a mocking slang term for an entitled, obnoxious, middle-aged white woman.... often asking to speak to retail and restaurant managers to voice complaints or make demands, and being a nagging, often divorced mother from Generation X." In the video, Alexander and another person identified only as "Robert" can be seen asking Juanillo if he owns the property he's writing the message on. Juanillo says, "If I did live here and it was my property, this would be absolutely fine? And you don't know if I live here or if this is my property?" Alexander is then dared to call the police, with Juanillo stating he "would be more than happy to talk to them." He later told Storyful, "The police came and recognized me immediately as a resident of the house and left without getting out of their patrol car. I didnt even show them my ID." After the video went viral, individuals on Nextdoor identified the woman as Lisa Alexander of Pacific Heights. Alexander is the founder of LA FACE, an independent skin care line that described itself on its now-removed website as an "anti-aging luxury natural and organic VEGAN skincare line [that] is extremely effective for all skin types." A Twitter account under the name of "Lisa C. Alexander" has since tweeted, and deleted the following message seemingly acknowledging Juanillo owns the property: I asked if he lived there because if he had said yes then everything would have been fine as it was his property. Being a good neighbor is important where everyone takes care of each other. It is too bad he took it in a different direction. The fallout has been swift. The "Lisa C. Alexander" Twitter account has since been deleted, as has the LA FACE website. Birchbox, a distributor of the LA FACE line, announced via Twitter it has "officially cut ties with" Alexander. "We condemn the actions of Lisa Alexander," Birchbox tweeted. "We have not worked with LA FACE for several years & as a result of the CEOs actions today have officially cut ties with them. Weve removed their products from our website & will not be working with them in the future." Juanillo also noted that he wrote the message in removable chalk. "When did chalk art become 'defacing' property?" he tweeted. "Cause then I got some kindergarteners outside committing all kinds of crime right now that Karen can heroically bust!" Eric Ting is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting A rally held Friday afternoon in Huntsvilles Big Spring Park that was billed as a Unity Assembly became instead a visible reminder of the fissures splitting a community thats still grappling with the use of police force on protesters last week. About 50 attendees showed up at the unity rally, organized by a nurse named Frederick Richardson and attended by Mayor Tommy Battle, Huntsville City Councilman Will Culver, local clergy and a handful of off-duty Huntsville police officers, along with members of the community. But another 50 counter-protesters also showed up, holding large posters of photos taken at protests in Huntsville last week where police used tear gas and fired rubber bullets at protesters. We do not believe a unity march is appropriate until the cops apologize for what happened on Wednesday when tear gas and rubber bullets were used by police to disperse peaceful protesters in downtown Huntsville, said Damar Thomas, a counter-protester and an organizer with a local group called ENUF. Theyre still trying to justify and defend their actions, he said of the city and police department. They cant talk about unity until they acknowledge what they did to their citizens. Before the rally, Huntsville Police Chief Mark McMurray told local media his department is reviewing police video from last weeks protest. He has previously defended the departments use of tear gas and pepper spray to break up protests downtown last week. McMurray told media that the departments legal team is also reviewing recommendations from the local Citizens Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform group, which spoke at Thursday nights city council meeting. Were putting out a message that we can do more together than we can separate, he told local media. Both sides need to talk and both sides need to listen. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. Richardson, the unity rally organizer, spoke to the crowd about the need for prayer and action in the face of racial injustice. Battle and others also spoke about the need for change. A minister from Oakwood University Church, Dr. Carlton Byrd, drew applause from the crowd. We must continue to speak out, we must continue to protest, and we must continue to march, he said. Freedom comes out of agitation. The event also included eight minutes and 45 seconds of silence in memory of George Floyd and a performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing. When Culver spoke, his unity message was booed several times. He said he wanted protesters to know the police were not their enemy, and wanted police to know protesters were not their enemies. We want to support your right to come out and protest, he told the crowd. Then why did we get gassed? shouted a counter-protester. He talked about taking down the metaphorical barricades between police and protesters. You put up the barricades! interjected a protester, referring to large barriers that were erected ahead of protests last week at the courthouse and in front of its confederate statue. Culver later met with counter-protesters after the rally, where the conversation turned to police brutality and racial discrimination. Weve got to revisit and revise police training, he told the group, though he did not go into detail on what that would entail. Once speeches concluded, about 50 rally attendees, including the mayor, participated in a subdued march down Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, named for the local civil rights leader. The march had none of the chanting or energy seen at previous protests. The counter-protesters did not join, instead remaining in the park, waiting for a chance to speak with city representatives after the event. Reporter Starr Dunigan contributed to this story. VANCOUVERAfter drug overdoses claimed the most victims in one month in British Columbias history, the provinces safe supply must grow substantially to provide enough for users, advocates say. Donald MacPherson, director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, said at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic there was speculation for a few days that the supply would simply dry up, due to the closed Canada-U.S. border. Time has shown otherwise. The notion that the drug supply had stopped at the border was not true, MacPherson said. I think it was disrupted for a short period of time, and then it adapted to the situation. The adaptation has come in the form of deadlier drugs as people mix a strained supply with other ingredients, according to B.C. authorities. Other provinces are seeing a similar trend, MacPherson said. In a Friday phone call with counterparts providing services and harm reduction to drug users across Canada, he said, it was reported that overdoses are up in several provinces, including Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Thursdays report that May was B.C.s deadliest month for overdoses dismayed a province battered by almost 4,500 deaths since 2016, just as B.C. was making progress in reducing the fatality rate. The B.C. coroners office released a report this past week saying 170 people died from overdoses last month, compared with 76 in February. The May number is 93 per cent higher than a year earlier. The previous high was 161 in December 2016, and the figures had been trending down steadily. In an emotional statement, the provinces minister of mental health and addictions, Judy Darcy, described the drug supply in the province as incredibly toxic and called for users to have a plan in place, including testing their supply and knowing the signs of an overdose. On Friday, Darcy told the Star that, according to the B.C. Coroners Service, the increase in deaths is largely the result of the mixing of fentanyl. Another factor is the isolation that comes with the need for physical distancing during the pandemic. Addiction, loneliness, is the opposite of connection and connection is a critical part of finding a pathway to hope, she said. People have been isolated and on their own, and if youre already struggling with a mental health issue those can become more acute. Darcy added that the province will continue to expand safe drug supply programs, which were pushed for in March, and harm-reduction initiatives. MacPherson praised those measures, but said the program needs to expand by 50-fold to supply opioids and other drugs safely to the provinces estimated 50,000 users. Its a good innovation in a very difficult moment, he said, but its a bit of a drop in the bucket in terms of a robust response. He said the real cause of the crisis is poisoned drugs and that Canada as a whole must address the issue. B.C. chief coroner Lisa Lapointe has urged the federal government to take bold action on the overdose epidemic, as it has with COVID-19. With files from The Canadian Press Read more about: New Delhi: The country on Tuesday bid tearful adieu to the 18 bravehearts who were martyred in the deadly terrorist attack in Uri. The mortal remains of the soldiers reached their ancestral places for their last rites on Tuesday. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, senior Army and police officials on Monday paid tributes to the martyrs at the army headquarters in Badamibagh. Here are the live updates: Balia (UP): Last rites of Lance naik RK Yadav who lost his life in #UriAttacks pic.twitter.com/vHvUClcepV ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 20, 2016 Rajawa village (Rajasthan): Last rites of havildar NS Rawat who lost his life in #UriAttacks. pic.twitter.com/dZDAsANOvm ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Bihar: Havildar Ashok Kumar Singhs son at his last rites ceremony in Bhojpur. pic.twitter.com/UouyHiHVVv ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Bhojpur, Bihar: Last rites of havaldar Ashok Kumar Singh, who lost his life during #UriAttacks pic.twitter.com/rXDeQRKR4q ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Bhojpur, Bihar: Last rites of havaldar Ashok Kumar Singh, who lost his life during #UriAttacks pic.twitter.com/UArFVeuiCR ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 "Wanted to study in IIT Delhi,but now I'm not sure," says young daughter of slain soldier SK Vidyarthi as family mourns his death #UriAttack pic.twitter.com/lgDcgzQOWE ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Maharashtra: Wife of Lance Naik G Shankar (who lost his life in #UriAttack) pays her last tribute, Last rites ceremony underway in Satara pic.twitter.com/oWvZuGDoFp ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Maharashtra: Mortals remains of Lance Naik G Shankar who lost his life in #UriAttack brought to Satara. Last rites ceremony underway. pic.twitter.com/3BuIaf4Dq3 ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh): Last rites of soldier Rajesh Kumar who lost his life in #UriAttack (Sep 19) pic.twitter.com/Mtle4L3T9g ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 20, 2016 Maharashtra: Mortals remains of Lance Naik G Shankar who lost his life in #UriAttack brought to Satara for last rites ceremony. pic.twitter.com/oULnnqq1x6 ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Rajasthan: Mortal remains of Havildar N S Rawat who lost his life in #UriAttack being taken to his native village from Bhim pic.twitter.com/yQo6eWKdI6 ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 #PM ji aisa kaam kare ke Pakistan ko uske kiye ki saza mil jaye, taaki shaheed jawano ki aatma ko shanti mile: Kin of Sepoy Ganesh Shankar. ALSO READ: A day after Uri attacks, terrorists open fire at police check post in Handwara #He always wanted to join army. PM Modi should take some strict action against Pakistan. Dont make fake promises: Villager. Sant Kabir Nagar (UP): Family members mourn death of Sepoy Ganesh Shankar who lost his life in #UriAttack. pic.twitter.com/5WhHg5V5sN ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 20, 2016 Mortal remains of Sepoy K Vikas Janardhan who lost his life in #UriAttack brought to Nagpur, will now be taken to Yavatmal for last rites pic.twitter.com/D4nJfLRJtM ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Puri (Odisha): Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik pays tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in #UriAttack through his sand art pic.twitter.com/mHCTtEcM7M ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Gun salutes paid to Sepoy Gangadhar Dalui (who lost his life in #UriAttack) during his last rite in Howrah (early morning visuals) pic.twitter.com/oNA2urObhF ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Howrah (WB): Last rites of Sepoy Gangadhar Dalui who lost his life in #UriAttack (early morning visuals) pic.twitter.com/FBqRYR3YfY ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Ghazipur (Uttar Pradesh): Last rites of Sepoy Harinder Yadav who lost his life in #UriAttacks (last night visuals) pic.twitter.com/36b6dE1lcu ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 20, 2016 Agartala (Tripura): Student groups' hold candlelight vigil to pay tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in #UriAttack pic.twitter.com/ZJNoNtm3N6 ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 Residents of Samba, who gathered on Monday to pay their last respects to Havildar Ravi Paul, killed in terrorist attack on an Army base in Uri, said it is high time for India to react strongly to the Pakistan-sponsored proxy war. ALSO READ: Before UNHRC speech, Nawaz Sharif rakes up Kashmir with US; evades questions from media on Uri attacks Relatives of Paul said he laid down his life for a cause and it was for the Government of India to take a call and respect the death of the soldiers. We want the incubator of terrorism, the country which sends terrorists to our country, be taught a strong lesson. The sacrifice of our brother and 17 others should not go waste, but it should be a turning point for Pakistan, Mohan Lal the elder brother of Ravi Paul said. How long we will continue to lose our young bravehearts to the bullets of cowards. It is high time for the Union government to say that enough is enough and teach Pakistan a lesson, Mohan Singh Bhatti, Sarpanch of Jarda village, who came to pay his last respect to the soldier said. People who poured in to pay their homage to Paul, one of the 18 soldiers who killed in the terrorist attack on Sunday, echoed similar view of teaching the hostile neighbor a lesson. Pakistan has been pinching us for several years now and yesterdays attack is an act of war on our country. Never in the past have we lost so many brave men in one attack, it is high time for the countrys leadership to take decision and teach Pakistan a lesson, Madan Kumar a resident of Sarva village said. Residents of the border area have been bearing the brunt of the hostilities and the proxy war sponsored by the Pakistani side, he said. Whenever there is a terrorist attack or whenever there is cross-border firing the residents of the border areas became the worst sufferers. We have been demanding from the Government of India to finish this once and for all, he said. (With inputs from PTI) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has long made creating jobs for women central to his economic policy, but now women are suffering a bigger share of the pain as the country heads for its worst economic slump since World War Two. Helped by a worker shortage, female labour participation hit a decade-high of more than 70 per cent under Abe's campaign, often dubbed "Womenomics". The catch: many women lack the job security of male workers, with more than half holding vulnerable part-time, contract or temporary jobs. The coronavirus plunged Japan into recession. Credit:Getty The number of such "non-regular" workers posted its biggest drop on record in April, declining by 970,000 to 2.02 million. Women accounted for 710,000 of the decline. That makes women workers "the shock absorber" of the world's third-largest economy, said Mari Miura, a Sophia University political science professor. Only about one in five male workers hold non-regular jobs. To the editor: Terrorists are hiding in protest marches. Protesters have their freedom of speech to march peacefully. Protesters dont steal, kill, loot or burn buildings down in their marches. Terrorists kill, loot and burn buildings for their plans to destroy the republic of the United States of America. These are people who hate the United States and U.S. President Donald Trump. They want to destroy our freedoms and the U.S. Constitution. President Trump is right to use military to stop the killing. Looting, destroying, stealing is out of control. The Democrat governors in the United States are standing down for the dirty political reasons for President Trump to lose the presidential election. This is Bible prophecy being fulfilled and Jesus is knocking on the doors of the United States to return soon. Only Gods remnant will survive until Jesus returns. George Culley Pinckneyville I'm A Celebrity has reportedly offered Tiger King star Carole Baskin a 'big money deal' to appear on the next series. According to reports, bosses at ITV 'hope' that the American Big Cat Rescue sanctuary owner, 59, will agree to take part in the hit jungle show. Carole soared to fame earlier this year in Netflix's gripping Tiger King documentary, which focused on former zoo owner Joe Exotic. 'Big money': I'm A Celebrity has reportedly offered Tiger King star Carole Baskin a 'big money deal' to appear on the next series A TV source told The Sun: 'Jungle producers have made a formal approach and hope she will do it.' MailOnline has contacted ITV for a comment. Streaming giant Netflix estimated 64 million households globally have watched the documentary series, Tiger King, following zoo operator Joe Exotic, since it came out in March. Joe, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is currently serving a 22 year jail sentence after being convicted of two counts of murder-for-hire. Exciting: According to reports, bosses at ITV 'hope' that the American Big Cat Rescue sanctuary owner, 59, will agree to take part in the hit jungle show (pictured hosts Ant and Dec) He was found guilty of plotting to kill his rival - animal rights activist Carole. The 'Tiger King' was convinced she wanted to destroy his zoo, Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. Joe was also found guilty of 17 counts of animal abuse. Earlier this month, he claimed in an impassioned letter he will be dead in two to three months if he doesn't get help from President Donald Trump. The Tiger King star also said his 'soul is dead' as he explained that he has been unable to remain hopeful while incarcerated '24/7' without access to a phone, email, or commissary, according to the letter obtained by TMZ. Hopeful: A TV source told The Sun : 'Jungle producers have made a formal approach and hope she will do it.' Instant hit: Streaming giant Netflix estimated 64 million households globally have watched the documentary series, Tiger King, following zoo operator Joe Exotic, since it came out in March Asking for a 'miracle' from the President by being released, he wrote that although he requires blood infusions 'every four weeks' for common variable immune deficiency (CVID) he has 'not had one since end of January.' In his letter to 'supporters, fans, loves ones', he said: 'I'm loosing weight, sores wont heal, I'll be dead in 2-3 months, it's like I have been sent to death row, they stopped all of my medication expect one, this place is hell on earth [sic].' Joe went on to ask those who have seen his husband Dillon Passage enjoying himself to not send pictures of what he is doing, as he hadn't received a letter or a phone call from him since being imprisoned. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- What was iInitially reported to be an eight-story mixed use building in Stapleton will now be a 12-story building, according to a published report. BFC Partners, the developers of Empire Outlets, purchased the 53,922-square-foot parcel in Stapleton and will turn the property into a mixed-use building with residential and commercial space. The 208,000-square-foot project, located at 475 Bay St., will consist of 274 residential units across 198,000 square feet, according to The Real Deal. At least 20% of those apartments will be set aside for affordable housing, Joseph Ferrera, principal of BFC Partners, told the Advance in 2016, stating that BFC Partners fully stands behind the de Blasio administrations affordable housing initiative. There are many different levels of affordability. A family of four with a firefighter and a nurse can still qualify for an affordable unit in New York City. Thats the target audience. People shouldnt be afraid of affordable housing, Ferrara told the Advance in 2016. Ferrara said the residential units would range in size from studio to three-bedroom apartments. The remaining 10,000-square-feet of the 12-story project will be commercial space. The Advance/SILive.com previously reported BFC Partners was to close on the property with a price tag of $4 million. A spokeswoman for BFC Partners said the company declined to comment when asked for additional information and an update about the project. In 2016, Ferrara said the future of the project would depend on the City Planning Department rezoning to create the Bay Street Corridor. The Bay Street Corridor Rezoning plan passed overwhelmingly in June 2019 by a vote of 44-2, with Island Republican Councilmen Joe Borelli (South Shore) and Steven Matteo the only members who voted against it. FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- For Uber Technologies Inc., the logic of gobbling up food-delivery rival Grubhub Inc. seemed pretty straightforward: reduce the number of competitors, making it easier to charge higher prices to diners and earn more commission from restaurants. The rationale isnt so clear cut for Dutch deliverer Just Eat Takeaway.com NV, which leapfrogged Uber to announce on Wednesday that it was acquiring Grubhub in a $7.3 billion all-share deal. Unlike Uber, Just Eat Takeaway isnt present in the U.S., where the main rivals are Grubhub, Uber Eats and DoorDash Inc., with the startup Postmates Inc. a distant fourth. That highly competitive landscape wont change with an overseas purchase of Grubhub, which may explain why investors initially found the idea of such a deal unpalatable. Just Eat Takeaway shares fell as much 19% after news of the potential tie-up was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Thats equivalent to some 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) of value. But the lack of value creation discerned by the buyers shareholders is also the same reason that regulators may look upon a deal more favorably than they would an Uber-Grubhub combination. What is bad for investors is good for customers, who will benefit from any price war. This is doubly bad news for Uber: If an existing American rival were the acquirer, at least it would reduce the number of competitors. The deal is a gamble on the operational nous of Jitse Groen, chief executive officer of the acquirer. He has an impressive track record, expanding a Netherlands-focused operation with revenue of 23 million euros in 2013 into a pan-European giant with sales topping 1.2 billion euros last year. But he has also only just wrapped up the 6 billion-pound ($7.7 billion) acquisition of Britains Just Eat Plc. Like the Grubhub deal, it was an all-share transaction sold to investors on the basis of Groens operational acumen. By giving Just Eat shareholders a stake in the new venture, ran the argument, theyd benefit from the value that he and his team would generate once they got their teeth into the U.K. company. Story continues That will be a harder case to make to U.S. investors, where fierce price wars have made market consolidation look like the only way for food delivery providers to improve profit. Uber Eats has lost $2.2 billion on an adjusted Ebitda basis, a measure of profit, in the past two years. Grubhub has seen its Ebitda margin fall from a 2014 peak of 28% of revenue to 0.2% in the three months through March, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That declining profitability is largely because of Grubhubs changing business model. Historically, it operated purely as a marketplace connecting diners with restaurants, which delivered the food. That differed from the approach favored by Uber Eats, DoorDash and Postmates, who operated their own fleets of deliverers. The marketplace approach, with its lower costs, was much more profitable, but it made it harder to attract chains such as McDonalds Corp., who were wary about taking on the significant expense of operating a delivery network. So Grubhub is adding its own deliverers perhaps 30% of revenue now comes from its own delivery network. This will probably increase to 45% by the end of the year, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Mandeep Singh. Groen is an unashamed proponent of the marketplace model. Dont be surprised if he pedals back Grubhubs delivery ambitions. But he faces a daunting task of integrating two acquisitions, where both targets are larger than the original Takeaway.com, in two of the most competitive food delivery markets in the world. He might be about to bite off more than he can chew. (This column was updated to show that Just Eat Takeaways deal for Grubhub was announced.) This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Alex Webb is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Europe's technology, media and communications industries. He previously covered Apple and other technology companies for Bloomberg News in San Francisco. 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. Advertisement A man identified as a far-right protester has been carried to safety from protestors as animosity was briefly set aside on a day of clashes in London between rival groups and police. Following violent clashes in Trafalgar Square, Black Lives Matter protestors and some counter protestors headed over the River Thames towards Waterloo Station. Far right thugs have been accused of being the instigators of the violence by attacking police as well as BLM supporters, who then fought back as the scene descended into violence. One of the protestors, claimed to be 'far right' by the crowd, was seen lying injured on the ground after being chased past the Royal Festival Hall. But photos then show a black man pick up the white man and carry him over his shoulders to safety - flanked by police in riot gear. A man identified as a far-right protester has been carried to safety from protestors as animosity was briefly set aside on a day of clashes in London between rival groups and police Far right thugs have been accused of being the instigators of the violence by attacking police as well as BLM supporters, who then fought back as the scene descended into violence Reports suggest he was badly beaten by some demonstrators, before other protesters stepped in to protect him. Both BLM supporters and opponents were seen attacking each other, and even clashed with riot police attempting to keep the scene under control. Pictures have also caught the moment another white counter-protestor was left with a bloodied face after being hit during a scuffle with protestors. Earlier in the day there were skirmishes between anti-racism groups and far-right activists. Anti-racist protesters have rallied for days against racism and police abuses since the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. Several hundred demonstrators, mostly white men, attended a protest at Parliament Square organised by far-right groups, including Britain First, which claimed they wanted to protect statues such as Winston Churchill from vandalism. One counter-protestor, claimed to be 'far right' by the crowd, was seen lying injured on the ground after being chased past the Royal Festival Hall. Reports suggest he was badly beaten by some demonstrators, before other protesters stepped in to protect him Both BLM supporters and opponents were seen attacking each other, and even clashed with riot police attempting to keep the scene under control Do you know the men who helped out? Contact us at james.robinson@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement But fights erupted in areas near the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square, as some demonstrators assaulted police officers with foul-mouthed chants and missiles, smoke grenades and flares. Shards of glass were strewn along the streets close to the Cenotaph on Whitehall after bottles were thrown at police officers clad in riot gear. A man urinated next to a memorial dedicated to police officer Keith Palmer, who was killed in the 2017 Westminster terror attack amid violent clashes between far-right protesters and police in central London. MP Tobias Ellwood, who gave first aid to PC Palmer as he lay dying after being stabbed to death in the grounds Parliament by Khalid Masood, said the image of the man urinating next to the memorial was 'abhorrent'. The Tory MP for Bournemouth East and chairman of the Defence Select Committee, tweeted a picture of the man and wrote: 'Absolute shame on this man. 'Of all the images to emerge over these few testing days I find this one of most abhorrent. Please help identify him.' Pictures have also caught the moment another white counter-protestor was left with a bloodied face after being hit during a scuffle with protestors Hundreds of protesters have tried to break into London's Waterloo Station chanting 'Black Lives Matter' and 'F*** EDL' as outnumbered police scrambled to hold them back Scotland Yard said that as of 5pm on Saturday, they had arrested five people for offences including violent disorder, assault on police, possession of an offensive weapon, being drunk and disorderly and possession of Class A drugs. By around 5.30pm, London Ambulance Service said it had treated 15 people for injuries, including two police officers. Six of these patients, all members of the public, had to be taken to hospital. The Metropolitan Police Federation chairman, Ken Marsh, condemned the 'disorder and unruliness', and suggested the man pictured urinating next to the memorial should be sent to prison. He said: 'It's horrendous. The man urinating next to Keith Palmer's memorial is disgusting. 'A faction of people today only had one intention - to be violent and unlawful, they didn't come here to protect the statues, it's just disorder and unruliness. A man was seen urinating next to a plaque honouring PC Keith Palmer who was stabbed to death during a terrorist attack in Westminster in 2017 Scenes outside Waterloo Station descended into chaos as hundreds of protesters tried to break in after demonstrations today Police fight to maintain control in Trafalgar Square amid both Black Lives Matter and pro-statue protests in London today Police armed with shields and riot gear reinforce the blockade on Whitehall as louts rush up the police line 'I suggest serious custodial sentences in relation to assaults on police and others, criminal damage and urinating next to the memorial of heroes.' The violent scenes are in contrast with peaceful demonstrations that took place at Hyde Park and Marble Arch by anti-racism protesters in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. On Friday, statues in Parliament Square - including of Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi - were boarded up to prevent them being targeted by protesters both from the Black Lives Matter movement and far-right groups. The Metropolitan Police warned people joining demonstrations on Saturday that they must be off the streets by 5pm or risk being arrested. The violence has been condemned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Priti Patel, with the latter branding it as 'thoroughly unacceptable thuggery'. Speaking before the clashes, Paul Golding, leader of Britain First, said the crowds had turned out to 'guard our monuments'. Mr Golding, who was convicted of a terror offence last month, told the PA news agency: 'I am extremely fed up with the way that the authorities have allowed two consecutive weekends of vandalism against our national monuments.' There were similar gatherings on Saturday in Belfast, Glasgow and Bristol with crowds massing around monuments. In Brighton, more than 10,000 protesters formed a line along the seafront in a Black Lives Matter demonstration. Dubai-based Leva Hotels has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Vackma, a major global player in the airports and food services sector, to expand its base in the US. As part of the deal, the Vackma will develop and operate three and four-star hotels under the dynamic Leva lifestyle hotel brand and its sub brands in US while offering hotel owners a choice of both franchise and management agreements, said statement from Leva. With over 30 years global industry experience working in airports, food services and first-class hotels, Vackma is a specialist in developing innovative, award-winning business solutions delivering outstanding customer experiences and operators returns. Leva Hotels Founder and CEO JS Anand said: "We are proud to launch our brand in US partnering with a prestigious group such as Vackma. The tie-up is part of our strategic growth plan and steadfast vision and, demonstrates the resilience of our brand despite the recent industry challenges." "We look forward to a successful collaboration with Vackma to expand Leva Hotels in the US," stated Anand. Vackma Founder & CEO Anton Muller said: "We are delighted to partner with Leva Hotels that holds great potential for growth. We are confident it will serve as a refreshing choice, offering superior brand standards and exceptional management options to hotel owners, with flexible terms tailored for diverse market segments." "At Vackma, we help bridge the gap between owners vision and todays market needs and LEVA is a perfect fit in our scheme," remarked Muller. Leva Hotels said it was uniquely positioned in the upscale and midscale segments with four complementary and well differentiated brands designed to provide a solid return on investment for owners and greater value to guests. While Leva is specialised in the 4-star and above category, Ekono by Leva is a smart and efficient choice in the mid-scale segment, said its founder. Building up on its growth momentum, the brand is aggressively exploring expansion opportunities across the GCC, Africa, Europe and US, stated Anand. In addition to its flagship hotel Leva Mazaya Centre, a deluxe four-star hotel in Dubai, the group had recently signed management agreements for two hotels in Muscat, Oman, and a key property in Kampala, Uganda.-TradeArabia News Service Sometimes artists write songs that are inspired by other songs. More rarely, artists write songs with the intent of replacing other songs. John Lennon was one of the most famous musicians to fall in the latter category and Give Peace a Chance was designed as a replacement for another song. Give Peace a Chance remains one of Johns most stirring anthems. Though its often associated with the Vietnam War, its message continues to resonate with people today. We wouldnt have Give Peace a Chance unless John got bored with a different song. John Lennon | Harry Benson/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images The song which inspired John Lennon to write Give Peace a Chance We Shall Overcome remains a stirring folk/gospel anthem. In the 20th century, the song became associated with the civil rights movement and other social causes. Today, it is used as a protest all across the world for a variety of political movements. Of course, even the greatest works of art can become overexposed. According to the book Theres a Riot Going On: Revolutionaries, Rock Stars, and the Rise and Fall of the 60s, John felt that We Shall Overcome was used a little too often at political rallies and got bored by it. His hope was that his song Give Peace a Chance would outshine it in terms of popularity. We Shall Overcome by Diana Ross RELATED: John Lennon Was Sometimes Embarrassed by an Album Ringo Starr Loved Making John told Rolling Stone You see, Im shy and aggressive so I have great hopes for what I do with my work and I also have great despair that its all pointless and its sh*t. You know, how can you beat Beethoven or Shakespeare or whatever? In me secret heart I wanted to write something that would take over We Shall OvercomeThe one they always sang, and I thought, Why doesnt somebody write something for the people now, thats what my job and our job is. The legacy and irony of Give Peace a Chance In addition, John wanted Give Peace a Chance to be a revolutionary song for workers. Moreover, he wrote the song because he wanted to give the world songs that were more substantial than simple love songs. John saw Give Peace a Chance as having similar themes as his own song Working Class Hero, a much more dour song also aimed at workers. Give Peace a Chance by Plastic Ono Band RELATED: Why John Lennon Said the Beatles Are the Biggest Bastards on Earth Of course, art is a funny thing. An artist can create something for a specific purpose only for fans to use it in a completely different way. Give Peace a Chance was designed to supplant We Shall Overcome but the two songs were sometimes used in tandem with each other. For example, in 1969, there was a huge protest against the Vietnam War held at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. Celebrities like Arlo Guthrie and Peter, Paul and Mary attended the protest. All in all, nearly half a million people were there. Protesters performed both We Shall Overcome and Give Peace a Chance, showing the two songs and their important messages could certainly coexist. Also see: The Rolling Stones Song John Lennon Worked on and Called Bullsh*t Since it would be too much of a stretch to refer to a series of stage performances as Carnival, the Government has decided to offer instead a Taste of Carnival. For traditional Carnival interests whose events will be facilitated and supported by the State, the proposal presented on Wednesday by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Randall Mitchell, must be a welcome case of half a loaf being plenty better than none. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Centre is mulling over taking the help of the IAS and IPS officers who have medical degree and may ask them to coordinate with healthcare officials in the COVID-19 designated hospitals amid rising cases across the country. The ministry of personnel is creating a database of the bureaucrats with at least the MBBS degree to deploy them in managing the crisis. Government sources there had always been a realisation that administrative skills combined with medical expertise are the need of the hour to deal with such a challenge. They added that keeping this in mind, it has been decided to rope in the officers, as positive cases are adding up at a rate of around 10,000 per day. Officials at the Department of Personnel and Training said the civil servants may soon be deployed in front-line hospitals to manage and deal with the crisis. When asked if these officers would be asked to directly provide services of a medical practitioner, sources said there is no clarity on this matter at the moment. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar By Online Desk Perhaps, for the first time in over 70 years, more khwaja ke ghar rang hai ri won't reverberate in the courtyard of Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah to celebrate the 716th Urs (death anniversary) of Amir Khusrau, who rests next to his beloved peer. The lanes of Nizamuddin Basti that lead to the Dargah won't be filled with the intoxicating scent of incense and sandal. Neither will the tombs be lit up with lights and laughter, nor will the qawwals sit in a circle repeating the glorious words that Khusrau left for the world to cherish. The Urs is among the several things that the pandemic has robbed from humanity this year. The Dargah which used to witness a sea of devotees across religious spectrum celebrate Khusrau and his Mehboob-e-Ilahi, now wears a gloomy silence, almost as if it's grieving for a lost love. "The Urs is being held from June 9-13 and there won't be celebrations this year given the current situation. A few members of the dargah committee will offer prayers inside the mosque. We are praying for the health of everyone," said Syed Aziz Nizami, the administrator. The celebratory langar which was started by Saint Nizamuddin Auliya in the 14th century has been called off as well. It is rather alluring how the death anniversary of a Sufi saint is not mourned but celebrated. Urs in Arabic means "wedding" which symbolises the union of the lover with the beloved (often the union with God). Khusrau couldn't be buried with his peer Nizamuddin Auliya, so he lies in a tomb next to him and the Urs is a celebration of their union. The Sufi is said to have blessed the world with Qawwali, at the centre of which lies Zikr or remembrance of God. The Qawwali, a part of traditional Mehfil-e-Sama, is a Chishtia Sufi practice to invoke the glory of a peer. And Khusrau turned it into a vehicle for communicating his love for his peer, Nizamuddin. An undated painting of Amir Khusrau and Nizamuddin Auliya. "Devoted to a Sufi who disliked emperors, he himself made his living by serving in their courts. It was a shrewd balance of sense and sensibility: day job in the court, evening spirituality in the shrine," writes Mayank Austen Soofi, chronicler of Delhi. So indestructible was his love for his peer that after Nizamuddin passed away in 1325, Khusrau left everything behind and surrendered himself at Nizamuddin's tomb. He wept During that time he wrote: "Gori sovay sej par, mukh par daarey kes, Chal Khusrau ghar aapnay, saanjh bhayee chahu des." (The fair maiden rests on the wreath, her face covered with tresses Oh Khusrau, let us go home, the dusk settles in four corners) The subcontinent owes a lot to this 13th-century Sufi -- Hazrat Amir Khusrau -- known as the original poet of the people and who was remarkable for bringing forth a linguistic and cultural synthesis. The mystic mingled Persian and Hindavi (a mixture of Khari Boli, Braj Bhasha, Awadhi dialect) and went on to write 92 odd books in the new language called Khaliq Bari. "Khusrau darya prem ka, ulti waa ki dhaar Jo utra so doob gaya, jo doba so paar." (Oh Khusrau, the river of love runs in strange directions. One who jumps drowns, and one who drowns, gets across) "Khusrau is one of the most transformative and influential figures in the cultural history of northern India -- a history that is also tied to the other parts of the subcontinent like the Deccan. He epitomises the coming together of the genius of the South Asian and Central Asian creative process, it was in his persona that the diverse streams of the two worlds came together like never before," writes Saif Mahmood in his book Beloved Delhi. A polyglot, poet, musicologist, composer, Khusrau has been touted as a poet whose writing offered a secular way of thinking and living. Being a Muslim, he often wrote and sang songs on Hindu devotional themes. Born to a Turk father and Rajput mother, the Dilliwala called himself Turk-e-Hindustani while his peer Nizamuddin Auliya called him Tooti-e-Hindustan, (parrot of Hindustan). In his Hasht-Bihisht (Eight Paradises), he narrates a dialogue between a Muslim Haji going to Mecca and a Brahmin on his pilgrimage to Somnath, where he insists on religious tolerance. Although Khusrau is remembered as one of the greatest symbols of cultural pluralism, it's his resting place that was demonised by the right-wing and a section of the media earlier this year. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, a Tablighi Jamaat event was held in early March, which was attended by foreign delegates who turned out to be COVID-19 carriers. Once the news gained traction, Nizamuddin Basti was sealed and the Jaamatis, who had returned to their respective home state were hounded for days. Soon, the incident was painted with all shades of communal colour. The Urs might have fallen silent this year, but it's shameful that we as a country must let a Markaz overshadow the brilliance of Khusrau. A yob was seen urinating next to a memorial created in honour of a police officer killed in the Westminster terror attack. Several politicians have expressed their disgust after the man was snapped during violent clashes between far-right protesters and police in central London today, including Home Secretary Priti Patel branding the incident as 'absolutely appalling and shameful'. There are now calls from the Met Police Federation for the man to be jailed for his actions. Armed only with a baton and pepper spray, PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death while guarding the main vehicle entrance Carriage Gates by terrorist Khalid Masood on March 22, 2017. He was awarded a posthumous George Medal for his bravery in confronting the killer. Among those shaming the man is MP Tobias Ellwood, who gave first aid to the police officer as he lay dying outside Westminster. He took to Twitter to share his disgust at the shocking photograph, describing his actions as 'abhorrent'. A man was seen urinating next to a plaque honouring PC Keith Palmer who was stabbed to death during a terrorist attack in Westminster in 2017 MP Tobias Ellwood, who rushed to help give first aid to PC Palmer after the incident, shared his disgust at the shocking image during the violent clashes in the capital today The politician said: 'Absolute shame on this man. Of all the images to emerge over these few testing days I find this one of most abhorrent. Please help identify him.' Speaking to BBC News, he said: 'I'm really saddened to see this, in fact disgusted, it's one of the most disturbing images I've seen. 'We are going through a very difficult period of self-reflection here, quite rightly for us to look back and have a long overdue debate of our complex past and perhaps be more aware and critical of our own history.' He continued: 'But the minority far-right groups wanting to come to London on the pretext of defending monuments, and yet we see monuments such as this being treated in this way, shows how far this generation still has to go.' When asked whether he thought the urinating man may not have noticed the memorial, Mr Ellwood said: 'I don't agree with that at all. 'This is the gates of Westminster, the most iconic symbol of democracy in the world next to a monument for Pc Keith Palmer. 'He was fully aware of what he was doing, he should step forward and apologise. 'These images are seen across the world, they will damage Britain's reputation. It will make us look like we are not in control.' He agreed with the Home Secretary's comments of using the full force of the law against the unruly protesters, adding: 'We must absolutely be firm on these people who choose to come to London and defend these statues but actually come here on the pretext of attacking the police and pursuing other agendas.' Police confirmed officers are investigating a man taking part in the far-right protests who urinated next to the memorial. In a statement, Metropolitan Police Commander Bas Javid said: 'We are aware of a disgusting and abhorrent image circulating on social media of a man appearing to urinate on a memorial to PC Palmer. 'I feel for PC Palmer's family, friends, and colleagues. We have immediately launched an investigation, and will gather all the evidence available to us and take appropriate action.' Joining him in voicing her disgust was MP Rupa Huq: 'Absolutely repulsive. I was there when Parliament came under attack form a terrorist in 2017 and PC Palmer paid with his life to defend us all. 'Tobias rushed to his aid when all other MPs ran the other way. Now this. Shameful.' MP Tobias Ellwood took to Twitter to express his disgust regarding the image and told the BBC he did not believe the man did not see the memorial Khalid Masood (pictured left) murdered five people (including PC Palmer, right) and injured 50 others when he drove his car into pedestrians outside the Houses of Parliament in March 2017 Home Secretary Priti Patel condemned the 'desecration' of the memorial: 'We are in an unprecedented public health emergency and I have said every single day, as have the police around the country and in London, that these protests, these gatherings, are illegal and we have been discouraging them. 'Secondly, we have seen a small minority behave in extreme thuggery and violent behaviour today. 'That is simply unacceptable and the individuals that are basically putting the safety of our police officers and the safety of the public at risk will expect to face the full force of the law. 'We have seen some shameful scenes today, including the desecration of PC Keith Palmer's memorial in Parliament, in Westminster square, - a man that gave his life to protect people - and quite frankly that is shameful, that is absolutely appalling and shameful. 'And I think, you know, my final remark very much is that we live in a tolerant country but racism, any form of intolerance and violence is simply not acceptable.' The Father of the House of Commons, Sir Peter Bottomley, said the protester should be 'ashamed'. Several senior politicians have joined Ellwood in sharing their disgust at the incident and there are calls for the perpetrator to be jailed 'If people had the courage of Keith Palmer they would know they should intervene and say to anyone doing that kind of thing: 'Don't.' 'I think the people who were with the person should have intervened. If you stand by and do nothing, bad things go on happening.' Senior Tory MP Rob Halfron described the behaviour as 'horrific' and said he hoped the perpetrator was tracked down and jailed. 'This is just so horrific. I hope they find this individual and lock them up and throw away the key. 'This is not the kind of country we are. I feel every possible good wish to the family of PC Palmer, who did so much to keep us safe.' And his calls may be answered as the Metropolitan Police Federation chairman said the man pictured urinating next to the memorial of PC Keith Palmer should be sent to prison. Ken Marsh condemned the 'disorder and unruliness' witnessed at the far-right protests in London on Saturday. He said: 'It's horrendous. The man urinating next to Keith Palmer's memorial is disgusting. 'How can a human being behave like that? I don't get it, it's beyond belief. 'A faction of people today only had one intention - to be violent and unlawful, they didn't come here to protect the statues, it's just disorder and unruliness. 'I suggest serious custodial sentences in relation to assaults on police and others, criminal damage and urinating next to the memorial of heroes.' Police are investigating a man taking part in far-right protests who urinated next to a memorial to Pc Keith Palmer in Westminster. During the attack Masood, 52, also killed four pedestrians and injured around 40 on Westminster Bridge by ramming a car into them. It was the first of a number of fatal Islamist attacks carried out on or close to bridges over the Thames between 2017 and 2019. Masood was eventually shot dead by a plainclothes close protection officer. PC Palmer was posthumously awarded the George Medal for bravery that 'unquestionably saved lives' and his memorial was organised by the Police Memorial Trust and unveiled in February 2019. Hundreds of far-right and pro-statue protesters gathered in the capital on this morning in anticipation of a Black Lives Matter demonstration later in the day. Hundreds of far-right thugs and hooligans rushed up to the police blockade outside the Cenotaph Police armed with shields and riot gear reinforce the blockade on Whitehall as louts rush up the police line A man (pictured) believed to be a Tommy Robinson supporter, was one of two men chased by angry crowds today Several hundred demonstrators, mostly white men, attended the protest organised by far-right groups, including Britain First, which claimed they wanted to protect statues such as Winston Churchill from vandalism. But fights erupted in areas near the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square as demonstrators repeatedly hounded police officers with foul-mouthed chants and missiles, smoke grenades and flares. ** Do you know the man? Please email: tips@dailymail.com ** Advertisement Shards of glass were strewn along the streets close to the Cenotaph on Whitehall after bottles were thrown at police officers clad in riot gear. The violent scenes are in contrast with peaceful demonstrations that took place at Hyde Park and Marble Arch by anti-racism protesters in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. On Friday, statues in Parliament Square - including of Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi - were boarded up to prevent them being targeted by protesters both from the Black Lives Matter movement and far-right groups. The Metropolitan Police warned people joining demonstrations on Saturday that they must be off the streets by 5pm or risk being arrested. Police fight to maintain control in Trafalgar Square amid both Black Lives Matter and pro-statue protests in London today At around 4pm, the crowd in Parliament Square thinned out after one of the exits was opened, although a few hundred people remained in the area ahead of the 5pm deadline. Scotland Yard said that as of 5pm, they had arrested five people for offences including violent disorder, assault on police, possession of an offensive weapon, being drunk and disorderly and possession of Class A drugs. By around 5.30pm, London Ambulance Service said it had treated 15 people for injuries, including two police officers. Six of these patients, all members of the public, had to be taken to hospital. The Metropolitan Police Federation chairman, Ken Marsh, condemned the 'disorder and unruliness'. The violence has been condemned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Priti Patel, with the latter branding it as 'thoroughly unacceptable thuggery'. Speaking before the clashes, Paul Golding, leader of Britain First, said the crowds had turned out to 'guard our monuments'. Mr Golding, who was convicted of a terror offence last month said: 'I am extremely fed up with the way that the authorities have allowed two consecutive weekends of vandalism against our national monuments.' There were similar gatherings on Saturday in Belfast, Glasgow and Bristol with crowds massing around monuments. In Brighton, more than 1,000 protesters formed a line along the seafront in a Black Lives Matter demonstration. Protests against police brutality and racism have erupted all over the UK and across the globe following the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police nearly three weeks ago. People wearing face masks held banners at Hyde Park in London during a Black Lives Matter protest on Wednesday Last week, the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down and dumped into Bristol harbour by anti-racism protesters, while Winston Churchill's memorial in London was defaced with the words 'was a racist'. The UK protests in support of Black Lives Matter have largely been peaceful, although some have been marred by acts of violence towards police by a comparatively small group of people. But these attacks on officers and criminal damage on statues have lasted no more than a couple of hours, mostly towards the end of rallies. ** Do you know the man? Please email: tips@dailymail.com ** Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philips marriage seemed a bit like a fairy tale. The future queen fell in love with the tall, dashing naval officer when she was just 13 years old and corresponded with him via letters for years. And the feeling was mutual. But not everything about Elizabeth and Philips marriage was perfect all the time. The Duke of Edinburgh was described by his friends as an alpha male type who had frequent tantrums when he didnt get his way. Hes outspoken and opinionated. Plus, there were many rumors of infidelity. One cheating rumor true or not even ruined an actresss career. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | Topical Press Agency/Getty Images RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Gifted Her Husband Prince Philip His Title to Prove Their Marriage Was Strong Prince Philip went out while Queen Elizabeth was 8 months pregnant The queen was never much of a partyer, but Prince Philip didnt let that stop him from going to nightclubs. There are rumors that the Duke of Edinburgh had an affair with stage performer Patricia Kirkwood. Their affair was never confirmed, and per the royal family motto to never complain, never explain, the palace never issued a denial either. Prince Philip visited Kirkwoods dressing room in the theater where she performed. Later, they were seen having dinner and dancing into the wee hours of the morning. Adding insult to injury, this all occurred when the queen was 8 months pregnant. Rumors about Prime Philip cheating with Patricia Kirkwood destroyed her career Patricia Kirkwood | General Photographic Agency/Getty Images Kirkwood denied their relationship was anything other than platonic. But the public decided to vilify her anyway for essentially betraying the queen. The gossip was enough to ruin her career, Town & Country reported. As Kirkwood told a journalist, A lady is not normally expected to defend her honor. It is the gentleman who should do that. I would have had a happier and easier life if Prince Philip, instead of coming uninvited to my dressing room, had gone home to his pregnant wife on the night in question. The Duke of Edinburgh allegedly had multiple affairs Kirkwood wasnt the only one Prince Philip allegedly cheated with. The dukes friendship with the Sacha Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn was also the subject of rumors. He was seen holding hands with Hamilton in the Bahamas, Icons reported. She said they were only friends, but her actual statement did more harm than good. She explained, Its complicated and at the same time quite simple. [Philip] needs a playmate and someone to share his intellectual pursuits. Hamilton also didnt promise he stayed faithful to Queen Elizabeth. When asked about it, she said, Who knows? I dont. Unless you are in the room with a lighted candle, who knows? Theres no way Queen Elizabeth would have divorced Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip | Tim Graham/Getty Images Well probably never know for sure if Prince Philip did or didnt cheat on Queen Elizabeth. Even if he had, it wouldnt have been enough for her to divorce him. Thats because a divorce would have felt like a personal failure for Elizabeth as the head of the Church of England. In the queens day, divorce was not nearly so common, and it would take an extraordinary event to make her give up on her marriage vows. If she ever would. Maybe he did cheat, maybe he didnt. Either way, the queen and Prince Philip have been married for more than 70 years. Back in June of 2020, protests against brutal police violence, as well as racial injustice, started to continue across the United States following the untimely death of George Floyd. A certain photograph started to circulate social media showing a certain woman called Aracely Henriquez who claimed that she was "brutally" assaulted by Floyd himself in a robbery. The original police encounter back in May 2020 started with a certain report regarding an alleged $20 counterfeit bill that was passed at a certain store and not Floyd's alleged criminal history that led to his death. Furthermore, the accusations made against Floyd was said to be either exaggerated or even outright fabricated. Shedding light on Floyd's criminal past, it was noted that his history included robbery that happened back in 2007 according to this source. The accusations A post on social media claimed that George Floyd actually beat up a certain woman named Aracely (or Araceli) Henriquez. The only problem was that there was no substantial evidence to prove this. The post then resulted in making use of Andrea Sicignano's beaten face in order to present an eye-turning post that would spark negative reaction towards Floyd if true. Currently, there is still no evidence that proves that Henriquez was indeed pregnant or that George Floyd actually threatened to kill her baby as per Aracely Henriquez's allegations. Although Henriquez was confirmed injured during the ongoing incident, though certain police reports say that these injuries were actually infected by another person, not Floyd. The photo that was posted in order to show a woman badly beaten was not Aracely Henriquez but rather a photograph of a certain Andrea Sicignano who is a student that was reportedly assaulted and even raped all the way in Madrid. Sicignano previously posted these shocking images of herself on her own Facebook page which came along with a detailed message of her attack according to the Spanish news outlet known as El Pais. Read Also: George Floyd's Family Hires Pathologist Who Investigated Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death to Conduct Autopsy Clarification about the photo El Pais then gave the clarification that the woman in the photo was not Aracely Henriquez but indeed Andrea Sicignano. The report said that Andrea Sicignano was a 27-year-old student that lived in Madrid and was both attacked and raped by a certain man two weekends ago very close to the whole bus station located in the Aluche neighborhood somewhere in the south of the capital according to certain sources that came from the police headquarters. Andrea Sicignano has previously been living over in Madrid for about six months and has described via her public post on Facebook what eventually happened to her one night after returning home after a night out with her friend. To wrap everything up, the post, according to Snopes, has actually just been used to mislead people regarding the actual personality of George Floyd and tainting his public image. Read Also: Three Teens Arrested for Possible Hate Crime After Mocking George Floyd's Death in New #GeorgeFloydChallenge Nigerias First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has accused the police of detaining some of her aides without informing her. In a tweet on Friday, Mrs Buhari called for the release of the aides. .Finally, I call on the IGP to release my assigned Staff who are still in the custody of the Police in order to avoid putting their lives in danger or exposure to Covid-19 while in their custody, she wrote after a series of tweets on COVID-19. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that among the detained aides is Mrs Buharis Aide-De-Camp, Usman Shugaba, a police officer. Others arrested alongside the ADC were her escort commander and some other policemen attached to her. According to sources familiar with the situation, the First Ladys security personnel were arrested after she had a disagreement with one of the close aides of the president. The aide was said to have travelled out of the FCT and returned to the villa and was advised to self isolate which he refused. One source said the matter got to the First Lady and she personally confronted the presidential aide which led to a disagreement. It was then that her ADC and other aides had to come in and intervene, the source who works at the Villa said. He, however, said he was not sure if that was the reason for their arrest. The Nigeria police spokesperson, Frank Mba, did not respond to enquiries when contacted. However, the Special Adviser to the First Lady on Media, Aliyu Abdullahi, confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES. He said Mrs Buhari was not contacted before the arrest was effected. He also said several attempts by the First Lady to intervene also did not yield any positive result. The police ought to inform her of the arrest before doing so, They cant keep quiet and when efforts were made to reach out, they refused to answer, he said. Courtesy demands that as the First Lady, You have to offer some information to her before going ahead. If you take away somebody sent to protect the First Lady, either recall or arrest, information needs to be passed as to why they are withdrawing the person, he said. The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its Draft landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines report, which includes 10 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation. Topping the candidate vaccine list is a ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, now known as AZD1222, which is developed by Oxford Universitys Jenner Institute, working with the Oxford Vaccine Group. This vaccine uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector, based on a weakened version of a common cold virus, that contains the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is produced, priming the immune system to attack COVID-19 if it later infects the body. The recombinant adenovirus vector (ChAdOx1) was chosen to generate a strong immune response from a single dose and it is not replicating, so cannot cause an ongoing infection in the vaccinated individual. The ChAdOx1 vaccine is currently in phase 2b/3 of clinical evaluation and has been given to more than 320 people to date and have been shown to be safe and well-tolerated. No other candidate SARS-CoV2 vaccine in the world has reached this stage of clinical evaluation and regulatory status. AstraZeneca to produce vaccine The University of Oxford scientists have partnered with biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. AstraZeneca has recently signed a $750 million agreement to support the manufacturing, procurement and distribution of 300 million doses of the vaccine. This agreement was reached with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance. AstraZeneca has also reached a licensing agreement with the Serum Institute of India (SII) to supply one billion doses for low and middle-income countries. Only days later Emergent BioSolutions announced it would deploy its molecule-to-market contract development and manufacturing services to support the manufacturing of AstraZenecas vaccine. Under the $87 million agreement, Emergent will provide development services, technology transfer, analytical testing, drug substance process and performance qualification. AstraZeneca is now building a number of supply chains across the world to support global access at no profit during the pandemic. AstraZeneca has so far secured manufacturing capacity for two billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Link to South Africa South African investment management company Sygnia owns a 16% share in Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI), which in turn owns the right to commercialise all the IP which comes out of Oxford University. Sygnia is currently the biggest single shareholder in OSI which has the lifelong rights for all patents and inventions from Oxford University, including the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. Sygnia founder and CEO Magda Wierzycka explained that retail investors can buy a shareholding in OSI though some of their unit trusts, such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution unit trusts, as well as an exclusive product called Sygnia OSI Fund. Obviously the access to these shares is quite scarce and so weve got a lot more commitments to the fund than we have shares available at the moment, said Wierzycka. Wierzycka highlighted that neither Sygnia nor any other investors funding the development of the vaccine will profit from it during the pandemic. The return on investment will only come in future years if the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine works. COVID-19 candidate vaccines The table below provides an overview of the ten COVID-19 candidate vaccines which are currently in clinical evaluation. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-12 23:55:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUDAPEST, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian automotive industry output dropped 80 pct in April due to the restrictions introduced to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the Hungarian central statistical office KSH said Friday. The automotive industry, representing 10 percent of the manufacturing output, decreased by 80 percent year-on-year, KSH said in a statement. "The economic effects caused by the coronavirus epidemic were significant in this period (April 2020). The manufacture of transport equipment fell outstandingly, to one-fifth, due to the temporary total or partial production stoppage," it added. Several carmakers have plants in Hungary, such as Audi, Mercedes and Opel from Germany, BYD from China and Suzuki from Japan. A new plant of BMW is currently under construction. "The huge fall is due to the introduction of strong restrictive measures in Hungary and throughout Europe to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Production at several factories temporarily stopped during the month... both internal and external demand collapsed," local economic portal Portfolio commented. Enditem GREENWICH Greenwich Public Schools marked the last day of classes in a traditional way on Friday by celebrating as the fifth-graders finsihed out their time at the elementary school level. At Juliann Curtiss School, parents drove their students past the building and students rang bells for the occasion. It also marked the first time the students had been on campus in weeks the school buildings in Greenwich have been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus. But this week, every school community in town hosted a drive-thru event for their graduates. First up on Tuesday was the Class of 2020 at Greenwich High, as the school district set up two ceremony spots so every graduate could have their moment: walking across a stage, hearing their name and posing for photos. Each of the five Houses had their own time for graduates to arrive, and then the gradutes gathered virtually that evening to speeches. They heard from valedictorians Melissa Woo and Zachary Wang as well as salutatorians Justin Speaker and Anne-Emilie Rouffiac, along with class president Lucas Gazianis and Headmaster Ralph Mayo. Former New York Yankees All-Star Mark Teixeria was the commencement speaker. Related story: Drive-thru diplomas: Class of 2020 celebrates at Greenwich High On Thursday, the eighth-graders were honored at the middle schools Central, Eastern and Western. The Class of 2024 will enter Greenwich High in the fall. Faculty and staff gathered to cheer as the graduates rolled past in cars with their parents. Related story: Photos: Greenwich middle schoolers celebrate 'promotion' to GHS On Friday, each elementary school held an event for fifth-graders Cos Cob, Glenville, Hamilton Avenue, International School at Dundee, Julian Curtiss, New Lebanon, North Mianus, North Street, Old Greenwich, Parkway and Riverside. Those students will next head to Central, Eastern and Western Middle Schools. They will eventually become the Class of 2027 at Greenwich High School. (CNN) There's a special memory from this spring that may become buried in our collective unconscious. In the early days of the pandemic, with toilet paper nearly impossible to find, there was a breakthrough moment when after multiple trips to the store you scored a sweet victory. You finally tracked down a roll of toilet paper. You walked to the back of the grocery store. You saw something white glinting, practically smiling at you. You broke into a giddy almost-run, seemingly hearing a soaring movie soundtrack as you glided toward that precious commodity you took for granted for years, but have now grown to appreciate so very, very much. You've stayed up wondering about it, and now science is giving us new data into what drove the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020. People who panic buy and hoard toilet paper score high in personality assessment for traits of "conscientiousness," according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. "We didn't have a theory in mind. We just wanted to explore the personality factors at play," said study coauthor Lisa Garbe, a doctoral student in the department of political science at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. While under lockdown as a visiting researcher in the United Kingdom, she hatched the idea for the study with coauthor Theo Toppe, a doctoral student in the department of comparative cultural psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and they roped in coauthor Richard Rau, a research assistant in the psychology department at Germany's University of Munster. Comparing buying habits with personality types The three researchers surveyed 1,029 adults from 35 countries across the US and Europe. They asked questions about subjects' recent toilet paper purchasing during the height of the coronavirus pandemic from March 23 to March 29. Then they collected participants' responses on a personality assessment called the HEXACO Inventory. Developed in 2000 by psychologists in Canada as a way to map personality attributes across different cultures, the HEXACO Inventory measures people's characteristics in six broad domains: Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience. The inventory uses "Conscientiousness" as an umbrella term that covers traits such as organization, diligence, perfectionism and prudence. People falling in that category were the ones most likely to self-report either hoarding or panic-buying toilet paper. This is the friend you know who likes to plan ahead and overprepare. In this case, preparedness, rational or not, had the relative effect of ordering an otherwise disordered existence. The final part of the study asked respondents whether they felt threatened by coronavirus. Those who felt most threatened by Covid-19 were the most likely to hoard toilet paper. "That was the most important finding in the study," Garbe said. ""Once you feel threatened by something, you start behaving irrationally. That is very human." Panic buying is contagious In March, some companies reported a 700% increase in toilet paper sales, and manufacturers were overwhelmed by the unexpected demand. The heart of the matter still remains a mystery. At the time psychologists pointed to several underlying factors explaining the phenomenon. For one thing, conflicting messages from national and state officials can create an environment of anxiety. Panic buying can beget more panic buying. Now this study offers some new empirical data backing up exactly who was driving the rush on toilet paper. "People, being social creatures, we look to each other for cues for what is safe and what is dangerous," clinical psychologist Steven Taylor said back in March. He literally wrote the book on the subject, "The Psychology of Pandemics." "When you see someone in the store, panic buying, that can cause a fear contagion effect," he noted. The mystery remains Given the underlying science about how Covid-19 spreads, the mad rush to grab hand sanitizer, cleaning products, thermometers and masks makes perfect sense. But why do other things such as toilet paper get caught in the crossfire? Garbe and her team can't point to the specific reason. Though it's irrational, we can point to rational reasons for what drives outbreaks of irrational behavior. "Unless people have seen ... official promises that everyone will be taken care of, they are left to guess at the probability of needing the extra toilet paper, sooner rather than later," said Baruch Fischhoff, a psychologist and professor in the department of engineering and public policy and the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University, who wasn't involved in the study. "The fact that there are no official promises might increase those probabilities." That's the same conclusion that Garbe's team reached. "This study has implications for political communication to reduce threat perception," she said. "Clear communication is very important. People need simple behavioral instructions." This story was first published on CNN.com Why are we hoarding toilet paper? It may be your personality type We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th a big deal, Trump wrote. Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday. Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents. As per worldometers.info, the total cases in India is already 300,821 and deaths are 8,531. New Delhi: Fresh cases of coronavirus, for the first time, breached the 10,000 mark in India as the overall tally moved closer to 3 lakh. On Friday, India recorded its biggest jump of 10,956 cases and 396 deaths forcing state governments to scramble for fresh strategy to contain the new infections from multiplying. Amid speculations of a fresh lockdown by the state governments, some states like Maharashtra and Delhi clarified that there will not be a blanket lockdown. However, it is believed that the states may use some stringent methods to prevent mass movement of people in hotspots. As of now, Begin Again is in motion. @CMOMaharashtra Uddhav Thackeray ji has appealed to all citizens to ensure social distancing, so as to not get even close to a lockdown. Safety of citizens is and will be the only parameter, tweeted Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray while there was a similar tweet from CM office also. In Delhi, state health minister Satyender Jain said there are no plans for a fresh lockdown. But Delhi L-G Anil Baijal held a meeting with CM, chief secretary and other officials from the Delhi Police and Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss strategies for containment zone management. It was evident that there will be some strict measures to prevent unnecessary movement of people in some areas. Advised field officers to focus on proper delineation, strict perimeter control, intensified IEC, active house to house surveillance with special focus on high risk population for their effective management as per GoI guidelines, tweeted Baijal. In Delhi in areas that have reported higher cases and more deaths, state government has started imposing local "lockdown" by restricting movement of people in containment zones. He added that increasing bed capacity and improving medical resources is the topmost priority in handling the COVID-19 situation to ensure that a surge in cases does not overwhelm the city's healthcare system. The statement came soon after the Supreme Court pulled the Delhi government over its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. The apex court also slammed Delhi and other states -- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Gujarat -- for lower number of tests and asked the state governments to let private labs to test to cover maximum population at the earliest. India till Friday morning had recorded 2,97,535 cases and 8,498 deaths, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The number of active cases is 1,41,842, while 1,47,194 have recovered, taking recovery rate to 49.47 per cent. However, as per worldometers.info total cases in India were 300,821 and deaths were 8,531. When the tourists stopped coming in March, so did Lorin Lynchs paycheques from a Tampa Bay hotel. She burned through her savings while awaiting financial relief from Floridas unemployment office. It took nearly three months before the 26-year-old single mother finally got a cheque. Even as Florida reopens for business, Lynch is still fuming over an unemployment system that was among the countrys slowest to respond to the economic calamity triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. The states own statistics show that about 40 percent of the 2.2 million claims it received remain unpaid. Even with unemployment cheques now arriving, Lynch said, Im honestly terrified about how Im going to feed my son each day and whats going to happen next. That frustration is a problem for Florida Republicans as they try to secure the state again for President Donald Trump. Trumps path to winning re-election is exceedingly narrow without Floridas 29 electoral votes. The broken unemployment insurance system raises the prospect that thousands of out-of-work Floridians will bring their anger to the voting booth in a state where races are decided by the slimmest of margins. Ive been a Trump supporter, but Im kind of questioning everything, said Lynch, who voted for him in 2016 when she lived in Minneapolis. She was initially impressed by his business acumen, she said, but is now questioning his leadership in crisis. Much of her anger is directed at Floridas Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, a Trump ally. DeSantis has acknowledged that the unemployment system known as CONNECT was like a jalopy in the Daytona 500 being left in the dust. To stem criticism and the political fallout, DeSantis beefed up staffing and ordered additional servers to help rescue the beleaguered system. He claims the system is now functioning and blames user error and fraudulent claims for some of the unpaid benefits. As of last week, state data showed more than 880,000 claims remain unpaid, while 1.2 million Floridians have received unemployment benefits totalling nearly $5bn. In Washington, DC, the Senates top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, has asked the Labor Department for an internal investigation. Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, recently assailed the system in a TV interview. We have to make the unemployment system function, and your state isnt very functional, he told WFTV in Orlando, taking a shot at DeSantis. And that relates to management of the system. Raise your hand Florida Unemployment applicants if you have NOT received $600 federal portion of benefits in recent weeks https://t.co/7gHAuwbO84 Greg Angel (@NewsGuyGreg) June 3, 2020 Floridas unemployment woes add to the troubles for Trump five months from Election Day. Polling shows social unrest, the pandemic and the economic fallout have eroded his support among older people and in key battleground states. Democrats in Florida have been handed a cudgel, said Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida associate professor who co-wrote Politics in Florida. There is a large pool of voters who might have their votes swayed because of this issue. The question is how many, Jewell said. Some of the hardest-hit counties lie along the states crucial Interstate 4 corridor, stretching from Orlando to Tampa Bay. In Orange County, home to Disney World, nearly a fourth of the workforce lost jobs. In nearby Osceola County, about a third of workers are unemployed. Hundreds of thousands of Floridians in the Democratic strongholds of Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward counties were also left reeling by job losses, and Democrats have begun highlighting the unemployment fiasco to boost party turnout. A couple wearing protective masks and gloves walk along the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk in Hollywood, Florida [File: Lynne Sladky/AP Photo] Florida, like other states, has begun lifting the restrictions that caused its economy to sputter and unemployment to surge. In April, Floridas unemployment rate hit 12.9 percent, up from 2.8 percent in February. Figures for May have not yet been released. On Thursday, the US Department of Labor reported new jobless claims in Florida continued to fall as restaurants and retailers began calling people back to work. Some 110,000 Floridians filed for new jobless claims last week, according to the federal government, down from more than 207,000 claims the week before. Its one of those things where once the issue is solved, its going to disappear, said Florida Republican Party chairperson Joe Gruters. I dont think anybody ever expected the wave of unemployment applications at the same time the way it did during this crisis. Carolina Nunez is registered as a Republican but in recent years has supported Democrats. When she lost her paycheques in March and struggled to claim benefits, she blamed Republicans. So did her husband, Chris Kee, a sheriffs deputy in central Florida, who voted for DeSantis in 2018 and for Trump in 2016. Despite uncertainty spawned by the coronavirus and anti-police brutality protests, Kee and Nunez are sure of one thing: They will not be voting for Trump in November. We hear one thing coming from our governor and people who share his views, saying everything is fixed, he said. But everyone else who is going through the system, or is trying to receive benefits, is saying otherwise. 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. It is true that President Trump has often made himself a subject of ridicule for the cartoonist by making avoidable observations and speaking too much. This is a weakness for the man and this cannot be an issue for electing the next President. by N.S.Venkataraman With the US Presidential election only a few months away, a substantial section of US citizens must have made up their mind now about casting their vote in favour of Biden or Trump. Trump with Biden Normally, before the US Presidential election, there would be considerable wrangle about the choice of Presidential candidate by both the principal parties. However, this time, the Democratic party chose Biden as its candidate without much of debate and Republican party too decided in favour of Trump as its candidate without much of debate. The usual excitement that would be associated with the nomination of a Presidential candidate has been missing this time, causing disappointment for the curious observers. Even before the last Presidential election, the section of print and visual media in the USA carried out vituperative criticism against Donald Trump and the severity of such criticism has not tapered down during the Presidency of Trump. Therefore, people in USA are aware about the views and prejudices of the section of media against Trump and therefore, continued criticism of such media against Trump may not have a significant impact on the results of the forthcoming US Presidential election. Two recent unhappy events namely COVID 19 crisis and the murder of George Floyd by white policeman are bound to become electoral issue in the coming election, with the opposition parties, section of media and sworn critics holding Trump responsible for these two unhappy problems confronting USA. However, the discerning observers amongst citizens who do not hold any particular view for or against Trump would introspect deeper before casting their votes. The votes of these unprejudiced citizens are likely to be the deciding factor in the choice of next US President. Many impartial observers refuse to blame President Trump for COVID 19 crisis in the USA and any criticism that Trump did not take preventive steps to avoid COVID 19 crisis cannot stand independent scrutiny. No country in the world anticipated such magnitude of the COVID 19 problem and the fact that China concealed the information to the world when it occurred in Wuhan and W H O colluded with China in concealing the information is believed by many people to be correct. President Trump left it to the Governors to handle the COVID 19 crisis and this is what it should be. It is true that Trump underestimated the seriousness of COVID 19 crisis earlier, which is a matter of judgement and the benefit of doubt should be given to him. Several governments in Europe and other countries reacted in the same way as the U S did. In the case of the murder of George Floyd, it would be extremely unfair to blame President Trump for this and he lost no time in condemning it. When the violent prone protestors took law into their own hands and destroyed public properties, President Trump had no alternative other than threatening to put down such violence by force. No government can afford to remain as a spectator when the protestors indulge in violence , whatever may be the cause. The critics and opposition party exploiting the above two unhappy events to discredit President Trump and spoil his public image may not cut ice amongst many discerning people. It is true that President Trump has often made himself a subject of ridicule for the cartoonist by making avoidable observations and speaking too much. This is a weakness for the man and this cannot be an issue for electing the next President. The basic approach of President Trump in defending the American business interests and stating clearly America first are certainly recognized and applauded by many people. His decision to confront China is a matter of absolute need and he has taken the bull by the horn in dealing with China, with no other US President having done so before. The fact that American economy has done reasonably well during Trumps tenure and the steps he has taken to revive the economy after the COVID 19 crisis will not go unnoticed even by the worst critics. Many would wonder whether the Democratic party candidate would go soft on China, if he were to be the next President. No American would want this. Former President Obama campaigning for Biden may not help the electoral prospects of Biden significantly. Many people would still remember that President Obama suddenly visited a mosque and asked the African Americans to defend their rights before the last Presidential election, which inevitably gave an impression that Obama was trying to please a section of people by appeasing them for the sake of votes . Considering the fact that Obama himself is not a white person, many may ask as to what he did to enhance the status of blacks in America during his Presidentship. Obama was not tough against China and this became very clear , when he received the respected Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama through the backdoors of White House , so that Chinese government would not be annoyed by his entertaining the Dalai Lama. By this process, many think that Obama insulted the Dalai Lama. As of now, the US Presidential election is still open and campaign would become more bitter as the days go on. But, the discerning observers amongst US citizens would not be guided by rhetorics and media views . (Natural News) A new review of the infections symptoms says that, in addition to the lungs, the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) poses a threat to the entire nervous system. In the study, published in Annals of Neurology, researchers from Northwestern Medicine noted that about half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had neurological manifestations of the disease. These included dizziness, headache, muscle pain, decreased alertness, difficulty concentrating, disorders of smell and taste, seizures and stroke. Its important for the general public and physicians to be aware of this, because a SARS-CoV-2 infection may present with neurologic symptoms initially, before any fever, cough or respiratory problems occur, said lead author Dr. Igor Koralnik, a professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and chief of neuro-infectious diseases and global neurology at Northwestern Medicine. COVID-19 has been observed to cause neurological symptoms Experts have known that the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19 attacks the nervous system for a while now. Even as early as February, researchers were already looking into the many neurological manifestations of the disease. In a letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, a group of Italian doctors noted how some of the COVID-19 patients under their care developed Guillain-Barre syndrome. This neurological disorder sees the patients immune system respond to an infection, only for it to mistakenly attack nerve cells, resulting in muscle weakness and even paralysis. A similar editorial letter, published in Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, described how COVID-19 patients in China developed encephalitis the swelling and inflammation of the brain. A larger study of COVID-19 patients in Wuhan ground zero for the global pandemic noted that 36 percent of patients demonstrated neurological manifestations. These ranged from mild symptoms such as headaches and dizziness likely caused by a robust immune response to more specific and severe symptoms such as the loss of smell and taste, muscle weakness, seizures, stroke and hallucinations. That same study also noted that these symptoms manifested more often in severe cases of COVID-19, with estimates ranging from 46 to 84 percent. (Related: Yes, its REAL: Coronavirus patients are losing their sense of smell and taste and arent getting them back.) How COVID-19 affects the nervous system While most of the previous studies have looked at specific neurological manifestations, the Northwestern Medicine review focused on looking at all possible neurological symptoms stemming from COVID-19, as well as how to diagnose them. Based on what they observed, Koralnik and his team believe that COVID-19 may affect the entire nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and nerves, as well as the muscles. As the virus also attacks other organs, such as the lungs, kidneys and heart, the brain may also suffer from lack of oxygenation or from clotting disorders that can lead to hemorrhagic or ischemic strokes. The virus may also directly infect the brain and the meninges. In addition, the immune systems reaction to this infection may cause inflammation that can cause nerve and brain damage. Koralnik and his colleagues have since formed a Neuro-COVID research team. The team has started a retrospective analysis of all COVID-19 patients hospitalized at Northwestern Medicine to determine the types of neurological complications they faced, how frequently these complications occurred, as well as how well the patients responded to treatment. Researchers still looking at long-term effects of the disease Currently, knowledge about the long term outcome of neurologic manifestations of COVID-19 is limited. To address this, Koralnik and his team will also follow some of Northwestern Medicines prospectively in a new outpatient clinic. The team is looking to determine whether any of the neurological manifestations of the disease is permanent, or if theyre only temporary. A similar study from France has already identified that changes in consciousness seen in severe COVID-19 cases, such as disorientation, inattention and movement disorders, can persist after recovery. According to Koralnik, studies like these will provide a foundation for how to diagnose, manage and treat the COVID-19s many neurologic manifestations. Sources include: Eurekalert.org OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com NEJM.org 1 ScienceDirect.com JAMANetwork.com NEJM.org 2 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 18:31:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can jointly meet challenges and solve problems in the region by further carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit, a Kyrgyz political analyst has said. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Azamat Temirkulov said that he was impressed by Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the 19th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the SCO held last year. Carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit is of great significance, because challenges faced by the SCO member states have become more prominent and crucial, and need to be tackled jointly, he said. "In today's globalized world, member states must work together to address global challenges such as extremism, terrorism and separatism, as well as regional security issues including information security," he said. Temirkulov added that he shared Xi's view on further carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit, because the spirit has become the basis for exchanges among SCO member states. The Shanghai Spirit, as the founding values of the SCO, features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and pursuit of common development. In 2001, the SCO came into being after Uzbekistan formally joined the Shanghai Five, which were China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan at that time. The Shanghai Spirit then became the guideline for the SCO cooperation. The expert believes the proposal put forward by Xi on strengthening cooperation among SCO member states is very timely and meaningful as combating extremism also involves solving socio-economic problems. "Problems such as extremism or terrorism cannot be solved if social development does not provide citizens with a decent life and a decent job," Temirkulov said. He pointed out that the establishment of the SCO Development Bank will ensure the socio-economic development of all member states and will help combat extremism, terrorism and separatism. Since Kyrgyzstan is an SCO member state, the establishment of such a bank is in its best interests, Temirkulov said. As SCO member states have been forging closer trade ties, the bank is expected to boost trade in the region, he noted. Such a bank will be one of the institutions to develop the Silk Road Economic Belt and regional trade, so "I think these proposals by President Xi are very timely, meaningful and promising," Temirkulov said. Enditem Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal The state reported 102 new cases of COVID-19 and five deaths related to the virus in an update Saturday afternoon, bringing the total to 9,621 cases and 431 deaths. New Mexico health officials said in a news release that those who died were from Bernalillo, San Juan and McKinley counties. They were all hospitalized and had underlying conditions. Those who died were: A woman in her 70s from Bernalillo County who was a resident of Robin House Assisted Living Center in Albuquerque. Two women, in their 40s and 50s, in McKinley County. A woman in her 70s and man in his 50s from San Juan County. The new cases include 28 in McKinley County, 12 in Dona Ana County, 12 in Bernalillo County, seven in Sandoval County, six in Curry County, six in Luna County, five in Santa Fe County, three each in Chavez, Cibola, San Juan and Lea counties, two in Colfax County and one each in Sierra and Hidalgo counties. The state Department of Health said there are also 10 new cases among Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at the Otero County Processing Center, bringing the total in that facility to 108. Officials said 172 people are hospitalized with the virus and 4,072 are designated as having recovered by the Department of Health. Online Coronavirus Hotline 1-855-600-3453 Non-health-related COVID-19 questions 1-833-551-0518 For more than 80 years, Social Security has played a critical role in providing a financial foundation for retired workers. Today, 62% of retired workers lean on Social Security for at least half of their monthly income, with an analysis from the Centers for Budget and Policy Priorities finding that the program is responsible for pulling more than 15 million seniors out of poverty each year. But providing for 64-million-plus beneficiaries (retirees, survivors, and the disabled) each year is expensive. Last year, the Social Security program spent almost $1.06 trillion. This means the program needs steady sources of funding to ensure its longevity. Social Security collects more than $1 trillion in revenue each year The vast majority of revenue collected by the Social Security program comes from its 12.4% payroll tax on earned income (i.e., wages and taxes, but not investing income) ranging between $0.01 and $137,700, as of 2020. If you're employed by a company or someone else, they cover half of your payroll tax liability; the self-employed are responsible for the full 12.4%. In 2019, the payroll tax on earned income accounted for $944.5 billion, or 89%, of the $1.062 trillion collected by Social Security. As long as Americans are working, the payroll tax will collect funds that can be disbursed to eligible beneficiaries. You could rightly say the payroll tax ensures that Social Security can never go bankrupt. Social Security also generates a fair amount of interest income from its asset reserves. These asset reserves are the program's net cash surpluses built up since inception that are legally required to be invested in special-issue government bonds and certificates of indebtedness. With nearly $2.9 trillion in asset reserves, Social Security is able to generate around $80 billion in interest income each year. Taxing Social Security beneficiaries is quite lucrative But there's a third source of revenue for Social Security that's absolutely despised by beneficiaries, yet is expected to play an increasingly important role as time moves forward: the taxation of benefits. Back in 1983, lawmakers were faced with a dilemma. Social Security was slated to burn through its asset reserves in less than 12 months unless lawmakers could pass legislation that would add new revenue and/or reduce long-term expenditures. The result was the Amendments of 1983, which represents the last major overhaul of the Social Security program. Among the many changes to the Social Security program that were introduced was the taxation of benefits. This new rule allowed the federal government to tax up to one-half of a person's benefits if their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) plus one-half of benefits topped $25,000 (or $32,000 for a couple filing jointly). In 1993, a second tier of taxation was added that exposed up to 85% of a person's or couple's benefits to federal taxation if their MAGI plus one-half of benefits exceeds $34,000 and $44,000, respectively. In 2019, the taxation of benefits "only" brought in $36.5 billion, which accounts for 3.44% of total collected revenue. But over the course of the next decade, the taxation of benefits is expected to bring in close to $651 billion, in aggregate, and account for 6.13% of total revenue by 2029. As the program's asset reserves begin to dwindle, along with its interest income, the taxation of benefits is expected to become Social Security's second-leading source of revenue. You might hate the taxation of benefits, but it's not going away Despite being a critical cog to the future success of Social Security, there's no sugarcoating seniors' disgust in paying tax on received benefits. One reason for that is that it's viewed as a form of double taxation. Even though it's technically not double taxation -- some of the funds retired workers receive derive from interest income earned on Social Security's asset reserves -- most folks have difficulty viewing it any other way. The other significant problem with the taxation of benefits is the income thresholds that trigger federal taxation have never been updated to reflect inflation. When the taxation of benefits was introduced in 1984, it only affected about one in 10 households. Today, right around half of all senior households are paying some sort of tax on their Social Security benefits. Although the vast majority of seniors have called for an end to the taxation of benefits, or at the very worst an inflationary update to the qualifying thresholds, neither request is likely to be granted anytime soon. Social Security is facing an estimated funding shortfall of a whopping $16.8 trillion over the next 75 years, according to the latest Trustees report. Though updating the taxation threshold, or eliminating the taxation of benefits completely, would put more money into the pockets of seniors in the short term, it would deprive Social Security of much-needed income, thereby expediting the time frame when benefit cuts may become necessary. With Social Security's asset reserves already expected to decline by close to $1.1 trillion over the next decade, the absence of the taxation of benefits would balloon this deficit to perhaps more than $1.7 trillion. Even though failing to update the taxation of benefits to reflect inflation over the past 27 to 37 years can rightly be viewed as "unfair," lawmakers simply have no incentive to change things when every dollar is needed to support an already ailing program. Maharashtra on Saturday reported 3,427 more infections to take the tally to 1,04,568, as the government looks at strengthening its focus on rural areas after a spike in numbers.The state, which had breached the 1 lakh-cases mark on Friday, has recorded over 3,000 fresh infections for four consecutive days. With 113 more deaths, the state toll reached 3,830, although 73 of them were from the past two days, while the remaining casualties were between May 27 and June 10. Mumbai, the worst-affected Indian city, saw 1,380 new infections and 69 more deaths, taking the tally and toll to 56,831 and 2,113 respectively. Over the past week, the state has recorded 21,600 cases and 861 deaths an average of 3,086 cases and 123 deaths per day till Saturday. Saturday saw the third highest single-day jump in cases. Meanwhile, even as Mumbai could restrict the virus spread to some extent, the spike in caseload in rural parts and districts like Solapur, Aurangabad, Yavatmal and Jalgaon remained a cause of concern for the state administration. The district administrations have been directed to ramp up health infrastructure, so as to contain the spread. While Mumbais daily rise in cases dropped in comparison to the overall state figures over the past three weeks, a few districts like Solapur, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Akola and Dhule have registered a sharp growth in the past three weeks. Solapurs case count rose to 1,620 on Friday from 522 on May 21, a day before the lockdown was relaxed substantially by reducing areas under red zones. Aurangabads tally rose to 1,126 from 457 on May 21, while Jalgaons count went up to 1,540 from 331. In Akola and Dhule, the numbers rose to 979 and 353 from 344 and 95 respectively. Mumbai accounted for 63.73% of the states new cases on May 14, 56.47% on May 28, 49.06% on June 4 and 39.10% on Friday. We are implementing the Dharavi pattern in districts like Aurangabad to bring mortality rate down and effective tracing of patients. Thermal scanners and oximeters are being aggressively used in these districts that have witnessed a rising number of cases. Asha workers and other health workers are being roped in to form surveillance squads for tracing and testing. By doing this, the vulnerable and patients with comorbidities are traced, helping us in checking the mortality rate, said Dr Sadhana Tayade, director, health services. The Central government on Thursday had expressed concerns over the high mortality rate and pointed at the possibility of a shortage of ICU beds in a few districts and cities of Maharashtra. The state authorities have directed the Mumbai corporation for the strict acquisition of beds in private hospitals, while district collectors in other districts are asked to chalk out plans for the addition of beds, anticipating the potential growth of cases in the near future. Barring Mumbai, we have been able to cope with the demand for ICU beds. While acquiring additional stock of ventilators, we have also asked district authorities to trace vulnerable patients early so that they would not need to put on ventilators, said an official from the state government. The recovery rate improved to 47.2% from 26.25% on May 20, as the number of recovered patients reached 49,346 on Saturday. The national recovery rate on Saturday was 49.95%. The mortality rate was 3.7% against the national rate of 2.88%. Of the 113 deaths reported on Saturday, 87 are from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), including 69 from Mumbai, eight from Navi Mumbai. Ten deaths were in Pune and eight in Solapur. 65 of the people who died were above 60 years of age and 83 of them had comorbidities. A total of 16,464 samples have been tested in the past 24 hours, with a positivity rate of 15.74%. Currently, 5,83,303 people are under home quarantine. Out of Mumbais 69 deaths, 47 patients had co-morbidities, whereas, seven deaths were below 40 years of age, 37 deaths were above 60 years of age, and 25 were between 40 to 60 years. As per BMC data, 795 patients recovered and were discharged on Saturday as the total discharges have gone up to 25, 947. The total number of active patients in the city stands at 28, 682. There were signs of improvement in one of the most vulnerable areas of the city, Dharavi, which recorded no deaths and only 17 cases on Saturday. Dharavis case count has reached 2,030. Meanwhile, BMC said that ICMR has approved its technique of plasma therapy to check for the right quality plasma with adequate levels of antibodies to treat Covid-19 patients as per the protocols. BMC-run Kasturba, Nair and KEM have got an approval for trial by the ICMR. The technique called Chemiluminescent Immunoassay (CLIA) can be used to test the plasma from a recovered patient for the quantum of IgG antibodies. In a statement issued on Saturday, BMC said, Only a donor with adequate antibodies is selected, which allows quality plasma to be given to the patient. This will help to treat patients more effectively. As part of its monsoon preparedness, the BMCs insecticide department has destroyed over 1.08 lakh breeding sites of the aedes aegypti mosquito, known to spread dengue, and 333 breeding sites of the anopheles mosquito, which is the malaria vector. This drive took place between January this year till now. Australia's 20-year-old flagship environmental protection laws are failing badly and in urgent need of an overhaul, the crossbench senator who helped the Howard government install the landmark legislation says. "Clearly it's not working well," former Democrats senator Andrew Bartlett said ahead of an imminent review of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. "The most obvious failure is despite the fact conditions can be attached to project approvals, there are just so many cases where conditions aren't adhered to. There are no efforts to check and no penalties." The critically endangered Leadbeater's possum was recently at the centre of court action triggered by federal environmental protection laws. Credit:Justin McManus Mr Bartlett stared down bitter opposition from some powerful players in the conservation movement and sided with the Howard government against Labor and the Greens to vote for legislation in 1999. The act was an attempt by the Howard government to modernise environmental protection laws and was controversial because it significantly increased the environment minister's powers, such as allowing them to intervene in project approvals to protect threatened species. A man in his 20s has died in Co Westmeath after a tragic accident involving a car. It happened at around 8pm last night in the Coralstown area of Kinnegad. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) The Department of Justice is expected to submit to Malacanang the results of its review on the controversial anti-terrorism bill by June 17. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra in a statement on Saturday said the department "has been requested to submit its comments on the anti-terror bill to the Office of the President by Wednesday, June 17." "We'll review the proposed anti-terrorism bill as independently and objectively as possible, with only the security of the nation and the civil and political rights of the people in mind," Guevarra said. The DOJ's review began on June 6, during which time Congress had not yet sent the bill to President Rodrigo Duterte for enactment. But Guevarra had said that the DOJ "will already start its own review" of the proposed measure, which has drawn much criticism for the constitutionality of some of its provisions. On June 9, Congress submitted the enrolled bill to the Palace despite calls fo lawmakers to reconsider their decision. Duterte now has 30 days to either sign or veto the bill before it lapses into law. The bill, earlier certified by Duterte as urgent, will repeal Human Security Act of 2007, giving more surveillance powers to government forces. Critics of the measure say it relaxes safeguards on human rights. One of its contentious provisions is allowing the detention of suspected terrorists for up to 24 days even without a warrant of arrest. Once enacted, law enforcers can conduct surveillance on suspected terrorists for up to 90 days. Under the current law, detention without warrant of arrest should only be up to three days, while surveillance is up to 30 days only. Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said they are ready to challenge the constitutionality of the measure before the Supreme Court, arguing that it poses threats against progressive groups, who previously experienced "red-tagging" from state forces. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday said red-tagging is not a policy of the Duterte administration, refuting observations made by the United Nations' Human Rights Office. He said the anti-terrorism bill will be subject to review, but noted that it is at par with the laws of other countries and does not automatically brand critics as terrorists. gmatt1476 wrote: The table above shows the number of residents in each of two age groups who support the use of each type of funding for a city initiative. What is the probability that a person randomly selected from among the 250 residents polled is younger than 40, or supports a type of funding that includes a tax, or both? A. 1/5 B. 8/25 C. 12/25 D. 3/5 E. 4/5 PS43661.01 Show Spoiler Attachment: 2019-09-22_0105.png The table above shows the number of residents in each of two age groups who support the use of each type of funding for a city initiative. What is the probability that a person randomly selected from among the 250 residents polled is younger than 40, or supports a type of funding that includes a tax, or both?A. 1/5B. 8/25C. 12/25D. 3/5E. 4/5PS43661.01 For folks having confusion on the double counting, please have a look at the explanation below:- Z Z 20 30 + 30 = 80 20 30 + 10 + 60 = 120 20 + 30 120 - 20 - 30 = 70 20 30 = 50 50 - 20 - 30 = 0 D Cheers. Wishing Luck to Every GMAT Aspirant | Press +1 if this post helped you! Interested in data analysis & reporting using R programming? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOJHBYhmD2I Signature Read More 1. Probability = (Residents younger than 40 + Residents who support tax, independent of their age + Residents who are younger than 40 and support tax)/2502. Mathematically, we need to ensure that a person is only counted once in the 3 groups. E.g. If personis younger than 40 and supports taxes then will countonly in the first group (younger than 40) and subtract from the second group (support taxes). Vice versa, we can also count in the second group and subtract from first.3. Residents younger than 40 = Sum of the first row =4. Residents who support tax, independent of their age = Sum of the first two columns =4.a. But the(highlighted in red font) is already considered in point 3 and hence to avoid double counting we will subtract it from 4 i.e.5. Residents who are younger than 40 and support tax = Sum of the first two columns from the first row =5.a. But again these two groups are already part of point 3 and hence we will not consider them i.e.Plugging the output from points 3, 4.a, and 5.a. into 1, we get\(\frac{80 + 70 + 0}{250}\) \(=\) \(\frac{150}{250}\) \(=\) \(\frac{3}{5}\)Ans._________________ On June 14, citizens of the United States celebrate Flag Day and spend the following days commemorating the promises represented by the Stars and Stripes while remembering those who have served our nation. From the five local chapters of Daughters of the American Revolution to the numerous veterans organizations in the Chattanooga region and beyond, Flag Day will be recognized in events as a day that combines the best of our history and the more perfect vision for our nations tomorrows. On June 14, 1777, while the fledging American colonies were in a fight for their independence, the Second Continental Congress, led by John Hancock, signed a resolution that read: That the flag of the United States shall be of thirteen stripes of alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen stars of white in a blue field, representing the new constellation. The committees chose of the word, constellation, reiterates the John Winthrops image in his statement that "We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us." Countless presidents and other citizens have referred to our republican, representative government as a shining light. While we struggle with the fulfilment of those promises represented by our flag, it is Medal of Honor recipient Sammy L. Davis who best understands the challenge when he says You Dont Lose Until You Quite Trying, the title of his inspiring book regarding Lessons on Adversity and Victory from a Vietnam Veteran. At the Battle of Brandywine, the new flag was accompanied the Continental troops for the first time, but it would be almost one hundred years later before citizens began to celebrate Flag Day. Numerous towns claim the first celebration but the historical records show that, by the 1890s, schools across the country were hosting Flag Day programs. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation asking that June 14 be recognized as the National Flag Day, acknowledging the fighting sweeping across Europe in reaction to Kaiser Wilhelms attempts to expand the German Empire. Again, in 1927, a U. S. President, Calvin Coolidge, issued the same proclamation but it would not become law until Congress approved the observation in 1949. President Harry Truman announced his pride in signing the bill. Why celebrate Flag Day 2020? Four brief stories serve to demonstrate the commitment to the ideals represented in our Declaration of Independence and further advanced by our U. S. Constitution in its most famous words, We the People. Tibor Rubin, Medal of Honor, Korean Conflict: Tibor [Ted] Rubin, a native of Hungary, survived 14 months in the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. After liberation by U. S. troops, Rubin immigrated to the United States and, in recalling that decision, he shared I always wanted to become a citizen of the United States and when I became a citizen it was one of the happiest days in my life . . . It was the first time I was free. It was one of the reasons I joined the U. S. Army because I wanted to show my appreciation. Rubins regiment was trapped inside North Korea by Chinese troops; most were killed and the remainder were captured. Although he was severely wounded, Rubin was credited with having saved the lives of his fellow POWS during the thirty months they remained captive. As former sergeant and POW recalled, Almost every night, Rubin would sneak out of the prison camp to steal food from the Chinese and North Korean supply depots, knowing that he would be shot if caught. He shared the food evenly among the GIs. He . . . took care of us, nursed us, carried us to the latrine . . . he did many good deeds, which he told us were mitzvahs in the Jewish tradition . . .he was a very religion Jew and helping his fellow men was the most important thing to him. More than 40 American soldiers recommended Rubin for numerous medals, crediting him with keeping them alive. Roy Benavidez, Medal of Honor, Vietnam Conflict: Texan Roy Benavidez, son of a Mexican sharecropper father and a Yaqqui Indian mother, was orphaned by age eight, dropped out of school in the seventh grade, went to work to help his grandparents and then joined the 82nd Airborne Division in 1959, eventually moving to Special Forces. His first tour in Vietnam, 1965, ended when he stepped on a land mine and was sent back to the states with a prognosis that he would never walk again. Defying doctors repeated orders, Benavidez fought to regain his strength and, one year later, he walked out of the hospital, determined to return to the military. By January 1968, he was back in Vietnam when his regular prayer service was interrupted with the news that a patrol of the Americans and nine Nung tribesmen were caught in the middle of a NVA hornets nest of more than 1000. Benavidez grabbed a medical kit and a knife and forced his way onto a rescue chopper. From that moment forward, the accounts defy imagination. Benavidez, wounded 37 times, fought to save the surviving members of the patrol in actions described as superhuman. First awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, he received the Medal of Honor in 1981 from President Ronald Reagan who told the press assembled for the ceremony, If the story of his heroism were a movie script, you would not believe it. Benavidez devoted his remaining years to working with young people, promoting education and community/national service. Melvin Morris, Medal of Honor, Vietnam Conflict: Morris, who visited Chattanooga in 2018, was one of the first soldiers designated as a Green Beret and twice volunteered for deployments to Vietnam. On September 17, 1969, Sergeant Morris led an advance across enemy lines to save and retrieve fallen comrades, single-handedly decimated the enemy force that had pinned his battalion down. He was wounded three times as he ran back to his troops with the American casualties, never stopping in his mission to save his men. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and, by mid-1970, he was back in Vietnam. When his record following his retirement was reviewed more closely, his award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, based on the eyewitness accounts offered by his troops and other observers. On March 18, 2014, Morris received the Medal of Honor from President Barrack Obama. Today, Melvin Morris, U. S. Army [Ret], crisscrosses the nation working with students of all ages, committed to the Character Development Program created by the Medal of Honor Foundation. Gary Beikirch, Medal of Honor, Vietnam Conflict: Beikirch, a New York native, joined the U. S. Army at the end of his second year of college, with a goal of becoming a Green Beret. He trained at Fort Dix, completed jump school at Fort Benning, passed the Special Forces test and then completed additional training to become a combat medic. He deployed to Vietnam in July 1969 where he was stationed at Dak Seang Camp, home to Montegnard villagers and fighters, in the Central Highlands. In April 1970, the camp came under attack from a much larger North Vietnamese force. While the Montagnard assistants treated the wounded, Beikirch grabbed a 4.2-inch mortar and returned fire until hostile fire disabled the weapon at which point he grabbed a machine gun. When he realized that a fellow soldier was wounded and in an exposed position, he ran through heavy fire to rescue him. Hit by shrapnel that resulted in his partial paralysis, he had his Montagnard assistants carry him from one position to another as he continued to treat the wounded. He sustained two additional serious wounds and yet refused to stop treating the wounded. Once placed on a stretcher for airlift, Beikirch continued to provide medical care while firing his weapon until he lost consciousness. After his military service, he graduated from White Mountain Seminary, obtained a Masters in counseling and has served both as a pastor and a middle school guidance counselor. Beikirch, who visited Chattanooga in February, shares his story of resilience and Gods grace in his life. Each of these mens willingness to serve their nation, protect their fellow troops and, in civilian life, dedicate themselves to their communities bears witness to the continued work required to make We The People a reality. So, fly your flag with a renewed commitment that our history has proven that when we work together for good, our nation progresses and we move closer to liberty and justice for all. Happy Flag Day 2020! ------ Linda Moss Mines is the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Historian, Regent, Chief John Ross Chapter, NSDAR and serves as VP, Education for the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. Britain's economy shrank by a quarter over March and April as entire sectors were shuttered by the coronavirus lockdown, in what looks likely to be the bottom of a "catastrophic" crash before a long and slow recovery. In a slump dwarfing previous downturns, the UK economy contracted by 20.4pc in April from March, when it shrank by nearly 6pc. It was 24.5pc smaller than in April 2019. The UK Office for National Statistics said the economy had shrunk back to its 2002 size. "This is catastrophic, literally on a scale never seen before in history," Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank, said. "The real issue is what happens next." Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the figures were no surprise as Britain's huge services sector was being hit particularly hard by social distancing measures, but he said a recovery would follow. "Coronavirus is likely to hit a country like the UK economically very hard, we depend on services, on human contact," he said. "But we're also a very resilient and a dynamic economy and we will bounce back." Much of Britain's retail sector is due to open its doors next week and the government last month urged people who could not do their jobs at home to return to work as restrictions gradually lift. Bank of England (BoE)governor Andrew Bailey has warned of the deepest recession in three centuries. While he could see some signs of a recovery but long-term economic damage remained likely, he said. However, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says Britain could suffer the worst downturn among the countries it covers, with an 11.5pc slump. The BoE is expected to announce a fresh increase of at least 100bn (111bn) in its bond-buying next week. IFS director Johnson told Sky News the hit might be short, but warned that unemployment would jump again when government wage subsidy schemes end in October. Reuters Kabul Mosque Attack Kills 4 By Ayesha Tanzeem June 12, 2020 An attack on a mosque in Kabul during Friday prayers killed the imam and three worshipers and wounded several others. Mawlawi Azizullah Mofleh, the imam of Sher Shah Suri mosque in the Kart e Char area, was a well-known religious scholar. This is the second attack on a religious scholar in the last 10 days. On June 2, Mawlawi Ayaz Niazi was killed in a similar attack at the Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan mosque in downtown Kabul. The local chapter of Islamic State claimed responsibility for that. A suicide attack was carried out May 12 during a funeral in the Shewa district of Nangarhar province, killing at least 26 and wounding more than 100. The Taliban had denied responsibility for the earlier attacks, and so far, no group has claimed responsibility for the Friday attack. Meanwhile, security officials in Kandahar province said several people attacked a small intelligence base Thursday night on the outskirts of the city of Kandahar. The base housed unit Zero 03 of the National Directorate for Security NDS special forces. Jamal Barakzai, a spokesman for Kandahar police, told VOA that a number of attackers took position in nearby mountains. A security source told VOA that attackers fired heavy artillery on the NDS base. The Zero 03 special forces base is located inside the house of the Taliban's founding leader, Mullah Omer, in the Arghandab district. The incidents of violence come at a time when the start of much-anticipated negotiations between the Taliban and other Afghans, including the Afghan government, seem to be near. President Ashraf Ghani announced Thursday that his government, which had already released 3,000 Taliban prisoners, was planning to release more. "My colleagues and I have made the decision to release an additional 2,000 prisoners within a very short period. We will announce the date soon," the Afghan president said to an online forum hosted jointly by the Washington-based Atlantic Council's South Asia Center and the United States Institute of Peace. The Taliban has said it is ready to start negotiations within a week of the release of 5,000 of their prisoners. The United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated a deal with the Taliban signed in February, hailed the development and urged both sides to grab the opportunity. "All sides must work to get to the negotiations table ASAP and prevent spoilers from undermining the process & betraying the hopes and yearning of Afghan people for peace," he tweeted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A woman faces off against San Francisco police, May 31, 2020, in California. Karl Mondon/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images San Francisco Mayor London Breed proposed sweeping police reforms Thursday, including a ban on using tear gas and stopping police from responding to non-criminal activity. Other reforms she proposed include demilitarizing and reallocating funds from the police department. "We are going to keep pushing for additional reforms and continue to find ways to reinvest in communities that have historically been underserved and harmed by systemic racism," Breed said. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. San Francisco Mayor London Breed is looking to ban the city police department from using tear gas and disallowing police to respond to non-criminal incidents, she announced Thursday. "We know that a lack of equity in our society overall leads to a lot of the problems that police are being asked to solve," Breed said in a statement, echoing widespread calls among organizers and protesters for police department resources to be re-allocated to other social services. "We are going to keep pushing for additional reforms and continue to find ways to reinvest in communities that have historically been underserved and harmed by systemic racism," she added. The mayor's office released a four-pronged reform package that would demilitarize the police, end police's role in non-criminal activity, confront bias and shore up accountability measures, and redirect funds from the police to other social and community services. Since the September 11 attacks, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security have struck deals with local and state police departments, giving them low-cost military-grade weaponry and equipment. The proliferation of military gear has had a noticeable impact on American policing and the communities they operate in. The authors of a 2017 study on the militarization of police found a direct correlation between the rise of militarization and more police killings. Story continues Breed proposes four 'prongs' of reform The first prong of Breed's reforms, demilitarization, would ban the use of "chemical weapons such as tear gas, bayonets, and tanks," among other materiels. Tear gas has banned in warfare since 1993. The second prong, ending police's role in non-violent situations, would contribute to de-escalation efforts. "Over the next year, the City will develop a systematic response plan to improve direct connection to community-based or City service providers," the statement said. "This plan will also reduce the need for armed police interventions in our schools." The third prong, on bias and accountability, would institute new screenings and trainings. Research shows that bias-training programs do not have any effect on police brutality. The final prong, on defunding police, would redirect money to "programs and organizations that serve communities that have been systematically harmed by past City policies." Breed's statement did not mention how much money would be divested from the police department, and her office did not immediately respond to Insider's questions. San Francisco Mayor London Breed and actor Jamie Foxx kneel during a rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in San Francisco California, U.S. June 1, 2020. REUTERS/Stephen Lam The announcement points to a changing understanding among public officials of American policing and its function. It comes just days after the Minneapolis City Council announced its intention to disband the Minneapolis Police Department. "Decades of disinvestment in the African-American community and racially disparate policies in San Francisco have exacerbated disproportionate harm in Black communities," the mayor's office said, "affecting outcomes from health and wellness to housing insecurity and economic outcomes." Minneapolis Councilmember Steve Fletcher echoed that sentiment on June 2, when he said the role of police needs to be critically reevaluated. "We can send a city response that makes situations better. We can resolve confusion over a $20 grocery transaction without drawing a weapon, or pulling out handcuffs," Fletcher said on social media. "The whole world is watching, and we can declare policing as we know it a thing of the past, and create a compassionate, non-violent future," Fletcher added. "It will be hard. But so is managing a dysfunctional relationship with an unaccountable armed force in our city." Read the original article on Insider Plans are underway by the International Police (INTERPOL) Nigeria to extradite Instagram celebrity Raymond Igbalodely a.k.a. Hushpuppi from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Nigeria to face alleged multiple fraud charges, The Nation reports. This is against Kemi Olunloyos claims that Hushpuppi and others arrested with him were already extradited to the US. The INTERPOL is also on the trail of other accomplices in the alleged fraud who are resident in Nigeria to bring them to justice. Commissioner of Police (CP) INTERPOL, Garba Umar disclosed these to The Nation yesterday while confirming the arrest of Igbalodely whose real name is said to be Ramoni Igbalode. He said: It is true that Hushpuppi was arrested by the INTERPOL. We are currently working on bringing him to Nigeria to face charges of fraud. Some of the offences were committed here in Nigeria and he has to answer for them. He is not alone in it; there are accomplices in the country who we are currently on their trail, said the CP. Hushpuppi, known for his display of wealth on social media, was arrested days ago for allegedly hacking into the United States (US) unemployed database and impersonating citizens qualified for unemployment funds. He and his accomplices in Nigeria, Dubai and other countries allegedly defrauded the US of over $100 million meant for Native Americans in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. His arrest came days after he posted a picture of his newly acquired 2020 Rolls Royce Cullinan worth about N280 million, the latest addition to his fleet of exotic vehicles. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates BRECKSVILLE, Ohio Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School honored their 2020 graduating seniors with a parade from Broadview Heights City Hall to the high school in Brecksville for an outdoor commencement ceremony. Around 300 vehicles with senior graduates and family were strategically lined up in the parking lot outside the Broadview Heights Recreation Department. Families finished decorating their vehicles to honor their graduates before being escorted by Broadview Heights and Brecksville police and emergency vehicles to parade the joining communities. The parade concluded at the high school parking lot where three giant video screens with audio were set up for the commencement ceremony. The speakers addressed the graduating class from a center stage and a prerecorded video played of each student receiving their diploma. It was a well orchestrated parade and ceremony for a high school class that will remember their graduation during the coronavirus pandemic. New York City police officials began announcing disciplinary action this week against several officers for alleged misconduct during the recent protests. Two officers have been suspended for shoving a woman to ground and pepper-spraying a man after pulling down his mask. Another cop had their gun and badge taken away for opening their car door into a protester while their car was in motion. But in the same week that top police brass revealed investigations were underway, a leaked letter by a lieutenant expressed regret for kneeling alongside protesters, which was seen by activists as evidence that the police culture needs to change. Lt. Robert Cattani called it a horrible decision that he will be shamed and humiliated about for the rest of my life. He said the cop in me wanted to kick my ass. Makes you wonder what went through the mind of Chief of Department Terence Monahan when he took a knee, which was seen as a significant moment for the NYPDs highest-ranking uniformed officer. Keep reading for the rest of this weeks news. 50-a repealed and other criminal justice reforms State lawmakers returned to work in the wake of statewide and nationwide protests against racism and police brutality to pass a slate of criminal justice reforms. In all, they passed a package of 10 bills over three days. The most significant of those was the repeal of Section 50-a, which had kept police disciplinary records secret. Its repeal will make those records, including past complaints, internal trial details and disciplinary actions, available to the public. Police unions around the state have long opposed the repeal and have been criticized for standing in the way of greater accountability. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the repeal on Friday. Lawmakers also passed the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act, first introduced after NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo placed Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold on Staten Island in 2014. The bill, which was also signed by Cuomo, bans chokeholds and criminalizes their use by police if they result in injury or death. Another bill would require New York State Police officers to wear body cameras. Theyre currently the largest state law enforcement agency that doesnt equip its officers with body cameras. NYC is (minimally) open for business New York City entered the first phase of reopening, meaning that the entire state has reopened to some degree. In the city, construction has resumed and curbside retail pickup is available. Since taking the first step to fully reopening, subway ridership has begun increasing, hitting its highest levels since March. However, some businesses in the city, impatient to return to normal, arent adhering to the reopening rules. Meanwhile, other parts of the state are moving ahead in the later stages of reopening. The mid-Hudson Valley and Long Island entered the second phase, which includes opening outdoor dining and in-store retail, while parts of upstate have entered the third phase, which includes the return of spas and indoor dining at restaurants. Although most indicators about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic in the state have remained fairly positive, concerns remain about a possible resurgence, especially as cooped-up New Yorkers venture out without wearing masks and/or ignore social distancing rules. In New York City, for example, the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus has increased slightly in recent days. A second week of protests Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, ongoing protests against police brutality and racism continued into a second week across the five boroughs. After New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lifted the curfew, police this week seemed to take a lighter touch with the overwhelmingly peaceful protesters, with fewer clashes and fewer arrests. In fact, on one recent night, police recorded no arrests at all, compared to 700 arrests made in a single night the week before. Calls to defund the police have intensified as protesters keep hitting the streets demanding change. Advocates want to cut $1 billion from the NYPDs $6 billion budget this year and redirect it to social services. More and more lawmakers have joined the calls for significant cuts to police spending, although most have not committed to $1 billion. Even de Blasio has now committed to instituting cuts to the NYPDs budget and redirecting those funds to social services, including youth employment programs. But nonprofits and other groups have said theres been radio silence regarding that promised money. And the mayor said he doesnt support removing the NYPD from city schools, one of the goals of criminal justice and police reform advocates. Kashmir: Indian Army on Tuesday killed at least 10 terrorists while retaliating to Pakistan firing. According to reports, the firing by Pak troops was top cover the infiltration bid by terrorists in Uri sector. The attempt has been foiled successfully. Two days after 18 soldiers were martyred in a terror attack, Pakistan on Tuesday violated ceasefire Jammu and Kashmirs Uri. The Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Uri sector of Kashmir, the Army confirmed on Tuesday. Heavily armed militants suspected to be from Pakistan-based JeM had stormed an army base in Uri in Kashmir on Sunday, killing 18 jawans. As it happened: 10 terrorists killed by Army in Lachipura area of Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/0fVXhQiccS ANI (@ANI_news) September 20, 2016 # Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls for a cabinet meet on Wednesday, Uri attack likely to remain high on agenda. # 2 more terrorists dead, operation still underway # Three more terrorists killed by Army in Lachipura area of Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector. Total 8 terrorists killed. # Indian Army kills five terrorists in Lachipura area of Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector This is second terrorist strike in Indian Army's headquaters in Srinagar's Uri after four terrorists inflitatrated the base camp on Sunday and opened fire at unsuspecting soldiers, leaving 18 bravehearts dead. The attack began at around 0400 hours and the number of militants was believed to be three. Immediately after the militants entered the camp, explosions and exchange of heavy fire were heard from inside, official sources said. The attack attracted heavy criticism against Pakistan, as the world community showed solidarity with India and slammed Pakistan. Indian Army has said that it will respond on time and place of its choice. Also read: Terrorist attack on Uri Army camp in J-K: As it happened Who is India's NSA Ajit Doval and what is 'Doval Doctrine'? Uri terror attack: National Investigation Agency files FIR, six-member team to begin probe soon For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kansas City Councilwoman does not sign thank you letter to KCPD Kansas City Councilwoman Katheryn Shields did not sign a thank you letter to Kansas City's police force.She said it was "not appropriate."The letter, signed by Mayor Quinton Lucas and the rest of the City Council, expresses the City Council's appreciation of the police continues and police can take pride in their service to the city.Shields said that after listening to many protesters testify this week about trouble with the police at the protests, she did not think it was right to turn around and send them a thank you letter. Credit where it's due . . . The Mayor's note was met with rebuke by protesters and a great many people calling out his constant flip-flopping. Even worse, most cops appreciate action not cutesy gestures . . . We want to know what you think about this one but this seems like a good move and once again reminds us that. . . You decide . . . Mandatory observation is required only for persons crossing the border and arriving from countries with a high COVID-19 spread. Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov says the Cabinet of Ministers, at the ministry's initiative, has changed the border crossing procedure and eased the observation (isolation) rules for persons entering Ukraine. Read alsoUkraine introducing app to track quarantined citizens using GPS data In particular, the Cabinet introduced amendments to the relevant resolution, which stipulate that foreigners and stateless persons (except for those permanently residing in Ukraine, or recognized as refugees, or who need additional protection) are banned from crossing the state border without medical expenses policies related to treatment for COVID-19, observation, the minister said during an online briefing on June 13. In addition, mandatory observation is required only for persons crossing the border and arriving from countries with a high COVID-19 spread. Also, if they are citizens (nationals) of such countries. In addition, the government canceled the requirement for mandatory observation for persons crossing the contact line from the country's temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, after reopening of checkpoints with medical examination rooms there. The amended resolution also provides for an additional reason for permit rejections to persons leaving the occupied territories if during the quarantine they refuse to undergo self-isolation using the "Diy Vdoma" (Act from Home) government app of the Unified EGovernance Web-Portal before leaving the temporarily occupied territories via checkpoints. As UNIAN reported earlier, two entry-exit checkpoints at the contact line, namely Stanytsia Luhanska and Maryinka resumed their operation on June 10. Moreover, a checkpoint on the administrative border between mainland Ukraine and Russian-occupied Crimea will reopen from June 15. Ukraine's Cabinet also adopted a resolution on reopening border checkpoints at the country's international airports from June 15. Nairobi Police have detained a man accused of killing his wife and son in Matungulu area in Machakos County. Police say the man was arrested when neighbours called officers from the nearly Joska Police Station, following a commotion at the house. "It was a very bad scene, the woman's body was soaked in blood on bed after she was hacked to death while the boy had his head chopped off," a police officer who was among the first responders said. Police believe the man had tried to conceal the murder because the boy's torso was found in a jerican. The head was found next to the jerican. "We have taken him to custody and the bodies to the mortuary," the officer told Capital FM News. He said a murder weapon was also found at the scene. "We do not know the motive yet but an investigation has commenced. For weeks, a black-and-white American flag with a blue stripe down the middle stood above the New Jersey Turnpike. The flag, posted on an overpass in Woodbridge Township, appeared this spring, residents say. Now, some are relieved that it has been removed. Residents who objected to the thin blue line flag says its message stands in opposition to the fight against systemic racism. Those who use the flag say it is a way to support police. But the image has come to be associated with the Blue Lives Matter movement, whose very formation was a response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, Woodbridge residents are petitioning the mayor and town council to remove the blue line that runs down Main Street. Residents who marched the street June 7 for a Black Lives Matter protest say police told them to stay on the right side of the line. Town officials say the blue line is intended to be a show of support for police. But the symbols and their meaning have come into sharper focus as protests against police brutality and racial injustice have swept the state and country after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed May 25 when white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyds neck for almost nine minutes. I think that this whole movement is a wake-up call for a lot of people," says Woodbridge resident Meghan Brown. She emailed Mayor John McCormac to ask that the flag be removed. I just said, Its on your property and you could see it on the Turnpike,'" she tells NJ Advance Media. 'You might not want to send that message.' A "thin blue line" flag, which has come to be associated with the Blue Lives Matter movement, was removed from a Turnpike overpass in Woodbridge.Jimmy Dabrowski The thin blue line has been around for decades, having started as a reference to the thin red line held by the British in the 1854 Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War in Russia. Black Lives Matter started as a hashtag response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in Sanford, Florida in 2012. The Blue Lives Matter movement was founded in 2014, after Black Lives Matter was established in 2013. It is a co-opting of their movement," Brown says of Blue Lives Matter and the flag. "I think its in bad taste and has a lot of racist connotations. To say that its about supporting police is pretty disingenuous. Blue Lives Matter was organized in 2014 after Ismaaiyl Brinsley fatally shot New York police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in Brooklyn. The officers were killed months after police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, an unarmed black man on Staten Island, died after being put in a chokehold by officer Daniel Pantaleo. The people who created the thin blue line flag say its not attached to Blue Lives Matter, but its carried by them," says Khadijah Costley White, a professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University. Residents in Montclair objected to a thin blue line flag that was mounted on a wall during a June 2 online forum with police. Baristanet reported that a police official rejected the flags association with Blue Lives Matter. Its very clear that its in direct response to Black Lives Matter," White says of the flag. ... They were reacting to protests against the way police can kill black people with impunity. A "thin blue line" flag flies during a pro-police rally at Ballard Park in Pitman in 2016.Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media Its an anti-black response to black people asking not to be murdered, says White, co-founder of SOMA Justice, a nonprofit that works to address racial injustice and inequality in South Orange and Maplewood. When it came to the flag in Woodbridge, McCormac, the towns mayor, suggested Brown contact the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, since the overpass where it was posted, on Woodbridge Avenue, is Turnpike property. On June 2, a customer service manager for the authority informed Brown that a maintenance crew would take the flag down the next day, and it was removed from the overpass. Thomas Feeney, spokesman for the authority, says regulations prohibit people from displaying anything on Turnpike property without permission, though a series of other flags can be found on the same span. Jimmy Dabrowski, a lifelong Woodbridge resident, started the petition to remove the blue line on Main Street, which has so far drawn 500 signatures. In it, he also mentions the thin blue line flag, which he says was put up on the overpass by members of the Patriotic Bridges of Sewaren/Port Reading Facebook group. This groups stated mission is showing patriotism for our great country and community and support for members of the military, veterans and first responders. The bridges will be our way of showing our support to these groups, it says. The administrator of the group did not return messages or calls from NJ Advance Media seeking comment. Both issues were brought to the attention of Woodbridge elected officials, explaining how these controversial and divisive symbols send the message that Woodbridge is an anti-Black Lives Matter town, Dabrowski wrote in the petition. The blue line is painted between the double yellow line on Main Street. This morning before most of Flemington woke up, I had the divisive blue line running down Main Street painted over. Its time we put that shameful dividing line behind us. pic.twitter.com/gzOG3HlKCn Mayor Betsy Driver (@FlemingtonMayor) June 6, 2020 You never saw that prior to the Black Lives Matter movement," he tells NJ Advance Media. Its more of a reaction to, How dare you try to hold us accountable and call for police reform?" he says. The line is only changed when it is made green for St. Patricks Day, Dabrowski says. At the Woodbridge Black Lives Matter rally, when the street was closed to traffic, officers told protesters to stand to the right of the blue line, he says. It felt like a symbolic thing, like, You will not cross our blue line, Dabrowski says. That was the underlying vibe that a lot of us got. Its basically like saying No, we will never change. Its just disheartening. John Hagerty, spokesman for Woodbridge Township, says the town knows about Dabrowskis petition. We were aware of the flag but we have no position on it since its Turnpike property, he tells NJ Advance Media. The town arranged for the blue line to be painted five to six years ago, he says. The blue line is representative of municipal support for the police department, Hagerty says. We have no intention of removing it." He noted that the mayor participated in the Black Lives Matter march and spoke at the rally. He also pointed to the fact that other towns have painted blue lines on their streets. Betsy Driver, the mayor of Flemington, had a blue line on the boroughs Main Street painted over in advance of a Black Lives Matter protest. Its time we put that shameful dividing line behind us, Driver tweeted June 6, sharing a photo of the line being erased. In response, some residents backed a petition to repaint the line. However, earlier this week, someone took it upon themselves and painted over the line themselves, prompting police to release a photo of a woman committing the alleged act. On June 9, there was a protest outside Woodbridge Police headquarters after the family of Qwason Campbell, a black man from Elizabeth, told activist Salaam Ismial that he was beaten unconscious by township police officers, something town officials have denied. According to a report from the Courier News, police had arrested Campbell, 24, in connection with two June 1 burglaries and charged him with six counts of burglary, two counts of theft, one count of receiving stolen property, two counts of theft of a credit card and resisting arrest. As protests of police brutality unfolded nationwide, a dispatcher for the Woodbridge Township Police resigned June 1 after he was suspended for making a racist comment on a photo of a black child at a protest that was posted on Facebook. Another Woodbridge march and protest in support of Black Lives Matter is planned for Saturday, June 13. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Send a coronavirus tip here. During a nationwide outcry against brutality, Donald Trump stirred controversy when he downplayed the possible dangers of police chokeholds remarking it so innocent and perfect, and calling himself as black Americans' best president while slightly admitting that Abraham Lincoln may have transcended his governance. The president also declared the resumption of rallies on June 19, the Juneteenth day tagging the end of slavery as a celebration, regardless of picking a city with the history of the massacre of black Americans by white Americans and applying estrange words over the anti-racism protest stimulated by the death of black American George Floyd. As the number of American cities and states starting to ban the chokehold-type restraints by police officers increases, Trump said that he will support the movement but urge to understand the use of such tactics in some situations. On Friday, during an interview, Trump uttered that he does not like chokeholds but explained the need to use such restraining tactics when being alone fighting someone, CNBC reported. He presented a situation of a really bad person assaulting a person in authority and said that it really did happen during the protests, which began after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt for about nine minutes on George Floyd's neck in May during an arrest attempt. Floyd's autopsy result concluded homicide and Derek Chauvin, former officer, was prosecuted for murder. A video posted by a witness went viral on different social media sites and prompted protests over wider matters of structural racism and police bias and brutality. The New York Times also reported that Trump said that during the protests different people are seen, some are good and the others are bad while questioning what will officers likely do when they get somebody in a chokehold, would they let go of them and ask to start all over again. Read also: George Floyd Autopsy: Was It Done By the Same Doctor of Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Jeffrey Epstein? Moreover, Trump articulated he believed that chokeholds are theoretically acceptable but he recognized this tactic is often used by police officers in an inappropriate manner. According to The Guardian, Trump uttered that he thinks chokeholds concept sounds so innocent and perfect and he added that one must be careful in performing the action. He later noted this tactic should be ended. After Trump's remarks, several American cities and states started to ban police chokeholds. On Friday morning, Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, signed a legislation that bans chokeholds in New York. In an interview, Trump gave emphasis on the upsurge of rioting and looting witnessed during the early nights of unrest after the killing of George Floyd. When asked regarding the peaceful demonstrations, Trump stated he believes some are protesting for different reasons and others did not actually know their reason, they only follow the crown. The statement went against the millions of chantings on the streets saying "I can't breathe", which are the dying words of Floyd and Eric Garner, who died in 2014 during a chokehold arrest attempt by the police in New York, as well as other victims of police killings. Trump's remarks were also contrary to the Black Lives Matter movement, with the slogan painted on banners, clothing, and entire city streets. Related article: Protesters in Washington D.C Sued the Trump Administration After Being Tear-Gassed for Photo-Op @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The firm, headed by Sunil Kumar Gupta, was appointed auditors of the PMs National Relief Fund in 2019, reports Archis Mohan. Trustees of the PM CARES Fund have appointed SARC & Associates as auditor of the fund. Its website pmcares.gov.in says trustees of the fund, which is called Prime Ministers Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations, appointed SARC & Associates, Chartered Accountants, New Delhi, as the auditors for three years. The decision was taken by the trustees to appoint this firm as independent auditors during the funds second meeting on April 23, the updated frequently asked questions on the website states. The firm, headed by Sunil Kumar Gupta, was appointed auditors of the PMs National Relief Fund in 2019. Opposition parties have questioned how the PM CARES Fund is being kept out of the audit purview of the Comptroller and Auditor General. The government has maintained that the fund will be audited by an independent auditor. However, as news of the trustees having appointed Guptas firm as its auditor became public, some in the opposition parties claimed that he is close to the top Bharatiya Janata Party leadership. The updated FAQs state that there is no statutory period prescribed for audit of the PM CARES under the Income Tax Act. However, audit will be conducted at the end of the financial year. According to the FAQs, the prime minister, as chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the fund, has the power to nominate three trustees to the board. They shall be eminent persons in the field of research, health, science, social work, law, public administration or philanthropy. However, no such appointment has been made so far, it states. The fund is administered on an honorary basis by a joint secretary (administration) in the Prime Ministers Office who is secretary to the fund. He is assisted on honorary basis by an officer of the rank of director/deputy secretary (administration) in the PMO, the FAQs state.The PMO provides administrative and secretarial support to the trustees for management and administration of the trust, as may be required by the trustees. The head office of the fund is The PMO, South Block, New Delhi, the FAQs state. The FAQs also add that, so far, Rs 3,100 crore has been allocated from the fund -- Rs 2,000 crore for supply of 50,000 Made-in India ventilators to government hospitals run by the Centre, or states and union territories, Rs 1,000 crore for the care of migrant labourers and Rs 100 crore for vaccine development. The Delhi high court has a petition filed before it seeking that the fund be declared a public authority under the Right to Information Act. This was after the PMO refused to answer RTI queries about the fund. The government has opposed the petition on the basis of maintainability. The matter will be heard in August. Film and television unions have released guidelines designed to keep workers safe as production ramps up. (Tim Berger / Glendale News-Press) Hollywood's unions have published a detailed breakdown of guidelines that television and film productions will be expected to follow in coming months as the industry works to get back on its feet after a three-month COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. The joint report from the Directors Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and the Teamsters outlines what will be required of productions that want to begin filming again, with such restrictions expected to continue until there is a vaccine for COVID-19 or other developments that would reduce fears of spreading the coronavirus. The report, titled "The Safe Way Forward," creates the new on-set role of health safety supervisor (and associated department), who will oversee the implementation of the guidelines. Frequent COVID-19 testing will be required, as will the creation of zones to provide maximum protection to those in the crew and cast who can't wear protective equipment or maintain social distancing. The guidelines build on the group's white paper delivered to California's and New York's governors earlier this month as well as Los Angeles County guidance this week that effectively gave the green light for music, film and television productions to resume. With some productions already underway in California and other states, the new framework is expected to be implemented nationally, but many in the industry expect that it could take weeks before film production resumes on large productions and at full scale. People in the industry can take great comfort from the report," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA's chief operating officer and general counsel, who is leading the union's safety and reopening initiative, in an interview. "What's laid out here from our unions, representing the vast majority of people directly involved in production, are guidelines that we believe can be and will be practically implemented. The question remains how producers will manage the increased costs and time scale necessary to implement the changes. The industry should expect unions to provide more specific details for different production departments as time goes on, Crabtree-Ireland said. He added that the union has been working with productions already underway, including a feature film in California and commercials in Georgia and Utah, to ensure safety. Story continues "In these fast-changing times amid such a complicated virus, figuring out how to get that done right was no easy task," said Thomas Schlamme, the Directors Guild of America president, in a statement. "We knew the only way forward was to consult with leading medical experts and let science guide us to the right approach for our unique work environments." All productions must maintain closed sets with no visitors allowed. Shoot days will be limited to 10 hours to allow time for the extra preparations required. There are instructions for every element of production: the setup of production offices, location scouting, travel, castings and catering. Also included are guidelines to facilitate the movement of cast or crew members with disabilities. Critically, the new health supervisors, according to the unions, "cannot be overruled" in their attempts to implement COVID-19-related safety measures. The guidelines create a system of zones on set, with performers most at risk of infection because of their proximity to one another. "Unless all stories in a pre-vaccine world portray every character wearing PPE and standing six feet apart behind plexiglass, the Zone System is how we believe we can stay as safe as possible," according to the report. The requirements will put performers and crew members who work closely with them in a so-called Zone A and urge avoiding clusters of crew around unprotected performers. People in that zone will need to be tested at least three times a week. And for those involved in scenes with close contact, potentially daily testing will be needed. Workers in Zone B, where physical distancing and masks can be worn, such as a production office or truck, will be tested once a week. With testing also required before people can move between zones, crews may be able to use rapid testing that can yield results in 60 minutes for times (ideally rare, the report states) when producers need to bring people from Zone B to A without the usual screening. "Its a lot of testing, and it still doesnt guarantee a virus-free set," the report continues. "What the Zone System tries to limit is the possibility that someone contracts COVID-19 while at work, but it should be understood that as long as the cast and crew are going home at night and on the weekends, they are open to contagion, which is what all the testing is for." The report also notes that unions have been advised by health specialists that "testing scarcity will be resolved in the near future." The testing recommendations are based on models provided by Jeffrey Shaman, an environmental health scientist at Columbia University. Increased testing frequency reduces the risk of acquiring infection, according to the report: Should someone with COVID-19 come to the set, weekly testing for the cast and crew will greatly reduce the risk of additional cases. Testing every three days, which will be required in Zone A areas, reduces the risk further; daily testing largely eliminates it, the report says. Not everyone is convinced the plans will be enough. "What is still missing are protocols specifically for documentary and other nonfiction shows working in low-to-no budget locations that are often smaller and not easily regulated," according to a statement from producer Johanna Vanderspool, lead organizer of the NonFiction "Union," an advocacy coalition for nonfiction freelancers. "Many of these documentary and reality shows (across all genres) often don't allow for reasonable schedules, staggered meal times or 'health coordinators.'" In the average week, food-related service calls make up the bulk of incidents covered by 211 Northeast Michigan for Midland County. Sarah Kile, executive director of the 23-county crisis and resource center, said for the past couple of years, Midland County is unique among other 211-covered communities in Michigan because food services is the most highly requested need, while in most other counties, it's utilities. Kile said from June 2019 until now, almost 32% of 211 referrals in Midland County related to food needs. That amount has slightly gone down over the past three weeks, as flood damage relief has been a priority for many local residents. "On the average given day in Midland, food is still the No. 1 referral that we see," Kile said. The most common food referral 211 gives is to local food pantries. In the past year, Kile said 211 has connected more than 2,500 callers with food pantries. "Sometimes, it's a direct referral, where we take (the caller's) name and number and give them to the agency, and the agencies then respond," Kile said. "Often, it is a more typical 'here is the agency that can help you' call, and the caller reaches out individually." On rarer occasions, 211 will send callers looking for discounted, but not free, food help to The Bridge Food Center, a "food cooperative" that regularly services the local "asset-limited, income-constrained, employed" community, also referred to as "ALICE," with discounted prices. "The Bridge has been a huge supplement to our community, and they're done such a great job of helping those folks who have a hard time going an getting a box of free food," Kile said. Although 211 does not send direct referrals to Hidden Harvest a non-profit "food rescue" organization based in Saginaw Kile said the organization often uses 211 data to find out which regions are in need of food-related assistance. To get connected to 211 Northeast Michigan, dial 2-1-1, text your zip code to 211, or visit https://www.211nemichigan.org/ to chat with someone online or browse local resources. Editor's note: This article is the fourth installment of a weekly, local impact campaign the Daily News is launching in partnership with 211 Northeast Michigan to raise awareness and provide continuing education about this vital service. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 22:14:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Visitors tour the world cultural heritage photography art exhibition in Hainan Museum in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, June 13, 2020. The world cultural heritage photography art exhibition opened on Saturday, this year's Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. Since 2006, China has celebrated cultural heritage day on the second Saturday of June. In 2017, it was renamed Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu) Calls to defund the police, popularized by nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd, are vulnerable to caricature, and many politicians have obliged by equating the notion with abject anarchy. San Francisco Mayor London Breed took a different approach this week, presenting a police reform blueprint that points toward an entirely reasonable interpretation of the slogan one truer to the intent of most of the activists who have adopted it. Breeds still conceptual plan would end police responses to calls about mental health, homelessness and myriad other social but not criminal matters that occupy much of the San Francisco forces time. In the mayors vision, professionals armed not with weapons but with appropriate training would handle such matters. Remarkably, that facet of the blueprint has drawn support not just from the departments brass but also from its rank and file. Police unions are typically among the most reactionary forces in law enforcement, but San Francisco Police Officers Association President Tony Montoya commended the mayors reasonable plan. Although the association has criticized the idea of defunding the department, Montoya noted that his members are not mental health clinicians or addiction counselors. Police Chief Bill Scott also welcomed the proposal, noting it will take sacrifice on our part to fulfill the promise of reform. Scott previously told the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club that he would consider defunding his department because we have to change the way we do policing in this country. The mayor has also called for diverting some police funding to minority communities. Breeds plan to narrow the departments mission touches on a problem that can be acknowledged by a broad spectrum of Americans, including police officers: Were far too quick to turn to law enforcement to deal with a variety of issues that dont involve crimes or require an armed response. Thats not good for anybody, and its particularly bad for the African American and Latino people who bear a disproportionate share of policing and its consequences. Even in San Francisco, an ostensibly progressive city whose force worked with the federal government to undertake comprehensive reforms after the dubious 2015 shooting of Mario Woods, who was black, progress has been halting. Only 1 in 20 San Franciscans is African American, but nearly 1 in 2 uses of police force in the city last year involved a black person. More broadly, recent reports have documented police calls to report black people bird-watching in New York, viewing real estate near Sacramento and dancing in Alameda. None of these cases justified any official response, let alone the police attention they all received. Few are suggesting that we dont need police officers or appreciate the dangerous and difficult work they take on. Yes, policing requires large shares of government budgets facing particular pressure in the pandemic-induced downturn, but defunding the police is less precisely to the point than detaching them from the misplaced burden of responding to our social ills, our petty disputes and our racist suspicions. Even the police should be able to agree to that. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in London, Britain, January 8, 2020. - REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Boris Johnson is to warn Ursula von der Leyen that the UK will be ready to become fully independent on January 1, 2021 "whatever happens", as he urges the EU to agree a trade deal by the end of the summer. In a video conference on Monday, the Prime Minister is expected to insist that the Government will be willing and able to end the post-Brexit transition period without an agreement with the EU, if Brussels fails to agree terms that ministers can accept. Monday's talks, which UK officials hope will "push the negotiations forward", come after Michael Gove gave the EU formal notice that Britain would not request an extension of the transition period beyond the end of the year to buy more time for the talks. The video conference will include Charles Michel, the European Council president, and David Sassoli, the president of the European Parliament, while Mr Johnson will be joined by Mr Gove and David Frost, his chief negotiator. Mr Johnson is expected to call for a speedy conclusion to the negotiations, insisting that businesses and members of the public need certainty by the autumn. The two sides have reached an impasse over fishing rights and the EU's demands for the UK to agree to abide by a "level playing field" of rules and standards in perpetuity. Failure to strike a trade deal by the end of the year will mean the UK and EU trading on less lucrative World Trade Organisation terms and with tariffs on goods. Both sides have now agreed to intensify talks next month, with meetings planned for London and Brussels. On Saturday, a British official also disputed claims by Michael Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, that the UK wanted to enter intensive "tunnel" negotiations Brussels jargon for secret talks carried out under media blackout and without regular briefings of EU ambassadors. But a Government official said: "The EU was a little slow to agree to an intensified timetable for talks, and has been making noises about so-called tunnels. Thats not something we ever wanted and its welcome that theyve now signed up to a sensible process to take the talks forward. Story continues "The High Level Meeting was always envisaged as a moment to push the negotiations forward. We now need to get this resolved and deliver certainty for businesses at home and in the EU as soon as possible. "Theres a high quality FTA to be done, based on the agreements the EU has already reached with other countries. But, whatever happens, we will be ready for January 1, when we will be back in control of our laws, borders and money." Meanwhile, polling of so-called Red Wall seats in the Midlands and the North found that half of people in those battleground constituencies believe the transition period should end on December 31 or sooner, compared to 42 per cent who said it should be extended. The Savanta ComRes polling was carried out for the new Centre for Brexit Policy, whose chairman, Owen Paterson, said: "We must honour the trust that voters placed in our party, many of whom had never previously voted Conservative. Will Waldron I am a public health physician with colon cancer and multiple sclerosis, both well controlled. I have very personal reasons for wanting terminally ill patients, regardless of disability status, to have access to medical aid in dying to peacefully end unbearable suffering. Contrary to Kristen Hansons claims in her letter "Assisted suicide laws a danger to disabled," May 10, decades of experience in the U.S. regions where medical aid in dying is authorized show no evidence of abuse of vulnerable people, including those with disabilities. Those areas include Oregon (starting 1997), nine other states, and the District of Columbia. Mumbai: Monsoon has arrived in most parts of Maharashtra with parts of the state, including Mumbai, receiving rainfall on Saturday, an IMD official said. Monsoon is expected to cover the rest of Maharashtra in the next 24 hours, the official said. "Monsoon has arrived in most parts of Maharashtra. (Today) rainfall was reported in Harnai (in Ratnagiri) in Konkan, Ahmednagar in central Maharashtra, Aurangabad in Marathwada and Gondia in Vidarbha. In the next 24 hours, the rest of Maharashtra is expected to be covered," the official said. Heavy rainfall was reported at two places in Ratnagiri at 8:30 am while some parts of Sindhudurg, also a coastal district, witnessed "very heavy" rainfall, he said. "Over the next four to five days, Konkan, central Maharashtra, Marathwada, Vidarbha are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall," the official added. Meanwhile, the Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai issued a warning at 5:30 pm, predicting the occurrence of "thunderstorm accompanied with lightning, intense spells of rain and gusty winds speed reaching 30-40 kmph" at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai, Palghar, Hingoli, Parbhani and Jalna in the next few hours. The Colaba weather station in Mumbai recorded 1.5 mm rainfall between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm on Saturday, while the Santacruz bureau recorded 2.1 mm rainfall during the same period. The Chikalthana weather bureau in Aurangabad reported 29 mm rainfall during this time span. Nashik reported 1.4 mm rainfall with thunder, the official said. There were "traces" of rainfall, the Dahanu weather station reported. The Matheran bureau in Raigad district recorded 80 mm rainfall. The arrival of the southwest monsoon was announced in the south and coastal Maharashtra on Thursday. U.S. senator introduces new Taiwan defense bill ROC Central News Agency 06/12/2020 03:33 PM Washington, June 11 (CNA) U.S. Senator Josh Hawley has introduced a bill named the Taiwan Defense Act (TDA), which is aimed at ensuring that American armed forces can maintain their ability to fend off any invasion of Taiwan by China. "Yesterday I introduced new legislation to stop #China imperialism, to defend our vital interests and our partner #Taiwan," the Republican senator from Missouri tweeted Thursday. Hawley later released a statement in which he elaborated that the bill "ensures that the United States is able to continue meeting its obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act in the face of the Communist Party of China's aggressive military build-up." "The TDA requires the Department of Defense to maintain the ability to defeat a Chinese invasion -- and in particular, a Chinese fait accompli -- against Taiwan and to report regularly on its progress toward this goal," he said. Calling Taiwan the "lynchpin of a free and open Indo-Pacific," Hawley said that "if the Chinese Communist Party is allowed to seize control of Taiwan, it will stand ready to dominate the region. "This would pose an unacceptable threat to the lives and livelihoods, not just of our Asian allies and partners, but of working Americans here at home," he said. "We must not allow that to happen." The term "fait accompli" in the 16-page bill is defined as a strategy of the People's Republic of China (PRC) designed to allow it to use military force to seize control of Taiwan before the U.S. Armed Forces are able to respond effectively, while simultaneously deterring an effective combined joint response by the U.S. Armed Forces by convincing Washington that mounting such a response would be prohibitively difficult or costly. The bill says it is the sense of Congress that the U.S. ability to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific region would be severely compromised if the PRC could compel unification with Taiwan, "particularly if the People's Republic of China were able to do so by military force." The PRC government "appears to be developing the plans and capabilities required to use the fait accompli strategy to compel the unification of Taiwan" with the PRC, thereby jeopardizing the security and the social and economic system of the people of Taiwan, the bill states. It says that "denial operations" will have an essential role in any strategy to prevent a fait accompli by the PRC against Taiwan, and that the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act, established in 1979 to continue unofficial links between the U.S. and Taiwan after diplomatic ties were severed, requires the U.S. to maintain the ability to defend against any kind of fait accompli by the PRC against Taiwan. The proposed TDA suggests that it should be U.S. policy to "maintain the ability of the U.S. Armed Forces to deny a fait accompli by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan." It therefore demands that the secretary of defense submit reports to the congressional defense committees each year from 2021 to 2026 on the progress of the Department of Defense with respect to improving the ability of the U.S. Armed Forces to conduct combined joint operations to deny the PRC's ability to execute any such kind of fait accompli against Taiwan. These reports are required to be put forth before April 30 each year during the six-year period, according to the proposed act. (By Chiang Chin-yeh and Elizabeth Hsu) Enditem/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New age travellers have blocked the entrance to their site with a caravan and occupied a contractor's JCB as they fight to stop their eviction. The group are facing being removed from the old gas works site on Glenfrome Road in the north of Bristol. Bailiffs from GRC arrived on Saturday morning with police also in attendance who have closed off the road. New age travellers in Bristol have blocked the entrance to their site with a caravan and occupied a contractor's JCB as they fight to stop their eviction The group are facing being removed from the old gas works site on Glenfrome Road in the north of Bristol The travellers have been living on the site, which is owned by Wales and West Utilities, for some weeks. They say that the eviction is illegal and is being done without any court papers. The travellers have been told that this is a common law eviction, but they say it is illegal because there is a building on the land (hidden by foliage) which is permanently occupied. Bailiffs from GRC arrived on Saturday morning with police also in attendance who have closed off the road The travellers have been living on the site, which is owned by Wales and West Utilities, for some weeks The group say that the eviction is illegal and is being done without any court papers. Pictured are their caravans A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset police said: 'The primary action is being taken by bailiffs who are carrying out enforcement action on behalf of a private landowner' Because the land is ancillary to the building, a possession order must be granted by a court before an eviction can take place. A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset police said: 'The primary action is being taken by bailiffs who are carrying out enforcement action on behalf of a private landowner. 'We're there to prevent a breach of the peace and deal with any criminal offences. So far one person has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.' Speaking to a large crowd of protestors on Friday, Wall Police Chief Kenneth Brown tried to win over critics of his departments treatment of Black residents and even its own employees, who have complained of harassment and in some cases sued the department, sometimes with costly results for taxpayers. But many of the 500 or so black and white protestors attending an anti-police brutality rally at the Wall Township Municipal Complex would not have it. I want everyone to know that the WTPD condemns racism, profiling and police brutality, Brown read aloud from a prepared statement. Thats a lie! Thats a lie! was just one of the things shouted back at him. Forging ahead, Brown added, We are devoted to building trust and confidence in our community through a system of best practices. To which one of the replies was, What about the lawsuits? Reading on, Brown added, We are committed to treating the community equally and fairly with ethics, values and justice for all. Thats not true! was among the shouted responses. Wall Poliice Chief of Police Kenneth Brown spoke at the rally, but was met with skepticism and hostile questions shouted at him by some in the crowd.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Fridays 4 p.m. rally, which followed a mile-long march from Wall High School, was one of the countless protests against police brutality and racial bias across the nation triggered by last months death of George Floyd at the hands of white Minneapolis police officers. The lawsuits, including one filed last week, involve allegations of racism within the Wall Township Police Department. One suit was filed in 2018 by a dark-skinned Indian-American former officer who alleged he was subjected to harassment including being called the N-word, and made to perform humiliating tasks at police headquarters and elsewhere, leading to a $500,000 settlement in January. That same officer filed a related defamation suit last week. Another suit, still pending, was filed by a white police dispatcher, who charged he was called a monkey and subjected to racist and sexually explicit harassment due to the discoloration of his legs from diabetes. Protesters marched from Wall High School to Community Park. Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com And in 2018, the township agreed to a $1.25 million settlement of a suit by a former Wall tax clerk who charged that his civilian coworkers had created a hostile work environment tolerated by supervisors due to his Jewish faith. The organizer of Fridays march, 21-year-old Clarence Celius, is a Wall High School graduate who still lives in the township. He called for the march in his hometown, he said, after having been subjected to repeated motor vehicle stops by Wall police officers for questionable causes, like having an air freshener dangling from his rearview mirror. Im tired of being pulled over for nothing! Celius, who is Black, told fellow protestors. I will not let the Wall Police Department destroy the community. "I'm tired of bein pulled over for nothing," the rally's organizer, Clarence Celius , told the crowd, as Wall police and township officials looked on.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com While on the march, Celius, who studies social science at Brookdale Community College, led call-and-response chants of Black lives matter, George Floyd, and no justice, no peace, while others invoked the names of recent and past victims of deadly police force like Breonna Taylor and EricGarner. One of the white speakers at the rally, Ben Dziobek, a 19-year-old Stockton University student and Wall High grad, urged the crowd to vote in the July primary and November general election for candidates promising change. Another Black speaker, the Rev. Lindale Akins of the Triumphant Life Church in Oceanport, told the crowd he had felt the sting of racial profiling behind the wheel of his car. He also said he had to warn his own teenage son to keep both hands visible at all times if stopped by a police officer. But Akins also said he had been hired by Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni to act as a community law enforcement liaison, and had been asked by Brown to help Walls overwhelmingly white police force understand the concerns and sensitivities of black constituents. Wall police officers took a knee in solidarity at Community Park after being exhorted by organizer Clarence Celius from the stage.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Like Brown, Grimiccioni also attended the rally, as did Mayor Carl Braun, who marched only steps behind Celius near the head of the protest procession. Looking out at the rally, Grimmicioni told a reporter, we welcome this. One of the things that we have to do is constantly look inward, he said. We always are striving to provide the best product and services. Friday was hot and sunny, and on the way to the rally from the high school, three young women had paused to apply sunscreen, and then talked about a more subtle form of racism than what Celius or the lawsuits plaintiffs allege. The anti-Black bias that all three white women said they had observed was among the clientele of the makeup chain they all work for. Like, when theyre looking at foundation, said Samantha Colon, 22, of Brick. And theyre like, Who would be this dark? or Why would you want to be this dark? Friday, June 12, 2020 - Black Lives Matter rally and march starting at Wall High School and ending at Wall Township Community Park. Organizer Clarence Celius is at right, with megaphone, on Bailye's Corner Road.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Mayor Carl Braun addressed the crowd at Community Park, after having marched from Wall HIgh School with the organizer, Clarence Celius, onstage to the mayor's right.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Protestors marched from Wall High School to Wall Township Community Park.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Protestors, many in Black Lives Matter T-shirts, took a knee during the rally, joined by township officials, including Mayor Carl Braun and Police Chief Kenneth Brown, seen talking in the background, center.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Friday, June 12, 2020 - Breathing masks were nearly universal throughout the march and the rally.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Russia's coronavirus death toll for April more than doubled shortly after the World Health Organization questioned how the country simultaneously has the world's third-highest number of cases and such a low mortality rate, The Washington Post reports. Why it matters: Russia's mortality rates have come under growing scrutiny as the country's coronavirus case count continues to rise. Russian health care workers previously told the Post their hospitals are overwhelmed and lack resources they need. Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin says the government has a firm grasp on the situation. The state of play: Russia's state statistic service on Saturday reported 8,706 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours. The service originally reported there were 1,145 coronavirus-related deaths in April, but now says there were 2,712 deaths. Johns Hopkins University reports there have been over 6,800 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic started. There are over 520,000 confirmed cases. Go deeper: Russia goes after coronavirus in latest health misinformation push She often stopped on walks from her home in San Francisco, stooping low to ask homeless people lying on strips of cardboard whether they needed help. When she took a reporter to visit a recovering heroin addict, her eyes filled with tears as he talked about how, after hed lost an arm and all hope in a drug-hazed accident, she saved his life by getting him housed. That was Margot Antonetty. When she died on May 26 at age 58, she left a legacy of kindness, devotion to helping those in need, and leadership of city housing programs that pulled thousands of homeless people off the street. In her 22-year career of working for San Francisco, Antonetty helped create the Direct Access to Housing division of the Department of Public Health, one of the nations foremost housing programs for chronically homeless people, as well as the housing nonprofit Delivering Innovations in Supported Housing, or Dish. She was running Direct Access to Housing when she moved over to the newly created city Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing in 2016. Since then, she had been manager of the departments supportive housing programs, overseeing 80 housing sites with more than 5,000 units. Margot treated everybody with the same openheartedness, regardless of their status or station in life, said Jeff Kositsky, who as founding director of the city homelessness department brought her over to work with him. She was a loving, giving, compassionate human being. She always had the biggest smile, and was the best dressed and kindest person in the room. She was more than a manager, he said. She was a leader. And the secret sauce in her leadership style was that love she had for all people, regardless or who they were. Longtime friend Sherilyn Adams, executive director of Larkin Street Youth Services, called Antonetty a femme queer icon who walked this earth with deep wisdom, profound dignity, and timeless grace. The two met in the 1990s while working as housing managers at Baker Places, a mental health nonprofit in San Francisco where Antonetty worked for 10 years before being hired by San Francisco. In addition to their passion for helping those in need, they were both in the Iguanas Running Club. Even when we were running, shed stop to check on people to see if they needed help, Adams said. Her fighter spirit and commitment to social justice was always in her. She looked out for the underdog. If there was a fight between a doberman and poodle, shed always take the poodle. Antonetty was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States at 22 years old, working first as a nanny and then transitioning into social work. In San Francisco, she was a member of the HIV Planning Council, the SRO Taskforce, the S.F. Food Security Task Force, Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Diseases, and the board of her running club. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors adjourned its June 2 meeting in her honor. 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. Antonetty is survived by two sisters, Caroline Antonetty and Jeanette Schott; a niece, Jacqueline Schott; and a nephew, Patrick Schott, all of Pulheim, Germany. Donations may be made in her honor to Dish or Rocket Dog Rescue. There are also efforts to have Antonettys name included in the National AIDS Memorial Grove as a supporter, and for trees to be planted in Israel in her name. Services are pending. Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron The chair of the Mallow Search and Rescue unit, John Woulfe, has slammed "mindless vandals" who have damaged lifebuoy rings along the River Blackwater in Mallow saying their selfish actions were "putting lives at serious risk." The chair of the Mallow Search and Rescue unit, John Woulfe, has slammed "mindless vandals" who have damaged lifebuoy rings along the River Blackwater in Mallow saying their selfish actions were "putting lives at serious risk." The issue was initially raised at the June meeting of Cork County Council's Kanturk/Mallow area committee by senior engineer Jim Moloney, who said the authority been forced to replace a number of damaged lifebuoys along the river within the past few weeks. It is believed that each of the damaged lifebuoys cost at least 70 to replace. Mr Moloney said up to four of the 16 rings along a 3km stretch of the river between the Ten Arch Bridge and Lovers Leap have been damaged or tampered with within the past month or so. "This seems to have coincided with the start of the recent good weather. Some of the rings have been taken out of their cabinets, tossed around the place and damaged," said Mr Moloney. "The ropes have been cut on others. This is particularly dangerous as if someone is in trouble you throw the lifebuoy out and pull them back to the riverbank using the rope. Therefore, a missing rope presents a serious problem," he added. Mr Moloney said it was vital that people realised the lifebuoys were there for good reason and should not under any circumstances be tampered with. "We cannot stress highly enough how serious this problem is. A lost lifebuoy could all too easily result in a lost life," he said. Mr Woulfe said that in his experience this was an all too familiar problem not just in Mallow but at numerous locations across Cork. "We often find lifebuoys have been damaged and thrown into rivers. For example, we could pick out up to ten rings from the River Lee in a single day alone," said Mr Woulfe. "The mindless vandals who damage these rings give no thought the fact they are putting lives at serious risk. All too often it is units like us and the other emergency services who are left to pick up the when a tragedy happens because a lifebuoy has been stolen or damaged," he said. Under the Criminal Damage act anyone convicted in the district court of damaging a lifebuoy can be hit with a fine of up to 1,000 and/or up to a year in prison. However, should legislation drawn up by Fianna Fail senator Keith Swanick be passed much stricter penalties could be imposed by the court. Under the provisions of the Life Saving Equipment Bill (2017) people caught damaging or stealing a lifebuoy or defibrillator could face a fine of up to 50,000 or as five-year jail term. Mr Woulfe said anyone found damaging life saving equipment should be made face the full rigours of the law. "The best way to get the message across is to prosecute anyone who tampers with lifesaving equipment. There can be no excuse for this kind of irresponsible behaviour. A stolen lifebuoy can all too easily mean a stolen life," he said. Sher Bahadur Deuba to take oath as new Prime Minister of Nepal today Our friendship with India and China remains of 'paramount importance': Nepal at UN Nepal's map move not tenable: India India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, June 13: Hours after Nepal's Parliament unanimously voted on a constitutional amendment bill to update the country's map, which includes key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura along the border with India, New Delhi on Saturday said the "artificial enlargement of claims" is untenable. "We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter", said official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava. "This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues," he added. Nepal Parliament approves new map which includes Indian territory The ties between India and Nepal came under strain after defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8. Nepal's major opposition parties, including Nepali Congress (NC), Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), voted in favour of the government bill to amend Schedule 3 of the Constitution to update the national emblem by incorporating the new controversial map. A two-thirds majority was required in the 275-member House of Representatives or the lower house to pass the bill. On June 9, the Parliament unanimously endorsed a proposal to consider the Constitution amendment bill to pave way for endorsing the new political map amid the border row with India. The bill will now be sent to the National Assembly where it will undergo a similar process. The ruling Nepal Communist Party commands two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. The National Assembly will have to give lawmakers 72 hours to move amendments against the bill's provisions, if any. After the National Assembly passes the bill, it will be submitted to the President for authentication, after which the bill will be incorporated in the Constitution. The government on Wednesday formed a nine-member team of experts to collect historical facts and evidence related to the area. Diplomats and experts, however, questioned the government's move, asking why the task force was formed when the map has already been released and approved by the Cabinet. Just two days ahead of voting, Srivastava had sidestepped all questions regarding the voting or reaching out to Kathmandu by just saying "we have already made our position clear" and went on to elaborate on the "civilisational, cultural and friendly relations with Nepal". This despite the fact that Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli just one day before this statement said that if India showed more willingness for dialogue, a solution could be found. India had also stressed on a diplomatic dialogue in the May 20 statement but foreign secretary-level talks still remain pending between the two sides. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 13, 2020, 19:30 [IST] WHERE IS THIS WORLD HEADED??? South Africans are calling for Nigerians to leave their country after a video went viral, showing a woman, believed to be from South Africa, twerking for some Nigerian men. #NigeriansMustFall is the number 1 trending topic on Twitter at the moment. South Africans are using the hashtags #NigeriansMustFall and #NigeriansMustGo to call out Nigerians, while blaming them for the rot in their society. In the video that caused the outrage, a woman is seen pulling down her pants to twerk for some Nigerian men. The twerking woman is seen with lipstick between her butt cheeks as she danced for the men who were speaking Yoruba. Reacting to the video, South Africans accused Nigerians of all sorts, including drugging and raping their women. Some people pointed out that the woman doesn't look like she was forced to twerk but others shut them down and stated that, even if she wasn't forced, she must have been drugged. Some South Africans came to the defence of Nigerians and accused their countrymen of xenophobia. They pointed out that femicide is on the rise as South African men kill their women and get away with it. But those people were also shut down as South Africans passed the blame to Nigerians. Nigerian Twitter users have warned Nigerians in South Africa to be careful as the hashtag could snowball into violence. The VIDEO cannot be posted on this site. Look for a twitter user by name Future Pepsi Ambassador@Obong_Hanson to watch the video if interested. 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 Photo: BC gov. Flickr Dr. Bonnie Henry After more than a week with no active confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Interior Health region, a single new case has been identified in the area. Additionally, there's been a single new virus-related death in the Vancouver Coastal Health region after nearly a week with no deaths in B.C. Over the past 24 hours, 16 new COVID-19 cases have been identified across the province, including the single new case in the IH region. It's unclear where in the IH region this new case has occurred. These new cases bring the total positive tests in the province to 2,709. The total active cases in B.C. have risen slightly, to 187, but hospitalizations have decreased to 12, with three people now in intensive care. To date, 2,354 people have fully recovered from the virus. No new COVID-19 outbreaks have been declared Friday, and five remain active at long-term seniors care homes. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry did not hold a press conference Friday, and will hold the next one on Monday. Bhopal, June 13 : While Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Narottam Mishra and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are patting themselves for containing the corona spread in the state, the epidemic has marched into the rural areas at an alarming rate. The urban scenario continues to be even more worrying than it has been since the lockdown days. With a primitive healthcare infrastructure in the rural areas, the state will have a herculean task to deal with the outbreak, according to the latest panchayat and rural department report. Official statistics have not been put in the public domain so far. But sources in the panchayat department reveal that 50 out of 52 districts are in the grip of the epidemic. Large-scale migration of the labour force has only aggravated the problem with 951 persons testing positive in 462 villages of 184 tehsils of the 50 districts. Thirty-two deaths were recorded till Friday night. The migrant and non-migrant villagers have almost equally borne the brunt of the epidemic. Among the 951 patients in rural areas, 479 were labourers, including migrants who returned to the state following the lockdown. As per the data, 336 people were infected in rural Madhya Pradesh on May 21 and of them, 130 were labourers and 206 were other villagers. Meanwhile, additional chief secretary of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Manoj Shrivastava, said the state government was working hard to contain the viral spread in the rural areas. Over 14.82 lakh migrant labourers had returned to their homes from other states so far, he said. At present, 12,04,315 migrant labourers and villagers are home quarantined or lodged in isolation centres, the official said. The Chief Minister had on Thursday spoken to village heads about the possible effect on the rural areas after massive movement of people from other states to or through Madhya Pradesh. Swab samples of 29,881 people have been collected for testing from rural areas of the state so far. The infection, which was detected in 186 villages on May 21, has spread to 462 villages in just 22 days, the report revealed. Villages in Hoshangabad and Niwari districts have escaped the corona fury so far. Villages in Indore district have recorded the highest number of rural Covid-19 cases with 90 persons testing positive for the infection, followed by 51 in the villages of Khargone, 50 in Bhind, 43 in Neemuch, 42 in Gwalior and 41 in Burhanpur. At least 14 people have succumbed to the infection in eight villages of Indore, with six deaths reported from Baank village alone. On the urban front, Indore and Bhopal districts reported 120 corona positive cases on Saturday. Indore, which seemed to be flattening the curve, was back to the old form. The city reported 57 cases to Bhopal's 63. Neemuch with 12 cases was another district with figures touching the double digit. The other districts recorded a marked decline on Saturday. The state reported 198 cases on Saturday with seven fatalities. The overall count of positive cases in the state has reached 10,641 with 447 deaths. The health bulletin reported 7,377 recoveries till Saturday. Srinagar: Militancy-infested south Kashmir witnesses a series of clashes between holed up militants and security forces on Saturday, leaving, at least, two suspected militants dead. While two militants were killed in an encounter in a remote village of Kulgam district, the fate of those trapped in three other areas after the joint teams of the Army, J&K polices counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid siege to these to conduct searches is not known. The officials said that the SOG together with the Armys 19 Rashtriya Rifles and 18th Battalion of the CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in Kulgams Nipora Zadoora village at dawn following specific input about the presence of militants. During the search operation, the terrorists were given opportunity to surrender. They, however, responded by opening fire and hurling grenades upon the joint search party, which was retaliated, leading to an encounter in which both of them were killed, a police spokesman here said. Simultaneously or soon after the clash in Kulgam, the security forces engaged militants also at Maldera in neighbouring Shopian, Lallan in Anantnag and Tral in Pulwama districts. A report from Shopian said that after a brief exchange of fire with security forces, the militants moved into a cluster of residential houses at Maldera, prompting the authorities to rush in reinforcements to flush them out dead or alive. Defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that two militants were killed in the joint operation launched at Lallan early Saturday. The operation is in progress, he said. However, neither the J&K police nor any other source confirmed it. The police sources said that militants who had been trapped in a village of Tral during a search operation earlier may have escaped. MORE than 100 TC Islanders came back to the territory this week from the United Kingdom and Italy, while several Bahamians returned home. A British Airways flight safely transported 114 citizens from London on Thursday (June 11). The return route was organised through a partnership with the TCI Government, the Governors Office and the Cayman Islands government. The Government secured seats for residents and covered travel costs for students under a full scholarship, partial scholarship or grant who wished to return home. Meanwhile, Bahamians who were able to secure seats were transported by a special Bahamasair flight back to Nassau, Bahamas. Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson thanked the partners and welcomed the TCI residents home. Minister of Tourism Ralph Higgs, speaking on June 1, said that Cabinet on May 15 gave consent to allow for the borders to be opened to allow citizens to return home. "To date we have seen the return of persons from the Dominican Republic and some recently trained police officers from Barbados, he said. "Plans will continue over the next few weeks to bring more Turks and Caicos Islanders home from the South Florida area and in conjunction with other countries in the region, trans-Atlantic flight for persons in those areas. "Our repatriation efforts will follow the stated regulations and are being planned closely with the Ministry of Health. He said efforts to bring resident home are "not without difficulty as many airports around the world are closed. "Despite the challenges these repatriation efforts are very important and we will see them through and ask for the cooperation of all concerned, he added. As of May 15, the Emergency Powers (Covid-19) (No. 4) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 came into operation. They provided for the return of Turks and Caicos Islanders, permanent residents and residence permit holders who are married to TC Islanders by international air travel. Additional flights will be announced to facilitate the return of residents prior to the reopening of the territorys borders on July 22. Any citizens wishing to return to the TCI can register with the Tourist Board by sending an email to [email protected] Applicants must provide their name, number travelling in party, contact information, country of departure and proof of legal status in the TCI. Returning residents should contact the airlines directly to book a seat. Details will be provided via email. They will be required to complete and submit to the airline a health screening questionnaire for Covid-19 prior to arrival in the Islands. They will be placed under quarantine in a specified place for a period of 14 days and will be monitored by a health officer for symptoms and signs of Covid-19. And they will be required to sign a quarantine order and to complete other relevant forms as required by the Ministry of Health. - About 400 Chinese nationals have acquired orders from a High court in Nairobi directing the government to allow flights from China to come and airlift - The foreign nationals argued that Kenya's health system does not have the capacity to handle coronavirus pandemic thus putting their lives at risk - Their lawyer Isaac Okinyo said plans to evacuate his clients were already in place and have been scheduled to fly on June 16 Hundreds of Chinese nationals are set to leave the country after raising concerns over the upsurge of coronavirus infections in Nairobi. About 400 Chinese nationals have already acquired orders from a High court in Nairobi directing the government to allow flights from China to come and airlift their compatriots back home. READ ALSO: Mudavadi akerwa na gazeti lililoandika taarifa dhidi ya DP Ruto The court issued orders directing the government to allow flights from China to come and airlift their nationals: Photo: China Southern Airline. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Abenny Jachiga: Police bury celebrated Ohangla musician at 2:30am after mourners disrupted burial The foreign nationals argued that Kenya's health system does not have the capacity to handle coronavirus pandemic and that the situation was getting worse with the rising numbers of new infections. Their lawyer Isaac Okinyo told the court his clients were feeling insecure being in the country and preferred flying back to their home country where they were certain about the healthcare system. "All the isolation centres are full here, testing and contact tracing is a challenge to the Kenya government and some of these people have pre-existing conditions," argued Okinyo. Justice Weldon Korir directed the government to allow flights from China to come and airlift their nationals back home. Photo: The Judiciary. Source: UGC Justice Weldon Korir who presided over the matter granted the applicants the orders to get government facilitation in their quest to return home. Okinyo noted all plans to evacuate his clients were already in place and were only waiting for clearance by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Majority of those waiting to leave the country are residents of Nairobi and its environments. According to Okonyo, his clients are set to leave the country on June 16. This came amid reports that China's ambassador to Kenya Wu Peng was recalled by the government for "promotion". Kenya has so far recorded 3, 305 cases of coronavirus infections. Out of this, 1,164 have recovered and 96 passed on. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. The university student hawking water and sweet potatoes to pay fees and feed the poor | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Detectives on Saturday said they were trying to identify the body of a woman found dead earlier in the week along railroad tracks in Union County. The woman was found Thursday afternoon along tracks near the 300 block of Port Avenue in Elizabeth, according to Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo. The woman is possibly black or Hispanic, in her late 20s to early 30s, standing about 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-6 with no distinguishing marks or tattoos on her body, the prosecutor said. The scene was investigated by members of the Union County Homicide Task Force, New Jersey State Police, the county sheriffs office and Elizabeth police. Anyone with information is asked to call prosecutors office Sgt. Andrew Dellaquila at 973-274-5771 or Detective Angela Concepcion at 908-341-5416. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Actor Sonu Sood has become like a superhero figure for many people in distress during the COVID-19 lockdown in India. From arranging transport for hundreds of migrants, to providing food and supplying ration kids, Sonu is doing it all. His most recent outreach activity was to help his R...Rajkumar co-star Surendra Rajan, who had travelled to Mumbai to shoot for a web-series, but ended up getting stuck in the city when the lockdown was announced. Navbharat Times reported that when Sonu got to know of Rajan's situation, he assured him that he would help him get back home, in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, before June 18. Talking about Sonu's immense contributions at this time, Surendra Rajan told the news portal, "Sonu Sood's work is amazing and I am surprised that a man is working like this. One cannot do this unless he has a tremendous will to help people from within. He is doing extraordinary work and people like Sonu Sood are rare." Surendra, who has also acted in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S, said that he is still in touch with Sanjay Dutt. "I could have asked him for help but I did not want to rely on anyone," he said. He also revealed that he is unable to pay his house rent because he has run out of most of his money. "One of my disciples paid Rs 45,000 for three months. I also got help from the RSS as they gave me ration," he added. Most recently, Sonu organized a flight for 173 migrants from Mumbai to Dehradun. Before that, he had helped a number of Odia women get back home from Kerala, by arranging a flight for them. ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE! Sonu Sood Silences Rumours, Says, 'I Have No Interest In Joining Politics' ALSO READ: Sonu Sood Helps A Man Reach His Hometown To Perform Last Rites Of His Wife The government clarified that the majority of industrial establishments had reported nil production, and cautioned that the numbers should not be compared with those of previous months. 'It is not appropriate to compare the IIP of April 2020 with that of earlier months, and users may like to observe the changes in the IIP in the following months,' said the ministry of statistics & programme implementation. Image used for representational purpose. Photograph: Reuters. Indias industrial production contracted 55.5 per cent in April, the sharpest ever, as the Covid-19-induced lockdown almost froze economic activities. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had shrunk 18.3 per cent in March. With an unprecedented lockdown in force for most of April, the government on Friday released only index numbers for industrial production, and the numbers cited above are derived from them. The government clarified that the majority of industrial establishments had reported nil production, and cautioned that the numbers should not be compared with those of previous months. It is not appropriate to compare the IIP of April 2020 with that of earlier months, and users may like to observe the changes in the IIP in the following months, said the ministry of statistics & programme implementation. But experts challenged this view. It is important to understand how the lockdown has affected different parts of the economy. Therefore, we have analysed the year-on-year contraction levels across different sectors in April 2020, to inform our analysis and forecasts of how the economic activity is expected to recover in the coming months, said Aditi Nayar, principal economist at ICRA. Experts said the worst might be over as industrial activity had begun across sectors from May onwards, despite the lack of labour, logistics, and raw materials. The available lead indicators point to a modest recovery in May 2020 in some of the sectors that were acutely affected by the lockdown, such as rail freight, GST e-way bills, and fuel and electricity consumption, said Nayar. Manufacturing, which accounts for 78 per cent of the IIP, ground to a halt in April as output shrank 64.2 per cent. Experts, however, noted that during March, which had only seven days of lockdown, manufacturing output had fallen by 22.4 per cent. This signifies the existing stress in the sector, they said. All the 23 sub-sectors within manufacturing posted year-on-year contraction, the same as the previous month. An analysis by CARE Ratings showed that 12 industries, including vehicles, furniture, leather, tobacco, electrical equipment, and fabricated metals recorded contraction of more than 90 per cent during the month. As many as 19 industries of the 23 recorded contraction of more than 50 per cent. Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at CARE Ratings, expected contraction in industrial production to continue, albeit at a marginally less rate. Also with the lockdown carrying on in a modified form in June, the Q1FY21 performance will be negative in the range of 30 per cent," he said. The capital goods segment, which denotes investment in industry, contracted by more than 90 per cent. The rate of fall was significant compared to the 35.6 per cent plunge witnessed in March. Production in the category has remained in the red for the 15th straight month. Policymakers fear that with the government exhausting most efforts to open up even more sectors to easier foreign direct investment flows, the fate of capital goods production may take time to recover. Consumer demand gone Consumer durables were the biggest casualty of the lockdown among user-based industries, recording a 33 per cent fall in production. Even before the latest Covid-19 crisis, data from the beginning of the year showed that production of consumer durables had continued to drop, with March being the latest in a 10-month contraction spree. Consumer durables production fell by more than 95 per cent with the deferral of non-essential consumption. Even consumer non-durables, which include several essential items, witnessed 36.1 per cent contraction in April after March's 16.2 per cent fall. Mining activity also caved by 27.3 per cent, after remaining relatively unscathed in March. On the other hand, electricity generation managed to stem the decline at a modest 22 per cent as domestic demand shot up. Generation had fallen by 8.2 per cent in March. Industrial output for fiscal 2019-20 had contracted 0.7 per cent, compared with a growth rate of 3.8 per cent in 2018-19, official data released last month had shown. Growth had been tapering off since end-2019, but a rebound in February had raised expectations. Under the constant stream of sunshine and a steady breeze off of the water, residents and visitors to Atlantic City had the chance to partake in something that has been forbidden for quite a while: consuming alcohol while on and around the boardwalk in an open container. It is amazing to drink on the boardwalk, said Crystal Ronaldo, of Tuckerton, who Friday evening was sitting with friends in wooden chairs across from the bar near the Showboat Hotel and Apartments. I have been trapped in the house for way too long. Its really nice having other people making your drink and not having to go to the liquor store to buy the mixers and beer. The change comes after Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. signed an executive order Monday allowing public consumption of alcohol, which went into effect Friday. The move was in reaction to Gov. Phil Murphys phased reopening of the state after the coronavirus pandemic closures, which will allow for outdoor dining, with restrictions. Patrons enjoy a beverage from Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, Friday June 12, 2020. An executive order allows public consumption in designated areas outside bars and restaurants. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com It feels like there will be people who will come out and care to keep everything going, added Jenna Santiago, Ronaldos friend. Its been a great day to be open. Its been nonstop lines, said Mackenzie Muszynski of The Surf Bar. Everybody seems to be okay with the regulations that we have to follow. We thought it was going to be a little less than we expected, but it has been a great day for us. Alicia Acquaviva, also of Tuckerton, who is a waitress herself at a bar, has been without a job due to the pandemic. Having the ability to escape to Atlantic City felt freeing to her, and allowed her to help others out, she said. Even if somebody else made me that vodka and club, Im able to give them extra money for that for a tip, Acquaviva said. Dana Nicholson, left, and Joelle Ashton, of New York City, walk out of the Surf Bar in Atlantic City, Friday June 12, 2020. An executive order allows public consumption in designated areas outside bars and restaurants. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Further down the boardwalk in the area known as The Orange Loop, a bar crawl was scheduled to celebrate the beginning of outdoor drinking. At the Tennessee Beer Hall, one of the three partners, Charles Soreth, said business had also been doing well, and a number of people had come to buy drinks. The crowd of people was a welcome sight, he said. "It was a long couple of months," Soreth said. "We did okay, but we haven't been known as a takeout spot. We have been starting to gain that momentum, which I think can only help us in the future. We get to see people on the street. We have the music going with the people on the street, drinking, smiling, having a good time. It's really nice to have people back here." Tippin Harkins, left, of Ventnor, Nina Contento, and her fianc Chris Johnson, of Estell manor, enjoy a beverage from Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, Friday June 12, 2020. An executive order allows public consumption in designated areas outside bars and restaurants. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com At neighboring Rhythm Spirits, Lee Stevens has been looking forward to this day for a long time, even before the coronavirus caused the bars and restaurants to close. As a resident of Atlantic City and a business owner, I think its something that outdoor consumption makes sense here. If you look at a lot of great cities, from Savannah to Las Vegas to Atlantic City, outdoor drinking does become part of the culture," he said. "Its proven that its successful. It allows people to see the city. Although those other cities are great, in what city can you walk down the street and hit the boardwalk, walk a mile, grab another drink, and enjoy yourself in the sunshine? Its a great thing for the city, and its something that we hope continues long past this entire thing. A DJ plays on top of Rhythm & Spirits in Atlantic City, Friday June 12, 2020. An executive order allows public consumption in designated areas outside bars and restaurants. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Tippen Harkens was out on the boardwalk Friday after spending the first part of the pandemic stuck in Fiji. A cyclone was approaching as the pandemic was starting the United States, she said. She and her boyfriend were eventually able to take a flight back to the U.S. Drinking in Fiji was so expensive, Harkens said. They import everything, and a bottle of Absolut ran for $140. You can get a beer here for a $1 to $1.50. Thank you to the Atlantic City mayor, for trusting in us to be responsible adults, and to be able to drink and be in public. The executive order will stay in place until the restrictions on bars and restaurants or lifted, or seven months after the state of emergency ends, whichever is later. Jackie Lenegan and her husband Ryan, of Ocean City, enjoy a beverage from Back Bay Ale House in Gardner's Basin in Atlantic City, Friday, June 12, 2020. An executive order allows public consumption in designated areas outside bars and restaurants. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Tim Hawk may be reached at thawk@njadvancemedia.com. Update: According to SAPD, all eight individuals are recovering in the hospital and are expected to survive. No arrests have been made and the investigation is still ongoing. Original: A man who was denied entry to a Northside bar because he was intoxicated, shot eight people in the pubs parking lot late Friday night. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said five females and three males, from ages 23 to 41, were injured outside of REBAR, located in the 8000 block of Broadway. He said the people drove themselves to local hospitals and were in stable condition. Two people were grazed and refused treatment. The most serious injury was an individual who was struck in the back. Police dispatchers received a call at 11:30 for shots fired. Officers that responded to the scene found eight people had been shot. The incident began when two males and three females left a bar and walked to REBAR where the doorman wouldn't allow them to enter because they were intoxicated. McManus stated one of the two men said, Dont you know who I am? Im a UFC fighter from California, before walking away. The man returned with a long rifle and opened fire, striking the eight people. McManus said SAPD officers are searching for the shooter who fled the scene. Advertisement Police broke up gaggles of drinkers congregating outside London bars yesterday, three weeks before pubs are officially due to reopen. Revellers stood in groups of more than six outside Tropix bar in Clapham, London as government figures suggest the R rate in the capital is teetering between 0.8 and one. If it rises above one each infected person will spread the virus to more than one other individual, meaning stricter social distancing measure may become necessary again. The official R rate for England as a whole is between 0.8 and 0.9 and there are also concerns that the thousands that have gathered at Black Lives Matters protests risk spreading the virus and Boris Johnson has urged activists to stay away. Other pictures from Clapham showed police patrolling the streets, urging those who don't obey lockdown rules to move along. While some pubs are offering takeaway pints, the government's current coronavirus exit strategy suggests venues will not be welcoming punters indoors until July 4 at the earliest. Social distancing measures are still in place across the country with friends and unable to meet in groups larger than six. Any gatherings must be outdoors and people have to stay six feet away from each other. In other coronavirus developments: The reproduction rate of the coronavirus could be as high as 1.1 in the South West of England; Boris Johnson said yesterday that he was looking for the moment to relax the guideline, raising hopes that the Prime Minister could switch to a one-metre rule within weeks The R rate for Britain as a whole, however, has not changed in the past week and remains between 0.7 and 0.9; Office for National Statistics figures showed that Britains GDP plummeted by a record 20.4 per cent in April; Mail investigation found Boris Johnson scrapped a team of Cabinet ministers tasked with protecting the UK from a pandemic six months before coronavirus arrived. SAGE coronavirus reports revealed scientists said the UK's outbreak will rumble on into 2021 and 'bubbles' of two households of any size could be the next step; The head of the UK's largest teaching union has been blasted for describing the Government's primary school U-turn, which will mean thousands of children missing out on lessons, as a 'win'; The Office for National Statistics estimates just 33,000 people in Britain are infected with Covid, in a major boost for the country's fight against the disease; London is still the worst-hit area in the UK but coronavirus death rates in northern regions are narrowing the gap, according to the ONS; Police broke up gaggles of drinkers congregating outside London bars yesterday, three weeks before pubs are officially due to reopen Other pictures showed police patrolling the streets, urging those who don't obey lockdown rules to move along Images of the pub-goers gathered in London emerged as Boris Johnson said yesterday that he was looking for the moment to relax the guideline, raising hopes that the Prime Minister could switch to a one-metre rule within weeks. It raised hopes that the Prime Minister could switch to a one-metre rule within weeks after a combination of frightening economic statistics and a fall in the number of coronavirus infections. Despite their reservations, government scientists believe any decision to cut the recommended distance is a political one, giving Mr Johnson the green light to reduce it. They have told ministers that businesses could bring in new rules, such as regular breaks and getting workers to sit side by side, to make it safer for people to be within a metre of each other. It came as the full extent of the blow that the lockdown has dealt to Britains economy was laid bare yesterday. Office for National Statistics figures showed that Britains national output plummeted by a record 20.4 per cent in April as millions of people were told to stay at home. At the same time, it emerged that the number of average new infections per day has fallen from 5,600 to 4,500 since the end of April. The two statistics intensified calls for Mr Johnson to move to World Health Organisation guidelines, which state social distancing has to be only one metre or 1.5m. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack yesterday became the first Cabinet minister to publicly call for the distance to be reduced to one metre as soon as possible, saying the move was vital to open up the economy. And Tory MP Damian Green, who was Theresa Mays de facto deputy, said: The latest infection rates are encouraging, and the economic figures are frightening, so I think its time to set a date for a move to one metre. A research paper published by the Governments Sage scientific advisory committee yesterday suggested companies should be given the freedom to choose how to operate safely. It said sitting side by side or behind another person at one metre carried a similar risk to being two metres face to face. It added that good ventilation in buildings can further reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Making his first public visit since he was treated in hospital for coronavirus, Mr Johnson said the sooner the number of infections fell, the sooner the two metre rule could be scrapped. He said: What were looking for is the moment when weve got the numbers down I wont give you a figure but I want to see, and were working with the scientists, to work out a moment when the numbers are down so far that we can really say that the two-metre rule is no longer necessary. On the GDP figures, Mr Johnson said: We are a resilient economy and we will bounce back. It is thought the central bank could sanction the printing of 100 billion of emergency cash as soon as next week. We have to be ready to take action, not just the Bank but more broadly, on what we can do to offset those longer-term damaging effects, Mr Bailey said. Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said of the 20.4 per cent fall in GDP: This is catastrophic, literally on a scale never seen before in history. The real issue is what happens next. Andrew Wishart, an analyst at Capital Economics, added: We are past the worst. But the recovery will be a drawn-out affair. And business leaders warned that current social distancing rules will make it difficult for the economy to recovery quickly. Sir John Timpson, chairman of shoe repair chain Timpson, said: The one-metre vs two-metre rule is a crucial decision it is going to make a big difference to the economy. The British Beer and Pub Association warned that today was the deadline if ministers are going to give pubs three weeks notice that they can reopen on July 4. All Our Bars, a pub management company, said: Hospitality is about socialising. You cannot socialise at two-metre distances. Pub chain Greene King added: We expect to be able to accommodate about 30 per cent of trade with social distancing and this will impact which pubs we can open at different stages, as many will not be economically viable with social distancing. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey yesterday said he was ready to take further action to support the economy. It has also emerged that the reproduction rate of the coronavirus could be as high as 1.1 in the South West of England, officials warned today meaning the virus is on the brink of surging out of control in the rural region. Officials at the Government Office of Science, which is headed by Sir Patrick Vallance, confirmed that the R rate in the South West is now somewhere between 0.8 and 1.1, which is a higher estimate than any other part of the UK. The R rate for Britain as a whole, however, has not changed in the past week and remains between 0.7 and 0.9. The warning from officials means the virus is on the brink of surging out of control in the rural region. Officials warned that the virus's reproduction rate has risen to higher than 1 in the South West of England, to 1.1, while it remains somewhere between 0.8 and 1 almost everywhere else across the country. This means the outbreak could be increasing in size in the South West Boris Johnson (pictured wearing PPE) said yesterday he was looking for the moment to relax the two-metre social distancing rule Officials at the Government Office of Science, which is headed by Sir Patrick Vallance, confirmed that the R rate in the South West is now somewhere between 0.8 and 1.1, which is a higher estimate than any other part of the UK. The R rate for Britain as a whole, however, has not changed in the past week and remains between 0.7 and 0.9. The South West is the only region which could have a value higher than one, the dreaded point at which each infected patient starts to infect more than one other person and an outbreak starts to grow again. Last week the region's estimate was 0.8 to 1.0, showing it has risen in the past seven days. East of England currently has the lowest estimate, with its 0.7 to 0.9 making it the only region where the figure is definitely below 1. A total of 202 more people died from Covid-19 yesterday in the lowest Friday jump in 12 weeks, taking the UK's total victims to 41,481. But a three to four week lag between people getting infected and dying of the disease, if they die, means that a surge in infections now could increase the death rate in July. More than 292,000 people in Britain have now tested positive for the virus, after a further 1,541 patients were diagnosed in the last 24 hours. Yesterday's death figure marks the smallest Friday rise since March 20, three days before the country went into lockdown, when there were just 36 coronavirus fatalities. Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, used yesterday's Downing Street briefing to remind people that it will, from Monday, be mandatory to wear face coverings on public transport and urge people not to attend protests planned this weekend because they risk spreading the virus. He also said the Government is now launching a 'jet zero' initiative to investigate ways of starting carbon-neutral (net zero) flights so that when air travel returns it can be safer for the environment. Mr Shapps and the NHS's medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, batted away concerns about the R rate in the South West and said what was important is the centre-point of the range (0.95 for the region) is the most important, and remains below 1. The Government Office for Science report estimated that the R in London - formerly the UK's coronavirus epicentre, is between 0.8 and 1 along with, the Midlands, the North West and the South East. Figures suggest the R sits between 0.7 and 1 in the North East and around 0.7 and 0.9 in the East of England. Officials have urged caution about drawing hard and fast conclusions about R value estimates. The Office for National Statistics said yesterday it thinks just 33,000 Britons currently have Covid-19 Is this the mutation that made coronavirus spread like wildfire in NYC and Italy? Super-infectious strain has four-times as many 'spikes' that let it invade human cells compared to milder forms seen in California By NATALIE RAHHAL ACTING US HEALTH EDITOR A minute mutation to the strain of coronavirus that's spread in the US and Italy have made it far more infectious than other variants of the virus are, a new study suggests. The potent version of SARS-CoV-2 has four to five times more 'spikes' that allow it to latch onto human cells on its surface. Not only does this trait make it more infectious, but it also makes the virus more stable and resilient. Since coronavirus became a pandemic, scientists have puzzled over why it has seemed to decimate some states and countries, while both its spread and lethality hae been limited. Previous research had suggested a seemingly more potent strain that hit Italy and Europe and spread to New York City, which swiftly became the epicenter of the pandemic. Coronavirus's 'spike' protein (pictured) has two components (shown in purple and green). Being comprised of two parts makes it 'unstable' and fragile, but a new mutation makes it more stable by making the whole spike more 'flexible' and infectious, a Scripps Research study says Now, scientists at Scripps Research believe they've confirmed that theory, and identified the mutation that super-charged the particularly infectious variant of coronavirus. Researchers there isolated various strains of coronavirus that have been identified by their genetic signatures around the world. They then put each into a sort microscopic cage match, testing how aggressively the respective strains attacked human cells in petri dishes. One strain was the clear winner - the iteration of the virus with the mutated gene that gave it more 'spike' proteins. Advertisement They say that predicting the R with any real accuracy will become increasingly difficult as the crisis continues to peter out in the UK. The fewer infected patients there are, the greater the margin for error, especially when looking at specific regions of the UK. For example, if there are only 10 cases and one of them infects three people, it would push the R rate up significantly and skew the average. From next week the Government will publish the growth rates for regions based on raw infection data. The R rate has been crucial in guiding the Government's gradual relaxation of lockdown measures. The R was believed to have been between three and four at the height of the crisis and getting it below one was paramount to loosening restrictions at all. Reacting to the development, Matt Keeling, professor of populations and disease at the University of Warwick, said: 'All the ranges are similar and overlapping, so we cannot say that any one region is worse than any other region. 'All the ranges are closer to the critical threshold of R=1 than we would ideally like to see - which means that the epidemic is declining relatively slowly. 'This also means we haven't got much wiggle room for additional relaxation of social distancing measures. 'As the number of cases becomes smaller in many regions, these predictions will become more uncertain and more biased by small localised outbreaks. 'There is still some uncertainty in these values, which are influenced by the three interacting outbreaks in hospitals, in care homes and in the community.' Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted last week that localised lockdowns could be introduced if some parts of the country continued to be hit harder than others. 'You're right that the R is closer to one in the South West and in the North West, the advice from SAGE is that R is below one in all regions,' he said. 'However, we want to increasingly have an approach in tackling local lockdowns where we spot a flare-up.' Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics said yesterday it thinks just 33,000 Britons currently have Covid-19, in a massive boost for the UK's fight against the disease. The data, based on testing of almost 20,000 people in the community, shows the number of people with the virus outside of hospitals and care homes is tumbling. The ONS' 33,000 prediction does not include hospital and care homes, where there are still more than a thousand new cases every day, but the virus is fading among members of the public. When the same estimates were published on May 28, just a fortnight ago, they suggested 133,000 people were carrying the virus, many without knowing it. But England's outbreak is continuing on a 'clear downward trend', statisticians say, with around 31,600 new infections each week - around 4,500 per day. This shows that, as the R value remains below one - the latest estimate is between 0.7 and 0.9 - fewer and fewer people are contracting the deadly virus. The ONS data says just 0.06 per cent of the population is infected, showing the infection rate is now around one positive case in every 1,790 people in the community. And this week's report, which relates to the period between May 25 and June 7, is recent enough to include the effects of the first easing of lockdown measures, when the rules on spending time outside were relaxed on May 13. This does not, according to the ONS data, appear to have led to rise in cases. Statisticians wrote in their report this morning that a complex investigation of the data 'confirms there is a clear downward trend' but warned about interpreting raw figures. The range of possible current cases is somewhere between 14,000 and 68,000, the statisticians said, while somewhere between 22,700 and 43,5000 new cases were appearing each week. They added: 'As the proportion of those testing positive in England is decreasing over time, it is likely that the incidence rate is also decreasing. 'However, because of the low number of new positive cases, we cannot currently measure a statistically significant reduction.' ONS estimates were based on just 11 positive tests from a sample of 19,933 people tested across 9,179 households. Although the small numbers mean one error in either direction could significantly change the estimate, it suggests a tiny proportion of the population has Covid-19. BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing shut six major wholesale food markets on Friday and delayed plans for some students to return to school after China's capital reported new coronavirus infections for a second day running. The new cases on Friday involved two men working at a meat research centre who had recently visited the markets, state media said. It was not immediately clear how they were infected. Thursday's case, in a different part of the city, was the capital's first in nearly two months. The coronavirus is believed by many to have emerged at a seafood market in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, in December. Both the newly infected men, aged 25 and 37, had had no contact with people from Hubei or travellers from overseas in the last 14 days, state media said, though the younger man was briefly in Qingdao city in the eastern province of Shandong. The research facility where the men worked, the China Meat Food Comprehensive Research Centre, in Fengtai district in the south of Beijing, remained open on Friday, according to the state-run Beijing Daily. Reuters could not immediately reach the Beijing Academy of Food Sciences, which oversees the centre, for comment. State-controlled Beijing News said six wholesale food markets in the city recently visited by the two men had been either wholly or partially shut. City authorities had shut beef and mutton trading at the Xinfadi wholesale market, while the Jingshen seafood market had entirely closed. Both markets lie within a 7 km radius of the meat research facility. The Beijing city government said it had dropped plans to reopen school on Monday for students from the first to third grades because of the new cases. It also said restaurants would be inspected and checks made on seafood products and fresh and frozen meats. (Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser.) (Reporting by Judy Hua, Lusha Zhang, Hallie Gu, Colin Qian and Dominique Patton; Writing by Se Young Lee and Ryan Woo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Toby Chopra) 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. Taking a swipe at the prime minister over the border face-off in Ladakh, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Saturday said China has "again occupied our territory" and listed that Narendra Modi had visited China nine times, including five as the premier. "While Chinese have again occupied our territory, important to remember list of official visits to China (sic)," he said on Twitter, giving a list of visits by all former prime ministers to China. While Chinese have again occupied our territory,important to remember list of official visits to China Pt Nehru: 1 Shastriji:0 Indira ji:0 Morarji Bhai:0 Rajiv ji: 1 Narsimha Rao ji: 1 Devegowda ji: Gujral ji:0 Vajpayeeji: 1 Dr Singh:2 Modi ji: 9 (5 times as PM, 4 times as CM) Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) June 13, 2020 He said Modi paid nine official visits to China, while his predecessor Manmohan Singh visited only twice. Former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narsimha Rao visited only once each, he said. Other former prime ministers did not pay any visit to China, Patel said. Despite numerous visits by Modi, the country is now faced with this situation, he said. "One of the most decisive victories ever against the Chinese happened in 1967 at Sikkim border, under a Congress government. India had successfully inflicted huge casualties on enemy, drove them back and won the confidence of Sikkimese people. It was a befitting reply to 1962," he tweeted, referring to the 1962 war. Patel said the present government gave the slogan of "Inch to Miles" for the ties between India and China, and asked, "Was it meant for what is happening at our border or for diplomatic relations." The Congress has been demanding answers from the government on the current standoff between India and China on the border in eastern Ladakh. On Thursday, Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava said India is maintaining military and diplomatic engagements with China to peacefully resolve the row at the "earliest". London, June 13 : The UK's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will be the first British Royal Family members to hold a major event during the coronavirus lockdown when they welcome French President Emmanuel Macron at their London home on June 18. They will mark the 80th anniversary of a famous speech by late French President Charles de Gaulle, the BBC reported. Macron will be exempt from a 14-day quarantine imposed on most people who travel to the UK, as a "representative of a foreign country on business", a Clarence House spokeswoman said on Friday, adding that government guidelines on social distancing would be followed. The royal couple will travel from Birkhall in Aberdeenshire to Clarence House in London where they will receive Macron, with a guard of honour, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of World War Two resistance leader de Gaulle's "Appel" to the French population. In March, the two royals had to self-isolate after the Prince of Wales contracted coronavirus in March. They have been carrying out royal engagements remotely - via video calls or recorded messages - and are said to be "pleased" to be welcoming Macron to the country, the spokeswoman added. During the height of lockdown, to curb the spread of coronavirus in France, residents there had to to provide a travel permit to justify any outdoor trips. Restrictions began to ease in the UK on May 11, and phase two of the easing began on June 2, said the BBC report. Asked if Macron would be subject to the recently-imposed quarantine rules for UK arrivals, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday: "No, he won't. As we set out in the guidelines when they were published, the French delegation will fall within the exempted category of representatives of a foreign country or territory travelling to undertake business in the UK." As the country sees the spectacle of anti-cop rants and total disrespect for the badge, I am reminded of the 1925 piece by William Faulkner titled "The Cop." It is way past due to hearken back to the time when, as a young lad, he would desire to ... be a patrolman; in a blue coat and swinging a casual stick and with a silver shield on my breast, I would pace the streets away with the measured beat of my footsteps. What to compare with this grandeur? To be the idol and fear of the lads, to be looked upon with respect by even grown people; to be the personification of bravery and the despair of criminals. What a different time and place. Almost a century ago, most folks understood the danger that police faced and had a respect for the thin blue line that protected them from criminals and murderers. Fast-forward, and can we really be surprised at the anger and dismay expressed by New York police boss Michael O'Meara as he declares, "Nobody talks about all the police officers that were killed in the last week in the United States of America and there were a number of them." O'Meara also cites the 375 million interactions between officers and the public that were "overwhelmingly positive." We roundly reject what happened in Minneapolis. Our legislators abandoned us. The press is vilifying us. Stop treating us like animals and thugs and start treating us with some respect. When he says the media praise violent left-wing rioters, looters, and arsonists while denigrating police officers who are putting their lives on the line every day, he is absolutely correct. Here is a sampling of what Americans are seeing on a daily basis. "Protesters and rioters have been allowed into Seattles City Hall after Councilwoman Kshama Sawant used her key to unlock the building and allow them inside. Sawant has been calling on Mayor Jenny Durkan to resign over 'violence and brutality' by police." The wake for the murder of retired Police Captain David Dorn, who was gunned down during the leftist riots and looting in St. Louis, did not make any media headlines. "A Minnesota representative who describes herself as 'radical' in her Twitter bio tweeted a fundraising link for rioters who commandeered a Minneapolis hotel. Rep. Aisha Gomez, who represents Minneapolis, has been tweeting ... tons of support for rioters since the chaos began." "Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender on Monday told CNN's Chris Cuomo that a ' police free future ' is 'the goal.'" De Blasio will rename prominent streets in each New York borough to 'Black Lives Matter.' "After Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced he would cut $150 million from the city's police budget despite California Governor Gavin Newsom's need to deploy the National Guard to help curb violence and looting in LA Kamala Harris said, 'I applaud Eric Garcetti for doing what he's done.'" Kenneth Timmerman highlights what Antifa represents as he asserts: What we have witnessed since the unwarranted and illegal killing of George Floyd on May 25 is the Democrat playbook for 2020, exposed for all the world to see. We have the mass demonstrations. We have the demonization of the police. We have the media's outrageous lies and misrepresentations. We have the heroism of so many individuals standing up for their communities and their property, brutally murdered by the Antifa thugs and their cohorts. As if that were not enough, in perfect leftist/Democrat lockstep, celebrities bail out rioters and looters. And the madness does not stop as the long-running reality television series Cops has been permanently pulled off the air and competitor Live PD has gone on hiatus amid protests. It is a small sampling of the myriad acts sanctioned by the Democratic party. Why might this be? My momma always told me to "follow the money," so here goes. Joe Hoft explains that "BlackLives Matter.com appears to be an international money laundering scheme used by the Democrats to raise money from any international audience." It is vital to remember that the Democrat Party has now gone all in for the radical left-wing agenda. At influencewatch.org, one learns that "[t]he BLM Movement founders have connections to large 'radical Left organizations.'" The connection to the left has provided the BLM Movement with massive influence as a social movement. Daily we see echoes of Orwell's 1984, wherein "[e]very record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right." Furthermore, "[i]t is estimated that groups associated with the BLM Movement have taken in $133 million since 2013. Organizations associated with liberal billionaire George Soros are said to have provided at least $33 million to various BLM movement groups since 2016. In 2015, the fundraising club Democracy Alliance, led by liberal donors like George Soros and Taco Bell heir Rob McKay, recommended 'its donors step up check writing to a handful of endorsed groups that have supported the Black Lives Matter movement.' BLM Movement groups which received support from the Democracy Alliance were the Black Youth Project 100, the Center for Popular Democracy, the Black Civic Engagement Fund, Color of Change [an online organizing organization created by the Obama administration's former 'green jobs czar' Van Jones] and the Advancement Project." Additionally, the Ford Foundation and the Borealis Philanthropy created the Black-led Movement Fund, a funding vehicle for the Movement for Black Lives, the coalition of groups responsible for the extremist 'Vision 4 Black Lives.' The fund has received 'pledges of more than 100 million dollars from liberal foundations and others eager to contribute.' To add fuel to the fire, Amazon supports Black Lives Matter. But as Greenfield points out: The Amazon/Washington Post boss has announced that [it] will be funneling $10 million into a variety of organizations, including Black Lives Matter. [Ergo], any customers who don't like it can go to hell. Amazon has made out like a bandit as the pandemic lockdowns further decimated local retail. The riots obviously boost Amazon's monopoly by decimating more local retail. That may be bad news for its small business and big box competitors, but really good news for Bezos. So sure. Pay BLM a few million more to wreck what's left of the local retail sector and ensure Amazon's supremacy. Momma was right. And the money trail has quite a stench. What is also factually true is that "[t]he authors of the most comprehensive study to date on the subject of police brutality and race have concluded that white police officers are no more likely than black and Hispanic officers to shoot minority civilians. Up to this juncture (2015), databases of fatal officer-involved shootings (FOIS) [have] lack[ed] details about officers [emphasis added]. Yet this information is critical, for without it, the conventional wisdom that 'racism' is to blame for fatal police shootings involving non-white suspects is unsustainable." As Jack Kerwick emphasizes, "[s]o, when measured according to race-specific violent crime, there are not only no 'anti-Black disparities;' whites of the same description are fatally shot by police at a disproportionately higher rate. White police officers are most emphatically not roaming the countryside in search of unassuming black people to kill." As William Faulkner wrote, "I prefer to believe that this creature fronting the world bravely in a blue coat and a silver shield is quite a fellow, after all." When will there be a March to Support Law-Abiding Police Officers? Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com. Ramya Krishnan is a popular name down south and while she has starred in several blockbuster films, her role as Sivagami in the Baahubali franchise remains her most popular character of late. In a shocking turn of events, the Chennai Police seized over 100 liquor bottles from the actor's car earlier today. A report in a leading daily revealed that a total of 96 bottles of beer and eight bottles of wine were seized from the car as it was heading to Chennai from Mamallapuram. The report claims that the actors driver was arrested and was taken into custody at the Kanathur police station. Its reported that the actress and her sister Vinaya Krishnan too had to report at the police station and some reports also state that they had gone to secure bail for their driver. The Madras High Court recently issued an order that the only online liquor mediums will remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the incident is indeed something of a shocker, well only get further clarity on the matter when we get an official statement from Ramya herself. Wrexham factory to help manufacture new product to help businesses get back to work safely This article is old - Published: Saturday, Jun 13th, 2020 A factory on the Wrexham Industrial Estate is helping to create a new, unique and fully recyclable desk shield to help keep businesses and customers safe when reopening. Global retail solutions provider Mainetti, based on Bedwell Road, has joined forces with Summit Systems, a leading provider to the plastic industry, to manufacture the Summit Defence Shield. The COVID-19 pandemic has left employers, employees and customers concerned about their safety as the public and private sectors continue to re-open, including schools, universities, retailers, offices and hospitality. This new shield aims to offer a quick and effective solution for many businesses, helping them get back to work safety in the new normal way by providing a barrier between people preventing the spread of germs. The new partnership will utilise Mainettis global network and mass production capabilities to produce these shields on an industrial scale, ensuring more businesses globally can access these unique and in many areas essential shields. Mike Jordan, MD and Founder, Summit Systems said: There is much pressure for businesses and schools to start opening again, yet there are huge health and safety concerns. This shield alleviates this risk by creating a barrier to protect people from spreading germs through interactions. Theres nothing like it in the market this will enable the UK economy to get back on its feet quickly and, most importantly, safely. Jim Hutchison, MD at Mainetti UK, said: Were proud to be working with Summit Systems to introduce this new product and help businesses get back to added safely. The product is easy to assemble, fits a large range of desk and table sizes and can be made up in a number of different configurations to suit customers needs. There is a global need for this solution and Mainetti has the global footprint and reach to be able to bring the product to all markets that can benefit from it. Pakistani security forces have arrested two "Indian spies" from an area along the Line of Control in Gilgit-Baltistan and the duo has been handed over to the police, a media report said on Saturday. According to the report in the Dawn newspaper, Indian currency notes, identity cards, and other documents were seized from the alleged spies. They were handed over to police on Friday and Gilgit senior superintendent of police (SSP) Raja Mirza Hassan produced the alleged spies before the media at a press conference, it said. Hassan said the two arrested persons belonged to Kashmir and had been forcibly sent to Pakistan for "spying". They were arrested soon after they crossed the LoC in Gilgit-Baltistan. The detained "Indian spies" introduced themselves as Noor Mohammad Wani and Feroze Ahmed Lone, residents of Gurez's Achora village in Bandipora district in Kashmir, the report said. Imposing an 18-month jail sentence at Dungannon Crown Court, Judge Paul Ramsey QC told the 78-year-old he was suspending the sentence for three years in view of his age, health conditions, guilty pleas and remorse (stock photo) A pensioner who left another driver with a lifelong disability when he caused a head-on crash has narrowly avoided prison. Edward Conwell was behind the wheel even though he had been repeatedly told his sight was below the legal standard. Imposing an 18-month jail sentence at Dungannon Crown Court, Judge Paul Ramsey QC told the 78-year-old he was suspending the sentence for three years in view of his age, health conditions, guilty pleas and remorse. The judge said while he accepted the sentence will be "little comfort" to the victims, "there's little doubt that he will have to carry for the rest of his days the shame of what his actions have caused". As well as the suspended jail sentence Conwell, from the Peacock Road in Sion Mills, was banned from driving for five years, with the judge adding: "I doubt very much that you will get back behind the wheel of a car again." On the morning his trial was due to start last November Conwell admitted two counts of causing grievous bodily injury to Rosemary Conlon and her daughter Catherine Conlon by driving dangerously on Mulvin Road, Victoria Bridge, Strabane, on August 4, 2017. Described as "sad and heartbreaking", the court heard how the mother and daughter sustained significant injuries in the head-on smash and that, tragically, surgeons had to remove half of Mrs Conlon's right leg. The crash was caused, said the judge, by Conwell swerving into the oncoming lane as he tried to avoid crashing into the car in front of him. Judge Ramsey outlined how a forensic engineer estimated that Conwell's Toyota Landcruiser had been travelling at around 36mph when it collided with Mrs Conlon's Mercedes. Conwell himself was also injured, sustaining fractures to his sternum and ribs, but the most significant medical evidence, said the judge, came from opticians. Judge Ramsey said while Conwell claimed he had "no recollection" of it, prosecution papers revealed he had been told on three occasions that his eyesight "was below the legal standard for driving". The judge further revealed that at the time of the accident Conwell was waiting for a careless driving charge to be dealt with. The judge said "it's a pity" that wasn't dealt with more swiftly because "he would have been serving a period of disqualification but sadly, that's not the case". Judge Ramsey said while it often appears that courts are focused on defendants, "that does not mean we are not aware of the victims and their acute sense of loss". In her victim impact statement Mrs Conlon spoke of how her life "changed dramatically" that day, when having gone out "I did not expect to be arriving back home seven weeks later in a wheelchair". Judge Ramsey told Conwell that driving with a medical condition impairing his ability was an aggravating factor. In mitigation, he said, there was his "genuine shock and remorse" as well as his guilty plea and multiple health conditions. He said that overall, taking all matters into account, the jail sentence should be suspended. By Trend The issue of fulfilling the Azerbaijani state budget for 2019 was discussed in second reading at the meeting of the extraordinary session of the Azerbaijani parliament on June 12, Trend reports. The state budget revenues were approved in the amount of 23.2 billion manat ($13.6 billion), expenses 24.2 billion manat ($14.2 billion) for 2019. Some 7.7 billion manat thats $4.5 billion (31.7 percent) of budget revenues accounted for the revenues through the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, 4.4 billion manat thats $2.6 billion (18.2 percent) - through the State Customs Committee, 11.4 billion manat thats $6.7 billion (46.9 percent) - for the share of the state budget transfer from the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan, 772.9 million manat thats $454.6 million (3.2 percent) - for the share of other income including 578.9 million manat thats $340.5 million from the paid services of budgetary organizations, 182.6 million manat thats $107.4 million - from other revenues, 11.4 million manat thats $6.7 million - from revenues from the rental of state property and lands on which privatized state enterprises and facilities are located. The state budget revenues for 2019, excluding transfers to the state budget from the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan reached 12.8 billion manat ($7.5 billion), which is by 1.3 billion manat thats $764,705 (11.3 percent) more compared to 2018. The state budget expenditures for 2019 were fulfilled at 24.4 billion manat ($14.3 billion) that makes up 97 percent of the predicted figure worth 25.2 billion manat ($14.8 billion) and is by 1.7 billion manat thats $1 billion (7.5 percent) more compared to 2018. The state budget expenditures worth 13.5 billion manat thats $7.9 billion (55.4 percent) were transferred for the current expenses (by 1.9 billion manat thats $1.1 billion or 17.1 percent more compared to 2018), 9.4 billion manat thats $5.5 billion (38.4 percent) - for main expenses (by 430.6 million manat thats $253.3 million or 4.8 percent more compared to 2018), 1.5 billion manat thats $882,352 (6.2 percent) - for expenses associated with the service on public debt and obligations in 2019. Some 31.8 percent (7.8 billion manat thats $4.6 billion) of the state budget expenditures for 2019 were transferred to finance the social expenses, which is 564.8 million manat thats $332.2 million (7.8 percent) more compared to 2018. Following the discussions, the issue was put to the vote and approved on second reading. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Syracuse, N.Y. A longtime Syracuse activist was leaving a friends funeral Wednesday afternoon when she was hit by a car. Linda DeStefano and her husband, Dr. Richard Weiskopf, were in Adath Yeshurun Cemetery at the time of the crash. The couple were walking away from their friends burial when they were hit by a car in the 900 block of Jamesville Avenue. DeStefano, of the town of Onondaga, died shortly after the crash. She was 76 years old. It was an accident, not a hit-and-run crash, said Walter Weiskopf, DeStefanos stepson. Although Syracuse police are still investigating the accident, Weiskopf said his family doesnt expect any charges will be filed. Dr. Weiskopf, DeStefanos husband, suffered minor injuries in the crash. The couple wouldve celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this fall. DeStefano was a well-known member of Syracuses activist community. She spent decades advocating for animal rights, environmental protection and social justice Linda A. DeStefano, right, of the Sierra Club Iroquois Group, speaks in March 2011 about Japan's nuclear crisis. DeStefano's husband, Dr. Richard Weiskopf, stands next to her. The couple spoke during a news conference held at the state office building in Syracuse.David Lassman | The Post-Standard DeStefano, a Schenectady native, moved to Syracuse in 1976 after college. She served as the first director of the Central New York Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, her stepson said. A vegan and animal lover, DeStefano was the president and co-founder of People For Animal Rights of CNY. She wasnt afraid to make bold statements: She once wore a 6 1/2-foot-tall costume made to look like a box of tampons in Armory Square in 2004 to protest medical researchers who surgically installed pins into monkeys skulls to study the impact pain has on fertility. DeStefano also served as a leader in the local Sierra Club, according to her obituary. She won awards from both the Sierra Club and the Syracuse Peace Council. In her decades in Syracuse, DeStefano wrote many letters to the editor to The Post-Standard and Syracuse.com. Her most recent letter, posted in March, admonished the county for considering burning recyclables. Members of People for Animal Rights of CNY announced DeStefanos death on the organizations Facebook page. Linda will be remembered as a stalwart organizer for people, animals and the environment. She was a leader and mentor for people wanting to make positive change in the world, members wrote. She will be missed dearly by her friends, family and co-organizers. DeStefano is survived by her husband; her two stepsons; her two stepgrandsons; and cats Allegra and Sunshine. Linda DeStefano poses for a photo on a rainy day in Syracuse in this undated photo from Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard's archives.Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard's archives Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea or a comment? You can reach her at shouse@syracuse.com. Almost two and a half months officially prescribed Lockdown gave the South Africans the course. In front of food expenditure are long queues, Doctors complain more and more cases of malnutrition, unemployment is expected to climb, according to forecasts coming up on 50%. Now the unique animal world suffers. Had a hard curfew initially led to the national parks of the country was at peace, watching Ranger is currently more cases of poaching. Thilo Thielke Free Rapporteur for Africa, based in Cape town. F. A. Z. Twitter In the Pilanesberg national Park and the protection of Mafikeng and Botsalano areas, employees of the national Park authority and a guardian of the organization "Rhino 911" dozens of rhinos have cut off the Horn, to protect them from the poachers. The Horn consists of Keratin, a fiber protein that is also found in hair and finger nails. Exact Figures about how many rhinos poached, and how many being dehorned you were held back, in order to protect the animals. Nico Jacobs, a helicopter pilot and founder of "Rhino 911", reported that during his flights he discover lately, almost every day the carcass of slaughtered slain rhinos. Dead rhinos in the Safari regions Without the valuable Horn, the animals can reach a weight of up to 2.6 tons and a body length of almost four meters, for the poacher hardly a value. For a kilo of Horn are currently being paid around $ 60,000. Mainly in the High Society of countries such as China or Vietnam, the powder is as a supposed medicine for any Suffering popular and more expensive than Gold or cocaine. For the past three years, Rhino 911 supports "" the "Dehorning". The method is not without controversy. The Horn grows again, however, critics argue that horn loose Rhino bulls were able to defend themselves well. In addition, it was made in the past, the observation that African poachers had slaughtered Rhino without a Horn slaughtered: out of Frustration, because they were chased for days, the traces of a worthless animal, or to prevent this from happening a second Time. Updated Date: 13 June 2020, 05:20 Pune: After a days interrogation, the Pune police crime branch officials have learned that the accused men in the fake currency racket had procured the Rs 1,000 counterfeit notes from markets in Mumbai and Hyderabad. To convince the customers, arrested persons to pretend as descendants of Royal Family of Nizam by showing the picture of Nizam put up before their bunglow. On June 10, there were two types of Rs 1,000 notes that were seized from a Sanjay Park bungalow in Viman nagar, Pune. While the ones procured from Mumbai were colourful, the ones procured from Hyderabad had a colour scheme similar to the demonetised Rs 1,000 notes. In total, 3.18 lakh notes of the entire Childrens Bank notes found in the house were of Rs 1,000 denomination, according to the police submission in a local court in Pune. The aim for the stacking of notes was to show availability through videos and photos that were spread within their network of potential customers. They kept a newspaper on top of the bundles and shot a video to show the number of notes available. The notes were merely for the video from what we have gathered so far, said police inspector Anjum Bagwan of unit 4 of the crime branch of Pune police. Bagwan said, the six accused often lied to customers while citing Royal Family leanings. They used to tell customers that they are Nizams descendants and had put pictures of Nizam outside their bungalow. Three among the six accused were instrumental in circulating the videos. So far they claim to have circulated 20-25 videos of notes with newspaper on it. Once the video was circulated, they would ask for Rs 50,000 cash payment, said PI Bagwan. However, the method of cheating after the initial cash was delivered by the customers is not yet clear. The arrested men were identified as lance naik Shaikh Alim Gulab Khan, 36, member of the Indian Army bank at Bombay Sappers; Sunil Badrinarayan Sarda, 40, from Kondhwa, Pune; Ritesh Ratnakar, 34, from Kamothe, Navi Mumbai; and Tufail Ahmed Mohammad Ishaq Khan, 28, Abdulgani Rehmtullah Khan, 43, and his son Abdul Rehman Abdulgani Khan, 19, of Meera Road in Mumbai. Entrepreneurs who have successfully built and sold their business continue to reinvest into the next generation of entrepreneurs and businesses. This reinvestment, coupled with new capital providers, puts Idaho in a strong position to continue to grow and prosper..." The Idaho Technology Councils Capital Connect Conference on Thursday unveiled the 5th annual Idaho Deal Flow Report and highlighted the stories of several companies driving the more than $4 billion in capital flow across the state in 2019. Capital Connect brings together entrepreneurs, capital providers and business leaders to celebrate and support Idahos growing capital ecosystem. The accompanying Idaho Deal Flow Report detailed $4.42 billion dollars spread across 154 deals, including mergers and acquisitions, private placement and public market transactions. Speakers from companies highlighted in the report included Albertsons, Black Sage, Crave and Truckstop.com. Additional report takeaways: While number of deals was lower (2018 - 161, 2019 - 154) the total volume increased from $1.65B to $4.42B Most deal flow came from private placements and mergers & acquisitions. Idaho had only one public offering this year. More than half of deals in 2019 involved companies founded within the past 10 years. Of reported deals, median deal size was approximately $1.2 million with 35% of deals being smaller than $1 million and 23% of deals being smaller than $500,000. The majority of deal flow is coming from new, private companies. The Technology/ Software industry increased its share of deal count and volume to 38 and 25%, respectively. In 2019, Idaho was once again the fastest growing state in the country. Idahos businesses received increased attention and investment dollars from capital providers in Idaho and beyond, said Blake Hansen, Managing Partner of Alturas Capital, sponsor of the Deal Flow Report. "It was also a particularly exciting year, as StageDotO started raising capital for a venture fund targeted to be $50 million, the first of its kind in Idaho. More angel, venture capital and private equity funds are coming to Idaho to find new investment opportunities in Idaho companies. StageDotO General Partner Mike Self shared how the venture firms success in Boise reaffirms their belief in the regions ability to attract capital and entrepreneurs. Self noted that four of the companies theyve funded in Boise Crave, PlexTrac, FlipRide and Sindro have gone from ideation to commercialization in just a year. Alison Johnson, Holland & Hart Partner and Deal Flow Co-Chair noted, Entrepreneurs who have successfully built and sold their business continue to reinvest into the next generation of entrepreneurs and businesses. This reinvestment, coupled with new capital providers, puts Idaho in a strong position to continue to grow and prosper as our community of innovative enterprises find opportunities to pivot, navigate and capitalize on a new and continuously evolving environment. Johnson and Hansen also announced a bold new initiative that kicked off this year in partnership with StageDotO called 50 to the A to support and celebrate 50 Idaho companies making it to Series A financing. One company already contributing toward that goal made a big announcement at Capital Connect. In a preview of 2020s Deal Flow Report, Boise cloud software company Tackle.io announced they closed on a Series A raise of $7.25 million from New Yorks Bessemer Venture Partners. For more on the 2019 Idaho Deal Flow Report, visit http://www.idahotechcouncil.org/dfr-2019/ Opinion Article 13 June 2020 COVID-19 dealt the global hospitality industry a vicious blow. A Chuck Norris roundhouse kick combined with a Mike Tyson uppercut that left it immobile. Advertisements The scores of hotel closures and staggering number of job losses are evidence of the pandemic's pernicious impact on the industry. An overwhelming number of hotels have suspended operations because of lack of demand, while hotels that remain open are running bare-bone operations. Meanwhile, labor, which two months ago was the hotel industry's biggest concern finding it and paying for it is no longer such a worry because there is hardly any of it left. In the U.S., leisure and hospitality jobs were by far the hardest hit. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in leisure and hospitality plummeted by 7.7 million, or 47%, in April. Because of COVID-19, hotels across the country are on track to lose more than $500 million in room revenue per day. In the UK, a total of at least 1 million jobs are at risk, according to the UK Hospitality Association. The current situation across the globe is bleak, but like most predicaments, the darkest hour is just before the dawn. A recovery, even if it's not on the immediate horizon, is out there, and will eventually come. But how long will it take? Drawing Comparisons As a data company, HotStats is positioned to draw on historical data to predict future trends. In an attempt to find some commonality between COVID-19 and past shocks to the system, we looked back at the impact 9/11 and the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC) had on the UK hotel industry, because HotStats data on the region stretches back to the 1990s. One thing is clear from the jump: Revenue recovery is much quicker than profit recovery. In a shorter window of time, UK hoteliers are able to generate revenue faster than they are able to retain it. According to HotStats, on a 12-month-moving average, post-9/11 revenue recovery (TRevPAR) was achieved in 3.5 years' time compared to more than 6.5 years for profit (GOPPAR). Photo: HotStats Limited 9/11 was the first major shock to the global economic system since the recession of the early 1990s, when a reported 66% of U.S. hotels went bankrupt and hotel room occupancy fell below the break-even point, which is similar to today's hotel operating environment. The approximately twice as long recovery for profitability versus revenue post-9/11 is a byproduct of myriad variables, but one that stands out is the hotel industry's costly reliance on online travel agencies (OTAs) as a distribution channel, which reduced hotel room sales because of the high commissions OTAs charged. The result was reduced flow-through, because instead of receiving 100% of the room sale, hotels might receive only 75%, for example. With OTAs, the hotel industry opened up Pandora's box and close to 20 years later continues to grapple with the high costs associated with the Expedias and Booking.coms of the world. Though 9/11 was a disruption caused by terrorism and was not symptomatic of any underlying economic wobble, the 2008 global financial crisis or Great Recession which lasted from late 2007 through summer 2009, was a direct result of economic malfeasance. Its fallout impacted all corners of industry, including travel and hospitality, which suffered a black eye out of the gate amid the so-called "AIG Effect," a public relations nightmare for the company, which only days after receiving a bailout package spent more than $440,000 on a corporate meeting at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, in Dana Point, Calif. When word of the meeting got out, the company was viciously censured, and President Barack Obama later further condemned meetings and travel to places such as Las Vegas. The revenue recovery subsequent to the GFC took four years and three months, just shy of one year longer than the 9/11 recovery on a 12-month-moving average. On a profit line, at six years and four months, GFC recovery took about the same time as 9/11. Although 9/11 and the GFC were some six years apart, the impact on hotel profitability in the UK was fundamentally uninterrupted a span of 13 years to get back to pre-9/11 GOPPAR, because the almost exact point of the 9/11 recovery gave way to the GFC. Meanwhile, amid that same 13-year span, revenue rose 19% on a 12-month-moving average. This phenomenon is further illustrated when using 2000 as a baseline year for comparison and looking at percent change against the baseline. By the fourth year, both RevPAR and TRevPAR had recovered to their 2000 levels, but GOPPAR recovery dragged on much longer. Photo: HotStats Limited By 2007, it almost caught up, but then the GFC hit and plunged a knife through GOPPAR again. As a result, GOPPAR levels were below those of 2000 until approximately 2014, so the subsequent crises made for an almost 14-year profit recovery period. Meanwhile, top-line metrics after 2004 remained consistently above their 2000 levels, despite a deceleration in 2008 followed by a dip in 2009. Will It or Won't It When Danish physicist and Nobel Prize winner Niels Bohr said, "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future," he was onto something. What we know is in the past; the unknown is tomorrow. The fallouts from 9/11 and the GFC were likely the two biggest shock events of global impact this century until COVID-19. The travel industry showed resilience in the aftermath to 9/11 and the GFC, but so, too, revealed its fragility: Any thunderbolt can throw it off-kilter. It took a few years for the hotel industry to recover revenue; it took several years to recover profitability. Though prediction can be dangerous, even an optimist would take a COVID-19 rebound that mirrored the past two shocks. Pessimists see it worse, and they could have a point: Not since Conrad Hilton bought his first hotel in 1919 has an event triggered such shock and impairment, from hotel closures to massive layoffs. Early data already bears this out. How the hotel industry will bounce back this time is still undetermined. As someone once said, "Forecasting is the art of saying what will happen, and then explaining why it didn't." David McGoldrick has signed a contract extension at Sheffield United that will keep the forward at the club until the summer of 2022. The Republic of Ireland international scored 15 times in 45 appearances in his first season with the Blades to help them achieve promotion to the Premier League last year. He is yet to break his duck in the top-flight, though, which is set to resume next week following a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. McGoldrick has become the third Sheffield United player to put pen to paper on a new deal this week, following in the footsteps of club captain Billy Sharp and deputy Oliver Norwood. He said on the club website: Theres nowhere else Id rather be spending the next two years, so Im over the moon to sign this extension and remain a part of this fantastic journey the club is on. Didzy 2022 David McGoldrick has penned a contract extension, meaning United's No 17 will remain a Blade until at least the summer of 2022. Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) June 13, 2020 As everyone has seen, this is a club that rewards and ties down those players that have contributed heavily to the success its enjoyed so Im delighted the gaffer sees me in the same bracket as Billy and Ollie. This is a strange and horrible time for everyone, in all walks of life, and its been tough. But the good news is coming back out of the club and Im really pleased to have committed my future. The 32-year-old, who joined the club after his release by Ipswich at the end of the 2017/18 season, may not yet have scored in the Premier League this season but his industry is highlighted by him being among the centre forwards with the most tackles. McGoldrick is relishing the resumption, which starts with a trip to Aston Villa on Wednesday, as he added: Its going to be different to normal in a lot of respects, but we believe were 100 per cent ready. As weve proved on numerous occasions, were a match for anyone. A bevy of pregnant Vietnamese women repatriated from Taiwan completed their 14-day quarantine period on Friday and has set out to return to their respective hometowns. On Friday morning, the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the central province Quang Nam held a meeting to give out all-clear certificates to 345 Vietnamese returnees. The group returned from Taiwan on a repatriation flight on May 29 and has completed their quarantine period at a military school in Quang Nam. Col. Nguyen Huu Nghia, deputy leader of Quang Nams Military Command, commended the unflinching spirit of staff members at the quarantine zone, who overcame the hurdles of the current situation and provided the best possible living condition for the cordoned residents. He also applauded those quarantined at the zone for their due diligence, cooperation and adherence to isolation guidelines. A pregnant woman holds her novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) all-clear certificate after completing mandatory quarantine at a facility in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, June 12, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre For the quarantine zone, this specific group of residents is deemed peculiar for its whopping 277 pregnant women, two of whom delivered their babies during their stay in the precinct. One out of the two newborns was named Quang Nam after the province as a way to commemorate the bizarre story and pay tribute to the medical staff and officers at the facility. Coming out of isolation and heading back home, the expectant mothers were glowing with delight. En route to Da Nang International Airport was Vu Thi Theu, a woman at her 28th week of pregnancy. She had not set foot on her homeland for the last six years due to the hustle of married life in Taiwan. Now that I am about to visit my hometown and see my relatives, I cant be more grateful, Theu professed. Col. Nguyen Huu Nghia (left) from Quang Nam Provinces Military Command hands out all-clear certificates to residents at a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine facility in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, June 12, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre Theus sentiment was shared by many other pregnant women returning home from Taiwan. In regard to the upheaval created by COVID-19, a large proportion of the Vietnamese community in Taiwan has lost their jobs and struggled to keep up with the high cost of living. Their plans to take care of the unborn babies and expectant mothers, therefore, are heavily undermined. Their last resort of returning to Vietnam, once inhibited due to the pandemics spread, was opened up once again as Vietnamese authorities improvised repatriation flights for expatriates stranded in foreign countries and territories, including Taiwan. The repatriation is organized on a humanitarian basis as directed by the government, prioritizing working-class families in unfavorable conditions, said Nguyen Van Hai, director of Quang Nam Province Department of Health. Pregnant women carry their luggage out of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine facility in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam after completing their mandatory quarantine, June 12, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre Col. Nguyen Huu Nghia (right) from Quang Nam Provinces Military Command talks to pregnant women who have completed their mandatory novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine at a facility in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, June 12, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre Pregnant women wait for their turn to board a bus en route to the airport after completing their mandatory novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine at a facility in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, June 12, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre Students returning from Taiwan take we-fies before leaving a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine zone in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, June 12, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre Staff members at a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine zone in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam help pregnant women carry their luggage onto a bus after completing their mandatory quarantine, June 12, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre A medical worker disinfects buses used to transport residents at a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine zone in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam to the airport after they have completed their mandatory quarantine, June 12, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre Residents wave goodbye to staff members and officers at a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine zone in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam from a bus before heading to the airport after completing their mandatory quarantine, June 12, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! How Many Boko Haram Fighters Are Still In Borno After Buratai Has Killed Over 1400 Of Them In Two Months? Intersociety, Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria, 13th June 2020: If truly over 1400 Boko Haram terrorists including their commanders and arms suppliers have been killed in the past two months or since 11th April 2020; with about 1000 earlier killed between 1st and 9th of April 2020 by Chadian soldiers led by its President Idris Derby; 1400 repented or low risk Boko Haram combatants released in Feb 2020 and another batch of over 600 about to be set free or amnestied; our questions to Lt Gen Tukur Buratai led Nigerian Army are: how many Boko Haram fighters are remaining in the Northeast including Borno State? By the countrys military and secret police intelligence, how many Boko Haram fighters operate in Nigeria? How many are found in the neighboring Republics of Chad, Niger and Cameroon? How many have been killed in Nigeria since mid June 2015? How many have arrested and tried or being held? How many have been freed and released to civil society and how many have been enlisted into the Nigerian security forces? Are Boko Haram fighters now operating as conventional armed opposition group (i.e. with land army and defined location or territory, space and numerical strength) or as terrorist guerillas; or both? It is recalled that Nigerias Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, had on 11th April 2020 announced his relocation to Borno State (his State of birth) and vowed never to return to his Army Headquarters base in Abuja until Boko Haram and its fighters are flushed out or forced to surrender. The COAS relocation and vow followed the official announcement, backed with pictures and videos, by the Chadian Government of major onslaughts recorded against Boko Haram including killing of about 1000 Boko Haram fighters in operations conducted on the islands of Lake Chad in a vast area between Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon. The Chadian Government also announced the loss of over 52 of its soldiers and wounding of over 200 others. The Chadian Governments attack led by President Idris Derby and his son was in retaliation for Boko Harams attacks on its Bohoma military base in March 2020, killing over 92 of its soldiers. Since then, Nigerian and international media have been awash with unverified stories of Nigerian Military and its Armys killing spree against Boko Haram. It is hard for two-three days to pass by without Military or Armys produced stories of killing of dozens of Boko Haram fighters including their commanders and arms or logistics suppliers. Five days ago, the Army Chief, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai visited the Presidency and told same that over 1400 Boko Haram fighters have been killed in the Northeast (since his relocation). Back in Feb 2020, the same Nigerian Army announced the release of 1400 low risk Boko Haram combatants. The Nigeria Police Force, on its part, also announced the killing of 350 Bandits in Birnin Gwari and Giwa LGAs of Kaduna State, between Feb and April. The announcement was made on 29th April 2020. Yet, the reality remains that despite these killings numbering thousands under two three months with their attendant litany of loopholes and unanswered questions, more innocent and defenseless citizens have been killed or abducted since then. Just four days ago or on 9th June 2020, Boko Haram jihadists struck in the remote Village of Faduma Kolomdi in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State, killing 81 defenseless and innocent citizens. The attacks took place on Tuesday, 9th June 2020 and lasted for over six hours with no soldiers, police personnel and other military personnel including air force personnel and their fighters in sight. The most gory part of the story was how the villagers were gathered by the jihadists as if they were being conveyed for hours-long meeting or for religious sermon or crusade; only for the jihadists to open fire on them when done. Less than three days or 72 hours after the massacre, the Boko Haram jihadists released another shocking video and photo of the public execution of two members of the Nigerian security forces: a Christian soldier-named Lance Corporal Emmanuel Oscar and a Christian police officer-named Inspector Johanna James. They were believed to have been captured on 11th June 2020 along Monguno-Maiduguri Road in Borno State and executed on 12th June 2020; to mark the countrys central Government imposed Democracy Day. By the religious composition of the targeted and slain victims, the jihadists have sent two strong messages: one to Nigerian Christians reiterating their jihadist mission and the other to the central Government of Nigeria challenging and mocking same for issuing empty threats or being a toothless bulldog. It must be stated that the Nigerias counterinsurgency operations under the current central Government have remained a puzzle taking key or strategic international observers including counterinsurgency experts and modern violence theorists aback. They have remained a puzzle defying demystification; forcing the experts to ask several unanswered questions such as: is Government of Nigeria truly engaged in counterinsurgency operations or insurgency-support operations? Are there really counterinsurgency operations or conflict profiteering operations going on in the Northeast? Are there remarkable differences between the ousted Omar el-Bashirs Government in Sudan and its clandestinely affiliated Janjaweed Militia terrorism in Sudans Darfur region and the current central Government of Nigerias counterinsurgency operations in the Northeast and the operations of Boko Haram, ISWAP, Ansaru and Herdsmen jihadist terrorism in the country? Statistically speaking, the counterinsurgency operations in Nigeria are highly sketchy and shrouded in secrecy. The state owned and independently owned media reports of same are totally below the international best practices. This is to the extent that it is almost an act of impossibility for local independent media houses to seek to credibly investigate or verify Government official statements or reports regarding same. To continue to operate and stay safe, such media houses have no other option than to report or publish as written or given or directed. For instance, when the military or Government says: 150 Boko Haram fighters killed or vanquished or neutralized; the story is published as issued; with little or no right of independent verifications. Totality of these explains why despite official reports of vanquishing or neutralizing or killing and dislodging of over 1400 Boko Haram Fighters since 11thApril 2020, little or no results have been recorded or seen. Same thing applies to Northern/Zamfara Bandits including the killing of 350 Bandits in Kaduna by the Nigeria Police Force as reported on 29th April 2020. It also saddens our heart that despite relocation of most of the countrys military arsenals and counterinsurgency and banditry combatants in the Northeast and Northwest to counter terrorism and banditry, there is practically nothing to show for same. That Boko Haram terrorist group could have a field day in the broad day light of 9thJune 2020, operating from 8am in the morning to around 2pm or for six hours, unchallenged; is a clear indication that something is fundamentally not right with Nigerian defense and security policy and management. The country is so aerially short that a flight to any of its parts is completed within one hour and-a-half, yet all the country war helicopters and jet fighters especially those deployed in the regions of Northeast, Northwest and North-Central always go to permanent sleep whenever insurgents and jihadists strike. We have therefore identified insincerity or dishonesty, violent religiosity and dry quest for criminal enrichment through human misery or coffin entrepreneurship as the three monsters responsible for monumental failure of the countrys state actors handling of the security challenges. Nigeria may most likely not survive the three hydra headed monsters unless it reversed and retraced its chaotic and dangerous steps including total overhauling of its current security composition, leadership and policy. Intersociety therefore remains strongly opposed to killing outside the law of any Nigerian citizen or group of citizens through state actor and non state actor criminal and malicious processes. This is irrespective of such citizens locations, tribes, classes, genders, ages, educational levels and disability categories; and not minding whether they are Muslims or Christians. The 9th June 2020 killing of 81 innocent and defenseless citizens and public execution of two Christian security officers belonging to Nigerian Arm and Nigeria Police Force is hereby strongly, unreservedly and totally condemned. Signed: For: Intl Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair and Amaka Damaris Onuoha, Esq., Head of Campaign & PublicityContacts: Mobile/WhatsApp Line: +2348174090052, Email: [email protected], URL: intersociety-ng.org International services will reopen first to the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China) and several Southeast Asian countries where the outbreak has been brought under control. For the Republic of Korea, the carrier plans to operate daily flights between Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City and Incheon, four flights per week on the Hanoi-Busan route and three for the Ho Chi Minh City - Busan route. Services between Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong and Taiwan will have respective frequencies of three and four flights per week. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam Airlines plans to first resume flights to Laos and Cambodia. However, such plans are subject to government approval. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the coronavirus task force to announce safe regions for the gradual reopening of international flights and to issue specific quarantine guidelines for those entering Vietnam via these flights. Officials in the US states of California and Washington are reviewing Amazons business practices to determine whether the company is violating any laws with respect to the independent merchants who sell goods on its site, according to reports. The Wall Street Journal reported that California is examining the retail giant, focusing partly on how Amazon treats independent sellers on its platform. The New York Times reported that state investigators in Washington are reviewing Amazons handling of third-party sellers on its site. Amazon and the state attorneys general in California and Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The state inquiries come amid heightened US government scrutiny into big technology companies and their impact on competition and consumers. The US justice department and the federal trade commission are pursuing competition inquiries into Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple. In May, the US house judiciary committee asked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to testify about the companys competition practices. California has been asking Amazon about the companys private label products and whether it uses the data from third-party sellers to inform which products it sells, according to the Times report, which noted that the inquiries in California and Washington do not appear to be at an advanced stage. A Wall Street Journal report in April claimed Amazon used sensitive, confidential information about sellers on its marketplace, their products and transactions to develop its own competing products. The company has denied such a practice and said it has a policy against it. The situation created by Covid-19 is truly unparalleled, exceptional. However, we had ample time and opportunity to understand the magnitude of the problem, learn from the failures and successes of other countries and prepare adequately for the tsunami that would hit us. And the indications that one got from the government at the centre and the states were that we were well equipped to handle the situation. Yet, the ground reality today is frightening and the health infrastructure seems to have completely collapsed under the weight of the growing number of cases. So much so that consumers are forced, like beggars, to go from one hospital to another, desperately seeking medical help. And this is true in both Covid as well as non-Covid cases. And then they have to beg, borrow or steal to pay for the exorbitant payments demanded by the hospital -- if they happen to be privately run. A reader said he had a bad cold and some breathing problem and his employer admitted him to a small private hospital in Delhi, suspecting it to be Covid. The hospital however did not do any Covid test, just gave him a nebuliser and discharged him after two days, when his fever came down. His bill was Rs 2.16 lakhs. But price gouging is just one of the many problems that consumers are grappling with. The other is the treatment of the patient since no family member is allowed to be with the patient, the latter is completely at the mercy of the hospital and many patients have complained that let alone treating their ailment, they were not even given food or a glass of water during the day. There have also been complaints of missing patients, relatives not informed of the death of a family member, bodies being handed to the wrong family and worse, the most undignified manner in which some of the dead are being handled. Usually, a chart on the patients bed carries his or her name, medical history, treatment given. The nursing staff also maintain a register of the patient. However, given the load on the hospitals, shortage of beds and the work pressure on the medical and the non-medical staff, there is every possibility of a patient being shifted to a different ward or bed (or moved to the mortuary if he is dead) without the accompanying identification. So in an epidemic of this magnitude, common sense dictates that every patient be given an arm band or a neck band identifying the person and his or her contact details. This must be a standard protocol and adhered to as soon as a patient is admitted. That would ensure proper identification of the patient. Similarly, since most relatives are anxious about the welfare of their dear ones admitted to the hospital, there should be proper mobile charging and WiFi facilities in the hospital that will enable patients to keep in touch with their family through video calls. This will not only allay the anxieties of the families, but also considerably boost the morale of the patient. This will also help relatives keep a watch on whats happening and bring transparency in the hospital treatment .The hospital should therefore provide the facility to those patients who may not have a mobile phone that allows video calls. I am sure cell phone manufacturers would be only too happy to provide such phones free of cost to hospitals for the benefit of such patients. Doctors and nurses are putting their lives at risk to treat patients today and hats off to them. But hospitals in the private sector are not showing the same spirit and ruthlessly exploiting consumers, who are in a highly vulnerable position. Unless the central and the state governments come to their aid, fix reasonable prices for the treatment of Covid and other diseases and enforce it, many consumers will face abject poverty , not so much from the economic slowdown, but from paying hospital bills. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON There is no stopping Prince Charles from fulfilling his royal duties despite the risks of the coronavirus disease. Following his coronavirus scare last March, the heir to the throne and his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles, will be the first royals to emerge from the lockdown to carry out an official engagement next week. To recall, the Prince of Wales tested positive from COVID-19 after suffering from mild symptoms. Clarence House eventually announced that he "was in good health" seven days after recovering from the dreaded virus. Duchess Camilla, on the other hand, tested negative from coronavirus Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla Leaving Lockdown To Meet French President In the latest royal family news, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall -- who are currently self-isolating in their home in Scotland -- have set a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at Clarence House. "The President of the French Republic will visit London on Thursday 18th June 2020 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of General de Gaulle's 'Appel' to the French population to resist the German occupation of France during WWII," an official statement from the Clarence House read. Boris Johnson Joining Prince Charles In Welcoming President Macron Furthermore, the 71-year-old royal and his wife will welcome the world leader together with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to mark the 80th anniversary of General Charles de Gaulle's appeal for the French resistance during the Second World War. "On behalf of Her Majesty's Government, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will formally receive President Emmanuel Macron at Clarence House with a Guard of Honour found by Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards accompanied by the Band of the Coldstream Guards," the statement furthered. Meanwhile, Downing Street mentioned that the French President will be exempted from the U.K.'s quarantine restrictions since he is undertaking business. Moreover, as a representative, Macron is not required to undergo a two-week self-isolation. "As we set out in the guidelines when they were published, the French delegation will fall within the exempted category of representatives of a foreign country or territory traveling to undertake business in the UK," a spokesperson of PM Johnson mentioned. Although the royal couple is "pleased" to be welcoming President Macron in the U.K, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla will still be carrying out engagements remotely and will not return to regular public duties due to lockdown regulation. In more related royal family news, during the onset of COVID-19, Prince William and Kate Middleton have been staying in their Georgian country house in Anmer Hall in Norfolk, England with their three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and youngest son Prince Louis. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been at the forefront of the royal family in dealing with the coronavirus crisis through a series of virtual conferences with health workers and frontliners. Meanwhile, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is isolating alongside Prince Philip, who had just celebrated his 99th birthday in Windsor Castle. According to reports, the royal couple had a simple lunch together to mark the Duke of Edinburgh's remarkable milestone. When CARES Act funding for higher education was doled out, Connecticut officials held out hope that a provision barring undocumented students from getting the money would be reversed. On Thursday, those hopes were dashed when the U.S. Department of Education released a rule to ensure taxpayer-funded coronavirus relief money does not go to foreign nationals, non-citizens and students who may be enrolled in ineligible education programs. This rule simply ensures the continuity of that well-established policy, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said in a statement. As Ive said since the law passed, my first goal was to get these funds to eligible students in need as quickly as possible. Todays action helps erase any uncertainty some institutions have expressed and helps make sure we can support Americas students facing the greatest needs. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided $133.9 million to Connecticuts 63 colleges and universities. At least half was to be allocated to students for emergency cash grants related to campus operations because of the coronavirus. Nearly all campuses shut down in March and remained closed for the semester, leaving students learning remotely. At the time, Mark Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State College and University system, called the restriction unconscionable and wrote to DeVos in hopes the decision would be reversed. Without warning ... the Department of Education released guidance last week severely restricting which students are eligible to receive CARES Act payments, Ojakian said at the time. On Friday, Ojakian said at every turn throughout this pandemic, DeVos has gone out of her way to prevent the most vulnerable students - those who need it the most - from receiving the funding necessary to continue their studies. This latest rule will disproportionately harm low-income students and students of color, exacerbating structural societal inequities, Ojakian said. Already, the CSCU system has paid back $24.1 million in refunds between the four universities. Payments were based on the number of credits students were taking this spring. At the community colleges, about $1 million was turned back to students, with individual grants amounting to about $350. At the University of Connecticut, CARES funds were not set aside for undocumented students because of the U.S. Department of Education guidance issued in April. Instead, UConn utilized institutional funds to award emergency grants to eligible undocumented aid applicants in alignment with the same criteria and amounts used for distribution of actual CARES Act grants, said Michael Enright, a UConn spokesman. lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck New Delhi, June 13 : The government has restricted imports of tyres used for cars, buses, lorries and motorcycles, including radial and tubeless, in a move aimed at curbing imports and boosting domestic companies. In all the categories, imports have been restricted and will need permission. So, even after paying the customs duty, imports are not freely allowed from other countries. The rules were notified by an amendment in the import policy of pneumatic tyres by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Union Commerce Ministry. Any goods under the restricted category means an importer would require a licence or permission from the DGFT for imports. Given the procedures and permissions, these measures have the effect to dissuade imports. Before the new policy, imports of tyres were allowed without any restrictions. The government recently pitched for 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' pitch and coined the 'Go Vocal for Local' slogan in a bid to make India self-sufficient in the post Covid phase. Indian tyre manufacturers have been demanding restrictions on imports from China and other destinations. The restrictions are on imports of tyres used in station wagons, racing cars, scooters, multi-cellular polyurethane tubeless tyres, and bicycles. Imports of these tyres were worth $260.72 million in April-February 2019-20 as against $330.72 million in the same period in 2018-19. With demand slumping during the lockdown due to the Covid pandemic, domestic companies are seeking measures to boost manufacturing which will also enhance employment opportunities. PNC Stalwart, Atik Mohammed has rebuked former President John Dramani Mahama over his recent comments that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will reject the results of a flawed elections by the Electoral Commission (EC). The former President said this during the 28th anniversary of the NDC on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. EC To Rig Elections Before former President John Mahama's warning to the Electoral Commission, the NDC had challenged the Commisison's decision to compile a new voters' register and also kicked against the use of only Ghana card and passport for the impending mass registration exercise. The party believes the EC and the National Identification Authority (NIA) are conspiring to rig this year's elections in order to retain President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in office. The NDC leadership and members further accuse the EC of planning to disenfranchise many eligible Ghanaian voters. The NDC has therefore petitioned the Supreme Court seeking two reliefs with the first being that the EC's decision to compile a new voters' register is in violation of Article 45 of the 1992 constitution which reads that the EC can compile a new register only once and periodically revise it.While the second relief they are seeking the court to do is to determine whether or not the Commission's decision to exclude the existing voters' ID card is constitutional.A seven panel-member of the court, presided over by the Chief Justice, heard the NDC's case on Thursday, June 12, 2020 and directed the party to make a choice between the two reliefs explaining that, per the court rules, a party cannot seek a relief and also ask for another relief in the alternative.However, during the hearing of the case at the Supreme Court, the party dropped the case of whether or not the EC can compile a new voters' register and instead went for a declaration on whether or not the decision to exclude the voters' ID card as a form of identification in the exercise is constitutional.Delivering a speech at the NDC's 28th anniversary, Mr. Mahama served notice to the EC ahead of the December polls saying ''as leader of the NDC, I wish to serve notice that we shall do all our parts to ensure that our country remains peaceful and that the electoral process proceeds smoothly, but let nobody assume that we will accept the results of a flawed elections''.Addressing the issue on''Kokrokoo'', Atik Mohammed asked former President John Mahama to clarify his ambiguous statements, particularly now that his party has rejected their case against the compilation of a new voters' register by the Electoral Commission (EC).He told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that Mr. Mahama's warning to the EC is subject to different interpretations which, if care is not taken, will lead members and supporters of his party to misconduct themselves during the impending mass registration exercise and the December elections.''What constitutes a flawed election? In the context of this new registration, how will that contribute or how will that lead to a flawed election?''He needed to define for us what will constitute a flawed election. We all can be do our analysis on that basis but to just make a baseless comment while we're about to do the registration and so forth, and now that you have agreed that we should compile a new register; how does it that fit into your definition of flawed election?'' 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 Refugee rights protesters have hit the streets in Sydney for the second weekend in a row - with other Australian cities also seeing continued protests. Crowds could be seen in Sydney on Saturday holding placards bearing messages such as 'Free the Refugees' and 'Solidarity not Silence' as they marched through the streets. A separate protest held on Friday night in the CBD in support of the Black Lives Matter protest was dispersed by police officers. A protestor for refugee rights looks on at Sydney Town Hall on June 13, 2020 in Sydney, Australia Protesters participate in a Black Lives Matter rally at Langley Park in Perth, Saturday, June 13, 2020 The rallies in Sydney on Friday and Saturday were organised in support of Black Lives Matter and to also protest against the detention of refugees in Australia. The NSW Supreme Court on Thursday banned the protest following an application by NSW police citing significant COVID-19 health and safety concerns. Under the ruling to ban the protest, NSW police have the power to arrest and prosecute attendees for breaking a current COVID-19 health order which bans mass gatherings. Thousands of people across Australia attended Black Lives Matter protests on Saturday wearing masks and practising social distancing amid warnings from state leaders to call off the events on fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections. The rallies, dominated by a heavy police presence, were mostly peaceful. Protesters marched on the streets or gathered at public parks carrying posters that said 'No Justice, No Peace' and 'Sorry For The Inconvenience, We Are Trying To Change The World.' Perth saw the largest gathering of all major Australian cities on Saturday, despite pleas from the premier of Western Australia (WA) state, Mark McGowan, to cancel the event until the coronavirus pandemic was over. 'There have been people like my dad and Aunty Mingelly who have been pushing for change since they were my age - you know that was 50 years ago,' Jacinta Taylor, an organiser of the protest in Perth, told the rally. 'I don't want to be having to be 80 years old and pushing for this kind of change for my children and my children's children. An aboriginal dancer joins the protests in Perth which had one of the largest turnouts in the country In Sydney on Friday night, hundreds of police disrupted plans for an anti-racism rally. Police ringed Sydney Town Hall hours before around 3,000 people were expected to attend a rally with police vans were parked in side streets in preparation for mass arrests for breaching a 10-person limit on public gatherings because of the pandemic. Prime Minister Scott Morrison had previously urged police to charge protesters with breaching pandemic restrictions over the weekend. 'The very clear message is that people should not attend those events, because it is against the health advice to do so,' Mr Morrison said. Protesters participate in a 'Free The Refugees' rally at the Mantra Hotel in Melbourne, Saturday, June 13, 2020. Refugee advocates are spreading themselves across Melbourne to avoid hefty fines as they protest the indefinite detention of asylum seekers Anti-racism protests were triggered around the world following the death late last month of African American George Floyd after a Minneapolis police officer was filmed kneeling on the handcuffed Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. A Black Lives Matter protestor in Melbourne had tested positive for the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, this week, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned the mass gatherings were putting at risk the nation's recovery. WA Health Minister Roger Cook this week advised large gatherings were not advisable, although his wife, an indigenous woman, said she would join the rally. Cook said in a statement his wife was a private citizen and made her own personal choices. 'That's one of the many reasons why I love her,' he said. 'I have great sympathy for the cause of ensuring Aboriginal people and minorities are protected from racism.' Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images From ELLE Prince Harry shared his fear of the future for his young son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, in a new open letter to his patronage African Parks. In the letter, the Duke of Sussex detailed the importance of nature conservation in order to ensure the next generation inherits a healthy and habitable earth. "Since becoming a father, I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, a future that hasn't been taken from them, and a future full of possibility and opportunity," wrote Harry. Prince Harry is sharing the fears he has for his son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, as the world continues to navigate unprecedented times. In a new open letter written to one of his patronages, African Parks, the Duke of Sussex opens up regarding how maintaining and caring for the earth is essential for the next generation of youth who are set to inherit it. The letter was published as part of the organisation's annual report. "Since becoming a father, I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, a future that hasn't been taken from them, and a future full of possibility and opportunity," Harry expressed in the letter. "I want us all to be able to tell our children that yes, we saw this coming, and with the determination and help from an extraordinary group of committed individuals, we did what was needed to restore these essential ecosystems." Prince Harry has written a letter for @AfricanParks annual report on the worlds current extinction crisis and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, he says. Read in full pic.twitter.com/OjQpYxKCfy Omid Scobie (@scobie) June 11, 2020 Harry also wrote, "We are currently living through an extinction crisis and now a global pandemic that has shaken us to our core and brought the world to a standstill. On the extinction crisis the science is clear; we have perhaps a decade to course correct before we lock in our fate. On this pandemic, while much is still unknown, some evidence suggests that the virus' origins may be linked to our exploitation of nature. The gravity of these challenges is coming to light, but we must not be paralysed by them." Story continues The continent of Africa has remained dear to Harry and recent years. While he's made trips to the continent for volunteer and conservation work, he has also introduced his wife, Duchess Meghan, and their one-year-old son to the continent as well. Last fall, both Harry and Meghan brought Archie along on their royal tour of Africaincluding a stop in Botswana where the couple famously had one of their first dates as a couple. You Might Also Like A study led by the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) has found significant differences in disease risk perception and channels of information about Ebola virus disease (EVD) in rural areas and urban centres of Guinea, West Africa. Findings were established after researchers investigated residents' opinions of the wildlife potentially posing a risk for EVD transmission to humans, wildmeat consumption before and during the 2013-2016 EVD outbreak in Guinea, and the ways in which EVD transmission risks were communicated during the outbreak. The research led by Dr Tatyana Humle (DICE) alongside colleagues from Beijing Forestry University, China and other international institutions, found that rural people mainly received information about EVD through awareness-raising missions, especially in villages, as opposed to urban respondents who also gained their information through newspapers and radio. Bats, chimpanzees, monkeys, warthogs, crested porcupines, duikers and cane rats were perceived as potential transmitters of EVD, but only bats and chimpanzees were reportedly consumed less often during the epidemic period even though a wildmeat ban was in place. Reduced consumption of bats and chimpanzees and an increase in domestic meat consumption revealed influenced consumption behaviour based on perceived disease risk. Yet many respondents in rural areas still did not strongly believe that wildlife could act as vectors of EVD, underestimating the risk associated with handling, capturing, butchering, and transporting infected wild animal carcasses. Respondents who believed that EVD is not natural blamed developed countries for its spread. These individuals tended to maintain their wildmeat consumption habits and potentially mistrust information conveyed. The high cost and low availability of domestic meat were also cited as barriers to alternative meat protein consumption, especially in rural areas. Dr Humle said: 'Our research indicates that future public health and behavioural change campaigns must use carefully developed messaging in relation to the risks of zoonoses. There should also be a bigger focus on raising awareness of affordable and accessible alternative protein resources. This will be more beneficial to residents than imposing bans or restrictions. In regions such as West Africa, the relationship between socio-economic context, food security, and public health is so important and requires greater attention.' In the same way, those who sowed mayhem and chaos in cities across America only diverted attention away from legitimate protest, not to mention from Floyd himself, and have made it just about impossible to engage in productive discussions to ensure that what happened to Floyd never happens again. And now, for an encore, progressives are pushing to defund (dismantle in the case of Minneapolis) local police departments. This is what happens in a world of extremes. The advancing of agendas always supersedes the desire for reconciliation. Let me just pause here to ask an obvious question. How does fewer cops on the streets or redistributing law enforcement funding help anyone, including people of color? CNNs Alisyn Camerota asked Minneapolis City Council president Lisa Bender, who wants to dismantle the citys police department, what a citizen is supposed to do if someone is breaking into her house and theres no police force. For those of us for whom the system is working, I think we need to step back and imagine what it would feel like to already live in that reality where calling the police may mean more harm is done. Within this framework, the Head of State requested lawmakers to learn from history, as it demands the strengthening of health and education sectors , a work to be done by authorities as a whole, he noted. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-14 00:16:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said late Friday night that he was rescheduling his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma next week, after a strong outcry against its timing. "We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th - a big deal. Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday," Trump tweeted. "Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents," he continued. "I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honor their requests." The rally, previously scheduled for June 19, would fall on Juneteenth, a day that memorializes the end of slavery in the United States. Tulsa was home to one of the worst incidents of racial violence in the nation's history, where many African Americas were massacred 99 years ago. It would also come after nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd, an African American man who was killed by police during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota last month. "Tulsa was the site of the worst racist violence in American history. The president's speech there on Juneteenth is a message to every Black American: more of the same," Congresswoman Val Demings, a Democrat, tweeted. Trump has denied that the date of the rally was chosen on purpose. "Think about it as a celebration. They're always a celebration," Trump told Fox News on Friday. "In the history of politics, I think I can say there's never been any group or any person that's had rallies like I do." Trump has met with criticism for his response to the protests stemming from Floyd's death for largely avoiding engaging with protesters' demands for policing reform and solutions for racial inequality. Instead, he has focused on the need for "law and order" amid demonstrations, while administration officials have disputed that there is systemic racism in law enforcement or more broadly. Enditem The past three months has revealed incredible evidence of police violence against Indigenous peoples. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The past three months has revealed incredible evidence of police violence against Indigenous peoples. Three were shot and killed by Winnipeg police in 10 days: on April 8, there was 16-year-old Eishia Hudson; on April 9, Jason Collins; on April 18, Stewart Andrews. On June 1, an RCMP officer used a police truck to knock over what police later called "an extremely intoxicated" Inuk man in Kinngait, Nunavut. Once the staggering man was down, five RCMP officers surround him and several pile on even as he shows little sign of resistance and nearby community members beg them to stop. On June 4, during a "wellness check" by officers from the Edmundston Police Force in New Brunswick, a cop shot 26-year-old Chantel Moore, after she allegedly approached with a knife. Police officials admit non-lethal force "was not attempted;" Moores family dispute the police account. This week, a 12-minute dash-cam video surfaced from Fort McMurray, Alta., featuring Wood Buffalo RCMP aggressively arresting Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam in March over an expired licence plate. This is not the case of one "bad officer" this is a broken system that produces and protects bad officers. In the video, while Adam is confronting one officer over being stopped, another blindsides him (with what Adam called it a "WWE clothesline"), causing him to suffer head lacerations and reportedly go in and out of consciousness. Its clear throughout the video Adam does not provoke the attack, and resists only to protect himself. Still, RCMP charged Adam with one count of resisting arrest and assaulting a peace officer. A later RCMP review of the incident concluded the arresting officers' actions were reasonable, "and did not meet the threshold for an external investigation." Confronted with the video this week, Alberta RCMP deputy commissioner Curtis Zablocki told media there was no systemic racism in policing in Canada. Later, responding to backlash and calls for his resignation, Zablocki reversed this claim, stating "racist individuals" can be anywhere in society. On Thursday, local police abolitionist group Winnipeg Police Cause Harm released a short witness video, showing city officers surrounding, kicking and kneeing Flinn Dorian, an Indigenous man, during an arrest in the Exchange District. In the video, Dorian is clearly in distress. At a news conference Friday, Winnipeg police showed a much longer video to "give context" to officer actions. Police officials claim "the man appeared to be on methamphetamine," was damaging property, "brandished a handgun, terrifying pedestrians and resulting in multiple calls to 911," and had other weapons on him. (The gun was an airsoft replica.) Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth added he has "reached out to Indigenous leaders" to discuss the arrest but didnt say who. Thousands of people marched in Winnipeg on June 5 to protest police brutality. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files) Its clear police from coast to coast are resorting to an incredible and deadly amount of violence when it comes to dealing with Indigenous peoples. The one thing that ties all of these instances together are there are witnesses and video recordings. So, these are just the instances the public hears about. Theres more: talk to any Black, Indigenous or LGBTTQ* person. This is not the case of one "bad officer" this is a broken system that produces and protects bad officers. Its also the case of a society that demands too much of police. As emergency rooms are closed, libraries are cut off from the public, and money for social services is funnelled from poverty-stricken areas of the city all of which has happened under the current civic and provincial administrations police are left to deal with the outcome. During any one shift, an officer is expected to do multiple jobs, most of which they are completely incapable of fulfilling. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every weekday evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. One is being a social worker, helping people get out of unsafe situations or obtain necessities. Another is crisis worker, dealing with legacies with long histories and far-past reconciliation. Another is historian, understanding anyone who shows up wearing a badge in many communities are often not greeted as helpers but harmers. Police forces are creations of society. The past three months has proven defunding the police has to happen. Defunding the police, of course, doesnt mean no police. It means asking police to do the jobs they were meant to do: peace-keep, protect, and provide help to those who need it. It also means equipping them with the proper tools necessary to do that work. This is more than just the inclusion of officers of colour, but training, equipping, and supporting all police to be competent in the situations they enter. It means taking the racism out of the police. niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca THE FACTS: On Tuesday, the conservative news website Trending Right Wing published a story with a misleading headline: NPR Wants People to Burn Books Written By White People. National Public Radio wants everyone to burn every book they own written by white people, the June 9 story said. Anyone who reads John Grisham or Danielle Steel is a slave whipping plantation owner in disguise. A subheadline later in the piece read, Liberals want to burn it all. The piece, which accumulated more than 230,000 Facebook views in two days, refers to an NPR story published on June 6, titled Your Bookshelf May Be Part of the Problem. But the NPR story says nothing about book burning. Instead, it implores white people to examine their bookshelves and see if they are only reading authors that look like them. The story then suggests people expand their reading lists to include more diverse authors and viewpoints. Reading broadly and with intention is how we counter dehumanization and demand visibility, effectively bridging the gap between what we read and how we might live in a more just and equitable society, it reads. Dr. Ethan Weiss making his way to New York in late April to treat Covid-19 patients. Source: Dr. Ethan Weiss When Dr. Ethan Weiss arrived in New York in late April, he started his first shift almost immediately. Weiss is a cardiologist based in San Francisco, which has had relatively few hospitalizations related to Covid-19. He decided to help out with New York's massive Covid-19 outbreak because he felt helpless sitting at home. Weiss was just one of the doctors and nurses from University of California San Francisco's hospital system who risked their lives by flying out to Manhattan. New York City has now reported more than 20,000 deaths. Another group headed to the Navajo Nation, another hotspot, which has reported more than 6,000 cases of coronavirus. In total, about 40 doctors and nurses from UCSF across a variety of specialties flew out to Covid-19 hotspots, according to the chairman of medicine, Dr. Bob Wachter. It's now been about a month since Weiss got back to San Francisco. He's glad that he went, but calls it one of the most challenging experiences of his life. And he's vexed that so many people still aren't taking the public health guidelines seriously. "I'm in a dark place right now," he told me by phone in late May. "Everyone is impatient. A lot of people are feeling done with this pandemic. They don't understand this is how it is going to be for a while." Covid-19 is still a major part of the national conversation, but researchers have found growing evidence of a "pandemic fatigue." Many people are itching for life to resume as normal after months of sheltering in place. Moreover, many states are re-opening shuttered businesses, and President Trump has stated that he's planning to hold rallies, all which is sending a signal that the pandemic is under control. But as of June, Covid-19 is still spreading in the United States. Arizona, Texas and Utah, among other states, are reporting an increase in diagnosed cases and hospitalizations. Epidemiologists and public health experts remain worried. Now, these doctors are urging anybody who will listen to take the pandemic seriously and keep observing precautions. "There's no way to describe how awful this disease is until you see it," said Dr. Michelle Yu, a pulmonary and critical care doctor from UCSF, who worked at a hospital in the outer boroughs of New York City. "The nurses kept showing up every day, and they will keep showing up, but you could see the fatigue on their faces." "It was just horrible," added Weiss. Dr. Michelle Yu, in red in the front row, at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York on one of her last days treating Covid-19 patients. Source: Dr. Michelle Yu Otherwise healthy patients in their forties and fifties The San Francisco team noticed that the New York providers, who had been dealing with the situation for weeks, were seriously burnt out by the time they arrived. Some weren't trained to care for patients with severe viral illnesses, but were asked to step in nonetheless. Dr. Maya Kotas, a pulmonary and critical care doctor from UCSF, found herself working with nurses and physician assistants who were trained in specialties like neurology or neurosurgery. Many of these providers were learning on the fly. Dr. Yu said she gave lectures to the residents and nurses as frequently as she could. One of the most challenging aspects was the lack of clear clinical guidelines for treatments. Scientists still don't know a lot about the disease. "I've worked in a lot of settings," said Dr. Michael Peters, a pulmonary critical care doctor, was assigned to a hospital in Queens overwhelmed with Covid-19 cases. "These patients were very sick, and they had a disease that we didn't know how to take care of yet." All of the UCSF doctors said they saw patients in their forties and fifties, who didn't meet the "typical" profile for Covid-19 because they were otherwise healthy. In the Queens hospital, where Peters worked, many of the patients were Black or Hispanic. Data shows that the virus has hit racial and ethnic minorities worse, and studies are underway to better understand why. Kotas said she was thrown outside of her comfort zone almost immediately once she arrived to New York. She was stationed at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center alongside several colleagues, including Yu. "We are used to dedicated ICUs (intensive care units) with space and equipment," said Kotas. "And sliding glass doors to get patients in and out." But she and her team were constantly facing a shortage of necessary medications, supplies and personnel in their converted ICU, and the patients were extremely isolated to preserve resources. "They were alone in their sickness...they didn't have families see them, and our contact was limited to preserve personal protective equipment," she explained. "Sometimes we would call to say that a patient had died, and they hadn't even seen them in three weeks." Dr. Maya Kotas volunteering at the New York Presbyterian Hospital during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Source: Beth Higgins Weiss said sometimes he would just sit in patients' rooms for a while just to keep them company, even though they weren't responsive. Dr. Yu recalled having to Facetime family members to provide updates via the one functional iPad that was being passed around across three ICUs (that's one iPad for every 36 critically ill patients). She sometimes had to inform them that the patient had died. Many of the Covid-19 patients who were on ventilator but survived seemed very frail to the doctors. "People were so weak that they came off a ventilator and three weeks later, they still couldn't wiggle their toes," said Kotas. All of the doctors were aware of the risks to their own health, but took their chances. Yu insisted on doing procedures on her own, such as removing breathing tubes from patients, to reduce the risk that anyone else would be exposed to the virus if it aerosolized. Fortunately, she and the other doctors tested negative after they returned to California and were able to resume treating patients at home. 'I hope we have the stamina' The New York Times on Friday published an op-ed calling for the complete abolition of police forces just one week after Sen. Tom Cotton's 'Send the Troops' piece caused a staff revolt and claimed a senior editor's resignation. In a new op-ed titled 'Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police,' author Mariame Kaba, an anti-criminalization organizer and director of Project NIA, attempted to clarify what 'defund the police' actually means. 'We dont want to just close police departments. We want to make them obsolete,' wrote Kaba. The New York Times on Friday published an op-ed titled 'Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police' that called for the elimination of police forces Calls for police reform surged after the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died in police custody on Memorial Day in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protests against police brutality and systematic racism have sparked a push to defund, disband, and in some cases, dismantle police forces. Mariame Kaba (pictured) is an anti-criminalization organizer who has fought to dismantle the American prison industrial complex Kaba argued that police departments cannot simply be reformed, but must be downsized to avoid continued instances of excessive force against African-Americans and other groups. 'Congressional Democrats want to make it easier to identify and prosecute police misconduct; Joe Biden wants to give police departments $300million,' wrote Kaba. 'But efforts to solve police violence through liberal reforms like these have failed for nearly a century. Enough. We cant reform the police. 'The only way to diminish police violence is to reduce contact between the public and the police. This stance comes at direct odds with an op-ed piece published by Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, who implored President Trump to use 'overwhelming show of force' to disband protests. Cotton was also criticized for suggesting the use of the Insurrection Act of 1807, which allows the sitting president to deploy military troops against Americans to reinforce normal law and order. Last Wednesday, Arkansas Sen, Tom Cotton (pictured) released a controversial op-ed in the New York Times that called on President Trump to used militarized force against protesters Kaba continued that there was 'not a single era' where police were not a 'force of violence against black people'. She cited slave patrols of the South in the 1700 and 1800s as past policing, and the quelling of labor rights against the rich in the mid-1800s in the North. 'So when you see a police officer pressing his knee into a black mans neck until he dies, thats the logical result of policing in America,' 'When a police officer brutalizes a black person, he is doing what he sees as his job.' Cell phone footage showed George Floyd pleading 'I can't breathe' while white officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes before becoming unresponsive. Floyd later died at a local hospital. Chauvin was charged with his murder four days later after calls to action. Over the past three weeks, thousands flooded American streets for Black Lives Matter protests against systematic racism and police brutality. Kaba then asserted that police officers, more often than not, are dealing with lower level crimes than the serious felonies that have characterized their jobs and reputation. She also pushed back against the 'big myth' of a police officer's role to 'catch the bad guys' by citing Alex Vitale, the coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College. 'The first thing to point out is that police officers dont do what you think they do,' wrote Kaba. George Floyd (pictured) died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Memorial Day after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes Kaba: 'We cant simply change their job descriptions to focus on the worst of the worst criminals. Thats not what they are set up to do' Police forces across the United States have faced increasing criticism for using excessive force against peaceful protesters 'They spend most of their time responding to noise complaints, issuing parking and traffic citations, and dealing with other noncriminal issues. Weve been taught to think they catch the bad guys; they chase the bank robbers; they find the serial killers. 'The vast majority of police officers make one felony arrest a year. If they make two, theyre cop of the month.' 'We cant simply change their job descriptions to focus on the worst of the worst criminals. Thats not what they are set up to do.' The idea of downsizing police departments has gained support in cities like Minneapolis, Dallas and Los Angeles. In fact, the Minneapolis City Council voted to fully abolish its police force and replace it with community-led public safety system. Kaba added: 'A safe world is not one in which the police keep black and other marginalized people in check through threats of arrest, incarceration, violence and death.' She then called for police staffing budgets to be sliced in half because 'fewer police officers equals fewer opportunities for them to brutalize and kill people.' 'We should redirect the billions that now go to police departments toward providing health care, housing, education and good jobs. If we did this, there would be less need for the police in the first place.' Pictured: Unarmed Washington National Guard soldiers stand guard outside a previously closed Macy's department store as a protest begins nearby Monday Pictured: Protesters rally on Tuesday in Mesa, Arizona, demanding police reform amid protests against police brutality Pictured: LAPD Commander Cory Palka discusses with a protester holding a banner reading 'Defund and Disarm the police' in front of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's She suggested community care workers can administer mental health checks for people who need help as an alternative solution. Kaba claimed that police 'break rules all the time,' citing Derek Chauvin's record of 17 complaints while with the department. 'Why on earth would we think the same reforms would work now? We need to change our demands. The surest way of reducing police violence is to reduce the power of the police, by cutting budgets and the number of officers,' she wrote. 'But dont get me wrong. We are not abandoning our communities to violence. We dont want to just close police departments. We want to make them obsolete.' The idea of abolishing of police departments, according to Kaba, sounds radical to those who've been desensitized to the brutality inflicted on minorities. 'When people, especially white people, consider a world without the police, they envision a society as violent as our current one, merely without law enforcement and they shudder. 'As a society, we have been so indoctrinated with the idea that we solve problems by policing and caging people that many cannot imagine anything other than prisons and the police as solutions to violence and harm.' She added: 'When the streets calm and people suggest once again that we hire more black police officers or create more civilian review boards, I hope that we remember all the times those efforts have failed.' Kaba's op-ed piece struck a chord with a number of social media users who lauded the piece for its clear cut call-out of the police institution. The new NYT op-ed has been praised by some for calling to abolish police departments, which have come under increasing criticism Actor James Woods, who's voiced support for conservative policies, pushed back on the NYT's op-ed piece on Twitter Reporter Chuck Ross: 'The NYT op-ed would put far more people in danger then Tom Cotton's NYT op-ed' But some conservatives blasted the op-ed in a continued pushback against defunding or otherwise disbanding police forces. Actor James Woods wrote, 'They don't even bother to pretend anymore,' in a jab against Democrats, despite a number of party members objecting to calls to disband police departments. Chuck Ross, a reporter for the Daily Caller, claimed Kaba's op-ed would 'put far more people in danger then Tom Cotton's NYT op-ed.' Cotton's controversial op-ed angered a large swath of the public for suggesting militarized forces be turned against the very people they're assigned to protect. There was also backlash over suggesting that Trump use the Insurrection Act, despite backlash that his response to protests was too heavy-handed and relied far too much on military aid. 'Throughout our history, presidents have exercised this authority on dozens of occasions to protect law-abiding citizens from disorder,' Cotton claimed. 'Nor does it violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which constrains the militarys role in law enforcement but expressly excepts statutes such as the Insurrection Act.' He called for an 'overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers.' Several staffers at the New York Times blasted their employer for running a 'fascist' op-ed that stood at odds with the beliefs of minority workers. Op-ed contributor and author Roxane Gay declared that the op-ed put black staff at the New York Times in danger. Op-ed contributor and author Roxane Gay declared that the op-ed put black staff at the New York Times in danger. Gay continued: 'As a NYT writer I absolutely stand in opposition to that Tom Cotton editorial. We are well served by robust and ideologically diverse public discourse that includes radical, liberal, and conservative voices. 'This is not that. His piece was inflammatory and endorsing military occupation as if the constitution doesnt exist.' James Poniewozik, chief TV critic at the New York Times, agreed and called it an 'injury to the newspaper and the colleagues who make me proud every day. The publication then ran a rebuttal piece by columnist Michelle Goldberg titled 'Tom Cottons Fascist Op-Ed,' which the senator lambasted on social media. The Republican senator from Arkansas took to his op-ed on Wednesday to call for the 'overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers' 'I'd like to report an editorial that violates your new policy against publishing editorials that are "contemptuous in tone"' Cotton said in a tweet, referring to a leaked remark from Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger that Cotton's piece 'should not have been published.' In an essay on Thursday, Times Opinion Editor James Bennet defended his decision to run Cotton's op-ed. 'Cotton and others in power are advocating the use of the military, and I believe the public would be better equipped to push back if it heard the argument and had the chance to respond to the reasoning,' Bennet wrote. 'Readers who might be inclined to oppose Cottons position need to be fully aware of it, and reckon with it, if they hope to defeat it.' Bennet later resigned after continued backlash. James Bennet (pictured) resigned and his deputy, James Dao, is being reassigned at the newspaper, the Times said Sunday While the overall topic on abolishing police is hotly contested, some political leaders have already made strides to address the issue. In Minneapolis, the City Council on Friday unanimously passed a resolution to completely abolish their police force after they determined it was 'beyond reform.' According to the resolution, the city council will now begin a year-long process of engaging 'with every willing community member in Minneapolis' to come up with a new public safety model. It added that the process would center on 'the voices of Black people, American Indian people, people of color, immigrants, victims of harm, and other stakeholders who have been historically marginalized or under-served by our present system'. 'Together, we will identify what safety looks like for everyone,' the resolution said. The council also commissioned a new work group named the Future of Community Safety Work Group to deliver recommendations by July 24 on how to engage with community stakeholders to transform the public safety system. It will be made up of staff from the Office of Violence Prevention, the Department of Civil Rights, and the City Coordinator's Office, in coordination with the 911 Working Group, the Division of Race and Equity, Neighborhood and Community Relations and other relevant departments. Mayor Jacob Frey was previously booed out of a Black Lives Matter protest for refusing to abolish the police department. The crowd chanted 'Go home, Jacob' and 'Shame, shame, shame' as he walked through the crowd of dozens of demonstrators. Pictured: NYPD officers arrest protesters during a demonstration against the killing of George Floyd Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that he will seek up to $150million in cuts to be diverted from the police budget. The money will instead go to African-American community health and education in the area. The LAPD, which currently has 9,985 officers, has a budget of $1.8billion. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City revealed on Monday that he would cut part of the New York Police Department's $6billion budget amid officer investigations. The money will be redistributed to youth programs and social services within minority communities. 'We will be moving funding from the NYPD to youth initiatives and social services. I want people to understand we are committed to shifting resources to ensure the focus is on our young people.,' said de Blasio, 59, during a press briefing. 'And I also will affirm that when doing that, we will only do it in a way that we are certain will ensure the city will be safe.' New Delhi, June 13 : Yoga guru Ramdev-run Patanjali Ayurved has claimed that it has discovered substantial cure for coronavirus with 80 per cent success rate as per reports. CEO of Patanjali Ayurved Acharya Balkrishna said the company will share the results of clinical trial soon, and that the patients treated by the said medicine have tested negative. The company is conducting clinical trials as per government regulations. The Health Ministry on Saturday stated that during the last 24 hours, a total of 7,135 COVID-19 patients have been cured. Thus, so far, a total of 1,54,329 patients have been cured of COVID-19. The recovery rate is 49.95 per cent among COVID-19 patients. At present, there are 1,45,779 active cases in the country and all are under active medical supervision. Isolation facility not mandatory for flyers testing positive on arrival from at-risk countries: Check guidelin 33 people test Covid-19 positive at SAI Bengaluru, 16 of them hockey players Development trajectory: PM to interact with DMs of various districts today COVID-19 positive woman gives birth in Karnataka India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Mangaluru, June 13: A pregnant woman who returned from Maharashtra and tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, gave birth to a child at the Wenlock COVID-19 hospital here. After she experienced labour pain, a team of expert doctors performed the delivery through the caesarean section on Thursday. Both the woman and the new born are safe, hospital sources said. Coronavirus: Chhattisgarh gets first quarantine centre for pregnant women Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News The woman, who belongs to Kinnigoli in Dakshina Kannada district, had arrived in the city on Monday. She was in an advanced stage of pregnancy and was taken to another hospital the next day after she complained of weakness. As she came from Maharashtra, she was shifted to a separate ward at the Wenlock hospital and quarantined. Her throat swab samples tested positive on Wednesday. A COVID-19 test will be done on the baby after a few days, district health officer Ramachandra Bairy said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 13, 2020, 10:27 [IST] The province announced Friday it will spend an additional $2.1 million on trauma services for newcomers and refugees with post-traumatic stress disorder. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The province announced Friday it will spend an additional $2.1 million on trauma services for newcomers and refugees with post-traumatic stress disorder. The money will go towards creating a trauma team of approximately eight staff for immigrants. Shared Health, the Aurora Family Therapy Centre, Family Dynamics and Immigration Partnership Winnipeg will provide services. There will also be staff from Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. The money will be spent over three years. The services are meant to fulfil a recommendation in the VIRGO report, a document released in 2018 with insights on improving newcomers' mental health, a provincial spokesperson said. "Before they put this thing together, the government needs to train (mental health staff) how the situations are in the camp," said Rebecca Riak, a Canadian citizen who immigrated to Manitoba in 2013. Riak, 28, said the investment is a good idea, but only if staff understand where the immigrants they're working with are coming from. "When I'm saying my story, some people will really melt, but do they know what they're getting into?" Riak said. "Do they know how the situation was like in the camp?" Riak watched rebels kill her father, uncle and grandmother when she was a child in South Sudan. She fled with family members to Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. In 2013, Riak received a World University Service of Canada scholarship to go to the University of Winnipeg. She got food and clothes upon arrival in Manitoba, but she didn't receive -- or look for -- mental health support. She was too busy settling into the new country. "You just find yourself crying for no reason," Riak said. "For me to accept that I had mental health (illness), it's something I had to read a lot about online." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. She took hours to fall asleep. She was anxious all the time. It felt like there was "no light in your mind," she said. "Somebody's bewitching you somewhere, that's how we put it in Africa." In 2018, Riak was diagnosed with trauma, anxiety and depression. She ran an event at the U of W to raise awareness for more mental health support for refugees. "There are some people out there who are hiding it like me," Riak said. Over the past eight months, the province has said they'll spend $33.7 million on 19 initiatives for mental health and addictions services. gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca A software engineer turned firebrand socialist has been named as the leader of a movement which has pushed police out of six-block area of central Seattle, known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). Indian-born Kshama Sawant, 46, who now serves on the Seattle City Council, is encouraging activists in the CHAZ 'to hold out on giving back the precinct to cops or allowing officers inside the barricaded region', according to Fox News. The CHAZ was established on June 8, after protesters took over Capitol Hill's East Precinct building, sending members of the Seattle Police Department fleeing. Sawant tweeted Friday: 'Our movement needs to urgently ensure East Precinct is not handed back to police, but is turned over permanently into community control. My office is bringing legislation to convert East Precinct into a community center for restorative justice.' She further stated: 'The movement has been undaunted in the face of horrific violence from Mayor Durkan's police. Congratulations, solidarity!' Kshama Sawant, 46, who now serves on the Seattle City Council, is encouraging activists in the CHAZ 'to hold out on giving back the precinct to cops or allowing officers inside the barricaded region. She is pictured in the zone on June 8, when protesters took over Capitol Hill's East Precinct building, sending members of the Seattle Police Department fleeing Seattle Police Officers are blocked by protesters from entering the newly created CHAZ on Thursday. Sawant has urged activists not to yield to law enforcement Sawant led a protest to City Hall on Tuesday where she reportedly unlocked the building and let 300 people stage an hours-long takeover of the building. Armed protesters are pictured during the march These six blocks in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood are now police free after cops fled the precinct following a takeover by protesters On Tuesday, Sawant used her position as a councilwoman to lead hundreds of protesters into City Hall, where she reportedly unlocked the building and let 300 people stage an hours-long takeover of the building. The group called upon Mayor Durkan to resign. Sawant is known for her militant and uncomprising style of politics, prompting one Seattle Times columnist to liken her to the Queen in Alice in Wonderland. 'She had has one answer to every question, and it is always some form of 'off with their heads'', the writer stated. In 2013, Sawant became the first socialist to be elected to the Seattle City Council. She describes herself as an 'an activist who brings a passion for social justice to her work as a public servant'. Sawant is known for her militant and uncomprising style of politics, prompting one Seattle Times columnist to liken her to the Queen in Alice in Wonderland According to her official government biography, Sawant was born in Mumbai, India but relocated to the United States in the early 2000s after working as software engineer. 'Upon arriving in the US, the richest country in the world, Sawant was surprised and radicalized by the inequality and poverty that exists here,' the biography reads. She pursued a PhD at North Carolina State University before relocating to Seattle. Sawant joined the Socialist Alternative in 2006 and became a councilwoman in 2013. She recently endorsed Bernie Sanders for President. The ex-software engineer also made headlines by vowing to give up a majority of her six-figure salary. She has boasted of only taking around $40,000 of her pay and 'donating the rest to building social justice movements.' Sawant joined the Socialist Alternative in 2006 and became a councilwoman in 2013 However, Sawant has not escaped criticism. Her reported marriage to a high-powered Microsoft engineer, Vivek Sawant, raised eyebrows given she railed against the gentrification of Seattle. The pair divorced in 2014. According to MyNorthwest, Sawant 'lives in a house that is worth between $800,000 and $900,000 and has over a half-million in equity' in the property. DailyMail.com has contacted Sawant's office for comment. Sawant has not escaped criticism. According to MyNorthwest, she was married to a Microsoft engineer and lives in an expensive Seattle home Sawant is seen on stage at a rally for Bernie Sanders. The self-described socialist endorsed the Vermont Senator for President The CHAZ has captured national attention, and split reaction across the country. Over the last few days, people inside the zone have likened the six-block zone to peaceful street party where the protesters dine on vegan pizza, watch civil rights documentaries and listen to seminars and musical performances. However, photos of armed guards and checkpoints startled outsiders and drove President Trump to declare the area full of 'domestic terrorists' and 'ugly anarchists'. 'These Liberal Dems don't have a clue. The terrorists burn and pillage our cities, and they think it is just wonderful, even the death. Must end this Seattle takeover now!' he demanded on Twitter. President Trump has declared the area full of 'domestic terrorists' and 'ugly anarchists' People walk past barricades inside the CHAZ on Friday A protester uses a scope on top of a barricade to look for police approaching the newly created CHAZ on Thursday Meanwhile, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best disavowed the decision to abandon the East Precinct. Best posted a video message to officers Thursday in which she said the decision to leave the Capitol Hill precinct wasn't hers and she was angry about it. She also reiterated that police had been harassed and assaulted during protests. 'Ultimately, the city had other plans for the building and relented to severe public pressure,' Best said. At a Thursday news conference neither Police Chief Best nor Mayor Durkan made it clear who decided that police should leave the precinct. Best said at the press conference that police response times to priority calls of violent crimes in progress had tripled this week. Police sources say that responses to low-priority calls have been suspended. 'If that is your mother, your sister, your cousin, your neighbor's kid that is being raped, robbed assaulted (or) otherwise victimized you're not going to want to have to report that it took the police three times longer to get there to provide services to them,' Best said. Durkan said regarding Trump's statements about Seattle that one of the things the president will never understand is that listening to community is not a weakness, but a strength. 'A real leader would see nationwide protest, the grief in so many communities of color, particularly our black communities, and the call to be an anti-racist society, as an opportunity for America. An opportunity to build a better nation,' she said. Protesters have said they want to see the precinct turned into a community center or used for purposes other than law enforcement. Trump blasted Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (left) and Washington Governor Jay Inslee (right), both Democrats, for allowing protesters to set up an 'autonomous zone' where police officers are banned Sawant disputed accounts of violence or intimidation by protesters within the area on Capitol Hill and said it was more like a street fair with political discussions and a drum circle. 'The right wing has been spreading rumors that there is some sort of lawlessness and crime taking place at the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, but it is exactly the opposite of that,' said Sawant, a socialist and a critic of Durkan and the police. Sawant said she wants the precinct to be 'converted into a public resource that will actually be helpful to society.' For quite some time, screengrabs of the final scene of Chris Evans starter Captain America: The First Avenger is going viral. Theorists claim that the movie predicted coronavirus in 2011. Wonder why? Because eagle-eyed fans spotted some billboards in the backdrop which seemingly hint at the virus spread. The screengrabs are of the closing scene of the film when Steve Rogers, wakes up in modern day New York City and goes to citys famous Times Square. Among many flashing billboards in the backdrop, the viewer gets a glimpse Corona beer on one side of the superhero and a round object that looks like a virus strain on another side. Some fans also noticed a billboard that reads By George, we did it! and immediately took it as a reference to the protests in support of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. A user tweeted, "Captain America movie threw another subliminal message. Not only are there pictures of Corona beer and the Corona virus on the billboards but if you zoom in, you will also find a billboard written, "By George, we did it" situated close to the Corona billboards." Captain America movie threw another subliminal message. Not only are there pictures of Corona beer and the Corona virus on the billboards but if you zoom in, you will also find a billboard written, "By George, we did it" situated close to the Corona billboards. LMAO. pic.twitter.com/Vhm86wkPh1 BongZ DA KinG (@Bongani803) June 5, 2020 OMG ITS NOT FAKE. Captain America. On right, coronavirus, on left a corona beer and a sign that says BY GEORGE WE DID IT. Captain America The First Avenger from 2011! wrote a user on Twitter. Well its official: Captain America: The First Avenger predicted the coronavirus, tweeted another. OMG ITS NOT FAKE. Captain America. On right, coronavirus, on left a corona beer and a sign that says BY GEORGE WE DID IT. Captain America The First Avenger from 2011! @THErealDVORAK pic.twitter.com/J4YjgSOlal Paul TE OOK GY (@PaulTheBookGuy) June 10, 2020 I'm actually scared about this Captain America thing, what the actual fuck??? a Corona beara doctor a virusand a billboard saying a thing about "George" I MEAN, WHAT???? someone please explain?!?!?!?!?!?!? pic.twitter.com/vTNYsFtozX my own pop predictions (@mypopprediction) June 10, 2020 Here's the clip from Captain America in which a bottle of Corona beer, a coronavirus and a billboard that reads "By George, we did it" can clearly be seen over the "hero's" shoulders. https://t.co/XJi8XQadDa Chris_E_Burton (@Chris_E_Burton) June 5, 2020 However, it just turns out to be a coincidence. After some deep digging, users actually managed to find the real billboard. Turns out, its not a virus, its spaghetti. And the billboard actually features an advertisement for Barilla pasta. It looks so familiar. What is it? I began to investigate. pic.twitter.com/WRmtlaeDkK William Mullally (@whmullally) June 11, 2020 I enlisted my friend Wes for help, who found a clearer screenshot and zoomed in and it felt even more familiar but we couldnt quite place it. pic.twitter.com/Qe2Cx5G3q8 William Mullally (@whmullally) June 11, 2020 I looked up every movie and broadway show released from April through the summer. Nothing. pic.twitter.com/vBST41Xm6w William Mullally (@whmullally) June 11, 2020 Finally, Wes found this pic.twitter.com/5CGRWAb56t William Mullally (@whmullally) June 11, 2020 We recognized the logo and the color scheme. We cracked the case. pic.twitter.com/VeOKPdxZNE William Mullally (@whmullally) June 11, 2020 Well, Cap might not have predicted the pandemic in 2011 but he's doing his bit to raise awareness about it among his fans. The actor joined joined Instagram to raise money for Covid-19 relief. Follow @News18Movies for more Cuyahoga County saw a potential record number of overdose deaths in May. At least 66 people died of overdose of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, or some combination of the three, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office. That figure is one shy of the record 67 overdose deaths set in February 2017. With six suspected overdose cases pending, the May total will likely increase, the medical examiners office stated. This is sad and disappointing news. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, deaths by overdose continue to be a public health emergency, medical examiner Dr. Thomas P. Gilson said in a statement. Our county leadership encourages everyone to seek help with substance abuse issues. People can recover. Among those who died of heroin or fentanyl-related overdoses in May were two Euclid residents, a Painesville resident and a Willoughby resident, according to data from the medical examiners office. The ages of those who died in May range from 19 to 70 years. The medical examiners office is projecting the county will see its highest number of overdose deaths since 2017 and its third-highest total ever. The 2020 year-end projection is now 628 deaths, based on data through June 11. Thats up from a projection of 593 deaths by years end based on projections through May 11 (that figure would still be the third-highest total in the countys history). Medical examiners office officials are also projecting the county will see a record number of cocaine-related deaths this year. Cocaine is projected to account for 392 overdose deaths, based on data through June 11. The county saw a record-high 300 cocaine-related overdose deaths in 2017. That year the county saw a record 727 total overdose deaths. Cocaine-related overdose deaths have become an increasing concern for the medical examiners office over the past half decade. Cocaine-related deaths in the county more than doubled in 2016, jumping from 115 to 260. Between 2010 and 2015, Cuyahoga County averaged about 111 cocaine-related overdose deaths per year. From 2016-2019, the county averaged about 262 cocaine-related overdose deaths. The deaths often involve some combination of heroin, fentanyl or a fentanyl analog such as carfentanil. Gilson said in May that an increase in overdose deaths may be tied to challenges arising from the novel coronavirus pandemic. Gilson issued a public health alert May 19 after the county saw nine suspected drug overdose deaths in a 48-hour period. That figure is measurably higher than what we have been seeing for the first four months of 2020, he said. The interruption of drug use due to COVID-19 may mean users tolerance has dropped and therefore they are at higher risk of overdose and fatality, he said. Additionally, any disruption of the illicit drug supply due to COVID-19 may mean that users are subject to a wide variety of other dangerous substances being substituted without their knowledge. Free fentanyl test strips are available at four locations in Cleveland. They are used to determine if the opioid is present in a substance. Those locations are: Circle Health Services (12201 Euclid Ave.) and the Care Alliance Clinics at 1530 St. Clair Ave. and 2916 Central Ave., and the MetroHealth Mobile Unit at 3370 W. 25th St. Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board officials previously told The News-Herald they were not aware of any places in Lake County that distribute fentanyl test strips. The Lake County ADAMHS Board 24-hour crisis hotline is available at 440-953-8255. The Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting 4HOPE to 741 741. Other available options can be explored with the Lake County ADAMHS Boards Compass Line at 440-350-2000 or 440-918-2000. The Compass Line hours are weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. New legislative efforts A bipartisan group of Ohio House lawmakers June 10 unveiled new legislation they say addresses the states opioid epidemic. Reps. Jeff Crossman, D-Parma; Adam Holmes, R-Nashport; and Jim Butler, R-Oakwood stated in a news release their legislation is a five initiative, comprehensive effort to combat Ohios ongoing opioid epidemic. The lawmakers said their five bills together would: Establish more accessible and effective treatments for addiction Fund construction of new addiction treatment facilities and juvenile addiction treatment facilities with Department of Rehabilitation and Correction oversight Create the Re-entry Ohio Program, which would be a transition path for those leaving prison Increase penalties for drug trafficking violations and modify penalties for drug possession violations Create restitution work programs that allow courts to release on probation work details those offenders who are eligible and apply to the program Work to end prescription drug abuse through directing the Department of Mental Health to negotiate with Vivitrol manufacturers for a contract for unlimited supply While we as a state have addressed some of the issues related to addiction, treatment and offenders that help foster the problem, there remains much more work to do, Crossman said in a statement. Holmes said in a statement the challenges and hardships endured by those struggling with addiction impact everyone. We want strong, healthy communities and bright futures full of opportunity for our family, friends and neighbors, he said. Gienabou Diallo, 25, is Muslim and is a logistics specialist in the U.S. Army Reserves. She also is community outreach coordinator for South End political candidate Sam Fein. A University at Albany graduate, she has a master's in Africana studies and is studying the law. This interview is part of a series of profiles of protesters featured on Times Union's Faith and Values page. When I went to South Carolina for basic training, the drill sergeants did not want me to wear my hijab and I had to fight for my rights as a Muslim American. While I was there, I realized many white Americans there had no idea that Islam is a religion. Many of them it was some sort of political ideology, maybe anti-American. There are a lot of people in New York who dont encounter a female Muslim at work or socially and dont know a lot about Islam as a faith. My mom grew up Muslim but she never wanted me to feel indoctrinated, as she had when she was a girl. She sent me to Catholic school although we believed in Allah. I questioned her about the hijab because I love my hair. The fact is, I wear the hijab because I want to. And I felt it was important to challenge preconceptions about Muslims and black women when I chose to serve in the Army. Question: How did you choose Islam? In Malcolm Xs autobiography, he writes about how he fell to his knees and threw himself on the mercy of Allah in complete humility, realizing that his faith gave him a higher purpose in the fight against racism and for social justice. Thats how exactly how I feel. When I see protests over George Floyd, my faith makes me feel stronger in the fight for social justice. RELATED: Voices of protest: Legacy Casanova, 24, Schenectady Voices of protest: Gienabou Diallo, 25, Albany Voices of protest: Samantha Ivey, 18 Im taking law school courses as I work on my Masters degree so I work with the Armys Judge Advocate Generals Corps, where my goal is to help people with legal problems. I went into the Army to protect Americans and help them in disasters. Question: How did Islam shape your response to George Floyds death? Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. I swore a sacred oath to protect Americans. So, when President Donald Trump wanted to use the military against peaceful protests by our citizens, that was deeply troubling to me. It is against my oath as a soldier. It is against my religious beliefs. Once before, when I was wondering about my work, I went to a chaplain I was close to and asked, why am I working for an organization in the business of war? His answer was that war has existed in all times and I was learning to fight in self-defense, for what was right. My faith has taught me to be strong for these hard, unpredictable times. I need Allah the way we all need the sun or air to breathe. The Quran teaches us that social justice is won through unity. Heres what Id say to people of all faiths who want to be good allies: We serve the same God. We can win the fight for justice together. Terming the newly passed Napalese constitutional amendment as 'violative', the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, on Saturday said that India has noted the new development. Reaffirming India's stance, he said that the 'artificial enlargement of claims' was not fact-based or tenable. Nepal's Lower House passed a constitutional amendment to include Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura in Nepal's official Map unanimously. Nepal's lower house passes bill to redraw map including Kalapani, Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura India calls Nepal's new map 'violative' "We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter. This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical facts or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues," said Srivastava. Security forces clarify on labourer shot by Nepal police, term it local altercation Nepal's Lower House passes map amendment Earlier in the day, Nepal's lower house passed the constitutional amendment which was introduced on Tuesday, unanimously. Out of 275 MPs in Nepal, 258 were present and all voted Yes for Amendment. The updated map will now be accommodated in the national emblem, stated Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali. After the passage of the bill in the 275-member Lower House, the map will be now introduced in the National Assembly. The NA will have to give lawmakers 72 hours to move amendments against the bills provisions, if any. The three territories claimed by Nepal are include Gunji, Kuti, and Nabi villages - which are a part of Uttarakhand. MEA reiterates opposition to Nepal's map; highlights help extended during COVID-19 crisis Nepal incorporates Indian territories in the new map On Tuesday, Nepal's lower house endorsed a proposal for considering a Constitutional Amendment Bill to validate Nepal's new map - which included several Indian territories. The map was passed unanimously, as the KP Sharma Oli-led government enjoyed the support of the main opposition party Nepali Congress and Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal in passing the new map. This move comes a day after firing occurred at Indo-Nepal border in Bihar, killing a labourer. Labourer allegedly shot dead by Nepal Border Police along International Border in Bihar On May 18, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli approved Nepal's new map featuring the Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura. As per reports, Nepal's new map has been drawn on the basis of the Sugauli Treaty of 1816 signed between Nepal and the then British Indian government and other relevant documents. Reacting to Nepal incorporating parts of Indian territory in its official map on May 20, the Ministry of External Affairs slammed this "unilateral act". Audrey Tang, Taiwan's digital minister, is an expert on countering disinformation - Billy H.C. Kwok/Polaris/Eyevine In the battle to counter the modern-day scourge of weaponised online disinformation, Taiwan has locked on to a winning strategy nerd immunity. Building public awareness and inoculating the 23-million-strong population to fake news from China has been one of the chief goals of Audrey Tang, Taiwans ground-breaking digital minister. Sitting just 80 miles from China, Taiwan has been on the frontlines not only of the coronavirus pandemic but an infodemic of online disinformation. But the bombardment of Chinese state-sponsored influence has also made it a world leader in identifying and tackling disinformation. When the majority of the population have this exposure and this inoculation, this builds nerd immunity, Ms Tang, one of the worlds top open source software developers, told the Sunday Telegraph in an interview last week. Its the Taiwan model. Just like we fight the coronavirus with no lockdown, we fight the infodemic with no takedown, said the former hacker who, in 2016, made history as Taiwans youngest ever, and first transgender, minister at 35. Taipei, Taiwan's capital, has long been the focus of Chinese disinformation campaigns - Bloomberg In her first term as an expert adviser to President Tsai Ing-wen, Ms Tang, who has a reported IQ of 180, was a driving force in strengthening the national counter-disinformation strategy and a strong advocate of a new school curriculum to teach children how to identify and combat false claims online. She has been praised during the pandemic for her use of artificial intelligence in disease prevention, working with software engineers to create a real-time map of local face mask supplies and an alert system that pinpointed risky locations visited by possibly Covid-19 infected cruise passengers. In February, the worlds of coronavirus and disinformation collided when false claims circulated that the material used to make face masks was the same found in toilet paper, sparking a round of panic buying. Story continues The government acted swiftly to contain the claims by circulating a humourous meme of Taiwans premier shaking his bottom, alongside an explanation of the different source materials for toilet paper and masks. Our premier wiggling his buttocks a little bit ... says that the rumour that medical masks ramping up will hurt the tissue paper production is not true, said a laughing Ms Tang. People, once they laugh about it, cannot get outraged when they see this conspiracy theory, she said. This serves as a memetic vaccine, while this will have an R value of under one, in which case it will stop the spread. Indeed, the panic-buying stopped within a couple of days. The incident was a classic example of a counter-disinformation strategy described by Ms Tang as fighting rumour with humour. Audrey Tang is one of Taiwan's most popular ministers - Billy H.C Kwok/Polaris/eyevine In this case, the alleged perpetrators of the initial false claims were tissue paper sellers, who now face prosecution. But Chinese state-sponsored online influence operations present a much bigger challenge to Taiwans young democracy. On Friday, Twitter said it had deleted tens of thousands of accounts used in a manipulative influence campaign linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The network of accounts was given to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) to analyse. It concluded that the propaganda was largely focused on undermining Hong Kongs pro-democracy protests and, to a lesser extent, to influence perceptions over the pandemic and Chinas territorial claims on Taiwan. The European Commission this weeks warned against Chinas efforts to spread disinformation related to coronavirus, the first time the EU executive has publicly called out China for its role in spreading fake news. The Commission said China had helped spread false advice such as drinking bleach or pure alcohol can cure the coronavirus or conspiracy theories, like the claim that coronavirus is an infection caused by the worlds elites for reducing population growth. Chinese diplomats, state media and officials, meanwhile, have encouraged the idea the US military might have originally brought the virus to Wuhan, China, the centre of the outbreak. Taiwan, which functions like any other nation but which Beijing seeks to annex, has long been subjected to military intimidation and cyber operations intended to undermine its democratically-elected government. Taiwan already had multiple organisations dedicated to combatting Chinese state influence operations, said Ms Tang. They [Beijing] do it overtly. Its not a covert operation, she said. Last year, the Taiwan Fact-Checker Centre, an independent non-profit body linked to the Poynter Institutes International Fact-Checking Network, alerted the public to a social media post falsely claiming Hong Kong thugs were being offered money to kill the police. The centre traced the post, which showed a doctored caption next to a Reuters picture of two teenage protesters, to a Weibo account run by the CCPs central political and law unit, said Ms Tang. Incidences of Chinese state disinformation had always been high but during the time of the pandemic it had a new narrative to push, she warned. Twitter, along with YouTube, Google and Facebook, is banned in China, which restricts information for its own citizens through its Great Firewall. However, since the start of the year there has been an uptick in Chinese diplomats and state media flocking to social media platforms to push the CCPs agenda, in what been coined wolf warrior diplomacy. Beijing has countered that China itself is a victim of an online smear campaign. Every member of society had a contribution to make to countering disinformation, said Ms Tang. Although Taiwan has hundreds of full-time fact-checking experts, whats more important is the millions of people who volunteer maybe a couple minutes of their time to flag something they think as suspicious, she said. If you shut down the Internet, of course theres no disinformation on social media, but what were trying to say is that Taiwan strengthened liberal democracy during the pandemic and during the infodemic. We would like to share that with liberal democracies. Chandigarh, June 13 : Taking cognizance of reports of exorbitant rates being charged by private hospitals from Covid-19 patients, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, here on Saturday, warned of stringent action against such hospitals, including cancellation of licence. He said the state government would soon finalise charges for Covid-19 treatment, keeping in view interests of patients as well as private hospitals. "But at no cost will the government allow exploitation of patients by private hospitals," he said. Calling it a catastrophe when everyone is fighting for survival, Sidhu said some unscrupulous private hospitals tried to resort to loot of the helpless patients. The Minister said his attention had been drawn towards the unprecedentedly high charges imposed by private hospitals for treatment of Covid-19 patients. Sidhu said licence of such hospitals would be cancelled and all facilities withdrawn. The government reserved the right to withdraw land provided to these hospitals at highly concessional rates, he added. Sidhu has called a special meeting on Monday to decide the fee structure for treatment of Covid-19 patients. President Donald Trump shrugged off an accusation from Joe Biden that he would try to steal the election, saying if he doesn't win he'll "go on and do other things." "Certainly if I don't win, I don't win. I mean, you know, go on and do other things," Trump said during a Fox News interview that aired Friday afternoon. "I think that would be a very sad thing for our country," he added. Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, predicted during an interview on "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah" on Wednesday that Trump "is going to try to steal this election." Biden called it his "single greatest concern." The former vice president said in the same interview that he was confident the military would escort Trump out of the White House if he lost yet refused to leave. Asked about that, Trump mocked Biden's mental acuity. In previous interviews Trump has said he will accept the results of the 2020 election - win or lose. "You will accept the results?" Chuck Todd, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," asked Trump during an interview in the past year. "100 percent. Sure," Trump said. "And you will accept whatever happens in 2020?" Todd pressed. "Sure," Trump replied. But some Democrats are still worried that the president will try somehow to interfere or undermine the outcome, pointing to Trump's allegation that there would be massive voter fraud through mail-in voting (without presenting much evidence to show that's true). Trump has railed against states shifting to a broad absentee-ballot system to accommodate voters uncomfortable going to their polling places while there is a global coronavirus pandemic. This isn't the first time Biden has suggested Trump would seek to tamper with the election. Biden cautioned a few months ago that Trump would try to delay voting over the coronavirus threat - which the president doesn't have the authority to do. - - - The Washington Post's Matt Viser contributed to this report. Village Council urges county to reject asphalt plant FLAT ROCK The Flat Rock Village Council voted unanimously on Thursday to urge the Henderson County Board of Commissioners to deny a rezoning request that would allow an asphalt plant on Spartanburg Highway at U.S. 25 Connector in East Flat Rock. Southeastern Asphalt has applied for a rezoning from community commercial to conditional use to permit the plant, which would operate six days a week and could supply asphalt for the I-26 widening. The plant and associated operations such as loading and raw materials storage would cover 6 acres of a 12-acre site. Though the location for the proposed plant is outside village boundaries, Flat Rock Mayor Nick Weedman said he felt the council should take a position on the issue because the proximity of the asphalt plant is quite close to the Village of Flat Rock. Council member Tom Carpenter said he believed the council should take a strong position against the asphalt plant because of concerns that it is close to residential areas, an elementary school and an assisted living facility. Council member Anna Coletta said, as currently zoned, the intended use is not permissible and people buy property based on what their surrounding zoning is. The council received 44 comments from the public on the issue, all opposed to the plant or raising questions about it. Since the village council lacks jurisdiction over the proposed plant, Weedman advised the homeowners that their efforts are best directed at the county. All but a handful of comments came from homeowners outside the Village of Flat Rock. Weedman read four from Flat Rock residents. These comments specifically raised concerns over noise, odor, traffic, air quality and adverse health. Opponents have organized Friends of East Flat Rock to fight the rezoning request, gaining more than 4,900 signatures on an online petition against the plant. MountainTrue, an organization that advocates for clean air, clean water and land conservation in Western North Carolina, has also joined the campaign against the plant, citing concerns over air pollution, water pollution, the proximity to the Green River Game Lands, community health and the fact that the plant would be a near a low-income community. More than 100 people attended a public hearing via Zoom on the rezoning request on Monday, with the public input overwhelmingly opposed to the plant. "The big takeaway from the Neighborhood Compatibility Meeting was that there is absolutely no way that this project is appropriate for the location and that the rezoning request should be denied," Gray Jernigan, MountainTrue's southern regional director and the Green Riverkeeper, said on the Mountain True website. By Dick Bauman Bauman is retired from the insurance business and lives in Blacksburg. Another black man has been murdered by a white police officer. The alleged crime was attempting to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. That broke the dam and now theres a river of rage running through America. Cities are on fire, protestors carrying signs saying No Justice, No Peace and Black Lives Matter are confronted by police and National Guard with batons, tear gas, rubber bullets and tanks. Neighborhood stores that had just reopened are being burned and looted by a criminal fringe element taking advantage of the chaos. Residents who depend on those stores for goods and services have lost access to their providers. How much of the damage was caused by the radical right to bring blame on the demonstrators? Instead of calling for calm and order, instead of trying to stop the violence and heal the wounds, the president of the United States is threatening White House demonstrators with the most vicious dogs, the most ominous weapons if the gates are breached. He is bringing back images of the brutality against the Civil Rights struggle of the 60s, of Bull Conner in Birmingham, and quoting the Miami police chiefs threat When the looting starts, the shooting starts. He called for [pepper spray] to clear protestors around the White House so that he could cross to St. Johns Episcopal Church to pose with a Bible in a gross perversion of the message of Jesus. He threatened the use of heavily armed military to control the demonstrations. This is not yet Tiananmen Square, but that cloud looms. We have the crisis of the pandemic compounded by the crisis of fatal civil rights abuse. These crises have revealed again the flaws in our democracy. We must change. We must change our health care system, we must change our criminal justice system. We must change a host of failures in our federal system to protect our people and our environment. We must change this imperious administration that is destroying our nation. The way to bring about change is to be active in our participation in government, to demonstrate peacefully, to engage our representatives, and most importantly, to vote. Our failure as citizens to fully exercise our right to vote is to open the door to autocracy and abuse of power. We are seeing the fruits of that failure now. That message must reach the protestors and all who feel the outrage at injustice and abuse of power. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 15:18:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close THE HAGUE, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The international community has bashed U.S. sanctions against some International Criminal Court (ICC) officials investigating possible war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The White House said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized economic sanctions against ICC officials "directly engaged with any effort to investigate or prosecute United States personnel without the consent of the United States," as well as the expansion of visa restrictions against these officials and their family members. Later on Thursday, the ICC said in a statement that the U.S. attacks "constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court's judicial proceedings." Noting that the U.S. sanctions represent "an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice," the ICC, which has 123 member states, vowed it would stand firmly by its staff and remain "unwavering in its commitment to discharging, independently and impartially, the mandate bestowed upon it by the Rome Statute and the States that are party to it." The United Nations (UN) human rights office said Friday that it is deeply concerned over the United States' planned sanctions. "The independence of the ICC and its ability to operate without interference must be guaranteed so that it can decide matters without any improper influence, inducement, pressures, threats or interference, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reasons," Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told a briefing here. "Victims of gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law and their families have the right to redress and the truth," he added. The German Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed its deep concern over the U.S. decision. "We have noted with great concern the U.S. statement that gives the secretary of state the opportunity, in some cases, to introduce additional visa restrictions and additional economic sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court," the ministry said in a statement. Noting Germany is one of the strongest supporters of the ICC, the ministry said: "We have full confidence in its work. It is an indispensable institution in the fight against impunity for international crimes, and it is needed today more than it has ever been." "We reject any attempts to put pressure on the independent court, its staff, and those who work with it," the ministry stressed. The French Foreign Ministry on Friday urged the United States to refrain from implementing measures targeting ICC officials. The U.S. decision "represents a serious attack on the Court and the States Parties to the Rome Statute, and beyond that, a challenge to multilateralism and judicial independence," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement published on the ministry's website. France reiterated its full support for the court, which bashed the U.S. sanctions later on Thursday. "The Court is the only permanent international criminal court with a universal vocation," Le Drian said. Noting the court plays a vital role in the fight against impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes, Le Drian said "France will strive to ensure that the Court is able to fulfill its mission in an independent and impartial manner." The ICC in March authorized an investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, including those that may have been committed by the U.S. military and the Central Intelligence Agency, which could lead to the indictment of U.S. military and intelligence personnel. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economist Gita Gopinath has said that the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could potentially inflict grave damage worldwide and the recovery from this seems highly uncertain at this time. In April, the IMF had predicted that the coronavirus pandemic could cause a global economic contraction of 3 per cent. Gopinath now says that the updated forecast expected to be released in June paints an even darker picture of the global economy, according to news agency AFP. Gopinath, in a virtual address to the 7th Asian Monetary Policy Forum, said, "There is profound uncertainty of recovery". She added that one has to be concerned about the path of recovery of the global economy. Damage already done to certain sectors such as transportation coupled with the growing risk of bankruptcies, job losses and unexpected change in consumer behaviour are all things to be concerned about going forward. "Many of these variables point to significant scarring effects," she said, adding that these could potentially harm the global economy in a grave non-reversible way. Back in April, the IMF in its World Economic Outlook had clearly stated that the downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic would worsen if the outbreak were to continue for a prolonged period of time or if it so a resurgence in the coming months. The World Bank had said last week that it expects the global economy to contract by 5.2 per cent in what would turn out to be the biggest economic crisis in the last 150 years. Gopinath has been the chief economic advisor of the IMF since 2019. In the past, she has also served as the economic advisor to the Chief Minister of Kerala. Also Read: COVID-19 disruptions take currency, deposits share in household assets to highest 66% in March Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: India sees 11,458 new cases, 386 deaths in 24 hours; tally crosses 3 lakh mark Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen waves during his visit to the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) headquarters, currently under construction, in Phnom Penh, June 5, 2020. A group of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on Friday urged Cambodias government to stop arresting those critical of its policies, including opposition activists, saying the campaign is a violation of their rights and will lead to a societal split that will be ruinous for the nation. In a joint statement, 30 local groupsincluding Adhoc, Licadho, and Comfrelcalled on authorities and the nations courts to stop persecuting and arresting members of the opposition [Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP)] and other citizens in violation of their freedom of expression and political participation. The arrests are not only wrong but will lead the country into serious crisis and societal split, the groups said. Authorities have arrested and thrown in prison nearly 20 opposition officials or activists from the CNRPwhich was dissolved by the Supreme Court in November 2017 over an alleged plot to topple the governmentsince the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, 17 former and active opposition officials and supporters have been the victims of assault by unidentified men over the same period, and no arrests have been made in any of the cases. We urge the government and the opposition party and all other stakeholders to return to the negotiating table to resolve their political issues for the sake of society, and to respect civil and political rights and freedom of expression, the statement said. Responding on Friday, Ministry of Justice spokesman Chhin Malin said the government implements the law without any discrimination against any particular group, in the interest of maintaining security and order. He suggested NGOs push the CNRP to respect the law if they dont want to face the consequences of violating it. There are several different offenses and different charges [facing the CNRP], he said. If they dont want to be punished, they shouldnt break the law. Swedish development Fridays statement came on the same day the Swedish government announced it would be phasing out its existing bilateral strategy on development in Cambodia by July 1, 2021 and replacing it with one that focuses on creating better conditions for a different, more democratic development in Cambodia. The democratic space in Cambodia has been severely restricted in recent years, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Peter Eriksson said in a statement issued by the Embassy of Sweden in Phnom Penh, noting that such conditions had made it difficult to pursue broad and close cooperation. The Government has therefore chosen to redirect our development efforts to offer better support for change with regard to human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the country, he said. We will continue to support civil society, human rights defenders and democracy advocates in Cambodia. Sweden stands up for the principles of democracy and speaks out when they are undermined. Last year, Swedens development assistance to Cambodia amounted to around U.S. $24 million in grants. RFA was unable to reach government spokesman Phay Siphan or Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Kuy Koung for comment Friday. Moeun Tola, a human rights campaigner and the executive director of the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), told RFA the Swedish governments decision was likely in response to the decline in democratic freedoms since the dissolution of the CNRP. The move to ban the CNRP was part of a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election. The CNRPs dissolution and reassigning of its parliamentary and commune council positions really disappointed the Swedish government, he said, adding that Stockholm viewed the move as an attempt to destroy democracy. These days, we have seen little improvement in the human rights and democracy situations, which likely led the Swedish to reconsider [how their funding is spent]. In mid-February the European Union announced plans to suspend tariff-free access in August to its market under the Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme for developing nations, for around one-fifth of Cambodias exports, citing rollbacks on human rights and the ban on the CNRP. Hun Sen has waved off the decision, which could decimate Cambodias key garment sector, as an interference in the countrys sovereignty. Letter to UN expert Both developments followed a June 7 letter from acting CNRP chief Sam Rainsy to Rhona Smith, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Cambodia, warning her that Cambodias government is using the coronavirus pandemic as a pretext to crack down on critical voices, and that the country needs the support of governments such as that of the EU more than ever. Even with the opposition banned and its leaders exiled or jailed, with many local community leaders harassed or detained, with independent media shut and with absolute control of every single segment of the captured state, the dictatorial drift is not slowing, the letter said. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 over a dozen CNRP members have fallen victim of the orchestrated oppression of the regime. Sam Rainsy called the arrests swift delivery by authorities of a recent threat by Hun Sen to arrest more CNRP members who speak out against economic hardships facing Cambodians during the outbreak. In recent weeks, the party has urged borrowers to suspend repayment of loans to banks and microfinance lenders, saying the government has failed to provide them with relief despite widespread layoffs. He questioned why Hun Sen had insisted on pushing the citizens into deeper poverty instead of engaging with international partners to take advantage of offered aid, as well as working with the EU to avoid the withdrawal of EBA status. We know that through unity and by talking to each other in a free, democratic and open manner we can address the problems, heal the wounds and build a just and prosperous Cambodia, Sam Rainsy wrote. To achieve that we rely on the continuous assistance of our international friends, in first line, the European Union. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Rave five-star reviews that influence the online shopping habits of millions of consumers are scams in half of all cases, warn industry experts. The rip-off ruse involves fraudsters posting fake 'top buy' reviews on the internet to trick people into buying often sub-standard goods and services sometimes even potentially dangerous counterfeits. While major online retailers such as Amazon and eBay are keen to stamp out these fraudsters, it is proving difficult. Firms often write the reviews themselves or bribe others with cash payments for every positive review they post. Glowing reports: A host of firms charge to write up reviews, in some cases about 50 for ten, which will then appear on Google, Facebook or TripAdvisor Pressure to attract customers has led to an increased number of online sellers resorting to these underhand tactics as nine out of ten people admit that a review can influence their buying habits. THE MARKET FOR RAVE REVIEWS Andrew Levi is founder of Capo Commerce, a Texas-based firm, that helps companies boost online 'e-commerce' presence through genuine reviews. He says: 'Positive reviews to a seller are like gold dust and great ones can boost company trade by at least 25 per cent. Buyers place a heavy weight on what is posted by other customers.' Levi adds: 'Companies know that if they can manipulate these comments it will be good for business. As many as 50 per cent of all reviews are now fraudulent. 'It is so bad you now need to treat companies boasting 100 per cent five-star reviews more cautiously than those which are less highly rated. 'If nothing bad is written about a firm it should be treated with suspicion. 'Just ask yourself why do people bother reviewing in the first place? Usually when they have something to complain about.' Phoney reviews are often put up by the business wanting more customers and are posted not just by the boss, but employees, family and friends. There are also market places where companies can buy fake reviews from as little as 1. Social media websites, such as Facebook and Fiverr, provide forums where individuals can provide positive reviews. Websites such as BuyUSAservice and Social Media Badge Verification also advertise 'five star review services' charging in some cases about 50 for ten glowing reports. Also, so-called 'influencers' that pose as journalists will often post positive messages on social media or write gushing blogs in exchange for freebies, discounts and cash. The Competition and Markets Authority has estimated that reviews have a huge influence on an online shopping market worth 23billion a year. FIVE STARS ARE NOT ALWAYS A GOOD SIGN Francesca Dowling is head of compliance for online banking service Amaiz. Her expertise is in uncovering fraud and exposing fake reviews. She says: 'People might believe fake reviewing is a victimless crime but it isn't. This is fraudulent manipulation of facts that does consumer harm.' Dowling adds: 'Five-star ratings should be seen as a red flag. As a consumer I would only focus on the bad reviews, but these are not always genuine either. 'You get nasty people threatening firms with an online slating if they do not get a freebie or discount. Some firms even anonymously post their own negative comments to provide a balance to stop readers becoming too suspicious of just reading glowing reports.' Dowling believes it is the bad reviews where a supplier has then responded with its own comments that are most worthy of consideration. She says: 'It is a positive sign when a company responds to criticism and this is worth far more than fraudulent five stars.' Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to stop fraudsters infiltrating reputable review websites on platforms such as Amazon, eBay, TripAdvisor, Trustpilot and Google. But if they are found out, they are 'blacklisted'. Levi says: 'Once blacklisted it is hard for a firm caught using fake reviews to get its products listed again. I know of outfits charging $5,000 (about 4,000) a time to try to get firms and their products relisted. They do a roaring trade taking on up to 200 clients a month.' Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, it is an offence to 'engage in a commercial practice which is a misleading action' that leads to a consumer buying something they may otherwise not have purchased. Yet Martyn James, of complaints website Resolver, believes more should be done and a regulator is needed to crack down on the growing scourge of fake reviews. He says: 'Now, it is businesses and online websites that police reviews the industry is crying out for a regulator to take control and help tackle these criminals.' TELL-TALE SIGNS OF A DODGY REVIEW Alarm bells should ring when something on offer only gets five-star reviews or is backed by 100 per cent customer satisfaction ratings. A host of firms charge to write up reviews, in some cases about 50 for ten, which will then appear on Google, Facebook or TripAdvisor The first consideration is looking at the time frame and location of the reviewers' comments. A list of reviews showing several made in a short period of time or from a similar location indicates that fraud may be at work. The overuse of generic terms such as 'great' is another possible giveaway. If you have the same phrases repeated in lots of reviews, treat them with suspicion. No punctuation or the use of just capital letters in a review are also indications of possible fraud as can be posts that read just like an advert. Dowling says: 'Look out for bad spelling. If it looks like a cat has run across the keyboard, a third-party review provider may have been used.' Developing countries such as India, and nations in the Eastern Bloc, including Russia, are often where third-party reviewers are based. As English is not the first language in these countries, it can come across in the spelling used. The goods behind the fake review can be as flaky as the comments. Suspect electronic items, such as copycat phone chargers, are among the most common. These can overheat and can cause fires. Nepals Parliament on Saturday passed a constitutional amendment to give legal backing to a map depicting disputed areas such as Lipulekh as Nepalese territory, prompting India to say such artificial enlargement of claims violates an understanding to resolve boundary issues through talks. On Saturday afternoon, the House of Representatives or lower house of Nepals Parliament unanimously adopted the constitutional amendment bill for including the countrys new political map in the national emblem. This map, cleared by the KP Sharma Oli government on May 20, depicts Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepal. All 258 members of the 275-strong House of Representatives present in the lower house voted for the bill. The ruling Nepal Communist Party doesnt have a two-thirds majority in the lower house, and the bill was supported by key opposition parties such as Nepali Congress and Rastriya Prajatantra Party. Also Read: India had offered dialogue to Nepal on row over map. Why PM Oli ignored it The bill is set to be taken up by the National Assembly or upper house next week, people familiar with developments said. The Nepal Communist Party has a two-thirds majority in the upper house and the bills passage by the National Assembly is considered a formality. Reacting to the development, the external affairs ministry which has said in the past that the matter should be resolved through talks described the passage of the bill as an artificial enlargement of Nepals territorial claims. We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter, said external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava. He added, This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues. Also Read: Nepal parliament clears new map, shuts possibility of talks on boundary row Nepals Speaker Agni Sapkota was quoted by The Kathmandu Post as saying: All 258 lawmakers present in the meeting voted for the bill, while there was no vote against it. I announce that the bill has been endorsed by more than a two-thirds majority. When the Nepal government presented the bill in the lower house on Tuesday for discussion, it was unanimously backed by lawmakers from all political parties. After being passed by the upper house, the bill will have to be signed by the president to come into effect. Nepals move to issue the new political map was triggered by Indias inauguration of an 80-km road to Lipulekh on the border with Tibet to facilitate the movement of pilgrims going to the Kailash Mansarovar site. Last year, Nepal had been irked when India depicted Kalapani as part of a new map of the union territory of Ladakh. Nepalese officials have said they made three proposals to India for talks since last November, with the most recent one in May, but that there was no response from the Indian side. Nepals Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has maintained that Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura are part of his countrys territory on the basis of the Treaty of Sugauli signed with the British in 1816, which says all areas east of the Kali river belong to Nepal. Oli has also accused India of creating an artificial boundary in the region and of encroaching on Nepalese territory by deploying the army. India has dismissed these claims, saying they are not based on historical facts and records. Hours before the lower house of Nepals Parliament voted on the amendment, Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane emphasised the strong relations between the two countries. The remarks marked a U-turn from his earlier comments about Nepal working at someone elses behest to raise the border issue. We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people-to-people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future, Naravane told reporters. The India-Nepal border row comes at a time when India is engaged in a tense stand-off with Chinese troops in several sections of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Constantino Xavier of Brookings India said it was time for New Delhi to move towards de-escalation with Kathmandu. India spent too many years wasting scarce resources on micro-managing Nepal politics. Useless, counter-productive. Delhi cant be petty. Ignore symbolic amendment. Olis will come and go. Move on, focus on de-escalation, delivery, Xavier tweeted. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rezaul H Laskar Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music. ...view detail Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel. Instant News Wire Due to the crisis, many expats have lost their jobs or had to accept wage cuts. The city-state risks losing 200,000 jobs, 60 per cent of which will affect foreign workers. Unemployment benefits and income subsidies are only for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents. Without work, low-income migrants cannot pay the debts they incurred with their recruiting agencies. Singapore (AsiaNews/Agencies) The future for foreigners living in Singapore looks bleak. The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus has hit them hard. Some have lost their jobs, whilst others have had to accept wage cuts. Given the cost of living in the city-state, where rents are very high, many of them are contemplating going home to their countries of origin. As a result of the recessive effects of the pandemic, the government expects the countrys GDP to shrink by 4 to 7 per cent this year. In terms of employment, Singapore is in danger of losing 200,000 jobs. By comparison, the 2008-2009 subprime mortgage crisis in the United States saw the loss 40,000 jobs. According to economist Lee Ju Ye, cited in the South China Morning Post, expatriates are expected to bear the brunt with 60 per cent of jobs lost. In Singapore, out of a population of 5.7 million, 1.7 million are foreigners, one million of whom are low-paid migrant workers. The percentage of foreign workers in Singapores total labour force rose from 3 per cent in the 1970s to 38 per cent today, this according to the Migration Policy Institute, a US-based think tank. In view of the ongoing economic crisis, the Singapore government will give priority to its own citizens. So far, Singaporean authorities have implemented aid measures worth US.4 billion, almost a fifth of the countrys GDP. The aid programme includes unemployment benefits and wage subsidies, but only for citizens and permanent residents. Thus, migrant workers are the most at risk in the recession. Meanwhile, Singapore has reported so far 39,850 COVID-19 cases with 25 deaths. About 90 per cent of them occurred in dormitories housing around 300,000 low-income migrants, mainly from Bangladesh, China and India. In early June, the government eased social confinement measures, but many migrants are still confined to their quarters under quarantine. Without work, they cannot pay the debts they incurred in order to come to Singapore. According to Reuters, migrants are usually charged between US$ 7,000 to US$ 10,000 in fees by recruitment agencies in their home country. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 13:18:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The German Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed its deep concern over U.S. sanctions against some International Criminal Court (ICC) officials investigating possible war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, voicing its staunch support for the court. "We have noted with great concern the U.S. statement that gives the secretary of state the opportunity, in some cases, to introduce additional visa restrictions and additional economic sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court," the ministry said in a statement. Noting Germany is one of the strongest supporters of the ICC, the ministry said: "We have full confidence in its work. It is an indispensable institution in the fight against impunity for international crimes, and it is needed today more than it has ever been." "We reject any attempts to put pressure on the independent court, its staff, and those who work with it," the ministry stressed. The White House said in a statement Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized economic sanctions against ICC officials "directly engaged with any effort to investigate or prosecute United States personnel without the consent of the United States," as well as the expansion of visa restrictions against these officials and their family members. The ICC in March authorized an investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, including those committed by the U.S. military and the Central Intelligence Agency, which could lead to the indictment of U.S. military and intelligence personnel. Enditem Chennai: Launching a scathing attack on the way the coronavirus crisis was being handled by the Tamil Nadu government, DMK President MK Stalin urged Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy not to pat himself on the back repeatedly by harping on the low death rate in the state. There were serious doubts over half the fatalities being covered up, Stalin said in a statement on Friday and alleged that there were discrepancies in the death figures given by the state health department and the Chennai Corporation. Calling upon the government to concentrate more on preventing the spread of coronavirus, he said that the numbers have not come down even as the fifth phase of the lockdown draws to a close in two weeks. The alleged that the curfew had not been implemented properly, adding that extending lockdown alone was not the duty of the government, which he stressed should have also developed proper medical infrastructure to stop the spread of the virus. Chennai was facing a big danger, he warned and said that over 200 doctors had been infected, besides 200 pregnant women, many police personnel, media persons and even children below the age of 12. (Newser) Poland invaded the Czech Republic last month in what one official has called a "misunderstanding," the BBC reports. Polish troops were apparently guarding a closed border to keep up coronavirus measures when they crossed a road, putting them in Czech territorywhere they stayed a few days and kept people from entering a local church. "A soldier dressed in the uniform of a foreign state and carrying a sub-machine gun started giving me orders," says Ivo Dokoupil, an environmentalist whose group planned to visit the church and snap photos. "It was a terrifying experience. They wouldn't let me get closer than 10 meters." story continues below Local Czech police were soon called and the troops were told to head out. "Our Polish counterparts unofficially assured us that this incident was merely a misunderstanding caused by the Polish military with no hostile intention, however, we are still expecting a formal statement," a Czech Foreign Ministry spokesperson tells CNN. "The Polish soldiers are no longer present and our citizens can again visit the site freely." Indeed, Poland's defense ministry calls it "a result of misunderstanding, not a deliberate act." The "invasion" occurred in north-eastern Moravia, an area that's part of historical Silesia, which crosses over into the modern-day Czech Republic. (Read more Poland stories.) Oregon on Saturday recorded another in a string of recent high single-day counts for new coronavirus cases -- 158 -- bringing the states total to 5,535 as one more person died from the infection. The states death toll from the disease now stands at 174. An 87-year-old man from Umatilla County was the latest person to succumb to COVID-19. The man fell ill May 30 and died June 11 at St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton, the Oregon Health Authority reported. The 158 new confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases were reported in the last 24 hours. Its the second-highest daily count since Oregons outbreak began Feb. 28. The top four daily counts all have come this week, including 178 new cases Thursday, 146 new cases Sunday, 142 new cases Friday and 114 new cases Monday. Before this week, the highest daily count came April 4 at 100. Public health officials attribute the increase in cases to more testing, workplace outbreaks and increased tracing of people exposed by those with known coronavirus infections. Track the county-by-county trends as Oregon reopens with these charts. The newest batch of cases were in 17 of Oregons 36 counties with Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Marion, Hood River, Umatilla and Lincoln counties reporting double-digit increases: Clackamas (17), Columbia (1), Hood River (10), Jackson (3), Jefferson (2), Lane (3), Lincoln (14), Linn (1), Malheur (1), Marion (21), Morrow (1), Multnomah (47), Polk (7), Umatilla (13), Union (2), Wasco (1), Washington (14). Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter County case totals: Two counties -- Multnomah and Marion -- have more than 1,000 coronavirus cases each. Seven counties -- Washington, Clackamas, Deschutes, Lincoln, Linn, Umatilla and Polk -- have reported 100 coronavirus cases or more. Gilliam and Wheeler have reported none. Heres the overall count -- confirmed and presumptive cases -- by county: Baker (1), Benton (63), Clackamas (472), Clatsop (46), Columbia (21), Coos (32), Crook (8), Curry (7), Deschutes (137), Douglas (29), Grant (1), Harney (1), Hood River, (81), Jackson (81), Jefferson (67), Josephine (23), Klamath (48), Lake (4), Lane (88), Lincoln (198), Linn (125), Malheur (34), Marion (1,155), Morrow (14), Multnomah (1,487), Polk (124), Sherman (1), Tillamook (6), Umatilla (170), Union (14), Wallowa (4), Wasco (39), Washington (863) and Yamhill (91). Oregons Latino population has been disproportionately hit hard by the coronavirus. Though Latinos make up 13% of the states population, they represent at least 34% of all positive cases. Death toll: At least 174 people have died from the virus. They are from 13 counties -- 67 people from Multnomah, 30 from Marion, 19 from Washington, 14 from Clackamas, 12 from Polk, nine from Linn, eight from Yamhill, five from Benton, four from Umatilla, three from Lane and one each from Josephine, Malheur and Wasco. Their ages ranged from 36 to 100. Among them, 103 men have died and 71 women have died. All but four had underlying medical conditions. The breakdown of deaths by age: ages 30-39 (1), ages 40-49 (3), ages 50-59 (8), ages 60-69 (37), ages 70-79 (48), ages 80-plus (77). [Read about Oregon coronavirus deaths. Help us learn more.] Senior care homes: More than half of all coronavirus deaths in Oregon 92 are associated with a care center, a newsroom analysis of state data shows. More than 630 senior care home residents, staff and close contacts from more than 70 nursing, assisted and retirement homes have contracted COVID-19. One senior care home worker has died since the start of the Oregon epidemic, state data show. Officials did not say where the person worked or when they died. Workplace outbreaks: At least 883 coronavirus infections are linked to workplace outbreaks identified by The Oregon Health Authority. Among them: The Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem (167), Pacific Seafood in Newport (127) and Townsend Farms in Fairview (56). The Oregon Health Authority is no longer updating test, hospitalization and demographic data on weekends, so the numbers below are current as of Friday. A total of 4,376 people received coronavirus test results Friday, down from the Thursdays count 5,038, according to figures published on the Oregon Health Authoritys website. So far, more than 166,000 Oregonians have been tested for the illness since the state confirmed its first case on Feb. 28. Oregons positive test rate for COVID-19 was 3.1% Friday, far below the 12% national average. Ages: Cases are so far spread about evenly among people in their 20s (18%), people in their 30s (17%), people in their 40s (17%) and people in their 50s (16%). The breakdown: 0-9 (114), ages 10-19 (262), ages 20-29 (954), ages 30-39 (935), ages 40-49 (920), ages 50-59 (877), ages 60-69 (627), ages 70-79 (401), ages 80-plus (282). Gender, as of Friday: 2,772 cases are among women, or 52%, and 2,599 or 48%, are among men. Hospitalizations: At least 875 of the states COVID-19 patients, or 16%, have been hospitalized at some point during their illness, according to the health authority. Most -- at least 648 -- have been 50 or older. The hospitalizations breakdown by age: 0-9 (7), ages 10-19 (4), ages 20-29 (43), ages 30-39 (67), ages 40-49 (106), ages 50-59 (156), ages 60-69 (189), ages 70-79 (177), ages 80-plus (126). As of Friday, 69 people with confirmed coronavirus cases were hospitalized, including 36 in intensive care and 14 on ventilators. Recoveries: At least 2,396 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the illness, or 44.5%, the health authority said. Nationwide: Confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed 2 million. The death toll has grown to more than 114,000 people. -- Fedor Zarkhin; 503-221-8375 fzarkhin@oregonian.com Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories BEECHER, MI As Dana Lockett created hand-made protest posters Friday, her 9-year-old niece Ajanae Williams shyly asked a question. Ajanae was not sure if writing Its OK to be black, was appropriate for the protest. Lockett, a Beecher resident, was saddened to even hear the question. Her response was yes, it is OK to make that sign, and yes, it is OK to be black. Lockett wanted to empower her niece to be honest with her feelings, speak her voice and know that her black skin is beautiful. Its time for the civil rights movement to continue, she said, to do away with institutional and systematic racism in the U.S. This racist stuff has been going on for far too long, Lockett said. This is very necessary. Black lives do matter. Lockett organized this protest, which drew about 100 people Saturday, June 13 to march against police brutality and racial injustice. Its one of a series of protests that have happened in Michigan and across the nation in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after an interaction with police in Minneapolis on May 25. In Beecher on Saturday, protesters marched from The Salvation Army along Coldwater to the Beecher High School parking lot. Mt. Morris Township Police Chief Terence Green, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and many Beecher community leaders spoke, including Marvin Smoot, Beecher Community Schools Board of Education president, and Beecher Community Schools Superintendent Marcus Davenport. Davenport said as a black man in America, social distancing did not start for him in 2020. He said he has had to social distance from police his entire life. While standing with his 7-year-old son Camden at his side, he stressed the importance of educating youth and the greater black community about the value of economic empowerment and the black dollar. And, he said, a stronger education will be the key to shifting systematic racism in this country. George Floyd had a (police officer) on his neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds. Eight minutes and 46 seconds. For every young person out there, I encourage you every night for the rest of your life, if you dont do anything else at a bare minimum, read something for 8 minutes, 46 seconds, Davenport said. Read about economic empowerment. Read about becoming the next lawyer, a doctor, a scientist, a chemist, a politician or a lawmaker. Dont complain about the system. Beat the system. Put your knee on the neck of the system thats holding you down. Jernaria Wright, 15, of Beecher, said the deaths of George Floyd, Brionna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others have weighed on her lately. She said it was stressful to see racist incidents still taking place. The fact that this is still a thing in 2020 just gets me emotional. Im only 15, and in my short lifespan, Ive already encountered so much racism. I had white person spit on me the other day over the color of my skin. Darker, lighter, no matter what it is, love has no color or see no color, she said. We need to accept each other and love each other. We need to unite instead of divide. We need to stop racism. We need to stop the degrading. We need to stop the humiliation and the brutality. It all just needs to stop. Theres no need for this. There needs to be an end to this. Its unnecessary and uncalled for. We need to come together as a community instead of fighting and killing each other. If we dont try to end that change, it will never happen. Its up to us. Ford Saunders is just one of 110,000 blood donors in NZ who will be celebrating World Blood Donor Day on Sunday. "I started donating blood when I was in high school because they would come and see us," says Ford Saunders who donated his first unit of blood in 2005 at Waitakere College. Tomorrow, Sunday June 14 is World Blood Donor Day, and the New Zealand Blood Service NZBS - is asking all New Zealanders to take time to say thank you to the countrys 110,000 blood donors. Every whole blood donation has the potential to save up to three lives, but red blood cells only have a shelf life of 35 days, and platelets which are important for helping stop bleeding, need to be transfused within seven days. Every 18 minutes somewhere in New Zealand someone needs lifesaving blood or plasma, says NZBS National Manager Marketing and Communications Asuka Burge. We have so much to be thankful for in New Zealand. Imagine going through a traumatic event resulting in life or death injuries or discovering you have a life-threatening illness that will require blood and blood products as a key part of your treatment. Then imagine having to wonder if the blood or plasma will actually be available when you need it. Thankfully, we never have to worry about this thanks to our amazing community of blood donors. Ford Saunders donating plasma at the Tauranga blood transfusion centre After moving to Tauranga Ford continued donating blood and then started donating plasma in 2017. "I was working just down the road from the blood donor place on Cameron Rd. On the days when I finished early I could shoot down to the donor centre and get the last slot of the day," says Ford. "I donated blood there once and then talked to them about the plasma donation, because I asked what did they need more of and what was more useful. They said they could use the plasma for a wider variety of things, plus I could donate that fortnightly, whereas blood donation is longer than that." He has continued on donating plasma, in between having two children and becoming a full time dad. June 14 is the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the Nobel Prize winner who discovered the ABO blood group system. Of the 110,000 blood donors in New Zealand, 11,000 are plasma donors. To keep up with demand NZBS needs to double the plasma donor registry and collect over 3,500 donations every week to meet demand. The past 15-months have been a challenging time for New Zealand from the Christchurch Mosque attacks, to the Whakaari /White Island eruption and now COVID-19, but throughout it all New Zealands blood donors have ensured that blood and blood products have been available to help save lives. Blood donors make up less than 4 per cent of the eligible population but provide an essential service that plays a vital role in the health of our nation, says Asuka. Our donors tell us they donate because they feel it is important to do their bit, but they probably dont realise they are the silent heroes behind some of New Zealands most challenging recent events. Following the Christchurch mosque attacks in March 2019, 520 units of red cells, platelets, cryoprecipitate and fresh frozen plasma went directly to help save lives. In the aftermath of the Whakaari eruption, blood and blood products made up of donations from 751 donors were used to help save 12 critically injured patients. And through the COVID-19 lockdown our donor centres remained full. An amazing 15,300 Kiwis put aside personal anxiety and put their faith in our service to ensure blood was available whenever and wherever it was needed. Blood donors save lives." Warren Stent made his 150th donation of blood during the Covid-19 lockdown. Photo: NZ Blood Those interested in becoming a blood donor should download the app, visit nzblood.co.nz or call 0800 448 325 (0800 GIVE BLOOD) and book an appointment to donate. There is no substitute to blood. Blood donors save lives. India denies entry to US religious freedom panel ahead of investigation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment New Delhi has denied entry visas to representatives of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom who had planned to investigate reports of persecution of Muslims and Christians following the release of its report that designates India as a Country of Particular Concern. We have denied visas to USCIRF teams that have sought to visit India in connection with issues related to religious freedom, Indias Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar wrote to Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey in a June 1 letter, according to Reuters. The government, Jaishankar said, saw no grounds for a foreign entity to intervene in the state of affairs of India's citizens. We see no locus standi for a foreign entity/government to pronounce on the state of our citizens constitutionally protected rights, Raveesh Kumar, a spokesperson from Indias Ministry of External Affairs, had earlier told India Today. India is a pluralistic society with a longstanding commitment to tolerance and inclusion. The bipartisan U.S. government advisory body told Reuters, As a pluralistic, non-sectarian, and democratic state, and a close partner of the United States, India should have the confidence to allow our visit, which would give it the opportunity to convey its views directly to USCIRF in a constructive dialogue. According to USCIRF, the religious intolerance and violence in India rose with the growth of Hindu nationalism under the current Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government. While Indias constitution does protect an individuals right to religious freedom, national security and public order are often used by the state to promote Hindu nationalism and oppress religious minorities, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern said. The BJP won Indias 2014 general elections and has been governing the country since then. According to Delhi-based Evangelical Fellowship of India, at least 147 violent attacks on Indias Christian community were reported in 2014, and the number increased to 366 in 2019. Open Doors World Watch List ranked India as the 10th worst country for Christians in its latest report. Since the current ruling party took power in 2014, incidents against Christians have increased, and Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences, the Christian ministry noted. The view of the Hindu nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faith including Christianity is viewed as non-Indian. Also, converts to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds or tribal religions are often extremely persecuted by their family members and communities. Most attacks on Christians are launched under the pretext of the alleged forcible conversion of Hindus. Several Indian states have had draconian anti-conversion laws, termed as Freedom of Religion Acts, for decades but no Christian has been convicted of forcibly converting anyone to Christianity. According to Indias own population data, the conspiracy of mass conversions to Christianity does not hold up, International Christian Concern noted earlier. In 1951, the first census after independence, Christians made up only 2.3% of Indias overall population. According to the 2011 census, the most recent census data available, Christians still only make up 2.3% of the population. India also has the worlds third-largest Muslim population after Indonesia and Pakistan. Hindu nationalist groups also target the Muslim minority. In a seemingly targeted spate of violence in February, at least 53 people, mostly from the Muslim minority, were killed in northeast Delhi. The violence came after months of protests in several Indian cities against a recent controversial citizenship law that excluded Muslims. Muslims and Christians have had cordial relations in India. Dave Chappelle released a lacerating new special, 8:46 the length of time that a police officer held his knee on George Floyds neck as Floyd pleaded for his life that has become among the first live shows in the Covid era to reckon with the protests gripping the nation. This is weird, Chappelle tells audience members, wearing masks in socially distanced seats. The show was taped in Ohio on June 6, and a title card explains that it was Chappelles first performance in nearly three months. Dressed in black, he refers regularly to a notebook and smokes a cigarette onstage. Chappelles performance isnt much of a comedy set, because, as he notes, there arent really any jokes. Instead, its a raw accounting of police brutality, punctuated with images of black men who died at the hands of officers, and deftly interweaving his own personal history. He covers a wide range of topics, including the media, the death of Kobe Bryant, and his family members, some of whom were in the audience. But three subjects, including a run-in Chappelle had with an Ohio police officer who went on to kill a young black man, are not well known. Heres more context for the special. A former minister for aviation, Fani Kayode has reacted to reports of melee in the presidential villa by saying President Muhammadu Buhari has clearly lost control of his home, official residence, wife, family and country. Speaking via his official Twitter handle, he described the report as a crying shame. According to reports, Aisha Buhari and a personal assistant to the presidency were said to have been involved in the altercation. Trouble reportedly started after Aisha asked the PA to subject himself to isolation after returning from a recent trip to Lagos. Advertisement Read Also: Release My Aides From Detention, Aisha Buhari Tells IGP Adamu The PA was said to have disobeyed her and this reportedly led to a fracas between her aide de camp and the presidential PA. He tweeted, Gunshots in the Villa over domestic issues? The Presidents wife and PA are fighting? No-one can call either to order? The President has lost control of his home, his wife, his family, his staff, his official residence and his country? Who bewitched Nigeria? Who did this to us? Who is running our country? Who is really in charge? Where are we heading? A nation of 200 million people and this is the best we can do? Is Nigeria a jungle or a zoo? Have we been cursed? Have we lost all sense of decency and discipline? A First Lady and a Personal Assistant indulging in a rofo-rofo fight in the seat of power and shooting at one another when the President is supposedly still alive? Or is there something that we dont know? Its a crying shame! May God help us! Gunshots in the Villa over domestic issues? The President's wife and PA are fighting? No-one can call either to order? The President has lost control of his home, his wife, his family, his staff, his official residence and his country? Who bewitched Nigeria? Who did this to us? Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) June 13, 2020 Who is running our country? Who is really in charge? Where are we heading? A nation of 200 million people and this is the best we can do? Is Nigeria a jungle or a zoo? Have we been cursed? Have we lost all sense of decency and discipline? Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) June 13, 2020 Toronto on Friday recorded its lowest daily increase in COVID-19 infections since early April, part of an encouraging downward trend. Toronto Public Health said the city saw 86 new infections the fewest since April 6. Toronto also recorded eight new COVID-19 deaths a fraction of daily deaths in early April when outbreaks were hitting many seniors homes. Recent daily infection counts have gone up and down but overall are declining, likely because increased testing is identifying sick people before they spread the virus in the commuity, public health chief Dr. Eileen de Villa told reporters Friday. I am encouraged by our progress, de Villa said while launching an online dashboard to help Torontonians track the citys progress in combatting the virus that has killed more than 8,000 Canadians and 400,000-plus people worldwide. While indicators are moving in the desired direction Toronto, which along with other GTA municipalities has been hit harder than many other parts of Ontario, is not yet ready to move to the provinces Stage 2 reopening, de Villa said. Friday saw people in much of Ontario gather to eat and drink on patios, go to malls, get haircuts and use public swimming pools, among other services allowed under Premier Doug Fords Stage 2 reopening plan. Sources told the Stars Robert Benzie that Toronto is looking at further easing restrictions on June 26, and that de Villa and Ontarios other local medical officers of health discuss next steps in a conference call on Saturday. Premier Doug Ford said he is encouraged by recent trends but Toronto can only move to Stage 2 after de Villa gives the green light. Torontos data dashboard shows groups of indicators as green when the city is meeting its goals, yellow when areas need further attention, and red when indicators are consistently trending away from and not meeting their goals. On Friday the idicators were yellow overall. They were yellow specifically for virus spread and containment, and for laboratory testing. Overall health care capacity and public health systems capacity were both green. Indicators dont have to all be green to proceed to Stage 2, de Villa said, warning that if any start to move towards red we would need to look more closely at some of our strategies for reopening. Asked when playgrounds can be reopened, de Villa said: Right now, as we understand it, the risk of covid-19 transmission outside is significantly reduced compared to what you would see within an indoor closed-space enviroment. But re-opening playgrounds will be a provincial decision, she said, adding public health advisors are considering the issue. Torontonians eager for signs of a return to normalcy will be happy that some farmers markets on city property will reopen Saturday. Mayor John Tory said the city is helping other operators launch, with physical distancing and other infection-control measures, as soon as safely possible. The St. Lawrence Markets weekly outdoor farmers market will also start Saturday. Outdoor farmers will be on Market St. between The Esplanade and Wilton St. Other farmers will continue to operate inside the temporary market at 125 The Esplanade. Shoppers are strongly encouraged to wear masks or face coverings, the city said. David Rider is the Stars City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider Poland accidentally invaded the Czech Republic in late May and briefly annexed a corner of its neighbours territory, the countrys military has admitted. The misunderstanding occurred when Polish soldiers accidentally crossed into the Czech Republic while guarding parts of the border amid lockdowns imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The soldiers then began turning away Czech citizens from a church they were trying to visit in their own country, CNN reported. The Czech foreign ministry said Poland has not formally explained the error but had unofficially assured us that this incident was merely a misunderstanding caused by the Polish military with no hostile intention. The Polish soldiers are no longer present and our citizens can again visit the site freely, CNN was told by a spokesperson, who did not reveal how long the occupation lasted. Polands ministry of defence said in a statement: The placement of the border post was a result of misunderstanding, not a deliberate act. It was corrected immediately and the case was resolved also by the Czech side. The accidental invasion was launched from a small border village in southern Poland called Pielgrzymow, which sits opposite Czech countryside. A road there serves as a boundary between the two countries. On Saturday, Poland reopened its borders with the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia for the first time in three months after initially closing them in mid-March in an attempt to slow down the spread of Covid-19. Tight controls on entry remain at its borders with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. In the Czech Republic, the government has implemented a colour-coded system for entry based on the severity of coronavirus outbreaks in relevant countries. Sweden is currently the only European Union state on the list of riskiest red countries, a category the UK has also been placed in. WILLIAMSPORT A Sunbury man who in 2017 was consuming 40 bags of heroin a day has been sentenced to six years in federal prison as the leader of a three-member ring that sold drugs in the Sunbury and Berwick areas. I hurt a lot of people, Frank J. Galasso, 67, of Sunbury, said before U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann sentenced him Friday. Besides the jail term, Galasso must pay a $400 fine and forfeit $12,260 in cash, a vehicle and contents of a safe deposit box. He will be on supervised release for four years. Galasso, who pleaded guilty in January to a charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin, is the final member of the ring to be sentenced. Adam Poeth of Shamokin is serving four years and Chad Snyder, formerly of Northumberland, is doing 17 months. Snyder was described as a low-level dealer. Poeth and Galasso were arrested in 2017 on Interstate 80 en route to Philadelphia to buy heroin. Galasso told Brann he started using drugs as a youngster but was clean for 24 years during which he had his own business or was working. He relapsed in 2016 when he was unable to get prescription pain killers for an injury suffered when he fell off a roof, he said. I have no excuses, he said. Brann expressed concern for Galassos health while in prison related to COVID-19 because he has heart disease. However, the judge said Galasso was a fairly high-level dealer who in 2017 was consuming 40 bags of heroin a day. This is his fifth narcotics conviction although most of them were years ago, he pointed out. Galasso has nearly half his sentence served as he has been in jail 33 months since his arrest. VANCOUVERClinicians and epidemiologists dont yet know much about COVID-19 and pregnancy, says the leader of a newly formed national network thats aiming to fill in those gaps. We scoured the literature and found a real limited amount of information, of course, at the beginning, from China and a little bit more from Europe, said Dr. Deborah Money, a professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbias faculty of medicine. That early information ranged from quite dreadful predictions of what might happen to much more benign, said Money, who is a subspecialist in reproductive infectious diseases. Shes heading up the new network of physicians and researchers that is examining maternal and infant outcomes among pregnant women who fell ill with COVID-19. She said every province and territory has signed on to work with local public health departments and collect data. Were actually hoping to collect every single, solitary, identified COVID-19 positive pregnancy, regardless of when it happened, and collect it through the evolution of the pandemic, Money said in an interview on Friday. Theyre focused on variables including the mothers age, the age of the fetus at the time of her COVID-19 infection, the severity of the infection and whether the mother required hospitalization or intensive-care treatment. They are also looking at what happens during delivery and whether the mother chooses to breast feed, as well as the newborns weight, Money explained. Some of Moneys colleagues are exploring womens experiences of pregnancy during COVID-19 overall, regardless of whether they contracted the illness. Money also sits on the infectious diseases committee for the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, whose members are working to provide up-to-date guidelines for pregnant women and new parents during the pandemic. She said Canadian clinicians have taken a different approach to their counterparts in China and the United States when it comes to handling deliveries and postnatal care. We have not done what other jurisdictions have done, which is if the mom has COVID, they separate the baby from the mom, she said. Canadian doctors have erred on the side of bonding is best, in part based on lessons from SARS and H1N1, said Money, adding that newborns and mothers with COVID-19 are generally kept together unless the case is more serious. As long as the new parents don face masks and adhere strictly to an array of precautions, Money said the benefits of allowing contact between a mother and her newborn are high. The likelihood of transmission through breast milk is next to none, she added. Money advises mothers with milder illness not to cuddle or sit with their babies when theyre not breast feeding and to frequently wash their hands. We have not seen a high rate of transmission in that setting. So, super careful close quarters like that seem to be reasonably safe, she said. Those previous respiratory viruses have also offered insight into the effects of COVID-19 on babies in utero, said Money, noting they dont cross the placenta and cause infection for fetuses. She said research is ongoing, but clinicians believe thats also the case for the novel coronavirus. The babies, for the most part, appear to be well, she said. We are early days and we must add a degree of caution around that until we fully follow those infants out longer term. But generally speaking, were being very reassuring. However, Money said if the expectant mother has a severe case of COVID-19 and ends up in intensive care, that could be problematic for the fetus. Flash Governor of the U.S. state of New York Andrew Cuomo on Friday signed into law a series of police reform bills that will ban chokeholds by police and allow for transparency of officers' disciplinary records. The "Say Their Name" reform agenda followed the death of George Floyd in custody and an ongoing pattern of police brutality against minority communities across the nation. The agenda will also prohibit false race-based 911 reports, and designate the state's attorney general as an independent prosecutor for matters relating to the deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement. "The murder of George Floyd was just the tipping point of the systemic injustice and discrimination that has been going on in our nation for decades, if not centuries," said Cuomo at his daily briefing. He said these reforms will "make long-overdue changes to our policing and criminal justice systems while helping to restore community confidence in law enforcement." Meanwhile, the governor said he will sign an executive order requiring local governments to develop plans that "reinvent and modernize police strategies" and address excess use of force and bias, among others. Cuomo said he will end funding for local governments that fail to do so by April 1, 2021. "Sit down at the table with the local community, address these issues, get a plan, pass that plan by your local government. And if you don't you're not going to get any additional state funds," said the governor. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Eighth graders at the Santa Fe Waldorf School sold pizza and burritos for two years to raise money for a class rafting trip on the San Juan River in May. When the pandemic hit, their trip was canceled. So the 18 students agreed to use their $2,800 to buy essential supplies for the Navajo Nation. I hadnt seen my students excited about something in a long time, but they were really excited about this idea, said teacher Daisy Barnard. These are really sweet kids, and it was just second nature to them to do something like that with their money. Jess Falkenhagen, mother of eighth grader Daisy Russell and three other Waldorf students, first suggested the idea about donating the class trip money. I had been wracking my brain as to how me and my kids could try to make an impact, said Falkenhagen, who has a background in indigenous rights and anthropology. It wasnt practical or safe for the class to gather together and collect items, so we agreed to take it on. We asked the Navajo Nation what items were most needed. With the class money, the family bought nonperishable food, toilet paper, disinfectants, thermometers, medicine, baby formula and diapers. They also filled dozens of five-gallon water jugs. After packing a large van to the brim, Falkenhagen and eldest daughter Indie Russell set off from Santa Fe to the Navajo capital of Window Rock, Arizona. This wasnt a sightseeing trip, but as we passed Acoma and Laguna pueblos we were able to think about the effects there, she said. When we got to the reservation, it was really striking to see the big signs and billboards in Dine telling people to wear masks and warning about the virus. In Window Rock, Navajo Nation government employees and volunteers helped unload the supplies at a donation warehouse. Indie Russell, who just finished 11th grade at Waldorf, sewed face masks to include with the donation. I know it was just a small thing that we did, but we tried to do something, Russell said. I am privileged to go to a great school and have lots of opportunities. I feel like I can either say, Why am I so lucky when other people arent? or I can ask myself, What I can do with what I have to make things better for others?' The students good deed hasnt gone unnoticed. Barnard said a man who heard about the donation contacted the school and offered to pay for the rafting trip when restrictions are lifted. Ive seen a lot of beautiful aspects of this rising generation come out during this time, Barnard said. None of these students said, No, we want that money.' Here's a look at some of the strangest news stories from the past week. In 1991 Hollywoods one of the largest responses to the AIDS epidemic, a $1 million+ fundraiser was held at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, California. Bette Midler, Carol Channing, Tyne Daly, Melissa Manchester, Lainie Kazan, Richard Dreyfuss, Jennifer Holiday, and others gathered to support the AIDS Project of Los Angeles Bette received APLAs Commitment to Life award along with MCA Inc. President Sidney Sheinberg and AIDS research specialist Dr. Joel Weisman in recognition of their work in battling discrimination and the disease. Midler seemed downbeat about Hollywoods response to AIDS. I didnt start running for the hills like a lot of people did, she said, referring to the mid-80s when Hollywood responded tepidly and nervously to the epidemic that has ensnared the film community. She said, in a cracking voice, Nearly everyone I started out with has died. In 1991 alone, 29,850 Americans died from HIV infection This is what life was like in 1991 Heart-wrenching. Cross your fingers for not-so-foggy weather, ditch your sweatpants, and get excited because outdoor dining in San Francisco is finally here. Or, you can road trip to Yosemite! You can also stay inside for virtual SF Design Week; treat yourself to a cake that benefits organizations fighting for equality; learn more about the Fillmore jazz era; and grab some Golden Gate Park merch. Order a Do Better Cake from Natty Cakes. All cake proceeds go to an organization of your choice working to end racial injustice, including Color of Change and Black Visions Collective, pick up on Friday or Saturday. // $100, lovenattycakes.com Visit Yosemite National Park. Now that the park and lodging options are officially open, get out and explore 800 miles of trails. For now, the park is limiting vehicle entry to 50 percent of the usual June entry rate. // Find details and reserve a permit on nps.gov Virtually attend SF Design Week. Get ready for ten days of studio crawls, networking events, designer spotlights, and more. The festival kicks off Monday with a keynote by Alana Washington who will discuss challenges designers face and the impact of social unrest on Black designers, through Thursday June 25. // $39 for an all access pass, Eventbrite Visit Golden Gate Park's pop-up welcome center. Inside a refurbished freight container by the Conservatory of Flowers, you'll find Golden Gate Park 150th Anniversary merchandisethink hoodies, beanies, and postersplus park-inspired items by local artists, 11am to 6pm PST daily. // goldengatepark150.com View Museum of Craft and Design's Design by Distance. The virtual exhibit highlights the different ways that designers around the world are developing objects, garments, and spaces during the Coronavirus pandemic, through December 31. // View on sfmcd.org Watch Oaklandbased and American Conservatory Theatertrained actor Delroy Lindo in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods. // netflix.com Learn about jazz history and the West Coast African-American experience with documentary filmmaker and writer Elizabeth Pepin Silva and photographer and archivist Lewis Watts. In addition to watching a slideshow presentation, hear about the new edition of Harlem of the West: The San Francisco Fillmore Jazz Era, featuring photographs, memorabilia, and interviews with Fillmore jazz musicians, Friday at 12pm PST. // Details on moadsf.org Catch a drive-in movie in Alameda. This weekend's options include Jurassic Park on Friday and Grease on Saturdayjust remember to bring some popcorn! When you pay to park, receive a free GA ticket to the 2021 Alameda County Fair, Fridays and Saturdays through August 1st, gates at 7:30pm PST and movie begins at dark. // alamedacountyfair.com Dine al fresco at a reopened San Francisco restaurant. Expect limited capacity and social distancing measuresand don't forget your mask!! // 7x7.com Watch SF Recovery Theatre and PianoFight's dramatic reading of Race by David Mamet, Friday (live) and Saturday and Sunday (rebroadcast) at 7:30pm PST. // $20 suggested donation, password is 152991, zoom.us Participate in The National Arts Drive. Follow an interactive map while staying within your car to see visual art installations and performances from driveways, balconies, windows, and front lawns in cities across the US, Canada, and Mexicoincluding San Francisco, Saturday from 1 to 4pm PST. // nationalartsdrive.com Treat dad to a Bay Area made Father's Day gift. // 7x7.com Listen to live music performed from a truck bed outside The Riptide. Grab a drink and get ready to groovewhile social distancing of course! Regularly check the bar's Facebook page for times and details. // Facebook Unleash your inner kidor keep your kids busy at homewith Le Marais Bakery's new Bake at Home Kids Kit, featuring rainbow sprinkle cookie, snickerdoodle cookie, and marshmallow brownie mixes. // $49.95, williams-sonoma.com Watch Oakland rapper G-Eazy's new "Love Is Gone" video. While the song first came out back in 2017, the message remains relevant today. In addition to a new verse by California rapper JAHMED discussing police brutality, discrimination, and recent protests, the newly released video features clips of protestors advocating for change. // youtube.com If you missed Brianna Noble protesting in Oakland via horseback, visit a mural depiction of her by Bay Area artists leading a march outside of Luka's Taproom in Oakland. Celebrate dad with Stern Grove Festival's Father's Day Funk. While the in-person music fest is cancelled this summer, catch weekly virtual video playlists with different themes featuring past performances, special guests, and more, Sundays at 4:30pm PST through August 16th. // Details on sterngrove.org Tune in to Drake's Brewing Company's first ever Fire Fueled Fowl Play Date with Henhouse Brewing. Enjoy a panel discussion with Bay Area beer experts Sayre Piotrkowski and John Gilloolywhile they simultaneously drink some brews and munch on hotter and hotter wings, Sunday at 6pm PST. // Details on drinkdrakes.com A part-time shop assistant who used what she learned in the retail industry to launch a luxury shoe label is on track to turn over more than one million dollars in her first year of business. Sara Caverley, 38, originally founded Sol Sana footwear in 2010, but two years ago, decided to start a new brand, Caverley, which hit the US and Australian markets in August 2019. Since then, the Sydney-born designer has been selling between 800 and 1,000 pairs of women's boots, heels and sandals a month, netting the business an average of $83,333 USD ($125,000 AUD) - meaning the the company will turn over $1million USD (just over $1.4million AUD) by the end of August. 'Even with everything that's happened with COVID-19, we're still on track,' Ms Caverley told Daily Mail Australia from her apartment in Manhattan, New York where she is riding out the pandemic. Scroll down for video Sara Caverley (pictured), whose footwear label is on track to making seven figures in its first year of business The best-selling $209.95 Lulu sandals in tan (left) and sky blue (right) After cutting her teeth as a sales assistant during high school, Ms Caverley moved into wholesale buying and quickly spotted a gap in the Australian retail market for high quality leather shoes at a reasonable price. 'I had absolutely no experience in design, development or production, so it was all on the spot learning and a lot of trial and error,' she said of her first foray into the fashion industry with Sol Sana. She cut ties with the company in 2018 due to creative disagreements about its future. With the help of a business partner who has more than 20 years' experience in the US fashion market, Ms Caverley refocused and launched her namesake which is inspired by her personal style. New York fashion designer Danielle Bernstein wears a pair of $199 'Candice' mules (left) and $209.95 'Lulu' sandals (right) from Caverley on May 5 Melbourne blogger Jacquie Alexander in the newly released $199 'Trish' mules 'Caverley represents what I want to wear. It's price is a little bit higher than my previous offering, because we use premium materials like one-of-a-kind leather and luxury trims,' she said. Judging by sales figures, it seems it represents what thousands of customers want to wear too. Sara Caverley, who went from part-time shop assistant to CEO of a successful fashion label Australians love her heeled sandals which range from $209.95 to $229.95, while in America her best-seller is a $250 pair of suede over-the-knee boots. The Lulus, a pair of strappy, sky blue heels that lace up around the ankle, have been flying off shelves since they were worn by New York fashion blogger Danielle Bernstein. The 28-year-old founder of WeWoreWhat posted two Instagram photos in the $209.95 design on May 5, catapulting the name Caverley to the conscious of her 2.4million followers. Ms Caverley works with a public relations agency in Sydney to announce new collections, but she says the growth of the brand has been surprisingly organic. 'I'm so surprised and grateful that I've had this outpouring of support from retailers and influencers. I'm not paying them to wear it, they're just doing it on their own,' she said. The $199 'Candice' mules, which are selling out in Australia and the US An Instagram story from New York influencer Danielle Bernstein that sent sales skyrocketing What are Sara Caverley's business secrets? * Look at the trends and what is happening overseas - but only put out what you would want to buy yourself. * Take inspiration from all elements, old and new, whether that's vintage stores or the current catwalk. * Identify a gap in the market, whether that's for mid-priced heels or something that's not offered by another brand. * Always learn on the spot through trial and error. Advertisement The brand is now stocked on e-commerce giants The Iconic and Revolve, as well as 100 brick-and-mortar boutiques across Australia and the US. It's also available in-store and online at David Jones and Urban Outfitters, with the upcoming collection due to roll out in Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus America-wide. Her meteoric rise to millionaire status is all the more impressive given the current state of the global retail industry. Australian retail turnover recorded its biggest ever monthly fall in April, plummeting almost 18 percent year-on-year, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal. The drop reverberated across every industry, with significant losses in clothing, footwear, fashion accessories, restaurants and takeaways. And still, Caverley is shipping a growing number of shoes every month. 'We certainly experienced some cancellations and issues with delivery through COVID-19, but we've managed to get everything back on track,' Ms Caverley said. 'Retail seems to be moving more towards selling direct-to-consumer [where the manufacturer ships to customers without relying on stockists or department stores] so that's definitely helping us.' An expansion into Canada, New Zealand and Japan is on the horizon, but for now the business is preparing to mark its first anniversary with a seven figure celebration. Analysis banner Business Insider Zoom founder Eric Yuan at the Nasdaq opening bell ceremony on April 18, 2019 in New York City. Kena Betancur/Getty Images Zoom on Thursday admitted that it closed user accounts and meetings meant to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre, after being asked by the Chinese government. It announced a new policy, to continue to enforce bans requested by China, but only for users physically inside the country, as opposed to earlier bans which had affected people elsewhere. Tech companies, like Facebook and Google, have long complied with authoritarian governments' requests to take down politically sensitive content. Academics and activists warn that Zoom's capitulation to China could threaten its foreign user base, and say it raises safety concerns for Chinese people abroad. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Zoom this week admitted to deactivating user accounts and canceling meetings at the Chinese government's behest demonstrating clearly the price tech companies often pay to operate in authoritarian states. Earlier this week Zoom attracted widespread criticism for suspending the accounts of US-based human-rights campaigners, and shutting and shut down meetings commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. China has long written the event out of its history books, and routinely bans discussion of it. In a Thursday blog post, Zoom admitted to blocking the accounts and meetings after the Chinese government told it to, saying that it was complying with "local laws." The company has since introduced a new policy, saying it will "not allow requests from the Chinese government to impact anyone outside of mainland China" (emphasis ours). Instead it says it will censor individual users by geography. If the Chinese government asks Zoom to censor people again, the company will still do it, but only to those inside the country. People commemorate the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Victoria Park, Hong Kong, on June 4, 2020. Geovien So/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Tech companies operating in China are known to censor user content either at the Communist Party's behest, or proactively to avoid upsetting the government and risking retribution. Story continues Some Chinese companies, such as WeChat and Weibo, have also handed over private user data to Chinese law enforcement in the past. The Zoom bans brought to light once more the trade-offs of operating a tech company in authoritarian states with norms far removed from those of the US. Tech's uneasy relationship with authoritarians Censoring content to comply with hardline governments isn't a new for tech companies. Earlier this year Facebook promised to take down "significantly more content" that the Vietnamese government considered "anti-state." It came after the country took Facebook's local servers offline, which dramatically decreased people's access to the platform. Sources at Facebook told Reuters that it does not usually comply with government requests to censor content, but having its servers taken down had forced its hand. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Financial Services Committee in Washington, DC, in October 2019. Reuters/Erin Scott Moderators at TikTok owned by the Chinese company ByteDance have in the past also been instructed to censor posts and users mentioning politically-sensitive topics in China, including Tiananmen Square and the oppression of the Uighur people in Xinjiang province. Last November, TikTok was forced to issue a public apology to Feroza Aziz, a 17-year-old American teenager whose account it suspended after she posted viral videos condemning China's oppression of Uighurs. (TikTok insisted at the time that Aziz was suspended for featuring Osama bin Laden's face in a previous video, rather than for criticizing China.) Two years ago, Google was also found to be secretly planning to launch a censored search engine in China. The plan, known as Project Dragonfly, was axed in July 2019 after widespread protests from within and outside the company. Other authoritarian states, like Turkey and Venezuela, also frequently impose internet blackouts to prevent people from organizing protests or spreading unwelcome news about the state. A composite image of TikTok's logo and Feroza Aziz. Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters; Feroza Aziz/TikTok 'Are you trying to curry favor with the Chinese Communist Party?' Critics have long suspected Zoom's links with China. After a report from in April from Citizen Lab, Zoom admitted that it had been routing some calls via Chinese servers, potentially giving the authorities a way to demand access to the data. It claimed this was due to a capacity issue, and was a mistake that would not be repeated. In a Thursday letter to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan addressing the censorship of the Tiananmen Square activists, US Senator Josh Hawley asked: "Are you trying to curry favor with the Chinese Communist Party?" Zoom's exact relationship with China is not clear: while it is headquartered in California, its software appears to be developed in China, according to Citizen Lab. It also employs more than 700 employees in China, including many of its product developers and researchers, according to its latest SEC filing. It's also not clear whether Zoom has shared user data with China in the past this could include account details, billing address, or even the content of meetings. On Thursday it did not share data related to the Tiananmen Square calls. Two members of the House of Representatives wrote to Zoom Thursday asking it to clarifying its data-sharing relationship with China, but the company has not yet responded. The size of Zoom's user base in China is also not clear: According to its Fiscal 2020 report from March, the Asia-Pacific region has made up just 8% of the company's revenue since 2018. (The Americas, meanwhile, generate more than 80%.) Zoom's user numbers in China have skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic, however, with 5.4 million new downloads of its mobile app from Apple's China store since 2020 alone, Reuters reported. Many people in other countries have also downloaded Zoom during the pandemic as countries impose lockdown measures. Zoom celebrates its Nasdaq listing. Kena Betancur/Getty Images 'A really dumb move' News of Zoom's censorship has also unnerved academics and activists, given its growing use in university and school classrooms. "Zoom is now the primary platform for on-line university teaching in the US," tweeted James Millward, a history professor at Georgetown University, on Thursday. "US universities cannot contract with an entity that censors or potentially censors our faculty or student's content," he said. "More seriously, this raises more questions about safety of Chinese students even in US, and their families at home." "This is a really dumb move on Zoom's part, threatening much of the company's remarkable growth over the past months. They are not the only company supplying meeting software." Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, also tweeted Friday: "Does @zoom_us really think that this won't come back to bite it?" "#China #Tiananmen episode is appalling on many levels, but capitulation also doesn't get you safety," she added. "It gets you more demands for capitulation!" Read the original article on Business Insider Plan of action: Presidential candidate Joe Biden holds a round-table meeting, on the subject of reopening the US economy, in Philadelphia. Photo: Getty Images With the number of US coronavirus cases now topping two million, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has criticised President Donald Trump's handling of the pandemic, saying Trump "refuses to take the virus seriously". Noting that the number of Covid-19 cases continued to rise in more than 20 states, Mr Biden, who faces Mr Trump in the November 3 election, accused the Republican president of "trying to ignore reality". "Just like Donald Trump could not wish the disease away in April, or tweet it away in May, he can't ignore it away in June," Mr Biden, who was vice president under Barack Obama, said in a statement. "Even now, after the incredible toll our country has already paid, President Trump refuses to take the virus seriously." Mr Trump's campaign responded by pointing to the president's travel restrictions from China, saying they saved "countless lives". "Under the president's leadership, the United States has conducted more virus tests than all other nations combined," said campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh. "Joe Biden continues to lob ineffective partisan bombs from the sidelines, looking for relevance where there is none." Mr Trump's campaign said on Wednesday it would hold a rally - his first in months since the pandemic shut down most of the country - on June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both Mr Biden and Mr Trump held small-scale round-table events on Thursday, with Mr Biden in Philadelphia and the president in Dallas. More than 116,000 people in the US have died during the coronavirus outbreak, the most of any country. About half-a-dozen states, including Texas and Arizona, are grappling with a rising number of coronavirus patients filling hospital beds, fanning concerns that the reopening of the US economy may spark a second wave of infections. Mr Trump and Mr Biden have headed to must-win election battlegrounds, slowly resuming campaign activities. Mr Trump hosted a campaign-style roundtable at a church in Dallas focused on aiding minority communities amid ongoing national protests over racism and police brutality. Biden unveiled an economic reopening proposal in Pennsylvania. Ahead of the election, recent opinion polls have shown Mr Trump in a dead heat with Mr Biden in Texas, which the Republican won by nine percentage points four years ago. "I know we're doing very well here," Mr Trump said at the event. Speaking to faith leaders, small-business owners and law enforcement officials, he pledged to improve access to capital for minority-owned businesses. Earlier in the day, Mr Biden held a campaign event in Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, a state his campaign regards as crucial. He rolled out a plan to reopen the economy, calling for expanded coronavirus testing and protective equipment for people who go back to work, paid sick leave, small-business grants, and hiring a workforce to test the spread of the virus. When the lockdown novelties of puzzles and reading wore off, Ed Williams looked to the skies for a new boredom-buster. He set up #birdthefeckathome, a Facebook page dedicated to bird watchers or twitchers. The Melbourne nature-lover uploaded a list of all the bird species in the world there are 10,770 for people to spot from their backyards and alerted his bird nerd mates from the US and UK. Bird watchers Ed Williams and children, Elise, 4, and Hugh, 7. Credit:Eddie Jim What started as a small distraction from homeschooling his two children quickly took flight. Within the first 24 hours, more than 200 species had been sighted. It just sort of took off and it got big quite quickly, so I recruited admin helpers because there was no way I could keep up with it, Williams said. Concerns have surfaced in Italy that thousands of migrants will again begin to arrive on Italian shores, with coronavirus lockdown measures eased and NGO vessels recently resuming their patrols in the Mediterranean. According to Italian newspaper reports quoting intelligence sources, more than 20,000 migrants are ready to depart from Libya. NGO rescue boats had stopped operating in the Mediterranean during the Covid-19 lockdown and Italy closed all of its ports, declaring them unsafe and saying it could not guarantee the safety of migrants. This brought a stop to migrant arrivals in the last few months. The coronavirus emergency has, for now, blown over in Italy, and the weather has improved as the summer approaches. This has led migrants to resume their crossings and there are fears the number of arrivals from North Africa will increase dramatically. Recent arrivals have brought migrants to Italian beaches on rubber dinghies and fishing vessels. So far this year more than 6,000 have arrived, according to the Italian Interior Ministry, compared to under 2,000 in 2019. Right moment for crossing Intelligence sources say that during the months of lockdown militias and traffickers have been holding the migrants and waiting for the right moment to find them a way to make the crossing to Italy. This week another tragedy occurred when a ship packed with migrants and bound for Italy sank off the Tunisian coast after leaving from Sfax. Dozens of people, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa drowned. Tunisia has launched an investigation. Charity boats operated by the German NGO Sea Watch and the Italian NGO Mediterranean Saving Humans are already back at work patrolling the Mediterranean and ready to provide assistance if they find migrants in need at sea. Migrant relocation mechanism With increasing fears of new imminent arrivals and a new immigration emergency the Italian authorities are stepping up efforts to discuss bilateral efforts to find ways to stop or limit departures with countries like Libya and Tunisia. Story continues Italy has already assured Libya that it will provide ships and other equipment promised to Tripoli to help it patrol its coastline. Italy and four other European nations, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus, wrote a letter to the European Commission this week calling for a new approach in the EUs management of repatriations and more collaboration on the distributions of asylum seekers. Italys Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese would like to see the introduction of a compulsory, automatic relocation mechanism involving the distribution of migrants rescued at sea between all EU member states and at the same time a common expulsion policy for all those who are not eligible to stay in Europe. But far-right leaders like Matteo Salvini of the League party and Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy party hold out little hope that the EU will listen to these requests. Read also: India surpassed the three lakh-mark on Saturday with the worst daily spike of 11,458 infections. IT major Infosys is facing yet another charge of racism as one of its former employees has filed a lawsuit against the company. Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi says he has tested positive for COVID-19. Deccan Herald's podcasts are now available on your favorite podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and many more. Do subscribe to our Podcast there! Catch our feature show, The Lead, Monday to Friday at 7 am, and our evening news catch-up show From the Newsroom every day at 6 pm. (CNN)Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin could receive more than $1 million in pension benefits during his retirement years even if he is convicted of killing George Floyd. Chauvin has been the subject of national fury since last month, when footage emerged of him kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd begged him to stop. He was quickly fired from the department where he had worked since 2001, and amid national protests, was eventually charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers involved with the incident were also fired and face felony charges. But Chauvin still stands to benefit from a pension partially funded by taxpayers. While a number of state laws allow for the forfeiture of pensions for those employees convicted of felony crimes related to their work, this is not the case in Minnesota. Read Full Story .... HERE >>> : Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Myonna had been with a group of children at an apartment in a building adjacent to the one where her family lives in the Oak Park complex on 30th Street SE in the Buena Vista neighborhood. Hinton said one boy found the gun in a drawer and passed it to the 8-year-old, who fired it. DeSales University is joining other Lehigh Valley colleges and universities in planning for the return of in-person classes this fall, albeit with COVID-19 precautions in place and a truncated schedule. Changes include COVID-19 testing at the Upper Saucon Township campus; increased sanitizing; strong inventories of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies; and making masks available to all students. Lehigh University and Moravian College announced they will welcome back students for at least the fall semester. State officials said colleges and universities could restart in-person classes on June 5 in yellow and green counties; by that time, all Pennsylvania counties were in the yellow or green phases of reopening. In a letter Friday, DeSales President James Greenfield said students will report to campus in August. Classes will be a combination of in-class instruction and online resources, including Zoom participation as needed. Classrooms and other spaces have been reconfigured to ensure social distancing. There will be no day off for Labor Day and no fall break, and in-person classes will end on Nov. 20. Online final exams will be scheduled from Nov. 30 through Dec. 5. Where possible, paper-towel dispensers and faucets on campus were changed to touch-less equipment, and automatic doors activated by touch-less sensors were installed on high traffic building entrances and exits. The university will use COVID-19 testing equipment that can provide results within one hour, and a centralized internal COVID-19 response team that will be able to conduct contact tracing. The Wellness Center in the Dorothy Day Student Union will have a COVID-19 suite with a separate outside entrance, exam room and triage area. COVID-19 specific isolation housing has also been created. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. The most important stories for you in one place. Starting with Luxembourg: 8 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the last 24 hours, with again no patients in intensive care. Meanwhile, the country is ramping up its testing capacity. 23,000 tests have been carried out so far as part of the large-scale testing project across the country. The National Research Fund reported that Friday's storm damaged the large-scale testing centre in Machtum on the Moselle river. The centre is expected to remain closed until Wednesday. News from around the world: Dozens of people tested positive for the coronavirus in Beijing as parts of the city were locked down Saturday after the emergence of a new cluster linked to a wholesale food market. Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands have signed an agreement with pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca to guarantee the supply to the EU of 300 million doses of a possible coronavirus vaccine. The development of a vaccine could be successfully completed by the end of the year, German government sources told AFP. Nepali police arrested 10 protesters including foreign nationals from Australia, the United States and China on Saturday as hundreds staged a demonstration in Kathmandu against the government's handling of the virus crisis. Chile's health minister resigned Saturday as the pandemic is hitting the country hard despite a quarantine in place in the capital for more than a month. Chile registered its worst daily figures on Friday, with 222 deaths and more than 6,700 new infections in the previous 24-hours, authorities said. Russia on Saturday more than doubled its official coronavirus death toll for April to 2,712 after changing how it classifies fatalities. The April figures from Rosstat, the official statistics agency, include 1,270 deaths where the virus was the main cause. But they now also include deaths where the victim tested positive for the virus but it was not the main cause of death. France will gradually reopen its borders to countries outside the Schengen zone from July 1, the interior and foreign ministers said in a joint statement on Friday. Coronavirus-hit car rental company Hertz was granted permission Friday to sell $1 billion in shares, an extraordinary move after it declared bankruptcy in the United States and Canada. Drivers can save money on the long run, by setting higher deductible levels, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that explains how high deductible levels affect car insurance premiums. For more info and free car insurance quotes online, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/why-you-should-opt-for-high-deductible-levels/ One of the most crucial decisions a policyholder can make while purchasing insurance is the amount of money he is willing to pay on the collision and comprehensive policy deductibles. Depending on the amount the policyholder set on his deductibles, the premium rates can increase or decrease. Policyholders can save money by raising their deductibles. If a policyholder raises his deductible from $300 to $900, he can expect to see a significant drop in the amount he pays towards the monthly premium. Drivers should make sure they have the amount they set on their deductibles available at any time. If something goes bad with their car, policyholders will have to first pay the amount set on their deductibles, before the insurance policy kicks in. On average, policyholders can save as much as 30% by setting high deductible levels. Before setting a deductible amount, policyholders should consider several factors like their income, savings, credit lines, driving history, and vehicle value. It's no point setting a high deductible value if the policyholder's car value is low. Policyholders should review their insurance deductibles at least once a year. They should consider if they can still comfortably pay for the deductible if they had an accident today. For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/ Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. That iron hand in the demonstrably iron glove View(s): To those who scoffed that the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Presidency would not come in with a sweepingly heavy hand after the first few months of sweetness and charm, this frightening moment of the iron hand in the iron glove that Sri Lanka is experiencing at its onset must surely teach otherwise. The world vis a vis Sri Lanka Indeed, there is a frontal irony here. This is the precise point that the very military itself in the United States is decisively stepping back from a threateningly aggrandizing role that President Donald Trump wants to foist on it against American youth protesting racial injustice in the street. In direct contrast, we are embracing militarisation of civilian spaces with little opposition. There are other bitter-sweet ironies here. Speaking at the plenary session of the Law and Society Association (LSA)s global law conference at Seattle in late May 2015, I had to explain just how important the Rule of Law had become in Sri Lankas rejection of a strongman President in 2015. This was when strongman supremacy was emerging in the United States, with tinman copycats poised to strike elsewhere in the world. In Sri Lanka, I said, voters remained unpersuaded by the rejection of institutional checks and balances and disturbed by a country becoming the fiefdom of a corrupt few. And though it was true that the minority vote was vital in that outcome, Sinhalese votes also shifted in the face of the rude impeachment of a Chief Justice, murders of journalists, ruggerites and dissenters and rampant corruption. In retrospect, one cannot be blamed for failing to forsee the calamitous extent and awful consequences of misrule by the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe alliance, though early signs had begun to emerge even at that time. Neither could one have imagined colossally stupid boasts by some in the Tamil alliance who should have known better, that the Tamil vote was the kingmaker as against a divided Sinhala vote. Less said of secretive Constitutions and Counter-Terror laws or of bond scams perpetuated on the Central Bank, the better. But the result is that, even as a covid- 19 afflicted world furiously reacts to strongman politics in 2020, what is unraveling here is the polar opposite. Resist at your peril Earlier this week, Seattles mayor, Jenny Durkan demarcated an autonomous zone for protestors saying that this is not terrorism. It is patriotism, and issued a scornful denunciation of President Trump, adding, we do not need anyone, including the President, to try to sow further divide, further mistrust and misinformation. In Sri Lanka, we see the contrary with brutal police assaults on otherwise insignificant protestors using the Black Lives Matter platform a few days ago. The arresting of an attorney during that protest reportedly for asking why the protestors were being arrested show that civil liberties jurisprudence developed painstakingly through the years by the Supreme Court has dissolved into thin air. As the Bar Association of Sri Lanka remains silent on this as well as on the continuing detention of a Muslim attorney without due process, the message is very clear. Resist at your peril. Savagely violent policing and militarisation are two parts of the same dangerous coin. Both are without accountability. And for Sri Lankas table thumping Defence Secretary and his enthusiastic acolytes, what is most important to take heed of is what the US military says in a categorical rejection of its role in civilian affairs. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs no less, General Mark Milley candidly apologised for the mistake he made in accompanying the President in walking across the famed Lafayette Square after peaceful protestors were violently ejected, his words reflected salutary warnings issued by top American military men throughout the past few weeks. As he said, that perception of the military involved in domestic politics was wrong. Ominous tectonic shifts in the Republic These are admissions that Sri Lanka should look to even as its fragile democratic structures are undermined by unabashed militarisation under the protective cover of a Presidential mantle. Overt manifestations proliferate, such as one military led Task Force tasked with building a lawful, disciplined and virtuous nation in a Stalinist reading of a perfectly obedient society and another on protection of Sinhalese (Buddhist) archaeological sites. As much as the titles of these Task Forces invoke hilarity, these are not amusing developments. Some may casually dismiss as singular aberrations. But that is a costly mistake. In truth, regardless of propaganda spin, these are ominous tectonic shifts portending splits in the foundations of the Republic. So too are Presidential commands to the public service and this week, to the bankers, to obey or else. The whip is thus being cracked with formidable force in a nation weakened by the devastation of the covid-19 global pandemic. Even so and apart from issuing inane statements, the political opposition is rudderless and directionless. Irresistibly, they remind one of terrified sheep, running to one corner of the field at one time and another, immediately thereafter. For not content with cynical manipulation of the democratic system during 2015-2019, the Ranil Wickremesinghe-led United National Party is now solely preoccupied with fragmenting the opposition to the very end. But there is a cruel logic to this. However much civil liberties deteriorate in Sri Lanka, politicians will not be affected, whether of the Government or of the Opposition. That will be left to the citizenry to face, from the war afflicted in the North to the Muslims who face most certainly, the full brunt of a racist attack directed at their communities and indeed, including the Sinhalese poor. Resistance to militarisation, a clarion call An administration which prioritises the return of the rich and the privileged to the country while ignoring the plight of migrant workers in West Asia, treated worse than animals by their host nations overcome by the global pandemic, cannot be expected to care very much about the populace, majority ethnicity notwithstanding, once power is ceded fully into its grasp. With the implosion of the economy in the wake of the death blow struck by covid-19, the first victims will be the poor, of all ethnicities, That is already happening now. And as much as the Sixth Force of the Ranaviru (warriors) are utilised purely as a nationalistic device to stir communal divisions, so too are pledges to uphold the Sinhaleseness of our archeological sites, historical sites and our cultural icons. At the root of all of this is a naked ambition for power, more power and yet more power. But all that is not unique in the trajectory of Sri Lankan politics. What is however manifested for the very first time since the decades following independence from colonial rule is that, the nation is being precipitated into military rule in all but name, with institutions such as the Parliaments, courts, the public service being rendered subordinate if not creepingly subservient. Ahead of the 2020 Parliament Election, resisting the militarisation of Sri Lanka with all means at our collective command must be our first priority. This must be the unifying clarion call from the North to the South. By Laila Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil was little changed on Friday and headed for a first weekly fall since April as new U.S. coronavirus cases spiked, stoking fears of a second wave of the virus hitting fuel demand By Laila Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil was little changed on Friday and headed for a first weekly fall since April as new U.S. coronavirus cases spiked, stoking fears of a second wave of the virus hitting fuel demand. Brent was up 24 cents at $38.79 a barrel by 1:10 p.m. EDT (1710 GMT), while West Texas Intermediate lost 8 cents to $36.26 a barrel. The oil benchmarks were heading for weekly declines of around 8%, their first after six weeks of gains that have lifted prices off April lows. Fears that the coronavirus pandemic may be far from over has brought the rally to a halt, with about half a dozen U.S. states reporting spikes in new infections. GRAPHIC: Weekly changes in petroleum stocks in the U.S. https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/bdwvkrmkxpm/eikon.png "We definitely have an explosion of cases in areas that were not really affected before," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho. "That ultimately leads to less people driving, less demand for gasoline." At the same time, U.S. crude oil inventories have risen to a record 538.1 million barrels, as cheap imports from Saudi Arabia flowed into the country. The build happened despite producers from the United States, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, cutting supply. The number of crude oil drilling rigs in the United States, an indicator of future supply, fell by seven to 199 this week, data from oil services firm Baker Hughes showed. OPEC+ slashed supplies by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd), about 10% of pre-pandemic demand, and agreed last weekend to extend the reduction. "While a bullish argument can still be made as production continues to decline with demand still showing improvement, we look for the down trend in output to begin slowing appreciably while demand recovery could be downsized if the coronavirus continues to ramp up," said Jim Ritterbusch of Ritterbusch and Associates. (Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar in LONDON and Aaron Sheldrick in TOKYO; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] Advertisement A Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta has been set alight amid protests over the death of Rayshard Brooks, while the city's police chief has announced her resignation. Police say Brooks grabbed an officer's taser and pointed it as he ran away, before cops opened fire and killed him on Friday. After 10pm on Saturday, a fully involved fire was seen inside the Wendy's where the shooting took place, and thick smoke billowed through the air, as multiple smaller fires burned in the parking lot outside of the building. The building was engulfed in flames which shot through the air from the roof, and no emergency responders were on the scene after nearly an hour. Atlanta fire officials said that they were unable to send trucks through the crowds of protesters blocking the roads around the Wendy's, in fear of endangering both the firefighters and the protesters. As the fire grew, fears mounted that it could ignite a neighboring gas station, but by midnight the fire had burned out without spreading further. Demonstrators also shut down all lanes of Interstate 75 near the Wendy's for more than an hour. Police in riot gear were seen advancing on the protesters and making arrests at around 10pm. Traffic was restored on the northbound lanes of the interstate by around 10.30pm. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned on Saturday following the fatal shooting of Brooks, 27, outside of the Wendy's drive-thru late on Friday night. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Shield's resignation, saying the city's top cop offered to 'immediately step aside as police chief so that the city may move forward, with urgency, in rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities.' Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields (left) resigned on Saturday following the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, 27, (right) outside of a Wendy's drive-thru late on Friday night after he fought with police Protesters demonstrate outside a Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta on Saturday where Rayshard Brooks, a black man, was shot and killed by Atlanta police Friday evening following a struggle in the drive-thru line Flames were seen inside and outside the Wendy's at around 10pm on Saturday night after arsonists set it ablaze A person holds a sign as a Wendy's restaurant burns Saturday in Atlanta after demonstrators allegedly set it on fire Fire crews were unable to reach the fire as it burned out of control, after protesters blocked the streets around it Some demonstrators link arms after getting onto I75 and shutting down the interstate in Atlanta on Saturday Demonstrators also shut down all lanes of Interstate 75 near the Wendy's for more than an hour State troopers were seen advancing on the protesters and making arrests at around 10pm, and traffic was restored Some protestors are arrested after getting onto I75 and shutting down the interstate in Atlanta on Saturday Meanwhile, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has released new surveillance footage of the moment of the fatal shooting, which has drawn massive protests and allegations of racism and police brutality. Atlanta police were called to the restaurant on a complaint that a man was sleeping in a car blocking the drive-thru lane as customers waited in line. Police say he failed a field sobriety test and then began to fight as the officers tried to arrest him. Previously released bystander video showed Brooks grappling with two officers on the pavement, throwing punches, and grabbing one of the officer's tasers. The other officer fires his taser at Brooks, which appears to have no effect, and Brooks sprints away. The newly released surveillance video shows Brooks fleeing across the parking lot from officers, and turning and pointing something at the police, which the GBI said was the stolen police taser. An officer then drops the taser that he had fired at Brooks, retrieves his service gun from its holster, and fires at Brooks. New surveillance video released by GBI shows Brooks (circled, right) fleeing towards the right hand side of the image as he is pursued by two officers. Both Brooks and the officer immediately behind him are seen holding police tasers with illumination Brooks (far right) appears to turn and point the stolen taser, as one officer takes cover by the red car and the second officer pursues from the far left of the image Brooks drops the the ground, out of sight behind the silver sedan, as police open fire on him Previously released bystander video shows Brooks in a scuffle as officers tried to take him into custody in a parking lot of a Wendy's on University Avenue at around 10:30pm on Friday. Brooks is seen in the video getting away from the grasp of two police officers and running away from them in the parking lot. He managed to take a Taser from one of the officers before trying to run away. One of the officers is seen getting up and giving chase with what appears to be a Taser. Moments later, gunshots are heard, though Brooks or the officers are not seen at that point in the bystander video. According to his Facebook page, Brooks was married, attended Forest Park Street High School and, at one point, had an internship with the Atlanta Falcons Police attempt to control protesters outside a Wendy's restaurant Saturday in Atlanta. Georgia authorities said Saturday a man was shot and killed in a late night struggle with Atlanta police outside a fast food restaurant Police attempt to control protesters outside a Wendy's restaurant Saturday in Atlanta Protesters gather Saturday at the Atlanta Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks, a black man, was shot and killed by Atlanta police Friday evening following a struggle in the restaurant's drive-thru line Protesters confront police near Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta Saturday in response to the death of Rayshard Brooks The shooting came at a time of heightened tension over police brutality and calls for reforms across the U.S. following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Atlanta was among U.S. cities where large crowds of protesters took to the streets. A crowd of demonstrators gathered Saturday outside the Atlanta restaurant where Brooks was shot. Gerald Griggs, an attorney and a vice president of Atlanta's NAACP chapter, estimated there were 150 people protesting at the scene as he walked with them Saturday afternoon. 'The people are upset,' Griggs said. 'They want to know why their dear brother Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed when he was merely asleep on the passenger side and not doing anything.' THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT AND EXPLICIT LANGUAGE Cell phone video shows Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old black man, wrestling with two white Atlanta police officers near a Wendy's fast food restaurant in Atlanta late on Friday night Brooks was resisting arrest as officers tried to take him into custody for allegedly failing a field sobriety test Brooks is seen getting away from the grasp of one of the police officers during the attempted arrest on Friday Brooks was seen running off with a Taser he took from one of the officers during the scuffle on Friday night The officer on the far right is seen aiming his Taser and shooting at Brooks, but it appears to have no effect as Brooks gets away Moments later, gunshots are heard. Brooks' body appears to be on the pavement on the far right side of the image above Shields, the ousted police chief, said in a statement: 'For more than two decades, I have served alongside some of the finest men and women in the Atlanta Police Department. Out of a deep and abiding love for this City and this department, I offered to step aside as police chief.' 'APD has my full support, and Mayor Bottoms has my support on the future direction of this department. I have faith in the Mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,' Shields continued. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds said his agents worked through the night interviewing witnesses and reviewing video. He said their findings show that Brooks tried to fight off two officers when they tried to arrest him and at one point managed to take a Taser away from one of them. A security camera recorded Brooks 'running or fleeing from Atlanta police officers,' Reynolds said. 'It appears that he has in his hand a Taser.' Protesters rally against racial inequality and the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks, in Atlanta on Saturday Hundreds of protesters gathered in Atlanta on Saturday to protest the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks Protesters march near the Georgia Capitol on Saturday after an overnight Atlanta Police Department officer-involved shooting which left a black man dead at a Wendy's restaurant The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is probing the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks, 27, after a reported struggle with officers ensued during which a Taser was used late Friday During a short foot chase Brooks 'turns around and it appears at that time he points a Taser at an Atlanta officer,' Reynolds said. That's when the officer drew his gun and shot Brooks, he said, estimating the officer fired three times. 'In a circumstance like this where an officer is involved in the use of deadly force, the public has a right to know what happened,' Reynolds said of the decision to quickly release the restaurant surveillance footage. Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Timothy Peek told reporters late Friday that both officers deployed their Tasers in an attempt to subdue the suspect but were unable to 'stop the aggression of the fight.' Reynolds said his agents will turn over results of their investigation to Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, whose office will decide whether criminal charges are warranted against either of the officers. Howard said Saturday his office had already gotten involved. 'My office has already launched an intense, independent investigation of the incident,' Howard said in a statement, saying members of his staff 'were on scene shortly after the shooting, and we have been in investigative sessions ever since to identify all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.' Protesters block University Avenue outside the Wendy's fast food restaurant in Atlanta on Saturday. Hours earlier, a 27-year-old black man was fatally shot by police officers as he was running away Several protesters blocked traffic and sat in the middle of the road during the demonstration against police brutality on Saturday One protester holds a megaphone while chanting slogans near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday Demonstrators including members of Brooks' family gathered Saturday outside the restaurant where he was shot. Police shut down streets for several blocks around the restaurant as protesters marched peacefully in the streets. There was a short, tense standoff with Georgia state troopers who lined up to block protesters as they tried to march onto a nearby interstate highway. The demonstrators eventually turned away. Among those protesting was Crystal Brooks, who said she is Rayshard Brooks' sister-in-law. 'He wasnt causing anyone any harm,' she said. 'The police went up to the car and even though the car was parked they pulled him out of the car and started tussling with him.' She added: 'He did grab the Taser, but he just grabbed the Taser and ran.' Shields, Atlanta's police chief for less than four years, was initially praised in the days following Floyds death last month. She said the Minnesota officers involved should go to prison and walked into crowds of protesters in downtown Atlanta, telling demonstrators she understood their frustrations and fears. She appeared at Bottoms side as the mayor made an impassioned plea for protesters to go home when things turned violent with smashed storefronts and police cruisers set ablaze. Days later, Shields fired two officers and benched three others caught on video May 30 in a hostile confrontation with two college students whose car was stuck in traffic caused by the protests. The officers shouted at the pair, fired Tasers at them and dragged them from the vehicle. When prosecutors charged six officers with crimes in the incident, however, Shields openly questioned the timing and appropriateness of the charges. Rayshard Brooks' killing sparked renewed anger as demonstrators gathered near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday Protesters gesture at passersby near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday A woman holds a sign which reads 'We will not be silent' near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday Protesters make their voices heard during a demonstration near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday Protesters with cell phones gathered near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday A law enforcement official speaks to demonstrators near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday Tensions were running high as protesters expressed their anger near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday Demonstrators hold signs and make gestures toward a George state trooper near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday The shooting of Rayshard Brooks is the 48th police-involved shooting being investigated by state authorities in Georgia this year Protesters chant slogans, hold signs, and walk near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday Protesters come face to face with law enforcement officials near the Wendy's fast food restaurant on University Avenue in Atlanta on Saturday A group called 'Israel United in Christ' protests as they gather at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on Saturday Several protesters at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta protest the police-involved shooting of Rayshard Brooks on Saturday Members of a group called 'Israel United in Christ' protest and sign during a demonstration at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on Saturday A man holds up a sign which reads 'Say his name: Rayshard Brooks' in Atlanta on Saturday A woman holds up a sign which reads 'Justice for Rayshard Brooks' during a demonstration in Atlanta on Saturday Protesters in downtown Atlanta holds signs which read 'Black Lives Matter,' 'Abolish police,' and 'Justice for Rayshard Brooks' Protesters angry over the shooting of Rayshard Brooks gather in Atlanta on Saturday to denounce the police Ashley Brooks speaks as protesters gather on University Ave near a Wendy's restaurant on Saturday A woman holds a sign which reads 'We must dismantle white supremacy now' during a demonstration in Atlanta on Saturday Protesters hold signs which read 'Defund the police' as they walk past a mural of George Floyd in Atlanta on Saturday Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat who gained national prominence running for governor in 2018, tweeted Saturday of the shooting that 'sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death.' 'The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force,' Abrams' tweet said. 'Yes, investigations must be called for - but so too should accountability.' The officers involved in the shooting was not identified. Once its investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office for review. Atlanta, like scores of other major American cities, has been roiled by protests following the May 25 death of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department after one officer, Derek Chauvin, was seen kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes, cutting off his air supply. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other Minneapolis police officers have also been charged with aiding and abetting. Atlanta police have come under scrutiny for actions against protesters in recent weeks. Six police officers - all of whom are black except for one - are facing criminal charges after they were seen violently arresting two college students for violating curfew. Six Atlanta police officers face criminal charges after video showed they used Tasers to arrest two college students - Messiah Young (left) and Teniyah Pilgrim (right) - for breaking curfew Body camera footage shows a group of Atlanta police officers confronting 22-year-old Messiah Young and 20-year-old Taniyah Pilgrim in a car in downtown traffic caused by protests sparked by the killing of Floyd. Video shows the officers shouting at the students, firing Tasers at them and dragging them from the car. Throughout the confrontation, the couple can be heard screaming and asking what they did wrong. The Burundian national flag flies at half mast outside the State House building following the death of Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza, in Bujumbura, Burundi on June 10, 2020. [Photo/Agencies] President Xi Jinping sent a condolence message on Friday to Burundi president-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye on the death of Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza. On behalf of the Chinese government and people and in his name, Xi expressed deep condolences and sincere sympathy to Nkurunziza's family and his country's people. Calling Nkurunziza an excellent statesman, Xi said that he had led the people of Burundi to safeguard national sovereignty and fight foreign interference. Nkurunziza has made great efforts to promote national peace, stability and development, and he was loved by the people of Burundi, Xi said in the message. Xi said that Nkurunziza was dedicated to promoting the traditional friendship with China and boosting mutual political trust. The Burundian leader made important contributions to deepening the China-Burundi all-weather partnership, Xi said. He called Nkurunziza's death a heavy loss not only for the people of Burundi but also for China-Burundi friendship. China cherishes the all-weather friendship with Burundi, and would like to make joint efforts with the country to deepen the friendship and benefit the people of both countries, Xi added. Nkurunziza, 55, died from cardiac disease on Monday, according to a Twitter statement on the official account of the Burundi government. "The government of the Republic of Burundi present their most sincere condolences to the Burundian people in general and to his afflicted family. Burundi has just lost a dignified son of the country, the President of the Republic, a Supreme Guide of National Patriotism," the statement said. Victims of the neurology recall are facing further agony as the Health Minister has admitted he cannot say when key findings into the scandal will be published. Robin Swann has said he planned to release the findings from the second phase of the recall before the end of June. The UUP MLA also said he was due to announce the need for a further phase of the recall. However, this has been delayed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a leading charity branding the situation facing patients caught up in the scandal as "appalling". Mr Swann, who was responding to an update from Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan, said: "The staff involved in taking this work forward were redeployed as part of the response to the Covid-19 outbreak. "It is not possible to provide a date for the publication of the findings from the second phase of the recall at the current time." It is the latest blow for former patients of Dr Michael Watt, who were first informed of concerns about their treatment in May 2018. The neurologist was subsequently suspended by the General Medical Council in November 2019. Responding to Mr Swann's comments, David Galloway, director of the MS Society in Northern Ireland, said: "While acknowledging the pressure the health service has been under in recent months, several thousand people were directly affected by the Dr Watt affair and answers about what went wrong are still needed. "In fact, a case review of deceased patients of Dr Watt, which the RQIA was tasked with, has not even begun. "That this is the position two years after the department announced the recall of Dr Watt's patients is just appalling. "It's vital that the department and the Belfast Trust provide clear answers and assurances that nothing of this nature will be allowed to happen again in our health service." Concerns about potential misdiagnoses of Dr Watt's patients were formally raised in December 2016 by a GP. The Belfast Trust said that patient safety measures were immediately put in place which included restrictions on aspects of Dr Watt's practice. In October last year, the then chief executive of the trust, Martin Dillon, sent a letter to former patients caught up in the recall to apologise for the distress they have experienced. He said: "I also recognise that for some people the outcome of [further] tests may have resulted in deep distress and I am acutely aware of the impact of that news. For that, I am truly sorry." A 34-year-old nine-month pregnant woman from Balkaum, Thane, had to go through a harrowing experience after she had to shift between three hospitals owing to confusion pertaining to her Covid-19 test results, her husband has claimed. The woman has tested positive in her latest report and has been admitted to a Covid facility near Thane railway station. The woman was informed that she tested positive for Covid-19 by the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Kalwa, on Thursday, after which she was admitted to the Covid ward of Thane Civil Hospital at Tembhi Naka the same evening. However, on Friday, Thane Civil Hospital authorities asked her family to shift her to BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai as they did not have anaesthetic or Caesarean facilities. We didnt have her reports when they shifted her to Nair Hospital in an ambulance. Later, Thane Civil Hospital sent her report to Mumbai. But when the reports arrived, Nair Hospital informed us that the name and address on the report was of a different woman and my wife may not be Covid-positive, her husband, 40, said. The family then got her to the Kalwa hospital where she underwent a test again and was found positive. Her husband has alleged that his wife was made to stay in the Covid ward despite not being positive, due to which she contracted the virus. For four months, my wife had not stepped out of the house. So we were also surprised when she tested positive the first time. We have already suffered a lot. I want my wife and unborn child to get proper medical care now, her husband, who works as an autorickshaw driver, said. As she is asymptomatic, she has now been sent to a Covid facility near Thane station. Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) said that there has been no mix up and the woman had been Covid-positive since the beginning. Our lab [at Kalwa] has given the right report in which the name and address of the patient was correct, said Thane civic commissioner Vijay Singhal said. Thane Civil Hospital said that though they may have sent Nair Hospital the wrong report, the woman had never tested negative. Kailash Pawar, civil surgeon of Thane Civil Hospital, said, It is true that we had to ask her to shift to Nair Hospital as we are not equipped for her delivery. Our doctor only checked the last name and gave the report to Nair Hospital without verifying if its the same person. However, she should have asked for her reports at the Kalwa hospital where she was tested. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The All Progressive Congress, APC, may still win the September 16 Edo gubernatorial election despite the qualifications of the incumbe... The All Progressive Congress, APC, may still win the September 16 Edo gubernatorial election despite the qualifications of the incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki from participating in the governorship primary. The APC screening committee disqualified Governor Obaseki from participating in the governorship primary of the party. The disqualification of the embattled governor has been generating reactions. However, political analysts believe the decision of the APC screening committee might not affect the chances of the party in winning in the coming election. A Professor of political science at Osun State University, Bolaji Omitola, clarified that the party has supreme power on its processes. According to Prof Bolaji, Obaseki lost due to a defective certificate, he may have scaled through his first term but recent events in Bayelsa State could have contributed to APCs decision. Prof Omitola said, APC has done what is best for it, and nobody can say what will come out of the election but Obasekis defection might not affect the partys victory in the coming election. It has happened before in Lagos where an incumbent Governor didnt win the party primary and the party still won the election. He said. Meanwhile, another Political scientist, Rasheed Rasheed explained that the APC as a party may not be affected because the overall decision to pick a candidate rests on the party structure. He further said the national leadership were tactical and futuristic in their disqualification of Obaseki. Mr. Rasheed said, Obaseki got the message right. One, as he was disqualified, he knew if he should challenge it, it would open doors to more crises and make him lose focus on his second term bid. The APC too knew that once he is disqualified and he moves to another party, there is no way he will challenge his disqualification in court. The next line of action for Obaseki is so clear in the manner he decided not to challenge his disqualification and his determination to pursue his second term bid. This implies that he will move to another party to actualize his dream. And if all calculations are right, he will move to the PDP because that is the party with the second-largest structure in Edo state. It will be suicidal for him to move to a new party just five months into the election. A party without solid structure abinitio. Its not easy to build a party in such a very short period. The chances of APC are very bright. Though the election in my own reading will be violent and tough owing to what we have witnessed so far in the past. Obaseki and the APC will fight tooth and nail with everything which may make the election bloody. But APC s hopeful candidate Pastor Ize Iyanmu is loved by the people. He has his structure on ground and can match Obaseki in everything needed for the poll. Dont forget Ize-Iyamu has been around for a while and was dropped by Oshiomhole for Obaseki in 2016. I dont see Obaseki coming back though the election promises to be tough and interesting. He added. Omjasvin MD By Express News Service CHENNAI: In a story of hope, a 97-year-old man has recovered from COVID-19 in a private hospital in Chennai, making him the oldest survivor of the virus in Tamil Nadu -- and the second oldest in the country. The nonagenarian, A Krishna Murti, was admitted to Kauvery Hospital on May 30 after testing positive for COVID-19. Speaking to The New Indian Express, Dr Vijayalakshmi Balakrishnan, Senior Infectious Diseases Specialist at Kauvery Hospital, said he was admitted with pneumonia and mild hypoxia. He also had slight hypertension and was on medicine for coronary heart diseases. He had slight breathlessness which however improved very quickly after treatment, she said. ALSO READ | After 12-day battle, 97-year-old, UPs oldest patient, conquers COVID-19 Dr Vijayalakshmi said that the patient was also slightly deaf but the hospital staff still kept him in good mental health by talking to him. Initially, we had put diapers on him but after a few days, the patient wanted to walk to the bathroom himself, she said. The doctor says no experimental drugs were used. We only gave him supportive treatment and he showed good improvement, she said, adding that its not just therapy but the patients confidence too that matters a lot. "His food intake too got better after being low initially. With his family members staying abroad, some of his relatives came to take him from the hospital," the doctor said. Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Executive Director, Kauvery Hospital, said the grit and strong willpower shown by the patient as he fought through the infection was commendable. "We hope that this success brings courage and faith for many people around the world. I would like to thank the patient for imbibing faith in us as we continue our fight against the pandemic," he said. A 95-year-old woman who recovered from COVID-19 in April after being treated at the Government Medical College Hospital in Karur was so far the oldest survivor in the state. Last month, a 106-year-old man from Delhi had been discharged after recovering from the infection and is believed to be the oldest COVID-19 survivor in the world. More than 3 million Americans have glaucoma, a serious eye condition causing vision loss. Using human stem cell models, researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine found they could analyze deficits within cells damaged by glaucoma, with the potential to use this information to develop new strategies to slow the disease process. The study, published June 11 in Stem Cell Reports, focused on targeting genetic mutations within retinal ganglion cells, which serve as the connection between the eye and the brain. Researchers found that when differentiating pluripotent human stem cells into retinal ganglion cells, they were able to identify characteristics associated with neurodegeneration in glaucoma. "Once you've identified a target like this -- what's going wrong in the cells -- this opens up a number of possibilities for the eventual development of therapeutic approaches, especially pharmacology approaches to slow down and reverse these degenerative phenotypes," said Jason Meyer, PhD, associate professor of medical and molecular genetics at IU School of Medicine. The team of researchers was led by Meyer, along with the co-first authors of the publication, Kirstin VanderWall and Kang-Chieh Huang, graduate students from the School of Science at IUPUI in Meyer's lab, which is located within Stark Neurosciences Research Institute. Meyer's lab had previously been located within the School of Science. When retinal ganglion cells degenerate through glaucoma, it leads to the loss of vision and eventual blindness. Researchers in this study derived pluripotent stem cells from a patient that had a genetic form of glaucoma, Meyer said. They then differentiated the stem cells into retinal ganglion cells to search for neurodegeneration deficits. "One of the powerful things about (stem cell research) is when you get the cells from a patient that has a genetic basis for a disease, all of the blueprints are there in the cell's DNA to develop features of the disease," Meyer said. advertisement They also used gene editing technology -- CRISPR-Cas9 -- to introduce a genetic mutation commonly associated with glaucoma into existing lines of the stem cells for disease modeling, as well as to correct the gene defect in patient-derived cells. "CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing approaches not only allowed us to study the disease, but using this approach we were also able to show how correcting the gene mutation reversed the disease, demonstrating the potential for gene therapy approaches as well," Huang said. Meyer said the team discovered dysfunction in the process of autophagy, the body's way of removing damaged cells to regenerate healthy cells. "We found that in the glaucoma patient cells, there are some deficits in this autophagy process, so you had too much cellular junk that was being built up," Meyer said, adding that those deficits correlated with the degeneration of the cells, which would shrivel up and eventually die off. Using a pharmaceutical compound called rapamycin -- which is known to boost the process of autophagy -- Meyer said they found that many of the neurodegenerative characteristics they had previously identified slowed down and the cells seemed to recover and appear more normal. Meyer said human stem cells are instrumental in studying human disease, especially neurodegeneration. Past studies on retinal ganglion cells and glaucoma as a degenerative disease using animal models suggest differences in how cells respond between species. "Since they are human cells, it gives somewhat of a more representative model for us to test pharmacological compounds," VanderWall added, "and it gives us a better idea of how it could potentially be toxic or nontoxic to human cells compared to testing compounds in animals." Meyer said having identified a target within the cells -- the process of autophagy -- the lab's ongoing work will focus on analyzing ways to use different types of pharmaceutical compounds for treatment of glaucoma. As is the case for many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, there are very few treatments, if any, and no cures. "There is a dire need to try and identify new approaches to treat these diseases," Meyer said. Grant support for this research was provided by the National Eye Institute, the Indiana Department of Health Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. JICA suspends funding for cable project By Namini Wijedasa Japanese Govt. seeks clarification on policy matters and Sri Lanka's debt situation View(s): View(s): The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), one of Sri Lankas oldest development partners, has suspended funding for a new transmission line until the clarification of several policy matters such as the financial policies of the Sri Lanka Government and its debt situation including the request for a debt moratorium from Japan. The JICA decision has been notified to the Ministry of Finance. Earlier this year, President Gotabaya Rajapaksas administration requested JICA funding for a 220 kilovolt underground cable from Kerawalapitiya to the Colombo Port. While the Government usually sends a list of proposed projects at the beginning of a cycle, this time it only proposed this transmission line to JICA. However, the Sri Lanka Government also asked Japan for a moratorium on its debt and said that it could not proceed with the JICA-funded light rail project for the next five years despite the loan agreement having already been signed after months of negotiation because the government did not have borrowing space. GoJ [Government of Japan] has concerns on the current debt situation of the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (hereinafter referred to as GoSL) and the financial policy implemented by the new government, according to a letter from JICA to the Department of External Resources of Sri Lankas Finance Ministry. It refers specifically to Sri Lankan Governments three policies and actions which it says the Government of Japan treats with gravity. They are the request for a debt moratorium from the Japanese Government, the construction of new power plants, and the project for the establishment of a light rain transit system in Colombo. Japan will not grant clearance to proceed to the appraisal stage of Sri Lankas request for funding for the Greater Colombo Transmission and Distribution Loss Reduction Project Phase 2 till the above-mentioned situations are improved, JICA says. But the agency says it is willing to restart the process with relation to the project once the Japanese Government confirms the situations are improved. JICA has turned down project financing before but never over fiscal liability or the Sri Lanka Government requesting a debt moratorium. It is also the first time the Government has stated its financial position is bad. For instance, JICA refused to back Phase III of the Outer Circular Highway because the Government wanted to bypass its safeguards (it was funded by the Exim Bank of China); and the Moragahakanda dam which was subsequently built by the Sinohydro China Construction Company. The Japanese Government is worried, not only about the debt situation, but a lack of clarity on Sri Lankas power generation plans, authoritative sources said. Multiple projects including a proposed LNG plant as a joint India-Japan initiative keep getting floated and dropped. The request for a debt moratorium and assertion that the LRT project which Japan was keen on cannot progress for the next five years indicated that Sri Lanka couldnt repay what was already borrowed and that there was no fiscal space even to continue ongoing projects, an official source said. But they (Government) asked funding for a completely new project where it is not clear what the policy is with regard to generation plans, the source said. Separately, they have been approving loans for expensive highway projects. Japan has taken the position that these policy inconsistencies have to be clarified to the satisfaction of the Government of Japan, he added. The biggest point for them was the LRT. By PTI PANAJI: As many as 241 Buddhist monks from Mongolia, who were stranded in Karnataka due to the lockdown, were flown back to their homeland in a special flight from Goa, an official said on Saturday. The flight took off from Dabolim international airport on Friday night, Goa airport director Gagan Malik said. Another official said that the monks were stranded in Karnataka's Hubli due to the travel restrictions. They were brought to Goa on Friday by road. CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES "A Mongolian Airlines flight arrived in Goa to ferry the stranded monks. All the rules related to social distancing and hygiene were meticulously followed during the departure of this group," he added. According to Malik, it was the 41st flight to take off from the Goa airport ever since the country-wide lockdown came into force. Earlier, repatriation flights had flown passengers to different countries, including Russia and the UK. The lockdown came into force in March when it was Goa's peak tourist season. Thousand of foreigners were holidaying in the state when the lockdown was announced. United Nations: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday asked nations engaged in proxy wars to end them, warning that if communities are not allowed to co-exist, the embers of extremism will continue to burn causing sufferings to countless human beings and export of extremism overseas. In his eighth and final address to the UN General Assembly as the US President, Obama admitted that the extremist and sectarian violence destabilising the Middle East and spreading elsewhere will not be quickly reversed. No external power is going to be able to force different religious communities or ethnic communities to co-exist for long, Obama told the world leaders gathered here for the 71st UN General Assembly session. Until basic questions are answered about how communities co-exist, the embers of extremism will continue to burn. Countless human beings will suffer and extremism will continue to be exported overseas, he warned. Across-the-regions conflicts, we have to insist that all parties recognise a common humanity and the nations end proxy wars that fuel disorders, he said. India accuses Pakistan of waging a proxy war by supporting, arming and training militant groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba who launch cross border attacks. In one of the deadliest attacks on the Indian Army in recent years, 18 soldiers were killed by heavily armed Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militants who stormed a battalion headquarters of the force in Kashmirs Uri town early Sunday. Obamas remarks a day after his Secretary of State John Kerry asked Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to prevent terrorists from using his countrys territory as safe havens. In his speech, Obama recounted the progress made in the last eight years of his presidency and said from the depths of the greatest financial crisis of our times we coordinated a response to avoid further catastrophe and return the global economy to growth. We have taken away terrorist safe havens, strengthened the non-proliferation regime, resolved the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomacy. We opened relations with Cuba...and we welcome a democratically elected leader of Myanmar to this Assembly, he said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Minority in Parliament has warned that the countrys streets might soon be littered with dead bodies of victims of COVID-19. According to the NDC MPs, their grim prediction is grounded in the failure of the government to deploy enough measures to contain the disease. Coronavirus cases in Ghana have now reached 10,358, according to latest figures released by the Ghana Health Service. The death toll still remains at 48 while 3,824 have now recovered from the highly infectious disease. Active cases in Ghana now stands at 6,486. There are reports that treatment centres are running out of space but the Ghana Health Service has denied such reports. Addressing the media in Parliament on Thursday, the minority spokesperson on Health Kwabena Mintah Akandor argued the government has failed in the management of the COVID-19 crisis in Ghana. We think that the government at the moment has left all of us to our faith and there are no pragmatic measures in place to combat this particular virus. So looking at the trend, if we are not very careful at a point in time we will see more dead bodies in the streets just like we saw in other countries. People are moving about doing their normal activities as if there is absolutely nothing at stake and it is dangerous for this country. Source: starrfm.com.gh Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on the industry to take bold decisions and make an opportunity of the challenges pandemic Covid-19 presents. Its indeed the need of the hour. Little purpose is served by looking at the challenges with incredulity; taking them on is the best option. But businesses have their own logic and they would grab the opportunities, especially if there is a conducive environment. Meanwhile, the government Mr Modi heads must also get the gist of what he told the industry: Seize the opportunity and take bold decisions. The spiralling number of infections demands that the government rework the way it treats one of the most critical areas of state activity: Healthcare. Reports emanating from various parts of the country are disquieting. There are several instances of healthcare workers contracting Covid and going down. Close to 100 doctors have tested positive for the infection in Hyderabad alone. Hospitals are being overwhelmed in most cities, especially in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, the engines of our economy. Things are not going to improve given the shape of the Covid curve is likely to take. The increasing pressure on hospitals and the healthcare workers is a sad commentary on the priorities successive governments have placed on augmenting healthcare infrastructure. India spends only 3.6 per cent of the gross domestic product on healthcare, which is low even by the standards of peers. The budgetary allocation for the ministry of health and family welfare has seen significant improvement in the last few years and the budget for 2020-21 has allocated Rs 67,112 crores. But the fact is that only a fraction of it goes into capital expenditure while the allocation for Ayushman Bharat, the health insurance scheme, sees its share substantially increased. The net effect is that we have inadequate infrastructure and unhappy personnel. Its time the government realised that banging the plates, lighting lamps and showering flower petals alone cannot make the corona warrior satisfied and India win the war. It is better infrastructure, sufficient supply of personal protective equipment and medicine, paramedical support and, last but not the least, timely payment of salaries that will keep them charged. If the Prime Minister needs a cue, then the Supreme Court has given one on Friday while hearing a petition on delay or non-payment of salaries. You need to do more, the court has told the government. The apex court advised the government to travel the extra mile and channel some extra money to address the grievances of the doctors. No nation can win a war by keeping its warriors dissatisfied, it cautioned the government. True, we need a robust industry with a vibrant supply chain mechanism post Covid but the primary task is that we survive and emerge victorious in the war against the virus. It pays to invest in healthcare, and one can take the success of Kerala with a strong structure starting from the primary health centre, as an example. Time the government took bold decisions and fortified our health infrastructure by investing more. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The largest public event celebrating Israel is going virtual this year to support frontline workers. On Friday, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) announced that the citys 56th annual Celebrate Israel Parade will be broadcast live online on Sunday, June 21, starting at 1 p.m. Since 1965, the parade, which typically draws hundreds of thousands of people to watch more than 40,000 marchers along 5th Avenue, celebrates the Israeli culture and its impact on people around the world. Annually, the Celebrate Israel Parade serves as a global unity platform for all segments of our community and beyond, even as we practice social distancing. While this year well be in virtual mode, were already gearing up for our coming together again next year, on 5th Avenue," said Michael Miller, executive vice president & CEO of JCRC-NY. This years theme is Todah, Hebrew for Thank You, in honor of the workers on the frontline of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To show their support, all money raised during the parade will be donated to the UJA Federations COVID-19 Relief Fund. This year the coronavirus was added to those that try unsuccessfully to separate Israel and New York. But it failed to do so. The parade will march virtually this year, but the love for Israel will be the same and very real. This is always one of the most exciting events for an Israeli in New York and this year is no exception," said Israels Consul General Dani Dayan. This years hour-long celebration kicks off on Sunday, June 21, at 1 p.m. at https://celebrateisraelny.org/ and is available to view on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Organizers of Hong Kong's Tiananmen Vigil, Including Media Tycoon, Face Police Charges By Verna Yu June 12, 2020 Hong Kong police have told 13 prominent pro-democracy activists in the past two days that they face charges for "inciting" people to participate in last week's rally to commemorate the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen crackdown, in what is seen as another move to suppress dissent as Beijing tightens its control of the embattled city. On Thursday, police told Jimmy Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, and three core members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Richard Tsoi and former lawmakers Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, that they would be prosecuted on the charge of "inciting others to participate in an unauthorized assembly." On Friday, the alliance said nine more activists, including its vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung, core members Cheung Man-kwong and Leung Yiu-chung, as well as chairman of the Labor Party Steven Kwok and Figo Chan, the vice convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, which has organized mass protests including the million-strong demonstration that kicked off the anti-extradition movement in June last year, would also face charges. The alliance had organized the annual candlelight vigil for 30 years. The event took place uninterrupted until this year, when police banned the event on the grounds that it would pose a "major threat to public health" even though the pandemic has eased in Hong Kong and major leisure facilities including swimming pools and theme parks have reopened. Thousands, however, defied the police ban and thronged to Victoria Park to commemorate the Tiananmen crackdown anyway. And because police had refused to issue a permit for an organized event, the alliance had urged people in advance to hold individual commemorations, light candles at home, or take part in online meetings on the 31st anniversary of the military crackdown. In a statement, police said they issued a notice of objection to the organizers of the June 4 candlelight vigil, but "some people still ignored it and called on the public to attend an unauthorized rally in Victoria Park." Without giving names, the police statement said it had applied to the court for a summons of 12 men and one woman aged between 24 and 72 on the charge and they were required to answer the charge in court on June 23. Police said they could arrest more people involved in the case. Police have not immediately responded to a reporter's request for comments on Friday. Six of the people contacted by police, Lai, Lee, Ho, Tsoi, Leung and Chan, are also among the 15 prominent democracy activists arrested by police in mid-April on charges of illegal assembly in the biggest crackdown on the semi-autonomous city's pro-democracy movement since mass, sometimes violent anti-government protests rocked the former British colony in June last year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hundreds of community members and leaders are expected to gather virtually Sunday morning to discuss critical issues: education, public safety, workforce, health and housing. The Cleveland Leadership Centers Advanced Leadership Institute is partnering with the Cleveland Foundations Common Ground initiative for the free community conversation on Zoom, beginning at 9 a.m. All are welcome to attend. Click here to register for one or more conversation, and for the list of guest participants who lead organizations and initiatives that to address these issues Heres the agenda: 9 : 00 a.m. Education: Bill of Rights Article 1 - Technology 11:00 a.m. Public Safety: A Community Perspective on What It Means to Protect and Serve 1:00 p.m. Workforce: Choose Your Own Adventure 3:00 p.m. Health: Your Health in a Virtual World 5:00 p.m. Housing: The New Meaning of Home The policy issues and the Advance Leadership Institute are inspired by the work of legacy of Mayor Carl Stokes and his brother U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes. These topics were the five pillars of Mayor Carl B. Stokes visionary platform a half-century ago when he was sworn in as the first African-American mayor of a major metropolitan city, says the Leadership Center. The communitys future still depends on how we respond. Each issue is affected by the coronavirus and the inequities addressed by the Black Lives Matter movement. The conversations are designed to open dialogue, ideas, and minds, and inspire people to action, the Leadership Center says. The Advanced Leadership Institute is a civic leadership development program that brings together emerging, established, and experienced leaders to learn about and address complex community issues, in a collaboration between the Leadership Center and the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College. Applications are being accepted now for the next cohort. A small group of peaceful protestors hold signs and shout slogans in memory of George Floyd in the Silverlake section of Los Angeles, Calif., June 11, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images) Floyd Family Planning Civil Suit Against Derek Chauvin: Lawyer Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for George Floyds family, is planning to file a civil lawsuit against Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyds neck before the man died. Absolutely, he said Saturday morning when asked if the family planned on suing Chauvin personally. The family intends on holding Derek Chauvin fully accountable in every aspect, criminal and civil, for the wrongful death of George Floyd, he added. Crump was speaking during a virtual appearance on CNN. Chauvin and three other Minneapolis police officers responded to a call about counterfeit money at Cup Foods on Memorial Day. After Floyd resisted arrest, three of them restrained him. Chauvin knelt on Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes in a move known as a chokehold, even after Floyd, who complained he couldnt breathe, stopped moving. Autopsies indicated Floyd died from asphyxiation or cardiac arrest while being restrained and that his manner of death was homicide. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin poses for undated booking photographs. (Minnesota Department of Corrections/Reuters) Chauvin and officers Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Keung, and Tou Thao were fired the day after the arrest. Chauvin was later charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, filed charges of aiding and abetting murder against Lane, Keung, and Thao. Eric Nelson, Chauvins attorney, told The Epoch Times this week that he isnt commenting on the case on or off the record. Crumps announcement of a plan to file a civil lawsuit came after a group serving current and former public employees throughout Minnesota said Chauvin could receive more than $1 million in pension benefits. While some states allow for pensions of public employees to be terminated if they are convicted of felony crimes related to their work, Minnesota does not. Floyds death sparked protests and riots across the nation. Activists argue the death is part of a pattern of racial injustice perpetrated by police officers that often goes unpunished. The Minneapolis City Council, including Ellisons son, unanimously voted Friday to pursue replacing its police department with a community-led public safety system. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. The Edo Government on Saturday said it recorded two new deaths from COVID-19 complications. It also said 16 more COVID-19 patients had been treated and discharged from isolation centres in the state. The state said it recorded 28 new cases of the virus. The state governor, Godwin Obaseki, made the disclosure in a statement in Benin. Edo has now recorded a total of 27 COVID-19-related deaths, 130 recoveries and 518 confirmed cases, he said. Mr Obaseki gave the assurance that the government would continue to intensify efforts aimed at containing the spread of the virus. He urged residents to be cautious and abide by all health and safety precautions to protect all citizens, especially the elderly. We have discharged 16 more COVID-19 patients from our isolation facilities. This brings the total number of recoveries in the state to 130. We call on all residents to abide by health and safety precautions to protect our elderly, who are most endangered, he said. (NAN) Connie Crayden has been changing up her look since starring on Married At First Sight earlier this year. And on Saturday, the 28-year-old continued her stunning transformation, debuting her two-toned hair in a selfie shared to Instagram. The makeup artist explained to her fans in the caption that she was after something 'quirky' - opting for platinum bangs and layers, with chocolate brown for the length. That's different! Married At First Sight's Connie Crayden (pictured), 28, continued her transformation as she debuted her 'quirky' two-toned hair in an Instagram photo on Saturday 'Okay about my hair. Last week I went back to see the talented hair wizard at Blonde & Co salon,' Connie wrote. 'I told her I need something a bit quirky, something that's more me.... she did not disappoint.' Capturing a close-up mirror selfie, the reality star had her new tresses freshly blow-dried straight, tucking her hair behind her ears to show the dramatic contrast. Colour change: Previous Instagram posts see the makeup artist showing off sleek, straight tresses with bangs, with one chocolate brown colour all over Connie's striking facial features were also enhanced with a flawless makeup palette. Her TV peers were quick to gush over her new look, with Elizabeth Sobinoff posting the hashtags 'trending' and 'fashionista' in the comments section. While Tash Herz simply wrote 'BB (baby)' alongside a love heart eyes emoji. A whole different Connie! She came across as the shy girl next door while on MAFS, but has since transformed into a glamorous influencer Her makeover comes after Connie signed with an agency to help her secure more opportunities as an Instagram influencer. The marine biology student signed with Society Eight Management last month. Society Eight Management also reps Love Island Australia stars Cassie Lansdell and Isabelle Grace, as well as The Block's El'ise and Matt. Not so shy anymore! Her makeover comes after Connie signed with an agency to help her secure more opportunities as an Instagram influencer Despite coronavirus putting a dampener on this season's casts' emerging influencer careers, most have signed with talent agencies. Cathy Evans is signed with THE.mgmt, who also look after Jules Robinson, Cameron Merchant and Elizabeth Sobinoff. Stacey Hampton previously signed with Neon Model Management, who look after stars from international shows, such as Love Island UK and Vanderpump Rules. | By Alex Likowski In just over three months, the COVID-19 pandemic has cost the lives of more than 113,000 Americans and the jobs of tens of millions more. It has also closed or derailed public schools, disrupted the work of social service providers, and curtailed the service and hours of operation of public transportation. In urban areas like Baltimore, the impact has been magnified, according to a Pew Research Center study released May 26. That study says the areas hardest hit by COVID-19 deaths generally have higher shares of residents living in urban or densely populated suburban areas, and those residents are much more likely to be non-white. The same inequities can be seen in employment, distance learning resources, access to health care, and much more. Alvin Hathaway, Bruce Jarrell, Bronwyn Mayden "This suggests that communities with more white residents have far greater access to testing, treatment, remote work, private vehicles, and single-family homes than communities of color and that coronavirus is not the 'great equalizer' that many pundits purported it to be," says Connor Maxwell, senior policy analyst for race and ethnicity policy at the Center for American Progress. So, what can and is being done right here in West Baltimore? And what else can we all do together to protect the lives and well-being of our greater community? The two panelists on the June 11 edition of Virtual Face to Face with Dr. Bruce Jarrell have devoted their lives to that mission. Bronwyn Mayden, MSW, is associate dean at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and executive director of the Promise Heights initiative. Promise Heights works with schools, community-based organizations, faith-based institutions, and others to improve educational outcomes for youth and ensure that families are healthy and successful in the Upton/Druid Heights communities. Mayden was joined by Alvin Hathaway Sr., DMin, PhD, senior pastor of Union Baptist Church in Druid Hill, a powerful voice for change and empowerment in Baltimore, and longtime University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) partner. Reverend Hathaway, I know you're close to the people in your community, began UMB Interim President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, but what are you hearing about this epidemic? And what can you tell us about how people are feeling? I have basically three strings of conversations, answered Hathaway. There are senior members of the community that are basically terrified. They're in their homes, they are watching the news. They are afraid to interact, and they find themselves really isolated. A second group, he explained, finds COVID-19 to be an impediment, negatively impacting work and income. And then there's a third group, an amazing group, Hathaway continued. Nobody that they know in their immediate circles have gotten it. They move about and they think it's something that's been manufactured and it's not real. The key for his parishioners, he said, is to make certain that the community gets real-time information from subject matter experts, takes appropriate precautions, and advocates for community support. So, we have distributed masks. We have advocated for increased testing in West Baltimore. We have also advocated for people being certain about social distancing so that people do stay away from one another. Although closures and restrictions have been lifting gradually across the state, the Promise Heights initiative, which focuses on families and kids, is looking at an uncertain future. You're really in close contact with the kids in the school level and what they've gone through this spring and what's happening with them this summer, Jarrell said, turning to Mayden. What do you think's gonna happen in the fall? Our kids have not been connecting, in terms of school, Mayden lamented. There has been an effort by Baltimore City Public Schools to give out Chromebooks, first to graduating seniors so they could finish up the year strong. And so, in a number of our schools, students and families got Chromebooks, but even after they got the Chromebooks they didnt know how to operate them, she said. Mayden estimates that more than 25 percent of students in the last 12 weeks of isolation have not been able to go online to access information from the schools. Schools have not heard from these kids, she said. We're feeling good that the restrictions are being eased, in that we have a summer program and our Headstart program, of which the Promise Heights effort is a big supporter of, Hathaway added. We just have to have, I think they said 15 children to a classroom. That program usually takes in about 55 children. So, we have enough space in our ... 30,000-square-foot building. After discussing other community service issues, such as virtual training and workgroups, mental health challenges, and concerns of trust in the health care system, Jarrell turned the conversation to the most heated issue facing the country, racial injustice and the renewed struggle sparked by the death of George Floyd. What are you feeling? Whats going on in the community? Jarrell asked. I need advice. Im obviously white. I dont know all of the issues around this. Im learning them and I want UMB to be at the forefront of this. So how do we get to that position? Even though weve made some progress, you and I know weve got miles and miles to go. The tragedy of seeing in effect the actual asphyxiation, the actual lynching brought back it just took the scab off the wound in the African American community, How we are so vulnerable to people with authority and power, Hathaway explained. In terms of institutions like the University of Maryland, Baltimore, it becomes important that one, I think you evaluate your systems to make sure that your systems are equitable and diverse. The second thing that I think is important is that your intellectual capital should be used to help us in the community to conduct that same type of evaluation. I think that there are a lot of roles that we can play in terms of helping our community move forward from an issue like George Floyd, Mayden added. We also, working with our students to make sure when they come in, that we ground them, that we give them not just the opportunities theyre going to be the ones who work with people who look like me and Reverend Al so that they know how to talk and work with us in such a way thats culturally appropriate. But we also need to ground them in the history of Baltimore, she said. Watch the entire episode of Virtual Face to Face with Dr. Bruce Jarrell by clicking the link at the top of the page. Sitamarhi: A Bihar resident, who was detained by Nepal's security personnel on Friday (June 12) after firing near India-Nepal border, returned to the Sitamarhi district of the state after being released by them. An unprecedented incident took place on June 12 morning in which one Indian was killed and two others were injured when Nepals Armed Police Force opened fire on a group near Lalbandi-Janki Nagar border following an altercation. "We ran to return to our when they (Nepal APF) started firing, but they dragged me and hit me with a rifle butt and later took me to Nepal's Sangrampur. They told me to confess that I was brought there from Nepal. I told them you can kill me but I was brought there from India," Lagan Kishore, the Bihar resident, who was detained by the Nepal armed police, told ANI. He said that he along with his son had gone at the border to meet his daughter-in-law, who is a Nepali national. He claimed that Nepali security personnel hit his son, and when he retorted, they asked him to stay silent. "They called up 10 more security personnel who came to the border and fired bullets in air," he added. One Indian, identified as Vikesh Yadav (22) received bullet injury in the air firing by Nepali security personnel and died on the spot; whereas two others, Umesh Ram (18) and Uday Thakur (24) were wounded. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-14 04:11:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese medical team on Saturday visited the West Bank city of Bethlehem, the epicenter of COVID-19 in Palestinian territories. The team met with Kamel Hmeid, governor of Bethlehem, at the governorate headquarters, where they were briefed on the overall management of the crisis and how the highly touristic district dealt with the outbreak of the pandemic. Hmeid explained that the Bethlehem district managed to move promptly right after the first cases of COVID-19 were discovered. "When we started 100 days ago with the first cases in Bethlehem ... it was a big challenge. We had a strong determination and high spirits, but we did not have high financial or medical capabilities," said the governor. "Nevertheless, we managed to get ready and started our preparations hours after the first cases were confirmed in the Bethlehem district," he added. In early March, the first coronavirus cases in Palestine were recorded in Bethlehem. "We noticed through your presentation that an emergency team was formed under the leadership of the government, which is very similar to the system run in China," said Hu Peng, head of the Chinese team. "We have the same mechanism, where we had multi-disciplinary teams for the health sector, the security and the logistics. It is a very strong guarantee for fighting the pandemic," Hu added. The team of experts also met with doctors and staff of the Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem and visited the COVID-19 testing lab. The team, which arrived in Palestine on Wednesday, was put together by China's National Health Commission with the members selected by the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission. It is composed of experts from various fields, such as respiratory and infectious diseases, traditional Chinese medicine, epidemiology and nursing. They are scheduled to hold a series of meetings with Palestinian counterparts until June 17. Enditem Algeria, which has adopted a neutral stance on the Libyan conflict, says it rejects military intervention. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has said his countrys position on the situation in Libya is to reject military action and to keep a distance from all the parties involved in the crisis. In a press interview, Tebboune said Algeria has always considered the Libyan capital, Tripoli, a red line, and that its fall into the hands of renegade military commander Khalifa Haftars forces would have resulted in an all-out civil war, leading to the collapse of the state. He expressed Algerias readiness to sponsor a peace agreement in Libya as it did in Mali, noting that Libyan tribes accept Algerian mediation. The solution in Libya is seen in our contribution with Egypt and Tunisia in order to reach an agreement on the crisis, Tebboune said. UN horror at mass graves discovery Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a thorough and transparent investigation after mass graves were found in Tarhuna, which was recently recaptured by Libyas internationally recognised government from Haftars forces. Guterres said he was deeply shocked by the discovery of multiple mass graves in recent days, in a statement from his spokesman late on Friday. Yesterday, the UN Mission in Libya expressed horror at the reports of at least eight mass graves in past days, the majority of them in Tarhuna, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for Guterres, in a statement late on Friday. International law requires that the authorities conduct prompt, effective and transparent investigations into all alleged cases of unlawful deaths, the Mission said, he added. Guterres called for Libyan authorities to secure the graves, identify the victims, establish causes of death and return the bodies to the next of kin, and offered UN support to do so. He repeated calls for the fighting to end in Libya and said he hopes a ceasefire will be agreed upon soon. Philippe Nassif, Amnesty Internationals director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the group was working to verify the mass killings. We want to be able to go in, or have the UN go in, and collect evidence of potential war crimes and other atrocities so eventually a process takes place where justice can be served, he said. The UN said earlier in the week that both the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and the rival Libyan National Army (LNA) were engaging in ceasefire talks led by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Last week, the GNAs forces regained control of several areas bordering Tripoli, foiling a 14 months-long campaign by Haftar to seize the city. LNA forces loyal to Haftar have lost control of a number of strategic towns in the west of the country in recent weeks. Haftar also lost Tarhuna, which lies 65km southeast of Tripoli, his last stronghold in western Libya. Oil-wealthy Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 revolt toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi and has since become a battleground for rival proxy forces. The GNA is allied with Turkey and Qatar, while the LNA is supported by Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned a "surge in murders of women and children", after the body of a young woman was found dumped under a tree in Dobsonville, Soweto, on Friday. Since the country entered alert Level 3 of the Covid-19 lockdown on 1 June, there has been a surge in gender-based violence and femicide, the president said in a statement on Saturday. "According to the SAPS there has been an increase in violent crime, especially murders, since we entered alert level 3. We need to understand what factors are fuelling this terrible trend and, as society as a whole, address them urgently," the president said. Ramaphosa also referenced the murders of Tshegofatso Pule and Naledi Phangindawo. Pule, 28, was found stabbed and hanged from a tree in a veld in Roodepoort. She was eight months pregnant when she was murdered. Phangindawo, 25, was stabbed to death in Mossel Bay after she was attacked with a knife and an axe. Other cases in the last week include an elderly woman who was raped and a child who was found dead in a field, and two young women shot dead, in KwaZulu-Natal, and an Eastern Cape woman who was allegedly the victim of a mob killing. Ramaphosa noted that South Africa had among the highest levels of intimate partner violence in the world, and that as much as 51% of South African women have experienced violence at the hands of someone with whom they are in a relationship. The president is deploying ministers and deputy ministers to meet with community leaders around the country as part of national efforts to combat Covid-19. During these visits they will be engaging with communities on this upsurge in gender-based violence, Ramaphosa said. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "In far too many cases of gender-based violence, the perpetrators are known to the victim, but they are also known to our communities. That is why we say this is a societal matter, and not a matter of law enforcement alone. Gender-based violence thrives in a climate of silence. "With our silence, by looking the other way because we believe it is a personal or family matter, we become complicit in this most insidious of crimes," Ramaphosa said. Citing the case of 36-year-old Sibongiseni Gabada from Khayelitsha who was found murdered last month, the president said survivors of gender-based violence believe the criminal justice is failing them. Despite Gabada's boyfriend allegedly confessing to the murder, the case against him was dropped, reportedly due to a lack of evidence. "I urge the SAPS to act swiftly to track down whoever was involved in these murders and ensure there is justice for the murdered women and children. I also urge our communities to end the culture of silence and speak up. In doing so you will be saving lives," Ramaphosa said. The president has urged communities to work with the police and report any information they may have to Crime Stop on 08600 10111, send an anonymous SMS to Crime Line at 32211 or call the Gender-Based Violence Command Centre at 0800 428 428. Source: News24 The coronavirus uses a sugary coating of molecules called glycans (deep blue) to camouflage itself as harmless from the defending antibodies. Simulations by the Amaro Lab of UC San Diego on the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Frontera supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) have revealed the atomic makeup of the coronaviruss sugary shield. Whats more, simulation and modeling show that glycans also prime the coronavirus for infection by changing the shape of its spike protein. Scientists hope this basic research will add to the arsenal of knowledge needed to defeat the COVID-19 virus. Credit: Lorenzo Casalino (UCSD) et al. They say you can't judge a book by its cover. But the human immune system does just that when it comes to finding and attacking harmful microbes such as the coronavirus. It relies on being able to recognize foreign intruders and generate antibodies to destroy them. Unfortunately, the coronavirus uses a sugary coating of molecules called glycans to camouflage itself as harmless from the defending antibodies. Simulations on the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Frontera supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) have revealed the atomic makeup of the coronavirus's sugary shield. What's more, simulation and modeling show that glycans also prime the coronavirus for infection by changing the shape of its spike protein. Scientists hope this basic research will add to the arsenal of knowledge needed to defeat the COVID-19 virus. Sugar-like molecules called glycans coat each of the 65-odd spike proteins that adorn the coronavirus. Glycans account for about 40 percent of the spike protein by weight. The spike proteins are critical to cell infection because they lock onto the cell surface, giving the virus entry into the cell. "You really see how effective its glycan shield is," said Rommie Amaro, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego. "That's because you see the glycans covering the surface of the viral spike protein, which is the most exposed bit and the part that's responsible for the initial infection in the human cell," she said. Amaro is a corresponding author of a study published June 12, 2020 on bioRxiv.organ open-access repository of electronic preprintsthat discovered a potential structural role of the shielding glycans that cover the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. "You can see very clearly that from the open conformation, the spike protein has to undergo a large structural change to actually get into the human cell," Amaro said. But even to make an initial connection, she said that one of the pieces of the spike protein in its receptor binding domain has to lift up. "When that receptor binding domain lifts up into the open conformation, it actually lifts the important bits of the protein up over the glycan shield," Amaro explained. This is in contrast to the closed conformation, where the shield covers the spike protein. "Our analysis gives a potential reason why it does have to undergo these conformational changes, because if it just stays in the down position those glycans are basically going to block the binding from actually happening," she said. Another aspect of their study showed how shifts in the conformations of the glycans triggered changes in the spike protein structure. "One thing that really jumped out at us is that in the open conformation there are two glycans that basically prop up the protein in that open conformation," Amaro said. "That was really surprising to see. It's one of the major results of our study. It suggests that the role of glycans in this case is going beyond shielding to potentially having these chemical groups actually being involved in the dynamics of the spike protein," she added. She likened the action of the glycan to pulling the trigger of a gun. "When that bit of the spike goes up, the finger is on the trigger of the infection machinery. That's when it's in its most dangerous modeit is locked and loaded," Amaro said. "When it gets like that, all it has to do is come up against an ACE2 receptor in the human cell, and then it's going to bind super tightly and the cell is basically infected." The NSF-funded Frontera supercomputer of the Texas Advanced Computing Center at UT Austin is ranked #5 fastest in the world and #1 for academic systems, according to the November 2019 Top500 rankings. Credit: TACC Amaro and her colleagues use computational methods to build data-centric models of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and then use computer simulations to explore different scientific questions about the virus. They started with various experimental datasets that revealed the structure of the virus. This included cryo-EM structures from the Jason McLellan Lab of The University of Texas at Austin; and from the lab of David Veesler at the University of Washington. "Their structures are really amazing because they give researchers a picture of what these important molecular machines actually look like," Amaro said. Unfortunately, even the most powerful microscopes on Earth still can't resolve movement of the protein at the atomic scale. "What we do with computers is that we take the beautiful and wonderful and important data that they give us, but then we use methods to build in missing bits of information," Amaro said. What's more, details of the glycan shielding have been too difficult for experiments to resolve. "What people really want to know, for example vaccine developers and drug developers, is what are the vulnerabilities that are present in this shield," Amaro said. The computer simulations allowed Amaro and colleagues to create a cohesive picture of the spike protein that includes the glycans. "The reason why the computer resources at TACC are so important is that we can't understand what these glycans look like if we don't use simulation," Amaro said. Amaro was awarded compute time on the NSF-funded Frontera supercomputer of TACC. Her team has used about 2.3 million node hours for molecular dynamics simulations and modeling , the most among any researchers using the system to study COVID-19. She used up to 4,000 nodes, or about 250,000 processing cores. Fronterathe leadership-class system in NSF's cyberinfrastructure ecosystemranks as the fifth most powerful supercomputer in the world and the fastest academic system, according to November 2019 rankings of the Top500 organization. In order to animate the dynamics of the 1.7 million atom system under study, a lot of computing power was needed, said Amaro. "That's really where Frontera has been fantastic, because we need to sample relatively long dynamics, microsecond to millisecond timescales, to understand how this protein is actually working." "We've been able to do that with Frontera and the COVID-19 HPC Consortium," Amaro said. "Now we're trying to share our data with as many people as we can, because people want a dynamical understanding of what's happeningnot only with other academic groups but also with different pharmaceutical and biotech companies that are conducting neutralizing antibody development," she said. Basic research is making a difference in winning the war against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Amaro explained. "The more we know about it, the more of its abilities that we're going to be able to go after and potentially take out," she added. Said Amaro: "It's of such great importance that we learn as much as we can about the virus. And then hopefully we can translate those understandings into things that will be useful either in the clinic, or the streets, for example if we're trying to reduce transmission for what we know now about aerosols and wearing masks. All these things will be part of it. Basic research has a huge role to play in the war against COVID-19. And I'm happy to be a part of it. It's a strength that we have Frontera and TACC in our arsenal." The study, "Shielding and Beyond: The Roles of Glycans in SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein," was published on bioRxiv.org June 12, 2020. The study authors are Lorenzo Casalino, Zied Gaieb, Abigail C. Dommer, Rommie E. Amaro of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA; and Aoife M Harbison, Carl A Fogarty, Elisa Fadda of the Department of Chemistry and Hamilton Institute, Maynooth University, Dublin, Ireland. This work was supported by NIH GM132826, NSF RAPID MCB-2032054, an award from the RCSA Research Corp., a UC San Diego Moore's Cancer Center 2020 SARS-COV-2 seed grant, the Visible Molecular Cell Consortium, and the Irish Research Council. Explore further Coronavirus massive simulations completed on Frontera supercomputer More information: Lorenzo Casalino et al. Shielding and Beyond: The Roles of Glycans in SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein, bioRxiv (2020). Lorenzo Casalino et al. Shielding and Beyond: The Roles of Glycans in SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein,(2020). DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.11.146522 Strap: Students from other states can now get themselves enrolled in Punjab government schools by either submitting their school-leaving certificate or report card Simplifying the admission process for students coming from other states, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) has announced that those seeking admission into Classes 9 to 12 in government schools will only be required to submit their school-leaving certificate or report card. If a student is unable to produce either of the two documents, he or she will be admitted on a provisional basis and given time until the commencement of annual exams to submit at least one of the documents, a letter issued by PSEBs examination controller Janak Raj Mehrok stated. Earlier, students had to get a verification letter from the education department or their previous school to apply here. Now, principals will be verifying the students details from the website of the previous board. School education secretary Krishan Kumar, in a video conference with school principals, said the move will simplify the admission process and also increase the number of enrolments in schools. Ujjalvir Singh, principal, Government Senior Secondary School, Dhandari Khurd, said, We have enrolled 227 new students in classes 6 to 12, out of which many are from other states. Now, the school has a strength of 1,184 students. As per directions, we have enrolled the students from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on a provisional basis and will verify their details from boards concerned. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON One of the Kentucky cops involved in the raid in which Breonna Taylor was shot dead is under investigation for sexual assault after multiple women came forward with claims, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced Thursday. Officer Brett Hankison, 44, is said to have offered two of his alleged victims a ride home in his police car before molesting them and is accused of harassing a third woman at a bar as he offered to give her a 'safe ride home'. In each of the accusations, Hankison was said to have been in his police uniform and using his cop car. The women spoke out this week amid protests citing the death of Taylor, 26, on March 13 in Louisville in the fight against police brutality. Officer Hankison has already been accused of having a 'vendetta' against another man and of being 'a dirty cop' in an October lawsuit; he denied all the claims. Officer Brett Hankison, 44, pictured, has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by at least three women and is now under investigation. He is one of three Louisville police officers who carried out a no-knock raid on the home of Breonna Taylor that resulted in her death Breonna Taylor, 26, died in the early hours of March 13 after law enforcement raided the home she shared with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker in Louisville, Kentucky Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced Thursday a broad investigation into the accusations of sexual assault made against officer Brett Hankison after three women came forward Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced the investigation Thursday after law graduate Margo Borders, medic Emily Terry and a third woman Morgan Miller each shared their story on social media this week. The LMPDs Public Integrity Unit had previously opened an investigation into the allegations. 'But now we are also investigating this matter jointly under the auspices of the Kentucky Public Corruption/Civil Rights Task Force, which consists of FBI, LMPD, KSP, and the KY AGs office,' the mayor said in a letter. Mayor Fischer said he has also written to the the River City Fraternal Order of Police demanding that Officer Hankison be removed from his position as a member of the Louisville Police Merit Board. The FOP membership elected him to the board, which reviews any disciplinary appeals and consists of five civilians appointed by the Mayor and two police officers elected by the FOP. 'Given the very serious allegations against him and investigations by the Attorney General and the FBI, it is profoundly inappropriate for him to be in this role,' the Mayor added. 'In the event the FOP does not act, we will work with the Metro Council and Jefferson County Attorneys office to find other ways to remove him from the board.' The Mayor has directed LMPD not to submit any cases to the Police Merit Board for consideration until this matter is resolved. Three woman - Margo Borders, Emily Terry and Morgan Miller- took to social media this week to make the accusations against Hankison. Borders, who studied law at the University of Louisville, said: 'In April of 2018 I went out to a bar with some friends. I went to call an uber home and a police officer who I had interacted with on many occasions at bars in St. Matthews offered me a ride home. 'He drove me home in uniform, in his marked car, invited himself into my apartment and sexually assaulted me while I was unconscious. 'I never reported him out of fear of retaliation. I had no proof of what happened and he had the upper hand because he was a police officer. Who do you call when the person who assaulted you is a police officer? Who were they going to believe?' In a second online accusation Terry, who appears to have recently graduated as a physician assistant from Sullivan University, wrote: 'This is Brett Hankison. In early fall, I began walking home from a bar intoxicated. 'A police officer pulled up next to me and offered me a ride home. I thought to myself, Wow. That is so nice of him. And willingly got in. 'He began making sexual advances towards me; rubbing my thigh, kissing my forehead, and calling me baby. Mortified, I did not move. I continued to talk about my grad school experiences and ignored him. 'As soon as he pulled up to my apartment building, I got out of the car and ran to the back. My friend reported this the next day, and of course nothing came from it.' Three women - Margo Borders, pictured, Morgan Miller and Emily Terry - each shared their story on social media this week. The allegations are now under investigation Emily Terry, pictured, spoke out amid protests citing the death of Taylor in Louisville in the fight against police brutality. She says Hankison assaulted her in his police car Terry, who appears to have recently graduated as a physician assistant from Sullivan University, wrote on Facebook this week: 'He began making sexual advances towards me; rubbing my thigh, kissing my forehead, and calling me baby' Accusing Hankison, Borders said: 'He drove me home in uniform, in his marked car, invited himself into my apartment and sexually assaulted me while I was unconscious' The third accusation was made by Miller who wrote in a Facebook post that she was repeatedly pushed by a uniformed Hankison to take a ride home while outside a bar in Louisville. She refused but he asked her to hand over her phone and he took her number and added her on social media app Snapchat. 'He took my number and scanned my Snapchat ID. He then tried tirelessly to persuade me to get me into his car,' Miller wrote. 'He even begged under the guise to provide me with a safe ride home. I turned him down over and over, and luckily walked away unscathed. 'Weeks later he started sending pictures and videos of himself masturbating via Snapchat. I blocked him immediately,' she continued. 'My story ended with unsolicited pictures of his penis and a blocked number. But I have no doubt that if I got into his car that night that my story, like many of the women coming forward, would be much worse.' Hankison is also the subject of an ongoing federal lawsuit - unrelated to the shooting incident in March - which accuses him of targeting another man, Kendrick Wilson, and planting drugs, The Courier Journal reported. It says Hankison arrested Wilson three times over a two year period at bars where he worked as off duty security. The charges against Wilson stemming from these incidents were dropped on two of these occasions. One case is still pending. The suit says Hankison and Wilson were also involved in 'a relationship with the same woman'. It says the officer was 'unfairly targeting' Wilson. Morgan Miller, pictured, also posted her story to Facebook on June 5 in which she claimed that officer Hankison had attempted to give her a ride home in his cop car from a Louisville bar Miller said in her post, pictured, that a uniformed Hankison approached her and added her on Snapchat. Days later he began sending her unsolicited explicit pictures and videos Taylor, a 26-year-old black emergency medical tech, was shot eight times on March 13 after officers including Hankison and his two colleagues Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, knocked down the front door of the home she shared with boyfriend Kenneth Walker in a drugs raid. No drugs were found in the home. It is unclear which officer fired the shots which killed Taylor but a lawsuit filed by her family said the officers 'spray(ed) gunfire into the residence with a total disregard for the value of human life'. Taylor had no criminal record and worked for two local hospitals. The lawsuit alleges that the three police officers, who are now on administrative leave, fired at least 20 rounds into the home. Breonna's boyfriend Kenneth can be heard on the call crying and calling Taylor's name in the 911 call made shortly after her death. 'Somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend,' Walker tells a dispatcher. He says Taylor is on the ground and that she was shot in the stomach. Prosecutors dropped an attempted murder charge against Walker for shooting an officer who entered the apartment. Also last week, Louisville's police chief announced his retirement and the mayor changed police warrant search policies. Taylor's family says that Louisville cops obtained the warrant used to raid her home based on false information that investigators gave to the judge. The search warrant used to justify the police raid which left Breonna Taylor, pictured, 26, dead on March 13 claimed that Taylor's home was used by a suspected drug dealer, Jamarcus Glover to receive suspicious packages. The family says this claim is false and is suing police Protesters march holding placards and a portrait of Breonna Taylor during a demonstration against racism and police brutality, in Hollywood, California on June 7 Balloons and a drawing for Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police officers, hangs at the fence of Lafayette Square near the White House, to protest police brutality on June 7 Attorneys for the family of 26-year-old Breonna filed a lawsuit against Louisville Metro Police Department alleging that a detective falsely claimed that a drug suspect was receiving postal packages at her house. In the early morning hours of March 13, Louisville police executed a 'no-knock' raid on her home as part of an investigation centered on two men suspected of selling drugs in the Russell section of the city. Taylor's apartment in southwest Jefferson County was more than 10 miles away from the Russell neighborhood, according to the Louisville Courier Journal. Police suspected Taylor's home was used to receive drugs, and a judge signed off on a 'no-knock' warrant allowing law enforcement officials to raid her home. Just before 1am, Louisville police said they identified themselves before using a battering ram to enter Taylor's home, where she and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed. Taylor's neighbors and her family dispute this. They said police never identified themselves, and that Walker, who was legally allowed to carry a firearm, shot at the cops thinking that he was being robbed. Prosecutors dropped an attempted murder charge against Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker for shooting an officer who entered the apartment with a no-knock warrant The suit claims that LMPD Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, left, and officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove, right, entered their apartment without announcing themselves Police responded with gunfire, killing Taylor, who suffered eight gunshot wounds. Walker had been arrested and charged with first-degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer after Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was shot in the leg during the raid. Mattingly, Hankison, and Cosgrove were the three detectives who raided Taylor's home. All three officers are named as defendants in the lawsuit filed by Taylor's family. Eight artistes have been unable to get a flight back home due to Covid-19 travel restrictions A FUNDRAISING campaign has been launched to help eight international circus performers who have been left stranded in West Berkshire due to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. The Mongolian artistes, who are living at Zippos Circus headquarters in Enborne, have been out of work since the Government shut all theatres on March 17 and, with no recourse to public funds, are currently surviving on donations from West Berkshire Food Bank. Thanks to the food bank and help from Greenham Trust, some have managed to make it back home. It is now hoped that around 6,000 can be raised to try and get the remaining artistes back to their home country on the next flight to Mongolia, which is scheduled to leave Germany on Friday next week. Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News, the founder and director of Zippos Circus, Martin Burton, said: Boris [Johnson] announced at 5.15pm on March 17 that all live performances would shut with immediate effect and so the guys instantly became out of work. The circus starts in mid-February, so by March 17 these guys would have only done two or three weeks work and wouldnt have had much of a chance to save. A lot arent penniless or poor, but they had been home all winter and many wouldnt have come here with a lot of money in the knowledge they were coming to do at least 11 months work. The last flight back to Mongolia left on March 17, so the Mongolian guys just missed that. There has since been a flight to Mongolia and West Berkshire Foodbank helped enable two of four we have managed to return home, but we had to fly them from London to Frankfurt as the flight was from Germany. Many of the international artistes, who have come to Zippos from Argentina, Kenya and Morroco, have no access to public funds due to the terms of their Tier 5 visa. Mr Burton said that for the same reasons, many had not been able to go on any of the Chancellors marvelous schemes. He added: They are not asylum seekers. They are not able to ever stay in this country for more than 12 months due to the visa. They pay something called an immigration house surcharge, which pays for their national health insurance if they need it so they are not unfairly drawing upon the system they have paid into it. They pay taxes but cant access public funds due to this visa, so they had no choice but to register with West Berkshire Food Bank, who have been exceptional. Not only do they provide them with food, but also come and check to see if they are okay. They even helped the two Mongolian performers get back home. Mr Burton said that nobody was giving us a date on when circuses and could reopen, but was confident that it would be months away, not years away. He added that the circus itself has been unable to access grants from West Berkshire Council because it doesnt pay business rates. In a plea to MPs recently, Mr Burton said: The circus sector and other showmen feel forgotten by the department for digital, culture, media and sport, which seems to understand buildings but has ignored/forgotten the outdoor event industry. The appeal to get the artistes home is being led by Caritas, the social action agency of the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. The agency covers the whole of Berkshire and Hampshire, as well as parts of Dorset and Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight. Caritas director Kevin Gallagher, said: We are helping provide the performers with some food provisions and have also financially assisted two of them to return home but are now looking for funding to help the remaining performers return home. If people would like to help they can contact Mr Gallagher by emailing kgallagher@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk or calling 07388 994057. If you would like to donate funds to help get the performers home, you can pay the money into the following account, with the reference Zippo Performers. Account name: PRCDTR DIOCESAN CARITAS Sort Code: 30-80-27 Account number: 30684560 Sterling Higgins called the police in March 2019 and told them someone was following him and trying to kill him. When officers arrived at a convenience store parking lot in northwestern Tennessee, they found Higgins distressed and yelling at a woman whom he accused of stealing from him. Do you take medication? You need to, a Union City, Tennessee, police officer told him. Somethings wrong. Within hours, Higgins, 37, would be dead. Lawyers for his estate said that after the police arrested him for trespassing, officers held him down in a struggle at the Obion County jail, where they grabbed him by the neck until he went limp. As he was unconscious and foaming at the mouth, they tied him to a chair and left him in a cell for about 14 minutes before medical help arrived, the lawyers said. He died on March 25. It was all captured on disturbing video that was never shown to the grand jury that investigated the case. Lawyers for his estate released the video Friday. A federal civil rights lawsuit accuses the police and county jail officials of causing Higgins death by using excessive force, restraining him in a way that asphyxiated him and failing to provide him medical help. The case is unfolding in U.S. District Court in Western Tennessee as protesters nationwide continue to demand an end to racism and police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The recent demonstrations across the country have renewed calls from protesters in Tennessee who want accountability for the officers who restrained Higgins, who had two daughters. They are now 2 and 5. Sterling Higgins was a good man who deserved fair and humane treatment, Jennifer Jenkins, the mother of one of his daughters, said in a statement. He was treated as if his life didnt matter. We want the truth to be known. We want accountability. We want justice for Sterling Higgins. Jenkins, the administrator of the estate, filed the suit in March, naming Obion County, Union City, and a city police officer and three officers with the county sheriffs department. The lawsuit maintains county and city officials failed to recognize that Higgins should not have been arrested but sent to a hospital where he could be treated for what was clearly a mental health breakdown. Higgins did not have a diagnosed mental health illness but had told a relative he had once had post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosed, said Erik Heipt, one of the lawyers representing the estate. Higgins called 911 the evening of March 24, 2019, and told the operator someone was coming after him. When officers arrived at Pockets Market in Union City, he appeared delusional and insisted someone had stolen his tax return. City police officers ordered him to leave and he agreed to go. But a store employee called them back, saying Higgins had gone into a storage locker and would not get out. When the police returned, Higgins told them he was afraid someone was going to shoot him. Im scared, he told the officers when they found him in what turned out to be a freezer. They arrested Higgins for trespassing and took him to the jail, where he passed a deputy sheriffs officer in the hallway and briefly touched her and spoke to her. She shoved him away and he grabbed for her hair, refusing to let go, officials said. Sheriffs officers then wrestled Higgins to the ground and one of them knelt over him, placing one hand on his chin and the other around the neck and mouth, according to the lawsuit and video footage taken from the jail. The footage shows Higgins kicked his feet and tried to squirm away as a Union City police officer appeared to stand on top of the lower half of his body. The struggle continued for several minutes, until Higgins appeared to become totally limp. The video shows a white substance around his mouth as he is dragged to a chair. After they buckled him in, one of the sheriffs officers lightly pushed his head, which fell to the side, one video showed. He was wheeled into a cell. Officers periodically went in to check his pulse. At about 2:15 a.m., paramedics arrived and began performing CPR. Higgins was declared dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital less than 40 minutes later. Lawyers for the county and the sheriffs officers declined to comment, as did a lawyer for the Union City police officer. An official at the sheriffs department declined to comment and hung up before identifying himself. A lawyer for the city did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Tommy Thomas, the Obion County district attorney general, agreed that the videos are very disturbing but said they did not prove criminal behavior. The officer who is seen placing his hands in the area of Higgins neck later said he was trying to keep Higgins from spitting at him, Thomas said. The part of the video that bothered me the most was the fact that they took all that time to strap him in that restraining chair, Thomas said. In my humble opinion, thats where the negligence lies. He added, They didnt call 911 soon enough. A medical examiner said Higgins died of excited delirium caused by large amounts of methamphetamine in his system, Thomas said. That autopsy report made it difficult to pursue charges of homicide against the officers and affected the grand jurys decision, he said. The jailer didnt kill him, Thomas said. He died due to the fact that he had ingested massive amounts of methamphetamines and he became excited during the struggle and that was more than his system could handle. Lawyers for Higgins said they were planning to get a separate autopsy. The prosecutor said he did not believe the videos would have made a difference to the grand jury. Ultimately, I was not going to indict the officers anyway because I dont feel that they were guilty of criminal conduct, he said. To bring charges, he said, I must be convinced the person is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Did they act appropriately? There is a good argument they didnt. Heipt, who has filed civil rights complaints in other similar cases, said Thomas, who is not named in the lawsuit, should have shown the videos to the grand jury. He has a duty to seek justice and find the truth, Heipt said. He inexplicably refused to show the most critical piece of evidence in the case to the grand jury. Maria Cramer c.2020 The New York Times Company NASA photo of the eruption of Klyuchevsky volcano on 30 September, 1994, the volcano's largest explosion in 40 years. The large Background: Kliuchevskoi is Kamchatka's highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, the beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. Kliuchevskoi rises above a saddle NE of sharp-peaked Kamen volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred at Kliuchevskoi during the past roughly 3000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3600 m elevation. The morphology of its 700-m-wide summit crater has been frequently modified by historical eruptions, which have been recorded since the late-17th century. Historical eruptions have originated primarily from the summit crater, but have also included numerous major explosive and effusive eruptions from flank craters. --- Source: Klyuchevsky information by the GVP (Smithsonian Institution) (Newser) A man apparently upset that a Texas bar wouldn't let him in opened fire Friday night, wounding eight people, cops say. KSAT reports there were no fatalities from the incident at San Antonio's Rebar, where around 11:30pm, the suspect and the group he was with were turned away from the bar because he seemed drunk, according to the city's police chief, William McManus. He adds the suspect then said to staff, "Don't you know who I am? I'm a UFC fighter from California," before walking back to his car, grabbing a rifle, and opening fire in the parking lot, CNN reports. The gunman is still at large after fleeing from the scene in a vehicle, though McManus says residents in the area aren't thought to be at risk. story continues below The victims, five women and three men, are said to be between the ages of 23 and 41 and haven't yet been publicly identified, per ABC News. McManus notes that six of the victims found their own way to the hospital, while two victims who were grazed said they didn't need to be treated. McManus adds all of the hospitalized victims are in stable condition: "The most serious was someone was hit in the back," he says. Investigators are trying to piece together what happened by examining surveillance footage. (Read more shooting stories.) New tribal violence has erupted in South Sudan and threatens the peace deal that tentatively ended the civil war. Between 300 and 500 people have been killed in ethnic and clan violence since the second week of May. Nearly a thousand have been killed since the end of February. Eastern South Sudan (Jonglei state) has seen some of the worst clashes. In May the UN and aid organizations reported tribal conflicts erupted in 28 villages there. The cause of most of the violence is one all too common cattle-raising nomads fighting farmers over pasturage and water resources. Aid workers are caught in the crossfire and a nurse was killed in one recent incident. Foreign aid groups use the phrase cycles of retaliatory violence to describe the phenomenon. As bureaucrat lingo goes, this one has some merit. (Austin Bay) June 9, 2020: In southeast South Sudan (Kapoeta East County) foreign aid groups have aid shipments from Kenya via the Nadapal border crossing. This route has not been used since 2018 because of tribal violence in the area. This is one of the most direct and efficient routes for foreign aid, which arrives via the Kenyan port of Mombasa. While things are more peaceful in the southeast the same cannot be said for the rest of the country. There have been 415 violence incidents during the first five months of 2020, versus 236 during the first five months of 2019. While the government and rebels are now at peace, that February peace deal created more problems as the new government has a lot of former rebels in key positions and that has meant more debate and disagreement who will be appointed to run the states. As always its about tribal loyalties. It is difficult to overcome thousands of years of settling these disputes violently. Before the 20th century, the death toll from these clashes was a lot lower. But once firearms became widely available these clashes generated a lot more deaths and a lot more skirmishes. A few men or teenagers with rifles or rapid firing assault rifles could create a lot of casualties on a larger force without much risk. The shooters could be gone before the enemy could find and attack them. The usual suspects were known usually some tribal rival and that would lead to a bloody raid on one or more villages. That would trigger more retaliatory attacks. That is what is going on now, rather than lots of organized violence between army units and rebel militias. Vendetta violence is deadlier than organized fighting. Seven years of civil war has left over 400,000 dead and over four million driven from their homes. Many survivors of that are still seeking vengeance, and that keeps the unrest going. June 7, 2020: The UN agreed to keep the western Sudan (Darfur) peacekeeping operation going until the end of 2020. The UN's separate task force called UNITAMS (UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan), to help Sudan move from dictatorship to democracy. As if to prove it isnt over in Darfur, the acting governor of Central Darfur claimed that soldiers and RSF (Rapid Support Forces) militiamen retook control of the Kutrum area after an attack by SLM-AW and RAC rebels. June 6, 2020: In South Sudan Kerbino Agok Wol a local businessman, who was once imprisoned for ten years for organizing anti-government riots, has formed a new rebel group. Wol was released from prison in January 2020 by a presidential pardon. He has named his group the October 7th Movement, after the day he led the riot that got him imprisoned. Wol argues the whole system of government must be changed since the countrys current leaders are looters. June 3, 2929: In Sudan crowds in the capital marked the first anniversary of the June 3 Massacre that left an estimated 110 pro-democracy demonstrators dead and 700 wounded. Sudans prime minister promised that those who perpetrated the crime will be brought to justice. In southern South Sudan (Central Equatoria state) there were clashes in the national capital (Juba) that left five dead. The source of dispute: ownership of land. The dispute led to a riot. Government and tribal authorities intervened to stop the violence. June 2, 2020: In western Sudan, the army accused SLM-AW rebels of attacking government positions in central Darfur. The rebels denied the accusation and claimed the government units attacked them in the same area (west of the Jebel Marra). June 1, 2020: In southern South Sudan (Central Equatoria state) the Ugandan Army was accused of killing three South Sudan soldiers and a national policeman in the Kajo Keji border area. This fatal exchange of gunfire took place on May 30 while the South Sudan personnel were patrolling the border to percent illegal crossings. May 31, 2020: Sudan and Ethiopia exchanged diplomatic accusations after an armed incident occurred between their security forces. Sudan claimed Ethiopian militiamen crossed into Gadaref state (also called Al Qadarid, in eastern Sudan) and killed three people. Ethiopia disagreed. Apparently the Ethiopian farmers were drawing water from the Atbara River. At least one Ethiopian militiaman was wounded. My 30, 2020: The UN extended the arms embargo on South Sudan until May 31, 2021. Individual travel bans and financial sanctions also remain in place. The U.S. wrote the resolution and twelve of fifteen nations on the Security Council approved the resolution while South Africa, China and Russia abstained. May 23, 2020: In Sudan, government Anti-Corruption and Regime Dismantling Committee has confiscated over $4 billion in assets held by former dictator Omar al-Bashir and his family members. The government also confiscated some assets held by Bashirs political supporters. May 22, 2020: In eastern Sudan (Kassala state) tribal violence has killed 59 people since May 7. The worst violence has occurred in the city of Kassala, which is on the border with Eritrea, 400 kilometers east of the Sudanese capital Khartoum. The Cushitic Bani Amer tribe and the black African Nuer tribe have had repeated clashes. The Cushite people are native to Sudan, southern Egypt, and Eritrea. The Nuer are from South Sudan. In western Sudan South (Darfur) 30 people from the Falata and Rezeigat tribes were killed in a tribal clash. The Rezeigat are an Arabized tribe while the Falata are black Africans from West Africa. To an outsider, all Sudanese seem to be of the same ethnicity (black African) but the reality is that there are several distinct (genetically) black African groups that intermingle in Sudan. The genetic and cultural (language and customs) are often not as diverse as religion. Thus you have Arabized tribes that are Moslem and speak Arabic while many other tribes speak local languages and are often not Moslem. In these cases, religion and not appearance and culture are the key distinction. May 20, 2020: In eastern South Sudan (Jonglei state) thousands of people are fleeing tribal violence that has left over a hundred people dead so far while several hundred have been kidnapped. In one clash at least three foreign aid workers were killed. May 18, 2020: The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated a $4.3 billion punitive damage award against Sudan on behalf of victims of the 1998 truck bomb terror attacks that destroyed the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Al Qaeda carried out the attacks. The U.S. court cases concluded that Sudan provided crucial assistance to Al Qaeda in conducting the attacks. May 14, 2020: In central Sudan (South Kordofan state) 26 people were killed when gunmen attacked an RSF base outside Kadugli (the state capital). Several of the dead were civilians. At least 19 people were injured. May 12, 2020: South Korea will resume sending peacekeepers to South Sudan. In March South Korea did not replace its 300 troops (whose tour was up and returned home) due to covid19 concerns. The virus crisis has abated and a new group of South Korean peacekeepers will return to South Sudan. May 10, 2020: In eastern Sudan (Kassala state) tribal violence there was another clash between the Bani Amer and Nuer tribes. Several people were killed while about 60 were arrested. May 9, 2020: In Sudan, the government and the SRF (Sudanese Revolutionary Front, the umbrella rebel organization ostensibly representing all of Sudans various rebel groups) announced they will extend peace talks with no time limit. East African diplomats regard this as a significant statement by both sides. May 7, 2020: The states of South Sudan issue is once again causing severe political problems. In February president Kiir agreed to the rebel position that South Sudan would once again have ten states but with at least three special zones. The agreement on numbers, however, hasnt solved the question of who governs the state. According to South Sudans government, six will be governed by Kiir supporters, three will be governed by supporters of First Vice President and former rebel leader Riek Machar, and one will be governed by a non-aligned governor. Machars supporters said Kiirs allocation of governors has produced a new political crisis that threatens the peace agreement. May 5, 2020: In Sudan, a conglomerate tied to RSF (Rapid Support Forces) commander Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (nom de guerre Hemedti) and his family has turned over several major mines to the government. The mines account for about a third of Sudans annual gold production. In 2018 Sudan produced an estimated 93 tons of gold. One of the biggest mines is in North Darfur states Jebel Amer region. The company operating that mine, named Al Gunade, has been accused of illegally smuggling gold out of Sudan. Dagalo also serves on Sudans Sovereign National Council. TORONTO, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ontario unions are renewing their call for the Ford government to repeal Ontarios wage control legislation (Bill 124), after a court ruling struck down a similar law in Manitoba. The Ontario challenge, brought by a coalition of unions against the Ford Governments wage control legislation, received a significant boost yesterday as a result of Manitoba Court of Queens Bench Justice McKelvey finding that the Pallister governments Public Services Sustainability Act (Bill 28) interferes with the right to collective bargaining and violates the freedom of association guarantee in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In March, a coalition of Ontario unions, coordinated by the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), and representing approximately 270,000 employees and over forty different unions, filed a similar constitutional challenge to Bill 124, the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, arguing that it violates collective bargaining rights enshrined in the freedom of association guarantee of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This court decision found that the Manitoba wage control legislation is a draconian measure that inhibited and dramatically reduced the collective bargaining and associational rights of unionized public sector workers. This is a major victory for working people in Manitoba, and an affirmation that Ontario workers are justified in challenging similar draconian legislation here in Ontario, said Ontario Federation of Labour President Patty Coates. The Manitoba courts have upheld workers rights to meaningful and fair collective bargaining. I hope Doug Ford is watching, and if he is smart, he will repeal Bill 124 before the Ontario courts rule against him. Many of Ontarios public sector workers have put their lives on the front lines during the COVID-19 crisis, added Coates. Public sector workers have always provided vital services and now that everyone understands the value of their work, governments would be wise to ensure they pay them fairly for their service, instead of trampling on their rights. CUPE is proud to work with other unions in Manitoba, like were doing in Ontario, not only to ensure the rights of workers under our Constitution are upheld, but that governments understand workers will fight back, said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario. Legislation like this must not be allowed to stand. It should be clear to everyone now that Bill 124 must be repealed, and the Ontario government must ensure all public sector workers are respected. The decision in Manitoba affirms our position that unconstitutional legislation such as Bill 124 must be struck down by the Courts, added the Coalitions lead counsel, Steven Barrett, managing partner of Goldblatt Partners. As Barrett also pointed out, the Manitoba court also found that is unfair to require public sector employees to shoulder the burden of the governments own revenue reduction decisions. This applies foursquare to the Ford governments decisions to cut taxes and other revenue sources in Ontario, particularly given that Ontario already has the lowest social spending per capita of any province. Workers affected by Bill 124, and forming part of the coalition, include those employed by hospitals, non-profit long-term care homes, school boards, universities and colleges, childrens aid societies, social service agencies, the electricity and energy sectors, Crown agencies and the provincial government. For more information, please contact: Meagan Perry Director of Communications Ontario Federation of Labour mperry@ofl.ca l 416-894-3456 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/76a9fcc0-85d0-4875-bf67-fd7a28b7afb8 The admission process in Chhattisgarh schools and colleges will commence from July, said State Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey on Friday. It has been decided that the admission process in schools and colleges will commence in Chhattisgarh from July 2020. The decision on the further process will be taken as per the situation arising due to COVID-19. We will decide starting of the new session as per the Centres guidelines, Choubey told ANI. The Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD) has started consultation with the states about the reopening of schools in the country. Schools and colleges across the nation are closed from March 22 onwards due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Choubey said that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel chaired a meeting of cabinet ministers to discuss the situation arising due to COVID-19 and way forward. Choubey said that a penalty of Rs 100 will be levied if any person is found not wearing a face mask in the state. More than 3 lakh migrant labourers have returned in Chhattisgarh and many of them have completed 28 days quarantine period, he said. Commenting upon the newly launched scheme to help farmers, he said, The first instalment of benefit has been given to farmers under Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, which was launched on May 21. A total of 19 lakh farmers will be given the second instalment by August 20 this year. The amount will be directly transferred to the farmers accounts, he said. Grubhub's (NYSE:GRUB) stock recently popped after the American food delivery company agreed to merge with its European peer Just Eat Takeaway (NASDAQ:GRUB), which itself was formed by a recent merger between the U.K.'s Just Eat and Netherlands-based Takeaway. The all-stock deal, which values Grubhub at $7.3 billion, will exchange each Grubhub share for 0.671 shares of Just Eat, which implied a value of $75.15 per Grubhub share when the deal was announced. That's significantly higher than Uber's (NYSE:UBER) all-stock offer, which reportedly topped out in the mid-60s per share before the talks ended. Merging with Just Eats would also likely avoid the antitrust scrutiny of a combination of Grubhub and Uber Eats, which would have combined the second- and third-largest food delivery platforms in the U.S., respectively, after DoorDash. The combined company, which processed 593 million orders globally for over 70 million customers last year, will become "one of the few profitable players in the space" and the largest food delivery company outside of China. But looking ahead, should Grubhub investors take profits now or stick around and claim their shares of Just Eat? What will happen to Grubhub's investors? Just Eat Takeaway and Grubhub expect the deal to close in the first quarter of 2021. When that happens, Grubhub investors will receive new ADR shares of the new company. Grubhub's former investors will own 30% of the new company, which will be led by Just Eat Takeaway founder and CEO Jitse Groen. Grubhub CEO Matt Maloney will join the new company's management board and lead its North American businesses. Two of Grubhub's current directors will also join Just Eat Takeaway's supervisory board. Will the combined company be stronger than Grubhub? Grubhub's growth decelerated significantly in recent years as its rising expenses crushed its bottom-line growth. Its revenue and adjusted EBITDA rose 47% and 27%, respectively, in 2018. But in 2019, its revenue rose just 30% as its adjusted EBITDA fell 20%. Grubhub attributed those declines to tougher competition from rivals like DoorDash, which surpassed it as America's top food delivery platform last year, and higher logistics and marketing costs. It also started running out of smaller players to acquire after 16 years of aggressive inorganic growth. In the first quarter of 2020, Grubhub's revenue grew just 12% year-over-year as its adjusted EBITDA plunged 59%, with the COVID-19 crisis exacerbating its long-term challenges. In April and May, Grubhub's total orders rose 28% annually to 39 million, while its year-to-date orders -- throttled by COVID-19 -- grew just 11% to 86 million. By comparison, Just Eat Takeaway's orders grew 41% to 96 million in April and May, as its year-to-date orders rose 23% to 208 million. All of Just Eat's core markets generated high double-digit growth in orders, with orders from its Canadian business -- which it will more closely integrate with Grubhub -- nearly doubling. Unlike Uber Eats, which posted an adjusted EBITDA loss of $313 million last quarter, Grubhub and Just Eats remain profitable on an adjusted EBITDA basis. Grubhub finished 2019 with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 14%, compared to Just Eat's margin of 15.6%. The combined company's margin should improve as it increases its scale, eliminates redundancies, and boosts its market reach and pricing power. Why I'm not selling my Grubhub shares (yet) I own shares of Grubhub, but the stock will likely remain below my average purchase price even after it merges with Just Eat Takeaway. However, the merger could solve several of Grubhub's biggest problems -- including its overwhelming dependence on the saturated U.S. market, its slowing growth, and rising expenses -- over the next few years. Therefore, I'm willing to stick with the combined company a bit longer and see if it fares better than the old Grubhub. Belfast to Beijing is a long enough journey by air - but Peter Emerson has done most of it on a bicycle. And the north Belfast author's epic story contained an unexpected extra chapter in the form of coronavirus, which saw him fleeing China after the outbreak began. The 77-year-old former community worker hopes to be back in Belfast later this month, laden with all the information he needs for his latest book. Peter wasn't short of company as he traversed the eastern hemisphere on his trusty foldaway Brompton; fluent in Russian and more than passable in Mandarin, he gave lectures in democracy in universities and other seats of learning along the way. But his journey took a particular turn while he was enjoying Chinese New Year on a farm in Gansu province following the outbreak of Covid-19. "They started shutting down vast swathes of the country and I was evacuated to Beijing," said Mr Emerson, who is currently staying at a friend's farm in Co Wicklow. "News of the virus came as a total surprise to everyone in the village. "Immediately, the two roads connecting this small hamlet were sealed off just with a piece of ticker tape, much like a New Year decoration really, but everyone obeys the law in China and the village was sealed, full stop." Mr Emerson described his evacuation to Beijing as "more of an administrative move than anything else". "I think they thought it was better to have all the foreigners in Beijing rather than dotted all over the place," he told the Belfast Telegraph. "A city of 20 million, but shops were shut, streets were empty and only a few folks were driving or walking around. It was really eerie." The activist, who is looking forward to returning to his cottage on the Ballysillan Road in Belfast at the end of the month, travelled on to Hong Kong, where he'd been invited to do a book launch, before flying back to Ireland and going into voluntary isolation on the farm. Mr Emerson, a bachelor who studied Russian at Queen's before accepting a job in Moscow, is no stranger to remarkable bicycle journeys. As an active member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), he crossed from West to East Germany in 1986, and also cycled from Moscow, where he worked as a translator, to the Albanian capital Tirana, a journey of some 1,280 miles. Expand Close With the police in Xinjiang, China / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp With the police in Xinjiang, China He is also very familiar with Chinese culture, having visited the country several times over the years, both for study and for lecture commitments. "In February 2018 I visited Xinjiang, Kashgar, which was just like Belfast in the 1980s - police patrols everywhere, their sirens blazing all the time, body checks everywhere," he said. The Chinese Government has reportedly detained more than a million Muslims in 're-education camps' in the north-western region. "Most of the people who have been arbitrarily detained are Uighur, a predominantly Turkic-speaking ethnic group. Asked about the decision behind his latest adventure, the activist, who moved to Northern Ireland from England in 1975, referred to his early work in Belfast. "In 1983 the Cold War was at its height, and like our own Troubles, that world conflict was also binary," he said. "As a community worker in Ardoyne I was crossing the peace line constantly. "I was also very active in CND so it was time to cross the other great divide, the Iron Curtain, so I started to learn Russian and I crossed between the two Germanys on my bike in 1986. "Then came Gorbachev, perestroika, and it all became very exciting. "In 1988 I got a job in Moscow as a translator and, in my spare time, published articles on consensus politics in Moscow News, Pravda and other publications. "Having seen political change in Northern Ireland, Russia, Georgia and Bosnia, it was time to look at China, which may also be changing - but not just yet," he said. Focusing on his most recent experience in China, Mr Emerson said he "learnt a little more Chinese" and learnt more about the volatile situation in Hong Kong, where even shops and restaurants are now being labelled either yellow, to note support for the city's protest movement against Beijing's influence, or blue, in support of the territory's police. "Hong Kong has become a polarised society, like NI, except there's no west Belfast for Catholics and east Belfast for Protestants," he said, adding that Taiwan "is another divided society, and there are dangers there also". Flash The international community has bashed U.S. sanctions against some International Criminal Court (ICC) officials investigating possible war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The White House said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized economic sanctions against ICC officials "directly engaged with any effort to investigate or prosecute United States personnel without the consent of the United States," as well as the expansion of visa restrictions against these officials and their family members. Later on Thursday, the ICC said in a statement that the U.S. attacks "constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court's judicial proceedings." Noting that the U.S. sanctions represent "an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice," the ICC, which has 123 member states, vowed it would stand firmly by its staff and remain "unwavering in its commitment to discharging, independently and impartially, the mandate bestowed upon it by the Rome Statute and the States that are party to it." The United Nations (UN) human rights office said Friday that it is deeply concerned over the United States' planned sanctions. "The independence of the ICC and its ability to operate without interference must be guaranteed so that it can decide matters without any improper influence, inducement, pressures, threats or interference, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reasons," Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told a briefing here. "Victims of gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law and their families have the right to redress and the truth," he added. The German Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed its deep concern over the U.S. decision. "We have noted with great concern the U.S. statement that gives the secretary of state the opportunity, in some cases, to introduce additional visa restrictions and additional economic sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court," the ministry said in a statement. Noting Germany is one of the strongest supporters of the ICC, the ministry said: "We have full confidence in its work. It is an indispensable institution in the fight against impunity for international crimes, and it is needed today more than it has ever been." "We reject any attempts to put pressure on the independent court, its staff, and those who work with it," the ministry stressed. The French Foreign Ministry on Friday urged the United States to refrain from implementing measures targeting ICC officials. The U.S. decision "represents a serious attack on the Court and the States Parties to the Rome Statute, and beyond that, a challenge to multilateralism and judicial independence," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement published on the ministry's website. France reiterated its full support for the court, which bashed the U.S. sanctions later on Thursday. "The Court is the only permanent international criminal court with a universal vocation," Le Drian said. Noting the court plays a vital role in the fight against impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes, Le Drian said "France will strive to ensure that the Court is able to fulfill its mission in an independent and impartial manner." The ICC in March authorized an investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, including those that may have been committed by the U.S. military and the Central Intelligence Agency, which could lead to the indictment of U.S. military and intelligence personnel. Tulsa rally moved to June 20 after date clashed with holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the US. Donald Trump has postponed a rally scheduled for the same day as a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the US. The rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma had been due to mark Trumps return to the campaign trail, but he said on Twitter the event had been postponed out of respect for the June 19 Juneteenth holiday. White mobs massacred hundreds of African Americans in Tulsa during riots there in 1921. The original timing and the Tulsa location provoked outrage with critics calling it an insult to the memory of George Floyd, the Black man whose death in police custody two weeks ago sparked global protests. Following fierce criticism, the rally was moved to June 20. President Trump is holding a rally in Tulsa on #Juneteenth the anniversary of when slavery was fully abolished. Tulsa is the site of the #TulsaMassacre, which saw a white mob kill hundreds of Black people in 1921. It was largely ignored by U.S. history books and newspapers. pic.twitter.com/PCs5p1uC05 AJ+ (@ajplus) June 11, 2020 This isnt just a wink to white supremacists hes throwing them a welcome home party, Senator Kamala Harris tweeted after Trump first announced the rally. Asked about the protests against police brutality in a Fox News interview aired on Friday, Trump said he wanted to see really compassionate but strong law enforcement. On Wednesday, Trump announced he would resume his campaign rallies in four states Oklahoma, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina despite the coronavirus pandemic and rising number of cases in the US. Although the coronavirus remains a threat, his campaign now feels that the crowds at daily street protests have lifted the political pressure on Trump to avoid large gatherings of his own. Trump supporters must, however, sign a waiver promising not to sue if they catch COVID-19 at the event, according to his campaign website. The US is reopening after months of coronavirus lockdown measures, though public health officials have opposed large gatherings like sporting events or concerts, especially indoor gatherings where the risk of infection is likely higher. As the world celebrates the 2029 World Blood Donor Day on Sunday, June 14, with the theme: Safe Blood, Safe Lives, it is pertinent to draw attention of Nigerians to the need to embrace the culture of blood donation. It is a primordial fact that the blood is one of the most important parts of the human system. Blood is the water of our bodys rivers and human beings cannot live without the blood. Without blood, we cannot keep warm or cool off. Wecannot fight infections because the circulating blood is what keeps our immune system healthy and our heart pumping. Blood literally gives life! In modern medical practice, blood transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. According to the United States National Library of Medicine, Blood transfusion is generally the process of receiving blood products into ones circulation intravenously. Early transfusions used whole blood, but modern medical practice commonly uses only components of the blood, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, clotting factors, and platelets. Transfusion of blood and blood products helps save millions of lives every year. It can help patients suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer and with higher quality of life, and supports complex medical and surgical procedures. It also has an essential, life-saving role in maternal and prenatal care. Access to safe and sufficient blood and blood products can help reduce rates of death and disability due to severe bleeding during delivery and after childbirth. Ironically, in many countries, there is no adequate supply of safe blood. Blood transfusion services face the challenge of making sufficient blood available, while also ensuring its quality and safety. While blood transfusion saves lives and improves health, millions of patients needing transfusion do not have timely access to it due to lack of reliable testing systems, accurate data on the screening of donated blood, staff shortage, and lack of basic laboratory services. The most common source of blood is from voluntary donors from the general public. Many countries have blood bank at which any healthy person can donate blood. The World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies developed a global framework for action to achieve 100% voluntary blood donation around the world. The vision embodied in this framework is the achievement of 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donation in every country of the world. It is based on the recognition that voluntary non-remunerated blood donors are the foundation of a safe, sustainable blood supply. Without a system based on voluntary unpaid blood donation, particularly regular voluntary donation, no country can provide sufficient blood for all patients who require transfusion. It is designed to provide guidance and support to countries seeking to establish effective voluntary blood donor programmes, phase out family/replacement blood donation and eliminate paid donation. It on this basis that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also instituted the 14th of June, every year as World Blood Donor Day. The event is to create awareness on the need for safe blood and blood products and to appreciate voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. The goal is to increase awareness about why timely access to safe blood and blood products is essential for all countries as part of a comprehensive approach to prevent maternal deaths. Every day, about 800 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications. Almost all of these deaths occur in developing countries. More than half of them occur in sub-Saharan Africa and almost one third in South Asia. The risk of maternal mortality is highest for adolescent girls under 15 years of age. In the 2010 WHO report, Nigeria recorded 50,000 maternal deaths a year, thus placing it as having the second highest rate after India. And with every maternal death, there are more child deaths. The mortality ratio for children under -five years in Nigeria is 230 per one thousand births, 16 children less than five years die every 10 minutes. New born deaths account for more than a quarter of these deaths especially within the first week of life due to pregnancy and delivery related complications. Severe bleeding during delivery and after childbirth is a major cause of mortality, morbidity and long-term disability. However, access to safe and sufficient blood and blood products and the rational and safe use of blood transfusion still remain a major challenge around the country. The availability of low-risk blood donors in Nigeria and many developing countries is a serious challenge and of public health concern. While the need for blood is universal, there is a major imbalance between developing and developed countries in the level of usage and access to safe blood. The practice of voluntary blood donation (VBD) is high in developed countries than developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that donation by 1% of a country population is the minimum blood required to meet a nations most basic needs for blood. However, less than 1% of the populations in many countries of the world most especially developing countries donate blood. In many countries less than25% of their blood supplies were from voluntary unpaid blood donor which is adjudged the safest blood source. Nigeria, as a member of The World Health Organization has made little progress with voluntary donor enrolment. Only about 5% of donor bloods used in Nigeria come from voluntary donors; family replacements and paid donors are still the major sources of donor blood procurement. The blood banking system in Nigeria is still poorly developed as a number of centres depend on paid donors whose haematological and infectious status may not determine often times prior to blood donations. One of the major impediments to achieving adequate supply of safe blood in Nigeria is the lack of awareness among the citizenry on the health benefits of regular donation of blood. There is this misconception that that donating blood can endanger ones life. Most people are not properly informed about the process of blood donation, and assumed that the process could be harmful. People are being asked to look for donors when members of their families and friends are in dire need of blood. Ensuring safe and adequate blood supply for the health system will, therefore, require reorientation or a drastic change of attitude of Nigerians to voluntary blood donation. The authorities must step up public enlightenment campaigns to sensitise the populace on the benefits of voluntary blood donation. They need to understand that they are doing this to save lives without harming themselves. Ministries of Health, particularly in states with high rates of maternal mortality must also take concrete steps towards ensuring that health facilities in their states improve access to safe blood and blood products from volunteer donors for women giving birth. It is imperative that our national policy on blood transfusion services be refocused. Hospital Transfusion Committees and System should be established in each hospital across all states for reporting adverse transfusion reactions and to implement the national policy and guidelines and to monitor the safe and rational use of blood and blood products at the local level. It is only this way that we can truly give life to those give life. Ogunmosunle is Head, Public Affairs Unit, Parastatals Monitoring Office, Alausa, Ikeja. Global experts gather to rethink Health Systems Resilience in a post COVID-19 Africa What: African Development Institute webinar on health policy response to COVID-19 Who: African Development Institute (ADI), African Development Bank and partners When: 22-23 June 2020 Where: Virtual The African Development Institute (ADI), partnering with global inclusive health institutions, will this month host a virtual seminar to garner appropriate policy responses to make Africa's health systems resilient, following the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar, the third in a series of the ADI's Global Community of Practice (G-CoP), will take place on Tuesday, 22 June 2020, from 14:00 to 17:00 (Abidjan time) and Wednesday, 23 June 2020 from 08:30 to 11:30 (Abidjan time) for delegates from the western and eastern hemispheres, respectively. Global partner institutions include the African Centre for Disease Control (CDC); the World Health Organisation (WHO); the Bank Group's Health Department (AHHD) and Health Centre (CHMH); the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC); Murdoch University, Western Australia; Drexel University (School of Public Health) USA; City University of New York (School of Medicine) USA; University of Nigeria (Faculty of Health Science and Technology). Titled Building Resilient Health Systems: Policies for Inclusive Health in Post COVID-19 Africa, the webinar will feature global health experts, former Ministers of Finance, senior leadership of Government Ministries and Parastatals, specialists from multilateral institutions, universities, think tanks, professional associations, private sector leaders and practitioners to synthesize knowledge and experiences from around the world and provide context-specific guidance on the short, medium and long-term policy options available to the Bank Group's Regional Member Countries (RMCs) in building inclusive health in a post COVID-19 world. The outcome of the seminar will outline policy options available at national, regional and global levels for dissemination to the Bank Group's Member Countries, Partners and Stakeholders; and it will inform policy responses for building resilient inclusive health systems in post COVID-19 Africa. Participation is strictly by invitation. To register: please click here to complete the registration form. Kwasi Kpodo, Communication and External Relations Department, African Development Bank. Email: w.kpodo@afdb.org But the group the Trump administration has labeled a menace has mostly been nonexistent, experts and law enforcement officials say, and certainly has not been orchestrating what have been largely peaceful protests. Despite warnings of antifa incursions in scores of cities, there is no evidence linking outbursts of violence to an organized left-wing effort. And those associated with the autonomous groups that went up against far-right figureheads four years ago and whose roots go back to earlier left-wing causes say there is no such centralized organization. N etflix is once again turning to crime writer Harlan Coben for its newest thriller The Woods. Following on from the success of Safe and The Stranger, the streaming service is adapting another crime novel by Coben, this time set in Poland. The Woods promises to be another gripping series thatll hook crime fans from the start. Heres everything you need to know about the Netflix show... The new drama launches on Netflix in June / Netflix When is The Woods released on Netflix? Netflix has confirmed that The Woods will premiere on the streaming service worldwide on Friday, June 12. Who's in the cast? Netflix's The Woods - In Pictures 1 /8 Netflix's The Woods - In Pictures Grzegorz Damiecki as Pawel Netflix The Woods is a Netflix adaptation of Harlan Coben's book Netflix Agnieszka Grochowska plays Pawel's best friend Laura Goldsztajn Netflix Young Pawe Kopinski played by Hubert Milkowski Netflix The Woods is from the same makers as The Stranger Netflix The Woods is available to stream on Netflix now Netflix The Poland-set series features a Polish cast that may be unfamiliar to UK viewers. The Woods stars Grzegorz Damiecki, Agnieszka Grochowska, Hubert Milkowski and Wiktoria Filus. What's the new drama about? The Woods follows a prosecutor named Paul Copeland in Warsaw, Poland who investigates the unsolved disappearance of his sister 25 years ago, when she walked into the forest at a summer camp and never returned. Paul has all but given up on finding justice for his sister, but the discovery of a homicide victim - a boy that disappeared alongside Pauls sister - prompts potential links to his sisters disappearance. Paul hopes his sister may still be alive, but dark secrets about his familys past threaten to tear him apart. 17 underrated series on Netflix and Now TV 1 /22 17 underrated series on Netflix and Now TV Girlboss Girlboss Photo by Karen Ballard Veep Veep Anne With An 'E' Anne With An 'E' Dark Dark Abstract: The Art of Design Abstract: The Art of Design Good Girls Good Girls Bloodline Bloodline Jeff Daly/Netflix Save Me Save Me Next In Fashion Next In Fashion Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Sally4Ever Sally4Ever Tuca & Bertie Tuca & Bertie The World's Most Extraordinary Homes The World's Most Extraordinary Homes She's Gotta Have It She's Gotta Have It David Lee/Netflix Girls Incarcerated Girls Incarcerated Schitt's Creek Schitt's Creek Quicksand Quicksand Netflix Director Leszek Dawid told Deadline: The Woods is a story full of secrets a story you will want to follow. Try as hard as you might to bury unresolved issues from the past, but one day they will find their way back to you anyway. He continued: What I find fascinating is the way the film deals with the idea of a carefree adolescence. Looking back at the time in your life when you lived your most beautiful but, at the same time, your most atrocious experiences. Learning the truth. You cannot go any further without doing that. What has Harlan Coben said about the show? Speaking to Variety, Coben said The Woods would have a different tone to previous adaptations of his work. He described it as much more atmospheric and moody and centred on two characters, its really beautifully done. Its set in a Polish summer camp in the 90s thats very different than an American summer camp, so its very cool to explore, he said. Posting the date confirmation on Twitter, Coben wrote: "Put it your watchlist now." Is there a trailer? There is indeed. You can watch it below: The trailer teases the central mystery: 25 years ago, four kids entered the woods. Two bodies were found, and the other two vanished. The trailer teases action, mystery and, as any good crime drama should offer, moody, beautiful locations. The Woods premieres on Netflix on Friday 12th June The owners of a Mercer County catering company have removed their executive chef, who days earlier took to Facebook to call the Black Lives Matter movement bull---- and mocked the death of George Floyd. Joseph Russo was let go from his executive chef position, Hamiltons Stone Terrace owners John and Catherine Henry said in a letter to the community posted to the company website. Russos dismissal was effective on Wednesday, the letter said, although it was not clear whether Russo who had been listed as a co-owner on LinkedIn remains with the company. The Henrys did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment and no one answered the phone at the business on Saturday. Russo has not responded to requests for interviews and his Facebook page appears to have been taken down. Russos social media posts drew outrage across New Jersey on Thursday, a day after the chef posted an image of a white police officer kneeling on the neck of a black man, accompanied by the words, Hey, NFL, heres how. Russo commented, Right on! under the image. Jeannine Frisby LaRue, a community leader in Trenton, urged people to stop giving their business to the Stone Terrace, alleging the owners were complicit in Russos act of inhumanity. In their statement, the Henrys concede they should have spoken up sooner. We recognize that our silence on the matter was compliance, and we take full responsibility for allowing this to occur, they said. This behavior by any staff member or employee will not be tolerated and will result in immediate termination. The incident has apparently caused some confusion and unwanted attention for at least one other business in New Jersey that shares the chefs last name. Russos Pub & Italian Restaurant in Easthampton Township in Burlington County on Saturday issued a statement on social media saying that they are not affiliated with Joseph Russo. Please know that we are not related nor do we even know him or his family, the restaurant owner said. Over the past few days I have received some explicit messages based on this false connection. Every single one of our customers have always been appreciated and each and everyone of you, we view as an extension of our family. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Unlawful arrest-orders galore;from Secretary Defence, Attorney General et al View(s): There is an increasing phenomenon of arrest orders being passed down to the police unlawfully by the Defence Secretary and the Attorney General, and the police meekly obeying such orders. Ordering arrest and remand at will is a recent phenomenon in the criminal law in this country. Moreover, these orders amount to punishments, handcuffs included, kept-media present with cameras, long before conviction. Such practice was unheard of during the past nearly two hundred years. The police, too, equal to the task, resort to remand than bail. Reasons for this malpractice are many sided. Briefly, as some studies make out, it is money talking. So much is now for sale in a market society. This may cover all segments of society, which for the present purposes may relate also to the criminal justice system, with a price on many a head, promotions included. This problem of buying and selling trading has afflicted the Legislature, the Executive, the Judiciary and the Media and Civil Society. The Criminal Procedure Codes Section 32, which confers the power to arrest, reads as, may arrest and not, shall arrest. This means that the law gives discretion to the Police and it is implicit that the discretion is with the investigating Police officer, and no one else not even the Inspector General of Police. Discretion is the exercise of judgment, sagacity and prudence on whether to arrest or not to arrest, by the police officer for law and order on the field. Orders to police for arrest and remand cannot be made by any other, be it in a court house, in the prosecuting office, or by any other further afield. But of such are the order of the day for remand orders made to the police with little inhibition. A judge or AG officer ordering remand even in the face of bailable offences is the current experience. Plainly these authorities making orders over the police are prejudging the case and are then disqualified from hearing or prosecuting the case later. Division of the functions is stated as: Judge adjudicatory; Attorney General Prosecutorial; Police investigatory. In this connection it is relevant to quote from a document circulated to authorities concerned by Dr. Frank de Silva, former Inspector General of Police: (anticipatory) arrest is a matter of investigation which itself is figured out only by the police investigator. Often police hold back arrest, tactically, with an eye to other evidence. These circumstances cannot be anticipated by any other to make for judicial prescription. Such anticipation is failure of logic. In short, the whole judicial statement is convoluted and misconstrued. The House of Lords (UK) case of Hill [1988] 2 ALL ER 238, helps to explain, when, and how, and why an arrest is made. It is also observed that arrest or remand is being misused as a punitive measure, often politically motivated, whereas that provision in law is only to assist the investigation. Hence it is only the investigating police officer who can decide on it for public good. A case in point was when I was SSP in charge of Nuwera Eliya Division during the latter part of 1994. I was new to Nuwera Eliya when a complaint was received that the manager of an estate was held hostage in his bungalow by estate workers surrounding his bungalow. An interested party informed me by telephone that the police were not taking appropriate action to rescue the estate manager and arrest offenders, due to political influence. SP G. Meegoda was in charge of the relevant area. I remarked that I was prepared to lead the rescue operation with an armed party if SP Meegoda will not do so. SP Meegoda pleaded with me explaining the mob instinct and the culture of those estate workers and, after an intense discussion, I accepted the bona fide reasoning of SP Meegoda. His strategy was to record evidence, identify the ring leaders, file plaint in courts for wrongful confinement and obtain summons on the ringleaders. I learnt that isolating the ring leaders and taking them to courts is a very effective deterrent against such mob action. The estate managers who were held hostage in this manner, were not subjected to personal harm, and being used to this mob instinct, bided their time, leaving it to the police to take appropriate action. Had an armed party gone to the scene as instigated by the interested party, violence would have escalated and led to extreme action. Although we would have held our ground as lawful, wiser counsel prevailed. Well considered discretion exercised after intense discussion with my subordinate officer who had experience in handling such situations in these estates, leaving out outside influence, paid dividends in this tricky situation. However complicated a situation is, police can handle it if discretion is left in the hands of investigating police officers. (The writer is a Retired Senior Superintendent of Police. He can be contacted at seneviratnetz@gmail.com) Godwin Obaseki, the embattled governor of Edo state, had his moment not too long ago and almost brought down Adam Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the All Progressives (APC). Mr Obaseki, other APC governors, and some ministers from the South-South had put in all their political might in a plot to remove Mr Oshiomhole before the commencement of the party governorship primaries. And, of course, that appeared to be the safest route for Mr Obaseki to easily pick the APC ticket to run for a second term as Edo governor after a once-promising relationship between him and Mr Oshiomhole became horribly sour. Back home in his Edo State where he had served before as governor, Mr Oshiomhole had been suspended by the local chapters of the APC and thoroughly discredited in the state, obviously through the prompting of Governor Obaseki. Time was ticking against Mr Oshiomhole. In a matter of days, he would be kicked out of office as the APC chairman, most people had concluded. And just in the nick of time, Bola Tinubu, the man that is highly regarded as the partys national leader, stepped in. He said those who were plotting Mr Oshiomholes removal saw the national chairman as the obstacle to their 2023 political ambition. The Chairman has been a tireless campaigner and mobilizer for the party. He has steered the party through difficult elections. His contributions should not be undervalued now that the bulk of elections are behind us, Mr Tinubu said in a statement in March. Mr Tinubu said it would, therefore, be an act of ingratitude to remove the APC chairman. It is no secret that the Chairman and Edo Governor Obaseki are in dispute. This is unfortunate. However, the party has moved through proper procedures within the proper organs of the party to hopefully resolve this spat, he added. The sea became calm, quiet, and safe for the APC chairman, after Mr Tinubus statement. Nigerian politicians share a common belief if you do not finish your political enemy, if you give him a breather, he is likely to come for you with every strength he could muster, and with every weapon he could lay hands on. And also when the fight gets dirtier, you could actually be fighting under the rule that there is no rule. Mr Oshiomhole survived the plot, gathered some strength, and, with Mr Obasekis disqualification on Friday from contesting the forthcoming APC governorship primary in Edo State, it seems he has now taken his pound of flesh from his erstwhile protege. Oshiomhole-Obaseki political fight has been on for several months. In fact, it became an open secret in June 2019 that the two leaders were at war against each other. The fight divided the APC in Edo state and crippled the Edo House of Assembly, where 14 elected lawmakers, out of 24, are yet to be inaugurated several months after their elections. The 14 members are loyalists of Mr Oshiomhole. Governor Obaseki, in order to take complete charge of Edo politics, kicked Mr Oshiomholes loyalists, one after the other, out of political office. But in the latter days, when it became clearer that Mr Oshiomhole and his supporters were closing in on Mr Obaseki, some of the governors aides, including his chief of staff, resigned from the administration. What is Tinubu saying? Mr Obaseki and other APC governors met with Mr Tinubu recently to seek a possible resolution of the Oshiomhole-Obaseki rift. Though I cannot quote exactly what he (Tinubu) said because I was not there, but essentially he took side with Oshiomhole, by insisting that they should go and do direct primary with this COVID-19 challenge that we are faced with, Mr Obasekis spokesperson, Crusoe Osagie, told PREMIUM TIMES, Friday evening. Shortly after Mr Obasekis meeting with Mr Tinubu in Lagos, Joe Igbokwe, an APC chieftain in Lagos and a strong supporter of Mr Tinubu wrote on Facebook, But they said Edo is not Lagos, apparently mocking those who had boasted that Mr Obaseki was going to trounce Mr Oshiomhole, unlike the former Lagos governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who failed to secure a second term because of his disagreement with Mr Tinubu. Please fear PMB, Jagaban and Oshiomhole. These are not small boys, Mr Igbokwe added in his Facebook post. When the national leadership of the APC announced that the party would use direct primary (against the indirect primary canvassed by Obaseki) to choose their governorship candidate in Edo it became obvious that Mr Tinubu and others, probably including President Muhammadu Buhari, had turned their back against the Edo governor. Advertisements The disqualification may just be a confirmation that Mr Obaseki has been abandoned to face his fate. On June 12, a few hours after Mr Obasekis disqualification, Mr Igbokwe again took to Facebook to celebrate the development. Please know that APC is not PDP. Men in APC are not boys. Sometimes they take hard decisions to send some strong signals out there, he wrote on the social media site. PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Obasekis spokesperson if the governor felt betrayed by Mr Tinubu. I wouldnt know, let me not react to that, he responded. Is Obaseki leaving APC? Mr Obasekis initial statement, through his spokesperson, Mr Osagie, appeared as though he had given up on Mr Oshiomhole and APC. We have decided that it would be effort in futility to appeal whatever the unjust outcome of the evaluation and screening process of the APC will be, especially when Comrade Oshiomhole has declared that he is the Supreme Court and ultimate determiner of the fate and future of our great party, the governors spokesperson, Mr Osagie said in the statement. We wish Oshiomhole well in his maladministration of the party and trust that the Almighty will help our country to find the path to true liberty, freedom and justice, he added. But when PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Osagie, Friday evening, to ask him specifically if Mr Obaseki was leaving APC, he said the governor had not said so. Mr Obaseki has told his supporters to remain calm and wait for a further directive, Mr Osagie said. Mr Obaseki, as it is now, has the option of heading to court to challenge his disqualification. He could also get the ticket from another party to contest for his re-election. The chairman of APC in Edo State, Anselm Ojezua, a loyalist of the governor, gave an induction that may be Mr Obasekis direction. In a statement late Friday, he said the APC only stopped the governor from using its platform not from contesting the election. He vowed Mr Obaseki will contest and win. Nigerian politicians share another common belief that 24 hours before any election is enough time for any political maneuvering to take place and that anything can happen within such available time. The governorship election in Edo is in September, about three months from now. Mr Obaseki still has enough time to pull out all his cards against Mr Oshiomhole. When Rev Richard Burgess Labarte, the rector of what is now St Mark's Church on the Holywood Road in Belfast, departed for a new incumbency in England in 1871, the entire contents of his residence, St Helier's on the Belmont Road, were advertised for auction, as was customary. Most of the sale items were unspectacular, but one would hope that a suitable new home was found for his "Thirty Singing Yellow and Splashed Canaries in fine health and plumage". Dr Richard Whytock Leslie and his family occupied St Helier's from 1894 until his death in 1931. The doctor was known to the pupils of Campbell College as "Spotted Dick" and, for a variety of reasons, he elicited much derision from CS Lewis and his brother. An inventory of his domestic possessions at the time of his death was even less impressive than those of Labarte - with eight Chippendale chairs attracting the highest valuation of just 21. St Helier's - which as late as the end of the 20th century, when it was occupied by the Short & Harland Staff Supervisors' Club, was reputedly haunted as a result of the suicide of one of Leslie's daughters in 1917 - was among a number of substantial mansions built in east Belfast around the beginning of the 1860s. The business and professional classes of the town were attracted to the more peaceful and salubrious environment of the district beyond the Holywood Arches in Strandtown, Sydenham and Belmont. Expand Close Campbell College / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Campbell College The development of the area was the aspiration of Belfast businessman Thomas McClure, who in 1856 had acquired, for the best part of 100,000, much of the land between Belmont and Knock, stretching down towards Belfast Lough. Whenever McClure renewed a lease or created a new one, he incorporated the demand that the lessor build a permanent residence on the site, usually within 18 months or two years. In April 1865, for example, he signed a lease for 10,000 years with William Quartus Ewart for 18 acres of land known as Schomberg Park (directly opposite Belmont House), which required (the future Sir) William to "build premises fit for habitation and use as a villa residence" by May 1, 1867. Schomberg was to remain in the hands of the Ewart family for many years; in 1916 it was occupied by one of Sir William's sons, Charles Gordon Ewart, who at the end of 1915 had married Elizabeth (Lily) Greeves. A close neighbour who had grown up at Bernagh on Circular Road opposite the Lewis family (who were also friends of the Leslies) at Little Lea, Lily long haunted the fantasies of the teenage CS Lewis, who admitted in a letter to her brother, Arthur, that her rear view was "shaped with an intolerable grace". Expand Close Belmont House / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Belmont House Most, if not all, of these mansions and villas in the area were probably endowed with a name which held some meaning for the original occupant. Belmont House (now the site of Campbell College) had existed on the estate of the same name since the mid 18th century; its adopted name stemmed from the fact that it stood on a prominent position which afforded an attractive view. Even towards the end of the 19th century it was still possible to see from that location the Antrim shore across Belfast Lough. Its neighbour, Schomberg, most probably derived its name from the fact that the Williamite duke, having landed at Ballyholme Bay in August 1689, marched over Craigantlet and camped in those fields before moving on to Carrickfergus and eventually to his death at the Boyne the following year. Expand Close St Helier's / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp St Helier's The muse for such residential names has often long since faded and must remain conjectural. Labarte may have adopted the name of St Helier's as a result of an association with the Channel Islands town. Nostalgia and imagination, even humorous vanity, was often the prompt for naming a house. When Robert Furley (Roby) Davis arrived as senior classics master at Campbell College in 1902, he changed the name of his residence at Kincora from Penrith Villa to Rodven, an appellation which he took with him in 1920 when he moved to Wandsworth Road and changed the given name of that house from Springvale to his preferred Rodven. While it remains purely guesswork, one suspects that the Latin scholar constructed the name from the affectation Roby Davis venit - Robert Davis came (here). In the Knock district, Rudesheim (along the Rhine) may have conjured fond memories for the first resident and, as it is a unique geographical location, it is possible that the first occupant of Lythe Bank on King's Road may have originated from close to one of the steepest gradients in Britain (at Sandsend in North Yorkshire). When the Knockdene estate at Knock junction was built at the close of the 19th century, the first resident of Astolat probably had a fondness for Arthurian legend. Brugh, for a long period the home of the artist JW Carey, however simply means mansion or large house. A similar lack of imagination was devoted to the naming of the more expansive Ballyhackamore House, which once stood on the site of Strandtown police station. As one source expressed it, "two fields distant", at the junction of the Holywood and Belmont Roads, stood Sydenham House and Seville Lodge, both owned by William Thomas Waterson, a solicitor. Expand Close Tweskard / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tweskard If Waterson had named the latter because it offered an illusion of exotic Spain, it quickly developed a history which was as disturbing and Machiavellian as that country's Inquisition. Around 1856, an Englishman, Thomas Scott, his sister Julia, her husband William Trousdale and his adult children all occupied Ballyhackamore House. Scott, whose financial dealings exhibited unreliability, had already borrowed 500 from Waterson for an assignment on the mortgage of Ballyhackamore House. In April 1857 the solicitor then rented Seville Lodge to the Trousdales, who moved in with all their possessions - and soon proceeded to ignore paying their rent. By the following year it had become a complex and expensive legal process for Waterson to resolve the various issues, during which time he instructed bailiffs to remove the possessions of the Trousdales who retaliated by threatening to sub-rent out Seville Lodge to a notorious Mrs Smith, the keeper of a house of ill-fame located at the improbable address of 3 Queen Street in the town centre. Watersons professional partner was John Dinnen who, at that same time, was purchasing the Cabin Hill estate, adjacent to Belmont House. Cabin Hill was built in 1785 by United Irishman Sam McTier and his wife, Martha, who contemplated a number of bizarre names for their home such as Medly-Cot, Mount Modicum, Entre Nous, Badinage and Competence before eventually settling on the most sensible one. Expand Close Andrew Carnegie at Cabin Hill / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Andrew Carnegie at Cabin Hill Cabin Hill passed to her more celebrated brother, William Drennan, before Dinnen was to demolish the old Cabin Hill cottage and construct a modern dwelling which was acquired in 1902 by the McMordies who, in September 1910, briefly played host to the second richest man in the world, Andrew Carnegie. Cabin Hill has survived, but stands at that half-way stage between life and death, abandoned and dilapidated. Another historically more significant residence at Belmont, only one mile distant and suffering the same fate, is Craigavon. Originally the family home of the Craigs, by 1913 it had become the centre of operations to resist the imposition of Home Rule and co-ordinate the activities of the incipient Ulster Volunteer Force, and was visited regularly by such as Sir Edward Carson and the gun-runner, Fred Crawford. During the First World War, James Craig, later the first Prime Minster of Northern Ireland, offered it as a hospital and in recent years the house has suffered from a lack of finance and total neglect. Many of the other substantial mansions in the area were built with the remarkable wealth pocketed from such as the engineering, linen and shipbuilding industries. Many of the working class were paid a pittance. Expand Close Otto Jaffe / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Otto Jaffe In September 1910, one commentator seeking reforms in the linen trade observed that since he arrived in the city, he had seen on the hoardings an announcement that the wages of sin is death, but when he took up the papers, he saw that the wages of virtue were three-farthings per hour. He thought that was hardly a sufficient distinction. One of Sir William Ewarts brothers rather disingenuously retorted that: If there is in operation a rate of payment at which it is impossible for a worker to earn sufficient to live in comfort, such has only to be brought to light in order to be remedied. A number of these residences have long since given up the ghost, victims of evaporating fortunes and the need to accommodate an ever-expanding population. Clonallan, Norwood, Edgcumbe, Tweskard, Edenvale, Kin-Edar, Glenmachan and others once glamorous and cherished homes, which once stood within a mile of each other in Strandtown and Belmont now survive only among the record of street names. Glenmachan, another Ewart residence, derives its name from Irish roots, as did Tweskard, which was Anglicised from tuaisceart, meaning north. Norwood Towers, the Henderson family home, probably obtained its name from English connections, as did Westbank on Palmerston Road, occupied by William Holmes Smiles, one of the founders of the Belfast Ropeworks. Smiles adopted the name of his original London home in which he had been raised by his father, Sir Samuel Smiles, the author of the Victorian classic, Self Help. The elder Smiles was an admirer of Sir Edward Harland, whom he also visited in east Belfast. Before his move along the Belmont Road to Ormiston, the Yorkshire shipbuilder had lived at Edenvale, which was later the home of John Joseph Jaffe, one of four sons of Daniel Jaffe, who had arrived from Hamburg in 1851 to establish the most successful linen export business in Belfast. The eldest Jaffe brother, Martin, lived briefly at Magdala House (adjacent to Ballyhackamore House), a name which was probably inspired by his Jewish ancestry. Boasting 11 bedrooms, Magdala was seriously damaged in a storm in January 1875, which necessitated structural repair and re-decoration. Expand Close CS Lewis as a boy at Glenmachan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp CS Lewis as a boy at Glenmachan Martin sold it soon afterwards and the auction included exotic and expensive items, such as a piano from Vienna, Brussels carpets, Persian bedsteads and a refrigerator by Higgins of Cincinnati. Another brother, Alfred, lived at Evelyn Lodge on Pims Avenue and the youngest of the quartet future Belfast Lord Mayor Sir Otto Jaffe initially lived at Canadian Villas on Park Avenue. He was to edge his way along Sydenham Avenue, via Laurel Lodge (adjacent to St Heliers), in 1891 to Kin-Edar, a seven-acre estate developed by the side of Belmont Presbyterian Church. Some have suggested that the name must have had some Hebrew significance, but in reality Kin-Edar was created by the previous occupants, the Hawkins family. Sir Otto was falsely betrayed during the First World War and felt obliged to leave the city in 1916. Not one of the homes in east Belfast occupied by any of the Jaffe brothers has survived to the present day. At the upper end of Belmont Road, some of these homes have managed to survive the vagaries of fortune. Ormiston, built in 1867 for James Combe, the owner of the Falls Foundry, took its name from Combes birthplace on the outskirts of Edinburgh. One of the neighbouring parishes in the Scottish capital is Dalkeith, which was also the name given to a large semi-detached home built around 1900 at the other end of the Hawthornden Road, but it is unclear why the occupant, school inspector Adam McElwaine, bestowed this name upon it. Netherleigh, on Massey Avenue, was built in 1875 as the family home of the Robertson family, who opened Bank Buildings. It probably took its name from its location in relation to the Belmont estate, and may cast some light on the plumbing in many of these mansions as, when it was purchased by Campbell College in 1921, it was still using the cess pit for sanitation. Both Netherleigh and Ormiston may owe their current survival to the fact that they were acquired in the 1920s as junior departments by Campbell College. A number of the villas built in the 1860s in the Old Holywood Road area of Belmont were designed by Thomas Jackson, so much so that one commentator was to christen the locality Jacksonville. The architect constructed Glenmachan as his personal home, but was made an offer he could not refuse by Sir William Ewarts father. As a replacement for himself, in 1864 Jackson built Altona nearby in eight acres of land of which he eventually bought the freehold. It is probably unprovable, but there is the likelihood that it may originally have been intended for a member of the Jaffe family. The nomenclature does not accord with any other in the locality and Altona is the Hamburg borough from which Daniel Jaffe arrived and where many of his offspring, including Otto, were born. Two of Jacksons daughters married into the prolific Greeves dynasty, which also flourished, among others, at Lismachan, Tweskard and Bernagh, and Altona has remained in the familys hands ever since. Whereas present-day Ulster society is riven by political and religious divisions, in late-19th and early-20th century Strandtown and Belmont, faith and denomination co-existed in reasonable harmony: Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist all boasted a church within a stones throw of each other at Knock. The Jaffe family was Jewish and Thomas Jackson and his relations were Quakers. The principal social dichotomy was economic, but prosperity and a sprawling home did not always foster happiness. The father of Lily Greeves and her four brothers, Joseph Malcomson Greeves of Bernagh, was a strict member of the Plymouth Brethren, who made the life of his wife and children a misery. Expand Close The author in his study / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The author in his study His young neighbour, CS Lewis, characterised him as severe in his dress and expression ... the face at once oppressed and oppressive ... a harsh husband and a despotic father. When James Combe died in 1875, his popularity was such that 600 of his workforce arrived to accompany his coffin, and when the later occupant of Ormiston, Viscount Pirrie, passed away in 1924, enormous crowds readily attended his funeral and accompanied his cortege. When Greeves died the following year, the creator of Narnia implied that the turnout was to ensure that he had definitely passed on! Keith Haines is the author of Knock, Knock, who was there A brief history of Knock, Belmont & Strandtown and the people who lived there (Ballyhay Books) Dublin-based Stobart Air, which operates the Aer Lingus Regional service, is to axe more than 100 jobs, the Irish Independent understands - despite saying earlier this week that it intends to relaunch almost all its flight schedule by August. Aviation industry sources said that about half the jobs at the Stobart Group-owned airline are expected to be lost at Dublin and Cork. The remainder will go at London Southend Airport, which is owned by the Stobart Group. Stobart Air confirmed it will close the London Southend base and reduce the workforce in Dublin and Cork. "While Stobart Air will begin a phased resumption of services from July 14, we will operate a reduced schedule, with less aircraft flying and less flights scheduled, in line with passenger demand and subject to travel guidelines," a spokeswoman said. "As a result, a reduction in our workforce is required, in line with our reduced operating schedule. While a difficult decision to take, it is a necessary one," she added. Stobart Air employs about 570 people, although many had been temporarily laid off in the past number of weeks. The carrier made no mention of the planned redundancies this week when it announced resumption of services to and from the UK. Stobart Air said on Tuesday that it will restart two Aer Lingus Regional routes - from Dublin to Edinburgh and Glasgow - on July 14. It expects to relaunch almost all its other services from August 1 and August 2. They include routes from Dublin and Cork to destinations across the UK. A service from Shannon to Birmingham is scheduled to restart on September 3. It's been continuing to operate publicly-funded services between Dublin and Kerry and Donegal during the lockdown. The embattled carrier, led by its managing director Andy Jolly, has been struggling along with other airlines with the effects of the pandemic as air travel collapsed. Stobart Group, whose chief executive is Warwick Brady, has pledged to bolster Stobart Air's finances as it faces an uncertain future. The group pledged 25m for the carrier in May, which it reacquired effective control of in April this year. Last week, Stobart Group raised 100m (112m) of fresh equity at a 42pc discount to shore up its own balance sheet. MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 26: Protesters march on Hiawatha Avenue while decrying the killing of George Floyd on May 26, 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, As states are reopening and lifting social distancing restrictions amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, some communities have begun to host gatherings again. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending all Americans to continue wearing cloth face coverings, among other guidelines, to help lower the risk of spreading the virus during gatherings and events. In its updated guidelines, the CDC "strongly encouraged" cloth face coverings in settings where "individuals might raise their voice," citing shouting, chanting, and singing as examples. These settings might include protests, concerts, conferences, and weddings, or any other gatherings where physical distancing may be difficult. As a reminder, wearing a cloth face mask isn't necessarily meant to protect an individual from getting the virus, but rather to protect them from unknowingly spreading the virus to others, if they aren't showing any symptoms, according to the CDC. Related: Is It Safe to Swim During COVID-19? Experts Agree That Swimming Is Safe During COVID-19, but You'll Need to Take Precautions While the World Health Organization (WHO) recently said the asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is "very rare," the CDC advises event organizers and attendees to continue to exercise caution, and prioritize outdoor activities as much as possible. "The more people an individual interacts with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and COVID-19 spreading," the CDC states. In addition to wearing face masks, the CDC recommends washing hands often and maintaining distance when possible, and discourages individuals from exchanging physical interactions, like handshakes, fist bumps, and high-fives at events. If you believe that you're infected with the coronavirus, are showing symptoms, or have been in close contact with someone showing symptoms within the past 14 days, you should stay home, especially from gatherings. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, here's how you can take care of yourself at home. (Reuters) - Protests against racism triggered by the death of African American George Floyd have inspired art around the world, from murals in Syria and Pakistan to graffiti in Nairobi. At the Berlin Wall, a large portrait of Floyd is seen alongside yellow block letters spelling 'I CAN'T BREATHE,' words he repeated before dying as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. (Reuters) - Protests against racism triggered by the death of African American George Floyd have inspired art around the world, from murals in Syria and Pakistan to graffiti in Nairobi. At the Berlin Wall, a large portrait of Floyd is seen alongside yellow block letters spelling "I CAN'T BREATHE," words he repeated before dying as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The May 25 incident, captured on video, prompted widespread protests across the United States and in other countries. The case was ruled a homicide by medical examiners, and Derek Chauvin, the white officer was charged with second-degree murder. Syrian artist Aziz Asmar said he wanted to send a message of solidarity through his mural. "After witnessing the increased racism against black people in the United States, and because it is our duty to stand with all humanitarian causes around the world, we painted today on a wall destroyed by Assad planes in Idlib," said Asmar, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Asmar said the images of Floyd reminded him of those of Syrian children killed by suspected chemical attacks in Damascus and Khan Sheykhoun. In Afghanistan, a blast wall in Kabul was the canvas for Mehr Aqa Sultani, of arts activist group ArtLords. "George Floyd is a global figure now and he was killed in the United States because of the blackness of his skin," he said. "We want to say 'no' to discrimination because discrimination has no benefit for us." In Paris, street artist Dugudus depicted U.S. President Donald Trump as a police officer pressing his knee into Floyd's neck while holding a Bible. The mural referred to Trump's photo op in front of St John's Church in Washington last week, after police forcefully removed protesters in a nearby park to clear the area for him. In Pakistan, where elaborately painted trucks are a common sight, Karachi-based artist Haider Ali, 40, painted Floyd on the wall of his house - until he can return to his usual moving canvas. "I painted these candles and I made these flowers as garland around his neck to pay him tribute," said Ali, who is raring to paint on trucks again to spread the message of Floyd's death. (Writing by Diane Craft; Editing by Richard Chang) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 12 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in past 24 hours, with three Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action, the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) reported on its Facebook page on Saturday morning. According to intelligence, on June 12, Ukrainian troops killed two and wounded at least three Russian invaders. The headquarters' press center said that since the beginning of the current day, Russia-led armed groups in the area of responsibility of the Skhid task force had fired at outposts near Slavne with anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms. In the area of responsibility of the Pivnich task force, the enemy fired 50 shells at the defenders of Luhanske using 122 mm artillery systems prohibited by the Minsk agreements. "No casualties are reported among our defenders over the current day," JFO HQ said. Press Release June 13, 2020 De Lima urges Senate to investigate DOH's COVID-19 faulty data reporting Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has sought a Senate investigation into the various problems affecting the reliability of the Department of Health's (DOH) data reporting which directly impacts the government's management and targeted response to the COVID-19 pandemic. De Lima, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, filed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 443 directing the appropriate Senate committee to address the serious issues concerning DOH's COVID-19 inaccurate data reporting. "Accurate and up-to date data about COVID-19 and the resources the country has in the fight to survive the global pandemic is vital not only in policy-making, but as well as in upholding the right of the people to information on matters of public concern," she said. "The serious issues and concerns regarding the integrity of the data being reported by the government must be resolved to secure public trust in the plans, decisions, and pronouncements of the government and its private partners," she added. Last May 12, the University of the Philippines COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team last May 12 revealed alarming errors in the data reports provided by the DOH on the COVID-19 statistics, including unreconciled differences in numbers between DOH and LGUs, and inconsistencies in the patient-level data and the use of date formats in the agency's data drop on COVID-19 cases. Roughly two weeks after, the DOH admitted the said data errors in a hearing conducted by the House of Representatives, saying that that the country is experiencing 12-day backlogs in the outcome of samples from COVID-19 tests, and the agency is facing challenges in ensuring that the data being reported is real-time. More than two months from the time Mr. Duterte declared a nationwide State of Calamity, De Lima lamented how the DOH is still at the stage of making an attempt to provide real-time data despite the continued backlogs in the testing results previously conducted. Citing a news report, De Lima noted that the DOH missed its usual scheduled briefing and reporting on the latest COVID-19 cases last May 29 because the agency started identifying the number of "fresh" or new cases, as well as those that came from the testing backlog. If the government hopes to formulate an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, De Lima emphasized that governments must be perceived as trustworthy by citizens. "The DOH and their faulty reporting have contributed to the erosion of public trust in the Philippine government and have pushed us into further disarray as the quarantine level has been downgraded to a more relaxed General Community Quarantine (GCQ) to kickstart the economy in Metro Manila," she said. "An up-to-date and transparent reporting system would eliminate any suspicion of data manipulation for purposes of political gains," she added. De Lima also stressed that the speed and timeliness of how such data is released is equally critical because it can help experts "in formulating possible solutions to the crisis," the leaders "in steering the country in important decision-making," and the public "in assessing the true magnitude of the situation." "There is a need for the DOH to heed the call of experts to share relevant and up-to-date data that can help capable institutions make scientific assessments for discussions on the evolving crisis to come up with better peer-reviewed science in their data reporting of COVID-19 cases in the country," she said. 'Borrowers not going overboard...': SBI MD on banks being called credit averse Updated: 13 Jun 2020, 07:00 PM IST Arijit Basu, Managing Director of State Bank of In... moreArijit Basu, Managing Director of State Bank of India, commented on banks being accused of credit aversion. He said that borrowers weren't interested in increasing their debt even as banks were extending offers. Basu also said that bankers were ready to facilitate good quality credit after going through the proper process. He was speaking at the fourth webinar of Mint's Pivot Or Perish series, which focuses on decoding how various stakeholders of the Indian economy are dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown. Not too long ago, there was a buzz that Venkat Prabhu will soon start rolling the second instalment of the 2011 movie Mankatha. The blockbuster film indeed played a big role in Ajith's career, as it is said to be a movie that elevated the actor's stardom. However, Thala got busy with other projects in between and now, as per recent rumours, there are very less chances of the sequel to happen. It is said that Venkat Prabhu had met Ajith during the shoot of the latter's Vishwasam in Hyderabad, wherein the director narrated the script to him. Apparently, the actor was impressed with the storyline and gave his nod to Venkat. The director then returned to Chennai after the meet, and shared a picture with Thala on social media, which had fans speculating about Mankatha 2. As per sources, Ajith wasn't happy with the picture shared by the director and the subsequent speculations about the sequel. There are also reports that the producers of Mankatha, Dhayanidhi Alagiri and Vivek Rathnavel had earlier told the director, that the sequel will be bankrolled by their respective banners only. However, renowned producer Boney Kapoor, who shares a very close bond with Ajith, has also approached Venkat for the project. Recent grapevine suggests that Ajith has given a major part of his dates to Boney Kapoor, which evidently decreases the chances of Mankatha 2 rolling in the near future. Well, we will have to wait and see if the sequel to the blockbuster with Ajith in the lead role materialises or not! The 2011 movie was also Ajith's 50th outing in Tamil. The action thriller also featured an ensemble cast including Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Raai Lakshmi, Anjali, Andrea Jeremiah, Vaibhav, Premji and Mahat Raghavendra. Ajith Kumar-Vishnuvardhan Project: Here's A Major Update On Thala 61! Thala 61: Ajith Kumar To Join Hands With This Director For The Project? Sony's big reveal of the PS5 or PlayStation 5 was a huge event yesterday and now, the PS5 is finally available to pre-order but the only downside is that it will be costing people $700. To be more specific, the retailer Play Asia has already opened up its pre-orders for this next-generation PlayStation console but at a surprising price tag of a whopping $700. Quite interestingly, this list also mentions the release date to be in December 2020, but just like the price, this has already almost certainly just been a placeholder date. At the moment of its publishing, Sony has not yet disclosed a definitive price point for the upcoming console neither the release date rather than saying that it will be on a "holiday 2020." However, Play Asia has already issued certain placeholders for both of these speculative details in order for them to open up pre-orders not just for the new standard version of the console, but also the digital version as well. Does the PlayStation 5 cost $500? The current rumors are pointing towards the upcoming PlayStation 5 having a price of $500 for this console and the release date is said to be somewhere between either late October or even early November. There have also been quite a few other leaks here and there that have all suggested that the console will be released in December just like how the PS1 previously did. It is still very unlikely that Sony would actually be willing to miss the legendary Black Friday and even the Cyber Monday, which is when a huge bulk of holiday season shopping is all done, especially in parts of North America, the console's main market. Read Also: [Tutorial] How to Download and Install Mods for Blades and Sorcery U8: Manual Step by Step How much will the PS5 cost? With this said, it is still unknown what the final price of the console would actually be but it is still very unlikely that the PS5 would be priced at $700 or even $600. After all, Sony has already admitted in the past that this was definitely a very bad price point when their PS3 previously launched. According to a snippet from a particular opinion piece that tackles the reason why it is believed that the PlayStation 5 will cost around $500, the PS5 will be priced at around $500, or at least this will be its starting point price. Sony has already hinted that the PS5 is expected to be leaning towards the pricey side which definitely rules out the conversation of the console being at the $400 price point. It is also believed that the company rarely sells at the $50 price mark so this would mean that it would be okay to rule out the $450 price mark as well. At this point, the options lead towards the console being priced at the $500 price point. It is believed that there is also no way that Sony is going to charge a whopping $600 once again after making that previous mistake with the previous PS3. Read Also: Is the $149.99 Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Better Than the PS5 Controller? The GMR group has been retained as the concessionaire for the Bhogapuram airport project. Vijayawada: Chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has extended an olive branch to big corporate houses such as GMR, Greenko and Navayuga, paving the way for implementation of mega infrastructure projects including Polavaram. This is a strategic move by the YSR Congress government to shake off the tag of being a retrogressive regime, a criticism levelled against it when it decided to review projects sanctioned by the previous TDP government. An immediate outcome of this move would be the removal of litigation arising out of its decision to scrap a power project deal with the infrastructure company Navayuga. Sources said the government and Navayuga reached an amicable settlement in which Rs 100 crore paid by the company towards taxes and Rs 200 crore paid towards equipment would be adjusted against the mobilisation advance of Rs 700 crore given to Navayuga by the previous TDP regime. On its part, the government will not encash the company's bank guarantee of Rs 300 crore, as it had threatened to do earlier, and Navayuga has agreed to go in for arbitration for the remaining Rs 400 crore. A senior government official confirmed the decision not to encash the bank guarantee and the company's reciprocal gesture of withdrawing the litigation it had initiated against the government. The status of the Bhogapuram airport project in Visakhapatnam district to will change as a consequence of the government's olive branch offers to big business. While in the opposition, the YSR Congress accused then chief minister Chandrababu Naidu of favouring GMR over the Airports Authority of India for this project. Now, while deciding to retain GMR as the concessionaire, the chief minister has set a condition that 500 acres out of the 2,700 acres earmarked for the project should be retained with the government. The projects, promoters and agreements remain the same, said T. Vijaykumar Reddy, commissioner for information and public relations, claiming that the government managed to secure better terms through this device of review and renegotiation. The YSRC government's decision to red-flag Greenko's integrated green power project in Kurnool district drew international attention and invited pressure from the central government to honour the previous agreements. The project was designed to set up a facility to generate 1,000 MW of solar power, 550 MW of wind and 1,880 MW of hydel power on 4,600 acres. While the TDP government fixed the land cost at Rs 2.5 lakh per acre, we enhanced it to Rs 5 lakh, which means Rs 238 crore revenue accrued to the government upfront, said Ajay Kallam, principal advisor to the chief minister. In addition, Greenko agreed to pay a green energy development fee of Rs 1 lakh per MW every year for the first 25 years and Rs 2 lakh per MW per annum for the remaining period of the project, which is likely to be 75 years. The annual revenue for the state will be Rs 31 crore, or Rs 3375 crore throughout the life span of the project, he added. Pompeo defends US' moral standing to raise religious freedom concerns amid Floyd protests Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to China's accusation that the United States has double standards when it comes to protests, noting that the communist nation doesn't allow free speech and it imprisons religious minorities, unlike the U.S. A spokesperson for China's communist government denounced the U.S. for supporting Hong Kong protesters and then said the U.S. has a double standard because some police officers have used force against protesters and journalists in the wake of George Floyds death. Pompeo countered the argument by emphasizing that the contrast between the two countries couldnt be more clear. In a press conference Wednesday during the rollout of the State Departments annual international religious freedom report, Pompeo decried Chinas obscene attempts to take advantage of our domestic situation to press their political agenda. There is no equivalence between our two forms of government, Pompeo said. We have the rule of law; China does not. We have free speech and embrace peaceful protest. They dont. We defend religious freedom; as I just noted, China continues its decadeslong war on faith. Last week, a spokesperson for China claimed that the U.S. is beautifying "violent protests" for Hong Kongs autonomy from mainland China while the U.S. also calls its own people protesting against racial discrimination rioters. Why does the U.S. point fingers at the constrained law enforcement by Hong Kong police but turn a blind eye to what happens at home while using shooting and even the National Guard against the protesters? Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was quoted as saying during a press briefing last week. Hua Chunying, another ministry spokesperson, mocked a tweet sent out by State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus in support of the Hong Kong protests. Chunying responded to Ortagus tweet on May 30 by tweeting the phrase I cant breathe, the words uttered by Floyd before he died with his neck pressed to the pavement by the knee of a Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day. In a press briefing, Chunying pointed to an article by The Guardian that cites data compiled by the investigative journalist website Bellingcat to report that there have been over 148 instances of police violence against journalists between May 26 and June 2 in the U.S. Given Chinas record on human rights, Pompeo responded by telling reporters that the contrast between the U.S. and China couldnt be more clear. During the best of times, China ruthlessly imposes communism, he said. And amidst the most difficult challenges the United States faces, we work to secure freedom for all. The State Departments 2019 international religious freedom report, a congressionally mandated document, lays out the various violations of religious freedom committed by the Chinese government against various religious communities. Reports have shown that there are over 1 million Muslims imprisoned in so-called re-education camps in Western China. Additionally, a yearslong crackdown on Christianity has led to arrests of churchgoers, the closure of house churches, and removal of hundreds of Christian crosses from state-sanctioned churches nationwide. China's regime has also committed human rights violations against the Falun Gong and Tibetan Buddhists. The State Department has long called out China for its human rights and religious freedom abuses and China has long been listed by the State Department as a country of particular concern for engaging in systemic and egregious violations of religious liberty. The Chinese Communist Party is now ordering religious organizations to obey CCP leadership and infuse communist dogma into their teachings and practice of their faith, Pompeo said. The mass detentions of Uighurs in Xinjiang continues. So does the repression of Tibetans and Buddhists and Falun Gong and Christians. Pompeo was later asked by a reporter what position the U.S. has to raise religious freedom concerns morally given the increased attention to racial disparities and the use of force against protesters outside the White House in Lafayette Park on June 1. Pompeo called the reporters question troubling. Because you ask the question assuming there is a moral equivalency between what takes place in these countries, where they repress their people and they bludgeon their people and they burn down their religious facilities, and they deny journalists ... the chance to ask a question of a secretary of state just like the question you had. [You have] the opportunity to ask me and demand that we provide responses to you and hold us accountable, he said. Those things dont happen in those nations [China or Iran]. The secretary added that the U.S. is a nation that has God-given rights ensconced in our fundamental founding documents He said those rights ensure that when something as tragic and awful as what happened to George Floyd takes place, that the government responds. We saw both local law enforcement and our Department of Justice move very quickly to address the particular situation, Pompeo said. Weve now seen people say, Hey, were calling for changes in the way law enforcement works. Its not my space here as the secretary of state, but you can see this debate take place in America. That doesnt happen in nations across the world. During his recent trip to China, Pompeo met with survivors of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, where the Chinese government killed and wounded thousands of people. In Tiananmen Square 31 years ago, when thousands of people were massacred, instead they repressed journalists, they disappeared people. Its fundamentally different, Pompeo added. This week, the online web conferencing giant Zoom faced criticism after it followed through with the Chinese government's demands to shut down the accounts and meetings of activists who held conferences related to the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the protests in Hong Kong. Zoom admitted that it was contacted by the Chinese government in May and early June about four zoom meetings commemorating the massacre, activity deemed to be illegal in China. As China's regime silences dialogue about the massacre, Pompeo said Floyd's case will be an incredible opportunity to tell the important story about how America confronts challenges inside its own country in a way that reflects the finest of what our founders would have hoped America could achieve. Our nation is so special and its the greatest nation in the history of civilization, Pompeo said. Its so special that challenges like the ones that were confronting here in the United States today will be managed head-on, there will be a political process thats engaged of, there will be wide-open debate, and our core principles the fact that we respect every human being because they are made in the image of God will be reflected in the way that the United States responds to these challenges. By Steven Sahiounie June 12, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - United States Special Envoy to Syria, James Jeffrey, announced on Sunday that Washington had offered Syria a proposal to end the US sanctions. The Foreign and Expatriates Ministry in Damascus said that the statements by James Jeffrey constitute a clear admission by the Trump administration of it being directly responsible for the suffering of Syrians. The Syrians see the increasing sanctions as economic-warfare after the US failure to bring about regime change, by using terrorists supported by the CIA. Damascus declares the sanctions violate human rights and international law as they affect the Syrian population. President Trump inherited the Syrian war from its creator, former President Obama. In 2016, Trump campaigned with a promise to stop US support of the war in Syria; however, he has since invaded and occupied several areas in Syria and has declared he is there to keep the oil from being used by Syria. Russia entered Syria in 2015 at the request of Damascus to assist in the fight against Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorists. The newest sanctions have a 5-year life-span, and can be dismissed if seven criteria are met; however, the first two points are designed specifically to prevent fighting the Al Qaeda terrorists who control Idlib and are holding about 3 million persons as human shields. Both Syria and Russia, its ally in Syria, have said defeating terrorism are strategic goals. American sanctions on Syria have piled up in layers since 1979, and increased during the 2011-2020 period, culminating in the newest sanctions this month. Some representatives of the UN and Western NGOs have denounced sanctions as ineffective and inhumane. A Damascus businessman said, Sanctions will help prevent Syria from achieving any form of recovery, while adding, Wealthy ex-pats wont come back as long as sanctions are there. Friar Firas Lutfi, of the Franciscan order with the Custody of the Holy Land, gave a video interview to Rome Reports, in which he gave his first-hand testimony about Syria before, during and after the war. He recalled his former life in Aleppo and explained the plight of persecuted Christians, who had enjoyed full freedom of religion in Syria until the Al Qaeda terrorists arrived at the behest of the Muslim Brotherhood-backed attack which began in 2011. The terrorists have been defeated, except for Idlib; however, a new form of terror arrived in the form of the COVID-19 virus. Although the number of cases is low in Syria, the effect of the lockdown has led to poverty, as income was halted. Friar Lutfi phoned a friend in Syria, and the friend said, I prefer to die of coronavirus and not by hunger. I cannot afford to see my children dying in front of my eyes, without being able to do anything. The price of staple food items in Syria increased 111 percent in a year. The cost of food, medicine, and other basics are skyrocketing in Syrian markets as the Syrian Lira collapses in value. The value of the Syrian Lira on the informal market has plunged from about 940 to the US dollar in January to a rate of about 4,000 recently. From 1992 to 2011 the rate was steady at 50 Syrian Lira to 1 US dollar. The years of war and US sanctions have devalued the Syrian currency, and have plunged the middle-class Syrians into poverty. Recently, some shops and pharmacies are keeping their doors shut because the value of the currency is dropping too fast. Price rises of essentials including cooking gas and bread are causing suffering. Even in areas which were not under attack by terrorists, and have passed the war in relative calm, are feeling the effects of the sanctions, which have translated into economic-warfare. The UN World Food Program reported a survey in April that about a third of the population was not getting enough to eat, while 87 percent had run out of savings after 9 years of war. The Al Qaeda controlled area in Idlib uses the US dollar and the Turkish Lira and has been spared the currency crisis. The same can be said of parts of the Northeast under Kurdish control, which is allied with the US. They also use US dollars to a large extent, and both of the areas are outside of Damascus control, and thus receive substantial aid from both the UN and international charities, which do not provide food and aid in the rest of Syria. The US and EU have not provided any food or aid to any location in Syria which is under Syrian control. The US sanctions have been unsuccessful in their goal of regime change in Damascus, but have been hugely successful in making the Syrian people suffer, even though they have survived 9 years of terrorist attacks, occupations, deaths, injuries, and destruction they continue to suffer from economic-warfare. A school teacher in Latakia, said, We thought if we resisted the terrorists, and defeated them, we would rebuild the lost homes, schools, hospitals and farms and start a new post-war-life. Now, the war is over, and we cant rebuild anything and our life is even worse now that we are in peace-time. Where is our victory over terrorism? Why is America punishing us for defeating the terrorists? The latest US sanctions are designed to prevent any reconstruction of infrastructure damaged in the war, which includes homes, shops, businesses, factories, and infrastructures such as schools and hospitals. US sanctions have exemptions for humanitarian aid, which include food, supplies, and bank transfers for humanitarian purposes. However, those exemptions are in theory only and have never been applied, as the paperwork and time to secure a waiver from the US government makes the exemption useless. The Trump administration, US Congress, and many Syrian-American groups have praised the new extreme sanctions against Syria. While the people living today in Syria suffer under the sanctions, those Syrians living inside the US and Europe are prospering and unaffected by the sanctions. Azhdar Kurtov, of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, explained in an interview with RT, Syria has become an unpleasant splinter in American politics in the Middle East. Moreover, this is not only a local defeat; it is evidence of the collapse of, above all, the global ambitions of the United States. Steven Sahiounie is an award-winning journalist. - " Source " - Post your comment below With 61 fresh Covid-19 cases reported from Uttarakhand on Saturday, the tally of total positive cases in the state increased to 1,785. The health department on Saturday confirmed that one Covid-19 positive patient who had died on June 4, had succumbed to the infection after his health reports and post mortem results were analysed. According to health department officials, a 26-year-old man from Muzaffarnagar had died at AIIMS Rishikesh on June 4. As per his death summary and reports, the cause of death has been established to be acute respiratory distress syndrome with underlying cause Covid-19 and pneumonia. This is the first death directly attributed to the disease in the state even as, 22 Covid-19 positive patients have died in the state, for which health officials attributed co-morbidity to be the cause of death. On Saturday, two more Covid-19 positive patients died in Uttarakhand. A bulletin released by the health department on Saturday evening mentioned that an 82-year-old man-- a Covid-19 positive patient died in Udham Singh Nagar district and that the actual cause of death is awaited. The health bulletin mentioned that this patient had no travel history. In another incident, a 46-year-old man was found dead by officials during screening at the Kotdwar check-post after he returned from Delhi. Officials took his sample and he tested positive for Covid-19. Out of the 61 cases, 14 patients reported on Saturday had no travel history or were local people and two were Army personnel. All the other patients had returned to the state from places like Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. The cases were reported from districts like Chamoli (3), Dehradun (12), Haridwar (20), Udham Singh Nagar (5), Pauri Garhwal (9), Tehri Garhwal (23), Uttarkashi (4), and Rudraprayag (1). On Saturday, 130 Covid-19 patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals across the state. They were discharged from hospitals in different districts like Dehradun (13), Champawat (6), Udham Singh Nagar (2), Haridwar (8), Tehri Garhwal (93) and Bageshwar (8). Uttarakhand has so far tested over 44,000 samples of which results for over 4,100 are awaited. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand police on Saturday registered an FIR for attempt to murder against a Covid-19 patient for hiding his test results after the patient recently returned to Nainital from Delhi. Ravi Saini, inspector of Ramnagar police station in Nainital said, A 26-year-old resident of Lakhanpur village in Ramnagar reached the town with his family on June 11. Officials had put them in institutional quarantine but he didnt inform us that he has undergone a test in a private lab in Delhi. Saini further said that the health department reported about a coronavirus positive patient in Lakhanpur village of Ramnagar. When examined, it was found that this patient was the only person to arrive with his family on June 11. The police have registered an FIR against him under section of 307 (Attempt to Murder) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Photo: The Canadian Press Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, leaves her home to go to B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. Lawyers for Meng Wanzhou are alleging that Canada's national spy agency was in on a plan for border officers to detain the Huawei executive for hours before her arrest at Vancouver's airport and was mindful of the political implications of her arrest. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward Lawyers for Meng Wanzhou allege Canada's national spy agency was in on a plan for border officers to detain the Huawei executive for hours before her arrest and was mindful of the case's political implications. Meng is wanted on fraud charges in the United States, but she and Huawei have both denied the allegations and say the extradition case should be thrown out. Lawyers for Meng argue her charter rights were violated when she was held and questioned by border officials who seized her electronics and passwords, which were shared with the RCMP before she was notified of her arrest on Dec. 1, 2018, at Vancouver's airport. In a document filed with the Federal Court, Meng's lawyers say a two-page redacted report shows the Canadian Security Intelligence Service was aware of a planned multi-hour delay because it says her arrest was expected to occur at about 4 p.m. even though her plane landed at 11:30 a.m. The CSIS report says the RCMP "with likely" assistance from the Canada Border Services Agency would make the arrest. Meng's lawyers argue this is evidence of collusion because it's not part of the border service's mandate to assist the RCMP in gathering evidence. In an email, CSIS spokesman John Townsend said: "As this matter is before the courts, I'm unable to provide comment on the specifics of the proceedings." In the document, the defence says the security agency's knowledge that Meng would not be arrested until about 4 p.m. "is troubling, since it is consistent with CSIS knowing that the CBSA would first detain, search and interrogate Ms. Meng upon her arrival ... at 11:30 a.m., and that there would therefore be a multi-hour delay before Ms. Meng's eventual arrest by RCMP." Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, is accused of making false statements in 2013 to HSBC, understating Huawei's relationship with Skycom Tech Co. and putting the bank at risk of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. CSIS received word from the FBI that an arrest warrant had been issued the day before her arrest, the CSIS report says. Meng's lawyers argue that CSIS was conscious of hiding the involvement of the FBI and mindful of the politically sensitive timing of her arrest. "The author of the CSIS report also was aware that the arrest of Ms. Meng would be a high-profile political event, saying 'the arrest is likely to send shockwaves around the world,' " the defence document says. It says the CSIS report was also "preoccupied with when the news of Ms. Meng's arrest might become public," which it describes as "a point of particular interest" because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was dining with U.S. President Donald Trump and the Chinese President Xi Jinping at a G20 summit on the evening of Dec. 1, 2018. The CSIS report does not mention the gathering of world leaders in Argentina, however, it does predict consequences of the arrest. It mentions the 2016 extradition of Su Bin to the U.S. on espionage charges and the subsequent arrest of two Canadians who operated a coffee shop in China. After Meng's arrest, Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were arrested in China in a move widely seen as retaliation. The CSIS report "makes plain" that not only was CSIS involved in communicating with the FBI and others regarding the planning of Meng's arrest but was conscious of obscuring the FBI's involvement, the defence team alleges. "The FBI will not be present in an effort to avoid the perception of influence," the CSIS report says. Extradition hearings are ongoing in the B.C. Supreme Court after Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes rejected the first set of arguments from Meng's lawyers that the allegations against her wouldn't be considered crimes in Canada. The defence is now seeking access to the full CSIS file from which the report came. The document is part of an application to the court for the appointment of a so-called friend of the court to participate in proceedings behind closed doors on secret documents, the disclosure of which the attorney general says would hurt international relations, national defence or national security. The Federal Court agreed on Wednesday to appoint a lawyer with security clearance to make arguments and review redacted documents provided by the attorney general. While Anil Kapoor will have access to further confidential information the lawyer cannot share the contents with Meng and her team. The two-page CSIS report was disclosed after the attorney general determined it was also relevant, but it was redacted based on national security concerns. 1. Yes. Too many kids are staying home. They need a virtual learning option to keep up. 2. Yes. Teachers are out sick and subs cant handle the load. Online learning is needed. 3. No. Its too late in the school year to make a wholesale switch in teaching platforms. 4.No. Many parents arent in a position to stay home while their kids learn virtually. 5. Unsure. It may seem like a good idea from a health standpoint, but it has shortcomings. Vote View Results As many as 241 Buddhist monks from Mongolia, who were stranded in Karnataka due to the lockdown, were flown back to their homeland in a special flight from Goa, an official said on Saturday. The flight took off from Dabolim international airport on Friday night, Goa airport director Gagan Malik told PTI. Another official said that the monks were stranded in Karnataka's Hubli due to the travel restrictions. They were brought to Goa on Friday by road. "A Mongolian Airlines flight arrived in Goa to ferry the stranded monks. All the rules related to social distancing and hygiene were meticulously followed during the departure of this group," he added. According to Malik, it was the 41st flight to take off from the Goa airport ever since the country-wide lockdown came into force. Earlier, repatriation flights had flown passengers to different countries, including Russia and the UK. The lockdown came into force in March when it was Goa's peak tourist season. Thousand of foreigners were holidaying in the state when the lockdown was announced. Several weeks ago, the idea of even stepping outside your local area felt like a fantasy. But slowly, as lockdown restrictions ease, the situation seems to be changing, and there's a glimmer of hope it might be possible to enjoy a holiday this year. The situation, however, is far from normal. From beach breaks to escorted tours, the way we travel will look very different from now on. Some hotels, tour operators and cruise lines have already published details hinting at how we might navigate a new world of socially-distanced sun-seeking and ethical escapism. These are some of the trends starting to emerge. Caravans and cottages promise peace of mind It's likely, once government advice allows, that most people will choose to staycation. Along with self-catering cottages, demand for caravans and holiday parks is set to be high. According to Auto Trader, searches for caravans are up by 18% compared to this time last year. Hardly surprising given The National Caravan Council's claim that caravans and motorhomes (below) are 'socially distanced by design'. There are no issues with shared facilities, they say, and camping lots are generally set five or six metres apart. Lloyd Figgins, chairman of the Travel Risk & Incident Prevention (TRIP) Group, says holiday parks are a low-risk option for similar reasons. "With everything included within the four walls of your holiday park rental, your holiday can be as safe as being at home," he says. "There's also the advantage that many holiday parks are situated in stunning locations, allowing you to get outside and enjoy the countryside or nearby beach, while still being able to maintain social distancing." It's hygiene on the high seas from now on The return to normality is set to be tricky for cruise ships. The floating hotels have a history of upsets with virus outbreaks and companies are having to work much harder to regain their customers' trust. But many have already taken steps towards making their fleets as germ-free as possible. All passengers travelling on Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet will be given a touchless temperature screening every time they return to the ship and when entering dining areas. Capacity will also be limited to allow social distancing on board. Princess, meanwhile, have pledged to constantly monitor the global health map, cancelling stops and modifying itineraries if areas have been impacted by Covid-19 outbreaks. Self-service buffets will be heavily reduced and hand sanitiser will flow like water. River cruise company Uniworld has gone even further by discontinuing self-service snacks, removing all books and magazines, discontinuing buffets and introducing set mealtimes. Tech will replace human contact in hotels As hotels across Europe plan to reopen, companies have adopted a range of new measures to make sure their guests feel safe. Although reputable hotels already have high hygiene standards, new levels of meticulous disinfecting and scrubbing are set to become the norm. Groups such as Wyndham, who have an international portfolio, are working with Ecolab products specialised to prevent the spread of infections on surfaces, and have promised supplies of PPE to staff. Even smaller, family-run resorts, like Elivi Skiathos in Greece, are upping their cleanliness game; public areas will be regularly disinfected and online check-in will reduce face-to-face contact. OYO, who have properties ranging from guesthouses and B&Bs, to city-centre hotels, are introducing a new system of "sanitised stays". Their plans include removing excess furniture from lobby areas to discourage guests from lounging; presenting disinfected room keys and TV remotes in zip-lock bags; and limiting lifts to one group of room occupants at a time. Ikos, who have luxury all-inclusive beach resorts in Greece and Spain, have designed a new Infinite Care Protocol. Staff will be regularly tested for Covid-19 and anyone staying at the properties given a free rapid antibody test upon arrival. An in-resort ambulance and 24-hour medical support are reassuring additions, while a mobile app will allow contactless room service, restaurant and spa bookings. Group tours set to connect in new ways An entrepreneur and philanthropist who started one of the world's most successful group tour companies with nothing more than a vision and a credit card, Bruce Poon Tip is an agile thinker. Rather than dwell on the negatives of the pandemic, The G Adventures founder and CEO sees this as an opportunity to reflect upon and readjust the way we travel. "Why fight so damn hard to return to normal when the opportunity to transform travel is on the other side of this mess?" he says. He's used his time in lockdown to write a free e-book, Unlearn: The Year The Earth Stood Still, detailing his thoughts. (Download it at unlearn.travel.) The future, he says, revolves around the power and privilege we have as travellers to make informed choices about where our money is invested. "At the moment, people are being sold amenities - the biggest ship, the biggest go track etc - and they are forgetting about the destination. This is no longer travel in my mind," he writes. "The travel industry has made us into tourists, consumers of culture, rather than contributors to it." From now on, he suggests we should take a different approach: "Destination and local people are key." For that reason, G Adventures will continue to use local restaurants on their tours with options for "grab and go" boxes and al fresco dining. Affordable 'My Own Room' rates will also make it easier for solo travellers to avoid sharing. An adult day ticket for the Grand Parc costs 29 (33 euro) in advance and 20 (23 euro) for children A man rides a bicycle past commercial buildings in the central business district in Singapore. (PHOTO: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images) SINGAPORE The Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 347 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore as of Saturday (13 June) noon, bringing the total number of cases past 40,000, at 40,197. The breakdown is as follows: Imported cases: 0 Cases in the community: 5 (two Singaporeans, three work permit holders) Cases residing in dormitories: 342 Of the community cases, three were picked up as a result of proactive surveillance and screening, and one had already been placed on quarantine. Case 39893, a Singaporean, was tested as part of proactive testing of school students above the age of 12 diagnosed with acute respiratory infection (ARI) at first presentation to a doctor. Her serological test result came back positive, which is indicative of a past infection. The epidemiological evidence suggests that she was likely to have been infected during the Circuit Breaker period, and not after school re-opening. The other (Singaporean) case (Case 39901) was swabbed as she works at SCM Tuas Lodge, a dormitory, said MOH. Amongst the trio of work pass/work permit holders, Case 40027 was a contact of previously confirmed cases, and had already been quarantined at a government quarantine facility. He was swabbed during quarantine to verify his status. Another case (Case 40134) was tested as part of efforts to screen workers in essential services. The remaining case is linked to the cluster at Alaunia Lodge. One more death Case 161, a 73-year-old-male Singapore citizen, died from complications due to COVID-19 infection on Friday. He became a confirmed case on 9 March, and had a history of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and chronic kidney disease. The patient is linked to the Safra Jurong cluster. Increase in community and unlinked cases Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased, from an average of seven per day in the week before, to an average of eight per day in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased, from an average of two per day in the week before, to an average of four per day in the past week. This is partly due to active surveillance and screening of targeted groups, which have picked up more cases in the past week. Story continues One additional infection cluster has also been identified at a dormitory at 50 Tech Park Crescent. Dozens of clusters linked to foreign worker dorms have been identified thus far, including Singapores largest cluster of over 2,700 cases linked to S11 Dormitory@Punggol, followed by Sungei Tengah Lodge, Jurong Penjuru Dormitory, Tuas View Dormitory and Cassia @ Penjuru. The five are among the 25 dorms that have been gazetted as isolation areas. About 10 per cent of some 400,000 such workers who live in dorms have been cleared of the infection, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on 1 June during a press conference. Over 20,000 infected foreign workers have recovered, she added. Over 70% of patients recovered Another 768 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 28,808 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged. There are currently 228 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit. Meanwhile, 11,135 are being isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19. Separately, 26 have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection. Apart from 26 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 10 others who tested positive for the virus have died from unrelated causes, including three whose deaths were attributed to a heart attack and another three, including the 44-year-old male Indian national who died on 8 June, whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease. Only cases where the attending doctor or pathologist attributes the primary or underlying cause of death as due to COVID-19 infection will be added to the COVID-19 death count, said the MOH in previous press releases, adding that the method of assessment is consistent with international practices for classifying deaths. As of 8 June, the ministry has conducted 488,695 swab tests, of which 284,963 were done on unique individuals. This translates to around 85,700 swabs conducted per 1 million total population, and about 50,000 unique individuals swabbed per 1 million total population. INFOGRAPHIC: MOH On Saturday, MOH added six more public places to a list of locations first published on 25 May visited by infectious cases in the community for over 30 minutes. The places include New World Centre, 18 Marsiling Lane and the Poiz Centre. The list which excludes residences, workplaces, healthcare facilities, and public transport will be updated on a rolling 14-day basis or one incubation period. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Other Singapore stories: Waterway Point, POSB outlet at Kaki Bukit, Harbourfront Centre visited by COVID-19 cases On The Mic: Data security amid a pandemic Who can we trust? F1 Singapore Grand Prix is off, as COVID-19 restrictions make it 'impossible' Singapore People's Party to field 5 candidates at upcoming general election: report PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday admitted that Zimbabwe was in a terrible economic situation and deserved better, but blamed COVID-19 and other natural disasters for militating against his efforts to implement economic and political reforms. Mnangagwa made the remarks when he reviewed conditions of his indefinite national lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19. He relaxed further the operating conditions of companies, saying there was urgent need to open up the economy. "I want to thank my Executive team which continues to steer this economic ship through the roughest waters Zimbabwe has ever seen in the recent past, the droughts, cyclones and a global economic downturn in addition to a pandemic which the world had not witnessed in a century," Mnangagwa said. "These are hard conditions in which we implement tough spending cuts and deep structural economic reforms, but we have no choice, if we do not reform now, we will continue to drown in debt or paddle along with mediocrity. Zimbabwe deserves better." Mnangagwa has been under pressure to resuscitate the free falling economy, with fears that the deteriorating conditions could spark a coup. On Wednesday, Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe held a Press conference to debunk rumours of the coup, but immediately accused former Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere, unnamed security officials, senior government officials, MDC Alliance deputy national chairperson Job Sikhala, western embassies, churches and civic organisations of plotting to oust Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa said he had begun various reform processes that include economic, political and media as promised by the new dispensation before the lockdown, but his efforts had been slowed. "As we continue to return to work, we must once again refocus, recalibrate and revamp. Let us recall that Zimbabwe was in the mid of deep and broad reforms," Mnangagwa said. "We were reforming distortions that had bedevilled our economy for decades. We were reforming the old, creating the new, building stronger foundations for a more prosperous Zimbabwe." Ironically, Mnangagwa has been accused of using the lockdown to entrench tyranny after several opposition members and lawyers linked to Nelson Chamisa's MDC Alliance have been arrested. Three MDC Alliance activists, including Harare West MP, Joanah Mamombe, were abducted and allegedly tortured by State security agents as the onslaught on the opposition continued during the lockdown. "We began to reform our economic landscape as well as our political space and media space by removing antiquated laws and opening up new channels for dialogue and debate," Mnangagwa said. "We began to reform our economic landscape as well as our political space and media space by removing antiquated laws and opening up new channels for dialogue and debate," Mnangagwa said. "Unfortunately, just as Zimbabwe was opening up both internally and externally, we were forced like much of the world to close societies, to close markets, to close borders." Mnangagwa added: "Zimbabwe must once again be opened, the freedoms we promised at the outset of the new dispensation must once again be felt across the whole of our society, the freedom of assembly, freedoms of speech and religion, freedom to vote in free and open elections, freedom to flourish. STAMFORD Saying they were trying to raise awareness of second amendment rights, seven men, some carrying guns, walked through downtown Stamford Saturday afternoon to show that doing so is legal in the state. Many people dont know that Connecticut is an open carry state, said South Windsor resident Michael Picard, 31, who organized the event. Residents can carry a gun in the state with a permit, which they must carry with them. Guns are not allowed in some areas including state parks. City resident Julio C. Sanchez, 46, said he often carries his pistol for all to see. I believe we have the right to open carry. We have our freedoms. We should be able to walk around if we want to, Sanchez said. Just because you see someone with a firearm doesnt mean we are going to do something bad. The group walked from the Government Center over to the police department and down Bedford Street between 1 and 2:30 p.m. No one called 911 dispatch to report armed pedestrians, police said. Capt. Diedrich Hohn, who shadowed the group as it made its way through the busy downtown said they all acted within their legal rights as gun owners. Steve Shafer, 29, of New Britain, was carrying a potato cannon made from white PVC pipe. Shafer explained that he used to have a license to carry but it was taken away after someone stole his gun out of his car. We are standing up for our civil rights and liberties, he said, adding he believes he should be able to carry any weapon, including grenades or a machine gun. Because it is my property, thats why and I should be able to walk around with what I want, he said. Picard is suing Stamford, claiming he didnt deserve to be arrested in 2018 for carrying a sign in front of police headquarters with a curse word on it. You are your own best defense, he said Saturday. When a crime happens police often show up after the crime occurs. In that moment when you need to defend yourself, the cops arent necessarily going to be there. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com Gusserane O'Rahillys GAA club members living near and as far away as Australia got into gear over the June bank holiday weekend to hold a major fundraiser for the club, running 1,300kms. With the current Covid-19 restrictions, the possibility of holding a major event involving a large gathering of club members and supporters was a non-runner. However, club chairperson Shane Cullen felt that this offered an ideal opportunity for the club to funnel its efforts in to an event that would raise funds for a very worthy cause. Shane said: 'The #Run4Pieta fundraiser was perfect as it enabled the entire parish to participate and contribute while maintaining social distancing. The aim was to have someone running/walking at all times during a 24-hour period from 7.30 p.m. on Friday to 7.30 p.m. the following day. Donations were collected online and proceeds will go towards the Pieta House charity.' Pieta provides free therapy to those engaging in self harm, or to anyone bereaved by suicide who seeks their help. The charity relies on the generosity of the public as donations make up over 80 per cent of its income. The club set a target of 1,000, but it was clear from an early stage that this was going to be surpassed. Members and former members scattered all over the globe came together for the 24 hours and photos were put up on the club's social media accounts of some of those who took part. Participants from all around the Tintern parish and other areas of County Wexford were joined by more from Waterford, Carlow and Dublin as well as from Dubai, Boston, London and various parts of Australia. By 7.30 p.m. on a scorching June bank holiday Saturday evening, 203 people had taken part. In glorious weather conditions, the club had covered a total of 1,300 kilometres - which is the equivalent of going from Gusserane to Buncrana and back twice in 24 hours! At the time of going to press, the club had raised a whopping 5,740 but donations are still being accepted online through the link on the club's social media pages. 'In these strange and difficult times, this event brought a community together while raising a large sum of money for what is a most worthy cause. Well done to all involved.' Governor Godwin Obasekis exit from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, where he is expected to fly the partys governorship flag in the September 19, 2020 governorship election was sealed since February 24, 2020, by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, when he paid the governor a visit in Benin City, can authoritatively report. Sources with knowledge of the arrangement said that former President Jonathan was specifically in Benin to woo Obaseki to consider crossing to the PDP following his protracted bickering with his erstwhile political mentor and national chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. Jonathan, our sources said, assured Obaseki that the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, and key figures in the party from the state and the South/South zone were open to handing him the PDP ticket if he dumps the APC. The sources added that Obaseki assured the former president he was open to joining his party but would first have to fight Oshiomhole from within the APC to a logical conclusion to enable him cause maximum damage to the APC brand before his exit. Obaseki was Friday formally disqualified alongside his ally Mathew Iduoriyekemwe and Engineer Chris Ogiemwonyi from seeking reelection on the APC platform by the governorship-screening panel at the behest of Oshiomhole. Former President Jonathan with Governor Obaseki in Benin City. There are at least 12 ongoing lawsuits bordering on the APC governorship primary process in Edo and the leadership of the party in the state. THEWILL further gathered that Iduoriyekemwe and members of the party, who are Plaintiffs in the matter but sympathetic to Obaseki, would remain in the APC to fight the cases tenaciously as part of a broader strategy to keep the party in limbo. Obaseki had met with Secondus and some governors of the PDP in Abuja two days ago to perfect his entry to the party following feelers that he would be disqualified by Oshiomhole as previously reported exclusively by THEWILL. Obaseki Friday resigned from the APC and formally joined the PDP in his Ward. Recall that Jonathan had said he was in the state to express appreciation to Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin, founder of Igbinedion University and a stalwart of the PDP, for bestowing on him an honorary degree. He told journalists that he paid Obaseki a courtesy call to inform him of his visit to the state as required by protocol for a former President. He commended the governor for providing impactful and purposeful leadership in the state. Traditionally as someone who has been a president or a senior political office holder, when you go to a state, you have to pay a courtesy call on the chief executive; even if you are free or not, at least you must inform him, the former president said. Analysts expect the Edo State Governorship Election to be a very tight two-way contest between the PDP and the APC, with Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomholes preferred choice, expected to emerge the candidate of the APC. Irrespective of who wins at the poll, our analysts project that the judiciary will decide the final outcome of the vote and determine who governs the state for the next four years. A High Court judge will give judgment on a later date on an action by drug company Perrigo against the Revenue Commissioners and the State aimed at overturning a 1.64bn tax assessment. The action, which is being closely monitored by large companies and tax consultants, concluded on Friday after a seven-day video-link hearing before Mr Justice Denis McDonald. As a result of having a number of other judgments to write up for earlier cases, the judge said he could not give a definitive date for delivery of judgment in this case. Irish-headquartered Perrigo, which bought Irish pharma group Elan in 2013, wants the court to quash the 2018 assessment raised against it after a Revenue audit in 2016. It has separately appealed the assessment to a Tax Appeals Commissioner (TAC) but says it cannot get a fair hearing of that appeal due to non-availability of documents relating to tax issues over years and the death of Elan CEO Donal Geaney in 2005. In opposing the judicial review proceedings, the respondents said Perrigo owes the 1.64bn because of its purchase of Elan in 2013 and the latter's sale eight months previously of its multiple sclerosis drug, Tysabri to Biogen, its partner in the drug's development. Perrigo bought Elan in a so-called 'corporate inversion', reversing itself into the Irish takeover target to secure an Irish domicile and lower corporate tax rate. Because Biogen paid for Tysabri with an up-front sum and the promise of future royalties depending on sales, Revenue says it should have been treated as a capital gain, taxable at 33pc. Perrigo treated it as tradable income in its Irish tax return - subject to a 12.5pc tax rate - and maintains this is consistent with how Elan reported purchase and sale of Intellectual Property (IP) rights to medicines over years. The firm argued the tax treatment of Elan's sales of IP over two decades meant Revenue was not entitled to raise that assessment in 2018 and Perrigo had a legitimate expectation it would not do so. The legitimate expectation claim is based on a Shannon Free Trade Area tax certificate issued to Elan in 2002, backdated to 1997. It has also alleged unfairness, abuse of power and an unjust attack on its property rights. In closing submissions for Revenue, Grainne Clohessy SC argued that if Perrigo was correct in its claims, that would "set at nought" the self-assessment system of taxation involving the taxpayer assessing their own tax liability and Revenue processing returns in a non-judgemental manner. It was a big week for Ken Wyatt. As the only Indigenous voice inside a government attempting to chart a course to reconciliation, he faced more bad news on Aboriginal incarceration rates, anger about black deaths in custody, the destruction of ancient heritage sites all while the Black Lives Matter debate supercharged calls for reform across the country. But can Wyatt, the man who described himself as a "pathfinder", deliver on the hopes of Australia's First Nations' people to deliver an Indigenous Voice? Under pressure: Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt listening as Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during question time on Thursday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Who is he? The son of a railway worker and a woman from the stolen generations who grew up on a mission in WA's south-west, Wyatt shed tears when former prime minister Kevin Rudd delivered the apology on February 13, 2008 to the stolen generations. The Queen smiles as she watches the ceremony at Windsor Castle. (Getty Images) The Queens official birthday has been marked with a new military ceremony held at Windsor Castle for the first time in more than 100 years. Trooping the Colour usually takes place in London, where the Mall, Horse Guards Parade and Buckingham Palace form the focal points for the history tradition. But this year a small, socially distanced parade was held in Windsor Castle, which hasnt played host to a Trooping the Colour since 1895. The parade was carried out by soldiers who have been stationed with Her Majesty and who have been involved in the testing sites across the UK. Read more: Queen's mini Trooping the Colour revealed as official birthday marked in lockdown The Queen arriving at her scaled down birthday celebrations. (Getty Images) Guardsmen keep social distance as they stand in formation for a ceremony to mark Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday, at Windsor Castle. (Getty Images) Soldiers from the Welsh Guards and musicians from the Massed Band of the Household Division marched from the parade area, outside the Chapel, to the quadrangle. While the parade was meticulously planned to ensure there were no places for the public to gather and watch, castle staff could be spotted peering out of windows to watch. The Queen arrived at 11am and the ceremony opened with the national anthem. The @WelshGuards are currently stationed at Windsor Castle, and have played a key role in the military response to the Covid-19 pandemic in recent months. pic.twitter.com/mudKXnrGau The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 13, 2020 Read more: Trooping the Colour: How the Queen's annual birthday parade will differ in 2020 Her Majesty wore a jade Stewart Parvin outfit, a floral silk dress with pleated hem detail, in jade grey and pink and a hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan. She wore a leek pin in a mark to the Welsh Guard. She stood alone as she watched the parade, a far cry from the usual crowd of royals, close and extended, who would surround her on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Story continues She smiled as she watched the soldiers maintain social distancing. Trooping the Colour is usually the culmination of months of practice - but this time they had just two weeks. The normal Trooping could not go ahead this year because of COVID-19. (Getty Images) It's the first time it's been held at Windsor since 1895. (Getty Images) Members of the Welsh Guards marking the Queen's official birthday. (Getty Images) Lance Corporal Chusa Siwale, 29, originally from Zambia, had a central role and said it was a huge privilege to perform the Drummers Call. He said: Only four weeks ago I was involved with testing key workers for COVID-19 as part of the Welsh Guards contribution to the battle against the virus; now I am on parade performing in front of Her Majesty. This is a very proud day for me. The ceremony made history in more than one way, as Rhian Morgan became the first ever female guardsman to parade on the Queens birthday parade. The Queen was without family members as she watched the ceremony. (Getty Images) The Queen was spotted smiling as she watched the unusual event. (Getty Images) Ahead of the ceremony, Major General Christopher Ghika explained the pandemic gave a unique opportunity for the Welsh Guardsmen. Maj Gen Ghika, who commands the Household Division and all military support for Londons civil response to coronavirus, said: The circumstances of the requirement to perform the birthday tribute at Windsor Castle this year are clouded in tragedy. The effects of COVID-19 have been devastating in terms of loss of life and the threatening of livelihoods of so many across the country. People have had to endure separation from loved ones, great uncertainty and the suspension of so much of what is special about our national life. The Queen was not joined by family this year because of the pandemic. (Getty Images) Members of the Household Division arrive in preparation for the Trooping ceremony. (Getty Images) Read more: Why does the Queen have two birthdays? The Welsh Guards are part of the Household Division which has been part of the COVID support force, carrying out coronavirus tests at regional and mobile sites. Maj Gen Ghika said: The Welsh Guards and many of those on parade have recently been deployed within the United Kingdom as part of the nations response to the virus and so the context of the ceremony is particularly poignant. Windsor Castle is said to be one of the Queens favourite homes, and was where she and her sister Princess Margaret spent much of their childhood. She and Prince Philip have been there since the middle of March where the Queens engagements have been reduced and held over video or phone call. Read more: Trooping the Colour fashion, from the Duchess of Cambridge to Princess Diana As well as reduced engagements because of the pandemic, the Queens residences have been unable to open for summer viewings, and the ceremonial guard changings at the palaces have been stopped to prevent crowds gathering. The castles grounds will be familiar to those who watched Prince Harry and Meghans wedding in 2018, as well as Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbanks in the same year. The last time the official birthday was marked at Windsor Castle was in 1895, Queen Victorias 76th, where she watched from a carriage. Read more: Best photos of the Royal Family at Trooping the Colour through the years On Friday it was announced that Prince Charles will be heading back to England with his wife Camilla where they will conduct a face-to-face engagement for the first time since March, as they host Emmanuel Macron and a delegation from France. Madeleine McCann could still be alive, according to the German prosecutor who previously suggested she was likely to be dead. In comments which could ignite fresh hopes for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry that their daughter may be alive, prosecutor Hans Wolters said there was no forensic evidence to say she is dead. This was despite officials repeatedly saying that they were convinced she is no longer alive after news emerged earlier this month of new prime suspect Christian Brueckner. German prosecutors, who are investigating Brueckner for links to Madeleine's 2007 disappearance, had also said they knew how the little girl was killed but had no idea where her body is. Madeleine McCann could still be alive, according to the German prosecutor Hans Wolters (left) who previously suggested she was likely to be dead. Pictured right: Paedophile Christian Brueckner, who is suspected of kidnapping Madeleine However, speaking to the Mirror, Mr Wolters said: 'Because there is no forensic evidence there may be a little bit of hope. 'We dont want to kill the hope and because there is no forensic evidence it may be possible. 'I am surprised the fact we say or I say Madeleine is dead is so important for the British people. ' The prosecutor added that, in Germany, it is 'normal' to assume a murder has taken place in similar cases. Brueckner is currently in prison in Kiel, northern Germany, for drugs offences. Mr Wolters also admitted that his previous assertion that Madeleine may have been 'killed quickly' was only 'personal opinion and speculation'. In comments which could ignite fresh hopes for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry that their daughter may be alive, Mr Wolters said there was no forensic evidence to say she is dead This was despite officials repeatedly saying that they were convinced she is no longer alive after news emerged earlier this month of new prime suspect Brueckner He said he came to the opinion 'without facts' based on experience of previous kidnapping cases. It comes after news emerged that Portuguese police reportedly did not interview Brueckner in the weeks after the three-year-old's disappearance as they did not know that he was a convicted sex offender. At the time of Madeline's disappearance, the German was living in the Praia da Luz resort from which she was taken. His criminal past in Germany was not known to detectives searching for Madeleine. While all sex offenders in the Algarve region came under suspicion and were interviewed, 43-year-old Brueckner was not among them. German prosectuors, who are investigating Brueckner for links to Madeleine's 2007 disappearance, had also said they knew how the little girl was killed but had no idea where her body is. Pictured: Portuguese police at the the Praia da Luz resort from where Maddie disappeared It comes after news emerged that Portuguese police reportedly did not interview Brueckner in the weeks after the three-year-old's disappearance as they did not know that he was a convicted sex offender. Though Brueckner had two convictions for theft and disobedience since arriving in Portugal in 1998, he was not on the radar of those searching for the youngster. His name was included in a file sent to British police in 2011 - but only because he was a foreigner who had been jailed and not because he was linked to a sex crime. It wasn't until Brueckner 'confessed' to a friend in a bar in Germany that he knew about Madeleine's disappearance that he became the prime suspect. German prosecutors are convinced he killed the then three-year-old but have admitted they do not have enough evidence to charge him with murder. Kate and Gerry McCann continue to hope that their daughter is alive Portuguese media said EU countries did not routinely share information on all criminals in the 1990s. Brueckner was convicted of molesting a six-year-old girl in a playground in his home town of Wurzburg, Bavaria, in 1994 when he was just 17. He left Germany for the Algarve after serving part of a two-year youth sentence for the crime. But that conviction was unknown to police on the McCann case in 2007. A man who died in a shooting in West London has been identified by the U.K police as Alexander Kareem, a younger brother of ex-Big Brother Naija housemate, Khafi. 20-year-old Kareem was gunned down while walking home from a convenience store close to his family home in Shepherds Bush, West London, in the wee hours of Monday, BBC reports. He was pronounced dead an hour after suffering from wounds to his chest and abdomen. A 42-year-old woman who lives close to where the shooting took place told BBC that it was a traumatic experience for it to happen so close to home. The witness had been falling asleep when she heard a noise and looked outside to see a man on the ground being helped. His death had left his family, friends and neighbours mourning for his abrupt exit as he was friends with everybody. After leaving school Alex was the same goofy guy he was always happy and always had a smile on his face, an unnamed friend told BBC. Distraught Khafi Khafi, 29, who previously said she joined the UK police force after a 16-year-old pal was knifed to death near her family home, is now distraught after learning her brother died in a similar way. Khafi shared a black square on Instagram on Saturday where she wrote, 00:40 with a broken heart emoji. READ ALSO: She had previously praised her brother in a March birthday post when he turned 20 for his life. Sharing a photo of herself near Alexs, she wrote on Instagram: I thank God for your life and do not take you for granted!! I love you very much and Im so proud of everything you are doing for yourself. You are a go getter and I pray God blesses every step forward you are making. No arrest yet Coming at a time when there is a global call for justice for victims of violence and brutality, Mr Kareems mourners are demanding the arrest of those involved in the killing. The police are appealing for information about a white Range Rover driven by his killers which was found burned out three miles away in Ealing but they said no arrests had yet been made. Police Chief Inspector, Wayne Jolley, said: We are determined to bring those responsible for this unnecessary and terrifying violence to justice. We continue to appeal for witnesses who may have seen or heard what happened to come forward. The white Range Rover seen in the area and later found burned out is also a key part of the investigation. (CNN) Facebook fired an employee who publicly criticized a coworker on Twitter for not adding a statement of support for Black Lives Matter to documentation on an open-source project they were working on. Brandon Dail, a user interface engineer in Seattle, Washington, announced on Friday in a tweet that he was let go for calling out a colleague on Twitter. Dail had been among a group of Facebook employees who have been tweeting criticism of Facebook since the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg decided to take no action against President Donald Trump's posts on the platform. Dail had been with the company for more than two years, according to his LinkedIn profile. "In the interest of transparency, I was let go for calling out an employee's inaction here on Twitter. I stand by what I said. They didn't give me a chance to quit," he tweeted on Friday. The former Facebook employee stated on Twitter that he asked a coworker, a front-end engineer who supervises Recoil, an open-source project by Facebook, to "add a #BlackLivesMatter banner" as React, another Facebook open-source project, is said to have done. He then called out the coworker for messaging him privately on the matter rather than replying publicly leading to his termination from Facebook. "I'm not claiming I was unjustly terminated. I was fed up with Facebook, the harm it's doing, and the silence of those complicit (including myself)," Dail tweeted Friday. Dail did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed Dail's version of events that he was fired for calling out a fellow employee in a tweet. This incident follows a number of incidents in which employees at Facebook have publicly spoken out against CEO Mark Zuckerberg's inaction regarding controversial remarks posted by President Donald Trump. One of Trump's posts contained the racially charged phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts", in reference to demonstrations taking place in Minneapolis, following George Floyd's killing on May 25. Although, Trump later confirmed knowing the history of the phrase, he opted to keep the original remarks up on both Twitter and Facebook. Twitter affixed a warning label, or what it calls a "public interest notice," on the tweet, stating that the account had violated its rule against glorifying violence. Facebook, however, has left the post on its platform as is. In a company-wide town hall on June 2, Zuckerberg attempted to explain his positioning on why Facebook wouldn't take action on Trump's post, citing free speech. Zuckerberg's stance has led to public outcry, with some employees even resigning from the company as a result. This story was first published on CNN.com 'Facebook fires employee in Black Lives Matter dispute' (Natural News) Across our looted plain, statues are under siege. Smashed. Spray-painted. Shrouded. Expunged. In the name of social justice, we are witnessing the systematic eradication of history. Edifice vigilantes will not rest until all monuments of Western civilization fall. (Article by Michelle Malkin republished from AlphaNewsMN.com) It matters not whether the targets were guilty of the tired old charges of patriarchal oppression and institutional racism. It only matters that marble and granite tributes to dead white men be replaced with garish Black Lives Matter street murals and St. George Floyd altars. Trillions of tax dollars have been spent on Americas War on Poverty. Weve had four decades of affirmative action. A black president held the White House for eight years, with a black First Lady, black attorney general, black homeland security secretary, black transportation secretary, black education secretary, black U.N. ambassador, top black senior advisers, and more than 400 black presidential appointees. Its never enough. The current president has forked over criminal justice reform, expanded the Opportunity Zones money pit, increased funding for historically black colleges and universities and obsesses endlessly about the black unemployment rate. At the urging of his pandering son-in-law, Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump is now promising to deliver left-wing police reforms firstinstead of protecting law enforcement officers and their families in the crosshairs of violent antifa and Black Lives Matter extremists. But its still not enough. The monuments must fall. Here are just a few examples of the indiscriminate ignorance fueling the Topple the Racists movement here and abroad: In the heart of downtown Colorado Springs, an elegant statue of the citys founder was defaced last week with multiple BLM graffiti tags. General William Jackson Palmer was an extraordinary engineer, railroad builder and philanthropist who fought for the Union in the Civil War as a 25-year-old cavalryman. He won a Medal of Honor for his leadership during a key battle in 1865. After moving to the Rockies and earning enormous wealth, he quietly gave half of his fortune away including substantial donations to historically black Hampton University in Virginia, which was founded to educate freed slaves. In Denver, last week, agitators vandalized a 1909 monument standing outside the Capitol building with swastikas and FTP (f-k the police) slogans. The statue depicts a Union soldier and honors Coloradans who fought and died in the Civil War. In the U.K., an anti-Trump outfit disseminated a hit list of statues that must be torn down, including one of former Prime Minister Earl Grey, who presided over the outlawing of slavery. The history erasers have already forced the University of Liverpool to rename its Gladstone Hall to remove reference to the former prime minister and Liberal Party leader William Gladstone. His father was a slave owner, so the monument police have decided that nothing else Gladstone achieved or espoused in four terms in office matters because he did not adequately renounce, disavow and atone for the sins of his father. So, should Confederate displays, colonial landmarks and slaveholders visages be deep-sixed to assuage the #CancelAmerica culture? How do we confront past history if we dismantle it? How does pretending away an entire generation of Americans and their progeny promote healing? And where will it end? Virginias governor, Ralph Blackface Northram, announced plans to tear down the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, despite the commonwealths legal guarantee in 1890 to hold the statue and pedestal perpetually sacred to the monumental purpose and to faithfully guard it and affectionately protect it. A circuit court issued a 10-day injunction against the landmarks removal on Monday. But liberal lawyers are outraged that the law might actually, you know, matter. I am struggling to understand why the constitution doesnt *compel* the statues removal, ACLU lawyer Matt Segal fumed on Twitter, let alone permit its presence. Oh, and which countrys constitution might that be, Segal? A Texas Ranger statue was yanked from Love Field in Dallas. Jacksonville, Florida, is purging all Confederate monuments. NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace has declared his intent to get rid of all Confederate flags. The National World War II monument was spray-painted with Do Black Vets Count? and the steps of the Lincoln Memorial were tagged with Yall Not Tired Yet? Yes, I am tired. Tired of watching Americans apologize for their founders and fighters. Tired of thought police, speech police and memorial police imposing 21st-century standards on public and private figures from two and three centuries ago. Tired of collective groveling that will buy no goodwill. Tired of ingrates who will not stop at reimagining America until there is no America left. In the past, when once-mighty civilizations fell, their statues like Ozymandias outlasted them. Now, the barbarians destroy the monuments before time can erode them. What a colossal Wreck are we. Read more at: AlphaNewsMN.com 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. RTHK: Canadian intelligence knew of Meng Wanzhou arrest Canada's intelligence agency warned that arresting the daughter of billionaire Huawei founder Ren Zheng would set off global "shock waves" and seriously affect ties with China, just before her detention in Vancouver on a US extradition request, new court documents show. Released on Friday, the documents show the involvement of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in the December 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, which soured diplomatic ties between Ottawa and Beijing. Meng is chief financial officer of China tech giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the company at the centre of next generation 5G wireless technology and a long-running dispute with the administration of US President Donald Trump. A CSIS report was disclosed in the court documents as part of Meng's extradition proceedings. In a redacted Dec. 1, 2018 memo, CSIS said it was advised by the US FBI of plans to arrest Meng when she arrived on a flight to Vancouver International Airport later that same day. "The arrest is likely to send shockwaves around the world," CSIS said. "The planned event will be of great consequence internationally and bilaterally," the report said. Huawei lawyers called the documents proof that authorities had conspired against Meng. Meng is accused by US authorities 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 US sanctions on Tehran. Meng's lawyers have argued the case should be thrown out because Canada did not have sanctions against Iran. Meng says she is innocent. Last month, a Canadian judge allowed the case to continue, rejecting defence arguments that the US charges against Meng do not constitute crimes in Canada. The new court documents show the CSIS was concerned about when Meng's arrest might become public. Her lawyers noted the point was of particular interest, since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were attending the G20 summit in Argentina and dining together on the evening of Dec. 1. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The royal household said it never commented on statements by political leaders Statues of Leopold have been vandalised by activists during anti-racism protests Prince Laurent said former Belgian King Leopold II 'never himself went to Congo' A Belgian prince has defended King Leopold II who ruled Congo as a private slave state after anti-racism protesters defaced his statues. Prince Laurent, the brother of King Philippe, joined a swelling debate about Belgium's past on Friday by saying that King Leopold II, under whose rule millions of Congolese were killed or maimed, could not have 'made people suffer' because he never visited his colony. Statues of Leopold, who ruled over what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo for 23 years until 1908, have been vandalised by activists since anti-racism protests against the police killing of black American George Floyd turned global. Prince Laurent of Belgium, pictured in May 2019, has defended King Leopold II who ruled Congo as a private slave state after anti-racism protesters defaced his statues Statues of Leopold, under whose rule millions of Congolese were killed or maimed, have been vandalised by activists since anti-racism protests began against the killing of George Floyd Prince Laurent told the Sudpresse agency that abuses had occurred in the Congo Free State, Leopold's personal fiefdom and source of wealth, but that Leopold was not to blame. 'He never himself went to Congo,' he said. 'So I do not see how he could have made people there suffer.' Leopold II of Belgium, pictured. A chronology of Leopold II on its website does contain a reference to 'abuses' According to The Telegraph, he also said: 'You should see what Leopold II has done for Belgium. 'He had parks built in Brussels and many other things.' But Belgium has begun to debate what happened. Adam Hochschild, author of the best-selling 'King Leopold's Ghost', concluded that about half the population of the Congo Free State perished under the king. Villages that missed rubber collection quotas were made to provide severed hands instead. Joachim Coens, chairman of the Flemish Christian Democrats, told the broadcaster VRT it was time for Belgium, and preferably the king himself, to address the issue. 'There must be an acknowledgement that this was a problem in certain aspects,' he said on Thursday evening. The national newspaper Le Soir led its Friday edition with the headline 'Leopold II, the king unnerving the palace'. A statue of former Belgian King Leopold II, a controversial figure in the history of Belgium, is seen sprayed with graffiti in Brussels, Belgium on June 11 The royal household said it never commented on statements by political leaders. A chronology of Leopold II on its website does contain a reference to 'abuses', adding: 'Following the excesses committed by the Europeans in Africa, Leopold's reputation and his overseas venture were questioned.' A bust of Leopold in Brussels became the latest to be damaged, removed from its plinth by activists overnight. 'This is not how we proceed in a democracy. This is not how we put history back on the right track,' Auderghem Mayor Didier Gosuin told RTBF. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Its said that Winnipeg has two seasons: winter and construction. But those who watch our city come alive in June, July and August know Winnipegs two seasons are actually winter and festival. In a normal year, wed be gearing up for the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, which was supposed to kick off on Thursday. Wed be dashing between venues, splashing in the puddles left behind by June thunderstorms, to catch the next act lighting up the Cube. Performances in Old Market Square are a staple of the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, which unofficially kicks off the festival season every year. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press files) As June gave way to July, Manitobas country fans would load up their RVs and flock to Dauphins Countryfest for a rowdy weekend of music and Back 40 beer pong. Misty Manitoba-made memories Click to Expand Did you meet your soulmate under the stars at the Winnipeg Folk Festival? Was your life changed by a jazz fest set? Has your family been involved in Folklorama for decades? Have you been pulled onstage at fringe? Did you camp in the Back 40 at Countryfest and live to tell the tale? We want to hear from you. To help make the Summer of Silence a bit more bearable, we are gathering festival memories from Free Press readers, and will be sharing some of them over the summer in both the pages of the paper and our website. Send your stories to fpfestivalmemories@freepress.mb.ca The second weekend of July would bring with it the Winnipeg Folk Festival, four days and nights of musical discovery and connection under the big sky at Birds Hill Park. Back in the city, the Exchange District would soon be wallpapered with colourful flyers, heralding the arrival of the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival and hundreds of theatre artists from around the world. And then, as the August heat set in heavy, community centres all over the city would be transformed into lively pavilions, each celebrating different cultures during the two-week run of Folklorama. But this, of course, is not a normal year. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has pressed pause on festival season. There will be no revelry at Selo Ukraina or Birds Hill Park this year, no swapping of beer-tent recommendations at fringe. No paper plates piled high with cabbage or spring rolls at Folklorama, no Bhangra dances or taekwondo demonstrations set to K-pop. The cancellations, as they were announced over the spring, were one heartbreak after another especially in a city thats plunged into cold and darkness for half the year. The promise of festival season is what gets many of us through. And its not just the artists we wont get to see or discover; were also mourning the temporary communities these events create among people who only see each other once a year or never again. Were mourning that moment when the lights go down before the first note rings out, the act of experiencing something fleeting, something that wont exist again in exactly the same way, together. Rain or shine, Countryfest fans are always out in full force. (Boris Minkevich / Winnipeg Free Press files) Instead, just a stretch of unfilled calendar days, a blank space where summer used to be. Also, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. As a longtime denizen of the Free Presss Arts & Life team, festival season has always meant working a lot and not without some minor complaint (yes, I know, its "fun," I dont work in a salt mine, etc. But look: trying to accurately capture Bonnie Raitts set to deadline while mosquitoes fly into your mouth, or agonizing over how many stars to give an earnest but ultimately not very good one-person show isnt without its challenges). Jenny Lewis performs at the folk fest in 2015. (Winnipeg Free Press files) When 2014 was dedicated The Year of Music in Winnipeg, I will confess that I silently wished, in an exhausted haze, for a Year of Nothing. Well, here it is, the Year of Nothing. And it sucks. Not having any festivals to cover is much, much worse than having too many festivals to cover. Even the stressful memories are good, in retrospect. In 2014, I was dispatched to cover Countryfest and it rained the entire time. Im not talking a sprinkle. Im talking a torrential and relentless downpour that threatened to derail the whole weekend. Former Free Press photographer Boris Minkevich and I became an unintentional comedy duo in the pit, as I, a five-foot-four woman, attempted to hold an umbrella for him, a six-foot-seven man. I learned that Countryfest fans are just as community-minded as folk fest fans shout out to the young woman who offered me a straight-from-the-bottle shot of grape Sourpuss at 1:45 in the afternoon and that truly anything can be used as a beer receptacle. Or a raft. I have been dazzled by too many folk fest performances to count in such a small space, but Jenny Lewis, Courtney Barnett, Jeff Tweedy and Aimee Mann rate high among them. I was there when ukulele hero Jake Shimabukuro managed to blow the speakers with a ukulele and I was there when a Prairie thunderstorm whipped through and sent Wilco packing. I was there to witness how a village steps up to care for the roving toddlers, cheeks streaked with sugar from Whales Tails, chasing iridescent bubbles. Young and old share in the unique experience that is the Winnipeg Folk Festival. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files) I was there for St. Vincents transcendent set at the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival. I was there, laughing and crying in darkened theatres alongside my fellow Winnipeggers at fringe while theatre artists broke all kinds of barriers. I was there, at the Greek Pavilion, bonding over white wine with a group of senior ladies whod come up from North Dakota on a bus tour. I was there. We were there. Many festivals are pivoting this year, offering smaller, virtual versions festival season at home. Its a snack, to tide us over for when we can gorge ourselves on live events whenever its safe to gather and share an experience again. (By the way, when we get back because we will get back thank all the volunteers whose passion makes these festivals, and all the other festivals I didnt mention, possible.) Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "In todays world of fear and unease and social distancing, its hard to imagine sharing experiences like these ever again," Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl wrote in his own elegy for festivals in the Atlantic. "I dont know when it will be safe to return to singing arm in arm at the top of our lungs, hearts racing, bodies moving, souls bursting with life. Dancers take the stage at the Chilean Pavilion during last year's Folklorama. (Sasha Sefter / Winnipeg Free Press files) "But I do know that we will do it again, because we have to. Its not a choice. Were human." Thats exactly how I feel about festival season. We will do it again, because we have to. Its not a choice. Were Winnipeggers. jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @JenZoratti If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Ever since the lockdown came into place, Akshay Kumar has been pretty active on social media urging people to undertake the necessary precautions as we continue our battle with the coronavirus. The actor also shot for a special awareness film further encouraging people to take their safety seriously . Recently, the actor attended a webinar with Nashik Police commissioner, Vishwas Nangare Patil where he expressed his gratitude for all the work the police force has done for the safety of citizens. He commented, Today, when there is a war against the coronavirus, the police are at the forefront. Their commitment, selfless service and courage are commendable. Now, as the lockdown has started easing, the police force is working round the clock, so that our lives can slowly and smoothly unlock. Akshay also spoke about the experience of shooting during the pandemic. He shared, I was excited to face the camera after so many days. I also felt a little weird because there were less than half the normal number of crew members on the set. It felt different to meet and greet people maintaining distance because normally we hug and shake hands. I couldnt hug Balki sir. Everything was being sanitised all the time. We had to check everybodys body temperature and wear a mask at all times. The assistant would come to explain a scene, that too keeping distance and wearing a mask. A couple of them also wore face-shields. It felt like we were preparing to go to war. We will be going back to work slowly, but following all the rules and regulations to stay safe. We have to get back to work. We cant be scared. If we are scared, we will lose our battle. We have to go ahead and we have to fight it. Well, lets hope things get back to normal soon. during the forecast period. The global facial recognition market size to grow from USD 3. 8 billion in 2020 to USD 4. 5 billion by 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17. 1% during the forecast period. New York, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "COVID-19 Impact on Facial Recognition Market by Component, Vertical And Region - Global Forecast to 2021" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914481/?utm_source=GNW The major growth factors of the facial recognition industry include government and companies worldwide shifting their focus on facial recognition from touch-based biometrics. Cloud facial recognition expected to attain substantial growth during the forecast period The demand for services is on a surge during the pandemic due to a rise in the tailored demands of customers.The requirement of innovative cloud-based facial recognition solutions, which are effectively coupled with big data, AI, security, and network connectivity, is on a surge in different verticals. The adoption of cloud-based facial recognition is expected to rise in the coming years, as regulatory authorities of various countries are majorly focused on monitoring the health, safety, and surveillance of their citizens. Government and defense segment projected to exhibit the highest CAGR during the forecast period Governments across the world are using facial recognition solutions and other surveillance technology for contact tracing to limit the spread of coronavirus.Countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and even some parts of India used contact tracing across digital and physical space. When an individual is admitted with COVID-19 symptoms, the government retrieves the data spanning 14 days before his/her travel history, purchases, people who came in contact.These people have been tested and asked to home quarantine themselves. This was possible with the help of facial recognition and other technology implementation in public and private areas. Asia Pacific projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period The wide spread of COVID-19 has changed the dynamic of many countries and their working cultures.Countries such as South Korea and Singapore have done better than Spain and Italy. Asian countries have used technologies, which can resist the pandemic.However, questions have been raised about violations of citizens privacy in these countries. South Korea has designed an app called Corona 100m, which alerts the users if they come within a range of 100 meters of a corona affected person.After returning from Italy, a family in Kerala tested positive for which the authority quickly detected the places they visited and the people they met by using facial recognition and CCTV footage with the help of which the administration listed 900 people that could have been in contact with the family. The government of Kerala has taken various steps along these lines. At Kochi airport, the incoming travelers are asked to download an application called MaaS360 developed by IBM, which will help the authorities to track them. By Company: Tier I: 23%, Tier II: 33%, and Tier III: 44% By Designation: C-Level Executives: 26%, Directors: 32%, and Others: 42% By Region: North America: 33%, Europe: 35%, Asia Pacific: 11%, ROW: 21% Research Coverage The market study covers the facial recognition market across segments.It aims at estimating the market size and the growth potential of this market across different segments, such as component, vertical, and region. The study further includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the market, along with their company profiles, key observations related to product and business offerings, recent developments, and key market strategies. Key Benefits of Buying the Report The report will help the market leaders/new entrants in this market with information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall facial recognition market and the subsegments.This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to position their businesses better and to plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report further helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914481/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 ALBANY City officials conceded on Thursday evening that the citys police department may have not followed its rules when it deployed tear gas two weeks ago during violent confrontations between protesters and police, and that officers may not have been prepared for using it on residential streets. Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Police Chief Eric Hawkins made the admission during a roughly one-hour Zoom forum with the neighborhood group A Block At a Time. The forum was billed as a discussion on how the city should move forward but much of it focused on the police departments conduct in the recent past. District Attorney David Soares, Common Council President Corey Ellis and Councilman Jahmel Robinson also joined the discussion. The city was jarred when two peaceful daytime protests on May 30 and June 1 prefaced violent late-night confrontations between police and residents. City officials said protesters, some of whom they cast as agitators from outside the city, threw bricks, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas. The peaceful protests before the unrest in Albany were part of a larger national backlash to police brutality, sparked by the death of George Floyd during a police confrontation with Minneapolis police on Memorial Day. Since then, Sheehan and the Common Council have taken several steps to push for police reform, including an executive order banning chokeholds and other police tactics and proposing granting more powers to the citys police review board. A Block At a Time co-founder Dannielle Hille, who moderated the event, asked city leaders why Albanys protests turned violent given the departments work toward strengthening ties with residents while other area protests didnt. We by far, have worked harder in this city to change that relationship, so what happened? she asked. Hawkins said he spoke with the Schenectady and Troy police chiefs about why their cities' responses were so different from Albanys. The biggest differences were those cities had more time to prepare and their protest leaders saw what happened in Albany and made a strong effort to self-police their crowds and remove agitators early, Hawkins said. Hawkins said the police worked with the FBI to gather intelligence ahead of the May 30 protest and none of their information indicated it would be a violent protest. In fact, the first protest that day was peaceful, and police did have lines of communication with protest leaders. But that evening, a group of protesters broke off and headed toward South Station, which eventually devolved to the point where protesters lit fires, broke into businesses and assaulted police officers, Hawkins said. That group in the evening of May 30 had no clear leaders for police to work with to pacify the crowd, he said. During Troys protest, organizers had people who removed anyone who tried to agitate the crowd. We didnt have that luxury of having that in our city, he said. Hawkins called the violence and damage in the city an unprecedented type of event for which the department was still working through its after-action reports to determine how it could learn from them. Considering the circumstances, our officers did a great job, he said. Hawkins also explained how and when the department can use tear gas, which he said is limited to either when officers are being assaulted or there is imminent danger to private property or residents. The other option was to send officers directly into the crowd to confront them, which would have possibly jeopardized officer and protester safety, he said. The use of tear gas during the demonstrations we had was not deployed until officers were under assault from members in the crowd, he said. If someone is actively assaulting police officers our goal is to stop that threat. Hawkins did not give specifics in many of his answers, including who had directly authorized the use of tear gas on either night. Hawkins was not in the city when Saturdays violence erupted. But he said he had discussions with command staff on the use of tear gas and understood residents concerns about using tear gas in their neighborhoods. My direction going forward is that it is to be used only under very, very narrow circumstances where there is an imminent physical threat to officers or members of the public, he said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Sheehan said she had heard calls for banning the police department from using tear gas again, as other cities have, but noted even those cities are still allowing it to be used in narrow circumstances. She said she understood the pain its use caused residents, recalling meeting a woman on Central Avenue after a June 1 protest turned in to a second violent night. The woman had been forced to take her five children to her sisters house because her house had filled with tear gas. Im confident that this command staff understands that, after reviewing where tear gas was deployed in some places on Monday night as well as on Saturday night, that we have to do better for our residents, she said. I feel confident they understand we let people down. Councilman Robinson, who was among several council members in the protests who was tear-gassed, tried pressing Hawkins on why the city had not provided ambulances to give medical assistance for anyone overcome by the gas. That directive is part of the citys use of force policy regarding tear gas. He also asked if the city police department could work with community leaders to help them alert residents in their homes before the gas is used so they can close their windows. I think the policy around tear gas usage has to be much stronger before it is used, he said. But Hawkins indicated the department, which regularly deals with protests around the state capitol, was not fully prepared to deal with a protest turning violent in city neighborhoods and was looking at additional safeguards if it had to use tear gas again. This is something that was new to the Albany Police Department, he said. We had some unprecedented events that required some tactics that hadnt been used before. And so now we understand the impact and there needs to be some other safeguards and controls. Hille also brought up an accusation that police officers shot tear gas down an empty street, gassing residents who were sleeping in their homes. Hawkins did not directly confirm or deny whether that had happened but said officers are not directed or trained to do that. There should not have been any tear gas deployments on any unoccupied streets or in an area where there wasnt an imminent threat, he said. Finally, after three decades, two tax measures, eight years of construction and two years of delays, BART will start rolling in and out of San Jose on Saturday. The 10-mile, $2.3 billion extension will carry passengers across the Santa Clara County line for the first time, leaving the Warm Springs/South Fremont Station and stopping at the Milpitas Station, near the Great Mall and hundreds of under-construction condominiums and apartments, to the new end-of-the-line Berryessa Station in northeast San Jose. Eventually, the line will extend into downtown San Jose and on to Santa Clara, but more years of construction, planning and lobbying lie ahead. On Friday, however, it was time to celebrate. About 150 elected leaders, transportation planners and government officials from Silicon Valley and the East Bay marked the imminent arrival of BART in its fifth county with 18 speeches, two ribbon cuttings and a pair of swift, smooth train rides between the two new stations. The festivities were distinctively socially distanced, as health orders during the coronavirus outbreak require. Attendees were given commemorative face masks and bottles of hand sanitizer, the chairs were set up 6 feet apart from each other, and the podium and microphone were wiped down between each speaker. The public gets its first chance to ride the new extension beginning at 7:56 a.m. Saturday, when the first regular train a Richmond-bound train will depart the Berryessa/North San Jose Station and stop at the Milpitas Station at 7:59 a.m. A limited number of commemorative Clipper cards will be on sale. No public ceremony was scheduled because of the pandemic. Now Playing: The inaugural ride from Berryessa station to Milpitas station after the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) ribbon cutting ceremony and inaugural train ride on the VTAs Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension for dignitaries and news media. In San Jose, California on Friday, June 12, 2020. Josie Lepe / Special to The Chronicle Video: Josie Lepe / Special to The Chronicle Despite the unease over the coronavirus threat and ongoing tensions over racial inequities, the mood of Fridays ceremonies about an hour at each station was festive. This is a joyful, joyful day, said Cindy Chavez, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and a longtime advocate for bringing BART to San Jose. And we couldnt have needed joy more than right now. Speaker after speaker recounted the effort to extend BART to San Jose, describing it as a long ride with many obstacles. Most officials said the journey began about 30 years ago. But as early as the late 1950s, transportation planners envisioned a rail transit connection circling the bay and connecting San Jose with San Francisco and Oakland. It wasnt until 1989 that Ron Gonzales, then a Santa Clara County supervisor, began to push for a BART extension to San Jose. Later, as San Joses mayor, Gonzales grew frustrated as the dot-com boom choked freeways and South Bay officials were unable to get funding to push the BART extension forward. One proposal at the time suggested an interim kind of rail connection that would use diesel trains like Caltrain and existing railroad tracks. But in 2000, with the state budget flush, then-Gov. Gray Davis gave BART the push it needed $760 million in state funds. Santa Clara County followed up with voters passing a 30-year, half-cent sales tax in 2000. Silicon Valley leaders and commuters thought BART was on its way. Now Playing: The train leaves the Berryessa station to return to Milpitas station after the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) ribbon cutting ceremony and inaugural train ride on the VTAs Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension for dignitaries and news media. In San Jose, California on Friday, June 12, 2020. Josie Lepe / Special to The Chronicle Video: Josie Lepe / Special to The Chronicle Federal transportation officials had other ideas. In 2004, they looked over the books and concluded that the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority had enough money to build the extension but not enough to operate the trains. A decision was made to deny $900 million in federal funding to the VTA, so local officials cut the extension short, ending it in Berryessa, and went back to voters again. Santa Clara County residents narrowly passed another tax measure in 2008 to satisfy the feds. In 2012, the Federal Transit Administration delivered the $900 million check South Bay officials were counting on, and construction started with a goal of opening by June 2018. VTA officials thought they could get it done sooner, but trouble arose with tying the new construction into the existing BART system. Any gripes were forgotten Friday, as South Bay leaders said it was all worth it. 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. Josie Lepe / Special to The Chronicle Accolades were handed out to a long list of people, but two individuals Gonzales and Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group received the most praise for their persistence and belief in the project. Gonzales pushed for the extension as a supervisor and mayor, while Guardino led the successful campaigns to get the sales tax measures passed. People said I was crazy to even talk about it, Gonzales said. But I remained committed. Guardino credited Gonzales and others with being private and public sector leaders with a vision and the values to move forward over decades without losing the dream. Reaching San Jose also required an agreement with BART that called on the VTA to build the extension and hand over operations to BART. The agreement also required the South Bay transit agency to help pay for new BART cars and expand the size of a maintenance yard. Lateefah Simon, president of the BART Board of Directors, welcomed the South Bay into the regional transportation system, saying it fit into the Bay Areas vision of transportation justice, recognizing that all people have a right to be connected throughout the region. The Bay Area is so thankful for your dreams, for the people of faith who thought that something like this could happen, Simon said. And we cannot wait to get going. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan After being closed for nearly three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, Camp Fire MIdland County, a child care center at the corner of Wheeler and Swede, will reopen on Tuesday, June 16. Camp Fire will offer half-day and full-day sessions every weekday through Friday, Aug. 21 for families who were enrolled in the 2019-20 school year Camp Fire program. Camp Fire Executive Director Therese Ashmore wrote in an email to Camp Fire families on June 8 that the center will have a very different look because of health and safety protocols based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and state licensing requirements for child care. "It will be a very different return with children working and playing in 'cohorts' with social distancing (as much as possible) and staff wearing masks," Ashmore wrote in part. "We have always been very conscious of cleaning. You will notice an increase in our cleaning protocol." Camp Fire closed on Wednesday, March 18 and was planning to reopen on Monday, April 6, which at that time was the day Midland Public Schools were scheduled to reopen. But the state-mandated school building closures ended up extending through the end of the school year, and Camp Fire has also remained closed since then. "Please know, we have missed you and very much missed your children!" Ashmore wrote. "We will do everything in our power to make sure they have a good time while they are at Camp Fire. At the same time, we will be following the guidelines to continue to stop the spread of the virus." Parents must submit a June schedule for their children, which was attached to the email from Ashmore. The new health and safety protocols include the following: The sign-in/sign-out table will temporarily be moved out to the lobby, and only one parent is to be at the table at one time. Parents are asked to use the hand sanitizer that will be available at the table. Staff will wipe down the pencils and the table between each sign-in or sign-out with an approved bleach water solution/sanitizing solution. Parents are asked to wear a mask while inside the building. Children will have their temperature checked upon arrival each day and will not be allowed to stay at Camp Fire if their temperature is above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Children at Camp Fire who develop a fever or coronavirus symptoms during the day will be isolated from the rest of the children, and the parent will be notified and is expected to pick up the child within 30 minutes. Parents must notify Camp Fire if their child is found to have the coronavirus. Parents are asked to explain to their children the importance of social distancing. Parents are asked to leave payments for Camp Fire in the locked box and will be provided a receipt in an envelope on a future visit. Parents are asked to email any schedule changes for their child to Camp Fire. Children should not bring items from home except books and lunches, the latter of which should be sent in brown paper bags that can be thrown out after lunch. Snacks can also be included in the lunch bag. Camp Fire is accepting donations for the increase in expenses due to the health protocols and to the loss of revenue from the time that the office was closed. Cash donations are accepted as well as cleaning supplies, disinfectants, washable markers, paper towel, toilet paper and kleenex. For more information, call Camp Fire at 989-832-2295. Each year, in my last lecture to the graduating class of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, I speak of the playground rules that were taught as children by our parents. One of those rules is not to lie. But because lying can be so convenient, I warn them that bright people often convince themselves that as long as what they say is literally true, its not really a lie. To make this point, I take them to the 2013 collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh, which killed 1,127 workers. Cato Fashions had taken delivery of nine tons of goods from the factory already that year, but nonetheless gave the following statement to the press: We did not have any ongoing production at the time of the incident. I then ask the graduating MBA students to imagine the excitement among the Cato executives when they discovered that at the moment of the collapse, none of the 3,100 workers were sewing one of Catos slacks. Catos words were indeed accurate, but nonetheless intended to mislead. We tell ourselves that if what was said, taken literally, is correct, then its not really a lie. Its a problem for smart people, because the cleverer we become, the better able we are to arrange the letters and commas in such a way that the precise sentence may be true, but the message is wholly deceptive. After the media reported the use of tear gas to clear the path between the White House and St. Johns Church in order for Trump to have his picture taken, much of America was shocked. In response, President Trump tweeted: Media Falsely Claimed Violent Riots Were Peaceful And That Tear Gas Was Used Against Rioters. Fake News is hurting our Country so badly. What he Tweeted was technically correctthey did not use 0-Chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile, or what is commonly referred to as tear gas. Instead they fired projectiles into the crowd containing Oleoresin Capsicum, which like tear gas is designed to create uncontrollable watering of the eyes and nasal and sinus discharge. Later that Sunday, Attorney General William Barr doubled down by stating that what was used were not chemical irritants. With perhaps the same glee that the Cato executives felt in 2013, Barr discovered that what exploded at the feet of protesters to create uncontrollable watering of the eyes and nasal discharge was Oleoresin Capsicum, which is not a man-made chemical. Then, using a convenient timeline, he suggested that the clearing of Lafayette Park, and the Presidents walk to St. Johns Church, was a coincidence. Trump the businessman wouldnt have any tolerance for a contractor trying to deceive him about the cost of building a new skyscraper, even if the words the contractor said were literally true. Neither would Barr if one of his teenage children tried to mislead him about ditching school. All of which means that, as their mothers might say, they know better. I tell my students that the other persons inability to prove a lie does not render the statement truthful; and that when we use our intellect to trick or misinform, weve used our gift irresponsibly. I suggest that misleading is nothing more than a sophisticated way to lie. No doubt the Attorney General has convinced himself that through his linguistic gymnastics he didnt lie to the American public about the use of force in Lafayette Park. But William Barrs mother knows better, and so do we. Dave Dodson lives in Wyoming and is a former CEO, professor at Stanford University and Wyoming Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. Read more from his archive at davedodson.com/news. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The global hotel industry is pinning its survival on the staycation. Millions of them. From Asia to Europe to America, people have been cooped up for months. Now, as lockdowns loosen, the shellshocked are emerging. Those with means desperately want to get away, but fear of the coronavirus remains very real. So how do you take a break during the summer of pandemic? You avoid mass transit. You certainly dont fly. You stay close to home. In other words, you go to a hotel. The American Hotel and Lodging Association said that pre-pandemic, there were 1.1 billion guest nights in ... God save the Queen, and thank god for her husband, Prince Philip, the indisputable sovereign of gossip columnists the world over. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle on June 1. Credit:PA For nearly 100 years he has made Prince Harry and Meghan look like amateurs when it comes to generating not-so-regal headlines. The Duke of Edinburgh marked his 99th birthday on Wednesday. While he may have retired from official public life in 2017, Prince Philip has certainly delivered in spades when it comes to time honoured royal gaffes, many of them occurring on our fair shores. ADC Therapeutics Announces Maturing Data from Pivotal Phase 2 Clinical Trial and Phase 1/2 Combination Clinical Trial of Loncastuximab Tesirine (Lonca) in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Details Category: Antibodies Published on Saturday, 13 June 2020 12:00 Hits: 1914 Lonca demonstrated an overall response rate of 48.3% and complete response rate of 24.1% in the pivotal Phase 2 single-agent trial Interim results of the Phase 1/2 trial of Lonca in combination with ibrutinib show an encouraging overall response rate of 75.0% and complete response rate of 58.3% at the recommended Phase 2 Lonca dose LAUSANNE, Switzerland I June 12, 2020 I ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE:ADCT), a clinical-stage oncology-focused biotechnology company leading the development and commercialization of next-generation antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with highly potent and targeted pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer technology, today announced maturing data from LOTIS 2, a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial of loncastuximab tesirine (Lonca, formerly ADCT-402) in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), including an overall response rate of 48.3%, a complete response rate of 24.1% and manageable toxicity. The Company also announced interim results from LOTIS 3, a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of Lonca combined with ibrutinib, which highlight the potential of Lonca to advance into earlier lines of therapy in combination with other therapies. The data are being presented in an oral presentation and e-Poster at the virtual 25th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA25). Our two presentations at EHA25 highlight Loncas potential as both a single agent and in combination with other therapies for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, said Jay Feingold, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of ADC Therapeutics. In LOTIS 2, Lonca demonstrated important anti-tumor activity and durability, as well as manageable toxicities, across a broad population of hard-to- treat, relapsed or refractory DLBCL patients, including patients with poor prognosis, those who never responded to prior therapy and those who received prior stem cell transplant. We are pleased to be on track to file a Biologics License Application (BLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Lonca for the treatment of relapsed or refractory DLBCL in the second half of 2020, said Chris Martin, Chief Executive Officer of ADC Therapeutics. If approved, we look forward to launching Lonca in mid-2021. We are also planning to initiate LOTIS 5, a post-marketing confirmatory clinical trial of Lonca in combination with rituximab, which we believe will support a supplemental BLA for Lonca to be used as a second-line therapy for the treatment of relapsed or refractory DLBCL. Oral Presentation of Initial Results of Lonca Pivotal Phase 2 Clinical Trial (Abstract S233) LOTIS 2, a Phase 2, multi-center, open-label, single-arm clinical trial, is evaluating the efficacy and safety of Lonca in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL following 2 lines of prior systemic therapy. Patients received 30-minute intravenous infusions of Lonca once every three weeks at a dose of 150 g/kg for the first two cycles, followed by 75 g/kg for subsequent cycles for up to one year or until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or other discontinuation criteria, whichever occurred first. As of the data cut-off date of April 6, 2020, 145 patients were enrolled and received a mean of 4.3 cycles of Lonca (range: 1-15). Key data include: Lonca achieved an overall response rate (ORR) of 48.3% (70/145 patients) and a complete response rate (CRR) of 24.1% (35/145 patients), compared to an ORR of 45.5% (66/145 patients) and CRR of 20.0% (29/145 patients) in the previous data cut (October 14, 2019) Patients refractory to first-line or last-line prior therapy had ORRs of 37.9% and 36.9%, respectively The median duration of response has increased to 10.25 months in the more mature data cut, compared to 6.7 months in the previous data cut (October 14, 2019) Patients had received a median of 3 prior lines of therapy The toxicity profile was manageable and no new safety concerns were identified The most common grade 3 treatment-emergent adverse events in 10% of patients were: neutropenia (25.5%) with low incidence of febrile neutropenia (3.4%), thrombocytopenia (17.9%), GGT increased (16.6%) and anaemia (10.3%) Despite recent advances in DLBCL treatment, outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory disease remain poor, said Carmelo Carlo-Stella, MD, Professor of Hematology, Humanitas University, Section Chief, Lymphoid Malignancies, Humanitas Cancer Center, and an investigator for the trial. The substantial single-agent anti-tumor activity Lonca has demonstrated in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL who failed established therapies underscores the potential of this CD19-targeted, PBD-based ADC to fill a critical unmet need. e-Poster with Interim Results of Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial of Lonca Combined With Ibrutinib (Abstract EP1284) LOTIS 3, a Phase 1/2 open-label, single-arm dose escalation and dose expansion clinical trial, is evaluating the safety and efficacy of Lonca in combination with ibrutinib in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL or mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Lonca is administered as 30-minute intravenous infusions using a standard 3+3 dose escalation design at doses of 60 or 90 g/kg. Patients receive Lonca every three weeks for the first two doses, with concurrent fixed-dose ibrutinib (560 mg/day, oral) for up to one year. As of the data cut-off date of April 6, 2020, 25 patients have been enrolled, including 23 patients with DLBCL and two patients with MCL, and 18 patients were evaluable for antitumor activity. The trial continues to enroll patients. Key interim data from the Phase 1 portion of the trial include: Across both Lonca dose levels of 60 and 90 g/kg, the combination with ibrutinib has demonstrated an ORR of 66.7% and a CRR of 50.0% At the recommended Phase 2 Lonca dose of 60 g/kg, the combination with ibrutinib has demonstrated an ORR of 75.0% and CRR of 58.3% The combination has a manageable toxicity profile The most common grade 3 treatment-emergent adverse events in 10% of patients were thrombocytopenia (20%) and anemia (12%) Patients had received a median of 2 prior lines of therapy Pharmacokinetic profiles demonstrate good exposure throughout the dosing interval As patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL or MCL have a poor prognosis and limited salvage treatment options, it is important to explore the potential for combinations of drugs with different mechanisms of action to increase clinical activity compared to either agent alone, said Julien Depaus, MD, Department of Hematology, CHU UCL Namur. Based on synergies demonstrated in preclinical research and the interim results of the Phase 1 portion of this clinical trial, I believe the combination of Lonca and ibrutinib warrants further evaluation as a treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL or MCL. Conference Call and Webcast ADC Therapeutics will host a live conference call and webcast today, Friday, June 12, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. EDT, to highlight the data presented at EHA25. To access the call, please dial 833-526-8381 (domestic) or +41 225 805 976 (international) and request to join the ADC Therapeutics conference call. A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investors section of the ADC Therapeutics website at www.adctherapeutics.com. About Loncastuximab Tesirine (Lonca) Loncastuximab tesirine (Lonca, formerly ADCT-402) is an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) composed of a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against human CD19 and conjugated through a linker to a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer cytotoxin. Once bound to a CD19-expressing cell, Lonca is designed to be internalized by the cell, following which the warhead is released. The warhead is designed to bind irreversibly to DNA to create highly potent interstrand cross-links that block DNA strand separation, thus disrupting essential DNA metabolic processes such as replication and ultimately resulting in cell death. CD19 is a clinically validated target for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. Lonca is being evaluated in LOTIS 2, a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and LOTIS 3, a Phase 1/2 trial in combination with ibrutinib in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL or mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). About ADC Therapeutics ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE:ADCT) is a late clinical-stage oncology-focused biotechnology company pioneering the development and commercialization of highly potent and targeted antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for patients suffering from hematological malignancies and solid tumors. The Company develops ADCs by applying its decades of experience in this field and using next-generation pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) technology to which ADC Therapeutics has proprietary rights for its targets. Strategic target selection for PBD-based ADCs and substantial investment in early clinical development have enabled ADC Therapeutics to build a deep clinical and research pipeline of therapies for the treatment of hematological and solid tumor cancers with significant unmet need. The Company has multiple PBD-based ADCs in ongoing clinical trials, ranging from first in human to pivotal Phase 2 clinical trials, in the USA and Europe, and numerous preclinical ADCs in development. Loncastuximab tesirine (Lonca, formerly ADCT-402), the Companys lead product candidate, has been evaluated in a 145-patient pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) that showed a 48.3% interim overall response rate (ORR), which exceeded the target primary endpoint. Camidanlumab tesirine (Cami, formerly ADCT-301), the Companys second lead product candidate, is being evaluated in a 100-patient pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) after having shown an 86.5% ORR in HL patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The Company is also evaluating Cami as a novel immuno-oncology approach for the treatment of various advanced solid tumors. ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanne (Biopole), Switzerland and has operations in London, the San Francisco Bay Area and New Jersey. For more information, please visit https://adctherapeutics.com/ and follow the Company on Twitter and LinkedIn. SOURCE: ADC Therapeutics Management of the Powerhouse Museum has been taken to the Industrial Relations Commission in a dispute over the loss of up to 95 jobs prompted by the imminent closure of the museum's heritage halls. The Public Service Association alleges the Ultimo museum's early closure, starting June 30, is being carried out without proper consultation of affected staff. Closing early: Powerhouse Museum, chief executive officer Lisa Havilah outside the Harwood Building at Ultimo. Credit:Peter Braig The union representing staff employed in the museum's visitor services, events, and programs departments has compared the museum's early closure to the Berejiklian government's election eve demolition of the Allianz Stadium. The PSA and Professional Officers' Association notified the Industrial Relations Commission of a dispute on June 4, with an initial hearing convened last Thursday. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal With governments across the nation rapidly acting to take down statues of Confederate leaders and citizens themselves felling Christopher Columbus monuments Albuquerque officials face a new push to remove a bronze sculpture depicting Spanish colonists. The Albuquerque Museum Board of Trustees is asking Mayor Tim Keller to remove the multi-figure La Jornada sculpture from the museum grounds at 19th and Mountain, calling such action overdue. La Jornada which features conquistador Juan de Onate, but does not identify him was accepted into the city of Albuquerques public art collection in 2005. The work of Reynaldo Sonny Rivera and Betty Sabo, the sculpture drew controversy during its planning stages, with critics arguing 20 years ago that it was disrespectful to Native Americans. The city, as part of the same project, also commissioned Native American artist Nora Naranjo-Morse to create an adjacent land art installation called Numbe Whageh. Together, the works cost the city about $800,000. But with civil unrest surging around the country in response to racism and the Minneapolis Police Departments killing of George Floyd, public demands to remove monuments to controversial historical figures also has grown, including a sculpture of Onate in Alcalde. That has renewed the conflict over La Jornada, a piece that the citys public art manager says has likely elicited more response than any of the approximately 1,100 other pieces in the citys collection. The public art program retains public art project files on every project we do, and this project has four three-ring binders worth of communication, Sherri Brueggemann said, adding that a typical piece generates a half-inch of papers in a file folder. The Albuquerque Museum Board of Trustees voted this week to request removal of La Jornada from the property, according to a June 11 letter to Keller, though City Clerk Ethan Watson said the meeting will have to be reconvened with proper public notice since the board appears to have violated the Open Meetings Act. Pamela Weese Powell, chair of the advisory board, did not respond to a Journal message Friday. But she wrote to Keller that the La Jornada sculpture has caused conflict, pain, and has divided our communities since its inception. The Office of the State Historians website details how Onate ordered Acoma Pueblo people into servitude and, in some cases, had their right feet cut off following Acomas killing of several Spanish soldiers and a subsequent retaliatory Spanish attack that killed hundreds on the pueblo. Rivera, a renowned Albuquerque artist, created the bronze sculpture of Juan de Onate outside the Onate Monument Center in Alcalde and was one of three artists who created the massive, 100-foot-long La Jornada bronze outside the Albuquerque museum. I feel very honored to have done them, Rivera said, adding that he does not see a correlation between calls to remove Confederate sculptures and calls to remove sculptures glorifying Onate and the Spanish colonization of New Mexico. While he doesnt take issue with accounts of Onates orders after the Acoma battle, he said that shouldnt negate the contributions made by Onate. Its not about the cruelty of the incident, but about the colonization of New Mexico and what he brought, including Christianity, which is a big part, but also wine, irrigation, mining and livestock the horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. His vision for both of his commissioned Onate sculptures was to capture the greatness and spirit and energy of the man, as well as give the sculptures the authority they required. Removing the Onate sculptures would be like removing a part of history. Onate colonized New Mexico in 1598 under a contract with the king of Spain and state historian Robert Martinez said he is not surprised at new calls to remove statues of him. For Hispanic New Mexicans, on the one hand, hes the founder of Hispanic culture here and Hispanic civilization, but he was also arrested, and he was sent south, accused of abusing pueblo people and Spanish colonists, Martinez said Friday. Weese Powells letter to Keller included a statement from fellow museum trustee Helen Atkins. Atkins wrote that featuring Onate sends a terrible message that makes no sense in a place like Albuquerque. As a person of color, there are signs in this world that tell me when I am not welcome. I, and so many New Mexicans like us, understand that the lives of black, brown and indigenous Americans are intertwined in the same web of oppression, genocide and white supremacy. To leave a monument to Onate at the front of a public institution is to say we dont care about your pain, Atkins wrote. Further, we value the pride of conquest over the still fresh wounds of indigenous genocide, particularly the Acoma people. Keller said in a written statement Friday that he is asking the citys Public Arts Board to meet and make a recommendation about the sculpture. This is not the first time our city has had a deep conversation about this statue, and its time we have it again, Keller said. Elena Ortiz, a member of Ohkay Owingeh and chair of The Red Nation-Santa Fe Freedom Council, an activist organization that has advocated for removal of all Onate statues, said having his sculpture outside the Albuquerque museum is a symbol of patriarchal violence that also serves to diminish current efforts to build community. If you look at it logically, he was no one to celebrate, she said. He was convicted of treason by his own people and banished from New Mexico forever. Why would you glorify someone like that? She said she also supports the removal of an Onate statue in Alcalde. Ralph Arellanes Sr., director of New Mexico LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) and chairman of the Hispano Roundtable of New Mexico, said Friday that LULAC and the Hispano Roundtable support the Black Lives Matter movement and its efforts to remove statues and other monuments that glorify the Confederacy. However, should any government agency or private group attempt to remove statues or monuments in New Mexico that pay homage to Spanish conquistadors and other figures from Spains history in the state, we will file lawsuits and seek injunctions, he said. Those intent on removing such monuments here are hijacking the Black Lives Matter movement, Arellanes said. The Spanish came as an expansion of Spain and to build a new world, whereas the Confederates were about breaking the country in two the North and South, he added. US president Donald Trump has highlighted the diversity of West Point military academys graduating class as he appealed for Americas newest military officers to uphold the countrys core values. Mr Trumps speech emphasised unity at a time when the US leaders relationship with military leaders has become strained and questions have arisen about the role of soldiers in a civil society. Mr Trump said in prepared remarks to the graduates at the academy in New York state: You have come from the farms and the cities, from states big and small, and from every race, religion, colour, and creed. Expand Close A screen displays President Donald Trump as he speaks to over 1,110 cadets in the Class of 2020 at West Point (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A screen displays President Donald Trump as he speaks to over 1,110 cadets in the Class of 2020 at West Point (AP) But when you entered these grounds, you became part of one team and one family, proudly serving one American nation. Mr Trumps commencement speech to the 1,100 graduating cadets during a global pandemic comes as arguments rage over his threat to use American troops on US soil to quell protests stemming from the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The president told the class of 2020 that you became brothers and sisters pledging allegiance to the same timeless principles, joined together in a common mission: to protect our country, to defend our people, and to carry on the traditions of freedom, equality and liberty that so many gave their lives to secure. He said they exemplify the power of shared national purpose to transcend all differences and achieve true unity. Today, you graduate as one class, and you embody one noble creed: duty, honour, country. Expand Close United States Military Academy graduating cadets wear face masks as they stand next to their socially-distanced seats during commencement ceremonies (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp United States Military Academy graduating cadets wear face masks as they stand next to their socially-distanced seats during commencement ceremonies (AP) Tensions between the White House and the military have escalated since nationwide protests began over the death of Mr Floyd, a black man who was pinned by the neck by a white police officer for several minutes despite saying he could not breathe. Mr Trump seemingly alluded to the protests, saying in his prepared remarks: What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment. In the past two weeks, Mr Trump has denounced defence secretary Mark Esper for publicly opposing his call to use active-duty troops to crack down on the demonstrations. Mr Trump then shut down Mr Espers attempt to open a public debate on removing the names of Confederate Army officers from military bases. Expand Close West Point Class President Cadet Joshua Phillips, from Chicago, wipes a tear during the musical performances portion of a commencement ceremony (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp West Point Class President Cadet Joshua Phillips, from Chicago, wipes a tear during the musical performances portion of a commencement ceremony (AP) Gen Mark Milley, the US joint chiefs of staff chairman, further risked Mr Trumps ire on Thursday by declaring it had been a mistake for him to accompany Mr Trump on a June 1 walk through Lafayette Square in Washington DC. The trip ended with the president holding up a Bible and posing for the news media outside St Johns Church, which was damaged by fire during the unrest. Gen Milleys comments amounted to an extraordinary expression of regret by Mr Trumps chief military adviser, who said his appearance led to the perception of the military becoming embroiled in politics, which in his view one shared by Mr Esper is a threat to democracy. The events have stirred debate within the military and among retired officers. More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter reminding the Class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics. The letter, published this week on Medium, also alluded to the problems Mr Esper and Gen Milley encountered at the White House after Mr Floyds death. They wrote: Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests. Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events. The principle of civilian control is central to the military profession. But that principle does not imply blind obedience. They added: We are concerned that fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions are failing to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to duty, honour, country. Their actions threaten the credibility of an apolitical military. Top row, from left: memorial to Robert Gould Shaw in Boston; Alvin York; a bust of Lt. Henry Flipper; then-Capt. Josephine Nesbit; bottom row, from left: Daniel Inouye in 1959; George McGovern in 1972; Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson in 1969; a bust of Geronimo in the museum at Ft. Sill in Oklahoma. (Associated Press) The United States must be the only nation in the world that names military posts after traitors. The police killing of George Floyd has brought renewed attention to this absurd practice, in which U.S. Army and Army National Guard installations across the South bear the names of secessionist generals, most of them West Pointers, who fought to uphold slavery during the Civil War. The moment to end this practice has arrived. The Army should take the opportunity to end this offensive tradition and ensure the namesakes of Army installations express the courage, fidelity and moral awareness that Americans expect of their soldiers. Here are our nominations for replacement honorees for 10 Army posts that currently bear the names of dishonorable Confederate generals. Our criteria are simple: no one living and no generals. Naming Army posts after very senior officers suggests a correlation between rank and military merit. From personal experience, we know that no such relationship exists. Besides, plenty of other posts Forts Meade, Drum and Leonard Wood, for example carry the names of generals who, whatever their limitations, at least fought on the right side. Far better to honor those who while serving modeled virtues that can inspire current and future soldiers. Civil War Col. Robert Gould Shaw Born of a prominent abolitionist family, Shaw organized, trained and led the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, among the very first African American regiments in the Union Army. At age 25, Shaw was killed on July 18, 1863, leading his regiments assault on Battery Wagner, at Charleston, S.C. Ft. Hood, Texas, currently designated for a Confederate general, should be renamed Ft. Shaw. Post-Civil War Lt. Henry Flipper Born into slavery in Georgia, Flipper was the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy. At West Point, he endured vile hazing at the hands of his fellow cadets. Commissioned in 1877, he served honorably with the 10th U.S. Cavalry, the Buffalo Soldiers, until dismissed from the Army in 1882 on trumped up charges. In 1999, a presidential pardon cleared Flipper's name, which should grace Ft. Gordon, in his home state. Story continues World War I Sgt. Alvin York Awarded the Medal of Honor for combat actions in France in 1918, including leading an attack on a German machine gun emplacement. York represents the ideal of the citizen soldier serving his country in time of need. Ft. Benning, Ga., should be renamed Ft. York. World War II, Pacific Maj. Josephine Nesbit Nesbit joined the Army Nurse Corps in 1918 during the influenza pandemic and served until 1946. Stationed in the Philippines in 1941, she was captured after the fall of Bataan and spent the remainder of the war faithfully administering to her fellow POWs. Ft. Lee, Va., currently named in honor of the slaveholding Robert E. Lee, should be renamed Ft. Nesbit. World War II, Europe Lt. Daniel Inouye In 1943, when the Army dropped its ban on Japanese Americans serving, Inouye immediately volunteered and joined the famed all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team. After earning a battlefield commission, he sustained several wounds and ultimately received the Medal of Honor. He subsequently served his native Hawaii in the Senate for more than 40 years. The Army should rename Ft. Polk, La., Ft. Daniel Inouye. World War II, Army Air Forces Capt. George McGovern Piloting a B-24 Liberator bomber, McGovern flew 35 combat missions, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross among other decorations. After the war, he served his home state of South Dakota in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and courageously opposed the folly of the Vietnam War. Louisianas Camp Beauregard, whose name now venerates the officer who fired the first shots at Ft. Sumter in 1861, should become Camp McGovern. Korea Master Sgt. Mike Pena Enlisting at age 16, Pena served in World War II and then Korea, where he earned the Medal of Honor posthumously after single-handedly holding off the enemy so his unit could safely retreat. Ft. Pena is the better title for a Virginia post currently named for the traitor A.P. Hill. Vietnam Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson While serving in Vietnam in 1968 as an Army aviator, Thompson landed his helicopter between Vietnamese villagers and U.S. troops to put an end to the My Lai massacre of some 350 civilians. Ft. Rucker, Ala., home of U.S. Army Aviation, should be renamed Ft. Thompson in his memory. Post-9/11 Staff Sgt. Justin Gallegos In 2009, with his unit outnumbered six-to-one, Gallegos gallantly defended an Afghanistan outpost. This first-generation Mexican American held a critical position until exhausting his ammunition. Killed exposing himself to retrieve a wounded comrade, he received the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. Gallegos is an appropriate namesake for Ft. Pickett, Va., to replace the rebel general known for his foolish charge at Gettysburg. Native American Geronimo A valiant Chiricahua Apache warrior, Geronimo resisted U.S. government efforts to deprive Indians of their freedom in the late 1800s. During World War II, U.S. Army paratroopers shouted, Geronimo! when exiting their aircraft. It is thus fitting to rename Ft. Bragg, N.C., home of the airborne, Ft. Geronimo. Members of Congress can act quickly when appropriating trillions in corporate bailouts in a time of economic crisis. They should demonstrate similar alacrity in expunging Confederate names from Army installations. President Trump predictably opposes any such action. Our elected representatives and senators should disregard his intransigence and pass the necessary legislation by a veto-proof majority. The Army has a lot of signs to repaint. Andrew Bacevich and Danny Sjursen each graduated from West Point and subsequently taught U.S. history there. Bacevich is a Vietnam veteran. Sjursen served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Police in Adamawa has confirmed the alleged killing of 18 suspected kidnappers by thunderstorm in neighbouring Republic of Cameroun and not in the state. This is contained in a statement signed by the spokesman of the state police command, SP Suleiman Nguroje, on Saturday in Yola. The police command is reacting to viral social media reports on Friday that thunderstorm had killed 18 kidnappers in Toungo Local Government Area of Adamawa. Nguroje said the alleged killing was not in Nigeria but it occurred in neighbouring Cameroun village called "Pawati". "The attention of Adamawa State Police Command is drawn over a publication "Cross Border Banditry, Thunderstorm kill 18 Kidnappers iin Toungo, Adamawa Border Community. "In order to keep the record straight such incident never happened anywhere in Toungo, Adamawa State as alleged but in Pawati Forest, somewhere in Cameroun Republic. "It's not in dispute that Toungo Local Government is bordering with villages under Cameroun Republic which a times criminals comes in to Border Communities and commit crimes. "But with this border closure, measures had been taken by the Command to prevent such," the statement read in part. While urging members of the public to disregard such report, the police assured members of the public of its commitment to protecting lives and properties. NAN A recent article in Tablet, an American Jewish online magazine, mentioned a more disconcerting aspect of the macabre events, which may have developed in response to cholera outbreaks, and what humble could have meant when it came to the bride and groom. Black weddings, he wrote, generally involved finding two of the most marginal residents of the town (whether orphans, beggars, or the physically handicapped) and forcibly marrying them. Whether that description would have applied to the Lachterman gathering is hard to say, since we know little beyond what is mentioned in that brief newspaper article. Also unknown is the fate of the marriage. Were there any children? Did Abraham and Rose live happily ever after? An orphan named Rose Schwartz shows up in a 1910 census, and an unable to work Abraham Lachterman appears in the census three decades later, but it would be conjecture to pinpoint these as the Hebron Cemetery bride and groom. What does seem certain is that the marriage actually did take place; the City Clerks office confirms it, though the groom is listed as Lochterman, not Lachterman, and the bride as Rossie, not Rose. As far as the fate of the black wedding ritual itself, some experts had speculated that the three 1918 ceremonies might well have represented its last hurrah. But just this March, another such ceremony, albeit an apparently modernized, socially-distant one, was held in a cemetery in Israel. The biggest unresolved issue regarding New Yorks black wedding may well be, at least to those of us not wholly in the embrace of science and logic, whether it worked. That is, did it actually end the 1918 flu epidemic in the city? If that question was on the minds of the readers of The Evening Worlds black wedding story so long ago, an answer of sorts was provided in another article just to its left. The headline: INFLUENZA NEARING END. RAF completes COVID support task at Kinloss 3 RAF Puma helicopters deployed to Kinloss Barracks to support the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) in the coronavirus fight head back to their Oxfordshire base. 12 June 2020 3 RAF Puma helicopters deployed to Kinloss Barracks to support the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) in the coronavirus fight are heading back to their Oxfordshire base today, nearly 3 months after being stood up in support COVID activity in Scotland. The aircraft and crews from RAF Benson had responded to an urgent request in March from SAS to provide it with an interim ability to move infectious patients by air especially vital to remote highland and island communities during the coronavirus crisis. The support of the RAF has given the SAS the time to build its own infectious patient air-lift capacity, removing the need for ongoing support from their military colleagues. The Ministry of Defence can swiftly re-deploy the aircraft in support of the Scottish authorities should future circumstances require them. While in Scotland, the RAF aircrews have taken advantage of the Scottish mountains and wilderness areas to train for their future operational deployment to Afghanistan. Maj Gen David Eastman MBE, Commander Standing Joint Command (UK) said: "The deployment of the RAF Puma Task Force shows how quickly we have been able to respond to requests for support from our colleagues in the emergency services across the United Kingdom throughout the battle against the coronavirus." "Our crews have been on 24-hour call and successfully evacuated patients from some of the most remote areas of Scotland. I am extremely proud of the work the Task Force has done and we stand ready to support the Scottish people and Ambulance Service should they need us again." Pauline Howie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: "We really appreciate the rapid support from the Ministry of Defence and Royal Air Force during the coronavirus crisis. We trained regularly together to establish the best ways of moving adult-sized incubators, called epishuttles, by air." "During this time the Kinloss Pumas transported one critically ill patient from Arran to the mainland, while other fixed wing RAF transport aircraft have also move seriously ill patients from Orkney and Shetland to Aberdeen." Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "The Scottish Government is very grateful for the presence of the RAF Puma crews who have been able to assist in a number of operations to move patients in need of urgent medical care. I would like to extend the warmest of thanks to those involved with this deployment and I wish them well for the challenges that lie ahead." On 18 March 2020, the Defence Secretary announced that 20,000 military personnel were on standby across the UK to support the Civilian Authorities tackle COVID-19. Today there are around 4,000 troops supporting the civil authorities across the UK on 60 separate formal Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) requests. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address By Deborah J. Nelson and Robin Respaut (Reuters) - New research offers reassuring evidence to hundreds of millions of people with high blood pressure that popular anti-hypertension drugs do not put them at greater risk from COVID-19 as some experts had feared. Two blood pressure-lowering drug classes, called ACE inhibitors and ARBs, came under scrutiny after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in April that 72% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients 65 or older had hypertension. ACE inhibitors and ARBs are thought to trigger activity along the same biological pathways used by the COVID-19 novel coronavirus to attack the lungs. Researchers at Oxford University had recommended some patients stop the drugs until the risks were better known, while others argued patients should stay on the medications. An expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness in Baltimore described the debate as one of the most important clinical questions. The new study made publicly available on Friday found no clinically significant increased risk of either a diagnosis or hospitalization of COVID-19 with ACE or ARB use compared with other first-line drug treatments for hypertension. The authors recommended that patients should not discontinue their treatment to avoid the virus, which has infected over 7.5 million people worldwide and killed more than 420,000. (open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser) Our findings are quite reassuring, said Marc Suchard, a biostatistician at the University of California, Los Angeles, who co-led the study. Taking an ACE or an ARB is just as safe as other first-list hypertension agents in terms of your risk of contracting COVID-19. The study analyzed the electronic medical records of 1.1 million patients on anti-hypertension drugs from the United States and Spain and has not yet been peer reviewed. It was part of the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics program (OHDSI, pronounced Odyssey) response to COVID-19, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and SIDIAP, a Spanish health research organization. Story continues OHDSI is an open-source collaborative research platform that conducts large-scale studies. The findings join a growing body of evidence showing that the life-saving drugs neither increase nor reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 or developing a severe case of the virus. Harmony R. Reynolds, a cardiologist at New York University Grossman School of Medicine and the lead author of a study published last month in The New England Journal of Medicine, said she had been besieged by calls from worried patients. With little research to go on, she advised them to stay on the drugs and embarked on a study with colleagues to analyze the medical records of over 12,000 COVID-19 patients at NYUs Langone Health system. They found that those using ACE inhibitors or ARBs were no more likely to test positive than those who were not, nor was their risk of severe illness higher. The same held true for other classes of drugs - beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and thiazide diuretics. Separate studies of more than 12,000 patients in Spain and more than 30,000 health system beneficiaries in Italy reached similar conclusions. They were published last month in The Lancet and the New England Journal, respectively. Another study in the New England Journal in May reported no increased risk of hospital deaths associated with ACE inhibitors. Both that study and another on hydroxychloroquine were retracted earlier this month after the co-authors said they could no longer vouch for the validity of the data they obtained from Surgisphere, a private medical record firm, however. (Reporting by Deborah Nelson in Maryland and Robin Respaut in San Francisco; Editing by Elyse Tanouye and Sonya Hepinstall) Bridgewater-Raritan High School organized a traveling graduation ceremony for senior students. (Photo: Courtesy of Bridgewater-Raritan High School) Seven hundred senior students received their high school diplomas from traveling buses that stopped at each of their homes so teachers could award diplomas. Staff at Bridgewater-Raritan High School in New Jersey recruited eight buses for the mobile graduation, a safer way to celebrate in the coronavirus pandemic. Over a four-day period this week, each vehicle made an estimated 26 stops per day, spending a few minutes with each student at his or her home, minding social distance. The hope, says assistant principal Michael Godown, was to make personal connections with students who hadnt been in school since the middle of March, when classes went online. It was wonderful and the feedback we got, was that it was better than a traditional graduation ceremony, he tells Yahoo Life. Beforehand, buses drove around Bridgewater Township to drop off caps and gowns so students could clean or try on the regalia. And this week, masked teachers delivered goodbye kits containing small banners with the name of each student and the slogan United Together, plus a school hat, a sticker, a coffee mug, a face mask and a diploma cover. Bridgewater-Raritan High School in New Jersey sent buses to the homes of 700 students to give them small graduation ceremonies. (Photo: Courtesy of Bridgewater-Raritan High School) The buses were trailed by patrol cars from the Raritan and Bridgewater Township police departments and five fire engines driven by volunteer firefighters, all of which blared sirens when arriving. Teachers then stepped off the bus yelling in celebration. We had neighbors coming outside crying, even though their children dont attend our school, assistant principal Kristia Greenberg tells Yahoo Life. Some students covered their caps with sparkles and slogans, per the schools relaxed rule about decorating graduation gear. And families brought out balloons, bubble makers and food, and launched confetti into the air. One street was home to three different families so the bus parked for nearly 30 minutes. Teens also received graduation tickets as keepsakes, as a larger ceremony is uncertain. However on June 23, the school will host an online graduation event, after which kids are encouraged to make ridiculous noises and bang on pots and pans. Story continues In late May, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy said that modified in-person graduation ceremonies will be allowed after July 6. Bridgewater-Raritan High School is planning several options depending on maximum crowd size. For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDCs and WHOs resource guides. Read more from Yahoo Life: Want daily wellness, lifestyle and parenting news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Seattle resident Michael Flor, known as the longest-hospitalised Covid-19 patient, has now been dubbed a million-dollar baby after he received the enormous bill from the hospital for his battle with coronavirus recently, the Seattle Times reported on Friday. Not only did Flor survive the infection, he ran up a huge tab amounting to nearly $1.1 million-- Rs 8.1411 crore and was saddled with a bill that resembled a book since it ran into an astounding 181 pages. The 70-year-old, hospitalised for the longest time, nearly had a brush with death one night when he was suffering from the deadly pathogen. A night-shift nurse was sympathetic and held a phone to his ear while his wife and children bid him goodbye. But Flor survived. His recovery prompted those around him to call him the miracle child. But there was more in store for Flor as he found out when he got his hospital bill at his home in West Seattle. He says his heart almost failed a second time when he saw the amount that his healthcare sojourn had cost him. The total tab for his bout with the coronavirus was $1.1 millionan estimated Rs 8.1411 crore. The bill also ran into 181 pages. The bill is technically an explanation of charges, and because Flor has insurance he wont have to pay the majority of it. In fact, because he had Covid-19, and not a different disease, he might not have to pay anything at all. For now though Flor is stunned and his family and friends have been left wondering at the extreme expense and completely bizarre economics of the American healthcare system. The elderly man was hospitalised at the Swedish Medical Center in Issaquah with Covid-19 for 62 days, so he knew the bill would be a lot. He was unconscious for much of his stay there, but once near the beginning of his illness, his wife Elisa Del Rosario remembers him waking up and saying, You gotta get me out of here, we cant afford this. Just the charge for his room in the intensive care unit was billed at $9,736 per day. Due to the contagious nature of the virus, the room was sealed and could only be entered by medical workers wearing plastic suits and headgear. For 42 days he was in this isolation chamber, for a total cost of $408,912. He was also put on a mechanical ventilator for 29 days, with the use of the machine billed at $2,835 per day, for a total of $82,215. About a quarter of the bill is for the expenses incurred on drugs. This list of expenses tells the story of Flors battle and the battle waged against the infection for many like him. Not all of whom can afford it. For the two days when his heart, kidneys and lungs were all failing, indicating multiple organ failureoften the case in coronavirus-- and he was closest to death, the bill runs for 20 pages and totals nearly $100,000. The doctors, it seems were throwing everything at me they could think of, Flor says. In all, there are nearly 3,000 itemized charges, about 50 per day. Usually hospitals get paid only a portion of the amount they bill, as most have negotiated discounts with insurance companies. The charges dont include the two weeks of recuperating he did in a rehab facility. Speaking about his feelings, Flor said he was surprised at his own reaction after being handed the hospital bill--which was guilt. The guilt of the survivor. I feel guilty about surviving, he says. Theres a sense of why me? Why did I deserve all this? Looking at the incredible cost of it all definitely adds to that survivors guilt. By PTI MUZAFFARNAGAR: Muzaffarnagar district will be under complete shutdown every Sunday beginning June 14 similar to the Janata Curfew imposed earlier due to a spike in the number of coronavirus cases, officials said on Saturday. According to District Magistrate Selvakumari J, it has been decided to impose Janata Curfew with all business establishments including shops, hotels, and malls to be closed every Sunday. All activities in the district will be suspended except for essential services, she added. The DM has warned that strict action will be taken against those found violating the curfew. Legal action under provisions of the Disaster Management Act will be taken, she warned. Meanwhile, three more COVID-19 cases were reported in Muzaffarnagar with the number of active patients going up to 83 in the district on Saturday. Additional District Magistrate Alok Kumar said the district authorities received 102 results of samples in which three people were tested positive who are all from the city. Family of a boy who fell into a swimming pool Friday in Bethlehem Township performed CPR, and he was breathing as he was being taken to the hospital, according to police. Officers responded to the call at 2:54 p.m. at a home in the 1800 block of 12th Street, just north of Freemansburg Avenue, and arrived to find CPR in progress, police Cpl. Leonard Shepulski said. An ambulance crew arrived soon after, and the boy -- about 3 years old -- was taken to Reilly Childrens Hospital at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township, police said. He was brought back, Shepulski told lehighvalleylive.com. He was breathing on his own. Police did not immediately have further information on the childs condition. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 22:37:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PYONGYANG, June 13 (Xinhua) -- It is high time to break with the South Korean authorities and retaliate with possible military force against the South, a senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Saturday. In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo Jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and younger sister of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, said she had given instructions for decisive action to be taken. The DPRK has repeatedly lashed out at South Korea since last week in protest against anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent by defectors and activists across the border. Pyongyang has also closed its joint liaison office and cut off all communication lines with the South. "If I drop a hint of our next plan the South Korean authorities are anxious about, the right to taking the next action against the enemy will be entrusted to the General Staff of our army," she said, adding that the army "will determine something for cooling down our people's resentment and surely carry out it." Kim also said she fully supported the statement issued Friday by Jang Kum Chol, director of the United Front Department of the Central Committee of the WPK, who said Pyongyang has lost all confidence in the South Korean government and warned of "regretful and painful" times ahead. Kim pointed out that "the judgment that we should force the betrayers and human scum to pay the dearest price for their crimes and the retaliatory action plans we have made on this basis have become a firm public opinion at home." Enditem The governments of Georgia and Lithuania have offered to send medical teams to Armenia to help authorities there deal with the countrys worsening coronavirus crisis. It remained unclear on Friday whether the Armenian authorities have agreed to deploy foreign doctors to Armenias increasingly overstretched hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. Lithuania continues standing by our Armenian friends, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted on Wednesday. Today Lithuanian Government decided to send a medical team and experts to Armenia aimed at helping to combat COVID-19. Yerevan received on Thursday similar offers from neighboring Georgia which has been far more successful in containing the spread of the coronavirus. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said his government is now discussing details of its aid with the Armenian side. He said Tbilisi will likely send medics to Armenia. Georgian Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze spoke with her Armenian counterpart Arsen Torosian by phone later on Thursday. Tikaradze said she reaffirmed her governments readiness to dispatch doctors as well as medical equipment. The Armenian Ministry of Health made no mention of that offer in a statement on the phone conversation. It said the two ministers discussed possibilities of mutual assistance and agreed to set up a permanent platform for the exchange of experience in the fight against COVID-19. Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian spoke, meanwhile, of a long list of countries and international organizations ready to help Armenia tackle the crisis. But he did not name any of them. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian implied, for his part, that his country does not yet need foreign aid but will not refuse it either. We believe that real friends emerge in difficult times and we will certainly accept assistance from those countries that make friendly gestures towards us, Pashinian told a news briefing on Thursday. Torosian warned on June 4 that Armenias healthcare system is now so overstretched that hospitals may soon be unable to admit all infected citizens in need of urgent treatment. He announced afterwards that the health authorities will set up soon 350 new hospital beds to treat the increased number of people infected with the virus. The health minister insisted on Thursday that Armenian hospitals are still able to give life-saving treatment to all patients. Torosian seemed more concerned about the daily number of new infections in Armenia when he spoke to journalists on Friday. All our actions must be aimed at restraining the [infection] numbers and not just increasing [hospital] capacity, he said. Saying that lets just increase capacity and hospitalize everyone means not doing enough to save as many lives as possible, he added. Torosians ministry reported on Friday morning that the number of coronavirus cases in Armenia rose by 612 to 15,281 in the past day. It also reported 13 new deaths caused by COVID-19, bringing the official death toll to 258. Georgia, which has a larger population, has registered only 837 coronavirus cases and 13 deaths to date. Armenian opposition groups regularly cite Georgias COVID-19 record in their intensifying criticism of the Pashinian governments response to the deadly epidemic. Responding to such criticism late last month, Torosian questioned the credibility of the official Georgian figures and claimed that Armenia has a better anti-epidemic capacity than its neighbor. His claims were denounced by Georgian officials. The minister said afterwards that his remarks were distorted by his Armenian detractors. I am a woman. W-o-m-a-n. Before I was a woman, I was a girl. G-i-r-l. We are women and girls. You may call us that. Even if you think it suits a progressive purpose, you may not refer to us as menstruators. We dont like it. On May 28, the City of Toronto celebrated Menstrual Hygiene Day, part of a terrific campaign to end period shame and make sure menstrual products are available to women and girls. Except it didnt say that. Mayor John Torys proclamation broke its back trying not to mention women and girls. In 2018 those words were perfectly fine but last year the statement began referring to people who menstruate. I gave Tory a pass, given COVID-19 and Torys eternal good intentions, but it rankled. I support trans rights, and I understand the inclusive impulse behind the push for language change. But when we change language to help some we should be careful not to hurt others who are also vulnerable to prejudice. The woke concept of banning women is creeping. We hear folks and people a lot now. We, who are half the folks and people, dont like it. J.K. Rowling recently was alarmed by the word women being erased from the language after she read a progressive websites headline Creating a more equal post-Covid world for people who menstruate on a story about helping women and girls worldwide. Im sure there used to be a word for those people, she tweeted. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? I dont pretend to know what was in Rowlings mind, but the language issue deserves airing. Women know when theyre women, even if they dont enjoy it, and, for many, one of the least enjoyable signals is getting a first period. It usually happens on a hot day when youre wearing white jeans or on a camp canoe trip or in class. You feel pain and embarrassment. Sometimes your mother manages to shame you. Youre a woman now. Do I have to be? is what you think. You grow breasts. Must I? Menstruation is an industry in itself. Do mansplainers even know about choosing tampons, unbleached tampons, pads, mini-pads, liners or mooncups (some women love these tiny ladles of blood but they look a bit crime-scene to me). I never had cramps; every woman reading this will sigh with envy. Being a woman is hard work from start to finish, from #MeToo to a huge financial penalty. Bodily changes in tweenhood can be just two aspects of starter womanhood. Theyre bewildering, even when a girl is alone in her room. Her subsequent life outside the room will be arduous, especially on social media if you demand that woman be said out loud, as J.K. Rowling did. Were living through the most misogynistic period Ive experienced, Rowling wrote in an essay this week. Never have I seen women denigrated and dehumanized to the extent they are now. Everywhere, women are being told to shut up and sit down, or else. She went further. Moreover, the inclusive language that calls female people menstruators and people with vulvas strikes many women as dehumanizing and demeaning. I understand why trans activists consider this language to be appropriate and kind, but for those of us whove had degrading slurs spat at us by violent men, its not neutral, its hostile and alienating. As you know, wise people reading here rather than on social media, Twitter is an offence-generator for the easily offended and heartless. The Body Shop piped up, awarding Rowling a scarlet Its Bloody Natural shopping bag and a pamphlet mansplaining who women are, what they should be called, and so on. Body Shop, Im fed up. Wandering around Toronto with your stupid blood bag is a heavy price to pay for buying argan bath oil by the crate and also those little cuticle pencils. I dont like moral bandwagons which inevitably splinter and leave people hurt. Just be kind to your fellow humans, please, as COVID-19 stalks the land. Rowling has offended these activists before and she wrote this week about the suffering she endured at the hands of her violent first husband as well as a rape in her early 20s. It is not clear to me if the Body Shop red bag represented the blood Rowling shed as she was beaten and raped, or just nice menstrual blood, but the tweet was crude and vicious. Rowling is a brilliant woman who dreamed up Harry Potter and wrote her way out of poverty into becoming one of the most successful writers in the world. No good deed goes unpunished. Already under attack by woke, usually compassionate women and men, the UK Sun tabloid savaged her. It interviewed the ex-husband who beat her, using the front-page headline I slapped JK and Im not sorry. Trained in Trump abuse as we all are, some may think this is the perfect time to erase women from language and landscape, to laugh at Rowling being tormented by a tabloid. But feminists will fight back. Women make up half the world, and when we see something we dont like, we really dont like it. Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has been described as the complete player by former left-back Fabio Aurelio. Robertson signed for the club in 2017 from Hull City for just 8 million. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the most consistent attacking full-backs in Europe. The Scotland international, now 26, has also earned the captaincy for his national team since joining The Reds. Robertsons rise has not gone unnoticed in Brazil, either. Former Liverpool left-back, Fabio Aurelio, has been full of praise for the Queens Park and Dundee United star. Speaking on a recent episode of LFCTVs Legends in Lockdown show, Aurelio had the following to say about Robertson: Hes kind of the complete player because physically hes well capable of going forward and going back he defends very well. Hes quick, so his one-v-one is good and defensively thats very important in the scheme Klopp plays. He goes forward very easily. One thing that calls my attention is that hes always improving, hes not comfortable in his situation being first choice. You will see that in every game he plays as his last one, so thats courage. The two full-backs of Liverpool right now are unbelievable. We can contest in any kind of way. High praise indeed from a player who could have achieved so much more at Liverpool if it wasnt for persistent injury problems. All-in-all, Aurelio spent six years at Anfield after being snapped up by Rafa Benitez on a free transfer from his former club Valencia in 2006. Robertson will be back in action for Liverpool in 10 days time when Jurgen Klopps men face Everton at Goodison Park. For the most in-depth tactical and statistical analysis regarding Liverpool FC, sign up now! The original home of Pressing Stats, Anfield Index also brings you the latest views from club legends such as Jan Molby. Hear from the UKs top journalists, managers, professionals, sports scientists, physios and sports psychologists as we bring you the ultimate LFC fan experience provided on approximately 30 podcasts every month for our AI:Pro listeners!! Enjoy all this and more for just 4.99 per month at Anfield Index Pro!! NORRISTOWN Norristown Council has been considering the possibility of a sale of Norristown Municipal Waste Authority (NMWA), also known as the sewer system, to Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater, Inc. for $82 million. The NMWA provides wastewater treatment services to Norristown and West Norriton Township. Another in a series of public meetings was held on Tuesday through an online conference platform. Mark Luca, president of Aqua Pennsylvania, noted the company was pleased to be part of the third presentation. Our core values are (based on) integrity, respect and pursuit of excellence. Those are the ways we interact with one another, our vendors, and more importantly, our customers, both current and future customers, said Luca. Our mission is protecting and providing earths most essential resource we operate waste water facilities in a way to return treated waste water back into the environment better than when we removed it. He pointed out that in seven years the companys rates had remained constant. During that time we invested $2.2 billion, Luca said. Its a fact were very proud of because its resulted in our customers telling us theyre extremely happy with our service. Tom Rafferty, director of corporate development for Aqua Pennsylvania, explained that the company is a Pennsylvania-based company thats over 135 years old and is headquartered in Bryn Mawr and operates 39 waste treatment plants in Pennsylvania. We serve over 1.4 million people and the residents of Norristown can take some (comfort) in the fact that theyre part of a much larger customer base. A J.D. Power residential survey of more than 33,000 customers, determined that for customer satisfaction standards Aqua was rated the top utility provider in the Northeast region. Obviously though, theres still plenty of room for improvement and a driving motivating factor for us to be number one in customer satisfaction for our customers, and that would include Norristown, Rafferty said. It was noted that with each past acquisition Aqua had hired existing employees and they intend to the same with Norristown. Without their institutional knowledge we would be quite hampered on day one when it comes to operating the plant, Rafferty pointed out. We think Norristown would see an immediate impact from having Aqua as your waste water provider. Not only from an operational and infrastructure improvement perspective but also the level of involvement we have in the community. It was noted that since 2017, Norristown has been exploring the potential sale of its sanitary sewer system with due diligence. Back in January the Municipality issued a request for bids to two pre-qualified firms interested in purchasing the system, including Aqua Pennsylvania, which proved to be the highest bid. If the sale is approved it would be roughly a year until settlement. Norristown Administrator Crandall Jones spoke of councils desire to not raise taxes due to the project. When the municipality wanted a sustainability grant from the National Resource Network, in which we took a series of meetings over the course of a year to look at the sustainability of the municipality from a long term standpoint, Crandall Jones recalled. One of the things council was concerned about was the fact that while we kept operating cost low, the cost of maintenance, the cost of operations, the cost of capital improvements necessary for the municipality have not remained static. So we find ourselves as residents in the position of taxing some of the poorest people in the county. We were looking at fiscal sustainability. There were recommendations that came out of that that ultimately led to a conversation about this. Aquas William Packer weighed in with scenarios that would bear the potential for rate increases. The first thing we would have to do is file an application with the Pennsylvania Utility Commission for approval of the acquisition, he said. One of the first things we would do is prepare public notice, which would show scenarios of what a rate increase would look like if Norristown was treated as a separate stand-alone rate entity. And the other scenario is showing a potential scenario where the rates would be spread over a larger customer base. And thats really the intention of the scenario, to show the stand alone rates and something you would see in the form of a notice on an application, and scenario two, which is showing a rate increase that slows the company to spread the cost over many customers. We (Aqua) invest capital all over the state and well spread the costs over many customers, which ultimately makes the rates lower per customer. What we seek to do is gradually increase rates. It was pointed out that everything thats been discussed during the three sessions is highly preliminary and that community involvement is welcome at every stage. Comments from the public were submitted to PIO@Norristown.org: Rachel Fecho of Noble Street: Thank you, Council, for all you do for our city. I love Norristown and I know you all do too! I know that our city could do amazing things with the money from the sale of the sewer, but this mindset is no different than corner check cashing joints and pawn shops. They exist for one reason: to make money. They offer a deal that provides a quick fix but one that turns costly down the road. Once the fixed rate period is over, rates skyrocket and consumers and local governments have no recourse. The CEO of Aqua (for decades, until a few years ago) appeared on Mad Money, whose mission is simple: to make [shareholders] money. The segment was entitled Aqua America CEO: Turning Water Into Money, and the CEO was congratulated at the end of the interview for doing such a good job for shareholders. Those who stand to make a profit NEVER EVER have the best interest of the consumer at heart. They are predators who seek out struggling people or communities to offer them quick fixes that seem too good to turn down. Aqua is offering a price that is MORE than NMWA is worth. Who is going to make up that difference, and still help them turn a profit? Norristown. I would gladly pay more in taxes to directly fund the projects Norristown seeks to undertake and know that my tax dollars are going directly into my beloved city, as opposed to lining the pockets of Aquas millionaire CEOs and stockholders. By accepting the insulting offer from Aqua, Norristown will abdicate control over a vital public resource to an entity that cares nothing for our people and exists solely to make money. Aqua cares about its shareholders and is accountable to them. Norristown cares about its people and would be accountable to them with the utility still within their control. PLEASE dont be shortsighted about this decision and dont succumb to Aquas predation. Thank you. And thank you again for all your hard work for Norristown. You are appreciated. Pat McLaughlin of Stanbridge Street, Norristown: Please do not sell the Municipalitys wastewater collection and conveyance system. Mac Hirsch, of North Hills Drive Norristown: The sale of our sewer utility first came to my attention in late April 2020. I watched the informational video that was conducted on May 12th. Since then, I have done some independent research into Aqua America. Im currently investigating the privatization of water systems done by Aqua in several states. Web based reviews on both the BBB and Google put them very low in satisfaction. The common complaint is lack of customer service and accountability. While this is alarming, I think more information is needed. Laura Abreu of Astor Street: I am a private citizen who would like to voice my opinion that you should not sell the Norristown public water system to Aqua America or any other private entity proposing to buy it. The people and the city deserve to keep control of this public utility and help control the costs. A for profit company will only be about making money and cutting corners. The residents of Norristown and the surrounding areas will suffer due to price gouging and bad service. Aqua America particularly has a bad reputation for these types of issues. I implore you to not succumb to the temptation of temporary monetary gain for a lifetime of problems and issues that cannot be addressed by the city. For updates on the sale, visit Norristown.org. (CNN) -- British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair have launched a legal challenge to coronavirus quarantine measures imposed by the UK government, saying the "flawed" guidelines will crush the economy. The three biggest carriers operating in the United Kingdom said in a statement Friday that the quarantine will have a "devastating effect on British tourism and the wider economy," destroying thousands of jobs. The airlines have asked for a judge to review the case as soon as possible. The quarantine, which came into effect on Monday, requires all international arrivals not covered by a shortlist of exemptions to self-isolate for two weeks. The government has said that this is to prevent coronavirus cases from being imported and a second wave of infections that could overwhelm the National Health Service. The airlines said that quarantine should only apply to passengers from "high risk" countries, as was the case earlier in the pandemic. "This would be the most practical and effective solution and enables civil servants to focus on other, more significant, issues arising from the pandemic while bringing the UK in line with much of Europe which is opening its borders mid-June," they said in a statement. The companies added that they have not yet seen evidence on how and when proposed "air bridges" between the United Kingdom and other countries will be implemented. Global aviation has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, with IAG-owned British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair announcing nearly 20,000 job cuts between them as they prepare for a world in which people fly less. The airlines said Friday that there had been no consultation and no scientific evidence provided for the quarantine policy. And they highlighted several inconsistencies in the approach. "If you are a French or German worker commuting weekly to the UK you will be exempted, and the government is banning people traveling to and from countries with lower infection rates than the UK," they added. The United Kingdom is heading for the worst coronavirus-induced slump of any major economy, with GDP expected to shrink at least 11.5% this year, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. A potential second wave of coronavirus would send unemployment to nearly 12% in the first quarter of 2021, even if a basic free trade agreement with the European Union is reached, the OECD said Wednesday. Business is increasingly concerned about the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, which it warned would be catastrophic for the economy. The UK economy contracted by about 20% in April, the first full month of lockdown, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Top airlines take UK government to court over 'devastating' quarantine" New climate research has stated that urgent action on emissions from existing ships is the key to tackling shipping's impact on climate change. The shipping sector 'can't wait' for new, low-carbon ships to enter its fleet if it is to cut CO 2 emissions in line with Paris Agreement targets, according to a University of Manchester study published today in the new journal BMC Energy. Measures to cut shipping's pollution tend to focus on new ships, but this new Tyndall Centre research shows that CO 2 emissions from existing ships will dominate the sector's impact on the climate, and could even swallow up shipping's entire safe carbon budget. The researchers' findings suggest that existing ships could use up industry's carbon budget before new ships are taken into account. Policies to cut shipping CO 2 must focus attention on decarbonising and retrofitting existing ships, rather than just rely on new, more efficient ships to achieve the necessary carbon reductions. As ships are so long-lived, the "committed emissions" from journeys travelled during the rest of their lifespan, are higher than for other modes of transport. Without action, existing ships are expected to emit well over 100% of a Paris-compatible carbon budget. There is room for optimism however. The research highlights the multiple ways that ships can cut their committed emissions, such as travelling at slower speeds, fitting new renewable technologies such as Flettner rotors, connecting to grid electricity while in port, and retrofitting other energy saving measures. advertisement But scientists now say time is of the essence; if implemented quickly and at scale, the shipping sector could still fairly contribute to the Paris climate agreement goals, but if not, other sectors will need to cut their emissions deeper and faster to compensate. Professor Alice Larkin, Head of School of Engineering, The University of Manchester said: "The shipping industry continues to play a hugely important role in international trade and especially for our island nation, but this research highlights that the International Maritime Organisation's current targets need to be substantially tightened to align with Paris goals." The new research was led by climate scientists at the Tyndall Centre, Researcher James Mason said: "This research highlights the key role existing ships play in tackling the climate crisis. We must push for quick action for these ships, whether through speed reductions or other innovative solutions such as wind propulsion." To date, committed emissions studies have focused predominantly on the power sector, or on global analyses in which shipping is a small element, with assumptions of asset lifetimes extrapolated from other transport modes. This study analysed; new CO 2 , ship age and scrappage datasets covering the 11,000 ships included in the European Union's new emissions monitoring scheme (EU MRV), to deliver original insights on the speed at which new and existing shipping infrastructure must be decarbonised. Climate Change Lecturer at The University of Manchester, Dr John Broderick said: "Unlike in aviation, there are many different ways to decarbonise the shipping sector, but there must be much greater attention paid to retrofitting the existing fleet, before it's too late to deliver on the net-zero target." Tyndall Centre researcher Simon Bullock said: "Shipping is generally a greener way to transport freight than roads or planes, but its impact is still very large. This research shows there is hope -- shipping's overall emissions could be dramatically reduced, if policy-makers act to cut the emissions from the existing fleet." A statue of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy whose secession from the United States sparked the Civil War, has been removed from the state capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. The 15ft marble likeness was taken down on Saturday following a vote the night before by the panel that oversees statues at the capitol, the Lexington Herald Leader reported. The proposal to remove it was passed by 11 votes to one. The statue will now be moved to the Jefferson Davis Historic Site in Todd County, where he was born. Its removal is the latest in a series of moves to bring down symbols of slavery and oppression both in America and across the world in the wake of protests following the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis. A statue of Davis was pulled down in Richmond, Virginia, where plans to remove one of Robert E Lee, the commander of Confederate forces during the war, are the subject of a legal battle. Workers prepare to remove the Jefferson Davis statue from the Kentucky state Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky (AP) Nancy Pelosi has called for about a dozen statues of Confederate figures to be removed from the Capitol in Washington DC. NASCAR said it would no longer allow Confederate flags to be displayed at its races. However, Donald Trump has angrily refused to consider renaming the 10 US military bases named after Confederate generals, which include Fort Bragg the country's largest which is named after Braxton Bragg. In the British city of Bristol a statue of Edward Colston, a 17th century benefactor who made his fortune through the slave trade, was pulled down by a crowd last week. In Belgium statues of King Leopold II notorious for the sadistic treatment of people in Congo when it was a colony have been defaced or removed. The statue of Jefferson Davis was put up in 1936 by a group called United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Herald Leader said. Its removal follows a plea by state governor Andy Beshear, who said: "It was past time for this vote and for this action. "But what it will mean is that we get a little closer to truly being Team Kentucky - that every child who walks into this capitol feels welcome, and none of them have to look at a symbol and a statue that stands for the enslavement of their ancestors." The one panel member who voted against taking down the statue, Brandon Todd Wilson, was quoted as saying that the move was a "slippery slope" and that no statue should have been put up in the capitol. He said others including one of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States whose Union forces defeated Davis should also be removed. Davis was imprisoned for two years following the Confederates' defeat in 1865, which saw the end of slavery in the US. He wrote a memoir of the war and died in New Orleans in 1889, by which time he was urging reconciliation between North and South. The Nigerian Medical Association in Cross River has cautioned the state government against its plan to commence a trial resumption of schools. The government planned to open three public schools in each of the three Senatorial Districts across the state on June 16. The association made this known in a press release signed by its Chairman, Agam Ayuk, and the Secretary, Ezoke Epoke, on Saturday in Calabar. The release stated that the medical community saw no evidence to ascertain the actual COVID-19 status and disease burden in the state due to the unacceptable low level of tests. The Association maintained that the quick resumption of schools, in spite of genuine reasons, has the potential of significant disease outbreak among students. The Association, however, called for the adoption of educational technologies to provide remote learning opportunities and educational programmes for students in public schools in the interim. According to the release, the technology which is currently being implemented by private schools should be encouraged until a national policy is introduced on the unified resumption of schools by the Federal Government. The declaration by the Cross River Government on a trial resumption of three public schools in each of the three Senatorial Districts in the state to commence on June 16, 2020, is alarming. The gross under-testing for COVID-19 in Cross River is a significant public health concern. The COVID-19 tests breakdown by states as at June 10, 2020, released by NCDC revealed that Cross River has carried out only nine tests using the NCDC Molecular Laboratory. The Association continues to advocate for upscaling of COVID-19 testing in the state. The Association uses this medium to appeal to both the federal and state governments to expedite plans for accreditation of Dr Lawrence Henshaw Memorial Hospital, Calabar, a Bio-Safety Level Three Laboratory and University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, as testing centres for COVID-19, it said. The NMA explained that the accreditation of these centres would not only upscale testing in the state, but will also reduce the turnaround time for COVID-19 tests. READ ALSO: The Association noted that the increasing report of flu-like symptoms, respiratory symptoms and loss of smell/taste in various hospitals and the state metropolis was an indication of potential community transmission of an undetected disease fitting the epidemiological pattern of COVID-19. Recent research published in Nature Medicine in the United Kingdom revealed: loss of smell (anosmia) was a stronger predictor than a fever for COVID-19 prompting recommendations on self-isolation if detected. We call on the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 through the Federal Ministry of Health and Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, state government and all stakeholders to critically appraise the COVID-19 status of the State. The COVID-19 infection curve is still on the rise and yet to peak in the country. The lack of adherence to infection prevention strategies like social distancing, use of face mask, hand and respiratory hygiene at this crucial time is worrisome. We, therefore, call on all residents in Cross River to sustain infection prevention measures, it added. The Association commended the state government for the production of Personal Protective Equipment, mask, face shield and gowns by the garment factory, urging for quality control measures to validate their safety for use in hospital settings. The NMA joined the state government in calling on the Federal Government and the private sector to support the laudable project that has the potential of guaranteeing the availability of personal protective equipment in the country. The expeditious recruitment of Doctors and other health workers by the Cross River Government through the Civil Service Commission with advert dated April 27, 2020, to meet the potential health challenges is desirable. The concomitant increase in health needs of the public in line with the lifting of bans on interstate movement and domestic flight shortly makes the recruitment imperative. We wish to reiterate the urgent implementation of 100 per cent Consolidate Medical Salary Structure and Consolidated Health Salary Structure as the only means of retaining this critical workforce in the state Civil Service. Advertisements The Association and her members remain committed to working with the state and the Federal Government to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the release said. (NAN) Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: With the COVID-19 situation in Guwahati turning serious, the Assam government has decided to conduct 50,000 random tests in the city in the next 15 days. Announcing this on Saturday, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told journalists that the situation in Guwahati was a matter of grave concern as 25 people in the city had tested positive for the disease without having any recent travel history. He said the 50,000 tests would be conducted at 12 government healthcare facilities including Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. Anyone who has a doubt can go for the test, he said. If after conducting the 50,000 tests, we find, say around 500 positive cases, we have to take a call. We dont want to harm the economy but if the situation so warrants, we will not shy away from enforcing a lockdown. The residents should be prepared for it, Sarma said. He said he had already discussed the Guwahati situation with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna. Following an analysis, we observed that the cases in Guwahati were linked to the sites of loading and unloading by trucks and their parking. So, loading and unloading have a direct or indirect connection to the cases, the Minister said. There are 153 godowns in Guwahati and Sarma said it usually takes about three to four days to load and unload goods. We cannot quarantine them (truck drivers) as per the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. But we have decided to conduct the tests there. We have passed instructions to district authorities to collect samples from all areas where loading and unloading of goods takes place. It can be surmised that these places are the epicenters of the disease. Similarly, the dhabas, where people travelling by road eat, are also under our scanner, Sarma said. He informed that the state government had written to the Civil Aviation Ministry to restrict the number of per day flights to Guwahati to 25. This will help in maintaining social distancing, he said. On Friday, the citizens at a Guwahati locality had staged a protest when the health workers came with the bodies of two COVID-19 victims for cremation. Sarma said the fear of the people was not based on scientific grounds. If bodies are consigned to flames, the virus cannot survive. If cremation is thwarted, it puts Assam in a bad light outside. I appeal to people not to thwart cremation. As the Health Minister of the state, I tell you fire kills the virus. Similarly, if bodies are buried, the virus cannot come out from underneath, he said. Crossing from the eastern hemisphere to the west, despite the 12-hour time difference, Medebound LLC and Panjin Liaohe Oilfield Gem Flower Hospital (or Liaohe Oilfield Central Hospital, or the Hospital) jointly held the online signing ceremony of the International Telemedicine Consultation Project on April 30. Medebound has built a strategic partnership with the Hospital to provide cross-border telemedicine consulting, aiming to help patients acquire international healthcare services from home. "Founded in September 1970, Panjin Liaohe Oilfield Gem Flower Hospital has a history of 50 years," Dr. Yang Wang, President of the Hospital, said at the conference. "Over the last 50 years, our hospital has always regarded responsibility as the core value. We never cease to advance our medical technology to achieve sustainable and rapid development. In the future, we will cooperate with Medebound in terms of International telemedicine consultation, cross-border medical treatment and physical examination, and communication of clinical specialties. It will serve as a more efficient platform for international clinical communication, as well as benefit the local patients with extraordinary medical services near home." Dr. Yucheng Li, Vice President of the Hospital, commented, "In the remote consultation, patient examination data and examination results can be shared seamlessly with the American expert via the cloud, which enables the data sharing and consulting diagnosis. Based on the patient's condition, an individualized treatment plan can be issued by the American expert, sent directly to our hospital by the computer system, and carried out in the local hospital. The whole process is entirely seamless. Compared with traveling abroad for treatment, international remote consultation provides a similar effect with only a fraction of cost. Dr. John Connolly, the secretary of Medebound LLC and founder of Castle Connolly Top Doctors, remarked that Castle Connolly finds common ground based on the shared value that both parties are pursuing high-quality healthcare after knowing the past and present of the Hospital. With 20 years of development since 1990, Castle Connolly has built a list covering 52,000 doctors based on nominations from doctors themselves and a strict approval procedure, which fully demonstrates a doctor's value. Dr. Connolly commented that the rewarding collaboration with Medebound LLC has made this resource available to Chinese patients and physicians. Dr. Sheena Liu, CEO of Medebound LLC, indicated that Medebound aims to help tens of millions of patients in China with quick access to the U.S. doctors for their health issues in an efficient way. It is how Medebound strives to accomplish its vision: universal and impartial care has no limit; medical care can transcend borders. With the incoming 5G era, the world will become more connected, which leads to both opportunities and challenges. This cooperation aims to integrate the best medical resources in both China and the United States and bring state-of-the-art medical care to Chinese people. With the help of domestic high-quality healthcare resources and innovative treatment strategies, patients and physicians at the Hospital can benefit from this cooperation via the newly launched remote consultation platform. About Liaohe Oilfield Central Hospital Founded in September 1970, Panjin Liaohe Oilfield Gem Flower Hospital (Liaohe Oilfield Central Hospital) is a 3A-level hospital with 1700 hospital beds, integrating medical treatment, teaching, scientific research, healthcare, rehabilitation, first aid, and community health services. The hospital joined the Gem Flower Healthcare Group at the end of 2018. Its development has always been navigated by the goal of "integrating international and domestic high-quality healthcare resources to create a scientific, standardized, and sound medical system for diagnosis and treatment." It never ceases to improve its quality of healthcare services, which leads to sustainable and rapid development. The hospital has established its leading position with its one-and-only medical projects and disciplines in the region. In 2010, the hospital set up a telemedicine center. In 2019, Panjin Regional Telemedicine Center was officially established. Over the last ten years, the hospital has cooperated with many well-known domestic hospitals on remote consultation and substantially met the patients' needs and facilitated their healthcare accessibility. About Medebound LLC Founded in 2015, Medebound (http://www.medebound.com/) is a tele-health/second opinion company with the focus on connecting Chinese patients/physicians with US doctors. This is achieved by creating a proprietary bi-lingual HIPAA-compliant tele-health platform, which facilitates secure medical imaging/records translation, transferring and tele-consultations between Chinese patients/local physicians and leading American specialists; and by establishing an exclusive strategic relationship with Castle Connolly Top Doctors, an established, trusted and authoritative resource for identifying Americas leading physicians, with more than 52,000 U.S. physicians across 72 medical specialties. With this highly-differentiated physician resource and first-of-its-kind bilingual IT platform and a strong execution team operating both in the US and China, Medebound has gained significant market traction with customers including major hospital centers and insurers in China. For more information, contact Kiki Fu, Media Relationship, kiki.fu@medebound.com An Azerbaijani man was detained by the National Security Service (NSS) after reportedly crossing into Armenia on Friday. The NSS said that the 26-year-old man will be held in detention pending investigation. It said it is now trying to ascertain all circumstances of the illegal border crossing. The detention was first reported by the head of the administration of Areguni, a village in Armenias eastern Gegharkunik region bordering the Gedabey district in western Azerbaijan. The official, Sos Hovannisian, told RFE/RLs Armenian service that the man, who identified himself as Elshan Aliyev, was first spotted by another village resident and escorted to his office in the morning. Hovannisian said he spoke to him before alerting the NSS. In Hovannisians words, Aliyev claimed to who have worked as a shepherd for an Azerbaijani farmer in a Gedabey village and decided to flee to Armenia because of being mistreated and not paid by his employer. He told me: I want to move to a third country but if you give me a job here Id love to stay with you Armenians, said Hovannisian. The village chief added that the young Azerbaijani was poorly dressed and had a flour sack filled with his personal belongings. The NSS also said that he carried a sack. The Yerevan office of the International Committee of the Red Cross said that it has already contacted the Armenian authorities in connection with the detention. The Azerbaijani government did not immediately react to it. Areguni is located on the eastern shore of Lake Sevan just a few kilometers from one of the most mountainous sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Hovannisian claimed that another Azerbaijani national was detained in a nearby Armenian village earlier this year. The Armenian authorities did not report such an incident, however. Throughout the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict dozens of residents of Armenian and Azerbaijani border villages have crossed the heavily militarized frontier. The vast majority of them are believed to have strayed into enemy territory mistakenly. In September 2010, a 20-year-old resident of another Gegharkunik village, Manvel Saribekian crossed into Azerbaijan and was immediately accused by Baku of planning to carry out terrorist attacks. Saribekian was found hanged in an Azerbaijani detention center one month later. Azerbaijani officials claimed that he committed suicide. But in a January 2020 ruling, the European Court of Human Rights backed Armenian forensic experts conclusion that young man was tortured to death. Another Armenian villager, Karen Petrosian, was pronounced dead in August 2014 one day after being detained in an Azerbaijani village across the border. The Azerbaijani military claimed that he died of acute heart failure. The Armenian authorities believe, however, that Petrosian was murdered or beaten to death. The United States and France expressed serious concern at Petrosians suspicious death and called on Baku to conduct an objective investigation. At least one Armenian national is known to be currently held in an Azerbaijani prison. Karen Ghazarian, a resident of the Tavush province bordering Azerbaijan, was captured in July 2018. In February 2019, an Azerbaijani court sentenced Ghazarian to 20 years in prison on charges of plotting terrorist attacks and sabotage in Azerbaijan. Yerevan condemned the ruling and demanded Ghazarians immediate release. No Azerbaijani villagers are known to have died in Armenian captivity. New Delhi: Amid a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus COVID-19 cases in the country and the national capital, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Friday sought the opinion of its members on the issue of keeping the markets in Delhi open. A communication has been sent to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister Dr. Harshvardhan, Delhi L-G Shri Anil Baijal and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal sharing the concerns of the traders in the city and sought time for a meeting to apprise them about the seriousness of the issue while urging for their immediate intervention, the traders association body said in a statement. The CAIT sought opinion from 2800 trade associations anbd prominent trade leaders of Delhi out of which 2610 responses were received. Following are the percentage of response against specific questions: * Do you think that coronavirus is rapidly increasing in Delhi? As many as 99.4% people said 'yes'. * Do you feel that since markets are open coronavirus will spread in markets? As many as 92.8% people said 'yes'. * Do you think that medical facilities in Delhi are available sufficiently to meet demands of coronavirus patients? As many as 92.7% people said 'no'. * Are you worried about the spread of coronavirus in markets? As many as 96.6% people said 'yes'. * Do you favour closure of markets to stop coronavirus spreading among traders or their consumers. As many as 88.1 % people said 'yes'. Meanwhile, CAIT has convened a video conference of Delhi's prominent trade association leaders on Sunday afternoon where the survey report will be shared and a decision will be taken about the closure of Delhi markets. The decision will be shared with the media around 3.00 pm on Sunday. Adding to the problem of rapidly rising number of infections is the slow business which is at around 5% to 10%, Praveen Khandelwal Secretary General of CAIT said. "Our intent is to co-operate with the governments and join the efforts to curb the rise of Covid-19 cases in Delhi," he added. CAIT expressed its view on the current situation in the country calling it 'alarming' and 'serious' and wished to consult the government to join hands to effectively combat COVID-19. Outcry over the killing of George Floyd in the US has resonated in France's deprived city suburbs, where largely immigrant communities have long complained of police brutality. The government has vowed "zero tolerance" of racism in the police force. Experts say bringing back community policing could help tackle bias. In 2003, almost fifteen years before a dispute over an identity check that would cost young black Frenchman Adama Traore his life, former interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy made a trip to Toulouse in southern France to evaluate a pilot community policing programme. Sarkozy, who later became president on a tough-on-crime stance, found little to be pleased with in the conduct of the community police officers whom he met. You are not here to organise rugby matches but to stop offenders! he said. Within a few months the pilot programme in Toulouse and in other cities was scrapped. Sarkozy scolded the officers for not making enough arrests and not getting enough results, explains Christian Mouhanna, a researcher at France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and a police specialist. Yet these officers were doing interesting things with the youth, and were playing a vital role in establishing dialogue between police and young people, he tells RFI. Riots Those ties have steadily weakened over the years notably in 2005, when two boys of African and North African descent were killed, electrocuted after running into a power transformer while trying to escape police. Their death triggered three weeks of riots in Paris suburbs. Despite billions of euros in government improvement programmes for the suburbs, or banlieues, since 2005, tensions with police persist. In 2016, the death of 24-year-old Traore in police custody rekindled public anger at perceived police racism. While France famously doesn't compile official statistics based on race, ethnicity or religion, a study by the CNRS has shown that black people are 11.5 times more likely to be checked by police than white people, and those of Arab origin seven times more likely. Profiling Efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration may be fuelling racial discrimination, suggests Mouhanna. Police officers are asked to arrest a large number of undocumented migrants each year so that the government can show it's tackling illegal immigration, he says. In 2019, more than 23,700 people were deported from France, an increase of 19 percent. Profiling disproportionately targets people with dark skin or who look north-African, continues Mouhanna. But not everyone who is black or of Arab origin is here illegally. In a landmark 2016 case, France's highest court ruled for the first time that police had illegally stopped three men based on racial profiling. Trust crisis On Monday, Jacques Toubon, France's human rights ombudsman, raised the alarm over a "crisis of public confidence in the security forces". His report came after thousands demonstrated in Paris and across France against police brutality, demanding justice for Adama Traore, whose death has been brought back to public attention by the killing in the United States of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer. Rejecting allegations of systemic racism, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said he had "heard the call against hatred" and that "racism has no place in our society, in our Republic. I refuse to say that the police institution is racist. But yes, some police officers are racist, he said on Monday, vowing a zero-tolerance approach to racism within the force. In response to allegations of police violence, Castaner also announced a ban on the use of chokeholds by officers. His comments drew the ire of police officers who staged two days of protests against the accusations. For former justice minister Christiane Taubira, one of only a handful of high-ranking black ministers to have served under France's five republics, One slip-up tarnishes the entire institution. 'Understanding those you police' On the question of undocumented migrants, Taubira, along with other activists, wants law enforcement authorities to give out a "recepisse" or receipt to asylum seekers, after each identity check. So far, the message has fallen on deaf ears. Governments are fearful of being labelled as lax by the right and extreme right, comments Mouhanna. "They are totally paralysed. "Tackling crime is not only about force, it is about communicating and understanding the people you police. For Mouhanna, who in 2011 penned the book Are the police against citizens? ignorance is to blame for sometimes discriminatory and violent actions of French police. Often the police associate certain areas with only crime and poverty, they see just the dark side, he comments, referring to recent racist comments posted by police officers on a private Facebook group. Ending prejudice To break stereotypes, Mouhanna argues for a return to community policing that was first set up by Socialist leader Lionel Jospin in 1998. Under the government of Emmanuel Macron, officers do patrol the streets but their role is limited to reducing the feeling of insecurity among French people as opposed to dialogue. And none are stationed in troubled areas. Their absence is felt today. In Toulouse, one bar owner told French daily La Depeche that contact with the police is not the same as it was since community policing ended and that many residents miss having an officer who listens to them. Rebuilding trust will require understanding, suggests Mouhanna. Then progress can begin. When you understand the history of the people you're policing what pushes them to crime, and that out of a family of three, only one child may be an offender when you get to that level, you will no longer need to hold onto prejudice, he said. Pennsylvania Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is hosting a car caravan around the Capitol in Harrisburg Sunday afternoon to call attention to systemic racism. From 2-5 p.m., members of the public can participate in the event which will highlight the injustices of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, environmental devastation and the distorted moral narrative of white supremacist Christian nationalism, according to a press release. The event is a part of simultaneous action across the state including cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in preparation for the online Mass Poor Peoples Assembly on June 20. Were here today to say we wont be divided between Black, brown and white, no matter what part of the state we live in, or whether we are workers who are undocumented or citizens, Tammy Rojas of the Pennsylvania Poor Peoples Campaign coordinating committee said. The event will include speakers from Put People First! Pennsylvania, the Coalition to Abolish Death by Incarceration, the Movement of Immigrant Leaders in Pennsylvania, the Lancaster County Homeless Union and March on Harrisburg, the press release said. The group is advocating for various initiatives including an end of state violence and ecological devastation, freeing of the vulnerable, healthcare and housing for all, guaranteed income and rent cancellation. Another rally is also scheduled for Sunday outside the Capitol. The Truth to Power rally intends to bring together law enforcement and Harrisburg residents to create change at 1 p.m. For more information about the online Mass Poor Peoples Assembly on June 20, visit june2020.org. WEST POINT. N.Y. President Donald Trump on Saturday highlighted the diversity of West Points graduating class and appealed for Americas newest officers to uphold the countrys core values, a speech emphasizing unity at a time when the commander in chiefs relationship with military leaders has become strained and questions have arisen about the role of soldiers in a civil society. Trump also told them that under his administration, American soldiers no longer will be responsible for rebuilding foreign nations. It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never even heard of, he said. We are not the policeman of the world, but let our enemies be on notice: If our people are threatened, we will never, ever hesitate to act. And when we fight, from now on, we will only fight to win. Trumps commencement speech came as arguments rage over his threat to use American troops on U.S. soil to quell protests stemming from the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. To an audience of more than 1,100, he said members of the Class of 2020 "come from the farms and the cities, from states big and small, and from every race, religion, color and creed. But when you entered these grounds, you became part of one team, one family, proudly serving one American nation.: The president said they "became brothers and sisters pledging allegiance to the same timeless principles, joined together in a common mission: to protect our country, to defend our people, and to carry on the traditions of freedom, equality and liberty that so many gave their lives to secure. Tensions between the White House and the military have escalated since nationwide protests began over the death of Floyd, a black man who was pinned by the neck by a white police officer for several minutes despite saying he couldnt breathe. Trump seemingly alluded to the protests, saying: "What has made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment. When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal. He said that from the U.S. Military Academy came "the men and women who fought and won a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery within one lifetime of our founding. Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the West Point superintendent and the first African American to hold the post, told the cadets that their challenges ahead will require moral and physical courage. In the past two weeks, Trump yelled at Defense Secretary Mark Esper for publicly opposing Trump's call to use active-duty troops to crack down on the demonstrations. Trump then shut down Espers attempt to open a public debate on removing the names of Confederate Army officers from military bases. Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, further risked Trump's ire Thursday by declaring it had been a mistake for him to accompany Trump on a June 1 walk through Lafayette Square. The trip ended with the president holding up a Bible and posing for the news media outside St. John's Church, which was damaged by fire during the unrest. Milley's comments amounted to an extraordinary expression of regret by Trump's chief military adviser, who said his appearance led to the perception of the military becoming embroiled in politics, which in his view one shared by Esper is a threat to democracy. The events have stirred debate within the military and among retired officers. More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter reminding the Class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics. The letter, published this week on Medium, also alluded to the problems Esper and Milley encountered at the White House after Floyd's death. Esper, who did not attend the graduation, told cadets in a video address that he expects them "to remain committed to our core values loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. These principles will guide you in challenging times and in the face of new and emerging threats. Trump's appearance had been criticized as a political move that would put the graduates at risk in order to put Trump on a grand stage in a picturesque part of New York, the one remaining military service academy where he had yet to give a graduation address. Historic West Point is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) up the Hudson River from New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. Army officials defended the move, saying the cadets would have had to brave the health risks of traveling back to campus anyway for their final medical checks, equipment and training. The cadets had been home since spring break in early March, just before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic and Trump announced a national emergency. They returned to campus in late May. A group called Veterans For Peace announced a protest outside West Point's main gate Saturday against what it called Trumps dangerous narcissistic Photo-Op Stunt at the West Point Graduation. The recently commissioned second lieutenants wore masks as they marched onto West Points parade field, instead of into Mitchie Stadium, the longtime commencement venue. They sat 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart, in keeping with federal guidelines to practice social distancing during the outbreak. They removed the masks when the ceremony began. Instead of shaking hands with the president, graduates stepped up on a platform before the main dais and saluted. Guests were not allowed; family and friends had to watch online. The graduating class immediately underwent coronavirus testing when they returned to campus in late May. More than 15 class members who tested positive were isolated for two weeks before they were allowed to rejoin their classmates. ___ By Darlene Superville. Robert Burns and Michael Hill contributed. She stepped out with her live-in gal pal Sophia Hutchins and daughter Kylie Jenner at Kardashian hot spot Nobu Malibu this Wednesday amid the lifting of coronavirus restrictions. And Caitlyn Jenner was again seen out sans face mask on Friday afternoon, as she stopped for some shopping at Vintage Grocers in Malibu, California. The former Olympian, 70, wore a purple top that displayed the words Love in red and Hate in white, mirrored one on top of the other. Errands: Caitlyn Jenner was seen out sans face mask on Friday afternoon, as she stopped for some shopping at Vintage Grocers in Malibu She paired the shirt with slim blue denim cutoff shorts, and flip flops. The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here star wore sunglasses and let her highlighted brown hair flow around her shoulders. Jenner carried her black patent leather Birkin, and her white mani-pedi looked fresh. It's a thin line: The former Olympian, 70, wore a purple top that displayed the words Love in red and Hate in white, mirrored one on top of the other Sunset grocery run: The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here star wore sunglasses and let her highlighted brown hair flow around her shoulders Caitlyn was recently featured in People Magazine to mark five years since she revealed her gender transition. The piece was part of the new Pride issue of the publication, a half-decade after she announced her transition on the July 2015 cover of Vanity Fair. The I Am Cait star said that she would have declined to transition if any of her 10 children had been against the idea. This week: She stepped out with her live-in gal pal Sophia Hutchins (upper left) and daughter Kylie Jenner (lower right, face covered) at Nobu Malibu this Wednesday Come a long way: Caitlyn was recently featured in People Magazine to mark five years since she revealed her gender transition; seen recently on Instagram Two of those offspring are supermodel Kendall Jenner and makeup tycoon Kylie, who both described her as 'our hero' for the Pride issue. 'When my dad came out as transgender, our relationship grew. She could finally be honest with me,' Kendall told People. 'My dad has always been an inspiration to me, from winning the gold medal at the Olympics to getting her pilots license,' Kylie shared. 'However, watching her live out her true self has been the most inspiring of them all,' she added. Journey: The piece was part of the new Pride issue of the publication, a half-decade after she announced her transition in Vanity Fair; seen in March The stories we hear give real life to the objective data, Mr. Starr said. He emphasized that transgender women of color were especially anxious about seeking medical care. He said: They wonder, What is going to happen when I go to the doctor? Am I going to be mis-gendered? Am I going to be mocked or ridiculed? Is my doctor going to actually listen and respect my knowledge about my own body and my health? When the Department of Health and Human Services proposed the rule last year, nearly 160,000 people weighed in with written comments. Many of the writers were affiliated with the Family Research Council, the American Civil Liberties Union, or other organizations. Others were individuals whose affiliations were not noted. One doctor, Terry McDole, typified the view of physicians who supported the proposal. The issue is not providing patient care, but whether or not the government can coerce me into abandoning my ethical commitments and medical judgment and force me to participate in certain controversial procedures and prescriptions, Dr. McDole wrote. Many health professionals like me who adhere to moral and ethical principles, which often reflect deeply held faith values, already face significant pressure and discrimination. The pressure to conform to abortion and transgender ideology can be particularly intense. The religious community is not a unified voice on this issue, however. The Catholic Health Association of the United States, which represents the largest nonprofit provider of health care services in the country, opposes the rule. While we welcome the efforts to reaffirm the unique mission of faith-based health care providers, Sister Mary Haddad, president and chief executive of the association said in a statement today, refusing to provide medical assistance or health care services merely because of discomfort with or animus against an individual on the basis of how that person understands or expresses gender or sexuality is unacceptable. Nearly all the nations medical organizations, as well as insurance groups, objected to the final rule. Matt Eyles, president and chief executive of Americas Health Insurance Plans, said, Health insurance providers will continue to work with other health care leaders to eliminate barriers that stand between Americans who identify as a member of the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A. community and their better health. Donald Trump. Win McNamee/Getty Images President Donald Trump is reportedly floating a theory that spikes on COVID-19 in several states are a result of travel from Mexico. The idea was discussed at a recent meeting of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, two administration officials told the Associated Press. Non-essential travel is still banned between the two countries, following an earlier agreement. Mexico has far fewer cases than the US, with only 133,000 compared to more than 2 million stateside. New coronavirus cases are growing in close to half the states in the US, with the nation suffering more than 115,000 deaths so far. Mexico has had about 16,000 deaths. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Returning to one of his most consistent political ploys, President Donald Trump is reportedly looking to scapegoat Mexico for spikes in US coronavirus cases. The messaging strategy of blaming Mexico instead of states reopening businesses was discussed at length during a recent White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting, according to the Associated Press. Two administration officials told the AP that the idea was bandied about at the task force's Thursday meeting in the White House Situation Room, with attempts made to tie Mexico to outbreaks as far north as North Carolina. Non-essential travel between the two countries is still banned under a joint agreement from March. The virus has taken a much less severe toll on Mexico, with the country seeing only around 133,000 cases and 16,000 deaths compared to more than 2 million cases and 115,000 deaths stateside. Scapegoating Mexico is nothing new for Trump. Illegal immigration was central to his 2016 campaign, and hyped up threats of a "caravan" of illegal immigrants coming through Mexico from Central American countries was a major part of his messaging going into the 2018 midterms. Read the original article on Business Insider Every week our Holiday Hero Neil Simpson takes an in-depth look at an important holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you dont have to. This week: how hotels are adapting as guests return. It will be check-in, but not as we know it. Hotels will be dramatically different when their doors reopen. Heres how they plan to keep us safe this summer Smiles from staff may be hidden by face masks, even if they are the colourful, designer ones that match the uniforms at fashion-conscious Kempinski Hotels from Berlin to Bangkok. And at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo on Lake Como, equally stylish face coverings designed by a local artist are given to guests. Room service is expected to boom as guests shun potentially busy restaurants Traditional welcome mats may get an anti-viral upgrade. The Madrid-based Room Mate chain is installing germ-busting carpets at the doors of its hotels from Milan to Miami. The idea is that the diluted bleach mats help disinfect shoes as guests walk across. In Croatia, staff at the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace will spray disinfectant over your luggage before you go to your room. Hotels everywhere will focus on high-touch areas such as lift buttons, door handles and hand rails, so expect to see a lot more spraying and polishing. The big chains are arming housekeeping staff with upgraded hospital- quality disinfectants for rooms. The Magnolia Hotel on Portugals Algarve goes further. It is offering to launder the clothes you arrive in so you can be sure that youre bug- and crease-free after your journey. Check-in itself is likely to become increasingly automated. Forget queuing at reception to get a key card. Hilton, Marriott and others let you choose rooms online or on their app. Or ignore key cards and open your room with your phone at Hilton hotels, Preferred Hotels properties from St Lucia to St Tropez, and Disney World sites. In the UK, the six Pig hotels, including The Pig-on the Beach on Dorsets Studland Bay, are employing new, full-time cleaners for public areas. If you want to avoid all staff contact, many hotels plan to offer Do Not Enter My Room policies that last the length of a stay. Designer: A trendy mask at a Kempinski hotel If you want new towels, for example, simply put old ones in bags provided and replacements will be left outside your door. Room service is expected to boom as guests shun potentially busy restaurants. Grantley Hall in Yorkshire is setting a trend by removing the tray charge for in-room dining and allowing guests to order from any of its four restaurants rather than a limited room-service menu. Sadly, breakfast buffets are unlikely to survive anywhere. Most hotels plan table service and you may have to book a time slot to eat. Later in the day, you may also have to book a sunlounger rather than leaving a towel on it. Kilronan Castle in north west Ireland may even use apps to reserve spots in its spa and by its pool. The risk of having noisy neighbours could fall as hotels in the Balearics can be only 50 per cent full to comply with social-distancing rules. Rooms across the globe are likely to get minimalist makeovers, with the removal of items previous guests may have touched. Expect fewer scatter cushions, no hotel pens, magazines or tourist guides. Mini-bars may be empty and anyone hoping for a chocolate on their pillow may find a sachet of antibacterial wipes instead. The White Houses top economic advisers on Friday shrugged off concerns of a potential second wave of the coronavirus, reflecting President Donald Trumps eagerness to continue reopening broad swaths of the country even as cases of Covid-19 are spiking in more than a dozen states. There is no emergency. There is no second wave. I dont know where that got started on Wall Street, Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told Fox & Friends. Kudlow previously claimed in late February that the federal government had contained the threat of a domestic coronavirus outbreak pretty close to airtight an assessment which proved to be direly wrong. Although Kudlow acknowledged Friday he is not the health expert within the administration, he said he had spoken with top public health officials at some length Thursday evening. They are saying there is no second spike. Let me repeat that. There is no second spike, he said. What you do have is certain spots are seeing a little bit of a jump up. Some small metropolitan areas are seeing it. The CDC and the health people are all over it. Theyve sent some task forces out to deal with it, Kudlow added, partly attributing increases in Covid-19 cases to expanded testing availability. Kevin Hassett, another economic adviser to the White House, told Fox News he had spoken to Dr. Deborah Birx, the administrations coronavirus response coordinator, earlier Friday morning, and conceded there are some embers flaring up in a few places. Hassett specifically cited incoming data from Arizona and South Carolina as some cause for concern, but remained largely dismissive of the notion of a second wave of the coronavirus. For sure, the battle is not over, he said. But the trends that have been so positive in recent weeks, weve not deviated sharply from them although there are some hot spots around the country. The remarks from the two top aides come as new coronavirus hot spots continue to emerge across the United States, with at least 18 states reporting an increase in Covid-19 case counts, including spikes in Arizona, Florida and Texas. Additionally, hospitalizations have been rising rapidly in at least nine states since Memorial Day. Story continues Experts have described the uptick as a rebound from the first wave of the coronavirus in the U.S. rather than a second wave, but are cautiously viewing the nationwide protests against racism as potentially contributing to even greater levels of infection. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the mass gatherings risky Friday in a podcast interview with ABC News. You know, its a danger to the people who are trying to control the demonstration, and its a danger to the people who are demonstrating, he said. Dr. Jay Butler, the CDC's deputy director for infectious diseases, told reporters in a telebriefing Friday that theres no one answer to explain the increase in cases, characterizing the situation as variable in different parts of the country and noting rates of hospitalization have been trending downward nationally. But this is something that is ongoing, and we will continue to monitor very closely, Butler added. So that by no means is meant to suggest that this is not something that were not very concerned about and will be working on very closely. Still, governors shown reluctance to reimpose stringent mitigation measures as they embark upon reopening their states. Trump, too, has signaled his intention to resume his normal routines, and will return to the campaign trail next Friday with a rally in Tulsa, Okla. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that we cant shut down the economy again should coronavirus cases surge further, warning of the dire effects of widespread lockdown orders. Weve learned that if you shut down the economy, youre going to create more damage, he told CNBC. And not just economic damage, but there are other areas, and weve talked about this medical problems and everything else that get put on hold. The administrations aggressive push to reopen the American economy coincides with its curtailing of the White House coronavirus task force, which has not conducted a daily news briefing in more than a month. The most prominent health officials charged with fighting the spread of Covid-19, including Birx and Fauci, have also receded from public view. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar insisted, however, that the president hasnt been at odds with his public health advisers, maintaining that Trump works closely with them and takes their advice despite his demands for states to reopen in defiance of White House guidelines. Well, the guidelines are guidelines, Azar told NBC News in an interview airing Saturday. Theyre simply potential markers for how one would progress to reopening. But each governor knows the lay of the land in their state better. More than 113,000 Americans have died as a result of Covid-19 as of Friday morning, and the total number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has swelled beyond 2 million. About 5,000 to 6,000 Americans are expected to die every week from Covid-19 from now until July 4, experts predict. CHESTER When word spread that some city businesses were going to board up as a precaution soon after the death of George Floyd, a group of artists, led by one who has been instrumental in uplifting the district, came together to create art where the barriers stood. We dont want the community to be boarded up, Devon Starshooterz Walls, the force behind The Artist Warehouse and MJ Freed Theater, said. To us, thats a sign of defeat. So, we said, If they are going to be boarded up, were going to put murals on them.' After talking with the owner of the DTLR Villa store at the corner of Avenue of the States and West Fifth Street, the artists brought their own paint and were swiping their brushes as soon as the last screw was placed. The artists Walls, Fitz Gods Gift, Kenneth Picasso The Art Monster Hunt and Damian Parsons painted through the night and the rain, completing the work about a week ago. By Friday, the mural, which stretched the length of the store. had moved to make way for DTLRs reopening but the artists are planning to display it again as they are working on finding a location. The artwork included bold, vivid images of George Floyd and Sandra Bland, along with silhouettes of protesters and a child with an adult asking, Am I Next? Phrases like I Cant Breathe, Sandra Bland Say Her Name and Black Lives Matter swirled around the figures. Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police last month. Bland was found hanged in a Texas jail cell in 2015. I think with the stuff that happened with George Floyd, we just took a different stance, Walls said. It wasnt a lot of looting and breaking in and everybody fighting up and down the street. It was more of the artists starting to get together and doing some work. Fitz Gods Gift, who is working on a piece in City Hall and has another at the police station, said time was of the essence in the murals creation. We were going to start that night, but it started raining, he said. It rained three times but it stopped. He worked as the rain fell. Actually, the rain kinda helped me out, he said. It helped blend the face faster so I didnt really have to use that much paint. Fitz painted the faces of George Floyd and Sandra Bland. When you do artwork, you always touch the soul, he said. When I did his face, I wanted everybody to see the expression he got on his face. It touches them. I had people cry. When they look at that and they know what happened and they look at him. Hunt underscored the sense of urgency. It was important for him to get it done, it was important for all of us to get it done that day, he said. Walls explained the message about the artwork. The main thing that needs to be known about this mural and not just George, Im talking about Sandra, Im talking about all the people who were killed at the hands of police officers who were meant to protect and serve, that our lives do matter, he said. Were policed in black communities by white police officers who dont know the community, who dont know the families and they come into our communities scared of us already. I think what I want to see out of all this happening around the world is proper policing, he said, adding that they have accessible relationships with the city police. But that doesnt happen everywhere. How do we communicate with each other? How do we let them know that were not threats just because were big black men? They dont have to kill us. We have families to go home to. I have kids. Everybody standing here has children. When you tell a man like that whos clearly telling you that he cant breathe and his life is leaving his body, theres some training issues here or theres some anger issues there and stuff has to be fixed because black lives matter. Walls, the nephew of artist and civil rights activist William Dandridge who protested in 1964 when blacks were not allowed to shop along Avenue of the States, explained why he wanted Bland represented. When they talk about the transition thats happening in America, they say, George Floyd, but George Floyd was the last of hundreds of people who got hurt at the hands of police officers, he said. Me being a black man, I had several guns pulled on me by police officers from Chester, Ridley, Eddystone, every little district around this at some point, but it usually doesnt happen to our black women. So when you see black women getting hurt such as Sandra Bland, to me, that story should be amplified because not only are black men not protected, black women arent protected as well, he said. Right now, in our communities, were really fed up. Hunt likewise shared his experience of being a black man in America. Any store I walk into, they look at me like Im a threat, the Avenue of the States gallery owner said. Im a freaking business owner. He added, For us as men, its hard enough for us when we deal with police officers. As soon as we see (police) lights as a black male, I have to say to myself, Am I going to make it home to my family? or if my familys in my car, I have to say, Am I about to die in front of my family?' Hunt and Walls have traveled the world through their profession. We saw communities that were decimated by war, by poverty and then, the artists just come together and create this district, thats an oasis in the middle of a whole lot of chaos, he said. That has been the cornerstone of his vision for Chesters rebirth as he began by investing in one and now multiple locations for art to blossom in the city. Hunt recalled what it was like in 1998. Nobody wanted to be over here, he said. Nobody wanted to be over here. It was a ghost town. Now, with the artists opening galleries and studios, with DTLR, with restaurants like Brothers Jazz Cafe, Restaurant and Juice Bar, change is taking seed. What were building right now is really against all odds, Walls said. We always say, Lets build something impossible together. Impossible meaning that so many people have tried and havent accomplished it. Were at a point right now, were coming up to that finish line Were doing something that hasnt been done and we recognize it has power behind it. That effort mirrors the reception of the mural. Parson shared what he saw. As soon as it started going up, it stopped everybody in their tracks, he said. Bus drivers stopped, (saying,) Let me take a picture of it.' His part on the mural was some of the words and the background. I was hoping that people would really get some good out of all the bad stuff, he said, adding his hope was really stopping everybody, seeing the good out of the situation. The piece inspired spoken word artist Amanda Has Joy to record a two-minute, 30-second performance in front of it before it was taken down. She said she felt she had to put the emotion stemming from the event down on paper and it resulted in her piece called OfficerOfficer, in which the refrain says, Officer, officer please dont shoot; I didnt come here to riot or to loot; I came here to exercise my rights; I did not come to get into a fight. Amanda said she hoped her piece that she wrote in 15 minutes would bring everyone together. I hope that people take away that we have a responsibility, we all have accountability on how were going to move forward, she said. Its not just on one group or on one race I really feel like my heart is on this paper. And even though the mural has come down, the artists hope to have another viewing. We new with putting it up there that it was going to have to come back down, Walls said. We knew it wasnt going to last that long. People from the community still want to see it I think its important for us that it stays here afterward. Horror movies may be ubiquitous nowadays, with most of the new releases trying to up the ante to concoct new scares no ones ever seen. One that was a little off the radar managed to bring something different. What makes this particular horror film so special is its unpredictability, something all horror movies need nowadays to win over fickle audiences. Releasing it on a streaming service like Vudu has also helped win it a bigger audience recently. So what is this new horror movie getting so much online discussion? The title of it, Better Watch Out, might sound like a contrived 1980s horror flick but it goes in bizarre new directions. Piper Laurie and Sissy Spacek in the film Carrie | United Artists/Archive Photos/Getty Images What is Better Watch Out about? This horror title falls under the home invasion horror genre, one maybe bringing an eye roll from the basic plot. What took everyone by surprise is the film reinvents this genre with numerous new dark twists. When the trailer first hit YouTube back in late 2017, the opening shots misled viewers into thinking the movie is a feel-good teen movie about the holidays. It soon turns more than a little sinister as seen when someone tries to break into the house one night while a 17-year-old girl named Ashley babysits 12-year-old Luke. What occurs from there might look like something out of Home Alone, yet goes in all kinds of strange, horrific directions amid a sea of holiday decorations. Not everyone is really what they appear to be. Because this is a plot with numerous turns, it really is impossible to give away more than the initial basic premise. The film was released on DVD, then went to streaming Better Watch Out Director Chris Peckover Sets Up Next Horror Film Limbo With Miramax https://t.co/hxnmTS4wDP Bloody Disgusting (@BDisgusting) August 22, 2019 RELATED: 5 Disturbing Horror Movie Scenes That You Just Cant Unsee Directed by Chris Peckover, Better Watch Out is basically an Australian-American production, something worth noting as Australia has moved successfully into the horror market. The Babadook in 2014 is one good example of that, a unique horror offering becoming a hit in theaters. Better Watch Out managed a screening at Fantastic Fest in the fall of 2016, followed by a brief theatrical release in late 2017. Afterward, it had a DVD and Blu-Ray release, followed quickly by a move to streaming services. On streaming, it really picked up steam, with more positive reviews coming in and compiled by Rotten Tomatoes. On the latter site, it now has a Tomatometer score of 89%, plus an audience score of 66%. Streaming might have been a better place for it to find a niche audience, something still taking place on one particular streaming service. You can find the movie on Vudu and other streaming services everyone who sees this tweet please see better watch out. and please do not look up anything about this movie beforehand (except for the tw stuff on imdb which some minor stuff cause its still a horror movie). jay (@mearcstapas) June 7, 2020 When Vudu started streaming Better Watch Out, it broached far more discussions on social media about the plot twists. More Reddit threads have popped up about it over the last couple of years, including the director himself doing a Q&A there when the film first released. One notable thing was said by a fan on Reddit to Chris Peckover: Just watched your film, Better Watch Out. Thoroughly enjoyed it and found it really unpredictable. Also, loved your restraint with the gore. A lot of implied bloodshed went a long way. Really great job. Despite the film being sinister, it really does have less blood than similar films out there. The real art of surprise in horror may end up being what the film never shows audiences to tap into everyones worst fears. To watch the film (with ads), all you need is a free Vudu account. The film is also available on Fandango Now, Prime Video, and Apple TV. UN Chief Reportedly Links Iran To Saudi Oil Attacks, But Russia Still Wants To Lift Arms Embargo June 12, 2020 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told the Security Council in a report quoted by Reuters that cruise missiles used in attacks on Saudi oil facilities last year were of Iranian origin. Reuters said it had seen the report delivered by the UN chief and that several items recovered in U.S. seizures of weapons and related materiel in November 2019 and February 2020 also came from Iran. In a statement carried by Iran's state media on June 12, the Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, saying they "appear to have been made under political pressure" from the United States and Saudi Arabia. The ministry noted that the report came "at a time when the United States is working to...extend an arms embargo against Iran." Though the report has yet to be made public, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reiterated Moscow's view that the UN-imposed arms embargo that is due to expire in October "should not be extended." The report would represent a change from the last assessment by Guterres in December 2019, when he said the United Nations at that point had been unable to confirm Iran's involvement in drone and cruise-missile attacks on two Saudi oil facilities. The attacks knocked out half of the kingdom's crude production and fueled a spike in oil prices. Saudi Arabia, as well as U.S., and European officials, has accused Iran of responsibility for the September 14 bombardment. Guterres reports to the Security Council every six months on the implementation of an arms embargo on Iran and other restrictions that remain in place after Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers. Reuters quoted Guterres as telling the Security Council that some items found had design characteristics similar to those produced by a commercial entity in Iran, or bear Persian markings, and that some were delivered to the country between February 2016 and April 2018. He added that "these items may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent" with a 2015 Security Council resolution that enshrines Tehran's deal with world powers to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. "The secretariat assesses that the cruise missiles and/or parts thereof used in the four attacks are of Iranian origin," Guterres wrote in the report. The Security Council is due to discuss Guterres's report later this month. With reporting by Reuters and Interfax Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/un-chief-reportedly- links-iran-to-saudi-oil-attacks-but-russia-still- wants-to-lift-arms-embargo/30667377.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chennai: As online classes kindled a public debate on inequality and many colleges and schools in the state launched app-supported online education for use on mobile phones hoping it would make online education more inclusive, many under privileged students continue to suffer as they dont have the means to buy a smartphone. This newspaper spoke to at least seven students from weak economic backgrounds in the city who have missed online classes for a month now as no one in their family owns a smartphone. Gayathri, a third semester BA English literature student at Chellammal Womens College in Guindy here, says she kept asking her parents for a smartphone as she was lagging behind her classmates. Her father Siva, a tailor near his house at Thiruvalluvar Puram, West Tambaram, became unemployed when the shutdown was imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Siva says he cant afford to spend Rs 10,000 in this situation. I have spoken about it to her teachers as well. But they insisted on getting a smartphone. I am helpless, he says. Gayathri has now made peace with her situation. I prepare notes of the daily online classes by talking to friends over phone and getting the information from them, she says. Lalitha, a plus one student at Mount Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Selaiyur, DC caught up with, had the same story to tell. Her teachers continue to run online classes, but she helplessly sits at home at Lekshmipuram near Tambaram. Moshe, her father, is a sanitary worker at the same school. He has not been paid for the past three months as the school has been shut. She says every day classes are held online for an hour. I have already communicated my helplessness to the teachers, she says. Moshe says the teachers are unwilling to hear out his helplessness and nobody is helping out. He asks the government to build up the required infrastructure before starting online classes. Lalithas siblings Prem Kumar and Jhansi Rani, are final year graduation students. Theyre not missing out only because no online class have started for them, Moshe says. It has been a week since online classes began but Manishya, a plus-two student at Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School, Choolai here, has not attended any of the classes. Her father Manikandan, a daily wage worker, expressed deep concern over the future of his daughter. He has been striving hard to feed his wife and four daughters for the last three months. Buying a new smartphone is impossible in this situation, he says. Right activists and organisations have already pointed out that online class are creating a divide between students. While the 86th amendment to the Constitution of India in 2002 provides Right to Education as a fundamental right to children aged between 6-14 years, economic disparities prevent them from enjoying the fundamental right. Jayaram Venkatesan, Convener, Arappor Iyakkam, an NGO that works for equality, pointed out that the online classes would only help further widen the gap already existing in the quality education. If the government continues with the policy of online classes, then students from rural areas should be given a laptop or tablet, he said. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Madhusudan Barge, Tehsildar said that they received information that an exam is being conducted for 11th standard of Snehavardhak junior science and commerce college. When they reached the spot, they found 27 students giving the exam. An FIR has been registered against a college in Talegaon Dabhade of Pune district for holding a class 11 examination by calling students to the college despite restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The exams were conducted at a school for students studying in class 11th commerce of the school run by Snehavardhan education trust. Police, upon receiving information about the exam, reached the spot and found 27 students appearing for an exam. A case has been registered against 14 members of education trust in this connection. All members of the education board along with teachers present at the spot have been booked by Pimpri-Chinchwad police. Madhusudan Barge, Tehsildar said, We received information on Friday morning that an exam for 11th standard of Snehavardhak junior science and commerce college was being conducted. The information was received that exams (repeat exam) of students failed in 11th standard was being conducted here. Also Read: Odisha cancels all pending UG, PG final year examinations, issues SOP for 2020-21 academic session Also Read: NIRF Ranking 2020: IIT Madras, IIM Ahmedabad, Miranda college retain top positions, UGC permits Top 100 universities to start online courses We arrived at the spot and found that students were taking the exam in three different classrooms. A total of 27 students were called by the institute by messaging them about their exam timings and date. The government has banned such activities but still, students were called for exam and institute has violated the law and endangered the life of students, Madhusudan Barge said. A probe is on, Barge said. Also Read: Delhi HC seeks JNUs response on plea challenging admission procedure for new academic year For all the latest Education and Jobs News, download NewsX App Press release Brussels, June 12th, 2020 Michael Trabbia, currently CEO of Orange Belgium, promoted to Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at the Orange Group as from September 1st, 2020 Stephane Richard, Chairman and CEO of Orange Group, has decided to appoint Michael Trabbia, current CEO of Orange Belgium, to the position of Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Orange Group as from September 1st, 2020. With his engineering education and a rich career of 20 years in the public and private telecom environment, Michael Trabbia showed an excellent understanding of the Belgian telecom sector, its regulatory and technological environment. At Orange Belgium, he was particularly recognized for his leadership qualities, his strong strategic expertise and stakeholder relations. Therefore Stephane Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Orange Group, decided to nominate Michael Trabbia as Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, within Orange Groups Executive Committee. The Orange Belgium Board of Directors will select his successor as new CEO of Orange Belgium by the end of June. Ramon Fernandez, Delegate Chief Executive Officer of the Orange Group: In the name of the Orange Group, I want to warmly thank Michael for his decisive action at the head of Orange Belgium. Under his leading, Orange Belgium reached new major steps, thanks notably to its Bold challenger strategy. I applaud Michael for his promotion and look forward to seeing him join the Executive Committee of the Group. Johan Deschuyffeleer, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Orange Belgium, reacts: The Board and I would like to congratulate Michael for this new role in the Executive Committee of the Orange Group. We would like to warmly thank Michael for his many contributions, efforts and commitment over the past 4 years. As a strong leader he created value for every stakeholder inside and outside the company: from the 1,500 employees to the millions of Orange customers and the various shareholders worldwide. Michael pursued growth on all levels: operationally, financially as well as commercially. He created the fundaments for a future proof company, in a balanced and a sustainable way, thanks to the roll-out of an ambitious and bold transformation plan that made Orange Belgium more digital, caring and efficient. Story continues Under his leadership Orange Belgium is more than ever ready for the future. We wish Michael all the best in his new adventure. After his nomination, Michael Trabbia stated: I am particularly proud of the work done by our teams in Belgium and what we have achieved together during the past 4 years. We successfully positioned Orange Belgium as the customer-centric bold challenger of the Belgian market. Starting from a mobile-only position in a duopoly broadband market, we managed to build a strong convergent position and customer base with our convergent Love offers. On the mobile side, we were the first to launch an unlimited data offer in Belgium back in 2018; and recently we were again the first to launch mobile discounts for families with our GO offers. We also reached significant strategic achievements such as the RAN-sharing deal with Proximus, the MVNO deal with De Persgroep, the acquisition of BKM, the cable regulation improvement, the preparation of the networks of the future; and our Bold Inside transformation plan. I really want to warmly thank Orange Belgiums teams and Executive committee for their relentless commitment and the quality of their work, which were absolutely key in achieving these successes. I also want to sincerely thank the members of the Board for their trust and their support. As a result, Orange Belgium managed to steadily increase its value market share and is now recognized as a strong operator of growth. As from September, I will have the great honor to lead Orange Groups technology and innovation teams, next to Stephane Richard, Orange Chairman and CEO. I look forward enthusiastically to what we are going to achieve together. Michael Trabbia joined Orange in January 2011 and became Group Senior Vice-President for Corporate Public Affairs. He then moved to the team of the Chairman and CEO of Orange as Chief of staff and Secretary of the Groups Executive Committee in July 2014. He joined Orange Belgium in September 2016 as CEO. Born in 1976, Michael Trabbia is a graduate of Ecole polytechnique and Telecom ParisTech and holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Industrial Economics. He is married and father of 2 children. About Orange Belgium Orange Belgium is a leading telecommunications operator on the Belgian market with over 3 million customers; Orange is also active in Luxembourg through its subsidiary Orange Communications Luxembourg. As a convergent actor, we provide mobile telecommunications services, internet and TV to private clients as well as innovative mobile and fixed-line services to businesses. Our high-performance mobile network supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G+ technology and is the subject of ongoing investment. Orange Belgium is a subsidiary of the Orange Group, one of the leading European and African operators for mobile telephony and internet access, as well as one of the world leaders in telecommunications services for enterprises. Orange Belgium is listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange (OBEL). More information on: corporate.orange.be, www.orange.be or follow us on Twitter: @pressOrangeBe. Press contact Younes Al Bouchouari younes.albouchouari@orange.com - +32 477 69 87 73 Annelore Marynissen Annelore.marynissen@orange.com - +32 479 016 058 press@orange.be Attachment The Canadian Museum for Human Rights board of trustees says its aware of complaints of workplace racism and is committed to making sure theyre addressed. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights board of trustees says its aware of complaints of workplace racism and is committed to making sure theyre addressed. On the other side of the gallery, the union representing 160 museum staff says its been filing grievances since 2018, and nothing changes at the "toxic work environment." On June 5, some 15,000 demonstrators gathered at the Manitoba legislature, calling for an end to racial injustice and police violence. The Black Lives Matter rally ended on CMHR grounds. In the days that followed, former and current museum employees shared stories on social media of racism and discrimination on the job, and having complaints ignored or dismissed or employees being forced out. "The museums board of trustees is aware of the concerns being raised about experiences of former and current BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of colour) employees at the museum, and we are committed to ensuring they are addressed," a statement by board spokesperson Pauline Rafferty said Friday. After providing advice to the CMHR leadership team, "We support the path forward that they have proposed to make positive change," Rafferty said from Victoria. She was not made available for an interview. However, theres been no commitment to anti-discrimination training, not even as recently as two weeks ago, museum labour representatives say. "It's basically a toxic work environment," said Marianne Hladun, prairie regional executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. The union is voicing concern publicly, because past and current CMHR employees are speaking up on social media something that before now they've been avoiding, she said. "It's not an easy topic to raise. The employees there believe so much in the institution, and feel that to go out and (complain publicly) discredits the work they're trying to do but we've hit the tipping point," Hladun said in Winnipeg. "There are a lot of people that leave and their rationale is because it is not a safe and healthy place to work," she said, unable to put a number to how many had left for such reasons. "People who are so passionate about issues of human rights and so excited to work at an institution like the Museum for Human Rights get there and find out it's being run like a corporation," she said. "There's no recognition and acknowledgment of the intense content they're dealing with, and being able to support the workers there." One example, Hladun said, was a front-line worker (and second-generation residential school survivor) guiding tours through the gallery and being challenged by members of the public making racist remarks and disputing any harm was done by residential schools. Among the social media posts on the issue, one employee who identified as Indigenous said a white co-worker couldn't find their cellphone and looked in her purse to see if she had taken it. Another said they were reading the 2017 book Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race during a break at a training session. Days later, they were "hauled into a meeting" with a white manager and supervisor and told how personally offended and hurt the supervisor was by the title of the book. "The organization needs to look at their turnover and look at doing some exit surveys," Hladun said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. On Friday, a CMHR spokesperson said they couldn't comment on the union's allegations as they're in the middle of collective bargaining. The museum workers' contract expired March 31. On Wednesday, president and chief executive officer John Young said the CMHR is hiring an outside organization to review workplace practices and policies around diversity, respect, anti-racism and non-discrimination. The results will be used to develop an action plan to be developed and implemented working in partnership with employees, said Young, whose five-year term expires in August. The CEO position was posted in February, and pays $188,500-$221,700 a year. Young has reapplied for the position, a CMHR spokesperson said. The board has said it has faith in the process. "As an institution dedicated to human rights and to fostering dialogue and respect, the museum is, and must be held to a higher standard when it comes to how it responds to issues of race or discrimination," Rafferty's statement said. "The museum is committed to doing the hard work that needs to be done, and the board looks forward to managements progress." carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Lockdowns were imposed in parts of Beijing on Saturday to try to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus cluster, highlighting the challenges that lie ahead even for places where outbreaks are under control. There are fears of a resurgence in local transmissions in China, where the outbreak curve has been months ahead of the rest of the world, and comes as many European nations are further lifting lockdowns. The pandemic is still surging elsewhere, particularly in Latin America, with Brazil claiming the unenviable position of having the world's second-highest death toll, behind the United States. After the disease emerged late last year in central China, authorities there largely eliminated transmission within their borders through hyper-strict lockdowns later emulated across the globe. But on Thursday, Beijing announced its first infection in two months and then said 50 more cases had been linked to the large Xinfadi meat and vegetable market, which provides much of the capital's food supply. Authorities have forced residents in 11 nearby residential estates to stay home, ordered mass testing, established a "wartime mechanism" and deployed hundreds of police officers. "Everyone's very stressed," an elderly driver told AFP outside a fenced-off neighbourhood in southwest Beijing. "There are cases living in there. It's real." - More than 427,000 dead - Worldwide, the pandemic has killed more than 427,000 and infected more than 7.7 million, while wreaking widespread economic devastation. The number of global infections has doubled in slightly over a month -- with one million cases recorded in the last nine days -- and the virus is spreading most rapidly in Latin America. Mexico and Chile on Friday recorded their worst days yet during the pandemic, while Chilean health minister Jaime Manalich resigned Saturday amid a furor over the true disease toll there. Brazil has recorded 41,828 deaths, surpassing Britain's toll. The WHO said this week the pandemic is accelerating in Africa. Botswana's capital Gaborone was locked down Saturday after new cases were detected. In the US, which has seen the most COVID-19 deaths with over 115,000, more than a dozen states -- including populous Texas and Florida -- reported their highest-ever daily case totals in recent days. In Russia, with the world's third-highest number of cases, authorities more than doubled the official death toll for April after changing how the country classifies fatalities. There is still no treatment for COVID-19, but pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca said it has agreed to supply an alliance of European countries with up to 400 million doses of a possible vaccine. German government sources told AFP a vaccine could be developed by year-end. - 'Ready to welcome tourists' - A number of European countries are preparing to reopen borders on Monday after the EU Commission urged a relaxation of restrictions. Poland reopened its borders to fellow EU members on Saturday. France said it would gradually reopen its borders to non-Schengen countries from July, and Germany said it would end land border checks on Monday. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis travelled to picturesque Santorini island on Saturday to open his country's tourism season. "Greece is ready to welcome tourists this summer by putting safety and health as our No. 1 priority," he said in English. Venice sprang back to life Saturday, as hundreds of tourists flocked to the city for the reopening of the iconic Doge's Palace. "It's a very strong emotion, like the first day of school," said Maria Cristina Gribaudi, who heads the city's Civic Museums Foundation. In several European countries, the focus has shifted to the courts and who might eventually be blamed for the pandemic. In hard-hit Italy, prosecutors grilled Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over his government's response. "I explained everything to prosecutors," Conte said Saturday, adding he did not fear a possible judicial probe. Anger is mounting in France, where some 60 complaints have been filed against members of the government. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II meanwhile celebrated her official birthday on Saturday, with the normal pageantry of the traditional ceremony vastly reduced. The 94-year-old monarch watched a scaled-down version of the "Trooping the Colour" on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where she has been staying during the virus outbreak. And live sport returned to New Zealand on Saturday, as 20,000 fans watched rugby's Otago Highlanders edge the Waikato Chiefs, 28-27. The country has gone 22 days without new coronavirus cases. burs-bbk/acb Police guard a Beijing market linked to a new coronavirus cluster Brazil claimed the unenviable position of having the second-highest virus death toll worldwide Chinese paramilitary police guard entrances to Beijing's now closed Xinfadi market A man buries a relative, who died of coronavirus, in a Los Angeles cemetery -- the US remains the world's hardest-hit country Europe is pushing ahead with its exit from lockdown World toll of coronavirus infections and deaths as of June 13 at 1900 GMT The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) on Saturday matriculated 15,000 new students. The matriculation ceremony was held online following the lockdown arising from the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. A statement issued by the spokesman of the university, Ibrahim Sheme, on Saturday, said the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Abdalla Adamu, advised the new students of the university to rise to the challenges of the modern world in their quest for knowledge, including eradicating future diseases like the current Covid-19. In a welcome address to the over 15,000 new students, which he read over the Zoom application to which many of the students logged on from all over the country, Mr Adamu advised the new students to see any challenge they encounter in the course of their studies as a building block. One block at a time, and you will erect a mansion, you are in the best position to do this because your learning is powered by your personal desire to learn, the statement reads. The institution did not mention the number of students who logged online to participate in the ceremony. The vice-chancellor of the institution said while many students enter higher institutions in order to become educated so that they can get jobs, the matriculating students at NOUN already have jobs and occupations. Technology has become a commodity, NOUN has optimised its online facilitation exercise such that students can easily interact directly with their lecturers, the VC said. Mr Adamu said the university is the only one having a Directorate of Learning Content Management System (CLMS) which in due course could become a full-fledge online university. He said all the academic programmes of the university are fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in order to ensure their integrity Our programmes, quality assurance, and delivery mechanisms are therefore more solid than those of many conventional universities who keep coming to us to see how we work this technological magic, he said. Bowing out Mr Adamu informed the new intake of students that his five-year tenure will be coming to an end. This is my last matriculation address at NOUN, my tenure of five years having to end in February 2021, he said. The matriculation oath was administered online on the students by the registrar of the university, Felix Edoka. NOUN is the only single-mode open and distance learning university in Nigeria and the largest in West Africa with 580,000 enrolled students spread in 78 study centres across Nigeria. The National Open University was initially established on 22 July 1983 as the springboard for open and distance learning in Nigeria. It was suspended by the government on April 25, 1984. However, its resuscitation was begun on April 12, 2001, by the former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo. At the takeoff of the university, pioneer student enrollment stood at 32,400. Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/11/2020 -- HTF MI recently introduced new title on "Global Natural Disaster Insurance Market Size, Status and Forecast 2019-2025" from its database. The report provides study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2025. The Report gives you competition analysis of top manufacturer with sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share, the top players including Allianz, Zurich, Allstate, Tokio Marine, Assurant, Chubb, PICC, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa, CPIC, PingAn, Sunshine, Berkshire Hathaway, Suncorp, Progressive & American Strategic How customers and prospects view your existing business and products, benchmark view point to know if it is matching customers' needs or not. Know possibility and uncover untapped opinions of Natural Disaster Insurance Market. Get the inside scoop with Sample report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1809415-global-natural-disaster-insurance-market In this report Global Natural Disaster Insurance market classified on the basis of product, end-user, and geographical regions. The report includes in-depth data related to revenue generation region wise and major market players in the Natural Disaster Insurance market. In order to get a deeper view of Global Natural Disaster Insurance market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2025. Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1809415-global-natural-disaster-insurance-market Prominent top manufacturers Included In Global Natural Disaster Insurance Market with sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including Allianz, Zurich, Allstate, Tokio Marine, Assurant, Chubb, PICC, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa, CPIC, PingAn, Sunshine, Berkshire Hathaway, Suncorp, Progressive & American Strategic The Global Natural Disaster Insurance Market Is Classified On The Basis Of User/Application: Commercial, Residential & Other The Global Natural Disaster Insurance Market Is Classified On The Basis Of Product Type: , Life Insurance & Non-Life Insurance The Global Natural Disaster Insurance is classified on The basis Of Region such as: United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India & Central & South America Early buyers will receive 10% customization in reports. Enquire for customization or Regional version of this report with geographical classification such as - North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) - Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain and Benelux) - Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia and Australia) - Latin America (Brazil, Argentina and Colombia) - Middle East and Africa Key questions answered in this comprehensive study Global Natural Disaster Insurance Market Size, Status and Forecast 2019-2025 - What will the market size be in 2023 and what will the growth rate be? - What are the key market trends? - What is driving Global Natural Disaster Insurance Market? - What are the challenges to market growth? - Who are the key vendors in Natural Disaster Insurance Market space? - What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Natural Disaster Insurance Market? - What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the Natural Disaster Insurance Market? - What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the Natural Disaster Insurance market? Get in-depth details about factors influencing the market? Acquire Single User PDF license of this research report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1809415 Table of Contents - Introduction of Global Natural Disaster Insurance - Product Overview and Scope of Natural Disaster Insurance - Classification of Natural Disaster Insurance by Product Category - Global Natural Disaster Insurance Market by Application/End Users - Global Natural Disaster Insurance Market by Region - Global Natural Disaster Insurance Market Competition by Players/Suppliers - Global Natural Disaster Insurance Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018) - Global Natural Disaster Insurance Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type [, Life Insurance & Non-Life Insurance] (Product Category) (2013-2018) - Global Natural Disaster Insurance Sales (Volume) by Application i.e. Commercial, Residential & Other (2013-2018) - Global Natural Disaster Insurance Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data - Natural Disaster Insurance Manufacturing Cost Analysis - Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers - Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders - Market Effect Factors Analysis - Market Size (Value and Volume) Forecast (2018-2025) - Research Findings and Conclusion - Appendix Complete report on Natural Disaster Insurance market report spread across 100+ pages, list of tables & figures, profiling 10+ companies. Enquire more @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1809415-global-natural-disaster-insurance-market Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia. 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 We act like Trump is the only opposing force, but theres also the opposing force of people not wanting to really sit down with organizers and agitators and solve problems, he said. But the reality is that somebody is going to be president next. Now its about who is the person that can be in the presidency that you can work around the most. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 05:45:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BISSAU, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Four Chinese companies in Guinea-Bissau donated on Friday two medical ventilators to the country's health authorities to help treat severe cases of COVID-19. At the delivery ceremony, Chinese ambassador to Guinea-Bissau Jin Hongjun reaffirmed the Chinese government's will to continue to support the people of Guinea-Bissau in their fight against COVID-19. "We will continue to support Guinea-Bissau. Next week, another donation of medical supplies from the Chinese government will arrive in Bissau," the Chinese diplomat said, adding that the upcoming donation will help improve the working conditions of medical staff. "Solidarity is an essential element in eliminating this virus which has today become the enemy of humanity," the ambassador said, adding that the Chinese companies' donation is a gesture of solidarity. For his part, Tumane Balde, spokesman of the Interministerial Commission for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19, welcomed this gesture of solidarity from the Chinese companies. "This donation is very important and represents a sign of friendship between our countries," Balde said. As of Friday, Guinea-Bissau has reported 1,460 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 153 recoveries and 15 deaths, since the outbreak of the disease on March 25. Enditem The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Saturday announced 463 new cases of the coronavirus in the state, bringing the statewide total to 78,462 in about three months. The department also listed 49 more deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related fatalities to 6,211. Most of the deaths were people in nursing and personal care homes. About 74% percent of those who had the coronavirus have recovered, according to the Department of Health. Close to a half-million people have tested negative. Cases have been dropping since peaking in early April. Its been a month since the state has had more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day. Pennsylvania is easing out of coronavirus-related shutdowns in a three-phase plan: red, yellow and green. All of the state is out of the red phase, meaning stay-at-home orders are lifted and many businesses are reopened, with limitations in place. Two-thirds of the state is in green, the rest in yellow. In central Pennsylvania, Cumberland and York counties moved into the least-restrictive green phase this week. Eight including Dauphin County are moving on Friday from yellow (which bans things like barbershops and indoor dining) to green. 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. More: Gov. Wolf asks Pa. Supreme Court to intervene, nullify Legislatures COVID-19 reopening resolutions Hersheypark announces plans to reopen on July 3 100% face mask use could crush a second or third wave of COVID-19: Study She's dedicated her life to honouring her late father Steve's legacy by working as a Wildlife Warrior. And on Friday, Bindi Irwin was overcome with emotion as Australia Zoo opened its doors to the public again, after closing in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The 21-year-old shared a series of photos to Instagram of herself enjoying the moment with her mother Terri, 55, brother Robert, 16, and her husband Chandler, 23, saying she was relieved to stop worrying about how 'to pay the bills'. Emotional: Bindi Irwin broke down in tears on Friday as Australia Zoo opened its doors to the public again after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic 'This morning we stood at the front of our home and opened the gates to visitors. I made a radio call to our entire Australia Zoo Crew that we had officially reopened which was one of the best moments of my life,' she captioned the lengthy post. Bindi revealed how much stress the family has been under while continuing to maintain the costly zoo located at Beerwah, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. 'For 78 days we have wondered if and when we would ever open our doors to guests again. The weight of the world seemed to press down on us as we worked hard to figure out how we'd be able to pay our bills,' she said. Trying times: Bindi revealed how much stress the family has been under while continuing to maintain the costly zoo located at Beerwah, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland The newlywed admitted she cried at the momentous occasion, but they were tears of 'joy'. 'I cried as I felt the overwhelming joy of reopening and the stress these many weeks have brought,' she said. Bindi finished by thanking the public for their support and reaffirming her family were doing everything they could to keep their visitors safe during the global pandemic. Support: Husband Chandler wrapped his arms around Bindi to comfort her Accompanying the post was a series of images of the family in their khaki uniforms at the front of the zoo, which doubles as their home. In one image, Terri, Robert and Chandler huddled around Bindi beaming, as she made the important opening announcement to their 'crew' via radio. In another two photos, former professional wakeboarder Chandler wrapped his arm around his new wife to comfort her. Back to it: Accompanying the post was a series of images of the family in their khaki uniforms at the front of the zoo, which doubles as their home Daddy's girl: Bindi lost her father Steve (pictured) in 2006 after he was pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary Another showed the family laughing as the chatted under a poster of their late father Steve 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin who built the zoo in 1982. Steve was tragically killed after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary when Bindi was eight. Bindi and Chandler lit a single candle at the altar in Steve's memory after marrying in a private ceremony at Australia Zoo in March this year. Sumi Sukanya Dutta By NEW DELHI: A whopping 6.2% of the countrys GDP is required to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in India with intensified public measures, a report by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said. Considering that Union health ministrys budget is 1.3 per cent of the GDP and the Centre has pledged Rs 150 billion towards the public health crisis so far. This means that the cost of Covid-19 care could be nearly five times the annual allocation for health budget and 75 times the money dedicated currently towards the disease management. In absolute number that means, cost of Covid-19 management in the country could be Rs 25,534 billion or US $339 billion. The report A Model-Based Analysis for COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Implications for Health Systems and Policy for Low- and Middle-Income Countries has also noted that in the event of a lockdown for 8 weeks, the peak of the epidemic shifts by 34-76 days, and the number of cases at the end of 8-week lockdown reduces by 69% to 97% with varying effectiveness of lockdown. However, the cumulative long-term cases remain the same, says the report prepared by the public health specialists and health economists attached with the ICMR, PGI, Chandigarh, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a member of the National Task Force on Covid-19. The 25-page report submitted to the government also underlines that intensification of public health surveillance measures with 60% effectiveness is estimated to reduce the cases at peak and cumulative number of infections by 70% and 26.6% respectively. Strengthening the health system response in terms of enhanced testing, isolation of cases, treatment and contact tracing, as is being done currently, would have to be the mainstay to reduce the impact of the pandemic in terms of reduction in infected population and COID-19 deaths in India until a vaccine becomes available, experts have said. One of the highlights of the report is that without the lockdown and public health measures such as testing, contact tracing the peak would have come in mid- July but has now been shifted in November and the total number of infections at the peak would be much lesser than the unmitigated scenario. The first two weeks of the lockdown were most effective in containing the spread of the disease and as per our analysis. The peak could be expected in October-November, Dr. Narendra Arora, chair of the operations research group of the national Covid-19 task force said. While some modelers and scientists in the US and UK were predicting doom for India in May-June, we have done much better and the main cornerstone of our Covid-19 strategy has been the effective cluster management, Dr. Arora said, adding, the country is much better prepared to deal with infections now than it was in March. According to the report, the health system cost of managing Covid-19 in the scenarios of no-mitigation or 8-week lockdown is estimated to be Rs 11,313 billion. This is nearly 4.5% of the GDP. These estimated costs increased by 2.25 times with an intervention of 8-week lockdown and public health measures with 60% effectiveness, says the report. The incremental cost of intensified public health measures per infection and death prevented is estimated to be 43,867 and 3.84 million respectively. The estimated requirement of isolation beds, ICU beds, and ventilators at the peak of the epidemic in the unmitigated scenario is 1805, 394, and 69 per 1 million population, respectivelythe experts estimated. In the event of public health measures being strengthened with 60% effectiveness after lockdown, the requirement of ICU beds as well as ventilators each will be reduced by 83% . The report noted that the majority of the mild cases would require isolation in a non-hospital setting-- the current dedicated resources in terms of isolation beds, ICU beds, and ventilators are adequate to meet the necessity till the 3rd week of September. Beyond this point, there is a period of unmet need for approximately 3.3 months for isolation and ICU beds and 2.9 months. Similarly, in the scenario of intensified public health measures with 60% effectiveness after lockdown, the demand can be met till 1st week of November and afterwards it is inadequate for 5.4, 4.6 and 3.9 months to meet the demand for isolation beds, ICU beds, and ventilators, respectively, the experts say in the report. SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - The sheriffs deputy reached a house at the end of the narrow Northern California dirt road and decided getting help from more deputies would be a good idea. The terrain was steep, the redwood forest thick. The deputy turned the patrol car around and headed back down the hill, just as a van passed by heading up. It was a close call. The vans driver, officials say, was U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Steven Carrillo, who lay in wait for more law enforcement to arrive before ambushing them from the steep hillside above in a barrage of gunfire and explosives. Carrillo, 32, was charged with 19 offences, including murder and attempted murder of peace officers, and was calm and unflinching Friday during his first appearance in Santa Cruz Superior Court. The charges include the possibility of life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Gov. Gavin Newsom has put a moratorium on executions but Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell said Friday he hadnt yet decided whether he would seek the death penalty. Carrillo allegedly shot and killed Santa Cruz County sheriffs Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller on Saturday and wounded four other officers in Ben Lomond, an unincorporated area outside the beachfront city of Santa Cruz south of San Francisco. He was armed with homemade bombs, an AR-15 rifle and other weapons and was intent on killing police, authorities said. The FBI is investigating whether Carrillo, a leader of an elite military security force, has links to the killing of a federal security officer outside the U.S. courthouse in Oakland during a protest against police brutality on May 29. Federal authorities have not confirmed whether Carrillo is a suspect in the Oakland case. On Friday, Carrillo appeared via video from jail in Monterey County. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to enter a plea Wednesday. Defence attorney Jeffrey Stotter said his client has a traumatic brain injury, though he would not elaborate beyond saying it was not related to his active-duty military service. Carrillo had no record of disciplinary issues during his service, according to the Air Force. The military said Carrillo was deployed to Kuwait for four months in 2019, but his attorney stated he served in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Justin Ehrhardt, a former friend of Carrillo who served in the Air Force with him before his retirement, told The Mercury News that Carrillo considered himself a libertarian and may have been pushed over the edge following police use of force during protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes in Minneapolis. Excessive use of force on unarmed civilians that was a huge thing for him, Ehrhardt told The Mercury News. It was a mental tipping point for him. Ehrhardt imagined it was Carrillos way of saying, If Im going to fight for something, its going to be against the establishment. Ehrhardt told the newspaper that Carrillo shared memes on Facebook about the right-wing extremist boogaloo movement, a loosely organized internet-rooted network of gun enthusiasts expressing support for overthrowing the U.S. government. Three purported followers of the movement were arrested last month in Nevada and accused of planning a terror attack during recent Las Vegas protests over Floyds death. Ehrhardt did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. Rosell would not discuss Carrillos potential links to the boogaloo movement and said the investigation to any possible connections is ongoing. The district attorney also did not know why Carrillo was not wearing a mask. On Saturday, someone called 911 to report a suspicious white van in Boulder Creek, saying guns and bomb-making devices were inside. The vans registration led a sheriffs deputy up Carrillos steep driveway to his Ben Lomond home, roughly 8 miles (13 kilometres) away from Boulder Creek. Carrillo arrived in a second white van and ambushed the deputies, showering gunfire and explosives down a hillside from the high ground onto police who scrambled to find cover and defend themselves. Gutzwiller, 38, was shot and killed. Another deputy was shot in the chest his bulletproof vest saving him and suffered shrapnel wounds from an explosive and then was struck by Carrillos vehicle as the suspect fled the home. A California Highway Patrol officer was wounded in the hand. Carrillo escaped, carjacked a vehicle and tried to carjack several others before being subdued through the herculean efforts of a heroic resident, who managed to tackle and detain him as Carrillo, toting an AR-15, pulled a pipe bomb and pistol from his pants. A CHP officer shot Carrillo during the gun battle. Carrillo was treated for a non-life-threatening injury, though its not clear where he was struck. ___ Dazio reported from Los Angeles. At a hospital in West Bengals Birbhum, non-functioning air conditioners in the mortuary left the hospital reeking of decomposing dead bodies. According to India Today, the issue sparked protests among those using the hospital facilities. Reuters/Image For Representation The air conditioner of Bolpur Sub-Divisional Hospitals morgue has been out of order for several days and the report states that 13 bodies were rotting. Many started complaining after the stench became unbearable, as health of those visiting the hospital and availing treatment was also being risked. After protests, hospital authorities told the cops investigating the matter, that they did try to fix the morgues air conditioner by contacting the service centre. But the service centre staff refused to step into the morgue until the bodies were removed to carry on with the repair work. This incident comes to light after a video clip on social media showed workers of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) dragging highly decomposed bodies in a residential area in south Kolkata, to a crematorium, and stoked controversy. Source/DNA/Image For Representation The Bengal Governor, Jagdeep Dhankhar, tweeted his anguish at the "disposal of dead bodies with heartless, indescribable insensitivity," and compelled the authorities to issue clarifications. The authorities, however, denied that the dead bodies were those of COVID patients. "The West Bengal Health Department has informed that dead bodies were not of COVID patients, but were unclaimed/unidentified bodies from Hospital Morgue. Legal action is being taken against persons spreading #FakeNews (sic)," the Kolkata Police tweeted. Anguished at disposal of dead bodies @MamataOfficial -with heartless indescribable insensitivity. Not sharing videos due to sensitivity. Have sought an URGENT UPDATE @HomeSecretaryWB In our society dead body is accorded highest respect-rituals r performed as per tradition(1/3) Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) June 11, 2020 According to NDTV, the entire area was reportedly hit by a stench when the bodies were moved from the van to the crematorium. Protesting locals had put a lock on the crematorium gate, according to reports. In the clip shared on social media, a man is heard shouting on the phone: "Have you sent us here to get thrashed?" Behind him, a man - in a pair of red shorts and a vest - is seen dragging one body after another from the crematorium building into the municipal van. U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel has condemned the boarding up of key public statues in London ahead of anti-racism protests on Saturday and urged demonstrators to stay at home. Patel used an interview with the Daily Mail to accuse the citys mayor, Sadiq Khan, of mishandling the few subversive protesters and called for the statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill to be uncovered. On Twitter Patel joined Prime Minister Boris Johnson in warning protesters they risked spreading the coronavirus. Some of the U.K.s Black Lives Matter groups have said they will no longer attend the protests after reports that right-wing groups planned to descend on the capital to protect statues they see as possible targets for demonstrators. Authorities ordered historic statues of figures ranging from wartime leader Churchill to Nelson Mandela to be boarded up to protect against vandalism. Concern about statues of historic figures who may have racist pasts was heightened after protesters in the city of Bristol last weekend toppled the statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston and dumped it into the harbor there. London Mayor Khan has given his backing to the Black Lives Matter movement but also urged protesters to keep off the streets. Policing of Saturdays protests is likely to be a contentious issue with a breakdown in relations between enforcement officers and the home secretary, the Times newspaper reported. Patel has come under criticism from police chiefs accused of disgraceful interference after she demanded a clamp down on the Black Lives Matter protests, the newspaper reported. Police reportedly took offense after Patel called out officers in Bristol for not intervening when protesters pulled down the statue on June 8. She has made clear she expects the perpetrators to face criminal charges, the paper said. 'Green safety net' Recent catastrophes have wrought havoc on national icons including the Great Barrier Reef and the Murray-Darling river system. The Black Summer fires of 2019-20 killed billions of animals, scorched 10 million hectares of bushland, pushed scores of threatened species towards extinction and endangered populations that had previously been relatively plentiful. But experts say there is cause for optimism amid the dire tallies of death and destruction, arguing the legislation could "do a hell of a lot" to reverse the damage, provided politicians used its powers to intervene on nature's behalf. "The act is like a Ferrari, but you've got to take it out of the garage to use it," University of Queensland associate professor of environmental policy Chris McGrath says. "It's got all the tools; the powers are there. It can act as a green safety net for threatened species and the environment. But the political will to enforce the rules is the problem." The draft of the second statutory review of the EPBC Act, being prepared by former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Graeme Samuel, is due to be handed to Ley by the end of the month. The independent review of the government's central piece of national environmental law, which must occur every 10 years, is examining whether its objectives are being achieved and providing recommendations to ensure it is "fit for the future". Once she receives the review, Ley will have to balance the demands of industry, conservation groups and scientists who have complained about the act's administration almost from the day it was passed. 'Gaping chasm' The legislation provoked bitter divisions in the environment movement at the time, with some groups and the Greens opposing the bill because of what they saw as fatal flaws, including its inclusion of Regional Forest Agreements that enabled states the primary managers of the environment to substitute their regulations for federal oversight, and its failure to recognise the widespread threat of climate change. The Humane Society International's head of campaigns, Nicola Beynon, who represented the organisation when the act was drafted, says it represented "major progress for environmental legislation at the time, but the trade-off was ministerial discretion". The legislation does not compel the federal minister to protect threatened species and their habitat, she says. Loading "The system is very permissive and even the last remaining habitat for a threatened species could be approved to be cleared," Beynon adds. Amendments to the act in 2006 weakened community rights to appeal against development approvals and changed the threatened species listing process, which shifted from compulsory investigation of public nominations to a ministerial priority list that "does allow for political considerations to come into the process", she says. Suzanne Milthorpe, the Wilderness Society's national environment laws campaign manager, says the federal minister's powers under the EPBC Act are firmly established in law, but there is a "gaping chasm" between the objectives of the act and its subsequent use. "With the Franklin Dam case in 1983, Bob Hawke and the High Court firmly established that the Commonwealth government has extensive powers to protect the environment," Milthorpe says. "Australia's national environment laws simply don't do what they say on the tin. If the Franklin Dam was proposed today, the EPBC Act would more likely be used to provide political sanction for the dam to be built rather than being used to protect the world heritage area from danger." The legislation created powers for the federal government to conduct threat-abatement plans to prevent species decline and recovery plans to help bring endangered populations back to health. But conservation advocates warn key threats are not being addressed such as the risk posed to native flora and fauna by bushfire. The system is very permissive and even the last remaining habitat for a threatened species could be approved to be cleared. The Humane Society International's head of campaigns, Nicola Beynon Catastrophic bushfires were forecast ahead of the 2019-20 event. Threatened species commissioner Sally Box said the "ecological disaster" had left 119 animal species in need of "urgent management intervention". Despite the fact bushfires were proposed and considered for listing as a key threatening process in 2008, the federal Environment Department has not progressed the matter. The Commonwealth Threatened Species Scientific Committee reminded the government about the listing of fire risk in 2018 and the assessment was reopened for consideration. It is ongoing. Loading 'Red lights' If it had identified the risk, the federal government could have prevented a mass fish kill in 2019 on the Lower Darling River near Menindee in far-west NSW, says Martin Mallen-Cooper, a native fish expert and adjunct research professor at Charles Sturt University. The remote region made international headlines when an estimated 1 million native Murray cod and other species perished amid the region's worst drought on record, as shrinking river pools became de-oxygenated and left cramped fish choking for breath. The site of the fish kills is downstream of Menindee Lakes, a natural lake system that has been engineered for water storage. It had been filled as recently as late 2016 after an unusual winter rain event flooded down from Queensland. But under joint management of federal and state governments, the water was released to flow into South Australia which Murray-Darling Basin Authority chief executive Phillip Glyde said was done to avoid the high evaporation rates of the shallow lake system. However, Mallen-Cooper says the "incredibly damaging" event could have been prevented if the risks were identified and contingency plans put in place. "There should've been red lights going off" to store water ahead of 2019, he says. "Everyone knew the inflows over the next 12 months would be around the lowest on record. You could see the risk and therefore you should have planned to mitigate it. If you had held back sufficient water, and that would have been a fair bit, you could have prevented the fish kill entirely." Ley will be challenged in her response to the Samuel review to balance the push to speed up project approvals from industry groups, including the Minerals Council and the National Farmers Federation, and calls from the scientific community and environment movement to beef up federal oversight. In its submission to the review, the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists said the "objectives of the [EPBC] act are not being met", highlighting that it does not account for cumulative impacts that come from a build-up of developments over time. Loading Among the authors of the submission was Peter Cosier, a senior policy adviser to former environment minister Robert Hill, who declined to comment for this article. "By themselves, individual developments may have minimal impact on the environment but when combined, their cumulative impact can result in long-term damage," the Wentworth Group said. The submission cited the example of deforestation in Great Barrier Reef catchments, which had created marine pollution and contributed to the fact "numerous marine species including freshwater sawfish are now threatened". Minerals Council chief executive Tania Constable says "significant growth in regulation" had not led to "better environmental and biodiversity outcomes" and the EPBC Act was hampered by "poor collaboration and co-ordination of policies". "Resources wasted on duplicative processes should instead be directed to the collection and collation of environmental data, which would support strategic environmental outcomes and business certainty," Constable says. Banks are of the view that interest on loans cannot be waived for the six months of the repayment moratorium allowed by the central bank, State Bank of India (SBI) told the Supreme Court on Friday. SBIs statement came in an intervention application it filed on Friday in a plea seeking a waiver on interest charges during the course of the moratorium on loan repayments given by banks amid the nationwide lockdown. The apex court directed the Centre to file a detailed reply in three days and scheduled the case for hearing on 17 June. A bench comprising justices Ashok Bhushan, SK Kaul and MR Shah also took on record solicitor general Tushar Mehtas submission that the government will hold a meeting with the finance ministry and RBI on the weekend to discuss this issue. Our concern in these proceedings is only whether the interest that has been deferred for three months will be added to charges payable later and whether there will be interest on the interest, the judges said. We are doing balancing. The only thing we are wanting is a wider measure. Whether the payment will impose interest on interest or not, is the answer the court said it wants in the response to be filed in three days. RBI on 22 May extended the moratorium allowed on term loans till 31 August. In March, it allowed a three-month moratorium on payment of all term loans due between 1 March and 31 May. Gajendra Sharma, the petitioner seeking the waiver on interest, argued that without a waiver the interest would keep piling up during the moratorium, and this ultimately would have to be paid by the borrower. Real Madrid practise shooting in Friday night training session Real Madrid - La Liga They're ready for Eibar Real Madrid's players were put through a training session at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano at 19:30 local time on Friday evening. The session was the final rehearsal ahead of their LaLiga Santander return against Eibar on Sunday. Zinedine Zidane doesn't want to leave anything to chance, so he arranged for the players to train in the surroundings that will replace the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu as their home and to do so at the same time as kickoff. Real Madrid's training showed how obsessed Zidane has become with goals, as shooting took centre stage. Both Nacho and Luka Jovic missed the session as they continue their respective recoveries, while Mariano Diaz trained alone. Seoul, June 13 : North Korea has said that it has lost all confidence in the South Korean government and warned of "regretful and painful" times ahead, the media reported on Saturday. Jang Kum-chol, director of the North's United Front Department, made the statement to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday, referring to South Korea's recent vow to deal strictly with activists' flying of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into Pyongyang, reports Yonhap News Agency. "Their statement sounds like an apology or repentance, and their 'resolution to take counteraction' sounds plausible," Jang said. "But it is hard to clear the doubt that it can be just a brainstorm trick of Chongwadae (South Korean presidential palace) to tide over the present crisis. Because its attitude of repentance is too timid, when compared with the gravity of the crime committed." North Korea has strongly protested the leaflet campaigns in recent days and vowed to cut off all inter-Korean communication lines in response. It has also threatened to abolish an inter-Korean liaison office, scrap a military tension-reduction deal signed in 2018 and dismantle a now-shuttered industrial park in the North's border city of Kaesong. Jang accused the South of making promises in words only, and mocked its efforts to legislate a ban on sending the leaflets. "From now, time will be, indeed, regretful and painful for the south Korean authorities," he was quoted as saying by the North's KCNA. The leaflets have been sent by North Korean defectors and conservative activists with messages sharply critical of the Pyongyang regime and its leader, said the Yonhap News Agency report. The large balloons containing the leaflets also carry other items, such as USB memory sticks and $1 bills, to encourage North Koreans to pick them up. Lengthy delays to Hong Kongs railway projects are holding back the revival of the citys battered economy and chalking up foregone losses worth more than HK$100 billion (US$13 billion), rail experts have warned. Urging the government to speed up, they said it was not good enough that work had begun on only two out of seven projects from its 2014 blueprint, and both now had much later completion dates than originally scheduled. Henry Cheung Nin-sang, chairman of the Association of Hong Kong Railway Transport Professionals, also said the best way to rejuvenate the Hong Kong economy, which had been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, was to loosen public purse strings on infrastructure projects. The city is already lagging behind in regional railway development, and experts expressed concern that the situation had resulted in brain drain of railway professionals in recent years. We are very unhappy with this prolonged delay. It is unacceptable, said Henry Cheung, of the association whose 180 members include rail engineers and operation managers. Six years have gone by, but the government has rolled out only two projects recently. Their completion dates have also been pushed back by at least five or six years. The 2014 Railway Development Strategy set out the governments plans for up to 2031, outlining seven rail projects based on projections of transport demand, cost-effectiveness and the needs of new developments in various districts. They are the Northern Link and Kwu Tung station, Tuen Mun South extension, East Kowloon line, Tung Chung line extension, Hung Shui Kiu station, South Island line (West), and North Island line. So far, there has been news on the launch of works for only the Tung Chung line extension and Tuen Mun South extension, with announcements in April and last month respectively. Henry Cheung Nin-sang, chairman of the Association of Hong Kong Railway Transport Professionals (left), and Morris Cheung, former president of the MTR Academy. Photo: Nora Tam The MTR Corporation, Hong Kongs rail operator, will carry out detailed planning and design under an ownership approach, which means it is responsible for funding, constructing and operating both projects. Story continues Morris Cheung Siu-wa, former president of the rail training centre MTR Academy and honorary president of the transport professionals association, asked: Why has it taken the government six years to roll out only two projects? The Tung Chung line project comprises a 1.3-km extension from the Tung Chung station to a new terminal station at Tung Chung West, a new intermediate Tung Chung East station between Sunny Bay and Tung Chung stations, and a tunnel extension for the Airport Railway. The government now expects construction to start in 2023, with the two stations completed by 2029 five years later than the deadline set out in the 2014 report and the tunnel by 2032. The project, costing about HK$18.7 billion, is projected to bring economic benefits worth about HK$61.4 billion over 50 years of operation. The HK$11.4 billion Tuen Mun South extension project involves a 2.4-km extension along Tuen Mun River, with two new stations at Tuen Mun Ferry Pier and Tuen Mun Area 16. It is projected to generate HK$28 billion worth of economic benefits over 50 years, taking into account reducing commuting times and the cost of operating other forms of transport. Work on the project is now expected to start in 2023 for completion in 2030, eight years later than the target in the 2014 report. Hong Kongs only ongoing rail project is the scandal-hit HK$90.7 billion (US$11.6 billion) Sha Tin-Central link, the citys costliest rail project that is expected to be fully operational by early 2022. The project was plagued by repeated cost overruns and delays, and suffered a major setback after allegations of shoddy work and reports of missing documents. Morris Cheung said the delays in railway development would seriously impact the citys overall economy. For every infrastructure project, the government projects the direct economic benefits generated every year, in terms of time savings and so on. Taking into account other gains such as the creation of jobs and economic activities, Id say the forgone economic losses from these delays are astronomical, way over HK$100 billion, he said. Henry Cheung said the absence of new rail projects in recent years had resulted in an exodus of local rail engineers forced to seek jobs in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Taking into account other gains such as the creation of jobs and economic activities, Id say the forgone economic losses from these delays are astronomical, way over HK$100 billion Morris Cheung The most efficient way to stimulate the economy and create jobs is to increase public expenditure on infrastructure. It could quickly add some feel-good factors to the market and let people see some hope, he said. Both of them felt Hong Kong would move faster on its rail projects if the government took a more proactive approach like Singapores Land Transport Authority (LTA). The LTA is a statutory body responsible for planning, designing and maintaining Singapores land transport infrastructure and systems, with the private sector involved in building and running public transport projects. It does all the preliminary tasks such as planning and designing a rail project and then just calls for a tender. It doesnt need to go back and forth with other parties, and that makes the whole process faster and more efficient, Morris Cheung said. Henry Cheung added: Hong Kong is different. The government is too reliant on its sole rail operator, the MTR Corp, for the whole process from planning and designing, to tendering and supervising the work. He said Hong Kongs way slowed down the implementation because the MTR Corp had to spend a lot of time negotiating with many parties, including the government itself, landlords of sites affected by the project and even bus operators and district councillors. Is it possible to also inject competition in the tendering process? This is the question the government needs to consider, he said. Morris Cheung also urged the government to take a more flexible approach in carrying out the Tung Chung line extension project. Actually the Tung Chung line extension could be divided into three sections. The government could open one station at a time as soon as it is completed, so the public can enjoy the railway facility at the earliest possible time, he said. Quentin Cheng Hin-kei, the spokesman for commuter concern group Public Transport Research Team, agreed that the rail delays were unacceptable and that speeding up infrastructure projects would help revive the economy. However, for efficient delivery of quality railways, he said, the government needed to break the MTR Corps current monopoly. As long as there is no competition in the railway market, there is nothing to guarantee the quality of rail projects and their efficient delivery. Past problems such as cost-overruns and delays may continue to crop up, he said. The Hong Kong government is too reliant on its sole rail operator, the MTR Corp, for developing railway infrastructure, Henry Cheung says. Photo: Bloomberg Responding to questions from the Post, a spokeswoman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said railway projects involved huge capital investment so the government had to plan prudently and weigh factors such as available resources and actual housing development in relevant areas. While a strategic benefit of implementing a railway project was to create job opportunities, many other factors had to be weighed before the government could move ahead, she said. She added the projects proposed in the 2014 blueprint also had different degrees of complexities that affected their projected implementation targets. As various government bureaus and departments might be involved in evaluating projects, she said, the MTR Corp often had to provide additional information as required. She added there was progress on three more projects listed in the 2014 blueprint: detailed planning and design for the Northern Link would begin soon, and the MTR Corp had been asked to improve the technical design proposals for the East Kowloon line and North Island line. When the details of a proposed railway scheme are available, such as the alignment, location of stations and implementation timetable, the government will consult the public, including the Legislative Council and the relevant District Councils, she said. More from South China Morning Post: This article Hong Kong economys revival under threat from major delays to rail projects, experts warn first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. New Delhi, June 13 : On a day Nepal's Lower House of Parliament unanimously passed a constitution amendment bill to reflect its new map in the national emblem, the Congress on Saturday dubbed the development a "sad day" in the longstanding bilateral relations. "A sad day in the longstanding Indo-Nepal relationship. Tragic that self-professed strong leadership of the BJP remains in ostrich-like denial when it comes to protecting national interest," Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a statement. The approved map includes Indian areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura in the Himalayan country. The Congress also attacked the Modi government and said that the "delusional TV warfare can't substitute mature political leadership." Earlier, Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali tweeted: "The House of Representatives unanimously adopted the constitutional amendment bill, paving the way for accommodating the updated political-administrative map in the national emblem." On June 9, Nepal's House of Representative had unanimously endorsed the bill to adopt a new map of the country. The proposal was backed by Nepal Communist Party headed by Prime Minister K.P. Oli, the opposition Nepali Congress, and Madhesi-based parties. Donald Trumps refusal to change military bases named after Confederate generals continues to spark backlash, with a veterans group the latest to speak out. VoteVets, a progressive veterans group often vocal against the current president, released a new video condemning Mr Trump's position. Our new ad cuts to the chase, and pulls no punches: Wed never name bases after Americas enemies, like Osama bin Laden. Why does Donald Trump so desperately want to keep the names of other racist enemies on our Army bases, the group wrote on Twitter when sharing its latest ad. At the start of the ad, the name Camp Bin Laden is introduced as a potential name for a military base. We wouldnt name American military bases after enemies who attacked our country, a narrator says in the ad, which shows an image of the al-Queda founder. Pictures of the ten Confederate generals including Robert E Lee, Braxton Bragg, and John Gordon are then shown one by one across the screen. Each of them have military bases named after them in Southern states. Statues and military bases honouring these generals have come under fire in recent weeks amid protests and conversations about racism and police reform. People have argued the military bases should be renamed because the Confederacy supported the continuation of slavery in the country. But Mr Trump insists the bases should keep their names, claiming the are "part of a Great American Heritage" with a "history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom". The ad says the Confederate generals took up arms against the United States and defended slavery, and so should be renamed. Names that dishonour those who serve today, the ad says. And you can add someone else to that list. Donald Trump dishonours our service when he stopped the military from removing those Confederate names. VoteVeteran pushed for the military bases to be renamed after American heroes who served the country instead of fighting against it. The ad then ends by reminding the public about when Mr Trump reportedly dodged the military draft for the Vietnam War by claiming he had an injury. Defence secretary Mark Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said on Monday they were open to a bipartisan discussion on the topic of removing Confederate names from the bases, Politico first reported. Their openness starkly contrasted the president's flat out refusal to rename the military bases. The world may be dealing with a pandemic, but summer bookings at one Muskoka resort are actually accumulating at a higher rate compared to last summer. I believe theres pent-up demand, I really believe people are ready to get closer to nature, especially people who have been in urban environments and unable to get outdoors, said Leah Leslie, director of sales and marketing at JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa. Theres this longing for that opportunity to spend time in Muskoka, or somewhere like Muskoka. People arent flying anywhere, so theyre going to choose a destination they can drive to, and a destination that is somewhat familiar so they can feel safe and secure. The Rosseaus experience is largely similar to other resort and cottage rental properties around much of the province. Rural and small-town Ontario could be seeing a surge of local visitors this summer, as people are finally able to leave their homes but have few travel options and limited budgets. The U.S. border remains shut down and the federal government continues to warn Canadians against non-essential travel outside the country. Even within the country, some provinces have closed their borders to non-residents. As Ontarians begin to consider exploring destinations in their own backyard, a large group of business and tourism organizations, identified as the friends and supporters of the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and all provincial premiers in an open letter this week to remove the travel restrictions that prevent Canadians from travelling within the country. The organizations, which include the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, a number of airports and the Toronto Region Board of Trade, also called on Trudeau to revisit the decision to close the national borders to people from all countries. Its time to encourage Canadians and some visitors from abroad to explore our country this summer, to begin reuniting friends and families, to allow important business travel to occur, and to get our employees working safely again, the letter says. Its time our governments allow Canadians to travel freely. The tourism industry in Ontario was among the first sectors hit and hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic when it arrived in March, and tourism industry leaders are urging Ontarians to visit, eat and shop local this summer to help give a boost to ailing businesses. Not all businesses will be up and running in some cases because theyre in regions of the province that remain in the first stage of Ontarios reopening plan, such as Toronto. For those that are open, strict health and safety measures will be in place, which in some cases could mean lower customer capacity to maintain physical distancing. Obviously with the borders not open, its going to be a very domestic market, said Beth Potter, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. As an industry were encouraging people to get out and explore their communities, the community next door, or revisit some of those iconic destinations that you havent been to since you were a child. Theres a lot of anxiety in the sector, Potter said. An industry that typically generates $36 billion in revenues a year and employs about 400,000 people may only make about $17 billion this year, with tens of thousands of jobs lost. A lot of these seasonal businesses are a core piece of the community oftentimes theyre one of the largest employers in the community so theyre very, very concerned about what the impact is going to be not just for their own business, but at the community level as well, Potter said. The reality is that tourism will likely be the last sector to fully recover, said Philip Mondor, president and CEO of Tourism HR Canada, a national organization that co-ordinates human-resources development for the industry. He said the industry has been grateful to tap into various federal financial-support programs for businesses hurt by COVID-19, but concerns remain over how long those programs will last. Its a no-go proposition for many tourism-industry businesses to take advantage of some of these programs if theyre short-lived, because they just wont have enough trade this summer to carry them through the fall and beyond, Mondor said. One part of Ontario that may see its tourism sector hurting for even longer than other parts of the province is Toronto. The city, which continues to produce the bulk of Ontarios daily new COVID-19 cases, remains in Stage 1 of the provinces reopening strategy, which among other things lets retail businesses with storefront entrances open. Premier Doug Ford announced this week that a large part of Ontario but not Toronto and a few other regions would move to Stage 2 as of Friday, which among other things will permit restaurants and bars to be open for patio dining. In Toronto, hotel occupancy remains low, restaurants remain closed except for takeout and delivery, and the main attractions are sealed off to visitors. Its a difficult period right now, and that seems almost too obvious to say, but theres simply no business, said Andrew Weir, executive vice-president at Tourism Toronto. For now, our focus is on helping the businesses in the tourism sector weather this immediate storm and then be ready to begin to invite back visitors when its appropriate to do so, and thats going to start on a very local and regional basis. He said it will be important for people outside Toronto to see local residents enjoy being out in the city again, as that will boost confidence to visit. Last year, the city saw 28 million visitors who spent $6.7 billion, and about one-third of those visitors were international travellers, Weir said. Escaping home and being among nature while being mindful of physical distancing will be a big focus this year for Resorts of Ontario, which represents inns, lodges and cottage-rental businesses. Find your own space is the message the organization is putting out, said marketing and communications manager Shane Bage. I think people are really eager to travel, people are getting tired of staying in lockdown theyre really looking to get out, he said. Julie Drain, who co-owns Pine Vista Resort, a family-owned cottage rental business in the Kawarthas, said she believes parts of Ontario moving into Stage 2 might have encouraged more people to travel. While she said Pine Vista is only at about one-third of its capacity for the first two weeks of July when they would normally be full the rest of the summer is looking much better. Society right now is really on edge and although this will be a vacation for them, I feel the anxiety levels for all Ontarians are so high right now, she said. Were just trying to keep the momentum fun and happy. Yes, there are restrictions and yes, we all have to be careful and do our part, but we can still live and we can still enjoy a holiday. At The Rosseau in Muskoka, Leslie said the message shes been trying to get across to potential guests is that the resort has all the precautions in place so that they can enjoy a safe holiday in nature. You can be safe and still have fun, she said. You can be safe and still spend time outdoors, and still get out of the city and have a beautiful summer vacation. Thats the point. Theres a lot to do here. The beach is open and the water is warm. Read more about: PENNSAUKEN, Penn.Williams Trading Co. has added two new e-Learning modules for the new G-spot vibator LELO GiGi 2 at Williams Trading University, the free e-Learning platform that is available to existing and new accounts. The new e-learning module starts out with a brief introduction to LELO as a company, and gives students reasons why they should recommend it to customers. Within this course, e-Learning students will be introduced to the updated LELO GiGi 2, a revamping of one of their most popular G-spot toys. Since its inception in 2003, Swedish-based LELO has become known for the elegance and luxury of its products. Winner of over 110 mainstream awards, LELO is one of the most well-known brands in the pleasure product industry, and can be found in 58 countries worldwide. The new GiGi 2 comes in four colors: pink, deep rose, turquoise blue and cool gray. Participants will be introduced to the functions of the LELO GiGi 2, as well as given tips on how to use the product as well as how to sell it. Along with course information, students will also be able to download additional resources from the Resource Tab at the top of the course window, including a downloadable product sheet that can be referred to by store employees. As with all Williams Trading University courses, at the end of this e-Learning module, participants will be asked to take a quick certification quiz and upon passing, they will be invited to register their completion of the course. All registered students will be entered in the monthly prize drawing, thus the more courses completed, the more entries will be submitted for the drawing. For ordering and product information, call a Williams Trading Co. sales representative at (800) 423-8587 or visit www.williamstradingco.com. For drop shipment and e-commerce support visit Dropship.WilliamsTradingCo.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 22:25:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHONGQING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Chongqing, a popular tourist destination at the upper reaches of the Yangtze River best known for its spicy food and steep hills, launched a promotional campaign on Thursday to showcase its natural beauty and cultural appeal. All of Chongqing's 38 districts and counties, as well as its Liangjiang New Area, the high-tech industrial development zone and Wansheng economic development zone, will have their heads of government in front of the camera to promote cultural tourism products and local specialties. In the first live broadcast of this large-scale event, Jiang Muchen, head of the city's Kaizhou district government, stood by a lake while introducing in detail several recreational, educational and rural tour routes in the district. Tour guide Li Yanjiao was pleased with Jiang's promotion. The travel agency where she worked has been struggling with a significant drop in visitors and revenue since its lake cruises resumed in March after a month-long suspension due to the COVID-19 epidemic. It is the second time for Chongqing to launch such a promotional campaign. Last year, district and county Party chiefs showed up in short videos, telling stories about the landscape and folk culture. The city held the first promotional event between late March and early August 2019, which brought its tourism revenue up 32.1 percent year on year and saw a 10-percent increase in the added value of its cultural industry. This year's event that will last six months focuses on promoting cultural tourism to help the market recover and boost consumption, according to Qin Dingbo, deputy director of the municipal commission of culture and tourism development. In addition to tourism, the local Baqu tea and the oranges that have helped lift more than 50,000 fruit growers out of poverty are among the highly recommended products of Kaizhou. The total orange planting area has exceeded 23,000 hectares in the district, with an annual yield of 300,000 tonnes. "With the head of the district government personally promoting the oranges in a live broadcast, I'm sure that we will sell more at a better price," said Zhang Qinghua, a local orchardist. Chongqing boasts a rich history and culture. Yet as a manufacturing city with a heavy industry background, Chongqing did not fully tap the potential of its precious traditional cultural resources during years of massive urban sprawl, according to Xu Yuming with the Chongqing Academy of Social Sciences. The promotional showcase has awoken the dormant cultural heritage of the city, Xu noted. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. Yang Shuhai, the county Party chief, said Fengjie has organized international poetry festivals and poetry competitions over the past few years, bringing the Chinese classical literature back into the public spotlight. "With the showcase, we have a better chance to promote our poetry culture," Yang said. Enditem (Photo : Johannes Plenio on Unsplash) Hackers Spy Victims Real-Time by Observing Light Bulb's Vibration Hundreds of Feet Away (Photo : Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash) Hackers Spy Victims Real-Time by Observing Light Bulb's Vibration Hundreds of Feet Away Hackers are spying on victims from hundreds of feet away by monitoring flickering light bulbs. According to Fox News' latest report, the new hacking technique called "lamphone" was developed by the researchers at Israeli's Ben-Gurion University of the Weizmann and Negev Institute of Science. The response to sound by the light bulb's frequency was observed using a special sensor that analyzes fluctuations in the air pressure that causes vibrations. The hacking tactic was first reported by Wired, stating that cyber attackers only need a telescope, an electro-optical sensor, and a laptop to extract sounds and speech from an individual in another location using the lamphone technique. Researchers claimed that the lamphone hacking technique is unlike other spying methods since it can be carried out in real-time. According to the researchers, the results acquired by the hackers are so accurate that even Shazam can recognize it or can be transcribed by Google's speech. Shazam was able to identify the song "Clocks" of Coldplay being played in a room 25 meters away in a test run of the new technology. The speech of Trump saying "We will make America great again" was played over speakers and accurately transcribed by Google text to speech API according to the researchers. The hacking process can be avoided by the victims using weaker bulbs that emit less light for capture, or heavier light bulbs that provide less light vibration since the lamphone hack requires a visible hanging light in the room. Lamphone measures the tiny changes in light output According to Wired's latest report, the researchers stated that the hackers can discern the contents of conversations or even recognize a piece of music by picking up sound through measuring the tiny changes in light output from the bulb that those vibrations cause. "Any sound in the room can be recovered from the room with no requirement to hack anything and no device in the room," said Ben Nassi, a security researcher at Ben-Gurion who developed the hacking tactic together with fellow researchers Boris Zadov and Yaron Pirutin. The report stated that Zadov is planning to present their findings in August at the Black Hat security conference. "You just need line of sight to a hanging bulb, and this is it," he said. The researchers put each eyepiece of a series of telescopes eight feet away from a target's office light bulb, in front of a Thorlabs PDA100A2 electro-optical sensor in their study. The laptop they set-up, fed by the information acquired, analyzed the readings from the speech recordings and music played in the faraway room. However, Nassi claimed that the hacking technique doesn't require a visible light bulb inside a room. Analysis of the video acquired is needed to convert the subtle vibrations observed in an object into the sounds it picked up. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 21:47:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A new report jointly published by the United Nations and the African Union (AU) emphasized that there is much work to be done to spur Africa's integration, so as to enable the continent withstand socioeconomic shocks, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The second Africa Regional Integration Index (ARII 2019) was recently launched by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Commission, and the African Development Bank (AfDB) with a call to act to to deepen African integration. The report, among other things, found that "much more needs to be done to integrate regional economies to make them more resilient to shocks such as the current COVID-19 pandemic." The 2019 index, which builds on the first edition published in 2016, provided up-to-date data on the status and progress of regional integration in Africa. It also helps to assess the level of integration for every regional economic community and their member countries. The continental integration index showed that the level of integration on the continent is relatively low with an average score of 0.327 out of 1. The ARII report complements the African Multidimensional Regional Integration Index, which was developed over the last two years by the AU Commission, regional economic communities, national statistics offices and African Central Banks. With the establishment of regional economic communities and the creation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), Africa has reinforced regional integration as a major development priority for the continent under the 2012 Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT) Action Plan. The Index also ranked African countries' integration within their respective regional economic communities and also with the rest of the continent. It also scores across five key dimensions that are trade, productive capacity, macroeconomic policy, infrastructure, and free movement of people. The ARII-2019 ranked South Africa, Kenya and Rwanda as the top three most integrated countries on the continent, while South Sudan, Eritrea and Burundi were ranked as the least integrated African countries. "Whereas the latest edition has data cut off points in 2019, the present COVID-19 pandemic has reopened the question of whether enough is being done in advancing regional integration as a means to help Africa withstand systematic shocks such as the one being experienced today," said Stephen Karingi, Regional Integration Division Director at the ECA. "This index is both a measurement exercise and a call to action," Karingi said, adding that "it will identify the solutions needed to truly build an integrated Africa." Jean-Denis Gabikini, Director of Economic Affairs Department at the AU, on his part welcomed the collaboration in producing the Index which examines furthering regional integration through the implementation of AfCFTA. Gabikini noted that African leaders "must use the urgency created by the COVID-19 pandemic to accelerate regional integration, deepen local financial markets and strengthen private sector to withstand future shocks as envisaged under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement." The African Development Bank's Director for Regional Development and Regional Integration, Moono Mupotola, on his part stressed that the Index "is a useful tool for tracking progress on the regional integration front and would help countries identify priorities to improve integration." "The crippling effects of COVID-19 illustrate the need for enhanced production of African finished goods and services that can readily be traded across the continent," Mupotola said. David Luke, coordinator of the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) at the ECA, also pointed out that the productive and infrastructure dimensions of regional integration are intricately linked, in which tackling these two dimensions along with implementing the AfCFTA would be a massive boost for trade. For Africa to succeed in its long-standing efforts towards closer economic integration, ARII-2019 also made six major recommendations, which include improving regional networks of production and trade by enhancing countries' productive, distributive, and marketing capacities. It also recommended building innovative, regional value-chain frameworks in different sectors using improved technology, higher-quality inputs, and updated marketing techniques; fully implementing the AfCFTA to remove non-tariff barriers, which remain a major challenge for regional integration; as well as enhancing African workers' competencies to match the technology and production capacities of today and tomorrow to succeed in the global economy. Improving infrastructure through increased public-private partnerships, tapping into national resources and using regional and global infrastructure development funds and other innovative financing tools, accompanied by rigorous competition and transparency in procurement and construction processes was also another major recommendation of the ARII 2019. It also suggested implementing the Protocol on the Free Movement of People, which will enhance economic growth through increased opportunities for tourism, trade and investment, human capital mobility, and allow firms to find skills more easily, in turn driving productivity. Enditem In the ongoing effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus, health officials on Friday urged organizers of large gatherings to strongly encourage attendees to use cloth face coverings. According to a report in The Washington Post, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented updated guidance after many attendees, as well as some members of law enforcement, at national protests against police brutality were not wearing masks. This included some members of law enforcement. The Post said the guidance comes ahead of President Trumps campaign schedule, which begins next week. The CDC guidance says event planners and organizers should weigh several strategies, from publicizing the steps being taken during a protest or gathering to how attendees can help reduce their risk of spreading the virus. Seating should allow for social distancing and be clearly marked, according to the report. Read full CDC guidelines here. In additional, gathering places, such as parking lots, should be reconfigured to prevent congregation points. An action plan to separate people showing symptoms, or those who have tested positive for the virus, is another suggestion. The CDC also provided ways to reduce the risk of spreading the virus during everyday activities like hosting a cookout or visiting a bank. The CDC also stated that because virus circulation varies in communities, all of their considerations are meant to supplement, but not replace, any state or local rules and regulations that have been placed on gatherings. PennLives full coronavirus coverage Maiduguri The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has commenced the distribution of radio sets to all internally displaced and other vulnerable children in Borno State. This, according to the UN agency, would enable children from all backgrounds to benefit from radio lessons being aired across the state to mitigate the closure of schools due to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic disease. Speaking during the distribution of the radio sets yesterday in Maiduguri, the UNICEF Education Manager in Borno State, Dr. Nasser Kaddoura, stated that the initiative would be targeted at 1,500 children in its initial stage to ensure that no child is left behind. Kaddoura said: "For conflict- affected children, the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis within a crisis. There is already a burgeoning number of out-of-school children in the Northeast region. The NICEF is actively supporting radio lessons in the state, but more children need to benefit from this arrangement. With support from 'Education Cannot Wait,' we are providing radio sets to internally displaced and other vulnerable children who cannot ordinarily afford a radio set. "There is a high number of unaccompanied children, orphans and other minors who live in female-headed households in Borno. This initiative targets children in this category. Millions of children in Northeast Nigeria are out-of-school. "This is counterproductive because education is a right of all children, no matter where they live." Also speaking on the distribution of radio sets, the Chairman of the Borno State Universal Basic Education Board Committee on COVID-19 Education Response, (SUBEB), Mr. Ali Bukar-Dogo, commended the UNICEF for the initiative and added that SUBEB would monitor and sensitise the public on the distribution of the radio sets and radio. Bukar-Dogo said: "The SUBEB is determined to see that its distribution to the most vulnerable in the community as per target is achieved. We have engaged the School-based Management Committees in the state to select the most vulnerable households or communities. The radios will support the most vulnerable children and communities to catch up with learning programme even within the COVID-19 pandemic." HK govt firmly rejects the UK's six-monthly report on HK, calling it inaccurate and biased Global Times Source:Global Times Published: 2020/6/12 11:21:55 Hong Kong's government on Friday expressed their opposition to a six-monthly report on the city issued by the UK, saying the report was both inaccurate and biased, and suggesting that foreign governments, legislatures, and politicians should refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The HKSAR government reiterated its firm commitment to the implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in accordance with Basic Law. The region firmly opposes and expresses its deep regret over the report's inaccurate and biased remarks regarding the newly formed national security law and degree of autonomy enjoyed by its citizens in the HKSAR, the Hong Kong government said in a statement published on Friday. The UK released its six-monthly report covering incidents in Hong Kong from July to December last year on Thursday, and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged China to reconsider its plan to impose its national security law, and to "step back from the brink" and respect the city's autonomy in the report. The national security law will neither undermine "one country, two systems" nor change the executive, legislative, and independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication, enjoyed by the HKSAR, the Hong Kong government said. Instead, the national security law will create favorable conditions for strengthening the foundation of the successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle, and ensure the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. In fact, it is absolutely incorrect and totally groundless for the report to allege that the enactment of the national security law for the HKSAR lies in "direct conflict" with Article 23 of the Basic Law. In accordance with Article 23, the HKSAR is authorized to legislate its own national security laws; however, it also does not prohibit the central government from legislating at a state level for national security reasons, the HKSAR government said. The statement said that allegations which suggest the law will undermine Hong Kong citizen's freedoms and the "one country, two systems" principle is no more than alarmist speculation and simply fallacious. Foreign governments, legislatures, and politicians should not interfere in any way in the internal affairs of the HKSAR, the Hong Kong government said. Britain has pledged to offer British National Overseas (BNO) passport-holders in Hong Kong a path to British citizenship after China's National People's Congress passed the decision for the national security law in Hong Kong. However, more Hong Kong residents are realizing that their BNO passports do not make them equal to UK nationals; that is, those who hold HKSAR passports are entitled to consular protection by the Chinese government while overseas, which would be much more beneficial when travelling, according to several Hong Kong residents who spoke with the Global Times. As HKSAR passports have become more popular, the number of BNO holders have also declined in recent years, according to media reports. In 2006, the number of BNO passports issued dropped to 30,000, and then to 7,600 in 2011. The total number of BNO holders in Hong Kong dropped from 800,000 in 2007 to 140,000 in 2015, the reports showed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In the lake country 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, hundreds danced, prayed and demanded racial justice in Cadillac, a Michigan town that was long home to a neo-Nazi group. It was not an isolated scene. In eastern Ohio, even more demonstrated in rural Mount Vernon, a town with its own current of racial intolerance, just as others did in Manheim, Pennsylvania, a tiny farming town in Lancaster County, with its small but active Ku Klux Klan presence. The protest movement over black injustice has quickly spread deep into predominantly white, small-town America, notably throughout parts of the country that delivered the presidency for Donald Trump. Across Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, more than 200 such demonstrations have taken place, many in cities with fewer than 20,000 residents, according to local media, organizers, participants and the online tracking tool CrowdCount. Thats whats so striking, that these protests are taking place in rural places with a white nationalist presence, said Lynn Tramonte, who grew up near Mount Vernon and is monitoring the Black Lives Matter demonstrations around Ohio. The protests in these Republican-leaning areas offer a test of the presidents ability to reassemble his older, white voting bloc. If he cannot replicate that coalition, it would leave Trump with few options, especially since he continues to lose support in suburbs. If President Trump cannot hold onto white, working-class voters in rural, small-town Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio, I dont know how he wins the election, said Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Can you rule out he wont have that same level of enthusiasm? No, you cant. Trump carried Pennsylvania by about 44,000 votes in 2016, in part with overwhelming support from a patchwork of rural, white counties. The pattern also played out in Michigan and Wisconsin, where he won by even fewer votes. In Ohio, that coalition propelled him to an easy victory. Trumps reelection campaign is working chiefly through online outreach to hold onto his largely white base and to identify new voters in rural areas as a defense against inroads by presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Some polls suggest that, while white voters without college degrees are still a strong group for Trump, they could be more open to supporting Biden than they were to supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton four years ago. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh did not directly address the protests taking place in counties won by the president, but said more generally in a statement to The Associated Press, President Trump expressed disgust and shock over what happened to George Floyd and praised the peaceful demonstrations, but also knows that Americans cannot live with riots and lawlessness in cities nationwide. But the pace of change over racial justice after Floyds death last month by police in Minneapolis has quickened and has sparked protests in hundreds of communities in every state, on a scale rarely, if ever, seen before. It is not that Biden will necessarily win rural counties that Trump carried easily, but he may be able to cut into Trumps margins enough to bring those states back to the Democratic column. In Cadillac, branch home of the National Socialist Movement among the nations prominent neo-Nazi groups as recently as 2007 black organizers were undeterred in staging their event at a lakeside pavilion even as armed opponents associated with the white nationalist group Michigan Militia parked nearby as a show of force. Trump won Wexford County, home to Cadillac, with 65% of the vote, similar to neighboring counties in the lightly populated region, where unemployment has run higher than average in Michigan. In neighboring Grand Traverse County, which Trump won by a smaller margin, more than 2,000 packed Traverse Citys Lake Michigan shoreline park to hear protest organizer Courtney Wiggins. The 38-year-old black woman listed demands, including that police in the 95% white town of 14,000 end racial profiling, as armed protesters affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys dotted the perimeter. Though similar events popped up in exurban Cedarburg and Grafton, keys to Ozaukee County in the GOP-leaning suburbs of Milwaukee, far more have materialized many miles from the major metropolitan areas in these four pivotal states, according to organizers and advocates who have tracked the protests. In Mount Vernon, Ohio, the seat of Knox County where Trump received 66% of the vote, 700 people turned out on June 6 despite threats from opponents, who staged an impromptu rally later that day. Its the same small town where two years ago the local Christian college was vandalized when leaders put on a racial justice program, and where the Ku Klux Klan had been active in the area over the past century. Dozens of protests have taken place in counties in these four battleground states that Trump flipped from Democrat to Republican. Among them were Macomb County outside Detroit, Portage and Mahoning counties in northeast Ohio, and perhaps most notably Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, where voters swung dramatically from President Barack Obama in 2012 to Trump four years later. Still, the vast majority have taken place in more than 200 small cities and towns across these four states, like Oconto, Wisconsin, Marietta, Ohio, and Meadville, Pennsylvania, all with populations under 20,000 and in counties Trump carried with at least 60% of the vote. And while the battle for the White House will likely be waged most intensely in these states diversifying suburbs, where Democrats made gains in 2018, even a slight uptick among Democrats or a softening of Trump support in the vast spaces between could be enough to alter the election. If Biden carries every state Clinton did in 2016 and reclaims Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, he would win a majority of the Electoral College votes. Of those states, none was as close as Michigan, which Trump won by 10,704 votes out of more than 4.7 million ballots cast. A little more than 11,000 voters backed Obama in 2008 and either didnt vote or supported Trump in 2016 in Grand Traverse County and the five counties surrounding it, including Cadillacs home in Wexford County, according to state voting records. These marginal numbers, a few extra votes here and there, were talking, like, a handful of votes per county, and they exist in my six-county region, said Betsy Coffia, a Democratic Grand Traverse County commissioner. This can make a difference. SAGNIAW, MI -- Saginaw Valley State University administrators outlined what campus will look like for the fall during its first virtual town hall meeting this week. During the town hall, President Don Bachand discussed the affects of COVID-19, Midland flooding and the death of George Floyd on the community. Various administrators also explained the affects on COVID-19 on SVSUs budget, services and plans for the upcoming fall semester. An unbelievably different situation Bachand kicked off the meeting by acknowledging how unbelievably different SVSU has been in the last 90 days since the coronavirus pandemic was first announced. Not only did SVSU have to deal with a pandemic, but the recent 500-year flood in Midland and death of George Floyd both had a tremendous impact on the SVSU community. We started with a pandemic, followed by a 500-year flood here in Midland," Bachand said. We have hundreds of students, friends and employees from SVSU who suffered because of that flood. Then we have the horrific killing of George Floyd three weeks ago, and today were entering our 16th day of marches and acknowledgements of that event. Earlier in June, Bachand announced that SVSU will launch a diversity and inclusivity task force. Since sending out a letter outlining SVSUs commitment to its black faculty and students, Bachand said he has received several emails from students and alumni detailing discrimination that had witnessed or experienced at SVSU. SVSU can do better. SVSU will do better," Bachand said. "SVSUs commitment to equity, inclusion and justice have never been stronger. We are listening, and discrimination of any type will not be tolerated. During a June 11 virtual town hall, SVSU officials discussed signage to encourage social distancing. This slide was shared during the town hall meeting. Budget deficits, furloughs and funding sources Starting March 16, SVSU moved around 900 in-person courses to an online format, Bachand said. The majority of SVSUs employees began to transition to remote work, and around 150 of SVSUs roughly 800 employees were furloughed. Around 2,000 students living in dorms moved out early, while approximately 500 chose to stay on campus for the remainder of the winter semester. Students who chose to leave were refunded a total of around $3 million in rebates for housing and meal plans. Bachand said the state of Michigan saw a nearly $3 billion deficit because of COVID-19 expenses. In a meeting between Gov. Gretchen Whitmers office and Michigans 15 public universities, state officials said the Michigan is expecting a roughly $6 to $7 billion budget deficit for the next few years. Since SVSUs revenue relies 80 percent on student tuition fees with the remaining 20 percent coming from the state, Bachand said SVSU will pursue bridge and transitionary funding to cover COVID-19 related deficits from the federal government and other sources. Federal funding outside of the CARES Act has not been secured yet, but Bachand said SVSU is still pursuing that avenue. SVSU hosted a virtual town hall June 11. University officials reopening plans for the fall semester, including how to modify classrooms for social distancing. This slide was shared during the town hall meeting. Modifications for the fall semester While working remotely, SVSU formed a COVID-19 Task Force, which consists of Bachand, Provost Deborah Huntley, Vice President of Business Affairs Jim Muladore, General Council President Ellen Crane, H.R. Director Corrie Piotrowski, Interim Executive Director of University Communications J.J. Boehm and Executive in Residence Rob Valentine. The committee met daily to ensure all employees working from home had the tools they needed to succeed and to help wind down operations at SVSU, Bachand said. The committee was split into six teams focusing on different tasks: re-entry, health and safety, facilities and planning, technology, instruction and technology and guidelines, which involved keeping up with the latest executive orders related to COVID-19 and CDC guidelines. Bachand said he believes it will be easier for SVSU to adapt to social distancing measures in the fall than other public universities since SVSU has smaller class sizes, dorms have private opposed to communal bathrooms and SVSU is more isolated than some larger universities. A major reason reason SVSU pushed for in-person fall classes was student feedback, according to Bachand. Student evaluations of online leaning indicated a strong preference for in-person opposed to online learning, Bachand said. Students said they preferred being in class, he said. They wanted access to study groups, mentorship and the more social aspects of college. Provost Huntley added that classes will be offered online, as online and in-person hybrids and as face-to-face courses with significant modifications. Students and staff will need to wear masks and modify their behaviors and routines to decrease the potential spread of disease. Our classrooms will look different. There will be fewer students, spread further apart," she said. "Technology will be an integral part of all of our courses. PPE use and sanitation will become routine habits for all of us. We need to be ready for whatever disruptions the COVID-19 virus may throw our way. Students and staff will also be asked to take a daily self-assessment of COVID-19 symptoms before coming to campus. Capacity modifications will be implemented for classrooms, labs, dining operations, student housing, gathering and study spaces, as well as conference rooms. Ron Portwine, Associate Vice President for Administration and Business Affairs, said classroom modifications will vary depending on room size and location. Generally, though, most classrooms will hold half or a third of their original capacities. Self-serve food stations will be closed, and more grab and go options are being explored. Student housing modifications are still being evaluated, but SVSU is planning on setting aside some units for COVID-19 isolation centers. Phase-in return to work plan H.R. Director Piotrowski said SVSUs phased approach to returning to physical offices spaces has already begun. Deans and directors returned June 8 to begin workplace planning and prep work for the fall. Approved workplace plans will be reviewed with staff by June 19, with the first phase of workplace re-entry slated for July 6-20. During these three weeks, certain departments will return to the offices, Zahnow Library will reopen and Starbucks will be available for to-go orders only. Phase 2 begins July 27, which will see the return of most other offices and services to campus. The Ryder Center and Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum are also expected to reopen during this time. SVSU is expecting to implement staggered shifts for the fall semester to limit the amount of people on campus at any given time, Piotrowski said. During a June 11 virtual town hall, SVSU officials discussed signage to encourage social distancing. This slide was shared during the town hall meeting. Social distancing and safety campaigns Throughout campus, SVSU will have signs reminding people to social distance, wash hands frequently and wear masks and other PPE as appropriate. Portwine said social distancing markers will be placed on floors to ensure people stand 6 feet apart in queue lines. Elevators and stairways will be open for one-way traffic only. Signs will indicate which stairwells and elevators are for going up or down, as well as how many people may occupy the space at a time, Portwine said. Plexiglass barriers have already been installed in some areas around campus, such as the on-campus convenient store. More will be added to offices, classrooms and checkout or transaction counters as appropriate. Additional hand sanitizing stations will be placed around campus, according to Portwine. SVSU will more closely monitor air quality through an increased focus on ventilation and filtration, Portwine added. Staff will also more frequently sanitize high-touch areas and items, such as doorknobs. The full town hall meeting is available on YouTube. Two more meetings are scheduled for Thursday, June 18, which will focus on enrollment and budget topics, and Thursday, June 25, which will focus on student experience and instruction. Both meetings are scheduled 1 p.m. and will be available on YouTube later that day. More information can be found on SVSUs Virtual Town Hall webpage. Read More CMU, SVSU ask communities to speak up about racial injustices in wake of George Floyds death Saginaw Valley State plans in-person fall instruction Central Michigan University to start and end fall semester early, require face masks on campus Central Michigan University administrators, coaches taking temporary pay cuts Michigans universities and colleges bleeding revenue amid coronavirus closures By Express News Service CHENNAI: Even as the state government ruled out a fresh phase of lockdown in Chennai, the police personnel of bordering districts have intensified vehicle checks and only people with valid e-passes are allowed to enter Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur According to a senior police officer from Chengalpattu, the police are following the already existing rule of only allowing vehicles with e-passes. "For the last few weeks, thousands of vehicles have been entering and crossing Chengalpattu through GST Road. Since COVID-19 cases in Chengalpattu district have increased manyfold in the past few days, we started to allow only vehicles with passes and others were sent back," said the senior police officer. The last time the Chengalpattu border at Vandalur had severe checking was during May first week. Senior police officers from all three districts have confirmed that many people who reached the border claimed they wanted to get out of Chennai as they believed an intensified lockdown was about to come into place. "Many people had believed the rumor and we had to explain to them that the Chief Minister has denied it and that there will be no lockdown now," said a senior police officer from Tiruvallur. Chengalpattu superintendent of police Kannan told The New Indian Express that this checking will continue for the next few days until COVID-19 cases in Chengalpattu district come down. "We have sent back at least 8000 vehicles since morning and in some cases we had to calm the motorists who get angry because of the vehicle checking," he said. Similarly in Kancheepuram, the police have barricaded the city borders and intensified the vehicle checkings. Superintendent of Police D Samundeeswari said told Express, "Owing to the weekend and the rumour of lockdown in Chennai many people wanted to reach Kanchipuram or cross the district. Hundreds of people who are working in Chennai from Kanchipuram told us they had to go and come everyday and that they cannot get e-pass. We have asked them to contact the Collectorate for further details," On Monday, the Haines Borough announced the first case of COVID-19 in the Chilkat Valley. The male patient was tested at the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) clinic on June 3 after displaying symptoms. The case was then turned... The attempt to present the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as a guarantor of workplace safety against COVID-19 is a joint conspiracy between the UK government and the trade unions. Boris Johnsons Conservative government claims that the initial stages of the lifting of the official lockdown announced on May 10 were phased and managed. This lie was refuted by its own conduct. However, in his nationally televised address made that day, the prime minister informed all workers who could not work from home that they should report for work. The next day, Johnson stated before the Houses of Parliament, The Health and Safety Executive [HSE] will be enforcing compliance with safety guidelines, and we will have spot inspections to make sure that businesses are keeping their employees safe. This claim was exposed as false within a week. The i newspaper reported that the HSE has not carried out any inspections of workplaces since March and has not set a date for when they will resume. A spokesperson explained, In line with government guidance to cease all but essential work that cannot be done outside of the home, minimising contact between individuals, HSE has paused all proactive inspections at this time to reduce any risk posed to our own staff and to members of the public. The implications are staggering. The state body in charge of enforcing workplace safety was effectively stood down in the event of a national emergencyas the pandemic continued to spike. Numerous breaches by major companies in non-essential industries were reported in the national media, as workers protested the risk to their lives for corporate profit. Yet the HSE has effectively admitted that it was not safe for its own personnel to ensure lawful protection measures. This travesty was prepared by previous measures to defund the HSE, reduce its autonomy and rein in inspectionsespecially by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition 20102015. Unannounced inspections by the HSE were ended in swathes of industry and services including health and social care, transport, and postal services on the pretext that they constituted a lower risk. These are the areas in which the failure to ensure social distancing and provide adequate PPE has led to the deaths of hundreds of workers among the 66,000 who have died nationally during the pandemic. The evisceration of workplace safety was the product of Prime Minister David Camerons declared age of austerity in the wake of the global financial crash in 2008, with the burden for the bailout of the banks placed entirely on the working class. In early 2012, the coalition announced its intention to cut existing health and safety regulations by half. In a speech delivered in January, Cameron declared, I will kill off safety culture. His government was waging war against the excessive health and safety culture that has become an albatross around the neck of British businesses. Many regulations had already gone, including those concerning fire safety and the construction of buildings. In 2017, the deaths of 72 people in the Grenfell fire were the horrific result of the indifference to lives by the corporate and political oligarchy. The media was at one with the war on red tape and barely mentions the well-documented fact that deaths from the virus have been disproportionately higher among workers. The Johnson government pledged an insulting 14 million to the HSE to deal with the pandemic. This goes nowhere near even restoring the cuts to the HSEs budget, from 239 million in 2009 to 129 million for 2019-20. The bluster and empty criticism by the trade unions is intended solely to forestall any independent mobilisation of the working class against the premature return to work, as Britain remains the epicentre of the pandemic in Europe. The position of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) was summed up in a document produced in May calling for the government to collaborate more closely with the unions to manage the mass return to work. It stated that the TUC does not take a position on the science of how to manage a pandemic, or the speed or nature of any return to work. On May 24, two weeks after the forced return to work in non-essential services, Unite, the UKs largest union, made a belated call for government to restore funding to the HSE and to reinstate onsite inspections. In her letter to the business secretary and the work and pensions secretary, published in the Guardian, Unite General Secretary Gail Cartmail wrote, I am sure you will agree that in order to protect workers in these sectors where inspections are currently barred and also to help boost public confidence as the return to work continues, both measures should be immediately rescinded. What motivates such appeals is not a desire to protect workers, but to justify the continued collaboration of the trade unions with the Johnson governments homicidal return to work programme. The unions are telling workers to put their faith in a policy of risk assessments on a workplace by workplace basis, knowing full well that the enforcement agency for ensuring compliance, the HSE, has been reduced to making phone calls to employers. The situation on the ground was described candidly by Prospect General Secretary Mike Clancy. On May 22 he stated, Last week the government said that HSE would be conducting spot checks on businesses before they reopen for business [Risks 947]. It seems that it neglected to check if HSE would actually be able to visit businesses while keeping its own workers safe. Prospect members in HSE, who have been working throughout this crisis, have indicated that initially the majority of spot checks will be done via telephone rather than visits which raises questions as to their effectiveness. Clancy indicated that the governments additional funding for the HSE would be largely spent on call centres and would have no impact on the number of qualified inspectors. A predictable pattern of denial by employers for workplace COVID-19 infections has already emerged. The most notorious is the death of rail worker Belly Mujinga, who was allegedly spat on by a commuter claiming to have the virus. She had been forced to work on London Victorias station concourse despite having an underlying respiratory condition and being denied PPE. The UKs largest on-line fashion retailer, ASOS, has refused to take responsibility for infected workers who have been kept on the job during the pandemic despite performing a non-essential service. Cranswick plc, a FTSE 250 listed company, has been in denial over the death of three workers at one of its meat processing factories. At ASOS and Cranswick, the local regulatory services run by the same Labour Party-run authoritywho are the enforcing authority over health and safetyfailed to conduct a temporary closure and deep clean. HSE chief executive Sarah Albon warned employers who failed to comply with social distancing and act on improvement notices that they face prosecution. However, the HSE, by its own admission, has not issued a single enforcement notice or action to close. The Mirror reported May 12 that despite being aware of 71 workers deaths and 3,000 reported cases of occupation-related COVID-19, Albon told MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee, We have not closed any business for any reason, whether its a death or any other reason. These developments underscore the call made by the Socialist Equality Party for the establishment of rank-and-file safety committees in every workplace to protect workers from the spread of the virus. These committees will not defer to the government, its state bodies or the employers. Workers must assume the power of veto over all demands based upon profit and productivity that impact on their safety and that of their families and the wider community. The search continues to find a new Boys House at Seton Youth Shelters. The deadline of December 31, 2020 is fast approaching and Seton must find a new place to shelter youth at its Boys House. Seton Youth Shelters has been sheltering homeless, runaway and trafficked youth at the Lynnhaven Road location since 1985. In April of 2020, while Seton was rapidly adapting to challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond informed the organizations Executive Director that the 35-year Boys House lease would be terminated at the end of the year. When the initial news broke, a few community members stepped up with possible rental properties, however, none of the structures met the space requirements needed to maintain the current level of services provided by Seton Youth Shelters. We have some challenges related to finding a building with enough space for our boys, and also related to the state licensing requirements for how the space is configured, explained Jennifer Sieracki, Executive Director of Seton Youth Shelters, but with the help of the community, we can find a new place for our boys. We hope someone hearing our story may be able to assist us on securing a building. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seton is facing an unprecedented budget shortfall. With a revenue deficit in the hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next year from loss of annual fund, event, and corporate donor donations, Seton is bracing for what may come. While services have not yet been interrupted, Seton Youth Shelters is working hard to raise funds in order to continue providing uninterrupted services. While COVID-19 is presenting local non-profits with difficulty, more importantly, its creating stress and hardships on youth and their families, and this stress and hardship continue to bring those youth onto the streets and into Setons shelters and related programs. Relocating the Boys House, along with developing creative fundraising solutions, is now Seton Youth Shelters critical focus. The current shelter is approximately 4,600 square feet with room for 10 boys. Sieracki says that Seton could work with two buildings, or possibly renovate a building to meet state licensing requirements for housing youth. A virtual tour of the current Boys House can be viewed on Seton Youth Shelters Facebook page and YouTube channel. Seton Youth Shelters has been an indispensable resource for the Virginia communitywithout pausesince 1985 and is the regions only organization devoted exclusively to providing shelter, outreach and mentoring services to youth 9 up to 18. Each year hundreds of boys and girls, ages 9 up to 18, arrive at our two Virginia Beach residential sheltersoften in the middle of the night, and in the middle of extreme difficulties at home or on the streets. Setons professional staff welcomes them with food, shelter, clothing, school supplies and the counseling and support necessary for them to either return to their families or to continue on to another safe, home environment. Setons Outreach Program, visits area schools, events, and neighborhoods, reaching out to thousands of youth, offering crisis intervention, counseling, and shelter optionsa lifeline for this vulnerable population. The Mentoring Children of Prisoners program gives children of incarcerated parents or caretakers the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to reach their full potential. To take a virtual tour of the Boys House, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE9VaK2Cqik&t. For information about how to help, contact Jennifer Sieracki at 757.963.5795 x 105 or email jsieracki@setonyouthshelters.org. Learn more, donate, and support Seton Youth Shelters by visiting facebook.com/setonyouthshelters or http://www.setonyouthshelters.org. ### Banks and bookstores. Gyms and juice bars. Dental offices and department stores. The Covid-19 crisis has shuttered some kinds of businesses, while others have stayed open. But which places represent the best and worst tradeoffs, in terms of the economic benefits and health risks? A new study by MIT researchers uses a variety of data on consumer and business activity to tackle that question, measuring 26 types of businesses by both their usefulness and risk. Vital forms of commerce that are relatively uncrowded fare the best in the study; less significant types of businesses that generate crowds perform worse. The results can help inform the policy decisions of government officials during the ongoing pandemic. As it happens, banks perform the best in the study, being economically significant and relatively uncrowded. "Banks have an outsize economic impact and tend to be bigger spaces that people visit only once in a while," says Seth G. Benzell, a postdoc at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE) and co-author of a paper published Wednesday that outlines the study. Indeed, in the study, banks rank first in economic importance, out of the 26 business types, but just 14th in risk. By contrast, other business types create much more crowding while having far less economic importance. These include liquor and tobacco stores; sporting goods stores; cafes, juice bars, and dessert parlors; and gyms. All of those are in the bottom half of the study's rankings of economic importance. At the same time, cafes, juice bars, and dessert parlors, taken together, rank third-highest out of the 26 business types in risk, while gyms are the fifth-riskiest according to the study's metrics -- which include cellphone location data revealing how crowded U.S. businesses get. "Policymakers have not been making clear explanations about how they are coming to their decisions," says Avinash Collis PhD '20, an MIT-trained economist and co-author of the new paper. "That's why we wanted to provide a more data-driven policy guide." And if the Covid-19 pandemic worsens again, the research can apply to shuttering businesses again. advertisement "This is not only about which locations should reopen first," says Christos Nicolaides PhD '14, a digital fellow at IDE and study co-author. "You can also look at it from the perspective of which locations should close first, in another future wave of Covid-19." The paper, "Rationing Social Contact During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Transmission Risk and Social Benefits of U.S. Location," appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, with Benzell, Collis, and Nicolaides as the authors. Benzell is about to start a new position as an assistant professor at Chapman University; in July, Collis will become an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin; Nicolaides is also a faculty member at the University of Cyprus. Cumulative risk To conduct the study, the team examined anonymized location data from 47 million cellphones, from January 2019 through March 2020. The data included visits to 6 million distinct business venues in the U.S. The 26 types of businesses in the study accounted for 57 percent of those visits, meaning the study covers a broad swath of the economy. By examining the location data over an extended time period, the scholars were able to determine what the typical crowding level is for all business types in the study. advertisement The study also used payroll, revenue, and employment data from U.S. Census Bureau to rate the centrality of different industries to the economy. Businesses in the study represented 1.43 million firms, 32 million employees, $1.1 trillion in payroll, and $5.6 trillion in revenues. The researchers also added a survey of 1,099 people people to gauge public preferences about different types of business. A key to the researchers' approach is recognizing that during the pandemic, many consumers are trying to limit trips that generate interaction with strangers, while still needing to get essential and useful transactions done. As Benzell notes, "The idea was, how can we think about rationing social contacts in a way that gives us the most bang for our buck, in terms of meetings, while keeping the risk of Covid transmission as low as possible?" The study also rates risk on the basis of aggregate public exposure, per business type. On an individual basis, spending a couple of hours in a movie theater with strangers might seem quite risky. But in February 2020, movie theaters had about 17.6 million consumer visits in the U.S., whereas sit-down restaurants had almost 900 million visits in the same month. As a business category, sit-down restaurants would likely generate much more total transmission of Covid-19. "It's not danger per visit, but it's a cumulative danger," Nicolaides explains. "If you look at movie theaters, they seem dangerous, but not that many people go to the movies every day ... and restaurants are a good counter-example." Outlier: Liquor stores staying open In many cases, the researchers say, policymakers have made reasonable decisions about which types of businesses should be open and closed. But there are exceptions to this. Take liquor stores, which have been deemed an "essential" business in many U.S. states. "What really jumps out at us is liquor and tobacco stores," Benzell says. "Most states have allowed liquor stores to remain open. This is a bit of a bad call from our perspective, because liquor stores don't create a lot of social value. If you ask people which stores they want to be open, liquor stores are near the bottom of that list. They don't have that many receipts or employees, and they tend to be these small, crowded places where people are up against each other trying to navigate." In the study, liquor stores rate 20th out of the 26 business types in economic importance, but 12th highest in risk. By contrast, the researchers are more bullish about the public health dynamics of college and universities, which they rank 8th out of the 26 business types in economic importance, but just 17th in terms of risk. If campus living arrangements could be made more safe, the researchers think, the other parts of university life could offer relatively reasonable conditions. "Colleges and universities actually have the potential to offer pretty good social contact tradeoffs," Benzell says. "They tend to be places with big campuses, they tend to be [composed of] consistently the same group of young people, visiting the same places. When people are worried about colleges and universities, they're mostly worried about dormitories and parties, people getting infected that way, and that's fair enough. But [for] research and teaching, these are big spaces, with pretty modest groups of people that produce a lot of economic and social value." The scholars note that the study contains national ratings, and acknowledge that there might be some regional variation in effect as well. "If a local government would like to apply this paper [to their policies], it may be a better idea to put in their own data to make decisions," says Nicolaides. That said, the study did not indicate significantly different results for urban and rural settings, something the researchers evaluated. To be sure, some businesses are adapting to the pandemic by using new protocols or safety measures, such as limited customers in hair salons or safety partitions at supermarket checkout counters. Studying business venues with such safety measures in place would also be valuable, the scholars note. "Moving forward, an interesting exercise would be to see how dangerous these locations are once you implement these mitigation strategies." Collis says. "Those are all interesting open questions, seeing which business adapt. And some of these adaptations will probably be temporary changes, but other business practices may stick in the Covid age." Research support was provided by MIT's Initiative on the Digital Economy. On HoustonChronicle.com: Locked inside: A COVID-19 outbreak was the nightmare scenario. Then it happened. The Harris County Jail population has been steadily rising since late April and is now approaching its pre-pandemic capacity despite early efforts to curb crowding, according to the sheriffs office. With an influx of inmates anticipated during the summer months, the jail is facing a serious crisis, according to a report Tuesday that a sheriffs representative classified as sobering. The update about the jail population came in a study the county commissioned from the Justice Management Institute, a Virginia-based nonprofit that works with government agencies to make their courts and jails more efficient. The justice system has been struggling since Hurricane Harvey, Tom Eberly, the organizations program director announced in video testimony before Harris County Commissioners Court. Now with the COVID-19 pandemic, the justice system is on the verge of collapse in your county. If the anticipated pace of bookings follows previous patterns, the county could reach 10,000 inmates by Labor Day, according to the nonprofit groups calculations. And the courts were already backed up before the virus, officials said. Jason Spencer, spokesman for the Harris County Sheriffs Office, said his boss is very concerned about the predictions. Bookings are outpacing releases, and even before the pandemic the courts hadnt gotten up to their pre-Harvey level of operation, Spencer said. Those numbers reveal what weve been saying for a year now. When the novel coronavirus hit the Houston region in March, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, County Judge Lina Hidalgo and a crew of bail lawyers all criminal justice reformers pressed for releases to facilitate social distancing. Their efforts prompted legal sparring with law enforcement hardliners, resulting in marginal progress. The governor, county judge and state, federal and appellate judges issued contradictory orders. Roughly 300 inmates left the jail under various orders. The number of people inside the jail crept downward through late April, then began to notch up again. The jail, which has the second largest capacity in the country, was housing 8,117 inmates as of Friday afternoon. That was up from 7,363 at a recent low point on April 17, according to Jay Jenkins, of the Texas Criminal Justice Commission. While the three-building downtown facility can accommodate about 10,500 people, outsourcing the overflow to nearby jails may be difficult if the numbers continue to increase because other facilities are facing the same capacity issues with the virus, officials said. The lawyers challenging the countys bail system, who lost a bid for an injunction to order coronavirus releases, said thousands of felony defendants are stuck at the jail awaiting trial simply because they cant pay cash bail. The vast majority of the population is made up of up pretrial felony detainees. Their constitutional rights are being violated, and their health and safety are being jeopardized by COVID-19, which is rampant at the jail, said Neal Manne, of Susman Godfrey, who works pro bono on the bail cases. Though Sheriff Gonzales wants to solve the problem, he cant solve it by himself. No one else is doing anything other than talking about it, week after week, month after month, as COVID-19 surges. In the meantime, coronavirus infections have continued to increase, with 993 inmates testing positive since the start of the pandemic. The pandemic has cramped the jails holding capacity, which changes day to day depending upon how many people are quarantined and how much the jail staff must space them out on the cell blocks to help prevent the spread of the virus. For example, 835 inmates who have had the virus and remain in custody have now recovered. But 778 are being kept in observational quarantine, meaning they are not showing symptoms, but they may have been exposed to COVID-19. Another 600-plus people are housed in what the jail calls buffer quarantine because they are new to the jail, according to the sheriffs office. And nearly 300 convicted inmates are ready to be transferred to state prison but Texas Department of Criminal Justice is not accepting them during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the jail population is increasing by 115 inmates per week and as of May 1, the county had more than 36,000 pending felony cases, Eberly said. If no new felony arrests were made in the coming months, it would still take 13 months to dispose of the backlog, he said. However, if the system keeps shuffling along as is, it will take 4 years to catch up, the study found. Statewide, jail populations also decreased in the first months of the pandemic and have begun rising going into the summer, a normal trend outside of the unusual circumstances this year, said Brandon Wood, executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Population spikes at county jails largely stem from backlogs in the courts, he said. Its going to be incumbent on Harris County to manage its jail population properly, Wood said. County officials recently agreed to examine options for adding hundreds of beds by converting recreation areas at the jail into housing. Officials were also looking into repurposing mothballed county and city facilities that are built for detained populations, including the citys Mykawa facility near Hobby Airport and Little Baker, a portion of the county jail that flooded during Hurricane Harvey. There is one other outlet that criminal justice officials look to ease crowding. Officials at the jail routinely provide lists to judges of people potentially eligible for release on bond. District Attorneys officials said they are making use of those lists to recommend releases. For the past several weeks, prosecutors have reviewed the names of those held in jail after being arrested by police, because we believe the jail should be used only to hold only those who are too much of a danger to be released, said Dane Schiller, spokesman for Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. While it is up to judges in every instance to decide which defendants should be released and under what conditions, prosecutors have a duty to notify judges of their concerns, such as a defendant with a history of violence or bail jumping. For the time being, the jail is below its functioning capacity, said Spencer, spokesman for the sheriff. We still have wiggle room and theres time to take action, he said. It needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. He added, The county needs to figure out a way to get courts up and running and cases heard and adjudicated. The solutions to this problem are not in our hands at the sheriffs office. Theyre in the hands of everyone who is a part of the Harris County Criminal Justice System. Zach Despart contributed. gabrielle.banks@chron.com samantha.ketterer@chron.com An injection of cool Canadian air has filtered southward into the Great Lakes and Northeast just in time for the weekend, and due to a combination of atmospheric roadblocks, tranquil conditions will stick around right into next week. High temperatures that surged well into the 80s and 90s last week were a distant memory this weekend as 60s were much more common. The midsummerlike humidity was also a distant memory, as a comfortable air mass settled over the area. As the cold air forced its way southward on Friday night, frost advisories were posted for portions of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and southern Canada. Frost advisories (light blue) were issued across portions of the Upper Midwest Friday night as chilly air settled into the region. (AccuWeather) The cooler, and at times, chilly air is coming courtesy of an area of high pressure over south-central Canada. This feature will help to create a flow of air from the northwest across the Midwest, New England and the central Appalachians. "Temperatures were about 5-15 degrees below average for the middle of June this weekend," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Nicole LoBiondo. With dry conditions across a majority of the Northeast and Great Lakes this weekend, the weather was perfect to open up the windows in the house to let the fresh air inside. While dry conditions are favorable for outdoor activities across the Northeast, conditions have been rather dry over the past month, especially across portions of New England and in areas along the Atlantic Coast. According to the US drought monitor, abnormally dry conditions have expanded across the region as a result. Through a majority of the week, any appreciable rainfall may be difficult to come by as a combination of atmospheric entities restrict storm systems from tracking into the Northeast and New England. Farther south across portions of the mid-Atlantic and Carolinas, a vastly different scenario is expected to play out as drenching showers and thunderstorms will target the region, increasing flooding concerns. Story continues The storm system responsible for this threat will get dislodged from the strong jet stream winds aloft this weekend, causing it to become nearly stationary. With no additional storm systems coming into the area to force it off the Atlantic Coast, multiple days of rainfall will drench areas from the mid-Atlantic into the Carolinas and the Southeast this week. All of the adverse weather is expected to stay off to the south of the Northeast at least through early week. AccuWeather meteorologists are continuing to monitor the possibility of wet weather slowly creeping northward by mid-to-late week. At this point in time, it is possible that portions of New England could remain nearly rain-free through a majority of the week given the current atmospheric pattern. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. All 36 of Nigerias governors resolved to declare a state of emergency over rape and other gender-based violence against women and children in the country. The decision was made after a meeting among the governors earlier this week. As a part of their initiative, the governors aim to impose tougher federal laws punishing rape and violence against women and children, and to set up sex offender registers in all of the states. The emergency declaration comes after a buildup of the countrys concerns about gender-based violence. Within the span of a few days, from May 28 to June 1, two Nigerian students were raped and killed in separate incidents. The women were Vera Uwaila Omosuwa, 22, and Barakat Bello, 18. Womens rights activists protested nationwide and the hashtag #WeAreTired circulated on social media. In November 2019, Nigerian authorities launched the first nationwide register of sex offenders, but the recent state of emergency declaration and recent protests signal that the country seeks to do more to combat gender-based violence. There has been a global increase in gender-based violence since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. According to the United Nations, Argentina, Canada, China, France, Germany, Spain, Britain and the United States, among other countries, have observed a higher number of domestic violence cases. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Nigeria already had reported an alarming prevalence of sexual violence. In Kaduna, Nigeria, the U.N. childrens fund has said, one in four boys and one in 10 girls under age 18 have been victims of sexual violence. Barrister Zainab Aminu Garba, the chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers in Kaduna, described rape as an epidemic in northwestern Nigeria. Since the pandemic, Nigeria has seen a threefold increase in the number of calls to domestic and sexual violence hot lines. In his message for the Fourth World Day of the Poor, Francis writes that care for the poor cannot be conditioned by the time available or by private interests, or by impersonal pastoral or social projects. Goodness exists even though Bad news fills the pages of newspapers, websites and television screens, to the point that evil seems to reign supreme. Many hands have been stretched forth during the pandemic. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis today released his message for the Fourth World Day of the Poor centred on the theme Stretch forth your hand to the poor (Sir 7:32). In it, he says that the Christian community should not delegate to others the duty of sharing with people in need. Care for the poor cannot be conditioned by the time available or by private interests, or by impersonal pastoral or social projects. Although Poverty always appears in a variety of guises, as evinced by the ongoing pandemic, Christians have a duty to fight it amid the globalization of indifference. The papal message starts with book of Sirach saying that Prayer to God and solidarity with the poor and suffering are inseparable. In order to perform an act of worship acceptable to the Lord, we have to recognize that each person, even the poorest and most contemptible, is made in the image of God. For this reason, We cannot feel alright when any member of the human family is left behind and in the shadows. Even though the Church has no comprehensive solutions to propose, she can share the great value of the common good, which is a vital commitment, expressed in the effort to ensure that no one whose human dignity is violated in its basic needs will be forgotten. The ability to stretch forth our hand shows that we possess an innate capacity to act in ways that give meaning to life. How many outstretched hands do we see every day! indeed, goodness exists even if Bad news fills the pages of newspapers, websites and television screens, to the point that evil seems to reign supreme. But that is not the case. A hand held out is a sign; a sign that immediately speaks of closeness, solidarity and love. In these months, when the whole world was prey to a virus that brought pain and death, despair and bewilderment, how many outstretched hands have we seen! The Pope mentions doctors, nurses, volunteers, pharmacists, administrators who procured the means to save as many lives as possible, the priests whose hearts broke as they offered a blessing, as well as the men and women who worked to provide essential services and security. We could continue to speak of so many other outstretched hands, all of which make up a great litany of good works. Those hands defied contagion and fear in order to offer support and consolation. The present experience has challenged many of our assumptions. [. . .] Our spiritual and material resources were called into question and we found ourselves experiencing fear. The destruction of social life has pitted us against each other to defend our interests; in short, until we revive our sense of responsibility for our neighbour and for every person, grave economic, financial and political crises will continue. This years theme Stretch forth your hand to the poor is thus a summons to responsibility and commitment as men and women who are part of our one human family. [. . .] This is not an option, but rather a sign of the authenticity of the faith we profess. It challenges the attitude of those who prefer to keep their hands in their pockets and to remain unmoved by situations of poverty in which they are often complicit. Some hands are outstretched to accumulate money by the sale of weapons that others, including those of children, use to sow death and poverty. Other hands are outstretched to deal doses of death in dark alleys in order to grow rich and live in luxury and excess, or to quietly pass a bribe for the sake of quick and corrupt gain. Others still, parading a sham respectability, lay down laws which they themselves do not observe. Amid all these scenarios, the excluded are still waiting. Francis notes that In everything you do, remember your end (Sir 7:36). These are the final words of this chapter of the book of Sirach. They can be understood in two ways. First, our lives will sooner or later come to an end. Remembering our common destiny can help lead to a life of concern for those poorer than ourselves or lacking the opportunities that were ours. But second, there is also an end or goal towards which each of us is tending. And this means that our lives are a project and a process. Ultimately, The end of all our actions can only be love. This is the ultimate goal of our journey, and nothing should distract us from it. This love is one of sharing, dedication and service, born of the realization that we were first loved and awakened to love. An outstretched hand, then, can always be enriched by the smile of those who quietly and unassumingly offer to help, inspired only by the joy of living as one of Christs disciples. (FP) New Delhi, June 13 : The Congress on Saturday blamed "diplomatic failure" of the government over the India-China troop face-off, saying despite the Prime Minister visiting China so many times, that country's troops have occupied a part of the Indian territory. "It is important to remind the government of three facts: Since 1947, Modiji is the only Prime Minister who made 9 official visits to China -- 5 times as PM & 4 times as CM (Gujarat)," said said Congress Treasurer Ahmed Patel in a statement. "Dr (Manmohan) Singh visited China only twice while Panditji (Nehru), Rajiv ji, Vajpayee ji and Narasimha Rao ji visited only once. Apart from them, other PM's did not even visit China. Despite so many visits by the incumbent PM, we have this situation on our borders," said Patel. He said in 1967, the Congress government gave a befitting reply to China. "India successfully inflicted huge casualties on the enemy, drove them back and won the confidence of Sikkim's people. It was a befitting counter to 1962 war," said Patel. "For India-China ties, the present government coined a slogan 'Inch to Miles'. Was it meant for what is happening at our border or for diplomatic relations?" Ahmed asked. Party leader Rahul Gandhi too has been demanding a response from the government on the present India-China face-off. Rahul demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly share facts about the standoff in Ladakh. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday responded by posting a 2017 tweet screenshot of Rahul, sarcastically saying that the Congress leader had a "parallel information system" in place on China. "Rahul Gandhi is asking the Prime Minister to share in public facts about sensitive China border issues. I think Mr Gandhi has a parallel information system in place. Did he not meet the Chinese envoy during the Doklam crisis? He denied it initially, but accepted it after public outcry," tweeted the Law Minister. WhatsApp has started testing a host of things including multiple device logins, clear chats and more improved search functions. WhatsApp has been testing a couple of new features and some of them have been spotted in the latest beta update. Discovered by WABetaInfo for beta builds on both Android and iOS, these new features include a multiple device login, clearing chats and improved search function for in-chat searches. The most interesting feature seems to be the multi-device login support and this is bound to please a lot of people. Being able to use the chat service across multiple platforms/devices can save time and be less frustrating and thus will be much appreciated. Currently, you can be logged in from only one mobile device and a PC/Mac web browser at the most, at the same time. You can swap between these but you can be logged-in on only one at a time. Having to log out of devices is frustrating and all the more since the sign-in process is a little long-drawn. WABetaInfo has pointed out that WhatsApp is testing multi-device login with up to four devices at a time, however, this support is not user-facing within WhatsApp beta builds yet. Four devices is not as many as what some other chat platforms like Telegram offer, but of course, it is better than the current two-device limit they have. Yes, it's the ability to use your WhatsApp account from 4 devices at the same time. Under development, but it's great! pic.twitter.com/JYvtMahrag WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) June 12, 2020 Besides this, incoming features include an improvement in the chat searches. WhatsApp is working on letting you search by date when you are looking through your current conversations and group chats. This will help you find specific conversations and media information you might be looking for within a chat. The search by date feature. (WABetaInfo) WABetaInfos screenshots show the iOS version of the improved chat searches, but this is expected to come to Android beta soon too. And not just this, WhatsApp is also working on letting you search messages on the web - you can currently do this only on the mobile. The platform will include a new toggle feature soon that will allow you to search for messages and media on the web browser as well. There is one more feature thats coming in and thats the enhances Storage Usage feature that will let users view how much storage the media saved from WhatsApp has occupied on your smartphone. This is a complete overhaul of the current section that gives you storage information. Theres more though. A future update on WhatsApp is going to give users the ability to clear entire chats and keep only starred messages. If there are chats you have that only have certain things of importance, which you have starred, and are otherwise redundant - you will be able to clear the entire chat out and keep only the starred messages. This is an improvement on the current clear chat option that removes all conversations from a chat currently. Last but not least, there is support for ShareChat video coming in too. This service is not as popular in India but ShareChat is a social network that includes chatrooms. WhatsApp has decided to integrate a dedicated player for videos hosted on ShareChat, so you will be able to see them within WhatsApp. When the feature will be available and you share a ShareChat video link, its preview will be available in WhatsApp, WABetaInfo said. All of these features are currently being worked on and will gradually be rolled out. University Statement on Actions to Improve Racial Sensitivity and Equality on Campus June 5, 2020 Oklahoma Baptist University stands resolutely against injustice and racial inequalities. We stand against injustice and racism because both mar the image of God imprinted upon all human beings. In light of the murder of George Floyd and the events of the past two weeks in our nation, we have had numerous alumni reach out to us, sharing concerns about their time as students on Bison Hill and challenges that arose for them regarding race while students on campus. We are grateful for their voices. In the midst of processing the horrors of racial disparity over the past two weeks, we likewise became aware of a social media post from a student which was shared on Twitter and was highly racially offensive. We are horrified at this most recent social media incident. The student has been placed under disciplinary action today. OBU is determined to make a difference and we are resolved to make a change. We are pledging to improve the experience for students of all races, ethnicities, and places of origin while under our care at OBU. Our desire is that our University will become not only a place for racial understanding, but a safe and hospitable space where our students and employees are truly united, sharing lifes journey through the common bonds of university life as we press forward to see the Lordship of Jesus exemplified in our community. As such, we are taking the following steps in the continual process of improving racial equality on our campus: Regular required diversity training for all students and employees, including a study of the history of racism in this nation and the ways in which it manifests today. Regular meetings with diverse groups of students scheduled with the administration to voice and address concerns of racial inequalities, among other concerns. Support systems implemented on campus specifically for our African American students as well as all members of our diverse student population. Safe and clear lines of communication for students to access administrators quickly with concerns about racial issues on campus. Our commitment to address discrimination and racism must be continual and unwavering. Our attentiveness to the sin of systemic racism and discrimination will require prayer, commitment, and compassion. It will require us to continue to work together. Where we have failed as an institution in the past, we sincerely apologize. We were wrong. Those of us who carry the banner forward for OBU today will strive to make things right and to create something remarkable and special together on Bison Hill. BRIDGEPORT The family of Mubarak Soulemane took to city streets Saturday to continue their fight for justice after the 19-year-olds death at the hands of police earlier this year, the familys attorney said. After rallies in West Haven, New Haven and Hamden, family and supporters gathered at the McLevy Green in downtown around 2 p.m. and then marched to Bridgeport police headquarters at 300 Congress St. Were here today like we have been the past two weeks, fighting for justice for Mubarak, Mark Arons, the familys attorney and a partner at the Law Firm of Miller & Rosnick, told Hearst Connecticut Media prior to the rally. Soulemane was killed Jan. 15 in West Haven after he allegedly stole a car from an individual in Norwalk and fled from police at high speeds along Interstate 95, according to Connecticut State Police. Trooper Brian North fired his gun after he saw Soulemane with a knife, when the vehicle was stopped off Exit 43 in West Haven, state police said. Pending the outcome of the investigations, North will not be assigned to any of the state police barracks and will not interact with the public. Soulemanes family has stressed that the teen, who had mental health struggles for years, was likely experiencing a manic episode the day he was killed. His sister, Mariyann Soulemane, told the CT Mirror that state police should have been notified her brother had underlying mental health struggles. Arons said the familys rallies are also in support of Black Lives Matter and against police brutality, especially following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. This has put Mubaraks case once again in the spotlight, Arons said in reference to the calls for justice following Floyds death. We hope all this attention gets the attention of the States Attorneys Office to do the right thing. Soulemanes sister, Mariyann, and Soulemanes mother, Omo Klusum Mohammed, said the family gathered Saturday in Bridgeport for justice. All I want people to know is we want this case to be heard, Mohammed said. We want the police to be held accountable. ... We want justice. Were going to fight for justice both criminally and in the civil court, Arons said. The family has no intention in stopping until that is completed. He said the States Attorneys Office, tasked with overseeing the state police investigation into Soulemanes death, has been very cordial and cooperative and that he has been in touch with the officer constantly. He said the family has met with the office at least twice. We hope this comes to a speedy and just conclusion, Arons said. Arons said Bridgeport holds significance in connection to Soulemanes case because of the death of 15-year-old Jayson Negron at the hands of city police back in 2017. Michael Rosnik, of the same firm as Arons, represented Negrons family after the fatal officer-involved shooting. Bridgeport is a good location to keep the message out there, Arons said. Negron was fatally shot by Bridgeport Police Officer James Boulay in May 2017 after a brief pursuit, according to the report from Waterbury States Attorney Maureen Platt, who oversaw the state police investigation into the shooting. The vehicle, the report indicated, was stolen. The report said Boulay was justified when he pulled the trigger. Negrons family filed a federal lawsuit back in March. But Bridgeport isnt the only city with a case that stands out. Mubarak was shot seven times while he was sitting in a car with the door closed and the window closed and he couldnt get out of the car because he was boxed in by police, Arons said. He says there is precedent for prosecution in Soulemanes case, citing a case in Chicago in 2014. There, 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was fatally shot 16 times by a then-Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke. After more than a year, with local reporters filing Freedom of Information Act requests for footage of the shooting,Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder, according to the Chicago Tribune. The footage that captured the shooting was released a few hours after Van Dykes arrest. He also had a knife on him, Arons said of McDonald. He was walking away from the cops. They found he posed no threat. The officer was prosecuted and convicted of murder. In Soulemanes case, he had a steak knife in the car, Arons said. Like Laquan McDonald, Mubarak posed no threat to anybody, he said. A top city lawyer has been caught on Zoom saying that the financier Amanda Staveley is 'obviously lying' in her High Court battle with Barclays over a 7million deal. The unnamed lawyer's comments were accidentally aired after Ms Staveley's first day in court for cross-examination. The trial over her lawsuit against Barclays is being livestreamed. The incident - which is embarrassing for Simmons & Simmons who are acting for Barclays - highlights the problems of broadcasting legal proceedings online. Bloomberg reported that the lawyer had said Ms Staveley, 47, was 'obviously lying' when she was giving evidence. Amanda Staveley seen arriving at the Rolls Building in London to give evidence in her High Court battle with Barclays Ms Staveley says her private equity firm, PCP Capital Partners, was not treated fairly and is owed money for work it did setting up a Middle East investment deal with Barclays during the global financial crisis in 2008. Barclays bosses also labelled her a 'foxy blonde' and 'the tart', leading her to accuse executives at the bank of sexism and misogyny. The case has revealed also shone light on the extravagant lifestyles of the super-rich bankers at the heart of the financial crisis. Mr Justice Waksman described the remarks as 'unpleasant' and read a letter to the court from Colin Passmore, the law firm's senior partner, who apologised for the comments. Mr Passmore said it was 'made in a private Zoom meeting that was some-how broadcast into the courtroom and the live feed'. Mr Justice Waksman said that he was grateful to the members of the public who brought the matter to the attention of his clerk. In the case Ms Staveley has claimed Barclays unfairly pushed her firm PCP Capital out of the lucrative deal by offering secret fees to other investors The judge told Ms Staveley that 'what has happened has absolutely no impact on the task of my assessment of your evidence'. 'Comments were made by a member of the Simmons legal team on a private Zoom call, which was overheard in the courtroom after the day's session had adjourned,' said a spokesman for Simmons & Simmons on Friday. 'This should not have happened and is very regrettable.' He added: 'We apologise to Ms Staveley and to the court.' It comes after Ms Staveley accused the Barclays boss known as 'Big Dog' of using his friendship with George Clooney and Matt Damon as part of a campaign to squeeze her out of the 7billion deal. Ms Staveley said Roger Jenkins, once Britain's best-paid banker, tried on numerous occasions to bypass her as a middle man - and befriend a key middle eastern investor himself, according to court documents. If successful the manoeuvre would have been 'a major coup' opening up Abu Dhabi's enormous wealth to the bank, it was claimed. Barclays bank boss Roger Jenkins, who worked opposite Ms Staveley during 2008, told colleagues that his Bosnian ex-wife Diana Jenkins had not been given enough credit The feud emerged after Miss Staveley accused Jenkins of lying as part of a 1.6billion deceit case in London's High Court. Mr Jenkins's now ex-wife Diana, 47, a Bosnian refugee turned socialite, was a regular on London's A-list party scene, and court documents show her husband sought to use her famous friends to develop his business connections. In October 2008, he invited Ms Staveley and her investor, Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour, to a party at his Mayfair flat. The event was in aid of a charity helping with the relief effort in Darfur, in Sudan, called 'Not on Our Watch'. According to press reports from the time, it was also attended by Scarlett Johansson, Cindy Crawford, Sarah Ferguson, Bono, Guy Ritchie, Sir Michael Caine, Claudia Schiffer and Christian Slater - and raised 10million for charity. But Miss Staveley took the invite as an attempt to bypass her as a middle man in the deal, which could affect how much she was paid in the future, according to a witness statement filed to the court. In the document she said: 'Mr Jenkins wanted me to ask Sheikh Mansour if he could attend, as George Clooney and Matt Damon would be present representing their charity. 'I had heard that Mr Jenkins' wife, Dianna, was very glamorous and that they were both fond of the 'celebrity' lifestyle. Friends in high places: Amanda Staveley is pictured with David Beckham at a plush event 'I felt he was quite clearly trying to get a direct line to my cornerstone investor.' She said that Mr Jenkins subsequently tried 'a number of times' to meet the Sheikh. The statement from Miss Staveley added: 'It would have been a major coup for Mr Jenkins to get an introduction to someone as important and influential as Sheikh Mansour, given the bank's ambitions in the Gulf region.' The revelations come a day after court documents revealed that Mr Jenkins was furious his wife did not get the attention she deserved for her role in the deal to save the bank. He complained to colleagues that his wife Diana, 47, was treated like a 'party girl', while fellow financier Amanda Staveley, also 47, was lauded for her business nous. The court dispute results from Miss Staveley's claim that she was not given the same terms as the Qatari investors. According to her, Barclays told her numerous times that PCP and the Abu Dhabi investors would be offered the same fees as other investors. Barclays disputes PCP's allegation and described its damages claim as 'opportunistic and speculative' (pictured, Barclays tower in Canary Wharf, London) Instead the bank misled the financial markets and funnelled an extra 346million in secret fees to the Qataris, according to court documents. Barclays disputes her claim, calling it 'opportunistic and speculative'. Jeffery Onions QC, for the bank, told the court: 'The facts have been distorted or exaggerated to fit the case.' Mr Jenkins, who has been acquitted in the criminal courts of wrongdoing related to the fundraising, has been called to give evidence as a witness. The case, expected to last nine weeks, continues. Ron Calderone says his 100-year-old parents, Bill and Jill Calderone, were in their best shape in years after moving into a Rhode Island care facility in March. "My good lord, they looked terrific," Ron, 72, tells PEOPLE. "My dad, they shaved him and cut his hair, and they both just looked wonderful." But the family's elation came to an end when coronavirus hit the nursing home a few weeks later. Bill was the first to be diagnosed with the disease, which is especially deadly for people 65 and older. Jill, who had Alzheimer's and shared a room with her husband, subsequently tested positive as well. "We finally got to see them over FaceTime and it was awful," Ron recalls of video chatting with his parents after the facility began implementing social distancing restrictions. "I never thought I'd see my parents so debilitated, my father could barely answer me on the phone. I think all they wanted to do was go home." Bill a Marine veteran who fought in both World War II and the Korean War died from complications of coronavirus on May 6. Two weeks later, a nurse held Jill's hand as the former real estate agent and devoted gardener took her last breaths on May 20. "There's a despair you feel that comes from not being able to see these two people that I've lived with for 72 years," Ron says of his parents. "They've been my entire life." RELATED: Couple Die 1 Day Apart from Coronavirus, Leaving Daughter to Raise 5 Siblings Bill and Jill's eight-decade love story began when they met as high school classmates in Rhode Island. They married in 1944, just a few years after Bill joined the military. He stayed in the Marines until his retirement in 1958, ending a nearly 22-year career. The couple had two children: Richard, who now lives in Hawaii, followed by Ron, who was their primary caretaker and lived next door to them in Cranston for over 35 years. Since their deaths, Ron has been going through his parents' numerous belongings, and learning more about them with each item he explores. One thing that surprised him? His father held on to toasters from 1958 and cataloged their serial numbers, warranties and place of purchase. Story continues "My dad was precise with everything," Ron says while laughing. Bill was someone who liked to do things his way, and that's why he was still cutting his own grass with a riding lawnmower at age 99. "I used to rail at him, 'Dad, what are you doing out here? You could well afford somebody to cut your grass!'" Ron remembers telling Bill. "Well, I'm riding his lawnmower and I get it now. It's kinda fun." Though he wasn't able to have much time with his mother in her final days, Ron says he shared a touching moment with her just three months ago. During a visit, Ron showed Jill a statue they won together when he took her to a mother-daughter dance in 1962. Though Jill struggled with her memory due to Alzheimer's, she instantly remembered the trophy. RELATED: Navajo Nation Has More COVID-19 Cases Than 12 States and More Deaths Than 7 States Combined "She smiled when she saw it," he recalls. "I said, 'Ma, do you remember we did this?' and she said, 'Oh, yeah. We danced!'" Ron brought the statue with him when he gave their eulogy. RELATED VIDEO: 100-Year-Old WWII Veteran Honored by Hospital Staff After Recovering from Coronavirus Though Bill and Jill both contracted coronavirus at the nursing facility, Ron says he doesn't fault the staff and remains grateful for the way they cared for his parents. But with states around the country beginning to relax social distancing restrictions, he hopes people continue to take the virus seriously moving forward. "For all those people who think that this virus is nothing more than the flu, come with me to the cemetery. Two people died within two weeks of each other, and this is the result," he adds. "Go visit a cemetery and see all the funerals. I could introduce them to my mom and dad." As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here. Connecticut has seen largely peaceful protests in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who died on Memorial Day after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee onto Floyds neck for more than 8 minutes. Follow along for more live updates on protests across Connecticut and major news linked to the case across the globe: Saturday, June 13 Protesters call attention to deaths of two more black men Anti-racism protesters on Saturday sought to call attention to the deaths of two more black men one who was found hanging from a tree in California and another who was fatally shot by police outside an Atlanta restaurant. The Atlanta police chief resigned hours later. Meanwhile in Europe, far-right activists scuffled with police in London and Paris as more Black Lives Matter demonstrations unfolded nearly three weeks after George Floyd died. Click here to read more. Greenwich resident: Things need to change Several hundred marchers took to the streets of Greenwich to protest the death of George Floyd and others who have died at the hands of law enforcement in recent times. The marchers began at Town Hall and made speeches in front of police headquarters. A Greenwich resident, Pamela Green, said she was moved to join the march Saturday by the latest death involving a black man. Things need to change, she said. No more. And I want to be part of that change. Greenwich protesters kneel in honor of Floyd Protesters in Greenwich knelt and held a moment of silence to honor George Floyd in front of the police department. Photographer Tyler Sizemore is on the scene. Chauvin could receive pension Derek Chauvin, the officer accused of murdering George Floyd, could receive a $50,000 annual pension even if convicted, according to the New York Times. The Minneapolis Public Employees Retirement Association issued a statement noting that under Minnesota law, being charged or convicted of a crime does not impact a members benefit. Bike ride to support Black Lives Matter planned in Hamden Community members are invited to join a bike ride held to support Black Lives Matter and health in the Black community at 11 a.m. today, according to the Hamden Police Department. The ride will begin at Sleeping Giant State Park, travel south on Whitney Avenue and Dixwell Avenue, and end at the New Haven green, police said. Police advised drivers to be cautious in the area during the ride. Protests planned in Stamford, Norwich, Canton, Greenwich A series of protests are expected to take place this Saturday, as Connecticut residents continue to react to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and call for justice. Planned protests include: A 10 a.m. gathering at 888 Washington Boulevard in Stamford; a noon march beginning at the Paradise Green in Stratford; a noon protest at Bushnell Park in Hartford; a noon action at Town Hall in Greenwich; a 2 p.m. protest at Chelsea Parade in Norwich; and a sign-making session and march at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford, with the former beginning at noon and the latter at 3:30 p.m., according to a list compiled by Connecticut Democrats. Further protests are expected Sunday, including one in Bridgeport and another in East Haven. Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Saturday (June 13) has tested positive for the coronavirus. "Thanks to PM Imran Khan's government and NAB, you put my father's life in danger," Dawn News quoted Gilani's son Qasim Gilani's saying. Gilani who is 67 years old, contracted coronavirus reportedly after attending a hearing of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a corruption case. PPP Parliamentary Leader Sherry Rehman tweeted and prayed for Gilani's recovery. She wrote, "So sorry to hear that YRG has tested positive. He has been exposed in all those NAB hearings. Hope and pray he recovers soon." So sorry to hear that YRG has tested positive . He has been exposed in all those NAB hearings. Hope and pray he recovers soon. https://t.co/J0b9V9KXUc SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) June 13, 2020 Earlier today, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi also tested COVID-19 positive. Taking to his official Twitter handle, the 40-year-old informed that he had not been feeling well since Thursday and unfortunately he has been diagnosed with the COVID-19. Afridi further asked his fans to pray for his speedy recovery. Ive been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. Ive been tested and unfortunately Im covid positive. Need prayers for a speedy recovery, InshaAllah #COVID19 #pandemic #hopenotout #staysafe #stayhome Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) June 13, 2020 According to the Pakistan government's COVID-19 data, there are 1,32,405 coronavirus patients in the country while around 2,551 have succumbed to the virus. There were 6,472 new confirmed infections and 88 COVID-19 deaths in Pakistan in the last 24 hours. Less than three weeks ago, David Kampani spoke before a group of security agents, government officials and his Adara kinsmen on the need to stop the tit-for-tat killings between Adara and Fulani natives in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Sources at the meeting told Daily Trust Saturday that Kampani's peace sermon did not go down well with some of his kinsmen as many of them began to make angry faces and soon began a subtle protest, saying their son was selling them out before the government and security operatives. Sources from the area told our correspondents that the victims were accused of betraying their brethren to favour the Fulani in the area. To defend their action, the attackers claimed that Kampani had been sighted by many Adara youths assisting in putting out fire on a Fulani settlement, which was attacked and set ablaze over a week ago. That allegation had earned him and others a death sentence. One of our sources, who is from Adara and feared that revealing his identity could jeopardise his safety, said, "They were lynched on the allegation that they were working as informants for the Fulani. Some of us reject this injustice as an agenda of hate against our brothers who have refused to join the bandwagon of hostilities in the area. "All the victims were peace ambassadors and law-abiding citizens of Kajuru and Kaduna State. No one has come forward to tell us what offence they committed; but they have been stereotyped and tagged betrayers of Adara," he said. The killings created tension in Doka, forcing the village head, Jonah Luka to flee the community, along with his scribe, Bitrus Danmori, after a tip-off that the mob was coming for him. "You know that three people were killed in Doka and one in Kallah. When the mob apprehended Ayuba Zagi, Danladi Shekarau and David Kampani in Doka, they dispatched others to get the traditional ruler but found out that he had fled the community. We learnt that they escaped through a bush and fled to an undisclosed location," the source added. The Kaduna State police command, through its public relations officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige, has since confirmed the mob action and said five persons had been arrested and transferred to the police headquarters in Kaduna. He said the suspects were assisting the police with useful information. The national president of Adara Development Association, Dio Maisamari, also confirmed the incident, but told Daily Trust Saturday that the association condemned jungle justice in all forms and ramifications. "We have been told what happened. We condemn criminal activities, whether from Adara or Fulani. We were told that some of the suspects have been taken to the police station, so our view is that justice should take its course so that there would be no jungle justice again," Maisamari said. On their part, the Fulani community in the area had since denied that the victims were their informants. The youth leader of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Nigeria (MACBAN), Yusuf Ahmed, said the allegation that the four people killed were spies of the Fulani were unfounded. Ahmed said it was typical of Adara youths to tag anyone seen with a Fulani man as a traitor. "What happened to those youths was only because they were not in support of the violence in the area, so they were tagged Fulani sympathisers. There are some areas in Kufana district of Kajuru that a Fulani man dares not visit, especially places like Doka and Kallah villages because even if they know him personally, he may be killed," he said. However, our correspondents gathered that it is same for the Adara people who say their people are constantly attacked and killed by the Fulani and would most likely be killed as soon as they cross into a Fulani community. Last week Wednesday, nine Adara people, including women and children, were killed in Tudun Wadan Doka when attackers, the residents said were suspected Fulani herders, sneaked into homes in the early hours of the morning and killed their victims. The chairman of Kajuru Local Government, Cafra Caino, in an attempt to stem the tide of attacks, had announced the recruitment of 1,000 Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and tasked them with the responsibility of security surveillance. Caino said the move was part of a new strategy in the fight against insurgency in the area as members of the CJTF will complement the conventional security apparatus in providing effective security network to bring an end to recurring attacks. He said Kajuru had over 1million unused hectres of land with some difficult terrains, pointing out that the emergence of the CJTF, as obtained in other troubled parts of the country, was to help curtail social vices in communities so as to create a conducive environment for development. But despite these efforts, Daily Trust Saturday gathered that there is still tension in Doka village and parts of Kajuru, where hostilities between Adara and Fulani have threatened peaceful coexistence for years. The killing of the four youths is seen as only a symptom of what has become years of hostilities between Adara and Fulani communities. Major towns in the local government area, such as Kasuwan Magani, have faced decades of ethno-religious crises that have claimed hundreds of lives and rendered many homeless. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. For the families of David Kampani the other three victims, all they want is justice as they insist their relatives were not traitors but simply peace ambassadors. "We are aggrieved, and at the same time, scared. Our brothers were stereotyped and presented as traitors of Adara. All we want is justice, and hope that security agents would ensure that those responsible are brought to book," one of Kampani's relatives said. He said many people had fled Doka village to Kasuwan Magani, either to evade arrest or for fear that the fate of the four victims may befall them. "If this matter is not taken seriously, then anyone can be pronounced a traitor and killed at will by a selected group. It is barbaric because the perpetrators have made themselves accusers and judges," he added. As at Thursday, police sources in Kajuru told our correspondent that the village head of Doka and his scribe had not returned and were seeking police protection. Zoom performs work of China internet censors -- against users in the U.S. The Communist Party of China managed to silence activists in the United States using a platform that allows data to pass through China, and has a poorly-understood relationship with the Chinese government. Due to China's demands, Zoom deactivated the accounts of activits based in the United States who were marking the anniversary of the Tienanmen Square Massacre. We've heard the concerns surrounding Lee Cheuk-yan, Wang Dan, and Zhou Fengsuo's accounts. We've thought a lot about this. Here are the facts and what we're doing about it: https://t.co/XGzJD5raSX Zoom (@zoom_us) June 11, 2020 The video conferencing app company said in a company blog post they won't allow government requests from China to impact users outside mainland China "going forward," which of course sounds totally legit and trustworthy. "Going forward @zoom_us will not allow requests from the Chinese government to impact anyone outside of mainland China." More at Bloomberg News. So @zoom_us admits that they blocked accounts of Lee Cheuk-yan, @wangdan1989 and @ZhouFengSuo based on requests coming from #Beijing. Moving forward, they will still block accounts inside #China whenever requests from Beijing reach them. How does this ensure open exchange? https://t.co/7UDPpG7r1o William Yang (@WilliamYang120) June 12, 2020 NEW: Zoom just confirmed that Chinese govt asked it to close several meetings & accounts engaging in "illegal" activity. Zoom has now promised to develop the ability to block mainland users from certain meetings. Two sets of values for 1 company.https://t.co/dRIGvAf15p B. Allen-Ebrahimian (@BethanyAllenEbr) June 11, 2020 If Zoom failed to anticipate that the Chinese government might wish to have Chinese participants blocked, why on earth should anyone believe they have anticipated how they will handle a request for for a backdoor or eavesdropping capability?https://t.co/y5wLDqv9yD pic.twitter.com/jzmLy4T2na Ben Thompson (@benthompson) June 12, 2020 Today they shut down #China activists; tomorrow who else?@zoom_us Zoom shuts down pro-democracy activists at request of Chinese govt. https://t.co/4sG8RtYMJ3 via @technology Sarah Leah Whitson (@sarahleah1) June 12, 2020 Zoom's new line is: it's ok to talk about anything on our platform except if you're in China. If you are, we'll do the work of Beijing's censors and block you. https://t.co/dpUAt3Uk3Z Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) June 12, 2020 Irresponsible behavior @zoom_us you don't become global company if you are spreading dystopian values. https://t.co/yjaVfBr17b Mishi Choudhary (@MishiChoudhary) June 12, 2020 Maybe academic institutions should be a bit less enthusiastic about going all in on Zoom. https://t.co/KRNiD8YBvl Jeppe Mulich (@jmulich) June 12, 2020 A LOCAL author has set up an online support group for males who may be experiencing difficulties during lockdown. Carl J Ashley, who lives near Galbally on the Limerick/Tipperary border, has set up Menscape, a group which meets on the Internet through the Zoom teleconferencing application every other Wednesday. I wanted it to be for the benefit of men who have experienced bereavement and separation. The temptation is there to fall into drink, drugs and depression and all the stuff Ive been through myself, says Mr Ashley, who hails from Manchester in north-west England. Carl was initially planning to launch the group in a few months, but Covid-19 and the isolation a lot of people were feeling hastened this. Even in usual circumstances, Id have thought it a good idea to reach out to guys who are stuck at home, guys who are not mobile and not able to go about connecting with other people in a healthy manner, he said. Every other Wednesday at 8pm, a Zoom meeting is held at 8pm, allowing people to speak in an uninterrupted, non-judgemental manner. There are many different sections of society in the group, Carl adds, with people from many different professions, bringing different experiences. Everyone comes from a different walk of life, everyone has a different angle in the way they interpret things. So straight away there are a huge variety of people able to make their own contributions. People bring various different professional and personal experiences, he explains. Carl has been contacted by people from across Ireland wanting to take part in Menscape. The next Menscape meeting will take place next Wednesday, June 17. For more information, and to join in, call, text or Whatsapp Carl J Ashley at 087-1717238. All men are welcome. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 08:35:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Security officials inspect the blast site in eastern Pakistan's Rawalpindi on June 12, 2020. One person was killed and 11 others were injured when a blast took place in a market in Rawalpindi district of Pakistan's east Punjab Province on Friday, police sources said. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal) ISLAMABAD, June 13 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and 11 others were injured when a blast took place in a market area in Rawalpindi district of Pakistan's east Punjab province on Friday, police sources said. The incident happened when an improvised explosive device went off inside the market located in cantonment area of Rawalpindi, the sister city of Islamabad on Friday night. The explosion left a pushcart hawker killed and 11 others including hawkers and passersby injured. The injured people have been shifted to a nearby hospital where their condition is stable, the sources told Xinhua. According to initial investigations, the bomb was fixed in a motorbike parked at the roadside by unknown militants who fled the scene after leaving it in the market. Police reached the site and cordoned it off to carry out the probe into the incident, whereas media was restricted from the area. No group or individual has claimed the attack yet. Enditem Egypt conducts 6,000 PCR tests every day free of charge nationwide to detect coronavirus infections, health ministry official said Egypt's health ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it has detected 1,677 new coronavirus infections, the highest single-day increase announced to date, bringing the total number of confirmed cases nationwide to 42,980 since the detection of the first case on 14 February. This is the second consecutive day for the country to witness a single-day record in the number of detected infections. Egypt conducts 6,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests every day free of charge nationwide to detect coronavirus infections, according to the head of the health ministry's Central Department of Laboratories. The chief of the ministry's laboratories Nancy El-Gendy said in an interview with MBC Misr 2 over the phone on Wednesday that Cairo's central laboratories conduct 3,000 PCR daily tests, while the same number of nose swabs is done daily in the laboratories' branches in other governorates. The ministry's central laboratories do not perform the swabs for citizens for reassurance, El-Gendy said, but rather conduct the PCR tests they receive from all hospitals. She pointed out that patients with coronavirus symptoms have to head immediately to the nearest hospital to perform the swab and the hospital in turn sends it to the laboratory. According to the ministry's statement published on Saturday, the total number of COVID-19 deaths has now reached 1,484, after announcing 62 deaths today, the highest single-day spike in fatalities recorded to date. Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed also said that 421 patients fully recovered and left isolation hospitals on Saturday, which brings the total number of recoveries from the virus so far to 11,529 cases. The number of people whose test results have turned from positive to negative, including the full recoveries, has now reached 12,919. While it took Egypt 50 days to record its first 1,000 infections on 4 April, 1,577 cases were detected on Friday alone. The head of the Egyptian Ministry of Health Scientific Committee to Combat COVID-19, Dr Hosam Hosny, explained during a phone call with Sada Al-Balad TV channel last Wednesday that the number of coronavirus cases recorded will continue to rise in June till it reaches between 2,000 and 2,500 cases per day. Hosny has also predicted that Egypt will reach its peak in the first week of July, and then the number of cases "will stabilise and will then start decreasing." Nevertheless, Minister of Health Hala Zayed said in a televised statement a few days earlier that "we cannot say whether we are at the peak stage or not, and we will only be able to know and determine the peak stage after it passes." "When the rate of infections decreases for two consecutive weeks, we can subsequently say that the increase in infections that preceded the decline is the peak," the minister said. Starting tomorrow, 14 June, Egypt's nighttime curfew, in place since March, will be slightly shortened by one hour to run from 8 pm until 4 am instead of the previous 5 am, according to a cabinet statement last Thursday. Also starting tomorrow, shops will be allowed to operate till 6 pm instead of 5 pm, and public transportation will operate until 8 pm. These measures are part of the gradual reopening of the country to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic. Search Keywords: Short link: Addressing the media at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General MM Naravane clearly stated that situation along the borders with China and Nepal are under control. The COAS addressed the Passing out Parade (PoP) on Saturday, as 333 officers joined the Armed Forces. Due to COVID-19 related constraints, the parade was organised keeping in mind social distancing and other norms, with the parents of the cadets missing out on the ceremony due to precautionary restrictions. When asked about the developments in talks with China after the Commander-Corps level talks, COAS Naravane said that disengagement has taken place as a result of the talks. He added that perceived differences between both the countries will be set to rest. "I would like to assure everyone that the entire situation along our borders with China is under control. We're having a series of talks which started with Corps Commander level talks & has been followed up with meetings at local level b/w Commanders of equivalent ranks. As a result, a lot of disengagement has taken place and we are hopeful that through the continued dialogue we're having, all perceived differences that we (India and China) have will be set to rest. Everything is under control." READ | IMA Passing out Parade: COAS Gen. MM Naravane addresses cadets, congratulates them COAS on Nepal Speaking on Nepal, he said that India has had friendly relation with Nepal and ' strong connect'. "We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people to people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future." India and Nepal are at loggerheads after Nepal issued a new map showing parts of contested Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyadhura under its territory. Nepal claims that the new map has been drawn on the basis of the Sugauli Treaty of 1816 signed between Nepal and the then British Indian government and other relevant documents. The row originally started when India issued a map in October 2019 incorporating Kalapani and Lipulekh on its side of the border. READ | Coronavirus LIVE updates Indo-China Border tensions The ongoing border dispute between India and China first came into the forefront on May 9 when clash was reported between military of the two nations at Naku La in Sikkim. Furthermore, on May 10, army official informed that there were other clashes that took place on May 6 near Pangong Tso Lake area in eastern Ladakh. Moreover, days after this, Chinese military helicopters were spotted close to the LAC in eastern Ladakh. A fleet of Su-30 fighters of the Indian Air Force then carried out sorties in the area. Army Chief General M M Naravane then issued a statement saying that clashes are nothing new and the army is following the established treaty between the two nations. Speaking to Republic TV, Rajnath Singh said that diplomatic channels are in talks but India will not compromise with its self-respect. READ | LAC Standoff: US reiterates support to India, notes 'External rebalancing critical' With an aim to find a solution to the tensions, India and China held Corps Commander level talks on June 6 at Moldo. Issuing a statement after 5-long hours of talks, New Delhi that both sides agreed to peacefully resolve the situation and described the meeting as 'cordial and positive atmosphere'. Beijing also affirmed that the overall situation at the border areas is now 'generally stable' and 'under control' and both sides will resolve the issue through diplomatic and military channels, and consequently, that there had been de-escalation and disengagement. READ | Nepal PM's big claim on new map showing Indian territory: 'Indian forces there since 1962' NSW Police have defended a police officer who was photographed following a Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney flashing an "OK" sign a symbol also associated with white power and right-wing extremism. About 300 protesters had gathered at Hyde Park on Friday night to protest against black deaths in custody, and stand in solidarity with Long Bay prisoners. Protesters were met by hundreds of police who quickly dispersed the rally, NSW Police Operation Commander Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing said. Around the time of the protest, a police officer among a group of police was photographed making the "OK" hand gesture. Video of the moment shows the police walking past in silence, while the officer flashes the gesture at the camera as he passes. There was no verbal exchange during the filming. Emma DeSouza at the Ireland Funds 28th National Gala dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington DC during the Taoiseachs visit to the US. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday March 11, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Ireland US. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire An Irish citizenship campaigner from Northern Ireland is considering a bid for the Seanad after a number of Fine Gael TDs put her name forward for nomination. Emma DeSouza has been involved in a long legal battle with the Home Office over whether being born in Northern Ireland automatically confers a person with British citizenship. A senior Fine Gael source told the PA news agency: If there is to be an independent Senator from Northern Ireland then either Emma de Souza or former Senator Ian Marshall would be obvious choices. To even be mentioned as a name worthy of a Taoiseach nomination is a great honor, I am grateful for the consideration It would be an incredible opportunity to represent the principles of GFA & the people of NI as an independent. It would also pave the way for the next generation pic.twitter.com/T0mY01v2SG Emma DeSouza (@EmmandJDeSouza) June 13, 2020 Ian was a strong voice for both moderate unionists and pro European voices while Emmas campaign to protect her rights under the Good Friday Agreement has been inspirational. Ms DeSouza told PA it is a great honour to have her name put forward as a potential Taoiseachs nomination for the Seanad. To even be mentioned is a great honour. It would be an invaluable opportunity that I as a independent advocate for the principles of the Good Friday Agreement would accept. She said there has never been a time when the voice of someone living in Northern Ireland is needed more in the Irish political sphere. Northern voices are so needed right now. We now know for 100% that there will be no extension to the Brexit transition period and there is going to be a severe impact on the Norths economy as a result. Ms DeSouza said extending voting rights to Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland and abroad and upholding the principles of the Good Friday Agreement are among the issues she would work on if she became a Senator. Expand Close Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald with Sinn Fein TD Louise OReilly and Ian Marshall (Mary Lou McDonald/Twitter/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald with Sinn Fein TD Louise OReilly and Ian Marshall (Mary Lou McDonald/Twitter/PA) She said that as an apolitical figure, she would bring an independent new voice to the Seanad. Ian Marshall, a Unionist farmer and anti-Brexit campaigner was a Senator in the last Seanad after being approached by Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar. She said: Ian was a fantastic Senator and is a great friend of mine and I totally support him being nominated again. He provided a Unionist voice in the Seanad so I would be providing something different. I believe I represent the growing middle ground in Northern Ireland and have campaigned for protections for both the nationalist and unionist communities. I have no political background and have worked tirelessly as a campaigner for the past few years. Many Irish citizens in the North feel like second class citizens so I want to be able to provide a voice for them. The Taoiseach of the next government is empowered to nominate 12 appointees but a new government has yet to be formed. It is expected at least one of these will be from Northern Ireland. Government formation talks continued between Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Green Party on Saturday. Deputy Green Party leader Catherine Martin said they hope to get a deal done over the weekend. If a programme for government is agreed, it must be voted on by the membership of all the parties in order for it to pass. This would mean a government is likely to be formed at the end of June or the start of July. Republicans might be surprised and chagrined to learn the extent to which Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, one of President Trumps highest-profile congressional antagonists during the Russia and Ukraine investigations, was inspired into public life by a Republican. In fact, that Republicans example ingrained the principle that became Swalwells mantra last year as he made the rounds night after night on cable news: No one is above the law. That Republican was Swalwells father, Eric Sr. In Endgame: Inside the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump, his upcoming book about the Trump investigations, the congressman recounts how his police chief father rankled the locals in Algona, Iowa, by cracking down on drinking at firehouses and refusing to fix the parking tickets of bigwigs whose vehicles were blocking the fire lanes at the Kossuth County Fair in August 1985. It seems the phrase do me a favor, though never quite worked with the Swalwells. The father lost his job but the son never lost the lesson. No one is above the law. I dont think my dad ever imagined that ... nearly 34 years after that happened ... his son would be making that same point but not about a small town mayor but that the president of the United States is not above the law, Swalwell said in an interview Thursday. Sorry, Democrats, the book scheduled to be released Tuesday contains neither a surprise ending nor any plot twists beyond what has been thoroughly documented and dissected in news reports over the past two years. The investigations begin and end with an unrepentant Trump holding the highest office in the land. What the book does deliver is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the strategy sessions in the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees as they prepared for key witnesses, television appearances and, ultimately, the debate that would lead to the third impeachment of a U.S. president. Swalwell is effusive in his praise of the calm but firm presence of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and the instincts and message discipline of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was determined to remind Americans of the other business the Democrats were achieving even as impeachment dominated the political sphere. Unsurprisingly, Swalwell says he remains convinced there was more than enough evidence in the Mueller Report to justify Trumps removal from office. With Special Counsel Robert Mueller, what was most frustrating was that he did not look at the presidents finances at all, and he never interviewed the president, Swalwell said in our interview. I dont want to second-guess such an honorable man or give equivalence between Mueller and Trump, but the president got in his head. I talked about that in the book that one of the brilliant tactics the president is able to deploy is that he can accuse you of doing something you have not yet done and then you start second-guessing yourself about whether you are validating something the president is accusing you of. In 2016, that was Trumps repeated warning that the election was going to be rigged. In the Mueller investigation, it was his cries of witch hunt and complaints that it was going on too long and that his finances would be a red line. Endgame also answers the question for Americans wondering whether these intense combatants they see on television get together after hours to put aside their partisan differences and socialize. Spoiler alert: They dont. Swalwells descriptions of encountering Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on the next elliptical machine at the House gym in the heat of impeachment or Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., during a hearing break are spare but telling. The frostiness and gridlock that pervades Washington is not by Swalwells choice. Its bad, he said in our interview. I ran against a 40-year incumbent who was regarded as the most liberal member of Congress by most rankings. As the son of, you know, two Republicans, I wanted to do all I could to try and build consensus, and I formed a caucus called the United Solutions Caucus and worked with freshmen Republicans and Democrats. And then something changed when Donald Trump was elected. What, if anything, could reduce that animosity, at least to the point where leaders of the two parties could talk with one another and seek common ground, as President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip ONeill, ideological polar opposites about the role of government, did in the 1980s? For Vice President (Joe) Biden, if he does become president, I would strongly encourage him to put together a team of rivals in his Cabinet and not just one Republican, but really put together a team of rivals of Republicans and Democrats to lead the country forward. I think he would find the American people and the Congress would embrace that and it would pick us out of this divisive hole weve fallen into. But first there is that issue of Nov. 3, 2020. In his book, Swalwell recalls a private conversation with Michael Cohen, Trumps former lawyer-fixer, who expressed fear for the future of the country. I fear he wont accept the outcome of the elections, Cohen said. So do I, Swalwell replied. He elaborated in our interview. He noted that Trump now protected by a Justice Department policy that a sitting president cant be indicted could face criminal exposure after he leaves office. A desperate Trump, if he loses, could challenge the legitimacy of the result. The Russians, ever eager to foment tumult and division, could work to amplify Trumps claims between election day and inauguration. While were a country where you only need the majority to win, I think a lot of Democrats feel like we need a supermajority to win, because it cant be close, he said. The endgame far from complete. John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron This article, HBO is getting rid of HBO Go, renaming HBO Now since HBO Max is live, originally appeared on CNET.com. HBO Max, when it arrived two weeks ago as an amped-up app to stream HBO with a lot of extra programming, also brought confusion about how the new streaming service fits in with the company's two existing apps. In a move intended to simplify matters, HBO's parent company -- AT&T's WarnerMedia -- said Friday that it will retire its HBO Go app as of July 31 now that the HBO Max app is "widely distributed." The HBO Now app will stay the same except the app will simply be renamed solely HBO. HBO Go is the network's first streaming app that lets regular HBO pay-TV subscribers watch over the internet. HBO Now is the channel's stand-alone streaming app that lets people subscribe to and stream HBO without any other pay-TV bundles. When the changes are complete, the company will have two streaming apps -- HBO Max and HBO -- rather than its current three. But getting rid of HBO Go raises questions for people who rely on that app. The company's plan to sunset HBO Go is based on the premise that HBO Max is "widely distributed" as a replacement for it, but HBO Max is missing on crucial devices: Roku and Amazon's Fire TV. Roku or Amazon Fire TV together represent an eye-popping 70% of the streaming devices in the US. WarnerMedia has so far failed to secure deals with Roku and Amazon to support HBO Max. Once HBO Go is retired, anyone who uses HBO Go on a Roku or Fire TV to stream HBO programming is out of luck. To watch on TVs, these HBO pay-TV subscribers will need to watch HBO through their pay-TV provider on their televisions, if possible, without a streaming alternative. "The large majority of HBO Go usage occurs on platforms with whom we have HBO Max deals currently in place," and HBO Max spokeswoman said. "While we don't yet have a distribution deal with Amazon or Roku, we remain committed to making HBO Max available on every platform possible to as many viewers as possible." Neither Roku nor Amazon immediately responded to messages seeking comment. HBO Max is one of the final entrants in the so-called streaming wars, a seven-month window when media giants and tech titans have been releasing a raft of new streaming services to take on Netflix. These competitive battles -- pitting rookies like HBO Max, Disney Plus and NBCUniversal's Peacock against heavyweights like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video -- have spurred huge corporations to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the hope of shaping the future of television. File Photo New Delhi: Remdesivir is considered to be the most effective medicine in the treatment of Covid-19 worldwide. The drug is manufactured by Gilead Sciences, an American pharmaceutical company. The company also supplies the drug to 127 countries around the world, including India. Remdesivir Advertisement The drug will now be manufactured by an Indian company. For this, Gilead Sciences has set up a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad, India. According to a non-executive agreement between US and Indian companies, Gilead Sciences has been given the authority to register and manufacture the treatment. The Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer Zydus Cadila said that Gilead Sciences Dr. Reddy will also transfer technology. Dr. Reddy will need regulatory approvals to increase production and marketing of the drug in the countries concerned. Remdesivir has already received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for the treatment of Covid-19. Remedisvir is considered to be the most effective medicine of Corona. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also sealed the use of it for the treatment of Ebola. Remdesivir is part of the WHO's solidarity test. Advertisement RemdesivirHowever, the antiviral drug will not be available in the Indian market this month, even after the process of permitting the production of Remdesivir in India has accelerated. According to Health Ministry sources, Hetero Labs Ltd will submit the results of its test reports and stability data in the last week of June. Hetero Labs is one of the four companies that have signed a license agreement to manufacture and supply a general version of Remdesivir in India. Based on the results of test reports and stability data, Indian manufacturers will be given approval for its controlled emergency use as it was given to Gilead Sciences of USA. Vancouver, one of the largest cities in Canada, has proclaimed June 21 as International Day of Yoga. The annual celebration of the ancient Indian holistic practice will take place online in Canada this year, as restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic remain in place throughout the country. The Vancouver proclamation was followed from Burnaby , a city in British Columbia. Vancouvers Mayor Kennedy Stewart signed the proclamation which noted that Yoga has become an integral path to health and wellness in the city of Vancouver. It also stated that The city of Vancouver is home to a large and diverse Indo-Canadian community, that has contributed significantly to the economic, social and cultural fabric of the city. Indias High Commissioner to Ottawa Ajay Bisaria welcomed the Vancouver proclamation, tweeting, Thank you for embracing yoga! The 5,000-year-old Indian tradition was recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2014 as it declared June 21 as International Day of Yoga. Since then, this day has been marked in several cities across Canada with large gatherings of practitioners and enthusiasts, including events at the Niagara Falls. The Coronavirus pandemic, however, has prevented such physical gatherings. To celebrate the sixth anniversary of the International Yoga Day, the Indian High Commission, along with the consulates in Toronto and Vancouver has put together a series of sessions on social media, as part of its Yoga from Home programming. In keeping with the time in which these activities are occurring, among the sessions is one on yoga in management of Covid-19, as well as related sessions on boosting immunity and improving respiratory health. Among the organisations collaborating in the programmes are Patanjali Yoga Canada, Art of Living Canada, Brahmakumaris and Isha Yoga. The High Commission has organised a My Life My Yoga video blogging competition. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A second wave or an extended lockdown will be disastrous for a developing country like India, and in that case, the Government will have to extend help in the form of stimulus,, Head of Research, Samco Securities, said in an interview with Moneycontrols A) The rally past few weeks was a fear of missing out (FOMO) rally with bulls catching the bellwethers of each sector without the ground reality showing any improvement. Despite the gradual opening of the lockdown, businesses havent started as normal or at full capacity. Hence, when the economic numbers which show a divergence to the momentum in stock prices finally gained headway, markets turned bearish. Q) What is the way ahead for markets? Do you think we could retest 7500? If not which are the crucial supports which one can watch out for on the downside and on the upside which are the levels that could put bulls back in charge of D-Street? A) The market is expected to remain bearish going ahead at least till the index decisively closes above 10,150 only then it will reclaim momentum. And, on the downside, a decisive break below 8800 levels can take markets lower. Q) Do you think we are starting at another nationwide lockdown in June as cases with respect to COVID-19 goes up? If yes, what could be the impact on markets? A) As of now, it would be better not to speculate the worst. Cases are continuously increasing but a complete lockdown will have a huge impact on the economy. Dalal Street will also react accordingly because when the crux of the economy is bleeding, markets should not soar to new highs. Q) OECD sees 7 percent contraction in Indias growth if second waves hit India. Do you think there could be another stimulus announcement from the government? A) Indias cases are already on a rise with no sign of peaking. But, since businesses are gradually opening up, the expectation is that earnings should normalise in two quarters at least for a few sectors. However, a second wave or an extended lockdown will be disastrous for a developing country like India. In that case, the government will have to extend help in the form of stimulus. But, when and how much will be offered only time will tell. Q) Small and midcaps outperform slightly in the week gone by - some stability there as major selling was seen in the top overbought stocks? A) Stocks that rise faster without the backing of earnings or valuations are the ones to fall the first. Since, large caps had witnessed a bubble in the past few weeks in the name of safety they were the first to take the hit at the first sign of cracks. Hence, mid and small caps outperformed slightly in the week gone by while large caps saw more pain. Q) What is your call on financials? How should investors trade NiftyBank in the coming week? A) The financial sector is the weakest link in a recessionary phase of the economy, which makes it a safe haven for short-sellers during bear markets. However, current valuations do reflect deteriorating conditions of the economy but still panic selling may come in during Q1 & Q2 FY21 results. In the near term, they are overbought and are therefore susceptible to deeper cuts in the prices especially the NBFCs and few private sector banks. In general, sell on rally should be maintained in BankNifty. Q) The most abused phrase is Its different this time. But, this time it is actually different, and history might just rhyme and not repeat. This time the only thing which is certain is uncertainty. What is your view? A) If we see, uncertainty is a friend of bears and certainty is a friend of bulls almost always. The reasons causing uncertainty and certainty may be different all the time in history but the effect is the same. Certainty brings hope and therefore bulls take charge, on the contrary uncertainty breeds fear and this turns the same bulls into bears making them sell on the fear that uncertainty will lead to further losses. Every time, this cycle plays out with a different set of factors in varying time lengths but the end result is the same bull and bear phases of the market. The trick is to identify where the majority is standing and take a contra stand but the secret to riches is to know the extremes and then go against the crowd. If you follow this it becomes irrelevant as to What This Time Factors Are! Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. By Francesco Guarascio BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission received a mandate from EU governments on Friday to negotiate advance purchases of promising coronavirus vaccines, the EU's top health official said, but it is unclear whether there is enough money available. The bloc is scrambling to sign advance deals with pharmaceutical companies to secure coronavirus vaccines under development, fearing a successful shot might not be available for Europeans soon enough. EU health ministers gave "overwhelming" backing for a Commission plan to use an emergency fund of currently 2.4 billion euros ($2.7 billion) to buy coronavirus vaccines upfront, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told journalists after a videoconference with representatives of the 27 EU governments. Under the plan, the EU would use most of the money available in that fund to buy in advance up to six vaccines for its 450 million people, EU officials said. Such a multiple vaccine strategy could cost much more than the $1.2 billion deal signed by the United Stated in May to secure 300 million doses of a single coronavirus vaccine being developed by British drugmaker AstraZeneca. Asked whether EU states should provide extra funds, Kyriakides said there was no need for further financial commitments at the moment. An EU official said member states' financial support was welcome. The EU is planning a vaccination strategy that would target the most vulnerable, which would reduce the number of doses immediately needed, and the upfront payments. But it is unclear whether governments support the plan. Under the advance purchasing plans, the EU would buy or commit to buying promising vaccines before they are ready, taking the risk of potential clinical failures. In exchange, it would get priority access to the shots. The bloc has accepted extra risks so as not to lag behind China and the United States in the race to a vaccine, which currently does not exist. The commissioner said the EU executive had already discussed its plans with pharmaceutical companies, but declined to name them. She also did not answer questions about the timing of the possible advance purchasing deals. Story continues AstraZeneca, France's Sanofi, and U.S. players Pfizer, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna are among companies trialling vaccines. EU officials said the bloc would not buy vaccines produced exclusively in the United States, fearing that would delay supplies to Europe. With backing secured for the Commission, it remains unclear whether the wealthiest EU states will continue to pursue parallel talks with drugmakers. Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands are already in talks with pharmaceutical companies to buy vaccines, a move that could weaken the EU's joint approach. Kyriakides said the two initiatives had the same goal. But she added: "Both tracks should converge for the benefits of all 27. This is about working together and not in competition." In the initial months of the pandemic in Europe, EU states often competed against each other to secure face masks and drugs. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Catherine Evans and Giles Elgood @fraguarascio) A Marriott flag hangs at the entrance of the New York Marriott Downtown hotel in Manhattan, New York By Sarah Marsh HAVANA (Reuters) - The Trump administration has ordered Marriott International to wind down hotel operations in Communist-run Cuba, a company spokeswoman told Reuters, extinguishing what had been a symbol of the U.S.-Cuban detente. Starwood Hotels, now owned by Marriott, four years ago became the first U.S. hotel company to sign a deal with Cuba since the 1959 revolution amid the normalization of relations pursued by former President Barack Obama. But the administration of President Donald Trump has unraveled that detente, tightening the decades-old U.S. trade embargo on Cuba and saying it wants to pressure the island into democratic reform and to stop supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The approach could help Trump bolster support in the large Cuban-American community in Florida, a state considered vital to his re-election chances in November. A company spokeswoman said the U.S. Treasury Department had ordered the company to wind down its operation of the Four Points Sheraton in Havana by Aug. 31. It would also not be allowed to open other hotels it had been preparing to run. A U.S. Treasury Department spokesperson said it could not comment on specific licensing matters, but that the administration aimed to prevent Cuba's military from using revenue from tourism to "oppress its own people", The Four Points Sheraton in Havana, like swaths of the tourism sector and economy at large, is controlled by the commercial arm of the Cuban military. "In 2017, Trump promised he would not disrupt existing contracts U.S. businesses had with Cuba," wrote William LeoGrande, a Cuba expert at American University in Washington, on Twitter. "Promise made, promise broken." The news comes two days after the U.S. State Department expanded its list of Cuban entities with which Americans are banned from doing business to include the military-owned financial corporation that handles U.S. remittances to Cuba. Story continues U.S. sanctions have further crippled an economy already struggling with a decline in aid from leftist ally Venezuela and the end of hard-currency generating Cuban medical missions in Brazil and elsewhere. Philip Peters who runs the FocusCuba business consultancy and has advised Marriott, said no good had come from a lifetime of U.S. sanctions that separated the U.S. and Cuban peoples, harmed Cubas economy, and limited American influence in Cuba. "Marriott .. will hopefully return to do business in Cuba, along with others, to encourage American travel and to help Cuba prosper and integrate into the global economy," he said. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh in Havana; Additional Reporting by Marc Frank in Havana and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, David Gregorio and Tom Brown) On February 14, 2020, ValueAct filed a passive 13G reporting a 6.3% position. On June 5, 2020 they converted that 13G filing to an active 13D filing and reported ownership of 7.52%. Enviva is now a core position in the Spring Fund. On May 10, 2018, ValueAct first announced that it acquired a $20 million stake in Enviva Partners LP, making the investment through its ESG-focused ValueAct Spring Fund. Enviva manufacturers wood pellet plants in the southeastern part of the U.S. from tree farm scraps and pulp mill waste. These pellets are sold to power generators in Europe and Japan as they convert coal plants to biomass. This technology reduces the carbon footprint of these plants by roughly 80%, making it a key part of the decarbonization strategy for utilities. By working closely with the independent stewardship organizations, Enviva helps assure that the tree farms are managed responsibly. The extra income the landowner receives from Enviva helps replace lost business from pulp mills, protecting the land from development. The company's strategic access to so much forest growth is key to securing a contracted revenue backlog of over $10 billion, with a contract maturity of over 11 years. Enviva has refined its technology to raise the burning temperature of pellets, enabling them to produce more energy. The company has also slashed costs by building facilities close to logging sites where it can collect scraps that sawmills cannot use. Enviva's targeted return is 15%, with a current yield of 7.5% and a growth in distributions of 8%. Ken Squire is the founder and president of 13D Monitor, an institutional research service on shareholder activism, and the founder and portfolio Manager of the 13D Activist Fund, a mutual fund that invests in a portfolio of activist 13D investments. The former President, delivering a speech at the 28th anniversary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), issued a strong warning to the Electoral Commission (EC) ahead of this years general elections. According to the flagbearer of the NDC, the party will not accept the results of a flawed election. As leader of the NDC, I wish to serve notice that we shall do all our parts to ensure that our country remains peaceful and that the electoral process proceeds smoothly, but let nobody assume that we will accept the results of a flawed election, he cautioned. Dr Kwame Asah Asante, a senior political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon reacting to this in a panel discussion on Peace FMs morning show Kokrokoo, said: "no matter what there will be a free and fair election, but I want to ask Mahama; what will you do if you win in that flawed election?". Meanwhile, he has asked the Electoral Commission to be transparent with the various political parties. 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 - Ntando Makhubela used to work as a petrol attendant before chasing his dreams - He could not afford to go to university after matriculating - An ANCYL chairperson saw his potential and helped him apply for a medical programme in Cuba Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Some people go to extreme lengths to chase their dreams. One man, Ntando Makhubela, was bright enough to become a doctor but he did not have the funds to study medicine. Makhubela graduated from Cyril Clarke Secondary School in 2014 with distinctions in maths, biology and physics, ALGO FM reported. He dreamed of studying medicine at Wits University but was initially turned down. He told News24: "I did apply to Wits but they didn't take me for the course [medicine] that I wanted and I had a bursary as well. They told me they were full and couldn't take more students." He opted to study towards a Bachelor of Science degree but had to drop out after two weeks because he could not afford it. Makhubela started working as a petrol attendant and one day he was approached by an ANC Youth League leader. He said: "He was aware that I did well in school and he gave me the application form and I applied." READ ALSO: Department of Education releases new school calendar: Holidays reduced Makhubela received a scholarship from the Mpumalanga health department, where he and 55 other students travelled to Cuba to study medicine. He has been in Cuba ever since and plans on promoting preventative health-care measures when he returns to South Africa, Lowvelder reported. Social media users were inspired by his story and they applauded Makhubela online. Twitter user, @Lucky_Smasher, commented: "Good work and I hope he will get paid well as @cubandoctors." Another tweep, @Mamphegoo, added: "He did well, the journey to success ain't easy but if you committed you do reach your destiny." Social media user, @somirobert, wrote: "We live in a world where you can become anything you want so long as you devote fully." Twitter user, @MrBK4, said: "Wow... If motivation was a person indeed. Big up bro." 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 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 Millions of carers juggling a job with looking after sick relatives would be given greater legal protection and more money to help them get by under plans proposed by Liberal Democrat Ed Davey. The party's acting leader today sets out a five-point-plan for the nation's carers as part of his ambition to take the job full time this summer. The Kingston and Surbiton MP wants being a carer to become a 'protected characteristic' under the Equalities Act 2010, meaning discrimination against them at work would face the same punishment as racism, sexism and homophobia. His intervention comes at the end of Carers Week, which seeks to highlight the struggle of 6.5million volunteers who look after a family member or friend who is elderly or has a disability, or a mental or physical illness. Setting out his own times as a carer for his mother when he was a boy he also calls for them to be given more money in the form of an increase to the Carer's Allowance and an increase in the threshold for halting payment. He also wants young carers to be allowed to travel free on public transport. Mr Davey, 54, and his brother cared for his terminally ill mother for three years before she died when he was 15. His father died when the future politician was just four. Mr Davey also has a 12-year-old son, John, who is disabled. He said: 'We desperately need a new deal for our carers. I believe we need to build a more caring society, and that starts by properly supporting our own carers. The Kingston and Surbiton MP wants being a carer to become a 'protected characteristic' under the Equalities Act 2010, meaning discrimination against them would have the same legal footing as racism, sexism and homophobia 'We ask so much of them, and then give them so little, and that has to change. 'I was a carer to my mother when I was a teenager, and I am a parent to a disabled child now, so I understand more than most the struggles and challenges that carers face. 'It is time that we did more to support them with those challenges, which is why I am setting out my five-point plan for carers today. 'My plan would give them more money, more legal protection at work and give young carers the right to free travel. Together, this package would be a huge step forward for our carers community. It is time we started caring about our carers.' Mr Davey's five point plan is: Caring made a protected characteristic in the Equality Act, giving carers increased protection in the workplace and beyond Forcing employers to make 'reasonable adjustments for carers' as they would for disabled staff, to allow people to combine caring with a job. A boost to the Carers Allowance to 75 a week - a 12 per cent increase from the current level of 67.25 Raising the amount a carer can earn before losing out on Carers Allowance from 128 a week to 160 a week, giving them greater work flexibility. Young carers would receive free travel on all public transport Education spokeswoman Layla Moran is also standing to be the party's new leader Wera Hobhouse, the party's environment spokeswoman, is also standing, although the ballot for the leadership election is yet to close According to the charity Carers UK, half of working age carers live in a home where no-one has a paid job, with 1.2 million are living in poverty. Earlier this week Mr Davey introduced a Bill in the House of Commons to give carers more rights to flexible working, helping them balance employment with caring responsibilities. The Equality Act 2010 currently requires employers to make 'reasonable adjustments' for people with disabilities to help them work, which can include physical adjustments as well as adjustments like a more flexible approach to working. The bill would extend that requirement to include carers who are looking after disabled people, allowing them to better balancing caring with their work. Earlier this week, Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said some 2.8 million workers have started caring for loved ones during the pandemic. 'Being able to work flexibly and have reasonable adjustments in place at work can make a world of difference for unpaid carers, helping them not only to stay in work, but also to reduce stress levels and improve their health,' she said. 'As we move out of the pandemic it is imperative that the Government and UK employers take action to support the increasing number of carers.' Mr Davey has been acting Liberal Democrat leader since Jo Swinson lost her seat in December's General Election, in which the party failed to make any gains, despite high hopes for a rebound after years of stagnation since the high point of the Coalition. So far he is up against education spokeswoman Layla Moran and Wera Hobhouse, the party's environment spokeswoman. The new leader will be chosen on August 27 after a leadership campaign that has been protracted because of the coronaviris pandemic. At the start of the week Ms Moran made her own pitch to carers, calling for a new support package funded by reversing inheritance tax cuts. It would include an 8.50 increase to the Carer's Allowance in England and Wales to match recent changes in Scotland and an additional one-off cash bonus of 250 to cover hardship caused by coronavirus Robin Wright and husband Clement Giraudet appeared to be making the most of the relaxed lockdown rules in America as they headed to Malibu Beach on Friday. The actress, 54, showcased her long legs in black bikini bottoms as she headed to the beach carrying her surfboard. Once out at sea, the couple couldn't keep their hands off each other with Clement leaning in for a kiss as he encouraged Robin to ride the waves. Smitten: Robin Wright and husband Clement Giraudet appeared to be making the most of the relaxed lockdown rules in America as they headed to Malibu Beach on Friday After traipsing to the beach in silver flip flops and an orange sweatshirt, Robin changed into a black wetsuit for her paddle-boarding session. Clement, who will turn 35 next week, was every inch the doting husband as he waded in the water, while the actress relaxed on the board. The YSL fashion designer showed off his hunky physique as he headed back to their car shirtless. Beach babe: The actress, 54, showcased her long legs in black bikini bottoms as she headed to the beach carrying her surfboard Ripped: The YSL fashion designer showed off his hunky physique as he headed back to their car shirtless The Wonder Woman 1984 star began dating the Saint Laurent executive back in 2017 before they secretly wed in August 2018 in France. Robin has two children with actor Sean Penn, model Dylan Frances Penn, 29, and actor Hopper Jack Penn, 26. Wright and Penn were off and on for over two decades, starting their relationship in 1989, with the couple getting married in 1996 and their divorce finalized in 2010. The actress will return as Antiope from the 2017 blockbuster Wonder Woman in the highly-anticipated sequel Wonder Woman 1984. The sequel was originally set for release on June 5, but it was pushed to December 14 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. She will also be featured as Antiope in Zack Snyder's Justice League, which will debut on HBO Max in 2021. In calling to defund police, Ohioans should be careful what they wish for. Sure, many police departments have done deadly harm to people of color and to low-income people, regardless of color. And the killing of George Floyd, at the hands of Minneapolis police, has gotten the attention of white America and fueled calls for reform by Ohio General Assembly members. House Democrats, for example, led by Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, of Akron, want police shootings investigated independently, and statewide databases of excessive-force incidents and police officers employment histories. And a reform package proposed by former Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer, a House Republican from Dayton, and Rep. Cindy Abrams, a suburban Cincinnati Republican who served as a Cincinnati police officer, aims to boost the hiring of minority officers, and, like House Democrats plan, would create a statewide police disciplinary database. Meanwhile, Senate President Larry Obhof, a Medina Republican, and Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko, a Richmond Heights Democrat, have announced a bipartisan statewide listening tour on policing. Since Adam bit the apple, humankind white, black, brown, yellow, red has been capable of doing terrible things. The first time a citys defunded police hit a stone wall trying to solve a revolting crime, theyd likely blame Anytowns council for tying their hands. No need to guess voters reaction. Then theres Ohio 1983 collective bargaining law for public employees, sponsored by then-Sen. Eugene Branstool, of Licking Countys Utica, and signed by then-Gov. Dick Celeste. In 2011, almost 62% of the Ohioans voting on the question killed a bid by then-Gov. John Kasich and his allies to roll back 1983s law. Ohioans shouted no partly because police and firefighters denounced the rollback. Care to guess how voters might react if cities defund police? The Washington Posts James Hohmann, in a Tuesday column, highlighted what may be a better route to reform. Hohmann, with Mariana Alfaro, reviewed the Defense Departments 1033 program. Since the 90s, its given police military items worth more than $6 billion, the Government Accountability Office reported. (And that was as of mid-2017.) After 2014s Ferguson, Missouri, riots, touched off when a cop killed Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American, President Barack Obama clamped limits on the 1033 program. But President Donald Trump reversed Obamas order, so police departments now have access to military surplus equipment typically used in warfare, including grenade launchers, armored vehicles and bayonets, The New York Times reported in 2017. (Trump administration officials said that the police believed bayonets were handy, for instance, in cutting seat belts in an emergency, the newspaper added.) A 2017 study Hohmann cited found a positive and statistically significant relationship between 1033 [weapons] transfers and fatalities from officer-involved shootings. (Its authors include University of Cincinnati scholar Jack Mewhirter.) Ohio House Democrats are expected to propose a ban on police participation in Pentagon weapons giveaways. That makes enormous sense. In contrast, defunding police, no matter how well-intended, wont pass most Ohioans commonsense test. Im not in favor of defunding the police, Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday. I think that would be absurd. I cant imagine what people are thinking about defunding the police. I mean, we need police. We need fire. We need emergency responders. DeWine, a Cedarville Republican, ordered the Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board to set standards for policing mass protests, and created an Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment to encourage minorities and women to become police officers. House Democrats are on the right track. Police should stop browsing for weapons of war. If badge-wearing Ohioans want to play Rambo, they should head to Hollywood for a screen test. Booze is back in fashion among Ohio lawmakers Ohio, once dry as the Sahara thanks to the Anti-Saloon League (then based in Westerville) is becoming wet as a rain forest. During this weeks end-of-session frenzy, Ohios House passed House Bill 674 to let some bars remain open until 4 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and virtually abolish the local-option veto a neighborhoods voters have over Sunday liquor sales. Theres nothing wrong with moderate drinking. But you have to wonder how much weekend caterwauling Ohioans want to endure in their neighborhoods. The answer, 48 Ohio House Republicans and 28 House Democrats decided, is a lot. Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens. To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-408-9474 Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) supported the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services (MOH) in refurbishing COVID-19 isolation units at three specialist Hospitals in the country, as part of its on-going efforts in responding to the pandemic. The isolation units were established at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Castle Street Hospital for Women and the Base Hospital Minuwangoda. The hospitals were identified by the Ministry of Health as part of a rapid assessment for COVID-19 patient isolation and treatment purposes. Left to Right: Ms. Emma Brigham, Deputy Representative, UNICEF Sri Lanka, Dr. Safina Abdulloeva, Child Survival and Development Programme Manager, UNICEF Sri Lanka, Dr Kosala Karunaratne Consultant Paediatrician LRH, Dr Wijesuriya Director LRH and Mr. K.S Maussawala, Lieutenant, Project Engineer to LRH, Sri Lanka Navy UNICEF contributed with technical expertise and funding of nearly 5 million rupees from the Government of Japan. While the construction expertise and labour for the refurbishment was provided by the Sri Lanka Navy. Speaking on this initiative, Ms. Emma Brigham, Deputy Representative, UNICEF Sri Lanka said: It is vital that we continue to support the Government of Sri Lanka in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The setting up of the special isolation and treatment units at these hospitals is a truly a collaborative effort involving much needed assistance from the Government of Japan and the Sri Lanka Navy. This work involved the refurbishing of existing hospital spaces and the installation of ventilation and sound systems, adequate facilities for infection prevention and water and sanitation for health and establishing of a layout in line with social distancing requirements. Maremma Hennur and her fellow workers are busy constructing a bund when we meet her early in the morning. We got work under MGNREGA only after June 6, that too after we staged a series of protests at the Gram Panchayat (GP) office, the middle-aged woman says, wiping the sweat off her forehead. The government should increase the number of days under MGNREGA, adds Maremma, who lives in Farhatabad in Kalaburagi taluk. On June 8, around 300 families went on a strike in front of the Gram Panchayat office in Mugalolli village of Bagalkot district demanding work under MGNREGA. Of them, 50 families had returned to the village on the night Lockdown 1.0 was announced. Read: COVID-19: Several schemes, little progress for agrarian economy Anil Jadhav, 22, who stays in Chennur Tanda in Chincholi taluk in Kalaburagi, recently returned from Mumbai. He was briefly employed under MGNREGA in the Lingadahalli GP limits, but the work stopped soon. Jadhav can only stay back in his village if he finds a job locally that can match the Rs 700 per day her earned in Mumbai. The panic due to COVID-19 has caused thousands of workers like Jadhav across state borders to return to their homes in Northern Karnataka. After travel relaxations under Lockdown 4.0, over 12,000 migrant labourers from the neighbouring states have returned to Dharwad, Gadag and Haveri districts. Rendered jobless, many of these returnees have placed their hopes on the MGNREGA to provide them with employment. This year, Karnataka has seen a huge surge in households seeking employment under MGNREGA, with demand for work under the scheme in May being the highest since the inception of the scheme. In places like Belagavi, where the number of job card holders averaged around 75,000, the number has surpassed 95,000 post the lockdown. However, many of those returning home have found that not enough work is being undertaken under the MGNREGA scheme. They also face a hostile environment in their villages, where residents are wary of Covid-19 and see every new returnee to the village as a potential threat. Also Read: Karnataka: With no hope in their villages, migrants return to Bengaluru amid lockdown The returnees are asked to produce medical fitness certificate from the local public health centre or district hospital; the mandatory quarantine, sometimes extending up to 28 days (14 days in institutional quarantine and 14 at home), has proved to be costly for people who have returned empty-handed. Anusha, 24, returned to Dharward during the Lockdown 4.0. She was earning Rs 15,000 per month working as a household help but back home, all of her efforts to gain employment under different government schemes have failed. Anusha, like thousands of other returnees, urgently needs work to sustain herself and her family. Delayed payments Shivakumar Sharma, an ex-GP member in Farhatabad, in Kalaburagi, says a good government scheme is failing because of laxity of government officials. His chief complaint is that the labourers who are supposed to be paid within 15 days of completing work, are not being paid on time. DH also saw people violating social distancing norms at MGNREGA worksites. We are not denying job cards to anybody. Job cards are issued for the migrant workers after completing the mandatory quarantine period as per the government guidelines, Kalaburagi Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Dr P Raja told DH. In Dharwad, the Zilla Panchayat CEO B C Sateesh says that Of 144 gram panchayats in the district, 107 have issued 1,085 nominal muster roll based on demand and 1,121 works are under progress. As many as 3,546 families have submitted demand for work and 1,414 have been provided. With the social distancing norms in place, however, he says that work under the MGNREGA is focusing on individual farms rather than community initiatives. Sateesh also said that this year, he number of job cards provided has been increased and the Zilla Panchayat has also launched a toll free helpline at 1800-4258-666. However, a district-level official, under the condition of anonymity, told DH that there is immense pressure on the government from political leaders to not allot work under MGNREGA during the monsoon, as there will be a shortage of labourers to work in the agriculture fields. Editors Note: This story has been updated with additional information from the prosecutors office and mayor. The Union County Prosecutors Office took control of the Hillside Police Department Friday after the towns mayor refused to comply with a Superior Court judges order to temporarily reinstate the chief after she suspended him. Hillside Police Chief Vincent Ricciardi was suspended June 1 by the mayor over a stipend he asked for in 2018 for a sergeant who worked as a training officer, according to a complaint he filed in court this week. His attorney, Ronald Ricci, previously said the mayor suspended him because she alleged town officials were misled by the chief since ranking cops didnt qualify for the stipend. Ricci said Friday evening Mayor Dahlia Vertreese had refused Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidys temporary order and hadnt reinstated the chief. He said that would make her in contempt of court. We will be in court Monday asking to find her to be in contempt of court and asking for sanctions against her and the township for her unlawful activity, Ricci said, adding that he will ask that criminal charges be filed against Vertreese as well. Vertreese, at first, told NJ Advance Media that she would not reinstate the chief, but later said she was merely confused" by the order. She said she is not in contempt of court since the prosecutors office is instead reinstating Ricciardi and running the police department" now. No, Vertreese said when asked if she would reinstate the chief. She (the judge) doesnt have the authority to tell me how to run my township. This is an administrative matter. The prosecutors office confirmed late Friday evening that it had taken control of the police department in Hillside because of the turmoil in the township. After the announcement from the prosecutors office, the mayor recanted her statement and said she had decided to reinstate Ricciardi. In order to maintain the continuity of operations of the Hillside Police Department, and ensure that the residents of Hillside remain safe, the Union County Prosecutors Office assumed control over the Hillside Police Department, the office said in statement. This action was necessitated by the turmoil that ensued from the Townships refusal to comply with a Superior Court order issued Friday reinstating Chief Vincent Ricciardi pending further court proceedings. A vote of no confidence against Ricciardi was made on Thursday by the townships superior officer union, FOP Lodge 160, the union president told NJ Advance Media. When asked about it Friday evening, Ricciardis attorney said he was not aware of the vote. Ricciardi does, however, have the support of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. The organizations attorney, Vito Gagliardi, sent a letter to the county prosecutor on June 8 asking her to intervene and investigate the situation in Hillside. Court exhibits show Ruotolos response from earlier this week. You do not state in your letter seeking intervention exactly how you wish this Office to intervene, Ruotolo wrote. I surmise, however, that you would have the Office immediately reinstate Chief Ricciardi to his position. I am unaware of any legal authority granting a County Prosecutor the power to appoint municipal police chiefs. Instead, that power appears firmly vested in municipal governments, she added, citing state statute. The acting prosecutor added that the state Civil Service Commission or the courts would fix any incorrect action if the township acted in excess of its authority. Ruotolo also wrote she told Ricciardi if he had any specific information of criminal corruption from anyone, he should speak to a prosecutor. Ricciardi was temporarily reinstated for a day this week and then told he would be suspended for six months and demoted to lieutenant, his attorney previously said. Court exhibits show the mayor assigned Lt. Matthew Cove to acting police chief while Ricciardi was suspended. Ricciardi was also suspended last fall, but the mayor never publicly gave a reason. He alleged in a tort claim months later that it was because he unknowingly appeared in a campaign flyer for a town school board member. The mayor wrote a guest column in the Star-Ledger and NJ Advance Media last year that spoke out against the town council and claimed she was bullied. Vertreese became mayor in 2018 after a close runoff election and did not appoint Ricciardi to chief under her tenure. He took the helm under former Mayor Angela Garretson, who is now a Union County freeholder, after she demoted then-chief Louis Panarese. Panarese sued the township and settled for $281,000 last year. Ricciardi makes $168,680 annually, state records show. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. The United Nations says it has determined that Iran was the source for several items in two arms shipments seized by the United States and for debris left by attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil installations and an international airport, according to a new report. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said some of the items seized by the US in November 2019 and February 2020 "were identical or similar" to those found after the cruise missiles and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia in 2019. He said in a report to the UN Security Council obtained Friday by The Associated Press that some items seized by the US in international waters off Yemen are not only Iranian but may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with the council resolution that endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The secretary-general was reporting on implementation of the 2015 resolution enshrining the nuclear agreement aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It includes restrictions that took effect on Jan. 16, 2016, on transfers to or from Iran of nuclear and ballistic missile material as well as arms. The Security Council is scheduled to discuss the resolution's implementation on June 30, and the U.S. is expected to press for the UN arms embargo against Iran, which is part of it, to be extended indefinitely before it expires in October. Iran's UN Mission responded to the report Friday saying: Iran categorically rejects the observations contained in the report concerning the Iranian connection to the export of weapons or their components that are used in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the Iranian origin of alleged US seizures of armaments. Its statement said the UN lacks the capacity, expertise, and knowledge to conduct such a sophisticated and sensitive investigation, adding that the report reproduces exact claims by the United States. In essence, the U.S. is sitting in the driver's seat to shape the so-called 'assessment' regarding the Iranian connection to the attacks, Iran said. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear agreement in May 2018 and re-imposed US sanctions that had been eased or lifted. American officials contend Iran is working to obtain nuclear-capable missiles, which the Iranians deny. The nuclear agreement is still supported by the five other parties France, Britain, Russia and China, which are all veto-wielding Security Council members, and Germany, which is currently serving a two-year term on the council. According to Guterres report, the arms shipments seized by the US were assessed by the UN Secretariat to include parts of anti-tank guided missiles from Iran with 2016, 2017 and 2018 production dates as well as thermal weapon optical sights with design characteristics similar to those produced by an Iranian company, and a computer keyboard with Farsi markings associated with an anti-ship missile. Guterres said UN experts also assessed that sections and components of cruise missiles recovered by the US from the sites of attacks on Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport in June and August 2019 and on Saudi Aramco oil facilities at Abqaiq and Khurays in September 2019 are of Iranian origin." As for the delta-wing drones used in attacks on Saudi oil facilities in May and September 2019, Guterres said, the Secretariat assesses that the un-crewed aerial vehicles and/or parts thereof used in the two attacks are of Iranian origin. The report also links Iranian material from the US seizures and the Saudi attacks. Guterres said the UN is also reviewing information in an Israeli letter last month on imagery of four Iranian anti-tank guided missiles being employed in Libya and information provided last month by Australia on its June 2019 seizure of arms from a dhow in international waters off the Gulf of Oman. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 10:45 588 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde672cb 1 National UI,University-of-Indonesia,BEM-UI,Papuan-Lives-Matter,Papuan-students,treason-case,amicus-curiae,#PapuanLivesMatter Free Two student organizations at the University of Indonesia (UI) have decided to file an amicus curiae a brief offered by someone who is not party to a case in support of seven Papuan activists on trial for treason for their involvement in the 2019 antiracism protests in Jayapura, Papua. The brief was drafted jointly by the UI Student Executive Body (BEM UI) and the UI School of Law Student Executive Body (BEM FHUI). Earlier this month, prosecutors at the Balikpapan district court in East Kalimantan demanded between five and 17 years of prison for the seven Papuan defendants for their participation in rallies in Jayapura. The protests were in response to a racial abuse incident targeting Papuan university students living in a dormitory in Surabaya, East Java. The students in the dorm were attacked physically and verbally by security personnel who reportedly called them monkeys and members of mass organizations who accused the Papuans of refusing to celebrate Indonesias 74th Independence Day. The responding protests in Jayapura started out peacefully but later turned violent and resulted in dozens of injuries and several buildings being damaged. Read also: Human Rights Watch urges authorities to free Papuan activists on trial for 2019 protests In a statement on Friday, the student body coalition argued that the treason charges were not appropriate and suggested that the authorities who were handling the case had racial biases against Papuans. They added that the protests in Jayapura last year were not intended to harm the security and the sovereignty of the nation but instead were peaceful protests to respond to the racist acts in Surabaya. All of the perpetrators [of the Surabaya incident] have been held responsible with minimum charges. Meanwhile, prosecutors are seeking to imprison the Papuan [activists] for up to 17 years, BEM UI and BEM FHUI argued in the statement. They said the protests were a form of political expression guaranteed by the Constitution and other international human rights instruments under the freedom of speech and expression. Therefore, all of [the defendants] have to be freed of all charges, especially treason, the student coalition said. Read also: Racism: My experience as a doctor in Papua BEM UI and BEM FHUI they had been holding public protests to express their view on the matter but had not encountered any issues. Meanwhile, these Papuan activists were charged with treason for protesting, they said. This is a true manifestation of the racial bias that is happening in our law enforcement. The students hoped that the court would find that racial biases had influenced the law enforcement personnel who had handled the case. We also hope that our amicus brief will be considered discussion material for the judges to reach their verdict, they said. This amicus curiae a Latin term meaning "friend of the court" was not the first attempt by UI students to highlight what many consider persecution of Papuans for their political activism. BEM UI recently held a public discussion on racism against Papuans in the legal system. However, the UI administration later issued a statement disavowing the event, saying the discussion did not reflect the views and attitudes of UI as an institution. An alliance of UI lecturers subsequently expressed their support for the discussion and lauded BEM UI for organizing it because it fostered the spirit of free speech among university academics. Read also: #PapuanLivesMatter: George Floyds death hits close to home in Indonesia Although amicus briefs are more common in countries that use a common law system, there are also some precedents for the submission of such briefs in Indonesia, which uses a civil law system. In 2013, for instance, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) filed an amicus curiae in an appeal of the verdict in a case regarding an attack in Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta. Other parties have submitted similar briefs, including Indonesia Corruption Watch in the case of an acid attack on Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan and the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) in a blasphemy case involving then-Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. US 'will soon kneel' in front of Iranians as economic terrorism failed: FM spokesman Iran Press TV Friday, 12 June 2020 9:54 AM The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has denounced US economic terrorism and pressure on the Iranian people, saying the restrictive measures have failed and that the administration in Washington "will soon kneel in front of Iranian Nation." In a post on his Twitter account on Friday, Abbas Mousavi shot back at Washington's satisfaction with the economic sanctions against Tehran and said an administration that presses its knee on the neck of its own people, should be happy with the imposition of economic terrorism on other countries. "A government whose policy is relying on 'knee on neck' of either its own people or others around the world, should be indeed happy with economic terrorism and pressure on the public," Mousavi said, referring to the brutal murder of African-American George Floyd, who lost his life after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25. "But you see that not the Iranians' neck, but your knee was wrung. You will soon kneel in front of Iranian Nation," he added. Floyd's death has sparked mass rallies in the United States and across the world, reigniting long-felt anger over police killings of African-Americans and breathing a new life into the Black Lives Matter movement. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman juxtaposed to his tweet a screenshot of comments recently made by US Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, who told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television that Washington was pleased with the outcome of the sanctions against Tehran and that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had set conditions for negotiations with the country. Hook had also claimed in his interview with Al Arabiya that the US sanctions had weakened Iran and affected Tehran's support for the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah. The US reinstated the sanctions against Tehran in 2018 after leaving the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and major world powers. Washington's departure and snapback of the bans came despite the nuclear deal's multilateral nature and the United Nations Security Council's enshrinement of the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Ever since quitting the deal, Washington has been trying to scare other countries of the world into abiding by its coercive measures, warning they would face punitive action if they failed to do so. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) known as the World Court has ordered the US to lift the sanctions it has illegally re-imposed on humanitarian supplies to Iran. Over the past weeks, calls have been growing on the world stage for the US to lift its illegal sanctions, which have severely affected Iran's healthcare system at a time when all countries are trying to join forces against the coronavirus pandemic. Moreover, the US has been trying to mount pressure on Iran through numerous other channels, including the Security Council itself and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The US has vowed to have the Security Council extend an arms embargo that will expire under the JCPOA in October, and threatened to restore all international sanctions against Tehran if the embargo is not prolonged. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address I feel as though I am in between a rock and a hard place. You see, I have been in between this hard place for a very long time. I guess when you walk out your Bronx, New York, apartment building and youre a teenager and youre just walking and plain clothes cops jump out and throw you up against a wall, you kind of go back to that hard place. Over, and over again you keep landing in this hard place. One day I was in Carlisle in one of my company vans and I just dropped off four people at the West End Bar. I left the bar and, as I was coming near Dickinson College, I was pulled over by a state trooper asking me if I was drinking. He said I was swerving in my van. I said, I am in my company van. It was just at the time when there was a black man shot that made national coverage. He came back and said, Have a good day. I drove two blocks and pulled over and began crying out of fear and anger. Yes, I was scared. I was angry that I was being racially profiled because I was black. So, yes, I have been in that hard place for many, many years. I dont understand and have stopped trying to figure out the hard place. It will never loosen its grasp on us. Yes, us, the black man in America. Yet, I have managed to do things I want to do in my life despite that hard place because I fight for Gary Grant. I fight for Gary Grant every day by becoming the best version of myself. The plight of the black man in America will always be a plight unless we accept the role of uplifting each of us. We must understand nobody but our own limiting beliefs keep us self-deflecting and not taking responsibility for our own actions. We must collectively own our issues and stop blaming others for our whys. Why I cant do this? Why I cant do that? Turn your why into solutions and find causes that will influence change in the community. Be a results-oriented human being. Get off social media and be action-focused. Turn your anger into action for real change in Carlisle. We need grassroots leaders in our community who will step up to the plate and be real change agents. Im talking to you, reader. Do not expect the local, state, federal government to be the change agents. You are the change agent, one community crossing over into another. We need to have social distancing Understanding Gatherings all over the Carlisle, Boiling Springs and Newville areas at parks. This is just Americans getting together and having real discussions about things we have in common more than things we differ upon. People on both sides want to be heard and this would give people real contact with different socioeconomic groups. Black men, I say, We are duty bound to become role models in our community. There are kids who need role models, and you may not think so but they are looking at your every movement. I was telling my spouse tonight at dinner that I do not want to be remembered in this world for nothing more than they say, Gary really loved to help people. To me that is winning at life. We all see the world from our own glasses but I implore you to take them off and see how you can become that change agent in our community. Email Tammie at tgitt@cumberlink.com. Follow her on Twitter @TammieGitt. Love 8 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 A labourer who was detained after the firing incident near the India-Nepal border on Friday, returned to his hometown in Bihars Sitamarhi on Saturday, after being released by Nepal's security personnel. Recalling his harrowing tale of police intimidation and brutality, Lagan Kishore said that during the firing incident he had rushed towards the Indian-side of the border; however, the police personnel dragged him back, hit him with the rifle butt and took him back to Nepals Sangrampur. They told me to confess that I was brought there from Nepal. I told them you can kill me but I was brought there from India, Lagan Kishore told ANI. Bihar: One person Lagan Kishore, who was detained by Nepal's security personnel yesterday after firing near India-Nepal border, returned to Sitamarhi today after being released by them. pic.twitter.com/wbwXj1ffDa ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2020 A labourer was killed and two others injured in alleged firing by Nepal police personnel along the India-Nepal border in Bihar's Sitamarhi district on Friday, June 12. READ | Labourer Allegedly Shot Dead By Nepal Border Police Along International Border In Bihar Local altercation After the firing occurred at the India-Nepal border in Bihar, the security forces on Friday stated that the firing was a result of a 'local altercation'. SSB DG Kumar Rajesh Chandra had said that a local issue had cropped up recently and that the SSB 51st Bn Commandant has spoken to Nepalese SP Sarlahi along with the Indian SP Sitamarhi. A case will be filed soon seeking an investigation, he added stating that a report of the preliminary findings has been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). READ | Security Forces Clarify On Labourer Shot By Nepal Police, Term It local Altercation Firing at India-Nepal border In a shocking series of events, a labourer was reportedly shot dead and two were injured by the Nepal border police at the International border in Sitamarahi in Bihar on Friday. According to the deceased's father, the victim was working at a farm at the border areas with Nepal and was allegedly shot 17-18 times by the Nepal border police following an altercation. The deceased father said that 5-6 workers had gone to work on the field and alleged that his son was killed after the Nepal border police fired 17-18 rounds. READ | 1 Killed, 2 Injured In Firing By Nepal Police Along IB In Bihar READ | COAS Naravane Affirms On India's Border Dispute With Nepal & China: 'It's Under Control' New World Centre (Photo: Google Streetview) SINGAPORE Six more places have been added to the list of public venues visited by confirmed community cases during their infectious period. In a media release on Saturday (13 June), the Ministry of Health listed The Poiz Centre along Upper Serangoon Road, Sheng Siong Supermarket in New World Centre along Jalan Berseh, Sheng Siong Supermarket at 301 Geylang Road, 18 Marsiling Lane a HDB block and Boon Lay Shopping Centre. It also included Geylang Serai Market, visited in this instance from 7.30am to 8am on 4 June, which was also visited on different dates and times previously. Public places visited by cases in the community during infectious period, published 13 June (Table: Ministry of Health) The MOH said that as a precautionary measure, persons who had been at these locations during the specified timings should monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit. They should see a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection (such as cough, sore throat and runny nose), as well as fever and loss of taste or smell, and inform the doctor of their exposure history. It added that there is no need to avoid places where confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been. The National Environment Agency will engage the management of affected premises to provide guidance on cleaning and disinfection. First published on 25 May, the list which excludes residences, workplaces, healthcare facilities and public transport will be updated on a rolling 14-day basis or one incubation period. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Other Singapore stories: COVID-19: Singapore confirms 347 new cases; total surpasses 40,000 On The Mic: Data security amid a pandemic Who can we trust? F1 Singapore Grand Prix is off, as COVID-19 restrictions make it 'impossible' Singapore People's Party to field 5 candidates at upcoming general election: report The list of potential running mates for the presumptive nominee is as notable for who is on it as it is for who is not. Media in the United States reported on Friday that Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Bidens search for a running mate is entering a second round of vetting and the narrowed list circulating in some circles is as much notable for who is not on it as who is. Democrats with knowledge of the process told the Associated Press news agency that Bidens search committee has narrowed the choices to as few as six serious contenders. Those still in contention include US Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, as well as Susan Rice, who served as former President Barack Obamas national security adviser. Biden, who boxed himself in by declaring unequivocally in March that he would choose a woman as his running mate, was already under pressure from Democrats to have a woman of colour on the ticket because of the outsized role that Black voters played in his road to the nomination during the primaries. The more recent reckoning over racism and inequality roiling the nation following the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis has only added to that pressure. Yousef Al Otaiba, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the US, left, and Susan Rice, former National Security Advisor [File: Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo] Terry McAuliffe, the former Virginia governor and former Democratic National Committee chairman, said that while Bidens choice was likely to be all about personal chemistry, it would be exciting for the party to have a Black woman on a major party presidential ticket for the first time. The campaigns shortlist includes several Black women, including Harris and Rice. Advisers have also looked closely at Florida Congresswoman Val Demings and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, both of whom are Black, and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Latina. Bidens vetting committee had conversations with a larger group of women earlier this spring; those continuing on in the process have been asked to turn over financial records, past writings and other documentation. Biden has had various public and private interactions with many of the women his vetting committee has considered thus far, but has not yet had any formal one-on-one interviews expressly to discuss the number-two spot on the ticket. Those arent expected for several weeks. Susan Rice worked closely with Biden during his time as vice president, and has emerged as a favourite among some former Obama administration officials and is personally close to the former president. She has never held elected office but has extensive foreign policy experience, including as US ambassador to the United Nations. Shes also been an outspoken critic of the administration of US President Donald Trump since leaving the White House and considered running for the US Senate in Maine. Rice has long been a target of Republicans, including for statements she made blaming the deadly 2012 attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya on protests spawned by an internet video. Republicans have also accused her of spying on Michael Flynn, Trumps first national security adviser, though records declassified by the Trump administration show no evidence of Rice improperly accessing any information. Harris and Warren have been seen as top contenders for the number-two spot since ending their own presidential campaigns. Joe Biden: "I fully support Senator Warren's bipartisan effort to form a commission to rename Defense Department facilities named after Confederate leaders in the next three years, and look forward to implementing the commission's work as president." https://t.co/Sd9puPntj1 Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 12, 2020 Elizabeth Warren and Biden have forged a surprising bond in recent months and talk regularly about the progressive policy ideas the Massachusetts senator put at the forefront of her campaign. Biden already has adopted her proposed bankruptcy law overhaul. And now, with the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic slowdown elevating the nuts and bolts of governing, some Democrats see Warrens policy credentials as an asset to the ticket. A Biden-Warren pairing, however, would mean both Democrats on the ticket are white and in their 70s. Biden is 77, and Warren is 70. Kamala Harris is the lone Black contender who has won statewide office notable experience given Bidens emphasis on wanting a partner ready to be president. She and Biden have also demonstrated a comfortable manner with each other in online fundraisers. Harris is an expert voice in discussions of criminal justice, but some Black progressives view her background as a prosecutor sceptically. The most tone deaf thing Biden could do right now is pick a former cop or a former prosecutor for VP. That disqualifies Klobuchar for sure, and doesnt look great for Demings or Harris either. https://t.co/GHROxQHf50 Brittney Cooper (@ProfessorCrunk) June 5, 2020 Amy Klobuchar is a contender whose standing appears to have fallen. The Minnesota Senator was a prosecutor years ago in the county that includes Minneapolis. During that period, more than two dozen people mostly people of colour died during encounters with police, and Klobuchar has caught flak for not doing more about it at the time. Stacey Abrams is also notably absent from the shortlist. The former Georgia gubernatorial candidate has mounted an unusually public campaign for the spot, going so far as to declare herself an excellent choice during one television appearance. Abrams said this week that she has not been contacted by the campaign. I have said many times that if called, I will answer, but I have not received any calls, Abrams said during an appearance on Stephen Colberts The Late Show on Wednesday. LONDONOn Thursday night, British chat-show host Trisha Goddard discussed the impact of an impersonation of her by a white comedian in blackface that was popular on television here in the early 2000s. Ive only recently discovered how bullied my children were as a result of the character, Goddard said on the BBC program Newsnight. Let me be clear on this. If the parody was just of me, that would be one thing, she said. But it was racial, over the top: the big lips, the big wide hips, the rice and peas. It was all the things that every Black child has been bullied about, she added. The character was one of several caricatures of Black celebrities on the show Bo Selecta! that were played by white comedian Leigh Francis, wearing masks with grotesquely exaggerated features. At the time, musician Craig David described in interviews how humiliating he found the shows character based on him. Francis apologized for the impersonations early this month in an Instagram video, saying, I didnt realize how offensive it was. A few days later, broadcaster Channel 4 removed the show from its streaming service. Bo Selecta! is one of a host of once-popular British comedy shows that were pulled from streaming services here, including Netflix and the BBCs iPlayer, last week because they include blackface or racial slurs, some from as recently as 2010. For many Britons, blackface is understood to be an ugly relic of the countrys past, used to ridicule and demean people of colour and perpetuate racist stereotypes. Blackface on British TV is largely associated with The Black and White Minstrel Show, a now notorious but once extremely popular variety show that featured people singing in blackface. The BBC stopped airing it in 1978, but the shows pulled last week, including The League of Gentlemen, Little Britain and The Mighty Boosh, highlight how many more recent depictions have been accepted on British television. Now, with the mainstream representations of Black lives at the forefront of many peoples minds, after tens of thousands attended Black Lives Matter protests across the country, and protesters removed a slave traders statue in Bristol, British television is having to grapple with these recent racist depictions. Gina Yashere, a British comedian and the executive producer of the CBS series Bob Hearts Abishola, said in a telephone interview that it shouldnt have taken George Floyds killing and the global response to make people rethink blackface. Black comedians had been pointing out that using blackface in comedy was wrong for years, she added. We were told we had no sense of humour. We were told we were being negative, she said. We were told that it was sour grapes, that we were jealous. They say, Oh, its just us playing characters, Yashere added. It isnt characters. Its always in comedy and its always sending up Black people. Some of the shows pulled from streaming services were made by household names here. On Tuesday, the BBC removed Little Britain, a sketch show created by David Walliams and Matt Lucas that aired from 2003 to 2005, from its streaming service because it featured Walliams playing an obese Black woman in a sauna. Times have changed since Little Britain first aired, a BBC spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The pair also played minority characters in their followup BBC show from 2010, Come Fly With Me, which was not available for streaming. Lucas was appointed a host of The Great British Baking Show this year. On Wednesday, Netflix removed the surreal comedy shows The League of Gentlemen and The Mighty Boosh from its platforms. Noel Fielding, who is also a host of The Great British Baking Show, appeared as a character called The Spirit of Jazz in one Mighty Boosh sketch, wearing dreadlocks and blackface. (The League of Gentlemen and The Mighty Boosh are still available to stream on the BBCs platform.) Ava Vidal, a British comedian, said in a telephone interview that she had never been surprised about the use of blackface in these shows. I think its so ingrained, people dont even realize whats going on, she said. Youve got to let Black people and people of colour decide what racism is. In Britain, blackface has promoted harmful stereotypes that are often not even based in truth, she said. She pointed to the impersonation of Goddard, saying it included a Jamaican accent. It was simply generic nonsense, Vidal said, adding that people often talk to her with fake West Indian accents. Those types of stereotypes make life hell for people and kids suffer terribly at school because of it. Yashere said she had spent her school years being mocked with references to the Black and White Minstrel Show. These are the things you put up with because of blackface, because we were dehumanized and made to look stupid, she added. Its not just on comedy series. On Wednesday, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly two high-profile presenters of British reality TV posted an apology on social media for impersonating people of colour in order to prank other celebrities on their show Saturday Night Takeaway. Then it emerged that UKTV, another streaming service, had taken down an episode of the John Cleese comedy Fawlty Towers that contains racial slurs. (The segment had long been edited out of the episode when it was broadcast on television, but is still viewable on Netflix.) On social media, some people of colour expressed concern that the pushback around removing an episode of a classic comedy like Fawlty Towers risks distracting from the wider debate about race in Britain. It makes me sick to think of all the petty culture war nonsense thats going to absolutely flood the zone soon and risk turning an epic moment into just more ammunition for bad-faith actors to say Black people and lefties are trying to cancel everything, Nesrine Malick, a columnist for The Guardian, wrote on Twitter. Representatives for Fielding, Lucas and other stars whose shows were removed from streaming services all declined or did not respond to interview requests. But in the past, several have defended or sought to explain their use of blackface. There was no bad intent there, Lucas said in a 2017 magazine interview. The only thing you could accuse us of was greed. We just wanted to show off about what a diverse bunch of people we could play. Now I think its lazy for white people to get a laugh just by playing Black characters. Reece Shearsmith, one of the writers and stars of The League of Gentlemen, has repeatedly said that one of his characters on the show, Papa Lazarou a carnival owner whose face is painted black, with white circling his eyes and mouth was not intended to be Black. In February, The Independent newspaper asked Shearsmith if he understood the complaints. I guess so, he said. It was always this clown-like makeup, and we just came up with what we thought was the scariest idea to have in a sort of Child Catcher-like way. After hearing Shearsmiths claims, Yashere said they were scarcely believable given that the makeup looked the same as old racist imagery. That was not a clown. That was a golliwog, she said, naming a minstrel caricature once shown on jar labels in Britain. He didnt come up with anything. All he did was take all the horrible depictions of Black people on products as far back as the 1800s and reconstituted it, and said its ironic. British comedy has a long and uneven tradition of pushing boundaries of taste, even when people of colour raise concerns. One former star defended blackface on BBC radio last week. On Thursday, Harry Enfield, a comedian who was popular on British TV in the 1990s, said he had appeared as Black characters several times in the past, including once playing Nelson Mandela as a drug dealer. That was so wrong, it was right, he said of the sketch. I wouldnt do it now, he added, but I dont think I regret it. He then mentioned the stage name of one music hall star, despite it containing a racial slur. Several British comedians mocked Enfields comments online. Essentially, a lot of the defence of blackface in comedy comes down to people being more outraged that theyre not allowed to play dress up than racism itself, tweeted Lolly Adefope, who stars in Hulus Shrill. On the radio show, Enfield tried to make a final defence for blackface by asking what would happen if Rishi Sunak Britains chancellor ever became prime minister. Ive played Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, David Cameron, he said. I would find it difficult that I would not be allowed to play him because of the colour of his skin. Vidal was a guest on the show and was asked for her response. She said she was sure that Enfield could find ways to mock the prime minister without blacking up. Comedy, she had said earlier in the segment, is about being funny, first and foremost. Punching down and picking on oppressed people is not funny. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 13 By Eldar Janashvili Trend: Grain harvesting has been completed by 16.7 percent in Azerbaijan, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture. As of June 12, 514,250 tons of crops have been harvested from the fields with the area of 169,100 hectares, of which 161,540 hectares accounted for barley, and 7,560 hectares - for wheat. The average yield for barley is 30.3 centners per hectare, while for wheat 33.2 centners per hectare. Currently, the harvesting of grain crops is underway in 36 districts, mainly in the Aran economic region, and partly in the Aran zone of the foothill regions. To date, the highest yields have been observed in Aghdam, Aghjabedi, Aghsu, Hajigabul, Imishli, Gakh, Saatli, Salyan, Sabirabad and Samukh districts. The barley yield in the districts exceeded 33 centners per hectare. Some 1,398 combines are involved in the harvesting process, of which 552 are combines that are on the balance of the regional divisions of Agroleasing OJSC. Moreover, the leasing company supplied 166 combines of the Aran zone to the mountain districts. As many as 707 combines owned by individuals and legal entities are also involved in the harvesting process. The grain crops harvested by combines under the balance of Agroleasing OJSC accounted for the fields with the area of 66,800 hectares, while by combines of individuals and legal entities for 102,300 hectares. In total, over 1,700 combines are planned to be involved in the process. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @eldarjanashvili As many as 56,000 Toronto children could be without a daycare spot under Ontarios plan to reopen child care across the province, according to a city councillor. There is no plan here, Coun. Joe Cressy said Friday. The province has announced the reopening of child care without a plan to ensure access to child care for parents who need it. City modelling shows that of about 80,000 licensed spaces in Toronto child-care centres, just 24,000 will reopen because of strict new provincial guidelines released this week, he said. The numbers will be even smaller if some centres decide they cannot reopen under the circumstances. As usual, we have no concrete details from the province, so were trying to figure this out quickly, he said in an interview. But from these early rough calculations, its pretty clear: there is a plan for how to safely operate child care, but there is no plan in this province for how to deliver it, added Cressy (Ward 10, SpadinaFort York), who also chairs the Citys board of health. They have no plan to expand the capacity, nor do they have a plan to pay for it. Premier Doug Ford announced Tuesday that daycares across the province could reopen starting Friday as long as they followed stringent safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The measures, described in a 20-page guideline document, are similar to those for emergency child-care programs operating for front-line workers. They include screening of all staff and children, enhanced cleaning, a ban on visitors, a limit of 10 people (staff and kids) per room, and the removal of all toys that can easily spread germs. But new, smaller group sizes mean fewer children can be served and less revenue will result from parent fees. As the province is prohibiting centres from raising parent fees, advocates and operators have been wondering where the extra money will come from. Funding guidelines released by Ontarios Education Ministry on Friday show centres will be able to access provincial funding as well as time-limited federal-provincial pandemic wage and rent subsidies and an unspecified amount of child-care money from Ottawa. Between resumed provincial funding, parent fees and federal programs, staffing costs will be met, including any gaps left by federal programs, the guidelines say. Operating costs and rent should be met in the same way. Any additional costs related to enhanced cleaning and personal protective equipment will also be covered by the province, the document says. Mayor John Tory, who earlier Friday expressed concern about child care funding, welcomed provincial assurances that the reopening will be fully funded with no undue pressure to operators, families or municipal budgets. This is good news for families, for child care operators and for municipalities, and I thank the premier and (Education) Minister Stephen Lecce, and the governments for agreeing with these objectives, he told reporters. Tory said the city expects a gradual reopening of 47 city-run child-care centres starting Monday, June 29, as it winds down emergency child care and works to ensure parents using that program find alternative arrangements. Eleven city-run centres are expected to reopen June 29, with an additional 10 centres reopening throughout July. Another 19 are aiming to open in September, while seven centres are on hold pending further analysis, he said. Reopening child-care facilities is an important milestone in our recovery journey and will help parents and guardians as more and more workplaces reopen, he said. While it wont be a risk-free environment, our staff will be doing everything they can to make it safe for children and child-care staff to return and have the systems in place to respond should anyone come in contact with COVID-19, he added. Tory said he will continue to advocate with the provincial and federal governments to expand child care in the city and keep an eye out for the capacity of the system overall. As daycares reopen, Tory said he expects many families will either keep their children home for the summer or be too anxious to use the system. But he said he would be watching for when people do return, that there is space for the ones that were there before, let alone all the needs we have that werent being met before the pandemic. Reduced capacity for child care is part of the provinces phase 2 reopening plan, said Shanley McNamee, general manager of childrens services for the city. Moving into stage 3, ideally in September, that capacity will increase, she told reporters. Ultimately, over time, centres will be able to return to their full operating capacity. Until then, the province has suggested centres give priority to front-line health-care workers and then to parents working outside the home and families with special circumstances. But it will be up to each daycare to assess their own families needs, McNamee said. Toronto mother of two Roxanne Stewart-Johnson is worried her sons downtown daycare will not be able to afford to reopen. Stewart-Johnson, a single mother who is completing a masters degree in journalism at Ryerson University, said during the shutdown shes been helping her five-year-old son, Ben, with his home schooling, while also looking after Salem, 2. She squeezes in her own study time whenever she can throughout the day. The boys have attended Catholic Settlement House Day Nursery, and Stewart-Johnson has kept in touch with the director every couple of weeks for updates. Because her children have been there for about two years, shes been told they will be able to return if the centre opens up. The director is worried about purchasing, even sourcing, personal protective equipment and all the safety protocols with limited funding, given not all students can return for safety reasons, Stewart-Johnson said. Until it is sorted out, she doesnt know if she can open. Stewart-Johnson said worries about COVID-19 dont compare to her worries about the centre remaining closed. I have no idea what I am going to do, she said, noting it would be difficult to find other daycares, given there were long wait lists before COVID-19 restrictions. I am just praying for a miracle right now. Child-care operators and advocates are also concerned about the capacity of the system. Amy ONeil, director of Treetop Childrens Centre at Oriole Parkway Junior Public School, said her 155-child program will be limited to just 24 children under the new rules. About three weeks ago, a parent survey showed about 35 families wanted care, she said. Now that the reopening has been announced, I expect that more will want to come, said ONeil, who is co-chair of the Toronto Community for Better Child Care. With all of the new safety guidelines, she doesnt expect her centre will be able to reopen until at least mid-July. The Ford government has been saying for months that child care is an essential service and Education Minister Stephen Lecce has called child care a prerequisite for reopening the economy, she noted. Despite a detailed report based on a survey of more than 4,000 child-care operators and staff calling on the province to consult them on how to reopen safely and give programs at least three weeks notice to plan, Premier Doug Fords Tuesday announcement gave the sector just three days. Safety guidelines werent released until eight hours after Ford made the announcement. And most centres, including her own, havent yet seen final funding guidelines, she added. It certainly doesnt instil confidence, ONeil said. Lecce said Ontario is committed to protecting childrens safety and the financial interests of families. That is why we unveiled a plan that will enhance health protocols, keep students safe and not impose higher fees on working parents, he said in a statement to the Star. Our plan was reviewed by the best medical and scientific minds in Ontario, imposing the strictest standards to keep our youngest learners safe, he said. We know that child care is critical to our economic recovery. That is why we are providing more financial support and guidance to child-care operators to ensure a sustainable sector. It is also why we are providing clear health guidance to ensure our staff and kids remain safe. The number of centres able to reopen on Friday, or those awaiting provincial permission to do so, is not yet available. Read more about: Former prime minister Tony Abbott said he sympathises with local Black Lives Matter protesters and the country has "atoning to do" for past wrongs against Indigenous Australians, but rejected suggestions they were unjustly policed or incarcerated. Mr Abbott - who has had a career-long interest in Indigenous issues and was a special envoy on Indigenous affairs under Prime Minister Scott Morrison - said there was no evidence the court system discriminated against First Australians. Former prime minister Tony Abbott launched his sister Christine Forster's book Life, Love and Marriage, last week. Credit:Getty Images "Obviously the Indigenous incarceration rate is much higher than the general incarceration rate. That shouldn't be so unless there's evidence that courts are more likely to imprison Indigenous offenders than non-Indigenous offenders, and there is none," he told The Sun-Herald in his first substantive comments on the protest movement sweeping the globe. "The higher Indigenous incarceration rate is a function of the higher Indigenous offending rate. It is absolutely tragic. But we know that when it comes to domestic violence and a lot else, this is much worse in Indigenous communities than most parts of the country." Actor Marisa Tomei has expressed regret for deciding to play maternal characters on screen, suggesting that it might have typecast her. Tomei played Aunt May to Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War. In a discussion with Collider, when she was asked about playing maternal characters in Spider-Man and her recent release, The King of Staten Island, Tomei said, I really regret starting down this road, and I really regret starting to do that. I was, you know, talked into it not this, but I mean just that change and I really always felt like, Oh, I could play a lot of things. Honestly, its probably more of a stretch than other things. But, its yeah, I guess I said it all. Also read: When Tobey Maguire was fired as Spider-Man after faking injury to get more money, nearly replaced by Jake Gyllenhaal She continued, I think every actor and actress has a lot of dimensions to them, and if the scope of what is being written and being made is narrow, and you want to keep working, you do what you can. I mean, I do. I tried it. It was maybe not the right road, but you know, I do try to make the most of it. Tomei isnt the only actor whos played Aunt May and also lived to regret it. For different reasons, actor Sally Field, who played the character in Andrew Garfields Spider-Man films, said she didnt even especially like the movies and didnt put a great deal of effort in her performance. Also read: The real reason why Andrew Garfield was fired as Spider-Man, replaced by Tom Holland She told Howard Stern that she did the films as a favour to her producer friend Laura Ziskin, who had been diagnosed with cancer. My friend Laura Ziskin was the producer, and we knew it would be her last film, and she was my first producing partner, and she was a spectacular human, Field said, adding, Its really hard to find a three dimensional character in it, and you work it as much as you can, but you cant put ten pounds of sh*t in a five pound bag. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Morning show host of Angel FM in Accra, Captain Smart has glorified versatile radio personality Ohemaa Woyeje known in real life as Harey Adjoa Yeboah Asuama Kusi and happens to be the mid-morning host of Angel FM extolling her as the best female presenter in Ghana. Captain Smart backed his statement with Ohemaas unique presentation skills and the fact that she is multi-lingual. Captain Smart also added that he has not in recent times come across any female mid-morning presenter like Ohemaa. "Honestly, I have not seen your type, a woman who handles mid-morning perfectly like the way you do, majority of Ghanaians do agree with what am saying," Captain Smart revealed on Angel Fm monitored by Attractive Mustapha. Captain Smart further promised to sponsor a memoir on the success story of Ohemaa Woyeje. Ohemaa Woyeje joined Angel Fm not too long after resigning from Adom FM on January 31. Ladbrokes Coral owner GVC has sparked a backlash after it handed top bosses share bonuses potentially worth 5million despite furloughing all 14,000 staff at its betting shops. Chief executive Kenny Alexander has been given shares currently worth 3.3million, while chief financial officer Rob Wood has been handed shares worth 1.4million. Some of those will definitely pay out in 2023 because they date from 2019, while most will only pay out then if the company hits what it calls 'stretching' performance targets. Signing off: Ladbrokes Coral owner GVC furloughed all 14,000 staff at its betting shops The share awards come after GVC furloughed all staff at its 3,100 betting shops operating under the Ladbrokes and Coral brands. All of those outlets reopen tomorrow and the staff will come off furlough. The Government has been paying 80 per cent of their wages, while GVC has been topping this up so staff receive their full salaries. However, Andrew Speke at the High Pay Centre, an independent think-tank, said: 'For a company to be relying on public finances to pay its workers' wages, while handing out millions to its executives in bonuses flies in the face of what the general public expects from businesses at a time of national crisis. 'Perhaps now is the time for Government to make it clear that it will not tolerate such behaviour from companies using the scheme.' Firms have been warned about dishing out long-term share bonuses during the coronavirus crisis. In April, the Investment Association, which represents investment managers and asset management firms, said that companies that had used taxpayer support such as the furlough scheme but where pay remained high risked 'significant reputational ramifications'. The Association, whose members manage 7.7trillion in assets, urged pay committees to postpone granting long-term incentives if the share price has yet to recover and to trim the number of shares if it results in a large payout. GVC, which suffered a shareholder revolt over pay last year, delayed awarding the shares in March, when the share price had collapsed, amid fears about the impact of coronavirus on business as its shops shut. But now the share price has recovered to near pre-virus levels, GVC has decided to award them. The share price recovery means it is set to re-enter the FTSE100 after a year's absence. The company is also benefiting from business rates relief. In April, it said it was saving about 20million a month through the furlough scheme and rates relief combined. GVC said its remuneration committee could decide to reduce the payouts if they result in 'windfall gains'. GVC bosses have taken a 20 per cent salary cut since May and have decided not to take an annual bonus for this year. Long-term bonuses however tend to be far more lucrative than salaries or annual bonuses. GVC said of the long-term incentive plan bonuses: 'We originally delayed the awarding of the LTIPs and the payment of the 2019 bonus due to the uncertainty created by Covid-19. However, the outlook for GVC is now more certain as a result of the gradual resumption of sport and the reopening of our retail estate next week. 'The remuneration committee has therefore deemed it appropriate to pay the 2019 bonus and make the LTIP awards, which contain stretching performance conditions that have not been adjusted to take into account the impact of Covid-19.' GVC has grown through a series of takeover deals under Scottish boss Alexander, including buying Bwin.Party and culminating in the 4billion deal for Ladbrokes Coral, the high street bookmaker, in 2018. Alexander came under fire last year for offloading 13.7million in GVC shares, just days after its share price was boosted by an upbeat set of financial results. His sale along with that of former chairman Lee Feldman caused the share price to dive 20 per cent in a single day. Alexander and Feldman controversially signed off each other's share sales. Alexander was branded a coward by MPs last year for refusing to turn up to a parliamentary hearing on problem gambling online. Other firms have come under fire for their behaviour while taking taxpayers' cash. BP refused to cut its dividend, but last week announced as many as 10,000 jobs would be cut. Tesco came in for heavy criticism for rewarding shareholders with a 635million dividend after receiving a 585million business rates holiday from the Government. "Citizens of these countries will not need to have a certificate on the absence of coronavirus, as well as go to 14-day quarantine," the diplomats said.At the same time, for residents of Spain and the UK who came to France, restrictions will continue.As of June 13, 726 people in France were infected with coronavirus per day. In total, 193,220 cases of infection were recorded during the pandemic, of which 29,377 people died and 72,695 were cured. The California Horse Racing Board approved a new rule on Thursday that will limit the amount of times a jockey can strike a horse during a race, according to the Associated Press. Under the new rule, which was approved by a 4-2 vote, jockeys cant strike a horse more than six times during a race. After that, they can only do so in an underhand position. The rule also allows no more than two strikes in succession using whips that meet new board standards, which are designed to soften the blow, per the report. Though some were against the change, and wanted to instead wait for a proposed national rule to be implemented, board chairman Gregory Ferraro didnt see a point in waiting any longer. This board has a mandate from the governor to make reforms in racing that contribute to the welfare of the horse, Ferraro said, via the Associated Press. Weve been talking about this crop rule for two years. I think its time to stop procrastinating and pass a rule Were never going to please the jocks. They dont want to do anything but keep the status quo. We appreciate their argument. But its not going to fly in the face of the public demand that we quit hitting these horses. Violators of the new rule will face a maximum fine of $1,000 and a suspension of at least three days, per the report. If its determined that the use of the whip was necessary for the safety of the horse or rider, however, there will be no penalty. The Jockeys Guild was against the rule change, though pushed back against Ferraros statement that they wanted to stick to the status quo. They also believe that the rule change is based more on public perception than anything, which can lead to more accidents on the track. Were concerned that its not going to work, and that theres going to be real safety issues when a jockey is unable to perform his or her job, said Shane Gusman, the attorney for the Jockeys guild, via the Associated Press. What will happen is youre going to get an accident, and either a jockey is going to get hurt or a horse is going to go down. Youre going to end racing in California. Its just going to happen if you go down this road of trying to regulate perception rather than reality. Story continues The new rule will prohibit jockeys from striking a horse more than six times in a single race, among other things. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) More from Yahoo Sports: Preventing the Purple Line from stalling amid spiraling costs is critical for Hogan. As head of the National Governors Association, he has made infrastructure investments, including via public-private partnerships like the Purple Lines, his signature initiative. His administration also recently began to solicit companies to add toll lanes to Interstate 270 and the states part of the Capital Beltway, in what Hogan has said will be one of the largest public-private partnerships ever in the United States. A police force has angered officers by warning that they may face consequences if they decline to take the knee at anti-racism protests. Hertfordshire Constabulary said those who chose not to make the solidarity gesture may become the focus of the protesters attention. The advice was issued during a recent operational briefing and points out that, when officers kneel down joining in the symbolic stance of the Black Lives Matter movement it has a very positive reaction on the protest groups. But one senior detective told The Mail on Sunday: Its absurd. Will officers be expected to make similarly appeasing gestures at political events far-Right protests, for instance? Hertfordshire Constabulary said officers who chose not to make the solidarity gesture may become the focus of the protesters attention Former Home Secretary David Blunkett is among politicians who have warned that the action risks drawing police into politics and could lead to false accusations of racism being levelled at any who refuse to join in. I am concerned that the gesture of kneeling, though prompted by the best instincts, might give the perception of undermining the role of the police in such situations, he said last week. They are there to ensure a safe demonstration, not to make political statements. He added that many people may have been left deeply uneasy at the sight of police kneeling before a protesting crowd, saying: If they attend rallies in their own time, I would have no problem with police making symbolic gestures of solidarity with anti-racists. But it is a different matter when they don their uniform. The advice was issued during a recent operational briefing and points out that, when officers kneel down joining in the symbolic stance of the Black Lives Matter movement it has a very positive reaction on the protest groups' Hertfordshire Police faced criticism of its handling of a Black Lives Matter protest in the town of Hoddesdon last week where hecklers cut short a peaceful demonstration by yelling racist abuse. In a video widely shared online, one man was heard shouting 'Go back to Africa' at protestors. 57 ARRESTS SO WHY NO CHARGES? No one has yet been charged over the scenes of violence and vandalism at antiracism protests last weekend. In London, 57 people were arrested for criminal damage, assaulting police officers and other offences, with much of the trouble filmed by bystanders. But none has been brought before the courts. Last night Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen called for London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Met Commissioner Cressida Dick to resign for abandoning the rule of law in the capital, saying: They are clearly appeasing the protesters and the rioters. No arrests at all were made in most cities, including Bristol, where the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was toppled, and Coventry, where protests brought the M6 to a standstill last Sunday. Advertisement Police stationed themselves between the two groups as tensions escalated, but many expressed anger that no arrests were made. The force has now launched an investigation. People across the world have been encouraged to take the knee as part of a Stand Up To Racism campaign, following the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of US police. Following his death, Metropolitan Police officers were pictured kneeling outside Downing Street in solidarity with protesters. Scotland Yard initially said officers can kneel when it is safe and does not interfere with their duties. It later told its officers they should not kneel at public order events for their own safety, but that at other times it was a personal choice. But one Met officer, Inspector Richard Berns, broke ranks and declared he would not get involved in politics by taking the knee. Alan Pughsley, the Chief Constable of Kent, is believed to be the first top-ranking officer to make the gesture since protests began. Hertfordshire Police said of the kneeling advice: Officers working at events involving the Black Lives Matters movement are free to demonstrate their personal support by taking the knee should they wish. The force has not sought to either encourage or discourage this action which remains a personal choice. Thousands Mark Protest Anniversary in Hong Kong's Streets, Schools and Malls 2020-06-12 -- Police in Hong Kong detained and searched dozens of people, including students in school uniform, after thousands turned out in shopping malls and streets across the city to mark the first anniversary of mass public protests on June 12, 2019. Protesters gathered in Mong Kok and Causeway Bay, chanting calls for independence for the city ahead of the imposition of a draconian national security law that will see China's feared state security police operate there to implement anti-subversion and sedition legislation. The crowd also sang the protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong," the singing of which in a school recently led to the firing of a teacher. Outside a school in Kowloon Tong, students from Heung To Middle School chanted slogans criticizing the school authorities for their refusal to extend the teacher's contract after the song was sung under her supervision. The school later described itself in an email to parents as "patriotic," a buzz-word used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to counteract liberal values in the Hong Kong education system. Education secretary Kevin Yeung said the song "Glory to Hong Kong" was political propaganda that had no place in schools. But a high school student surnamed Chan who attended a protest on Friday said there is a feeling among young people in the city that their future has been taken away from them. "We want everyone in Hong Kong to remember that day, and not to forget what the protests were about right from the start," Chan said. "The government shouldn't be silencing people, because high school students are an important bridge to Hong Kong's future," he said. "There is nothing wrong with allowing politics into schools; if high schoolers don't care about politics, then who will?" "We need to band together to protect our future." A protester surnamed Cheung said she went to the protest because she had immigrated to Hong Kong more than a decade ago and had grown to appreciate its freedoms. "We live in a very free environment where we can express ourselves, but now it looks as if that's all going to change because of the government, because of Beijing," she said. "It doesn't matter how much money you have; it's not going to be of much benefit if we live in an oppressive environment," she said. "What we need is freedom." Protesters also held exhibitions of news photos from the day's protests in venues across the city on Friday. Police warned crowds in Causeway Bay and Mong Kok they were taking part in an "illegal protest" and told them to leave. Movement sparked by protest A mass protest on June 12, 2019 outside the city's Legislative Council (LegCo) marked the first time police were accused of deploying excessive force against a large crowd of peaceful, unarmed protesters, some of whom were forced to cram themselves through a single revolving door to escape volleys of the gas being lobbed into a restricted space crowded with people who couldn't move freely. The June 12 protest was a turning point in the campaign against plans by chief executive Carrie Lam to table legal amendments in LegCo enabling the extradition of alleged criminal suspects to mainland China. The protests led to the suspension of the LegCo session and stalled the amendment for months. Lam's refusal to respond to public opinion and the use of violent tactics by riot police to disperse the crowds sparked an even bigger wave of popular anger, and a gathering of some two million turned out on the anniversary of the handover to Chinese rule on July 1, during which a multitude of young, masked protesters stormed LegCo and daubed slogans on the chamber. The protesters, angered by the government's refusal to withdraw the extradition bill from LegCo, also broadened their demands to include fully democratic elections, an inquiry into police violence, an end to the description of protesters as "rioters," and an amnesty for all arrested protesters. While Lam eventually withdrew the bill in October and called for dialogue, protesters replied that there would be no dialogue unless the five demands were met. Reported by Lau Siu-fung and Lu Xi for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content June not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Disengagement of Indian and Chinese forces is taking place in a phased manner along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), where the situation is under control, Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Saturday. Army chiefs first comments on the disengagement that began after top Indian and Chinese military commanders met last week came during an interaction with reporters on the sidelines of the passing out parade at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. I would like to assure everyone that the situation along our border with China is under control, said Naravane even as India and China continue diplomatic and military engagements for an early resolution of the stand-off between border troops. The army chief said: Both sides are disengaging in a phased manner. We have started from the north, from the area of the Galwan river, where a lot of disengagement has taken place. Naravanes comments are significant as the government has largely been tight-lipped on the ongoing border scrap with China. Its good that diplomatic and military engagement is working and things are showing signs of improving, said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General BS Jaswal (retd). The Udhampur-based Northern Command is responsible for guarding the LAC in the northern sector. Army delegations from India and China, led by major general-rank officers, on Friday held discussions in eastern Ladakh to resolve the stand-off between the border troops. This was the fifth meeting between the two major generals to break the stalemate that began with a violent confrontation between rival patrols near Pangong Tso on the night of May 5. Naravane said: We have had a series of talks which started on June 6 followed up by a number of meetings at the local level between commanders of equivalent ranks. As a result, a lot of disengagement has taken place in the region and we are hopeful that through the continued dialogue, the perceived differences between us would be put to rest. The disengagement began after a meeting between Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, commander of Leh-based 14 Corps, and Major General Liu Lin, commander of the Peoples Liberation Army in South Xinjiang region, on June 6. Last week, the two sides began what Indian officials described as a limited military disengagement at three hot spots along the LAC Galwan Valley, Patrolling Point 15 and Hot Springs. The focus is now on resolving the situation on the northern bank of Pangong Tso, which has been at the centre of the ongoing border scrap and where troops are still locked in a face-off. The army chief, however, didnt comment on the tense stand-off at Pangong Tso. Last months violent confrontations between Indian and Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh and north Sikkim triggered a military build-up on both sides of the LAC that stretched from Ladakh to Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, as reported by Hindustan Times on Friday. The Chinese build-up began immediately after clashes between border troops in Ladakh and Sikkim on May 5-6 and May 9, and predated the June 6 meeting between Lieutenant General Singh and his Chinese counterpart at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC. While the specifics of the Chinese buildup in other sectors remain unclear, their deployment in areas across the LAC in Ladakh includes more than 8,000 troops, tanks, artillery guns, fighter bombers, rocket forces and air defence radars. Defence minister Rajnath Singh was on Friday briefed on the ongoing border scrap and the status of the military-level dialogue to resolve it at a meeting with chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat and the service chiefs. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Four men have been arrested in connection with the death of one of the world's most popular gorillas. Silverback gorilla Rafiki, which translates as 'friend' in English, was killed in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, after going missing on June 1. After a search party was sent to find him, his body was discovered the following day stabbed by what appeared to be a spear. Silverback gorilla Rafiki, 25, was found stabbed to death at the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda The 25-year-old male was the leader of a group of 17 endangered mountain gorillas, called Nkuringo, consisting of three other adult males, eight females, two juveniles and three infants. They live at the UNESCO world heritage site near Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and are used to human contact. In a statement, the state-run Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said the four men were detained for their role in the death of Rafiki. The arrests followed UWA's investigation of Rafiki's death 'after a postmortem report revealed that the Silverback sustained an injury by a sharp device/object that penetrated its left upper part of the abdomen up to the internal organs'. One of the detained men, Byamykama Felix, of Murole villa, Kisoro District, had been found in possession of wild hog meat, rope and wire snares and spears, the statement said. Byamykama Felix, of Murole villa, Kisoro District, was found in possession of wild hog meat, rope and wire snares and spears The 25-year-old male was the leader of a group of 17 endangered mountain gorillas, called Nkuringo The man 'confessed to killing the gorilla in self-defence,' the statement said, adding he said it charged at him while he and a colleague, Bampabenda Evarist, were hunting in the park. If they are convicted of killing the much-loved animal under a wildlife protection law, which was passed last year, they could face life imprisonment or fines of up to 4.3million. The Uganda Wildlife Authority said the silverback's death was a 'very big blow', reported The Telegraph. The Nkuringo group's home is a 320-sq-km patch of dense tropical forest that is home to primates, elephants, antelopes and other wildlife. Tourists are however mostly drawn to the park by its estimated 400 mountain gorillas - roughly half the worlds population - but there are fears the group will be fearful of interacting with humans after the loss of their leader. Poaching is rampant in Uganda's game parks and police frequently announce seizures of illicitly acquired wildlife products such as ivory, rhino horns, pangolin scales and others. The city of Midland Health Department is currently conducting its investigation on seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Midland County, bringing the overall case count to 201. The 195th confirmed case is a male in his 60s who was tested by Odessa Regional Medical Center. He is currently self-isolating at home. He is an employee at Pioneer and last worked May 30. He was not in a customer-facing role. The source of exposure is community acquired. The 196th confirmed case is a male in his 30s who was tested by a private provider. He is currently self-isolating at home. He is an employee at HEB on Loop 250 and last worked Tuesday. The source of exposure is household contact to known case. The 197th confirmed case is a male in his 70s who was tested by Midland Health. He is an inpatient at Midland Health. The source of exposure is contact to known case. The 198th confirmed case is a female in her 50s who was tested by Midland Health. She self-isolating at home. The source of exposure is community acquired. The 199th confirmed case is a male in his 50s who was tested by private provider. The male is currently self-isolating at home. The source of exposure is contact to a case in Odessa. The 200th confirmed case is a male in his 30s who was tested by Midland Health. He is currently self-isolating at home. The man is a clinical employee at Midland Health, and last worked on Wednesday Employee Health is following up and monitoring employees with known contact. No patients were exposed. The source of exposure is contact to known case. The 201st confirmed case is a male in his 30s who was tested by Midland Health. The man is currently self-isolating at home. The source of exposure is travel to Dallas. Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Saturday the situation in Libyan and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during a phone call with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa. According to the presidency spokesman Bassam Rady, the two leaders tackled the current developments in Libya and the joint African efforts to settle it within the framework of the Cairo Declaration initiative. The Cairo Declaration is a new joint political initiative announced a week ago from Cairo by President El-Sisi, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar, and Libya's parliament speaker Aguila Saleh to resolve the Libyan crisis and end the armed conflict in the Arab country. The initiative, which was welcomed by various foreign and Arab countries, mandates an intra-Libyan resolution as a basis for resolving the countrys conflict under resolutions by the UN and past efforts in Paris, Rome, Abu Dhabi, and most recently in Berlin. Rady said Ramaphosa hailed the Egyptian efforts with regards the Libyan issue and welcomed the Cairo Declaration, which the South African president believes "is consistent with the efforts of the African Union to end the negative repercussions of the Libyan crisis on the stability and security of the neighbouring countries and the African continent as a whole." From his side, El-Sisi affirmed Egypts consistent stance regarding the Libyan crisis, that is to reach a comprehensive political settlement that achieves security and stability in Libya, putting an end to acts of violence, fighting and terrorism, and also empowering the free will of the Libyan people and preserving their capabilities. The presidency spokesperson added that the call also witnessed an exchange of views on the developments in the GERD file and its related tripartite negotiations, which have been ongoing since Tuesday between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. South Africa, the US and the EU are attending as observers in the four-day tripartite GERD negotiations brokered by Sudan in the latest bid to seal a deal on the controversial dam. Today, the last scheduled day of the negotiation, the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation spokesman described the talks as "faltering," which he blamed on Ethiopias intransigence. The ongoing negotiations come months after talks stalled last February during US sponsored meetings in Washington. The US, represented by the Treasury Department, along with the World Bank stepped in last year to host tripartite negotiations that began in November and lasted till February after years-long negotiations between the three countries hit a dead end. Following the four months of negotiations brokered by Washington, during which the three nations initially agreed on mitigation mechanisms to adjust the filling and operation of the dam during dry periods and drought, the US and the World Bank drafted a deal that was due to be signed in late February. Ethiopia skipped the last round of talks and only Egypt initialled the deal. Ethiopia hopes the massive $4.8 billion megaproject on the Blue Nile will allow it to become Africas largest power exporter. But Egypt, which relies on the Blue Nile for 85 percent of its freshwater, fears the dam will diminish its water supply, which is already below scarcity level. Search Keywords: Short link: By Philip Giraldi June 12, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - If one ventures into the vast wasteland of American television it is possible to miss the truly ridiculous content that is promoted as news by the major networks. One particular feature of media-speak in the United States is the tendency of the professional reporting punditry to go seeking for someone to blame every time some development rattles the National Security plus Wall Street bubble that we all unfortunately live in. The talking heads have to such an extent sold the conclusion that China deliberately released a lethal virus to destroy western democracies that no one objects when Beijing is elevated from being a commercial competitor and political adversary to an enemy of the United States. One sometimes even sees that it is all a communist plot. Likewise, the riots taking place all across the U.S. are being milked for what its worth by the predominantly liberal media, both to influence this years election and to demonstrate how much the news oligarchs really love black people. As is often the case, there are a number of inconsistencies in the narrative. If one looks at the numerous photos of the protests in many parts of the country, it is clear that most of the demonstrators are white, not black, which might suggest that even if there are significant pockets of racism in the United States there is also a strong condemnation of that fact by many white people. And this in a country that elected a black man president not once, but twice, and that black president had a cabinet that included a large number of African-Americans. Also, to further obfuscate any understanding of what might be taking place, the media and chattering class is obsessed with finding white supremacists as instigators of at least some of the actual violence. It would be a convenient explanation for the Social Justice Warriors that proliferate in the media, though it is supported currently by little actual evidence that anyone is exploiting right-wing groups. Simultaneously, some on the right, to include the president, are blaming legitimately dubbed domestic terrorist group Antifa, which is perhaps more plausible, though again evidence of organized instigation appears to be on the thin side. Still another source of the mayhem apparently consists of some folks getting all excited by the turmoil and breaking windows and tossing Molotov cocktails, as did two upper middle class attorneys in Brooklyn last week. Nevertheless, the search goes on for a guilty party. Explaining the demonstrations and riots as the result of the horrible killing of a black man by police which has revulsed both black and white Americans would be too simple to satisfy the convoluted yearnings of the likes of Wolf Blitzer and Rachel Maddow. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Which brings us to Russia. How convenient is it to fall back on Russia which, together with the Chinese, is reputedly already reported to be working hard to subvert the November U.S. election. And what better way to do just that than to call on one of the empty-heads of the Barack Obama administration, whose foreign policy achievements included the destruction of a prosperous Libya and the killing of four American diplomats in Benghazi, the initiation of kinetic hostilities with Syria, the failure to achieve a reset with Russia and the assassinations of American citizens overseas without any due process. But Obama sure did talk nice and seem pleasant unlike the current occupant of the White House. The predictable Wolf Blitzer had a recent interview with perhaps the emptiest head of all the empowered women who virtually ran the Obama White House. Susan Rice was U.N. Ambassador and later National Security Advisor under Barack Obama. Before that she was a Clinton appointee who served as Undersecretary of State for African Affairs. She is reportedly is currently being considered as a possible running mate for Joe Biden as she has all the necessary qualifications being a woman and black. While Ambassador and National Security Advisor, Rice had the reputation of being extremely abrasive. She ran into trouble when she failed to be convincing in support of the Obama administration exculpatory narrative regarding what went wrong in Benghazi when the four Americans, to include the U.S. Ambassador, were killed. In her interview with Blitzer, Rice said: We have peaceful protesters focused on the very real pain and disparities that were all wrestling with that have to be addressed, and then we have extremists whove come to try to hijack those protests and turn them into something very different. And theyre probably also, I would bet based on my experience, Im not reading the intelligence these days, but based on my experience this is right out of the Russian playbook as well. I would not be surprised to learn that they have fomented some of these extremists on both sides using social media. I wouldnt be surprised to learn that they are funding it in some way, shape, or form. It should be noted that Rice, a devout Democrat apparatchik, produced no evidence whatsoever that the Russians were or have been involved in fomenting the reactions to the George Floyd demonstrations and riots beyond the fact that Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden all believe that Moscow is responsible for everything. Clinton in particular hopes that some day someone will actually believe her when she claims that she lost to Trump in 2016 due to Russia. Even Robert Mueller, he of the Russiagate Inquiry, could not come up with any real evidence suggesting that the relatively low intensity meddling in the election by the Kremlin had any real impact. Nor was there any suggestion that Moscow was actually colluding with the Trump campaign, nor with its appointees, to include National Security Advisor designate Michael Flynn. Fortunately, no one took much notice of Rice based on her experience, or her judgement insofar as she possesses that quality. Glenn Greenwald responded This is fuxxing lunacy conspiratorial madness of the worst kind but its delivered by a Serious Obama Official and a Respected Mainstream Newscaster so its all fine This is Infowars-level junk. Should Twitter put a False label on this? Or maybe a hammer and sickle emoji? Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova accurately described the Rice performance as a perfect example of barefaced propaganda. She wrote on her Facebook page Are you trying to play the Russia card again? Youve been playing too long come back to reality instead of using dirty methods of information manipulation despite having absolutely no facts to prove [the] allegations go out and face your people, look them in the eye and try telling them that they are being controlled by the Russians through YouTube and Facebook. And I will sit back and watch American exceptionalism in action. It should be assumed that the Republicans will be coming up with their own candidate for fomenting the riots and demonstrations. It already includes Antifa, of course, but is likely to somehow also involve the Chinese, who will undoubtedly be seen as destroying American democracy through the double whammy of a plague and race riots. Speaking at the White House, National Security Adviser Robert OBrien warned about foreign incitement, including not only the Chinese, but also Iran and even Zimbabwe. And, oh yes, Russia. One thing is for sure, no matter who is ultimately held accountable, no one in the Congress or White House will be taking the blame for anything. Google is looking to change the language used in Chrome and Android in a more thoughtful direction. The changes spotted in the respective code repository point toward the use of terms that are more descriptive. Thats as opposed to being derived metaphorically, as Googlers comments have defined the change. Specifically, the terms in question are blacklist and whitelist. Commonly used to denote whether something has been blocked entirely or allowed, blacklist and whitelist have been used in code and in user interfaces for a very long time. On the user-facing side, theyre generally seen where Settings can be adjusted to allow or disallow software or features. Purely for example, Android might show a list of apps that are blacklisted from running in the background. Conversely, it might show a list of apps that are whitelisted and can run in the background under any circumstances. Advertisement Google is swapping out the terminology for the words blocklist and allowlist instead. These changes are already effectively in place on the user-facing side of things It would be easy to suggest that the terminology change is fueled by recent protests across the US. Especially since the two terms could be viewed as racially-charged. That presumption wouldnt be without justification. In 2019, Google documents issued guidance on writing racially neutral code. And the two terms appeared due to the fact that they reinforce the ill-conceived notion that black equates to bad while white equates to good. That was actually the first appearance of the terms blocklist and allowlist as well. Advertisement The terms were subsequently all but removed from the user-facing UI. Now, work is well underway to change the code across the board. For Chromium, that code change requires that over 2,000 references to the word blacklist are replaced. Those are set to be replaced by a single commit, which effectively only requires that the term is searched out and a single letter a replaced with the letter o. There are a few instances where more work than that will be required, comments note. But that will get the ball rolling. Coming in behind that change, another code commit will be rolled out that renames the directory/files and updates the necessary build system rules. On the mobile end of things, for Android, the start of the efforts is presently geared toward the term whitelist. Advertisement In both instances, work to swap out the other terminology will presumably follow. This is a welcome bit of news from Google News that Google is actively working to change things up comes not a moment too soon. In fact, just a month ago, it was reported that the company may have made cuts to its diversity programs in a bid to fend off blowback from conservatives. Google followed up on those reports to explain that simply wasnt the case. But that didnt necessarily help its public image. The company is currently fighting battles on multiple fronts ranging from dealing with fraudulent news and apps related to COVID-19 to lawsuits brought against it by the US government. The latter cases generally center around Googles collection and handling of user data. Advertisement So any positive changes that can be made internally or otherwise could go a long way toward bolstering the company. State health authorities will launch a massive COVID-19 testing blitz in Victoria's underprivileged suburbs and regions in a bid to hunt down any remaining pockets of the killer virus. The health department hopes to test hundreds of thousands more residents in the coming weeks, beginning in Melbourne's west and south-east, as well as the state's north and north-west as the battle against the killer coronavirus enters its next phase. Refugee activists gather at the Mantra Hotel where asylum seekers have been locked up for more than seven months. Credit:Jason South The news of the suburban and regional blitz comes as a doctor, who works at three Melbourne GP clinics, tested positive to the virus, one of eight new cases notified on Saturday. Six of the new cases were among returned travellers in hotel quarantine and one is linked to the Rydges on Swanston Hotel outbreak. US Weighing Whether to Revoke Chinese Telecom Licenses By Adam Xu June 12, 2020 Officials in Washington are nearing a decision on whether to bar four Chinese state-backed telecommunication companies from operating in the United States. A U.S. Senate subcommittee this week released a report urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to quickly decide whether to revoke authorizations for several Chinese telecom firms that have links to China's government. The report was based on recommendations from "Team Telecom," an informal group comprised of officials from the Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense Departments, who urged the FCC to complete its review of the licensing of China Telecom and other Chinese companies in the U.S. as soon as possible. Critics say the companies, including China Telecom Americas, China Unicom Americas, Pacific Networks and its subsidiary ComNet USA which operate in the United States but are either owned or effectively controlled by the Chinese government pose national security risks. This fits with the U.S. government's growing scrutiny of foreign telecommunication operators within its borders. The Department of Justice made the recommendation on April 9. It noted there are "substantial and unacceptable national security and law enforcement risks" associated with China Telecom's operations, and the FCC should revoke and terminate China Telecom Americas' license. Legal experts said it would be difficult for the companies to provide sufficient evidence to retain the licenses, in part because the fact that they are state-owned is unlikely to change. Experts see coordinated U.S. push Joel L. Thayer, an attorney specializing in telecommunications, regulatory and transaction matters, told VOA, "It does seem that there is a coordinated effort from both the Trump administration and now the FCC, which is an independent agency, to combat what they feel is a threat to our U.S. networks." He said he was quite surprised that it took the FCC so long to act on the Chinese telecom firms. Martijn Rasser, Senior Fellow, Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, said if Team Telecom "discerned that or concluded that these Chinese companies had presented an unacceptable national security risk, then it could revoke the licenses outright." Rasser said: "There's very strong bipartisan agreements on these issues. I don't see any change along these lines happening any time soon. Just because they are both Republicans and Democrats very much aligned in their views on the threat." China Telecom Americas urged the FCC late Monday not to revoke the company's license to operate in the U.S., saying it had cooperated with U.S. law enforcement agencies and national security agencies in their investigations. It called the government's claims "unfounded," and said the FCC should not revoke its right to operate in the United States "based solely on foreign policy concerns in the absence of any evidence whatsoever of specific misconduct." China Unicom Americas in a June 1 FCC filing said it had "a two-decade track record as a valuable contributor to U.S. telecommunications markets, a good record of compliance with its FCC regulatory obligations, and a demonstrated willingness to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement agencies." The filings are in response to the FCC's April 24 "Order to Show Cause" issued to the telecommunications companies. The orders asked them to explain why the commission should not start the process of revoking their domestic and international section authorizations enabling them to operate in the United States. There is a precedent for the FCC to reject license applications from Chinese companies. In May 2019, the FCC rejected China Mobile's application for an international business license in the U.S. Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A live TV cross took a light-hearted turn when a young man started dancing in front of a dramatic car crash scene in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers. Nobody was hurt when a vehicle slammed into a video shop in Punchbowl in Sydney's south-west on Friday evening. Channel Seven crime reporter Laura Banks was broadcasting live when the frame was dominated by a dancing man in a yellow hoodie attempting to lighten the mood. The young man shuffled into the shot and performed a robot-style dance before a confused emergency worker motioned for him to stop. Channel 7 crime reporter Laura Banks (pictured) was broadcasting from the chaotic site on Friday evening A young man in a yellow hoodie (pictured left) started dancing in front of dramatic car crash scene on 7News The comical shot played out in front of firefighters who were on hand to extract the vehicle which had smashed into a shop front in Sydney. Despite the situation, veteran journalist Ms Banks carried on with the report without faltering. The owner of the DVD store said it was fortunate no one was killed after the Toyota Camry lost control in the rain at The Boulevard in Punchbowl. 'It was lucky,' he told Ms Banks. 'I had a couple of customers a couple of minutes ago with three kids.' The store owner said the vehicle narrowly missed him too. What caused the car to veer of the road remains a mystery as the driver refused to speak on camera. Federal authorities administering business payroll loans as part of US coronavirus relief efforts on Friday eased rules prohibiting lending to business owners with criminal records, allowing some with no convictions in the past year to access funds. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage The US Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration said the look-back period for non-financial felony convictions has been reduced to one year from five years. The prohibition threshold for business owners with felonies involving fraud, bribery, embezzlement and similar offenses remains five years, they said. The change goes further than what US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had suggested on Wednesday. He said the period for considering felony records would be reduced to three years. The Paycheck Protection Program, part of a historic fiscal package worth nearly $3 trillion passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump to deal with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, offers businesses loans that can be partially forgiven if used for employee wages. The Treasury Department and the SBA said the decision was made in the interest of criminal justice reform. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP K Rammohan Naidu on Friday slammed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy for arresting his party leader K Atchennaidu over alleged irregularities at Employees State Insurance (ESI). Naidu alleged that Atchennaidu was arrested as he has been effectively raising the voice and giving befitting replies to Reddy in the assembly. The Backward Classes (BCs) will fight against his arrest. The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials arrested TDP leader regarding alleged irregularities at ESI on Friday morning. Raising a question regarding his arrest, the MP said, Why the (state) government is showing so much vindication, enmity and rivalry against Atchen Naidu? In a democracy, ruling and opposition parties argue in the House, for the good of the public. But Jaganmohan Reddy does faction politics. He wants people to obey him but he is not a monarch. It is a democracy that is in place in the country and not respecting democracy is a misfortune for the state, TDP MP added. Giving mere vindication for the party leader, the MP said, All the BCs in the state will stand by Atchennaidu and raise voice for him. Our leader has committed no mistake, and he proved it long back. If needed, he will come fearlessly and speak the truth. We appeal to all BCs in the Tekkali constituency and Srikakulam district to stand brave and stand with us. We will discuss with Chandrababu Naidu (TDP chief) how to fight in this regard. We will proceed legally in this matter, he further added. ACB officials will soon hold a press conference at Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam regarding the TDP leaders arrest. NSW will scrap the limit of 50 people at indoor venues such as cafes, restaurants and churches on July 1, with the number of people allowed in a venue to be limited only by the rule of "one person per four square metres". The state will also allow outdoor cultural and sporting venues with capacity of up to 40,000 people to seat 25 per cent of their normal capacity, paving the way for crowds to return to ticketed events such as football with physical distancing. The government said that while nightclubs, bars and music festivals will stay closed in July due to health advice, it anticipated easing those restrictions in August if community transmission of the virus remains low. Premier Gladys Berejiklian will scrap venue limits from July 1, except for the "one person per four square metre" rule. Credit:AAP The changes, foreshadowed at Friday's national cabinet meeting, come as NSW recorded a small setback in virus cases with the first case of community transmission in two weeks and another case at a school, Laguna Street Public. [June 12, 2020] Student Teams Compete in University of San Diego-Hosted Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge on Saturday SAN DIEGO, June 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Students from seven countries and 13 universities will compete on Saturday, June 13 in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge -- a University of San Diego (USD)-hosted social venture pitch competition focused on innovative, student-led projects that promote sustainable change. The international teams of students will be competing for $58,000 in seed funding and other resources to turn their projects into reality. The Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge is committed to providing an educational pathway for these students to tackle the wold's most pressing issues with creativity and collaboration. "Innovation is more central now to imagine new possibilities and to change the world for the better. In a time of crisis, it's when we see innovation coming alive with initiatives that save people's lives, that meet the need for systemic change, that help us go to school even though we must keep our distance," said Patricia Marquez, Dean of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, one of the two schools at USD which hosts the competition. Examples of student projects range from an interactive, online platform that helps trauma survivors using science to a clean energy project that uses a storage device and solar panels to power homes. For the first year, the 2020 Global Finals will be a virtual experience for student innovators. The community can register for free here to watch the competition on Saturday, June 13 at 5 p.m. PDT. San Diego native, Cedrice Webber, a contestant on NBC's "The Voice", will close the program with an inspirational performance. ABOUT USD'S FOWLER GLOBAL SOCIAL INNOVATION CHALLENGE University of San Diego (USD)'s Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge is designed and hosted by USD's Center for Peace and Commerce a joint partnership between the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies and the USD School of Business. The social venture pitch competition recognizes, resources, and rewards student-led social ventures focused on sustainable change. It started in 2011 with only USD students and expanded into a global pitch contest in 2018. Since the program's inception, winning teams have received more than $400,000 in seed funding for social ventures in over 17 countries. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/student-teams-compete-in-university-of-san-diego-hosted-fowler-global-social-innovation-challenge-on-saturday-301075384.html SOURCE University of San Diego [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Industrial components manufacturer Precision Castparts says it permanently eliminated 717 jobs in Portland and in Clackamas County this spring due to the coronavirus outbreak. The secretive Portland company had acknowledged the cuts previously, but had refused to disclose the number of layoffs. In a notice to state employment officials earlier this month, Precision Castparts said the layoffs took place in two rounds beginning in mid-April and again in the middle of May. The layoffs took place at Precision Castparts plant at 4600 S.E. Harney Drive and its Clackamas facility at 13340 S.E. 84th Ave. The companys layoff notice to state workforce officials initially blamed the layoffs on the operational restrictions Gov. Kate Brown put in place in March to restrict the spread of the coronavirus. However, after The Oregonian/OregonLive noted that Brown had specifically exempted manufacturing from her closure order, Precision Castparts said the real reason for the layoffs was reduced customer demand. The company said it had used a state template for layoff notifications and said it will submit a revised layoff notice next week. This past week, the company notified steel and titanium workers who have continued working that they face a week of furlough at the end of the month due to further reductions in business. Precision Castparts makes heavy metal components for the aerospace sector and other industrial customers. The aviation industry has been badly damaged by the pandemic, with air travel down sharply. Boeing, a key Precision Castparts customer, has sharply curtailed production. This article has been updated with additional layoffs in Clackamas and a new explanation for the layoffs from Precision Castparts. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Theres been a lot of debate about violence in the protests over George Floyds death. The debate has encompassed rioting, looting, vandalism, and assaults by police. But what do ordinary Americans, black and white, think about these issues? Polls taken since Floyds death have found a consensus against violence. But theyve also found significant racial differences in what kinds of threats we perceive and condemn. Last week, a Morning Consult poll asked whether protesters or police were most responsible for inciting violence during the demonstrations. A slight majority of white respondents blamed the protesters; only a quarter blamed the police. But black respondents overwhelmingly blamed the police, 68 percent to 14 percent. A Yahoo News/YouGov poll taken this week got almost the same result among white respondents. But black respondents, by a ratio of two to one, said police had been more violent than protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On questions about police conduct in the protests, theres a big racial gap. In the Yahoo News poll, more than 60 percent of white respondents said only a few officers, or almost none, had responded to peaceful protests with violence. Fewer than 40 percent said many or most officers had responded that way. Among black respondents, the numbers were reversed. In other polls, white respondents have been slightly more likely to say the police response was too aggressive than to say it wasnt aggressive enough. But black respondents, by margins of 50 percent to 6 percent (in a Marist poll) and 61 percent to 8 percent (in an Economist/YouGov poll), said police used too much force, not too little. Advertisement Americans of all races and ethnicities claim to support peaceful protests, but they disagree as to how peaceful the Floyd protests are. In the Yahoo News poll, two-thirds of white respondents said many or most protesters had broken the law. By contrast, nearly 60 percent of black respondents said only a few protesters, or almost none, had broken the law. In the Marist poll, white respondents said by a margin of 26 percentage points that the demonstrations were mostly legitimate protests, not mostly people acting unlawfully. Among Latinos, the margin was 48 points. Among black respondents, it was 66. In the Morning Consult poll, about 60 percent of white respondents and Hispanic respondents said most protesters were peaceful, not trying to incite violence or destroy property. Among black respondents, the number was 81 percent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black Americans, on average, express more tolerance for violence by protesters than white or Hispanic Americans do. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 47 percent of black respondents (versus 15 percent of white respondents) affirmed that more violent protests and unrest are an appropriate response to the killing of an unarmed man by police. In a CNN/SSRS poll, black respondents were more likely (39 percent vs. 23 percent) to affirm that violent protests were justified in response to incidents where African Americans have been harmed or killed by police. In an Emerson poll, they were slightly more likely (28 percent vs. 20 percent) to affirm that the burning down of the Minneapolis police station in response to Floyds death was a justified form of protest. On each question, Hispanics were in the middle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The samples of black respondents in some of these polls were small, so while the pattern is consistent and the collective pool is large, the margins in any given survey might be misleading. But to the extent that the margins are accurate, the trend line suggests that the racial gap in opinions about violence by protesters narrows as specific targets are named and as the violence sounds more like opportunistic destruction. When the Emerson poll asked about looting and acts of destroying property as a means of protest of the death of George Floyd, the black-white gap disappeared almost completely. All racial and ethnic groups overwhelmingly rejected that behavior. Advertisement Advertisement In Morning Consult surveys, black Americans have been less likely than white Americans to say that its very important to protect private property such as businesses or retail stores from looting or damage in the protests. In one sample, the black-white gap was 11 points; in another, it was 29 points. Black and Hispanic respondents were also slightly less likely than white respondents, in the Reuters/Ipsos poll, to agree that the property damage caused by some protesters undermines the original protests case for justice. Advertisement Past surveys have also found racial differences on these issues. Three decades ago, the General Social Survey found that black Americans were slightly more willing than white Americans to tolerate protesters seriously damaging government buildings. But their tolerance was very low. A 2018 Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed big racial disagreement about kneeling during the national anthem. Nearly 70 percent of black respondents said it was sometimes appropriate; only 38 percent of white respondents agreed. But when the poll asked about aggressive or destructive forms of protestblocking traffic, burning the American flag, or disrupting another groups rallythe gap vanished. Black and white respondents decisively agreed that these protests were never appropriate. Together, these surveys illuminate where we agree and disagree. Black Americans are more likely than white Americans to worry about police violence, as opposed to destructive acts by rioters or looters. Theyre less likely to view protesters as violent. Theyre more likely to accept violent protest as legitimate in the context of police killings, but their acceptance shrinks as the violence is specified to included looting, burning, or specific destructive acts. Like Latinos and white Americans, black Americans overwhelmingly reject these acts. On that, were united. N Korea says US policies prove it remains long-term threat to Pyongyang Iran Press TV Friday, 12 June 2020 1:36 AM US policies prove it remains a long-term threat to North Korea and its people, the country's foreign minister says. In a statement carried by state news agency KCNA on Friday marking the two-year anniversary of the first summit between the two countries' leaders, Ri Son-gwon said Pyongyang sees little use in maintaining a personal relationship between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump if Washington sticks to its hostile policies. Ri said Trump appears to have been focusing on only scoring political points while seeking to isolate North Korea and threatening it with preemptive nuclear strikes. "Never again will we provide the US chief executive with another package to be used for achievements without receiving any returns," he said. "Nothing is more hypocritical than an empty promise." North Korea will continue to strengthen its military in the face of US threats, Ri added. The statement came a day after North Korea denounced the US for commenting on inter-Korean affairs, and said Washington should stay quiet if it wants the upcoming presidential election to go smoothly. The Singapore summit in June 2018 marked the first time a sitting American president met with a North Korean leader but produced no substantial results and opted opting instead for four general commitments. The next summit in February 2019 in Vietnam's capital Hanoi also failed to reach an agreement, reportedly mainly because of US calls for North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal, and North Korean demands for sanctions relief. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Idaho authorities have confirmed that the remains found on the property of Lori Vallow's husband belong to her missing children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua 'JJ' Vallow. The Rexburg Police Department announced in a Saturday press release that it was with 'heavy hearts' that they confirmed the identities of the 17-year-old and her seven-year-old brother. 'It is not the outcome we had hoped; to be able to find the children safe. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of JJ and Tylee,' police said in the release. A search warrant led to authorities finding the bodies at Chad Daybell's Fremont County home. The bodies were taken to the medical examiner's office where an autopsy was performed. Scroll down for video Chad Daybell was taken into custody Tuesday after the bodies of seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow (left) and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan (right) were discovered at his property in Salem, Idaho. Police confirmed their identities on Saturday Investigators found the remains of JJ and Tylee after excavating the backyard of Chad Daybell's property earlier this week (pictured) The bodies of JJ and Tylee were discovered Tuesday following a neighbor's tip about large bonfires on Chad's property. The children had been missing since September. JJ's grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, confirmed the children's identity on Wednesday, hours after the remains were discovered buried in the backyard of the home in Salem, Idaho, the day before. In a statement after the remains were identified, JJ and Tylee's families wrote: 'The Woodcock's and The Ryan's are confirming that the human remains found by Law enforcement on Chad Daybell's property are indeed our beloved JJ and Tylee. Family members on Wednesday confirmed that the remains found buried outside Chad's home had been identified as seven-year-old JJ and 17-year-old Tylee, who disappeared in September 'We are filled with unfathomable sadness that these two bright stars were stolen from us, and only hope that they died without pain or suffering. Neighbor Matt Price, who has lived next door for about five years, said he recently informed detectives about having seen several bonfires at the property over the past nine months since the children were last seen. Chad remains behind bars on a $1 million bond 'This year they had two really big fires that we noticed,' Price told the Deseret News. 'Probably less than a month ago.' Price claimed that the detectives told him his information, among other details, was used to secure the search warrant that eventually led to this week's discovery of the bodies. Chad was arrested after the bodies were uncovered. He remains behind bars on a $1 million bond. His wife, Lori Vallow, has spent the past four months behind bars at the neighboring Madison County Jail on five charges related to the children's disappearance: two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of children and one misdemeanor count each for obstructing an investigation, criminal solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court. Prosecutors have not said whether they plan to add additional charges in light of the body discovery. Prosecutors have not said whether they plan to add additional charges in light of the body discovery. Daybell's arrest Authorities began searching for the children in late November after performing a welfare check ordered by concerned relatives who said they hadn't spoken to seven-year-old JJ, who is autistic, in months. When officers first went to Lori's home in Idaho on November 26, she told them that JJ was visiting relatives in Arizona - which investigators say was a lie. Officers returned the following day and found that Lori and the man she married weeks earlier, Chad Daybell, had fled from the home. Lori and Chad were named persons of interest in the children's disappearance after investigators said they believe the mother knew where her children were or what happened to them. His wife, Lori Vallow, has spent the past four months behind bars at the neighboring Madison County Jail on five charges related to the children's disappearance: two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of children and one misdemeanor count each for obstructing an investigation, criminal solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court The case captured nationwide attention with the revelations that police are also investigating three mysterious deaths linked to Lori and Chad, as well as family members' claims that the couple are members of a dangerous doomsday cult. Police tracked Lori and Chad down in Princeville, Hawaii, in late January and served the mother with a court order requiring her to physically produce the children to authorities in Idaho by January 30. Lori failed to meet the deadline, prompting her arrest and extradition to Idaho, where she is currently being held at Madison County Jail in lieu of $1million bond. An ethics watchdog asked the FBI to investigate Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, in the wake of the State Department inspector general being ousted on his recommendation. Driving the news: Former agency watchdog Steve Linick told Congress he was conducting five investigations into Pompeo and the department before he was fired, a transcript released Wednesday shows. His investigations included a special immigrant visa program audit and a prove "involving individuals in the Office of the Protocol." Catch up quick: Pompeo told the Washington Post in May that, when he asked President Trump to fire Linick, he did not know the IG was investigating allegations that he had a staffer run personal errands for him and his wife. Linick alleged in his testimony to Congress that a senior State Department official, who assisted Pompeo in bypassing a congressional freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, pressured him to drop an investigation into the matter, Axios' Ursula Perano and Rebecca Falconer report. to Congress that a senior State Department official, who assisted Pompeo in bypassing a congressional freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, pressured him to drop an investigation into the matter, Axios' Ursula Perano and Rebecca Falconer report. Linick told Congress that he was never influenced by State Department leadership on any investigation and no one obstructed him on the Saudi arms sale probe. What they're saying: "Secretary Pompeo may have obstructed an investigation by the State Department Office of Inspector General (OIG) in violation of a criminal obstruction of justice statute" by recommending that Linick be fired, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Executive Director Noah Bookbinder wrote in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Friday. Removing independent inspectors general particularly when it appears intended to undercut investigations into powerful political figures poses a serious threat to the stability and future of an ethical government in our country, Bookbinder said in a Friday press release. The other side: Pompeo has called the claims leveled against him "unsubstantiated," and told the Post: The president obviously has the right to have an inspector general. Just like every presidentially confirmed position, I can terminate them. They serve at his pleasure for any reason or no reason. In response an investigation launched by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Pompeo wrote in a June 11 letter obtained by Axios that his recommendation for Linick's ouster was based on the IG's "failure to properly perform his duties over a series of many months." Stephen Biegun, deputy secretary of state, told Engel in a separate June 11 letter obtained by Axios that it is "entirely false" to say that Pompeo was aware of Linick's investigation into allegations of misuse of government resources by Pompeo and his wife. Go deeper: Pompeo bristles at questions over inspector general's firing Gym owners are going to extreme lengths to make their workout studios coronavirus-safe - with one even mounting an $800,000 renovation to prove they are going 'above and beyond'. Labourers have been working around the clock to ensure facilities are safe at Titan Fitness in Coogee, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, in preparation for its 4,000 members to race back through the doors. Corona works at the four-storey mega gym have included freshly upholstering equipment, replacing walls with timber for easy cleaning and a santising robot which sprays disinfectant on the floor. Thousands of gym junkies hit the weights on Saturday following a three month hiatus when studios were forced to shut down due to coronavirus and punters were forced to use their door frame or their local park as their gymnasium. Titan Fitness in Coogee in Sydney's east has undergone a major $800,000 renovation in preparation for its 4000 plus members to race back through the doors (pictured: men working out in the gym on Saturday Titan Fitness is in the heart of Coogee and reopened its doors to thousands of members on Saturday During the peak of coronavirus, Titan paused their $30 a week memberships but allowed $5 weekly fees for customers to access online live-streamed classes (pictured: woman preparing to work out in Titan Fitness) Gyms were shut down on March 23 following the outbreak of coronavirus in Australia and now operators are working around the clock to make sure facilities are COVID-safe (pictured: woman working out at City Gym in Darlinghurst this morning) The CEO of Titan, Mets Analin, said he was prepared to do whatever he needed to take his gym to the next step after closing for so long. 'I want to show people 'wow they're doing more than everyone else',' he said. During the peak of coronavirus, Titan paused their $30 a week memberships but allowed $5 weekly fees for customers to access online live-streamed classes. The gym which has seen up to 1,000 members in at a time will also introduce a machine which can disinfect a whole floor. The $1,000 device uses a spray method which Mr Analin hopes to use daily throughout the building. Members must also wipe down every machine after using it and can only use full body towels - not hand towels. A woman is seen using a stairmaster exercise machine on Saturday in Titan Fitness Siblings Dale (right) and Mikayla Bester (left) were lucky enough to have a gym at home but admitted they were desperate to get back Two men are seen lifting weights following a three month closure of Titan Fitness The gym has implemented several hand sanitising stations as well as providing full body towels for members Mr Analin who started the business in 2009, said the three month break weighed heavily on his team. 'It was so hard to run the business and to manage the mental state of the team,' he said. 'People's whole lives had changed. I was constantly being asked when the gym would reopen. 'We just want to give our members as much as possible.' During peak times, Mr Analin said members will have to book in to come to the gym as numbers can't exceed 100 under current restrictions in NSW. Up to 100 people can now exercise in gyms in NSW (pictured: woman working out in Titan Fitness) CEO of Titan Fitness, Mets Analin, (pictured second from left) started his business in 2009 and has recently spent $800,000 on renovations to ensure his gym is safe for COVID-19 restrictions The gym has four storeys and offers memberships from $30 a week He is also planning to introduce a facial recognition sign on method for members. A loudspeaker announcement will also be played throughout the gym every hour to remind fitness fanatics to maintain social distancing and clean equipment. WHAT GYMS ARE DOING TO KEEP YOU COVID-SAFE Gyms have reopened across NSW on Saturday enforcing a string of measures to keep members safe Hand sanitiser is in constant supply around gyms and compulsory at the entrance of some studios There must always be a space between each workout machine Members must bring towels and use wipes to disinfect machines after every use Members will need to sign in to ensure who is at the gym and at what time Some gyms have booking programs to ensure the capacity is no greater than 100 Everyone must have a towel or they can't train - in some gyms this must be a full body towel Titan Fitness in Coogee will introduce a 'cleaning robot' which will spray disinfectant throughout a whole floor Advertisement Siblings Dale and Mikayla Bester were lucky enough to have a gym at home but admitted they were desperate to get back. 'I was getting so sick of working out in the garage,' Mikayla said. 'I'm a P.E. teacher so I was able to use the gym but in school holidays I couldn't so we just went to the park with some weights,' Dale said. 'I'm just stoked to get back to the gym.' Gyms across New South Wales opened on Saturday after they were forced to shut due to coronavirus Titan Fitness has installed new equipment including exercise bikes and running machines Two boys are seen working out on an exercise bike in Titan Fitness on Saturday Amie Sweeting who was training with her friend Rob Norton were also desperate to leave exercising at home behind. 'Our neighbours were complaining because we were lifting weights on the balcony,' Mr Norton said. 'I haven't worked out for the last four weeks. 'I'd be p***ed if we went into another lockdown. I think I'd probably break in.' Ms Sweeting, a personal trainer, admitted it was hard to motivate herself during lockdown. 'It was just so hard not having a routine,' she said. 'You come to the gym to feel good and that was taken away from us. 'I'm definitely happy to be back now!' Titan Fitness now offers a booking system during peak times to ensure capacity isn't over 100 people A man is seen doing chin-ups at Titan Fitness on Saturday in Sydney's eastern suburbs This article originally appeared in The Inquirer on June 12, 1988. Lee Burleson has been planning Flag Day celebrations for 32 years in Yeadon, but he has yet to see a parade go through the town. I have to be at the starting point, getting everybody in line. You get to see everybody, but its not the same, Burleson said. Flag Day, which will be celebrated Tuesday, is important to Burleson and other Yeadon residents because of William T. Kerr, founder of the day, who lived in the borough before his death in 1953. According to Joseph Kerr, his father began a campaign in 1882 to have June 14 proclaimed a national holiday in honor of Old Glory. Joseph Kerr said that his father gave a speech about the flag that year at a political convention in Chicago. On his way back to Pittsburgh, where he lived then, Dad told people that if there was a day to honor our independence, there should be a day to honor the flag, Joseph Kerr said. He said that his father picked June 14 because it was on that day in 1777 that the Stars and Stripes was chosen as the new nations flag. William Kerr realized part of his dream in 1949 when President Harry S. Truman signed Public Law 203 of the 81st Congress, a law that authorizes and requests that each year the President issue a proclamation setting aside the day for governments and citizens to honor the flag. Dad was a natural public speaker, said Joseph Kerr, who is in his 80s. ''He never had any lessons, but he would help politicians and others learn how to speak." As the years went by, Joseph Kerr said, his father kept alive the notion of a legal holiday to honor the flag, even as he studied law, was admitted to the state bar, married and started a family. When he moved from Pittsburgh to Yeadon in 1928, he also moved the headquarters of the American Flag Day Association to the borough of Yeadon. Joseph Kerr said that he joined the association when he was 12 years old, and he learned to love of the flag: I guess with someone who could speak as well as my father, his feelings were bound to have an effect. Although he has not lived in Yeadon since 1970, Joseph Kerr has remained involved in the Yeadon Flag Day Association and is its president. Last Tuesday, Kerr led the last meeting before the celebration, insisting first that the group start by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Barring rain, the association was scheduled to hold its annual parade yesterday. Burleson said that since the Bicentennial in 1976, the celebration has grown to include a fireworks display in the evening, after a festival of games and booths at the William T. Kerr Memorial Field during the afternoon. Burleson and others who work all year on the parade say they do so because they are proud that Yeadon was once the home to the founder of Flag Day. Its a good holiday and is something Yeadon should be proud of, Burleson said. As health restrictions ease and stores, restaurants, and other services start to reopen, some employers complain they cannot entice workers back to their old jobs. Perhaps their employees changed careers or enrolled in higher education; others may be reluctant to come back while community spread of COVID-19 is still widespread. Its another headache for business owners trying to restart after the shutdowns. The President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business went so far as to declare that Canadian employers now face a shortage of labour. Canada has just recorded the highest unemployment rate in its entire postwar history, so claims of a labour shortage seem far-fetched. The official unemployment rate is 13.7 per cent and thats just the tip of the iceberg. Statistics Canadas broader measure of joblessness (called the underutilization rate) is 35 per cent. In other words, more than one worker in three wants work but cant find it. Thats as bad as the worst years of the 1930s. Whats in short supply is jobs, not workers. But employers grumbling reflects a genuine issue that will have to be confronted as the economy regains its footing. Even before the pandemic, low-wage service industries (the very ones that shut down first during the pandemic) already faced big challenges recruiting and retaining workers. According to Statistics Canada data for late 2019, the industry with the most unfilled job vacancies was not engineering or computer science or some other high-tech specialization. It was accommodation and food service: with 77,000 unfilled positions. The next-highest industry was retail trade, with 72,000 vacancies. Even then, these employers complained about labour shortages. But those purported shortages never translated into improved wage offers. Indeed, the average wage offered by hospitality employers for those hard-to-fill vacancies was just $14.35 per hour: the lowest of any industry. Retailers offered $15.60. How curious that the industries with the most job vacancies also offered the lowest wages. Maybe theres a connection there. In theory, if something is in short supply, its price should increase. But the laws of supply and demand are suspended whenever employers complain its too hard to fill job openings and then inevitably demand that government do something about it. These long-standing recruitment challenges were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. First, workers are understandably reluctant to accept the health risks of serving customers and travelling on public transit while the virus is still spreading. Second, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), paying a flat rate of $500 a week, has complicated employers low-wage strategies. CERB is not rich by any stretch of the imagination: its equivalent to less than minimum wage for full-time work. But CERBs flat-rate benefit reduces the desperation of workers to accept any job, regardless of the wage or the risk. Thats a good thing, not a bad thing. Employers recruitment problems are partly due to stingy wages. But their failure to offer decent, reliable hours is actually the bigger issue. Most retail and hospitality workers are scheduled for inadequate and irregular hours. As a result, weekly incomes are very low: a median of just $450 a week in the hospitality sector. Who wants to return to work and risk infection, for a handful of hours work at minimum wage? Nevertheless, expect to hear a growing chorus of complaints in coming weeks from employers that Canadians have become addicted to handouts and lost the incentive to work. Business lobbyists will push Ottawa hard to roll back the CERB, and restore strict requirements on the unemployed to seek and find work no matter the pay or the risks. Their opposition to income supports is doubly ironic, because without the $146 billion in benefit payments Ottawa provided during the pandemic, business conditions for retailers and restaurants would be much worse than they are. Employers complaints of labour shortages are not credible; and a more universal approach to income protection (as partly reflected in the CERB) should be maintained. Ultimately, we must find a better incentive to work than compelling people to accept low wages, uncertain hours, and risk of infection on pain of destitution. And by pressuring service employers to improve the quality of the jobs they offer, this pandemic just might have a modest silver lining. A police oversight company that reviewed the Vallejo Police Department found multiple issues with its culture and operations, including a male-dominated force that does not reflect the citys diverse racial demographics, a department that uses force regularly, and a tendency to justify heavy-handed tactics without considering whether it was the best response. The 70-page assessment compiled by OIR Group details an environment where officers maintain an us against the world mind-set, and that much of the department appears to harbor an aggrieved perspective toward local politicians, the media, and its critics in the activist and legal communities. Evaluators said Vallejo police officers use force regularly, and consider it more a function of their challenging work environment than a philosophy or culture of physical aggression. When those use-of-force incidents are investigated, the report said, the supervisory reviews are less formally robust and consistent than it could be. And, not all use of force incidents are reported, according to the report. In at least one internal affairs investigation, the company said that a supervisor who responded to an unfolding incident used unspecified force on a man being taken into custody, but failed to report it. The department didnt learn of the use of force until the man filed a complaint, the report said. The report also found that during investigations into officer-involved shootings, Vallejo police officers are permitted to review their own body camera footage before providing a statement to investigators. . The practice in VPD appears to be that the officers are invited to view first. the report read. Officers can and should review recordings immediately after providing a pure statement in an interview setting, and then make any corrections that might be prompted. But their initial statements should be based exclusively on their own recollections about what happened and their own state of mind. In a video released Friday by Vallejo police, Chief Shawny Williams said that since taking over the helm the department has made strides in becoming more transparent with the community, and toward what he calls 21st century policing. The report found that the department had a slack body-worn camera policy that gave officers the option of whether they should turn on their cameras in certain situations. Williams said the department has implemented a stronger, more robust camera policy that requires officers to activate their body-worn cameras. He also said the department has begun outreach and recruitment following some of the recommendations outlined in the assessment, which he called a road map to advance the Police Department where we want to be. The report provides 45 recommendations for the Police Department to consider, including: hiring more women and officers of color to better reflect the community they serve, establishing clearer guidelines for body cams, improving the investigative process within its agency and increasing transparency with the community. Its a gift for me to see exactly what is happening internally inside the Police Department, Williams said. We have a timeline on how we want to begin implementing some of those key changes. And were going to work with all of our stakeholders, including the union and our community members, to implement these. The report also says investigative issues exist in the departments response to misconduct allegations, such as limitations in the scoping of issues, thoroughness of investigation, and timeliness or efficacy of resolution. 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 one case, the department took roughly nine months to sustain a negligent evidence handling allegation. In another case, it took police seven months to finalize a case of an officer who failed to conduct a pat-down search of a suspect who had been carrying a firearm as well as unspecified contraband. Evaluators said they reported a number of examples of officers receiving surprisingly minor low-level suspensions for conduct and lapses that seemed fairly significant. The report did not provide examples of those cases. But we are concerned that the light level of discipline at VPD is less about the gravity of the misconduct than a reluctance to alienate or discourage the involved officers - and their peers, the report says. This is not entirely consistent with a healthy process - one that takes accountability seriously, administers proportional discipline, and recognizes such interventions as necessary and constructive. The report was released a week after California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced a review and reform agreement with Vallejo police in which officials will review the departments use-of-force procedures and officer accountability, and just over a week after a Vallejo police officer shot and killed Sean Monterrosa, an unarmed 22-year-old man who was kneeling on the ground outside a Walgreens. Monterrosa was killed on the same night hundreds of demonstrators called for an end to police brutality against black communities in the United States following George Floyds killing by Minneapolis police. Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe, Lead Counsel for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the case involving the Electoral Commission and the opposition party, has chastised the Akufo-Addo government for messing up all the sectors in the country especially the banking sector. This he claims, has left many Ghanaians unemployed, as a result of bad leadership. Lawyer Tamakloe alleged that the current administration after collapsing several universal banks, intends to move the Ghana Police Service from CAP30 to SSNIT when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo wins his second term. Commenting on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, he asserted that President Akufo-Addo has within three years collapsed 7 universal banks, 300 microfinance companies and several fund management institutions. To him, it was unwise on the part of the Akufo-Addo government to collapse the various banks and other financial institutions, and spend over 16 billion Ghana Cedis to resolve 9 billion Ghana Cedis problem. If you are wise, will you do this? You have spent over 16 billion to resolve a 9 billion worth of problems in the banking sector and as we speak, people are in the house jobless. If directors and shareholders are the problem, you can deal with them but the fruits of their works can remain, he slammed. He held the view that if election are conducted today, President Akufo-Addo will lose and become a one term President; because of especially the banking sector reforms. I am telling you that if we are going to the polls today, Nana Addo will be a one term President...we have given you power and used it to collapse businesses. Ghanaians are not fools. The power of the Governor to close banks is drawn from Act 920; who passed the law? The truth is that Nana has come to collapse businesses," he pointed out. Edudzi Tamakloe further stated that if President Akufo-Addo claims to have initiated massive developmental projects and is scared of losing the 2020 elections, then the NPP should opt for use the current voters register for this years general election. He challenged the Akufo-Addo led NPP government to go by the same standard if the party believes it had 1 million votes in the 2016 and even intends to increase the votes to 2 million in the 2020 general election. 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 sustained and prolonged attacks on police around Westminster - which came as Black Lives Matter protesters gathered elsewhere around the country in mainly peaceful protest - were described by Home Secretary Priti Patel as "thoroughly unacceptable". She tweeted: "Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law. Violence towards our police officers will not be tolerated." Police said they arrested more than 100 people for offences including violent disorder and assault on police, and that six officers had suffered minor injuries. The ambulance service said it had treated 15 people. "It is clear that far-right groups are causing violence and disorder in central London, I urge people to stay away," Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter. Activists from far-right linked groups chant as they face police officers in Trafalgar Square on June 13. Credit:Getty Images In a brief respite to the animosity after the clashes near Waterloo, pictures showed a man identified by the crowd as a far-right protester being carried to safety by a Black Lives Matter protester. The police, who had already imposed a restriction calling for all demonstrations to end by 5pm, urged people to disperse. There have been demonstrations around the world against racism and police abuses since the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. In British cities tens of thousands of people have marched peacefully during previous days of protest. Anti-racism protesters attend a Black Lives Matter rally in London. Credit: In London the demonstrators numbered fewer on Saturday than in recent days, after announcements by far-right groups that they would converge on the city centre prompted anti-racism activists to cancel a planned march and instead call for scattered protests. Statues of historical figures including Winston Churchill were boarded up to prevent them from becoming flashpoints or being defaced by protesters who say such monuments celebrate racists. In and around Parliament Square, hundreds of people wearing football shirts, describing themselves as patriots, gathered alongside military veterans to guard the Cenotaph war memorial. The far-right groups said they wanted to defend British culture, in particular historical monuments, after the toppling of the statue of a 17th century slave trader in the port city of Bristol during an anti-racism protest last weekend sparked calls for others to come down. "Winston Churchill, he's one of our own," they also chanted, near the statue of the World War II leader, which last weekend was sprayed with graffiti reading: "Churchill was a racist". Thousands of people take part in a march against police brutality and racism in Paris, France, on Saturday June 13. Credit:AP Thousands of people meanwhile protested in central Paris on Saturday in the latest demonstration accusing the police of racism and excessive violence. The demonstration was called by Assa Traore, whose brother Adama, a young black man, died in disputed circumstances after his arrest by gendarmes in 2016 in a town north of Paris. Many of the mostly young, racially mixed crowd - estimated by police to be 15,000 strong - bore placards with slogans from the US Black Lives Matter movement. "We are gathering today to denounce police violence. We are gathering today to denounce social violence. We are gathering today to denounce racial violence," Traore said as the square began to fill up. "I'm here to support the Traore family," one young black protester, a security guard who gave his name as Jonys, said. "It could have been my brother or my sister. It could have been anyone." Jonys said he "totally" felt he had at times been treated in a racist way by police officers - "but not all the police. We mustn't lump them all together." A court in Albania has ordered the extradition of a Tajik man sought by Germany for suspected membership in a cell of the Islamic State (IS) group. The district court in the capital, Tirana, decided on June 12 that 24-year-old Komrom Zukhurov should not be extradited to Russia, where he is also wanted, or to his native Tajikistan, where he claims he was tortured. Albania announced it had arrested Zukhurov on April 30, two weeks after German authorities said they had detained a group of Tajik nationals suspected of forming an IS cell that plotted attacks on German soil. Zukhurov was the subject of an international arrest warrant issued on April 21 by a federal court in Karlsruhe, Germany. German prosecutors said Zukhurov was a member of the same group whose members are suspected of planning attacks on behalf of the IS group, including on U.S. Air Force bases in Germany and an unidentified individual they deemed critical of Islam. Zukhurov's defense lawyer, Asllan Dogjani, denied his client was part of the cell. Dogjani said that before his arrest, Zukhurov had lived in Germany for two years and went to Albania in February to see his aunt, adding that the young man had turned himself in. German prosecutors said three of the suspects -- all from Tajikistan -- were arrested on April 15 in the city of Siegen and in the towns of Heinsberg and Werdohl in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The fourth suspect, also a Tajik national believed to be the leader of the terror cell, was already in custody after being detained in March 2019. The men are all aged between 24 and 32, and came to Germany as refugees. The men joined IS in January 2019 and were instructed by the IS group to form a cell in Germany, German prosecutors said. They said the attacks were not planned for the immediate future but that the group had already acquired firearms and ammunition, as well as secured directions and precursors for making a bomb from the Internet. To help finance the terror plans, German prosecutors said the ringleader, identified as Ravshan B., and another suspect traveled to Albania to carry out a $40,000 contract killing, but the operation fell apart and they returned to Germany, the statement added. The men are alleged to have been in contact with two high-ranking IS figures in Syria and Afghanistan. In recent years, Germany has seen several terrorist attacks claimed by IS, including a truck rampage through a Berlin Christmas market in December 2016 that left 12 people dead. With reporting by AP Fans may have noticed that there has been no immunity challenges against a guest chef on the current season of MasterChef Australia: Back To win. And the show's producer Marty Benson revealed to The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday that choice was well thought out. In past seasons, contestants who made it through to the immunity round would have to cook against the likes of top chefs such as Curtis Stone and Shannon Bennet. Too good: On Saturday, MasterChef producer Marty Benson revealed the reason why there have been no immunity challenges against guest chefs in the Back To Win season. He said: 'We decided it wouldn't be fair on the chefs because our contestants are so good' Marty explained: 'We decided it wouldn't be fair on the chefs because our contestants are so good.' Indeed, all the contestants, such as Poh Ling Yeow, Reynold Poernomo and Brendan Pang, in the current season have all gone on to have successful careers, businesses and restaurants after their time on the show. But they all fell short of winning the coveted MasterChef title, hence their return to the show for their second chance. Professionals: In past seasons, contestants who made it through to the immunity round would have to cook against top chefs such as Curtis Stone (left) and Shannon Bennet (right) Instead, audiences have watched the participants pitted against each other in challenging immunity challenges, which made for entertaining viewing. Among them include technically difficult dishes such as Peter Gunn's black box dessert, Darren Purchese's mango and passionfruit pavlova or more recently Benjamin Cooper's jungle curry. With season 13 now in the works, Marty noted that the level of difficulty for the challenges will have to be toned down for the incoming group. Entertaining: Instead, audiences have watched the participants pitted against each other in challenging immunity challenges, such as Peter Gunn's black box dessert (pictured) which made for entertaining viewing 'We need to make sure the judges are nurturing people who are starting from a lower base,' he told the publication. MasterChef is already accepting applicants for season 13 for 2021, as well as revamping Junior MasterChef. MasterChef: Back To Win continues on Sunday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 Muzaffarnagar district will be under complete shutdown every Sunday beginning June 14 similar to the Janata Curfew imposed earlier due to a spike in the number of coronavirus cases, officials said on Saturday. According to District Magistrate Selvakumari J, it has been decided to impose Janata Curfew with all business establishments including shops, hotels, and malls to be closed every Sunday. All activities in the district will be suspended except for essential services, she added. The DM has warned that strict action will be taken against those found violating the curfew. Legal action under provisions of the Disaster Management Act will be taken, she warned. Meanwhile, three more COVID-19 cases were reported in Muzaffarnagar with the number of active patients going up to 83 in the district on Saturday. Additional District Magistrate Alok Kumar said the district authorities received 102 results of samples in which three people were tested positive who are all from the city. - Dingdong Dantes shared his deep thoughts on the controversial anti-terrorism bill 2020 - The actor said that he agrees that the government should prioritize the battle against terrorism - However, he pointed out that one part of the bill could be abused the part about being suspected of terrorism for writings, banners, posts, emblems, speeches that incite terror acts - He pointed out that this particular part of the bill might get abused against people who voice out their issues with the government through different ways PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Dingdong Dantes posted on Instagram to share his deep thoughts on the controversial anti-terrorism bill 2020. The bill has alarmed many people due its supposed potential to be used against critics of the government. According to Dingdong, he agrees that the government should prioritize the battle against terrorism. However, he pointed out that one part of the bill could be abused the part about being suspected of terrorism for writings, banners, posts, emblems, speeches that incite terror acts. The Kapuso star pointed out that this particular part of the bill might get abused against people who voice out their issues with the government through different ways. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedbacks I am a reservist. Isang karangalan at tungkulin ang tumulong sa pangangalaga ng kaayusan at kapayapaan ng bansa. I am also a family man. Sa abot ng aking kakayahan ay sinisiguro kong ligtas, malusog at masaya ang aking pamilya. But I am an artist too. Hindi lang ito trabaho para sa akin. Isang responsibilidad ang magbahagi ng mga kwentong repleksyon ng ating realidad masaya man o malungkot. I may wear multiple hats, but I am aware that these three hats are aligned with my core values. So inside me, they co-exist and are interdependent. And in pressing issues such as the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, I know that I have to use all three lenses of a reservist, family man and artist to see clearly. Our nation is battling so much fear: fear for our health because of the COVID-19 pandemic; fear for our security because of the crisis and the ballooning unemployment rate; and fear from violent acts since the country is still negatively affected by terrorism. Sadly, the Anti-Terrorism Bill is also causing fearfear from abuse of power because of uncertainties and lack of dialogue. It is unfortunate that instead of uniting the people during these difficult times, the bill is dividing us. We must remember that the bill must yield the greatest net benefit to the people. I completely agree that we must eradicate terrorism for our safety and wellbeing. Based on reports that I have read, the country ranks 9th in the Global Terrorism Index of 2019. And among the states in Asia Pacific, our nation is the most impacted by terrorism. We are even among the top 10 countries with significant increase in deaths from terrorism for 20162017. But I also recognize the importance of proper consultation on concerns that affect our constitutional rights Artists were not consulted on this bill, and yet we are among those whose personal and professional lives are at stake. Contrary to the notion that we only exist to entertain, artists are actually vital storytellers of our nations past, present and future. We help bring people together; we help Filipinos stand as one nation as we have always done in the past and are continuing to do during the current pandemic. And since the Filipinos cooperation, support, trust, and confidence is critical in the fight against terrorism, we, artists assert our role and responsibility in helping craft the law so that we may better contribute in bringing the people together towards one goal which is freedom and peace. We need an opportunity to present our case. There are several sections in the bill that may be entirely deleted without rendering the law ineffective. One is Section 9, Inciting to Commit Terrorism, which is defined by the bill as any person who, without taking any direct part in the commission of terrorism, shall incite others to the execution of any of the acts by means of speeches, proclamations, writings, emblems, banners or other representations tending to the same end. Would deleting this section make the law useless? I believe not. But it would certainly protect the peoples freedom of speech and expression, especially that of the artists community. Kung hindi na natin makukumbinsi ang Pangulo na i-veto ang Anti-Terror Bill, nananawagan kaming magkaroon ng representasyon at partisipasyon sa paggawa ng implementing rules and regulations ng Anti-Terror Law. Umaasa kaming mga aktor na maririnig at pakikinggan ang aming boses. I too hope that we can still find a way to create an ideal Anti-Terror Law that respects Filipinos constitutional rights and limitations within an environment of public trust and confidence. Today is the 122nd Independence Day of the Philippines. I pray for everyones courage in this unprecedented time. I pray for love and unity. I pray for our freedom from all forms of fear. Maligayang araw ng kalayaan, magiting na lahi, Dingdong posted on Instagram. PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! In a previous report by KAMI, Dingdong announced that he will be launching a new delivery app called Ding Dong PH. Dingdong Dantes is a famous actor who works for the Kapuso network. She is the husband of actress Marian Rivera and they have two children Zia and Ziggy. Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters! Source: KAMI.com.gh The producers of Dragons' Den turned down a potential 360 million fortune after deeming a start-up craft beer company Brewdog 'not investment-worthy.' Co-owners James Watt and Martin Dickie set up their craft beer company in 2007 in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, and went on to grow their multinational brewery into a global pub chain. After setting up their company 13 years ago, the duo applied to BBC show Dragons' Den - offering the celebrity investors a 20 per cent stake in return for a 100,000 investment. In a post on LinkedIn, James revealed how the pair were 'totally crushed' by the screen test rejection and said it 'took a while' to get over the defeat. Co-owners James Watt (picutred right) and Martin Dickie (left) set up their craft beer company in 2007, in Ellon, Aberdeenshire James and Martin were just 24 when they started the company, which was valued at 1.6billion this year, according to Forbes. The entrepreneur calculated how the original 100,000 offer would now be worth a staggering 360million. He wrote: 'In 2008 we applied to Dragons' Den & got as far as a screen test and we pitched our hearts out before the producers rejected us. 'They deemed Martin & myself not investment worthy. 'We were totally crushed. In a post on LinkedIn, James revealed how the pair were 'totally crushed' by the rejection and said it 'took a while' to get over the defeat 'We were prepared to offer the Dragons 20 per cent for 100,000. Based on our latest BrewDog valuation, that investment would now be worth almost 360m meaning the Dragon's missed out on by far the best deal in Den history. 'We got over the rejection eventually. But it took a while. #craftbeer #craftbrewery #dragonsden #brewdog.' The post has since garnered more than 100,000 likes and has received 4,065 comments praising the pair for their business acumen. They set up their first brewery in a remote shed on an industrial estate in Fraserburgh, Scotland, with just a dog to accompany them - hence the name BrewDog. And aside from brewing, they also run their own streaming service, The BrewDog Network - which features cooking series and travel guides. One of the more amusing things about vintage newspaper reporting was the use of important sounding names for trivial, minor events. A Syracuse example of this was the Saga of the Screech Owls, which was a running story during early June 1955. It centered on a dispute between a family of five screech owls and a bunch of irate neighbors. The owl family, as owls will, the Herald-Journals Liz Dwyer reported on June 9, had taken up residence in a cozy tree at 289 North Edwards Avenue. And they might still be happily nesting there, except for a balding neighbor. The saga started when that neighbor went out one night to hunt for pigeons but found instead the owls. A dispute between a family of screech owls on North Edwards Avenue in Syracuse was dubbed the "Saga of the Screech Owls." So, he returned home sporting seven scratches on his head, Dwyer wrote. Naturally, it was embarrassing when friends inquired about this and he had to tell them, An owl scratched me. So that was how the trouble began. On June 8, when another neighbor claimed that one of the owls flew in his face, open warfare was declared. Coming just ten years since the end of World War II and in the midst of the Cold War, reporters were not shy in mixing in war talk to spice up the tale. Fearful of a long siege with the intrepid birds, the neighbors called for reinforcements. Syracuse Police would send out their firearms expert, Sgt. Frank Lesicki, who they thought could get some valuable target practice on the owls. But just in the nick of time, the story reached Syracuse University chemistry professor and bird enthusiast, Dr. Benjamin Burtt, who was given until noon on June 9th to find a more graceful method of evicting the birds. (Longtime readers of the Post-Standard will remember Dr. Burtts name from the birding column he wrote for more than 50 years.) Burtt arrived at the scene early that day, his station wagon loaded down with nets, poles and tree climbing equipment. An owl rests on the shoulder of Stars bird columnist Ben Burtt in 1960. The folks on North Edwards Ave. called the owls vicious. Burtt said they were beneficial to the neighborhood. They were literal flying mousetraps. Burtt thought if the baby owls were removed from their nest and relocated, the rest of the family would follow. To put his plan into action, Burtt enlisted the help of Donald Ware, an expert tree climber, who went up the tree after the hatchlings while the professor stayed on the ground, shouting instructions. While neighbors nervously watched from their front windows, Ware scampered 50 feet up a tree to the owls favorite branch. Naturally, the owl family did not take kindly to the attentions of Ware, Dwyer wrote. They departed in a huff. Ware grabbed a baby owl and then another, giving both to Burtt to be banded. He would release them at Drumlins Country Club. The adult owls had scattered and after Burtt plugged a hole in their tree with a tin can, he told residents that they should have no more trouble. We never had to rescue these owls, he told reporters later. We were just saving them from people who would have shot them. The owls returned the next day and brought back stronger numbers. But the owls would return the next day and in greater numbers. Not only are they back on North Edwards Avenue, the Herald-Journals front page reported on June 10, Their tribe has increased by three. (The headline for the story was Owls Give Experts the Bird.) And they were angry. A man was attacked when he stepped out of the house that morning. A young girl had her pet starling carried off by an owl and dog was seen running down the avenue, yelping about unseen attackers from the air. I think we have a right to go out on the street without being attacked by owls, a man told the Herald-Journal. (This poor soul was in for more abuse. He would later admit that the worst part was that after his story was told in the newspaper, co-workers began decorating his office with pictures of screech owls.) The man would not get any sympathy from the Post-Standard editorial board who, in a June 13th editorial, sided with the owls over their rivals on North Edwards Avenue. We are glad to see that the screech owls intend to fight all efforts to oust them from a pleasant neighborhood, the editorial began. If given a chance, the newspaper thought, the birds would show their worth. The owls will do all in their power to prove to the good people of the vicinity that they are really good neighbors, excellent parents and an asset to the street. If the good people of N. Edwards Ave. would like to end the hot war, or cold war, whichever it is, they can do so by making a detour when they come to the nesting area. Perhaps the people did. It seems an uneasy truce was declared between the combatants and the Saga of the Screech Owls came to a quiet end. Read more 1930: Escaped cows from Syracuse University sends a new Eastside neighborhood into panic 1920: These two might be the worst guard dogs in Syracuse history 1925: Syracuses Man with the Geese is allowed to walk with his birds after police had them penned The Condemned: How a drunken saloon boast led to the invention of the electric chair This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle at jcroyle@syracuse.com or call 315-427-3958. Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Schools have been closed to many pupils during the Covid-19 pandemic (Tim Goode/PA) Teaching unions have lashed out at the DUP's Sammy Wilson after he accused them of being "out of step" with parents by opposing a return to the classroom by August 17. The East Antrim MP, who is the DUP's Westminster education spokesperson, said pupils here should not continue to be disadvantaged because of the Covid-19 crisis. Mr Wilson said that teaching unions are out of step with teachers and the parents by opposing an August 17 return for pupils such as those in years 12 and 14. "Learning must come first. Teaching unions have every right to speak up for teachers, but they must also keep in mind the duty of schools to provide an education for our children and young people," he said. "That must be the focus. The unions are not only out of step with parents, but out of step with many teachers who want to see their pupils learning and reaching their potential." The Department of Education has explained that "subject to medical and scientific advice", a phased reopening of schools will take place mid-August for key cohort years, followed by a phased return for all pupils in September. "For most pupils it will involve a schedule with a mixture of school attendance and remote learning at home," said a spokesperson. Expand Close Concerns: Sammy Wilson / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Concerns: Sammy Wilson The Ulster Teachers' Union (UTU) branded the remarks "shameful" and Justin McCamphill of the NASUWT told the Belfast Telegraph that Mr Wilson's comments were "totally absurd" as feedback from teachers had indicated the opposite to the case. "Hundreds of teachers have been in contact with us about this, since it (the return date) was first mooted," he said. "Teachers do see this as an attack on the terms and conditions, while principals see this news as actually preventing them from having an orderly return to work for September." Mr McCamphill insisted it was "too simplistic" for anyone to call for schools to restart in around two months' time without any preparation by schools put in place. Jacquie White, general secretary of the UTU, said: "To suggest that we are not representing the views of our members by voicing concerns over health and safety issues around schools re-opening is quite simply preposterous and a disingenuous attempt it would seem to divide our resolve. "Yes, education must come first - that underpins our profession - but not at any price. Our members' concerns - and, yes, we have been in daily contact with members across Northern Ireland - are all too real. "They are desperate to get the children back in class for they too want to remove their job from their living rooms and kitchens which have been taken over for the last 12 weeks, regardless of the needs of their own households." The row mirrors a spat between teaching unions in England and the government after officials insisted pupils could not return to school unless they could be made "Covid secure". The government has since abandoned plans to have primary schools reopened by the end of this month. Mr Wilson stressed, however, that it was time for schools to act, as pressure continues to be felt on parents who are "trying their best" to provide home-schooling, adding some have "limited options for supervising children especially in single parent homes with grandparents shielding". "For any union to try and exploit legalities to stop teachers and pupils returning to schools in mid-August is reckless and gives little consideration to the pupils' education and particularly pupils in hard to reach communities," he said. "One of the greatest duties we have to our children is to ensure they get a good education. To do otherwise would be to fail that generation." The Department said it "fully appreciates the legitimate concerns" expressed by teachers and parents in relation to schools reopening, adding: "The Department has established a Restart Programme... to enable a safe phased reopening of schools." Isolation facility not mandatory for flyers testing positive on arrival from at-risk countries: Check guidelin Development trajectory: PM to interact with DMs of various districts today 3 more Army personnel test positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 13: Six more people, including three Army personnel, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the total number of cases in the state to 67, a health department official said on Friday. Three Army men tested positive for the disease in Singchung sub-division of West Kameng district on Thursday night, while two persons were detected with the infection in Changlang and one in Longding, he said. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News Coronavirus outbreak: India records more than 11,000 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours "The three Army personnel had recently returned from Bihar, while the two from Changlang had come from Noida and the one from Longding had travelled back from Gujarat. They are asymptomatic and lodged in quarantine centres," State Surveillance Officer Dr L Jampa said. The Army has its own protocol and the three would be managed by them, he said. Contact tracing has been initiated, Dr T Taipodia, who is dealing with the COVID-19 management in Arunachal Pradesh, said. West Kameng district's COVID-19 nodal officer Dr Kesang Wangda has issued an advisory to civilians living in and around the Army cantonment areas of Tenga and Dahung, requesting them not to enter into restricted areas unnecessarily.One of the three Army personnel is a doctor, sources said. Arunachal Pradesh has 63 active cases, while four patients have recovered from the disease. Among the active cases, 42 are from Changland district, followed by three each from East Siang and West Kameng, two each from Namsai and Lohit and one each from Lower Dibang Valley, Tawang, Upper Siang, Tirap, Longding and West Siang districts. Five active cases are from the capital complex -- comprising Itanagar and Naharlagun. According to a bulletin of the health department, a total of 13,479 samples were tested in the state till Thursday, while results of 1,627 are awaited. The first case in Arunachal Pradesh was reported in April 2, after a 31-year-old man tested positive for the disease following his return from a religious congregation in Delhi. He was discharged from a hospital on April 16. After almost six weeks, the state had registered its second case on May 24, after a student who had returned from Delhi tested positive for the disease. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 13, 2020, 10:38 [IST] Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Sat, June 13, 2020 14:31 587 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde6fffb 2 Art & Culture George-Floyd,united-states,Racism,protest,artist,police-brutality,graffiti Free Protests against racism triggered by the death of African American George Floyd have inspired art around the world, from murals in Syria and Pakistan to graffiti in Nairobi. At the Berlin Wall, a large portrait of Floyd is seen alongside yellow block letters spelling "I CAN'T BREATHE," words he repeated before dying as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The May 25 incident, captured on video, prompted widespread protests across the United States and in other countries. The case was ruled a homicide by medical examiners, and Derek Chauvin, the white officer was charged with second-degree murder. Syrian artist Aziz Asmar said he wanted to send a message of solidarity through his mural. "After witnessing the increased racism against black people in the United States, and because it is our duty to stand with all humanitarian causes around the world, we painted today on a wall destroyed by Assad planes in Idlib," said Asmar, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Asmar said the images of Floyd reminded him of those of Syrian children killed by suspected chemical attacks in Damascus and Khan Sheykhoun. Read also: Street art star unveils Paris mural to George Floyd, Adama Traore In Afghanistan, a blast wall in Kabul was the canvas for Mehr Aqa Sultani, of arts activist group ArtLords. "George Floyd is a global figure now and he was killed in the United States because of the blackness of his skin," he said. "We want to say 'no' to discrimination because discrimination has no benefit for us." In Paris, street artist Dugudus depicted US President Donald Trump as a police officer pressing his knee into Floyd's neck while holding a Bible. The mural referred to Trump's photo op in front of St John's Church in Washington last week, after police forcefully removed protesters in a nearby park to clear the area for him. In Pakistan, where elaborately painted trucks are a common sight, Karachi-based artist Haider Ali, 40, painted Floyd on the wall of his house - until he can return to his usual moving canvas. "I painted these candles and I made these flowers as garland around his neck to pay him tribute," said Ali, who is raring to paint on trucks again to spread the message of Floyd's death. The boss of British Airways today launches an impassioned defence of his plans to axe 12,000 jobs and cut the salaries of pilots, cabin crew and other staff. Writing in The Mail on Sunday, Alex Cruz hits back at the stinging criticisms he has faced from MPs and trade union officials over the past seven days. He accused unions of 'scaremongering' and described criticisms levelled by MPs as 'partial and parochial'. In a tailspin: BA boss Alex Cruz has hit back at the stinging criticisms he has faced from MPs and trade union officials over the past seven days The MoS can reveal that Tory MP and Transport Select Committee chairman Huw Merriman is lobbying the Treasury to ban companies such as BA from announcing redundancies while their staff are on furlough and the taxpayer is funding their wages. Merriman said he will this week ask for a meeting with Rishi Sunak to ask the Chancellor to close the 'loophole' in the Government's job retention scheme and force BA to wait until later in the year before proceeding with any redundancy plans. Meanwhile, unions have accused Cruz of exploiting the Covid-19 crisis to enact a 'fire and rehire' strategy. They claim that BA is exaggerating its cash crisis and using the pandemic as cover to bring back the bulk of employees on reduced terms and conditions. In an escalation of the increasingly acrimonious row, Cruz rejects all the allegations, explaining that BA will 'emerge from the Covid-19 crisis a much smaller airline' laden with 'hundreds of millions of pounds of new debt' which will 'swallow' its revenues. He writes: 'To suggest we are focused on anything but our immediate survival in the short term, plus a sustainable and competitive re-emergence for the longer term, is not true. 'Like other companies facing job losses, I do not want to deprive my people of their livelihoods. 'It is painful to contemplate the scale of the change we need to make because I know we have the best people in the business. I will do everything in my power to ensure that British Airways can survive and sustain the maximum number of jobs in line with the new reality of a changed airline industry and a severely weakened global economy.' Cruz also hits out at the Government's 'irrational' 14-day quarantine for passengers arriving in the UK from other countries, which he says has dealt a 'hammer blow' to BA's plans to get flying again in July. BA's parent company IAG is suing the Government over the laws, which were introduced last Monday. The row with unions shows no prospect of ending, despite the minimum consultation period for redundancies ending tomorrow. The dispute has become focused on whether BA was correct to issue a so-called Section 188 notice, which begins formal redundancy proceedings. The GMB union claims BA 'reneged' on an agreement in April not to issue the notice, which details all the legal information required for formal consultations with employees and unions. GMB and Unite are refusing to engage in consultation talks and insist that BA withdraws the notice. Balpa, which represents BA's 4,300 pilots, last night threatened to pull out of talks, describing Cruz's approach to redundancies as 'tantamount to putting a gun to people's heads'. In response, Cruz says: 'We will not step back from our legal obligations on consulting our employees.' The latest: People across the U.S. began another weekend of protests while bringing ever-increasing urgency for reforms, justice and more after black lives have been lost at the hands of police officers. From New York to San Diego, crowds gathered Friday. Calls of "No justice, no peace" rang out as people walked together. In South Florida, people began walking on I-95 once again. WTVJ-TV reported the group, led by marchers supporting Black Lives Matter and calls to defund the police, briefly approached a police line on the highway but eventually walked away. Judge orders Seattle to stop using tear gas during protests A U.S. judge on Friday ordered Seattle police to temporarily stop using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices to break up largely peaceful protests, a victory for groups who say authorities have overreacted to recent demonstrations over police brutality and racial injustice. U.S. District Judge Richard Jones sided with a Black Lives Matter group that sued the Seattle Police Department this week to halt the violent tactics it has used to break up protests. Last weekend, officers used tear gas, pepper spray and other force against crowds of protesters. Jones' order halts those tactics for two weeks, though demonstrations this week have been calm. The judge said those objecting to the police tactics make a strong case that the indiscriminate use of force is unconstitutional. Jones said weapons like tear gas and pepper spray fail to target any single agitator or criminal and they are especially problematic during the coronavirus pandemic. Because they are indiscriminate, they may even spill into bystanders homes or offices as they have done before, Jones wrote. Boston mayor calls racism a public health crisis Bostons mayor declared racism a public health crisis on Friday, outlining a series of police reforms in response to the nationwide reckoning sparked by the police killing of a black man in Minneapolis. Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh said he would propose transferring $12 million from the police department, or roughly 20% of its overtime budget, to fund a range of social services, including mental health counseling, housing and homelessness programs, and new public health commission efforts to address racial disparities in health care. Protesters have called on Walsh to defund police, and redirecting money from police to other social services is one of the goals of that movement. Activists have also asked Walsh to remove or rename city landmarks in recent days. The mayor also announced the creation of the Boston Police Reform Task Force to review the departments use of force policies and suggest ways to improve officer training, its body camera program and the citys police review board. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs package of sweeping police reform bills New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday signed the "most aggressive" police reform legislative package in the nation in a move that makes officers more accountable and criminalizes chokeholds and other controversial restraints. The package of bills vehemently opposed by a coalition of law enforcement union follows weeks of protests nationwide. Legislative efforts targeting police violence have taken hold nationally after the deaths of several African Americans at the hands of the police, including George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis last month after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. "The truth is this police reform is long overdue and Mr. Floyd's murder is just the most recent murder," Cuomo said Friday before signing the bills. "It's not just about Mr. Floyd's murder. It's about being here before, many, many times before." Cuomo and state lawmakers agreed to advance a package of significant policing policy changes that had stalled for years because of opposition from law enforcement circles. The state Senate and Assembly on Wednesday passed 10 policing bills. "Make no mistake we know that what we did is not a cure. We know it's a first step," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said from the senate floor Wednesday, adding that laws alone "can't fix racism in America." A coalition of law enforcement unions and associations consider the legislation "anti-police." One measure outlaws the use of police chokeholds. It is named after Eric Garner, an African American man who died as a result of a police chokehold during a 2014 arrest. Chokeholds were already prohibited by the NYPD at the time of Garner's death but the new law makes the use of "a chokehold or similar restraint" a class C felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Cuomo was joined Friday by the activist Rev. Al Sharpton, who recently spoke in support of the legislation with along with Garner's mother. The governor also signed a controversial law allowing disciplinary records for police officers, firefighters or corrections officers to be released without their written consent. The law repeals a 1976 statute known as Section 50-a of the New York State Civil Rights Law, which was enacted to exempt police officers from being cross-examined during criminal prosecutions, according to the bill. New York Police Department officials have acknowledged the need for more transparency. Powerful police unions, including the Police Benevolent Association, said the legislation reflected will result in unfair policies. The coalition said in a statement that it worried all police complaints including those not fully investigated or substantiated will be released. It says a judge already has discretion on releasing such records and there are concerns officers would not have a chance to be heard. Another law signed by Cuomo addressed police use-of-force. All state police officers must now wear body cameras. Another law requires officers, within six hours, to report any time they discharge their weapon in which a person could have been hit. Legislators also took aim at incidents like the recent viral video of Amy Cooper calling 911 on a black man at Central Park. The new law makes false race-based 911 reports a crime. Democrats in Congress this week announced sweeping policing legislation, which faces resistance from Republicans, police unions and some local officials. Confederate monuments continue to fall As Confederate statues are coming down across the nation, protesters in downtown Raleigh took it upon themselves to put a new plaque on a monument at the North Carolina capitol building. The protesters told CNN affiliate WNCN on Thursday that the new insignia was inspired by Floyd, and they believe it is a nonviolent way to update and change the meaning of the movement. Part of the inscription reads: "We recognize the breakdown and the buildup and the change that has been put into motion." The 75-foot Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument has been in front of the Raleigh Capitol building since 1895. The new plaque covers the front of the statue that reads, "To our Confederate dead." "It's inventions like this that might head us in the right direction where real systemic change to the systemic racism in this country may happen," the plaque's artist Thomas Sayre told WNCN. Sayre said that he also hopes it inspires deep conversations and change. CNN and the Associated Press contributed to this report. U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) has purchased 98 Israeli SMASH 2000 systems for their M4 rifles. This seen as a solution to the increasing ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) use of quadcopters in Syria and Iraq. SOCOM has become increasingly desperate to find an effective and reliable way to take down these small UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). Israel had a solution, which they originally developed for taking down kites and balloons used by Hamas in Gaza to send incendiary devices and small explosives across the border into southern Israel. Sharpshooters and snipers had proven somewhat useful but not very efficient. Few expert shooters could reliably bring down these small targets. By early 2019 Israel found that a locally made device, SMASH 2000 could do the job once its software had been modified to handle kites, balloons and, it turned out, quadcopters. Initially SMASH 2000 could only guarantee a quadcopter hit if the small UAV was within 150 meters but that range has since been extended. The IDF (Israeli Defense Force) had already adopted the SMASH 2000 computerized sniper scope in 2018 and renamed it Dagger. When asked, the firm that developed SMASH quickly modified the Dagger software to go after moving fire kites and fire balloons. It worked and troops with the new software could use Dagger to take down a kite or balloon several hundred meters distant with one shot. When bought in large quantities SMASH 2000 gear for a rifle costs under $10,000 and the price is falling as more are purchased. Israel issues Dagger gear to sharpshooters (troops recognized as more accurate shooters) and snipers (those trained to operate independently and covertly as a sharpshooter). American and Israeli military leaders are considering adopting Dagger more wisely, especially if the price comes down. The U.S. is considering incorporating SHASH 2000 tech in its next-generation assault rifle to turn all troops into sharpshooters. Currently, SMASH 2000 is cost-effective if only one or two men in a Special Forces team (of twelve) have one. For SOCOM snipers, hitting the target with the first shot is even more important. SMASH 2000 enables troops to do that with more certainty and less stress for the shooter. For Israel SMASH 2000/Dagger solved an immediate problem. Since early 2018 thousands of kites and helium balloons have been launched towards Israel. Each one is equipped with a lightweight incendiary device that goes off (most of the time) when it lands on the Israeli side of the border. The kites and balloons are more of a nuisance than a threat but have started over a thousand fires. Most of these are small brush fires that do not spread, but several have destroyed crops or trees and required firefighters to put out. Eventually, some of the floaters carried small explosives. Israel has used airstrikes to destroy over a thousand of these kites and balloons on the ground at launching, storage or manufacturing sites, as well as several hundred in the air using UAVs operated by civilians who had developed similar skills for UAV battles. Israel has also adapted some radars and other sensors to detect these slow, low altitude objects and that made the special Dagger scope even more effective against the fire kite/balloon attack efforts. Because of all these countermeasures, the use of kites and balloons has declined but not disappeared. The SMASH scope also convinced the IDF that this device could turn just about any soldier into a sharpshooter or sniper. First offered the SMASH scope in 2017, the IDF tried it out with the infantry and special operations troops and by the end of the year approved it for use. Based on that success, in early 2018 SMASH was offered to foreign militaries (and police organizations). By early 2019, the SMASH scope demonstrated its flexibility by how quickly its software could be modified to handle wind-blown targets like fire kites and balloons as well as quadcopters. There were several major innovations in SMASH 2000 compared to the earlier computerized scopes pioneered by American firm TrackingPoint. SMASH could be mounted and used on any weapon with a Picatinny rail. This allows the scope software to work with the trigger of each different weapon. The scope puts a visual block around potential targets the user is aiming at. When the user has the intended target in the block, a button is pushed and that target is locked and a precise firing angle calculated, and shot automatically fired unless the user intervenes. Other computerized scopes use the same basic concept but more recent models do it more reliably and cheaper. The most convincing test of the SMASH scope was to have new recruits use it while receiving their first rifle training. Some 70 percent of these novice shooters made accurate shots the first time they fired the SMASH equipped rifle. A few dozen shots later and they were performing like expert snipers. In the hands of snipers and experienced troops, SMASH enabled difficult (moving, obscured by smoke) targets to be hit with the first shot. The IDF was sufficiently impressed to order 2,000 SMASH systems, mainly for use by snipers. For snipers, hitting a target with the first shot is important because the second shot will often be impossible as the target was alerted by the first one and taken cover. TrackingPoint pioneered this tech and in 2013 introduced its first computerized shooting system, the XS1. These initially cost $27,000 but the price has since come down to less than half that as the firm introduced more models and sales increased. These scopes were still expensive because they are sensor-equipped and computerized to the extent that initial tests showed that over 70 percent of first-time users could hit a target over 900 meters distant with the first shot. For a professional sniper first shot success averages about 25 percent and 70 percent on the second shot. The army tested the XS1 and found it worked but did not try to adopt the system for a lot of military sniper rifles, even though it would be a major improvement for snipers. The major obstacle was the wear and tear of battlefield use and the fact that most snipers were satisfied with their existing scopes. Snipers are trained to take good care of their rifles, scopes and the growing number of electronic gadgets they now use, but the XS1 was a major leap in terms of electronics, sensors and especially required maintenance. It was recognized that the XS1 technology was the future and just as the many new (since the 1990s) sniping accessories have become rugged and reliable enough to be standard items, so will the XS1 approach or something similar to it like SMASH. Meanwhile, the TrackingPoint tech was adopted for a small number of sniper rifles that could make good use of it as is. In 2016 TrackingPoint introduced another version of its computerized scopes; NightDragon. This version allows for using an IR (infrared) spotlight with a range of nearly 200 meters and a scope with a sensor that makes the IR light visible to the shooter. Normally IR is not visible to human (or animal) eyes. The computerized scope tracks the target in the crosshairs and fires when the computer determines that a hit will be achieved. Targets can be moving as fast as 24 kilometers an hour. Costing $13,000 each, this is one of the few TrackingPoint scopes available for the civilian market. Most of their computerized aiming systems are only for military or police organizations. The manufacturer sells TrackingPoint equipped rifles mainly to police organizations or a few wealthy hunters who dont like to miss. TrackingPoint now provides a growing list of computerized scopes for ranges of 350-1,300 meters. Prices range from $10,000 to $17,000. SMASH costs much less than the cheapest TrackingPoint system and can be used on a large number of rifles and pistols. SMASH is more rugged and was quickly adapted to shoot down small UAVs, be used at night, make videos and have 4x magnification. That version was modified to take down fire kites and balloons. There are other firms developing computer-controlled scopes and as time goes by these scopes will have more features, become cheaper and more reliable. Xiang Lili, a former senior legislator of central China's Hunan Province, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday for taking bribes. Xiang, a former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress of Hunan, was also fined 6 million yuan (about US$847,000), according to the trial verdict of the Intermediate People's Court of Liuzhou in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The illicit gains that Xiang had received in the form of bribes, as well as any interest arising from them, will be turned over to the national treasury. The court found that Xiang took advantage of his posts in Hunan between 2001 and 2018 to assist organizations and individuals in land development, enterprise restructuring, project contracting and other affairs. In return, Xiang accepted over 66.67 million yuan's worth of money and valuables between 2003 and 2019, according to the verdict. Xiang was given a lenient punishment since he confessed to his crimes, pled guilty, showed repentance, and willingly surrendered his illicit gains, said the court. Xiang said he accepted the sentencing and would not appeal. A protest in Rio Rancho sent a call for people to educate themselves about systematic oppression on the national and local levels, said organizer Sam Bjustrom. Efrain Colindres and Bjustrom organized the protest at Rio Rancho City Hall on June 6. Bjustrom said they are not part of an official Black Lives Matter organization. They are citizens calling for change and support the BLM movement. You cant sit in the gray; this issue isnt something you can say, I dont have an opinion, or that you dont want to pick a side. Silence on this is siding with the systemic oppression, Bjustrom said. Colindres and Bjustrom said there were about 100 protesters at City Hall. This protest was put together by a bunch of friends who felt like they needed to do something. When you see something as horrific as what happened to George Floyd, and know that this has been happening for hundreds of years without repercussion and without sound reason, you cant just sit back, Bjustrom said. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyds neck for several minutes, until Floyd had died. Chauvin faces charges of third-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter. The three other officers on the scene who did not intervene were fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder. Bjustrom said the message at the protest was unity, education and perseverance. Only as a collective can we cause change. We need to have the facts so when challenged we will be able to reply calm and collected. We cant stop and wait till the next man is killed to start again, he said. At a local level, Bjustrom would like to see less of the citys budget dedicated to Rio Rancho Police Department. My message to the policymakers is, look whats happening around the country, listen to the people that are affected and do whats right; dont be ignorant to the truth because it is easier, he said. There should be more extensive background checks and training implemented onto the police force, Bjustrom said. He would like to work with local leaders to help enact change, he said. I have lived in Rio Rancho same as (Bjustrom), and we have seen a lot of racial injustices and a lot, a lot, a lot, of systematic oppression, whether it be in the school system, if it is with police, so we just really wanted to get our voices out there, Colindres said. At the protest, people were able to share a message and make their voices heard, he said. We had an open mic, and a lot of people of different races from different backgrounds talked about the systematic oppression in Rio Rancho specifically, he said. Colindres said the main takeaway from the protest was to unite and educate Rio Rancho. It is going to take a lot of work from the city and the residents to really progress and educate themselves and others on how we can do better as a community, he said. Colindres said the protest was the first step to more education in Rio Rancho in hopes of expanding opportunities for minorities. Even though Rio Rancho is a spread-out place, police brutality and racial injustice still happen, he said. In the school systems I went to Cleveland for a while and you can see how some of the teachers and some of the staff and some of the students have some type of prejudice towards kids of color, Colindres said. He is 22 years old and was a part of the Black Student Union in high school. Some of the other groups had way better classrooms and opportunities; for us, we struggled in getting support from the school system and the school in general, he said. Colindres has seen videos on Facebook of students at Rio Rancho and Cleveland high schools saying racial slurs. It is out there, and you just have to open your eyes and be willing to see it, he said. Colindres said he would like to see local leaders be more hands-on with minorities, especially those in the black community. He added that no one is born a racist racism is taught and with education he hopes to see more people of color step into positions of authority. The organizers started a GoFundMe to raise money for BLM organizations and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The page is https://gf.me/u/x7tz5x. New Delhi: Popular television actress Deepika Singh, best known for her lead role in 'Diya Aur Baati Hum' released a video and posted on her Facebook account seeking urgent help from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after her mother tested coronavirus positive. The actress, who is visibly disturbed and looks tense sought immediate attention of the Delhi CM, explaining her family's plight in this hour of a health crisis. Deepika, in her video, revealed that after feeling feverish and experiencing loss of taste, her mother was tested in Lady Hardinge Hospital, New Delhi. Her 59-year-old mother was diagnosed with COVID-19 but the hospital refused to give reports to the family which is making things difficult for the family. They only allowed her father to clicka picture from his phone. Watch Deepika share her ordeal: Deepika Singh lives in Mumbai while her family is in Delhi. She revealed since she has a big join family, home quarantine seems like a dangerous idea. The actress has sought urgent help from the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal as her mother is battling the pandemic virus which has affected millions so far. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) Chinese leader Xi Jinping has assured President Rodrigo Duterte that the Philippines would be prioritized once China develops a vaccine against the coronavirus disease. Malacanang revealed in a statement on Friday that this was among the issues discussed by the two leaders during their "open and focused" telephone conversation Thursday night. "For his part, President Xi reiterated China's commitment to the international community to make any vaccine it develops a global public good and that as a friendly neighbor, China certainly considers the Philippines as a priority," the Palace said. On the other hand, Duterte stressed the need to cooperate with research trials aimed at developing a vaccine. The Philippines is expected to participate in the clinical trials by the last quarter of the year, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the policy-making body in the government's COVID-19 response, recently approved the Philippines' collaboration with some Chinese and Taiwanese organizations for the trials. The vaccine being developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sinopharm and the Wuhan Institute of Virology has entered the second phase of clinical trials, with 96 people being given the experimental vaccine, according to Chinese state broadcaster CGTN. "While noting China's vaccine development program, President Duterte emphasized the imperative of making vaccines available and affordable to all countries, including the Philippines," the Palace said. The Philippines is also part of the World Health Organization's solidarity trial, a global effort to find a cure for the viral illness, which has infected more than 24,000 people nationwide and killed over 1,000. READ: PH resumes clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine after WHO recommendation The Duterte government is counting on the East Asian giant to develop the vaccine against the new coronavirus, which was discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019. READ: PH expects first dibs on COVID-19 vaccine if 'BFF' China produces it Xi, Duterte discuss 'new normal' During their 38-minute phone call on the eve of the 122nd anniversary of the Philippines' Independence Day, Duterte and Xi also talked about their countries' "crucial strategies to restart economies under the new normal." The Philippines has eased quarantine measures across the country in a bid to reopen the economy. "President Duterte received President Xi's full support on ensuring supply chain connectivity particularly in critical medical supplies and equipment, promoting the free flow of goods and resuming and completing priority infrastructure cooperation projects in the Philippines," the Palace said. Xi also thanked the Philippines for its "goodwill donation" to China's own COVID-19 battle. In a separate statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila, Xi said Beijing will continue to provide firm support to Manila's fight against COVID-19. The Duterte government has been vocal in thanking Beijing for its help. China has sent various donations and even a team of medical experts to aid in the Philippines' COVID-19 response. PH-China ties Earlier, the two countries marked the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, wherein Duterte called for "further strengthening" of ties amid the coronavirus crisis. Duterte has been criticized for nurturing friendship with China despite Beijing's refusal to recognize Manila's arbitration win in the South China Sea dispute. The arbitral ruling invalidated China's sweeping claim to almost the entire South China Sea and recognized Philippine sovereign rights in some areas in the West Philippine Sea that Beijing is claiming. Duterte agreed to "shelve differences" to make way for a planned joint oil and gas exploration in disputed areas. In April, the Philippines filed diplomatic protests over China's actions in the West Philippine Sea amid the coronavirus pandemic, but there was no mention of this in the statements released by both sides. READ: Philippines rejects China's 'illegal' declaration of two new districts Some elements in the opposition have been actively working with foreign missions under an operation code-named Operation Lighthouse to cause civil disturbances in the country under the cover of hardships caused by coronavirus, it has been learnt. The elaborate plot was designed to culminate in bloodshed that would have attracted condemnation and further isolation of the country, which is currently trying to engage and re-engage with the world. Confidential information gleaned by this paper showed that the operation was supposed to have been rolled out in three phases, with the first stage expected to be ignited through sporadic or flash demonstrations. Calculated to coincide with the ongoing lockdown, where restrictions on movement have been imposed, the demonstrations were expected to provoke a disproportionate reaction from the security forces after which international condemnation was expected to follow. In line with this, the recent flash demonstration led by MDC Harare West Member of Parliament Joana Mamombe, in Warren Park, was supposed to be the trigger for phase two. Mamombe, Netsai Marova and Cecilia Chimbiri allegedly led a demonstration in Warren Park, Harare, on May 13, 2020. They later claimed to have been abducted by security agents. Sources privy to investigations that were later conducted by security details, however, reportedly uncovered incontrovertible evidence that located the trio in various parts of the capital at a time they were claiming to have been abducted. This culminated in the arrest of the political activists last week. It is believed that this information will form some of the evidence that would be led in court. But the latest abduction was designed to spawn a blood-letting spontaneous uprising Arab-spring style. The frenzied tweeting, which was tailored to stoke emotions, betrayed the plans, the sources said. They were subsequently followed by foreign embassies expressing their shock and concern within hours of the development in flagrant disregard of diplomatic etiquette. Worryingly, it is believed that there were some foreign missions that were prepared to provide small firearms that would have been used to entrap the security services. The firearms were reportedly supposed to be trafficked disguised as food aid. Added the source: As hoped by the plotters, a proportionate response to armed protestors would culminate in collateral damage, which would cause more outrage and ultimately, full-blown conflict. Safe houses had even been established around Harare in Waterfalls, Bluffhill, Epworth and Zengeza to house the identified instigators after the expected bloody confrontations. The schemers behind Operation Lighthouse hoped the bloodshed would have led to foreign intervention under the guise of protecting human rights. But the nascent plan was blunted by alert security agents. Operation Lighthouse comes at a time when Zimbabwe is under coordinated and unrelenting attacks on the political and economic front, with most of the onslaught being launched on social media, particularly Twitter, against President Mnangagwa and the Government. Addressing a Politburo meeting in the capital last week, President Mnangagwa said: In the last few weeks, we have witnessed an upsurge in the unwarranted onslaught against the party, Government, its leadership, policies and programmes. This culminated in the purported abductions of three MDC Alliance-linked activists. Concurrently, during this period was the resurgence of hate speech and language, which are not characteristic of the values we seek to be embedded in our country under the Second Republic. On the economic front, we are witnessing a relentless attack on our currency and the economy in general through exorbitant pricing models. It is the same plot that had been outed by Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe a fortnight ago. PM Phuc said amid the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on many firms, including foreign-invested companies, the Prime Minister, and leaders of ministries and localities have often met with enterprises and business associations to remove their difficulties. Regarding Vietnams success in the fight against the pandemic, he said the country has taken timely and drastic reactions to put the disease under control, thus bringing the life, production and business activities back to normal. PM Phuc said he had early held phone talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang to discuss ways to step up cooperation and share experiences in combating COVID-19, adding that Vietnam had also donated medical supplies to China. At the meeting, representatives of Chinese firms expressed their belief in the determination of the Vietnamese government and local administrations in implementing the dual goal of boosting socio-economic development and containing the pandemic as well as opportunities offered by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Welcoming the businesses intention to expand investment, PM Phuc said China is currently Vietnam's largest importer and second biggest exporter. In return, Vietnam is the top ASEAN trade partner of China, with bilateral trade reaching US$120 billion last year. China has invested in nearly 3,000 projects worth nearly US$21 billion in Vietnam so far, and this amount of capital is equivalent to 5.5 percent of the total foreign investment registered in the country. As a result, China now ranks seventh among 136 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. A number of Chinese enterprises are operating profitably in various sectors in Vietnam, the PM said, noting that the two countries have also been cooperating well in tourism. As both countries have managed to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control, Vietnam is considering the reopening of some commercial air routes with China, firstly Guangzhou, to promote trade and travel, he said. Listening to the firms opinions, PM Phuc said the Vietnamese Government will continue facilitating the entry to and exit from the country for foreign experts, business managers, investors and skilled workers, including those from China. At the meeting, the PM also highly valued major Chinese investors capability, serious attitude and investment effectiveness, including in expanding production and business activities, complying with environmental protection regulations, caring for their employees, and boosting exports, which have generated benefits for themselves and Vietnam. He particularly applauded many businesses decision not to lay off workers despite difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that their examples should be popularised for other firms to follow. The Vietnamese Government will order ministries and sectors to deal with problems facing Chinese enterprises, including resuming flights and facilitating logistics services, the PM said, adding that it will ensure macro-economic stability and create more optimal conditions for businesses. Amid a massive spurt in coronavirus cases in India, experts on Saturday came down hard on the ICMR for its sero-survey findings to assert that there was no community transmission of COVID-19, saying it was not reflective of the current situation and the government was showing "obstinacy" in accepting the truth. Emphasising that community transmission was on in many parts of the country, the experts asked the government to admit it so that people don't get complacent. The assertion by experts from the field of virology, public health and medicine came after Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava at a media briefing on Thursday said that India is definitely not in the community transmission stage of COVID-19 spread while releasing the findings of the survey. India's first sero-survey to monitor the trend of coronavirus infection transmission found that 0.73 percent of the 26,400 people surveyed from about 65 districts were exposed to coronavirus. AIIMS former director Dr M C Mishra said there is no doubt that there has been community transmission in several parts of the country. 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 "With the mass exodus and the country unlocking, it has become more rapid and the disease has reached areas where there were no cases. It is high time the government comes to fore and acknowledges it so that people become more alert and do not become complacent," Mishra told PTI. Talking about the ICMR sero-survey, he said the sample size of around 26,400 people is quite inadequate to capture the scale of the spread of the infection, especially keeping in mind the large population and the diversity of the country. Leading virologist Shahid Jameel said India reached the community transmission stage a long time ago. "It's just that the health authorities are not admitting it. Even ICMR's own study of SARI (severe acute respiratory illness) showed that about 40 percent of those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 did not have any history of overseas travel or contact to a known case. If this is not community transmission, what is," said Jameel. CEO of Wellcome Trust/Department of Biotechnology's India Alliance and best known for his extensive research in Hepatitis E virus and HIV, Jameel said an important point to consider is the sensitivity and specificity of the test that ICMR has not revealed, and even a one percent change would make a big difference in the results in areas of low prevalence. Noted lung surgeon Dr Arvind Kumar said that even if the ICMR argument is accepted, it cannot be denied that community transmission is happening in places like Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. "India is a vast country and every state is experiencing the virus differently and peaking at different times," said Kumar, who works at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here. "The antibodies take two weeks to develop so the survey is reflective of April. In April, we were in the best possible state. Based on a study representing the April situation, saying that we are not in community transmission is a wrong statement," he told PTI. Chairman of one of the empowered groups set up to deal with the pandemic and NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul had said the results of the survey indicate the situation of the country around April 30 as the study was conducted mostly around third week of May and antibodies against an infection take around 15 days to develop. While the sero-survey to estimate the fraction of population infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the general population has been completed, the survey in containment zones of hotspot cities is ongoing. India's COVID-19 tally breached the three-lakh mark on Saturday with a record single-day spike of 11,458 infections, while the death toll rose to 8,884 with 386 new fatalities, the Union Health Ministry said. With a COVID-19 caseload of 3,08,993, India is now the fourth worst-hit nation by the pandemic. The ICMR is doing a study of containment areas and that study will throw up much higher numbers that are likely to fall in the criteria of community transmission, Paul added. Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, Head of the Department, Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Faridabad, said he strongly feels that community transmission has occurred. "The government has stopped contact tracing. Earlier the government was doing rigorous contact tracing, but in the last 7-10 days no government, in Delhi or anywhere, is doing it. They know community transmission is happening, but are not accepting it," Jha told PTI. On sero-survey, he said it has been done in places where there were not many cases and it should have been carried out in Dharavi or Delhi. If these surveys are not done in proper places then there is no point in doing it, he said. "It (survey) is definitely not reflective of the current situation. In the end of April we were in a reasonably good position anyways," he said. Dr Vikas Bajpai, assistant professor, Centre for Social Medicine and Community health at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said if the government has decided that "obstinacy and blindness to truth" is going to be a matter of policy for it in fighting against this COVID-19 pandemic then it is pointless to try and make them see reason. "Community transmission is a stage when you are not able to track down the source of infection of a positive case despite thorough contact tracing. Then it is presumed that the virus is in general being transmitted in the community," he said. Hitting out at ICMR, he said it has mentioned that the study does not include data from the containment zones and the spread of the virus was not uniform everywhere. So if you exclude the most active areas of transmission which are the containment ones obviously the prevalence rate you will arrive at will not reflect the reality, Bajpai added. Dr Manoj Goel, Director and Head, Pulmonology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, said it would not be right to believe that there is community transmission at the national-level, but it is definitely happening in certain cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The ICMR sero-survey found that lockdown and containment measures were successful in preventing rapid spread of the disease, but a large proportion of the population still remains susceptible. Bhargava had said the study surveyed a total of 83 districts with 26,400 people enrolling for it and 28,595 households were visited. The surveyed districts were categorised into -- zero cases, low incidence, medium incidence and high incidence--- and were selected based on incidence of reported COVID-19 cases as on April 25. The findings shared with the media stated that data from 65 districts has been compiled till now. France Urges US to Reconsider Its ICC Sanctions, Calls Step Attack on States Party to Rome Statute Sputnik News 18:36 GMT 12.06.2020(updated 18:55 GMT 12.06.2020) Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorising economic sanctions and travel restrictions against those International Criminal Court (ICC) workers involved in probing American troops and intelligence officials for possible war crimes in Afghanistan. The US decision to impose sanctions against the International Criminal Court employees is an attack on states party to the Rome Statute, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday. He added that the US decision may put into question the independence of the judicial system and called on the US to withdraw its sanctions. On 11 June, US President Donald Trump imposed economic sanctions and travel restrictions against those ICC employees who are involved in investigating US troops and intelligence officials for possible war crimes in Afghanistan. In March, the ICC launched an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by parties to the Afghan conflict, including the US military. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defunding of Police Could Lead to Truckers Refusing to Deliver Trucking companies and experts have expressed their concerns following the defund the police movement in the wake of the police custody death of George Floyd on May 25. In a recent poll by CDLLifethe largest community for truck drivers77 percent of truckers said they will refuse to deliver to cities that had defunded their police departments. Many truckers have been fearful of their safety and what might happen if there are no police departments in the city. Truckers have been on the front lines the last few months, in both the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic and the protests over police brutality. On Friday, Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a veto-proof resolution to pursue replacing its police department with a community-led public safety system. In other parts of the country, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said they intend to redirect hundreds of millions of dollars budgeted for local police departments into social and community programs. Trucking industry stakeholders have been following development to see how far these policies will go, Transportation Nation Network (TNN) reported. Truck driver Randy Griffith stands next to his Freighliner at the TA Truck Service truck stop in London, Ohio, on March 19, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Trucking expert Dan Doran indicated truckers and trucking companies will be quick to refuse service to these areas if trouble arises. Truckers were already getting nervous about all these protests before they even started talking about defunding the police, Doran told TNN. Doran has been working in the transportation service for over 40 years and was chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) in 2018. He said that companies in certain areas that want to receive their load safely will likely be forced to beef up security. A good customer may tell a good carrier that theyll provide them some security to get them into the city limits some kind of an escort, Doran said. I think any reputable carrier is going to listen to that concern and take steps to help the driver become more comfortable going in there, he added. A trucker approaches a highway patrolman in a file photo taken on July 23, 2007, near Wrightwood, California, 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) Darren Yancy, a commercial insurance consultant, told TNN the defunding of police could increase potential risks from crime, such as theft and fires, and transportation companies could consider increasing insurance costs. Yancy added that the possible dangers to both the load and truckers, and the associated increase in costs, will force companies to choose whether or not to deliver to those areas. Truckers Voicing Their Concerns Truck driving has been ranked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. In 2018, the department reported it as the most deadly job. Records show there were a total of 5,250 fatal work injuries nationwide in 2018, a 2 percent increase from 5,147 in 2017. Truck drivers have been expressing their concerns via messages to the recent CDLLife poll, with one trucker writing no cops, no trucks. Why would I wanna risk my life even more than I already do the cops are out to protect us and everyone elses bad enough, drivers are already being shot at as it is, a concerned truck driver wrote. Take away the cops and I could die and if I have my kid or family member with me when Im there they could die. Not risking my life for these [expletive], let the shelves go empty in these defunded areas, he added. I will not deliver to an area with a disbanded police department. My life matters and I do this for my family, a trucker stated. We are already at the mercy of these towns and cities with laws and hate against us for parking, getting a meal, or even using a restroom. If something was to happen and you have to take matters into your own hands, and then you risk being prosecuted for protecting yourself, another trucker wrote via the mobile application. For my own safety and security of my customers loads, I have already informed my dispatcher that I will refuse all loads to cities that have defunded their police departments, another message reads. Mumbai, June 13 : A fathers equation with his daughter is considered to be one of the most cherished bonds, and actor Kunal Kemmu feels extremely lucky to be a "pappa" to two-year-old Inaaya. In an interview with IANS, the actor spoke about his bond with his little girl and the concept of parenting during the coronavirus pandemic. "Inaaya is the best thing that ever happened to me. Every day she brings a lot of positivity and happiness in Soha's and my lives. She's the one who helped me to survive this lockdown in the most positive manner. She has brought routine in our lives. "She wakes up early, so we also have to wake up early and spend our day according to her routine. We have become more disciplined because of her. I am loving this fatherhood phase," Kunal expressed. Kunal also shared how his daughter has somehow understood the ongoing health crisis. "She is very small to understand the ongoing pandemic but, yes, she knows that something is not right. So when I asked her why can't we go out, she cutely responded saying, 'pappa coronavirus is there'. Soha and I have been trying our best to entertain her and keep her busy. We play, dance, sing and paint with her. We have been together with Inaaya all the time during the lockdown, so she also does not complain about not being able to go to park or play with her friends." Speaking of Kunal's work projects, he was last seen in Mohit Suri's thriller "Malang". In the film, Kunal came out as a surprise package and stunned everyone with his dark side as a villainous cop, Michael Rodrigues. He is now awaiting the release of his film "Lootcase" and the second season of his web show "Abhay". "I am grateful to be in a position to have a film like 'Malang' in my career. The way audience appreciated my role and gave me so much love, I could not have asked for more. I just want to explore new characters with each film. I don't want to limit and restrict myself. I have always wanted to become a versatile actor," Kunal added. (Simran Sethi can be contacted at Simran.s@ians.in) In view of present-day antagonism and misunderstandings between the U.S. and Russia, it is refreshing to recall the days when a somewhat more cordial relationship existed and help was given to the Soviet Union by the U.S. and Britain. Two objects are reminders of the relationship. One is a monument in Fairbanks, Alaska that honors the U.S. pilots who flew 8,000 planes to Alaska during World War II and the Soviet Union pilots who flew them on to Siberia. The other is the remains of a Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft, which is being commemorated in Siberia. It is time for a more complete evaluation of the vital assistance provided by the U.S. during World War II. Lend-Lease started in March 1941, providing for military aid to any country whose defense was considered vital to the security of the U.S. Originally intended to lend arms and material to the U.K., then standing virtually alone, which agreed to pay funds back after the war and which handed its gold reserves and overseas investments, the program was extended by Congress on November 7 to the Soviet Union, which had been invaded by Nazi Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941. By the Lend-Lease program the U.S. provided $50 billion ($600 billion in today's money) in arms and financial support: the U.K. received $31.4 billion and the Soviet Union $11.3 billion. Various accounts, including a valuable one by Robert Coalson, have calculated the extent of Lend-Lease given to the Soviet Union. The provisions include more than 400,000 vehicles, 14,000 aircraft, 13,000 battle tanks, gasoline and explosives, and thousands of radio sets and motorcycles, as well as food, blankets, machine tools, factory equipment, and boots. The U.S. had provided 55% of the aluminum and 80% of the copper used by the Soviets. An indication of the U.S. help is the story of a Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft, which on March 12, 1943 was delivered to the Soviet Union, one of thousands. After the war, on April 23, 1947, the C-47, then used commercially, made a forced landing, carrying 36 people on board, near the village of Volochanka on the Taymyr peninsula in northern Siberia. The pilot and crew died when seeking help by walking to the nearest settlement, 100 miles away. Three weeks later, 27 of the people were rescued. The plane rested for 67 years in the tundra before a Russian Geographical Society expedition found it in 2016. The plane contained U.S.-made radio equipment and cans of corned beef. The plane was cut into pieces, lifted by helicopter, and put on a barge to Krasnoyarsk. This Douglas plane is the only Lend-Lease aircraft that remains in the territory of Russia. The present proposal is that the wreckage of the plane will have a place of honor at a museum being built in Krasnoyarsk. Not only was the fate of this plane unknown, but little was said by Russian leaders of Lend-Lease. Soviet and Russian politicians, with few exceptions, downplayed or ignored , and still do, the extent of assistance given by the U.S. and the U.K. during World War II to the Soviet Union. The usual version was that the Lend-Lease shipments were not significant and did not play a decisive role in the "Great Patriotic" war. They were not considered as having saved the Soviet Union from defeat by Germany. Three exceptions are interesting. One is the toast by Joseph Stalin at the Tehran Conference with FDR and Winston Churchill in November 1943. He told his fellow leaders to recognize "from the Russian point of view, what President Roosevelt and the U.S. have done for victory in this war. The U.S. is a country of machines. Without the machines we received through Lend-Lease we would have lost the war." A second mention is in the Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, who wrote, "If the U.S. had not helped us, we would not have won the war. No one talks about this officially, and Stalin never, I think, left any traces of his opinion, but I can say that he expressed this view several times in conversations with me." A third appraisal comes from Marshal Georgy Zhukov, who in a reported private conversation in 1963 said, "It cannot be denied that the Americans sent us material without which we could not have formed our resources or continued the war." A crucial part of the supplies to the Soviets were the Allied Arctic convoys and protection by squadron attacks on the heavy battleship, the heaviest ever built by a European country, the Tirpitz, in its harbor in Altafjord, which was a threat to the convoys. At first, responsibility for getting supplies to the Soviet Union rested with the Russians. But the Soviet Navy did not have enough ships to do this, and the convoys consisted mainly of British and American ships. These convoys experienced dramatic struggle for survival in the Arctic. Perhaps too little is spoken of their exploits, but the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy, at considerable loss to themselves, played a crucial role in protecting the convoys with naval escorts of vessels carrying food, equipment, and raw materials. A major triumph was the sinking of the battleship Tirpitz in November 1944 by Lancaster bombers after it had earlier been damaged by U.K. mini-submarines and then by air raids on its shelter. The largest and most valuable convoy was Arctic Convoy PQ 17, a fleet of 35 merchant ships bound for Arkhangelsk in July 1942, because German raids had destroyed most of the port of Murmansk. The convoy contained 300 aircraft, 600 tanks, and 4,000 trucks. In what Winston Churchill called "one of the most melancholy naval episodes in the war," this convoy became the victim of a disastrous decision by British admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound. He had been an experienced and successful commander in his early career but was ill at this time. He ordered covering forces, protection for the convoy, to be dispersed for fear that the Tirpitz would leave its harbor and attack the convoy. In fact, the Tirpitz remained in the harbor, but the convoy was hit by Nazi aircraft and submarines. Of the 35 ships, 24 were sunk with a loss of 153 lives along with 210 combat planes, 430 Sherman tanks, and 3,350 vehicles. Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union were troubled. U.S. admiral Ernest J. King, chief of U.S. naval operations, for a time was reluctant to have British and American ships operating together. It was doubly unfortunate that the disaster happened on Independence Day, July 4, 1942. The Soviet Union thought the Allies were lying. It could not believe that so many ships could be lost in one convoy. In spite of Lend-Lease, the Soviet Union never officially acknowledged either the heroic efforts of the Allied sailors and the Merchant Navy, which had done such a remarkable and courageous job in protecting the convoys, or, more relevant, the tons of supplies that arrived through its Arctic ports. The convoys continued to the end of the war. Belatedly, a new medal, the Arctic Star, was created in December 2012, and 40 were honored a few months later. Ironically, the Soviet Red Army facilitated by Lend-Lease material reached Eastern Europe before the Allied U.S.-U.K. troops, thus dividing Europe for forty years and laying the groundwork for the Cold War. It may be true that Lend-Lease did not in itself save the Soviet Union from defeat by Nazi Germany, but it did make a difference in the Russian ability to resist the Nazis. It is a minor step, but it is encouraging that a Museum of the Allies and Lend-Lease, located in a small school in Moscow, has recently opened, displaying various exhibits relating to Lend-Lease, such as Lucky Strike. According to the director of the Museum, Nikolai Borodin, Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Normandy anniversary of D-Day spoke of celebrating U.S. aid. Now, there's a topic for discussion at the next summit between Putin and President Donald Trump. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 06:35:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HOUSTON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. import and export prices both rose in May, the U.S. Department of Labor reported on Friday. The price index for U.S. imports rose 1 percent in May, the largest one-month advance since the index increased 1 percent in February 2019. Import prices fell on a 12-month basis, declining 6 percent from May 2019 to May 2020. Import prices from China were unchanged in May following a 0.1-percent advance in April. The price index for imports from China declined 1 percent from May 2019 to May 2020, the smallest 12-month drop since the index fell 1 percent for the year ended March 2019. Meanwhile, prices for U.S. exports increased 0.5 percent in May, after falling 3.3 percent in April, 1.4 percent in March, and 1.2 percent in February. U.S. export prices fell 6 percent from May 2019 to May 2020. Prices for exports to China increased 2.7 percent in May following consecutive 2.1-percent declines in April and March. The May advance was the largest one-month rise since the index was first published in December 2017. Despite the May increase, the price index for exports to China fell 3.7 percent over the past 12 months. Enditem BEIJING - An Australian man has been sentenced to death in southern China for drug smuggling. Karm Gilespie was sentenced Wednesday, the Guangzhou Intermediate Peoples Court said in a one-sentence statement on its website. All his personal property will be confiscated, the statement said. It did not provide any details of the charges. The Yangcheng Evening News, a state-owned newspaper in Guangzhou city, reported Saturday that Gilespie had been caught with 7.5 kilograms (16.5 pounds) of methamphetamine in his checked baggage in December 2013 for a flight departing from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. ___ This story was first published on June 13, 2020. It was updated on June 15, 2020, to correct the spelling of the mans name to Karm Gilespie, not Cam Gillespie. For the millions of Americans who suffer from high blood pressure, reports that identify hypertension as a significant risk factor for serious illness and death related to covid-19 may seem frightening. Yet one piece of reassuring news has emerged from the confusion that should ease at least some of the worry. Certain widely used medications that treat high blood pressure apparently don't add to the danger as earlier feared. Recent studies suggest they don't make people more susceptible to becoming infected with the coronavirus, nor do they exacerbate the disease. As a result, doctors who care for patients with hypertension have urged them to continue taking the drugs. "I believe these medications do not make covid-19 worse," says Karan Desai, a cardiology fellow at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "These medications treat hypertension and heart failure. But if these conditions worsen or go untreated, it will likely make covid-19 more severe if a patient contracts the virus." These findings are important because earlier reports raised questions about whether two frequently prescribed classes of blood pressure drugs, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), might actually make people more vulnerable to contracting the virus and cause an infection to become more virulent. Nearly half of all American adults have high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Blood pressure is the force of blood as it pushes against the walls of the arteries carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Uncontrolled hypertension can damage vital organs, such as the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes, and lead to heart disease and stroke. Many people don't even know they have it, one reason it is known as a "silent killer." Worldwide, it results in an estimated 10.4 million deaths annually, according to the International Society of Hypertension. The two groups of drugs lower blood pressure by tinkering with a specific body system that regulates it. But in doing so, they also affect ACE2 enzymes, specific receptors that the virus uses to latch onto cells and infect them, especially in the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. The concern was that the drugs might be causing ACE2 molecules to proliferate, providing the virus with more targets and the opportunity to further spread infection. The lack of clear answers about a virus that keeps delivering unexpected surprises - prompting ideas about its behavior to constantly change - underscores the plight many doctors have been facing as they try to provide sound advice to their patients about the safety of treatment options. "The message from doctors and the media regarding these medications over the past few months has not been consistent," Desai says. Early on, he says, he was haunted by "a nagging feeling that maybe I [was] causing harm. Patience has been hard. We all are hanging onto every piece of information. We all want answers, and we want them fast. The angst that comes with uncertainty and fear is understandable. As providers, we want to provide solutions. But as scientists, we have to be steadfast. We cannot make treatment decisions that are not grounded in science." So he and others were relieved at current evidence that shows the drugs do no harm. Some experts also believe ultimately they could prove beneficial. "It may turn out that these agents may, in fact, even be protective, although we need additional research to confirm this," says Robert T. Schooley, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California at San Diego. Schooley, himself past 60, has suffered from high blood pressure since he was in his 20s. In early April, he briefly stopped taking his ACE inhibitor, alarmed by early suspicions the drugs might worsen an infection. "The idea that I was trading one danger for another was a frightening prospect," Schooley says. "Nevertheless, I decided to stop until I had a chance to study all the evidence available. Since the effects of the drugs last for several days, I could allow the increased ACE receptor population to decay while I looked for more rigorous evidence about the potential connection." His drug break lasted four days. Schooley, also editor in chief of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, routinely reviews countless manuscripts related to the novel coronavirus. After finding no evidence that the drugs increased the risk of infection or severe illness, he resumed taking them. Researchers continue to study the effect of these drugs on coronavirus infection and disease. But they also want to understand exactly what makes hypertension so dangerous for covid patients, including whether high blood pressure alone - that is, without additional underlying conditions - raises the risk. People with hypertension have a twofold risk of dying from covid-19, and those with untreated high blood pressure have an even greater risk, according to one study, although experts don't know why. Many clinicians point out that patients with high blood pressure also have other factors that put them at risk of severe covid disease, including their age, obesity, diabetes, as well as other conditions in addition to hypertension that contribute to heart disease. "I think it may be guilt by association," says Sandra J. Taler, a specialist in hypertension at the Mayo Clinic. "Hypertension is a very common health problem that increases with age. The older you get, the more likely you are to have it. The people who most often get sick and die are those with coexisting conditions, which include hypertension, but I don't think hypertension per se is the reason they are dying. I believe it's just a marker of their age, and their health and the presence of other health problems." Stanley S. Liu, a cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, agrees. "Generally, patients with high blood pressure have a handicap anytime they experience serious illness," he says. "This is because the organs affected by the serious illness already have compromised blood supplies due to long-standing high blood pressure, which makes them more vulnerable to serious damage." He believes this explains in part why many people experience severe disease or die, rather than the cause being "something new or different about covid-19 itself," he says. "I am more worried about the link between hypertension and problems in every organ system with a blood supply than I am about hypertension and covid-19 itself." For now, experts agree that hypertension patients should continue with their drug regimens, as the current research concludes they pose no additional harm when it comes to covid-19. Studies have found no link between the medications and the risk of developing covid-19, or experiencing more severe symptoms, or that other blood pressure medications, such as calcium channel blockers, beta blockers and thiazide diuretics, raise the risks. (The authors of another study that reached similar conclusions recently retracted their research following public concerns about the quality of the database they used.) Robert Carey, a cardiovascular endocrinologist who is dean emeritus of the University of Virginia's School of Medicine, says researchers are still studying whether patients on the drugs do fare better than those who don't take them. He points out that the drugs help reduce chronic inflammation, a condition that can lead to serious health dangers. "Hypertension is characterized by inflammation in blood vessels," he says. "A viral infection, of course, also has inflammation as its main manifestation, in this case in the lungs." Meanwhile, numerous additional studies are gearing up or are already underway to seek answers to these questions and others. Researchers also are looking at the potential effect on covid-19 of blood thinners, statins, which lower cholesterol, antiplatelets, which prevent blood clots, and medications that lower triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood that - in excess - can contribute to heart disease. They also are studying other types of blood pressure drugs. Researchers at Johns Hopkins's Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, for example, recently reported preliminary findings that suggest another blood pressure drug, Prazosin, an alpha blocker that relaxes blood vessels, targets what is known as cytokine storm, a syndrome that involves an extreme inflammatory response that afflicts older covid-19 patients with underlying health conditions. It is associated with severe disease and an increased risk of death. They plan to conduct a larger clinical trial to determine whether early administration of the drug will reduce deaths among infected patients. The University of Maryland plans to examine data from patient registries to learn more about the links between severe covid-19 complications, hypertension and diabetes, and also plans to study genetics involved in cardiovascular disease to see whether certain genes predispose a patient to greater risks. UC San Diego scientists are planning to conduct a study to learn more about whether the drugs have a beneficial effect on patients with the disease. University of Pennsylvania researchers also recently launched an international, multisite study to find out more about how ACE inhibitors and ARBS affect the covid-19 disease. They are cautious about the drugs' effects until they finish their research. "We have reason to think they may be helpful, and we have reason to think they might be harmful," says Jordana Cohen, assistant professor in the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, one of the principal investigators. "We really don't know." Her co-principal investigator, Julio Chirinos, agrees. "They may help the virus. They may help the body. Or they may do nothing at all," he says. "We need to find the answers. But until we do, there is no reason to stop taking these drugs." Carey agrees, saying the most important thing hypertensive patients can do during the pandemic is to keep their blood pressure under control. "We don't want people going off their medications because they think doing so might lessen their chances of getting covid-19, or of making it worse," he says. moralfibre Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: MH-12 Posts: 8,165 Thanked: 12,519 Times View My Garage re: India's Road Infrastructure compared to the world India is a diverse country of cultures, languages, climatic conditions, etc. Our geographical divides and historical polity have concentrated our country in congested cities while rural areas have more or less been deprived of growth. Our likings of tall dwellings to counter lack of land mass in cities have simply choked our road infrastructure without much space to breath. Population density is directly proportional to this and so is cars per sq. km. This has obviously led to traffic snarls since the infrastructure hasn't been able to keep up or has reached levels where it is impossible for cities to sustain this growth. A recent report I had read somewhere placed like 5-6 Indian cities in the world's top 10 for traffic problems. Bangalore won the race IIRC. Not surprising since our policy makers create pockets of excellence in certain regions that leaves little or no pie for other places to bite on. Mass migration of the populace results in explosive growth which local municipal corporations or public works departments are unable to serve. Just as diverse our nation is, so is the quality of infrastructure from city to city and state to state. In my (personal) opinion, the city of Mumbai has the worst roads in the country despite having the richest municipal corporation. Many arterial roads merging into a main street don't even align correctly. Manhole covers, gutter shutters are about 2-5inches above the road surface. Footpaths are occupied by hawkers, there is absolutely no space for parking and all that. As you move out from the city to the highways, Maharashtra probably rates at the bottom if one were to rate the quality of highways. We boast of the first expressway built in the country but the quality of the road surface is nothing more than what I call tyre-shredder-concrete. The expressway merges on to the NH4 highway that was part of the once visionary Golden quadrilateral road network. But, there is a problem, all of NH4 in Maharashtra in particular passes through small big villages. Heck it's now more or less a part of Pune city! Compare that to a stark difference you'd see once you cross over into Karnataka. The scenery changes drastically. The roads are well paved. Your car tyres barely make any noise. The entire highway has service lanes along. Crash barriers are continuously securing traffic on opposite ends. And say what? The toll per km is far far lesser in KA v/s MH. Beyond that, a little birdie told me that it cost them less to build per km of NH4 in KA v/s MH. If one had to rate the quality of highways within India, MH would probably be in the bottom 5. And last among the central and southern states. Let's look at the city infrastructure. And I can talk about Pune, we took nearly 10-15 years in Pune to decide whether the metro rail should be underground or overhead! Yes, a decade and half, no less! Needless to say there were vested business interests in one of the largest two wheeler market in the country to not have proper public transport infrastructure. While things have picked up recently, they seem to be facing hurdles in completion on time. Obviously some top resident two wheeler industry businessmen are unnerved with the progress. Coming to the road infrastructure, there are about 3 highways passing right through the middle of the city. So, if you were to head to Ahmednagar/Aurangabad, Nashik, Solapur from Bombay, you take the city's arterial roads which form a part of the highway network. Hyderabadis will quickly ask, don't you guys have an outer ring road? Yes, we very much do but it continues to be on paper and a super flawed design is available on youtube too. On the ground, there is a ring that represents a zero, not a road. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xqrHJ-eJHo Psst, don't be surprised to see an office building right in the middle of a highway. It is quite a radical proposition. Imagine working 11 storeys above traffic Lastly, Pune has been operating out of an airforce base. Jokes around the size have been floating around since time immemorial. Just like the metro, we are still about deciding where the airport should be. Last I checked it was some 40-60km away from the city with absolutely no clear roads to get there. Chances are that the residents of Pune would end up reaching Navi Mumbai airport faster while the government decides where the airport should be Tell us about the quality of infrastructure in your city / village. My take on our infrastructure and quality of roads and other modes of transport in Pune, Maharashtra v/s others:India is a diverse country of cultures, languages, climatic conditions, etc. Our geographical divides and historical polity have concentrated our country in congested cities while rural areas have more or less been deprived of growth. Our likings of tall dwellings to counter lack of land mass in cities have simply choked our road infrastructure without much space to breath. Population density is directly proportional to this and so is cars per sq. km. This has obviously led to traffic snarls since the infrastructure hasn't been able to keep up or has reached levels where it is impossible for cities to sustain this growth.A recent report I had read somewhere placed like 5-6 Indian cities in the world's top 10 for traffic problems. Bangalore won the race IIRC. Not surprising since our policy makers create pockets of excellence in certain regions that leaves little or no pie for other places to bite on. Mass migration of the populace results in explosive growth which local municipal corporations or public works departments are unable to serve.Just as diverse our nation is, so is the quality of infrastructure from city to city and state to state. In my (personal) opinion, the city of Mumbai has the worst roads in the country despite having the richest municipal corporation. Many arterial roads merging into a main street don't even align correctly. Manhole covers, gutter shutters are about 2-5inches above the road surface. Footpaths are occupied by hawkers, there is absolutely no space for parking and all that.As you move out from the city to the highways, Maharashtra probably rates at the bottom if one were to rate the quality of highways. We boast of the first expressway built in the country but the quality of the road surface is nothing more than what I call tyre-shredder-concrete. The expressway merges on to the NH4 highway that was part of the once visionary Golden quadrilateral road network. But, there is a problem, all of NH4 in Maharashtra in particular passes through small big villages. Heck it's now more or less a part of Pune city!Compare that to a stark difference you'd see once you cross over into Karnataka. The scenery changes drastically. The roads are well paved. Your car tyres barely make any noise. The entire highway has service lanes along. Crash barriers are continuously securing traffic on opposite ends. And say what? The toll per km is far far lesser in KA v/s MH. Beyond that, a little birdie told me that it cost them less to build per km of NH4 in KA v/s MH.If one had to rate the quality of highways within India, MH would probably be in the bottom 5. And last among the central and southern states.Let's look at the city infrastructure. And I can talk about Pune, we took nearly 10-15 years in Pune to decide whether the metro rail should be underground or overhead! Yes, a decade and half, no less! Needless to say there were vested business interests in one of the largest two wheeler market in the country to not have proper public transport infrastructure. While things have picked up recently, they seem to be facing hurdles in completion on time. Obviously some top resident two wheeler industry businessmen are unnerved with the progress.Coming to the road infrastructure, there are about 3 highways passing right through the middle of the city. So, if you were to head to Ahmednagar/Aurangabad, Nashik, Solapur from Bombay, you take the city's arterial roads which form a part of the highway network. Hyderabadis will quickly ask, don't you guys have an outer ring road? Yes, we very much do but it continues to be on paper and a super flawed design is available on youtube too. On the ground, there is a ring that represents a zero, not a road.Psst, don't be surprised to see an office building right in the middle of a highway. It is quite a radical proposition. Imagine working 11 storeys above trafficLastly, Pune has been operating out of an airforce base. Jokes around the size have been floating around since time immemorial. Just like the metro, we are still about deciding where the airport should be. Last I checked it was some 40-60km away from the city with absolutely no clear roads to get there. Chances are that the residents of Pune would end up reaching Navi Mumbai airport faster while the government decides where the airport should beTell us about the quality of infrastructure in your city / village. Last edited by moralfibre : 13th June 2020 at 21:14 . The new Chinese ZTQ 15 light tank has finally shown up as part of a combat unit, the 54th Mechanized Infantry Brigade. This is one of the three combat brigades in the Tibet Military District, the other two being motorized mountain infantry brigades. There is also a Special Operations brigade as well as an artillery brigade and air defense brigade plus engineer, signal and EW (Electronic Warfare) regiments. There also appears to be one or two Mobile Police brigade which are not under army control, but would be a part of any major operations in Tibet. The Chinese have been testing the ZTQ 15 in Tibet since 2017. Testing also took place in the mountainous terrain along the Vietnam border. Tibet is a unique combat zone because the average altitude on the Tibet Plateau is 4,100 meters (14,000 feet). Few Chinese arrive in Tibet and engage in vigorous activity without suffering from altitude sickness. This illness occurs when people who grew up near sea level (most of the world's population) move to altitudes greater than 2,100 meters (7,000 feet). Below that, the air contains 21 percent oxygen. Above that, the weaker air pressure lowers the amount of oxygen the body can absorb. That produces "altitude sickness", manifested by shortness of breath, disorientation, nosebleeds, nausea, dehydration, difficulty sleeping and eating, headaches and, if you stay up there long enough, chronic disability. Most people can adapt, sort of, to the altitude sickness. Some can't. The native Tibetans have evolved to deal with it. The majority of Chinese soldiers coming to the Tibetan Plateau (which is most of Tibet) require a few days, or weeks, to acclimate. But they are still susceptible to altitude sickness if they exert themselves, especially for extended periods. This makes Chinese military personnel in Tibet much less effective. This is one reason that of all the military districts in the Chinese military, the one in Tibet has the fewest combat troops, and only brigades, not divisions. India sees this as a major advantage because most of its border with China is along the edge of the Tiber Plateau. Just behind the front lines, Indian troops are out of the 2,100 meters zone. Not so the Chinese, who have the vast, rugged and little developed Tibet Plateau behind them. Then again, the Chinese have been forced to develop more effective ways to use troops and engine-driven equipment at high altitudes. Most Tibetans evolved in the last 3-6,000 years to deal with this problem. It appears that most of the people moving to, and staying in, highland Tibet, were those with the rare genes that made them resistant to altitude sickness. These people became the dominant population in Tibet, mainly because they were healthier at high altitudes. Nearly all Tibetans have this gene, which controls how their red blood cells operate, to maintain sufficient oxygen levels. Very few lowland Chinese have these genes. Vehicle engines also suffer from lower oxygen content and lower air pressure at these extreme altitudes and generate 30-40 percent less power and wear out faster. Chinese truck manufacturers can provide special high-altitude models of their engines for commercial, personal and military vehicles operating on the Tibet Plateau. It is not known if the ZTQ-15s in Tibet were equipped with the high-altitude engines or, more likely, were modified to operate more effectively at those extreme altitudes. Construction and mining operations in Tibet definitely use these high-altitude engines, which are basically modified versions of standard models. The highlands along the Vietnam border are generally 2,000-3,000 meters high so vehicle engines suffer only a small loss of power and special engines are not needed. But the off-road terrain is quite rugged and that was what the ZTQ-15s had to demonstrate they could handlet. Apparently they could but so fa, no ZTQ-15s are known to be assigned to army units along the Vietnam border. First mentioned in 2010, the ZTQ began to undergo intensive testing and evaluation in 2014. The tank has a 105mm gun, improved armor protection and running gear that is more efficient and easier to maintain. A tank this size could carry about 36 105mm rounds as well as ammo for the 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine-guns carried. The ZTQ is heavy, as in about 35 tons. There are also many other improvements as armor design has advanced greatly since the 1960s. The armor-piercing capabilities of artillery shells and heavy machine-guns have become deadlier. It appears that the ZTQ has modern armor and other protection. So far China has released very little official data on the specification of this new light tank. The vehicle is widely known because cell phone photos have been taken more of them were transported to distant places (like Tibet) on railroad flatcars or moved around on tank transporters for tests in different parts of the country. In these early photos, the turrets were often covered with netting to conceal details, although eventually photos appeared providing a clear view of the turret. This revealed the TZQ was using a smaller version of the modern turret used in Chinas most modern tank, the Type 99A2. This heavier tank first appeared in 2007 and quite a lot of detail was visible. These turrets (ZTQ and T-99A2) are of modern design and the latest photos confirm the presence of numerous sensors. ZTQ-15 uses modular armor (reactive or other lightweight types) for parts of the vehicle. Overall, the vehicle is most definitely a modern design. At the end of 2016 photos appeared on the Internet showing many ZTQs on rail cars, painted in army colors and headed for delivery to units in southern China. This indicated that the military had placed an order after five years of testing and tinkering with the design. Although pictures of the ZTQ have been showing up since 2011, it was not until late 2016 that details of the turret were visible. The ZTQ was designed for rough, mountainous terrain as found in Tibet and the mountainous jungles on Vietnamese border. ZTQ-15 is in production but how many was unclear. In 2018 the Chinese Army admitted that it was adopting the ZTQ-15 and in 2019 the ZTQ-15 was reported as serving with combat units, but which ones were not mentioned. Then the ZTQ-15 showed up in a military parade in September 2019 celebrating the 70th Anniversary of communist rule in China. A few months later the presence of the ZTQ-15 in the Tibet based 54th brigade was confirmed. Early on it was thought that the ZTQ-15 was replacing the 21-ton Type 62 (WZ131) that entered service in the 1960s and most are now retired after serving as a light reconnaissance tank. The Type 62 looked like a scaled-down Russian T-55, or Chinese clone the Type 59, with much thinner armor (35mm/1.4 inches in the front). This provided protection from most artillery fragments as well as most machine-gun fire. The Type 62 had a four-man crew and an 85mm gun. Over 1,500 were built before production ceased in 1989. There were stories in Chinese media during 2013 indicating that the Type 62 was being retired and some officers were not happy with that because at the time there was no replacement. China has adapted other tracked and wheeled armored vehicles to perform the recon duties once handled by the Type 62. Times and technology had changed and in the West light tanks had largely disappeared by the 1980s. Although China still borrows, and often improves on, a lot of Russian armored vehicle tech, China is also pulling even with and even ahead of Russia. More importantly, new Chinese designs are mass produced for widespread use in the Chinese military as well as export to a growing list of satisfied customers. The ZTQ-15 was, in fact, built by NORINCO, the largest Chinese defense manufacturer, for the export market as the VT5. NORINCO and many other Chinese defense firms, develop and build a lot of equipment just for the export or local consumer and commercial markets. The Chinese military like this because it provides more new weapons and other equipment to evaluate for possible purchases without having to spend anything on research and development. Such was the case with the ZTQ-15, which is different from the VT-5 in several ways, like electronics, armor protection and engines. Meanwhile, the VT5 has only found one export customer so far. Bangladesh has 44 on order and apparently some have already arrived in Bangladesh, a very sea-level nation with lots of marsh and waterways to contend with. The India Meteorological Department on Saturday (June 13, 2020) said that south-west monsoon has reached into some parts of Maharashtra, adding that the monsoon is currently moving towards different parts of South India as predicted. The IMD said in a bulletin that conditions are favorable for the movement of monsoon in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, and parts of Southern Gujarat in the next 24 hours. IMD has issued a warning for the low-pressure area lies over north Coastal Andhra Pradesh, adjoining Coastal Odisha and neighborhood. The weather forecast stated that conditions are also becoming favorable for further advance of Southwest monsoon into some more parts of the Central Arabian Sea, remaining parts of Maharashtra (including Mumbai), Odisha, and West Bengal, some more parts of Chhattisgarh. The weather forecast further predicts scattered heavy to very heavy with isolated extremely heavy rainfall of 20 cm likely over Konkan and Goa and isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada, Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam, North Interior Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Vidarbha, Assam & Meghalaya during next 24 hours; In the next 24 hours, Scattered heavy to very heavy with isolated extremely heavy rainfall is predicted over Vidarbha and isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Coastal Karnataka, Madhya Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Assam, and Meghalaya. On Thursday, video-calling service Zoom announced that it would no longer grant requests from the Chinese government to remove hosts or participants from meetings if it concerns users that are located in mainland China. The move was the platform's latest move to give in to pressure after its sudden rise to popularity amid the coronavirus pandemic. The crisis has led people to stay at home for work and education-related activities, as reported by CNBC. Fame and criticism Zoom had previously faced criticisms over its security capabilities as several issues such as meeting interruptions, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities plagued its platform. The company, however, took immediate steps to correct the problems. Earlier this month, Humanitarian China, a US-based civil-rights group that was founded by Zhou Fengsuo, announced that their Zoom account was shut down after citizens commemorated the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square. The Chinese government forbode citizens from attending or observing the event. The videoconferencing platform announced on Wednesday that it did shut the account down but later reinstated it. Zhou stated that the move was a major setback and explaining that several other major videoconferencing platforms are blocked in mainland China, such as Google Meet which limits who can access the Tiananmen commemoration. According to the Wall Street Journal, Zoom defended its actions by saying that it was required to follow the requests to comply with local laws as with any other global company. One spokesman for the company said when a meeting is conducted between participants from different countries; the users are required to follow their local laws and regulations. The decision by Zoom to shut the account down sparked concerns among users and individuals of the surveillance of the Chinese government. Also Read: European Union Blames China, Russia for Allegedly Spearheading Disinformation Campaigns Reason for the shutdown Zhou, along with several others, had demanded to know from the platform the details of when and how their account violated the previously agreed upon terms and conditions. They also wanted to know whether or not the videoconferencing platform gave personal account information to the Chinese capital. Zoom promised that in the future, it would deny the Chinese government's requests to affect users that are not located in mainland China. The platform's officials also added they would expand and improve their systems that remove or block users based on location. Researchers at Citizen Lab, a security research group that has connections at the University of Toronto, said in April that Zoom, under specific circumstances, stored encryption keys inside servers in China. The company revealed that data of meetings were mistakenly transferred through Chinese servers after a traffic surge in February that it has since corrected. Zoom has announced that they are improving their global policy in responding to requests of blocking users from meetings. It also noted that it would reveal the outline of the policy report for transparency that will be published on June 30. Last week, the company's CEO, Eric Yuan, said that they hoped to work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to respond to users that intend to use the platform for malicious activities. Yuan also stated that they did not want to provide end-to-end encryption service to an individual who does not wish to pay for it. Related Article: Fact Check: 21 Million Drop in China Mobile Users Reportedly Indicates True Death Toll @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. In the dense green tropical rainforests of Indonesia lives a strange bird whose famed maniacal cackle can be heard from 3 km away! In recent times, however, its distinctive cackle has largely died down over a large part of its range. Locals living around these forests complain that they hardly hear them nowadays. Yet, no one paid an ear to their warning until one man decided to investigate further - to learn why the cackle was disappearing from these forests. This is the story of this man, YokYok (Yoki) Hadiprakarsa, and the bird (the helmeted hornbill) that he is determined to bring back from the brink. YokYok (Yoki) Hadiprakarsa is a recognized wildlife conservationist based in Indonesia. He is also one of the six winners of the prestigious Whitley Award or 'Green Oscar.' He received the award in 2020 for his commendable work related to helmeted hornbill conservation in Indonesia. He is also the Founder and Principal Researcher at Rangkong Indonesia, an organization striving to save Indonesia's hornbills. In this article, we explore his conservation work and learn some captivating facts about the critically endangered helmeted hornbill. World Atlas had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Hadiprakrsa to learn about how and why he is protecting these birds in his country. A helmeted hornbill perched on a tree in the Indonesian rainforests. Image credit: Aryf Rahman,Rangkong Indonesia How did you develop your passion for wildlife conservation? My passion for nature and wildlife was nurtured since I was a child. Urban nature and various magazines and books on the subject like the Grolier Encyclopedia and National Geographic magazines created fascinating visuals of the vast and beautiful natural world outside my home waiting to be explored by me. My father also played a central role in inspiring me to understand nature. I would learn from his work capturing the beauty of Indonesia's national parks and producing visual aids for farmers across the country. BBC wildlife documentaries also excited me and soon Sir David Attenborough became my role model. How did you direct your education and career to allow you to pursue your passion for wildlife conservation? Quite early on in my life, I knew that I must work for protecting nature and her amazing creatures. Observing how nature works and learning new things about wildlife always kept me engaged. Hence, I selected Biology as a major in high school. In college, I specialized in bird ecology. Following that, I completed my Master of Science degree from the University of Georgia in Forest Resources with a focus on landscape ecology with a quantitative boost. Throughout my education years, I was fortunate enough to have mentors and colleagues who motivated me immensely to pursue my dream in wildlife conservation. Hadiprakarsa looking out for helmeted hornbills in the Indonesian rainforests. Image credit: Aristyawan When did you start working on the conservation of hornbills? My tryst with the hornbills started way back in 1999 when I received a research fellowship from the Wildlife Conservation Society - Indonesia Program for my undergraduate research project. Dr. Margaret F. Kinnaird, my former boss and mentor, introduced me to these marvelous birds and encouraged me to work on their conservation. I was immediately captivated by these birds and their lives. To my surprise, I found that they were quite underrepresented in the Indonesian wildlife conservation scene. Since then, there was no looking back. I decided to dedicate myself to conserving these majestic birds and ensure that the future generations of my country get to see them as well. The severed head of a helmeted hornbill that was poached for its casque. Image credit: Yoki Hadiprakarsa, Rangkong Indonesia. Why put special focus on the helmeted hornbill conservation? Initially, I started working on the protection of all the 13 hornbill species found in Indonesia. However, I soon realized that the helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) deserved greater attention. A critically endangered species, its days were numbered if not protected. The maniacal cackle of this hornbill startled me when I first heard it, but since then I have admired it more than anything. As I studied its history, I came to know that the helmeted hornbill was the most severely hunted hornbill species. It has been hunted over centuries since the time of the Ming Dynasty of China. However, there was limited detailed information on such hunting and its effect on the species. In 2012, I came across a visually disturbing photograph showing the stacked casques of helmeted hornbills on sale in a black market in Borneo. This haunting image and later, when I met a villager selling real dried helmeted hornbill heads, shook me up completely. They drove me to profile the crisis facing the helmeted hornbill. I decided to dig in for more information on the species and initiate urgent conservation action to protect it. A helmeted hornbill on a tree in Indonesia. Image credit: Yoki Hadiprakarsa,Rangkong Indonesia What are some of the fascinating facts about the helmeted hornbill? The helmeted hornbill is a fascinating bird in all aspects. Here are some of its most interesting features: The head that bears the casque shows a gradual flame-like color transitioning gradually from red to yellow. It has symmetric and sharp beaks. A unique trait that distinguishes it from other hornbills - it has a solid keratinous casque on its head that contributes to nearly 13% of the total weight of the bird (+/- 3000gr). Other hornbills have hollow casques. on its head that contributes to nearly 13% of the total weight of the bird (+/- 3000gr). Other hornbills have hollow casques. The neck and throat of the bird are naked or featherless. They feed primarily on figs and sometimes small animals. Aggressive behavior within or between pairs by jousting their heads has been displayed (No visual documentation until now, only my publication ). Slow regeneration time. They rely heavily on massive, old trees with cavities for nesting. Due to these limitations, only a few pairs of helmeted hornbills manage to produce offsprings successfully. on massive, for nesting. Due to these limitations, only a few pairs of helmeted hornbills manage to produce offsprings successfully. Hornbill pairs need at least 5-6 months to nurture the chick. Females do not leave the nest during this time. So, it is the responsibility of the male to feed both the female and the chick. If the male dies during this fragile period, both the female and the chick lose their chances of survival. Their maniacal cackle can be heard up to 3 km away ! ! And lastly, and most importantly, they are among the most effective seed dispersing agents in the oriental rainforest. Please brief us on the founding of Rangkong Indonesia. With the escalation of the helmeted hornbill crisis, I decided to establish Rangkong Indonesia (RI) - Indonesian Hornbill Conservation Society in 2013. The whole idea of establishing RI was to gain more support for Indonesian hornbill conservation. Operationally, RI is a research and conservation unit under Rekam Nusantara Foundation, which I and my five colleagues established in the same year. Helmeted hornbill habitat in Indonesia. Image credit: Nanang Sujana What is the current population estimate of this species? How are they distributed throughout Indonesia? Despite their prominent appearance and large size (+/- 180cm total length from the tip of the beak to the edge of central tail feathers), their sorry plight has been largely hidden from the human eyes. When I began researching on them, there was little to start with. Population data on these hornbills and scientific research on their population trends and behavioral traits were seriously lacking. Till date, a reliable population estimate of the helmeted hornbill is absent. The only clue related to the population of these birds come from historical studies that mentioned their density range prior to the crisis was around 0.4 - 1.9 bird/sq.km. In Indonesia, they are found primarily in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra and Kalimantan. They can live up to elevations of around 1000 m, but usually prefer lowland habitats (0-500 m). Indonesia provides one of the last remaining homes to these birds. Possibly, this country also has the largest population of the species which explains why the helmeted hornbill crisis is so profoundly visible here. What are the major threats facing the helmeted hornbill in Indonesia? These birds are hunted for their heads, more precisely, the casques in their heads that are sold as "red ivory" in the illegal wildlife markets and later used to make decor pieces. Currently, habitat loss also plagues the species. Tropical rainforests of Indonesia that serve as home to these birds are subjected to rampant deforestation and degradation. However, thankfully, the bird exhibits some degree of adaptation and is capable of flying off to the nearest surviving patch of forest to seek refuge there. What is the current conservation status of the helmeted hornbill in Indonesia? All Indonesian hornbills (13 species) are protected by law. The helmeted hornbill has been listed in Appendix I, the highest status under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The IUCN enlists the species as 'Critically Endangered' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, just one step away from the much-feared 'Extinction in the Wild' category. When was the helmeted hornbill declared critically endangered? When I started studying these birds in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, in 2013, I discovered some alarming facts. My studies suggested that around 6,000 of these birds had been poached for their head and sold to China at that time. Shaken by the fact, I traveled extensively through Sumatra and Kalimantan to further my understanding of the status of the helmeted hornbills. My investigations revealed that no habitat of the species in the country had been spared from hunting pressures since late 2012. Also, given the then prevailing rate of helmeted hornbill poaching, only three years were needed to make the birds rare in their habitats. The above-mentioned fact becomes very clear from what villagers living in regions inhabited by the hornbills had to say: ".....before 2012, we would hear the weird call of these birds from the village every day, but now (2014-15), even if we spend an entire week in the forest, we hardly get to hear them..." The testimonies by villagers obtained from both Sumatra and Kalimantan revealed the same situation. Even the local poachers recognized the huge loss of these birds. One of them testified to it saying "....in the beginning, it was easy to get 30-40 birds in a week. Now (2015-2016) we are really lucky if we can get even 5 birds although we spend 2 or more weeks in the forest and need to travel further into the forest interiors. That's why I stopped hunting this bird......" As we investigated further, it became clear to us that the helmeted hornbill population was falling at an alarming rate. In late September 2015, I presented my findings and voiced my concern before the global conservation communities. By December 2015, IUCN had changed the conservation status of the helmeted hornbills from 'Near Threatened' to 'Critically Endangered,' an unfortunate leap of two levels (leaving 'Vulnerable' and 'Endangered' in between) up the 'threatened' scale. It was now evident that without urgent and serious intervention by the conservation community, these birds were doomed to die. Staff of Rangkong Indonesia engaged in fieldwork. Image credit: Khaerul Abdi Staff of Rangkong Indonesia engaged in fieldwork. Image credit: Nanang Sujana How are you and your team at Rangkong Indonesia protecting the helmeted hornbills? Profiling the species and presenting the information to the international conservation community was our first step to protect these birds. It was also important to make the public at large aware of the fact that the majestic helmeted hornbill was at peril. After realizing the dire situation of the species, we also wasted no time and immediately launched a program to estimate the current population of these birds in the country. Last year, we completed conducting the first largest hornbill population survey covering nearly 3 million hectares! The Tropical Conservation Act (TFCA) provided us with the much-needed support to conduct the survey. I hope this year we can have the population estimation figures out. At the same time, it was also necessary that the hornbills received much-needed attention at national and international levels. We strived to make the Indonesian government and international conservation organizations put weight on the issue. The Indonesian government raised the issue of the hornbill crisis at the 16th CITES Conference of Parties in 2016 where it was successfully acknowledged by the parties. The IUCN Motion for Conservation of the Helmeted hornbill was also successfully accepted by the IUCN members during IUCN Congress in the same year. Several other plans like the National Conservation Action Plan for the Helmeted hornbill 2018-2020, Global Conservation Action Plan for The Helmeted hornbill, etc., were also launched at national and global levels to protect the species. Several committees like the IUCN Helmeted Hornbill Working Group and the National Partnership for Indonesian Hornbill Conservation were also founded to ensure the proper implementation of hornbill conservation projects. Currently, we are implementing (collaboratively) all conservation actions on the National Action Plan for the Helmeted Hornbill. While the helmeted hornbills have started getting attention at national and global levels, it is also vital to ensure that the locals sharing the habitat with these birds also empathize with them. A dearth of adequate scientific research, awareness, funding, and optimism in the field of helmeted hornbill conservation needs to be addressed. A lack of an innovative approach to gain support from the people who live side by side with the birds is also the impending conservation of these birds. These people, I believe, have a great potential became the true hornbill guardians! How did you feel when you came to learn that you have won the prestigious Whitley Awards? Anxiously happy and grateful for sure. But, I position myself for this award only as a medium for the birds and the people. A helmeted hornbill on a tree in Indonesia. Image credit: Yoki Hadiprakarsa,Rangkong Indonesia What would be your message to the world about why it is important to save the species? Please do not let their cackle disappear from the rainforests of the world where they occur. Without them, the health of our rainforests will be ruined. By dispersing seeds, they act as the farmers of these forests. They save these breathing forests for the well-being of our future generations. They are our real-life carbon superheroes! Show them your love by protecting their future too! Kandamangalam Block has five Primary Health Centers at Puranasingupalayam, Kondur, Siruvanthadu, Rampakkam and Kandamangalam. For chief civil surgeon and block medical officer (BMO) Dr Aarthi R, who has worked in Kandamangalam Block for 22 years, navigating through pandemic protocol while ensuring her team's mental and physical well-being is a multi-faceted task. Speaking to Firstpost, she takes us through the steps involved in monitoring, tracking and following up with every individual in the block. For every 5000 people, there is one village health nurse and a supervisor. Kandamangalam Block has five Primary Health Centers at Puranasingupalayam, Kondur, Siruvanthadu, Rampakkam and Kandamangalam. These serve as the nodal points for all mapping operations. Additionally, there are 31 Health-Sub Centres (HSC). The healthcare workers track them every day through phone calls and house visits where they note down those who are displaying symptoms or are developing symptoms. These visits mean direct exposure, say Neela and T Samaresan, 58, the block health inspector. One such daunting incident occurred when Mr A, who had returned from Chennai, submitted his test sample and displayed absolutely no symptoms. However, his results came back positive for COVID 19 the next day, putting the entire team who was exposed to him at risk. In spite of this, the team tested primary contacts dutifully, the next day. The patient's house was barricaded from all sides, and Mr Samerasan, the health inspector who had spent 48 hours with the patient, fortunately, tested negative. The strategy is to closely monitor those living with positive patients, especially if they have comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and lung disease). According to the team, it's Dr Aarthi's dedication, passionate speeches, and above all; staying on top of her work end-to-end that keeps them going no matter what. BLOOMINGTON Three more McLean County residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing to 239 the number of people from McLean County who have had confirmed cases of the novel virus since March 19. the county health department said Friday. Meanwhile, Tazewell County Health Department announced four new COVID cases, bringing that county's total to 86; LaSalle County Health Department announced two more cases, bringing its total to 177; and Ford County Health Department confirmed one new case, bringing that county's total to 23. Of the 239 McLean County residents, 207 have recovered, 19 are isolating at home and none are hospitalized, the health department reported. Thirteen people have died of the virus since March. No new deaths were announced Friday. Health department Communicable Disease Supervisor Melissa Graven said that more than 9,000 McLean County residents have been tested for COVID, meaning the rate of those testing positive is about 2.6 percent. Fourteen new COVID cases have been announced so far this week, after only seven new cases were announced last week. McLean County Communications Specialist Dion McNeal said in a statement that the health department recommends that the public and businesses follow the guidance of the governor's Restore Illinois plan. The statement came one day after Pizza Ranch in Bloomington re-opened its dining room, even though indoor restaurant dining is not allowed under the Restore Illinois plan until Phase 4, which hasn't taken effect. "McLean County Health Department will follow up on all complaints reported to us of businesses that are not following the guidance of the Restore Illinois plan," McNeal's statement said. Anyone who believes that a business is violating the guidance may call 309-888-5452, email mclean.eh@mcleancountyil.gov or submit a complaint to the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity. McLean County Emergency Management Agency reported Friday that 101 people were tested on Thursday at the COVID-19 testing site at the McLean County Fairgrounds, 1106 Interstate Drive, Bloomington. The testing site is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily to anyone who can complete a nasal self-swab test. People may arrive by car, may walk up or by bus. A free Connect Transit shuttle bus leaves the bus stop at Walmart, 2225 W. Market St., Bloomington, and runs to the testing site every 15 minutes from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 2 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Testing also is available at Walmart, 300 Greenbriar Drive, Normal, from 7 to 9 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Make an appointment and check eligibility at www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com. Meanwhile, Livingston County Health Department reported Friday that county had no active COVID cases. As of Friday, 1,862 Livingston County residents had been tested for COVID and 37 had tested positive for the virus, the health department said. While two county residents died of the virus earlier this spring, 35 have recovered, the health department said. Statewide, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced on Friday 595 new COVID cases and 77 additional deaths, including a Peoria County woman in her 70s. Since COVID hit Illinois earlier this year, 131,198 people have been diagnosed with the virus and 6,260 people have died, IDPH said. Will there be a second COVID-19 surge in Illinois? These are the stats to watch. Contact Paul Swiech at 309-820-3275. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_swiech. 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. Michael Gove said that the UK will not seek an extension The UK Government has shown a complete disregard for Northern Ireland's economy by not seeking to extend the Brexit transition period, the Deputy First Minister has said. Michelle O'Neill said the decision announced yesterday by Cabinet minister Michael Gove was "shameful". However, First Minister Arlene Foster said it came as "no surprise". A senior retail figure, meanwhile, called for more clarity on the way ahead. Aodhan Connolly said companies and consumers need to know some details now, particularly on mitigating the costs of any friction in trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. He said an already herculean task had got harder. In a tweet yesterday Mr Gove said he has officially given notice to EU negotiators that the UK Government will not request an extension beyond the December 31 deadline. His decision was made during a meeting of the EU joint committee. UK sources were keen to depict the meeting as the last formal opportunity to request an extension, as it was the final scheduled meeting of the joint committee before the July 1 deadline to make such a request. Later Scottish and Welsh ministers decided not to take part in a Brexit conference call with the UK Government in protest at Mr Gove's actions. Mrs O'Neill, speaking after a meeting of the British Government-EU joint committee on the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, described the announcement as "careless and shameful". "It is completely careless and shameful for the British Government not to seek an extension to the transition period and it shows complete disregard for our local economy, which is facing a huge shock as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic," she said. Speaking to RTE, Mrs Foster said it was no surprise the Government had stuck to its stated position. "That was the position they were elected on last December, that they would get Brexit done, that there wouldn't be any extensions," she said. "I've been saying that talking to colleagues in the Executive for quite some time. "So, not really surprised, I think what we really need to see happening now is clarity for our businesses." UUP leader Steve Aiken said he was not surprised by the announcement. He said that four years since the Brexit vote there is still no detail on the plan, including provisions to offset the risk of additional costs of goods coming in from the rest of the UK, deal or no deal. Mr Aiken said there has been no risk assessment of the implications of additional costs of trade with the "biggest market, that is the rest of the country". But he added: "The trade talks are probably now reaching the crunch point and that's what we are seeing." Alliance MP Stephen Farry described the announcement as "utterly reckless". Mr Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said: "It is not unexpected... but we have been saying since January that to have everything in place to protect Northern Ireland businesses and consumers it will be a herculean task, and that has only got harder." Mr Connolly said businesses and consumers cannot afford the cost rises that will follow increased friction, adding that it takes time to properly put in new processes, new systems and to train people. "We need the detail now," he said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson told RTE they are taking "a pragmatic and flexible approach" to try and help businesses in Northern Ireland adapt to the changes at the end of the transition period Mr Gove also announced the UK will phase in import controls over a period of six months between Britain and the EU, a reversal of a previous position that they would be introduced immediately. The UK Government has promised these will not apply to the flow of trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic, or between Northern Ireland and Britain. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 09:33:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PYONGYANG, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Pyongyang late Friday threatened to take "regretful and painful" retaliation soon against Seoul as their mutual trust is "shattered" by the latter's failure to stop anti-Pyongyang leaflets from being sent into the North. Pyongyang dismissed Seoul's promise to stop "defectors" from sending balloons carrying leaflets as "lip service", Jang Kum Chol, director of the United Front Department of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. "Their statement sounds like an apology or repentance, and their 'resolution to take counteraction' sounds plausible," Jang said. "But it is hard to clear the doubt that it can be just a brainstorm trick of Chongwadae (the presidential palace) to tide over the present crisis. Because its attitude of repentance is too timid, when compared with the gravity of the crime committed." In response to the DPRK's strong protest, the South Korean government has promised to deal strictly with activists' flying of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the North and take legislative measures to ban the "hostile act" at the border area. Jang said the South Korean authorities were so far only "paying lip service," and "they have availed themselves of every chance to unleash spurious words while reading others' faces with hesitation." For the same reason, Pyongyang announced on Tuesday to cut off all inter-Korean communication lines. The joint liaison office set up in 2018 was shut down by the DPRK a few days earlier. Enditem Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The 'Global Phosphorous Acid (CAS 13598-36-2) Market Outlook 2019-2024' offers detailed coverage of phosphorous acid industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading phosphorous acid producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for phosphorous acid. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography. Request For Report Sample @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3771 The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from key industry participants. The global phosphorous acid market has been segmented into five major regions, namely, North America (US, Canada, and others), Europe (UK, France, Germany, Russia, and others), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, and others), South America (Brazil, Argentina, and others), and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and others). Furthermore, the report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key vendors operating in this market. Get Complete TOC with Tables and Figures @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/3771 Key Regions - North America - Europe - Asia Pacific - Middle East & Africa - South America Key Vendors - Henan Qingshuiyuan Technology Co., Ltd. - Jiangyin Yaoyu Chemical Co., Ltd. - Suzhou Hantech Chemical Co., Ltd. - Taizhou Yongchang Chemical Co., Ltd. - Yichang Kaixiang Chemical Co., Ltd. - request free sample to get a complete list of companies Key Questions Answered in This Report - Analysis of the phosphorous acid market including revenues, future growth, market outlook - Historical data and forecast - Regional analysis including growth estimates - Analyzes the end user markets including growth estimates. - Profiles on phosphorous acid vendors including products, sales / revenues, SWOT, and market position, recent developments. - Market structure, market drivers and restraints. <<< Get COVID-19 Report Analysis >>> https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/3771 The spokesman of the defence headquarters, John Enenche has revealed that the dreaded Boko Haram sect killed no fewer than 81 people in Borno state last week as punishment for revealing their locations to the military. Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Friday, he added that another attack which occurred in Katsina where 40 people were killed was primarily due to the fact that the residents in the areas had informed the military about the location of the sect. Read Also: Boko Haram Now An Industry, Says Lawan He then lamented that lack of credible intelligence has been hampering the victory of the military over insurgents. Advertisement He said: A lot of people didnt know that what we saw a couple of days ago in Borno and Katsina states where about 81 were killed and about 40 others. The remote reasons for those actions was that you gave our positions away to the military and they used other excuses to pounce on them. And that has been the major challenge. If we had the cooperation from the general public particularly from those communities and localities where those terrorists, criminals and bandits operate from in cells and hibernation, we would have long before now completed the degradation. The overarching strategy was to decimate, which we completed as far back as September 2016, and then to dominate the area, after which we occupy. All of them have their legs. When they started volunteering information, the rate of success at both fronts increased rapidly. And as the clearance operations were ongoing, both from the ground operations and air strikes, it was based on human intelligence, information. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Friday it would be a good thing if police use of choke holds was ended in most instances, although he suggested their use would be understandable in situations where an officer was in danger. 'I don't like choke holds .. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Friday it would be a good thing if police use of choke holds was ended in most instances, although he suggested their use would be understandable in situations where an officer was in danger. "I don't like choke holds ... (but) sometimes, if you're alone and you're fighting someone, it's tough," Trump told Fox News Channel, while adding: "It would be, I think, a very good thing that, generally speaking, it should be ended." Some Republicans in Congress have indicated support for a ban on choke holds proposed by Democrats following the May 25 death of George Floyd, an African American who died after a Minneapolis policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd's death ignited a wave of protests in American cities.Trump on Thursday announced modest plans for an executive order on policing, while making it clear he would not support sweeping proposals in response to the protests. In the Fox News interview, Trump said the concept of banning choke holds "sounds so perfect." But he suggested their use could be understandable "if a police officer is in a bad scuffle and he's got somebody in a choke hold." Asked if here were referring to a situation where an officer was in a one-on-one fight and feared for his life, Trump said: "And that does happen. So, you have to be careful." U.S. Attorney General William Barr, in an interview on Fox News on Monday, said he was in favor of banning choke holds, except in instances where police officers were "confronted with potentially lethal force." Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott, who is crafting police reform legislation, told CNN on Friday that he and Democrats are in agreement that police should use choke holds "infinitely less." (Reporting by Lisa Lambert, David Brunnstrom and Eric Beech; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Jonathan Oatis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. In the fight against COVID-19, the much-awaited ventilators as promised by United States President Donald Trump, is arriving on Monday. In the first lot, about 100 high technology ventilators, a life saving medical equipment will be brought to India as a donation from America. These ventilators are being manufactured by Zoll US-based firm and are arriving from Chicago in the US. A senior government official said: "On Monday, about 100 ventilators are arriving from the United States as a donation. Ventilators would come to India by Air India flight. This is entirely managed by the India Red Cross Society." "Once the ventilators would arrive in India, there is a small inaugural function at IRCS after which these ventilators would be distributed to hospital for patient care," said the official who is familiar with this matter. On May 16, US President Trump had tweeted: "I am proud to announce that the United States will donate ventilators to our friends in India. We stand with India and @narendramodi during this pandemic. We're also cooperating on vaccine development. Together we will beat the invisible enemy!" In response to Trump's tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked him in a tweet and highlighted the India-US relationship. "In such times, it's always important for nations to work together and do as much as possible to make our world healthier and free from Covid-19," PM Modi said in a tweet. Ranchi, June 13 : A youth accused of murder was beaten to death by villagers in Jharkhand's Giridih district on Saturday, the police said. According to the police, Suresh Marandi, 18, was one of the seven persons accused of killing a youth in Giridih district. On June 4, 32-year-old Heeralal Kisku was murdered over a land dispute in the Visunpur panchayat under Pirtand block in Giridih distrsict. Seven people, including Marandi, were made accused in the crime. On Friday, the family members of Kisku came to know that Marandi, who was absconding, had come home. On Saturday, the family members of Kisku, along with other villagers, attacked Marandi's house with bows and arrows and sticks, thrashing Marandi to death. A villager informed the police about the incident. The police rushed to the village and saved two of Marandi's family members. Senior police officers and officials from the district administration are camping in the village. PREMIUM TIMES has confirmed from credible sources that the Nigerian military are currently in a fierce gunbattle with fighters of ISWAP, a breakaway group of Boko Haram, in Monguno, Borno State. The attack which started at about noon was ongoing at the time of filing this report. Sources who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES said the insurgents invaded the town in their large number firing shots into the town which plays host to thousands of internally displaced persons. Monguno is the country home of, Mohammed Monguno, a major general and the current national security adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari. Monguno is about 93 km North-east of Gubio, the local government where 81 villagers were massacred in one of the deadliest attacks of Boko Haram on Tuesday. READ ALSO: An official of Civilian-JTF, Bunu Malam, who also confirmed the ongoing fight said we have since received a signal from Monguno axis, but their telecommunications network there seemed to have gone down; so one could not reach people there. There are about 120,000 IDPs spread across 33,000 households presently in Monguno. Details later LAFAYETTE, La. - A red rocket, no bigger than a bottle of soda, was filled with vinegar and baking soda. Carefully placing it on a flat surface, 8-year-old Dave Hostetter slowly backed away from the rocket, holding on carefully to the attached string. After a minute of waiting, he pulled the string and watching the plastic rocket shoot into the sky, going no higher than 10 feet amplifying Hostetters wonder every time. I decided I wanted to be an astronomer when I was 12, Lafayette Science Museum planetarium curator Hostetter said. The 67-year-old was one of 99 Lafayette Consolidated Government employees furloughed or forced into early retirement in May. Hired March 4, 1980, Hostetter is the longest tenured employee. There hasnt been a time in Hostetters life when he wasnt interested in astronomy and spaceflight. He remembers camping out in his backyard, the day before school started, with his neighbour and watching the stars. I remember watching meteors and seeing things I now know were Jupiter and Venus that just puzzled me, he said. He even remembers engaging with space books, like By Spaceship to the Moon, that he would read over and over, some of which he still has today. His plan to be an astronomer was on track, attending Ohio Wesleyan University for a degree in astronomy. His junior year in college he discovered planetariums and along with that, public astronomy. His favourite star to point out in the planetarium, and one that always captivated children, is not an easy one to see, say, or spell. Its located in the constellation Taurus, in the left corner of the bull. The name of the star is Shurnarkabtishashutu Babylonian for the faint star at the tip of the left end of the bull according to Hostetter. After graduating, Hostetter has a hard time finding a job but stayed busy the next year working as a house-parent of a fraternity at Ohio Wesleyan University, as well as an assistant to the astronomy professor. He drove a couple times a week to the centre of Science and Industry in Columbus to work in their planetarium as a volunteer. The summer of 1976, he got an internship at the Fleischmann Planetarium in Reno, Nevada. I was getting paid for 20 hours of work a week and working about 80 and loving it, he said. During that summer, Viking 1 touched down on the surface of Mars on July 20. Information about the Viking was being given to Hostetter directly from NASA to relay in the classes and programs he was teaching. The following summer, Hostetter got the position of School Program Coordinator at Fleischmann Planetarium. This job paved the path for his future at Lafayettes Science Museum. The first year as the School Program Coordinator he learned what did and didnt work to teach kids about astronomy, what was too heavy and what piqued their interest. At the end of 1979, Hostetter realized he had done about everything he could at the planetarium, so he started to search for a planetarium curator position. The first time he ventured to Louisiana was for his interview with the Lafayette Science Museum, which at that time was the Lafayette Natural History Museum a 1,000 square foot building behind the Heymann Performing Arts Center. It was really great to work (there) and I was having such a good time, I never found a reason to leave, he said. The real game changer for Hostetter in Louisiana was Halleys Comet, appearing in 1986 and the day he met his wife Carla Lynn Shurr Hostetter. At the time, she was the director of the New Iberia Library, and Hostetter later attended a talk at the library to learn about archaeoastronomy but to also flirt with the cute librarian. They have been married for 32 years. Despite his love of the stars and all things astronomy, Hostetter only has one telescope at home. Soon into his first job, he realized he was getting burnt out on a cycle of work at the planetarium, come home and read about astronomy, then plan planetarium programs. So he started other hobbies like biking, genealogy, rocketry. He can also easily get wrapped up in a book about American or transportation history. I found ways not to burn out, he said. Despite having a library in his home, he doesnt have a retirement reading list. He finds that the best books he reads just pop up out of the blue. While at the Lafayette Natural History Museum, Hostetter helped turned the place into the one of the hottest small planetariums in the country. A new control system in 1988 aided in that title, with custom red cypress board the length of his arms so he can reach every switch and button without having to move. Hostetter has seen planetariums go from foam domes to self-performing blue sky When the Lafayette Natural History Museum turned into the Lafayette Science Museum and moved downtown in 2002, Hostetter had 10,000 square feet to work with and used every inch. He brought many programs and taught an estimated 300,000 people. Im very fortunate in that almost everything in my career has been positive, he said. Weve had our ups and downs, but its really been good. And Ive been pretty satisfied with what weve done. Weve had some really successful programs. Some things he considers highlights in his career include the Planet Palooza and the 2017 solar eclipse, both had hundreds of people show up to see the spectacles. Its just been so much that has worked really well and a lot of really nice people that Ive worked with, a lot of really nice people that Ive met, he said. The sudden retirement means Hostetter doesnt have many deep retirement plans, though he hopes to continue helping curate camps such as the Acadiana Symphony science and music camps, or the rocket camp. Something he especially enjoys, and still has his original rocket from when he was 8 years old. He also plans to stick around the science museum but wants to stay out of the new planetarium curators way. For Hostetter, it didnt matter when he retired, he would always have a some unfinished projects at the museum. Theres always one more book to read, theres always one more project to finish, he said. THE Courts Service is being urged to review its decision not to immediately reopen Newcastle West Courthouse given the further easing of public health restrictions. There have been no court sittings in Newcastle West since March 13 and the courthouse is not due to reopen until September at the earliest. Cllr Michael Collins, who works near the courthouse, says hes concerned it may never reopen. There is a history of the courthouse being in Newcastle West for a good number of years. Its the county town we should have our own courthouse serving the town and then, obviously, you have all the people who have to come for the court cases into Newcastle West which is a huge commercial spin-off for the town, he said. After concerns were raised by solicitors last week, Judge Mary Larkin said she had been informed by the Courts Service that the capacity would be restricted to just eight people were the courthouse to reopen. Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, there were seven scheduled sittings of Newcastle West every month along with occasional sittings of Limerick Circuit Court and Limerick Coroners Court. I see first hand the people coming out of the courthouse just to get coffee and sandwiches its a big part of the commercial life of the town when court cases are happening, said Cllr Collins who added that those who are there for longer periods will often do some shopping. He is calling on the Courts Service to come up with a plan to resume use of the courthouse. I dispute the fact that they cant social distance and that the court cases cant go ahead because there are three access points. There is plenty of parking around and there is plenty of space around the courthouse for people to wait their their turn and, as well as that, to socially distance, he told the Limerick Leader. Last week, at a sitting of Newcastle West Court in Limerick city, solicitors expressed their concern at the continuing closure. Our clients dont want to be in the city, said Michael ODonnell who added there are several issues such as the long distances people would have to travel. Nearly 40,000 people who subscribe to the Washington County Sheriffs Office email newsletter got a strange surprise in their inboxes Thursday morning. Sheriff Garrett: Its time to resign, said the newsletter, above a widely viewed and criticized video of Washington County Deputy Rian Alden slamming an inmate, Albert Molina, into a brick wall and to the ground in 2018. Under the WCSO News emblem was a message that took the sheriffs office to task for failing to inform its community members for rampant and unchecked racism. In response to multiple credible accusations of racism, Sheriff Garrett and his team have opted to protect their violent deputies over communities of color," the newsletter said. "They have chosen propaganda over transparency. Deflection over honesty. The newsletter closed out with one final message: Any actual cop would never speak truth to power like this. This is obviously a parody. A few hours later, the sheriffs office sent out a real message to tell readers that someone had gotten ahold of the newsletters distribution list and sent the message that had initially appeared to come from within the department. In a video message, Sheriff Pat Garrett apologized for the hack and said they had determined no other systems or accounts within the department were accessed. He thanked those who had sent supportive messages after the fake message was sent. He did not address the calls to resign. Deputy Shannon Wilde said Friday afternoon said the office did not have a comment on the persons demands for Garrett to resign. We are still unsure of who this person is and whether or not theyre a member of our organization, Wilde told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an email. Garrett, and the entire sheriffs office, have faced scrutiny in the past two weeks in response to two separate incidents tied to Alden. The sheriffs office suspended Alden on May 31 after receiving a copy of a racist email he allegedly sent in 2003. The sheriffs office said Alden allegedly sent the emails before he started working for them, but has not publicly confirmed that the emails came from Alden. A few days later, the Washington County District Attorneys Office reopened a use-of-force case against Alden for the filmed attack of Molina, which they had declined to prosecute in 2018. The incident has raised questions among community members about why the district attorneys office did not prosecute Alden immediately, and why other deputies did not stop Alden. In a statement to media, Garrett said the sheriffs office had asked two outside agencies to investigate at the time Multnomah County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police. He said based on the findings from the outside investigation, they determined Alden had not violated the departments policy when he rushed up to Molina, slammed him against the wall and onto the ground and then restrained him as he lay motionless. Molina sued the county for more than $600,000. An attorney for Washington County initially sent Molinas lawyers a letter that said Alden was justified in using force against Molina because he was showing drunk and disorderly behavior and attempting to solicit a fight with Alden. The video of the altercation shows Molina making hand gestures while Alden takes his booking photo. The district attorneys office also reviewed the case at the time, but prosecutors decided the charges could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and declined to prosecute. Chief Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey, who presented the case to a grand jury last week, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that bar press rules prevented him from commenting on the DAs offices previous decisions. The DAs office will present the case to a grand jury at the end of June with a proposed charge of second-degree assault, a Measure 11 crime. The video drew immediate and sharp criticism online, including from Steve Callaway, the mayor of Hillsboro, where the sheriffs office is based. Callaway said he reacted with disgust and horror to the video and called for changes to prevent such an incident from happening again. I am glad the deputy has finally been indicted, Callaway wrote Thursday on Twitter. That it took two years illustrates the issues around transparency and accountability that we need to act on immediately as we collectively rethink what it means to provide equitable public safety services in our community and in communities across the nation. Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. 13.06.2020 LISTEN This current brouhaha about the Ghanaian Voters Register is a preventable chaos that should have been avoided, and not allowed to waste our Money and Time. All the EC had to do is conduct a routine Update to the Register whereby dead folks and any confirmed ineligible names in it could be purged, and newly eligible Voters added. Regular Updates of Voters' Register is universally accepted and, in fact, required. While it serves no useful purpose to allow the Register to remain bloated with the names of deceased Persons, so is it crucial to allow People who have just come of Voting age, or qualified to vote via Naturalization, to be added to it. The idea of modifying the Register to include only biometric data of Voters could have been taken up and discussed exhaustively and approved by Parliament with a timeline for its accomplishment that is acceptable to all Stakeholders. No sane patriot could have objected to that modernization. But it looks like the NPP created this mess just to prove it was now in charge and could do anything it pleases, the Opposition be damned. That kind of in-your-face attitude would always call for some strong challenge from the Opposition, even if the end-result of NPPs exercise would be in the best interest of the Nation. The NPP's approach sounded more than just a regular Update of the Register, and unnecessarily aroused suspicion on the Partys ulterior motive for wanting to create a brand new Register. The timing of the process, especially, also alarmed the NDC to suspect some more sinister intentions by the incumbent Party, giving how close it is to the next General Elections and the prevalent concern with the Pandemic. So, if the Supreme Court wants Peace to prevail, it should probably allow the Register to be only updated, providing specific guidelines as to who gets purged and who gets added to it, and requiring the Opposition to inspect the process. It would be even better if some arbiter of consensual approval from both the incumbent and the Opposition could be found or designated to inspect the process. With regard to the NPP's contention that any Card issued in 2012 and 2016 or prior would not be admissible, doesn't that conflict its own acceptance of Passport as one of the only two Cards to prove eligibility? Some Passports could have been acquired before 2012 and still be active through 2022, since Ghana's Passports have a 10-year duration before expiration. I am afraid, but it looks like the Akufo-Addo Administration is only making every conceivable excuse to justify its intent to create a new Register. If the same existing Register could successfully be relied upon to give NPP victory in 2016, why would it not be appropriate to do so now, in case its supporters go to the Polls in their numbers? The only reason one could rationally deduce to justify NPP's rejection of the existing Register is that NPP might have found out in 2016 that the Register was deeply flawed but the Elephant Party did something else extra-judicial to skew its natural outcome to favor the Party in the 2016 Elections. Maybe, that is what Ken Agyapong was alluding to when he said that if the Party joked with him, he would reveal how it won the last Elections. That warning surely implied a certain improper modus operandi that the NPP employed in the last Elections. If Ghana were managed by any honest Officials, the Assin Fosu MP could have been invited by the Law Enforcement Agencies to spill out the beans, since his implied allegation weighs very heavily on the Fair Practice expectation in our Electoral Process. Unfortunately, the Agencies all seem to be unquestionably doing their 'Master's" bidding, so they are not interested in anything that would hurt the image of the incumbent Administration. But Ghanaians ought to demand honest legal answers from the Supreme Courtand nothing else. Long Live Ghana!!! https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/NPP-fraudulently-won-the-2016-elections-Kennedy-Agyapong-555867 Katherine Firkin is an Australian journalist now working for CBS in New York. Her first crime novel, Sticks and Stones, is published by Bantam. The Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island Enid Blyton It feels like a cliche for a crime writer to point to The Famous Five series as inspiration, but I couldn't leave it off my list. Like so many before me, I have Enid Blyton to thank for my love of reading, and the adventures of Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy unquestionably ignited my passion for mysteries. As an important side note, I also have this series to thank for my love of ginger beer. Katherine Firkin had her view of Scandi noir changed by Camilla Lackberg's The Ice Princess. Credit: The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster There's probably little I can say about this gem of a book that hasn't already been said, but if there's one childhood story that provided me lessons for life, it's this one. I have the happiest memories of Dad reading this as a bedtime story to my sister and me, and its words pop into my head often: "You'll find that the only thing you can do easily is be wrong, and that's hardly worth the effort." Have wiser words been written? New Delhi: Army Chief General MM Naravane on Saturday (June 13) said that India has a very strong relationship with Nepal and will remain as it is in future. He also stated that situation along Indias borders with China is under control and all perceived differences between the two nations would be put to rest through continued dialogue. The Army chief, who reviewed the Passing Out Parade of 423 officers at Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, was replying to a question on Nepal at a time when the neighbouring country has revised its map showing parts of Indian territories as its own. "We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people to people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future," Naravane said. He said both sides have begun to disengage in a phased manner and the process has started from the north. "Both sides are disengaging in a phased manner. We have started from the north, from the area of the Galwan river where a lot of disengagement has taken place. It has been a very fruitful dialogue that we have had. And as I said it will go on and the situation will improve as we go on," he said. Speaking about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, he said that in last 10-15 days alone, more than 15 terrorists have been killed by Indian forces. "All of this has been because of very close cooperation and coordination between all the security forces operating in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," Naravane said. He said that most of the operations in Kashmir by security forces were successfully carried out due to inputs provided by locals. He further claimed that Kashmiri locals are fed up with militancy and terrorism in the Valley and want situation there to return to normalcy. Big tech companies are dialing up the pressure on Congress to limit police use of facial recognition software, amid resurgent efforts in Washington following the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd. But the latest pledges by Microsoft, Amazon and IBM haven't defused civil rights advocates' concerns about tech companies dealing potential surveillance tools to governments. And theyre stirring suspicions among lawmakers that industry giants are trying to dictate the terms of its regulations to Washington. The three big companies drew headlines this week by promising either to temporarily halt sales of their face-scanning software to law enforcement agencies, or in IBMs case, to shutter that part of its business. The companies also urged Congress to step in and place guardrails on the use of facial recognition, an effort that stalled in the Capitol last fall and has until recently remained largely stymied during this years pandemic. While the announcements are at least partially symbolic Microsoft says it already wasn't selling those tools to police departments the calls for congressional action mark an increasingly offensive posture for an industry that has faced heat from its own employees for dealing out tools that critics say facilitate mass surveillance and racial profiling by cops. We need Congress to act, not just tech companies alone, said Microsoft President Brad Smith during a virtual interview Thursday, where he announced the company wont sell the tech to U.S. police departments until theres a national law in place. That is the only way that we will guarantee that we will protect the lives of people. The pledges have drawn both praise and skepticism from Democrats and civil rights groups, who immediately noted some gaps: Amazon said it was halting the police sales for only a year, for example, and neither it nor Microsoft explicitly said whether their policies would apply to federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security. Story continues Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft, speaks at the Willard Hotel in Washington, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, about Microsoft's project to bring broadband internet access to rural parts of the United States. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Other critics have noted the announcements don't encompass the full range of cutting-edge tools that the companies supply to law enforcement agencies, including home surveillance systems that lawmakers have sounded the alarm on. The moves could also create an opening for lesser-known tech companies that remain big sellers of facial recognition services to police agencies. They include Clearview AI, a U.S. company that allows hundreds of law enforcement agencies to search for individuals from a database of billions of photos scraped from online sources. And some lawmakers are already calling for greater commitments from the industry. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), whose state is home to Amazon and Microsoft, said she wants more tech companies to follow Microsoft's suit and implement their own moratoriums until Congress sets new rules. She's calling on them to actively lobby for more stringent legislation restricting the tools use. I think that we just need to call on all of them to be conscious that theyre not just passive bystanders that are waiting for government regulation to happen, said Jayapal, who has been one of Amazons and Microsofts most outspoken critics in Congress. We actually need them to lead." Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), who introduced legislation last year to ban the use of facial recognition for public housing, said the industry has followed up on past congressional calls for more sweeping reform by pushing for its own preferred remedies. The initial response from big tech was to propose their own legislative solution, she said. This move was alarming. So yes, I am concerned that big tech will try to dictate those rules. Some libertarian Republicans have also expressed alarm at government use of facial recognition, and one key White House ally Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio has pushed for a time out on its deployment by federal agencies. Yvette Clarke But the tech companies new pledges have drawn some early criticism from GOP leaders, including a retweet early Friday by President Donald Trump that called for barring Microsoft from any federal contracts. One senior Republican congressional aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks, accused Amazon of flip-flopping on its stance after fighting to fend off moratorium proposals on Capitol Hill. "I would love to be a fly on the wall at the board meeting where Amazon's government affairs team explains why it spent millions of dollars lobbying against a moratorium that it then decided to impose on itself," said the aide. The issue has gained renewed attention amid reports that law enforcement agencies across the country are deploying advanced tools, from drones to face-scanning tech, to monitor the protests that erupted around the country since Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis. Democratic lawmakers have blasted the trend as an affront on activists rights to privacy and assembly. And their new sweeping policing reform package calls for limits on warrantless use of facial recognition software on body-cam footage. Its a fresh sign of life for a push that has stalled for months on Capitol Hill. A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee, including Jordan, have floated placing a moratorium on federal law enforcement use of facial recognition until Congress could implement checks on the technology similar to what companies like Microsoft and Amazon are now self-imposing. But the momentum for that legislation got bogged down after the lawmaker leading the campaign, the late Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings, died in October. The unrest over Floyds killing is giving new urgency to complaints that the technology contributes to racial disparities in policing and it's renewing calls for a legislative remedy. Jayapal said she plans to introduce her own legislation that would place a broad moratorium on facial recognition use. A spokesperson said the bill is expected to apply to commercial use of the software, not just police use. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), who sits on the House Oversight Committee, told POLITICO hes drafting legislation separate from the committees work that focuses on local and state law enforcement use of the software, instead of federal use. He says that while he supports the broader Democratic package on police reform, the Justice in Policing Act, it alone wont address his and other lawmakers concerns over the technology. That bill by itself cant solve the whole issue on facial recognition, he told POLITICO on Thursday. Thats why we need these other bills, and thats why we have to do it now instead of waiting a year to get it done, because the American peoples attention and focus is whats creating this opportunity and without it we couldnt move this issue forward. While some House Republicans and Democrats agree on the need for a temporary halt to federal use of face-scanning technology, less of a clear consensus exists on whether that should extend to other law enforcement authorities, and even less so on restrictions for private sector use. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), for one, called it dangerous to halt the United States use of an advanced technology that other countries are also racing to deploy. This technology isnt perfect and there are certainly risks associated with it, said Rodgers, but added: I am concerned that if America abandons this technology, we will be ceding development of it to the Chinese Communist Party, which does not share our values of human rights and civil liberties. But thats a debate that the tech industry is now loudly saying it thinks is long overdue. Amazon, which said Wednesday its halting sales to police of its widely used Rekognition tool for one year, urged Congress to take action. Weve advocated that governments should put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology, and in recent days, Congress appears ready to take on this challenge, wrote the company in a blog post. We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested. Civil liberties advocates and lawmakers say big questions remain about the tech giants newly announced moratoriums, particularly from Amazon and Microsoft. Neema Singh Guliani, senior legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said that besides not addressing sales to federal agencies like DHS, the companies didnt say how the pledges would affect preexisting arrangements with law enforcement departments. Are those tools still in use, are they still supporting that work, are they pulling that? said Guliani, who called on the companies to fully disclose which agencies will be affected by the moratoriums. Amazon spokespeople did not respond to multiple requests for comment on whether its moratorium will apply to federal agencies, or for how it will apply to any preexisting arrangements. A Microsoft spokesperson declined to offer comment on the same questions, but reiterated in a statement that the company plans to "strengthen" its review process for other customers seeking to use the product. Others say some of the companies temporary commitments just dont go far enough. I would like to see everybody say that they are not going to utilize this technology until were really convinced that there arent negative impacts to it, that we can control those," said Jayapal, "And right now it doesnt say that. See Full Image Gallery >> In 2015, freelance automotive designer Andries van Overbeeke began exploring how Formula One cars could change in the not-too-distant future. His worked earned him a coveted design internship at Bugatti, and he leveraged the lessons learned there to continue the series. The next installment looks at what an evolution of reigning champion Lewis Hamilton's number 44 car might look like in, to quote the designer, "a nearby future." "I was inspired by generative designs and jet fighters," van Overbeeke told Autoblog via email. He imagined a world in which a manufacturer of 3D printers becomes one of Formula One's title sponsors. As a result, parts like the front and rear crash structures, the brake calipers, and the rims are 3D-printed from various materials. Design files can be shared between the teams, and presumably improved by each engineering department as needed. "This could lead to massive cost reductions, which is important with the upcoming cost cap," the designer added. He made the car about 13 inches wider than the ones that compete in the 2020 season, and he shrunk its wheelbase to give it a more balanced look. It also wears a sharper nose that pokes through a subtler wing, a closed cockpit, and a smaller spoiler out back. It's futuristic, yet it's also surprisingly realistic. His earlier Formula One-based projects were characterized by a similarly down-to-earth approach to design. As for what powers the car, we'd have to get the insight of an engineer. Van Overbeeke included exhaust tips, so his vision doesn't ditch the internal combustion engine, but he doesn't have a specific drivetrain in mind. The renderings are the product of a designer's rich imagination, not a preview of what Formula One cars will look like in the coming years, but Grand Prix cars are on the brink of a significant transformation. 2022 will bring new rules that will spawn cars with a striking new design and, possibly, LED panels that display race- and driver-specific information. The organizers will also enforce a $175-million spending limit, among other big changes. As for van Overbeeke, he explained most of the other projects he's currently working on remain confidential. We'll get the opportunity to check out his work on the big screen when The Batman is released in late 2021. With the combination of camera phones and social media, more people than ever are being made aware of incidents of police brutality and racial inequality, and of the protests they have touched off.But making sense of the deluge of posts in the present moment can be difficult. Misleading posts and images can quickly go viral. For example, a widely shared photo on Twitter of a McDonalds set ablaze was supposedly taken at the beginning of the Minneapolis protests after George Floyds death. But the picture was, in fact, of a restaurant that burned down in Pennsylvania four years ago. And once an image has been shared countless times, its origin story becomes totally lost and the false narrative takes hold. So how can you judge an accounts accuracy and make sure its trustworthy? To help judge the veracity of a text post or an image, go to the main page of the account in question, and read the bio and look at previous content. If an account seems to be posting at random, that should be an immediate red flag. On the second anniversary of US President Donald Trump's summit meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore, North Korea's foreign minister said hope had given way to despair and relations between the two countries descended into a "dark nightmare," and vowed to bolster the country's military might to counter US threats. Hope for improved relations had been high two years ago, Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon said yesterday, but this has given way to "despair characterised by spiralling deterioration" while "even a slim ray of optimism for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula has faded away into a dark nightmare". "The desire of the peoples of two countries to put a period to the world's most antagonistic relations between the DPRK and the US and to open a new co-operative era of peace and prosperity runs deep as ever," he said in a statement, referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Yet the situation on the Korean Peninsula is daily taking a turn for the worse." Mr Ri said the North had completely shut down a nuclear test site, returned scores of remains of US service personnel and returned US citizens held by North Korea, presenting the steps as evidence of Kim Jong-un's "epoch-making resolve". The North, he said, had even suspended nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests in order to build confidence with the United States, arguing the Trump administration had often "expressed gratitude" for these steps. But in return, he complained, Washington had been "hellbent" on exacerbating the situation, leaving North Korea "on the US list of targets for pre-emptive nuclear strike". The United States continued to fly nuclear strategic bombers into South Korea airspace, sail aircraft carrier strike groups in the surrounding seas and had introduced "cutting-edge" military hardware such as stealth fighters and drones into South Korea, turning the Korean Peninsula "into the world's most dangerous hotspot haunted uninterruptedly by the ghost of nuclear war", Mr Ri said. Washington, he said, had revealed its true intentions: regime change, along with "isolation and suffocation" of North Korea. Unless more than 70 years of hostility was fundamentally ended, the United States will remain a long-term threat, he added. "The question is whether there will be a need to keep holding hands shaken in Singapore, as we see that there is nothing of factual improvement to be made in the DPRK-US relations simply by maintaining personal relations between our Supreme Leadership and the US president," Mr Ri said, arguing Mr Trump was using North Korea for his own domestic political gains. "Never again will we provide the US chief executive with another package to be used for achievements without receiving any returns," he said. "Nothing is more hypocritical than an empty promise." Mr Ri also complained that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo continuously made "nonsensical remarks that denuclearisation was still a US goal. ( Washington Post) Priyanka Chopra- Nick Jonas welcome their first child through surrogacy, fans feel she'd already dropped hints Andy Najar, shown at right playing for Belgian team Anderlecht in 2017, was the MLS rookie of the year with D.C. United in 2010. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert / Associated Press) LAFC is nearing a deal with Honduran international Andy Najar, who trained with the team during preseason camp in February. Najar, 27, was the MLS rookie of the year with D.C. United in 2010, then jumped to Anderlecht of the Belgian Pro League in 2013. But he hasnt played in more than a year following knee ligament surgery for an injury suffered in an international friendly last summer. The signing of Najar, once completed, will give LAFC additional options at right back. Veteran Steven Beitashour started 54 games there in the teams first two years but was not re-signed last winter. Tristan Blackmon started LAFCs first MLS games there this season. Najar is expected to join LAFC in Orlando, Fla., next month when MLS returns to play for the first time since suspending its season March 12. And he wont be the only addition to the active roster. The team also will have forward Adama Diomande and Bradley Wright-Phillips, a two-time league scoring champion, back from injury and available to play for the first time this year. LAFC (1-0-1) is the top seed in its group in the 26-team made-for-TV tournament, which will be played behind closed doors at ESPNs Wide World of Sports. The Galaxy, Portland Timbers and Houston Dynamo are also in the four-team group. The top two teams from each of the six groups, plus the top four third-place teams, will advance to the elimination stages of the 35-day tournament. The players and staff for each team will be quarantined in a Disney resort where they will be subject to frequent tests for COVID-19. Brazil has surpassed the United Kingdom to report the most novel coronavirus deaths outside of the U.S., as of Friday evening, per Johns Hopkins data. The big picture: The country has reported more than 136,000 new infections since Monday. Early lapses in tracking and testing led to severely undercounted death tolls as early as April, with Brazil emerging as an epicenter of the virus in Latin America. Driving the news: Shops and malls can open for up to four hours per day in Sao Paulo one hub of the virus in the nation as more restrictions are eased, AP reports. Context: Social distancing has steadily become less prevalent in the country as fewer people traveled throughout the country through March, according to Murray's influential IHME model. Brazil's health ministry has frequently qualified its daily coronavirus death tolls with statements indicating the fatalities did not all take place within a 24-hour period, due to delays caused by investigations into the deaths. Over 828,800 people have contracted the disease in Brazil as of Friday, and more than 41,800 have died from COVID-19 in the country, per Johns Hopkins. Go deeper: Brazil removes key coronavirus data as case numbers and death toll soar HKSAR chief executive signs National Anthem Ordinance People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 09:11, June 12, 2020 National Anthem Ordinance will come into effect June 12, signifying the fulfilment of the constitutional responsibility of the HKSAR and reflecting the spirit of "one country, two systems", said HKSAR chief executive Carrie Lam. HONG KONG, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam Thursday signed the National Anthem Ordinance passed by the Legislative Council (LegCo) in accordance with Article 48(3) of the Basic Law of the HKSAR. The National Anthem Ordinance will come into immediate effect after it is published in the Gazette on Friday. "I am pleased that the National Anthem Ordinance will be gazetted and come into effect tomorrow, signifying the fulfilment of the constitutional responsibility of the HKSAR and reflecting the spirit of 'one country, two systems'," Lam said. Lam said that like the national flag and the national emblem, the national anthem is the symbol and sign of the nation. As an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China, the HKSAR is duty-bound to preserve the dignity of the national anthem through legislation. "I hope that members of the public will respect the national anthem of their own volition, hence the promotion of the national anthem is of paramount importance. To let our next generation understand the history and spirit of the national anthem and to observe the etiquette for the playing and singing of the national anthem, the Education Bureau will update its learning and teaching resources and issue directions to schools through circulars to support schools in teaching students," Lam said. The National Anthem Ordinance provides for the playing and singing, protection and promotion of the national anthem to preserve the dignity of the country, enhance the sense of national identity among citizens and promote patriotism. The offences stipulated in the Ordinance only concern the misuse of the national anthem, or public and intentional acts with an intent to insult the national anthem, according to the HKSAR government's press release. 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 LegCo finished the first reading and second reading of the National Anthem Bill in January 2019 and May 2020 respectively, and the bill was passed on June 4 this year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Families in the Peterborough area can now expand the number of people they have close contact with to 10, as the province moved Friday to further loosen public health restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Doug Ford unveiled the new advice on social circles from the provinces chief medical officer of health on the same day new rules expanding group gatherings and reopening business in some parts of the province came into effect. Social circles have been allowed in other provinces as a way to allow for more close contact among a small and mutually exclusive group. This is a much welcomed development in Ontario, Peterborough medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra stated in a release. Not everyone may choose to be part of a social circle, but once formed, they can provide a layer of safety as long as other protective measures such as hand washing, physical distancing, respiratory etiquette, and wearing a mask continue. High risk individuals may decide to continue to self-isolate as the best way to ensure they are protected. The new guidelines from Dr. David Williams mean physical distancing does not need to be practised between members of the same circle across the province. Ford said if a household has fewer than 10 people they can add to their circle, but a person can only be part of one group. We know there are friends, family, and loved ones you havent been able to hug or come in close contact with in months, Ford said. And today, the public health guidelines will be changing to introduce social circles. The new guidelines on social circles come into effect immediately and apply across the province, but people in a group are advised to continue to maintain physical distancing with anyone outside of their circle. Its important to keep at least two metres away from others outside your household or social circle, if you decide on joining one, Peterborough Public Health advises. But we can only be part of one social circle thats an important part of how the circles are meant to work, Salvaterra stated. Julie Ingram, environmental health manager for Peterborough Public Health, advises that anyone in Peterborough planning to access a newly opened patio call ahead to make a reservation. If you are intending to visit a local patio or attend a service at your place of worship, only you and your household or social circle contacts are allowed to be close; you must physically distance yourself from anyone outside of your household or circle by maintaining at least two metres. This will be valuable information as businesses, patios and churches have limited capacity and must carefully plan how to accommodate you. Restaurants and bars are required to take reservations for outdoor eating areas. Personal service settings (such as salons) have been encouraged to book appointments ahead of time, to allow for screening. Keeping ill or at risk clients at home is an important way to protect workers who must get close in order to provide a service Health Minister Christine Elliott said the concept will help families with child- and elder-care needs, and reduce social isolation during the pandemic. The social circle should certainly help (but) thats not going to take all of those issues away. The government said people at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 may not want to participate. Ford stressed the new social circle advice is just that, and will not be enforced. The social circle police arent going to be knocking on your door. We trust youre going to be doing the right thing, he said. Meanwhile, most Ontario regions were allowed to reopen more businesses on Friday. But restrictions will stay in place for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas, which have a high concentration of COVID-19 cases. Border regions such as Windsor-Essex, Lambton County and Niagara, as well as Haldimand-Norfolk, which has seen an outbreak among migrant workers, are also being held back from moving to Stage 2. The second stage of the provinces reopening includes restaurant patios, hair salons and swimming pools. Officials in several municipalities said the mood was hopeful among businesses and shoppers alike, with lineups forming outside many establishments. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was among the many to get a haircut Friday, posting a photo on Twitter from the Wellington Barber Shop before heading out to have lunch on a patio. I never thought Id be so happy to see my barber than I was today, he said. When I left the shop there was a line of about 10 people waiting to get in so barbers are going to be very busy today. Because the city is next to the province of Quebec, which allowed hair salons and other businesses to resume operations earlier, some residents had been crossing the border to access those services sooner, he said. These are for many people, things that theyve been yearning for some time... but, you know, its also about getting people back to work, he said. Other municipalities expressed some concerns about people travelling in from areas still in Stage 1 to take advantage of the looser restrictions. This is not the time for day-trippers to come up from the GTA, Jeff Lehman, mayor of Barrie, Ont., said Thursday, adding waterfront parking lots will be open only to residents of his city. The issue has also been discussed at length in Chatham-Kent, which is near two regions still in the earlier stage of reopening, said Stuart McFadden, the municipalitys director of economic development. We also know that we cant put up borders, and we expect that theres going to be people coming into our communities to take advantage of this, he said. Officials have been stressing the need to continue physical distancing to fend off a resurgence of the virus, he said. Dave Jaworsky, mayor of Waterloo, Ont., said even if people wanted to come in droves from outside the city, they may face hurdles in accessing the newly reopened services. If you want to go sit on a patio, you have to book it in advance, theres very limited seating. Its gonna be all taken by the local people anyway, the local people all want their haircuts, he said. And then dont forget, when youre travelling, theres no washroom...the public washrooms are at a premium, theyre all still locked up. Many municipalities said the reopening of pools and splash pads, while allowed as of Friday, would take longer to arrange since the usual preparations, such as training life guards, were delayed by the pandemic. The limit on social gatherings also increased from five to 10 provincewide, though people must still stay two metres away from anyone outside their own household. Child-care centres across Ontario are also allowed to reopen, but its not yet clear how many will be able to implement new pandemic safety measures immediately. Ontario reported 182 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the provincial total to 31,726 cases. There were also 11 new deaths reported for a total of 2,498. The federal government on Friday also extended the deployment of Canadian Forces members to a number of long-term care homes in Ontario. The soldiers were initially called in to help in a number of the provinces hardest-hit homes in late April. They will now remain at the facilities until June 26. Ontario also announced Friday that it will add $10.5 million to a fund that helps farmers buy personal protective equipment and make workplace changes to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The move comes after hundreds of migrant workers across the province have tested positive for the virus and two have died. In Windsor-Essex, which is currently reporting nine COVID-19 outbreaks involving migrant workers, the medical officer of health announced Friday that the health unit was backtracking on a plan to publicly identify all workplaces in outbreak. Dr. Wajid Ahmed said outbreaks will now be disclosed by sector and individual workplaces will not be identified unless there is a direct risk to public health. The province does not require health units to alert the public about workplace outbreaks. with files from Shawn Jeffords and Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press Adyen's young employees "like to work in a city that is vibrant, so they can, for example, visit a book store during their break or grab a drink together on a nearby terrace after a hard day of work," said Chief Financial Officer Ingo Uytdehaage. The local government has been actively trying to attract firms there, said Angelique Schouten, an executive at Ohpen, another fintech company that moved a few doors down eight years ago. "There has been an exodus of companies here in the last 15 years," she said. "With the arrival of Adyen, the balance is back on our street." It painfully showed how few people actually live in the centre and how little it has to offer locals. A key piece of the government's plan to reconfigure Amsterdam is to get brothels to move out of the old city and curb coffee shops that serve tourists. That won't be easy. The liberal approach to sex, drugs and parties, not to mention old Amsterdam's quaint cobbled streets, canals and narrow colorful town houses, make the city a popular tourist destination. But over the years, like in Venice and Barcelona, floods of visitors have overwhelmed local lives - from puking stoners to prostitute stalkers. Things got so bad, some residents pasted photos of themselves in their windows with a sign that said, "I Live Here." "The street cleaning car has to pass by multiple times a day here to clean away the mess," says Paul, a 52-year-old, who has been living in one of the many alleys in the red-light district for 16 years. A self-employed consultant who didn't want to give his last name, Paul says he's sick of the ever-increasing numbers of tourists who urinate or vomit by his doorway. He wants the local government to close window prostitution and coffee shops, and bring back local retailers. "They have to give back this area to citizens, because if they don't do it now, it will never happen," he said. That may be easier said than done. Local authorities have discussed and implemented multiple ideas over the years, like restrictions on tourist rentals and a ban on stores that cater to them. The council has even tried to buy out brothel owners to get them to move out. "The tipping point was around 2014," said Geerte Udo, CEO of amsterdam&partners, the city's branding agency. "Everybody started to realise that more is not always better. Serving the tourist economy had become the sole purpose of the most crowded locations." Loading Brothels that thrive on tourists are not keen to leave. Prostitutes who work in the 330 window brothels in the red-light district consider the area, full of cameras, as a safe place, and see tourists as their biggest income stream. The pandemic has hit the sex business hard. Many sex workers have gone back home to eastern Europe or work illegally. And although brothels are set to reopen in September, they expect to generate only 30 per cent of normal revenue as tourists mostly stay away. "Things are not going well with us," said Masten Stavast, the head of Agapi, a company that rents 31 window brothels to prostitutes. While the financial pain of window brothel rental companies might have provided the city an opportunity to buy them out, local government coffers are themselves depleted. Also, that may not be a winning strategy. An effort over a decade ago to buy out more than 100 window brothels backfired as the value of the property tumbled with no high-end businesses wanting to move in. "Let's face it; prostitutes need tourists, and the tourists want to see Amsterdam, and what else is Amsterdam other than old Amsterdam?" Stavast said. Cannabis-selling coffee shop owners are similarly wary of efforts to curb sales to tourists. Paul Wilhelm, the co-owner of two coffee shops, one of which is among Amsterdam's oldest, says it would be terrible for business. With foreign tourists gone, his shops - one of which was the location for a scene shot in 2004 with Brad Pitt and Matt Damon for the movie Ocean's Twelve - have lost 50 per cent of their revenue. Many coffee shops will fold because they couldn't muster any local sales, he said. He warns that the authorities may go too far to limit coffee shops - which may go underground and be criminalised. "A tourist might be initially attracted by the coffee shops, but these people also book a hotel, visit a restaurant and will go on a round-trip boat ride in the canals," he said. "They spend money. Economic times are going to be very tough in the years ahead, we also need jobs. You can't have the idyll of a small village and be an economic metropolis at the same time." For some, tourism is not the problem. What the city needs is rigorous enforcement to keep the rowdy elements in check, says 81-year-old pensioner Jan Dorreboom, who has lived in the red-light district for 45 years. "Joints and window prostitution are a part of Amsterdam; just live with it," he said. City officials don't disagree. They just want more homes instead of only hotel rooms, and more bars and restaurants for locals, Ten Bruggencate said. "My dream is that the city centre will continue to be a vibrant place, but one where visitors are visitors, and not the main event," she said. "It should be a place where locals live, work and do their thing." SANFORD, Michigan When the first dam collapsed, a massive surge of water roared so swiftly into Mike Gorthys lakefront home that he returned from securing his boats outside to discover water above the light switches on his first floor. He hurried to cut the power, then went frantically searching for his wife, who had been downstairs. I was looking around in the water and felt under the water and I just couldn't find her, said Gorthy, 75, who waded through the bitterly cold, neck-high flood, dodging a refrigerator and a freezer that were floating on their sides. I thought maybe she got electrocuted and was under the water and if I found her, Id try to revive her. When the water got too cold for him to bear, he retreated upstairs, despondent. I thought Id lost her, he said. In fact, Gorthys wife, Judy, 72, had safely escaped the house, which is built into a hill and has its front door on the second floor. Her husband soon found her on the dry front yard talking to a neighbor perhaps the most joyous moment of his life, he said. But the lakefront dream home the Gorthys bought when they retired 20 years ago was ravaged. By the end of the day, it wasnt even on a lake. Mike and Judy Gorthy sit in their backyard which reaches to the edge of the nearly empty Sanford Lake on June 2, 2020, in Sanford, Mich. (Elaine Cromie / for NBC News) The urgent evacuation of 10,000 people from communities below two failing dams in central Michigan last month prevented the loss of life, but the collapsed dams expelled billions of gallons of water from two large lakes, sending them hurtling downstream in a powerful rush of destruction. Water ripped buildings off their foundations, smashed and twisted roads and bridges, damaged or destroyed an estimated 2,500 properties and triggered fears of contamination as it swept by a chemical plant and hazardous waste sites and submerged downtown Midland a city of 40,000 people under 9 feet of water. The disaster on May 19 and 20 caused at least $175 million in damage, authorities say, and left behind two empty lake beds. The Gorthys and other homeowners who once watched water skiers zip by their doors now gaze out on a soggy moonscape of sand pocked with mangled docks, half-buried pontoon boats and clusters of tree stumps that somehow remained under the water for a century since dams built to generate hydroelectric power first flooded the forest to create the Sanford and Wixom lakes. Story continues The Tittabawassee River has now returned to its natural size, gently flowing like a line drawn through the middle of the two giant bowls where the lakes used to be. Image: The Tittabawassee River runs through a nearly empty Wixom Lake on June 2, 2020 in Beaverton, Mich. (Elaine Cromie / for NBC News) Like the vast majority of the homes affected, the Gorthys was not in an area identified by the federal government as high risk for flooding, meaning they didnt have flood insurance. (Fewer than 10 percent of the damaged properties did, county officials say.) They had no idea their home or their lives were in danger. But dam experts say that not only were the events in Michigan not surprising, theyre also likely to play out again at dams all over the country in the coming years in potentially more devastating ways. Thousands of Americans live downstream from aging dams that have fallen into disrepair. Many of those dams are privately owned. Many no longer generate electricity. Many have not complied with laws requiring them to file emergency evacuation plans. Many are facing unprecedented weather conditions from climate change, with higher waters and heavier rains. And without a concerted and fully funded effort to repair or remove dams, experts warn that lives could be in danger. We need to be more proactive and not reactive, said Tom Smith, the executive director of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Our infrastructure is critical to our quality of life and to life itself but we have failed to adequately invest in and maintain our infrastructure. The cost of repairing life-threatening dams across the country could top $20 billion, Smith said roughly 2,000 times more than the federal government earmarked for that purpose in its most recent budget. Its expensive, but the cost of skipping repairs could be much higher, Smith said. There is a terrible cost to failing to invest. There's a big gap As the people of Midland and its surrounding areas clean up the damage, theyre facing difficult questions that could presage similar discussions experts say need to take place around the country. Among them: Who should own dams? Who should pay for their repairs? And, in many places: Should they exist at all? Image: Two Dams Burst Flooding Town Of Midland, Michigan (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images) There are more than 90,000 dams in the United States, according to a federal inventory. Among them, more than 15,000 are considered high-hazard dams, meaning theyre close enough to populated areas that life or property could be threatened if they fail. Of those high-hazard dams, more than 2,300 have been so poorly maintained theyre in unsatisfactory condition, said Mark Ogden, project manager at the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. And many dam owners 64 percent of whom are private entities dont have the money to make repairs, he said. Theres a big gap between whats needed and the actual resources. The dam safety organization has documented 250 dam failures since 2010, plus more than 500 other incidents that were caught and fixed just ahead of a failure. Most were small and had limited impact, but some were catastrophic, including a dam break in Nebraska last year that killed a man when it washed away his house. Alarmingly, roughly 1 in 5 high-hazard dams dont have emergency plans on file with local officials, making a safe evacuation difficult, Ogden said. Related: Rapidly rising water overwhelmed the Edenville and Sanford dams, forcing 11,000 people in central Michigan to evacuate their homes as the structures failed Tuesday night. And homeowners often have no inkling of the threat. Dam owners in most states are not required to notify people if theyre in a zone that could get flooded. Mortgage lenders, who typically require homeowners to get a flood certification to determine if a property is in a flood plain, dont have similar requirements for houses near dams. But people who live near dams need to start paying attention, especially as theyre battered with extreme weather that the designers of the dams in the 20th century never expected, said Brian Graber, the senior director of river restoration for American Rivers, a nonprofit. What happened in Midland is not close to being an isolated incident, he said. A gifted life for a poor boy Wixom and Sanford lakes, which were created by the Edenville and Sanford dams in the 1920s, have existed as long as anyone in the Midland area can remember. Daniel Lackey, 70, was just 5 when his father scraped together savings from his job at a General Motors plant in Flint to buy a small cottage with cement floors on Wixom Lake a basic retreat that lacked indoor plumbing for years. He spent his childhood summers fishing, playing badminton and jumping from the diving board that he and his brothers crafted at the end of their dock. It was a gifted life for a poor boy, Lackey said, recalling the summer he skipped drivers ed to build a hydroplane with his brother from plans the two found in a magazine. He brought his wife, Kayann, there for the first time when she was 17 and he was home on leave from the U.S. Air Force. Their children and nieces and nephews grew up there, and now bring their own children and grandchildren the cottages fourth and fifth generations. Lackey and wife moved to the lake full time after he retired from General Motors and Kayann, now 67, retired from her work as a Montessori preschool director. Their daughter, Sarah Schulz, built a cottage next door to her parents with her husband a few years ago. The whole clan, including Schulzs two children, were at the lake last month when the local fire department came down their street, urging them to get to higher ground. Image: (Elaine Cromie / for NBC News) They decided to stay because they thought their cottages were high up enough to be safe. Weve been here since 1960 and the water just was always where it should be, Lackey said. As the water rose, the family gathered kayaks just in case. But Kayann, who was forced into the second floor of her cottage as the first floor filled with water, is disabled and couldnt get into a kayak. Eventually, it got to be terrifying, said Schulz, who is running as a Democrat to represent the area in the state Legislature. She posted an SOS on Facebook that helped the family get rescued by a man in a pontoon. A man in a pontoon boat rescues the Lackey and Schulz families from their lakefront homes. (Courtesy of Sarah Schulz) The family is grateful that no one was hurt, but a lifetime of prized belongings washed away, including the American flag that Lackeys nephew brought home from the Air Force. The Lackeys helped raise their niece and nephew after Lackeys brother was killed in a convenience store robbery in Flint in 1993. The young man joined the Air Force to follow in his uncles footsteps. The flag he brought home was so treasured, Lackey said, his voice cracking with grief, he only flew it on the Fourth of July. Now, like most of the Lackeys cottage, its gone. As they try to rebuild, the couple is living on the second floor despite Kayanns difficulty with stairs. They have no kitchen, no shower and no electricity. They spent most of their savings renovating a house that is now in tatters. They had no flood insurance and, while they hope theyll qualify for federal emergency funds, theyre not sure where theyll get the money to rebuild. The only thing Lackey knows for sure, he said, is that he isnt going anywhere. I still plan to live here until I die, he said. This is where my father died and hopefully this is where Ill die. Enforcement is the issue Most American dams were built in the 20th century to serve mills or factories that are long gone, Graber of American Rivers said. In most of the country, its difficult to make money generating hydroelectricity since turning a profit typically requires the force of a large river as it makes a steep drop. Small dams in flat states like Michigan have thin margins at best, Graber said. Many, perhaps most, of the dams in the United States are no longer serving the purpose they were built to provide, he said. A very high percentage should be removed for health and safety reasons, as well as environmental benefits. Graber, whose organization works to remove dams, said restoring a river to its natural state can improve public safety and water quality, allowing fish to migrate freely. He says homeowners like the Lackeys and the Gorthys will soon see grass growing on their lake bed and might come to enjoy living beside a verdant meadow with a river running through it. Image: (Elaine Cromie / for NBC News) The river in its natural state would also be less likely to flood downstream in Midland, he said. But Sanford and Wixom lakes are deeply intertwined with the economy of the region. Lakefront property owners pay high taxes that the region depends on, and local businesses have long catered to boaters. People on the lakes are adamant that their waterfront be restored. But, in the aftermath of the flood, as residents, state officials and the dams owner, Boyce Hydro, LLC, all blame one another for the disaster, its not clear what will happen next or who will make those decisions. Many of the homeowners blame Lee Mueller, the man who bought Boyce Hydro as a tax shelter in 2006, according to court records reviewed by Bridge Magazine. Since then, the company, which operates four dams including the two that failed, has been cited for a host of safety violations that warned the Edenville dam couldnt withstand heavy rains. Mueller blames state and federal agencies, who he says imposed so many regulations and made rules barring private dam owners like him from receiving federal financial support that he didnt have the money to make needed repairs. Unfortunately, environmental protection took precedence over public safety, said Lawrence Kogan, an attorney for Mueller. Mueller has also blamed the homeowners who he says have pressured him for years to keep water levels high so they could go boating, when he wanted them lower for safety reasons. The state compounded that pressure by raising concerns over lower water levels hurting freshwater mussels in the lake an issue that triggered a state lawsuit against Boyce this year, just weeks before the flood. In 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees hydroelectric dams, was so alarmed by safety concerns at the Edenville dam that it yanked Boyces license to produce power there. That meant the company had even less money to make repairs. The dam then fell under the oversight of the state, which regulates dams that dont produce electricity. The state, which has just two inspectors and a supervisor to keep tabs on about 1,000 dams, also warned that repairs were needed, but neither agency found a way to compel Mueller to make the repairs. Enforcement is the issue. That's where this fell apart, said Jim Hegarty, the past president of the Michigan section of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the co-author of two reports on the state of Michigans dams. States need tools, such as the ability to make dam owners post bonds that could pay for needed repairs, he said. States also could help pay for those repairs, he added, but Michigan is among states that have no dedicated funding for that purpose. Boyce had been trying to sell the dams to a consortium of homeowners on the lakes, who had planned to raise money through a property tax assessment to make repairs. Late last year, the Four Lakes Task Force estimated the four Boyce dams needed $20 million in repairs. But the dams failed before that sale could go through. The disaster has prompted a slew of lawsuits, with some homeowners suing Boyce and others also suing the state for poor oversight. On Tuesday, the state, which is conducting an investigation, filed suit against Boyce. The company responded the next day, putting the blame back on the state and asking to move the suits to federal court. Whats next No one knows how much it will cost to rebuild the dams, but its definitely going to be expensive and its not clear who would cover the cost. Many homeowners on the lake say they want to get the dams out of Muellers hands. When you have a private person owning something like a dam and trying to own it for the sake of his own profits, then you end up with bad decisions, Schulz, Lackeys daughter, said. This was not a natural disaster. This was a dam that was neglected and it failed. This was a man-made disaster. The Schulz and Lackey cottages during the flooding. (Courtesy of Sarah Schulz) If homeowners want the dams out of Muellers hands, however, theyll have to buy them, Kogan said. His client has no intention of just giving them away and losing his investment. U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., who represents the area, said the two lakes are a tremendous resource for the region and need to be restored, whether that means raising money from private corporations or from a public-private partnership. "Were going to have an all-hands-on-deck approach to look at a variety of options and work together to solve this, he said. Some locals are hoping the state and federal governments will help buy and repair the dams, but that might not go over well with people who dont live on the lakes. Peter Sinclair, a videographer from Midland who has traveled the world documenting the effects of climate change, was surprised last month when he found his own city underwater. Midland, he said, has experienced some flooding but had always been safe from major climate disasters such as hurricanes and forest fires. He doesnt think it makes sense for taxpayers to spend money on dams that could fail again in the future particularly when both state and local agencies are already facing a severe economic crisis from the coronavirus. As he watches his city try to recover from the dam collapse, he hopes this disaster in Michigan will be a wake-up call for people around the country. What happened here is not isolated, he said. This potential situation exists in thousands of places across the Midwest where people have not felt threatened by climate change but global change is combining with decaying infrastructure to accelerate the time when many communities are going to be faced with the same issues. CORRECTION (June 14, 2020, 10:12 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the number of dams regulated by the Michigan government. It is about 1,000, not 2,500. DUBLIN, June 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Asia Pacific Corporate Assessment Service Market to 2027 - Regional Analysis and Forecasts by Product; Application; Hiring Phase; Hiring Level" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The corporate assessment service market in Asia-Pacific is expected to grow from US$ 997.71Mn in 2017 to US$ 1941.67 Mn by the year 2027 at a CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period. Strong internet infrastructure in various regions has enabled applicants to search for jobs in various industries anytime and anywhere. Also, robust internet infrastructure providing an online platform for hiring processes is also benefitting employers looking for potential candidates from different areas of the Asia-Pacific, which is likely to drive the corporate assessment service market. This report provides an overview and forecast for the corporate assessment service based on all the segmentation provided with respect to the Asia-Pacific region. Primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, and external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders. Some of the players present in micro mobile data center are AON Plc, Aspiring Minds, Korn Ferry, among others. Key report benefits: Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the Asia-Pacific corporate assessment service market. corporate assessment service market. Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Asia-Pacific corporate assessment service market thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies corporate assessment service market thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets Scrutinize in-depth Asia-Pacific market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 1.1 Scope of the Study 1.2 Research Report Guidance 1.3 Market Segmentation 2. Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 4. Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market Landscape 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 PEST Analysis 4.3 Ecosystem Analysis 5. Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market - Market Dynamics 5.1 Key Market Drivers 5.1.1 Increase in Unemployment Rate 5.1.2 Increase in Fraudulent Activities by Applicants 5.2 Key Market Restraints 5.2.1 Growing Issues Associated with Security of Candidates 5.3 Key Market Opportunities 5.3.1 High Dependency on Big Data Technology 5.4 Future Trends 5.4.1 Development in Advanced Technologies such as AI Resulted in Multiple Benefits 5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints 6. Corporate Assessment Service Market - Asia-Pacific Market Analysis 6.1 Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Service Market Overview 6.2 Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Service Market Forecast and Analysis 7. Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market Analysis - By Product 7.1 Overview 7.2 Cognitive 7.3 Personality 7.4 Knowledge 7.5 Performance 7.6 Company Fit 7.7 Others 8. Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market Analysis - By Hiring Phase 8.1 Overview 8.2 Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market Breakdown, By Hiring Phase, 2018 & 2027 8.3 Pre-Hire 8.4 Post-Hire 9. Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market Analysis - By Application 9.1 Overview 9.2 Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market Breakdown, By Application, 2018 & 2027 9.3 Campus Recruitment 9.4 Entrance Assessment Services 9.5 Recruitment & Promotion Assessment Services 9.6 Certification Assessment Services 10. Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market Analysis - By Hiring Level 10.1 Overview 10.2 Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market Breakdown, By Hiring Level, 2018 & 2027 10.3 Executive 10.4 Entry Level 10.5 Professional 10.6 Others 11. Asia-Pacific Corporate Assessment Services Market - Country Analysis 12. Industry Landscape 12.1 Market Initiative 12.2 Merger and Acquisition 12.3 New Development 13. Company Profile 13.1 AON Plc 13.2 Arctic Shores Limited 13.3 Aspiring Minds 13.4 Birkman International, Inc. 13.5 Development Dimensions International, Inc. 13.6 Harrison Assessment International, Ltd 13.7 Korn Ferry 13.8 IBM Corporation 13.9 Mettl Online Assessment 13.10 SHL 14. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bl28id About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com Spike Lees new film Da 5 Bloods is now streaming on Netflix around the world. It puts the film into the living rooms of the services 183 million subscribers worldwide, many of whom many never have seen a single Spike Lee joint in their lives. The film follows four Vietnam veterans as they return to the country of the conflict to search for buried treasure and the body of their fallen comrade. Norm Lewis and Isiah Whitlock Jr., who play two of the Bloods, hope the film inspires people to learn more about the Vietnam War and its consequences on the country, and the Black American GIs who fought in it. Lewis, who plays photographer Eddie says he wants the film to inspire hope for the future, and a yearning to learn more about the history while Black Lives Matter demonstrations occur around the world. DA 5 BLOODS (L to R) ISIAH WHITLOCK JR. as MELVIN, NORM LEWIS as EDDIE, DELROY LINDO as PAUL, CLARKE PETERS as OTIS and JONATHAN MAJORS as DAVID in DA 5 BLOODS Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX 2020 I have several friends of mine, because of the current circumstances, who are trying to learn more about the Black culture in the United States, and I think [Da 5 Bloods] will be an added addition to that research for people. Whitlock Jr., who plays the fun-loving but also deeply affected Melvin in the film, agrees. He says he found making the film hugely educational about the conflict, the Civil Rights movement of the era, and about whats happening in the world right now. Read more: Spike Lee: Trump is the worst President in history I would tell people, when you see the film, youre gonna get a real history lesson on African American culture in this country, he tells Yahoo. Anti-war protesters at United Nations Plaza, New York, B&W photo Not just with the war but what was happening in the late 60s, early 70s, the war, what is happening today. Youll be able to make the connection - the link. And if people walk away with that, and that feeling to educate themselves, I think it will lead to a better dialogue. Da 5 Bloods is now streaming globally on Netflix. With India breaching the 3 lakh-mark of Covid-19 positive cases, the Union Health Ministry has updated its Clinical Management Protocol to include sudden loss of smell and taste as palpable symptom for the disease. The other nine symptoms for the ailment now include fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, expectoration, myalgia, rhinorrhea, sore throat and diarrhoea. Loss of smell and taste are two recurring symptoms in patients infected by the novel coronavirus. Some countries have used these symptoms as diagnostic criterion for early detection and isolation of suspected carriers. Others like Britain have had to update their quarantine guidelines to recommend self-isolation for people experiencing anosmia -- loss or change of the sense of smell. Latest research also suggests that SARS-2 coronavirus infects only the outer layering of tissues in the upper respiratory organs leading to the loss of smell and taste. However, the virus does not cause permanent damage to the infected tissues which explains why patients regain these senses within one month of falling sick. Looking at the nasal tissues we found that the virus was infecting the olfactory epithelium which is involved in the smell, John Nicholls, clinical professor in pathology, said in an interview earlier this month. Nicholls and his team at Hong Kong University conducted experiments on hamsters exposed to the virus to study how Covid-19 affects various organs of the body. Olfactory epithelium are tissues which form the outer lining inside the nasal cavities. And these cells are part of the sensory system and provide the sense of smell to humans and animals. But the good news from the Hong Kong University study, Prof Nicholls says is that during the infection the nerve itself is not damaged but it is just the cells which sense the smell. It will take a while for the cell to grow back once they are damaged but they seem to regrow themselves. A study published by the University of California in April had indicated the disease is more severe in patients not experiencing anosmia. Only 27 percent of hospitalised patients showed loss of smell and taste as compared to 67 percent of those not hospitalised and showing milder clinical symptoms. So severe disease is not normally associated with loss of smell and taste and mild disease tends to be associated with the loss of these two functions, Nicholls explains. Loss of smell and taste does not necessarily indicate exposure to Covid-19. Anosmia is a symptom associated with many other diseases, including common flu which continues to claim more than 2,50,000 lives world over every year. However, the Covid-19 virus is considerably more contagious than the common influenza and has a relatively higher mortality rate. 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 Some 753 cases were registered in the past 24 hours. The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Ukraine exceeded 30,500 as of Saturday morning, June 13. Read alsoHealth Minister on quarantine: Ukraine may backtrack as COVID-19 cases grow in number As of 09:00 Kyiv time on June 13, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Ukraine was 30,506; of them, 753 cases were registered in the past 24 hours, the National Security and Defense Council said on its COVID-19 monitoring website on June 13. Ten coronavirus patients died in Ukraine in the past day, bringing the overall death toll to 880. However, 13,976 patients have already recovered; 409 recoveries were reported in the past 24 hours alone. The largest number of confirmed daily cases as of June 13 was registered in Lviv region (132), Zakarpattia region (77), and the city of Kyiv (72). The Environmental Justice Foundation is demanding stronger sanctions for trawlers caught flouting the fishing laws of Ghana. EJF said the government risks endangering the livelihoods and food security of millions of Ghanaians should it fail to crack down on the illegal activities. According to the organization, repeated cases of fishing crimes on Ghanaian waters do not only point to a blatant disregard for the laws but also a lack of deterrent sanctions. Under international law, Ghana has a responsibility to establish and implement a system of deterrent sanctions that deprive offenders of the benefits flowing from their illegal fishing activities. These repeated offences show that the system of sanctions in Ghana is not having a deterrent effect, EJF said in a release. Citing a recent incident, the EFJ said an industrial trawler, Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956, operated by the Chinese company Rongcheng Ocean Fishery Co. Ltd, was recently re-arrested for illegal fishing. The trawler, EFJ said, was initially apprehended in June 2019 for using nets with a mesh size below the legal minimum and taking fish smaller than legal landing size. It noted that in October 2019, the owners were issued with a fine of US$1 million by an out-of-court settlement committee and an additional GH124,000 for the fish on board the vessel which they failed to pay. Despite this, the vessel licence was renewed and the trawler put to sea again, fishing in the waters of Ghana and neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire until it was re-arrested on May 30, 2020, by the Marine police for the same offence. The Executive Director of EFJ, Steve Trent, said, It is vital to ensure that the vessel pays the full fines of both cases, and that the outcome of this and other cases are published on the ministry's website. Perpetrators cannot simply choose not to pay a fine and go back to exactly the same criminal actions as before. That is not how justice works. To safeguard Ghana's food security, livelihoods and stability, the government must act to tackle this issue across the whole fleet. ---Daily Guide The Delhi University on Saturday released admit cards for the open book examinations for postgraduate courses. Those who are enrolled in PG courses, except law students, can download the admit card from the official website of the Delhi University here at http://www.du.ac.in/du/. The Delhi University on Saturday released admit cards for the open book examinations for postgraduate courses. Those who are enrolled in PG courses, except law students, can download the admit card from the official website of the Delhi University here at http://www.du.ac.in/du/. The hall ticket is also available for PG students of School of Open Learning (SOL). If a student faces any problem downloading the admit card, she will have to send a request to EDP Cell of the varsity to sort it out. The university last month decided to conduct examinations for its final year postgraduate and undergraduate students from July 1. It said that it would take to 'Open Book' mode to hold the exams, if the situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic did not normalise. In the open book examinations, students are allowed to refer books, notes and other study materials to answer the questions. They will have to download question papers for their course from the portal and upload the answers in a span of two hours. They can take the exam sitting at home or wherever they are. The DU earlier this month announced that it would not hold exams for second and fourth semester of UG courses. This is applicable for students of regular colleges, School of Open Learning and Non-Collegiate Womens Education Board (NCWEB). The university will evaluate students based on 50 percent internal assessment as adopted by the college or department. The remaining 50 percent will be given bases on the scores in the previous semester. How to download admit card: Cancer testing plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic and is yet to recover to normal levels, prompting fears that thousands of Australians could be missing the window for early diagnosis. Nationally representative figures from major private pathology labs reveal there was 56 per cent less tissue testing in early April than the February average, while cervical cancer screening tests were down 71 per cent and blood tests for prostate cancer were down 58 per cent. Kirby Lane waited until she had her two children before having surgery to remove her risk of ovarian cancer. Credit:Lee Ilfield BreastScreen Australia temporarily paused screening in April, and over the past few months, large numbers of people have avoided their GP or delayed following up on referrals because of the risk of COVID-19. By the end of May, pathology testing had started to recover but was still lower than usual. In the week starting May 25, tissue testing was down 17 per cent, cervical cancer screening tests were down 28 per cent, and prostate cancer blood tests were down 14 per cent, compared with the February average. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Herliana Elizabeth Yusuf (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang, Banten Sat, June 13 2020 The death of George Floyd in the United States has evinced global expressions of solidarity that have reminded people how racism still exists in the 21st century. Influenced by the hashtag #blacklivesmatter, Indonesian citizens have expressed support through their social media status and postings. What about racism in Indonesia? Indonesians are very proud of the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in diversity). Ironically, not everyone truly believes in the idea of respecting diversity in ethnicity, religion or race, or whatever differences, in daily life. For example, many people do not know and do not care about the lives of people in eastern Indonesia. All they know is that dark-skinned people who are also part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia live there. How they live is not relevant. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Protesters at Sydney's illegal Black Lives Matter demonstration feared police were preparing to use a hi-tech 'sound weapon' on them - but it was just a loudspeaker. About 300 people gathered at the city's Hyde Park on Friday night to protest Indigenous deaths in custody, defying authorities which had refused the demonstration due to coronavirus fears. During the protest, police broadcast a message saying: 'This is a Long Range Acoustic Device', sparking a flurry of concerned tweets from demonstrators and state Greens Upper House MP David Shoebridge. A Long Range Acoustic Device - known as a LARD - can blast out deafening warning tones and is often to disperse protesters in the United States. NSW Police officers stand guard around a statue of Captain Cook in Hyde Park on June 12, 2020 in Sydney Protesters holding placards are seen during a Stop Black Deaths in Custody: Solidarity with Long Bay Prisoners vigil at Sydney Town Hall in Sydney, Friday, June 12 Protesters arrived at Sydney's Hyde Park for the unauthorised rally to stop Aboriginal deaths in custody A Long Range Acoustic Device - known as a LARD - can blast out deafening warning tones and is often to disperse protesters in the United States (stock of LARD) 'We're hearing police have just used a sound weapon against protesters,' Greens MP David Shoebridge tweeted. But Assistant NSW Police Commissioner Mick Willing denied the allegations saying it was simply a 'normal loud hailer'. 'There is one issue I want to clarify out there about the alleged use of some sort of sound weapon by police,' he told the media. What is a Long Range Acoustic Device? A Long Range Acoustic Device - known as a LARD - is a device which sends messages and warning tones over longer distances and higher volume than normal loudspeakers A LARD is often used to disperse protesters in the United States. It look like a large black speaker. It reaches maximum continuous sound of up to 162dB, which can be heard up to 5.5km away. Anyone within earshot would be affected due to the high frequency. Advertisement 'That is not the case, police officers used a normal loud hailer to issue a warning to the crowd.' A NSW Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that it was in fact a 'loud speaker' officers were using. Protesters were outnumbered by more than 600 police officers in the city on Friday night, in an event deemed unlawful because NSW Police wasn't formally notified. 'Black lives matter' and 'Not enough justice, too many coppers' was chanted by protesters as they marched through Hyde Park. Commissioner Willing expressed his disappointment that protesters disregarded the public health oder at an 'unauthorised event'. 'It was made very clear during the week that the protest was unauthorised, and people should put the health and wellbeing of themselves and others first, by not attending.' Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing denied the allegations saying it was a 'normal loud hailer' Police used a loud siren (pictured) asking the people to disperse and go home NSW Police wearing masks are seen during a Stop Black Deaths in Custody: Solidarity with Long Bay Prisoners vigil at Sydney Town Hall in Sydney, Friday, June 12 A 24-year-old woman from Panania was arrested after failing to comply with a move on direction. She was issued with a PIN for breaching a public health order and released. NSW Police will once again be out in force for Saturday's unauthorised protest which has been banned by the NSW Supreme Court. He warned demonstrators to 'stay at home' as officers will carry out the law and fine people $1,000 for breaching public health orders. 'I want to be clear about this - if people choose to break the law and attend this protest, police will not hesitate to take the appropriate action against them.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday stated: 'The very clear message is people should not attend those events because it is against the health advice to do so.' He said protesters should express their views 'in another way'. A protester gestures towards New South Wales police officers during a 'Rally Against Black Deaths In Custody' in Hyde Park on June 12, 2020 NSW Police officers are seen lined up at Town Hall during a 'Rally Against Black Deaths In Custody' on June 12 A woman holds up a sign which reads, 'Strongly Dislike the Police' at Town Hall on June 12, 2020 in Sydney, Australia The NSW Supreme Court earlier this week prohibited the 'Free the refugees' protest scheduled for Saturday afternoon on the basis the health risks 'outweigh the rights of public assembly and free speech'. The Refugee Action Coalition (RAC) said they would ignore the court's decision that declared Saturday's event a prohibited public gathering. In a judgement handed down late on Thursday, Justice Michael Walton granted a NSW Police application that opposed the rally on public health grounds. The rally, which is being organised by the Refugee Action Coalition (RAC), is scheduled to take place at Sydney's Town Hall on Saturday afternoon. Immediately following the decision, during which Justice Walton said the right to protest did not outweigh health concerns, the group's spokesman said the ruling would not change their plans. 'We'll still be holding an event this Saturday, urging people to participate,' James Supple said outside court. 'As the court said, it doesn't actually make it illegal to come to a protest, it just gives the police more powers. 'We'll be doing everything in our power to ensure it's a safe gathering and urging people to show some safety concern for the coronavirus measures.' NSW Police officers stand guard around a statue of Captain Cook in Hyde Park on June 12 Police stand guard in front of Town Hall waiting for the Illegal protestors on June 12, 2020 Police had asked RAC to postpone the protest, which is expected to attract around 150 to 200 people. But the group's lawyer, Emmanuel Kerkyasharian SC, told the court the protest was a matter of urgency given refugees were being held in custody against their will. He also argued the rally was no different to gatherings that were allowed in schools, airports and parliament. Mr Supple said RAC did not intend to take their case to the Court of Appeal and would instead push ahead with the protest in spite of warnings from authorities. Their warning comes after a protester, who attended last weekend's Black Lives Matter rally in Melbourne, tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday. NSW's two-week streak of no new locally-acquired COVID-19 appears over after Rose Bay Public School was closed on Friday while NSW Health investigated a possible case in a staff member. 'Further testing confirmed this is a case of COVID-19,' the department said in the evening. 'However, it should be stressed that the date of infection is still to be determined and this case may be an older infection.' A 7-foot-long crocodile, which had ventured out into fields at Muvada village of Baghola Tehsil in Vadodara two days ago, has been rescued and handed over to the State Forest Department, an official said on Saturday. One of the officials who rescued the crocodile elaborated how they were called by the village officials after reports of crocodile started making the rounds. We had got a call from the sarpanch that crocodile was eating up goats and cows in the village. There was a sense of fear in the area. Two days prior to the catch, a trap was laid for the 7-foot-crocodile, said one of the rescuer. We came and laid a trap for the crocodile. For two days we tracked the animal and the third day we got hold of it, he added. Gujarat: A 7-feet-long crocodile which had ventured out into fields at Muvada village of Baghola Tehsil in Vadodara two days ago, has been rescued and handed over to the Forest Department. pic.twitter.com/sF8oCQJM86 ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2020 Soon after the crocodile was captured, it was safely handed over to the Gujarat Forest Department for rehabilitation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Kim Jong Uns Sister Threatens South Korea With Military Action SEOUL, South KoreaThe powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened military action against South Korea as she bashed Seoul on Saturday over declining bilateral relations and its inability to stop activists from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. Describing South Korea as an enemy, Kim Yo Jong repeated an earlier threat she had made by saying Seoul will soon witness the collapse of a useless inter-Korean liaison office in the border town of Kaesong. Kim, who is first vice department director of the ruling Workers Partys Central Committee, said she would leave it to North Koreas military leaders to carry out the next step of retaliation against the South. By exercising my power authorized by the supreme leader, our party, and the state, I gave an instruction to the arms of the department in charge of the affairs with enemy to decisively carry out the next action, she said in a statement carried by the Norths official Korean Central News Agency. If I drop a hint of our next plan the (South Korean) authorities are anxious about, the right to taking the next action against the enemy will be entrusted to the General Staff of our army, she said. Our army, too, will determine something for cooling down our peoples resentment and surely carry out it, I believe. Kims harsh rhetoric demonstrates her elevated status in North Koreas leadership. Already seen as the most powerful woman in the country and her brothers closest confidant, state media recently confirmed that she is now in charge of relations with South Korea. The liaison office in Kaesong, which has been shut since January due to coronavirus concerns, was set up as a result of one of the main agreements reached in three summits between Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in 2018. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his sister Kim Yo Jong attend a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Peace House at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, on April 27, 2018.(Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters/File Photo) Moons government had lobbied hard to set up nuclear summits between Kim and President Donald Trump, who have met three times since 2018. At the same time, Moon also worked to improve inter-Korean relations. But North Korea in recent months has suspended virtually all cooperation with the South while expressing frustration over the lack of progress in its nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. Over the past week, the North declared that it would cut off all government and military communication channels with the South and threatened to abandon key inter-Korean peace agreements reached by their leaders in 2018. They include a military agreement in which the Koreas committed to jointly take steps to reduce conventional military threats, such as establishing border buffers and no-fly zones. They also removed some front-line guard posts and jointly surveyed a waterway near their western border in an unrealized plan to allow freer civilian navigation. In an earlier statement last week, Kim Yo Jong said that the North would scrap the military agreement, which is hardly of any value, while calling North Korean defectors who send leaflets from the South human scum and mongrel dogs. Her comments on Saturday came hours after a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official said that Seoul should drop nonsensical talk about the Norths denuclearization, and that his country would continue to expand its military capabilities to counter what it perceives as threats from the United States. In response to North Koreas anger over the leaflets, South Koreas government has said it would press charges against two defector groups that have been carrying out border protests. The South also said it would push new laws to ban activists from flying the leaflets across the border, but theres been criticism over whether Moons government is sacrificing democratic principles to keep alive his ambitions for inter-Korean engagement. For years, activists have floated huge balloons into North Korea carrying leaflets criticizing Kim Jong Un over his nuclear ambitions and dismal human rights record. The leafleting has sometimes triggered a furious response from North Korea, which bristles at any attempt to undermine its leadership. While Seoul has sometimes sent police officers to block the activists during sensitive times, it had previously resisted North Koreas calls to fully ban them, saying they were exercising their freedom. Activists have vowed to continue with the balloon launches. But its unlikely that North Koreas belligerence is about just the leaflets, analysts say. The North has a long track record of dialing up pressure on the South when it doesnt get what it wants from the United States. Its threats to abandon inter-Korean agreements came after months of frustration over Seouls refusal to defy U.S.-led sanctions and restart joint economic projects. Some experts say North Korea, which has mobilized people for massive demonstrations condemning defectors, is deliberately censuring the South to rally its public and shift attention away from a bad economy, which likely has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its unclear what kind of military action the North would take against the South, although weapons tests are an easy guess. Kim Dong-yub, an analyst from Seouls Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said North Korea could also be planning something near the countries disputed western maritime border, which has occasionally been the scene of bloody clashes over the years. Nuclear talks faltered at Kim Jong Uns second summit with Trump in Vietnam in February last year after the United States rejected North Koreas demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities. Trump and Kim met for a third time that year in June at the border between North and South Korea and agreed to resume talks. But an October working-level meeting in Sweden broke down over what the North Koreans described as the Americans old stance and attitude. On the two-year anniversary of the first Kim-Trump meeting, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon said Friday that the North would never again gift Trump with high-profile meetings he could boast as foreign policy achievements unless it gets something substantial in return. By Kim Tong-Hyung SPRINGFIELD While Illinois businesses and consumers contend with some of the most-restrictive COVID-19 rules in the country, neighboring states are lifting restrictions and opening up further. On Friday, Indiana entered Phase 4 for its reopening plan with gatherings of up to 250 allowed and 75 percent capacity at dine-in restaurants. Malls and other retail outlets in Indiana can serve consumers at full capacity. In Stage 4, Hoosiers 65 and over and those with high-risk health conditions who are the most vulnerable to the coronavirus should remain at home as much as possible, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a statement. Face coverings in public places are recommended. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday announced that, while local governments can still have public health restrictions in place, the state will lift all restrictions on Tuesday. At some point government just has to get out of the way and let people live their lives and regulate their own selves, Parson said. Were at that time in the state of Missouri. In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been adamant about his five-phase plan that calls for relaxing some additional restrictions on June 26. Even after that, Illinois will have restrictions on groups over 50 and continued capacity limits on businesses. State Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, said some Illinois businesses are leaving the governor behind. Were grown-ups, McCombie said. We know if we have underlying health issues. We can figure this out at this point. At first? Understandable. But were not there anymore. As for Illinois state fairs, Pritzker told WMAY on Thursday that he couldnt say if there would be an Illinois State Fair this August. Were making those decisions now, looking at all the data and figuring out what we might do, Pritzker said. Im sure well be making those announcements shortly. Illinois officials made the announcement the fairs in Springfield and DuQuoin were canceled, but there will be modified competitions. Due to the cancellations of the fairs, the Department of Agriculture will host a Junior Livestock Expo in Springfield in September, for Illinois exhibitors ages 8-21 to show their animals, the state announced Friday. The 4-H General Project Show will take place virtually, with premiums and ribbons to be distributed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Details regarding entry and operations are forthcoming. By Illinois state law, the state fair is supposed to happen in Springfield and DuQuoin annually. Indianas state fair announced a modified livestock show, but the traditional fair will not take place. Its a different story in Missouri, which removes all statewide COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday. Parson said the state fair will take place, but there will be modifications. Its about youth and agriculture and supporting agriculture, so my direction is get back to those basics, do what you got to do and some of those other things maybe we wont do, Parson said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the decline in imports of poultry meat and products means that the country has sufficient local production. The department cited data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) that showed poultry imports declined by 27 percent, from about 42,645 metric tons in January to about 33,553 metric tons in May. About 70% of the total imports is composed of mechanically deboned meat, fats, offals, and rinds which are used by industrial processors. Government data showed that in the first quarter of 2020, poultry production grew 3.9 percent, and accounted for 14.9 percent of total agricultural production. Chicken production grew 3.3 percent, while duck production grew 0.8%. Given this, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a statement on Saturday that these imports do not compete with the supply in the local market since these are used for processing. This is amid calls from poultry industry stakeholders to suspend importation as oversupply has caused decline in farmgate prices. They also said that the BAI recommended for them to "self-regulate" given the situation. BAI Director Ronnie Domingo said the oversupply of poultry meat was caused by the lower demand for the commodity after the government imposed community quarantine nationwide starting mid-March. To solve this, Domingo said that the DA is already looking for ways to address the excess supply of poultry. The DAs National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) reported that aside from accredited cold storage facilities, excess meat is being stored in plug-in refrigerated vans which can be considered as food safety risk, he said. Dar added that the department and other relevant agencies are strengthening the system to secure the cold storage facilities and to prevent excess meat being stored in un-accredited systems. The secretary also pushed the industry to work with the government in coming up with ways to solve the problems caused by the community quarantine. Moreover, Dar said that the industry will continuously be assisted through the National Livestock Program to ensure adequate and safe production of supply. A new report from the Food Bank for New York City indicates that more than a third of the citys food pantries shut down during the height of the pandemic. Here on the Lower East Side, however, the Vision Urbana Food Pantry, the only established operation of its kind in the neighborhood, actually scaled up its operations during the COVID-19 crisis. Vision Urbana is a grassroots nonprofit group with close ties to Primitive Christian Church on East Broadway. The pantry has been in operation since 2018, so it was in good position to expand, meeting the needs of some of the LESs most vulnerable residents during the past three months. During the Memorial Day weekend, on May 23, a team of 65 volunteers from Vision Urbana delivered groceries to 885 seniors, with the support of the Food Bank for New York City. The stepped up deliveries of both fresh food boxes and hot meals are made possible through expanded partnerships with some of the Lower East Sides settlement houses and local food-supply businesses (including grocery stores and restaurants). The group says it is serving 1,200 households each week. The City of New York has struggled to address the food insecurity crisis unfolding across the five boroughs. The Department of Education may end up throwing out $800,000 worth of food before the fall, rather than finding a way to distribute it to people in need. Many people in Lower East Side public housing developments have reported that food from the citys DeliveryTLC program is dumped in lobbies to rot. Some of the more successful efforts have been launched by groups with deep roots in NYC neighborhoods. An example is the Community First Food Pantry, which has been working in Chinatown and the Lower East Side in recent weeks. Vision Urbana has been able to draw on several years of experience as a food pantry operator and decades of knowledge about the community. The organization was especially well prepared to serve the LESs large NYCHA and Section 8 buildings, which have been hit so hard by COVID-19. Recently Vision Urbanas director, Eric Diaz was honored as a LES Hero Next Door. In accepting the award, he talked about the food pantrys efforts during the past several weeks and said, It just goes to show the absolute importance of grassroots organizations like Vision Urbana, and others, with a 24/7 ear to the ground and able to adapt and respond to crises quickly and without hesitation to address the immediate and critical needs of our residents. I am proud to work with them all and to be a born and bred son of the LES. Click here if you would like to arrange for a food delivery from Vision Urbana. BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Two and a half million residents. Four confirmed coronavirus deaths. As coronavirus cases surge in Latin America, the Colombian city of Medellin is defying expectations and managing to keep numbers remarkably low. Months into the pandemic, there are just 741 confirmed cases citywide and only 10 patients hospitalized in ICUs with COVID-19. The metropolis recently went five weeks without a single COVID-19 death. Medellin can be considered a best-case scenario, said Dr. Carlos Espinal, director of Florida International Universitys Global Health Consortium. In theory, that shouldnt be the case. The city is dense, home to many poor residents who will go hungry if they quarantine for too long and connected by a congested public transportation system. All these factors have made the virus especially hard to contain in Latin America. How has Medellin, so far, defied the odds? City officials and epidemiologists credit early preparation, a novel app that connected needy residents with food and cash while also collecting important data that later helped track cases, and a medical system that has moved rapidly to treat the sick before they fall critically ill. Mayor Daniel Quinteros critics fear the immense data being collected on citizens amounts to a severe invasion of privacy, but even they admit that it has proven effective in containing COVID-19. Its impossible to fight the virus without information, Quintero, 39, said. Wed have deaths in the hundreds if we hadnt made these decisions. Quintero, Medellins youngest mayor ever, is an engineer by training who began holding COVID-19 prep meetings in January, weeks after taking office. The virus was a blip on the radar for most Latin American governments back then. Some thought he was absurd for worrying about a virus raging in China. Medellin did many of the things other cities would try in the weeks ahead, but it had some built-in advantages. Its international airport receives far fewer travelers from abroad than bigger cities like Bogota. That made tracking passengers landing from hot spots like Spain and the U.S. easier. It also has what is considered one of the best public health systems in Latin America. Story continues Quintero said he knew that in order for many residents to quarantine, theyd need food and cash. Using his tech background, he led the city in launching Medellin Me Cuida (Medellin Takes Care of Me), an app offering aid to those who signed up and requested help. The response has been enormous: 1.3 million families some 3.25 million people in total from Medellin and surrounding areas registered. The aid was key for Maritza Alvarez, who lives with six elderly relatives, two of whom are street vendors. Since signing up, she said theyve gotten packages of food three times and two cash transfers. That has allowed them to mostly stay indoors instead of going out to earn money and buy food. The app also asks questions such as who users live with, if they have COVID-19 symptoms and what pre-existing health conditions they suffer. That information has proven key in identifying cases, but it has also raised concerns. Two cases have been filed in court challenging Medellins assertion that downloading and registering with the app is voluntary, noting that businesses and employees are being asked to sign up in order to restart work. A judge ruled in favor of one complainant, agreeing that not all the information requested should be obligatory. Others are concerned about what the data might be used for once the pandemic is over. Technology is an important tool in controlling the virus, Daniel Duque, a councilman, wrote in a recent blog post. But the pandemic shouldnt be an excuse for governments to turn into a Big Brother that watches and controls everything. In an interview with The Associated Press, Quintero brushed such concerns aside. Theyre partly right. Medellin is the city in Latin America with the most information on its citizens, he said via Zoom from his headquarters, brightly lit screens with charts and maps behind him. But the question of our intentions in how we use this data cant be doubted. In Medellin, medical workers test anyone suspected of having COVID-19 at their home. Those who test positive are given a free oximeter. If their blood oxygen levels dip, nurses bring oxygen to their homes. Those who dont improve are taken to the hospital. The app has proven key in quickly tracking down those who may have had contact with someone who tests positive. Medellin does about 40 coronavirus tests for each case diagnosed, a number over double the nationwide average, officials said. Though Medellins per million testing rate is low, several epidemiologists said they believe the citys more targeted testing is proving effective. Colombian scientists estimate that for each COVID-19 death there are at least 100 more cases. That means in Medellin, which has had four deaths, there should be at least 400 infected people. The city has currently identified about 300 cases on top of that amount. Bogota, by contrast, has reported at least 339 coronavirus deaths but has only detected around 14,500 cases, suggesting that despite more testing per million people, they still havent found many of the existing cases. Still, confirmed coronavirus cases in Medellin have increased from around five to 16 per day since the city reopened its economy in May. Police officers are using newly developed software to scan ID cards of citizens boarding buses and entering malls to ensure they have permission to be out and about. We are entering a new phase now, said Dr. Juan Carlos Catano, an epidemiologist with the Antioquia Foundation for Epidemiology. We hope to count on a health system that is sufficiently prepared. Like much of Latin America, Medellin found it difficult to equip hospitals with more ICU beds. Global prices for ventilators skyrocketed at the start of the pandemic and supply dried up. Medellin initially had 332; today it has 453. In an emergency scenario, the city plans to utilize ventilators made at a university in Medellin. Current projections indicate the city will reach peak caseload in July or October. The challenge for Medellin will now be to convince citizens to continue abiding by safety measures like wearing face masks and social distancing. In some poor neighborhoods, local activists say theyve encountered skepticism about the virus. People think its a lie, that COVID-19 is a government invention, said Gustavo Lainez, a community leader. Misinformation is a huge factor. Still, he said all but perhaps 2% of the 140,000 people who live in the area where he works have agreed to sign up for Medellin Me Cuida. Over the last two decades, Medellin has undergone an urban transformation, leaving behind the days marred by the violence of Pablo Escobars drug cartel and boosting education, libraries, parks and other civic projects. But the virus has brought new hurdles. Unemployment in the metro area is now at 17.3%, the highest in 18 years. Locals believe their reputation for discipline and industriousness will carry them through another difficult chapter in Colombias history. We feel supported, said Alvarez, the beneficiary of food packages. I never thought big data would help me. 13.06.2020 LISTEN Mining as an economic activity must first aim at improving the livelihoods of the indigenes who rightly own and live with the mineral resources by ensuring equitable distribution of mineral wealth is prioritized in national and international minerals and mining laws and policies. For the realization of this aim of mining as an economic activity, the Africa Mining Vision and Action Plan of the Africa Union (AU) advocates the use of Africas mineral resources to reduce the continents poverty and accelerate its social and economic development. Also, the ECOWAS Minerals Development Policy seeks to create a mining environment that is very responsive to sustainable development. In line with the ECOWAS Mineral Development Policy, the Minerals and Mining Policy of Ghana (2014) seeks to ensure mining makes a significant contribution to sustainable development by ensuring that the country secures the full economic and social benefits that mining promises in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The policy puts emphasis on fair and equitable sharing of revenues generated from the communities. The policy specifically states that the rights and interests of landowners and local communities regarding benefits accruing from the use of land shall be guaranteed during the entire mining process. The policy further makes it clear that sustainable livelihood programmes to improve the economic conditions of communities shall form an integral part of the planning for any mining activity. Despite these good policy frameworks of the Africa Union, ECOWAS, and Ghana, it is regrettable to note that the policies have not impacted much on the lives of mining communities in the country. What is visible in mining communities across the country is extreme poverty, deprivation and general under-development. Instead of contributing to the social and economic development of communities, mining is contributing to violent conflicts, pollution, and many other social vices. Realising the inequitable distribution of mineral wealth and the worsening socio-economic conditions of the lives of the people in mining communities, the Ghanaian Parliament enacted the Minerals Development Fund Act, 2016, Act 912 under which the establishment of the Mining Community Development Scheme (MCDS) is required. The Mining Community Development Scheme seeks to facilitate socio-economic development of communities in which mining activities are undertaken and that are affected by mining operations Sources of funds for the Scheme are stated in Section 18 of the Act as mining royalties being 20% of Minerals Development Fund (MDF) at the national level, donations made by mining companies and related business entities and finally grants, donations, gifts and other voluntary contributions. Management of the scheme shall be by a Local Management Committee which, according to Section 19 of the Act comprises the District Chief Executive, the traditional ruler of the mining community, one representative of the District Office of the Minerals Commission, a mining company, identified womens group and identified youth group in the community. Additionally, the government further introduced Community Mining Programme to promote community participation in the mining industry aimed at increasing communities share of the mineral wealth and other social and economic benefits that mining promises for improved livelihoods. Strongly determined to ensure mining activities under the Community Mining Programme are carried out in a very responsible and sustainable manner , the governed has already mobilized and trained a good number of interested members of mining communities across the country to acquire the needed technical skills for a successful programme. The passage of the Minerals Development Fund Act, 2016 and the introduction of the Community Mining Programme provide fine opportunities for communities and civil society groups working in mining communities to engage with relevant state institutions to demand the establishment of the Mining Community Development Scheme and effective implementation of the Community Mining Programme. This will undoubtedly bring in significant amount of resources to effectively finance sustainable livelihoods programmes for socio-economic transformation of the mining communities to address poverty and deprivation. It is in the light of this that the Coalition of Social Movements on Mining (CSMM) in the Upper East Region of Ghana has taken the lead to champion the issue by raising critical voice on the need to establish the Mining Community Development Scheme (MCDS) in every mining community in Ghana particularly communities in Talensi District of the Upper East Region. Considering the huge socio-economic development opportunities that MCDS seeks to create for improved livelihoods of poor and disadvantaged people in mining communities, the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA) is adding its voice to the call on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission and the District Assemblies concerned not only to provide start-up capital for trained community members to engage in the community mining programme but to also facilitate the establishment of the Mining Community Development Schemes in all mining communities in Ghana particularly those in Talensi district. This, in the view of NORPRA, will contribute significantly to reducing poverty and hunger for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Signed Bismark Adongo Ayorogo (Executive Director) The Ministry of Health has appealed to Kenyans to volunteer in donating blood to the National Blood Transfusion Service in a bid to save the country from impending acute shortage. The appeal came barely months after Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said elaborate measures were being put in place to address the challenge of blood shortages in the country. A Kenya donating blood in a past blood donation exercise. Photo: Original. Source: Original In a brief statement published on Friday, June 12, the ministry noted the situation of the country's blood bank was challenging and urgent interventions were needed to restock it. "The situation of our blood bank in the country is challenging and we need your support to restock," said the ministry via its official Twitter handle. Health CAS Rashid Aman reemphasised the dire need for blood donations and urged Kenyans to volunteer and help the ministry in addressing the challenge. "We are appealing to all Kenyans to come out in large numbers at the blood donation centres to donate blood in order to save lives of our people," he said on Friday during a daily update coronavirus situation in the country. The has been grappling with the challenge of blood shortages with reports indicate some rogue officials have been colluding with medics and unscrupulous business people to sell the blood in other countries. In March, CS Kagwe acknowledged that there are criminal elements, sometimes within the Health ministry, colluding with outsiders to escalate the shortage problem He confirmed that detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) were investigating into claims that blood donated by Kenyans was being sold abroad. According to reports, the blood was mostly being sold in Somalia by an enterprise of cartels from the National Blood Transfusion Service and officials from the ministry. "These cartels have been engaged in blood trade within as well as outside the country for selfish gain without any regard to women and children who are dying in hospitals as a result of this shortage, said Kagwe then. 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. Tabitha and Samuel Kamotho speak on Virginia's story, accuse Virginia of not using contraceptives I TUKO TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Want to manufacture BrahMos so that no country has audacity to cast evil eye on us: Rajnath Singh IAF chopper crash: Rajnath Singh likely to be apprised of probe team's findings in next couple of days Indo-China deadlock and the problem at Finger 4 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 13: Amidst the standoff between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held another meeting with the top military brass to discuss the situation. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News Singh was briefed by the three Chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat about the situation. While the June 6 talks of the Lt. Generals of both sides was fruitful and set the stage for further talks, there are still certain issues that need to be ironed out. India-China are properly handling border issue says Chinese official While China has raised the issue of the bridge constructed by India, the latter has spoken about the bunker of the People's Liberation Army. Moreover the Chinese have refused to withdraw its troops from Finger 4 on the bank of the Pangong Tso lake and also demolish the bunker and a moat-like structure. Meanwhile, India too has rejected China's demand to stop construction of a bridge over a rivulet. The bridge is under construction on one of the roads that India is building along the disputed boundary with China. India has maintained during the talks with China that it is its sovereign right to do so. The Corps of Commanders of both sides are likely to meet again. Further diplomatic channels have also opened up and more meetings are likely soon. Amidst the multiple intrusions, India has ramped up its military readiness along the Indo-China border. The ramping up of the military readiness comes amidst both sides engaging with each other to diffuse tensions along the border areas. New Delhi says it is leaving nothing to chance and is keeping a close watch on the muscle flexing by China. India-China standoff: Both sides continue engagement to sort out issues The forward border management of the Indian troops will be maintained from Ladakh to Arunachal as long as the PLA does not withdraw its forces from close to the Line of Actual Control, sources tell OneIndia. Meanwhile, New Delhi has said peace on border with China is essential for ties to grow, India as said as the stand-off continues. While talks continue between both sides, China is yet to withdraw its soldiers, who had transgressed the disputed boundary on the bank of the Pangong Tso lake. New Delhi has said that peace is essential for further developments of the Indo-China bilateral relations. Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, Anurag Srivastava said that the June 6 meeting between the senior military officers of both sides agreed to an early resolution of the dispute. He also referred to the guidance that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to issue to the militaries of both sides, when the first informal summit was held in Wuhan, China. India and China are continuing military and diplomatic engagements to peacefully resolve the situation at the earliest. Both sides want to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas. This is essential for further development of the India-China bilateral relations, the MEA spokesperson also said. A Florida familys two beloved pet dogs are sure to receive some extra treats since making headlines for keeping a toddler safe. Three-year-old Marshal Butler, who is autistic and does not communicate verbally, went missing from his home in Ponce de Leon in Holmes County, Florida, on June 3, 2020. His terrified family called the local authorities to launch a search party, reports WJHG. Three-year-old Marshal Butler with deputies after he was found. (Courtesy of Walton County Sheriffs Office) We were panicked, said the toddlers aunt, Kayla Stewart. [A]ll sorts of worst case scenarios are running through their heads, Stewart continued, speaking of her nephews parents. Law enforcement officers from both Holmes County and Walton County, plus the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, sent a search party to the little boys neighborhood. According to a Facebook post by Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson Jr., Walton Correctional Institutions K-9 team was also called to aid in the search for Marshal. Family, friends, and neighbors stepped up to lend extra eyes and ears to the effort. Through the whole process youre terrified, said Stewart. After an hours-long search effort, it was Marshals neighbor, Carol Shelton, who found the errant toddler. Marshal had strayed a mile from his home near a river, wearing nothing but a diaper. However, he had not sustained any physical injuries. The only evidence of his adventure was the fact that he was dirty. Walton Correctional Institutions K-9 team was called to aid in the search for the missing boy. (Courtesy of Walton County Sheriffs Office) Most importantly, the little boy had been kept safe owing to the company of two very dear friends: the family dogs. The Butler familys pups, Buckwheat and Nala, had stayed by Marshalls side throughout the entire ordeal. Both of his dogs were right there with him, one of the familys neighbors commented, speaking to WJHG. [Were] thankful that the pups kind of guided him along, I guess they kept him safe. Sheriff Adkinson later posted an update to Facebook alongside a photo of the little boy standing among the police, safe and sound. Hundreds of netizens left grateful comments in praise of both the search team and the loyal family dogs. Thank God he is safe, & I sure hope they fix [the dogs] an awesome dinner tonight, wrote one netizen. Thank you! I just want to say yall are amazing, wrote another. Keep up the great work and thank you for reaching out so well to the community. Butlers relieved mother later praised the heroes of the hour, Buckwheat and Nala, for doing their job, according to WJHG. Marshall with his mom after he was found. (Courtesy of Walton County Sheriffs Office) However, Marshals safe return is not the first time a loyal family dog has kept a missing child safe from harm. On March 25, 2020, another young child that had wandered away from home was found unharmed after two whole days in the woods, accompanied by the familys pet dog. Four-year-old Vadie Sides, from Alabama, disappeared from the backyard while under the care of her babysitter as they were walking the dog. According to The Guardian, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones reported that the little girl was nonetheless discovered in good condition in the company of her dog two days later. Authorities searched the remote woodland and creek near the spot from which Vadie went missing, aided by hundreds of volunteers. A member of the search team recalled hearing a dog bark before Vadies identifying red hair became visible to her rescuers. We are beyond happy, said Sheriff Jones. Allegedly, the family dog ran away when the search party approached but later came home of its own volition. Commuters who travel by yellow-band maxi-taxis between Port of Spain and areas in West Trinidad will have to dig deeper into their pockets from Monday. Chairman of the Yellow Band Route One Association Eon Hewitt told the Express yesterday the fares will go up by $1 across the board, and $2 for the Chaguaramas route. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, spoke to Tanzania's President Dr. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, and reiterated the bilateral ties with the East African nation and discussed possibilities of accelerating the relations further. PM Modi also thanked the Tanzanian government for the assistance provided for the evacuation of the stranded Indians post the outbreak of COVID-19. READ: PM Modi To Hold Two Conference Meetings With State CMs On June 16 & 17 Modi connects to foreign leaders PM @narendramodi had teleconv with #Tanzania Pres Dr John Pombe Joseph Magufuli. They discussed our growing development partnership, educational linkages, trade and investment flows and possibilities of accelerating these trends @MEAIndia @IndiainTanzania https://t.co/CaD8m5sGTI Sanjay Bhattacharyya (@SecySanjay) June 12, 2020 During their telephonic conversation, the leaders reviewed the overall bilateral relationship. They expressed satisfaction at the growing development partnership, educational linkages, and trade and investment flows between India and Tanzania, and discussed possibilities of further accelerating these trends. PM Modi recalled his visit to the nation in 2016, when the two sides signed an agreement under which India would provide a Line of Credit of $ 92 million for rehabilitation and improvement of Zanzibars water supply system. Other agreements signed included an MoU on water resource management and development, an MoU for establishment of vocational training centre at Zanzibar, an MoU on visa waiver for diplomatic/official passport holders and an agreement between the National Small Industries Corporation of India and the Small Industries Development Organisation, Tanzania. READ: As India Settles Into Unlock 1.0, MHA Allows More Categories Of Foreigners To Enter India PM Modi also wished President Magufuli and the people of Tanzania for the forthcoming Presidential and Parliamentary elections later this year. READ: Vande Bharat Mission: Air India To Operate 10 Additional Flights Between India And USA PM Modi also spoke to Lao's Prime Minister Dr Thongloun Sisoulith on Friday, and the two leaders spoke about the health and economic challenges posed by coronavirus. PM Modi appreciated the measures taken by the Lao to contain the spread of the pandemic. "The Prime Minister thanked President Dr Magufuli for the assistance provided by the Tanzanian authorities for the evacuation of Indian citizens from Tanzania in the wake of COVID-19," a PMO release said. PM Modi speaks to Laos counterpart PM Modi on Friday also held telephonic calls with his counterpart from Lao Peoples Democratic Republic ThonglounSisoulith to discuss the Covid-19 situation. The two leaders spoke about the need for a global united front to stop the spread of coronavirus and also about the historic and cultural links between the two countries. PM Thongloun Sisoulith thanked PM Modi for India's support for Lao PDR's development programmes, in capacity-building and for scholarships. READ: PM Modi Congratulates Netanyahu On Assuming Office, Talks About Strengthening Ties (Image credits: PTI/File) Medical supplies include patient observation machines, ventilators, aspirators, masks, test kits, swabs Turkey will send medical aid to Afghanistan and Guinea under international agreements signed with these countries, according to a ruling published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday. "The agreement between the government of the Republic of Turkey and the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on donation in the field of health" was signed on May 15 in Ankara, read the gazette. As part of the deal, Turkey will donate a number of medical and lab devices including "5 pieces of patient observation machines, 10 pieces of ventilators, 10 pieces of oxygen concentrator, 10 pieces of oxygen regulators, 10 aspirators, 2 pieces of steam sterilizer autoclave, 10 laryngoscopes, 2 defibrillators, 3 PCR machines, 10 nebulizers and 30,000 Covid-19 RT-q PCR diagnostic test kits." Turkey will also donate medications to Afghanistan, which include 1,000 boxes of vitamin C, 1000 boxes of azithromycin, 1000 hydroxychloroquine sulphate -- used for treating coronavirus --, and 500 boxes of vitamin D. Another 25,000 pieces of disposable N95 face masks and 50,000 pieces of surgical and normal masks are to be donated to Afghanistan as part of the agreement. "This donation is granted by the government of the Republic of Turkey to the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as a gesture of friendship and goodwill," the agreement said. Separately, another agreement between "the government of the Republic of Turkey and the government of the Republic of Guinea on donation in the field of health" was signed on April 17 in Ankara. According to the deal, Turkey will donate 300,000 surgical masks, 50,000 N95 face masks, 20,000 pieces of protective coveralls, 30,000 PCR diagnostic kits, 30,000 extraction kits and 30,000 swabs to Guinea. The medical aid by Turkey was also "granted to the government of the Republic of Guinea as a gesture of friendship and goodwill," and it is to be used towards primary health services in Guinea. The Republican-led US Senate Armed Services Committee voted to require the Department of Defence to rename military bases named after Confederate generals, setting up a clash with President Donald Trump, who opposes that change and promised a veto. The committee approved the measure, proposed by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, as an amendment to the Senate version of the National Defence Authorisation Act, or NDAA, a $740bn (660bn) bill setting policy for the Pentagon, announced on Thursday. The committee, with 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats, adopted the amendment by voice vote, which allowed individual members to avoid recording their choice. However, the panel's Republican chairman, Senator Jim Inhofe, expressed concern, telling reporters on a conference call he wanted local input on decisions on base names. Besides requiring that bases stop honouring Confederate generals within three years, the legislation requires the Pentagon to change the names of other assets - such as streets, aircraft and ships - named for Confederate officers. Similar efforts to change the names have stalled before, but Americans have become more conscious about race after a series of high-profile killings of African Americans, including that of George Floyd, who died on May 25 as a white police officer knelt on his neck. As demonstrations have swept the country, cities have removed Confederate statues and institutions have barred displays of the Confederate flag, saying they do not want to honour those who fought to continue slavery. There is a separate movement in Congress, led by Democrats, to remove statues of Confederate generals and leaders from the US Capitol. But Mr Trump drew a line in favour of keeping the names of 10 bases, including the army's massive Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Benning in Georgia, named for military leaders who battled Union forces during the 1860s civil war. He threatened to veto legislation changing them. On Thursday, the Republican president doubled down on his position, attacking Ms Warren on Twitter as a "failed presidential candidate," and referring to her as "Pocahontas", a nickname widely seen as racist. He urged members of his party to keep the names of "our legendary military bases". Republican Senator Roy Blunt, who represents Missouri, a state that sent troops to fight for both the Union and the Confederacy, said he had no problem changing the bases' names. "If you want to continue to name forts after soldiers, there have been a lot of great soldiers who have come along since the civil war," Mr Blunt told reporters. Boss of Kencity media and a member of parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong has dropped a wild revelation regarding prophet Nigel Gaisies attempt to take his life. According to the business tycoon, the prophet (Nigel Gaisie) hired a group of assassins to murder him but it hit the rocks. Kennedy Agyapong asserted that God has blessed him so much that he is invincible even to assassins. He, however, stated that some of the hired assassins were reluctant and yet Nigel paid them GHC 10,000 initial for them to think through before they said no to the job. He again stated he is on top of intelligence and knows how out of the six hired assassins two didnt consent to the arrangement. Kennedy Agyapong also stated emphatically that he is gonna retaliate on Monday with certain revelations concerning Prophet Nigel Gaisie. Ghana should, therefore, watch out. Listen to the audio below... An Australian man has been sentenced to death in China on drug charges. The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court handed down the sentence recently, according to Chinese news outlet Ifeng.com. The man has been identified as Karm Gillespie. Local media reports said the man was arrested at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, north-west of Hong Kong, in December 2013. He was allegedly carrying more than 7.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in his checked luggage. Gillespie was allegedly carrying more than 7.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in his checked luggage (file image) The Guangzhou (pictured) Intermediate People's Court handed down the sentence on June 10 According to some reports the man had already left the airport but was stopped by customs officers outside who allegedly found the methamphetamine in his checked luggage. 'On the morning of June 10, the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court made a first-instance judgment on the smuggling of drugs by the Australian defendant and sentenced him to death for the crime of drug smuggling,' the Chinese news site said. His assets would also be seized by authorities, the court said. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Daily Mail Australia they were providing consular assistance. 'The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to an Australian man detained in China,' a spokesperson said. 'We are deeply saddened to hear of the verdict made in his case. Australia opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances for all people.' 'We support the universal abolition of the death penalty and are committed to pursuing this goal through all the avenues available to us.' The news follows diplomatic ties between Australia and China becoming increasingly strained in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. A number of Australians are currently being detained in China. Peter Gardner (pictured) has also been in a Chinese prison since 2015 on drugs charges Australian and New Zealand citizen Peter Gardner has been in a Chinese jail since 2015 after he was caught allegedly trying to smuggle 30kg of methamphetamine into the country. Mr Gardner was stopped at Gangzhou airport in November 2014 and arrested with his then girlfriend Kalynda Davis. Gardner, then 26, is accused of attempting to board a flight to Sydney with two suitcases which were superglued shut and allegedly contained the drugs. Chinese authorities claim it is the largest haul of drugs ever recorded at the airport. Two Canadians were handed death sentences by China in 2019 amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was handed death sentence after a retrial in January 2019. Fan Wei was sentenced to death in the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong province three months later. Canada accused the Chinese government of payback after Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver on behalf of the United States. The United States had accused him of working to evade sanctions against Iran. He is being detained under house arrest in Canada and fighting extradition to the United States. Bob Franklins canoe rental shop on Missouris Black River has withstood 43 years of history, bolstered each year by crowds interested in getting on the river during float season. But his shop has never encountered anything like a viral pandemic. Were still trying to figure it all out. I dont have any positive answers, said Franklin, owner of Franklin Floats near Lesterville in southeast Missouri. Franklin said hes anxious. Hes had to prevent people from walking into his riverside shop for fear of spreading the coronavirus. Its human nature to want to walk up and shake hands, Franklin said. But Im in that age bracket where the governor says shelter in place. How do you do that? How do you greet people when youre sheltering in place? Franklin is not alone. River rental operators across the state, from small shops to large riverside resorts, have been forced to formulate cleaning plans, encourage social distancing and adopt other measures as they anxiously anticipate crowds that flock to Missouris riverways for the floating season. The popular summer pastime for Missourians typically begins Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day weekend. Franklin said his biggest concern is transporting customers to the Black River, which he does by bus. Impatience festers as people wait to get on the bus, even outside pandemic conditions, he said. I know how people act when theyre trying to get on the bus: Im not waiting for the next one, Im getting on this one, Franklin said. Ashley Wilfong, general manager of concessions at Meramec State Park, said that in order to maintain social distancing, the park is only filling half the seats on buses that take customers to the Meramec River. Were basically cutting the load we can take in half, but were trying to hire more bus drivers so we can take more trips, Wilfong said. And were warning people the buses will smell like bleach. We spray the seats between every trip. Wilfong said she also expects extra washing of the watercraft this year will require her staff to re-apply sealant about four times as often as they would in a normal summer. Everything we have smells like cleaner, basically, Wilfong said. Stephanie Chatterjee, owner of the Gasconade Hills Resort on the Gasconade River, said shes prepared for the summer crowds, though business was cut in half over Memorial Day weekend. Chatterjee said she rented out four cabins over the holiday weekend compared with the 12 she rented last year near the same time. Route 66 Canoe Rental, which serves the Big Piney and Gasconade rivers, shut down completely over the recent holiday weekend. Owner Andy Sheldon estimated he lost more than $1,000 in revenue. Another outfitter, Old Cove Canoe and Kayak on the Meramec River, also shut down. Owner Darryl Crites said his concerns over the coronavirus outbreak led to his decision to close for the holiday. He lost an estimated $5,000. Global pandemic was not on my budget list, Crites said. In addition to virus concerns, the Meramecs water level remained high that week from consistent rain, preventing some operators from sending floaters out. Wilfong said operators make the determination whether to send floaters out when water levels are high. This was the case for Julie Bass with Bass River Resort near Steelville, Missouri. Bass said business was already harmed by the outbreak before the river rose. Along with her children, she runs a business thats been in the family for 52 years. The resort has 100 kayaks, 100 rafts and 400 canoes, but the family only rented equipment to about 900 people on a recent Saturday compared with the usual 1,800 on a sunny Saturday. Bass said the resort canceled four major events as the virus spread. Business will stay average over the summer, she predicted. Chatterjee, on the Gasconade River, said shes had to formulate detailed plans for cleaning equipment, such as bleaching floating paddles and disinfecting boats. With the downturn in business, Chatterjee says at the moment she can only keep one housekeeper on payroll to clean the resorts cabins. I dont have the business to support it, Chatterjee said. Shes hopeful business will increase and shes confident the resorts clients will be responsible enough to social distance. Where you see the party at Lake of the Ozarks and all that crowd . . . here we dont have that, Chatterjee said. Its just way low key. Im not concerned. Chatterjee was referring to video images of a large crowd at a Lake of the Ozarks bar over Memorial Day weekend, ignoring social distancing guidelines set by the state. Franklin, on the Black River, said hes not as confident that those enjoying the river will abide by social distancing guidelines, no matter how many signs he puts up to do so. He said hed rather close than threaten the health of his patrons. Thats what weve been telling people were not putting everyone out today, were putting your health first and paying the bills later, Franklin said. Sheldon, with Route 66 Canoe Rental, said his family has worked on the Big Piney and Gasconade rivers for decades. He said his seven brothers and four sisters love the river as much as he does, but hes afraid this year. Sheldon said he follows the Missouri Canoe and Floaters Association to get advice. He said if the association says its too dangerous, hed agree with shutting down for a season. There are too many people dying, Sheldon said. Franklin said he agrees with Sheldons approach Franklin is taking his business week-to-week, watching virus case numbers in his area. Franklin said hes always said that floating down Ozark streams is good, clean fun. Were gonna get through this, its just gonna be a while, Franklin said. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Naomi Carrier is no fan of the Spirit of the Confederacy monument in Sam Houston Park. What those Confederate monuments represent is an assumption that the Confederacy was a winner, that they were not to be messed with, said Carrier, the CEO of the Texas Center for African American Living History. She noted Friday that the monument, like many of its ilk, was built in the 20th century after the Civil War, after Reconstruction as an attempt to valorize the so-called Lost Cause and ignore the role of slavery in the conflict. Thats not to say Carrier wants to see such monuments mothballed, toppled, or smashed to rubble. Quite the opposite. I want them to stand because I want them to be used to tell the story of our oppression, she said. And the Spirit of the Confederacy monument will stand, albeit in a different place one where it will be given historical context. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday announced that by June 19 Juneteenth the monument will be relocated to the Houston Museum of African American Culture. The citys other Confederate monument, a statue of former Confederate artillery officer Richard Dick Dowling, is also scheduled for removal this week. Turner wants it transported to the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site, in Port Arthur. The announcement might seem like an abrupt reaction to current events. In reality, the planned removal of Houstons Confederate monuments is the result of a deliberative process that yielded well-considered recommendations from a panel of experts. Turner commissioned a task force on the citys Confederate monuments in 2017, after a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., sparked nationwide discussions. Task force members recommended in March 2018 that the two monuments not be located on public property but also that they not be destroyed. The result is one that Carrier, for example, considers appropriate. I can go over there and teach people about em, she said. Other cities should take note. The killing of George Floyd, the African-American man raised in Houston, at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis has led to soul-searching into what many believe is the systemic racism that continues to characterize American life. Many progressives have called for the removal of hundreds of Confederate monuments that still speckle the South, as well as stripping the names of Confederate leaders from military installations, including Texas Fort Hood. Needless to say, President Donald Trump who famously said there were very fine people on both sides after clashes between white nationalists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville in 2017 disapproves of renaming military installations. THOSE THAT DENY THEIR HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT! Trump tweeted, somewhat menacingly, on Thursday. A slightly more nuanced version of this argument came from U.S. Sen John Cornyn, who likened removing monuments and renaming bases to tearing pages out of a history book. Theres no question that America was an imperfect union when we were founded. We obviously betrayed our own ideals by treating African Americans as less than fully human and weve been paying for that original sin ever since then, Cornyn told reporters on a conference call. Weve made a lot of mistakes as a race, a human race and as an American people, but I think we need to learn from those and not try to ignore them or erase them. What happens next? he wondered. Then somebody says you cant teach about the Civil War or slavery in your textbooks. That concern seems far-fetched. What Cornyn may not realize and what Trump would probably refuse to acknowledge is that the advocates for change want their fellow Americans to know more about history, not less. The Spirit of the Confederacy monument, for example, was erected in 1908 by the Robert E. Lee Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Its dedicated, euphemistically, to all heroes of the South who fought for the Principles of States Rights. To relocate a monument like that to an African-American history museum isnt analogous to tearing pages out of a history book, as Cornyn put it. Its more like removing a self-published screed from the shelves of a library where it didnt belong in the first place. Americans on both sides of the aisle can see that. This week, for example, the GOP-led Senate Armed Services Committee approved a plan by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to rename bases named for Confederate leaders within three years. And here in Texas, the Republican-led Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted to shift a marker dedicated to Confederate veterans from the courthouse grounds. And by Friday, Cornyn, in a shift, was backing Senate legislation to establish a commission to look into renaming military bases currently named after Confederate leaders. I think a study is fine, he tweeted. Although Trump is attempting to turn the debate over Confederate monuments into an election-year wedge issue, the fact is that Republicans are capable of working with Democrats to tell a fuller and more accurate story about our history, even its most painful parts. erica.grieder@chron.com A magical picture capturing the last rays of the setting sun has now sent the Internet into total frenzy for a very unusual reason. Since a few days ago, the image started popping up all over different social media platforms with a bizarre claim that sounds like something out of a science fiction film. Android based phones of some people crashed when they tried using the image as their devices background picture. Now, the reason behind this weird claim is revealed and we can say that its not something you would have expected. However, before knowing the reason, take a look at the image which has caused such a hullaballoo. Setting this photo as your wallpaper is apparently killing phones lol Specially android phones. pic.twitter.com/QLqN4Y7WQr Lorenzo (@HorsemanCrypto) June 10, 2020 The beautiful picture is captured by Gaurav Agrawal at St Mary Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana back in 2019, reports the BBC. He took the image using his Nikon camera and later edited it using a software called Lightroom. Its during the editing that a bug crept into the image which is now causing android phones of some brands to fail. The glitch makes the devices turn off and on repeatedly. Its only the factory reset option, which means deleting all of ones stored data, that solves the issue. I didnt do anything intentionally, Agrawal told the BBC. Im sad that people ended up having issues, he added. I hoped my photograph would have gone viral for a good reason, but maybe thats for another time, he said. BEIRUT -- China on Thursday donated a new batch of medical supplies to Lebanon to help its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation, including 17,500 masks, 1,500 protective gears, 1,320 goggles and 1,000 shoe covers, was handed over by the Chinese embassy at a ceremony held at the Lebanese Foreign Ministry in Beirut. The medical supplies will help public hospitals in Lebanon in the fight against COVID-19. Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian highlighted the importance of the cooperation among the countries to overcome the crisis. "Cooperation is the strongest weapon against the pandemic. China assumes its responsibilities to protect not only its people but also people all over the world," Wang said at the ceremony. Wang said that no country in the world can fight such a pandemic on its own, stressing that China is committed to offering donations to the countries affected by the pandemic. "When China is done with vaccination, it will be available to the whole world and mainly to developing countries to help them fight the virus and support their economic recoveries," he said. The ambassador praised Lebanon's efforts to contain the virus with strict measures adopted by the Lebanese cabinet. For his part, Lebanese Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti expressed thanks to China for its donation and assistance, calling it as a symbol of cooperation between the two countries. "This is not the first time that China offers donation to Lebanon against COVID-19," he said. China has previously donated to Lebanon medical equipment including 3,000 kits, over 1 million masks and 20,000 protective gears and 1,600 goggles. Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections reached on Wednesday 1,388 while the death toll remained 30. A consortium of British businesses led by manufacturing giant Rolls-Royce has submitted proposals to Ministers to accelerate the building of a new fleet of mini nuclear reactors in the North of England. The plans, circulated in Whitehall 'in the last few weeks', could see construction of high-tech factories to build the small reactors begin by next year. The consortium which includes UK construction and engineering firms Laing O'Rourke, Atkins and BAM Nuttall would use British intellectual property to build the reactors. It would work with partners from the US, Canada and France. Grand plans: It has been estimated that exporting small nuclear reactor technology could be worth 250billion to the UK if the programme is successful It has been estimated that exporting small nuclear reactor technology could be worth 250billion to the UK if the programme is successful. Sources told The Mail on Sunday that the plan is 'starting to resonate' in parts of Government because it could boost the economy as the country recovers from the destruction wrought by the pandemic. Figures last week showed the economy contracted by 20.4 per cent in April and job losses in the travel, hospitality and retail sectors are mounting. Sixteen Rolls-Royce-backed reactors, each able to power a city the size of Leeds, could be built by 2050. The project would employ 40,000 people. Hundreds of related jobs would be created this year if the Government gives the green light. The plan to deliver British-made nuclear reactors would help the Government to meet the UK's commitment to shift to clean energy by 2050. It would also appeal to Tory MPs keen to reduce Britain's reliance on China. Chinese firms are currently appointed to build large nuclear reactors in Britain at locations including Sizewell in Suffolk and Bradwell in Essex. However, there are growing concerns among senior Tories about Chinese influence over critical infrastructure in the UK. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has indicated his intention to distance the UK from China economically, amid talk of phasing out Huawei's involvement in Britain's new 5G mobile internet network. Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is under pressure to announce measures to boost the economy in his mini-Budget next month and in his full-blown recovery Budget pencilled in for the autumn. Formal backing from the Government would propel the project into activity, says Tom Samson, interim chief executive of the consortium. He told The Mail on Sunday: 'We could be looking at locations and beginning to build factories as soon as next year with modules [to build the reactors] starting to come out of the factories by 2024 or 2025. 'We've got over 100 people today working on the programme. It could generate hundreds more jobs even this year. As soon as we get the signal we'll be able to start ramping up our activities on engineering, planning and project management.' The so-called small modular reactors (SMR) would be manufactured piece by piece in factories before being transported to approved sites for assembly. The production line process allows reactors to be built more cheaply. It is understood that the cost of building each one will fall to 1.8billion after the first handful are constructed. The rollout plans submitted to officials require 500 million of funding with the Government putting up half. That investment would follow an initial outlay of 36 million made last year, with half provided by Government. Samson said the plan 'could deliver near-term economic benefits as part of the economic recovery'. He said: 'We can do a number of things in parallel. We can develop the technology, we can be preparing sites to host the SMR across the UK, we can also look at where the factories could be and start to look at what commitments are needed to commence construction.' Most of Britain's eight large-scale nuclear power plants are due to close within a decade. The sites under consideration for the new project include Moorside in Cumbria and Wylfa in North Wales, where plans for future large reactor projects were recently shelved. Samson said: 'We want to become a champion of that clean energy space and I think, equally compelling, is the potential to connect the SMR programme to the production of industrial heat applications, synthetic fuels and aviation fuels being deployed in our engines, not just to provide energy into the grid. 'It's not unrealistic for us to be focusing on bringing on the first unit by 2029. 'We need the commitment to signal to the supply chain to get ready, invest and maximise the opportunities for the UK supply chain for equipment, vessels and components from a UK source if we can.' Reliance Industries on Saturday said it has sold 0.93 per cent stake in its digital unit to global alternative asset firm TPG for 4,546.80 crore, taking the cumulative fund raising to over 1.02 lakh crore that will help pare debt at the oil-to-telecom conglomerate. TPG will invest 4,546.80 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of 5.16 lakh crore, the company said in a statement. The investment will translate into a 0.93 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis for TPG. With this investment, Jio Platforms has raised 102,432.45 crore from leading global technology investors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, and TPG since April 22, 2020, it said. The deal book was opened with Facebook picking up a 9.99 per cent stake in the firm that houses Indias youngest but largest telecom firm on April 22 for 43,574 crore. Within days of that deal, Silver Lake - the worlds largest tech investor - bought a 1.15 per cent stake in Jio Platforms for 5,665.75 crore on May 4. On May 8, US-based Vista Equity Partners bought 2.32 per cent stake in Jio Platforms for 11,367 crore. Global equity firm General Atlantic on May 17 picked up 1.34 per cent stake in Jio Platforms for 6,598.38 crore. This was followed by US private equity giant KKR buying 2.32 per cent for 11,367 crore. Abu Dhabi soverign wealth fund Mubadala Investment picked up 1.85 per cent in Jio Platforms for 9,093.60 crore on June 5. On that day, private equity fund Silver Lake invested another 4,546.80 crore for additional 0.93 per cent stake in Jio Platforms. Also, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) has taken 1.16 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms. With these investment, Reliance has sold about 22 per cent equity in Jio Platforms ahead of a potential IPO. TPG is a leading global alternative asset firm founded in 1992 with more than USD 79 billion of assets under management across a wide range of asset classes, including private equity, growth equity, real estate and public equity. Over TPGs more than 25-year history, the firm has built an ecosystem made up of hundreds of portfolio companies and a value-added network of professionals, executives, and advisors around the world. Its investments in global technology companies include Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify, among others. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said, Today, I am happy to welcome TPG as valued investors in our continued efforts towards digitally empowering the lives of Indians through the creation of a digital ecosystem. We have been impressed by TPGs track record of investing in global technology businesses which serve hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses, making the societies we live in better. TPG is making the investment from its TPG Capital Asia, TPG Growth, and TPG Tech Adjacencies (TTAD) funds. We are excited to partner Reliance to invest in Jio. As an investor in growth, change, and innovation for over 25 years and with a longstanding presence in India -- we are excited to play an early role in Jios journey as they continue to transform and advance Indias digital economy. Jio is a disruptive industry leader that is empowering small businesses and consumers across India by providing them with critical, high-quality digital services. The company is bringing unmatched potential and execution capabilities to the market, setting the tone for all technology companies to come, TPG Co-CEO Jim Coulter said. Ambani, 63, had in August last year set a target of March 2021, to make his conglomerate net debt-free. But thanks to the Facebook deal, a 53,125 crore rights issue, private equity investments, and more stake sale to companies such as Saudi Aramco, the target is likely to be achieved by December. At the end of March quarter, Reliance had an outstanding debt of 3,36,294 crore and cash in hand of 1,75,259 crore. After adjusting cash, the net debt came to 1,61,035 crore. Of the outstanding debt, 2,62,000 crore is on Reliance books and 23,000 crore is with Jio. The global pandemic has exposed the mental health needs within Philadelphia's Latino and black communities. During the past weeks of this worldwide health crisis, Latin Americans, including African Americans, have risen as the group most unreasonably hit by COVID-19, as many of them have continued as workers in essential businesses the while the fatal illness infected thousands of citizens in the city across the nation. According to a study, just 16 percent of Latin Americans were able to work from home. At the same time, most of them were employed in the service and retail industries, exposing them all the more to infections and suffering joblessness due to shutdowns. Consequently, medical practitioners and leaders of communities are apprehensive about what those impacts may have on the mental health of Latinos, specifically in a city frequently missing access to resources because of cultural and language differences. Latino Communities' Access to Behavioral Health Services According to behavioral health platform NeuroFlow's medical adviser, Michael Consuelo, in communities of Latinos, such as in other communities of color, there are continuous gaps in people who can access behavioral health services. More so, he continued, there are not as many providers in the community, not to mention, "There are unrelenting issues around stigma, too." Also, according to Consuelo, the COVID-19 crisis has developed twofold issues from Latino Communities: One, he said is that, Latinos are suffering from anxiety from losing their job or Earnings. The other is that they get "into harm's way." Things that were quite challenging already even before the pandemic, the medical adviser added, are a hundred-percent more difficult at present. For a lot of linguistic minorities, more particularly Latinos, access to resources referring to substance abuse or mental health is already lacking or inadequate. This was according to Massachusetts General Hospital's chief of the disparities research unit, Margarita Alegria. Also, a Harvard Medical School psychiatry professor, Alegria, said that, presently, the lockdown or isolation, apprehension about the future, and economic hesitation are all amplifying "the sense of catastrophe." She added that it is known as well that severe mental distress occurs in underinsured communities amid this public health crisis, and Latinos, she continued, belong to the group "with the highest rates of uninsured." Support Group for Mental Health Needs Before COVID-19 came, La Puerta Abierta executive director and founder, Cathi Tillman she is already all tied up fulfilling her duties as such. La Puerta is a nonprofit organization that offers mental health support that's focused on trauma-informed and culturally sensitive assistance. It also provides support to the expatriate population in Philadelphia. As part of her responsibilities, Tillman spent her days as well, conducting training for mental health providers so they can better serve groups and communities, and assist undocumented families. When COVID-19 hit Philadelphia, it instantaneously impacted communities Tillman is working with. Specifically, she said, those who were supporting themselves before to some degree now can no longer do so. "They have lost their jobs," she explained, and they cannot gather socially or go to places of worship, which is a significant part of the community for most members. In connection to this, several studies have presented that joblessness and economic downturn are connected to "worse mental health results." Additionally, a study conducted in 2012 after the Great Recession presented that those who were jobless for longer than one year had a considerably worse mental condition, "compared to those who are "voluntarily out of the labor force." Check these out! Earthmoving and construction equipment manufacturer JCB India on Friday announced that it has laid off 400 of its permanent employees in order to cope with the dip in demand due to the coronavirus lockdown. The company told the news agency PTI that the demand for its product witnessed a steep decline of 80 per cent during the months of May and June as compared to 2019. "The construction equipment sector, like many other sectors, has been adversely affected due to COVID-19. As construction activity slowed down, there was almost no demand for construction equipment in the month of April," a JCB India spokesperson. "Our business has thus been severely impacted. We have had to take the difficult and painful decision of re-organising our staff strength across levels to tide over this extraordinary situation which has led to 400 job roles becoming redundant," the spokesperson said. The company said demand for its products in May and June has dropped by 80 per cent as compared with the corresponding period last year due to the current situation. In the last few months, various reports have showed that companies in India and abroad have laid off employees to tackle the negative impact of coronavirus crisis on their financial health India for JCB has been one of its largest markets since 2007. JCB India currently employs over 5,000 people and has a network of more around 600 dealers and 700 outlets across the country. Also Read: COVID-19 disruptions take currency, deposits share in household assets to highest 66% in March Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: India sees 11,458 new cases, 386 deaths in 24 hours; tally crosses 3 lakh mark Freedom Debt Relief As we face a historic challenge to repair the U.S. economy, industry and policymakers should reform the current system so federal student loan debt can be discharged during bankruptcy, saving the most vulnerable consumers from an overwhelming burden with no end in sight. Freedom Debt Relief (FDR) announced that Emely Alcantara, from the Boston area, and Lynn Martalock of the Milwaukee area, will be the first recipients of student debt forgiveness as part of the companys initiative to assist its clients with their student loan debt. This effort, spearheaded by FDR, is assisting clients with student debt repayment to raise awareness of its impact on consumers and the economy at large, and the sparse options available to Americans facing financial hardship due to rising student loan debt. Emblematic of the vastness of this problem, thousands of Freedom clients applied for the student loan forgiveness program, submitting an essay or video on what they would tell their younger selves before taking out student loans. We see the enormous impact student debt has on our client base with no clear solution in sight, said Freedom Financial Network co-CEO Andrew Housser. This initiative is just one way we are doing our part to help our clients, and for the sake of Americans. As we face a historic challenge to repair the U.S. economy, industry and policymakers should reform the current system so federal student loan debt can be discharged during bankruptcy, saving the most vulnerable consumers from an overwhelming burden with no end in sight. For me, student loan debt was an anchor weighing down mine and my family's future, said Emely Alcantara. This opportunity changed my life. For once I have a real opportunity, in staying ahead of my finances and not worrying about unpaid debt. At age 49, I made the decision to go back to school and finish my degree while continuing to work hard and put four children of my own through school, said Lynn Martalock. The passing of my late husband after fighting cancer for more than seven years put us in financial stress, but this money will help ease the burden of my remaining student loans. Recent company data found that 29% of clients enter their FDR programs with student debt at an average balance of more than $43,000 far greater than $36,000, the average balance for student loan borrowers across the country. Of the FDR clients with student loan debt, 54% said they cannot save any money because of this debt, and 58% said it causes them to feel overwhelmed about their financial situation. Student loan debt is not an isolated part of finances for our clients or consumers across the country. It weighs on every financial decision they make, whether it is taking on additional debt, building savings, starting a business or buying a house, Housser continued. With limited options to resolve student loan debt, many of our clients put off servicing other debts, including credit card bills, causing them to take on massive amounts of unsecured debt and get stuck in a seemingly never-ending cycle. In the United States, consumers are largely restricted from discharging student loan debt in bankruptcy and from negotiating with their creditors to ease their student debt. This means millions of Americans remain trapped by a system that makes it far too easy to get into debt, and with no simple way out as things currently stand, explains Housser. Freedom Debt Relief Co-founded by Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh, Freedom Debt Relief part of Freedom Financial Network, LLC, a family of companies providing innovative solutions that empower people to live healthier financial lives. For people struggling with debt, the custom Freedom Debt Relief program offers the chance to significantly reduce and resolve what they owe more quickly than they could on their own. For more information about the company and its services, see http://www.freedomdebtrelief.com/faq. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Freedom Debt Relief also operates an office in Tempe, Arizona, and employs more than 2,200. The company has been voted one of the best places to work in both the San Francisco Bay area and the Phoenix area for several years. Contact: Michael Micheletti, mmicheletti@freedomfinancialnetwork.com, 415-359-6985 Argentina on Friday extended a deadline for debt restructuring talks to June 19 as the economy ministry announced it was preparing to present a new offer to creditors. The announcement, the third extension in months of negotiations to restructure $66 billion in debt, had been expected amid reports that the government and bondholders were still some way apart. "Argentina and its advisors intend to take advantage of this extension to continue discussions and allow investors to continue contributing to a successful debt restructuring," a statement from the economy ministry said. Buenos Aires is analyzing suggestions "on the different possible ways to improve collections... and maximize investor support, while preserving its debt sustainability objectives," it said. Earlier, Mexico's President Manuel Andres Lopez Obrador said he had personally lobbied Larry Fink, chief executive of major Argentina creditor Blackrock, to accept the Argentine offer. He said he had contacted Fink at the request of Argentine President Alberto Fernandez. "He knew I had a good relationship with Larry Fink," the Mexican president told his daily press conference. "Sometimes these things affect the economic and financial stability of the world, of other countries," said the Mexican president, who did not disclose the date of his discussions. Fernandez on Wednesday said that "obviously Argentina will improve its offer," after being knocked back several times by bondholders. In April, Argentina asked bondholders for a three-year grace period on debt repayment, a 62 percent reduction on interest amounting to $37.9 billion, and 5.4 percent on capital -- or $3.6 billion. That was rejected the following month, while Argentina then failed to pay $500 million of interest on its bond debt, thus defaulting. Last week, the IMF gave its backing to a revised proposal by the Argentine government, but Fernandez insists any deal must be sustainable. The new offer could include a coupon tied to agricultural exports, the country's main source of income, according to sources close to negotiations, which involve three separate creditor groups. The export warrants "would be less open to manipulation by governments (present and future) than the traditional GDP warrants, which have been issued in the past," Capital Economics said in a note. "Cutting through the ebb and flow of the negotiations, though, even if a deal is done in the coming weeks, we are skeptical that it will deliver enough debt relief to prevent another restructuring further down the line." Previously, Argentina mooted the idea of offering a coupon tied to GDP, but that did not prove attractive. "There was no appetite among the vast majority of creditors for such an instrument, so it wasn't included in the offer," Economy Minister Martin Guzman said this week. President Alberto Fernandez said Argentina would improve its debt-repayment offer "The case has been carefully studied and various scenarios are being considered. A formal decision will be taken within a week," Gulf News quoted the official in the Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah as saying to the UK's Financial Times daily. Riyadh, June 13 (IANS) Saudi Arabian authorities were considering cancelling the annual Haj pilgrimage season for the first time since the establishment of the Kingdom in 1932, after the number of coronavirus infections exceeded 100,000, a senior official said. The pilgrimage, which is scheduled for late July this year, is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, with more than two million devotees visiting the Kingdom to perform Islamic rituals. Saudi Arabia could also consider drastically cutting the number of pilgrims arriving for Haj. Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population, has cancelled participation of its citizens in the Haj, the Gulf News reported on Friday. Approximately 220,000 people from Indonesia used to participate yearly. On Friday, Malaysia also confirmed that it will not be sending pilgrims for this year's Haj season. The other countries who have also cancelled are Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and Brunei. --IANS ksk/ Amid the standoff with China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday held a meeting with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and the services chiefs to review the situation in Ladakh, sources said. The Chinese military started a build-up along the Line of Actual Control in May first week along with the Ladakh sector and Sikkim where they came to the Naku La area and had a face-off with the Indian troops there. The two countries have held military and diplomatic talks to resolve the stand-off in Eastern Ladakh. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said on Thursday that the two countries were involved in military and diplomatic engagements to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Both sides are maintaining their military and diplomatic engagements to peacefully resolve the situation at the earliest to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas, he had said. Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also said that the two countries have conducted effective communication and reached an agreement on properly handling the situation in the west section of the China-India boundary. The spokesperson said that the two sides were taking actions in line with the agreement. Also Read: Unlock 1: PM to interact with CMs of all states on June 16-17 Also Read: FM Nirmala Sitharaman provides GST relief for small taxpayers to offset Covid-19 impact China had moved its troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Eastern Ladakh areas including the Finger area, Pangong Tso Lake, and Galwan Nala area. Talks were held between 14 Corps Chief Lt Gen Harinder Singh and Chinese Maj Gen Liu Lin at Moldo opposite Chushul earlier this month which were followed by Major General level-talks. After the first round of talks, the armies of two countries disengaged by going back by 2-2.5 km from their standoff positions at Galwan Nala, PP-15 and Hot Springs. The Chinese side has deployed over 10,000 troops and heavy weaponry including tanks and long-range artillery guns along the Line of Control in the Ladakh sector. India wants that China should de-induct troops to bring an end to tensions. Talks are being held for resolving the dispute at three sites including the Galwan area, Patrolling Point 15 (114 Brigade area) and Patrolling Point 17 (Hot Springs) at multiple levels. Also Read: One dead, two injured after Nepal security personnel open fire on Indians bor For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Dating before the pandemic, two people on a first encounter might discuss where they see their future going or if they are also seeing other people. Dating in the time of coronavirus has demanded a different dealbreaker: What are their social distancing practices? Governments, which often already champion monogamy through tax structures and other policies, are consequently similarly concerned about promoting the integrity of couples due to a shared interest: containing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Behold the "support bubble," as the British prime minister has dubbed it, the world's latest dating fad - or so some public health experts hope. Starting Saturday, single-adult households in England will be able to form a so-called "support bubble" with one other household, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Wednesday, as part of the country's easing of coronavirus restrictions. "Support bubbles must be exclusive, meaning you can't switch the household you are in a bubble with or connect with multiple," Johnson said. "All those in a support bubble will be able to act as if they live in the same household, meaning they can spend time together inside each others' homes and do not need to stay two meters apart." This new category includes the elderly, single parents and single people. The move is likely to help elderly citizens who have been struggling with living alone. Under the new rule, a lonely grandparent can meet with family or have grandchildren over to their house. It's a - relatively - permissive directive compared to an earlier change in coronavirus rules this month that made it illegal for two or more people from different households to meet up indoors or spend the night in private together. That regulation attracted widespread mockery of what many dubbed a "sex ban" on social media. "Singletons can hook up at last!" exclaimed the front page of Thursday's Metro newspaper. "Boris Johnson lifts lockdown sex ban," wrote the Sun. Canada, though, seems to have done it first. Back in early May, some Canadian jurisdictions began allowing two separate households to pair up in "double bubbles," leading to hurt feelings among those who were left out. The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, known as RIVM, has similarly tried its hand at matchmaking meets sex therapist. Single people in need should find a "cuddle buddy" or "sex buddy" with whom they can safely partner during the pandemic, it recommended in mid-May. "Discuss how best to do this together," RIVM suggested, according to the Guardian's translation. "For example, meet with the same person to have physical or sexual contact (for example, a cuddle buddy or 'sex buddy'), provided you are free of illness. Make good arrangements with this person about how many other people you both see. The more people you see, the greater the chance of [spreading] the coronavirus." The health institute further cautioned that people should refrain from physical relations with someone suspected to have the virus, which spreads easily through close contact and enclosed spaces. "Don't have sex with your partner if they have been isolated because of [suspected] coronavirus infection," RIVM said. "Sex with yourself or with others at a distance is possible." Denmark, where coronavirus cases have remained relatively low, has been even more laissez faire. "Sex is good. Sex is healthy," Soren Brostrom, director general of the Danish Health Authority, said in April when discussing social distancing guidelines, according to the Local DK. "We are sexual beings, and of course you can have sex in this situation." Neighboring Sweden, in contrast, has struggled more to contain its outbreak. In late May, Sweden's Public Health Agency shared its own guidance on the do's-and-dont's of sex and relationships during a global pandemic spread through viral respiratory droplets. "Closeness, intimacy and sex are good for well-being and public health," it observed, according to the Swedish version of the website, the Local SE. "In relationships, where people are still meeting and are close to each other, sex is no obstacle if you and your partner, or partners, show no symptoms of illness." At casual dating, though, the government drew a line. "Dating and temporary sexual relationships with new partners, on the other hand, pose a risk of getting infected or infecting others," the official guidance warned. In the United States, city and local governments have similarly drafted recommendations urging people to limit their circle of sexual partners as a coronavirus precaution. This week, the New York City Department of Health released a document called "Safer Sex and covid-19 laying out its ground rules. "You are your safest sex partner," the health department said, reminding people to wash their hands before and after masturbation. "The next safest partner is someone you live with," it continued. The city government urged people to "limit close contact - including sex - with anyone outside your household," while also suggesting ways to limit mouth-to-mouth proximity, like wearing a mask or trying new positions. "Maybe it's your thing, maybe it's not, but during covid-19, wearing a face covering that covers your nose and mouth is a good way to add a layer of a protection during sex," the health department suggested. A woman in Hanoi may face an administrative fine and even a jail term for abandoning her newborn near a deserted manhole for 40 hours in the capital citys sizzling heat this month. Residents of Thanh My Commune in Son Tay Town, Hanoi found the baby boy, Nguyen Van An, near an abandoned manhole in the locale around 3:30 pm on Monday. At the time, his naked body was covered in ant stings while maggots had infested his ears, eyes and mouth. After being rescued, the child was immediately tended to by health workers at Thanh My Medical Center in cooperation with local police and public officers. Luckily, An was hospitalized soon enough to keep most of his organs unharmed, despite an initial diagnosis of corneal and neonatal infections. Two days later, his 31-year-old mother P.T.T was identified and summoned by Son Tay Police for interrogation. According to T.s account, she went on a weekend trip to Son Tay by bus on June 6. She found out that her water broke at around 11:00 pm the same day and decided to deliver the baby all by herself. Fearing that her current financial situation was inept to raise a child, T. left her baby at the abandoned manhole at the rear of Mau Temple then returned to downtown Hanoi. By the time people rescued the baby, he had gone 40 hours in the sizzling heat of Hanoi without any clothes or food. News that authorities had located the boys mother quickly incurred public concern, with many people expressing revulsion at the womans lack of maternal love for her own child. Some called for a corresponding punishment to deter similar acts in the future. One who delivers [a baby] but cannot take care of the child should at least leave the child at a discernible place so that someone can come to pick [the baby] up. In this case, she deliberately left the child to die. She should be tried for attempted murder, one reader of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper commented on the situation. Lawyers consulted by Tuoi Tre said charges can be pressed against the mother as the act of abandoning ones newborn child is deemed dangerous to society and punishable by Vietnamese law. Article 94 from the Penal Code states that a mother who abandons her own newborn child within the first seven days of birth under the influence of obsolete beliefs or due to a special objective circumstance, leading to the childs death, shall face a penalty of up to two years community service or between three months and two years imprisonment. Acts of newborn abandonment that do not constitute a criminal violation under Article 94 can still be subject to an administrative fine of VND5-10 million (US$215-430), according to a 2011 government decree. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio Burglary: South Taylor Road At 7:25 a.m. June 1, the property manager at University Corners shopping plaza notified police that the store Remi Beauty Supply, 2185 S. Taylor Road, had been vandalized. Police investigated and found that the stores glass door had been smashed. The stores video surveillance showed that three women in their late teens or early 20s had entered the store after throwing a brick through the door. The suspects wore gloves and had hooded sweatshirts pulled tight around their faces. About $350 worth of merchandise was stolen. The detective bureau is investigating. Theft: South Green Road At 9:55 a.m. June 2, it was reported that Ohio Lottery tickets had been stolen from the BP gas station convenience store at 2159 S. Green Road. Disorderly conduct: Washington Boulevard Just after midnight June 4, John Carroll University police reported that they had found an intoxicated man, 56, lying on the ground in the area of Washington and Miramar boulevards. The man was taken to the hospital and charged with disorderly conduct/intoxication. Domestic violence: Cedar Road At 1:35 p.m. June 4, police responded to a report of a woman calling for help from a dwelling. Officers investigated and arrested a Cleveland man, 29, for domestic violence. Disturbing the peace: Warrensville Center Road At 11:55 p.m. June 4, police received a report of loud music coming from inside a home. Officers found the source of the noise and cited a woman, 20, with disturbing the peace. Disturbing the peace: Warrensville Center Road At 11:25 p.m. June 7, police received a complaint of loud noise coming from inside a house. Officers investigated and cited an Avon Lake woman, 21, with disturbing the peace. Read more from the Sun Press. Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un - Pool Reuters The sister of North Korea's leader has warned of retaliatory measures against South Korea that could involve the military, in the latest escalation of tensions over defectors from the North who have been sending back propaganda and food. Kim Yo Jong, who serves unofficially as one of Kim Jong Un's top aides, issued the warning in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA on Saturday. "By exercising my power authorized by the Supreme Leader, our Party and the state, I gave an instruction to the ... department in charge of the affairs with (the) enemy to decisively carry out the next action," Kim said. Her statement, which did not say what the next action could be, came days after South Korea took legal action against defectors who have been sending material such as rice and anti-North leaflets, usually by balloon over the heavily fortified border or in bottles by sea. Related Video: Kim Jong Un Makes TV Appearance North Korea said it has been angered by the defectors and to mark its displeasure it has in the past week severed inter-Korean hotlines and is threatening to close a liaison office between the two governments. As part of the effort to improve ties with the North, South Korean President Moon Jae-in's administration has sought to discourage the leaflet and rice campaigns, and defectors have complained of pressure to avoid criticism of North Korea. Analysts say North Korea appears to using the leaflet issue to increase pressure on South Korea amid stalled denuclearisation talks. "The leaflets are an excuse or justification to raise the ante, manufacture a crisis, and bully Seoul to get what it wants," said Duyeon Kim, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group, a Belgium-based independent non-profit organisation. Kim Yo Jong, right, helps her brother North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sign a joint statement - Pyongyang Press Corps Pool Pyongyang feels betrayed and misled by Seouls prediction that the United States would lift some sanctions in exchange for North Korea closing its nuclear reactor site, and is upset that leaflets and U.S.-South Korea military drills continue, Kim said. "Theyre upset that Seoul has done nothing to change the environment and is again telling Seoul to stay out of its nuclear talks with Washington," she added. UNISON calls on education minister to rethink decision over reopening schools in Wales This article is old - Published: Saturday, Jun 13th, 2020 The education minister has been urged to rethink plans to reopen schools across Wales later this month. As part of the Welsh Governments Check in, Catch Up, Prepare for Summer and September pupils of all ages will be able to attend school for four weeks from June 29th. Year groups will be split into cohorts with staggered starts, lessons and breaks. It is expected that this will mean, at most, a third of pupils present at any one time, though schools may need time to reach this level of operation. Announcing the changes last week Education Minister Kirsty Williams said she remains convinced that it is only by returning to their own school that we will see increased attendance from our more vulnerable and disadvantaged children. However public sector union UNISON has called on the minister to urgently review her decision and argues that the risks are too high. The union says it has drafted workplace guidance and believes it does not provide enough direction or clarity and there is not enough time to ensure the safety of staff and pupils in schools by late June. Jonathan Lewis, UNISON schools forum chair, said:UNISON is not prepared to compromise the safety of teaching assistants, cleaners, caterers, caretakers or administrative staff in schools. We have considered the operational guidance and there simply doesnt contain enough detail, particularly within the short time constraints. Of course school support staff want to get back to work in schools, but we cannot be expected to take unnecessary risks to fulfil that within a few short weeks. Robust planning takes time. We will continue to work with Welsh government, local authorities and other stakeholders to plan and assess a return to schools, but it cannot be a rushed job. We are confident thorough planning could take place over the summer in time for the start of term in September. We urge the Education Minister to take a sensible approach, in line with the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, and postpone re-opening until later in the year. Rosie Lewis, UNISON schools lead, added: Weve assessed the guidance and UNISON is absolutely clear that we cannot support the reopening of schools at the end of June. The risks are too high. We dont believe there will be enough cleaning staff to fulfil the mammoth task of keeping schools clean. We dont think enough school support staff will be available to allow safe staffing levels for the extended week. The operational guidance around social distancing and who is clinically vulnerable is in conflict with other government guidance. We are yet to see any guidance around the antibody testing and wider roll out of the test, trace and protect system. The list goes on. We are inundated with queries from school support staff from across Wales who are anxious about the Ministers proposals. It is crucial that staff and parents are confident about children returning to schools, and its fairly clear that the rush to get back later in June is not supporting that. I am no longer convinced the Minister is putting wellbeing at the heart of her strategy and we are calling for her to urgently review these timescales and work with trade unions to reopen schools in September. However the education minister has defended the decision to reopen schools to pupils of all ages, stating that the decision making will always be guided by the latest scientific and public health advice. In an open letter school staff, Ms Williams reiterated the expectation that a maximum of a third of pupils will be in school at any one time and that many schools will see fewer pupils than that. There will be staggered starts, breaks and finishes. Ms Williams writes: Thank you for all that you have done, and are continuing to do, in supporting our children and young people through these challenging times. Thousands of you have worked in hubs supporting our more vulnerable learners and children of critical workers you have been integral to our national fight against coronavirus. We have met these challenges together and have shown that the education family in Wales always steps up to ensure that every single young person is supported with their well-being and to learn and grow. I know that many of you will be slightly wary about a return to school. I completely understand. This has been, and continues to be, a stressful time. Many of us will know people who have been ill, or have lost someone. I certainly do. It has been a time of anguish and agony for people right across Wales. However, I have to take decisions in the best interests of education in Wales. That means, ultimately, supporting every single child in Wales, no matter their background. This period from 29 of June is our opportunity to keep true to that. Once again, thank you for all that you have done, and will continue to do. Together we will keep education safe. GREENWICH About 200 people took to the streets of central Greenwich on Saturday afternoon to protest police brutality and the mistreatment of black people, part of a series of grassroots marches and demonstrations that have sprung up around the community and the nation since the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneaspolis. The march began and finished at Town Hall, with a number of speeches delivered in front of police headquarters by a diverse group of demonstrators. Most of the participants in the march were white. Organizer Chelsea Rose of Greenwich addressed the marchers at noon in front of Town Hall, calling racism an unaddressed problem in her hometown. There is a race issue here that nobody wants to address, said Rose, who is black. She recalled the distance between the races at Greenwich High School, and she cited an incident when she was an adolescent playing a game in a town park. She was questioned by police officers and her white friends were not, Rose said. The racial bias here is real, she said. Her brother, Chauncey Rose, said he often felt ignored because of his race, or that he had to behave in certain ways to gain approval from white society. While he said he was heartened by the large gatherings of protestors around the country since Floyds death on Memorial Day, Rose said he was unsure whether the movement would gain results or not. I thought this dream cant be real all these people marching made me think that our people can be viewed as equals, this dream can be a reality, he said. Rose later carried a sign saying, Im a human, not a stereotype. The marchers went up to West Putnam Avenue and down Greenwich Avenue, with police blocking and redirecting traffic to allow the march to proceed. The marchers got a few friendly waves on the Avenue and a few fist pumps. One jogger on the Avenue yelled out all lives matter as he ran by the demonstrators. Most people expressed a neutral expression as the march passed by. At police headquarters, the megaphone was turned over to anyone who wanted to address the crowd. Elijah Manning, an activist from Norwalk, spoke of housing discrimination, large-scale incarceration of black men and what he said was the long-term legacy of racism in U.S. society. You still dont see us for what we are, Manning said, addressing the white majority. Until that changes, you will never see progress. Chip Skowron, a white resident of Greenwich, said, I have been part of the problem, because I was ignorant and uninvolved. I want to encourage people like me to wake up. A 2011 Greenwich High School graduate now living in Stamford, Fitzgerald Francois recalled how little mixing there was between students of different races at lunch when he was at school. Take the time to get to know someone who doesnt look like you, he told the crowd. It will go a long way. A number of speakers cited what they said was a long-term pattern of hostility toward African-Americans by the police. The marchers also chanted the names of people killed by police in recent times, including Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner. The marchers carried signs saying Black Lives Matter, Its Everyone vs. Racism, And Justice For All, and End the Police State. A small group of Hispanic activists carried signs in English and Spanish denouncing racism. The march was followed and observed by police officers from a distance wearing regular uniforms and standard gear. There were no incidents with the officers, and the march was peaceful from start to finish. The Greenwich rally concluded at Town Hall, where marchers kneeled for over eight minutes, referencing the choking death of Floyd under a police officers knee. Another large march last Saturday drew about 600 people, and there have been ongoing demonstrations in the community by individuals. A white Greenwich resident, Pamela Green, said she was moved to join the march Saturday by the latest death involving a black man. Things need to change, she said, No more. And I want to be part of that change. Another Greenwich demonstration is scheduled for June 27. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com By Express News Service MUMBAI: Shiv Sena slammed the central government for not helping the state governments in time of crisis like COVID-19 and NISARG cyclone but putting every effort to topple the non-BJP governments in various states. Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena leader in the edit page of Senas mouthpiece Saamana on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said that the crisis should be turned into an opportunity, but his people understood differently by toppling other parties government. Maharashtra has not received neither an adequate help in Covid crisis, not during the NISARG cyclone. The BJP toppled the Kamalnath government in Madhya Pradesh, bow they are busy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan. In Madhya Pradesh, Jyotirditya Scindia had given the carrot of a cabinet minister in the centre but in Covid 19 crisis, the given carrot is turned dry and perished. So Scindias and his supporters future is in dark despite their help of toppling the Congress-led government and bringing back BJP government in MP, reads the edit. Now, the Rajya Sabha polls are taken as an opportunity to topple the Congress government in Rajasthan. In Gujarat also, the BJP poached the Congress MLAs ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, this is very unfortunate. In Maharashtra also, six months ago, such conspiracy was made to form the government but it collapses within 80 hours from its early morning formations. Every day, there are more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients but there is no discussions and effort to bring down the numbers and deaths. But every effort has been made to topple the non-BJP governments in various states, stated in the edit. A pedestrian was struck and killed late Friday night by a Norfolk-Southern train passing through Middlesex County on its way to Pennsylvania, authorities said. The victim, whose name was not released Saturday morning, was on the tracks near Edison shortly before midnight, according to Jeff DeGraff, spokesman for Norfolk Southern. There were no reported injuries to the crew, DeGraff said. The westbound 59-car train, which had three locomotives, left the Croxton section of the Meadowlands in Jersey City and was headed to Enola, Pennsylvania, DeGraff said. The death remains under investigation, officials said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. A two-member division bench of the Bombay high court (HC) on Friday asked the additional director-general (ADG), prisons, Maharashtra, to submit a report on the protocol being followed in the states jails to test asymptomatic high-risk inmates, who have come in direct contact with coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive prisoners. The division bench, comprising chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice SS Shinde, also sought to know from the ADG, prisons, about Covid-19 related fatality count of the inmates while conducting the hearing via video-conference facility because of the pandemic. The court asked these questions to ADG, prisons, in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Mumbai chapter of the Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), the largest and the oldest human rights organisation in the country. PUCL has sought the courts orders to provide information regarding the status of inmates health and the extent to which the viral infection might have spread among them, as they are lodged in congested jails across the state while pulling up the state government for a lack of transparency in voluntarily disclosing the details. The human rights body also sought directions to ensure that inmates have ample access to personal protective equipment (PPE) items such as face masks, hand sanitisers, etc; for free of cost. The petitioner also prayed for a report from the state prisons authorities regarding the precautionary measures being taken in the jails in their fight against the viral outbreak. The courts directions came after the petitioners counsel, senior advocate Mihir Desai, pointed out that though 80 inmates of Solapur and Aurangabad correctional homes have tested Covid-19 positive, the asymptomatic inmates have not been tested in violation of the guidelines prescribed by the Indian Council of Medical of Research (ICMR). On Desais request, the court asked ADG, prisons, to consider allowing prisoners to interact more with their family members. The court also took note of Desais contention that 11,527 applications for temporary bail were still pending in lower courts, which tend to frustrate the spirit of the Supreme Court (SC) order directing states to decongest prisons following the viral outbreak over the last three months. The bench has called for a report from all principal district and sessions judges disclosing the exact number of urgent bail applications that are pending and the dates on which these applications were submitted. The court will hear the case next on Tuesday. By PTI NEW DELHI: Continuing the duel between the TMC and West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar, party leader Derek O'Brien on Saturday accused him of being a spokesperson for the BJP. The war of words had started after Dhankar expressed anguish over a video purportedly showing the bodies of COVID-19 victims being disposed of in a disrespectful manner in the state. The video was later declared to be fake by the police, who claimed that the bodies were not of COVID-19 patients and that they were unclaimed and unidentified bodies from the hospital morgue. In an online press conference, O'Brien, who is TMC spokesperson and leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha, asked why the governor was targeting the state over the coronavirus issue. "First he would tweet on their behalf and now he is also on TV. He is now officially the BJP spokesperson. He is linking a video of a dead body with coronavirus. "Why is he selective on West Bengal? Why is he not questioning what is happening in Gujarat or Madhya Pradesh where the testing is much lower than that of Bengal? Look at the situation in Balarampur, where a body was transported in a garbage van, but he does not tweet about that," O'Brien said. "These things don't draw the attention of this publicity monger, headline hunting maniac, he said, listing the NHRC notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and other incidents which he said should have drawn Dhankar's attention. Earlier, in a series of tweets on Saturday, Dhankar again referred to the video and said the manner of disposal of the dead bodies was "uncivilised and uncouth". "Our age old traditions were mercilessly decimated by repeated dragging of dead bodies by iron hook. Urge immediate apology to society at large, he said. Claiming that the state was way ahead in testing for the pandemic, O'Brien said while West Bengal tested 9,169 people a day, Gujarat tested 4,000 a day and Madhya Pradesh tested 3,576 on an average per day. He advised Dhankar to read the COVID-19 bulletin issued by the state daily and then comment on the readiness of the state to deal with the pandemic. "Only 26 per cent beds in West Bengal are occupied while 74 per cent are still vacant. We have 69 COVID hospitals and 45 testing centres. I just want to remind the governor that he should not compare himself to the chief minister of the state. While she has been elected by the 10 crore people of Bengal, he is a nominated lollypop that the centre gives out," the TMC leader said. TCN News The Center for Human Rights of the American Bar Association has condemned the detention of Jamia activist Safoora Zargar, calling it against the standards of international law. Support TwoCircles International law, including treaties to which India is a State party, permit pre-trial detention only under narrow circumstances, said the Center about Safooras custody. It marked that such narrow circumstances do not appear to have been met in Ms Zargars case. Safoora, who has been in prison since April 10, was denied bail last week by the Additional Sessions Judge of New Delhis Patiala House Court. A PhD student of Jamia Millia Islamia, she is booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967 (UAPA), under charges of inciting Delhi violence in February. Concerning her case, the Center noted that according to International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), it should not be the general rule that persons awaiting trial shall be detained in custody. Earn from Home https://bit.ly/TakeSurveyforCash-Now While the Patiala Court Judge had declared last week that prima facie evidence has been found against Safoora, American Bar Association maintained that, given the lack of evidence in the FIR linking Ms Zargar to acts of violence, it is unclear why alternatives to pre-trial detention were not considered adequate by the court in this case. Safooras family and her lawyers had requested bail owing to her pregnancy and higher risks of the infection amid the COVID-19, adding that rampant misogynist remarks against her were being run in popular social media in a full-fledged online campaign but she was denied bail a third time. The American Bar Association mentioned these instances and particularly cited the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders (also known as the Bangkok Rules) that concludes non-custodial means should be preferred for pregnant women during the pre-trial phase wherever that is possible or appropriate. Based on international law, the Center for Human Rights has urged the Indian judiciary to uphold moral and legal obligations given the pandemic and order the immediate release of Ms Zargar. Artist Friz, who will be painting a mural of St Brigid for this years SEEK festival, at work Sligo native Marian Noone, aka Friz, is one of three female artists who will be creating murals in the town centre as part of the SEEK 2020 contemporary urban arts festival. 'I am so excited to be part of the SEEK festival this year,' she says. 'I've never been to Dundalk properly so I am very much looking forward to spending some time there. I'm just grateful the team were able to keep the dates flexible due to the pandemic restrictions and that it's still going ahead. It would have been a shame if it was cancelled completely.' Having studied classical animation at Ballyfermot College of Further Education, her work is heavily influenced by this and her murals often feature the female form, with a strong illustrative style. 'I will be creating a mural based on St. Brigid,' she reveals. 'I want to explore the dual aspects of the figure, reflecting the Pagan and Christian facets of the woman and the storytelling that revolves around those roles. There are so many elements that could be included but hopefully I've found a nice balance.' This mural will be adjacent to St Nicholas Church, Bridge Street, where there is a statue dedicated to the saint closely associated with Faughart. Now based in Belfast, Friz is a member of the SPOOM Collective, a group of artists who frequently collaborate on large scale murals. A great deal of her current work is created with spray paint, though in her smaller pieces she prefers to use acrylics or watercolours. Her paintings have been included in group exhibitions in Belfast, Dublin and Sligo. Her painting 'Queen Medb' was commissioned for exhibition in the Ulster Museum as part of 'Tags not Labels' which ran in conjunction with the V&A 'Street Art' exhibition, including artwork by Banksy, D*Face, Jamie Hewlett and others. In 2010 Friz was a member of the Dublin team competing in the Secret Wars Euro-League, the world's premier live art battle involving 17 cities from around Europe. She has been invited as a guest artist to paint at such events as the 'Festival of Urban Art Sandyford' in Dublin, 'Eurocultured' in Manchester, 'Smithfield Festival' in Dublin , 'Whitewash' in Portadown, 'BASE Festival' in Belfast and 'N.P.L.D.' Festival in Sligo She has been regularly commissioned to create murals in her home town by Sligo Borough Council and the Sligo Tidy Towns Committee. Friz is very much looking forward to taking part in this year's SEEK Festival, which is now planned for the first week of August. Reflecting on the line-up for last year's festival, which included Aches Dub, who is returning this year, James Earley, Chuala Mente and Dundalk's OMIN she says there are 'Some big shoes to fill, what a line-up! I can't wait to see these walls in person. The work created last year is up there with the best of them.' While this year's event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Friz is already used to some of the precautions we are all learning to live with. 'Well luckily the PPE involved with the job includes face masks, gloves and working remotely, so I think we are well covered in that area!' she quips. The organisers are hoping that they will be able to host walking tours again this year, keeping to the limits on gatherings and social distancing. These tours were hugely popular last year as they gave people the opportunity to see the artists at work and an insight into the subjects they were painting, which were all related to Dundalk's rich cultural heritage and history. Once again, the organisers are grateful to their sponsors without whose support the festival wouldn't take place. These include ColourTrend Paints, Dundalk BIDS, Create Louth, Dundalk Tidy Towns, Creative Ireland, and Thinking Cap Designs. A group of vigilantes have banded together to take turns guarding a Captain Cook statue fearing it will be destroyed by protesters. Residents in Whitby, North Yorkshire, in the UK, are providing 24 hour protection for the statue of the British naval explorer. Many members of the group are convinced a group of out-of-town Black Lives Matter protesters are about to vandalise the monument. Around-the-clock protection for the Whitby memorial was organised after it was listed as a target on a 'topple the racists' website. The website has listed more than 70 which should be destroyed. Locals in Whitby, in the UK, have organised around-the-clock protection for a statue of Captain James Cook which they fear will be vandalised by Black Lives Matter activists Protesters have taken to the streets in cities across the world after the death of George Floyd, who killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, US, last month. Captain James Cook, claimed Australia for Britain in 1788 despite the land already being inhabited by Aboriginals. He remains a contentious historical figure for his role in British colonisation. The Whitby vigil comes after a sea of police officers were pictured surrounding a statue of Captain Cook in Sydney's Hyde Park on Friday night, as hundreds of people attended a rally in the city. Images of police guarding the statue sparked outrage online, especially after controversial mining company Rio Tinto was allowed to destroy a 46,000 year-old Aboriginal site. Police officers guarding a statue of Captain Cook in Sydney's Hyde Park during a protest on Friday night 'When it comes to protecting whats important - Theres no double standard here. None, whatsoever, one man wrote on Twitter. 'I was highly disappointed to wake up and the statue still stands yet 40,000+ years of history is constantly destroyed and ignored for the sake of a few mining billionaire,' another commented. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, a monument of the 18th century explorer in Gisborne was defaced overnight with the words 'Black Lives Matter and so do Maori'. The worldwide Black Lives Matter movement has seen statues of controversial figures vandalised in cities across the globe. This week the New Zealand city of Hamilton removed a bronze statue of British Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton, who is accused of killing indigenous Maori people in the 1860s. In Australia, activists have urged the government to remove the Captain Cook statue situated in the heart of Sydney. Mounted police stand guard over the monument of the 18th century British colonialist '(Sydney has) so many statues of Captain Cook wouldnt it be so sad if any of them got thrown in the harbour...,' one person wrote on Twitter. Another added:' Since a lot of colonial statues around the world are getting taken down, I think the Captain Cook statue in Hyde Park, Sydney should too.' But Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended its presence, saying Captain Cook had no links to slavery. 'When youre talking about someone like Captain James Cook, in his time he was one of the most enlightened persons on these issues,' the Prime Minister told 2GB. 'Australia when it was founded as a settlement, as New South Wales, was on the basis that there be no slavery. 'And while slave ships continued to travel around the world, when Australia was established, yes sure, it was a pretty brutal settlement but there was no slavery in Australia.' Opposition leader Anthony Albanese agreed the statue should stay. 'My position is very clear, you can't rewrite history you have to learn from it,' he told 2GB on Friday. Washington, June 13 : US President Donald Trump has said the controversial chokehold method for restraining some suspects should "generally speaking" be ended. Some US police forces have moved to ban chokeholds since the outbreak of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African American, the BBC reported. Floyd died after a white officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes. Trump said it would be a "very good thing" to ban chokeholds but they may still be needed in some situations. The president's comments come with Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress trying to hammer out the details of a police reform bill - the proposed Justice in Policing Act of 2020. Trump said that the concept of stopping police forces using chokeholds sounded "so innocent, so perfect". But he continued: "If a police officer is in a bad scuffle and he's got somebody... you have to be careful. "With that being said, it would be, I think, a very good thing that generally speaking it should be ended," he said, adding that he might make "very strong recommendations" to local authorities. The police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck has been sacked and charged with second-degree murder. Trump - who has faced criticism for his responses to the outbreak of the protests against racism and police brutality - said he wanted to "see really compassionate but strong law enforcement", adding "toughness is sometimes the most compassionate". Challenged by interviewer Harris Faulkner to explain his tweet last month that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts", which was censored by Twitter for glorifying violence, the president said: "When the looting starts, it oftentimes means there's going to be... sure, there's going to be death, there's going to be killing. And, it's a bad thing." The Justice in Policing Act was proposed by the opposition Democrats who control the House of Representatives but in order to pass it must win the support of Trump's Republicans who control the Senate. There is potential for the two parties to reach agreement on banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, like the one in the Breonna Taylor shooting. Meanwhile, the governor of New York has ordered police departments to undertake major reforms, in response to the demonstrations. Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would stop financing local authorities that failed to adopt reforms addressing excess use of force and bias in their police departments by next April. He said he would sign an executive order for municipalities to "reinvent and modernize" their police departments to battle racism. Police disciplinary records would be publicly released and chokeholds would become a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. A court battle is allegedly set to begin on Tuesday over an old demo recording by The Beatles after it was discovered in late sound engineer Geoff Emerick's home. Said to be worth $5 million, the video of the jam session reportedly sees The Beatles perform at Abbey Road for the first time and was recorded before Ringo Starr joined the group as a drummer, it as reported on Saturday. According to The Sun, the recording was deemed to not be of good enough quality for the group and so Emerick was told by EMI he should destroy it, but he is said to have instead kept it in a safe in his Los Angeles home, in its original box. What a find! An old recording of The Beatles demo in Abbey Road worth $5 million is 'at centre of legal battle between Universal and Geoff Emerick's family', it was reported on Saturday Emerick, who worked as recording engineer with the Beatles for many years on albums like Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, died aged 72 in October 2018. The publication claimed that Universal Music Group, who took over EMI in 2012, are now in a legal battle with Emerick's family over who the tape belongs to, with the former reportedly arguing they are entitled to the recording under Finders Law. Universal, meanwhile, allegedly claim the law does not count in this case as Emerick was told he should destroy the recording by EMI. Wow: The recording was discovered in late sound engineer Emerick's home after he died in 2018, and sees The Beatles perform at Abbey Road for the first time before Ringo Starr joined Circumstances: Emerick (pictured in 1963 with Ringo) kept the recording despite being told to destroy it by EMI as it was deemed to not be of good enough quality for the band to use Songs recorded on the demo are believed to include Love Me Do, which featured on the group's debut album Please Please Me in 1963. A source speaking to The Sun claimed: 'It's an amazing find. It's been estimated at 5 million but could be worth much more.' 'Despite wanting it destroyed, Universal all these years later want it back. They know how huge this find is.' MailOnline have contacted Universal Music Group for comment. Legal battle: It was claimed Universal Music Group, who took over EMI in 2012, are now going to court with Emerick's family over who the tape belongs to, with the latter citing Finders Law Ringo joined the group in August 1962 after he was asked by John Lennon to replace then current member Pete Best as the band's drummer. Emerick, meanwhile, played an influential role on the group during the late 1960s period regarded by many as the apex of the Beatles' work. At the time, the Beatles were breaking new ground in popular music and they had stopped touring to focus all their attention on the studio, where Emerick excelled. Thousands of people described as members of right wing groups gathered to support Winston Churchills statue in Parliament Square, sang the national anthem, and clashed with the police as most supporters of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign stayed away to avoid confrontation. Flares and bottles were hurled at the police in the square where the statues of Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela were boarded up. The BLM campaigners remained in Hyde Park and later dispersed, with plans to protest later in the week. As footage emerged of clashes with the police, home secretary Priti Patel tweeted: Thoroughly unacceptable thuggery. Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law. Violence towards our police officers will not be tolerated. Coronavirus remains a threat to us all. Go home to stop the spread of this virus & save lives, she added, as reports came from protests from Bristol, Brighton and other towns across the UK. In Leicester, some councillors, residents and former MP Keith Vaz formed a cordon around Gandhis statue, while an online petition calling for the statues removal was closed after it enlisted over 6,000 signatures. The local council will be considering the petition as part of a wider review of public spaces. Descendants of Churchill and those instrumental in setting up Gandhis statue in London in 2015 regretted that their statues needed to be protected, with Patel and others calling for the protective boards to be removed soon. According to London mayor Sadiq Khan, his office had intelligence that far-right groups were planning protests with potential of violence, and attack Mandelas statue. The Greater London Authority under him is responsible for the statues in Parliament Square. Meghnad Desai, chairman of the Gandhi Memorial Statue Trust, said: It is a pity and a shame that the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square is to be covered up ahead of the BLM rally today. Gandhi has nothing to hide. He is a pioneer of the struggle against imperialism and racism who inspired Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Gandhi and Churchill statues were among those attacked by BLM protestors last Sunday. Nicholas Soames, Churchills grandson and former Conservative minister, said he was deeply upset at the statue being covered, adding that British society, according to him, has lost its moral compass. He said: I find it extraordinary that millions and millions of people all over the world who look up to Britain will be astonished that a statue of Churchill and the Cenotaph, our national war memorial, could have been defaced in this disgusting way. Emma Soames, Churchills grand-daughter, wants the statue to be placed in a museum: Its extraordinarily sad that my grandfather, who was such a unifying figure in this country, appears to have become a sort of icon through being controversial. I think on the whole, people werent looking at the entire record of people when they put up statues for them, and even if they did wed be living in a country of empty plinths I think, she said, adding that the sight of her grandfather boarded up was shocking. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prasun Sonwalkar Prasun Sonwalkar was Editor (UK & Europe), Hindustan Times. During more than three decades, he held senior positions on the Desk, besides reporting from Indias north-east and other states, including a decade covering politics from New Delhi. He has been reporting from UK and Europe since 1999. ...view detail Correction: An earlier version of this story cited an April report from the Malala Fund that said disruptions could end or seriously delay the education of 10 million secondary-school-age girls. The correct figure is 20 million, according to a statement issued in July from the Malala Fund, which said the figure in its report was a miscalculation. This story has been updated. There can be no real economic recovery in Europe unless governments completely suppress the coronavirus, a prominent US economist said on Friday. Jeffrey Sachs said Europe needs to articulate a continent-wide strategy instead of individual countries adopting their own solutions to suppress COVID-19 and get travel safely started again. Cyprus needs tourism, Greece needs tourism, Italy needs tourism, how is this going to happen if the epidemic is continuing? he said from the U.S. during an online conference on sustainable development, hosted in Cyprus. He said post-COVID-19 recovery strategy must take into account that many economies are undergoing permanent structural change and many activities won't return the way they were before. Sachs said the rapid pace at which the digital economy has advanced in recent months requires a deep look into how to make it work effectively and fairly, and to promote better jobs. The economist also championed heavy investment in wind, solar and other low carbon technologies tapping a planned 750 billion euro ($842 billion) European Union fund to achieve real recovery." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) As protesters gather for Independence Day rallies on Friday, a familiar personality showed up in the mass action dubbed as "Grand Mananita." Artist and activist Mae Paner, also known as Juana Change, channeled embattled Metro Manila Police Chief Debold Sinas complete with a shaved head and a bunch of long-stemmed roses. Groups have labeled the protest action in University of the Philippines Dilimans University Avenue not as a rally, but as a "Grand Mananita," derived from Sinas' controversial birthday feast. "I come as our NCRPO chief and show that people are here to tell him and the rest of the people who defy rules that you cannot make people follow you if you yourself are not following what the IATF has been making people do," Paner said. Mass gatherings are still prohibited due to strict stay-at-home rules amid the community quarantine. But protesters are drawing inspiration from the birthday celebration held by Sinas and his men in May despite strict lockdown measures in Metro Manila. Several groups have been arrested for holding mass protests even while observing social distancing and wearing face masks while Sinas remains in office. Related: PNP chief defends NCRPO head Sinas on birthday celebration Police have installed checkpoints outside UP hours before the start of the event. The protests will focus on the government's move to urgently pass the controversial Ant-Terrorism Bill amid the COVID-19 crisis. Against the background of growing tensions between the great powers and the worldwide intensification of the class struggle, the German ruling class is aggressively pursuing its campaign of militarism and war. The Trump administrations announcement that 9,500 of the nearly 35,000 US soldiers stationed in Germany might be withdrawn and transferred to other European states has been met with defiant criticism and calls for a more independent German-European military policy. The plans once again show that the Trump administration is neglecting an elementary leadership task: the involvement of the Allies in decision-making processes, said Johann Wadephul, the deputy chairman of the Christian Democratic (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Everyone benefited from the cohesion of the alliance, only Russia and China from discord, he added, with a warning that US plans were another wake-up call for us Europeans to take our fate more decisively into our own hands, also in terms of security policy. German occupation forces in Afghanistan [Credit: AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus] Representatives of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the grand coalition partner of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union, as well as spokespeople for the opposition parties expressed similar sentiments. According to Fritz Felgentreu, defence policy spokesman of the SPDs parliamentary group, Trumps plan underlines that the reliability of the US as a partner and a force for order in Europe is no longer a given in the traditional way. He said the withdrawal of the US troops would be a test of European security policy as it adjusts to this situation. This applied in particular to the trouble spot, Russia. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Tobias Lindner, defence policy spokesman for the Greens, called Trump a transatlantic wrong-way driver. On Twitter, he threatened that the US should not be surprised if it suddenly becomes very lonely internationally. ... Lindner promoted the long-term goal of a European army last year in a guest article for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung titled Why Green Foreign Policy Needs the Bundeswehr [Armed Forces]. The Left Party is the most aggressive advocate of a German-European defence policy independent of the US. In an entry on her Facebook page, former parliamentary party leader and leading spokeswoman of the Left Party Sahra Wagenknecht described the planned withdrawal of US troops as a good start. She said the German government should now work for a withdrawal of all 34,500 US soldiers still stationed here, along with the US nuclear weapons stored in Germany. Germany could play a more important and positive role internationally through greater independence, she said. It was high time that Germany and the EU develop an independent foreign policy that respects international law and democracy and works for diplomatic solutions and disarmament! This is the well-known propaganda. In reality, German and European imperialism are not one bit more democratic or lawful than American imperialism. The European powers have long participated in Washingtons campaigns of conquest in the Middle East, which flout international law, and continue to commit war crimes. If they are now striving for greater independence, it is not a question of disarmament or democracy, but of asserting their own economic and geostrategic interests even more brutally. German imperialism is showing its true face once again, 75 years after the fall of Hitlers Third Reich. The German elites are massively rearming, boosting the Alternative for Germany (AfD), an extreme right-wing party, and using every opportunity to push for Germanys return to an aggressive foreign and great power policy. In the economic stimulus package passed last week by the grand coalition government of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, 10 billion euros have been earmarked for the armament of the Bundeswehr. Point 10 of the programme states that security projects, as well as new armament projects with a high German value-added share, which can still be started in 2020 and 2021, will be implemented immediately (project volume: 10 billion euros). Previously, the Bundestag extended and expanded numerous Bundeswehr foreign missions despite the coronavirus pandemic and initiated the procurement of 138 combat jets. In his speech at the opening of the 18th German Ambassadors Conference at the end of May, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) stated that Germany had to make use of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic to step up its foreign policy offensive. He said: Let us take the question of who will emerge as the supposed victor in the geopolitical wrangling of these days. Most bets are on China. But is it that simple? He went on to argue that while some people saw the EU in a struggle for survival, Germany would, in the course of its EU presidency from July 1, bear a special responsibility to counter this narrative clearly, in words and deeds. What this means is clear. Berlin is pursuing the goal of dominating Europe so as to act as a world power and satisfy the hunger of export-dependent German industry for markets and raw materials. Maas explained that the European imperative required all member states to understand European interests as national interests, to consider national interests also Europeanand of course to act accordingly. Under the keyword, European sovereignty, he added, one must urgently reduce dependencies in strategically important areas: in the health sector, but also in energy, information technology, food, logistics and raw materials such as rare earths. The bourgeois media are impressing upon their readers that Germany and Europe must prepare themselves for future conflicts between major powersif necessary, including the US. There is a high probability that the competition between the US, Russia and China will intensify between the West, East and East, wrote the former editor-in-chief of the Suddeutsche Zeitung , Kurt Kister, in a commentary on Trumps withdrawal plans. Even if Trump were not re-elected, he wrote, the US would further distance itself from Europe and the post-war alliance. The European NATO states had to find a common response to thiswhether through a reorientation of NATO or through a European security alliance that presumably could not grow out of the EUs consensus apparatus. If Trump wants to reduce the US forces in Germany, he should do so, wrote Kister. Today, the stationing of US troops in Germany was in terms of security policy, primarily in the interest of the US and its more or less strong engagement in the Orient, the Gulf and Africa. For Germany, the loss of the troops would have only a certain economic significance, because the 36,000 military personnel and their families who are now still in the Army are reviving the economy. Referring to the US nuclear weapons stored in Germany, Kister said that there are other ways to secure so-called nuclear sharing if you want to. Other ruling class mouthpieces fear that a hasty withdrawal of US troops would weaken German imperialism. In an angry commentary titled Madness without method, the notorious warmonger and editor of Die Zeit, Joseph Joffe, said the US would cut not only its own flesh with a withdrawal of troops, but that the blade would certainly also go into the German flank. Germany, Joffe argued, was currently not able to defend itselfthat is, to wage war on its own. Whoever wanted a contested divorce had, therefore, to offer viable alternatives and not beautiful but distant dreams. Germany would have to shoulder risks and accept sacrifices, not to mention the billions spent on armament. A member of numerous pro-American think tanks, Joffe urged the United States not to forget that Germany was a bastion of US security policy in Europe and further afieldin the Middle East and Africa. It was from here that supplies are organised. The Ramstein Air Force Base was home to the European headquarters of the US Air Force as well as the Supreme Command of the NATO Air Force, and from here, the US waged drone war in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia. Ramstein covers airspace from the North Cape to Antarctica. Trumps plans have also provoked strong reactions within the United States itself. On Tuesday, 22 congressmen from Trumps own Republican Party sent a letter to the White House asking the president to reconsider the plans. We believe that these steps would significantly weaken US national security and at the same time weaken our position vis-a-vis Russia, the congressmen said. The former commander-in-chief of US land forces in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, had already called Trumps plan a colossal mistake. In an interview with Der Spiegel, he described the US troops stationed in Germany as essential to American securityespecially regarding NATOs offensive against nuclear-armed Russia. Irrespective of what the US administration ultimately decides and how Germany reactsaccording to the German government, Berlin has been officially informed about the withdrawal plans, but a final decision is still pendingthe danger of war is growing. Thirty years after German reunification and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the same contradictions of capitalism that triggered two world wars in the 20th century are again leading to extreme militarism and war. At the same time, opposition to capitalist violence is growing, as is currently seen in the global protests against the police murder of George Floyd. The international working class must oppose the rearmament plans of capitalist governments both internally and externally, by means of its own independent strategy. It must build a socialist movement against war and capitalist oppression. This is what the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) is fighting for, together with all of the other sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International. 'The Great Gatsby': Class Distinction by the Book I wish that I were reviewing one of the half-dozen movies certain to be made when this pox upon our house is no more. But until that glorious return to normality has us resuming all the simple joys of life we take for granted, like going to the movies, I'll be retro-reviewing and thereby sharing with you the films that I've come to treasure over the years, most of which can probably be retrieved from one of the movie streaming services. It is my fondest hope that I've barely put a dent into this trove when they let the likes of me back into the Bijou. I read a book a week for decades, and then I stopped. For one, I began to fall asleep. Reason two, I'd read a book and say, "I could write this." And reason three, I'd be reading a book and realize with jealous reverence, "I could never write something this good." F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," adapted to the screen by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by Jack Clayton in 1974, fits the last category in spades. There are movies like either of the first two Godfathers, or even the inimitable "Casablanca" (1942), that contain memorable lines we love to quote. But in Fitzgerald's brilliantly perceptive upbraiding of the Roaring '20s there are hauntingly beautiful passages that only he could have written. It's not just that they are poetry, but more so that the lilting missives of pure truth tap into that portion of literature's DNA that dissects and decodes the historical period from which they emanate. Everyone in "The Great Gatsby" is of their time, proof positive and point of reference for anyone who cares to peer into the ebullience of the post WWI, Prohibition era of glitzy presumptiveness, and what Fitzgerald declaimed, through narrator Nick Carraway, as careless. When the film, starring Robert Redford in the title role and Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan, the devastatingly rich symbol of dauntingly inaccessible social strata, was released, I bought in, hook, line and white pants. I still refer to some of my closer compatriots as Old Sport. You see, the world of affluence on Long Island where the mysterious Jay Gatsby has bought an estate to be right next door to his loving obsession, now married, brings out the desire to pretend. It isn't enough to just intuitively show up at one the enigmatic Gatsby's spontaneous soirees where anyone who is anyone is in attendance and the host never makes an appearance. The idea is to be a part of whatever elegantly cryptic thing is at play in and around the display of blindly flagrant ostentation, to swap scandalous tidbits about their unseen host, and imbibe in a little golden calf worship. When Sam Waterston's perfectly played Nick, narrator, bond trader and cousin of Daisy, takes up residence in a carriage house that just happens to abut the Gatsby and Buchanan manors, he becomes a confidante, and early on quizzically announces, "They say you killed a man." "Just one?" asks Redford's impeccably coiffed protagonist, his smile a blast of sunshine. Thus, we are in on the gambit and, through a skillfully woven exposition that hints at what Gatsby may or may not be, are given the opportunity to decide how we feel about him, and the truth be damned. Intrinsic to the process, our moral values are given a run for their money, twisted here and there, and beseeched to grant dispensation in the name of undying love. But of course, in what might be termed the class-conscious variation on the Romeo & Juliet theme, the story's silent player, wreaking its havoc with the subtlety of fingernails on a blackboard, is the unholy trinity of ancestry, breeding and legacy wealth. Gatsby knows this only too well, having informed his entire construction of self with the aim of penetrating the very fortress that has been built to keep out interlopers. And Daisy? "Her voice is full of money," says Gatsby. This is the conjectural stuff deserving of exquisitely conducted college seminars. But if you need to boil it all down because you're in a hurry and don't want to get into the whole F. Scott and Zelda, gossipy ruminations, of which there are more than enough to go around, I like the quote by Mischa Auer's Carlo, the phony protege sponger in "My Man Godfrey" (1936). Imparting the screwball comedy take on class distinction, Carlo at one distressed moment cries out, "Oh, money, money, money! The Frankenstein monster that destroys souls!" Or, to quote my rich sister Anne, "It's always about money, especially if they say it's not about money." Nonetheless, most of us being equipped with the hopeless romantic gene as well as either the inclination to activate it or the determination to suppress it, the built-in dilemma of Gatsby's love for Daisy makes for great drama. And you in the back, frantically raising your hand, yes, maybe it's actually the idea of Daisy that Gatsby loves. But then, this is a film criticism and not that college seminar. But I have to come clean. While Macy's doesn't tell Gimbel's, except in the case of "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947), I'll add to the exception by informing that many of my colleagues aren't as enthusiastic about the 1974 Gatsby as I am. However, I've mulled it and, after reasonable contemplation of the second-guessing kind, have decided that, quite simply, they are plumb wrong. Granted, it's a tad long at nearly two and a half hours. A fast reader could knock out the 180-page paperback in the course of a lazy afternoon. But that's just it. Filled with Nick's beautifully fatalistic, word-for-word narration and the sympathetically enunciated reveries from Redford and Farrow's devotedly etched principals, it is practically the book, but on film. That director Clayton endowed the literature with breathtaking art direction and Nelson Riddle's Oscar-winning compilation of period-evoking music, but resisted the pretension to gild the lily, is why "The Great Gatsby" is great. "The Great Gatsby," rated PG, is a Paramount Pictures release directed by Jack Clayton and stars Mia Farrow, Robert Redford and Sam Waterston. Running time: 144 minutes June Sales Rate Similar to December 2019 Sales Record Gun Sales Correlate to Strong Gun Accessory Sales KANSAS CITY, MO / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2020 / American Rebel - America's Patriotic Brand (AREB) reports strong sales of its Concealed Carry Backpacks. Sales for the month of June to date are on a pace similar to December 2019 sales. As record gun sales continue across the US, gun accessory products have benefitted from the sales activity. "I've always believed that there is a large group of people that would like to conceal a handgun if they had a product that would allow them to do it safely and discreetly," says American Rebel CEO Andy Ross. "Our Concealed Carry Backpacks give them the ability to do that." "Our Concealed Carry Backpacks are designed for every day use and our Protection Pocket provides an isolated compartment so you can be concealed and safe," says Ross. "To date we have primarily sold our backpacks direct to the consumer on our website and on Amazon, but we're now getting interest from retailers ordering our backpacks for their stores. Our backpacks have plenty of storage for everything you need for your day. Our Protection Pocket is isolated from the other compartments and is accessible from either side of the backpack. Also, our backpack doesn't look tactical in nature and doesn't draw unwanted attention." For more information on American Rebel Concealed Carry Backpacks go to AmericanRebel.com. About American Rebel American Rebel Holdings, Inc. (AREB) is a fully reporting wholesale and retail sales company of safes and concealed carry apparel and backpacks based in Lenexa, Kansas, and Nashville, Tennessee. The company recognizes the need to safely secure assets, most vital which include firearms, valuables, and secured substances; and to be concealed and safe. American Rebel is currently focused on fulfilling the need for an ever-growing gun storage solution demand as well as operate in the concealed carry market to meet the needs of nearly 20M concealed carry permit holders as well as individuals exercising their Second Amendment rights in 11 permit-less states not required to have permits. The gun safe market is a $2B sector and the concealed carry market is an over $1B sector and both sectors are poised for continued growth as gun sales have increased over 60% since 2010 and there are an estimated 400 million guns in the US alone. Additionally, American Rebel has also recognized the opportunity to meet inventory locking requirements with safe applications for cannabis dispensaries. Dispensaries are required to lock their inventory after hours and American Rebel safes satisfy those requirements. To meet this opportunity, American Rebel designed the first Inventory Control Safe customized for the $35B cannabis industry. American Rebel utilizes the Harley-Davidson model of a lifestyle brand known for their higher-priced item (motorcycles and safes) supported by lower-priced brand building items. For more information on American Rebel, go to www.AmericanRebel.com. Story continues Forward-Looking Safe Harbor Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, as amended: with the exception of the historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that may individually or mutually impact the matters herein described for a variety of reasons that are outside the control of the Company, including, but not limited to, projected revenues from the sales of its products through its other on-line channels, estimated market for its products, and statements about achieving its other development, growth, commercialization, financial and staffing objectives. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. Readers are urged to read the risk factors set forth in the Company's most recent filing on Form S-1, annual report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q and other filings made with the SEC. Copies of these reports are available from the SEC's website or without charge from the Company. Contact: American Rebel Investor Relations (833) 267-3235 info@AmericanRebel.com SOURCE: American Rebel Holdings Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/593722/American-Rebel-Reports-Strong-Concealed-Carry-Backpack-Sales People encouraged to take a stand against racism and inequality following killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis Another peaceful Black Lives Matter protest will take place in Newbury today (Saturday). The event will take place in Victoria Park, where there will be a two minute silence and a kneel for solidarity. The protest has been organised by Waheeda Soomro, Claire Burdett, Helen Franklin and Sinead Hall. Ms Soomro said: The organisers are delighted by the coming together of people from all generations, backgrounds and across party lines, to express our solidarity at this time. Our work doesnt end after the event, it is just the beginning as we continue to collaborate on bringing about positive change in our hearts, in our relationships with each other, in our town and in our country. Ultimately there is an urgent need to reassess how we understand and dismantle racism for our future generations, the time is now. As organisers, we trust these will be peaceful protests and social distancing will be managed, peoples safety is paramount. We dont condone any kind of violence because this is our town and our home too. The Saturday events Facebook page states: Take a stand where you stand kneel with us in solidarity #taketheknee The murder of George Floyd has shaken us all to our core, adding weight to frustration and grief that has been mounting for decades and centuries. We want to show our brothers and sisters that we stand in solidarity with them in the fight against racism, police brutality, injustice and inequality. On Saturday 13th June at 12 noon, please join the local community in a silent kneel for solidarity in Victoria Park, Newbury. In order to manage numbers and social distancing there will be another opportunity to participate at 1pm. This is our peaceful protest in honour of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and for all the victims of injustice and inequality in America, UK and beyond. Again, those wishing to attend are being advised to: . Maintain social distancing . Remember hand sanitiser . Wear a face mask for their own safety . Dont yell this is a silent protest showing solidarity and hope . Take placards and signs of support The event will be shared live, so you can participate virtually if you want to but cannot attend. A TVP spokesperson said: Thames Valley Police is committed to facilitating a peaceful protest and the right to freedom of expression, while also keeping the community safe. We support the publics right to peaceful protest and are working constructively with organisers to protect those rights. The public also has a vital role to play by acting responsibly and following the restrictions set out by the Government to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and keep our communities safe. West Berkshire Council leader Lynne Doherty said: Racism has no place in our community or our lives and we all have a duty to tackle it. I think everybody has the right to protest and express themselves, but I would ask that people respect the guidance and keep each other safe. Chinese military Y-8 transporter expelled from Taiwan's ADIZ ROC Central News Agency 06/12/2020 11:14 PM Taipei, June 12 (CNA) A Chinese military Y-8 transport aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) while flying over waters southwest of the country on Friday, but was chased away shortly by Taiwanese fighter jets, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. The intrusion occurred in the morning, the ministry said in a statement, noting that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) plane was soon driven out of the ADIZ by radio warnings issued by the Taiwanese fighters. The ministry reiterated that air activities over the waters surrounding Taiwan are closely monitored by the military. This was the ninth time this year that Chinese military aircraft have been spotted flying near Taiwan. Besides Friday, they were also spotted on Jan. 23, Feb. 9, Feb. 10, Feb. 28, March 16, April 10, May 8, and June 9. (By Chen Yun-yu and Ko Lin) Enditem/cs NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Coronavirus deaths in India crossed 9,000 on Saturday, with the country adding the last 1,000 deaths in three days. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi account for roughly two-thirds of all deaths in India, which recorded an average of 377 deaths every day over the past week. On Saturday, the death toll touched 9,196, having crossed 8,000 on June 10 and 7,000 on June 3. With 321,405 cases as on Saturday night, Indias case fatality rate is 2.9%, compared to the worlds 5.5%. In all, Indias Covid-19 toll has increased by at least 6,000 in less than four weeks, with total deaths crossing the 3,000 mark on May 18. The toll in India touched 1,000 on April 28, 47 days after the first Covid-19 death was confirmed in Hyderabad on March 12. Over the past 24 hours, 7,135 Covid-19 patients have been cured and returned home , taking the recovery rate is 49.95%, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data. The number of recovered patients continues to remain more than the number of those with infections, 162,271 to 149,938. I think mortality per million population is a much better metric to judge how Covid-19 has affected us. The case fatality rate can change depending on the denominator of the number of people who are tested and turn out to be positive, said Amit Singh, associate professor at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. With the number of cases rising rapidly following the easing of restrictions, experts say the focus must be on preventing deaths. To reduce the number of deaths, cities and states have look at the number of people being hospitalised. If that number shoots up, then the beds and ventilators will be occupied, leading to more deaths. So wherever the number of hospitalizations is going up, the local governments need to implement lockdown measures. By unlocking at a time when the number of cases and hospitalizations are rising, we are doing more harm than good, said Singh. Where lockdowns are not an option, the next best thing is to use personal protection measures such as face masks, frequent handwashing and maintaining social distancing of at least 2 metres, experts say. Reducing the exposure of the vulnerable, which includes the elderly, people with co-morbidities, and pregnant women should be done as much as possible. My mother is 90 (years old), I wear a mask even at home. Young people have to step out to work, but they must take precautions to stay safe so they dont expose older people at home to infection, which can potentially kill them, said Dr Dileep Mavalankar, director, Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Gujarat has the second highest number of deaths after Maharashtra, and is among the five cities -- along with Mumbai, Delhi, Thane and Chennai -- that account for close to half of the Covid-19 cases in the country. The states case fatality rate, at 6.3%, is also the highest in India. The hotspots have begun shifting to newer areas and in Ahmedabad, new infections are going down in the central-south zones such as Dariapur, Shahpur, Danilimda, Jamalpur, and Saraspur, among others. Only sero-surveillance data from the hotspots will indicate whether its (because of) herd immunity or whether the virus has exhausted susceptible people in these wards, which is leading to a reduction in cases and deaths. said Dr Mavalankar. Sero-surveillance is simply blood tests conducted to test for the antibodies to the virus that causes the disease. Their presence indicates past infection and, more importantly, immunity. A multi-city sero-surveillance being conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to estimate the fraction of the population that has past exposure to Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, in containment zones is ongoing. The results of the population-based serosurvey in districts with zero cases and low, medium and high incidence released by ICMR on Friday said 0.73% of the population had been infected with Sars-CoV2, which indicates that a large proportion of the countrys population is still susceptible to infection. Still, this survey was conducted in early May, a month when India added at least 150,000 new cases. Health ministry data on Saturday said 885 labs have been approved to test for Covid, of which 642 government labs do free testing, and 243 private labs charge a maximum of Rs 4,500. Testing in the past 24 hours reached 143,737, taking the total number of samples tested to 5.5 million to date, which translates into a little over 4200 tests per million population. Testing is an important component of surveillance and guides contract tracing, isolation and treatment. It also shows where response efforts need to be directed to combat the disease. India has been calibrating its testing strategy as per the changing situation, taking into account scope, need and capacity. With increased testing, the trajectory of positive cases will go up but it will also help in better preparedness and response, said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, World Health Organisation South East Asia Regional Office. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Police in Rajasthans Karauli district seized contraceptives, pen drives and two laptop computers from a monk who was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a pregnant woman. A police official said on Saturday that a big bag was seized from the accused monk in which the contraceptives, pen drives and two laptops were found. On Friday morning, when a team of forensic science laboratory from Jaipur and a police team from Karauli district reached the shelter home in Hindaun town of the district where the Jain muni (monk) was staying to gather evidence, the teams seized a bag. And when the locks of the bag were broken, police found two laptops, 19 mobile phones, 33 pen drives, 4 hard disks and packets of condoms. When the hard disks were checked many objectionable videos were found, said the police official. On Thursday, a woman, along with her sister-in-law had gone to the monk to seek his blessings. He later called the victim to visit him alone and allegedly raped. Tension had gripped the area after area after the monk was taken to the local police station. The accused monk has been identified as Acharya Sukumal Nandi (38), native of Jodhpur. Nandi was staying in a Jain shelter home in Mohannagar locality of the Hindaun town. On Thursday, the victim had gone to the shelter home with her husband and sister-in-law to take blessings from the monk. Initially, the survivors sister-in-law entered the room and the monk tried to molest her but she moved out immediately. When she herself went to the room, she was allegedly raped by Nandi who threatened her by saying that he would harm her family members using his powers if she spoke about it, said Lakshman Gaur, deputy inspector general of police (DIGP) Bharatpur range. The victim told the family members about the incident after which they reached the monks place but the accused had locked himself inside his room after which police were called to the spot. On Friday, the statement of the victim and her sister-in-law were recorded before the court after which Nandi was arrested. He has been sent to judicial custody for 15-days. A case against him was registered under Section 354 (assaulting woman) and 376 (rape) of Indain Penal Code. Further investigation is on, Gaur said. The Plight of Christians in Iran Archbishop Ramzi Garmou of Tehran. ( Jacques Berset/Aid to the Church in Need) Archbishop Ramzi Garmou of Tehran, the president of the Iranian bishops' conference, spoke with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the situation of Christians in Iran. A native of Kurdistan, Iraq, the archbishop has been living in Iran since 1976 and is head of the numerically small but very ancient Iranian Chaldean Church. Are Christians in Iran particularly discriminated against? They are forbidden to occupy certain posts, such as school directors for example, but the historical Christian communities are generally well integrated within Iranian society. Our roots go down a long way! The Chaldean community, which is at present reduced to a tiny flock of some 4,000 souls, dates back to apostolic times. It was St. Thomas the Apostle who brought the Gospel to Persia and established our Church. This history has to some extent been forgotten, but we actually sent missionaries as far afield as China, long before the Western missionaries. Currently we are going through a new period of crisis, which began with the revolution of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. All the Catholic schools and hospitals, which were part of our outreach, were closed, thereby considerably diminishing our presence in society. But just look back at our history! Christians have known persecution ever since the earliest times, under the Persian Sassanid empire, right up to the 7th century. Even at that time Christians were already suspected of being traitors, linked to the West. Then there were the Mongol invasions, for example. But, in any case, there is no reason to be surprised at this. Jesus himself warned the disciples in the Gospel that they would be persecuted on account of his name. The Gospel corresponds to the deepest aspirations of man, but its proclamation is accompanied by persecutions. And that has been the case ever since the time of the first Pentecost and it will be so until the end of the Church's pilgrimage on earth. A Church without martyrs would be like a tree without fruit. But do you not fear quite simply the disappearance of the Christians of Iran? Of course, it goes without saying that the mass exodus of Christians, and in particular of our young people and our most active members, is a cause of concern for us. Nonetheless, we should not look at the situation from a too human perspective. The strength and dynamism of a Christian community does not depend on its numbers. Besides, I believe that our situation is less serious than that of the Christian communities in the West. They are swamped in an environment where the majority of Europeans have no faith or are indifferent, whereas our Muslim neighbors are a constant reminder for us of God. The only thing that matters is to know if we can bear witness to our faith, and this we can do -- without publicity or self-promotion, but simply by living as Christians. And we are seeing the fruits of this, as Muslims come to see us and want to learn the Gospel message. When you ask what led them to this, they often reply that it was because they have known a Christian neighbor whose example they wish to follow. Can Muslims convert to Christianity in Iran? This is an extremely delicate question for us. And we should point out at the outset that conversions to Christianity are largely the work of evangelical Protestants. As for us, we are under close surveillance. It sometimes happens that a Muslim wishes to join us, but they face serious harassment, first of all from their own families, and then from the regime. To give you an example, we have two seminarians who have both spent time in prison, precisely because they are both converts. In particular, we are forbidden to celebrate Mass in Persian. We love our own Aramaic language, the language of Jesus himself, and we speak it in our own homes. But the Iranians do not understand it. So we remain ghettoized within this ancient language, and we cannot communicate our faith. For the same reason we are not supposed to have Bibles or spiritual books in Persian. So how do you explain the translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church by the Iranian Shiite ayatollahs? This was a very encouraging sign of openness on the part of those ayatollahs who were interested in the message of the Catholic Church. This story illustrates the questions being asked by Iranian religious leaders themselves. The Shiite clergy respect the international moral authority of the Vatican. And moreover, there is an Iranian ambassador at the Vatican and students who travel in both directions. Iran is very isolated and living under permanent pressure from Saudi Arabia and the United States. Our country can well see that it has an interest in maintaining relations with the West. How do you explain the fact that some young people are turning away from Islam in a country that is still dominated by this religion? By imposing Islam by force, they are provoking a reaction of rejection among young people, who refuse to be dictated to about how to live. This reaction partly explains the interest in Christianity, Zoroastrianism and even Hinduism. Others reject all forms of religion. Sadly, many are losing their way in drugs, for lack of an ideal. It is an easy escape, within easy reach, and many young people are sinking irrevocably into it. Do you have a message for ACN donors? We would like to thank ACN for your solidarity with our remote Christian community. You are providing us with precious material support. More than this, by keeping us informed about the situation of the Church in need elsewhere in the world, you are helping to foster communion among Christians, connecting us even with those who are the most remote geographically. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin -- (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13 2020 Crises have a way of rewarding political leadership. In 2001, then-United States president George W. Bush was on a course of mediocrity, with his approval ratings hovering near 60 percent. His resolute response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks then elevated him to widespread national support, with an approval rating of 92 percent. When Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison fumbled in addressing the nations massive bushfires in 2019 and vacationed in Hawaii while blazes destroyed homes and neighborhoods, his popularity suffered. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 09:51 588 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde66153 4 National train-accident,train-cars,East-Java,traffic-accident,railway-crosings,KAI,Jombang Free A motorist was able to get out his vehicle minutes before it was hit by a train in Sumbermulyo village, Jombang regency, East Java, on Friday. The driver, identified as AM, 46, was driving through an ungated railway crossing when his car suddenly stalled. In the meantime, the KA Ranggajati train from Surabaya was approaching the crossing. AM was able to escape his car before the train hit his vehicle. According to a statement from state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesias (KAI) operational region (DAOP) VII in Madiun, the accident occurred at 10:26 a.m. Read also: This years Idul Fitri traffic accidents fall by 31 percent The driver was coming from the north and heading south, crossing the train track without looking left or right. The train had blown its horn but was ignored by the driver. The train only brushed the car, PT KAI DAOP VII spokesperson Ixfan Hendriwintoko said as quoted by kompas.com. Jombang Police traffic unit head Adj. Comr. Risky Fardian Caropeboka said there were no casualties in the incident. We suspect the accident occurred due to the drivers carelessness, Risky said. The KA Ranggajati experienced a 14-minute delay due to the accident, as the locomotive needed to be repaired before continuing its journey. (dpk) Georgia will no longer require aspiring teachers to pass the performance-based licensing test edTPA, calling it a barrier to entry. EdTPA is the first standards-based assessment for teacher-candidates to become nationally available, and is meant to ensure that new teachers are effective from day one. Supporters said it would raise the bar for the teaching profession, but critics have long worried that it has forced colleges of education to teach to the test and has pushed aspiring teachersespecially those from marginalized backgroundsout of the profession. In Georgia, edTPA became a requirement for program completion and certification in 2015. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission, which oversees teacher-preparation programs, unanimously voted Thursday to drop the statewide requirement, although individual programs can still require candidates to take the edTPA. The decision goes into effect on July 1. We recognize ... that while we have gained much from edTPA, we, as an agency, need to be as responsive as possible to the expressed needs of schools related to staffing and capacity, said Matt Arthur, the executive secretary of the commission, in a memo. And in a statement, Georgias State Superintendent of Schools, Richard Woods, praised what he called a common-sense decision that will help strengthen the states pipeline of teachers. Now more than ever, we should be removing barriers that make it harder for qualified individuals to join the teaching profession, he said. The COVID-19 crisis has made clearer what many of us already knew: measuring a teachers preparation and skill is more complicated than a high-stakes assessment tool can capture. The edTPA assessment served a purpose, but it has become clear over time that it caused unintended barriers and burdens for teachers entering the profession. The edTPA costs $300 to take, and many students have had to retake the test multiple times before passing. Candidates must submit a portfolio of materials for review, including a series of lesson plans, a video of themselves teaching, and written analysis of their instructional practice. At its base, the edTPA essentially asserts that every child deserves a well-trained, highly competent teacher, said Raymond Pecheone, the executive director of the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity, which developed the assessment in 2009. Thats always been the mission of the edTPAto create a system of assessment where regardless of ZIP code, teachers in the state will be held to a common standard. Most states have at least one teacher-preparation program that participates in edTPA, and at least 20 states have approved edTPA to count for their program completion and licensure requirement. Diversity Concerns Studies have shown that candidates of color are less likely to pass the edTPA than their white peers, prompting concerns that the licensing test is contributing to an already overwhelmingly white profession. Pecheone said SCALE is working with states to consider an approach to setting standards for licensure that uses multiple measuresa combination on how the candidates perform on the edTPA and how they perform in student-teaching, as determined by their teacher-preparation program. That way, a candidate who doesnt pass the edTPA but has succeeded in clinical experience could still become a teacher. Oregon, New York, and Wisconsin already use other data in their licensure decisions, Pecheone said, and California is working on similar processes. SCALE is currently compiling insights and best practices from universities that have narrowed or closed the gap in pass rates, he said. Those case studies are expected to be released in the fall. Also, in partnership with the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, SCALE has created a library of resources to support both candidates and programs, Pecheone noted. Even so, the edTPA has been unpopular among teacher educators in Georgia, especially those who work at historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions, said Marsha Francis, who works with preservice teachers in the Fulton County school district and is a site visitor for the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. (Francis, who is one of Education Weeks Leaders to Learn From , used to be the edTPA coordinator for Spelman College, a historically black womens college in Atlanta.) You have this asssesment that feels thrust upon the different programs and the candidates, and its been used to say XYZ about a school, and they feel as if those scores are maybe not the best picture of the types of candidates they produced, she said. Research on whether the test predicts good teaching has been mixed: A 2016 study from the American Institutes of Research found that the students of teachers who passed edTPA on their first try scored higher in reading than students whose teachers didnt, but passing the test didnt have any effect on students math scores. And in a 2018 study that asked teacher-candidates how they perceived the assessment process , some said they thought the test helped them reflect on their practice, develop effective assessments, and analyze student data, while 40 percent said the edTPA didnt help them grow at all as educators. Maintaining a High Bar EdTPA has also been criticized for how the assessments are scored. Recently, a study published in the American Educational Research Journal argued that the results are not always reliable or precise , and can even be misleading. (The developers of the exam have disputed the studys conclusions.) Francis said she worries that the context of individual schools is lost during scoring, and that the process can lead to biases. Do we feel comfortable having someone in Idaho judging my teaching in metro Atlanta? she said. Pecheone said to the degree possible, raterswho are teacher-educators, National Board-certified teachers, and other experienced teachers who have worked with preservice teachersscore portfolios from teacher candidates who are in the same setting as them. (Urban teachers are matched with urban scorers, rural with rural, and suburban with suburban.) The rigorous implementation of the edTPA has improved teacher quality across the state of Georgia, Pacheone said, and hes worried that removing this standard could lead to unqualified teachers entering the classroom, which could cause students to fall significantly behind. Im concerned that the hard-fought standards for teacher performance and accountability [developed over] the last two decades could be rolled back, Pacheone said, adding that other professions have rigorous licensing tests. But Francis said she hopes removing the requirement will send a message to prospective teachers that Georgia is invested in their success. As a teacher educator, I know the importance of preparing thoughtful, highly competent educators, she said. I think that as we continue to work together, we can find ways to ensure that the expectations and standards we have for strong teachers dont eliminate first-generation college students who choose to be teachers, minority students who choose to be teachers, and students who dont have the resources to be retaking expensive testsso that theyre able to go into the classroom because they have gained the knowledge and skills to be effective to meet the needs of kids who look like them. Image via Getty Since I was about 10 years old, I have been active in a fight for racial equality, social justice and police brutality before I truly even knew what these things meant. Now, as a young adult, I realize why having a voice matters so much. These last couple of weeks, I have helped organize and spoken at close to 10 marches throughout Connecticut to help empower my peers to speak up and to never remain silent. Seeing youth coming together to demand justice definitely sends a clear message that we are here and we want change. We shouldnt have to be afraid to be black ... in America! George Floyds death wreaked havoc on so many people of colors lives as we watched a man cry out for help, ask for his mother and declare he couldnt breathe. Every black mother, black son, black father and black daughter felt his pain in that very moment. We will never forget hearing of or witnessing the death of Breonna Taylor or Michael Brown; we will never forget even after the system has forgotten. There are so many names to be said, however, we, as people of color, will not stop marching. We will continue to fight for policy change and we will continue to run for office to make sure black voices are heard and black lives are saved. I will continue to use my platform to empower my peers and those that will come after us with the tools to know what to do after all the marching seems to be done. We will continue to equip our young peers of color on how to write reflective policy to change how police police even after the media has moved on to another story. We will put pen to paper! Because I truly believe, when we fight, we will win! Bobbi Brown is a Bridgeport resident and CEO and creator of Lets Talk Brown Network, #100GirlsLeading. A note from James Walker: As a guest editor overseeing some of the content you will read as the nation grapples with the deaths of unarmed black people, I want to give a voice to the people of Connecticut at this crucial time in Americas history. I hope the voices from our neighbors -- young and old and ethnically diverse -- will open the door to constructive and honest conversations on systematic racism and what we, as Nutmeggers, can do about it. This is part of a national conversation taking place after the death of George Floyd sparked riots and protests and former officer Derek Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder for causing his death. This series includes the voices of 11 people from some of our communities around the state. These are their experiences and thoughts on what is taking place in the country today. I would also like to know your thoughts -- because all voices are needed regardless of point of view. Add your voice to the discussion by emailing me at realtalkrealpeoplect@gmail.com. An empty passenger terminal at Hartford's Bradley International Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Airlines in the US each have a different approach to social distancing in the skies as no one policy fits all for the country's largest carriers. Most airlines are requiring face coverings with more aggressive policies like blocking middle seats becoming scarce in the skies, despite initial attempts by some. Some airlines are offering passengers the option to change their flights for free if they don't feel comfortable traveling on a crowded aircraft. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Airlines in the US are finding themselves at a crossroads. While a priority is driving up revenues to account for the heavy losses incurred in March, April, and May, the concern for the safety and comfort of passengers is also at the forefront and the two seldom complement each other without compromise. Each of the country's major airlines has taken a different approach to reconcile ways of increasing revenue with peace of mind for flyers. Travelers also are now factoring in health and safety when booking a flight, a decision that needed never weigh heavily on the minds of many prior to this pandemic. Some carriers have gone to the extreme by blocking middle seats and flying extra flights to keep passenger loads light. Others are continuing on with business almost as usual, not requiring so much as a face covering for passengers. Most carriers in the US require their passengers to wear some form of face coverings, with only a small minority of airlines not mandating the practice now recommended by the Centers for Disease Control when social distancing isn't an option. Blocking middle seats and limiting flight loads has also been adopted by a few of the larger and mid-tier airlines, though some have abandoned that practice after seeing high demand on certain flights. airline safety measures during covid 19 july 14 Shayanne Gal/Business Insider With Transportation Security Administration passenger numbers showing that travel is on the rise, most of these measures are likely only temporary and will subside once demand rises high enough. Not every airline is perfect in its approach and flying while the pandemic rages will still require some determination and precautions on the part of the traveler. Story continues Take a look at the largest US airlines are approaching this pandemic as travel begins to rebound across the country. American Airlines An American Airlines Airbus A321. Mike Blake / Reuters American is not blocking middle seats nor limiting flight loads, allowing flights to fill up to capacity, according to its website, and requiring face coverings to be worn on every flight. If a flight is filling up, American will notify passengers, typically by email, and offer the option to change to an alternate flight free of charge. The in-flight service has been suspended on shorter flights, as Business Insider found on a flight in June. The airline's aircraft cleaning procedure also includes disinfecting before each flight and regular fogging using an electrostatic sprayer. Delta Air Lines A Delta Air Lines Boeing 717. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty Delta is blocking middle seats and certain aisle seats on its aircraft in an effort to limit loads to 50% in first class and 60% in economy cabins. It recently extended this policy until September 30 and is now also increasing capacity on high demand routes, according to Delta's website. The airline currently distributes an essentials kit to passengers including a water bottle, snacks, and hand sanitizer, and boards aircraft back to front, as Business Insider found on a recent flight. The airline confirmed to Business Insider in an email that if a flight is too crowded for a passenger's liking, despite the blocked seats, rebooking to later flight to the same destination will be done free of charge. Face coverings are also required on Delta flights and the airline's cleaning procedure includes fogging with the use of an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect the aircraft. United Airlines United Airlines planes at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. ASSOCIATED PRESS United recently amended its social distancing policy, which no longer includes blocked middle seats and limited flight loads, to allow passengers with full flights to make a change free of charge. The airline is also requiring passengers to wear face coverings while onboard, according to its website. On flights longer then 2 hours and 20 minutes, United will distribute amenity bags with a sanitizing wipe, water bottle, and snacks while the service on shorter flights will be suspended, as Business Insider found on a June flight on the airline. United's cleaning procedure will also include fogging through the use of an electrostatic sprayer. Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. Reuters Southwest does not allow pre-assigned seats but will limit the number of seats sold on its aircraft to ensure that middle seats can be left open for those not traveling together, according to its website, until September 30. Boarding will also be completed in groups of 10 and in-flight services are temporarily reduced, as Business Insider found on a June flight on the airline. Face coverings are required on Southwest flights. The airline also disinfects its aircraft using an electrostatic sprayer, with sanitary wipes available on request. JetBlue Airways A JetBlue Airways Airbus A321 aircraft. Philip Pilosian / Shutterstock.com JetBlue is blocking middle seats on its Airbus A320 aircraft and certain aisle seats on its Embraer E190 aircraft through September 8, according to the airline's website. Face coverings are required to be worn by passengers and flight attendants will also be subject to temperature checks. JetBlue is also disinfecting its aircraft with an electrostatic sprayer. Alaska Airlines An Alaska Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Alaska is blocking middle and certain aisle seats on its aircraft through July 31, as well as requiring face coverings for all passengers and customer-facing employees who cannot maintain social distancing, according to an airline news release. The airline will provide face coverings for those who do not have. Alaska is also utilizing electrostatic sprayers to disinfect aircraft. Hawaiian Airlines A Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330 aircraft. Markus Mainka / Shutterstock.com Hawaiian Airlines is blocking middle seats onboard jet aircraft, as well as other select seats such as adjoining seats on its ATR 42 turboprop fleet, and requiring the use of face coverings for all passengers, according to its website. Passengers will board the aircraft from back to front and deplaning will be controlled by flight attendants to prevent congestion. Hawaiian also employs the use of an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect its aircraft via fogging. Spirit Airlines A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Spirit is not blocking middle seats onboard its aircraft but is requiring the use of face coverings for all passengers, according to an airline news release. The airline is also disinfecting its aircraft with an electrostatic sprayer. Frontier Airlines A Frontier Airlines Airbus A320neo. Luke.Travel/shutterstock Frontier is not blocking all of the middle seats on its Airbus A320 family fleet but will be restricting around 20 seats on its aircraft from purchase until the end of August, which is shown on seat maps, the airline confirmed to Business Insider in an email. Face coverings are also required to be worn by all passengers and employees, according to its website. The airline is also taking passenger temperatures at the gate and denying boarding to anybody with a reading of 100.4 degrees after two attempts. Passengers need also fill out a health declaration at check-in, affirming that they have had no contact with someone with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case, will wash or sanitize their hands before a flight, will check their own temperature before travel, and understand and agree to Frontier's face covering policy. The low-cost carrier is also disinfecting its aircraft by fogging through the use of an electrostatic sprayer. Allegiant Air An Allegiant Air Airbus A320 aircraft. Markus Mainka / Shutterstock.com Allegiant is not blocking middle seats but is now requiring passengers to wear face coverings, according to its website. The airline's website asks that passengers do not book the middle seat, except families traveling together, and that masks will be provided in an essentials kit that also includes non-latex gloves and sanitary wipes. The ultra-low-cost carrier is also requiring passengers to fill out a health declaration. Allegiant's website doesn't specifically say whether it uses an electrostatic sprayer but does say an antimicrobial coating is regularly applied that protects surfaces for 14 days. Passengers on flights that are greater than 65% full will also be given the option to be notified and offered rebooking options including receiving a credit voucher or changing their flight, though a fare difference will apply, an Allegiant spokesperson told Business Insider in an email. Sun Country Airlines A Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Sun Country Airlines Sun Country is limiting available middle seats onboard its Boeing 737 aircraft, only assigning them when aisle and window seats fill up, with an exception for passengers travelers together, according to its website. Sun Country passengers are now be required to wear face coverings while onboard the company's aircraft, with the airline on Monday reversing its policy that merely encouraged the practice. The ultra-low-cost carrier's website does not specifically say whether it disinfects aircraft through fogging and the use of an electrostatic sprayer but a disinfectant is applied every night and when an aircraft is sitting for more than two hours. Flights will also be boarded back to front. Read the original article on Business Insider Protests take place across Australia for second weekend over future of Indigenous people. Thousands of protesters have rallied for racial equality across Australia despite official warnings the demonstrations could undermine the countrys success in suppressing the coronavirus pandemic. The biggest demonstration took place in the Western Australian capital, Perth, where several thousand people gathered in a park waving Black Lives Matter signs and Aboriginal flags on Saturday. Smaller protests were held in Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, and towns in neighbouring Queensland both regions with numerous Indigenous communities. We are here to support our future as Indigenous people and to walk against the injustices of what happens to our people, with over 400 black deaths in custody, an unnamed protester told public broadcaster ABC at the Darwin march. With the exception of the Darwin demonstration, which had authorisation, the other protests violated official injunctions against mass gatherings instituted three months ago to curb the spread of the coronavirus. But organisers made efforts to keep the protesters spread out and mostly wearing face masks, and police did not intervene. It was the second straight weekend of large protests in Australia, initially organised in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States following the killing by a white policeman of the Black unarmed man George Floyd. The movement has resonated particularly strongly with many in Australia, a country wrestling with the legacy of racial injustice towards the countrys Indigenous people. Aboriginal Australians are vastly over-represented in the prison population, and there have been more than 400 Indigenous deaths in custody in the last three decades. No prosecutions have been brought over the deaths, despite dozens of investigations, inquests and in some cases, video evidence of abuse. Many protesters carried signs reflecting the Aboriginal experience, including Stop deaths in custody and White Australia stop lying to yourselves. In parallel with the Black Lives Matter rallies, dozens of people protested in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne against the prolonged detention of asylum seekers under the governments tough refugee policies. Police had banned all those protests for violating coronavirus health regulations but they took place largely without incident. Australia has been one of the most successful countries in containing the pandemic, with some 7,200 cases and 102 deaths for a population of 25 million. Health officials said this week that the virus had been virtually eliminated in many regions of the country, though there continue to be a handful of new cases daily in the most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria. 3 1 of 3 Submitted photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Even during lockdowns and quarantine, the Cut and Shoot Family Lions Club is staying active. The latest service project was to help the families whose homes were destroyed by the devastating tornado that hit Onalaska, Texas. We worked with Teresa Harald of the Willis ISD Parent Support Center to help provide much needed items for the victims. The club spent $500 on this worthwhile project. The evacuees were disembarked and were taken for medical screening at the jetty followed by Customs clearance and other formalities. Visakhapatnam: Under Operation Samudra Setu, INS Shardul has brought back 233 stranded Indian nationals, who were earlier evacuated from Bandar Abbas port in Iran. The ship entered Porbandar harbour on Friday. Personnel from Indian Navy, state authorities and police officials received the evacuees. All arrangements including a screening zone, a sanitisation zone, availability of ambulances and buses for transport were put in place at the port. The evacuees were disembarked and were taken for medical screening at the jetty followed by Customs clearance and other formalities. The evacuees thereafter boarded buses arranged to take them to the designated quarantine zones. District wise details of the evacuees had already been forwarded to the administration beforehand. Operation Samudra Setu is the Indian Navy's contribution to the Government of India's national efforts to facilitate return of Indian citizens from foreign shores. So far, a total of 3,107 Indian citizens have been brought back from Maldives (2,188), Sri Lanka (686) and Iran (233) by Indian Naval ships Jalashwa, Magar and Shardul. In the last 24 hours, India has recorded the highest single-day spike of 11,458 new cases and 386 deaths. It now ranks 4th among the worlds worst affected countries of coronavirus. As lockdown restrictions ease across India, the novel coronavirus- Covid-19 cases have crossed 3 lakh mark on Saturday. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India recorded the highest single-day spike of 11,458 new cases and 386 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total number of coronavirus cases in India now stands at 308993, including 145779 active cases, 154330 cured/discharged/migrated cases and 8884 death cases. In Maharashtra, which continues to be the worst affected state in India, the number of cases has crossed 1 lakh mark. Of the 101141 total cases, there are 49628 active cases, 47796 cured/discharged/migrated cases and 3717 deaths. Tamil Nadu is the worst affected state with 40,698 confirmed cases, including 18284 active cases, 22047 cured/migrated/discharged cases and 367 deaths. Delhi is the third worst affected state with 36824 confirmed cases, including 22212 active cases, 13398 cured/discharged/migrated cases and 1214 deaths. Globally, India ranks 4th among the worlds worst affected countries of coronavirus after US, Brazil and Russia. US has 2.09 confirmed cases, Brazil has 830K confirmed cases and Russia has 511K confirmed cases. The total tally of coronavirus cases in the world has crossed 7 million mark and the death toll has reached 413K mark. India crosses 3 lakh mark as it reports the highest single-day spike of 11,458 new #COVID19 cases; total cases rise to 308993; 386 deaths in the last 24 hours. There are 145779 active cases, 154330 cured/discharged/migrated & 8884 deaths in the country so far: Ministry of Health pic.twitter.com/BL5k2J3dbE ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2020 Also Read: India-China standoff: Alice Wells says US stands with India in pushing back against Chinese probing of Indian sovereignty Also Read: Indo China standoff: Rajnath Singh reviews Ladakh situation with CDS, services chiefs To review Unlock I, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a meeting with the chief ministers of all states and union territories on June 16, 17. He will interact with the CMs of Punjab, Assam, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Goa, Manipur, Nagaland, Puducherry, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu, Sikkim, Lakshadweep on June 16th and Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha on June 17th. PM @narendramodi will interact with state Chief Ministers on the 16th and 17th. pic.twitter.com/RWGeanxgHd PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 12, 2020 Also Read: Unlock 1: PM to interact with CMs of all states on June 16-17 For all the latest National News, download NewsX App US prosecutors on Friday filed multiple charges against three protesters accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at police cars during anti-racism demonstrations in New York -- charges that could lead to life sentences. The indictments, filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, accuse Samantha Shader, Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman of throwing explosive devices at police cars in two separate incidents in late May. In both cases, no one was injured. The three are facing seven charges including arson, possession and use of explosives and destructive devices, and public disorder. "If convicted of all the counts, they potentially face up to life in prison," a spokesman for the US Attorney's office told AFP. All three are in custody without bail, though their attorneys have appealed that decision. The protests took place on the first weekend after George Floyd, an African American man, died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25. His death -- the latest in a long line of unarmed black men who have died at the hands of law enforcement -- ignited nationwide protests as the US faces a reckoning on systemic racism and police brutality. Most of the demonstrations have been peaceful. However, some of the protests in New York and other cities across the country -- including the nights at issue in this case -- devolved into looting and violence after dark. The attitude of the New York police, who at times charged or violently pushed back the largely peaceful protesters, has been widely criticized. Some police officers were disciplined. One of them was charged after he was filmed violently shoving a woman to the ground, making him the first NYPD officer to face criminal charges over the heavy-handed tactics. Greylock Federal Names Chief Administrative Officer PITTSFIELD, Mass. JamieEllen Moncecchi has been named senior vice president and chief administrative officer for Greylock Federal Credit Union. Her areas of responsibility now include administration, marketing, community partnerships and support, board governance and human resources. "JamieEllen has always demonstrated strong and capable leadership and has continued to expand her role through hard work and a long list of achievements," said President/CEO John L. Bissell. "She is one our most trusted employees and I congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition." Moncecchi joined Greylock in 1994 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in a variety of departments throughout the organization. She lives in Windsor, Mass., with her husband Joe and has two children. A Bihar man was released by Nepals security personnel on Saturday, a day after he was detained following a firing incident inside its territory near the border with the Indian state, news agency ANI reported. One Indian national was killed and two others were injured when Nepals Armed Police Force (APF), which guards the countrys border with India, opened fire on a group following an altercation on Friday morning. Twenty-two-year-old Vikesh Yadav was killed and Uday Thakur, 24, and Umesh Ram, 18, were injured in the firing on Friday morning near Lalbandi-Janki Nagar border. Lagan Kishore was detained. My son and I were at the border to meet my daughter-in-law (a Nepali national). Security personnel from that side hit my son. They asked me to shut up when I asked why did they do that. They called up 10 more security personnel, they came to the border and fired bullets in the air, Lagan Kishore was quoted as saying by ANI. We ran to return to India when they started firing but they dragged me from the Indian side, hit me with a rifle butt and took me to Nepals Sangrampur, Kishore said. They told me to confess that I was brought there from Nepal. I told them you can kill me but I was brought there from India, he added. Kumar Rajesh Chandra, the director general of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), had said the firing incident took place around 8.40am on Friday in Nepalese territory when members of a family, some of whom reside in Nepal were meeting near the border. The Nepal APF objected (to them being there) saying there is a lockdown in Nepal till June 14, leading to some avoidable and instant altercation. Nepal APF has said that villagers became aggressive and they had to open 15 rounds of fire. This is being investigated, Chandra said on Friday. The free movement of people between India had Nepal stopped over the past three months due to the coronavirus pandemic and Nepal APF has increased the number of posts to stop Indians from entering its territory. Only those on a list shared by local administrations from both sides were allowed to travel to and fro; cargo movement was also allowed. Yadav and the two others who were injured were not in the list of persons shared by the local administrations, another official who asked not to be named said on Friday. They were accompanied by others from their village and stones were thrown at the APF, an official said citing preliminary reports. Nepal APF has informed us that the villagers tried to snatch weapons from them but there will be an enquiry by them and by us also. As of now, everything is peaceful and locals have been told not to violate the lockdown imposed by Nepal, the official said. It was the third such incident in the last one month on the border when Nepals police force has fired to disperse people, particularly after India started easing its nationwide lockdown, an official, who asked not to be named, said. Nepal has announced a lockdown in the border region till June 14. Both the countries are locked in a dispute over territory following a map issued by Nepal that stakes claim over Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. Indias ministry of external affairs said: such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India. India has said these were part of Uttarakhand while Kathmandu had shown them as part of western Nepal in its recent map. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov has said that his country intends to reach 100 percent fulfillment of obligations on reduction of oil production within OPEC+ deal. Addressing the webinar on Energy Issues in the post-COVID-19 World organized via videoconference by Azerbaijan Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) on June 11, the minister said: In May Azerbaijan fulfilled its obligations to reduce oil production by 98 percent. This is a high figure. We plan to reduce production by 2,500 barrels in June to meet our commitments. Furthermore, he noted that during the pandemic the oil marked faced a number of serious problems. The minister said that the most important problems were the general economic downturn, a decline in demand for oil and a sharp drop in oil prices, as well as the inability of OPEC+ countries to reach an agreement in March, adding that one month was nevertheless enough to understand that the international oil market needs a production adjustment mechanism. "Everyone understood the importance of OPEC+ in this situation. On April 12, OPEC+ reached an agreement and put the adjustment mechanism back into operation. It started working, and the results are obvious. We all understand how important OPEC+ is in the future," Shahbazov said. Likewise, Shahbazov noted that the forecast figures for 2020 do not inspire optimism, as there may be a lack of investment in the oil industry. "In the future, there may be a lack of investment in the oil industry. The investment deficit in the energy sector is expected to decrease by $400 billion and expenditures by 30 percent. The level of shale oil production, which put downward pressure on prices, stimulates the price under current conditions. If prices remain at $50 per barrel for a long time, there will be significant changes in the shale sector and the global oil market," he said. For his part, OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo said that "OPEC is very proud to have Azerbaijan participating in the agreement to reduce oil production and is grateful for the high-level support. As our Organization celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, we would be happy to welcome Azerbaijan as a member of the OPEC family. He stressed that the world owes much to Azerbaijan for promoting international energy cooperation and for being at the forefront of efforts to ensure sustainable stability in the oil market. Moreover, Barkindo noted that participation of Azerbaijan as an observer at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, ensures further expansion of Azerbaijans global cooperation with many OPEC member countries and countries participating in the oil production reduction agreement. "Our experience in countering market risks associated with COVID-19 demonstrates the importance of high-level multilateral cooperation. We should not miss the opportunity to work on broader, consensus-based solutions that benefit the industry and ultimately the world. Our door is always open to those who share our values, concerns and hopes for a better future," he said. It should be noted that in April 2020, OPEC and non-OPEC countries entered into agreement on reduction of daily oil production by 9.7 million barrels in May-June and 164,000 barrels for Azerbaijan. At the meeting of OPEC and OPEC+ countries on June 6, it was decided to extend the quota by another month - until the end of July. Four teenagers were arrested after a police officer was allegedly assaulted and had his mobile phone and police identification stolen on Sydney's northern beaches on Friday night. Police were called to McDonald's in Warriewood at 11pm after reports a group of teenagers were causing a disturbance inside. As officers moved the group outside and began attempting to disperse the crowd, a senior male officer was allegedly knocked to the ground. One of the teenagers allegedly stole the officer's phone, which had fallen to the ground, and another allegedly stole the officer's identification before the group ran away. RTHK: EU agrees purchase of 300 mn Covid-19 vaccine doses Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands have signed an agreement with pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca to guarantee the supply to the EU of 300 million doses of a possible coronavirus vaccine, the German government announced on Saturday. The four countries have signed an agreement with the group, formed in 1999 from the merger of the Swedish company Astra and British company Zeneca, which provides for the supply of a vaccine to all EU member states as soon it is discovered, said the German Ministry of Health. AstraZeneca is partnering in the enterprise with Britain's Oxford University, which has pioneered the inoculation. The firm has been building separate supply chains around the world during the tests, striking other deals earlier this month to double production capacity to more than two billion doses. "This agreement will ensure that hundreds of millions of Europeans have access to Oxford University's vaccine following approval," Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said in a statement. "With our European supply chain due to begin production soon, we hope to make the vaccine available widely and rapidly." Oxford University began initial trials with hundreds of volunteers in April and is now expanding them to 10,000 participants. The development of a vaccine could be successfully completed by year end, German government sources said. The doses announced on Saturday, potentially rising to 400 million, "must be distributed to all member states that want to participate, depending on the size of their population," the German ministry said. "In order for the vaccines to be available in large numbers very quickly after their possible approval this year or next year, production capacities must be guaranteed by contract now." According to the World Bank, the EU has a population of around 447 million. German Minister of Health Jens Spahn said that "the swift and coordinated action of a group of member states" would see "all EU citizens" stand to benefit. The European Commission defended the idea on Friday that EU countries should join up to guarantee privileged access to a future vaccine, arguing strongly for the establishment of advance purchase contracts. With the laboratories trying to find a vaccine in record time - 12 to 18 months instead of several years in normal times - these advance payments allow them to invest in production, even though the clinical trials on humans have not yet been finalised. This commitment would give member states the right to buy doses at a certain price once the vaccine is available, in return for the risk taken in terms of investments. Major pharmaceutical groups are engaged in a race to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus, which has so far killed more than 417,000 people and infected more than 7.4 million worldwide. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New unemployment data from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) shows that New York is among the hardest hit states in terms of unemployment rate. For months, unemployment claims have been climbing across the country as millions of Americans lost their jobs to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Four states currently house more than one million residents who are either receiving or awaiting regular unemployment benefits: California (3.3 million), New York (1.9 million), Texas (1.4 million), and Florida (1.3 million). Though New York ranks second in total number of unemployment claims, the Empire State drops to fourth when examining the percentage of state workers currently receiving or awaiting unemployment benefits. Oregon ranks first (23.8%), followed by Nevada (22.5%), Hawaii (19.9%), New York (19.7%), Georgia (19.0%), District of Columbia (18.6%), Michigan (18.4%), Alaska (17.8%), California (17.1%), and Massachusetts (16.7%). New York also ranks near the top in terms of residents applying for the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, designed to support gig workers who are not eligible for traditional unemployment benefits. New York has the second most residents either receiving or awaiting PUA benefits at over 1.3 million. Michigan leads the way with 1.8 million, with California, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts ranking third, fourth and fifth with 1.3 million, 1.3 million and 1.1 million, respectively. Vu Tan Cong - Deputy general director Vietnam Automobile and Trade Consulting Co., Ltd. In addition, the pandemic has made the US-China trade dispute even fiercer. As a result, many Chinese-located automobile parts and component-manufacturing enterprises are planning to move to other countries to avoid the effects. These enterprises include tier-1 and tier-2 groups that supply their products to both China (such as Geely, Changan, Chery, and SAIC) and overseas carmakers (like Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and many more). Vietnam has now successfully controlled COVID-19. This makes it one of the more interesting countries in terms of attracting new waves of foreign investment in the automotive support industry. Moreover, Vietnam is close to China with a long in-land border line that makes the country even more attractive for Chinese automobile supporting industrial businesses. Vietnam has signed some free trade agreements (FTAs) such as the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (required in-bloc localisation ratio of 40 per cent), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (required in-bloc localisation ratio of 55 per cent), and the EU-Vietnam FTA (required in-bloc localisation ratio of 55 per cent). In order to enjoy zero import tax rates on cars to be imported by other FTA member countries from Vietnam, the development of the automotive support industry is the key to success. In order to take advantage of this, Vietnam needs to implement a selection of the right investment fields, establish an automobile industry cluster, and make full use of central government, local government, and business enterprise efforts. Managing fresh automobile clusters for post-virus boost-illustration photo. Photo: AFP/Christophe Archambault Suitable funding fields There are two fields of automobile supporting industries advisable to attract foreign investment automotive electronic component production and the material production industry. In a passenger car, many electronic components have been used to make cars more effective, safe, stable, and comfortable. According to data from PwC, the percentage of electronics value in passenger car total value will be 35 per cent in 2020 and up to 50 per cent by 2030. These rates show the big potential for the electonic passenger car field to develop. It is predicted that the global electronics automotive market size will exceed $300 billion this year. In addition to this industry, material production is also a very important area for the field to develop. Materials, which are recognised as food for the industry, include steel alloys, aluminum alloys, cast iron, plastics, rubbers, glass and more. In Vietnam, the material production industry for automobiles is at very low levels of development, and most of the materials necessary for the automotive industry are imported from overseas. In order to be successful in the automobile industry, it is advisable for Vietnam to concentrate on the development of the material production industry using raw materials available in Vietnam like alumina, iron ores, natural rubbers, and oil refinery side-products. In many countries around the world with developed automobile industries, they are recognised as high-tech sectors. In fact, passenger car electronics and material production industries involve advanced methods and the most modern equipment. As China is the biggest automobile market of the world in sales volume, at 25.8 million units last year, most of the world automotive electronics and material production enterprises have their production bases there. Under COVID-19 influences, those enterprises in China are planning to relocate their production bases to other countries in Asia. Vietnam needs to well prepare to welcome new waves of foreign investment in automobile electronics and material production industries. To be successful in this, Vietnam has to better consider and set up some automobile industry clusters (AIC) in which automobile manufacturers and tier-1 and tier-2s are located. Advantages of an automobile industry cluster are increased productivity, specialised workers, retrieving investors, and rapid innovation. A northern AIC could supply its products to VinFast, Hoa Mai Motors, and Chien Thang Motors in Haiphong city; Ford Motors in Hai Duong city; Toyota Motors, Honda Motors, and Daewoo Bus in Vinh Phuc province; TC Motors and HINO Motors in Hanoi, and the Ninh Binh TC Motors factory in Ninh Binh province. A central AIC could supply products to the THACO and TCIE factories in Danang city. Additionally, a southern AIC can supply products to Mercedes-Benz, Suzuki, ISUZU, SAMCO, and Daehan Motors in Ho Chi Minh City; Mitsubishi Motors in Binh Duong province, and Do Thanh Auto in Dong Nai province. Efforts from numerous sides On May 22, the prime minister agreed to establish a special working team with new thinking to welcome waves of foreign investment and strong transition from overseas after the COVID-19 disease. Members of this special working group are advisable to include senior officers from related ministries like those of industry and trade, finance, transport, planning and investment, and science and technology; as well as senior officers from the aforementioned cities where the automobile industry clusters would be located; and independent senior consultants/experts on automobile industry and business. The special working group will work out and consult with the PM to promulgate special incentives and support policies on the establishment, management, and operations of the AICs. These policies (if any) must be clear, easy to implement, feasible, and attractive enough in order to boost investment in such clusters. Special incentive and support policy contents that are expected by the industry include tax incentives (corporate income tax, personal income tax, import tax, special consumption tax); technology transfer fee support (a part or whole of the technology transfer fee); support in technology purchases; and support in contacting and working with potential foreign partners. Meanwhile, the local governments of cities where the AICs are to be located can provide them with more incentives and support, within their responsibilities and duties. These incentives and support from local governments consist of clean land being available for investors in the AICs; land-leasing incentives (land-leasing cost, land-leasing fee, and reduction durations); land support (no costs for land compensation and land levelling); manager and high-skilled technician training fee support; and strong support in infrastructure of the AICs (power and water supply, and solid and water waste treatment). In addition, local governments are advisable not to create additional investment procedures, to delete all unnecessary procedures, and to support investors in arrangement of housing and/or apartments for workers, technicians, and experts at low renting fees or for free. By working with many businesses in the automobile supporting industries, it can be seen that many of them are weak in financial capacity, poor in business and human resource management, and limited in international relations and integration. Strong preparations by both the central and local governments will be of no value when businesses do not make enough effort. Therefore, it is highly recommended that busineses operating in the automobile supporting industries will have to arrange enough finances for investment, improve their corporate management skills, enhance international relations and integration, boost human resources, and become stronger in business-to-business connections. It was God, sister says of Gospel Grace radio host killed while shielding son Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The sister of Tyra Womack, a 57-year-old Baltimore gospel radio host who was shot dead outside her home during a dispute with a neighbor earlier this week, said God intervened and allowed Womack to shield her son, who was the main target, and save his life. The victim's sister, Courtney Scott, told news station WBAL that the suspect came out of nowhere and began firing at Womack's 25-year-old son, who was waiting for his mother on the front porch Wednesday night. Womack was an announcer on WEAA-FM's weekly "Gospel Grace" radio program for three decades. "In my mind, he (the suspect) wanted to hurt my sister and kill her one and only son," Scott said. None of the bullets struck Womack's son, but she was shot multiple times. "I don't know how that happened and how the bullets hit her. It was God, I do know how. It was God because she was protecting her son," Scott added. Dr. Kaye Whitehead, a fellow radio host at WEAA-FM, described Womack as a woman of faith. "It wasn't that she just played the music. She was also a believer." On Friday, Baltimore Police said an arrest warrant had been obtained for the suspect, 56-year-old Richard Sylvester Green, Womack's next-door neighbor who was described by police as "armed and dangerous." "WEAA offers condolences and prayers to the family of our beloved Tyra Phillips (Womack)," the station, which is affiliated with NPR and based at Morgan State University's School of Global Journalism and Communication, said in a statement. "We are heartbroken about her passing and remember her beautiful, gentle, sweet spirit today. Tyra was heard on Sunday's Gospel Grace programs for many years at WEAA." The university also paid tribute to her, saying: "We are truly saddened, as a community and more importantly as a family, by the inexplicable and senseless death of one of our dearest WEAA voices. Tyra 'Phillips' Womack, a longstanding WEAA weekend contributor, was most often heard on our airwaves gracing listeners with inspirational quotes and readings during her weekly church announcements segments on Gospel Grace Sunday." The suspect allegedly harassed Womack's family for years. Her son was waiting for his mother to return from her evening walk when the shooting took place. She was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to Radio Online. "This was a senseless, tragic murder, as many are, and it appears to have stemmed from a neighbor dispute," a police spokesperson said in a statement. Womack, a member of First Apostolic, was also an administrative assistant for the U.S. Post Office. Poll reveals most millennials, Gen Z adults support abortion ban when babys heartbeat is detected By Ryan Foley Reuters /Jason Reed) Pro-life protesters file past the U.S. Supreme Court Building during the annual March for Life in Washington January 24, 2011. A new poll released ahead of the annual March for Life reveals that most young Americans support efforts to ban abortions after a baby's heartbeat can be detected. The poll, conducted on behalf of the pro-life organization Students for Life of America from Jan. 511, asked 834 young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 for their views on abortion and the United States Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide. The polls release comes as pro-lifers are set to gather in Washington, D.C., Friday for the annual March for Life that's held in the nation's capital around the anniversary of the Roe decision. The survey informed respondents that the human fetal heart begins to beat 21 days after conception, at 3 weeks gestation before asking if they supported banning abortions after a heartbeat is detected. Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they supported banning abortions after a heartbeat can be detected compared to 48% who opposed. Denise Harle, an attorney with the religious liberty law firm Alliance Defending Freedom, reacted to the polls findings in an interview with The Christian Post. I think that is fantastic news, she said. Harle told CP that she was so encouraged because it means that our younger generation understands what medical science shows us and what biology teaches us, which is that life begins at conception, its a human right and it should be protected. Some of the young Americans who participated in the poll changed their views on abortion once they received more details about Roe v. Wade. Initially, 60% of respondents expressed some level of support for Roe, with 21% saying that they very strongly supported the decision, 26% reporting that they strongly supported the decision, and 12% telling the pollster that they did not strongly support it. The share of respondents who expressed some level of support for Roe decreased after they learned that Roe allows abortions to take place throughout all nine months of pregnancy, right up until the moment of birth and allows women to abort their children if they do not like the sex of their baby, fear it has an abnormality like Down syndrome or believe that the baby might be same-sex attracted or one day identify as transgender. Additionally, the poll informed respondents that Roe has been used to justify sending U.S. taxpayer dollars to perform abortions or off-set other expenses of abortion vendors/providers, allows women to use abortion as contraception and ends a disproportionate number of minority lives. At the end of the poll, support for Roe had dropped to 50% among those surveyed. The share of participants who very strongly support Roe dipped slightly from 21% to 20%, the percentage who strongly support Roe dropped from 26% to 21%, while 9% indicated that they did not very strongly support it. Harle described this finding in the poll as consistent with previous polling revealing that when you ask people about what Roe v. Wade really held, they dont agree with it. When asked for their views about abortion in general, 25% agreed with the statement asserting that I support an abortion at any time without exception. Twenty percent expressed support for abortion after a heartbeat is detected, up until the fetus can feel pain. Twenty-eight percent opposed abortions after a heartbeat can be detected, while supporting exceptions to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest. Seventeen percent opposed abortions at all times after a heartbeat can be detected, except to save the life of the mother. The remaining 9% opposed abortion in all circumstances. While 80% of respondents supported allowing Americans to vote on the abortion policies of their respective states, only 47% said they would support a ban on abortion in their state, compared to 53% who would oppose a ban. A majority (55%) of respondents disagreed with the idea that all Americans, regardless of their beliefs on abortion, should pay for abortions worldwide with tax dollars. However, 54% contended that all Americans, regardless of their views on abortion, should have to pay for abortions in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mothers life. Respondents were split on whether or not healthcare personnel should have to perform abortions if doing so violates their conscience. Fifty-one percent disagreed with forcing healthcare personnel to perform abortions, while 49% agreed. The Students for Life of America survey, as well as this years March for Life, come as the Supreme Court weighs whether or not to uphold a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi. A ruling in favor of the state of Mississippi, which is seeking to uphold the ban, would significantly weaken the precedent set by Roe v. Wade. Harle finds herself very optimistic about the future of abortion policy in the U.S. based on the oral arguments in the case surrounding the Mississippi abortion law, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which took place last month: Its quite possible that Roe v. Wade will be overturned, which would mean that this issue would be returned to the states so that Americans can decide and enact policies consistent with their values, policies that protect life, that protect womens health. For almost 50 years, states have been imprisoned by this one Supreme Court decision, in which seven of those nine justices decided that the American people no longer had a say in protecting life as a human right. And so theres a very real possibility that in a matter of months, thats going to be undone. And its going to free us up to go back to Americas foundational respect for life and embrace a culture that celebrates life. Harle emphasized that an end to Roe would not mean the end of the pro-life movement. The battleground will shift, she predicted. If Roe v. Wade is overturned and the issue goes back to the states, that means every state will have the ability to decide its own policies. And so, thats going to be so important to make sure that states immediately put good measures in place that protect the humanity of unborn children. There will be states like New York and California that want to continue sanctioning abortion up until the moment of birth and we have a lot of work there to do to continue to show them the humanity of the unborn child and the dangers and harms to women who go through abortion and how demeaning it is for us to tell women that they need abortion to succeed in our nation, which is a lie, she proclaimed. The World Government Summit (WGS) reaffirmed that facing the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak requires cementing the principles of partnership and employing modern technology to explore and build on new opportunities. In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to promote global cooperation, concerted efforts between governments for the good of humankind, and build a better future for humanity. These were the key takeaways of two recent webinars, as part of the online series organised by the World Government Summit Foundation until June 26. The series aims to enhance the role of governments in responding to the new frontiers set by the novel Coronavirus and shape the future of governments in the post-coronavirus era by analysing the latest developments and effects of the virus on governments worldwide. The online series, Covid-19 & Government, discuss the global impact of Covid-19 on vital economic sectors and the future of government beyond this pandemic, hosting 30 global speakers, experts, and government leaders. It also focuses on new global trends imposed by the acceleration of technological progress and the changes brought about by the pandemic, which helps governments overcome the crisis and create a better future. Dr Peter H Diamandis, Executive Chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, spoke about the importance of collaboration between sectors, institutions and governments to face the coronavirus crisis, in a webinar titled Covid-19: How Can We Harness Technology to Overcome Pandemics?, moderated by Saqr Binghaleb, Director of the UAE Governments Artificial Intelligence Office. Dr Diamandis He said: The human race has never had a singular enemy like this before, and for the first time ever, every nation is realising that this particular virus is of concern. Hence, collaboration is key. Weve seen somewhere about 100 million and 200 million physicians, scientists, nurses, engineers, and technologists focusing on how to solve this problem. Dr Diamandis added: Dealing with rapid change requires agility and adaptability. So, governments, companies, families, and individuals who are most open to change, are the ones who are going to survive and thrive the most during this time. It really is creating a culture of a positive mindset and a culture of adaptability. Yes, there are many problems, but we are more positioned as scientists and engineers than ever before to solve problems. As we solve problems, we create new industries and new capabilities, and we move humanity forward. The global expert added that the sectors which will witness tremendous growth in the coming stage will go through four basic operations: digitisation, dematerialisation, demonetisation, and democratisation. He explained that experiential education will be the future of the education sector, and will be supported by virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This will transform our daily lives into a continuous learning experience, which requires preparing our children for this transformation by helping them explore their passions, motivate them to ask big questions, and train them to insist and persevere. He added that the real challenge is we are still teaching our children the same way we taught them hundreds of years ago, which makes education an imperfect experience. After we got used to focusing on teaching them facts, it is now more important to train them to ask big questions. Dr Diamandis stressed that with enormous technological development, societies around the world will rely primarily on governments to ensure the security and safety of using this modern technology. He pointed out that, despite the massive turmoil caused by the pandemic, it unified people and brought them together in many areas, and that technological advances in the world have strengthened the ability of societies to face the spread of this epidemic. Dr Diamandis likened the Covid-19 global pandemic to the asteroid impact which led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, adding that another asteroid that had struck Planet Earth over the past decade was that of exponential technologies. The next asteroid to strike the planet is AI. It will be transformational, he said. Dr John Chipman, Director General and CEO at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), and Frederick Kempe, President and CEO at the Atlantic Council, outlined expected scenarios in light of global developments and concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, during a webinar titled Does Covid-19 Mean a New Global Order? The webinar also explored the global absence of the superpowers, and many questions about the worlds future, such as where its heading, and how governments will face the changing global landscape. During the webinar, moderated by CNNs Becky Anderson, Dr Chipman and Kempe focused on the importance of swift and decisive governmental decisions, which ensure that businesses resume as usual despite great uncertainty in the worlds future. They discussed multiple scenarios for the post-coronavirus period. They, too, stressed the importance of global cooperation, the shared responsibility to meet challenges, and building a better and more sustainable future for everyone. The Covid-19 & Government online series is held remotely to review the latest developments related to Coronavirus and discuss their effects on government work in 7 vital sectors, namely: education, healthcare, economy, security, infrastructure, governance and leadership. -- Tradearabia News Service Early this month a massive blast in a storage tank and resulting fire at the Yashashvi Rasayan Private chemical plant in Dahej Industrial Estate in the Indian state of Gujarat killed 10 workers. Six workers were killed on the spot and another four later succumbed to burn injuries after they were hospitalised. Some 77 other injured workers were sent to nearby hospitals. The enormous June 3 blaze at the plant, which is located in Bharuch district, took 11 fire units about six hours to bring under control. Thousands of people had to be evacuated from nearby villages, including 3,000 from Lakhi and 1,800 from Luvara. The tragic loss of life and terrible injuries are a direct result of the callous indifference towards mandatory work safety measures by company management and the Hindu communalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which holds power in Gujarat and leads the central government. The Yashashvi Rasayan Private plant, which manufactures over a dozen industrial chemical products, is owned by the Patel Group and supplies to a global network of clients, including in Europe, the UK, South Africa and Scandinavia. The company has announced a pittance in compensation of 500,000 rupees ($US6,600) to the victims families. The Indian Express reported that a preliminary investigation compiled by Vijaysinh Parmar, a sub-divisional magistrate, said the fire followed a storage tank blast and there was no responsible person present in the factory at the time. Bharuch district collector, Dr M.D. Modia, who told the media that senior officials were investigating the incident, said: There were Methanol and Xylene chemical tanks near the storage tank that exploded. Both these chemicals are highly poisonous and flammable. The Gujarat state government quickly shut down the plant under Section 4(2) of the Factories Act with Vipul Mittra, an additional chief secretary for labour and employment, announcing an official investigation. To ensure the safety of workers, the unit will not be allowed to resume operations until adequate safety measures are in place, he told the media. He also promised increased safety audit inspections of all factories in the Dahej Industrial Estate. Mittras assurances are worthless and designed to cover up the criminal negligence of government authorities towards basic workplace safety. Indian central and state governments systematically turn a blind eye to company violations of industrial safety norms, ensuring that profits take precedence over workers lives. The real attitude of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards the health and safety of workers is revealed in its determination to reopen all industries, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rapidly spread throughout the country. No arrests have been made over the Yashashvi Rasayan chemical blast and fire. Justifying its failure to arrest anyone responsible for the disaster, a police report into the incident declared that company owners have not yet come before the police; we are trying to contact them. Rohit Prajapati, a spokesperson for the Prayavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS) environmental group, told the Week that the chemical blast is probably related to the lack of proper monitoring of the plant during COVID-19 lockdown and its reopening. Chemical plant facilities are not like normal industries, he said, and questioned if the necessary monitoring had been carried out before and after the lockdown. The PSS has warned that other industrial disasters are waiting to happen if these industries are not properly maintained, and especially during reopening periods. In fact, there have been increasing numbers of industrial accidents reported since the Modi governments premature and reckless return-to-work was initiated. Last month, 11 people died and around 800 were hospitalised by a poisonous gas leak at an LG Polymers India plant in the port city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Four workers were also killed by a large explosion at the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC)-owned thermal power plant in Tamil Nadu. On June 11, just eight days after the Yashashvi Rasayan blast, one worker was killed and five others injured in explosion at the Hemani Industries agrichemical facility. The Hemani plant is also located in Gujarat states Bharuch district. A few hours before last months Visakhapatnam poisonous gas accident a similar toxic leak occurred at a Chhattisgarh paper mill. Up to seven workers at the mill were hospitalised after being exposed to gases while they were cleaning the paper pulp tank in preparation for a resumption of operations at the facility. Ahmed Patel, senior Congress party leader from Gujarat and a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian national parliament), issued a tweet denouncing the BJP-led state government over the Yashashvi Rasayan disaster and calling for all factories to face work safety audits. The buck stops only with the state government ensuring safe working conditions [and] that factories have completed safety audits. We are concerned that recent changes in labour laws will incentivise unsafe working conditions, he declared. Patels concerns are bogus. The Congress party, which has systematically imposed socially-disastrous economic reforms in order to transform India into a cheap labour heaven for global investors, is equally responsible for allowing these companies to violate basic safety measures. MONTREALWith cameras in tow, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was out touting one of his governments pandemic relief programs in an Ottawa-area business on Thursday. A week ago, Trudeau joined an anti-racism march in progress on Parliament Hill. With every passing sortie, it is becoming harder for the prime minister to maintain with a straight face that the pandemic and the social distancing that attends it stand in the way of a return to normal sittings in the House of Commons. While distance may make the heart grow fonder in the case of human relationships, the same is not turning out to be true when it comes to the interactions between the minority government and its four opposition counterparts. On Wednesday, the House adjourned after only 12 minutes as a result of a standoff between the opposition and government over the latters latest legislative initiative. The bill a hodgepodge of pandemic-related measures had been circulated beforehand among the parties. Even as it sought unanimous support to have it passed over a single sitting, the government had to have known it was unlikely to have the votes to secure its adoption. (An offer to set aside some of its most contentious sections was only made after the full Liberal package had predictably hit a wall.) The NDP had made it clear it would not support the introduction of punitive measures designed to discourage or punish potential abusers of the Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit. The Bloc Quebecois wanted a guarantee that a fiscal update would be forthcoming before Canada Day in exchange for its co-operation. The Conservatives have, for weeks, been calling for a return to a regular agenda in the Commons. Trudeau spent part of the next morning touring a local business to showcase his governments wage subsidy program. In all but name, it was a campaign-style event. Asked what he made of his minority governments failure to secure a consensus to advance its latest bill a first since the beginning of the pandemic crisis Trudeau turned his guns on the opposition majority in general and the Conservatives in particular. But beyond calling on the other parties to stop playing what he called political games, Trudeau had little to offer to end the standoff. The prime minister may be relying on public pressure on the opposition parties to not rock the government boat in a time of crisis to facilitate the resolution of the current impasse. He may or may not have noticed that as Canada reopens, that pressure is relenting. At the same time, Trudeaus rationale for insisting on not reopening the House for regular business until the end of September is wearing thin. There is an increasingly sharp dissonance between the prime ministers refusal to bow to pressures to return to regular sittings in the House and have his bills properly debated, and his own public forays. And then there has not been a federal budget since before the fall election. It is possible to accept the governments argument that there are too many unknowns to chart a reliable fiscal course and still think that a full-fledged update on the deteriorated state of Canadas public finances is overdue. It may finally be that Trudeau and his team are allowing the fumes of the strong approval ratings that have attended his management of the pandemic to go to their collective heads. As anyone who has covered Paul Martins early days as prime minister can testify, Trudeau would hardly be the first Liberal leader to believe his own polling clippings. But before the prime minister allows a feeling of invincibility to permeate his thinking, he might consider a few inconvenient facts. Little more than eight months ago, Trudeau led his party to a defeat in the popular vote and the loss of its governing majority to a line-up of opposition rookies. Those who currently assume electoral history cannot repeat itself in the next federal election are in no small part banking on the notion that whoever succeeds Andrew Scheer will find the federal Conservatives dug down so deep that it will not surface as a competitive force in time for the next campaign. There is no doubt that Scheers interim has ensured his successor will not have to worry about managing high expectations. That being said, it was not so long ago in fact around this time last year that pundits and strategists alike believed the Bloc Quebecois was a spent force only to see it rising from the grave to third place in the Commons on election night. Chantal Hebert is an Ottawa-based freelance contributing columnist covering politics for the Star. Reach her via email: chantalh28@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter: @ChantalHbert Read more about: He has both frightening and warm memories all tumbled together, but untangled in his memoir, From Cholera to Ebola: Confessions of a Humanitarian Doctor. In one story, he tells how he played the Chris de Burgh song Carry Me on a Walkman decades ago after a child died in his arms in an African refugee camp. It still makes him cry today. Dr Parker in his full protective gear. Dr Parker was writing his memoir when the novel coronavirus pandemic shook the world. In the past six months, he has helped crews and passengers stranded by COVID-19 safely leave the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Tokyo and the Grand Princess in San Francisco Bay, before returning to Australia and helping to repatriate the crew of the notorious Ruby Princess in Sydney. He has never tested positive to COVID-19 and only caught pneumonia "for a few days" after being "chilled to the bone" coming back to his tent in an African refugee camp. "We were being transported in the back of a ute to go backwards and forwards to the camp and I got quite chilled standing in the back of the tray," he said. "The next day I had a really bad cough and a high fever. But I put myself on some antibiotics and I was back at work after a couple of days. "Ive had dysentery a couple of times, but that is one lesson you learn. You learn that you do look after your own health. You do learn to get some sleep, even though that can be hard when you are working 18 hours a day." Dr Parker worked in an ebola clinic in the West African republic of Sierra Leone for the private company Aspen Medical, which was contracted by the Australian government and later, Carnival, the company behind the Princess cruise ships. "I was known by Aspen Medical, so when the Diamond Princess scenario came up, I was asked to go to Tokyo," Dr Parker said. The cruise ship was ordered into quarantine when it arrived in Tokyo Harbour on February 4. Before the ordeal was over, more than 700 passengers and crew had tested positive. Medical workers in protective suits lead a passenger who tested positive for coronavirus from the Diamond Princess in Japan. Credit:AP Fourteen passengers, including Australia's first COVID-19 death 78-year-old James Kwan from Western Australia brought COVID-19 infections to Australia. By the time Dr Parker arrived in Japan, the crew had been taken from the ship. They were quarantined in student halls for two weeks before they were allowed to go home. Dr Parker said the highly infectious virus was simply not on the radar for cruise ships. "Cruise ships are well known for being susceptible to any infections," he said. "They are usually able to cope with infections once they are recognised they have gastroenteritis and ebola virus outbreaks, and they have really good protocols to identify and control them. "But obviously the coronavirus wasn't on their radar, so the fact that it could spread so easily in symptomless people made cruise ships very vulnerable to that type of infection." Dr Parker's team in Tokyo, and later San Francisco, monitored the infectious "red zones" for the two-week quarantine periods and oversaw the ships' sanitisation. "Everyone going into the area had to be donned and doffed in personal protection equipment (PPE). We had cleaners, meal deliverers and were overseeing everybody going in and out." Importantly, Dr Parker said his team "eyeballed" everyone in quarantine, visiting them all twice a day. "That was really critical. We were the only people they saw, because in quarantine, no one knocks on your door unless they are in PPE," he said. "So we were screening them for their temperature twice a day and asking them about their mood." That enabled staff to later return to those who were struggling. "Once we approached them later, people really opened up and said they were really worried about this and worried about that," he said. Dr Parker declined to comment on the decision to allow the Ruby Princess passengers to disembark in Sydney. He was not asked to give evidence to the inquiry into the ship's handling of the outbreak. "It is now under investigation," he said. Dr Parker was working as a general practitioner in Queensland's Whitsundays in the mid-1990s when he decided he needed a career change. His decision to join the Red Cross took him to war zones in Rwanda and Zaire, shaping his professional and personal life forever. Previously he had travelled to Kathmandu in Nepal as a medical student in 1971. As he walked into the Kathmandu Hospital, a Tibetan refugee rushed past him coughing up blood. "He fell over and died at my feet. That was my introduction to tuberculosis in refugees," he said. In 1972 he worked in Kenyas main Mombasa Hospital, where he learnt about paediatrics in Third World countries. This was also where he learnt about infections, pneumonia and meningitis. He returned to Australia as a young GP, where family took him to the Whitsundays. "A friend said, 'Why dont you work with the Red Cross?'" he said. "I eventually got a call from them because the Rwandan tragedy in 1994 was so great, they were desperate for anyone. "And that changed my life. It just created a whole new life story for me some of it good and some of it disastrous." Several times Dr Parker thought he might lose his life to armed soldiers in war zones. "Once in Zaire, we went to a car crash and I went with the head of the refugee mission," he said. Agra, June 13 : Agra police have evening arrested three people, who allegedly broke open an ATM, and disappeared with Rs 6.50 lakh. It appears to be the first major crime in the Taj city after the lockdown was imposed. Police said a bank staffer gave the dynamic password he had stolen from the bank manager's mobile phone, to two of his friends who carried out the heist late Thursday night, at Syndicate Bank's branch in Vikas Colony. The crime came to light when the security guard opened the bank Gate on Friday morning. A tray with Rs 500 notes was found missing. The CCTV footage showed one person entering the ATM after jumping the wall at 1.58 a.m. "He is seen with the tray after three minutes. This was clear indication that the burglars had used the dynamic password, which only a couple of staffers know," a cop said. Late in the evening the police arrested a bank employee from the Sikandra branch who named two of his friends. Inspector Jagdishpura police station, Rajesh Kumar Sharma said Rs 5.50 lakh cash had been recovered. The remaining Rs 1 lakh appears to have been spent by the three within just a few hours. Meanwhile, with two deaths of senior citizens till Friday evening, the death toll from Covid-19 went up to 58 in the Taj city. The total number of Covid cases now is 1,020, with an addition of 12 new cases. Officials said 849 patients had recovered, while 113 were under treatment. The number of samples has gone up to 16,196. The recovery rate is 83.48 per cent. Agra now has 67 containment zones, 44 in the city and 23 in rural areas. Firozabad reported 13 new Covid-19 cases, Mathura 12, including a doctor, and Mainpuri 12. Two Niger nationals have been arrested by the Neoplan Station police in Accra for allegedly biting off the penis of their compatriot in an appalling attack. The two have been identified as Habib Lawani, 24, and Jibril Sumana, 23. The victim, identified only as Taller, was rushed to the Kaneshie Polyclinic for medical attention and is currently receiving treatment. The brawl, according to police sources, was as a result of a stolen mobile phone. Sources said the suspects and the victim had been friends for some months now. Recently, Taller had his mobile phone stolen at an area called Chisco near Neoplan Station, and he suspected Habib and Jibril for the theft and confronted them subsequently. The confrontation resulted in a brutal fight and in the process Taller had the hood or penal head of his penis bitten off completely by the suspects. His fellow compatriots moved in to separate the fight, but the penal head could not be found. The Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Effia Tenge, confirmed the incident and said the police received the information around 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday. She said an investigator had been assigned to the case and revealed that the arrested suspects also sustained various bodily injuries and would also be sent to the hospital for treatment. ---Daily Guide As the world awaits the trial and result of the Covid 19 vaccine produced in China, it is pertinent to acknowledge that similar efforts are going on around the world laboratories. These steps are taken at global level to fight Covid19 pandemic. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a public service. It is a critical exercise for a cause and social positive change. Its aim is to mitigate and add value continually. The need for CSR in modern day commenced in the 50s, especially by industries and corporations which impact society negatively through the processes of manufacturing goods and services. Since then CSR has become an essential part of management and corporate systems. The recent outbreak of Covid19 has intensified the strategy of corporate world to use CSR to tackle the menace in a global manner. The stampede to be the first organization to produce Covid vaccine is not only about the commercial value, it is also public service which CSR is all about. Perhaps our long dependence on Western medicine stopped third world countries like Nigeria and other African nations from using their local herbs and medication to fight Covid19 just as Western Pharmaceutical companies have been doing since the outbreak. The only country that have proved exceptional is Madagascar. It was Madagascar that woke up the consciousness of Nigerian Pharmaceutical and medical experts to think along Madagascar way. It was Mao Tse Tungs China that taught the world that agrarian revolution precedes industrial revolution. This time Covid came through there apparently to teach the world how to use herbs around their environments to cure ailments, without waiting for Western medical experts to lead. The accolade for the herb experiments going on now in Nigeria may have been given to the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid, but in essence it should go partially or wholly to Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and civil society that campaigned for the trial and use of local herbs. It would have been a big shame if PTF did not allow these agitators for local solutions to participate in this global research and experiments. Finally, the task before the three companies is to show integrity and leadership because there are more opportunities ahead. The Kerala Government has made COVID-19 negative certificates mandatory from June 20 for Non-Resident Keralites in the Middle East taking chartered flights to the state, a decision which drew flak from the opposition Congress-led UDF. With some NRKs raising concerns on the matter, the government has requested the Indian Ambassadors in the Middle East to inform it of the testing infrastructure, cost and protocols available in the Gulf, NORKA (Non Resident Keralites Affairs) Principal Secretary Dr K Ellangovan said. A private airline had insisted on the certificates, he said. "The danger is if an infected person comes in the flight, he/she will infect all the co-passengers. Only after we understand the views of the ambassadors will a decision be taken", he said. Ellangovan said COVID-19 cases were increasing in Kerala and about 89 per cent of those infected were those who had returned from abroad. "So we have to take precautions for the health of the people of the state," he added. Hitting out at the government, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said it is "strange" that the LDF government, which had passed a resolution in the assembly against the Centre for insisting on Covid negative certificates, had now taken a similar decision, and demanded that it be re-considered. The Kerala Assembly had on March 12 passed a unanimous resolution against the Union government's circular barring the return of Indians from coronavirus-hit countries such as Italy unless they produced a certificate that proves they have tested negative for the infection. The resolution moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said the circular was "inhuman" and was akin to "cruelly abandoning" expatriate Indians. "There was no such stipulation for those returning by flights of the Vande Bharat mission and the decision is likely to cause immense hardships", Chennithala said. Most of the NRKs returning had lost their jobs and were able to come back to the state following help from various quarters, he said, adding that insisting on the certificates would further create problems for them. IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty, MP, also criticised the government decision on the COVID-19 negative certificates. Which brings us to the second madness. The justification offered for the ban, and putting the police in the front line to stop them, is that it is a matter of life or death to stop the second wave. I get that. But if that is the case, then it has been madness for the federal and state governments to so blase about other crowds forming up, and seemingly to target only the one whose political thrust is aimed at them. Loading Late last month, when there was a protest of nutters in Melbourne yelling out the urgent need to lock up Bill Gates and knock down 5-G phone towers, the PM blithely said its a free country, with no particular focus at all on the dangers of congregation, and has further been strong on the need for schools to go back, and shopping centres to open. Now, though, with this latest protest, he suddenly puts his finger on it and says it risks costing the country $25 billion as the second wave takes hold! Any chance you could be more specific Prime Minister? In NSW there has been a similar inconsistency. The Premier initially pursued the correct policy, which was to reluctantly allow the first protest to go ahead, while warning against the dangers, before being shouted down by her own cabinet and trying to legally block it. That attempt failed in court, meaning there were very few ugly incidents last week, Central Station aside. But its life and death, the critics cry. They may be right. But why then, arent the same critics, including the Prime Minister and Premier, taking equally vociferous aim at the Deputy Premier John Barilaro who so wanted to do away with restrictions that he wanted the NRL crowds back, this weekend? I am not making that up. So as far as I'm concerned, he said on Wednesday, the evidence is clear that we can open up these restrictions. I want to see stadiums opened to the fans this weekend. Yes, first youd ask them to observe some social-distancing rules, but if no problems quickly emerge ... you tell them, Deputy Premier: Then come July 1st, open everything. Get it? On the one hand you have the NSW government unleashing the hounds of hell at the idea of a crowd protesting on the serious matter of trying to right systemic wrongs. On the other hand you have the second most senior figure in that government saying the crisis is over, so lets get everyone to the footy? Send your angry letters, see if I care. If you cannot see the problem here, I cannot help you. WHAT THEY SAID Two sources said Rupert Murdoch has recently told people that he believes Trump is going to lose in November. Rupert thinks Trump is going to crash and burn. Its a clear-eyed assessment, just based on just looking at the news, said a person who has spoken with Murdoch about the election. - writer Gabriel Sherman in Vanity Fair. A lot of people were very unhappy with the 2014 budget, but it was actually the last budget that attempted serious economic reform, and I think that history will be a lot kinder to the 2014 budget than its contemporaries were. I thought all of [the savings] were entirely justifiable at the time and I have no reason to think differently now. - Former prime minister Tony Abbott. Never give up, never surrender! I can't be in the position that I am and be quiet and not talk about racism. I have to share the experience I've gone through so people, even my white friends, can understand being black you experience these things. I have to be able to spread the message. If I talk about it and someone reads about it they don't just think I'm a black footballer that doesn't experience racism because I do. It happens. Being in the position I am I need to be able to shine the light on that and talk about it. I need to use the platform I have to talk about it. - Sydney Swans player Aliir Aliir, born in Kenya to South Sudanese parents. Justice for all. What's happening in the US is happening on our own soil and all around the world. Thoughts and prayers are with George Floyds family and all affected by this tragedy and the tragedies before his murder. - AFL player Lance Franklin in a social media post accompanied by artwork from Gamilaroi/Ularoi woman Lakkari Pitt. It reads: "Support us when it's not trending". Black Lives Matter in this country has been a movement since colonisation. We're not asking for the world. Were asking to live. - Indigenous Australian actress and writer Nakkiah Lui. While we're in a safer, stronger position there's still no easy path back to pre-COVID life, but the determination and focus we have had on our health response will now be vested in our economic rebuild. While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. So can I finish with a very simple Thank you, New Zealand. - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announcing this week that the country has eliminated transmission of the novel coronavirus and will lift all containment measures except for border controls. Students should be allowed to take fewer courses in high school and be funded an extra year to earn their diploma if they need more time, say proposals from teachers unions to the government about reopening this fall. Standardized testing should also be scrapped and teachers will need time to make sure kids are up to speed, especially in math, because of the extended shutdown this spring, the proposals say. Students could attend alternate days with Fridays set aside for thorough cleaning, one teachers union suggests. Education Minister Stephen Lecce says, while planning is still in the works, with details to be revealed by the end of the month, families will have choices in-school or online depending on their comfort levels given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As we work to develop the plan, we are preparing for all scenarios with an emphasis on safety of our students and staff, Lecce said in a statement. That will include adaptations in response to the local public health situations on the ground and (it will) recognize the importance of choice for parents who have asked for online and in-class options. Parents should have the confidence that we will unveil a plan to keep students safe by leveraging the best advice from Canadas top medical and scientific leaders. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, in a white paper prepared for the province, says the publicly funded school system, in Ontario, has unique issues we must grapple with prior to returning to bricks-and-mortar classrooms in the fall, and urged the government to consult closely with unions. OSSTF is calling for funding so secondary students can take a fifth year or additional credits if they need them and any student could take a reduced course-load. It also asks the government to consider lowering the 110 hours required to earn a credit, having final exams count for less than 30 per cent and building in time to address learning gaps, which experts have warned will be felt most in subjects such as math. During the school day, it adds, staggered lunch periods, snack, recesses, class times may be necessary. The union also says personal protective equipment must be provided, and rules about hygiene and physical distancing must be made clear. Training should be provided for staff and possibly students. It is also asking for extra custodial staff as well as mental health workers in schools. The union suggests teachers whose immune systems are compromised be assigned to students who are not returning to school in person, and that no teacher should have to do in-class and online learning at the same time, it recommends. The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, which submitted its ideas to the government Friday, said more than 90 per cent of its members are concerned about returning to class, even if health officials give the go-ahead, and it urged stringent health and safety protocols. Attention will also need to be paid to installing physical barriers, particularly in high traffic areas and communal spaces, as well as to providing guides and signage to ensure that students, teachers and staff maintain safe distances, its submission says. In some cases, upgrades, renovations or installations may be required to ensure proper hygiene facilities are available, such as washrooms or handwashing stations, as many classrooms and portables lack the access to running water necessary for regular hand washing. Masks may also need to be worn, it says. The union says the school closures, which began after the March break in Ontario while necessary for public safety, have also had negative effects. Before we can focus on the curriculum, we need to ensure that we are managing the social and emotional consequences of the pandemic and supporting students well-being. It also asks that standardized testing be eliminated entirely. If not, the government should at least suspend the tests for the 2020-21 school year and fully empower teachers to use their professional judgment to conduct assessments and evaluations for and of learning. Liz Stuart, president of the Catholic teachers union, said Ontarios plan for reopening schools must protect everyones health and well-being, identify school boards responsibilities to ensure the safety of all students and staff and provide the necessary resources to support student learning over the short and long term. Her union also called on the government to make significant investments in physical infrastructure, safety equipment, professional supports and more. Unions have been calling for consultation with the government on reopening, and the education ministry has a number of discussion tables already on the go, looking at issues of assessment and mental health supports. Advocacy group People for Education has been calling for one, overarching task force to look at all of the issues around reopening so teachers, experts, principals, university deans and others can work together. Why cant the Prime Minister who wanted this road built to cater to his Hindu constituency not talk to Nepal, with whom India shares its majority religion, to have a joint management of the disputed area, something which may be more difficult to arrive at with Pakistan or China because of the complexity and history of problems involved? Time has come to revisit a largely abandoned theory of boundary dispute resolution: The Condominium. A condominium in international law exists when two or more states exercise joint sovereignty over a territory. More specifically, a condominium exists when "two or more states together exercise joint sovereignty on the same territory, and such sovereignties mutually limit their activities, at least in principle, on the grounds of legal equality." Condominium has been burdened historically, by the primacy of sovereignty as a consideration in the state system at the cost of peace and loss of lives. Other resolution devices rely upon indivisible notions of sovereignty, which means that, regardless of whether a dispute is resolved peacefully or through armed conflict, one side invariably loses on a claim it believed to be valid. This resolution is often temporary as the losing side never completely abandons its claim and seizes every opportunity to recapture it. If we look closely, we find that there is nothing in the nature of sovereignty to render impossible a permanent and agreed division of sovereignty as suggested by the very nature of a condominium. A Framework Agreement was signed on August 3, 2015 by the Narendra Modi government with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) in which a concept of shared sovereignty and inclusive relationship of enduring peaceful co-existence of the two entities has been agreed to, alluding to government's willingness to accept a flexible nature of sovereignty with an objective to resolving a long standing dispute with Naga people. Today, the European Union is taken for granted an institution with its own legislature, its own courts, and even its own currency. The fact that European states, the paramount forces in the creation of sovereignty in the Westphalian order, have increasingly ceded authority to a non-state entity shows that states are re-evaluating their traditional notions of sovereignty. The willingness of states to cede sovereignty to other bodies suggests that condominium could, at last, serve as a viable long-term mechanism to resolve boundary disputes. The 19th and early 20th centuries would witness a proliferation of condominiums on the international stage, as resource hungry and land-hungry European colonial powers were often pitted against one another over a disputed territory. One prominent example of such a modus vivendi is that of a small swath of territory on borders of Netherlands, France and Belgium known as Neutral Moresnet, where a condominium was successfully implemented, from 1816 until 1919 by Prussia and the Netherlands. After the treaty of Vienna failed to expressly articulate who held the district of Moresnet, both the Netherlands and Prussia held competing interpretations of the treaty favouring their own claim to the land. In 1816 the dispute was resolved in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle, an accord that established the framework of condominium rule over the disputed territory. The treaty created a governmental structure where legislative and executive decisions would be administered collectively by both the Prussian and Dutch states. Although two commissioners who represented Prussia and the Netherlands initially ruled the territory of Moresnet, the commissioners gradually granted Moresnet a greater autonomy by appointing a mayor and allowing a council to govern the district. As citizens of both France and the Netherlands, the natives of Moresnet were given the ability to choose their country of allegiance for determining which laws would apply to them. Although lasting for close to a century, the condominium ceased to exist at the close of World War I, when the Treaty of Versailles officially awarded the territory to Belgium in 1919. Another prominent example is that of Western European nation of Andorra, which has endured for eight centuries as a successful political condominium. Located on a sliver of land wedged between Spain and France, the territory of Andorra was fiercely fought over in the early Middle Ages between the French Counts of Foix and the Spanish Bishops of Urgell. The Manmohan-Musharraf formula was concretely outlined after extensive back-channel negotiations between the two neighbours Unable to resolve its border disputes with Pakistan and China, India has now managed to create a dispute with Nepal in the process of building a road to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet through areas which are claimed by Nepal. History has taught us that such disputes will require disproportionate attention and resources and will remain a bone of contention over long period, sometimes erupting in wars costing immense human suffering and lives, keeping our relationship with neighbours if not bitter, at least not such that we can trust each other. Why cant the Prime Minister who wanted this road built to cater to his Hindu constituency not talk to Nepal, with whom India shares its majority religion, to have a joint management of the disputed area, something which may be more difficult to arrive at with Pakistan or China because of the complexity and history of problems involved?Time has come to revisit a largely abandoned theory of boundary dispute resolution: The Condominium. A condominium in international law exists when two or more states exercise joint sovereignty over a territory. More specifically, a condominium exists when "two or more states together exercise joint sovereignty on the same territory, and such sovereignties mutually limit their activities, at least in principle, on the grounds of legal equality."Condominium has been burdened historically, by the primacy of sovereignty as a consideration in the state system at the cost of peace and loss of lives. Other resolution devices rely upon indivisible notions of sovereignty, which means that, regardless of whether a dispute is resolved peacefully or through armed conflict, one side invariably loses on a claim it believed to be valid.This resolution is often temporary as the losing side never completely abandons its claim and seizes every opportunity to recapture it. If we look closely, we find that there is nothing in the nature of sovereignty to render impossible a permanent and agreed division of sovereignty as suggested by the very nature of a condominium.A Framework Agreement was signed on August 3, 2015 by the Narendra Modi government with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) in which a concept of shared sovereignty and inclusive relationship of enduring peaceful co-existence of the two entities has been agreed to, alluding to government's willingness to accept a flexible nature of sovereignty with an objective to resolving a long standing dispute with Naga people.Today, the European Union is taken for granted an institution with its own legislature, its own courts, and even its own currency. The fact that European states, the paramount forces in the creation of sovereignty in the Westphalian order, have increasingly ceded authority to a non-state entity shows that states are re-evaluating their traditional notions of sovereignty. The willingness of states to cede sovereignty to other bodies suggests that condominium could, at last, serve as a viable long-term mechanism to resolve boundary disputes.The 19th and early 20th centuries would witness a proliferation of condominiums on the international stage, as resource hungry and land-hungry European colonial powers were often pitted against one another over a disputed territory. One prominent example of such a modus vivendi is that of a small swath of territory on borders of Netherlands, France and Belgium known as Neutral Moresnet, where a condominium was successfully implemented, from 1816 until 1919 by Prussia and the Netherlands.After the treaty of Vienna failed to expressly articulate who held the district of Moresnet, both the Netherlands and Prussia held competing interpretations of the treaty favouring their own claim to the land. In 1816 the dispute was resolved in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle, an accord that established the framework of condominium rule over the disputed territory.The treaty created a governmental structure where legislative and executive decisions would be administered collectively by both the Prussian and Dutch states. Although two commissioners who represented Prussia and the Netherlands initially ruled the territory of Moresnet, the commissioners gradually granted Moresnet a greater autonomy by appointing a mayor and allowing a council to govern the district.As citizens of both France and the Netherlands, the natives of Moresnet were given the ability to choose their country of allegiance for determining which laws would apply to them. Although lasting for close to a century, the condominium ceased to exist at the close of World War I, when the Treaty of Versailles officially awarded the territory to Belgium in 1919.Another prominent example is that of Western European nation of Andorra, which has endured for eight centuries as a successful political condominium. Located on a sliver of land wedged between Spain and France, the territory of Andorra was fiercely fought over in the early Middle Ages between the French Counts of Foix and the Spanish Bishops of Urgell. To resolve this ongoing dispute, both the French Count and Spanish Bishop in 1278 agreed to a document known as the Acte de Parbage. This treaty articulated that the French Counts of Foix and the Spanish Bishop of Urgell would cease their belligerence, pledge to not incorporate Andorra into their respective territories, and be granted co-equal sovereignty over Andorra that they would administer in concert. However, as feudalism was slowly supplanted by centralized nation states in the early modern era, the successors of the Andorran suzerainty became enveloped into larger nation-states. Enacted over seven centuries after the Act de Parbage established joint rule over Andorra, the Andorran Constitution would finally codify the condominium solution. Established as a parliamentary principality, the Andorran Charter vests the Spanish Bishop of Urgell and the French State (personified by the French President) as co-princes, jointly and divisibly Cap de l'Estat (Chief of Staff) of Andorra. The Constitution explicitly articulates that the powers between the two co-sovereigns are equal, vesting them with "highest representation." Regularly informed of the affairs of the state and immune from lawsuit, the co-princes arbitrate and moderate the functioning of public authorities. A similar arrangement to condominium was advocated by former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for the pestering Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) issue. This was outlined much more concretely by the Manmohan-Musharraf four-step formula which came after extensive back-channel negotiations between the two neighbours. It advocated minimising the military forces on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), especially in populated areas; Increasing cross border movement of people of J&K through cross-LoC linkages and through cross-border management of certain institutions; self-governance for internal management in all areas on the same basis on both sides of the LoC; and finally working out a cooperative and consultative mechanism to solve the problems of social and economic development of the region. Rather than carving up a disputed territory by drawing lines, condominium allows states to collaborate and build a community of shared rights and responsibilities. This, in turn, might offer long-term stability with reduced incentives for local residents, the condominium powers, or outside third parties to exacerbate tensions or to in any other way attempt to redraw the boundary lines. If India and Nepal can successfully work out a condominium arrangement to resolve their current border dispute; India can further think of exploring a similar solution with China and Pakistan. In the post-coronavirus world, human beings have to learn to protect themselves more from extra-human threats than worry about protecting artificial and alterable borders from each other. --- *Peace activists who do not subscribe to the notion of borders based on idea of nationalism which pits one country against another Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church began as a Sunday school in 1940 when Dr. Olive Erickson volunteered her home on 19th Avenue and Quintara so that the area's children didn't have to travel all the way out to the Mission district for their tutelage. The group outgrew the doctor's office and began renting a place at St. Francis Episcopal Church Parish House, but actual services for the fledling congregation had to be held in midweek. Soon after a vacant storefornt was rented at 22nd Avenue and Vicente and Parkside Lutheran Church officially formed with the first services held on November 28, 1944. In 1945, Omar Otterness arrived as the first pastor and the name "Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church" was adopted. Naturally, a storefront was a step up from a room in a private residence, but the congregation sought a more permanent home. With a loan from the United Mission Advance, Grace Evangelical puchased a suitably-sized lot at 33rd Avenue and Ulloa Street. Marion Carlsen described the big obstacle: "...the lot was a sand hill rising 100 feet in the air and known to kids in the neighborhood as the 'greatest sliding hill in these parts.'" When enough sand was cleared away on the corner, a metal-roofed barracks went up as a temporary home. It was cold at night and on rainy days the din on the roof drowned out all sound within, but the barracks provided a home for services, Sunday school, community meetings, luncheons and more from 1947 to 1949. Finally, on May 1, 1949 the first permanent building was dedicated on the western part of the property. In the late fifties, the congregation outgrew the modest building and commissioned architect Alfred W. Johnson to design as an addition a new sanctuary over a meeting hall which was completed in 1960. Images: 1) Parkside Lutheran Church, 1944. 2) The barracks building beside the first permanent structure bing built, 1947. Both from "Celebrating 50 Years of Amazing Grace", Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1994. 3) Altar of Grace Evangelical Lutheran, 1967. Postcard courtesy of Bernice Lassiter. Bibliography: 1) 1988 Directory of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church. 2) "Celebrating 50 Years of Amazing Grace", Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1994. Thanks to Bernice Lassiter for the materials! Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places! There have been two cases of wrongl identification of Covid-19 victims in Hyderabad since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. (PTI file photo) Hyderabad: It has not been an easy three days for the families of Mohammed Qureshi and Rashed Ali Khan, two Covid-19 victims whose bodies were switched at the Gandhi Hospital mortuary. The Qureshi family performed the last rites of Mohammed Qureshi, who had died of Covid-19 on Friday. On Thursday, they had performed the burial of Rashed Khan after they were mistakenly handed over his body. The family of Rashed Khan is faced with the additional grief and trauma of not being able to perform his last rites. Ubaid Ali Khan, nephew of Rashed Khan, said that they visited Khans grave and performed the last rites again. We abandoned the idea of opening the grave to see the body. We have passed through difficult times. We decided to close the matter with a request that this kind of mistake should not be repeated so that no family undergoes the trauma we had to face. Khaja Pasha, brother-in-law of Mohammed Qureshi, said that they could not identify the body correctly earlier as the authorities did not allow them to see it from close quarters and that the mix-up was not their fault. He said, we participated in Rashed Khans funeral believing it was that of Mohammed Qureshi. But we came to know only on Thursday that there was a mistake in the identification of the body and the body of Mohammed Qureshi was still lying in the mortuary. Police approached us and we requested that we be allowed to perform the last rituals of this body as it belonged to us. He was all praise for Rashed Khans family, saying they cooperated in the process. We reached the Gandhi Hospital at 10 am to claim the body, but they released it after 5 pm and the funeral was held in the evening, he said. Fox News has repeatedly published digitally altered photographs as part of a series of stories about protests on Seattles Capitol Hill that aired June 12. The misleading images were first discovered by the Seattle Times, which raised the issue to Fox News. Foxs site had no disclaimers revealing the photos had been manipulated. The network removed the images after inquiries from The Seattle Times, The Times reported June 12. The photos are purported to be taken inside Seattles so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, a six-block radius in downtown Seattle that is now outside police control. The area was established May 25 after Mayor Jenny Durkan ordered Seattle police to abandon their East Precinct station during protests against the May 25 killing of George Floyd. Seattle residents have nicknamed the reclaimed police station the Seattle People Station. Also Read: Spike Lee's 'Da 5 Bloods' Has a Bonus Scene After the Credits One of the altered images used by Fox News shows a civilian standing outside a demolished storefront with a military assault rifle. The Seattle Times reports the image is not one photograph but a mashup of several photos from different days and different photographers created by layering images from riots in downtown Seattle on May 30 under a Getty Images photo of a man with a gun. Fox News also published an alternate version of this image, where the armed man appeared to stand in front of a sign that said, You are now entering Free Cap Hill. Fox removed the images, telling the Times we have replaced our photo illustration with the clearly delineated images of a gunman and a shattered storefront, both of which were taken this week in Seattles autonomous zone. However, according to the Times, that statement and the new photos are also misleading. The gunman photo is from June 10, but the storefront image it has been combined with is a Getty Images photo dated May 30, the paper said. Fox also used images from protests in other states in its coverage of the Seattle unrest. The network published an image of burning streets in St. Paul, Minnesota as part of its package on Seattle May 30, along with the headline CRAZY TOWN. Fox has since also removed that image. Story continues On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported Seattle is negotiating with Black Lives Matter activists to determine a way to clear the Autonomous Zone and return the area to a semblance of normal. The local activists say they wont leave the area until the City meets a list of demands, which include redirecting half of the Seattle Police Departments budget to aid the black community. Also Read: Jay Pharoah Says LAPD Officer Knelt on His Neck, Shares Security Footage Black Lives Matter spokesperson Jessica Kilpatrick told the Wall Street Journal about the unrest, its a temporary occupation until we get our demands met. A Fox News spokesperson provided TheWrap a copy of the editors note Fox News published addressing the issue. Editors Note: A FoxNews.com home page photo collage which originally accompanied this story included multiple scenes from Seattles Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone and of wreckage following recent riots. The collage did not clearly delineate between these images, and has since been replaced. In addition, a recent slideshow depicting scenes from Seattle mistakenly included a picture from St. Paul, Minnesota. Fox News regrets these errors. Read original story Fox News Used Digitally Altered Photos in Coverage of Seattle Protests and Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone At TheWrap Turkey Planning to Establish 2 Permanent Military Bases in Libya Reports Sputnik News 21:43 GMT 12.06.2020 ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey is planning to establish two permanent military bases in Libya as part of its continued support for the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reported on Friday, citing military sources. According to the newspaper, Libya's GNA is considering giving the Turkish military use of the recently recaptured Al-Watiya Air Base for the stationing of air defence systems and combat drones. GNA forces recaptured the base from the rival Libyan National Army (LNA) on 18 May. The second base will reportedly be established in the port of Misrata for Turkish naval vessels. Ankara may become a co-owner of offshore oil companies that are based in Libya's exclusive economic zone, meaning that Turkish warships will be necessary to monitor drilling operations, the newspaper reported. Turkey also believes that the ongoing tensions with Greece make it necessary for warships to be deployed in the region. Turkey has provided extensive military support to the GNA since a request was made for assistance in late 2019. The GNA forces have made significant gains during a counteroffensive on the outskirts of Tripoli, reclaiming territory from the LNA in recent weeks. UN-led talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Libya resumed this week as GNA and LNA military officials convened for a video conference in the 5+5 format after a hiatus caused by the escalation of violence in the country and the global coronavirus disease pandemic. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Advertisement Fitness fanatics are finally back at the gym in NSW after three long months of struggling to work out using stairs and door frames at home. Gyms and pilates, yoga and dance studios reopened across the state on Saturday for up to 20 people in a class and 100 people in an indoor venue. Facilities were shut since March 23 when they first round of shutdowns was ordered in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in Australia. But your workout won't be the same for months to come as gyms have to follow distancing and hygiene rules and cap numbers to one per four square metre. Fitness fanatics are finally back at the gym in NSW after three long months of struggling to work out using stairs and door frames at home. Pictured: Crossfit Coogee had at least 10 people working out early on Saturday morning Gyms and pilates, yoga and dance studios reopened across the state on Saturday for up to 20 people in a class and 100 people in an indoor venue A woman reintroduces herself to 40kg of weight as she gets in her first sets at Crossfit Coogee for three months Crossfit Coogee owner Andrew Stowe said if the lockdown gone on for six months, his gym wouldn't have survived. 'I thought it was too much to shut everything down, I thought (the government) was a bit heavy handed,' he said. 'We just tried to survive as best as we could.' About 10 people rushed back to train at the gym on Saturday morning, soon after the doors opened for the first time since it was ordered to close. Fitness enthusiast Emilio had only been a member of the gym for five weeks before the doors were shut and said he hoped being around other customers would keep him at it. 'I found it hard to be motivated watching videos, tried to find some workouts online but I didn't like them,' he said. 'It's good to be with other people, you feel like you're part of the community.' Lachlan had equipment at home despite coming to the gym for 15 months before lockdown, allowing him to train as normal. 'It was a bit hard to be motivated away from the gym but some of us guys got together. It's really good to get back into it,' he said. Lachlan (pictured) had equipment at home despite coming to the gym for 15 months before lockdown, allowing him to train as normal, but was happy to be back among other fitness fanatics Lachlan does a cardio session on a rowing machine between his weight work as he gets back to the gym on Saturday Stripping off his shirt, Lachlan completed a toes to bar during his first session back The gym goer takes a breather during his first session back in three months - no one being in the shape they were in before Owner Mr Stowe said he was still paying staff and rent and was eventually forced to cut membership fees from $74 to $34. Only 80 of his 120 members remained but 20 eager new recruits signed up as the reopening date approached and he hopes to regain the rest. 'We gave people equipment and did Facebook live videos with them. Most of the guys were working out in their basement or garage,' he said. Mr Stowe said the no end date to lockdown was the biggest issue. 'You had anxiety because there was no end date. Just not knowing when we were coming back was the hardest thing.' Although the gym's rent was reduced, Mr Stowe said revenue dropped by 75 per cent and he was ecstatic when the reopen date was announced. 'Psychologically, it gives you a purpose,' he said. 'Everyone was so excited to see each other and get out of the house because after three weeks working out at home, the motivation drops off.' Coogee Crossfit members get some cardio in on rowing machines they haven't seen in three months A woman performs a pull up at the Gym on Bream Street, in Coogee, during her first session back after COVID-19 lockdown About 10 people were training at the gym on Saturday morning, soon after the doors opened for the first time since it was ordered to close Your workout won't be the same for months to come as gyms have to follow distancing and hygiene rules and cap numbers to one per four square metre Coogee Crossfit goes to extreme lengths to avoid members getting chalk all over the floor Mr Stowe said he wasn't worried about a 'second wave' of coronavirus and said it was just 'fear mongering'. Gymgoers are used to wiping down equipment after they use it and frequently washing their hands, but are now using anti-bacterial wipes for added protection. No one was wearing gloves or a face mask, neither of which are required, but bottles of hand sanitiser were everywhere. The number of people in a facility, including staff, must not exceed one person per four square metres. Due to this rule, smaller venues will only be able to host a limited number of members. Owners are encouraged to move or block access to equipment to allow 1.5 metres of physical distance between members. 'Where practical, stagger the use of communal facilities. Strongly encourage visitors to shower/change at home where possible,' the NSW COVID-19 Safety Plan for gyms reads. 'Reduce crowding wherever possible and promote physical distancing with markers on the floor, including where people are asked to queue.' Bondi Gym, which is just streets away from Bondi Junction's Westfield, is taking these guidelines very seriously with a strict set of rules members must follow Hand sanitiser is compulsory on arrival and everyone checks in with their membership card so the gym knows who was there at what time in case someone later tests positive Members are encouraged to book into a time slot to access the facility or enjoy a workout class, and some gyms are enforcing one-hour limits. Bondi Gym, which is just streets away from Bondi Junction's Westfield, is taking these guidelines very seriously with a strict set of rules members must follow. Owner Michael Parker said one of his members tested positive to coronavirus just four days after the gym was forced to shut, which he called 'lucky timing'. 'Hand sanitiser is compulsory on arrival and everyone checks in with their membership card so we know who was here at what time,' he said. 'Everyone must use a towel and spray down machines and equipment after each use. Every second machine is out to ensure social distancing.' A woman is able to use a weight bench as a step-up after three months of making do with stairs or a chair at home Every member must use a towel and spray down machines and equipment after each use. Every second machine is out to ensure social distancing Those of the gym's 400 members turning up on the first day were happy to see their former workout partners, ignoring social distancing rules for hugs, handshakes and high-fives. 'I was supportive of the government's decision. I knew we would always be able to reopen, and our members would come back,' Mr Parker said. 'The JobKeeper payments made a huge difference in terms of us keeping our staff. The government were the ones who shut us down so they can pay for it. 'I don't worry about (another outbreak) because people are super conscious of hygiene.' NSW was stubbornly the last state to announce the reopening of gyms, but at least threw open the doors before notoriously overcautious Victoria. Gyms are already back in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, ACT, and the Northern Territory and will open in Victoria on June 22. A 44-year-old Indian man in Singapore, who died of coronary heart disease on June 8, was infected by the coronavirus, the ministry of health has said. The man, who was not identified, developed chest and epigastric pain on May 28 and sought medical treatment at a general practitioner, MOH said in its press release on Thursday. He was found unconscious at his residence on June 8 and was admitted to Singapore General Hospital's emergency department. He died on the same day, according to media reports. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on June 10 after his demise. The man is the eighth person in the country who had COVID-19 and died but was not added to the official toll because the death was not caused by the coronavirus. In all, seven deaths have been attributed to heart- or blood-related issues in Singapore. The eighth, a migrant worker from India with COVID-19, died from multiple injuries after he was found at a staircase landing in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. In some cases where patients died due to blood clots or heart-related issues, the patients were only confirmed to have had COVID-19 after their deaths. Bullion Bank Retreat Puts Floor Under Gold and Silver Prices Investors dumped paper gold and silver along with stocks, commodities, and most other asset classes in March. The price of silver dropped to $12.02/oz on March 18th and gold bottomed at $1,473/oz. The bullion banks notorious for their concentrated short positions might have made a killing. But that isnt what happened. Some of the most prominent players took massive losses instead. Scotiabank, which has roots in precious metals going back to the late 1600s, is closing its metals trading business. The firm announced it would exit the business and set aside $168 million to cover the costs of blowing up a formerly profitable racket.Part of those funds are earmarked for metals trading losses. The balance is a reserve to pay for fines and penalties related to the ongoing investigation of price rigging in the metals markets.Scotia was caught off guard by investors doing something the bank didnt expect.More investors than expected stood for delivery of gold bars Scotia didnt actually have. The bank had anticipated buyers of paper metal would simply close their position for cash as usual.But large numbers of them asked Scotia to deliver the bars. The bank didnt have enough metal in the vault to meet its obligations.Traders had to beg, borrow, and steal to get gold at gigantic premiums. Huge profits turned into enormous losses.HSBC also reported first quarter trading losses in metals. Both banks blamed the losses on COVID-19 related refinery closures and difficulties in arranging transport of metals.Neither bank acknowledged the obvious; that being the stockpile of physical bars backing all of the paper gold and silver they sell is not nearly as large as represented or as large as needed to safely run the exchanges.The bullion banks are going to have to tread more carefully. What happened in March was a shot over the bow.Too much demand for actual bars could destroy the paper markets.Investors with paper claims representing hundreds of ounces more than the banks have in their vaults are liable to come calling if paper prices drop significantly.The bullion banks look more hesitant to go significantly short now, and such a dynamic means there may be somewhat of a floor under current metals prices. By Clint Siegner MoneyMetals.com Clint Siegner is a Director at Money Metals Exchange, perhaps the nation's fastest-growing dealer of low-premium precious metals coins, rounds, and bars. Siegner, a graduate of Linfield College in Oregon, puts his experience in business management along with his passion for personal liberty, limited government, and honest money into the development of Money Metals' brand and reach. This includes writing extensively on the bullion markets and their intersection with policy and world affairs. 2020 Clint Siegner - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. ARTISTS can display visual art (painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, fashion, sidewalk art, video, etc.) on their porches, trees, lawns, and driveways, in their open garages, or projected onto their homes. RESIDENTS who know an artist who lives outside Pittsfield can invite them to display their work. Residents can also display the art they collect. Somrita Ghosh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: With salary pending from past three months March, April and May, there is a sense of resentment amongst doctors, especially resident ones working in hospitals under Delhis municipal corporations. How long should we beg for our salaryatleast in a situation of pandemic where all the healthcare workers are overloaded, doing extra hours, giving more efforts, the administration should think about us. And not make us plead for salary, said Dr RR Gautam who is associated with the Girdhar Lal Maternity Hospital under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. While the RDAs of Kasturba Gandhi Hospital and Hindu Rao Hospital both under the North MCD had threatened of mass resignation over non-payment of salaries, the Municipal Corporation Doctors Association also wrote to the LG on Friday stating that if salary of senior doctors are also not paid within a week then they will also go on mass resignation. What hurts is despite repeatedly raising the issue, the administration is not concerned. It appears none of the authorities were empathetic enough to feel difficult financial circumstances faced by doctors. Flaw lies with the MCD administration as they are our immediate employer. Although the doctors are UPSC cadre and we are technically under the L-G." ALSO READ: Delhi government hospitals to have oxygen facility at all designated COVID-19 beds "Whenever it comes for salary, there begins a blame game MCD accusing Delhi government for not paying them funds and state blaming the Centre for not releasing revenue, Dr Gautam who is also president of MCDA added. He noted that when an DMC healthcare worker from Hindu Rao hospital succumbed to COVID-19, the civic authorities didnt come for any financial aid to the family and it was the doctors from North MCD who collected some money to help the family. Most of the senior doctors working with the civic hospitals have a experience of more than 20 years, but the issue of salary primarily started from last year. Problem started with bifurcation of MCD but it is now a major concern. Every time, we have to remind ourselves of salary payment, he stated.The Supreme Court also took serious note of non-payment of salary. Pay resident doctors salary: High Court to North MCD The Delhi High Court on Friday directed North Delhi Municipal Corporation (North-MCD) to pay by June 19 the salary for March to the resident doctors in its six hospitals, including Kasturba Gandhi and Hindu Rao. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan also asked the Delhi government to release funds to North DMC so that it can pay the April salary of the resident doctors of its hospitals by June 24. The bench also issued notice to the Centre, Delhi government, North DMC and various doctors association seeking their stand on the PIL initiated by the high court on its own. The detailed order is awaited in the matter which is listed for further hearing on July 8. ALSO WATCH: DEAL OF THE WEEK Fords Freedom Dues Goes to Amistad In a six-figure deal, Tracy Sherrod at Amistad bought Clyde Fords nonfiction book Freedom Dues. Ford, whose 2019 memoir Think Black was also published by Amistad, has published both fiction and nonfiction and, among other awards, won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in contemporary fiction for his 2005 novel The Long Mile. Agent Adam Chromy at Movable Type Management sold world rights to Freedom Duesand said it is the story of how Black labor built America. He added that the book traces a fascinating but overlooked story of how American institutions of power and wealth were created from the sweat of Black hands without their fair share in return. FROM THE U.S. Felixs Poets Rule at One World Poet and political strategist Camonghne Felix sold Let the Poets Govern to One World. Nicole Counts won North American rights to the nonfiction title, in a two-book deal, after an auction. Felix, whose 2019 collection Build Yourself a Boat was on the National Book Awards poetry longlist, is a former communications staffer for Elizabeth Warren. The publisher said her new book argues that Black radical poetic traditions can model a new ethical code and overcome entrenched structures of patriarchy and paternalism. The second book in the deal, which Alice Whitwham at the Cheney Agency negotiated, is a poetry collection titled Dyscalculia. Crown to Do Lees Required Reading After a six-figure auction, Phoebe Yeh at Crown Books for Young Readers won two YA novels by debut author Kristen R. Lee. Root Literarys Molly ONeill represented Lee. The first book, Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman, is, ONeill said, about a freshman named Savannah F. Howard who enrolls at the Ivy Leagueand mostly whiteWooddale University, and confronts racism and white privilege head-on. The agent added that the book was pitched as Dear White People meets the college admissions scandal. The second book is a currently untitled standalone novel. Required Reading is set for spring 2022, and the untitled novel for spring 2023. FSG Takes on Lorde Bio For Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Eric Chinski bought world rights to Alexis Pauline Gumbss The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde: Biography as Ceremony. The exclusive submission was handled by Tanya McKinnon at McKinnon Literary, who said the book is a deep meditation and critical and biographical exploration of the life and afterlife of the 20th-century American poet. Gumbs, a poet and scholar, is a National Humanities Center Fellow.. Hamptons Valor Wins Over St. Martins Bestselling author and retired U.S. Air Force pilot Dan Hampton sold Valor to Charles Spicer at St. Martins Press at auction for six figures. The world rights agreement for the nonfiction book, subtitled The Astonishing World War II Saga of a Mans Defiance and Indomitable Spirit, was brokered by Trident Media Group chairman Robert Gottlieb. He said the book, which is in the vein of Laura Hillenbrands Unbroken, tells the story of William Frederick Harris, a Marine who escaped Japanese forces with an eight-hour swim through shark-infested waters followed by a harrowing boat journey, before being captured and held as a prisoner of war. Deans Burn Lights Up Emily Bestler British author Will Dean sold North American rights to two standalone novels to Emily Bestler, for her eponymous Simon & Schuster imprint. The first book, The Last Thing to Burn, follows a couple who live in an isolated farmhouse... where the woman is being kept against her will. Kate Burke at U.K.-based Blake Friedmann brokered the agreement. Last Thing is set for April 2021. Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Alexis Pauline Gumbs is the visiting Winton Chair at the University of Minnesota. She is not. She is a National Humanities Center Fellow. Baghdad, June 14 : Two Katyusha rockets on Saturday hit a military base, housing US forces, near the Iraqi capital Baghdad without casualties, the Iraqi military said. The attack took place in the evening when the two rockets fired from an area outside the government-owned industrial facility and landed on al-Taji Camp, some 20 km north of Baghdad, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a brief statement, Xinhua reported. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, as the military bases housing US troops across Iraq and the US embassy have been frequently targeted by mortar and rocket attacks. The attack came two days after US and Iraqi officials held a strategic dialogue session via a video conference in which the US pledged to continue reducing its forces in Iraq and confirmed that it does not seek permanent military presence in the country. The Iraqi-US relations have witnessed a tension since January 3 when a US drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces. The US airstrike prompted the Iraqi parliament on January 5 to pass a resolution, requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country. More than 5,000 US troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State militants, mainly providing training and advising to the Iraqi forces. ARISS multi-point telebridge contact with school in Spain Reminder An ARISS educational school contact is planned for Chris Cassidy KF5KDR with students at I.E.S. Pedro de Valdivia, Villanueva de la Serena, Spain. The students will be talking with the ISS from their homes over phone lines. The link to the ISS will be operated by the amateur radio ground station ON4ISS, located in Belgium. The contact is scheduled on Tuesday June 16, 2020 at approximately 12:25 UTC, which is 14:25 CEST. Downlink signals will be audible over Western Europe on 145.800 MHz narrowband FM. Watch for live stream at: https://youtu.be/PyNqsTMqAoQ 73, Gaston Bertels ON4WF Bengaluru, June 13 : A former woman employee of global software major Infosys has filed a lawsuit in a US court, alleging racial discrimination against her by the company as an act of retaliation. "Plaintiff Davina Linguist of African-American origin demanded a trial by jury for alleged retaliation by Infosys after she testified against it in another lawsuit in October 2016," said the US Eastern District Court of Texas on the lawsuit accessed by IANS. Denying the charge, Infosys said it would defend itself in the matter. "We are aware of the case recently (June 11) filed by Linguist and deny allegations of discrimination and retaliation against her. We will defend in this matter," said the company in an e-mail to IANS. The racism charge has come at a time when the US is in the grip of protests against racial discrimination after a 46-year-old African-American (George Floyd) was allegedly killed by a white policeman on May 25 at Minneapolis in Minnesota state. "We have a policy of treating everyone fairly and providing equal employment opportunity and an inclusive workplace to all," asserted the city-based outsourcing major. Davina testified in a case filed by Brenda Koehler, an American job applicant, who accused Infosys of discrimination against local job applicants by favouring workers from South Asia to fill positions in the US. The $12.8 billion Infosys employs around 20,000 techies in the US, with 90 per cent of them of Indian descent, to service its global clients in the North American market that accounts for about 60 per cent of its software export revenue. Seeking compensation for the damages, Linguist has alleged soon after her deposition against the company in 2016, she was stripped of her title as the head of diversity recruiting and demoted for improper conduct. "Subsequently, I was forced to resign from the company on March 7, 2017, as I was demoted to a full-desk recruiter, a position I held in 2012 and prior to becoming the head of the Infosys diversity recruiting programme," she said. It's the second time the company has been accused of racism after October last year, when a letter by an anonymous whistleblower alleged racism and misogynistic charges against its Chief Executive Salil Parkeh along with financial irregularities. "Linguist has exhausted her administrative remedies and complied with the statutory prerequisites of filing a discrimination complaint against the company with this court and filing a timely claim of discrimination following receipt of a right to sue notice," said the lawsuit. A US citizen of the African-American race, Linguist lives in North Richland Hills, Texas. She also alleged the disproportionate workforce is a result of the company's intentional employment discrimination against individuals who are not South Asian or Indian. "As an Infosys hiring manager acknowledged: "There does exist discrimination. We are advised to hire Indians because they will work off the clock without murmur and they can always be transferred across the nation without hesitation unlike local workforce," Linguist asserted. Linguist was responsible for increasing the company's recruitment and hiring of non-South Asian employees for positions in its US subsidiary. On October 21, 2016, the company' subpoenaed Linguist for a deposition in the Koehler litigation. "To intimidate Linguist before her deposition, Infosys' in-house counsel Shannon D'Jamoos and its employee relations executive Patty Cramer, confronted her about her deposition and attempted to question her about the testimony she would give," recalled the lawsuit. During deposition in Koehler case, the company's counsel attempted to intimidate Linguist by asking her irrelevant and harassing questions about her home life, her family members and where her children live. On January 31, 2017, Infosys retaliated for Linguist's participation in the Koehler litigation and for speaking out against its alleged discriminatory employment practices. Though Linguist challenged her demotion through the internal complaint process, her manager Clint Kelly warned her she would be transferred regardless of her protest. On February 13, 2017, Linguist received an e-mail from Becky Lowe, Head of Human Resources, that failure to transition to her new role as instructed would constitute insubordination and "may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination." In her prayer for relief, Linguist sought wages, salary, employment benefits and other compensation denied to her. "Order defendant (Infosys) should pay plaintiff compensatory damages for the harm she suffered," Linguist said in her plea. By David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two key U.S. senators are circulating a bipartisan draft bill that would reform how the Federal Aviation Administration certifies new aircraft in the wake of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people. The measure seeks to eliminate the ability of aircraft makers like Boeing Co By David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two key U.S. senators are circulating a bipartisan draft bill that would reform how the Federal Aviation Administration certifies new aircraft in the wake of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people. The measure seeks to eliminate the ability of aircraft makers like Boeing Co. to unduly influence the certification process and marks the most significant step toward reforms following the 2018 and 2019 crashes, which sparked calls to change how the FAA approves new airplanes. The draft, which was completed this week and reviewed by Reuters, is authored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Republican, and the top Democrat on the panel, Senator Maria Cantwell. The FAA, Wicker's office and Boeing declined to comment on the draft bill. It aims to grant the FAA new power over the long-standing practice of delegating some certification tasks to aircraft manufacturer employees. It would give the agency authority to hire or remove Boeing employees conducting FAA certification tasks and allow the FAA to appoint safety advisers. One congressional aide said the bill would put the FAA "back in the driver's seat" overseeing airplane certification. Boeing's best-selling plane has been grounded since March 2019 and the manufacturer faces an ongoing criminal probe and investigation by the Transportation Department's inspector general. The largest U.S. planemaker hopes to conduct a key certification test flight late this month as it works to resume flights. The draft bill would require reforms aimed at preventing "undue pressure... or instances of perceived regulatory coziness or other failures to maintain independence between the FAA and" Boeing employees conducting certification tasks. It would also require regular audits and authorize $150 million over 10 years for new FAA training and to hire specialized personnel to develop technical standards for new technologies and operations. "Congress needs to make sure aviation safety in the United States is the strongest in the world," Cantwell said in a statement to Reuters. "Strong technical aviation expertise on the ground cannot simply be ignored by senior management at the FAA." The Senate Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday with FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson to review agency oversight of aircraft certification. Aides hope to release a draft of the bill by then. MORE OVERSIGHT An October report by a panel of international air safety regulators raised significant questions over the certification process, finding the FAA had just 45 people in an office overseeing Boeings Organization Designation Authority and its 1,500 employees. For the 737 MAX, the FAA initially delegated 40% of the certification tasks to Boeing, an amount that increased as the five-year review progressed. The panel said FAA involvement in the certification of Boeing's MCAS flight control software, a key safety system faulted in both fatal crashes, "would likely have resulted in design changes that would have improved safety. The review also found signs of undue pressure on Boeing employees performing tasks for the FAA and said they should be able to speak "without fear of reprisal." The draft legislation would ensure no one could prohibit a Boeing employee from talking to the FAA and grant new whistleblower protections to workers at airplane and parts manufacturers. It would also require the FAA to create a new safety reporting system for employees to detail concerns anonymously. PILOT BEHAVIOR The draft bill also addresses concerns about "human factors," saying the FAA must review and potentially modify existing assumptions on how pilots identity and respond to cockpit situations. A federal review concluded Boeing underestimated the effect a malfunction of new automated software in the aircraft could have on pilots, who were dealing with a cacophony of alerts in both 737 MAX crashes. When certifying a new aircraft type, the FAA must address the cumulative impact new technologies may have on pilot response, consult outside experts and notify other international regulators and encourage them to make evaluations. The draft bill was shared with aviation associations, unions and family members of those killed in the fatal Boeing crashes, seeking their input. Michael Stumo, who lost his daughter, Samya, in the second 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia, praised the draft but called for improvements to ensure the FAA is in charge, especially overseeing "major hazardous and catastrophic systems" like MCAS. (Reporting by David Shepardson and Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Dan Grebler and Chris Sanders) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. When Joao Leao Fernandes takes over as the finance minister of Portugal on Monday, he will be the third Goa-origin politician in the countrys government, making him the latest in the large Indian diaspora across the globe to reach top political positions. Fernandes, 46, will join two others with Goa links in the government: Prime Minister Antonio Costa and planning minister Nelson de Souza. A PhD in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fernandes has been part of Costas team since 2015. Fernandes family hails from Sarzora in Salcette, and retains links with the extended family in Panaji, where his grand-father, Leao Fernandes, taught in the Portuguese-era school in Altinho: Lyceum (today it houses the Goa bench of the Bombay high court). The media in Portugal quoted former minister Alvaro Santos Pereira as saying that Fernandes is an excellent choice for the key ministry. He held several academic roles before taking on policy-making responsibilities in the government. Prime Minister Costa, 58, heads the minority Socialist (PS) government since the October 2019 election. He was presented the Overseas Citizen of India card by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Lisbon in June 2017. Costa visited his ancestral home in Goa in early 2017. The Goa-Portugal link is one among several strands of the Indian disapora. Portugal was the first western country to colonise parts of India in the early sixteenth century, and the last to leave, on December 19, 1961. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prasun Sonwalkar Prasun Sonwalkar was Editor (UK & Europe), Hindustan Times. During more than three decades, he held senior positions on the Desk, besides reporting from Indias north-east and other states, including a decade covering politics from New Delhi. He has been reporting from UK and Europe since 1999. ...view detail People walk along Harbor Boulevard in downtown Fullerton on June 11, the day Orange County announced it was rescinding its mask requirement. (Los Angeles Times) God help us, I remember thinking months ago, if something big enough happens that makes COVID-19 the No. 2 topic of discussion among our letter writers. We know how that turned out, but I should have known better after having similar thoughts during the Senate impeachment trial (which happened this year too!) and the Mueller investigation. It's been that kind of time. Of course, the coronavirus threat never abated, even though our letter writers' attention has turned primarily to the protests over George Floyd's killing, police brutality and systemic racism. In the last few days, however, there's been a surge (a "second wave," perhaps?) of letter submissions on the pandemic, and it has to do with the growing complacency of people amid the loosening of stay-at-home rules. What set off this resurgence of COVID-19 letters was the Orange County Board of Supervisors' decision to rescind its mask requirement. Fred Freedman of Rancho Palos Verdes asks not to be made a number: As a senior citizen at high risk if infected with COVID-19, I believe it is my responsibility to society to wear a mask whenever I am near others. I am discouraged from going out into the public when so many people display their lack of concern for others' well-being by not wearing a mask. If this is the way people behave, we can have little hope that the pandemic in this country will be mitigated. I personally do not wish to be a statistic. Barbara Busch of Santa Barbara backs for Orange County's former lead health official: Shame on Orange County officials for not standing up to the bullies in their midst and not supporting their departed public health chief Dr. Nichole Quick. These people have no regard for others or for helping our struggling economy to reopen. Don't they realize that people will be fearful to enter businesses where others are unmasked? In all my many years, I have not seen such selfishness, and I am saddened, outraged and ashamed of my fellow Californians who willfully put us all at risk. Story continues Nancy Wagner of Yorba Linda calls out one supervisor: The bullying of Dr. Quick by Orange County Supervisor Donald Wagner and others is unconscionable. At a board meeting, a deranged member of the public was allowed to broadcast Dr. Quick's home address, which hastened her resignation. Unfortunately, ugly politics and selfishness are on full display in Orange County. Alhambra resident Michael Ossorio compares mask rules to other safety requirements: Parents are required to have an approved baby car seat for their newborn. Occupants in a car are required to wear a seat belt. Automobile owners are required to have insurance. It is illegal to drink and drive. So why does anyone think the government lacks the power to require face masks? As the saying goes, "Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins." Public health messaging bears some of the blame, says Al Austin of West Hills: Human nature being what it is, the biggest mistake the health experts made was emphasizing that wearing a mask only protects others. Many people might wear a mask solely for that reason, but many others are not so selfless, nor can they see that in the long run they would be protecting themselves. Surely a mask offers some protection to the wearer. Even if the virus can enter through the eyes, the fabric must be a barrier to viral particles getting in through the nose and mouth. If it's improbable, so what? I'd be happy if the health experts emphasized, exaggerated or even flat out lied about the modicum of safety the mask offers the wearer. The goal should be more people wearing masks. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The daunting sway zika virus had held over the populace in recent past has a far-reaching impact on governments in terms of initiatives undertaken. FDA had recently made it mandatory for zika virus testing of all the blood testing done across the U.S. in hospitals and laboratories just to keep the virus at bay. Borne by Aedes genus of mosquitoes, this disease can be easily transmitted to another person even via sexual intercourse and pregnant women, if affected, can forward that to her newborn child as well. These initiatives have resulted in the growth of zika virus testing market, and the market is all set to witness a considerable hike during the forecast period (2017-2023),asserts Market Research Future (MRFR) in an extensively analyzed report. get free sample copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5662 FDA and the U.S. government have taken considerable steps to outclass this disease by having it properly tested and developing drugs that can contain the virus. The outcome is quite overwhelming. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also quite aware of the impacts of the virus and has taken steps accordingly. For instance, in 2016, it had declared a health emergency in the Americas, where the disease was spreading its wings. Subsequently, testing kits for the disease found a significant market and started growing in leaps and bounds. These precautionary decisions can act like a global market booster for the zika virus testing. Industry Trend: Researchers from Brigham and Womens hospital have recently come out with their discovery where they have used nanotechnology and digital health systems to detect zika virus. In the process. They have involved smartphones as necessary equipment for the testing. The method is known as nanomotor-based bead-motion cellphone (NBC) system, which can have considerable impacts in afflicted regions. Technology firm Inovatech, in collaboration with the Sao Paulo Research Foundation, developed a test at the Butantan Institute that can detect antibodies against zika virus in samples with great precision to declare infection, if any, caused by the virus previously. Zika Virus Testing Market Segmentation: The global zika virus testing market can be segmented by tests and end-users. By tests, the market can be further sub-segmented into serological/Zika virus antibody and molecular/nucleic acid amplification. The latter is the most commonly used test for zika virus detection. Based on end-users the market includes diagnostic units, hospitals, pathology labs, and others. Zika Virus Testing Market Regional Analysis: Region-specific analysis of the global market has regions Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Americas, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) under its coverage. The Americas are in-charge of the market and Latin American countries, where the outbreak of the disease hit massively, are contributing more than the regions far in the distance. Projects initiated by Health and Human Services (HHS), and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to deter the disease from further growth and cure the affected populace can be seen as a market influencer. Brazils National Development Bank (BNDES) has also infused USD 136.6 million for further researches that can help the market grow considerably. Zika Virus Testing Market Competitive Analysis: The market is witnessing constant evolution owing to companies launching innovative technologies to detect the virus and cure the effects. However, collaborations are also abounding such as technology firm Inovatechs collaboration with Sao Paolos Research Foundation. Prominent companies playing a significant role in the zika virus testing market are Luminex Corporation, ARUP Laboratories, Roche Molecular Systems, Hologic, and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. Access Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/upcoming-reports/zika-virus-testing-market-5662 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members Those following along with Novonix Limited (ASX:NVX) will no doubt be intrigued by the recent purchase of shares by Philip St Baker, MD & Director of the company, who spent a stonking AU$1.8m on stock at an average price of AU$0.29. Not only is that a big swing, but it increased their holding size by 41%, which is definitely great to see. Check out our latest analysis for Novonix Novonix Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In fact, the recent purchase by Philip St Baker was the biggest purchase of Novonix shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. Even though the purchase was made at a significantly lower price than the recent price (AU$1.10), we still think insider buying is a positive. While it does suggest insiders consider the stock undervalued at lower prices, this transaction doesn't tell us much about what they think of current prices. Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 9.81m shares worth AU$2.8m. But insiders sold 2750000 shares worth AU$1.2m. Overall, Novonix insiders were net buyers during the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! ASX:NVX Recent Insider Trading June 11th 2020 Novonix is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Insider Ownership of Novonix I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Novonix insiders own about AU$82m worth of shares. That equates to 29% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. Story continues So What Do The Novonix Insider Transactions Indicate? It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Novonix insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. For example, Novonix has 4 warning signs (and 2 which are potentially serious) we think you should know about. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. Love or hate this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. Russian Navy Receives First Improved Borei-A Class Missile Sub on Russia Day Holiday Sputnik News 19:07 GMT 12.06.2020(updated 19:30 GMT 12.06.2020) Floating beneath the depths of the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean, the stealthy new sub is expected to help preserve global strategic stability in the face of US moves to pull out of major arms control agreements and deploy advanced dual-use missile defense systems near Russia's borders. The Russian Navy's Northern Fleet has commissioned the Knyaz Vladimir, the first of the new Borei-A class of strategic missile submarines armed with 16 new Bulava submarine-launched intercontinental missiles to be completed and fielded. "On Russia Day, June 12, a ceremony was held at the Sevmash factory in Severodvinsk to accept the new Borei-A Knyaz Vladimir strategic missile submarine into the Navy, and the lifting of the naval St. Andrew's flag," the Defence Ministry said in a press statement. The ceremony was presided over by Navy chief Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov, and attended by other senior military, state and military industry officials. Yevmenov declared that the new submarine is unparalleled in its capabilities, and suggested that its deployment "underlines the status of the Russian Federation as a great naval power with an ocean-going fleet." "The Knyaz Vladimir strategic missile submarine embodies within it the scientific thought of our scientists and shipbuilders," he added. The Knyaz Vladimir (lit. 'Prince Vladimir') is named after the famed medieval ruler of Kievan Rus, the loose federation of East Slavs which would later become modern-day Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The submarine will join the 31st Submarine Division of the Northern Fleet. Rigorous state testing of the vessel was carried out in late 2019, with further testing taking place between May 12-21 to resolve problem areas pointed out by the defence ministry. The Knyaz Vladimir was laid down at Sevmash in July 2012, and is the first of seven Borei-A class vessels expected to be fielded over the coming decade. In addition to their strategic weapons, the fourth-generation nuclear submarines feature improved silent propulsion, better maneuvering and prolonged operation at depth capability, and advanced weapons control systems. The Borei-A class is the successor to Project 955 Borei, a nuclear missile sub design created during the late Cold War by the Rubin Design Bureau and built in the 1990s and 2000s, with three original Borei-class vessels completed and fielded. Last week, US defence observer and open-source intelligence expert H I Sutton named the Borei-A class Knyaz Vladimir in a list of important Russian submarines to watch out for, saying the boats are expected to form "the backbone of Russia's seaborne nuclear deterrent for decades to come." The Kynaz Vladimir's Bulava missiles have a range of over 9,000 km, and their multiple independently-guided reentry vehicles are almost impossible to intercept using currently existing missile defense systems. In other words, the subs are expected to have enough firepower to guarantee a Russian strategic response even in the event of an enemy surprise attack, thereby "scratching" the itchy trigger fingers of any potential adversary. The vessel class also features traditional 533 mm torpedo tubes to enable them to defend themselves against enemy ships and subs. The ship was formally transferred to the Navy on Russia Day, an annual holiday marking the day when Soviet Russian Republic President Boris Yeltsin declared the republic's sovereignty from Mikhail Gorbachev's central Soviet government on June 12, 1990. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address BANGKOK, June 12 (Reuters) - Thailand on Friday reported four new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, bringing its total number of confirmed infections to 3,129, of which 58 were fatalities. The four new cases were Thai nationals returning from India who were in quarantine, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's COVID-19 Administration Centre. There have been 2,987 patients who have recovered. (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat Editing by Ed Davies) DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran on Friday rejected a United Nations report that said cruise missiles used in attacks on oil facilities and an airport in Saudi Arabia last year were of "Iranian origin", saying it had been drawn up under U.S. and Saudi influence. In the report, seen by Reuters on Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also told the Security Council that several items in U.S. seizures of weapons and related materiel in November 2019 and February 2020 were "of Iranian origin". Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by state media that "Iran denies allegations by the U.N. Secretariat that appear to have been made under political pressure from the U.S. and Saudi regimes". "Interestingly, the ... report comes at a time when the United States is working to draft a dangerous resolution to extend an arms embargo against Iran," the statement said. Iran on Wednesday called on Russia and China to resist a push by Washington to extend a U.N.-imposed arms embargo that is due to expire in October under Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the deal in 2018 and his administration has been taking a harder line with the United Nations to extend and strengthen the embargo on Iran, saying lifting it would let Tehran acquire weapons that could fuel conflicts in the Middle East. Guterres said that in a May 22 letter, Iran's U.N. envoy said "it has not been the policy of Iran to export weapons in violation of relevant arms embargoes of the Security Council" and that it will "continue to actively cooperate with the United Nations in this regard". U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft has said she will circulate a draft resolution to extend the arms embargo on Iran soon. If Washington is unsuccessful, it has threatened to trigger a return of all U.N. sanctions on Iran under the nuclear deal, even though it quit the accord. Diplomats say Washington would likely face a tough, messy battle. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Frances Kerry) MOSCOW MITCH STRIKES AGAIN One Who Knows wants to know about the stimulus bill. Well, the Democrats passed a stimulus bill in the House three weeks ago and Moscow Mitch said it wasnt going to move off his desk. And the reason for this is, even though you wont admit it, its because it doesnt have any money in it for his billionaire donors. That is why he wont put this bill to the floor of the Senate, which would pass if he did. He doesnt want this money going to the people who need it. He wants money going to his billionaire donors. MOVING EVENT I attended the community day of healing and Upper Darby last night, and I found it very moving and I hope people were able to find comfort in the speakers and Im grateful to the mayor and the township council and the school board and all the other speakers and, you know, all persons that were there. ALL FOR UNITY ALL HAIL FREE SPEECH Thanks to Stu Rose for creating Sound-Off section in The Delco Times. Id like to Sound Off regarding Chris Freinds column, Intolerance will not heal race relations, June 12. I agree with his sentiments, especially the second-last paragraph where he asserts that the media should not be chastised if it prints valid material that some readers may find repulsive. There is nothing punitive about publishing an honest and legitimate opinion of writers. Many professionals find their character assassinated resulting in endangering their livelihood they worked so hard for. As Mr. Freind suggested, a caveat of some sort be given to the editors rather than firing them for such trivialities. We can all agree to disagree on ideas set forth in writing or free speech. This is, after all, America. FREIND SCORES To Chris Freind: Your opinion column today was an example for those who write such columns. I could identify your position easily in the 1st few paragraphs. Later, when your viewpoint shifted to free speech, you approached that topic as you did race issues. You provided factual support for your opinion, that riots force peaceful protests off the discussion table and that media should not be pressured to change their initial decision. Your opinions were supported by examples of actual events without using demeaning language or cute nicknames to call out actions taken by those you talk about. Well done. While my viewpoint was different than yours in places, i appreciated your research-based writing. LOIS THE CRUELEST CUT Just because dictator Wolf has no hair, he should not discriminate against those who do and want to get a haircut. He allows a looting and rioting in the streets. Thats OK. But God forbid you want to get a haircut. Its time for dictator Wolf to step down get off the economy and let this country get back to work. GET A LIFE To the miserable 80-year-old in Glen Mills: Try going for a walk instead of complaining about Comcast. Or better yet, join the protest and you will really have something to be mad about, whether real or imagined. BUT THEY WERE COPS To Speak Up: Most of what you said I agree with. But, as for why no one called 911: They were cops and there was a paramedic there. He ask to examine George Floyd but was denied. The store employee was on her phone with the owner and asked him if she should call 911. But they were the cops. 19,000 AND COUNTING Yo Ridley Graduate, Trump 2020, Andy from Havertown, and all you other Trump zombies! President Happy Talk (itll magically go away) is approaching a milestone that not even his dictator buddies, Putin, Xi, Jong-un could even dream of achieving. Yes, your forked-tongued leader has lied and/or misled the American people more than 19,000 times in only 3 1/2 years! My one question to you is, and Ive asked it numerous times, how do rationalize supporting such a pathological liar? (Proof: Fact Checker of the Washington Post.) BILL FROM BROOMALL President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the 2020 U.S. Military Academy Graduation Ceremony at West Point, N.Y., on June 13, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Hails Americas Timeless Principles in Commencement Speech President Donald Trump hailed the foundations of the United States, including God and justice, in an address on June 13 to graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Trump said that carrying on civilization depends on people who love their country with all their heart and energy and soul and remarked that U.S. soldiers from the academy helped win a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery within one lifetime of our founding. The graduating class featured 1,107 cadets representing every state in America. The members of this class have come from every state in our union. You have come from the farms and the cities, from states big and small, and from every race, religion, color, and creed. But when you entered these grounds, you became part of one team, one family, proudly serving one great American nation, Trump said at the academy, which is about 62 miles north of New York City. You became brothers and sisters pledging allegiance to the same timeless principles, joined together in a common mission: to protect our country, to defend our people, and to carry on the traditions of freedom, equality, and liberty that so many gave their lives to secure. You exemplify the power of shared national purpose to transcend all differences and achieve true unity. Today, you graduate as one class, and you embody one noble creed: duty, honor, country, he added. Cadets were seated about six feet apart, following social distancing recommendations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the 2020 US Military Academy Graduation Ceremony at West Point, N.Y., on June 13, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) U.S. Military Academy cadets attend the 2020 graduation ceremony at West Point, N.Y., on June 13, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) The Republican president repeatedly touched on themes of nationalism and honor, telling those gathered that the goals of the military now are not to stay embroiled in endless wars but to defend the United States from foreign enemies. He championed America as the greatest country in human history. He called the U.S. military the greatest force for peace and justice the world has ever known. And he urged cadets to remain loyal, faithful, and true. As protests and riots sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody in Minneapolis continuewith the subsequent fallout including concessions and sharp changes in a number of institutionsTrump pointedly said that, historically, America is unique due to the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment. When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal, he said. Besides graduates, people in the audience included Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), chairman of the U.S. Military Academy Board of Visitors, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, and Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, the 60th superintendent of the academy. Bengaluru, June 13 : The Covid lockdown measures have been successful in keeping the coronavirus transmission low in Karnataka, an official said on Saturday quoting a national survey undertaken in the southern state in May. "Measures taken during the lockdown have been successful in keeping the transmission low and in preventing the rapid spread of Covid," the health official said, quoting National Covid Sero-Surveillance report. The Sero-Surveillance study was conducted jointly by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Tuberculosis Institute, and the government of Karnataka in May at Chitradurga, Bengaluru, and Kalaburagi. According to the survey, 0.25 per cent of the surveyed people in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi exhibited evidence of exposure to the pandemic, which the survey claims as a successful outcome of the lockdown. "This implies that a large portion of the population must continue to follow precautionary measures as suggested by the government from time to time," the official said. For the survey, 400 samples were tested in Chitradurga and Bengaluru and 399 in Kalaburagi. However, it was only a baseline survey and the government is looking forward to further rounds. Among the tested samples, one each person tested positive for the virus in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi, showing an unweighted prevalence percentage of 0.25 By the end of Saturday, Karnataka is grappling with 6,824 infections, of which 3,092 are active. Jacksonville man faces sex charges A Jacksonville man is facing charges of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child in Greene County. Keenan S. Ballard, 21, of Jacksonville was booked into Greene County Jail at 12:06 a.m. Sunday. According to charging documents, Ballard has sexual contact with the child between January and June 2018. States Attorney Caleb Briscoe said Ballard had his first appearance in court Monday. Although attorney Tom Piper was appointed to represent Ballard, Briscoe said a different attorney will be appointed because Piper has a conflict of interest. Ballard is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 24. Morgan County Sheriff OTHER REPORTS A resident of the 700 block of McNeely Road in Franklin told deputies at 1:15 p.m. Thursday that someone had shot into his shed. Jacksonville Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Samantha N. Warcup, 25, homeless, was arrested at 9:55 p.m. Thursday on a charge of criminal trespassing in the 1000 block of East Morton Avenue. Cheyenne D. Wilson, 21, of 821 S. Main St., Apt. 1, and Alisa A. Bowden, 27, of 819 W. College Ave., Apt. 3, were cited on charges of disorderly conduct at 10:04 p.m. Thursday after police said they caused a disturbance multiple times in the 800 block of West College Avenue. Leigh Ann Crowley, 41, of 206 Zela Lane was arrested at 2:36 p.m. Thursday on charges of driving while license is suspended, possession of methamphetamine and manufacturing or delivery of methamphetamine after a traffic stop in the 600 block of North Main Street. VANDALISM A truck was spray-painted while it was parked in the 500 block of East Lafayette Avenue, according to a report filed at 6:40 a.m. Thursday. THEFTS, BURGLARIES About $400 worth of property was taken from a car while it was parked in the first block of Briarwyck Drive, according to a report filed at 8:17 a.m. Thursday. OTHER REPORTS A woman being treated in the Passavant Area Hospital emergency room at 12:37 a.m. Friday said she had been attacked by three people in the parking lot of a West Morton Avenue business. Police are investigating. A suspicious bone was found in the backyard of an Alice Drive residence at 2:22 p.m. Thursday. Police said it appeared to be an animal bone. Greene County Sheriff ARRESTS, CITATIONS Casey D. Presley, 32, of Eldred was booked into Greene County Jail at 7 p.m. Wednesday on a Greene County arrest warrant accusing him of domestic battery, criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing. Logan J. Kaiser, 22, of Carrollton was booked into Greene County Jail at 11:58 p.m. June 6 on charges of driving under the influence and improper lane use. John P. Chapman, 37, of Carrollton was booked into Greene County Jail at 9:16 p.m. June 5 on an escape charge. He was accused of failing to report to jail to serve a sentence. Carrollton Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Joshua S. Adcock, 30, of Carrollton was booked into Greene County Jail at 10:52 p.m. Tuesday on a Greene County arrest warrant accusing him of domestic battery. Heather A. Gunnin, 39, of Jacksonville was booked into Greene County Jail at 6:58 p.m. June 6 on charges of driving while license is revoked or suspended, possession of a controlled substance and possession of methamphetamine. Greenfield Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Angel Jo Gettings, 27, of Roodhouse was booked into Greene County Jail at 7:39 p.m. Monday on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. White Hall Police ARRESTS, CITATIONS Rex A. Aldred, 54, of White Hall was booked into Greene County Jail at 8:09 p.m. June 5 on charges of disorderly conduct, aggravated assault and harassment of a witness or family member. Compiled by David C.L. Bauer and Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said the increase in cases was expected as the state continued to reopen. As restrictions have been lifted through a phased approach in our state, more and more people are going back to work and returning to some modified sense of normalcy in the midst of this pandemic, Bynum said in a prepared statement. The key to maintaining safety is the capacity of our local health care system. I continue to maintain close communication with the leadership of our hospital systems in Tulsa, he said. While we monitor that capacity, none of us should lose sight of this: COVID-19 is still here. Wearing masks, washing our hands frequently and practicing social distancing are all things Im practicing and I encourage all Tulsans to do the same to help protect our community. Hospitalizations and death statistics tend to lag behind new case counts. As of Friday, state health officials reported that 154 people were hospitalized due to the disease. Despite the recent spike in confirmed cases, state health officials reported no deaths from the disease. Whoopi Goldberg speaks during the WorldPride 2019 Opening Ceremony, a combined celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots and WorldPride 2019 in New York LONDON (Reuters) - American actress Whoopi Goldberg has leant her voice to an Extinction Rebellion animated film highlighting the precarious state of the planet's natural environment. The three-minute film entitled "Gigantic Change" was released on Friday to coincide with World Enviroment Day. It is set in 2050 and shows a girl asking her grandmother, voiced by Goldberg, to read a "happy" bedtime story. After the grandmother chronicles a gloomy planet on the brink of environmental collapse back in 2020, the girl finishes off the tale, switching the narrative to one where the world came together to tackle climate change and protect nature. While the ending is deliberately ambiguous, the film offers a message of hope. The year 2050 is significant as it is when many nations have committed to becoming carbon neutral. The film was created by Passion Pictures, the London studio behind the Rang-tan film for British supermarket chain Iceland highlighting the threat of the palm oil industry to orangutans. With the world slowly emerging from lockdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, climate action group Extinction Rebellion has been pushing the message that the human race must seize the opportunity to create a greener future. The film ends with a caption saying that unless the human race changes course, by the year 2050 one billion people will be displaced and half of all species extinct. Asked about Oscar-winner Goldberg's involvement, co-director George Lewin said: "We thought her iconic voice would bring a perfect sense of gravitas to the performance. Plus she is outspoken on environmental issues and had the potential to inspire her followers to take action. Gigantic Change went live on Extinction Rebellion's Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Instagram platforms on Friday. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Angus MacSwan) Ahead of his meeting with chief ministers next week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the steps being taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in areas with high case load and the road map for effective management of the situation. In view of the challenges being faced in the country's response to the pandemic, particularly by large cities with large number of infections, the meet focussed on augmenting testing as well as the number of beds and services to effectively handle the peak surge of daily cases, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office. In a tweet later, the prime minister said he reviewed the COVID-19 situation across the nation during the high-level meeting. "We also reviewed the roadmap ahead, and steps to contain the pandemic in the parts where most cases are coming from," he said. The meeting comes against the backdrop of rising number of coronavirus cases in the country. According to health ministry figures issued on Saturday morning, India's COVID-19 tally breached the three-lakh mark with a record single-day spike of 11,458 infections, while the death toll rose to 8,884 with 386 new fatalities. "The present and emerging scenario of the COVID-19 disease in the capital" was also discussed and the projections for next two months was deliberated, the statement said. Modi suggested that the Home Minister and the Health Minister should convene an emergency meeting with the Lt Governor and the Chief Minister of Delhi, along with senior officials of the central and the NCT governments as also officials of municipal corporations of Delhi, to plan a "coordinated and comprehensive response" to the pandemic. The meets suggested by the prime minister are taking place on Sunday. The meeting was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Principal Secretary to PM P K Mishra, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, the Health Secretary, the ICMR DG and representatives of various empowered groups. Member of NITI Aayog and convenor of the Empowered Group of Medical Emergency Management Plan Vinod Paul made a detailed presentation on the current status and likely scenario of COVID-19 cases in the medium term. "It was observed that out of the total cases two-thirds are in five states with an overwhelming proportion of cases in big cities," the statement said. The prime minister took cognisance of the recommendations of the Empowered Group on city -- and district-wise requirements of hospital beds and isolation beds. He instructed health ministry officials to undertake emergency planning in consultation with various states and union territories. He also advised the ministry to ensure suitable preparations in view of the start of the monsoon season. It was noted and appreciated in the meeting that there have been many instances of outstanding work done by several states, districts and cities in containing and controlling the outbreak successfully. These success stories and best practices should be widely disseminated to provide inspiration and innovative ideas to others. On Jun 16 and 17, the prime minister will hold virtual meets with chief ministers and union territory representatives against the backdrop of rising number of coronavirus cases in the country. Under "Unlock 1" several relaxations have been made for public and businesses to ensure that economic activities hit by the lockdown gather momentum. For the virtual meet, the states have been divided into two groups. Representatives of 21 states and union territories, including Punjab and some northeastern states, will hold interaction with the prime minister on June 16. The rest 15, including West Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka, where the coronavirus cases are on a much higher side, will interact with Modi on June 17. This would be the prime minister's sixth round of consultation with the chief ministers, the last being on May 11. Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with all the chief ministers over telephone in the last week of May, just before lockdown-4 was to end. Reshuffle comes as Chile faces its toughest month in the pandemic so far, with spiraling active cases and deaths rates. Chile President Sebastian Pinera has replaced Health Minister Jaime Manalich amid controversy over the countrys figures for deaths from the coronavirus outbreak. Pinera said on Saturday Manalich had spared no effort in carrying out his difficult and noble duty to protect Chileans health. He replaced him with Oscar Enrique Paris, an academic and medical doctor. The sudden reshuffle comes as Chile faces its toughest month in the pandemic so far, with spiralling active cases and death rates. The country now has the highest number of confirmed cases per million people in Latin America, reporting 167,355 cases on Saturday and 3,101 deaths. Manalich, a tough-talking kidney specialist who once ran one of Chiles top hospitals, has won praise for an aggressive campaign to keep hospitals supplied with ventilators and protective equipment and leading detailed daily news conferences. But there have been frequent reports of spats among health ministry officials, and Manalich has been criticised by opposition politicians, mayors, medical experts and social groups for refusing to release more detailed contagion data or apply lockdowns sooner and for successive changes in criteria for recording deaths and cases. On Saturday, a Chilean investigative website, Ciper, reported that the health ministry had told the World Health Organization that as many as 5,000 deaths in the country were linked to coronavirus. The health ministrys statistics department reported figures to the global body of people who had died after testing positive for coronavirus, as well as deaths suspected to be linked to COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The new minister, Enrique Paris, is a former head of the Chilean College of Doctors (Colmed) and a university deacon. Jose Miguel Bernucci, Colmeds national secretary, welcomed the appointment, saying he was looking forward to a more consensual approach and a change in strategy to jointly confront the pandemic. As anyone whos ever played the ageless parlour game charades can tell you, its the time limit that makes all the gesturing and posturing and cajoling and contorting so tricky. Eventually, the clock will run out. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. As anyone whos ever played the ageless parlour game charades can tell you, its the time limit that makes all the gesturing and posturing and cajoling and contorting so tricky. Eventually, the clock will run out. Thats what happened this week to the legislative charade known as the Pallister governments Public Services Sustainability Act, when it was struck down in Court of Queens Bench in a decision that could only be described as emphatic. Calling the legislation "a draconian measure which limits and reduces a unions bargaining power" in her 224-page decision, Judge Joan McKelvey effectively declared that the controversial wage-freeze legislation which was passed in the legislature in 2017 but never proclaimed into law violated the constitutional rights of public-sector workers by denying them their right to collective bargaining. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister hasn't commented on the ruling. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files) The PSSA, also known as Bill 28, sought to impose a two-year wage freeze on public-sector workers once their existing contracts lapsed, followed by a 0.75 per cent increase in the third year and a one per cent increase in the fourth. Without being proclaimed, the PSSA had a profound effect on all public-sector contracts that came up for renewal after its passage, since government negotiators used it as a cudgel at the bargaining table despite its never having become law. "The overall impact of the legislation on a process of collective bargaining rises to the level of substantial interference," the decision noted. "The legislation circumvents and compresses the leverage or bargaining power available and inhibits the unions ability to trade off monetary benefits for non-monetary enhancements." Judge McKelvey stated that the 21 collective agreements signed since Bill 28s passage were "negotiated under duress." Those contracts affect 8,800 public-sector employees only a fraction of the 120,000 unionized workers represented by the unions involved in the successful court challenge. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every weekday evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. She also dismissed outright the financial-crisis argument that initially underpinned the Pallister governments passage of Bill 28, noting that by the time the case was argued in court, the province had abandoned that rationale. Also while the case was before the court, the government introduced additional legislation to amend the PSSA. The provinces only comment on the decision on Thursday came in the form of a written response that stated in part, "We will take the time to carefully review the decision and assess appeal considerations." Labour groups, including leaders such as Sudhir Sandhu (above), CEO of Manitoba Building Trades, were opposed to the bill. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files) By all means, the government should exercise due diligence in reviewing the court decision. Then it should abandon the PSSA as the ill-advised endeavour it has been since its introduction. And then get back to the necessary business of bargaining in good faith with the unions that represent public sector workers those whose front-line efforts have been lauded by the premier as heroic during the pandemic, as well as the ones whose efforts have been marginalized by his threats of layoffs and demands that they take unpaid days off to show theyre part of the "Team Manitoba" drive to rein in COVID-19 costs. The PSSA, in form and function, was a fatally flawed bill, seemingly driven more by animosity than by sound legislative intent. For evidence that Bill 28 was a non-starter from the outset, one need look no further than the governments own reluctance to take the final legislative step of proclaiming it. Its time to put a stop to the protracted courtroom contortions and end the charade. For a public-sector workforce that deserves the right to fairly negotiated agreements, this is not a game. Two weeks ago, Gov. Greg Abbott visited Amarillo to declare victory over a coronavirus outbreak that had wreaked havoc on the Panhandle. Showcasing dwindling caseloads and a stable supply of hospital beds, he said the region's success was indicative of a state moving forward amid a containable pandemic. "Amarillo has turned a corner on its pathway toward a positive, effective resolution of this particular hotspot," Abbott remarked, applauding local officials and the "surge" teams of medical and military staffers that have become a hallmark of his reopening playbook. But as one problem subsided, others newly emerged. Cases in Texas have since ballooned to record highs, and hospitals in Houston, San Antonio and other major cities are filling once more with COVID-19 patients. On Friday, as Abbott allowed restaurants to open at near-full capacity, the public health nightmare seemed to only be growing. The governor, though one of the first to relax his states stay-at-home order is pushing ahead. "Concerned but not alarmed" was how he and his surrogates put it this week, even as fellow governors in Oregon and Utah pumped the brakes on their reopenings amid rising caseloads. "This was to be expected," said Abbott, a Republican, in a television interview on Wednesday. "Many of these cases we're seeing have been in the aftermath of the Memorial Day weekend, and some are the early part of when these protests began." For a leader as shrewd and cautious as Abbott, the pandemic has hit an especially treacherous stretch. He was vilified early on by conservatives who saw him sacrificing the economy for an overblown health scare, and has been assailed by Democrats for rolling back restrictions before the state met standards created by his own medical advisors. THE LATEST: Interactive maps, charts show spread of coronavirus in Texas He responded to other voices rather than his own, said Matt Angle, a longtime Democratic strategist in Texas. Now he's in a position where it does look like he reopened too quickly. The governors Republican allies say Abbott has done just enough, meeting the moment with usual measure and clarity. Whatever the assessment, Abbott is poised to own the outcome, having barred local leaders from enforcing their own closures or mandating masks in public. He has made clear in recent days that hes prepared to stay the course if thats even a choice. "The government shut the economy down once," said Matt Mackowiak, a GOP consultant in Austin, "That feels to me like a bullet you can fire one time." As cases rise, the governor has shifted focus away from the health toll. People are hurting, he acknowledged in Amarillo, but there are so many more people in the state who are suffering economically. By Friday, deaths neared 2,000 and there were 2,166 people hospitalized with Covid-19, a new high amid a week of them. The governor recognizes everything being done to save people is being done, Mackowiak said. The real thing is managing what you can manage. He can't really affect whether a person can survive or not. But he can manage medical supplies and the resources available to help. Dr. John Zerwas, a former Republican state representative and one of the governors leading medical advisers in the reopening, pointed to the huge mental health impacts of unemployment and lockdown measures. We're certainly concerned about trying to keep the curve bent down as much as we can, he said. But at the same time, we know we have to bring the economy back to life. THE EPIDEMIC WITHIN THE PANDEMIC: COVID-19s coming mental health toll is a disease of despair Democrats said the approach shows just how little Abbott cares about those outside his political base, including black and Latino Texans, who have died at much higher rates from the virus. On Monday, after more than a month of prodding from state Democratic leaders, Abbott agreed to step up COVID-19 testing in underserved communities. He provided few details, though, and some city officials have said they werent informed about how the effort would work. Abbott is really good at saying what he's going to do and hoping everybody forgets about it in six months, Angle said. And they often do. In the meantime, Abbott has dispensed with the weekly press briefings he held early on in the crisis, opting instead for short, frequent rounds on local televisions stations, where he has pointed increasingly to Memorial Day and the demonstrations over police brutality as causes for the latest surge. While health experts are concerned that the protests likely spread new infections, Democrats in Houston tried to preempt the governor from using them as an excuse for the resurgence. In a tweet on Monday, Mayor Sylvester Turner said cases have been increasing for the last two weeks as well as hospitalizations. DATA GLITCH: In easing COVID-19 restrictions, Gov. Abbott touted low hospitalizations. His numbers were way off. This current rise cannot and should not be attributable to the mass protest and demonstrators, he said. John Wittman, a spokesman for Abbott, said responsibility ultimately lies with the public. Texans have done a good job so far, but the reality is people need to stay vigilant, he said. Summer is here and everyone wants to go to the pool, but COVID has not left the state. People need to social distance, they need to wear masks. Police on motorcycles ride ahed of protesters organized by Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County, in Seattle, June 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Judge Orders Seattle to Stop Using Tear Gas During Protests SEATTLEA U.S. judge on Friday ordered Seattle police to temporarily stop using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices to break up protests. U.S. District Judge Richard Jones sided with a Black Lives Matter group that sued the Seattle Police Department this week to halt the various law enforcement measures it has used to break up protests. Last weekend, officers used tear gas, pepper spray and other force against crowds of protesters. Jones order halts those tactics for two weeks. Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best have apologized to protesters who were subjected to chemical weapons. But Best has said some demonstrators violently targeted police, throwing objects and ignoring orders to disperse. Both have faced calls to resign, which they have rejected. The judge said those objecting to the police tactics make a strong case that the indiscriminate use of force is unconstitutional. Jones said weapons like tear gas and pepper spray fail to target any single agitator or criminal and they are especially problematic during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Because they are indiscriminate, they may even spill into bystanders homes or offices as they have done before, Jones wrote. Durkan, a former U.S. attorney, believes the court struck the right balance to protect the fundamental constitutional right to exercise protest, with the need to also ensure public safety, spokeswoman Kamaria Hightower said in an email. Durkan also has requested reviews of police actions from the Office of Police Accountability and the citys inspector general. This week, demonstrators have turned part of Seattles Capitol Hill neighborhood into a protest center with speakers, drum circles and Black Lives Matter painted on a street near a police station. Police largely left the station after the chaos last weekend. Durkan wrote on Twitter that on Friday she visited the so-called autonomous zone. President Donald Trump has criticized her and Gov. Jay Inslee for not breaking up the occupation by anarchists and threatening to take action if they dont. Both have assailed his comments and say theyre focusing on a peaceful resolution. Michele Storms, executive director of the ACLU of Washington, said the group was pleased with the judges ruling. The ruling came as massive crowds marched in the rain and some businesses temporarily closed in response to a call from Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County to launch a statewide general strike. Black Lives Matter organizers have demands for the city, county, and state that include cutting at least $100 million from the Seattle police budget, ending cash bail, and declaring racism a public health crisis. By Lisa Baumann Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Hand wash is a liquid soap that is less foamy because it doesnt need to cover a lot of surface area and is used very often all day. Hand washing, also called hand hygiene, is a method of cleaning hands to avoid microorganisms, dirt, or all other harmful objects to discourage disease spreading. New York, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Hand Wash Market By Distribution Channels By End User By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914554/?utm_source=GNW Liquid hand wash is an antibacterial liquid that contains an active substance used to inhibit, destroy, or render the active bacteria on hands harmless. Due to ease of use and the ability of liquid soaps to retain natural moisture in the hands, liquid hand washings are usually favored over soaps. Liquid hand wash is a multi-million-dollar industry, with continuous market opportunities due to advances in technology and research and development that have resulted in new offerings in the form of organic hand wash and sensitive skin hand wash, among others. The latest coronavirus pandemic has seen an increase in the use of personal hygiene products, stimulating the growth of the industry. Hand-washing has become as imperative as breathing given the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted people to use the hand wash liquids as a minimal step to prevent the disease from spreading. As of May 30, 2020, as many as 5 million cases of coronavirus were confirmed worldwide, the reported death toll of which stood at around 2 lakhs. With Russia, Iran, and other developing countries disclosing a spike in the number of new cases and the emerging second wave of COVID-19 in China, cost-effective ways to curb spread infection, such as social distancing and basic hand hygiene, are becoming increasingly prevalent. The uncertainty about releasing a vaccine over the time period has instilled fear in consumers and encouraged them to use hand washings. The World Health Organization (WHO), with the FDA and the CDC, suggests regular hand washing to prevent infection. Based on Distribution Channels, the market is segmented into Hypermarkets, Retailers, Online and Other Channels. Based on End User, the market is segmented into Commercial Sector and Residential Sector. Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Johnson & Johnson, Unilever PLC, The Procter and Gamble Company, S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc. (The Caldrea Company), Beiersdorf AG, Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, 3M Company, Henkel AG & Company, KGaA, Alticor Inc. (Amway Corporation), and Lion Corporation. Strategies deployed in Hand Wash Market Mar-2020: Unilever signed an agreement with The UK government. The agreement was focused on funding a global programme to urgently tackle the spread of coronavirus. The programme reached up to a billion people worldwide, raising awareness and changing behavior, to make sure people are washing their hands with soap regularly and disinfecting surfaces. Mar-2020: Reckitt Benckiser announced partnership with Jumia, the leading e-commerce platform in Africa. Together, both the companies aimed to help consumers access hygienic products at the lowest price. The partnership provides a steady supply of hygiene products such as soap bars, disinfectants, and liquid hand wash at affordable pricing. Feb-2020: Lifebuoy, a brand of Unilever came into partnership with TESCO Stores (M) Sdn Bhd. The partnership was aimed to provide handwashing liquids to all of Tescos adopted schools in the wake of viral illnesses that are spreading globally. Jun-2019: Reckitt Benckiser India (RB) introduced Dettol co-created with moms, a new range of bathing soaps and hand washes, under Dettol brand. Jun-2019: Henkel made an investment of $19 million in the expansion of its West Hazleton, PA facility. This investment enabled the company to open a new production line for both Dial body wash and Dial liquid hand soap. The production line enables future growth for the business. Apr-2019: Amway India announced the launch of Persona Germ Protection and Moisturizing liquid hand wash. The new liquid hand wash has been developed in India for Indian consumers and provides effective germ protection, while providing gentle nourishment and moisturization by Aloe vera. Sep-2018: S.C. Johnson Professional launched the AgroBac Pure FOAM, a new antibacterial foam soap. This soap is ideal for use in settings that require high standards of hand hygiene, like food service and food manufacturing. Sep-2017: S.C. Johnson signed an agreement to acquire Method and Ecover, two highly regarded consumer brands from People Against Dirty, a leading company that offers home care, hand and body, and laundry products. The acquisition would complement S.C. Johnsons lineup of iconic brands. Feb-2016: Reckitt Benckiser unveiled Dettol Gold, an innovative range, which provides 100% better protection ever against germs and new age illnesses. The range comprises of bar soap and liquid hand wash in two exciting variants: Classic Clean and Daily Clean. The product shields children from germs causing bacteria they encounter every day and also offers a world-class sensorial experience. Scope of the Study Market Segmentation: By Distribution Channels Hypermarkets Retailers Online and Other Channels By End User Commercial Sector and Residential Sector By Geography North America o US o Canada o Mexico o Rest of North America Europe o Germany o UK o France o Russia o Spain o Italy o Rest of Europe Asia Pacific o China o Japan o India o South Korea o Singapore o Malaysia o Rest of Asia Pacific LAMEA o Brazil o Argentina o UAE o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o Nigeria o Rest of LAMEA Companies Profiled Johnson & Johnson Unilever PLC The Procter and Gamble Company S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc. (The Caldrea Company) Beiersdorf AG Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC 3M Company Henkel AG & Company, KGaA Alticor Inc. (Amway Corporation) Lion Corporation Unique Offerings Exhaustive coverage Highest number of market tables and figures Subscription based model available Guaranteed best price Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914554/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 22:35:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The following are highlights of China's local business news from the past week. VEHICLE SALES REBOUND Great Wall Motor Company Limited, China's leading sport utility vehicle (SUV) and pickup manufacturer, saw vehicle sales rise 1 percent month on month to 81,901 units in May, achieving the highest monthly figure since the outbreak of COVID-19. Haval, the carmaker's leading brand, drove the overall sales growth with 51,915 units in May. Sales of the Haval H6 model reached 22,691, remaining the best-selling SUV in China for 84 months, the company said. NEW CHINA-EUROPE TRAIN East China's Shandong Province plans to launch two new China-Europe freight train routes within this year. This will raise the total number of its "Qilu" trains departing for Europe and Central Asia from 800 to 1,200 for 2020. The province is now operating 33 international freight train routes, linking cities in Shandong with more than 40 cities in Europe and Central Asia, according to Xu Chenggang of the China Railway Jinan Group. KWEICHOW MOUTAI GROWTH China's leading liquor producer, Kweichow Moutai, set its revenue growth target for 2020 at around 10 percent compared with last year, said the chairman of the company. "The COVID-19 epidemic has had a huge impact on China's liquor industry, but we will make efforts to minimize the impact and achieve this year's target," said Gao Weidong at the company's 2019 annual general meeting of shareholders. WUHAN TRADE The central Chinese city of Wuhan, previously hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, posted a trade volume of 82.42 billion yuan (about 11.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the first five months, up 0.9 percent year on year, customs figures showed. The growth reversed a drop of 4.9 percent in trade volume seen in the first four months, as the performance in May surged with the local resumption of work and production, according to Wuhan Customs. In May, the city's exports reached 12.17 billion yuan, up 19.3 percent year on year, while imports hit 9.73 billion yuan, up 24.3 percent. SHENZHEN 5G South China's Shenzhen Municipality will construct 17,000 new 5G base stations by the end of August, local authorities said. The move will bring the total number of 5G base stations in Shenzhen to 45,000 as of August, said Jia Xingdong, director of the Industry and Information Technology Bureau of Shenzhen. Enditem Heres a recap of the top five Nollywood stories on Information Nigeria which occurred during the week of June 8. Motherhood Is Beautiful, Regina Daniels Says; Shares New Maternity Photos Pregnant Nigerian actress, Regina Daniels took to her Instagram page on Monday to share some stunning maternity photos. Actress Anita Joseph, Husband Celebrate 3rd Wedding Anniversary Advertisement MC Fish, the husband of popular actress Anita Joseph, took to his Instagram page to celebrate their third anniversary since they met each other. The actress husband penned a message in which he noted that its been three years of sleeping with his wife and also filling her tank. Olu Jacobs Is Not Dead Actress Lala Akindoju Nollywood actress, Lala Akindoju took to her social media page to dispel rumors about the demise of Olu Jacobs. Akindoju stated on Twitter that the actor is not dead but he is hale and hearty. Kannywood Actor, Ali Nuhu, Loses Father Popular Kannywood actor, Ali Nuhu, lost his father, Nuhu Paloma, to an undisclosed illness. Nuhu Paloma was a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in their home state, Gombe State. Yul Edochie Slams Those Blaming Nollywood For Nigerias Challenges Popular Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie has slammed Nigerians, who blamed the movie industry for causing the problems in the country. The actor noted that past Nigerian leaders failed in making the country a better place and people are now passing their aggression on Nollywood. Rupert Grint was spotted grabbing a coffee with girlfriend George Groome, 28, and their newborn baby daughter on Saturday. The Harry Potter star, 31, donned a protective face mask as he stepped out for a stroll, after joining many of his co-stars in slamming JK Rowling. On Friday, Rupert became the latest in a swathe of actors to speak out against the author, after she took issue with an online article about 'people who menstruate.' Out and about: Rupert Grint stepped out with girlfriend George Groome and their newborn baby daughter on Saturday, after joining many of his co-stars in slamming JK Rowling Rupert cut a casual figure as he headed out in a protective face mask for the outing with Georgia and their baby daughter. The Ron Weasley actor and his girlfriend took a brief moment to stop and check on their little girl before continuing on. Georgia embraced the warm June weather in a pale pink striped shirt dress and trainers as she pushed the pram along. Shielded: The Harry Potter star donned a protective face mask as he stepped out for a stroll, after joining stars slamming Rowling for views which have been branded 'transphobic' Busy: Rupert briefly stopped to take a sip of his coffee as Georgia checked on their baby daughter nestled in her pram Rupert and his girlfriend of nine years welcomed their first child together last month, after revealing their pregnancy in April. In a statement a representative told The Mirror: 'Rupert Grint and Georgia Groome are delighted to confirm the birth of their baby girl. We would please ask that you respect their privacy at this very special time.' The couple are yet to reveal the name of their baby daughter. Controversy: Rowling, 54, was hit by what she described as 'relentless attacks' after she took issue with an online article about 'people who menstruate' (pictured November 2018) Casual: Georgia embraced the warm June weather in a pale pink checked shirt dress and trainers as she pushed the pram along On Friday, Rupert joined many of his Harry Potter co-stars speaking out against author Rowling, including Emma Watson - who played Hermione in the film franchise, Daniel Radcliffe who played Harry and Eddie Redmayne, who stars in her Fantastic Beasts films. Speaking to The Times, Rupert said: 'I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. 'We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgement.' Hitting back: On Friday, Rupert joined many of his Harry Potter co-stars speaking out against author Rowling Shocking: Speaking to The Times, he said: 'I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men' Rowling, 54, was hit by what she described as 'relentless attacks' after she took issue with an online article about 'people who menstruate.' But she has since answered her critics with a 3,663 word essay posted on her website on Wednesday under the headline: 'J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues.' She included her personal experiences with domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-husband of 18 months, Jorges Arantes. Parents: Rupert and his girlfriend of nine years welcomed their first child together last month, after revealing their pregnancy in April Baby daughter: The couple are yet to reveal the name of their baby daughter In it, the author revealed she was sexually assaulted in her 20s and told of her scars of domestic violence from her first marriage. Rowling had one child, daughter Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes, 26, with her Portuguese ex-husband. They were married for just 13 months. Former drug addict Arantes admitted in 2000 that he had once slapped her 'very hard' early in the morning of November 17, 1993 and thrown her out of the house in Porto, Portugal. Rowling returned the following day with a policeman to retrieve their four-month-old daughter Jessica and stayed in hiding with friends for two weeks before returning to the UK. Outrageous: Rowling's tweets caused a firestorm of responses from the LGBTQ community and others who were upset with her words In her post, Rowling said she did not want to 'claim ownership' of a story which also belongs to her daughter. Rowling also declared she had 'deep concerns' about the pressures young people face to transition to another gender. She even suggested she might have become a man herself - 'to turn myself into the son my father had openly said he'd have preferred' if she had been subjected to similar pressures. Shocked: Many of Rupert's co-stars have joined him in condemning Rowling's words, including Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Fantastic Beasts' Eddie Redmayne After writing her initial controversial tweet, the author continued with another thread speaking about the concept of biological sex. 'If sex isn't real, there's no same-sex attraction,' she tweeted. 'If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn't hate to speak the truth.' Rowling's tweets caused a firestorm of responses from the LGBTQ community and others who were upset with her words. A Harry Potter fan group tweeted its disapproval of Rowling's post and encouraged followers to donate to a group that supports transgender women. The wordsmith seemingly denied claims of transphobia, before retweeting a fan's comment which slammed 'extremists' for 'insisting biological sex is an illusion.' Controversial: Rowling seemingly denied claims of transphobia, before retweeting a fan's comment which slammed 'extremists' for 'insisting biological sex is an illusion' COLLEGE STATION Texas is known for hot summers that leave many residents ready for air conditioning and a cool drink. Because their bodies expel heat less efficiently and generate more heat pound-for-pound than humans, pets can be even more impacted by rising temperatures. Dr. Christine Rutter, a clinical assistant professor and emergency and critical care specialist at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, discusses the dangers that summer heat may present to animals, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is the feeling of lethargy, discomfort, or weakness that is experienced when the body gets too hot, Rutter said. Heat stroke is an actual illness that occurs from increased body temperature. It can be life-threatening and cause permanent damage. Heat-related issues are prevented through a process called evaporative cooling, which is one of the most efficient ways for an animal to expel heat, Rutter said. Humans accomplish this largely by sweating, but dogs and cats can only sweat through the bottoms of their feet, so they must expel heat by panting. Very young, geriatric, brachycephalic (short-nosed breeds), and pets with heart, respiratory, or endocrine disease are at higher risk for heat injury, Rutter said. Obesity and respiratory noises can also identify at-risk groups. While its harder to pin down, pets that arent acclimated to hot environments will heatstroke more easily. Humidity plays an important role in how efficiently an animal can expel heat. As humidity increases, water evaporation and the resulting heat exchange decreases. Once the humidity in the air reaches about 85 percent, evaporative cooling is almost totally inhibited. For pets, this can have serious consequences. Pet owners should keep a keen eye on their animal when the weather is hot and when the humidity is high; even if you feel OK, your pet might be affected. Any dog that wants to take a break or is panting heavily should be given fresh, cool water and a shady spot to rest until their breathing normalizes and they want to return to activity, Rutter said. Motivated dogs will return to activity as soon as it is physically possible, which may not be the best plan. Owners have to make some dogs stop and cool off fully. As heat stress worsens, pets may have GI signs (vomiting and/or diarrhea), lethargy, weakness, red gums, and coagulation (blood clotting) changes that can cause small, red bruises to form (most commonly in the mouth, whites of the eyes, and the skin of the abdomen). Rutter says that cats tend to limit their activity and seek shade when heat becomes an issue, but they still should also always have access to fresh water and be in a familiar environment. To cool an animal, I recommend wetting the pet down with cool (not cold) water, turning a fan on high over them, and putting them in a shaded, air-conditioned environment, she said. If your pet is displaying signs of heat stress, you should wet them down, crank up the AC, and head directly to your veterinarians office. It is most definitely an emergency. When walking a pet in the heat, owners should also consider whether the pavement temperature is appropriate for their pets paws. Rutter recommends feeling the pavement with your hand; if the pavement is too hot for you to touch it, its too hot for your pet. Vehicles parked with no air conditioning also can be a serious threat during warmer months. The temperature in parked cars rises quickly even with the windows cracked. Rutter says that cars can become lethally hot in as little as 15 minutes, but that time is shorter for animals prone to heat injury. Always have your pet inside the vehicle with the air conditioning on if the temperature is 85 degrees or greater, she said. Even at temperatures below 85 degrees, never put your pet in the bed of a truck and never, ever leave your pet in a parked car. Rutter recommends that pet owners see their veterinarian with any concern for heat stress or heat stroke. Heat injury becomes a serious condition very quickly; luckily, however, these precautions are usually effective at preventing heat stress, and a mindful pet owner should have few worries as they enjoy their summer with a furry friend by their side. Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be found on the Pet Talk website . Suggestions for future topics may be directed to editor@cvm.tamu.edu . President Donald Trump has blasted Joe Biden as being 'not all there' for suggesting troops would need to drag Trump out of the White House if he fails to win a second term. In an interview with Fox News aired on Friday, Trump told host Harris Faulkner that he would leave the Oval Office peacefully if Biden wins but that he believed it would be a 'very sad thing for our country'. Trump also accused Biden of hiding in a 'sanctuary city' in his basement. His comments were in response to claims made by Vice President Biden that the military would have to force Trump to leave if he lost and that the president would try to 'steal' the election. Scroll down for video President Donald Trump insisted that he would leave the White House peacefully in a Friday interview with Fox News despite claims from Joe Biden he would have to be forced out Faulkner asked Trump whether he had heard Biden's comments during the 20-minute interview which mainly focused on race relations in the United States and the president's response to the recent weeks of civil unrest. 'Look, Joe's not all there, everybody knows it and it's sad when you look at it and you see it, you see it for yourself,' Trump answered. 'He's created his own sanctuary city in that basement, wherever he is, and he doesn't come out.' Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has been continuing with his campaign from his basement as a result of the travel restrictions and shutdowns implemented because of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump on the other hand has made plans to start back up his rallies on June 20. The president went on to say that he would leave office peacefully if he lost in November and would move onto another endeavor. 'Certainly, if I don't win, I don't win,' he said. 'I'll go on and do other do other things. 'I think it would be a very be a very sad thing for our country,' he added of a potential loss for his reelection campaign. In her question, Faulkner had been referring to comments recently made by Biden in which he claimed that Trump would 'try to steal this election'. He alleged that the president would do so by attempting to suppress voting, pointing to the unproven claims made by Trump that mail-in voting could bring massive fraud. Democrats already accused Republicans in Georgia of voter suppression during the state's primary on Tuesday, noting most of the problems were in heavily black areas. Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden told The Daily Show that his 'greatest concern' is that 'this president is going to try to steal this election' Democrats accused Republicans in Georgia of voter suppression during the state's primary on Tuesday, noting most of the problems were in heavily black areas; above a voter reads a book while waiting in line to vote in a line stretched around the Metropolitan Library in Atlanta 'It's my greatest concern, my single greatest concern. This president is going to try to steal this election,' Biden told in an interview on 'The Daily Show.' 'This is a guy who said that all mail-in ballots are fraudulent - direct voting by mail - while he sits behind the desk in Oval Office and writes his mail-in ballot to vote in the primary,' he said, adding that his campaign had lawyers ready to step in and enforce voting rights. Biden also addressed fears among Democrats that Trump would refuse to concede the election should the former vice president beat him in November. He pointed to the former Joint Chiefs of Staff who have criticized Trump in recent days and said he was confident the military would escort Trump out of the White House should it come to it. 'I was so damn proud to hear that four chiefs of staff coming out and ripping the skin off of Trump,' Biden said. 'I promise you; I am absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch.' Such a move would be unprecedented in American history. Biden also addressed fears among Democrats that Trump would refuse to concede the election during his interview with 'Daily Show' host Trevor Noah Biden's comments had already been blasted by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany who said that it was a 'ridiculous proposition'. 'This president's looking forward to November,' McEnany said this week on 'America's Newsroom' on Fox News. 'This president's hard at work for the American people and leave it to Democrats to go out there and grandstand and level these conspiracy theories.' And Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said it was a 'brainless conspiracy theory.' 'This is just another brainless conspiracy theory from Joe Biden as he continues to try to undermine confidence in our elections,' he said in a statement. 'It was the Obama Administration that tried to subvert an election by spying on the Trump campaign in 2016 and Biden himself was part of the effort to sabotage the incoming Trump Administration because they couldn't live with President Trump's victory. President Trump has been clear that he will accept the results of the 2020 election.' In the first part of the Fox interview on Friday, President Trump repeated a claim that he had done more for black Americans than any other president. Fox host Harris Faulkner reminded President Trump that President Lincoln had freed slaves as Trump claimed he had done more for black Americans than any other president 'So, I think I've done more for the Black community than any other president. And, let's take a pass on Abraham Lincoln because he did good, although, it's always questionable, you know, in other words, the end result,' he said. Faulkner interrupted, 'Well, we are free, Mr. President. So, he did pretty well.' Speaking about the recent protests sparked by the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of the police, Trump added that it was giving the country a ' glimpse of liberal policies'. 'It was all very liberal mayors, radical left mayors, all of these places,' Trump said of the places where peaceful protests had at times turned to violence. 'It was not that they were not in Republican cities. They were all in cities that frankly, I think I have a chance to win many of those cities. But these were all cities run by radical lefts Democrats. And I think it's a very sad thing that would happen.' Judge Suspends Newsoms Executive Order on Vote-by-Mail Ballots A California Superior Court judge on June 12 granted a temporary restraining order against Gov. Gavin Newsoms executive order requiring all counties in the state to send vote-by-mail ballots to every registered voter for the Nov. 3 general election. Sutter County Judge Perry Parker suspended Newsoms Executive Order N-67-20, issued on June 3, calling it an impermissible use of legislative powers in violation of the California Constitution and the laws of the State of California. The judges decision ordered the defendant, Newsom, to appear in Sutter County Superior Court on June 26. At that time, the governor must show why he should not be prohibited from implementing the order, which states that all Californians registered to vote will receive ballots in the mail, and from unilaterally changing laws. Assemblymembers Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) and James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), who filed the request for the restraining order on June 11, called the decision a a victory for separation of powers. The Governor has continued to brazenly legislate by fiat without public input and without the deliberative process provided by the Legislature. Today the judicial branch finally gave him the check that was needed and that the Constitution requires, Kiley and Gallagher stated in a joint media release. Kiley told The Epoch Times that the era of one-man rule in California is now over. The governor exceeded his powersas hes been doing quite frequentlyand he tried to change a number of different election laws unilaterally. I hope this serves as a wake-up call, that he start respecting our system of checks and balances, Kiley said. Jesse Melgar, the governors press secretary, said the new restraining order directs Newsom to explain in court on June 26 why order N-67-20 should not be enjoined, but does not impact the governors prior Executive Order N-64-20, which ordered that registered California voters receive vote-by-mail ballots. N-67-20 modified the previous order by clarifying the vote-by-mail procedure and ensuring sufficient in-person voting opportunities, including mandating at least one polling place for every 10,000 people in each county. Nobody should have to choose between their health and their right to vote. The action taken by the court today does not impede or impact Californias ability to move forward with the Governors Vote by Mail executive order, Melgar said via email. The state will continue advancing our efforts to ensure that Californians can exercise their right to vote in a safe and accessible manner during the General Election this November, including through registered voters voting by mail, Melgar said. The restraining order also refrains Newsom from exercising any further legislative powers in violation of the California Constitution specifically from unilaterally amending, altering, or changing existing statutory law or making new statutory law. In filing the initial request, Kiley and Gallagher stated that Newsom had singlehandedly changed a variety of state election laws, including the elimination of public meetings with protected groups such as Californians with disabilities and limited English proficiency, according to their release. Kiley said the governor has been using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to make changes to the law. Theres no clear connection between the state of emergency that the governor declared and these executive actions, Kiley said. When the governor declared a state of emergency, it doesnt mean he can do whatever he wants. He can only exercise emergency powers within the scope of that emergency, and as necessary when the normal process would not be adequate. Here, the normal process would be perfectly adequate, but the governor has decided to act on an emergency basis anyway. Elections and the right to vote are foundational to our democracy, Newsom said on May 8, when he first authorized sending vote-by-mail ballots to all voters. No Californian should be forced to risk their health in order to exercise their right to vote. Mail-in ballots arent a perfect solution for every person, and I look forward to our public health experts and the Secretary of States and the Legislatures continued partnership to create safer in-person opportunities for Californians who arent able to vote by mail, Newsom said. Kiley and Gallagher said in their statement that election laws have been drafted to ensure that the rights of all people to vote are protected. For the Governor to arbitrarily change these laws is wrong. This is why we have acted to end this abusive practice and to restore representative government, they said in the statement. Vote-by-mail ballots would be sent out by the counties to all registered voters by Oct. 5 for the Nov. 3 general election, according to state guidelines. Bengaluru, June 13 : A former woman employee of global software major Infosys filed a lawsuit in a US court, alleging racial discrimination against her by the company as an act of retaliation. "Plaintiff Davina Linguist of African-American origin demanded a trial by jury for alleged retaliation by Infosys after she testified against it in another law suit in 2016," said the United States Eastern District Court of Texas, Sherman division on the law suit accessed by IANS. Denying the charge, the city-based IT behemoth said it would defend itself in the matter. "We are aware of the case recently (June 11) filed by Linguist and deny allegations of discrimination and retailiation against her. We will defend in this matter," said the company in an e-mail to IANS. The racism charge came at a time when the US is in the grip of protests against racial discrimination across America after a 46-year-old African American (George Floyd) was allegedly killed by a white policeman on May 25 at Minneapolis in Minnesota state. "We have a policy of treating everyone fairly and providing equal employment opportunity and an inclusive workplace to all," asserted the outsourcing firm in the statement. Davina testified in a case filed by Brenda Koehler, an American job applicant, who accused Infosys of discrimination against local job applicants by favouring workers from South Asia to fill positions in the US. The $12.8-billion Infosys employs about 20,000 techies in the US, with 90 per cent of them of Indian descent to service its global clients in the North America market, which accounts for about 60 per cent of its software export revenue. Seeking compensation for the damages, Linguist has alleged in the lawsuit that soon after her deposition against the company in 2016, she was stripped of her title as the head of diversity recruiting and demoted for improper conduct. "Subsequently, I was forced to resign from the company on March 7, 2017, as I was demoted to a full-desk recruiter, a position I held in 2012 and prior to becoming the head of the Infosys diversity recruiting programme," said the lawsuit. Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Anselm Ojezua, has called for calm following the disqualification of Governor... Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Anselm Ojezua, has called for calm following the disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki by the Primary Screening Committee. He declared that Obaseki has performed well and will be reelected for a second term. The party chairman spoke to journalists in Benin City after the announcement. Ojezua said the result didnt come as a surprise as the governor had alluded to the fact that he will not get justice from the screening exercise. Ojezua appealed to the supporters that leadership of the party will meet on Saturday to properly respond. He said, I want to appeal to leaders and members of APC in Edo State to remain calm. The validity of the Screening Committee has not been established. On the committee s decision, Ojezua replied: They didnt say Obaseki will not contest the election but that he will not contest on the platform of the APC. President Trump delivered the commencement address to graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday morning. Mr. Trump's decision to appear at the graduation ceremony stirred some controversy, as students are returning to the West Point campus for the ceremony after the school was closed over concerns about the coronavirus. The academy is located about an hour's drive north of New York City, which has been the epicenter of the pandemic. All West Point students have been home since spring break in March, and only those who are graduating are returning for the ceremony. Mr. Trump's speech focused on congratulating the graduates and honoring the United States Army, which was established 245 years ago tomorrow. The president briefly addressed the coronavirus pandemic, saying the virus "came to our shores from a distant land called China." "We will vanquish the virus. We will extinguish this plague," Mr. Trump said. He also praised the cadets for choosing to join the armed forces. "You came to West Point because you know the truth: America is the greatest country in human history. And the United States military is the greatest force for peace and justice the world has ever known," Mr. Trump said. Trump President Donald Trump speaks to over 1,110 cadets in the Class of 2020 at a commencement ceremony on the parade field, at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., Saturday, June 13, 2020. Alex Brandon / AP The president also touted his administration's "colossal rebuilding of the American armed forces," noting that over $2 trillion had been invested in the military during his tenure. Mr. Trump's speech came amid nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice, and escalating tensions between the president and the military. Mr. Trump said this week he would refuse to consider renaming Army bases named after Confederate officials, after the Pentagon said it was willing to discuss it. Story continues General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said this week he regretted participating in a photo opportunity with the president in front of a damaged historic church earlier this month. The photo op took place after law enforcement officials cleared peaceful protesters from the area using tear gas and rubber bullets. CBS News has confirmed that Milley's words took the White House by surprise. Saturday Sessions: Margo Price performs "Drifter" Saturday Sessions: Margo Price performs Bob Dylan's "Things Have Changed" Saturday Sessions: Margo Price performs "Letting Me Down" The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said it is "high time" to break relations with South Korean authorities, adding the next action against the "enemy" will come from the army. It's better to take a series of retaliatory measures rather than release statements condemning South Korea's behavior, and which could be misinterpreted or dismissed, Kim Yo Jong said via the official Korean Central News Agency on Saturday. "Rubbish must be thrown into dustbin," she said. "By exercising my power authorized by the Supreme Leader, our party and the state, I gave an instruction to the arms of the department in charge of the affairs with enemy to decisively carry out the next action." Kim Yo Jong's comments came on the 20th anniversary of the first meeting between top leaders of the divided Koreas. The summit beginning on June 13, 2000, was the biggest moment of then-President Kim Dae-jung's reconciliation effort that led to stepped up trade and joint projects and helped earn the South Korean leader the Nobel Peace Prize. While that "Sunshine Policy" helped cool tensions, it was also criticized for providing North Korean leaders with cash needed to build up its nuclear weapons program. The latest dust-up was triggered by South Korean activists who sent anti-Pyongyang messages in balloons across the border. North Korea this week cut off communication links set up two years ago with South Korea, which it accused of allowing hostile acts by failing to stop the activists. North Korea didn't answer South Korea's calls made on the military line Tuesday for the first time since the inter-Korean communication link was restored in 2018. South Korea said last week it would look to ban anti-North Korea leaflets after a rebuke from Kim Yo Jong. Millions of leaflets have flown across the border for more than a decade bearing messages critical of North Korean leaders, with the latest coming as Kim Jong Un made fewer public appearances over the past several weeks than normal, leading to global speculation about his health. Recent statements by Kim Yo Jong were designed to solidify Kim Jong Un's authority to run the country, according to Boo Seung-chan, a former adviser to South Korea's defense minister. "North Korea is currently facing a tough political and economic challenge," said Boo, now an adjunct professor at the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul. "And this undermines Kim Jong Un's legitimacy to rule." North Korean officials are also lashing out at South Korea for lacking a fresh solution to revive nuclear talks, and said the country will continue to strengthen its force to deal with what it called U.S. threats. "If they want to deal with us, they will have to approach us after racking their brains and finding a different method," Foreign Ministry official Kwon Jong Gun said in a separate statement released on Saturday via KCNA. "We will continue to build up our force in order to overpower the persistent threats from the U.S., and such efforts of ours are in fact continuing at this point of time." The U.S. and North Korea have remained far apart on ways to achieve denuclearization. As tensions between the two sides rise, South Korea has offered help to restore dialogue while pledging to improve its own relations with North Korea. North Korea says its nuclear arms serve as a deterrent against the U.S. and that Washington must ease its sanctions before denuclearization can take place. The U.S. demands North Korea abandon its arms ambitions before restrictions can ease. Marking the second anniversary of the 2018 meeting between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon said the U.S. had broken its word and dashed hopes for denuclearization. "Nothing is more hypocritical than an empty promise," Ri was quoted as saying in a KCNA report Friday, adding the U.S. has shown it's aiming for the "isolation and suffocation" of North Korea. Bandipora (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 13 (ANI): The grieving families of two missing Kashmiri youth have asked Pakistan to immediately release them on humanitarian ground as they were not spies. Pakistan Army released a video yesterday which showed the two youth identified as Firoz Ahmed Lone and Noor Ahmed, both residents of Gurez in Bandipora, under its custody. They both were allegedly arrested in Gilgit Baltistan. In the video, the two purportedly admit that "they were sent to Pakistan by the Government of India for spying." Abdul Rahim Lone, father of 28-year-old Firoz Ahmed Lone said, "My son is missing since (22 Nov.) 2018 and I have filed a police complaint also. I get to know about him after his video went viral yesterday. He is in the custody of Pakistan Army and they allege him to be a spy of Indian Army. This is baseless." He added, "I wish to appeal both the countries that both of our sons to be handed over to us". Bashir Ahmed Wani, uncle of Noor Ahmed, who is also a Sarpanch of village Achoora said, "The video made viral by the Pakistan Army which shows both Firoz Ahmed Lone and Noor Ahmed as spies of Indian Army. This is baseless". He said, "Firoz was working in rural development department and he went missing in 2018 and a police complained was also filed. Noor Ahmed Wani was out of his home since 2015 after the death of his parents. He used to stay outdoors and engaged in labour work. After a video went viral, we got to know that he is in the custody of the Pakistan Army". Bashir Ahmed said that Pakistan Army forcibly convinced them as spies of the Indian Army, which is totally baseless. "They are not involved in any unlawful activity. I request that they both should be released immediately," he said. (ANI) The discussion of four political laws paves the way for holding parliamentary elections at the end of the year The Egyptian House of Representatives is scheduled to meet on Sunday to discuss two political laws that aim to regulate the formation and election of Egypt's two chambers of parliament the House of Representatives and the Senate. A report prepared by parliament's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee said the amendments, drafted by the parliamentary majority "Support Egypt" coalition, aim to go in line with the constitutional amendments passed in April 2019. "These amendments stipulate that Egypt shall adopt a bicameral system including two chambers the House of Representatives and the Senate --and so it was important that the two bills are drafted to meet this stipulation," said the report. The amendment to the House law (Law 46/2019) states that Egypt's new parliament will comprise 568 MPs, half of them (284 MPs) to be elected via the individual candidacy system, and the other half to be elected through the closed list system. The draft law states that 25 per cent of the seats in the new parliament shall be reserved for women. The president will be authorised to appoint five per cent (28 MPs), bringing the total number to 596. The new law on the formation and election of the Senate states that a 300-member Senate will be set up, with one third (100 members) to be elected via the individual candidacy system, a second third to be elected through the closed list system, and the remaining third to be named by the president. The five-year Senate will be entrusted with discussing the budget and development plans, political laws and preparing reports on political and socio-economic developments in Egypt. MPs are also expected on Sunday to discuss two complementary laws on the exercise of political rights (Law 45/2014) and Law 198/2017 on the performance of the National Election Committee (NEC). The report said the amendments to these two laws are necessary to pave the way for parliamentary elections scheduled for November. The amendments to the law on the exercise of political rights include the conditions which candidates should meet in order to be eligible for running in elections. "A parliamentary election candidate should have performed military service, present a curriculum vitae, a financial statement on his wealth and financial resources, have a university education degree, and deposit EGP 10,000 as an insurance amount," said the amended law. The amendment to NEC's law states that it should give a final decision on candidacy and election appeals filed within 24 hours, and that it should announce the results of the election within seven days from the voting day. Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal indicated in a statement on 10 June that in line with Article 208 of the constitution and Article 3 of NEC's law, he decided to seek the NEC's opinion on the above amendments prior to discussing them in parliament next week. "I sent a letter to NEC's chairman Lasheen Ibrahim, asking him to give us NEC's opinion on the reports prepared by parliament's legislative and constitutional affairs committee on the above four political laws ahead of discussing them next week in parliament and as stipulated by the constitution," Abdel-Aal said. On Monday parliament is scheduled to discuss a report on the state's new budget for fiscal year 2020/21, and a report on the third year (2020/21) of the four-year development plan (2018/22). The new budget and development plan were approved by the House's Budget Committee on 9 June. Members of the committee, however, said the budget should be changed to earmark greater budgetary allocations to the two ministries of health and education to help them contain the spread of the coronavirus. Hussein Eissa, head of the committee, said there is hope the minister of finance will respond positively to the demands of MPs during the final discussion of the budget next Monday. "Members recommend that the budget allocated to the health and education sectors be increased to help fight the coronavirus, raise the salaries of doctors and medical staff, buy drugs and protective gear, and support university hospitals and scientific research," Eissa said. Deputy Minister of Education Reda Hegazy told reporters that the ministry asked for EGP22 billion in additional allocation. "We said we need this amount to cover the costs of fighting the coronavirus and to hold the Thanawiya Amma exams as scheduled on 14 June," Hegazy said, indicating that "we asked for EGP 133 billion in total in 2020/21 but the Ministry of Finance approved just EGP 109 billion." MPs, said Eissa, also asked that an amount of EGP 500 million be allocated to the new Senate in order to be able to perform its legislative and supervisory duties. The Budget Committee approved that the House of Representatives be allocated an amount of EGP 1.6 billion in 2020/21, up by EGP 55 million from last year. Search Keywords: Short link: Cinema on Pablo Neruda in Ceylon Asokas next film on Nobel Laureate poet, diplomat and politician By Susitha Fernando View(s): View(s): Asoka Handagama who is well-known for his innovative and creative concepts and stories for theatre, mini-screen and cinema, is working on his latest film, a tale on Nobel Laureate Chilean poet-diplomat and politician Pablo Neruda who once served as Chilean Consul in Sri Lanka. Handagam is awaiting the coming of two foreign stars, a Spanish actor and a French-Asian Burmese actor. Shooting is scheduled for 21-days and the film is to depict Nerudas early stay in Sri Lanka. The poet turned politician and diplomat was here for a short term of one and half years from 1929 to 1930. Production team is busy building a set depicting the house by the sea in Wellawatta used by Neruda in Wellawatta. It was impossible to find a house by the sea, representing the times during which Neruda served here. We decided to build a completely new set, Asoka said. From Puttalam along the entire Western coastal belt, Asoka could not find a house that suit the story and a place possible for filming without much disturbance.Finally we started to build entirely new set by the sea off Nonagama, in the Down south, he said. The film will be for the international audience with some foreign stars playing the main roles including the lead of Neruda whose colourful life as a major literary figure, poet, politician and diplomat is to be featured. Beer without Alcohol Handamgas short film Beer without Alcohol, a mobile-phone cinema project produced while staying at home during the lockdown period has become immensely popular in the Youtube. A story about two couples and one individual, their romances, desires, infatuations, misunderstandings and love was shot through Zoom on May 8. Interestingly the film produced within within less than a week while the director, stars, editor, music director all were at their homes. Speaking about the idea to make a film during lockdown using available technology, Asoka says the idea germinated on one evening while he and his younger daugter were having an online chat with his eldest daughter who studies in New York. It suddenly crossed my mind that there is a possibility to do a film using the available technology. I had to use individuals and the couple Samanalie Fonseka and Indrapa Liyanage who lived under the same roof as there was an issue with mobility of actors. Rukmal Nirosh, who is in Melbourne played the duel role as an actor and editor while I directed from Thalawathugoda. This instantaneous direction was an example for original filmmaking. I got the idea on Monday, shot on following Friday, edited on Saturday and released online on Sunday. It was a virtual shooting explained Handagama. The film has been invited to have a special screening at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, in Estonia. Economist by profession, Handagama was holding the post of Assistant Governor at the Central Bank before he retired three years ago to dedicate full time for cinema. Started in theatre, Handagama produced a number of theatrical production which were inovative in concept and artistically more radical, they were award winners at the main theatre festivals in Sri Lanka. He joined television directing Dunhinda Addara in 1994, a complete detour from traditional stereotyped teledramas in the country. The mini-play bagged nine awards including Best Script and Best Direction at the OCIC awards. Later he produced teleplays like Diyaketa Pahana, Synthetic Sihina and Me Paren Enna Take This Road made during the ceasfire between 2003 and 2006. He made East is Calling, his last tele-serial in the aftermath of Tsunami disaster. Handagma made his maiden film Chanda Kinnarie is also in 1994 and it won the Award for Most Promising Director at the Critics awards in 1994. The film won the Best Film, the Best Director and the Best Screenplay at the 1998 OCIC awards. His second film, Moon Hunt (1996) won six major awards including the Best Film, the Best Director, the Best Script, the Best Actor, the Best Actress and the Best Cinematography at the Sri Lanka Film Critics Forum awards in 2000. His next film Me Mage Sandai (This is my moon), won much critical acclaims and traveled throughout the world representing Sri Lanka over 50 international film festivals. It was also named the most outstanding revelations of the decade by the prestigious French Film Review Les Cahiers du Cinema. His next out-of the box film story, Flying with One Wing (2002), the first film to address the gender issue in Sri Lanka and it won many awards including the Best Asian Film at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2002 and the Audience Award for Best Film at Torino International Film Festival. His most controversial film Aksharaya (Letter of Fire ) was banned in Sri Lanka questioning the freedom of expression in the island nation. In 2010 he made childrens film Vidhu and later he made Ini- Avan, a film based on post-war northern peninsular. He made Age Esa Aga (Let her Cry) in 2016 and his last film released last year was Asandimiththa, a psychoanalysis movie based on a novel by Saman Wickramarachchi. It too won critical acclaims and won the Best Actress award Brilliant Performer for Nilmini Sigera at the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) 2019. Hours before Nepals lower house votes on a new political map of the country that includes Indian territories, Army chief General MM Naravane on Saturday underscored the strong people-to-people ties between the two countries that have lately soured over the map that depicts Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as Nepalese territory. We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people-to-people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future, General Naravane said. Officials said General Naravanes comment appeared to hint Indias stance on Nepals effort to expand its territory, one that gives Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis government a silent treatment but continues to build and cement people-to-people ties. ALSO WATCH | At least 1 Indian killed after Nepal police fire near border area with Bihar PM Oli is expected to give a constitution amendment bill that formalises the new map a final push at a special sitting of Parliaments lower house on Saturday afternoon. Diplomatic sources told Hindustan Times that the bill is expected to be passed later this evening, possibly around 5.30 pm. There appeared to be support for the bill in parliament earlier this week when 83 lawmakers discussed the legislation to incorporate the new map in Nepals national emblem. Lawmakers were given 72 hours to move amendments to the constitution amendment bill before the lower house votes on it. The 72-hour period ended Friday evening. Rather than wait for the next working day to put the bill to vote, PM Oli requested parliament to hold a special sitting on Saturday - a weekly holiday in Nepal. Only one amendment has been proposed by a lawmaker who opposed the new map but there are reports in local media that she is being pressured to withdraw it. PM Olis anxiety to rush the bill through the lower house at a special sitting has been seen to signal his determination to get parliaments seal of approval and a disregard for New Delhis views on the boundary row that he has created. New Delhi has also been upset at how PM Oli had escalated a difference over Lipulekh Pass to score brownie points with Beijing and serve his domestic political interests. PM Olis move to jump start the row over Nepals map is seen as an effort to consolidate his support within the ruling Communist Party of Nepal by whipping up ultra-nationalistic sentiments in the country. And turn India into a dartboard. PM Oli had last month come up with the map barely 10 days after India upgraded a trail to Lipulekh Pass into a metalled road for pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar. Nepal contended that the 80-km road passes through its territory though it did not reflect in its map. The new map shows a sliver of land - including Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani - jutting out from the northwestern tip of Nepal. New Delhi promptly rejected the map, calling it a unilateral act that was not based on historical facts or evidence. This week, PM Olis government started to fix this gap and set up a 9-member team to collect historical facts and evidence to back its claim about these territories, according to The Kathmandu Post. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bengaluru, June 13 : The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to win 4 seats in the ensuing biennial elections to the 7 seats in the Karnataka Legislative Council and strengthen its position in the Upper House, an official said on Saturday. "With 116 legislators in the 225-member Assembly, we will win 4 Council seats in the bypoll on June 29, as each candidate needs 28 votes to become a Member of Legislative Council (MLC)," BJP's state unit spokesman G. Madhusudhana told IANS here. Though the party has the numbers to ensure victory of all its 4 nominees, selecting them will be a challenge, as there are too many prospective contestants, including two former rebels of the opposition Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) who lost in the December 5 Assembly by-elections across the state. "As the last day of nominations is June 18, discussions are underway in the party to shortlist the candidates. It's early to guess the names and who will be selected by the high command," said Madhusudhana. In the recent Rajya Sabha biennial elections for 4 seats from the southern state, the high command selected two grass-roots cadres -- Ashok Gasti and Iranna Kadadi -- to contest and win, rejecting the three names the party's state unit shortlisted and recommended, including its outgoing member Prabhakar Kore. "As the bypoll is to fill the vacancies in the Council, the party's state leadership will have a greater say in the selection of the final nominees because their contribution to the state will be significant," asserted Madhusudhana. The party's core committee will meet on July 15 to shortlist the candidates. Former JD-S rebel A.H. Vishwnath and former Congress rebel M.T.B. Nagaraj are betting on getting the tickets as reward for resigning their Assembly seats in July 2019 along with 15 other rebels and enabling the saffron party to return to power after their coalition government fell on July 23, 2019, following the defeat of trust vote by its Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in a trial of strength in the Assembly. Vishwanath lost the by-election from Hunsur in Mysuru district on BJP ticket to the Congress candidate, while Nagaraj lost the by-election from Hoskote on the BJP ticket in Benglauru Rural district to an Independent backed by the JD-S. Of the 17 rebels, 15 contested after joining the BJP in mid-November and 12 of them won. As many as 10 of them were inducted in the Cabinet on February 6, as promised by chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa for the return of the party to power on July 26, 2019. Of the 75-member Council, the opposition Congress holds 37 seats, BJP 19, JD-S 16, two Independents and one Chairman. Of the two Independents, D.U. Mallikarjuna is due to end his term along with 6 others on June 30. Though 5 Council members of the Congress are retiring on June 30, only 2 of its candidates will be able to win, as it has only 68 legislators. "Our strength in the Council will reduce by 3 to 34, as we do not have the numbers to contest the third seat," party leader Prakash Rathod told IANS here. With 34 members, the regional Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) will be able to ensure the victory of only one candidate to replace its outgoing member T.A. Sharavana, who is keen to re-contest. The 5 outgoing Congress members are Naseer Ahmed, Jayamma, M.C. Venugopal, N.S. Bose Raju and H.M. Revanna. The Gauhati High Court has dismissed a PIL against PSU major Oil India, a private firm, the Centre and the state over the Baghjan gas well blowout and successive fire in Assam's Tinsukia district. Hearing arguments from both the petitioner and respondents, the bench comprising Chief Justice Ajai Lamba and Justice Soumitra Saikia on Friday disposed of the public interest litigation filed by environmentalist-cum-entrepreneur Niranta Gohain. "In Paragraph 4 of the petition, it has been pleaded that the petitioner has no personal interest in the litigation. However, learned counsel for the petitioner states that the petitioner is an entrepreneur and has a lodge in the nearby area. "Learned counsel, however, has not been able to dispute that all such hotels, motels and lodges are not functional on account of spread of pandemic under the state-issued regulations," the order said. Stating that a prayer was made in the application to conduct an inquiry other than seeking compensation, the court said that a number of probes have already been ordered by various agencies. "Considering various aspects of the case, this petition cannot be entertained in the present form. We have taken judicial notice of the fact, as noted above, that enquiries in the incident have already been ordered. The matter is still at inceptual stage. "In such circumstances, the petitioner would be at liberty to file a fresh petition, if genuine public cause demands, however, on the basis of relevant data and findings recorded by the enquiry agencies," the court said. On June 10, Gohain filed the petition with 12 respondents, including Oil India Ltd (OIL), John Energy Pvt Ltd, and various agencies of the Centre and the state government. Petitioner's advocate Santanu Borthakur had said the PIL seeks adequate compensation to all the affected parties, a proper inquiry into the incident and measures to protect and restore the rich biodiversity of the area. At present five inquiries are taking place to find out the facts -- a three-member probe by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, a one-member probe by Assam Chief Minister and an internal five-member inquiry by the OIL. Besides, two more crucial independent investigations of technical nature are being carried out by Directorate General Of Mines Safety (DGMS) and Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD). The chief minister also ordered the Additional Principal Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) to conduct a study on the effects of the explosion on the environment and ecology of the surrounding areas, including on flora and fauna in the adjacent Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The well number 5 at Baghjan has been spewing gas uncontrollably for the last 18 days and it caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, killing two of OIL's firefighters at the site. The blaze at the well is so massive that it can be seen from a distance of more than 30 km with thick black smoke going up several metres high, endangering the local biodiversities. Though there is no fire in the periphery of the well site at present, the company has declared an area up to 1.5 km of radius as "red zone" to avoid any untoward incident. Already two officials of the OIL have been suspended for alleged negligence of duty at the gas well site, while a show-cause notice has been issued to John Energy Pvt Ltd, the outsourced private operator of the well. A case has also been registered against Oil India and John Energy over the incident. New Delhi: 1. Chinese real estate giant Dalian Wanda seeks concessions for its $10 billion India investment Chinese real estate giant Dalian Wanda after its announcement of $10 billion investment in India is looking for several concessions for the industrial park that it plans to develop in Haryana. These benefits relate to the route through which it will bring the money into India and concessions on various taxes. Also Read: Chinese real estate giant Dalian Wanda seeks concessions for its $10 billion India investment 2. Twitter's discontinuation of engineering tasks in India will lead to lay offs A big lay off by Twitter is on the cards at the microblogging social interactive platform's development centre in Bengaluru. This announcement comes in light with Twitter putting an end to its engineering tasks in India. The company did not disclose the number of people being handed pink slips. When contacted, Twitter in an emailed statement said: "As part of our normal business review, we have decided to stop the global engineering work at the Bengaluru development centre. Also Read: Twitter's discontinuation of engineering tasks in India will lead to lay offs 3. Indian Stock markets dip ahead of Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan policy meeting The Indian stock markets dipped after a four-day bullish streak, ahead of Wednesday policy decisions by the Bank of Japan and the U.S. Federal Reserve. The BSE Sensex ended with a loss of 111 points at 28,523. The BSE Sensex opened at 28,691 touched an intra-day high of 28,699 and low of 28,481.The NSE Nifty closed with a loss of 33 points at 8,776. The NSE Nifty opened at 8,816 hitting a high of 8,816.45 and low of 8,759. Also Read: Indian Stock markets dip ahead of Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan policy meeting Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 23:10:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People wearing face masks migrate from a sealed off residential area after some people tested positive for COVID-19 in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, June 14, 2020. The Pakistani government started to ease the COVID-19 lockdown from May and took a strategy called smart lockdown to only seal off the areas where confirmed COVID-19 cases are reported to curb the spread of the disease. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal) ISLAMABAD, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has surged to 132,405 after 6,472 people tested positive of the disease on Friday, the highest single-day spike since the outbreak of the disease in the country, according to the statistics released by the health ministry of Pakistan on Saturday. A total of 2,551 people died of the disease whereas 50,056 others recovered from it. The mortality rate is 1.9 percent while the recovery rate has been reported as 37.8 percent. East Punjab province has been worst-hit by the disease with 50,087 confirmed cases, followed by south Sindh province which reported 49,256 confirmed cases. The spike in the cases has been witnessed in the aftermath of the easing of the lockdown across the country. The government and health authorities also blame negligence of standard operating procedures (SOPs) on the part of the general public as the major cause of the rapid spread of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended Pakistan to consider imposing lockdown in the infection-rife areas for two weeks. Keeping the economic condition of the country into consideration, the local government has turned down the suggestion. In a recent address, the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan urged people to follow the SOPs to slow down the spread of the disease as the option of locking down the whole country is not practicable in Pakistan. "A lockdown does not mean it will end COVID-19. It can only slow down the spread of the virus. Sadly, the lockdown also slowed down the economy, creating hard times for our poor people. We have reopened the economy with SOPs and precautions so our poor people can earn a livelihood," he said. Khan also said that the number of COVID-19 positive cases is feared to hit its peak by the end of July or beginning of August, and there might be difficult times ahead for the country if people keep on taking COVID-19 as a common flu, and do not follow the SOPs formed by the government to control the spread of the disease. Pakistan has conducted 839,019 tests officially in total with 29,850 tests done on Friday, and the number of tests will be increased in the coming days due to the enhanced capacity in this field. In a recent speech at the country's National Assembly or the lower house of the parliament, Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Nausheen Hamid said that currently the country is conducting less than 30,000 COVID-19 tests per day whereas its laboratories have the capacity to undertake 46,000 tests per day, and the government is eyeing on enhancing the capacity to 50,000 per day on the recommendation of the WHO. On Friday, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan has also approved the country's first home-established testing kit. The disease also affected many famous personalities in the country including celebrities, social workers and lawmakers. According to officials, over 40 lawmakers including leader of the opposition in the lower house of the parliament Shahbaz Sharif were infected. Hundreds of doctors and frontline medical staff also contracted the disease, and some died of it. To address the problems of the medical staff, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza recently announced a seven-point package for the doctors, which will provide financial assistance, prioritized medical facilities, and insurance to the medical staff working at the frontline. Pakistan reported its first two cases of the disease on Feb. 26 and a spike in the cases was witnessed in March after which the government imposed a lockdown across almost the whole country in the last week of March to stop the spread of the disease. All economic and social activities were halted, and only a few businesses including food and pharmaceutics were allowed to operate. The lockdown was later lifted in phases in May owing to the financial problems faced by a large population who was already living under the poverty line, and those who became jobless due to the lockdown. To support the poor population during the lockdown period, the government provided assistance support by providing 12,000 rupees (about 73 U.S. dollars) in cash to the labor, poor and unemployed class. The prime minister recently said that his government had successfully transferred 120 billion rupees (about 729 million U.S. dollars) in nine weeks to over 10 million deserving families in a transparent manner. The disease and the lockdown had a serious economic repercussion. The recently released Pakistan Economic Survey 2019-20 said that Pakistan's economy has been badly affected due to the COVID-19 outbreak through various channels like decline in domestic as well as global demand, downturn in tourism and business travel, trade and production linkages and supply disruptions. "The rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus since Feb. 2020 has brought economic activity to a near-halt," the survey said. Advertisement Donald Trump called for the 1,100 West Point graduates to be 'part of one team, and one family, proudly serving one American nation' during his commencement address, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to the nationwide George Floyd protests and amid his own tensions with the Pentagon over his infamous photo op in Washington DC. The class of 2020 come 'from every race, religion, color, and creed' but must be 'one team' as they graduate into a 'crucial time in American history', Trump said. 'When times are turbulent, when the road is rough what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal.' The president arrived to give the Commencement Address at the historic Parade Field at the US Military Academy in New York Saturday morning, regaling an impassioned speech where he skipped over any direct reference to Floyd or the ongoing civil unrest, vowed the US military will not be the 'policeman of the world' and launched a fresh attack on China over the coronavirus pandemic. Donald Trump called for the 1,100 West Point graduates to be 'part of one team, and one family, proudly serving one American nation' during his commencement address The cadets are sat six feet apart. Trump's comments appeared to be a veiled reference to the nationwide George Floyd protests and amid his own tensions with the Pentagon over his infamous photo op in Washington DC The class of 2020 come 'from every race, religion, color, and creed' but must be 'one team' as they graduate into a 'crucial time in American history', Trump said The cadets wearing face masks march to their seats on the lawn of the military campus in New York The president gave the Commencement Address at the historic Parade Field at the US Military Academy in New York Saturday morning, regaling an impassioned speech where he skipped over any direct reference to Floyd or the ongoing civil unrest, vowed the US military will not be the 'policeman of the world' and launched a fresh attack on China over coronavirus West Point graduates toss their hats in the air at the conclusion of the US Military Academy Class of 2020 graduation ceremony Trump salutes cadets at the ceremony which went ahead despite cases of coronavirus continuing to soar across America Peaceful protesters gathered outside West Point while the president addressed the future members of the armed forces during what has been a fraught week for relations between him and top military officials. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley sought to distance himself from Trump this week and issued an apology for his decision to accompany Trump to St. John's Church to hold up a Bible for a staged photo - which involved tear gassing peaceful protesters out of the president's path. Tensions have also mounted between Trump and Mark Esper after the defense secretary publicly opposed Trump's call to use active-duty troops to crack down on the demonstrations over Floyd's death. Saturday's ceremony itself has also been mired in controversy after 15 West Point cadets tested positive for coronavirus after they were summoned to return to the campus in the virus epicenter New York because Trump wanted to plow ahead with the ceremony irregardless of the pandemic. Just hours before his arrival, a group of several hundred West Point alumni then sent a letter to the 2020 graduating class blasting Trump's politicization of the military. Donald Trump called for the 1,100 West Point graduates to be 'part of one team, and one family, proudly serving one American nation' during his commencement address, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to the nationwide George Floyd protests and amid his own tensions with the Pentagon over his infamous photo op in Washington DC Trump salutes alongside U.S. Army Lieutenant General Darryl Williams, the Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The president said the members of the Class of 2020 come 'from every race, religion, color, and creed' but that they must be 'one team' as they graduate into a 'turbulent' moment in US history Donald Trump walks past graduates at West Point as he heads to the stage of the New York campus Saturday morning Just hours before his arrival, a group of several hundred West Point alumni then sent a letter to the 2020 graduating class blasting Trump's politicization of the military Donald Trump applauds as Army helicopters fly over the commencement ceremony at West Point US Military Academy cadets toss their hats at the end of the graduation ceremony where Trump served as the commencement speaker Trump salutes the crowd during the national anthem before giving his speech where he urged them to be 'one team' Trump arrives at the ceremony (above) after hundreds of West Point alumni sent a letter to the graduates blasting Trump's politicization of the military West Point graduating cadets celebrate by hugging each other at the end of their commencement ceremonies at Plain Parade Field Cadets hug each other as they graduate at the ceremony. Donald Trump said the class of 2020 come 'from every race, religion, color, and creed' but must be 'one team' Trump touched down at West Point at around 10a.m. and was met by military officials as he descended the steps of Marine One. He was then welcomed to the ceremony with a 21-gun salute, before making his way to the stage alongside United States Military Academy Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams - stopping on route to admire a military helicopter. He and Williams saluted the cadets while the national anthem was sang. Everyone on stage with Trump was tested beforehand for COVID-19. 'There is no place on earth on I would rather be than right here with you,' he told the crowds as he took the podium to muted clapping. 'We are here to celebrate your achievements, and great achievements they are.' Direct mention of Floyd or the ongoing protests demanding police reform and an end to systemic racism across America were notably absent from his speech, though he made a number of thinly veiled references to the ongoing civil unrest ravaging America as he spoke of the 'turbulent' time in US history that the cadets are graduating into. He also congratulated the US army for helping to win the battle against 'the evil of slavery' and its role in the battle for civil rights - something that is widely disputed given some West Point graduates fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. He then went on to specifically name the National Guard in his show of thanks to the US military: 'I want to thank the men and women of the National Guard who respond with precision to so many recent challenges from hurricanes and natural disasters to ensuring peace, safety and continued rule of law on our streets.' United States Military Academy graduating cadets gather during commencement ceremony, six feet apart and wearing face coverings Trump addressed the crowds in a speech that heaped praise on his own administration for its investment in the military An aerial image of the ceremony shows the carefully spaces out seating. Families and friends were unable to attend due to COVID-19 restrictions Trump salutes ahead of his speech. The president has fallen out with several top military officials over the handling of the protests following George Floyd's death The president has come under fire for sending in the National Guard to tackle largely peaceful protesters in DC - in particular the clearing out of demonstrators with pepper balls and tear gas so he could carry out his PR stunt in front of the damaged church on June 1. Trump then went on to insist the US is not 'the policeman of the world' but that if 'our people are threatened, we will never hesitate to act', before reeling off a self-congratulatory list of investments and measures his administration has channeled in to the military over the last four years. He praised his own administration's support of the army during his time in office, patting himself on the back for what he called a 'colossal rebuilding of the armed forces'. 'After years of budget cuts and the military being depleted by endless wars we have invested $2 trillion - that's with a "t" - in the most powerful fighting force by far on the planet,' he said. 'It is not the duty of US troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have not heard of - we are not the policemen of the world.' Trump saluted the graduates before launching into his impassioned speech where he made thinly veiled references to the George Floyd protests and launchpad a fresh attack on China over the coronavirus pandemic He was welcomed to the ceremony with a 21-gun salute, before making his way to the stage alongside United States Military Academy Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams Trump and Williams walked to the stage together - stopping on route to admire a military helicopter 'When times are turbulent, when the road is rough what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal,' Trump said in his speech Direct mention of Floyd or the ongoing protests demanding police reform and an end to systemic racism across America was notably absent from his speech, yet the president congratulated the US army for helping to win the battle against 'the evil of slavery' and in the battle for civil rights - something that is disputed given some West Point graduates fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War He added: 'If our people are threatened we will never ever hesitate to act and when we fight from now on we will only fight to win.' His other self-commendations included the Space Force, the killing of Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani and the development of a hypersonic missile that he claimed goes '17 times faster then the fastest missile in the world'. Trump could not resist using the stage to make another dig at China over the 'invisible enemy' of the coronavirus pandemic that he said came from the 'distant land'. 'I want to take the opportunity to thank all members of American armed forces... who stepped forward to battle the invisible enemy - the new virus that came to our shores from a distant land called China,' he said. 'We will vanquish the virus, we will extinguish this plague.' The president also reeled off a dramatic list of battles in American history as he told them to 'remember the soldiers before you'. Trump is offered a parting gift from a cadet after his speech in which he insisted the US is not 'the policeman of the world' but said that if 'our people are threatened, we will never hesitate to act' A portrait of deceased United States Military Academy cadet Christopher 'C.J.' Morgan rests on a chair beside his fellow graduating classmen. Morgan died in a training accident last year Trump prays during the ceremony before his speech where he reeled off a self-congratulatory list of investments and measures his administration has channeled in to the military over the last four years Cadets are spaced six feet apart to curb the spread of coronavirus - after being summoned back to the ceremony at the president's wishes Trump also used the speech to make another dig at China over the 'invisible enemy' of the coronavirus pandemic Cadets were not able to shake the president's hand as is typical of the annual ceremony but could remove their masks once seated He likened American soldiers to 'titans who strode through cannon blasts' to face enemies that embodied 'sadistic monsters [in] the gates of hell' and told them that 'no evil force on earth can match the righteous power and glory of the American soldier'. 'The survival of America depends on men and women just like you and people who love their country with all their heart and soul,' Trump said. 'It depends on citizens who build, sustain and nurture institutions like this one - that is how society is made.' Trump ended his address by saying that 'America will always prevail'. Donald Trump arrives at West Point to address 1,100 socially distanced graduates for their annual commencement at the historic Parade Field Trump's helicopter touched down as tensions continue to mount between the president and the Pentagon over his infamous photo op during George Floyd protests in Washington DC U.S. Army Lieutenant General Darryl Williams, the Superintendant of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, checks out the social distancing of the chairs ahead of the ceremony The event, which was the only service academy where Trump had not yet taken to the stage, was vastly different to the usual annual occasion as steps were put in place to limit the risk of attendees catching and spreading coronavirus. The class of 2020 were seen wearing white face masks as they marched to their socially distanced seats on 'The Plain' ahead of Trump's arrival. They were able to then remove the masks once seated but there was no handshaking with the president as would typically occur during the annual ceremony. Esper, who has locked horns with the president in recent weeks, did not accompany Trump to the ceremony but delivered a congratulatory speech over videotape. Demonstrators in sailboats protest on the Hudson River Saturday outside West Point during his commencement speech Anti-Trump protesters in kayaks on the Hudson across the river from the army campus Protests have taken place across the nation calling for an end to racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd, while anger has been building over Trump's response 'Take inspiration from the brave soldiers who serve before you,' he told them. Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Jack Reed and several West Cadet alumni members also spoke via videotaped messages to the cadets. Williams addressed the crowds ahead of Trump, addressing the fact that the ceremony looked different this year to the usual annual event - with family and friends unable to join the graduates at the event. He paid homage to Christopher 'C J' Morgan, a cadet who died in a training accident at the academy last year, while an empty chair was seen with his photo on in his honor. Williams then calling on the graduates to: 'Be the officer worth following and take care of your soldiers'. Marine One carrying President Donald Trump arrives for United States Military Academy commencement ceremony The president landed to give the Commencement Address at the US Military Academy in New York Saturday morning Trump steps off Marine One to be greeted by military officials, amid what has been a fraught week for relations between him and top military officials President Donald Trump talks with Superintendent of the United States Military Academy Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams President Donald Trump enters the Superintendent's House accompanied by Williams The ceremony is set up for social distancing. Just hours before Trump's arrival, a group of several hundred West Point alumni then sent a letter to the 2020 graduating class blasting Trump's politicization of the military Saturday's ceremony itself has also been mired in controversy after 15 West Point cadets tested positive for coronavirus after they were summoned to return to the campus in the virus epicenter New York so that Trump could go ahead with the ceremony Trump's commencement speech to the 1,100 graduating cadets was delivered as arguments continue to rage over his threat to use American troops on domestic soil to quell the ongoing protests across the nation. Demonstrators took to the streets outside West Point Saturday to protest against the president while he delivered his speech at the campus. Other anti-Trump protesters took sailboats and kayaks out on the Hudson River outside West Point holding up banners with Trump's picture alongside slogans including 'unfit' and 'fascism'. Tensions have also escalated between the White House and the military following the death of Floyd, a black man who was killed when a white cop knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while he begged for his life saying 'I can't breathe'. In the past two weeks, Trump yelled at Defense Secretary Mark Esper for publicly opposing Trump's call to use active-duty troops to crack down on the demonstrations. Trump then shut down Esper's attempt to open a public debate on removing the names of Confederate Army officers from military bases. Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, further risked Trump's ire Thursday by declaring it had been 'a mistake' for him to accompany Trump on a June 1 walk through Lafayette Square. It also emerged the general was considering resigning over the incident which has outraged the nation. The trip - which involved clearing peaceful protesters out of the way - ended with the president holding up a Bible and posing for the news media outside St. John's Church, which was damaged by fire during the unrest. Donald Trump arrives at West Point to address 1,100 socially distanced graduates for their annual commencement at the historic Parade Field Trump touched down at West Point at around 10a.m. and was met by military officials Superintendent of the United States Military Academy Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams waits for Donald Trump's arrival Milley's comments amounted to an extraordinary expression of regret by Trump's chief military adviser, who said his appearance led to the perception of the military becoming embroiled in politics, which in his view - one shared by Esper - is a threat to democracy. The events have stirred debate within the military and among retired officers. More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter this week reminding the class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics. The letter, published on Medium, also alluded to the problems Esper and Milley encountered at the White House after Floyd's death. 'Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests,' they wrote. 'Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events. The principle of civilian control is central to the military profession. But that principle does not imply blind obedience.' They added: 'We are concerned that fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions are failing to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to duty, honor, country. Their actions threaten the credibility of an apolitical military.' Trump has also been slammed for forcing Saturday's ceremony go ahead while many other ceremonies have been canceled across the nation over fears of renewed spikes in coronavirus cases. Fifteen West Point cadets tested positive for coronavirus as the class of 1,106 were summoned back to campus at the end of May ahead of Trump's speech. The US Army confirmed last week that 15 cadets had contracted the deadly virus, saying they were diagnosed when all cadets were tested as soon as they arrived on campus and were immediately isolated so the virus did not spread to any other cadets. The US Military Academy said it had taken a number of measures to bring the cadets back safely for their graduation, after Trump announced it would be business as usual for the event. 'The Army and West Point have done meticulous planning to ensure the health and safety of the returning cadets of the US Military Academy's class of 2020,' the US Army said in a statement last week. The infamous photo op: Trump traveled to St. John's Church to hold up a Bible - which involved tear gassing peaceful protesters out of his path 'There is mandatory screening for all, and we've had a small number - about 1.5 percent - test positive. This was anticipated. None were symptomatic, and no cadet has contracted through person-to-person contact while under the Army's care. Those who test positive are isolated, and receive appropriate care and attention, while we continue an orderly reintegration of our cadets.' Back in April, Trump shocked everyone when he announced he would be speaking at the event as planned. According to the New York Times, the news even came as a surprise to West Point officials. The cadets for the military academy had all been sent home in early March as the coronavirus outbreak spread across the US and they had not returned to campus since. Officials had been looking at various options for the graduation including delaying the presidential commencement speech. US Military Academy cadets attend the 2020 graduation ceremony at West Point New York on June 13 Back in April, Trump shocked everyone when he announced he would be speaking at the event as planned Trump on stage listens to the national anthem and the cadets sing at the start of the ceremony But it seems Trump did not want to pass up the opportunity of speaking at the only service academy where he has not yet taken to the stage. Before any decision was reached by West Point officials, Trump announced in a press conference on April 17 that he would be going ahead with the event at the campus based in New York - which was the virus epicenter of the world at the time. His announcement came just one day before Vice President Mike Pence gave a commencement speech at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs. At this commencement, the underclassmen were sent home and cadets marched six feet apart and sat eight feet apart. But the president brushed off the possibility of a socially distanced ceremony at West Point saying he wanted the 'look' of it to be 'nice and tight'. Trump came under fire following his announcement, with Senator Tammy Duckworth branding it 'reckless' and an excuse for 'photo ops'. 'Trump's reckless decision to gather 1,000 Cadets at West Point for a speech puts our future military leaders at increased risk - all to stroke his own ego,' she said back in April. 'Our troops need stable, consistent leadership during volatile times like these, not a commander-in-chief who values his own photo ops and TV ratings over their health and safety.' Other academies had taken a more cautious approach given the risk of sparking fresh outbreaks of the virus among the nation's servicemen and women. The West Point graduation ceremony in 2019 (pictured). Fifteen West Point cadets have tested positive for coronavirus as more than 1,100 return to campus ahead of Donald Trump's mid-June commencement speech Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech at the Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado where cadets marched six feet apart and sat eight feet apart (pictured) The Naval Academy decided against bringing back its nearly 1,000 graduating midshipmen to its base in Annapolis, Maryland, for its commencement this year. A group called Veterans For Peace announced a protest outside West Point's main gate Saturday against what it called 'Trumps dangerous narcissistic Photo-Op Stunt at the West Point Graduation.' But the White House defended the move with White House spokesman Judd Deere this week saying: 'Saturday's graduation is about these incredible cadets and their amazing accomplishments, and as the commander in chief, President Trump wants to celebrate that and thank them for their service to our country.' Army officials also defended the move, saying the cadets would have had to brave the health risks of traveling back to campus anyway for their final medical checks, equipment and training. Historic West Point is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) up the Hudson River from New York City, the epicenter of the US coronavirus outbreak. Some cadets said they welcomed the chance to see their classmates again. 'We're going to be scattered all across the world, and it might be years, or tens of years, until we get to see some of our classmates again,' said 2nd Lt. Daine Van de Wall, of West Friendship, Maryland. 'And so coming back and getting to have closure for our West Point experience, I think, is extremely important.' Cheryl Connors, a 1983 West Point alum whose son Cameron graduates Saturday, said the moment is 'bittersweet.' Her three older children graduated from the academy, too. 'I'm super proud of him and his classmates. Its a great accomplishment,' she said. 'And its heartbreaking at the same time to not be able to be there and celebrate with him.' The health ministry had been accused of tallying deaths using a method that did not reflect the scale of the toll. Chile President Sebastian Pinera has replaced Health Minister Jaime Manalich amid controversy over the countrys figures for deaths from the coronavirus outbreak. Authorities in Beijing place parts of the city in lockdown after six new domestic coronavirus cases were reported. India reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus infections as the country passed a grim milestone of 300,000 cases. Brazil became the country with the second-highest coronavirus death toll in the world with 41,828 fatalities, surpassing the death toll of the United Kingdom and second only to the United States. More than 7.6 million people have now been confirmed to have the coronavirus and at least 426,000 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Here are the latest updates: Saturday, June 13 23:18 GMT US state of Florida reports 2,500 new cases Cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in Florida as the state gradually reopens, with more than 2,500 new confirmed cases reported by state health officials. The numbers reported by the state Department of Health mark the 10th out of 11 straight days in which new cases have topped 1,000. The Department of Health said Saturday that Florida had 2,581 new coronavirus cases, the third consecutive daily record. Coronavirus deaths in the state now stand at over 3,000 out of 73,552 confirmed cases since Floridas outbreak started. Gov. Ron DeSantis and local officials began relaxing rules for businesses, beaches, theme parks and gatherings in May. . 20:50 GMT Egypt confirms highest daily rise of new cases and deaths Egypt has confirmed 1,677 new coronavirus cases and 62 deaths, the health ministry said, the highest daily increase for both counts. In total, the Arab worlds most populous country has registered 42,980 cases including 1,484 deaths, the ministry said in a statement. A man rides a motorcycle with his family next to a wall with pharaonic images in Cairo, Egypt on June 4, 2020 [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/ Reuters] 20:20 GMT France daily death toll under 30 for fourth day France has reported 24 new coronavirus deaths, taking the total to 29,398 and marking the fourth day with under 30 fatalities. The government also reported the number of people in hospital fell by 215 to 10,909 and those in intensive care units fell by eight to 871, with both tallies continuing weeks-long downtrends 19:40 GMT Aid workers fear spike in deaths in Darfur related to pandemic In the sprawling refugee camps of Darfur, the war-scarred western region of Sudan, officials say the elderly are falling sick and dying at astonishing rates. Doctors in the regions few functioning hospitals report an influx of patients with symptoms like a lost sense of taste, breathing troubles and fevers. The official causes of their untimely deaths remain unknown. However, humanitarian workers and medical personnel believe the coronavirus is spreading unchecked and untracked through Sudans most marginalized territory, where medical facilities are few and far between and where years of conflict have left some 1.6 million people crammed into refugee camps. Nationwide, Sudan has reported 6,879 coronavirus infections and 433 deaths, according to the Health Ministry. Of those, 193 cases and 54 fatalities have been confirmed across Darfur a figure experts believe is a vast undercount. 19:00 GMT Italian federation hopes to allow fans in stadiums in July The head of Italys football federation (FIGC) hopes that stadiums can be opened to at least some fans next month if the rate of coronavirus infections continues to drop in the country. The Italian season restarted after a three-month hiatus on Friday with a Coppa Italia semi-final second leg between Juventus and AC Milan, while Napoli were hosting Inter Milan in the other tie later on Saturday with the final on Wednesday. Serie A will then restart on June 20. Yesterday, we took the last step towards dispelling any doubts about the completion of the championships, FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said in an interview with Radio Deejay on Saturday. Im happy but there is still one piece missing, which is the participation of the fans and I hope they can return very quickly. I hope it will be the beginning of July the first week or mid-July at the latest. 18:20 GMT Chile president replaces health minister amid reporting controversy Chile President Sebastian Pinera has replaced Health Minister Jaime Manalich amid controversy over the countrys figures for deaths from the coronavirus outbreak. Pinera said Manalich had spared no effort in carrying out his difficult and noble duty to protect Chileans` health. He replaced him with Oscar Enrique Paris, an academic and medical doctor. The country now has the highest number of confirmed cases per million people in Latin America, reporting 167,355 cases on Saturday and 3,101 deaths. There have been frequent reports of spats among health ministry officials, and Manalich has been criticised by opposition politicians, mayors, medical experts and social groups for refusing to release more detailed contagion data or apply lockdowns sooner and for successive changes in criteria for recording deaths and cases. Workers wait in line to apply for unemployment insurance outside the offices of the Unemployment Fund Administrator during a preventive quarantine, after the outbreak of coronavirus disease in Santiago, Chile [File: Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters] 17:45 GMT Turkey reports 1,459 new cases The number of new coronavirus cases in Turkey has risen to 1,459 in the last 24 hours from 1,195 a day earlier, Health Ministry data showed increasing after travel restrictions were lifted and facilities reopened at the start of the month. The daily number of cases had previously been below 1,000 since late May. In the last 24 hours, 14 people died, bringing total fatalities to 4,792, the ministry data showed. There have been a total 176,677 cases of COVID-19 in Turkey. 17:00 GMT British drugmaker in talks with Japan, Russia, Brazil and China on supply AstraZeneca is in talks with Japan, Russia, Brazil and China about supply deals for its potential coronavirus vaccine, its chief has said, as the British drugmaker prepares to publish the results of the first phase of tests. The British regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the start of phase three trials of the vaccine after studies showed sufficient efficacy and safety, Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said on a call with reporters. His comments came after the company pledged to deliver 400 million doses of its vaccine to European countries, its latest supply deal for the drug as governments around the world scramble to gain access to the drug to combat the pandemic. 16:25 GMT Italy death toll rises by 78 to 34,301 Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 78, the Civil Protection Agency has said, while the tally of new cases increased by 346. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on February 21 now stands at 34,301, the agency said, the fourth highest in the world after those of the United States, Britain and Brazil. The number of confirmed cases amounts to 236,651, the seventh highest global tally behind those of the United States, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Britain and India. Nurses demonstrate in Milan on June 10 to remind authorities of the sacrifice paid by colleagues during the coronavirus pandemic, calling for better working conditions [Luca Bruno/The Associated Press] 15:50 GMT UK death toll rises by 181 to 41,662 The UKs death toll from confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose by 181 to 41,662 as of 1600 GMT on June 12, according to government data released on Saturday. At least 294,375 coronavirus infections have been confirmed in the UK since the outbreak began. 15:20 GMT Russia more than doubles April virus death toll Russia has more than doubled its official coronavirus death toll for April to 2,712 after changing how it classifies fatalities. Officials warned that Mays death toll was likely to be even worse in Russia, which has the worlds third largest number of cases with 520,129. Russias death toll has been much lower than in other countries with large outbreaks, raising questions over possible under reporting of deaths. The April figures from Rosstat, the official statistics agency, include 1,270 deaths where the virus was the main cause. But they now also include deaths where the victim tested positive for the virus but it was not the main cause of death. 14:50 GMT Thai researchers capture bats to test for virus Thai researchers have caught over 100 bats in a forest cave in an eastern province of Thailand to test them for the coronavirus. The tests are being conducted over three days from June 11 at Tham Sador cave in Chantraburi province with researchers from Chulalongkorn Hospital, Kasetsart University and National Parks Department, Supaporn Wacharapluesadee, the deputy chief of the ThaiRed Cross Emerging Infectious Disease Health Science Centre, told the dpa news agency. Thailand has more than 140 species of bats and we see the need to study and learn more about them. We need to understand the coronavirus more and know where the risk may be at so thatpolicies can be made, she said. 14:20 GMT Conte calls for courage to save Italy at talks with EU, IMF Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has called for a courageous plan when he launched virtual talks with EU and IMF leaders to rescue Italys economy and society from the uprecedented shock triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Conte said the plan was needed to surmount the nations crisis as Italian opposition figures shunned the hastily organised and roundly criticised emergency talks. The EUs third largest economy is expected to contract by at least 8.3 percent in 2020, European Union leaders must show that they have understood that it is about defending mutual interests, Conte said in an opening speech transmitted to leading executives in Brussels. We are in the process of living an unprecedented shock with very high human, social and economic costs, Conte said. 13:45 GMT Rainbow flags in windows mark Vienna pride parade The coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the 25th annual Vienna Pride march, so supporters of LGBTIQ rights in the Austrian capital took to their windows instead/ Many windows, balconies and front doors were decked out in colourful displays, including the rainbow pride flag, with the results posted on social media on Saturday. Even 76-year-old Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen got into the spirit: A video he put on Instagram showed him unfurling the flag and hanging it from his balcony. Let us stand up for respect and acceptance of diversity, as well as against discrimination and racism, he wrote. 13:15 GMT Italy, Germany, France and Netherlands sign vaccine contract with Astrazeneca Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands have signed a contract with Astrazeneca to supply European citizens with a vaccine against the coronavirus, Italys health minister has said. The contract is for 400 million doses of the vaccine, which was developed with the University of Oxford and whose experimentation phase is already advanced and expected to end in autumn, Roberto Speranza said in a Facebook post. He added that a first batch of doses would be made available by the end of this year. The European Commission received a mandate from EU governments on Friday to negotiate advance purchases of promising coronavirus vaccines, the EUs top health official said, but it was unclear whether there would be enough money available. Hello, this is Joseph Stepansky in Doha taking over from my colleague Hamza Mohamed. 12:30 GMT More than 22,000 fans attend New Zealand rugby match New Zealand became one of the first nations in the world to welcome hordes of fans back into a packed sports stadium, thanks to the countrys remarkable success in eliminating the coronavirus. A capacity crowd packed the Forsyth Barr Stadium in the city of Dunedin to welcome the return of professional rugby, three months after the sports professional tournaments were shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. Almost 20,000 tickets had been sold before the opening Super Rugby Aotearoa match between the local Highlanders and the Hamilton-based Chiefs, and walk-ups filled the stadium to its capacity of 22,800 before kick-off. Professional rugby matches were suspended three months ago over the coronavirus pandemic [Teaukura Moetaua/Getty] There were no restrictions on physical contact. Fans could hug, high-five, congregate in groups before and after the match and fill public transport without wearing masks or social distancing. New Zealand has almost eradicated COVID-19 after shutting its borders and imposing an early and thorough lockdown. There are no active cases and New Zealand has recorded no new infections in 22 days. 12:00 GMT Iran to reimpose restrictions if guidelines not followed: President Rouhani President Hassan Rouhani has said Iran will reimpose restrictions to stem a surge in coronavirus cases if health regulations are not observed. After gradually relaxing its lockdown since mid-April, Iran has seen a sharp rise of new daily infections in recent weeks. While compliance with health protocols was as high as 80 percent a month ago, it is now down to 20 percent, Rouhani said in a televised speech. If there is no cooperation, we will have to reimpose the restrictions, Rouhani said, adding that adherence to the health protocols was needed in order to keep businesses open. With 2,410 new cases on Saturday, the total of cases has now reached 184,955. With the death of 71 people in the past 24 hours, total fatalities stand at 8,730, the health ministry said. President Hassan Rouhani blamed the surge on travellers spreading the coronavirus to previously low-risk provinces [Anadolu] 11:50 GMT Former Pakistan cricket captain tests positive for COVID-19 Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Saturday said he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Ive been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. Ive been tested and unfortunately Im COVID positive. Need prayers for a speedy recovery, Afridi, 40, wrote on Twitter. Afridi played more than 500 international games across all formats after making his debut in 1996. Shahid Afridi last played for Pakistan in 2016 [Adnan Abidi/Reuters] 11:35 GMT Protest in Nepal over govt handling of COVID-19 crisis, several arrested Nepali police arrested 10 protesters including foreign nationals from Australia, the United States and China as hundreds staged a demonstration in Kathmandu against the governments handling of the virus crisis. Demonstrators have defied a nationwide lockdown for several days this week to demand better testing and quarantine facilities for returning migrant workers. Police official Sushil Kumar Yadav told AFP news agency that seven of those arrested were foreigners. Three were Chinese, with one each from the United States, Australia, Canada and Norway, he said. It has not been decided if they will be charged, Yadav added. 11:20 GMT Qatar reports 1,828 new cases Qatars ministry of public health said on Saturday 1,828 people had contracted the virus in the past 24 hours, taking the countrys total to 78,416. At least 1,956 people recovered from the virus over the same period, the ministry said, pushing the total to 55,252. Ministry of Public Health announces 1828 confirmed new cases of coronavirus (Covid-19), with 1956 people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of people recovered in the State of Qatar to 55252 cases. #QNA pic.twitter.com/1tj9aR0Tnm Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) June 13, 2020 11:00 GMT India surpasses 300,000 cases, records biggest single-day jump India reported another record daily spike in coronavirus infections as the country passed a grim milestone of 300,000 cases. The health ministry reported 11,458 new cases on Saturday and 386 deaths, driving the toll of fatalities up to 8,884. Indias total caseload reached 308,993, the fourth highest in the world, including more than 150,000 recoveries. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a nationwide lockdown in late March. Indias caseload jumped by about 100,000 cases in a week, coinciding with the reopening of shopping centres, houses of worship and restaurants. India reported 386 deaths on Saturday, driving the toll of fatalities up to 8,884 [Sheikh Saaliq/AP] 10:40 GMT Pakistan seals off hot spots as record number of cases reported Pakistani authorities have identified and sealed off nearly 1,300 hotspots to contain the increasing rate of COVID-19 infections in the country. The sealing of high-risk areas comes as Pakistan reported 6,472 news cases on Saturday, the countrys highest single-day total. Pakistan has confirmed a total of 132,405 cases including 2,551 deaths. Pakistan put its entire population of 220 million under lockdown in March. The government has since eased restrictions, saying it was necessary to save the countrys economy, but it has caused a surge in infections. Pakistan has eased restrictions, saying it was necessary to save the countrys economy [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters] Prime minister Imran Khan has resisted demands from experts to reinforce the lockdown. Authorities, however, are now using the term smart lockdown to close shops and markets and force people to stay home in areas where confirmed cases have increased in recent weeks. Some residential areas were also sealed in the capital, Islamabad, to contain the spread of the virus. 10:15 GMT Malaysia reports 43 new cases Malaysia reported 43 new coronavirus cases, raising the cumulative total to 8,445 infections. The health ministry also reported one new death, taking total fatalities from the outbreak to 120. 09:45 GMT Tracking Africas coronavirus cases The outbreak of the new coronavirus has reached every nation in Africa, a continent of 1.2 billion people. As of June 13, the confirmed coronavirus death toll on the continent stood at 6,040, with fatalities including the former President of the Republic of the Congo Jacques Joachim Yhombi-Opango and Somalias former Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. There are 225,105 confirmed infections and 102,846 recoveries, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. 09:00 GMT Indonesia reports 43 COVID-19 deaths Indonesia reported 1,014 new coronavirus infections and 43 more deaths, taking the total number of cases to 37,420 and fatalities to 2,091, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said. Yurianto said 563 more patients had recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 13,776. All of the new cases were locally transmitted, he added. At least 2,091 people have died from the virus in Indonesia, according to the countrys ministry of health [Reuters] 07:45 GMT Russia records more than 8,700 new cases Russia reported 8,706 new coronavirus cases, bringing its cumulative infection tally to 520,129. The authorities said 114 people had died of the virus in the last 24 hours, raising the official national death toll to 6,829. Only the US and Brazil have reported more cases than Russia [Reuters] 06:40 GMT Lockdown in parts of Beijing due to COVID-19 clusters Parts of Beijing were placed under lockdown on Saturday as six new domestic coronavirus cases were reported, fuelling fears of a resurgence in local transmission. People were prevented from leaving their homes at 11 residential estates in south Beijings Fengtai district after most of the cases were linked to a nearby meat market, city officials said at a news briefing. Chinas domestic outbreak had been brought largely under control [Thomas Peter/Reuters] Beijings first COVID-19 case in two months, announced on Thursday, had visited Xinfadi meat market last week and had no recent travel history outside the city. Chinas domestic outbreak had been brought largely under control through vast, strict lockdowns that were imposed after the disease was first detected in the central city of Wuhan last year. Read more here. Hello, this is Hamza Mohamed in Doha, Qatar taking over from my colleague Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives. 05:20 GMT Fauci concerned over coronavirus spikes as US reopens Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease official, cautioned that the blips of rising coronavirus hospitalisations being reported by some states could get out of control if robust contact-tracing regimes are not put in place. About half a dozen US states are grappling with a rising number of coronavirus patients filling hospital beds, with Texas and North Carolina reporting on Friday their highest hospitalisation rates since the pandemic began. Fauci, in an interview with CNN, underscored that increased hospitalisations were a worrying trend and a sign that maybe we need to slow down a little on reopenings. When you start seeing more hospitalisations, thats a sure fire sign that youre in a situation where youre going in the wrong direction, he said. 04:30 GMT British Airways labelled national disgrace over job cuts Legislators labelled British Airways a national disgrace for its treatment of employees, adding to pressure on the airline as it juggles job cuts and new quarantine rules. Britains Transport Select Committee said that BA and its parent company IAG were trying to take advantage of the coronavirus crisis to cut 12,000 jobs and downgrade the terms and conditions of other employees. It is unacceptable that a company would seek to drive this level of change under the cover of a pandemic, Conservative legislator Huw Merriman, who chairs the committee, said in a report published on Saturday. In response, a spokeswoman for the airline said: We will do everything in our power to ensure that British Airways can survive and sustain the maximum number of jobs consistent with the new reality of a changed airline industry in a severely weakened global economy. 03:42 GMT Beijing shuts major market after six more locally transmitted cases Authorities in Beijing temporarily closed a major wholesale market in the city after the National Health Commission (NHC) reported six more locally transmitted cases in the Chinese capital. Chinese media said at least two of the infected people had visited the Xinfadi market. Authorities said all workers at the freshfood market were being tested for the virus. They also closed the Jingshen seafood market and ordered testing of food and environmental samples for all of Beijings wholesale food markets. Earlier, the city said it was delaying the planned reopening of school Monday for first to third graders because of the new cases. Beijing reported its first locally transmitted case in more than seven weeks on Friday. People are wearing face masks inside the Jingshen seafood market which has been closed for business after new coronavirus infections were detected in Beijing, China [Thomas Peter/ Reuters] 02:50 GMT France to open borders to non-Schengen countries from July 1 France will gradually reopen its borders to countries outside the Schengen zone from July 1, the interior and foreign ministers said in a statement. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Frances reopening would be in harmony with the rest of the European Union, which has recommended that the bloc reopen to some countries in the Balkans from July 1. Travellers in cars and scooters cross the French-Italian border near Menton on June 3, 2020 after Italy reopened its frontiers with Europe [Valery Hache/ AFP] This opening will be gradual and will vary according to the health situation in each of the third countries, and in accordance with the arrangements that will have been agreed at European level by then, the ministers said. Castaner and Le Drian confirmed that France would also lift all border restrictions with other Schengen countries from June 15. 02:42 GMT South Africa sees biggest one-day rise in cases South Africa saw its largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases, recording 3,359 infections on Friday. A health ministry update said South Africa now has more than 61,9270 cases, or well over a quarter of the cases across the African continent, including 1,354 deaths. Nearly two-thirds of South Africas cases are in the Western Cape province centred on the city of Cape Town, where the World Health Organizations Africa chief has said the trend seems to be similar to what was happening in Europe and in the US. 02:29 GMT Mexico prepares to reopen despite record cases Claudia Sheinbaum, the mayor of Mexico City, said the Mexican capital will lift restrictions on car traffic and public transport next week, and allow 340,000 factory workers to get back on the job under strict sanitary conditions. Sheinbaum said that street markets, malls, restaurants and churches could reopen a week later, but at reduced capacity. The announcement came as the health ministry reported a record 5,222 new confirmed coronavirus infections, along with 504 new deaths. Total confirmed cases now number 139,196 and total deaths are at almost 16,450. Both are considered substantial undercounts due to very limited testing. Separately, the federal government announced that starting on Monday, half of Mexicos 32 states can start limited reopenings of hotels and restaurants and broader reopenings of markets. The states to reopen are those that have falling rates of coronavirus hospitalisations, lower rates of infection and acceptable ratios of available hospital beds. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been eager to reactivate the economy, which has shed nearly one million formal jobs and is forecast to contract 8.8 percent this year. We dont think there are going to be new outbreaks, the president said on Friday. We have to be careful that this doesnt happen, and open little by little with health measures, health protocols, and if we see a new outbreak somewhere, return to confinement everything voluntarily. 01:59 GMT Egypt registers highest daily rise in cases in nearly two weeks Egypt confirmed 1,577 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the highest daily increase in almost two weeks. In total, the Arab worlds most populous country has registered 41,303 cases including 1,422 deaths, the health ministry said in a statement. The country is planning to open its seaside resorts to international flights and foreign tourists on July 1. A man rides a motorcycle with his family next to a wall with pharaonic images in Cairo, Egypt on June 4, 2020 [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/ Reuters] 01:39 GMT Brazil court orders JBS meat plant closed for testing A Brazilian labour court ordered the closure of a chicken-processing plant owned by the worlds largest meatpacker, JBS SA, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul for 14 days while the companys workforce is tested for COVID-19. The court upheld an injunction sought by state health authorities ordering all workers to immediately leave the plant located in Trindade do Sul so that they can be in isolation for two weeks and be tested at the companys expense. JBS did not have any immediate comment on the court order. 01:31 GMT Masks significantly reduce infection risk, says new study Requiring the wearing of masks in areas at the epicentre of the global coronavirus pandemic may have prevented tens of thousands of infections, a new study suggests. Mask-wearing is even more important for preventing the viruss spread and the sometimes deadly COVID-19 illness it causes than social distancing and stay-at-home orders, researchers said, in the study published in PNAS: The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Infection trends shifted dramatically when mask-wearing rules were implemented on April 6 in northern Italy and April 17 in New York City at the time among the hardest-hit areas of the world by the health crisis the study found. This protective measure alone significantly reduced the number of infections, that is, by over 78,000 in Italy from April 6 to May 9 and over 66,000 in New York City from April 17 to May 9, researchers calculated. 01:12 GMT Somalias al-Shabab sets up virus treatment centre Somalias al-Shabab group said they had set up a COVID-19 treatment centre in the country, and said the disease posed a grave threat, citing international health authorities. Al-Shababs corona[virus] prevention and treatment committee has opened a COVID-19 centre, the group said in a broadcast on their radio Andalus, adding the centre had been set up in Jilib, about 380 kilometres (236 miles) south of the capital, Mogadishu. International health organisations said COVID-19 is terribly spreading in countries of Africa continent. For more than a decade, the group has been fighting to topple the Horn of Africas Western-backed central government and establish its own government based on its own interpretation of Islamic law. 00:18 GMT Brazils COVID-19 death toll passes Britains Brazils COVID-19 death toll has overtaken that of the United Kingdom to become the second-highest in the world after the United States, according to numbers released by the Brazilian Health Ministry. Brazil reported a total of 828,810 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 25,982 new infections in the last 24 hours, and another 909 fatalities, raising the death toll to 41,828, the health ministry said. Of the total cases of COVID-19, 365,063 have recovered, the ministry said. 00:10 GMT Botswana reinstates strict lockdown in Gaborone Botswana has brought back a strict coronavirus lockdown in its capital city and surrounding areas after recording 12 new cases of the virus four imported cases at its borders and eight at a private hospital in Gaborone. The southern African nation ended a 48-day national coronavirus lockdown late last month, allowing businesses and schools to reopen under controls, but its borders are still closed apart from for returning citizens and imports of essential goods. Announcing the new lockdown measures, Malaki Tshipayagae, the countrys director of health services, said authorities were trying to determine if the Gaborone hospital cases were locally transmitted. From midnight today, the greater Gaborone area will revert to extreme social distancing until further notice, where only essential services will be allowed to operate, he said in a televised announcement. The new cases bring Botswanas cumulative cases to 60. Prior to Fridays cases, Botswana only had one active case of the coronavirus. It has recorded only one coronavirus death. Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Im Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives. You can find all the developments from yesterday, June 12, here. Theres only so long a backslapping governor can survive cooped up in a makeshift mansion studio or a Capitol hearing room bereft of people at daily briefings, midway between election campaigns. Enough! So on Friday afternoon, a rare, quiet news day, the mandate to shelter in place loosening, Gov. Ned Lamont set off for a trek through Hartfords North End with some aides and legislators as tour guides. No proposals to float, no big point to make at all, just to get out and press the flesh. Or rather, connect a few elbows. There on the busy corner of Windsor and Main Streets, Kenston Harry, working on a car at the Action Audio Store they do detailing, window tinting, prep for dealers, DUI breathalyzer installations and the like didnt expect a delegation that included his old friend, Rep. Brandon McGee, D-Harford. You did it yourself, you built this place yourself? That was five years ago? No, about ten. All right, good, so you had good years before the COVID hit. Harry closed for about a month as dealers shut down, and is off by at least 45 percent in sales. he kept his whole staff of seven on the payroll so as not to lose anyone, he later told me. They talk about cars and government assistance. Lamont quips that theres less traffic but more accidents, and it was off to Dunns River Jamaican Restaurant, where Lamont had visited in a campaign event with Chelsea Clinton. Owner Mark Brown talks about the namesake, a waterfall in Jamaica, and of course, they talk about the crisis. Brown, Like Harry, was able to keep his staff on the payroll in part with help from the federal Payroll Protection Program, and hes only off about 40 percent not bad for a restaurant, thanks to takeout through Uber Eats and other services. Main Street in that stretch carries a dominant Jamaican and more broadly, Caribbean flavor. And Lamont did hit at least two eateries besides Dunns, joined by McGee, and Rep. Joshua Hall, Paul Mounds, his chief of staff, who knows the neighborhood well, and later, Mayor Luke Bronin, an ally who ran against him when the Democratic field for governor swelled in 2018. Lamont asks Brown about his background in the business, which included a stint on a cruise ship. Sure as hell am glad you werent working on a cruise ship six months ago, the governor said. I love this place, its good to be back. Despite the offerings, Lamont, in a dress shirt, casual slacks and what appeared to be boating shoes, didnt seek out jerk chicken or fried fish. Instead he downed a slice or two of pizza over on Blue Hills Avenue, a block from the Bloomfield line. As oddly, he didnt talk about Black Lives Matter and George Floyd, not much if at all. This is a part of the state that was hit hard by coronavirus, both in illness and economic hardship. Just how hard, its impossible to know as we emerge. A lot of these folks in this neighborhood have learned how to survive, McGee said, but he added, Theyre pretty much hurting. They need dollars for infrastructure. Franklin Grant, co-owner of Greens Auto Body, took a break from looking over a car with customer Mike Nice to tell the governor he hadnt received any assistance. They took his email to send him an info packet, as PPP money is still available. Later, Alan King, who owns a building on Albany Avenue, where a tenant is behind on the rent, and also runs Jaks Flooring, said he tried to sign up for the PPP, but no luck yet. Ive used up all my line of credit, King tells me. The mood was decidedly light over at the Beauty First Hair Boutique not a salon, a maker of extensions and wigs, many for cancer patients. Owner Destiny Hunter held out a hand. She and Lamont came close to shaking hes not the most disciplined distancer in Connecticut but they pulled back. Its been all right, she tells Lamont, who won the favor of the hair industry, at least among people of color, by reversing an initial ruling banning blow dryers in the June 1 reopening. That was a highwire act for Lamont, as many in salons wanted to delay reopening and others wanted a sooner return. But on Friday, it was all about 2-year-old Jaquel Lindsey Jr., Hunters son. He wielded a squirt gun and no, Hunter told him, you cant get anyone wet. The toddler did stand for a photo with Lamont. This was a crowd of business owners that back the governor. Hes been doing good so far, so Im happy to see him, Hunter said. Afterward I talk with Brown, at Dunns River, who says hed like help in buying health insurance for his 15 employees. Harry, at Action Audio, who received a small forgivable loan through the PPP, told me his main complaint is the city tax on equipment, which he thinks is incorrectly assessed. Hed have wanted to bring that up with the governor assuming the CEO of the state can address city tax issues but said he didnt think of it. It was unexpected for him to drop in. It was that kind of hot afternoon, clearly a welcome respite at the start of a June weekend. dhaar@hearstmediact.com New Delhi: The Health Ministry on Saturday (June 13) informed that a total of 7,135 COVID-19 patients were cured across India in the last 24 hours. The total number of recovered patients in India has now increased to 1,54,329 while the recovery rate has bettered to 49.95%. Presently, there are 1,45,779 active cases and all are under active medical supervision. The ICMRs testing capacity for detecting COVID-19 in infected persons is also continuously being ramped up. The number of government labs has been increased to 642 and there are over 243 private labs around the country now (A total of 885). In the last 24 hours, 1,43,737 samples were tested. The total number of samples tested so far is 55,07,182. Although the recovery rate in India is slightly improving, the number of new cases daily is on a rise. India reported more than 11,000 cases in the last 24 hours for the very first time since the outbreak, making it the highest jump recorded in a day. The total tally has now crossed 3 lakh while the death count is at 8,884, as per the Health Ministry's data in the morning at 8 AM today. India is currently the fourth-worst affected country in the world after the United States, Brazil and Russia. While the US has more than 20.48 lakh cases, Brazil and Russia have 8.28 lakh and 5.19 lakh COVID-19 infections respectively. Programme Coordination and C4D Specialist, Ed Daein, East Darfur, Sudan Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund Country: Sudan Field location: Ed Daein, Sudan Office: UNICEF Ed Daein, Sudan Closing date: Thursday, 25 June 2020 Programme Coordination and C4D Specialist, P3 - Temporary Appointment, Ed Daein, East Darfur, Sudan, #113640 (364 days) Job no: 532194 Position type: Temporary Appointment Location: Sudan Division/Equivalent: Amman(MENA) School/Unit: Sudan Department/Office: El Deain, Sudan Categories: Communication for Development (C4D), P-3 UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up. For every child, [insert tagline] UNICEF in Sudan is a part of a new global and regional partnership between the Government of the Netherlands, IFC, ILO, UNHCR and the WB. This partnership, known as PROSPECTS, will focus on delivering change within the South Sudanese refugee and host community populations in East Darfur and West Kordofan. Specifically, the partnership aims to enhance the enabling environment for socio-economic inclusion and empowerment of forcibly displaced persons, enhance access to education, training and protection for host and displaced children and young people, and strengthen the resilience of host communities through inclusive socio- economic development that also benefits forcibly displaced persons. In this context, the Partnership aims to develop a new paradigm in responding to forced displacement crises including through the meaningful engagement of development actors. This initiative will contribute to UNICEFs overall expected results in East Darfur: Child Protection: By 2022, all boys and girls in East Darfur state are covered by a child protection system that fosters prevention and timely response to and recovery from violence, exploitation and separation from family. Education: By 2022, More out-of-school children, especially girls, and those in the most vulnerable situations, access quality pre-primary, primary and alternative, 2 Education providers, parents and communities have improved knowledge and skills to contribute to quality learning in inclusive safe and protective school environments. Health and Nutrition: By 2022, more children under five and women of reproductive age equitably access and utilize evidence-based health, HIV & nutrition interventions, including adoption of key behaviours, especially among vulnerable populations in most deprived localities, conflict-affected and peri-urban areas. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): By 2022, families and institutions in nine high burden localities in East Darfur state will have equitable access to and utilize safe, affordable, adequate and equitable WASH services across the lifecycle, especially the most vulnerable children and women. Programme Effectiveness: including cross-sectoral support for communication for development; emergency preparedness and response; disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation; promotion of social cohesion; advocacy, partnerships and communication (APC); planning, monitoring and evaluation; and supply, logistics and other operational suppor How can you make a difference? UNICEF is seeking to hire a programme coordinator and C4D programme specialist (dual role) who will coordinate the planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the multi-year PROSPECTS programme in East Darfur. The position will also lead on C4D technical support to the programme and more broadly across the portfolio of UNICEF programming in the State. He/she will receive guidance from the Head of Field office, Chief of Field Office (East/South Darfur), C4D Chief and Partnerships and Resource Mobilization/Deputy Representatives Office. MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1) Coordinate the programme and represent UNICEF including in partner coordination meetings, briefings and field missions in East Darfur. Coordinate with PROSPECTS partners, UNHCR, ILO, WB and IFC, including in terms of overall management of the initiative, planning, monitoring reporting, advocacy and external communication. Represent UNICEF with government and in appropriate inter-agency forums for effective coordination, planning, reporting and advocacy on the programme (including how it relates to wider UNICEF work in East Darfur). Lead the coordination of the programme within the UNICEF East Darfur team (and with UNICEF in Khartoum as appropriate), including through regular meetings and information exchange, supporting regular information exchange, sectoral integration and geographical convergence. 2) Technical and operational support for efficient and timely integrated programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation Manage, in coordination with PROSPECTS partners, and with the support of UNICEFs Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) team, the establishment of baselines, monitoring and reporting on the programme results. Manage the preparation of both narrative and financial reports of the programme at state level including by developing and or collating timely and credible data and information. Lead, in coordination with UNICEFs partnership team in Khartoum, the development of further partnerships and resource mobilization in support of the programme. Undertake regular field visits either individually or in integrated teams to support, verify, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the programme in the state. Actively monitor progress identify bottlenecks and potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant program colleagues/head of the office for timely resolution. Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme and annual reviews with Khartoum based staff, field-based staff, donors, government and other counterparts to assess progress and to identify any programming adjustments to achieve the desired results. Provide technical guidance and operational support to UNICEFs programme sections (health & nutrition, WASH, Education and Child Protection) including on cross sectoral integration and programme monitoring. 3) Lead technical support on Communication for Development (C4D) Programme implementation and integration Coordinate the community-based approaches on the engagement and enabling of women, adolescents and children in the scaling-up of appropriate behaviours and abandonment of harmful practices through innovation and use of technology. Facilitate a community engagement mapping process to integrate with the existing platforms and for the selection of community focal points for the activities Design activities to promote co-existence between different community groups using available Xenophobia and Discrimination Research funding. Work closely with the Country office C4D focal point to ensure that the community engagement activities are strategy planned and measure through programmes cycle Tags c4d child protection climate change climate change adaptation communication for development community mobilization community participation darfur disaster risk disaster risk reduction displaced persons displacement economic development emergency preparedness human rights information exchange logistics monitoring and evaluation monitoring and reporting participatory programme implementation programme planning public administration resource mobilization rights based vulnerable populations Develop and maintain strategic partnerships; consult and collaborate with key internal and external stakeholders, including relevant community stakeholders and local networks. Liaise with the Country office C4D focal point in the design, implementation and measurement of impact of community mobilization and community linkage strategies and approaches and their adaptation, as required. Establish the supervision and monitoring plans for community Performs activities for the regular report about the progress and challenges Manage community engagement and innovative approaches (through community events: participatory community theatre, meetings, rallies, group discussions, peer support, demonstrations, events in mosques etc.) Facilitate the training and the capacity building of partners, adolescents and community focal points To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have... Advanced University Degree (Masters) in Education, Business Administration, Social Science, Public Administration/Policy, International Development or other related and relevant field At least 4-6 years of relevant experience, preferably working for a UN organization, INGO or similar Fluency in English is required. Excellent written and verbal English skills are an essential job requirement. For every Child, you demonstrate... UNICEFs values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. The functional competencies required for this post are... Experience in both humanitarian and development work including programme coordination Experience working in integrated/multisectoral programming including with multiple partners Experience in donor/partner relations management Strong skills and experience in communicating/writing/editing. Proven ability to synthesize and powerfully convey messages Excellent organizational and analytical skills Knowledge of community engagement strategies and trends in social and behavioural change Demonstrable technical and analytical skills in research and/or community-based programming Experience working with diverse community group to promote co-existence and community participation Good knowledge and understanding of UN/UNICEF mandate, programmatic work and principles as well as Rights Based Approach Knowledge of global human rights issues, specifically relating to children and women Knowledge of rights-based approach and results-based programming (RBM) Demonstrable understanding of issues of sexual exploitation and abuse as well as child safeguarding Gender equality and diversity awareness View our competency framework at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. Remarks: Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. Advertised: Jun 11 2020 E. Africa Standard Time Application close: Jun 25 2020 E. Africa Standard Time In Seattle, the show gets more and more bizarre. For example, the mob now wants Mayor Jenny Durkan to resign. In other words, they want a leftist mayor to step aside because she represents the establishment. The police chief is in full revolt. On the other side of the state, the governor did not know that his largest city was facing an occupation. I wonder if the governor's iPhone battery ran out and he did not get the text. Then the mayor and the governor reacted to President Trump by telling him to go back in the bunker. Last, but not least, they both said President Trump does not have the constitutional power to act in Seattle. As someone said, maybe they should read a little bit about President Lincoln. Bizarre is not the word. What happens next? Hopefully, the local leadership will decide to protect its citizens and their businesses. Or maybe the governor will issue an ultimatum and remove the citizens of Chaz. No matter what, the biggest loser is Seattle. It will take a new generation to bring back this city. You will see a huge outflow of people and their dollars. More and more policemen will retire early or just quit the force. It's sad, but this is what happens when you vote for leadership that does not understand a darned thing about running anything. Good luck, Seattle. I guess we will see a bunch of Washington license plates around our area. P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. Former Home And Away star Olivia Deeble said goodbye to Summer Bay back in September. And it seems the 17-year-old is already making waves in Tinsel Town with some even hailing her as the next Margot Robbie ahead of her Hollywood film debut next month. 'It's the biggest compliment ever. I'm just in shock that's what people think,' she told The Sunday Telegraph's Stellar magazine this week. 'I hope to have a career similar to hers': Former Home And Away star Olivia Deeble, 17, (pictured) has been hailed as the next Margot Robbie ahead of her debut Hollywood, Stellar Magazine reports in this week's issue 'I've looked up to Margot for so long, I really admire her as an actor. I hope to have a career similar to hers,' she added. Much like Olivia, Margot's career began on another Australian soap, Neighbours playing Donna Freedman before trying her luck in the US. From 2016 to 2019, Olivia played the role of Raffy Morrison, the younger half sibling of Justin Morgan (played by James Stewart) and Tori Morgan (played by Penny McNamee). Just like Margot: 'It's the biggest compliment ever. I'm just in shock that's what people think,' Olivia told The Sunday Telegraph's Stellar magazine about the comparison to Neighbours alumni turned Hollywood heavyweight Margot Robbie (right) Summer Bay days: From 2016 to 2019, Olivia (with co-star Lukas Radovich) played the role of Raffy Morrison, the younger half sibling of Justin Morgan (played by James Stewart) and Tori Morgan (played by Penny McNamee) Olivia, who is the daughter of actress Kate Gorman and granddaughter of Reg Gorman, spoke highly of her time on Home And Away. She told the publication that she learnt to read her script quickly, find her character's emotion, how to withstand long shoots and to respect everyone's role on a set. Olivia will star in the new Disney+ film Secret Society of Second-Born Royals, where she plays Princess Roxana in the superhero sci-fi film. Hollywood break: Olivia will star in the new Disney+ film Secret Society of Second-Born Royals, where she plays Princess Roxana in the superhero sci-fi film. 'It's a feel-good, fun-loving movie,' she said 'They're teenagers, there are a lot of modern components and there's this awesome kick-a*** adventure. It's a feel-good, fun-loving movie,' she said. In addition to acting, Olivia has also been picked up by London's Storm Management, who also manage the likes of model Behati Prinsloo, Cindy Crawford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. Secret Society of Second-Born Royals will be available to stream on Disney+ on July 17. The buzz of a 3D printer is near-constant as it sits on Emily Chins desk in Worcester, creating a headpiece for a face shield one after another. Chin, a rising second-year medical student at UMass Medical School, has been making and donating hundreds of face shields to hospitals and nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic. The effort is more than just a way to give back to health care workers during a time of global crisis, which has left medical students without clinical duties in hospitals. Its also a way for Chin to honor the memory of her grandmother, Yuk Yip Wu, who lost her life to the virus in April. It helps channel the grief and something thats incredibly sad into something thats more meaningful, Chin said. Thats kind of been my way of processing grief and death in my family. Chins grandmother, who she called Popo or granny, had started complaining of symptoms like muscle aches, but not shortness of breath, cough or a fever, some of the common signs of coronavirus. Her grandmother lived at home and didnt go out much, so the possibility that her grandmother could have coronavirus wasnt on Chins mind. But, with the virus spreading across Massachusetts from March into April, Chin was nervous to take her grandmother to the hospital, fearing she might contract the disease. Eventually, they went to Brigham and Womens Hospital, where Chin, a certified medical interpreter, got special permission to stay at the hospital and help her grandmother, who was hard of hearing and primarily spoke Cantonese. At the hospital, they found out Chins grandmother did have coronavirus. I was shocked, Chin, 25, recalled in a phone interview on Thursday. I was worried for the first time that my grandma would not be able to leave the hospital. Though many efforts were made to try and help Chins grandmother recover, she never was able to leave the hospital. Yuk Yip Wu died on April 10. She was 95 years young, as Chin put it. About a week later, Chin and her partner, Alex, were getting started making the face shields. Alex is an architect with RODE Architects in Boston and his firm has provided the 3D printer and materials for the couple to create the face shields from home. Chin said she dove into research, trying to figure out the best way to design and make the shields. She and her partner used a design file shared online by Cornell University to figure out how to 3D print the shields. Chin poured through one Google search after another and read reviews on Amazon, trying to understand what makes the shields most effective for health care workers so she could make them just right. It takes 1 hour and 7 minutes to print the headpiece, Chin said, which she then polishes down with scissors. After that, she spends several minutes punching holes in plastic sheets to attach the shield part to the headpiece. The entire process takes about an hour and a half for one face shield, Chin said. The 3D printer runs from about the time she wakes up until she goes to bed for the evening. As of Thursday, Chin said shes created about 350 face shields. Shes donated them to the UMass Memorial distribution center, which spreads supplies out to the hospitals and, when it was open, the field hospital at the DCU Center. Other donations have gone to the Saint Francis Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Worcester, the Worcester Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, and to CareOne in Brookline, where Chins grandmother had been a patient before. Chin, who wants to become an OBGYN physician and wants to reduce maternal mortality disparities, said she plans to keep making the face shields as long as possible. Growing up, Chin said her grandmother helped raise her while her parents were busy running several businesses in Bostons Chinatown. Chin went to Chinese school on the weekends, she said, and every Sunday her grandmother would come in from Mission Hill to walk her to school and pick her up after. They would always go to lunch and tried a new place each week, she remembered. Those were just some of the most fond memories, Chin said. I just remember being at the school, standing there waiting for her and seeing my grandmas full head of white hair just eagerly waiting for me and asking me where I wanted to go for lunch. All her memories with her grandma are centered around food, Chin said, especially her grandmothers delicious ginger scallion garlic shrimp. "She was just an incredible chef and has inspired me to cook with my heart and soul, said Chin, who opened the Double Chin restaurant in Chinatown with her sister, Gloria, in 2015. Chin was especially close with her grandmother after suffering the devastating loss of both her parents. When Chin was in high school, her father died from esophageal cancer. Within a month of his death, her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer as a non-smoker. In April, when Chin was at the hospital with her grandmother, she was able to obtain a face shield from a co-worker of her partners and her uncle found a N95 mask for her. I ended up getting fully geared and I had felt so much safer walking into the room and knowing that I wouldnt put ask much risk to my partner, who I live with," Chin said. It was a very comforting feeling that Im sure health care workers appreciate when they feel fully prepared to go into patient rooms to provide the care they need. It gave Chin an even deeper understanding of the importance of personal protective equipment. I wasnt worried about getting COVID. I was more worried about getting the people around me sick and so It felt nice to know that I was being protected," she said. And the gear worked. When Chin got tested for coronavirus herself after her time in the hospital, the result was negative. Related Content: Flash Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed strong dissatisfaction with a British government report meddling in Hong Kong affairs. "Unwarranted foreign interference in Hong Kong's affairs will only make China more determined in advancing the national security legislation for Hong Kong," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press briefing when commenting on the British government's wrong moves of issuing the so-called Six-monthly Report on Hong Kong on Thursday. Hua said Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs, and no foreign government, organization or individual has the right to interfere. "The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right to supervise Hong Kong, nor does it have any so-called 'responsibility'." China has repeatedly expounded on its solemn position on the national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hua said. "I would like to stress that the Chinese government is firmly committed to implementing 'one country, two systems' principle fully and faithfully, safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and upholding Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability," she said. "Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong. The UK should face up to reality, respect China's sovereignty, security and unity, and stop interfering in Hong Kong's affairs in any way," Hua said. The global death toll from the coronavirus is approaching 430,000 with more than 7.6 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness. Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions. Iran Iran's President Hasan Rohani has said that restrictions to stem the coronavirus pandemic will be reimposed in the country if citizens continue to disobey public-health regulations. After gradually relaxing its lockdown since mid-April, Iran in recent weeks has seen a sharp rise of new daily infections. Rohani said in a televised speech on June 13 that compliance with health regulations had been as high as 80 percent in mid-May. But he said compliance was now down to only about 20 percent. Rohani blamed Iran's latest surge of COVID-19 on travelers that he said had been spreading the coronavirus to previously low-risk provinces. With 2,410 new cases on June 13, the total number of confirmed cases in Iran is now about 185,000. Iran's Health Ministry said on June 13 that 71 people had died from the virus during the previous 24 hours. The total number of deaths in Iran from COVID-19 on June 13 was 8,730, the ministry said. Rohani expressed concern about mass prayers at the recently reopened Imam Reza shrine, Iran's largest Shi'ite Muslim religious complex in the northeast of the country. "If there is no cooperation, we will have to reimpose the restrictions," Rohani said, adding that adherence to the health restrictions was needed "to keep businesses open." Tehran faced resistance from hard-line clerics before it closed holy shrines in mid-March. The closures sparked protests with angry crowds storming the shrines of Imam Reza in Mashhad and Fatemeh Massoumeh in Qom. Pakistan Former Pakistani cricket captain Shahid Afridi says he has tested positive for the coronavirus, as the number of positive cases accelerates across the South Asian country. "I've been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. I've been tested and unfortunately I'm COVID positive," he wrote on Twitter on June 13. "Need prayers for a speedy recovery, Inshallah (God willing)," added Afridi, who still has a huge global fan base. Since retiring from international cricket in 2018, Afridi has been active in charity work through his own foundation. Afridi's foundation has been providing food to people in remote areas of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which have been hit hard by the coronavirus. Pakistan has officially recorded over 132,405 positive cases and 2,551 deaths from the coronavirus as of June 13, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Armenia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has warned that the spread of the coronavirus in his country is "bad," a day after his government extended a public-health state of emergency until mid-July. "Our situation with the coronavirus spread is bad," Pashinian said on June 13. "I want to report that yesterday we registered a new record. Medics confirmed 723 new infections. Six patients, unfortunately died." "I must be honest. I am very much upset with these figures," Pashinian said. Pashinian also said he had traveled to his office on June 13 by car and "could see from a window of the car that people continue to breach epidemiological safety rules." At an extraordinary session on June 12, the government decided to extend the coronavirus state of emergency until July 13. It was the third extension of the state of emergency since it was introduced in mid-March. Armenia began relaxing its strict lockdown rules in mid-April as new infections were rising sharply. The total number of confirmed infections in the country was just under 1,400 when Armenia began reopening the economy. Including the figures announced by Pashinian on June 13, the total number of infections in the country is now more than 16,000 with 264 deaths. Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he will switch to "a special work mode" after his wife tested positive for coronavirus. The presidential office said on June 12 that Zelenskiy will cancel face-to-face meetings, suspend any trips and events, and strictly limit personal contact to close aides and security. RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region. Zelenskiy tested negative for coronavirus and will now take daily coronavirus tests and undergo medical examinations. Olena Zelenska, the president's wife, said earlier that she had tested positive. Zelenska wrote on Facebook on June 12 that the test result took her by surprise. "Today, I received back a positive result from the coronavirus test. Unexpected news, especially considering that my family and I continue to comply with all the regulations -- masks, gloves, minimal contact," Zelenska wrote, adding that her husband and children tested negative for the virus. Ukraine's Health Ministry said on June 12 that the total number of coronavirus cases in the country was 29,753, including 870 deaths. With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian and Ukrainian services, Reuters, Fars, AFP, TASS, and Interfax The months-long search for Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan, two Idaho children last seen in 2019, officially ended Saturday after authorities confirmed the human remains found earlier this week belonged to the children. "It is with heavy hearts that we now confirm that those remains have now been officially identified as those of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan," Rexburg police said in a statement Saturday. MORE: Family believes human remains found on Chad Daybell's property are missing Idaho kids JJ and Tylee were last seen in September and were reported missing by extended family members to police in November. Their mother, Lori Vallow, and her husband, Chad Daybell, have been charged in the case. Vallow, 46, was arrested in February and is facing two felony counts of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children and one misdemeanor count each of resisting and obstructing an officer, solicitation of a crime and contempt. PHOTO: Authorities investigating a home in Salem, Idaho, June 9, 2020, where they uncovered human remains at the home of Chad Daybell as they investigated the disappearance of his new wife's two children. (Nate Eaton/EastIdahoNews.com via AP) Daybell, 51, was taken into custody Tuesday on two felony counts of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence after the remains were found on his property. Each is being held on a $1 million bond. The case received national attention as it's been shrouded in mystery, and after rumors of a cult and other deaths in the family surfaced. The mysteriousness around the children's deaths still remains. Authorities did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment as to how the children died or if charges for Vallow or Daybell will upgraded. MORE: Inside the mysterious case of 3 deaths, 2 missing children and a terrified husband Vallow was lambasted by police throughout the search for the children, including in the early days when police said she "completely refused" to help. PHOTO: Lori Vallow finds out her bond has been denied by Judge Michelle Mallard during her second bond hearing at the Madison County Magistrate Court in Rexburg, Idaho, May 1, 2020. (John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, FILE) "It is astonishing that rather than work with law enforcement to help us locate her own children, Lori Vallow has chosen instead to leave the state with her new husband," police said, referring to Vallow's sudden move to Hawaii with Daybell. Story continues She also was condemned by officials while in Hawaii, when she failed to produce her children after she was ordered to do so by an Idaho court. She spent about a month in Hawaii with Daybell before she was arrested by police there on a warrant issued by authorities from Madison County, Idaho. Vallow was extradited to Idaho. Vallow, through a statement from her attorney, has maintained her innocence and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Daybell has not yet entered a plea. PHOTO: Chad Daybell in a booking photo after being arrested on June 9, 2020, on suspicion of concealing or destroying evidence after local and federal investigators searched his property in Rexburg, Idaho. (Rexburg Police Dept.) Concerns about Vallow began well before the children went missing. Charles Vallow, the adopted father of JJ, filed for divorce from Lori Vallow in February 2019, court records from Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona show. His attorney in the proceedings, Steven Ellsworth, said Charles Vallow expressed "genuine fear for his life and under our advice obtained an Order of Protection against Lori Vallow," according to a statement Ellsworth sent ABC News. His "fear for his life" appeared to stem from statements that Lori Vallow made after meeting Daybell. She had at one point claimed she was "a god assigned to carry out the work of the 144,000 at Christ's second coming in July 2020" and didn't want anything to do with her family "because she had a more important mission to carry out," according to court documents obtained by ABC News. Daybell is the author of several religion-themed fiction books and spoke at some Preparing a People events. Preparing a People issued a lengthy statement in December on its website, which appears to have since been deleted, explaining that the multimedia company has been providing services to a variety of clients over the past seven years. "It is not a 'group' and is not a 'Cult' or something people join, but has educational lecture events that can be attended or watched on video," the statement reads. "We also do not share any of Chad Daybell's or Lori Vallow's beliefs if they are contrary to Christian principles of honesty, integrity and truth." Beyond rumors of a cult, the case made headlines because of numerous family deaths. Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Lori Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, in her Chandler, Arizona, home on July 11, 2019, police said. Cox was never charged, and the case was being looked at as self-defense. Cox ended up being found unresponsive about six months after that shooting, on Dec. 11, 2019. He was found in his Gilbert, Arizona, home and later pronounced dead. An autopsy was performed and it was discovered that Cox died of natural cases. In between Vallow and Cox's death, Chad Daybell's wife, Tammy Daybell, also died under circumstances that are now believed to be suspicious. Her autopsy results have not yet been released. After the remains were discovered this week, the grandparents of JJ and eldest son of Lori Vallow issued a joint statement. They confirmed the remains were those of the children before authorities publicly said so. "We are filled with unfathomable sadness that these two bright stars were stolen from us, and only hope that they died without pain or suffering," the family said. "We have only just been told of the loss of our loved ones and need time to process." Human remains found on Chad Daybell's property were of missing Idaho kids: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Experts including those from Singapore have submitted a detailed draft plan to control the fire in a gas well in Assam's Tinsukia district to the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gases, PSU major Oil India Limited (OIL) said in a statement. The plan submitted to the ministry was drawn up to cap the well by a team of experts from M/s Alert, Singapore, along with those of ONGC and OIL, while the first load of equipment mobilized from ONGC-Sibsagar has reached Duliajan and will be sent to the site after inspection by the experts. Vehicle carrying equipment from ONGC-Rajamundry is also coming to Assam. The blaze at OIL's Baghjan gas well, which began on June 9 following a major blowout on May 27, was still raging but the extent of it has been contained to the well with fire tenders kept ready at the site to arrest any incidents of flash fire, the statement said. Two firefighters of OIL died after the well caught fire on Tuesday. Production and operations in gas wells and oil wells of OIL were affected by blockades put up people at several areas of the district. Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed the prevailing situation at a high-level meeting here to assess the extent of the damage caused by the fire and its effect on the ecology of the surrounding areas. He directed the Tinsukia district administration to conduct a detailed assessment of the damage and provide medical and other assistance to the people staying in relief camps, according to a senior official of the Chief Minister's Office. In addition to existing 12 relief camps, two more have been set up for evacuated villagers. Sonowal also asked the district administration to extend full cooperation to OIL, ONGC and other agencies in their efforts to douse the fire in the gas well. Additional Chief Secretary Maninder Singh and Additional Principal Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) M K Yadava have left for Baghjan following the chief ministers directive. Singh will conduct an inquiry into the Baghjan well fire incident and submit a report within 15 days, while Yadava was asked to study the effects of the incident on the environment and ecology of the surrounding areas. The Tinsukia deputy commissioner was also arranging for land required for debris laydown area, site refuge and control area and additional water reservoir. Testing of pumps, engines and auxiliary equipment and laying of delivery lines required for sourcing of water from Dangori River are in progress, the OIL statement said. Police forces have been deployed at the site by the district administration and no untoward incident of law and order has been reported so far at the site, an official said. However, production and operations have been stopped or disrupted at 66 oil wells and 13 gas wells by students organisations and local people at Makum, Barekuri, Hapjan, Lankashi, Nagajan, Hebeda and Dhakul areas in the district, the OIL statement said. Crude transportation through bowsers was carried out with the help of security at several places while some bowsers were stranded due to blockades by local people, it said. Loss of 638 metric tonne of crude oil production from 66 oil wells and 0.46 Million Metric Standard Cubic Meter Per Day (MMSCMD) of natural gas from three gas wells were reported till Thursday due to the blockades, the company said. Following reports of tremors in nearby villages, OIL has contacted North East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST), Jorhat to carry out a study to see if there was any induced seismicity due to the blowout, the statement added. The billowing smoke from the well could be seen from a distance of more than 30 kilometres, and the gas blowout for nearly a fortnight had endangered the biodiversity in the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and the Maguri-Motapung wetland. Two officials of the OIL have been suspended for alleged negligence of duty at the gas well site, while a show cause notice has been issued to John Energy Pvt Ltd, the outsourced private operator of the well. A PIL was filed at the Gauhati High Court on Wednesday against OIL, John Energy, the Centre and the state government for the PSU major's Baghjan gas well blowout and successive fire, which have damaged life and properties in the area. An FIR has also been registered against OIL and John Energy for the blowout. Arunachal Pradesh records highest single-day spike of 20 COVID cases; tally rises to 87 Brazil surpasses UK, now has second highest COVID death total A four-month-old baby, who was on ventilator support for 18 days, has been discharged from a hospital in Andhra Pradeshs Visakhapatnam after testing negative for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), news agency ANI has reported. Vinay Chand, Visakhapatnams district collector, said the baby was discharged by doctors at the Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) after a health check-up on Friday evening. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage A tribal woman of East Godavari named Laxmi was infected with Covid-19 in May. Later the doctors confirmed that her four-month-old baby was also infected, Chand was quoted as saying by ANI. The baby was shifted to Visakhapatnam VIMS hospital on May 25. She was treated for 18 days on a ventilator. Doctors again conducted babys Covid-19 test recently, following which the reports came negative, Chand said. Visakhapatnam district reported 14 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, taking its tally to 252 including one fatality due to the virus. (With agency inputs) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Churches say Mass. city's 10-person limit too extreme, plan to defy mayors restrictions Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A group of Massachusetts churches are planning to hold in-person worship services with more than 10 people on Sunday, despite a local city's order prohibiting mass religious gatherings. Even though Gov. Charlie Baker is allowing churches to hold indoor services with 40% capacity, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone issued an order banning worship gatherings of more than 10 people. The four churches Igreja Comunidade Batista Shalom Internacional, Christian Fellowship of Boston, International Church, and Safe House Baptist Church have expressed their intention to hold services with more than 10 people on Sunday. They're being represented by First Liberty Institute and the Massachusetts Family Institute, which sent a letter to Curtatone on Wednesday, which detailed their plans to follow social distancing guidelines. "The Churches have developed a plan to safely and prudently reopen their facilities in accordance with Guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control (CDC Guidelines'), DLS Standards, and Order 33's General Workplace Safety Rules," read the letter, in part. "For instance, the Churches will limit occupancy to 40 percent of their maximum permitted occupancy level, counting every person, including staff, in each church. The Churches will also instruct members and staff that if they are feeling sick or have been exposed to someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 that they should not attend in-person." Jeremy Dys of First Liberty said in a statement that the city's restrictions "would prevent even Jesus and the twelve disciples from lawfully gathering in Somerville." "If thousands of people can peacefully protest in the streets under the First Amendment, certainly churches are able to safely resume in-person religious gatherings," Dys said. The four churches and the groups representing them are not the only ones taking issue with the 10-person limit being imposed in Somerville. C.J. Doyle, head of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, also denounced the city's restriction as "very extreme," "unwarranted," and "constitutionally very dubious." "There's nothing in the Bill of Rights that says these rights will be upheld except in a public health emergency," said Doyle, according to CBS Boston. For his part, Curtatone has defended the 10-person limit, telling CBS Boston that he was working with faith leaders to determine when he could safely lift the worship restriction. "We need to make sure as we reactivate these different sectors of our lives they don't contribute to this pandemic. All these faith leaders are seeing that," the mayor said. "Every church, every house of worship, every temple is a different size and scale, and we'll be working on individually tailored site safety plans for all of them." Protesters have ignored pleas to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic. People met across eight Melbourne locations on Saturday to call for freedom for refugees stuck in indefinite detention. At a hotel in the northern suburb of Preston, Mantra Bell City, where some refugees have been held for at least seven months, up to about 30 protesters were pictured standing outside. Asylum seekers who were transported from Manus Island for medical treatment peered out of hotel windows to watch the rally. A protester outside Melbourne's Mantra Hotel. Source: AAP A former refugee from Sri Lanka told the protesters in a speech that detention centres and hotels housing asylum seekers are "basically prisons designed to inflict pain on people whose only crime is to seek asylum". The protesters unfurled a banner off the side of a house facing the hotel which reads: "Free the hostages from Mantra Hotel, they are not criminals". A small number of South Australians also defied coronavirus restrictions by attending a Black Lives Matter rally, despite the protest being cancelled after an exemption for the event was denied. Police officers, mounted on horses, watched over Victoria Square in Adelaide's CBD on a wet Saturday as about 30 protesters chanted while holding signs and wearing masks. There was no indication that anyone was warned or fined as a result of their behaviour. A dog is seen at the Melbourne rally. Source: AAP Gina, 20, says she was not intimidated by authorities but had been expecting a larger turnout. "Civil unrest is what sparks change," she said. "We have to continue to fight even if they say you can't. "We're taking all the precautions; wearing masks and having hand sanitiser." Kalli Samaras, 25, who protested in last weekend's rally, said work commitments stopped her from attending, not the event's cancellation or the possibility of being penalised. Story continues Under South Australia's directions, those who breach COVID-19 restrictions will receive a $1000 fine. "I hope people attended (because) the experience was really empowering and emotional," Ms Samaras said. "We need to support these causes and educate as many people as we can about these issues. "They are not only black issues, these are our issues and we need to work together to stop inequality, injustice, stereotypes and racism." Rain didn't stop protesters from showing up in Adelaide. Source: AAP Police Commissioner Grant Stevens had previously warned of a police presence, saying officers would be ready to deal with "any eventuality". "As we've done with every restriction imposed on the community, we'll seek to work with those people, provide them advice and give them an opportunity to comply with the directions before we consider taking any further steps," he said. On Wednesday, organisers cancelled the second rally but vowed to return to the streets in the future. A crowd of more than 5000 attended last weekend's protest in Victoria Square, calling for justice over the death of American man George Floyd and an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody. The ABC reported about 1000 people turned up to Perths Langley Park on Saturday for a Black Lives Matter protest. It was originally estimated up to 15,000 people would attend. Protesters rally for a Black Lives Matter march in Perth on Saturday. Source: AAP In Sydney, less than 200 rallied at Town Hall about 2pm, The Daily Telegraph reported. The Supreme Court on Thursday night night ruled it a prohibited public assembly. NSW Police opposed the event on health grounds amid the coronavirus pandemic, warning they could not guarantee against the spread of the potentially deadly disease at the event. Justice Walton Michael Walton ruled that the public health risks did not outweigh "the rights to public assembly and freedom of speech in the present context". 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 14:32:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close COLOMBO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Medical materials donated by Chinese organizations worth 126,564 U.S. dollars have arrived in Sri Lanka. When the Sri Lankan government announced an island-wide curfew on March 20 to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, Jinith De Silva, acting president of the Sri Lanka China Society (SLCS), was eager to use his connections with China to secure help for his country - Sri Lanka. "I wrote to several organizations in China and asked them to help us fight the virus. Sixteen organizations including the Amity Foundation in Nanjing and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) responded generously," De Silva told Xinhua. Donations including 308,600 face masks, 1,600 face shields, 2,400 goggles and 400 protective gowns, were handed over to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing and to Sri Lanka's Consulates General in Shanghai and Guangzhou. "I am touched by the fact that every Chinese friend responded immediately. Some Chinese foreign friendship organizations sent us more than they had promised. Some doubled it," De Silva pointed out. The Chinese donations drew praise from both the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who tweeted: "Our sincere appreciation to Sri Lanka-China Society for coordinating the donations." From day one of the curfew, De Silva had been working to make the best of the people-to-people ties between the SLCS and friendship organizations in China. In the past few years, the SLCS has inked memoranda of understanding with a number of such organizations. "As a developing country, Sri Lanka's biggest difficulty in combating the pandemic stemmed from insufficient medical resources. Every morning, the first thing I used to do was to check on the donations we were seeking," De Silva recalled. He regards the government and people of China as all-weather friends, giving much needed aid during times of crises. Donations form the Chinese government, and from Chinese private companies and individuals were critical in bringing the outbreak in Sri Lanka under control, he said. "At present, the situation in Sri Lanka has been alleviated, and curfew is being relaxed gradually. I am very pleased that we did not waste the curfew period and were able to receive anti-epidemic material from China fast, despite the curfew," De Silva said. Enditem JIM WATSON The Senate failed to overturn President Donald Trumps veto of a bill with rare bipartisan support thus reinforcing his right to go to war with Iran without congressional approval. Trumps administration also continues to block the U.N. resolution calling for a global cease-fire during the pandemic, partially because of its support for the World Health Organization. Trump is trying to shift some of the blame for his chaotic pandemic response to the WHO. While the WHO focuses on COVID-19 and both the United States and Iran have been among the worst hot spots, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wants more and more sanctions against Iran. Meanwhile, Trump and Iran continue threatening each other with military force in the Persian Gulf. Thousands of high school English teachers in Hanoi are concerned about a new announcement by the municipal Department of Education and Training (DoET) stating they would be tested. Students at the Viet Duc High School in Hanoi. The department asked for an assessment of English teachers in high schools against the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The assessment is scheduled to finish by June 25. Many teachers worry they will not reach the score of 6.5 in IELTS, even though theyve worked as teachers of English for many years. Teachers said that the assessment had positive points, which helps teachers check their capacity and gain new knowledge. However, many others believe that if the results were announced in public, it would put pressure on their jobs. We must teach and study for IELTS at the same time and it will affect our schedule, said a teacher in Long Bien District. Another teacher in Thanh Tri District said that the assessment deadline was too soon, leaving many teachers exhausted after studying. Students were revising for the year-end exam, so teachers could not help them prepare and revise for their own exam at the same time, she said. Many old teachers did not have much opportunity to gain new knowledge, and if they got a bad score, they would feel ashamed in front colleagues and students, she added. Parents believe its necessary for teachers to take the test. The assessment was based on an international system, so it would help check whether the teachers were able to teach English or not, a father said. If the teachers do not meet the standard, schools should reassign them. At present, many students reach 7.0 for IELTS when they are at junior secondary schools, so why would teachers not want to improve their capacity? she said. A principal of a primary school in Cau Giay District said that teachers should consider the exam a good chance to assess their capacity and revise knowledge. The principal added that high schools should not announce the test results in public, because if some teachers did not meet the grade, they would worry and the results would also affect the education sectors prestige. Le Ngoc Quang, deputy director of the Hanoi DoET, said the test aimed at implementing a plan of the municipal peoples committee about teaching and studying English by 2025. Under the plan, Hanoi aims that by 2025, all teachers at high schools meet Vietnams norms for teaching foreign languages and new teaching methods. By 2025, half of teachers at different educational levels must reach mark 6.5 for IELTS and half of teachers for math and scientific subjects can use English for teaching. So, the tests target was to classify teachers and continue training for them so that they could reach the norms, said Quang. Teachers not reaching 6.5 for IELTS will be trained. Funds for the training will be from the State budget. VNS Vietnamese schools need more teachers of English Unreasonable recruitment methods and low pay has made it difficult for schools to recruit teachers of English. President Donald Trump has told graduates of the countrys top military academy that the US forces are not the policeman of the world days after threatening to deploy active troops to quell protests across the country sparked by the police killing of an unarmed Black man. Speaking to new graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point on Saturday, Trump praised the righteous glory of the American warrior but largely side-stepped the recent controversies of racial unrest and the militarys role in putting down the nationwide protests that followed the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minnesota after a white officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes. What has made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment. When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal, Trump said, in one of the few apparent references to the domestic situation. Trump, who has faced bipartisan criticism in recent days for a reported plan to withdraw 9,500 US troops from Germany, one of the countrys strong allies, instead focused on his America First message, his main campaign platform ahead of the November presidential election. The president told the more than 1,000 graduating cadets, arrayed in a social-distancing pattern as a coronavirus precaution, that the job of the American soldier is not to rebuild foreign nations but defend, and defend strongly, our nation from foreign enemies. We are ending the era of endless wars, Trump said, adding American forces should not be expected to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have not even heard of. Tensions with military Trumps speech came as tensions between the White House and the military remain high over the presidents handling of the protests. The discord includes the public denouncement by Defense Secretary Mark Esper of the presidents threat to use active-duty troops to intervene, some of which were amassed on the outskirts of Washington, DC as the unrest grew. During the address, Trump also thanked the National Guard, whose response to the demonstrations in the US capital is currently under review by the defence department, for ensuring peace, safety and the constitutional rule of law on our streets. Critics have accused the president of leaning too heavily on the reserve forces, who have in turn been accused of overly-aggressive tactics during demonstrations in the US capital. In one instance, the National Guard, along with park police, cleared an area near the White House of protesters, using smoke bombs and pepper balls to disperse the mostly peaceful gathering. Minutes later, Trump and several high-ranking officials walked through the area for a photo op at a nearby church. On Thursday, General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said he regretted his presence at Trumps side during the June 1 incident. I should not have been there, said Milley, adding that his presence created a perception of military involvement in domestic politics. In an open letter published this week, more than 500 West Point graduates called on the Class of 2020 to honour their commitment to avoid partisan politics. But the pace of change over racial justice after Floyd's death last month by police in Minneapolis has quickened and has sparked protests in hundreds of communities in every state, on a scale rarely, if ever, seen before. It is not that Biden will necessarily win rural counties that Trump carried easily, but he may be able to cut into Trump's margins enough to bring those states back to the Democratic column. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) The Philippines has yet to join the roster of countries who have lent their support to a UN-backed call to end an "infodemic" in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. The Latvian mission to the United Nations published a copy of the "Cross-regional statement on 'infodemic' in the context of COVID-19" on Twitter, which in part read, "The spread of the 'infodemic' can be as dangerous to human health and security as the pandemic itself. Among other negative consequences, COVID-19 has created conditions that enable the spread of disinformation, fake news and doctored videos to foment violence and divide communities." In a tweet on March 28, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he world was facing an "infodemic" of misinformation. The World Health Organization explains the term as "an excessive amount of information about a problem, which makes it difficult to identify a solution." A total of 132 countries have endorsed the statement which was co-authored by Australia, Chile, France, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway, Senegal, and South Africa. "It is critical states counter misinformation as a toxic driver of secondary impacts of the pandemic that can heighten the risk of conflict, violence, human rights violations and mass atrocities,: said the statement, calling for the immediate stop of misinformation. It is important, the statement said, that "free, reliable, trustworthy, factual, multilingual, targeted, accurate, clear and science-based information" be made available to all, and that all stakeholders have a responsibility to guide people though which information is correct. "We call for action by all Member States and all stakeholders to fight the infodemic to build, to quote the Secretary General, a healthier, more equitable, just and resilient world," it said. The administration has constantly given reminders for Filipinos to stop the spread of fake news about the virus, adding it should rely on information from government offices and agencies and not from those taken solely from social media and word-of-mouth. READ: 32 arrested over fake COVID-19 news The Bayanihan Law which grants President Rodrigo Duterte additional powers to address the COVID-19 crisis also contains a provision which punishes those who create or spread false information about the viral disease. Inigo Philbrick, the elusive contemporary art dealer who disappeared in the fall after being accused of defrauding clients of more than $20 million, was arrested on Thursday by U.S. law enforcement agents on the Pacific island of Vanuatu. Mr. Philbrick has since been transported to Guam, where he is expected to be presented in federal court on June 15, according to a statement from the U.S. attorneys office of the Southern District of New York. You cant sell more than 100 percent ownership in a single piece of art, which Philbrick allegedly did, among other scams, said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman in the statement. When his schemes began to unravel, Philbrick allegedly fled the country. Now he is in U.S. custody and facing justice. Mr. Philbrick, 33, is accused of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to the complaint unsealed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, he engaged from about 2016 to 2019 in a plot to defraud multiple individuals and entities in the art market located in the New York metropolitan area and abroad in order to finance his art business. Wire fraud carries a maximum prison term of 20 years. Identity theft carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison. India has rejected Nepals new map, calling it a unilateral act that is not based on historical facts or evidence. The lower house of Nepals Parliament on Saturday approved a new map of the country, including areas disputed with India, the speaker of the national legislature said. The move signals a hardening of Nepals position over a decades-long border dispute that has strained ties between the South Asian neighbours. India has rejected Nepals new map, calling it a unilateral act that is not based on historical facts or evidence. Nepal published its revised map in May after India inaugurated an 80km (50 miles) road connecting its northern Uttarakhand state with Lipulekh on the border with Tibet that passes through the land Nepal says belongs to it. The map shows a sliver of land on the northwest tip of Nepal as the Nepali territory. {articleGUID} Agni Prasad Sapkota, the speaker of Nepals House of Representatives, said the new map was approved by 258 out of 275 members of Parliament, exceeding the required two-thirds majority. There were no votes against. The map must also be passed by the National Assembly, the Parliaments upper chamber, and approved by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari before it becomes a part of the constitution. Prachanda, a former prime minister and chief of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, said Nepal did not want to complicate the matter and seeks a peaceful settlement. We want to resolve the issue with India through peaceful talks at the political and diplomatic levels, Prachanda, the former Maoist rebel chief, who still goes by his war nom de guerre, said in Parliament on Saturday. There was no immediate comment from India on the parliamentary vote. Slamming the Centre's foreign policy, former Union Minister Manish Tewari, pointed out its failure after Nepal passed a constitutional amendment for a new map which included Indian territories. He said that India must know it stands nowhere when even Nepal has such audacity. Tewari has also questioned the tactical failure of the Centre in China's intrusion at LAC. India notes passage of Nepal's constitutional amendment for new map; terms it 'violative' Congress slams Centre over Nepal map You know where you stand, when even Nepal has the audacity to include your territory in its official map! You stand NOWHERE! Colossal failure on the foreign policy front for @BJP4India Govt, with this move by Nepal! https://t.co/Oe4g55lffN Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) June 13, 2020 Approval of map by Parliament of Nepal including Indian territory into Nepal is a massive failure of foreign policy being steered with closed eyes by BJP Central Govt-what could not happen in 70 years has happened under BJP rule; Nepal draws a fictitious map while BJP naps !! Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) June 13, 2020 Nepal's lower house passes bill to redraw map including Kalapani, Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura India calls Nepal's new map 'violative' Terming the newly passed Napalese constitutional amendment as 'violative', the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that India has noted the new development. Reaffirming India's stance, he said that the 'artificial enlargement of claims' was not fact-based or tenable. Nepal's Lower House passed a constitutional amendment to include Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura in Nepal's official Map unanimously. Sachin Pilot rushes to meet Rahul Gandhi in Delhi amid Congress chaos prior to RS polls Nepal's Lower House passes map amendment Earlier in the day, Nepal's lower house passed the constitutional amendment which was introduced on Tuesday, unanimously, as the KP Sharma Oli-led government enjoyed the support of the main opposition party Nepali Congress and Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal in passing the new map. Out of 275 MPs in Nepal, 258 were present and all voted Yes for Amendment. The updated map will now be accommodated in the national emblem, stated Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali. After the passage of the bill in the 275-member Lower House, the map will be now introduced in the National Assembly. The NA will have to give lawmakers 72 hours to move amendments against the bills provisions, if any. The three territories claimed by Nepal are include Gunji, Kuti, and Nabi villages - which are a part of Uttarakhand. When Congress-led UPA government compromised India's economic & diplomatic status quo Nepal incorporates Indian territories in the new map On May 18, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli approved Nepal's new map featuring the Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura. As per reports, Nepal's new map has been drawn on the basis of the Sugauli Treaty of 1816 signed between Nepal and the then British Indian government and other relevant documents. In May 2020, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand as a link road to Kailash Mansarovar - Nepal had raised serious objections to the inauguration of this road. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category The reported limited disengagement by Chinese and Indian troops in parts of eastern Ladakh earlier this week should not delude us into thinking that the crisis at the Line of Actual Control, marking our border with the Peoples Republic of China, is ending anytime soon. Taking advantage of this countrys preoccupation with fighting the coronavirus pandemic, and the Indian Armys deferral of its annual Ladakh exercises due to the nationwide lockdown, the PLA had in April-May encroached on Galwan Valley and Hot Springs, and occupied Pangong Tso lakes disputed area between Fingers 4 and 8, and ramped up its forward deployment, not just in Ladakh but across the 3,488-km LAC, including in Uttarakhand, Himachal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. After being initially caught off-guard, the Indian Army also deployed in strength to face the Chinese forces. Now, after some talks at the diplomatic and military levels, both sides agreed on an early, peaceful resolution, but there is little clarity on what this entails. The Chinese foreign ministry only said there was a positive consensus at the high-level military talks last Saturday. Its fairly clear an aggressive China has a long-term gameplan, and the bunkers and concrete structures it built in the Pangong Tso lake area and elsewhere indicate it wont leave in a hurry, unless compelled to. Its aim is to occupy vantage points like Pangongs Finger area (much like the Pakistanis did in Kargil in 1999), and with the PLA already deployed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, it hopes to pressure India in Ladakh from both flanks, threatening the strategically vital Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road. If as part of a deal Beijing agrees to vacate occupied land, its certain it will be marginal territory, not the vantage points. Given the reports of Chinas intrusion, Congress leader Rahul Gandhis demand that the government tell the people of India what is happening in Ladakh seems totally justifiable. Even the BJPs local leaders in border areas have said Chinese soldiers are in our territory. Why is the government attacking Opposition leaders instead of coming clean? Prime Minister Narendra Modis deafening silence seems puzzling. File Photo Chandigarh: The coronavirus epidemic is spreading rapidly in the country. The number of corona patients in the country has crossed 3 lakh. The central government has been conducting awareness campaigns against Corona for the last several months. People are being asked to strictly wear masks and maintain social distances to avoid corona. Advertisement PhotoInvoices are also being issued to those who do not follow the rules. The Punjab government has also started imposing fines on those who do not follow the rules of the Centre. It is said that in the last two months, the government has recovered Rs 3 crore from the challan. The central government has enacted a number of rules to protect the people from the Corona epidemic and has imposed fines for non-compliance. A fine of Rs 200 was imposed for not wearing a mask and Rs 100 for spitting in public places. However, the fine was increased on May 30 by the Capt Amarinder Singh government of Punjab. In Punjab, it was asked to deduct an invoice of Rs 500-500 for not wearing a mask and spitting in public places. A fine of Rs 3,000 was also imposed for non-compliance with social distances. Advertisement PhotoDespite the strictures of the Punjab government, there was no difference among the people. It is said that within two months, the government has collected Rs 2.25 crore for not wearing a mask and for spitting in public places. In Punjab, maximum challans have been issued to those who did not wear masks. Of the Rs 3 crore challan, 50 per cent is for non-masked people. 21% were recovered due to spitting and the rest due to violation of social distances and curfew. It may be mentioned here that the people of Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Bathinda and Patiala have levied a penalty of 70% of the total amount of this challan. A total fine of Rs 24.28 lakh has been imposed in Bathinda while a total fine of Rs 21.5 lakh has been imposed in Jalandhar. Katherine and Daphne in Toronto, 2017, where Daphne was working When piano teacher Daphne Bryan was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, she thought shed never play again. But, as she and her daughter Katherine a top flautist reveal, when your passion and determination are strong enough, miracles can happen Daphnes story Music teacher Daphne, 71, lives in Dorset with her husband David Katherine was the first person I called after I left my appointment with the neurologist ten years ago, blinded by tears. I hadnt even told her I was having tests. Id assumed the problem Id been having with my right hand was something like a trapped nerve that could be easily fixed. The Parkinsons diagnosis absolutely shattered me. My grandmother had the disease and became an invalid. I stopped playing the piano for a number of years because physically it was just too difficult, particularly as my symptoms worsened, and emotionally it was so painful realising my ability to do the thing I loved so much was slipping away from me. As the disease progressed, I developed a tremor in both hands, my body became rigid, I struggled to swallow and struggled with my voice. Everything changed after I stumbled across information online about a man in Australia called Chris Lacey. Hed spent hours every day carving chess pieces and his Parkinsons symptoms had all but gone as a result. Inspired by him, I began to explore whether my piano could become a therapeutic tool, both for my brain and my emotional health. At first I could only manage five minutes a day because it was so exhausting controlling my fingers. Over time I built that up to an hours practice a day, which I still do religiously. Through research and writing my book, Music As Medicine, Ive learnt that playing the piano can bring about changes in the brain. I believe it has established an alternative neural pathway, the old one having been damaged by the disease. My tremor is much milder now, thanks to my piano practice and the medication I started taking five years ago. I also sing and hum, which has improved my swallowing and control over my voice. Katherine and Daphne in 1982 Im so happy I found my way back to my piano not just for the therapeutic benefits, but because playing is a part of who I am. Its an opportunity for self-expression and I lose myself in the music when I play. Its something Katherine understands so well. There was a time when I thought Id never be a mother, because of fertility problems. I found out I was pregnant six months after my husbands youngest son, from a previous relationship, died suddenly. When Katherine was born she felt like such a blessing and a new beginning. When I began to teach her the piano, it was never with any expectation she would go on to have a musical career. It was just something nice to do together, no different from other mothers reading stories. I admit I didnt take it very seriously when she announced she wanted to have flute lessons. I knew she was talented but I never wanted to be one of those mothers who think their child is brilliant, so looking back I probably played down her abilities. I didnt trust my own judgment in case it was influenced by maternal pride. It was only when teacher after teacher, at her lessons and then local orchestra, commented on how good she was that it really hit me she was special. I always strived to be supportive and encouraging, but wanted her to understand that her happiness was all that mattered to me. I knew many talented musicians are never able to forge a career in what is a tough and competitive industry, yet Katherine carried on achieving; there was no stopping her. When she went to boarding school, I enrolled to study for a masters degree in psychology for musicians, and then did a PhD. I was 50 by then but so much of my life had revolved around Katherine and her music; now I had some time for me. Being apart from her was hard, though, and I missed her terribly never more so than on 9/11, when she was living in New York. She phoned and told me to turn on the TV, and I saw a plane crash into one of the Twin Towers. When she asked should she still go to her classes, I told her yes, assuming it was a tragic accident. Soon after, the second plane hit, and I realised Id sent my daughter off into a city under terrorist attack. I sat next to the phone for hours, not knowing where she was or if she was safe. When she was finally able to phone me, the relief was indescribable. When Katherine visits now with her family we play together. I do feel a bit frustrated that I cant accompany her as well as I used to, but I still love it. From the little girl who told me once she wanted to be the best flute player in the whole world shes achieved so much, through hard work and determination. However, Im most proud of the genuine, down-to-earth woman and mother Katherine has grown up to be. Who she is gives me as much joy as what she is. Katherines story Classical flautist Katherine, 38, plays with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. She lives near Glasgow with her husband Kennedy, a musician, and their son Torben, one Outside the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, where Katherine performs I grew up in Burbage, Leicestershire, surrounded by music. My dad David played everything from jazz to The Beach Boys, while Mum taught piano at home. Mum began teaching me to play the piano when I was five, but my inner diva must have emerged and I demanded real lessons. On reflection, I think it was healthy for our relationship that she could support, but not have to instruct me. A year later, I saw a local girl playing the flute and was utterly captivated. Mum agreed I could take it up once Id passed my Grade 1 piano exam. Its ironic that our shared love of music is both, a huge part of the bond between Mum and me, and has also been whats separated us for long periods of time. By 14, I knew I wanted to be a professional musician. I enrolled at Chethams, a specialist music boarding school in Manchester. At 18 I won a scholarship to the Juilliard School in New York. Its only now, as a mother myself, I realise how selfless it was of Mum to encourage me to leave home and move so far away at such a young age, especially as Im an only child. She knew how badly I wanted to make music my career and she let me go. Her visits during my three years in New York were special times, and I always felt her gentle pride that I was there, pursuing my dream. When I phoned Mum to tell her Id been appointed principal flute of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, aged just 21, she was overjoyed for me. Seven years later, in 2010, we shared a very different phone call when she broke the devastating news that she had Parkinsons disease. The realisation she wasnt invincible hit me with such force. Before that day Id never worried about Mum there was never any reason to. In an instant that changed for ever. I also knew, because of the level of commitment my job demands, as well as living hundreds of miles away, that I wasnt going to be able to support her as much as I would want. Id always had the luxury of being totally single-minded about my work. For the first time I felt painfully torn between my career and my role as a daughter. When Mum stopped playing the piano after her diagnosis, it was heartbreaking. Her music is such an intrinsic part of her identity. I knew it must feel like a piece of her was missing and I feared for the effect on her mental health. Slowly she found her way back to it, though. Underneath her gentle exterior there is a gritty determination and she refused to give in to the disease. Since having my son Torben, Im always asked whether Id like him to become a musician, too. I take the same approach Mum did. If he wants to, Ill be there for him. If he doesnt, thats fine with me, too. Ive never felt any weight of expectation from Mum on my shoulders, only her unwavering support and quiet but deep pride at everything Ive achieved. If I can emulate those maternal qualities, Ill be happy. Daphne and Katherine in four Describe each other Daphne: Determined. Sensitive. Loyal. Katherine: Kind. Disciplined. Inspiring. Their worst habit? Daphne: When she visits me, she leaves all her (many) shoes piled up by the front door. Katherine: She leaves dirty plates beside the dishwasher. When youre together... Daphne: Hearing her play is wonderful. Katherine: Its so special because it only happens a few times a year. Your favourite memory of each other? Daphne: Watching her play with the London Symphony Orchestra, at the Royal Festival Hall, when she was just 15. Katherine: Singing along to Bananarama in her car on the way to music lessons. Daphnes book Music as Medicine, Particularly in Parkinsons is published by Clink Street Publishing, 7.99. Katherines most recent releases, Silver Bow on Linn Records and Silver Voice on Chandos Records, are available from amazon.co.uk The Chinese government released a White Paper on June 7, 2020, discussing its responses and fight against COVID-19. This is a lengthy document which aims to provide a timeline of the pandemic in the country as well as to discuss the Chinese governments policies in its fight against the disease. But at its heart, the recent white paper is an attempt by the Chinese government to add to its existing narrative on the subject and fuel the direction of global feelings through its propaganda. Attempt to own the narrative The white paper obviously puts emphasis on the areas where the Chinese government has been successful while completely glossing over its failures. After its initial failures in taking charge of the narrative on COVID-19, China has tried to weave its version of the pandemic and its role in it. It has portrayed itself first as a victim and then as a provider of global public goods, like ventilators, masks and testing kits. This white paper is yet another effort to own this narrative. China has been constantly blamed by the world community for its failure to disclose the existing cases in a timely manner and to highlight the nature of human-to-human transmission. There has been a major backlash about these factors since the onset of the pandemic in the Western world. In addition, the Chinese government is facing criticism domestically as well and is being held accountable for the delay in reporting cases to the World Health Organization (WHO). While the White Paper provides a timeline from December 27, 2019, onwards, there are multiple reports which suggest that the first cases came to light in early December. In addition, the attempts by the Chinese government to prevent any information from leaking out aggravated the situation. The most prominent example is the case of Dr. Li Wenliang, who succumbed to the infection in February 2020. The Chinese government refused to acknowledge his warnings and even forced him to not talk about his concerns. As per the White Paper as of May 31, 2020, the Chinese government claims a recovery rate of 94.3 per cent. The total data provided by the Chinese government stands at 83,017 cases out of which 78,307 recovered and 4,634 deaths. This figure is also controversial. According to unofficial, anecdotal data gathered from ground reports, the total number of deaths could be closer to 47,000. These figures raise doubts over Chinas genuineness. Handling domestic criticism The white paper also attempts to underscore the efforts made by the Chinese government to help in battling the spread of the infection. It provides a day-to-day narrative of the steps undertaken by the government and the leadership which helped in controlling the spread of COVID-19. As per the paper, the Chinese government spent a total of 162.4 billion RMB in its efforts to help get people tested and to access medical care. However, this is an attempt to ease the growing criticisms within Chinese society by showing the leadership and the Chinese Communist Party in a positive light. These claims help soothe some of the tensions within Chinese society about the governments inaction. The White Paper states: A major crisis is a litmus test of the ruling Partys governance philosophy and effectiveness. The strong leadership of the CPC has been fundamental to Chinas rapid containment of the virus. The CPC has a strong leadership core, a people-oriented governance philosophy, and well-established organisation and operation mechanisms. Asserting Chinas positive role The paper also highlights the steps undertaken by the Chinese government to help other countries in their fight against the virus. It states that Xi Jinping conducted telephonic diplomacy, speaking to over around 50 heads of state. China also donated testing kits and medical gear to a number of countries in need of help. According to the White Paper from March 1 to 31 May, China exported protective materials to 200 countries and regions, among which there were more than 70.6 billion masks, 340 million protective suits, 115 million pairs of goggles, 96,700 ventilators, 225 million test kits, and 40.29 million infrared thermometers. These figures are an attempt to assert Chinas positive role in the global fight against the spread of the pandemic. However, one important question lingers after reading the White Paper, what if Beijing had disclosed the situation in time? Would the situation be different? Would the number of deaths be less? The answers to these questions are only suppositions. Chinas silence during the initial days has made the situation quite grim. To add to this, questions surrounding the origin of the virus have further complicated the situation. No doubt, the Chinese economy too has faced the brunt of the infection, but the initial attempts by China to suppress the extent and gravity of the disease have likely caused grave consequences for the world economy. The late response has greatly harmed Chinas image as a responsible global power. All this will deepen the existing mistrust towards Beijing, which is likely to amplify with the spread of the disease. (Dr Gunjan Singh is an assistant professor at the Jindal Global Law School. She has 10 years of experience in research pertaining to China Studies) Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the authors own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH. In a major haul, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized foreign brand cigarettes worth Rs 11.88 crore from a container at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Navi Mumbai, an official said on Friday. Based on a tip-off, the Mumbai unit of the DRI intercepted the 40-ft container, an official said. The container had arrived from Dubai and was carrying 600 master boxes containing 32,640 cartons of undeclared foreign brand cigarettes, he said. Two persons have been arrested in this connection and remanded in judicial custody till June 25, the official said, adding that a probe was underway. RTHK: Thousands rally in Paris against police brutality Several thousand anti-racism protesters gathered in central Paris on Saturday to denounce police violence, as a wave of anger continued to sweep the world following the death of African American George Floyd. The issue has resonated in France, in particular in deprived city suburbs where rights groups say that accusations of brutal treatment by French police of residents of often immigrant background remain largely unaddressed. One banner carried by the crowd in the Place de la Republique read: "I hope I dont get killed for being black today". Another carried a message for the government: "If you sow injustice, you reap a revolt." Large numbers of riot police were present, but they remained at a distance in surrounding streets. Assa Traore, sister of 24-year-old Adama Traore, who died near Paris in 2016 after police detained him, addressed the crowd. "The death of George Floyd has a strong echo in the death in France of my little brother," she said. "What's happening in the United States is happening in France. Our brothers are dying." Traore's family say he was asphyxiated when three officers held him down with the weight of their bodies. Authorities say the cause of his death is unclear. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner earlier this week acknowledged there were "proven suspicions of racism" within French law enforcement agencies. His remarks drew condemnation from police unions, which said officers were being scapegoated for deep-rooted social ills. Police have held their own protests in cities across France this week. Ahead of the protest, in the ethnically diverse Paris suburb of Belleville, one man of Algerian descent said he had been the victim of police violence but he doubted institutional racism ran through the force. "I've been insulted, hit even. But the police aren't all the same," he told Reuters TV, identifying himself as Karim. "Unfortunately, this minority is hurting the police." Far-right activists unfurled a banner reading "Justice for the victims of anti-white racism" from the rooftop of a building overlooking Place de la Republique. Protests took place in other countries on Saturday, including in several Australian cities, Taipei, Zurich and London. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. It's been a sad week for Shaftesbury PLC (LON:SHB), who've watched their investment drop 13% to UK5.84 in the week since the company reported its half-yearly result. It looks like a pretty bad result, all things considered. Although revenues of UK63m were in line with analyst predictions, statutory earnings fell badly short, missing estimates by 77% to hit UK0.085 per share. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year. Check out our latest analysis for Shaftesbury LSE:SHB Past and Future Earnings June 13th 2020 Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus, from the five analysts covering Shaftesbury, is for revenues of UK112.3m in 2020, which would reflect an uncomfortable 11% reduction in Shaftesbury's sales over the past 12 months. Losses are forecast to balloon 137% to UK2.32 per share. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of UK113.7m and losses of UK0.64 per share in 2020. While this year's revenue estimates held steady, there was also a loss per share expectations, suggesting the consensus has a bit of a mixed view on the stock. With the increase in forecast losses for next year, it's perhaps no surprise to see that the average price target dipped 5.1% to UK6.52, with the analysts signalling that growing losses would be a definite concern. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Shaftesbury at UK9.15 per share, while the most bearish prices it at UK4.87. Note the wide gap in analyst price targets? This implies to us that there is a fairly broad range of possible scenarios for the underlying business. Story continues Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 11%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 6.1% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 4.7% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Shaftesbury is expected to lag the wider industry. The Bottom Line The most important thing to note is the forecast of increased losses next year, suggesting all may not be well at Shaftesbury. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - although our data does suggest that Shaftesbury's revenues are expected to perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target fell measurably, with the analysts seemingly not reassured by the latest results, leading to a lower estimate of Shaftesbury's future valuation. With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Shaftesbury. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Shaftesbury going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here.. You should always think about risks though. Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Shaftesbury you should be aware of, and 1 of them shouldn't be ignored. 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 traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has said that 88 per cent of traders favour shutting down markets to stop coronavirus spread. The CAIT sought the opinion from 2,800 trade associations and trade leaders of Delhi through an online survey. In total, 2610 responses were received, CAIT also said. "The current situation of Corona in the National capital Delhi is very alarming and serious and closure of markets is a big and important issue and as such, a consultation is needed with all market associations and the CAIT is willing to join hands with the Government for combating COVID-19 in an effective manner," President, Delhi Chapter of CAIT, Vipin Ahuja, said. 92.8 per cent respondents said coronavirus infection will spread in and through markets if these remained open. However, 92.7 per cent respondents said that the medical facilities are sufficiently available to meet demands of coronavirus patients in Delhi. Meanwhile, CAIT has also sent a communication to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister Harshvardhan, Delhi LG Anil Baijal and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal sharing concerns of Delhi traders on the fast spread of coronavirus. "It has sought time for a meeting to apprise them about the seriousness of the issue while urging for their immediate intervention after a survey of the Delhi traders pointed towards utmost fear and insecurity in the minds of Delhi traders,"CAIT chief Praveen Khandelwal said. Recently, CAIT said that more than 40,000 trader bodies representing 7 crore retailers and wholesalers in the country have agreed to join the movement for a total boycott of Chinese products. CAIT also said that it has prepared a preliminary list of 3,000 items which account for significant imports from China but where local alternatives are available. Also Read: COVID-19 disruptions take currency, deposits share in household assets to highest 66% in March Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: India sees 11,458 new cases, 386 deaths in 24 hours; tally crosses 3 lakh mark (Photo : Pixabay) Scientists Discovered Unusual Echoes From the Center of the Earth: Maybe Coming From Unknown Structure (Photo : NASA on Unsplash) Scientists Discovered Unusual Echoes From the Center of the Earth: Maybe Coming From Unknown Structure Scientists have recently detected unusual echoes that may have been coming from a previously unknown structure at the center of the Earth. According to Newsweek's latest report, a large, previously unknown structure found deep inside the planet below the Pacific Ocean was recently discovered by researchers. According to the journal Science, the unknown structure is an ultralow-velocity zone (ULVZ) lying directly underneath the volcanic Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia in the South Pacific. The structure is located on the boundary between Earth's solid mantle and the superheated molten core. John Hopkins University, the Tel Aviv University of Israel, and the University of Maryland's (UMD) international team, suggested that the previously discovered ULVZ is much larger compared to the previous data as new evidence suggests. The bottom of plumes within the Earth is a geological feature where hot rocky material is claimed to form from the core-mantle boundary to the planet's outer crust. This process leads to the formation of volcanic islands such as Marquesas and Hawaii. The plumes within the earth are where ULVZs are located. Scientists said that the unknown ULVZ is located beneath Hawaii is the largest one ever recorded. What's at the center of the Earth? The scientists were able to detect the hidden, subterranean structures by analyzing data on seismic waves as they travel through the planet. Researchers were able to estimate the structure's physical properties by putting together a picture of the rock that lies below the surface. The authors used a machine-learning algorithm called "the Sequencer" to continuously analyze 7,000 seismic wave recordings called "seismograms" that were generated by hundreds of 6-plus magnitude earthquakes that struck the region of Pacific between 1990 and 2018. A comprehensive view of the deep Earth below the Pacific region was provided by the diffracted waves along the core-mantle boundary. "By looking at thousands of core-mantle boundary echoes at once, instead of focusing on a few at a time, as is usually done, we have gotten a totally new perspective," said Doyeon Kim, the lead author of the study from UMD's Department of Geology. "This is showing us that the core-mantle boundary region has lots of structures that can produce these echoes, and that was something we didn't realize before because we only had a narrow view," added Kim. The researchers were shocked by the discovery of the three-dimensional structures near the core-mantle boundary scattering nearly half of the diffracted waves. Vedran Lekic, co-author of the study conducted by UMD, said that they discovered echoes on about 40% of all seismic wave paths. "That was surprising because we were expecting them to be rarer, and what that means is the anomalous structures at the core-mantle boundary are much more widespread than previously thought," he said. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 13.06.2020 LISTEN Education is a fundamental human right and therefore every person, regardless of his or her status, must be included in the accessing of that right. This is because it is mostly through education that we can harness the potentials as well as fully develop the capacity of all persons particularly those with disabilities. This basic right of all persons regardless of disability, sex, race, religion, etc was internationally proclaimed in 1948, the famous Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Again, the 1992 constitution of Ghana regards education as a fundamental human right of all. The issue of education for persons with disabilities took centre stage in the 1990s first with the UN Inclusion Education Conference in Thailand which sought to promote the idea of Education for all. Then came the Salamanca Declaration on Inclusive Education in 1994. Subsequently, a lot of efforts led by the UN were undertaken aimed at providing equitable access to education for persons with special needs. This culminated in the coming into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2007 which among other things requires that, persons with disabilities receive the support needed, within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education. In spite of this, many persons with disabilities in Ghana face numerous challenges in their quest to access education. While some do not get the opportunity to go to school at all, others are left to their fate and thus are compelled to struggle to cater for themselves. In fact, there are some students with disabilities who have to go to the streets to beg for alms during vacation in order to support their education. This is as a result of the fact that, they have either been abandoned by their families simply because they are incapable of taking care of them or they lack the desire to do so. Other families also fail to educate their wards with disabilities out of ignorance on the potentials and capabilities of their children, discrimination and the fear of stigmatization. Perhaps, the government was mindful of these challenges when it enacted the Persons with Disability Act (Act 715) in 2006. Even though many provisions in the Act have hardly been implemented, a major provision which in our view has been totally forgotten by government and other stakeholders is where the Act makes it mandatory for government to provide free education for every person with disability. Thus, Section 18 (A) of the Act states as follows: The Government shall provide free education for a person with disability. This means that, all persons with disabilities are supposed to enjoy free education at all levels. Since there is currently free education for all Basic and Senior High School students, those with disabilities are enjoying same. Therefore the challenge now is at the tertiary level. Indeed, there are a number of students with special needs who have completed senior high schools but are at home due to lack of funds for them to continue. The question is, why has it taken so long for this provision to be implemented?, is it because they are in the minority and therefore do not have a voice to speak for them?, does parliament remember this provision which they themselves put in the Act?, Has any government official ever thought about this? We recently read the story of a level 100 visually impaired student of the University of Cape coast in the media which we were told touched the heart of the President and hence directed the Scholarship Secretariat to put her on their scholarship scheme. Though this is highly commendable, what we need is a full implementation of the provision since not all the sad stories of such persons can be brought to the attention of the president through the media. We strongly call on the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the National Council on Persons with Disabilities to as a matter of necessity take steps to implement this provision. We also invite civil society, the media and all well-meaning Ghanaians to join in the campaign to get this law implemented. The benefit the nation stands to reap from educating these marginalized is far greater than the cost it will incur if it fails to do so. Authored by: Isaac Yeboah Afari ( [email protected] ) and Carruthers Tetteh ([email protected]) North Korea has urged South Korea to end 'nonsensical' denuclearization talks, NK News reported. The comments by Kwon Jong Gun, who heads the North Korean foreign ministrys North America Department, came in response to remarks by a South Korean MFA official on Friday, as they called for continued efforts towards denuclearization and peace on the peninsula. It is really preposterous to hear the balderdash of south Korean authorities-who do not have either any qualification to discuss, or the position to poke their noses into, the matters between the DPRK and the U.S., Kwon said in the statement, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), deploying a number of insulting idioms in an extended missive warning Seoul not to get involved in DPRK-U.S. and nuclear affairs. Having been long forsaken like a good-for-nothing cucumber stalk thrown into swill, they should have now been aware too well of their sad lot, he continued. It is really pitiful that they are still irrationally mouthing denuclearization, like a monk chanting the prayers. By Express News Service BENGALURU: After a lull of months, the BJP state headquarters witnessed sustained activity over the last two days with two new ministers visiting the premises back to back and interacting with party workers. While Cooperation Minister ST Somashekhar visited the party office on Thursday, Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar did so the next day. That ministers should mandatorily visit the party office and communicate with workers was initially proposed by party state president Nalin Kumar Kateel soon after he took charge. But following the Covid-19 lockdown, the initiative had hit a roadblock. Now, the new ministers have restarted the trend. TNIE had earlier reported on how the new joinees to the BJP had been going the extra mile to connect to party workers. In keeping with that plan, Somashekhar and Hebbar interacted with the workers even as senior BJP ministers are yet to visit the office. The workers are enthused that the ministers are reaching out to them, said A H Anand, state BJP spokesperson and media convener. There is no concept of old guard or newcomers now. Interacting with workers is the only way to judge if they have any complaints, or appreciation for us, said Hebbar. Susan L. Heller, of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, has been recognized by Managing IP on its list of The Top 250 Women in IP 2020. The list recognizes senior female IP practitioners in private practice from around the world, who have achieved exceptional results for their clients and firms in the past year. Heller, co-managing shareholder of the firms Orange County office, chair of the Global Trademark & Brand Management Group, and co-chair of the Womens Initiative, is consistently recognized as having one of the preeminent international trademark practices in the country and for being a game-changer in the field. When the stakes are high and critical brands are at risk, Fortune 500 companies, world champion athletes, high-net-worth individuals, A-list celebrities, and highly visible pre-IPO companies turn to Heller for her strategic thought leadership and counsel, honed by three decades of experience. At the forefront of global strategic management and monetization of big-name brands on a worldwide level, she is known for developing cutting-edge branding strategies, most notably in bet-the-brand, high stakes trademark cases. Heller works directly with CEOs and senior executives, in and out of corporate boardrooms. Her practice has spanned over 30 years across virtually every industry and in most jurisdictions throughout the world. Heller serves on the Board of Visitors of UCI Law School, Deans Advisory Board of the UCI Merage School of Business, Executive Committee of the USC IP Institute, and Cornell Universitys President's Council of Cornell Women. She is also a board member of Orange Countys Human Options, an organization focused on breaking the cycle of domestic violence and on the Leadership Committee of 2020 Women on Boards. The National Diversity Council named Heller one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in the US and she was honored with the 2020 Client Choice Award for Intellectual Property Trademarks in California (voted for exclusively by corporate counsel). Euromoney twice named her the winner of its Americas Women in Business Law Awards, Best in Trademark, and Best Lawyers in America named her Lawyer of the Year in Trademark Law for Los Angeles for two years. Heller was named Trade Marks Lawyer of the Year by Finance Monthly Global Awards, Lawyer of the Year for Intellectual Property by Lawyer Monthly, and a WIPR Leader by World Intellectual Property Review. She was also honored by her alma mater, Cornell University, which named her a Distinguished Classmate in 2019. About Greenberg Traurigs Intellectual Property & Technology Practice: With more than 200 intellectual property attorneys and agents in the United States, Asia, and Europe, Greenberg Traurig provides a broad range of patent, trademark and copyright protection and strategic counseling. Greenberg Traurig was named Law Firm of the Year for Trademark Law and a National Tier 1 Law Firm for IP Litigation, Patent Law and Litigation, Copyright Law, and Technology Law by U.S. News and Best Lawyers, 2020 Best Law Firms." About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,200 attorneys in 41 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com, Twitter: @GT_Law. As the black movement wound down, the nation went into recession, and black legislators became more entrenched in their positions. With seniority, repeated election cycles and without a robust movement as a source of accountability and direction, black elected officials began to govern like typical politicians. Staying in office became a priority, and as black legislators, they often had fewer resources. That meant more fund-raising from entities that may have been at odds with their constituencies. In 1994, the Congressional Black Caucus played a key role in the passage of the notorious crime bill, which is widely viewed as pivotal in the turn toward mass incarceration. Although the caucus pushed for a provision that would have allowed defendants on death row to appeal their sentences by citing statistics to try to show that such sentences have been racially biased, Bill Clinton weeded this out of the legislation. Nonetheless, a vast majority of caucus members still voted for the bill. In doing so, they had the support of African-American mayors in Denver, Cleveland, Detroit, Atlanta and other major cities. This was not just a case of selling out. As more blacks entered the middle class, political demands shifted. Black elected officials were more in tune with the needs of their middle-class constituencies, black and white, than they were with the needs of the black working class. And their middle-class constituencies were more often concerned about a rise in property taxes than in ensuring access to a local Head Start. Perhaps the uprising in Baltimore in April 2015 marked a symbolic end to this phase of black politics. Black people held many of the citys top leadership roles, and the nations first black president and attorney general were a mere 40 miles away. And yet that concentration of black political power was not enough to stop the death of Freddie Gray, who died after being detained by the Baltimore police. Of course, the problems ran much deeper than police violence. Thousands of African-Americans lived in neighborhoods where there was no pretense of investment. Black leaders didnt stop the chronic joblessness or the underfunding of the public schools. Instead, many of them dug into the strategy of trying to attract higher salaried workers while making poverty so uncomfortable that the poor would simply leave. This style of governance can be seen in cities across the country, and it may be motivating the reverse migration of African Americans to the South in search of better housing and jobs. Thousands of blacks are leaving Chicago each year as the city has become increasingly hostile to their presence. The greatest public policy expenditures in Chicago are for the police, even as black residents have grown desperate for affordable housing and more investment in public schools. The city, which is now led by a black mayor, Lori Lightfoot, still prioritizes boondoggle development ventures like the $6 billion Lincoln Yards project. Black electoral success has not translated into qualitative improvements in black life. This too, erodes black participation in the political process. If voting simply reproduces variations on the same overall condition of deprivation, then black people are less likely to participate. RTHK: Nepal parliament vote on map likely to anger India Nepal's lower house of parliament on Saturday approved a new national emblem with a controversial political map that includes strategic territories disputed with its giant neighbour India. With relations between the two strained by their frontier squabble, India quickly hit back saying the action was "not tenable". The two have been wrangling since India last month opened a new 80-kilometre road in Uttarakhand state leading up to the disputed Lipu Lekh pass. Nepal condemned the move and its cabinet decided to publish a new political map that includes Lipu Lekh and contested zones in Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. An amendment bill for a revised national emblem to include the new map was passed by the House of Representatives on Saturday. Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota said there were no votes against. The amendment will have to be endorsed by the National Assembly and the president before it is implemented. The neighbours are wrangling over a region of more than 300 square kilometres where the Nepali and Indian borders touch China. Nepal claims the Lipu Lekh under an 1816 treaty that sets the boundary with India along the Kali River. Disputes have arisen because neither side can agree its source. Nepal claims the adjoining Kalapani region even though Indian troops have been deployed there since India and China fought a border war in 1962. Nepal has since deployed security forces close to Kalapani. Nepal and India have agreed to hold talks on the dispute but Kathmandu says its neighbour will not set a date. "We are available for talks," Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe told parliament. Following Saturday's vote, India's foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said: "The artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. "It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks." Nepal reacted angrily last month after Indian army chief General MM Naravane commented that Nepal's reaction might have been "at the behest of someone else", hinting at China's involvement. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Dame Joan Bakewell was fined by the police after she left her keyless Mini running while she was on a weekend away. The car owned by the Labour peer and BBC broadcaster, 87, was found on a roadside in Primrose Hill, north London. Officers found the car parked at an angle with the engine and lights still on after responding to reports of a 'suspicious' vehicle, The Telegraph reported. It's a hazard that is becoming increasingly common with modern cars that have quiet engines and do not require a key in the ignition to keep running. The car owned by Dame Joan Bakewell, 87, was found on a roadside in Primrose Hill, north London Dame Joan could not come to disable the car as she was away for the weekend so gave officers permission to smash a window. Pc James Lewis and Pc Daultry were called out at 6.45pm on November 29 last year. They identified Dame Joan was the registered owner of the Mini who admitted this wasn't the first time she had accidentally left the keyless Mini running. Dame Joan admitted this wasn't the first time she had accidentally left the keyless Mini running The car had almost run out of fuel and wasn't deemed a safety risk so officers decided to leave it after they were unable to stall the car, Willesden magistrates court was told. The officers confirmed over the phone that the vehicle hadn't been stolen and Dame Joan had probably left the vehicle in this position by accident. Pc Lewis explained that he understood it was an accident but it was causing annoyance in the community and had a detrimental effect on the environment. Dame Joan was told she might be prosecuted and given the formal police caution of her rights. Details were revealed in court papers seen by the Evening Standard. The case was dealt with at the end of May after being delayed from March due to the pandemic. The police withdrew the charge and the court was told: 'There appears to have been an admin error and the fine was paid.' It is not known how much the fine was. Dame Joan was contacted for comment. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 18:32:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Ndalimpinga Iita WINDHOEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The Namibian tourism industry, adversely affected by COVID-19 pandemic, is looking at the domestic market to revive. Tourism activities came to a halt after the Namibian president declared a state of emergency and subsequent lockdown while the national parks closed between April 17 and May 5 as a result. The Namibian government reopened parks and other leisure business activities in stages two and three of the country's state of emergency. Romeo Muyunda, public relations officer in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, said the move is geared towards promoting domestic tourism. "During the lockdown period, clientele and business declined. We are now encouraging locals to support the tourism sector," he said Tuesday. Meanwhile, tourism and hospitality establishments are offering incentives to locals. Namibia Wildlife Resorts is running special to draw more locals to visit diverse establishments and nature parks, according to Mufaro Nesongano, its manager for corporate communications and online media. "Since the international visitors are not coming to Namibia due to travel restrictions, local tourism is significant. Hence, it is imperative to grow it, otherwise we end up closing shop," Nesongano said. Namibia was a huge market for international tourists, receiving an average of 1.5 million tourist visitors annually, according to the 2018 Tourist Statistical Report. However, restrictions on international travel are a bottleneck to the sector. Moreover, local enterprises have also united in an online campaign to attract locals to support tourism. Nrupesh Soni, who runs a tourism establishment, said that players in the sector embarked on an online campaign dubbed "local is lekker" (local is good), which is focused on locals travelling within Namibia. Through various online platforms, local accommodation establishments and tourism enterprises showcase their exclusive offers to the Namibian community. "The aim is to enable facilities and ventures to earn an income. To encourage people to participate in domestic tourism to boost trade and commercial exchange by offering special prices and packages," he said. "More than 7,000 industry players are participating," Soni said. In the interim, besides incentives, the sector is exploring more ways on how to get back in business, according to Bernd Schneider, chairman of the Namibia Tourism Association. "One alternative is for the broader tourism sector to look to gradually opening up. Also, we need to open up the economy in a controlled manner. We need to start operating, for people to earn an income," he said. These include stepping up the recommended sanitation, safety and hygiene measures as well as partnerships. About 96.5 percent of businesses were adversely affected by COVID-19 and will continue to be affected in the coming months, according to results of a survey conducted by the Namibia Statistics Agency on the effect of COVID-19 on selected businesses in the country. Namibia has recorded 31 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 17 recoveries as of Saturday morning, Africa CDC data showed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 14:23:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has given the green light to the trading of aluminum, zinc, steam coal, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) options. The trading of steam coal will be launched on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange starting from June 30, while that of polypropylene, PVC and LLDPE will be launched on the Dalian Commodity Exchange on July 6. The trading of aluminum and zinc will be launched on the Shanghai Futures Exchange on Aug. 10, according to the CSRC. Aluminum, zinc, steam coal, polypropylene, PVC and LLDPE are all major bulk commodities, the CSRC said, adding that the listings of relevant options will further meet enterprises' risk management demand. The securities regulator has asked the three exchanges to make full preparations to ensure the smooth operation of trading. Enditem Tributes have been paid on the passing of the former owner of the Millbrook Press printing firm in Naas who was involved in the printing of a centenary edition of the 1916 Proclamation. William (Billy) Ryan Snr, who lived in Lakelands in Naas, passed away last week. He set up Millbrook Press in 1984 and, after building it up into a local success, he later retired in 2010. The firm is now run by his sons Bill and Dave and daughter Mary. Neighbours and friends gathered for a guard of honour outside Mr Ryans house on Saturday before he was later laid to rest. Dignity A statement by the company said: Our dad fought a hard battle and passed away peacefully and with dignity. Billy was the beloved husband of the late Helen and father of Bill, Anne, David, Mary and the late Adele. He will be missed by his family, sisters Annette and Kay, brother Charlie, daughter-in-law Maria, sons-in-law Gerard and Chris, grandchildren Andrew, Aoife, Alison and Claire, brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Proclamation The National Print Museum in Dublin also joined the tributes and said Mr Ryan was instrumental in organising the historic printing of the 2016 Proclamation. The Museum said: Today we remember a special man, Billy Ryan. Billy was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word and a craftsman dedicated to sharing Irelands printing heritage. Many of you will have known Billy from the Museum and in particular through his involvement in the historic printing of the 2016 Proclamation. Printing colleague Freddie Snowe said: We have lost one of lifes gentlemen with the passing of William (Billy) Ryan. He was a superb printer, a nice man who loved demonstrating the craft of letterpress printing. Everyone attached to the Museum will be saddened and in particular his fellow volunteers and members of the printing Chapel who will miss him. He added: The first time I met Billy was 45 years ago in August 1975 in TASK Printers in Naas, when I was a Technical Sales Representative for a printing ink company. Gentle manner Having heard of him in the industry I was immediately taken by his lovely gentle manner and obvious knowledge and over the next five years we got to know each other quite well. Many years later our paths crossed again in the National Print Museum where we developed a lasting and extremely close friendship which I treasure. Billys skills as a master printing craftsman played a major role when we, along with our other great friend the late Alf McCormack, decided to refurbish the Wharfedale and print replicas of the Proclamation. It was a huge undertaking, quite stressful at times but what fun we had. Special man Thanks to Billy MacGyver and his Aladdins Cave in the boot of his Land Rover and Alfs skills we were successful. I am very fortunate to have such wonderful memories of a very special time with a very special man. I look forward to regaling some of them at one of our reminiscing evenings. The main factor that motivates people around the world to seek dental care in Costa Rica is the high cost of medical care in Europe and the United States. Costa Rica as a destination country for dental tourism offers procedural costs at a third of the total price in the aforementioned countries. This translates into great savings for the person who needs dental services. In Costa Rica a patient can save up to 70 percent of medical costs compared to prices in the United States. The high cost of private health insurance that includes dental treatments in Europe and in the United States makes many people choose not to have any medical plan. A person who is not covered by private health insurance prefers to seek treatment in another country. As a result, dental tourism has gained rapid acceptance and popularity in a short period of time. However, for those who do have insurance, many companies can reimburse them for their expenses. Costa Rica is popular for procedures like cosmetic surgeries, weight loss surgeries, and dental surgeries. Dental professionals in the medical tourism industry in Costa Rica offer cosmetic dental procedures, restorative procedures and general treatments which are often accompanied by the vacation experience. Medical success is structural: Costa Rica's hospitals and clinics are modern, they have all kinds of technological equipment. Dentists have studied and have been trained in different hospitals in the United States and Europe. Not only is the proximity to the United States and Europe a success factor but also the quality of the services and the good prices offered. We can add that Costa Rica has been identified as one of the countries that best faced the Covid-19 pandemic. So far there have been eleven deaths and at least 761 people infected. It is a success compared to Mexico, which exceeded 110,000 infections and 13,000 deaths from Covid-19 on June 6, with a case fatality rate of 9.1%, while Costa Rica's case fatality rate is 0.9%, and Panama's is at 2.9%. Various organizations and countries have identified Costa Rica as one of the countries that has best responded to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some claim that their health system is one of the best in the region. Likewise, its water system has been highlighted, as it has a reach that supplies nearly 100 percent of households. Having water to wash and disinfect is very important to fight the virus, according to specialists. "Costa Rica has one of the best or the best health system in the region because it invests more than 9% of annual GDP to improve the health system, which works in a very articulated way." Medical care is also provided to both migrants and tourists. "In the face of the pandemic, 80% of the cases were received and attended in doctor's offices, in such a way that not too many people arrive seriously ill at a hospital, since they were attended quickly." Although a mandatory quarantine was not implemented, the population remained in isolation on a voluntary basis. It is expected that in a few weeks the presence of Covid-19 will be further decreased in Costa Rica. Internationally, some countries have entered the "new normal" after quarantine. The airlines are already preparing for the day after. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which groups companies in the sector around the world, published a list of new protocols and security measures for the resumption of passenger air travel amid the crisis due to the pandemic of the coronavirus. The association explained that the measures seek to build confidence in governments to allow the opening of borders to air travel and also in passengers who want to fly again. The association endorsed two measures that could contribute to a change in biosecurity measures and improvement in air travel. On the one hand, carrying out Covid-19 tests (when they are scalable and provide reliable and fast results) at the beginning of the travel process. And on the other hand, the development of so-called "immunity passports", which make it possible to differentiate travelers without risk, when they are endorsed by the scientific community and recognized by governments. For the association, which groups airlines around the world, quarantine measures at destinations can be replaced by a combination of temperature control and contact tracking. "Temperature control reduces the risk of symptomatic passengers traveling. For their part, affidavits of health and follow-up of contacts after arrival reduce the risk of importing the virus and the development of transmission chains," they explained. Meanwhile, they considered that social distancing on board (leaving the middle seat free) can be replaced by the use of face shields for all passengers. The airlines ensure that the cabin characteristics themselves reduce the risk of transmission, as passengers sit facing the front and ventilation systems clean and renew the air. More information about dental tourism options you can find at mydubaidentists.com, a useful online resource. About 1,089 Nigerian asylum seekers who arrived in the Netherlands last year and January this year, have disappeared. According to a group of investigative journalists, many of the Nigerians fell victim to human traffickers who forced them into prostitution or drug trafficking across the European Union. The European journalism collective said of the 2,461 Nigerians seeking asylum in the Netherlands in 2019, 961 cannot be located. Another 128 Nigerians who arrived in January of this year also disappeared, according to an investigation by the journalist group Lost in Europe. Reacting to the investigative groups findings, Shamir Ceuleers of the Dutch Centre Against Human and Child Trafficking says the results are not surprising because they follow a pattern that has been going on for years. The non-governmental organization said more has to be done to protect the Nigerian men and women who fall victim to human traffickers in the Netherlands. The Dutch police should create a specific West African human trafficking unit, which invests in knowledge and expertise and is well connected to the West African community that we have here in the Netherlands. And by using this and creating this expertise, the Dutch police would be well equipped to prosecute these trafficking rings, it said. Young people from Nigeria are lured with promises of a better life in Europe. After arriving in the European Union, often by crossing the Mediterranean Sea by boat, they are forced to work in prostitution or other forms of forced labor. It is a profitable business for the traffickers, as each person has to pay off a debt up to $50,000. It is believed that such trafficking is not just a Dutch problem, but that the criminal organizations behind such illegal practices are active across Western Europe. The Dutch national prosecutor for human trafficking and people smuggling, Warner ten Kate, said more international cooperation is needed to prevent human trafficking. Within Europe, its essential to work together and to exchange experiences but also exchange data of the missing children and women and men. So if they disappear and pop up somewhere in conditions considered human trafficking, they can easily be identified. I think thats really essential, and to give them the protection they need, he said. A Europe-wide police investigation on missing Nigerian women in 2006 led to arrests across Europe and Nigeria. Despite that, the trafficking has not stopped or discouraged Nigerians from migrating. The International Organization for Migration says the increase has been significant, from 1,500 arrivals of Nigerian women in 2014 to 11,000 in 2016. The IOM worries that up to 80 percent are potential victims of trafficking. Flavio Di Giacomo of the IOM warns that data shows its not only Nigerians who are being trafficked into Europe from West Africa. We have also seen, even last year, an increase of women victims of trafficking, coming from Ivory Coast, which is quite new, and many coming from Tunisia. This is a different kind of exploitation because its not only sexual exploitation but also work exploitation and domestic exploitation. Ivorian girls were exploited to Tunisia, and then re-trafficked in Italy, he said. Members of the Dutch parliament questioned the governments approach to missing people this week. Earlier this year it was reported by Lost in Europe that at least 25 pregnant West African women had disappeared from asylum centers in the Netherlands. Their disappearance raised serious concerns about potential baby trafficking and illegal adoption. Originally reported by Voice of America Related New Delhi: The Centre has decided to act tough on complaints related to waqf properties and will soon set up a one-man 'board of adjudication' to deal with them. As per Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the government is not going to bow down to encroachers and a campaign has been launched on "war-footing" to free the properties from such elements. "A board of adjudication will soon be established at the Centre-level to deal with complaints relating to waqf properties. "This committee will be headed by a retired Supreme Court Justice or retired High Court Chief Justice," a statement quoted himsaying such during the 74th meeting of the Central Waqf Council here. Similarly, the Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) said, three-member tribunals will be formed in the states. The government has received "serious" complaints about "waqf mafias" and a high-level enquiry is underway in this regard, said Naqvi. "The government will soon take action against those occupying waqf properties illegally to see the assets are used for welfare of Muslim community and their socio-economic-educational empowerment," he added. There are 31 state waqf boards and more than 4,27,000 registered waqf properties across the country. Besides these, there are many non-registered waqf properties. During his address, the Minister also directed all state waqf boards to register their respective properties online by the year-end to ensure transparency. Naqvi also said that the Ministry, in cooperation with state governments, will construct schools, colleges, malls, hospitals, skill development centres and community centres for the minorities. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Pakistani troops violated ceasefire for the fifth consecutive day on Friday as they shelled forward posts and villages in five sectors of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said. "At about 1915 hours, Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by small arms firing and intense shelling with mortars in Shahpur, Kirni and Qasba sectors in Poonch, PRO defence said. Read: 1547 ceasefire violations by Pakistan reported this year along LoC He said at about 1950 hours, the Pakistan army violated ceasfire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote sector of Poonch district and Manjakote sector of Rajouri district. The Pakistani troopers had initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LoC in Kirni and Qasba sectors in district Poonch at 1615 hours, the PRO said. Indian Army is retaliating befittingly, he said. An Army jawan was killed and a civilian injured when the Pakistan army heavily shelled villages and forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch district on Thursday. The neighbouring nation had targeted over a dozen villages along the LoC in Nowshera and Balakote sectors late Thursday night. MIAMI - Venezuela on Saturday demanded the release of a government-connected businessman who was detained in Cape Verde on U.S. corruption charges, calling his arrest an illegal act of aggression by the Trump administration aimed at piling new hardships on the crisis-wracked oil nation. Alex Saabs arrest Friday while en route to Iran was a major blow to President Nicolas Maduros government. U.S. officials believe he holds many secrets about how the socialist leader, his family and top aides allegedly siphoned off millions of dollars in government contracts amid widespread hunger in the oil-rich nation. It was unclear how American authorities, who had been targeting the Colombian businessman for years, finally caught up with him. The Justice Department declined to comment as did Saabs American lawyer, Maria Dominguez. A person familiar with the situation said the 48-year-old Saab was detained in the Atlantic Ocean archipelago when his San Marino-registered jet made a refuelling stop on a flight to Tehran, where he was believed to be negotiating deals to exchange Venezuelan gold for Iranian gasoline. The person was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. Flight tracking data shows the aircraft, which the once globe-trotting Saab had used in the past, departed Friday from Venezuelas capital, Caracas. Adding to the intrigue, a private jet belonging to Presidential Aviation, a U.S. government contractor, was standing ready for a chartered flight Sunday from Cape Verde to Miamis private Opa Locka airport. Venezuelas government energetically protested the arrest of Saab, who it said was travelling on a Venezuelan passport and was on a humanitarian mission to buy food and medical supplies. In a statement issued Saturday night, it said an Interpol arrest notice for Saab wasnt issued until a day after his detention, violating international norms and disregarding the diplomatic immunity he enjoys as an agent of a sovereign government. It said it would initiate all legal and diplomatic actions to secure his release. But coronavirus restrictions frustrated an attempt by Maduros nearest ambassador, in Senegal, to travel to Cape Verde. As the Trump administration seeks to regain momentum in its faltering campaign to oust Maduro and install opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas president, it is increasingly going after top officials and business people connected to the embattled leader. In March, it indicted Maduro and more than a dozen other individuals on narcoterrorist, corruption and other criminal charges. Saab came onto the radar of U.S. authorities a few years ago after amassing a large number of contracts with Maduros government. Federal prosecutors in Miami indicted him and a business partner last year on money laundering charges connected to an alleged bribery scheme that pocketed more than $350 million from a low-income housing project for the Venezuelan government that was never built. Separately, Saab had been sanctioned by the Trump administration for allegedly utilizing a network of shell companies spanning the globe in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Hong Kong, Panama, Colombia and Mexico to hide huge profits from no-bid, overvalued food contracts obtained through bribes and kickbacks. Saab engaged with Maduro insiders to run a wide-scale corruption network they callously used to exploit Venezuelas starving population, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at the time of the sanctions. They use food as a form of social control, to reward political supporters and punish opponents, all the while pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars through a number of fraudulent schemes. In private, U.S. officials have long described Saab as a front man for Maduro although he is not identified as such in court filings. The U.S. Treasury Department alleges some of Saabs contracts were obtained by paying bribes to the adult children of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores, Yoswal, Yosser and Walter Flores. Commonly known in Venezuela as Los Chamos, slang for the kids, the three men are also under investigation by prosecutors in Miami for allegedly forming part of a scheme to siphon $1.2 billion from Venezuelas state-owned oil company, two people familiar with the U.S. investigation told The Associated Press. News of the possible arrest broke late Friday but initially officials in the U.S. and Saabs native Colombia were skittish about discussing the matter. Cape Verde has no extradition treaty with the U.S. and fresh on officials minds is the 2014 saga involving another high priority Venezuelan target, the late Hugo Chavezs longtime spy chief, retired Gen. Hugo Carvajal. Carvajal was arrested in 2014 on the Caribbean island of Aruba, where he had been named Maduros consul, but managed to flee a U.S. drug warrant after intense diplomatic pressure from Caracas. Carvajal remains at large after having been jailed and later released in Spain. Saab is believed to have expanded his reach into Venezuelas vital oil industry as the OPEC nations economic crisis has deepened. Iran sent Venezuela several tankers of gasoline last month that government opponents say were purchased with gold and by shell companies controlled by Saab. Last week, prosecutors in Colombia froze eight properties allegedly belonging to Saab, including a mansion in his Caribbean hometown of Barranquilla valued at more than $7 million, as part of their own money laundering investigation. ___ Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: The tyranny of khap panchayats continues in rural Rajasthan even today. In a shocking case in Barmer district, the panch has pressurized a rape victim to withdraw her case. When she refused, the khap panchayat not only ostracized the victim's family from the local community but also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the family. On Saturday, the victim reached the Barmer SP office, who has asked the local police station to register FIR against the Panchayat members. The case happened in Gudmalani Police Station area of Barmer district. On January 22 this year, the victim was reportedly was sitting alone at her house when Dinesh alias Devaram Jat, a resident of Anakhia, entered the house and raped her. Later, he threatened to kill the victim if she told about it to anyone. Despite the threat, the victim did not lose courage and lodged a rape case against the accused in the Gudamalani police station. The police also arrested the culprit on her FIR. A few months later, the accused got bail. According to the report that she has given to the SP, on 8 June, when the victim was going to her home, the accused Dinesh came and assaulted her and pressurized her to withdraw the case. When the victim's family refused, the accused resorted to caste panches who expelled the victim's family from the society and even ordered the financial punishment of Rs 5 lakh to the victim's family. The caste panches have been exerting pressure on the victim's family to agree to a compromise in the case. Threats to kill the victims father are also being issued if he does not agree to a compromise. The victim has demanded action against one and a half dozen people, including the husband of the local sarpanch, Hedmanaram Vishnoi, Kevalchand Jat, Khetram, Dedram and Meharam Jat. The Barmer SP, Anand Sharma, said that the victim has submitted a detailed report. On the basis of her complaint, orders have been given to register a case in the Gudamalani Police Station. Action will be taken as per rules and those found guilty, will soon be arrested. "The woman had registered a complaint about rape but the panchayat asked both the parties to find an amicable settlement as they both belonged to the same caste. On not doing so, her family was asked to leave the village. We are investigating and anyone taking the law in their hand will be punished", he added. 1. The comment section is for discussion. Opinions are welcome. Personal attacks, trolling, name-calling and/ or bigotry will not be tolerated. 2. Posts containing links may be moderated. This blog does not accept paid advertisements and will not entertain free ones either. 3. Kindly stay on topic. Say what you think and refrain from telling others what they think. 4. Violators will be warned, deleted, and/ or banned at sole discretion of the moderator. Mississippi authorities are on a manhunt for a suspect who fatally shot a sheriff's deputy after grabbing the cop's gun while he was taken into custody. The Hinds County Sheriff's Office said in a tweet that Joaquin Steven Blackwell, 22, of Magee, Mississippi, is 'armed and dangerous' after having fatally shot a Simpson County Deputy Friday afternoon in Mendenhall, Mississippi. The Jones County Sheriff's Department identified the deputy as being James Blair, 77, in a Facebook post Friday, noting he was 'Shot and killed in the line duty' and his end of watch date. Joaquin Steven Blackwell, 22 (pictured), of Magee, Mississippi, is 'armed and dangerous' after having fatally shot a Simpson County Deputy Friday night The Jones County Sheriff's Department identified the slain deputy as being James Blair Regions 8 Health executive director Dave Van told WJTV that Blackwell had been in the sheriff's department's custody and was brought to the mental health facility in Mendenhall for an evaluation because Blackwell's family was worried about his mental health. While the deputy was taking Blackwell into custody after the evaluation, he allegedly grabbed the deputy's gun while he was escorted back to the patrol car. Blackwell then supposedly shot the deputy and escaped into the woods. The deputy was airlifted to the hospital, where he died, according to WAPT. It's unclear why Blackwell had been taken into custody and how long he had been at the mental health facility or in custody. Deputy James Blair (highlighted) was said to have been taking Blackwell back into custody after his involuntary psychiatric evaluation was completed when the shooting occurred Blackwell had been taken to the Regions 8 Health facility (pictured) prior to the shooting Van said that Blackwell had been at the mental health facility for an involuntary psychiatric evaluation, however. Blackwell was last seen wearing just white boxer shorts. He is described as a black male, standing five feet eight inches tall and weighing 175 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. Authorities had set up a search perimeter in the area of Highway 13 and Highway 49 near Mendenhall while searching for Blackwell. One of Blair's neighbors told WLBT that the 77-year-old was still working as a deputy because he was raising his grandsons after their mother died. Blair had worked in law enforcement his whole life, doing stints as a paramedic and a school resource officer. Anyone with information about Blackwell's location is asked to contact Simpson Sheriff Office, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation at 855-642-5378 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477).. FRANKFORT, Ky. - Having led the push to take down a statue of Jefferson Davis from the Kentucky Capitol, the states governor had a ceremonial role Saturday in its removal from the place it stood for generations. Gov. Andy Beshear pushed the button to a rig that lifted the 15-foot (4.5-meter) marble statue off its pedestal in the ornate Capitol Rotunda. The governor tweeted a photo showing the memorial to the Confederate president being hoisted for removal. Today I pressed the button to bring it down, the Democratic governor said in his tweet. Now, every child who walks into their Capitol feels welcome. Today we took a step forward for the betterment of every single Kentuckian. Joining Beshear for the historic event were two leading members of his administration J. Michael Brown and La Tasha Buckner, who are black. In a quintessentially Kentucky twist, workers discovered an empty bourbon bottle in the base after the statue was hoisted. Also found was a newspaper front page. Later in the day, Beshear posted a photo showing the statue secured in a crate being loaded by crane onto a truck outside the statehouse. The governor tweeted that the Capitol no longer houses a symbol of division. Change is possible. Together, we can make it happen. Beshear, who took office late last year, has declared his intent to expand health care coverage to every black Kentuckian, provide anti-bias and other training for police officers and increase the number of black teachers in the state. It was a sudden and dramatic departure for a statue that advocates wanted removed for years. On Friday, the state Historic Properties Advisory Commission voted to move the statue to a state historic site in southern Kentucky where the Confederate leader was born. The governor requested the meeting and said he expected the panels support to remove the statute. The commission is responsible for statues in the state capitol. The panels vote came two days after another Davis statue was toppled by protesters in Virginia. Calls to remove Confederate monuments, seen as symbols of slavery, have escalated amid widespread protests against police brutality toward African Americans. The protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him down by putting his knee on Floyds neck for several minutes as Floyd struggled to breathe. In Louisville, protesters have demanded justice for Breonna Taylor, who was killed in her home in March. The African American EMT was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her door while attempting to enforce a search warrant. No drugs were found. The Davis statue had stood in the Kentucky statehouse since 1936. It occupied a corner of the Rotunda near a bronze likeness of Abraham Lincoln, his Civil War adversary and the president who freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation. Both were Kentucky natives. The commission called for the statue to be moved to the Jefferson Davis Historic Site, where Davis was born. The site features a 351-foot monument and a museum, according to a state website. Country's largest banking institution State Bank of India leads the pack of public sector banks in disbursing emergency loans to the industry and help improve investment climate in the country amidst Covid-19 pandemic. The bank has cumulatively disbursed loans to the tune of Rs 8,300.98 crore to 76,947 corporate accounts across the country up to June 11. The loans have been disbursed under the Rs 3 lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) announced by the government for meeting the liquidity needs of the in the present crisis. The SBI's loan disbursal accounts for over 55 per cent of Rs 14,690.84 crore disbursed by 12 under the scheme up to June 9. The disbursals have picked up pace lately as the amount for MSMEs stood at Rs 599.12 crore just a day back on June 8. In a tweet, the office of finance minister said: "As of 11 June 2020, # have sanctioned loans worth Rs 29,490.81 crore under the 100 per cent Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, out of which Rs 14,690.84 crore has already been disbursed." As of 11 June 2020, #PSBs have sanctioned loans worth Rs 29,490.81 crore under the 100% Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, out of which Rs 14,690.84 crore has already been disbursed. Here are the bank-wise and state-wise details. #AatmanirbharBharat #MSMEs pic.twitter.com/VeD9TWGL8n NSitharamanOffice (@nsitharamanoffc) June 12, 2020 According to the finance ministry data, loans have been disbursed to 3,75,087 accounts under ECLGS showing that a wide spectrum of industries are taking advantage of the scheme to meet their immediate liquidity needs. Apart from SBI, Union Bank of India and Canara Bank have sanctioned over Rs 1,000 crore worth of loans to MSME segment. Also, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda and Bank of India have sanctioned over Rs 700 crore worth of loans. Though disbursal from Central Bank of India is relatively lower as it has distributed the money to large number of accounts at over 68,277. Bulk of the loan sanctions has gone to industry in the southern states while industrial sectors in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat have also received high quantum of loans from In all PSBs have sanctioned loan under ECLGS to over 750,000 accounts so far while disbursals have been made in case of over 375,000 lakh accounts. The ECLGS scheme is the biggest fiscal component of the Rs 20-lakh crore Self-Reliant India Mission package announced by Finance Minister last month. (Natural News) After months of warning about a so-called second wave, the World Health Organization (WHO) has suddenly changed its tune and is now saying that it is increasingly unlikely that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) will make a subsequent hit. Departing from the policies and modeling set forth by Bill Gates, one of the WHOs biggest donors, Maria Neira is calling for great caution and common sense during what she described as a very critical phase of the pandemic: the de-escalation process. In a statement, Neira indicated that the general public need not be paranoid nor excessively relaxed. Instead, we all just need to learn to live with infectious diseases you know, the way we always have. There are many models that advance many probabilities, Neira stated. They speak from a punctual regrowth to a major wave, but this last possibility is increasingly being ruled out. We are much better prepared in all areas. We have lowered the transmission rate so much that the virus will have difficulty surviving, she further added. We must be very careful to say whether this is the end of the wave, but the data at least shows us that the transmission and explosion of the first weeks have been avoided. As for making any future forecasts, Neira says it is not worth even attempting because the only way to truly know what will happen next is to wait and see. With the reopening, you have to see how the virus behaves, she says. We hope there will be no other outbreaks, but it will be a day-to-day battle. In two or three weeks we will see what has happened and if it is necessary to correct it surgically. Listen below to The Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks with Dr. Paul Cottrell about the latest news concerning the riots, the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), and censorship of the truth: Will heat and sunlight get rid of this thing for good? The WHO isnt sure As for how the novel virus will behave now that summer is in full swing here in the Northern Hemisphere, Neira says the WHO cannot yet offer an opinion. We do know, however, that sunlight and warm weather increase natural immunity, which is antithetical to viruses. This about-face by the WHO in terms of de-escalating its own warnings about a second wave has been met with much criticism. Some have suggested that the WHOs recommendations have been incoherent, while others believe that the WHO is simply adapting to new information and observations. The United States was the first country to push back against the WHOs earlier predictive contagion model, which predicted wide-scale death and destruction by summer. This has not actually occurred, however, and it all points back to Bill Gates, the vaccine-obsessed eugenicist who put forth these failed models. Anthony Fauci is also to blame, as he and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had also warned of serious consequences if people refused to social distance and businesses started to reopen too early. As it turns out, the shutdowns themselves resulted in a whole slew of other negative consequences, not the least of which include massive unemployment. The impact of those shut-downs in terms of health and lives has already exceeded the realized consequence of the virus pandemic itself, writes Joaquin Flores for Fort-Russ.com. In the US alone, a 1% increase in unemployment indirectly causes some 37,000 deaths. Be sure to read the rest of Flores analysis at this link. You can also keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) by checking out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: Fort-Russ.com NaturalNews.com MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is eligible to receive pension benefits during his retirement years even if he's convicted of killing George Floyd, according to the Minnesota agency that represents retired public workers. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the May 25 death of George. Video of the arrest shows Chauvin, who is white, using his knee to pin down the neck of George, who was black and handcuffed, for several minutes as Floyd pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving. George's death has sparked protests around the world. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) Nine in 10 Filipinos were stressed due to the COVID-19 crisis, according to an independent survey. Results of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll conducted from May 4 to 10 from among 4,010 respondents aged 15 years old and above nationwide showed more than half, or 55 percent of the countrys workforce suffered great stress while 34 percent were in 'much stress.' Of those under 'great stress,' 58 percent were in a no-work and no-pay situation, and 68 percent belonged to families who experienced involuntary hunger in the past three months, the non-commissioned survey released on Friday said. The survey noted that 63 percent of the labor force in Visayas felt great stress, while 58 percent were from Metro Manila, 55 percent from Mindanao and 51 percent from the rest of Luzon. The study also showed that people with less formal education have been under great stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most affected age group is 35-45, followed by 41-50, then 15-24 and 55 and above. President Rodrigo Duterte ordered nonessential workers to stay at home in Luzon for two months to slow the spread of COVID-19. Some areas outside of Luzon followed suit to prevent an outbreak of the viral disease. The government eased restrictions in Metro Manila - the COVID-19 epicenter - and some other parts of the country on June 1, permitting more movement and business reopening. Pubs, restaurants and shops can ignore the two-metre rule when they reopen but should ban singing and shouting because it spreads coronavirus. It means businesses could have staff working closer together as long as they can show they've taken measures to lower the risk of catching the bug. Government scientists have told ministers that businesses could bring in new rules, such as regular breaks and getting workers to sit side by side, to make it safer for people to be within one metre of each other. Papers drawn up by the government's scientific advisors outlined possible options to kickstart the economy, including staggering working hours, working in smaller groups, video conferencing and increased cleaning. Other ideas also included the use of antimicrobial surfaces, replacing door handles with sensors and click and collect instead of waiting staff. It came as the full extent of the blow that the lockdown has dealt to Britain's economy was laid bare yesterday. UK pub giant Greene King has announced a new 'safe socialising' layout to its 1,700 pubs as preparations ratchet up to serve customers from July 4 This picture shows a Wetherpoon pub in south London when it was still open. The graphic shows the rules that could be in place in many pubs across the country when they reopen The graphic shows what rules could be in place in pubs across the country when they reopen Pubs could be banned from playing loud music to prevent customers from having to shout or talk loudly to be able to hear each other, The Sun reported. To make it easier for pubs with gardens to trade in poor weather, ministers plan to double the time they are allowed to erect marquees from 28 to 56 days. In a further sign of the Government's focus on the outdoors, ministers are set to shake up regulations for al fresco dining. Cafes and restaurants wanting to put out pavement tables and chairs currently need an 'outdoor seating licence' from their local authority, which can take weeks to approve. Ministers want to slash approval times and are considering axing the fee, which can be as much as 500 a year. Plans are also being drawn up to allow small shops, where social distancing is difficult, to operate market-style stalls on the pavement outside. Businesses and offices would have to prove that they have made spaces safe for customers and workers before being allowed to reopen. CEO Nick Mackenzie said some Greene King pubs 'will not be financially viable or able to open' with current restrictions in place (pictured, King Stag and Hounds pub in Farnham Common Boris Johnson (pictured wearing PPE) said yesterday he was 'looking for the moment' to relax the two-metre social distancing rule The moves reflect Government efforts to fast-track the reopening of outdoor hospitality within weeks after Boris Johnson was warned that 3.5million jobs could be lost this summer if the sector remains locked down. The PM has come under intense pressure from MPs and business leaders to urgently relax the two-metre rule - or drop it entirely. Office for National Statistics figures showed that Britain's national output plummeted by a record 20.4 per cent in April as millions of people were told to stay at home. At the same time, it emerged that the number of average new infections per day has fallen from 5,600 to 4,500 since the end of April. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack yesterday became the first Cabinet minister to publicly call for the distance to be reduced to one metre 'as soon as possible', saying the move was vital to 'open up the economy'. And Tory MP Damian Green, who was Theresa May's de facto deputy, said: 'The latest infection rates are encouraging, and the economic figures are frightening, so I think it's time to set a date for a move to one metre.' GDP fell by more than a fifth in the first month of lockdown, and has now contracted by 25 per cent since February. In this chart, 100 on the vertical axis represents the size of the economy in April 2016, showing the extent of the fall compared to previous changes since 1997 Officials warned that the virus's reproduction rate has risen to higher than 1 in the South West of England, to 1.1, while it remains somewhere between 0.8 and 1 almost everywhere else across the country. This means the outbreak could be increasing in size in the South West A research paper published by the Sage scientific advisory committee yesterday suggested companies should be given the freedom to choose how to operate safely. It said sitting side by side or behind another person at one metre carried a similar risk to being two metres face to face. It added that good ventilation in buildings can further reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Making his first public visit since he was treated for coronavirus, Mr Johnson said the two-metre rule would be scrapped as soon as the infection rate dropped. He said: 'What we're looking for is the moment when we've got the numbers down - I won't give you a figure - but I want to see, and we're working with the scientists, to work out a moment when the numbers are down so far that we can really say that the two-metre rule is no longer necessary.' Business leaders warned that current social distancing rules will make it difficult for the economy to recovery quickly. Sir John Timpson, chairman of Timpson, said: 'The one-metre vs two-metre rule is a crucial decision - it is going to make a big difference to the economy.' The British Beer and Pub Association warned that today was the deadline if ministers are going to give pubs three weeks' notice that they can reopen on July 4. All Our Bars, a pub management company, said: 'Hospitality is about socialising. You cannot 'socialise' at two-metre distances.' Pub chain Greene King added: 'We expect to be able to accommodate about 30 per cent of trade with social distancing and this will impact which pubs we can open at different stages, as many will not be economically viable with social distancing.' Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey yesterday said he was ready to take further action to support the economy. It is thought the central bank could sanction the printing of 100 billion of emergency cash as soon as next week. 'We have to be ready to take action, not just the Bank but more broadly, on what we can do to offset those longer-term damaging effects,' Mr Bailey said. Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: 'This is catastrophic, literally on a scale never seen before in history. The real issue is what happens next.' Andrew Wishart, an analyst at Capital Economics, added: 'We are past the worst. But the recovery will be a drawn-out affair.' How technology could allow pubs and restaurants to open earlier than planned ServeSafely enables a socially distanced dining and drinking experience Technology which allows luxury hotel guests to order food and contact staff from their rooms could hold the key to kick-starting the UK's ailing restaurant and pub industry. ServeSafely was created to improve public confidence about evenings out post-lockdown by enabling a socially distanced dining and drinking experience. The innovative solution includes customers ordering and paying at their tables by mobile phone, and personal service at a safe distance provided by video and text. Managers can also stagger the arrival of customers to avoid queues and maintain social distancing rules. A video or messaging link connects staff to customers as they arrive and throughout their visit There is no person to person interaction, and no transmission risk from paper menus, payment terminals or cash. Crave Interactive's existing in-room guest service technology provides five-star service in luxury hotels around the world, including The Lanesborough in London, ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in Bahamas. For the ServeSafely system, customers don't even need to download an app, they simply point their camera phone at a QR code for instant access to everything they need, including the ability to order in advance, should they wish to have their food prepared and drinks poured on arrival. A video or messaging link connects staff to customers as they arrive and throughout their visit. Customers don't even need to download an app, they simply point their camera phone at a QR code for instant access to everything they need Gareth Hughes, Founder and CEO of Crave, has submitted his plans to the government's All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on how the industry needs to respond to the Covid-19 challenge, and is supported by the Hospitality Professionals Association (HOSPA). Jane Pendlebury, CEO of HOSPA, which represents more than 1,000 hospitality professionals, said: 'This is something that the hospitality industry really needs as it is in dire straits. 'When restaurants, hotels and bars are able to reopen, the public will want something that will give them more reassurance about eating out and this is it. It seems easy to use and I am sure it will be a roaring success for the industry. A great idea.' Mr Hughes added: 'We have looked at every part of the restaurant and pub experience and adapted our technology so customers can feel safe. As well as avoiding any personal interaction, we have massively reduced the risk of infection by doing away with paper menus, payment terminals and cash. Managers can also stagger the arrival of customers to avoid queues and maintain social distancing rules 'Staggered table booking times also means restaurants and pubs can better control the flow of people in and out, leaving time slots to thoroughly clean tables in between each guest. 'The hospitality industry has been hit very hard by this crisis and I think everyone realises that we need to get creative and adapt to the changed environment where the safety of staff and customers is high on the agenda. 'We hope that our technology and suggestions can help businesses open sooner than expected and give us all the confidence to safely get out and enjoy the fantastic restaurants and pubs we are so lucky to have.' Charlie Anderson, who owns two restaurants in Cambridge, Ta Bouche and La Raza, said: 'I think ServeSafely is crucial, not just for the protection of customers, but also for employees as well. There is no person to person interaction, and no transmission risk from paper menus, payment terminals or cash 'This industry usually involves a lot of face to face interaction, but we need to find the new normal in the hospitality industry and digital waiting and ordering is essential right now. 'Whenever we are allowed to re-open, social distancing is going to be key, so what these guys have created is essential and ticks the boxes for us to be able to open again.' Anna Kocerhan and her business partner, Simon Wood, the winner of MasterChef 2015, has three restaurants, in Manchester, Cheltenham and Chester. She added: 'The principles that ServeSafely is using gives consumers the confidence they need to go out to eat again and therefore support the hospitality industry it is really credible and we fully support anything that does that.' Advertisement Businesses warn No10 two-metre social-distancing isn't viable and urge for relaxation to one metre By Claire Ellicott Political Correspondent Businesses have been privately consulted by ministers on how reducing the two-metre rule would affect them. Industry leaders warned them some sectors would be unable to operate unless the distance was relaxed to one metre. But Number 10 is facing resistance from scientists on its Sage advisory committee, who are understood to have demanded their objections to reducing it are put on record. Pictured: A window sticker outside a shop, asking customers to adhere to the British government's current social distancing guidelines The experts are said to have insisted official minutes include their fears of a higher infection rate and more deaths. Mr Johnson tasked Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill with canvassing opinion from businesses on the impact of the two-metre rule on their sectors, sources said yesterday. A document resulting from the exercise is the first evidence that Number 10 is actively looking at how it can reduce the distance, which the Government has said it is keeping under review. The consultation is being led by the Cabinet Office, Number 10 and the Treasury, which have approached businesses and other organisations to determine the effect of scrapping the rule. Wear a mask if you're in Uber Uber drivers and passengers must wear face coverings in the UK from Monday, the minicab app firm has said. Drivers in London will be required to submit a photograph of themselves to verify they are following the new rule before they can begin working. The company said this may also be rolled out across the UK. Passengers and drivers will be able to cancel a trip without financial penalty if the other is not wearing a face covering. The policy is in line with the Government's decision to make face coverings mandatory for public transport users in England from Monday. Drivers will also be asked to confirm they have taken additional safety measures such as regularly sanitising their car and washing their hands. Fact-box text Advertisement Companies sent responses to Downing Street following a request for feedback on behalf of Sir Mark last week. A virtual meeting was also held between civil servants and businesses earlier this week. According to the document, the aviation sector has warned that it will be physically impossible for it to operate with people always two metres apart. At one metre, however, passengers could travel and the tourism sector could reopen. If the rule is relaxed, automotive factories could move from 50 per cent capacity to 100 per cent. Train operators could operate at 40 per cent, up from 15 per cent at present, while bus operators would be able to increase their capacity to 35 to 40 per cent, up from 20 per cent. Universities would be able to increase capacity significantly. University College London, which has one of the largest lecture theatres in the country fitting 550 people, would be able to increase from 50 students to 250. The hospitality sector, however, has warned that it is unlikely to be able to stay afloat even if the rule is relaxed to one metre. Industry leaders who attended the virtual meeting said they were also told by civil servants the Government was facing pressure from backbenchers to relax the distance but scientists were digging in their heels. They reportedly said Sage advisers ensured they had their concerns minuted. The Government wants to reopen the hospitality industry as early as July 4. However, many businesses have said the two-metre rule would need to be reduced to one metre to make it commercially viable. They insisted it would not be possible to enforce the distancing inside their small venues. The World Health Organisation says one metre is safe. But the UK Government insisted it was important to 'move forward with caution'. Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific adviser, this week told a media briefing that the two-metre rule is a political decision taken on advice from Sage. A spokesman for the PM said: 'As with all public health guidance, it is under constant review to ensure it reflects the latest advice from Sage. 'That will be based also on the latest evidence we have on transmission of the virus.' 'Scientists are digging in heels'. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Standoff in Ladakh needs political solution | MK Bhadrakumar June 10, 2020 The good thing about the nihilistic Indian media narratives relentlessly negative over the military standoff in eastern Ladakh is that the government largely disregarded them. Hopefully, a de-escalation of tensions is on cards. Nihilists and cynics are best shunned. Especially when they also happen to be Sinophobes with a tunnel vision of the contemporary world situation who blithely overlook that China is a major player in the superpower league. Some dominant narratives even demanded that Indian Army should give a bloody nose to the Chinese PLA. The assumption appears to be that the current US-China tensions catapult India into a position of great strategic advantage at a time when China stands isolated and its internal politics is in disarray. Unsurprisingly, some American analysts, who wielded influence in the Beltway in the bygone pre-Trump era, have also jumped into the fray to hustle India, counselling we shouldnt waste anymore time to join the rest of Asia in figuring out how to deal with the newest turn in Chinas salami-slicing tactics, which now distinctively mark its trajectory as a rising power. However, the Indian leadership held a steady line so far to seek a peaceful resolution of the tensions on the northern border. Over a month ago, when the Chinese build-up began, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval spotted it like a cloud, as small as a mans hand, as the Bible says, and post-haste engaged with Chinese Politburo member Yang Jiechi, reportedly on May 6. No doubt an inflection point has been reached a time of significant change in the direction of the curvature ahead for the Sino-Indian relationship. Significantly, Doval didnt wait for President Trumps mediatory offer (which sailed into view only three weeks later) to contact Beijing directly at the highest possible level next only to Xi Jinping. Trump said Washington had informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Now, it is a stunning offer. By offering to mediate, Trump displayed his interest in being objective and impartial. He signalled he wont take sides stretching further, he doesnt intend to wade into the India-China tensions as such or get entangled in it. The Indian analysts who are raring to give a bloody nose to the PLA many of whom also happen to be cheerleaders of US-Indian partnership fail to understand the meaning of Trumps mediatory offer. if India takes police action (as Nehru once vowed), it will have consequences no less disastrous than what we faced six decades ago. Today, police action against China means war with a superpower where India will not be at liberty to prescribe its parameters or timeline. Dont our China experts read newspapers? The prognosis worldwide is that India is cruising toward the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic, while on the other hand, the World Bank says the Indian economy is due to shrink by over 3 percent by the yearend. Besides, there is another side to all this the unpredictability and inconstancy of US-China relations, which has profound implications for Indian policymaking. Prima facie, nothing would suit Trump better than to join his Secretary of State Mike Pompeos roadshow on the Chinese Communist Party and make Indias Ladakh tensions a golden opportunity to lock India in as a US ally to confront China. But Trump is disinterested. This can only mean that Trump takes a 360-degree view of the US-China relationship. Stephen Roach at Yale University, formerly Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, and a noted China specialist, wrote a thoughtful essay in Bloomberg yesterday how the tension between saving and the current deficit in the US economy is assuming a new criticality with the pandemic, as the crisis-related expansion of federal deficit is galloping away by far outstripping the fear-driven surge in personal saving. Roach sees a tipping point ahead and the domestic saving plunging that is, if the US-China trade tensions effectively tax beleaguered US consumers, which, combined with a weaker dollar would make external funding of saving deficit impossible to sustain, especially if Trump indeed presses ahead with his poorly timed wish for financial decoupling from China. Quite obviously, Trumps statement of May 29 on Actions Against China (which was, interestingly, made after the disclosure of his mediatory offer on Ladakh) was high on rhetoric while he actually followed up with only a few symbolic moves to punish China and he steered clear of any references to trade with China so much so that the stock market got thrilled, taking it as signalling a potential easing of US-China trade tensions! Suffice to say, our narratives on China need to be co-related with the international environment. Even senior cabinet ministers began harbouring fanciful notions that US companies are exiting China in droves and heading toward India to set up production centres! Knowledgeable business friends of India in the US have had to step in to disabuse us of such notions. Sure, China is not having an easy time as it enters the big league in global politics. But thats how it has been in history, as entrenched powers do their utmost to keep out aspiring powers. China has problems with not only the US but also with Europe. Nonetheless, a point has been reached where big powers realise that a modus vivendi with China has become necessary in a multilateral world order. When it comes to Indias predicament, the tragic downhill slide toward the 1962 war cannot be forgotten. That conflict also stemmed largely out of fantasies. There is a world of difference between a Line of Control and a Line of Actual Control. An earthy realism and pragmatism is needed to survive and thrive. Geopolitical circumstances are such today that it is not possible to sequester the tensions in Ladakh and regard them merely as a territorial dispute. Wuhan, Chennai Prime Minister Modi can do only so much and no further. But the question must be asked: What about strategic communication during the interim between informal summits? Our China policy has been adrift. We failed to take Chinas warnings seriously in the downstream of the decision over J&K last August, and we complicated matters further by proclaiming Aksai China to be an integral part of India, and crossed the red line by drawing a map to affirm our long-term intentions. And all this while we hope to establish physical jurisdiction over POK (and Gilgit-Baltistan) one day as External Affairs Minister put it through which of course the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flag carrier of the Belt & Road Initiative, runs across the Karakorum Pass, in the vicinity of which, by the way, we are also pressing ahead with road-building to facilitate swift military movement and deployments. Meanwhile, we dissimulated a strategic coupling with the US over a medieval virus to humiliate Beijing, and began contemplating ministerial visits to Taiwan. How could we have missed that this is a most critical juncture in regional and world politics, which is at a transformative stage? Indian diplomacy faltered amidst multiple failures of statecraft. The functionaries responsible must be held to account for their abject failure due to incapacity, inertia, disinterest or whatever to sustain strategic communication with Beijing, which is undoubtedly the most consequential relationship India would have for decades to come. Even in the most difficult years of the Cold War, there was no let-up in the Soviet-American communication. Whereas, Indian diplomacy relishes only joyful company Brazil, America, Israel, Australia. Matt Marfoglia, a waiter at the Tasting Kitchen in Los Angeles, was furloughed in March. Enhanced unemployment benefits are helping him make ends meet financially, but they may end after July. Matt Marfoglia Matt Marfoglia was living paycheck to paycheck before the coronavirus pandemic. Now, while unemployed, he's barely scraping by. The 51-year-old was furloughed from his job as a waiter at The Tasting Kitchen, a high-end Italian eatery in Los Angeles, in March. The one thing that's kept him afloat: an extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits provided as part of a recent federal relief measure. Even with the extra benefits, Marfoglia has been pocketing about $1,600 less per month. But that aid will lapse after July, absent government action potentially sending his income, and that of millions of other Americans, off a cliff amid the worst employment crisis since the Great Depression. "To be honest, I'm terrified," Marfoglia said. "I'm right at the edge right now." Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Marfoglia is one of nearly 30 million people currently receiving unemployment benefits, a figure well above any other period since the unemployment insurance system was created in the 1930s. The crisis was spurred by the swift and unprecedented economic carnage wrought by Covid-19, which led to a virtual lockdown of the U.S. economy to halt spread of the virus. $600 unemployment benefits The CARES Act, a $2.2 trillion relief package enacted in March, greatly expanded unemployment benefits, in part by tacking a $600 weekly enhancement onto traditional benefits paid by the states. State benefits generally replace less than half a worker's prior take-home pay. The $600 enhancement aimed at fully replacing prior wages for the average worker (about $1,000 a week). But not all workers are average some make more and some less, relative to prior pay. More from Invest in You: Employers face pressure to close racial wage gap These 5 job opportunities opening up due to the pandemic Senate plan could give families $10,000 to weather lockdown Researchers at the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago found that about two-thirds of workers eligible to collect unemployment insurance can receive benefits that exceed lost earnings. Normally, it's not ideal policy for unemployment benefits to exceed job pay, according to labor economists, who said it may cause distortions in the labor market. Republicans have argued it could create a disincentive for people to return to the workforce. Yet many believe it was good policy at the time, when the health crisis forced people to shelter in place rather than work. Perhaps more important, antiquated state unemployment systems couldn't handle a change to their benefit formulas to ensure pay didn't exceed prior wages, according to economists and lawmakers. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards That update would have delayed payments by weeks or even months, causing undue hardship for Americans relying on the aid to pay rent and food bills, they said which ultimately pushed Congress to compromise on the $600 benefit, which was administratively easier. States have struggled to pay claims even with the simpler formula. Some jobless workers went months without seeing one check. Even now, three months after the lockdowns began, Eugene Scalia, the Trump administration's top labor official, refused to say during Senate testimony whether states would be in a place to cap benefits at 100% of individuals' prior wages. 'Barely' survive The $600 in extra aid is scheduled to end after July 31. Democrats want to extend it, but Republicans, emboldened by unexpected job gains last month, are unifying in opposition against it. That complicates the situation for workers like Marfoglia, who can't yet return to work and depend on the enhanced benefits for their livelihood. Marcus, a food server at a Boston-area Marriott hotel who was furloughed in March, would get about $300 a week from Massachusetts' unemployment system absent the extra benefits. (He requested his last name not be used for privacy concerns.) Being on unemployment "isn't a wonderful gift to me," the 58-year-old said. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards His state unemployment pay doesn't factor in tip income and is therefore lower than it would be otherwise. Massachusetts, among the most generous states, pays up to $1,200 a week to recipients. "I'd survive [without the $600 benefits], but barely," Marcus said. Research shows that a large share of Americans across all income bands were teetering on the edge of financial hardship even before the pandemic. About 46% of people who make more than $75,000 a year live paycheck to paycheck or spend more than their means (via credit cards, for example), according to a Finra Investor Education Foundation report published in 2019. That's true of 62% who make between $25,000 and $75,000 a year, and for 70% of those who make less than that. Democrats passed a bill in the House of Representatives that would extend the $600 benefit until early next year. They've also proposed gradually reducing the aid by tying it to economic conditions like a state's unemployment rate. But Republicans want the policy to end after July, arguing that Congress should be promoting work over unemployment. The economy added 2.5 million jobs in May, versus an expected loss of 7.5 million. "Now we're facing a much different situation than we were in mid-March," said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. "States are reopening. "Employment recently turned positive," he added. "We need to shift our focus to helping people safely return to work." Some economists believe the risk of people not returning to work is overstated and that ending relief after July could cause undue financial hardship. "It would cause pain among millions of families, drive down economic activity and impede our recovery," Arindrajit Dube, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said in a tweet. "OK to modulate. Terrible to let expire." Labor-supply incentives, while not irrelevant, may also be less of a concern during a pandemic than in a normal recession, according to the University of Chicago report. Some Republicans are considering policy alternatives like a back-to-work bonus that would pay cash to those who find jobs. The ability to return to work isn't necessary a given, though. There are still 21 million people who remain unemployed. The country's 13.3% unemployment rate, while lower than April's 14.7%, is still higher than at any period since the Great Depression. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards The Federal Reserve estimates the unemployment rate will fall to 9.3% by the end of 2020 still around where it was at the height of the Great Recession a little over a decade ago. "This is the biggest economic shock, in the U.S. and in the world, really, in living memory," Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, a Trump appointee, said Wednesday. "We went from the lowest level of unemployment in 50 years to the highest level in close to 90 years, and we did it in two months. Extraordinary." Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Job losses have disproportionately hit certain groups, such as Blacks, Hispanics, women and lower-wage workers harder. Millions of workers currently on temporary layoff, or furlough, will likely lose their jobs permanently, and those industry jobs probably won't return "for quite some time," Powell said. Among restaurants, there are 4.7 million fewer jobs in the "food services and drinking places" industry since February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's despite the industry rehiring 1.4 million people last month. Restoring the remaining jobs could be a tall order given social distancing guidelines and restrictions like capacity limits. If unemployment indeed remains high through the fall and into winter, things could start getting especially dire for those those out of work. States generally provide 26 weeks of unemployment benefits in normal times, and some as little as 12 weeks. The CARES Act extended the maximum duration of those state benefits by 13 weeks through December. Some workers who started collecting benefits in mid-March could run out by early September in less-generous states and by early December in others leaving them with no financial safety net. Marfoglia, who has worked in various Los Angeles restaurants for three decades and said he served as a private waiter for actress Jodie Foster on a few occasions, made roughly $5,600 a month after taxes while employed. He gets less on unemployment, which pays about $4,000 a month between the state and enhanced benefits. The bulk goes toward monthly bills about $3,600-$3,700 a month, split between rent, a car payment, auto insurance, credit card debt, health insurance over the state exchange, a cell phone bill, two loans and necessities like groceries and gasoline. That leaves little for unexpected expenses. Recent car maintenance, for example, will cost him about $500. The $600 has been "life-saving," Marfoglia said. Without it, his unemployment pay would be more than halved. "I'm not living high on the hog," Marfoglia said. "I'm paying my bills. "The income I earned, I needed to earn that to live." Shweta Bhandral The frightening possibility of contracting COVID-19 did not deter Daisy Chacko from standing up for duty. For someone who grew up with the ambition of becoming a fighter pilot but had to join national carrier Air India because the Indian Air Force had not yet opened its doors to women fighter pilots when she passed out of flying school, Daisy always loved a bit of adventure. Which was why the 36-year-old volunteered for the Vande Bharat Mission, a massive evacuation programme to bring back Indians stranded abroad due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. Captain Daisy Chako with her co-pilot. On May 20, she flew the long Mumbai-RiyadhKannur Vande Bharat flight as its captain, leaving her overwhelmed with the sense of solidarity that the country displayed in an unprecedented situation. People said they were proud of us. They blessed us and were genuinely happy that a young woman flew them back home, avers commander Daisy who also flew the Abu Dhabi-Ahmedabad-Mumbai flight as part of the mission. India launched the Vande Bharat Mission on May 7 to be executed in three phases by Air India. The second phase started on May 16 and will end on June 13. During this period, the country will fly back 32,000 Indians from 47 countries in over 160 flights. In phase three, private airlines will be roped in. The likes of Daisy are part of this legacy. In fact, it was Air India that broke the glass ceiling way back in 1966 employing its first woman pilot. More than five decades later when I joined, this is one profession where there is equal pay and respect for professionalism, says senior commander Aakanksha Verma, also 36. Interestingly, though India has only 1092 licenced female pilots compared with 8797 male, this 11 per cent ratio is much more than the global average of 5 per cent. Aakanksha got her student pilot licence at age 16, even before her driving licence. Her father was her inspiration for her focused approach towards building her career, she recalls. Dad in uniform was captivating for me. In class 2 we had to write a paragraph on what we want to become, and I wrote Main ek mahila vimaan chalika banna chahti hoon (I want to be a woman pilot), says Aakanksha. Captain Aakanksha Verma, Dhaka Vande Bharat. Both pilots were in home quarantine when we spoke to them, which is mandatory after Vande Bharat flights. Mumbai-based Daisy who is married to a pilot says she did not think twice when this opportunity struck for her to volunteer for the mission. I have no children, no old parents living with me, and because I was involved in a lot of relief work in Mumbai during these lockdown months, I had no fear, this COVID warrior explains. When she decided to volunteer for this risky mission, Aakankshas 86-year-old grandmother who lives with her and her family in Delhi was worried. It was her mother who finally prevailed and encouraged her to be part of the mission. Aakanksha flew to Bangladesh and back on May 9. Captain Aakanksha Verma. Although there is often very little interaction between pilots and passengers, Aakanksha found the feedback from the ground staff in Dhaka heartening. They told her about how relieved the passengers were on seeing the national carrier land, she says. All their (passengers) anxieties disappeared and they knew they were safe and finally going home. Onboard I could feel there was gratitude and a sense of relief on their faces, she notes. Meticulous procedures are followed on evacuation flights, and the process can be time-consuming so as to ensure safety. Both the women pilots eShe spoke to feel that the frequent training they are given to upgrade their skills came in handy during this mission. Daisy Chako gets ready for the Riyadh flight. Daisy is enamoured of the role that doctors and nurses play in such evacuation operations. Hats off to health workers. It is a Herculean task to be in PPE and work for hours, she states. Aakanksha agrees, I have a lot of gratitude for doctors and nurses who wear these suits day in and day out. Its difficult to breathe in those suits. Vande Bharat Mission, once complete, would have brought back 259,001 Indians from 98 countries. Most of those who have registered to fly back are workers (28 per cent), students (25 per cent), professionals (14.5 per cent) and short-term visa holders such as tourists (7.6 per cent). Priority is given to those with compelling reasons, like job loss, medical emergency and senior citizens to fly back home. When asked about the financial viability of the local airline business, Daisy and Aakanksha hope the industry will ride out the bad times gradually. These pilots feel that it is time to accept the new normal and open the skies in a phased manner. The industry was already in a bad shape and so it is time to move forward. New rules will be set, lesser people will travel, but we have to restart, says Daisy. For her part, Aakanksha says, With only one-third of the fleet back in operation, its also going to be a wait-and-watch situation. The government of India, along with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has thoughtfully laid down a strict new travel protocol to help passengers and crew remain safe during this pandemic. She adds, Its never too late to get back on your feet. The Houston Police Department is reporting an uptick in novel coronavirus cases among its ranks, following a string of downtown protests and a massive march over the killing of George Floyd. Since June 6, at least 23 officers have tested positive for the virus, Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said. The new case load accounts for about one-third of the 79 diagnoses since HPD officials started tracking cases on March 22. Chief Art Acevedo believes theres a high probability that many of the officers contracted the illness while working the protests on May 29 and 30, or the June 2 march that brought more than 60,000 people to Discovery Green to pay tribute to Floyd, former Third Ward resident. Weve had close contact with tens of thousands of individuals, myself included, said Acevedo, who was pictured marching shoulder-to-shoulder and talking with demonstrators without a mask. Acevedo said every HPD employee has a standing offer to receive COVID-19 testing. The chief said he has tested himself twice this week and hell test himself again next week. So far, Ive come back negative, he said. The virus could have easily spread through the protests, Houston Health Departments Dr. David Persse said, but it may be impossible to know if the officers contracted the illness on the job or as part of the growing number of cases in Texas since businesses began reopening on May 1. The protests had a large number of people in a small space, Persse said. Theyre yelling and talking a lot. The mass wearing of masks helped, but its not a 100 percent foolproof deterrent, he continued. The masks provides some protection to a person, he said. It minimizes how much an infected person spreads it someone who is infected and doesnt know it, whether they were a protester or an officer. Following the first protest, when about 130 people were arrested, Acevedo ordered the entire police department to undergo rotating 12-hour shifts. The number of officers increased for the second protest and riot-geared units were staged on the outskirts of downtown. During the march, scores of police officers worked. Detectives were among their ranks. Despite the large police presence, demonstrators at times outnumbered them. Harris Countys health director, Dr. Umair Shah, was among the government leaders who worried that the protests could lead to a surge in novel coronavirus cases. He urged demonstrators to protect themselves with masks or maintain some physical distance. Social distancing was nearly impossible as thousands of demonstrators marched shoulder-to-shoulder to City Hall, and as dozens of others crammed together to protest Floyds death in street intersections. Most demonstrators wore masks, such as those handmade from cloth, bandannas tied around their heads or surgical face coverings. Others did not. Some police officers did not wear masks either. Even as the space between them and the protesters diminished, some kept the plastic visors on their riot helmets up and their faces exposed. The whole issue of social distancing and wearing a mask, I realize theres fatigue, Persse said. The hard reality is that the virus is still spreading in our community. Mayor Sylvester Turner, who also joined Acevedo last week during the march, urged Houstonians to remain mindful of the virus. I encourage people to keep social distancing and wearing a face make, Turner said in a statement. Following those guidelines will help protect our first responders as well as your family and friends. There is not enough testing capacity in the Houston region for everyone who attended the protests to be checked, Persse said. But he urged attendees to stay away from their elders, limit social interactions and to monitor themselves for symptoms. nicole.hensley@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: Each zodiac sign has its own characteristics and traits which tell us a lot about a persons personality. The positions of the sun, moon and planets determine our daily horoscope. Horoscopes help by giving a little hint about what the day is going to be like for you. Find out whether the odds are in your favour today: *Aries (March 21-April 20): Family bonding is likely to warm your heart and make you feel closer to your dear ones. An inherited property is likely to come your way. You are heading for a big break on the financial front, but it will require some patience on your part. Team leaders will be able to employ their team members effectively on the professional front. Avoid experimenting with anything new or you may upset your digestive system. Love Focus: Keep your unnecessary suspicions under control. Lucky Colour: White Lucky Alphabet: K Friendly Numbers: 8, 12 Friendly Zodiac Today: Leo & Pisces Be careful of: Libra *Taurus (April 21-May 20): Family togetherness will prove immensely fulfilling and help create a cosy home environment. Some of you may be compelled for buying summer products. Your excellent performance on the academic front may line you up for scholarship. Monetary support comes to you from an expected source. You will be able to remain in close touch with important people in your professional sphere. Those ailing for long can expect some good news on the health front. Love Focus: Spending time with lover may prove difficult, but you will manage somehow. Lucky Colour: Bronze Yellow Lucky Alphabet: M Friendly Numbers: 9, 13 Friendly Zodiac Today: Cancer & Scorpio Be careful of: Virgo *Gemini (May 21-June 21): A family gathering will allow you to meet relatives you have not met in years. Good returns are on the anvil for those thinking of taking up a franchise. Overcoming difficulties on the academic front will be easy, as you get down to solving them proactively. A senior may need a lot of convincing, before you are allowed to do things your own way on the professional front. Health supplements are likely to help you fetch the required nutrition. Tips are likely to come in handy for those wanting to play the stocks. Love Focus: Lover may appear unresponsive and may want space. Lucky Colour: Parrot Green Lucky Alphabet: H Friendly Numbers: 6, 17 Friendly Zodiac Today: Aquarius & Scorpio Be careful of: Aries *Cancer (June 22-July 22): You are likely to plan something exciting today with the family. Some of you can get busy in constructing or doing up a new house. Unwavering focus on the academic front may be needed to keep on the right track. Your presence of mind will help you attract more finances. Dont get impulsive on the career front; remember slow and steady wins the race. Your decision to eat homemade food will save you from seasonal ailments. Love Focus: There is an outside chance of meeting someone you have a crush on. Lucky Colour: Blue Lucky Alphabet: D Friendly Numbers: 8, 16 Friendly Zodiac Today: Libra & Taurus Be careful of: Leo *Leo (July 23-August 23): You may be tempted to buy property at a bargain price but enquire about it before sealing the deal. Working smart, rather than hard, on the academic front will save a lot of time. Good earning opportunities present themselves. Keep your distance from those who may get you drawn into office politics. You are likely to feel much fitter and energetic, even without doing anything specific on the health front. A family issue may require your involvement in resolving it. Love Focus: Someone special may come to meet you and brighten up the romantic front. Lucky Colour: Silver Grey Lucky Alphabet: P Friendly Numbers: 6,3, 9 Friendly Zodiac Today: Taurus & Libra Be careful of: Gemini *Virgo (August 24-September 23): A guest may arrive at your doorstep unannounced and stay with you for a few days. Dont settle for a property without ascertaining full facts. Expect preparation for a competition or exam to go full steam ahead, without interruptions. A pat on the back can be expected by some at work. Health wise, things start looking better now. You will need to bear the expenditure of something not catered for in the budget. Love Focus: Love front will only go how you plan for it. Lucky Colour: Golden Brown Lucky Alphabet: D Friendly Numbers: 5, 8 Friendly Zodiac Today: Leo & Aries Be careful of: Aquarius *Libra (September 24-October 23): Some family problems may keep you engaged. Plans may be afoot to acquire or rent out property. You will be able to match the pace on the academic front. Excess energy will encourage you to take up physical activities or some sport. You may review your expenses and take steps to limit them. Keeping tabs on your teams progress in a project on the professional front will prevent last minute rush. Those out of shape will be able to muster enough willpower to achieve fitness. Love Focus: Positive signals from the one you love is likely to make your day. Lucky Colour: Turquoise Lucky Alphabet: S Friendly Numbers: 12, 14 Friendly Zodiac Today: Sagittarius & Capricorn Be careful of: Cancer *Scorpio (October 24-November 22): You may be forced to cancel something important on health account, so take care. Organising a family do is on the cards for some. A property issue can become bitter if you are not careful. Taking outside help on the academic front to help improve your grades is possible. It is best not to start aiming for monetary returns till you become well-known. You will need to play your cards well on the professional front to out manoeuvre a rival. Love Focus: Romantic mood prevails, so expect a scintillating time with partner! Lucky Colour: Navy Blue Lucky Alphabet: V Friendly Numbers: 3, 6, 9 Friendly Zodiac Today: Virgo & Pisces Be careful of: Aries *Sagittarius (November 23-December 21): Meeting an old relative or friend is likely to rake up pleasant memories of yesteryears. Some progress will be made on the property front by those wanting to acquire a house. Devoting extra time and energy on the academic front will hold you in good stead. Chances of some profits of a deal coming your way cannot be ruled out. It is best not to leave anything pending today at work. Taking up some physical sport will keep you fit as a fiddle. Love Focus: Today, romance will be more of a waiting game, than anything else! Lucky Colour: Light Green Lucky Alphabet: N Friendly Numbers: 2, 11, 13 Friendly Zodiac Today: Sagittarius, Taurus Be careful of: Leo *Capricorn (December 22-January 21): A family reunion is on the cards and will enable you to meet everyone. Property owners can expect good returns from a property deal. Your determination and dedication on the academic front are set to take you places. You will have the money to be a bit self-indulgent. Completing a project or assignment to the satisfaction on higher ups at work is indicated. Those apprehensive about their health actually have nothing to worry about. Love Focus: You may not be totally convinced of lovers alibi, but it wont serve any purpose by pressing further. Lucky Colour: Indigo Lucky Alphabet: A Friendly Numbers: 1, 8, 15 Friendly Zodiac Today: Aquarius & Libra Be careful of: Virgo *Aquarius (January 22-February 19): A marriage in the family will get you completely involved. A piece of immovable property can come to you through a will or gift. Someones support on the academic front will be more than welcome in getting out of a tight corner. A boost in salary or increased profits promises to make the financial front rosy. There is much that is pending on your side, so step on it if you want to beat the deadline. Health benefits can only be experienced by those who are diligently responsive. Love Focus: Cupid strikes those looking for love. Lucky Colour: Orange Lucky Alphabet: R Friendly Numbers: 5, 8, 9 Friendly Zodiac Today: Sagittarius & Capricorn Be careful of: Libra *Pisces (February 20-March 20): Academic proficiency is likely to open many doors for you on the job market. A relaxing day is foreseen, where you may find yourself in the company of your near and dear ones today making some exciting plans! Health wise, you will not have anything to complain. Your efforts will make things look up on the financial front. Your faith in your abilities will boost your confidence. Family will be much more supportive of your ideas. A property acquired by you may start giving good returns. Love Focus: You will be able to keep your promise and make spouse happy. Lucky Colour: Violet Lucky Alphabet: M Friendly Numbers: 7, 14 Friendly Zodiac Today: Libra & Sagittarius Be careful of: Aquarius The astrologer can be contacted at psharma@premastrologer.com or support@askmanisha.com Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-14 02:30:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Members of Lebanese security forces clash with protesters in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, on June 13, 2020. Clashes between the Lebanese army and protesters in Tripoli's demonstrations on Saturday led to the injury of 20 people including four army members. (Photo by Khalid/Xinhua) BEIRUT, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Clashes between the Lebanese army and protesters in Lebanese Tripoli's demonstrations on Saturday led to the injury of 20 people including four army members. A security source told Xinhua that clashes erupted when a group of protesters in the northern city of Tripoli intercepted big trucks carrying food items in an attempt to prevent them from going to Syria. The source said that protesters expressed their anger to see food being transported to Syria while the Lebanese are in great need for these products amid current economic crisis and the steep hike in prices. Protesters threw stones at army members who prevented them from stopping trucks by using tear gas to disperse them which led to the violent clashes. Nationwide demonstrations resumed on Friday evening in Lebanon for the second consecutive day in protest against the dire living conditions in the country. Enditem In Minneapolis, the City Councils move to reduce the role of the Police Department was hailed by activists as a transformational change and condemned by conservatives as a lurch toward lawlessness. Wayne Reyes Jr., whose father was shot and killed by Minneapolis police officers in 2006, said he was hopeful that lawmakers would make meaningful changes this time, but said he was angry it had taken more killings for them to do so. Derek Chauvin, the former officer who has been charged with killing Mr. Floyd, was one of the officers who opened fire at Mr. Reyess father, Wayne Reyes Sr., a Native American man who the police said aimed a shotgun at them. It seems like people have been asking for these changes for a long time, Mr. Reyes, 35, said in an interview, and it wasnt until just the last couple of weeks that people are starting to look and listen a little bit. On Friday, Minneapoliss efforts to alter policing in the city appeared mostly to be a slow, governmental grind. To achieve its aims of dismantling the Police Department as it currently exists, the City Council plans to ask voters to approve rewriting a section of the City Charter to eliminate a provision that dictates a minimum number of police officers. That change would give council members much more flexibility to divert funds to mental health and other agencies that could respond to calls traditionally handled by the police. Gardai investigating an armed hijacking of a van carrying a large sum of cash and valuable car parts last year, are preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions following the arrest of a number of suspects. It emerged this evening that a male was arrested last Tuesday and remains in custody at Henry Street Garda Station in Limerick in connection with the long-running investigation. It also emerged that a man and a woman were arrested last Sunday and Monday as part of the same probe, and later released without charge, pending a file to the DPP. The white van was hijacked at Connollys Cross, Caherconlish, Co Limerick, on September 11, 2019. Garda sources this evening revealed three persons were arrested in connection with the hijacking and robbery by a masked gang of four. The UK registered van was traveling in the Caherconlish area around 3pm on the day when it was hijacked by four men wearing balaclavas who were travelling in a black coloured BMW Series 1 car. The male van driver was threatened and ordered to leave the vehicle but sustained no injuries. The van was located later that evening in Kilcoman, Co Tipperary, via an in-built GPS tracking system that had previously been installed. The van had travelled to garages throughout the morning, delivering and collecting valuable car parts, including catalytic converters. This evening a Garda spokesman confirmed that gardai arrested three persons as part of this investigation. At approximately 3pm on Wednesday 11th September 2019, a van containing a large sum of cash and other items, was hijacked by a number of persons armed with screwdrivers and a firearm. On Sunday 7th June 2020 and Monday 8th June 2020, a man and woman in their 30s were arrested and detained at Henry Street Garda Station and Roxboro Road Garda Stations respectively under the provisions of Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. They have both since been released without charge and files will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. On Tuesday 9th June 2020, a man in his late teens was arrested and he is currently detained at Henry Street Garda Station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, the spokesman said. Investigations are ongoing, they added. The editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine is currently under investigation. Egyptian state-owned weekly political magazine Rose Al-Youssef pulled on Saturday a controversial cover that was deemed offensive by the Coptic Orthodox Church, one day after the countrys National Press Authority decided to refer its editor-in-chief to investigation over the cover. The new cover no longer includes an image that accompanied one of the main cover stories, which showed a photo of Anba Raphael, the Bishop-general of Cairo's Downtown Churches, under the headline The Sacred Ignorance: Bishops join forces with coronavirus against the Pope, in reference to a controversy over the administering of Holy Communion amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Church had expressed outrage over the original cover, which had an image of its leading bishop alongside a picture of Mohamed Badie, the Supreme Guide of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, who is currently serving multiple prison sentences totaling 85 years for involvement in several violent and terrorism-related crimes. The backtrack comes one day after the NPA ordered the suspension of the editor covering Coptic affairs pending an investigation. The authority said it will present an official apology to the Church, and the magazine will issue an apology for the "offence" in next week's issue in light of the good relations between the Church and the NPA and the countrys media. The statement came hours after the Coptic Orthodox Church strongly denounced what it described as an "encroachment" from the state-owned magazine against the Church and one of its priests. The cover mainly criticises the alleged administering of Holy Communion -- the ceremonial placing of bread into churchgoers mouths and the sharing of wine with a common spoon -- by some bishops and priests despite the coronavirus outbreak. According to the magazine, several bishops, including Anba Raphael, have continued the ritual despite statements by Pope Tawadros II on the possible cancellation of this form of communion during liturgies to avoid spreading the virus. Regarding the Rose Al-Youssef article, the Church said, "We dont consider this freedom of speech. This is a grave offence that must not go unpunished. Such irresponsible actions harm social peace where cooperation is needed amid the current circumstances. The Church added that it has the right to pursue legal action against the magazine. The coronavirus outbreak has halted communal religious activities in the country, with both Muslim and Coptic houses of worship continue a near three-month closure due to the pandemic. Last month, the Coptic Orthodox Church said it will extend the suspension of prayers and activities in its churches until 27 June due to the spread of the coronavirus. The Church has decided to extend the suspension of prayers, with mass celebrations set with a limited attendance of six monks and deacons. The Church said the decision comes as daily infections continue to rise towards a peak for an unknown period, adding that the committee headed by the Pope will meet again on 27 June to reassess the situation. Egypt has suspended mass prayers at mosques and shut down churches since March in a move aimed at curbing the outbreak of the pandemic in the populous country. However, the country will review the reopening of places of worship in July in governorates with the least number of coronavirus infections, while applying the preventive and precautionary measures as it eyes a gradual reopening. Search Keywords: Short link: Leah LaPlante is in no hurry to reopen the Manitoba Metis Federations office in Brandon, despite the province's plans to loosen restrictions even further this month. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2020 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Leah LaPlante is in no hurry to reopen the Manitoba Metis Federations office in Brandon, despite the province's plans to loosen restrictions even further this month. The office includes a 32-space daycare and a large bingo hall. As vice-president of the federations Southwest Region, she manages all those spaces and is responsible for the people in them. COVID-19 saw the shutdown of both the bingo hall and the daycare. LaPlante also locked up the office doors, with some staff working there while observing pandemic protocols, and one working from home. "My biggest concern right now is how do you open the 32-space daycare and have those little people social distancing? It can't happen. It won't happen. So I'm in no hurry to get that opened," LaPlante said. "How do you take a bingo hall and put your bingo players six feet apart across a three-foot table? Six feet apart, and make enough money to pay your staff? It just can't happen." LaPlante perused the provinces Phase 3 draft for restoring services in the province, released Thursday. "Myself and my staff are really not in a hurry to open," she said. "You know, when you are the one that is meeting people face to face, youre not quite as comfortable maybe as (Premier Brian) Pallister." At a COVID-19 update after Pallister released the proposed draft for Phase 3, Manitoba's chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said as the government loosens restrictions, these are not directives for any business or individual to do anything. "So we may see some businesses not opening up immediately. We may see some businesses not moving to the full allowable capacity, and thats fine," he said. He also stressed observing familiar protocols, such as hand hygiene and physical distancing. Manitoba Metis Federation Southwest Region vice-president Leah LaPlante, seen speaking at an event last year, is in no particularly rush to open the organization's Brandon office. (File) The federation has had to make other adjustments during the pandemic. "For natural resources, in a normal year when everything is operating as it should, our harvesters get their new CPF (conservation trust fund) sticker and then they get their tags for big game," said LaPlante, who is also the federation's minister of natural resources and minister of citizenship. "All of the other things that we do under harvesting, like for birds, fishing, picking mushrooms, berries, getting wood, all of that is what you have privilege to with your CTF sticker," she said. That process has been mostly moved online and the date for renewal, April 1, has been extended to July 15. July 16 is when big-game hunting deer, moose, elk and bear begins. "The only thing that requires special tags are big game, as we watch those more closely," LaPlante said. For those who dont have access to the online services or a printer, LaPlante has placed folders outside the locked office door for picking up the necessary package and dropping it off. "The instructions are all there. They have to do their normal thing. They do a survey on what they've harvested from the previous year. Then they check off what tags they want this year, pay the fee and then we will mail them their new sticker and their tags," she said. "It seems to be going well." LaPlante said it's been learning experience. "What COVID is doing to us, actually, it shows that there are a lot of things that we have been doing that we can do over the telephone and behind closed doors. Maybe not as easy for the citizens, but it's working. We're making it work." mletourneau@brandonsun.com Michele LeTourneau covers Indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism. To further accelerate global action, I can today announce that Canada will contribute CA$9.5 million to the Climate Finance Access Network said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that Canada will contribute CA$9.5 million (approximately US$7 million) to the Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) to support developing nations in accessing funding to fight climate change. The Network, coordinated by Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and supported by a group of international organizations, will cultivate a network of highly trained, embedded climate finance advisors who will spend one to two years working directly in developing countries on the front lines of climate change, including Pacific islands. We recognize that there is a lot of global capital out there dedicated to fighting climate change, but getting that capital to where its most needed is where we can step up, said Prime Minister Trudeau in call with United Nations ambassadors and the Prince of Wales. To further accelerate global action, I can today announce that Canada will contribute $9.5 million to the Climate Finance Access Network. Now more than ever, small island states, least developed countries, and African nations face an urgent need to accelerate their investments in climate resilience and build energy-secure, clean economies. While the volume of available funding has increased, the international climate finance system has become increasingly complex. This creates an access bottleneck that slows the impact of urgently neededand availablefinancial resources. CFAN stands to address this challenge. It puts at the disposal of developing nations a corps of in-country climate finance advisors dedicated to securing financing for priority investments in climate resilience and the energy transition. To ensure that CFAN effectively serves the needs of countries at the front lines of climate change, the Network has been designed through a highly inclusive process involving over 50 developing nations. The result is a program that responds to real-world challenges informed by data-driven analyses of country needs. Across Africa, we are seeing unanimous demand for climate finance advisors, said Ambassador Seyni Nafo, coordinator of the African Adaptation Initiative. We are pleased to be a founding member of CFAN, which will ensure that countries receive the on-the-ground support they need to secure finance and effectively combat climate change. CFAN brings together several international organizations experienced in building in-country climate finance capacity. The African Adaptation Initiative, Low Emissions Development Strategies Global Partnership, Global Green Growth Institute, and NDC Partnership have provided ongoing input to the CFAN design and will participate in its implementation. CFAN also remains open to other organizations interested in participating in the Network. Our assessment of national priorities confirms an urgent need for climate finance advisory support to respond to current challenges and longstanding climate and development goals, said Pablo Vieira, global director of the NDC Partnership Support Unit. The NDC Partnership welcomes greater support for CFAN. This will expand the caliber of in-country climate finance capacity available to developing countries and complements our plan to empower countries to act more efficiently and effectively with the deployment of 30 advisors in the near term. As coordinator of the Network, RMI will build on nearly 40 years of experience training and facilitating experts in the transition to low-carbon energy systems. RMI will run first-of-its-kind trainings for climate finance advisors and ensure that advisors receive ongoing, in-country technical support. The goal of CFAN is to put developing countries in the drivers seat on climate financegiving them the dedicated capacity to navigate a complicated system to secure the right kind of funding for their own national priorities, said Caroline Ott, Principal at RMI. We look forward to partnering with these countries, and to training top experts to serve as their advisors. To learn more about CFAN and opportunities to get involved, visit cfanadvisors.org. Media Inquiries please contact: Nick Steel, Media Relations Manager, New York Tel: +1 347-574-0887, Email: nsteel@rmi.org About Rocky Mountain Institute Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)an independent nonprofit founded in 1982transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; the San Francisco Bay Area; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. More information on RMI can be found at http://www.rmi.org or follow us on Twitter @RockyMtnInst. WASHINGTON, June 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, issued new and revised guidance for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This guidance implements the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (PPPFA), signed into law by President Trump on June 5, 2020, and expands eligibility for businesses with owners who have past felony convictions. To implement the PPPFA, SBA revised its first PPP interim final rule, which was posted on April 2, 2020. As described in detail in our announcement on June 8, 2020, the new rule updates provisions relating to loan maturity, deferral of loan payments, and forgiveness provisions. In addition, as an exercise of SBA's policy discretion in furtherance of President Trump's leadership and bipartisan support on criminal justice reform, the eligibility threshold for those with felony criminal histories has been changed. The look-back period has been reduced from 5 years to 1 year to determine eligibility for applicants, or owners of applicants, who, for non-financial felonies, have (1) been convicted, (2) pleaded guilty, (3) pleaded nolo contendere, or (4) been placed on any form of parole or probation (including probation before judgment). The period remains 5 years for felonies involving fraud, bribery, embezzlement, or a false statement in a loan application or an application for federal financial assistance. The application also eliminates pretrial diversion status as a criterion affecting eligibility. SBA issued revised PPP application forms to conform to these changes. The guidance and revised application forms are available on SBA's and Treasury's websites. SBA will issue additional guidance regarding loan forgiveness and a revised forgiveness application to implement the PPPFA in the near future. Click here to view the new Interim Final Rules . Click here to view the new Borrower Application . Click here to view the new Lender Application . 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: 20-46 SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration Related Links http://www.sba.gov BOISE, Idaho - The bodies found this week at a rural property in Idaho are those of two children missing since last year, authorities confirmed Saturday. The Rexburg Police Department issued the press release confirming that remains found on Tuesday have been positively identified by the medical examiners office as belonging to Joshua JJ Vallow, who was 7 when he vanished in September, and his 17-year-old sister Tylee Ryan. It is not the outcome we had hoped; to be able to find the children safe, the Rexburg police statement said. Police discovered the two sets of human remains after issuing a warrant at the home of Chad Daybell, who married the childrens mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, a few weeks after the kids were last seen. Relatives confirmed to the media the next day that it was the children. For police, the grisly discovery this week marked a significant break in a monthslong investigation into what happened to the two children. For relatives, their heartbreak was magnified. For cluster of small Idaho towns, it was the denouement of one mystery and the start of another: Where are JJ and Tylee? Right here, and yet irretrievably gone. Why are they gone? That may never be fully answered. I never thought it would come to this I didnt think they were dead, said Timanee Olsen, a specialty cookie baker who has closely followed the case and after hearing about the bodies, planned a vigil to mourn the kids who disappeared from Rexburg. Its just sparked a lot of sadness in our town. The childrens mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, has been in jail since February on felony child abandonment and other charges. Her new husband, Chad Daybell, was charged with concealing or destroying the bodies after police searched his rural property Tuesday. The remains have yet to be formally identified, but family members told news outlets that they belong to JJ and Tylee. We are filled with unfathomable sadness that these two bright stars were stolen from us, and only hope that they died without pain or suffering, the families wrote in the statement. Kay and Larry Woodcock, JJs grandparents, worked for months to keep the search for kids in the limelight. With this weeks discovery, they have withdrawn to grieve. The family is not doing any interviews right now, said Felicia Dewall, who is acting as their spokeswoman. Theyre asking everybody to kind of respect that. The complex case transfixed the public with its ties to the mysterious deaths of the Daybells former spouses and the couples doomsday beliefs. It began with Lori Daybells brother shooting and killing her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, in suburban Phoenix last summer in what he said was self-defence. Vallow was seeking a divorce, saying Lori believed she had become a god-like figure who was responsible for ushering in the biblical end times. Her brother, Alex Cox, died in December of an apparent blood clot in his lung. Shortly after Vallows death, Lori and the children moved to Idaho, where Chad Daybell lived. He ran a small publishing company, putting out many fiction books he wrote about apocalyptic scenarios loosely based on the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also recorded podcasts about preparing for biblical end times, and friends said he claimed to be able to receive visions from beyond the veil. He was married to Tammy Daybell, who died last October of what her obituary said were natural causes. Authorities grew suspicious when Chad Daybell married Lori just two weeks later, and they had Tammy Daybells body exhumed in December. The results of that autopsy have not been released. Police began searching for Tylee and JJ in November after relatives raised concerns. Police say the Daybells lied to investigators about the childrens whereabouts before quietly leaving Idaho. They were found in Hawaii months later. Investigators havent released any new details since the remains were found. The bodies were sent to Boise for autopsies, and its not clear when those results will be released. It is the most horrendous outcome to the craziest nine-month mystery that Ive ever heard of, said Olsen, who organized the vigil with a friend. Those kids deserved better, and were going to do everything we can to get those kids justice. Olsen arranged to have the vigil in a parking lot in Idaho Falls, close to the town where the kids lived, hoping it would provide enough space for people to feel connected while remaining socially distant. People gathered Friday night, wrote notes to the children, burned candles and listened to In the Arms of an Angel, according to The Idaho Post-Register. Its taken our town and turned it upside down. Its all you hear about all day long, and you dont need to know them to feel affected by it its in the air, she said. Were just doing our best to stick together, especially in the hard times. TDT | Manama Starting Monday, rehab centres in the Kingdom will resume their services with added safety measures. A circular issued call for enhanced environment cleaning protocols, screening for patients and staff and use of personal protective equipment per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health. The priority is for ensuring the safety and health and providing proper care to the differently-abled people, said Jameel Humaidan, the Labour and Social Development Minister. The ministry, he said, is keen on supporting civil society institutions in the Kingdom, especially those caring for persons with disabilities. Strict adherence to precautionary measures are mandatory for these centres, the minister said warning that any failure will lead to a closure of the facility and legal action. Centres are required to disinfect and sterilise their facilities daily as per guidelines, and place sterilisers at the entrances and specific points inside, and should disinfect shared tools and equipment after each use. Toilets should be cleaned after each use, taking care to dispose of garbages safely. Patients and staff will be required to wear a mask, gloves and undergo temperature screening daily. There will be no entry for those having a temperature of more than 37.5 degree Celsius. Centres are required to provide separate materials and equipment for beneficiaries, and the ministry forbids them from distribution of snacks. Any suspicious symptoms should be reported by calling 444, the circular insists. Other requirements include changing protective gearsmasks and gloves after each session. Waiting areas and treatment areas should be adjusted to make room for social distancing. The circular, which encourages beneficiaries to take virtual session, clarifies that physical presence is not mandatory and is optional. Inspectors of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, to ensure strict adherence to preventive measures, will conduct random checks at all centres. The reopening decision was as endorsed by the Executive Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister and as recommended by the National Taskforce for Combating COVID-19 headed by the Supreme Council for Health (SCH) Lieutenant-General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin: (Hennepin County Sheriff) More than a dozen members of the Minneapolis police department have condemned their former colleague Derek Chauvin in an open letter on the death of George Floyd. Fourteen officers signed the letter on Thursday which is addressed to everyone -- but especially Minneapolis citizens, following the killing of Floyd on 25 May. "Derek Chauvin failed as a human and stripped George Floyd of his dignity and life. This is not who we are, the letter says. "We stand ready to listen and embrace the calls for change, reform and rebuilding," it adds. In their statement, the officers also say that they represent the voices of hundreds of other Minneapolis Police Officers. One day after the letters publication, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a resolution to replace the police department with a public safety system led by the community. A few days earlier, the council voted to disband the citys police department, with five of the council members writing that Floyds murder is a tragedy that shows that no amount of reforms will prevent lethal violence and abuse by some members of the Police Department against members of our community, especially Black people and people of color". Jacob Frey, the citys mayor, said this week that he supported "massive structural reform to revise a structurally racist system. However, he stopped short of calling for the dismantling of the police department. Mr Chauvin is the officer who has been charged with the murder of Floyd, after kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes while detaining him. He originally faced charges of third degree murder and manslaughter but this was upgraded to second degree murder and manslaughter after weeks of protests. Earlier this week, CNN reported that Mr Chauvin could stand to receive $1m (797,000) in pension benefits even if he is convicted of the crime. Additional reporting from Reuters [Follow our live Trump vs Biden 2020 election updates and analysis.] I learned a lot from Richard Nixon, President Trump declared recently, speaking of the only U.S. president ever to resign in disgrace. I study history. It was a bold assertion from Mr. Trump, not least because he and Nixon both share the dubious distinction of facing impeachment after being accused of abusing the power of the presidency. But if the president has indeed studied the Nixon years a period characterized by widespread social unrest that has parallels in the turbulence of today it is not clear, historians say, whether he understands what lessons to draw from them. Mr. Trumps walkabout outside the White House earlier this month as demonstrations swirled around him invited a direct comparison with Nixon because Nixon made a similar trip. It was May 9, 1970, and it felt like the country was on fire. Violence was erupting on college campuses over the bombing of Cambodia. Tens of thousands of people were gathering on the National Mall to protest the war in Vietnam and the killing of four students by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University. The White House was fortified with extra troops. Wracked by doubt and self-flagellation, unable to sleep, Nixon slipped out of the building just after 4:35 a.m. with a handful of aides and Secret Service agents and traveled to the Lincoln Memorial. There, he tried to explain his Vietnam policy to a group of student demonstrators. Taylor Swift has called for the permanent removal of monuments in Tennessee that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things, the music sensation said in a series of tweets. Taking down statues isnt going to fix centuries of systemic oppression, violence and hatred that black people have had to endure but it might bring u one small step closer to making ALL Tennesseans and visitors to our state feel safe not just the white ones, Swift wrote on her Twitter account Friday. Swift, born in Reading and among the worlds best-selling music artists, has more than 86 million followers on her social media account. Im asking the Capitol Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission to please consider the implications of how hurtful it would be to continue fighting for these monuments. Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 12, 2020 Swift targeted former state senator Edward Carmack, whos statue was commissioned in 1908 and stood in front of the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville before being torn down by George Floyd protesters on May 30, and Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate Army general during the Civil War and member of the Ku Klux Klan. Then we get to this monstrosity. Nathan Bedford Forrest was a brutal slave trader and the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan who, during the Civil War, massacred dozens of black Union soldiers in Memphis. https://t.co/n2DiEt9F3P Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 12, 2020 Across the country, some controversial statues and Confederate memorials have been removed by city leaders or protesters seeking racial equality in the wake of George Floyds death. In addition, the University of Alabama stated it will remove three Confeerate plaques from its campus in Tuscaloosa and create a committee to review buildings that are named for Confederate members. RELATED NEWS Hummelstown holds first Civil Rights Protest Protesters hold central Pa. towns first march for racial inequality Car caravan protest around Capitol planned for Sunday, highlighting injustices of systemic racism President Donald Trump told a socially distanced 2020 West Point graduating class Saturday that they were joining a military committed to staying out of "endless wars" and remaining steadfast "against the passions and prejudices of the moment." The new Army second lieutenants were now "officers in the most exceptional Army ever to take the field of battle," Trump said to the 1,017 members of the class on the mostly deserted West Point campus. "I am here to offer America's salute. Thank you for answering your nation's call." Read Next: New Army Green Uniform Will Soon Be Available to Buy "This premier military academy produces only the best of the best, the strongest of the strong, and the bravest of the brave," added. "West Point is a universal symbol of American gallantry, loyalty, devotion, discipline, and skill." The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York closed in March as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic and continued classes virtually. Technically, Trump did not address cadets, but rather second lieutenants who had received their commissions on May 23, the original date set for graduation, an Academy spokesman said. About 1.5% of the graduating class, or at least 16 individuals, had initially tested positive for the novel coronavirus. But all had recovered as of commencement, an Army spokesman said. Upon returning to West Point, the members of the class were isolated for two weeks and all tested negative, the spokesman added. Before Trump arrived, they marched onto the storied "Plain," the parade ground where cadets have trained since 1802, wearing their face masks. But they removed them as they took their seats in socially-distanced folding chairs. In his remarks, Trump praised the role of the active-duty military and the National Guard in combating the "invisible enemy" of the pandemic. "We will vanquish the virus, we will extinguish this plague," he said. He also noted the contribution of the National Guard to "ensuring peace, safety and the constitutional rule of law on our streets" in the civil unrest amid protests against racism and police misconduct following the May 25 death of Minneapolis man George Floyd under the knee of a police officer. In another reference to the unrest, Trump said that what had "historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment." "When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal," he said. Trump said the West Point class was entering a transformed military committed to swift victories with the weapons buildup provided by his administration. "It is not the duty of the U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in far-away lands that many people have never even heard of," he told the graduates. "We are not the policemen of the world" looking to be mired down in "endless wars," Trump said. He warned enemies of the U.S. to be on notice that "when we fight from now on, we will only fight to win." The military buildup included creation of the Space Force as a military branch. "It's a big deal," Trump said. He also noted work on the development of hypersonic weapons. "We are building new ships, bombers, jet fighters, and helicopters by the hundreds. New tanks, military satellites, rockets and missiles, even a hypersonic missile that goes 17 times faster than the fastest missile currently available in the world," Trump said. He said the hypersonic missile in development could hit a target 1,000 miles away with stunning accuracy, striking within 14 inches of center mass. In his half-hour address, Trump also encouraged cadets to follow the example of past commanders whose statues ring the Plain, including the general who commanded the Union Army during the Civil War. "We need you to carry on the spirit of the great General Ulysses S. Grant," Trump said. To keep social distance, the graduates did not go to the reviewing stand to receive their diplomas, Instead, they approached two-by-two to within about 15 feet with diplomas already in hand, and saluted Trump, resulting in Trump returning salutes more than 500 times. Trump arrived at West Point shortly before 10 a.m. aboard Marine One, where he was met by Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, the first black superintendent of the Academy. Before his remarks, the president was ushered into "Quarters 100," the superintendent's residence, by Williams, who had earlier sent a message to all cadets to live up to their oaths to serve the Constitution during troubled times. "As you are aware, our country is experiencing civil unrest," Williams said in his June 4 message. "During these unsettling times, I want us to recommit to eradicating racism from within our ranks by treating all people with dignity and respect." The military's response to the protests also came into question in an open letter to the graduating class signed by more than 400 West Point alumni and posted to Medium. The letter, published Thursday, warned that the military was straying from its duty to remain apolitical, and singled out Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a West Point graduate. "We are concerned that fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions are failing to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to Duty, Honor, Country," the letter said. "Their actions threaten the credibility of an apolitical military." Esper has come under criticism for participating in a photo opportunity on June 1 with Trump in front of the fire-damaged St. John's Episcopal church after streets near the White House were forcibly cleared of protesters by law enforcement backed by the National Guard. Two days after the incident, Esper said at a Pentagon briefing that he regretted being in the photo. On Thursday, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley also said it was a "mistake" for him to be seen in battle fatigues walking with the president on June 1, although he was not in the photo. The ceremony Saturday was in marked contrast to the West Point graduation in 2019, when Vice President Mike Pence accompanied by Esper and Milley gave the main address in Michie Stadium before a crowd of about 20,000 families and guests. The families were not permitted to attend Saturday's ceremony, and neither Esper nor Milley were present among the small contingent of honored guests that included Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, a West Point graduate. Esper sent a brief videotaped message that aired on the West Point livestream, in which he urged the graduates to remain committed to core values, including "integrity and personal courage." "These principles will serve you in challenging times and in the face of new and emerging threats. I look forward to watching you lead," Esper said. In his address, Trump made no mention of the current tensions between his administration and the top leadership of the Defense Department over the response to the protests or the growing controversy over military bases named for Confederate leaders. Earlier this week, McCarthy and others said the military was open to a discussion on changing the names. But Trump immediately voiced his adamant opposition in a series of tweets Wednesday. "My Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations. Our history as the Greatest Nation in the World will not be tampered with. Respect our Military!" he said. In what could be seen as a challenge to Trump, the Republican-controlled Senate Armed Services Committee approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday to require renaming the bases as well as streets and buildings now named for Confederates. Should that bill pass and be signed by Trump, the Academy would have to rename "Lee Barracks," honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, a former West Point superintendent. The class of 2020, whose motto was "With Vision We Lead," was one of the most diverse in the history of the Academy. In a release, the Academy said that about 85% of the 1,302 cadets who entered four years ago had graduated. The class included a total of 229 women, 132 African Americans, 103 Asian/Pacific Islanders, 102 Hispanics and 10 Native Americans, the Academy said. At the end of the ceremony, in the time-honored West Point tradition, the class of 2020 was called to attention for the last time at the Academy Daine Van de Wall, of West Friendship, Maryland, the First Captain of the Corps of Cadets. Van de Wall barked out "Dismissed," and the graduates broke into cheers and threw their caps into the air. Many also exchanged bear hugs, despite the social distancing mandate. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: Trump to Address West Point Amid Tensions with Pentagon As their charity organization was cranking out masks as part of the battle against the coronavirus, Wajma and Axana Soltan got to thinking about their aunt in their native Afghanistan who has been contending with breast cancer. They know how dangerous the coronavirus is for cancer patients, who are more vulnerable to such infection because of their compromised immune systems, so Wajma set about coming up with a way to further protect them. Working in her mothers tailoring and fashion design shop in Chesterfield County, she created a one-piece mask and cap combination for cancer patients undergoing treatment, particularly those who have lost their hair through chemotherapy. It just makes me happy I was able to do something to help them, Wajma said. The masks and mask-cap combos have been distributed around the VCU Health complex. The mask-and-hat project is just the latest in a series of ventures organized by the Soltan sisters Wajma is 26, Axana 23 aimed at helping others. As teens, they founded a nonprofit organization, Enhancing Childrens Lives, despite the fact that their own lives as children were something less than enhanced. An association of medics in Delhi on Friday extended support to resident doctors of two municipal hospitals and threatened to resort to mass resignation if their three months' pending salary wasn't released within a week. The Municipal Corporation Doctors' Association (MCDA) also wrote to Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, seeking his intervention on the issue. A copy of the letter has also been marked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The resident doctors at the North Delhi Municipal Corporation's 450-bedded Kasturba Hospital and Hindu Rao Hospital have claimed that they have not been paid salary since March. Many doctors and other staff have tested positive for COVID-19 till date at both hospitals. MCDA president R R Gautam said on Friday that doctors are putting their lives and family in danger every day. "Being the frontline COVID healthcare workers, they should be paid their due salaries." 'Our association fully and unconditionally support the reasonable demands of the resident doctors' associations, and have further decided that if the salaries of the three months of all doctors are not paid in a week, then we may also be forced to resign en masse from our government services,' the association said in the letter. If not that, 'then we may be granted permission to take VRS on a mass level', it added. On Wednesday, the resident doctors of the colonial-era Kasturba Hospital threatened to resign en masse. On Thursday, the Delhi high court initiated a public interest litigation on the issue. Jai Prakash, chairman of the standing committee of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which runs both hospitals said, "The matter is being resolved". "Representatives of the RDAs of the two hospitals met me on Thursday. We have assured them that we will try to pay their due salaries, if not at once, for one month right now, and then slowly for subsequent months," he said. "We have explained to them that the MCD is not getting revenues in this coronavirus situation, so they must consider our constraint too," Prakash said. An army of zombie businesses kept afloat by measures aimed at protecting the Australian economy from the coronavirus pandemic are poised to collapse in the second half of the year, putting people out of work and weakening the nation's financial recovery. One of the nation's biggest credit reporting firms, CreditorWatch, says its figures show at least 600 business administrations have "gone missing" and predicts an explosion in bankruptcies in the final three months of this year when government support measures are wound back. CreditorWatch chief executive officer Patrick Coghlan said thousands of firms that would ordinarily have shut their doors and been forced to pay back their creditors are still alive thanks to government support programs including changed insolvency laws. Mr Coghlan said every year between 8000 and 9000 firms were put into administration but figures for March, April and May show a sharp drop in insolvency actions despite the economy going through its toughest period since the Great Depression. State of the Police and a Police State View(s): V Day was marked recently with a low key but dignified ceremony by the new Government notwithstanding the lockdown due to COVID-19. Yet the 30th anniversary of the cold-blooded murder of 634 policemen on June 11, 1990 in the Eastern Province unfortunately went by without any remembrance, save for a floral tribute at the memorial for fallen servicemen at the Ampara Police Headquarters. That was the single biggest debacle the Police Service had suffered in all its 150 plus year history. Those policemen had surrendered on orders from Colombo only to be frog marched and executed because the Government of the day bent backwards to appease the LTTE, not wanting to disrupt ongoing peace talks with the terrorist group. Theres nary a word about them from international human rights agencies even if this was a blatant and flagrant violation of the rules of war; the Geneva Convention on prisoners and detainees. The LTTE never respected such international treaties, one reason it was declared a terrorist organisation throughout the world. But for the Government not to have a memorial for these 634 men who went into the Valley of Death, at least in this 30th anniversary, is unfortunate. Tennysons poetry depicted a similar situation during the Crimean War; Was there a man dismayed; Not tho the soldier knew. Someone had blundered. That said, the role of the Police has come into increasing focus worldwide these last few weeks, particularly in the United States. In the aftermath of the murder of a black man by a white cop, much of the country has revolted. Demonstrations are still continuing, as are clashes with the Police. The US Congress has been forced to introduce a Justice in Police Act banning certain policing procedures. The hardline US President, however, has rejected moves to restrict the hand of the Police depicting himself as a Law and Order President. Ironically, in Colombo there was a virtual replay of what is happening in the US. A political group, admittedly anti-US, protesting the happenings in America opposite the US embassy was roughed up like never before by the local Police. There were similar protests in other world capitals too, but the way the Sri Lankan demonstrators were manhandled seemed as if the local law enforcement officers here had got their training at a US Police Academy. The irony is that the US embassy never objected to the protest. The heavy-handed Police treatment meted out to men and women could not have been a mere over-reaction. It had to have the blessings of the top brass and/or been backed by a policy decision aimed at sending a message to future demonstrators of what to expect. It is good to hear that the Cabinet of Ministers had condemned the heavy handed response of the Police. The Eastern Province slaughter of the policemen must be a textbook case study for the Police, seen from the angle of having to carry out an order that was not only just patently unfair by the 634 men, but one that subjected them to pay the ultimate price for the sake of political expediency. Today, an Independent Police Commission is in place, but its role is limited to appointments and transfers. It has no say in ensuring the independence of the Police Service. In the meantime, the Government has launched a house-to-house and business house-to-business house campaign to collate personal and commercial information that will be fed to a Police IT database. As each household already has its residents on an electoral list, the aim seems to be to keep a tab on temporary occupants. Police say it is a security matter. Constables going door-to-door quote some section of the Police Ordinance to frighten householders into filling the questionnaire. Political activists of the ruling party have been spotted accompanying the policeman on these rounds and complaints have been lodged with the Police Commission, for what it is worth. Business houses are querying why the questionnaire requires details of the work their executives are engaged in as this could be commercially sensitive information that could leak into the wrong hands given the reputation the Police have in society. The security of the state is clearly paramount. And yet, in the light of growing chatter about recent trends towards what is loosely called the increasing militarisation of the Government, any further talk of an emerging Police state will not help the democratic credentials of the new Government. The independence of the EC the Election Commission (EC) has been under unprecedented scrutiny and pressure over the past few months; a tug-of-war between a cock-a-hoop Government breathing down its neck for an early general election and a bedraggled Opposition crying COVID asking to delay the poll. Not that two of the three Commissioners did not invite criticism upon themselves. What should be an independent, above the board institution was enveloped in controversy by their own verbosity and seemingly irresistible urge for the spotlight. An Independent EC was a welcome move because unlike past Election Commissioners who were not browbeaten by sitting Governments, in more recent times, the pressure has mounted. Not long ago, an Elections Commissioner went missing for a few hours during a count and it was only on retirement did he refer to the immense pressure he had been under during his tenure. He said no one would understand what he had to undergo. A three-member EC made applying such pressure that much more difficult. Just that two of the Commissioners did not follow in the footsteps of their predecessors who kept their private opinions to themselves their utterances were limited to the work at hand. The fact that successive Governments were changed over the years spoke for the independence of the office. This EC is already under fire by the ruling party and there is no one to defend it, even if the commissioners have brought some of that criticism upon themselves by their transgressions totally unbecoming of public servants. On the other hand, there can be no better certificate of independence than being criticised by the ruling party. New Delhi, June 13 : Overbilling for Covid-19 treatment by private hospitals has emerged as another roadblock for Delhi government, after it recently received flak from the Supreme Court, which termed the city's patient care as 'deplorable and 'pathetic. Taking cognizance on the matter, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meet will discuss fixing a price ceiling for treatment at private hospitals, drive through Covid labs, charges by private ambulance services, and reducing prices for Covid-19 tests by private labs. According to the meeting notice, the discussion will focus on fixing the price ceiling for treatment by private hospitals, as some of them are charging exorbitant prices and seeking huge advances. Recently, several complaints have been on social media leveling serious allegations against private hospitals for overbilling patients for Covid-19 treatment. The Max Hospital Covid management package has attracted the wrath of many Twitter users, where they claimed the charges are extremely high. According to various social media posts, per day charges for Covid management package at Max hospital for a routine ward (general ward) is Rs 25,090 per day; twin-sharing ward is Rs 27,190; charges for ICU without ventilator is Rs 53,050 per day; and charges for ICU with ventilator is Rs 72,550. The meeting between the LG and CM is scheduled for Tuesday. Addressing several issues of testing, where the Delhi government was severely criticised by the Supreme Court for low testing, the meeting will also focus on drive through Covid test labs and reducing prices being charged by private labs for Covid-19 tests, to make it affordable to the general public. The CM and the LG will also assess the requirement and action plan for the recruitment of medical personnel to meet any projected shortfall. "Providing facilities of telemedicine by a panel of government and private doctors 24x7," said the notice. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The Union health ministry is reviewing use of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), in combination with antibiotic azithromycin, for treating coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on patients in India, and is likely to come up with revised clinical management guidelines for this soon. According to people familiar with the matter in the health ministry, HCQ is likely to remain as a part of the treatment protocol but azithromycin could be dropped; instead a different combination of medicines that have been allowed for restricted use by the central drugs controller might be tried. Health ministry has been reviewing the evidence in favour and against HCQ from all over the world. In the recent group of ministers meeting also ICMR presented its views on the medicines currently having shown promise in Covid treatment, including remdesivir and favipiravir. HCQ most likely is going to be continued for use but with probably a different combination. Ministry is looking into it and should soon take a call, added one ministry official, who asked not to be identified. According to the health ministrys current clinical management protocol for Covid, which was revised on March 31, HCQ in combination with azithromycin can be used for patients with severe disease and requiring intensive care unit (ICU) management. The recommended dosage for HCQ is 400mg twice a day for 1 day, followed by 200mg twice a day for 4 days, and for azithromycin the ministry has recommended 500 mg once a day for 5 days. The combination, however, is not recommended for children under the age of 12 years, pregnant and lactating women. Since there was no other therapeutic option available after combination of antivirals originally in use for HIV/AIDS lopinavirritonavir was discontinued for use among Covid patients in March, this combination of HCQ and azithromycin is being given to severely ill patients currently in hospitals across the country on experimental basis. As other medicines have now shown promise against the virus it makes sense to review the evidence and revise the treatment protocol, added the official. The jury is still out on HCQ. One international study says it doesnt serve as a therapeutic or as a prophylactic after exposure to the infection. However, a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research suggests that it works as a prophylaxis pre-exposure. An expert working with the government says, In situations like an outbreak, when you dont have the luxury of conducting randomized clinical trials for paucity of time, you recommend a medicine after looking at whatever data is available globally. However, if a medicine is recommended then as per protocol, you need stronger evidence against it to withdraw its use. As of now the evidence is weak, and HCQ because of its safety and efficacy track record is our best bet that can be easily given even at grassroots level in primary health centres. Doctors treating Covid patients afree that more data is required to reach a definite conclusion. We need more research on HCQ to be able to tell conclusively whether it is working or not. Its use is not banned as of now, said Dr Yatin Mehta, chairman, critical care division, Medanta Hospital, Gurugram. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Egypt said on Saturday that the revived negotiations on the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) are faltering, blaming what it described as Ethiopias intransigence during the latest meetings between the water ministers of Cairo, Addis Ababa and Khartoum. In statements to reporters, the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation spokesman said he is not optimistic about the prospects of achieving a breakthrough during the ongoing negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The signaled collapse of talks comes a few days after Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan began renewed negotiations on the GERD brokered by Khartoum in the latest bid to seal a deal on the controversial dam, after talks stalled last February during US sponsored meetings in Washington. The Washington meetings had resulted in a draft agreement that only Egypt initialed. The latest talks come with a four-day timeframe, from 9 to 13 June, pressed by Cairo to reach an agreement on the filling and operation of the dam. The talks have seen differing statements on Thursday, with Addis Ababa saying there had been an agreement to compare technical documents and to focus on the outstanding points of difference, while Cairo expressed concerns that Addis Ababa was backtracking on previous negotiations. According to the spokesmans statements on Saturday, Ethiopia presented during Thursdays meeting what he described as a deeply troubling document that is both technically unsound and legally inadequate, despite the considerable flexibility by Egypt on a compromise text prepared by Sudan as a possible basis for negotiations. This document, which both Egypt and Sudan rejected, confirms that Ethiopia lacks the requisite political will to conclude a fair agreement on the GERD and reveals its intention to exploit transboundary water resources in an unrestrained and unregulated manner and without taking into consideration the rights and interests of downstream communities and states, he said. The disturbing Addis Ababa-prepared document would have downstream states sign-away their riparian rights and recognise an Ethiopian right to exercise unfettered unilateralism both in the use of the Blue Nile and during the filling and operation of the GERD. Such a document would nullify all agreements made by the three countries in almost a decade of talks, including agreements reached during recent rounds of talks held in the attendance of the US and World Bank, the spokesman said. It provided no guarantees to protect downstream states against possible harm due to the filling and operation of GERD, according to the spokesman, who said that per the document, Addis Ababa would enjoy a right to unilaterally amend rules governing the filling and operation of the dam depending on its energy and water needs without consideration of co-riparians interests. This text is clearly an attempt to establish a fait accompli. Ethiopias position is that Egypt and Sudan should either sign a text that would make them hostages to Ethiopias will and whim, or accept Ethiopias decision to unilaterally fill the GERD, he said. The spokesman described the Ethiopian position as unfortunate and not reflective of the spirit of cooperation and good neighborliness that ought to govern relations between co-riparians and fellow African countries. The faltering of talks is expected to take its toll further on Cairo and Addis Ababas relations, resulting in a constant tug-of-war and accusations over the collapse of talks. The growing conflict in the past months has led to a diplomatic war of words between Cairo and Addis Ababa that landed at the UN Security Council. Cairo had demanded ahead of the meetings last week for a timeframe for the technical talks with Ethiopia and Sudan on the dam, according to a statement by the Egyptian National Security Council chaired by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. It said a timeframe for the talks was crucial so as to not allow talks from becoming a new tool for stalling or evading the obligations of the Declaration of Principles of 2015. Ethiopia hopes the massive $4.8 billion megaproject on the Blue Nile, which has been under construction since 2011, will allow it to become Africas largest power exporter. Egypt receives an annual release of 55.5 billion cubic metres from its High Aswan Dam, while it requires over 80 billion cubic metres to meet its needs. The country bridges the gap by water recycling and reuse. Cairo fears the dam will diminish its water supply from the Nile, on which it relies for the vast majority of its fresh water. The populous country currently has a water share of around 570 cubic metres per person annually, well below the water scarcity level of 1,000 cubic metres per person per year. The figure is expected to drop further to 500 cubic metres by 2025. Search Keywords: Short link: Jeremy Christian is scheduled to be sentenced June 23 for stabbing to death two men and trying to kill a third man during a racist rant on a rush-hour MAX train in Northeast Portland in May 2017. In February, a 12-person jury unanimously found Christian guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of Taliesin Namkai-Meche and Ricky Best and the first-degree attempted murder of Micah Fletcher, among other charges. Christians sentencing had been put off for months because the novel coronavirus pandemic has postponed many court proceedings across Oregon. Rachel McCarthy, a court spokesperson, said logistical details of the sentencing will be forthcoming. Much of the challenge will be in maintaining physical distancing during the hearing, given the number of victims, victims relatives, media and members of the public who are interested in witnessing the proceeding. Christian could be sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison with no possibility of release, known as true life. Or he could be sentenced to life in prison with a 30-year minimum, 60-year minimum or a term even longer than that. Oregons new first-degree murder law, passed as Senate Bill 1013 last summer, might give the judge several options. But thats up for debate among the lawyers. Christians defense attorneys have argued the new law is unconstitutional, leaving the judge with only the option of sentencing Christian to life with a 30-year minimum. In front of dozens of witnesses and with cellphone and surveillance cameras recording, Christian stabbed the three men on a Green Line train as it pulled into Northeast Portlands Hollywood Transit Center on May 26, 2017. -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. (Natural News) Shortly after the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) hit the U.S., New York City soon became the epicenter of the outbreak in the country. Now, a new report by the Wall Street Journal says that city and state leaders response to the pandemic put residents at greater risk, leading to many unnecessary deaths. During the first few days of March, leaders such as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio assured New Yorkers that the situation was under control. De Blasio even tweeted that New Yorkers should go on with your lives despite the coronavirus. Since Im encouraging New Yorkers to go on with your lives + get out on the town despite Coronavirus, I thought I would offer some suggestions. Heres the first: thru Thurs 3/5 go see The Traitor @FilmLinc. If The Wire was a true story + set in Italy, it would be this film. Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) March 3, 2020 It was only after the outbreak had spread to the citys low-income neighborhoods in early March did both Cuomo and de Blasio begin to mobilize both public and private hospitals to prepare more beds and intensive-care units. However, the hasty nature of the expansion that ensued ended up producing more mistakes, helping to worsen the crisis, according to healthcare workers. Mistakes were made during the early days of the outbreak Talking to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 90 front-line doctors, nurses, health-care workers, hospital administrators and government officials identified a number of missteps done by state and city officials as they tried to catch up with the disease. Patient transfers were one issue that caused problems during the outbreak. A number of patients who were too sick to be moved were transferred anyway. Patients often ended up arriving at hospitals in worse condition than they were before they were moved. In addition, a number of elderly patients were transferred back to nursing homes, which may have resulted in outbreaks in these facilities. The backlash from this led other states to soften similar orders for nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients. (Related: New York nursing homes now a slaughterhouse for elderly coronavirus patients.) At the same time, isolation protocols in these hospitals were lacking in the first place. They often mixed patients infected with the coronavirus with those who were not. This allowed the virus to spread to non-COVID-19 wards. Part of this was due to inadequate staff planning. While the hospitals added hundreds of intensive-care beds, they did not add enough trained staff. This lead to patients receiving improper treatments, while others ended up being overlooked and dying alone. In addition to the lack of staff, many hospitals also lacked equipment. The state and city governments, however, relied too much on the federal government to fill these equipment gaps. This was made worse by the fact that leaders focused too much on procuring ventilators. As such, hospitals did not always have adequate supplies of other critical resources such as oxygen, vital-signs monitors and dialysis machines. Meanwhile, hundreds of ventilators that the government had focused on procuring for the hospitals turned out to be damaged or defective. Many of the hospitals did not provide their staff with enough protective equipment, not did they allow for adequate testing. The shortage was enough that a number of front-line workers protested the lack of protection in April. All this was made worse by squabbling between the governor and mayor. This resulted in mixed messages, especially when it came to important issues, such guidelines as to when exposed and ill front-line workers should return to work. NY hospital system was taken to the breaking point In response to the criticism, state and city officials have claimed that they did increase hospital capacity and enforce social distancing once the scale of the outbreak became clear. Ultimately our hospitals withstood the pressure and our doctors and nurses delivered heroically, said Freddi Goldstein, a member of Cuomos coronavirus task force. Greater New York Hospital Association president Kenneth Raske also defended the states response. Raske said that what they were able to do was remarkable considering the wartime conditions that they faced. We have a large, very sophisticated hospital system. It took us to the breaking point, he said. NYC hospital system is underfunded While the pandemic exposed how unprepared the state and city governments were, it also highlighted how underfunded the New York City hospital system has been. For years, Hew York hospitals had been ignoring alarms raised by healthcare workers on insufficient staffing levels. Meanwhile, many private hospitals in the outer boroughs, particularly in Queens, had closed due to lack of funding. This was in part due to a forced overhaul that began in 2016. Back then, state and federal budget cuts, plus the increased cost of treating uninsured New Yorkers, forced the hospital system to tighten its belt and reduce staffing. As a result of this, the hospital system remained in the red for years. At one point, health system officials warned that the system only had enough cash on hand to operate for two weeks. It was only in mid-2019 that the hospital system finally closed its fiscal year with a budget surplus of $36 million. Despite this, the system still had a $1.8 billion structural gap and still required a subsidy from the city. While part of that gap was closed last year, it seems it wasnt enough to prepare it for the outbreak that was to come. Sources include: WSJ.com 1 Twitter.com NBCNews.com BusinessInsider.com NYDailyNews.com WSJ.com 2 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13 2020 Indonesia has again expressed its concern regarding cases of alleged human rights abuse affecting its citizens on board Chinese-flagged fishing vessels, calling for a serious investigation. Indonesia looks forward to receiving the results of a fair and transparent investigation from the Chinese authorities, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said during a press conference on Thursday. The minister said that, based on conversations with fishermen from different Chinese vessels, she had been told exactly the same stories about mistreatment on board. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login The present a radio show together on Saturday mornings. And Melanie Sykes and Alan Carr appeared in high spirits as they arrived at BBC studios in London ahead of their breakfast show slot. The presenter, 49, cut a chic figure in a white pinstripe shirt, which she tied in a knot at her waist to highlight her sensational figure. Summery: Melanie Sykes appeared in high spirits as she arrived at BBC studios in London ready to present her radio show with Alan Carr The fitness fanatic kept her look simple, pairing the shirt with black trousers, trainers and a wicker bag. Mel accessorised her monochrome outfit with a pair of aviators and a cross-body bag. Alan, meanwhile, opted for a photographic shirt of sunbathers on a beach and flashed a smile as he stopped off for a cup of coffee. Simple yet stylish: The presenter, 49, cut a chic figure in a white pinstripe shirt, which she tied in a knot at her waist Caffeine kick: Alan, meanwhile, opted for a photographic shirt of sunbathers on a beach and flashed a smile as he stopped off for a cup of coffee Last month, Mel celebrated three-years of sobriety after admitting her life has improved dramatically as a direct consequence of being alcohol free. The presenter, who found fame in a series of light-hearted ads for Boddingtons Brewery, kicked off her weekend by celebrating the milestone with her Instagram followers. Taking to the social media platform, Melanie revealed the date was also significant because it marked the two-year anniversary of a life-changing trip to India with her close friend, Adam Phillips. Radio hosts: Alan shared a snap of the pair in the studio, alongside the caption: 'Doing Radio - social distancing style!!! 10 - 1pm NOW!!!' Monochrome: The fitness fanatic kept her look simple, pairing the shirt with black trousers, trainers and a wicker bag Sharing a fresh-faced selfie with her 240,000 followers, she wrote: 'Yo yo yo good morning lovelies hope you are all well. 'I gave up alcohol completely 3 years ago today whoop whoop and today also marks the 2 year anniversary of my life changing holiday to India with @adamskionline (how amazing was that trip babes?). 'Anyway blah di blah Im doing a little dance and you cant stop me! have a good and positive day yall. ps and for those asking, no I dont miss it because its toxic bulls**t!' Melanie has been focusing on self-improvement after she was left 'gutted' when her relationship with Steve Coogan, 54, came to an end last year. Having a laugh: Mel and Alan have been friends for years and have fronted the Radio 2 breakfast show on Saturday mornings It's said she began to grow increasingly concerned the Alan Partridge star didn't want to settle down with her amid their largely low-key romance. A source told The Sun: 'Mel is gutted it didnt work out - but although she is disappointed, she is not that surprised. 'She was worried that he wasnt committing and wasnt keen on family stuff or getting too involved with her two teenage sons. They went on to say that the pair were together 'properly' for six months, but their romance 'never got too serious.' The publication concluded it was Mel's decisions to call it quits, but there's 'no hard feelings' between the two. MailOnline contacted Mel's representatives for comment at the time. 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. The United Nations on Friday said that it had determined that Iran was the source for several items in two shipments of arms seized by the United States and for debris left by attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil installations and an international airport, according to a new report. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said some of the items seized by the US in November 2019 and February 2020 "were identical or similar" to those found after the cruise missiles and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia in 2019. He said in a report to the UN Security Council obtained Friday by The ... By Richard Moser June 12, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - First in the series: Organize the White Working Class! . . . their (the poor whites) own position, vis-a-vis the rich and powerful . . . was not improved, but weakened, by the white-skin privilege system. Theodore W. Allen, Class Struggle and the Origin of Racial Slavery: The Invention of the White Race, 1975* Theodore W. Allen, Class Struggle and the Origin of Racial Slavery: The Invention of the White Race, 1975* The white race is the historically most general form of class collaboration.- Theodore W. Allen, Taped Interview with Chad Pearson, SUNY-Albany, May 13, 2004,* The time is ripe. At no time since the 60s has social movement activism created such rich opportunities to oppose racism and engage white people in a struggle over what it means to be white and a worker in America. And that engagement will be most successful in the worlds best classroom: movement building, organizing, and activism. Like many times in our past, Americans of African descent have led the way. The new civil rights movement, the uprisings in Ferguson and Baltimore, the BlackLivesMatter movement, and the resistance to Trumps reemergent racism, has given birth to an array of new organizations and political projects. Like no other single scholarly work, Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in The Age of Colorblindness has rallied the troops and identified the enemy. Over the past few decades, the American people have created a vast militarized penal system that is now the most powerful institutionalized racism in the US. And like the forms of institutionalized racism that preceded it, the penal system functions as an effective form of social control. Discriminatory and militarized policing, on-the-spot executions, slave-like prison labor, mass incarceration, school-to-prison pipeline, restriction of trial by jury, lengthy and mandatory sentencing, predatory fine, fee and debt traps, and its gigantic sweep and size constitutes nothing short of a preemptive war against the most potentially rebellious parts of the population: the young, people of color, the poor. If you favor social change then the vast militarized penal system must be confronted. It controls us all black and brown and white. The new civil rights movement has challenged white activists to confront white racism at a time of economic and workplace conflict. The never-ending recession of 2008 has intensified wealth inequality across the board with the upward redistribution of wealth falling hardest on Americans of color.1 Good full-time jobs are going and in all likelihood, they are not coming back. There is a widespread understanding that the economy and political system are rigged. One of the main rigs is the class line: corporate power now controls the economy and government wielding both great wealth and global political power. Once the insatiable demand for power and profit drive government, representative democracy fails and can no longer deliver significant economic benefits to everyday people. Yet, Occupy and the Sanders campaign, the resistance to Trump and other social movements have revealed the discontent of millions of white people who have the capacity to create progressive social movements and even make history. But the working class has deep flaws that have until now proven fatal: it is divided. Race, gender, sexuality, age cut us up in many ways. If history is a guide to action we can retell a crucial part of the tale by making a challenge to white supremacy central to our organizing efforts. To do that, white people must combat the system of white privilege that has long been the primary means by which racism has been nurtured and sustained. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Those white privileges are institutionalized in a complex web of arrangements in housing, education, health care, law enforcement, election procedures, and voting that further rig the system against people of color. But because white or male privileges have been so deeply entrenched for so long they often appear as seemingly neutral measures of merit, at least to white people. How do we shine a light on this blindspot? Resistance and action are the best paths to revelation. Institutionalized racism is historic and collective and cannot be addressed through individual repudiation alone. You cant just give it up, even if you want to, except through joining the social moments for change and organizing at the point of privilege. The purpose of these privileges is to keep us all in line. White organizers and activists who challenge the system have taken the first crucial step in repudiating privilege. Many organizing projects await and all of them are difficult and challenging. We can expect no easy victories. Organize Our Own? As the 60s revolution came up against the wall of institutionalized and interlocking obstacles, civil rights organizers experimented with Black Power and Womens liberation. Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Jo Freedman, Shulamith Firestone, and other authors of To the Women of the New Left offered up some hard-won knowledge.2 They told a sometimes bitter but compelling truth: organizers were most effective working within their own communities. Speaking to the Organization of Afro-American Unity, Malcolm X put it this way. Now if white people want to help, they can help. But, they cant join. They can help in the white community, but they cant join. We accept their help.They canwork in the white community on white people and change their attitude toward us.3 Certainly the inherent needs of poor white people are reason enough to organizethey, like poor black people, are ill-fed, ill-housed and lacking in opportunities for education, medical care, political expression, and dignity. But I think what we are recognizing is that these white people will never be able to solve these problems unless they find ways to unite with the black movement seeking the same things. Organizing your own was not a call to white separatism, but a way to lay the basis for coalition movements in which working-class whites saw their own destiny bound up with that of black folks. In Black Power and White Organizing , Anne Braden, a legendary southern white civil rights organizer, wrote: My purpose is not to present false either/or choices. The organizational forms we create are up to the local situation and local actors. White organizers can make contributions in multi-racial groups, coalitions, unions, as well as in community groups among the white working class. But one way or another, we white organizers must reconsider ways of talking and organizing around white supremacy and white privilege. Luckily for us, we can follow the work of the great white working-class intellectual, Ted Allen, as our north star. Next we will look at the strategic implications of his classic work: The Invention of the White Race. Post your comment below Notes *Both quotes cited in Jeffrey B. Perry, The Developing Conjuncture and Some Insights from Hubert Harrison and Theodore W. Allen on the Centrality of the Fight against White Supremacy p. 2 and p. 5 DAKAR (Reuters) - A forthcoming U.S. report that shows child labour has risen in the West African cocoa sector is to be reviewed independently after Ivory Coast and Ghana objected to the methodology, the U.S. Labor Department said on Friday. The report, which was funded by the Labor Department, had been due to be published later this month. However, the review is likely to delay publication, the report's authors at the University of Chicago said. A draft of the report that was seen by Reuters found that child labour on cocoa farms in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world's top producers, had risen over the past decade despite promises by chocolate makers and cocoa traders to reduce it. The Ivorian and Ghanaian governments objected to aspects of the methodology, including how comparisons were made between data collected for the current report and data from a previous report in 2015 that turned out to be flawed. The latest report is the third in a series called for by an agreement between the cocoa industry and U.S. lawmakers first struck in 2001. The report's surveys were conducted in 2018 and 2019. In a statement to Reuters, a spokesperson for the U.S. Labor Department said it believed the researchers had made every effort to consult the two governments but that it had accepted the governments' requests for an independent review as a matter of "good faith". "Our expectation is that NORC will take into proper consideration the findings of the Experts Group, and as necessary and where possible, make any appropriate adjustments to the report," the statement said. "We trust that the two governments will respect the findings of this independent Experts Group," it added. It did not say who would be in the group. The Labor Department did not say how long the review would take. Kareem Kysia, lead researcher on the project at NORC, a research organisation at the University of Chicago, said in a statement that NORC fully supports the expert panel. "NORC is dedicated to producing a scientifically valid and accurate report that accounts for the needs of each stakeholder while remaining scientifically valid and objective," he said. Story continues Brahima Coulibaly, spokesman for the Ivory Coast government department that looks into child labour, referred Reuters to a previous statement rejecting the report's methodology. Ghana's cocoa board spokesman Fiifi Boafo said Ghana was "not opposed" to the review. "However, any review of the report must be one that will be done by a truly independent party who will take into account and correct all the major flaws that have been pointed out," he said. (Reporting by Aaron Ross; Additional reporting by Ange Aboa in Abidjan and Christian Akorlie in Accra; Editing by Susan Fenton) Sher Bahadur Deuba to take oath as new Prime Minister of Nepal today Our friendship with India and China remains of 'paramount importance': Nepal at UN Nepal Parliament approves new map which includes Indian territory India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, June 13: Snubbing India, Nepal's parliament on Saturday passed a constitutional amendment bill in a move to update the country's map, which includes Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura that India claims as its own. On Saturday, Nepal's Parliament voted on the map laying claim over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura along the border with India, notwithstanding a strong protest by New Delhi. Major Opposition parties including Nepali Congress (NC), Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) voted in favour of the government bill to amend Schedule 3 of the Constitution to update the national emblem by incorporating the new controversial map. A two-thirds majority was required in the 275-member House of Representatives or the lower house to pass the bill. On June 9, Nepal's cabinet endorsed a new political map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura under its territory, amid a border dispute with India. India maintains that these are part of Uttarakhand. "Such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India," Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, had said last month. Amidst firing and map row, India to exercise caution and restraint with Nepal "Nepal is well aware of India's consistent position on this matter and we urge the Government of Nepal to refrain from such unjustified cartographic assertion and respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he had added. India also urged Nepal to refrain from such unjustified cartographic assertion and respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We hope that Nepalese leadership will create a positive atmosphere for diplomatic dialogue to resolve the outstanding boundary issues, the MEA spokesperson also said. Army Chief General MM Naravane today said that India has a very strong relationship with Nepal. "We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people to people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future," General Naravane was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Nepal had alleged that India had encroached upon its territory by deploying soldiers, building a temple and creating an artificial river. Nepal's Prime Minister, K P Oli said that India had built a Kali Temple, created an artificial Kali river and deployed Indian Army personnel in order encroach upon the Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura. He said that these earlier belonged to his country. Oli also criticised, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath for advising Nepal for not committing the mistake of ratcheting up a territorial dispute with India. He said that these remarks were not acceptable to the people of Nepal. Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura were based on historical records and India should return the areas it had encroached upon. Ever wonder what the bare shell of a spacecraft looks like? NASA shared this picture of a window panel for its Orion spacecraft being built at AMRO Fabricating Corp. in California. The panel started as a larger piece of aluminum that is being gradually shaved into the proper shape. This particular panel will form part of the Orion spacecraft for Artemis III, the mission slated to send astronauts to the lunar surface in 2024. Learn more about NASAs back-to-the-Moon Artemis program here. Image credit: NASA. NASAs OSIRIS-REx mission released a giant mosaic of asteroid Bennus surface created from 347 images taken last month at an altitude of just 250 meters. The mosaic shows Osprey, a backup location from which the spacecraft could collect a sample. OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to collect a sample from another spot called Nightingale in August and bring the sample back to Earth in 2023. The sample may tell scientists how ancient asteroids contributed to the origin of planets, and what role they may have played in the origin of life on Earth. Northrop Grumman is preparing to ship from Utah to Florida segments of the solid rocket boosters that will power NASAs first Space Launch System flight, which is scheduled for next year. There are 10 booster segments, 5 of which comprise each of the big rockets boosters. The boosters are similar to those used for the Space Shuttle, and will be similarly stacked inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. NASA said astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will likely remain aboard the International Space Station until at least August. The duo launched aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon on 30 May and arrived at the station safely a day later. Crew Dragon is currently certified to stay at the station up to 4 months, depending on how well it performs. Learn more about the International Space Station and NASAs Commercial Crew program on our website. Continue Reading Below Advertisement But these stories didn't just pop into Harris' head, he essentially stole them from slaves while working on a plantation during the Civil War, taking Black American folklore and repurposing it for white audiences. Like the story of the "Tar Baby," in which Br'er Rabbit is trapped in a doll-shaped clump of tar. The tale that features prominently in both the Disney movie and the ride originated with Black slaves has added layers of allegorical significance considering that tar, "was used as a police technology under slavery." Another big part of Song of the South that somehow survived Disney's erasure of the film is the Oscar-winning song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah." It plays at the end of Splash Mountain as you're wringing the water (and, let's be honest, child urine) out of your clothes. But it too can't be separated from the movie's disturbing history. The song was inspired by another earlier song called "Zip Coon." Which, you have to admit, isn't great. The song was featured in minstrel shows featuring a character also named Zip Coon, a "dandy" who was used "to demonstrate that black men, especially those living in northern cities, should be enslaved, not gallivanting around towns pretending to be white men." Continue Reading Below Advertisement This ride isn't some unimpeachable work of art that shouldn't be modified. The only reason why Disney chose Song of the South as the theme for Splash Mountain back in the 1980s was that it allowed them to recycle animatronic characters from a shuttered attraction. Also, apparently the only reason why they called it "Splash Mountain" was to promote the mermaid comedy Splash starring horny Tom Hanks. And it's not as if Disney parks have never removed problematic monuments in the past -- they could just stick all the Br'er Rabbit junk in the same room where they keep that Bill Cosby statue. You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter! And check out the podcast Rewatchability Top Image: Walt Disney The raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak has been a dampener for itinerant foreigners, who are attracted to Varanasi, a melting pot of pristine Indian culture and traditions. Varanasi, one of the four oldest living cities, including Rome, Athens, and Jerusalem, in the world, is known for its iconic ghats -- steps leading to the banks of the Ganges river -- serpentine lanes and by-lanes celebrating the mysticism of Hinduism. This is what had attracted Sarah Wackernell, an Austrian national and a social worker, to Varanasi on March 20. She had chalked out elaborate plans to soak in the sights and sounds of the ancient city upon her visit. Alas! Her plans remained a non-starter amid the viral outbreak that led to a day-long Janta Curfew on March 22, which was a precursor to the nationwide lockdown restrictions that were enforced three days later to contain the pandemic. Wackernell remained cooped up in her room at a guesthouse in a narrow lane near Rana Mahal Ghat for over 70 days during the lockdown restrictions. There was a sameness to her daily routine during the lockdown, when the hustle and bustle of the ancient city, which is never known to go to sleep, came to a standstill. In the morning, she would sit on the staircase at her doorstep and stare at the empty lane in front of her guesthouse as the pandemic-scarred world went by, while she would spend hours on the rooftop at night and gaze at the benign sheltering sky. All my plans were dashed because of the lockdown restrictions. I had no option but to be confined to my room at the guesthouse. However, local people and the guesthouse owner and his family were all very kind to me. They took care of me during the lockdown restrictions and are doing so even now, she said. The viral outbreak hasnt ebbed her wanderlust. She wants to explore Varanasi and wants to keep her tryst with iconic ghats and mystic dingy by-lanes, as and when an opportunity arises, as the social distancing norms have made these places off-limits for now. She will decamp to Rishikesh in neighbouring Uttarakhand once she has a fill of Varanasi. Ryan G, an American national, who, too, arrived in Varanasi and got stranded because of the lockdown restrictions, however, doesnt share the same experience as that of Wackernell. He alleged that the police were selective in enforcing lockdown restrictions, as they discriminated between locals and foreigners. Were asked by the police to stay inside the guesthouse. However, I saw several locals were roaming on the streets in violation of the lockdown restrictions, the American tourist alleged. His only attempt to visit the ghats was thwarted by the police, he further alleged. While Nita C, a Dutch national, who arrived in Varanasi four days before the lockdown restrictions were imposed, had a mixed experience. The locals are very cooperative. They helped us. But the guesthouse staff wasnt supportive. I was asked to cough up an unreasonable price for four chapatis, she said. Nita whiled away her time during the lockdown by immersing herself in yoga and meditation sessions daily. She is planning to leave for Delhi soon amid the easing of lockdown restrictions. Spaniard Virginia Tolls, too, reached Varanasi a few days before the lockdown. She had a pleasant experience with her stay. Locals people are good. They did shopping for me, as I couldnt venture out of the guesthouse during the lockdown, she said, while shes still undecided when she would like to leave Varanasi. Portuguese tourist Alexandre Afonso made good use of the downtime because of the lockdown restrictions. Personally speaking, it was a life-altering experience for me, as I could indulge in an inner journey to explore who Im. I may have been born and brought up in Portugal, but Im a global citizen, he said. Afonso, who too missed visiting the ghats, one of Varanasis star attractions, blamed a section of guesthouse owners for many tourists unpleasant stay during the lockdown restrictions. Kirtiman Srivastava, regional tourism officer, Uttar Pradesh tourism, made the ground rules clear. Owners of hotels, lodges, and guesthouses were clearly instructed to take care of foreigners and provide them with good food during the lockdown restrictions. Weve taken care of them well, despite the pandemic, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sudhir Kumar Sudhir Kumar is Varanasi based senior staff correspondent.He covers all developments, politics, education--primary, secondary and higher -- crime, offbeat, tribes and human angle stories ...view detail The ongoing separatist conflict in Cameroons western regions has created a growing humanitarian emergency that has affected close to two million people. Humanitarian experts say those displaced by the fighting need help resettling, but also psychological support. A clinic in Cameroons capital provides rare trauma therapy for those affected. Fifty-one-year-old Judith Ndome says rebels in Cameroons Southwest invaded her farm in 2018, demanding she give them money. When she refused, they beat her, took her farm and burned it to the ground. The attack left her traumatized and unable to sleep. She says she is sick. Her farm is where she used to sit. Judith says she thinks about her farms. Her farms gave her food. Even when she was not working, her farms were producing. She doesnt want to think about it anymore. But how does she stop thinking about that? Ndome fled her village to Cameroons capital, Yaounde, where she found help at a unique trauma clinic run by the Hope and Rehabilitation organization. Psychologist Cyrille Massala says when people have undergone therapy, at least 80 to 90 percent of them will come out improved and will be able to reintegrate into society and help others. Doctor Massala says the trauma healing is a learning session for a new life. Hope and Rehabilitation say they have helped over 1,200 internally displaced people like Ndome since starting the clinic four years ago. The group also gives food aid to IDPs and plans to start job training, if it can get enough donor funding. Kwa Mendi Fritz, the National Coordinator of Hope and Rehabilitation Organization says the NGO wants to organize a session whereby internally displaced persons will be trained on income-generating activities. Kwa Mendi adds, the NGO doesnt want a situation where internally displaced people will just receive food. The NGOs want to train them so that they can become independent and sustainable. Cameroons ongoing military-separatist clashes in the western regions mean the need for trauma therapy will only grow. The United Nations says the conflict has impacted the lives of nearly two million people, including more than half-a-million displaced, and claimed some 3,000 lives. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita and Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13 2020 Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi announced on Thursday that 311 foreign nationals have been infected with COVID-19 in Indonesia, of whom 26 have died. As of Wednesday, there are 311 foreigners who have tested positive for COVID-19, 26 have died and 204 others have recovered, she said in a virtual press briefing. The ministry also recorded 485 foreigners currently classified as people under surveillance (ODP). Of the figure, 265 foreigners have been repatriated to their home countries. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login In the past two weeks alone, a record number of Hizbul cadre many young recruits who have joined in recent months have been slain in police-led operations. From his home in the little mountain village of Liver, Naseer Ahmad Khan has begun gathering an army: Porters, carpenters, masons, mule-drivers, who will later this month march into the great mountains above Pahalgam to the ring of remote military outposts set up to guard the pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine. The work is hard and dangerous. Labour contractors like Naseer Ahmad are seen by jihadists as collaborators; some have been tortured, even executed. But Naseer Ahmad is different: his father is Ghulam Nabi Khan, the military chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen, once Kashmirs largest jihadist group. From his home in Rawalpindi, in Pakistan, Khan has presided over the Hizbs war against India since 2008, the last man standing, almost, of a generation of jihadists who once came close to seizing Kashmir. The strange story of father and son helps us understand why, even as a new generation of Kashmiris is joining the jihad, the Hizb is marching towards its grave. In the past two weeks alone, a record number of Hizbul cadre many young recruits who have joined in recent months have been killed in police-led operations. New Delhi is cheering, but this might not prove to be good news for India. Born around 1950 the village of Liver, near Pahalgam, to orchard-owning farmers, Khan was part of the first generation of Kashmiri Muslims to be empowered by State-provided public education. Following an education at a government-run high school in Sirigufwara, not far from Liver, Khan went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in the Arts from the Government Degree College in Khanabal, near Anantnag. To most local people, he seemed destined for a job as a petty bureaucrat, a coveted position. Then, the course of his life changed. Islamism had, in the 1970s, begun to emerge as a language of protest against India and the increasingly kleptocratic political system it sustained in Kashmir. Kashmirs Jamaat-e-Islami, scholar Yoginder Sikand has recorded, used networks of schools and mosques to propagate the idea India was determined to destroy the Islamic identity of the Kashmiris, through Hinduising the school syllabus and spreading immorality and vice among the youth. In the summer of 1973, the discovery of a dusty colonial-era encyclopedia in Anantnags public library, bearing an archangel Gabriel dictating the text of the Quran to the Prophet, sparked off widespread rioting. Local clerics demanded its its author be hanged, a demand hard to meet, scholar Katherine Frank wryly observed since Arthur Mee had died in England in 1943. For Khan, the riots marked the beginning of a lifelong involvement in Islamist politics. Though he does not appear to have joined in Jamaat-e-Islami organisational politics, he became active in Islamist opposition circles in southern Kashmir. Then, in 1987, the National Conference with then prime minister Rajiv Gandhis blessings rigged state elections to ensure the defeat of the new Islamist-led Opposition coalition, the Muslim United Front (MUF). Khan was among many MUF activists alongside his boss in the Hizb, Muhammad Yusuf Shah who ended up in prison. Emerging from jail in 1989, Khan crossed the Line of Control (LoC) to train at the many Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate-administered camps which had sprung up in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). His brother, Nisar Ahmad Khan slain in 1999 also travelled to the camps for training. Khan returned in 1990, now using the alias Saifullah Khalid. Ten years later, he was commanding the Hizbul Mujahideens operations across Kashmir. The ground beneath Khans feet, though, had begun to shift. In 1997, the head of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, called for an end to gun culture, using language that spoke for the growing frustration of Islamists with a war that had reached a grim, pointless cul-de-sac. Fair elections and democratic politics had resumed in Kashmir in 1996. Large numbers of yesterdays jihadists once politicians themselves wanted a deal with India. In the autumn of 2000, then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees government ordered the Research and Analysis Wing to begin secret peace negotiations with senior Hizb commander Abdul Majid Dar. Politicians like secessionist leader Abdul Gani Lone legislator Sajad Lones father quietly helped the process along. Khan had very personal reasons to resist the peace process: in 1999, his son Abdul Hamid Khan, the fourth of five, had been tortured and killed, in what the family alleges was an extra-judicial execution by Indian forces. The following year, as the dialogue process unfolded, Khan fled back across the LoC to Pakistan, fearing for his own life. He played a key role, though, in the ISIs campaign to stamp out the peace process, organising the assassination of key pro-dialogue commanders like Abdul Hamid Tantray. Lone was assassinated in 2002; the Hizbs Dar was himself executed by a jihadist hit-squad in 2003. Killing off the dialogue process, though, proved tougher than expected. General Pervez Musharrafs regime, under pressure from the United States after 9/11 and eager to avoid crisis with India, threw its weight behind a new peace process from 2003. Former chief minister Mufti Muhammad Saeeds Peoples Democratic Party government, moreover, provided the Jamaat rank-and-file with patronage and reached out to ground-level Hizb commanders, hoping to win them back to democratic politics. In the mid-2000s, demoralised cadre at the Hizbs camps began returning home, often with families in tow, travelling home through Kathmandu with the tacit backing of Indias intelligence services. Inside Kashmir, the senior Hizb leaderships families set about making their own peace. Hizb chief Shahs youngest son Syed Abdul Wahid landed a medical degree and then a job at a prestigious government medical hospital with a little help from the Intelligence Bureau, according to former Research and Analysis Wing chief AS Dulat. Two of Wahids siblings, Syed Shahid Yousuf and Syed Shakeel Yusuf, also landed government jobs. Like Khans labour-contractor son, the children and grandchildren of jihad commanders and secessionist politicians chose Indian capitalism over their parents Islamism. Barring Junaid Sehrai, son to Jamaat leader Muhammad Ashraf Khan, no child of a prominent Islamist joined a terrorist group. The Hizb seemed headed, inexorably, towards the dustbin of history. Kashmirs Islamist patriarch, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, responded to this crisis by bypassing the Jamaat, and reaching out to new youth cohort that had grown up amidst Kashmirs long jihad. Led by politicians such as Masrat Alam Bhat, Asiya Andrabi and Ashiq Husain Faktoo, the New Islamists successfully repackaged Jamaat ideology for an online generation. Prostitution, drug and alcohol use, migrant workers, womens freedoms: these were Indias weapons, to destroy Islam and Kashmiris, the New Islamists claimed. I caution my nation, Geelani warned in 2006, that if we don't wake up in time, India and its stooges will succeed and we will be displaced. Geelani and his lieutenants received none-too-tacit support from chief minister Saeed, who hoped to use them to destabilise his arch rival and successor, Congress politician Ghulam Nabi Azad. Feuds between the PDP and National Conference fuelled the crisis. We politicians set about pulling each other down, recalled former Kashmir minister Imran Ansari, and ended up bringing the roof down on our heads. In the summer of 2008, the New Islamist movement exploded into murderous street battles with police. The Hizb found itself on the sidelines, lacking the kinds of charismatic leadership needed to reach out to young people. The slogans of young Islamist protesters increasingly invoked the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammadnot the Hizb. Even though he flatly refused to return home, Khan was now given charge of rebuilding the organisation. Funds flowed to local commanders, but the task proved hard, mainly because the considerable daylight that lay between aspirations of young jihadists and the Hizbs leadership. From 2010, bitter feuds broke out between Hizb leadership and north Kashmir commander Abdul Qayyum Najjar, culminating in a series of savage killings. Najjar was called back to Pakistan and a truce worked out. The deal didnt last, though, and both sides were soon trading allegations of treason and bullets. Burhan Wani, held out as a poster boy for the Hizb in a social media driven age, further embarrassed the Hizb by decrying its traditional ethnic-religious nationalism and vowing to fight until a caliphate is established over the entire world. Hizb leaders, acutely aware of western pressures on their Pakistani patrons to distance themselves from global jihadist organisations like Al-Qaeda, sought to silence this Islamic State-inspired polemic, but failed. Wanis successor Zakir Rashid Bhat went even further, threatening to chop the heads off secessionist politicians should they stand in the way of the jihadist struggle for an Islamic State. Inside months, Bhat broke with the Hizb and set up an Al-Qaeda wing in Kashmir. Finding himself running short of leadership candidates after Bhats defection, Khan turned to Sabzar Ahmad Khan, a one-time criminal and drug addict from Tral who had acquired a significant social media profile. Sabzar Khan rein, though, turned out to be ineffective and short lived. Late in 2016, Khan finally found a commander who understood the need to keep the Hizbs language distinct from global jihadism and avoid alienating the bourgeois base of the Jamaat-e-Islami. Through his almost four-year run as the Hizbs Kashmir chief, one-time school teacher Riyaz Naikoo significantly toned down the organisations polemic. We have no enmity with people of India, he proclaimed on one occasion. Our fight is with those who commit cruelty against our people. In one 2018 speech that irked many young Islamists in Kashmir, Naikoo even assured migrant workers and Amarnath pilgrims: You have no threat from us. Last year, though, after Article 370 was revoked, Naikoo found himself struggling to rein-in field units which unleashed an assassination campaign targeting the apple industry. Though young jihadists were determined to sabotage the harvest and thus demonstrate the limits of Indias power, the Hizb command understood this would serve only to alienate ordinary Kashmiris. Following Naikoos killing last month, the Hizb is again facing a leadership crisis. His successor Saifullah Mir, an Industrial Training Institute-educated pharmacologist, is believed to rarely leave his home district of Pulwama. Theres little sign Mir or his boss in Rawalpindi will succeeding in addressing the Hizbs chronic capacity issues. Lacking weapons and ammunition, as well as even rudimentary training, over two dozen recruits who joined the Hizb have been killed in police-led operations since March. This hemorrhage, unprecedented in the Hizbs history, makes it probable young Islamists will look elsewhere to pursue their jihadist pulses. Ethnic Kashmiri jihadists have found growing space in better-resourced and disciplined organisations such as the Lashkar and Jaish. 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, becoming the first known ethnic Kashmiris to have carried out such a strike. Adil Dar, the 20-year-old who carried out the 2019 Jaish-e-Muhammad suicide-bombing in Pulwama, began in the Hizb but soon looked elsewhere. By the time this video reaches you, he said in a suicide video, I will be frolicking in paradise. Adil Hafiz, another young jihadist who began his journey in the Hizb, is believed by police to have signed up for a similar bombing last month. Even though anti-Pakistan organisations such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have been crippled by the same logistical challenges as the Hizb, they have also continued to attract some numbers of new recruits. Kashmiri jihadists linked to these global organisations have begun to argue that the war of attrition in Kashmir is unwinnable and advocate, instead, for attacks on cities and business across India Ghulam Nabi Khans jihad was intended to supplant the political order India had built in Kashmir with one led by the Jamaat-e-Islami, backed by Pakistan. The political circumstances, and hopes, it was predicated on no longer exist. In its place, a new kind of jihadism has risen from the dark soil laid by a decayed political system, a jihadism which, inspired by global projects, is driven by a millenarian impulse hostile to all forms of politics and even the idea of accommodation itself. Canada PM calls for investigation after video shows officer tackling man to the ground and punching him in the face. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called for an independent investigation after a shocking video showing the arrest of an Indigenous chief by federal police. The video, filmed and released by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), shows an officer rushing at Chief Allan Adam on March 10 during an encounter over an expired licence plate. In the dashcam video, broadcast by several Canadian media outlets, Adam has a heated exchange with a police officer outside a casino in the province of Alberta. The tense situation degenerates quickly when the officer tries to handcuff Adams wife, and a second officer is seen tackling Adam to the ground and punching him in the face. BREAKING NEWS: Dash-cam footage obtained by CTV News shows Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam getting tackled by Wood Buffalo RCMP officers, then punched in the head and put in a choke-hold. #cdnpoli #RCMP pic.twitter.com/NKJeapPzDN Rosa Hwang (@journorosa) June 12, 2020 Last week, Adam circulated images of his bruised and battered face following the arrest. He told media that because we are a minority and nobody speaks up for us, every time our people do wrong and the RCMP go and make their call, they always seem to use excessive force. That has to stop. Enough is enough, he said. The Canadian prime minister, on Friday, said: I have serious questions about what happened. The independent investigation must be transparent and be carried out so that we get answers. At the same time, though, we also know that this is not an isolated incident. 200607054851124 We know that this is not an isolated incident, Trudeau said. Far too many Black Canadians and Indigenous people do not feel safe around police. Its unacceptable. And as governments, we have to change that. Thousands of Canadians have marched in solidarity with US protesters against racism and police brutality, following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, during an arrest by Minneapolis police. Trudeau himself took a knee, a popular protest gesture, last Friday at a demonstration outside his office in Ottawa. After a week of denying it, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki on Friday reversed her position and acknowledged in a statement that systemic racism is part of every institution, the RCMP included. I struggled with the definition of systemic racism while trying to highlight the great work done by the overwhelming majority of our employees, she said. I did not say definitively that systemic racism exists in the RCMP. I should have. UPDATE JUNE 15: This story has been updated to include a statement from the victims mother. A 34-year-old Portland man was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing two girls -- after one of the girls approached a Portland police officer whod given a presentation at her school. The officer, Heidi Kreis, had talked to students about recognizing and reporting sexual harassment in December 2018. After Kreis was done, the girl told her that Jonathon Paul Rogers had been groping her breasts and her buttocks. Jonathon Paul Rogers (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office) The girl also said the abuse had been going on for years, since she was about 6, and he was still at it. She said she knew Rogers had been targeting another girl, too, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by the prosecution. The girls report set off an investigation. When extensively questioned, both girls disclosed that the abuse was even worse than first described: Rogers had raped or sexually abused them in other ways. Rogers admitted to a detective that he molested the girls. More than a year later, in March, Rogers pleaded pleaded guilty to first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse and attempted first-degree unlawful sexual penetration. The girls mother attended Fridays sentencing in Multnomah County Circuit Court. She offered this statement: It is hard to fully describe the impact this has had on all our lives," she said. The girls suffer long term psychological effects and will require years of help to just learn to be OK. Their mother said ever since the girls reported the abuse, they live in constant fear that somehow he would come back even though theyve been reassured that wouldnt happen. No child should be put through what theyhave gone through, she said. "This nightmare lives with them every day. No amount of prison time will be enough to give them back the years they suffered at Jons hands. Under Jessicas Law, which is meant to punish offenders who commit certain sex crimes against children under age 12, Rogers could have received a minimum 25 years in prison but more than 100 years if convicted of all 11 charges against him. Kreis was a school resource officer assigned to the girls school in late 2018. Last week, Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero announced the school district would no longer staff police officers in its schools. The decision came amid daily protests over the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, racism and police brutality. Some activists say money that was spent on school resource officers should pay for more counselors and school staff who are racial minorities. -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Residents of a California city are outraged and demanding a more thorough investigation after city officials said the 24-year-old black man found dead, hanging from a tree outside their city hall, was a suicide. Robert Fuller, 24, of Antelope Valley, California, was found hanging from a tree with a rope around his neck outside Palmdale City Hall in Palmdale, California, by a passerby at 3.39am Wednesday. The coroner's office said Fuller's death was initially reported as an apparent suicide, but that his cause of death has been deferred pending an investigation and a full autopsy, according to the Los Angeles Times. Robert Fuller, 24, was found dead, hanging from a tree outside Palmdale City Hall Wednesday Police said that they had been in contact with Fuller's family and were continuing to investigate the circumstances that might've led to Fuller's death. Police noted that they found 'no signs of a struggle,' while city officials in a statement said that 'Sadly, it is not the first such incident since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Daily Beast reported. 'Many people are suffering extreme mental anguish and the City wants everyone to know that help is available,' City Manager J.J. Murphy said in the statement. In the wake of weeks of protesting surrounding George Floyd's death, community members - and celebrities including Kim Kardashian West - are demanding that authorities carry out a full investigation into Fuller's death and the idea that it actually might have been a homicide. On Friday afternoon, about 100 angry city residents marched and held a rally in the area where Fuller's body was found, with some suggesting that his death was a lynching, not suicide, according to MyNewsLA. Locals also made their feelings known at a news briefing conducted by city officials Friday. They brought up incidents of racism in the city, including the presence of Confederate flags. Fuller's body was found hanging from a tree in the vicinity of the Palmdale City Hall building The City of Palmdale released a statement on Facebook with information about Fuller's death People - including Kim Kardashian West - have been demanding a full investigation into Fuller's death, after authorities said it appeared that he had committed suicide One man said that 'We have a history with nooses. We dont like ropes around our necks.' He also noted that: 'It was a message for the protest we had in Palmdale and Lancaster.' One woman shouted 'Remember what the first coroner said about George Floyd?' referring to the fact that the initial coroner's report indicated that there were 'no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation,' but that 'combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.' The county coroner and an independent coroner both later agreed that Floyd's death was a homicide, but had differing opinions on the cause. News briefing attendees asked that security camera footage be reviewed and expressed disbelief at being told that there were no surveillance cameras located in the park where Fuller was found, the Antelope Valley Times reported. City Manager Murphy said that officials should perhaps have called Fuller's death 'an alleged suicide.' But, when he said, 'Can I also ask that we stop talking about lynchings?' the audience shouted 'Hell no!' Marisela Barajas, of Palmdale, told the Los Angles Times that she had 'doubts about what happened' and said that Fuller dying 'All alone, in front of the City Hall' was 'more like a statement.' 'Even if it was a suicide, that in itself is kind of a statement,' Barajas added. A woman claiming to be Fuller's friend refused to believe that Fuller had taken his own life. 'If you knew this young man, you would never get the thought of him having some type of mental illness. He was always smiling,' the woman told radio show Big Boys Neighborhood, according to the Daily Beast. She added that 'Theyre trying to cover it up as a suicide and its not a suicide.' Lt. Brandon Dean of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Homicide Bureau, who is supervising the investigation into Fullers death, told The Daily Beast 'early indications' do point to suicide, as there were no signs of defensive wounds or physical assault on his body. Dean also said that there was no evidence that Fuller was 'put up' in the tree 'against his will.' In addition, 'The rope wasnt thrown over but tied to the branch, which means somebody had to get up there and tie it,' he said. Although Fuller's full autopsy was conducted Friday, authorities are still waiting on his toxicology results to come in. Dean said that should the toxicology results indicate that he had a 'high level of a chemical that might have poisoned him or knocked him unconscious and allowed someone to drag him up there, it would give a new direction to the case.' Due to the lack of cameras around City Hall, Dean said that investigators are currently looking at footage from businesses nearby where Fuller was found to see if he was alone or with somebody else before his death. A GoFundMe set up by one of Fuller's relatives has raised more than $134,400 out of a $100,000 goal in less than 24 hours. 'Words cant describe how my family is feeling. We grew up there in the Antelope Valley, we have so many friends, families that loved Robert. Please help with whatever you can. We greatly appreciate everyone. Thank you for standing with us during this difficult time,' Diamond Alexander wrote. Anyone with information about Fuller is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Madam Diana Aduko Aburiya, a former New Patriotic Parliamentary Candidate for the Bongo Constituency in the Upper East Region, has appealed to partys delegates to endorse more women parliamentary candidates in the upcoming parliamentary primaries. The NPP is set to organize its Parliamentary Primaries for constituencies, on June 20, 2020, having held its primaries in the orphan constituencies in 2019. Madam Aburiya, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the newly converted Bolgatanga Technical University, made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bongo. According to her, women constituted more than 51 per cent of Ghanaians population and, therefore, when given the political platform and resources could mobilize more voters especially floating voters for the party to win more votes in the forthcoming general elections. We as a party, stand to make a greater impact in winning massively for the parliamentary and presidential slots if we give more chances for female parliamentary candidates to contest for the parliamentary seats, I, therefore, appeal to the delegates to consider that, she stressed. She, however, pledged to work tirelessly with Mr Peter Ayinbisa, the partys parliamentary candidate for the Bongo Constituency, who is also the District Chief Executive Officer of the area, to win massively for the parliamentary and presidential seats in the 2020 general elections. For the interest and the development of the party, all of us as party supporters, executives and sympathizers need to bury our differences and work together to enable us to win power for the party particularly the Bongo constituency, which is noted to be the world bank of the National Democratic Congress Party over the years. Madam Aburiya said the numerous social intervention programmes including the Free Senior High School, expansion of the School Feeding Programme, the Planting for Food and Jobs being implemented by the government, had impacted positively on the livelihoods of the vulnerable. The former Parliamentary Candidate reiterated the need for more Ghanaians especially women and the youth to renew the mandate of President Akufo-Addo, to pave way for him and the NPP government to initiate more good social intervention programmes to help bridge the poverty gap. She said despite her meagre resources, she would continue to sacrifice, remain dedicated, loyal and faithful to the cause of the partys victory in the forthcoming general elections and urged other supporters to do same. She said she would soon form and launch a campaign team to embark upon the vigorous house to house campaign, market to the market campaign, village to village, and street to street campaign to ensure the partys victory this year, 2020. 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 Even by the standards of an often graphic trial the evidence given by Harvey Weinstein's victims about his deformed genitalia was jaw-dropping. According to aspiring actress and accuser, Jessica Mann, her first impression was that the disgraced movie producer might be 'intersex.' Indeed, he appeared so abnormal scarred and apparently without testes that she felt 'compassion' for the man on trial for sexually assaulting her. And naked photographs of the fallen mogul were distributed among the jury rather than shown on the large screen as Manhattan's Assistant DA Joan Illuzi did not want to 'humiliate' him. Now, DailyMail.com can reveal the horrific truth behind the 68-year-old's deformity as Weinstein's life is laid bare in a three-part series in Graydon Carter's Digital News Weekly, 'Air Mail,' starting tomorrow. Details of Harvey Weinstein's deformed genitals were detailed by his accusers during his rape trial Naked photos of Weinstein were shown as evidence to the jury after Jessica Mann, one of the two key accusers in his case and the woman he has been found guilty of raping, described her attacker's 'deformed body' as part of her testimony Jessica Mann (above) told the court she didn't believe he had testicles and that his penis looked like a vagina. She also said that when she first saw him naked she thought Weinstein was 'physically deformed or intersex' WHAT IS FOURNIER'S GANGRENE? Fournier's gangrene is a rare, life threatening bacterial infection that affects genitals and predominantly occurs in men. It starts when bacteria invades the body through a cut or scratch on the penis, testicles or vagina. The germs let off toxic enzymes which destroy the surrounding skin and tissue, causing it to rot. The condition becomes deadly when the infection spread through the blood stream. From here it can attack major organs or cause the body to go into a fatal immune overreaction known as sepsis, which causes immune cells to attack healthy tissue. Its estimated that fewer than 100 people a year develop the condition and it kills a third of sufferers. Most people who suffer a bacterial infection in their genitals are able to fight off the germs before they cause Fournier's gangrene. But those with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop the condition. Up to 70 per cent of people who suffer from Fournier's gangrene have diabetes or are obese. Men in their 60s and 70s are also at high risk, as are cancer patients on immunosuppressive drugs or chemotherapy. As gangrene sets in, the decomposing tissue starts giving off a strong, rotten smell. Symptoms include: swelling in the affected area rapid heartbeat high fever In men, the infection can destroy their scrotum and leave their testes exposed. Prompt surgery to completely remove tissue and aggressive antibiotics can reduce the chance of death. Advertisement The physical oddity that damned him in court was, in fact, the result of a life-threatening infection that saw Weinstein medevaced out of St Barts shortly after Christmas 1999. According to the profile, 'At the time, Harvey blamed something he ate. But for years after, the tracheotomy scar from the scary, near-death experience was impossible to hide.' He had been stricken with Fournier's gangrene, 'an acute infection of the genital region that diabetics and middle-aged men are prone to.' Weinstein was both. Some patients require skin grafts while extreme cases can require an orchiectomy the removal of the testicles - as seems to have been the case with Weinstein. Weinstein hinted at some sort of physical 'trauma' in an unreleased public statement in 2017 when he attempted to explain away his anger and sex addiction by recounting all that he had been through physically. At the time he claimed, 'Vets tell me I have PTSD.' Regardless of the truth of that statement an enduring and common side-effect, that seems to have affected Weinstein following the infection and numerous operations that saved him, is erectile dysfunction. Author Phoebe Eaton revealed that one of the less savory jobs foisted upon Weinstein's 'hapless assistants' was 'procuring Harvey's meds, such as Caverject.' Injected directly into the penis 5 to 20 minutes before intercourse, Caverject increases blood flow and can give a paraplegic with no function below the waist an erection. Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year-sentence for third-degree rape and a criminal sexual act. He is also facing additional charges in Los Angeles and a civil suit alleging two rapes and two additional sexual assaults. A bid to be released from prison due to Covid-19 failed but Weinstein was sequestered in the prison infirmary amid a host of health issues including Type 2 diabetes, back problems that saw him hobble to court with a walker each day and heart troubles. The profile paints Weinstein as a fat and bullied kid with cystic acne who turned into a fat and bullying adult with a pock-marked face. He is described by one associate as 'an arrogant, ignorant a**hole, frankly.' His younger brother Bob is described as, 'kind of the passive-aggressive version of the same.' Questions remain over whether Bob decided to 'sit on his hands' - and whether he finally decided to help to 'push his brother off the ledge'. Detailing Weinstein's 'hyper-sexuality' Eaton reveals that assistants were 'routinely required to book flights and cars for many a perfectly willing female, depositing them at a Central Park South hotel on Harvey's way home.' One, speaking on condition of anonymity admitted, 'Did that gross me out? Yes, it did. Also, adults are allowed to make decisionsThese people appeared to be doing this with their eyes wide open.' According to the assistant, one nameless A-list celebrity, received a $100,000 necklace from Weinstein for her birthday and 'hasn't peeped since the scandal broke.' The attorney general's office referenced an entire tier of payroll employees with no apparent role other than brokering introductions to women. After the trial one of the jurors told how she tried to 'block out' pictures of the rapist's deformed body And, Eaton reveals, Weinstein was sleeping with so many women that staff took to nicknaming those with whom he did most frequently, 'Harvey's Hookers.' Outside his office, Eaton writes, 'A giant poster for the movie, 'The Libertine' sat parked on an easel Its tagline, scripted in red, advertised the bold presence within: 'He didn't resist temptation. He pursued it.' Ultimately it caught up to him. READ PART ONE OF THE THREE-PART SERIES IN Graydon Carter's Digital News Weekly, Air Mail STARTING Saturday June 13 here. Protests over the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody have prompted government and police officials across the United States to enact or propose changes aimed at showing demonstrators that their concerns about police brutality and racism are being heard. Here are some of those actions. POLICE BUDGET CUTS PROPOSED With protesters rallying officials to "defund the police" and "abolish the police," a majority of Minneapolis city council members pledged to disband the city's police department with a new community-led safety model, a step that would have seemed unthinkable before Floyd's death. Los Angeles' mayor proposed cutting up to $150 million from the police department's $3 billion budget, and New York City councilors proposed a 5 percent to 7 percent cut for all agencies, including the $5.9 billion police budget. OFFICERS CHARGED Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter after a video showed him pinning Floyd's neck to the street for over eight minutes during an arrest. But as protests continued, prosecutors charged Chauvin with second-degree murder and alleged that three now former officers aided and abetted second-degree murder and manslaughter. On June 6, two Buffalo, New York, police officers were arraigned on felony assault charges for shoving a 75-year-old demonstrator amid protests. A New York City police officer who shoved a woman to the ground during a protest was charged with assault, menacing and harassment on June 9. MONUMENTS COME DOWN Statues, monuments and buildings of US historical leaders who carried out policies viewed as racist are being removed. Boston and Camden, N J removed statues of Christopher Columbus, who enslaved people while colonizing America for Spain. Philadelphia took down a statue of Frank Rizzo, a former mayor and police commissioner, and Dallas took away a statue at its airport of former Texas Ranger Captain Jay Banks, both of whom critics highlight supported actions that targeted people of colour. Several universities and towns in the South removed monuments or renamed buildings and roadways honoring the Confederate movement, a largely southern campaign which defended slavery. The US Marine Corps banned public displays of the Confederate flag at its facilities. CHANGING POLICE TACTICS Across the country changes are being made to boost oversight and curb police violence. California's governor ordered the state's police training program to stop teaching neck holds, as law enforcement agencies across the state said they would ban them and related maneuvers over concerns that they can be deadly. Memphis police department in Tennessee said it introduced a new policy on June 9 warning officers would face consequences if they do not try to stop colleagues engaged in misconduct. Other governments approved new laws or policies for apprehending suspects to reduce the risk of deadly encounters. Austin, Texas, said police cannot shoot at fleeing suspects unless they pose an imminent threat. Louisville, Kentucky banned "no-knock" warrants, which are used to forcibly enter homes but can result in residents shooting at officers seen as intruders. Kansas City, Missouri's mayor committed to having an outside agency, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, review every local police shooting, seeking to address concerns about departments mishandling internal investigations. Seattle's police chief banned covering badge numbers, which help the public identify officers. Police said they cover badges with black tape to mourn the death of officers, but critics say it can be used to shield police misconduct. Amid public outcry over the police response to racial justice demonstrations, Portland, Seattle and Austin officials have curbed the use of tear gas on protesters. In Europe, which has seen solidarity protests with Floyd, the French government also banned neck holds. SCHOOLS CUT TIES School administrators in several cities have canceled security services contracts with police departments after years of complaints that officers target students of color and worsen safety. Schools in Minneapolis, Portland, Oregon and Denver were among the first to drop what are often called school resource officers. NEW LAWS PURSUED State officials have begun passing what they describe as police reform legislation, while federal officials are pursuing similar proposals. New York's governor signed into law on June 12 measures making police disciplinary files public records and criminalizing false 911 calls based on someone's race. Lawmakers for the District of Columbia voted to make it easier to hold officers accountable for misconduct, including the removal of the police officers' union from disciplinary procedures. Democrats in the US Congress on June 8 proposed legislation to ban neck holds, require federal officers to wear body cameras, and increase independent oversight over departments. Republicans in the Senate, as well as President Donald Trump, announced their own legislative plans to address police reform and racial injustice. US Representative Justin Amash, a Libertarian, and Democrats Ilhan Omar of Minneapolis and Ayanna Pressley of Boston, said they plan to back a separate bill allowing civil lawsuits against police. It would reverse a Supreme Court "qualified immunity" doctrine that has largely shielded police from legal liability even when courts find officers violate civil rights. A LIMERICK woman who always knew she wanted to work with words will launch her third novel this Thursday - a thriller with a spine-tingling twist. Due to Covid-19, Guilty, a twisty and compelling psychological suspense novel set in Ireland will be launched virtually by OMahonys Booksellers at 7pm this Thursday. The books author Siobhan MacDonald from North Circular Road in Limerick city developed a love of words from a very early age. After attending the Model school in Limerick city she went to Laurel Hill Colaiste, off the South Circular Road, a school she credits in large part for fostering her love of the written word and creative writing. A broad-brush education gave her the supports to negotiate the twists and turns of her career that has led her to where she is now a thriller writer. I always knew I wanted to work with words., Siobhan explained. My mother, Catherine ODonoghue was a well-known speech and drama teacher from the North Circular Road in the city and was a strong creative influence. As a teen, I loved constructing essays, writing plays, poetry, and short stories. I fancied doing history and English in college. Maybe Id become a journalist or columnist. But those kind of jobs, in fact any jobs, were few and far between in the 80s, so I did electronic engineering in NUIG instead. When she graduated, Siobhan was offered a research job in RTE but was keen to spread her wings, and went to work as a technical writer in Scotland. As it happened, technical writing married my technical knowledge with my love of writing. It gave me a great grounding in how to write analytically something which I use today to plan my novels. Another writing job took me to the South of France while technical writing for a French company that provided telecomm solutions for the airline industry. While she was designing and writing user manuals - all the while in the background Siobhan was writing creatively. Back home in Limerick I set myself a challenge of writing a full-length novel. After some time I got an agent followed by a publisher, explained Siobhan who lives on North Circular Road. She is married to Neil, and has two sons Jamie and Alasdair. Twisted River was published in the US by Penguin -a thriller about a house swap that goes wrong between a family in Limerick and a family in New York. This was followed by The Blue Pool about a student that goes missing in The Burren. And now the thriller Guilty which is set in County Clare about a heart surgeon whose life spirals out of control. Doctor Luke Forde has the perfect life. A respected heart surgeon, he has a rewarding job, a successful wife, and a daughter, Nina. From their beautiful house overlooking Carberry Lough in County Clare, they present a portrait of family bliss. But over the course of a weekend, Luke's life spirals into chaos. It begins with the word 'GUILTY' painted on his boathouse one morning. For more details on the book see OMahonys Booksellers website and Facebook page. (Bloomberg) -- A Taiwanese court ruled Friday that current and former engineers from United Microelectronics Corp. stole trade secrets from U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology Inc. and shared them with a government-backed mainland Chinese company, closing one chapter of a global dispute thats stoked U.S.-Chinese tensions. The district court of Taichung fined UMC NT$100 million ($3.4 million) after finding three engineers guilty of theft or assisting in the alleged theft. The trio was jailed for periods ranging from 4.5 to 6.5 years and fined between NT$4 million and NT$6 million. The case is part of a years-long dispute spanning two continents thats deepened divisions between Beijing and Washington. Intellectual property theft is among the Trump administrations chief complaints as it wages a campaign to contain China thats rattled global markets. China, which is trying to become a major player in semiconductors, has repeatedly denied that its companies poach trade secrets. UMC said it will appeal the ruling, saying it has mechanisms to protect its customers intellectual property rights and it did not violate trade secrets laws. In its appeal against the ruling and the excessively disproportionate penalty, UMC will cite many irregularities in both the investigation and the case itself, the Taiwanese company said in a statement. Micron welcomed the verdict in a statement and said justice had been served. The misappropriation of trade secrets and their transfer outside of Taiwan is detrimental to the countrys entire semiconductor industry and threatens future competitiveness. This judgment further reinforces the importance of intellectual property protection in Taiwan, demonstrating that criminal misappropriation will be appropriately addressed, the company said. Micron first sued UMC and its Chinese partner -- Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., which is said to have benefited -- in 2017 in the U.S. for stealing trade secrets, setting off the dispute between the top U.S. memory chipmaker and one of Asias largest manufacturers of made-to-order semiconductors. In January of the following year, UMC counter-sued in mainland China and that July, a Chinese court banned sales of some Micron chip sales in the country. In November 2018, UMC and Jinhua, along with the three individuals, were indicted in California, charged with conspiring to steal trade secrets from Micron. Story continues Fridays decision coincides with growing scrutiny of the role that Taiwanese companies play as global leaders in chipmaking and electronics assembly. In May, the U.S. slapped a ban on the sale without approval of silicon made with American gear to Huawei Technologies Co., a move regarded as an attempt to prevent industry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. from supplying its top Chinese customer. The U.S. is intensifying its scrutiny of Chinese investors and companies and it will not allow Taiwan to become a loophole, said Carol Lin, a law professor at National Chiao Tung University, speaking before the verdict was announced. She said that Taiwans legal process for IP theft cases is long and there is no knowing when this UMC case will be finalized. This actually may undermine foreign companies confidence in Taiwan, said Lin. Taichung prosecutors had indicted UMC employees J.T. Ho and Kenny Wang in 2017 on charges of breaching Microns trade secrets. Both are former employees of the U.S. chipmaker. Ho and Wang replicated Microns DRAM data onto their own devices and used the material for their work at UMC including a partnership project with Chinas Fujian Jinhua, prosecutors said in an indictment document reviewed by Bloomberg News. Wang is no longer with UMC, according to a company spokesman. A third UMC staffer, Rong Leh-tian, instructed Wang to incorporate Microns design information into UMCs own, according to the indictment. The intent of that was to shorten chip development times the court said in Fridays statement. In reaching its verdict, the court cited evidence including how Ho was on both UMCs and Jinhuas payroll at the same time and it was clear the allegedly stolen technology was intended for use in China. J.T. Ho earned two salaries respectively from UMC and Jinhua, so it is very clear he intended to use [Micron data] on mainland China, the court said in a statement. Kenny Wang and Rong Leh-Tian both leaked Microns trade secrets to UMC for the use of UMCs relevant business units ... and the final research was to be transferred to Jinhua for mass production, so they had the intention to use [Microns data] in mainland China. Rong, a senior manager, instructed the other two defendants to wipe any Micron data on their computers before Taiwanese prosecutors raided their workstations, but investigators found a large volume of material from the U.S. company on the devices regardless, according to the court. The court said Ho had received some NT$5 million from both UMC and Jinhua, while Wang got NT$1.5 million and Rong NT$1.6 million from UMC. The defendants conduct have led to Microns loss of advantage and competitiveness in the market of products connected to the leaked trade secrets and undermined Microns interests. This damage is difficult to remedy due to the leak, the court said in a statement. (Updates with response from Micron in fifth 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. President announces public debate before finalisation of the National Education Policy View(s): Public opinion will be sought prior to the finalising of the National Education Policy, Education Ministry Secretary N.H.M. Chitrananda said. Mr Chitrananda, a member of the Presidential Task Force on Sri Lankan Education, told Education Times proposals and recommendations made by the task force will be circulated to people via print and electronic media, and it will consider peoples views especially experts in the field of education. By July, the task force will begin educating people on the proposals and recommendations. Though the report was to be finalised in June, President Rajapaksa directed us to get public opinion and release the final report by September, he said. According to Mr Chitrananda, those who have suggestions and proposals to be included in the new education policy, can direct such information to the relevant ministry secretaries or heads of institution to be forwarded to the task force. Suggestions on subjects such as school syllabuses, text books, school uniforms etc. can be forwarded to the Education Ministry Secretary, and this can similarly be done for other ministries as well, he said. Meanwhile the Presidents Media said a public debate will take place on policy recommendations made by the presidential task force on Sri Lankan Education prior to the finalising of the National Education Policy. President Rajapaksa recently met task force members to discuss the current status of the formulation of the National Education Policy. He informed officials to place the recommendations for a public debate at least two months prior to the finalisation of the policy covering nursery, primary, secondary, tertiary and vocational education. He had said the futuristic education policy should be acceptable to all and asked the opinion of the task force about the possibility of placing the General Education, Higher Education and Vocational Training Ministries under one Ministry. The 26 member task force includes secretaries of the Education, Higher Education, Technology and Innovation, Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations ministries, the University Grants Commission Chairman, state university vice chancellors, national and semi-government school principals and wardens and the chairman of the an international school network. Demonstrators have defied a court order banning their rally on Saturday and turned out to protest against the governments treatment of refugees. Police wearing face masks stood on the steps of Town Hall on Saturday afternoon as small groups of protesters marched past with placards reading "Detention is an infection risk" and "Detention destroys mental health". Demonstrators rally in Sydney on Saturday in support of refugees. Credit:Dean Sewell Several hundred protesters and onlookers watched as rally organiser James Supple led chants of "free, free, the refugees" and "Refugees yes, racism no. Detention centres have got to go". Police later fined Mr Supple for breaching regulations restricting public gatherings. Demonstrators march past Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on Saturday during a protest over the police killing of George Floyd. (John Amis / Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Atlantas police chief resigned Saturday, hours after police fatally shot a 27-year-old Black man following a scuffle when they responded to a complaint that he had fallen asleep in the drive-through line at a Wendys fast-food restaurant. Late Saturday night, the officer who fired the fatal shot was terminated as hundreds of protesters blocked a downtown Atlanta connector road and faced off with police in riot gear. Scores were arrested. At about 10 p.m., the Wendy's caught fire, with flames pouring out of the drive-through window. Earlier in the day, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Erika Shields, who had served as chief since December 2016, had decided to step down but would remain with the department in some other capacity. Officer Garrett Rolfe, who shot Rayshard Brooks of Atlanta late Friday, was fired, the Police Department reported Saturday night. Rolfe was on the force for more than six years. Officer Devin Bronsan, hired in September 2018, was placed on administrative duty. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Brooks had resisted arrest and grabbed a Taser from an officer who had deployed it when officers attempted to take him into custody after he failed a sobriety test. While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do, Bottoms said at a news conference. I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force." A cellphone video posted on social media appears to show Brooks running from two police officers before being shot. Additional video, the GBI said, showed the man grabbing the Taser, fleeing and then turning and pointing it at an officer. The death in a city roiled by complaints of excessive police force comes amid global street demonstrations demanding justice for George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed in police custody last month in Minneapolis. Story continues Atlanta police were dispatched to the Wendy's a few miles south of downtown at 10:33 p.m. Friday to investigate a complaint that a man had fallen asleep in a parked car blocking the drive-through, according to a GBI statement. When Brooks resisted being taken into custody after failing the sobriety test, the GBI said, an altercation ensued in which an officer deployed a Taser. Shaky cellphone video shows two officers struggling with a man on the ground. The man appears to grab a Taser, break free and run away across the parking lot and out of the frame of the camera. An officer gives chase, and then another officer follows. Then the sound of three shots can be heard. A few seconds later, a figure can be seen in the distance running toward another figure on the ground. On Saturday afternoon, the GBI said that the officer's body camera was knocked off during the physical struggle, preventing the recording of the entire incident. However, the bureau obtained additional surveillance video from the scene, which it released to the public Saturday night. Passengers in cars show their support for protesters marching in Atlanta on Saturday. (John Amis / Atlanta Journal-Constitution) According to the GBI, Brooks was taken to a hospital, where he died after surgery. One officer was treated for an injury and discharged from the hospital. L. Chris Stewart, an attorney for Brooks' family, said his team had spoken with multiple witnesses who said the officers put on plastic gloves and picked up their shell casings after shooting Brooks and before rendering aid. We counted two [minutes] and 16 seconds before they even check his pulse, he said. And people wonder why everyones mad. Stewart said lethal force should not have been used against someone with a Taser since it's not considered a deadly weapon by the state of Georgia. Thats the law.... Ive had cases where officers had used Tasers on victims and they argue with us in court that Tasers arent deadly," he said. You cannot have it both ways in law enforcement. You cant say he ran off with a weapon that could have killed somebody, when you say its not deadly. On Saturday night, some at the scene of the shooting roared and pumped fists in the air as the flames billowed higher. "No justice, no peace!" several shouted. Over the last two weeks, the Atlanta Police Department has seemed to struggle in reacting to protests, veering from stepping back to heavy-handed shows of force. While the department had had success in recent years in working to develop a less antagonizing presence policing marches and demonstrations remotely, via CCTV cameras, and having officers wear regular beat uniforms rather than militaristic garb some have accused police of being too hands-off and passive, while others have accused officers of excessive force. In recent weeks as police chief, Shields had earned praise for hitting the streets and listening to demonstrators who gathered downtown to protest the police killing of Floyd in Minnesota. "You're pissed off, you're afraid and nothing changes," Shields said to protesters two weeks ago. "I'm with you. I'm with you." A few hours later, the citys downtown and upscale Buckhead district devolved into chaos as rocks were hurled at police cruisers and windows were smashed with little repercussion. The next day, Shields said police would not stand by if there was further destruction. Yes, you caught us off-balance once, she said at a news conference. Its not going to happen twice. Within hours, Atlanta police officers were captured on video shattering the windows of a sedan and Tasing two Black college students inside. Bottoms swiftly fired two of the officers in the incident, and this week she fired two more officers. Fulton County Dist. Atty. Paul Howard has charged six officers with using excessive force. This is why people are outraged in this city, said Antonio Brown, an Atlanta City Council member, who joined dozens of protesters outside the Wendys early Saturday after getting a call after 1 a.m. Its incredibly important that our police, especially now, dont resort to firing a gun not unless someone is firing a gun right at you. The city needed to move quickly to enact legislation forbidding the use of excessive force, Brown said. There is no time for a task force at this point, he said. We need to act immediately to address excessive force by police in this city. Whatever happened in the altercation, Brown said, he saw no reason officers would feel that their life was in jeopardy enough to justify firing their weapon. He was fleeing; he did not pose danger to the people, he said. If the man was drunk, there should be some de-escalating procedures in place. Given the environment were in right now, using your weapons should be the ultimate last resort. Shields, who is white, had long been viewed as a reformer who advocates a so-called 21st century policing approach aimed at building public trust. "Chief Erika Shields has been a solid member of APD for over two decades, and has a deep and abiding love for the people of Atlanta," Bottoms said Saturday. "And because of her desire that Atlanta be a model of what meaningful reform should look like across this country, Chief Shields has offered to immediately step aside as police chief so that the city may move forward with urgency and rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities. Former Assistant Police Chief Rodney Bryant, who is Black, will serve as interim police chief as the city launches a national search for a new leader of the force. On Saturday morning, dozens of protesters had gathered outside the Wendys holding signs that read "Black Lives Matter" and "No Justice, No Peace." Auri, 27, a flight attendant who lives in Atlantas Mechanicsville neighborhood and declined to give her last name, stood on the sidewalk waving a handmade sign that said: SERIOUSLY? Another cop killing. This has been happening for years, she said. The moment it happened in my neighborhood I felt on fire. It could have been my boyfriend, my brother, my father. As the crowd swelled, protesters stepped out onto the four-lane road and blocked cars from passing. Mystified, a woman got out of her vehicle and walked toward the protesters. I just want to get a burger, she cried, throwing her hands in the air. We are taking over the streets, a man bellowed into a bullhorn. Wendys is closed. APD needs to be closed. We need to bring back the Black Panthers. We need to police our own communities. Before long, a man in a green Kia Soul drove up to the protesters and tried to inch his vehicle through the crowd. A tense standoff ensued as protesters holding placards blocked his path, knocking on the hood of his car and posting protest fliers on his windshield and drivers-side window. Turn around! they cried. Turn around! Eventually, after 10 minutes, the man shifted his car into reverse and turned around. The crowd punched their fists in the air and cheered. Standing in the middle of the street amid the protesters, Atlanta City Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd said she shared their anger and was committed to taking immediate action to address police use of force. What happened here last night was unjust, she said. Weve got to reform our Police Department. Period. Five six-unit classroom blocks have been inaugurated for some deprived communities in the Manso Nkwanta Constituency in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region. The beneficiary communities are Abodom Brofoyedu, Pakyi Camp, Keniago, Nsiana and Mpatuom. Each of the school blocks is furnished, and has a toilet facility, with an adjoining mechanised borehole and a poly tank to consistently supply water to the schools. The Member of Parliament for Manso Nkwanta, Professor Joseph Albert Quarm, last Thursday, together with some dignitaries, inaugurated the classroom blocks in separate events at the various communities. Also present were the District Chief Executive of the area, Nii Lantey Oleenu, and some officers of the Ghana Education Service (GES). GETFUND Speaking at the ceremony, Prof Quarm noted that the facilities were funded through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) and reiterated the governments commitment to making education more accessible to the people, especially those in deprived areas. He expressed gratitude to the sector minister, Mr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, for the instrumental role he played towards the realisation of the projects. The MP urged the school authorities to ensure that the facilities were put to good use. Commendation The District Education Director, Mr Kwabena Owusu, in a speech read on his behalf, commended the government for its numerous infrastructural projects in the district. He said with the new classroom blocks in place, it would help eliminate the shift system in the schools, which was the case due to inadequate infrastructure. For his part, the Chief of Pakyi Number Two, Nana Baffour Kofi Adjei, hailed the government for its continuous support to the people. He, however, appealed to the government to fix the deplorable road network in the area, which he said had adversely affected economic activities in the area. 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 eating regimen called "intermittent fasting" first caught my attention last year when my friend Reid Freeman, 61, who runs a factory in Lexington, Ky., told me he'd been using it to lose weight. He hoped weight loss would help with his obstructive sleep apnea, which is associated with an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and abnormal heartbeats (known as atrial fibrillation, or AFib). Now three years into intermittent fasting, Freeman recently told me he has shed 45 pounds thanks to it - and even more important, his sleep apnea is gone, which likely reduces his risk of a cardiac event. I had followed up with Freeman because I'd recently learned that I was at high risk for a heart attack - not because of sleep apnea but because I have metabolic syndrome. That's a catchall disorder that includes obesity, insulin resistance or hypertension, or a combination of them, that increases the risk of heart disease and heart attack. Based on those risks, my cardiologist, Arthur Agatston, an associate professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, had recommended intermittent fasting to me. I thought my heart attack risk was low. A coronary calcium scan told me otherwise. Intermittent fasting took off in the United States in part due to a 2014 TEDx Talk ("Why fasting bolsters brain power") by Mark Mattson, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins Medicine. There are numerous versions of it: Mattson says the 16:8 plan, in which you fast 16 hours a day, and restrict your eating to an eight-hour window, is the most popular. Other approaches include alternate-day fasting and the 5:2 method, which requires fasting two nonconsecutive days a week. "There have been no studies comparing the different intermittent fasting approaches in humans," Mattson says, "so all we can see is that several different [IF] approaches are better than three meals plus snacks every day." David Weincek, an actor and friend, followed the 16:8 plan, eating during only an eight-hour window each day. To his surprise, he lost 22 pounds in four months. "I noticed I had much more energy and stamina during my day," he told me. As it turned out, dozens of people I know now follow one of these variations, not only for weight loss but also for longevity, cognitive performance, sleep problems - and, relevant to me, heart health. In case you're wondering, intermittent fasting isn't another of those quick-weight-loss schemes you find on the Internet. Late last year, the New England Journal of Medicine published an authoritative review of research on intermittent fasting and its potential for reducing a great many health risks, including multiple sclerosis, intestinal disorders and various cancers. One of the study's co-leads, Hopkins's Mattson, explained the significant benefits to heart health: "Intermittent fasting enables overweight people to lose weight and improve many different health indicators including glucose regulation, cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation." Those risk factors include blood pressure, resting heart rate, HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance - in other words, metabolic syndrome. Agatston, my cardiologist, told me he thought intermittent fasting would effectively address my insulin resistance, which is caused by consuming too much sugar and refined carbohydrates (including bread, white rice and pasta). Insulin resistance often progresses to prediabetes, then diabetes, high blood pressure and even atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. And last fall, the American Heart Association reported on two studies showing that intermittent fasting "is associated with lower rates of heart failure and a longer life span." The results had a "more profound effect [on heart health] than we anticipated," epidemiologist Benjamin Horne, who presented the preliminary findings at an AHA conference, explained in a Heart Association news article. Other medical professionals still want to see more studies to determine the regimen's short- and long-term benefits, as well as any potential adverse effects. Carl Orringer, director of Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is not currently recommending intermittent fasting to his heart patients. He doesn't dispute the science in the New England Journal of Medicine article, but he has three concerns about its application in the real world: -- It's difficult to adhere to, given how culturally ingrained our mealtimes are. -- It may cause short-term hunger, irritability and trouble concentrating. -- Most physicians are not trained to prescribe such regimens. "I have my doubts about how many patients will actually get access to the counseling and follow-up that will be needed to maximize the suggested benefits," Orringer told me. Mattson concedes that new followers are initially likely to "be hungry and irritable during the time when they had previously been eating. . . . However, within two to four weeks their energy-regulating neuroendocrine systems and hunger-regulating circuits in their brains will adapt and they will no longer be hungry during the fasting period." It's all about timing, Mattson says. When you eat a meal, the hormone leptin is released into your bloodstream. "Leptin acts on the hypothalamus," he says, "and sends signals to higher brain centers, which give you the 'I'm full' feeling. On the other hand, when you have not eaten anything for a long time, a hormone called ghrelin is released instead. Ghrelin acts on the hypothalamus to trigger the 'I'm hungry' feeling." Although it sounds counterintuitive, long periods without eating actually decrease your levels of the "eat now" ghrelin. How do you start? Agatston told me to start by skipping one meal a day, usually breakfast. (Yes, you can have black coffee in the morning, into which he adds ghee, a type of clarified butter, and coconut oil to reduce hunger pangs. It's not your typical cup of coffee.) Lunch, he told me, should be in the early afternoon, with dinner no more than eight hours later. He cautions that it's important to stay hydrated with plenty of water, salt, and magnesium supplementation. "Adjusting blood pressure and diabetes medication is [also] essential," he says, all of which means it is important to consult with your doctor before starting an intermittent fasting regimen - and while you're on it - since it's not right for everyone. Finally, there's one more reason to consider intermittent fasting: covid-19. Mark Hyman, a practicing family physician, and head of strategy and innovation at the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Functional Medicine, says nearly 90% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy in one way or the other - that is, we have either high blood pressure, high blood sugar or high cholesterol, or a combination. Intermittent fasting, he says, "can improve poor metabolic health resulting in improvements in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and inflammation" - all of which can make covid-19 illness more severe and life-threatening. I remain on the fence for two reasons: I've been trained over many years that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." I want to tend to my heart (and weight) but I also don't think I'd do well feeling hungry. Still, the science is speaking to me. I'm reminded of what the University of Miami's Orringer told me: "There is no solution that works for everybody. I just want to see more, high-quality data, before I can give intermittent fasting my seal of approval." Yep, that sounds about right. Young Black Man Found Hanging from a Tree in Front Palmdale City Hall L.A. County Sheriff Department Believes it be a Suspected Suicide. A 24-year African American man was found hung in Palmdale; recent reports identified the individual as Robert Fuller. He was found by a pedestrian walking near Palmdale City Hall around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10. According to Palmdale Sheriff Lt. Brandon Dean, From initial investigation of the scene and everything weve recovered, all signs right now lead us to believe this was a suicide, Before the autopsy has been concluded, there are reports of the case being a self-inflicted incident. As the investigation continues, the Palmdale City Manager J.J. Murphy spoke about the incident. The city manager echoed what the Palmdale Sheriff department declared, Murphy stated that there were no signs of a fight or a struggle; the Coroners office is still proceeding with an autopsy. However local news already labeled the incident as a suspected Suicide. The Mayor of Palmdale Steve Hofbauer admitted the news surrounding this should have been worded better In regards to cameras, Mayor Hofbauer stated the surveillance around that area are low-resolution that follow traffic in real time, indicating they dont record. ADVERTISEMENT Palmdale has a track record of neo-Nazi gang relations and activity within the city, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva will hold a virtual town hall meeting to address community concerns on June 15. A further investigation is being demanded, community members have been outraged behind the knowledge of this news and how its being handled by local government. Speculators believe that the incident is staged as more than a statement rather than the aftermath of a mental health issue. The story is still unraveling with new information with results are still coming in, there is a call for anyone to come forth with any evidence or information. The Uttar Pradesh Police registered a case against a retired IAS officer after he questioned the state government's coronavirus strategy on his Twitter account. The FIR lodged against Surya Pratap Singh, a 1982-batch IAS officer who retired in 2015, says his tweet has wrong facts and misinformation, and has led to an atmosphere of fear among the public at large. The case was registered on the complaint of the in-charge of the secretariat chowki, Subhash Singh, on Thursday night at the Hazratganj Kotwali for giving false information about government efforts against the infection, police said on Friday. Meanwhile, reacting to it, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said if any former officer has raised the question, then the UP government should answer it and not file a case against him. The former bureaucrat had tweeted, "After CM Yogi's Team 11 meeting, did the chief secretary scold some of the DMs who conducted more corona tests to ask 'why working in so much speed, do you want to get some prize that you are shouting corona corona @ ChiefSecyUP please clarify? Is no test = no corona Uttar Pradesh's strategy?" However, soon after FIR was lodged, Singh again tweeted that an "unconfirmed news" is coming from the media that the government has filed a case against him. "First of all, I want to make it clear that I am adamant on the statement 'no test, no corona' given on the policy of the Uttar Pradesh government and will continue to ask questions from the government," he said. SRINAGAR: An Army jawan died after he fell into a deep gorge while patrolling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Gurez Sector of Jammu and Kashmir. 36-year-old Subedar Yamuna Prasad Paneru was leading a patrol along the LoC on Thursday during which he slipped and fell down around a hundred meters on a one-foot wide ridge with the deep gorge on the sides. The jawan was immediately rescued by his team, administered first aid and evacuated to 92 Base Hospital here. However, he succumbed to severe injuries at the hospital. Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen BS Raju and all other ranks paid homage to the braveheart on behalf of the proud nation at a ceremony held at Badamibagh, an Army spokesperson said. In this hour of grief, the Army stands in solidarity with the bereaved family and remains committed to their dignity and well-being, the spokesperson said. Paneru, who was a native of Padampur village of Dhari tehsil in Uttarakhand's Nainital district, had joined the Army in 2002. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter. Paneru was a mountaineer, the Army spokesperson said, adding that he had guided a unit expedition team to summit the revered "Om Parvat" in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district. He was also selected for an expedition to Nanda Devi (eastern approach) in 2007, which met with a catastrophic end, claiming the lives of 10 Everesters, the spokesperson said. Undeterred by the incident, Paneru again volunteered to be part of a rescue team formed in 2009 to recover the bodies of the brave soldiers who died during the 2007 incident. In 2012, he was selected for an expedition to Mount Everest undertaken by Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling and he successfully summited the world's highest mountain on May 25, 2012. The mortal remains of Paneru were sent to his native place, where he would be laid to rest with full military honours, the spokesperson said. Patna: The ruling JD(U) is planning to use alleged corruption and misappropriation of properties by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)chief Lalu Prarad Yadav and his family as the main poll plank during Assembly elections slated to be held later this year. On Thursday, when the RJD was celebrating Lalu Yadavs 73rd birthday, the JD(U) put up a poster in Patna accusing him of acquiring properties by bullying his party workers. The poster has a list of about 73 properties which have allegedly been acquired by the RJD chief and his family. Lalu Yadav used his political muscle to acquire properties through unfair means. In the coming days, you will see more such exposure. They (Lalu Yadav and his sons) keep talking about honesty but the reality is completely different, JD(U) spokesperson and public relations minister (PRD) Neeraj Kumar told this newspaper. Furnishing details of the land deals, he claimed that in one of the documents Lalu Yadav has acquired land in the name of Tarun Yadav. The document mentions Tarun as his son, all of us know only about his two sons, Tej Pratap and Tejashwi Yadav, but today we want to ask where his third son is. The JD(U) recently said that the upcoming Assembly polls would be fought on the issue of Lalu-Rabris 15 years of misrule and good governance under the NDA led by chief minister Nitish Kumar in the successive years. In November, the NDA will complete 15 years in power, which is equal to the period of Lalu and Rabri Devis regime in Bihar. In the 2015 Assembly polls, the RJD had emerged as the largest party with 80 seats. The JD(U), then part of the grand alliance, had won 71 seats and the Congress won 27 seats. The BJP, which fought the elections alone after Nitish Kumar broke 17-year-old ties in 2013, had won 53 out of 157 seats it contested. In 2017, the grand alliance government comprising JD(U)-RJD and Congress collapsed after the BJPs Sushil Kumar Modi made similar allegations against Lalu Yadav and his sons. Tejashwi Yadav, who was the deputy chief minister till July 2017, is currently the leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and has been declared the chief ministerial candidate of the grand alliance in Bihar. Photo: Getty Legislation is being rushed through Parliament to introduce employer penalties for furlough fraud. The government plans to give firms 30 days to admit to deliberate non-compliance of furloughing rules, according to The Telegraph. More than 1,900 claims have been made to the furlough fraud hotline and whistleblower charity Protect has also experienced a rise in calls. Workers have been calling the lines to report on their employers for cheating the furloughing system. Abuses have included claiming on employees' behalf without their knowledge or expecting employees who have been furloughed to continue working. HMRC have now warned employers they may be charged a penalty for breaching the furlough rules when the legislation is passed. The new law is expected to come into force next month to help target companies' incorrect or fraudulent claims. Almost nine million workers have been furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme since March, at a cost of 19.6bn ($24.6bn) to the taxpayer. A further 7.5bn has been paid out to 2.6 million self-employed claimants. The scheme was designed to prevent businesses from making staff redundant due to the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE: Coronavirus: UK economy slowly recovering, says Bank of England chief The government stepped in to continue paying 80% of staff wages in a bid to protect jobs. But there have been growing concerns that some employers have been taking advantage of the system and the government now want to crack down on these. "It is clear that HMRC is now gearing up to tackle incorrect and fraudulent claims for Covid-19 support payments. For those where HMRC suspects fraud, we can expect serious investigations," Dawn Register, of tax firm BDO, told The Telegraph. The legislation is expected to introduce a 30-day period for employers to "confess" and notify HMRC of any furlough mistake claims. After this grace period HMRC will be pursuing companies using criminal and civil powers. The new rules will apply to employers with furloughed staff and self-employed workers who applied for funding under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. BRADY ANDERSON, Chariho, Wrestling, Sophomore; Anderson finished first in the 152-pound weight class at the Griswold Midseason Invitational tournament. Anderson went 3-0 in the tournament, pinning all of his opponents in the first period. Anderson is 10-4. LYDIA LASKEY, Stonington, Gymnastics, Senior; Laskey finished first in all four events in meets against NFA and Westerly. Laskey had an all-around score of 33.75 against NFA and 34.60 against Westerly. RILEY PELOQUIN, Westerly, Girls Basketball, Sophomore; Peloquin scored 22 points and had 19 rebounds in two games. Peloquin is averaging 7.6 points and 7.5 rebounds a game for the Bulldogs. DEONDRE BRANSFORD, Wheeler, Boys Basketball, Sophomore; Bransford scored 25 points and had 28 rebounds in a pair of Wheeler victories. Bransford is averaging 10.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per contest for the Lions. Vote View Results RACINE COUNTY Despite a pandemic just beginning, two area high schools were able to perform the first few nights of their musicals and manage to get them reviewed, just in the nick of time before things got worse. And the end result was in their favor. Burlington High School and Waterford Union High School have both won several Jerry Awards for their performances of Once Upon a Mattress and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, respectively. The Jerry Awards is one of Wisconsins high school musical awards programs and honors excellence in high school musical theater. Productions from more than 85 high schools in 30 counties around the state are reviewed for the awards. Nominations were announced mid-April and winners were announced about a week after, on April 20. Each year, school and student achievements are typically honored in an awards show held at Overture Center in Madison in June. Students are awarded with a certificate and a trophy. Then two outstanding performers advance to The National High School Musical Theater Awards competition in New York City. The Jerry Awards Facebook page and The Grands Facebook page was supposed to broadcast the awards show on Sunday, June 7, including performances, group numbers and shout outs, but was postponed due to recent events surrounding the protests for Black Lives Matter and George Floyd. The high schools won the following awards: Burlington High School Outstanding overall design Outstanding stage management: Annathea Brenneman Outstanding lead performance: Bella Gatterer (Queen Aggravain) Outstanding supporting performance: Erin Torpy (Nightingale of Samarkand) Spirit award: Gracie Geyso Waterford Union High School Outstanding musical Outstanding lead performance: Jacob Klingsten (Leaf Coneybear) Outstanding supporting performance: Angelina Hill (Olives Mom) Outstanding supporting performance: Logan Windisch (Vice Principal Panch) Spirit award: Colette Goldammer Burlington High School The musical they performed this year, Once Upon a Mattress, is a comedic musical, based on the fairytale, The Princess and the Pea. Burlington High School has participated in the Jerry Awards for the last four years and has had success. The students were congratulated electronically for winning. Jennie King had lots of great things to say about the students that performed. Our students are amazing, she said. The type of students that come out for the musical are involved in everything. Theyre just so phenomenal. King, as well as music teacher Penny Yanke, were co-directors of the musical. Yanke was in charge of the music, helped students learn their parts and worked with the ensemble and pit orchestra. King did all the rest of the directing. I was extremely proud of the students, King said. They were a great group to work with and an outstanding cast. The 65-student cast was a double cast students playing lead roles alternated nights. King said they were not understudies, and rather the shows were split evenly, allowing more students to shine in a lead role. In the leads off nights, they were part of the ensemble. Kings husband, Rob King, designed the set, which ended up winning an Outstanding Overall Design award. Jeremy Fitch, Rick Morrell and Sherry Gordon also played roles in helping with scenic design. The musical included a scene with frogs on a log, which was an original take. The frogs sang Swamps of Home, which usually isnt in the musical. Three students acting as frogs came on stage wearing green morph suits and riding a tree log, to the theme Rainbow Connection with one of the frogs playing a banjo a nod to The Muppet Movie, King said. The shows production started in November with auditions. Rehearsals continued in the months following and then the musical officially opened on March 6. The high school usually hosts six performances in a span of two weekends but was only able to have three in the span of one weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was tragic and really painful for the students, King said. The seniors have had so many of these milestones taken from them. Also, the performance is filmed in the second weekend, which didnt happen this year. Theres pictures, theres memories, but not being able to finish the show was a bitter pill, King said. Weve had no closure and now the seniors are moving on. Waterford Union High School Waterford Union High School theater staff and cast members had similar feelings about their show being cut short. We never got to go through the finality of a show where you put it to rest. It just felt like we never got to say a true goodbye, Leigh Birmingham said. Getting these awards and nominations definitely helped with dampening the sting. Leigh Birmingham is the theater department head for the high school and was a co-director of the musical. She was in charge of blocking the scenes, characterization, designing the set and costumes. Derek Machan is the choral director for the high school and was the other co-director of the show. He played keyboard and directed in the pit. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is also a comedic musical, about a spelling bee at Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky teenagers contest in the bee, administered by three just-as-quirky adults. The cast was able to include the audience on stage for segments of the show. Plus, the cast was able to do improvisation. It was just a lot of fun, Machan said. Waterford was nominated for 19 Jerry Awards and won 16. This is only the schools second year participating. Because the group won for outstanding musical, the cast also won all the subsequent awards in design, costumes, etc., which amount for the rest of the awards. Auditions were held in January, students rehearsed for two months and then the show opened Thursday, March 12. Four shows were originally scheduled for this production. The judges were supposed to come on Saturday, March 14, but then on Thursday, March 12 the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning and schools were closing around the state. Musical staff heard from Waterford school administration that they would be able to do one more show on that Friday night and that would be it. Waterford also had two different sets of students playing lead roles these students were understudies. We called them understudies, they were anything but, Machan said. Our secondary cast was just outstanding. The word understudy is not necessarily appropriate for them. The Jerry Awards judges were able to scramble and review the show on Friday night (instead of Saturday), and the cast that night was made up of both primary and secondary cast members. Waterford students were also congratulated electronically for winning the directors hosted a Zoom call for them. They were a great cast and great kids that really rose to the occasion, Machan said. Im incredibly proud of the kids because they work extremely hard. This year, the directors tried to challenge the students skills and the students provided. They bounced off ideas, they tried things, they took some risks that paid off and they just supported each other, he said. Birmingham agreed, saying it was a great environment and there was a lot of cohesiveness between cast members. We had that groove going, she said. Pushkar Banakar By NEW DELHI: The Nepal Parliament, in a special session on Saturday, voted in favour of a constitutional amendment Bill to include territories of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani in Uttarakhand in its new political map and emblem. The Bill, introduced by Nepal Prime KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday in the House of Representatives, or the Lower House of Nepals Parliament, was cleared with a two-thirds majority after all 258 votes went in favour of the amendment. The overwhelming majority was achieved after the main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, decided to back the amendment. The strength of the House of Representatives is 275. India described the development as untenable and violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues. The Ministry of External Affairs said: We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter. "This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues. The Bill will now be sent to the National Assembly or the Upper House, which will be given another 72 hours to debate and clear. Once cleared, it would be sent to the Nepali President for ratification and subsequently included in the Constitution. The House of Representatives unanimously adopted the Constitution Amendment Bill, paving the way for accommodating the updated political-administrative map in the national emblem, Nepali Foreign Ministry Pradeep Gyawali tweeted with a picture of the new emblem showing the territories in the Himalayan nations new map. The Bills introduction had evoked strong reactions from India. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had described the move unilateral and not based on historical facts. Such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India. Nepal is well aware of Indias consistent position on this matter and we urge the Government of Nepal to refrain from such unjustified cartographic assertion and respect Indias sovereignty and territorial integrity, he had said last month. The border issue grabbed attention after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 8 inaugurated a road in Lipulekh. While Nepal claims it as its own territory under the Treaty of Sugauli, India maintains that the territories are a part of Uttarakhand. A new map was then released a day later, which was endorsed by the Nepal Cabinet. The formal clearance of the new map is likely to close any chances of Indo-Nepal talks on the border issue. The Nepali Congress had, while backing the amendment, insisted on foreign secretary level talks with India to resolve the issue. To help India in the fight against the deadly coronavirus, about one hundred ventilators shipped by the United States will arrive in the country on Monday, June 15, news agency ANI reported on Saturday. In the first tranche, 100 ventilators have been shipped to India, the first installment of 200 machines that the United States has promised to donate to the country. These ventilators are being manufactured by Zoll--an US-based firm and are arriving from Chicago in the United States. The ventilators, critical medical equipment needed to treat coronavirus patients, will arrive in India by an Air India flight on Monday. ALSO READ | Trump considers suspending H-1B, L-1 and other work visas, could hit Indians hard Once the ventilators arrive in India, there is a small inaugural function at the India Red Cross Society, after which these ventilators would be distributed to hospitals for patient care, a government official said on Saturday. On May 16, US President Donald Trump had tweeted, I am proud to announce that the United States will donate ventilators to our friends in India. We stand with India and @narendramodi during this pandemic. Were also cooperating on vaccine development. Together we will beat the invisible enemy! In response to Trumps tweet, PM Narendra Modi had thanked him in a tweet and highlighted India and Americas bilateral relationship. President Donald Trump had first announced the plan to donate the ventilators through a tweet on May 16, when he said both countries were also working on developing a vaccine for Covid-19. ALSO READ | India has highest number of serious Covid-19 cases after United States: Report The donation of the ventilators came up during President Trumps phone call to PM Modi last week. The US government, private companies, and non-profit and academic organisations have shared their expertise with partner countries such as India on the production of ventilators and other equipment. India, this week climbed to the fourth spot in the list of nations that have the highest number of coronavirus cases, surpassing the United Kingdom, which was in the fourth place so far and has also been hit hard by the pandemic. India is now preceded only by Russia, Brazil and the US. Russia currently has nearly 5 lakh cases and Brazil 7.75 lakh. The United States, however, has the maximum number of Covid-19 cases globally with the number of patients being more than 20 lakh. Brazilian bombshell Alessandra Ambrosio certainly looked leggy wearing nothing more than a white blouse fastened with a belt and matching sandals in Malibu on Friday. The 39-year-old CAA Model channeled Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) when she wore Mr. Big's button-up and Hermes belt in a 2000 episode titled 'Cock-a-Doodle-Do.' For a bit, Alessandra protected herself with an animal-print cloth mask, which LA Mayor Eric Garcetti made mandatory for all outdoor activity on May 13. Brazilian bombshell! Alessandra Ambrosio certainly looked leggy wearing nothing more than a white blouse fastened with a belt and matching sandals in Malibu on Friday 'Cock-a-Doodle-Do': The 39-year-old CAA Model channeled Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) when she wore Mr. Big's button-up and Hermes belt in 2000 Garcetti extended the stay-at home order indefinitely due to the 70K confirmed COVID-19 cases in LA County, which has led to 2,834 deaths as of Friday - according to Johns Hopkins University. But soon the mask was off as Alessandra ran errands in the luxurious strip mall, Malibu Country Mart. Ambrosio was joined for lunch by her eight-year-old son Noah Phoenix as well as a masked mystery woman and man. Little Noah armed himself in a protective blue mask to dine al fresco at a restaurant, which Garcetti began allowing on May 29. Now you see it: For a bit, Alessandra protected herself with an animal-print cloth mask, which LA Mayor Eric Garcetti made mandatory for all outdoor activity on May 13 Now you don't: Garcetti extended the stay-at home order indefinitely due to the 70K confirmed COVID-19 cases in LA County, which has led to 2,834 deaths as of Friday Over-accessorized: But soon the mask was off as Alessandra ran errands in the luxurious strip mall, Malibu Country Mart Double date: Ambrosio was joined for lunch by her eight-year-old son Noah Phoenix (2-L) as well as a masked mystery woman and man Lunch time! Little Noah armed himself in a protective blue mask to dine al fresco at a restaurant, which Garcetti began allowing on May 29 Missing from the family outing was the American Housewife guest star's 11-year-old daughter Anja Louise, who spent the day with her father Jamie Mazur. After welcoming two children, Alessandra and the Re/Done denim co-founder amicably ended their decade-long engagement in March 2018. Despite it being June not February, Ambrosio Instastoried a snap of herself with her Italian boyfriend Nicolo Oddi on Friday captioned: 'Happy Valentine's Day, my love!' Surf's up! Missing from the family outing was the American Housewife guest star's 11-year-old daughter Anja Louise, who spent the day with her father Jamie Mazur It's over: After welcoming two children, Alessandra and the Re/Done denim co-founder amicably ended their decade-long engagement in March 2018 (pictured August 25) The 40-year-old Alanui co-designer - whom met the Fyre Festival paid promoter at HQ2 Nightclub in Atlantic City back in July 2018 - has been fully accepted by her daughter Anja. On April 29, the little girl posted on her family-run Instagram account: 'Thank you for making mommy so happy, as well as the rest of the fam!' Career-wise, Alessandra currently covers the new issues of ELLE Japan, Spain, and Greece in a seaside spread shot by photographer Mario Sierra Fotografo. Despite it being June not February, Ambrosio Instastoried a snap of herself with her Italian boyfriend Nicolo Oddi on Friday captioned: 'Happy Valentine's Day, my love!' 'Thank you for making mommy so happy!' The 40-year-old Alanui co-designer (R) - whom met the Fyre Festival paid promoter at HQ2 Nightclub in Atlantic City back in July 2018 - has been fully accepted by her daughter Anja (L) On Thursday, hair and make-up artist Vicky Marcos Instastoried a BTS video of herself prepping Ambrosio on a beach in Tulum, Mexico earlier this year. The MasterChef guest star also runs her second swimwear line GAL Floripa, which she co-founded in March with her younger sister Aline and BFF Gisele Coria in March. Ambrosio - who retired from Victoria's Secret in 2017 - previously ran her eponymous swimwear line ale by Alessandra from 2014-2018. 'Sunshine state of mind!' Career-wise, Alessandra currently covers the new issues of ELLE Japan, Spain, and Greece in a seaside spread shot by photographer Mario Sierra Fotografo As of June 7, 4,000 deaths were registered in Scotland where coronavirus has been mentioned on the death certificate. While weekly deaths related to the virus have fallen well below a peak of 659 deaths between April 20 and April 26, there were 89 COVID-19 deaths in the week ending June 7. Scotland has the third worst coronavirus death rate in the world: With 4,000 deaths from a population of 5.454 million people, the rate of coronavirus deaths in Scotland has reached 733 for every million, behind England on 767 and Belgium on 842, according to the Scotsman newspaper. Most fatalities have occurred in care homes, where 1,861 residents have died, 47 percent of all COVID-19 fatalities across Scotland. A further 46 percent occurred in hospitals and seven percent in homes and non-institutional settings. Poor working class neighbourhoods have borne the brunt of the pandemic, with the Glasgow and Clyde region suffering an astronomical death rate of 10.8 per 10,000 of populationgreater than one in a 1,000 people. Excess deaths above a five-year average, also known as preventable deaths, are far higher and considered a more accurate measure of the pandemics death tollunder conditions in which capitalist governments globally have failed to provide any systematic testing of the population. Scotland has recorded 841 excess deaths per million, according to the Financial Times, just below the UK average, but greater than Wales and Northern Ireland, and 30 times greater than Norway, which has comparable population size and density. In addition to deaths linked directly to COVID-19, there have been 581 preventable deaths in care homes and a massive 1,821 preventable deaths in individual households. A large proportion of these comprise people dependent on residential care and home care, who died horrendously of neglect as these services were brought to the point of collapse and medical care was rationed at the expense of the elderly, sick and disabled. There have been more than 400 preventable non-COVID-19 deaths among people with dementia or Alzheimers disease. Care deaths were exacerbated by the genocidal government policy pursued across the UK of discharging the elderly from hospital to care homes without screening for the virus. At the height of the pandemic, according to research by the National Audit Office, 25,000 people may have been discharged from hospitals into care homes without being tested. In Scotland alone, nearly 1,000 patients were discharged to care homes without being tested, which helped to seed the virus in more than half of all care homes. This was carried on in the full knowledge that care standards were rapidly deteriorating because of woefully inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and massive staff absences due to uncontrolled infection. Even in normal conditions, many care homes do not directly employ medically trained staff and cannot deliver humane medical treatment or palliative care to the very sick or dying. Nevertheless, only nine percent of COVID-19 fatalities among Scotlands care home residents occurred in hospitals, according to the International Long Term Care Policy Institute. Had the Scottish government wanted to intervene to relieve the abject suffering in care there was sufficient hospital capacity to do so, including the 1,000 capacity temporary National Health Service hospital, the NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow, which stood completely unused since opening to great fanfare in April. Many other hospital wards stood empty as non-critical health care was suspended. Scotlands First Minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon claimed that the care admissions policy was the product of the latest scientific thinking. On May 31, Sturgeon said, Back then, the view was that people who didnt have symptoms, either because they were pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic, didnt shed the virus. This was a lie. The SNP has replicated the fascistic herd immunity strategy of Boris Johnsons Conservative government from the very beginning, prioritising corporate profit over the health and lives of workers and the retired. Parroting the pseudo-scientific justifications peddled by the Tory party for its barely concealed policy of social euthanasia, Scotlands national clinical director, Jason Leitch, advocated measures to manage the infection safely across our whole population, in an interview with Channel 4 News on March 16. We have no choice, you cant get rid of the virus, he said. This was just four days after Johnson declared at a Downing Street conference, as herd immunity was confirmed as official policy, I must level with the British public: many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time. Despite having months to prepare on the back of repeated emergency warnings issued by the World Health Organisation dating back to January, both Westminster and Holyrood instituted only a belated and partial lockdown, allowing big business to exploit millions of workers in unsafe conditions. Epidemiologists at Edinburgh University, led by Professor Rowland Kao, have estimated that up to 80 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Scotland could have been prevented if the lockdown had been instituted just two weeks earlier. In the face of widespread scientific evidence, as well as the experience of countries such as China and South Korea, the SNP government rejected the necessity of proactive testing, contact tracing and quarantine protocols. The former chief medical officer, Catherine Calderwoodwho stepped down after being caught breaching lockdown rulesdenounced criticism over Scotlands limited testing capacity on April 2, stating, The thought that in some way testing slows the virus or is a part of our strategy to prevent transmission is a fallacy, Im afraid. To date, only one-third of care home staff, for instance, have been provided with one-off tests. Safe levels of screening, requiring repeated testing at regular intervals, are nowhere in sight. It was only in April, at the height of the initial outbreak, that the Scottish government bothered to order increased supplies of the substandard PPE prescribed by health authorities. Shortages remain widespread. As a result of these policies, hospitals have also become hubs of viral transmission, with almost 900 known infections among NHS staff and uncounted dozens of fatalities. According to official figures, there have been 125 separate outbreaks on non-COVID-19 hospital wards resulting in 201 known patient fatalities. For months the Scottish government and Edinburgh City Council, controlled by an SNP/Labour coalition, withheld information about the first known mass transmission event in Scotland, which took place at a Nike conference in Edinburgh on February 26 and 27. This was attended by 70 employees from around the world. None of the retail and restaurant workers, a tour guide, or those who stayed in same hotel as the international delegation were informed of the outbreak. The same is true for another case of international transmission, identified in February, involving a passenger on a flight from Italy to Edinburgh. The SNP is now moving aggressively toward reopening the economy even as the pandemic continues to accelerate globally. Phase three of easing the lockdown will begin next month, with the tourism industry scheduled to reopen on July 15, together with nurseries, offices, shops, gyms, and museums, subject to token social distancing measures. This is informed not by scientific expertise, but rather by the demands of big business to resume extracting profits from the exploitation of workers. Despite receiving a pandemic bailout totalling hundreds of billions in public money, the corporate and financial elite are utilising the situation to impose mass layoffs. Rolls-Royce, as part of their plans to shed 9,000 jobs globally and 3,000 in Britain, will cut 700 jobs at its Inchinnan site, near Glasgow. Ovo Energy will make 1,400 redundant in England and Wales and 1,000 in Scotland. The Macdonald hotel group is considering 1,800 redundancies, with another 240 jobs in danger at Crieff Hydro hotels. Chennai, June 13 : Around 90 doctors at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital tested coronavirus positive in 10 days, said an official, here on Saturday. "Over 10 days about 80-90 doctors have tested positive for coronavirus. Barring a miniscule number of Covid-19 treating doctors, the remaining belonged to various other departments," the official told IANS. On the shortage of physicians, the official said around 300 doctors had been transferred to the hospital from various other places. The hospital was increasing the Covid-19 ward strength by adding 500 more beds, he said and added, the additional beds would be ready in a day or two. It's really physically taxing for doctors and nurses at Covid-19 wards in the government hospitals in the state. "It has been three months since we slept, ate properly. We also don't have any proper interaction with family members. The interactions with the family are via WhatsApp and other modes," the official said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 15:12:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan reported 41 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the total number of infections to 2,207 in the central Asian country. Over the past 24 hours, 3,158 laboratory tests were carried out, which detected 41 new cases, Nurbolot Usenbaev, the country's deputy health minister, told a news briefing. Of the newly confirmed cases, 14 cases were identified contact persons, 18 were unknown sources and nine were imported cases, he said. Usenbaev said that among the newly infected, four were medical workers, bringing the total number of contracted medical workers to 429, including 339 recoveries. The official also reported one new virus-related death, pushing the country's death toll to 27. He noted that 54 people were discharged from hospitals in the country after receiving treatment, bringing the total recoveries to 1,722. Currently, 457 people remain hospitalized, with 12 of them in serious condition, and two patients are in intensive care. In addition, 1,404 people who have had contact with infected patients are under medical observation and another 9,419 people are in home quarantine under the supervision of doctors. Enditem Amritsar: Seven children were killed and 17 others injured when a school bus fell into a canal near Border Out Post (BOP) Mahawa near Attari on Tuesday. The incident took place when the school bus, carrying 37 students, was passing over a narrow bridge, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harkamalpreet Singh said. The bus got stuck on the bridge and the driver tried to manoeuvre his way out following which the vehicle overturned in the canal, he said. Out of 37 students, six were killed and 17 others received minor injuries, the SSP said, adding, the injured have been hospitalised and rest of the students escaped unhurt. The cause of the accident was the narrow bridge near the canal, he said. The bus belongs to DAV Public School and the deceased students were in the age group of 10 and 15 years, police said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai, June 13 : Actress Sunny Leone doesnt want to be blue anymore. Sunny took to Instagram, where she is seen in a blue denim dress, standing in front of a blue backdrop. "Tired of feeling blue !!! Ready for you," wrote the actress, who is currently isolating with her husband Daniel Weber and three children -- Nisha, Asher and Noah -- in the US. Sunny and her family travelled back to the US in May amid the outbreak of the global COVID-19 outbreak. She felt they would be safer in America than in India during the coronavirus pandemic. In the US, Sunny has been picking her own vegetables from a farm and even went to visit an animal learning centre, where she was seen feeding a giraffe. On the work front, Sunny will next be seen in "Veeramadevi" and "Koka Kola". Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 17:43:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YANGON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities confiscated 711,000 stimulants, worth over 1.4 billion kyats (over 1 million U.S. dollars) in Shan state, according to a release from the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) on Saturday. Acting on a tip-off, a joint-police force made the seizure at a house in Mabein Township on Friday. Two suspects were also arrested. The township police filed a case against the suspects and further investigation is underway under the country's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, the release said. According to a recent release issued by the President's Office, a total of 1,169 drugs related cases were registered across Myanmar while 1,811 people were charged in connection with the cases as of June 6 this year, since the formation of the Drug Activity Special Complaint Department in 2018. Enditem Three rare aquatic creatures known as baby dragons would be displayed in a subterranean aquarium at Slovenia's Postojna Cave, where they hatched in 2016. A young olm or proteus (Proteus anguinus) an aquatic salamander, with pale pink skin, no eyesight, a long thin body, and four legs that can survive for up to 100 years long-term starvation, habitat loss, is being released in a cave aquarium for visitors. A native of the southern European Karst region, these creatures have been born out of 64 eggs that were hatched in 2016 as 21 young olms came to life in the nations popular tourists' attraction. According to a press release on Europes Park Postojnska Jama cave website, an underground train would commute over 30 visitors per day through the 24-kilometer-long cave system to visit ancient underwater predators bred once in a decade. While the Vivarium inhibits over 150 animal species the baby dragon is among the most popular creatures bred in the makeshift laboratory in Postojna Cave. The cave has been excited to present three out of the 21 baby olms to the visitors, the world-famous 'dragon's offspring', which the authorities monitoring the species have kept a close eye on since 2016, the Postojna cave said in a statement. Read: Zuckerberg-funded Scientists: Rein In Trump On Facebook Read: Scientists Record cacophony Of Sounds On Ocean's Calm Beds Amid Pandemic Female 'Gollum-like' Olm laid eggs Further, the Vivarium described the olms as having the length of 25 to 30 centimeters, the largest among cave-dwelling animals and the only vertebrate in Europe strictly bound to cave habitats, on the website. It added that the animals are completely adapted to life in the dark. It feeds on crustaceans, worms, snails, and other aquatic invertebrates. Describing its survival years, the cave explained, Olms have a lifespan of up to one hundred years and can go without food for several years. In 2016, one of Postojna Cave's olms laid eggs, which hatched sometime later, capturing the attention of people all around the world. In 2016, Scientists in the Central European country had announced that a female olm a Gollum-like and the lizard-sized amphibian living in an aquarium in the countrys biggest cave has laid eggs. Also known as the human fish for its skin-like colour, researchers described the unique creature as the first example of observed out-of-lab breeding of the species. The eggs had hatched in 100 days, according to reports. Read: Scientists Develop Human Embryo 'blueprint' Using Stem Cells Read: UK Scientist: Coronavirus Deaths Could Have Been Halved (Photos: Park Postojna Jama Website) (Inputs from agency) UN chiefs silenced by Big Powers with vetoes By Thalif Deen View(s): View(s): UNITED NATIONS (IPS) The massive protests in more than 120 US cities over racial injustice and police brutality went global last week amidst presidential threats of military force on demonstrators in Washington DC. At the same time, there were continued political demonstrations against the imposition of authoritarianism in Hong Kong by the current dominating military power there: China. According to Cable News Network (CNN), sickened, shocked and appalled, horror and consternation are words were used to hearing from US presidents and diplomats to condemn despotic regimes. But these are from leaders in the UK, the European Union and Canada, respectively, to describe the brutal killing of an unarmed African-American in the streets of Minneapolis which triggered protests worldwide. But will any UN Secretary-General past or present have plucked up courage to condemn the political leadership either in the United States or China, two veto-wielding permanent members in the Security Council, in such harsh terms? Never, says a former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, particularly, if a Secretary-General is planning to run for a second term where the threat of a veto hangs over his head? Still, will a limit on his tenure be an answer to the problem, as laid out in a 1996 study, which recommended that the General Assembly adopt a comprehensive new policy, including a single, seven-year term, to free the Secretary-General from re-election stresses and pressures.? Stephen Lewis, a former Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of the UN childrens agency UNICEF, told IPS: I dont think it much matters whether its two five-year terms or one seven-year term. Thats not the problem with the Secretary-Generals tenure, he pointed out. The problem is that both Ban Ki-moon and Antonio Guterres have paid no attention to the three most important words that open the Charter of the UN: We the peoples They both pay homage only to governments; its as if the peoples of the world dont exist. As a result, there is neither transparency nor accountability, said Lewis, who was a UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, and later co-founder and co-director of AIDS-Free World. Guterres, he said, hides behind the Convention on Privileges and Immunities, or with willful arrogance refuses to answer questions put to him. Thus, when asked why hes silent on the turbulence in the United States, and in particular the excessive use of force, he defers to his spokesperson who provides fatuous nonsense in response. It was exactly the way Ban never felt the obligation to tell the truth about cholera in Haiti, nor to feel it necessary to explain why the $400 million fund was effectively abandoned, he noted. Perhaps one of the few exceptions in the 75-year history of the UN was former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt who paid the supreme penalty of being vetoed out of a second term even though he garnered an overwhelming 14 of the 15 votes in the UN Security Council. But the US ingloriously vetoed his claims for a second term. As he recounted his running battle with the US in his book titled Unvanquished: a US UN Saga, Boutros-Ghali had the singular distinction of being the only UN chief who never received a second term in office because he paid a heavy price for the courage of his convictionseven though he admits he was forced to occasionally cave in to the dictates of the US. The 1996 study sponsored by two major think tanks implicitly accused some of the worlds big powers of manipulating the election of the Secretary-General so as to ensure that U.N. heads are political creatures with no minds of their own. It is impossible to escape the impression, that many governments, including some of the most powerful, do not want a strong, independent leader as Secretary-General, said the study published under the auspices of the New York-based Ford Foundation and the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation of Stockholm. The authors of the study Brian Urquhart and Erskine Childers, both senior UN officials said the selection of the Secretary-General is quite literally part of an old-boy network. The United Nations is an intergovernmental organisation, and governments have no intentions of giving up control of it. Thomas G. Weiss, a Distinguished Fellow, Global Governance at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, told IPS the same proposal was part of the 1-for-7-billion campaign (of which Weiss was a sponsor). http://www.1for7billion.org/ Boutros Boutros-Ghali would have been a perfect candidate, enfant terrible for 7 years instead of modestly behaved for 5 years. It made sense in 1990 and in 2016 for the reasons that you cite. Guterres has been running for a second term since January 2017 (ever since he took office), he noted. He has disappointed many of us by being so invisible. We should recall former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who prided himself being the invisible man. He got two terms. Guterres is using the same strategy, declared Weiss, Presidential Professor of Political Science, Director Emeritus, Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The CUNY Graduate Center. Lewis argued there is no freedom of information in the UN, and thats what gets governments like Sweden frustrated and thinking of shortening the SGs term. The Secretary-General should be required to hold an open press conference at least once, preferably twice a week, with a critical media corps to ask questions. If that were the case, the entire culture of his office would change. Its his behaviour rather than his longevity that needs reform, declared Lewis. In a hard-hitting article titled As Protests Sweep the US, the UN Tweets Platitudes, Dulcie Leimbach, a former editor at the New York Times and founder of PassBlue, a widely-read web publication covering the United Nations, wrote: Amid curfews in New York City, constant marches and protests, sirens from the streets and helicopters whirring above, the United Nations top leader, Antonio Guterres, has not appeared before the media to say anything directly about the convulsions exploding across the five boroughs and far beyond. Instead, he has relied on his spokespeople to provide responses. https://www.passblue.com/2020/06/03/as-protests-sweep-the-us-the-un-tweets-platitudes/ Asked to comment further on UN leadership, Leimbach told IPS: For the UN to remain relevant in our ever-increasing polarized world, it needs to have a woman running the organization for a change That would show it is flexible and accountable to half the worlds population as women need to be running global organizations to ensure their equal rights. The symbol of having the UN led by a woman the right woman would be profound, she declared. The writer can be contacted at thalifdeen@aol.com Head of state status for Bohra chief during COVID-19 retreat here View(s): Dawoodi Bohra leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin will be given head of State status when he arrives in Sri Lanka with 45 others on a special flight scheduled for June 21, the Government has confirmed. Permission has been granted for the aircraft to land and a number of other followers are expected to arrive separately. They will thereafter retire to a retreat in Bandarawela where they are expected to stay till the COVID-19 pandemic in India eases. The visit comes in the wake of Dr. Syednas permanent residence Saifee Mahal, in Mumbais upmarket Malabar Hills having thirteen (13) persons detected positive with COVID-19 since June 6 and 40 others at the residence being tested for the virus with help from the Saifee hospital. The building in which the 13 positive cases were found has been declared a containment zone by the Mumbai Municipal Council. The community has promised to undergo PCR testing 48 hours before departure and will bring the results with them. The Indian Express reported that Dr Syedna and his immediate family have been camping in Khandala, a hill station in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra in India, since the lockdown began in that State. The 13 positive cases are all in one of the three buildings in Saifee Mahal. The building has been sealed. Those who had developed symptoms or had comorbidities have been shifted to Saifee hospital. A Dawoodi Bohra community spokesperson has confirmed that several people in Syednas Malabar Hill residence have tested positive, but said Syednas immediate family had left for Khandala and had been there for more than two months. At Saifee Mahal, a public relations officer denied to Indian media plans of the Bohra leader and his entourage to visit Sri Lanka after the Sunday Times last week exclusively reported the visit. President Gotabaya Rajapaksas International Affairs adviser Jayantha Colombage confirmed that the Government of Sri Lanka would be giving state patronage to the visiting dignitary. He may not be on the ballot this year, but the groundwork we lay now will go down in the minds of taxpayers about his leadership that will reap benefits as we throw everything we have behind defeating him in 2022. And yes, he must be defeated, the GOP chairman said. ALBANY The state has reached the lowest number of hospitalizations and deaths since the pandemic began in March and the Capital Region is on track to reopen more businesses on Wednesday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Saturday. On Friday 1,734 were hospitalized and 32 people in New York died from the respiratory illness, down from a record-high of 800 nine weeks ago. "We have tamed the beast," he said during his daily briefing, held in New York City. There were 42 deaths on Thursday and 36 the day before. Western New York will enter phase three of reopening on Tuesday and the Capital Region is expected to enter the third phase, which includes restaurants and personal care businesses Wednesday, following a review of regional data by public health experts, Cuomo said. "As usual, we have to stay smart and continue proceeding with caution. Look around the nation and look at the spikes other states are experiencing - we're not in a vacuum," Cuomo said. "In just about half the states, infection rates are climbing up. New York is the anomaly - we reopened and our rates continue to come down, but only because we continue to remain smart and vigilant in this fight against the COVID virus." Albany County Executive Dan McCoy last week pressed Cuomo to start phase three earlier, noting that the regions coronavirus numbers are either flat or declining. The governor also signed legislation suspending the forfeiture of unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 state of emergency, aligning with an executive order issued on May 14. Over 44 million Americans across the United States have applied for unemployment insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who have had forfeit penalties levied against them from past claims are currently unable to collect their unemployment benefits. The new law enabled them to collect benefits in their time of need even if forfeit penalties have been enacted against them. The governor also signed a bill repealing the criminalization of wearing a mask in public. The governor previously issued an Executive Order requiring that New Yorkers wear face coverings while in public to help stop the spread of COVID-19, and this new law will remove any legal conflicts with the outdated provision banning the wearing of masks in public and the Governor's Executive Order. Business guidance for phase three of the state's reopening plan is available here. BRIDGEPORT City police are investigating after shots were fired at the Greene Homes apartment complex on Friday night. Gunshots rang out a few minutes after 7 p.m., according to Scott Appleby, the citys director of emergency communications and emergency management. He said the shots were fired by an unknown person at the Greene Homes apartments. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gisela Swaragita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 17:41 587 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde78918 1 Lifestyle wedding,reception,COVID-19,pandemic,lifestyle,wedding-industry,coronavirus Free When Amelia Vindy, 25, and Ronggo Wanggori, 26, planned their wedding, they visualized a typical Indonesian ceremony: a lavish banquet with around 700 guests of extended family and friends from various circles. The wedding, which took place in March in Kemang, South Jakarta, ended up being a solemn, small celebration attended by fewer than 20 people. The pandemic hit Indonesia less than two weeks prior to the wedding. Any information about [health] protocol was still unclear," Vindy told The Jakarta Post. "But as the situation developed, we tried to let go of things we couldn't control. Around one week before D-day, we announced to the guests that we had postponed the wedding reception indefinitely. She said the families had spent around Rp 200 million (US$14,102) on wedding preparations, which was not refundable. However, Vindy found a silver lining in her situation: I am forever grateful that I could experience an intimate and emotional wedding when the occasion was reduced to a small-scale ceremony, she said. The couple still plans to hold a reception once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. When the first case in Indonesia was announced in March, the health crisis forced couples around the country to postpone weddings or convert them to smaller events. Nonetheless, people still celebrate the moment they say I do with their loved ones by adapting to the global crisis. One couple married in raincoats, while another turned to technology to be digitally wed. The Indonesian Religious Affairs Office (KUA) recorded 106,109 marriages around the country in March. The number decreased significantly to just over 50,000 weddings in April and then plummeted to some 12,000 in May. Read also: Indonesian-American chefs stay afloat and give back during pandemic In Indonesia, elaborate weddings are expected and have become the norm, especially for the upper-middle class, making it a lucrative industry for organizers, decorators, make-up artists, venue providers and catering businesses. When public figures opt for the less popular way of getting married in simple ceremonies, it is something out of the norm. For instance, make-up artist and content creator Suhay Salim made headlines when she got married without make-up and a wedding dress at a KUA in December 2018. American psychology center Clarity Clinic has stated that wedding planning can be a source of great stress. It can even be one of the most stressful times in a young couples new life together. Planning the wedding can take its toll on the couples relationship and strain the event away from celebrating love. Planning a simpler wedding can help tremendously in keeping the bride, the groom and anyone involved sane. Caecilia Rania, 30, and Paulus Lando, 30, chose a no-reception wedding when they got married in 2017. It was as joyful as they had planned it to be, they said. We invited around 150 people to attend the Church ceremony, and only 30 people for a private dinner afterward, Rania told the Post. We wanted this wedding to be attended only by those who are very close to both of us, meaning our closest family and friends who knew our love story, she said. We wanted to say the wedding vows in front of God and have it witnessed by those close to our hearts. The budget for the wedding, Rp 35 million, was considerably smaller than that for extravagant events. But the couples also faced family members who felt let down for not being invited to the wedding. We heard comments such as, Are you out of money? or Isnt it unethical to leave out the extended family?, but our parents were very supportive and could convey our intention to them smoothly, Rania said. In her opinion, the pandemic is a great opportunity for couples who wish to hold smaller weddings. You can focus more on the marriage instead of the wedding," she said. "You can allocate your savings for your future childs education, to buy property or plan a vacation after the pandemic. Moreover, amid this crisis, you dont have to thoroughly explain your intention to the extended family. They will understand. (wng) Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). The coronavirus stronghold on Oregon could persist at current record-setting case counts or potentially surge to 1,000 new infections a day before the Fourth of July, according to state modeling released Friday. Oregons top epidemiologist said hes as anxious as hes ever been since the pandemic hit here four months ago. Thats because the states trajectory suggests many more Oregonians will soon become infected, with the potential to once again overwhelm contact tracers needed to contain spread of the highly communicable virus. It would be very difficult for us to contain with the same level of attention that wed like to as we open up, Dr. Dean Sidelinger said of 1,000 new cases a day. So I hope that doesnt happen. The new modeling paints a dramatically different picture than the forecast of two weeks ago, which used data from before Gov. Kate Brown allowed most Oregon counties to reopen. Officials now say there is clear evidence that transmission has increased since May 15. Oregons bleak new forecast was one factor that went into Browns last-minute decision late Thursday to block Multnomah County from reopening and to prevent several others from moving into a second phase. Those decisions will be revisited next week, and theres a clear desire to allow Oregons most populous county to reopen in some capacity, if safe. The forecast comes as Oregons identified infections continue setting daily highs and the number of residents sick enough to be hospitalized rises for the first time in months. Officials earlier this week said it was too early to draw conclusions about the upward trends but conceded by Friday that they were worrisome and warranted pausing reopenings. Sidelinger, Oregons epidemiologist and health officer, said he recalled being particularly anxious in March when infections first started growing amid limited testing and scarce personal protective equipment. He was similarly anxious about a month ago, when identified infections again spiked just before counties looked to reopen. I remain the same way now as we see cases go up, he said. But Sidelinger said he remains grounded because increasing infections were always anticipated upon reopening, future hospitalizations arent expected to rise as sharply as infections and Oregonians already slowed coronavirus once. I remain hopeful that we will continue to come together like that, and we will be able to flatten this curve, he said. Oregons modeling has long shown that Browns stay-at-home order in March reduced cases by 70% of what they could have been, preventing tens of thousands of infections. That forecasting has been regularly updated for planning purposes but officials are now more pessimistic about maintaining such reductions. The new report used data through June 5, when identified infections were trending up but before they regularly started surpassing 100 a day. This forecast from June 12 outlines different infection levels. The best-case scenario outlined Friday seems almost implausible based on whats transpired since then. Its based on a 60% reduction in cases since May 15, assuming rising infections identified earlier this month were an anomaly. It indicates that roughly 19,000 Oregonians may have been infected by June 5, with only about one-quarter of those actually identified in the official tallies reported by the Oregon Health Authority. In that scenario, infections would continue to rise slowly, hitting more than 21,000 early next month. Actual infections per day would be about 100 by July 3 a remarkably optimistic number considering Oregon is regularly identifying far more right now. In a second scenario, based on a 55% reduction in cases, cumulative infections would rise from 20,000 today to about 25,000 early next month. That assumes infections and hospitalizations identified earlier this month were part of a trend. Under that scenario, daily infections would reach 270 by July 3. That too may be optimistic. The third scenario and most pessimistic from the state assumed an even lower reduction in infections, essentially down to 45%. Cumulative cases would jump from about 20,000 now to 35,000 early next month, a huge increase. Daily infections by July 3 could be 1,000 under that scenario. Sidelinger said officials continue to regularly monitor data while reviewing reopening options weekly so that we can reverse course, I hope, before we get there. They will continue to advocate for physical distancing and may need to ask Oregonians to voluntarily limit gathering sizes or put more controls on industries or sectors where outbreaks are occurring, Sidelinger said. Everythings on the table for discussion, he said. Thats why we continue to monitor. Because it would be very hard to handle 1,000 cases a day. And do timely investigation and contact tracing on all of those cases. Asked whether that could mean the potential to reinstate stay-at-home orders, Sidelinger said: None of us hope to get there. We know that kind of order is devastating, not only financially but also physically and mentally. Separate from the modeling, Sidelinger also conceded other troubling indicators that have been appearing in the figures reported daily by the state. Hospital admissions creeped up to 40 statewide last week, an increase of more than 50% from the preceding week. People dont generally require hospitalization until two to three weeks after becoming infected suggesting some people may have been infected at the same time Oregons daily infection numbers showed a rapid decline. Given that identified infections are now increasing, does that suggest hospitalizations might be high in a few more weeks? Im definitely concerned that could be a possibility, Sidelinger said. But he sounded a hopeful note, saying Oregon and officials across the country are seeing a lower need for hospitalizations among workers and younger people who are now being identified with infections. As we see this large spike, I dont think that were necessarily going to see the same magnitude of increase in the hospitalization, he said. While maintaining the need to proceed cautiously, Sidelinger also noted pragmatically that Oregons most populous county would not stay closed indefinitely. Officials will keep close tabs on the data to determine if Multnomah County can safely move forward with reopening as soon as next week. I dont imagine a future where the rest of the state all has some level of reopening and Multnomah County stays in baseline, behind, he said. That could mean Multnomah County eventually is cleared for a first phase of reopening or perhaps certain sectors get a green light while others wait, he said. Officials will also closely monitor statewide hospital admissions, analyze whether infections can be traced back to known sources and watch the ability of public health officials to respond to multiple large outbreaks. We want to be in a place where we look at the data and can safely move forward, Sidelinger said of continued reopening efforts in Multnomah and elsewhere. Whether thats next week or a week later, I dont know. -- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Sustained efficacy and safety trends observed for up to 28.6 months support ongoing pivotal Phase 3 trial dosing and endpoints, including selection of the measurement of time above threshold for absolute neutrophil count as primary endpoint Significant reductions in yearly infection rate and wart burden demonstrated at 400 mg daily dose Company to host conference call today at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss results CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (XFOR), a leader in the discovery and development of novel therapies targeting diseases resulting from dysfunction of the CXCR4 pathway, today presented positive biomarker, efficacy, and safety data from its ongoing Phase 2 open-label extension trial of its lead candidate, mavorixafor, in patients with WHIM (warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, and myelokathexis) syndrome. The results included significant reductions in yearly infection rates and wart burden in WHIM patients treated for at least six months with mavorixafor. The data were presented in an e-poster at the 25th European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Congress, taking place virtually from June 11-14, 2020. We are extremely encouraged by the positive therapeutic profile of mavorixafor emerging from this study, including improvements in key biomarkers and clinical symptoms at the higher doses, said Paula Ragan, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of X4 Pharmaceuticals. These results suggest that mavorixafor is a promising, disease-modifying therapy that, by down-regulating CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling, could lead to improved and durable clinical efficacy in patients with WHIM syndrome. We view these data as a significant de-risking event for our ongoing and pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, from which we expect top-line data in 2022. We look forward to continuing to advance the development of mavorixafor for patients with WHIM syndrome, a rare disease that we estimate could affect more than 3,500 people in the United States and that has no currently approved treatments. Story continues The original Phase 2 clinical trial was an open-label, dose-escalation study that was followed by an open-label extension study to assess the safety, tolerability, dose-response, and clinical impact of mavorixafor in adult patients with genetically confirmed WHIM syndrome. The extension phase was open to patients who completed at least 24 weeks of the initial dose-escalation study and explored additional endpoints related to absolute neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, infection rates and wart burden, as well as long-term safety. Key Data Presented: The Phase 2 trial results informed the design of the companys ongoing global pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial ( 4WHIM ) in: The selection of the 400 mg once-daily dose; and The choice of time above threshold for absolute neutrophil counts (TAT ANC ), defined as the number of hours during which the absolute neutrophil count is raised above the 500 cells per microliter threshold (time above threshold), as the primary endpoint of the trial. Sustained, dose-dependent increases in WBC (white blood cells), ANC (absolute neutrophil count), and ALC (absolute lymphocyte count) were achieved; higher doses of mavorixafor were shown to increase the TAT ANC at least 4.5-fold versus the TAT ANC at lower doses. These long-term hematological improvements correlated with fewer infections and reduced numbers of cutaneous warts, two secondary clinical endpoints in the 4WHIM trial: A decreased yearly infection rate from 4.63 [95%CI 3.3,6.3] events in the 12 months prior to the trial, to 2.27 [95%CI 1.4, 3.5] events when treated with mavorixafor at higher doses once daily; notably, deeper reductions in yearly infection rates correlated with increased time on treatment. The patients with cutaneous warts on hands and/or feet at baseline achieved an average 75% reduction in the number of warts. Mavorixafor was well-tolerated for the extended duration of up to more than two years without any attributable serious adverse effects. Poster Details: Abstract #EP852 : Oral CXCR4 Antagonist Mavorixafor Treatment in Patients with WHIM Syndrome: Results of an Open-label Phase 2 Study with Long-term Extension Date and Time: Friday, June 12th, 8:30 a.m. CET / 2:30 a.m. ET Conference Call Information: The X4 Pharmaceuticals conference call and webcast will take place at 8:30 am ET on June 12, 2020. The conference call can be accessed by dialing (866) 721-7655 (domestic) or (409) 216-0009 (international), followed by the conference ID: 9219476. The live webcast will be accessible on the investor relations section of the companys website at investors.x4pharma.com. The webcast replay will be available on the website approximately two hours after the completion of the call. About X4 Pharmaceuticals X4 Pharmaceuticals is a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company and a leader in the discovery and development of novel therapies for the treatment of diseases resulting from dysfunction of the CXCR4 pathway, with a focus on rare diseases and those with limited treatment options. The Companys lead candidate, mavorixafor, is a first-in-class, small molecule antagonist of chemokine receptor CXCR4 being developed as a once-daily oral therapy. X4 believes that inhibition of the CXCR4 receptor creates the potential for mavorixafor to provide therapeutic benefit across a wide variety of diseases, including primary immunodeficiencies and certain types of cancer. The efficacy and safety of mavorixafor, dosed once daily, is currently being evaluated in a global Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with WHIM syndrome, and in two Phase 1b clinical trials in combination with ibrutinib in patients with Waldenstroms macroglobulinemia, and as monotherapy in patients with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN). X4 is continuing to leverage its insights into CXCR4 biology at its corporate headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts and at its research facility in Vienna, Austria, and is discovering and developing additional product candidates. For more information, please visit www.x4pharma.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements may be identified by the words may, will, could, would, should, expect, plan, anticipate, intend, believe, estimate, predict, project, potential, continue, target or other similar terms or expressions that concern X4's expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the clinical development of mavorixafor for use in WHIM, along with WHIMs estimated prevalence. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management's current expectations and beliefs. Actual events or results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained herein, including, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties described in the section entitled Risk Factors in X4s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on May 7, 2020, and in other filings X4 makes with the SEC from time to time. X4 undertakes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. Investors and Media: Candice Ellis, 857-341-1043 Director, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Candice.Ellis@x4pharma.com DENVER - The Colorado Tourism Office has launched a campaign urging people to practice safety measures and follow health guidelines when visiting the state during the coronavirus pandemic. Visitors are urged to keep their distance from each other and wear masks, in addition to normal guidelines asking people to stick to trails, respect wildlife and pick up after pets, The Denver Post reported. We want to continue to make sure that the health and safety of both residents and visitors are the highest priority, office spokeswoman Abby Leeper said. The office is working with the state health department on protocols and guidelines for businesses, communities and visitors to include in its Care for Coloradans campaign, Leeper said. The campaign also includes a new brochure and animated videos advising people how to dress for the weather and different altitudes and other helpful recommendations. The state previously discouraged any travellers from visiting the mountains because of concerns that smaller communities would not be able to respond to any outbreaks. After the great sacrifices that have been made to protect our state, its vitally important to set clear expectations so we can maintain all the gains that have been made and stay on course to reopen Colorados tourism economy, Director Cathy Ritter said. Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order June 1 on the transition from the statewide stay-at-home order to safer at home or in the great outdoors. The office welcomed the order as more people are now expected to spend more time outside. Some local business owners say things are already starting to pick up. People are calling to see if places are open for business, said Chris Romer, CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership, a business association. Theyll ask Is there anything for my family to do? and the answer here and in many locations around the state is yes, Romer said. Theres fly fishing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, hiking and swimming, Romer said, but many large events, such as music festivals, a staple in the mountains in the summer, have been cancelled or postponed. Visitors want to have things to do and they want to be able to enjoy the amenities in the area, Visit Estes Park CEO Eric Lund said. And its important that at the same time we keep people healthy and are respectful of being responsible to our local community. Visit Estes Park promotes the areas tourism. The problem with paying gas to run transactions is that it discourages lots of transactions. The advantage of paying gas to run transactions, though, is that it discourages lots of transactions. This contradiction is captured well in a new paper examining transactions on EOS, Tezos and XRP Ledger (XRPL) over a seven-month period ending in April. Researchers from Imperial College London and University College London found the overwhelming number of transactions on these three networks either have no value attached or are passing it back and forth within one entity. Titled Revisiting Transactional Statistics of High-scalability Blockchain, by Daniel Perez, Jiahua Xu and Benjamin Livshits, the report explains these findings in detail. Our analysis reveals that only a small fraction of the transactions are used for value transfer purposes, the authors write. In particular, 96% of the transactions on EOSIO were triggered by the airdrop of a currently valueless token; on Tezos, 76% of throughput was used for maintaining consensus; and over 94% of transactions on XRPL carried no economic value. Read more: A Mysterious Airdrop Called EIDOS Is Clogging EOS to Make a Point The authors latest version came out Wednesday, following up on two prior versions, with this one including several more months of data. It immediately sparked discussion, with its findings that high-throughput blockchains dont necessarily have a lot of payment activity. It also illuminated the fact that transparency doesnt necessarily equal legibility. Related: Free Transactions Invite Systemic Attacks on Blockchains, Researchers Find So many records can pile up on a blockchain that needed information can become needles in a very large haystack. As Perez, a Ph.D. candidate at Imperial College London told CoinDesk in an email, When the level of spam activity is very high, the size of the history gets disproportionately large given the amount of useful activity on the network. This makes such blockchains much more difficult to analyze and reason about. Story continues That said, the authors analysis is based on a careful examination of each blockchain, looking at the kinds of transactions and characterizing what kind of work they represented. Then they looked at the biggest users of the networks, which generally corresponded to most of the usage, and dug deeper into what was going on in their transactions. As the authors note, there has been a dearth of academic investigation into blockchains besides that of Bitcoin and Ethereum. This analysis of EOS, XRP Ledger and Tezos covers the period from October 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020, using data collected by the open source tool, Blockchain Analyzer. Heres what they found for each chain. EOS Last November, CoinDesk reported on a mysterious airdrop on EOS that gave users an incentive to make as many low-value transactions as they could, called EIDOS, which overall made the blockchain more expensive to use, making it look very much like a denial of service (DoS) attack (also evidenced by the fact that DOS is part of the airdrops name). The researchers found that most of the transactions taking place on EOS, at least through the end of April, were related to the EIDOS stunt. The authors write, Before the arrival of the EIDOS token, approximately 50% of these are transactions to betting games. The launch of EIDOS increased the total number of transactions more than tenfold, resulting in 96% of the transactions being used for token transfers. To recap: The EIDOS smart contract sends a token to any EOS wallet address that sends it any amount of EOS. The smart contract instantly returns any EOS sent along with the token. The smart contract rewards transactions, not value, so it doesnt matter how much EOS gets sent. It sends the same number of tokens back no matter what. EIDOS was worth a little less than $0.02 when we last reported it on it. It currently trades for about $0.0008, according to CoinGecko. Read more: Tron Dapps Saw $1.6 Billion in Volume in Q1 2019, Driven By Gambling Additionally, the authors also found that most of the transactions on one of EOSs large apps, WhaleEx, look suspicious. The WhaleEx website says it is the #1 Decentralized Exchange in the World, yet the authors looked at its transactions and found: Firstly, and most obviously, we notice that in more than 75% of the trades, the buyer and the seller are the same. This means that no asset is transferred at the end of the action. Furthermore, the transaction fees for both the buyer and the seller are 0, which means that such a transaction is achieving absolutely nothing else than artificially increasing the service statistics, i.e. wash-trading. WhaleEx could not be immediately reached for comment. Block.One, the creators of the EOSIO software that runs EOS among a few other blockchains, declined to comment directly to CoinDesk. Instead, they directed CoinDesk to a new Medium post by CTO Dan Larimer, which does not directly address the questions about EIDOS and WhaleEx, but instead dwells on how the reports authors define throughput. The paper makes a theoretical argument that the true throughput on each of these chains is very low in terms of transactions with actual value, a point which Larimer disputes. In other words, Larimer emphasizes what EOSIO software could be used for. Potential aside, the researchers findings are about what it is currently used for. Larimer writes: How the media chooses to report on this paper will reveal whether or not they have integrity to differentiate technological capability and recognize EOSIO as being the most demonstrably scalable. Again, Block.One declined to further comment. XRP XRP is periodically beset by spam. The authors write: The ledger experienced two waves of abnormally high traffic in the form of Payment transactions in late 2019, the first between the end of October and the beginning of November, the second at a higher level between the end of November and the beginning of December. Why such traffic occurs, however, is unclear. It remains something of a mystery how such an expensive form of spam benefited its originators. Ripples CTO David Schwartz addressed this point when a prior draft of this paper was under discussion. He wrote in May: If you have a cheap, high-capacity public blockchain that was designed for maximum censorship resistance, its going to get a lot of spam. Theres no real disincentive and no authority to stop you. What are you willing to give up to stop it given that it doesnt do much harm? That said, they also found that most XRP holders do very little. The distribution of the number of transactions per account is highly skewed. Over one third (71 thousand) of the accounts have transacted only once during the entire observation period, whereas the 35 most active accounts are responsible for half of the total traffic, they wrote, though such Pareto distributions are not unusual, especially when money is concerned. Ripple has not yet provided further comment to CoinDesk on this latest draft. Tezos On Tezos, the authors find that most activity on the network is related to governance and staking. They write, Tezos has a high number of endorsements, which are used as part of the consensus protocol, and only a small fraction of the throughput are actual transactions. Further, a large portion of the transactions appear to be bakers (the validators) making payments to users who have delegated XTZ. Later, the paper notes: Tezos has not yet come close to maximizing its actual capacity. It does not, however, find suspicious or malicious transactions in any real volume on Tezos. TQuorum, an entity that promotes Tezos, had not yet provided comment as of press time. In conclusion As most people who follow cryptocurrency know, the Bitcoin blockchain debuted whats come to be known as the internet of value. The papers analysis then is based on how frequently users actually transfer value, as opposed to making other kinds of transactions. It raises questions about whether it is wise to design a blockchain so that valueless transactions are free or nearly free. The authors write: While on XRPL the consequences of such a spam attack are limited, on EOSIO they forced the network to enter congestion mode, causing regular users to be unable to use the network because transactions which used to be free started to cost a fee. In short, the authors write, The massive potential of those blockchains has thus far not been fully realized for their intended purposes. Read the full paper below: Related Stories SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Marijuana legalization advocates kicked off their campaign on Wednesday to convince South Dakota voters to vote to legalize both medical and recreational marijuana in the November general election. South Dakota, where marijuana is currently illegal, would be the first state to approve both medical and recreational marijuana at the same time, if voters pass a pair of initiatives on the November ballot. In a solidly-conservative state, the proposals may serve as an indicator of how much opinions on marijuana have changed as states across the nation move to legalize a drug that is still technically outlawed by the federal government. Marijuana advocates started their campaign by touting the support of a former U.S. attorney for South Dakota and a former staffer for a Republican president and senator. But they will have to overcome the opposition of Republican Gov. Kristi Noem. The current movement to reform policing and criminal justice laws after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer may lend momentum to the campaign to legalize, said supporter Brendan Johnson, a former U.S. attorney who was appointed under President Barack Obama. People are more conscious than ever about the concern of over-criminalization," he said. Law enforcement priorities should be focused on significant crimes. The campaign is casting itself as a bipartisan effort, recruiting an initial list of 50 South Dakotans to endorse the initiatives, including Chuck Parkinson who worked under Republican President Ronald Reagan and U.S. Senator Jim Abdnor. Drey Samuelson, the group's political director, said it planned to run a grassroots campaign, working to convince people of the benefits of marijuana, including its potential for new business and tax revenue. The group also plans to encourage people to vote absentee, hoping that an increased voter turnout will push the initiatives to get the majority of votes they need to pass. Legalizing recreational marijuana would be a large jump for a state where lawmakers recently battled for nearly a year to get industrial hemp legalized. When marijuana was last on the ballot in 2010, 63% of voters decided against medical pot. And Noem vetoed a bill to create an industrial hemp program last year, arguing that it would be a gateway to legalizing pot. This year, she struck a compromise with legislators to approve hemp if they funded beefed up drug law enforcement. Ian Fury, a spokesman for the governor, said, The governor has always opposed legalizing marijuana and therefore opposes these measures. She has said that marijuana is a gateway to more addictive and harmful drugs and that people who work in law enforcement and addiction counseling have asked her to oppose it. A couple Native American tribes in the state have also eyed the economic benefits of marijuana, with the Oglala Sioux Tribe voting to legalize both medical and recreational pot in March. On the November ballot, voters will decide on two separate initiatives. One would create an amendment to the South Dakota constitution to allow people 21 years and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. The other initiative would create a law allowing medical marijuana and setting up a system for it to be distributed. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 6 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 0 This is the first of its kind initiative started in the state's Bastar region. Raipur: The police in insurgency-hit Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh have launched a novel initiative to encourage Naxals to give up arms and join the mainstream by urging them to return to their villages. Under the initiative named in local Gondi dialect as 'lon varratu', meaning 'return to your village', the police have started putting up posters and banners in the native villages of the Naxals, who carry cash rewards on their heads, mentioning their names and making an appeal to them to become a part of the society. The exercise was launched on Friday, police said. These posters and banners also mention the mobile numbers of local senior police officials so that those Naxals who are willing to surrender may contact them, police said on Saturday. "As a part of the initiative, a list of 13 Naxals, including four women, was pasted outside a panchayat building in Chikpal village," Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told PTI. These ultras, hailing from Chikpal, carry rewards ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 8 lakh on their heads and are active in south Bastar, he added. This is the first of its kind initiative started in the state's Bastar region, which has been fighting the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) over the last three decades, he claimed. "In the posters and banners, we have mentioned the names of the cadres, their ranks and reward amount, along with a message urging them to quit Naxalism and avail the benefits of surrender and rehabilitation policy of the state government," he said. Pallava said that in many cases, villagers think that those who have left the village might have moved to neighbouring states in search of jobs, but disclosing the names of Naxals in public domain will help them identify those who have taken up arms. "We are making a village-wise list of reward carrying Naxals mostly working in Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon districts by consulting with the local police," he said. Presently, 25 worst Naxal-hit villages, from where more than five reward-carrying Naxals hail, will be covered under the initiative. Roughly 200 Naxals, who are from Dantewada, carry cash rewards on their heads, Pallava said. Names of all such Naxals from the district will be assembled in one booklet, which will then be distributed to all public representatives, administrative officers and personnel of other departments, he said. "We have also initiated interaction with the family members of these Naxals to persuade them to motivate their kin, who have joined the outlawed CPI (Maoist), to surrender and lead a normal life," he said. "In coordination with the district administration, a plan is also being prepared to construct small residential colonies in each village under government scheme for families of these Naxals and also provide other facilities to them," he said. These families will be treated as Naxal-affected and we would request them to give a public call to their kin, who have taken up arms, to shun violence and get rehabilitated in their respective villages, he added. Loading On June 1, as protests gripped American cities several inauthentic accounts shared posts with the hashtag #dcblackout, making false claims that Washington DC had an internet and mobile phone network blackout. A second wave of apparently bot-like activity asserted the first wave was "misinformation". A spokeswoman for Twitter said: "Were proactively taking action on any coordinated attempts to disrupt the public conversation. "We are also actively investigating hashtags and have already suspended hundreds of spam accounts," she added. Jensen cautioned that foreign interference was still possible around the BLM topic, especially efforts to shift terms of debate to identity politics and away from interest politics, as interests are negotiable in a way identities are not. While not commenting on Jensens findings, QUT Digital Media Research Centre professor Axel Bruns says it was quite likely there would be bot activity around racial tension in the US, whether driven by political or commercial motives. "With almost any major event on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, it will attract some level of bot activity, whether by people looking to directly influence the event itself or by others looking to spam and push other information into the info space," Bruns says. However, he adds, the mood was so tense in the US, little effort would be needed to stoke conflict. There are a few different ways to automate messages on social media, including writing up computer code to go to the right places on a Twitter website to create an account, Bruns says. There are also services that sell bot activities and click-farms, in which companies set up walls of mobile phones which can be remote-controlled to create a mass of online activity. The tactics "depend on how much criminal energy you have and how far you want to go down that track", Bruns says. Platforms have made life harder on bot operators. To give a sense of scale, in the last available data from a year ago, Twitter issued 15.3 million challenges to accounts for spam-like behaviour. But bot users continue to innovate. Twitter now requires a phone-linked number and email address for accounts, so bot operators buy up and employ single-use SIM cards to try to get around the requirement. "Its an arms race," says Bruns. Protesters rally on June 3 in Phoenix, Arizona, demanding the city council defund the city's police department. Credit:AP While the term "bot" conjures empty "egg" accounts with no picture and a computer-generated handle, the real issue for Twitter is "platform manipulation" which includes "the malicious use of automation". This week, Twitter announced the removal of three state-sponsored networks from the Peoples Republic of China, Turkey and Russia. Reports in the US of militant anti-fascist group Antifa coming to small towns in America have flared across social media, including on Facebook, and through text messages. Antifa, which in actuality exists in incredibly small numbers, serves as a catch-all term used by the US right to describe opposition to President Donald Trump. Controlling the framing of a debate on social media gives an upper hand in shaping evolving events, Bruns and Jensen say. The Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab found a "surge" of antifa-related content flowing from May 25 to June 7 on social media, receiving 27 million shares, with three-quarters of those from right-leaning media outlets. "Many of these stories are alarmist in nature, misrepresenting or fabricating violent incidents in order to maximise their digital traction," the group said. Since the George Floyd protests began, an effort has also been underway to promote the remedy of "defunding the police". As the #defundthepolice hashtag suggests, the action could have dramatic consequences for cities that liquidate their police department. In Minneapolis, where the protests began, the a majority of city council members have signalled their intention to disband the police force as it currently exists, a move opposed by the mayor that would create considerable political uncertainty. While not automated, the hashtag #defundthepolice dates back to at least 2014. One of the biggest risks from bots, cadres of trolls and other forms of coordinated activity is to help shape the agenda of legitimate news gathering. In a time of fast-moving events, its too easy for reporters and editors to read signals from "trending terms" on social media which can be manipulated. Even if they are not manipulated, there is no barrier for a topic with no basis in reality to trend. Loading U.S. can't shut down economy again amid concerns over 2nd COVID-19 wave: treasury secretary WASHINGTON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday that the United States cannot shut down the economy again amid rising concerns over a potential second wave of COVID-19. "We can't shut down the economy, again. I think we've learned that if you shut down the economy, you're going to create more damage, and not just economic damage, but there are other areas," Mnuchin said in an interview with CNBC. "And we've talked about this. Medical problems and everything else that get put on hold," he said. Mnuchin said he is prepared to return to Congress to request additional fiscal aid to help the economy and workers weather the COVID-19 pandemic. "We're prepared to go back to Congress for more money to support the American workers," said Mnuchin. "So, we're going to get everybody back to work." More than 44 million initial jobless claims have been filed over the past 12 weeks as the COVID-19-induced recession sent ripples through the U.S. labor market, according to the Labor Department. While White House officials have expressed optimism that the economy will rebound in the second half of the year, economists and public health experts have warned that a hasty reopening of the economy could trigger a second wave of COVID-19 infections, which could reverse the economic recovery. Over 80 percent of panelists view a second wave of COVID-19 as the greatest downside risk for the U.S. economy through 2020, according to a survey released by the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) on Monday. "The NABE panel remains decidedly pessimistic about the second quarter of the year, as 80 percent of participants view risks to the outlook tilted to the downside," said NABE Outlook Survey Chair Eugenio Aleman. The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has surpassed the 2 million mark with more than 113,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British drug major AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L, AZN) said on Saturday that it has signed a contract with Europe's Inclusive Vaccines Alliance to supply up to 400 million doses of the University of Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine. The contract signed by Europe's Inclusive Vaccines Alliance or IVA, a group formed by France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The company said that the deliveries will start by the end of 2020 and adding that it was seeking to expand manufacturing of the vaccine to meet its commitment to support access to the vaccine at no profit during the pandemic. AstraZeneca said it continues to build a number of supply chains in parallel across the world, including for Europe. The company has recently completed similar agreements with the UK, US, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance for 700 million doses. The company also agreed a licence with the Serum Institute of India for the supply of an additional one billion doses, principally for low- and middle-income countries. The company stated that the total manufacturing capacity currently stands at two billion doses. Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, said: ' With our European supply chain due to begin production soon, we hope to make the vaccine available widely and rapidly. I would like to thank the governments of Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands for their commitment and swift response.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de A Longford woman battling the onset of an aggressive form of cancer has urged other people concerned about their health to not put off ringing the doctor and to take every minute life throws at you. Samantha Shanley issued the heartfelt plea this week only a matter of weeks since being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in March. The Longford town native has already undergone two sessions of intense chemotherapy out of a total of eight ahead of a full masechtemomy, a three week course of radiotherapy and the likely possibility of having to be on tablets for the next five to ten years of her life. We had a holiday booked for July and everything, but what I say now to people is to take every moment you can, she said. If you think something is wrong, always trust your instincts and dont put things off. Those instincts were emotions Samantha paid heed to when her own doctor attempted to allay her own fears during a routine check up in February. Despite her own misgivings, it wasnt until seven weeks later in early April that the former Scoil Mhuire student received the news she had been secretly dreading. I waited two weeks and when I didnt hear anything I decided to ring St James (Hospital, Dublin) and was told my appointment was for April 30, she said. That delay prompted Samantha to go private in light of the fact she was also previously deemed high risk and a BRCA gene carrier after her late mother passed away from cancer while her twin sister was similarly diagnosed with the same illness. That said, the brave and resilient Longford native is refusing to allow her own travails get the better of her. Sure, there are days when I will start crying and wonder if everything will be ok, but I am staying positive and I will keep getting on with things, with life, it's all I can do. *A GoFundMe page has been set up to aid Samantha financially as she continues her battle against cancer. To donate follow the link: gofundme.com/f/help-to- save-sam. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hundreds of Staten Island students in the class of 2020 have already wrapped up their high school careers, though the celebrations and ceremonies for the graduates have been far from usual. Much like other schools around the country, many borough schools have shifted to social distance-friendly graduations, some opting for drive-by commencement and others for virtual ceremonies. On Friday, 122 students from St. Peters and 32 from Staten Island Academy joined the hundreds of Staten Island students who have already received diplomas amid the coronavirus pandemic. STATEN ISLAND ACADEMY GRADUATES 32 Staten Island Academy held a drive-by diploma ceremony for 32 graduating seniors on Friday, June 12. The school turned its parking lot into a makeshift auditorium as cars lined up and students walked up to the stage to receive diplomas. >> SEE THE LIST OF GRADUATES ST. PETERS BOYS GRADUATES 122 St. Peters paid homage to its 122 graduates during its 103rd commencement via a virtual ceremony on Friday, June 12. The ceremony was emceed by John Reilly Walsh, St. Peters Dean of Academics. St. Peters pastor, Rev. Michael Cichon, delivered the opening prayer, while Bishop John OHara, the Episcopal Vicar of Staten Island, also addressed the graduates. >> SEE THE LIST OF GRADUATES MONSIGNOR FARRELL GRADUATES 238 Monsignor Farrell High School graduated 238 seniors during a virtual commencement ceremony on May 23. The ceremony made history as it was the islands first virtual graduation ceremony. The ceremony took place in the schools gymnasium but only had 10 people in attendance due to state guidelines. The ceremony was live-streamed to the schools graduating class of 238 seniors. >> SEE THE LIST OF GRADUATES NOTRE DAME ACADEMY GRADUATES 124 On June 5, Notre Dame Academy graduated 124 seniors during a virtual ceremony. Although the ceremony was done remotely, school officials remain committed and determined to have an in-person celebration for the class of 2020 as well. The online ceremony featured messages of congratulations from the Congregation of Notre Dame and a notable alumna, Dr. Kerry Kelly, a graduate of the Class of 1970. >> SEE THE LIST OF GRADUATES ST. JOSEPH HILL ACADEMY GRADUATES 119 On the same day St. Joseph Hill Academy graduated 119 seniors, the school also celebrated its centennial graduation ceremony. The schools principal as well as the schools valedictorian and salutatorian, delivered noteworthy speeches via live stream. Mary Alice Lucey OMalley, a graduate from the class of 1960, delivered the commencement address, which was meant to empower the young women of the audience. >> SEE THE LIST OF GRADUATES MOORE CATHOLIC GRADUATES 84 Moore Catholic School held a virtual ceremony for its graduating seniors. The school graduated 84 seniors on June 6. Ladies and gentlemen, you are a class as no other before, said Moore principal Gina DeSantis, addressing the students. DeSantis said that school is actively planning an on-campus event that will be organized with strict adherence to the state mandates on graduations. >> SEE THE LIST OF GRADUATES Beijing, June 13 : Widow of Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who raised the alarm about the country's coronavirus outbreak, has given birth to their son. Fu Xuejie shared a picture of the boy on the messaging app WeChat, calling him a "final gift" from Wenliang, BBC has reported. Wenliang was arrested by authorities for "spreading rumours", and later died after catching the virus. After a public outcry over his death, he was exonerated and honoured as a hero by the government. His widow, Xuejie, now has two sons with her late husband. In her message she wrote: "Husband, can you see this from heaven? You have given me your final gift today. I will of course love and protect them." Xuejie told local news outlet Litchi News that after her husband's death she suffered from health problems brought on by grief and had to be temporarily hospitalised to keep the unborn baby safe. She described Wenliang as a responsible doctor and loving husband, and said her family initially hid his death from their other child, saying that "Dad went abroad." Her baby photo has been commented on by thousands of users on the Chinese social network Weibo, many offering well-wishes. Others left comments asking the media to not bother the family. Twenty people died and 24 were seriously injured when a fuel tanker exploded on a highway in eastern China on Saturday afternoon, according to police. The tanker exploded after the vehicle ran off a highway near Wenling, a small coastal city in Zhejiang province, news portal Hangzhou.com.cn quoted the Zhejiang Public Security Bureau as saying. Several homes and factories collapsed in the blast and sections of the Ningbo-Taizhou-Wenzhou were closed, the report said. More than 450 firefighters were sent to the scene to rescue people trapped in their houses and cars, according to state broadcaster CGTN. Preliminary investigations indicated that the explosion occurred as the driver of the truck, transporting the fuel from Ningbo to Wenzhou, was exiting the expressway, reports said. Homes and factories collapsed from the force of the explosion. Photo: Weibo Police said the injured were sent to hospitals and the cause of the blast was under investigation. More than 170 people were injured in the blast, Shanghai-based news site The Paper reported. Footage posted online showed plumes of thick, black smoke and several vehicles on fire. Resident Chen Yungui told CGTN that the incident occurred at around 5.40pm, and the force of the blast caused a wind turbine plant near the site to collapse. The blast erupted near the small city of Wenling in Zhejiang on Saturday. Photo: Weibo The Paper quoted another witness as saying the explosion was so big that the whole town could hear it. The windows of houses nearby were shaken and shattered, the witness said. The incident is one of the deadliest in China in the past few months and comes as the country struggles to get back to normal after months of lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Sign up now for a 50% early bird discount on the 100+ page China Internet Report 2020 Pro Edition, which includes deep-dive analysis, trends, and case studies on the 10 most important internet sectors. Now in its 3rd year, this go-to source for understanding China tech also comes with exclusive access to 6 webinars with C-level executives. Offer valid until 30 June 2020. This article Highway tanker truck blast in China kills 20 first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Nearly nine months after the Delhi traffic police accepted there was a technical fault in the setting of speed detection cameras on the Meerut Expressway (National Highway-24) and announced the reversal of around 1.50 lakh wrongly issued fines, the department is yet to repay at least Rs 8-10 crore that was collected from commuters. While the police moved a proposal to work on returning the fines in October after the issue was brought to their notice, senior traffic police and transport department officials confirmed that they could not find any provision under the Motor Vehicles Act through which the money collected as fines could be returned. Between August and October last year, the Delhi traffic police wrongly fined at least 1.50 lakh commuters on the Meerut Expressway, between Millennium Park and Ghazipur, for speeding above 60kmph even though the speed limit signage on the stretch indicated a limit of 70kmph. After several commuters who were issued fines raised the issue with the Delhi traffic police and threatened to move court , the department conceded its error and agreed to reverse the fines, saying that the speed limit boards were incorrectly placed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The 1.50 lakh commuters include only those who drove or rode between 61-70 kmph but were fined because of the cameras incorrect speed calibration. Nine months after this incident, several affected commuters are still awaiting a refund. The departments estimates show that commuters paid a total of nearly Rs 8-10 crore as fines before the matter was brought to notice of the top traffic police officers. The commuters were issued fines of Rs 1,000-2,000 for each offence. Senior traffic police officers familiar with the matter said the wait could prove futile as there is no provision under either the old or the amended Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) to refund a fine that has already been collected . A senior traffic police officer, who did not wish to be named, said: There was an internal file that was moved within the department to make provision for those who were wrongly fined on the stretch, but nothing came of it. There is no provision under the MV Act to refund fines. The only ones who benefited from the reversal were those who did not pay the fines. The official added that several meetings conducted between October and December between the police and Delhi governments transport department to find ways to refund the amount came up with no solution. Amar Singh, a 43-year-old resident of east Delhis IP Extension, said that he was fined twice for speeding on the stretch, once on August 25 and the second time on September 3, last year, and given 60 days each time to pay the fines. So, basically the people who abide by the law and paid the fine on time are the losers now? , he asked. Singh and three of his neighbours, who were also fined on the stretch, plan to approach the courts. It wasnt just us; according to the traffic polices own admission, 1.50 lakh people were wrongly fined and they are keeping the money unlawfully. If there is no provision for a refund, is there a provision to keep unlawfully collected fine money? Singh added NHAI officials said that when the matter first came to light, the traffic police wrote to the department asking that the speed limit on the stretch be lowered to 60kmph. However, the request was denied because the speed limits were set and the signage was put up as per the prescribed norms. We told the traffic police back then that the speed limits of expressways cannot be similar to the citys. The limit of 70kmph was decided only after coming to a consensus with the traffic police because the earlier limit was 100kmph. The cameras have been re-calibrated according to our signage now, said RP Singh, who was heading the Meerut Expressway project for NHAI at the time. Rohit Baluja, a road safety expert and president of Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), said that if it is the traffic polices responsibility to prosecute commuters for breaking the rule, they must also reimburse a wrongly collected fine with interest. They must come up with the means of repaying the commuters that were wrongly penalised, Baluja said. He also pointed out that every day, hundreds of fines are wrongly issued to commuters because of faulty cameras, improper road signage and unclear markings, but no one is held responsible. Delhi traffic police chief Taj Hassan did not respond to multiple calls and messages seeking comment. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The two opposition parties represented in Armenias parliament accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Friday of trying to intimidate and muzzle them for their growing criticism of his handling of the coronavirus crisis. The Bright Armenia (LHK) and Prosperous Armenia (BHK) parties as well as other, more outspoken opposition groups hold the authorities responsible for 15,281 coronavirus cases and at least 258 deaths recorded in the country of about 3 million. BHK leader Gagik Tsarukian demanded last week the resignation of Pashinian and his entire cabinet. Pashinian rejected the criticism on Wednesday, predicting the political death of opposition groups. He specifically lambasted the BHK and the LHK the following day, saying that they may have contributed to the rapid speed of the coronavirus in Armenia. He pledged to investigate their subversive activities. Lawmakers representing the two parties, which control 43 of the 132 parliament seats between them, strongly condemned Pashinians statements. The events of the past week make me wonder if there is a dictatorial regime in our country and we dont know that, said the BHKs Shake Isayan. When the authorities, the prime minister said that we are in a [coronavirus-related] hellish situation what did they expect from the largest parliamentary opposition faction? she told RFE/RLs Armenian service. There is no other country in the world where the government is holding the opposition responsible [for the coronavirus outbreak,] said the LHKs Ani Samsonian. They too realize that they have made many mistakes and that people have started to understand that, said Samsonian. And their sole objective now is to silence all critics. Alen Simonian, a deputy parliament speaker and senior member of the ruling My Step bloc, dismissed these claims and accused the opposition of trying to take advantage of the coronavirus crisis. They will get a very bad answer from both the public and the elected, legitimate government of Armenia, he said. Four Mumbai Police personnel, who had earlier tested positive for Covid-19, succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, according to a statement from the Mumbai Police. The four policemen were infected in the line of duty. In some encouraging news, however, a total of 1,233 personnel of the Mumbai Police have also recovered from Covid-19 and 334 of them have resumed work, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Saturday. The state home minister said he was proud of the policemen who risked their lives to perform their duties during the severe outbreak of the coronavirus disease. ALSO READ | Covid-19 positive cases in Mumbai Police cross 2,000-mark A total of 1,233 policemen from the MumbaiPolice Force have successfully defeated Covid-19. 334 of them have returned to duty. Congratulations to these corona warriors. I am proud of the @MumbaiPolice who risk their lives to perform their duties diligently, Deshmukh said in a tweet. The Maharashtra Police, on the other hand, reported 129 new Covid-19 cases in the last 48 hours taking the total number of personnel who tested Covid-19 positive to 3,388. On Friday, Maharashtra Police officials said that active cases currently stand at 1,388 and 1,945 policemen have recovered till date. They said 36 police personnel have succumbed to the disease in Maharashtra, which is the worst-hit state in the coronavirus pandemic in the country. Maharashtra crossed the one lakh-mark on Friday with 3,717 new cases and 127 deaths. Mumbai reported 1,366 cases and 90 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases in the city to 55,451. So far 2,044 people have died. The recovery rate in Mumbai at present is 47.3 per cent. Advertisement The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is alarmed by the reported shooting and security breaches within the precincts of the Presidential villa following a reported degenerated squabble among family members and Advertisement officials of the Buhari Presidency. The PDP is deeply worried that the protracted spat between the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, and aides of President Muhammadu Buhari has now degenerated into violent combats, raids and free use of firearms within the Presidential villa. The party described as distressing, the report that a members of Mr. Presidents family were at scene of the assault against one of President Buharis aides, during which the First Ladys security details were alleged to have resorted to the use of firearms. Our party is disturbed by such ugly situation in the Buhari Presidency, which has already heightened apprehensions in the public space over the apparent failure of security architecture and central command system in the presidency leading to such reckless and irresponsible breaches. The chaotic situation in the Presidential villa only points to the failure by President Buhari to provide a leadership that can guarantee orderliness in governance and effectively ensure the security of our nation. The PDP notes that such leadership failure at the highest level has further exposed why our nation has been bedeviled by myriads of security and economic problems under President Buharis watch in the last five years. More worrisome is that the Buhari Presidency had failed to speak out on the frightening situation so as to reassure Nigerians and douse the tension in the polity; especially at this critical time when our nation is facing serious security challenges. The PDP therefore calls on President Buhari to take immediate steps to restore order in his Presidency and shield our security system from the division and power tussle among persons close to him. Our party also demands for an immediate inquest into the security breaches as well as the alleged violation of COVID-19 ban on inter-state travels by officials and relations of Mr. President, which was reported to be part of the immediate causes of latest disturbances in the Presidential villa. Furthermore, the PDP urges the National Assembly to save the nation by wading into the persistent infighting in the Buhari Presidency especially as those in charge of the Presidential villa has not demonstrated the required capacity to engender the needed orderliness for productive governance. Signed: Kola Ologbondiyan National Publicity Secretary A Wisconsin man was charged with first-degree homicide and is being held on a $2.5million bond after allegedly stabbing his two children to death during a custody battle. Matthew Beyer, 35, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, was formally charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide Wednesday, nearly four months after the deaths of his biological children, William Beyer, five, and Danielle Beyer, three. He was also charged with being party to the crimes of attempted escape and taking a hostage without bodily harm, following a failed escape attempt from Wisconsin's Outagamie County Jail on June 7. Beyer had been arrested and booked on June 5. Matthew Beyer, 35, was formally charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide Wednesday, nearly four months after the deaths of his two biological children William Beyer, five (left), and Danielle Beyer, three (right), were found dead in their mother's home on February 17. Autopsies showed they'd suffered stab wounds in the head and neck William and Danielle were found dead by police, in their bedroom on the upper level of a duplex in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, at about 7am on February 17. Police met the children's biological mother, Melissa Schuth, who they lived with at the top of the stairs, before going into their bedroom, according to the criminal complain, the Appleton Post-Crescent reported. An officer said that William was found on the floor between the children's two beds, while Danielle was still in her bed. She was partially covered by blankets. No signs of forced entry were seen. Schuth told investigators that she, her new husband and the two children were the only people at the home the night before the children died. According to the criminal complaint, autopsies found that Danielle had five 'sharp force injuries' to her neck, while William had eight to his head and neck. William also had two cuts on this fingers. One of the officers described the injuries as 'almost a hole' in their necks. Prosecutors suggested that the hand wounds indicated William tried to fight off their attacker, Action 2 News reported. Beyer appeared in court on June 10 (pictured) and was given a $2.5million bond for the homicide charges, as well as an attempted jailbreak on June 7 A friend of Beyer's new wife told investigators that Beyer (pictured) was upset about having to pay child support while not seeing William and Danielle often In court Wednesday, Wisconsin's Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis said that the allegations were that Beyer - William and Danielle's biological father - 'stabbed both children in the neck in the middle of the night, killing them both.' She described the deaths as being 'extremely brutal, very awful homicide' and noted that authorities believed the children died 'almost immediately' after the attack, according to the Appleton Post-Crescent. When notified about the death of his children, the detective said that Beyer had 'very little initial emotional response.' According to the complaint, the detective had 'done many death notifications and found (Beyers) lack of emotion extremely unusual, especially because the death notification was about his two children,' the Appleton Post-Crescent reported. While being interviewed on February 17, Beyer allegedly told police that he wasn't able to sleep that night. Instead, he'd whiled away the time rolling cigarettes and playing on his cell phone. He also supposedly said he'd stopped driven his silver 2006 Chrysler Town and Country minivan to the gas station in Manitowoc at 4.45am on his way to work in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Police said that Beyer told them he hadn't been to Kaukauna in two months. The two cities are about an hour's drive apart. Surveillance video from the gas station showed that he had stopped to buy $20 of gas and put air into his car's tires. He then clocked in to work at 5am, according to the complaint. During the interview, police said they noticed Beyer's clothes were 'very dirty' and that he had grease and cuts on his hands and a scratch on his forearm. Beyer allegedly said he sustained the injuries while at work that day. During the investigation, one of the children's neighbors said that they had seen a silver minivan parked a block away from their home at about 3am on February 14. The neighbor said that a skinny man wearing dark clothes and a stocking cap exhibited the car, walked around the block, returned to the car and drove off. Traffic camera footage showed a silver minivan leaving Beyer's home in Manitowoc at 2.19am and returning at 4.23am on February 14, the complaint said. During an interview with police, Beyer said that he had a 'bad feeling' that something was going to happen to Danielle (left) and William (right), so he had gone to check on them Danielle (left) and William (right) were described in their obituary as being 'inseparable' Beyer and the children's biological mother, who they lived with (pictured with new husband Tyler Schuth), were in the midst of a custody battle Police arrived at Schuth's home (pictured) on February 17 at 7am and found the children dead in their bedroom. Beyer admitted to using a 'card' to enter the house earlier in the day Police also used home surveillance video to determine that a silver minivan, which has distinctive details, left Beyer's home address at about 1am on February 17 - the day the children died - and traveled in the direction of Kaukauna. Surveillance showed the same car traveling away from the children's home at 3.10am and arriving back at Beyer's home address at 4am. The complaint noted the minivan 'avoided all major intersections and main roads in Kaukauna and did not take the most direct route out of Kaukauna.' When re-interviewed on June 4, Beyer said that he'd driven through Kaukauna, but tha he hadn't stopped in the city. Eventually, however, he admitted that he had going to the city multiple time before and on the day of February 17. Beyer allegedly told police that on February 14, a 'bad feeling' led him to believe that 'something bad was going to happen to one of his family members' and that was why he'd driven to Kaukauna to check on his children. He supposedly claimed that he had only walked around the block and hadn't gone inside the home. He also said the same 'bad feeling' returned on February 15 and that he had driven to Kaukauna again at about 1am and parked the van across the street from his children's home. Again, he claimed that he didn't enter the property. In the end, Beyer allegedly told police that on February 17, he went inside the children's home, using 'a card, a blue one, a library card, I think' to enter the home. He said that he saw the children were in their beds, asleep, and that their night light was on. During his interview, Beyer said that he had a collection of decorative knives and that one with a two-to-three-inch blade was missing. He was also able to identify a photo of a knife that his new wife claimed was missing. A friend of Beyer's wife claimed to police on June 10 that while talking about who might've killed Beyer's children, Beyer had described how he could have killed them, without their being able to cry out, in graphic detail. The friend also said that Beyer had been upset about having to pay child support for them because Schuth wouldn't let him see the kids and that he 'did not even believe he was the father,' according to the complaint. A family court document, reviewed by the Appleton Post-Crescent revealed that Schuth claimed Beyer periodically claimed the children weren't his and that they had argued over where to exchange the children. The relationship between Schuth and Beyer was said to be 'very strained.' The family court case was set for a review hearing on February 17 - the same day the children died. Beyer was arrested on June 5 and charged with attempting to escape from jail two days later. The criminal complaint stated that Beyer's fellow inmate, Demetrius Williams, was able to surprise a jail guard during a cell check and restrain her, while threatening her with a sharpened pencil. Williams then supposedly insisted that Beyer would be escaping with him and ordered her to open Beyer's cell door. She was able to trick Williams by pressing a button to open a different cell door and escaped his hold and get help. It's unclear if Beyer ever left his cell, but he allegedly told investigators that he thought Williams was hoking with his escape plot, but had seen the man putting 20 freshly sharpened pencils around the cellblock. Williams was in jail, charged with 1st Degree Intentional Homicide, Attempted 1st Degree Intentional Homicide and Attempted 1st Degree Intentional Homicide of an Unborn Child and was being held on a $2million bond, which was increased by $500,000 to cover the attempted escape, according to NBC 26. While setting Beyer's $2.5million bond, the judge said that 'Quite frankly, under the circumstances, Beyer is a dangerous person.' If convicted of the first-degree intentional homicide charges, Beyer will be given a mandatory life sentence. Beyer made a remote appearance in court on June 10 from Outagamie County Booking, according to NBC 26. He is due back in court on July 30 for a preliminary hearing. A joint obituary for Beyer's two children said that they 'were inseparable and noted that Will was Dani's protector and Dani always looked up to Will. They were both always smiling with their great big smiles and were just happy to always be together.' The National Council of Canadian Muslims is demanding the chair and director of the Peel District School Board resign after an independent investigation into the school board revealed rampant and unresolved racism. In a statement published Friday, the NCCM called for the school boards chair, Brad MacDonald, and director of education, Peter Joshua, to immediately resign given the conclusions of an independent investigation, conducted by lawyer and investigator Arleen Huggins. We are asking, in no uncertain terms, that the Chair and the Director of Education immediately resign, the NCCM statement read. Joshua, in an email to the Star, did not directly mention NCCM, nor did he address the calls for his resignation. I recognize and accept the very real and serious concerns that are being expressed by members of the community, he wrote. To date, as a school board, we have not effectively addressed anti-Black racism. We know we must do better. Joshua listed a number of initiatives and changes that PDSB has taken to rid their schools of Islamophobia and anti-Black racism over the last few years. Among those he listed: being in the process of hiring a superintendent of equity and another member of the equity team, having submitted timelines to Lecce for a pilot project that will aim to mitigate and reverse the impact of systemic racism for Black students, and having discontinued the practice of in-school suspensions and expulsions of any students from kindergarten to grade three. The reality is that anti-Black racism continues to be pernicious and systemic across PDSB, the NCCM wrote in their statement demanding the PDSBs chair and education director resign. This cannot go on. Huggins was appointed by Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce to conduct an investigation of the school board. She was instructed to assess its compliance with Lecces binding directions issued on March 13, in response to a previous report released on the same date. In her report, Huggins wrote that the school board and directors office is lacking both the ability and capacity, and perhaps even more importantly, the will to address systemic racism and anti-Black racism in the school board. Further, Huggins wrote that The dysfunction in the Directors Office remains unaddressed and I have seen no evidence of a plan to resolve the issues underlying the dysfunction and that the Director of Education has not demonstrated the necessary capacity to lead the implementation of the binding Directions. In her findings, Huggins said of the PDSB, that future non-compliance with the Ministers binding Directions is probable. Margaryta Ignatenko is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @MargarytaIgnat1 David Venn is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @davidvenn_ Playwright Rohina Maliks stirring Yasminas Necklace, which tells the story of a newly arrived immigrant to Chicago from war-wracked Iraq, set attendance records when it was produced by the Union-based Premiere Stages last September. Now, Malik is returning to Premiere Stages -- at least, virtually -- to take part in Premiere Artists: Immigrant Stories," an online series celebrating the contributions of immigrant artists in America. Premiere Stages, a professional theater company based at Kean University, will host separate conversations over the next three Mondays with Malik and fellow playwrights Martyna Majok and Celine Song. The artists will be interviewed by Kean University students or alumni, followed by live Q&A sessions with the viewers. The series is free but a $10 donation is suggested. Here is the schedule and details. Click on the title to order tickets: In Conversation with Rohina Malik, 7 p.m. Monday, June 15, interviewed by Megan Tobias, Class of 2019. The Chicago-based playwright, actress and solo performance artist was born and raised in London and is of South Asian heritage. She is a winner of the Lee Reynolds Award for women theater makers whose work has illuminated possibilities for social, cultural or political change, and was nominated for the Jefferson Award for Best New Play for both Yasminas Necklace" and The Mecca Tales. Premiere Stages will present her solo show Unveiled on July 8. In Conversation with Martyna Majok, 7 p.m. Monday, June 22, interviewed by Roe Manzo, Class of 2020. Born in Bytom, Poland, Majok has lived in New Jersey and Chicago. She received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cost of Living, which premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Some of the other plays deal deeply with immigration issues, including Ironbound, about a Polish immigrant cleaning lady living in New Jersey; Sanctuary City, about a naturalized teen willing to marry her undocumented friend so he can stay in the country; and Queens," centered around two generations of immigrant women sharing a basement apartment in the NYC borough. Majok currently is developing Queens as a series for HBO. In Conversation with Celine Song, 7 p.m. Monday, June 29, interviewed by Lucien Edme, Class of 2021. Song was born in South Korea, emigrated to Canada at age 12 and now lives in the U.S. Her play Endlings tells the story of three elderly women who spend their dying days diving into the ocean on the Korean island of Man-Jae to harvest seafood. It received its world premiere in 2019 at American Repertory Theater and had its New York premiere in 2020 at New York Theatre Workshop. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism you rely on and trust. Email Patrick OShea at poshea@njadvancemedia.com Iran's Judiciary Spokesman on Saturday confirmed that the Interpol has detained Gholamreza Mansouri in Romania. He is accused of human rights violations by rights defenders, but he is also one of the defendants in a recent sensational corruption case in Iran who fled to Europe. Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Esmaili said Mansouri's extradition is not possible now due to coronavirus restrictions but he will be returned to Iran and put on trial for corruption. He also told a local news network that Iran requested the arrest through the Interpol. In a video published on social media on Friday, a man who introduced himself as Mansouri's nephew, Saeed Mansouri, said his uncle went to Romania on June 10 where he presented himself to the Iranian embassy in Bucharest. According to the nephew, Mansouri was taken to hospital by embassy staff in the embassy car after feeling badly ill. However, he was arrested at the hospital by the Romanian police and "unfortunately" they handed him over to the Interpol, he said. If this version of events is true, it is possible that the embassy tipped off the police about Mansouri's whereabouts. Earlier this week many Iranian activists claimed that he was in Germany. The German Foreign Ministry said it had not issued a visa for Mansouri and was not informed of his whereabouts. Mansouri could have traveled to Germany on a Schengen visa. Today the Judiciary spokesman, however, said Mansouri was arrested in Romania. Iranian journalists and human rights activists want Mansouri to be put on trial in Germany or another European country for his grave human rights violations including the arrest and torture of journalists. In a tweet on June 11, the Secretary-General of Reporters without Borders urged German authorities not to let him escape justice. Reporters without Borders (RSF) has supported the call of Iranian activists and filed a complaint with Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor against Mansouri for the arrest and torture of at least 20 journalists in 2013. The office of the German Federal Public Prosecutor on Friday confirmed that it had received RSF's complaint but did not provide any further details. Romanian authorities have not commented on the issue yet. In response to RFE/RL's inquiry on Saturday, two officials of the Romanian Justice Ministry said they had no information about Mansouri's presence in Romania. The officials who spoke off the record said they needed some time to prepare an official response. Mansouri is a highly influential prosecutor and judge notoriously famous for prosecuting journalists and putting them behind bars. In one instance in 2013 he ordered the simultaneous arrest of 20 journalists in one day. Mansouri's name came up as one of the recipients of bribes in the first trial session of Akbar Tabari, a former Judiciary deputy. The former judge allegedly received 500,000 euro in bribes from Tabari. In a video published on social media on June 9, the Mansouri claimed that he was abroad for treatment of a serious medical condition and could not return due to the restrictions introduced after the breakout of coronavirus. He did not reveal where he was but said he would go to an Iranian embassy to arrange for his return to defend himself against the corruption charges. Kathmandu, Jun 13 (PTI) Nepal's border guarding force on Saturday released the Indian national who was detained for allegedly trying to snatch a weapon from one of their personnel during an altercation which sparked tension on the Indo-Nepal border along Bihar's Sitamarhi district, an official said. The Nepalese Armed Police Force (NAPF) also returned the body of 27-year-old Bikesh Kumar Rai, who was shot dead by the force during the altercation. The NAPF on Friday opened fire on a crowd killing Rai and injuring two others and detained 45-year-old Lagan Yadav after the incident along the southern border. The NAPF released Yadav and handed him over to the Indian Security Forces at the no mans land at the Nayanapur Border Point, My Republica newspaper reported. We have released the Indian national who was arrested and the dead body has also been handed over," Nepals Chief District Officer Mohan Bahadur was quoted as saying in the report. The local government, the Nepali security personnel and the Indian security forces reached an agreement on Saturday morning, it said. Earlier, security personnel of Nepal and India stepped up security along the border and spent the night at the incident site. Several locals and representatives of the government were also present, the report said. Giving details about the incident at Sitamarhi district, 134 kms from Patna, Kumar Rajesh Chandra, Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), a force looking after the 1,751 km India-Nepal frontier, said in New Delhi on Friday that the incident took place around 8:40 AM "deep inside Nepalese territory". According to Indian officials, as per preliminary reports obtained from locals, there were protests after the APF troops objected to the presence of Indians in their area in violation of the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nepal has announced a lockdown in the area till June 14. The bordering districts on both sides of the border maintain contacts and in the absence of any fence, people move around to meet their family members, they said. The objection raised by the APF resulted in a heated argument and it is alleged that the Indian people called other villagers and indulged in stone pelting on the Nepalese APF at Narayanpur area of Parsa Rural Municipality in Sarlahi district in southern Nepal. APF Additional Inspector General of Police Narayan Babu Thapa told PTI in Kathmandu that "they even snatched weapons from one of our security men. After firing ten rounds of bullets in the air, our personnel had to open fire for self-defence in which one person was killed and two others were injured". The incident occurred some 75 metres inside the Nepalese territory from the no-man's land, he added. The incident took place in the midst of a raging boundary row between the two countries, with India sternly asking Nepal not to resort to any "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims after Kathmandu released a new political map laying claim over Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. New Delhi maintains that these are part of India's Uttarakhand State while Kathmandu, in its recent map, had shown them as part of Western Nepal. India had published its new map of the border region in November, after it divided Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh into two union territories. The map had incorporated these areas of Uttarakhand, the territories disputed with Nepal, within India's borders. 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 UK cabinet minister Michael Gove has backtracked on plans to introduce full border checks with the EU when the Brexit transition period ends, and defied warnings it would be "extraordinarily reckless" not to request an extension. Mr Gove formally told the EU yesterday that the UK would not ask for a delay despite concerns the departure would compound the economic chaos inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic. However, in scrapping plans to immediately introduce full import controls on EU goods in the new year, Mr Gove said Britain would now phase in changes over six months so businesses hampered by Covid-19 have "time to adjust". He said "the moment for extension has now passed" despite a stark warning from the first ministers of Scotland and Wales the move would lead to "avoidable" business closures and redundancies. The move came as the UK economy contracted by more than a fifth in the first full month of lockdown. Economic activity was down by 20.4pc in April, the largest drop in a single month since records began in 1997, and worse than many experts were forecasting. After Mr Gove met with European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic, the Cabinet Office said a "flexible and pragmatic approach" would now see border checks between Britain and the EU introduced in three stages. Mr Sefcovic said the EU "remains open to an extension", but said Mr Gove had been "very clear, unequivocal" that the UK will not seek one. Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon and Wales's Mark Drakeford wrote to Boris Johnson calling for an extension past January 1. "We believe that exiting the transition period at the end of the year would be extraordinarily reckless," they said. From January, tariffs will need to be paid on all imports. From April, animal and regulated plant products will require pre-notification and relevant documentation. In July 2021, traders will have to make declarations at the point of importation and pay tariffs. There are times when their dark, glossy locks made them appear almost interchangeable, their matching sense of style studiously classic, polished and understated. So similar are Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney and her closest friend Meghan Markle, those who knew them on the Toronto celebrity circuit described them as twins. Even their values, it was said, were tightly aligned. But that was then. Today, with her friend and confidante accused of racist bullying and in disgrace, the Duchess of Sussex faces the biggest dilemma of her life. Today, with her friend and confidante Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney (left) accused of racist bullying and in disgrace, the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle (right) faces the biggest dilemma of her life Meghan is under huge pressure to ditch the woman who, more than any other, guided her ascent from little-known American actress to the upper echelons of Canadian high society. And beyond. Jessica Mulroney, 40, is no mere BFF (Best Friend Forever). She has been Meghans fixer, stylist and unofficial spokesman for years. But amid the furore over the killing of George Floyd, she is now a monumental liability. It is just a few days since the Duchess used her global platform to speak passionately about George Floyds death, condemning senseless acts of racism and adding: The only wrong thing to say is nothing. And when Jessica became caught up in a toxic race row, saying nothing would perhaps have been more wise. t is just a few days since the Duchess used her global platform to speak passionately about George Floyds death, condemning senseless acts of racism and adding: The only wrong thing to say is nothing. Picture: Meghan with Jessica For Mulroneys lucrative career as a television stylist and bridal expert lies in tatters following the ugly episode in which she appeared to threaten to end the career of glamorous black lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter. The row began when Exeter called on influential social media users to use their platforms to support Black Lives Matter. Mulroney, who has 395,000 Instagram followers, was not specifically named. But it was noted that she had been assiduously plugging her TV wedding show I Do, Redo, rather than speaking up. Jessica, it seems, took offence. But in the furious argument behind the scenes that followed, Exeter claims she was left paralysed with fear over Mulroneys apparent written threats, which she then made public. In the exchange, Jessica wrote: I have also spoken to companies and people about the way you have treated me unfairly. You think your voice matters. Well it only matters if you express it with kindness and without shaming people who are simply trying to learn. Good luck. Posting the messages online, Exeter wrote that Jessica was well aware of her wealth, her perceived power and privilege because of the colour of her skin adding: For her to threaten me? A single mother, during a racial pandemic? Blows my mind, it is absolutely unbelievable. The publicity forced Jessica into a humiliating climbdown and she was promptly dropped from her regular appearances on US and Canadian television shows. On Friday, ABCs Good Morning America the largest US breakfast show said Jessica would no longer be working for them. Canadian network CTV also dropped her, saying her conduct had fallen short of their efforts to practise respect, inclusivity, and allyship... to listen to and amplify Black voices, and not to minimize them. So far, Mulroney has issued three profuse apologies, but it is unlikely to be enough. This, after all, is America where race is a highly politicised weapon. Jessica Mulroney has been Meghans fixer, stylist and unofficial spokesman for years On the face of it, 38-year-old Meghan can ill afford to lose Jessica, one of her very few personal friends and a keeper of her secrets. The Mail on Sunday understands that, in private, she has been a sounding board for Jessicas difficulties. Mulroney is said to have rung the Duchess to warn her of the impending controversy before the backlash began. It was, by all accounts, a tense conversation. Jessicas influence over Meghans career can hardly be overstated. She has been front and centre of Meghans transition to Royal life, partly because she, herself, is the epitome of Canadian privilege. Although she is a relative unknown in the UK, in Canada Jessica is half of one of Torontos most powerful couples. She is married to TV host Ben Mulroney son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Mother-of-three Jessica is from one of Montreals most prominent families, descended from the founder of a shoe retail empire. She introduced Meghan to the best restaurants, the most fashionable places to be seen and pictured and included her among the select and powerful group of Torontos elite with whom she socialised. Through the Mulroneys, Meghan was introduced to Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie, who has also been styled by Jess. They share Meghans interest in humanitarian work. In turn, Jessica has benefited from her association with Meghan. Meghan is godmother to Jessicas daughter Ivy, seven, who was a bridesmaid at Harry and Meghans wedding two years ago. Jessica played a leading role in organising the Windsor ceremony. Meghan reportedly asked Jessica to be a godparent to her son, Archie, and she was also entrusted to look after the one-year-old when Meghan and Harry flew to London to announce their intention to step down from official Royal duties. In March, Jess again broke off from her busy schedule to look after Archie while his parents completed final Royal engagements. But whether she will be so trusted again remains to be seen. While Meghan has so far said nothing publicly about the embarrassing affair, she found herself dragged into it regardless when Jessicas apology referenced, without subtlety, her very public and personal experience with my closest friend, where race was front and centre. As one friend put it: How can Meg stand by her? She is horrified by Jesss behaviour. It is disgusting. Another was reported to have said: Meghan is mortified that shes been dragged into this complete mess. She said Jessica was in no way a racist, but the way she handled the situation was tone-deaf. Meghan said she can no longer be associated with her, at least not in public. She has to do what she has to do in order to preserve her dignity and her own reputation. And more than that, perhaps. The reality is that Black Lives Matter gives the mixed-race Duchess a genuine platform, particularly in America where she could have enormous influence. It is unlikely Meghan will speak up about her friends misdemeanours. Last year she refused to be drawn into the row over Mr Trudeau wearing blackface as a student. But history tells us the ambitious Duchess is not immune to leaving friends behind when their usefulness has been exhausted. And no one knows that better than Jessica. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In light of the protests and charged conversations regarding race, it can be easy to forget that were still in the midst of a global pandemic. Many fear the mass demonstrations will soon bring the coronavirus back to the forefront of our minds, though. To that end, where do we stand when it comes to COVID-19? The answer is both encouraging and confusing. A scientist with the World Health Organization, for example, recently stated that asymptomatic people rarely transmit the virus to others. If true, thats great news, as one of the primary fears with coronavirus is that even healthy-looking people could get others sick. The WHO clarified yesterday, however, that while asymptomatic people are unlikely to spread the virus, pre-symptomatic peoplethose who will eventually show symptoms but havent yetcan still infect others. So, essentially, if you arent showing symptoms you are unlikely to get anyone else sick unless you will eventually show symptoms, which you cant know at the time. Ultimately, they still recommend wearing masks in public and limiting your exposure to large crowds. COVID-19 may have started in August? There have also been new developments with regard to when COVID-19 first appeared. A recent study from Harvard Medical School used satellite images of parking lots at six hospitals in Wuhan, China to show that, compared with previous years, there was a steep increase in occupancies from August 2019, which culminated with a peak in December 2019. The highest daily occupancies occurred between September and October. That data, taken in conjunction with an increase in online searches for coronavirus-related symptoms, including those unique to the virus, led the studys authors to conclude that the virus likely originated earlier than the previously reported date of late December. Beijing, however, has dismissed the study as ridiculous and others have claimed that, while it offers some interesting evidence, its far from conclusive. Acquiring a more precise knowledge of when the virus originated could be an important step toward understanding how it has spread and how we can best fight it. But, in the end, the only thing it seems we can be certain of is that we still cant be certain. Some good news amidst troubling times Despite the mixed messages, it does seem like genuine progress has been made in at least containing the virus. Places like New York City that were once devastated by illness are now hitting their desired benchmarks and, while there are still problem areas around the country, there is more hope now than in months past that well be able to resume some semblance of normalcy in the not too distant future. That future isnt here yet, though. And in these uncertain times, it can be easy to become either complacent or discouraged as life seems to spin out of our control. Theres a basic anxiety that goes along with knowing that simply leaving your house is a dangerous decision. And even if you learn to accept that danger as a necessary part of life, it remains in the back of your mind, producing stress and making everything else just a bit more difficult. Of course, leaving the house has always been dangerous to some extent. But when that danger seemed within our control, when it came more from random accidents than simply getting coughed on, it didnt bother us as much. I think the reason is that even when those feelings of control are misplaced, they still imbue us with a sense of protection and security to which many have grown accustomed. A lesson from the ancient Israelites If there was ever a people group who knew what it was like to live with the constant reminder that protection and security were not guaranteed, it was the ancient Israelites. Whether it was the decades spent wandering in the wilderness, the enemies that made them feel like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33), or the strange battle plans that made no earthly sense (Joshua 6), the Israelites were forced to approach every day with a very clear understanding of their need for God. Now, that doesnt mean they appreciated that fact, as evidenced from the multiple times they complained so much, the Lord told Moses he was ready to destroy them (Exodus 33:5, Numbers 14:11). Still, God was able to accomplish amazing things through the Hebrew people, and it was in large part because they were forced to depend on him. And the same was true for the first generations of Christians as well (Acts 17:6). How to grow from daily danger Most of us are likely anxious for a cure or treatment that will reduce the threat of COVID-19 and allow our lives to resume without masks, public restrictions, and the myriad other daily inconveniences brought on by the virus. Until that day comes, however, lets allow God to redeem these times by learning to live with a greater dependency on him. After all, our need for his presence and guidance isnt going to dissipate when the threat of the coronavirus does. Learning to embrace that need now will better equip us for the days ahead when leaning on God will feel less necessary. It may seem counterintuitive, but these difficult days might be the easiest time for us to make that choice. Lets be sure we dont waste them. Originally posted at denisonforum.org Ryan Denison is a graduate of Baylor University and Truett Seminary and is completing his doctoral dissertation in church history at BH Carroll Theological Institute. He serves as Senior Fellow for Theology with the Denison Forum. Protesters must disperse by 5pm Police in London have told those planning on joining Black Lives Matter demonstrations that they must be off the streets by 5pm. In an attempt to avoid a repeat of last weeks violent clashes with police, protesters have been told they must stick to the planned route that will run from Hyde Park to Whitehall. The force fear the anti-racism protests that were sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US last month could be hijacked by counter-demonstrations by far-right groups. The 46-year-old African American died after a police officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck for almost nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25, provoking riots in many US cities and demonstrations across the world. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said protesters who do not leave demonstrations after 5pm on Saturday risk being arrested. 'When I looked at the statue, I felt a sense of displacement' says South African anti-racism campaigner NAIROBI - Countries must find more creative ways to depict their history than statues that glorify racists and colonialists, a founder of South Africa's successful Rhodes Must Fall movement said on Thursday. A wave of anti-racism protests sweeping across the United States and Europe has reignited debate about monuments that glorify countries' imperialist pasts, which many people see as offensive in today's multi-ethnic society. Statues linked to colonialism and slavery have been defaced or pulled down in the United States, Britain and Belgium amid protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man, after a policeman knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. Ramabani Mahapa, who served as president of the University of Cape Town Students Representative Council and led a 2015 campaign to remove a statue of imperialist tycoon Cecil Rhodes, said he was encouraged by the movements across the world. "We've got to find different ways of educating the public about our history. I don't think these statues are the right way to go about it - especially given that many of them are about glorifying oppression and racism," said Mahapa, 28. "The goal when they were erected was a testament to the attitudes towards race at the time. As the current generation, we have different attitudes and the continued presence of these monuments is problematic." A mining magnate, Rhodes was a central figure in Britain's colonial project in southern Africa, giving his name to Rhodesia, present-day Zimbabwe, and founding the De Beers diamond empire. He made his fortune from the exploitation of African miners, secured power through bloody imperial wars and paved the way to apartheid with his beliefs and measures on racial segregation. 'SENSE OF LOSS' In March 2015, Mahapa led hundreds of students at the University of Cape Town in the #RhodesMustFall protests to remove the statue from the entrance steps to the university. Students said it glorified a man seen by many as an architect of apartheid, and that the university campus should be more representative of South Africa's diverse history and culture. "The statue had a very prominent position right at the entrance to the university. You couldn't even take a picture properly of the university with the backdrop of the Table Mountain because of the statue," said Mahapa. "When I looked at it, I felt a sense of loss. I felt a sense of displacement. The statue was telling me that I didn't belong there." After over a month of protests, university authorities relented and the statue was removed - but not before inspiring a similar movement by Oxford University students, which has been reinvigorated by the current global protests against racism. In recent days, monuments of British slave traders Robert Milligan and Edward Colston, Belgian's King Leopold II, explorer Christopher Columbus and confederate leaders such as Jefferson Davis have been torn down by protestors or authorities. Mahapa said changing the wording on plaques of monuments to provide historical context and background, as some supporters of the monuments have suggested, was not the solution. "There may be other creative ways that these statues could be put on display for public education purposes. I think placing them in museums with appropriate contextual background would be appropriate," said Mahapa. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Education Children By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "Or even relocating them to less prominent places within a city or university may also be appropriate depending on the context and the outcome of the public participation process." Mahapa, now a researcher with the Land and Accountability Research Centre in the Department of Public Law at the University of Cape Town, says the statue's removal has led to more conversation amongst students about racial injustice. But, he added, much more needs to be done. "If you go around Cape Town university today, it is still full of colonial iconography. There are plaques and pictures of old white men who are benefactors or ministers of education from the apartheid era everywhere." "There is nothing really African here that we can identify with. There is nothing that says 'Black child you belong here'". (Editing by Claire Cozens.) Associate Professor Nguyen Lan Hieu, director-general of the Hanoi Medical University Hospital, talks on what medical staff have been doing to win the hearts and minds of patients Nguyen Lan Hieu. Photo quochoi.vn Is it the right time for Vietnam to launch a campaign to attract both foreigners and overseas Vietnamese who have health problems to seek treatment in Vietnam? There are two main reasons why I want to advise people with health problems to seek medical help in Vietnam, instead of going abroad. First, from now till late this year, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnamese people cannot go abroad, even those with serious health problems. As we all know, people in other countries have also focused their efforts on the fight against COVID-19. Second, for overseas Vietnamese who have returned to Vietnam to avoid the pandemic, of course, they will use domestic medical services. This is an opportunity for them to understand how good the quality of the Vietnamese health service is compared with other countries. Adding to that, it is time for Vietnam to give medical aid to some of our neighbours who are facing challenges in their public health care. What should the Vietnamese health sector do to persuade foreign patients to choose Vietnam for their treatment? The hardest challenge is that all public hospitals should be granted autonomy rights. With such rights, hospitals will be able to attract patients from any country in the world. Then, the Ministry of Health should issue guiding documents, including circulars to encourage hospitals to pour their money to invest in their health service facilities. To my knowledge, the Ministry of Health has already come up with a proposal to attract foreigners, overseas Vietnamese living abroad and local Vietnamese people who are wealthy to seek medical services from local health service facilities from 2020-30. However, right now, when the pandemic is still going on, we should apply advanced information technology to attract foreign patients to come to Vietnam for their treatment. Recently, we had our first live TV broadcast with Cambodia to help our Cambodian colleagues diagnose a few patients through the application of telemedicine and telehealth technology. We are confident the application of advanced technology will help us be on par with other foreign countries in the medical field. How do you respond to those who say that some Vietnamese people seek medical service abroad not because of the poor medical performance of Vietnamese physicians, but because of the poor quality service? In my opinion, the most important element here is the professional skills of doctors. People go to hospitals to ask for good health services. Thats why Im confident when we have more patients come to us, it means they have confidence in our medical practice. This is a big encouragement for all the doctors and nurses to try to improve their skills to make their patients happy. VNS/SKDS Vietnam aims to become healthcare destination K.V., a 53-year-old foreign sailor who became sick from anthrax while at sea, recovered within just a week of treatment for the infection in Vietnam. Judge Michael Walsh refused to grant the man bail following garda objections and remanded him in custody. (stock photo) A Dublin man breached a protection order when he went to his ex-partner's home, assaulted her, produced a knife and took her phone, it was claimed. The woman was "terrified" following the alleged domestic violence incident in the south of the city, a court was told. Judge Michael Walsh refused to grant the man bail following garda objections and remanded him in custody. The accused, a father-of-one aged in his 30s, is charged with breach of the order at the woman's home on May 23. Damage The prosecuting garda said it was also alleged that damage was done to the property. Dublin District Court heard the woman took out the order last February. The man had made himself available to gardai once he found out they were looking for him, his lawyer said. Applying for bail, he said his client was denying the allegations. He lived a 30-minute drive from the alleged victim. The garda said he was concerned the accused would return to the woman's home if granted bail and threaten and intimidate her, adding that she was in fear. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As the chant, "Black Lives Matter" holds center stage across our nation, there is this growing counter call, "All Lives Matter." This response derives from those who want to retain their own sense of value and not be excluded from the equation. Does one life hold more value over another life . . . Whose lives matter? This is a question which comes up more often than we may think. We have come to that place where we question the value of a life. Does my life matter more than yours? Does the life of an unborn child matter more than the life of the mother? Does the life of a teenaged Leukemia patient matter more than the life of a cancer-stricken senior? Do black lives matter more than all lives? In this struggle for self-worth, we contemplate our own value in comparison to others, forgetting the connectedness in our creation. The Bible clearly tells us how we were formed by God, made in His image, and the very essence of our life was breathed into us by our creator (Genesis 1:26). There is only one mold in which all human beings were created from. It has only been through the process of time, locations, and environments that the exterior features of Gods creation have changed into the many shades and shapes we have in our world today. Yet the blood which runs through our veins and the breath of His Spirit which brought forth our very existence remains the same. As a man of faith, I am troubled and saddened by the pain, hurt, and brokenness I see across our nation. As a man born of a black father and white mother, I live a life constantly burdened by the backlash and attacks generated by this tug of war between black and white. As a man of faith, my hope resides in Christ and is energized by the promises expounded in the Holy Writ. And as a man of faith and color, I stand against the injustices of the past and the systemic failures of a system which continues to place the lives of every black person in jeopardy. Yes, all lives matter your life and my life matter. This has never been disputed by black people who stand up and say their lives matter. The clarion call, "black lives matter," comes from a people who have been separated from God's original creation by generational disparities and overt racism. Consider this beautiful illustration of our Father in heaven providing His own response through the Apostle Matthew. The story tells of a shepherd who owns a hundred sheep. This shepherd left the ninety-nine to go after the one who was lost and becomes happier at that moment in finding the one over the ninety and nine who remained safe. You see, God Himself will place a singular focus on the one life in jeopardy over the many who are safe (Matthew 18:12-14). Now, let me expound beyond one life to one race; a black community who in this hour are a people in peril. These people, black and brown are connected to every human being through the blood and spirit of our creator. In their anguish from the innumerable injustices and the inequality crippling them, their cry of crisis echoes across the land. As it reverberates from little towns to big cities; from one state to the next, our civil society, our nation as a whole has been jolted to its very core. We stand, some in awe, others in anger. We walk, march, and watch as many questions. . . what now? Well, consider this fact; 71% of Americans self-identify as Christians and an additional 6% hold to a faith in God. This brings us back to our united origin. We, a people of faith and conscience are being challenged in this very hour. As the world watches and all of heaven stands in silence, there is an urgency in the spirit, a calling for a renewal, a reawakening if you may, to be reconnected to the Spirit of God. The need in this hour is to move beyond petty politics and derisive optics. We are being called to march into our houses of worship, to hold vigils in the public square as we bend our knees in prayer. We must pray for our nation, pray for our leaders, and pray for a black people who have been oppressed for years. Let us seek Gods face and repent for our nation and for devaluing the greatest of Gods creation you and me. The hope and salvation of America depends on the prayers of a people who will see beyond color, ethnicity, age and religion. This mandate from God is the foundational step to our solution: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14) In terms of scope, however, the greatest impact came from its Family Dinners program. Through April and May, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana distributed over 4,000 take-and-bake dinners to club members, in part with funding from Legacy Foundation, Crown Point Community Foundation, United Way of Porter County, and Porter County Community Foundation. Staff who were not remotely tutoring club members or distributing dinners were behind the scenes, deep cleaning and sanitizing clubs. Meanwhile, the organizations leadership was looking forward. Knowing that the 2,200 club members the organization serves daily had been cooped up for more than two months, away from their friends and unable to socialize, president and CEO Ryan Smiley tasked his executive team with developing a plan to safely reopen and provide Boys & Girls Clubs youth with the Best Summer Ever. Smiley said while it was important for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana to be able to help its communities over the past few months, the organization was eager to start serving youth directly again when it was safe to do so. The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. The Manitoba Teachers Society says it would welcome clearer guidelines on the use of physical restraint and seclusion in schools practices a recent exploratory study suggests are used on students with disabilities to address behaviour challenges, and often not recorded in writing after the fact. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Manitoba Teachers Society says it would welcome clearer guidelines on the use of physical restraint and seclusion in schools practices a recent exploratory study suggests are used on students with disabilities to address behaviour challenges, and often not recorded in writing after the fact. Manitoba doesnt have any standards for the use of such intervention methods in schools or reporting requirements. Divisions act independently in offering their staff training to de-escalate situations to protect both themselves and their students. Report details use of restraint against students with disabilities Click to Expand MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Nadine Bartlett, an assistant professor of inclusive education at the U of M with report which outlines the results of a summer 2019 exploratory study that looked into how seclusion/restraint is used on students with disabilities in Manitoba schools. Posted: 11:03 PM Jun. 11, 2020 Some parents say their children were physically restrained to a chair at school, with arm splints and posey cuffs. Others reported their child had been confined to a cinder block-lined closet. In one case, a student came home often with torn clothing, after he had been yanked around like a rag doll and forced into the quiet room. A new report on the use of physical restraint and seclusion of students with disabilities in Manitoba schools details anonymous accounts from parents about their childrens experiences in certain cases, on a frequent or daily basis. Read Full Story A new report authored by a Winnipeg researcher who specializes in inclusive education calls for that to change. Behind Closed Doors includes insights from 62 anonymous parents and guardians who took an online survey (July-October 2019) about experiences their children had during the school day at least once in the last three years. The findings indicate a lack of consent for the use of restraint and seclusion in Manitoba, individuals frequent experience with measures and unreliable, untimely notification from school administration after an incident. The restraint incidents included: being held both face up and face down on the floor; being held while forced to walk; seated with arms held by splints and wrists in fabric cuffs; and being picked up and carried. Parents also reported seclusion where their child was put in a four foot by four foot cinder-block closet or a room with a modified doorknob or without a handle on the inside. Respondents, most of whom said they learned about the incident from their child, reported the involvement of special-education and resource teachers, school administrators, classroom teachers, teaching assistants and school counsellors. "Theres no question we would definitely be in support of guidelines for seclusion and support training.... There definitely is a grey area, and its a very difficult area," said MTS president James Bedford, who represents upwards of 15,000 teachers in Manitoba schools. Bedford said restraint and seclusion are last resorts if educators toolkits for de-escalation prove unsuccessful, adding that if a student identifies as having behavioural needs, teachers sit down with a principal to see if divisional support can be brought in. They will then develop a plan to address a students needs, he said. MTS raised concerns about the need for improved access to clinicians and student support services during the provincial government's K-12 education review. In the unions submission, it called on the province to reduce wait times for learning-disabilities assessments so students who qualify for a special-education designation get support before learning difficulties lead to behavioural and emotional problems. In Behind Closed Doors, author Nadine Bartlett, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, outlines six recommendations to address restraint and seclusion in local schools. Among them, provincewide standards and consistent reporting for accountability, the prescription of a standardized training program and the strict use of practices only during crises that could result in self-harm or harm to someone else. Manitoba Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files) Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen declined multiple interview requests about the report. Late Friday, a spokesperson said in a statement Goertzen had directed his department to "immediately" consult divisions and stakeholders about the findings and bring back recommendations to government on the use of seclusion in schools. Bartlett suggests Manitoba look to Alberta, a leader in developing policy in this area in Canada. Pushback about the practices in that province prompted Alberta Education to develop standards for the use of physical restraint, seclusion and time-outs in schools late last year. The guidelines promote prevention and de-escalation approaches to address outbursts. Restraint and seclusion can be used only in situations in which a student is exhibiting "dangerous behaviour" that is likely to cause self-harm or harm to others; neither practice is allowed to address "disruptive behaviour." If an incident occurs, schools have to record it. The province collects the data from divisions on a monthly basis. 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. "The fact that there are no standards is really, when you think about it, quite shocking that there are no enforceable standards for locking children up. There is no other place that that is true," said Trish Bowman, CEO of Inclusion Alberta, an advocacy organization for the disabled. Bowman used both hospitals and jails as examples of institutions where there are strict protocols on seclusion. Bowman said guidelines and reporting requirements in Alberta have resulted in more public awareness and some schools dismantling seclusion rooms. In 2018, Inclusion Alberta undertook a study about student experiences with restraint and seclusion; Manitobas study was modelled after it. Both had small sample sizes 62 and 389 respondents, respectively, but Bowman and Bartlett share the sentiment that one incident is one too many. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 13 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: Uzbekistan increases the number of export contracts with the US companies, Trend reports citing Dunyo News Agency. Since the beginning of 2020, Uzbek diplomatic mission in the US has supported four domestic companies in the implementation of export contracts worth $5.8 million, mainly for the supply of Uzbek light industry goods, the message said. Furthermore, new export contracts worth over $6 million have been signed recently, the message said. In particular, Uzbek Medprotect Technology company signed an export agreement with American Sky Group company, under which Uzbekistan will deliver face masks to US in the amount of $5 million for the first time. At present, the first batch of about 60,000 face masks has already been delivered to the US and the second batch of 500,000 masks is expected to be shipped in the next few days. In addition, export contracts for supply of dried fruits and vegetables worth $1 million are also being implemented. In the near future, the first batch of Uzbek cherries and grapes will be delivered to the American market, said the report. The Uzbek government is holding talks with the US government to remove the country from the JacksonVanik amendment to the Trade Act of 1974. According to the Jackson-Vanik amendment, most favored nation (MFN) treatment can be extended only to non-market economies whose emigration regime is liberal. The United States imposes sanctions against violators, mainly relating to the restriction of the admission of goods produced in this country to the American market. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini People living with disabilities face unique challenges which have been heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic, including equal access to health care, support and information, as well as coping with social isolation, loss of employment and income support and the effect of the situation on their mental health. To safeguard the rights of people with disabilities during this period, Plan International is working with the disability relief organisation OSH-Guinea to prevent the spread of the virus and protect the most vulnerable communities in Conakry. The association, made up of girls with disabilities between the ages of 19 and 35, is ensuring that people with disabilities have the hygiene materials they need to shield themselves against the disease. Oumou Hawa, the founding member of the association, explains more about the initiative. People with disabilities are very exposed to this disease and as the main objective of our association is to help these people, this is why we have set up this project with Plan International. It is clear that we could not be passive until this pandemic was defeated. For us, this is a struggle for the right to life as this disease will hit the most vulnerable people hardest. To this end, we are teaching people with disabilities and their families to follow the simple but important barrier measures while preventing the emergence of any form of stigmatisation towards them." The project team recently visited the Cite Solidarite, a government-run compound for 300 of Conakrys most vulnerable families, many of whom have disabilities and have experienced stigmatisation. The young women showed the residents how to wash their hands thoroughly and then distributed handwashing kits. This gesture was warmly welcomed by the centres administrative authorities. "Today, compared to others who usually support us, is really an exception. That people living with disabilities have come to support other people with disabilities, really comforts me I am filled with joy and it is with real pleasure that we welcome this young dynamic team," expressed Ms. Rose, Deputy Executive Director of Cite Solidarite. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Guinea Health Coronavirus By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. This distribution forms part of the implementation of a two-year project to support the socio-economic integration of young people living with disabilities financed by Plan International Guinea. The project encourages an inclusive approach to people living with disabilities, including government decision-making and actions. Since the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Guinea last March, Plan International has been working to prevent the spread of the disease. Two months on, the chain of contamination has widened and today, more than 4,000 cases have been reported and the rate of infection is showing no signs of slowing down. The White House is floating a theory that travel from Mexico may be contributing to a new wave of coronavirus infections, rather than states' efforts to reopen their economies. There has been a spike in the number of coronavirus cases in Arizona, California, Texas and North Carolina - particularly within the Hispanic community. The task force is now looking at whether those spikes may be tied to legal travel between the U.S. and Mexico, which is also experiencing an ongoing severe coronavirus outbreak. President Trump has suggested that recent spikes in Arizona, California and Texas in the Hispanic community could be as a result of travel from Mexico. Pictured, the US-Mexico border crossing at Tijuana/San Diego which is now closed between 10pm and 6am ARIZONA HOSPITALIZATIONS: Hospitals in Arizona were warned to activate emergency plans this week as the health department revealed they had already reached an alarming 83 percent capacity. The state's hospitalizations have surged in the last two weeks and recorded a high of a 1,336 new COVID patients on Thursday ARIZONA CASES: Arizona has seen its daily infections surge this month. Official figures show a 211 percent rise in virus cases in the state over the past 14 days Mexico has had more than 133,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 16,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University - dramatically fewer than the U.S., which has surpassed 2 million cases and more than 113,000 deaths. The notion was discussed at some length during a meeting of the administration's coronavirus task force in the White House Situation Room on Thursday that focused, in part, on identifying commonalities between new outbreaks. COVID-19 cases are currently rising in nearly half of states across the country, according to analysis from the Associated Press, however despite the rise, the president is to start holding his campaign rallies once again, with the first event being held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. However, a large engineering plant in the city, operated by Whirlpool, has had to temporarily close after some of its workers became infected coronavirus outbreak. Non-essential travel is still banned between the U.S. and Mexico. Pictured, Mexican agricultural workers queue early morning at the U.S.-Mexico border to enter Calexico, California from Mexicali, during the coronavirus disease outbreak in Mexicali, Mexico TEXAS CASES: Texas reported a record-breaking number of new coronavirus cases in a single day after reporting 2,504 new cases on Tuesday, surpassing the previous single-day record of 1,949 on May 31 A second wave of coronavirus deaths is expected to begin in the United States in September, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said on Thursday, citing a surge in mobility since April. Its latest model projects 170,000 deaths by October 1, with a possible range between 133,000 and 290,000 It's not known how many workers were diagnosed with the disease however the factory employs more than 1,600, according to the Star Telegram. The company has said that anyone who is believed to hav come into contact with the virus has been informed and the plant should be ready to re-open early next week. Other states that are reporting an increase in cases include the state of Arizona, where hospitals have been told to prepare for the worst, and Texas, which now has more hospitalized patients than ever. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was deploying teams to Arizona and other hotspots to try to trace the outbreaks and contain them, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly describe internal conversations. Medical workers wearing protective suits walk outside the migrant shelter 'Casa INDI', where some migrants have been infected by the coronavirus disease in Monterrey, Mexico CDC officials and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. and Mexico entered into a joint agreement in March to restrict non-essential travel along the countries' border to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus, though American citizens and many others are still allowed entry to the U.S., including those conducting commercial traffic and agricultural workers. Still, cross-border travel is down substantially, and the U.S. State Department continues to urge Americans to avoid all international travel due to the pandemic. People wearing face masks wait in a queue at dawn in front of the Otay border crossing in the middle of the Corona pandemic. Since the US government has decided to restrict the opening hours of the border crossing against the spread of the corona virus, many commuters sleep for hours in front of the post on the Mexican side of the border to get to work on time in the US Trump has long tried to used Mexico as a scapegoat, painting the country as a source of crime and disease in the U.S. And he has used the pandemic crisis to push forward some of his most hard-line stalled immigration proposals, including blocking asylum cases and placing new limits on green cards. In addition to its theory about Mexico, members of the White House task force were also exploring other potential causes for the recent uptick in numbers, noting that circumstances likely differ by location. Delays in test reporting and the fact that some infected people take multiple tests in order to get an all-clear to return to work are among the other theories that are being explored, but would not account for the increase in hospitalizations seen in some states. Take a look on the street as the winter chill sets in and youre bound to see one. The teddy coat is riding high this season as the womenswear jacket of the moment. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was an early adopter of the cult Teddy Coat. Credit:Getty Images Like the scene from The Devil Wears Prada in which Meryl Streep traces the origin of Anne Hathaways casual corner cerulean blue jumper to an Oscar De La Renta collection some years before, the teddy coat has gone from ready-to-wear runway to fashion ubiquity in just a few seasons. Though classic camel coats have been around for decades, the current iteration of the big ted was launched by Max Mara in 2013. The silk-lined, calf-length coat didn't really blow up until it was worn by the likes of Julia Roberts and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley from 2018. Since then its been a fluffy juggernaut that keeps on rolling and is undoubtedly the "must-have" coat for winter 2020 in Australia. Experts have said that the virus is now spreading among population groups and localities that have nothing to do with travellers. Chennai/New Delhi: Is India in the community transmission phase? If one goes by ICMR's claim, we have still not reached that stage. However, with increasing evidence pointing to community transmission, healthcare experts have now urged the government to accept that the pandemic reached the community transmission stage "a long time ago". Some leading experts like AIIMS former director Dr MC Mishra, virologist Shahid Jameel, lung surgeon Dr Arvind Kumar and epidemiologist Dr Jayaprakash Muliyil have come out in the open just two days after ICMR director-general Balram Bhargava was quoted as saying, "We have found that prevalence is less than 1 per cent in these small districts. In the urban areas, it may be slightly higher; in the containment areas, it may be slightly higher. But we are definitely, India is not in community transmission and I would like to emphasise it." Experts have said that the virus is now spreading among population groups and localities that have little to do with travel or contact with travellers. For instance, in Chennai, almost all slums have been reporting cases that have nothing to do with travel. Moreover, the city has been adding more than 1,000 cases every day for more than a week now. But admitting the presence of a community transmission in India's fourth biggest city could be a public relations disaster for the Edappadi Palaniswami, who is looking to retain his chief ministership in the next year's Assembly election. So, it came as no surprise that Palaniswami stuck to the ICMR DG's denial that there is no communal transmission in the capital city. Yet, the rising number of cases in Chennai has led to to experts seeking a honest admission from the government, which could help get rid of the growing paranoia among people. Top health department sources in the state told Deccan Chronicle that the official declaration on community transmission would be made only as per the guidelines of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The government and health department will go by whatever instruction issued by ICMR to tackle virus spread, the sources clarified. Former Union Health Secretary K Sujatha Rao had on Saturday tweeted: Ministry of Health needs to step in and overrule ICMR and Niti Ayog and declare community transmission in Delhi, Mumbai and TN (Tamil Nadu).... Strategies will need to change. Sooner the better. Data to be put out in the public domain to reduce panic. Muliyil claimed that he had already said that community transmission had taken place in certain parts of the country. "Its up to governments to decide whether the time has come or not to make it public. If you go by the details of the cases in Chennai, many people in slums who dont have travel history and foreign contacts got infected by the virus. That means community transmission has already taken place," he said. Speaking on similar lines, Mishra stressed on the internal migrantion of guest workers during the lockdown. "With the mass exodus and the country unlocking, it has become more rapid and the disease has reached areas where there were no cases. It is high time the government acknowledges it so that people become more alert and do not become complacent," Mishra told PTI. According to Dr Faheem Younus, chief of infectious diseases, University of Maryland, the simple definition of community transmission is infection of virus to a person or a group of persons in an area who had no travel history or contacts foreign elements. Jameel, in fact, based his argument of a community transmission in India on the ICMR's study itself. He said, "Even ICMR's own study of SARI (severe acute respiratory illness) showed that about 40 per cent of those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 did not have any history of overseas travel or contact to a known case. If this is not community transmission, what is". Kumar, however, seemingly chose to give the benefit of doubt to ICMR, while adding that at least cities like Delhi and Mumbai are clearly in the community transmission phase now. A Jain monk has been arrested on charges of raping a woman in Karauli district of Rajasthan, said police on Saturday. Pen drives and hard disks containing objectionable material were also recovered from the room of the accused, they said. The 38-year-old monk was a native of Jodhpur and was staying in a Jain shelter home in Mohannagar locality of Hindaun town. On Thursday, the survivor, along with her sister-in-law, had gone to the monk to seek his blessings. First , the survivors sister-in-law went to his room and the monk allegedly tried to molest her so she left the room immediately. Then the complainant went inside the room where the monk allegedly raped her. He also threatened to bring harm to her family with his special powers if she disclosed the incident to anyone, said deputy inspector general of police, Bharatpur range, Lakshman Gaur. However, the woman confided in her family soon and they went back to the shelter home. The accused reportedly locked himself inside his room so the police had to be called. On Friday, the statements of the woman and her sister-in-law were recorded before the court after which the monk was arrested. He has been sent to judicial custody for 15 days. A case against him was registered under section 354 (assaulting woman) and 376 (rape) of Indian Penal Code, Gaur said. On Friday, a team of the forensic science laboratory from Jaipur and a police team from Karauli also recovered a bag from the monks room at the shelter home. The bag had two laptops, 19 mobile phones, 33 pen drives, 4 hard disks and a packet of condoms. The hard disks had objectionable videos on them, said a police official associated with the case. - Minister of Health Kwaku Agyemang Manu has tested positive for Coronavirus - Agyemang Manu is currently on admission at the University of Ghana Medical Centre - He was reportedly hospitalised on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu has reportedly tested positive for the novel Coronavirus disease, popularly known as COVID-19. This is according to a report YEN.com.gh has sighted on Citinewsroom.com on Saturday, June 13, 2020. The report indicated that the Minister has been receiving treatment at the University of Ghana Medical Centre in Accra over the past week. Citing sources in the hospital, the report further stated that the Health Minister has been in a stable condition since he was brought in on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. It is not known how he might have got infected but Agyemang Manu has been a very busy man since the early part of March when he announced Ghana's first cases of COVID-19. Since that time he has been at the forefront of the fight against the disease. Agyemang Manu who doubles at the MP for Dormaa Central becomes the first high profile member of Akufo-Addo's government to be infected. The news of his infection comes after Kobina Sam, the Chief Executive of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) passed away after suffering from COVID-19. As earlier reported by YEN.com.gh, the Sekondi-Takoradi MCE passed away at the University of Ghana Medical Centre. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases in Ghana has risen to 11,118 with 3,979 recoveries in the latest update by the Disease Surveillance Department of the Ghana Health Service. This has increased the total number of active cases Ghana currently has to 7,091 which is the highest the country has recorded since the fight against COVID-19 began. The total number of deaths stands at 48 now. It is also reported that 58% out of the total number of COVID-19 cases in Ghana are male whilst only 42% belong to the female gender. . The success story of Rocky Dawuni | #Yencomgh: Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page Source: YEN.com.gh A day after the MCD claimed that the Covid-19 death toll in Delhi stood at 2,098, nearly twice the official figures shared by the city government, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said, "Let them send the details to us." He also dismissed speculation about the extension of the lockdown, saying it wouldn't be. On a question about the Covid-19 death toll claimed by the civic bodies, he said, all Covid-19 protocols are being followed in the cremation or burial of bodies of people infected, or suspected to have been infected by the virus. Senior leaders of ... Somerville's Division St., a usually bustling pedestrian street, pictured from Main Street. In the front of the image is a sign for Somerville's weekly cruise nights, which are "on hiatus due to Covid-19." June 9, 2020. Will Feuer Somerville, New Jersey has enjoyed a rising tide in recent years. Main Street is usually bustling, drawing crowds of thousands through the spring and summer with events like the annual Central Jersey Jazz Festival and weekly cruise nights, when classic cars line the street. Within the borders of the town's 2-square miles, about 12,000 people live, enjoying a boom in both commercial and residential development that has attracted younger residents and new businesses to the active commuter town. There's a communal atmosphere to the Somerset County town, Mayor Dennis Sullivan said, that stands in stark contrast to just a few years ago, when empty storefronts dotted the town's main thoroughfare. "Five years ago, it was a ghost town," Sullivan said, attributing the turnaround to public and private investment. "A lot of those upper-story apartments are full now, where they were cobwebs just a few years ago." Iris Frank, co-owner of Village Brewing, cited the "comeback" of the town as "the reason why we picked Somerville" a little over a year ago when she and her brother opened the brewery. Now, the coronavirus pandemic and New Jersey's stringent response to it threatens to disrupt the town's upswing and the businesses tethered to it. New Jersey has endured one of the most restrictive responses to the virus in the country. Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday he would lift the stay-at-home order that was put in place on March 21. But many businesses will remain closed at least until the state enters its next phase of reopening on Monday. Businesses deemed nonessential have already faced more than 12 weeks of closure and expect more weeks ahead of low revenue as stores just partially reopen to comply with social distancing requirements. As New Jersey finally paves a path forward, business owners and local officials are gleaning lessons from other states that have already reopened on how to do so safely while balancing the economic needs of the community. Friday night crowds are 'all gone' Village Brewing in Somerville, New Jersey, closed on March 16. Since then it's been surviving on takeout and delivery orders, which are about 10% of usual business. Will Feuer "I'm here on a Friday night and I look out the window at six, seven o'clock, where the streets would be teeming with people who are enjoying the evening, from the folks on a date night to families just coming to get ice cream and strolling and looking at the classic cars," Frank said. "That's all gone." On May 29, Frank stood outside her business as a sparser crowd than usual, most wearing masks, strolled down the street. The crowd, which Frank said has been steadily growing in recent weeks, pales in comparison to the numbers Somerville usually draws during its busy spring season, but it's a sign of hope for Frank that her customers might return for the summer. Frank said she celebrated the one-year anniversary of her brewery's opening in April with her business closed, like thousands of others on Main Streets across the country. Somerville has reported 137 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of Friday, and six people have died of the disease, according to data compiled by Somerset County. But New Jersey, particularly the northern part of the state near New York City, has endured the second worst coronavirus outbreak in the country, with more than 166,166 confirmed cases and at least 12,490 deaths caused by Covid-19 as of Friday. While some other states began to allow outdoor dining and retailers to reopen with limited capacity a month ago, New Jersey's restrictions still only allow for curbside pick-up statewide. In early June, Murphy announced that the state will allow outdoor dining and for retailers to reopen with 50% capacity on Monday, about three months after Frank closed Village Brewing. Trouble on Main Street Somerville's Main Street on June 2. A sign posted to the lamp post from the Downtown Somerville Alliance advertises curbside pickup and takeout. Downtown Somerville Alliance The long-term economic effects of the coronavirus restrictions remain unclear. So much is unknown about the virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads, all of which could impact how states ease restrictions. While researchers study the nature of the virus, bills are piling up for small businesses like Frank's and the extended suspension of business threatens to throttle the local economy. Village Brewing has been surviving by selling takeout food and growlers of beer since it closed on March 16, Frank said, adding that sales are down more than 90% compared with last year. She said she's partnered with food delivery company DoorDash, which has helped. We would be naive to think that any of us, or any district, no matter where you are in the country, is going to come out of this situation completely unscathed. Natalie Pinero Executive director, Downtown Somerville Alliance She also received a loan from the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program, which will help her weather the storm and pay her 40 employees. But she still has no idea when her business might be able to return to any semblance of normal operations. She's been looking at restaurants and eateries in places like Texas and Georgia that have been allowed to reopen, she said, and looking for smart ways to reduce the risk of infection. Village Brewing has a massive 17,000-square-foot, two-floor space, which will help with social distancing, she said, but one thing she's seen from other states is that outdoor space is key to reopening. Natalie Pinero, executive director of the Downtown Somerville Alliance, said she's not sure all businesses can take much more of a sustained shutdown. "We would be naive to think that any of us, or any district, no matter where you are in the country, is going to come out of this situation completely unscathed," she said. "I think that there is a genuine concern for our businesses, for our small businesses." The DSA has been trying to help local shops survive the hiatus and prepare for reopening, however it could look, Pineiro said. For starters, the organization has been working with shops to revamp their online presence. 'Mad dash' online A sign posted on Somerville's Main St. on June 9, lays out precautions meant to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19. Signs on businesses and traffic lights along the street tell pedestrians that masks are required in downtown Somerville. Will Feuer The organization launched an initiative called Somerville at Home, a website that provides guidance to the public about which businesses are open for take-out services. It doesn't just include restaurants. For example, Nailed It, a do-it-yourself workshop on Main Street, has started to offer "make-and-take craft projects," Pineiro said, where customers pick up supplies from the store and can tune into live-streamed instructions on how to construct the project. Somerville has a variety of new and old businesses, some that have been online from the start and others that are just now leaning into e-commerce, Pineiro said. "A lot of these small businesses are not set up for e-commerce or were not set up for e-commerce, so it was a mad dash once this happened to get people up to speed," she said. "Still there are some people that aren't completely set up for e-commerce. But online sales only go so far, especially considering so many Somerville businesses, like Carol's Creative Chocolatez, which normally hosts regular artisanal chocolate tastings, are designed for an in-person and often communal experience, Pineiro said. To stir some excitement about shopping safely again, Somerville officials and the Downtown Alliance are petitioning the state to close Main Street, a state-owned highway, to traffic on at least some days every week. A musician performs at the 2019 Central Jersey Jazz Festival in Somerville, New Jersey. This year's festival, which always takes place in Somerville, is slated for Sept. 11 to 13 and it has yet to be officially canceled. Downtown Somerville Alliance The town is hoping to hear back from the state this week, Pineiro said. Closing Main Street and giving shops some space would be the safest way to bring customers back, and could help protect businesses in the future if the county sees a surge in cases again, as some states that were among the first to reopen have. Closing streets to traffic "Our retail businesses can bring out tables of products so that people can feel safe and shop outdoors instead of crowding indoors," she said. "And the same thing with our dining." Some research, which has been endorsed by the White House, has shown that the virus doesn't spread as easily outdoors and in direct sunlight. Cities beyond Somerville and across the country are now trying to find more space for restaurants and businesses that can move outdoors during the summer. It's far from the ideal summer season for businesses, Pineiro said. "It's certainly damaging to the momentum to have something like Covid happen and really set us back," Pineiro said. "You're talking about people that put their blood, sweat and tears and made sacrifices to be a part of Main Street." Somerville's not shy of shutting streets to traffic to benefit its pedestrians. In 2012, the town invested more than $400,000 in converting Division Street, perpendicular to Main Street, into a pedestrian street. Sullivan said the project, which began as a one-year pilot, has been a rousing success, drawing customers from throughout the region to the town's businesses. Somerville's Division St., pictured before the coronavirus pandemic, on one of the town's themed weekly festivals. These celebrations can draw thousands in the spring and summer. The business community hopes to replicate the pedestrian street on Main St. to revive businesses while preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Downtown Somerville Alliance A threat to Somerville's businesses is a threat to the municipal budget, local schools and basic public services, Sullivan said. He added that there's no corporate presence along any of the surrounding highways, so an unusually large portion of Somerville's tax revenue comes straight from Main Street. It's too early to determine whether spending cuts will be necessary, he said, adding that the current and most affected tax period ends in August. He said the borough has a surplus, but he's hesitant to tap it unless absolutely necessary and the same goes for borrowing funds. "If I had a crystal ball, well, I could do this job forever," he said. "But it doesn't come with a script and it doesn't come with a Ouija board. It comes with a lot of planning and a lot of self confidence that you're making the right decision, but we won't know until we've gone through at least another tax cycle." 'Worse than Sandy' Rick St. Pierre, who has owned the Verve restaurant and bar for 24 years, said closing off Main Street for just pedestrians would go a long way in helping to revive business and restore consumer confidence in town. At the very least, he said, it would test the waters of how to do business while the virus is still circulating. The bar at Verve in downtown Somerville, New Jersey in pre-Covid times. Rick St. Pierre, who has owned the restaurant for 24 years, is now busy installing a plastic divider between the bartender and patrons' seats. Downtown Somerville Alliance Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, June 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The impact of COVID-19 was furious for the last three months. The economy was on the verge of collapse; people were under stress as they lost their jobs. Every industry experienced this recession. From June 2020, the economy is making a significant comeback, and everything is getting back to its near-normal level. People are resuming their hopes, but they will never forget the active contribution of Don Forman Nissan for the community. He is a successful businessman in the automotive industry, but his charity work makes him more popular in Las Vegas. He created a dedicated team that helped people in dire need of funds and emotional support. Financial Support for High-School Girls Don Forman Nissan is a big supporter of education; he made sure that financial support to needy people is available at the right time. He was there for high school girls who had ambitions and passion for education, but they were unable to fund their dreams. The girls felt terrible when they were qualified to attend UNLV, but they didn't have enough financial resources. Don Forman stood by their side; he didn't only offer the required funds for UNLV but also gave them cars, which helped them during their commute. Stood by the side of Victims of Las Vegas Shooting Don Forman Automotive is a philanthropist, who has a golden heart. People who lost their loved ones in the Las Vegas Strip shooting were feeling depressed and negative. In that time of distress, Don Forman and his team were standing by the side of those victims and their families. United Nissan stopped their business and focused all their efforts on community help. The team of Don Forman offered their helping hands to those who wanted to donate blood. He initiated a Las Vegas blood drive where some dedicated folks from the team picked up blood and delivered it to the facilities where injured people need it the most. Don Forman is a successful businessman who has gotten name and fame in Las Vegas but globally as he believes in packing back in the society. The team offered rides to the victims and their families in that time of distress. Don set up a central camp that turned into the help centers for people in need. Story continues Dedicated Support for FOX5 Surprise Squad Don Forman United Nissan is a sponsor of the FOX5 Surprise Squad, helping the community in every possible way. This squad is designed to assist people in every walk of life. He financially supports this squad, so in turn, they can make a difference in the lives of people who are facing financial and health constraints. This squad supplies books to students who can't afford to buy them. In the same manner, if some people are in dire need of supplies, this squad works closely with them. It works as the ultimate support center for the people across the city. The active contribution of Don Forman into society is one of the reasons for his success in the competitive automotive industry. City-Wide Community Charity Don Forman United Nissan is among those businessmen who always pay back to the society with their charitable work. They never step back from the people who need financial or emotional support. At one point, he offered financial support to students, and at another point, his team arranged camps and outdoor activities for students; so they can study and have fun side by side. Promoting the Positivity for Community During Pandemic During COVID-19, lots of people lost their homes, and many became homeless. It was when Don Forman announced on LinkedIn that his team is ready to help homeless people. He offered them shelter and fed them with quality food. Don Forman strongly believes in positivity, so when people were going under depression, he launched a dedicated team. That team works closely with people in need and lets them get through this tough phase of life without feeling stressed and anxious. contact@unitednissan.com Nguyen Thi Hoa (R) bursts into tears after receiving death sentence for drug trafficking at a trial in HCMC on June 12, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Hai Duyen. A HCMC court Friday awarded death sentences to five members of a cross-border drug trafficking gang, including a mother and daughter. Nguyen Tri Dung, 48, Tran Quy Dang, 56, Dang Van Dung, 35, and two women, Nguyen Thi Hoa, 61, and her daughter Do Thi Dung, 39, were found guilty of "illegally trading and trafficking narcotics." Seven others were given life sentences while one defendant received a jail term of seven years. Tri Dung, Hoa and Dang were identified as the leaders of the ring that had traded 26.4 kg of heroin, and two kg of methamphetamine from Laos into Vietnam via the border gates of Nam Can in Nghe An Province and Cha Lo in Quang Binh Province. According to the indictment, Hoa was the main purchaser who collected a huge amount of drugs from Dung and Dang and delivered it to dealers in the southern region. Tri Dung, a regular drug supplier for Hoa, mainly smuggled them from Laos to his homeland in Nghe An Province, and then transported it for sale in Ho Chi Minh City. Investigation found he bought heroin from Laos at $8,700 a packet, which is around 330 grams. He was arrested while delivering more than three kg of heroin to Thi Dung, Hoas daughter, at a supermarket in the city in October 2015. The police then raided Dungs home and found 14.6 kg of heroin, a gun, two magazines and 20 bullets. Earlier in September 2015, Dang, an ex drug offender and drug supplier, was detained while he was illegally transporting more than three kg of heroin and two kg of meth from the central province of Quang Binh to HCMC to sell them to Hoa. Expanding the investigation, police detained Hoa and many other accomplices in December the same year. Vietnam is a key trafficking hub for narcotics from the Golden Triangle, an intersection of China, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar and the world's second largest drug producing area behind the Golden Crescent in South Asia. The repeated seizure of huge amounts of narcotics is occurring despite Vietnam having some of the worlds toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or cocaine or over 2.5 kg of methamphetamine could face capital punishment. Production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of any other illegal substance is also punishable by death. Chandrajit Banerjee By As India moves to Unlock 1.0 and economic activity resumes, the focus must be on getting growth back on track and reinvigorating the economy. A high degree of uncertainty will characterise the new paradigm that the economy will enter, yet it is imperative to take bold and innovative measures to navigate through such uncharted territory and bring the economy back on an inclusive and sustainable growth path. With economic activity coming to a standstill following the lockdown, output and production collapsed, leading to significant loss of livelihood. Therefore, rebuilding and restoring lives and livelihood should be the foremost priority as the economy reopens. The pandemic brought to the forefront the plight of the migrants and daily wage workers, a majority of whom are dependent on earnings based on daily work for their livelihood. With almost 80 per cent of employment in India in the unorganised sector, there is an urgent need for considering a social security net to protect the livelihood of these workers. This will need to be carefully balanced against the available resources with the government. Immediate and short-term measures to address greater formalisation of the economy must be stepped up through labour and regulatory reforms, which in turn would help in creating greater employment and encourage small enterprises to move towards the formal sector. With the country witnessing reverse migration for the first time, there is scope for creating more geographically distributed models of development and an opportunity for redefining investment priorities. Multiple opportunities exist across sectors such as allied products and food processing, coal and mining, traditional Indian handicrafts, etc. Investments in rural health and infrastructure along with strengthening rural digital programmes and platforms could pave the way for a robust rural ecosystem. Industries along with state governments can be encouraged to set up facilities in rural areas, which in turn will generate jobs and strengthen the rural sectors share in the GDP. Though the outbreak pervaded almost every aspect of the economy, it is primarily a health crisis and possibly one of the biggest that the world has seen, with even the most sophisticated health systems in the advanced nations struggling to tackle the disaster. In the case of India, where the public spending on health still continues to be low at 1.3 per cent of GDP, this crisis has heightened the need for building a robust healthcare system by stepping up investments in health infrastructure. India needs to raise its public health spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP, in line with its peers. At the same time, the focus must also be on formulating a long-term strategy to boost the immunity of the population through high quality preventive public health, entailing investments in better nutrition, and maternal and child care. Education will play a key role in ramping up Indias healthcare as also in building a productive economy. This is the right time for India to boost its e-education and e-healthcare systems with the help of digital tools for delivering quality and low-cost healthcare alongside traditional modes of delivery. At the same time, greater attention to R&D will be critical to build innovative tools and new methods of healthcare delivery. Along with investments in health and education, Mother Nature is a priority area. The impact of the containment measures during the lockdown became evident on climate change, with countries reporting improved air quality and lower CO2 emissions due to lower mobility of people. At the same time, Covid-19, along with the increased incidence of other natural calamities such as the recent cyclones and pest attacks, has shown us that we are staring at a future climate change crisis. Thus, the current time should be utilised as an opportunity to deepen our efforts in climate change mitigation and improving Mother Natures balance. Boosting government spending for a sustained economic recovery is crucial at this hour. Given that the government is fiscally constrained, its efforts to provide stimulus to the economy, for example, in the form of 100% credit guarantee to MSMEs and various other recent measures, are commendable. More such measures will be needed in the future, but at the same time, the balance between fiscal spending and financial stability will have to be ensured. While investment-friendly policies would be required for stepping up private investments, higher investments in science and technology would be critical to ensure Indias competitiveness. At the same time, India needs to boost its exports, both for manufactured goods and services and for greater integration with the global value chains. Greater collaboration between industry, academia, start-ups and the government would be required to create a sustainable and innovative ecosystem that benefits all. With the first phase of Unlock already underway, challenges for the Indian economy are many. With the pandemic causing significant distress to individuals and businesses, the role of industry-government partnerships will assume a key role in restarting the key engines of growth, as we build a self-reliant India that is competitive but is also engaged with the world. Chandrajit Banerjee Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry (Email ID: cb@cii.in) The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/Tax Increment Reinvestment Redevelopment Zone 10 updated the Northpark Drive expansion and discussed flood mitigation measures during their monthly meeting on June 11. Gary Bezemek, project manager, and William Conlan, feasibility studies department manager, with the Harris County Flood Control District outlined the Kingwood Area Drainage Assessment. You can view the map here: GOING VIRTUAL: Lake Houston area government, chamber turn to virtual meetings as coronavirus threat continues The study created a long-term maintenance plan for all of the channels and tributaries in Kingwood. It identified the water bodies with erosion issues, sediment buildup or debris while determining who owns the channel and what projects could alleviate the issues. The county started working on the analysis on Sept. 1, which meant the consultants were in the Kingwood area when Tropical Storm Imelda hit and could determine the effects of a significant flooding event. This allowed consultants to incorporate some of their findings during the event into their project, Conlan said. Models have been completed and submitted to the Harris County Flood Control District. A public meeting was intended to be held during the summer for public comment on the report, but they are working to find a new method for this due to the coronavirus. Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin, who was on the conference call, said they are working with Senator Brandon Creighton and Representative Dan Huberty to get money from the Texas Water Development Board through Senate Bills 6 and 7. He said they are also working to tap into grant money opportunities as well. Harris County is requiring more of a partnership share in some of the funding, Martin said. So if Harris County puts up the money, the city of Houston needs to put up some money or the state of Texas needs to put up some money or the Texas Water Development Board, but theyre constantly looking for a partner to do some of the funding. Northpark project website The Northpark Drive Improvement Project information is now available online after Squidz Inc. Design was approved to create a website for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority. The project will expand Northpark Drive to six lanes from four in two phases, the 39.9 million first phase being from the intersection of I-69 and Northpark Drive to the intersection at Russell Palmer Road. It will also include an overpass at Loop 494. The second phase will expand the thoroughfare between Russell Palmer Road and Woodland Hills Drive, with an estimated cost of $48.3 million. The Northpark Drive Overpass Project will be funded partly from a $15.4 million contribution from City of Houston and from bond funds procured by TIRZ 10. CORONAVIRUS: Flattening Houstons curve (again) will take weeks, disease scientist says The website published this week currently provides fact sheets, the project budget, and necessary information about the Northpark Drive Improvement Project. In the future, they plan to have the contractors schedule available on the website and can provide information on any lane closures for commuters according to Ralph De Leon, the authoritys administrator. All future updates on the project will be provided on the website as well. For more information, visit the new website at http://lakehoustonra.com/. The next meedtin will be held on Aug. 14. savannah.mehrtens@chron.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 13:05:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Two trucks hit a farm vehicle in Vietnam's central highlands Dak Nong province on Saturday, killing five people and leaving five others seriously wounded, Vietnam News Agency reported. The accident happened at around 6:00 a.m. near a market place in Dak Mil District when two trucks, which were on the same direction, collided with a tractor from the opposite direction, according to local authorities. The two trucks rushed to the curb, hitting several small businesses and stalls along the road. Further investigation is underway. Between January and May, as many as 5,508 traffic accidents occurred in Vietnam, killing 2,667 people, severely injuring 1,547 people and slightly injuring 2,418 others, according to the country's Traffic Police Department. Enditem Exxon Mobil Corp. will delay the startup of its Beaumont refinery expansion by a year as the oil giant weathers low demand for petroleum products and seeks to save cash amid the coronavirus pandemic, people familiar with the plans said. The project, which will make Beaumont the biggest refinery in the U.S., will now be up and running sometime in 2023, compared with a previous target of 2022, the people said. Exxon is evaluating all appropriate steps to significantly reduce capital and operating expenses in the near term as a result of market conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and commodity price decreases, spokesman Jeremy Eikenberry said in a statement. He declined to comment on individual projects. Representatives with the companys Beaumont operations stressed that while timing of expansion plans for select downstream and chemical facilities across the companys portfolio will be adjusted, the Beaumont project is still ongoing. Nakisha Burns, Beaumont area public and government affairs manager, said work was continuing at the site and two large modules were expected to be delivered through the Sabine-Neches Waterway by the end of the year. While were not commenting on specific projects at this time, Exxon Mobil expects to meet its projected investment of $20 billion on U.S. Gulf Coast manufacturing facilities made in its 2017 Growing the Gulf initiative, Burns wrote in an email. The company also expects to reach its proposed U.S. investment of $50 billion over five years announced in 2018. When Exxon Mobil launched the Growing the Gulf initiative, it said it would invest $20 billion in the U.S. Gulf Coast over 10 years. By the time its complete, Beaumonts daily refining capacity will be about 619,000 barrels a day, a 65% increase that will put it ahead of Saudi Aramcos 607,000 barrel-a-day Motiva plant in Port Arthur. A key reason for the expansion was to use crude from Exxons aggressive production ramp-up in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico. But the coronavirus pandemic caused the oil major to slash its 2020 capital spending plans 30%, with the Permian the largest component of the cutback, lessening the immediate need for an increase in refining capacity. Despite the startup delay, construction of supporting slabs for the new units at Beaumont is continuing, and the pace of the work will accelerate in January, the people said. The refinery continues to run at reduced rates because of lower demand for its products like gasoline and jet fuel. Exxon hasnt given a cost estimate for the expansion, but has said it will add a unit with the capacity to process 250,000 barrels a day of light, low-sulfur crude, as well as supporting hydrotreaters, which remove sulfur from the fuel. Before the shale boom, Gulf Coast refineries customized their equipment to process heavy, high-sulfur blends from places such as Canada, Venezuela and Mexico. But production growth from the Permian has been so strong that, before the pandemic, there was sometimes a lack of refining capacity for its light, low-sulfur crude. Jacob Dick contributed to this report. Nearly 30 years ago, Ontario banned the use of chokeholds for police in the province. It was part of legislation by the provincial NDP government in 1992 aimed at reducing police shootings. The law also included banning officers from firing warning shots, allowing the use of pepper spray and requiring tracking of all incidents where an officer draws a gun. At the time, retired Hamilton police Sgt. Michael Csoke admits he was against the ban. The chokehold where pressure on the windpipes renders a person unconscious was a move he used in his early policing career, especially on larger suspects resisting arrest. But with time, he came to see it was the right decision because in the wrong hands, the move is deadly. Just because officers are trained doesnt mean theyre skilled, he said. In March 1992, months before the ban was announced, 37-year-old John Rioux died in Chatham during a struggle with a police officer who went to his house to arrest him on a speeding charge. Rioux was choked to death and the police officer Ron Tricker was charged. He was initially convicted of manslaughter, but after winning an appeal, he was acquitted by a jury. Before the provincewide ban, chokeholds had already been banned at individual police services, including by the RCMP in 1979, according to a 2008 report on the evolution of use of force for the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP. Questions about appropriate use of force have been in the forefront amid questions of police brutality and killings of Black people in the United States. In particular, massive protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, in Minneapolis. A former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, was captured on video kneeling on Floyds neck for more than eight minutes. Hes charged with second-degree murder. Csoke said hes seen part of the horrific video. There is nothing there that I can defend, he said. Csoke, who has an extensive martial arts background, spent much of his 30-year policing career teaching use of force in Toronto and then, after 1982, in Hamilton. At times he worked full-time teaching officers in the Hamilton police training branch. He was seconded for a year to teach at the Ontario Police College and also periodically taught as a guest instructor at the Canadian Police College. In the mid-90s, Csoke sat on a provincial committee looking at use-of-force training across the province. As an officer in Hamilton, he worked in the fugitive apprehension unit before retiring in 2010. Since his retirement, Csoke continues to work in the private sector, training police and body guards through KDI Protective Services, based out of Charlotte, N.C. The experience has shown him the difference between policing in Canada and the U.S., but also reinforced his belief that police need more training. In Ontario, all training is regulated and standardized across the province, but from what hes seen in the U.S., there is much greater variation from state to state. There are also many smaller police services in the south that do not have budgets or facilities for training. In Ontario, a private security company would not be allowed to train officers on use of force, but in the U.S., Csoke said the company he works for allows officers from multiple services to come together and benefit. Csoke said he also believes the training in Ontario could be better, noting that hes learned more training bodyguards in recent years. On both sides of the border, it often comes down to time and money. When is enough, enough? Clements asked. There are people that have literally lost their mother, lost their father, lost their children all while sitting behind the complex of our prison system while our political forces have played political football game with the lives of men and women that were found guilty of crimes and which evidence has shown many of them never even committed. A New South Wales Police officer at a crime scene in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 13, 2019. (Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images) Teens Allegedly Assault NSW Police Officer Four teenagers have been arrested after a police officer was allegedly assaulted and mugged on Sydneys northern beaches. Four teens aged 16 and 17 have been arrested and are being interviewed at Manly Police Station following the incident at a Warriewood fast food restaurant. Police were called to the McDonalds on the night of June 12 after reports of a large group causing a disturbance inside. After they ushered the group outside, NSW Police allege a male chief inspector, who was attempting to move on five teenagers, was knocked to the ground and had his mobile phone and badge stolen. The group fled on foot. However, four of them were arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning. A 17-year-old was arrested at North Narrabeen following a foot pursuit, another 17-year-old and a 16-year-old at their North Narrabeen home, and a 16-year-old at Warriewood. The chief inspector sustained minor injuries and a constable involved in the foot pursuit sustained head and knee injuries and was taken to hospital, however, he has since been released, NSW Police said in a statement. Police said inquiries were continuing. Steve Zemek An engineering report on the safety of the Edenville Dam, which failed and collapsed on May 19, was made public by the state this week, confirming allegations that the dams spillway capacity was inadequate and did not meet state standards. The report was prepared by Spicer Group, LLC for the Four Lakes Task Force, which is the nonprofit organization that has been working with owner Boyce Hydro Power, LLC to acquire ownership of the dam. The report was submitted to the state and made public on the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energys (EGLE) website, dated June 11. The inspection of the dam by Spicer Group began in June 2019 and was finished in March prior to the dams failure and collapse. The 39-page report concludes the Edenville Dam had deficiencies that needed to be corrected. The dam did not have adequate capacity to pass 50% of the probable maximum flood or the amount of water in a worst-case scenario, which is an EGLE requirement. Previously, the Edenville Dam was under regulatory oversight by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which requires the dam to allow for 100% of the probable flood flow. However, in 2018, Boyce Hydros license to generate power was revoked for a longstanding history of noncompliance to that regulation. Known then as the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, EGLE took over authority in 2018 and conducted a preliminary report that didnt include analysis on the dams spillway capacity. EGLE states on its website that the agency had concerns that the dam might not have enough spillway capacity but this hadnt been confirmed until now. The Spicer report confirms the dams spillway capacity was not adequate by EGLEs standards. In addition, in a visual observation of the dam last summer, Spicer engineers noted spalling and cracking concrete was present and repairs to the dams abutment and retaining wall were recommended. In addition, a spillway gate test done in June had demonstrated that the current method to operate the gates was not an adequate or safe method and that gate test reports had previously been provided to EGLE. Spicer states that FLTF had purchased six new electric stationary hoists and new parts using state grants that were to have been installed this fall. Currently, the FLTF has initiated engineering studies and the planning process to address increasing spillway capacity of the dam and bring it into compliance with both state and federal requirements, the report states. For that to occur, FLTF must secure ownership of the dam to implement this plan. However, a purchase agreement between Boyce Hydro and the Task Force was still underway and the first payment was postponed from January to June of this year due to a legal cloud between Boyce and the state about lake water levels. FLTF Chairman Dave Kepler, stated this is also the reason this Spicer report was not submitted in March, when it had been verbally agreed upon. He said not only was the report not a legal requirement of the group and was being done in the spirit of cooperation, but that the task force had already been doing repairs based on previous reports and in junction with EGLE. It wasnt a requirement and we were going to give it after the concept of March was set because we were going to acquire the dams in January, well we didnt, and so in the meantime, we were working on things we felt like were a priority, he said. And there was an existing safety report that we were working from and so this was a new version of it. Edenville Dam, located on the Tittabawassee and Tobacco Rivers, failed after a heavy rain event causing the downstream Sanford Dam to fail as well. Flash flooding to the region displaced thousands of residents and created millions of dollars worth of damage to properties and homes in Edenville, Sanford, Midland and more communities downstream. The hydroelectric dam has been under ownership of Boyce Hydro Power, LLC since 2006 and creates Wixom Lake. It is one of four dams in the local system on the Tittabawassee River, all of which the Task Force were working to acquire. Cause of the dams failure is currently under investigation by EGLE, although the task force is calling for an independent investigation. NEW YORK, June 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Grubhub, Inc. ("GRUB" or the "Company") (NYSE: GRUB) in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by Just Eat Takeaway.com N.V. (AMS: TKWY, LSE: JET) ("Just Eat Takeaway"). Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, GRUB shareholders will receive American depositary shares ("ADS") representing 0.671 ordinary shares of Just Eat Takeaway, for each GRUB share that they own. The merger consideration represented an implied per-share value of approximately $62.29 based on Just Eat Takeaway's June 11, 2020 closing price of $92.83.1 If you own GRUB shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website: http://www.weisslawllp.com/grubhub-inc/ Or please contact: Joshua Rubin, Esq. WeissLaw LLP 1500 Broadway, 16th Floor New York, NY 10036 (212) 682-3025 (888) 593-4771 [email protected] WeissLaw is investigating whether GRUB's board acted to maximize shareholder value prior to entering into the acquisition agreement. Notably, GRUB recently announced positive financial results, including first quarter 2020 revenue of $363 million compared to $323.8 million reported in the same period of 2019, representing a year-over-year increase of 12%. Moreover, at closing GRUB stockholders will own ADSs representing a mere 30% of the combined company. Given these facts, WeissLaw is concerned whether the proposed acquisition undervalues the Company, and whether all material information related to the proposed acquisition is fully and fairly disclosed. WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected] __________________________ 1 Converted to USD from EUR at an exchange rate of 1.1288 at closing on June 11, 2020. SOURCE WeissLaw LLP Related Links http://weisslawllp.com Have Sheriff Offices in North Carolina, possibly even Beaufort County's Sheriff Office, become too political in the discharging of their sworn constitutional duties? No, the sheriff is a constitutional officer. Yes, the Sheriff Office, on strong occasion, often reverts back to political patronage in the dispensation of their sworn constitutional duties. Thats the only way short of a vaccine were going to get this under control, he said. We have to make sure when someone catches the virus youre able to test and trace where it came from to be able to quarantine so it doesnt spread. Band-Aid has vowed to 'embrace the beauty of diverse skin' by launching a range of bandages that will match different skin tones in an effort to fight racial injustice. The Johnson & Johnson-owned brand announced the new collection on Instagram on Friday while sharing a picture of the bandages, which include shades that better match the skin tones of Brown and Black customers. 'We hear you. We see you. Were listening to you,' Band-Aid wrote. 'We stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues, collaborators and community in the fight against racism, violence and injustice. We are committed to taking actions to create tangible change for the Black community.' Baking changes: Band-Aid announced on Instagram on Friday the launch its new line of bandages to match different skin tones Vow: Band-Aid said it was committed to creating 'tangible change' and launching bandages that 'embrace the beauty of diverse skin' 'We are committed to launching a range of bandages in light, medium and deep shades of Brown and Black skin tones that embrace the beauty of diverse skin,' the brand continued. 'We are dedicated to inclusivity and providing the best healing solutions, better representing you.' Band-Aid also shared that it will be making a donation Black Lives Matter, while acknowledging the company still has a lot of work to do while fighting racial injustice. 'We promise that this is just the first among many steps together in the fight against systemic racism,' the brand noted. 'We can, we must and we will do better.' The launch comes amid the worldwide protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who died when white police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. 'Finally':While some appreciated Band-Aid's efforts, critics insisted it was 'too late' A spokesperson for the brand told CNN that it is donating $100,000 to Black Live Matter, in addition to the $10 million Johnson & Johnson has committed to 'fighting racism and injustice in America' over the next three years. Band-Aid's adhesive bandages were invented in 1920 and hit stores a year later in 1921, according to the company's website. The brand released clear bandages in the 1950s but didn't offer multiracial bandages until the launch of it's 'Perfect Blend' line in 2005. Band-Aid said the inclusive line was discontinued because of 'lack of interest at the time.' The Perfect Blend brand now features clear bandages. Looking back: Band-Aid first released a line of multiracial bandages in 2005, but they were discontinued because of 'lack of interest at the time' Comparison: The company Tru-Colour has been offering a diverse range of skin tone bandages since 2014 Many people who were unaware that the brand had once offered bandages for a variety of skin tones felt like the new launch was too little, too late. 'I am not impressed,' one woman commented. 'I am almost 50 years old and you are just now adding Brown tones to your product line? Miss me with it.' 'It took riots, rage, and multiple police deaths against Black people for BandAid to acknowledge that non white people exist? LOL. SMH,' someone else commented. Others were happy to see the change, even if they agreed that it took too long. 'FINALLY (after literally a lifetime of waiting). BAND-AID BRAND now was that so hard? Thank you,' one Instagram user responded. 'Wow. Finally. Forgiveness for taking so long, because you are responding with action,' another noted. One woman pointed out that another company had 'already launched these' while urging people to check out Tru-Colour, a line of diverse bandages that has been on the market since 2014. Rainbow: Band-Aid's new inclusive line of bandages comes less than a month after Crayola launched a new 24-pack of crayons that represent the wide diversity of skin tones Inclusivity pack: Crayola's Colors of the World pack includes 24 newly-formulated crayons that represent 40 global skin tones 'They're amazing. "Tru-Colour" bandages diversity in healing" by Dr. Raymond Wurapa,' she wrote. 'It's an entire line of bandaids and information at diversity through healing.' 'I'll stick with @tcbandages who have had a diverse offering for years. Shameful bandaid to try to profit off the communities they ignored for so long,' someone else commented. Band-Aid's new inclusive line of bandages comes less than a month after Crayola launched a new 24-pack of crayons that represent the wide diversity of skin tones around the world. The Colors of the World pack includes 24 newly-formulated crayons that represent 40 global skin tones, ensuring that every child can draw him or herself accurately. The announcement was made in honor of the United Nations' World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, with pre-sale beginning in May for a July release. A woman wears a mask as she walks along a closed Waikiki Beach pier in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 28, 2020. (Caleb Jones/AP Photo) Hawaii Extends Emergency Period and 14-day Self-Quarantine for Visitors Hawaiis government extended the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine period on June 10 for all travelers visiting the island from outside. Gov. David Ige signed a ninth supplementary emergency proclamation on Thursday that extended the pandemic emergency period through July 31. We are working very hard toward re-opening out-of-state travel, but were not there yet. We are being very cautious, said Gov. Ige in a statement. Ige cautioned that the pandemic is not yet over and that Oregon, Arizona, and Texas have reported the highest number of daily cases recently. There are new virus flare-ups in key mainland marketsincluding California where more than 2,000 new cases were reported yesterday, he said. Gov. David Ige speaks to reporters at the state Department of Healths laboratory in Pearl City, Hawaii on March 3, 2020. (Audrey McAvoy/AP Photo) The proclamation extends criminal liability for hosts of visitors who dont follow the mandatory self-quarantine period and also for those who rent out cars to violators. It also extends the eviction moratorium through July 31. The original quarantine order was expanded on April 1 to include interstate travelers. Hawaii reports one of the lowest infection rates in the country and the self-quarantine rule was first imposed in March. However, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic has significantly impacted the number of travelers to the island state. On Thursday 1,655 people arrived in the state by air whereas at the same time last year 30,000 passengers were arriving every day in Hawaii, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportations data on Friday. Meanwhile, the Hawaii authorities are also curbing the illegal outdoor parties being promoted on social media. The authorities received reports of a party being promoted on social media for the weekend at the Kaneohe sandbar (Ahu O Laka), according to an official release on Friday. This is irresponsible and its potentially dangerous because of COVID-19 considerations. The postings are promoting illegal activity due to the number of people they suggest may be involved, said Jason Redulla, the Chief of the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement. Writer-director Shashank Khaitan on Friday took to social media to caution people about fake casting calls for his film "Mr Lele". In an Instagram post, Khaitan warned people about the fake casting scam. "URGENT-- I have received many messages and emails from actors that someone, going by the name Nitesh Sharma Casting, is claiming to be a casting director for Dharma Productions and the film 'Mr Lele'. He is asking for money for auditions and other favours. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS FALSE No one by this name works for Dharma," the director said. Khaitian said they are not casting for the film as it is "not happening at present". "Please be aware of all such people claiming to be from Dharma Productions. 'Mr Lele' is not happening right now. We are not casting for it. Please do not get scammed by such frauds. Please take care. Be safe," he said. In January this year, it was announced that Khaitan and actor Varun Dhawan will be collaborating "Mr Lele". The director-actor duo have previously collaborated on blockbusters "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania" and "Badrinath Ki Dulhania". Dharma Productions, the banner behind the "Dulhania" franchise, was set to producing "Mr Lele". However, two months later, Khaitan had said the film's shooting has been postponed due to scheduling conflicts. Follow @News18Movies for more There is a photograph taken in 1937 which shows Stalin walking along the Moscow canal with three lieutenants. Yet in a version issued 12 months later, only two can be seen. The missing man is Nikolai Yezhov, a Soviet commissar who, executed in a purge, had vanished not just from office, but from the photo, too. Plucked from history by Stalin. I left the USSR and came to Britain in 1988. When I did so, I left a country of censorship, conformism and authoritarianism for a free-thinking land of rules and democratic debate. Now I fear this nation heading in the same direction as the one I left. The comparisons are clearly visible: a zealous revolutionary spirit, an egalitarian ideology and the desire to rewrite national myths. After the November revolution, the Soviet Union set about erasing Tsarist history. Statues were toppled, books were burnt and the Romanovs themselves executed in 1918. Under Stalin, the new Soviet Tsar, newspapers were muzzled and critical voices were silenced. A photograph taken in 1937 which shows Stalin walking along the Moscow canal with three lieutenants, but was later doctored to edit out Nikolai Yezhov (seen on the right) This image shows how the photo looked when later edited: Nikolai Yezhov, a Soviet commissar who, executed in a purge, had vanished not just from office, but from the photo, plucked from history by Stalin. For ideologues, the ends justify the means and history and culture are the most powerful tools of all. After Stalins death, his legacy was whitewashed and the regime attempted to erase much of his rule from the records. For decades, we never knew the true extent of the gulags and the executions. In the 1991 revolution, history repeated itself. Statues were pulled down and places renamed. The apartment block in which I grew up on Romanov Lane was targeted by protesters. The plaques immortalising its famous Soviet residents were vandalised with swastikas overnight. Millions are not dying in labour camps or civil war in modern Britain, yet worrying echoes of the censorship and groupthink abound. And Im sorry to say that Black Lives Matter, a laudable movement for racial equality, risks abolishing freedom of thought and democratic debate in a land that has traditionally been its defender. Statues are pulled down and plaques are graffitied by people who will not rest until our public spaces are free of any reference to our complex history. Yesterday, we all saw the tragedy this has led to the boarded-up statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square and far-Right thugs patrolling the area spoiling for a fight. People stand next to the boarded up Churchill statue at Parliament Square in London on Saturday, will calls now increasing for the possible removal of the monument In the eyes of Black Lives Matter protesters, Sir Robert Peel and William Gladstone are no longer reforming liberal premiers, but villains through association with their slave-owning family. Our history is being rewritten before our eyes. Free individuals are forced to submit to the revolution. The pressure on individuals, organisations and brands to declare their support for a movement that aims to undermine British culture and history has been immense. The removal of potentially offensive episodes of the comedies like Fawlty Towers and Little Britain from streaming platforms also demonstrates the one eternal truth of revolutions zealots lack a sense of humour. Lack of historical memory in modern Russia is serving to rehabilitate Stalin as a popular and strong leader, while the contributions of British military and civilian leaders are being distorted or overlooked. Todays heroes will be tomorrows villains. To admit the flaws in our public figures should not cover up the immense contributions people like Churchill and Gladstone have made and I have seen for myself the perils of whitewashing history. I fear that in the breakneck pursuit of equality and justice, some of what made Britain truly great will be lost. Let the people go uncensored, let the children see the complex reality of our history and let the monuments to the memory of those who came before us stay up. As a child of the Soviet Union I can tell you: the liberties you take for granted should be protected. Save Sir Winston! Sign the Mail petition urging Boris Johnson to publicly promise that Churchill's statue will NEVER be torn down By Michael Powell and James Heale and Mark Nikol for the Mail on Sunday The Mail on Sunday today calls on our readers to help block any attempt to remove the statue of Sir Winston Churchill from outside the Houses of Parliament. Our petition urges Boris Johnson to make a public pledge that the monument to Britain's celebrated wartime leader will never be moved after it was attacked by anti-fascist and Black Lives Matter protesters last weekend. Churchill's granddaughter alarmed war veterans, MPs and historians yesterday by suggesting the iconic sculpture may be safer in a museum. London Mayor Sadiq Khan had the statue in Parliament Square boarded up with large metal sheets on Friday amid fears it would be targeted by protesters a move Mr Johnson branded as 'absurd and shameful'. Please enter your details here to sign the letter below Thank you for signing The Mail on Sunday's Save Churchill petition. The petition will be sent to Downing Street but your personal data will be held by DMGT in accordance with this 'petition' and will not otherwise be shared with any third parties. For more information on how we store and process data please visit our privacy policy here. If the form does not appear correctly, please show your support by filling it in by clicking here >>> If you are an Android user and you cannot find the 'submit' button, please enter your details and press the 'enter' button on the keyboard of you phone or tablet device Activists daubed the words 'was a racist' under Churchill's name on the statue during angry anti-racism protests last weekend. His granddaughter Emma Soames told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she felt 'extraordinarily sad that my grandfather, who was such a unifying figure in this country, appears to have become a sort of icon through being controversial'. She said if people were 'so infuriated' by seeing the statue, it may be 'safer' in a museum. But Churchill's grandson Nicholas Soames swiftly condemned any attempt to move it from the spot the former PM had chosen before he died in 1965. 'I will have nothing of taking statues down and putting them in museums,' he said. People stand near the boarded up Churchill statue at Parliament Square in London yesterday Sir Nicholas told protesters to 'read your history and grow up', and said it was 'rubbish' and a 'lunatic representation' to call his grandfather racist. He told LBC: 'All his life he fought fascism.' Churchill, who was Prime Minister twice, is considered a national hero and often leads polls on who was the greatest-ever Briton. His picture was chosen to appear on the new polymer 5 notes. However, critics say his legacy is tarnished by controversial remarks he made about different races and his role in the Bengal famine in 1943 after Allied forces halted food supplies, leading to an estimated 3 million deaths. Mr Johnson, who wrote a biography of Churchill in 2014, acknowledged the former PM had expressed opinions which were 'unacceptable to us today', but he remained a hero for saving Britain from 'fascist and racist tyranny'. However, Mr Johnson was coming under increasing pressure last night to promise that the statue was going nowhere, amid a chorus of support for our petition. A worker cleans graffiti from the plinth of Churchill statue at Parliament Square on Monday Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'Churchill is the greatest Briton without any question who has saved this country and the whole free world from the terrible tyranny of Nazi Germany. I want the Prime Minister and those in authority to make it clear the statue will never be removed from its plinth.' Last night, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also backed our campaign, saying: 'Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square stands as a tribute to his leadership and the Allied victory in the Second World War. It should not be moved.' Colonel Richard Kemp, former British Army commander in Afghanistan, said: 'Even to consider relocating the statue of Churchill is shameful. He was responsible for saving this country from the tyranny of Nazism perhaps the most racist regime in history. Accusations of racism made against him are largely based on deliberate misrepresentations of history.' A protective covering surrounds the Winston Churchill statue at Parliament Square on Friday Former Chancellor Lord Lamont admitted that some of Churchill's views belonged in the past but 'he was a great man who saved this country from an evil regime. He has been an inspiration through the ages and remains so.' Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a former Royal Navy commander, added: 'Churchill should stay put. You have to look at his overall contribution. People calling for him to be moved are clueless as to the nuances of history. 'Statues stimulate debate you don't have to agree with everything that figure did or said.' Rusty Firmin, an SAS hero who took part in the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, said: 'Many of these people calling for the statue to be removed wouldn't have been here today if the Nazi war machine had defeated us and our allies. So surely Winston Churchill defended all races? That statue could have easily been Adolf Hitler.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pictured at 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday Author Shrabani Basu, who has written books about the British Empire, said there were 'two sides of Churchill', and 'we need to know his darkest hour as well as his finest hour'. But Ms Basu said she did not want to see the statue removed from Parliament Square. Tory MP Matt Vickers was one of several parliamentarians who arrived to clean the graffiti off Churchill's statue last Monday. He said: 'Winston Churchill is one of Britain's greatest figures and it is shameful that his statue was boarded up. We cannot allow rule by the mob to destroy the hard-won freedoms and rights he secured for us.' Andrew Roberts, historian and author of Churchill: Walking With Destiny, said: 'As well as being a Tory PM, Churchill was a Liberal for 20 years and a founder of the welfare state, so The Mail on Sunday's excellent campaign is something that all Britons should be able get behind, regardless of politics.' Liaison office supports Hong Kong establishing, improving education system in line with "one country, two systems" People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 13:33, June 12, 2020 HONG KONG, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Friday expressed firm support for the HKSAR government to establish and improve an education system in line with the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong. A spokesperson of the liaison office called for joint efforts from the Hong Kong society to create a healthy environment for youngsters to grow up. Radical groups in Hong Kong have recently incited students to boycott classes after the national legislature adopted a decision on the national security legislation for Hong Kong. The HKSAR government has expressed firm opposition to the incitement and asked schools to deal with it seriously and urge students not to participate in such activities. The liaison office supports the HKSAR government in taking effective measures to safeguard security and stability on the campus, the spokesperson said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A hospital in Assam discharged a COVID positive man instead of the one who had actually recovered due to similar names. The incident was reported from government-run Mangaldai Civil Hospital in Darrang district, according to a report by Indian Express. The district authorities have ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. "The hospital authorities took a decision on discharging one Hamid Ali and five others as they recovered from COVID-19. While the persons were being discharged at 7 pm on Wednesday, the authorities mixed up Hamid Ali with Hanif Ali. So, instead of Hamid Ali, they discharged Hanif Ali along with Nazrul Islam, Sajidul Haque, Sikander Ali, Sahidul Haque, and Osman Goni," the IE report said. Reuters The DM said the good-up happened due to similar names of the patient. He also added that the problem occurred because everyone wears a mask these days. The hospital authorities mixed-up and released the wrong man. As soon as they realised the mistake, the hospital authorities brought the man back to the hospital on Thursday. Darrang district Deputy Commissioner Dilip Kumar Borah said over the phone that fortunately the discharged man has also tested negative now. Health officials have already taken the swabs of his nearest family members and declared his house as a containment zone, Dilip Kumar Borah told India Today. Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana's Gulabo Sitabo is now streaming on Amazon Prime. The film has met with a mixed response on social media. Actor Taapsee Pannu on Saturday praised the newly released quirky comedy Gulabo Sitabo, saying the movie will leave one with a beautiful feeling. The Pink actor appreciated Gulabo Sitabo for its storyline, calling it a cute cute film. Its like a feel-good ride with some really good actors playing very engaging characters. Leaves you with a beautiful feeling, Pannu wrote on Twitter. The Badla actor congratulated the director Shoojit Sircar, and writer Juhi Chaturvedi for their work, and added: What a sweet world you created on screen. Not only was the tweet about the movie, but Pannu was also in total admiration for the lead actors of the flick -Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, for their exceptional acting. She wrote that the legendary actor is so adorable, and questioned Khurrana: is that lisp for real? The movie, upon its midnight release on Friday, got many positive nods from the netizens as well as celebrities alike. Some gave mixed reviews for the movie, albeit, appreciated the performance of the actors. Also Read: Breathe Into The Shadows: First poster of Abhishek Bachchan starrer unveiled, to stream on Amazon Prime from July 10 Also Read: Gulabo Sitabo movie social media reaction: Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana starrer receives a mixed response Gibo Sibo is such a cute cute film. Its like a feel good ride with some really good actors playing very engaging characters. Leaves you with a beautiful feeling. @ShoojitSircar and @juhichaturvedi what a sweet world you created on screen. Congratulations @ronnielahiri #Sheel taapsee pannu (@taapsee) June 13, 2020 Gulabo Sitabo was slated to hit the screens on April 17 but could not see the light of day due to the shuttering of cinema theatres over coronavirus concerns. However, the makers of the movie released the quirky comedy on the online video streaming platform Amazon Prime Video. Also Read: Covid-19 effect: Varun Dhawan dons face mask for Coolie No 1s new poster For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App By IANS LONDON: Turkey has slammed Twitter for removing thousands of accounts based in the country that supported President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying these were not "fake" profiles designed to support the president. Twitter has purged 7,340 accounts in Turkey, saying these were employing coordinated inauthentic activity primarily targeted at domestic audiences within the country. "This has demonstrated yet again that Twitter is no mere social media company, but a propaganda machine with certain political and ideological inclinations," presidency communications director Fahrettin Altun was quoted as saying in an Al Jazeera report on Saturday. He said documents cited to support Twitter's decision were unscientific, biased and politically motivated. Turkey has blocked access to Twitter, YouTube and online encyclopaedia Wikipedia in the past. On Friday, Twitter disclosed 32,242 accounts to its archive of state-linked information operations - the only one of its kind in the industry - linked to China, Russia and Turkey. "Based on our analysis of the network's technical indicators and account behaviours, the collection of fake and compromised accounts was being used to amplify political narratives favourable to the AK Parti, and demonstrated strong support for President Erdogan," said Twitter. Twitter also disclosed it has removed a fake network comprising over 1.73 lakh accounts that were linked to a state-backed campaign in China. T housands gathered for Black Lives Matter rallies in Australia and France as the anti-racism momentum continues to grow in the wake of George Floyd's death. Demonstrators in both countries defied authorities as the global emotion against racial injustice and historical wrongs was sparked by Mr Floyd's death in Minneapolis on May 25. At least 15,000 people rallied in Paris on Saturday, where riot police fired tear gas to disperse the largely peaceful but unauthorised protest. In Australia, protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement also went ahead against the advice of government and health authorities. French demonstrators were led by supporters of Adama Traore, a French black man who died in police custody in 2016 in circumstances that remain unclear despite four years of back-and-forth autopsies. No one has been charged in the case. Protesters hold flares as they stand next to a banner reading 'Confronted to police brutality - Self defence' / AFP via Getty Images Myriam Boicoulin, 31, who was born in the French Caribbean island of Martinique, said she marched in Paris on Saturday because she "wants to be heard." "The fact of being visible is enormous," Ms Boicoulin said. Black Lives Matter protests across the world - In pictures 1 /28 Black Lives Matter protests across the world - In pictures A banner and a US. flag are placed on the Monument a la Republique in Paris REUTERS Protesters in Perth Australia Getty Images Speakers at the Black Lives Matter Rally at Langley Park in Perth Getty Images Police officers are seen during a protest against police brutality and the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Paris REUTERS Perth protests Getty Images Speakers take to the stage during the Black Lives Matter Rally in Perty Getty Images Protesters show their support during the Black Lives Matter Rally at Langley Park in Perty Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth AFP via Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth Getty Images Demonstrators march through the streets in Perth Getty Images Thousands of people take part in a demonstration against police brutality and racism in Paris AP French riot police forces detain a protester during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' AFP via Getty Images French riot police forces detain protesters AFP via Getty Images The crowds in Paris AFP via Getty Images A man wearing a protective face mask and googles walks past a broken store window in Paris REUTERS Assa Traore (C), the sister of Adama Traore, who died in police custody in 2016 in Paris AFP via Getty Images Protesters hold flares as they stand next to a banner reading 'Confronted to police brutality - Self defence' in Paris AFP via Getty Images A house facade with a graffiti against police in Paris. AFP via Getty Images An injured demonstrator is helped away in Paris AFP via Getty Images As a black woman living in mainland France, she said, "I'm constantly obliged to adapt, to make compromises, not make waves to be almost white, in fact." "It's the first time people see us," she said. "Let us breathe." Officers prevented people attending the main rally from approaching the counter-demonstrators, but didn't detain the far-right activists until two hours later, further angering the crowd below. Protests in Perth / Getty Images Riot police then fired tear gas and charged unruly members of the main protest, urging them to disperse. The crowd initially planned to march through the city, but police decided to block them from moving, citing coronavirus concerns. Similar protests were also held Saturday in cities around France, from Rouen in Normandy in the northwest to Marseille on the Mediterranean. Some demonstrators were encouraged that the French government responded to the past couple of weeks of Floyd-inspired protests by banning police chokeholds and launching investigations of racist comments in private Facebook and Whatsapp groups for police. Protesters in Paris / REUTERS "We are are all demanding the same thing - fair justice for everyone," Traore's sister Assa told the rally. Angry shouts rose from the racially diverse crowd as a small group of white extreme-right activists climbed a building overlooking the protest and unfurled a huge banner denouncing "anti-white racism." Building residents then reached out of their windows and tore part of the banner down, one raising his fist in victory. Officers prevented people attending the main rally from approaching the counter-demonstrators, but didn't detain the far-right activists until two hours later, further angering the crowd below. Paris streets flooded with protesters / AFP via Getty Images Riot police then fired tear gas and charged unruly members of the main protest, urging them to disperse. The crowd initially planned to march through the city, but police decided to block them from moving, citing coronavirus concerns. Similar protests were also held Saturday in cities around France, from Rouen in Normandy in the northwest to Marseille on the Mediterranean. Some demonstrators were encouraged that the French government responded to the past couple of weeks of Floyd-inspired protests by banning police chokeholds and launching investigations of racist comments in private Facebook and Whatsapp groups for police. Australia's biggest demonstration was in Perth, the Western Australia state capital, where the Australian Broadcasting Corp estimated 5,000 people gathered to honour Mr Floyd and remember indigenous Australian people. Protests in Perth / AFP via Getty Images The threat of rain and and lack of a city council permit meant the Perth rally did not reach the expected 8,000-15,000 people organisers had hoped would attend. It came after man who attended the rally in Melbourne last weekend later tested positive for the coronavirus, heightening concerns about a potential second wave in Australia just as the federal and state governments ease restrictions. Western Australia Covid-19 regulations prohibit crowds of more than 300, although police were not enforcing social distancing fines and organisers offered face masks and hand sanitiser to protesters on Saturday. The nationwide day of protests started in the far north, with more than 1,000 people gathering at City Park in Darwin, which has the highest proportion of Aboriginal people of Australia's state capitals. Refugee activists held small rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to protest against the detention of asylum seekers, despite warnings from police saying anyone attending the Sydney protest risked being fined and arrested. Tanzanian police said Friday that they had doubts over opposition leader Freeman Mbowe's claims he was attacked, as their investigations had yielded no evidence. Mbowe was ambushed by unknown assailants as he returned home late Monday in the capital Dodoma, and rushed to hospital with injuries including a broken leg, his Chadema party said in a statement. The party described the attack as "politically motivated". Tanzanian police spokesman David Misime said there was no evidence Mbowe had called for assistance during the midnight attack, and that there were people near the scene who did not see or hear it take place. Mbowe stopped at a family member's home before going to the hospital, "without even notifying (there was) a young man at his home," Misime said in a statement. The only evidence of an attack were the statements of Mbowe and his driver, Misime said, "which raise doubts about the truth of the incident". The police statement claimed that when Mbowe arrived at the hospital he was drunk. On Wednesday, Chadema deputy chairman Tundu Lissu defended Mbowe in a spoeech, saying drinking was not a crime in Tanzania. Via Facebook, he said the police comments were aimed at "weakening the weight of the incident and legitimise the attack. Some people just want to divert the discussion of the issue." In 2017, Lissu was shot several times near the place where Mbowe was attacked. Lissu, who last week announced his intention to run against Magufuli in October elections, lives in self-imposed exile in Belgium where he was treated after the shooting. Chadema said on Thursday that Mbowe was recovering at Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam where he was transferred for further treatment for his broken leg. A high-profile critic of President John Magufuli, Mbowe has repeatedly accused the government of covering up the extent of Tanzania's coronavirus outbreak and failing to take the pandemic seriously. Mbowe's attack was condemned by other opposition parties, rights groups, the European Union head of missions and the UK and US embassies in Tanzania which called for quick investigations, identification and prosecution of those responsible. Chadema has faced increasing hostility under Magufuli, who took office in 2015 as a corruption-fighting "man of the people" but has been criticised for his authoritarian leadership style. (Photo : Andreas Gebert / Reuters ) Zuckerberg speaks during the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany. A Facebook employee who criticized Mark Zuckerberg and his decision not to act against US President Donald Trump's posts on the social media platform has been fired, Reuters reported. The employee, Brandon Dail, was working as a user interface engineer in Seattle. He stated he was fired for publicly challenging the CEO for keeping silent on the issue due to the president promoting violence in his social media posts in response to the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States. The killing of African-American George Floyd in the hands of the police ignited protests against racial injustice. Dail was only one of the employees who reportedly left their desks as a response to Zuckerberg's inaction. Trump's posts included the phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" to refer to the protests against police brutality held on May 25. Twitter, meanwhile, placed a distinct warning label on the post, stating it "glorified violence." However, they are now 'Disgusted' In another recent report on CNN, the CEO and his wife, Priscilla Chan, said they were "disgusted" by Trump's comments on the nationwide protests. They emailed a group of scientists from their non-profit organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). These scientists raised their sentiments on how Facebook managed these posts by the U.S. president. In the email, Zuckerberg and Chan wrote, "We are deeply shaken and disgusted by President Trump's divisive and incendiary rhetoric at a time when our nation so desperately needs unity." They added, "This is an extraordinarily painful inflection point in our nation's story, particularly for the Black community and our Black colleagues, who have lived with the impacts of systemic racism for generations." The CEO is standing by his decision. The employee, Dail, objected after Facebook and Twitter's refusal to take action against the presidential post, which also contained the police in New York critically injured an unsubstantiated conspiracy allegation about a 75-year-old protester named Martin Gugino. "Trump's attack on Martin Gugino is despicable and a clear violation of Facebook's anti-harassment rules. It's again extremely disappointing that we (and Twitter) haven't removed it," he stated. No action The social networking company confirmed this but refused to provide more information. However, the employees would not face retaliation. The email sent to the scientists from Zuckerberg and Chan said that the letter had already been "shared and discussed" by the leadership and administrative team of CZI. The team reportedly took these "concerns seriously and to heart." As of press time, there has been no further action from the Facebook CEO. Zuckerberg is strong in defending the stance of the company. He has, however, pledged to review the platform's policies and their method for moderating content. "Zuckerberg's decision to leave the Trump posts up has alienated many of the company's own workers. Last week, some Facebook employees staged a virtual walkout over inaction on the matter," Michelle Toh and Donie O'Sullivan wrote on CNN Business. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Government in hurry Even after more than ten years since this service was launched in the world, Vietnam is still considering introducing it across businesses. The Ministry of Information and Communications has now petitioned the Prime Minister to allow telecommunication enterprises to accept electronic payments. At a regular meeting session in March 2019, the Prime Minister had asked the Ministry of Information and Communications and the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to develop a pilot plan for telecommunication businesses to offer mobile money services. In November 2019, the draft decree replaced Decree 101/2012 in which non-cash payment methods were announced by the SBV for the first time, accompanied by rules relevant to licensing and operations. The draft was expected to soon open the door for mobile money services in Vietnam. However, in early 2020, the Government once again had to nudge the SBV to pilot the mobile money service. In March, the Prime Minister asked the SBV to immediately submit a separate decision on the pilot plan for mobile money. Most recently, in Resolution 84 issued on 29 May 2020, on tasks and solutions to remove difficulties for production and businesses, promote disbursement of public investment, and ensure social order and safety in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister officially requested a license to deploy mobile money. Vietnam has long been receptive to the need of deploying mobile money, because the potential for mobile money in the Vietnamese market is huge, with a large number of mobile subscribers that now exceed the population. By the end of 2019, the General Statistics Office had about 129.5 million mobile subscribers in Vietnam. Looking at other developing countries in a similar situation, the mobile money service has changed the lives of millions of consumers after the Government created conditions for them to access electronic payments. According to statistics of the Global System for Mobile Association (GSMA), mobile money available in 90 countries serves about 870 million accounts, with an average daily transaction turnover of USD 1.3 bn. Need of support solutions However, with the steps taken, the SBV seems to be cautious in implementing the use of mobile money. For example, the network providers proposed a maximum payment limit of VND 30 mn per month, but in the first pilot project, the SBV only proposed VND 5 mn per month and has now increased the limit by just VND 10 mn per month. Recharging will be done through points of deposit, cash withdrawal and bank account, but not by accepting scratch cards, to avoid unmanageable risks such as money laundering or other illegal activities. In addition, telecommunication enterprises must also meet some other criteria set by the SBV such as charter capital; technical business processes; solvency mechanism, such as the mechanism of opening and maintaining a payment guarantee account balance and the purpose of using the payment guarantee account. Observers around the world can see two models of mobile money management, notably the mobile network operator (MNO) model and the bank led model (BLM). With the MNO model, operators are not required to follow the same regulatory requirements as banks when they receive deposits or perform deposit-related functions. In the BLM model, mobile service providers are obliged to work with banks, and accordingly subject to prior supervision of financial authorities of a country, comply with customer identification, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing requirements. Provisions in the draft of the SBV show that Vietnam is more in favor of the BLM model. This is not difficult to explain, because the legal environment for mobile money operating in Vietnam is not complete or synchronized. So far, Vietnam has not finalized the issuance of citizen codes and regulations on anonymous transactions or allowed service providers to set minimum identification requirements. Moreover, if the mobile money account is only identified by the number of customer subscribers at the telecommunications company, the problem of junk sim cards still exists, and this type can still become a money laundering channel when not managed tightly. In this context, some experts recommend that in addition to prompting the authorities to quickly pilot the mobile money plan, the Government should preside over the construction of customer authentication infrastructure, in order to enhance support for payment solutions, including mobile payments. In the world, many countries have implemented an electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) and electronic Identification (eID), which is controlled and organized by the Government, bringing many integrated utilities on a single identification card. Telecom businesses now need to quickly complete the formalities in compiling all mobile subscriber information, customer identification, and control of junk sim cards, so as to complete and submit the facts to the government soonest for further implementation. o Linh By Jonathan Cook June 12, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - I did not expect to be returning to this issue so soon but I was surprised, to put it mildly, to discover that my last post on anti-racists toppling a statue of the notorious slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol proved to be the most polarising article I have ever written. Given the many controversial topics I have addressed over the years, that seems noteworthy in itself. It may not be surprising that those on the right are troubled by ordinary people challenging authority, demanding change rather than conserving what we already have, and taking the law into their own hands. None of this sits too easily with the conservative political worldview. But some on the left seem equally disturbed by this act of popular protest. That needs to be analysed and challenged. My latest: Tearing down statues to slave traders isn't rule by the mob. It was only through defiance and disobedience that ordinary people won the freedoms and progress we enjoy today https://t.co/fl50HOUvrv pic.twitter.com/1Ac8PHlE8E Jonathan Cook (@Jonathan_K_Cook) June 10, 2020 I have been able to identify three main types of criticism from the left. Cities on the back foot The first suggests that tearing down statues is ineffective. It does not change anything, and actually conceals societys continuing racism. These actions may make activists feel good but they fail to bring about any tangible progress. Such arguments are obviously undermined by the fact that Bristols mayor and its council, which had been ignoring demands to remove Colstons statue for decades, are finally proposing action. For the first time, the mayor has called for a citywide conversation about all of Bristols public memorials. He has promised to discuss their future with historians, presumably to identify which ones venerate people like Colston so obscenely horrible that they have no place in public squares looking down on us. Instead they should be in museums so their crimes can be contextualised and properly understood. Other cities and organisations are taking rapid, pre-emptive action too to remove the most offensive statues. Slave owner Robert Milligan (below) has been removed from outside the museum in London Docklands (an area rebuilt on money made from modern slavery, mostly of labourers in the Third World), while two London hospitals have removed from public view statues to the slave traders that founded them. Cities and public bodies are for the first time assessing which statues are of figures simply too odious to be defended. These institutions are on the back foot. That is a victory of some kind. I have been able to identify three main types of criticism from the left. Cities on the back foot The first suggests that tearing down statues is ineffective. It does not change anything, and actually conceals societys continuing racism. These actions may make activists feel good but they fail to bring about any tangible progress. Such arguments are obviously undermined by the fact that Bristols mayor and its council, which had been ignoring demands to remove Colstons statue for decades, are finally proposing action. For the first time, the mayor has called for a citywide conversation about all of Bristols public memorials. He has promised to discuss their future with historians, presumably to identify which ones venerate people like Colston so obscenely horrible that they have no place in public squares looking down on us. Instead they should be in museums so their crimes can be contextualised and properly understood. Other cities and organisations are taking rapid, pre-emptive action too to remove the most offensive statues. Slave owner Robert Milligan (below) has been removed from outside the museum in London Docklands (an area rebuilt on money made from modern slavery, mostly of labourers in the Third World), while two London hospitals have removed from public view statues to the slave traders that founded them. Cities and public bodies are for the first time assessing which statues are of figures simply too odious to be defended. These institutions are on the back foot. That is a victory of some kind. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Overthrowing symbols The second criticism is that toppling statues is a distraction from proper political activism, that statues are meaningless symbols, that there are much more important things to be getting on with, and that the establishment wants us to target statues to sow division or direct our energies into irrelevancies. It is claimed that tearing down Colstons statue has detracted from the inspiration for the protests: challenging police brutality in the wake of George Floyds murder by a white policeman in Minneapolis. There are lots of reasons why this approach is a wrong-headed. Symbols are important. They are the illustrations to the stories we are fed about who we are and what we hold dear. Like images in the picture books our parents read to us before we could make out the letters of the text, these symbols often have more impact than the stories themselves. When we challenge symbols we begin to deconstruct the stories that they illustrate. Overthrow a symbol, and you are taking the first step on the path to overthrowing the system behind it. After all, if these symbols werent so important in entrenching a sense of national life and national values, the establishment would not have bothered to erect them. Thats why the right-wingers will make a battleground of protecting statues of Winston Churchill and Queen Victoria. Because it is vitally important to them that we dont tear off the mask to see for ourselves or to show them what really lies beneath. The claim that the establishment actually favours the toppling of statues and that our energies are being channeled into irrelevant action is apparently justified by the fact that the police backed off in Bristol and that some politicians and journalists are expressing sympathy for the protesters. Sadly, this is a very popular line of argument on the left nowadays: as soon as a group with progressive aims has the most limited success, some start claiming it proves that the establishment wanted it to happen anyway, and that we have fallen into a trap set for us by the elite. One wonders what possible path to improvement such people envision, what first steps to change they would ever accept as progress. Their view is pure defeatism. If the left is crushed, we lose; and if we win a few concessions, we have been conned. For them, it is complete revolution or nothing. A fearful establishment In fact, the reason the police backed off in Bristol is because they are frightened right now of the febrile mood in the country. There is lots of anger and frustration, especially among young people, much of it provoked by lockdown. The police understood it was not a time to be making baton charges to defend a statue, especially one to a slave trader. They are on the back foot themselves because of the police violence that triggered the protests in the first place. Violence is their Achilles heel right now, and the protesters can exploit that weakness to reclaim public space for protest and dissent. The politicians and media are similarly frightened of the current unrest, which they have been labelling as a dangerous populism for some time. Isnt having the establishment fearful exactly where the left should want them? Because when the establishment is not frightened, all they do is line their pockets more deeply. They make concessions only when we raise the stakes. If that is not obvious, recall the mass marches against the Iraq war. They failed not because they were not popular they were some of the largest protests ever in Britain. They failed because the public could not make Tony Blair and his cabinet more frightened of us the British people than they were of the White House and the Pentagon. The cynical, dispiriting lesson we took away from the Iraq war was that we could never have an effect on the political class. The real lesson was that we needed to bare our teeth. Last week the crowds in Bristol bared their teeth, and the politicians and police decided the fight this time wasnt worth it. Defending a racist statue is much less of a priority for the establishment than placating the US, of course. But it doesnt mean it is no priority at all. The lessons of revolts through the ages are that small victories inspire crowds to larger battles. That is why the establishment usually tries to crush or co-opt the first signs of popular dissent and defiance. They fear our empowerment. It is also why it is important for those who want fairer societies to support, not diminish, the actions of those who take on initial confrontations with the establishment. They build the launchpad for bigger things. Progress through protest The third and seemingly most common criticism is that it is dangerous to allow the mob to win, and that once mob rule scores a success it will lead to anarchy and violence. An anxiety the left ought not to be having, as people topple statues to the criminals of empire, is 'Where will this lead?' or 'Who next - Victoria, Churchill?' That's not 'opposing vigilantism', or 'supporting democracy'. It's revealing how wedded you are to the status quo Jonathan Cook (@Jonathan_K_Cook) June 11, 2020 As I explained in my last post, none of the things we value today in Britain from the vote to the National Health Service happened without either direct protest in defiance of the establishment or the threat of such protest. It was only ever fear about the breakdown of order or of the eruption of violence that pushed the establishment to give up any of its wealth and power. Ordinary people finally got free universal health care in 1948 over the opposition of most doctors largely because of establishment concerns about an empowered male population returning from war who knew how to bear arms and, having avoided death on the battlefield, were not likely to accept seeing themselves or their loved ones die of easily treatable diseases because they were still poor. Similarly, labour rights were won over the opposition of business only because workers organised into unions and threatened to withdraw their labour. That was most definitely seen as a form of violence by a capitalist class whose only measure of value has ever been money. Those who worry about mob rule assume that we now live in democracies that are responsive to the popular will. I will not waste my breath again demolishing that fallacy it has been the sole reason for my writing this blog for the past six years. We live in sophisticated oligarchies, where corporations control the narratives of our lives through their control of the mass media to make us compliant and believe in fairytales. The biggest is that we, the people, are in charge through our vote, in a political system that offers only two choices, both of them political parties that were long ago captured by the corporations. The one countervailing force organised labour now plays almost no role. It has been either destroyed or its leaders co-opted themselves. Wrong about democracy All that aside, those anxious about the mob have failed to understand what liberal democracy means the model of democracy we are all supposed to subscribe to. It does not give carte blanche to the white majority to smother symbols all over the public space of people who abused, murdered and oppressed our black neighbours ancestors. That is democracy as the tyranny of the majority. If this is not blindingly obvious, let me propose a hypothetical analogy. How would we judge Britains Jewish community if after years of failed protests they and non-Jewish supporters took the law into their own hands and tore down a statue in Hamstead to Adolf Eichmann? Would we call them a mob? Would we characterise what they did as vigilantism? And perhaps more to the point, can we conceive of an Eichmann statue being erected in Hamstead or anywhere? Of course, not. So why is it even conceivable that a man like Colston who profited from the destruction of the lives of tens of thousands of Africans should still be presiding over a multicultural city like Bristol, where some of the descendants of those Africans live today? The fact that we cannot imagine being so insensitive to the Jewish community should underscore how unbelievably insensitive we have been to Britains black community for many decades. The fear of the mob is really our fear of making even liberal democracy work as it is supposed to. Because in a proper liberal democracy the minority is protected from the majority. And when the system proves itself no longer capable of protecting the minority from symbolic violence, for example then the minority has a right to take the law into their own hands by pulling down those symbols. That is how history was always made, and how it is being made now. Inclusive or cruel? Where will it all end? people are asking. In the short term, the campaign is likely to run out of steam when the most offensive symbols in the public square have been removed. An informal trade-off will be arrived at: anti-racists will succeed in clearing out the worst symbols, and the right will defend with equal passion the symbols it values most highly. Most of us can sketch out in our own minds where this ends. Few will fight to save those associated exclusively with the slave trade, but the majority will insist on keeping the biggest symbols of Britishness, such as Churchill and Queen Victoria. The contest will be over those few figures, like Cecil Rhodes, who lie in the grey area between these two extremes. But longer term, it will end when we have a frank, inclusive conversation about what we want our societies to be. Whether we want them to be welcoming and fair, or cruel places that commemorate the naked exercise of power in the past and implicitly condone its continuing use today (as was highlighted by our recent crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq). It will end when we all have the same stake in our societies, when we all feel equally valued. It will end when not only have symbols of inequality and injustice been toppled, but the reality of inequality and injustice has been consigned to history too. Jonathan Cook won the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His books include Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East (Pluto Press) and Disappearing Palestine: Israels Experiments in Human Despair (Zed Books). His website is www.jonathan-cook.net. Post your comment below Last year, shoppers in Britain spent more than 1billion on sustainable seafood for the first time on record. This was an increase in sales of Marine Stewardship Council fish of more than a fifth compared to 2018 and it represents nearly a third of all seafood bought. I've been in this boat for a while sustainable fish, organic diary, meat, fruit and vegetables where possible. Yes, it can often cost a little more, but the potential cost to our planet is hard to put a price on. It appears I'm not alone. When it comes to sustainable fish, research by MSC suggests high levels of concern for our oceans has driven a surge in awareness across all generations in recent years. Food for thought: MSC has launched a little blue label, big blue future campaign - but what does it actually mean when you buy seafood with its logo? More shoppers are studying packaging to ensure that what they buy is sustainable, with a recent study suggesting more than two in five now look out for such labels. Erin Priddle from MSC, wants to see more Britons vote with their forks and not just in their weekly supermarket shop. She says: 'We want Britons to look out for seafood with our little blue label in fish and chip shops and restaurants too.' What exactly does it mean for seafood to have a MSC stamp? Is it more expensive to buy sustainable British fish? Will we one day all buy seafood that is sustainable? Consumer Trends takes a deep dive. What is MSC and why does it matter? The MSC, launched in 1997, is an international non-profit organisation and it says it sets globally recognised, science-based standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability. Science used includes independent assessment of how many fish there are, and how many fishermen can catch to ensure fish stocks remain healthy. This little blue label means the seafood essentially means two core things: it comes from a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC's standard for environmentally sustainable fishing. Secondly, it is fully traceable to a sustainable source. The logo can be found on more than 100 species of seafood in 100 countries - the same stamp used around the world. Seafood provides an important source of protein to more than 3billion people across the world, according to MSC. A third of the world's fish stocks are currently overfished, with this figure increasing consistently since 1974, according to the latest United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation data, released on 8 June for World Oceans Day. Meanwhile, 60 per cent are fished to their maximum capacity. A recent survey suggests a third of Britons fear their favourite fish will disappear off their dish within 20 years and this is helping shift a consumer change. Fish on a dish: Shoppers in Britain spent 1bn on sustainable seafood for the first time in 2019 How shoppers have changed habits Last year, we spent 3.85billion on seafood, according to industry body Seafish. Of this total, 1.12billion was MSC certified, representing an increase from 923million the previous year. It is up ten-fold since 2010 and there has been a huge leap since 2016, when sales nearly doubled. MSC beginnings In 1992, the collapse of Grand Banks cod fishery in Canada leads to 35,000 fishers and plant workers from over 400 coastal communities losing their jobs and helps highlight the global issue of overfishing Three years later, conservationists from WWF and representatives from consumer goods giant Unilever meet to discuss what they could do to curb the problem. A statement of intent, co-signed by WWF and Unilever is issued and from there, MSC is born. MSC was created in 1997 and following the development of a standard, the first fisheries were certified in 2000. This is also the first year the blue label begins to appear The first to be given the sustainability stamp are a lobster fishery in Western Australia and salmon fishery in Alaska. There are other ecolabels for wild fish and it is worth pointing out that local fisheries may have their own sustainability promise. MSC says a number of independent groups and institutions including the Government say its standard is the most comprehensive, and it is the most recognisable to consumers. More than half of seafood shoppers in Britain are said to have made changes to the way they choose and buy seafood last year, with one in five switching to a brand or product which says it helps the oceans or fish. Furthermore, around three quarters recognise the importance of only consuming fish and seafood that comes from sustainable sources the question is, how do you turn that into sales, so that sustainable fish sales are the majority? MSC is aiming that one day, all fish for sale will have come from a sustainable source a goal shared with the UN. Erin adds that choosing sustainable seafood is a 'small change' that can have a 'big ripple effect.' Essentially, the more shoppers interested in shopping sustainable, the more pressure on the industry to act charge slightly higher prices, for sustainable products. She adds: 'It's clear that shoppers really do care where their seafood comes from and how it is sourced, and many are changing their purchasing habits.' The survey was carried out using national consumer research online panels to recruit respondents, with a minimum of 600 seafood consumers surveyed per country and 20,000 taking part. Can you buy UK MSC seafood? I live close to Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, a spot famous for its cockles. In the summer, schools of locals and day trippers devour them by the bucket load. They really aren't for me. I'm also not too far away from Colchester, and its oysters and in recent years, I've been partial to them, with the right condiments. Across the country, many are lucky to live near the coast and knowing a good, reputable fishmonger who can guarantee sustainability, is a must for many households. In Britain, 22 fisheries are now MSC certified covering 13 different species of fish. This includes haddock, plaice, and hake; and shellfish such as scallops, cockles, and mussels; offering buyers an increasingly wide selection of UK MSC sustainably sourced and certified fish and seafood. Britain is MSC's second biggest market for labelled product sales, behind Germany, but ahead of the US and France. While it is clear for shoppers to find this label, what about when choosing a restaurant - when they reopen? Committed: MSC says McDonalds and Wetherspoons offer MSC certified fish, which may surprise some The MSC say its certified fish is widely available across the UK, with 14 restaurant groups including McDonalds, Premier Inn, JD Wetherspoon, Cafe Rouge and Wahaca all having the MSC label on their menus. It is 15 years since one of the first fisheries met the MSC Standard Alaska Pollock, an MSC certified catch - this is used to make a huge range of products, from the Fish-O-Filet to Birds Eye omega 3 fish fingers. It adds: 'The MSC label also appears on the menu at more than 120 fish and chip shops across the UK, including the current number one chippy, The Cods Scallops in Nottingham, and the famous Colmans Fish and Chips in South Shields. 'The last eight winners of the UK No1 chippy have all been MSC certified businesses, demonstrating the commitment this industry has to sustainable seafood.' The best way to find out is to simply ask in advance where the fish comes from - or look online. Michelin Star quality... at home One British company who has had to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic is Marrfish, based near Stansted, Essex, whose fishermen and boat owners have been around since 1870. It supplies sustainable seafood to some of the top hotels, restaurants and gastro pubs in the South, but Covid-19 has stopped all that and left them with a surplus of stock. Ben English from the firm said: 'The result has been our diversification into home delivery bringing the same Michelin Star quality fish to every home owner across the UK, it has been extremely rewarding although at times challenging. 'We as a business are champions for promoting the underutilised species, especially those caught off the cold waters of Scotland and this is seen in our online range today where customers are able to experience hake, coley, and pollock all caught and landed in British waters.' They own vessels fishing in the North Sea accredited to the MSC and other conservation bodies. It offers free delivery over 50 and boxes start from 28. Home delivery: Marrfish, which typically supplies hotels and restaurants, has turned to home deliveries thanks to coronavirus What about fishfingers and tinned tuna? Two of our most loved shopping purchases when it comes to fish are battered fishfingers and tinned tuna. Catches of all kinds of tuna reached their highest level, about 7.9million tonnes in 2018. Btu two thirds of tuna stocks are now fished at biologically sustainable levels, an increase of 10 percentage points in just two years. MSC says seafood with its labels are 'not typically more expensive', and there are many affordable options - including fishfingers and tuna. It tells me: 'Fishfingers and tinned tuna carry the little blue label if the fish used in the product comes from an MSC certified sustainable source. 'Birds Eye for instance has 100 per cent of its wild fish and seafood products MSC certified, and many of the top UK retailers also have MSC certified fish fingers. 'Waitrose have the MSC label on 100 per cent of their own brand canned tuna.' According to data from Seafish, salmon is our number one seafood purchase in terms of retail value, followed by prawns, cod, tuna and haddock. Cod is the best-selling fish in terms of retail value sold with the MSC label in the UK, followed by haddock; but the label can also be found on canned tuna, prawn sandwiches and smoked salmon products. Will coronavirus shepherd-in change? Growth of fish consumption is expected to be around half the increase recorded in the previous decade, with annual per capita fish food consumption rising to 21.5 kilograms by the end of the decade from 20.5 kilograms, according to the UN. Rupert Howes, from MSC, said: 'The world's appetite for seafood is greater than ever. 'But if we are to continue to meet future demands, we must accelerate the uptake of sustainable fisheries management globally. Consumer Trends This is Money assistant editor and consumer journalist, Lee Boyce, writes his Consumer Trends column every Saturday. It ranges from food and drink and retail, to financial services and travel. Have an idea or suggestion? Get in touch: lee.boyce@thisismoney.co.uk 'Over a third of fisheries are operating at unsustainable levels, with this trend continuing to worsen slightly. 'But there are encouraging signs. 'For species where effective management has been implemented, such as Skipjack tuna, Alaska pollock and Atlantic cod, there have been improvements in stock recovery. 'The global seafood industry has already moved at speed to adapt to the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic; when we emerge from this crisis it is vital that we "build back better" with sustainability at its heart. 'We know what works: establishing science-based management regimes, ending harmful subsidies, effective harvest control rules and clamping down on illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.' With more of us willing to research where the food on our plate comes from and thinking about the planet, will the sustainable seafood trend continue in the next decade? It seems likely - an Omega 3 fish supper for me is a must once a week, and given that it's a treat, I'll continue to make ensure I'll buy as sustainably as possible. All I have to do now is wait for the Ocado van to come in - if a delivery slot ever becomes available. Reform measures that had languished for years moved with new urgency in the wake of protests over George Floyds death. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law on Friday a sweeping package of police accountability measures, including one allowing the release of officers long-withheld disciplinary records, that received new backing following protests over George Floyds killing. The measures were approved earlier this week by the states Democratic-led legislature. Some of the bills had been proposed in years past and failed to win approval, but lawmakers moved with new urgency in the wake of massive, nationwide demonstrations over Floyds death at the hands of police in Minneapolis. Police reform is long overdue, and Mr. Floyds murder is only the most recent murder, Cuomo, a Democrat, said. Cuomo was joined at the signing ceremony by the Reverend Al Sharpton, Valerie Bell, the mother of Sean Bell, who was killed by an officer in 2006, and Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who was killed by police in New York in 2014. It was a long time coming, but it came, Carr said. The laws will ban police chokeholds, make it easier to sue people who call police on others without good reason, and set up a special prosecutors office to investigate the deaths of people during and following encounters with police officers. These bills mean some substantive change, so that we wont be sitting here going over this after the next funeral and after the next situation, Sharpton said. It has been a long road to this day, but we saw it through. @AndreaSCousins @CarlHeastie @hazeldukes @valeriebell @RealGwenCarr & I joined @NYGovCuomo for this monumental signing. Always remember, without the legislation, demonstration is just exercise.https://t.co/GHM2pN4LLt pic.twitter.com/5e1Jx8UhB3 Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) June 12, 2020 Some bills, including body camera legislation, drew support from Republicans, who opposed legislation that repealed a state law long used to block the release of police disciplinary records over concerns about officers privacy. Eliminating the law, known as Section 50-a, would make complaints against officers, as well as transcripts and final dispositions of disciplinary proceedings, public for the first time in decades. New York Police Department spokesperson Sgt Jessica McRorie said the department will review the final version of the legislation and utilise it in a manner that ensures greater transparency and fairness. Minneapolis police officers stand in line while facing protesters demonstrating against the death of George Floyd outside the 3rd Police Precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota [Kerem Yucel/AFP] The states approximately 500 police departments will all have to come up with plans to address everything from use of force to implicit bias awareness training by next April under an executive order that Cuomo said he will issue Friday. The governor said New York is the first to come up with such a plan and warned that police departments that fail to do so will not receive state aid. Patrick Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, New York Citys largest police union, said in a news release that Cuomo and the legislative leaders have no business celebrating today. Lynch said police officers spend their days addressing the failures of elected officials. Now, we wont even be able to do that, he said. We will be permanently frozen, stripped of all resources and unable to do the job. #BREAKING: I am signing into law nation-leading criminal justice & police reform bills including legislation that ends 50-A & bans chokeholds. Thank you to @AndreaSCousins, @CarlHeastie & the Legislature for your partnership and fast action. This is a historic moment for NY. Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 12, 2020 Cuomo has 10 days to act on other bills passed by state lawmakers this week, including legislation prohibiting police from using racial profiling and another bill ensuring that individuals under arrest or in police custody receive attention for medical and mental health needs. Lawmakers also passed a bill to require New York to collect and report the race and other demographic details of individuals who are charged. The legislation says police departments must promptly report to the state the death of any people who die in police custody and in an attempt to establish custody, and provide a demographic breakdown. Chattanooga firefighters successfully rescued an injured hiker on Friday night in Hixson. She fell approximately 50 feet off a bluff. The woman was walking on the trail when the incident happened around 8:30 p.m. at Greenway Farms. The CFD's high angle rescue team got to the woman, stabilized her, and brought her out in an intricate operation due to the location and the terrain. Quint 19, Squad 19, Quint 7, Squad 7, USAR 1 and 2, Battalion 2 and 3, Special Operations, Hamilton County EMS and CPD were on scene. The hiker had a possible leg injury and back injury. She was awake and talking to first responders and was stable on the scene. She was taken to the hospital. Those in command of the incident commended the team for working together to rescue the patient. Photo credit: Battalion Chief David Thompson Jr. Charlevoix man denies wrongdoing despite signing illegitimate election document Charlevoix resident John Haggard is among a group of Republicans who signed an Electoral College certificate attempting to award the states 16 votes to Donald Trump following the 2020 election a document now under federal investigation. PNC Stalwart, Atik Mohammed says the National Democratic Congress' opposition to the Electoral Commission's decision to compile a new voters' register is purely borne out of personal sentiments and hatred for Madam Jean Mensa, the EC Chairperson. Atik Mohammed came to this conclusion after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership gave up their legal case challenging the constitutionality of the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct the new voters' registration exercise. NDC Drags EC To Supreme Court The NDC has filed a law suit at the Supreme Court against the EC seeking two reliefs; the first being that the Commission's decision to compile a new voters' register is unconstitutional and secondly, the decision of the EC to exclude an existing voters' ID card as a form of identification for the exercise is also unconstitutional. The party argues that the EC's decision to use only the Ghana card and passport will disenfranchise many Ghanaians and this contravenes Article 42 of the 1992 constitution. They further contend that, according to Article 45 of the constitution, the EC can compile a voters' register once and periodically revise it. NDC Abandons Their Case A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court on Thursday, June 12, 2020 heard the NDC but told the Counsel for the party, Godwin Tameklo, that per the court rules, a party cannot be seeking a relief and also ask to be granted another relief in the alternative. Therefore, the party needed to make a choice and they decided to go for their second relief of whether or not the EC is mandated by law to exclude the voters' ID card in the registration exercise while they dropped their initial case of kicking against a new voters' register. The NDC's action therefore means the EC can go ahead to conduct the mass registration exercise and compile a new voters' register. The Supreme Court will on June 23 also make a ruling on whether or not the electoral management body is constitutionally right to exclude an existing voters ID card as a form of identification for the upcoming exercise. NDC Has Been Exposed Regarding the NDC's decision to abandon their new voters' registration case, Atik Mohammed is undoubtedly convinced that the party is only seeking a revenge on the EC Boss, Jean Mensa, because they feel she profited from the exit of the former Chairperson of the Commission, Madam Charlotte Osei. According to him, the arguments by the NDC leadership and members against a new voters' register are mere attempts to sympathize with Madam Charlotte Osei, hence engaging in a personal feud with the EC Boss. ''When you take a look at their commentaries and their arguments against the register, the arguments often end up with either Madam Jean Mensa and Mr. Bossman have ulterior motive to help rig an election or they were appointed to do the bidding of one political party. That's why I am saying it has always been personal because they feel that Madam Jean Mensa profited from the exit of Charlotte Osei; so she also has to suffer humiliation and attacks because that's what unfortunately they feel that Mrs. Charlotte Osei suffered, he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'. Atik Mohammed warned the NDC to stop jeopardizing the reputation of the Electoral Commission. You cannot oppose an exercise such as the compilation of a new register simply because of what happened to Madam Charlotte Osei, which we all regret, should become the fate of the new Commissioner and part of the treatment means that even if she says we should do what will help Ghana, we should oppose and insult them because she needs to suffer the same or similar fate as Madam Charlotte Osei did. Listen to his full submissions 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 Part of the reason first lady Melania Trump delayed her move from New York City to the White House in 2017 was because she was renegotiating her prenuptial agreement with President Donald Trump, according to a book out next week by a Washington Post reporter. Author Mary Jordan cites sources close to Trump as saying her intent in doing so was to "amend her financial agreement with Trump -- what Melania referred to as 'taking care of Barron.' " The book, titled, "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump," is based on more than a hundred interviews, according to the Post. According to the Post, the book said the first lady needed time to cool off after the President's alleged sexual indiscretions and Jordan writes that three people close to Trump say that this new prenuptial agreement ensured that Barron would not be shut out of the family business. "She wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trump's oldest three children," writes Jordan. Donald Trump has many times shared publicly his support of the idea of protecting one's wealth with a prenuptial agreement. He told CNN's Larry King in 1997: "I'm a big pre-nup believer, even though they're nasty terrible documents. I'm a big believer in that stuff." A spokeswoman for the first lady dismissed the book and it's reporting. "Yet another book about Mrs. Trump with false information and sources. This book belongs in the fiction genre," said Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump's chief of staff. Melania Trump's delay in moving to Washington, DC, was primarily concern for keeping life as normal as possible for her son, Barron, then 10 years old, after Trump won the presidential election. Her desire to allow Barron to finish his school year in New York City superseded other concerns about optics, political questions, or insinuations about her marriage. As CNN has reported, Melania Trump does not have a cadre of seasoned political advisers telling her what to do, nor would she likely listen if so. She makes decisions based upon her own ideology. She also found ground to renegotiate, Jordan reports, because Trump is aware, as are his adult children, she is a calming influence on the President. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planning to travel to Hawaii to meet with Chinese government officials, Politico reported on Friday, citing two unnamed sources. Pompeo, who has been vocal in criticizing China on a range of issues from the origins of the coronavirus pandemic to its Hong Kong policy to the treatment of its ethnic and religious minorities, was planning the trip "quietly" and the arrangements were not finalized, Politico said. The US State Department and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Relations between the world's two biggest economies have deteriorated in recent months, and US President Donald Trump has said he could even sever relations. Pompeo said last week that China could have prevented the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people around the world by being more transparent about the coronavirus and accused it of refusing to share information. He said last month Chinese plans to impose national security laws on Hong Kong would be the "death knell" for the former British colony's autonomy. ROME, June 13 (Reuters) - Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands have signed a contract with Astrazeneca to supply European citizens with a vaccine against the coronavirus, Italy's health minister said on Saturday. The contract is for 400 million doses of the vaccine, which was developed with the University of Oxford and whose experimentation phase is already advanced and expected to end in autumn, Roberto Speranza said in a Facebook post. He added that a first batch of doses would be made available by the end of this year. The European Commission received a mandate from EU governments on Friday to negotiate advance purchases of promising coronavirus vaccines, the EU's top health official said, but it was unclear whether there would be enough money available. (Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte, writing by Giulia Segreti; editing by John Stonestreet) Army Chief General M M Naravane on Saturday assured that the entire situation along our borders with China was under control. "I would like to assure everyone that the entire situation along our borders with China is under control. We are having a series of talks which started with Corps Commander level talks and has been followed up with meetings at local level between Commanders of equivalent ranks," the Army Chief said. "As a result, a lot of disengagement has taken place and we are hopeful that through the continued dialogue we are having, all perceived differences ... Even if omicron peak nears, Long Beach cases and hospitalizations will still be up for weeks, official says - The Pound to Euro exchange rate is 1.11405 on 13.06.2020 - The Pound to US Dollar exchange rate is $1.25388 on 13.06.2020 After a meeting between EU Commission President Von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Johnson both sides agreed to intensify trade negotiations. There will now be sessions every week for four weeks starting on June 29th. According to UK government sources, This new process will involve a mix of formal negotiating rounds and smaller group meetings, both in London and Brussels assuming public health guidelines enable this. There will be a meeting on June 15th between Johnson, Von der Leyen, European Council President Michel and EU Parliament President Sassoli in an attempt to inject increased political pace into the talks. There has also been an announcement that the UK would scale back customs checks on EU goods entering the UK after the end of 2020 in an attempt to reduce pressure on business costs. A government source said: "We recognise the impact that coronavirus has had on UK businesses, and as we take back control of our laws and our borders at the end of this year, we will take a pragmatic and flexible approach to help business adjust to the changes and opportunities of being outside the single market and the customs union." Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said; simplifying trade across borders was crucial to businesses already suffering from coronavirus, the UK government should look to prioritise flow, not revenue or bureaucracy. Sources have also indicated that any extension of the transition period would be formally ruled out by the UK government on Friday. There are still important areas of contention with reports that France had insisted on a tough stance on fishing. Amelie de Montchalin, Frances Minister of State in charge of European Affairs, told a Senate committee on Thursday; "We need to complete the negotiation in four months, which objectively seems difficult to achieve." There is also no guarantee that light-touch regulation will be reciprocated by the EU in consideration of UK exports to the EU. Stephen Gallo, European head of FX strategy at BMO Capital Markets commented; We continue to think Brussels and the UK will reach an agreement covering merchandise trade, but prefer to wait for better levels before buying the GBP. Michael Hewson, chief market strategist at CMC Markets, considers it unlikely that the UK will ask to extend the transition period before the end of June deadline. Those comments by Barnier yesterday really sort of highlight the fact that were heading for no deal and really its a question of how that gets mitigated, ultimately there will be no winners. Sterling will tend to come under pressure if there is no headway within the next few weeks. Before the latest developments, Rabobank was negative on the short-term Sterling outlook. With no extension likely and with the trade talks not progressing well, there would appear to be a strong risk that the UK and the EU will be trading on WTO terms at the start of next year. Earlier this month a Times article did suggest that there was a little room for flexibility on both sides. This week there have been reports that the EU could relax its stance on state aid and fisheries, but as yet there is little sign of a draft deal. We are of the view that unless some positive news emerges from the Brexit talks soon that EUR/GBP could push towards the 0.91 area on a 1 month view. Russian foreign and defence ministers will meet their counterparts during a visit to Turkey. Russias foreign and defence ministers will visit Turkey on Sunday for talks, the two countries foreign ministries said on Saturday, with media reports saying discussions would focus on Libya. The visit by Sergey Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu was agreed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Saturday, adding that the meeting will cover regional issues. The Russian foreign ministry also confirmed the visit of Lavrov and Shoigu to hold consultations on regional problems that are of mutual interest. Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber said the ministers would also discuss the situation in Syria. Turkey and Russia, whose leaders have forged a strong partnership in recent years, back opposing sides in Libya, which has been riven by unrest since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 in a NATO-backed uprising. Russia, along with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, has backed eastern-based renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar. Haftar has reportedly received support from the Wagner mercenary group, a Russian private military contractor. Turkey backs the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli and has intensified its support this year. 200531155649091 Ankara has sent fighters, military advisers and drones to bolster the military power of the GNA, which has changed the tide of war in the conflict-struck country. The GNA allied forces have in recent weeks recaptured outposts in western Libya seized earlier by Haftar loyalists, who then tried to march on the capital. In Syria, where Turkey and Russia also back opposing sides, they are working to reach a political solution to the conflict. However, their partnership remains fragile and is being tested over the fighting in Syrias last rebel-held northwestern bastion of Idlib. Ankara has raised concerns over the recently increased attacks by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Idlib. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is also expected to visit Turkey on Sunday, the Iranian foreign ministry said. While Iran and Russia back al-Assad, Turkey supports rebels seeking his overthrow. Two women have been charged with destroying property after a Captain Cook statue in Sydney's Hyde Park was defaced. Police were alerted to the vandalism about 4am on Sunday and arrested two women - aged 27 and 28 - nearby on College Street in the CBD, NSW Police said in a statement. The women were allegedly found with several spray cans in a bag. They have been taken to Day Street police station, where they were charged with destroy or damage property and possession of graffiti implement. The pair were refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday. Two women have been arrested after a Captain Cook statue in Sydney's Hyde Park was defaced (pictured) Police were alerted to the vandalism about 4am on Sunday and arrested two women - aged 27 and 28 - nearby on College Street in the CBD (police pictured at the statue on Sunday morning) It comes as Victorian police are also investigating the defacing of statues in Ballarat. The statues of former Australian prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard were sprayed with red paint on Saturday morning. They have since been covered and fenced off and a conservator will assess the damage on Monday. A Captain James Stirling statue in Perth, Western Australia was on Friday also defaced and a 30-year-old man has been charged with criminal damage or destruction of property. The statue's neck and hands were painted red and an Aboriginal flag was painted over the inscription at the base. Historical monuments across the world have been toppled over the past two weeks as Black Lives Matter protesters march through the streets to call out racism following the death of African American man George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. In Australia, people have defied public health warnings amid the COVID-19 pandemic and turned out to protest indigenous deaths in custody and to rally in support of the BLM movement in Sydney, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide and Melbourne. Police have charged a man with attempted murder after another man was stabbed at a home north of Brisbane. Police were called to an address on Young Street, Petrie, about 11am on Saturday after reports a man in his 20s had a stab wound to his back. The man was soon transported to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital from a separate address in nearby Kallangur. He remains in a critical but stable condition. A 22-year-old Shailer Park man has been charged with one count of attempted murder and was set to appear in the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Monday. THE Department of Foreign Affairs is being asked to provide assistance to the families of two Limerick men who have been hospitalised after being attacked in France. Its understood the two men travelled to France in recent days having secured work for a construction company in a remote area to the South West of Paris. Exact details of the incident, which occurred on Friday, remain unclear but initial reports suggest the men sustained serious injuries after they were attacked by another man who was wielding a weapon possibly a bayonet. Both are being treated in hospital in Poitiers and a major Police investigation is underway to locate the suspect. Deputy Richard ODonoghue, who knows one of the families, says he made contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs on their behalf. I received a phone call from his mother who didnt know what to do and was worried so I contacted Simon Coveney for her by text and by email and I provided him and the department with contact details, he said. I feel very sorry and helpless for the families that have loved ones who have been injured out there. I will do whatever I can to make sure the information gets to them, he added. The current travel restrictions in Ireland and France because of Covid-19 has made things more difficult for both families. The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to reply to queries from the Limerick Leader. Using data from IMDb and Metacritic, Stacker has compiled a list of the 100 greatest romance movies of all time, from "La La Land" to "Casablanca." This article was first published on Stacker Before Lorne Munroe was Lorne Munroe, principal cellist for the New York Philharmonic a chair he held for 32 years and more than 150 solos he was a young cello prodigy in Winnipeg. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2020 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Before Lorne Munroe was Lorne Munroe, principal cellist for the New York Philharmonic a chair he held for 32 years and more than 150 solos he was a young cello prodigy in Winnipeg. Sheila Rodgers never had the thrill of seeing her big brother, who left home at the tender age of 12 to pursue his dreams, perform in New York City with the Phil. But when she was a little girl, she got something of a private concert through the walls at night. Jan Robert Munroe photo Cellist Lorne Munroe had a distinguished career and was the first Canadian to win the prestigious Naumburg Award in 1949. "I remember going to sleep, listening to him practise," says Rodgers, 91, who now lives in Lethbridge. "That was a warm, fuzzy feeling, dozing off and listening to him play." Munroe died May 4 at the age of 95. He knew the only way to Carnegie Hall or, in his case, Lincoln Center was to practise, practise, practise. (Though, hed perform at Carnegie, too.) Born in Winnipeg on Nov. 24, 1924, Munroe began his cello studies at the age of three on a modified violin with a leg attached, under the instruction of the distinguished Hungarian cellist Dezso Mahalek. Music was big in the Munroe family; his parents, Zoe and W.R. Munroe, both studied and played music. Zoe taught Sheila and her youngest, Gilbert, how to play the piano. W.R., meanwhile, loved the violin. Lorne was "discovered" in 1935 when he competed in the Winnipeg Music Festival, then the Manitoba Music Festival. At 10, his prodigious talent was already asserting itself. He was best in the senior cello class, and was in serious contention for the Aikins Memorial Trophy, which is still awarded for the most outstanding performance in a competition of diploma-level instrumentalists. "Thats when the adjudicator called him a genius," Rodgers says. SUPPLIED Munroe competed in the Manitoba Music Festival at age 10, where his prodigious talent was already asserting itself. But, because of his young age, the adjudicator, British composer Arthur Benjamin, awarded the coveted prize to a teenage pianist "who wouldnt have the chance to try again, probably, as Lorne, he assumed, would," Rodgers recalls. "But Lorne never went in the festival again, so he never got the Aikins." Lornes little sister and brother, however, are both Aikins trophy winners: Sheila won it in 1946, Gilbert in 1949. "We both had the Aikins trophy and Lorne didnt, which is funny because he was so outstanding," she says with a laugh. As it turns out, Benjamin had other plans for Lorne. Two years later, Lorne, just shy of 13, was getting ready to further his studies an ocean away at the Royal College of Music in London, sponsored by the composer. Hed gone as far as he could in Winnipeg; his much-admired Mr. Mahalek was moving to Vancouver. "Lorne did not have a teacher anywhere near the quality of Mr. Mahalek," Rodgers says. Munroes parents, meanwhile, werent exactly thrilled about the idea of their eldest moving so far away. "They werent enthusiastic about it, but people were saying, Oh, you cant stand in his way," Rodgers recalls. "So, they let him go." After his time in London, Munroe studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under Gregor Piatigorsky and Orlando Cole, before returning to Europe under much different circumstances: as a member of the U.S. Army, serving in the Second World War. "He was barely 19," Rodgers says. "I think my mother wouldnt have minded if he was able to join Glenn Millers (Army Airforces) band which was starting up then, but he was too late applying, so he joined the infantry." Munroe was wounded in the leg during the Battle of Bologna. "He told me once when we were talking about it over the phone that he was lying there on the battlefield, thanking God that his hands were all right," Rodgers recalls. He was sent to Paris to recuperate, which is where he met the woman who would be his wife and best friend of more than 60 years: a violist from Portland, Ore., named Janee Gilbert. She was a member of the USO, and performed for the troops with an all-women orchestra. The couple was married in Paris in 1945. The newlyweds made their home outside of Philadelphia, and Munroe finished his studies at Curtis. Their family was growing; he and Janee would go on to have 10 sons and one daughter. "Every Christmas wed get a picture. One, then two, then three, then there was a set of twins," Rodgers says, laughing. At the same time, Munroes career was taking off. He won the prestigious Naumburg Award in 1949, the first Canadian to do so, and made his formal New York recital debut that year, performing works by Haydn, Weber, Dvorak, and Faure. The early 1950s took him across the Midwest, first as a member of the Cleveland Orchestra, then as principal cellist for Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. After a season in Minnesota, the Philadelphia Orchestra hired him in 1951. He was principal cellist there for 13 years. And then, in 1964, Leonard Bernstein, the famed music director at the New York Philharmonic, tapped Munroe to be his first cellist. Munroe spent 32 seasons there, and was featured as a soloist more than 150 times. In a post on its website last month, the New York Philharmonic remembered him as "an unfailingly kind and unflappable gentleman" who "passed along his legacy, learned from teachers including Piatigorsky, to his students at the Philadelphia University for the Arts and The Juilliard School." Indeed, between rehearsing, performing and teaching, he clocked many miles on the Amtrak, returning to his Philly suburb to be with his family on weekends. Munroe wasnt just a career man. He loved spending time with his family, as well as on his non-musical hobbies of photography and fishing, the latter a holdover from his childhood summers at Lake Manitoba. Rodgers recalls visiting him at his familys cabin in Maine. "Lorne would sometimes just like to go fishing alone, quietly. Hed get up really early and tiptoe out of the cottage and head down to the dock, and look around and there would be about four or five boys following him because they knew where he was going," she says with a laugh. "They sleepily followed him and wanted to do it, too." As a sleepy child herself listening to him play in the next room all those years ago, Rodgers doesnt recall admiring her accomplished older brother. "He was just my brother," she says. "But more as a teenager, I was knowing what he was doing and what hed achieved and especially as an adult, I have admired his work over the years." jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @JenZoratti State health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Saturday warned of stringent action, including cancellation of licence, against private hospitals if found charging exorbitant fee for Covid-19 and other treatments. In a statement, the minister said the Punjab government will soon be fixing charges for covid treatment keeping in view the interest of patients and the private hospitals. But at no cost will the government allow exploitation of patients during this critical situation, he added. The minister said that his attention had been drawn towards the unprecedented high charges imposed by private hospitals for covid treatment. It is sad and shameful on their part that instead of making positive contribution towards fighting the pandemic, some hospitals have resorted to extortion of patients, which will not be allowed at any cost, he said. Sidhu warned that licences of all such hospitals will be cancelled and their facilities withdrawn. He added that the government reserves the right to withdraw land provided to these hospitals at concession. The new quarantine rules were branded a national embarrassment last night as it emerged not a single person has been fined. All air passengers arriving in the UK must quarantine for 14 days and rule-breakers should be hit with 1,000 penalties and those who fail to provide contact details fined 100. But in a week when the rules have cost the economy an estimated 650million, the Daily Mail can reveal not a single penalty has been issued as of midnight on Thursday. As of midnight on Thursday, no quarantine fines have been handed out during the first week of the 14-day quarantine rule for new arrivals in the UK. Tory MPs and aviation bosses last night said the lack of fines proved the unenforceable scheme is a waste of time that risks causing damage to the economy. Home Office officials insisted the lack of punishment proves all passengers are adhering to the rules. But their explanation was described as laughable by critics as spot checks on passengers are being carried out by telephone, so there is no way of telling whether someone is really at home. Tens of thousands have flown into Britain since the rules were introduced on Monday. Tens and thousands of people have arrived in the UK since Monday, with the new rules costing an estimated 650million A Mail reporter who flew into Heathrow earlier this week is among many who have yet to receive one of the Home Offices assurance calls. The revelations emerged as British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet launched legal action against the Government yesterday, claiming the discriminatory, irrational and disproportionate policy is illegal and risks devastating the aviation and hospitality industries. Separately, a report by the Commons transport committee today calls on the Government to ditch the system and replace it with less restrictive measures, such as air bridges, which could allow quarantine-free holidays abroad. Paul Charles from the Quash Quarantine group of more than 500 businesses told the Mail that many have lost their jobs due to the new measures. He added: It is sad that the Home Secretary and Dominic Cummings think their livelihoods are a price worth paying for this policy, which is nothing more than a national embarrassment. A senior figure in the aviation industry said: These flawed quarantine rules are unenforceable so the quicker the Government puts air bridges in place or targeted rules solely for high risk countries, the better. A spokesman for Ryanair last night described the policy as useless and damaging and said evidence from online bookings suggests thousands of UK families are ignoring quarantine by booking holidays for next month. Aviation companies such as British Airways and Ryanair (pictured) have launched legal action against the Government, claiming the policy is 'illegal'. A Ryanair spokesperson described the policy as 'useless and damaging' Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said: It was patently obvious to anyone with a brain bigger than a plant that this policy was always impossible to enforce. The Daily Mails evidence today suggests the quarantine is a national scandal. In todays report, the cross-party transport committee also says the Government should suspend air passenger duty payments for six months which could slash up to 170 off the cost of a plane ticket. And the committee wants to make it easier for holidaymakers to claim refunds from airlines. A Home Office spokesman said passengers have been following the rules, adding: We expect this to continue as the vast majority of people will play their part to help stop the spread of this disease. Story Highlights Teacher stress is related to student success K-12 leaders can boost their ability to demonstrate care Prioritize your wellbeing to avoid caring paralysis Gallup has studied more than 42 million employees and their emotional connection to and overall engagement with their workplace. When it comes to education, Gallup has spent more than 40 years studying teachers, principals and education leaders in thousands of school districts nationwide. One of the key indicators of an education employee's engagement, and the school climate that results from it, is their response to this statement: "My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person." How can we introduce caring in this new chapter of life that COVID-19 has created? Caring begins with leadership. Leaders can only truly create engaged teams by demonstrating care, and conversely, being a great leader stems from an innate ability to show care. So, in a school workforce that's more stressed than ever before, why are leaders struggling with what feels like professional impostor syndrome? Have they lost their innate ability to care? Megan Dalla-Camina writes in Psychology Today, "The [impostor] syndrome is a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud." No, but their capacity for caring might be paralyzed. Caring begins with leadership. Leaders can only truly create engaged teams by demonstrating care, and conversely, being a great leader stems from an innate ability to show care. The pain of change isn't new. According to experts at the University of Missouri, even prior to the pandemic, "findings suggest many teachers are not getting the support they need to adequately cope with the stressors of their job," Keith Herman, a professor in the MU College of Education said. "The evidence is clear that teacher stress is related to student success, so it is critical that we find ways to reduce stressful school environments while also helping teachers cope with the demands of their jobs." Are Shame and Stress Paralyzing Your Capacity for Caring? Stressors are not the same as they were a month ago, two weeks ago or even yesterday, and that will not be changing anytime soon. The pace of change is quicker than ever before, and leaders are trying to play catch-up while managing the tactics of the day. It can feel like treading water while holding a basket as someone throws brick after brick into it. The challenge of this unusually high stress might be that leaders are internalizing a false narrative that they are failing, drowning and unworthy of care. They read article after article in attempts to learn the mechanics of better leadership, but they forget to care for themselves in the midst of it, and this results in a toxic shame spiral. As Dr. Brene Brown reminds us, "shame [is] the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging -- something we've experienced, done, or failed to do makes us unworthy of connection." In essence, shame paralyzes leaders and can freeze their ability to care about themselves, which trickles down to their teams and even their students. The more the internal voice of shame kicks in, the more superintendents and principals flounder in their wellbeing and feel like impostors. So, what can you do as a leader to boost your ability to demonstrate care to your team? Be Authentic in Your Choices First of all, leaders, know you aren't alone nor solely responsible for carrying the torch of caring throughout your institution. When asked to consider the recent impact of COVID-19, less than half of U.S. employees (45%) strongly agree that their organization cares about their overall wellbeing. While it's easy to focus on the word "supervisor" in this statement: "My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person," we can't miss the culture of care that needs to surround them in order for them to keep carrying the torch. Leaders aren't called to independently carry the burden of caring, rather caring needs to come from every role in the school. However, leaders are called to model such behaviors and that modeling is contagious in their districts and schools, and it starts with authenticity. The pace of change is quicker than ever before, and leaders are trying to play catch-up while managing the tactics of the day. It can feel like treading water while holding a basket as someone throws brick after brick into it. Bill George, the former CEO of Medtronic and a Harvard professor states, "I believe that leadership begins and ends with authenticity. It's being yourself; being the person you were created to be." Brene Brown expands on such thinking: "Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen." To lead through change, to break the focus on shame and be the leader the district has called you to be, start by owning your own leadership lens and wellbeing. If you lead in this way, others will follow. By loving yourself where you're at, modeling vulnerability, and being the leader you were created to be, your followers will trust, lean into, and model your behaviors. Your team of leaders is already looking at you, why not give them the "real you" to lead them through your journey together? Focus on the following areas to shore up your self-care and plan for tomorrow. 1. Aim Toward Hope "We must nurture that sense of shame: once it has solidified in his mind, there will be some room for hope," said Roman philosopher Seneca over 2,000 years ago. As the late Gallup Senior Scientist Dr. Shane J. Lopez (2016) reminded us, hope is the belief that "the future will be better than the present," along with the belief that "[you] have the power to make it so." Leaders, can you take the time to pause in your day and journal about what you hope for the next day/week/month? That slight pause every day will pay dividends as you model hope for your teams. 2. Invest in Relationships In Gallup's understanding of engagement, the Q12 item "I have a best friend at work" proves vital to fostering a sense of belonging. A best friend is someone who is a confidant, who makes you feel safe, and who you can be vulnerable with. Leaders, who can you seek to build intentional friendships with? Principals may find such relationships with others in similar roles at other schools, while superintendents may seek those outside their district in similar roles. Hope is the belief that "the future will be better than the present," along with the belief that "[you] have the power to make it so." The important thing is to find someone you are willing to be authentic with, and with whom you can share your false narratives and will help you break the shame cycle. Such investment will not only be a powerful, calming mechanism in your life but will create a model for others around you to emulate. 3. Play to Your Strengths Daily Each of your employees will react differently in times of disruption and their strengths will influence those reactions. Individualizing is key, and understanding an employee's strengths can be an excellent way to do just that. Consider this: 67% of employees who strongly agree that their manager focuses on their CliftonStrengths are engaged -- that percentage plummets to 2% when employees strongly disagree. As a leader, where are you at your very best? What does your CliftonStrengths report say you do differently than other leaders? How can you focus on what's strong versus what's wrong? It is more challenging than ever for a leader to fight through the paralyzing forces of stress and shame to care for yourself and your own wellbeing in order to authentically demonstrate caring for your teams. As Deepak Chopra points out: "A forced positive mind can be a turbulent mind, what you need is a quiet mind which is a healing mind. And don't forget to practice love in action. Love without action is meaningless. Action without love is irrelevant." Love in action begins with you, leaders. When you embrace change and vulnerability with open arms and prioritize your own wellbeing, you can avoid caring paralysis. Amidst unprecedented change and stress, this just might be the key to your own leadership sustainability and resilience, along with that of your teams, teachers and the students and families you serve. Leadership begins with caring. Use these Gallup resources to navigate your school's new environment through the COVID-19 disruption: Use Gallup's talent-based hiring programs to measure the potential talent of your school district's candidates to select the very best for your school. Discover action items in Gallup's bestselling book CliftonStrengths for Students to help you discover and develop your strengths and reach your full potential so you can help your students reach theirs. Check out our resource page, COVID-19: Leading Through Disruption. There are many ways to put a knee on someones neck. Here are a few examples. A Lakota man from Pine Ridge found a job in Rapid City. His next step was to find a house or an apartment so he could move his family to Rapid and start working. When he finally found a place to rent he visited with the owner of the house and he is told sorry, we have already rented the house. Since he is an old friend he stopped by the office to say hello to me and tells me about trying to find a place to live. He told me about the house he looked at, but that it had just been rented. It seems to me Ive heard that old ploy before. I ask one of my non-Native employees to go by and check on the house and see if it has been rented. He checks and comes back and tells me that the house has not been rented. Housing discrimination in Rapid City? Three Lakota teens are standing on Main Street chatting. A police car pulls up with lights flashing and an officer gets out of the car, approaches the boys and asks, What are you boys doing? One Lakota boy answers, Just like those white boys across the street, were just talking. Happens all of the time. Harassment? There is a bar where most Native Americans go to have a beer because thats where all of their friends go. Every evening there is a police car parked across the street from the bar. There is also a bar in town where white cowboys hang out because thats where they meet their friends. There is no police car parked across the street. See any difference? A Native man and his family go out to a local restaurant for dinner. They are shown a table and then they sit back and wait for service. While they are waiting a white family comes in after they have been waiting for several minutes and is seated in the same section of the restaurant. In a few minutes a waitress comes over and takes the dinner order from the white family while ignoring the Native family that has been sitting there much longer. This happens more than one would think. A white lady visiting her friend in Rapid City is walking with that friend past the Prairie Edge Trading Post on Main Street. She sees some of the interesting Native American items displayed in the window and tells her Rapid City friend she would like to go into the store. Her friend pulls her away and says, All they have in there is stupid Indian stuff. The big flood in Rapid City in 1972 killed 238 people mostly Native Americans because many Native families had homes along Rapid Creek. Mayor Don Barnett set aside city funds to pay for motel rooms for those families that had lost their homes in the flood. He was shocked when some of the motel owners told him they would not let any Indians stay at their motels. Things have improved since, but that is what Native Americans had to contend with back then. And sometimes still do. Buying a car in Rapid City can be a trying ordeal for Native families. The car dealers have this false impression that if they sell a car to a Native family, that family might default on payments on the car and run with it to the reservation and they will never be able to collect their money or get their car back. They should know that there are courts on the reservation that can deal with this problem. There is one car dealership that has made it a point to work honestly and closely with Native Americans and that dealership is one of the fastest growing in South Dakota. The Gateway Car Dealership grew exponentially because its owners saw the growth potential in the Native community from the get go. One of the busiest Walmart Stores in America is in Rapid City and it is called the Indian Walmart even by the Natives themselves. Why? Because the prices are right and the Natives are treated with respect and many of the employees working there are Native. Walmart, unlike many Rapid City businesses, did some research and determined that nearly 25 percent of their prospective customers were Native living in Rapid City or on the surrounding reservations. It was a smart business decision on their part to reach out to this usually underserved population. More Rapid City merchants should learn this. As you can see by this narrative, Rapid City has had its ups and downs and right now is struggling with the upside. A Native American was just elected to the Rapid City School Board and several Natives have run for city offices and they are just learning the politics of this city and they will do better in future elections. We need Native Americans on the Rapid City Police Force and the Pennington Country Sheriffs Department. Lets get a bit more proportionate. In reality, the future of this city is in the hands of the Native Americans. My father moved us here from the Pine Ridge Reservation when I was a boy and I have seen the hard times and the good times of living here. I have encouraged Natives to get involved in the local politics and to always remember that as long as they live here, pay taxes and spend their money here they have every right to say they are a citizen of Rapid City. (Tim Giago, an Oglala Lakota born, raised and educated on the Pine Ridge Reservation and is the founder of the Native American Journalists Association. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard with the Class of 1991. He can be reached at najournalist1@gmail.com) Contact Tim Giago at najournalist1@gmail.com You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Afaneh said she has high respect for traditional public schools being a former teacher herself but some parents have told her they dont think neighborhood schools are equipped for remote teaching and worry about their children falling behind. Enrollment in the three virtual charters made up more than half of McFarlands 5,400-student body this year. Situated near the Minnesota-Wisconsin border in the northwestern part of the state, the Grantsburg School Districts iForward virtual school enrolled 950 full-time students from sixth through 12th grade by the end of this year, said Constance Quade, principal of iForward. Quade said theres been an uptick in interest from parents, but not a lot. Some of the inquiries are for students who might have sought out online learning for reasons other than the pandemic, such as children with high anxiety or teenage mothers caring for their own children, she said. But others are open about coronavirus-related worries. Many of those families that call us, they call us not necessarily because theyre concerned about their child although, of course they are but because they may have some other family members who have health issues, Quade said. By PTI NEW DELHI: Two Nigerian nationals have been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for allegedly trafficking drugs in Delhi-NCR and adjoining states, a senior official said on Saturday. O Kennedy, 36, and K Ekechukwu, 33, were arrested by the agency early this month from Uttam Nagar locality of west Delhi and the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, respectively. They are "major suppliers" of drugs in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and the national capital region, the NCB said. The federal anti-narcotics agency has expressed concern over the high number of Nigerian nationals involved in drug smuggling in the country. Last year, around 100 Nigerian and 31 Afghanistan nationals were arrested in various drug trafficking cases by the NCB, according to an official data. This includes the arrests made by various state police units. "The high involvement of Nigerian nationals in drug trafficking is a matter of concern," CB Deputy Director General R N Srivastava said in a statement. "Inquiries into the matter reveal that more than 18,000 African nationals have violated visa norms in last few years and are overstaying in India," he said. In the latest case, the agency has recovered 15 kg of ephedrine, which is illegally used to manufacture methamphetamine, and 260 gm of heroine. Interrogation revealed that Ekechukwu has been supplying drugs to his clients on regular basis, the agency charged. It was learnt that his clients from Himachal Pradesh have been supplying cannabis in exchange of narcotics, the agency said. "In document verification of the accused, it was revealed that they have been staying in India without valid passports and visas. " "Records found that both have past involvement in criminal cases in the country and were out on bail," the agency said. During investigation in drug trafficking cases of arrested African nationals, the agency found that the accused were either "overstaying or entering the country without valid visa or were violating the terms and conditions of visa". "It was also learnt that they usually enter India on tourist, business, medical or student visa," the NCB deputy director general said. "NCB Director General Rakesh Asthana took cognisance of this matter and deputed a dedicated team for enquiry in these cases under his close supervision," he said. Further probe is underway in the latest case and the NCB is looking for the associates of the arrested Nigerians, he said. A series of celebrated New Deal-era murals on the UCSF Parnassus campus could be destroyed unless someone comes up with as much as $8 million that the school says would be needed to safely move and preserve the artwork. In 2015, UCSF invited members of the public into a lecture hall on the campus to see what it described as the crown jewel of its art collection: a series of New Deal-era frescoes depicting the history of medicine in California. Art history buffs flocked to see the murals, which were painted in the 1930s by Diego Rivera collaborator Bernard Zakheim. Emeritus professor of medicine Dr. Robert Schindler called the murals enormously significant. Five years later, however, the future of the artwork is uncertain as UCSF prepares to knock down UC Hall, where the 10 frescoes are located, as part of an ambitious plan to build a new 1.5 million-square-foot hospital and research campus there. In a statement, UCSF spokeswoman Jennifer OBrien said the university doesnt have the $8 million it would cost to move the artwork to a new building, and moving the fragile murals would likely cause irreparable damage, she said. Based on these factors, UCSF has decided not to use public funds to physically preserve the murals, especially at a time when the UC system faces financial challenges in the wake of COVID-19, she said. Instead the university will hire a digital preservation firm to create a three-dimensional digital recording of the murals that would be prominently highlighted in an interpretive virtual reality exhibit on campus. OBrien said the school has reached out to Nathan Zakheim, the 76-year-old son of the artist, to see if the family would like to remove the murals at their own expense. The family has 90 days to submit a detailed proposal for how the murals would be removed from the building and preserved. If they do not submit a plan, UCSF will issue a public request for proposals to see if any other individual or group is interested in taking them. If no one responds to that, the murals would be destroyed. Nathan Zakheim accused the university of railroading his family. Zakheim, an art conservator based in Los Angeles, said that the $8 million estimate was grossly inflated and that he could do it for $1 million. He suggested that UCSF should design a square room in the new campus specifically for the artwork or put it in the library. It is a magnificent, unparalleled historic document, said Zakheim. Its a key part of the universitys history and a key part of San Franciscos history. If they dont care about that, well, its ridiculous, he added. He also said that UCSF administrators had told him that some students and faculty members had complained about the content of the work, particularly the way that Native Americans and Spanish missionaries are depicted. Bernard Zakheims work in San Francisco Zakheim was a Polish-born San Francisco muralist, best known for his work on the Coit Tower murals. In the early 1930s, he committed himself to the preservation and interpretation of Jewish American life and culture through the making of art. He was one of the organizers of a Yiddish school in the Fillmore District, back when that neighborhood was largely Jewish. He helped found the San Francisco Artists and Writers Union, which lobbied for government arts funding. Eventually that led to the funding of Zakheim's work in Coit Tower. In San Francisco, Zakheim's artwork can be found at UCSF's Parnassus campus, the lobby of Coit Tower and the San Francisco Jewish Community Center. He also painted murals inside the former Alemany Health Center. "The Jewish Wedding," 1933 Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St. "Library," 1934 Coit Tower, 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd. "Community Spirit," "Growth," 1934 Former Alemany Health Center building, 35-45 Onondaga Ave. "History of Medicine in California," "Modern Medicine," "Ancient Medicine: Superstition in Medicine," 1940 UCSF Parnassus Campus, 505 Parnassus Ave. See More Collapse 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. OBrien said the subject matter of the murals had nothing to do with the decision to attempt to find a new home for them. Robert Cherny, an emeritus professor of history at San Francisco State University, said the decision to jettison the murals surprised him, especially since the school seemed enthusiastic about the artwork in the past. They seem to be very proud of the murals and very much wanted to share them, he said. Its a big turnaround for the UCSF administration. To me this is just somebody in the UCSF administration saying, We dont want to bother. Its a very cavalier disregard for both history and art. In total Zakheim painted 12 murals at UCSF in 1930s: the 10-panel History of Medicine in California and two-panel Modern Medicine and Ancient Medicine: Superstition in Medicine in the Health Sciences West lecture halls. The latter two works are not threatened with removal. There is precedent for rescuing Zakheims mural art. The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco saved a 1933 fresco, The Jewish Wedding, when constructing its current building, and unveiled the restored work in 2004. The Zakheim family assisted in the restoration effort. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen RTHK: Black Lives Matter rallies held across Australia Thousands of people across Australia attended Black Lives Matter protests on Saturday wearing masks and practising social distancing amid warnings from state leaders to call off the events on fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections. The rallies, dominated by a heavy police presence, were mostly peaceful. Protesters marched on the streets or gathered at public parks carrying posters that said "No Justice, No Peace" and "Sorry For The Inconvenience, We Are Trying To Change The World." "There have been people like my dad and Aunty Mingelly who have been pushing for change since they were my age - you know that was 50 years ago," Jacinta Taylor, an organiser of the protest in Perth, told the rally. "I don't want to be having to be 80 years old and pushing for this kind of change for my children and my children's children." Anti-racism protests were triggered around the world following the death late last month of African American George Floyd after a Minneapolis police officer was filmed kneeling on the handcuffed Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. Perth saw the largest gathering of all major Australian cities on Saturday, despite pleas from the premier of Western Australia state, Mark McGowan, to cancel the event until the coronavirus pandemic was over. A Black Lives Matter protestor in Melbourne had tested positive for the new coronavirus, which causes Covid-19, this week, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned the mass gatherings were putting at risk the nation's recovery. Western Australia Health Minister Roger Cook this week advised large gatherings were not advisable, although his wife, an indigenous woman, said she would join the rally. Cook said in a statement his wife was a private citizen and made her own personal choices. "That's one of the many reasons why I love her," he said. "I have great sympathy for the cause of ensuring Aboriginal people and minorities are protected from racism." Protesters also gathered in small numbers in Melbourne and Sydney, calling for freedom for refugees stuck in indefinite detention. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation issued a warning Friday about the presence of largest known species of jellyfish at a Massachusetts beach. Lions mane jellyfish were spotted at Nahant Beach. The jellyfish can have tentacles up to 120 feet long and the largest lions mane jellyfish can rival the blue whale in size, according to Oceana, an ocean conservation organization. It can deliver a powerful sting that can be painful to humans. DCR has posted purple flags at the beach, indicating the presence of dangerous marine animals. Click here to read the full article. EXCLUSIVE: The streaming war is raging on a global scale. Studios such as Disney and Warner Bros are charging head-first into competition with powerful upstart Netflix and tech giants Amazon and Apple in an aggressive land-grab for eyeballs and subscriptions. Against all that noise, it would be easy to forget that standalone local players remain a key part of the equation. China is a notable exception to the global picture, with government restrictions meaning there is no Netflix in the country, leaving local services including iQiyi, Tencent Video and Youku to lead the charge. But there are other territories where the major players are being challenged. In Russia, Netflix is growing but only accounts for roughly 4% of the market, with local players including Ivi and Okko far ahead in the pecking order. The Disney-owned Hotstar (now Disney+ Hotstar) is huge in India but competes with Alt Balaji and Eros Now. Hong Kong-based Viu may have departed the Indian market but still has a big viewership in southeast Asia, and Malaysia-based iflix is also a force there. More from Deadline In the Middle East and North Africa, the picture is diverse, with healthy competition emerging between the likes of Netflix and a variety of local players. One of those, Starzplay, is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2020. The service, which is not a direct offshoot of the Lionsgate-owned network Starz and its various streaming channels (more on that below), was co-founded by Maaz Sheikh, a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur who worked as COO of Dubai-based satellite provider OSN before launching his own endeavor. Story continues Built from the ground up in a challenging market where many people dont own a credit card, its been a battling journey, but Starzplay is now a firmly established leading player in MENA, spanning 21 counties where it goes head-to-head with the likes of Netflix and Amazon, and other local players such as OSN and Shahid Plus. As per a report conducted by IHS Markit last year: Starzplay has a 29% market share in MENA, while Netflix has 24%, Shahid also has 24%, and Amazon Prime has 3%. In an exclusive interview with Deadline, Starzplay CEO Sheikh reveals that the company hit 1.7 million paying subscribers at the end of 2019, and has seen an unprecedented boom in sign-ups and consumption during the lockdown. In a biz that is secretive about its numbers, the CEO is refreshingly candid with facts and figures during our discussion. Key to the success of Starzplay has been its ability to forge and renew relationships with U.S. studios, which sees it carry premium content such as The Office and the Star Wars films. The company is also beginning to eye production for the first time, as Deadline revealed back in December, embarking on its debut original series Urban Legends with leading producer Image Nation. We discuss those as well as the impact of the pandemic below, which Sheikh reveals is having a two-fold impact: On the one hand, this is a boom time for viewing figures and new subs, with many people stuck at home furloughed and cinemas shuttered. On the other, a global economic crisis in the making is prompting many to tighten their belts and focus on their core markets. DEADLINE: First things first, I think theres been some confusion around your companys name could you clarify your relationship with Starz in the States? MAAZ SHEIKH: Yes this was the first thing I wanted to address. Starz, the U.S. network, has recently started to launch services under the StarzPlay brand. We [Starzplay, styled as STARZPLAY in its branding] are an independent company headquartered in Dubai. The U.S. Starz is one of our three shareholders [with asset firm State Street Group and seed investors SEQ]. Five years ago we were pitching our idea to all the studios: we were a local team that knows the MENA region, we suggested launching a direct to consumer service under their brand. We came to an agreement with Starz, they were already in the DTC business in the U.S. and they were looking for an international venture. They wanted to do it but didnt want to be the only investor. As we raised that first round, one of the conditions were agreed with Starz was that the service would carry the Starzplay brand. Over time they have seen the growth of this platform and have chosen to launch their own Starzplay service as add-on packages to Amazon and Apple TV+ in markets in Europe and Latin America. We remain Starzplay branded in this region. DEADLINE: So the plan going forward is to co-exist? SHEIKH: We have spent five years building this brand, we have a lot of brand equity built in. This year were trying to become cashflow positive and stand on our own two feet, in an online business that is not easy. At that point we can make the decisions we want to make for what is right for this company and its future. We do have to represent all of our shareholders, Starz being one of them. DEADLINE: Congratulations on five years in the biz give us some reflections on your time so far. SHEIKH: It would be fair to say the first year was extremely hard. There were certain things we didnt get right, underestimated, and it took about a year and a half to find our bearings. We launched in 2015 and in 2017 is when we found our groove and had all the pieces of the puzzle come together. DEADLINE: Can you give us some figures around your current viewership and subs? SHEIKH: As of the end of 2019 we were at 1.7 million paying subs and had had six million app downloads. However, we have seen consumption change a lot in the last eight weeks. Before COVID-19, it was about 35 minutes per user per day. This almost triple over the last eight weeks, peaking April 15. It is still 2.5 times up on our baseline from January. We are now seeing about 110 minutes per user per day. We are not disclosing our Q1 subscriber numbers just yet, because while its been a dramatic growth period we dont know how long they will stay in the coming months. We have also seen a major shift towards more family-centric, young adult and teenage content. Our shows with Warner Bros, like the DC comic franchises including The Flash and Supergirl, are starting to do really well, as are the Disney classics. We did a special Disney Ramadan promotion where we released a new, Arabic-dubbed Disney movie every day. That was extremely successful for us. DEADLINE: What are the key lessons you have learned? SHEIKH: We thought we could launch a business with credit card as the only method of payment. This was five years ago and in the internet world that is an eternity. We quickly adapted to launch with mobile payment as an option, to this date that remains our number one differentiator from Netflix they still see the world with a U.S. centric mindset where having a credit card is the norm. Our view is exactly the opposite, most of the world does not have a credit card, but everyone does have a mobile phone. We have partnered with 24 operators in the region to allow customers convenient payment methods. We are in 21 markets now. UAE has 65% penetration of credit card, Saudi Arabia has 25% penetration, in Egypt its less than 5%. If youre going to become a mass consumer service you really have to solve this problem. Even among people who have credit cards, there is a trust issue, they are still not always comfortable paying with them. DEADLINE: What is the balance of content on your platform? SHEIKH: The story is evolving. Until now, our success has primarily been Hollywood content. Because we we launched two years before Netflix, we were able to secure long-term deals with the likes of Disney, Sony, and Warner Bros. And as Netflix has gone more into its own originals, we have established ourselves as a proven platform in the region. Those studios are keen to license us their bigger shows and franchises. For example, we are the only carriers of The Office and The Big Bang Theory in MENA. Disney and ABC shows like Greys Anatomy are also only on our service. The majority of our bets have been on major Hollywood series and franchises, but we have started to add acquisitions at script level. Once a show has been produced we may not have the ability to compete with someone who is willing to license at a global level. If Sky decides to get into the fight because they want to carve out the UK as a market, that creates room for us to take our territories alone we cannot compete with Netflix and Amazon. We have done a few acquisitions like that, and they have become defining shows for the company. Vikings was extremely successful, as was Britannia, which was a Sky original that we acquired for Middle East before Amazon took the rest of the world. Arabic content demands remain the highest here but they are met through traditional broadcast channels, Hollywood is where our opportunity was initially. But we have also realized that going forward that segment of the market may not be big enough, so we need to evolve. DEADLINE: Hence the news that you will co-produce Urban Legends SHEIKH: We saw a lot of eyeballs from the younger generation here going to Youtube. Now that they are watching Vikings and Stranger Things and The Walking Dead, we have an opportunity as an industry to bring Arabic content that connects with the youth to our platforms. DEADLINE: The likes of Netflix and Amazon are making aggressive moves into local markets Netflix launched its first Arabic series Jinn last year (it caused controversy in Jordan) how are you reacting to that? SHEIKH: We know what works and what doesnt because of our data. It doesnt have to be high-budget, high-end like Netflix or Hollywood to compete. We did a test with one of the established Saudi Arabia Youtube shows, Masameer its a low budget, animated Family Guy equivalent for the Arabic world. We took an exclusive window before each episode went onto YouTube and that experiment was extremely successful for us. Our second strategy is to partner with either major global producers or other platforms to create a world class show. An example of that would be Baghdad Central (with the UKs Channel 4) which was produced by Freemantle. We worked with them to make it our original in our region, and it was Hulu in the U.S.. The story is very relevant because its a gritty crime drama based in Baghdad, set at the peak of the invasion. It is in half Arabic, half English, for us thats a successful formula. For local audiences, seeing Corey Stoll side by side with an Arab cast is very powerful. The third formula is Urban Legends. Its 100% produced in this region, its high production quality, all in Arabic. We have seen some mini majors in Hollywood who are interested in collaborating with us on that show. DEADLINE: Is the plan to produce more in house? SHEIKH: Yes. Our goal for 2020 was to do one show. Next year we want to scale it to two, then four per year from 2023. We are talking to producers in the region and also producers like Freemantle about more projects. DEADLINE: Are you expecting to see U.S. streamers produce more originals in MENA? SHEIKH: I think so. Netflix is definitely getting more active here. One of the reasons the region is attractive is that dollar for dollar you get a lot more value, for example Baghdad Central was produced in Morocco. The access to talent and resources is efficient here, and in terms of value for money, its extremely attractive. You can make a very high quality production for $50,000-$80,000 per episode. Youre looking at 400 million people here. If you can figure out the right content for the right audience, the opportunity for return on investment in this region is very attractive. I can see why Netflix and Amazon are interested in investing here. DEADLINE: Is Starz interested in producing originals in the region? SHEIKH: We do talk about it, but for the most part I think they see us as their arm so they dont need to get involved from Hollywood. We come up with the ideas and take it to our board for them its their original as well. DEADLINE: You secured $125M in funding to date, do you think youll need to do another round as you push into originals? SHEIKH: The goal right now is no. We are very close to breaking even so our aim is to do that in Q4 and stand on our own two feet. DEADLINE: Sounds like the opposite of the debt-laden Netflix model. SHEIKH: They have so much cash and they can raise more debt so they can leverage extensively. We are still trying to find our balance, we are only a five-year-old company. The challenge with original content is that old adage poison is in the dosage. You do too much of it, do it too early, do it too late, you can burn yourselves. Its finding that time and that volume, once youve established yourself with a credibility and proven the scale, then you can be more aggressive. We are taking a more cautious approach. DEADLINE: Do you have multiple pricing tiers? SHEIKH: Another of our differentiators is we see each market very differently in terms of demographic and affordability. We have three pricing tiers one for the Gulf markets where we are priced at $10.99, in Egypt we are $4, and in the french-speaking block of North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria), were priced in local currencies but its about $3.50. DEADLINE: You dont have a free ad-supported tier any plans to introduce one? SHEIKH: The content we have doesnt allow for an ad supported service. The first-run shows, by contractual obligation to the studios, we cant do ads. Its also a difficult model to scale, thats not our strength. DEADLINE: With cinemas closed during the pandemic, have you looked to make any deals for films that cant get theatrical releases? SHEIKH: We are looking at those but our focus is getting movies on a second run basis following theatrical release. We are currently showing Jumanji: The Next Level and Black Panther, they are top-performing movies. We also always have collections of major franchises for example, you can only watch the Star Wars and Marvel movies on Starzplay in MENA. DEADLINE: Clearly you have a strong relationship with Disney, are you worried Disney+ will launch in the region? SHEIKH: Disney has two major partners in the region, us and pay TV company OSN. Disney is focusing on the U.S. and western Europe, they are assessing what their trade-offs are when entering markets. Here they gave us the Star Wars collection and put The Mandalorian on OSN. DEADLINE: How much longer does your Disney deal have to run? SHEIKH: Our typical deals with studios are 3-5 years, we have another two years with Disney. DEADLINE: You also recently renewed your Warner Bros deal for three more years. Do you have any others that are coming up soon? SHEIKH: Were looking to extend our Universal deal. We also have an output deal with Showtime that continues. Were always in talks with Sky and others for one-off shows as well. DEADLINE: Are you expecting any of the other big streamers from the U.S., say HBO Max or Peacock, to move into MENA and compete with you? SHEIKH: Its always difficult to predict these things. The way we see it, especially with the current COVID situation and how that has hit theatrical distribution and also theme parks, for the next 2-3 years these companies are going to focus their expansion on the U.S. and western Europe, thats where the majority of the revenue opportunity is for them. If they have partners like us in the region, we see them trusting us more and more if they didnt already have a stable streaming platform here to license shows they would probably think twice. DEADLINE: There have been censorship challenges in MENA in the past how has your experience been? SHEIKH: We are regulated, we have licenses in each market. In UAE we were the first service to be granted a streaming license, the category hadnt been created before. But its been five years and we have not been asked to censor or take anything down. We understand the sensitivities. We try to self regulate as much as possible we stay away from politics and religion. DEADLINE: Do studios/distributors ever have to edit their content? SHEIKH: No. If we see a show where the whole plot goes against what would be appropriate, we just wont take that show. But the studios wont send edited materials, they leave it to the platforms. One example, the movie The Dictator, its a fictional country but everyone knows its about Libya. Its very funny and weve had it on our platform, its performed well and no one has complained. Also Our Cartoon President, the Stephen Colbert show, its a little political in nature but its an animated comedy, weve shown it with no problems. Another example is Homeland. When faced width the scenario weve always aired on the side of showing it and have had no problems. DEADLINE: Youre available in 21 countries any plans to expand? SHEIKH: Being in Dubai does give you geographic access to Sub-Saharan Africa as well as south Asia. We expanded into Pakistan about a year ago, we partnered with the leading mobile operators there. We continue to look at opportunities but we are very focused on getting to our break even point. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Amid widespread protests against racism and police brutality, the New Orleans City Council announced it will be considering renaming streets, parks and places that honor white supremacists. At the top of the list will likely be the 23 honors bestowed upon Confederate officials and supporters in the city. The following map and list locates the streets and summarizes each name's ties to the Confederacy. JEFFERSON DAVIS PARKWAY: Before becoming the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, Davis was a U.S. senator from Mississippi, where he owned a cotton plantation and more than 100 slaves. The City Council has proposed renaming Jefferson Davis Parkway to honor former Xavier University President Norman Francis in a process that will proceed separately from the rest of the potential changes. ROBERT E. LEE BOULEVARD: Gen. Robert E. Lee was commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He has no direct ties to New Orleans but his statue was among the most prominent in the city. BEAUREGARD AVENUE: Born in St. Bernard Parish, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard attacked Fort Sumter at the beginning of the Civil War and led troops in several battles. Beauregard also pushed for the army to use a different flag from the Confederate national flag because its "stars and bars" looked so similar to the U.S. flag. It resulted in the X design with stars, which is now often at the center of controversy. BRAGG STREET: Gen. Braxton Bragg trained soldiers in the Gulf Coast and later served as superintendent of New Orleans waterworks. CALHOUN STREET: Although John C. Calhoun didnt fight in the Civil War, he was among the antebellum periods foremost advocates of slavery and secession. CAPDEVILLE STREET: Named for Mayor Paul Capdevielle, a Confederate veteran. DREUX AVENUE: Named after Charles Didier Dreux, the first Confederate field officer killed during the Civil War in 1861. A statue of Dreux also stands on Jefferson Davis Parkway, but a vandal removed and stole its nose in 2017. FORSHEY STREET: Caleb Goldsmith Forshey, an engineer and scientist, built the Carrollton river flow gauge. When the Civil War broke out, he worked with the Confederate Engineering Corps and helped fortify gunboats. GEN. EARLY DRIVE: Gen. Jubal Early fought in several key Civil War battles, including Bull Run, Antietam and Fredericksburg. GEN. MEYER AVENUE: Adolph Meyer served in the Confederate Army from 1862 through the end of the Civil War. Hes credited with bringing the first Naval Yard to Algiers. GEN. OGDEN STREET: Frederick Nash Ogden led Louisianas 9th Cavalry and fought in the Battle of Vicksburg during the Civil War. After the war, he organized the Crescent City White League, a white supremacist group, and became its first president. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up GEN. TAYLOR STREET: Gen. Richard Taylor, son of President Zachary Taylor, was a prominent plantation owner before the war. He led Confederate troops in a number of Louisiana skirmishes. GOV. NICHOLLS STREET: Francis T. Nicholls was a brigadier general in the Confederate army. The Donaldsonville native lost an arm, foot and eye in the war and later served two terms as Louisiana governor. LANE STREET: Gen. James Henry Lane served under Stonewall Jackson and fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. LEE CIRCLE: Although recognized as Lee Circle by some residents and Google Maps, signs bearing that name were taken down when the statue of Robert E. Lee was removed from the traffic circle in 2017. Before the statue was erected in 1884, the area was known as Tivoli Circle. LEE ST. AND BEAUREGARD DR.: Within Jackson Barracks, two streets are named after Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard. MOUTON STREET: Gen. Alfred Mouton, son of a Louisiana governor, was an engineer in New Orleans and sugar cane farmer before joining the Confederate war effort. PALMER AVENUE AND PARK: Named after pastor Benjamin Palmer, whose Thanksgiving sermon in 1860 is cited as a chief influence on Louisiana leaders to join the Confederacy. In it, he defended slavery and endorsed secession. POLK STREET: Leonidas Polk served as Episcopal bishop of Louisiana. He later joined the Civil War fight and became a major general for the Confederate Army. WALKER STREET: Gen. John George Walker led Confederate troops in battles throughout Louisiana and Arkansas. SLIDELL STREET: Named presumably for John Slidell, the Confederate governments ambassador to France who was famously taken captive in the Trent affair. Jeff Adelson and Greg LaRose contributed to this report The World Socialist Web Site recently spoke to Brigette Brantley, a New York City educator who most recently taught eighth-grade social studies at a charter school in the Bronx. On June 2, a local news stations video interview of Brantley at a Bronx protest against police brutality went viral on social media. The interview has accumulated 7.5 million views on Twitter at the time of this writing. In the video, Brantley identifies herself as a mother and a teacher. Asked whether she thinks the protests are born out of frustration, she says, Yes, theyre sick and tired of being sick and tired. This is what sick and tired looks like. The local news interview with Brigette Brantley pictured above has accumulated 7.5 million views on Twitter Asked a leading question about whether rioting and looting are overshadowing the protests, she says, You gave $1,200 to people to survive on in March. What you thought was going to happen? You took summer youth [employment] away from the youth, what you thought was going to happen? They need jobs. Feed our babies and we wouldnt have this problem. Hundreds of Twitter users replied to the video in an outpouring of appreciation and support. One user replied, Just imagine the knowledge shes giving in her classroom, too. Another wrote, I wish every single teacher was more like you. You are saving lives. The support is crazy, Brantley told the WSWS, and its good to know there are teachers who are thinking the same way Im thinking. By coincidence, the day of our interview with Brantley was her ninth anniversary working in education. Three days earlier, on Saturday, she learned that she would not receive an offer to teach next year at her school. With me protesting and it going viral, I feel like the school made a choice to respect their brand. Im not mad at it, Brantley said. Im just more hurt because Im going to miss my children. The decision may also have been linked to her arrest at a protest a few days prior at Mill Brook Houses in the Bronx. We got there at 7:47. We were getting ready to disperse at 7:55, Brantley said. The police blocked us in from the top of the hill and from the side. Eight oclock comes. [NYPD Chief Terence] Monahan was there. He releases the audio of [NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea] about the curfew, and literally right after that went off, the police basically tried to charge us. Protesters were arrested, zip-tied and shoved onto buses before many were ultimately released upon arrival at the local police precinct. Brantley was not afraid during her arrest and does not regret being present at the protest. I was willing to put my body on the line to make sure that my son knew, if anything happened to me, My mom fought hard for me. My son is eight years old. Tamir Rice was 12, she said, referring to the young boy shot and killed by a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2014 while carrying a toy gun. Thats a scary feeling, because my son is really the most loving kid in the world. After learning she was unemployed, Brantley launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe with a goal of $10,000. As of this writing, over 3,000 individuals have donated a total of over $53,000. She intends to use the money to support a tour of American cities where police killings have sparked protests and attracted media attention. I want to go see what has been done since Michael Brown was shot by the police, she said. What has the police department done? What have community organizers done since after the CNN coverage? While on the subject of her being let go from her school, our interviewer asked for her thoughts on school privatization and cuts to education in New York City and more broadly, noting that a WSWS article on the subject, Massachusetts school district gets rid of art, music and PE teachers for coming school year, had gone viral among teachers within the previous week. The fact that theres new police officers and new school safety officers in school buildings? Its mind-boggling to me, she said, noting her contempt for the claim that there is no money for the schools. You have enough money to have all of these police officers in the school building, but you dont have enough money for all of us to have supplies in our classrooms, or you dont have enough money to get a SmartBoard fixed thats been broken for the last two school years? These schools say, Your kids are the future, your kids are the future, she said. Why would you cut things that actually engage them in the classroom? Turning to the broader social crisis in New York City, she relayed an anecdote about a child whom she knew to have undocumented parents coming to school wearing only a sweater after there had been a significant snowstorm. She went to buy him a coat and new shoes that very day. To this day, he talks about it. Remember when Ms. Brantley bought me a coat and shoes? To this day. The dire conditions of masses of children in the city are increasingly exposed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, she noted. You didnt know that this parent struggled to pay her cable bill, but yet you want them to go online it shouldnt have taken a pandemic to expose these things. She was also concerned for nurses, noting her appreciation for the nurses who have shown up to protests to distribute snacks and masks. When the outbreak first happened, some of the hospitals didnt have PPE [personal protective equipment], so they used to wear trash bags over their scrubs as PPE, she said. A nurse her main goal is to save lives, and you mean to tell me you dont have enough money to make sure shes got a mask over her face so she can continue to save lives? It took a pandemic for you to realize that theyre essential, she said, adding, It took a pandemic to realize that our local supermarkets are essential. WSWS writers first contacted Brantley over Twitter, where they encouraged her to watch the sites online forum, Revolution and Counter-Revolution in America, which analyzed the extraordinary events of the previous week, including the worldwide protests against police violence and the Trump administrations bid for dictatorship, from an international Marxist perspective. Brantley was able to attend and watch through to the end of the livestream. She was particularly struck by the contribution of Genevieve Leigh, the national secretary of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in the US, on the social forces behind young people turning out to protests in record numbers. This isnt an era in which you have to convince young people that theres something deeply wrong with society, Leigh said on the livestream. Things like institutionalized drone assassinations, all the police murders you now see on social media, mass shootings at schools, these have all become a part of normal life. Brantley, perhaps naturally given the age of her students and that of her son, thought of those even younger than the youth to whom Leigh was referring. To me, when we do go back to school, the first thing they need to do is get these kids mental health checks. These kids are going to suffer from so much trauma from all of this. She also discussed the online forums call for workers to break with the Democratic Party and take up the fight for socialism. I had that conversation with my mom. I dont want to be a Democrat anymore, she said. Where all these protests are happening, we voted some of these Democratic leaders in, and theyre not doing anything for us We do need to break from them, and I would love a socialist kind of country. Asked if she had any closing remarks for teachers, nurses, and other workers reading the WSWS, she said, Let them know that we are the real heroes When the pandemic ends, were still going to be the real heroes. Its our time. We have to protect ourselves, because the government clearly cant do it. So we the people have to protect ourselves. Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, speaks during a campaign event with former Vice President Joe Biden, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, not pictured, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., on Monday, March 9, 2020. Erin Kirkland | Bloomberg | Getty images Joe Biden is seeking a woman to be his 2020 running mate, and Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer is on the shortlist. The first-term governor is a rising star in the Democratic Party whose convincing 2018 congressional victories brought the rust-belt swing state back into the blue column for the first time in eight years. Democrats believe Michigan is a must win for presumptive nominee Biden and having Whitmer on the ticket could deliver the state. Beyond delivering Michigan, Whitmer, a 48-year-old mother of two, would add youth to the 77-year old former vice president's campaign. "She's a fresh face," said Doug Sosnik, a Democratic strategist and former senior advisor to President Bill Clinton. He added that her status as a Washington outsider, unlike Biden's, is a selling point. "What the country is looking for solution wise is not in Washington," he said. The U.S. is currently going through remarkable upheaval. It is struggling to recover from a triple threat of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, a crushing economic downturn brought on by efforts to slow the spread of the disease and civil unrest over the death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of Minneapolis police. The nation is even more polarized than it was in 2016, when Donald Trump, a political novice and ultimate Washington outsider, was elected in a surprising electoral college victory over his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton the only female presidential nominee in U.S. history. Michigan played a pivotal role in the president's win. Just doing her job Whitmer, who declined to comment for this story, confirmed to other outlets that she has had conversations about joining the Biden ticket, but said she is not lobbying for the job. "I just know that, you know, you don't run for that. That is a selection of the top of the ticket, and everyone else should be just busy doing their jobs," she told POLITICO Playbook in late April as the coronavirus pandemic hit its peak in her state. Whitmer has been a popular figure in Michigan for years. She climbed the political ladder, serving in the state's House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and in the Michigan Senate from 2006 to 2015. In 2013, she leaped into the national spotlight during a debate on abortion in which she revealed that she had been sexually assaulted. She ran for governor in 2018 as a pragmatic candidate promising to "fix the damn roads." She won her race against state Attorney General Bill Schuette by a margin of nearly 10 points. Michigan's economy took a turn for the worse in 2019 as it faced headwinds from Trump's trade war, the auto worker strikes against General Motors and job cuts at other car manufacturers, according to the University of Michigan. The state was on track for a turnaround in 2020, Michigan News reported, until the coronavirus changed everything. In February, she was selected to give the Democratic response to Trump's 2020 State of the Union address, an honor generally reserved for the party's ascendant members. Whitmer again grabbed the nation's attention in April when she called out the Trump administration for failing to provide adequate protective gear, equipment and testing to battle the virus. Trump punched back with negative tweets. Soon, protesters, egged on by the president, showed up at the state capitol brandishing weapons and demanding an end to strict stay-at-home measures enacted by the governor as Covid-19 cases in Detroit and other areas multiplied. The controversy, while raising her profile, could actually hurt her chances of making Biden's final cut. "The impact of the pandemic on Michigan and the protests in general does make it more likely that Biden will look elsewhere for a running mate," said Joshua Spivak, senior fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College. "Any reelection race is effectively a referendum on the incumbent. Choosing Whitmer may draw attention away from some of the more unpopular decisions that Trump has made," he said. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) speaks at democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden's primary night event at the University of South Carolina on February 29, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. Scott Olson | Getty Images Shifting political winds What's more, in recent weeks the political winds have shifted, casting even more doubt on her potential to become Biden's No.2. Floyd's death from asphyxiation while in police custody set off what has become weeks of protests in cities across the nation and the world as demonstrators black and white demand racial justice and police reform. That could push Biden, who has opened a substantial lead over Trump according to several national polls, to choose a black running mate. African-Americans were instrumental in his victory in a crowded primary field. Biden's campaign declined to comment for this story. But South Carolina's powerful Rep. James Clyburn, who endorsed Biden ahead of the state's pivotal primary, told Axios he would advise the former vice president: "We need to have a woman on the ticket, and I prefer an African American woman." California Sen. Kamala Harris is the top choice on many lips in Washington. But there are other women of color who are reportedly under consideration, including former Orlando police chief and Rep. Val Demings, President Barack Obama's former national security advisor Susan Rice, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost her bid for governor of Georgia in 2018. Some progressives are pushing for Elizabeth Warren, who is on the verge of turning 71 as the party is looking to groom its next generation of leaders. She and Biden have also had some clear policy differences. Whitmer like Biden is a moderate, but that means that she won't help bring progressives to the table. She's also less experienced than some others in the running. Biden recently told CBS News he wants a No.2 "who is ready to be president on day one." "I'm not sure anyone is ever ready to be president, but she has less experience on paper than some other people do," Sosnik said of Whitmer. Another hurdle LINCOLN As the nation celebrates Flag Day, the Lincoln Heritage Museum at Lincoln College is coming closer to public display of a flag touched by Abraham Lincoln. Known as the Ladies of Middletown Flag, it was hand-sewn by women in the Logan County town of Middletown in 1860 for a Lincoln campaign rally in Springfield. Soon, the flag will be taken to by Textile Conservation Services in Indianapolis to be restored for public display. The restoration and preservation work is expected to take several months. This is no tiny flag. It measures 71 inches by 108 inches, is made of wool and has 33 stars along with its 13 stripes. The museum acquired the Middletown Flag in 1996 but it has seldom been seen in public. The museum is currently closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. To protect it from deterioration, it has only left the vault a handful of times, said Olivia Partlow, a member of the museum staff. One of those handful of times was when Ron Keller, former museum director, took it to a meeting of a Middletown womens group. Middletown is about 20 miles west of Lincoln. As he carefully unrolled the flag, it was an emotional moment that caused some women to shed tears, he said. It really was meaningful for them, said Keller, who teaches history and political science at Lincoln College. Similar emotions are felt by many people whenever they see the U.S. flag, whose history is celebrated on Flag Day. The flag is a piece of cloth to some people. But it is also one of the most, if not the most, vivid representations of what our country means and our history. It automatically evokes emotions, said Keller. The museum has raised $20,000 for restoration of the Middletown Flag and is still raising money to develop a new exhibit with the flag. The Middletown Flag will be displayed together with two other banners related to 1860 campaign that are in the museums collection the Nations Choice banner and a smaller banner featuring Abraham Lincoln and his running mate, Hannibal Hamlin. They were used by Wide Awake Supporters of Logan County, said Partlow. Like the flag itself, fund-raising for its restoration was a community effort. About $4,000 of the restoration money came from a 2018 "Save the Flag Penny Drive" remember whose face is on the penny? involving Logan County schools. Students at New Holland-Middletown Elementary School in Middletown raised the most among all schools, $600. They really got into it, said Partlow. Anonymous donations helped boost the overall total. The flag is important because it was actually sat upon by Abraham Lincoln during a rally in Springfield on Aug. 8, 1860, said Partlow. You read that correctly: sat upon. Partlow explains how it came about. The Wide Awake Supporters put together a float to ride in the parade that was part of the rally. It was hand sewn by the ladies of Middletown. They had no idea Lincoln would touch it, said Partlow. After the parade was finished, the flag was rolled up and put in a fairgrounds building, she said. That would have been that, but the crowd urged Lincoln to give a speech, although that wasnt on the original schedule. Lincoln needed to ride from one area to another area to give the speech and the flag was placed around his shoulders and on the seat of the carriage that Lincoln rode, she explained. A president sitting on the flag today would not be a very good thing for your campaign, but I tell people the laws were different then, said Partlow. The museum focuses on pre-presidential Lincoln and what helped build his character, said Keller, who is managing director of the Abraham Lincoln Center for Character Development at Lincoln College. Its a great relic of Abraham Lincoln history, said Keller. It really focuses on the local connection. Keller said the flag represents connections he (Lincoln) made right here in Logan County. Its just magnificent. Noting the large size of the hand-sewn flag, Keller said the fact that there was so much devotion in making this flag is a real testament to the candidacy of Lincoln. They knew this man as a friend and a lawyer. They campaigned for him personally. He added, They were electing someone at a very crucial time for the country and it was someone they believed in. The flag is also an important part of womens history, noted Partlow. This was when women couldnt vote. The only way to show their support for a candidate was to sew a flag like this and attend rallies, she said. Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 If anyone is in any trouble or in immediate need of help instead of going to the government or the police, they now go to actor Sonu Sood with the confidence that their problem will not only be heard but also acted upon immediately. Operating on that belief, a man reached out to Sonu Sood asking for his help to send his neighbor back to Varanasi as his wife had died. The actor did not just reply promptly on Twitter but sent him back home too so that he could make it for his wife's funeral. Dear Sir @SonuSood @shubhamVawasthi My Neighbour Mr Sitaram Lost his wife at Native place Varanasi Trying to go to Varanasi For Spiritual Work They are total 3 member please help @SonuSood sir we don't have any other option then you contact no :9920654612 pic.twitter.com/Li9OK4tn3A Nitesh Pandey (@NiteshP56036961) June 7, 2020 A user approached Sonu Sood tweeting, Dear Sir @SonuSood @shubhamVawasthi My Neighbour Mr. Sitaram Lost his wife at Native place Varanasi Trying to go to Varanasi For Spiritual Work They are total 3 members please help @SonuSood sir we dont have any other option then you. I am sorry for the loss. will send him tomorrow. He will reach his home soon. God bless. https://t.co/s6cjHOq819 sonu sood (@SonuSood) June 10, 2020 The actor responded to the man by writing, "I am sorry for the loss. I will send him tomorrow. He will reach his home soon. God bless." Sonu Sood / Twitter Isn't that amazing to know that there's someone like Sonu Sood who is looking out for one and all without expecting anything in return? However, some people were quick to criticize the actor's incredible charity work by saying that Sood is doing all of this to advance his political career. How come no BJP govt is creating hurdles for Sonu Sood? How is he getting all the permissions? Isn't he making the govt look bad? I am curious to know. Some miracle this, under BJP govt. Sanghamitra (@AudaciousQuest) May 30, 2020 Once these baseless accusations started popping up, Sonu Sood was quick to clarify that he has absolutely nothing to do with politics. "I have nothing to do with politics. I am doing this purely out of my love for migrants. I want to help reunite them with their families." IMDB Sonu Sood, you are truly noble! Thank you for helping those who were ignored and shunned by everyone. The family of a Plainfield man who died after being booked at the Middlesex County jail in 2014 is calling on the newly-nominated county prosecutor to reopen the criminal investigation into his death. David Yearby was 27-years-old when he died of a broken neck after suffering blunt force trauma, but the county medical examiner at the time did not determine the source of the injuries. The Middlesex County Prosecutors Office did not file criminal charges in the case. He had to have a veil in his coffin because his face was disfigured, Yearbys dad, Terrence Rhodes, told NJ Advance Media. "I dont know how a normal 27-year-old man can break his own neck. Ive never heard of that, ever. Gov. Phil Murphy earlier this month nominated former Superior Court Judge Yolanda Ciccone to be the next Middlesex County prosecutor. She would replace Christopher Kuberiet, who has been working in an acting capacity since 2019, should she be fully confirmed by the state Senate. Middlesex County Prosecutors Office spokeswoman Andrea Boulton said Kuberiet will stay on until Ciccone is confirmed by the state Senate and sworn in as the new prosecutor. Please be advised that Yolanda Ciccone has yet to be confirmed by the Senate as the new Prosecutor, Boulton said. Therefore, the request (to reopen the case) should be deferred till after she has been confirmed and sworn in. The familys attorney, Brooke Barnett, said there is no statute of limitations for reckless manslaughter, while there is a seven-year limit for official misconduct. She called the initial four-month investigation into Yearbys death the biggest sham" since statements were collected from inmates who were scared or could have wanted plea deals for themselves. Ciccone will be able to exercise her judgment for the first time on a case that is not only important but also very relevant in its time, Barnett said, referring to George Floyds death. She can either do that change or put her blinders on like every other person did prior to her. David Yearby was arrested about six years ago by Piscataway police on charges of simple assault of a teenager and aggravated assault on a police officer. His sister, Tabreeka Yearby, said she was on the phone with him when police approached because he was having a mental health episode. The familys attorney has said he suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Tabreeka said she called Piscataway police to tell them her brother was going through an episode and to have him evaluated at a hospital. Piscataway police told her it was out of their hands since he was already scheduled to be transferred to the county jail and not a mental health facility. About two days later, she said she received a call saying he was dead. I want the Middlesex County corrections officers to be criminally charged because those are the ones who pretty much abused him and left him to die, his sister said. A civil suit the family filed said corrections officers at the jail put a spit hood over David Yearbys face after pepper spraying him and strapped him into a restraining chair for nine hours, although the restraints are supposed to be used for no more than two. Officers entered his cell after he allegedly attempted to clog his toilet with his clothing and feces, the lawsuit said. Officers, the lawsuit says, pushed Yearbys face to his legs and held his head to prevent him from jumping up while he was being strapped into the chair. Yearbys family filed the suit in 2015 against the county, staff at the jail and Piscataway. His estate settled the portion of the suit against the county for $5 million in February, but the case against Piscataway is still ongoing. The county previously told NJ Advance Media it did not renew its contract with a healthcare provider for the jail that was originally named in the familys suit and later removed as a defendant by a judge. An insurer negotiated and paid the $5 million settlement to Yearbys estate, the county said. A number of corrections officers who were named in the civil suit still work in law enforcement, state pension records show. Middlesex County Jail Warden Mark Cranston, who also headed the jail when Yearby died, did not respond to requests for comment regarding whether those corrections officers were ever internally disciplined. Yearby was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2009, his family told NJ Advance Media. Around that time, his family previously said, he was studying at Cheyney University and was arrested for having an altercation with two campus police officers. He was working for a food delivery service before he died, his family said. He was a warm, loving funny person," said Rhodes. He loved to make people laugh he had a good heart, he really did. Two other inmates died after being lodged at the jail. Humberto Alfonso had a fatal heart attack in 2011 after being pepper-sprayed while he was restrained and Nathan Perry died of an apparent suicide in 2014. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Defund police. So, what does that mean, exactly? Not pay them? Take their patrol cars away and let them all walk the beat? Do away with them, or reduce their numbers? If that's the intent, we are looking down the wrong road for relief from police brutality, excessive force, and institutional racism. The rule of law, especially in a democracy, requires its enforcement or it will not hold, and police are central to that. We need the full force of our cops, our firefighters, our correction officers now as much as in any time in our history, perhaps even more so. Besides, they are our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers. They are us. Their faults and failures are ours. When done with measured force and an even hand, as most police do, the service provided under unimaginably stressful circumstances deserves our gratitude and respect. Except for those who don't. And we are finally getting into the long overdue position of publicly sorting out A from B, of reforming, reprioritizing, reeducating and even punishing our police when deserved. In short, bringing public accountability and direction to the point of the spear guarding our rule of law. Reallocating and perhaps redirecting public safety funding may apply, but certainly not defunding. This past week witnessed the passage of a breathtaking flurry of laws to that end by our state legislature that should make us all proud. It is the most significant week of exemplary legislative governance in memory. Although it remains a work in progress, and was accomplished without the overt hand of the governor directing traffic. Except for one key element. Gov. Andrew Cuomo clearly signaled to the legislative majority leadership in both houses that whatever they passed, he would sign. But then it was gloves off, most notably, with reforming a statute bringing public access to the disciplinary records of cops, firefighters and correction officers, whose scrutiny has been blocked these past 44 years. In effect, restoring public accountability for misbehavior. That is huge. It has been the restrictive nature of this statute of the state's civil rights law that has allowed police to be a law unto themselves with all the mischief that encourages, and has served as a major source of the excessive power police unions have exercised over their departments, often greater than the department's command structure or even the civilian authorities over police. In theory, this will greatly motivate attitudinal changes in the ranks and restore the dog wagging the tail in terms of union influence. Laws, when they are well written, provide clear guidance for proper and improper behavior and spell out consequences. Paramilitary units like police departments benefit from clearly spelled out guidelines. What laws don't do is change attitudes, or the human heart, or bring wisdom or empathy for those in pain. Although what they can most surely do is pave the way for those with an open mind. How well written these laws are and what positive effect they will bring on institutional racism in police ranks, or even in working behavior, only time well tell. They will probably need tweaking. Even the twice-reformed bail laws of two years ago still aren't where they need to be. Still, in all, a fantastic beginning that was unimaginable two weeks ago. I well remember the scorching hot summer of 1968 pounding the beat as a newbie reporter for the Albany Knickerbocker News. It was a momentous year that would become more epitaph than history. Vietnam was raging, as divisive as party politics are today, and civil unrest was aflame across America, just as it was days ago. Albany police were slowly patrolling the streets where broken windows or looting were likely to happen. There was some of that, not much, really, as now. But you could feel the tension in the air, it was palpable. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Differences between then and now do spring to mind, although they are unsurprising. The first is what triggered the phenomenal public response to the horrific killing of a black man, George Floyd, by a Minneapolis cop: Cellphone video, a sign of our times. It was that video that became the seared image for millions and millions of us, proof so clear and persuasive of the ultimate police brutality that nothing needed to be said. This in turn very quickly led to public outrage, not just by the minority community, but throughout our society in incredible numbers and force. "Enough is enough," said Assemblyman John McDonald, which I heard over and over from others as well. The line is direct from that video to the marches all over the country, to the out-of-nowhere and overwhelming impetus for the passage of the bundle of justice reforms by the Legislature. Fittingly, one of those laws explicitly assures the right of anyone not under arrest to record police activity, up close and personal. A tribute to a video that is reshaping our world in a good way, and to the ultimate power in politics: The people. flebrun@timesunion.com 518-454-5453 Last week the European Commission adopted its latest strategy to address the ongoing loss of biodiversity and destruction of the natural world. There was much talk of a green recovery as the Union takes its first, tentative steps to recover from the initial wave of Covid-19. In addition to being ready to cope with another pandemic, there was wide acceptance of the need to build societies' resilience to future threats such as climate change impacts, forest fires, food insecurity or disease outbreaks, including by protecting wildlife and fighting illegal wildlife trade. The new plan for wildlife is called the 'EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030'. As other plans have had limited success to date, the new plan is the most comprehensive and ambitious one yet for protecting nature and reversing the degradation of ecosystems. A core part of the European Green Deal, the new Biodiversity Strategy has four main elements. First, it is committed to expanding the existing network of protected areas on land and at sea, with strict protection for areas of high biodiversity and climate value. Second, it makes a concrete commitment to restore wildlife areas that were degraded in the past and to manage them sustainably. Third, it recognises that 'paper protection' by Member States is meaningless and sets out measures for a new, strengthened governance framework to ensure better implementation and tracking of progress. And fourth, it seeks to demonstrate on the global stage that the EU is ready to lead by example towards the successful adoption of an ambitious global biodiversity framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Ireland has great scope for improvement. The target set by the EU for us to protect the part of the Union's marine waters that we are responsible for was 10% by 2020; we achieved 2.4%. The bar is now set at 30% by 2030 so, if we are to keep up, transformative change is required in the way we manage our seas and very extensive exclusive economic zone with its amazing cold-water coral reefs. With regard to protected areas on land, many have very admirable and detailed conservation objectives on paper, but few have management plans setting out the actual measures that need to be taken on the ground to achieve the paper objectives. The 'EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030' is the most ambitious plan yet to try to halt the ongoing loss of biodiversity and the destruction of the natural world. Farm labourers in Turkey are facing extra competition and lower wages because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of them rely on farm work during the summer to get them through winter. But many other kinds of workers who have lost their jobs are also looking for a means to survive. Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu reports. Japanese Prime Minister Calls for Early Transfer of US Base in Okinawa Sputnik News 13:43 GMT 12.06.2020(updated 13:44 GMT 12.06.2020) TOKYO (Sputnik) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday stressed the need to relocate the US Futenma Air Base in the Okinawa prefecture as soon as possible and pledged to make every effort for that. "You cannot let the transfer process to stop. It must be implemented as soon as possible," Abe said, as quoted by the Kyodo news agency. The prime minister added that he intended to make every effort to implement the plan to relocate the base. Earlier in the day, media reported that the Japanese authorities resumed construction in the Henoko coastal area of Okinawa where the Futenma Air Base would be moved, after the nearly two-month suspension due to a COVID-19 case among workers on the site. In 2006, Japan and the United States agreed to relocate the Futenma base from the densely populated residential area in Okinawa's Ginowan city to Henoko due to safety concerns. However, to implement the relocation plan, Japan plans to fill in some 157 hectares (388 acres) off Henoko and build an offshore runway there that, according to the local authorities and population, could damage coral reefs at the site. The government and the prefecture's authorities have been fighting for several years over the relocation of the base. Mutual lawsuits and cancellations of decisions lead to the periodic renewals and suspensions of works on filling Henoko's coastal area. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The United States Air Force says that a woman has flown its new class of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets into combat for the first time ever. Captain Emily Banzai Thompson piloted the stealth aircraft after deploying from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, according to the military. The Air Force did not specify where the mission took place or when it was flown, though photographs released by the military show Thompson at the Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. On May 7, airmen and aircraft from Hill returned home after F-35s were deployed for the first time as part of an immediate response force amid tensions with Iran. Captain Emily Banzai Thompson is the first woman to ever pilot an F-35A Lightning II fighter jet into combat, according to the Air Force Thompson is seen above getting ready to go on her mission in this undated photo taken at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates A member of the Air Force ground crew directs Thompson's plane as it pulls out of the hangar at an air base in the United Arab Emirates The F-35s were sent to the Middle East for a six-month deployment, according to a press release from Hill Air Force Base. This is my first deployment so for me it was a pretty big deal, the first combat sortie for me, she said. Of course being the first female, its a pretty big honor. Theres a lot of females who have come before me and theres a lot of females already flying combat sorties in other platforms. So just to be the person who gets that honor, that first, it just meant a lot. F-35A Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft made by Lockheed Martin Corp. The Lightning IIs biggest selling point is its ability to evade enemy radar. How stealthy it is, is not public; its radar cross-section - the size it appears on a radar scope - is a heavily guarded secret. The F-35A Lightning II, which was manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is the most expensive war machine ever purchased by the Pentagon In May 2018, Israel was the first country in the world to use an F-35A in operational activity. The US took the advanced fighter jet into combat for the first time in September 2018, when the Marine Corps launched an amphibious assault on Taliban targets in Afghanistan. The F-35A flew its first combat mission against ISIS in Iraq in April 2019. The nearly $400billion price tag for the F-35 makes the program the Pentagons most expensive weapons acquisition ever. Despite the huge cost, the program has strong bipartisan support in Congress, where lawmakers view the aircraft as essential to national security. Current plans call for the United States to buy nearly 2,500 F-35s. Close to $13billion will be needed annually between 2016 and 2038 to hit that procurement number, according to the Government Accountability Office. While the F-35 had massive budget overruns early on, the cost has stabilized and even dropped a bit following tough negotiations between the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin, according to Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Matt Fogal, the district attorney of Franklin County in central Pennsylvania, describes himself as a small fish in a small pond. Hes the chief law enforcement officer for 155,000 Pennsylvanians, and the spotlight isnt really his thing. But as demonstrations over police violence against African Americans broke out across the country and outside his office in Chambersburg, he decided to write an open letter supporting the protesters. He also called on Republicans to put country before party when they vote in November. Black Lives Matter. Period. Full stop, Fogal wrote in the letter, which has been shared widely on social media and printed in several newspapers. I confess, when I first heard the phrase, my immediate reaction was that All Lives Matter. I was wrong and part of the problem. At the end of the letter, he condemns President Donald Trumps speech and photo op at a Washington church on June 1. For my fellow Republicans, I encourage you to exhibit political courage and never put the party before the country or conscience," Fogal wrote. "In Union There is Strength. Fogal, district attorney since 2009, is a member of the Army National Guard who responded to Hurricane Katrina, and was deployed to Kosovo and Afghanistan. He talked with The Inquirer about how watching protesters be teargassed in Washington and hearing them outside his office window solidified for him the need to speak out. The conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. What prompted you to write this letter? I struggled mightily with the idea of making a statement. Im an elected official, and I dont really like attention or need attention. I dont have the hubris to think people need to hear from me. That was counterbalanced by the very strong feeling I had that this is an unprecedented time, and I wanted to make sure those I serve here know what side of history Im on in this moment, and where I encourage them to be." Have you gotten any pushback? "I have. Thats sort of where we are, the tribalism and the silos of thought and the lack of individuality is about as troubling to me as anything. Ive also received a real outpouring of support from all backgrounds that, for sure, includes Republicans. And quite frankly, its the Republican Party, but only in a technical sense. I dont believe that what has functioned over the course of the last number of years is the Republican Party. I think its been taken over and doesnt necessarily represent what I know to be the Republican Party. Its anti-science, pro-conspiracy, and seemingly anti-truth. I guess what Im trying to say is that Im not leaving the Republican Party. The Republican Party has been infiltrated. You pretty explicitly condemn Trumps photo op with the Bible at the church and encourage people not to support him. Did you vote for him in 2016? No. I didnt vote for Trump, and I will not. Im a citizen who has sat back for, I guess, 4 years, including his campaign, and watched him on the news like every other citizen. Particularly within the last three months, the more I see, the more I hear, Im thinking, Why is no one saying anything? Why cant anyone say what is obvious? So I thought, well, Guess what, pal? Youre an elected official, and youre small potatoes but you didnt say anything. Do you sense Republicans are shifting in their support of Trump in your area? I know what others in my party have been saying quietly and among themselves, and theyre saying, This is serious. Many are like me. My heart has been broken over a very long period of time over the state of our country. As a law enforcement official, what changes are you planning to make to address systemic racism in policing or in the courts in Franklin County? I think its a bigger issue than saying, Well, well do this with police and then racism is fixed. Theres work to do there. The racial divide and problem are obvious if anyone disagrees, I dont know how to communicate to that person. But the issue goes beyond policing employment opportunities, housing, education. Its not about a policy change but a heart change. Anything else you want to say? "Theres an image circulating of a little girl holding a sign that says, We said black lives matter. We didnt say only black lives matter but we just need your help.' So, as a so-called chief law enforcement officer, I cant get that image of that little girl out of my head, and if anyone can look her in the eyes, when shes begging you to just say the words it would mean so much if you just said the words Ill say the words every day. What Im seeing in these demonstrations and what Im hearing is not militant. Its people earnestly asking for us to do the right thing, and that little girl, she matters. And I want her, wherever shes at, Id love to look her in the eye and say, Young lady, you matter. MATTOON The Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF) is proud to announce that Mattoon High School student Abigail Carter is the winner of the Poster Contest for Full-Time students at the recent 2020 Poster and T-Shirt Design competitions This year there were over 70 entries for the poster group and over 50 for the T-Shirt contest. The Poster design competition was entered by many classes and individual students that used the competition entry as a real working assignment. Abigails Graphic Arts Teacher at Mattoon High School, Laura Roberts, gives all her students opportunities to compete in real-world competitions. It is important that we educate students on various vocational trades that are in high demand. Many high schools no longer offer vocational classes. I am happy to educate and inspire Graphic communications to our high school students giving them a viable career path in higher education. 2020 has definitely demonstrated the flexibility and possibilities creating endless opportunities for students in this ever-changing field. The winning entrants for the poster received a $500 check and second place received a $250 check, each will also receive an award certificate, and national recognition by news release. The posters will be produced at this years Printing United Show in Atlanta by Ricoh and the files will also be made available for others to print and distribute. At Ricoh, we have always made our mission clear: to create and grow alliances within our industry to help us all move forward successfully, said Heather Poulin, Vice President, Marketing, Commercial and Industrial Printing Group, Ricoh USA, Inc. That growth, along with new innovation and ideas come from talented, innovative students, up and coming into the workforce. By supporting the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation, our goal is to reward these students hard work and encourage them to consider careers in our industry by demonstrating the value, passion, and impact of print. Currently, more than two hundred college students attending some 90 schools are receiving financial assistance through PGSF. However, many more deserving scholarship applicants are turned down due to lack of funds. For copies of the poster, information regarding tax-advantaged contributions, establishing a scholarship through PGSF, or scholarship applications, contact Bernie Eckert, PGSF managing director at 412-259-1740 or beckert@pgsf.org You can also visit the website for more details about the Foundation at www.pgsf.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The story of an Indonesian man Muh who divorced his wife two days after their wedding after finding out she is a man has gone viral. It is gathered Muh met his wife Mita on Facebook about a month ago and they began dating online. The two later met in real life and went out for coffee and an unsuspecting Muh fell in love with Mita whom he described as beautiful and graceful. After weeks of dating, he proposed to her and she accepted immediately. The 31-year-old then told his family about his plans to marry Mita. His parents visited Mitas house to deliver the dowry, as is customary. The 20 million rupiah ($1,430) offered by his family was considered a considerable dowry. The couple married at the Office of Religious Affairs in Kediri District, Indonesias Central Java on June 2nd. Even though the 25-year-old had most of her face covered on the big day, no one thought she looked suspicious, as her face cover was traditional for a bride. Their wedding was attended by religious leaders from around the region, none of which had any suspicions about the brides gender. Muh didnt suspect a thing when he was turned down by his bride on their wedding night when he tried to consummate their marriage. However, his suspicions began to rise when the same thing happened on his next attempt. After the third night passed without any action, Muh started doing some investigation, asking around about his wife, and was shocked to learn that Mita was actually a man. It remains unclear how Mita found out her deception had been found out by her new husband but when Muh came home to confront her, she had already left. Enraged, Muh told his family the truth and immediately divorced his wife. Feeling cheated by the person he had thought his soul mate, he also notified the police about Mitas deception and accused her of being a fraud. Police quickly found and arrested the 25-year-old, who turned out to be a man named Adi. Its unclear if he will have to face charges, or what punishment he stands to receive. Muh and Mitas marriage broke the record for the shortest union ever recorded in Indonesias West Lombok region. This is not the first time something like this is happening. In January, there was asimilar case which involved an Ugandan holy man who found out his wife was a man after two weeks of marriage. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The Bono Regional Executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are set to embark on a sensitization tour to the various paramount chiefs in the region on the new voters registration exercise. The tour which has been scheduled for 15th June 2020 is to deliberate on issues concerning the upcoming new voters registration exercise slated for 30th June 2020. In a release signed by the Regional Communication Director of NPP, Asare Bediako Seth and copied to thepressradio.com stated that the tour will afford the regional executives an opportunity to explain to the various traditional rulers and the need to actively engage in this important national exercise so that no qualified Ghanaian is disenfranchised in the coming general elections. The Electoral Commission has a constitutional mandate to compile a new voters register under Article 45 (a) of the 1992 constitution and that requires the support of all Ghanaians irrespective of ones political affiliation. Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission of Ghana headed by Jean Mensa has once again been slapped with another lawsuit challenging its decision to compile a new voters register. In this Sunday, June 7, 2020, photo, Elbin Sales, second from left, poses for a photograph with his wife, Yecenia Solorzano, right, and children Jordi Sales, left, and Athena Sales, amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Immokalee, Fla. Sales, who works as a landscaper, tested positive for COVID-19 and is quarantined at home with his family. Even as the pace of new cases has moderated in the state of Florida, this poor farmworking town in rural Florida is in the throes of an outbreak. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) When much of the world was staying at home to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Elbin Sales Perez continued to rise at 4:30 a.m. to report to his landscaping job in a rural Florida town. Now, a couple of months later, as state-imposed restrictions are lifted and Floridians begin to venture out, the Guatemalan immigrant is ill and isolated at home with his wife and children in Immokalee, a poverty-stricken town in the throes of one of the sharpest COVID-19 upticks in the state. "We had to work. If we don't, then who does it?" said Sales Perez, 31, who noted that his job was deemed essential. "We had to battle every day with the threat of the virus looming, until we caught it." Immokalee is among several immigrant communities in Floridaand numerous rural areas across the U.S.that have recently experienced outbreaks of the coronavirus. Once thought likely to be spared because of their remote locations and small populations, such communities have seen spikes in infections while having fewer resources to deal with them. Per capita, Florida ranks relatively low in its rate of new COVID-19 cases, at about 31st in the country, according to data complied by Johns Hopkins University. But the state has seen an upswing in new COVID-19 cases since it began gradually lifting restrictions on businesses and movement last month, especially in the past week. The increase may at least partly be due to expanded testing. Still, the uptick has been pronounced in some communities, including Immokalee. In this Monday, June 8, 2020, photo, Flora Garcia arrives with her daughter Krislaya Trejo at the Florida Department of Health in Collier County to be tested for COVID-19 amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Immokalee, Fla. Garcia's husband works as a roofer and tested positive for the virus. Even as the pace of new cases has moderated in the state of Florida, this poor farmworking town in rural Florida is in the throes of an outbreak. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) The secluded town of 25,000 north of the Everglades has reported more than 1,000 cases, outpacing in recent weeks the rate of infection in Orlando, which has a population 10 times bigger and is home to a busy international airport. The number of total cases in Immokalee has surpassed those in Miami Beach, with more than 900, and St. Petersburg, which has more than 800, according to state health department statistics. Meanwhile, the percentage of tests that have come back positive in Collier County, home to Immokalee, is the highest in the state among counties that have tested more than 5,000 people. Sales Perez knows many people who have gotten sick in this rural town known for its tomato farms. A close friend got ill, the friend's brother was hospitalized and a cousin of the two brothers died with the virus. Outbreaks have also erupted in other impoverished and immigrant communities in rural Florida, such as Indiantown, a small community with a large population of Guatemalan and Mexican immigrants northwest of West Palm Beach, and Belle Glade, a predominantly black town south of Lake Okeechobee. In this Sunday, June 7, 2020, photo, Gretel Cacerces, right, passes out masks to those standing in line for COVID-19 testing at the Florida Department of Health in Collier County amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Immokalee, Fla. Even as the pace of new cases has moderated in the state of Florida, this poor farmworking town in rural Florida is in the throes of an outbreak. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Efforts to conduct broad local testing in Immokalee did not begin in earnest until early May, just when officials began lifting restrictions statewide to restart the economy. It wasn't for lack of trying: The nonprofit Coalition of Immokalee Workers had requested tests in March, at the same time authorities had set up mass testing sites elsewhere in the state. With no response from the state, the coalition contacted international aid group Doctors Without Borders, which sent a COVID-19 response team in April. Team members found that farmworkers were traveling in crowded buses and had no easy access to testing. Some drove 45 minutes to get tested in Fort Myers and Naples. "They are in high-volume areas in trailers with multiple people and that puts them at a higher risk for spreading the disease easily," said Dr. Adi Nadimpalli, who coordinated the group's arrival in Florida. Dr. Seth Holmes, a physician and medical anthropologist at UC Berkeley who was volunteering at testing sites in Immokalee, said it has been evident since early May that the virus was "spreading like wildfire." There was a lack of contact tracingidentifying the people with whom an infected person has been in contactand overcrowded living conditions were likely contributing to the spread, he said. In this Sunday, June 7, 2020, photo, Gretel Cacerces, right, passes out bottled water to those standing in line for COVID-19 testing at the Florida Department of Health in Collier County amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Immokalee, Fla. Even as the pace of new cases has moderated in the state of Florida, this poor farmworking town in rural Florida is in the throes of an outbreak. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Holmes was critical of the state for not starting mass testing soonerand of the way it eventually began: He noted that vehicles with flashing lights sat at the entrance to the first testing site, scaring away some farmworkers who do not have legal permission to be in the country. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially recommended testing the elderly and people who were symptomatic, and that agricultural communities "fell through the cracks" based on that criteria. The governor also said the farmworkers were less likely to go to the drive-thru and walk-up sites. "There's different reasons why they would have been probably a little shy about doing that," he said at a news conference Friday. As part of its outreach to the community, Doctors Without Borders set up mobile clinics in the evenings and on weekends and called in team members who speak Spanish and Haitian Creole. Kristine Hollingsworth, a spokeswoman for the state Health Department in Collier County, said the state hired people from the community to conduct outreach and has been been broadcasting public service announcements from car loudspeakers in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Mam, an ancient Maya language. In this Monday, June 8, 2020, photo, a man cycles past a hand washing station set up outside of a popular supermarket amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Immokalee, Fla. Even as the pace of new cases has moderated in the state of Florida, this poor farmworking town in rural Florida is in the throes of an outbreak. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) In this Monday, June 8, 2020, photo, a sign urging people to wear protective face masks is shown outside of Mimi's Pinata & Party Rentals shop amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Immokalee, Fla. Even as the pace of new cases has moderated in the state of Florida, this poor farmworking town in rural Florida is in the throes of an outbreak. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) DeSantis said Florida officials are in talks with other states as farmworkers start migrating to fields farther north, from Georgia to Tennessee to New Jersey. On Monday, there were signs of progress in Immokalee: At the town's health department offices, truck drivers dropped off groups of landscapers and construction workers who followed a path bordered with yellow caution tape to get tested for the virus. Others waited outside for proof of their positive results so they could show bosses and ask for sick pay. This week, health authorities expanded testing from weekends to weekdays after hundreds lined up in the Florida heat two Sundays in a row. Flora Garcia, 38, took her three children after learning her husband, a roofer, tested positive. "We are worried as we hear a lot of people are getting sick," she said, holding her 4-year-old daughter's hand. "Mostly, she worries me because she is little, and I don't know how to protect her from this." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. German Foreign Minister Calls IRGC Commander's Anti-Israeli Remarks 'Unacceptable' Radio Farda June 12, 2020 German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has criticized IRGC Commander Hossein Salami for his "anti-Jewish comments" in his Thursday June 11 message to Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhaleh. The Jerusalem post quoted Heiko Maas as having said that such remarks are "unacceptable," and spread anti-Semitism across the region. Salami has said in his condolence message on the occasion of the death of Islamic Jihad's former leader Ramazan Abdallh Shalah, that he was certain about the destruction of Israel. However, this was not the first time Salami spoke about the annihilation, destruction and elimination of Israel. Some earlier remarks by Hossein Salami about Israel include: "All parts of Israel are within reach of our weapons. They'd better watch it," Qods Online, February 17, 2020. "We will hit both Israel and the United States if they make a mistake," Tabnak, February 13, 2020. "If the US makes another move, we will set fire to the place they love, that is Israel," Mashregh News, January 7, 2020. "Our strategy is one of wiping Israel off the political geography of the world," Radio Farda, January 28, 2019. "Our strategy is to wipe Israel off the world's political geography. With what Israel is doing, it is bringing this reality forward," Borna, April 22,2019. "Salami told Israel, the United States, UK and regional states: We will set fire to your interests if you do not stop your sedition against Iran," Tasnim, December 12, 2019." "The dream To Destroy Israel will be realized soon," DW, November 14, 2019. "If Israel begins a new war, that would be the war which would lead to its elimination," Pars Today, February 2019. These are only some of Salami's hate-speak, which in turn is an example of what Islamic Republic officials says against Israel on almost a daily basis. In his latest remarks, Salami called for the "elimination of the fabricated and criminal regime of Israel" and "elimination of Israel as the region's cancerous tumor." According to Jerusalem Post, Heiko Maas who first called Salami's rhetoric anti-Israeli, later called his speech anti-Jewish after a June 10 visit to Israel. Maas said that he "strongly criticizes the call for the annihilation of Israel as this is a way of legitimizing terror." Salami had said at a gathering of IRGC commanders last September, "We made the preparations for the destruction of the fabricated regime of Israel in the first step of the Islamic revolution. In our second step, this inauspicious regime should be eliminated from the political geography of the world." At the time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had harshly criticized Salami's remarks. On Wednesday, during a meeting with the German Foreign Minister, Israel's new foreign and defense ministers called Iran "a big threat" for the region. The stance by the new Israeli officials is consistent with Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's positions. During the meeting with Heiko Maas, Israel's Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi reiterated that "Israel will never tolerate an Iran armed with nuclear weapons near its borders." Israel recently welcomed German government's designation of the political wing of the Lebanese Hezballah as a terrorist group. However, Berlin has ruled out Israel's demand for pulling out of the nuclear deal with Iran. These can be seen as signs that Iran is losing more support aong European powers at a time of diplomatic isolation and a U.S. push to renew an arms embargo in October. Germany was a major trade partner of Iran before U.S. sanctions were imposed in 2018 and cooperates with other European partners trying to save the 2015 nuclear agreement known as JCPOA. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/german-foreign- minister-calls-irgc-commander-anti-israeli- remarks-unacceptable-/30667514.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OnePlus 8 handsets are gaining access to a new Camera update via Android 11 Beta 1, delivering no fewer than three big new features. The update, taking the Camera software to version 5.4.10, kicks things off with a new Quick Share menu. Thats centered around a new ring-like sharing UI that, at a tap, lets users share a photo immediately after taking it. For the time being, Quick Share reportedly doesnt allow users to see the photo until after its shared But that could be added in before finalization. Its unclear whether the ring of Quick-Share apps showing up now will be customizable either. It seems unlikely OnePlus would lock users into a preset list of apps though. Especially since the feature is intended to make snapping and then sharing a picture quick and painless eliminating all but a couple of taps. That should prove useful for those situations when a perfect shot isnt really needed but it does need to be shared fast. Advertisement Next, OnePlus has tucked in a new interface for zooming in on photos. There dont appear to be any changes to the quality of zoomed photos here. At least not yet. But the feature effectively allows users to rapidly zoom in or out before taking a shot with just a single thumb or finger. The interaction has been described as joystick-like, similar to Samsung flagships zoom features. The third new feature is hidden under the hood. So it probably wont appear in a more useful fashion until at least the second public beta for Android 11. Namely, thats a new set of photo filters. Theyre presently unnamed but hints are presented in the underlying code. That reveals what are presumably temporary labels. Dubbed FaceApp, O1, BeautyPlus, Black & White (New), Clare, Juno, Valencia, Snapseed, Sweetsnap, and Youcam. Advertisement Other features are stacked atop those main camera updates for Android 11 too On top of the primary camera changes noted in the first beta for Android 11 on OnePlus devices, there are at least two other noteworthy additions. The first is fairly straightforward, with evidence suggesting that OnePlus will add in a Document Scanner. That says effectively everything that needs to be. Presumably, it will be a shooting mode that can parse out documents, similar to a printer-based scanner. But it isnt immediately apparent why OnePlus didnt add a dedicated document mode sooner. Most other OEMs have already offered a document-specific mode for quite some time. Secondary to that, OnePlus appears to be working on adding a new Burst mode to its phones with Android 11. That wont be applicable to standard photos either. Instead, OnePlus took a page of out Googles Pixel book and is looking to add a Burst Video feature. That will, as its name implies, allow users to snap multiple short-form videos in rapid succession. Similar to how burst photos are taken. Advertisement OnePlus Android 11 Beta 1 is well underway As has almost always been the case, OnePlus is among the first third-party OEMs to deliver this Android beta to its users. That doesnt mean that just anybody should download the new flavor of Android right away. The bugs and issues of previous, developer-focused previews should be mostly solved. But this is a beta and it doesnt have nearly the same support as a full version of Android does. The UK yesterday ruled out any extension of the Brexit transition period. Michael Gove formally notified EU negotiators that Britain would stick to the December 31 deadline. But the Cabinet Office minister backtracked on plans to introduce full border checks from that date. Instead there will be a six-month delay to customs declarations and tariff payments. The United Kingdom effectively ruled out any prospect of the Brexit transition period being extended Tory Cabinet member Michael Gove (pictured) told negotiators from the European Union that the UK will be sticking to the December 31 deadline This is to give businesses coping with the fallout from coronavirus time to adjust. Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the European Commission, said Brussels remained open to an extension but accepted the UKs decision. The Cabinet Office said a flexible and pragmatic approach would now see border checks introduced in three stages. From January tariffs will need to be paid on all imports and traders importing standard goods must prepare for basic custom requirements. They will have up to six months to complete declarations, the Government announced. From April, meat, dairy and other animal and regulated plant products will require pre-notification and relevant health documentation. In July traders will have to make declarations at the point of importation and pay tariffs. The Freight Transport Association said the plan would prevent the full shock of a sudden cut-off. The Confederation of British Industry also welcomed the move. The Cabinet Office said the approach did not apply to Northern Ireland, which is separately covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. It also announced a 50million support package to enable businesses to hire and train customs officials and other staff. UK sources said yesterdays meeting was the final opportunity to request an extension because it was the last before the July 1 deadline. A virtual summit between the Prime Minister and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen to try to break the deadlock in trade negotiations has been scheduled for Monday. A virtual meeting between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) is scheduled to take place on Monday, where the pair will attempt to break the deadlock in trade negotiations The negotiating teams have agreed to an intensified timetable for July, potentially face to face. President Emmanuel Macron of France will visit the UK in the coming weeks to start a new chapter in relations between the countries. The decision not to seek an extension came after the first ministers of Scotland and Wales wrote to Mr Johnson calling for one. In their letter Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford said: We believe exiting the transition period at the end of the year would be extraordinarily reckless. It would pile a further very significant economic and social shock on top of the Covid-19 crisis, hitting businesses whose reserves in many cases have already been exhausted, leading to more business closures and redundancies. 'But in this case, the shock would be avoidable. Following his meeting with Mr Sefcovic, Mr Gove said: We have informed the EU today that we will not extend the transition period. The moment for extension has now passed. At Least Four Killed, Many Injured In Kabul Mosque Blast By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan June 12, 2020 An explosion in a Kabul mosque during Friday Prayers killed at least four people and wounded many more, Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said on June 12. "Explosives placed inside the Shir Shah-E-Suri Mosque exploded during Friday Prayers," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the West Kabul mosque's mullah was among those killed. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The Taliban issued a statement condemning it and calling the death of the prayer leader a "great crime." Afghanistan's Islamic State affiliate has claimed a June 2 attack at a Kabul mosque in which a popular prayer leader was killed. U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in the region earlier this week trying to resuscitate a peace deal that Washington and the Taliban signed in February to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan -- the longest military conflict in U.S. history. The deal lays out a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country in return for security commitments from the Taliban. Washington is also pushing for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The Islamic State extremist group also has a presence in the country and has carried out large-scale attacks in Kabul in recent months. With reporting by AP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/at-least- four-killed-many-injured-in-kabul- mosque-blast/30667017.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The newly discovered ancient bird sculpture from the Lingjing Site, Henan China. The 13,000-old-old tiny bird is the earliest Chinese work of art ever discovered on a site just a few hundred kilometers from modern Beijing, an international team of archeologist declared. (Photo : Zhanyang Li,Luc Doyon, et. al. via Creative Commons License) A 13,000-year-old tiny bird sculpture is the oldest work of art ever discovered in China on a site just a few hundred kilometers from modern Beijing, an international team of archeologists declared. The ancient sculpture was found at Lingjin in Henan Province of China and is the oldest East Asian three-dimensional art discovered. The team led by Zhanyang Li from Shandong University, China, found that the bird figurine in 2005 from a layer of soil that had been removed to dig a well in 1958. The results of the study were published recently in the journal PLOS ONE. Very Small, but Refined Sculpture According to Francesco d' Errico, a director of research for France's National Centre for Scientific Research, when viewed from a microscope, one can see that it was made by an artist not only from the minute detail of carving but from the form chosen by the creator. "It's very small, but in fact, it's quite refined," he said. The figurine, measuring less than 2 cm in length, is carved from a burnt bone and takes a form of a bird standing on a pedestal. The sculpture is different from the artistic styles of Europe and Siberia, making its artistic tradition distinct. While the Linjing sculpture does not have wings, the study authors said that its outline: the tail, head, throat, belly, and breast and the eyes and bills matches that of a bird. The author says it belongs to the order Passeriformes or the perching birds. The figurine features a beautiful balance: with the tail made much bigger so it and can stand upright when placed on a flat surface without falling forward on the head, explains d' Errico. Scientists also suggest that based on the orientation of the bone structure of the bird sculpture, the bone is from a mammal's limb bone. A controlled heating process to blacken, shape the bone, and shrink it is necessary. Technical skill is also required to add color to the bone, d' Errico added. Oldest East Asian Sculpture Art Discovered The earliest animal sculpture recorded in East Asia is from 3,000 B.C. The study authors report that the ancient bird sculpture is the only Palaeolithic three-dimensional object made from a burnt bone and is mounted on a pedestal. The only other recorded Palaeolithic bird carvings were pendants recorded from Siberia and are made of ivory and antler. The oldest Chinese figurine was a jade songbird from the Neolithic period, dated about 5,000 BCE. The earliest recorded carved figures were discovered in a much earlier period, around 40,000 years ago, in the Swabian Jura mountain range. The place is now known as Germany. Rich Artistic Tradition in the Region The detailed feature of the ancient sculpture made the research team conclude that there was probably a rich history of sculpting in the area. The Lingjing artist had the appropriate techniques and skills to create the distinct anatomical features of a passerine, the authors said. According to d'Errico, the bird figurine seemed to be too small for display. He thinks that it was made to be carried around in a bag or with other objects. d'Errico deems that a shaman might have used the said sculpture when predicting future and might be other little animals carved by the same person that was carried around. New Delhi: Karnataka will have to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu from Wednesday till September 27, the Supreme Court said today while raising the quantum fixed by the Supervisory Committee by 3,000 cusecs. The apex court also gave liberty to both states to file objections against the directions of the Cauvery Supervisory Committee yesterday, asking Karnataka to release 3,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu between September 21 and 30. A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and U U Lalit also directed the Centre to constitute within four weeks the Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB) as directed by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in its award. It also directed the Centre to produce before it on the next date of hearing, the notification indicating that CWMB has been constituted and said, if required, further direction can be passed by the apex court to the CWMB. How long will the two states keep fighting? This dispute is there from 1894. Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB) is an expert body and it needs to be constituted. Just because the problem had not arisen earlier doesnt mean that the problem will never arise in future, the bench told ASG Pinky Anand, appearing for Centre. The apex court took note of the fact that no consensus was reached among the states before the Supervisory Committee and Union Water Resources Secretary and Chairman of the Committee Shashi Shekhar used his power to ask Karnataka to release 3000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu. Senior advocate and noted jurist F S Nariman, appearing for Karnataka, opposed the supervisory committee order and said the state was aggrieved by the order. We cannot give water to Tamil Nadu from our drinking water supply, Nariman said while opposing any interim arrangement for release of Cauvery water. Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, appearing for Tamil Nadu, also opposed the directions, saying the supervisory committee has not considered all aspects while passing the order. He said the committee had failed to consider the fact that it was a rain deficient year and the quantum of water to be released has to be done proportionally. We need water here and now otherwise our Samba crops which are planted in August-September and harvested in December will be destroyed, Naphade said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0486dcfb38)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0486ced9c8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0486dcfb38)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0486ced9c8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0486ddf178)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0486ced9c8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0486ced9c8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04868fd2c8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f04868fcbc0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f04868fcbc0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 US President, Donald Trump has reacted to the US National Guard using tear gas to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters in Minnesota. Trump described the use of teargas on protesters who took to the streets in response to the killing of George Floyd, a black American who died last month when a white Police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck in Minneapolis, as a beautiful scene. Speaking at an event in Dallas, Texas, the president shared his views on efforts made by the Minnesota National Guard to restore order. Trump said: It was like a miracle. Just everything stopped. Ill never forget the scene, its not supposed to be a beautiful scene but to me it was. After you watch policemen run out of a police precinct. And it wasnt their fault, they wanted to do what they had to do but they werent allowed to do anything but they were running down the street, they werent allowed to do what theyre trained to do and they took over the precinct, they essentially burned it down. And yes there was some tear gas and probably some other things. And the crowd dispersed and they went through. By the end of the evening everything was fine and you didnt hear about that location having problems anymore. A video of the presidents comments was obtained by The Washington Post. Trump also said he wanted police reforms to push officers to show compassion with force, while rejecting calls to defund police forces across the country. Source: newsobserver.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 New Delhi, June 13 : Residents of Jammu and Kashmir are absolutely fed up with militancy and terrorism and they want the situation to return to normal, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Saturday. Talking about frequent operations against terrorists hiding in the valley, Naravane said, "Most of the operations were based on the information provided by the locals themselves. This goes on to show that they are also absolutely fed up with militancy and terrorism and they want the situation to return to normal." Talking about the overall situation across the valley, the General said the Indian Army achieved a lot of success over the last few days. "As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, we have had a lot of success in the last one week or 10 days. In the last one week alone, more than 15 terrorists have been killed." He attributed the success to the close cooperation and coordination between all the security forces operating in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. A few hours before General Naravane's view on the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir, two terrorists were killed in an encounter that took place between terrorists and security forces at Zadoora Nipora area in South Kashmir's Kulgam district. The encounter took place after police and army launched a joint operation in the area on the basis of a specific intelligence input. This year till June 11, a total 98 terrorists were killed in the valley. In the month of June alone, till the 11th day, a total 20 terrorists were killed. In May, 18 terrorists were eliminated and in April the figure was 28. In March and February, seven terrorists each were eliminated. In January, 18 terrorists were killed. In 2019, a total 158 terrorists were eliminated and in 2018, the security forces killed 254 terrorists in the valley. In 2017, a total 213 terrorists were killed. This year, security forces have managed to eliminate a few of the most wanted terrorists. In May, Riyaz Naikoo, one of Kashmir's most wanted terrorists and the commander of terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) commander Adil Ahmad Wani and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) cadre Shaheen Ahmad Thoker were killed on May 25 at Khud Hanjipora Kulgam, while Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Parvaiz Ahmad Pandith and JeM commander Shakir Ahmed Itoo were neutralised on May 30. (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) One man was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound early Saturday morning at a North Carolina Marine Corps base, officials announced Saturday afternoon. A second person at the scene is being treated for multiple stab wounds. Patrol officers at Camp Lejeune responded to a 911 call at an on-base residence at about 4 a.m. where they found the shooting and stabbing victims. The man who'd been shot was found dead. The other man who'd been stabbed was seriously injured, Nat Fahy, a spokesman for the base, said. Read Next: Trump Hails New Lieutenants at West Point There are no other individuals at large who are believed to have been involved in the incident, Fahy told Military.com. The incident occurred in one of the base housing divisions at Camp Lejeune, he said. Fahy declined to say whether the two men involved were Marines. They were both authorized to be on the base, he said. The identity of the man killed by the apparent gunshot wound is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The person stabbed was transported to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, where he is being treated for his injuries. No additional details about the stabbing and shooting were immediately available. The incident is under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a Marine Corps news release about the incident states. Two airmen were killed in a shooting earlier this month at an Air Force base in North Dakota. The family of Airman First Class Natasha Aposhian, a 21 year old shot and killed in her dormitory at about 4:30 on June 1, was a victim of domestic violence, her family told the Grand Forks Herald. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Related: Airmen Killed in Shooting at Grand Forks Air Force Base Identified Ireland is objectively not a racist country, nor are the vast majority of its people. This needs to be emphasized in the face of the current barrage of anecdotal media reports about unpleasant remarks made to some black people here. Ireland has extensive equality legislation governing racial discrimination. We have no history of slavery nor institutional racism; in fact we were historic victims ourselves, and not long ago either - look at the segregation and discrimination in Northern Ireland until recently. There is no racist police brutality here whatsoever. In recent years, we've spent hundreds of millions on asylum seekers, offering those who qualify an unprecedented fresh start in our home. We are an outlier in Europe in not having any significant far-right anti-immigrant political party. Media reports of what constitutes racism here appear to consist of school bullying (teenagers and other kids being of course otherwise well known for their tolerance and compassion!), shouted abuse at GAA matches (another crew well known for their politeness and reserve in the stands!), and drunks yelling in the streets. Such incidents, unacceptable as they are, do not make this country one of the most racist in the world, as reported on the front page of your newspaper of June 9 ('Ireland really is the most racist country I've lived in'). Such reporting is unfair. I wish our politicians would speak up for the country and defend things like our record on international human rights, and our individual charitable generosity towards Africa. The one-sided story needs to stop. Thomas Ryan Thurles, Co Tipperary Dahl can help parents to navigate racism minefield Black Lives Matter events may have children asking questions over disturbing events that are unfolding. It can feel like a minefield for parents who often struggle to know what to say that's age-appropriate. Telling very young kids too much about racism can be difficult as children do not understand what they see and hear. I recommend Roald Dahl's 'The Sneetches', written in 1961, about social acceptance. It's a very clever, witty story that shows children how to appreciate their differences. In terms of race, gender or social class, this book teaches some simple lessons. It tells the story of two types of Sneetches - those with stars on their bellies and those with no stars. The Sneetches with no stars are socially excluded by the star-bellied Sneetches who think themselves better than the others. What follows is a crazy time about what is and what is not important about the people around us. Excellent for discussing issues of prejudice and discrimination with children. Declan Duffy Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin Beady eye, gobbled crust and a taste of normality Rumour had it he was seen fishing off Inis Mor for the last 12 weeks. But here he is parading down Shop Street. Chest stuck out, his gait of walking had not lost its aggression. His feet appear bigger than I remembered, but then again it had been a while. As he approached me, he tried to stare me down with those beady eyes. The smirk on his mouth exuding what American folk call an 'additude problem'. A piece of crust fell off the croissant I was enjoying with my coffee to go. He pounced on it in a heartbeat, gobbled it up and hopped across to the other side of the street. I'd forgotten how big a seagull is but somehow this was a small reassuring move back to normality! Michael Rooney Knocknacarra, Co Galway Sins of great grandfather not Lansdowne's fault Paul Doran (Letters, June 11) has reached a new level of hysteria in his call to remove the name Lansdowne from Dublin. Lord Lansdowne was one of only two Irishmen to become British prime minister. In that position, he recognised the independence of the United States, ending their bloody Revolutionary War. Mr Doran believes Lansdowne's name should be removed because his great grandfather, William Petty, was a bad man. Has our society become so intolerant that a person can no longer be judged on their own merit and achievement? That we must be punished, not only for the sins of the father, but of the grandfather and the great grandfather? How many of us can say with certainty that every action taken by all our ancestors would pass the moral threshold of today's standards? I think it's madness and I believe my great-grandfather would agree with me. Peter Cosgrove Wellingtonbridge, Co Wexford Culling of movie classics? Frankly, I give a damn... It would appear that 'Gone With The Wind' has gone with the woke. Brian Ahern Clonsilla, Dublin 15 Infighting can only go so far in the Green Party Isn't Eamon Ryan a lucky man? His critics in the Green Party can't burn him at the stake for his latest gaffe because open fires are against party policy. The only environmentally friendly punishment open to them is to banish the Eamon to Seanad Eireann. Karl Martin Dublin 13 The world can't return to the way it was before Two events have shaken our world out of its complacency. Instead of the Covid-19 pandemic being an equaliser, it is now established that black, Asian and ethnic minority groups in the UK are twice to three times more likely to die from its effects. The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has had a worldwide effect in raising awareness of the blatant and insidious racism that permeates white-dominated societies. As with the Covid-19 crisis, we cannot return to our previous normal of accepting health injustices, so too after the killing of Mr Floyd, world society cannot be allowed to return to any level of institutionalised racism. Brendan Butler Malahide, Co Dublin Sinn Fein can't expect to govern until it evolves Sinn Fein seems to believe it has an automatic right to be in government. This is nonsense. Any government will require three parties to have an effective majority. And the country requires stability without another general election for an absolute minimum of three years. Consequently, parties need an arrangement where they can work together without the type of break-up that occurred in Northern Ireland. This rules out Sinn Fein from a coalition with other established parties in the Republic. I see no reason why a coalition of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens should not be effective. They must agree a joint programme requiring all three parties to accept major compromises. However, this situation was always likely to surface based on division of seats. I cannot see a situation where Fianna Fail or Fine Gael could form a proper working relationship with Sinn Fein. This fact cannot be ignored because Sinn Fein had a better election than expected. Brian Patrick McArdle Newbridge, Co Kildare Time for lay parishioners to share financial burden Michael Kelly's article (Comment, June 12) hits the nail on the head in respect of the future vitality of the Irish Catholic Church. Taken together with Sarah MacDonald's account of Dublin Archdiocese's financial woes, the clear message is that lay-led parish and diocesan finance committees need to take a more proactive role. In my time as a parishioner in London I heard biannual lay pulpit appeals for planned giving. Every two or three years I was visited by a member of the parish finance committee to ensure that my charity tax rebate forms were correctly updated. I was also gently encouraged to up my contributions in line with salary increases and to pay effortlessly by standing order. In Ireland it seems that we have left financial burdens on the backs of our priests. Now is the time for us to step forward and accept our responsibility for "the support of our pastors". Alan Whelan Killarney, Co Kerry A member of security forces affiliated with the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA)'s Interior Ministry stands at the reported site of a mass grave in the town of Tarhuna. (AFP) United Nations: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep shock late Friday at the discovery of mass graves in Libyan territory recently recaptured from forces commanded by Khalifa Hafter and called for a transparent investigation. The U.N. chief also called on Libyas U.N.-supported government to secure the mass graves, identify the victims, establish the causes of death and return the bodies to next of kin. He offered U.N. support in carrying it out, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The secretary-general once again reminds all parties to the conflict in Libya of their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, Dujarric said. The United Nations said earlier Friday that at least eight mass graves have been discovered, mostly in the town of Tarhuna, a key western town that served as a main stronghold for Khalifas east-based forces in their 14-month campaign to capture the capital Tripoli. The discoveries have raised fears about the extent of human rights violations in territories controlled by Hafters forces, given the difficulties of documentation in an active war zone. Philippe Nassif, Amnesty Internationals director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the group was working to verify the mass killings. We want to be able to go in, or have the U.N. go in, and collect evidence of potential war crimes and other atrocities ... so eventually a process takes place where justice can be served, he said. Last week, militias allied with the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli recaptured Tarhuna, some 65 kilometres (41 miles) southeast of the Libyan capital, their latest in a string of battlefield successes that reversed most of Hafters gains. Earlier, the government said it regained control of all of Tripolis entrance and exit points and Tripoli airport. Fathi Bashagha, the interior minister in the U.N.-supported government, said earlier this week that authorities were documenting evidence of alleged war crimes in Tarhuna, noting that preliminary reports indicated dozens of victims found in the citys mass graves had been buried alive. Bashagha also said that special investigative teams uncovered a shipping container in Tarhuna full of charred bodies, presumably of detainees, and blamed powerful militias loyal to Hafter for heinous crimes. A feared Hafter-allied militia called al-Kaniyat, notorious for its targeting of dissenters, had controlled the town. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker told reporters on Thursday he was troubled by reports that Tripoli forces had discovered bodies of civilians, in addition to land mines and other explosive devices in territory retaken from Hafters forces. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. Forces under Hafter launched an offensive trying to take Tripoli in April 2019, and the crisis in the oil-rich country had steadily worsened as foreign backers increasingly intervened despite pledges to the contrary at a high-profile peace summit in Berlin earlier this year. Hafters offensive is supported by France, Russia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and other key Arab countries. The government in Tripoli is backed by Turkey which sent troops and mercenaries to protect the capital in January as well as Italy and Qatar. The U.N. political mission in Libya said it convened a meeting with a delegation from Hafters forces on June 3 and another meeting Tuesday with a delegation from the U.N.-supported government. Guterres hopes that a cease-fire will be agreed soon, Dujarric said. Schenker said he sees the escalating proxy war between Russia and Turkey in Libya as a challenge to regional stability, as well as a tragedy for the Libyan people looking for peace and end to foreign intervention. Libya is teetering on the brink of a new escalation as Tripoli militias wage a campaign to recapture the coastal town of Sirte, which would provide access to the countrys vast oil fields under Hifters control. The intensified fighting has forced nearly 24,000 people to flee their homes in the last week, according to U.N. humanitarian officials. Despite intensified diplomatic activity to bring the sides to the negotiating table, Turkey appears keen to shore up its presence in western Libya. On Friday, Turkeys navy and air force conducted exercises in the Mediterranean Sea near Libya, officials said, an apparent show of backing for Tripoli. The Turkish military said the drill was meant to test and develop Turkeys ability to command and execute long-distance operations. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations, said the manoeuvres took place in international waters and airspace off Libyas coast. The military said 17 warplanes, based in the central Turkish airbase of Eskisehir, and eight frigates took part in Thursdays Open Sea Training. The drill lasted for eight hours and took place along a 1,000 kilometer (625 mile) -route from the Turkish coast and back. Turkeys escalating support, including armed drones and thousands of Syrian mercenaries, signals its desire to gain more leverage in the eastern Mediterranean. Ankara signed a maritime deal last fall with the Tripoli-based government that would grant it access to an economic zone across the Mediterranean, despite the objections from regional rivals Greece, Cyprus and Egypt. Turkey has said it will begin exploring for natural resources there within months. Florida reported the most new coronavirus infections in one day on Friday, while Texas reached the same milestone on Thursday, according to state health department and Johns Hopkins data. Why it matters: Both states have continued to ease lockdown restrictions despite the rising infection rates. Florida entered its second phase of reopening last Friday, and Texas is well into its third phase, as both states allow most or all businesses to admit half as many people as they typically would. What's happening: Florida reported a significantly higher number of new coronavirus deaths on Friday 29 in total after daily fatalities declined for the previous week. The daily death count in Texas has largely plateaued, albeit with frequent spikes. Texas has seen over 82,000 cases and more than 1,900 deaths as of Friday, while Florida counts over 70,000 infections and more than 2,800 fatalities. In Texas: Transmission in Houston the epicenter of the virus for the state is uncontrolled and poses a significant threat to the community, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a Thursday press conference. the epicenter of the virus for the state is uncontrolled and poses a significant threat to the community, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a Thursday press conference. "We don't have evidence that the public health measures we have in place are able to limit that community transmission," Hidalgo added. that the public health measures we have in place are able to limit that community transmission," Hidalgo added. Houston's mayor called for residents to "flatten the curve again," as Hidalgo advised people to social distance, wear face coverings and avoid crowds. called for residents to "flatten the curve again," as Hidalgo advised people to social distance, wear face coverings and avoid crowds. The average age of those being hospitalized for the virus in Houston is decreasing, David Persse, public health authority for Houston, told reporters on Thursday. He partially attributed the trend to increased testing in nursing homes and young people choosing not to social distance or wear masks. In Florida: Over 1,000 new infections have been reported every day since last Tuesday. At least 11,700 people have been hospitalized across the state, with 135 more reported on Friday, per the Miami Herald. have been reported every day since last Tuesday. At least 11,700 people have been hospitalized across the state, with 135 more reported on Friday, per the Miami Herald. Florida saw a 65% increase in the number of coronavirus tests performed this week alongside a 65% increase in cases, Axios' Andrew Witherspoon and Sam Baker report. in the number of coronavirus tests performed this week alongside a 65% increase in cases, Axios' Andrew Witherspoon and Sam Baker report. "I think it's important for people to understand who is being tested now, compared to who was being tested in March and early April when we had our peaks then," Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters on Friday, when asked about rising cases. "Back then, you needed to have symptoms, and you really, unless you got a doctor's note, in our tests sites, cause of CDC's guidance, you're looking at age 65 and above." for people to understand who is being tested now, compared to who was being tested in March and early April when we had our peaks then," Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters on Friday, when asked about rising cases. "Back then, you needed to have symptoms, and you really, unless you got a doctor's note, in our tests sites, cause of CDC's guidance, you're looking at age 65 and above." President Trump's acceptance speech as the 2020 Republican presidential nominee will be held in Jacksonville, Florida. That county has reported a much higher concentration of COVID-19 infections than the rest of north Florida. The big picture: Infections are also rising in California, North Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, Louisiana and Washington state, per a New York Times analysis. What to watch: "If cases begin to go up again, particularly if they go up dramatically, it's important to recognize that more mitigation efforts such as what were implemented back in March may be needed again," Jay Butler, CDCs deputy director of infectious diseases and COVID-19 response incident, said Friday. Go deeper: Coronavirus curve rises in Florida Kannada film actor Chiranjeevi Sarjas death came as a massive shock to his brother Dhruva Sarja who had been spending quality time with him during lockdown. Dhruva has now posted a heartbreaking note on Instagram along with the screenshot of his late brothers last post on Instagram. Chiranjeevi died due to a cardiac arrest at a city hospital on June 7. The 39-year old actor complained of restlessness following which he was rushed to a private hospital where he passed away, his family members said. Sharing his brothers last post, Dhruva wrote on his Instagram stories, I want you back, not able to be without you. Chiranjeevi had shared two then- and-now pictures with brother Dhruva and cousin Suraj just a day before his untimely death. Sharing the collage on Instagram, Chiranjeevi had written in caption, Then and now.. we r still the same... what say guys..?? The pictures show Dhruva striking the same pose while sitting in between Chiranjeevi and Suraj. Dhruva Sarja shared several pictures with late brother Chiranjeevi Sarja on Instagram. He also shared few more pictures with Chiranjeevi, one of which shows the two brothers flaunting the henna designs on their palms. He captioned it, My world. Another was a selfie of the two and was captioned, NAM ANNA along with a broken heart emoji. Days before his death, Chiranjeevi had also shared a TikTok video which showed him and Dhruva playing Chess. The actor was the grandson of noted Kannada actor Shakti Prasad and nephew of multilingual film actor Arjun Sarja. He had acted in 22 films. He had made his debut with the movie Vayuputra, which was a home production of Sarja family. Also read: Gulabo Sitabo celeb review: Taapsee Pannu calls Amitabh, Ayushmann film a feel good ride His recent movie was Shivarjuna, in which he starred along with Amrutha Iyengar and Akshatha Srinivas. He had married actor Meghana Raj two years ago. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa condoled the death of Chiranjeevi Sarja and said he was a popular actor and was blessed with great talent. Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah also condoled the actors death. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Global Satellite Data Services Market size is expected to reach $16. 2 billion by 2026, rising at a market growth of 25% CAGR during the forecast period. Satellite data services provide the supply of earth information and data which is generated and captured by man-made satellites that travel around the orbit of the earth. New York, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Satellite Data Services Market By Type By End User By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914563/?utm_source=GNW The satellite data most commonly used for observing earth, providing information on the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of the planet. In an emerging economy, the global satellite data market is expected to grow at substantial rates over the forecast period. Major progress in geospatial imagery analysis combined with the implementation of AI and big data, privatization of the space industry and growing demand of small earth observation satellites is driving the market. The fourth industrial revolution also gives the satellite data services sector attractive growth prospects. The launch of Industry 4.0, which is expected to promote disruption in traditional practices and to deliver better market growth prospects, offers development opportunities to many satellite firms, OEMs and applications developers. In the design and manufacturing stages of satellite production, Industry 4.0 will also increase productivity in subsequent years with prediction for economic growth. Satellite-as-a-Service (SataaS) would provide consumers with faster and more reliable access to satellite imaging. It is expected that a pay-as-you-go satellite model will deliver more resources and time management capabilities in commercial applications. This will also allow companies to get their product closer to the customer by allowing them a certain period of time to own the satellite, so they can achieve sustainable market growth. The growing number and overall cost of deploying small satellites is making SataaS a very economical choice, which makes it possible for medium businesses to embrace the entire industry. Based on Type, the market is segmented into Administrative, Commercial and Scientific. Based on End User, the market is segmented into Environmental, Defense & Security, Marine, Agriculture, Energy & Power, Engineering & Infrastructure and Others. Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix, L3Harris Technologies, Inc. and Trimble, Inc. are the forerunners in the Satellite Data Services Market. Companies such as Spaceflight Industries, Inc., Planet Labs, Inc., Maxar Technologies, Inc., Ursa Space Systems, Inc., SpecTIR, LLC, ImageSat International N.V., and Airbus SE are some of the key innovators in the market. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Airbus SE (Airbus Defence and Space SE), Maxar Technologies, Inc. (DigitalGlobe, Inc.), Trimble, Inc., L3Harris Technologies, Inc., ImageSat International N.V., Planet Labs, Inc., Spaceflight Industries, Inc. (BlackSky Global LLC), Ursa Space Systems, Inc., SpecTIR, LLC, and Satellite Imaging Corporation. Recent strategies deployed in Satellite Data Services Market Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements: Mar-2020: Planet Labs signed partnership agreement with Seisan, a custom software solutions, and systems integration company. Following the partnership, the latter company would offer next-level competitive advantages and insights into many industry verticals. Feb-2020: L3Harris signed an agreement with The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. The agreement aims to develop a software platform that would make it easier for analysts to use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify objects in large data sets. Jan-2020: L3Harris extended its agreement with exactEarth Ltd., a leading provider of Satellite-AIS data services. The agreement aimed to provide exactEarth with a reduced and simplified cost structure for L3Harris Satellite-AIS data services. The agreement also provides additional growth opportunities to both parties and further strengthens the latter companys alliance with L3Harris in delivering advanced high-performance satellite maritime service capabilities to customers around the world. Aug-2019: Airbus Defence and Space collaborated with exactEarth Ltd., a leading provider of Satellite-AIS data services. Under this collaboration, the latter company aimed to support Airbus Ocean Finder maritime service. exactEarth would provide Airbus with live and archived data from exactView RT, its second-generation real-time satellite-AIS data service, including data from exactEarths high-performance AIS payload hosted on the PAZ radar satellite. Aug-2019: L3Harris extended its partnership with FLYHT, a provider of satellite communications. The extended partnership was aimed to provide custom engineering services used in global voice and data satellite communication (SATCOM) solutions. FLYHT would customize L3Harris AFIRSTM 228S (Automated Flight Information Recording System) to support global communications between pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC), Aeronautical Operation control (AOC) and Airline Administrative Control (AAC) through the Iridium high-fidelity satellite network used in the cockpit of the Airbus A220. Jul-2019: Maxar signed an agreement with Esri, a supplier of GIS software, web GIS, and geodatabase management applications. Following the agreement, the former company aimed to deliver its Vivid and Metro satellite imagery mosaics to Esri for use in geospatial applications. Jun-2019: Airbus teamed up with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, a leading commercial small satellite company. The collaboration was focused on using Surreys end-to-end imaging operations and for enhancement of Vision-1, SSTL S1-4 Satellites. Jun-2019: Maxar Technologies announced an agreement with European Space Imaging. Under this agreement, the latter company provides SecureWatch and EarthWatch to customers based in Europe, North Africa, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS countries). The products provide instant access to Maxars WorldView satellite imagery and geospatial data to empower the customers with the flexibility to only pay for content that they consume via a per-gigabyte price model. Jun-2019: Planet Labs signed an agreement with Kayrros, a provider of a disruptive analytics company. The agreement was signed for providing Planet Labs access to subscription-based Earth observation imagery and data. Jun-2019: BlackSky, a subsidiary of Spaceflight collaborated with HawkEye 360. The collaboration was focused on helping BlackSky to make the use of signal-detection data offered by HawkEye 360s formation-flying satellite constellation in its web-based analytical services. Jun-2019: Ursa Space Systems extended its partnership with Iceye, a radar satellite operator. Following this expansion, Ursa would resell Iceye data products and the two companies would jointly develop new analytic services with data drawn from Iceyes synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites. Apr-2019: Airbus and Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), a provider of advanced space services, came into an agreement initiated for SSC ground segment support services to the new Pleiades Neo constellation of very high-resolution Earth Observation satellites. The SSC ground network enables effective tasking and downloading of large data volumes more than once every orbit. This facilitates rapid delivery of remote Pleiades Neo data. The ground network, designed by SSC and Airbus, complements Airbus Direct Receiving Stations (DRS) and the Airbus SpaceDataHighway relay satellite system. It is also adaptable to dynamic seasonal needs and can give critical network diversity. Apr-2019: ImageSat teamed up with Kleos Space, a provider of RF Reconnaissance Data-as-a-Service. The collaboration was focused on exploring the opportunities for using the Kleos maritime Radio Frequency (RF) activity-based satellite data which helps in increasing geospatial intelligence analytics. Feb-2019: Spaceflight signed the Launch Services Agreement with Vector. Under this agreement, the companies were focused on launching multiple satellites in space. Jan-2019: SpecTIR Hyperspectral & Remote Sensing Solutions of Reno, Nevada partnered with NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. The partnership delivers complete hyperspectral imaging services. SpecTIRs airborne hyperspectral image services complement space-based hyperspectral image services delivered by NorthStar, the worlds first global information platform to monitor Earth, its environment, and near-space. Jan-2019: Ursa Space Systems announced a new contract with SI Imaging Services (SIIS). The contract was aimed to establish Ursas continued access to KOMPSAT 5 radar satellite imagery, distributed exclusively by SIIS. The companies would provide intelligence, analytics, and new insights as Ursas technology creates new products for a wide range of industries. Acquisition and Mergers: Feb-2017: Planet Labs signed an agreement with Google following which the former company would acquire the Terra Bella business of Google, including the SkySat constellation of satellites. The acquisition would enable Planet to strengthen its position in high-frequency satellite imaging. Aug-2016: Trimble acquired AXIO-NET GmbH from Airbus Defence and Space. AXIO-NET is a provider of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) corrections and professional data services. The acquisition strengthened Trimbles position as GNSS corrections. Product Launches and Product Expansions: Aug-2019: Trimble introduced the Trimble T7 tablet for GIS data collection applications. This next-generation tablet connects to Trimbles suite of survey instruments and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and streamlines the flow of geospatial data between the office and field for maximum productivity and efficiency. Jun-2019: Trimble introduced V10 Imaging Rover. The Imaging Rover captures 360-degree digital panoramic images for efficient visual documentation and measurement of the surrounding environment. May-2019: Trimble released the Trimble TDC600 handheld, an ultra-rugged, all-in-one smartphone and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data collector. This data collector has been used for Geographic Information System (GIS) and field inspection applications. The next-generation smartphone data collector comprises of an Android 8.0 operating system. It has a bright sunlight-readable 6-inch display, powerful 2.2 GHz processor. The device has a memory space of 4GB with an increased capacity all-day battery. Nov-2018: Spaceflight launched 12 spacecraft from Indias Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for meeting the growing demand of the smallsat industry. Jul-2018: DigitalGlobe, a Maxar Technologies Company launched EarthWatch, a cloud-based subscription. This solution is used in viewing, streaming, and downloading the companys industry-leading geospatial data, enabling customers to solve their challenges with ease through a single powerful interface. Mar-2018: BlackSky, a subsidiary of Spaceflight launched the next generation of small Earth observation satellite, Global-1. The satellite has features of geolocation accuracy, image quality, and on-orbit lifetime. Feb-2018: Trimble released MX9 Mobile Mapping Solution integrated with a vehicle-mounted mobile LIDAR system, multi-camera imaging, and field software for data collection. Scope of the Study Market Segmentation: By Type Administrative Commercial Scientific By End User Environmental Defense & Security Marine Agriculture Energy & Power Engineering & Infrastructure Others By Geography North America o US o Canada o Mexico o Rest of North America Europe o Germany o UK o France o Russia o Spain o Italy o Rest of Europe Asia Pacific o China o Japan o India o South Korea o Singapore o Malaysia o Rest of Asia Pacific LAMEA o Brazil o Argentina o UAE o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o Nigeria o Rest of LAMEA Companies Profiled Airbus SE (Airbus Defence and Space SE) Maxar Technologies, Inc. (DigitalGlobe, Inc.) Trimble, Inc. L3Harris Technologies, Inc. ImageSat International N.V. Planet Labs, Inc. Spaceflight Industries, Inc. (BlackSky Global LLC) Ursa Space Systems, Inc. SpecTIR, LLC Satellite Imaging Corporation Unique Offerings Exhaustive coverage Highest number of market tables and figures Subscription based model available Guaranteed best price Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914563/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 The first play performed in Swords Castle is heading for America in what is a tremendous boost for the potential of the Swords Cultural Quarter to deliver a positive platform for the arts in Fingal. The award-winning playwright and performer David Gilna from Swords, featured in last week's Fingal Independent, will make his playwright debut in New York with his award-winning play My Bedsit Window starring Sarah Ryan, Alan Kelly and Michael Mellamphy. David has been involved and supported by Fingal Arts for many years, his play 'The Unsung Hero' launched the renovated Atrium in County Hall and his play 'My Bedsit Window' was the first play staged in Swords Castle in 2014. 'My Bedsit Window' was described in reviews as 'Wrapped up in a myriad of mesmerising characters who - through Gilna's energetic vocal agility - burst open the emotional highs and lows of this true story 'My Bedsit Window' is a play for today - highly charged - highly recommended.' Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Eoghan O'Brien said: 'Fingal has a widespread and deep artistic culture. David is a brilliant local playwright with a great love and understanding of where he has come from. This next step in his career is recognition of this talent and we all wish him and his crew the best of luck in New York.' Margaret Geraghty, Director of Housing and Community for Fingal County Council said: 'David Gilna has been involved with the Arts department for many years now with a highlight being the performance of his play My Bedsit Window at Swords Castle. That performance showed the immense potential of Swords Castle as a key part in the development of Swords Cultural Quarter which looks to develop and deliver culturally for Swords and Fingal. I am delighted to hear about this news, hope it inspires other Fingal playwrights and that they know that the Arts department of Fingal County Council are there to support them. I wish David, all the actors and his team the best in their debut shows in New York.' Fingal Arts Officer, Rory O'Byrne said: 'Fingal Arts Office is committed to supporting our local artists and is delighted to see and support the success of local playwright David Gilna with his play 'My Bedsit Window'.' David has sought to build relationships between Fingal artists and the Irish American community through the work of his plays. The opportunity to showcase his work in New York city is an opportunity of a lifetime. David Gilna said about the news: 'I was honoured to have my first rehearsed reading of my play with The Irish American Writers and Artists Salon this week introducing my work as a playwright. 'The people and places of Fingal inspire my work as a playwright. I would thank all those who have helped me achieve all of this.' David was due to be on tour in America and Canada with his new show 'A Bolt From D'Blue' but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 health emergency but when one door closes another opportunity presents itself. David teamed up with Fingal local Sarah Ryan who is now based in New York. They met each other through their love of Performing Arts in Swords, Dublin and studied Theatre Studies in college together. The two other actors cast are, star of stage and screen Michael Mellamphy and another Fingal local Alan Kelly. David commented further: 'Alan and I trained at The National Performing Arts School together as kids. 'It was ran by Jill Doyle and Eamon Farrell and we shared The Olympia stage together over many years, so when Sarah told me the cast, I was over the moon to be working with three amazing actors but also two fellow Fingal natives. 'Collaborating with Sarah Ryan has been a dream ticket as we work together to connect my plays to an Irish American audience. 'As all the world's theatres are sleeping right now, the cast are set in place and are just waiting to begin production when the crisis abates.' Taylor Swift has issued a statement advocating for the removal of statues depicting racist figures in her native state of Tennessee. As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things, she wrote. Edward Carmack and Nathan Bedford Forrest were DESPICABLE figures in our state history and should be treated as such. Carmack, a newspaper editor who published pro-lynching editorials and served as a U.S. Senator near the beginning of the 20th century, had a statue in front of the Tennessee state Capitol that was torn down amid the protests that took place in Nashville on May 30. Earlier this week, the state announced plans to reinstate the statue, which Swift has denounced. Replacing his statue is a waste of state funds and a waste of an opportunity to do the right thing, she said. Swift also called for the removal of the Nathan Bedford Forrest Equestrian Statue, a monument to the first Grand Wizard of the KKK that currently stands in Nashville. A bid to remove the statue recently failed to pass the Tennessee House, but the Tennessee state legislature recently voted to free Governor Bill Lee from a long-standing law that previously required him to declare a Nathan Bedford Forrest Day every year. Taking down statues isnt going to fix centuries of systemic oppression, violence and hatred that black people have had to endure but it might bring us one small step closer to making ALL Tennesseans and visitors to our state feel safenot just the white ones, she wrote. Im asking the Capitol Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission to please consider the implications of how hurtful it would be to continue fighting for these monuments. Find her full statement below. Find resources in the fight against police brutality and systemic racism, including a list of organizations to donate to if youre able, here. Originally Appeared on Pitchfork India's desire for peace is born out of strength, should not mistaken otherwise: Army Chief Naravane Will be soon set to reset: Army Chief on situation at LAC India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 13: The situation along India's border with China is under control, Army Chief, General M M Naravane said. He also said that the ongoing series of high delegation level talks with the Chinese side has been followed up with meetings at the local level between the commanders. He also said that through continued dialogue, it is hoped that the differences between the two countries will be set to reset. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News We are hopeful that through the continued dialogue we are having, all perceived differences that we have will be set to reset. Everything is under control, the Army Chief also said. Indo-China deadlock and the problem at Finger 4 Although the problems are yet to be solved along the Line of Actual Control, talks are continuing at the local level as well as on the diplomatic side. A meeting of the Major Generals held on Friday went on for nearly five hours. Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh too reviewed the situation. He was briefed about the situation by the three Service Chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 13, 2020, 11:26 [IST] On Monday evening (May 8), terrorists killed Sarpanch Ajay Pandita in Anantnag, Jammu. According to media reports, the terrorists fired from a close range and grievously injured the 40-year-old Ajay. He was quickly rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. Police have registered a case and started investigating the matter. Death of Ajay Pandita, a Kashmiri Hindu became the topic of debate on social media. Many people raised the issue of Kashmiri Hindus' safety in the state. Amidst all this, actor-politician Naga Babu has recently condemned the tragic death of Ajay Pandita and criticised Hindu wings and mainstream media for completely ignoring the tragedy. Naga Babu sarcastically tweeted, "Yesterday, I came to know of Ajay's murder. It was a Hindu who was killed. So, we don't have to bother. He is not even from our State. We should rather feel sorry about the killing of George Floyd in America." (sic) The actor also commented on the media, which failed to cover murders of a number of Hindus in India over the years. He wrote, "Since Ajay is a Hindu, so-called secularists and mainstream media needn't condemn it. Even Hindus and Hindu organizations are not outraging. We have become so cold."(sic) "Only of late do we have the rule of a party that treats all religions equally. But even they seem to have become calculated in their approach," (sic) he added. Naga Babu in the last tweet of the series asked PM Narendra Modi to stop vote bank politics. The mega brother wrote, "Let's save Hinduism and Hindu culture. Please dear Modi ji, plz consider, we give equal rights and equal limits to all religions. No vote bank politics." (sic) Also Read : Megastar Chiranjeevi Slapped His Younger Brother Naga Babu For This Reason! On a related note, Bollywood actresses like Kangana Ranaut and Preity Zinta too condemned the death of Ajay Pandita. Now, people are hoping the late Ajay Pandita gets justice. Also Read : Naga Babu On Niharika Marriage: One Needs To Have These Qualities To Be Her Husband El-Ezaby created many scenography and costume designs for theatre, as well as explored visual art forms After a struggle with illness, renowned Egyptian scenographer and costume designer Hussein El-Ezaby died on Friday evening at the age of 73. Born in 1947, Hussein El-Ezaby graduated from the scenography department at Cairo's High Institute for Theatrical Arts in 1971 before moving on to teach at the Design department of the Faculty of Arts, Helwan University. He also studied scenography at the Drama Department of the American University in Cairo for two years (1969-1970). El-Ezaby dedicated his career to theatre, where he created dozens of scenography and costume designs for many well-known theatre performances. His designs took part in many international exhibitions in Egypt and internationally, mainly in European and Arab countries. His artistic passion also extended to visual arts inspired by the theatrical mind set. Deeply rooted in Egyptian art and traditions, El-Ezaby believed that "through his artwork, he can provide a context in which to read, analyse and reflect on his homeland," reads one of the notes accompanying his exhibition. Among his most recent international achievements is an exhibition he held in Dubai's Coya gallery in January 2019. Titled Glow in the Dark, the exhibition featured his paintings in which the artists explored theatrical and scenography concepts "inspired by a background in theatre design that encouraged El-Ezaby to explore the relationship between light and colour," the exhibition brief revealed. "The series echoes the very essence of the Egyptian spirit. The selection of paintings at Coya are an invitation to delve in and explore deeper Egyptian culture through ones own interpretive lens, the artist wrote in the same notes. El-Ezaby has also presented his designs for El-Tanoura Folkloric Troupe in one of his recent exhibitions held in Cairo. For his contributions to theatre and arts in general, over the years El-Ezaby was awarded several recognitions from the Egyptian and international creative bodies. Egypt's Ministry of Culture awarded El-Ezaby for his decades-long contribution to Egypt's scenography. His publication on Egypt's folkloric theatre brought him the Supreme Council for Arts and Literature Prize. El-Ezaby was honored during the opening ceremony of Egypt's 11th National Theatre Festival (2018). Many personalities from Egypt's cultural scene mourned the artist: Minister of Culture Ines Abdel Dayem, head of the Cultural Production Sector Khaled Galal, the Visual Arts sector, the head of artistic professions syndicate Ashraf Zaki, and numerous theatre personalities including Mazen El Gharabawy, the head of the Sharm El-Sheikh International Theatre Festival for Youth. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArtsand on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Brazil's coronavirus death toll has now overtaken Britain to become the second highest in the world with 41,828 deaths. Despite the country recording 909 deaths in the past 24 hours, with 828,810 confirmed infections among a population of 212 million, plans to ease quarantine restrictions and reopen shops are still going ahead. Experts say the true number of cases could be 10 or 15 times higher. The Brazilian death toll surpassed the British total today making it the country with the second highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world A new area in Nossa Senhora Aperecida cemetery in Manaus, Brazil was cleared to accomodate new graves But the World Health Organization (WHO) said the nation's health system was standing up to the pressure. 'The system as such from the data we see is not overwhelmed,' the WHO's top emergencies expert Dr. Mike Ryan said, with few areas of Brazil using more than 80% of their hospitals' intensive care bed capacity. He stated Brazil clearly has hotspots in heavily-populated cities but overall its health system is coping with the world's second worst number of infections. At a briefing in Geneva, Dr Ryan said: 'The data we have at the moment supports (the vision of) a system under pressure but a system still coping with the number of severe cases. Brazil's Health Ministry reported 25,982 new infections in the last 24 hours today and more than 1,200 deaths a day since Tuesday. Despite the mounting toll, the country's president Jair Bolsonaro is moving to ease quarantine restrictions and reopen businesses. Despite the growing death toll the country is still planning to ease quarantine restrictions and reopen shops The right-wing leader has minimized the gravity of the novel coronavirus, dismissing it 'a little flu' and has accused state governments of exaggerating the number of infections and deaths to undermine him. On Thursday night, Bolsonaro encouraged his supporters to 'find a way to get inside' hospitals to film whether the ICU beds are occupied or not, to provide images that the police and Brazil's intelligence agency could investigate. Brazilian shoppers lined up for hours and crowded into malls that reopened on Thursday in the country's two largest cities. Shoppers continued to crowd malls on Friday, Brazil's equivalent to Valentine's Day. President Jair Bolsonaro encouraged his supporters to 'find away to get inside' hospitals to find out whether the ICU beds were occupied or not Inside stores in Sao Paulo and Rio, distancing rules were followed, shoppers were required to wear protective masks and temperatures were taken before people entered some malls. A poll by brokerage XP Investimentos released on Friday showed that 52% of Brazilians now favor easing quarantine restrictions, versus 44% against, even though 61% of those surveyed believe the worst is still to come. Last month, another poll by the brokerage found that 76% saw social distancing as the best way to avoid the spread of the virus and 57% thought quarantine measures should remain in place until the risk of infection subsided. Last summer my husband, three children and I visited Italy. As a Catholic, I was particularly excited to see Rome and the Vatican, places I had never been before. We began our week in Rome with a trip to the Mamertine Prison where we imagined the last hours of St. Peter and St. Paul before they were taken to their martyrdoms. A few days later, after attending Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls, I realized there was a priest hearing confessions in English (and after several days of camping and walking around Rome with my family I had a number of things on my conscience). I knelt at a beautifully ornate wooden confessional and confessed, among other things, losing my temper and complaining. The priest said, You have to think about all the pilgrims who have been coming to Rome for the last two thousand years. Most of them had no idea if they would even survive the journey. All of these difficulties, all of these trials youre experiencing, theyre all part of the pilgrimage. In an instant his advice completely changed my mentality. It was 95 degrees every day we were in Rome. Part of the pilgrimage. My 5-year-old had itchy allergic eyes the whole time. Part of the pilgrimage. It was hard to find nutritious gluten-free foods for my daughter. Part of the pilgrimage. We explored and prayed in some of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the world. Part of the pilgrimage. We visited the tombs of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Bartholomew and St. Monica, who are some of my favorite saints. Part of the pilgrimage. We ate delicious Italian food and spent time relaxing together as a family. Part of the pilgrimage. Why have Christians been traveling to Rome for nearly two thousand years? Not because they wanted to suffer the inevitable difficulties of a pilgrimage, but because they wanted to walk the streets where some of our greatest heroes lived and died. They wanted to visit their tombs and ask for the intercession of these great saints. They wanted to see the chains that held St. Paul captive while he wrote his letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. They wanted to pray the Angelus with our Holy Father and thousands of other pilgrims. The concept of life as a pilgrimage is as old as the children of Israel wandering the desert in search of the Promised Land. The Catholic Church refers to herself as the Pilgrim Church on Earth to remind us that this life is a journey, but we are not home. We must not allow ourselves to become attached to the goods (and they are good!) of this world, or discouraged by the difficulties of life (and they are difficult!), but we must strive each day towards our final destination: eternal life with God in heaven. Our last day in Rome we got to attend an evening Mass in St. Peters Basilica. We were seated in the front of the church beneath Berninis iconic St. Peters Chair and Holy Spirit stained-glass window. As I prayed and listened to the choir and organ I thanked God for how he had designed my pilgrimage, beginning in an ancient prison and ending with a glorious Mass. I pondered the ways it mirrored the pilgrimage of life. Thanks to a nudge from God through the advice of a wise priest, I ended my time in Rome knowing it for the pilgrimage it was and feeling sure that I was tasting a little bit of heaven here on earth. Jessica Barton is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, former middle school math and science teacher, lactation consultant, and married mother of 3. She and her family have called Corvallis home for 4 years. She is a parishioner at St. Mary's in Corvallis and leads a group called Exploring Catholicism for people interested in learning about the Catholic faith. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 At least 200 Springfield high school students demanded an end to a program that assigned police officers in city schools at a demonstration at the High School of Commerce Saturday afternoon. Called the Quebec Unit, the program saw at least two officers criminally charged with using excessive force on students in what should have been non-violent episodes. The students are organized by the Pioneer Valley Project Youth Voices United and are calling on Mayor Domenic Sarno and Springfield School Superintendent Daniel Warwick to cut short the latest five-year Memorandum of Understanding or MOU. School resource officers have been in Springfield schools for nearly 25 years, officials said. The demonstration started at the High School of Commerce on State Street where protesters called for the school administration to end the programs, then wound its way to City Hall to be heard by the city political structure. Organizer Tia Austin said she said knowing that officers have used what she believes is excessive force against students because of rude comments makes her feel intimidated and angry. You cant tell someone how to channel their anger or the proper way to protest. Swearing at a police officer is in no way reason to be detained, to be sprayed, to be pushed into a wall. Words are just words, she said. They have weapons, guns, tasers, pepper spray; are my words really effecting them. It just incites fear. We should feel comfortable in our schools. They need to stop using our words as an excuse to hurt students. The protest comes in the wake of the national demonstrations against police use of inappropriate and excessive tactics sparked by the strangulation death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police last month. Khadija Mohamed just graduated from Central High School. She said seeing police officers in the halls of the school was intimidating when seen in a place kids should be learning and having fun. It made me very uncomfortable seeing a police officer standing there with his hand on his gun, judging everything I do. I dont like being in a space where I may get arrested of I make one bad move or a cop had a bad day. Instead protesters universally called for the money spent on police presence in schools be turned to fund elective courses, mental health services and counseling. On December 3, 2018, an officer was video recorded slamming a Commerce student into a wall before placing him under arrest because, the office stated in his report, the student made a rude comment to him. However, prosecutors said the report that Police Officer Angel Marrero filed was substantially different from what was shown on the video. He was charged with assault and filing a false police report. A few months later a second Quebec Unit officer, this one attached to the Kiley Middle School, was charged with assault and battery on a student after his takedown of the child was recorded on the schools video surveillance system. Officer Lawrence Pietucci was described as grabbing a disobedient student from behind in a bear hug, lifting out of his chair then pushing him to the ground. A school assistant vice principal witnessed the incident but did not report it to officials. Pietrucci was suspended without pay for five days then assigned to the departments property room pending the outcome of his court case. The school vice-principal, Otilio Alvarado was charged with failure to report child abuse as a mandated reporter and filing a false report. Sarah Bizzotto held a sign calling for an end to what she called the school to prison pipeline. Black students are far more likely to be viewed as older and more dangerous than white students, she said. Even kids a young as five years old. They are more likely to be suspended and not have a good school experience. That is directly linked to people going to prison. The Justice Policy Institute published a study that indicated that black students are 3 times as likely to be arrested, suspended or expelled from public schools as white students. The study found that students with more suspensions and expultions are also more likely to fall between their peers and drop out. Schools are tending to outsource discipline to juvenile courts and police departments, the study found. The Denver, Colorado School Board voted earlier this week to end its school resource officer program after a study by the Colorado Department of Criminal Justice found that black students were disproportionately arrested and ticketed in the city schools. DUBLIN Two Northern Irishmen are set to be extradited to Britain to face manslaughter charges over the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people found in the back of a truck near London last year, Irelands courts heard on Friday. Irelands High Court approved the handover to Britain of Ronan Hughes, 40, on charges of manslaughter and immigration offenses. A separate court dismissed an appeal against extradition by Eamonn Harrison, 23, who also faces human trafficking charges. Northern Irish truck driver Maurice Robinson pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter related to the deaths in March. The victims, 31 men and boys and eight women whose ages ranged from 15 to 44, were discovered in October in a container at the back of a truck driven by Robinson to an industrial estate in Grays in Essex, about 30 kilometers east of London. Irelands High Court heard that UK authorities allege that Hughes organized the drivers and travel. They also alleged in a separate case last year that Harrison delivered the trailer in which the people were found to a Belgian port before its onward journey to Britain. Irish broadcaster RTE reported that Hughes asked to be handed over to the UK authorities as soon as possible. Neither Harrison nor Hughes have yet to enter a plea in relation to the substance of the allegations as their hearings have only concerned extradition. New Delhi: 1. "India has a mentality to punch below its weight. We should not punch below our weight or above our weight, but improve our weight and punch proportionately." 2. "Do not overreact (on Kashmir unrest), it will pass off as they cannot sustain beyond a point." 3. "The supreme interest of the country has to be protected." 4. "The war is on till we are victorious" 5. "If you make a provocation, you are partly responsible. But if you are not able to exercise power, it is as good as not having it." 6. You may do one Mumbai; you may lose Balochistan. These are the famous statements given by India's National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval during his public appearances in the last five years. In the wake of deadly terror attack on Army camp in Kashmir's Uri sector on Sunday, there is a rising demand from every corner of the country to take strong action against Pakistan. In another debate in online media, netizens are also saying that the Narendra Modi government is following the 'Doval Doctrine' while dealing with the 'enemy' nations in our neighbourhood. Many other people have a different view that the 'Doval Doctrine' is the only solution if India is serious to end the menace of terrorism coming from country's western border. Let's understand what is the 'Doval doctrine', and from where it emerged- Who is Ajit Doval? Ajit Kumar Doval is a 1968-batch IPS officer who has also served as the director of Intelligence Bureau (IB). Doval was characterised by AS Dulat, the former head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), as 'the hawkish Ajit Doval'. Hes known to be a hawkish thinker who has carried out multiple covert missions in his career as an IB agent. Infiltration into the then underground Mizo National Front to win over its top commanders, walk into the Golden Temple in Amritsar posing as a Pakistani agent before the Operation Black Thunder in 1988 to obtain intelligence, and a seven-year tour of duty in Pakistan - these are the key highlights of Doval's career as an Indian agent. As India's National Security Advisor, he provided key background for the Prime Minister Narendra Modis trips to the US, Australia, Myanmar, Fiji and the engagement with South Asia and European countries. Doval believes, In a changing world order India is engaging powers who have conflicting views. So we engage China and Japan as well as Russia and the United States. Covering a slew of issues that have dominated Indias security concerns, Doval also underlined Modi governments focus on emerging technological threats from cyberspace. What is 'Doval Doctrine'? The 'Doval Doctrine' named after him in two lectures delivered in 2014 and 2015. Two important lectures delivered by Doval on national security constitute the core of the Doval Doctrine. 1. Nani Palkhivala Memorial Lecture at Shastra University, Tanjore, in February 2014, 2. Lalit Doshi Memorial Lecture on State Security Statecraft and Conflict of Values at Mumbai in August 2015. He has delineated his approach to Pakistani terrorism through the 2 lectures and this constitutes the core of the 'Doval Doctrine'. Watch Video: Ajit Doval giving lecture on strategic response to terrorism at Sastra University, Tanjore, in February 2014 Watch Video: Ajit Doval at Lalit Doshi Memorial Lecture lecture at Mumbai in August 2015 In short, Doval believes the enemy is to be engaged at 3 levels- A. Defensive, B. Defensive-offensive, C. Offensive modes. On Pakistan According to him, the defensive mode is ineffective and irrelevant. Doval says, "India needs to go into the 'offensive-defensive' mode when dealing with a rogue state like Pakistan. India should tackle the problem where it originated." And to make it clear, he used the famous phrase: "You may do one Mumbai; you may lose Balochistan." On Terror groups On the issue of terror organisations, Doval says these outfits could be bought with money, weapons and manpower. These groups can be managed with the use of high technology and intelligence-driven covert operations. Doval also believes that individual morality should not be imposed on the larger values of the state. The core of the 'Doval Doctrine' can be seen in the statement - "Either Pakistan give up terrorism against India as a state policy or India would let it bleed with the Taliban". On Kashmir unrest According to him, the values of the state are above the values of any individual. His message is clear that the policy of appeasement will not work while dealing with issue of Kashmir. "Do not overreact (on Kashmir unrest), it will pass off as they cannot sustain beyond a point," he had said on Kashmir issue in 2010.Doval's policy prescription is marked by three themes, particularly on Kashmir - 1. Irrelevance of morality, 2. Extremism freed from calculation or calibration, 3. Reliance on military might. Read More | Uri Terror Attack: 'Now time has come to teach Pakistan in its own language,' tweets India Is it working? Opposition parties claim that the country has not seen much clarity in Indian strategic thinking in the Narendra Modi government in the last two years. The critics of the 'Doval Doctrine' say that the recent terror attacks in Pathankot and Uri may be Pakistans response to not only the Kashmir unrest but also Indias 'Defensive Offence' over the issue of Balochistan. The latest attack in Uri in which 18 soldiers were killed brings into question the Doval Doctrine's implications. Isn't the Uri attack the Pakistani armys way of telling India: Say what you want, we will keep doing it. The idea of 'Doval Doctrine' puts a disproportionate pressure on government to compensate for the strategic weaknesses. This framework does not help peace-building and it neglects the traditional tools of diplomacy. What's next? Uri attack is a big question mark on the Modi government's policy towards Pakistan. Should India continue its 'Defensive Offence' approach against Pakistan? Is there an immediate need to change India's approach to strategically fight Pakistan sponsored terrorism? In short the big question is that, should India continue with the so-called 'Doval Doctrine'? Please share your comments in the comment box below or take a poll here: (With inputs from Quartz, Atimes, Quora) Click here to see the poll results In the wake of Pathankot and Uri attacks, do you think the so-called 'Doval Doctrine' is working for India? Uri Terror Attack: 'Now time has come to teach Pakistan in its own language,' tweets India For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. As Manpasikjeok remain whole in the past, the door will close the parallel worlds. Only memories of the events that happened while it was broken will remain. Any traces of the events that turn to exist disappeared. King Gon remains in the Kingdom of Corea while Tae-Eul returned to the year 2020 in the Republic of Korea. Shin Jae's counterpart in Korea in 1994, Prince Buyeong, saved him and his mother from committing suicide. Five years later after the treason, Luna met Koo at a young age in the market. This time, Koo's mother adopted Luna. As she tries to steal money from the store. Tae-Eul returns to her world in the year 2020. She continued to work as a detective. Her memories of the past with King Gon remains intact. Shin Jae and King Gon did not exist anymore. Manpasikjeok takes out all the traces of the past and keeps the world in balance. As the years had passed, Tae-Eul waited for him to come back. She crossed paths with Lee Ji-hun as the counterpart of King Gon in her world. He grew up to be a navy officer and looks exactly like Gon, but Ji-hun never remembered Tae-Eul, whom also lost her hope of seeing him again. She thought of the promises they made on the last night they were together. Little did she knew that King Gon traveled throughout the realm and opened every door to another world looking for her. He remains hopeful that one day he may find the world where Tae-Eul existed. In every world he travels, he met the same face but holds a different persona which doesn't resemble the real Tae-Eul. In the year 2021, the Republic of Korea Tae-Eul and King Gon met in front of her house. King Gon thought that she is not the woman he looked for. Tae-Eul gave him a tight hug as she cried looking at him. Tae-Eul questioned what took him long to come back and find her. King Gon explained as he killed Lee Rim he went back to the palace to help wounded Yeong. After that, he begins his travel opening the obelisk using the power of Manpasikjeok. This time, King Gon said "I Love You" for the first time to Tae-Eul. She realized that they remembered their past because of their deep love for each other until they reach the present time. In the year 2022, in the Kingdom of Corea, Jo Yeong has a twin who has the same name as Eun Sup's sibling. King Gon asked if he missed the past and his counterpart Yeong said that it is fine since Eun Sup won't remember him anymore. Kang Hyeon-min (the counterpart of Shin Jae) is a police officer and a good friend of Luna. In the same year, Koo git arrested and in prison for corruption. Luna visits her in prison checking if she is doing well. King Gon and Tae-Eul are seeing each other every weekend as time permits. They mert at the axis world and travel to different worlds without their counterparts. They enjoyed their time togethe, though their destinations are extraordinary every time. King Gon then brought Tae-Eul to meet his uncle Prince Buyeong. In the world they travel in, Buyeong did not recognize them. Through time, they reached several places that amused them. They gathered all their things in the axis realm to prepare all their needs. King Gon then met the young Shin Jae in another year, healthy and alive, this was in the year 1994 in the Republic of Korea. Another place they traveled to is the same year they are in and they again met Jo Yeong. King Gon brought Tae-Eul in the palace to hide. Lady Ok-Nam didn't saw her face but is aware of her presence. They travel through the obelisk and enjoy adventures together. Meanwhile, Ms. Mo becomes the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Korea, and Jang Mi eventually joined the Jongno police force with Tae-eul. Furthermore, Eun Sup married Na Ri and they have 2 kids. On the other hand, Shin Jae inherits his father's wealth. However, none of them remembered that King Gon existed. Still, King Gon and Tae-Eul continued to love and live the fate that the Manpasikjeok allows them to have. After putting their death toll on hold for a number of days, Spain now faces speculations that they are hiding the real numbers and severity of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. According to Rte.ie, Spain has recently announced that more than 27,000 people have already died from COVID-19 in their country. The emergency coordinator of the country's health ministry has also acknowledged the fact that the figure has caused both confusion and astonishment. It was also reported that on May 25, the health ministry has changed its way of collecting the data and confirmed fatalities and cases. They initially reported a death toll of 50 to 100 on a daily basis. However, the said figures continued to decline as the days passed until there were no daily deaths reported at all. This was even supported by the statement of the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who informed the parliament that there were no fatalities that have been recorded for several days. Sanchez's statement then earned backlash and many have accused the prime minister of not telling the truth about the severity of the epidemic. An expert in health sciences, Salvador Macip has already warned people that there is danger in releasing such information because, despite the fact that there is a very low rate on infection in the country at present, the virus is still there. Read also: COVID-19 Fatality Rate is Low: Stanford Statistician Says It is Not as Deadly as We Thought Discrepancy in figures prompted the freezing of death count According to Simon, the new system that they are developing aims to facilitate a faster way of detecting and isolating new cases. He also added that a detailed breakdown of the fresh cases will be provided by regions, instead of sending them all together in lumps. However, he also said that discrepancies in the numbers reported have prompted them to freeze the release of the country's overall death count. He also said that the discrepancies can be attributed to the delay in the data submission of certain regions. In a report by Rappler, it was stated that Spain's death toll has stayed at 27,136 since the 7th of June. Simon also added that authorities are still reviewing the information on the death rate before there will be able to give precise, accurate, and updated information. But Simon's statement was challenged by some regional areas who claimed that all required data has already been submitted to the ministry, but some were not reflected in the overall account of the deaths. More speculations rose after the Carlos III Health Institute and National Statistics Institute (INE) published this week that the number of deaths in the country is between 43,000-44,000 more than their average mortality rate in the past years. Thus, many have concluded that the increase in annual deaths is proof that the government is downplaying the death toll. Government insists they are not hiding anything However, the Spanish government continues to insist that they are not hiding the true density of COVID-19 deaths in the country, saying that the "excess mortality" had other causes or could be suspected COVID-19 but were never confirmed. Ildefonso Hernandez, the Spanish Society of Public Health's spokesman said that the government is not hiding anything but also acknowledged that it is not communicating effectively and clearly. Related article: Fact Check: Is the COVID-19 Pandemic a False Alarm? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Steni Simon By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two persons who had recently arrived from Tamil Nadu to the colony were supposed to be in quarantine. But they flouted the rules and were seen roaming around in the city. They agreed to be quarantined only after people here informed the police. I have two toddlers and elderly parents at home. Such situations are dangerous to all of us, said Rubeena Beevi, a resident of Karimadom colony. Her husband who works in Dubai will be returning soon. Since we stay in homes that barely have adequate rooms, were looking for other options when he arrives, she said. In homes that are cramped and stuffy, the residents of the Karimadom Colony and the Rajaji Nagar Colony have been living in fear and anxiety ever since the lockdown began on March 25. With Dharavi, Asias largest slum reporting a spurt in coronavirus cases, the people residing in these colonies in the city have become more concerned. The first sero-survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on the pandemic spread stated that the urban slums are most vulnerable to the virus spread. Like the residents of Karimadom, the residents of Rajaji Nagar are also worried since there are chances of community spread. Suma, a resident of Rajaji Nagar said: There are several people from other places coming to the colony daily. This may increase the chances of infection. Authorities step in More than 1,000 families reside in Karimadom colony which is one of the most vulnerable colonies to the virus because of the density of its population and the prevailing poor sanitation conditions. Similar is the case with the Rajaji Nagar Colony. Hundreds of people sometimes share the same bathroom or community bathrooms. Even access to clean water is not guaranteed. Although the anxious residents wear masks or handkerchiefs while stepping out, they opine that it is impossible to stay confined in small rooms. Police officials and respective ward councillors of the colonies have stepped in to ensure that the residents adhere to the safety rules during the lockdown. Manacaud ward councillor Simi Jyothish said: The colony is overpopulated with people living in cramped houses which are very close. It is impossible to ensure social distancing in these colonies. However, with the help of the ASHA workers and other volunteers, we are ensuring that people residing in the colony follow hygiene standards. People who are in quarantine are also being closely monitored. Simi added that despite all the precautions taken to contain the virus, residents are scared if the same situation would arise like what happened in Dharavi. People who were in quarantine are also being stigmatised. I received a couple of distress calls from the residents when some people were put under quarantine, said Simi. Volunteers have been formed in the colony itself to ensure the safety guidelines are being followed. We are keeping a check on the people in quarantine since incidents were reported of several flouting the rules. Recently, a lorry driver who had travelled to various red zone states had returned to the colony without informing anyone. I informed the authorities and he was placed under quarantine. Also when people crowd during certain occasions like funerals, we report to the Fort police station. We are also keeping track of the people visiting the health centre functioning inside the colony, said Shan Haja, a volunteer. Thampanoor ward councillor M V Jayalakshmi said: We have already given strict instructions to the residents at Rajaji Nagar Colony regarding the safety measures. Those who avoid home quarantine will strictly be shifted to our quarantine centres. Out of more than 94,000 patients of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Maharashtra, 46,330 or 49% have recovered, according to the state governments health department. Maharashtra has recorded 101,141 infections and 3,717 people have died due to Covid-19 till Saturday morning, according to the states health department. The analysis is available for 94,031 cases, it said. Out of these 94,031 Covid-19 patients, 36,035 or 38% are asymptomatic and 6,290 or 7% have symptoms of the disease, data showed. Two per cent or 1,761 of these patients are critical and 4% or 3,615 have succumbed due to the disease. Also read: Slum dwellers allege city hospital charged exorbitant bills for Covid-19 treatment, Bombay HC seeks report from charity commissioner According to the analysis of data of 44,086 Covid-19 patients admitted in various hospitals in Maharashtra, 36,035 or 82% of people are asymptomatic and 6,290 or 14% are symptomatic. There are 1,761 or 4% of patients are critical, it said. The number of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra crossed the one-lakh mark on Friday after 3,493 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. According to the states health department bulletin released on Friday, 1,718 patients were discharged after recovery, taking the number of recovered patients in the state to 47,796. While Maharashtra is the worst-affected state in the country, Mumbai leads among cities with over 55,000 cases and 2,044 deaths. Also read: Covid-19 infection rate jumped by 21% in 12 days in Delhi, recovery rate dropped Mumbai registered 1,366 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours and also reported 90 deaths in the same period, taking the number of casualties in the metropolis to 2,044. Pune with 9,581 Covid-19 cases and 419 deaths is Maharashtras second-worst affected city followed by Aurangabad with 2,351 cases and 123 deaths; Solapur 1,501 cases and 113 deaths; Akola 906 cases and 34 deaths and Nagpur with 903 cases and 12 deaths, as per data. WILLIAMSPORT A New York State man has been sentenced to a little more than nine years in federal prison for helping steal $55,000 worth of weapons from a Mansfield area gun store in 2016. Jason William Thorne, 40, was sentenced Friday to 9 years, 2 months by U.S. Middle District Matthew W. Brann, a slightly shorter term than the judge gave co-defendant Ben McCormack on May 27. The two Jamestown residents had pleaded guilty to charges of theft of firearms and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen firearms. They stole 37 handguns and four pistols from GNR Sporting Goods on June 17, 2016. McCormack also admitted making arrangements to sell the stolen weapons and burglarizing Fulmers Sporting Goods in Wysox Twp. outside Towanda and Arrowhead Outdoors in Tionesta, Forest County. Nearly 100 handguns and rifles were stolen in the three burglaries for which McCormack is serving a 10-year, 1-month sentence. Restitution was not ordered for either because the amount has yet to be determined. The stolen weapons have been recovered and returned, Brann said. Thorne also was charged in New York State with criminal possession of a weapon and in 2018 was sentenced to up to four years in prison after he was found in possession of one of the stolen guns. Thorne, who admitted having drug issues, will be on supervised release for three years when he gets out of prison as will McCormack. 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. Often. Often. I mean, look, Im still very conscious when Im not dressed like a senator, and even when I am, that I still could be one misunderstanding away from a very bad incident. But I also realize that Im in a position of power to do something about these issues. And, you know, my Newark experiences have profoundly shaped my perspective on these issues. We came in as reformers, and we really believed in good faith, with a majority black City Council and black mayor, that we were doing a real good job when it came to changing our police practices. But we were confronted by a Department of Justice investigation. And it dredged up the data that we were not moving fast enough. And it is a testimony to these issues they cant be gotten rid of with good intentions. So, this has been a lifes work for me from the time I was in college writing about policing issues to the time I was a reformer as a mayor to the time Ive been a United States senator. And I almost feel, and its not the best word, but I almost feel a sense of shame that here I am, 30 years of adulthood since Rodney King, and the lessons that I got in my teenage years from African-American adults who wanted to make me afraid of police for my own safety, who wanted to teach me coping mechanisms, I feel just a sense of profound regret that Im having to have those conversations with young black men in my life, my mentees or my nephews. And that is really hurtful to me that weve had three decades since that horrific beating of a black man who was so demonized, so stripped of his humanity, like so many black Americans have been in policing practices. The history of policing in this country, and its treatment of African-Americans, is thoroughly documented for every generation of being so far short of the highest ideals of this country. Its been an affront to the very dignity of the nation as a whole. You cant be comfortable with this. And its our comfort with it that has allowed it to fester. On the campaign trail you told people to come see your city of Newark. Its peaceful protests have made national news. Why do you think the city has responded this way? Protest traditions in Newark are in our genes. We elevate our protesters to elected office. Im proud of [Mayor] Ras Baraka. His father was Amiri Baraka. His father was beaten by police on the streets of Newark during the dark periods of the [1967] riots. Hes a leader that people trust, people know. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Saturday announced that TPG will invest Rs 4,546.80 crore for a 0.93% stake in Jio Platforms, marking a historic ninth deal in seven weeks and taking the combined fundraising in the Reliance Industries unit well past Rs 1 lakh crore. The rush of deals in Jio Platforms, which runs movies, news and music apps as well as the telecom enterprise Jio Infocomm, marks the largest uninterrupted fundraising by a company anywhere in the world. RIL, the oil-to-retail-to-telecom conglomerate, has now sold a 21.99% stake in Jio and raised Rs 1,02,432.15 crore from some of the worlds leading technology investors. All the deals were concluded amid a global lockdown, a testament to Indias huge digital potential and a strong endorsement of Jios formidable strategy, tech capabilities, disruptive business model and secular long-term growth potential. TPGs investment at an equity valuation of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise valuation of Rs 5.16 lakh crore follows the purchase of a 1.16% stake by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for Rs 5,683.5 crore on June 7. The series of investments in Jio was led by a 9.99% stake sale to Facebook Inc for Rs 43,574 crore on April 22. Since then, General Atlantic, Silver Lake (twice), Vista Equity Partners, KKR, Mubadala Investment Company and ADIA have spent money on Jio. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said, Today, I am happy to welcome TPG as valued investors in our continued efforts towards digitally empowering the lives of Indians through the creation of a digital ecosystem. We have been impressed by TPGs track record of investing in global technology businesses which serve hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses, making the societies we live in better. Jim Coulter, Co-CEO TPG, said, We are excited to partner Reliance to invest in Jio. As an investor in growth, change, and innovation for over 25 years and with a longstanding presence in India -- we are excited to play an early role in Jio's journey as they continue to transform and advance India's digital economy. Jio is a disruptive industry leader that is empowering small businesses and consumers across India by providing them with critical, high-quality digital services. The company is bringing unmatched potential and execution capabilities to the market, setting the tone for all technology companies to come. Jio Platforms is a next-generation technology platform focused on providing high-quality and affordable digital services across India, with nearly 400 million subscribers. Jio Platforms has made significant investments across its digital ecosystem, powered by leading technologies spanning broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented and mixed reality and blockchain. TPG, a leading global alternative asset firm founded in 1992, manages assets worth more than $119 billion across a wide range of classes such as private equity, growth equity, real estate, credit and public equity, and runs offices in more than 16 countries. In TPGs more than 25-year history, it has built an ecosystem made up of hundreds of portfolio companies and a value-added network of professionals, executives and advisors around the world. By offering institutional support and global resources, TPG enables these companies to reach their full potential and unlock greater possibilities. Disclaimer: News18.com is part of Network18 Media & Investment Limited which is owned by Reliance Industries Limited that also owns Reliance Jio. Tension built for days between Florida Department of Health supervisors and the department's geographic information systems manager before officials showed her the door, she says, permanently pulling her off the coronavirus dashboard that she operated for weeks. Managers had wanted Rebekah Jones to make certain changes to the public-facing portal, she says. Jones had objected to - and sometimes refused to comply with - what she saw as unethical requests. She says the department offered to let her resign. Jones declined. Weeks after she was fired in mid-May, Jones has now found a way to present the state's coronavirus data exactly the way she wants it: She created a dashboard of her own. "I wanted to build an application that delivered data and helped people get tested and helped them get resources that they need from their community," Jones, 30, said of the site that launched Thursday. "And that's what I ended up building with this new dashboard." White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx praised Florida's official coronavirus dashboard in April as a beacon of transparency. But Jones has asserted that the site undercounts the state's infection total and overcounts the number of people tested - with the official numbers bolstering the decision to start loosening restrictions on the economy in early May, when the state had not met federal guidelines for reopening. The competing opinions about how to frame Florida's data underscore the importance of access to accurate information about the virus's spread as the state continues to lift restrictions on public life. Among other data-related controversies, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) came under heavy scrutiny after Jones first alleged publicly that the health department was manipulating statistics to support his desire to reopen. The Florida governor's office did not respond Friday to an email seeking comment on Jones's new dashboard.In a previous statement, a spokeswoman for the governor said Jones "exhibited a repeated course of insubordination during her time with the Department, including her unilateral decisions to modify the Department's COVID-19 dashboard without input or approval from the epidemiological team or her supervisors." Jones's allegations about other managers' requests are serious. She claimed they asked her to delete data showing that some residents tested positive for the coronavirus in January, even though DeSantis assured residents in March that there was no evidence of community spread. Jones also alleged that she was asked to manually change numbers to wrongly make counties appear to have met metrics for reopening. Representatives for the Florida Health Department did not respond Friday to a request for comment on Jones's dashboard but provided a statement Saturday after this article published. A department spokesman said the January dates that Jones referenced are not necessarily when a person tested positive for the virus. Those dates could also represent the first day someone came into contact with an infected person or went to a place where she may have contracted the virus, the statement said. "Epidemiologists collect information that informs the Department of Health of an individual's symptoms, contacts and location of where they may have acquired COVID-19," said the spokesman, Alberto Moscoso. "The first date of entry in answer to any question, COVID-related or not, is designated the event date." Many event dates are months before a person became sick, Moscoso added. Despite the differences between the state's dashboard and Jones's dashboard, Jones's site relies on the health department's data. She said she wrote code that pulls information from various reports on the department's website and presents the data in a way that she believes adds more context. Her dashboard also incorporates data from hospitals and from a volunteer organization that maps coronavirus testing sites. On Jones's dashboard, the number of people tested is significantly lower than the official figure. She said the state's number is actually a tally of the number of samples taken - not the number of people tested. Her dashboard said Florida had tested 895,947 people as of Friday evening, whereas the state dashboard listed the number of people tested as more than 1.3 million. Jones's death toll is slightly higher because she counts nonresidents who died while they were in Florida, while the state does not. States take varied approaches in accounting for nonresidents who die there, as well as for residents who die while out of state. The case count on Jones's dashboard is also higher because it includes people who have tested positive for antibodies, or proteins that indicate that the virus has been in someone's body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that antibody tests are not foolproof and that a higher percentage of positive results may be incorrect in areas where few people have had the virus. In Jones's eyes, the divergences from the state's data site were necessary. "If you're creating something that simply presents a very narrow view of a situation that's complex and nuanced but affects everybody's lives, then you're not enabling them to take action, to take some semblance of control over what they're going through," she said of the state health department's dashboard. Jones said she plans to keep her dashboard running, from her home in Tallahassee, for as long as it seems to be useful for residents and she can afford to do so. If a vaccine is developed, she said she wants her site to include information about distribution. The project has been neither easy - Jones said she has been working 12-hour days - nor cheap. To launch the site, Jones said she bought a new computer, upgraded her hard drive and licensed the software that she uses to create the maps. A GoFundMe page had raised nearly $27,000 for her as of Friday evening. While Jones said she is open to talking with the health department about selling her dashboard to the state, she insisted that she did not launch the project out of spite or revenge. "It really is because I had to stop feeling sorry for myself and what happened to me, as unfair as it was, and get back to doing what I wanted to do in the first place, which was help people," she said. - - - The Washington Post's Jacqueline Dupree contributed to this report. President Donald Trump has said that he will delay until June 20 his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma that had been planned for June 19, the holiday known as Juneteenth. Trump had faced massive backlash from his critics over the timing and location of the rally, originally planned for a holiday celebrating the end of slavery in America, in a city where an infamous race massacre took place. 'We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th a big deal. Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday,' Trump tweeted on Friday night. 'Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents,' he continued. 'I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honor their requests. We have already had ticket requests in excess of 200,000 people. I look forward to seeing everyone in Oklahoma!' Trump said. President Donald Trump has said that he will reschedule his rally that had been planned for June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma Earlier in the day, Fox News aired an interview in which Trump defended holding his first campaign rally since the COVID-19 shutdowns on Juneteenth in Tulsa. 'Think about it as a celebration. My rally is a celebration,' the president told host Harris Faulkner. 'In the history of politics, I think I can say there's never been any group or any person that's had rallies like I do.' Faulkner, who is black, had asked Trump if he had selected the date and the location 'on purpose,' as both have meaning to black Americans - while Oklahoma isn't a swing state. The date is significant because it's Juneteenth, which marks the day the last slaves were informed of their freedom thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation. The city is significant because Tulsa was where one of the most violent racial episodes in U.S. history occurred 99 years ago. To Faulkner's question Trump answered, 'No, but I know exactly what you're going to say.' 'Well, I'm just asking. I've not got anything to say,' Faulkner replied. People searching through rubble after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 1921 During the riot, 35 city blocks were completely destroyed and 10,000 were left homeless A number of black leaders had chewed into Trump for the rally's date and locale. 'This isn't just a wink to white supremacists - he's throwing them a welcome home party,' Sen. Kamala Harris said in reaction to the rally plans, according to the Associated Press. Harris, a California Democrat, is a vice presidential contender. Sherry Gamble Smith, the president of the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce, named after the Greenwood neighborhood that was attacked, said, 'Tulsa is outraged.' 'To choose the date, to come to Tulsa, is totally disrespectful and a slap in the face to ever happen,' Gamble Smith told the AP. She suggested at the least the Trump campaign should 'change it to Saturday the 20th.' On May 31 and June 1, 1921, white residents attacked and killed black residents in the Greenwood district of Tulsa that was referred to at the time as 'Black Wall Street.' The attack, carried out on the ground and from private aircraft, destroyed more than 35 square blocks of the district, which at that time was the wealthiest black community in the US. The Oklahoma Bureau of Vital Statistics officially recorded 36 dead although some estimates stretch to 300. Younger audiences learned this piece of horrific American history last year when it was depicted on the HBO show 'Watchmen.' Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger came to Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and slavery. Although slavery was already abolished more than two years earlier by the Emancipation Proclamation, it continued in some areas. Nike, NFL and Twitter will honor Juneteenth this year Nike, the NFL, Twitter and other groups and companies will honor Juneteenth this year by giving employees the day off, after the holiday gained prominence amid George Floyd protests. The holiday set for each June 19 marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers landed in Texas with the message that the Civil War was over and slavery ended. President Abraham Lincoln more than two years earlier had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect at the start of 1863. The arrival of Union troops in Texas provided needed strength to overcome resistance there to freeing slaves. Advertisement Texans began celebrating the day a year later with parades and parties. Its not a federal holiday, but most states observe it in some way, except three: Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to a list compiled by the Congressional Research Service. Businesses have been forced to re-examine their policies after pressure from employees and ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed black mans neck for several minutes, even after he pleaded for air. Some businesses have professed support for the Black Lives Matter movement or pledged to donate money to organizations. Others have promised to hire more black workers or make other policy changes. This week, Nike CEO John Donahoe told workers they would get Juneteenth off starting this year as a way to celebrate black culture and history. 'Our expectation is that each of us use this time to continue to educate ourselves and challenge our perspectives and learn,' Donahoe wrote in a memo. 'I know that is what I intend to do.' NFL Commissoner Roger Goodell, who last week said that the league was wrong to not listen to football players who have protested police brutality on the field since 2016, wrote in a note Friday that its offices would be closed June 19. 'The power of this historical feat in our countrys blemished history is felt each year,' Goodell wrote in a memo. 'But there is no question that the magnitude of this event weighs even more heavily today in the current climate.' After getting feedback from black employees, The New York Times said it would give employees an additional day off and encouraged them to use it on June 19. Earlier this week, Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted that U.S. employees would have Juneteenth off 'forevermore' as a day for 'celebration, education, and connection.' Dorsey said employees at Square, the mobile payments services company he also runs, would get the day off, too. THE 1921 TULSA RACE RIOT: AN ATTACK ON GREENWOOD After World War I, Tulsa was recognized for its affluent African-American community known as the Greenwood District. The community was often referred to as the 'Black Wall Street' because of its thriving businesses and residential area. But in June 1921, the community was nearly destroyed during the Tulsa Race Riot. The events leading up to the riot began on May 30, 1921, when a young black man named Dick Rowland was riding in the elevator with a woman named Sarah Page. The details of what followed vary from person to person and it's unclear what actually happened. During the Tulsa Riot, 35 city blocks were completely destroyed and more than 800 people were treated for injuries. Historians believe as many as 300 people may have died in the riot Little Africa on Fire is the description given this photo of the Tulsa Race riot, June 1, 1917. The proper name of the African American section of town was Greenwood A group of National Guard Troops, carrying rifles with bayonets attached, escort unarmed African American men to the detention center at Convention Hall, after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 1921 Rowland was arrested the next day by Tulsa police. Subsequently, a report in the Tulsa Tribune dated May 31, 1921, started a confrontation between black and white armed men at the courthouse. This started a confrontation between black and white armed men at the courthouse, with the white men demanding that Rowland be lynched while the black men tried to protect him. During a struggle between two men in the mobs over a gun, shots were fired and a white man was shot, causing the the African-American group to retreat to the Greenwood District. In the early morning hours of June 1, 1921, Greenwood was looted and burned by an estimated 10,000 white rioters, who flooded into the streets shooting residents. Planes also reportedly dropped incendiary bombs on the area. Many of the white mob had recently returned from World War I and trained in the use of firearms, are are said to have shot Black Americans on sight. In addition, more than 1,400 homes and businesses were destroyed, and nearly 10,000 people were left homeless. For two days starting on May 31 1921, an white mob estimated to be 10,000-strong destroyed Tulsa's Black Greenwood district, known as Black Wall Street, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 300 people and injuring 800 more The riots lasted for two days, and Governor Robertson declared martial law, and National Guard troops were called in to Tulsa. During the riot, 35 city blocks were completely destroyed. Historians believe as many as 300 people may have died in the riot - mostly Black Americans -and more than 800 people were treated for injuries. Bodies were buried in mass graves while families of those who were killed in the riots were held in prison under martial law according to Scott Ellsworth, a University of Michigan historian, in December. The families of the deceased were never told whether their loved ones died in the massacre, or where they were buried, and no funerals were held. Until the 1990s, the massacre was rarely mentioned in history books, and in 2001, the Race Riot Commission was organized to review the details of the deadly riot. Source: Tulsa History.org In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Oklahoma. The killing of hundreds of people in a prosperous black business district in 1921 was referred to as the Tulsa race riot but it has since been relabeled as a 'massacre' Advertisement The Trump rally could attract more 'Black Lives Matter' protests, which have had public health officials concerned could contribute to the coronavirus spread. For his own crowd, the president's campaign has asked rally-goers to agree not to sue the campaign and other entities if they contract COVID-19. 'By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present,' a ticketing form on the campaign website read. It goes on to say that by attending the June 19 rally 'you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President ... liable for any illness or injury.' By obtaining tickets through the form, rally attendees are also not able to sue the Bank of Oklahoma Center, the venue for the rally, ASM Global, which is the venue's management company and 'any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers,' the disclaimer said. The Trump campaign has not announced any social distancing plans, though spokesman Tim Murtaugh told DailyMail.com, 'There will be health precautions.' During his sit-down with Faulkner during a trip Thursday to Texas, Trump simply highlighted the potential size of the crowd. 'I go and I just say, give me the biggest stadium and we fill it up every time,' the president said. 'We've never had a vacancy,' he boasted. Donald Trump claims he's done more for the black community 'than any other president' saying Abraham Lincoln 'did good although it's always questionable' Trump said that he's done more for the American black community than any president, though he suggested Abraham Lincoln's slave-freeing status made that president unrankable. 'I think I've done more for the black community than any other president,' Trump told Fox News Channel's Harris Faulkner in an interview that aired Friday. 'And let's take a pass on Abraham Lincoln, because he did good although it's always qustionable, you know, in other words, the end result.' It was unclear, exactly, what result Trump was talking about, though Faulkner, who is black, responded, 'Well, we are free, Mr. President. He did pretty well.' 'We are free,' Trump said back. 'Well, you understand what I mean? You know, I got to take a pass on an Honest Abe, as we call it.' Faulkner then probed Trump on how he's 'done more than anybody.' President Trump said in an interview that aired Friday that he'd 'done more for the black community than any other president' President Trump (left) then added Abraham Lincoln 'did good although it's always qustionable' mentioning an 'end result.' Fox News Channel's Harris Faulkner responded with, 'Well, we are free, Mr. President' The president pointed to the bipartisan criminal justice bill he signed. 'And I got five or six Republicans Senators who had no interest in getting it done,' Trump reminded Faulkner. The president also pointed to getting prolonged funding for historically black colleges and universities. He also mentioned so-called 'Opportunity Zones' and prison reform. The president had made similar comments about Lincoln previously. On June 2, when the nation was in the throngs of the protests over George Floyd's death, he tweeted that he came in second place after Lincoln in helping black Americans. 'My Admin has done more for the Black Community than any President since Abraham Lincoln,' the president tweeted. 'Passed Opportunity Zones with Sen. Tim Scott, guaranteed funding for HBCU's, School Choice, passed Criminal Justice Reform, lowest Black unemployment, poverty, and crime rates in history ... ...AND THE BEST IS YET TO COME!' Earlier this month, while the country was in the throngs of the protests over the death of George Floyd, President Trump said he was the second best president after Abraham Lincoln for the black community Trump also compared himself to Lincoln when he was sitting under the statue of Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial for a Fox News Channel town hall with Brett Baier and Martha MacCallum in May. 'Look, I am greeted with a hostile press the likes of which no president has ever seen. The closest would be that gentleman right up there,' Trump said. He pointed at the huge statue of Lincoln that was several feet away. 'I believe I am treated worse,' he said. Despite all the chatter about Lincoln, the president of the United States who carried the Union through the Civil War, Trump this week also refused to consider renaming military bases that are still named after Confederate figures. He argued that they were part of the country's 'heritage,' while White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said a name change would be an insult to all the Americans who served and died abroad who left those bases. When many Chinese provinces cut new transmissions of the COVID-19 to zero at the end of February, people were excited. Municipal parks began to open up. I saw people in Nanjing out fishing along the Yangtze River. Then, on April 8, the country celebrated when Wuhan, original focus of the disease, reopened. Now restaurants, internet bars, and karaoke have all reopened, and the number of new cases most days remains about zero. When China, South Korea, New Zealand, and other countries mostly in Asia, have begun to return to normal, there were feelings of jubilation. It felt like a victory. China had endured the first lockdown, which was very harsh in some places. It was a struggle. But they had success to show for it, and a sense of ease has grown apace. Although consumption still hasn't return to the old level, friends in the Chinese tourism and other business sectors tell me people are out and about and spending. GDP numbers reflect that fact. Already, a month ago, China was showing positive growth, while most countries were on the negative side. Now that America is reopening for "business as normal," there is no sense of celebration or victory, just apprehension. Restaurants are open for indoor dining in a total of 40 states; yet, how can we take advantage of that when there are still so many new cases of the coronavirus being spread? Let's put things in perspective with a comparison between the U.S. and New Zealand: On May 14, America's National Public Radio reported that "after days of no new coronavirus cases, New Zealand reopens." In the case of the United States, that would have to read, "After over 20,000 new cases every Day for three straight months, America reopens." All 50 mainland states have rescinded their "stay-at-home" orders. Large scale protests are taking place across the whole country, ignoring social distancing. Las Vegas casinos are even open, with almost no one wearing masks. Americans are gambling with their lives. Not all Americans, it seems, are apprehensive about going out. The Lake of the Ozarks, a pool resort in a national park in Missouri was completely full of partiers over Memorial Day weekend (May 22-24), where at least one attendee tested positive for coronavirus. "It [coronavirus] is not something that should control our lives," a vendor at the resort said. If you know that, on average, the people crowding into saloons and malls are taking few precautions, then that makes it all the more dangerous to spend too much time in any public place. Already the beginning of a second wave has been detected. On June 6, there were 28,300 new cases recorded, highest one-day total in the country since May 8. Some of the states that took weak measures in the first place are seeing the biggest spikes. In Arizona, for example, June 5, 6, and 7, consecutively, recorded its three highest new case totals yet, and Arizona's seven-day average increased five-fold. Florida and Texas, which were two of the first states to allow businesses to reopen, have also recorded record spikes. From June 3-7, Florida had over 1,000 new cases every day. On June 9, Texas recorded 1,945 new cases. America has a long way to go before coronavirus is under control, and yet, most states have abandoned a State-mandated social distancing policy. The federal government, which never had much policy to speak of, has abandoned coronavirus press briefings. Donald Trump refuses to wear a mask and personally attacks people, like Joe Biden and White House reporters, who do so. Every major consumer goods company in America has been running television ads these past few months telling us how hard they are working to protect their employees from coronavirus, with assurances that, "We are all in this together." However, if you see folks walking around downtown with their masks down, and if you see mayors encouraging tourists to come from out of state to gamble, for instance, you might not think so. Now, coronavirus protection for Americans is a purely personal decision. Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Ramya Krishnan, the senior actress who is best known for her impeccable performances, is now in trouble. As per the latest reports, the police team has seized around 96 liquor bottles from Ramya Krishnan's car, recently. The incident happened at the Muthukkadu check post on East Coast Road, Chennai on June 11, 2020, Thursday. According to the sources, the police officials were checking the vehicles that come from Mahabalipuram, when the incident happened. The officials stopped Ramya Krishnan's Toyota Innova Crysta car at the Muthukkadu check post as a part of the procedure. The sources suggest that the Queen actress co-operated with the police team quietly when they wanted to check the vehicle. The sources suggest that the police team found nearly 96 bottles of liquor from Ramya Krishnan's car. Among the 96 bottles, 8 were hard liquor and the rest were beer bottles. To the uninitiated, the TASMAC shops in Chennai city are closed due to the lockdown. The police officials seized the bottles and arrested Ramya Krishnan's driver Selva Kumar, since transporting liquor to the city is illegal under the current circumstances. However, the latest reports suggest that Selva Kumar is currently out on personal bail. Even though the reports regarding the police search has been doing the rounds on social media from the past few hours, Ramya Krishnan is maintaining complete silence over the same. The actress is expected to release an official announcement on the controversy, very soon. Also Read: Dhruva Natchathiram: Vikram To Start Dubbing For The Gautham Menon Directorial Soon! Ajith-Venkat Prabhu Combo Not Happening Anytime Soon; Here Is The Reason! Khomeini's Grandson Possible Presidential Candidate? Radio Farda June 12, 2020 Iranian media have recently been speculating about the possible nomination of Seyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khomeini, in Iran's presidential election next spring. "Reformists can consider Seyed Hassan Khomeini if they decide to run by the merit of their own identity rather than in coalition with any Principlist group," reformist Sharq newspaper wrote on Thursday. The 47-year-old Seyed Hassan Khomeini is a cleric, seminary teacher, and the Custodian of Khomeini's Shrine. He is known as a reformist and has close relations with former President Mohammad Khatami. Currently, the fractured reformist camp whose most prominent figures have no chance of being qualified for running in any elections, may be considering his nomination as their candidate for president, media say. However, the hardliner establishment represented by the election watchdog, the Guardian Council, has rejected him once before as a candidate. In February 2016 when he decided to run for the Assembly of Experts the Council rejected him on the grounds that he had failed to take an exam to prove his religious qualifications (ijtihad/ejtehad), for the want of any other reason. Seyed Hassan's religious qualifications have reportedly been confirmed by several grand ayatollahs Shiite sources of emulation including Grand Ayatollah Hossein Vahid-Khorasani, which will make the excuse to reject him again difficult for the Guardian Council if he can produce their written approval before running this time. If not Hassan Khomeini, reformists may nominate Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif whose popularity has considerably diminished in comparison with 2015 when he negotiated the nuclear deal known as JCPOA with western powers. Other possible and probable candidates are Vice-President Es'haq Jahangiri and the Tehran City Council Chairman Mohsen Hashemi whose chances of approval by the Guardian Council are quite slim. However, the reformist camp faces a much bigger problem than that. They have lost much of their political influence in the Iranian society which has always been forced to choose "between bad and worse" as Iranians quite often say at the time of elections. This time many voters appear to be determined not to concede to making that choice again. Dragging voters to ballot boxes will be more than a feat for reformists even if they decided and could reach a consensus among themselves -- to field a candidate of their own. Their supporters are more disillusioned than ever before, many say they will never vote again in elections that are far from fair and free. In February most reformists kept clear of the parliamentary elections in protest to disqualification of their candidates by the Guardian Council. In Tehran, the bastion of reformists, only twenty percent of eligible voters went to the ballot boxes which is roughly the number of conservative voters. "Reformists have the failed experience of resorting to a candidate who did not belong to their camp [Hassan Rouhani] to survive," conservative politician Hossein Kan'ani-Moqaddam was quoted by Young Journalists Club (YJC) as saying on June 10. He maintained that fielding Rouhani has alienated their supporters because once elected, he failed to deliver his campaign promises. "They can't justify [the failure to make any impact through Rouhani who wasn't a reformist himself] to their supporters, so it is likely that they will nominate someone akin to [former President Mohammad] Khatami if they decide to run, someone such as Seyed Hassan Khomeini," he said. Hassan Khomeini has not expressed any desire to run until now at least. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/khomeini- grandson-possible-iran-presidential -candidate-/30667606.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After lots of criticism, President Donald Trump backed down and said he would delay his planned rally in Tulsa by a day so that it wouldnt coincide with a holiday that honors the end of slavery in the United States. Trump had been broadly condemned for his decision to hold his first rally in months on June 19, which is known as Juneteenth, and commemorates the date Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865 and read the Emancipation Proclamation declaring slaves had been freed. Many saw the choice of date at a time when much of the country has exploded in protest against racism and police brutality as a provocation. That was particularly the case considering the location of Tulsa, the site of one of the most brutal instances of racist violence in 1921, when hundreds of African Americans were killed in 1921. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19tha big deal, Trump wrote in a series of tweets late Friday. Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday. Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents. I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honor their requests. The president then took the opportunity to brag about his popularity, writing that his campaign had already had ticket requests in excess of 200,000 people. Trump bowed to pressure after affirming in a Fox News interview earlier that day the rally would move forward as a celebration, although he denied it was purposefully scheduled with Juneteenth in mind. Its an interesting date, he said. It wasnt done for that reason, but its an interesting date. Advertisement Advertisement .@HARRISFAULKNER asks President Trump if his Tulsa, OK rally was purposefully set on Juneteenth.@realDonaldTrump: Its going really to be a celebration. And it's an interesting date. It wasn't done for that reason. But it's an interesting date.pic.twitter.com/3dntPt2KLo Nicole Sganga (@NicoleSganga) June 12, 2020 Democrats had been critical of Trumps choice of date, describing it as a purposeful move to appeal to certain elements of his base while disrespecting the concerns of those who have been trying to address concerns over systemic racism in the country. Sen. Kamala Harris of California said the event was a welcome home party for white supremacists. The chairwoman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, Alicia Andrews, had called Trumps decision to host his rally on Juneteenth as a deliberate insult. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This isn't just a wink to white supremacistshe's throwing them a welcome home party. https://t.co/lUXpnUoFQU Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 11, 2020 Its clear that Trump wasnt just under pressure from Democrats to change the date. Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, celebrated Trumps decision to postpone the rally by a day. I am thankful President Trump recognizes the significance of June 19 and has chosen to move his campaign rally out of respect to Oklahomans and the important Juneteenth celebrations, Stitt said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am now looking forward to welcoming @realDonaldTrump to Oklahoma on June 20 and appreciate his decision to change the date of his event. Full statement below : pic.twitter.com/IrPk2l214D Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) June 13, 2020 Earlier Friday, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said the Trump rally was the hottest ticket ever! and there had been requests for more than 200,000 tickets. He later updated that figure: Correction now 300,000! The total population of Tulsa is around 400,000. Advertisement Advertisement Correction now 300,000! Going to be epic! https://t.co/36wBjA7duT Brad Parscale (@parscale) June 12, 2020 For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to The Gist on Apple Podcasts or listen below. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 22:21:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Ten people were killed and 117 others injured after a tank truck exploded and veered off an expressway in east China's Zhejiang Province Saturday afternoon, local authorities said. The explosion that occurred around 4:40 p.m. near the village of Liangshan in the city of Wenling, has caused the collapse of some nearby residential houses and factory workshops along the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway, according to the local sources. Firefighters and rescuers are looking for possible missing persons in the debris. Lu Fang, who works at a nearby restaurant, told Xinhua that she heard a loud bang, and thought it was a flat tire commonly heard along the expressway. But people immediately started sharing news of the blast in WeChat groups, and some photos and videos showed the front of a row of houses had been shaved in the explosion. "The glass on the windows and doors of my home were all shattered. Luckily my mother and brother were unharmed," she said. Enditem A Houston police sergeant has been removed from duty following a rant on Facebook that faulted African Americans for social injustices, officials said. HPD officials said late Friday they were aware of a social media post with racial overtones. The sergeant has since been relieved of duty and an internal affairs investigation has been initiated, officials said in a statement. The department will report our findings and corrective action upon completion of the investigation. Chief Art Acevedo acknowledged the post but pointed to the HPD statement as his comment on the matter. The lengthy rant, posted Thursday evening, was written by Rob Clasen, a 25-year veteran of the Houston law enforcement agency, according to screenshots. In the diatribe, seemingly triggered by the protests over the death of longtime Houstonian George Floyd, Clasen reflected on how officers have adapted to the needs of the community, such as wearing body cams and reporting use-of-force to supervisors, over the last decades. Clasen continued on to blame African Americans for systemic racism, saying that they havent taken the needed steps to break the cycle of poverty. Stop scaring your kids: The cops arent out to kill them, theyre here to help and protect them, Clasen wrote. White people dont hate them and nobody is out to get them. He then writes that police reform, social programs and additional funding will not help. The Black Community needs a BIG GIANT MIRROR and it needs to stand in front of that mirror and say individually, I am the problem, he continued. Not the cops, not the system, not racism, not white people, not Donald Trump, I am the problem and I am the solution. A screenshot of the post showed that it garnered more than 110 shares. Joe Gamaldi, president of the Houston Police Officers Union, called the post vile. I know it is under investigation but I am confident the department will act swiftly, he said. This is not who we are as Houston police officers. nicole.hensley@chron.com It is now indisputable that the campaign by the White House and major corporations to prematurely reopen businesses has led to a surge in COVID-19 infections throughout the United States. Between June 6 and 9, there was a 36 percent increase in the average number of new cases in the US, according to a leaked report by the Centers for Disease Control. At 27,221, yesterday saw the highest number of new cases since May 21. Globally, new cases surged to a new record, at more than 140,000. Twenty-one states have reported an increase in new cases this week, including sharp increases in Arizona, Florida, Texas, Utah, North Carolina, and California. Already, Arizonas hospitals are nearly at capacity. At the present daily death rates, which have hovered around 1,000 per day, there will be over 200,000 coronavirus deaths in the country by the end of the summer. However, the increase in cases will inevitably bring with it an increase in deaths. Just as the White Houses belated response to the pandemic led, according to one study, to the loss of over 50,000 lives, the premature return to work and the abandonment of all efforts to contain the disease will lead to tens or hundreds of thousands of additional deaths. Despite the disastrous surge throughout the country and internationally, the White House, governors and business executives are insisting that there will be no return to emergency measures to contain the disease. The US cant shut down the economy again, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said Thursday, echoing the declaration by President Donald Trump last month that whether its an ember or a flame were not closing our country. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, declared a second emergency lockdown was not under discussion. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, pledged to continue with the reopening of the economy, even though we anticipate an increase in the total number of positive cases. Texas last week reported three consecutive days of record numbers of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. On Friday, restaurants were given permission to expand their dining rooms to nearly full capacity. Governor Greg Abbott made clear he had no intention of putting business restrictions back in place. Floridas Department of Health on Friday reported a record high of 1,902 new cases of coronavirus. Despite these numbers, Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled a plan to restart public schools at full capacity in the fall. These statements are echoed in the press. In an editorial Friday, the Wall Street Journal bluntly declared, More infections are inevitable as states reopen, but that there is no alternative to opening. Denying the obvious, National Economic Council (NEC) Director Larry Kudlow insisted on Friday, There is no emergency. There is no second wave. Coming from the man that declared in February that the United States had contained the pandemic pretty close to airtight, such statements are meaningless. The declarations by Kudlow and Mnuchin have only one aim: to reassure Wall Street that, no matter what, there will be no disruption of the back-to-work campaign, and workers will be forced to work or face being fired. From the beginning of the pandemic, every action taken by the ruling class has been dictated by the interests of Wall Street. After taking no measures to safeguard the lives of the population, the Trump administration, with the backing of the entire political establishment, engineered the largest government bailout of the rich in history. Trillions have been turned over to the corporations and banks, and the Federal Reserve has made clear that the money spigot will remain open indefinitely. The infusion of cash into the stock market requires the ever-greater extraction of surplus value from the working class. Once the bailout was secured, all measures to contain the spread of the pandemic, from lockdowns to mandatory social distancing measures at workplaces, were simply abandoned as encumbrances on profit-making. The campaign to force a resumption of production has led workplaces, such as meatpacking facilities, food processing centers, and other manufacturing facilities, to emerge as centers of transmission, putting workers on a collision course with companies determined to resume production. But opposition by workers to these unsafe conditions is rapidly growing throughout the country. Hundreds of meatpacking workers in Logan, Utah demonstrated Wednesday afternoon to demand the closure of their facility, where more than 20 percent of the total workforce tested positive. Philadelphia sanitation workers protested in front of City Hall Tuesday morning to demand protective equipment, access to regular testing for COVID-19 and hazard pay bonuses. The impact of the return-to-work campaign will intersect with the enormous social crisis produced by mass unemployment and austerity, as the ruling class seeks to use the crisis to restructure class relations and increase exploitation. The policy of the ruling class must be countered through the organized resistance of the working class. This requires the formation of independent rank-and-file safety committees in every workplace to oversee and enforces measures that are necessary to safeguard workers health and lives. The development of such organizations must be connected to the mobilization of the entire working class against the Trump administration. As the WSWS wrote on May 22, The fight against the pandemic must be waged not only on the medical front, but on the political front as well. The struggle against COVID-19 is inseparable from the broadest possible fight against the criminal policies of the Trump administration and its supine enablers in the Democratic Party. The consequences of these criminal policies are now emerging throughout the country. Over the past two weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have marched to protest the brutal police murder of one man: George Floyd. The Trump administration is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands and will be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands more. As with the fight against police violence, the fight against the pandemic is at the same time a fight of the entire working class against the financial oligarchy and the capitalist profit system. After four days of uncomfortable heata mix of high temperature and humidityDelhi received light rain in some parts on Friday and Saturday. India Meteorological Department scientists are hoping the monsoon will arrive on its normal date around June 27 in Delhi as it has already reached parts of Bihar in the east and is likely to reach Gujarat in the west in a day. It rained in different parts of the city, including Lodhi Road on Saturday. On Friday, there was light rainfall in north Delhi. This is happening because of a combination of factors. There is a cyclonic circulation over Delhi and Haryana and a trough, or a line of low pressure, stretching from Punjab to Odisha. There are moist easterly winds. We can expect some light rainfall in the next couple of days also, Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre, said. Monsoon is likely to arrive in Delhi around June 27 after crossing east and west UP, he added. The monsoon has advanced into Madhya Maharashtra, most parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha, parts of Chhattisgarh, all of Odisha and West Bengal and most parts of Jharkhand and Bihar according to IMDs Saturday bulletin. Conditions are becoming favourable for the further advance of the monsoon into all of central Arabian Sea, some parts of North Arabian Sea, the remaining parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai some more parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar and even some parts of south Gujarat by Sunday. The monsoon has strengthened because of the low-pressure system which developed over the Bay of Bengal. By next week, it will enter Gujarat, covering many parts of central India. This system has helped the monsoon move at its pace. Its too early for us to tell if it will arrive over Delhi on its normal date, June 27, K Sathi Devi, head, national weather forecasting centre, said. Urooj Rahman, left, and Colinford Mattis, were charged with arson, use of explosives to commit a felony, and making or possessing a destructive device for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at an NYPD vehicle. (US Attorney's Office-Eastern District of New York) Lawyers Indicted After Molotov Cocktails Thrown at NYPD Vehicles Two lawyers allegedly involved in a Molotov cocktail attack on New York City Police Department (NYPD) police vehicles were indicted with the use of explosives. Urooj Rahman, 31, and Colinford Mattis, 32, both of Brooklyn, also face six other counts, including arson, use of explosives to commit a felony, and making or possessing a destructive device. Amid largely peaceful demonstrations on May 29, the defendants allegedly hurled Molotov Cocktails at NYPD vehicles without regard for the potentially deadly consequences, U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement. Such criminal acts should never be confused with legitimate protest. Those who carry out attacks on NYPD Officers or vehicles are not protesters, they are criminals, and they will be treated as such, added Donoghue, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. The violence that the defendants allegedly committed not only endangers our NYPD officers but threatens the constitutional right of people to peacefully protest, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said. A woman identified as Urooj Rahman holds a Molotov cocktail in a still image from surveillance footage. (U.S. Attorneys Office-Eastern District of New York) A third person, 27-year-old Samantha Shader of Catskill, was also indicted. According to court filings (pdf), a surveillance camera captured Rahman throwing a Molotov cocktail at an NYPD vehicle in the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn before fleeing in a minivan. Police officers chased the minivan and, after catching up, arrested Rahman and Mattis, who was driving the vehicle. Inside, officers found several items for the cocktails, including a lighter, a bottle filled with toilet paper and liquid that was suspected to be gasoline, and additional bottles and toilet paper. Shader was also captured in a video igniting a Molotov cocktail and hurling it at an NYPD vehicle, which was occupied by four police officers, shattering two of its windows, according to the filings. Officers caught Shader shortly thereafter. The remains of a scorched police vehicle lie vandalized during riots in the Fort Greene neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York on May 29, 2020. (Thomas Urbain/AFP via Getty Images) William Sweeney, the assistant director in charge of the FBIs New York field office, said that the trios criminal behavior risked lives, destroyed equipment that exists to serve the community, siphoned response resources, and created a threat to those who had every right to safely assemble and express their opinion. The case has drawn widespread attention because both Rahman and Mattis are lawyers. According to a LinkedIn profile, Mattis is employed by Pryor Cashman LLP. The place of employment for Rahman, who has been described as a human rights lawyer, couldnt be determined. Pryor Cashman didnt return a voicemail on Saturday morning. Mattis was reportedly on furlough due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has now been suspended. Rahman was bailed out by another attorney, Washington-based lawyer Salmah Rizvi, who worked in both the State and Defense departments under former President Barack Obama. Mattis was also released on bail. But both were back in prison last week after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit granted prosecutors request for an emergency stay. Jack Phillips and Tom Ozimek contributed to this report. New Delhi: Delhi's Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday (June 13) claimed the COVID-19 testing rate in the neighbouring states Uttar Pradesh and Haryana is ten times less than the national capital. Satyendar Jain said, "The testing rate in UP and Haryana is ten times less than Delhi. Accordingly, if the testing rate will be this less, the COVID-19 cases will also be ten times less than Delhi." In a press briefing on Saturday, Delhi's health minister informed the government is working as per the predictions made by the experts. As per the predictions, all the preparations including arrangements of beds and ventilators required by June 30, will be done by June 20 itself. The preparations required to be done by July 15 will be done by June 30." He added, "Stadiums, banquet halls, community halls, and schools will be converted COVID care centres and beds will be arranged there. All the information will be shared as soon as the preparations start taking place. On being asked about whether the Delhi government will cap the treatment charges in private hospitals, Satyendar Jain said, "All the hospitals have been asked to share the rates that they are charging for COVID treatments. We will decide on what to do after observing every hospital." He said, "The COVID-19 cases are increasing nation-wide and also in Delhi. We should not just rely on which state or country has more cases and which state or country has fewer cases because the cases are bound to rise where they are less for now." "At one point, people were saying that the US, Italy, UK, and other nations have more cases, but there are lesser cases in India. But the cases in India have also increased now. Similarly, we have states with more cases and states with lesser cases in India because the timeline when the cases will increase is different." He added, "The city of Delhi is 10-12 days behind the city of Mumbai, and similarly, some cities may be behind Delhi in this context. Around 100 years ago in 1918, a virus known as Spanish Flu of spread across the world, and now coronavirus is spreading rapidly. No disease of this intensity has ever hit the humankind before." Satyendar Jain stated the doubling rate of the virus is between 13-14 days, and if we see the base right now, there are 37,000 cases in Delhi, and in the next 10-15 days, the cases will increase by further 37,000. "The recovery rate is such that around 97-98 people recover out of 100 people. It takes around 14-15 days for a patient to recover from the coronavirus," he said. He also commented on the death figures being claimed by the MCDs and said that they shall give the information on the casualties to the Delhi government, rather than sending out to media. "I was reading in the newspaper, that the MCD has said that the death rate has decreased as compared to the previous years, and now they are giving out proofs regarding death numbers of the Corona patients. If the MCDs have the details of the casualties, they should send it to the Delhi government rather than sending it out to the media. All deaths are counted as per the reports received from all the hospitals." On the criticism of the Delhi government by the apex court, Satyendar Jain said that it can be seen as a complaint and not as a remark or a judgment of the SC. "However, the Delhi government will act to resolve it." On the visuals of the LNJP treatment facilities, Satyendra Jain said, "I would like to tell all the journalists questioning on this matter to visit and see for themselves the conditions of the treatment. These allegations meted out against LNJP have been done out of motivation and are completely baseless. A video was captured by a contractual staff and he has been suspended." He further stated, "All the states have death audit committees, including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, and all other states. Some of them have been comprised at district levels. The work of death audit committee os not to fabricate the data of deaths. As and when they receive the death count, they are reported and released. There may be a delay in obtaining the data, but there is no delay in the committee's part in releasing it." "All wards of the hospitals have different facilities including ICUs, High-dependency Units (HDUs), etc. Nurses and doctors are posted ward-wise and they are responsible for their wards. Food arrangements such as breakfast, lunch dinner and tea are made for the patients. The patient is given all facilities and proper arrangements for their stay are made," he said on the facilities provided in the hospitals. On whether the testing has decreased in Delhi, Satyendar Jain said, "The ICMR guidelines need to be altered for testing to increase. Testing can be done as per the ICMR guidelines only, and they clearly mention who should be tested and who should not be tested. It is necessary for all states to comply with the ICMR guidelines. The testing can be opened for all if the ICMR guidelines allow, but then the number of people opting to get tested will increase whether or not they have any symptoms." The Minister informed that there are 36,824 COVID-19 confirmed cases in Delhi, out of which 2,137 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The active count in the national capital increased to 22,212. There have been 1,214 COVID-19 deaths so far. As some states in Australia refuse to buckle to pressure to open borders after closing them off amid the coronavirus pandemic, and expert has warned the act could be dangerous. Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia continue to keep their borders closed in an effort to control the spread of the coronavirus as the curve flattens throughout the country. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeatedly told reporters including at a press conference on Friday that it was a state decision to close borders and not a recommendation made by the National Cabinet. He said it was preferable to be in a situation where there were no border closures at all as that provides a boost to the tourism industry. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been hesitant to reopen the state border. Source: Getty However, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has refused to reverse her decision to keep the borders closed during the coronavirus crisis. She has flagged a potential July re-opening, however it would depend if there were any coronavirus outbreaks as a result of the Black Lives Matter protests, the Brisbane Times reports. South Australia is expected to remove COVID-19 border closures on July 20, while Western Australia is still yet to budge. WA Premier Mark McGowan has reiterated he will only bring down the border with the east when it is safe to do so. He said a Black Lives protester in Melbourne testing positive for COVID-19 shows WAs continued border closure is the right decision. Northern Territory Premier Michael Gunner wrote on Facebook by the end of next week it would make weekly assessments on when border restrictions will be eased. The most important thing we are looking at is the rate of coronavirus transmission in the south. We already know we are safe in the Territory we just have to be certain that everywhere else is safe too, he said. They arent at our level yet, but they are doing better and better every day. Lecturer in human geography at Macquarie University, Dr Andrew Burridge, told Yahoo News Australia some issues could arise if state borders did not reopen. Story continues He said the move by some state governments has been bold, with borders not closed in Australia since 1919 amid the Spanish Flu outbreak. We still think of ourselves as a nation without borders, he said. And the response of the federal government and state governments have been a stark reminder we do have borders in Australia. They are ones we dont need to think about most of the time and sometimes theyre not there until serious matters arise. Aussies stripped of freedom to move In Australia in particular, Dr Burridge said there were many people who lived close to the state borders and travelled for work, school or medical care. He said while borders could never actually close, they worked as filters to manage those going in and out. No matter how secure a border is think of the Berlin Wall or the US-Mexico border its still intended for people and goods to pass through and in a globalised world these things do cross. But in Australia state borders never actually close but the perception is all of a sudden Queensland locked itself off and completely created a powerful and confronting proposition. The Queensland border is expected to reopen in July. Source: Getty Dr Burridge said people were suddenly aware their freedom of movement had been stripped and states could possibly take it personally. He claimed the closure of borders now compared to the Spanish Flu were more significant, as states had a higher population of residents and Australia relies on the tourism trade. All those matters come into play when you do start having border closures, he said. Using Tweed Heads on the NSW side of the border and Coolangatta just over the road on the Queensland side as an example, Dr Burridge said those people could be challenged if they needed to cross the border for certain services they usually have access to. In remote communities like Broken Hill, where its in NSW but geographically is much closer to Adelaide and South Australia, there can actually be issues that become more serious with limited access to healthcare and communities relying on particular services, Dr Burridge said. Why state borders can be dangerous Dr Burridge said closing borders could have significant life or death impacts and it was rare to see positive examples of border closures. With closures done as a concern for peoples wellbeing, you do see examples in other countries where there is discrimination when there is concern those from the outside might be bringing in diseases, he said. Whether or not thats founded is a real concern with this global pandemic and health crisis. Weve seen it play out on an international level with Australia not allowing flights and cruises and so fourth. Dr Burridge said border thinking could be quite dangerous because peoples values could be limited to those of the territory they are in. That can lead to negative feelings towards neighbours and disputes, he said. An expert warns closing the borders could have "dangerous" consequences. Source: Getty With serious matters such as health pandemics that affect the entire nation, the important lesson is no one really alive has a living memory of border closures previously and previous pandemics and now should look at lessons that can be learned from this period. I think the danger is much in the way we think about ourselves we identify as particularly citizenry we start to see that come to state level with everyone across the border in NSW needing to stay out of Queensland. The localism could be a danger as borders create very strong emotions and can support xenophobic or racist perceptions of those on the other side of the boundary line. While Dr Burridge admits it would be unlikely in Australia, it provided an important moment for communities and governments in border regions to consider in future pandemics. Though it helped instil in Australias mindset that travel was not a good idea during this time, he said. Should state borders exist in Australia? Dr Burridge said he usually believed state borders were unnecessary as they were very divisive and could lead to incredible hardship. The key examples of that is the loss of lives crossing the Mediterranean into Europe and across the desert from Mexico into the United States, he said. But Australias state borders dont have those implications and it is important in a territory as big as Australia we do have state representation in federal politics and are better able to respond to communities. Aussies have lost their freedoms to move across the border amid the coronavirus pandemic. Source: Getty Dr Burridge said its unlikely there would be the removal of state borders in Australia, but the closure of them showed how quickly we had come to expect free movement. There is a moment in which to reflect on do they serve a purpose in Australia? I think generally they impact on our lives in such a minimum sense that theres no real need to see them removed and perhaps they have been beneficial in response to the outbreak, he said. 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. With the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd and the ensuing protests that have erupted around the globe, many are calling for sweeping reforms to police agencies. Specifically, police agencies are being demanded to address how they can prevent severely harming another person while in the line of duty. Winona Deputy Chief of Police Tom Williams and Winona County Chief Sheriffs Deputy Jeff Mueller walk through eight procedures and proposed revisions to current policies and explain how they pertain to the Winona Police Department and Winona County Sheriffs Office. Chokehold and strangleholds Williams: Our current policy allows for different types of neck restraints one is vascular and one is respiratory. A vascular (hold) is known as a shoulder pin, which reduces the amount of blood-flow to the brain and renders a person unconscious for a short period of time so the officer can get them under control. The respiratory chokehold is only allowed in use-of-deadly-force encounters. So thats basically on the same level as a handgun, or using a motor vehicle against somebody or striking them in the head with a hard object. (Respiratory chokeholds) are still in our policy, but it falls under deadly force it cant be used to try and effect an arrest. De-escalation, requiring warnings before shooting Mueller: Right now in Minnesota there is required de-escalation training. We send about a quarter of the department to those on a three-year rotation, meaning every three years we have to have certain training on everything from implicit policing, implicit bias policing and de-escalation training. Williams: Typically, if its feasible, we try to warn before shooting. Theres so many variables that are associated with use-of-force that I dont think people truly understand what it takes. If you were to say, Police. Stop or Ill shoot, the amount of time it takes to say that, you could get shot at three times in that period by a subject who has a gun. If youre standing in an encounter, or walking up to a residence for a paper service, and all of sudden someone appears with a gun pointing at you, do you have to say, Drop the gun or Ill shoot? These situations are fluid and theres a little bit of a gray area, and requiring an officer to say (a command) when their life is at risk or the life of somebody else is at risk is counter-intuitive. Exhausting all alternatives before shooting Williams: Again, what do you do when an individual has a gun pointed at you? What are your alternatives? I think the aspects of require need to be looked at from the standpoint of Youre required to do this before this. When feasible needs to be put in there. Williams mentioned that duty to intervene which refers to officers stepping into a situation when they believe another officer is using excessive force will be soon implemented at the Winona Police Department, while Mueller mentioned that this particular policy is explicitly written into the Winona County Sheriffs Office policy and guidelines. Banning shooting at moving vehicles Williams: We are not allowed to shoot at moving vehicles unless it falls under the aspect of a deadly force situation, where an officer may be pinned against something or an individual is driving a motor vehicle at them. This particular policy is also the case for the Winona County Sheriffs Office. Use-of-force continuum Williams said the police department does have a use-of-force continuum, which restricts the most severe types of force to the most extreme situations and creates clear policy restrictions on the use of each police weapon and tactics. Mueller: As part of our use-of-force training, the use-of-force continuum is taught within that training from the low to the high for use of force. And that training is required, which we have every year. Comprehensive reporting Mueller: We have to report use-of-force incidents that result in great bodily harm and deadly force to the state. Any time there is a use-of-force incident, an officer fills out a response-to-resistance report, which is what we call it here, which is a special report that is above and beyond the narrative report. These reports are then reviewed by supervisors. ... If they fall within policy, there is no additional follow-up. Obviously, if they fall outside of policy, or if additional training is required, then those are addressed. Williams: We call them use-of-force reports. ... In Minneapolis (for example), when an officer points their handgun at somebody, they dont have to put that down as a use-of-force, but its a part of ours. So if we draw a gun and point it at somebody, that goes into the use-of-force report. Its pretty comprehensive. It asks the level of force used by officers. Was it one or two officers? Was it verbal commands that got (a suspect) into compliance? Did you have to strike blows? Did you have to use your taser? Was a K-9 used? Did you point your gun at them? What was the level of resistance of the individual? Was it verbal? Was it physical? Was it an act of aggression? These are all looked at by the supervisors, and our use-of-force instructors get whats called a custom attribute notifying them that force was used by an officer in the department and then they review those reports to see if they fall within department policy, state and federal law. If theres an issue, then we discuss it with the officer and review video available from the squad car and look at the totality of the circumstances to determine whether the level of force was justified. Love 3 Funny 1 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 5 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A Romanian court on June 12 postponed the extradition of Gholamreza Mansouri, a judge and former prosecutor arrested in Bucharest and wanted by Iran for corruption. A complaint against him has also been lodged in Germany by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for human rights violations including mass arrest of journalists in 2013. Mansouri is currently held at a safe location in Romania, a source told RFE/RL. Romanian authorities have asked Tehran to present a formal extradition request with documents related to the case. Romanian media have reported that Mansouri has protested his arrest by the local police and claimed that he is a permanent resident of Turkey where he owns a residential house. Mansouri's name came up as one of the recipients of bribes in the trial of Akbar Tabari, a former Judiciary deputy. The former judge allegedly received 500,000 euros in bribes from Tabari. According to Romanian media reports, a judge has decided that Mansouri will not be taken to prison until July 10 if certain conditions are complied with but he will not be allowed to leave the country, our correspondent said from Bucharest. The judge's decision requires the Metropolitan Police of Bucharest to keep Mansouri under surveillance and he must report to a police station from time to time. The Romanian Prosecutor's Office could within 24 hours appeal the judges decision allowing Mansouri to stay out of jail for the time being. According to the RFE/RL correspondent in Bucharest, given the possibility of a death sentence and the conditions of Iranian prisons, the Romanian Office for Immigration will be required to present the human rights situation to the court to get permission for the extradition. Informed sources in Romania have said that Mansouri dossier's in court has been marked with "passive extradition" which means that he cant be extradited if he is likely to request asylum for fear of being executed in the country where he will be extradited. Meanwhile, on Saturday Iran's Judiciary Spokesman Gholam-Hossein Esmaili said Mansouri had been arrested by the Interpol but his extradition was not possible due to coronavirus restrictions. He would be returned to Iran and put on trial for corruption, he claimed. He also told a local news network that Iran had requested the arrest through the Interpol. In a video published on social media on Friday, a man who introduced himself as Mansouri's nephew, Saeed Mansouri, said his uncle went to Romania on June 10 where he presented himself to the Iranian embassy in Bucharest. But our correspondent says nobody has confirmed yet if the Interpol or the Iranian embassy in Bucharest were involved in his arrest. If not, then it is not clear why the Romanian police arrested him if no request was made. According to the nephew, Mansouri was taken to hospital by embassy staff in the embassy car after feeling badly ill. However, he was arrested at the hospital by the Romanian police and "unfortunately" they handed him over to the Interpol, he said. If this version of events is true, it is possible that the embassy tipped off the police about Mansouri's whereabouts. Earlier this week many Iranian activists claimed that Manouri was in Germany. The German Foreign Ministry said it had not issued a visa for Mansouri and was not informed of his whereabouts. Mansouri could have traveled to Germany on a Schengen visa. Today the Judiciary spokesman, however, said Mansouri was arrested in Romania. Mansouri is a highly influential prosecutor and judge notoriously famous for prosecuting journalists and putting them behind bars. In one instance in 2013, he ordered the simultaneous arrest of 20 journalists in one day. Iranian journalists and human rights activists want him to be put on trial in Germany or another European country for his grave human rights violations including the arrest and torture of journalists. Reporters without Borders (RSF) has supported the call of Iranian activists and filed a complaint with Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor against Mansouri for the arrest and torture of at least 20 journalists in 2013. In a video published on social media on June 9, the Mansouri claimed that he was abroad for treatment of a serious medical condition and could not return due to the restrictions introduced after the breakout of coronavirus. He did not reveal where he was but said he would go to an Iranian embassy to arrange for his return to defend himself against the corruption charges. Reporting by Adelina Radulescu of RFE/RL Romanian Service in Bucharest This week's edition of Rewind tells the story of the advent of the photo finish camera in Canadian harness racing. It was a great innovation when it first appeared and continues to be an indispensable part of the sport to this day. It is difficult to imagine holding racing without it. Thanks to the input of one of the followers of Rewind I am able to put this story together for the reading audience. The use of photo finish camera technology in horse racing began back in the 1930's; first at several Thoroughbred tracks such as Hialeah, Santa Anita and Hawthorne. It eventually came into widespread use at harness tracks as well. The idea was conceived as far back as 1882 but the technology was not yet available. One ingenious photographer back then came up with the idea of putting a thin black thread across the track that could be "tripped" as the first horse crossed the finish line, thus setting off his camera! When parimutuel betting became popular and began to provide the financial basis for harness racing, the need for the photo finish became essential. The use of the human eye even when employed by "committee or consensus" just was not sufficient. I recall reading the outcome of a 1940's race at Dufferin Park in Toronto where several placing judges saw the outcome of a race in different order. Apparently the number "7" was mistaken for "1" by multiple placing judges resulting in utter chaos. Canada's first official triple dead heat for win occurred at Windsor Raceway almost 50 years ago on October 14, 1970 and was recorded as the fifth in history. The photo finish camera could not separate three horses at the wire. They were Arnolds Gem driven by Bud Foster, Bervaldo piloted by Gerry Bookmyer and Banjo Phil in rein to Charlie Grunkemeyer. Oddly all drivers were U.S.-based but racing at a Canadian track. A large picture of the event hung in the upper level of the Windsor grandstand near the clubhouse entrance for many years. Shortly after this rare event occurred, a special handout was given to thousands of Windsor race goers as a commemorative reminder of this event. Canada's first official triple dead heat for win occurred at Windsor Raceway almost 50 years ago on October 14, 1970 and was recorded as the fifth in history. The photo finish camera could not separate three horses at the wire. They were Arnolds Gem driven by Bud Foster, Bervaldo piloted by Gerry Bookmyer and Banjo Phil in rein to Charlie Grunkemeyer. Oddly all drivers were U.S.-based but racing at a Canadian track. A large picture of the event hung in the upper level of the Windsor grandstand near the clubhouse entrance for many years. Shortly after this rare event occurred, a special handout was given to thousands of Windsor race goers as a commemorative reminder of this event. Reportedly harness racing's first triple dead-heat for win occurred at Freehold Raceway in New Jersey on October 3, 1953. Oddly the three horses were all three-year-old fillies and each of their names began with the letter "P". The camera was unable to separate Patchover, Penny Maid and Payne Hal at the finish wire. The Photo Finish Camera Is Introduced In Canada Shortly after the conclusion of WWII around 1945, a couple of gentlemen who were seriously involved with harness racing in Prince Edward Island decided to tackle a long-standing problem and ultimately find a solution. All too often when racing was held at local tracks, two or more horses would reach the finish wire so closely that it was virtually impossible for the human eye to separate the participants. Judges who were often serving in a voluntary role were left with the task of assigning the order of finish based solely on what they saw with the naked eye. Chances of hometown decisions and errors were always possible even with the best of officials. Owners, drivers and the betting public sometimes saw finishes different than the judges. I once heard a tale of yore that involved racing at the great old town of Strathroy, Ont. For many years race day organizer Harold Currie stood a popular sire named Corporal Lee, reportedly a horse he highly toted to one and all. Legend has it that if there was a close finish involving an offspring of his "Wonder Horse" and one not sired by him, guess who was likely to get the nod? Colonel Dan MacKinnon, a legendary figure in the area and also the President of The Charlottetown Driving Park in 1945, was one of the individuals to tackle the issue of close calls. The other was a gentleman named Rupert Godfrey, a resident of Marshfield, P.E.I., who was a multi-talented man and considered to be something of a mechanical wizard. The two men thoroughly discussed the entire project and soon set out to find a solution. In fairly short order Mr. Godfrey made the necessary arrangements and travelled to the U.S. to further study the equipment available and ultimately place orders for whatever was required. Through his untiring efforts the entire system was assembled, tested and became ready for the 1947 racing season. While the initial equipment was very satisfactory, the talented Mr. Godfrey continued to refine it and improve its capabilities. The above photo shows some preliminary work being done on the photo finish setup at the Montague track by Dr. Preston McIntyre with his wife Alice assisting. This was just prior to its introduction in July of 1947. The sign served as a backdrop to identify the race number, date and other pertinent information. The above photo shows some preliminary work being done on the photo finish setup at the Montague track by Dr. Preston McIntyre with his wife Alice assisting. This was just prior to its introduction in July of 1947. The sign served as a backdrop to identify the race number, date and other pertinent information. It was an historic day for Maritime harness racing on July 9, 1947 when the photo finish camera was first put into use at the small town track at Montague, P.E.I., then under the ownership of George MacIntyre. It soon came into serious use that day as two horses came to the wire at what appeared to be the exact same moment in the Invitational event. They were so close that the judges for the first time ever called for "a photo" to be examined. It was of course a happening that would soon occur with regularity. The two horses were Anti Aircraft, owned by C. H. Murray of Horton River and driven by Willard Kelly, and the other a mare named Kavalo driven by Roy 'Trooper' Barnett for owner P. MacCormac of Charlottetown. A close examination of the photo immediately proved its worth and indeed Anti Aircraft was declared the winner. The new system was an instant success and was soon put into use at a number of Maritime tracks during that 1947 season. After its debut at Montague it was also used at Covehead, Riverside, Moncton and Charlottetown, a total of 17 race days. It was the start of a new trend that spread throughout the Maritimes. On June 28, 1949 it was first used at a night-time meeting at CDP and the same equipment was used the very next day at Truro, N.S. Results of the first ever race to be verified by the use of the photo finish camera at a Canadian track Results of the first ever race to be verified by the use of the photo finish camera at a Canadian track A close finish during the 1948 season at Montague with the results shown above. A close finish during the 1948 season at Montague with the results shown above. This 1960 photo taken at Charlottetown shows a driverless horse finishing a mile. The horse, Royal Train owned by Dr. MacIntyre, lost driver Lem Neill. He received injuries to his ankle and forehead but continued on to have his picture taken by the photo finish camera. This 1960 photo taken at Charlottetown shows a driverless horse finishing a mile. The horse, Royal Train owned by Dr. MacIntyre, lost driver Lem Neill. He received injuries to his ankle and forehead but continued on to have his picture taken by the photo finish camera. While the introduction of the photo finish camera was an instant success and acclaimed by all it was not always available at each and every race meeting. Harness racing was held for decades at small town tracks which still depended on the judges at the finish wire making the final placings. Thank goodness for this amazing and essential piece of equipment that has been the sole arbiter of the finish of probably millions of races. A special thank you goes out to Mr. Jerry McCabe, a great Maritime racing historian for supplying much of the material used in today's story. Jerry has done a wonderful job in collecting a lot of very interesting old pictures and other material pertaining to the history of harness racing in the region. He has been very generous in sharing it and I thank him on behalf of all of the Rewind readers. Quote For The Week - "A dog is judged by the company he keeps, a woman by the company she leaves." Who Is It? Can you correctly identify the gentleman pictured above? What award did he win in 1986? Who Else Is It? Can you name any or all of the drivers in the finish of this 1964 race at Blue Bonnets in Montreal. A pretty good field of trotters head for the wire (Harness Horse photo) A member of Irans parliament says five ships carrying phosphate and potash fertilizers "urgently needed" by farmers are waiting in the Persian Gulf to receive payment in hard currency before delivering their cargo. The official website of parliament cited a lawmaker, Javad Askari, as saying on Friday, June 12, "the farmers will not be able to increase their crops, and they will suffer a loss if the needed foreign currency is not allocated in time for the waiting ships to dock." Iran is short of foreign currency as U.S. sanctions have stopped most of its crude oil exports, which are the countrys main source of income. Meanwhile, Askari maintained that farmers urgently need the fertilizers for their spring cultivation; otherwise, their plans would be delayed. Askari went even further by warning that parliament might directly summon President Hassan Rouhani for an explanation. "The government should take the necessary steps to address the problem," Askari said. But the government needs to address multiple urgent economic needs, including paying a vast bureaucracy, pensions and essential food and other imports. These imports are in fact subsidized by the government. Earlier on June 3, a member of the parliaments Agricultural Commission, Abbas Papizadeh, had disclosed that the local market was suffering from a shortage of chemical fertilizers. According to Papizadeh, President Rouhani's administration blocked paying governmental subsidies for buying chemical fertilizers last year; therefore, petrochemical complexes refused to supply the product. Iran has a complex, hybrid economic system of government ownership and control alongside private businesses that are affected by the governments interference and control of the economy. Message: Green Hazel Chu said we can all do better when it comes to combating racism. Photo: Steve Humphreys A Green Party politician who apologised for posting the 'n-word' on social media when speaking out against racism has defended Eamon Ryan after he was caught up in a storm over using the slur in the Dail. Party cathaoirleach Hazel Chu said Mr Ryan was "100pc not a racist" but, like her, was "insensitive and careless" in using the term. Mr Ryan was heavily criticised by some members of his own party for the gaffe in the Dail on Thursday. The controversy came after he told the Dail: "In the newspaper today there was a young Irish man, Sean Gallen, giving his experience of being 'othered', from the age of six being given that name: 'You n*****'." Expand Close Controversy: Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has upset some party members. Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Controversy: Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has upset some party members. Photo: Frank McGrath Mr Ryan later apologised on Twitter: "In quoting from an article I read this morning, I repeated a racial slur, and I was completely wrong to do so. I want to apologise for any hurt caused. I know this particular word should never be used." Some supporters of deputy leader Catherine Martin, his opponent in the party leadership race, publicly condemned him, saying it underlined the need for a change of leader. Mr Ryan was defended by politicians in Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein, who rejected any suggestions he is racist. Ms Chu took to social media to reveal she too previously used the n-word while speaking out about racism. The Dublin city councillor, whose parents are from Hong Kong but met in Ireland, has been vocal about her own experiences of racism. Read More Last year, she posted on Twitter highlighting an incident reported by RTE's 'Prime Time' where a taxi driver was "called a n***** and assaulted". In the wake of Mr Ryan's blunder, she shared the tweet and said: "I 100pc should not have used this word even in the context of quoting someone. I am deeply sorry for doing so. I haven't deleted the tweet since I believe we need to be able to apologise and stand over our mistakes." Ms Chu also set out a string of measures she believes will combat racism including reviewing hate crime laws, addressing exclusion and poverty in the Travelling community and ending the direct provision system. Last night, she commented on the n-word controversy engulfing Mr Ryan. "Eamon is 100pc not racist, however he was like me insensitive and careless in using the phrase even in the context of quoting. We can all do better when it comes to combating racism; it is not good enough to be not racist, we need to actively strive to be anti-racist," she told the Irish Independent. The racism debate here was sparked amid the international outrage over the death in police custody of unarmed black man George Floyd in the United States. Last night, Ms Martin also came out to defend Mr Ryan. Expand Close Catherine Martin, deputy leader of the Green Party / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Catherine Martin, deputy leader of the Green Party "Eamon is a thoroughly decent man who realises he made a mistake. "He has apologised and will learn from it. I've been in touch to offer my support," she said. "I hope some good can come out of Eamon's genuine mistake and we can all have a real and honest conversation amongst ourselves as a diverse nation about people's lived experiences," she added. "We have a lot of listening to do." Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The 'Global Prenol (3-Methyl-2-buten-1-ol, CAS 556-82-1) Market Outlook 2019-2024' offers detailed coverage of prenol industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading prenol producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for prenol. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography. Request For Report Sample @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3773 The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from key industry participants. The global prenol market has been segmented into five major regions, namely, North America (US, Canada, and others), Europe (UK, France, Germany, Russia, and others), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia , and others), South America (Brazil, Argentina, and others), and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and others). Furthermore, the report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key vendors operating in this market. Get Complete TOC with Tables and Figures @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/3773 Key Regions - North America - Europe - Asia Pacific - Middle East & Africa - South America Key Vendors - BASF SE - China Catalyst Huabang (Dongying) Co., Ltd. - Jilin Zhongxin Chemical Group Co., Ltd. - Kuraray Co., Ltd. - Nantong Tendenci Chemical Co., Ltd. - request free sample to get a complete list of companies Key Questions Answered in This Report - Analysis of the prenol market including revenues, future growth, market outlook - Historical data and forecast - Regional analysis including growth estimates - Analyzes the end user markets including growth estimates. - Profiles on prenol vendors including products, sales / revenues, SWOT, and market position, recent developments. - Market structure, market drivers and restraints. <<< Get COVID-19 Report Analysis >>> https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/3773 In March Poland closed its borders to foreigners to stop the spread of the coronavirus. However, it has been progressively loosening restictions on public life, with shopping centres, hotels and restaurants all reopening in May. Germany will lift border controls with Switzerland, France, Austria and Denmark on June 15, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Wednesday (June 10), adding the government would reconsider if the coronavirus situation deteriorates. Russia and Turkey have postponed high-level talks that were expected to focus on Libya and Syria, where the two countries support opposing sides in long-standing conflicts. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, decided to put off the talks during a phone call on June 14, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "The two countries' deputy ministers will continue contacts and talks in the period ahead. Minister-level talks will be held at a later date," the statement said. Lavrov and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had been set to visit Istanbul for the talks. The Russian Foreign Ministry said discussion will be held on the date of the ministers' meeting. The United Nations said this week that warring sides had begun new peace talks in Libya. The country has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed popular uprising ousted and killed the North African country's longtime dictator, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, in 2011. The struggle pits Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) in the east of the country against the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). Moscow, along with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, backs the LNA in the conflict. Turkey, which deployed troops, drones, and Syrian rebel mercenaries to Libya in January, supports the government in Tripoli alongside Qatar and Italy. In Syria, Russia and Iran support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey backs opposition fighters. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was expected to visit Istanbul on June 14 for talks with Turkish officials. Iran's Foreign Ministry had earlier announced that Zarif planned to visit Moscow as well. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and Tasnim Being away from the sanctuary was not exactly new for members at Houstons St. Marks United Methodist Church. Last September, the church was devastated by a fire, and repairs were made in time for Christmas. Members were just getting back in the swing of their routine when the pandemic changed everything. In the past eight or nine months, weve worshiped in an elementary school cafeteria, a middle school gym and now online, senior pastor Emily Chapman said. Though Chapman is more than ready to return to the sanctuary and regular Sunday services, she has not set a date to reopen. Instead, Chapman is keeping a close watch on the Texas Medical Center, waiting for a major downturn in the number of COVID-19 cases. Were looking for benchmarks, she said. Safety is the top priority, Chapman explained, and she is not the only faith leader who feels that way. A recent survey of 118 local faith leaders, conducted by the Greater Houston Partnership and Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, showed that most congregations are exercising caution and not rushing to reopen. Bob Harvey, CEO and president of the Greater Houston Partnership, explained that after the rodeo closed, health experts and religious leaders convened to discuss how to work together in the face of mounting concerns. Faith leaders were asked to close their doors and cancel services. The faith community responded so immediately and so aggressively, Harvey said. We had a group call on Thursday, and by Friday, the mosques closed, followed by the synagogues on Saturday and the churches on Sunday. Some were literally making that decision hours before their services. It was remarkable. The Greater Houston Partnership and Interfaith Ministries continues to invite the clergy to Zoom meetings with experts from the Texas Medical Center and civic leaders to ascertain the latest information about the coronavirus. Often, 125 to 150 joined the sessions. Here we are three months later, and the conversation is changing, Harvey said. Thats why we wanted to do a survey. He said that as the city started to reopen, the Greater Houston Partnership and Interfaith wanted to gauge the faith communitys interest and concerns about returning to in-person worship. The surveys first question asked whether congregations reopened on Memorial Day; 83 percent replied that they had not. Instead, most reported conducting virtual services. Those who did conduct physical services limited seating to 10 percent to 50 percent of capacity. More than half of the congregations surveyed had no plans to resume in-person worship services in June or July. When they do open their doors, a majority of respondents plan to maintain social distancing by reducing capacity. About two-thirds will discourage high-risk members from attending, and 98 percent will encourage or require all members to wear masks in the building. Harvey explained that almost 40 percent of congregations have already developed protocols for reopening, and another 46 percent are still working on guidelines. The Greater Houston Partnership plans to provide congregations with the tools they need and to encourage thoughtful and detailed protocols for reopening. In addition, Harvey said, faith leaders will play an important part in spreading the word that social distancing, wearing masks and hand-washing are still a top priority. Their members listen to them, he said. This is a moment to use the pulpit as a platform. Its important that Houston stay strong at this moment. Martin B. Cominsky, president and CEO of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, said faith leaders have been instrumental in helping to contain the spread of the virus. He is impressed by the innovative ways that congregations have stayed in touch and continued to worship together virtually and expects that creativity to continue. We will find a new normal that combines the best of both worlds, he said. We have faith in our community. We have faith that people will do the right thing and help each other stay safe. Mosques across the city have been following strict rules to ensure safety of members, Islamic Society of Greater Houston president Sohail Syed explained. We opened our mosques at 10 percent capacity, Syed said. Individuals 65 and older, children and those who are sick or have health conditions were asked to stay home. Space for prayer was separated by 6 feet, and members brought their own prayer mats. Imams added services on Fridays to accommodate their congregations, and the Islamic Society of Greater Houston formed a task force to guide reopening and offer weekly updates to leaders. The demand to open up more, were not even entertaining, Syed said. We really need to follow the guidelines from our task force and the (Centers for Disease Control). I would rather be on the more conservative side of reopening. Human lives are more important than praying in the mosque. The Rev. Barkley Thompson, the dean of Christ Church Cathedral, developed a similar weekly task force. We dont want to rush into reopening, Thompson said. We want to make sure were ready. In addition to online services, the church has held phone trees and emailed daily meditations. People are in real need of words of both comfort and hope right now, Thompson said. In times of crisis, we are reminded that both comfort and hope find their grounding in faith. Rabbi Steve Gross with the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, said his synagogue also offered a variety of ways for members to stay connected. He hopes to begin gathering again by the High Holy Days and to have a few smaller in-person services earlier. Still, there are no reopening dates on the schedule yet. There are people who would really love to come and worship, Gross said. The virtual experience is nice, but theyre longing for the live experience. Still, health and safety are the chief concern; Gross pointed to the Jewish principle Pikuach Nefesh, which states that saving a human life is of utmost importance. The preservation of life is a paramount value, Gross said. You do all you can to protect a life. The Hindus of Greater Houston are also taking every precaution to preserve safety, chair Devinder Mahajan said. Even at a recent wedding in Meenakshi Temple in Pearland, all CDC protocols were followed. Except for the couple, everybody wore masks and followed the safe-distance guidelines, Mahajan said. The temple he co-founded with his father, Arya Samaj Greater Houston, has not reopened and moved everything online instead. To stay safe, we are following the CDC guidelines, he said. Assembly will only be open once we have a vaccine or other means to make it safe. From the beginning, Chapman at St. Marks worried the pandemic would last longer than some predicted. But I didnt have a sense that it would be going as long as this and its not over yet, she said. Its not even close. When services resume, she plans to follow a hybrid model to allow vulnerable populations to stay home. Its going to be a while before everyone can get back together again, she said. If were going to be faithful and responsible, we have to consider what risks we are putting people in. Even when the environment is considered safe again, the pastor plans to gradually reopen with small group gatherings or outdoor activities. Its hard not knowing, Chapman said. Theres no end date. Theres no fixed point when this is over. We need to be really agile and roll with what comes. And her congregation has been learning how to adapt to uncertain times. In our faith, we believe that we must care for the most vulnerable among us, Chapman said. This is an act of love. We are sacrificing so we can keep people as safe as possible. We can reduce risks and show solidarity. Were not racing back to something thats not safe because we care deeply about our neighbors. Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based writer. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 14:52:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Xinfadi, the largest wholesale market with fruit, vegetable and meat supplies in Beijing, was suspended on Saturday for disinfection after personnel working there and the surroundings have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. All personnel who had close contact with the market since May 30 will undergo nucleic acid testing, Gao Xiaojun, a spokesman with the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, told a press conference. According to Gao, the city now has 98 qualified institutions for nucleic acid testing, with the daily testing capacity exceeding 90,000. To ensure the market supply, special sections have been set up for sales of vegetables and fruits with close-off management, according to a statement jointly issued early Saturday by the market regulation bureau and the health commission of the district. Covering a total area of 112 hectares, the Xinfadi market has some 1,500 management personnel and more than 4,000 tenants. Beijing reported six confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday. Together with another case reported on Thursday, all of them are connected to the market or their close contacts. Inbound cargo flights and imported freight will be closely watched and every effort will be made in the epidemiological investigation and source tracking related to the Xinfadi market, according to the conference. Chen Yankai, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Market Regulation, said the city will strengthen inspections of food markets with fresh products, frozen pork, beef, mutton and poultry as key products to be screened. Supermarkets, convenience stores, food shops and venues providing food and drink services will also be primary targets of inspections, Chen said. Enditem The education ministry said Thursday it is considering holding standardized university entrance exams in January as planned, despite months of high school closures due to the new coronavirus outbreak. The education ministry is considering going ahead with the current exam schedule for Jan. 16 and 17 after a survey of 5,276 public and private high schools nationwide found that 69.0 percent hope the exams will be held according to the current plan. The delayed classes, which came as a result of school closures requested by the government to curb the spread of the virus, have prompted discussions on postponing the exam schedule. Japanas academic year starts in April. The ministry held a meeting with high school and university officials Thursday to discuss the exam dates. As the nationas state of emergency was lifted nationwide by late May, many schools restarted. But some officials called for delaying the schedule at the meeting, as progress in making up for lost time varies among schools and regions, a ministry official said. The ministry said it will look at postponement if there is a resurgence in virus infections. Standardized university entrance exams are held in mid-January every year for public and private universities. Standardized exams for enrollment next year will be introduced with new question formats. San Francisco, June 13 : Former Facebook executive Chris Cox announced that he is returning to the social media company as Chief Product Officer. He left the company last March after Zuckerberg announced the company would enable end-to-end-encryption across its suite of products. "I'm returning to Facebook as our Chief Product Officer. I have been away just over a year but it's a different world now. Like many of you, I've been thinking hard about what I can do for our families and communities today, and for the world our children will live in tomorrow. Facebook and our products have never been more relevant to our future. It's the place I know best, it's a place I've helped to build, and it's the best place for me to roll up my sleeves and dig in to help," Cox said in a Facebook post. In the post he also referred to the challenges facing the world today, including public health crisis, economic crisis, and racial injustice. "In 2019 I refocused my time, spinning up climate change initiatives, building progressive political infrastructure for this election year, playing with my reggae band, and reconnecting with my family and kiddos. Then 2020 refocused us all, on a public health crisis, an economic crisis, and now a reckoning of racial injustice," Cox noted. Cox originally joined Facebook in 2005 as the company's 13th software engineer. Prior to his departure from Facebook, he was responsible for overseeing the company's family of apps, such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and the core Facebook app. A group of bikers who banded together to make essential deliveries during the pandemic have clocked up a total of 37,000 miles - the equivalent of a lap-and-a-half of the Earth - and are set to make their 1,500th 'drop' this weekend. The Volunteer Bikers Group (VBG) began with just five riders and now has 200 members who travel all over distributing food parcels, medication and personal protective equipment (PPE). Deliveries have included essential chemotherapy drugs for a patient in Donegal, who needed an urgent delivery from Altnagelvin Hospital. There have been some unusual requests too, with one volunteer tasked to deliver a Moses basket arriving to find the mother-to-be already in labour. The group is self-funding, with volunteers using their own motorbikes and fuel, but it does accept donations and to date has raised almost 2,500 for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice. To recognise their efforts, representatives were invited to Stormont on Thursday, where they were thanked personally by Health Minister Robin Swann. Among them was their youngest PPE maker, 14-year-old Jamie Watson from Stranocum in Co Antrim, who has made over 700 frames for face shields. The five men who started the group are father and son Paul and Phil Johnston, John Lawson, Michael Price and Richard Webber. However, what began as a few trips to help elderly and vulnerable people needing prescriptions and essential items in the north Down area has mushroomed into an impressive assistance operation with volunteers from every corner of Northern Ireland. Every motorbike club in the province is involved and the volunteer riders include men and women from all walks of life - from helicopter pilots and barristers to business owners and people who are unemployed. One of the group's main roles has been helping to deliver some of the 26,000 scrubs made by volunteers in their own homes on behalf of NI Scrubs Group. Mr Lawson said: "There were so many individuals and community and sewing groups out there making the PPE but there was no mechanism to get the items from A to B, so we filled that gap. "Fourteen-year-old Jamie Watson actually uploaded mask frames for 3D photocopiers and started printing them off himself. There were wee factories all over the place making components for the NHS frames and we were collecting different elements of those so they could be put together. We wanted to take the pressure off the NHS." As well as travelling all over Ireland, the volunteers have also teamed up with motorcycle groups in the Republic and other parts of the UK to guarantee items reach their intended targets. One such delivery was from Wigan to Omagh Hospital and Lisnaskea Health Centre, with the local volunteers travelling to Cairnryan to collect the items from the English riders. All of the volunteers have been 'cleared' through Access NI for pharmacy deliveries, and the group also received a tracking system - donated by UK company Microlise - which allows it to monitor its riders and deliveries. It means it can supply authorities with details of where riders have been if Covid-19 contact tracing should be required. Co-volunteer Phil Johnston explained that riders are still out seven days a week. "Despite relaxation we still find there are some people not willing to risk leaving home and we are supporting them with deliveries of prescriptions and PPE," he explained. And the group has no plans to stop any time soon. "We do feel there is benefit to us and the wider community in remaining. Options include support for blood bikes, transplant movements and other areas where the health service will need all the support it can get," he said. "Plus, we are reluctant to step back in the event there is a second wave." Mr Lawson said the support and feedback the group had received had been phenomenal. "It's a privilege for us to do this. This has drawn together the entire motorcycle community in Northern Ireland and we almost feel we are carrying a banner for the bikers of Northern Ireland," he added. "It is why we don't accept any money. We feel as if we are giving something back." Canada's intelligence agency warned that arresting the daughter of billionaire Huawei founder Ren Zheng would set off global "shock waves" and seriously affect ties with China, just before her detention in Vancouver on a US extradition request, new court documents show. Released on Friday, the documents show the involvement of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in the December 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, which soured diplomatic ties between Ottawa and Beijing. Meng is chief financial officer of China tech giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the company at the center of next generation 5G wireless technology and a long-running dispute the administration of US President Donald Trump. A CSIS report was disclosed in the court documents as part of Meng's extradition proceedings. In a redacted December 1, 2018 memo, CSIS said it was advised by the US FBI of plans to arrest Meng when she arrived on a flight to Vancouver International Airport later that same day. "The arrest is likely to send shockwaves around the world," CSIS said. "The planned event will be of great consequence internationally and bilaterally," the report said. Huawei lawyers called the documents proof that authorities had conspired against Meng. Meng is accused by US authorities 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 US sanctions on Tehran. Meng's lawyers have argued the case should be thrown out because Canada did not have sanctions against Iran. Meng says she is innocent. Last month, a Canadian judge allowed the case to continue, rejecting defense arguments that the US charges against Meng do not constitute crimes in Canada. The new court documents show the CSIS was concerned about when Meng's arrest might become public. Her lawyers noted the point was of particular interest, since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were attending the G20 summit in Argentina and dining together on the evening of December 1. As economic activities pick up pace in India with industries re-opening after an over two-month long hiatus, many sectors including the construction business are still finding it difficult to cope due to a lack of workers, many of whom returned to their native places during the lockdown imposed to curb Covid-19 disease. To overcome this shortage of workers, the Builders Association of India (BAI) has put forward a proposal to train unemployed local youth from villages near Mumbai, according to a report in web portal ETRealty dot com. The association intends to take the help of NGOs in finding such youth and train them in various trades such as carpentry, masonry, etc. By finding unemployed youth who are interested in working as carpenters, masons, fitter etc,with the help of NGOs, they can be trained accordingly, Mohinder Rijhwani, the newly appointed Chairman of Builders Association of Indias Mumbai Centre, was quoted in the report. The industry will thus be able to find skilled workers and tide over the shortage on one hand and the local youth can get the jobs on the other, he added. The training centres for skill development will be set up the BAI with the help of the Maharashtra government. The issue of lack of workers is being faced not just by construction business but by almost every industry ever since lakhs of migrant workers went back to their native towns and villages on Shramik Special trains started by the Indian Railways on May 1. This has led companies to becoming proactive in wooing back the migrant workers by adopting measures such as paying the workers train and in some cases, even flight - fare, offering higher wages and better working conditions. In the midst of efforts to bring the economy back on track, the number of coronavirus cases in India continue to rise. With more than 11,000 new Covid-19 cases recorded between Friday and Saturday, the countrys total count has crossed the three-lakh mark, standing at 308,993, as per the Union health ministry data. The death toll from the infection is now at 8,884. Over the past two weeks, thousands of Americans have stood shoulder to shoulder, marching down avenues into crowded public squares, demanding their elected officials do more to protect the lives of black men and women. For those protesting after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, the need to overhaul police departments across the nation outweighs the calls for social distancing to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. Yet the public health crisis remains. As of Thursday, there have been 2 million reported coronavirus cases in the United States and 112,000 people have died. Across the board, communities of color account for a disproportionate number of those affected. With people crowding together at demonstrations against police brutality, experts are concerned there could be a subsequent spike in cases. When it comes to attending a protest, "the risk is clearly nonzero," said Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist at Harvard's Chan School of Public Health. Members of the D.C. National Guard have tested positive for the coronavirus since responding to demonstrations around the city. After the first protests outside the White House, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged protesters to self-isolate and get tested if they found themselves in high-risk situations at a demonstration. Bill Miller, an epidemiologist and a physician at Ohio State University, said that people can calculate their risk for exposure by considering four factors: the time spent around other people, the distance you can place between you and others, knowing the people around you and how well they've been following social distancing guidelines, and whether you're gathered outside or inside. Put simply, Miller formed a rhyme: Time, space, people and place. Virtually all the protests have been outside, and research shows it's harder - but not impossible - to catch the virus outdoors, where there's better air circulation and a chance for droplets of the virus to be carried off into the surrounding atmosphere. Still, this is a respiratory virus that spreads when we exhale, cough, sneeze, talk and even sing. There's a case of a choir practice in Washington state where many of those in attendance ended up contracting the virus. And, if singing can spread the virus, experts are concerned shouting and chanting at a protest will have the same effect. "Shouting is clearly very risky," Feigl-Ding said. "Masks help, but, again, it helps when everyone does it, and a lot of protesters don't." Any risks are compounded when police fire pepper spray or tear gas to disperse crowds, causing demonstrators to start coughing. "Protesting has always been violent and risky, even outside of a pandemic," said Jade Pagkas-Bather, an infectious-disease expert and a clinician at the University of Chicago. "When you toss in a pandemic, that obviously makes things more complex." Before you go to a protest or rally, think about how your potential exposure may affect those you live with - especially if you live with older relatives or someone with a compromised immune system, Pagkas-Bather said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains that older adults and those with serious underlying medical conditions "might be at higher risk for severe illness" from the coronavirus and its disease, covid-19. If you do go to a protest, be sure to wear a mask and have hand sanitizer on you, "because you're going to absolutely need to be prudent about hand-washing," Pagkas-Bather said. She also noted many protesters understand the risks they are undertaking when they demonstrate in crowds. "They're saying that racism is the underlying bedrock ... and it's more detrimental than a virus," Pagkas-Bather said. "That's a really powerful stance to take." "These videos that we see are little glimpses into some of the violence that has been perpetuated against people of color, black and brown and indigenous folks, for centuries in this country," Pagkas-Bather said in a phone interview. "It's starting to really resonate with people who might have not considered its effects in such monumental ways." There may be a spike in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks, but that's not to say the protests would be the sole cause. The demonstrations are "one tree in a very big forest," Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch wrote in an email. States are beginning to reopen their economies. Whether people follow social distance guidelines and wear masks in public during their everyday lives will ultimately "matter much more" for any spike in the number of cases, Lipsitch wrote. City health officials in Boston, Dallas, Denver and elsewhere are offering free coronavirus testing for those who participated in protests. It is possible to get a test too early; in the first 24 to 48 hours, a test won't be able to identify whether you have the virus. If you plan on getting a test, Miller and other experts recommend going the fourth day after you've attended a demonstration or soon thereafter. "You don't want to wait too long, because if you're positive and asymptomatic, you could still potentially be spreading it to other people," Miller said. "You want to find it as early as you can." Hyderabad: Telangana's minister for municipal administration K T Rama Rao on Friday is said to have ordered a thorough probe into a land dispute involving proxies of Hyderabad mayor Bonthu Rammohan. The proxies of the mayor are alleged to have grabbed two acres of prime land worth at least Rs 100 crore near Narsingi on the outskirts of Hyderabad, by forcibly evicting the owners. Reacting to a news report published in the Deccan Chronicle, minister Rama Rao is said to have directed Cyberabad police commissioner V C Sajjanar and Ranga Reddy collector Amoy Kumar to thoroughly inquire into the incident and submit a report. Special Branch personnel of the Cyberabad police and state intelligence officials visited the disputed land in Narsingi and interacted with the plot owners. The Ranga Reddy district administration also reviewed the proceedings issued by the officials concerned in various stages of the deal. Rama Rao is said to have taken a tough stand against the encroachment, and directed Rammohan to keep away from the controversy. Accordingly, Rammohan in a statement announced that his family would cancel the development agreement and memorandum of understanding with the present title holders. "We dont know about the illegal transactions that took place prior to our agreements. Due to involvement of sale transactions between innocent plot purchasers and Radha Realty, we are going to cancel our development agreement and MoU, he added. Sources close to Rama Rao said he made it clear that any attempt that would bring disrepute to the governments image and Brand Hyderabad would not be tolerated. He hosts one of cable TVs highest-rated programs, but at least seven major advertisers have dropped Tucker Carlson Tonight following his racist screed against Black Lives Matter and marches protesting police brutality toward blacks. T-Mobile, Disney, and even Papa Johns Pizza are among the marketers who decided that reaching Carlsons far-right followers isnt worth tarnishing its brand. SmileDirectClub, Vari, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, and Poshmark have also severed their association with the middle-age frat boy. On June 8, Carlson attacked the worldwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd. In an apparent attempt to stir fear instead of marchers demanding an end to the systemic racism in law enforcement, Carlson cautioned against left-wing mobs out to cancel your rights. This may be a lot of things, this moment were living through, but it is definitely not about black lives, he told his audience. Remember that when they come for you, and at this rate, they will. Two days earlier, Carlson had called out celebrities who donated to nonprofits supporting police reform and raising bail money for protestors. Carlson read the names of Seth Rogen, Janelle Monae, Steve Carell, Don Cheadle, Colin Kaepernick, Harry Styles, Cynthia Nixon, and others over images of violent riots. I think when white supremacists are bothered by your actions, thats probably a good thing, tweeted Rogen in response. Racist history Following his June 8 statements about the protests, Carlson was hit with charges of racism, and not for the first time. In 2018, Carlsons show lost advertisers after he claimed immigrants made the United States poorer and dirtier. The next year, he drew fire for characterizing white supremacy as a hoax after authorities linked the mass slaying of 22 people at an El Paso Walmart to a white supremacist who feared a Hispanic invasion. Pull Quote Advertisers were already disengaging with Fox News for its denial of the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn is causing companies to trim their marketing budgets. In the wake of that incident, the hashtag #FireTuckerCarlson trended for a while and Carlson went on vacation. The latest incident, however, hits Fox News where its heart is money and at a time when the network is particularly vulnerable. Advertisers were already disengaging with Fox News for its denial of the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn is causing companies to trim their marketing budgets. A recent ad industry study predicted that COVID-19 will take 33 percent from advance commercial commitments as advertisers shift to short-term buying. Of the more than 150 advertisers surveyed in early May, half say they feel they can replace the reach of linear TV with ads within streaming services and digital video ads, wrote CNBC. But Carlson can still count on one high-profile advertiser: MyPillow. Company CEO Mike Lindell is Minnesota chairman for Donald Trumps 2020 reelection campaign, and hes a backer of the All Lives Matter movement a racist counter to Black Lives Matter. MyPillow had 45 airings on Carlsons show between May 27 and June 9, according to iSpot.tv. In addition to sticking with Carlson for now, Lindell is said to be considering a run for governor of Minnesota. If he does, Carlson also can count on him for campaign ads in the Minnesota market. But for now, the biggest star of one of the world's most successful media businesses might consider recalibrating his approach to a nascent cultural shift. A Paralympian training for Tokyo had his wheelchair stolen less than a year after his leg was amputated due to an infection. Nathan Arkley's custom-built wheelchair was stolen from the front porch of his friend's home in Angle Park, Adelaide. The 25-year-old track and field athlete - who is currently using an old chair which doesn't fit properly - is pleading for the thieves to come forward. 'Honestly, it's my legs...it's mobility, it's my way of life,' Arkley told 7NEWS. Arkley won a bronze medal in the Men's 4 400 metres relay at the London Paralympics in 2012 'It's a very custom item, so it's not much use to anyone but myself.' Arkley won a bronze medal in the Men's 4 400 metres relay at the London Paralympics in 2012. Earlier this year, Arkley suffered an infection and was required to get his left leg amputated in emergency surgery. 'I guess it's another bump in the road. It's part and parcel of life - you can either curl over or get on with it,' he said. Arkley has used a wheelchair since he was eight years old. His friend Matthew Brumby said custom-made wheelchairs are expensive and can take 12 weeks to build. Nathan Arkley's custom-built wheelchair was stolen from the front porch of his friend's home in Angle Park, Adelaide WASHINGTON More than two out of five Americans say they are still worried about the coronavirus, even as states continue to relax pandemic restrictions and some are reporting a rise in the number of daily cases. A combined 86% of Americans say they are very or somewhat concerned with the pandemic, according to a new survey from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project. That is 3 percentage points down from the recorded high during a survey conducted from March 26 to April 1. The findings come as some states are seeing an increasing number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Arizona has seen the number of of daily cases rise over the past two weeks, with hospitalizations for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases hitting the highest number on Wednesday. Where do Americans stand on election issues? Let them tell you how they feel about this policy Some states, including Arizona, began loosening social distancing restrictions and ending stay-at-home orders last month. Robert Griffin, research director for the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group, said there was a "steady, slow week over week decline" in concern, but that has since stalled out over the past several weeks. "The level of concern that people are recording around COVID appears pretty stable over the last couple of week," Griffin said. The Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project is a massive study of the American electorate designed to conduct 500,000 interviews about policies and the presidential candidates during the 2020 election cycle. When broken down by political party, Republicans saw a drop in concern by 12 percentage points since early April, according to the Nationscape Insights analysis, a project of Democracy Fund, UCLA and USA TODAY. However, more than three out of four Republicans 79% say they are very or somewhat concerned with the virus in the most recent survey. Memory loss, gnarled fingers, panic attacks: COVID-19 didn't kill these Americans, but many might never be the same Story continues The majority of Democrats 94% said they are still very or somewhat concerned with the virus, just a 1 percentage point drop from early April. Among independents, eight in 10 say they are very or somewhat concerned about the virus. More than 100,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, a grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the globe. In addition, there has been a slow rise in Americans who believe "it is safe right now" to reopen certain activities, like theaters and large-scale events including live sports. According to a May 23 survey, 16% of Americans believe it's safe now to reopen theaters and bars, up 6 percentage points from April 23. Twenty-one percent of Americans also say it's safe to end stay-at-home orders, up 7 percentage points from the April survey. When asked about holding in-person voting, 18% said it's safe to do so now, up 6 percentage points from April. Contributing: Alison Steinbach, Arizona Republic A pedestrians wears a protective mask during the coronavirus pandemic Friday, May 15, 2020, in New York. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans still worried about coronavirus as states reopen, cases rise The foreign ministers of Russia, India and China are expected to hold a meeting via video conference on June 22, people familiar with developments said on Saturday, against the backdrop of heightened tensions between New Delhi and Beijing due to a border stand-off. The meeting of the foreign ministers of the RIC (Russia-India-China) grouping is being convened at the initiative of Moscow and is largely focused on enhancing cooperation to tackle the fallout of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. The three sides are working on the agenda for the meeting and this is expected to be finalised by early next week, said a person familiar with planning for the meeting. The people pointed out that the meeting had been in the pipeline for some time and wasnt in any way linked to the flaring up of tensions between India and China over a weeks-old tense standoff between border troops along the Line of Actual Control, especially in Ladakh sector. This would also be the first meeting to be joined by external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi since the stand-off along the LAC became public. Both leaders had joined a virtual meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on May 13, but at that time the full details of the stand-off hadnt become public. HT had first reported on violent clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in certain stretches of the LAC on May 10, though the stand-off involving thousands of troops from both sides hadnt become public at that time. There was no official word from the Indian side regarding the June 22 meeting, which is yet to be formally announced. It was also not clear whether the border stand-off could figure in the discussions, especially since India has clearly said there is no room for intervention by any third party in the matter. The Indian government had made its position clear after US President Donald Trump recently offered to mediate between India and China. The Russian side has repeatedly said in recent days that it hopes India and China will take steps to de-escalate tensions. Moscows relations with both New Delhi and Beijing are currently very good, and both Russian ambassador Nikolay Kudashev and deputy chief of mission Roman Babushkin have, in remarks to the Indian media, spoken of the need for easing of tensions for regional stability. Kudashev said Russia is confident that India and China will be guided commitments made by the Indian and Chinese leadership during their two informal summits and work for peace and tranquillity on the border. He also said Russia is looking toward further engagements in the RIC, SCO and Brics (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) groupings to enhance mutual trust and stability. Babuskin said Russia was worried about the situation along the LAC but also confident that India and China will find a way out by using existing mechanisms to handle such issues. He also said a constructive India-China relationship is key to regional stability. India has said it has engaged with China through diplomatic and military channels to find an early resolution to the boundary issue. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (Newser) Anthony Fauci issued a word of calm Friday as coronavirus case numbers spiked across several US states. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on CNN the latest uptick may not be the "second spike" many fear, but "when you start to see increases in hospitalization, that's a surefire situation that you've got to pay close attention to." He also said there may be no second COVID-19 wave this summerdespite predictions from some health expertsif people "approach it in the proper way" by social distancing, wearing masks in public, and following other CDC guidelines. In related news: story continues below Mask study : A new study says mask-wearing is even more effective than social distancing or staying home, Reuters reports. Published in PNAS: The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, the study adds that masks may have averted tens of thousands of cases. "This protective measure alone significantly reduced the number of infections, that is, by over 78,000 in Italy from April 6 to May 9 and over 66,000 in New York City from April 17 to May 9," the researchers say. : A new study says mask-wearing is even more effective than social distancing or staying home, Reuters reports. Published in PNAS: The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, the study adds that masks may have averted tens of thousands of cases. "This protective measure alone significantly reduced the number of infections, that is, by over 78,000 in Italy from April 6 to May 9 and over 66,000 in New York City from April 17 to May 9," the researchers say. State by state : As case numbers rise across roughly half a dozen US states, North Carolina and Texas are reporting their highest hospitalization rates of the pandemic. But Texas plans to keep reopening "because we have so many hospital beds available to anybody who gets ill," Gov. Greg Abbot said, per Business Insider. See a state-by-state rundown at USA Today. : As case numbers rise across roughly half a dozen US states, North Carolina and Texas are reporting their highest hospitalization rates of the pandemic. But Texas plans to keep reopening "because we have so many hospital beds available to anybody who gets ill," Gov. Greg Abbot said, per Business Insider. See a state-by-state rundown at USA Today. Worldwide: Beijing is battling a virus uptick by locking down 11 neighborhoods in the Fengtai district, the CBC reports. Meanwhile, India announced a single-day record with over 11,000 new cases; WHO says the pandemic is building in Africa; and the UN says hundreds of thousands of seafarers have been left stranded for months. Worldwide, over 7.6 million have tested positive and over 420,000 have died from the virus. (Read more coronavirus stories.) When Morrison defended his comments on slavery, during a press conference on Friday, he was defending a view of Australian history that is mainstream, and he knows it. Morrison has a better instinct for where the middle majority of Australians sit on most issues than his critics give him credit for. This includes his views on mass protests during a pandemic, and his insistence that while some bad things have happened in our past, we have apologised and moved on. "What has begun with, you know, very important issues and important issues here in Australia, is now getting hijacked by the usual sort of band of noise-makers who just want to make an attack on Australia and its society," Morrison told 3AW radio on Thursday, regarding the BLM protests. Earlier in the day he had made his slavery remarks in a different interview, commenting that NSW was founded as a colonial settlement, not on the basis of the slave trade. "It was a pretty brutal place, but there was no slavery in Australia," he said. I do find it interesting that we acknowledge and even celebrate the brutality of our convict past, but somehow we get the yips when it comes to talking about the violence of our colonial forefathers to First Australians. Anyway, the backlash against Morrison was swift images were tweeted of Aboriginal people in neck-chains, people posted historical accounts of blackbirding, and journalists picked up the phone to historians to correct the record. At first I thought it was dreadful that Indigenous Australians and their defenders should have to scamper around collating evidence to prove as historical fact something that others wanted to turn into a semantic argument. Centene CEO Michael Neidorff in a CNBC interview Friday suggested that providing better education to at-risk youth is one solution to address the racial disparities that underscore the ongoing protests in America. When asked by Jim Cramer, the host of "Mad Money," how corporations could offer money and jobs to address racial inequity in the country, Neidorff said that Centene has donated toward grade schools in efforts to boost learning opportunities in low-income areas. "One of the things we have to do to correct this is improve the educational system in the inner city," he said, adding that if "we can do that, you can start turning people's lives around." The comments come two weeks after the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black father, in the custody of police on a Minneapolis street in late May. The incident, along with the recent shootings of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, has sparked ongoing protests both domestically and abroad against social injustices and economic oppression in Black communities. The protests have also raised questions about economic access for Black people and minorities as a whole, including diversity in corporate America and leadership. Neidorff said the majority of the workforce at Centene, a provider of both public and private health insurance, is made up of people of color, a catch-all phrase for minority populations. Centene employs 56,600 people, according to Factset. "It's something I feel good about," he said. "I think it can be done." Neidorff touted how Centene responded to public outrage that followed the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, the unarmed 18-year-old Black man who was killed during an encounter with police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. The killing also sparked Black Lives Matter protests across the country, reintroducing the issue of police violence to mainstream dialogue. Centene, which is headquartered in the neighboring city of St. Louis, decided to build a $25 million service center, creating 200 jobs, in Ferguson. It opened in 2016. "Up until this last time, we saw property values starting to increase. If you drive through Ferguson now, people are showing pride and taking care of it," Neidorff said to Cramer of the progress he has witnessed in the city. "I feel successful only when I see other people being successful, and the people in Ferguson are becoming successful." Chilean and Argentine researchers have unearthed teeth in far-flung Patagonia belonging to a mammal that lived 74 million years ago, the oldest such remains yet discovered in the South American country, the Chilean Antarctic Institute reported on Thursday. Scientists uncovered the tiny teeth, which belonged to a species called Magallanodon baikashkenke, on a dig near Torres del Paine National Park, a remote area of Patagonia famous for its glacier-capped Andean spires and frigid ocean waters. The small mammal would have lived in southern Patagonia during the late Cretaceous era, alongside dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles and birds, according to an article published in the bulletin of the Natural History Museum of Chile. It is the southernmost record of Gondwanatheria, a group of long-extinct early mammals that co-existed with dinosaurs. Alexander Vargas, a researcher at the University of Chile, described the mammal as an evolutionary stepping stone between egg-laying mammals, like the platypus ... and marsupial mammals. Vargas said the beast was not a rodent but had evolved rodent-like chewing teeth. Gondwanatheria remains from the Cretaceous era are extremely rare, particularly in this part of southern South America, according to the Chilean Antarctic Institute. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Haiti - PNH 25th anniversary : Speech by President Jovenel Moise For the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Haitian National Police (PNH) without parade or fanfare (Covid-19 requires), President Jovenel Moise delivered a prerecorded speech of which we invite you to read the main extracts. Extract from President Moise's speech : " Haitian people, Haitians, Haitians living in the 4 corners of the country and in the diaspora, Police officers, [...] It has been 25 years that a team of young men and women have been fighting to accomplish a noble, hard and thankless task, which is to protect and serve the people. And by protecting and serving you, many of them lost their lives. [...] This 25th anniversary is celebrated in a particular context due to the coronavirus. We would like to celebrate in a grand way, big religious ceremonies, big parades with many policemen marking time. But unfortunately, the coronavirus prevents us from doing so. I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all the police forces for their courage, for their commitment in the fight alongside the health authorities to fight against the coronavirus. By observing the barrier measures and all other measures adopted in the fight against this pandemic. By ensuring the security of health centers and all other structures set up to receive patients in need of care. The country is very happy and thanks you for the great efforts and sacrifices you are making to save our brothers and sisters. [...] Today, the people and the police have a common enemy [...] insecurity. This insecurity spreads death in the people's camp and in the police camp. Many ill-intentioned people want to create a division between the police and the people. The divide and conquer formula can no longer work. Today, it is by building a chain of solidarity, by helping each other that we can lead the country towards the path of change that we all dream of. It is not by defending our personal interests, nor by defending the interests of a small group of people that we can create a country where everyone can live freely in peace and security. Police officiers, It is through dialogue, speaking and listening that we can resolve all the problems we face today. [...] Haiti is tired of divisions, of 'take it off that I put myself there'. The country is tired with the system of oppression and divide and conquer. Today, we are the children of a single country, we have only one choice : that of uniting to fight against all those who do not want Peace, serenity and stability in the country. My sisters and brothers, In a democracy, we don't have to agree on everything, but [...] we have to find an agreement on our disagreements, so that good reforms can take place in the country in the social, political and economic fields. Today more than ever, we must make a united front against unemployment, high prices, insecurity and exclusion. My struggle against a small group that wants to impose its own laws on the country requires the support, understanding and surpassing of the elites because the system of oppression is not good for anyone. As I always say, the country must take a different direction. Change is never easy, especially when it comes to a series of sectors where influence peddling, etc. existed, but I tell you dear police officers, in Haiti, the people ask you to make a sacrifice for them because, when it is day, it is at that time that it gets darker [...] [...] there are people who do not understand the meaning of the fight, but I take this great day to tell you that the real way of change is the way of reform, we cannot speak of a country, a better tomorrow if we do not accept to make the sacrifice today. Things are difficult, I understand it and I know it, but I tell you, mothers and fathers, that if no difficult decision is made today, things will get worse tomorrow. [...] In recent months, there has been some turbulence in the PNH due to a set of demands that could be made with much more serenity and calm. I urge the police officers to never get caught in the trap of discord. We are in a social mutation. We need a lot of serenity. We must not leave room for distrust between the population and the police. [...] Today, someone who goes to a police station must feel at home [...] The objective which the police institution must aim for is to restore a climate of trust between the Police and the population. The will of the Government is to establish a Community Police aimed at meeting the security needs of citizens. After 25 years of existence, the PNH has acquired enough maturity and experience to organize itself to meet the security needs expressed by the population. The PNH has not only grown in maturity, it has also grown in quality staff to meet the enormous challenges encountered. I know that the task is immense and the stakes are enormous. The people want to count on your good will and your capacities to overcome the challenges of all kinds that you will face. I also want to say a big thank you to our international partners. I am talking about the USA, Canada and France which carried the PNH on the baptismal font. If today the PNH is what it is, a good part of its success is due to you. I hope that you will continue to assist the police institution which still faces enormous difficulties [...] Happy birthday to the PNH and may God bless the institution! Thank you" HL/ HaitiLibre [June 13, 2020] American Express Receives Clearance to Begin Processing Local Transactions in Mainland China American Express (News - Alert) (NYSE: AXP) announced today that its joint-venture in mainland China, Express (Hangzhou) Technology Services Company Limited ("Express Company"), has received approval from the People's Bank of China (PBOC) for a network clearing license. With this, American Express becomes the first foreign payments network to be licensed to clear RMB transactions in mainland China. The company expects to begin processing transactions later this year. Express Company is American Express' joint venture with Lianlian DigiTech Co., Ltd, a Chinese fintech services company. Express Company has built a network to clear domestic transactions charged on American Express branded cards, and is also compatible with the key mobile wallet players in China. "We are pleased to be the first foreign company to receive this license. This approval represents an important step forward in our long-term growth strategy and is an historic moment, not only for American Express but for the continued growth and development of the payments industry in mainland China," said Stephen J. Squeri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express. "We look forward to welcoming millions of new consumers, businesses and merchants in China to American Express, as well as continuing to enhance our support for our global customers when they travel to the region." Zhengyu Zhang, Chairman of LianLian DigiTech Co., Ltd. said, "Lianlian is committed to providing the best payments and payment-related fintech services to our commercial customers and consumers across the globe. Against the backdrop of globalization and China's opening-up of its financial industry, we have been actively introducing China's mobile payments to the world, while striving to learn from and connect with world-class financial companies. We are confident that our joint venture with American Express will provide more diversified bank card services to consumers and commercial customers in and outside of China." Walter Liu, CEO of Express Company said, "We are proud to be the first licensed foreign payments network in mainland China. We will offer our partners differentiated services by bringing together the best from American Express and Lianlian. Our focus now is to continue the preparation work for a successful business launch by working closely with the regulators and partners." CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to risks and uncertainties and contain words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "aim," "will," "may," "should," "could," "would," "likely" and similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including those described in American Express Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the company's other reports on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. About American Express American xpress is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress. Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, InAuth, corporate card, business travel, and corporate responsibility. About Lianlian Lianlian DigiTech Co., Ltd., founded in February 2009, offers all-round financial services for consumers and small- and medium-sized enterprises around the world through its financial, payments, and clearing services systems. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200613005031/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told the Security Council in a report quoted by Reuters that cruise missiles used in attacks on Saudi oil facilities last year were of Iranian origin. Reuters said it had seen the report delivered by the UN chief and that several items recovered in U.S. seizures of weapons and related materiel in November 2019 and February 2020 also came from Iran. In a statement carried by Iran's state media on June 12, the Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, saying they "appear to have been made under political pressure" from the United States and Saudi Arabia. The ministry noted that the report came "at a time when the United States is working to...extend an arms embargo against Iran." Though the report has yet to be made public, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reiterated Moscows view that the UN-imposed arms embargo that is due to expire in October "should not be extended." The report would represent a change from the last assessment by Guterres in December 2019, when he said the United Nations at that point had been unable to confirm Iran's involvement in drone and cruise-missile attacks on two Saudi oil facilities. The attacks knocked out half of the kingdom's crude production and fueled a spike in oil prices. Saudi Arabia, as well as U.S., and European officials, has accused Iran of responsibility for the September 14 bombardment. Guterres reports to the Security Council every six months on the implementation of an arms embargo on Iran and other restrictions that remain in place after Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers. Reuters quoted Guterres as telling the Security Council that some items found had design characteristics similar to those produced by a commercial entity in Iran, or bear Persian markings, and that some were delivered to the country between February 2016 and April 2018. He added that "these items may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent" with a 2015 Security Council resolution that enshrines Tehran's deal with world powers to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. "The secretariat assesses that the cruise missiles and/or parts thereof used in the four attacks are of Iranian origin," Guterres wrote in the report. The Security Council is due to discuss Guterres's report later this month. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A baby suffered horrific burns to his head, arms and hands after falling head first onto a red-hot heater while playing hide and seek. Kaidan Talbot's parents Zane Talbot and Stacey Cleaver watched in horror as their baby boy tripped over the wood fire's hearth and fell in the home in Launceston, Tasmania. Before they could scoop him up out of harms way, Kaidan instinctively pushed himself off the scalding metal with both arms, burning them too. Kaidan suffered burns to five per cent of his body in the accident on May 1 and still can't open his right hand while the skin grafts heal. It was Kaidan's first birthday the day after the accident and his parents said he spent eight hours of the day screaming in agony. Kaidan Talbot (pictured) suffered horrific burns to his head, arms and hands after falling head first on to a red-hot heater while playing hide and seek Kaidan (pictured in the bath) suffered burns to five per cent of his body in the May 1 accident Kaidan is pictured with his mum Stacey Cleaver (right). Ms Cleaver used her first aid training to treat her son's serious burns while calling an ambulance to rush him to hospital Ms Cleaver said she was just five metres away across the lounge room during the bedtime game when her worst fear as a parent was realised. 'He likes to play hide and seek with us before he goes to bed every night and he started running over to the fire near where his toys are,' she said. 'I told him no but it was too late and he tripped over the hearth, slipped, and fell head first on to the heater. 'Within seconds, Zane had him in his arms and we ran to the bathroom and held him under cold water for 20 minutes until the ambulance arrived.' Ms Cleaver used her first aid training to treat her son's serious burns while calling an ambulance to rush him to hospital. 'We could see the blisters starting to peel as soon as we pulled him away, so we knew it was bad,' she said. Pictured: The wood heater inside the family's Launceston home It was Kaidan's first birthday the day after the accident and his parents said he spent eight hours of the day screaming in agony The one-year-old still can't open his right hand while the skin grafts heal. Pictured: His injuries Kaidan spent his first birthday on May 2 in hospital, screaming for eight hours straight that night, before he was flown to Hobart for burns treatment. Ms Cleaver said she took responsibility for her son's injury as the fire did not have a guard in place because the young couple couldn't afford one. 'It was the scariest thing I've ever gone through, I felt like what have I done to my kid,' she said. 'As a parent it's your worst fear and you try to do everything you can to protect your kids.' Ms Cleaver pleaded with parents to buy a fire guard to prevent similar accidents happening to their own children. Kaidan is pictured sleeping after the accident at his family's Launceston home in May Kaidan spent his first birthday on May 2 in hospital, screaming for eight hours straight that night, before he was flown to Hobart for burns treatment Kaidan (right) is pictured with his father Zane Talbot (left) 'My dad is a firefighter and I've worked in childcare for 12 years so I should have known better,' she said. 'He usually doesn't go near the fire and we only lit it 20 minutes earlier because it was almost his bedtime. 'It was so freezing in here he was shaking so we thought we would light it and by the time he was in bed he would be warm. Pictured: Injury to Kaidan's hand and arm after he fell 'Now people are saying we don't deserve to have him. People are so quick to judge and it's been really hard for me.' Kaidan spent four weeks in hospital in Hobart away from his father and will need more surgeries to repair the damage to his right hand. But after the agony of his first night, Ms Cleaver said her son was doing well and only seemed to be in pain immediately after surgeries. 'He's been a little champ, most days he's his happy little bubbly self, he hasn't lost his smile. He adapted to using both hands to scoop his toys up and then grab it with his mouth,' she said. 'He's eating and drinking by himself now which is great because he was hating that I'd have the feed him and wasn't allowed out of his cot for two weeks.' The Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand recorded 906 children under 15 being admitted to burns units in in 2018-19. Several Latin American scientists have forged ahead with research programs on vaccines to combat COVID-19. At present, no vaccine is available for the virus that has infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. According to Nature news outlet, several possible candidates, most of them backed by pharmaceutical firms from different countries, particularly in China, Europe and the United States, have tried their vaccines on humans. However, researchers want a reserve strategy or proposal should the well-resourced frontrunners fail. They believe signing a partnership with foreign supporters would keep them from reaching both low- and middle-earning nations. Their objectives repeat long-lasting initiatives all over Latin America to capitalize on public understanding and create or recreate scientific independence from foreign pharmaceutical firms. Joining the COVID-19 Vaccine Race Rather than wait to see the result, researchers within Latin America are now working to look for, and discover their own solution to get out of this pandemic. And, as Latin America turns out to be the pandemic's new epicenter, apprehensions about the outlook of depending on a vaccine that is developed and manufactured somewhere else, particularly, given that wealthy nations had more convenient and easier access to vaccines before. According to global health researcher Gavin Yamey, from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, they've already seen some domineering behavior, even when there was no COVID-19 yet. Moreover, according to news reports, some governments in high-earning nations have attempted to purchase vaccine-manufacturing firms or at least acquire a proportion of their products. Honduran microbiologist Maria Elena Bottazzi from Baylon College of Medicine in Texas said, the only ones "who are going to solve the problems in the region," are them-Latin Americans. She added, no one was there to come and rescue them. Bottazzi, who's developing a vaccine for COVID-19 shared, she is planning to distribute throughout Latin America by collaborating with local hubs that produce vaccines. These local hubs include Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Finding Solutions for a Vaccine in Innovation and Partnership At present, some groups are at work on guaranteeing equal access. However, according to Sinergium Biotech director, Fernando Lobos, there is a need for billions of doses worldwide ", and no single provider has the ability to supply that amount of need." Sinergium is a Buenos-Aires-based vaccine manufacturer. Meanwhile, for vaccinologist Luciana Leite, from the Butantan Institute of Sao Paulo, "Innovation is the key." She explained that the world would need substitutes of vaccine candidates that use conservative approaches do not succeed. Several weeks back, biotechnologist Laura Palomares, contacted a colleague to seek help with the vaccine for the virus she is creating. The biotechnologist who is using virus-like particles with the virus she is developing shared her colleague's response shocked her. Palomares said her friend agreed to help her, although she remembered him telling her, he doesn't know why she "is wasting her time doing this." She also recalled that time when he asked her why she's bothering to develop a vaccine "when the first successful vaccines would come from abroad." Check these out! Application programming interface (API) is an established concept used to describe functional interfaces for software applications where one software program calls another via its API. These APIs have also been incredibly complex and not really meant for mass use. New York, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Telecom API Market By Type By End User By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914566/?utm_source=GNW A few other software applications within the enterprise can use the API to invoke the program; a non-company client can use it as well, albeit with considerable difficulties. The position of Programmable Telecom and APIs is expanding to support more and more than consumer-oriented communications, software, trade and digital content. This evolution extends beyond the support of APIs for B2C and B2B networks for conventional telecommunications applications. It plays a greater role for network service providers in smart infrastructure applications as well as Internet of Things (IoT) platforms and networks. Cloud computing provides developers with the opportunity to offer web-based application distribution services. This extends network integration and content capabilities and strengthens their value chain Cloud-hosted platforms typically include Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS). CPaaS is a newer cloud service platform that focuses exclusively on providing corporate communications-enabled software / services for real-time email, voice and video software. CPaaS enables developers to attach real-time connectivity capabilities to their own software without the need to construct backend networks and interfaces. At the time of the global pandemic of COVID-19, telecommunications API vendors are designing technologies that can cope with the condition of better accessibility. For example, in April 2020, Vonage, a global provider of cloud business communications, announced the launch of its free desktop and mobile video collaboration app, Vonage Video Conferencing (VVC). At the time of the public health crisis, this video API solution is experiencing high demand as a requirement for telehealth, remote work and online education. Based on Type, the market is segmented into Messaging, IVR API, Payment API, Location API, WebRTC and Others. Based on End User, the market is segmented into Enterprise Developers, Partner Developers, Internal Telecom Developers and Others. Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix, Verizon Communications, Inc., AT&T, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., and Google, Inc. are the forerunners in the Telecom API Market. Companies such as Twilio, Inc., Vonage Holdings Corporation, Telefonica S.A., Nokia Corporation, LocationSmart, and Orange S.A. are some of the key innovators in the market. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include AT&T, Inc., Orange S.A., Verizon Communications, Inc., Nokia Corporation, Google, Inc., Twilio, Inc., Telefonica S.A., Vonage Holdings Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., and LocationSmart. Recent strategies deployed in Telecom API Market Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements: Apr-2020: Nokia signed an agreement with Bharti Airtel, Indias largest telecom operator. The companies would deploy Nokias SRAN solution across nine circles in India. Under this agreement, the Nokia supplied networks would offer Airtel the best possible platform when 5G networks launch across the country, with their low latency and faster speeds. Feb-2020: AT&T collaborated with Braidio, a cloud-based collaborative learning platform. Following the collaboration, the latter company aims to provide voice, messaging, chat, and video capabilities in future apps. Using application programming interfaces from the AT&T API Marketplace, Braidio would help businesses in specific industries better connect and engage with their customers by creating tailored, engaging experiences. Feb-2020: Cisco signed partnership agreement with Smartfren, one of Indonesias leading telecom operators. Under this partnership, the companies would create a multi-cloud architecture. The companies aim to create digital services data center architecture in Indonesia with cloud computing, managed services, and cloud services. The solution selected by Smartfren is the Cisco Multi-Cloud architecture, including Cisco ACI and Cisco UCS. Jan-2020: Verizon came into partnership with HERE Technologies, a provider of mapping and location data and related services. Jointly, the companies aim to explore cutting-edge applications of Verizons 5G Ultra-Wideband network and multi-access edge compute (MEC) platform, 5G Edge, together with HERE location, data technology, and autonomous vehicle expertise. HERE would provide Verizon with access to a range of location data, SDKs, and APIs from the HERE platform. Nov-2019: Cisco announced partnership with Telestax, a CPaaS enabler for communication service providers. Under this partnership, the companies were focused on the enhancements to Message Exchange, the CPaaS solution for enabling SMS. Telestax Message Exchange enables the sending and receiving of SMS texts for Cisco Webex Teams. In addition to supporting Cisco Webex Teams, the latter company also announced new APIs for Cisco UC-One and an upgrade to the Telestax UC-One API console, offering improved ease of use. Oct-2019: Vonage announced an agreement with Ramco Systems, the enterprise software provider. Under this agreement, Ramco uses Nexmo, the Vonage API Platform for providing the Ramco CHIA virtual assistant to customers using the WhatsApp Business solution. Aug-2019: AT&T teamed up with Dell Technologies, a multinational technology company. Together, the companies explore the development of key open infrastructure technology areas for the next-generation network edge that will be required by service providers for supporting new use cases and service opportunities in a cloud-oriented 5G world. Jointly enhance additional open-source efforts includes Metal3-io and OpenStack Ironic, integrate Kubernetes Cluster API. Jul-2019: AT&T signed an agreement with IBM following which AT&T Communications uses IBMs expertise for modernizing AT&T Business Solutions internal software applications, enabling migrations to the IBM Cloud. Additionally, IBM provides the infrastructure to support AT&T Business applications. AT&T Business utilizes Red Hats open-source platform for managing the workloads and applications. Jul-2019: Vonage came into partnership with Callsign, a London-based company at the forefront of the identity revolution. Following the partnership, the companies aimed to provide enhanced private communications for digital life providers. With APIs through Nexmo, the Vonage API Platform, Callsigns real-time, artificial intelligence-driven identity and authentication solutions enable the technology providers to reach their customers on their preferred channel of communication (voice, SMS and social chat apps). Acquisition and Mergers: Jan-2020: Google acquired AppSheet, a no-code application development platform. The acquisition aimed to complement Google Clouds strategy to reimagine the application development space with a platform that helps enterprises innovate with no-code development, workflow automation, application integration, and API management. Jan-2020: Twilio completed the acquisition of Teravoz following which the latter company has changed its name to Twilio Brazil. Teravoz helps businesses connect their telephone network with other applications. The acquisition enabled the company in extending its multiple API offerings. Oct-2019: Cisco took over CloudCherry, a Customer Experience Management (CEM) company that provides customer journey mapping, out-of-the-box integrations, and predictive analytics. CloudCherrys open API platform simplified how customer data is ingested from systems of records, transactional data, and other data sources, all in real-time, for helping contact center agents close the feedback loop and improve customer loyalty and satisfaction. The acquisition strengthened Ciscos business. Aug-2018: Vonage took over TokBox Inc., a subsidiary of Telefonica, S.A. TokBox is the industry-leader in WebRTC programmable video. The acquisition enabled the company to become a leader in the programmable video sector with the strongest level of global adoption among video API providers. Product Launches and Product Expansions: Mar-2020: Google Cloud introduced the Anthos cloud application platform to the mobile network edge. The company announced a strategy for helping the telecommunications industry take advantage of the potential of 5G and improve operational efficiencies in core telecom systems. Nov-2019: Verizon released Co-Management, a new level of service for its SD-WAN managed services portfolio. This new level of service has been providing enterprise customers the ability to change SD-WAN policies (for example, Application-Aware Routing, Quality of Service) through either the Verizon Enterprise Center (VEC) self-service, policy management portal (Portal) or Verizons Application Programming Interface (API) platform. Jun-2019: Telefonicas Business Solutions division launched a virtual firewall service based on Fortinets platform to protect SD-WAN deployments. The Fortinet-based offering enables customers to tap into security features embedded in Telefonicas network for supporting end-to-end protection of SD-WAN services. Mar-2019: AT&T launched a new API marketplace, which has been designed for providing businesses with software code to add new services on their sites and applications. The network operator has positioned the marketplace for two distinct use cases: turnkey applications and self-service APIs that give developers the flexibility to create custom applications. Jun-2018: Cisco unveiled the new developer capabilities across its intent-based networking platform. Cisco released new developer tools and open APIs into Cisco DNA Center, the command and control center for campus, branch, and edge intent-based networks. DNA Center turns the network from a combination of hardware devices into a single system. With the availability of network-wide APIs, Cisco enables developers to easily program this system, tapping into all of the analytics and insight the network can provide. Scope of the Study Market Segmentation: By Type Messaging IVR API Payment API Location API WebRTC Others By End User Enterprise Developers Partner Developers Internal Telecom Developers Others By Geography North America o US o Canada o Mexico o Rest of North America Europe o Germany o UK o France o Russia o Spain o Italy o Rest of Europe Asia Pacific o China o Japan o India o South Korea o Singapore o Malaysia o Rest of Asia Pacific LAMEA o Brazil o Argentina o UAE o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o Nigeria o Rest of LAMEA Companies Profiled AT&T, Inc. Orange S.A. Verizon Communications, Inc. Nokia Corporation Google, Inc. Twilio, Inc. Telefonica S.A. Vonage Holdings Corporation Cisco Systems, Inc. LocationSmart Unique Offerings Exhaustive coverage Highest number of market tables and figures Subscription based model available Guaranteed best price Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05914566/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 In a bid to facilitate the accelerated development of the Ada Traditional Area in the Greater Accra Region, all four clans in the area have resolved to bury their long-standing differences. The Spokesperson for the Paramount Chief of the area, Nene Agudey Obikyere III, said in line with that resolve, impediments and challenges that militated against the smooth take-off of the Songhor salt project had been dealt with following the unity achieved among all four custodians of Ada lands. There had not been cooperation over the years; it was a mess and we were not optimising production. Now the four land owners have come together and are saying we are ready. All the problems that we have had and which militated against the project we are ready to let go to enable the project to come into fruition, he added. Courtesy call Nene Obikyere spoke on behalf of the Paramount Chief, Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, during a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House last Thursday. This is the time, and in your time, so you can supervise to make this happen, and the people of Ada will forever remember you, he told the President He said the people of the area had not been working because they were not reaping the maximum benefit from the Songhor Lagoon, causing the natural resource to waste away. Potential Nene Obikyere said the capacity of Ghanas salt production, which is done in six communities, including Ada, was pegged at 2.2 million tonnes. However, he said, out of that capacity, Ada alone was producing about 250,000 tonnes a year, which was a woeful 11.4 per cent of the potential. We have noted that in Ada alone the capacity stands at 1.2 million tonnes out of the 2.2 million for the whole country, which is about 54 per cent of the capacity. The Songhor Salt Project has a concession of about 5,000 hectares. Out of this, they are only doing 500 hectares, which should give us 70,000 tonnes, but they got 28,000 tonnes in 2016 and 37,000 tonnes in 2017, he said. He added that using the world market price of salt to extrapolate losses, it could be seen that Ada was losing about $135.3 million annually within the concession. Producing in the entire basin, the chief said, would yield about $235.3 million, adding: If we are able to trap 10 per cent of this in terms of levies and royalties within the Ada area, we are getting over GH100 million that could be used for investment and the development of our two districts. Tourism On tourism, Nene Obikyere, who is the Mankralo of the Ada Traditional Area, said the area was endowed with 13 islands dotted around water bodies, some of which had been washed away by high tides. He appealed to President Akufo-Addo to engage the necessary state agencies to save the islands to boost tourism. Response President Akufo-Addo, in his response, described as significant the development of the salt deposits and the protection of the islands. He said with the large quantity of salt deposit in the area, the time had come for all stakeholders to put their heads together and find a way forward. It brings a lot of benefits to the country, including the petro-chemical industry. As you all know, salt is a crucial ingredient in the petro-chemical industry that we are hoping to develop, the President said. He said besides salt being a source of foreign exchange for the country, with a huge market in Nigeria, the project would further create employment for the people and also bring revenue to landowners. So on all sides there is every reason we have to put our heads together and find a way forward. I am very happy to hear that for the first time all the main clans and groups in Ada are together on this matter, President Akufo-Addo said. He said now that the misunderstandings were over and the people were united, we can arrange for the vigorous development of the fields. 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 Ukrainian officials say they were offered $6 million in bribes to end a criminal investigation into the head of a gas company where the son of former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden served on the board. Ukraine's anti-corruption prosecutor, Nazar Kholodnitskiy, told a press conference in Kyiv on June 13 that neither of the Bidens was connected to the alleged bribe attempt. The Burisma natural gas company was at the center of a scandal leading to U.S. President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Biden is Trumps Democratic challenger in the November presidential election. "The total confiscated was $6 million. This a record amount for a bribe in Ukraine, as far as I remember," said Artem Sytnyk, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, during the news conference. Kholodnitskiy and Sytnyk said the bribe was intended to encourage their offices to drop a probe into Mykola Zlochevskiy, the head of Burisma and a former minister of ecology. Zlochevskiy is suspected of using his ministerial position for personal gain. In a statement, Burisma said the company had nothing to do with the bribe attempt. During a July 25 phone call, Trump urged his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, according to a transcript of the conversation. Critics said the Trump administration withheld crucial military aid worth $391 million to Kyiv as leverage. In January, Democrats in the House of Representatives charged Trump with abuse of office and obstruction of Congress, allegations he rejected as a political "witch-hunt." The president was acquitted following a trial in the Senate in a vote mainly along party lines. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Married At First Sight star Stacey Hampton is a doting mother to sons, Kosta and Kruz. And now the 26-year-old has shared a heartfelt message to her youngest son Kruz on his third birthday. On Saturday, the law graduate shared four adorable pictures of Kruz on Instagram, as he grew up over the years. Doting: Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton shared a heartfelt birthday message to her son Kruz, three, on Instagram on Saturday 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE BOY,' Stacey wrote in the caption. She added: 'You're three and I can't believe how much time has flown. Your infectious smile will never cease to keep me smiling.' On Friday night, Stacey also posted a photo and a video to her Instagram Stories of Kruz in hospital as a newborn and told her followers that she's 'so blessed' to have him in her life. Emotional: 'Happy birthday to my little boy' Stacey wrote in the caption Heartbreaking: On Friday night, Stacey also posted a photo and a video to her Instagram Stories of Kruz in hospital as a newborn and told her followers that she's 'so blessed' to have him in her life 'Tomorrow you're three. I almost lost you. We've been through hell and back,' Stacey penned online in an Instagram Story post. 'You're a soldier and look just like my brother. Can't wait to see your smile tomorrow on your birthday.' Stacey went on to reveal in another post how Kruz spent two weeks in ICU fighting for his life as a newborn. Her little fighter: Stacey went on to reveal in another post how Kruz spent two weeks in ICU fighting for his life as a newborn 'Hooked to a machine helping you breathe, your lungs collapsed and my heart broke into pieces,' she wrote. 'We never left your side, your dad and I. You're so big now and strong. I'm so blessed to have you.' Stacey said that her family's struggles have made her 'passionate' about starting her own charity, Not Alone, Always Here Inc, providing resources and insight into postnatal depression. Family: Stacey is pictured with her sons, Kosta and Kruz 'Can't wait to see your smile tomorrow': In a number of Instagram Story posts on Friday, the law graduate described Kruz as a 'soldier' who has been 'through hell and back' 'My heart broke into pieces': Stacey described the ordeal of seeing her son 'hooked to a machine' helping him breathe, moments after his birth The reality star shares Kruz and eldest son Kosta, nearly five, with ex-partner, Rebels bikie Shane Smith, 37. Stacey, who has no regrets about her time with Smith, described their break-up as civil and him as an 'amazing' father in an interview with Daily Mail Australia last week. 'Shane and I met very young, I fell hard and fast and we will always be each other's kryptonite,' she said. 'Family time': The reality star shared this sweet throwback photo of her sons Family: Stacey shares Kruz and son Kosta with ex-partner, Rebels bikie Shane Smith, 37. Shane is pictured 'He was always very supportive and I had terrible post-natal depression which is my motivation behind my charity. 'He took the kids when I was in no state to have them. I had to fix myself and I was alone. He was great to me. 'He still emotionally supports me and my decisions, helps me with relationship advice and also looks out for me and my children's happiness. 'We still share kids birthdays together and do lunches. We just can't be together because we argue and we both have a lot of damage from our past which clashes.' Pennsylvania state troopers dont enlist for medals or to win popularity contests. Many of us grew up wanting to be troopers, proud to serve our communities and willing to lay down our lives if necessary. Since the formation of our department in 1905, our ranks have suffered 98 line-of-duty deaths. Some date back so far we dont even have pictures of those brave troopers. We believe our Call of Honor is nothing less than a sacred oath. Every trooper must memorize it. In particular, it includes this line: It is my duty to obey the law and to enforce it without any consideration of class, color, creed or condition. The line is important because it means no one is above the law. Including us. Especially us. Thats the way it should be. Were incredibly proud of the work our department has done in the areas of social justice and maintaining standards of proper behavior through a strict disciplinary system. In fact, proposals offered by Gov. Tom Wolf and other legislators would duplicate many robust practices already in place that make Pennsylvania a model for holding its law enforcement agencies to the highest standards. For example, Gov. Wolf is calling for a review of training and officer education. The Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) currently reviews, develops curriculum and oversees the training of municipal police officers under the direction of the Pennsylvania State Police. When President Barack Obama created the Task Force on 21st Century Policing, Pennsylvania police officers played a vital role. The initiative was chaired by Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey. The curriculum was crafted by FOP Fort Pitt Lodge No. 1, which consists primarily of Pittsburgh police officers. MPOETC adopted its guidelines from President Obamas task force. The governor raises the idea of enhancing officer safety and wellness, but Pennsylvanians should know that our department already requires a Fitness for Duty standard, which could entail independent medical and psychological evaluations throughout employment. Emerging issues are identified and dealt with through a comprehensive Early Intervention Program one of the first in the nation. The Pennsylvania State Police also knows it has an important role to play in our communities on social justice issues. Our Office of Heritage Affairs serves as an ally to victims of hate crimes and as a mediator between law enforcement and community members involved in contentious situations. Its work has been meaningful, even if it hasnt warranted the attention of the media. This office also teaches cadets about cultural diversity, racial profiling awareness and implicit bias. We provide these services to other police departments that request it. Gov. Wolf has called for the creation of a new deputy inspector general and Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Advisory Commission to review allegations of misconduct. These steps ignore that the State Police already has an exhaustive review of all instances of misconduct. Each case must be reviewed by: the Internal Affairs Division; Area Commanders; Bureau Directors; Troop Commanders; the Department Disciplinary Office; and the Office of Chief Counsel. The departments Equal Opportunity Employment Office and Equality and Inclusion Office also investigate incidents of alleged wrongdoing within the State Police. All allegations of criminal misconduct are thoroughly investigated by experts, in consultation with the Attorney General, elected local district attorneys and even federal agencies. Police shootings and other serious uses of force receive outside reviews from the district attorney in the county where an incident occurs, as well as the governors own Office of General Counsel. Pennsylvania state troopers also have a track record of bringing our own members to justice. We do this because we took an oath to serve our fellow Pennsylvanians. It includes these words: I must serve honestly, faithfully, and if need be, lay down my life as others have done before me, rather than swerve from the path of duty. Those who violate this oath do not deserve to wear our uniform. We want and will do more. The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association recently signed on to work with Attorney General Josh Shapiro to push for legislation that would create a statewide registry to allow police departments to check the backgrounds of all potential officer candidates. We have long supported a statewide registry so our department can ensure it only hires people who are worthy of being a state trooper, and look forward to being part of this effort. Our Call of Honor is more than just words. Its our commitment to our fellow Pennsylvanians. David Kennedy is president of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association. Love 4 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Polarized is a weekly series featuring Americans from all 50 states sharing their views on the 2020 elections. Click here if you would like to be a part of this project Bryce Lewis often gets funny looks while running errands and wearing a face mask, the 43-year-old Kansas voter says, since he's one of the few remaining residents of Wichita still following strict coronavirus guidelines. Our governor was pretty progressive and a lot of stuff got shut down early, Lewis says, noting that hes still concerned about a potential second wave. It seems like we kind of opened our economy inconsistently and we didnt have any measures in place to trace and test people. It kind of feels like were just taking a big risk. As the number of new coronavirus cases once again rise in reopened states like Kansas, Lewis, a former smoker, worries about contracting Covid-19. I think at the most weve been at like 50 percent of people wearing masks in Wichita, Lewis says. Now were at 15 percent, maybe 20. You seem like you get singled out. Its weird trying to participate in taking those precautions when nobody else does. And yet, Lewis seems like a pretty reasonable guy. He says hes been trying to put himself in the place of somebody younger, like his two sons, one of whom is 17 years old and has slowly begun going back out as the state reopens. Bryce Lewis: I just dont think Trump is good for our country I just believe that when it comes to caring for others and wearing a mask, that if you dont have the will to do it for others out of generosity or humanitys sake, then do it for selfish reasons, he says. Do it so other people do it and you wont catch their germs. Lewis, who was born and raised in Wichita, appears to have a similar philosophy when it comes to his vote in the 2020 presidential elections. Though he sat out in 2016, the self-identified independent voter says he will be casting a ballot this year for former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. When it comes to his reasoning, Lewis says its his social duty to remove Donald Trump from the White House. Story continues I dont know how to put into words how strange it is what kind of government we have right now, he says. Im a little beside myself, to be honest. When we spoke, the president was tweeting conspiracy theories about Martin Gugino, the elderly man shoved to the ground by police officers during protests over the death of George Floyd in Buffalo; an incident that later went viral. We have a president attacking an elderly man I just think its cowardly, Lewis says. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if your opinion sucks, you should probably keep it to yourself. Lewis notes that the problems weve been having, weve been having for a long, long time, but says he believes Trump is at least in part responsible for the divisiveness seen in recent weeks amid the nationwide protests against police brutality. The presidents supporters have begun showing up to the demonstrations in droves, a move Lewis says appeared to be ill-willed and which doesnt make a lot of sense. Protesters should be able to protest without being attacked, he says, adding: Soldiers should never have to attack their own citizens. Lewis says hes looking for a president to tackle the issues of income and wealth inequality, as well as someone who will begin connecting the dots with racism and how it connects to police policy. Click here to read more of The Independents series, Polarized: Voices From Across America Black Lives Matter is very important, but we need to go beyond that, he says. Thats what Im hoping to see in Biden. I just really dont want to see Trump again Im not going to throw my vote away for that. Lewis says he abstained from voting in 2016 because he did not support Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee, and was never planning to vote for Trump. Though he admits hes never been the biggest fan of Biden, things have just gotten so bad with Trump, he says, adding: Especially with the tweets. I just dont think the guy is good for our country. I think we could get Bozo the Clown in there and hed do better than Trump, he says. Im really not even trying to be insulting, but when we have a president attacking an elderly man who was shoved by police officers and claim he was bringing a device which was his cellphone and he was trying to disrupt their machinery... What planet does he live on? Its gotten to the point where Lewis says he doesnt even listen to what the president says during some of his recent briefings and speeches. You shouldnt ever get to that point with your president, he says. Out of every president Ive had, Ive never thought to myself that Im just not even going to listen to what they say. A lot of times, even if you disagree you still got to hear it. But with him, I mean, he changes his story every week. While he may not have felt it necessary to vote against Trump in 2016 with Clinton as the only formidable opponent, Lewis says the last few years and especially the presidents response to recent protests have proven why hes a terrible fit for office. I do have a little faith that Biden may not shoot at peaceful protestors to have a photo op, he says, referring to how protestors in Washington DC were tear-gassed by police officers so Trump could pose for photos outside of a church. Lewis concludes: The lesser of two evils, maybe. But if one is actually, really evil, you kind of have a no-brainer. Read more Why this Minnesota voter thinks Biden and Hillary Clinton are similar Bernie Sanders supporter says progressives have gone totally silent 'Why I'm not voting for Biden or Trump' The bishops of New Zealand say it is the task of believers to make efforts to overcome the exploitation of migrants and refugees. By Robin Gomes The Catholic bishops of New Zealand are holding their annual Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants on June 21, on a theme inspired by Pope Francis. Don't look the other way The theme of this day is Where is your brother or sister?, taken from the 2013 Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). The Pope says he has always been distressed at the lot of those who are victims of various kinds of human trafficking. The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC) observes the Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants each year on a Sunday closest to World Refugee Day, which this yeare falls on June 20. Caritas New Zealand prepares resources for this day on behalf of the NZCBC. In Evangelii Gaudium, the Pope quotes the book of Genesis and challenges us not to look the other way but to recognize our migrant brothers and sisters who are experiencing exploitation. Migrants and refugees are part of our community, but they may not always be seen or heard. Migrants, refugees missed out In the context of New Zealand, Catholic communities are invited to reflect on the post-Covid-19 economic hardships, job losses and human exploitation to which migrant communities are most vulnerable. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the economy worldwide, in New Zealand, the government has been quick to offer emergency benefits to New Zealanders, the bishops note. However, they continue, one big chunk of the workforce who are missing out are migrant workers. They point out that even before the pandemic, migrant worker exploitation had been a serious problem that even the New Zealand Government has acknowledged by holding a review. Pope reaches out The New Zealand bishops particularly recall Pope Francis' concern and concrete support of migrants and refugees, when he established the Migrants and Refugees Section within the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The Section is tasked with addressing human trafficking as well as matters regarding migrants and refugees. Pope Francis acknowledges that the task of overcoming human exploitation takes courage, patience and perseverance, but it is a task that we all must take part in. He challenges us to open our eyes, to see the misery of those who are completely deprived of their dignity and their freedom, and to hear their cry for help. DES MOINES -- Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, thought she would get some Republican support for her pink tax amendment to create a sales tax exemption for feminine hygiene products. I had it drafted with Gov. Kim Reynolds language so Republicans would have a harder time dismissing it, she said. Still, Nielsen was surprised that it was unanimously approved. I did not expect all of them to vote yes, she said. The amendment to exempt the sales price from the sale of feminine hygiene products, including sanitary napkins, tampons or other similar items was tacked on to House File 2641, the annual Department of Revenue bill the House approved 91-6 Thursday. It now goes to the Senate where Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jake Chapman, R-Adel, said Friday morning no decision has been made on the bill or amendment. Iowa is among more than 30 states that either have adopted or are considering proposals to exempt feminine hygiene products from sales taxes. Its unfair to half the population to pay a tax on a medically necessary product. It felt like a parity issue, Nielsen said. She called her amendment a perfect fit for the bill because among the changes in the 93-page bill was an exemption for adult diapers for Medicaid recipients. If youre going to exempt adult diapers, it shouldnt matter whats coming out that you need to absorb, Nielsen said. The Legislative Services Agency fiscal note on the bill said there was the average cost of adult diapers for 16,120 Medicaid enrollees in fiscal year 2018 was $960 per person or $15.5 million. That total is expected to grow by nearly 3 percent a year. Combined, state, school infrastructure and local-option sales taxes add almost 7 percent to the price of taxed goods, the Legislative Services Agency said. That would amount to a loss in tax revenue of about $800,000 a year and another $1.6 million if the pink tax exemption is added, according to analysis. Nielsen thinks the impact will be minimal. If you give women more money in their pocket, what are they going to do? Theyll spend it. I know I will, she said. So the lost revenue wont be too bad when we all go out and buy stuff we really like. Legislative services fiscal analyst Jeff Robinson thinks a good economic model would show that about $20,000 of an $800,000 tax savings would return to the state coffers as a direct result of the tax exemption. But some people save tax savings 0 percent immediate return of revenue and some people buy additional health insurance with the savings 1 percent return and some people use it to buy a better car 5 percent to the Road Use Tax Fund and some people buy something that is tax-exempt like medicine or spend it out of state, both which return nothing to the state, Robinson said. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) and the Royal Navy Duke-class frigate HMS Kent (F78) conduct a replenishment-at-sea in the Barents Sea while training in the Arctic Circle on May 3, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Lauren Spaziano/Released) US Military Defrosts Old Strategies in the Arctic With the war on terror melting away, military activity is picking up in the frozen seas of the Arctic, as the United States continues its pivot to so-called great power competition with Russia and China. On June 9, President Donald Trump ordered a new fleet of at least three heavy icebreakerspotentially nuclear-poweredto be built in the next decade, to add to the current fleet of just two. The memo is the latest indication of growing strategic interest in the Arctic, where Russia already has 27 ocean-going icebreakers, nine of them nuclear-powered. In May, the first U.S. Navy ships since the Cold War sailed into the Barents Sea in Russias maritime backyard. Two years earlier, the USS Harry Truman became the first aircraft carrier to sail to the Arctic Circle since the Reagan administration. That carrier visit also broke with the previous clockwork cycles of deploymentshowcasing a new strategy known as dynamic force employment aimed to keep adversaries on their toes. In many ways, its a return to Cold War form, Sidharth Kaushal, a naval defense analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, told The Epoch Times. During the last decade of the Cold War, the Reagan administration really pushed this kind of forward maritime strategy where the U.S. Navy and its allies wouldin peacetime and wartimereally pursue a forward posture in the Arctic rather than just defending the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap. A Theater of Great Power Competition Since 2018, U.S. defense policy has officially marked countering a revanchist Russia as a top priority, second only to revamping to compete with China. Officials reject the notion that the shift marks a return to the Cold War, but some of the key naval dynamics remain the same as 40 years ago. A sailor stands on the flight deck during flight operations aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the North Atlantic, on Sept. 18, 2018. (2nd Class Anthony Flynn/Released/DoD) Rather than just playing defense and trying to prevent Soviet submarines from trying to break into the Atlantic, for example, there was an increasing emphasis on holding Soviet assets at risk in their Arctic bastions, said Kaushal. That same strategy now appears to be returning. Other dynamics, however, have changed, with China showing increasing interest in the region, and with the potential of the sea route north through the frozen Arctic sea of Russia. I think there has been a shift in the sense that this administrations more willing to specifically point out China as being a competitor and somewhat of a threat in the Arctic, Luke Coffey, a senior foreign affairs analyst at the Heritage Foundation, told The Epoch Times. Before, the Obama administration would dance around this issue. Secretary Pompeo in his speech at the Arctic Council meeting in Finland last year, explicitly targeted China and Chinas malign role in the region. However, he says that the challenges from China and Russia in the region are different. With Russia, it is more of a military security challenge in terms of the threats to the U.S. and to NATO in our allies. Whereas with China, its more about economic and sort of soft power to try to build up a reservoir or a presence in the region that they can maybe tap into at a future date if they ever need to focus more on security issues. Theyre investing a lot in infrastructure, energy projects and science, scientific missions, and that sort of thing. China has also created the notion of near-Arctic status as a means to stake a claim in the region, something that Coffey describes as absurd. Using that definition, if you picked Chinas most northern point, and measured the distance to the Arctic Circle, that would also mean Kazakhstan, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, and Ireland are also near-Arctic states. With Russia, the issue is more military, says Coffey. A 2019 Pentagon report stated that Russia has gradually strengthened its presence by creating new Arctic units, refurbishing old airfields and infrastructure in the Arctic, and establishing new military bases along its Arctic coastline. There is also a concerted effort to establish a network of air defense and coastal missile systems, early warning radars, rescue centers, and a variety of sensors, the report stated. Sending a Message In May, three U.S. destroyers joined a British warship in the Barents Sea for a weeklong exercise. The Royal Navy Type-23 Duke-class frigate HMS Kent (F78), front, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) conduct joint operations to ensure maritime security in the Arctic Ocean, on May 5, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of the Royal Navy/Dan Rosenbaum/Released) Ordinarily, deployments to the Arctic would not be on the list of common deployment areas from U.S. naval forces, Bryan Clark, a senior defense analyst at the Hudson Institute, told The Epoch Times. With dynamic force employment, youve seen less naval force presence in the Middle East, in particular carrier forces presence, and thats freed up carriers to go to Europe, the Mediterranean, the northern Atlantic, and go to the Arctic Circle. According to Clark, the exercises were mostly about showing the Russians that U.S. vessels can keep Russian attack submarines in check. The new classes of Russian attack submarines are very quiet. There are as capable if not more capable than U.S. Virginia class submarines, which is the newest U.S. class. They could potentially evade U.S. anti-submarine warfare efforts and operate off the U.S. coast. The concern is that a small number of Russian submarines carrying nuclear cruise missiles or even conventional cruise missiles could launch a sneak attack on the United States. Obviously thats not going to win a war against the United States, but the threat may be enough to make the U.S. back down if it gets into a confrontation with Russia, Clark said. The Russian nuclear submarine Dmitrij Donskoj sails under the Great Belt Bridge between Jyutland and Fun through Danish waters, near Korsor, on July 21, 2017. (Michael Bager/AFP via Getty Images) Kaushal agrees that the submarines are an important part of the dynamic. Youve seen more submarine patrols from the Russians in the last few years than we have at any time since the Cold War, Kaushal said. The attack submarines and guided-missile submarines are usually with Russias Northern Fleet, based in Murmansk in the Arctic Circle, he says, and would have to head through the Arctic Ocean before they could reach the Atlantic. If you think of how a conflict between Russia and NATO would play out, of course, American troops and resupply would have to cross the Atlantic. So theyre facing the same problem they did in the Second World War from the U-boat threat. Coffey said the exercises last month in the Barents Sea were mostly about sending a message to Russia. Of course, the Chinese are watching, so its slipping a secondary message to Beijing. It also was done as COVID was really taking off, where a lot of international focus was on COVID and NATO was canceling exercises in Europe. So it showed that the U.S. could walk and chew gum at the same time. Desert Heat to Frozen Seas Beyond the geopolitical chest-beating, the exercises have their own value. Both crew and equipment alike need to be tried and tested in the harsh cold. For example, the hydraulic fluid in hundreds of components such as elevators, cranes, and winches dont work properly in colder temperatures, and lubricating fluids also behave differently. Equipment is going to seize up, Clark said. Theres the question of crew acclimatization as well, according to Kaushal. Whether its the Arctic or mountaineering, generally speaking, one needs to exercise crews months and years in advance to acclimatize them to these sorts of extreme conditions. In addition to training, the exercises allow mapping maritime geography, Kaushal said. The exercises are probably also used to place sensors on the seabed. The Russians have been doing this for years in the Arctic, using their special purpose submarines like the Belgorod to place the sensors on the Arctic seabed to give themselves a greater situational awareness in wartime. Similar efforts by Western powers are by nature classified, he says. But almost certainly a lot of work done is done in terms of placing seabed sensors. Russias Arctic Toll-Road Further complicating the shifting dynamic is the potential opening up of the sea ice above Russias northern coast, known as the northern sea route, open for four months a year. That passage is maintained by Russian icebreakers, because most of it lies within their Exclusive Economic Zone, with some even within their 12-nautical-mile territorial water zone. Men take selfies during the float out of the Sibir (Siberia) nuclear-powered icebreaker at the Baltic shipyard in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Sept. 22, 2017. (Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images) Russia demands a permit and a fee from all ships passing through the passage. Whilst this is not strictly illegal, it is in a legislative gray area and has ruffled feathers, says Clark. Normally, people dont charge a fee to make a passage through an international waterway. This is just a unique situation where that waterway would not be passable [without Russian icebreakers], Clark said. In theory, the route cuts journey times from Shanghai to some European ports like Rotterdam by around a third. However, it carries only a tiny fraction of shipping and hasnt opened up as some anticipated. Its definitely opening up more because of melting ice, for sure, said Coffey. But the ice is not melting as quickly as people thought. Twenty-six million tons of cargo passed through the northern sea route in 2019, he said, and just 400,000 tons made the full journey from Europe to Asia. In comparison, 1.1 billion tons passed through the Suez Canal, carried in around 20,000 ships. When it is open, the passage isnt stable enough for the regimented schedules demanded by just-in-time supply chains, said Clark. Until the Arctic is essentially ice-free in the summer, the challenge with the northern sea route will always be that the ice is somewhat unpredictable. The northern sea route is also part of Chinas so-called polar silk roadthe northern branch of Beijings broader foreign policy push, the Belt and Road Initiative or OBOR. The State Department has started to warn that the same pattern of debt-traps and militarization on Chinas existing Belt and Road could be repeated in the Arctic. Do we want crucial Arctic infrastructure to end up like Chinese-built roads in Ethiopia, roads that fall apart after just a few years? said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 6, 2019. Do we want the Arctic to transform into a new South China Ocean, with increasing militarization and competing territorial claims? Do we want vulnerable Arctic climate to be exposed to the same ecological destruction that has been caused by the Chinese fishing fleet in the oceans around the coast of China? The icebreaker Tor at the port of Sabetta in the Kara Sea shore line on the Yamal Peninsula in the Arctic circle, some 1,500 miles from Moscow, on April 16, 2015. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images) Whilst Moscow is currently cozying up to Beijing over the initiative, they are most likely grateful that the Western powers are keeping Chinas Arctic ambitions in check, said Coffey. Russia is dependent on China to access foreign investments and to work collaboratively on big infrastructure and energy projects, because of the economic sanctions over Ukraine. And China knows this, so they know that theyre kind of in a stronger position and the Chinese are deeply involved in a lot of Russian energy projects in the Arctic. Chinas icebreaker Xuelong, which has voyaged to the Arctic, in Xiamen, Fujian province, on June 27, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) But he thinks Moscow is hesitant to allow Beijing a bigger role in Arctic governance and will be grateful that accepting China would require the Arctic nations to agree unanimously. Russia will be able to hide behind the U.S. veto, for example. Military Openings? The opening of the northern sea route also has military implications. Russia itself had only a couple of ports that are accessible year-round. That was one of the strategic advantages of annexing Crimea, with its large port complex, and of their presence in the Mediterranean port of Tartus in Syria. Coffey says that not enough attention has been paid to the strategic implications of a future opening up of the passage. The reduced amount of ice, I think, would allow Russia to be more flexible in moving fleets from the Atlantic theater to the Pacific theater in a time of major war. But opening the northern sea route is a mixture of opportunity and risk for Russia, says Kaushal. On the one hand, there are distinct economic and geopolitical advantages if the Arctic becomes a really important sort of sea route both because they dominate it militarily and because economically everyone going through it will rely on their icebreaker fleet. On the other hand, it also makes them more vulnerable because it becomes easier for foreign powers to potentially launch sorties in the Arctic. Coffey says that the strategic significance of the Arctic in itself isnt high compared to many places. But he thinks it is still overlooked, making it a potential gap into which geopolitical levers will find their way. I think we should treat the Arctic with the same level of importance as we treat the Mediterranean. NATO is required to defend Tromso, which is a city above the Arctic Circle in Norway in the same way that its required to defend Tallin in Estonia. But there are a lot of war plans for Tallin, but theres nothing for Tromso, Coffey said. NATO doesnt have an Arctic policy. And NATO essentially refuses to even use the word Arctic in any of its official documents like summit decorations and strategic concepts because theres an internal dispute between Norway and Canada. U.S. Resumes Military Aid To Ukraine With Release Of $250 Million In Assistance By RFE/RL June 12, 2020 The U.S. Defense Department has announced a resumption of millions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine after it was frozen last year, putting it at the heart of the impeachment of President Donald Trump. The Pentagon said $250 million will be released to assist with "training, equipment, and advisory efforts to strengthen Ukraine's capacity to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression." A Pentagon statement says the aid reaffirms the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Ukraine, adding that the country is "a critical partner on the front line of strategic competition with Russia." The support will complement NATO security assistance to Kyiv and comes after the United States certified the Ukraine government had implemented required reforms in the military, the Pentagon statement said. Over the past year, Ukraine has taken "considerable steps" to strengthen civilian control of the military, reform management and command structures, and reduce corruption, it said. The United States and other Western countries have expanded support of Ukraine's military since Moscow seized control of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 after sending in troops and staging a referendum dismissed as illegal by at least 100 countries. Moscow is also backing separatists in a war in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014. The Pentagon statement says the United States continues to urge all allies and partners to enhance their support for Ukraine's security and defense. Last year, Trump froze hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to the country while he sought help from the government to investigate former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger in the November presidential election. Democrats said Trump's request amounted to a quid pro quo for military aid and launched an impeachment inquiry for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump was acquitted by the Senate early this year. With reporting by AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us- military-aid-ukraine/30666454.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Jeremy Kandhai, 25, was first stopped and searched by Toronto police for no reason at the age of 11 or 12 the first of many times for the Black youth. In middle school, he was streamed into basic-level classes, a practice that researchers have found happens far more often to Black students. He saw early on the stark difference between the subsidized housing where he and his Black friends lived in the priority neighbourhoods of Regent Park and then Flemingdon Park, and the detached homes where his non-Black friends lived without a constant police presence. There is no doubt that from the time of his birth, Mr. Kandhais prospects were limited by poverty and anti-Black racism. This was not simply the usual vicissitudes and general unfairness of life. It was systemic and structural, wrote Superior Court Justice David Harris in a sentencing decision after considering a 15-page report on Kandhais life including his experiences of anti-Black racism. Those factors should be part of determining an appropriate sentence, he wrote in the decision released last week. Ones head would have to be in the sand not to acknowledge that Mr. Kandhais responsibility is affected in some measure by the racism and poverty in the community in which he grew up. Kandhai was before the judge for sentencing after pleading guilty to one count of possession of a prohibited firearm with accessible ammunition and one count of breaching a firearms prohibition order. The Crown had sought a sentence of four to five years, the defence a sentence of three years. The social history report, or enhanced pre-sentence report, relied on by Justice Harris is relatively new to the Ontario criminal justice system and is not in widespread use. A non-profit organization launched this month by three lawyers through a grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario is hoping to change that by making the reports easier to obtain, and by educating lawyers and judges about their usefulness. Judges need better information before they sentence people, said Faisal Mirza, a defence lawyer who co-founded The Sentencing and Parole Project along with defence lawyer Emily Lam and human rights lawyer Anthony Morgan. The conventional pre-sentence report that has been used for decades to sentence racialized people is outdated and entirely inadequate, and in many ways it perpetuates stereotypes and myths about Black people and leads to unjust results, Mirza said. The social history reports provide necessary and accurate information about the complex backgrounds of individuals and provide a clearer path to rehabilitation. A typical pre-sentence report is prepared by a probation officer who is not trained to deal with issues of systemic racism and inequality, he said. And a person who has been through the criminal justice system may for good reason be unwilling to trust a probation officer who is part of that system with intimate details about their life, he said. The social history reports are prepared by social workers with specific training. In Kandhais case, the social worker did four interviews with him, and separate interviews with his family members. Research is now underway to understand the overall impact the reports have had on sentences in Ontario and in Nova Scotia, where the concept originated. In some cases, Mirza said, the reports have resulted in lower sentences or have been the difference between a youth or adult sentence, or serving a sentence in the community rather than in jail. But these reports are meant to illuminate a lot more than just getting a sentence reduction. I really hope the public does not think, at the end of this, that it is a get-out-of-jail-free card, said Kandhais lawyer, Nabeel Sheiban. The systemic racism in the criminal justice system is from Point A to Point Z if we want to have a true, fundamental shift on what it means to be sentenced as a Black man, then this is what we need to do. The reports focus on rehabilitation, offering suggestions on programs and culturally-specific supports that could be helpful both in the community and in jails or prisons. But that is only effective if those programs exist and are properly funded, which aligns with current calls to defund the police and invest that money into communities, Sheiban said. Increased use of these reports is only one small part of broad change that is needed from policing to prisons, said Lam. But she hopes the capacity of the reports to show the widespread impact of systemic racism in Ontario from education to housing to child welfare will lead to an overall more empathetic justice system. The reports were pioneered in the early 2010s in Nova Scotia by Robert Wright, a social worker and sociologist. Wright also wrote the first report used in an Ontario case in 2018, which involved a man originally from Nova Scotia. Wright stresses the need for specially trained, culturally competent social workers who can understand the nuance of a Black persons history and contextualize it. If all the assessments are done in the standard way, the institutional way that is affected by the systemic racism that affects all our institutions, then of course (they) are not going to see the rehabilitative potential, he said. And if (that potential) is documented then the system has an increased obligation to respond to it. How the reports can be used in Ontario is the subject of an upcoming appeal at the provinces top court, where it is set to be heard by a rare panel of five judges, rather than the usual three. At issue is whether, as the Crown argues, the report must show that systemic anti-Black racism in some way caused the person to commit the crime. Intervenors, including the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, have argued in response that this is an impossible bar to clear and that courts are already capable of considering systemic racism since they are required to do so when sentencing Indigenous defendants. Kandhai said in an interview that the report was the first time in his interactions with the justice system that he felt his voice was actually heard. Im very grateful that the court had an open mind and open ear to hear to what I had to say, he said. It is very difficult, especially as a Black man in the criminal justice system, to be heard because you have these lawyers that are going to be representing you and talking on your behalf, he said. This report gives real insight into what this persons life is like and what they actually went through. It kind of gives you the answers for why hes sitting in the (prisoners) box in the first place. In his sentencing decision, Justice Harris acknowledged the seriousness of the offence and Kandhais previous conviction for firearm possession but also found that he showed significant rehabilitative potential. Kandhai accepted he should not have made the decision to arm himself, even for self-protection following a robbery, Harris said. Harris also noted decades of research supporting Kandhais specific experiences, including racism in schools and the painful, psychological impact of racial profiling by police. He sentenced Kandhai to the equivalent of four years in prison. In part due to suffering a violent assault in jail and after credit for spending 20 per cent of his time in pre-trial custody in lockdowns where he could not leave his cell, Kandhai was released after serving 30 months. Being interviewed for the report gave him a deeper insight into his past that he hadnt expected, Kandhai said. It gave me a lot of time to really think about what I actually did go through as a Black man While your daily life is going by, its as normal to you as driving a car, he said. I actually got a chance to really learn what I want for myself, where I came from and where Im going. It just gave me what I really needed to do now. With files from Betsy Powell A cluster of coronavirus infections has broken out in a residential district of Rome as Italy moves into Phase Three of its emergency plan for the Covid-19 epidemic. At least 17 people have tested positive for the virus on Piazza Pecile in the Garbatella district of the city in recent days, prompting fears of a second wave in the country. As the country's death toll increased by 78 today, the building of more than 100 residents in the nation's capital was cordoned off. Some residents were taken away by ambulance while others moved to a hotel to maintain isolation and some were remaining pending resolution. At least 17 people have tested positive for coronavirus on Piazza Pecile in the Garbatella district of the city in recent days, prompting fears of a second wave in the country Lazio's coronavirus crisis unit in Rome has admitted it fears coronavirus cases in the city will continue to increase An outbreak of Covid-19 was discovered at IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana in Rome earlier this month, where infections reached 104 and there were five deaths. The country will begin to lift more restrictions on Monday 15 June as premier Giuseppe Conte announced cinemas would be allowed to reopen. But Lazio's coronavirus crisis unit in Rome has admitted it fears coronavirus cases will continue to increase. The Lazio Region's Covid-19 Crisis Unit said: 'We fear that they are destined to increase. 'The attention remains very high and the positive patients have all been transferred,' reported Corriere Della Sera. A municipal policeman cordons off the entrance to the building as some residents were taken away by ambulance while others moved to a hotel to maintain isolation The residential building was cordoned off earlier this afternoon Deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 78 today, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the tally of new cases increased by 346. The total death toll since the outbreak began in the country on February 21 now stands at 34,301, the fourth highest in the world after those of the US, UK and Brazil. The death count was muddied by the fact that the central region of Lazio, around the capital city of Rome, said that only two of the 25 deaths declared on Saturday had happened in the last 24 hours, bringing the daily deaths down to 55. The number of confirmed cases amounts to 236,651, the seventh highest global tally behind those of the United States, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Britain and India. People sit in the grass and walk on the paths at the Biblioteca degli Alberi park in Porta Nuova Park, Milan, today Deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 78 today, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the tally of new cases increased by 346 The northern region of Lombardy, where the outbreak was first identified, remains by far the worst affected of Italy's 20 regions, accounting for 210 of the 346 new cases reported on Saturday. People registered as currently carrying the illness fell to 27,485 from 28,997 the day before. There were 220 people in intensive care today, down from 227 on Friday, maintaining a long-running decline. Of those originally infected, 174,865 were declared recovered against 173,085 a day earlier. The agency said 2.817 million people had been tested for the virus as of Saturday, against 2.784 million on Friday, out of a population of around 60 million. Mad Max was a movie franchise set in post-apocalyptic Australia. The survivors, in the outback, were terrorized by a psychotic, violent bunch of motorcycle gangs. The protagonist, a cop named Max, and his loosely formed force of police, called the Bronze, tried to stop them. In the process, Maxs partner was burned alive and his wife and child murdered. It is not a pleasant place or time to be alive. Are we there yet? Finally, police chiefs and calmer heads are attempting a discussion on race relations that doesnt instantaneously elicit cries of racism. Almost unanimously, the reactions to the police involved in the George Floyd death have been of revulsion and condemnation. But voices are now being raised that fairly assert that the rogue actions of a few police thugs do not represent the vast numbers of honorable police officers comprising the thin blue line. These are the men and women who daily risk their lives with courage and dignity, often for scant pay. Some are also finally addressing the fact that Officer Derek Chauvin and George Floyd knew each other, meaning, a factor other than race might have been motive. What other group would accept this type of stereotypical scorn. Most blacks do not riot and loot; they respect the police and appreciate their protection. Most immigrants, legal or otherwise, seek America as a haven and a chance for a better life; they do not drive while under the influence and they dont rape and murder. Regardless of revisionist historians, and the madness and mayhem we have witnessed over the past dreadful days, America was born to defy royalty and state-mandated religion. Our forefathers, imperfect as they may have been, fought with their lives to avoid kneeling to royalty. No bowing and bending ones body and head before Samurai warriors, who might or might not have chopped it off. No fearful bowing or curtseying before kings and queens. No subservient raising of arms to a dictator who rules by personal fiat and private armed security guards, reinforced by a national police force. What athletes, actors, educators, most press and celebrities mouthing off about this dont get is that the rest of us dont want to pay to attend a sporting event, or spend time watching an awards show whose participants hijack it to make a political statement or gesture. Find another platform and do it on your own time. Kneel all you want, but not when the audience is captive. The orchestrated show of Democrat-elected representatives, culturally misappropriating African tribal garb and kneeling, looked like a Saturday Night Live skit. Between the pandemic shutdowns and the mass looting and arson, the rest of us, for the past three months have had many legal rights ripped from our arms, mostly in Democrat-run cities and states. The protests have erupted in foreign cities; friendly and enemy states tsk-tsk or mock us. And, it was all too easy. Are we not better than this? The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. In an irony of all ironies, American colleges and universities have shut down conservative free speech and any voice that objects to their culture of microaggressions and victimology. If a conservative speaker isnt cancelled, students with impunity shout them off stage. Unfortunately, this thuggish behavior has spilled over like a cancer into the arts and press. Political pundits, news editors and celebrities who oppose the extreme left are subject to job loss, electronic trolling, and public shaming. The mass looting, arson, violence, and mayhem we have just witnessed, most of which has gone unpunished, gives lie to right to peaceable assembly, or any protection when protest is not peaceable. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides: the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Countless cities and governors postponed acceptance of applications for a permit to buy a gun, banned certain sales of guns and ammunition, somehow relating their mandates as pertinent to flattening the curve of the Wuhan virus during a time when lawful citizens felt unprotected and feared for their safety and lives. Concomitantly, the elected officials unilaterally eliminated this right had their own armed security guards. The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides that: In all criminal prosecutions an accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury in the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed With certain court systems closed by government edict for three to six months, this right is not being abided. The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, Section 1 provides nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of the law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The lawful residents in many states, during the looting, arson and physical attacks that elected officials allowed to continue without much pushback, saw their property seized and destroyed and their lives and livelihood threatened. Are the thugs who committed the mass destruction going to be apprehended and punished? Will the harm to their victims be compensated? While many localities had inflicted severe business shutdowns, judicial system closures, primary election changes, and stay-at-home mandates, thousands upon thousands of rioters roamed the streets without protective gear, social distancing, or fear of recourse. Clearly the banal #AloneTogether meme didnt apply to them, and the laws were not evenly enforced. Socialism is having its moment. In Washington, the Seattle police have removed barriers in an area set up during the worst of the riots, and the affected street closures repurposed into an autonomous zone. What was once the Seattle Police Department is now the Seattle People Department with all public services including garbage removal run by the people. In D.C., there are calls for the removal of the statues of Washington, Jefferson, and Columbus the latter of whose statues have been beheaded and defaced in certain cities. We have seen this movie before usually, it doesnt end well. 1. How does the city sit solitary that was full of people! How she is become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how she is become tributary. 2. She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; she hath none to comfort her among all her lovers; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her they are become her enemies Book of Lamentations poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem 587/6 B.C.E. Image credit: Associated Press, via shareable YouTube, screen shot The municipal health officer of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on Saturday said he has tested positive for Covid-19 and is admitted to a private hospital here. Dr Ashok Rawat said he got to know about the infection on Friday. Yes, I have tested positive for Covid-19. We are in the frontline of this battle, so chances of such people getting infected is higher. I have got myself admitted to a private hospital, he said. Many civic officials, doctors, nurses, sanitation workers and other staffers of the municipal corporations in Delhi have tested positive till date. A junior engineer employed with NDMC died of Covid-19 on June 1. In the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, a sanitation worker succumbed to the disease in late May. Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we intend to prove it. Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends throughout. Here, they discuss the weeks events with Dave DAlessandro of the Star-Ledger Editorial Board. Q. Gov. Murphy spent a few months issuing citations to knuckleheads who violated the shutdown, then suddenly was seen last weekend leading a shoulder-to-shoulder Black Lives Matter protest. He has since rescinded the stay-at-home order, but how did his march play around the state? Julie: Ive been largely supportive of Governor Murphys stay-at-home orders but Im even more supportive of the First Amendment. If you are going to suspend someones right to petition their government through peaceful protest, there better be a damn good reason. Protecting the publics health seems like a rare reason to do that. But if you believe that the right to protest against systemic racist allows you to violate the governors own stay at home orders, so does the right to protest against anything else. The government cant pick and choose who gets to preserve his or her First Amendment rights. Mike: The governor does not get to pick who the First Amendment applies to and who it doesnt. The tickets given out to small business owners who peacefully protested should be rescinded. Today, in Hillside, we marched for justice. For George Floyd and for the many before him who lost their lives for being Black. We march because we will not accept systemic racism and bias as just part of our national condition. Black Lives Matter. pic.twitter.com/JGe00Xa1qS Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 7, 2020 Q. Protests are in their third week, and public opinion has shifted sharply 74 percent of Americans support them, including 53 percent of Republicans. How much has the politics shifted with it? Kindly cite examples for extra credit. Julie: We seem to be living through a seismic shift, the kind the world hasnt seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The world suffered a horrific recession in 2008, which disproportionately affected people of color. In response to the election of the first black president, we elected a racist whose policies are continuing to harm people of color and who either outrightly condones or dog whistles racist tropes every day. Meanwhile, COVID has disproportionately harmed communities of color, which still suffer from systemic racism. And if I were to cite examples for extra credit, youd have to turn over the whole paper to me for a week. Mike: This moment feels different than any time weve discussed race relations in my life. Race has been used politically for far too long. This should be a moment when Republicans can embrace our progressive history on race relations and acknowledge the obvious about the lack of true equal opportunity for all and fight for it. Trump campaign seeks apology, retraction of CNN poll showing Biden leading https://t.co/TXeQrwpBAb The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 10, 2020 Q. Andrew Cuomo signed a law that made misconduct records of police public, a bold move toward transparency, and Gov. Murphy says all reforms should be on the table as we rethink law enforcement. Should New Jersey follow New Yorks example? Julie: Yes. More transparency is always a good thing. It shouldnt be up to this newspaper or other media to provide data on police misconduct or use of force data. There should be one central databank for this information. Mike: I agree on transparency. One of the great hallmarks of our country is that we allow for transparency into the actions of people in power and can hold them accountable. Q. There was another polling meltdown this week, this time in Georgia, where in some minority precincts it took 4 hours to cast a vote. Is there any reason to believe that this third-world debacle wont recur with the presidency at stake in November, and whats the solution? Julie: The US Supreme Court has sadly made is possible for southern states to engage in this kind of voter disenfranchisement. No wonder the president and his acolytes rail against vote by mail. They want to make it as difficult as possible for voters and especially voters in urban areas to vote. Lets be very clear: If communities of color vote this November, Trump loses. He knows that, which is why he and his allies are making it as difficult as possible for them to exercise this right. Mike: Voting was also disastrous in Wisconsin this year, so this is not just a problem in the south. Our country has both a history of voter fraud and voter suppression, so neither party trusts the other. I have found the guilty party is usually the party in power. I spent my political career becoming an expert on GOTV, or getting out the vote. That means I want more people voting, not fewer. We need to embrace higher voter participation and win the battle of ideas. TONIGHT! Founder of @fairfightaction, @staceyabrams, is here to talk about Georgia's voting debacle yesterday and how to hold officials accountable to ensure fair elections for all. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/bG5bOxKixm A Late Show (@colbertlateshow) June 10, 2020 Q. New Jersey is paying $5.5 million to the global management giant McKinsey & Co. which has had clients like Enron and the Saudis during the Khashoggi murder to assist our state in its Covid response. Why is this necessary exactly? Julie: Im not sure. I thought we had civil servants we were paying to do this. Mike: I should have gone to business school. Dont wash your hands of Covid responsibility | Editorial https://t.co/mLk9tf4txJ Milly Silva (@MillySilva) June 11, 2020 Q. Tucker Carlson objected to Elmo of Sesame Street getting a lesson about what the protests mean, citing it as propaganda that weakens our nation and hurts children. Youre both parents: Does he have a valid point, or is the sight of a Fox person arguing with a stuffed doll just this weeks sign of the apocalypse? Julie: Im not overly familiar with Elmo but I am pretty familiar with Tucker. He said it as a provocation. Ignore it and dont be provoked. And talk to your own children about racism. Racists are not born they are bred. Elmo is no substitute for children hearing directly from their parents about the long and sordid history of racism and discrimination in this country, which still colors so much of what happens today. Mike: I did not see Tuckers epic battle with Elmo, but generally I am pro-Sesame Street. They have done a good job over the years explaining difficult subjects in ways small children can understand. I admire people who try to do that. Anybody else remember the old Crazy Eddie commercials? https://t.co/vijxJWatta Mike DuHaime (@MikeDuHaime) June 7, 2020 Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Natalies home had a lot of interest because its a boutique building with low assessments in a good location close to the Western Avenue Blue Line stop and the 606, said listing agent Vincent Anzalone of Dream Town Realty. Its also on the top floor and was priced well for a large two-bedroom (condo) with a den and garage parking. System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0487e17410)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0487f6eb60)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f0487e17410)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0487f6eb60)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f04874d9480)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0487f6eb60)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f0487f6eb60)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f04868fc860)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f048739f860)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f048739f860)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 13 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The trade turnover between Turkey and Ukraine dropped by $96.2 million in April 2020 compared to same month of 2019, making up $265 million, Turkish Trade Ministry told Trend. In the reporting month, Turkeys export to Ukraine amounted to $118 million, and import from Ukraine - $146.9 million. From January through April 2020, Turkeys trade turnover with Ukraine increased by $77.3 million compared to the same period last year, surpassing $1.3 billion. Over the reporting period, Turkeys export to Ukraine amounted to $597.4 million, and import from Ukraine - $797 million. The foreign trade turnover of Turkey amounted to $22.5 billion in April 2020. In April 2020, export from Turkey decreased by 41.4 percent compared to April 2019, amounting to $8.9 billion, while the import decreased by 25 percent compared to April 2019 and amounted to $13.5 billion. Turkeys trade amounted to $120.8 billion in the first four months of 2020. The export dropped by 13.7 percent over the year, amounting to $51.6 billion, and the import to the country increased by 1 percent over the year, amounting to $69.2 billion. In 2019, the foreign trade turnover of Turkey amounted to $374.2 billion. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg can add to her list of personal accolades, including TIME magazine's Person of the Year, a group of spiders named after her. Thunberga gen. nov. is a new genus of huntsman spiders from Madagascar, described by German arachnologist Peter Jager, and named after the wunderkind in honour of her commitment to tackling climate change. "The rising temperatures affect all areas of nature - including the endemic diversity and spider fauna of Madagascar," said Jager, who has participated in several protests inspired by Thunberg's School Strike for Climate. In a study printed in the scientific journal Zootaxa, Jager explained that the new genus differed from other huntsmans in their eye arrangement and unique dotted patterns on their backs. Jager, who has discovered several new spider species in a career spanning 20 years, said he hoped that by naming the creepy crawlies after Thunberg he could draw attention to the issue of biodiversity loss in Madagascar. He named a previous discovery of Southeast Asian huntsman spider Heteropoda davidbowie. Unlike most spiders, huntsman don't spin webs and hunt and forage instead for their food. During his latest expedition, Jager also discovered a heretofore unknown species of huntsman on the island. Its name? Thunberga greta. Facebook Photo: Dr Stella Nyanzi 13.06.2020 LISTEN Dr. Stella Nyanzi, a prominent academic and a critic of Gen. Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's life-president, has won a historic High Court battle against the University that fired her from her job as a researcher. Dr. Nyanzi, the academic turned human rights activist, was excited when she learned about the court ruling from this reporter, who had called for a comment. The High Court ordered Makerere University to reinstate Dr. Nyanzi, and pay her 120 million shillimgs, approximately $ 32,256, in damages. "Oh my God! I won!" Dr. Nyanzi exclaimed as this reporter delivered the news of her court victory. "Thanks for this exciting news. "I haven't heard from my lawyer, please send the copy, read it and then get back to you. I need time to process the response." The Black Star News, had exclusively received the transcript of the verdict from a court source. The victory is also a blow to the tarnished reputation of Gen. Museveni, dictator of 34 years now and his wife Janet, who is the country's minister of education even though she has shaky academic credentials. The family runs the country life a mafia organization and it's unclear how they will react. In her ruling, signed on Wednesday, June 11, 2020, Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe Ssali ruled that, Dr. Stella Nyanzi's rights to a fair trial were violated and could have psychologically haunted her. "I am satisfied that the respondent's continued contemptuous disregard of the Tribunal's decision has caused the applicant embarrassment, inconvenience and psychological torture for which she is entitled to damages," reads part of Justice Mugambe's judgement. On that account the $ 32,256 in damages was awarded. "The applicant is awarded general damages of UGX 120,000,000 million and a 10% interest per annum till the payment is full," the judgement further reads. Dr. Nyanzi sued Makerere University for unlawful suspension in 2017, after Janet Museveni influenced the top university management to "get rid" of her until she retracted her comments referring to the dictator's wife as a "fat thighed cow." The university had reinstated Dr. Nyanzi, but Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe undermined that decision due to orders from Mrs. Museveni who is the country's second most powerful official in the militarist regime. She holds the education portfolio by virtue of being the dictator's spouse. "Yes, I took the time that I needed to prepare a good response. I am delighted by the ruling of Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe," Dr. Nyanzi said, adding, "I am delighted that justice has been served after a very long battle that started outside court." "I am pleasantly surprised that there are still some judges who deem justice more important than political ingratiation to dictator Museveni." "I am also anxious about whether or not Makerere University will now obey the rule of law by reinstating me in my office, paying all my unpaid salary, promoting me, and indeed paying all my damages," Dr. Nyanzi added. Her worries are understandable. The corrupt regime normally honors court-ordered ompensation only to regime sycophants and loyalists. "We won against the nepotism, meddling and political interference of Janet Kataaha Museveni in the management and administration of public universities," Dr. Nyanzi added. "I won this case for my self. My lawyer-Isaac Ssemakadde won this case for me and mine," Dr. Nyanzi said. "We win for the underdogs at Makerere Institute of Social Research who are bullied by Professor Mahmood Mamdani. "We won this case for the downtrodden and abused employees at Makerere University who are penalised for daring to challenge authoritarianism and abuse of power." "We won for all those junior academics oppressed by senior professors who are protected by the fat cats running our universities." "We won this case for posterity, for our jurisprudence in Uganda and for histories of labour rights in the world." "I have waited for this particular justice since 2011 when Professor Mahmood Mamdani started compromising my employment contract with Makerere University," she added. Mamdani heads the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR). "I sought redress and justice from all the powerful offices at the public university, to no avail for five long years," she said. "I wrote hundreds of letters that were ignored. I multiple filed appeals for help that were derailed. I sat in meetings where my colleagues were dismissed because of the power asymmetries." "Nobody wanted to touch the mighty professor, even when they admitted he was violating my contract." "And the employment violations deteriorated to the point of getting evicted from my office, I boldly staged my nude protest against the systematic rot at MISR, in 2016," Dr. Nyanzi continued in reference to when she the staged a nude protest following the disagreement with Prof. Mamdani, who was allegedly coercing her to teach PhD students and participate in research projects. "And the predictable misogynistic University unjustly penalized me with one suspension after another. The labor violations escalated." Dr. Nyanzi continued: "The Appointment Board colluded with Janet Kataaha Museveni to lock me out of my job [simply] because this first lady felt offended by my writings." She explained that: "I appealed once, twice, thrice to the Makerere University Academic Staff Tribunal." "And each time, the tribunal ruled in my favor. Makerere University was ordered to reinstate me in my office, pay all my monies and promote me. Makerere flaunted these orders and continued to deny me my job," she added. "When I sought protection from the police to accompany to enforce the orders of the tribunal, instead I was arrested and thrown into prison for sixteen months," she explained. Dr. Nyanzi, said that, "The battle for my labor rights has been very difficult and quite lonely. I know it is far from over, but the present win in court is extremely fulfilling." Dr. Nyanzi, whilst in prison, challenged the University and urged the court to review her previous complaints about dismissal and eviction from her job and office respectively. "And so in 2018, I appealed to the High Court through an application for judicial review of contempt of court," she said. When asked for her immediate plan Dr Nyanzi, said: "My immediate steps are going to my lawyer for explanations of what the ruling means in practical terms." "Then I will devise an action plan for how to effectively return to Makerere University," she added. This article was originally published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter, or follow The Marshall Project on Facebook or Twitter. Minneapolis city council members made an historic pledge over the weekend when they vowed to dismantle the local police department and shift money to community-based strategies. The pledge to develop a new system of public safety supported by a veto-proof majority follows weeks of protests across the country in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. Officials in other cities, including New York and Los Angeles, have also said they would cut police budgets, though neither has echoed Minneapolis city council memberss statement that the citys police department is beyond reform. Once a radical notion, the push to defund the police is gaining ground. Across the country, organizers, celebrities,and former city officials are calling on lawmakers to reimagine the role of police in public safety. Proponents of taking money away from cops say cities cannot simply reform their way out of the current policing crisis. And in the wake of the pandemic, some have highlighted a deadly disparity: many cities spend millions more on law enforcement than they do on most other services, including public health. Opponents say it is too soon to abandon the progress police departments have made to curb officer violence and improve their relationships in communities of color. Some point to the effects of the 2008 recession, where cities cut police funding with no real plan, with unintended consequences, including increasing complaints over use of force. But what do people mean by defunding the police? It doesnt just mean slashing budgets. One of the main ideas is that police departments are often the only agency to respond to problems even if the problems are not criminal in nature. Police handle mental health crises. They enforce traffic laws. They patrol public school hallways and contract with colleges and universities. In many small towns, police answer 911 calls about barking dogs and loud parties. Advocates of defunding the police argue that many of these functions would be better left to other professionals, such as social workers. Decades of over-policing in black and brown neighborhoods has led to black and brown people being disproportionately victims of police violence and overrepresented in prisons. A better approach, proponents of defunding the police argue, redirects law-enforcement funding to social services programs such as public housing, early childhood education and healthcare. By equitably distributing resources, they say, the need for police could be dramatically reduced. Molly Glasgow, a volunteer with MPD150, a grassroots initiative to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department, said decades of previous reform efforts have not broken a cycle of violence followed by unrest and promises of improvement that have failed. What we are asking is that we step out of that cycle, Glasgow said. When we say dismantle: Yes, we mean divest and defund, but also invest in community programs and initiatives that are actually supporting peoples needs. Past attempts to cut police spending or alter police policies offer cautionary tales of how some efforts backfire, and entrenched aggressive tactics and racially discriminatory attitudes remain. Previous Marshall Project investigations into cases of attempted police reform in cities like Memphis and Chicago found that cutting law enforcement budgets did not reduce police violence or produce healthier relationships with the neighborhoods they patrol. After 2008, cities reduced police spending as the Great Recession depleted their coffers. Departments that once had record numbers cops, bankrolled by a Clinton-era federal hiring grant, were forced to downsize. (The single largest line item in most police budgets is personnel.) As dollars dried up, police manpower plummeted, more crimes went unsolved, community outreach dwindled, and the cops that were left were forced to work high amounts of overtime. In Memphis, complaints about use of force rose as overtime costs nearly doubled from 2015, reaching $27 million two years later. Wait times for 911 calls rose. City officials then pressed a nonprofit to raise money in secret to pay for police bonuses without public input. Other police reforms fell short. To bolster community trust in police, cities like Chicago turned to academics from top-tier universities to develop training using the latest buzzwords, such as implicit bias and procedural justice. But the programs did not always take hold and one Chicago cop sued the city for inadequate training after he accidently shot and killed a African-American grandmother despite the new classes. Court-ordered consent decrees, under which the federal government essentially acted as watchdogs of a local police force, often cost millions of dollars for cities to implement. And in some cases, there were abuses: A 2015 Marshall Project investigation into the failures of federal oversight found that a Detroit monitor had billed the city as much as $193,680.55 a month, and had an affair with the then mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Detroit is considered one of the most violent cities in the nation, according to FBI figures. Yet the push for change continues. For one, policing and racism have long been entangled. Roots of U.S. law enforcement, especially in the south, are easily traced back to slavery. Federal oversight of local officers emerged during Reconstruction when Congress enacted a law criminalizing police abuse in the wake of widespread lynchings of African-Americans. There are fiscal incentives for defunding, too. Police departments are often one of the largest slices of the city budgets. Nearly 7 percent of the city budget in New York, for example, goes to police; in Los Angeles, its 16 percent. In Minneapolis the police account for roughly 15 percent of the citys $1.3 billion budget. But the current debate over defunding the police is different than the challenges following the Great Recession, said Alexander Weiss, an expert on police staffing. That financial crisis forced police departments to scale back out of necessity. The current defunding debate asks how officials can redirect money from law enforcement and move into social services. If you have neighborhoods where there is little hope for future success, thats a real problem, and police officers face that every day, said Weiss, who has instructed police leaders in Chicago, Albuquerque and New Orleans on how to best deploy their cops. What people are saying is that it doesn't make sense to invest all this money in policing when there are significant deficits in these neighborhoods. Some efforts to reimagine how police departments operate have worked. In 2011, the Camden Police Department in New Jersey became the first law enforcement agency in recent memory to implode as the state struggled to pay for officers. Police officials blamed the four police unions then operating in the city for having too much power, driving up overtime costs and dictating how patrol cops were used. A county police department emerged tied to only one police union, which local leaders say is why Camden now has a national reputation as a place where residents and cops get along. We get a lot of information from residents now to help us fight crime and help us solve crimes, said Louis Cappelli, Jr., the county executive. Some cities are cutting budgets without, it seems, plans to reimagine the police force. In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti pledged to trim $150 million from the LAPDs budget in the coming fiscal year. New York Citys mayor said Sunday that he would consider cuts to the police departments nearly $6 billion annual budget after the citys top fiscal advocate outlined how to trim 5 percent in police spending per year. It wasnt just enough to say defund, said the citys comptroller, Scott M. Stringer. The real question was How? And by how much? Still, some worry the push to defund the police is rash. James McCabe, a former commander in the New York Police Department who now is a consultant for scores of departments, says changing the culture of a police force takes time. Training in many departments has only just begun, and its too soon to tell if it is working, McCabe said. I am a proponent of good government and efficiency and not overspending on something that you shouldnt, McCabe said. But it might be a little bit of a knee-jerk reaction right now to just unilaterally defund the police because you dont like something that happened. The more pressure put on police from without, he said, the more they will resist that change from within. Minneapolis is already making change it has removed police from its public school system. The next step, advocates say, is to stop police from responding to calls for emergency medical services. Supporters of defunding the police, such as Glasgow, say residents and businesses need to embrace a philosophical shift when it comes to the role of cops in their lives. Property can be replaced, she says, but human lives cannot. And too often, the police have killed city residents while responding to minor crimes. I encourage people, even at this point, to retrain themselves on reflexively calling or suggesting calling the police, she said. Its been ingrained in us and what weve been trained to do, but we need to look for alternatives even as they are being developed. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. In the world they are in, Luna bid farewell to Dong-in as her health is deteriorating. On the other hand, Shin Jae is devastated that he gave the half of Manpasikjeok to Tae-Eul as she heads to the axis realm with Lee Rim. Meanwhile, King Gon and Jo Yeong arrived in the year 1994 at the Kingdom of Corea, on the night of the treason. Jo Yeong killed Seung Heon, one of the accomplices. Then King Gon asked Jo Yeong to guard the gate, but he insisted to join King Gon in his battle at the Cheonjongo. Jo Yeong insisted that this is the last chance he has to protect his Majesty. As King Gon was puzzled about what would be the consequences if things will change as they progress, he kept his faith that it will be for the better. Besides, he believe that he's not alone in his fight, the Four Tiger Sword leads him as well. Meanwhile, in the future, Tae-eul keeps Lee Rim on watch while pointing a gun to him. She planned to kill Lee Rim if King Gon won't succeed, as they're inside the axis realm waiting for things to unfold. At the night of the treason, young Gon holds the four tiger sword facing Lee Rim. As one of his men pointed a gun to young Gon waiting to kill him, Lee Rim instructed to shoot but the glass ceiling breaks and pieces of it fell to the ground. Young Gon looked for a place to hide as he stepped down and escaped, while a piece of broken glass cuts Lee Rim's hand where he holds the Manpasikjeok. He then lost his grip as he covers his head. Jo Yeong fires his gun to Lee Rim's men. He makes his way inside and in his best fighting skills he made it through. King Gon started shooting as well, in his finest skills he fought well. During the battle, the royal guards were alerted and were on their way to Cheonjongo. Lee Rim, with blood dripping in his right hand, picks up the Manpasikjeok. His blood tainted the legendary bamboo which puts life into it. King Gon's half piece disappear. As he looks up, Lee Rim runs to escape. King Gon runs after for Lee Rim, on his way out he saw Jo Yeong on his knee. He got shot in the middle of the fight. King Gon with a firm look gave Yeong a nod. Signaling that he is leaving him to go after Lee Rim. Yeong wrapped his arm to young Gon checking if he is alive. Gon tucked his hand in response. Then, Lady Ok-Nam arrived with the assemblymen. In the axis realm, the future Lee Rim is shocked to see the half Manpasikjeok slowly disappear in Tae-Eul's hand. The whole Manpasikjeok is with his old self. This means that King Gon will not come back and he is stuck with Tae-Eul in eternity. So, Shin Jae brought his foster mother to the hospital where a sick Shin Jae lay in bed. He thought that she will abandon him as he fled the hospital, but Hwa Yun runs after and hugged him as she thanked him for being her son as well. Continuing the night of the treason in the past, Lee Rim runs to the forest where the red obelisk opened revealing eternity and affinity. King Gon caught up with him. Using the four tiger sword he stretched out and struck Lee Rim. He gets hit with the bamboo, but he managed to stand up as he grabbed the mystical bamboo. King Gon then pointed the sword to Lee Rim. He recited the sacred words embedded on the sword as beheaded Lee Rim, spreading his blood through the bamboo that surrounds them. Meanwhile, The yoyo boy is the reflection of the Manpasikjeok who holds the balance. In every event of King Gon and Tae-Eul's life journey, he existed and witness them live in time. New York: US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to prevent terrorists from using Pakistani territory as safe havens, as he expressed strong concern over the violence in Kashmir particularly the terror attack on an Indian army base. Kerry met Sharif on Monday on the sidelines of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly. Sharif raised the issue of alleged human rights violations and killings in Kashmir and sought American help to resolve the Kashmir issue. US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said that the US want to see more progress from Pakistan in dealing with the terror groups effectively. Weve seen some progress; we want to see more, and I think moving forward well just continue to work closely and try to encourage greater counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan but also within the region, Toner said. Later, State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said that Kerry reiterated the need for Pakistan to prevent all terrorists from using Pakistani territory as safe havens, while commending recent efforts by Pakistani security forces to counter extremist violence. The Prime Minister and Secretary Kerry expressed strong concern with recent violence in Kashmir - particularly the army base attack - and the need for all sides to reduce tensions, he said. In one of the deadliest attacks on the Indian Army in recent years, 18 soldiers were killed and as many others injured as heavily armed militants stormed a battalion headquarters of the force in Kashmirs Uri town early Sunday. Kerry also stressed the need for restraint in nuclear weapons programs. According to a readout of the meeting by the Pakistan mission, Sharif asked the US Administration and Secretary Kerry to use his good offices to help in resolving bilateral issues between Pakistan and India. In his meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Sharif again raised the Kashmir issue and asked the British leader to play her role in convincing India to stop the alleged use of force against the people in the region. Sharif said Pakistans support for Kashmiri people in their legitimate struggle for self determination and its commitment to the Kashmir cause are non-negotiable, according to information released by the Pakistani mission. Sharif alleged that human rights violations and state oppression is at its peak in Kashmir and it is the duty of the international community to ask India to immediately end state atrocities on innocent and defenceless Kashmiri people. He said the people of Jammu & Kashmir must be allowed to chose their destiny and longstanding resolutions of the UNSC on the right to self determination of the Kashmiri people need to be implemented. He added that if the international community does not succeed in asking India to immediately end state oppression on the people in Jammu & Kashmir, India will be encouraged to increase the intensity of the continuing state atrocities. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Photo: The Canadian Press Minister of Economic Development Melanie Joly rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. The federal minister in charge of regional economic development says more needs to be done to help companies in the centre of Canada's biggest cities so they can stay open through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal minister in charge of regional economic development says more needs to be done to help companies in the centre of Canada's biggest cities so they can stay open through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Melanie Joly says cities like Toronto and Montreal continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic, with case numbers fuelling restrictions that have kept workers home and businesses closed. Usually, the economic development agencies Joly oversees are meant to support smaller communities that struggle more than urban centres. But she says downtown cores will need more attention as the restrictions ease and economic activity resumes, part of what Joly describes as more targeted regional help during what is expected to be an uneven rebound across Canada. The Bank of Canada has warned the desired economic recovery in the second half of the calendar year won't be as sharp or sustained as the downturn the pandemic caused. Nor will it happen at the same time and rates across various regions, with the oilpatch in the West likely suffering longer if oil prices don't fully rebound. A report this week from BMO Capital Markets forecasted single-digit economic declines in all provinces this year due to the pandemic, but noted the drop in GDP will be deeper and the jobless rates above the national average in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador due to lower oil prices. Joly says her officials are delving deeper into the regional data as they craft the next phase of pandemic-related aid, moving from liquidity measures toward helping companies connect with customers. As Joly put it in an interview this week, it will be like coming out of the "fog of war" during the early days of the pandemic towards a reopening and recovery. That will include looking at the uptake on the $962 million given to regional development agencies for companies that can't access the larger programs the Liberals have rolled out, and whether there is a need to support certain regions hit harder than others. She pointed to a Thursday announcement as an example, where the Liberals partnered with the Ontario government to provide funding to help retail companies build a digital presence. Federal coffers contribute $50 million to the program, while the province is kicking in $7.65 million. Joly says that kind of program addressed a need for Ontario companies to build a digital presence if in-person shopping is slow to pick up. She says "main street" Canadian companies in general have been slower to adopt online shopping compared to their American counterparts. The funding is designed to address the cost of going online that can act as a barrier to change in the retail sector, she says. "Retail was going through an array of changes before the pandemic, and the pandemic made it very crystal clear that we needed to make sure that our retail sector, particularly our main street businesses, were able to reach their customers in different ways," Joly says. "That's why we're using this crisis as an opportunity to help businesses grow and that's why we're providing this help." Federal support through the pandemic has had varying degrees of success. The total spending package now tops $153.6 billion, not including roughly $80 billion in federal loan programs, as detailed by the Finance Department in its latest report to MPs. David Montefiori, a virologist at Duke University, said that he was involved in a new analysis, led by Korber, addressing those concerns. As part of that work, he said, his team at Duke had found lab results that were very similar to those of the Scripps Research scientists: Viruses with the D614G mutation infected cells more efficiently than those without it. He said the full paper has been submitted to a journal. China removes over 250 church crosses in first 4 months of 2020: report Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Crosses were removed from over 250 state-sanctioned churches in Chinas Anhui province between January and April as the Communist Partys years-long crackdown on church crosses continues, according to the Italian-based magazine Bitter Winter. All Christian symbols are ordered to be removed as part of the governments crackdown campaign, a provincial employee from Maanshan city told Bitter Winter, a publication produced by the Center for Studies on New Religion which covers human rights issues in China. The magazine reported on Tuesday that the 250 crosses were removed from churches affiliated with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement in cities that include but are not limited to Luan, Maanshan, Huaibei and Fuyang. One of the churches that had its cross removed from outside its building is The Gulou Church in the center of Fuyang city, a Protestant church that dates back over a century. The church had its cross taken down on April 2 after over 100 congregation members tried to stop authorities from removing the cross from the church the previous day. One congregation member told the magazine that local officials told the church members that the cross' removal was done in accordance with a national policy requiring the removal of all religious symbols, not just Christianity. We support the state and comply with its regulations, the congregation member was quoted as saying. We can have a dialogue with the government if it thinks that we have done something wrong, but they cant persecute us this way. Officials did not show any documents, fearing that people would implicate them with anything in writing. They only conveyed verbal orders and forced us to obey them. In the city of Lu-an, over 183 churches had crosses removed during the first four months of 2020, reports Bitter Winter. The report states that in March, a church leader in the city was threatened with imprisonment and the closure of his church if the churchs cross was not removed. Bitter Winter posted a video Wednesday showing officials removing a cross in Shu County. An elder from a Three-Self congregation in Hanshan county told Bitter Winter that there were two government-convened conferences so far in 2020 to discuss the national governments demand for the removal of religious symbols. Allegedly, provincial government officials criticized Maanshan officials for not removing crosses at a quick enough pace. Since mid-April, 33 churches in the county have reportedly not had their crosses removed. The fact that all church crosses in the county have been taken off makes us very sad because the cross [is] the primary symbol of our faith, the unnamed elder from Hanshan county added. But we dont dare to disobey central government orders: little fish dont eat big fish. The magazine also noted that crosses were removed from at least 22 churches affiliated with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement in four different cities last November and December. Chinas crackdown on religion and religious minorities has drawn scrutiny from international actors such as the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, rights groups and the U.S. State Department. In its 2020 annual report, USCIRF noted that not only have authorities removed crosses from churches across the nation but they have also banned youth under the age of 18 from participating in religious services. Reports have also indicated that authorities have required that some churches remove pictures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary inside of their buildings and replace them with images of President Xi Jinping. Past reports have also indicated that some churches have begun replacing the singing of hymns with songs that praise the communist regime. In September 2018, Chinese Christian activist Bob Fu, founder of China Aid, told members of U.S. Congress that the Chinese government is supervising a five-year plan to make Christianity more compatible with socialism, an effort that includes a rewrite of the Bible to make socialist ideas seem more divine. China ranks as the 23rd worst nation in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List. China has been named by the State Department for years as a country of particular concern for engaging in systemic and egregious violations of religious freedom. In April, USCIRF expressed concern about Chinas selection to the United Nations Human Rights Council Consultative Group, which is tasked with screening applications and making recommendations for independent U.N. experts. The Chinese government is one of the worst abusers of religious freedom and other human rights, USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer, a longtime conservative activist, said in a statement. The Chinese Communist Party should not have any influence over appointments of the UN Human Rights Councils independent human rights experts. Manhunt ensues after gunman opens fire on California police station, shoots deputy in face Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A statewide manhunt is underway in California for a suspect who opened fire on a police station in San Luis Obispo County and shot a sheriff's deputy in the face. Authorities say that 26-year-old Mason James Lira began shooting outside the police department in downtown Paso Robles in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Officials say deputy who was shot in the altercation was transported to a hospital where he's recovering. Hours later, authorities discovered the body of a deceased 58-year-old homeless man who was shot in the head. Authorities believe the crimes are related. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's office described the attack as an "ambush." "This morning, we had an unprovoked attack on local law enforcement. And in my opinion, an act of a coward," San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said during a press briefing Wednesday. "One of my sheriff's deputies, who was responding to the Paso Robles Police Department, was shot in the face by the suspect that was laying in ambush at the police department." "Our thoughts are with his family and all local law enforcement in this county," the sheriff added. The sheriff's office on Thursday named the injured deputy as 28-year-old Nicholas Dreyfus, who has served as a deputy in the county for two years and is assigned to the North County Sheriff's Station in Templeton. Dreyfus was flown to a trauma center for treatment." "While searching for the suspect in the active shooter incident, Dreyfus was shot in the face," a statement from the Sherriff's Office explains. "He was transported to a local hospital and then flown to a trauma center out of the area where he underwent surgery for his injuries." Dreyfus' surgery was successful and is listed in guarded condition while his prognosis is "good." "His wife and family members are with him as he recovers," the statement reads. According to Parkinson, the incident began at around 3:09 a.m. Wednesday, when staff inside the police department began hearing and observed through cameras, firing outside the police station. The officers responded to the incident and requested additional assistance from local law enforcement. "The suspect began firing at police cars as they entered the downtown area, where the building was located," the sheriff said. "Two of my deputies, who were driving in a two-person unit, arrived on scene at approximately 4 a.m. to assist the other officers that were being fired upon." "At approximately 4:19 a.m., the two deputies were searching the area in which the shooter was last seen. They were out of their vehicle and came under fire," Parkinson explained. After Dreyfus was shot, his partner moved him to a safer location until the fire department arrived to transport him to a nearby hospital. According to The Associated Press, hundreds of police officers across the state have been searching for Lira since he fled the scene. Lira was spotted at a Chevron gas station on Ramada Drive buying an energy drink, NBC News affiliate KSBY reported. "It's a wide-ranging, full-on, full-scale effort," Tony Cipolla, a spokesperson for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's office, said, according to the news outlet. "We're right behind him. You can't run forever." A clerk at the gas station described the suspect to KSBY, saying he was sweaty, exhausted, and mumbling to himself. The clerk also said Lira "seemed crazy," but did not do anything to threaten her. The clerk said she recognized Lira and called the police after he left. Lira's actions come as there is much national scrutiny around law enforcement following the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis police custody while he was handcuffed and on the ground. Floyd dropped to the ground after exiting a police squad car. He died as officers restrained him and former officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for over eight minutes and kept it there even after he died. The police stop began after a store clerk called 911 to report that Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office ruled Floyd's death was a homicide and stated that he suffered "a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement officer(s)." The medical examiner's office listed "arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease," "fentanyl intoxication" and "recent methamphetamine use" as "other significant conditions." Floyd also tested positive for COVID-19, according to the autopsy report. Social unrest following Floyd's death has included peaceful demonstrations in all 50 states, as well as numerous acts of violence, looting, and rioting in several cities. In St. Paul, Minnesota, rioters breached the Minneapolis Police Department's Third Precinct where officers involved in Floyd's death were stationed and set it on fire. This week, a St. Paul man was charged in connection to the burning down of the police station. Branden Michael Wolfe, 23, has been charged with one count of aiding and abetting arson. According to federal prosecutors, Wolfe was "wearing multiple items stolen from the Third Precinct, including body armor, a police-issue duty belt with handcuffs, an earphone piece, baton, and knife" at the time of his arrest. In Atlanta, three people were arrested after they tracked police officers down and threw Molotov cocktails at their police cars. In Los Angeles, demonstrators smashed the windows of a highway patrol car while protesting Floyd's death. In New York City, authorities say that two people threw Molotov cocktails through a police car window and also tried to pass out firebombs to other protesters on May 30. One of the suspects, Urooj Rahman, worked at both the State and Defense Departments during the Obama administration. Unrest over Floyd's death follows similar unrest that occurred in the wake of the controversial deaths of other African Americans in police custody in recent years, including Eric Garner in 2014 and Freddie Gray in Baltimore in 2015. Many have also recently spoken out about the killings of African Americans Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Last week, the Ohio House voted overwhelmingly to take Ohio closer to becoming one of the many places in the union (46 states plus the District of Columbia., according to the American Pyrotechnics Association, or APA) that allow some type of consumer fireworks to be set off in driveways and backyards. Currently, Ohio allows the purchase of such fireworks but they must be taken out of the state in 48 hours (wink-wink) and only wooden and wire stick sparklers and novelty fireworks can be used in Ohio. Last year, two Youngstown-area legislators -- state Reps. Michael OBrien, a Warren Democrat, and the late Don Manning, a Republican of New Middletown village in Mahoning County (who died suddenly in March), introduced House Bill 253 to change that. Phantom Fireworks, the nations largest retailer of consumer fireworks, is based in Youngstown. Its CEO, Bruce Zoldan, told the online Mahoning Matters publication that enactment of the bill would double our business overnight in Ohio. The 78-17 House vote was bipartisan, although only three Republicans voted nay -- including state Rep. Tom Patton of Strongsville. Critics include Prevent Blindness Ohio and the Ohio chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Opponents argue personal fireworks use is directly linked to loss of eyesight, loss of fingers, property fires and occasionally the loss of life, with injuries disproportionately affecting children and teenagers. Gov. Mike DeWines position on the legislation is unclear. The House vote sends HB 253 to the Ohio Senate, where its fate also is unclear. The bill would legalize the use of all consumer fireworks in Ohio and tack on a 4% fee on gross sales receipts to cover additional firefighter training and new administrative costs. State receipts from such a fee could be substantial, according the Legislative Service Commission, given Ohios possible pro-rata share, by population (Ohioans make up about 3.6% of the U.S. population), of the $885 million in annual fireworks sales nationally. Roughly extrapolating, that could mean the 4% fee could generate $1.27 million annually in Ohio. The bill would also create new licensing requirements that would generate additional fees and oversight costs. And it would set up a new 16-member public-private Fire Code Rule Recommendation Committee that would include representatives from Prevent Blindness Ohio and the Ohio pediatric group. According to the APA, only four U.S. states currently do not allow some or all consumer fireworks use. Massachusetts bans all consumer fireworks. Ohio, Illinois and Vermont allow only the sparkler sticks and novelty items. Proponents argue the legislation would align Ohio with bordering states. So is HB 253 unwise because of the injuries to children likely to ensue? Or does this bill just recognize reality and bring Ohio in line with national norms? Our Editorial Board Roundtable shares its views. Thomas Suddes, editorial writer: This is shameful legislation. It will endanger children. This measure demonstrates what campaign contributions produce at the Statehouse -- and its not good government. Ted Diadiun, columnist: The one time I bought fireworks from Phantom produced exasperated eye-rolling from the clerk as he explained over and over the form I was instructed to sign, until I finally caught on to the wink-wink. A law that forces people to lie, and that nobody, including the government, expects people to follow, is worse than useless. Eric Foster, columnist: I dont know how long personal fireworks have been illegal, but I dont think the flyers got to my neighborhood. Birthday? Fireworks. Graduation? Fireworks. Job Promotion? Fireworks. Tuesday? Fireworks. I dont think my neighborhood is alone in that attitude. So, if the law is rarely enforced and people are doing it anyways, why not legalize it? Lisa Garvin, editorial board member: It seems illogical that one can buy fireworks but not shoot them off in Ohio. Im OK with legalizing them, although I suspect that military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and nervous dogs wont like it. I am dreading the inevitable posts on Nextdoor or my neighborhood Facebook page every time someone mistakes fireworks for gunfire. Victor Ruiz, editorial board member: Ive always enjoyed fireworks, from afar and well-orchestrated by professionals. Things get worrisome for me when they are in the hands of reckless amateurs. It seems to me that the potential revenue to the state is leading this argument, especially during this difficult time. I just hope that we balance the money with increases in public safety and responsibility. Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member: Amateur fireworks are dangerous. But if they can be sold in Ohio, Ohioans should also be able to use them here, especially since the current law isnt even enforced. Oddly, while this bill would allow an 18-year-old to use fireworks, that same 18-year-old isnt considered responsible enough to make sound decisions about smoking or drinking. Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion: Lets see, which matters more? Preserving the eyesight, fingers, limbs and maybe lives of the children and young people in Ohio most likely to use fireworks carelessly, or profits for fireworks firms? This is an easy call. Shelve this bill. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this editorial board roundtable to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. Divisive: Trump walks with Mark Esper (centre) and Mark Milley (right) from the White House to St Johns Church. Photo: Getty Images US President Donald Trump has defended his photo opportunity at a church near the White House as "a beautiful picture" and downplayed concerns of the Pentagon's top general that it created the perception of military involvement in domestic politics. "I think it was a beautiful picture. I'll tell you, I think Christians think it was a beautiful picture," Mr Trump told Fox News in an interview. His comments came hours after General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apologised for appearing alongside the president at St John's Episcopal Church minutes after federal authorities forcibly removed peaceful protesters from the area. Defence Secretary Mark Esper, who also participated in the photo opportunity, has said he did not realise in advance what would be happening. Asked whether he thinks such concerns are "significant," Mr Trump replied: "No, I don't think so. "I mean, if that's the way they feel, I think that's fine," Trump told Fox News's Harris Faulkner. "I have good relationships with the military. I've rebuilt our military. When we took it over from President Obama and Biden, the military was a joke." Ahead of the June 1 photo opportunity, Mr Milley, wearing combat fatigues, and Mr Esper walked behind Mr Trump and a cadre of presidential aides from the White House and across Lafayette Square to the historic church. The president then stood in front of it and posed for photographs holding up a Bible. Mr Milley said in a pre-recorded graduation speech to students at the National Defence University that it was important to keep "a keen sense of situational awareness" and that he had failed to do so. "As many of you saw the results of the photograph of me in Lafayette Square last week, that sparked a national debate about the role of the military in civil society," Mr Milley said. "I should not have been there. My presence in that moment, and in that environment, created the perception of the military involved in domestic politics." Mr Trump's comments came in a wide-ranging interview with Mr Faulkner, which was taped on Thursday in Dallas, where Trump held a round-table discussion on race relations and policing. Portions of the interview were aired by the cable station yesterday. In another segment, Mr Trump said "no" when asked if his campaign rally planned for June 19 in Tulsa was purposely set on that date. June 19, known as Juneteenth, is a date commemorating the end of slavery in the US. Tulsa is the site of one of the worst episodes of racial violence in US history: a 1921 massacre in which a white mob killed dozens of black people. Democrats have accused Mr Trump of sending the wrong message with the timing. "Think about it as a celebration. My rallies are celebrations," Mr Trump said. "In the history of politics, I think I can say, there's never been any group or any person that's had rallies like I do." The Fox interviewer, an African American, later said she was not sure if he was aware of the painful history of Tulsa to black Americans because her questions in the interview focused on the Juneteenth aspect of the visit. "This isn't just a wink to white supremacists - he's throwing them a welcome home party," Senator Kamala Harris, a contender to be Joe Biden's vice presidential pick, said on Twitter. At another point in the interview, Mr Trump defended his tweet in response to recent unrest in Minneapolis that included the phrase, "when the looting starts the shooting starts." He said the phrase does not necessarily imply a threat. "It means two things," Mr Trump said. "One is, if there's looting, there's probably going to be shooting, and that's not as a threat, that's really just a fact, because that's what happens. And the other is, if there's looting, there's going to be shooting." This week the Republican Party scheduled Mr Trump's speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination for Jacksonville on August 27. That day will mark the 60th anniversary of what is called "Axe Handle Saturday", when a white mob wielding axe handles began a riot over black youths attempting to order food from a whites-only lunch counter in the Florida city. Commissioner of police of the HKSAR government Chris Tang Ping-keung has said said that young people committing crimes have become a trend in the territory amid protests against China. Hong Kong, June 13 (ANI): In a bid to justify its aggressive tactics towards pro-democracy demonstrators, the pro-China Hong Kong police are now accusing young Hong Kongers of committing crimes under the shadow of unrest. Commissioner of police of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, Chris Tang Ping-keung said that young people committing crimes have become a trend in the territory amid protests against China. The police have been called out of its excessive use of forces against the demonstrators in the territory. On Friday itself the police have arrested 35 people on Friday protesting against Chinas plan to impose national security legislation on the territory. Speaking at a round table organized by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, Chris Tang Ping-leung, last week, said that young people committing crimes has become a trend in Hong Kong, which is worrying, Xinhua reported. Also Read: Pakistan unveils Rs 7.13 trillion budget, 1.3 trillion allocated to defence, Rs 70 billion for fight against Covid-19 Also Read: Pak army continues to torture pashtuns, viral video causes uproar on social media In 2019, a total of 4,268 young people were arrested, an increase of more than 50 per cent from 2018. Of the 8,057 people arrested from last June to April 2020, more than 40 per cent were reported being students, according to Tang. Tang said that Hong Kong is facing a breakdown of rule of law, with violence lurking in peoples daily life, which would ultimately threaten national security and Hong Kongs prosperity and stability. Tang remarks come as speculation mounts of a new round of debilitating protests could against Beijings pending new security law. The police are preparing to quash possible unrest. According to a South China Morning Post report, under Beijings proposal, the Hong Kong government will have to set up new institutions to safeguard national security and also allow mainland Chinese agencies to operate in the city when needed. All moves were widely criticized by opposition politicians as a means to suppress dissent. The legislation has sparked fears that it would undermine the principle of one country, two systems, eventually leading to erosion of Hong Kongs autonomy as stated under the Sino-British joint declaration of 1997. During the 2019 protests over an extradition bill, the conduct of the Hong Kong police force was a subject of controversy during. According to the last year report by Washington Post, many in the citys pro-democracy camp view the Hong Kong police as a means for Chinas Communist Party to suppress unrest without resorting to direct intervention that could provoke an international response. The protests began last year in summer over opposition to a bill that would have allowed extradition from Hong Kong to China. The demonstration morphed into violent protests. Protesters regularly throw petrol bombs and bricks and have begun vandalizing subway stations and China-linked businesses, as police respond with tear gas and water cannon. Also Read: Indo China standoff: Rajnath Singh reviews Ladakh situation with CDS, services chiefs For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Research Future published a research report HTS Market Research Report - Global Forecast till 2025 Market Overview, Segmentation, Progress, Regional analysis, key Trends, Major Players and Forecast to 2025. Global Wearable Sensors Market is likely to value of USD 13,460 million with a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period get free sample copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1280 Competitive Landscape: Better integration of diverse plans in the global high throughput screening market and introduction of several strategic moves that encompasses mergers, acquisitions, tie-ups, and others are expected to inspire growth. Companies impacting the growth in the market are Danaher (US), Aurora Biomed Inc. (Canada), Tecan (Switzerland), PerkinElmer (US), Axxam (Italy), Hamilton (US), Corning (US), Merck Group (Germany), Beckman Coulter, Inc. (US), BioTek (US), Luminex Corporation (US), Agilent Technologies Inc. (US), and Roche (Switzerland). Overview High-throughput screening (HTS) can be defined as a method that includes scientific experimentation needed for various drug discovery and deciding typical moves in the the fields of biology and chemistry. The procedure includes data processing/control software, liquid handling devices, robotics, and sensitive detectors. This allows the system to get into the procedure of conducting tests for millions of chemical, genetic, or pharmacological processes. The process has evolved as necessary to find active compounds, antibodies, or genes that can cover various biomolecular pathway. This process assists in the designing of various market process. The HTS Market is getting traction from high technological advancements in HTS and hike in expenditure for research and development. The government funding for the procedure is also providing better scope for growth. Segmental Analysis The global market for high throughput screening, by product & service, can be segmented into instruments, reagents & assay kits, consumables & accessories, and software and services. The reagents & assay kits segment can find growth with increasing demand from the diagnostic segment. By technology, the global market report on high throughput screening can be segmented into cell-based assays, Bioinformatics, 3D cell culture, 2D cell culture, perfusion cell culture, 3D cell culture, Ultra-high-throughput Screening, lab-on-a-chip (LOC), and Label-free Technology. The 3D cell culture segment includes scaffold-based technologies and scaffold-free technologies. The scaffold-based segment comprises hydrogels, inert matrix, and micropatterned surfaces. The scaffold-free technologies segment consists ultra-low binding plates, hanging-drop plates, microplate, and other scaffold-free technologies. By application, the global market for high throughput screening includes primary and secondary screening, toxicology assessment, target identification & validation, and others. The application segment is showing signs of fastest CAGR owing to its inclusion in the research and development sector. By end user, the global market for high throughput screening can be segmented into contract research organizations, academic & government institutes, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, and others. Global High Throughput Screening Market Research Report- https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/high-throughput-screening-market-1280 In October 2019, researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute revealed that they have developed a machine-learning algorithm that would assist in the high throughput screening of epigenetic drugs. Related News Blood Glucose Monitoring Market - Global Forecast till 2023 Dercums Disease Market - Global Forecast till 2023 About Market Research Future: MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. P rotests have erupted in Atlanta after a black man was shot dead by US police when resisting arrest during a late night struggle outside a fast food restaurant. The man, identified later as 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, was shot after failing a sobriety test outside a Wendys restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. A crowd demonstrators quickly gathered on Saturday as protests continue to rage after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. The shooting comes at a time of heightened tension over police brutality and calls for reforms after the 46-year-old died after a white officer knelt on his neck for minutes. Atlanta was among US cities where large crowds of protesters took to the streets. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said it was asked by the Atlanta Police Department to investigate the shooting. Protestors block University Avenue outside the Wendy's fast food restaurant in Atlanta on Saturday / AP The GBI said its agents were reviewing video taken by witnesses. The agency also posted to Twitter a plea for witnesses to come forward, saying some at the scene chose not to be interviewed by GBI agents. Videos posted to social media on Saturday showed a small crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the Atlanta restaurant where the police shooting occurred overnight. Officers had been responding to a complaint of a man in a vehicle parked in the drive-thru area who was asleep, causing customers to drive around the vehicle. Demonstrators gathered in the city / AP After he failed a field sobriety test, the officers attempted to place the man into custody, according to the GBI. But he resisted and a struggle ensued, leading the officer to deploy a Taser. A police spokesman said: Ultimately, when the officer used a Taser, it was ineffective for the suspect. It did not stop the aggression of the fight. And so the suspect was able to take the officers Taser from him. The spokesman said a second officer also attempted to use a Taser on the struggling man, but it didnt work against the suspect as well. 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 The GBI said in statement it was investigating reports that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over the Taser. The man was transported to a local hospital where he died after surgery, the statement said. One officer was treated for an injury and discharged from the hospital. AP Fulton County district attorney Paul Howard said on Saturday his office had already gotten involved without waiting for the GBI to finish its investigation. Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat who gained national prominence running for governor in 2018, tweeted on Saturday of the shooting that sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death. The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force, her tweet said. Yes, investigations must be called for but so too should accountability. The officers involved in the shooting were not identified. Once the GBI investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorneys Office for review. Mumbai, June 13 : Television actress Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya paid a visit to her dentist in "corona times". Divyanka shared a photograph on Instagram. In the picture, the actress, who is popularly known as Ishita from the show "Yeh Hai Mohabbatein", is seen in a mask posing with her dentist, who is dressed in full PPE kit. "See! I am flashing my pearlies. Unlucky you for missing the spectacular display! #DentistVisit in #CoronaTimes,"Divyanka captioned the image, which currently has 206K likes. Divyanka, who is married to TV actor Vivek Dahiya, rose to prominence with her double role in the show "Banoo Main Teri Dulhann" but has gained massive fandom with show "Ye Hai Mohabbatein" She reprised her role Ishita for "Yeh Hai Chahatein", a spin-off series of "Yeh Hai Mohabbatein". Divyanka and Vivek will soon start their own production house called One Reason Films. The banner was registered two years ago. Each year, when the weather warms up, Danica Rodarmel makes her annual pilgrimage to the Russian River. Honestly, its probably one of the places where I feel most alive, says the 35-year-old San Francisco resident. I go as much as I can, as soon as its warm enough. Rodarmel has spent the last 10 years tubing the same lazy 2.5-mile stretch of water in rural Sonoma County, near Cloverdale. (She wont disclose its exact location for fear of drawing crowds.) Equipped with sunscreen, six-pack and floatable, she meets friends and together they shove off into the water. Four or five hours later, they emerge, sun-saturated and hungry. The ritual never gets old, Rodarmel says. My God, she bursts, mid-interview. This is making me really excited for summer. Last week, as Sonoma County moved forward with reopening from shelter-in-place, the county announced it is allowing access to the river music to the ears of many local residents looking for outdoor areas to visit as the weather warms up. (Before visiting Sonoma County parks, check the county's Covid-19 status website and visitor FAQs.) Rodarmel is hardly alone in her love for floating the river, which meanders south through Sonoma Countys verdant landscape and then westward through Forestville and Guerneville to the Pacific. Popular beaches on the rivers southern stretches can draw 600 visitors on a summer Saturday. Which means the vibe there isnt exactly serene. Its like being on Spring Break for three months. It can be just crazy, says Scott Heemstra, store manager at Kings Sport and Tackle in Guerneville, which offers kayak rentals in addition to tubing supplies. Theres grilling. Drinking. Hundreds of inflatables. Ive seen people have a whole keg in a tube going down the river. So its definitely a party scene, says Heemstra, chuckling. The spike in visitors has presented opportunities and challenges for locals, particularly in Guerneville, a 9.8-square-mile resort town favorited by LGBTQ travelers since the 1970s, and now draws thousands of sun-seeking floaters. Tourism broadly, as well as the floaters that come, are absolutely tantamount to the success of my business, and, I think, the success of the other businesses in the area, says Michael Volpatt, owner of downtown Guernevilles beloved Big Bottom Market. But float dollars have, in recent years, come with their own costs: crowds, trash, traffic snarls and parking congestion. Part of the issue is that getting on the river, and home again, is hardly straightforward, even if the actual drift is easy. Thats why weve done the work for you, by compiling a comprehensive guide to this consummate California getaway. Heres how to float the Russian River, stress-free. When To Go Late May typically brings warm waters and consistent river flows, so Memorial Day through Labor Day is really the sweet spot for floating. Expect a mellow float; the river typically moves extremely slowly. As of Memorial Day, Regional Parks post signs alerting visitors about water quality conditions and hazards, and also dispatches roving lifeguards, Friday through Monday. Not surprisingly then, it tends to get crowded -- often very crowded -- on summer weekends and holidays, like the Fourth of July. But there can be quieter moments in early June and late August, too. One way to avoid the rush? Take a day off work and go mid-week. Where To Float For casual tubers, Meda Freeman, communications manager for Sonoma County Regional Parks, recommends the 2-mile float from Steelhead Beach to Sunset Beach, both in Forestville -- about 4 hours on the water. Its a really pretty route, where youre floating past little pocket beaches and willows and redwoods, she says. Longer stretches can turn the experience sour when sunburns and thirst start to set in. Get to the Steelhead Beach parking lot early; lots can fill by 10:30 a.m. on weekends, and traffic on the two-lane road can turn into gridlock. Theres a $7-per-vehicle charge. If you plan on chartering a bus (yes, of the party variety), make sure to arrange for permits in advance through Regional Parks -- and fast. Only two busses a day are allowed on summer weekends, and Freeman says that operators are already calling to reserve. (Due to concerns over coronavirus, the county is not issuing bus permits as of June 12, 2020.) While more secluded routes are possible, they can present challenges. Much of the river north of Forestville is surrounded by privately owned land, which complicates getting in and out of the water especially without trespassing. I definitely would not take some random persons word for some stretch of river, because you can really get stuck out there, Rodarmel says. If youre looking for a quieter ride, Russian River Adventures in Healdsburg offers full- and half-day trips on inflatable canoes, which resemble something of a tube-kayak hybrid; shuttle service is also provided. Or in Guerneville, Johnsons Beach is well-suited for families, with a snack bar and onsite tube, kayak and canoe rentals. What To Bring Lets talk inner tubes. My number one tip, always, is dont buy the cheapest tube, Rodarmel says. The donut is cute for a swimming pool, but its going to be less cute when youre a mile into the trip and it pops. Heemstra says a standard model is the River Rat, a round tube with a grab-rope, and a slightly nicer option is the River Run I, which has a built-in backrest, cup holders, and a mesh bottom; both are manufactured by Intex. Most local tube purveyors, including Kings, will inflate tubes with purchase, or sell pumps so floaters can fill their tubes where they plan to start. But sometimes the local shops run out, so consider buying tubes before your trip. Sunscreen, sun hat and rash guard to help avoid burns are all basic necessities. Foot protection is a good idea too, Heemstra says. Plenty of water is a must -- especially if youll be drinking alcohol. Dont forget snacks, waterproof cases for phones, personal IDs, cash and dry clothes, as well as a bag for trash. Stumptown Brewery in Guerneville sets up a beach bar on weekends and youll need to be prepared if you want to stop and relax there. Out here, people do check IDs, and if you dont have ID, they wont serve you, says Corey Jackson, a bartender at Stumptown. Transportation & Lodging If youre driving, bring at least two cars, and park one at your takeout point before you start your float. Otherwise, at the end of your float, youll be looking at a long walk on the highway back to the car, tubes in tow. While local taxi services and ridesharing are options, Freeman warns that cell service can be spotty along the river. Lodging is limited in Guerneville and Forestville, so if you want to stay overnight, make sure you book well in advance of your trip. The local bed-and-breakfasts and Airbnbs fill up quick in the summer months! Leave No Trace Take your trash, and your tubes, with you. With the rivers popularity, garbage has increasingly plagued river communities. Unfortunately, we find that a lot of people just leave their floats on the beach and walk away. So it creates a huge amount of waste, Freeman says. We really want to encourage people to reuse their floats, and to not abandon them. Rodarmel has similar advice for keeping the river pristine: Dont litter, but do more than that too. Pick up any trash that you see. If Youre Drinking Play it safe. Bring lots of water. Designate a driver. Wear a life vest, especially if youre not comfortable in the water. Life jackets are now free for day-use at kiosks on regional river park beaches, says Freeman. Finally, new rules prohibit alcohol on the beaches at Steelhead, Sunset, and Forestville River Access, also known as Moms Beach. Stick Around Afterward Floating is not the only reason people love Guerneville and Forestville. Theres great food and a warm vibe in town. Hang around and make a weekend out of your trip. For sandwiches, Heemstra recommends Big Bottom Market, which offers takeaway breakfast and lunch varieties. Volpatt, Big Bottoms owner, says that hes building out the grab-n-go section, which will cut down on summer wait times. If, post-float, youre still looking to party, Crista Luedtkes tequila-forward El Barrio, in downtown Guerneville, is a popular spot. For overnight stays, there is Boon Hotel + Spa, which is walking distance from Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, a favorite for hikes. With that, youre ready to Guerneville and chill. See you on the river. UPDATE: Due to concerns over coronavirus, the county is not issuing bus permits as of June 12, 2020. Kathryn Campo Bowen is a freelance writer in the Bay Area. Email: travel@sfchronicle.com Students at the Xilinhaote Middle School (Inner Mongolia) are prohibited from taking part in religious activities inside and outside schools, on pain of expulsion. Parents are prohibited from educating children about religion. The country-wide directive was issued during the coronavirus crisis. Rome (AsiaNews) A directive sent to Middle School no. 6 in Xilinhaote (Inner Mongolia) says that students are banned from taking part in religious activities in or outside their school; parents are prohibited from educating their children about religion; and no religious organisation can operate in schools. AsiaNews obtained a copy of the directive, which includes an open threat. Failure to obey restrictions will be followed by necessary steps taken against students, parents and noncompliant teachers, such as expulsion of children and teachers from school. The directive demands that parents and students sign it. Interestingly, the document is dated 25 March 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. In China, wiping out the "virus" of religion has become one of the most important tasks of the Chinese Communist Party. A year ago, President Xi Jinping, in a major speech, urged teachers to reject "misconceptions and ideologies," including religious ideas. The struggle is above all against Christianity, branded as "western" and therefore despised in the name of patriotic nationalism. This kind of material has been circulated in other Chinese provinces. Meant to counter the religious revival in society and interest shown by young people in Christianity, the new regulations on religious activities ban faith-based education for young people under 18. Regarding the participation of students at the Xilinhaote Middle School n.6 Letter to parents: In order to uphold the socialist educational line and maintain order in school education, we inform you that in accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, the Law on the Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, the Law on Education of the People's Republic of China and the rules regarding the Party, different ethnic groups, religion and educational policies, as well as taking into consideration the reality of schools: the socialist school uses Marxism, Mao's thoughts, Deng Xiaoping's theories, and Xi Jinping's ideas on socialism for a new era to educate students, transmit scientific-cultural knowledge, train new socialists who have great aspirations and moral integrity, acculturated and with a strong sense of discipline, banning all forms of religious activity. No religious organisation can build or establish religious facilities within schools. It is strictly forbidden to induce students to engage in religious activities. It is forbidden to force or induce students to participate in religious activities. Should the aforementioned occur, teachers, students and other individual social organisations must report them to local authorities and the relevant agencies, which will take the necessary steps in accordance with the laws and regulations in place. Students are the builders and heirs of socialism, so they are required to voluntarily accept patriotic, collective and communist ideologies, to form a scientific point of view of the world and life. Therefore, during their schooling, students can neither participate in religious activities, legal or otherwise, nor wear religious signs. Parents or others must not force students to profess a religion or participate in religious activities. Schools have a duty to educate students who take part in religious activities. Those who do not change their attitude will be handed over to the relevant agencies for appropriate action. Parents and schools must work closely together, respect and implement the aforementioned principles, fight against the infiltration and intrusion of religion in education, ensuring healthy growth for teenage students. Parents signature Students signature Xilinhaote, 25 March 2020 Lu Li is owner of Blooming Founders Lu Li knows how to act fast - something she was forced to do after coronavirus lockdown struck and she lost a whopping 80 per cent of her income in a fortnight. Her company is Blooming Founders, a business network she set up in 2015 that aims to boost female-founded start-ups largely through events. But as social distancing and self-isolation became mandatory, that model became redundant overnight. Rather than give up however, Li developed a new programme which connects small businesses with university and college students who need to do internships for their academic studies - saving both her own business and helping her members' firms survive as well. 'I had to completely overhaul our business proposition due to Covid-19 because everything we did before required people to be in the same space together - whether that was for events or in our co-working space,' she explains. 'We lost over 80 per cent of our revenues within two weeks while still having to pay rent to our landlord, so I had to come up with new ideas to keep us going and to keep supporting our network of female entrepreneurs.' Li turned her events into online webinars and at first offered a 50 per cent discount on tickets as she knew her members would be struggling for cash just like she was. However revenues were nowhere near previous levels and she realised she had to come up with a completely new idea. Pictured: A panel discussion on angel investment at the Blooming Founders Girls Just Wanna Have Funds conference at the NatWest Conference Centre in July 2019 She says: 'I came up with the internship placement service after seeing how many businesses used the furlough scheme or were even forced to lay people off. 'At the same time, they still needed resources and in some ways, more so than before as many had to shift focus and pivot their businesses, just like I did. 'Then I heard about students having their summer internships cancelled due to the virus and so they also faced a dilemma.' Knowing that start-ups would be struggling to keep going yet didn't have the budget to pay for new resources, and that students would be looking for new opportunities as part of their academic requirements, Li put two and two together. The businesses are not required to pay a salary to interns - though they are welcome too, if they wish - and the students need the credit so Li says it's 'a win-win for both sides'. Blooming Founders' Lu Li with her summer interns from Brazil, China and the US in 2019 Starting up The 36-year-old said she had been thinking about introducing this scheme prior to the lockdown as she had such a good experience hosting her own string of interns, but the events kept her in business. She added: 'I have worked with these types of students very successfully myself over the past four years, so I know how you can really maximise value from these internships. 'But there was simply no time to execute the idea when I first thought of it. The lockdown has obviously changed that.' The first run of internships is still to kick off but the response to the programme via sign-ups has been high. Under the Blooming Founders internship programme businesses are not required to pay a salary to interns, while students need the credit for their studies so it's 'a win-win' Within the first two weeks, Li closed partnerships with Hult International Business School and Regents University London, and there are more universities in the pipeline. Li said: 'I am now working with over 20 companies which are a range of start-ups and small businesses who have agreed to a small one-off placement fee which is only payable on success and not upfront. 'This makes it practically risk-free for companies to submit a role and see what comes back. There are already 10 job descriptions live.' All internships are remote and will be focused on operational roles such as social media marketing, content, business development, customer support and finance. Li added: 'I think it will be very beneficial for our students to get used to working remotely because this will be the future of work. ' Pictured: A breakfast workshop at the Blooming Founders co-working space before lockdown Life after lockdown Since lockdown was implemented, Li has kept in touch with Blooming Founders members to keep informed and boost morale. She also hopes to re-open the co-working space in July, if guidance allows. However she is still uncertain about how many people will actually return as people will still be nervous about going to public places. 'There is not much I can do for now, so I'm just keeping my options open,' she says. 'My focus is to build out the internship placement service as I think there will be a sustained demand post-Covid. 'Higher education is changing rapidly and needs to adapt to the changes in the private sector. With all of these movements happening simultaneously, there are plenty of opportunities to seize, and I'm pretty excited about that.' UPDATE 9:25 a.m. June 13, 2020
A 19-year-old Buckland man was charged with firearms violations and his guns were seized by police after what they called alarming social media postings he allegedly made earlier in the month. Northwest District Attorney spokesperson Mary Carey said Friday that Zachary M. Taylor was arrested on a Greenfield District Court warrant and arraigned on charges of possession of a firearm while intoxicated, disorderly conduct and being a minor in possession of alcohol, all in connection with an incident in Hawley June 4. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Massachusetts State Police, responded to the incident. Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio told the Greenfield Recorder that the June 4 incident involved Taylor calling the State Police barracks at Shelburn Falls and telling dispatchers he was drunk, suicidal and armed. Police were able to narrow the location of the 4:39 p.m. call to within an 11-mile radius in Hawley using his phones GPS coordinates. A search involving multiple law enforcement agencies and the State Police Air Wing was launched., and late in the afternoon of June 4, Taylors truck was located several hundred yards into a field off Labelle Road in Hawley. Troopers would see Taylor in the truck holding a rifle. State Police assets surrounded the truck and crisis negotiators were able to establish contact with Taylor. Over the course of seven hours, negotiators were able to persuade him to surrender himself and just after midnight June 5 Taylor exited the truck and was taken into custody. According to the Northwest District Attorneys office, a loaded shotgun and a .22-caliber rifle were confiscated from Taylors home along with several boxes of ammunition for the firearms. He was released from custody following his arraignment under the condition that he refrain from alcohol use, wear an alcohol monitoring device, undergo a mental health evaluation and not possess firearms of any kind. He will return to court for a hearing on Sept. 8. Xiaomi's new Redmi 9A is coming soon. Here what we know so far. A new variant of Redmi 9 is in the works. Dubbed as Redmi 9A, the smartphone has made an appearance on the US FCC website. The listing on the certification website also reveals some key specifications and features of the phone. Sporting model number M2006C3LG, the phone is seen running MIUI 12 and comes with dual-SIM support. The listing reveals the phone has a 4,900mAh battery and comes with 4G support. According to mysmartprice, the phone will sport 18W fast charging support. The phone, however, could come with 10W charge out-of-the-box. The listing further reveals the phone could come with dual-rear cameras. Right now, other key details such as processor type, RAM capacity, and screen size are not out yet. That said, Redmi 9A is likely to be an upgrade over the Redmi 8A Dual which launched in India in February this year. With a starting price of 6,499, Redmi 8A Dual comes with up to 3GB RAM and up to 32GB built-in storage. The phone has a 6.2-inch HD LCD display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It has 13-megapixel and 2-megapixel cameras on the back. For selfies, it comes with an 8-megapixel camera. For performance, Redmi 8A relies on Qualcomms Snapdragon 439 processor. Other top features of the phone include 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. It comes with dual-SIM support and USB Type-C port. As far as Redmi 9 goes, the phone runs on MediaTeks Helio G80 processor. The phone has a quad-camera setup on the back which includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, a 5-megapixel macro lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfies, it comes with an 8-megapixel camera up front. Redmi 9 is powered by a 5,020mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging along with Quick Charge 3.0. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Austria's Foreign Ministry on Saturday expressed its utmost support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the organization MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2020) Austria's Foreign Ministry on Saturday expressed its utmost support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the organization. "Austria strongly supports the @IntlCrimCourt and the rule of law in international relations. The #ICC must conduct its investigations independently and impartially without outside pressure or interference," the ministry wrote on its Twitter page. Earlier in the week, Trump authorized sanctions against ICC judges and investigators looking into alleged war crimes committed by US forces in Afghanistan. The countys Independent Police Auditor previously examined the same issue based on 2015 data. The auditor found there was no discernible difference in the amount of force used against African Americans or whites engaged in similar conduct, but some differences in the type of force used against people of different races. The auditor could not rule out that bias played a role in the disparities in use of force. In an opinion piece, authors say that adolescents could be more susceptible to negative effects of physical distancing during COIVD-19 as they are in a period of vulnerability where peer interaction is a vital aspect of their social development In an opinion piece, authors say that adolescents could be more susceptible to negative effects of physical distancing during COIVD-19 as they are in a period of vulnerability where peer interaction is a vital aspect of their social development. They call for policymakers to give urgent consideration to young people when considering easing of physical distancing measures, and that reopening schools and other social environments for young people should be a priority when it is considered safe to do so. Authors of an opinion piece, based on a review of evidence and published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal, are urging policymakers to consider the effects of physical distancing measures introduced to tackle the spread of COVID-19 on young people's social development and wellbeing. The authors warn that adolescence is a sensitive period in young people's lives when their social environment and interactions with peers are important for brain development, mental health and developing a sense of self. They believe that reduced face-to-face social contact with peers may interrupt this and might have long-term detrimental effects. Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability to mental health problems, with 75% of adults who have ever had a mental health condition reporting that they first experienced symptoms before the age of 24 years. The authors also discuss how the use of digital technologies and social media might mitigate some of the negative effects of social distancing, by helping to maintain social connections between young people and their peers, but further research is needed. Many questions about the impact of physical distancing on young people remain unanswered, and there is little understanding of how other stressors experienced during the COVID-19 crisis may be affecting young people, such as economic pressures, uncertainty and loss of public events marking key rites of passage. Nevertheless, the authors argue that policymakers should give urgent consideration to young people when considering easing of physical distancing measures, and that reopening schools and other social environments for young people should be a priority when it is considered safe to do so. Lead author, Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, UK, said: "Owing to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many young people around the world currently have substantially fewer opportunities to interact face-to-face with peers in their social network at a time in their lives when this is crucial for their development. Even if physical distancing measures are temporary, several months represents a large proportion of a young person's life. We would urge policymakers to give urgent consideration to the wellbeing of young people at this time." [1] Dr Livia Tomova, one of the authors of the Viewpoint, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: "It is important to note that physical distancing measures may not affect all young people in the same way. Adolescents living in a family environment, who have positive relationships with the parents, carers or siblings, may be less affected than those who do not have positive family relationships or are living alone. Given the widespread use of physical distancing policies worldwide, there is an urgent need to understand the short and long-term effects of reduced face-to-face social interaction and increased use of digital technologies on human adolescent development and mental health." [1] The authors' Viewpoint is based on a review of peer-reviewed studies on social isolation and adolescence in animals, the social development of young people (aged 10-24), as well as studies of social media use in adolescence and mental health. The authors note that evidence from animals and other forms of social isolation are the best evidence we have (many animal studies use rodents as their preferred animal model as these are innately social creatures and fare better in social rather than isolated housing), and while they may be indicative, they may not apply perfectly to the current situation. For example, it remains unclear how relevant findings from animal studies are for the social needs of humans. Further research is urgently needed to understand how depriving young people of social interactions, especially with their peers, affects social development and mental health. Key findings from the animal studies looking at severe isolation suggest that even short periods of social isolation during adolescence (in mice or rats) can be associated with substantial and potentially long-term effects in the chemistry and structural development of the brain of these animals. The authors, however, found few studies into the effects of social isolation on people. There was some evidence that extreme social isolation is associated with increased distress, depression, aggression and self-harm in adults, and these effects may be amplified in younger people, but, such studies have been conducted in situations of much more extreme isolation (such as solitary confinement in prisons) than the reduced social interaction associated with physical distancing. Other studies suggest that acute social isolation in adult humans results in increased feelings of loneliness, craving for social contact, and decreased happiness, in addition to changes in brain activity. But the authors note that more research is needed. The authors also note that adolescents' use of digital technologies and social media might mitigate some of the negative effects of physical distancing by helping young people maintain social ties even when they are unable to interact in person. Adolescents are among the first large-scale adopters of such technologies. Before lockdown, studies of youths found they routinely reported using digital technologies for actively social means. A study of US teenagers found they spend more than four hours a day on social media sites and almost half of them reported that they are almost constantly engaging online. Studies on adolescent behaviour suggest that core components and qualities of face-to-face interactions, including sharing information with each other, social support, and gaining social rewards, are present when young people communicate online. Dr Amy Orben, a co-author from the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge, said: "Evidence suggests that the type of digital technology and how it is used are important for how beneficial it is to an adolescent's wellbeing. For example, some studies have shown that active social media use, such as messaging or posting directly on another person's profile, increases wellbeing and help maintain personal relationships. However it has been suggested that passive uses of social media, such as scrolling through newsfeeds, negatively influence wellbeing." The authors conclude that some aspects of digital communication might mitigate the consequences of physical distancing and recommend further research to explore this possibility. They also say that governments need to address the digital divide by supporting access to digital connection in families irrespective of income or location. ### Peer reviewed / Literature review and Opinion / Animals and people NOTES TO EDITORS This Viewpoint was written by authors from the University of Cambridge, UK, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, and the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UK. Professor Blakemore is funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Jacobs Foundation, UK Research & Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund and the University of Cambridge. Dr Orben is funded by Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge. Dr Tomova is funded by an Erwin Schroedinger Fellowship from the Austrian Science Fund. The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com [1] Quote direct from author and cannot be found in the text of the Article. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. A detailed analysis report of the Global Gastrointestinal Stents Market has been covered in the report coupled with a thorough description of each company profile with information on the H.Q, future capabilities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial outline, partnerships and new product launches and developments. Drivers Increasing occurrence of gastrointestinal diseases Rise in adoption of minimally invasive procedures Restraints Absence of early diagnosis and prompt treatment The comprehensive value chain analysis of the market will assist in attaining better product differentiation, along with detailed understanding of the core competency of each activityinvolved. The market attractiveness analysis provided in the report aptly measures the potential value of the market providing business strategists with the latest growth opportunities. The report classifies the market into different segments based on product type, stent type, application and end-user. These segments are studied in detail incorporating the market estimates and forecasts at regional and country level. The segment analysis is useful in understanding the growth areas and probable opportunities of the market. Final Report will cover the impact of COVID-19 on this industry. Browse the complete Global Gastrointestinal Stents Market Research Report - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026 @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/20317-gastrointestinal-stents-market-report The report also covers the complete competitive landscape of the global Gastrointestinal Stents market with company profiles of key players such as: Becton, Dickinson and Company Boston Scientific Corporation C.R.Bard Inc. CONMED Corporation Cook Medical ELLA-CS, s.r.o Merit Medical Systems Inc. Olympus Corporation S&G Biotech Inc. Taewoong Medical Co. Ltd. W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. A detailed description of each has been included, with information in terms of H.Q, future capacities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial overview, partnerships, collaborations, new product launches, new product developments and other latest industrial developments. SEGMENTATIONS IN THE REPORT: By Product Type: Esophageal Stents Duodenal Stents Colonic Stents Biliary/Pancreatic Stents By Stent Type: Metal Stents Plastic Stents Biodegradable/Drug Eluting Stents By Applications: Gastrointestinal Obstructions Colorectal Cancer Inflammatory Bowel Disease Others (GI Bleeding, Gastric Cardia Cancer etc.) By End User: Hospitals Specialty Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Centers By Geography: North America (NA) US, Canada & Rest of North America Europe (EU) UK, Germany, France & Rest of Europe Asia Pacific (APAC) China, Japan, India & Rest of APAC Latin America (LA) Brazil & Rest of Latin America Middle East &Africa (MEA) Middle East and Africa Download Free Sample Report of Global Gastrointestinal Stents Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-20317 The Global Gastrointestinal Stents Market has been exhibited in detail in the following chapters - Chapter 1 Gastrointestinal Stents Market Preface Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Gastrointestinal Stents Industry Analysis Chapter 4 Gastrointestinal Stents Market Value Chain Analysis Chapter 5 Gastrointestinal Stents Market Analysis By Product Type Chapter 6 Gastrointestinal Stents Market Analysis By Stent Type Chapter 7 Gastrointestinal Stents Market Analysis By Applications Chapter 8 Gastrointestinal Stents Market Analysis By End User Chapter 9 Gastrointestinal Stents Market Analysis By Geography Chapter 10 Competitive Landscape Of Gastrointestinal Stents Companies Chapter 11 Company Profiles Of Gastrointestinal Stents Industry Purchase the complete Global Gastrointestinal Stents Market Research Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-20317 Other Reports by DecisionDatabases.com: Global Bioabsorbable Stents Market Research Report - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026 Global Vascular Stent Market Research Report - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026 Global Stent Grafts Market Research Report - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026 About-Us: DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains. Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed. For more details: DecisionDatabases.com E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com Phone: +91 9028057900 Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ If you ever find yourself in the lovely city of Budapest, I urge you to visit Memento Park. This is the plot of land where the Hungarians placed all their old Soviet statues following their liberation from communist tyranny. It's a strangely eerie place, like a graveyard for old despots. Walking through the gates, with the sound of Soviet marching music ringing in your ears, is surprisingly affecting. I've been thinking about Memento Park ever since the first rumbles abut Confederate monuments blew up a few years ago. The Hungarians didn't erase 50 years of tyranny. Instead, they placed them within their historical context. But as the statue debate takes a more urgent turn in the US, the UK and, um, Galway, it seems that even a compromise like Memento Park is unacceptable. We're currently in the Western equivalent of Year Zero, where anything that offends the Commissars of Correctness must be consigned to the memory hole. It's not just statues. This week has witnessed a purge that would make the Khmer Rouge happy. Gone With the Wind is gone from HBO. Little Britain, Come Fly With Me and Bo Selecta have been removed from British streaming services. The wonderful Aussie comedian Chris Lilley had seen three of his award-winning sitcoms removed from Netflix. Frankly, I don't give a damn about the histrionics of the protesters. If you want to ban movies and comedies, if you demand that universities remove books, then you're the enemy. Mary Whitehouse was the most famous would-be censor of recent decades. Those who have followed in her wake may be more woke, but they're just as deserving of contempt as she was. A primary school in Sydney's south will close for 10 days after a staff member who "had contact with most students" tested positive for COVID-19. Laguna Street Public School in Caringbah will stop on-site learning until June 24, the NSW Department of Education has announced. "The staff member has had contact with most students at the school during the period they may have been infectious," the department said in a statement on Saturday. NSW Health will contact all families of children enrolled at the school over the next three days and give them details of self-isolation requirements. - Biden had expressed concerns saying his biggest fear was that Donald Trump would try to steal the election - He predicted the military will escort the president from the White House should he lose Novembers election but refuse to leave office - Donald Trump has now dismissed Biden hinting that he will win the election because Biden was not coming out to meet his supporters President Donald Trump has ripped the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for claiming US troops would be needed to remove him from office should he lose the election. Biden, who has been campaigning from his basement said earlier in the week that the president would not go quietly if he loses a close election. READ ALSO: The final gift: Widow of Chinese coronavirus whistleblower Li Wenliang gives birth President Donald Trump has ripped the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Photo: CNN. Source: UGC READ ALSO: 170-years-old world's heaviest tortoise weighs 340kg Trump, however, dismissed Biden's claims during an interview with Fox News host Harris Faulkner claiming the presidential candidate was not coming out to meet his supporters. Look, Joes not all there, everybody knows it and its sad when you look at it and you see it, you see it for yourself," said Trump. "He has created his own sanctuary city in that basement, wherever he is, and he doesnt come out, the president added. READ ALSO: Reprieve for Busia health facilities as well-wisher donates drugs to end 6 months shortage Biden, who has been campaigning from his basement said earlier in the week that the president would not go quietly. Photo: CNN. Source: UGC Biden said comments by former senior military officials criticizing Trumps response to protests made him confident the US military would intervene if, he refused to accept the election results. Its my greatest concern, my single greatest concern: This president is going to try to steal this election, Biden told The Daily Show. Im absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch, Biden added. 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 For years there was bad blood between the Dolphin Marine Conservation Park in Coffs Harbour and animal rights advocates appalled by animal captivity. Lawyer Jordan Sosnowski, who works with the group Action for Dolphins, lobbied state and federal members of parliament to shut down the business, which has drawn tourists to the Coffs Harbour foreshore for 50 years. She once went so far as to sue the park in federal court. Three dolphins, Jett, Zippy and Bella, remain at Dolphin Marine Conservation Park. Credit:Frank Redward But in recent months an unlikely alliance has formed between the marine park and the animal rights advocates, who are now fighting to save the park from its coronavirus shutdown. At issue is the welfare of the park's remaining three dolphins after the deaths of their parents Bucky, who was over 50, and Calamity who was in her 40s during the past 12 months. Specials at Mountain View Hyundai are ever-changing, so those who see something that intrigues them are encouraged to hurry to take advantage of it before the opportunity slips away. Mountain View Hyundai, a dealership serving Ringgold and the entire surrounding area, is currently offering a variety of delightful offers on new Hyundai vehicles. These offers come in the form of low financing rates, cash back for qualified buyers and special lease rates. Specials at Mountain View Hyundai are ever-changing, so those who see something that intrigues them are encouraged to hurry to take advantage of it before the opportunity slips away. Current special offers at Mountain View Hyundai include the option to: Finance the 2020 Hyundai Accent SE at 0% APR for 48 months, or get $1,000 in cash for qualified buyers. Finance the 2020 Hyundai Elantra SEL at 1.9% APR for 60 months, or receive $1,500 in cash for qualified buyers. Finance the 2020 Ioniq Hybrid SE at 1.9% APR for 60 months, lease at $219 per month for 36 months (with $2,499 due at signing) or receive $1,000 in cash for qualified buyers. Finance the 2020 Hyundai Kona SE at 1.9% APR for 60 months, or receive $2,250 in cash for qualified buyers. Finance the 2020 Hyundai Palisade SEL at 1.9% APR for 60 months. Finance the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL 2.4 at 0% APR for 72 months, or receive $2,000 in cash for qualified buyers. Finance the 2020 Hyundai Sonata SEL Plus at 1.9% APR for 60 months, or receive $1,500 in cash for qualified buyers. Finance the 2020 Hyundai Tucson SEL at 0% APR for 72 months, lease for $229 per month for 36 months (with $2,699 due at signing) or receive $2,000 in cash for qualified buyers. Finance the 2020 Hyundai Veloster Turbo at 2.9% APR for 60 months, or receive $1,500 in cash for qualified buyers. Finance the 2020 Hyundai Venue SEL at 0% APR for 36 months, or receive $1,500 in cash for qualified buyers. Those interested in any of the (many) offers above are encouraged to take a virtual trip to the Mountain View Hyundai website at http://www.mvhyundai.com. An alternative option is simply to make a phone call to 706-671-2581. Finally, individuals who wish to visit the dealership in-person can make a trip to its physical location at 7154 Nashville Street, Ringgold. Rotarians were treated to club member classification presentations during this weeks Zoom meeting. Classification talks are the clubs way of getting to know its members. This week we learned more about two new Rotarians and one longtime Rotarian. First to present was Luke Martin who operates the local title company. Martin is from El Paso and was first exposed to the organization through helping his dad with civic service opportunities. From there, he attended a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards camp (RYLA). He joined the Plainview club because he liked the service opportunities it provides and also as a way to meet other businesspeople in Plainview. Morris Thompson presented next. From Washington, DC, he recently joined the staff at Wayland Baptist University. Thompson explained that he has a deep conviction about human rights and joined Rotary because of the opportunities it gives to serve others. Stan Gill presented last and unlike Martin and Thompson, who are relatively new to Rotary, Gill has been a Rotarian since 1984. Raised in New Home, he has a long career in banking. He is a past president of two area clubs and supports Rotarys Polio Plus initiative to eradicate polio. Following the program, the club dismissed and looked to the community for ways to show Service Above Self. Monuments fell across Alabama. One vanished in the night. Reporters were attacked by protesters in Birmingham, where a first night of protests devolved into chaos. Police in Huntsville said they wanted to head off such chaos, pre-emptively firing rubber bullets into a large crowd, chasing protesters with pepper spray and twice scattering them with tear gas. In Mobile, the black police chief led what started as peaceful protests, only to see participants arrested as they tried to block the highway. In Montgomery, police held signs and stood alongside protesters. The capital city in the grip of rising coronavirus numbers saw perhaps the least tumultuous events as a week of civil unrest poured through Alabamas large cities. In the end, each city experienced a different wave of public outcry and demonstrations and police countermeasures. The protests quickly spread across Alabama to cities large and small, from Florence to Gadsden, from Madison to Mountain Brook. Birmingham and its suburbs would enact curfews. Hoover seemed to lead in arrests, handcuffing scores ostensibly for blocking roads. But for Alabama, the emotional outpouring that followed the death of George Floyd under the knees of Minneapolis police officers, would first gain speed in Birmingham. SUNDAY, MAY 31 BIRMINGHAM THE BEGINNING Protesters in Birmingham's Linn Park on May 31, 2020. The day began with peaceful marches and a rally at Birminghams Kelly Ingram Park. There had been a handful of protests in Alabama already as the riots and looting in Minneapolis gripped the nation. But in Birmingham on Sunday, dozens of activists, pastors and elected officials called for demonstrations, citing the nonviolent marches of the 1960s. One man, Jermaine Johnson, known as FunnyMaine on the internet and radio, delivered a rousing speech in Birmingham. Weve got a lot of cities around the country. Theyre tearing down Target. Theyre tearing down city hall. We cant do that. We gotta protect our city. We cant tear down 16th Street Baptist Church. We cant tear down the civil rights museum. We cant tear down Carver. We cant tear down A.G. Gaston Plaza. But what Im not telling you to do is walk to Linn Park. Im not telling you to walk to Linn Park after this rally. Im not telling you to tear something down in Linn Park. Im not telling you that Im going to be over there after this rally," Johnson said. While the whole world is on national TV tearing something down, we need to tear something down tonight. They need to see Birmingham, the home of the civil rights movement tear some s**t down tonight." That something was in Linn Park, near the courthouse. There the 115-year-old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument had been the subject of a legal battle between the city and attorney generals office for years. The state forbid the city from removing the obelisk, so the city hid the base behind a plywood screen in 2017. That plywood remained standing until May 31. That night protesters began to attack the monument. Some tried to chip away, some tried pull it down with rope and a pickup truck. That didnt work. Police didnt intervene at first, instead Mayor Randall Woodfin stood among the protesters and made a promise to take it down himself if they would give him a day. Birmingham police then drove protesters out of Linn Park. But among the people moving back into the city, some set fires and smashed windows. Journalists were attacked, including AL.coms Madison Underwood and ABC 33/40s Stephen Quinn. Police said 14 businesses were burglarized with another 13 businesses that had damage ranging from broken windows to vandalism to looting. Protestors gather in front of the Confederate monument at Linn Park. Posted by al.com on Sunday, May 31, 2020 SUNDAY, MAY 31 MOBILE ARRESTS Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste speaks to protesters in Mardi Gras Park after the conclusion of a standoff on a nearby I-10 on-ramp on May 31, 2020. As in Birmingham, the protests in Mobile started peacefully. An African American police chief would even lead a march, an iconic and remarkable moment for a city where Michael Donald was the last black man to be lynched in the United States in 1981. Mobile Police Department Chief Lawrence Battiste, born in Mobile one summer before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed, on that Sunday led a diverse group of thousands of protesters out of Mardi Gras Park, allowing them to weave their way through the citys 300-year-old downtown streets in the name of George Floyd. I had positive dialogue with the organizers and they agreed to do what I asked them to do, Chief Battiste told AL.com. And because of that, I was prepared to lead them in peaceful protest. Chief Battiste dropped back early on, allowing the young organizers to take over. Not long after the march finished at 5 p.m., a breakaway group of activists, intent on taking the march onto the I-10 interstate, found themselves face-to-face with Mobile police officers clad in riot gear. Police used tear gas to push protesters back. Rocks were thrown. Someone broke the window in a police vehicle. The woman accused of breaking the window would later face federal charges. Sabrina Mass, a nurse and local protester, walked back and forth in front of the blockade of officers calling for calm. Dont treat our police officers like this. We are better than this. If we want peace we must be peaceful. The moment was defused when the citys director of public safety, James Barber, and Chief Battiste, spoke with those leading the breakaway group. While most went home, a smaller group of protesters headed west to Airport Boulevard. After sunset, some threw water bottles at the line of police on the I-65 service road. Police arrested one protester who they claim refused to stay off the road, and another man who, officers claim, incited unrest as he drove by. One officer fired pepper balls. The gas forced protesters to scatter. The next morning, Mobile reported 13 arrests. MONDAY, JUNE 1 BIRMINGHAM MONUMENT DOWN Rubble is all that remains of the Confederate Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Linn Park Wednesday, June 3, 2020 after a crew has been working to remove it in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Rabbi Stephen Slater, left of Birmingham, and Pastor Terry Ellison, right, of Montgomery, look at the place the monument once stood after praying together. (Tamika Moore/AL.com)Confederate Monument Alabama awoke Monday morning to a slightly changed state, surprised by riots, yet rallied to further demonstrations against police brutality. In Birmingham, Woodfin kept his word. On June 1, on Jefferson Davis 212th birthday, the monument to the war he lost came down piece by piece. On Monday morning, in response to the riots Sunday night, Woodfin issued a state of emergency and curfew that banned all protests. Later he would say protests could be held in one city park between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Anyone out between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. could face arrest. MONDAY, JUNE 1 MONTGOMERY POLICE JOIN MARCH Protestors sit in a crosswalk a block away from the police barricade outside the capitol building in Montgomery on Monday, June 1, 2020. The protest did not become violent. Several of the protestors were at the public gathering with Mayor Steven Reed outside E.D. Nixon Elementary school earlier that day. (Photo by Giana Han) The day after unrest in Birmingham and Mobile, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed spoke in a black neighborhood outside an elementary school named for E.D. Nixon, key organizer of the Montgomery Bus Boycott 65 years ago. Reed, seven months into his term as Montgomerys first African American mayor, told an energized crowd that the city would hear their demands for change but urged them not to turn to violence and vandalism. We share your anger and our desire for change burns within our hearts just as it does yours," Reed said. After speaking, the mayor stayed with the crowd to listen, wearing a mask while people vented their frustrations. Later Monday night, police barricades kept demonstrators a block from the Capitol. The crowd sprawled across Dexter Avenue, in front of the church where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor. Protesters chanted and held signs. Some shouted profanities and taunted police, many of whom were African Americans. A few miles away, protesters dragged down a statue of Robert E. Lee in front of the high school named after the Confederate general. MONDAY JUNE 1 HUNTSVILLE TEAR GAS Despite the heat and humidity, grandmothers and students and engineers and servers donned face coverings in downtown Huntsville. They chanted and marched and waved signs as a small number of Huntsville police officers and Madison County deputies stayed mostly in the shade. That protest ended peacefully in Huntsville on Saturday. But the crowd was larger on Monday. Protesters denounced Floyds death in Minneapolis, and called out the names of some of the people killed by local police in recent years: Dana Fletcher, Crystal Ragland and Haraesheo Rice. Mayor Tommy Battle took a knee alongside protesters. City Council President Devyn Keith pleaded with the protesters to leave before nightfall. In Washington DC, law enforcement was using chemical irritants to disperse the crowd to allow President Trump to pose in front of St. John's Church. Huntsville police would soon do the same. Police advance on the last of the protesters in downtown Huntsville on June 1, 2020 at a protest over the death of George Floyd. Moments later, the police fired teargas and the crowd fled. By 7:45 p.m., Battle and Keith were gone. Police used a smoke canister to try to break up the protest. Then a line of riot police pushed the remaining group of more than 100 south along the courthouse square as the chief spoke into a loudspeaker, telling protesters to leave. Many remained. Before 8 p.m., police released tear gas. AL.com reporters covering the protest were gassed while streaming live on Facebook. Police would later say the protest permit had expired, that they believed they were running out of time before it grew dark. They had seen the damage caused the night before in Birmingham, and the images from other cities over the weekend. Huntsville police Chief Mark McMurray and Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner would say they had been determined to disperse the crowd to pre-empt rioting or property damage. A protest is continuing in downtown Huntsville as police tell the crowd to disperse. Tensions have risen between police and protesters. Posted by The Huntsville Times on Monday, June 1, 2020 TUESDAY, JUNE 2 BIRMINGHAM DEATH THREATS Birmingham on Tuesday removed the base of the monument in Linn Park. Woodfin hasnt said publicly said where the monument was taken. All that remains is a pile of rubble surrounded by a fence. The mayor had begun receiving death threats for his actions. The next morning Woodfin would go on The Today Show and explain to Al Roker: Unfortunately in the state of Alabama, theres a lot of people who like to participate in revisionist history. They, believe its American to support the Civil War, and relate to these Confederate monuments. But theyre mad because we took the statue down and, yes, there have been several threats. But our security team is not only taking it serious as it relates to me and my protection but City Hall as well as the citizens of Birmingham protection, as well, Woodfin said. But protests were spreading all around the city. Over the mountain, in Birmingham suburbs, people came out by the hundreds all week to protest racial injustice. Homewood demonstrated on Tuesday, ending the event with protesters laying on their stomachs as an organizer cried Floyds last words. Mama, please help me. Theyre gonna kill me. I cant breathe. Everything hurts. My neck hurts. My stomach hurts. A powerful moment of protest in Homewood. An organizer shouts George Floyds last words while hundred lay on the ground for over 8 minutes. pic.twitter.com/6WhlhR8nJM Ian Hoppe (@IanHoppe) June 2, 2020 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 BIRMINGHAM REPORTERS ARRESTED On June 3, Birmingham police arrested two AL.com reporters who were covering protests downtown. Alabama Media Group, the publisher of AL.com and The Birmingham News, has asked for an investigation into the treatment of the two AL.com reporters who were taken to a police station and handcuffed to a bench after lawfully covering a protest. The next day Birmingham police would again arrest a reporter, this time detaining Michael Harriot, a writer for the national publication The Root. Harriot was asked by officers, Are you media? to which he replied, Yes I am. He was asked if he could show credentials but said he did not have any with him. Reporters for both outlets were held in police vans and taken to the police station. No reporters would be charged with a crime. Arrests and charges began to mount south of the city. In Hoover, more than 60 had already been arrested by Wednesday and more would be arrested later in the week. Though they were handcuffed and hauled away almost nightly, they continued their peaceful demonstrations. One of the Hoover protest organizers, Satura Dudley, was among those arrested. I just get bothered easily by injustice, she said. Our generation needs to take action. Dudley said she wont loot, break windows or attack reporters, but said she understood why others would. Im not going to do it, but I get the frustration, the anger... whatever we got to do, its on them. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 HUNTSVILLE RUBBER BULLETS This image shows one line of scores of Huntsville Police Department officers who a short while later moved in behind a wall of tear gas and scattered peaceful protesters from the city's Courthouse Square on June 3, 2020. It was the second use of tear gas in Huntsville in three days. Rubber bullets were believed fired at a group that fled into Big Spring Park. (Ian Hoppe | IHoppe@al.com) On Wednesday, police in Huntsville dug deeper into their arsenal, this time firing rubber bullets at protesters. They doused people in the face with pepper spray. Police fired tear gas and hurled flash bang grenades by the Big Spring that gave birth to Huntsville. The tear gas used Monday, said Robyn Johnson, a local activist, only led to an even larger crowd on Wednesday. She said that while protests began over George Floyd's death in Minnesota, protesters in Huntsville ended up finding out that we have our own little problem at home. On Wednesday, more than an hour before protesters gathered, riot police armed with rubber bullet rifles and gas masks already patrolled the downtown streets. Barricades blocked the courthouse steps, and a sniper looked down from the roof. Demonstrators said the tactics amounted to the very kind of violence theyre protesting. I dont see no riot here. Why are you in riot gear? protesters chanted as police donned gas masks. After their rally ended in the park, protesters assembled on the courthouse square. Some laid in the street, with their hands behind their backs, as if they were handcuffed. They chanted No justice, no peace, no racist police. A permit for the protest ended at 6:30 p.m., though the event had been advertised as lasting until 8. (Its unclear when or why the permit had been edited.) After repeated orders to leave, a large crowd remained some equipped with milk, water, first aid kits and gas masks. And right around 8 p.m., as nightfall approached, police again deployed tear gas. They indiscriminately fired rubber bullets and aimed pepper spray at the crowd. As police pushed the protesters south from the square, they threw flash bangs onto the street. But still, the protesters persisted. AL.com reporters were once again tear gassed while streaming live video. Helicopters and drones hovered over the city. Video from @ianhoppe in Huntsville tonight shows a moment when gas was fired at protestors: pic.twitter.com/N7p5no7U9r AL.com (@aldotcom) June 4, 2020 Eventually about two dozen protesters were arrested, most on charges of disorderly conduct. Intelligence, police said, had led them to believe the protesters would turn violent if they didn't end the demonstration. Josh Roberts, a protester from Huntsville who was arrested, said the police told an inaccurate tale of out-of-town law breakers and anarchists to justify the use of force. We were not the aggressors, he said. THURSDAY, JUNE 4 HUNTSVILLE -- BLAME Police would defend their actions at a press conference the next morning, saying they had prevented the city from being looted or burned. They said water bottles, rocks and fireworks were hurled at officers, and multiple guns were spotted in the crowd. Windows on some police cars were busted, the authorities said. And a chunk of glass was broken from a window on a downtown coffee shop, though its unclear whether that damage was caused by protesters or rubber bullets. But protesters say innocent people were left traumatized by police violence. Social media was flooded with photos of bloodied wounds caused by rubber bullets. A small child had been tear gassed. An officer was filmed nonchalantly spraying pepper spray into the face of anyone who would stand still. Keith Young, the grandson of a woman who marched in Selma on Bloody Sunday during the civil rights movement, was shot in the chest by a rubber bullet while streaming on Facebook Live. Theres nothing that warranted what happened, Young said. I didnt harm a police officer. I didnt damage any property. Protesters are gathered on the courthouse square in downtown Huntsville following a rally against police brutality. Posted by al.com on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 THURSDAY, JUNE 4 BIRMINGHAM PROTESTS SPREAD Hundreds gather for a peaceful rally and protest outside Crestline Elementary School in Mountain Brook, Ala., an affluent suburb of Birmingham on Thursday, June 4, 2020. On June 4, a few miles up Highway 31, a mostly white crowd of several hundred gathered in Mountain Brook to protest racial injustice. The next day, more than 800 people showed up in Vestavia Hills, Hoovers neighbor, to make the same statement. FRIDAY, JUNE 5 MOBILE MISSING STATUE Three days earlier, the 120-year-old Confederate statue of Raphael Semmes had been vandalized. City employees quickly began cleaning the statue. A young activist admitted vandalizing it and was charged. But in the wee hours of Friday morning, without public warning nor fanfare, the city removed the targeted statue. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said the decision to remove the bronze statue was not about Raphael Semmes nor about a monument and it is not an attempt to rewrite history. He added: Moving this statue will not change the past. It is about removing a potential distraction so we may focus clearly on the future of our city. That conversation, and the mission to create One Mobile, continues today. The City of Mobile removed its 120-year-old Confederate memorial overnight without warning. Posted by al.com on Friday, June 5, 2020 THE AFTERMATH MOBILE In Mobile, since the statue came down, protests ground to a halt. Most protesters are making themselves heard on social media. Next on the list for protesters is renaming the Wallace Tunnel, named after the four-time Governor George Wallace who was against the integration of schools. A long-time activist in Mobile said that the biggest difference between the cities is Mobiles culture and the early intervention by Chief Battiste. I think we saw less violence because thats our norm and our culture, said Kimberly Pettway, a professor of social work at the University of South Alabama and activist since 2007. I dont think Mobilians wanted to see the chaos. But I also have to say that our chief of police was simply incredible in supporting and leading that rally and march. Without him we could have seen a very different outcome. Protests in Mobile have been peaceful this week, in stark contrast to those in other Alabama cities and across the country. Battiste, who personally greeted groups of protesters at small marches throughout the city since then, told AL.com that his relaxed approach was built up over years of dialogue with the community, and because hes been watching whats happening in cities elsewhere. Mobile had the luxury of seeing other departments respond throughout the protests taking place in this nation, he said. But I feel like that as chief I made sure I made the contact that needed to be created based off our previous relationship building in our community. Weve been over the last 6 years constantly looking at ways to improve and build our relationship in the community. What unfolded was the opportunity for us to out what we had put in place into action. He added: Relationships are built for times of crisis, not built in times of crisis. Yet one young protester's life has been altered, as she now faces federal charges stemming from that broken police vehicle window on that first night in Mobile. Tia Pugh, 21, is out on electronic monitoring, charged with obstructing, impeding and interfering with law enforcement during the course of a civil disorder that affected interstate commerce." THE AFTERMATH MONTGOMERY Sam Blakely holds up her fist as she listens to speakers at the Justice for George Floyd Solidarity Protest on Saturday, June 6, 2020 in Montgomery, Ala. Blakely traveled from Mobile because Montgomery is the birthplace of civil rights, she said. (Photo by Giana Han) Protests never turned chaotic in Montgomery. At a protest on Saturday at the state Archives and History Building, across the street from the Capitol, several Montgomery police officers held signs supporting demonstrators. Your friends in blue are in this with you, one read. Montgomery Police Chief Ernest Finley posed for photos with some of the event leaders. Were going to be out there, Finley said. Be supportive. Be visible. But we want them to vent. We want them to cry. We want them to chant. And just kind of let them know at the end of day we support them, a peaceful protest. Since the initial protests, the mayor and police chief announced the city would join the #8cantwait project, committing to new restrictions on police use of force. Police also charged three men and a woman from Montgomery with felony criminal mischief for toppling the statue outside Lee High. But Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey later said mistakes in the affidavits and warrants prevented him from prosecuting the four. And the protests have sparked a campaign to rename Lee and two other high schools in Montgomery named after people with ties to the Confederacy. The school board president and others endorsed the idea. State law will require permission from a monument protection committee, a process that one board member called ridiculous. AFTERMATH HUNTSVILLE When a crowd of protesters again gathered downtown on Friday, June 5 this time in front of city hall the atmosphere had calmed, despite a permit not being issued for the demonstration. Protesters were careful to avoid congregating on public streets and police remained largely out of sight. The event ended with dancing in the park. But that wasnt the end of protests in Huntsville. Often with smaller, less organized crowds, demonstrations have continued every day. A Huntsville City Council member Frances Akridge is calling for a review of police tactics, and Chief McMurray will present a report about his departments actions at a special called meeting this week. Protesters, backed by business leaders, are now focused on the Confederate monument outside the Madison County Courthouse. The County Commission this week voted to seek permission to remove the statue, but Alabama law wont allow it. A group of local activists say they have raised $25,000 to cover the fine for violating Alabamas monument preservation law. On Thursday June 11, more than a week after protests were broken up with rubber bullets, dozens complained about police for hours before the Huntsville City Council, while hundreds more marched outside in protest. Xavier Sanders, speaking to the Huntsville City Council on June 11, 2020, said he is "scared" and "terrified" of police because he is black. AFTERMATH - BIRMINGHAM At the end of the week, florists from Birmingham and surrounding cities sent a big bouquet of flowers to Birmingham by decorating the Rotary Trail sign. Flowers help to heal the soul. People send them when theyre sad, when theyre happy, when theyre celebrating, when theyre grieving. This is like sending a big flower arrangement to our city for whatever it is people are grappling with right now, said Carolyn Chen, owner of Wild Things in Homewood. Around 30 florists came together Friday, June 5, 2020, to decorate the Rotary Trail sign in downtown Birmingham. (photo courtesy of Cameron Pappas). Windows of businesses remain covered in plywood from Birmingham to Hoover. But curfews would also spread, as law enforcement in some towns, like Hoover, continued to crack down on public protests. And in Birmingham, the man who first suggested the crowd move to Linn Park, a shift that directed protesters toward the Confederate monument, would face a misdemeanor charge for inciting a riot. If you think I incited violence, you dont think monuments like this and the policies behind it havent incited violence for decades, you just need to think again, said Jermaine FunnyMaine Johnson. Yall wont be able to find not one video where Im encouraging people to tear down our city. As a matter of fact, youll find just the opposite. I literally encouraged people to with a heart for Birmingham to not touch our city. - Legit.ng has asked followers what lessons they learned from Hushpuppi's arrest - Nigerian youths shared the lessons they got from the big spender's widely-reported arrest - Some were of the opinion that he is a bad influence on young people - Another narrated how he almost used his mother for money ritual so he can live a flashy life like Hushpuppi Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana Nigerian youths have shared lessons they learned from the arrest of Dubai-based Instagram big boy called Hushpuppi. On Wednesday, June 10, Nigerians woke up to the news that the big boy was arrested by Interpol in the country. The news rocked social media as many shared how they feel about his arrest. It was alleged that the big spender was arrested for his involvement in a fraud of N13.5bn meant to buy ventilators for Native Americans. READ ALSO: Hushpuppi's arrest in Dubai: Full details drop on how Nigeria's billionnaire was arrested Many hours later, people are still commenting on the flashy lifestyle of Hushpuppi. Nigerian youths share lessons they learnt from Hushpuppi's story. Source: @huspuppi Source: Instagram READ ALSO: Hushpuppi's girlfriend celebrates his arrest; says karma came for him Nigerian youths were asked what lessons they were able to get from his story and some youths revealed the bad influence that he is on young people. Falola Hammed Opeyemi: "He is a bad role model for many desperate youths and teenagers out there. I wish the international police scapegoat him to serve as a good lesson for the coming generation, if found guilty." Daniel Akins: "I love success but phyno said and I quote you no get work but you just dey show money and follow Gucci oo all across and I say thats equals to scam..No pity for him guys we can always make an honest living." Victor Obike Paul: "No visible or verifiable means of livelihood, yet he lives large. Too bad cos he is a bad influence on the teaming youth." Francisco Dennisco: "To be honest, this guy make me want to delete my mum for rituals because of his extravagant lifestyle and post on Instagram, now I know better." READ ALSO: Regina Daniels dances with her baby bump almost falling in new video READ ALSO: Duncan Williams son breaks the internet with videos doing it with 4 ladies In other news, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Hushpuppi's alleged lover said that karma came for him as she mocked his arrest. Speaking about the big spender's attitude to other people, Amirah claimed that the big boy looks down on those that he thinks are not good enough because they are not making as much money as him. Narrating further, she noted that even though he knew he was living on stolen funds, it never really stopped him from looking down on others. READ ALSO: If Duncan-Williams son is not to be discussed, then leave Obinim alone - Bridget Otoo The success story of Rocky Dawuni | #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Mzbel speaks truth about reports that she slept with Prophet Nigel Gaisie in new video 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 Nato heads of government (front row L-R): Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, US President Donald Trump and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (middle row L-R) France's President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, (top row L-R) Netherland's Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Lithuania's Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costaa and Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic pose for the family photo at the NATO summit at the Grove hotel in Watford, northeast of London on December 4, 2019. ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images People have taken to the streets of Berlin, London, Paris and other cities around the world to demonstrate in support of Black Lives Matter protesters in the United States and to vent anger over President Donald Trump's response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. But at the top, the leaders of traditional allies of the United States have taken pains to avoid criticizing Trump directly, walking a fine line to reconcile international diplomacy with domestic outrage. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau let silence speak for itself when asked to comment on the decision to forcibly clear peaceful protesters outside the White House to make way for a Trump photo-op at a nearby church, standing pensively at his lectern apparently mulling his answer for more than 20 seconds before answering that Canada also suffered from "systemic discrimination" never mentioning the American president. "We need to be allies in the fight against discrimination, we need to listen, we need to learn, and we need to work hard to fix, to figure out how we can be part of the solution on fixing things," he said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel sidestepped questions from ZDF public television about Trump last week, saying the killing of Floyd was "really, really terrible. Racism is something terrible, and society in the United States is very polarized." When pressed, she conceded that Trump's "political style is a very controversial one" but would go no further when asked if she had confidence in him. A combination of factors are at work, including diplomatic courtesy but also pragmatism based on the possibility that Trump will be reelected to another four years in November, said Sudha David-Wilp, deputy director of the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund think tank. "It wouldn't be proper for his peers to criticize, especially when it's very obvious that they are concerned that the United States is going through an incredibly difficult time you have the triple whammy of an economic depression, health crisis and now, of course, social unrest due to questions of racism," she said. But she said it's difficult for leaders like Trudeau and Merkel, who "are seen as defenders of liberal democracy, and President Trump has trampled on many of the values that undergird liberal democracy, such as the protection of minorities, such as the freedom of assembly, such as the freedom of the press." Merkel's verbal gymnastics could have been anticipated in more than 14 years as chancellor, she has steered clear of ever critiquing allied world leaders but even leaders who typically support Trump, like Hungary's Viktor Orban or Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu have stayed silent on this issue. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has sought to cultivate close ties with Trump, called Floyd's death "appalling" and said people have a "right to protest to make their feelings known about injustices such as what happened to George Floyd" but urged peaceful demonstrations. Britain has seen several protests turn violent, and last weekend demonstrators in Bristol toppled the statue of a 17th-century slave trader. They also spray-painted an iconic statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London, calling him "a racist." Asked Wednesday in Parliament to name Trump's good qualities, Johnson stuck to generalities. "Mr. Trump, he has, amongst many other things, he is president of the United States, which is our most important ally in the world today," Johnson said. "Whatever people may say about it, whatever those on the left may say about it, the United States is a bastion of peace and freedom and has been for most of my lifetime." France's Emmanuel Macron, who has in the past steered clear of criticizing Trump specifically but has been vocal in speaking out against policies like the wine tariffs introduced by the administration, has not made a public appearance since Floyd was killed on May 25. Floyd died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped responding. Three days later, another black man writhed on the street in Paris as a white police officer pressed a knee to his neck during an arrest. France had several protests over the past week, with growing pressure on the government to address accusations of brutality and racism within the police force. An Australian national has been sentenced to death by a Chinese court for drug trafficking, a verdict that could further inflame tensions between Beijing and Canberra. Already troubled relations worsened recently after China reacted furiously to Australias call for an independent probe into the origins of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. The person, named in Chinese pinyin as Kamu Jielaisibi, was handed the death penalty by Guangzhou Intermediate Peoples Court on Wednesday, according to a notice posted on the court website that day. The notice revealed no details about the defendant besides their Australian nationality. China is Australias largest trading partner, as well as a major source of lucrative international students and tourists. In an apparent response to the coronavirus probe demand, Beijing imposed tariffs on Australian barley, and issued travel warnings to tourists and students over virus-linked racism against ethnic Asians. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has dismissed allegations of racist treatment of Chinese as rubbish, adding that his government would never be intimidated by threats or trade our values in response to coercion from wherever it comes. Last year, separately, China sentenced two Canadian nationals to death on drug trafficking charges during an escalating diplomatic row with Canada over the arrest of top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Canadian attempts to plead for clemency for Robert Schellenberg and Fan Wei have so far not been successful. China has additionally detained two Canadian nationals, including a former diplomat, on spying charges, widely believed to be in retaliation for Mengs arrest. Protesters gather at Centennial Olympic Park after an overnight Atlanta Police Department officer-involved shooting which left a black man dead at a Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, 13 June 2020: EPA/ERIK S. LESSER Atlanta's police chief has resigned less than 24 hours after a black man was shot and killed by officers during an attempted arrest in the city, at a time of already heightened tension across the country over the use of force against people of colour by law enforcement. Authorities said Rayshard Brooks, 27, had fallen asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane of a Wendy's fast food restaurant on Friday night. Police said they attempted to arrest Mr Brooks after he failed a sobriety test. A video of one part of the incident shows a struggle on the ground between two officers and Mr Brooks, during which he manages to break away with one of the officers Tasers. He is then seen running away from the scene, being pursued by the officers, when three gunshots can be heard. Police said Mr Brooks was taken to a local hospital, where he died after surgery. Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced during a news conference on Saturday that she had accepted the resignation of police chief Erika Shields. "I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer," Bottoms said. The killing has sparked yet more protests in a state that had already seen large demonstrations over the police killing George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last month and the shooting to death of Georgia resident Ahmaud Arbery by two white men while jogging in February. A crowd of demonstrators had gathered earlier Saturday outside the Atlanta restaurant where Brooks was shot. "The people are upset," said Gerald Griggs, an attorney and a vice president of Atlanta's NAACP chapter, as he marched with protesters. "They want to know why their dear brother Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed when he was merely asleep on the passenger side and not doing anything." Even though Brooks struggled with officers, Mr Griggs said, "they could have used nonlethal force to take him down." Story continues Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat who gained national prominence running for governor in 2018, tweeted Saturday of the shooting that "sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death." "The killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force," Abrams' tweet said. "Yes, investigations must be called for but so too should accountability." Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Timothy Peek told reporters at the scene Friday night that police had tried to use a Taser to subdue Mr Brooks, but it was ineffective for the suspect," "It did not stop the aggression of the fight. And so the suspect was able to take the officer's Taser from him." Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said his office had already gotten involved without waiting for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to finish its investigation. "My office has already launched an intense, independent investigation of the incident," Howard said in a statement, saying members of his staff "were on scene shortly after the shooting, and we have been in investigative sessions ever since to identify all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident." A statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that it was conducting an investigation into the shooting and encouraged any witnesses to come forward. It said it had reviewed videos of the incident which "indicate that during a physical struggle with officers, Brooks obtained one of the officer's Tasers and began to flee from the scene. Officers pursued Brooks on foot and during the chase, Brooks turned and pointed the Taser at the officer. The officer fired his weapon, striking Brooks." With agencies Read more George Floyds family promises justice will be served The sickening trade in the bones of butchered lions for use in Chinese medicines, wines and jewellery could spark another catastrophic health crisis, experts have warned. An astonishing 333 farms in South Africa are breeding thousands of lions either to be shot by hunters in fenced enclosures or slaughtered for their bones, according to a devastating book serialised in The Mail on Sunday. It reveals how the booming trade in lion skeletons, worth millions of pounds a year, is fuelled by demand in China and South-East Asia for traditional medicines. Lion parts are also passed off as rarer tiger bones and used to make wine and trinkets. More chillingly, the book by former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft claims the captive-bred lions are raised in such appalling conditions that they could spread fatal diseases to humans, including tuberculosis or botulism and even spark another pandemic. The sickening trade in the bones of butchered lions for use in Chinese medicines could be the next thing to trigger a pandemic, health experts have warned Unfair Game details an undercover operation by ex-British Army and security services personnel to expose the horrors of South Africas lion industry. The team recruited a dealer as a double agent and planted tracking devices in lion skulls destined to be sold to the Far East. The eight-month operation uncovered a string of damning revelations, including how: A wealthy Russian hunter used a pack of dogs to illegally hunt and kill a captive-bred lion in a fenced enclosure; Wild lion cubs are being caught in Botswana and smuggled into South Africa to boost the gene pool of lions raised in captivity; Undercover investigators joined poachers planning to kill wild lions in Botswana by poisoning or shooting them in the stomach to ensure their bones were not damaged; Some lions are deboned while still alive because this produces a distinctive pink colour caused by blood left in the bone that is highly valued by buyers; Illegal wildlife trade is conducted openly at a public market in Johannesburg, where lion skulls and skins are sold alongside skins from endangered pangolins, which have been linked to the coronavirus pandemic; A South African police chief rejected a mountain of evidence presented by Lord Ashcrofts chief investigator, who was then told he was lucky not to be in jail. Lord Ashcroft estimates there are at least 12,000 captive-bred lions in South Africa, compared with a wild population of 3,000. Wealthy hunters pay thousands of pounds to hunt and kill the most magnificent lions within fenced enclosures. Between 600 and 1,000 lions are killed in such canned hunts in South Africa each year, campaigners claim, with many more trucked to slaughterhouses to be shot in the head and butchered for their bones. An entire skeleton is worth up to 3,200. Dr Peter Caldwell, who runs a wildlife veterinary practice in Pretoria, warned that botulism a potentially fatal infection that attacks the nervous system is common in captive-bred lions because of poor hygiene, and can be spread to humans via infected bones or skin. Clostridium botulinum is a bacteria that produces spores and toxins and it can grow in that dead flesh and bone, he told Lord Ashcroft. The lions chew on those bones, get the toxin, and that can paralyse them. If that lion dies from botulism, the people who bred it wont waste that animal by burying it or burning it. Instead, they will put it into the lion bone and skin trade. An astonishing 333 farms in South Africa are breeding thousands of lions either to be shot by hunters in fenced enclosures or slaughtered for their bones, according to a devastating book serialised in The Mail on Sunday And the toxin remains in the body, so the people who utilise that lion can die a miserable, painful death. Other diseases that can be spread by lion bones include brucellosis, a bacterial infection that can cause arthritis, fever and inflammation of the heart, and tuberculosis, which led to 1.5million deaths worldwide in 2018. Warning that Asias rampant lion trade could cause another devastating health crisis in the next decade, Dr Caldwell said: If its not tuberculosis, its going to be brucellosis or one of those diseases that can easily be transferred from animals to humans. Lord Ashcroft said: So are we sleep-walking straight into a new major public health crisis with the lion bone industry at its core? I fear we are. It could be a surge in a disease that already exists, or it could be a new and frightening infection, just like Covid-19 was. Last year, The Mail on Sunday revealed undercover video footage of a Briton who paid thousands of pounds to shoot an 11-year-old lion with tranquilliser darts in an apparent breach of South African law. Lord Ashcrofts investigators subsequently rescued the animal, named Simba, and relocated it to a safe sanctuary. He then launched another undercover probe into lion farming last April, codenamed Operation Chastise after the 1943 RAF Dambusters raid. His team recruited a lion dealer, codenamed Lister, to work as a double agent and collect evidence against others involved in canned hunting and the bone trade. Exposing the most barbaric industry on earth: The heart-stopping story of how LORD ASHCROFT hired a crack team of soldiers using drones to nail the criminals behind South Africa's lucrative captive lion trade I cannot abide those who are cruel to animals, but the sad fact is that in our digital age, my strong aversion is aroused all too often. I have lost count of the number of people who post on social media platforms such as Twitter so-called kill shots of themselves grinning at the camera (or, even worse, kissing their partner) alongside a beautiful animal they have recently slaughtered. Revelling publicly in the death of a creature in this way is completely alien to me. People may be brutal through ignorance or by taking shortcuts to save money, but South Africas captive-bred lion industry is conscious, intentional cruelty, sometimes carried out with or for pleasure. I cannot think about this without feeling a burning sense of shame. The question is: for how much longer will South Africa allow this industry to prosper? I have lost count of the number of people who post on social media platforms such as Twitter so-called kill shots of themselves grinning at the camera. In 2019, hunters Darren and Carolyn Carter from Canada incurred the wrath of thousands worldwide with this provocative - and disturbing - show of triumph In a major expose in this newspaper last year, I revealed details of an undercover mission, Operation Simba, which I had funded in South Africa in 2018 and 2019, which aimed to shed light on the way this appalling trade is run. I described the hideous phenomenon of canned hunting, whereby lions bred in captivity are drugged and released into a relatively small area and then shot by a tourist who has paid many thousands of pounds for the privilege. It is not so much a chase as an utter farce. The photos of people standing triumphantly over these wretched beasts once they are dead are sickening. I also revealed how once the farm-bred lions have served their purpose, their bones and other body parts are exported for the booming Asian medicine market. At every stage of their lives, these animals are abused and monetised. Even as cubs they are forced to play with tourists, although they should be sleeping for 16 to 20 hours a day in order to grow and thrive. Finally, I reported how an undercover team had managed to save one of the lions, Simba, just as he was about to be shot in a canned hunt. I am now paying for him to live out his days in a secure and peaceful location. Despite my feelings of euphoria at having saved Simba in the nick of time, it seemed clear that more needed to be done. It was obvious that those who profit by abusing lions are able to operate with great ease in South Africa. I decided to assemble my own evidence through a second covert investigation. Our findings could then be presented to the South African authorities so pressure could be brought to bear on the perpetrators. And so Operation Chastise was born. Named after the famous Dambusters mission and involving a crack team of former British Army and security services personnel, it swung into action in April 2019. Despite my feelings of euphoria at having saved Simba in the nick of time, it seemed clear that more needed to be done The risks of this project cannot be overstated. The captive-bred lion industry is guarded jealously by its practitioners many with links to global organised crime while the value of human life in South Africa is far lower than it is in Britain. The bravery and ingenuity displayed by my team was phenomenal. Through the recruitment of an undercover agent, a South African lion dealer, they managed to infiltrate this highly lucrative business. Our double agent, to whom we gave the codename Lister, was able to provide us with video footage of extreme cruelty to lions. In the meantime, my team used their military expertise to fit secret trackers to caches of lion bones being bought and sold so that their whereabouts could be monitored as they were smuggled out of South Africa. They also kept Lister himself under constant surveillance by bugging his cars, his phones and his house. The teams findings make truly horrifying reading for anybody who, like me, abhors any form of cruelty to animals. Those involved in the production and export of lion bones also smuggle rhino horn, elephant ivory and the scales of pangolin, the most trafficked animal in the world [and linked to Covid-19, having been sold in the Wuhan wet market in China where the pandemic started]. To my mind, buying any of these is on a par with buying a Class A drug from a dealer. The team was in place. Gibby, named after the Dambusters leader Guy Gibson, was the boss. Hopgood, again named after another of the raids heroes, was his deputy. Munro, a Kenyan who spoke many of the local languages, was to play an invaluable role, while Ginger, our electronics expert and drone pilot, would be the equivalent of the James Bond character Q, looking after all the covert kit: cameras, audio recording devices, GPS trackers and any other technical wizardry. And then, of course, there was Lister. A typical alpha-male Boer farmer in his late 40s, he has a large frame and rough-hewn features. A former policeman, there is certainly something intimidating about him. Wed learned from contacts that he had already offered his services to another undercover operation, and during an early meeting he insisted to my team that his sole aim for joining the project was to end the cruel practice of killing lions for their bones. As if to prove he was genuine, he offered to show them footage of a lioness which had been shot in a tree. The film, watched by two of the team on Listers phone, made for harrowing viewing. In it, two men drive a pick-up vehicle into a fenced enclosure. While they speak Afrikaans, the camera pans to a lioness which has climbed into a tree and is perching precariously, looking forlorn and distressed. The men speak again before a gunshot is fired from the truck. A branch splinters and the lioness roars in pain. She falls to the ground and tries to position the trees trunk between herself and her pursuers. The men in the vehicle shoot into her again and again. They then drive round to the other side of the tree, where the lioness lies panting in a pathetic state, one shoulder shattered and bullet holes pock-marking her flank. Using pistols now, the men try again. Several shots later, the poor beast, riddled with bullets, finally expires. In this shooting spree, stretched over seven-and-a-half minutes, she is seen being shot ten times while the men chat to each other casually. Lister, who had made the recording himself, explained that their marksmanship had been deliberately poor as they had not wanted to damage the animals skull and thus reduce its value in the bone trade. Hopgood, who has seen two frontline tours of duty in Afghanistan, was visibly shocked. Blood and suffering were not new to him, but this display of deliberate cruelty turned his stomach. We later found out that this horrifying event took place at a tourist facility and wedding venue whose professional hunter owners were the ones who shot the lioness so callously that day. It is appalling to think that these men would tout their property as a wedding venue where they are happy to slowly butcher a defenceless creature. It was obvious that those who profit by abusing lions are able to operate with great ease in South Africa. I decided to assemble my own evidence through a second covert investigation Similarly, it is chilling to think that young children might go to pet lion cubs there. There can be no justification for such barbarous behaviour, but this is the reality of the captive-bred lion trade in South Africa. Although my team had huge reservations about working with Lister, the importance of his role as an undercover agent could not be exaggerated: he was well-connected and involved in the trade of live lions and their bones. Indeed, he had claimed that he was South Africas biggest lion dealer. As long as he was kept on a tight rein, he had the potential to produce important material which could, we hoped, be added to our dossier. At the end of June, he had given Hopgood promising information about some contacts he referred to as serious players in the trade from whom Lister had bought lions and tigers. Lister also said that the man bred ligers a hideous crossbreed of lions and tigers for bones, as well as selling live ligers to Arab clients for many thousands of dollars. The question might well be asked: what were tigers doing in South Africa, thousands of miles from their native Asia? Its not hard to understand why ligers are popular with bone traders. Able to grow to a length of 11ft and a height of 4ft, a three-year-old liger can be the same size as a nine-year-old lion. Its accelerated growth means it produces more bone more quickly. Once slaughtered, it generates greater profits. These enormous freaks of nature are, of course, kept well out of sight of holidaymakers at the safari lodge. This is typical of such enterprises in South Africa. Animals that are going to be seen by visitors are kept in good condition. But those bred for the bone trade have to take their chance. Anything goes. Its not just lions, said Karen Trendler, a former inspector with the NSPCA, South Africas equivalent of the RSPCA. Tigers are bred and slaughtered for bone on these farms, too. Its a very hidden industry, fiercely protected. There are areas where you can farm and slaughter lions and nobody will ever know. On some, the lions and cubs in the front or public area are in beautiful condition, but its what goes on behind the scenes. This is a huge industry with what could be up to 12,000 lions being farmed in captivity. Its worth taking a look at the mission statement of the lodge where the lioness had been shot, which says its animals are treated lovingly like royalty. And yet the evidence provided by Lister proves that, far from being a place where young children and their parents can go and spend time with creatures that are treated like royalty, it supplies big cats to the canned hunting industry and to the illegal lion and tiger bone trade. We later collected video evidence to confirm this. By early August, my team had developed a decent intelligence picture of the captive lion operation. A diagram of Listers known associates was drawn up, providing leads that could be checked on social media platforms. Another name that cropped up frequently was Michael, a mysterious Asian bone-dealer described by Lister as not a person to cross, for whom he was busy collecting lion parts. At an agreed time, these would then be dispatched from Johannesburg International Airport. When pressed for details, however, Lister would not be specific either about where he would take the grim haul prior to the flight, or when the drop-off would take place, maintaining that he was only ever given such information shortly beforehand. He did, however, say that Michael paid corrupt airport staff to wave his contraband boxes through without being searched. If this is even remotely accurate, it is a devastating indictment of South Africas so-called customs patrols at its international airports, which raises major questions about the robustness of the countrys approach to tackling the bone trade. To help us monitor the shipments journey, Lister agreed that trackers that had been hidden in a lion skull by my team would remain in place. BY THE start of September, the bone shipment destined for Michael remained on Listers property. While my team waited for it to be moved, they explored downtown Johannesburgs traditional medicine market to try to establish whether any lion parts from captive-bred operations ended up there. It was immediately obvious that the market is not policed in any serious way and neither, on the strength of the teams visit, is the law enforced regularly, such is the breadth of dead specimens being traded openly. Leopard and lion skins abounded, as did pangolin skins, big-cat skulls and even rare vulture heads. One of my operatives took pictures with an iPhone while his colleague bought time by handing 50-rand notes (worth just over 2) to any stall-holder who raised questions. Word soon spread that a couple of Europeans were photographing cat skins. After several minutes, a crowd started to follow them around the maze of market stalls. As my operatives moved towards the exit, they saw a huge male lion skin hanging from one of the market roofs supporting pillars. All questions about this skin were batted away by the stall-holder. When one of our team asked the seller if he would stand in front of the skin for a photo, he refused, threatening to put a fatal Zulu curse on him. They soon left, pleased to have obtained solid confirmation of the illegal wildlife trade being conducted openly in a public place in South Africas biggest city without hindrance from the authorities. In the meantime, further checks were run on those believed to be associates of Michael. My team discovered the existence of a network of Russian nationals in South Africa, each with links to South Africans who themselves had connections to various professional hunting outfits that had form for unethical practices. A larger picture was beginning to take shape. AS AUTUMN approached, it was decided that in order to have some control over how and when the various pieces of this complex jigsaw came together, one of the team would have to work alongside Lister. Munro was chosen for this delicate and high-risk task. He could speak several indigenous African languages, including Tswana, which is widely used in North West Province. Back in the summer, Lister had told us about a potential deal in which he was involved. This would involve wild lions in neighbouring Botswana being poisoned so that their cubs could be trafficked into South Africa. The bones are sold into the trade and the cubs are brought into South Africas tourist market to widen the gene pool of the captive population. The entire process gives the lie to those supporters of the farmed lion industry who insist that it is good for conservation, and takes pressure off the wildlife population. In early October, Lister told the team that a poaching trip in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park had been arranged. The men he was going with were serious criminal operators who knew how to kill wild lions specifically for the bone trade. The plan was to poison the animals or shoot them in their stomachs in order to avoid damaging any highly valuable bone tissue. Both methods guarantee they would make as much money as possible after the lions had suffered a slow and painful death. It was a gruesome prospect, but for my team, collecting such evidence would be a coup. On the morning of October 23, Lister crossed the border into Botswana. Along with Munro (disguised as a farm-worker), they headed to the rendezvous with Listers poaching contacts close to the village of Kokotsha. Munro noticed that Lister was very friendly with the poachers, but he was soon outraged to discover that Lister had brought with him some poison to give these two crooks. Munro stepped in before Lister had the opportunity to hand it over to the poachers, warning him that if he went through with his plan, he would be filmed doing so and would then be reported to the authorities. The group set off to find the lions which the poachers had tracked previously. They struck gold. One of the poachers wanted to follow the pride, but Munro called a halt to proceedings, using Listers obvious lack of fitness as an excuse. Crucially, he had confirmed that the poachers were prepared to commit wildlife crime and for the purposes of our investigation that was sufficient. Based on what they witnessed, neither Munro nor Lister had any doubt that the pair were practised players who had killed wild lions before. Operation Chastise continued to gain momentum. On November 3, Lister had another meeting with the team to outline proposals for his next trip to Botswana to link up with the lion poachers again. He also talked about a plan to smuggle several live cheetahs into the country, along with a cache of lion bones. At the beginning of December, however, Lister told the team the Botswana operation would have to wait until January as he had to go to Namibia. This was the last time they had any contact with him. That same day they received a tip that a middle-aged man had walked into Kimberley Police Station in the Northern Cape and told officers about an illegal wildlife trafficking operation that he knew of involving a Botswana national. He gave a number of details and had apparently spoken about the bone sets to which my team had fixed trackers. It was obvious that the walk-in was Lister. He had double-crossed everybody. Without him, Operation Chastise could not function, and the only course of action now was to wind it up. It didnt matter. We had more than enough information to give to the police, allowing them to open their own investigation. All that remained now was to present our findings. But as I reveal in the facing panel, this did not quite go as we had anticipated. Why DO South African police condone the slaughter of their nation's most famous symbol? There was no time to lose. The batteries were running low on the trackers fitted in the contraband caches of bones destined for a big player in the trade and whom we knew only as Michael. A meeting was arranged on December 12 last year between my team and the South African police chief responsible for the wildlife unit at Pretoria. On arrival, Gibby, whod run Operation Chastise on a day-to-day basis, and a colleague were introduced to a hard-looking man with a dark beard and a big frame, along with a fellow officer. Both policemen, the team felt, had a faintly menacing presence about them. Gibby recounted the story of Operation Chastise, and handed over a folder of A4 photographs of lion and tiger bone contraband collected by Lister, the Boer farmer we had paid as part of our undercover investigation to expose the captive-bred lion industry. He also offered to give the police the dossier of evidence, the locations of two separate caches of illegal lion and tiger bones (and possibly rhino horn), plus the address in Johannesburg used by the bone-dealer Michael. African woman crouching on the ground and playing with four-month-old lion cubs Panthera and Leo The main officers response was frosty from the word go. He wanted to know under whose authority Gibby had run the investigation. Gibby explained why he had conducted it alone and that the intention had always been to hand the evidence to the police. But the officer told Gibby that he and his colleague were lucky not to be spending Christmas in a Pretoria jail wearing orange overalls. Having said that he was prepared to take all responsibility for the operation, Gibby, calmly and patiently, suggested it was surely reasonable for everybody to focus on bringing these wildlife criminals to justice. The police chief ended the meeting and passed the photos back to Gibby. He said he was not going to get the Christmas present he wanted: the bone caches would not be seized and, owing to a lack of proper evidence, Michael would not be receiving a visit from the police. He added that tracking people and property was illegal and jeopardised any evidence the team might have secured. Wishing them a merry Christmas at home in the UK, both my men were dismissed. This 90-minute meeting had been a total waste of time. The two police officers had been aggressive instead of actively engaging with the information my team had tried to give them. For reasons which will never be entirely clear, they showed complete disregard for the obvious illegality they were told about. Was it simply that they had no desire to involve themselves in what might have led to a complicated and potentially exhausting case? Only they can know the answer to this question. Others must draw their own conclusions. Why would South African police condone the serial cruelty and slaughter of arguably their countrys most recognisable symbol unless a serious allegation made to me some months earlier by former wildlife inspector Karen Trendler was accurate? She said there are definite incidents of collusion between law enforcement and breeders, adding: The lion-breeding industry is one of the most powerful. They have a huge amount of money. When we say corruption, its not just a theory. Its there. Operation Chastise was over, and our approach to South Africas police had yielded nothing. Tourists love petting tours but the cute animals can be lethal With their huge paws, sweet faces and soft fur, lion cubs are among natures most endearing young creatures. Its no wonder tourists flock to the many parks in South Africa that give the chance to cuddle and stroke these delightful animals. What the innocent visitors do not know, however, is that they are helping to prolong the agony of these cubs and others which, like them, have been bred solely for the purposes of making money. At a safari park outside Johannesburg, visitors can, for about 5, enter a dusty lion cub enclosure for ten minutes. FIlm editor Katherine Chappell, killed by a lioness in South Africa in 2015 During a visit by my team one day last August, three cubs, including two rare white lion cubs, were dozing in the midday sun. Lion cubs need plenty of rest but these ones were not left in peace for long. Their keeper prodded them awake so that they could be stroked, picked up and played with and, of course, pose for that all-important selfie. The animals looked well and were extremely docile so much so that the stories one hears about cubs being sedated to guarantee their good behaviour are eminently believable. The guide told the tourists that the park has a total of about 75 lions. Oddly, only 25 were available to see. When asked about the 50 others, the guide provided no concrete answer, saying something about them being in what he jokingly referred to as the retirement village area. Subsequently, operatives working for me entered that enclosure unobserved. They counted about 15 old-looking lions, some wild dogs and three cheetahs. Pens containing the lions were cramped and the enclosures were covered in a foul carpet of faeces and chicken feathers. The big cats looked hungry, pacing the fences. Their final destination remains unclear. Another entertainment at the park that August day was to go on a lion walk. These have become a very popular way of enhancing tourists interaction with the predators while adding an element of risk. Anybody taking part must sign a release form, acknowledging they accept responsibility for the situation into which they place themselves. This is no surprise considering that several tourists have been mauled to death on safaris in South Africa. During my teams visit, two male lions far larger than the cubs made available for petting and cuddling earlier were driven up to the enclosure on a trailer. When released, they were very curious and energetic, but the guides kept them occupied by throwing chunks of pungent-smelling raw meat in their direction. They were little more than circus animals, trained to obey. Advertisement But alongside the covert operations, I have been working tirelessly to raise the profile of the scandal of the abuse of lions in South Africa with those in authority and public figures. In April 2019, after the findings of Operation Simba had been published in The Mail on Sunday, I wrote to South Africas High Commissioner in London, drawing attention to the 11-page expose, and offering to furnish their office with further evidence of illegality. This was met with silence and, to the best of my knowledge, none of those identified in Operation Simba has been so much as questioned about their actions, let alone arrested. I had hoped that my reasonable approach to the High Commissioner would prompt some kind of acknowledgment and, perhaps, a meeting. I am sorry to report, however, that, to date, I have received no response. Under the circumstances, I find this lack of interest on the part of South Africas authorities utterly perplexing. It is sad that my approach has, for now, been ignored. The offer still stands, of course. I also wrote to the then Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, seeking a meeting to discuss banning the import of captive-bred lion trophies into the UK. This meeting went ahead just a few days later. Afterwards, on May 9, I wrote a follow-up letter to Mr Gove emphasising my horror of lion farming, sham trophy-hunting and the bone trade. I also underlined the fact that the South African state not only allows mass lion breeding but also overlooks those who breach its quotas. As the law stands, 800 lion skeletons are allowed to leave the country every year. In 2018, South Africas then environment minister, Edna Molewa, raised this number to 1,500 skeletons, claiming it was sustainable and supposedly supported by solid scientific evidence. After a public outcry, however, Molewas highly questionable decision was reversed and the limit of 800 skeletons was restored. Yet those who oppose the trade believe that substantially more than 800 lion skeletons leave South Africa each year. Often this is achieved through fraud, simply by under-declaring the number or weight of bones which are shipped. One study by two charities suggests this deception, possibly carried out in conjunction with corrupt officials, is widespread. I pointed out to Mr Gove that Britain could be more determined to end this through our influence and diplomacy, and argued that everything possible should be done to discourage this industry. I suggested that banning the import of lion body parts to the UK would have a significant impact and raised the possibility of tackling the bone trade by implementing something similar to the very effective UK Bribery Act. The idea was to make it illegal for UK firms to be involved in the shipping, trading or the movement of money associated with bones and that their directors would be liable unless they had taken steps to ensure their firms were not involved. I believe this would encourage companies to take measures to protect themselves. It is no exaggeration to say that the abuse of lions in South Africa has become an industry. Thousands are bred on farms every year; they are torn away from their mothers when they are just days old, used as pawns in the tourist sector and then either killed in a hunt or simply slaughtered for their bones and other body parts, which are very valuable in Asias so-called medicine market. In between, they are poorly fed, kept in cramped and unhygienic conditions, beaten if they do not perform for paying customers, and drugged. This sinister system has sprouted up in plain sight in South Africa, inflicting misery on this most noble of beasts on an unimaginable scale. My research suggests it is highly likely that there are now at least 12,000 captive-bred lions in the country, against a wild population of just 3,000. Yet, strikingly, just a small number of people a few hundred profit from this abusive set-up. Thanks to South Africas constitution and laws, they seem able to operate as they wish. Arguably, the authorities have become the enablers of all of this, overseeing lion-hunting regulations and awarding licences for the export of lion bones with what appear to be the lightest of touches, and wilfully ignoring wrongdoing when they learn of it. So what can be done? First, the South African government must ban captive-bred lion farming, which has no conservation value. The case for a uniform nationwide hunting law, as opposed to individual laws that currently exist in each province, should also be made. Wildlife and conservation groups need to co-ordinate their campaigns. Airlines, shipping firms and freight companies must be lobbied until they realise it is morally unacceptable for them to transport the trophies and bones of captive-bred lions. The worlds tourist industry has to do more to educate everybody who visits South Africa that cub-petting and walking with lions experiences are key parts of this cruel business. It should become socially unacceptable for any tourist to indulge in any of these activities. Furthermore, I call on the British Government and every other government that has not already done so to follow the example of Australia, France and the US and introduce new laws that discourage the practice of importing captive-bred trophies. There are many difficult decisions ahead, but it is imperative that everybody, especially tourists, does their bit to ensure that the barbaric and brutal abuse of lions is consigned firmly and permanently to the dustbin of history. In his book, Lord Ashcroft identifies the individuals and lodges/ranches that he says were responsible for breaking the law and/or animal cruelty, but The Mail on Sunday has removed these for legal reasons. Extracted from Unfair Game, by Lord Ashcroft, published by Biteback on Tuesday. To order a copy, visit here or here All royalties from the book are going to wildlife charities in South Africa. Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is a businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. For information about his work, including his six books on bravery, visit lordashcroft.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook @LordAshcroft, and visit here. Tomorrow, James Glancy interviews the author about his book in the environmental show Planet SOS on Mail Plus. AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) Ten days after recording two lakh COVID-19 cases, India surpassed the three lakh-mark on Saturday with the worst daily spike of 11,458 infections, while the death toll, too, climbed to 8,884 with 386 new fatalities. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others on Sunday to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the national capital. The meeting comes in the wake of rising cases of the coronavirus in Delhi which reached 36,000 and the pandemic so far claimed more than 1,200 lives in the capital. Maharashtra continues to remain the worst-hit state by the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The state reported 3,427 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday. Globally, there are over 7,778,242 cases of COVID-19, with 2,121,381 cases reported by the United States alone. 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 Here are the top developments of the day: >> 77 COVID-19 cases and 2 deaths reported in Punjab today. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 3063 including 671 active cases and 2327 recovered patients. Death toll stands at 65. >> Maharastra reports 3,427 new cases of COVID-19 and 113 deaths, taking the total number of cases to 1,04,568 and death toll to 3830. >> 17 fresh COVID-19 cases recorded in Dharavi area of Mumbai in Maharashtra today, taking the total number of cases to 2030. >> The COVID-19 graph climbed further up in Andhra Pradesh to 5,676 on Saturday as 222 new cases were added, while fatalities increased by two to 82. >> Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands have signed a contract with Astrazeneca to supply European citizens with a vaccine against the coronavirus. The contract is for 400 million doses of the vaccine, which was developed with the University of Oxford and whose experimentation phase is already advanced and expected to end in autumn. >> The Health Ministry on Saturday recommended the use of antiviral drug remdesivir in the moderate stage of COVID-19 while backtracking from its earlier stance on hydroxychloroquine, saying the anti-malarial drug should be used in the early course of the disease and not on critically ill patients. >> Seven more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh today, taking the total number of active cases to 177. >> At least 30 personnel of the Kozhikode International Airport have been asked to go into quarantine after an official tested positive for the coronavirus infection on Saturday. >> Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a detailed meeting with senior ministers and officials to review Indias response to COVID-19 pandemic. >> 308 more COVID-19 cases and 3 deaths reported in Karnataka today. Total number of cases in the state is now at 6824, including 3092 active cases, 3648 discharged & 84 deaths (3 due to non-COVID causes). >> 85 fresh cases of COVID-19 reported in Kerala today, taking the total number of active cases to 1,342. >> Loss of smell or taste has been added to the list of COVID-19 symptoms, according to the revised clinical management protocols released by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday. The ministry said that coronavirus-infected patients reporting to various COVID-19 treatment facilities have been reporting symptoms like fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, expectoration, myalgia, rhinorrhea, sore throat and diarrhoea. >> 17 personnel of Punjab Police have tested positive in a random sampling of 7165 of a cross-section of police personnel posted as part of a special RT-PCR COVID-19 testing drive. >> Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani tests positive for COVID-19. >> Uttar Pradesh reported 20 coronavirus deaths and 502 new cases pushing the state's COVID-19 tally to 13,118. The total number of those who have lost their lives due to the virus so far has now gone up to 385. >> 11 fresh cases of COVID-19 reported in Chandigarh today, taking the total number of cases to 345 including 5 deaths and 295 recoveries. >> Nepal on Saturday recorded 273 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 5,335, the health ministry said. >> During the last 24 hours, 7,135 COVID-19 patients have been cured. Thus, so far, 1,54,329 patients have been cured of COVID-19. The recovery rate is 49.95% amongst COVID-19 patients. There are 1,45,779 active cases & all are under active medical supervision: Union Health Ministry. >> 25 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Assam, taking the total number of cases to 3718, including 1584 recoveries and 8 deaths. The number of active cases stands at 2123. >> Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd on Saturday announced it has entered into a non-exclusive Licensing Agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. that will grant the city-based drug maker right to register, manufacture and sell Gilead's investigational drug, Remdesivir, a potential treatment for COVID-19, in 127 countries including India. >> Nearly 600 Indian nationals stuck in Kuwait returned home on Saturday by two special flights operated by the Gulf nation, airport officials here said. >> Three deaths and 118 fresh cases of coronavirus were reported in Rajasthan on Saturday, taking the total number of fatalities and positive cases to 275 and 12,186, respectively. >> At least 39 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura, raising the tally in the state to 964. >> Odisha on Saturday reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases after 225 more people tested positive for the disease, taking the state's tally to 3,723 >> India's COVID-19 tally breached the three-lakh mark on Saturday with a record single-day spike of 11,458 infections, while the death toll rose to 8,884 with 386 new fatalities. Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/12/2020 -- This report provides a detailed and comprehensive analysis on the "Alpha Olefin Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Development Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2020 - 2026", including: - Alpha olefin market size, historical from 2015 to 2019 and annual forecast from 2020 to 2026. - Major alpha olefin industry trends, technology evolution, economic indicators and business challenges. - Regulatory and geopolitical trends impacting the industry. - Business drivers and pitfalls impacting key regional markets. - Competitive landscape of the industry and detailed profiles on the major companies. Get sample copy of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3753 A key factor analyzed by GMI for alpha olefin market growth includes the product's expansive application portfolio right from consumer goods and packaging to industrial processes. Moreover, these compounds are abundantly used in production of polyethylene, whose surging demand from the plastics industry is likely to boost the overall dynamics of alpha olefin industry in the upcoming years. Alpha olefin are organic compounds that are synthesized by the oligomerization of ethylene. However, the fluctuating raw material prices associated with the production of these compounds is expected to impede the market growth over 2020-2026. Companies mentioned in the alpha olefin market report include: - Royal Dutch Shell - Chevron Phillips Chemical - INEOS Group - Evonik Industries - SABIC - ExxonMobil - PJSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim - Qatar Chemical Company - Idemitsu Kosan Co - Sasol Limited Growth will predominantly come from the Middle east and Africa region, primarily led by Saudi Arabia, UAE, and South Africa. The expanding oil and gas exploration is expected to drive the demand for alpha olefin in the region. As per reliable sources, the oil and gas sector in Saudi Arabia accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the GDP, and over 70 per cent of export earnings. Above that, developments in the field of oil and exploration across the region is expected to bolster alpha olefin market. Get this report Customized to your requirements @ https://www.gminsights.com/roc/3753 Polyolefin co-monomers, lubricants, plasticizers, fine chemicals, oil field chemicals, surfactants and intermediates, and several other applications will continue to remain as key application in the alpha olefin market industry. Of these, polyolefin co-monomers are estimated to hold a lion's share in the overall market, perhaps attributing to the increasing use of these across myriad industries around the world such as construction, automotive, plastics, and others. The regional segmentation covers: - Europe Region (Germany, UK, France, Russia, Italy, Rest of Europe) - North America Region (U.S., Canada, Mexico) - South America Region (Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Rest of South America) - Asia-Pacific Region (China, South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, Rest of Asia-Pacific) - The Middle East & Africa Region (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Rest of MEA) Likewise, robust demand for these compounds in emerging economies like India, China, and Brazil aligned with the surging demand from plastic molding and injection and packaging industries would stimulate the alpha olefin market outlook over the foreseeable time span. Besides, ongoing advancements in polymer technology would also equally contribute to the segmental growth in the years ahead. Browse More News: Browse More News http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/intumescent-coatings-market-to-showcase-significant-growth-in-construction-sector-akzonobel-jotun-hempel-as-sherwin-williams-carboline-company-3m-1291448.htm https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/04/15/2016912/0/en/Antimicrobial-Coatings-Market-is-slated-to-surpass-6-3-billion-by-2026-Says-Global-Market-Insights-Inc.html https://www.openpr.com/news/2070133/covid-19-to-impact-demand-growth-of-flow-chemistry-market-by-key June 12 is observed as United Nations World Day Against Child Labour. Taking place amid the economic and job turmoil of the Covid-19 crisis, it is feared that millions of vulnerable children could be forced into child labour. By Robin Gomes Today, throughout the world, around 218 million children work, of whom 152 million are in (forced into)child labour, including 73 million who work in hazardous conditions. Of that 152 million, 64 million are girls and 88 million boys, which translates as almost one in ten of all children worldwide working as child labourers. Covid-19 and child labour According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Childrens Fund, UNICEF, millions more risk being pushed into child labour as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, which could lead to the first rise in child labour after 20 years of progress. According to a report by the two UN agencies entitled, COVID-19 and child labour: A time of crisis, a time to act, child labour decreased by 94 million since 2000, but that gain is now at risk. As the pandemic wreaks havoc on family incomes, without support, many could resort to child labour, said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder. Social protection is vital in times of crisis, as it provides assistance to those who are most vulnerable. Integrating child labour concerns across broader policies for education, social protection, justice, labour markets, and international human and labour rights makes a critical difference. In times of crisis, child labour becomes a coping mechanism for many families, warned UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. As poverty rises, schools close and the availability of social services decreases, more children are pushed into the workforce. As we re-imagine the world post-COVID, we need to make sure that children and their families have the tools they need to weather similar storms in the future. Quality education, social protection services and better economic opportunities can be game-changers. Pope Francis appeal Many of the child labourers work full-time without the opportunity to go to school and have little or no time to play. Many do not receive proper nutrition or care and are denied the chance to be children. Considering the crisis of Covid-19 pandemic, the World Day Against Child Labour 2020 is calling for the protection of children from child labour, now more than ever. In this regard, Pope Francis has appealed to the international community to protect the numerous boys and girls who, deprived of their childhood, are forced into child labour. Speaking during his weekly general audience on Wednesday, he expressed concern that the Covid-19 lockdown, which has pushed families into conditions of extreme poverty, could force many children into inappropriate jobs. ILO and child labour The UNs International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it. Each year on 12 June, the World Day brings together governments, employers and workers organizations, civil society, as well as millions of people from around the world to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them. ILO figures show that more than half of the worlds 152 million child labourers are exposed to the worst forms of child labour such as work in hazardous environments, slavery, or other forms of forced labour, illicit activities including drug trafficking and prostitution, as well as involvement in armed conflict. No all work is bad However, not all work should be classified as child labour that is to be eradicated. Certain types of healthy work, in fact, contribute to childrens development and to the welfare of their families. Activities such as helping their parents around the home, assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays, provide children with skills and experience, and help to prepare them to be productive members of society during their adult life. Prevalence in Africa, Asia Africa ranks highest among regions both in the percentage of children in child labour - one-fifth - and the absolute number of children in child labour - 72 million. Asia and the Pacific region ranks second highest in both these measures - 7% of all children and 62 million in absolute terms are in child labour in this region. Africa and the Asia-Pacific regions together account for almost nine out of every ten children in child labour worldwide. The remaining child labour population is divided among the Americas (11 million), Europe and Central Asia (6 million), and the Arab States (1 million). In terms of incidence, 5% of children are in child labour in the Americas, 4% in Europe and Central Asia, and 3% in the Arab States. UN aims to end child labour by 2025 This years World Day Against Child Labour is being observed as a virtual campaign, organized jointly by the Global March Against Child Labour and the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA). In 2015, leaders of UN member states committed themselves to achieve the UNs Agenda for Sustainable Development by the year 2030. The agenda has set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone and everywhere. SDG # 8.7 calls for an end to child labour in all its forms by 2025, which is just 5 years away. For this reason, the UN General Assembly last year adopted a resolution declaring 2021 as the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. The resolution highlighted the member states commitments to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms. The events of the last two and a half weeks have caused us all to live in an America roiled by rage, worry and strife the likes of which we have not faced in more than a generation. I was born and raised three miles from the site of George Floyds death in Minneapolis. I felt compelled to put pen to paper not because the world will, as Lincoln once said, note or long remember what I say here, but in the hope that the nation will remember what happened there. Lets be clear: Fatal clashes between people of color and law enforcement didnt begin with George Floyds horrific death on that sidewalk in my hometown. The question facing our nation is: Can this moment be turned into a movement for this country to deal with issues that have been festering for centuries? Each of us views the world through our own lens. Here in Connecticut, news of the June 3 charging of four Minneapolis police officers with Floyds death arrived just one day after Connecticut Public broke the story of the Wethersfield police officer involved in a deadly police shooting in that town quietly tendering his resignation. The tragic shooting of 18 year-old Anthony Jose Chulo Vega Cruz by officer Layau Eulizier Jr. just 14 months ago is still very raw and real. Connecticut Public examined the dynamics that led the lives of those two men to collide on Wethersfields Silas Deane Highway on April 20, 2019, in Collision Course, the inaugural documentary of our investigative journalism project. Sadly, Chulo was only one of 21 people who had deadly encounters with police in Connecticut over the last five years. So, what are Connecticuts residents, communities of color and institutions such as law enforcement, the justice system, political policymakers and journalists to do at this moment in time to turn the energy behind these historic demonstrations into a movement to end these brutal deaths? We recently shared with our 100 employees at Connecticut Public that for us, the answer is clear. Continue to shine light on the underlying issues driving these tragedies and know that your efforts to examine will help us move toward understanding and healing. Keep doing the brave work youre doing to help Connecticut citizens understand the facts of these moments of upheaval and investigate the resulting dynamic on our towns, cities, state and nation. Lastly, to all of our fellow citizens of Connecticut who assemble in peace, who speak to power, who worship with devotion, who publish these words and those who read them: My colleagues at Connecticut Public and I will commit to exert our energies and talents to access and share knowledge, seek truth and connect the people of this state to their communities and the world to move us all toward a stronger and fairer Connecticut. Mark G. Contreras is president and CEO of Connecticut Public, which his home to Connecticut Public Television and Connecticut Public Radio. John Rockhold, chairman of the Vietnam Business Forums Power and Energy Working Group In March, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) proposed for approval a so-called competitive pricing mechanism for solar PV power project developments which outlines three auction options that apply in parallel for years to come. Option one shall apply for the projects that are approved on the Power Development Plan VII (PDP7) and not eligible for the feed-in tariff rate policy. Option two is a substation-wise competitive auction which would apply for projects with a capacity range of 10 to 100 megawatt peak (MWp) for a pilot period during 2020-2021 and to be publicly practicable from July 2021. The third option is project-specific bidding of investors. This model applies for large-scale solar photovoltaic potential sites (over 100MWp capacity). It is designed to effectively mobilise local investment capital, providing stimulus to the development of the financial services market and local supply of services, materials, and equipment. With the first option, it is growing a public concern that the project owners with their schemes approved in PDP7 are financially disqualified and look to divest their projects to foreign investors. On the other hand, they have struggled and manipulated to sell their major or minor stakes in the project companies whether or not they can competitively bid simply in the mere hope that they would recall what they have spent previously on the permitting process and make marginal profits from this. As soon as a local under-qualified investor has his project approved, he will reach out to sell his venture straightaway. Whether bidding or not will not stop him from doing this as it is already in his schedule. In this case, it would not fix the problem. Meanwhile, the latter two options might help eliminate under-qualified investors to secure projects and sell them at a later stage as in bidding dossiers they have to prepare and declare details of their qualifications and capacities to bid. Auctions also require that all information and costs are available on land, grid connection, compensation and more. Currently, the national 220-500kV power grid is under the monopoly of the state in respect of investments to administration, operations, and maintenance. Special attention should be paid to the national monopoly of national power transmission grid in the national power plan because it relates to national energy security and national security. It is important that grid security is maintained and we must be careful of solar, wind, and other smart converters being attached even at project level. It is important to clearly define that the national power transmission system and power transmission grid and operation belong to the state, but allow private investor returns on investments. If there is an incident in an investors transmission network, it does not affect the operation management and energy security of the whole country. Vietnamese investment also has capital constraints. Therefore, the state should focus on funding backbone systems and basic grid systems to ensure energy security and national security. The national electricity transmission network should not be operated by private or foreign investors it must be a nationally-operated and maintained grid. As for the extension lines that transmit electricity from private investors plants, it is advisable to get them involved, but it must be clearly defined in the law and explained that the grid is owned by investors, and must be included in the power project. This is needed to avoid privatisation going too far, maybe even being taken advantage of, to reach an overly large proportion to the point where losing control is out of the question. For 220kV grids or even 500kV of power plants invested in order to connect to the nodes of national grids (which the state has designated as national grids), investors shall fund by themselves. But cost of management and operation of this grid must be included in the electricity production cost of investors that sold to the national grid. The transmission grid system of 220-500kV also needs to clearly define boundaries. That is, the privatisation should only be determined within a certain limit to ensure that its operation does not affect the national electricity grid, meaning that it can never disintegrate the system grid. Here again it is very important to regulate smart software that could shut down such grid connections. By doing that, security criteria will be met. As a result, it also naturally becomes the privatisation of power grids. For those projects, the solution is to bid competitively then it will be transparent and follow the rules of the market. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, says the federal government has evacuated 362 Nigerians from Egypt and India. Mr Onyeama, in a Twitter post, said 102 evacuees arrived Nigeria from Egypt Friday while another another 260 were expected to arrive from India on Saturday morning. 102 Nigerians arrived from #Egypt and 260 are expected tomorrow morning from #India. @flyairpeace is bringing in the passengers from India and @EgyptAir brought in the ones from Egypt. This is in line with the countrys decision to evacuate a minimum of one thousand Nigerians per week as the COVID-19 pandemic bites harder. The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Sani Aliyu, at its daily briefing on Monday, said the aim is to clear the backlog of over 4,000 stranded Nigerians in the next four weeks. The resumption of the evacuation process, according to Mr Aliyu, will be guided by some policies already put in place. Recall that the government had on May 27 announced the temporary suspension of the evacuation process to allow take-off of a new policy. Ibrahim Magu, the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has reacted to the arrest of Nigerian Instagram... Ibrahim Magu, the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has reacted to the arrest of Nigerian Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi. Magu distanced EFCC from Hushpuppis arrest, saying the commission was not involved in it. Recall that International Police, Interpol, had a few days ago reportedly arrested Hushpuppi in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, UAE. Interpol in connection with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, had arrested Hushpuppi over alleged fraud. He was accused of hacking into the United States, US, unemployed database and defrauding them of over $100 million meant for Native Americans in the battle against the coronavirus. Hushpuppis arrest had drawn mixed reactions from Nigerians. While some condemned him others were sympathetic. Interpol, however, confirmed the arrest of Hushpuppi, saying the Instagram celebrity would be extradited to Nigeria to face fraud charges. However, the EFCC Chairman in a chat with TVC News Journalists Hangout, on Friday evening, said EFCC was ready to take over the case if it was handed over to the Commission. Magu also lamented over the activities of internet fraudsters popularly called Yahoo Yahoo boys. According to Magu: We are yet to be involved in the case of Hushpuppi, but if they happen to give us this thing (details) we would assist. We are not all about arresting, prosecuting and chasing internet fraudsters, and taking away the proceeds of their crime, but we are also trying to see whether we can rehabilitate them. We are not all about arresting, prosecuting and chasing internet fraudsters, and taking away the proceeds of their crime, but we are also trying to see whether we can rehabilitate them. Because most of these boys are either undergraduate or graduate from higher institutions so that they can be better people to our country. The menace of Yahoo boys is also a course of concern, we are collaborating with other law enforcement agencies. Yahoo boys have an association with their mothers who do not feel what their children are doing is a crime actually. It is called the Yahoo Yahoo Mothers Association, a situation where the mother would go abroad and the child would stay there and help them syphon funds from credit card fraud. So we are doing everything possible to arrest the situation. South Africa has seen its largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases 3,359. A health ministry update says South Africa now has more than 61,000 cases, or well over a quarter of the cases across the African continent, including 1,354 deaths. Nearly two-thirds of South Africa's cases are in the Western Cape province centered on the city of Cape Town, where the World Health Organisation's Africa chief has said the trend "seems to be similar to what was happening in Europe and in the US". The total number of cases across the 54-nation continent is now above 218,000 and WHO says the pandemic is "accelerating" in Africa, even though the cases make up less than 3% of the global total. South Africa has conducted more than 1 million tests for the virus, roughly one-third of all testing in Africa. OPINION: "This should be a no-brainer, so whats the problem? Some members of the RTA board are hesitant to change the scope of the First Avenue project. They appear to want Tucson to build a six-lane roadway because it was the project scope promised in the 2006 plan and the RTA must do what was promised no matter the need or the cost. Decisions by the RTA Board should be made based on facts and data, not out of fear of public perceptions and long ago promises," write Tucsonans Ruth Reiman and Jane Evans. Dhananjay Munde Mumbai: Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde has tested positive for coronavirus but he is asymptomatic and his condition is stable, Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope disclosed on Friday. Munde, a Nationalist Congress Party leader, had attended a state cabinet meeting earlier this week and taken part in the NCP's foundation day event two days ago here. Advertisement Dhananjay MundeHe is the third minister in Maharashtra to contract the virus. Jitendra Awhad (NCP) and Ashok Chavan (Congress) had tested positive earlier; both recovered from the infection. Asked whether others who had attended the cabinet meeting and the NCP event will be tested, Tope said social distancing was observed on both the occasions. If anyone has suspicion (of having caught infection) or develops symptoms, he or she should be tested as per the Indian Council of Medical Research's guidelines, Tope said. Advertisement "It is true he (Munde) has tested positive. He is stable. He is asymptomatic, but there is a minor problem of breathlessness," the health minister told reporters. Coronavirus "We are admitting him to Breach Candy Hospital (in South Mumbai). He is a fighter. He will be active in eight to ten days," Tope said. Munde's private staff including the cook, drivers and personal assistant contracted coronavirus before him, he said. Advertisement "He was there at the cabinet meeting and NCP foundation day ceremony. But we observed social distancing during the meeting as instructed by Dada (Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar)," Tope said. Munde was not a high-risk contact, he said. "High-risk contacts are ones with whom you stay throughout the day and not during an hour-long meeting," he said. A shortage of summer nutrients as a result of our changing climate has contributed to a 50% decline in important North East Atlantic plankton over the past 60 years. New research, published in Global Change Biology, shows that larger, nutritious plankton -- vital to support fish, seabirds and marine mammals -- are being replaced by tiny, primary producers that are of poorer food quality. Changes from cloudier and wetter summers to longer periods of sunshine and drought have led to decreasing iron and nutrient supply to surface waters. This results in an increased period of suboptimal feeding conditions for zooplankton at a time of year when their metabolic demand is at its highest. In some areas, large phytoplankton are being almost completely replaced by picoplankton, especially the cyanobacterium Synechococcus, that flourishes when iron and nitrogen levels in surface waters are very low. However, its small size and lack of essential biomolecules mean it is unable to function in the same way as larger, more nutritious phytoplankton -- a vital primary producer of omega-3 -- and cannot sustain shelf sea food webs efficiently. With Synechococcus prominent from the tropics to the Arctic, and its abundance increasing worldwide, scientists suggest that competition for scarce summer nutrients will become a key force in structuring shelf sea food webs. Shelf seas provide around 80% of the world's wild-captured seafood, and changes in their productivity will have major effects on humans. advertisement The study was led by scientists at the University of Plymouth (funded through the Natural Environment Research Council's Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry Programme), working with colleagues from Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the Marine Biological Association, and the University of Southampton. It brought together experts from a range of fields including trace metal analysis, plankton taxonomy, and satellite data. Lead author Dr Katrin Schmidt, a plankton ecologist in the University of Plymouth's School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, said: "Zooplankton such as copepods are considered beacons of climate change, and the ~50% decline in their abundance over the last six decades is worrying. Our study is the first to provide a mechanism for such a wide-spread decline, and this understanding is essential to project future responses to climate change. We also need to explore the wider impacts and whether the changing nutrient supply could, for example, lead to reductions in omega-3 within the entire food chain." The study was based on an area measuring 2,000km by 1,500km in the North East Atlantic, and used a combination of data generated by satellites and the MBA's Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey. It allowed scientists to identify both longer and shorter-term trends, the spatial extent of any changes and the months that are most affected. It also used intensive field observations of the phytoplankton community and, by linking the two scales, provided a conceptual model of why the classical food web is increasingly under threat in temperate coastal and shelf areas. In combination, both satellite and CPR data show similar changes over the longer (1958-2017) and shorter (1997-2018) terms. Between May and August/September in those years, numbers of diatoms, dinoflagellates and total copepods have all declined, while the proportion of picophytoplankton has increased. Co-author Dr Luca Polimene, Senior Marine Ecosystem Modeller at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, said: "The increasing dominance of small phytoplankton species might have a broad impact on the marine ecosystem. Other than altering the food chain as suggested in this study, it could also change the biological carbon pump modifying the capacity of the ocean to store carbon. We need to make sure that the shift between large to small phytoplankton species is well captured by marine ecosystem models if we want to reliably simulate future oceans." David Johns, Head of the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey, added: "While the CPR Survey samples the larger plankton community, declines in some key groups over past decades can be linked to changes in the smallest plankton that are driven by climate change. We have previously witnessed direct climate impacts on the plankton community, from seasonality (temporal) to large scale movements (spatial), via changes in temperature. This study demonstrates a knock-on effect through the food web, and it is only by continuing our monitoring that we will identify multiple stressors acting on our marine environment, and hopefully sustain and protect our productive oceans." DALLAS - Texas prosecutors are examining potential irregularities in a scandal-ridden former Houston police officers arrest of George Floyd on a minor drug charge a probe that could expand the body of convictions possibly tainted by the officers conduct. Floyd, whose death last month under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer sparked national protests, pleaded guilty in 2004 and served time in a state jail over what prosecutors now describe as selling $10 worth of crack in a police sting. But Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said Saturday that Floyds case may be among scores built on false evidence from Gerald Goines, who is facing murder charges after he allegedly lied to obtain the warrant in a botched 2019 drug raid that left two people dead. He has pleaded not guilty. Gerald Goines arrest of George Floyd reveals an offence report that is incomplete and suspect, Ogg said in a statement. I have instructed prosecutors to verify the facts in this offence report. Prosecutors have already dismissed dozens of convictions dating back to at least 2008 that they say were marred by Goines. If the review of Floyds arrest reveals misconduct, theyll presume all of Goines cases going back to 2004 are tainted, Ogg said. Goines attorney, Nicole DeBorde, accused Ogg of using Floyds death for political gain and announcing the review of the case to distract from her record. The district attorney is up for re-election in November. Regarding Oggs resurrecting of a decade and a half old case without a shred of new information - this is a transparent and opportunistic effort to capitalize on Floyds murder, DeBorde said. Prosecutors initially flagged Floyds arrest as part of a wider investigation of cases involving Goines launched after the deadly drug raid, said Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the district attorneys office. Goines arrested Floyd after giving money to a third person, which the person then allegedly used to buy less than half a gram of crack from Floyd, Schiller said. He said the money used in the buy was never recovered, the third person is not identified in case records and the presented evidence likely would not meet prosecutors current standards. The re-examination of Floyds cases was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. President Donald Trump. Associated Press In a Fox News interview, the anchor Harris Faulkner asked President Donald Trump what he thinks protesters are demonstrating against following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd. Trump suggested that people are protesting "for different reasons," adding, "a lot of them really were there because they're following the crowd." The president acknowledged that Floyd's death in police custody was "a terrible thing," but later said that "we have to cherish them and take care of" police officers and that the officer who killed Floyd was "a bad apple." Scroll down to read Trump's full response. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In a Fox News interview with Harris Faulkner, President Donald Trump was asked what he thinks protesters across the country are demonstrating against following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd. Floyd was a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd said he couldn't breathe and begged for air. Shortly before he died, Floyd called for his late mother. Faulkner referenced Floyd's last moments in her interview with Trump, saying they were "a heart punch." "So I'm curious, from you, what do you think the protesters not the rioters and the looters, we're intelligent enough to know the difference in our culture, right? what do you think they [protesters] want?" Faulkner asked the president. "What do you think they need, right now, from you?" Here was Trump's answer, verbatim: "Protesters for different reasons. You're protesting also because, you know, they just didn't know. I've watch I watched very closely. Why are you here? They really weren't able to say, but they were there for a reason, perhaps. "But a lot of them really were there because they're following the crowd. A lot of them were there because what we witnessed was a terrible thing. What we saw was a terrible thing. And we've seen it over the years. We haven't, you know, this was one horrible example, but you've seen other terrible examples. You know that better than anybody who would know it. And I know it. I've seen it, too. I've seen it before I was president. I've seen it. I think it's a shame. I think it's a disgrace. And it's got to stop. Story continues "At the same time, you also know that we have incredible people in law enforcement that we have to cherish them and take care of them. And we can't let something like this, we have a bad apple go out and, you know, destroy the image of a whole of millions of people that take really good care of us. And then you have a movement where they say, let's not have a police department. And you say, where are these people coming from?" Floyd's death was the latest in a long list of instances in which a white police officer was videotaped using excessive force against an unarmed Black man following an arrest. The event sparked nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality as demonstrations continue to rage in more than 300 US cities. The protests have been largely peaceful, though some have devolved into chaos after law enforcement officials used tear gas, flash grenades, and other items to dispel crowds and were videotaped using batons against peaceful protesters if they were on the streets past curfew. Trump and his allies have blamed the far-left group antifa for sparking the violence, but a closer examination of court records, media reports, and social media posts shows no evidence of a coordinated antifa effort to infiltrate the protests. The president has not yet made a public statement condemning police brutality and racism in the wake of Floyd's death. He also called on law enforcement officials and state governors to "dominate" protesters with "overwhelming force." Last week, Trump drew sharp backlash when he threatened to send the military into Minneapolis to quell demonstrations and quoted a racist police chief from the 1960s in a tweet that Twitter later flagged for glorifying violence. Read the original article on Business Insider (Natural News) On June 9, I tweeted out the following: Seattles East Precinct has fallen, as Police Chief Carmen Best orders Seattle Police to evacuate. The occupiers, aka the peaceful protesters, declare victory. Theyve given us the precinct, they boast. NOT EVEN IN South Africa. (Article by Ilana Mercer republished from WND.com) A mere day on, and the City of Seattle is de facto occupied territory, fallen to the peaceful protesters the same counterculture media darlings whove been sacking cities across America. The rabble Black Lives Matter sympathizers, which, as police arrest records show is almost entirely local was further roused by Seattle City Council Member Kshama Sawant, formerly of Mumbai. Most reprehensibly, Pied Piper Sawant led the peacemakers to occupy City Hall in downtown Seattle, on Tuesday, June 10. The altercation between Council Member Sawant and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan gives new meaning to the broad sweep of ideas in this dysfunctional city. Sawant, a socialist, called on Mayor Durkan, a progressive, to resign over abuse of power (what power?) and systemic racism (a meaningless abstraction). This, as the city was being sacked. Surrender monkeys As of this writing, the Seattle police has surrendered without defeat. Seven blocks of downtown Seattle, renamed the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), have been appropriated by the Peaceful Ones, with the imprimatur of the mayor and her police chief (Carmen Best aforementioned). Now loosed on the public, these buccaneering entrepreneurs are reported to have set up checkpoints to shake down residents who imagine they may come and go. Not in this satrapy. On the positive side, Seattle now has that shhole-country vibrancy. The president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, SPOG, penned an open letter to lunatic Mayor Durkan, pondering how he would fulfill his sworn oath of office to protect lives and property without so much as tear gas. He got his answer. America did. Across the U.S., the message to law-abiding Americans, from city, town, county council members and other legislators came loud and clear: Youre on your own. Neither police nor politicians are coming to protect whats left of your businesses or your banal, bourgeoisie little life. Last I looked, there were 400,000 guardian angels in private security toiling to make up for the South African states failure to protect its people. Every year, millions in taxpayers money are forked out to private security firms to protect the new South Africas police stations. South Africas protectors cant protect themselves. Will Seattles neutered policemen be investigating this option? Its time for them to cut the shafted taxpayers loose. Let us go private. When all is said and done, the George Floyd riots are a law-and-order-event. Nothing else matters in the overarching context of a failed state, in which ordered liberty is dead and the law-abiding are utterly forsaken, even vilified. Yes, victims are now villains and villains are martyrs. Unbeknown to Nikolas Fernandez, a gainfully employed security guard, the Capitol Hill district of Seattle now belongs to the peaceful protesters. Fernandez dared to drive down it, only to be mobbed by the barbarians and forced to shoot an attacker possessing of animal-like agility. Legacy media quickly turned the narrative on its head. Fernandez, whose brother is a policeman, had invaded peaceful protester turf. His attacker took a bullet for peace. Hero. Kneeling ninnies Next came the national kneeling. Once again, The state of Washington led the way. On June 1, after hundreds of looters ransacked major shopping malls in Bellevue, including the spectacular Bellevue Square, that citys police chief, Steve Mylett, knelt down like a girl, instead of standing tall like a man for LAW AND ORDER. That was a scary scene in Deliverance,' someone quipped on Twitter. That was it. There was no stopping the kinky trend. Soon, Chief Brian Manley of Austin, Texas, broke down in tears for the protesters, not for property owners robbed. Real manly. Its almost as though WASPs get a homoerotic sexual charge out of prostrating themselves to The Evil Other. The camera panned out across the country to reveal policemen and guardsmen caving. Against the backdrop of Mad Max-like dystopian destruction, men in uniform all collapsed to the pavements like yogis to the command of their black tormentors. One after another. Here is Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills. KNEELING. The forces, police and paramilitary, all squatted like sissies. Isnt there some a code of conduct preventing uniforms from groveling? Police acquit themselves honorably by doing the job ethically. Activism is not in the job description. In Parker, Colorado, masses assumed the postures of ordination: prostration, lying prone, limbs splayed. Congressional Democrats, led by Nancy, did the same. Is twerking next? Finally! We have a man in the house! Georgia State Trooper ONeal Saddler, black, refused to kneel during a Black Lives Matter protest in Hartwell, saying he only kneels for God. And what a hot, decadent mess was this national guard bump-and-grind in Atlanta: men, women and everything in-between, mostly fat, hips swaying as they give themselves over to Dionysian urges. Cops cant be responsible for every misstep a feeble-minded protester takes. An elderly geezer, Martin Gugino, in Buffalo, New York, came right up to a cops face when the latter was on the march. Cop pushed the git to get past him. The geezer was expecting a group hug. Wasnt prepared for a shove. He lost his balance and fell back like a twig. I saw no excess force, except a get out of my face shove. But the cops were hung out to dry. Frey the faker As to Jacob Freys schtick: His was total grief appropriation. Frey is the mayor of Minneapolis, where George Floyd, in whose honor the global orgy of abreaction and destruction is being carried out, died by cop. Only people who knew an individual can legitimately have a Frey-like grand mal when mourning him. Otherwise, Freys performance at the casket was farcical, inauthentic; histrionic. The advice of Humphrey Bogart, playing Rick Blaine in Casablanca (channeled by Woody Allen in Play It Again Sam), should have been considered: I never saw a dame yet that didnt understand a good slap in the mouth. The spectacle of mass contagion, where members of the public turn into professional mourners, flocking to funeral happenings for victims they never knew this is warped. Grief is not a tribal affair. Communities dont grieve; individuals who incur loss do. These are professional pornographers, not mourners. These phony displays among regular folks are at the root of our festering cultural commons. As kids, we knew our local policeman by name. He patrolled our neighborhoods regularly and joshed around with us. He lived among us. Community policing, however, is a thing of the past. Former Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson notorious for shooting Michael Brown gave a clue as to why. Wilson told The New Yorker that while he didnt want to work in a white area, liked the black community and had fun there he had experienced culture shock. Wilson described venturing into a different culture: a pre-gang culture where youre just running in the streets, not worried about working in the morning, just worried about your immediate gratification. For his candor about an alien culture overtaking America, Wilson was called racist by CNNs Boris Sanchez and Kate Bolduan. To make us love our country, our country ought to be lovely, said Edmund Burke, in his Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790). Wilsons words suggest a variation on Burkes theme: To make cops love the communities they police, the communities they police ought to be lovely. Burke further reminded us in 1790 that, To love the little platoon we belong to is the first principle (the germ as it were) of public affections. But what happens when those little platoons are not so little and not so lovely? A country that is without a modicum of cultural cohesion and is, by D.C. design, comprised of ever-accreting, competing factions this kind of country cannot be lovely in the Burkean sense. In fairness to law enforcement, communities in America must be damn difficult to police. Read more at: WND.com Much has changed in this post-pandemic world. The new guidelines, hygiene and social distancing norms, changed curfew time (which doesnt factor in dinner), rent issues, restriction on liquor sales, depleted staff, and peoples hesitance to dine out could well sound the death knell for many a standalone eating house. It was a good launch for Subko, the speciality coffee roasters and bakehouse in Bandra. They announced their entry into the citys buzzing food business with a bang, at a party featuring the whos-who of the citys hospitality industry. In 72 hours, they had to shut down. It was 20 March 2020 and Uddhav Thackeray announced a lockdown in Mumbai to handle the spiralling number of COVID-19 cases. It was a decision that dealt a blow to the hospitality industry particularly to small, niche restaurants like Subko. This week, as states across India enter Unlock 1.0, a phased easing up of the lockdown, things dont seem to have improved much for the restaurant business. Many restaurants stayed shut; those that were open saw few customers. On Firstpost: As Indian restaurant industry eyes post-lockdown reopening, introspection aplenty on what it will take to succeed Much has changed in this post-pandemic world. The new guidelines, hygiene and social distancing norms, changed curfew time (which doesnt factor in dinner), rent issues, restriction on liquor sales, depleted staff, and peoples hesitance to dine out could well sound the death knell for many a standalone eating house. These are not official figures but, I think we will see the closure of 30 to 40 percent restaurants. I know of so many people who dont have the means to survive. This includes tiny bars, cloud kitchens and even QSRs. Even the large chains havent been spared, says Anurag Katriar, president of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and CEO of deGustibus Hospitality. The smaller spaces deal with informal ways of funding. Even if they can manage their finances, they will have a very tough time complying with new hygiene norms. In this new post-COVID world, people with lesser credibility in the minds of people will suffer in terms of business volume. New rules Its been rough going at Subko. In April, they applied for an essential services pass (to sell coffee) but it took three weeks. With depleted staff, they started deliveries of their coffee-based products. When a resident in the building nearby died from COVID-19, they shut down again and quarantined for two weeks. Today, they are open to takeaways and delivery only. Theres a lot of miscommunication about what is allowed or not. We havent gotten any updated information. We are still waiting for concrete guidelines, says founder Rahul Reddy. There have been a few general guidelines in place for restaurants but they differ from state to state. Most arent allowing dining in, with the focus on deliveries and takeaways. Thermal screening of staff and every customer has become mandatory, as is hand hygiene sanitiser and/or sink to wash hands. Masks are a must. Social distancing in restaurants means ensuring each person/table is six feet away, and not more than 50 percent of seating capacity is permitted. Disposable menus and disposable paper napkins are recommended. From the lockdown to the partial opening up with multiple restrictions it has been not only difficult but also for many, impractical. For most restaurants in Mumbai operating at 50 percent capacity would be unsustainable from a business perspective, says Anish Shetty, whose family runs Durga Restaurant and Bar in Matunga, Mumbai. The family-run space opened for deliveries in May, operating with quarter of their staff. They conduct hourly sanitisation clean ups, follow contactless deliveries and their staff stays in-house. Even though we are a bar, we are well known for our food and hence the takeaway and delivery services are doing fairly well, he says. Katriar too cautions against the impracticality of the guidelines. For instance, how can a small hole-in-the-wall eatery or an Udupi restaurant maintain a six-feet distance between patrons? Its why NRAI has come up with a comprehensive (yet to be released) document detailing how restaurants should tackle the realities of a post-coronavirus world. It includes protocol for every aspect of running a restaurant from valet parking to receiving raw materials. In Coonoor, Radhika Shastry opened her eatery, Cafe Diem, to dine-ins this week, with many changes. Theres a hygiene nook with a sink, and sanitiser, at the entrance. The tables have reduced by half, and are separated by partitions. Some tables are out in the balcony too, protected from monkeys by a netted curtain. The temperature of the servers is mentioned on a chalkboard. Her disposable napkins are made of banana leaf. The first day saw four customers, the second day, 10. The interest has been very low. Here, people arent that keen on dining out. It is going to take a while for things to pick up, she says. Shastry was able to make the required changes but for many, it isnt as achievable. Most places are still standing because they opened for deliveries and takeaways, using minimal staff and tying up with aggregators like Swiggy, Zomato, WeFast or doing the deliveries themselves. Restaurants that didnt do deliveries had to change their model or be creative in their outlook. The Goan restaurant, Fish Curry Rice it has two outlets in Pune opened for deliveries this week, serving only fish. Fish is in short supply during this season so people are happy to order it in. Next month, Shravan will start and people will avoid meat. So, we decided to focus on fish, says owner Sandesh Bhat. He has tied up with Swiggy and Zomato and has two dedicated personnel for deliveries. In a bid to stand out, Bhat is also serving marinated fish, and selling prepared fish by the kilo at discounted rates. Subko invested much time and money on their physical space and hadnt planned a delivery kitchen. Reddy delivered many orders within Bandra on foot; now, they allow people to come by for pick-ups. We have to be creative so that we can compel people to try a new brand, says Reddy. Besides a strong social media presence, they also launched a social distancing store: a contactless menu that allows customers to order, key in delivery details, and pay. Hidden costs Though the delivery/ takeaway model seems to be the solution of the hour, the revenue earned is a fraction of whats needed to run a business. In Delhi, Little Saigon opened for deliveries on 20 May with the three partners doing everything. Their business dropped to 20 percent. If they cannot manage rent, chef Hana Ho says they will shift to becoming only a delivery/takeaway space. Nathaniel Da Costa, partner at Hideaway Cafe and Bar in Vagator, has seen his business reduce to just 15 percent of what it was. Goa doesnt have a strong culture of ordering in. Many of our customers were freelancers who have now lost their jobs and cannot afford to order, he says. To adapt, Hideaway is introducing affordable meals (a lunchbox), and have partnered with Swiggy. It isnt enough. We are running out of funds and losing money every day. I have another job but my partners do not. We wont be able to afford rent for next year, Da Costa says. Theyve even started looking at items within the restaurant they can sell. In financial terms, its not just a question of rent. Restaurants have other overheads to meet. Rent was not a concern for us, but the restaurant industry has heavy overheads which is making us bleed. These include staff costs, salaries and even something as basic as redundant stocks of beer we did not sell anything illegally at astronomical rates, says Shetty. Though Cafe Diem was open to takeaways during the lockdown, Shastry has spent the most money on diesel to run her generators. We have a lot of power issues. When the lockdown began, we were fully stocked for summer and we have to run our freezers to ensure nothing is wasted, she says. She had to send two of her staff members on furlough. On the other hand, there are some restaurants that havent opened. In Gangtok, sisters Bhavana and Manisha Sharmas The Travel Cafe is still shut. We didnt do home deliveries earlier. It is unknown territory for us. When the cafe was open, we were just sustaining ourselves. It didnt make sense opening again. Besides, people here are scared to order food, says Bhavana. Bhat is hopeful that things will improve. He plans on opening two more outlets by the end of the year. There will be losses but I have to find a solution. If your brand is good and you serve quality fare, you will get your customers back, he says. The Shetty family remains positive too: Durga survived the riots in the 80s, the economic crisis in 2008-09. We are expecting the government to provide some direct relief to the restaurant industry. We will get through this, together. WHO says while the situation in Brazil remains of concern, its health system was standing up to the pressure. Brazils coronavirus death toll overtook Britains on Friday to become the second highest in the world, but the World Health Organization (WHO) said the nations health system was standing up to the pressure. The Ministry of Health recorded 909 deaths on Friday, putting the total at 41,828. It also reported a cumulative total of 828,810 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 25,982 new infections in the last 24 hours numbers that were second only to the United Statess. Experts warn the actual number of cases in Latin Americas biggest economy could be many times higher. Mike Ryan, the WHOs top emergencies expert, said the situation in Brazil remains of concern, although he acknowledged that intensive care bed occupancy rates are now below 80 percent in most areas of the country. Overall the health system is still coping in Brazil, although, having said that, with the sustained number of severe cases that remains to be seen, Ryan said at a briefing in Geneva. Clearly the health system in Brazil across the country needs significant support in order to sustain its effort in this regard. But the data we have at the moment supports a system under pressure, but a system still coping with the number of severe cases. Brazils mounting toll comes as the country moves to ease quarantine restrictions and reopen businesses, amid pressure from President Jair Bolsonaro and his followers. The right-wing leader has minimised the gravity of the novel coronavirus, dismissing it as a little flu, and has accused state governments of exaggerating the number of infections and deaths to undermine him. On Thursday night, Bolsonaro encouraged his supporters to find a way to get inside hospitals to film whether the ICU beds are occupied or not, to provide images that the police and Brazils intelligence agency could investigate. Separately, the Ministry of Health last week stopped publishingcumulative totals of infections and deaths, and reversed the decision only after a Supreme Court ruling. The top court has previously ruled that state and local governments have the authority to order businesses to close in the face of the pandemic. Gustavo Ribiero, founder of the Brazilian Report, said Bolsonaro was unlikely to change his stance on the pandemic despite the increasing number of deaths. If his time in office has taught us anything, it is that Bolsonaro will always double down on his bet. Now Bolsonaros strategy to put all the blame for the deaths and the economic crisis on the governors, Ribiero said from Sao Paulo. Hes saying that since the Supreme Court has ruled that state governors and mayors have the authority over lockdowns, everything regarding the pandemic is their fault and not the federal governments. Ribiero added: Jair Bolsonaros approval rating has been consistent at 30 percent, but its not the same 30 percent that supported him a year ago. Due to the economic backlash from the coronavirus crisis, he has lost support among the wealthy and the businessmen. He has gained support among poor voters because the government has put in place a coronavirus stipend of $120 per month for three months that has aided a lot of people below the poverty line to stay afloat. A poll by brokerage XP Investimentos released on Friday showed that 52 percent of Brazilians now favour easing quarantine restrictions versus 44 percent against, even though 61 percent of those surveyed believe the worst is still to come. Last month, an XP Investimentos poll had found that 76 percent saw social distancing as the best way to avoid the spread of the virus and 57 percent thought quarantine measures should remain in place until the risk of infection subsided. When J.K. Rowling was accused of transphobia about two years ago for liking a tweet that referred to transgender women as men in dresses, much of the Harry Potter fandom tried to give their beloved author the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps it really was just an accident, a clumsy and middle-aged moment, as Rowlings spokesperson said at the time. Then people noticed that Rowling followed commentators on Twitter who described transgender women as men. In December, she made her personal views more clear when she expressed enthusiastic support for a British researcher who filed a lawsuit against her former employer, claiming that she had been discriminated against for her gender critical views (i.e. her stance on the fixity of ones sex at birth). It felt like we were waiting for the other shoe to drop, said Melissa Anelli, a veteran leader in the Potter fandom who co-owns the Leaky Cauldron. This week, it did. First, Rowling took aim at an article that referred to people who menstruate, suggesting that it was wrong to not use women in a misguided attempt to include trans people. When she received negative response to this, she then published a 3,700-word essay on gender, sex, abuse and fear: I refuse to bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode woman as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators. Across the Potter fandom the first book was published 23 years ago, making it one of the online worlds most enduring fandoms a conversation began. Some discussions were tense, when fans who sympathized with Rowlings views clashed with fans who found them to be odious. Others felt that they could simply turn away from the politics of the real world and focus on whats happening in the wizarding world. Among the fans who vehemently reject Rowlings views, the discussion is on how to distance or separate themselves from the author who created a fantasy world that animates their lives on a daily basis. We Created the Fandom They listen to chapter-by-chapter podcasts, get tattoos with the Hogwarts crest or Deathly Hallows symbol, and attend Potter conferences like LeakyCon, which draws thousands of fans every year. Some have even built their careers on it. Over the past week, some fans said that they had decided to simply walk away from the world that spans seven books, eight movies and an ever-expanding franchise. Others said that they were trying to separate the artist from the art, to remain in the fandom while denouncing someone who was once considered to be royalty. J.K. Rowling gave us Harry Potter; she gave us this world, said Renae McBrian, a young adult author who volunteers for the fan site MuggleNet. But we created the fandom, and we created the magic and community in that fandom. That is ours to keep. The essay was particularly gutting for transgender and nonbinary fans, many of whom found solace in the world of Harry Potter and used to see the series as a way to escape anxiety. Rori Porter, a writer and digital designer who started the books about two decades ago, at age 10, had been listening to the audiobooks as a way to relax and fall asleep until the Rowling controversy bubbled up in December. Porter, who is a transfeminine woman, which, to her experience, means she was assigned male at birth but identifies with a feminine gender, stopped listening in the middle of Prisoner of Azkaban and has not started again. The series no longer felt grounding and nostalgic, but stress inducing. Porter said she needs a break from the series (and doesnt plan on giving Rowling a cent ever again), but she thinks she may revisit the audiobooks one day. I dont want to give J.K. Rowling the satisfaction of taking away from me something that I loved as a kid, she said. For Talia Franks, who is nonbinary and works with an activist group called the Harry Potter Alliance, Rowlings comments were disturbing and demoralizing. But they said that they wont have a problem continuing to write their fan fiction (where queer characters abound), attend Wizard Rock concerts and participate in the online Black Girls Create community, where they often discuss Harry Potter. I dont need J.K. Rowling at all, Franks said. Fan organizations that serve as repositories of niche news, providing updates on plans for the Fantastic Beasts film series and regional Quidditch award results, are searching for ways to affirm to transgender and nonbinary fans that they are welcome in those communities. Fandom leaders are teaming up to present a unified statement condemning Rowlings comments, said Kat Miller, MuggleNets creative director. It helped boost morale when a series of Harry Potter actors spoke out to affirm transgender identities, including Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry; Emma Watson, who played Hermione; Rupert Grint, who played Ron; and Katie Leung, who played Cho. (Rowling has also received a recent bout of criticism for the character Cho Chang, whose name is as weak as her characterization.) Other Potter lovers are thinking about ways to keep delving into the series without spending money that might make its way into Rowlings bank account. On Twitter, The Gayly Prophet Podcast which describes itself as an intersectional, queer Harry Potter podcast encouraged fans not to attend the theme park, see the Cursed Child play or even rent the movies. The hosts of the podcast, Jessie Blount and Lark Malakai Grey, are already quite comfortable with criticizing the series and its author while pointing out where things get, in their view, problematic (for instance, the underdevelopment of black characters). The intention is to enjoy the art while still holding the artist accountable, Grey said. Proma Khosla, a 29-year-old Ravenclaw, who has been going to Harry Potter conventions since age 15, also read the Cormoran Strike crime series that started with The Cuckoos Calling in 2013, which Rowling published under a pen name. The fifth book in the series is expected to be published in September, but because of Rowlings anti-transgender comments, Khosla said that she has no intention of purchasing it (Im fine to not know how it ends, she said). Karter Powell, another Harry Potter Alliance volunteer, has a bedroom filled with Potter merchandise, from Potter bedsheets to a Slytherin scarf to a wand from the Universal theme park but they dont plan to buy that kind of merchandise ever again. Even if the fandom presented a united front, which of course it cannot, its unlikely it could cancel an author who created a multibillion-dollar franchise. We can say were going to cancel her, but shes going to get money for the rest of her life, said JNeia Stewart, host of The House of Black Podcast, which looks at the series through a social justice lens. Each fan must make her own choices for herself then. Anelli, 40, who is also the author of the book Harry, a History, had planned to buy her nephew the books in the series for his 7th birthday this past week. But she decided that she couldnt go through with it during the same week that Rowling again captured the attention of the internet with her anti-transgender tweets. Ive been looking forward to this for seven years, and it was going to be this week, she said. I couldnt do it, and it broke my heart. I did buy him the Percy Jackson series, she added. JK Rowling and the Case of the Bathroom Trope Rowlings essay, which was published Wednesday, rails against the term TERF, or trans-exclusionary radical feminist, describing it as a slur used to silence women like herself on the internet. She repeated a number of pieces of misinformation that are common talking points for this loose association of people and made the claim that the movement led by transgender activists is eroding the notion of womanhood and offering cover to predators like few before it. As a sort of explanation for that fear, Rowling recounted memories of a sexual assault in her 20s. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels hes a woman, she wrote, then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. The idea that allowing trans people to use bathrooms that align with their identities endangers other people subjecting them to a greater risk of assault and privacy violations has been voiced most prominently by conservative lawmakers to stop gender-inclusive legislation from passing. There is no evidence to back up their claims. Researchers have found that young trans and nonbinary people face a greater risk of sexual assault when they are denied use of appropriate restrooms or locker rooms. In a 2017 survey of LGBTQ students, the organization GLSEN found that students said the bathroom was the most avoided and most unsafe space for them. Rowling also tweeted that I respect every trans persons right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. Her timing was also questioned. Many people wrote that they were exasperated by Rowlings decision to post such a self-focused essay at a time when the United States is consumed by discussions about racism and police brutality that are changing institutions including the media, police departments and schools. Julia Jacobs c.2020 The New York Times Company The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > LETTER TO THE READERS, 13 June - COVID 19 Lockdown Edition No.12 Letter to Readers Mainstream, 13 June 2020 - Lockdown Edition no 12 The Govt. of India has kept citizens in the dark about large-scale entry of Chinese troops into Indian territory inside Ladakh. The otherwise very jingoistic govt which leaves no opportunity go by to make noises of war vis a vis Pakistan has been totally silent about China. The Modi govt probably feared a political fallout so it has kept mum. Some rare media reports revealed details of the scale about 10,000 regular Chinese troops had entered a part of Ladakh since later April 2020, the Indians took time but responded slowly by deploying nearly equal numbers. Some knowledgeable former military officials see this as part of the recurring cycle of incursions and clashes on the India-China border We seem to have fallen into a familiar pattern: the Chinese actions catch us by surprise, both at the strategic and the tactical level; we react with a much higher force level; the exact place and the extent of the intrusion is never formally acknowledged; the outcomes of the military and diplomatic engagements and concessions meted out are not put out in public domain; and without learning any lesson, we repeat the entire process when the next crisis occurs. In the last seven years the same pattern was repeated at Depsang 2013, Chumar 2014, Doklam 2017 and also now in eastern Ladakh.- says Lt. Gen Panag (see: https://theprint.in/opinion/pm-modis-silence-on-lac-stand-off-is-benefiting-china-india-must-change-its-script/439423/) and some senior commentators talk of the rationale behind Chinese intervention in Ladakh as connected to the dissolution of article 370 in Jammu Kashmir and its reconfiguration into two Union Territories managed by the centre. Few know that in 1982-83 the Chinese leadership was interested in resolving the border row, but that did not work out due to the machinations of some foreign service elements in South Block. When Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi went to China in the late 1980s he was given a rousing welcome and there were prospects that this would be followed up by extensive border negotiations but that unfortunately did not materalise. Later, during Prime Minister Narasimha Raos visit to China in 1993 there were very positive signs that the two countries could move fast towards a resolution of the border problem but it seems the officialdom on either side blocked matters. (However the Rao visit helped come out with a bilateral agreement for ensuring peace and tranquillity on the border). But decades on India has tilted very close to the US administration which has been egging New Delhi to join an anti-China axis. China of today is a far bigger power economically and militarily. India must continue to use every diplomatic avenue to resolve the border question with China, it cannot afford to go to war nor call for any sort of economic boycott. The Modi Government must break the silence and take Parliament into confidence about what has happened in Ladakh. o o The new Israeli government has plans to take over large parts of Palestinian West Bank, which had once been militarily occupied in 1967. There is already a long history of appropriation of lands from this area through the forced displacement of Palestinians and the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The coming Israeli annexation of the Palestinian territory of West Bank, would endanger peace in the region; Jordon its immediate neighbour has announced that it will break off a peace agreement with Israel if it takes over west bank territories. Post independent India always stood up for the Palestinians and it is time for it to re-iterate its solidarity with Palestinians and oppose any plans by Israel to take over Palestinian lands. Failure by India to speak firmly at International Forum against any forced takeover of Palestinian territories will damage its standing across Africa and the Middle East. o o Resistance to racism and police violence in the US and continues to have an echo Europe, notably in UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and France all former colonial powers; In the wake of anti-racist demonstrations, the monuments of figures of the slave trade have been targeted and pulled down as inadmissible symbols. There is a sort of instant justice at work here by an impatient public. You cannot resolve the wrongs of history of colonization, slave trade, de-colonisation in one stroke. When history waves a national flag, it always tells a partisan story not necessarily a true one. The dominant figures, the notables of an epoch, not always the nice guys get credo and recognition, yes the past is murky. Governments honour their generals and leaders and figures from dominant elites and create symbols of national history as a source of self-justification. The possibility that history might offer a warning as happened in Germany is nonexistent here. The statues, road-names, city names from the past should not be demolished and changed. We cannot erase history however wrong but we should rather try to create new symbols more representative of all who live together in societies but divided by class, culture and other grounds. They should all find a place in our museums, in our history curriculums, in our public spaces and public squares. Reading about symbols of slavery, news of racism and police violence in US and the UK, people outside tend to see these as far away realities there is little effort to unearth the elephants in their own rooms of deep-running racism/xenophobia / anti-migrant sentiment, communalism, casteism, growing rightwing vigilante squads to whom violence is outsourced, excessive police violence, in locations within the Global South and beyond India, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Russia, to name a just a few places. o o We remember Ajay Singh, a journalist and later a Member of Parliament from Agra. He also served as Deputy Minister for Railways in the V P Singh Government and then as Indias ambassador to Fiji. Ajay Singh passed away in New Delhi on the June 9, 2020. We also pay our sincere tributes to Justice Hosbet Suresh, former judge of the Bombay High Court, who showed a deep commitment for human rights and for the marginalised. Justice Suresh Passed away in Bombay on the June 11, 2020. June 13, The Editor Update at 6:00 PM Apart from the meeting with Delhi CM Kejriwal, Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan will also chair a meeting with the commisioners of the three Municipal Corporations in Delhi. The CM, L-G, AIIMS director and the mayors of the three municipalities will be present in the second meeting. This meeting is scheduled to be held at 5 PM on Sunday. Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will also remain present besides Director AIIMS Randeep Guleria, Commissioners of three Municipal Corporations and senior officers from Union Home and Health Ministries: Home MInister's Office https://t.co/dkjOsSOceu ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2020 Amid the alarming rise in Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the national capital, Home Minister Amit Shah is set to chair an important meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in Delhi on Sunday. The meeting includes Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Health Minister Satyendra Jain, Lieutenant General Anil Baijal, and Dr. AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria. Delhi saw its highest spike on Friday with 2137 new cases and 71 deaths. Delhi L-G forms committee to manage COVID-19 apathy; ICMR, AIIMS and NCDC heads named SC pulls up Delhi govt Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court pulled up the Delhi Government stating that Delhi was the only state in the country that had decreased the number of tests daily as compared to all the other states. It said that it was really pained seeing the stories of Government Hospitals in New Delhi and how they were treating the COVID-19 patients and dead bodies in the hospital. Meanwhile, Delhi HC ordered private hospitals that have reserved 20% beds for admitting COVID-19 patients and have ICMR-accredited labs to start conducting novel coronavirus tests on symptomatic or asymptomatic patients seeking admission in the hospital. The Delhi HC also said that more cremation infrastructure is urgently needed in the national capital. Meanwhile, Delhi's health minister has said that lockdown will not be extended post June 31, inspite of its rising cases. While Delhi has opened its borders, its neighbouring state- Uttar Pradesh has refused to open its borders at Noida and Ghaziabad, citing that 'Delhi has 40 times the cases than Noida'. Currently, Delhi's tally stands at 36,824 cases with 1214 deaths. Delhi sees biggest 1 day spike with 2137 new COVID cases; CM says 'no lockdown extension' Community transmission in Delhi? On Tuesday, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had informed that All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS) Director Dr. Randeep Guleria has accepted that there is community transmission in Delhi however it is now up to the Centre to make an official declaration about it. With its rising fatality rate and cases, the state government has forecast 5.5 lakh cases in the capital by July 31. On the other hand, ICMR has ruled out community transmission in India. Coronavirus Live Updates: India crosses 3-lakh mark during Unlock1, total cases at 308993 On June 1, Kejriwal announced guidelines for the extended lockdown which will last till June 30. Kejriwal who has often advised Delhiites to get used to living with Coronavirus has drastically eased the restrictions in the city. To curb the rise in cases, L-G Anil Baijal has appointed a committee consisting of members from All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)to make recommendations, formulating a practical approach to deal with the crisis. Delhi fast heading towards becoming Corona Capital; private hospitals to conduct tests: HC Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki has vowed not to appeal his disqualification from the state All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship primary. Speaking via a statement by his spokesman, Crusoe Osagie, he mocked the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole and described his administration of the party as illegal and an open show of shame. Read Also: Obaseki Disqualified From APC Primary He then called on his supporters to remain calm and wait for further directives. Advertisement He said, We have therefore decided that it would be an effort in futility to appeal whatever the unjust outcome of the evaluation and screening process of the APC will be, especially when Comrade Oshiomhole has declared that he is the Supreme Court and ultimate determiner of the fate and future of our great party. We wish Oshiomhole well in his maladministration of the party and trust that the Almighty will help our country to find the path to true liberty, freedom, and justice, Godwin Obaseki stated. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-14 02:20:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a gas tank truck blast in east China has risen to 14 and the number of the injured grew to 168, local authorities said. The accident occurred at around 4:46 p.m. Saturday when a tank truck loaded with liquified gas exploded near the village of Liangshan in the city of Wenling, Zhejiang Province, on a section of the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway, the authorities said. A second blast happened when the blown-up truck fell onto a workshop near the expressway. The explosions caused the collapse of some residential houses and factory workshops. The ministries of public security and emergency management have sent their working groups to Zhejiang. Rescue and search efforts are underway. Enditem Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said that a complaint has been lodged with special operations group (SOG) to probe alleged attempts to topple the state government by poaching Congress legislators through money transfers. Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, the opposition party in the state, the CM said at a press conference, In Rajasthan, if the BJP leaders are making calls to Congress and independent MLAs, what should we call it, in an apparent reference to the toppling of Congress governments in Karnataka and then Madhya Pradesh. This has come after Congress chief whip in the state assembly Mahesh Joshi filed a complaint with the anti-corruption bureau on Wednesday, seeking action against those allegedly trying to topple the government. Reacting to deputy chief minister Sachin Pilots statement that he had not received any complaint of horse trading, Gehlot said, I am the leader of the house and the chief minister and if something has been learnt, it would have come from a source. How can this be disclosed? Hitting out the BJP of indulging in politics amid the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic, Gehlot said, They toppled the government in Madhya Pradesh and now something similar is being planned in Rajasthan. They (BJP) are exposed in public. Meanwhile, state Congress president Pilot said the party has a comfortable mandate to win two of the three seats in the Rajya Sabha elections. Both the party candidates will win and there is no doubt on this, he said. Congress spokesperson and the Rajasthan observer for Rajya Sabha elections Randeep Surjewala said, There is no compulsion on any legislators and they all want to stay together. If someone comes to your house to commit theft then you will safeguard your house from thieves. If thieves are coming to steal democracy then it is our responsibility to protect democracy. BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said, The horse trading word is used by Congress and they have such history. People connect with BJP for its ideology. Congress leaders have lost faith in their leadership, and the party is blaming BJP for this. Price: Covid-19 has cost 400m so far, said HSE chief Paul Reid The number of people who are picking up the coronavirus in their own home and among extended family is on the rise. It comes as people mingle more in the community and bring the virus back with them. New figures yesterday showed infection at a low level with three more dying from the virus, bringing the toll to 1,705. Another 13 people were newly diagnosed with the infection, leaving the total number of infections here at 25,250. Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said: "The Covid-19 virus will continue to impact on the way we move about our daily lives for the foreseeable future; however, we have already witnessed how our collective action can control the spread of the virus. "By continuing to work together, implementing our new behaviours, we can continue to limit the spread of the disease." Meanwhile, one in five of the 408 patients worst affected by Covid-19 who were admitted to intensive care so far has died, a leading consultant said. Dr Catherine Motherway, an intensive care consultant in Limerick, extended her sympathy to the bereaved and said she and her colleagues were worried about how hospitals would cope this winter. The death rate of 20pc was good by international standards, she told a HSE briefing yesterday. Around 87pc of people admitted to intensive care with the virus had underlying conditions like heart disease and the mean age was 60. However, there were concerns about the impact of surges in infection in the winter and there was a need for more capacity and trained staff, she added. "We continue to care for 28 patients this morning," she said. She paid tribute to the public for following public health advice, saying many lives were saved as a result of the national response. When Covid-19 first hit earlier this year hospitals had just 257 intensive care beds - half the European norm. More than 100 additional critical care beds were created across Ireland and at its peak they looked after 160 patients who were seriously ill from the virus. All patients ill with the virus who needed intensive care were treated and staff were trained to administer the high level care. However, she stressed: "We need to double our intensive care capacity. There has to be an increase in isolation facilities and a speeding up of plans going forward." Intensive care units should not be operating at more than 70pc capacity but the needs of non Covid-19 patients are also pressing. HSE chief Paul Reid said the cost of Covid-19 measures in the health service so far had been around 400m. It could rise to 1.8bn at the end of 2020. He said the HSE's winter plan would need to provide for extra capacity in hospitals. They should be running at no more than 80pc but that was already exceeded, he added. The positivity rate for people tested for Covid-19 over the past seven days to June 11 was 0.8pc, which meant that 99pc were free of the virus. As of yesterday there were 27 people in intensive care, a fall of 88pc on the April peak, with 79 confirmed hospital cases, a 91pc drop on the 879 peak on April 13. The number of newly diagnosed cases at 122 in the seven days to June 11 is down by 64pc on the peak. It looks increasingly inevitable the State will have to provide free face masks to households or targeted groups as the Department of Health steps up it campaign to get more people to wear them on public transport and in shops. People with underlying health conditions and older age groups need more expensive medical masks. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 13 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan increased by 82 to 4,901, Trend reports on June 13 with reference to the Ministry of Health. To date, 3,758 patients have fully recovered in the country, 19 have died. The Special Republican Commission for the preparation of a program of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Uzbekistan has extended the quarantine until June 15, 2020. Since May 15, the commission has lifted some restrictions on certain activities in Uzbekistan. The country has been divided into certain "red", "yellow" and "green" zones, with regard to the level of COVID-19 pandemic spread level. On June 4, the Special Republican Commission updated the list of "red", "yellow" and "green" zones. By decision of the commission, from June 15, catering and kindergarten facilities as well as clothing markets will resume activities in "green" and "yellow" zones. The "red" zones include Kungrad District of Uzbekistan's Karakalpakstan Autonomous Republic; Shafirkan district of Bukhara region; Zarafshan city, Kanimekh and Khatirchin districts of Navoi region; Namangan city, Turakurgan and Uychin districts of Namangan region, Sardoba district of Syrdarya region; Samarkand city, Akdarya, Paiaryk, Pastdargom, Urgut, Samarkand and Taylak districts of Samarkand region; Sariasi district of Surkhandarya region; Tashkent city, Bekabad, Zangiota, Kibray, Yangiyul and Yukori Chirchiq districts of Tashkent region. The "yellow" zones include Nukus city of Karakalpakstan Autonomous Republic; Gijduvon, Karakul districts and Bukhara city of Bukhara region; Norin District of Namangan region; Jomboy and Ishtikhan of Samarkand region; Angren, Chirchik, Nurafshan, Akkurgan, Bukin, Chinaz, Urta Chirchik and Kuyichirchik districts of Tashkent region. The "green" zones include Jizzakh, Fergana and Kashkadarya regions and other non-mentioned districts. The first case of coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan was detected on March 15 in the laboratory of the Research Institute of Virology; it was an Uzbek woman who returned from France. The Ministry of Health later announced that her son, daughter, husband and grandson also tested coronavirus-positive. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini Former India football stalwart and noted coach Subhash Bhowmick died in Kolkata after prolonged illness. He was 72 years old. The fatal shooting of an Atlanta man by a city police officer at a fast-food restaurant late Friday night launched a day of protests and the resignation of the department's highest-ranking official on Saturday. Officials have identified the man as 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks. At 10:33 p.m. local time, officers responded to a Wendy's restaurant on University Avenue after receiving a complaint that Brooks was asleep in a parked car in the drive-thru, authorities said. After failing a field sobriety test, officers said they attempted to place him into custody. It was at that point, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, that Brooks resisted and a struggle ensued. Surveillance video from the restaurant shows that during a physical struggle with police, Brooks obtained one of the officer's stun guns and began to flee, GBI said in a statement Saturday afternoon. MORE: Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigns in wake of fatal shooting "Video appears to show to the naked eye Brooks running away four, five, six, seven parking spaces before he appears to turn around and point a Taser at an officer. At that point the officer retrieves his weapon from his holster and discharges it, striking Brooks. This account has been corroborated by witness interviews," said GBI Director Vic Reynolds. The Atlanta Police Department identified the two officers involved in the incident as David Bronsan and Garret Rolfe. Officer Bronsan has now been placed on administrative duty and Officer Rolfe has been terminated. David Bronsan has worked for the Atlanta Police Department since 2018 and Garrett Rolfe was a seven year veteran of the force having worked for them since 2013. PHOTO: The Atlanta Police Department identified the officers involved in Friday nights officer involved shooting as David Bronsan and Garrett Rolfe. This image is of Garrett Rolfe who had worked as at the Atlanta Police Department since 2013. (Atlanta Police Department) PHOTO: The Atlanta Police Department identified the officers involved in Friday nights officer involved shooting as David Bronsan and Garrett Rolfe. This image is of David Bronsan who had worked as at the Atlanta Police Department since 2018. (Atlanta Police Department) A copy of the video was released to the public Saturday afternoon. Just hours after the shooting, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields submitted her resignation to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Shields had led the department since December 2016. "Chief Erika Shields has been a solid member of APD for over two decades, and has a deep and abiding love for the people of Atlanta," Bottoms said in a statement. "And because of her desire that Atlanta be a model of what meaningful reform should look like across this country Chief Shields has offered to immediately step aside as Police Chief so that the city may move forward with urgency and rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities." Story continues PHOTO: Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot and killed by Atlanta police after they responded to a call about someone being asleep in the the drive thru. Police say he stole an officer's Taser and pointed it at an officer who opened fire. (Stewart Trial Attorneys) An earlier account of the incident was based on the officer's bodycam, which was knocked off during the physical struggle, preventing the capture of the entire shooting incident, GBI said. Brooks was taken to a local hospital, where he died after emergency surgery. Brooks was the father of three daughters, as well as a stepson. He had been celebrating his 8-year-old daughter's birthday earlier in the day, his family lawyer said. One officer was treated for an injury sustained during the encounter, but has already been released from the hospital, according to GBI. PHOTOS: Death of George Floyd sparks widespread outcry, protests Once the GBI concludes its investigation, the case will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney's office, which intends to conduct its own probe. "I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do," Bottoms said in a press conference regarding the officer's actions. "I do not believe this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer." The other officer has been placed on administrative duty. Friday night's deadly encounter with police led to large groups gathering and protesting at the scene, chanting Brooks' name. Protesters appeared to start a large fire in the Wendy's building where Brooks was shot late Saturday. Attorney L. Chris Stewart, who is representing Brooks' family, stressed in a Saturday night press conference that the officers involved had other options and did not need to kill Brooks. "I've had cases where officers have used Tasers ... and they argue with us that Tasers are not deadly," Stewart said. "You can't say he ran off with a weapon that could kill somebody when you say it's not deadly." PHOTO: Protesters demonstrate outside a Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta, Saturday, June 13, 2020, where Rayshard Brooks, a black man, was shot and killed by Atlanta police Friday evening following a struggle in the drive-thru line. (Hyosub Shi/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. is asking anyone who witnessed, photographed or took any videos of the incident to call their office's tip hotline 404-612-4903. This is the 48th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been requested to investigate this year. Those 48 cases include the fatal shootings of 15 people. "Are you not tired of seeing cases like this happen?" Stewart asked. "People are sick of watching black men murdered." MORE: Timeline: The impact of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis and beyond Reynolds has asked agents to expedite the investigation "due to the nature of the case in the current environment were living in today." A frustrated Stewart asked, "I dont know what justice is anymore. Is it getting [the officer] arrested? Is it getting somebody fired? Is it the chief stepping down? I know that this isnt justice, whats happening in this country right now. PHOTO: A protester holds up a sign on Saturday, June 13, 2020, near the Wendy's restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by police Friday evening following a struggle in the restaurant's drive-thru line in Atlanta. (Brynn Anderson/AP) Atlanta, along with cities across the U.S. and the world, has been the site of massive protests following the death of George Floyd while in police custody on Memorial Day. Floyd was killed after an officer pressed his knee against his neck for nearly nine minutes. During the gruesome video, Floyd can be heard saying, "I can't breathe." That video and Floyd's death sparked widespread protests again racism and police brutality throughout the U.S. Major demonstrations, including protesters taking over a precinct in Seattle, are continuing this weekend as many are calling for significant police reforms. ABC News' Matt Foster, Ahmad Hemingway, Josh Hoyos and J. Gabriel Ware contributed to this report Atlanta police officer fired after Rayshard Brooks death during confrontation at Wendy's drive-thru originally appeared on abcnews.go.com By Express News Service KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the theft of computer equipment from Indias first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) under construction at the Cochin Shipyard has breathed a sigh of relief as the Covid-19 antibody test conducted on the two persons arrested in connection with the theft came back negative on Friday. Following this, the agency sought one-week custody of accused Sumit Kumar Singh of Bihar and Daya Ram of Rajasthan for further interrogation and recovery of the stolen hardware. The test was conducted after the duo was brought to Kochi on Thursday. They are currently lodged in an isolation centre here in adherence to the governments Covid-19 protocol for remand prisoners. The NIA said Singh and Ram need to be interrogated to get information about their modus operandi and whether more persons are involved. The NIA also has to recover one computer component which the accused sold via OLX in Kochi. The court will take a decision on the NIAs plea on Monday. It has also asked the District Legal Services Authority to appoint a lawyer to represent the duo in court. This too will be done on Monday. The theft came to light on September 13, 2019 after the trial run of the IACs Integrated Platform Management System. State Department of Correction Commissioner Rollin Cook has resigned from his post effective July 1, citing family obligations in Utah. Cook announced his resignation in a heartfelt internal memo Friday. Although I had planned and hoped for a longer tenure serving as Commissioner, I have submitted my resignation to Governor (Ned) Lamont, Cook said. Like all of you, my family is most important to me and this is really my opportunity to return to all of them. Cooks father died unexpectedly this past December, he wrote in the memo, and his family has remained in Utah. My wife, kids and my mom were all there when everything shutdown, he said. I could not and would not leave my responsibilities here knowing our organization would be facing its most challenging event in decades, so we weathered the storm apart. Cook said he understood his challenging circumstances are one story in the millions of stories faced by everyone through COVID-19, and I do not share it with you in an attempt for you to feel sorry or bad for me My intent is to only let you know I leave because my family needs me and I need them. Cook arrived in Connecticut early in Lamonts tenure with glowing references from Scott Semple, his predecessor, and the former governors criminal justice adviser, Michael P. Lawlor. Both had praised Cook as a reformer in his previous position as the top prison official in Utah. Commissioner Cook has been a reliable, steady hand at our Department of Correction since I came into office, and I am grateful for his service and leadership,Lamont said. He helped guide our prison system through a challenging and unprecedented time during this pandemic, and I cant thank him enough for all of the work and thoughtfulness he has brought to the position. Cook leaves amid an international pandemic and days after the state reached an agreement with the ACLU of Connecticut over a lawsuit filed to protect incarcerated people from COVID-19. Under his tutelage, the departments incarcerated population fell by 2,200 people due to a combination of a sharp decline in arrests and admissions to correctional facilities, and an increase in the number of discretionary releases that allowed people to get out of prison before the end of their sentence. Lamont has appointed Angel Quiros, the DOCs deputy commissioner of operations and rehabilitative services, to serve as acting commissioner while he conducts a national search to permanently fill the position. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 14:21:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Friday expressed his deep shock over the discovery of multiple mass graves in Libya in recent days, said a UN statement. The majority of the graves are in Tarhouna, a town 65 km southeast of Tripoli. "The secretary-general calls for a thorough and transparent investigation, and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. In particular, he calls on the authorities to secure the mass graves, identify the victims, establish causes of death and return the bodies to next of kin. The United Nations has offered support in this regard," the statement said. The secretary-general once again reminded all parties to the conflict in Libya of their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. "The secretary-general reiterates his call for an immediate end to the fighting in Libya in order to save lives and end civilian suffering. He welcomes the resumption of the work of the Libyan Joint Military Commission and hopes that a ceasefire will be agreed soon," said the statement. Enditem The foundation of one of San Antonios first African-American churches, discovered in February along San Pedro Creek, soon could be added to the National Register of Historic Places. Raba Kistner, archaeological consultant on the San Pedro Creek Culture Park project, is working on a recommendation for National Register eligibility for the late-1860s site of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, located just south of Houston Street, across the creek from the Alameda Theater. Kerry Averyt, senior engineer with the San Antonio River Authority, which is managing the massive Bexar County project, said construction work in the area of the church foundation has been halted until archaeological and historical research is completed. Mike Fisher / Staff artist But he said some work soon could resume around the remnants of the church site if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Texas Historical Commission agree to add the site to the National Register. On ExpressNews.com: Discovery adds intrigue, challenge to San Pedro Creek project Right now, were kind of in a holding pattern until we get that eligibility determination, Averyt told the San Pedro Creek Citizens Advisory Committee at its monthly meeting, held Thursday via teleconference. A report on the sites eligibility could be completed by next week, starting a 30-day review period, he said. The river authority, meanwhile, is coordinating with the corps, historical commission and the citys Office of Historic Preservation on how best to interpret and appropriately preserve the church site, in an area full of history, including Spanish colonial artifacts and wall footings for industrial structures dating to the 1800s. Authority officials also are working with a focus group that includes preservationists, African-American historians and officials of the AME church, which still is active today, to ensure the story of the site is told accurately. Completion of the second segment of the Culture Park now under construction has been pushed back by about two months to August 2021, Averyt said. The flood control and beautification project is funded primarily by the county, with some federal dollars administered through the Corps of Engineers. St. James was one of Bexar Countys first black churches. It was founded in 1867, shortly after the end of the Civil War and abolition of slavery. It later moved to the West Side, where its a thriving parish. William Luther, Staff / Staff In addition to the foundation, a worn cornerstone inscribed with the words AME Church was uncovered during digging earlier this year. Excavations at the site also have uncovered animal bones, pieces of ceramic vessels and other Spanish colonial-era artifacts; remnants of an ice-making plant; and components of a coal-powered gas plant. Carey Latimore, a Trinity University professor specializing in African-American studies and member of the projects interpretive plan committee, has said the early St. James congregation was a community lifeline for former slaves trying to adjust after abolition. Psychologically, can you imagine what they were facing being owned, and then stepping out of that as you start to engage in the new world, Latimore said in a recent interview. Many people who may have not had connections to their family, in this church, they create a new family. On ExpressNews.com: Creek project to include popular sound-light art installation SARA General Manager Suzanne Scott said the project is certain to include text on a marker or signage with site-related information about the church and other historical features in the area. But there also will be an opportunity to share more of this new information, this history that weve learned on the AME church through the parks website and smartphone app, for people who want more detail, she said. William Luther /Staff We also know the importance of trying to provide all of these resources that have been gathered, so that those community members and visitors to this area in the future that want to do a deeper dive, they will be able to do that, Scott said. This is a culture park, and we need to make sure we are representing all cultures in this park, she said. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Scott, become a subscriber. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA Lagos Traders at the popular Olaleye market in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos State are still counting their losses following the fierce fire at the early hours of Saturday, May 30, 2020. Although no life was lost, the fire destroyed goods and other properties worth millions of naira. The few shops that were spared by the fire were burgled by miscreants. Following the relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown, the traders also started business, but their joy did not last long as a result of the fire incident, which they described as mysterious because its source is not known. It was gathered that officials of the Lagos State Fire Service, LASEMA Response Fire and Rescue Unit (LRU Fire) and the Federal Fire Service battled to put off the fire and prevented it from spreading to residential buildings. Our correspondent who visited the market on Thursday saw some of the affected victims clearing the rubbles while few of them were seen trying to set up temporary kiosks outside the market. Narrating how the incident occurred, Olaoye Mutiu Bukola, a printer, alleged connivance between the market committee and the police, saying, they chased those sleeping near the market away shortly before the fire started. Our correspondent, however, gathered that the relationship between the traders and leadership of the market was not encouraging. Bukola said, "Those people have been sleeping in front of the market for long, but on this faithful day, the police came about 11pm to send them away, while the fire began few hours later. "When government issued a directive that people should stop sleeping in the market, we stopped working overnight, but few slept outside the market. These were the people the police came to harass and send away. That is why we are suspecting that the committee and police may have conspired to set the market ablaze. Why is it that the market was gutted by fire the same night they came to chase people away?" He also alleged that during the fire incident, there was oil on the ground around the market, a situation that made it difficult for those who wanted to help to gain access into the market. "People who wanted to help were falling down from the gate, so we believe it was a pre-meditated action. Again, the incident cannot be traced electrical fault because there was no power supply to the market and the entire community that day, as it had earlier been disconnected by electricity workers That is why we are accusing the committee and the police," he alleged. It was gathered that there was an attempt by the past government to demolish the market and redevelop it, but after pleas from different quarters, it was put on hold. One of the victims of the incident, a tailor, Akinsola Muniru, could not hold his tears as he said he lost four sewing and designing machines, generator and cloths belonging to customers. "I was eager to finish customers' cloths so I could get money to cater for my family, only for the fire to consume everything that took me years to gather. I am in deep sorrow now because I don't know where and how to start. "I have two children and my wife is pregnant. In spite of her condition, she works as an assistant in a restaurant in the market, all in a bid to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the shop where she works was also affected by the fire, while I lost everything I have in my life. How will I feed my family?" He asked, weeping. Rafiu Sadiku, a printer, also said he lost his source of livelihood, including school jobs he ought to have delivered if not for the closure of schools occasioned by lockdown due to coronavirus. "I lost my machine, generator, other equipment and already concluded jobs. I am a father of five. I also have my aged parents to take care of, but now, I am left with nothing," he lamented and appealed to the state government to have mercy on them. Mrs Bilesanmi Titilayo, who sold shoes and drinks in the market, also narrated, "I received a call about 2am that there was fire in the market. When I got there, I was able to rescue only very few goods. I lost majority of my goods in my shop. I am a divorcee and have children to cater for. Government should please come to our aid," she pleaded. Furthermore, Hajiya Fatima Suleiman Olorire, who has been selling herbs in the market since the days of Awolowo and Akintola, said, "My children in London and America all sent money to me to stock my shops so that I would not be idle or find it difficult to feed; but now, everything has gone. "I saw some people moving around the market area the evening before the fire incident. I was worried because I didn't know why they were doing that, only for me to hear that the market had been gutted by fire in the middle of the night. If the whole essence of the fire was to chase us out of the market, they should have simply brought a bulldozer and ask everyone to vacate the market. We did not have the opportunity to rescue our things. It is really sad," she said. Another elderly woman, who was obviously in her 60s, Isiwatu Gbotiye Ladipo, who sells fish and drinks, lost three shops to the inferno. Narrating her ordeal, she said, "I used one of the shops to sell herbs, put a bed, chairs and television for those who want to sit and drink, while I relaxed in bed once in a while when I was tired. I use the third one as store. In fact, I just stocked the shops with goods and kept the remaining money in one of the shops, but I lost everything to the fire. "I ran towards the market during the incident, but I was barred from going there. What am I going to sell now? I have become a beggar as people now give me food to eat. I don't have any thing again." Sikiru Samari, a printer who lost all his equipment and yet-to-be-delivered jobs said amidst tears, "Majority of us in the market are youths, but we have always had issues with members of the market committee who do want youths to occupy most of the shops. We pay our rents, pay for security and even tax. We are young and don't want to be involved in hooliganism; that is why we decided to engage in productive activities. Now, we have lost everything. I didn't come out with a pin from my shop." Narrating her ordeal, Mrs. Tolani Ogunbiyi, who said she lost two shops and all her goods, alleged that before the fire incident, members of the market committee had all gone to rent shops outside the market to continue their businesses. "If they do not know about the fire, how come their shops were not affected and they had all gone to make alternative arrangements?" She asked and appealed to government to come to her aid. A member of the market committee, Alhaji Yahaya, said he did not know how the fire started. "I received a call about 1.30am. There was no call from the Iyaloja, who is the head of the committee, to alert us about the fire. Even after the incident, members of the committee were not called for a meeting to discuss the way forward," he said. Yahaya, who is the chairman of Arewa Bird Sellers Association, stressed the need for unity in handling issues in the market, irrespective of tribe, religion and political affiliations. Responding to the allegations, the Iyaloja of the market, Mrs. Oyebode Adejoke, told Daily Trust Saturday on phone that contrary to the allegations levelled against her, she had no prior knowledge of the fire incident. She said her shop, which she stocked with goods few days ago, was also affected. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "They thought I collected money from the government to set the market on fire. How possible is that? I cannot do such a thing. I was told that the fire started from one shop at the last line, along Awofeso," she said. On the issue of lack of cordial relationship between the market leadership and traders, she said, "There is no way everyone in a market will cooperate with leaders. While some cooperate, some will not; you cannot be 100 per cent accepted by all. Some are cooperating with us while some are not." Asked what she is doing to help victims of the incident, Mrs Adejoke said she had made a passionate plea to the state government to come to the aid of the people. "We are crying to the government to come to our rescue. We will continue to follow up until something is done," she assured. Describing the incident as unfortunate, the chairman of Shomolu Local Government Area, Abdulhameed Salawu, appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to the aid of the traders. The police spokesperson in Lagos, DSP Bala Elkanah, described the allegation of connivance between the market committee and his men as unfounded. He explained that the police task force had been engaged in clearing markets of illegal occupants to keep them safe. According to him, some of the illegal occupants in the market engage in stealing and looting shops. "Some of them even smoke and cook around the market. If you also make the market a residential place, we will continue to have fire incidents. The people chased away did not have shops, and as such, did not have any business around the market. "We are even suspecting that they have a hand in the fire incident. So the people should keep calm and allow us to conclude our investigation," he said. The point of Rahul Gandhis video conversations has long danced off the page. It is like Real Madrid hypothetically flying down fans from Tahiti as a serious strategy to dent Barcelona in an El Clasico. The point of Rahul Gandhis video conversations has long danced off the page. It is like Real Madrid hypothetically flying down fans from Tahiti as a serious strategy to dent Barcelona in an El Clasico. What does the Congress heir hope to achieve with these conversations? On what basis does he choose his guests? Who has advised him to carry out this exercise? What did his most recent guest former and forgettable US diplomat and now think-tank circuit busybody Nicholas Burns bring to Rahuls table? Befuddling. It is the child turning up the volume in his echo chamber. Why else would he pick someone whose only qualifications seem to be front-running the campaign to deny then elected Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi a US visa, regularly taking potshots at India and its PM, and a conspicuous degree of Hinduphobia? And behind all that pacifist virtue-signalling hides a Bush-era cheerleader of Americas invasion of Iraq and a mission head in NATOs Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns. Burns now serves on the board of the pompously named Appeal of Conscience Foundation, which in 2013 rewarded Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with 'World Statesman of the Year' for failing to protect religious minorities in the world's largest Muslim-majority country and overseeing a genocide in West Papua. Besides the comfort of whining with a habitual Modi- and India-basher, what did Rahul get out of this? Not more than a hundred Indians outside diplomatic circles would instantly recall Burns. Being a man who lobbied along with evangelists and far-Left to humiliate a democratically-elected leader, his credibility doesnt compensate for his lack of popularity either. Burns is irrelevant in Indian politics in the most wholesome way possible. But Rahul found in him a shoulder to download his angst. We are a very tolerant nation. Our DNA is supposed to be tolerant. Were supposed to accept new ideas. Were supposed to be open, but the surprising thing is that that DNA, that open DNA, is sort of disappearing. I say this with sadness that I dont see that level of tolerance that I used to see. I dont see it in the United States and I dont see it in India, he said. Rahul Gandhi will turn 50 on 19 June. It has been the most eventful 50 years for India, but even its most fervent admirers wont accuse this period of being an example of shining tolerance. Exactly what kind of tolerance is Rahul missing in todays India? The tolerance of his grandmother declaring Emergency when he was five years old? Or the tolerance of his uncle carrying out mass forced vasectomies? Or the 1984 anti-Sikh riots under his fathers watch? Or his dad siding with mullahs to change the law just to deny a poor Muslim widow alimony? Or concocting the bogey of Hindu terror when his mothers and his writ ran in the UPA government? India is not missing tolerance more than it did before 2014, but Rahul is certainly missing the plot. Complaining publicly with friends-with-no-benefits about how bad Modi is isnt going to change his reality. But it takes his stature down a few notches. From being the principal Opposition face, he now resembles a poor caricature of a biased TV anchor, or the spokesperson of a far-Left NGO. None of them win elections. FORMER Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central provincial chairman Dickson Mafios, who was arrested soon after his release from Harare Polytechnic quarantine centre, has been released without charge. Mafios was arrested together with former MP for Rushinga Wonder Mashange, both members of the opposition National Patriotic Front (NPF), made up of largely G40 members ousted from government by President Emmerson Mnangagwa following the November 2017 coup that toppled former President Robert Mugabe, who died last year. They were arrested on Wednesday soon after they were released from a quarantine centre and taken to Braeside Police Station for questioning over an undisclosed charge. NPF spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire confirmed their release."They were released without charge," Mawarire said yesterday. The two went into quarantine upon returning from South Africa. They were arrested on the same day Mafios's brother, former Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere was accused by Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe as among people plotting to oust Mnangagwa. - The angry truck drivers claimed the officials demanded from them between KSh 2,000 to KSh 3,000 to alter test results - They claimed some of them who were not able to raise the amount were told had contracted the virus and were not allowed to cross into Kenya - Kenyan government appealed to all truck drivers to strictly adhere to the protocols already issued A section of Tanzanian truck drivers have accused Kenyan health officials at Namanga borders of corruption during coronavirus testing. The angry drivers further claimed the officials demanded from them between KSh 2,000 to KSh 3,000 to alter test results. READ ALSO: Meru: Police chopper crashes on way to Marsabit peace meeting READ ALSO: Emurua Dikir MP Johanna Ng'eno's 24 dairy cows die after consuming artificial minerals They claimed some of them were told had contracted the virus and were not allowed to cross into Kenya even though they were not actually infected. "We are usually get tested inside Kenyan territory. Two weeks now, they said I was positive and was issued with the certificate. I have not taken any medication. But what is shocking is the fact that when you give out money they alter the results," said Herman Jirani. READ ALSO: Tomorrow is unknown: Abenny Jachiga's video on plans to release new hits after COVID-19 pandemic emerges Tanzanian truck drivers gathered at the Namanga border when country's Health ministry official toured the area. Photo: Tanzania Health Ministry. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Woman narrates how man sent her KSh 137K two hours after meeting her Jirani's colleagues who also spoke when they met Tanzanian Assistant Health minister Godwin Mollel, also shared similar sentiments. "I have no health problem. I am not sick. Two weeks since I arrived here. When you test positive you are not allowed to proceed with the journey. After that, there are officials who give results but they ask for KSh 3,000 or KSh 2,000 so that one is declared negative," another trucker claimed. The allegations came even as the Kenyan government appealed to all truck drivers to strictly adhere to the protocols already issued. READ ALSO: Kisumu man who overcame abject poverty to become dentist builds elderly mom new house Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman said all cross border truckers must ensure they get tested at least 48 hours before they commence their journey and acquire a valid COVID-19 free certificate. "We have seen snarl ups at the border points caused by truck drivers who are not adhering to COVID-19 protocols. They should not hit the road if they don't have COVID-19 free certificates," Aman said. The long distance drivers along the borders were identified as the biggest challenge hindering the fight to contain the unyielding coronavirus match in the country. The cumulative number of tests conducted so far in Kenya increased to 112, 171 while the total case load in the country moved to 3,457 after 152 new cases as on June 13. "We have lost four more patients to the disease, bringing the total number of those who have succumbed to 100. To us, every death is a tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends that have lost loved ones," the CAS disclosed. Of the new infections, 70 cases were reported in Nairobi while 41 others came from Mombasa county as Busia registered 16 more patients all of whom were truck drivers. President Uhuru Kenyatta closed Kenya's border with Tanzania and Somalia on May 16, but allowed only cargo vehicles upon testing. "Forty three cases have recently crossed the border from Somalia and Tanzania. There will be a cessation of movement of persons and any passengers into and out of the territory through Tanzania and Somalia effective midnight today," he stated. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. I married a man every woman wanted - Pastor Joan Chege | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 11:51 588 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde68f38 1 City COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,MRT-Jakarta,passenger,business-model,new-normal Free City-owned public transportation company PT MRT Jakarta is reviewing plans to switch to a new business model after suffering a dramatic fall in ridership during large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) for the COVID-19 outbreak. [The new business plan] will provide new business values for MRT Jakarta. This is what we call business beyond normal, MRT Jakarta president director William Sabandar said during a press briefing on Thursday. He added that the model would combine three business components he referred to as beyond ridership, beyond physical mobility and beyond transport network. As the MRT operator can no longer rely on ridership as a business parameter, it will prioritize non-farebox income in its beyond ridership scheme while promoting the branding value of living a healthy lifestyle. Read also: MRT Jakarta back to normalcy, but with limited capacity Empty spaces in MRT stations will be used for coworking spaces equipped with various features, including video conferencing. In addition, MRT Jakarta will push for the development of mobile ticketing, smart vending machines, cashless retail transactions, online training for start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses as well as delivery services. The beyond physical mobility component will focus on virtual mobility to develop digital businesses, including the use of websites and social media for advertising and other commercial purposes. The operator recently launched MRTJ accelerator with aims to collaborate with start-ups in its digital activities. The program was slated to start between August and September. MRT Jakarta is inviting local start-ups to help us develop digital ecosystems along MRT Jakarta routes and MRT Jakarta TOD areas, William said, referring to the transit-oriented development. Read also: MRT Jakarta delays phase 2 construction amid COVID-19 outbreak The approach is in line with the beyond transport network component, which will focus on not only developing more routes but also connecting areas around MRT stations for urban regeneration, especially in the upcoming second phase of the MRT Jakarta, which stretches from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta. The number of MRT Jakarta passengers dropped dramatically during the implementation of PSBB measures between April and June. The operator served an average of 90,000 to 100,000 passengers daily between January and mid-March, but the number dropped to 5,000 in April and 2,000 in May. Since the city began easing restrictions on Monday, the number of passengers has slowly risen to 13,000 a day. However, the increase is yet to be significant because some businesses and malls have yet to resume operations until [June 15], William said, projecting the figure to rise to 60,000 to 70,000 in July. It is now a well-known fact that the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic has a different effect on women. Some states in India have done well in managing the problems of women, especially the elderly, such as Kerala. It has arranged for nutritious food packages to be delivered at home. My mother, who is 81-years-old, has been receiving such packages consisting of provisions which have been carefully-thought-out. The main concern now should be health care workers who are undertaking this exercise. They are also the mainline workers in hospitals. Seventy per cent of the worlds health care workers and social workers are women. They are the ones who stay back in hospitals and conduct surveys in remote areas where they work as Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and midwives during emergencies. In these times, women have become caregivers at home for the ill or the elderly. In India, far more women are working in the field of childcare, in schools at the nursery level, and as health care providers in homes than men. In fact, with schools closing, their burden at home increases hugely. The fact that women health workers are being asked to travel to homes in their areas to check on symptoms for Covid-19 makes them all the more vulnerable. In many areas, they have no protective clothing or equipment to guard them against the virus. Womens health, thus, becomes a vital issue. In this, reproductive health has to take precedence. There have been several reports of women going into labour and giving birth on trains. Health services are not reaching them in time in many urban and rural areas. At a time when basic health services are stretched, it is quite likely that womens health needs, both in the public system and at home, are not a priority. Despite the outreach of ASHA in many parts, the effect of such deadly ailments as Covid-19 on pregnant women could be fatal. The governments advisory on asking them to stay home is important, but not sufficient. In addition, there is information asymmetry, Women due to illiteracy or lack of connectivity have little access to information. The Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone showed how much women were affected due to the lack of information about how to protect themselves against the virus. This is a reminder that women in India across the spectrum have to receive much more care then they do at the moment. As of now only 36.4% of mothers get assistance under the Janani Suraksha Yojana, which gives financial assistance for women who give birth in a public hospital. This leaves out a sizeable chunk of women who need reproductive health services. As a result of supply chains shutting down, the access to medicines for the population in general and women in particular have decreased. In order to access reproductive health systems such as contraception, it is often necessary for women to be able to get to a public health centre. In addition, the costs of both reaching such centres and contraceptives has gone up. Within communities, women are the most marginalised and it is necessary to hear their voices in the fight against Covid-19. The governments commendable ASHA scheme should be an entry point into understanding how the virus is affecting people in different areas. These are statistics which must be included in the fight against Covid-19 with reference to protecting women. lalita.panicker@hindustantimes.com The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The testing rate is likely to slow down, report Pavan Lall and Sohini Das. IMAGE: A man reacts as a doctor takes a swab from his nose to test at Mukund Nagar in Mumbai's Dharavi area. Photograph: ANI Photo With two of the largest private diagnostics labs now barred from testing Covid-19 samples, the testing rate in Mumbai and Thane is likely to slow down, say industry players. According to Maharashtra government data, about 47 per cent tests in the state have been done at private labs. For Mumbai city, which is the most affected, it is over 40 per cent, claim sources. However, its testing rate hovered around 4,000 per day in May, and has failed to pick up in June. While Maharashtra's overall positive rate was around 16 per cent, for Mumbai it was double at around 30 per cent. Civic officials had earlier said that this was due to targeted testing from fever clinics etc. However, industry sources allege that the city administration wants to keep the testing rate low so as to not get many positives. More tests simply mean more positives and that would put more pressure on the health infrastructure. It is not just private labs that at times cause delay in giving reports, but at times we get queries from public labs to test samples that have been lying with them for over a week. It is curious that only large private labs have been targeted, while the smaller ones seem to be doing fine," said the CEO of a national chain, which also operates in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the nation's largest private largest diagnostics labs find themselves on the receiving end of government penalties for non-compliance of stipulated rules and regulations that pertain to the turnaround time for Covid-19 tests as well as the process of reporting patient data to the Indian Council of Medical Research. However, company officials say that the punishment is not befitting the crime with total shutdowns hurting patients who have been told by doctors to get tested. Despite several attempts, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials could not be reached for a comment on the same. Mumbai-based Metropolis Healthcare is the latest company to have been told by the state to stop testing for Covid-19 tests after complaints that it took longer than the required 24 hours to submit test results. On June 9, Metropolis, which tests a few thousand Covid-19 patients daily was barred from collecting Covid-19 samples for a month in Mumbai. According to company officials, testing was also shut for a couple of weeks in April for similar reasons. Metropolis isnt alone. Earlier, Thyrocare Technologies too, was told to stop collecting samples for potential Covid-19 cases across the nation in 15 pin codes because it was testing asymptomatic patients in some instances and due to quality concerns in others, its officials said. In Delhi too, SRL Diagnostics was told to stop testing certain categories of patients at the end of May for a few days, officials say. Metropolis managing director Ameera Shah said that some of her employees were unwell which led to a delay in data collection and its submission to relevant authorities, which led to the show cause notice and the revoking of service. "A complete stopping of collection of samples in Mumbai for Covid-19 tests, means that residents of the city are denied the right to test in the city, which is a lose-lose for all in the face of the epidemic," she said. "The solution is for each individual municipal corporation to decide where the Covid-19 numbers are going, figure out timelines and then enforce accountability with penalties commensurate to the violations," Shah said, adding that taking fewer samples until the authorities were satisfied was one option. Thyrocare MD Arokiaswamy Velumani said the biggest private labs were getting more tests done which in turn was leading to the most positive results. "Private labs keep getting blamed without adequate evidence and blaming them unilaterally and banning them is stretching things too much," he said. He said there was a need to have a third party that could judge the quality of testing, and it had to be an independent agency. There is, however, no argument to discontinue or slow down the pace of testing. "Globally its been cited in the medical fraternity that the most effective way to battle the pandemic is to test, test, and test," said SRL Diagnostics CEO Arindam Halder. "More people with positives is better because overall the mortality rate is low, and you can only treat what you know," he said. "Contact tracing can only be effective when testing works well,"he added. "Both private and public sectors must work together and not as adversaries for the greater good," he said. The Delhi administration has projected an explosion in cases in a month's time, with the number estimated to cross 500,000. Mumbai, surprisingly, has remained quiet when it came to such projections. With well over 50,000 cases, the country's most densely populated city needs to test extensively to know the extent of the spread of the pandemic. Army Chief MM Naravane on Saturday said that India and Nepal share a strong relationship and it will remain strong in the future. Both the countries have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. Army Chief General MM Naravane on Saturday said that India has a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have a very strong relationship with Nepal. We have geographical, cultural, historical, religious linkages. We have very strong people to people connect. Our relation with them has always been strong and will remain strong in the future, Naravane said here. While taking about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army Chief said, As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned and our western neighbour, as you would have seen we have had a lot of successes in the last one week or 10 days. In the last 10-15 days alone, more than 15 terrorists have been killed. All of this has been because of very close cooperation and coordination between all the security forces operating in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He added, Most of the operations have been based on information provided by the locals themselves which goes to show that they are also absolutely fed up with militancy and terrorism, and they want that the situation should return to normal. Also Read: Entire situation along our borders with China under control, assures Army Chief MM Naravane Also Read: Nepal releases Indian man a day after cross-border firing Naravane today reviewed the Passing Out Parade of 423 officers including 90 Gentleman Cadets from nine friendly foreign countries here at the Indian Military Academy (IMA). Also Read: After Supreme Courts rebuke, AAP leader Sanjay Singh urges Centre to amend ICMR guidelines to increase Covid-19 testing For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Millstreet is part of Project ACT being run across Cork County Council's eight Municipal Districts that sees the creation of multi-sectoral teams with a targeted focus on rebuilding the economy and community life in each area. Some of the immediate actions being taken include a deep clean of the main retail and pedestrian areas, decluttering and fixing street furniture, replanting of trees and flowerbeds, additional road/pavement markings and measures to improve public space utilisation for pedestrians and business A new initiative appeals to those residing on the main thoroughfare starting at Drishane Castle and finishing at the Millstreet Community Cross where tenants or owners of buildings can avail of a grant of up to 50 per cent of the full cost of painting the facades along the street which may include paint, labour, scaffold/ hoist and other materials. Priority will be given to full facade, all aspects of the building which are visible from the public road to include the chimney and side gables. Two quotations from registered painting contractors will be required, applications on a full street basis, 10 or more adjacent buildings on one street will be prioritised over individual applications. If a full street comes together a grant of 60 per cent will be provided. Priority will be given to applications received by Tuesday, June 30, tenants or owners of buildings in the town centre can avail of a grant of up to 50 per cent of the costs of replacing existing plastic, neon and printed signs with ''Heritage Type Signs''. Cork County Council encourages the use of Irish in signs and recommends that applicants incorporate Irish into their proposal. A contribution to a maximum of 100 per cent will be paid towards the cost of materials where it is proposed the tenant/owner will undertake the works themselves. If availing of grant for materials only, a disclaimer form must be completed and returned where one quotation only for materials will suffice. Electric scooter user in Bologna dies after crash. A pedestrian was taken to hospital after being hit by an electric scooter on Via del Corso, in central Rome, in the early hours of 13 June. The 30-year-old man, who suffered mild injuries, was taken to S. Spirito hospital after reportedly losing consciousness for several minutes from being knocked down by the impact of the scooter. Italian newspaper La Repubblica cited witnesses who said the 18-year-old woman driving the rental e-scooter was carrying a passenger - which is prohibited - who had been shouting at her friend to slow down before the crash. A police investigation is underway into dynamics of the incident which comes a week after a 15-year-old boy operating a rental electric scooter knocked a woman down at Piazza di Spagna in the centre of Rome. Over the last week Rome has seen 4,000 rental electric scooters flood the streets and pavements of the capital. On 12 June a 60-year-old man in the Bologna area became Italy's first casualty from an electric scooter crash. The man had been driving his privately-owned e-scooter through a roundabout in Budrio on 11 June when he was hit by a car, hitting his head off the ground. He died from his injuries the next day. Photo Welcome to Favelas - Massimiliano Zossolo Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed at Sochi International Airport as he arrives to take part in the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, October 22, 2019. Tension between Amhara and Tigray, two of Ethiopia's most powerful regions, is increasing as the country approaches elections next year, says a new International Crisis Group report. The northern Tigray region, which ruled the country for nearly three decades, has been ostracized by the federal government in Addis Ababa, raising the risk of military conflict in the north. The two regions also share a contested border and are at odds over when federal elections should be held. Increased competition involving Ethiopias patchwork of ethnic groups and political parties has been a hallmark of the government formed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, due to greater social and political freedoms granted by his administration. But it is the dispute between the Amhara and Tigray regions, the new report says, that is arguably the bitterest of these contests, fueled in part by rising ethnic nationalism in both regions. William Davison, the Crisis Groups senior analyst for Ethiopia, tells VOA that Amhara citizens believe that several key zones, notably the Wolqait and Raya areas, were annexed by Tigray when the current Ethiopian federation was mapped out in the early 1990s. The problem has been there in some form for decades," Davison said. "It flared up and became more prominent during the anti-government protests [between 2016 and 2018.] It has not gone away and it is simmering away as one of Ethiopias major inter-regional fault lines. Adding to the heightened tension, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, the former ruling party, has threatened to hold its own regional election. Plans to hold a vote have led political elites in Tigray and Amhara to adopt increasingly hardline stances toward each other, the report says, noting a recent warning from Prime Minister Abiy that any such act would result in harm to the country and the people. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Ethiopia Governance Conflict By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Davison pointed out that relations between the TPLF and the federal government, to which members of the Amhara Democratic Party belong, are becoming increasingly acrimonious. People have to be seeking a compromise and we need a political atmosphere to seek that compromise," Davison said. "But what Im getting at is that we obviously do not have that, unfortunately, at the momentWhilst we have that situation, its going to be hard to make any progress on this entrenched territorial dispute between Amhara and Tigray. So, the problem is simmering and its not going away and the worse that Tigray and TPLF relations get with other federal actors, the bigger potential risk there is that this problem with Amhara could turn into something more deadly. Numerous Amhara and Tigray officials, including Fanta Mandefro, deputy president of the region, did not respond to repeated calls for comment. But Dessalegn Chanie Dagnew, chairman of the opposition National Movement of Amhara, said via a messaging app that Ethiopias regional map based on ethnic territories has been the root cause of many tensions, not just between the Amhara and Tigray regions, but many others. I would say it [violence] has happened in most of the areas and its not [unique] to the Amhara and Tigray regions," Dessalegn said. "But still, in spite of all these things, I wouldn't expect that there would be an open clash. To reduce tensions, the International Crisis Group recommends that the national boundary commission facilitate dialogue by providing information on the contested land and the two regions current and former demographics. The Cape May city council on Thursday voted to allow outdoor consumption of alcohol, making it the latest Jersey Shore town to allow public drinking to help businesses that were forced to close during the coronavirus pandemic. The city, which has previously outlawed drinking in public, will allow alcohol consumption from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the beach, promenade, the local mall and several streets. Public drinking will be allowed in Cape May until Nov. 1, according to the resolution. With three members in favor, one opposed and another abstaining, the five-member council passed resolution 5P-10P, which suspends provisions in a previous ordinance that prohibiting drinking. The measure provides a modest counter-action to the devastating economic consequences to the COVID-19 quarantine and related restriction on our local economy, Mayor Clarence Chuck Lear said during the special council meeting, held on Zoom. I want us to be prudent, responsible and bold protecting our businesses, our tourism economy and our community, Lear said. Prohibitions on consumption city streets, highways and in vehicles, shall remain in effect, according to the resolution that was passed. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage Anyone drinking alcohol must carry identification establishing they are age 21 or older, the resolution states. Purchased alcohol must be in sealed containers and unsealed only when the person who is drinking is in a designated public area. Open public consumption may only occur in plastic cups or appropriate plastic containers, such as sealed plastic pouches, the resolution states. No glass cups or bottles shall be permitted for open containers. In addition, the capacity of the cup or container cannot exceed 16 ounces and persons consuming in public must limit themselves to a single drink, and may not bring large containers of alcoholic beverages, such as kegs or coolers, into places where public consumption is allowed, the resolution says. The streets where drinking is allowed are: Lafayette Street from Perry to Franklin 400 block of Bank Street 400 block of Elmira Street Perry to Beach [starting at Lafayette] Jackson to Beach [starting at Lafayette] Decatur to Beach [starting at Lafayette] Ocean to Beach [starting at Lafayette] Washington Street [Perry to Jefferson Street] Carpenters Lane [Perry to Ocean] Lyle Lane [Perry to Ocean] Howard from Columbia to Beach 1300 block of Texas Avenue Beach Avenue from Patterson to Pittsburgh Cape May Deputy Mayor Patricia Gray Hendricks acknowledged during the virtual meeting that allowing public drinking raised a number of concerns among residents. But after listening to both residents and businesses, she decided to vote yes. This decision like all COVID decisions is a balancing act. Its one Id rather not have to make, but I cant shirk my responsibility (to the economy), she said. Outdoor alcohol consumption has been approved in other shore towns such as North Wildwood, Wildwood, and Atlantic City. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Four policemen from the Mumbai Police have died due to Covid-19 within 24 hours. This is the maximum Covid deaths recorded in single day in a police force, claim police sources. The total death toll in the city police force has reached 26 on Saturday. Beside Mumbai Police, 14 more police personnel have died of Covid-19 till date across various districts in the state. According to the police, a constable from Dindoshi police station had fallen sick on June 4 and had fever and breathing problems. He was immediately admitted to SevenHills hospital at Marol and a Covid test was done. On June 6, the report revealed he was Covid positive. He was also suffering from diabetes. It is yet to be ascertained how he contracted the virus said senior inspector Dharnendra Kamble. The constable was on ventilator for a long period, but he succumbed around 11.10pm on Friday. He lived in Goregaon police colony with his wife, son and daughter and mother, said a police officer. A police inspector from the same station had earlier tested positive but he is now healthy and is home quarantined, the officer added. Among the three other police personnel who died was a constable attached with Borivali police station. He started having breathing problem and high fever from June 2, prompting him to stop going to work. He was admitted to a hospital at Nalla Sopara and his report came positive on June 6, said Dr Mohan Dahikar, deputy commissioner of police, zone 11. The constable was a fit cop, said one of his colleagues. He was a resident of Vasai and lived with his parents, wife and a daughter. Similarly, 57-year-old head constable attached with Vakola police station also died due to the disease. Inspector Pravin Rane from Vakola police station said, He was on leave since April as the police commissioner has exempted constables above 55 years from duty. On Friday, he suddenly developed breathing problem and was immediately taken to Niron Hospital for treatment. He succumbed on Saturday morning and the doctor told us he died of Covid-19, Said Rane. The constable, a resident of Bandra (West), was set to retire on June 30. He lived with his two children, wife and an elderly mother. Another cop, a 56-year-old assistant sub-inspector (ASI) attached to the protection and security department of the city police, died due to Covid-19. He was posted at the office of the joint commissioner of police (law and order), but was on official leave due to his age. On June 4, he was admitted to DY Patil Hospital after he complained of high fever. Test report revealed that he was Covid positive. He was on ventilator support since then and on Saturday at around 8am he succumbed to the disease, said a police officer. The ASI lived with his wife and son in Navi Mumbai. At present, 516 infected police personnel are being treated in different Covid care centres across the city while 224 are admitted at hospitals. Of the total of 2,028 police personnel who tested positive, 290 are officers while the rest 1,738 are from constabulary. Of the total cases, 1,233 police personnel have recovered and 334 of the recovered policemen have joined duty. The state government has promised to give the family of deceased policemen a compensation of 50 lakh. In addition, 10 lakh would be given from the Police welfare fund or martyrs fund. One family member of the deceased personnel will also be given a government job. (With inputs from Vijay Kumar Yadav) Cast member Asia Kate Dillon arrives for a screening of the movie "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum" in Los Angeles, California, U.S. May 15, 2019. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Orange Is The New Black and Billions star Asia Kate Dillon has called for award shows to remove gender specific acting categories, starting with the Screen Actors Guild. Dillon was the first nonbinary performer to play a nonbinary character in mainstream TV history when they did so opposite Damien Lewis in Billions. Read More: Academy considers delaying the 2021 Oscars Writing for Variety, Dillon argued that acting performances shouldnt be judged on a persons gender, while also insisting that by having male and female categories they are excluding non-binary performers. Separating people based on their assigned sex, and/or their gender identity, is not only irrelevant when it comes to how an acting performance should be judged, it is also a form of discrimination, Dillon wrote in the essay. Damien Lewis and Asia Kate Dillon in Billons (Image by Showtime) Not only do your current categories erase non-binary identities by limiting performers to identifying as male or female / man or womxn ( which not all SAG members, like myself, do), they also serve as an endorsement of the gender binary at large, which actively upholds other forms of discrimination, including racism, the patriarchy, and gender violence. Gender-neutral categories have already been implemented at the MTV Movie & TV Awards since 2017, when Beauty And The Beasts Emma Watson beat out Hugh Jackman, Daniel Kaluuya, James McAvoy Taraji P Henson, and Hailee Steinfeld to pick up the Best Performance award. Read More: Ricky Gervais says political 'lectures' in awards speeches have 'the opposite effect' Since then Chadwick Boseman and Lady Gaga have won the prize for their performances in Black Panther and A Star Is Born, respectively. Dillon addressed the piece directly to SAG-AFRTAs SAG Awards committee members JoBeth Williams, Daryl Anderson, Jason George, Elizabeth McLaughlin and Woody Schultz, while they ended by saying that they would be happy to act as a judge if they did combine categories. 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 She's expecting her third child with husband Neil Hipwell and is 25 weeks pregnant. And on Friday, former Big Brother star Krystal Forscutt showed off her baby bump. The 33-year-old personal trainer and influencer shared a mirror selfie on Instagram, looking gorgeous as she cradled her burgeoning belly. Oh baby! Pregnant Big Brother star Krystal Forscutt showed off her burgeoning belly on Instagram on Friday In the image, the former Zoo cover girl poses on the floor in a knitted beige jumper and matching trousers. She lifts up her sweater to reveal her baby bump. 'Rainy days are for baking,' Krystal captioned the post, adding the hashtags 'bun in the oven' and '25 weeks.' Sweet: Phoebe Burgess and Skye Wheatley commented underneath the post Influencer and former WAG Phoebe Burgess commented underneath the post, saying: 'Doing an amazing job mummy, as always.' Former Big Brother star Skye Wheatley added: 'Aww this makes me wonna (sic) be pregnant again.' In March, Krystal announced that she was pregnant with her third child. New addition: In March, Krystal announced that she was pregnant with her third child That same month, she also revealed on Instagram that she almost suffered a devastating miscarriage. Krystal thought she was going to lose her baby after losing a significant amount of blood. Krystal has suffered two miscarriages in the past. She said at the time that doctors told her to be 'cautiously optimistic' with the rest of her pregnancy. Scary: That same month, she also revealed on Instagram that she almost suffered a devastating miscarriage 'We had the fright of our lives, in a public bathroom I had a really bad bleed and we were convinced that there was no way our little baby would make it after losing so much blood,' Krystal explained. 'I went to emergency and was told that I was most likely suffering an impending miscarriage.' She added: 'That evening my heart felt like it was being crushed. I was mourning for another child that I had never met. I just couldn't believe this was happening again.' Krystal and her husband, property developer Neil, prayed for a miracle. When she eventually went to her doctor's appointment, she was amazed when the specialist heard their baby's heartbeat. 'We were so shocked that our little baby had survived,' she said. 'We believe it is nothing short of a miracle! We still aren't completely out of the woods just yet. 'We are scared but hopeful for our baby's future and so grateful to God.' Krystal and Neil share children Sunny, five, and Nakoda, one, together. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Former labour minister and TDP deputy floor leader in the State Assembly Kinjarapu Atchannaidu was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) at his residence in Srikakulam district early Friday for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore Employees State Insurance (ESI) scam. Five others were also taken into custody from different parts of the State. An ACB team led by DSP (CIU) TSRK Prasad, accompanied by local police, reached the TDP leaders residence at Nimmada village in Kotabommali mandal around 7.20 am. He was brought to the ACB office in Vijayawada at 7 pm where his statement was recorded. After medical examination at ESI Hospital, he was produced before the ACB special court and the case was heard via videoconferencing.He is likely to be shifted to the Government General Hospital, Guntur for post-operative care. ALSO READ: TDP leader K Atchannaidu sent to judicial remand for alleged involvement in multi-crore ESI scam Atchannaidus name first cropped up in the Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) Department probe in February this year. The V&E department investigated alleged irregularities in procurement of drugs and medical equipment between 2014 and 2019 when TDP was in power and Atchannaidu was the labour minister. Briefing the media in Vizag, ACB Joint Director Ravi Kumar said five others involved in the case Chintala Krishnappa Ramesh Kumar, retired director of IMS (Directorate of Insurance and Medical Services), Dr G Vijaya Kumar, retired special grade civil surgeon, ESI Hospital Rajamahendravaram and former director of IMS, Dr V Janardhan, retired joint director of IMS, Kadapa, E Ramesh Babu, senior assistant, DIMS, AP, Vijayawada, and MKP Chakravarthi, superintendent of DIMS, AP, Vijayawada (currently suspended) were also arrested simultaneously in Tirupati, Rajamahendravaram and Vijayawada. He said as per the State governments directions, the V&E department probed alleged irregularities in ESI hospitals and dispensaries across AP in the matter of procurement of drugs and medical equipment, among other things, and found a deep-rooted scam involving hundreds of crores of rupees. After the V&E department submitted its report, the government directed the ACB to register a case against the accused and investigate. The ACB found an amount of Rs 150 crore was misappropriated in the process of procurement of medicines and equipment worth Rs 988.77 crore. Fictitious companies floated in name of DIMS staff According to him, the irregularities took place in the procurement of medicines on non-rate contract basis, procurement of lab kits, surgical items, furniture, bio-metric devices and agreements for call centre and ECG services. Several guidelines were violated resulting in huge losses to the government. Medicines and surgical equipment were procured at a price that was 50-129 per cent in excess of the market price. Instead of e-Tender procedure, they were procured on nomination basis. Ravi Kumar further said fictitious companies in the name of some of the staff members in the Directorate of Insurance and Medical Services (DIMS) were floated and agreements inked for procurement of medicines, medical equipment, and services. Some staff members of DIMS had used forged letterheads and envelopes for file quotations and even produced fake bills. We have identified some who are involved in such irregularities and are still investigating, he said. In regard to the Call Centre, Toll-Free and ECG services, he said on the directions of the then minister for labour Atchannaidu, M/s Tele Health Services Private Limited was given the contract by the then IMS director CK Ramesh Kumar. For each ECG Rs 480 was paid, while for ECG in other hospitals, the cost was only Rs 200. Further, ECG services were rendered by diploma holders instead of cardiologists. Rs 1.80 per call was claimed for not only the calls received at the call centre, but also for the entire registered IP of the service provider and also fake calls, he explained.The ACB joint director said investigation into irregularities in sewerage plants and bio-medical waste disposal plants is in progress. Law will take its own course: Home Minister Home Minister Sucharita, commenting on the TDP leaders arrest, asserted that the law will take its own course. The ACB has arrested him for corruption. Large-scale irregularities took place in the procurement of medicines and equipment. The law will take its own course. Shouldnt we take action against the corrupt? she asked and pointed out that during Atchannaidus stint as labour minister, contracts were awarded on nomination basis to whoever they wanted, without inviting tenders. In some instances, equipment worth Rs 15,000 was bought for Rs 60,000. Family members reaction Meanwhile, taking exception to the hurried arrest of Atchannaidu, his family members said police did not even give him a chance to take medication as he underwent surgery recently. He was still on his bed when he was whisked away by ACB officials. We were not even informed why my husband was being taken away by the police, K Madhavi, wife of Atchannaidu told the media. His nephew and Srikakulam MP Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was taking revenge against his uncle for confronting him on various issues in the Assembly. The way the police arrested Atchannaidu appeared like they were arresting a terrorist or an extremist, he said. What is the scam all about? In past five years, Dr B Ravi Kumar, Dr CK Ramesh Kumar and Dr G Vijaya Kumar worked as Directors of IMS. They together issued purchase orders for procurement of drugs, medical equipment, surgical items, lab kits and furniture worth Rs 975.79 cr by violating procedures & guidelines issued by Govt. of AP and ESI Corporation without constituting Drug Procurement Committee and calling for Open Tenders M/s.Tele Health Services Pvt., Ltd. The then Labour Minister K Atchannaidu ordered the then Director, IMS to entrust the work to M/s.Tele Health Services Pvt., Ltd., Hyderabad. Accordingly, then Director, Dr.C.K.Ramesh Kumar issued work order to M/s.Tele Health Services Pvt., Ltd., simply basing on the letter of the then Minister on nomination basis without calling for Open Tenders. Ramesh Kumar entered into MoU with M/s.Tele Health Services Pvt., Ltd., to provide Toll Free services and ECG services on nomination basis. As per MoU, the service provider has to provide Toll Free services to patients whenever they call for assistance of pending reimbursement and referral bills. The Director agreed to pay Rs 1.80 per month for each IP irrespective of calls attended. The Director also entered into MoU with the same service provider to provide ECG services to the Patients @ Rs 480/- per ECG. During enquiry, it is noticed that the service provider claimed the bill by submitting call logs of Telangana State IPs and the Directors paid the amount without verifying the genuineness of the call logs. During enquiry, when verified it was observed that the service provider utilised the services of PG Diploma Clinical Cardiologists instead of qualified DM Cardiologists by violating agreement conditions and claimed the bills. C K Ramesh Kumar and Dr.G.Vijaya Kumar paid Rs 4.15 Cr for Toll Free Services and Rs 3.81 Cr for ECG Services, though the Service Provider violated the terms & conditions of MoU / agreement. This is vendetta, kidnapping by the police: Naidu TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu described Atchannaidus arrest as a kidnapping by the police, and said he was arrested in an unprecedented manner with over 100 police personnel. Even phone connections were cut off to keep him from calling his family. This is vendetta. He was arrested without any evidence, he alleged. Naidu further claimed notices were not served before Atchannaidus arrest, and pointed out that it was just four days before the commencement of the Budget Session of the State Assembly. He also gave a call to TDP cadre to stage protests How the former minister was involved The then minister for labour Atchannaidu directed for the contract for call centre, toll-free and ECG services to be given to M/s Tele Health Services Private Limited, the ACB said. As much as `480 was paid for each ECG, while the cost in other hospitals was `200. ECG services were rendered by diploma holders instead of cardiologists, and `1.80 was claimed per call, not only for calls received at the call centre, but also for the entire registered IP of the service provider and even fake calls, Ravi Kumar said Dozens of tenants have been made homeless after being evicted from nine apartments in Dublin city centre and receiving no written notice. The tenants, who are mainly young foreign students, were sharing three-bed apartments with up to seven people and one-bed apartments with up to three people on Abbey Street. A double-bed in one of the apartments was previously advertised as being available to rent to two strangers for 560 each a month on Daft.ie. The tenants had been paying rent to their landlord, BV Rental Ltd, with an address at 58/59 Middle Abbey Street. One tenant didn't receive his deposit back after the landlord claimed damages worth 1,660 was caused to the property. "We left the apartment in perfect condition," he claimed. The tenant was given a copy of an invoice for monies paid to a construction company to repair the alleged damage, and according to the Companies Registration Office, this construction company is also owned by the directors of BV Rental Ltd. In May, when many of the students were doing college exams, they were told they had to vacate the various apartments as soon as possible. Chandan Purushotham (27) was sharing a one-bed apartment with three people and had been living there for five months. "I didn't receive any form of contract as I was just replacing a friend who had been living there. The rent was collected in cash and we did not receive any written warning about the eviction," he told the Irish Independent. "It was all going smooth until the chaos started last month and we were told we had to move out as something was happening to the building." Mr Purushotham had been paying 550 a month to live in a small apartment with two others. "People from the fire brigade came knocking on our door in the middle of February. They asked us simple questions, like how many people were living here and how much we were paying," he said. When he texted the rent collector to say he would remove his belongings once he got his deposit back, the rent collector responded: "No, come pick it up now or it's going in the bin." An advertisement for one of the three-bed apartments was put up on Daft on May 27, but it was removed yesterday. It said the property was available for 2,800 a month and could be shared by between four and eight people. Vikrant Penkar had been living in a three-bed apartment with eight people and paid 400 rent in cash each month. "When we tried to get our deposits back we were given 200 out of 500 and when we refused as it was not all of it, he [the rent collector] left our money on the side of the road and said we could take it or leave it." Peter Dooley, a member of Dublin Renters Union, which has been campaigning to stop evictions during the coronavirus pandemic, said it is a "disgrace" tenants could be made homeless like this. The Irish Independent contacted the landlord numerous times for comment but they did not respond. A spokesperson for Dublin City Council said no inspections had been carried out, but it is looking into the matter. Many of the curfew violators have already plead guilty, he said, and some have probably already paid their fines. Kirkpatrick said a pardon serves primarily to clear someone's criminal record. City officials said 85 people took part in the Zoom call. Residents spoke about a variety of issues, including school resource officers, whether the city should pay for the medical bills of injured protesters, external investigations into the police department and removing the police substation at the F Street Community Center. Bliemeister defended the station, saying it was vital that LPD's efforts remain entwined with the community. He said the substation "has a critical and crucial role to community policing." Community members also asked for city funds to be reallocated away from the police department. They also don't want the police to be the first responders for mental health calls. Bliemeister said he hopes a better system for those calls can be found. On the topic of curfews, both Gaylor Baird and Bliemeister said the purpose was to control the crowd after two nights of violence and vandalism, not to stifle the protesters' voices. Taylor Swift is urging Tennessee officials to permanently remove statues 'that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things' in the state. Swift took to both her Twitter and Instagram accounts Friday afternoon to share the passionate plea, directed at her home state's Capitol Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission. 'As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things,' Swift wrote on social media. Taylor Swift took to her social media platforms Friday with a lengthy plea urging Tennessee officials to get rid of all statues of 'racist figures' in the state Swift discussed, in particular, statutes of Edward Carmack and Nathan Bedford Forrest In particular, she called out two men - Edward Carmack and Nathan Bedford Forrest - noting that they 'were DESPICABLE figures in our state history and should be treated as such.' A statue of Carmack - a state lawmaker and newspaper editor - was torn down from its plinth outside the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville by protesters on May 30. State officials said Monday that, under state law, the statue would need to be repaired or restored and then returned to where it once stood. The only way to move a memorial statue that stands on state property would be to obtain approval from the Tennessee Historical Commission, a state official told Fox 17. Meanwhile, a bust of Forrest - a 'KKK Grand Wizard' and Confederate general - still remains inside the Capitol building and at least one statue of him stands elsewhere in the state. Swift's social media message specifically detailed the reasons why she believed that statues of the two men should be either not replaced or taken down. In her social media posted, Swift explained the racist histories of both Carmack and Forrest Edward Carmack (left) was a newspaper editor and state lawmaker. A statue (right) was erected in his honor outside of the state's Capitol Building in Nashville, Tennessee Carmack's statue was toppled to the ground by protesters on May 30, after a peaceful demonstration became violent. The statue is seen here the day after, on May 31 About Carmack, Swift wrote: 'FYI, he was a white supremacist newspaper editor who published pro-lynching editorials and incited the arson of the office of Ida B. Wells (who actually deserves a heros statue for her pioneering work in journalism and civil rights).' She noted that 'Replacing his statue is a waste of state funds and a waste of an opportunity to do the right thing.' Swift then took aim at Forrest, linking to a Daily Beast article about a specific, bizarre, 25-foot statue of him which stands on private land just outside Nashville. The statue was created by John Karl Kershaw, who was the lawyer for Martin Luther King, Jr.s assassin, James Earl Ray. Swift called the statue a 'monstrosity' and wrote: 'Nathan Bedford Forrest was a brutal slave trader and the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan who, during the Civil War, massacred dozens of black Union soldiers in Memphis. His statue is still standing and July 13th is "Nathan Bedford Forrest Day." Due to social pressure, the state is trying to overrule this, and Tennesseans might no longer have to stomach it. Fingers crossed.' On Wednesday, both chambers of the state's legislature passed a bill releasing Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee from having to officially proclaim Nathan Bedford Forrest Day a holiday, but it will remain on the list of the state's legal holidays for now, The Tennessean reported. Taylor Swift has been using her social media platforms to address political and other issues At the end of her plea, Swift explained why it was so important to take down the statues This statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest stands on private land just outside Nashville The 25-foot tall statue of Forrest as seen from afar. Swift called it a 'monstrosity' in her post Forrest (left) was a 'KKK Grand Wizard.' His bust (right) stands in the Capitol building Lee, a Republican, had originally introduced the bill, asking the legislature to completely remove the day as a holiday. Swift went on to explain why removing the monuments to Carmack, Forrest and others was necessary. 'Taking down statues isnt going to fix centuries of systemic oppression, violence and hatred that black people have had to endure but it might bring us one small step closer to making ALL Tennesseans and visitors to our state feel safe - not just the white ones,' Swift wrote. 'We need to retroactively change the status of people who perpetuated hideous patterns of racism from "heroes" to "villains." And villains dont deserve statues.' Swift then addressed the committees apparently responsible for decisions about keeping the statues in situ. 'Im asking the Capitol Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission to please consider the implications of how hurtful it would be to continue fighting for these monuments,' she wrote. 'When you fight to honor racists, you show black Tennesseans and all of their allies where you stand, and you continue this cycle of hurt. You cant change history, but you can change this.' In 2017, a statue of Forrest was officially removed from a park in Memphis, where his remains were also buried. But, on May 12, it was revealed that his remains would be allowed to be removed from the park, as well, WREG reported. Swift had previously kept a low-profile when it came to sharing her political views, but after turning 30 in December 2019, she has been more visibly invested in using her large social media presence to address politics, racism and LGBTQ rights. On May 29, four days after George Floyd's death, she took a major stand when she tweeted: 'After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? "When the looting starts the shooting starts"??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump' The tweet was liked by 2.2million Twitter users and received 113,100 replies. George Floyd protesters have been tearing down or vandalizing statutes of historical figures with controversial pasts across the country in recent weeks. Among the statues defaced and toppled were: Christopher Columbus statues in Boston and St. Paul, Minnesota; a Robert E. Lee statue in Montgomery, Alabama, and a Jefferson Davis statue in Richmond, Virginia. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. High 22F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Snow likely. Low 16F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 80%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 16:31 587 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde77002 1 Business COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,new-normal,post-pandemic,private-sector,economic-recovery Free Businesspeople in the country are waiting for the government to announce a new economic strategy and guidelines amid its policy to relax COVID-19-related restrictions. Without such guidelines, the so-called new normal period would only leave enterprises with more uncertainty, said businesswoman and former maritime affairs and fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti. Its business as usual in our country. [Businesses] have not been operating due to the outbreak, but the government keeps collecting non-tax revenues, she said in a discussion held by the national COVID-19 task force on Friday. Susi, who owns various businesses, including an airline named after herself, Susi Air, said all non-cargo flights had been suspended in the past two months, causing the company to receive zero income. Yet, the company still needed to pay for various clearances, such as security clearance upon entering airports, plane ownership documents and pilot permits. The government should suspend such obligations for businesspeople to pay non-tax receipts during the pandemic, said Susi. Read also: Indonesian economy could shrink 3.9 percent if hit by second COVID-19 wave, OECD warns The Jakarta Post senior editor Endy Bayuni, also a speaker at the discussion, said the government had yet to lay out a clear strategy for restoring the economy. Meanwhile, the government had eased restrictions although the country still saw new COVID-19 cases. The government keeps pushing for the new normal; yet it has not come up with any new strategy regarding which direction our economy is heading in, said Endy, who is also a member of the Facebook Oversight Board. He added that a new economic strategy for job creation was necessary. What I see is the opposite: The government seems to focus on tourism, which could hardly be revived in one or two years. Endy cited the example of the European Union, which invested 875 billion euros (US$983.5 billion) to rebuild factories and reduce dependency on Chinese products. They also aim for a green economy. The direction is clear; the private sector can then follow the rhythm of the governments strategy, he said. Noting that the role of the private sector had been reduced in the past years, Endy said the government should talk with private sector actors in tackling economic challenges after the pandemic. Maybe its time for the government to restore confidence in the private sector and work together to build the economy for the people. Chicago State University recently launched new scholarship opportunities and academic programs to help fill both education and wealth gaps of Latinos and African Americans in Illinois. Called the Cougar Commitment Initiative, the project will address not just the need for educational assistance, but the economic and personal struggles that may hinder some students from pursuing their studies. The university said this pilot project aims to provide "micro-grants, financial education, and readiness of workforce and food pantries' accessibility." As the lone designated US Department of Education, the four-year primarily Black establishment in Illinois, this university is considered a critical institution for drawing back dropping rates of enrollment of African Americans. The school also said the initiative is leveraging the influence of power education in dealing with wealth differences between the majority and minority communities. Challenges Amplified In a statement, according to CSU president, Zaldqaynaka Scott, with this audacious effort, the school delivers the message to potential students, as well as the families within the state and region, "We are here for you." The school president added current events to amplify the challenges and highlight the need to deal with the range of struggles that result in barriers for both families and students looking in the quest for enrollment in college and, later on, earn a degree. One of the projects underscored, Scott said, is the new "Rise Academy." It is a year-long student success program designed for first-year students. Also, according to the university, it has included a five-week summer program designed for incoming freshmen students. Students who will complete the five-week program will get a 100-percent tuition scholarship grant for the school year 2020-2021. Aside from entirely free tuition, students are also provided with a laptop, access to the Internet, and Textbooks. Opportunities for a Diverse Student Body In a statement, the school's director of admissions and recruitment, Carlos A. Gooden, said, "CSU has always welcomed a diverse group of students," with over 60 percent college students, who, he called "the first generation." According to Gooden, Cougar Commitment is leading the way to a whole lot more, making students and higher education meet in high school. It also offers the resources that will contribute to back scholastic success, once they enroll at the university. These opportunities for Latino and African American students are backed by the school's reallocation of present funding and gifts "from partners such as The Joyce Foundation." CSU, which was established in 1867, is a public, wide-ranging post-secondary organization that positions distinctively as one of the oldest public education institutions of Illinois. It provides access to higher education for a diversity of educational requirements backgrounds. Besides, the university is a university that's nationally accredited. It comprises five college courses, including Business Education, Arts, and Science, Pharmacy, and Health Science. The school also offers 31 undergraduate programs and 25 graduate degree-granting courses. Constantly evolves to mirror hi-tech trends in higher education, the university readies students to achieve success in the 21st century. Check these out! Visitors are seen near the portrait of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong on Tiananmen Gate, on the day of the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing, China May 28. Reuters-Yonhap By Do Je-hae The government is closely watching the escalating U.S.-China conflict and analyzing the possible impact on Korea, the nation's top diplomat said Thursday. "We are well aware of domestic concerns about the rising conflict in the international community," Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said during a meeting on foreign affairs strategy coordination held at the ministry's headquarters in central Seoul, according to press pool reports. "We are conducting a detailed analysis with experts within and outside the government about the conflict's significance and its possible impact on Korea." Although the foreign minister stopped short of specifically mentioning the United States, and China, the remarks were seen as reflecting the Moon Jae-in administration's increasing concerns about Korea's diplomacy being sandwiched between the two superpowers' escalating competition. The meeting at the foreign ministry came as the Chinese "parliament" endorsed the controversial national security legislation pertaining to Hong Kong, further raising tension with the U.S., which has been highly critical of the move. Trump hints at willingness to walk away from China trade deal China's economic strategy shift shows Xi is preparing for 'worst case scenario' New US-China Cold War President Moon Jae-in faces the complex task of balancing Korea's diplomacy between the U.S. and China amid an escalating rivalry between the two superpowers over trade, Hong Kong and competition for global leadership in the post-COVID-19-era. Yonhap Concerns are rising among experts and the general public about how Korea will deal with the conflict. Korea is expected to face more pressure from both countries to show support for their respective strategies to strengthen their respective influence in the region. Experts are underlining the need for Korea to take a careful, long-term approach to the issue as the anti-Chinese policy in Washington is likely to be maintained regardless of who takes over the White House in the upcoming presidential election. "The U.S. and China are almost certainly headed toward a new Cold War. The anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S. will likely persist even if Joe Biden wins the U.S. presidential race," Yoon Kwan-young, a former foreign minister, said during a forum in Seoul this week. "There will be increasing pressure from both sides on Korea. We need a principled approach based on transparency and rationality." Some insiders say that maintaining good relations with North Korea is one of the ways to defuse tension between the U.S. and China in the region. "South Korea is an American ally, but it also maintains a strategic partnership with China. Both countries are valuable countries to our national interests," said Moon Chung-in, the special adviser to President Moon Jae-in on foreign affairs and national security, in a recent Korea Times interview. U.S. President Donald Trump has blamed China for the COVID-19, which he has called a worse attack than Pearl Harbor, and has threatened to cut ties with the country. Yonhap "To get out of this dilemma, South Korea needs to take a more prudent balanced diplomacy. In so doing, Seoul needs to get a major breakthrough in inter-Korean relations. Improved inter-Korean relations will serve as a very valuable buffer to the U.S.-China strategic rivalry on the Korean Peninsula." Officials from Cheong Wa Dae and various ministries took part in the meeting at the foreign ministry. Hoovers citywide curfew, enacted last week due to civil unrest, will end early Sunday morning, the city announced Friday. ***COMMUNITY ALERT*** The City of Hoovers city-wide curfew will end at 6 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, 2020. Posted by City of Hoover on Friday, June 12, 2020 Hoover was one of several municipalities in the Birmingham metropolitan area that implemented curfews lasting from early evening to early morning starting June 1, including Birmingham, Mountain Brook, Trussville, Vestavia Hills, Tarrant, Homewood and Bessemer. Birminghams curfew was lifted Monday. While there was no looting or violence after Hoovers curfew was implemented, Hoover Police arrested 14 protesters June 2 for violating curfew and arrested several others on Monday for disorderly conduct. When he was 24, Kekdam Lingo left home for a Delhi Police recruitment drive and his father was not happy about it. But Lingo, who hailed from the village of Pokto in Arunachal Pradeshs West Siang district, did get become a constable in 2015, according to a TOI report. But his dream was to be an officer who would lead teams. So while doing job, Lingo, who is now 28, got ready for the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Combined Competitive Examination and took it in late 2018. He will now be a DSP in his home state. Lingo, son of the caretaker of the village church, said he did a postgraduation in geography from Rajiv Gandhi University in Itanagar before appearing for the Delhi Police examination. TOI It has always been my dream to join the police force and when I got a chance, I took it up, he said. To him, the job was more important than the rank, Lingo said. He used to send a major portion of his salary back home to look after his parents and fund the studies of his younger siblings, two brothers and a sister. Another portion was used to buy books. For one year, I stopped spending on even small luxuries so that I could spend for the examination, he added. During his days at the police training college in Delhi, he also successfully finished a commando course. TOI My first posting was with a battalion that mainly had security duties. Though this gave me little time to study, I used to go through the material I had downloaded on my phone during spare time. According to Lingo, the stint with Delhi Police had been a learning experience be it following the strict training regime or providing security at big events. In the last one year of his service, Lingo was posted with the Geeta Colony police station. PTI I stayed at the barracks with 25 other policemen. No matter how much you try, it is difficult to concentrate. But my colleagues supported me a lot, he said. The results were declared earlier this month after a delay due to the pandemic. I couldnt believe my ears when I heard my score. My dream has come true, he said. SAN DIEGO, June 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Metacrine, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing best-in-class drugs to treat patients with liver and gastrointestinal diseases, today announced the appointment of Preston Klassen, M.D., MHS as President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Klassen joins Metacrine from Arena Pharmaceuticals, bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience in product development. In addition, John McHutchison, AO, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Assembly Biosciences, has been appointed to the companys Board of Directors. This is an exciting time for Metacrine as we advance the clinical development of both MET409 and MET642 for patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, for whom there are no approved therapies today, said Dr. Klassen. In the last several years, Metacrine has designed novel and proprietary FXR clinical product candidates that hold the potential to be best-in-class treatments for NASH and potential treatments for a variety of metabolic and inflammatory diseases. I am delighted to join this highly talented team to advance innovative drug candidates and improve the health of patients worldwide. Prior to Metacrine, Dr. Klassen was Executive Vice President, Head of Research and Development at Arena Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw development of multiple early and late-stage clinical programs and contributed to its successful corporate transformation over the past few years. Before Arena, he served as Chief Medical Officer of Laboratoris Sanifit S.L., a biotechnology company, and prior to that was Executive Vice President, Head of Global Development at Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. Earlier in his career, Dr. Klassen held several positions of increasing responsibility at Amgen Inc., including Therapeutic Area Head for Nephrology. Prior to joining Amgen, he was a faculty member in the Division of Nephrology at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Klassen received his M.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine, fellowship in nephrology, and masters in health sciences degree at Duke University. Prestons extensive experience in advancing products through late-stage clinical development and commercialization will be invaluable to Metacrine, and we are thrilled to have him at the helm to lead the company through the next phase of its evolution, said Richard Heyman, Ph.D., Chairman of the Metacrine Board of Directors. We are also delighted to welcome John to the Board. He brings a track record of accomplishments in drug development and approvals, as well as deep knowledge of liver disease biology. Dr. Heyman continued, We greatly appreciate the significant contributions by Ken Song over the last four years and look forward to his continued involvement as a senior advisor to Metacrine as we continue to advance our leading FXR agonist pipeline. Dr. McHutchison serves as Chief Executive Officer and President and Director of Assembly Biosciences, Inc. Previously, he was Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development at Gilead Sciences, Inc. Under his leadership, Gilead developed five medicines that are now prescribed around the world for the curative treatment of chronic hepatitis C and the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. Prior to Gilead, Dr. McHutchison held numerous positions at Duke University Medical Center, most recently as Associate Director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute. In June 2018, Dr. McHutchison was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of his distinguished service to medical research in gastroenterology and hepatology. Dr. McHutchison received undergraduate degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Melbourne in Australia and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He is a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. About Metacrine Metacrine is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company building a potentially best-in-class pipeline of drugs to treat liver and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. The companys most advanced programs, MET409 and MET642, target the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), which is central to modulating liver and GI diseases. Both MET409 and MET642 are currently being investigated in clinical trials as a potential new treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). For additional information, please visit www.metacrine.com. Contact: Caton Morris THRUST Strategic Communications 336.403.0669 investors@metacrine.com Imarn Ayton, 29, a figurehead of the movement who has given speeches alongside Star Wars actor John Boyega, said a monument to anyone who has made racist comments - including the wartime PM - is offensive and belongs in a museum. But she urged campaigners to stay off the streets of London to prevent rallies exploding into a 'race war' against the far-right, who are among those trooping to the capital and other cities across the UK to defend targeted sculptures. Asked if she believes Winston Churchill statue should be removed, Ms Ayton told BBC Radio 4: 'Yes I do. I believe these statues should be moved to a museum I think it's a win win for everyone. 'It no longer offends the black nation, but we get to keep our history and keep those that would like to see that. Imarn Ayton, 29, a figurehead of the BLM movement said a monument to anyone who has made racist comments - including Winston Churchill - is offensive and belongs in a museum Asked why Churchill's statue was offensive, she said: 'Any statue of people who has spoken negatively towards black people is going to be offensive. Any man.' Her words come as tensions begin to simmer around the United Kingdom, with a series of protests in multiple big cities on Saturday. Prior to the second wave of mass protests, steps had been taken to fully cover the statue of the wartime Prime Minister, which sits in a prime location on Parliament Square, gazing across at the Houses of Parliament. A week on from acts of vandalism, the Churchill statue was completely encased in a protective box in order to deter any further attacks. The statue of the wartime PM stands in Parliament square, gazing out at the Houses of Parliament - but now finds itself completely enclosed (seen right) to ward off attacks Pro-statue campaigners rallied outside the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, which has been boarded up by Sadiq Khan for fear of it becoming a 'flashpoint for violence' Far-right protesters walk as British police officers in riot gear escort them away in central London, as groups gather to counter-protest against a Black Lives Matter demonstration In London police chiefs imposed a 5pm curfew on all demonstrations in a bid to quell the unrest seen throughout the day as an anti-racist rally and a pro-statue counter-protest descended into hooliganism when far-right thugs flooded into Westminster. But around 1,000 protesters ignored requests to go home, instead staying in Trafalgar Square - one of the flashpoints where the mostly-peaceful demonstrations erupted into violent clashes. Police have not yet forcibly removed anyone from the square. Throughout the day, mounted officers and riot squads desperately battled to keep the two demonstrations separate, while coming under fire from both sides. A WPC was treated by her colleagues after she fainted due to dehydration as the violent crashes - which continued throughout the day - took a toll on weary officers. Hundreds of BLM and pro-statue protesters are also rallied in cities across the country such as Liverpool, Newcastle, Brighton and Glasgow. Protesters in Bristol gathered at the Cenotaph and held up 'All Lives Matter' banners, but denied they were far-right supporters. One read: 'Not far right just ordinary people of all races from Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, Newport etc. United to defend the Cenotaph to defend the memory of people who died so that we are able to have the freedom to protest.' Among those gathered was a large contingent of bikers who parked their motorbikes next to the war memorial. Many of those present were drinking and there were a number of clashes with police in riot gear as crowds chanting 'England' and raising their arms surged towards lines of officers. $5 million gift to rural Australians. Source: Getty Small businesses affected by the catastrophic bushfires beginning late last year have seen a whopping $5 million increase in sales, as a result of one Aussie womans Buy From The Bush campaign. In December last year amidst the devastating drought, Grace Brennan started the campaign on Instagram and Facebook to encourage Australians to visit regional cities and support their businesses. And it worked: the businesses featured on the Buy From The Bush social media accounts have seen a $5 million total revenue uplift in sales, according to new data from AlphaBeta. On average, each business saw a whopping 300 per cent increase in sales, and one-in-five businesses were able to hire new workers. Three quarters of businesses featured now ship interstate - more than double the share that did so prior to the campaign. But the buck didnt stop with sales growth: 90 per cent of business owners experienced improved quality of life across human connection, community relationships and new local businesses. Business owners also reported spending their earnings on local goods and services, and attempting to give back by volunteering or joining community groups. Childrens clothing designer Kennedy The Label generated $30,000 in Christmas sales - a whopping fourfold year-on-year increase - after being featured on the campaigns Facebook and Instagram. The South Australian farming family behind Singing Magpie Produce revealed they sold $40,000 worth of orders in just four days - almost half of their regular annual sales - after being featured. Singing Magpie Produce/Kennedy The Label. Source: Instagram Platforms like Facebook and Instagram can be a great equalizer for businesses in regional and remote Australia, Mia Garlick, director of policy for Facebook Australia and New Zealand said. The research announced today highlights how social platforms have helped to level the playing field for bush businesses. It can send a message of hope during these challenging times for small business owners across the country, especially those impacted by bushfires and Covid-19. Story continues Grace Brennan, founder of Buy From The Bush, said it was life-changing. Its evidence of how powerful community driven action, enabled by digital technologies like Instagram and Facebook, can be, Brennan said. It has changed lives. Brennan said with ongoing investment, the campaign could significantly improve economic and social outcomes for rural Australia in the long term. Yahoo Finance Breakfast Club Episode 6. Source: Supplied Are you a millennial or Gen Z-er interested in joining a community where you can learn how to take control of your money? Join us at The Broke Millennials Club on Facebook! TV actor Mohena Kumari, who had tested positive for coronavirus, has returned home from the hospital, though she has not yet tested negative for Covid-19. Mohena and her entire family - husband Suyesh Rawat, father-in-law Satpal Maharaj (Uttarakhands tourism minister) and mother-in-law had tested positive. In a social media post, the actor informed fans that she spent 10 days at the hospital and the fight against Covid-19 continues. Hi everyone ! Im back home... but we are still covid-19 positive. We are in complete isolation. We dont know how long it will take to get the negative test. We were in the hospital for 10 days and I probably had the virus in my body 5 days before that... so hopefully a few more days and We will hopefully beat the virus. But till then we have to follow extremely strict rules. Nonetheless We are all feeling much better health wise and in the mind too. Thanks for all the support once again, she wrote on her Instagram stories. Elaborating on the infection, Mohena recently said, My family is fine. We have fought it, we are still fighting it, we are still positive and with your prayers, I think this will turn negative soon. Seven from our family have been tested positive for Covid-19, but we are doing fine now. Right now we are in the hospital. My brother-in-laws latest report has come negative so hes fine now. There are people too who have been infected but they are from the sanstha. We had very mild symptoms and we thought it must be because of the change in weather. Also read: When Amitabh Bachchan posed with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek and Shweta, told paparazzi chaap dena isko Earlier, too, Mohena has shared her condition with fans. Cant sleep. These initial days have been difficult for all of us at home especially our young one and our elders. But Im praying itll all be over soon. We are fine. We have no right to complain about anything as there are people out there who are suffering way more than us, Mohena wrote earlier this month. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The highest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases has forced the Sikkim government to defer reopening of educational institutions till August and take additional precautionary measures. On Friday, 50 people, most of whom had returned from Mumbai tested positive for Covid-19. With this, the number of cases reached 62 till Saturday afternoon. Four people have so far been cured. Till May 22, the Himalayan state, which shares borders with China, Bhutan and Nepal, was coronavirus-free. The next day, a 25-year-old man who returned from Delhi, tested positive for the disease. He has been released from hospital. A meeting of the state task force was held in Gangtok on Friday. It was chaired by chief minister Prem Singh Tamang. He decided to resume classes in schools, colleges and universities only from the first week of August. Earlier, it was decided that the classes from nine and above would resume from July 1. While speaking to HT, Mani Kumar Sharma, Sikkim health minister, said, Adequate precautions need to be taken before classes resume. He said the number of cases would slowly decrease as most of the returnees have already been tested. Sikkim has made it mandatory to put all returnees in compulsory quarantine for 14 days before they go for mandatory home quarantine for another 14 days. All the returnees are being tested and it has become easy for the government to track them. All those who tested positive were asymptomatic and this is dangerous. It is a challenge for us, said Sharma. The state government has already announced a ban on entry of people from other states and abroad till October. It was among the first states to ban entry of migrant workers and non-residents, including tourists although the latter support Sikkims vast tourism industry. So far, more than 6000 Sikkim locals have returned home. Among them, 191 people returned from Mumbai on June 4. Pempa Bhutia, state health secretary, said No health worker has so far tested positive and the state healthcare infrastructure is adequate enough to deal with the present situation. If the number of cases rise the government may face problems, said Sharma and Bhutia. According to the state health bulletin published on Saturday afternoon, the total number of people tested so far is 5,377. But, in late August, Grandma Velda was hospitalized with pneumonia. When we discussed possible outcomes with her, she rolled her eyes and told my mother she wasnt leaving until after the wedding. Feel it. She placed my hand on her heart during her echocardiogram. Having had both breasts removed from cancer, the barrier between her heart and my hand was so thin her heart beat practically leapt into my palm. One and two and three four five. I felt her heart skip and race as she lie still and exposed under the chill of the ultrasound wand. How does it look? I asked the technician. He wont tell you, my grandmother replied for him. She knew in her gut what I could feel in my constricted throat. No matter how fast her heart pumped, wed later learn it simply couldnt fulfill its job anymore. She recovered enough from the pneumonia to make it to a rehab facility where she progressed for a week, until congestive heart failure took over. On Sept. 18, she was rushed back to the hospital. Her heart rate was spiking 160 beats per minute, but it couldnt flush out the fluid increasingly filling her cavity, like an hourglass filling with sand. I had always dreaded that moment when I would say goodbye to her every time I left my family in Ohio to fly back to Colorado. I hate to see you leave, honey, shed say, head drooping and arms outreached. Often Id do what men had done to me when I attached too quickly. Id throw up a wall in response to her clinginess and tell her firmly, Ill be back soon. But sometimes Id crumble into tears, hold her shrinking body against mine, and tell her I didnt want her to die. Oh sweetheart, dont cry. Im not going anywhere, she would tell me as she reached up and held her hand to my cheek. I was at Machu Picchu, Peru, for a short work trip when my mother called me from the rehab center in tears. Grandma is not doing well, she said, pausing to catch her breath. How quickly can you get home? She put grandma on the phone briefly, Sweetheart, I love you with all my heart, she told me in a distressed voice. Grandma, I love you too, but I am coming home! I am coming home, I said. I stood weak-kneed in the doorway of my hotel staring up at the morning fog rolling over the mountains 4,000 miles away from her. Then I started my trek back to her. The Delhi government is working on a plan to loan pulse-oximeters patients with mild symptoms of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for regular monitoring of oxygen levels during home isolation. With the number of cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on the rise and limited number of hospital beds available, the government is working on a plan of treating as many people as possible at their homes itself. So far, 34,687 people in the city have contracted the viral infection. Of these, 20,871 are active cases or those still living with the infection. Data provided by the Delhi government shows that almost 70% of those with the infection in the city are currently in home-isolation. Delhi Govt. to distribute Pulse Oximeters to Corona positive patients who are under home isolation, for regular checking of their oxygen levels. AAP government is making all efforts to assist patients in every possible way, read a tweet from AAPs official handle. The government is procuring 1 lakh pulse-oximeters, a small clip-on device that has to be attached to the finger-tip to check the amount of oxygen in the body. Current guidelines say that Covid-19 patients have to be admitted to hospitals if their oxygen saturation drops to 90% or below (normal is 95 to 100%). The body not getting enough oxygen is one of the major reasons for Covid-19 deaths. Now, many patients panic and rush to the hospitals after testing positive because they do not know what to do. However, if every patient in home isolation has a pulse-oximeter they can keep monitoring their oxygen saturation regularly and rush to the hospitals in case the oxygen saturation dips below 93%, said a senior official from Delhis health department. The pulse-oximeter will have to be returned once the patient recovers. A pulse-oximeter costs between R 1,000 to 3,000. A district level plan is being worked out to ensure that all Covid-19 patients get pulse-oximeters. The government is currently planning how to implement a pilot project to provide devices, such as a pulse oximeter and a wrist-band that can monitor temperature and perimeter control, to patients in home-isolation. These devices will not only ensure that the temperature and oxygen level of patients are monitored regularly, it will also help the district officials to monitor if such patients are staying at home or not, said a senior district level officer. This is the best way to reduce Covid-19 mortality, added a member of the five-member committee, which has been set up to advice the government on strengthening of healthcare infrastructure. Among patients who need hospitalisation, survival is the best among those who get oxygen early on. Now, how can the government ensure that people in home isolation reach the hospital on time and get medical assistance? Distributing the simple pulse-oximeter will allow patients to monitor their own oxygen levels and rush to the hospital in case of an emergency, said Dr Arun Gupta, president of the Delhi Medical Council. The committee has suggested that the government would need to create over 40,000 hospital beds for Covid-19 patients with severe disease by mid-July. With the L-G now also allowing treatment of those from neighbouring states in Delhi, the government is planning to create 1.5 lakh hospital beds some in stadiums, banquet halls, and dharmashalas by July-end. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON COVID-19 in Geneva, less than 11% have been infected A study carried out among 2'766 people by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), the Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, and the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, reveals that, at the time of the decline of the Coronavirus pandemic, only 10.8% of the Geneva population had been infected with Covid-19. Moreover, compared to adults between 20 and 50 years of age, children between 5 and 9 years of age are three times less likely to be infected and those over 65 years of age half as likely. These results were published in The Lancet. Over the five weeks of the study - from 6 April to 9 May - the overall seroprevalence increased from about 5% to about 11% of the population. Taking into account the time for antibodies to be produced after symptoms (with a median of 10.4 days), the researchers estimated that for every confirmed case, there were approximately 12 actual infections in the community. These results suggest that only a minority of the Geneva population has been infected during this pandemic wave, despite the high rate of COVID-19 cases identified during the acute phase of infection (1% of the population in less than 2 months). Children and elderly less affected Young children (5-9 years) and the elderly appear to have a much lower seroprevalence than other age groups. Indeed, only 1 in 123 children in this age group tested positive. However, further studies will be needed to better understand the dynamics of infection and of antibodies in children under 5 years of age, and to determine whether children, in addition to being generally less susceptible to Cov2-SARS, are also less severely affected. The study also reveals a high concentration of infections within households. For example, despite the low seroprevalence of children, 17.1% of children had at least one household member who tested positive, which may suggest that children are infected by adults. On the other hand, only 3.0% of participants over 65 years of age had a household member that tested positive. Furthermore, lower seroprevalence estimates among the elderly tend to confirm the effectiveness of partial containment measures. However, their ability to produce antibodies may be reduced due to age-related weakening of the immune system.. Protective measures have certainly contributed to the decline of the pandemic. The preliminary results of this study provide an important benchmark for assessing the outbreak status. At the time when Switzerland appears to be reaching the end of its first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, only 1 in 10 people have developed antibodies to SARS CoV-2, despite the fact that Switzerland is one of the most affected countries in Europe. The results of this study - the largest population-based seroprevalence study to date - are consistent with preliminary reports from other teams around the world. These results therefore underline that the decline of the epidemic may have taken place despite the fact that the vast majority of the population is not immune, which implies that other factors are at play. The value of seroprevalence studies Seroprevalence surveys based on the detection of specific immunoglobulin type G (IgG) are used to measure the proportion of the population that has ever been exposed to coronavirus. However, they do not provide any indication of full or partial immunity to coronavirus or of the duration of such immunity. Seroprevalence surveys are nevertheless crucial for estimating the dynamics of the epidemic and for preparing the appropriate public health response. They are also more accurate than studies based on nasopharyngeal smears and RT-PCR tests, which are largely dependent on screening policies and miss people with mild or no symptoms, or who do not come for testing. This general population seroprevalence study is ongoing and will be refined to take into account symptomatology and socio-demographic factors. 2'766 participants The study was conducted among a representative sample of the Geneva population drawn from the participants of the Bus Sante study, an annual survey that examines the health of the population of the Canton of Geneva. From 6 April to 9 May 2020, sampled people were invited, together with their family members, for a blood test and a questionnaire. This sample consisted of 52.6% women and 47.2% men, and included 4.4% children between 5 and 9 years of age and 13.3% people over 65 years of age. A total of 2,766 people from 1,339 households took part. The study was carried out by a team from the HUG and UNIGE under the direction of Professor Idris Guessous, Head of the HUG Primary Care Division and professor at the Department of Community Health and Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine, of Dr. Silvia Stringhini, epidemiologist in charge of the Population Epidemiology Unit at the HUG and Privat-Docent at the Faculty of Medicine, and of Professor Antoine Flahault, Director of the Institute of Global Health of the Faculty of Medicine. The study received support from Professor Laurent Kaiser's Virology Laboratory and from the Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, and was funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, the Swiss School of Public Health (Corona Immunitas programme), the Pictet Group's Charity Foundation, the Fondation Ancrage, the Fondation Privee des HUG and the Geneva Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases. ### This story has been published on: 2020-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The district started a program this year to teach parents how to use electronics, but also teach them English and let them know about services in the community. The program provided iPads to parents, which they could take home. Some of them have never used an iPad in their lives. So that was a big challenge. Another one was how to even navigate an application or a program that we have installed in these iPads for reading with the children. Even how to download an application, they dont know these things. Theyve never done them. Yousif Zandinan, his wife and their six children fled persecution in Iraq and came to Lincoln three years ago, he said. The family is Yazidi, a non-Islamic religious minority, and came to Lincoln where his brother-in-law, who translated for the U.S. Army, lives. Zandinan had to quit school in Iraq to help support his family, and so hes always stressed the importance of getting an education to his children even if a pandemic means they cant be in the classroom. Movement of people will remain prohibited throughout the country from 09:00 pm- 05:00 am, barring essential activities during the ongoing Unlock 1.0 phase but there won't be any restrictions on the movement of buses with passengers and goods trucks on highways, the Centre stated on Friday. In a communication to states, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla also made it clear that the purpose behind restricting the movement of individuals during night hours was primarily meant to curb congregation of people and ensure social distancing, not to affect supply chains and logistics. PTI also quoted Bhalla as saying, "The restriction does not apply to instances of loading/ unloading of goods (as part of supply chains and logistics); buses carrying persons and trucks and goods carriers plying on state and national highways, or persons travelling to their destinations after disembarking from buses, trains and flights." States and UTs are advised to not stop the aforementioned movement of people. All the necessary instructions to this effect shall be issued to the district as well as local authorities, Bhalla added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25 to combat the coronavirus pandemic for the first time. The lockdown has since then been extended first till May 3, then again till May 17. It was further extended till May 31. Currently, India is undergoing the fifth phase of lockdown which has more relaxations including rail, road and domestic air travel compared to the previous ones. These relaxations, however, don't apply to areas classified as containment zones and they have to follow guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry from time to time. The lockdown, which is applicable to containment zones will continue till June 30. As India claws its way out of coronavirus lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with the CMs on June 16 and 17 via video conferencing. This will be the sixth time that PM Modi will meet chief ministers of all the states and UTs to take a note of the coronavirus situation in the country; the last meeting took place on May 11. This meeting comes at a time when the number of active coronavirus cases in India stands at 1,41,842 whereas the number of fatalities is at 8,498. Also read: Coronavirus: PM Modi to meet CMs via video conference on June 16-17 Thousands of demonstrators marched in cities and towns across Switzerland on Saturday to denounce racism and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the United States. Despite rules in place banning gatherings of more than 300 people to prevent the spread of COVID-19, several cities saw huge crowds come out to join a growing global movement denouncing racism and disproportionate police violence against black and brown people. In the biggest demonstration, more than 10,000 people, most of them dressed in black, protested in Switzerland's largest city Zurich, according to police. The protesters marched through the city centre, holding up posters with slogans like "Black Lives Matter", "Racism is a Pandemic Too", and "I Can't Breathe", referring to Floyd's death in Minneapolis on May 25, after a white officer pressed his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Police said the Zurich demonstration was largely peaceful, but that it had been marred in the late afternoon by a few hundred people headed by known members of the radical leftwing autonomous scene who threw rocks, bottles and other objects at police. One officer was injured and a number of people arrested, Zurich police said. Several thousand people also held an unauthorised but peaceful demonstration in front of the Swiss government and parliament buildings in the capital Bern Saturday, according to Swiss news agency ATS. Local police announced on Twitter that the gathering had dissolved by late afternoon. A range of other towns meanwhile saw smaller demonstrations. There was no demonstration in Geneva, which saw 10,000 people march through the streets earlier in the week against racism, but in neighbouring Lausanne, around 1,000 people had begun gathering in a central square by late afternoon, according to an AFP photographer. That demonstration was authorised by the city, which had erected some blockades around the square to encourage people to pass through a single entrance point to ensure they disinfected their hands and were wearing obligatory masks. Organisers said the demonstration aimed to take a stand against police violence in the US, but also in Switzerland, pointing to three cases in the past four years where black men have died at the hands of police in and near Lausanne. A number of protesters brandished posters with Floyd's name, but also that of Mike Ben Peter, a Nigerian killed in Lausanne in 2018 after being pinned to the ground by police in seemingly similar circumstances. Several Swiss cities saw gatherings against racism and police brutality, including cases of three black men who have died at the hands of Swiss police in recent years Black Lives Matter protests have swept the nation in light of the George Floyds death, and on Saturday, one quiet Dauphin County town joined the chorus of voices calling for change. Although organizers said Saturday was Hummelstowns first-ever civil rights rally, the demonstration didnt fail to turn out supporters. Several hundred people crowded into the square starting at noon, holding homemade signs with slogans like Who do you call when the police murder?" and All mothers were summoned when George called out for his mother. The event began with an eight-minute, 46-second moment of silence roughly the length of time Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyds neck before his death on May 25. Protesters then marched to Herbert A Schaffner Memorial Park to hear a series of rousing speeches which called people of all races to fight systemic racism together. Some people think its 2020, its gone, but its not gone, said Carmen Dickerson, a teacher at Lower Dauphin Middle School. Racism is not dead. Protesters are marching through downtown Hummelstown in Dauphin County to protest racial inequality and George Floyds death. Posted by PennLive.com on Saturday, June 13, 2020 Addressing the majorly white crowd, Dickerson who said shes the only black educator in her school called on the community to publicly confront unacceptable behavior. As white people, you have friends, you have neighbors who you know are racist," Dickerson said. Black people cant do this by themselves. We need you, white people. Borough resident Bina Singh, a woman of color, said she identifies with the struggles black people face. I know this is the right side of history, she said. " I cant just be on the sidelines." We live in a country thats never cared about black lives, said Pastor Hank Johnson, of Harrisburg Brethren in Christ Church. We also have to lean into the other side of history that says black lives never mattered. The rally was organized by Pastor Justin Douglas of The Belong Collective. Douglas, admitting he felt uncomfortable addressing the crowd as a white man, felt compelled to talk about racism he said is built into religion. Douglas also called out white people who he said claim racism was a back then issue to divert from whats happening in the present. The pastor said hes seen numerous examples of church leaders allowing, or even encouraging racism in their congregations. When were talking about racism in the church were not talking about back then.' Were talking about right now," he said. Holding up a sign that read Defund the church, Douglas urged protesters to call their pastors and ask what theyre doing to support the Black Lives Matter movement. If they dont have a good answer, he suggested they take their donations elsewhere. Amandine Pope a biracial woman moved to central Pennsylvania from Europe. She said shed hardly experienced racism until coming to America. Being biracial is tough because you often have to pick a side, she said. Ive been silent. Ive been blind. Lets not be silent and blind because its convenient. Kate Baer, of Hummelstown, said she brought her three children because she wasnt taught racial history when she was young and wants them to be informed. Were trying to be more aware of our white privilege, Baer said. While energizing the crowd to make historic change, the speakers also warned that it wont happen overnight. Recharge yourself, activist Brent Lipscomb said. The war doesnt stop just because youre tired. READ MORE: Car caravan protest around Capitol planned for Sunday, highlighting injustices of systemic racism San Antonio police say at least 8 people shot after man was denied entry into a bar, report Deer runs into protesters during march along N.J. highway, critically injuring one In the lake country 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, hundreds danced, prayed and demanded racial justice in Cadillac, a Michigan town that was long home to a neo-Nazi group. It was not an isolated scene. In eastern Ohio, even more demonstrated in rural Mount Vernon, a town with its own current of racial intolerance, just as others did in Manheim, Pennsylvania, a tiny farming town in Lancaster County, with its small but active Ku Klux Klan presence. The protest movement over black injustice has quickly spread deep into predominantly white, small-town America, notably throughout parts of the country that delivered the presidency for Donald Trump. Across Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, more than 200 such demonstrations have taken place, many in cities with fewer than 20,000 residents, according to local media, organizers, participants and the online tracking tool CrowdCount. That's what's so striking, that these protests are taking place in rural places with a white nationalist presence, said Lynn Tramonte, who grew up near Mount Vernon and is monitoring the Black Lives Matter demonstrations around Ohio. The protests in these Republican-leaning areas offer a test of the president's ability to reassemble his older, white voting bloc. If he cannot replicate that coalition, it would leave Trump with few options, especially since he continues to lose support in suburbs. If President Trump cannot hold onto white, working-class voters in rural, small-town Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio, I don't know how he wins the election," said Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Can you rule out he won't have that same level of enthusiasm? No, you can't. Trump carried Pennsylvania by about 44,000 votes in 2016, in part with overwhelming support from a patchwork of rural, white counties. The pattern also played out in Michigan and Wisconsin, where he won by even fewer votes. In Ohio, that coalition propelled him to an easy victory. Some polls suggest that, while white voters without college degrees are still a strong group for Trump, they could be more open to supporting Biden than they were to supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton four years ago. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh did not directly address the protests taking place in counties won by the president, but said more generally in a statement to The Associated Press, "President Trump expressed disgust and shock over what happened to George Floyd and praised the peaceful demonstrations, but also knows that Americans cannot live with riots and lawlessness in cities nationwide. But the pace of change over racial justice after Floyd's death last month by police in Minneapolis has quickened and has sparked protests in hundreds of communities in every state, on a scale rarely, if ever, seen before. It is not that Biden will necessarily win rural counties that Trump carried easily, but he may be able to cut into Trump's margins enough to bring those states back to the Democratic column. In Cadillac, branch home of the National Socialist Movement among the nation's prominent neo-Nazi groups as recently as 2007 black organizers were undeterred in staging their event at a lakeside pavilion even as armed opponents associated with the white nationalist group Michigan Militia parked nearby as a show of force. Trump won Wexford County, home to Cadillac, with 65% of the vote, similar to neighboring counties in the lightly populated region, where unemployment has run higher than average in Michigan. In neighbouring Grand Traverse County, which Trump won by a smaller margin, more than 2,000 packed Traverse City's Lake Michigan shoreline park to hear protest organiser Courtney Wiggins. The 38-year-old black woman listed demands, including that police in the 95 per cent white town of 14,000 end racial profiling, as armed protesters affiliated with the far-right Proud Boys dotted the perimeter. Though similar events popped up in exurban Cedarburg and Grafton, keys to Ozaukee County in the GOP-leaning suburbs of Milwaukee, far more have materialised many miles from the major metropolitan areas in these four pivotal states, according to organizers and advocates who have tracked the protests. In Mount Vernon, Ohio, the seat of Knox County where Trump received 66 per cent of the vote, 700 people turned out on June 6 despite threats from opponents, who staged an impromptu rally later that day. Dozens of protests have taken place in counties in these four battleground states that Trump flipped from Democrat to Republican. Among them were Macomb County outside Detroit, Portage and Mahoning counties in northeast Ohio, and perhaps most notably Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, where voters swung dramatically from President Barack Obama in 2012 to Trump four years later. It is rose season, although no longer is rose considered just a summer beverage. The 2019 JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery rose is a dry, aromatic, refreshing wine that is a reminder of that, one that is versatile enough to have with dinner or all by itself 12 months out of the year. A rose made largely of Syrah, it is whole cluster pressed and fermented like a white wine. Per the notes from JUSTIN Vineyards & Winerys sommelier Jim Gerakaris, the wine in appearance is bright and clear with a pale salmon color and aromatic with strawberry, apple, chamomile and floral notes. The finish is moderate, fresh and textured with subtle red fruit and herbal notes. It sells for $20. The winery, located in Paso Robles, California, planted its first vineyard back in 1981 with, per the website, a mission to make world-class Bordeaux-style blends. Its winemakers, Fred Holloway and Scott Shirley, are a pair of veterans who combine their talents to produce an array of dry wines that include white varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier and red varietals such as Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, among others. The multiple blends include Isoceles (the 2017 is a mix of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot) and Trilateral (the 2017 blend includes 72% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 8% Mourvedre). Its Wine Society wine club offers access to a number of unique offerings and discounts. Here is some additional background on the winery, its wines and the rose specifically per the assistance of Scott Shirley, who sent back these answers to questions from PennLive. Q, I dont know that my readers are familiar with your winery. How would you describe what makes the JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery brand so good? A, Located on the Central Coast of California, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery has been producing wine for over 30 years. Justin Baldwin purchased the property in 1981, before the Paso Robles appellation was even established, because of a unique confluence of several key winegrowing factors which portend a region very well suited to luxury red wines. As one of the early pioneers of Paso Robles, Justin believed that the calcareous soils, combined with proximity to the ocean, would create Bordeaux-style blends that would belong in the company of the finest in the world. Hot days during the growing season are perfect for ripening fruit, but then cool breezes in the evening allow for the vines to recover and for the grapes to retain acidity. All grapes, whether they are destined for JUSTINs iconic Isosceles blend ($76 retail from the winery), or for a more affordably priced weekday Rose ($20 retail), receive the same care and attention to detail. Q, What should my readers know about the wines that you make (which appears to be some delicious blends)? A, At JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery, a vineyard block is not picked until its rows have been walked and the fruit tasted directly off the vine, to determine the best time to harvest. We are evaluating the balance of fruit character, acidity, and in the case of red wines, tannin. Picking decisions are not made by the numbers alone the pH, acidity, and sugar analyses simply direct us to which vineyard blocks should be tasted and considered for picking. Once that decision is made, every grape cluster is picked by hand and delivered to the winery with the berries intact, in small 12 ton picking bins. It is not machine-harvested, nor dumped into larger gondolas. Each pick is kept separate in its own fermenter and then tasted to evaluate into which blend that tank belongs. Q, Theres a lot of talk in your bios about Old World techniques. How are they integrated into the winemaking that you do? What is the Air Knife? A, After handpicking, the grapes are destemmed to remove the rachis, and then individual berries are sorted to remove leaves, raisins, or under-ripe fruit. This sorting is aided by a high-pressure air-knife, or air-curtain, at the end of a conveyor belt, which allows grapes with an ideal weight to pass through into the tank, while unwanted particles are cut by pushing them into a refuse bin with a stream of air. This newer technology is integrated into traditional practices, such as aging the wine in oak barrels and assembling blends, which are reflective of both a time and place. Once things return to normal in California, the JUSTIN Vineyard & Winery tasting room is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The tasting fee is $35. Among the offerings at the winery are an introductory cave tour with tasting and a private cave tour and tasting. While the estate tasting room remains closed, its downtown tasting room at 811 12th St. in Paso Robles is open. Q, What are a couple of the main goals with the JUSTIN 2019 Rose? Has the technique in making the wine changed at all? A, The JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery 2019 Rose is whole cluster pressed as though it were a white wine, instead of destemming the fruit and fermenting the juice on skins, which extracts color and tannin. Limited skin contact is responsible for the pale pink hue. Fermenting in a stainless-steel tank at a cool temperature preserves the aromatics and fruit character, while a crisp acidity is maintained by preventing malolactic fermentation. Made in a Provencal style, it shares many of the same attributes salmon color, pronounced bright acidity - which make it a perfect aperitif and a fun way to start the evening. Q, Do the winemaker notes pretty much read the same from year to year? A, The JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery Rose is made using the same techniques every year, and a consistent style/ flavor profile is desired. However, every vintage brings a different set of growing conditions and the vineyard sourcing may change depending on which blocks are performing best that year. Q, I know Im just writing mainly about the JUSTIN 2019 Rose, but all your blends, particularly with the Rhone grapes, intrigue me. What makes those so appealing/challenging to make every year? A, As a winemaker, I enjoy the unpredictable nature of each vintage, which brings the excitement of new challenges and possibilities. With experience, I learn the different personalities of each vineyard site and how those vines respond to weather events, such as a heat wave or rainy season. JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery sources fruit from 10 of the 11 sub-AVAs within the Paso Robles appellation, thus allowing flexibility when creating the final blends. Some vintages may favor early-ripening grape varieties with thinner skins, planted on the east side in sandier/loamy soils, while other vintages may benefit later ripening varieties in the limestone-rich, steeper hills of the west side. The blends are never a recipe; instead they are comprised of barrel lots and vineyard blocks which performed best given that years growing conditions. Q, Has the vineyard pretty much stayed the same? Have you added any new varieties that consumers are increasingly interested in trying? A, There are still three of the original blocks which Justin Baldwin planted on the Estate in 1982, of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Over the last 30+ years, we have learned from the site which varieties, clones, rootstocks, and row directions have worked the best, so we are constantly evolving by replanting and redeveloping. The rose is a newer wine in our portfolio that is distributed nationally because it pairs so beautifully with a hot summer day! The JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery rose is made largely of Syrah. It is whole cluster pressed and fermented like a white wine. It is a rose that is perfect for any time of the year. -- Other recent regional wine stories on PennLive East Coast wineries planted a mix of vines this spring, from Chardonnay to Petit Verdot Nissley Vineyards cancels regions oldest summer concert series Lancaster County winery adds second curbside location for pickup, expands its vineyard One of Pa.s two oldest wineries continues to evolve while keeping its long-time customers happy Briar Valley Winery sold to owners of a Westmoreland County producer Lancaster County winery just pleased to get back to semi-normal again Berks County winery managing the present as best it can while preparing to plant for the future 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. North Korea recently cut off all engagements with South Korea. Now, it appeared they are moving numerous missiles. They quoted anonymous US authorities familiar with the scenario. Along with South Korean President Moon Jae-in's liberal supporters South Korean President Moon Jae-in, North Korea wants him to reimpose economic connections severed by security tensions, according to Hindustan Times. However, acting in accordance with them would be unfavorable towards US President Donald Trump. According to the secretive county, it was closing a liaison office it shares with South Korea and cutting communication over one leaders' hotline. This pressurizes Seoul to break away from Washington's attempt to isolate the nation, Bloomberg reported. The decision was deliberated by the state because South Korean officials had "connived" to initiate "hostile acts" towards the nation. North Korea also severed communication with South Korea in opposition to defectors recently launching balloons over the border carrying leaflets condemning Pyongyang. "This measure is the first step of the determination to completely shut down all contact means with South Korea and get rid of unnecessary things," the official Korean Central News Agency stated as reported by Kyodo News. The announcement of North Korea was carried through on Tuesday. The decision had additional significance due to the fact it was accredited partially to Kim Yo Jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister. She has been a prominent figure nowadays. Also Read: What Would Happen If North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un Died? North Korea will "completely cut off and shut down" 4 distinct communication channels. This consists of a military communication hotline, a liaison office close the border, and a line between South Korea's presidential office and North Korea's ruling party. The underlying cause is a strive to improve leverage in inter-Korean deals that have slowed down since a series of 2018 summits. The furtive nation cited the actions of South Korean activist groups as justification for their resolve. "They dared to hurt the dignity of our supreme leadership and mock the sacred mental core of all our people," KCNA added. The North Koreans did not provide a commentary when South Korean officials attempted to contact North Korean officials through numerous channels after the declaration of North Korea, the South Korean government said. North Korea has halted communications in the past by not responding to phone calls or faxes from South Korea. The channels when tensions were relieved. Also, North Korea has been blamed for purposely initiating distress to strengthen internal union or to allude their disappointment over inactivity in nuclear negotiations with Washington. "All the people of the DPRK have been angered by the treacherous and cunning behaviour of the South Korean authorities with whom we still have lots of accounts to settle," KCNA referred to the North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Criticism was raised recently by Kim's regime regarding non-governmental organizations in South Korea following their drop anti-North Korean material into the nation's area. "North Korea could push ahead with a military provocation as soon as in August when Seoul and Washington hold joint drills, or in October to mark the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party," according to Shin Beom-chul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. The communication links established between Kim Jong Un and South Moon Jae In will jeopardize the 2017 campaign promise courtesy of South Korea to relocate the massively armed rivals toward perpetual peace. Related Article: Kim Jong Un in 'Vegetative State': Sister to Replace North Korean Leader If Death Rumors are True @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New Delhi, June 13 : The Delhi government has received flak from the Supreme Court, which termed the citys patient care as 'deplorable and 'pathetic, as patients suffering from Covid-19 are running from pillar to post to get admission to the hospitals, whereas large numbers of beds are lying vacant in the government-run hospitals. Out of total 9,708 Covid-19 beds in the city, 5,448 have been occupied, mostly in private hospitals, and 4,660 are vacant, majority in government-run hospitals. The city hospitals have a total 605 ventilators, out of which 353 are occupied, majority in the private hospitals, and 252 are vacant, majority in the government hospitals. "In the backdrop of the Supreme Court order, the Delhi government should call an all inclusive meeting, including representatives of private hospitals. It is extremely important to think why the Supreme Court had to intervene in the ongoing health crisis. The wisdom of doctors to prescribe for Covid-19 test was taken away, which led to mismanagement," said Rajan Sharma, President, Indian Medical Association (IMA). Delhi is witnessing accelerated growth in cases every day, where earlier a thousand cases in a day were the new normal, which on Friday inflated into a larger crisis with over 2,000 cases getting in a day. Arvind Kumar, Chairman, Centre for Chest Surgery, and Director in the Institute of Robotic Surgery at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, "We are facing a big crisis -- not only shortage of hospital beds, but also shortage of healthcare workers. By merely saying we will add more beds is not sufficient to address the Covid-19 crisis. If a patient is developing respiratory issues where will you take him? "Delhi has merely 10,000 beds and there is a projection of 5.5 Lakh cases in Delhi by July end. Where will hospital beds come from to cater to this number? One must break the transmission cycle, and not focus on adding beds." The Supreme Court on Friday expressed anguish at the pathetic condition of the patients and their improper care and treatment, and added that it pained the top court. The overall testing has also gone down in Delhi. On May 27, the number of samples tested was 6018, on June 9, the number was 4670, and on June 11, the total testing in Delhi was reported at 5077. On the contrary, Maharashtra is testing 16,000 a day and Tamil Nadu 17,675 per day. Saurabh Sachar, senior resident at the Safdarjung Hospital, said, "Delhi government should first set up a call-centre to receive calls for Covid-19. Then, it should strengthen its ambulance response, which can respond to distress calls and ferry critical patients to Covid-19 dedicated Delhi government hospitals. The central system should identify hospitals wherever bed is available, rather than putting doctors and other professionals under pressure. Coordination through a central point is the need of the hour. The Delhi government should include more of its hospitals as dedicated Covid-19 hospitals." He added that this will streamline the healthcare infrastructure response to Covid-19 patients. Slamming the AAP government, the Supreme Court said on Friday, "We do not understand why the tests have gone down in Delhi. Non-testing of the patients is not a solution to the problem rather increase in the testing facility is the duty of the state, so that people may come to know about their health status regarding Covid-19 and they may take appropriate care and treatment of Covid-19." Amit Malviya, senior resident at AIIMS, said, "AIIMS has already turned its trauma centre, plastic and burns centres and AIIMS Jhajjar into Covid-19 treatment facility. As our centres fill up with patients, we are expanding our facilities. Delhi government can adopt a similar strategy to expand its facilities to incorporate Covid-19 patients." (Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: Principal advisor to the Chief Minister Ajeya Kallam on Friday said recent agreements re-negotiated by the State government helped the State save thousands of crores of taxpayers money which is a reflection of its commitment to ensure transparency and efficiency in governance. Citing agreements with Greenko Group to set up a solar, wind and hydro power generation project in the Rayalaseema region, and the GMR for the Bhogapuram airport, he said, When Greenko proposed the project, the previous TDP government alienated 4,600 acres at Rs 2.5 lakh per acre in the Rayalaseema region. The company proposed to construct 1000 MW solar energy plant, 550 MW wind energy plant and 1,680 MW reverse pumping (hydro) project. The state exchequer could only get Rs 119 crore. After reviewing the project, and renegotiating with the company, it has agreed to pay Rs 5 lakh per acre instead of Rs 2.5 lakh which means the revenue the State gets has increased to Rs 238 crore. The company also agreed to pay Green Energy Development charge of Rs 1 lakh on every MW of renewable energy produced for 25 years due to which the State gets Rs 31 crore additional income per year. After 25 years, for the rest of the lifespan of the project, it has agreed to pay Rs 2 lakh development charge on every MW, Ajeya Kallam said. The lifespan of a hydroelectric project is over Rs 100 years. Because of the levy of Green Energy Development charge, the State will earn Rs 3,375 crore over this period. Rs 5,000 crore saved in Bhogapuram airport deal Greenko Group is for the most part owned by two of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world -- the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. It is the largest renewable energy company in the country. Pointing out that the previous TDP government had proposed to recover just a one-time amount of Rs 119.16 crore, Ajeya Kallam said the YSRC government has ensured a recurring annual benefit of 27 percent on the total one-time amount. Explaining the change in terms of the Bhogapuram airport agreement, Ajeya Kallam said, The previous government allocated 2,700 acres. The project was reviewed and it was found that the value of the land was premium and it would increase in the future. The present government renegotiated with GMR, which bagged the contract for the project, and informed it that 2,200 acres would be sufficient for the airport. The government asked it to return 500 acres to which the company agreed. Five hundred acres at the present market value of Rs 3 crore per acre would cost Rs 1,500 crore and the value of the land is expected to increase to Rs 10 crore per acre, once the airport is completed. The YSRC government has been able to save Rs 5,000 crore public money. The Principal Advisor to the CM also recalled that the government has saved Rs 2,072.29 crore public money through reverse tendering of various projects. This is a reflection of the governments efficiency. We will take up more welfare schemes by saving money this way. The government is working with the aim of implementing welfare schemes for the people on time, he said. UNITED NATIONS (AP) U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep shock late Friday at the discovery of mass graves in Libyan territory recently recaptured from forces commanded by Khalifa Hifter, and called for a transparent investigation. The U.N. chief also called on Libyas U.N.-supported government to secure the mass graves, identify the victims, establish the causes of death and return the bodies to next of kin. He offered U.N. support in carrying it out, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The secretary-general once again reminds all parties to the conflict in Libya of their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, Dujarric said. The United Nations said earlier Friday that at least eight mass graves have been discovered, mostly in the town of Tarhuna, a key western town that served as a main stronghold for Khalifas east-based forces in their 14-month campaign to capture the capital Tripoli. The discoveries have raised fears about the extent of human rights violations in territories controlled by Hifters forces, given the difficulties of documentation in an active war zone. Philippe Nassif, Amnesty Internationals director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the group was working to verify the mass killings. We want to be able to go in, or have the U.N. go in, and collect evidence of potential war crimes and other atrocities ... so eventually a process takes place where justice can be served, he said. Last week, militias allied with the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli recaptured Tarhuna, some 65 kilometers (41 miles) southeast of the Libyan capital, their latest in a string of battlefield successes that reversed most of Hifters gains. Earlier, the government said it regained control of all of Tripolis entrance and exit points and Tripoli airport. Fathi Bashagha, the interior minister in the U.N.-supported government, said earlier this week that authorities were documenting evidence of alleged war crimes in Tarhuna, noting that preliminary reports indicated dozens of victims found in the citys mass graves had been buried alive. Story continues Bashagha also said that special investigative teams uncovered a shipping container in Tarhuna full of charred bodies, presumably of detainees, and blamed powerful militias loyal to Hifter for heinous crimes. A feared Hifter-allied militia called al-Kaniyat, notorious for its targeting of dissenters, had controlled the town. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker told reporters on Thursday he was troubled by reports that Tripoli forces had discovered bodies of civilians, in addition to land mines and other explosive devices in territory retaken from Hifters forces. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. Forces under Hifter launched an offensive trying to take Tripoli in April 2019, and the crisis in the oil-rich country had steadily worsened as foreign backers increasingly intervened despite pledges to the contrary at a high-profile peace summit in Berlin earlier this year. Hifters offensive is supported by France, Russia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and other key Arab countries. The government in Tripoli is backed by Turkey which sent troops and mercenaries to protect the capital in January as well as Italy and Qatar. The U.N. political mission in Libya said it convened a meeting with a delegation from Hifters forces on June 3 and another meeting Tuesday with a delegation from the U.N.-supported government. Guterres hopes that a cease-fire will be agreed soon, Dujarric said. Schenker said he sees the escalating proxy war between Russia and Turkey in Libya as a challenge to regional stability, as well as a tragedy for the Libyan people looking for peace and end to foreign intervention. Libya is teetering on the brink of a new escalation as Tripoli militias wage a campaign to recapture the coastal town of Sirte, which would provide access to the countrys vast oil fields under Hifters control. The intensified fighting has forced nearly 24,000 people to flee their homes in the last week, according to U.N. humanitarian officials. Despite intensified diplomatic activity to bring the sides to the negotiating table, Turkey appears keen to shore up its presence in western Libya. On Friday, Turkeys navy and air force conducted exercises in the Mediterranean Sea near Libya, officials said, an apparent show of backing for Tripoli. The Turkish military said the drill was meant to test and develop Turkeys ability to command and execute long-distance operations. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations, said the maneuvers took place in international waters and airspace off Libyas coast. The military said 17 warplanes, based in the central Turkish air base of Eskisehir, and eight frigates took part in Thursdays Open Sea Training. The drill lasted for eight hours and took place along a 1,000 kilometer (625 mile) -route from the Turkish coast and back. Turkeys escalating support, including armed drones and thousands of Syrian mercenaries, signals its desire to gain more leverage in the eastern Mediterranean. Ankara signed a maritime deal last fall with the Tripoli-based government that would grant it access to an economic zone across the Mediterranean, despite the objections from regional rivals Greece, Cyprus and Egypt. Turkey has said it will begin exploring for natural resources there within months. ___ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Isabel DeBre in Los Angeles contributed to this report. Seoul: Kim Jong-un-led North Korea has warned that it will build up a "more reliable" force against military threats from the United States since there has been no improvement in ties between Pyongyang and Washington in the past two years. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon said that his country was abandoning attempts to pursue a diplomatic relationship with the White House because two years after the historic summit between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump led to no improvement in ties between the two countries. Ri Son-gwon said that two years after the historic handshake between President Trump and Kim "even a slim ray of optimism" for peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula had "faded away into a dark nightmare." The North Korean Foreign Minister added that Pyongyang would "never again" provide the US with "another package" that Trump could use to boast as his political achievements. "The secure strategic goal of North Korea is to build up more reliable force to cope with the long-term military threats from the US. This is our reply message to the US on the occasion of second anniversary of June 12," Ri said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "What stands out is that the hope for improved relations has now been shifted into despair," he added. Ri also expressed frustration over a stalemate since the Singapore summit, accusing Washington of just focusing on talking up "political achievements" without taking any actual steps to fulfil agreements. "The question is whether there will be a need to keep holding hands shaken in Singapore, as we see that there is nothing of factual improvement to be made in the relations simply by maintaining personal relations between our Supreme Leadership and the US President," he said. The comments from Ri came hours after the US said that it is committed to implementing the Singapore summit agreement and is willing to take a flexible approach. "The US is committed to engaging North Korea in meaningful negotiations so that North Koreans can realize a brighter future," a State Department spokesperson said in response to a request for comment on the second anniversary of the 2018 summit between Trump and Kim. Trump and the North`s leader met in Singapore on June 12, 2018, to negotiate the dismantlement of North Korea`s nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief and other concessions. The two sides also agreed to work together to improve bilateral relations, build a lasting and stable peace regime on the peninsula, and repatriate the remains of American service members killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. Trump and Kim held their second summit in February last year but failed to produce an agreement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 09:43:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Roma have emerged as frontrunners in the race to sign River Plate and Argentina international right-back Gonzalo Montiel, according to media reports in the South American country. But the Italian Serie A giants face competition from Valencia, West Ham and an unnamed Bundesliga side, the Ole news outlet said on Friday. River were said to be seeking 22 million U.S. dollars for the 23-year-old's signature, though that figure is now seen to be optimistic in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Despite a general market devaluation, Montiel could still be sold when the next transfer window opens, according to his agent Marcelo Carracedo. "Several teams have called me," Carracedo told Radio La Red. "Clearly, paying 20 million dollars now is impossible. The player is worth what the clubs are willing to spend. When they inquire about his price I ask them how much they are prepared to pay. Then we can negotiate with River." Inter Milan has previously been linked with Montiel while West Ham had an 11 million-dollar offer rejected in January, according to reports. The defender, who is tied to River until June 2021, has made 64 first-team appearances for River and has been capped twice for Argentina's national team. Endtiem WASHINGTON - Former national security adviser John Bolton's forthcoming book will include descriptions of President Donald Trump's "inconsistent, scattershot decision-making" driven by "reelection calculations" rather than national security, according to a news release from the book's publisher. ''I am hard-pressed to identify any significant Trump decision during my tenure that wasn't driven by reelection calculations,'' Bolton writes, according the description Simon & Schuster distributed Friday morning. "What Bolton saw astonished him: a president for whom getting reelected was the only thing that mattered, even if it meant endangering or weakening the nation," the news release said. The longtime conservative foreign policy hand also argues in the book that House Democrats "committed impeachment malpractice" by focusing their inquiry on Ukraine, according to the publisher. "Trump's Ukraine-like transgressions existed across the full range of his foreign policy - and Bolton documents exactly what those were, and attempts by him and others in the Administration to raise alarms about them," the Simon & Schuster news release states. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The new details about the book came just days after Bolton's attorney said he was pushing ahead with the June 23 publication of his memoir, despite a new warning from the administration that it contains classified material and needs to be further revised. The 592-page book, "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," is expected to go into detail about Trump's decision-making process, his warring advisers and the president's engagement on a range of foreign policy decisions, from Ukraine and Venezuela to North Korea and Iran. Simon & Schuster said Friday that Bolton's "substantive and factual account of the period from April 9, 2018 to September 10, 2019, when he had nearly daily communications with the President" will include detailed accounts of Trump's actions. The release also asserts that "Trump directed the seizure of and withheld his personal and other unclassified documents, despite numerous requests for their return." Bolton's lawyer, Charles Cooper, received a letter Wednesday from a White House lawyer, John A. Eisenberg, warning him that the book contains classified material and needs to be revised. The letter said Bolton would be provided with a redacted manuscript by June 19, four days before the book is to go on sale, June 23. In response, Cooper said his client scrupulously complied with national security requirements and expects his book will be available to the public as planned. Cooper provided a lengthy response to Eisenberg's letter detailing Bolton's efforts since last December to vet the manuscript. Both Bolton and Cooper have said they are confident the manuscript does not contain classified material. Simon & Schuster has already shipped copies to warehouses around the country in preparation. The White House has not said what it would do if Bolton's book is published without further redaction. Amidst rising cases of coronavirus, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others on Sunday to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the national capital. A separate meeting will be held with the mayors and municipal commissioners of Delhi's three civic bodies. The meetings come in the wake of rising coronavirus cases in Delhi. The COVID-19 tally in the capital has reached 36,000 and more than 1,200 people have died due to the virus. "Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah and Health Minister, @drharshvardhan to hold meeting with @LtGovDelhi, CM Delhi & members of SDMA to review situation in the capital regarding COVID-19 tomorrow, 14th June at 11 am. Director AIIMS and other senior officers would also be present," Shah's office tweeted. Hours later, the home minister's office announced that a separate meeting will be held on Sunday with the mayors and top officials of Delhi's three municipal corporations -- North, South and East. "Union Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah along with Union Health Minister @drharshvardhan will hold a meeting with mayors of municipal corporations of Delhi tomorrow, 14th June at 5 pm to review preparations with regard to COVID-19," it said on Twitter. "@LtGovDelhi and Chief Minister of Delhi Shri @ArvindKejriwal will also remain present besides Director AIIMS, Commissioners of three Municipal Corporations and senior officers from Union Home and Health Ministries," it added. The number of coronavirus cases in Delhi is the third highest in the country after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. There has been criticism from different quarters over the handling of COVID-19 cases in the capital with complaints of non-availability of beds in hospitals for patients and difficulty in getting the tests done in laboratories. The Supreme Court on Friday lashed out at the city government, terming as "horrific" the state of affairs in Delhi hospitals with bodies being stacked next to COVID-19 patients. After the SC's observation, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government said it accepts with utmost respect and sincerity the apex court's remarks and pointed out that it was trying its best to set up better infrastructure and provide quality healthcare to all COVID-19 patients in the city. Baijal has also formed a six-member panel to formulate a COVID management plan and suggest ways to ramp up medical infrastructure in the capital. This comes close on the heels of Baijal's recent assertions on hospital beds and testing, and overturning of two Delhi government orders -- reserving hospital beds only for residents of Delhi and testing of only symptomatic patients. The members on Baijal's advisory committee are DG ICMR Professor Balram Bhargava, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, National Disaster Management Authority members Krishna Vatsa, Kamal Kishore and others. India surpassed the three lakh-mark in coronavirus cases on Saturday with the worst daily spike of 11,458 infections, while the death toll too climbed to 8,884 with 386 new fatalities, the Union health ministry said. It has now become the fourth worst-hit nation by the pandemic with a case load of 3,08,993, according to coronavirus statistics website Worldometer. However, the health ministry has said that the doubling time of coronavirus cases has improved to 17.4 days from 15.4 days. TPG, an investor in companies such as Airbnb, Uber and Spotify, will invest Rs 4,546.80 crore for a 0.93 percent stake in Jio Platforms, marking a historic ninth deal in seven weeks and taking the combined fundraising in the Reliance Industries unit well past Rs 1 lakh crore. The rush of deals in Jio Platforms, which runs movie, news and music apps as well as the telecom enterprise Jio Infocomm, marks the largest uninterrupted fundraising by a company anywhere in the world. RIL, the oil-to-retail-to-telecom conglomerate, has now sold 21.99 percent stake in Jio and raised Rs 102,432.15 crore from some of the worlds leading technology investors. Rush of deals All the deals were concluded amid a global lockdown, a testament to Indias huge digital potential and a strong endorsement of Jios formidable strategy, tech capabilities, disruptive business model and secular long-term growth potential. TPGs investment at an equity valuation of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise valuation of Rs 5.16 lakh crore follows the purchase of 1.16 percent stake by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for Rs 5,683.5 crore on June 7. The series of investments in Jio was led by a 9.99 percent stake sale to Facebook Inc for Rs 43,574 crore on April 22. Also Read: Facebook buys 9.9% stake in Reliance Jio for Rs 43,574 crore in largest tech FDI Since then, General Atlantic, Silver Lake (twice), Vista Equity Partners, KKR, Mubadala Investment Company and ADIA have spent money on Jio. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said on the deal, Today, I am happy to welcome TPG as valued investors in our continued efforts towards digitally empowering the lives of Indians through the creation of a digital ecosystem. We have been impressed by TPGs track record of investing in global technology businesses which serve hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses, making the societies we live in better. Jim Coulter, Co-CEO TPG, said, We are excited to partner Reliance to invest in Jio. As an investor in growth, change, and innovation for over 25 years and with a longstanding presence in India -- we are excited to play an early role in Jio's journey as they continue to transform and advance India's digital economy. Jio is a disruptive industry leader that is empowering small businesses and consumers across India by providing them with critical, high-quality digital services. The company is bringing unmatched potential and execution capabilities to the market, setting the tone for all technology companies to come. Jio Platforms is a next-generation technology platform focused on providing high-quality and affordable digital services across India, with nearly 400 million subscribers. Jio Platforms has made significant investments across its digital ecosystem, powered by leading technologies spanning broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented and mixed reality and blockchain. TPG, a leading global alternative asset firm founded in 1992, manages assets worth more than $119 billion across a wide range of classes such as private equity, growth equity, real estate, credit and public equity, and runs offices in more than 16 countries. In TPGs more than 25-year history, it has built an ecosystem made up of hundreds of portfolio companies and a value-added network of professionals, executives and advisors around the world. By offering institutional support and global resources, TPG enables these companies to reach their full potential and unlock greater possibilities. Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. Hong Kong Protests China's Plans to Impose a New Security Law By VOA News June 12, 2020 Protesters gathered at a shopping center in Hong Kong Friday to demonstrate against China's plans to impose a new national security law on the territory, passed two weeks ago in the National People's Congress. Observing coronavirus restrictions, protesters chanted slogans and held posters reading "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times." A banner read "SOS," another called for U.S. troops to help the people of Hong Kong, and yet another one demanded "Hong Kong Independence." China is expected to enforce the new security law in Hong Kong by the end of summer, if not sooner. Critics say it would undermine the Joint Declaration which returned the former British colony to China in 1997 under the framework of "one country, two systems." The new security law drew immediate condemnation from the United States and the European Union last month, with both saying it constituted a "flagrant breach" of that declaration and a "comprehensive assault on the city's autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After his disqualification from the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, sources have claimed that the Governor... After his disqualification from the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, sources have claimed that the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has joined the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. It was gathered that few minutes after his disqualification, Gov Obaseki collected his PDP membership card at Ward 4, Oredo Local Government Area of the state. Recall that Obaseki had said he would not challenge his disqualification from the exercise. It was also gathered that the governor will be moving into the PDP with all the 18 local government chairmen in Edo State together with 12 lawmakers in the State Assembly. Governors under the PDP umbrella are billed to visit him this weekend. Further findings revealed that some members of the PDP were already preparing to receive the governor. A former House of Representatives candidate, who did not want her name mentioned, said the governor had no choice than pitch his tent with the opposition PDP. According to her, If the APC does not know what they have in the person of Gov Obaseki and they decided to disqualify him, so be it. If I were him, I will move quickly to the opposition party, which is the PDP and we will be very much happy to have him. How can one man be deciding for Edo people? She queried. However, efforts to confirm the development from the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chris Nehikhare, were futile. Meanwhile, a former Minister of Communications, Tony Momoh, had warned that another party may win the forthcoming governorship election in the state. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the asylum seekers in Canada have risen to the occasion of helping the government in the fight against the deadly pandemic. "I thought You have to give your best and make people's lives better," a 36-year-old asylum seeker and a physician in her native Haiti, Gaelle Ledan was quoted as saying by the Washington Post. Ledan is one of the hundreds of asylum seekers who are working for a meagre remuneration of $10 per hour in "essential" jobs which few Canadians want. Despite the low salary she said still never thought about quitting her job as a nursing assistant at the seniors' home in Montreal, where she has worked for two years. "It's not a loss, but a win for them," Ledan said while adding "We are loyal people and we are ready to continue to work for a better Quebec and for a better Canada. READ | Chinese Envoy Says US 'trouble Maker' In China-Canada Relationship READ | Canada PM Trudeau Wants Body Cameras For Police To Overcome Public Distrust In Forces Trudeau for regularising legal status Despite the asylum seeker's efforts, immigration critics remain critical of granting legal status to them, stating that it would be given only after the due procedure. Noticing the dedication and efforts of asylum seekers in combating COVID-19, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opined in favour of regularising the legal status of the asylum seekers. "Our immigration system is anchored in respect for processes and fairness and equality for everyone," Trudeau said last month. "It's important to follow these processes, but in an exceptional situation one can evidently consider some exceptions." However, the prime minister drew criticisms for his comments in favour of the asylum seekers while hinting on bypassing the laws. Advocacy groups held demonstrations outside his constituency office in Montreal. "It's admirable that they took these jobs before the COVID crisis, and it's admirable that they have, in most cases, stayed in these positions to care for the most vulnerable," Peter Kent, immigration critic for the federal Conservative Party, was quoted as saying. "But we don't believe that that should be a shortcut to Canadian permanent residency. ... It would be, I believe, an unacceptable precedent," he added. READ | Canada's Chief Health Officer Worried About Increase In Consumption Of Alcohol, Junk Food READ | LAC Standoff: US Reiterates Support To India, Notes 'External Rebalancing Critical' While there has been opposition on allowing legal status, many have spoken in favour of regularising the legal status of these asylum seekers. Quebec, the centre of COVID-19 outbreak in Canada have strongly supported the regularisation of legal status. Minister of Immigration Jolin-Barrette has said that the department was analyzing the applications and talking with the federal government. "This is an exceptional situation aimed at recognizing the contribution of these people during the unprecedented crisis we are going through," said the spokesperson for Minister of Immigration Jolin-Barrette. Frantz Andre, a spokesman for the Action Committee for People Without Status, said, "When they came, they were considered the zero of this world," he said. "Now they are heroes." (With ANI inputs) Senior TDP leader and former Andhra Pradesh Minister K Atchannaidu and five others were arrested on Friday by the Anti-Corruption Bureau sleuths over their alleged involvement in the Rs 150 crore ESI medical purchases scandal during the previous regime, a senior ACB official said. While Atchannaidu was arrested from his residence in Srikakulam district, former Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESI) Directors C Ravi Kumar and G Vijay Kumar were arrested in Tirupati and Rajamahendravaram respectively, ACB Joint Director Ravi Kumar told reporters in Visakhapatnam. A joint director of ESI Janardhan, superintendent Chakravarthy and a senior assistant were arrested in Vijayawada. Atchannaidu was the Labour Minister in the previous TDP government when the scandal allegedly took place in the procurement of medicines and medical equipment. The Vigilance and Enforcement Department conducted a probe into the ESI purchases between 2014 and 2019 and established large scale irregularities. Our investigation also revealed a scam of Rs 150 crore in purchase of medicines, medical kits, furniture and other items. Accordingly, we made these arrests, the ACB Joint Director said. Earlier as soon as Atchannaidu was taken away from his house, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu termed it as an attack on the backward classes, saying the former minister, who belonged to the community, was in the forefront exposing the misdeeds of the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress government. The president and CEO of Sienna Senior Living, a private long-term-care company whose nursing homes have been amongst the hardest hit by COVID-19 in Ontario has resigned, citing personal reasons. According to a Sienna news release Friday, Lois Cormack advised the board of directors that she is resigning from her role as head of the company effective immediately. Sienna says Nitin Jain, former chief financial officer and chief investment officer of the company, is taking over the top job. Sienna, which has seen more than 290 deaths at its Ontario homes, said Jain was not available for an interview. In the company news release, Jain was quoted as saying he is confident that together with the leadership team and our dedicated team members, we will stabilize this company and reposition it for success. Cormack did not return messages or emails asking for comment. Cormack is the second executive to leave the company in as many days, after Joanne Dykeman, the former executive vice-president of operations with Sienna, departed following an online call last week during which she was overheard mocking family members of residents of Woodbridge Vista Care Community, where 23 residents have died of COVID-19. In the past three months, we have seen tragedy after tragedy in long-term care in Ontario, and Quebec and some other provinces. It is time for a deep look at what went wrong and to celebrate what went right, said Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of CanAge, a national seniors advocacy group. There are significant and difficult questions that must be answered to families, to Ontarians but most importantly, to residents. I think part of that reckoning will be a review of the leadership decisions made by those in charge of long-term care. One of the largest for-profit nursing home operators in the province, Sienna was featured in recent Star investigations that showed the companys homes have had some of the provinces highest rates of COVID-19 infection and deaths and that the company paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in dividends and executive compensation over the last decade. Three of Siennas 37 long-term-care homes in Ontario have been taken over by the province, Altamont Care Community in Scarborough, Camilla Care Community in Mississauga and Woodbridge Vista Care Community. The Woodbridge home is now the subject of a Ministry of Long-Term Care investigation looking into non-COVID deaths and neglect after a resident died two weeks ago of exhaustion due to malnutrition. By resident deaths, those three homes are among the 10 worst hit homes in the province. Sienna owns five of the provinces 20 worst hit homes. At least 758 residents of Sienna homes have been infected with COVID-19, 292 of whom have died. Camilla and Altamont have some of the highest infection rates in the province, with 85 and 79 resident cases per 100 beds, respectively. These two homes also have the second (68) and fifth (54) highest numbers of deaths in the province, respectively. Overall, 16 of Ontarios 20 deadliest long-term-care home outbreaks have come in for-profit facilities. On a per-bed basis among homes that have suffered an outbreak, residents of for-profit homes have been nearly twice as likely to die of COVID-19 than those in non-profit facilities and about five times as likely to die as a resident of municipal homes. Altamont was one of five Ontario long-term-care facilities to which Canadian Armed Forces were deployed back in April to help deal with COVID-19 outbreaks. In a widely-publicized report on conditions found by military personnel in the homes, Brigadier-general C.J.J. Mialkowski highlighted horrific conditions facing Altamont residents, including most residents not having three meals a day due to significant staffing issues; a significant number of residents with pressure ulcers; many residents who had been bed bound for several weeks; and no evidence of residents being moved to wheelchairs for parts of a day, repositioned in bed or washed properly. The report also noted that the current staff to patient ratio did not allow for more care than the most basic daily requirements. Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath called the conditions described by the military inhumane and disgusting. Siennas news release says it has hired Paul Boniferro, former Deputy Attorney General of Ontario, to conduct an internal investigation into the companys policies, practices and culture and is enhancing front-line education to focus on quality and safety to ensure all team members understand and provide the quality of care our residents deserve. It also says it is reinforcing its zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behaviour, conducting sensitivity training with front-line staff and making aggressive staffing, recruiting and retention efforts. Ed Tubb is an assignment editor and a contributor focused on crime and justice for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @edtubb The Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation has called on Government to include sun-care products in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cater for persons with albinism. The Foundation said persons with albinism naturally had extremely light and delicate skin, which required special and regular management, especially in hot weather conditions like Ghanas. This was in a statement in support of the 2020 International Albinism Awareness Day, signed by the Executive Director, Madam Otiko Afisah Djaba, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Saturday. The Foundation said Government had to prioritise the health of albinos and protect them from needless abuse, discrimination and stigmatisation resulting from their unique skin colour. It urged the authorities to develop educational and health policies for persons with albinism and institute a Sun Care Day in Ghana for albinos as it was done in other African countries like Kenya and Malawi. It said the physical appearance of persons with albinism was often the object of erroneous beliefs and myths, which were influenced by superstition. This leads to marginalisation, social exclusion, discrimination and various cruel and abusive forms of stigma, it said. Albinism is not by choice, it is a pigmentary abnormality which leads to an extremely light hair, skin and eye colour and can be hereditary. The Foundation advocated against the negative traditional beliefs in some areas, which suggested that it was a taboo and a curse to give birth to an albino. 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 Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Donald Trump turns 74 years old today. To congratulate, SonntagsBlick correspondent Nicola Imfeld sent the U.S. President a letter with five wishes for the coming year. A Letter to the Man of the Day A Letter to the Man of the Day 1/7 Donald Trump turns 74 today. 2/7 SonntagsBlick U.S. correspondent Nicola Imfeld congratulates him and... 3/7 6/7 Donald Trump is seeking as second term in November. 7/7 He's expected to strengten his rhetoric against the media even further. Nicola Imfeld aus San Diego (USA) Dear President Trump, You turn 74 today. I am wishing you a very happy birthday! And I have five wishes for the coming year. After all, one never gets too old to change. 1. Selflessness Mr. President, you promised us an America First policy in 2016. You delivered Trump First. You have always put your personal interests above anyone else's, be it during the coronavirus crisis, which you have kept quiet for months in order to happily continue to announce stock market records; or, recently during the protests when you drove peaceful demonstrators outside Lafayette park with force just so you could pose for a photo in front of a church for your election campaign. Put the welfare of Americans first in the coming year. 2. Wisdom Mr. President, my grandfather used to say that wisdom comes with age. And he demonstrates it time and time again. I am still waiting to see it in you. How about trying to relax once in a while? Your impulsive tweets not only harm America, but your image as well. And listen to your experts the next time they warn you about an impending threat like the coronavirus. 3. Empathy Mr. President, when do we see your sensitive side? Where were you a few weeks ago, when your country passed the sad milestone of 100'000 corona fatalities? Why did you remain silent for 24 hours? And why havent you said anything to the peaceful demonstrators, millions of whom have been taking onto the streets for weeks, protesting against systematic racism? Instead of showing compassion and understanding, you threatened to use military force. We hope that you will finally show empathy in the coming year. By the way, showing this side of you has nothing to do with weakness, but with great strength! 4. Rhetoric Restraint Mr. President, I know where you're coming from. Like any politician, you want to stay in power to shape the country with your policies. That's only fair. But the rhetorics! You're not only putting civilians, journalists and politicians in harms way, you also continue to divide your beloved country. Bring America together again. Shake hands with your opponents and critics. Youd be surprised at the reaction you provoke. 5. Health Mr. President, finally, the most important thing: Stay healthy. We all know you love fast food. Broccoli and other vegetables are banned from the White House. But the American people need a healthy president should you be reelected. And if that doesnt work out in November, your youngest son Baron and the rest of your family certainly want a healthy father, husband and grandfather. Enjoy your birthday. Yours faithfully, Whats new at Jacksonville Public Library: ADULT FICTION Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles: National Book Award finalist Paulette Jiles returns to Texas in this atmospheric story, set at the end of the Civil War, about a ragtag band of musicians, an itinerant fiddle player, and the charming young Irish lass who steals his heart. ADULT NONFICTION 5 Ingredients: Quick and Easy Food by Jamie Oliver: Olivers latest cookbook focuses on combinations of just five ingredients that work together to deliver an utterly delicious result, giving maximum flavor with minimum fuss. DVD Because I Said So: Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore star in this heartwarming comedy about mothers, daughters and cutting the apron strings. CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOK Sherlock Chicks First Case by Robert Quackenbush: This weeks Summer Reading focuses on detectives, so when someone has stolen the corn, there is only one barnyard animal who can solve the case. With a magnifying glass, purple plaid hat and his beak to the ground, Sherlock Chick will solve this mystery. JUVENILE FICTION Space Shuttle Scam by Ron Roy: Mystery takes off in 3 2 1! Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose are in Florida, visiting a space museum, Alices Space Shuttle. There, they get to check out cool NASA gear. But someone is sneaking around Alices house, and not because they want a tour. They want Alices property! Why? Only Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose can solve this Jupiter-sized mystery! Did you know? Now that the library has reopened, new books and other materials have been ordered and are starting to arrive. Drop by the library to browse our new materials and take something home with you. Facebook Inc fired an employee who had criticized Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to take action against inflammatory posts by US President Donald Trump this month, citing his tweet challenging a colleague's silence on the issue. Brandon Dail, a user interface engineer in Seattle, wrote on Twitter that he was dismissed for publicly scolding a colleague who had refused to include a statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement on developer documents he was publishing. Dail sent the tweet a day after joining dozens of employees, including the six other engineers on his team, in abandoning their desks and tweeting objections to Zuckerberg's handling of Trump's posts in a rare protest at the social media company. "Intentionally not making a statement is already political," Dail wrote in the tweet, sent on June 2. He said on Friday that he stood by what he wrote. Facebook confirmed Dail's characterisation of his dismissal, but declined to provide additional information. The company said during the walkout that participating employees would not face retaliation. Dail did not respond to a request for comment. Trump's posts which prompted the staff outcry included the racially charged phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" in reference to demonstrations against racism and police brutality held after the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. Twitter affixed a warning label to the same post, saying it glorified violence. Facebook opted to leave the post untouched. Zuckerberg defended his decision at a tense all-hands meeting with employees that week. During the meeting, Dail tweeted that it was "crystal clear today that leadership refuses to stand with us." Dail again voiced objections this week after both Facebook and Twitter declined to take action against a Trump post that contained an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about Martin Gugino, a 75-year-old protester who was critically injured by police in Buffalo, New York. "Trump's attack on Martin Gugino is despicable and a clear violation [of] Facebook's anti-harassment rules. It's again extremely disappointing that we (and Twitter) haven't removed it," he said. Internal dissent is often encouraged at Silicon Valley tech giants, but the companies have been accused of penalizing workers who organise and air complaints publicly. Alphabet's Google fired at least five workplace activists late last year, while Amazon dismissed critics of its warehouse conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. Both companies denied firing employees for speaking out. The on-going conversation around racism and its threat to innocent lives even in the 21st century has been a pivotal point of congruence for like-minded people, who look at discrimination of any form for what it is, be it on the basis of skin colour, gender, sexuality or even religion. The #BlackLivesMatter movement has found an audience and ally in billions of fellow human beings from across the world, who have helped to expand it beyond the streets of the US and onto the virtual world of social media. However, even as many Indian celebrities drew flak over lending support to the movement in spite of endorsing skin-lightening creams, there have been many famous Indian personalities who faced the sting of racism first hand and spoke up about it too. Here are 10 such biggest Indian personalities who had painful experiences with racism. 1. Irrfan Khan BCCL Irrfan Khan had been detained by the US immigrations authorities twice between 2008 and 2009. The first time was at the Los Angeles airport, followed by the New York airport. Speaking about it on Aap Ki Adalat Irrfan once said, Its humiliating. They dont even disclose the reason. Actually, I dont use my surname Khan in films, but in passports, surname and religion are required. I was stopped not once, but several times at airports in the US. 2. Mammootty Wikipedia Like Irrfan, Malayalam megastar Mammooty too had to bear the brunt of racial profiling in the US when he was detained at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy airport in 2009. However, the superstar took the incident in his stride and didnt let it affect him. Speaking to Rediff India Abroad, he said, Every country has its laws and systems. We too have it. We should obey those laws. I did not feel discriminated or harassed when I was questioned at the airport." 3. Shah Rukh Khan Wikipedia Bollywoods Badshah SRK too has had his own share of ugly encounters with racism when he was detained by airport authorities in the US not once or twice, but three times and as recently as 2016. Talking about it, SRK had later tweeted, I fully understand & respect security with the way the world is, but to be detained at US immigration every damn time really really sucks. 4. APJ Abdul Kalam Wikipedia Former Indian President late APJ Abdul Kalam was also subjected to racial profiling by the US immigration authorities when he was frisked at the JFK Airport in 2011. Reportedly, the late President was also made to take off his shoes and jacket, which were taken away and returned to him later. The US later apologized saying, "We deeply regret the inconvenience that resulted for him." 5. Ranveer Singh Filmfare While speaking about one of the toughest phases of his life, Ranveer told Filmfare about his ugly encounter with racism (probably during his undergrad days in the US) and how things werent always so easy for him. Recalling the experiences he said, "I have had some tough life experiences. It's not all been rosy. I have been through prolonged intense and immense emotional turbulence, financial difficulties I have been ridiculed, faced racism and humiliation." 6. Priyanka Chopra Wikipedia During an interview with the Associated Press, PeeCee recounted unpleasant experiences with racism during her high school days in Massachusetts, Iowa, and New York City. She shared that, I was treated differently because Im brown. I had, you know, really racist behavior when I was in high school in 10th grade. I was called Brownie, Curry, (told to) go back on the elephant you came on, and that really affected me when I was a kid and affected my self-esteem. 7. George Fernandes Wikipedia Former Indian Defence Minister late George Fernandes also became a victim of racial profiling when he was strip-searched at Dulles International Airport in 2002 and again in 2003. Although upset over this breach of diplomatic protocol, Mr Fernandes didnt make any official statement about it until former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbotts book Engaging India Diplomacy, Democracy and the Bomb misrepresented the incident, to which Mr Fernandes had said, "The book calls it a strip search but this was no strip show like the phrase implies." 8. Shilpa Shetty Wikipedia Shilpa Shettys bitter encounter with racism was witnessed by millions across the globe and caused quite an uproar. During her time in Big Brother in 2007, Shettys fellow housemates, Jo O'Meara, Danielle Lloyd and Jade Goody verbally abused and disgraced her for her Indian accent and even referred to her as "The Indian" and "dog". Recently in 2018, she again took to social media to talk about an alleged racist behaviour she experienced at the Sydney airport for being brown. 9. Aamir Khan Wikipedia Back in 2002, world media went into a frenzy after Bollywood Perfectionist Aamir Khan was stopped at the Chicago airport for interrogation. That is not all, he was also strip-searched before finally being allowed to board his flight. 10. Sonam Kapoor Wikipedia Sonam Kapoor has often spoken up about her personal experiences with racism abroad. Speaking at the Women of Worth event in 2016 Sonam had shared, Racism exists all over the world, it is not specific to India... Its something that is spread across the globe. I dont believe when people say only Indians are like that. I have faced racism in the world all over. Racism really doesnt spare anyone. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 01:15:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close President Xi Jinping visited a section of the Yellow River earlier this week during his inspection tour in NW China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. What was the outcome of his visit, and why is it so important to take good care of China's "mother river?" Find out on this episode of Xi Focus. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 22:13:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Police of Vietnam's northern Son La province have arrested a local man for trafficking four cakes of heroin and 6,000 pills of synthetic drugs, Vietnam News Agency reported on Saturday. The 51-year-old man confessed that he bought the drugs in Song Ma District and attempted to resell them, the news agency reported, adding that police are further investigating the case. According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty. Enditem Abu Dhabi-based service marketplace Rizek has announced that it has raised $3.5 million in one of the largest seed funding rounds in Mena region which saw the participation of strategic investors from across the region, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), E-tech investments and Rozana capital. With $1.5 million pre-seed raised in 2019, this investment round takes Rizeks total funding raised till date to $5 million. With the fresh capital, Rizek plans to activate the regions gig economy with its service marketplace, as well as increase job opportunities for people to earn a service-based income through the portal. On its record seed finance round, Rizek Founder and CEO Abdallah Abu Sheikh said: "Most of the big cities in the region have a service-based economy. However, the way these services are delivered happens to be outdated and costly." "We at Rizek believe that the region needs an inclusive platform where customers can view all their options before commissioning the services," observed Sheikh. "What we plan to do at Rizek is to essentially democratise the informal workspace by being the first to build a one-stop-shop marketplace for services in the region. This will allow both suppliers as well as consumers to maximise the value and benefit they receive," noted the top official. "I believe that the team we have put together at Rizek is one of the best teams that can and will realise this vision and build this platform that our region will be proud of," he added. ADIO said it had invested through its Ventures Fund, a Ghadan 21 initiative created to support innovation-focused startups in Abu Dhabi. "Rizek is part of a new generation of startups thriving within the Abu Dhabi innovation ecosystem," remarked ADIO Director General Dr Tariq Bin Hendi. "Our investment will fuel the next stage of the companys growth while helping to connect more freelancers and SMEs with potential commercial opportunities," he added. Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered that flags be flown at half-mast across the country from Saturday in honour of the late Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza. The order on Kenyan and East Africa Community flags will remain in effect until Mr Nkurunziza is buried. Local media has reported on the close friendship between President Kenyatta and the late Nkurunziza. The Star newspaper quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the late president was to be flown to either Kenya's capital, Nairobi, or Tanzania's commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, for treatment. Burundi first lady Denise Nkurunziza was being treated in Kenya when her husband's death was announced. President Kenyatta on Tuesday sent his condolences to the first lady and the people of Burundi. 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 On Saturday, the lower house of the Nepali Parliament passed the constitutional amendment bill updating the so-called political map of Nepal. The updated map includes territories that are parts of the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Bihar. The bill will now go through Nepals upper house before receiving presidential assent. According to experts, that is a mere formality. In Nepal, a question that continues to be raised among the intelligentsia, public, politicians is why India has been silent on diplomatic dialogue. But first, lets focus on the ongoing political context in Nepal A screen shot of public debate within Nepal would reveal a widespread belief that the constitutional amendment was being used by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to hold on to his position within the Nepal Communist Party, which was highly shaky in early May when pressure on him to vacate the Prime Ministers post had become unbearable. Also Read: Nepal parliament clears new map, shuts possibility of talks on boundary row There were saner voices in Kathmandu that advised him not to bring the constitutional amendment. On the contrary, PM Oli was told, that the constitution amendment bill would close the channels of diplomatic communication with India. On the diplomatic dialogue to discuss the outstanding boundary issue, Nepal seems to have adopted a twin approach. A public call for dialogue combined with an active private effort to scuttle it. In public pronouncements, including in response to questions of lawmakers in Parliament on the status of dialogue with India, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali had expressed surprise that India was sitting down for talks with China but was ignoring Nepals offer for talks. Why indeed has India not offered to sit down for talks? Has it actually snubbed Nepals request, as Pradeep Kumar Gyawali seems to claim. Also Read: In 4 sentences, Army chief hints Indias approach to Nepal after map row A top foreign ministry source in Kathmandu, however, told Hindustan Times that this wasnt accurate. The source said India had made a clear-cut offer of a foreign secretary-level phone call; to be followed by a video conference between the two foreign secretaries and then, a visit of Nepals foreign secretary to India to discuss the boundary issue. This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues: MEA External affairs ministry sources in New Delhi confirmed that this offer was available with foreign minister Gyawali and Prime Minister Oli even before the constitution amendment bill was tabled. This offer was made a full one week before foreign minister Gyawali stated that India has been snubbing Nepals requests for talks on the border issue. Only foreign minister Gyawali can answer if an offer of a phone call, a video conference and exchange of visits a snub as he described it. Nepals foreign ministry sources confirmed that Prime Minister Oli seemed disinterested in Indias offer. For reasons best known to him, he was neither ready to halt nor take a step back on the constitutional amendment despite knowing that the constitutional amendment is viewed by India as an irrevocable step which predetermines the outcome of any future negotiations. Indeed, according to some interlocutors, in his private meetings, Prime Minister Oli has reportedly conveyed that he would proceed ahead with the amendment irrespective of the impact it might have on people-to-people relations between India and Nepal. What we seem to have here is a carefully crafted pattern of deceit and deception where the Indian offer is not shared with Parliamentarians; and public and lawmakers are misled - all so that PM Oli can damage the special relationship that the people of the two countries continue to nurture. Given that PM Oli has ignored that offer of diplomatic dialogue and gone ahead with amending the constitution, it is now up to him to create, if he so wishes, a conducive atmosphere in case he is interested in a bilateral dialogue on the boundary issue. A leader of PM Olis experience and wisdom would know well that the time for verbal fudging is over; he now needs to walk the talk. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Closing George Street to vehicular traffic to allow people to walk around at a safe physical distance from one another was a debacle that deterred business rather than stimulated it, said DBIA executive director Terry Guiel. Today I was on damage control with angry shop owners, said Guiel in an interview early Friday evening. The idea was to allow restaurants with no existing patios a fast-track to creating them, city spokesperson Brendan Wedley wrote in a statement to The Examiner. On Thursday night, city councillors voted to authorize the city chief administrative officer to close lanes of vehicular traffic and of sidewalks in Peterborough to allow pop-up patios and outdoor shopping. And then on Friday the city closed George Street for the weekend between Brock and King streets downtown. But Guiel said the DBIA didnt want full closures of streets: it had asked for some lanes of traffic open and some parking spots available for curbside pickup of takeout food. This (full closure) does nothing but hurt our businesses, Guiel said. Wedley wrote that the city kept side-streets open to help with curbside pickups, but we know it isnt as convenient as parking right in front of a store. Some restaurants along George Street had new pop-up patios on Friday night: Bar Vita and Real Thai Cuisine, for instance. But Cork & Bean owner Steve Francis said he didnt see the purpose of closing the street for just a weekend. At The Favourite Greek restaurant on George Street, owner George Vassiliadis, the brother of Coun. Don Vassiliadis, said business was slow on Friday evening. He blamed the street closure and said few people were out walking on Friday. Were just getting back on our feet, and now were hit with this, he said. Peterborough Square manager Cheryl McQueen said she didnt want to be too negative about the closure. She said the city is just trying to assist its tenants. At the Black Horse Pub on George Street, owner Desmond Vandenberg has been offering takeout since March but business has nonetheless declined by 80 per cent. He said he saw the reopening of the patio as a glimmer of hope that he might boost business by offering both takeout and a patio. But weve seen a big drop-off in takeout today, Vandenberg said. At Frame It For You, a frame shop on George Street, the owner was obviously unhappy: There was a sign in the window stating The Mayor and Council are Hurting Downtown Businesses. The store was closed by the time The Examiner got there at 6 p.m. joelle.kovach@peterboroughdaily.com NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICES VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thor Explorations Ltd. (THX.V) (Thor or the Company) announces that it intends to raise up to approximately US$10 million and in cooperation with certain shareholders place up to approximately US$5 million of previously issued stock via a best efforts brokered private placement. The private placement will consist of up to 40 million units with each unit comprising up to 2 common shares issued from Treasury at a price of C$0.18 per share (for up to 80 million common shares) (Treasury Offering) and up to 1 previously issued common share (for up to 40 million common shares) issued at a price of C$0.16 per share (Secondary Sale). The Private Placement will be co-led by H & P (Advisory) Limited and Paradigm Capital Inc. The Private Placement is expected to close on July 2, 2020 and is subject to regulatory approval, including conditional approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will have a hold period of four months and one day. With the development of the Segilola gold project already fully funded and in construction, and production scheduled for Q2 2021, the Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement to fund exploration drilling of the Segilola underground resource and identified satellite targets in proximity to the Segilola gold project. The proceeds will also be used to progress exploration at its prospective Douta Gold Project in Senegal, and for general working capital purposes. The securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the Unites States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any U.S. state security laws, and may not be offered or sold in the Unites States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or compliance with requirements of an applicable exemption therefrom. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the Unites States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Story continues About Thor Thor Explorations Ltd. is a Canadian mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties located in Nigeria, Senegal and Burkina Faso. Thor holds a 100% interest in the Segilola Gold Project located in Osun State of Nigeria and a 70% interest in the Douta Gold Project located in south-eastern Senegal. Thor also holds a 49% interest in the Bongui and Legue gold permits located in Hounde greenstone belt, south west Burkina Faso. Thor trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol THX. THOR EXPLORATIONS LTD. Segun Lawson President & CEO 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. Cautionary Statement The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to the TSXV approval of the Private Placement, risk related to the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release may include, without limitation, statements relating to the TSXV approval of the Private Placement, the ability of the Company to close the Private Placement and the use of proceeds from the Private Placement. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. For further information, please visit www.thorexpl.com or contact: Telephone: (778) 373-0102 Fax: (604) 434-1487 Email: info@thorexpl.com The San Antonio Food Bank is racking up tens of thousands of dollars in extra costs because contractors with the federal governments new food relief program are delivering food boxes to the nonprofits warehouse instead of to distribution sites, the Food Banks top executive said. With the Food Bank feeding 120,000 people per week during the novel coronavirus-fueled recession instead of the usual 60,000, Eric Cooper was eager to receive boxes of either produce, meat or dairy from the U.S. Agriculture Departments new Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which kicked off May 15. But his enthusiasm waned after he learned contractors, including San Antonio events planning company CRE8AD8, wouldnt be following a truck to trunk delivery model that calls for distributors to drop off boxes at parking lot giveaways and cover what is known in the food bank industry as last-mile expenses. Its a government program, and I believe CRE8AD8 and everybody else was paid to do it, but they just arent, Cooper said. Gregorio Palomino, CRE8AD8s owner, did not respond to a request for an interview. On ExpressNews.com: SA Food Bank pins hopes on new USDA Farmers to Families program The USDAs food box program calls for distributors to purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, meat and dairy, pack it into family-sized boxes and deliver them through food banks and other nonprofits to Americans made desperate by the pandemic recession. Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer In an April webinar for potential bidders, a USDA official said the agency wanted contractors to deliver the boxes directly to families at distributions like the one the San Antonio Food Bank held Friday at the Alamodome. That event provided food for 1,150 households. Ideally, what we would like is a mutually agreeable small quantity drop-off, where the boxes go basically out of the truck and into the trunk, if you will, the USDAs David Tuckwiller said. We have seen the pictures of cars lined up at food banks, and that would be ideal for us, off the truck and into the trunk, if at all possible. But Cooper said the USDA contractors who have provided boxes to the Food Bank have delivered the product directly to its warehouse on the far Southwest Side, not to the people who need the food. Those contractors include Borden Dairy, DiMare Fresh, GoFresh Produce, ES Foods, Tasty Brands and San Antonios CRE8AD8. Through Thursday, the Food Bank had spent more than $83,900 to unload more than 15 truckloads, store the food and then deliver it to giveaways for volunteers to load into cars, Cooper said. Carlos Javier Sanchez | Contributor / Cooper said funds from local, private philanthropy will cover the Food Banks last-mile expenses. We could be using that money for other expenses, he said. We are grateful for the food and we need it, so we are willing to put those private dollars toward the distribution (costs). On ExpressNews.com: Philanthropist Najim leads $6 million fundraising effort for Food Bank So why arent contractors picking up the bill? In conversations Ive had with the USDA, they say charities can negotiate (last-mile expenses) with the awardees, Cooper said. Well, its a one-way negotiation. (Contractors) are just saying, Yeah, no, this is how it works. We cant deliver to a site. So, its an exercise in frustration. Tasked with delivering 750,000 boxes in a seven-state region during a six-week period that ends June 30, CRE8AD8 has delivered more than 19,400 boxes to food banks through Saturday, according to food banks that have responded to requests for delivery records. About 11,400 have gone to the San Antonio Food Bank. The Houston Food Bank and St. Marys Food Bank in Phoenix also have received boxes from CRE8AD8. Deliveries are scheduled for several other food banks throughout the seven-state region the rest of the month. CRE8AD8 has not made its records public, so its unclear how many boxes it has delivered to faith-based pantries and nonprofits other than food banks, although an administrator with Church Under the Bridge said Friday it received 270 produce boxes from the company late last month. The additional cost isnt the only problem with the USDAs new food relief program; space is another. Not all food banks have the same kind of warehouse space as the San Antonio Food Bank. Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News CRE8AD8 was scheduled to deliver three truckloads to the Concho Valley Regional Food Bank in San Angelo, according to a delivery schedule Cooper helped produce for the firm. But the executive director of Concho Valley said it cant receive them because it only has a 17,000-square foot warehouse. By comparison, the San Antonio Food Banks warehouse is 210,000 square feet. They wanted to ship us three truckloads of each individual item (produce, meat and dairy), Lee Pipkin said. But I have very limited cooler and freezer space, so I wouldnt have been able to accept it the way they were going to ship it. Pipkin said he asked CRE8AD8 to send him three truckloads a week, with each one containing equal parts produce, meat and dairy. Delivered like that, we could handle it, Pipkin said. Pipkin said efforts to resolve the issue with CRE8AD8 failed. The last we heard, they were not willing to mix the trucks for us, Pipkin said. OK, fine. Thats the way you want to operate, and USDA says thats OK, hey, thats between them and USDA. On ExpressNews.com: SA event planner who won lucrative contract makes dubious claims The Coastal Bend Food Bank in Corpus Christi is scheduled to receive nine truckloads from CRE8AD8, but Coastal Bend administrators said their warehouse doesnt have space to accommodate mass shipments, either. We are full to capacity, said Beatriz B. Hanson, executive director of the Coastal Bend Food Bank. We are having to turn away food. Its a shame, but we just dont have room. Fortunately for the Coastal Bend Food Bank, it is working with at least one USDA contractor who is delivering truck to trunk. He is taking his trucks to the sites and distributing at them, Hanson said of Melvin Powell, co-owner of Corpus Christi Produce. Powell, whose company has a $262,500 contract with the USDA, said he doesnt want to get hung up on trying to save every penny and dime. The whole object of the award is to help everyone along the supply chain, he said. Hanson said she hopes other contractors will follow Powells example. Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer The government is not paying us to distribute that food, she said. They (contractors) got paid to do that. The Food Bank of the Golden Crescent in Victoria is supposed to receive three truckloads from CRE8AD8 at its 19,000-square foot warehouse, according to Coopers delivery schedule. Its very disappointing, Robin Cadle, CEO of Golden Crescent, said of contractors not delivering truck to trunk. We arent the San Antonio Food Bank. We are small. We have to send an email to our partners to tell them to be ready to come to the food bank and pick up the food boxes the moment they arrive. On ExpressNews.com: Experts knock USDA for awarding contracts to inexperienced companies Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, which represents 21 food banks in Texas, said her organization estimates its costing Texas food banks an average of 18 cents per pound of food because USDA contractors arent delivering truck to trunk. The bottom line is truck to trunk is something distributors were supposed to be doing, Cole said. If the work is not all done by the contractors, then food banks should be reimbursed accordingly. Feeding America, a network of 200 food banks across the nation, reached out to the USDA recently about contractors not making truck-to-trunk deliveries. The USDAs response gave Feeding America optimism that changes will be made for the second phase of funding for the program, she said. The USDA also informed Feeding America it is evaluating distributors to determine whether their contracts will be extended beyond June 30, the deadline for fulfilling the current contract requirements. torsborn@express-news.net TORONTO, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On June 11, 2020 Executive Director of Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC) Samantha Mahfood was named the recipient of the Harry Jerome Humanitarian Award for her work with FFPC over the last 12 years. The 38th Annual Harry Jerome Award winners were announced at a media launch held by the Black Business and Professionals Association (BBPA). The award was particularly poignant for Ms. Mahfood who grew up in Jamaica where she was confronted daily with poverty. She left and settled in Canada in part because she felt she could not change the inequity in Jamaica. When her uncle Ferdinand Mahfood started Food For The Poor (FFP), Samantha was 16 and doubted his ability as one man to change things; what she didnt consider is while one individual cannot change the world, by engaging others to work towards a common goal, so much is possible. Today FFP feeds 800,000 people daily across the Caribbean and Latin America, and has built close to 100,000 homes in the region. In reflecting on this award, Samantha said: I am honoured to be recognized by the BBPA with the Harry Jerome Award for the humanitarian work Food For The Poor Canada has allowed me to be a part of. Our work over the last 12 years has been supported heavily by the Caribbean diaspora in Canada to help raise people of African descent out of poverty in the Caribbean. In Jamaica we have focused on education; Canadians have partnered with us to build 32 schools. In Haiti we focused on housing and building villages with sustainability as part of the work. Today we are able to make a difference, address inequity and improve lives by partnering with philanthropic Canadians, many of African descent. Through my work with FFPC I have met incredible people, leaders in the Black community in Toronto as well as in the Caribbean. I was so pleased to receive my award, along with the other awardees on the night that Trevor Massey received his Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBPA. Trevors work with the organization, Lifelong Leadership Institute, has advanced leadership skills among Canadian youth of Caribbean and Black heritage. I am blessed to count many of the BBPA board, advisory board and founders as friends. The work that the BBPA does is especially important today. Black community leaders are making change in Toronto and across the globe for Black youth, Black professionals and their families, and I thank them for their important work. Story continues There is an opportunity for us to ask how we can support Black lives here and around the world, especially now with the multiple barriers of COVID-19, racism and job loss. FFPC is focusing on food aid in the Caribbean to support those who have been forced into immediate poverty. As the work of Food For The Poor Canada and the Black Business and Professionals Association show, one person cannot change the world, but working together, incredible things can happen. For The Poor Canada Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC) empowers communities in the Caribbean and Latin America through five areas of programming: food, housing, education, health and livelihood. FFPC responds to urgent needs while building community and social infrastructure. FFPC utilizes the pre-existing infrastructure of local affiliated organizations to better sustain and grow the communities they serve and responds effectively to emergencies and natural disasters when they occur. Over the last 12 years, FFPC and its Canadian donors have built 124 homes and 32 schools, as well as shipped and distributed $32 million worth of food, educational and medical supplies. FFPC is part of the Food For The Poor family of charities; the founding organization in the USA is Food For The Poor, an interdenominational Christian organization that works in 18 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. For interviews or more information, contact: Samantha Mahfood Executive Director (416) 921-4008 Samantham@foodforthepoor.ca www.foodforthepoor.ca A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/641c9fc6-2872-40cf-bb55-247b858df554 (Photo : Tim Bennet/Unsplash) iPhone X Beside Macbook (Photo : REUTERS/Erin Scott) Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2019. Facebook launched on Wednesday, June 10 another feature for Facebook-Workplace which is said to suppress the word "unionize" catching ire from employees. Workplace by Facebook is an intranet-style chat and office collaboration service similar to Slack. Employees can stream content similar to a news feed while automatically generating trending topics based on people's posts. It is used by companies to discuss projects, coordinate meetings, and share announcements, functioning as a digital workplace. However, as reported by Intercept, one of the new tools rolled out by Facebook allows administrators to delete certain trending topics that they may find objectionable. According to Mashable, the presentation highlighted the benefits of "content control" and provided a sample topic that employers might blacklist. It included the word "unionize." New Facebook Workplace Feature isn't really welcome in the workplace Meanwhile, Facebook Workplace Vice President Julien Codorniou said that the tool intends to combat bullying. "An early mock screenshot of the feature used an example of a hashtag that could be removed by an admin," Codorniou said in a series of tweets adding that it was not focused on the intent, which is to prevent bullying. 1/5: Workplaces entire mission is to give everyone a voice, this is what were known for and what our customers buy our product for. There has been some buzz around a mistake we made earlier this week in sharing plans to employees about a new feature, called Hashtags Julien Codorniou (@codorniou) June 12, 2020 Codorniou also noted that administrators can only remove the hashtags from the trending list, but not the actual content or hashtag or even delete comments. 3/5: Its worth noting that the admin tool also only lets admins remove the hashtag from the trending list, it cant delete the content or hashtag, or amend the comments Julien Codorniou (@codorniou) June 12, 2020 He also said "sorry for this confusion and the screenshot" and that they are correcting it as soon as possible. 5/5: rigorous review before shipping it to customers. Were very sorry for this confusion and the screenshot. The rest of the WP leadership team and I are looking to make this right asap Julien Codorniou (@codorniou) June 12, 2020 Among Facebook Workplace clients are major employers like Walmart, Discovery Communications, Starbucks, Campbell Soup Corporation, and the Singapore government. Employees air dismay over Facebook Workplace blacklisting "unionize" Facebook employees aired their dismay against the social media giant, whom they accuse of building tools that suppress labor organizing. Is this company intent on doing something evil every week? I remember when Bill Gates was viewed as calculative and ruthlessly evil. Mark seems intent on actually surpassing that. Kaiyul (@Capt_Smirk) June 12, 2020 Another Twitter user noted Facebook's decision not to regulate "hate and political disinformation" while it "can erase any mentions of unions." Also Facebook: Look how seamlessly we can erase any mentions of unions Facebook: We can't ban hate and political disinformationAlso Facebook: Look how seamlessly we can erase any mentions of unions https://t.co/nj2weUZm8l Kombiz Lavasany (@kombiz) June 12, 2020 Following the backlash, Facebook removed the presentation on Thursday, June 11. Facebook Workplace product manager Karandeep Anand apologized for the "unionize" example as it was just a simple judgment error. Anand also noted that "censoring users is not the purpose of this feature and Workplace's ambition is to give everyone a voice, while maintaining a respectful work environment." "While these kinds of content moderation tools are useful for companies, this example should never have been used and we apologize for it," the Facebook spokesperson told Mashable in an email. He also stated they have already dropped plans to roll the feature, which is still in its early development. The Facebook Workplace incident further shows the deeply divided Facebook work environment where employees, engineers, and designers have begun doubting company leadership and their decisions. The Menlo Park, California-based company has been receiving criticism for selectively regulating the posts on the platform/ Earlier this month, Facebook employees staged a virtual "walkout" against the company's decision not to flag a post of President Donald Trump that seemed to endorse violence against widespread protests. The employees believed the post violated Facebook policies against incitement of violence. Critics also noted Facebook's failure to combat misinformation, particularly with its decision not to fact-check or regulate paid political advertisements. Read also: Think Before You Click! Twitter Users Now Encouraged to Read Articles Before Tweeting, Removes 170,000 Beijing-backed Accounts 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Shortly after the release of the budget Redmi monitor, we get some info about a quartet of Xiaomi gaming-oriented monitors coming shortly. They will come in three flavors - 24.5", 27" and 29.5". The 24.5-inch model is expected to launch sometime in September, while as early as this July, we can expect the 27-inch, 165Hz monitor to be announced. Looking ahead, if all goes to plan, the company will release another 4K model coming in 27-inch and 29.5-inch variants. Further down the line Xiaomi is also said to bring a non-gaming 27-inch monitor and two more gaming-centric screens with 23.8-inch and 27-inch diagonals. But there's still no info on when we should be expecting those three. Source Vietnam and Indonesia stressed the need to address the root of security instability in Central Africa via comprehensive and long-term measures at an online meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on June 12. Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese Mission to the UN speaks at the function on behalf of Vietnam and Indonesia (Photo: UN) Speaking on behalf of both nations at the event on the regions situation and the operation of the UNSCs regional office (UNOCA), Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese Mission to the UN, lauded efforts of Central African nations in ensuring security and stability in the region and in enhancing ties among neighbouring countries. He expressed his concern over prolonged instability in the region due to armed forces activities, illegal trade of natural resources, climate change, and impact of diseases, including the most recently COVID-19 pandemic. Quy stressed that measures to such matters need to include increasing collaboration and reconciliation, addressing challenges arisen from armed groups and transnational criminals, and facilitating regional countries to access development opportunities. He highlighted the importance of regional cooperation and support from the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to ensure stability and growth for people in the region. Many ASEAN member nations, including Vietnam and Indonesia, are proactively contributing to maintaining peace and international security in Central Africa by sending their forces to join the UNs peacekeeping mission in the region, he added. At the meeting, Francois Lounceny Fall, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, reviewed a series of problems occurring in the region, stressing that the key event to the regions political situation is elections across eight out of 11 regional nations in 2020 and 2021. He acknowledged Central Africas significant efforts, particularly in pushing for the ECCASs institutional reform to reinforce cooperation and ensure peace and security in the region. He called for the international community to step up collaboration with and support for Central African nations to ensure security and improve local humanitarian work. Voicing concern over security challenges, socio-economic difficulties, and problems in humanitarian work in the region, UNSC member nations affirmed the need to ensure a favorable environment for the elections and their commitment to collaboration with and assistance for regional countries. The meeting marked the second time Vietnam and Indonesia two ASEAN member states had a joint speech as members of the UNSC. Their first one took place at a video conference on EU-UN cooperation on international peace and security held by the UNSC on May 29./.VNA Syracuse, N.Y. -- Boat dealers in Central New York are enjoying a rising tide of sales, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Dealers say people who have canceled travel plans this summer because of the pandemic are buying boats at a record pace. Pool dealers have reported a similar increase in sales. Bill Newcomb, owner of Owasco Marine in Auburn, said his sales rose 30% to 40% in May and are up a similar amount so far in June, helping his business quickly recover after a two-month, state-ordered shutdown caused by the pandemic. A quarter to a third of the people that are walking in here are telling me that they had no intention of buying a boat five months ago, said Newcomb. But because of Covid, they dont want to go to Disneyland and they arent going to put their kids on airplanes. Boating is something the family can do that they feel safe doing, so theyre going to buy a boat. Sales have been so brisk throughout the industry, inventories are getting low everywhere, Newcomb said. Im getting calls from all over the country," he said. "I had a guy call me from Colorado. He said he was willing to pay to have a boat transported out to Colorado. He said he did not make the sale because he wants to reserve the inventory he has left for local buyers. Jay Lorenz, general manager of Smith Boys in Brewerton, said his boat sales are up 140% this year. Everybody is tired of being in the house, said Lorenz, who is also president of the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York. Instead of spending $5,000 to $7,000 on a vacation, if they live on a lake or near a lake, theyre going to take their vacation money and put it down on a boat. Denise Demperio, manager of J&S Marine in Baldwinsville, said she sold eight boats all last year and sold eight just this week. Yesterday, I had customers standing all around me, wanting to test drive boats, she said. It was nuts." Jack Heins, of Baldwinsville, came in to J&S Marine to sell a fast, open-bow boat and purchase a pontoon party boat thats slower but can hold more people. He said a party boat will fit better with his plans to spend more time on the water this summer. Because of the pandemic, youre really kind of limited, he said. I play the bagpipes and all the parades are canceled this summer, so Ive got a lot more time on my hands. My wife just retired. We usually go to Florida for two weeks in July, but were not going to do that this year. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Cuomos office explains why Destiny USA cant reopen yet New Cuomo order allows outdoor, low-risk recreational activities and businesses From hair salons to gyms, experts rank 36 activities by coronavirus risk level Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 Iranian President Hassan Rouhani - Anadolu Agency Iranian authorities have escalated their persecution of the Bahai community, targeting at least 77 individuals across the country in recent weeks, despite a potential second wave of coronavirus infections hitting the country, according to a global organisation representing the faith. At least 77 Bahais across eight Iranian provinces have been arrested, summoned to court, tried, sentenced and imprisoned in the last month under baseless accusations and for no reason other than a deep-seated antagonism to the Bahai Faith, the Bahai International Community (BIC) said. The Bahai faith, which was originally founded in Iran, is seen as heretical by the Islamic Republic. Bahai shops and cemeteries have been vandalised and some of its followers blocked from universities and jobs. Bahais are used to persecution, however, this is almost unprecedented numbers in the matter of a month, Bani Dugal, Principal Representative to the United Nations for the BIC, told the Telegraph. While dozens of religious and political groups have been hurt by the Islamic Republics 41-year rule of Iran, the Bahais are widely considered to be one of the most persecuted as they are not officially recognised as a religious minority. The Iranian Islamic Republic Army demonstrates in solidarity with people in the street during the Iranian revolution - Getty Images Dozens of Baha'is were killed or jailed in the years immediately following the Islamic revolution in 1979. Billions of dollars worth of land, houses, shops were seized in the following years by various Iranian organizations, including Setad, the organisation overseen by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In March, 20 Bahais were released in the wake of coronavirus," said Ms Dugal. "We wanted all of them released as they are there purely for political reasons. "Now theyre resummoning a number of people to return to prison despite the situation not improving in terms of the virus. Theres absolutely no justification for these arrests - its just another means of harassing the Bahais. Story continues New infections in the Islamic Republic averaged at more than 3,000 a day in the first week of June. When they are summoned they have to travel on public transportation, which is subjecting them to greater risk, she added. The prospect of imprisonments is prompting health concerns from the group as Iran is facing a severe uptick in coronavirus infections. According to Ms Dugal, some of those who have been sentenced are elderly and at great risk if imprisoned. Iran has also recently ramped up a public defamation campaign, according to the group, with an increasingly coordinated spread of disinformation about their beliefs across state media. SOLON, Ohio -- More than 300 people attended an interfaith vigil to honor George Floyd and other African-Americans lost to racism and police violence on Thursday (June 11) at the gazebo at Veterans Memorial Park. More than 20 civic and religious leaders from the area spoke at the 75-minute event, hosted by the Solon-based Chagrin Valley Islamic Center. Mayor Ed Kraus, one of the speakers, described it as a very diverse and peaceful gathering, with the tone of a community vigil as opposed to a protest. I didnt see one person there to stir up trouble, he said. It was very uplifting, just very nice and tastefully done. The whole idea was just to bring the community together in the spirit of being peaceful and in reconciliation. In his speech, Kraus talked about coming together in solidarity as a community -- different faiths, races and nationalities -- to support our black brothers and sisters in the quest for equality and (ending) racism. There are economic issues we have to work on, as well as health disparities (between blacks and whites), and if we want to make sure everyone is included, we have to work on all these issues, he said. Weve really worked hard in terms of community relations with the black community here. Kraus also spoke about the Solon Police Departments focus on community policing. We work on that hard here, he said. We dont use chokeholds or neck restraints. Our officers have a lot of training, in terms of anti-bias training, diversity training, discrimination training and de-escalation training. Masroor Malik, a member of the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center Board of Directors, speaks during the interfaith vigil hosted by the CVIC in Solon. Malik was a co-organizer of the event. (Photo courtesy of Chagrin Valley Islamic Center) The event was organized by Masroor Malik, a member of the CVIC Board of Directors, and his wife, Simee, the centers director of outreach. The Maliks, of Solon, were also among the speakers. We wanted to bring the community together, and our whole idea was we have to stand together against racial injustice, and we have to take action, Masroor Malik said. We cant just talk about it. Each speaker was asked to read the name of a black person who has died as a result of a violent act of racism. In addition to Floyd -- who died May 25 after being arrested by a white Minneapolis police officer, who knelt on his neck for more than 8 minutes -- the list of names read included Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Tamir Rice. Other speakers included City Council members Nancy Meany, Macke Bentley and Jeremy Zelwin; members of the Alliance of Black Families of Solon; and a number of religious leaders from the area. Many people held up signs, some of which read Black lives matter and Rest in power, George Floyd. Malik said his favorite sign -- held by a mother hugging a child -- read, Why is ending racism a debate? Attendees were asked to wear face masks and to practice social distancing, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The vigil ended with a prayer and candle lighting. Many in the crowd of more than 300 at the interfaith vigil Thursday (July 11) in Solon display signs. (Photo courtesy of Chagrin Valley Islamic Center) Malik said the communitys show of support at the vigil was truly heartwarming, and it reinforces that love will overcome hate. We had a lot of cooperation from the city, the police department and the fire department, Malik said. Unfortunately, we were not able to greet everyone who was there, but we want them to know that we are truly grateful to them for supporting our cause and for standing up against racism and injustice. Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun. Lebanese riot police fired tear gas at protesters on Friday night in downtown Beirut as demonstrations turned violent. Protesters were seen smashing windows, setting fire to shops and pelting security with rocks. The tension, although a fraction of the night before, gripped Beirut and security forces tried to contain the rowdy crowd, at times having to use tear gas. Some protesters threw stones at police officers in an expression of anger at their perceived role in deepening their economic malaise. Lebanon's prime minister held an emergency cabinet meeting on Friday, hours after demonstrators shut roads across the country with burning tires in renewed nationwide protests spurred by a plunging national currency and economic crisis. Lebanon's political and financial elite throughout Friday made addresses promising to stabilise the Lebanese pound, but their statements fell on the deaf ears with a population exhausted by empty pledges. President Xi Jinping sent a condolence message on Friday to Burundi president-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye on the death of Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza. On behalf of the Chinese government and people and in his name, Xi expressed deep condolences and sincere sympathy to Nkurunziza's family and his country's people. Calling Nkurunziza an excellent statesman, Xi said that he had led the people of Burundi to safeguard national sovereignty and fight foreign interference. Nkurunziza has made great efforts to promote national peace, stability and development, and he was loved by the people of Burundi, Xi said in the message. Xi said that Nkurunziza was dedicated to promoting the traditional friendship with China and boosting mutual political trust. The Burundian leader made important contributions to deepening the China-Burundi all-weather partnership, Xi said. He called Nkurunziza's death a heavy loss not only for the people of Burundi but also for China-Burundi friendship. China cherishes the all-weather friendship with Burundi, and would like to make joint efforts with the country to deepen the friendship and benefit the people of both countries, Xi added. Nkurunziza, 55, died from cardiac disease on Monday, according to a Twitter statement on the official account of the Burundi government. "The government of the Republic of Burundi present their most sincere condolences to the Burundian people in general and to his afflicted family. Burundi has just lost a dignified son of the country, the President of the Republic, a Supreme Guide of National Patriotism," the statement said. Smoking is limited to certain slot areas and is prohibited at table games, while hand sanitizing stations are in place throughout the casino. Restaurants at the Blue Chip have been deep cleaned and are limited to 75% capacity in accordance with Gov. Eric Holcomb's "Back on Track" reopening plan. Nearly undetectable plexiglass also has been installed to protect diners from those not in their group, and to ensure the safety of hosts, hostesses and casino security staff. In addition, casino cleaning staff will be deployed to try to wipe down each machine after a player leaves, the air in the casino will be fully exchanged eight times an hour instead of four, Blue Chip will close from 3-8 a.m. each day to more fully clean and sanitize all surfaces, along with other measures to minimize the risk of COVID-19. "With the comprehensive set of guidelines that we have, with the frequent sanitation, the wearing of masks, (employee) gloves in required areas, the social distancing, we feel that the measures we're putting in place with Boyd Clean are more than adequate to address the concerns," Temple said. The month of June is Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community. It gives this community and its individuals a time to affirm who they really are by their sexuality and/or gender. Others in our society may think this is frivolous or unnecessary, but it's not. Many in the LGBTQ+ community have experienced shame for who they inherently are. Unfortunately. there are many facets of our society who try to shame LGTBQ+ persons. This includes: some churches and clergy as well as other religious faith groups, some politicians, just ordinary people in society, and even families. All these and others have shamed LGBTQ+ persons by telling them that they are wrong or not right for who they feel they actually are. Unfortunately, shame is very toxic for any person. Shame is different than guilt. Guilt occurs when we make a mistake or do something wrong, especially if it hurts another person. Guilt can be relieved by correcting the mistake, righting the wrong, or making an apology. But shame goes to the very heart of a person. Shame is the feeling that I am wrong to my core as a person. Again, guilt says I did something wrong, shame says I am wrong. It is a terrible feeling to think that as a person you are flawed and irredeemable. It is a feeling that you are somehow not worthy as a person. This shame has been heaped upon many LGBTQ+ persons sometimes starting in childhood. It is toxic and eats at a persons spirit and soul. It is extremely hard though very necessary to overcome. This is why Pride Month is so important. It sends the message to all LGBTQ+ persons that they are OK. That they are valuable human beings. That there is nothing wrong with their sexuality or gender identity. For those who are religious, it is also a message that they are beloved and valued by their Creator. It is also an opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community to save some members from suicide often caused by internalized shame. Unfortunately, because of the Coronavirus many Pridefests and Pride Parades have been cancelled. Still it is important that the LGBTQ+ community celebrate Pride Month any way they can, probably on social media and through other virtual expressions. For straight people who are allies, this is a good time to reach out to your LGBTQ+ acquaintances and friends to tell them that they are valued, important, appreciated and loved. Mark Schleeter is President of PFLAG Decatur. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 5 Hong Kong: Civil servants free to express views Civil servants, like other members of the public, can express their views as is enshrined in the law, but must ensure the impartiality of discharging their duty as a civil servant is not affected. Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip made the remarks after attending a radio programme this morning. Mr Nip noted that while the Basic Law and the laws of Hong Kong guarantee freedom of expression and of assembly, civil servants need to be careful when expressing their personal views in public. If you do it in your personal capacity to express your views, so long as it complies with the law, that of course is okay. But if you are at the same time holding a capacity as a civil servant, then you have to be mindful of your public expressions and your acts so as to comply with the requirements and your responsibility as a civil servant. I think that is the basic principle. As regards social media, the hard fact is even though you mean to talk about things within a private circle, the reality is that sometimes it will be leaked out and then become public. "Then you have to deal with a situation where people will regard what you said might be in contradiction to the capacity that you are holding. So you have to be mindful of that. Mr Nip also reminded civil servants that it is their duty to serve the public and be responsible to the Government. The basic point is that as a person, you are entitled to your views and expressions, but when you are discharging your duty as a civil servant then you have to make sure that what you said and your own personal view would not affect the impartiality of discharging your duty as a civil servant. And you have to be responsible to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. This story has been published on: 2020-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Wisconsin law allows for telephone calls to be recorded as long as one party involved knows about it. Evers' attorney, Ryan Nilsestuen, would not say when asked Thursday who knew that the call was being recorded. He and Evers' chief of staff, Maggie Gau, were the only members of Evers' staff to speak during the call, but it's not known how many others were listening or who they were. Chrissy Teigen gifted her sold-out cookware line to a group of essential workers, who work at one of her favorite restaurants in LA. To show her appreciation for the staff of Howlin Rays, the 34-year-old sent a care package full of goodies, including her Cravings cookbook and LVE Wine, a company owned by her husband John Legend. The model-turned-author, who has praised the location's hot fried chicken for years, also replied to a picture of three beaming employees, who thanked the star for her generosity on Twitter. Generous: Chrissy Teigen gifted her sold-out cookware line to a group of essential workers, who work at one of her favorite restaurants in LA this week 'THANK U SO MUCH THEYRE SO BEAUTIFUL WE ALL CRIED,' the restaurant tweeted with a picture of the massive baskets full of kitchen appliances and plants from Teigen. The women's sweet message of gratitude over the surprise delivery successfully made its way back to Chrissy on social media. 'you guys do so much incredible stuff, making the city of LA so, so happy. we love u and thank u and will support you through these sh*tty, sh*ty times!!' the mother-of-two replied. 'you guys do so much incredible stuff, making the city of LA so, so happy. we love u and thank u and will support you through these sh*tty, sh*ty times!!' the mother-of-two replied Virtual love: The women's sweet message of gratitude over the surprise delivery successfully made its way back to Chrissy on social media Fans of the Craving author may recognize the name Howlin Rays from her blog post Chrissys Guide to L.A. Restaurants. Before the eatery opened a location in California, she admitted to asking friends that traveled to Nashville to 'return back with Hattie Bs hot fried chicken, which she stressed was 'not a joke.' 'The fried chicken is so juicy and moist (I know a lot of people hate that word, but oh well), and they go from no heat to its-so-hot-the-chicken-is-black HOT HOT,' she reviewed, adding that her 'go-to is always the sandwich.' Busy week: Teigen is currently recovering recovering after going under the knife to remove the breast implants she received when she was 20 'Eat that with a side of their Hot Shake crinkle-cut fries and a Dr. Pepper and you will be in hot chicken bliss,' she gushed. Teigen is currently recovering recovering after going under the knife to remove the breast implants she received when she was 20. She updated fans to tell them she is doing 'great' and shared a sweet note from her four-year-old daughter Luna on Friday. There are several reasons that vaccine scientists are skeptical that we will ever see a DNA vaccine for the coronavirus. But speed is not one of them. Thats the beauty of these DNA vaccines, said Wolfgang W. Leitner, the chief of the innate immunity section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. They are simple and fast in terms of development. Nor are vaccine scientists concerned about the supposed secret sauce. In fact, its quite the opposite: They are skeptical precisely because the technology behind DNA vaccines has been around for decades and has been applied toward so many infectious diseases H.I.V., the flu, malaria yet none of the vaccines have made it to market. They believe that this approach is capable of producing immunity. Already, DNA vaccines have been licensed for use in pigs, dogs and poultry. But the big if, according to Dr. Dennis M. Klinman, a vaccine scientist who worked at the Food and Drug Administration for 18 years, is whether one will ever be able to generate strong enough an immune response in humans. Step 2: A series of zaps to steer the DNA Even though Ms. Wiley had read the packet on the science of it all, the next step felt like entering uncharted territory. Shortly after the initial injection, a nurse handed Dr. Ervin a device resembling an electric toothbrush. He pressed the head which contains three tiny needles instead of bristles over the raised skin on her arm, where shed just had a shot. Then he zapped her. It was not painful, but its unlike anything Ive ever experienced, Ms. Wiley said. The carefully calibrated electrical pulses basically steer the DNA into the cells by briefly opening up pores in their membrane, according to David B. Weiner, the director of the vaccine and immunotherapy center at the Wistar Institute and an adviser to Inovio. Houston Police/Twitter The Houston Police Department says one of its employees has been relieved of duty after the officer posted a "social media post with racial overtones." An internal affairs investigation is now underway, according to a tweet posted on the department's Twitter account on Friday. TDT | Manama A former head of the nursing, in the Accident and Emergency Department of the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Asma Abdullah Al-Shuaibi passed away, yesterday. Doctors, nurses, and medical staff of Salmaniya expressed grief and took to the social media platform to mourn her death. Asma was a dedicated nurse all her life and was always dedicated to serving the sick, some of the posts read. She worked for many years in the accident and emergency department of the Salmaniya Medical Complex, before requesting a retirement two years ago. She was suffering from heart ailments during the past years. The Ministry of Health, in an Instagram post, expressed condolence to her grieving family. MoH mourns deaths of medical staff Separately, Bahrains Ministry of Health announced the loss of three other health workers to various reasons, yesterday. One of the deceased was an ex-medical staff Hassan Ibrahim Al-Bahrani. The retired employee of the training at the Ministry of Health passed away in a traffic accident, a condolence message posted on its Instagram account said. Najat Farhan Awad of Assistant Medical Services in Outpatient Clinics in Salmaniya Medical Department and Abbas Hassan Hussein, an employee in the General Services Department of the Support Services Department, are the other announced deaths. (Newser) Sometimes, Jorge Manolo Villarroel is Spiderman. Sometimes, he's the Flash, or the Green Lantern. But hes always a teacherone who lives out his childhood dreams by dressing up as superheroes for the locked-down students who attend his virtual classes, the AP reports. His classes have become so popular that siblings fight for the laptop screen to learn from this costumed teacher. They, in turn, often offer him tech help. "They arrive to the virtual classes before me and the first surprise is to guess which superhero will appear on the screen," said Villarroel. At 33, Villarroel speaks with the passion of a child. His modest room is filled with the masks and costumes of his characters, along with images of Christ, several Roman Catholic saints, revolutionary Che Guevara and his parents. story continues below Villarroel, who lives in a poorer neighborhood of the Bolivian capital, teaches art at the San Ignacio Catholic School in a wealthier area. His students range from 9 to 14 years old. "For years, they have entered our adult world, now its time for us to open up to their world, which is chat," he said. The class begins with a Zumba-style warm up (Villarroel is also a Zumba instructor), followed by a prayer and then superhero music, to set the proper atmosphere. Forty-five students follow the online classes. Villarroel himself makes the costumes he wears. At times, with his glasses, he looks as much like a disc jockey in front of a computer as a superhero. "Education stagnated in traditional molds," he says. "After the pandemic everything will change, including education." (Read more education stories.) 'When the country shut down, Holohan is the man with the information and the authority to whom the public has been asked to turn," wrote Tom McTague in 'The Atlantic', published earlier month. In a piece titled 'The Faucis of the World', Mr McTague explained that Ireland's chief medical officer Tony Holohan, and counterparts Anthony Fauci in the US and Chris Whitty in the UK, are examples of men "thrust into positions of authority, power and influence" at a time when a worried population was looking for guidance. They ascended to power in the shadow of Covid-19, said McTague, transforming from largely anonymous public health experts, to overnight celebrities, trusted authorities on all things Covid, and, to varying degrees, "surrogate leaders". In Holohan's case, there can be no doubt that he is the face of the country's Covid-19 response, fronting daily press briefings on live TV. Three months ago, he was largely an unknown civil servant. Now he's a household name, his cult status immortalised in a mural on the front of a Dublin pub, depicting him as a modern-day superman. Within the corridors of power that is Dail Eireann, it has been reported that some members of Cabinet see him as a "bit of a God". But even God has his critics and Dr Holohan's word, taken as gospel by some, hasn't gone without challenge. Expand Close The mural depicting him as Superman. Photo: Colin Keegan / Collins Dublin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The mural depicting him as Superman. Photo: Colin Keegan / Collins Dublin Read More One of the first areas of conflicting opinion in relation to his Covid-19 advice centred on nursing homes, a sector that has since experienced more than 1,000 deaths associated with the virus. In a saga that has been revisited many times since, on March 6, Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) imposed nationwide visiting restrictions on private facilities. Four days later, Dr Holohan said the blanket restrictions should be lifted because they were premature and affected residents' social interactions. The conflicting approaches caused significant problems within the sector. Such was the level of deference to Dr Holohan's approach that several homes were confronted with disgruntled family members, quoting the chief medical officer and demanding access. In one case, a video clip of Dr Holohan's comments was shown to nursing home staff as a reason to permit a visit. Three days later, on March 13, the visiting ban was imposed, or re-imposed, as part of package of restrictive measures recommended by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet). Even this week, controversy around this sequence of events, and the consequences they may or may not have had in relation to how the virus ravaged nursing homes, was still being generated. Speaking at a Covid-19 response committee hearing on Thursday, Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organisation (WHO) special envoy on Covid-19, said that visitors can bring the virus into nursing homes. The statement flew in the face of advice from Dr Holohan, who has previously said on radio that "visitors did not bring the virus into nursing homes", in response to questions on whether Nphet should have acted sooner to protect long-term residential care settings. Furthermore, in an interview on RTE radio yesterday morning, Dr Holohan vigorously defended his position into how almost 1,000 lives have been lost to Covid-19 in nursing homes. The deaths, he said, were at the lower end of the mortality experience in European countries and a lot of reporting had focused "over-simply" on the proportion of deaths in nursing homes. Dr Holohan said that unlike many other countries, Ireland had reported comprehensively on probable deaths and confirmed deaths in hospitals and right across the community. He said: "There has been a lot of reporting and commentary in relation to this that we think is erroneous, focusing over-simply on the proportion of deaths that occur in this country that are attributed to people living in nursing homes." There is no dispute that more than 900 residents of nursing homes died of Covid-19 - accounting for more than half of deaths - and it is their families who are counting the cost. The comments came in the same week that Dr Holohan and the experts on Nphet were urged to consider a policy "rethink" in relation to the steps being taken to overcome the virus. In an open letter, signed by a number of leading scientists and academics, there was a plea to "crush the curve" rather than learning to live with the virus. When asked if he took on board the criticism of the current policy in the letter, Dr Holohan said he "always listens to anything anyone has to say who has a different perspective". There were "language differences" in the letter, he claimed, before basically dismissing its authors' claims that the virus can be eliminated. "I think there are language differences in the words that have been used to describe the approach here," he said. "We have been clear from the beginning that if we can prevent infections that's exactly what we want to do. Minimise the number of cases as low as we can possibly go. We have never said we can see a level of infection in this which is tolerable." He added: "There is no country that is in a position to say eliminate the virus in the way that we eliminate something like the polio virus, where you can say to the public that you can go about your normal business without fear of being infected with this, which us where we are in a position to say with something like polio. "We don't think we will be in a position to eliminate in that sense." There can be no doubt that extraordinary measures had to be taken to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Here, like almost everywhere, huge decisions on how to deal with the pandemic are being directed by teams of experts. The Taoiseach and the Health Minister, in particular, have made a virtue of being led almost entirely by scientists and senior medics - Dr Holohan. So far, the message has been that with the CMO in charge, the country's response to Covid-19 has been both proportional and effective. However, there have been hints along the way that not everyone involved in making the decisions has been singing off the same hymn sheet. Last month, Dr Holohan's views on the reopening of schools appeared to differ from those of the Taoiseach. On foot of advice from the WHO and a report from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) saying children were at least risk from the virus and do not appear to be super spreaders, the Taoiseach said reopening schools and childcare was "among the safest things that we can do". Dr Holohan differed, saying only a small number of studies had looked at the issue and it was "an entirely different thing to conclude in policy terms that we have enough evidence to say that transmission from children does not occur". Then there is the ongoing debate over the two-metre rule. In March, the WHO issued advice calling for people to obey a social distance of one metre. Speaking at a Department of Health briefing on May 25, Dr Holohan said that he understood the position businesses were in, but that the rule was staying in place. "We think, for the moment, two metres is a reasonable compromise given where we are," he said. Many businesses have said they would be unable to reopen unless the social distancing guide of two metres is reduced to one metre. When Government ministers raised the issue at a Cabinet meeting, Dr Holohan told them that reducing the two metres to one metre could increase the risk of infection. However, minutes from a meeting of Nphet from March 16 noted a lack of evidence in distinguishing between one metre and two metres. Like much of the advice that has been given to date, Dr Holohan has said the rule is under "constant review". The same could be said for the ever-changing advice on face masks, which has led to a state of mass confusion among the public. During a press conference on May 15, Dr Holohan said: "The evidence isn't very strong in relation to the value [of face masks in stopping the spread of Covid-19], and we do have good evidence for this disease that hand-transmission is really important, so hand-washing has to be maintained." That interpretation had changed by this week, when people were scold-fully told "we could do better" on the wearing of masks. The following day, on RTE's 'Morning Ireland', Dr Holohan said he wanted more people to wear masks when shopping and travelling on buses and trains. He added that it was an "important measure" that he had always been clear about and that he would like to see a higher level of public compliance. Indeed, Dr Holohan revealed a radio and television ad campaign is to be rolled out in the coming days. "Maybe we think the message hasn't gotten through, even though we have been clear," he said. The slap on the wrist for the non-compliant public came after the WHO's Dr Nabarro, in a statement also made at the Covid-19 committee hearing this week, said Ireland must move from "should do to must do" when it comes to the message on wearing face coverings. As the country exits lockdown, Dr Holohan's central role as the leading voice on the crisis remains undisputed. However, his disciples (the politicians) may have started to stray from his message, as evidenced by last week's dramatic announcement that the roadmap out of lockdown was to be fast-tracked. Whether or not the public, so far relatively compliant with his requests, will maintain faith in his scriptures remains to be seen over the coming weeks and months. Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian healthcare minister Arsen Torosyan informed on Facebook today that he had run over a 10-year-old child in Yerevan. Torosyan said he immediately took the child to a hospital, all examinations have been carried. The child suffered a small injury in the right hand, his life in not under danger. He will be under care of doctors for a certain time and will then go home, the minister said. The minister said the Police were immediately informed about the incident for preparing materials. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Notes From An Apocalypse Mark OConnell Granta 14.99 Rating: From the beginning of time, people have been predicting the end of time. Many of todays shrillest apocalyptic predictions echo the Revelation of St John the Divine, which was written in about 90 AD. When I was growing up, in the 1960s, people imagined that imminent nuclear warfare would bring the world to an end. One must expect a war between USA and USSR, which will begin with the total destruction of London, warned the philosopher Bertrand Russell in 1945. I think the war will last 30 years, and leave a world without civilised people, from which everything will have to be built afresh a process taking (say) 500 years. Notes From An Apocalypse , is, as you might expect, packed to the rafters with weapons-grade nutters bashing out loopy theories galore By the end of the 1960s, London remained resolutely intact, but Russell refused to back down. I still feel that the human race may become extinct before the end of the present century, he said in an interview in, of all places, Playboy magazine. Speaking as a mathematician, I should say that the odds are about three to one against survival. More than 50 years on, we are still here, but peoples fears for the future remain unabated. Nowadays, climate change has taken over from nuclear war as the main focus of angst, but if you dont believe in climate change, there are plenty of other fears to fall back on. The most extreme end-of-the-worlders in America predict a total breakdown of civilisation, with food so scarce that cannibals roam Earth. Some of them are also convinced that a planet called Niburu is on a collision course with Earth, and that the government knows all about the imminent disaster, but is covering it up. The Irish writer Mark OConnell is himself of a nervous and gloomy disposition. Having had a child a few years ago, he found himself consumed pointlessly, morbidly consumed by the question of whether having brought a human being into the world was a terrible ethical blunder, given what seemed to lie ahead. He confesses that, at one point, I couldnt sneeze without thinking it was a portent of end times. As it happens, authors are in the fortunate position of being able to monetise their fears. Finding himself alive in a time of worst-case scenarios, OConnell hit upon the clever idea of tracking down todays most vocal prophets of an apocalypse, and talking to them about the preparations they are making. The resulting book, Notes From An Apocalypse, is, as you might expect, packed to the rafters with weapons-grade nutters bashing out loopy theories galore. Typical is Robert Vicino, a property developer who is building a post-apocalypse city out of an old weapons storage facility in the Black Hills of South Dakota. If all goes well, or, rather, badly, it will eventually be home to 10,000 people, the largest survival community on Earth. Theres going to be gangs roaming. Cannibals in great numbers. Raping. Pillaging, Vicino tells OConnell. The have-nots coming after the haves for everything theyve got. And my question to you is, do you want your daughters to live through that? TV documentary-makers such as Louis Theroux and Jon Ronson have long known that America represents the worlds richest natural source of nuttery. Setting off in their footsteps, the more dour and angsty OConnell tempts a selection of suitably wacky types, most of them in wraparound shades, to hold forth about the end of the world as we know it. IT'S A FACT Frankenstein author Mary Shelleys less well known novel, The Last Man (1826), foresees Mans destruction by a pandemic in the 21st Century... Advertisement Not that they take much tempting. The more stupid their views, the readier they are to express them. These survivalists, or preppers, are almost all fat white men who, like Donald Trump, hide their scaredy-cat dispositions behind a mask of bullish bravado. They hark back to simpler times, when men were men and women knew their place. They distrust cities, minorities and modern life, all of which will be wiped out by the imminent catastrophe. Preppers are not preparing for their fears: they are preparing for their fantasies, observes OConnell, astutely. They tend to belong to a white underclass, so look forward to a post-apocalyptic world within which they become the new elite. They occupy their time by stocking up their underground larders with buckets of freeze-dried powdered foodstuffs which have a guaranteed shelf-life of quarter of a century. Happy days! Many preppers are looking beyond Earth for their retirement communities. In Pasadena, OConnell attends the 21st annual gathering of The Mars Society, devoted to the theme of How To Build Civilisation On Mars. On the face of it, Mars would seem an inhospitable sort of place, a cold rock tens of millions of miles from Earth, with no sunshine, no food source, no oxygen and such a high level of radiation that everyone would be obliged to live underground. But speakers at the conference made it clear that for them, the principal benefit of life on Mars would be freedom from taxes and government controls. Were here. Were free. You wont have the government saying you cant damage this or that endangered species. Not on Mars. Most of those attending the conference are aged 65 or over, so, even if they packed their winter woolies and set off at a reasonable speed, they would not arrive on Mars until they were at least 124. Elon Musk has spoken of Mars as the back-up planet, just in case something goes wrong with Earth. But when speakers at the conference talked of the kind of society they would build on Mars, it became clear to OConnell that what they were really talking about was reinventing America itself. OConnell travels elsewhere in the world, but with less fruitful results. He flies all the way to New Zealand, in pursuit of all those American billionaires who are rumoured to have bought up large tracts of land for when America goes kaput, but doesnt really come up with much. He takes a look at a stretch of countryside bought by Peter Thiel, the loopy billionaire venture capitalist who has declared that he no longer believes that freedom and democracy are compatible, but it turns out that there hasnt been a confirmed sighting of Thiel in New Zealand since 2011. Similarly, he hears that a pair of Bitcoin billionaires had bought a large lakeside estate on which they were constructing a gigantic bunker, but it all seems very vague. Thirty-four years after the nuclear explosion, he takes a trip to Chernobyl, which is now a popular tourist destination. In these days of lockdown, I have watched countless Chernobyl travelogues, fronted by everyone from furrow-browed Panorama reporters to knockabout comedians, and though what OConnell says about instant ruins and disaster tourism is interesting enough, I seem to have heard it all before. Fears of the apocalypse are by no means the sole preserve of the paranoid Right. Climate-change catastrophists are also plotting the sort of world that might emerge after the collapse of Western civilisation. Towards the end of the book, OConnell goes on a retreat into the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands, espoused by a group called The Dark Mountain Project, who, like the preppers, are imagining the extinction of the industrial world. For 24 hours, the participants are obliged to stay alone in a circle ten metres in diameter, staring at the clouds and the grass and the heather. OConnell tries to extract something from it, but it all feels very effortful. Something about the experience of being alone here, with nothing to do but be, and sit, and watch, and listen, had caused me to feel as though I were in some kind of relationship with the place. At times like these, you yearn for a redneck in wraparound shades to appear on the horizon, ready to say something daft. Protesters gathered along Venice's picturesque waterfront to demonstrate against mass tourism and huge cruise ships in Italy's floating city. The demonstration - which saw members of the campaign group Comitato No Grandi Navi gather at the Zattere waterfront - came the same day as one of Venice's main attractions reopened its doors to tourists after the coronavirus crisis. Covid-19 killed more than 34,000 in Italy and caused the country's tourism sector to effectively shut down to slow the spread. Demonstrators formed a 'human chain' along one of Venice's most-popular promenades to highlight issues brought about by large cruise ships. Protesters gathered along Venice's picturesque waterfront to demonstrate against mass tourism in Italy's floating city The demonstrations - which saw members of the campaign group Comitato No Grandi Navi gather at the Zattere waterfront (pictured) - came the same day as one of Venice's main attractions reopened its doors to tourists after the coronavirus crisis A post on their website ahead of the demonstration said the group wants Venice to 'start again in a new way' once lockdown is lifted. They also want to keep large ships outside Venice's lagoon and encourage permanent residents over tourism. The city sat largely empty for three months during lockdown with scenes of empty squares and alleys and gondoliers stranded on dry land. Demonstrators formed a 'human chain' along one of Venice's most-popular promenades to highlight issues brought about by large cruise ships A post on their website ahead of the demonstration said the group wants Venice to 'start again in a new way' once lockdown is lifted Protesters (pictured) also want to keep large ships outside Venice's lagoon and encourage permanent residents over tourism The city sat largely empty for three months during lockdown with scenes of empty squares and alleys and gondoliers stranded on dry land. Pictured: Protesters today Members of the campaign group Comitato No Grandi Navi gathered to protest today Protesters commandeered boats to highlight the detrimental impact of large cruise ships and mass tourism But tourists today flocked back to the city for the reopening of the Doge's Palace. Hundreds of Italians and foreigners lined up for more than 300 metres in Saint Mark's Square, in front of the Ducal Palace. A local news agency said a thousand internet bookings had been recorded for the reopening day. 'There were people queuing at 8:00 am this morning and, to be honest, it's just what we were hoping for,' Maria Cristina Gribaudi, president of the Venice Civic Museums Foundation, said. 'It's a very strong emotion, like the first day of school,' she explained. Inside the palace, masks are compulsory, numerous signs encourage people to 'keep their distance' and all the rooms are controlled to avoid overcrowding. Tourists today flocked back to the city for the reopening of the Doge's Palace (pictured) After months without tourists Saturday marked a clear change, with Venice bustling much as it would do on any ordinary spring weekend. Souvenir shops have reappeared in Saint Mark's Square and almost all of the shops and restaurants - including the historic Cafe Florian - have reopened. Around the Rialto Canal, visitors pushed their way through the tight alleys, and the famous gondolas and vaporetti, the city's water buses, were again loaded with passengers and going about their business on the canals. Inside the palace (pictured), masks are compulsory, numerous signs encourage people to 'keep their distance' and all the rooms are controlled to avoid overcrowding 'If the most spoken language is Italian, there are many Germans and, surprisingly, French,' Ansa reported. 'We hope to have slow tourism in the future,' said Gabriella Belli, director of the Foundation for the civic museums of Venice. 'This does not mean less tourism, it means better organised tourism.' The COVID-19 epidemic has killed more than 34,000 in Italy but as the number of new cases steadily falls so the country continues the process of deconfinement which began last month. The country's many monuments, famous buildings, museums and emblematic places have almost all reopened, including St Peter's Basilica in Rome, the site of Pompeii, the leaning Tower of Pisa, and the cathedrals of Florence and Milan. In a bid to retrieve the summer tourist season, Italy reopened its borders on June 3. Our Message to U.S. is Clear: Ri Son Gwon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of DPRK Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, June 12 (KCNA) -- Ri Son Gwon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of DPRK, made public the following press statement on Friday which reads: Two annual rings were run since the historic June 12 summit talks between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States of America. We need to see what the world has witnessed and what lesson the history learned from the DPRK-U.S. relations during this not-a-short period that spans 732 days. What stands out is that the hope for improved DPRK-U.S. relations - which was high in the air under the global spotlight two years ago - has now been shifted into despair characterized by spiraling deterioration and that even a slim ray of optimism for peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula has faded away into a dark nightmare. The desire of the peoples of two countries to put a period to the world's most antagonistic relations between the DPRK and the U.S. and to open a new cooperative era of peace and prosperity runs deep as ever. Yet the situation on the Korean peninsula is daily taking a turn for the worse. This is substantiated by the DPRK-U.S. relations during the past two years. A total shutdown of the northern nuclear test site, repatriation of scores of American POW/MIA remains, special pardon for the convicted felons of U.S. nationality who were held in detention all these measures taken by our Supreme Leadership are indisputably significant ones of epoch-making resolve. Especially, we made a strategic determination whereby we took an initiative for suspending nuclear test and test launch of ICBMs in order to build confidence between the DPRK and the U.S. Such being the case, we should now turn to examining what has been done for the last two years by the United States, a party to the agreement, who has very often expressed gratitude for our measures of high determination. "No testing, getting remains." "Hostages returned." These are what the master of the White House representing the United States of America reeled off time and time again as a boast. The U.S. professes to be an advocate for improved relations with the DPRK, but in fact, it is hell-bent on only exacerbating the situation. As a result, the Korean peninsula has now turned into the world's most dangerous hotspot haunted uninterruptedly by the ghost of nuclear war, streaming completely against a durable and lasting peace which has been committed to by both sides. The DPRK is still on the U.S. list of targets for preemptive nuclear strike, and all kinds of nuclear strike tools held by the U.S. are aimed directly at the DPRK. This is the stark reality of the present day. Typical evidences are nuclear strategic bombers, which fly any time into the south Korean airspace for nuclear strike drills, and aircraft carrier strike groups which bustle around the seas surrounding south Korea. The U.S. is introducing a large number of modern, cutting-edge hardware like stealth fighters and reconnaissance drones worth tens of billions of U.S. dollars in order to transform the south Korean army into the one with offensive posture, and the south Korean authorities are burdened with payment of an astronomical amount of money. The U.S. administration, through the two years of totally unjust and anachronistic practices, laid bare openly that its much-claimed "improvement of relations" between the DPRK and U.S. means nothing but a regime change, "security guarantee" an all-out preemptive nuclear strike and "confidence building" an invariable pursuit of isolation and suffocation of the DPRK. All the above facts clearly prove once again that, unless the 70-plus-year deep-rooted hostile policy of the U.S. towards the DPRK is fundamentally terminated, the U.S. will as ever remain to be a long-term threat to our state, our system and our people. Now, a question arises at this point in time. The question is whether there will be a need to keep holding hands shaken in Singapore, as we see that there is nothing of factual improvement to be made in the DPRK-U.S. relations simply by maintaining personal relations between our Supreme Leadership and the U.S. President. In retrospect, all the practices of the present U.S. administration so far are nothing but accumulating its political achievements. Never again will we provide the U.S. chief executive with another package to be used for achievements without receiving any returns. Nothing is more hypocritical than an empty promise. Our Supreme Leadership, in the historic Fourth Enlarged Meeting of the Seventh Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, discussed the national strategy for nuclear development in conformity with the prevailing internal and external situation and solemnly declared on further bolstering the national nuclear war deterrent to cope with the U.S. unabated threats of nuclear war. Whenever Pompeo and other U.S. statesmen open their mouths, they make nonsensical remarks that the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is still a secure goal of the United States. The secure strategic goal of the DPRK is to build up more reliable force to cope with the long-term military threats from the U.S. This is our reply message to the U.S. on the occasion of second anniversary of June 12. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address JACKSON, MI Kenneth Carpenter wants to get the Jackson County Sheriffs office more involved in the community. Hes the fourth person to file to run for the office. As a Republican, he will face former Jackson police officer and current attorney Gary Schuette and former Columbia Township Police Chief David Elwell in the Aug. 4 primary. Val Cochran Toops is the only Democrat running. I believe in the youth and the community, said Carpenter, 52, of Jackson. I think that we can do a whole lot better for the community and the youth than what we do in Jackson County. Carpenter said he wants the sheriffs office to partner with groups throughout the county to help people, instead of just arresting them and offering limited support after theyre released from jail. For me, it doesnt make a lot of sense to lock them up for three or four days for a $30 crack rock and they come right out and do the same thing, he said. We have to get them help that they need to get off the drugs. Its not just locking them up and thinking thats going to fix it. Weve been doing that for years now. People are still (overdosing). He previously ran for sheriff in 2012 as a Democrat, but lost to now-sheriff Steven Rand. Carpenter received just over 12,000 votes, while Rand had more than 19,000 votes. Part of the reason Carpenter has since switched political parties is his support for Second Amendment rights, he said. But he doesnt believe political affiliation should matter in the sheriffs office. If youre in office, your job is not to support your political party, its to support the people that put you in that office, Carpenter said. Thats who you represent. Also, with the sheriffs office, I think it has to be a bipartisanship. You have to be open minded. Carpenter has worked as a reserve officer for the Jackson Police Department since 2003. Hes been at the protests against police brutality, both as a reserve officer and to listen to the communitys complaints. He was working as a reserve officer when a driver was accused of attempting to hit protesters with his car. Theyre all good people, he said. Im glad that I went down there. I went to two of them and theyve been peaceful and quiet. For me, Im really proud that everyones doing the right thing here in Jackson County. Related: Two Jackson protests stay peaceful with little police interference He said he has meetings scheduled with Jacksons Black Lives Matter group and hes talked to leaders from the group No Justice, No Peace. Its really helped me out, getting my message out, being with the community and listening to them, Carpenter said. I understand what theyre asking for out of our law enforcement now. Theres a lot of ideas out there and theres a lot of good ideas out there. We need to listen to the community. If I want to be sheriff here, its part of the job to represent the community. Thats why Im listening to what peoples expectations are for the sheriffs office. Carpenter said hes half-Japanese and can bring some diversity to the sheriffs office. He spent nine years in the U.S. Army, first as a tanker and then a driver for the commanding general at Fort Knox, where he learned how to be a good leader, he said. After leaving the Army, he worked on a Ford factory line and was promoted to a production supervisor. There, he said he learned how to implement new ideas, the importance of listening to other people and the necessity of checking to see if the changes worked, he said. The person who does the job understands the job better than anybody else, Carpenter said. He was working as a full-time substitute teacher before the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools. Now hes focusing on campaigning. More mental health training for deputies and treating people with respect are two changes he said he wants to bring to the office. If Im pulling you over, Im pulling you over because youre speeding, Carpenter said. I dont want to get into the 100 questions asking, Do you have drugs in the car? Obviously if I smell alcohol or see some type of drug in there, then I have a different reason. But just to come up to you and start questioning you, we dont need to do that." The sheriffs office is in need of cultural change, Carpenter said. Sheriff Rand and Jackson County are facing a lawsuit that claims Rand is a multifaced bigot and brought to light audio recordings of discriminatory comments against women, minorities and disabled people. An effort to recall Rand stalled, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declined three formal requests to remove him from office. Rand did not file to run again for sheriff. Related: These candidates are on the ballot in Jackson Countys August primary election On a day Nepal's Lower House of Parliament unanimously passed a constitution amendment bill to reflect its new map in the national emblem, the Congress on Saturday dubbed the development a "sad day" in the longstanding bilateral relations. "A sad day in the longstanding Indo-Nepal relationship. Tragic that self-professed strong leadership of the BJP remains in ostrich-like denial when it comes to protecting national interest," Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a statement. The approved map includes Indian areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura in the Himalayan country. The Congress also attacked the Modi government and said that the "delusional TV warfare can't substitute mature political leadership." Earlier, Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali tweeted: "The House of Representatives unanimously adopted the constitutional amendment bill, paving the way for accommodating the updated political-administrative map in the national emblem." On June 9, Nepal's House of Representative had unanimously endorsed the bill to adopt a new map of the country. The proposal was backed by Nepal Communist Party headed by Prime Minister K.P. Oli, the opposition Nepali Congress, and Madhesi-based parties. Around 2:15 a.m., officers responding to a battery in progress in the 7800 block of South Eggleston Avenue in the Winneconna Parkway neighborhood found a 32-year-old man shot in the buttocks. He was taken in good condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center but was uncooperative with police. The police watchdog is investigating at least 10 deaths at the hand of law enforcement under a coronavirus lockdown Johannesburg - As the killing of George Floyd sparked protests worldwide, South Africans joined calls on Tuesday for action against police brutality following the deaths of at least 10 black people at the hands of law enforcement under a coronavirus lockdown. Thousands have attended Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg to protest violence by security forces implementing the lockdown - and prior to the pandemic - directed mainly at poor, black communities. "This brutality and violence is not at all new. What is new is that during this lockdown, a harsher spotlight has been shone on these abuses," said Thato Masiangoako, a researcher for the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa. "Security forces were deployed mainly to poor black areas like high density townships. More affluent areas have been shielded from the violence," said Masiangoako, whose group uses litigation and advocacy to support human rights. South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world, according to the World Bank, more than two decades after the end of white minority rule, with urban areas starkly divided along racial lines. More than 42,000 complaints were made about the police between 2012 and 2019, including rape, killings and torture, according to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), the police watchdog. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Legal Affairs Coronavirus By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. "It must be noted that there is a difference between the use of force and police being brutal," said police spokesman, Vish Naidoo. "The cases which IPID is investigating must all be contextualised ... and allowed to be concluded before people draw conclusions," Naidoo said in comments on WhatsApp. SUSPENDED Protesters outside Johannesburg's constitutional court on Sunday carried placards with the names of Collins Khosa, who died in nearby Alexandra township on April 10, and of Floyd, the black American who died after being knelt on by a white officer. Khosa died after soldiers entered his home and beat him with a rifle after seeing in his yard a cup of what they said was alcohol, sales of which are banned during the lockdown, according to his lawyer, Wikus Steyl. "We have suspended members of the defence force who were allegedly involved with this," Siphiwe Dlamini, an army spokesman told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The High Court last month ordered the suspension of soldiers and police officers who were at or near Khosa's home at the time of his death and ordered the government to set up a mechanism to enable the public to complain about abuses. The South African Human Rights Commission, an independent watchdog, said it is closely monitoring IPID's investigation of at least 10 deaths at the hands of law enforcement since lockdown began on March 27. "COVID-19 has opened up the brutal inequality in South Africa. There is great divide between races and classes but we still hope that change will come," said Chris Nissen, one of its commissioners. (Reporting by Kim Harrisberg @KimHarrisberg in Johannesburg; editing by Katy Migiro.) Re: Analyst Q predicts that the share price of MetaCorp stock will remain [ #permalink (A) Stock analysts would be more likely to recommend MetaCorp stock to investors if economic conditions for MetaCorps industry are good than if they are poor. - the passage does not differentiate between the actions of recommendation for bad or good industry-wide economic conditions. (B) If MetaCorp stops showing a profit, stock analysts will be less inclined to recommend the companys stock to investors. - ''less inclined'' introduces the possibility that some stock analysts may still continue to recommend MetaCorp's stocks despite the firm not showing any profits. (the word ''less inclined'' literally does eliminate the possibility entirely). (C) If stock analysts stop recommending MetaCorp stock to investors, then the price of MetaCorp stock is less likely to at least remain at its current level than if stock analysts continue to recommend it. - the passage does not form a link between (a stoppage of recommendation) and (likelihood of stock price stability). (D) If economic conditions worsen for MetaCorps industry as a whole, stock analysts will be less inclined to recommend MetaCorp stock. - From the passage, we know that if economic conditions worsen for MetaCorps industry as a whole, share price of MetaCorp stock will at least remain at its current level, as long as the firm continues to show a profit. So, the passage does not form a link between (worsening of economic conditions for the entire industry) and (''inclination'' to recommend). (E) If MetaCorp continues to show a profit, then the price of MetaCorp stock will either remain at its current level or increase. - Analyst Q's prediction: continue showing profits ---> at least same level of stock price, if not an increase Analyst T's prediction: continue showing profits ----> at least same level of price, even if the entire industry suffers from an economic downturn. Based on these analyst's predictions, we certainly can support (E) Therefore, (E) is the right answer choice. Sitting in a hospital room, Jenneh Paye is hoping that she and her two-and-a-half-year-old son would be able to join their family in Liberia, thousands of miles away from this South Indian port city, very soon. Unable to fly back to their country due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the 26-year-old mother and her son Jin have been staying in the private Lisie Hospital for over two months since he recovered from a serious heart ailment following surgery. They are hoping that the Indian government would extend a helping hand to enable their return home. A hospital spokesman said Jin, who had been suffering from severe heart ailment since birth, was admitted to the hospital in the first week of March after being referred from a hospital at Monrovia for better medical care. He underwent open heart surgery on March 12. Relieved over the improvement in Jin's health following the surgery, Jenneh was preparing to go back to Liberia on April 2 but the lockdown derailed their plan. The spokesman said the boy was brought to Kerala for treatment after taking a loan pledging their property back home and now they are under financial stress due to the delay in their return trip. It was on March 2 that Jenneh reached Kerala from Liberia along with her son for treatment of his heart condition. Jin is the second child born to Peter and Jenneh and was diagnosed to have a hole in the heart within a few months. He was not gaining weight adequately and he used to get recurrent respiratory infections and Jenneh knew he needed to undergo cardiac surgery for a complete recovery. Peter and Jenneh managed to collect enough money to travel to India and get Jin operated though it meant working overtime, mortgaging their family house and giving up much other leisure in life. "All went well according to plan when they came to Kochi. The aorto-pulmonary window in his heart was closed and the family's happiness knew no bounds when he had an uneventful recovery after the surgery. All they wanted now was to travel back home...but then came the pandemic scare, travel restrictions and lockdown shattering all their dreams. Jenneh and Jin could not travel back home as planned on April 2 and they are unsure when they can," he said. The little resources they had with them was planned for a month's stay and recovery and is drained completely, he said. According to him,they are now being supported by the management of Lisie Hospital, which is taking care of their food and shelter along with some help from the Liberian Consulate and a few philanthropists. In a video message released to the media, Jenneh appealed to the Indian government to facilitate their return home. "I am Jenneh, I came from Liberia for my son's surgery.Now his surgery is over...we are being here for too long. So we appeal to the government of India to please arrange means for us to go back home," she said. Her husband, Peter, currently in Liberia, also sent a video message requesting the Indian government to facilitate their return trip. "I am hoping that in few days government of India with good people will be able to bring my family back to Liberia," he said. Peter also thanked the hospital authorities for providing good medical care to his son and safe stay of his family in Kochi. The hospital spokesman said Jin is fully cured and his follow-up medical examination, if needed, can be done in Liberian hospitals. ArcelorMittal Group is planning to invest Rs 2,000 crore in Odisha, its Group Chairman and CEO LN Mittal said on Saturday. Mittal said this while interacting with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik through a video conference. ArcelorMittal Group is the world's largest steel maker. "We already have a Rs 2,000 crore investment plan in Odisha which is already going on with support of your administration, your people and your guidance. "You have a great experience and you have managed the COVID crisis very well which is a good news," Mittal told Patnaik during the interaction. Referring to his company's investment plan, Mittal said if it so happened that the "company could not produce in Hajira, the full production, we would produce in Odisha and export pellets". "But, what we like is that we have a lot of ideas to continue our expansion in Odisha. We are working on two mines - Sagasai and Thakurani," he said. Mittal also said that of these two mines, one mine the company has already got through auction, which was organised in a very transparent manner. "So, I see that this auction process which you designed is one of the best auction processes. The people have seen the transparency in governance. That is the most important thing as an international company. We see this as very important for us," Mittal said. Patnaik assured Mittal of all support from the state government. He said the Chief Ministers Office will interact with the ArcelorMittal office so that your (Mittals) project gets headway very soon. The chief minister also advised the steel magnate to add value to the mineral resources procured from Odisha in the state itself so that it will help creation of employment opportunities and enhance the development of the state economy. Meanwhile, a statement released by the Chief Ministers Office said that the company is planning to expand its pellet plant at Paradip and increase its production capacity from 6 MTPA to 12MTPA. The company is also planning expansion of its iron beneficiation plant at Baduna in Keonjhar district from 5 MTPA to 16 MTPA. Essar steel has been acquired by ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel. The Essar plant has 6 mtpa pellet plant at Paradip. ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) is the new name of Essar Steel India after it was acquired by a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel Corporation. With the acquisition of Essar Steel at a cost of more than Rs 50,000 crore, as much as USD 7 billion has been invested in India, which is considered as one of the biggest foreign direct investment (FDI), the CMO statement said. 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 its Breakthrough Overhead Line Design (BOLD) consultancy services 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, 230 kV GIS, and 115 kV new substation at Chachoengsao 2 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 Waste Management Facility. 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/20200527005970/en/ Two more SJB candidates withdraw from upcoming polls View(s): Former Central Province Governor Neluka Ekanayake and Denat Paniyandoowage, two candidates of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) from the Sabaragamuwa and Galle Districts announced their decision to withdraw from the upcoming elections, becoming the second and third candidates to withdraw from the contest all from the SJB. Earlier in the week, former Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera announced his decision to withdraw from the election. On Friday SJB candidate for the Ratnapura district, Neluka Ekanayake the former governor of the Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces also resigned. A spokesman for her said that she appreciates the work of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and therefore she has resigned so that her presence in the current party would not jeopardise the work of the President. Mr. Paniyandoowage said he was quitting because the party had not given him a place in the districts organising team, while a spokesman for the SJB said the reason was more of a personal nature concerning the withdrawing candidate. Berlin, June 13 : The German government approved a cut in value-added tax from 19 to 16 percent for six months starting in July to counter the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Finance announced. A lower value-added tax that applies to most food products and everyday consumer goods would be reduced from 7 to 5 per cent. The ministry stressed that in general, the application of the new rules would be made "as flexible and practical as possible" for companies, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. Furthermore, families would receive a one-off bonus of 300 euros (US $340) per child paid in two installments in September and October. Families with children and single parents were particularly burdened by the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the ministry. "With the economic stimulus package, we are providing strong impetus to lead our country out of the crisis and we are creating the confidence we need now," said Finance Minister Olaf Scholz. All measures of the government stimulus packages still require formal approval by parliament before coming into force. In order to implement the measures in time, special parliament sessions are scheduled for June 29. A Chinese ship rammed a Vietnamese fishing boat operating in the Paracel Islands, Vietnamese state media reported Friday, in what may be the first case of China enforcing its unilateral fishing ban in parts of the South China Sea against vessels of another nation. Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported that Wednesdays incident happened near Lincoln Island, a rock in the Paracels that is occupied by China but claimed by both China and Vietnam. The boats captain told Vietnamese authorities in central Quang Ngai province that a Chinese ship numbered 4006 chased and then rammed his boat, forcing all of its 16 crew to jump overboard. After the Chinese took some crew back to pump water out of their listing boat, the Chinese seized one ton of fish, a global positioning system, and other equipment worth in total 500 million Vietnamese dong ($21,000), Tuoi Tre reported. It said the Chinese crew kicked and beat the 42-year-old Vietnamese captain, identified as Nguyen Loc, when he refused to sign a document for them. They then departed. The Vietnamese managed to return to shore with help from other Vietnamese fishermen, the report said. Lincoln Island is roughly 25 nautical miles southeast of Woody Island, Chinas largest military base in the Paracels and one of Chinas main administrative centers in the South China Sea. Satellite imagery shows a number of Chinese Coast Guard ships in its harbor, but its unknown which if any chased away the Vietnamese fishing boat. Vietnamese vessel sunk in earlier incident Its the second time in little more than two months that a Vietnamese fishing vessel has come off worse for wear with a Chinese ship. Vietnam and China traded barbs over the sinking of a Vietnamese vessel in a confrontation with a China Coast Guard ship on April 2. Vietnam said then that China had threatened the lives and damaged the property and legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen. China claimed the Vietnamese vessel had rammed the Chinese ship and sunk itself. The latest incident took place during a Chinese maritime law enforcement campaign, aimed at stopping fishermen from operating in parts of the South China Sea that China claims jurisdiction over. China announced its annual summer fishing ban on May 1. It forbids fishing activity in the South China Sea north of the 12th parallel, which encompasses the disputed Paracels region. Both Vietnam and the Philippines have denounced the ban that China claims is for conservation purposes. Vietnam on May 20 said it would not comply with it. In the past, China has not enforced the fishing ban on vessels from other countries. This year, however, Chinas Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and China's Coast Guard have signaled a tougher approach and dubbed their unilaterally declared ban, Flashing Sword 2020. Vietnam is among the nations that contest Chinas sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea, which also overlap with those of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. China has faced growing criticism in the region because of its attempts to assert control over disputed areas. Iran strongly rejects UN secretariat's claims IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, June 12, IRNA -- The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects the allegations of the UN Secretariat, which is clearly under political pressure from the US and Saudi regimes, and expresses its deep concern over the abuse of the UN Secretariat for political purposes, Iran's foreign ministry in a statement said. While the Secretariat, based on an unusual interpretation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, has so far refrained from reporting on numerous violations by the United States and European States with respect to the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA (Annex A to the Resolution) inter alia the unlawful withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA, which is a grave violation of Resolution 2231 and its subsequent illegal actions towards the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by re-imposition of sanctions, the Secretariat treated with utmost tolerance and leniency, the Iranian foreign ministry's statement read. Surprisingly, the Secretariat is engaged with the issue in which it has no authority to point out highly technical and legal findings, and its so-called technical report is in no way in line with the practical arrangements of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 to perform its functions. The Secretariat's report coincides with the US destructive plan which is reflected within the dangerous draft resolution that paves the way for extension of arms restrictions on Iran in an illegal way; and yet more surprisingly, the content of this report is used by the US two weeks prior to its official release. The aforementioned fact creates the impression that the report was prepared under direction of the United States and to be used in the efforts of that State in the Security Council against Iran. Accusing the states of self-created processes and arbitrary procedures is heresy to the investigative processes of the international community. Such dictated processes will cause severe damage to the credibility and undermine the integrity of the United Nations. Preparing report with political motives never change the facts, and it is obvious to everyone that the current situation in the region is a direct result of the wrong policies of the United States and the child-murderer regime of Saudi Arabia. How is it that the UN Secretary-General refuses to take into consideration the sale of deadly weapons to Saudi Arabia, whose use against the defenseless people of Yemen are indisputable, but rather, he is sending his investigation teams to search through Saudi waste materials to provide evidence for US baseless claims? Undoubtedly, the imposed reports will not help bring peace and security to the region and implement UN resolutions. Furthermore, it will also completely destroy the credibility and reputation of the United Nations. Are the members of the Secretariat worried about the similar treatment of the members of the Secretariat of the International Criminal Court by the United States? The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly recommends the UN Secretariat not to move in the pre-planned US scenario to prevent the lifting of Iran's arms restrictions and not to assist a violating State in this illegal process by circulation of the imposed reports. The United States itself is the gravest violator of Security Council Resolution 2231, and no one can clear the name of that State from systematic violations of international rules. 8072**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Stacy Kroeger said she believes Schuyler doesn't have as many options for hair salons. But with 352 Salon Suites, she said she wants to give stylists from around the area the opportunity to start their own businesses and retain customers. "I believe that the community of Schuyler, there are a lot of people that get their hair done or cut, and they're going outside of the community," she said. "And I do think that if a place like this were to open in Schuyler, people would keep their business locally." 352 Salon Suites, 119 E. 12th St. in downtown Schuyler, is currently taking applications for stylists to start their business there, offering six 8-by-10-foot suites. "What that entails is that you have complete control over your own hours, your own pricing and then you keep 100% of sales from retail and services," Kroeger said. "So it's kind of having six individual businesses inside of a business." Kroeger currently owns the Library Event Center, located next door, with her husband, Matt. The two buildings are part of the old library, which also includes an additional building that is currently vacant. The idea for the suites came from Kroeger's friends in cities in Omaha and Lincoln, where she said the format has become popular for both stylists and customers. "A lot of my girlfriends that are stylists in the more metro areas, this is a format that they're using," Kroeger said. "And they would never go back to anything different because of the flexibility and the upside earning potential it allows." After hearing about how the suites had been a perfect fit for stylists, Kroeger said she knew she wanted to go ahead with the project in Schuyler. "I know it's kind of a little newer format to a smaller community, but I think it will fit here as well," she said. "And it just provides a great opportunity to have your own business, but not have a ton of overhead." As the owner and landlord of 352 Salon Suites, Kroeger has been at work on the building since Labor Day, conducuting measurements, redoing the flooring and installing a brand-new front door. "Everything that we've done and all the different contractors that I've worked with, which have been wonderful, it's all a long process," she said. "And we were ready to open right before COVID, so that obviously kind of delayed this." The salon comes months after the Kroegers bought the old public library building and turned it into the new Library Event Center, a suitable place to host various community events. Audra Jedlicka, Schuyler Area Chamber of Commerce executive director, said she was happy to see another local family so invested in the community, noting she loved the idea of the shared suites that is popular in bigger cities like Omaha and Lincoln happening in Schuyler. "Our community is just thrilled we have young entrepreneurs who are excited about our town and building," she said. "When you talk to both of them, you can tell they're excited about the future of Schuyler." The high-end suites are move-in ready and are equipped with a Kaemark chair and bowl for stylists to use, as well as extra storage, mat and work space. "The rent, it does include your 8-by-10 suite, your electricity, water, internet and use of common areas, which includes the lobby, the washer and dryer and the restroom," Kroeger said. Each tenant will be able to lock their own suite independently, allowing for better social distancing while the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, Kroeger said. "Of course, we're going to be following all of the health measures that are in place, such as one person at a time, waiting in your car, wearing a mask," she said. "So we will abide by all those rules, but right now, I'm just trying to get the word out that we are done and ready and open and ready to help stylists start their own business." Stylists also have access to easy ACH rent payment, and customers will have convenient parking outside the building. Kroeger said the suites will also be well-spaced, as there is no back room to have color done. "You have all of your color and all of your materials in your individual suite," she said. "So it's very easy to keep people separate and to abide by the 6-foot rule because they're all individually spaced." Stylists interested in setting up business at 352 Salon Suites can either call Kroeger at 972-632-8775 or contact her through its Facebook page. The first month of rent will be free if an annual lease is signed by June 30. "If there's anyone that knows of a stylist that this might be a good fit for, reach out to me," Kroeger said. "I'd love to meet with them and sit down and give them a tour." Although getting the suites ready was a lengthy process, Kroeger said the end result made it worth it, and she's excited to have stylists run their businesses from her building. "Just seeing my dream and vision come together and be a standing suite and units is very, very fulfilling," she said. "It's been a long road, but it's been well worth it and I've learned a lot." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Tehran, June 13 : Iran's Foreign Ministry dismissed the recent UN report about Tehran's "involvement" in the missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities last year, according to a statement carried by official IRNA news agency. On Thursday, Western media said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told the UN Security Council in a recent report that the cruise missiles and drones used in attacks on Saudi oil facilities in 2019 were of "Iranian origin." The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in the statement on Friday that the UN might have prepared the report under the "political pressures" of the United States, Xinhua news agency reported. "With no doubt, such reports will not help the peace and security of the region," the statement said. "Iran strongly advises the UN Secretariat not to move in the direction of the US-prepared scenario seeking to prevent the removal of (a UN) ban on (selling conventional) arms to Iran," read the statement. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday said that the United States has no right to "abuse" the UN to vilify Iran. Washington has said that it seeks to restore all the lifted international sanctions against Iran if the UN Security Council fails to preserve the UN ban on selling conventional arms to Iran. Experts are concerned that there could be an explosion in cancer cases after the pandemic as many people have put off going to their GP during lockdown. Cancer Australia claim there could be thousands of Australians needing urgent cancer treatments who have no idea. The organisation warned that many people may have ignored worrying symptoms or put off going to the doctor thinking they would burden the health system or catch COVID-19. Experts are concerned that there could be an explosion in cancer diagnosis after the pandemic as many people have put off going to their GP during lockdown (pictured is a nurse conducting a swab test in May) Cancer Australia CEO Professor Dorothy Keefe said a quick diagnosis provided the best chance for a patient to beat cancer. The urgency for treatment also depends what type of cancer a person has, MS Keefe said. 'For example, prostate cancer you can delay for a bit, but lung cancer you can't delay,' she told nine.com.au. She said data shows that about 400 people are told the have cancer in Australia each day and that during the coronavirus pandemic GP visits fell by 10 per cent. This means about 7,000 people needing treatment could be unaware. The federal government announced funding for telehealth consultations during the pandemic, however, many people may be unaware these services can be used for non-coronavirus related issues. Bulk-billing incentives for GPs were also doubled by the government for in-person and telehealth consultations. However, despite these measures GPs experienced a huge drop in patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dilip Dhupelia, president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland, told the ABC that patient numbers were down by as much as 40 per cent in some clinics. Bruce Willett, the Queensland chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners added that some GPs were experiencing such a huge drop in patents they were struggling to remain open. 'Some GP practices have not really noticed much of a downturn, but other practices have noticed a really significant downturn and are really struggling to remain viable,' he said. He said he was aware that some practices had applied for JobKeeper payments. Figures from the Medicare Benefits Scheme confirm the downturn, showing a 10 per cent drop in GP visits in the first three months of 2020. This equates to about to about 100,000 less appointments. The economic and oil crises could usher in a period of higher tensions between the US and China. The continuing COVID-19 crisis has complicated geopolitics in many different ways. The geopolitics of oil is one prominent example. The economic misery enveloping the world, deepened by the crash in oil prices, has sharpened a split within the United States ruling elite. Those who support and fund President Donald Trump are aligned with domestic US energy companies that suddenly face a great risk from plummeting oil and gas demand. This abrupt market downturn has forced Whiting Petroleum to file for bankruptcy and there are already reports that Chesapeake Energy is preparing to do the same. Many others may follow. Many of these companies produce oil by the costly fracking of shale deposits and were already heavily in debt prior to the COVID-19 crisis. From 2006 to 2014, 16 publicly traded shale oil companies had exceeded the debit side of their balance sheet over the credit side by more than $80bn. At current, depressed prices, most of them are likely to face bankruptcy before long. As Quartz has reported, not one of the 100 largest fracking operations in the country can turn a profit. It is not surprising that the owners of these companies are mobilising Trumps racist Make America Great Again (MAGA) base in a desperate attempt to save themselves. The American Legislative Exchange Council (backed by key Trump supporters, the Koch family) and the Michigan Freedom Fund (linked to the Trump supporters, the DeVos family) have backed gun-toting protests at state capitols. They are demanding an immediate reopening of local economies, even as thousands of people are being exposed to the risk of infection and the death toll from COVID-19 increases every day crossing the tragic 100,000 mark as the nationwide total. While the heavily armed white demonstrators with swastikas, nooses, and Confederate flags are repulsive, the other liberal side in this fight is also not reassuring to the American citizen. The neoliberal mainstream Democrats, who trace their origin to the descendants of John D Rockefeller and his Standard Oil monopoly, are spearheaded by multinational oil and finance capital companies. To protect their long-term profits, they are pushing for a slower emergence from the pandemic lockdown. Their position is supported by the best medical science and that has led to even more panic and fact denial by Trump and his supporters. Where is this internal fight headed? Since deep-pocketed giants like ExxonMobil are better equipped to wait out a price squeeze than smaller domestic companies, they can wait while they watch their domestic competition wither and die. In fact, from the neoclassical realist perspective in international relations, it is not an unreasonable bet that the neoliberal politicians many of whom, like former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, were already largely aligned with the neocons in foreign policy are planning for even wider-scale confrontations with their perceived global rivals China and possibly Russia. Thus, the oil crash further complicates already unstable geopolitics. Clearly, the historic, pandemic-driven reduction in energy demand lies at the root of the current oil price crisis. But the virus is not solely to blame. In early March, when the global economy was still running at a normal pace, Saudi Arabia and Russia launched a price war that flooded the market with millions of additional barrels of oil. Republican Senator Ted Cruz suggested Saudi Arabia, the once-reliable US partner, was intentionally driving US shale oil producers out of business. Undoubtedly, the US leaderships loss of influence in the Middle East, even with so-called allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel, has been accelerated by the isolationist and incompetent Trump administration. However, more worrisome is the prospect that this decline may be a sign of further geopolitical instabilities to come. As China and Russia seek to fill the void from the US geopolitical decline, the Middle East region is becoming even more unstable than usual. The two main perceived that is to say, perceived by the US foreign policy establishment challengers to US dominance could emerge from this crisis stronger than before. US sanctions against Russian oil forced Russia to diversify its economy, leaving it in very good shape to cope with lower [oil] prices. China, a net importer of oil, clearly gains economically from lower oil and gas prices. Furthermore, the peoples republic has evolved at least partly into a form of state capitalism. Therefore, the Chinese government actively supports its national oil companies which are considered to be of strategic importance. Combined with the healthcare and economic disasters of the pandemic, the latest conflict over oil could accelerate the USs economic and geopolitical decline leading to unpredictable behaviour by the US leadership. With respect to China, some confusing, aggressive behaviour of the US military is already on display. In April, the US sent the guided-missile destroyer USS Barry to sail near the Paracel Islands, a disputed archipelago in the contested South China Sea. Shortly after, the US flew two Air Force B-1B bombers over the South China Sea in a provocative show of force. I am not predicting larger confrontations in the immediate future. Whether hotspots anywhere including, the strait of Hormuz, a hotspot of tensions between Iran and its Arab neighbours, will lead to regional wars is far from certain. But with growing US-China friction, changing alliances and new geopolitical alignments, the risk of violent regional confrontations will most likely increase. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. One of the favourite bodyguards of the south actors, Maranaloor Das, fondly known Das Chetta breathed his last yesterday. The bodyguard, who was 47, was undergoing treatment for jaundice at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. Das has served as a personal security guard of big stars of Mollywood and Kollywood including Mohanlal, Mammootty, Suriya, Vijay, and Ajith among others. Starting off his career by doing odd jobs in the film sets and then migrating to Gulf for a job, Das returned to the film industry to become one of the loyal and trusted security heads of the leading actors. He initially worked for Mohanlal for his 2000 movie Sradha. Following, he provided security to Megastar Mammootty while he was shooting Palunku. The bodyguard and his team have been serving both the Malayalam and Tamil industry equally with their dedicated gaze, to protect the stars for over 25 years now. Interestingly, he has also placed bodyguards on Malayalam director Priyadarshan's Bollywood film sets like Billu Barber and Khatta Meetha. Malayalam actors Mohanlal, Mammootty, Prithviraj and others paid touching tributes to their favourite bodyguard on social media, as his demise left a huge irreplaceable void in the cinema sets. Prithviraj wrote, "Rest in peace Das Chetan. You will be missed. Condolences to the family." Kunjachacko Boban took to his social media handle and mourned the demise of Das. He wrote, "Remembering Mr.DAS and praying for his soul. Was an active person in the Film Industry and functions as the main Security Personnel.Will be missing him big time." Mollywood heartthrob Dulquer Salmaan penned an emotional note as he paid tribute to Das. "Deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Das. He was a big personality. You couldn't miss him. Most shoots. And especially at events and shows you were sure to find him. He stood out from all of the others doing the same job. Somehow it was reassuring to know that if Das was present things were probably under control. He was one of those first industry personalities I discovered. Unique to our industry. Unique to Malayalam. He never really had a title. But everyone knew him and of him. I guess he never needed one. He was just him. Das. He will be missed. More than he would know. Prayers and condolences to his family", he wrote. Here are the other posts of Malayalam actors who paid tribute to Das Sufiyum Sujathayum: The Jayasurya-Aditi Rao Starrer Gets A Release Date! Aparna Nair Bashes An User Who Made Vulgar Comment On Her Post Texas is not halting plans to reopen despite hospitals recording a record number of coronavirus patients. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state would continue to reopen "because we have so many hospital beds available to anybody who gets ill." Texas is not the only state witnessing record numbers, as authorities in states like Arkansas and North Carolina have also expressed concern after a rise in coronavirus cases. White House infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said while the country was bound to see an increase in infection numbers as economies reopen, the rise in hospitalizations was concerning. Other states, including Oregon and Utah, have temporarily paused reopening plans as they investigate the spike in coronavirus cases. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. houston coronavirus patient texas lockdown Anita Pedy (R), chief nursing officer for the COVID unit at Houston's United Memorial Medical Center, wheels a patient from the emergency room to the COVID unit on May 6, 2020. Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Texas will not halt its reopening plans despite hospitals reporting a record number of coronavirus patients for the third day in a row. More than 2,100 people in the state have been hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the Washington Post. Intensive care units in Houston are reportedly at 88 percent capacity. When asked about the rise in cases, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that while he is "concerned," he is not "alarmed." In an interview with KYTX television, Abbott said there is "no real need to ratchet back the opening of businesses in the state", one reason being "because we have so many hospital beds available to anybody who gets ill." "For every person in a hospital bed, there are 10 open, available hospital beds available for them," Abbott said. "So there's plenty of hospital capacity to be able to deal with COVID-19." His comments come as restaurants in the state are allowed to operate at 75% capacity as of Friday, the Texas Tribune reported. Almost all other businesses are allowed to operate at 50% capacity. Story continues White House infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that the country is bound to see an increase in infection numbers as economies start reopening but that the rise in hospitalizations was concerning. "When you start seeing more hospitalizations, that's a sure-fire sign that you're in a situation where you're going in the wrong direction," Fauci said. Texas is not the only state experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases. Arkansas saw its highest single-day increase on Friday, with 731 new COVID-19cases, according to local media. On the same day, North Carolina also witnessed its highest single-day increase since the outbreak began, passing the 40,000 infections mark. Mecklenburg County health director Gibbie Harris said on Friday: "We continue to see a decrease in social distancing and before long we will be back to where we were when we put the stay-at-home order in place." Meanwhile, other states have witnessed a surge in cases in the last week and are either pausing or slowing down their reopenings. In Utah, Gov. Gary Herbert ordered most of the state to stop reopening until June 26 while it looked into a new spike in cases. "I don't want to go forward and then take a step backward," Herbert said on Friday, according to Reuters. Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced on Thursday a week-long postponement of applications to reopen. In a statement cited in Reuters, Brown said: "This is essentially a statewide 'yellow light,' it's time to press pause for one week before any further reopening." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new coronavirus guidelines this week, which "strongly" encouraged the use of cloth face coverings when attending large events such as demonstrations, or political rallies. Speaking about the recent protests in an interview with ABC News, Fauci said: "You know, it's a danger to the people who are trying to control the demonstration. And it's a danger to the people who are demonstrating. So at the end of the day, it is a risky procedure." Fauci said he understood why people were protesting, but that the official advice remains to avoid crowded places. "If you can do both, avoid the congregation of people and do the mask, that's great," he said. This week, the US passed 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases. The country also recorded more than 112,000 deaths the worst in the world, according to Worldometers. Read the original article on Business Insider June marks Cataract Awareness Month. The Singapore National Eye Centre's (SNEC) Cataract and Comprehensive Ophthalmology Department shares what are the symptoms of cataract, and how is the condition diagnosed and treated. The first sign of a cataract is usually blurred vision Cataract is a condition in which the clear lens of the eye becomes cloudy, preventing sufficient light rays from entering the eye, thus impairing vision. It is common in the elderly due to ageing. In Singapore, over 80 per cent of people aged 60 and above have some form of cataract, according to a study carried out by SNEC, a member of the SingHealth group. Over 10,000 cataract surgeries are performed at SNEC every year. Causes In addition to age, prolonged ultra-violet light exposure, long-term use of medications such as steroids, and certain illnesses like diabetes are risk factors for the development of cataract. In the young, cataract can be present at birth or develop as a result of injury, says the Cataract and Comprehensive Ophthalmology Department at SNEC. Related article: Causes of common eye problems and what to do Symptoms The first sign of a cataract is usually blurred vision. Other complaints may include: Frequent change of glasses due to increasing short-sightedness in adults Colours appearing dull Poor vision in bright light, glare Haloes around lights Difficulty reading, watching television or driving at night Diagnosis Your eye doctor will be able to diagnose your cataract after a clinical examination. Treatment Surgery will usually be advised by your surgeon when your blurred vision caused by cataract cannot be corrected with glasses and interferes with your daily activities. The notion of a cataract being ripe for surgery is a myth. At SNEC, surgeons are able to perform cataract surgery using different techniques, machines and instruments, making it comfortable, safe and quick to recover from. Before the operation, your surgeon will counsel you regarding the surgical process, including the expected outcome and possible risks and complications from the surgery. Nurses and counselors will also advise you of the dos and donts after the surgery. Story continues Elective cataract surgery is performed as a day/ambulatory surgery, under local or topical anaesthesia, on one eye at a time. A short period of fasting is required before the operation. Related article: Followups for Glaucoma patients are now simpler than ever Phacoemulsification: The most common cataract treatment procedure The vast majority of cataract operations at SNEC are carried out using a technique called phacoemulsification. This uses ultrasound energy. Phacoemulsification involves making a small incision of 1.8 to 3.0mm on the cornea. The vibrating phacoemulsification instrument is introduced into the eye through the small wound. It causes emulsification (softening) of the cataract affected lens which is aspirated out through the instrument at the same time. The capsule of the lens is left behind, which then receives the artificial lens implant. The surgery is completed without any need for stitches. Post-operatively, you will need to instill eye drops into the operated eye at regular intervals for up to 4 weeks. Light activities and good hygiene are advised, while swimming and hair washing should be avoided during this recovery period. You will be required to return for check-ups within one week and at about a month after your operation. Related article: Is cataract preventable? What can be done to protect your eyes? -- Articles on HealthXchange.sg are meant for informational purposes only and cannot replace professional surgical, medical or health advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-14 04:44:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Iran on Saturday soared to 184,955. Meanwhile, a Chinese medical team visited the West Bank city of Bethlehem, the epicenter of the coronavirus in the Palestinian territories. Iran, which has re-emerged as the hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East region, reported 2,410 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 184,955. The country also reported 71 new deaths from the virus, raising the death toll to 8,730. A total of 146,748 coronavirus patients have recovered, with 2,755 still in critical condition. On the same day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the Iranian government will restore the strict restrictions relating to the novel coronavirus if it is forced to do so for the sake of the people's safety. Meanwhile, a Chinese medical team, which arrived in Palestine on Wednesday, visited Bethlehem, where the first cases of the coronavirus in Palestine were recorded in early March. The team of experts also met with doctors and staff of the Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem and visited the COVID-19 testing lab. Palestine recorded on Saturday six new COVID-19 cases in the West Bank, raising the total number in the Palestinian territories to 673 since March 5, including five deaths and 570 recoveries. In the mean time, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca warned of an increase in the daily new number of COVID-19 cases in the country after 1,459 new infections were reported, taking the tally to 176,677. "The increase in the number of cases is a warning to those who do not comply with the measures," Koca tweeted. The death toll from the coronavirus in the country rose to 4,792 after 14 new fatalities were added in the past 24 hours, he said, adding that 985 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, raising the total recoveries to 150,087. Saudi Arabia announced 3,366 new cases and 39 more deaths, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 123,308 and the death toll to 932. The kingdom also reported 1,519 more recovered patients, taking the total recoveries to 82,548. In Qatar, 1,828 new cases of coronavirus infections were detected, bringing the total number to 78,416, of whom 70 have died and 55,252 recovered. Egypt's coronavirus cases continued the surging trend to reach 42,980 after a highest daily surge of 1,677 new infections were added. The Egyptian Health Ministry also reported a record of 62 daily new deaths and 421 cases of recoveries, increasing the death toll to 1,484 and the total recoveries to 11,529. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 491 new COVID-19 cases and one more death, raising the tally of infections to 41,990 and the death toll to 288. The total number of recoveries from the virus in the UAE increased to 26,761 after 815 more fully recovered. Kuwait reported 514 new cases, bringing the country's total number of infections to 35,466, of whom 289 have died and 25,882 recovered. Oman's Ministry of Health announced 1,006 new cases of infections, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 22,077, including 99 deaths and 7,530 recoveries. Israel reported 177 new COVID-19 cases and 47 new recoveries, bringing the tally of coronavirus infections to 18,972 and the total number of recoveries to 15,357. The deaths from the virus in Israel remained 300. It is worth noting that the number of coronavirus active cases in Israel has risen to 3,315, the highest since May 17. Iraq reported a record of 1,180 daily new cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections to 18,950, including 7,515 recoveries. The country also reported 53 more deaths from the coronavirus and during the day, bringing the death toll in Iraq to 549. The Iraqi authorities on Saturday decided to implement a former decision of partially lifting the nationwide curfew starting from Sunday. Algeria said that 112 new cases of infections were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the tally of infections to 10,810, while the death toll hit 760 and the recoveries reached 7,420. In Morocco, the tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 8,692 after 82 new cases were added, which included 212 fatalities and 7,696 recoveries. In Lebanon, the number of COVID-19 infections increased by 20 to 1,442, while the death toll went up by one case to 32. Jordan registered 38 more infections, bringing the total coronavirus cases to 953, including nine deaths and 678 recoveries. The total number of coronavirus cases in Yemen's government-controlled provinces increased to 705 after 73 new cases were added and the death toll climbed to 160, including the southern port city of Aden. The number of recoveries in the government-controlled areas increased to 39 since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus on April 10. Enditem By PTI KOLKATA: COVID-19 claimed 12 lives in West Bengal on Saturday taking the death toll to 468 while the number of those infected shot up to 10,698 with the addition of 454 fresh cases, a bulletin of the state health department said. All the 12 deaths were because of comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental, it said. North 24 Parganas district accounted for five deaths, Kolkata for four, South 24 Parganas two, and neighboring Howrah district for one death in the past 24 hours, the bulletin said. Since Friday, a total of 454 fresh cases of the contagion have been reported from different districts of the state taking the total number of confirmed cases to 10,698, it said. On Saturday, 336 people were discharged from different hospitals of the state after they tested negative for the disease. This is the maximum number of patients discharged in a single day so far following recovery. So far, 4,542 people have recovered from the disease in West Bengal. In the past 24 hours, 9,008 samples have been tested taking the total number of such clinical examinations conducted in the state to 3,24,707, the bulletin added. Virtual court hearings in the Supreme Court can now be accessed by lawyers and litigants from any district court in Delhi, according to a circular issued by the top court on Saturday. Until now, this facility was only available at the additional Supreme Court complex situated at Pragati Maidan near the apex court. There are seven district court complexes in the national capital at Rohini, Dwarka, Patiala House, Tis Hazari, Saket, Rouse Avenue and Karkardooma. A video conferencing facility has been established in each of the seven district courts for lawyers and litigants to attend the virtual court hearings at the Supreme Court, the circular said. The move is aimed to benefit the lawyers, litigants or petitioners appearing in person who otherwise had to travel to the Supreme Court for want of video conferencing facilities in their homes or chambers. Anybody intending to avail of this facility has to send an intimation to video.conference@sci.nic.in 24 hours prior to the scheduled hearing. Any complaints with regard to connection or supply of meeting link can be addressed to the helpline number 1881. The facility is the latest among a series of initiatives undertaken by the top court to improve the online court hearing experience. Earlier, the Court had even allowed e-filing of cases and opened chamber blocks for lawyers wishing to attend the virtual court hearings. While lawyers bodies have demanded physical court hearings over the virtual proceedings, the Supreme Court is yet to take a call. Hearing of cases through the videoconferencing app called Vidyo has been operational since March this year, ever since the lockdown forced Court to shut. The Court will be breaking for vacation on June 19 and is expected to resume in the first week of July. The CJI along with his colleagues is expected to decide by June end on whether to continue with the present arrangement when the Court reopens or explore the option of physical court hearing. Statistics maintained with the Supreme Court indicate that as on March 1, 2020, the total number of pending cases is 60,469. Several crucial matters pertaining to faith versus rights involving entry of women in Sabarimala, challenge to amendments in Citizenship Act, and petitions challenging scrapping of Article 370 and 35A giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir, are awaiting consideration once the physical hearing in the apex court resumes. A series of mysterious blazes and wildfires in the past 45 days across Iran have puzzled the Islamic Republic authorities, citizens and observers alike. Local news outlets say a fire at the Saint Mary Church of Hamadan has been contained. The fire broke out on early Friday, June 12, a month after an ancient monument in the same area, the shrine of Esther and Mordechai was attacked by an arsonist. Meanwhile, Tehran's Fire Department announced on Saturday, June 13, that a devastating fire at a flower market in the city's Khavaran Road has been contained. There were no casualties, but 32 flower stands were destroyed, the fire department said. In the past 45 days several wildfires have broken out in pastures and forests, as well as blazes in some historical and industrial places and parks in Tehran. While some officials of the Islamic Republic have attributed the cause of these fires to hot weather or disputes among farmers, others see them as suspicious in nature. Officials have made vague claims about several arrests related to the recent fires, but some insist the issue should be thoroughly investigated. The Chairperson of the Environment Commission in the newly inaugurated parliament, Somayyeh Rafiee, believes recent fires at Tehran's orchards and parks were deliberate. A Tehran city councilor also believes that arsonists are behind recent blazes at the city's parks and orchards. "The arsonists have deliberately set these fires with a plethora of intentions, such as creating insecurity, disturbing public peace and creating havoc," she has argued. The Islamic Republic government spokesman, Ali Rabiee has also said that about ten percent of recent fires across Iran had been deliberate, and 150 people were arrested in connection with the fires. Echoing his comment, the Deputy Governor of Tehran province for the security and order, Hamid Reza Goudarzi, said on June 9, four devastating fires at four different spots in the capital city had been deliberate, and 'a number' of suspects are arrested and under interrogation." Nonetheless, there are other officials, including the Governor of Tehran, Anoushiravan Mohseni Bandpay, who have attempted to present the recent fires as "usual" incidents. On June 7, Mohseni Bandpay maintained, "The recent fires were minor, mostly unintentional, and some people have been arrested." Thousands of people across Hong Kong have sung protest songs and marched to mark the one-year anniversary of a clash with police outside the semi-autonomous Chinese city's legislature. Hundreds gathered in the popular Causeway Bay and Mongkok shopping districts and in the Sha Tin shopping centre in the New Territories yesterday evening. In Causeway Bay, they held signs reading "Heaven will destroy the CCP", referring to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Riot police stood on standby as protesters shouted slogans and sang the protest anthem 'Glory To Hong Kong'. In Mongkok and Causeway Bay, police raised a blue flag, warning the gatherings were unlawful and force might be used to disperse the participants. Groups of protesters were detained and searched in Mongkok, and in Causeway Bay police used pepper spray and arrested several protesters, including pro-democracy legislator Ted Hui. Earlier, more than 100 people joined a lunchtime protest in a luxury shopping centre in the Admiralty business district. They held flags reading "Hong Kong independence" and laid out a large banner saying "The people fear not death, why threaten them with it?" The protesters were commemorating a demonstration last year in which tens of thousands of protesters surrounded the legislative building, delaying the start of debate on an extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse those protesters in one of the first violent clashes in what would become a months-long push for greater democracy. The protest movement quieted down earlier this year as the coronavirus pandemic began, but has picked up steam in recent weeks after China's ceremonial parliament agreed to enact a new national security law for Hong Kong. The government says the law is aimed at curbing secessionist and subversive behaviour in the city. Critics say it is an attack on the freedoms promised to Hong Kong when it was handed over to China in 1997. Hong Kong operates under a "one country, two systems" framework that gives the city rights not found on the mainland, such as freedom of speech and assembly. Earlier yesterday, more than 100 students formed a human chain in the Kowloon district to protest over the removal of a music teacher for allegedly allowing students to sing protest songs. A $5.5 million painting by Cecily Brown, a sold-out New York debut by emerging artist Katja Farin and many other artworks found buyers online during the shutdowns. The $64 billion art market, the epitome of the globe-trotting jet set, has muscled through lockdowns better than anticipated. Now, as galleries from Hong Kong to Berlin reopen, the biggest challenges may lie ahead. This will be a difficult year for every range of a gallery -- mid-sized, young and large, said Thaddaeus Ropac, a top art dealer with spaces in Salzburg, Paris and London, where galleries are allowed to reopen on Monday. Buyers demand discounts of as much as 30% on new works and 50% on the secondary market, according to art dealers. Temporary reprieve, including government rescue loans or rent reductions, will go away. And art fairs, one of the largest sources of revenue for galleries, arent coming back soon. The Art Basel show, where more than $3 billion worth of art is usually up for grabs, canceled its annual edition in Switzerland. Some reopenings didnt go smoothly. Galleries in Seoul had to close again after Covid-19 cases spiked again in South Korea last month. At least one Berlin gallery was shut down and fined after failing to comply with social-distancing rules. People are nervous and anxious, said Heather Hubbs, executive director of the New Art Dealers Alliance, a New York-based industry group. There are still so many unknowns. Summer months are traditionally slow. And while online sales were a lifeline during the lockdowns, they wont be enough to prop up an industry that thrives on in-person encounters with art. More than 150 U.S. galleries said they anticipated a 73% average drop in second-quarter revenue from 2019, according to a survey conducted April 15 through May 4. The top names werent spared. Hauser & Wirth, one of the worlds biggest galleries, had to postpone the grand opening of its new flagship in Chelsea until the fall. Larry Gagosian, the original mega dealer, managed to host a dinner at one of his Chelsea locations to celebrate the exhibition of a monumental Donald Judd sculpture plywood stacks rising 12-feet-high and 80-feet-across - on the eve of the lockdown. It was like the Last Supper, said Gagosian, who has 18 galleries worldwide. The public never got to see the piece. As Covid-19 infections began to rise in New York, Emmanuel DiDonna rushed to install and photograph paintings by Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, an overlooked modernist Portuguese painter who hasnt had a show in New York since 1971. Planned for more than a year, the exhibition never opened at the Upper East Side gallery. But the elegant in-situ images became the backbone of an online viewing room, which drew 1,800 visitors. All the energy that used to go to the brick-and-mortar gallery went to the online space, said David Zwirner, a top art dealer whose locations on three continents were all closed. It felt like we were running a startup at times. His gallery created a digital sales platform for smaller and newer galleries, which totaled $1.2 million for participants in cities including New York, London and Los Angeles. Art fairs also went virtual, with mixed results. Art Basel Hong Kongs website crashed shortly after going live in mid-March. But by the time Frieze New York opened online in May, Hauser & Wirth found a buyer for a $2 million painting by George Condo, according to Marc Payot, the gallerys president. On the other end of the spectrum, Lubov gallery in New York sold out of the new paintings by 24-year-old Katja Farin, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $4,000. The success was notable because the Los Angeles-based artist had lost her jobs as an art handler as galleries and museums cut freelance workers. What an amazing opportunity to be able to buy work that you love that also helps someone make ends meet, said Jeremy Kost, an artist and collector who bought two paintings. Small galleries such as Signs and Symbols in New York, which focuses on performance art, have been struggling. Owner Mitra Khorasheh said she is on the hook for $5,000 in monthly rent. Two applications for federal relief aid for small businesses were rejected. Most sales have come through initiatives at her new online shop. Soon after the shutdown, 200 postcard-size artworks sold for $35 each. ``It was enough to pay for April rent, she said. Galleries that reopened in Asia and Europe offer a glimpse of what the future of art viewing will look like. In Hong Kong last month, about 150 people in masks showed up for a Gagosian exhibition of German artist Georg Baselitzs signature upside-down figures. In Paris, Zwirner and Ropac skipped opening receptions and installed Plexiglas shields around their galleries front desks. Zwirner also implemented daily employee temperature checks. Berlins Koenig Galerie invited only 20 collectors when it reopened with sculptures by conceptual artist duo Elmgreen and Dragset. Its been using 30-minute time tickets to control the flow of visitors, who are asked to wear masks and write down their names, phone numbers and the time of visit per government regulations, said owner Johann Koenig. FeinArt Berlin is prepared to turn away visitors who refuse to provide personal information, according to director Maria Wirth. Several galleries wont reopen after the shutdowns, she added, and at least one was closed and fined for having an unmasked person inside. Local authorities inspected Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Salzburg, Austria, ahead of its reopening on June 6 with paintings by German artist Daniel Richter. They approved the plan to use different staircases to move between floors, but requested the closure of smaller rooms where social distancing couldnt be achieved. The event attracted 300 visitors and all paintings sold the highest price was 220,000 euros ($250,000). Most buyers, including those in Asia and South America, had only seen the works digitally, Ropac said. In New York, the art worlds epicenter, the timeline remains unclear to gallery owners. High-end galleries Skartstedt and Van de Weghe decided to skip the city entirely for now and rent new spaces in the Hamptons, where many clients have fled. But Magda Sawon, co-founder of Postmasters gallery in Tribeca, where a show Joseph Beuys and Turkish artist Serkan Ozkaya has been on hold since March, is ready to reopen as soon as she gets green light from the city and state. ``There are a lot people in New York who havent left and who deserve this gift of an exhibition, Sawon said. (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 On May 24, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) fired its then geographic information systems manager, Rebekah Jones, after allegedly refusing to comply with the government agency's order to manipulate the COVID-19 data. Now, she is reportedly having the statistics published on her own. The tension went on for days between Rebekah Jones and the department's supervisors after the former alleged that the officials had permanently pulled her off the COVID-19 dashboard, which she ran for several weeks. The Washington Post reported that the health department's manager had wanted Jones "to make certain changes" to the dashboard, which the public can view. She said, FDOH asked her to resign, but she declined. Weeks after the department fired her; Jones has now discovered how to show the COVID-19 data of the state exactly how she wants it. Specifically, the ex-FDOH developed her dashboard. COVID-19 Statistics Inaccurate 30-year-old Jones said she wanted to develop an application that would deliver data and help people go through the COVID-19 test, not to mention, help them "get resources they need from their community." That, she continued, is "what she ended up building" with the said new dashboard. Earlier on, Deborah Birx, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, praised the official COVID-19 dashboard a month before FDOH's reported firing of Jones, describing it "as a beacon of transparency." Nevertheless, Jones has affirmed that the official dashboard undercounted the total of contagion of the state, and "overcounted" the total number of people who went through COVID-19 test, with the official figures, she said, that strengthened the decision to begin relaxing restrictions on the economy early last month when Florida had not met federal rulings for reopening. Jones's Dashboard On the dashboard Jones developed, the number of people tested with the virus is considerably lower than the official figure. She said the number of the state is a count of the "number of samples taken," instead of the number of tests done. In addition, Jones's dashboard indicated that the state "had tested 895,047 people as of Friday evening." The FDOH dashboard, on the other hand, stated that over 1.3 million people had been tested already. For the death tool, the ex-FDOH scientist's dashboard showed a slightly higher count as she said she is counting nonresidents who died while they were in the state, while the department does not count. The case count on the COVID-19 dashboard of this fired FDOH scientist is higher since it includes those who have tested positive for proteins or antibodies, specifying that the infection is in a person's body. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC has already cautioned that antibody tests are not a guarantee that there is a higher percentage that positive results may be incorrect in locations where only a few people have had the infection. For Jones, the discrepancies from the COVID-19 data site were essential. Also, she said she's planning to keep her dashboard running from her Tallahassee-based home, for as long as it appears to be helpful and useful for Florida residents and for as long as she can afford to do so, too. Check these out! Protesters taking a stand against the death of George Floyd have made their voices heard across the country, but a number of demonstrations suddenly went from peaceful to destructive including in Harrisburg. Officers have been monitoring protests in the city for safety purposes, whether they were peaceful or not. Harrisburg has racked up $50,000 in police overtime as a result, according to city spokesman Momin Bhatti. Damage to the police cars is worth between $20,000 to $25,000, Bhatti said. Tension between Harrisburg civilians and police came to a head during the May 30 protest, when a woman smashed a police cars windshield with a flag pole, authorities said. A number of protests were since held in the city, but all have remained peaceful. Police said Friday theyre looking for the woman who smashed a police cars windshield and three others accused of keying a police car, spraying an aerosol substance into the crowd and throwing bricks at police. The confrontation left two Capitol police officers with minor injuries and three police cars damaged. Later that day, Mayor Eric Papenfuse tweeted several patrol cars were badly damaged by bricks. The only arrest so far has been of a 26-year-old man accused of throwing bricks at police and using a skateboard to break two windows on a police vehicle. This isnt the same man police are currently looking for. Conflict erupted on May 30 after police in riot gear showed up and started shooting pepper spray into a crowd of protesters surrounding a police car and shouting obscenities at officers. Harrisburg police had stayed mostly out of view earlier in the day while protesters marched for several blocks. Police Commissioner Thomas Carter said his department is conducting a review of how officers handled themselves during the protests. Capitol police have said the same. Both agencies plan to take corrective action if they find the situation wasnt handled properly. Were looking at everything to make sure theres no problematic activity and to see if there are things we can learn from the experience, Carter said. We are looking for opportunities for de-escalation and to improve police-community relations. READ MORE: 'Im going to Cleveland to riot: Pa. men indicted on conspiracy charges involving Cleveland demonstrations Ring leader who in 2017 was consuming 40 bags of heroin daily sentenced to six years in prison The bathtub was full, candles were lit and O.J.s ex-wife was dead in a pool of blood outside By PTI KABUL: Two separate attacks in Afghanistan have killed at least 18 people amid a wave of violence across the country, local Afghan officials said on Saturday. A local police chief in western Ghor, Fakhrudin, said Taliban insurgents stormed a police checkpoint late Friday night and killed ten police officers. He added that one policeman was wounded and another one was still missing after the attack in the remote village in the Pasaband district. The police official blamed the Taliban for the attack who have a strong presence in the area, especially in the Pasaband district. The Taliban have not commented on the attack in Ghor. READ| LeT, JeM send fighters to Afghanistan for carrying assassinations: UN Security Council report Meanwhile, in the eastern Khost province, unknown gunmen targeting a former warlord killed at least eight people in the province's Ali Sher district, said Adel Haider, spokesman for the provincial police chief. The police spokesman said that the target of the attack was among the dead Abdul Wali Ekhlas, a candidate in last year's parliamentary elections who didn't win a seat. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks in Khost province. Violence has spiked in recent weeks in Afghanistan with most of the attacks claimed by the local Islamic State group affiliate. On Friday, a bomb explosion inside a mosque in the capital, Kabul, killed at least four people, including the prayer leader. The Taliban strongly condemned the mosque attack. The United States blamed the IS affiliate for a horrific attack last month on a maternity hospital in the capital that killed 24 people, including two infants and several new mothers. The IS group, which reviles Shiites as heretics, has declared war on the country's minority Shiite Muslims, but has also attacked Sunni Muslim mosques. The early-morning quiet is shattered by a 40-pound rock crashing through a store window, sending shards of glass spinning across the sidewalk. The smash-and-grab gang springs into action. As two police officers approach the scene on foot, one of the burglars drops his stolen booty and runs deeper inside the darkened store. The rookie draws his gun and gives chase. The suspect suddenly jumps up on a counter and turns toward the officer, crouching on one knee, his hand obscured by his jacket. In that split second, the officer does not stop to think. He shoots, and the burglar falls to the ground, groaning. The year is 1966, and the young cop is named Mark Kroeker. WW has learned that Kroeker, now chief of the Portland Police Bureau, was involved in two shooting incidents in his career, both of them unknown to the public until now. The revelations come as Chief Kroeker is guiding the bureau through what is arguably the stormiest controversy of his tenure. On May 5, 25-year-old Kendra James, under the influence of cocaine, apparently tried to drive away as she struggled with a cop on North Skidmore Street. Officer Scott McCollister shot her dead with a single bullet, saying he feared for his life. Next week, when Kroeker decides whether to punish McCollister for the episode, he will do so armed with personal experience. The clue to Chief Kroeker's past is one of the final entries in a 36-page background investigation the City of Portland commissioned on Kroeker in 1999, when the 32-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran was applying to be Portland's top cop. "On Dec. 15, 1966, Kroeker was involved in a shooting," the report states. "No disposition is shown for this incident." Police shootings these days are typically described in stilted bureaucratese, every word vetted by lawyers to strip them of their humanity. But on Monday, in his office on the 15th floor of the Justice Center, Kroeker laid out the episodes in plain English. The first shooting took place when Kroeker was a rookie patrol officer with less than 20 months on the job in the West L.A. precinct. A smash-and-grab team had been victimizing high-end boutiques, and Kroeker and his partner chose an expensive dress shop to stake out. They did so four nights running, parked at a gas station in a beat-up old Plymouth with tires laid across the windshield to make it look unoccupied. Then a car pulled up and three men climbed out, one carrying a huge rock which he promptly threw through the boutique's window. "I get on the radio: 'OK, this is going on down here, and tell the other units to start moving in,'" recalls Kroeker. "By the time my partner and I ran across the street, they were all coming out with dresses." "One of them started back into the store and had this jacket on, and I ordered him to stop as he went into a dressing-room area. He jumped on a ledge and, as he turned and faced me, kneeled up on one knee. My assumption was he was a threat to me. He had his hand in his jacket or hidden by his jacket at that moment--that split second, you know? I fired one round. The round grazed his buttocks, knocked him over, and I went and handcuffed him." The burglar, who was black, lived. Though he proved to be unarmed, Kroeker says the shooting was ruled justified: "Shooting at an evading felon at that time was proper." But he was a rookie and couldn't help wondering if he'd done the right thing. "You always wonder, until everything gets cleared, 'Was everything OK?'" he says. The second shooting Kroeker was involved in went down in LAPD lore as the crime that gave birth to SWAT teams. Four years after his first shooting, Kroeker was a sergeant at the Wilshire bureau. At about 4 am, two officers responded to a 911 call of a domestic disturbance at the room of the manager of the High Point Motel. The officers entered the motel courtyard and knocked on the door of a first-floor apartment. The manager replied with a .357 magnum. Both cops were hit. Reinforcements had rescued one officer by the time Kroeker arrived and took charge, but the other was lying in the courtyard as the manager, who was white, kept firing. "I saw him writhing there with bullets going into his body, this guy firing his .357 at him. So I tried to draw his fire," recalls Kroeker. Kroeker fired four rounds from his shotgun and squeezed off a handful from his .38 revolver. "I couldn't see him," Kroeker remembers. "I fired at muzzle flashes. I reloaded and I shot some more. I was shot at and just missed. Later I found a bullet hole about four inches from my head where I had been taking cover." Protected by tear gas as well as Kroeker's covering fire, the injured officer was carried from the courtyard. Then the manager came out with his hands up. "The two officers were badly shot up and retired as a result of that incident, and the guy came out unscathed," says Kroeker. Kroeker says the incidents illustrate the constant wariness police officers must maintain. "Police officers live in a state of readiness," he says, "fueled by their own rehearsals, their own experiences, their training. Anything can happen, you have to tell yourself. Don't let down your guard.... Even if you're having a cup of coffee or whatever, you're in this state." He recalls how a training sergeant drilled him: "What would you do if we pull over this guy and the guy jumps out with a gun? What would you do if you're in a liquor store and a guy has a gun? What would you do if we were suddenly fired at from a distance? What would you do?" Kroeker says he doesn't have nightmares about the times he pulled the trigger--but such trauma is common among police officers who end up actually killing someone, says Dr. Ronald Turco, a Portland psychiatrist considered a national expert on officer-involved shootings. Turco says Kroeker's shootings are unlikely to affect how he thinks about the Kendra James shooting and the proposed six-month suspension of Officer Scott McCollister, which Kroeker will decide on as early as July 22. Cops in nonfatal shootings generally "don't feel much guilt. They just see it as doing their job and that's that," Turco says. Kroeker says he doesn't know for sure if his shootings affect his views, but he assumes so. He says he empathizes not just with the officer, but with the victims and their families and friends. "When people look at police shootings, they can either be overly supportive or overly critical," he says. "We love our cops; they can do no wrong. Or we distrust our officers, and nothing they do is right. My job is to not take any of those and go right down the line." DOWNED BY LAW According to the Portland Police Bureau, there have been eight fatal police shootings in the past three years. George Waldum: Aug. 23, 2000. Having previously threatened a repairman, the 71-year-old greeted a cop at his door with a shotgun. Michael Ray Jaquith: Dec. 18, 2000. Tried to drive away in his van while struggling with a cop who, fearing for his life, shot him. Jose Santos Victor Mejia Poot: April 1, 2001. Arrested for being short of his fare on a TriMet bus, was booked into a psychiatric hospital, where he assaulted an aide and charged two officers, who shot him. Raymond L. Youngberg: July 9, 2001. Accused of groping a woman, shot at police and was hit with six bullets. Daniel Cromb: Dec. 9, 2001. Suspected armed robber, while fleeing, appeared to point a BB pistol at two reserve officers and was shot in the back. Byron J. Hammick: Feb. 22, 2002. Shot while assaulting a child at a Motel 6 on Southeast Powell Boulevard. Anthony Utah-Zona Beck: April 21, 2002. After breaking into a home, stabbing himself and threatening to shoot the homeowner, emerged onto the porch carrying an air pistol and was shot by police. Kendra James: May 5, 2003. Attempted to drive away from a traffic stop with Officer Scott McCollister halfway inside the car. Killed with a single bullet. WWeek 2015 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed into law a police reform agenda that includes the banning of chokeholds in the state. Mr Cuomo signed the 'Say Their Name' agenda package, which will bring into effect a series of police reforms, on Friday. The legislation includes a number of provisions including banning chokeholds by law enforcement officers, prohibiting false race-based 911 reports, and designating the Attorney General as an independent prosecutor for matters relating to the civilian deaths. The agenda also repealed section 50A of the civil rights law to allow for transparency of prior disciplinary records of law enforcement officers. The governor called the signing a "historic day" on Twitter. The signing of the bill follows two weeks of national unrest over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while in custody in Minneapolis after a white police officer pinned him to the ground with his neck for more than eight minutes. Hundreds of thousands of people in the country and across the world have participated in demonstrations calling for an end to systemic racism, police brutality and discrimination against black people. The murder of George Floyd was just the tipping point of the systemic injustice and discrimination that has been going on in our nation for decades, if not centuries, Mr Cuomo said. These are issues that the country has been talking about for a long time, and these nation-leading reforms will make long overdue changes to our policing and criminal justice systems while helping to restore community confidence in law enforcement. Activists and officials who had worked towards the enactment of the bill were present at the briefing, including the mothers of Sean Bell and Eric Garner, who were both killed by New York police. The horrific murder of George Floyd, the most recent in a long list of innocent people like Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sean Reed, Tony McDade, and so many more, has led to a rightful outpouring of grief and anger", said Andrew Stewart-Cousins, the New York senate majority leader. Black New Yorkers, like all residents of this state, deserve to know that their rights, and lives, are valued and protected by our justice system. The legislation that will be signed today will help stop bad actors and send a clear message that brutality, racism, and unjustified killings will not be tolerated." 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 Many activists and officials have lobbied for years for these reforms to be passed, long before the governor's signing of the bill on Friday. Last year, state lawmakers began discussing a repeal of 50A, a nearly 50-year-old provision in the state's civil rights statutes. Repealing the law would eliminate the protection of officers with histories of misconduct and other complaints from public scrutiny. This week, my colleagues and I in the Assembly Majority answered the call of New Yorkers by passing historic reforms to our law enforcement system. These reforms have been championed by our members for years, and I want to thank my colleagues for their tireless commitment to seeing them through to the finish line, Carl Heastie, speaker of the New York state assembly. I would also like to thank the families of the victims and the passionate advocates who never tired in this fight for justice. While the New York City Police Department completely banned the use of chokeholds in 1993, the ban has not prevented police officers from using the restraint. This new law creates criminal penalties when a police officer or peace officer uses a chokehold or similar restraint and causes serious physical injury or death. Recommended Cuomo condemns Trump for his church photo op In Minneapolis, where Floyd died, police officers were reported to have used neck restraints at least 237 times during arrests in the last five years and to have left 44 people unconscious in the same time period as a result of the method. Three-fifths of those subjected to neck restraints and then rendered unconscious were black, according to an NBC News analysis of police records. Many demonstrators have argued that the policing system can not be reformed, and have pushed cities and states to defund or abolish local law enforcement and divert funding to historically under-funded social welfare programmes. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday announced a pledge to cut funding to the New York Police Department. We know this isnt a cure, Ms Stewart-Cousins said at the signing of the bill on Friday. We know this is the beginning but it is a move to bring justice to a system that has long been unjust." An aerial view shows containment booms installed at the site of a huge leak of diesel fuel into the river after an accident at a power plant outside Norilsk By Anastasia Teterevleva and Polina Devitt MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin chided the billionaire boss of Norilsk Nickel on Friday over a huge Arctic fuel spill and ordered changes to the law to try to prevent such a disaster from happening again. Greenpeace has compared the scale of last week's accident near the northern city of Norilsk, where 21,000 tonnes of diesel poured into rivers and subsoil, to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Putin has declared a state of emergency in the region and complained of what he said was a bungled state response, while Russia's Prosecutor General's office on Friday ordered a review of all hazardous objects built on permafrost after saying it looked like the ground beneath a fuel tank had subsided. In an online meeting, Putin asked officials to amend Russian law to try avoid similar accidents in future and criticised Norilsk Nickel President Vladimir Potanin for not replacing the source of the pollution - the fuel tank - in a timely fashion. "If you had changed it on time there would not have been this ecological damage and the company would not have had to foot these (clean-up) costs. Study this as closely as possible inside the company," Putin told Potanin during the televised meeting. Potanin, the largest shareholder in Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) with a 34.6% stake, said he couldn't estimate any potential fines from the authorities, but the firm would cover clear-up costs set to top 10 billion roubles ($145 million). Shares in Nornickel, the world's leading nickel and palladium producer, were up 3% in Moscow after the meeting, having previously been hit by fallout from the disaster. Putin's spokesman earlier on Friday dismissed the idea of the government ousting Potanin after a Russian lawmaker said he should go following the spill. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the priority was to clear up the May 29 spill and an investigation would decide if anyone was guilty. The RBC media portal reported earlier on Friday that a Russian safety watchdog had warned a Nornickel subsidiary in 2017-2018 about violations at the Arctic fuel site. (Additional reporting by Anastasia Lyrchikova, Vladimir Soldatkin and Darya Korsunskaya; Writing by Polina Devitt and Andrew Osborn; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Mark Potter) Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The recent disturbing rise of violent acts against religious minorities in Iran the internal exiles and transfers of Gonabadi Sufis to COVID-19 infested wards of prisons, the burning of a Christian cemetery, setting fire to Mordecis shrine and widespread negative propaganda against Jews, arrests and sentencings of Bahais in different cities, smear campaigns against Sunni Sufis, to name a few are not random acts committed by a few uncoordinated thugs. Combined with the recent statements by Khamenei announcing the Final Solution and the promise of a free Palestine soon, these acts paint a very disturbing picture and hint at Khameneis sinister plans for the survival of his regime and its succession by his son Mojtaba Khamenei (whose inner circle includes individuals such as brothers Hossein and Mehdi Taeb, Fallahian, and many more who are responsible for the bulk of the mass executions of political prisoners and the murders of political dissidents over the past 40 years). In order to achieve this goal, Khamenei needs to accomplish two tasks: (1) establish an ironclad rule where the slightest dissent is dealt with swiftly and violently, and (2) a possible widespread asymmetrical regional war to provide and guarantee the time he and his regime need to obtain an atomic bomb. The extensive protests prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which were increasing in number and intensity daily, made it clear that Khamenei and his regime not only have no base of support and legitimacy among Iranians of all walks of life anymore, but are doomed to collapse. Realizing the urgency of the situation, he and his cronies, with the advice and full support of Putin and Russian advisors, have been working hard to implement the policies mentioned above. Let us review his recent actions since then. Over a year ago, Khamenei appointed Ebrahim Raissi as the head of the Judiciary. Upon Raissis appointment, the rate of arrests, the severity of charges and sentences, and the number of executions increased dramatically. Raissi is one of the key individuals responsible for the mass execution of about 30,000 political prisoners and dissidents about 35 years ago. Last week, Khamenei appointed Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, an ex-commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and corrupt ultra-hardliner member of his regime, as the head of the Parliament. Ghalibaf, as the then head of the greater Tehran police force, is responsible for the brutal and violent crushing of the university students uprising in Tehran over three decades ago. In his most recent speeches, Khamenei repeatedly stressed the need for a new, young and conservative leadership. This emphasis confirms that in the upcoming Presidential elections less than a year away, Khamenei will have his preferred extremist candidate appointed as President, thereby completing his objective of controlling all three branches of government through his ultra-hardliner murderous brutes, and completing the first step of his goal for a regime similar to that of North Korea, where the slightest dissent is met with violence and even death. Regarding Khameneis other plans internally, the following developments help clarify his intentions further: A few weeks ago, the Parliament introduced two new laws to be added to Volume 5 of the Penal Code which grant the regime, without any foundation or proof, the authority to brand any group or entity as a sect. Such an accusation is charged as a fifth-degree crime punishable by lashings, confiscation of property, and jail. In certain circumstances, the charge can be elevated to a first-degree crime, which can result in capital punishment. These laws will enable the regime to label any entity or group as a cult, a charge officially punishable by law, and basically oppress or eliminate anyone as they see fit. The harassment and oppression of Gonabadi Sufis, the largest religious minority group in Iran with an estimated 8-10 million adherents, has also intensified recently. The mistreatment of Gonabadi Sufis in prison continues. The internal exile of the Sufis without any formal charges have escalated. Just this past week, the regime sentenced Mr. Rajis son to prison for his continued quest for justice for the murder of his father under torture during the brutal attack on the Sufi community two years ago. The regime has also filed several lawsuits against Mr. Salass family for punitive damages. Mr. Salas is the bus driver who was framed and falsely accused of driving a bus through security forces, and was hastily hanged despite international appeals. The arrests and sentencing of Bahais have increased in the past few weeks all across the country. At the same time, false propaganda against Bahais in articles branding Bahaism as an invention of colonial England to weaken Shiite clerics and act as agents of the British empire have intensified. The same pattern of negative propaganda has also been initiated against the Sunni Sufi community of Zahabieh. Alarmingly, the Christian members of Parliament have repeatedly expressed their support and gratitude for Khamenei and his regime, and have stated that Christians enjoy a comfortable and free life in Iran. The same is also true of the only Jewish member of Parliament. As the sole government representative of the Jewish community in Iran, Mr. Moreh Sedgh not only has continually expressed his support for Khameneis regime, but has gone much further, condemning the corrupt Zionist government in Israel and calling for all Jews to rise up against Israel and global Zionism. However, at the same time Khameneis regime is actively engaged in spreading harmful propaganda against Jews, accusing them of purchasing the Palestinian lands in the Occupied Territories, with the aim of stoking negative sentiments against Jews among ordinary citizens. These official expressions of support by the Christian and Jewish representatives, despite the Iranian governments maltreatment of their communities, are reminiscent of statements made by the disguised agents of the regime within the Gonabadi Sufis, who praise the regime for being benevolent, tolerant, and patient with Gonabadi Sufis, while simultaneously criticizing the Sufi community for standing up to the regimes aggression and oppressive policies through peaceful and civil resistance. The world has already witnessed the end result for Gonabadi Sufis who have been violently oppressed over the past forty years by the regime without cause or justification and the same fate is in store for these other religious minorities. When the widespread crackdown of these communities begins, any dissent by members of these minorities will be dealt with severely and will be branded as acts of agents of world Zionism. The reality for the Christian and Jewish communities in Iran is in stark contrast to the statements of their official representatives, who claim these groups enjoy prosperous and safe lives with total freedom. The recent propaganda campaigns discussed above will be the first step for the eventual total eradication of Jews, Christians, Bahais or any other group in Iran as the regime deems necessary. Iran has requested assistance from the French Air Crash Investigation Bureau (BEA) in decrypting the black boxes of UIA's downed Boeing aircraft near Tehran, as Reuters reports with reference to the representative of Iran at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Farhad Parvaresh. "The Iranian Civil Aviation Organization recently requested the BEA that flight recorders should be sent by Iran to the BEA in France to be transcribed in the presence of other representatives related to the issue of countries and ICAO, if the BEA has such an opportunity," Parvares said. At the same time, the BEA said that they did not receive a formal request from Tehran and continue to discuss the possibility of their participation in decrypting the "black boxes" with Iran, Canada and Ukraine. As we reported before, Iran is ready to negotiate with Ukraine to resolve issues related to the black boxes of the downed airplane PS 752. The Iranian side claimed that during a meeting between the Ambassador of Ukraine to Iran Serhiy Burdilyak with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran for International and Legal Affairs Mohsen Bakharvand. Now that white people are more willing to listen and have that uncomfortable racism talk, I must gently remind that not all Black people are, ah, Black. So, be mindful. This is not a one-and-done conversation. Pull up a chair. My chiropractor used up 20 per cent of our visit talking about racism. And I think, by the end, he understood that my reality as a Black person Jamaica-born, Toronto-lived, American-schooled, Africa-disconnected is so blessed and cursed by Western privilege as to render me asymptomatic. I must work hard all the time to fully grasp the reality of the average Black person. Imagine, then, if you dont even share the designated melanin content required to have built up a reservoir of common personal experiences. Readers respond earnestly to what I write on Blackness, seeking solutions to problems forged over centuries. There is no one-size-fits-all proposition. White people are different from white people. Expect the same with the Black people you now seek to engage. Go easy, people. Getting here has taken a long, slow burn. Understanding it will take a long, slow learn. Three things: One. There are many kinds of Black people, including some who are not Black at all. They didnt get the memo. Born into unusual privilege or endowed with special powers to see past obstacles has rendered them seemingly immune to the racism virus. They swim along, upstream, yes, but unfettered. The privileges some Black people get assists in the journey and colours, of course, the experience. So engage them and learn from them the way you are supposed to consume your news: seek out multiple sources for credibility, authenticity and reliability. Two. Black people are not responsible for white peoples anti-racism education white people are. Blacks have just assumed more and more of the task and burden of proof, even as the evidence multiplies. Then something like George Floyd happens that is so egregious that it unleashes this huge rush and demand for How are you feeling? That is a start. And there are books, movies, documentaries, the internet. Three. The most difficult reality to comprehend is that no matter where you go on the planet, there is a devaluing of Blackness. Bursts of Black brilliance followed by recognition and maybe, appropriation, mask the drumbeat that dulls the world senses to Black pain. Nothing hurts greater than the sense that Black lives do not matter. White supremacy, which undergirds the colonial pursuit that got us here, needs this denial of Black humanity to perpetuate. Blacks know this. Even the ones who dont, understand it and compensate for it on subconscious levels. They compensate by overachieving, underachieving, denying the effects, not giving a damn, or becoming consumed with rage. Black parents must decide early which road to travel. Do you teach your kids that the world is a horrible place for most Black people? Or totally ignore it and just let the kids grow up in blissful ignorance? Be Canadian dont use an African-sounding name, integrate, no visits to the homeland? Each decision carries with it a price. Many families bear scars from children still angry with immigrant parents for downplaying their African ancestry even as parents scream, I just want you to do better than me. And stay alive. But the kids grow. They go to school. They learn to drive. And reality intrudes on the protected environment. My wife and I raised four kids in Toronto. We crafted a world that valued their existence and supported their dreams. They attended a private church school with a low student-teacher ratio and great mentoring. Their friends were unlikely to be at home alone. A peculiar village not visible to most Black families helped raise them. Would an Africentric education have been better? Probably. Still, I spent my first 15 years in a Black island nation whose African narratives were subsumed by the stories of the British colonizer. Every day is an exercise in catching up. My children, then, had to jump the gaps, despite their privilege. In a world where white people are swimming with the current, they are swimming upstream, even with privileges many of their soulmates dont enjoy. Its complicated. You do your best, knowing it is not good enough. The kids escape the bubble. They cross the border. They get stopped by the cops. The first time I wrote about giving my boys The Talk as they were learning to drive, it was the responses from Star editors that tripped me. They were taken aback. For me, it was a survival technique. I didnt much think of how the boys received the message, only that they must. Last week my younger son Darnell told me how the message landed: I remember being in the back seat of the car on what seemed like a regular day, then sirens rang out. In an instant, complete with change in demeanour, in a firm tone my dad said to me: Hey look LOOK AT ME. OK? Pay attention. This is how you need to act when you get pulled over by the police. Turn off the radio. BOTH hands on the steering wheel at all times. Answer his questions, clearly and directly. With confidence, but not too much confidence as to not show him up. And whatever you do, no sudden movements. I was blown away. Here I was getting familiar with NWA screaming F Tha Police, and my dad was afraid of them? You have to understand on a psychological level how that completely shatters how you see the world. Up until this point, your dad is not just your hero hes a SUPERHERO. Youve never seen him cry, youve never seen him hurt or in pain, you might not have even seen him get a cold. And here he is with his body stiffened up saying the equivalent to yes massa, no massa. So now, while I understand why he taught me these important survival tactics I look at my 10-month-old son so innocent, happy, and thankfully completely unaware of the chaos that currently surrounds him dreading and preparing for the day where I have to give him the very same talk hoping that he still sees me as a superhero after it. India's tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 308,993, including 8,884 deaths, as per the Union Health Ministry's latest update. Of these, 145,779 are active cases while 154,329 have been cured or discharged. The data was updated at 8 am on June 13 on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's (MoH&FW) website. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here Maharashtra continues to be the worst-affected state as its tally crossed 1 lakh milestone, now standing at 101,141; followed by Tamil Nadu (40,698), Delhi (36,824) and Gujarat (22,527). 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 India is now the fourth most affected country, with over 3 lakh infections and more than 8,880 deaths. It also saw its worst single-day spike of 11,458 infections over the past 24 hours. Coronavirus India Update - June 13 (Source: MoH&FW) Further, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold a fresh round of consultation with chief ministers next week as the country gradually emerges out of coronavirus lockdown. The meet comes against the backdrop of rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Sources in the government said the prime minister could hold the video conferencing with the chief ministers on June 16 and 17. opinion INTRODUCTION According to the Liberian Constitution, Article 83 A: "Voting for the President, Vice-President, members of the Senate and members of the House of Representatives shall be conducted throughout the Republic on the second Tuesday in October of each election year." In view of the aforementioned, the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia, by and through its former Board of Commissioners (BOC) under the Chairmanship of Cllr. Jerome G. Korkoya set Tuesday October 13, 2020 as the date for the holding of the Special Senatorial Elections (SSE) as well as the conduct of a National Referendum in keeping with constitutional dictates. As a consequence of the health crisis that has engulfed Liberia and the world at large, the newly reconstituted BOCs issued a press release on May 6, 2020 intimating that October 13, 2020 was not feasible for the conduct of these elections thereby recommending an extension. Amongst other concerns the Commission stated that: "The Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) pandemic and related restrictions have impacted on preliminary activities leading to 2020 SSE and Referendum, notably the international procurement required to secure electoral materials, assessment of the voter registration centers critical for voter roll update preparations, recruitment and training of temporary staffs, all which are indispensable for the credible conduct of the electoral process." In response to the challenge, the NEC Board of Commissioners then recommended to the President of Liberia to entreat the Liberian Legislature to enact a resolution to temporarily suspend the 13 October date of the SSE and set a new date before the end of the year for the conduct of these elections." Free, fair and democratic elections can only be deemed acceptable and generally embraced by the general populace and stakeholders when all of the processes leading to elections day and thereafter are inclusive and transparent. People must build confidence in the electoral process to enable them congregate and enthusiastically participate in the electoral process, key attributes that are currently at risked because of the ongoing global health pandemic occasion by the novel coronavirus. This pandemic is happening at a time in human history when resources for elections around the world are far dwindling and political will by governments are been stifled while general confidence in political actors and Electoral Management Bodies are in global decline. It is important to note that more than 50 countries around the world have either postponed or canceled elections amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, while other have used the crisis as a pretext to quickly consolidate power and erode individual rights. (https://www.ifes.org/sites/default/files/ifes_covid19_briefing_series_safeguarding_health_and_elections_brochure_may_2020.pdf). It is quite obvious therefore that the NEC is incapable of conducting these elections largely as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic and its underlying adverse financial, technical and health restrictions in line with the constitutional due date of the second Tuesday in October of this election year. In view of the aforesaid, are there legal basis for the postponement of the SSE? If so, what historical and legal precedent exist to necessitate this very important decision? Are there comparative global parallels that can guide the NEC and other stakeholders to allow a postponement and hold the elections at a later date acceptable to the general populace? What safeguards can be put in place to ensure that elections are eventually held in a healthy and conducive environment taking due cognizance of the full rights of women, the physically challenged and youth as integral part of this process? What are the implications on the legitimacy of the current government if the SSE are not conducted before the reconvening of the next seating of the Liberian Legislature in January 2021? This article intends to provide critical answers to these questions as a way of enhancing this national dialogue aimed at finding acceptable remedies to the holding of the SSE and Referendum so as to avoid an emerging constitutional crisis. Historical and Legal Precedent for the Postponement of the Special Senatorial Elections On August 6, 2014 then President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared a state of emergency as a result of the Ebola Virus epidemic that had killed more than 3,250 Liberians. That proclamation was subsequently endorsed by the National Legislature on October 4, 2014 suspending the election and authorizing the NEC to conduct the elections not later than December 20, 2014. Following the passage of the Joint Resolution, several interest groups, political parties and eminent Liberians filed petitions with the Supreme Court opposing the move by the Executive and Legislative branches of government to postpone the constitutionally determined date for the holding of the Special Senatorial Elections. Notable amongst the petitions filed was by the Public Interest Consortium Africa (JUPICA), represented by Counsellors Sayma Cyrennius Cephus (now Solicitor General of Liberia) and Edwin K. Martin (now County Attorney of Montserrado County) for the Writ of Prohibition at the Supreme Court, contending that the President having suspended the Special Senatorial election, only the people of Liberia, pursuant to the Constitutional provision "we the people" (Article 1) could set a new date upon the organizing of a sovereign national conference. The National Elections Commission was represented by Counsellor F. Musah Dean Jr. (now Attorney General of Liberia) and the late Counsellor Theophilus C. Gould while the government was represented by Cllrs. Benedict F. Sannoh, Betty Lamin-Blamo (former Attorney General and Solicitor General) and Augustine Fayiah respectively. In lieu of the legal arguments on the merits of the prohibition, the Supreme Court issued a Stay Order which prohibited a number of election-related activities, including campaigning. After a period of intense arguments by both parties the Supreme Court on December 13, 2014 stated the following: the Constitution gives the Legislature the power to make election laws; because the Joint Resolution was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the President when the state of emergency was still in effect, constituted a modification of the measures taken by the President pursuant to the state of emergency as required by Article 88 of the Constitution; that a resolution passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the President is law; both the President and the National Legislature, having performed acts within the spirit of the law, did not violate the Constitution. The SC rejected the plaintiff's premise in their petitioned that "we the people" argument stating that it was an improper interpretation of the Constitution since in fact the people act through their elected and/or appointed officials. Regarding whether the election could be held during the Ebola crisis, the Court opined that it was a political question, bordering on policy issues, which fell within the purview of the Legislative and Executive Branches of the Government and certainly not the Judiciary. Finally, the court opinioned its ruling as follows: "This court is not a political branch and the issue before this court is political and we cannot hear this petition. Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, the majority of the honorable Supreme Court bench hereby squash and denied the writ of the prohibition and the stay order on the pending special senatorial election is hereby lifted" - Liberia's Chief Justice His Honor Francis S. Korkpor, Sr.. It is important to state that Justices Kabineh M. Ja'neh and Philip A. Z. Banks dissented the majority ruling of their colleagues. Following the court ruling, the Liberian Legislature announced December 20, 2014 as the new election date for the conduct of the Special Senatorial Elections. The circumstances as just enumerated serves as a sufficient basis, historically and legally, for consideration of a postponement of the SSE because the health and safety of the people who are the direct beneficiaries of any electoral process is call into question. Furthermore, because the SC is the final arbiter for legal redress in the complaint mechanism hierarchy of Liberia's jurisprudence, its suffice to say then that all legal remedies were exhausted by those who felt aggrieved egregiously by actions of the Executive or Legislative branches of government during the period of the State of Emergency. As members of the Liberian Legislature continue their deliberations and dialogues with key stakeholders in reaching an acceptable legal decision to carve a new date pursuant with the NEC's request for postponement, it is important that whatever decisions are reached should observe the crucial question of should the various phases of the electoral process (voter's update, exhibition of the voters roll, civic education and community engagements, campaigning and casting of ballots) be done in person? If the threat to physical exposure by the electorates and elections officers are real, what are the alternatives? Any dialogue on the way forward amidst the ongoing pandemic should reflect the experience of legal, electoral and health experts in providing critical guidance to reduce the risks to voters and the electoral management body. By doing so, it will reduce threats to democracy posed by cancelations and postponements that are avoidable with timely funding of the electoral process, proper planning and widespread public consultations. Are there comparative global parallels that can guide the EMB and stakeholders in general to postpone and hold the elections at a later date? The Republic of South Korea is recorded as the first country to conduct nation-wide elections in the coronavirus pandemic era. Its 21st legislative elections were held on 15 April 2020 at which time all 300 members of the National Assembly were elected, 253 from first-past-the-post constituencies and 47 from proportional party lists. They were the first elections held under a new electoral system. More than 29 million people - representing 66 percent of the electorate, the highest turnout in nearly three decades, physically casted ballots to choose 300 members for its National Assembly. It is important to note that the election was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had both practical impacts on the conduct of the poll, and political impacts on voters' choice of parties to support. In February 2020, South Korea had the second-most cases of any country, after China. By Election Day, South Korea had recorded over 10,000 cases and 200 deaths. The country had introduced one of the world's most comprehensive programmes of COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and quarantine of suspected cases. As a result, the case fatality rate in South Korea was 1.95%, lower than the global average of 4.34%, and the country avoided widespread lockdowns that were implemented elsewhere. Electoral officials declined to postpone the election; South Korea has never postponed any election, even the 1952 election which was held during the Korean War. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020 South_Korean_legislative_election). Special arrangements were required to ensure social distancing during the election to prevent further infection. Voters were required to wear face masks and stay at least 3 ft apart when queuing or casting their votes. Before entering the polling station, each voter was checked for fever using a thermometer, required to use hand sanitizer, and issued with disposable plastic gloves. Any voter with a body temperature greater than 37.5 C (99.5 F) was taken to a segregated polling booth, which was disinfected after each use. The thousands of voters who had been placed in self isolation due to potential infections were allowed to vote, but only after the polling stations had been closed to all other voters, and provided they were asymptomatic. Before the outbreak of the pandemic, the Democratic Party had been expected to struggle in the election: opinion polls in 2019 had predicted it would win 37-41% of the constituency votes. The government's response to the outbreak was praised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and received widespread support in South Korea. The President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party, was not up for re-election, but his response to the pandemic was popular and benefited his party in the legislative election. The elections was viewed largely by South Koreans as a referendum on Mr. Moon's democratic approach to the Covid-19 pandemic, and South Korean voters handed him a resounding victory. The Democratic Party won in a landslide, capturing (along with its satellite party) an estimated 180 seats and securing the largest majority in decades. I am aware that skeptics will be quick to point out that South Korea is a highly developed country economically and technically and that to cite this experience with Liberia an impoverished third world country with all of its attending economic and infrastructural challenges is like comparing apples to oranges. I disagree with this premise largely because the South Koreans were able to create an environment that enable the voters to do in person voting by employing ingenious health protocols to protect its citizens that garner public confidence in the electoral process before election day. Additionally, their political actors and the general citizenry were magnanimous enough to not allow the pandemic to deter their desire to hold democratic elections even at the peril of a health pandemic. What are the lessons learned from the South Korea pandemic experience? Firstly, in- person elections even during a period of health emergency as with the COVID-19 is possible and doable; secondly, an enormous degree of political will is required from the government by its financial support to the EMBs in a timely manner; thirdly, national, regional and local health authorities will need to develop a national COVID-19 Elections Protocol Strategy in tandem with the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the National COVID-19 Taskforce for Liberia as well as international electoral institutions like the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), African Center for Strategic Studies, amongst others. Collectively and individually, these institutions will be able to work in tandem with the NEC to employ best practices to safeguard the electoral process and engender a broader participation of all stakeholders (political, voters and international community). What safeguards can be put in place to ensure that elections are eventually held in a healthy and conducive environment considering the full rights of women, the physically challenged and youth as an integral part of the electoral process? The NEC must endeavor to use the experiences of the 2014 EBOLA epidemic as a yardstick in its continued preparedness for the 2020 SSE and National Referendum. It should endeavor to seek the advice and recommendations of international and national health related organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL)as well as the international non-governmental organization like the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), amongst others, to employ best practices in safeguarding the electoral process and voters to ensure credibility and a broader participation of all stakeholders (political, voters and international community). Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Liberia Governance Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Towards this end, recently, IFES (a prodemocracy elections institution serving as a global leader in democracy promotion by providing technical assistance to election officials) produced and published as part of its COVID-19 Briefing Series a research paper titled: "Safe Guarding Health and Elections," in which it outlines major findings and recommendations to support EMBs around the world in making rational decisions towards the holding of elections during such or similar the current health emergency and health pandemics in general. The President and CEO of IFES, Anthony N. Banbury, aptly iterated the intent of the production of the research paper when he stated: "As a trusted partner of election management bodies around the world, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is dedicated to providing accurate information and sound technical advice to guide their decision-making with the goal of administering elections that are safe and credible. This paper, produced in coordination and consultation with public health experts, is a product of our ongoing efforts to adapt to new challenges and grow with our partners. Together, as always, we will continue to overcome obstacles and build democracies that deliver for all." I will encourage the NEC and other key stakeholders in civil society and political actors to take advantage of this brilliant research paper in safeguarding health and elections: (https://www.ifes.org/publications/ifes-covid-19-briefing-series-safeguarding-health-and-elections). What are the implications on the legitimacy of the current government if the SSE and Referendum are not conducted before the seating of the Liberian Legislature in January 2021? Liberia's continuous political stability and economic development is contingent the holding of free fair and democratic elections before the end of 2020. We are at a crossroads as the country grapples with the current COVID-19 health emergency and challenges to the timely funding of the SSE and National Referendum by the national government as well as dwindling financial support from international partners to augment GOL resources. Additionally, a reconstituted BOC of the NEC, the climatic condition occasioned as a result of the country's rainy season and a heighten tension between the ruling party and opposition parties create additional challenges to the successful holding of these elections. But one thing is certain, all stakeholders are committed to the holding of free, fair and democratic elections so that is why it is incumbent upon state actors in the Executive and Legislative branches of government to move in an expeditious manner to pass a Joint Resolution for the reschedule of the October 13, 2020 SSE consistent with the expressed goal of ensuring continuity the governing process. Any timeline provided by the Liberian Legislature must ensure that the NEC conducts elections and announce results before the end of 2020 so as to avoid a constitutional crisis that will render 15 members of the Liberian Senate illegitimate because of the expiration of their 9 years tenure. I am strongly convinced that the political will is there and the right thing will be done to ensure that the SSE and National Referendum are held in a timely manner. In a major development, Nepal's House of Representatives (Lower House), on Saturday, passed a constitutional amendment to include Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura in Nepal's official Map unanimously. Out of 275 MPs in Nepal, 258 were present and all voted Yes for Amendement. The amendment was introduced in Nepal's House of Representatives on Tuesday. Security forces clarify on labourer shot by Nepal police, term it local altercation Nepal's Lower House passes map amendment After the passage of the bill in the 275-member Lower House, the map will be now introduced in the National Assembly. The NA will have to give lawmakers 72 hours to move amendments against the bills provisions, if any. The three territories claimed by Nepal are include Gunji, Kuti, and Nabi villages - which are a part of Uttarakhand. The House of Representatives unanimously adopted the Constitution Amendment Bill, paving the way for accommodating the updated political-administrative map in the national emblem. pic.twitter.com/Ndb9xUmT16 Pradeep Gyawali (@PradeepgyawaliK) June 13, 2020 MEA reiterates opposition to Nepal's map; highlights help extended during COVID-19 crisis Nepal incorporates Indian territories in the new map On Tuesday, Nepal's lower house endorsed a proposal for considering a Constitutional Amendment Bill to validate Nepal's new map - which included several Indian territories. The constitutional amendment shall have to be approved by the 2/3rd majority in both Houses of Nepal's Parliament. It was passed unanimously, as the KP Sharma Oli-led government enjoyed the support of the main opposition party Nepali Congress and Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal in passing the new map. The Opposition had tabled a separate Constitution amendment bill in Parliament to address some of the demands of the Madhes-based parties, which was rejected. This move comes a day after firing occurred at Indo-Nepal border in Bihar, killing a labourer. Security forces have clarified the firing was due to a local issue had cropped up recently and that the SSB 51st Bn Commandant has spoken to Nepalese SP Sarlahi along with the Indian SP Sitamarhi. Security forces clarify on labourer shot by Nepal police, term it local altercation MEA slams Nepal's new map On May 18, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli approved Nepal's new map featuring the Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura. As per reports, Nepal's new map has been drawn on the basis of the Sugauli Treaty of 1816 signed between Nepal and the then British Indian government and other relevant documents. Addressing the Parliament on May 19, the Nepal PM claimed that India had made the aforesaid territories "disputed" by stationing its Army there. He vowed to reclaim these territories from India through diplomatic efforts. Reacting to Nepal incorporating parts of Indian territory in its official map on May 20, the Ministry of External Affairs slammed this "unilateral act". Maintaining that this move was not based on historical facts and evidence, MEA official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava observed that this was contrary to the understanding between the two countries to resolve boundary disputes through dialogue. In May 2020, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand as a link road to Kailash Mansarovar - Nepal had raised serious objections to the inauguration of this road. Labourer allegedly shot dead by Nepal Border Police along International Border in Bihar Congress' rebel MLA Aditi Singh quits party's 'WhatsApp groups', hinting at resignation No Beijing, only Delhi says former Nepal PM on ties with India Amidst firing and map row, India to exercise caution and restraint with Nepal India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 13: India will exercise caution and restraint with Nepal over the firing incident that took place in which one Indian national was killed. The incident comes amidst strain ties between the two nations over the new map. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Kathmandu has maintained silence over the issue. India says that the parliamentary approval of the Nepal map will seal dialogue with the neighbouring nation. Nepal's parliament will hold a special meeting on Saturday to complete voting on the new political map that redraws its border with India. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News What really transpired at the Nepal border Officials tell OneIndia that there would not be any harsh statements as it is more important to settle the issue rather than worsening it. India has reminded Nepal about the friendly relations it shared and has repeatedly stated that on the map, it has made its position clear. India is also closely watching the timing of the developments in Nepal. It comes close on the heels of the standoff with China. We suspect that there could be a Chinese role in this aggression with India, the official cited above said. The approach by India has been more of a calm one. India has subtly reminded Nepal of the humanitarian and development assistance it had provided, including medicines to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our multi-faceted bilateral partnership has expanded and diversified in recent years with increased focus and enhanced humanitarian and development assistance by the Government of India and connectivity projects in Nepal," Anurag Srivastava, MEA spokesperson said. Nepal had alleged that India had encroached upon its territory by deploying soldiers, building a temple and creating an artificial river. Nepal's Prime Minister, K P Oli said that India had built a Kali Temple, created an artificial Kali river and deployed Indian Army personnel in order encroach upon the Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura. He said that these earlier belonged to his country. Oli also criticised, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath for advising Nepal for not committing the mistake of ratcheting up a territorial dispute with India. He said that these remarks were not acceptable to the people of Nepal. Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura were based on historical records and India should return the areas it had encroached upon. New Nepal map could seal dialogue with India say officials While India is watching the developments closely, the government had said that the revised official map was a unilateral act and not based on facts. Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson Ministry of External Affairs had said that what Nepal did was contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue. Such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India, he had also said. Japan currently has an entry ban in place from 111 countries and regions, and foreign travellers who have visited nations on the banned list, reports Xinhua news agency. Tokyo, June 12 (IANS) Japan is planning to ease its coronavirus-linked travel restrictionsby allowing, at first, the entry of up to 250 business people per day from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam, government sources said. "We will continue to carefully consider ways to partially resume international travel in steps, while taking care to prevent infections from spreading," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a parliamentary committee on Thursday. Travellers from the permitted overseas countries would have to undergo tests before arriving in Japan to prove they are negative for COVID-19. Upon landing in Japan they will be required to take another test, sources with knowledge of the matter said. Those qualifying for entry will be required to submit to officials details of their place of residence during their visit as well as an itinerary of places they intend to visit, the sources said. They may be asked to refrain from using public transport and possibly be required to use a GPS app on their smartphones so that contact tracing can be carried out if they become infected. As for outbound Japanese travellers, some 181 foreign countries and regions have slapped travel bans or restrictions on Japan. Japan is in talks with Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand as the potential first batch of travellers it reopens its doors to, although the government would like this measure to be reciprocal, the sources said. The four countries were picked as they have successfully brought the coronavirus pandemic under control. The government here said that following its initial easing of entry restrictions for the four countries, it will look to further expand the easing of restrictions applicable to China, South Korea and the US. To inspire more confidence in Japan having overcome the worst of the pandemic, the government is planning to set up test centres so those planning to travel overseas can meet the requirements of foreign countries requiring negative test results from Japanese travellers prior to their departure. --IANS ksk/ He calls on Ukrainians to abide by the quarantine rules. Health Minister Maksym Stepanov predicts Ukraine may return to previous stages of the coronavirus-related quarantine as the country has lately seen a surge in COVID-19 cases per day, which means the return of the respective restrictions. "Main criteria include an incidence and the growth that we see along with the number of confirmed cases with symptoms, as well as hospital bed occupancy, adequate systemic response, and medical assistance," he told the TV news service TSN. "I will give you an example: bed occupancy in Kyiv's hospitals designated for COVID-19 treatment was 35% as of June 1, but it's 46% today. Eleven percentage points in 11 days is a lot." Read alsoNumber of confirmed coronavirus cases in Ukraine exceeds 29,700 on June 12 When asked whether the country may return to the previous quarantine stages, the minister replied: "There are a few parameters: the number of cases per 100,000 people, hospital bed occupancy these are main parameters, and their dynamics matter. When figures reach certain levels, we'll immediately say that we will have to backtrack to the previous stage. There are several indicators that clearly show us the picture. That is why I ask all citizens not to neglect the rules introduced by the ministry." As UNIAN reported earlier, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases grew to 29,753 as of June 12, including 683 cases registered within the past day. On a pasture area in Tyrol, it came within a short period of time to two Kuhangriffen on German hikers. A 37-year-old nurse from Nuremberg, a 48-year-old man from upper Bavaria, and a four-year-old from Swabia were injured, as the Austrian police announced on Saturday. The attacks occurred in a fenced-in pasture field with 44 cattle in suckler cow husbandry in the area of the Vilsalpsees. The Area was marked with warning Signs regarding the risk of mother cows. First crossed the 37-year-old of Nuremberg, Germany, on Friday lunch to the field with your family. As they were over almost to the Herd, have taken according to the descriptions of the husband, a cow of about three meters distance, suddenly starting up. The ten-year-old animal had pushed the Germans with the head and injured during a jump with the hooves. The woman complained then of pain in the chest and at the hips and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Immenstadt in the Allgau region. Just 90 minutes later, two more families from Bavaria, made in the Tyrol, take a trip, were on the same Meadow attacked. Already, about 50 meters in front of the closed gate and the cows came running toward the group. A four-year-old girl from Swabia and a 48-year-old man from Ebersberg in upper Bavaria were knocked over in the process. The man was slightly injured, the child came for observation in a hospital in Tyrol. Updated Date: 13 June 2020, 07:19 The words No justice, no peace, no racist police rang in the streets of Hamilton Friday afternoon as thousands marched in a rally in support of Black organizations in the city. From the front of the march, Shaneka Keslows voice was one of the loudest, relentlessly chiming in when other voices waned. We kind of have to be loud. We dont really have the option not to be, she said. The tides are kind of changing now, so we can do something. We couldnt help Eric Garner, and we couldnt help George Floyd, but we can do our small part from wherever we are to try and change it. From the front of the march, Shaneka Keslow's voice was one of the loudest, relentlessly chiming in when other voices waned. "We kind of have to be loud. We don't really have the option not to be," she said. The Hamilton Spectator The Black Friday rally began outside Hamilton city hall at 4 p.m., followed by a solidarity march from Bay Street to Dundurn Street North. People raised signs, fists and voices in solidarity with global movement Black Lives Matter. We are here highlighting the deep-rooted anti-Black racism that is also here in Canada. Its not just an issue across the U.S. border, Leo Nupolu Johnson, a 2019 United Nations fellow and the rallys organizer, told The Spectator. But, more importantly, we also know that there are friends and allies in this community that have continued to work with our community to find solutions and bring about change on these issues. Johnson said community support has been overwhelmingly positive. Organizers estimate upwards of 2,000 people joined Hamiltons Black organizations at Fridays rally. People have reached out from all walks of life to see what they can do, Johnson said. This rally was in response to the overwhelming reach out weve received from allies and friends in the community asking us what can we do? How can we support? How can we stand in solidarity? Because we may not necessarily know the most effective way instead of taking this cause on individually. Don McLean, 72, has lived in Hamilton for more than 40 years. He joined the march bearing one of the many homemade sign reading fund people not police. We all have to stand up against racism. Its a systemic problem. Its deeply embedded in our society, he said. This is a moment in history, and theres a powerful movement to help to dislodge it. Hamilton organizations, such as Hamilton Black History Council, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, Refuge Hamilton Centre for Newcomer Health, McMaster Medicine Students Council and the Arkells, supported the rally. Among the speakers at the event was Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh, a history professor at McMaster University. Canada has been a voice for human rights around the world, he said. Are we going to be the champions for human rights for our own citizens? ***NOTE: This story was updated June 17 to include Refuge Hamilton Centre for Newcomer Health as an organizer of the Black Friday rally June 12. Saturday Black Lives Matter rallies and marches Gore Park rally, 1 to 5 p.m. Dundurn Park march, 2 p.m. Memorial Park in Waterdown march, 2 p.m. Last week, a new name broke into Apples most-downloaded social networking apps. Among the usual suspects of Instagram, Facebook and TikTok appeared an app called Stepchickens, with a cryptic blue selfie as its logo. The image has become nearly ubiquitous on TikTok, as tens of thousands of users have changed their avatars to show their loyalty to its subject: Melissa Ong, the 27-year-old mother hen of the platforms largest and most powerful cult, the Step Chickens. Cults on TikTok arent the ideological ones most people are familiar with. Instead, they are open fandoms revolving around a single creator. Much like the stans of pop figures and franchises, members of TikTok cults stream songs, buy merch, create news update accounts and fervently defend their leaders in the comment sections of posts. The biggest difference is that TikToks cult leaders are not independently famous. Theyre upstart creators building a fan base on social media. Ong represents a relatively new kind of influencer, one who has seized a time of great isolation and idleness to capture the interest of a rapt user base. I made this video where I was speaking into my phone camera like, Hey guys I think we should start a religion, she said in a phone interview on Friday. Then, I was like, Lets start a cult. The Step Chickens Assemble TikTok users have been forming cults (of personality) and armies (the nonviolent kind) for months now, borrowing tactics from comment raid groups on other platforms. The Dum Dum gang, for instance, gained a following last year by taking over the comment sections of public figures like Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. In January, thousands of teenagers on TikTok created a Lego Star Wars army. In April, users took sides in a purple vs. green alien gang war. And on May 8, the Step Chickens were born. The name comes from a video series Ong shared on TikTok called CornHub, in which she parodies pornographic tropes including one where a stepbrother seduces a stepsister. Ong reenacted the plot wearing a chicken suit; the video racked up 1.1 million views. As Ong began amassing followers, she implored them to change their profile pictures to her blue selfie. Their first mission was to raid the comments of Phil Swift, the creator of the widely memed home-repair product Flex Tape. Hundreds of her fans began commenting on Swifts videos; within 48 hours, he changed his avatar to Ongs face. Within two weeks, Ong gained more than 1 million new followers. The Houston Rockets, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Kansas City Chiefs and media organizations including The Washington Post and Adweek all changed their profile photos to Ongs face. So did Kelly Rizzo, a food and travel influencer who is also Bob Sagets wife. Step Chickens was added to Famous Birthdays, a milestone in any influencers career. In the weeks since, Ong has continued to cultivate her fandom. She wrote and recorded a Step Chickens song, which is now on Spotify and Apple Music. She started a merch shop, selling T-shirts, phone cases, face masks and psychedelic yoga pants. She began negotiating brand deals and planning her monetization strategy. Now she is thinking about mobilizing her base to diversify the distribution of her content. The next step forward is taking over YouTube as our main project and Instagram as our side project, Ong said. People want to be a part of something Before Ong became a full-time content creator, she worked at Google and Yahoo, where she befriended Sam Mueller, a technologist. Mueller left Yahoo to start Blink Labs, a tech company that recently built a social networking app called Blink (if TikTok and Discord had a love child, he said). Ongs cult had asked her to create a dedicated space for them to meet, such as a Step Chickens Discord server. But Mueller had another idea: What if he rebranded Blink around Step Chickens to capitalize on Ongs popularity and give her fans a place to connect? I was like, that would be hilarious if my TikTok cult had its own app, Ong said. I envisioned Melissas profile photo on millions of devices next to the social media giants, Mueller said. We changed the Blink branding, and put her profile picture as the app icon. She announced it on TikTok and people went insane for it. Since the app rebranded as Stepchickens, it has been downloaded more than 100,000 times. The companys four-person team has struggled to keep up. Weve been scrambling to keep the servers stable and accept all the users registering. It continues to grow, Mueller said. I really believe Melissa has tapped into the zeitgeist of bored teens in quarantine and given them a purpose, he said. As strange as it sounds, thats whats going on. It keeps getting bigger and bigger because it captures the moment. Other cults have formed with the aim of taking down the Step Chickens, or at least being recognized by them. Adrian Ortiz, a user with 1.5 million followers, created a cult called the Weenies and challenged the Step Chickens to a battle on YouTube. Other cults include the Murder Hornets, the Griswolds, the Babbages, Duck Sanctuary, the Flamingos, the Cardi Army (as in cardigan), the Beardians, Gary Vees Fam and a cult called Jeff, which recently pledged its allegiance to the Step Chickens. At least 50 big TikTokkers have started cults by now, Ong said. They want me to officially announce them in the cult war. I did it for the first few, but I stopped because too many people were asking me. Ongs fans said that joining Step Chickens has helped them feel less isolated in the midst of widespread stay-at-home orders. I think a lot of people want to be a part of something, said Sam Schmir, 20. With the pandemic, social media is very political and controversial, Jiayang Li, 22, said. Its nice to have a break from everything going on. Its a break from it all and a fun way to interact with other people and have fun while everyone is quarantining. True fans over huge followings The rise of these cults is a sharp contrast to the dance star culture that TikTok is best known for. The cults lift up unlikely influencers and allow members to feel complicit in their rise. I think that in this social media generation most youths struggle with low self-esteem. They see these seemingly perfect creators, carbon-copy after carbon-copy, said Danny Nguyen, 16, one of Ongs followers. The Step Chickens, to me, is the antithesis of that. Our community is based on embracing our individuality and quirks that make us truly unique and stand out. Fans find Ong relatable and say that her success feels like their own success. Melissa, as our leader, is not afraid to show people that she is not perfect, and as followers that look up to her, we do not feel like we have to be. We are us, we are ourselves, we are the Step Chickens and we are special, Danny said. This type of bond is incredibly powerful. As venture capitalist Josh Constine recently wrote: Influencers dont just want fans. They want a cult. They want loyalists willing to do as they command, withstanding the friction of leaving their favourite feed to take actions that benefit their glorious overlords. You no longer need 1,000 true fans, as conventional wisdom dictated a decade ago. Today, creators can effectively make more money off fewer fans, wrote Li Jin, a former partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, in a blog post. If youre able to cultivate a cult of just 100 loyal followers, you can make a very good living in what Jin describes as the passion economy. To date, Ong has amassed more than 1.8 million followers. She recently signed with a management company and wants to use her fan base to start making content on new platforms. Her ultimate goal is to have her own comedy show on HBO or Netflix, similar to Nathan Fielders Nathan for You, where she can build out the persona she has spent a decade cultivating. Before TikTok I would spend all my free time looking at memes on Reddit or Instagram, Ong said. It wasnt like this came from nothing. It came from spending 10 years of my life in the deepest corners of Reddit, cultivating this personality. Read more about: Lucknow, June 13 : He is recognized for his work. Whatever the department, he hits the headlines every few days because of his style of functioning. He has held many important responsibilities under many governments successfully. We are talking of senior IAS officer Navneet Sehgal, currently posted as Principal Secretary of the Department of Khadi and Village Industries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Export Promotion Bureau of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, his department has become very important owing to the expectation of providing employment to a large number of migrant labourers and workers at the local level as per their skills as MSMEs are expected to provide maximum employment on low investment, low risk and low infrastructure. The central government is also aware of the importance of this sector. This is the reason why the Centre has given a package of Rs 3 lakh crore to this sector, Sehgal said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wants the maximum share from the package in view of the large population of the state and the number of MSME units in the UP, 14 per cent of the entire country. At present, Navneet Sehgal, the head of the department, is busy trying to stitch up plans to live up to the Chief Minister's expectations. In an exclusive interview with IANS, Sehgal said, "To move the wheels of MSMEs fast, as per the expectations of the Chief Minister, as it will generate maximum employment, every possible effort is being made to make Uttar Pradesh a hub for production. A Saathi app has been recently launched to identify problems in the sector and communicate with entrepreneurs. We have given a link to the schemes in the app where information about the schemes has been provided in a transparent manner. The biggest problem of the sector is capital. For this we are constantly talking to bankers. Its results have been encouraging. We have provided loans to more than 57,000 entrepreneurs through online loan fair within 24 hours of the announcement of the economic package from the centre." Sehgal said an agreement has been reached with bankers to provide loans to one lakh units in June and 1.25 lakh entrepreneurs in July-August. Once normalcy is restored, loan fairs will also be held at many places. Along with providing capital for capacity expansion and technical upgradation, we are also helping the government departments to release the arrears or refund the GST, he added. In response to a question, he said, "It is unfounded that small units will be affected by the Centre expanding the scope of MSMEs. We will take everyone along. We hope that at least 10-12 lakh people will be accommodated in this sector in the next few months." He said, "We have identified 20 sectors under the Yogi government's flagship scheme -- one district one product -- Varanasi silk, Bhadohi carpet, Kanpur leather, Moradabad brass items, Saharanpur wood items, Aligarh hardware, Bareilly's handicrafts, Lucknow's chikankari and Gorakhpur's terracotta etc." He said these products are brands in themselves. There are also clusters of these products in the respective districts. Every possible help is being provided to make the products more competitive in quality and pricing. Apart from this, Noida's garment hub will be further improved. Establishment of pharma and medical equipment firms is also being discussed with the central government. Asked how many migrant labourers have been given employment so far, Sehgal said, "Providing local employment to the workers coming from other states according to their skills is the top priority of the government. We have given the names of 2.80 lakh such people to entrepreneurs of different sectors. The process of getting employment for them has already started. Right now, the demand for two lakh people has come from Noida's garment hub. We are sending as many as are available. According to skill mapping, as the list is updated, the units will be provided human resources as per the demand. This is the motive behind the plan to build a common facility centre to provide all the facilities under one roof." In response to another question, the principal secretary said that a huge amount of face masks are being made by the Khadi and Village Industries Department during the pandemic. He said the department has sold 40 lakh masks out of 50 lakh made of six lakh metres of khadi cloth. No insurance card? No problem. The Virginia Department of Health on Friday offered free COVID-19 tests to hundreds of uninsured and under-insured Lynchburg-area residents for the first time since the pandemic began. The community testing event, held at the Community Access Networks clinic on 5th Street, represents a key step in the health departments goal of making mass testing available across the state. We dont turn anyone away, said Christina Delzingaro, the CEO of CAN. We want everyone to be able to get a test. In all, 400 tests were offered to the community at no charge and more than 260 people were tested. No appointments were required and tests were provided on a first-come, first-served basis to symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals over the age of four. When combined with private tests provided elsewhere in the region, the free event is likely to make Friday the single-day record for testing encounters in the Central Virginia Health District, which includes Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell. The previous record came on May 29 with 473 testing encounters. As of Friday morning, a little more than 9,000 people, or about 3.5% of the districts population, have undergone testing for COVID-19, according to VDH data. As the first free testing event in the city, interest was high. Dozens of cars lined up along Jackson Street ahead of the 11 a.m. start time for drive-thru testing. Within the first hour of opening, more than 50 tests had been conducted, Delzingaro said. Individuals were asked to provide demographic and contact information before undergoing a nasal swab. The entire process took about five minutes. It is uncomfortable for just a moment. But its well worth it, Delzingaro said. Anyone who has been symptomatic with COVID-19 can tell you it is very debilitating. Some folks have had very few symptoms and no symptoms, but some folks get really sick and it is very debilitating. The test kits were shipped to the state health department lab in Richmond for analysis after the event ended at 3 p.m. Results are expected to be provided within 72 hours. If a test returns a positive result, individuals will be instructed to self-isolate. A contact-tracing investigation also is likely to begin, Delzingaro said. In addition to drive-thru testing, CAN offered walk-up testing to those without personal transportation. Free masks also were provided. We realize that even when no direct expense is involved, some in our communities encounter other barriers to getting COVID-19 testing a major one being transportation, another perhaps being the amount of time involved in getting to and from the collection centers, Dr. Kerry Gateley, the director of the Central Virginia Health District, said in an email. At least 260 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Central Virginia Health District, according to the most recent figures. Seventeen people have been hospitalized and four have died from the disease. Last week, the district saw the largest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases since the virus first spread to the region in mid-March, with 20 cases recorded June 5, according to VDH data. A complete collection of testing sites can be found at www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus. Richard Chumney covers Liberty University for The News & Advance. Reach him at (434) 385-5547. Richard Chumney covers Liberty University for The News & Advance. Reach him at (434) 385-5547. 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. Sudhir Suryawanshi By Express News Service MUMBAI: After the controversy over a body bag purchase order, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) scrapped the tender and decided to place a new order. The Opposition also smelled a rat in the mega isolation Covid centres where large numbers of beds are reportedly vacant against the demands. It is the first corruption allegation against the Shiv Sena-run BMC in the pandemic situation. After social activist Mrs Anjali Damania's allegation of purchasing the body bags at inflated cost, the BMC cancelled the tender. She had tweeted that, Disgusting BMC has given a contract of Body Bags to Vedant Innotech Private limited, for Rs 6719 per bag. Directors are Satish & Vedant Kalyankar Main business is Casting of metals FYI, Satish Kalyankar, is a member of Censor Board Actual cost of a body bag is Rs 250 to 1200. The BMC had placed the tender for the procurement of additional 3,000 body bags. The BMC said it has bought 2,200 body bags so far at a cost of Rs 6,719 each. It clarified that "A tender was invited and during technical scrutiny, it was found that only one company was eligible. So, to ensure competitive pricing, we have decided to cancel the order," said the civic body in a statement. On a question of why the bags were so costly, the civic body responded saying good quality bags were needed for the COVID-19 bodies. BMC mayor Kishori Pedneka clarified that the ten firms participated in the body bags supplying tender process, out of which nine were disqualified due to various reason. There is a scam and corruption in body bags purchase. The firm which has shown interest in supplying body bags to BMC is also supplying to various government departments including the Navy. In fact, we got these bags at a reasonable rate, Amey Ghole, chairman of the BMCs Health Committee pointed out. Mayor said that they will not compromise with the quality of the product. If the suppliers fit in all parameters prescribed by the BMC, then only we will buy these body bags, Ms Pednekar said after her visit to central purchase office at Byculla on Saturday. BJP ex-MP Kirit Somaiya also alleged that like body bags purchase, another scam is happening in COVID-19 isolation and quarantine centre setups. He said that many beds in these centres at vacant while people have been refused admission in these dedicated centres. FAIRFIELD Next Tuesday and Wednesday, June 16-17, Fairfields high school seniors will have their graduation ceremonies. The group Parents of Fairfield Public Schools is urging the community to come together to celebrate the graduates amazing achievements during such trying times. Make a sign for your yard or windows, make a chalk art masterpiece for them in your driveway, decorate your car with words of encouragement and congratulations! The larger and more colorful the better! Lets come together as a community and make the seniors feel as special as we know they are, this year more than ever, organizer Katie Flynn said. Now its time for Fairfield to get loud (from a safe social distance of course!) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday, June 12, announced her statute of limitations freeze will end on June 20, the day after the state of emergency is set to expire. This applies to criminal or civil matters in Michigan trial courts but wont impact federal cases. Since March 23, many Michigan courts have severely restricted activity and access to slow spread of the coronavirus. This made it difficult or impossible for certain cases to proceed. In order to avoid situations in which the statute of limitations expired during court restrictions, Whitmer suspended the filing limitations. That means any case less than 102 days past the ordinary statute of limitations, the length of time the suspension has been in place, may still be filed. As Michigan continues to flatten the curve and move forward together ... we can begin to reengage and lift certain orders, Whitmer said in a statement issued Friday. It is still vital that we all remain committed to protecting ourselves and our fellow Michiganders from COVID-19. Although, it is no longer necessary to extend these deadlines, we still must work together to fight this virus and save lives. After four days straight of fewer than 200 daily new cases being reported in Michigan, state health officials on Thursday announced 218 new cases and 26 more deaths. In total, the state has reported 59,496 known cases of COVID-19 and 5,737 deaths linked to the infectious respiratory virus at the center of the global pandemic. The seven-day moving averages of new cases and deaths continue to decline. On Thursday, the seven-day moving averages were 179 new cases and 20 new deaths per day. Thats a decline from the 318 new cases and 32 new deaths per day a week prior. 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: Looking for a way to be involved? Support one of these black-owned Michigan businesses Coronavirus forces Espresso Royale to close all locations Differences youll notice at Michigans state park campgrounds when they reopen June 22 Kent County to allocate $94.2M for coronavirus relief Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 14:45:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PUL-E-ALAM, Afghanistan, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people, including four women, were killed in two separate incidents in two eastern Afghan provinces Friday night, authorities said Saturday. A mother and three of her daughters were killed and her son and a daughter wounded after gunmen broke into a house in Altamor, an area on the outskirts of Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province, provincial government spokesman Didar Lawang told Xinhua. The injured were shifted to the national capital Kabul and admitted to an intensive care unit of a hospital, he said. The motive behind the shooting remained unknown, but family dispute might have been a reason for the incident. In neighboring Khost province, eight people were shot and killed by unknown gunmen in Balawoot locality of Ali Sher district roughly at 9:30 p.m. Friday, provincial police spokesman Haidar Adil told Xinhua. The obvious target of the attack was Abdul Waali, a member of Hizb-e-Islami of Afghanistan. The killed included Abdul Waali, his friends and several of his security guards. Headed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Hizb-e-Islami party was an anti-government group that signed a peace agreement with the government four years ago. Investigations were launched into the incidents, according to officials. Enditem Some churches in Peterborough are preparing for reopening their doors to worshippers on Sunday now that the Ontario government is allowing it. Earlier this week Premier Doug Ford announced that churches can reopen if the pews are filled at 30 per cent capacity. Churches were ordered closed in Ontario in March to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. Weve waited a long time for this day, and we certainly do rejoice at the resumption of our public celebration of the mass, said Bishop Daniel Miehm in a video on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterboroughs website. But he explained that local Catholic churches will be open only for private prayer, eucharistic adoration and confession on Sunday, with full Sunday mass resuming on the June 20 and 21 weekend. We have had to be patient during this time of pandemic restrictions, and there will undoubtedly be some patience and understanding required as we come into the reopening phase, Miehm said. Church services will look different: expect smaller crowds, for instance, he said. At least one church in Peterborough is opening for two services on Sunday: Victory Baptist Church is scheduled for mass at 11 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. Rev. Wayne Jupp wrote in an email to The Examiner that there will be no Sunday school and that the building will be filled to 30 per cent of its capacity. We will be following safety guidelines as best we can, Jupp wrote. Victory Baptist was among 250 churches across the province to recently lobby Ford for reopening in June, with limited capacity in the buildings. The church has been holding drive-in services for weeks, in the parking lot of their expansive property on Lansdowne Street West. Meanwhile Anglican churches wont reopen this summer: the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, of which local Anglican churches are a part, has called for a summer sabbath rest in the pandemic. It means churches such as St. Johns Anglican on Brock Street will not have in-person services until September. Many local United Churches have been holding services online. Emmanuel United Church had a notice on its Facebook page on Friday inviting churchgoers to an online vigil against racism, Sunday. The vigil is taking place on the United Church of Canadas YouTube channel at 7 p.m. Mark Street United Church in East City had a new posting on Facebook Friday inviting members to a service on Zoom on Sunday, followed by congregational meeting online to discuss its plan in the reopening period. Representational Image Ajitesh Mullick After the recent highs seen for most agri commodity prices, profit booking at the higher levels limited the uptrend for agri prices. Reports of rains in parts of North-West and Central India too adversely affected the sentiments. Rains at these stages are considered good for the crop sowing later on. However, as seen last week also, the fall is temporary and as mentioned earlier, these lower levels may not be sustainable. Prices have fallen a lot over last 3-4 months for most agri counters due to lack of trading (mainly exports) from coronavirus fears. Thus most of the bearish impact of the normal monsoon reports has been accounted for. As mandis gradually open, the demand mainly on the export front is expected to rise. This could keep prices from falling a lot, even as the uptrend too may be limited due to lesser than normal demand. As markets started opening for cotton, Indian exports are expected to pick up as Indian rates are reportedly low globally. This should help exports pick up. With reports of lower stocks, an expected rise in exports to China, Vietnam and Bangladesh in coming days could support Indian prices. Apprehensions of lower sowing due to the low rates too could be supportive factor for the prices. Rise in MSP (medium staple by Rs 260 per quintal and long staple by Rs 275 per quintal) supported prices. Expectations of limited damage to Indian crops from locusts attacks in North-West India and favorable Indian weather too kept uptrend limited. Rains in some areas in North-West India had a limited bearish impact on Guar prices, as market bounced back towards end of the day. Slight slowdown in monsoon progress too supported prices. With prices already at very low levelshaving fallen a lot over low export demand due to Coronavirus over last 3 months, too much fall from these levels are unlikely. With sowing to start soon after monsoon rains, this is beneficial for crop sowing. Lack of exports remained a bearish factor, but that is expected to pick up as mandis gradually open up. Lack of strong demand adversely affecting any major price movement for spices, but the recent recovery in Turmeric, Dhaniya and Jeera shows a likelihood of some bouncebacks from these levels as trading activities pick up after lockdown. Oil complex fundamentals currently remain bullish for edible oils. India is considering raising import taxes on edible oils as it seeks to become self-reliant by boosting local oilseed production with the help of tax revenue. This news remains bullish for the entire oil complex markets. Strike in Brazil, strength in edible oils and positive global oil seed markets have been supportive for the domestic soybean prices of late. At the same time there are lots of reforms being announced for the agriculture sector, like amendment of the Essential Commodities Act, involving de-regulation of edible oils and oilseeds, thereby enabling barrier free trade by farmers. Also, deposits are quite less the warehouses against June expiry. Therefore tendency of futures prices to surpass Rs 4,000 in coming weeks has increased. For RM seed, possibility of lower crop output because of recent rains, in addition to delayed harvest due to the lockdown situation will be a key bullish driver. Steady demand for RM oil shall also support the upward trend in coming sessions. The author VP-Retail Research at Religare Broking. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. A study published in Molecular Psychiatry shows that patient-derived adult stem cells can be used to model major depressive disorder and test how a patient may respond to medication. Using stem cells from adults with a clinical diagnosis of depression, the University of Illinois at Chicago researchers who conducted the study also found that fish oil, when tested in the model, created an antidepressant response. UIC's Mark Rasenick, principal investigator of the study, says that the research provides a number of novel findings that can help scientists better understand how the brain works and why some people respond to drug treatment for depression, while others experience limited benefits from antidepressant medication. "It was also exciting to find scientific evidence that fish oil -- an easy-to-get, natural product -- may be an effective treatment for depression," said Rasenick, UIC distinguished professor of physiology and biophysics and psychiatry at the College of Medicine. Major depressive disorder, or depression, is the most common psychiatric disorder. Around one in six individuals will experience at least one depressive episode in their lifetime. However, antidepressant treatment fails in about one-third of patients. In the study, the UIC researchers used skin cells from adults with depression that were converted into stem cells at Massachusetts General Hospital and then directed those stem cells to develop into nerve cells. The skin biopsies were taken from two types of patients: people who previously responded to antidepressant treatment and people who have previously been resistant to antidepressants. When fish oil was tested, the models from treatment-sensitive and treatment-resistant patients both responded. Rasenick says the response was similar to that seen from prescription antidepressants, but it was produced through a different mechanism. "We saw that fish oil was acting, in part, on glial cells, not neurons," said Rasenick, who is also a research career scientist at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and president and chief scientific officer at Pax Neuroscience, a UIC startup company. "For many years, scientists have paid scant attention to glia -- a type of brain cell that surrounds neurons -- but there is increasing evidence that glia may play a role in depression. Our study suggests that glia may also be important for antidepressant action. "Our study also showed that a stem cell model can be used to study response to treatment and that fish oil as a treatment, or companion to treatment, for depression warrants further investigation," Rasenick said. Richmond police detained several people equipped with assault-style rifles, handguns, ammunition and body armor early Friday morning after a confrontation at the Robert E. Lee monument, a department spokeswoman said. One person was arrested. Around 12:55 a.m. Friday, officers in the area of the Robert E. Lee circle saw several pickup trucks approach a group who had dismounted their bicycles in the traffic lanes, said police spokeswoman Amy Vu in an email. Words were exchanged between the individuals and the drivers of the pickup trucks, she said. One pickup truck sped off and then another pickup truck ran over a bicycle while fleeing the area. Officers pursued the trucks making three traffic stops: in the 2700 block of Hanover Avenue, about a mile from the monument; on the Huguenot Bridge, about 6 miles away; and in the 6500 block of Three Chopt Road, a little over 5 miles from the confrontation. Vu said officers detained multiple people, but didnt know exactly how many adding that none had addresses within the city. The stops revealed the individuals had multiple assault-style rifles, handguns, ammunition and body armor. Three assault-style rifles and one handgun were seized. One person was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to multiple accounts on social media, the individuals on bikes were linked to protestors who took to the streets for the 14th straight night. Further investigation may lead to additional charges in relation to this incident, Vu said. Detectives are working to make contact with any victims associated with this incident. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. For several days, some circles with links to the opposition have been spreading untruthful accusations and baseless rumours about the incarceration of Fouad Youssouf Ali at the Gabode Civil Prison. The Republic of Djibouti formally contests these "versions" circulating in certain media, including foreign publications. The Republic of Djibouti wishes to recall the facts, all the more serious in that they regard an officer in Djiboutis Armed Forces, that led to the opening of a judicial inquiry against Mr. Ali. These acts were committed in flagrante delicto, as is moreover proved by a video that the defendant recorded and broadcast himself. On 9 April, the State Prosecutor requested the opening of a judicial inquiry against Mr. Ali, accusing him, in Djibouti, in March 2020, of: - Attempting to steal a military aircraft - Destroying that aircraft - Maintaining relations with a foreign power, namely, Eritrea - Publishing violent statements in the press inciting hatred and a public uprising for the purpose of severely disrupting public order - Jeopardising national defence by urging the military to commit acts of disobedience - Publicly defaming Djiboutis Armed Forces. These are extremely serious acts that undermine national security and would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by any State in the world. There are no military courts in Djibouti. Mr. Ali will have to answer for his actions before a civilian court, like any other Djiboutian citizen. His rights of defence have been upheld, as he was free to remain silent during his first interrogation on 22 April while awaiting the assistance of a lawyer of his choice. On 23 April, his wife was granted a permit to communicate with him. It should also be noted that, at the time, all visits to detainees were suspended due to strict Covid-19 containment and prevention measures. On 7 June, a communication permit was issued to the defendants wife and sister, a parliamentarian and a member of civil society who visited him at Gabode Civil Prison. Lastly, the National Human Rights Commission visited the prison on 9 June to check up on the detention conditions not only of Mr. Ali, but also of all other detainees. Mr. Ali illegally made a video inside his cell that does not reflect the actual conditions of his detention and was obviously staged. In fact, the accused has a private cell located in a block containing other, perfectly identical cells, with access to a common courtyard where he is allowed, like all the other prisoners, to take a walk twice daily. Moreover, he has private sanitary facilities as well as facilities for the proper ventilation of the space allotted to him. Gabode is the only prison in the country and Mr. Ali does not suffer any abuse and has not been placed under any special regime. These circumstances are immediately and objectively verifiable. As to the seriousness of Mr. Ali's state of health, this claim is based only on his own statements. At no time did the medical facility at Gabode Central Prison report the need to hospitalise him, but the court nevertheless ordered a panel of sworn experts to examine him. It should also be noted that it has been established that Mr. Ali was suffering from a skin disease before his arrest, as confirmed by his attending physician. A medical evaluation is currently under way and the results will be available in the coming days. Those who present themselves as Mr. Alis supporters have put forward the most outlandish theories with the sole aim of inciting unrest in Djibouti. In this context, three unauthorized demonstrations in Djibouti City, Ali Sabieh and the Balbala quarter on 5 June resulted in unacceptable disorder by violent elements. The law enforcement agencies intervened in this particularly difficult context. Several people were arrested, including several falsely claiming to be journalists. These supposed journalists have since been released. In Ali Sabieh, demonstrators set a bank on fire and shot one of its employees during an attempted robbery. The police on the scene used only tear gas and rubber bullets to restore order. An investigation by the State Prosecutor's Office is under way to fully shed light on these events. Clearly, as the defendant himself points out, this is a case of political manipulation linked to opposition circles with little regard for the proper functioning of democracy and whose ultimate goal is to undermine Djibouti's unity and national cohesion. In the particularly trying times of the Covid-19 epidemic, the government calls for the rejection of violence and respect for the rules of democracy. The Government of the Republic of Djibouti will fulfill its responsibility to protect property and persons and take action against those who seek to exploit an affair that is a matter for the courts and to undermine national security. Of course, since Mr. Alis arrest he has benefitted from the presumption of innocence. Only a court of law can decide otherwise. Justice must be allowed to calmly follow its course without outside disturbance. BRIDGEPORT At 10 a.m. Friday on the dot, cars started filing into the circular drive in front of Roosevelt School in the citys South End, horns honking. It most certainly caught the attention of Principal Jackie Simmons and Assistant Principal David Purviance, who at least claim they were surprised when they came outside. Both held down the fort when Roosevelt, like every other school in the district, sent students home on March 13 for what would turn out to be a full spring of distance learning. The car procession on this sun-splashed morning was meant to celebrate two unsung heroes, said Chandra Maxwell, a middle school English teacher at Roosevelt. But it really was something more. This is a celebration of Jackie Simmons and her leadership but Jackie will attest to this, its a lot of hard work by a lot of people, Acting Schools Superintendent Michael Testani said when he arrived. A school that once had a bad perception had gained a new life and is more than just a new building. Roosevelt was rebuilt and reopened in 2015. Its a whole new culture and even the state has taken notice, Testani noted. Before people tried to get their kids out of Roosevelt School. Now we get requests for control transfers, Testani said. The school is in the states Commissioners Network, to help student performance improve. Testani said the district is starting the process to include Wilbur Cross school in the Commissioners Network, but only if they work to model the Roosevelt school. Mayor Joseph Ganim, who came with proclamation in hand, applauded the effort made by teachers across the district to turn on a dime to remote learning. This school is a bright light in the South End, Ganim said. Simmons, who became principal when a new Roosevelt opened five years ago, said she gets the credit or blame but it is her staff that does all the work. We are successful because of you, she told teachers who made up the lions share of the procession there were some representatives from Barnum School, where Purviance was up until a year ago. Simmons got a mug with her slogan, Year 5, on it, representing her plan to turn around the school in that time frame. Next year, she announced Friday, will be Year 5 Part 2 due to the pandemic shutdown. lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck Descendants of former prime minister Winston Churchill and those instrumental in setting up Mahatma Gandhis statue in London in 2015 on Saturday regretted that their statues needed to be protected due to potential harm from protests and counter-protests. The number of protestors swelled in central London on Saturday morning for a rally by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign, and for counter-protests by other groups, despite appeals to stay away by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, London mayor Sadiq Khan and others. According to Khan, the mayors office had intelligence that far-right groups were planning counter-protests with potential of violence, and an attack on Nelson Mandelas statue. The Greater London Authority under him is responsible for the statues in Parliament Square. Meghnad Desai, chairman of the Gandhi Memorial Statue Trust, said: It is a pity and a shame that the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square is to be covered up ahead of the BLM rally today. Gandhi has nothing to hide. He is a pioneer of the struggle against imperialism and racism who inspired Dr. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, he added, amidst calls by home secretary Priti Patel and others to remove the protective covering around the statues. The statues of Churchill, Gandhi, Mandela in Parliament Square and the Cenotaph in nearby Whitehall have been boarded up to prevent them from being targeted. Last Sunday, Gandhi and Churchill statues were among those attacked by BLM protestors. Nicholas Soames, Churchills grandson and former Conservative minister, said he was deeply upset at the statue being covered, adding that British society, according to him, has lost its moral compass. He said: I find it extraordinary that millions and millions of people all over the world who look up to Britain will be astonished that a statue of Churchill and the Cenotaph, our national war memorial, could have been defaced in this disgusting way. Emma Soames, Churchills grand-daughter, wants the statue to be placed in a museum: Its extraordinarily sad that my grandfather, who was such a unifying figure in this country, appears to have become a sort of icon through being controversial. I think on the whole, people werent looking at the entire record of people when they put up statues for them, and even if they did wed be living in a country of empty plinths I think, she said, adding that the sight of her grandfather boarded up was shocking. Scotland Yard imposed time and route restrictions on the protests by groups that include BLM, right wing and left wing affiliated groups. The city council in Buffalo, New York, voted this week to call on State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the 2008 firing of Black officer Cariol Horne, who stopped a white colleague from choking a suspect while making an arrest. The incident occurred in 2006, and Horne was fired two years later because the Buffalo Police Department claimed Horne had put her fellow officers at risk, including the white officer, Gregory Kwiatkowski, whom she stopped after he put the suspect in a chokehold. Image: Cariol Holloman-Horne (Cariol Holloman-Horne / via Facebook) Buffalo is now asking the state to look into the reasons why Horne was fired. "Now with so much attention being on the present and what some officers have done negatively, it is very difficult for some people to move forward if we have not repaired the past," Buffalo Common Council President Darius Pridgen told local NBC News affiliate WGRZ. The New York Attorney Generals office declined to comment on Buffalos request. The Buffalo Police Department and Horne could not be immediately reached to address the case. Horne was a 19-year veteran when she was fired in 2008, and she was one year short of receiving her pension. She has since become an activist who speaks on police brutality and has attempted to pass a law in New York that would protect officers who attempt to stop acts of excessive force by their fellow officers. I always say that if I had to do it again, I would, Horne told The Washington Post on Friday. Kwiatkowski, the officer that Horne stopped in 2006, was arrested and sentenced to four months in prison for use of excessive force against four Black teenagers 10 years after Horne was fired. The teenagers were accused of shooting BB guns while driving around their neighborhood, but they were compliant with the arresting officers when Kwaitkowski appeared at the scene. He admitted to forcibly pushing each of the suspects heads and upper torsos into the vehicle around which they were being detained, according to the Department of Justice. Story continues The Buffalo Police Department has faced widespread criticism since June 4, when a video of officers in riot gear shoving protester Martin Gugino, 75, to the ground went viral. Gugino can be seen laying motionless and bleeding from the ears. When one officer attempts to help him, another stops him and appears to tell him to keep moving. Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski, the officers accused of pushing Gugino to the ground, were charged Tuesday with second-degree assault. Guginos attorney said the elderly man suffered a brain injury. "As heartbreaking as it is, his brain is injured and he is well aware of that now," said lawyer Kelly V. Zarcone. A total of 57 Buffalo police officers resigned from the departments Emergency Response Team out of solidarity with McCabe and Torgalski, who remain suspended from duty. When Horne was fired, however, none of her fellow officers stood by her. If police are going to back out when you have an officer stop police brutality, and they step up when you have officers knocking over 75-year-old men, then we have a big problem in Buffalo, New York, she told The Washington Post. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 08:39:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has ruled out an imminent return to former club Fluminense as he seeks to extend his career in Europe. The 35-year-old's contract with PSG expires at the end of the current season and club officials have informed him that it won't be renewed. Despite having previously declared a wish to rejoin Fluminense, Silva says that he is not yet ready to return to his native Brazil. In an Instagram Live post on Friday, Silva said he owed a debt of gratitude to the Brazilian Serie A side for putting his career back on track after a bout of tuberculosis in 2005. "Everyone knows about the soft spot I have for Fluminense," said Silva, who played 146 matches for the Rio de Janeiro outfit from 2006 to 2008. "I had the episode of tuberculosis and they opened their doors to me. I am eternally grateful for that, but I still have goals in Europe to be fulfilled. I hope I can achieve them as soon as possible." The central defender hopes to finish his eight-year spell with PSG on a high by leading them to their first UEFA Champions League title. The Parisians booked a place in the quarterfinals by beating Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on aggregate in March. Silva, who has 89 Brazil caps, has also expressed a desire to go the 2022 Word Cup in Qatar and there is a feeling that a return to Rio could hurt those chances. Enditem The Government is planning for the return of all pupils to schools, in a considered gamble that fully reopening education facilities is not a threat to public health. It could mean schools applying different social distancing rules than other parts of society, in order to ensure children are not facing a part-time return to the classroom in the new academic year. But teacher union leaders warn they will not tolerate a return to school in August or September that flouts whatever social distancing rules are in place at the time. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Education Minister Joe McHugh sent clear signals of the Government's intent after a Cabinet meeting, which was given an update on the planning for reopening the country's 4,000 schools, which have been closed since March 12. Expand Close Joe McHugh / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joe McHugh According to the planning document, a two-metre distancing rule would limit primary pupils to attending school for one day a week and most post-primary pupils for two days a week. If it was relaxed to one metre, primary pupils could attend for two-and-a-half days a week. Read More At post-primary level, it would mean some year groups attending school two-and-a-half days a week, and other classes attending at or near a full-time basis. Mr McHugh said: "Given the negative impact such restrictions would have on teaching and learning, I strongly believe the only option is the full return to education, taking all necessary public health precautions." Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Mr McHugh said sending children back part-time for two or three days a week is not a runner. He said: If we just bring back 20pc or 50pc of students, we will do more damage because of educational neglect and potential regression. He said he wanted a common-sense approach to reopening with children and staff far enough away from each other, so that they are not breathing on, or touching, each other. It would have to be accompanied with good hygiene practices and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces. Mr McHugh said they were engaged in a risk-based assessment weighing up the damage to education and the safety of staff and pupils and they wanted to get the balance right, but they were working towards full return. He said they were aiming for a sustainable plan for reopening schools, which will protect the health of school communities while promoting the educational and development needs of the nations children. It includes a commitment to extra funding for school cleaning and hand sanitisers, which will be ordered through a centralised procurement process. At a separate press conference, Mr Varadkar echoed his sentiments. Expand Close Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (Brian Lawless/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (Brian Lawless/PA) Were going to come up with a solution that allows all kids to return to school at the end of August, early September as originally indicated, he said. He added that there were difficulties relating to social distancing rules, but suggested bespoke solutions could be found for schools like the procedures being brought in for creches. Mr Varadkar said there was concern among parents at the consequences of applying the two-metre social distancing rules for schools and he wanted to reassure them that what were working on is being in position so all kids can go back full time in August. Expand Close Aine Lynch from the National Parents Council / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aine Lynch from the National Parents Council Aine Lynch, of the National Parents Council Primary, said parents had been in touch with her office who, while they did not want anyone put at risk, wanted to see the return of pupils full-time to school being explored before falling back on a blended-learning approach, which would involve children being in school on a part-time basis. Ms Lynch added that neither parents nor children were homogeneous groups and account would have to be taken of different needs. The Government has taken heart from reports that reopening of schools in other countries has not sparked a resurgence of Covid-19 cases and Department of Education officials will work closely with public health experts in the weeks ahead. The direction the Government is headed for schools reflects emerging thinking that blanket restrictions may not need to apply in the future and that further cases or outbreaks will be handled locally. Mr McHugh sparked some fury by announcing his intentions as engagement continues with stakeholders, including teacher unions, principals and school managers on reopening plans. Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) president Seamus Lahart said the oblique suggestion that classrooms could operate without social distancing is both odd and alarming. He said classrooms were workplaces crowded ones at that. These workplaces cannot be treated as if they enjoy some magical immunity from the risk that characterises other workplaces, he added. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Its too soon to call upticks in coronavirus around the U.S. a second wave of the deadly pandemic. And re-openings in the various states are only part of the reason that were seeing new cases. How this all plays out is important to New York City, which is only in Phase 1 of re-opening. If re-opening craters in other states, we could be in trouble. It doesnt look like were there yet. From the beginning, weve known that we werent going to hold off on re-opening until we had zero new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. And we knew that re-opening would lead to upticks in new cases, simply because people would be mingling in public again after months of quarantine. We also knew wed see new cases because of increased testing. If the coronavirus numbers in New York rise above certain benchmarks, the re-opening process would be re-evaluated. Its been baked into the cake from the beginning. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has likened re-opening New York to turning a valve. If we see too many negative numbers, we close the valve again. Its encouraging that we havent seen major upticks in the numbers even though some New York regions have been through two phases of re-opening. And its true, in states where weve seen upticks, like Texas, Florida and California, people being lax about social distancing and other precautions has contributed to the upticks. And, yes, the recent George Floyd protests, which saw people, some without face coverings, gather in large, non-socially distanced groups, are playing a role in the upticks. But dont forget the role of increased testing plays in all this. For example, Dr. Charles Lockwood of the University of Southern Florida, told the Tallahassee Democrat that the coronavirus uptick in the Sunshine State was mostly attributable to increased testing. He pointed to young people not taking proper precautions as another reason. Mary Jo Trepka, professor of virology at Florida International University, told NPR that testing was a major factor in the Florida uptick. In California, the Mercury News quoted Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom saying that hed expected to see more cases as the state re-opened, but that California was now better prepared to handle any surge. He said the uptick in new virus hospitalizations was not yet cause for concern. In Northern California, Brad Pollock, chair of the UC Davis School of Medicines Department of Public Health Services, told the Record Searchlight outlet that the increase in cases in was no cause for alarm, and that the increased availability of testing played a sizable role in the growth of cases. The Texas Tribune said many factors were at play in the Lone Star State virus increase, including more public mingling; more testing overall, including of prison populations; the Floyd protests, and conditions in the states meat-processing plants. And in Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp got criticized for re-opening the state too soon, there has been an uptick, but the trendline for new cases is basically flat. The state began re-opening on April 24. Just a few examples to show that what were seeing is more complex than theres a second wave out there. Were not past the pandemic yet, and the same things weve said all along still apply: Take precautions. Watch the numbers. Re-open carefully. Limit crowd sizes. Protect the elderly and those with underlying conditions. These are things that are in our control. Other things are not, like when well see a vaccine. Or whether COVID-19 will mutate into a stronger bug. Or a weaker one. Everything were seeing when it comes to upticks in cases was expected and planned for. Lets remain careful, but lets not panic just yet. A radical new plan could see all Australian households given a $10,000 tax deduction to spend solely on travel. In a creative bid to revive the country's flagging tourism industry, businessman Barry Robinson, the boss of Gold Coast-based accommodation giant Wyndham, has suggested the Federal Government take bold steps to save businesses from coronavirus devastation. Mr Robinson urged the Federal Government to offer all households tax deductions for spending on accommodation and flights over the next financial year. The businessman said the plan would give the tourism industry a massive boost and encourage Australians to spend, amid signs state borders may come down in the next month or so. The tax incentive scheme was put forward by Barry Robinson (pictured), who is the boss of the Gold Coast-based accommodation company, Wyndham Mr Robinson has urged the Federal Government to offer households the tax deduction money for next financial year for spending on accommodation and flights 'If we gave them a tax break that they could claim back on allocated receipts for domestic travel, then I think that would definitely stimulate people to at least think about holidaying and more than likely acting upon it,' Mr Robinson told Gold Coast Bulletin. Mr Robinson told the regional newspaper if only 10 per cent of Australian households took advantage of his proposed tax incentive, it would inject $9.2 billion in tourism spending into the market and stimulate the economy as a whole. Though he believes his plan would be of great help to the tourism industry, Mr Robinson admitted the Government might not sign off on such a radical plan that would cut deeply into the budget bottom line. 'But at the moment with the amount being spent (on stimulus measures), it's probably not really a major worry to spend another $10 billion if that is going to get an economy going,' he said. He said it would give the tourism industry a massive boost and encourage Australians to travel as it struggles with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic Mr Robinson said if only 10 per cent of Australian households took advantage of the tax incentive, it would inject $9.2billion into tourism spending With international borders closed for the foreseeable future due to coronavirus, the federal government is encouraging Australians to holiday at home and keep one of the major drivers of the economy alive. Tourism, which employs one in 13 Australians, has been one of the hardest-hit sectors as non-essential travel had been banned to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus which has claimed 99 lives across the country. But a major obstacles for the industry is the ban on interstate visitors enforced by all states bar New South Wales and Victoria and the fear of a second coronavirus wave occurring. As a system-relevant shall apply, depending on the context, not just the super-markets and big banks, but also supercomputers. Without the computing power, not much more runs today in the Central areas of research. Imagine, then, the most powerful research computers in Germany would be out of operation. Thomas Thiel editor in the features section. F. A. Z. that is Exactly what happened. Two weeks ago, the three largest German computer, the Hawk in Stuttgart, the Supermuc in Garching, Germany, and the jewel in Julich by a hacker placed an attack to a complete standstill. Further attacks met with high-performance computers at the universities in Dresden, Karlsruhe and Freiburg, which have been "down". Because at the same time multiple data centers in Europe have been attacked, is suspected to be a coordinated attack, may move on to information about the research to the Covid-19 vaccine. What speaks against this assumption, however, is not researched at all affected data centers Corona is. Haya Shulman from the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure information technology considers that it is not even likely that the attack has ever been subject to science. Research data were stolen, according to its knowledge, and had it had the hackers actually on the science apart, you could have more damage left. But what was the motive? According to Shulman, there is some evidence that the hackers wanted to tap into the computing power of the Supercomputer for the production of crypto-money. Gateway the hackers were probably stolen Account data. And because the major European data centers are all connected to each other, is sufficient, apparently, the password-stealing to a place, even in the rest of the data centers to inject. more Serious damage As ever to hacker attacks, is experienced by the Affected first little. The sparse information available is partly explained by the fact that public communication by the hackers will closely followed. In addition, it is probably only once perplexed and shocked. In some cases, such as in Freiburg, it is not even clear when the attack has even started. The damage is considered serious and can only be removed by the time-consuming reinstallation of the systems to fix it. Thus, the Central areas of the science from falling temporarily. The computer is today at the heart of many researches. Whether in the case of climate models, brain simulations, analysis of particle physics or of the research on the effects of drugs: Wherever large amounts of data, patterns and models to be calculated, can not be waived on the mainframe, not least in the development of the scientific Computing itself. Updated Date: 13 June 2020, 00:20 Courtesy of Kunkel Wittenauer Group EDWARDSVILLE Trace on the Parkway, located at the intersection of Governors Parkway and Route 157 in Edwardsville, now has an additional reason to be considered a unique development. The residential living complex will be one of the first in the area to be primarily powered by solar energy. Trace on the Parkway Developer, Scott Plocher, said a 291.2-kilowatt solar array system was installed on the apartment buildings this month. The array is net-metered and should provide at least 60 percent of expected electricity needs to the Trace, with traditional electric providing the remainder. The system is made up of 728 individual 400-watt solar panels, with an 85 percent performance guarantee for 25 years, plus six DC to AC power inverters. The Ghosts of Sutro Forest A Legacy of Suicides by Rex Bell October 2011 Sutro Forest is one of the most beautiful places in the City. Its a lush, green woodland of thousands of densely-packed eucalyptus trees, with a floor blanketed by ferns, ivy, and wild berries. Originally planted in the 1880s on a bare mountain by Adolph Sutro, the forest is now a nature preserve owned and maintained by University of California - San Francisco (UCSF), which lies just below it to the north. But Ive come to learn that this beautiful majestic place has a dark and disturbing past. A little over 100 years ago, this forest was the site of numerous suicides. It seems that most, if not all of the suicides that took place there were men, and the most common means of self-inflicted death was by hanging owing to the abundant choice of trees on which to end it all. It was also a very secluded place, so the act of suicide could be carried out in privacy, helping to guarantee that it would be successful and without intervention. In fact, it was once so secluded that the bodies of many of those who died there often went undiscovered for days, weeks, or even months. The corpses were sometimes so badly decomposed that identity could only be ascertained by personal effects or documents found on them. The following is a series of articles, mostly from the San Francisco Call, all dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and all documenting death in Sutro Forest. From the San Francisco Call November 16, 1903: FOREST YIELDS GRISLY SECRET Suicide's Body Found in Shadows of the Sutro Wood. Grim Evidence of Hanging Meets Eyes of Mushroom Gatherers. Spectrally swaying from the limb of a tree in Sutro forest, the dead body of an unidentified man hung until natural decomposition parted the head and trunk of the corpse. Then the trunk rolled off in one direction and the head in another. The looped rope, hanging from the limb, alone gave mute evidence of the cause of the tragedy. Whoever it was who gave himself up to death deliberately months ago in the dim shadows of the wood, he over looked not the smallest detail that would prevent his identity from becoming known. In the clothing of the dead man there was nothing by which it could be learned what man had tenanted the bundle of rags enwrapping the grisly skeleton. The grewsome find was made by John Landini of 1207 Stanyan street and George Prosek of 1215 Stanyan street. They had gone to the forest to pick mushrooms and midway between the Affiliated Colleges and the Almshouse they came across the headless trunk, lying at the base of a little knoll. Above dangled a light rope with a noose at the end. Further search disclosed the head, some twelve feet away from the body. They ran from the shadows of the forest and telephoned to the Coroner's office. Deputy Coroner Brown went at once to the scene and took charge of the body. Clothing Bears No Marks Alongside of the tree from which dangled the rope was found a heavy chinchilla overcoat. The body was dressed in a dark brown coat of cheap material, fustian jacket, dark striped trousers and gray waistcoat. As far as could be ascertained the underwear was of rough material. In the pockets of the coat were found an empty pocketbook, a memorandum book without any trace of writing, a copy of the constitution and by-laws of the Pacific Coast Marine Firemen's Union and a certificate of membership in the union. Apparently the name of the member and the date of his admission, which had originally been written in ink, had been erased with a knife. Instead was scrawled across the face of the certificate the pathetic message, unsigned. "If you want to bury me, I'm thankful to you." The handwriting gave evidences of extreme nervousness, as though the writer were appalled at the swift plunge into eternity he was about to make. A close examination of the erased certificate failed to reveal the slightest clew to the name. On the date line could be deciphered the letter "J" which may have been January before the erasure. Rain and wind had dealt harshly with the clothing and no mark could be deciphered on any of it. Nothing but the bare bones of the skeleton and the grinning face of the skull remained to tell of one who found the burden of life too heavy to bear and chose the shadows of a forest and a hangman's knot to solve the problem of the hereafter. The officers of the union are making every effort to ascertain the identity of the suicide and hope by a thorough search of the records of the organization to learn whose body it was that lay for so many months the prey of weather and decomposition until all traces of what he once was were wiped away. San Francisco Call March 26, 1904: SUTRO FOREST SUICIDE REMOVED. The remains of a man that committed suicide in the Sutro forest were removed to the Morgue yesterday afternoon. They were found on top of the hill east of the Almshouse after a search of three hours and a half by Deputy Coroner Meehan and Messenger Carrick. The clothing worn by the suicide was a gray checked summer weight suit, well worn; a soft black hat and a pair of heavy black laced shoes. The body had been lying in the brush for more than a month and was unrecognizable. San Francisco Call April 18, 1904 THOMAS MURNANE HANGS HIMSELF FROM A TREE Once Wealthy Resident of City, Later Inmate of Almshouse, Kills Himself. The body of Thomas Murnane, once a wealthy business man of this city, later a physical wreck and inmate of the Almshouse, was found yesterday hanging to the top branch of a tall eucalyptus tree in the Sutro forest. The body was found by L. K. Pryer of 660 Broderick street and A.E. Pinching of 1104 Divisadero street. Murnane had evidently been dead for two months. The body was taken to the Morgue. Nothing of value was found on it. On February 27 last, Murnane, who formerly lived at 36 Sixth street, disappeared from the Almshouse. The day before his disappearance he told one of his friends, also an Inmate of the Almshouse, that he had tired of a life of poverty. "My last child died a few months ago," he said, "and since that time I have been dependant on the city for alms. What is life to me, now, where once I had the best of everything? The next day Murnane disappeared. He was last seen strolling toward the dense growth of trees near the Almshouse, known as the Sutro forest. Although 52 years of age, Murnane climbed the smooth trunk of the tree and, fastening the noose, swung himself into a better world. San Francisco Call - November 24, 1904: DESPAIR CAUSES SUICIDE Baker Missing for Nearly Two Weeks Chooses Lonely Spot at Which to Die Womans Search Ends in Park Mrs. Daniel Pfeefer Finds Long Looked For Body of Her Husband in Forest Two weeks ago Daniel Pfeefer, a baker, who lived at 4057 Twenty-fifth street, was reported missing from his home and his faithful wife, had spent the weary fortnight trying to find trace of him. The woman's search was rewarded yesterday afternoon when she stumbled across his remains strung to the limb of a tree in Sutro Forest, near the Corbett road. Every day since Pfeefer had been missing his wife hunted over the hills and among the sand dunes for her husband's body. She was convinced that he had taken his own life and her surmise proved startlingly correct. Until about six months ago, Pfeefer conducted a small bakery on Church street, near Seventeenth. When he sold out he made no effort to acquire another business or secure employment. About a month ago it was noticed that he acted strangely. He was pensive and he seldom spoke to anyone. On the morning of November 14, he left his home saying that he would return in the evening, but when he did not do so his wife started a search for him. First she visited all of her husband's haunts, and when she found he had not been seen in any of these, she started about the city inquiring if anyone had seen "a man with a coat buttoned over an undershirt rambling about." Yesterday, in company with her brother-in-law, Conrad Dettling, she visited the Sutro forest. After several hours tramp she came upon the body, then she went to St. Boniface's Church for advice and the priests told her to notify the officials. A strange feature of the case is that while Pfeefer has been missing nearly two weeks, he hanged himself within twenty-four hours of the time he was found. This was determined by the condition of the body. Just where Pfeefer spent the intervening time is hard to tell, but the Morgue officials will endeavor to ascertain. His family say he was, without doubt, insane, and the deed is attributed to insanity. San Francisco Call September 6, 1908: BODY FOUND IN SUTRO FOREST Acting upon information received from J. F. Elliot, proprietor of the Ingleside Inn at Ingleside, a squad of policemen were dispatched to the Sutro Forest late last night to search for the body of a man. Elliot telephoned to the Coroners office later that he had discovered a body in the densest part of the forest. Armed with lanterns, the Mission street squad left for the scene about midnight. San Francisco Call - December 19, 1899: FOUND DEAD IN THE WOODS Sutro's Forest Again the Scene of a Suicide Keeper McGinnes of the Sutro Forest notified the Morgue officials Yesterday afternoon that the body of a man was found in the woods back of the Affiliated Colleges. Deputy Coroner Lacombe who was detailed on the case, found the body a few feet from one of the many paths. The deceased wore a striped suit of worsted material, a black sweater and a pair of bicycle shoes. In the pockets were found a bicycle pump. a pair of pants protectors, and a packet white crystals marked poison" - the contents of which were afterward found to be cyanide of potassium. A postal card on which was the printed address of the Cascade Laundry and the name of Frank Parker written in pencil, was also found on the body. From appearances the man had been dead about two days and the case looked like a suicide. The body is that of a man about 35, years of age. From the Sacramento Record-Union December 20, 1899: BODY OF A SUICIDE IDENTIFIED - SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 19. The body found in the Sutro forest yesterday has been identified as that of Frank Parker, who came to this city from San Jose some time ago. The deceased committed suicide by taking cyanide. He was a machinist by trade and was a victim of strong drink. From the San Francisco Call - December 21, 1899 GRANT BELL, SUICIDE. Frank Parker Was Not the Name of the Sutro Forest Suicide. Frank Parker was not the name of the suicide found in the Sutro forest back of the Affiliated Colleges last Monday, as already announced. Police Patrolman Fontana had identified the body as that of a man who had asked him to arrest him and put him in Jail, and who showed symptoms of delirium tremens. The man gave the officer his name as Frank Parker, and there was no mistake about the identification, no matter whether the name given by the stranger was his real name or not. Positive identification by a man who had been acquainted with the dead man for a long time was made yesterday, when J.J. Zimmer of 112 Golden Gate avenue identified the remains as those of Grant Bell of San Jose, who worked for a while as bicycle repairer for Olten & Co. in San Jose. Zimmer last saw him alive last Thursday, struggling with an attack of delirium tremens. He had been on a spree for a long time. San Francisco Call October 28, 1908: BODY FOUND HANGING FROM LIMB OF TREE Man Believed to Be Samuel Anderson Despondent From Ill Health. While walking through the Sutro forest yesterday Attorney C. S. Gardner discovered the body of a suicide suspended from the limb of a tree, by a steel wire about the neck. The Coroner's office and police were notified by the attorney, who guided them to the body. After working for several hours the deputy coroners and the policemen succeeded in carrying the body of the suicide, from the forest to the Sunset avenue road. The man is believed to be Samuel Anderson and the police think despondency due to ill health prompted him to end his life. San Francisco Call March 26, 1904: FOREST YIELDS ANOTHER BODY Ends Life With Pistol Remains of Unidentified Man Discovered on Ledge of Rock in Sutro Woods The body of some unfortunate who had tired of life and killed himself perhaps more than a month ago, was discovered on the highest point of Sutro woods, back of the Affiliated Colleges building, yesterday. The body was first seen by a passerby, who informed a street car conductor, and he in turn told the police. Patrolmen C. B. Weekend and A.C. Williams of the Park police station repaired to the woods in search of the corpse. They hunted through the brush and undergrowth from 3 o'clock till 5:15 before their efforts were rewarded by the finding of the grewsome object. The officers came upon the body of the unfortunate man in the thickest part of the woods. The corpse was in a sitting posture, leaning against a large rock. The left hand and the left leg below the knee were entirely eaten raw by wild animals and the face was utterly decomposed. The body of the man had evidently been undisturbed for a month or more. A black soft hat was discovered about ten feet away from where the corpse lay. A large British bulldog pistol lay rusted at the feet of the dead man, showing only too plainly how he had rid himself of his troubles. The patrolmen made no attempt to remove the body, but at once notified the Central police station and the Morgue. This morning at 10 o'clock a detachment of police and Coroner's deputies will repair to the scene, make an investigation, and remove the body to the Morgue, where an effort will be made to ascertain the identity of the unfortunate. A Midnight Walk in the Woods There have been many articles written about haunted places in San Francisco but none, to my knowledge, have ever been written about the haunting of Sutro Forest. Is this place really haunted, as I suspect it would be? Perhaps the spirits of those who committed suicide here still walk these woods. After reading the accounts detailed above, I believe that certainly might be the case. I decided to find out for myself - first hand at night. On a damp, foggy night, I start my walk. I begin on Johnstone Street, just off of Clarendon Avenue. There is a path into Sutro Forest that starts here. As I walk down the path, the glow of the final streetlight fades to nothingness, and I now have only one companion - darkness. This dense forest, mystical and enchanted by day, is incredibly eerie at night. My eyes have not yet acclimated to the absence of light. Light... I now realize that its something we take for granted. Light is as essential to our feeling of security and sense of well being as food is to sustenance, or air is to life. Put us in a strange environment, take away the light, and our confidence quickly erodes. I know. Im beginning to experience it now. Now my pupils are beginning to dilate as my eyes acclimate to the dark. There is a slight luminescence as the glow of the city below refracts through the dense fog. Odd forms and shapes in the woods attract my attention. I imagine figures crouching and lurking behind trees in the darkness. Millions of eucalyptus leaves rustling in the wind combine to make a powerful roar. Condensation is dripping from the trees, almost like rain. I can feel the large drops hitting my shoulders giving me the sensation that someones tapping me from behind. My vision, diminished by the darkness, is replaced by a heightening of my mental senses and my sense of sound. I'm on alert. I stop. I listen. Am I being watched? Am I being followed? I hear the snap of a twig and the crunch of gravel. A shot of adrenaline pumps through my system. WHAT WAS THAT???!!! A raccoon??? A possum??? A skunk??? A human??? SOMETHING ELSE??? Maybe its just the sound of moisture hitting the ground as it drips off the trees. Im now just above UCSF - the former site of the Affiliated Colleges. Is this the place, where in 1899, I would have encountered the dead body of Grant Bell, the bicycle mechanic - lifeless, pale, and wide-eyed, clutching his envelope of cyanide? Now it's my eyes that are sending me messages. I see something move laterally across the trail ahead of me about 100 feet away. It was white and wispy; unmistakable there one second and gone the next. WHAT WAS THAT MANIFESTATION??? I KNOW I SAW SOMETHING!!! Again the chill, but I keep walking forward, my eyes fixed on that spot. It manifests itself a second time. Just the fog. . . a thick visible breath of moisture in the night air. WHEW!!! My heart is pounding fast, but I exhale a breath of relief. These are the same paths that Ishi, the last native California Indian living in the wild, walked almost 100 years ago. After he wandered out of the woods near Oroville in 1911, he was brought to the City, to the Affiliated Colleges, located on the northern edge of the Sutro Forest, to be studied. That site is just below me. Free to roam as he pleased, Ishi spent time here in Sutro Forest because it reminded him so much of his wild Northern California homeland. That was until his death from tuberculosis in 1916, a disease against which he had no defenses. When Ishi died, his protector and benefactor, anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, was away on the East Coast. Ishi had left specific instructions that he was not to be autopsied or dissected upon his death. But against his will, they tampered with his body. In Professor Kroebers absence, physicians at the college couldn't resist cutting open Ishis skull and removing his brain for further study to see if it differed in any way from the White Mans - all in the name of science. It was disrespectful sacrilege. Im certain that Ishi's spirit was angry. Does his angry spirit wander these woods, or is it a forgiving, benevolent one? Somehow I know Ishi is here right now, not far from where I am. I can feel it. Out of respect, I don't want to disturb him. I stop and listen. Is that the echo of his chanting I hear? Or is it just the wind? A little further on I stop at the most amazing chert rock formation I have ever seen. It is a huge elaborate twisted mass of sedimentary rock almost 20 feet in height located in a dense part of the forest near the top of Mount Sutro. This, I think to myself, must be the place where the body of the unidentified man who ended his life with the pistol was found in 1904, lying lifeless against the rock, decomposed beyond recognition, pistol at his feet, self-inflicted bullet wound in the head. I stare at the rock. If I stared any longer, Id see blood running down its surface, as Im sure it once did. These things happened here, and they were as real as this moment is right now. I can see them clearly in my minds eye and the images are disturbing. Then I hear something - a groan. I stop; I listen. There it is again!!! U-U-U-U-H-H-H-H. WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT???!!! Probably just the trunk of a eucalyptus tree flexing in the wind. A sound I would have recognized by day becomes strange and unnerving at night. I keep walking. I'm bundled-up against the cold moist wind, but I feel a chill - not from the damp night air, but from deep within. I'm strong and fit, but that type of strength doesn't counter this type of fear. Its a primordial fear, synthesized by the senses and enhanced by the imagination. As I continue my walk, I try to step silently to avoid attracting the attention of anyone, or anything, that might be lurking in the darkness. Then, I suddenly feel a presence behind me. I stop again. Its unmistakable. I turn around slowly. I fully expect to see Adolph Sutro himself, attired in a 19th century suit, standing on the path right behind me, wide eyed, staring at me in silence. Nothing there. But again, the deep chill. I keep walking. [Insert Picture 5] Adolph Sutro. I stop at a small clearing. Im about midway between UCSF (once the Affiliated Colleges) and Laguna Honda Hospital (once the Almshouse). Is this the place where, a little over 100 years ago, I would have seen the body of the unidentified man dressed in the gray waistcoat and dark striped trousers, dangling by the neck from the limb of a tree, swaying back and forth in the wind? Is this the very place where I would have seen his headless corpse lying on the ground, just as those boys from Stanyan Street who made the gruesome discovery did in November 1903? I shudder, then try and steel myself against the fear. I know these woods well by day, but by night, Im slightly disoriented. The path forks. Should I go to the left or to the right? I dont want to make the wrong decision because Im ready for this experience to be over. Im getting to the point where Ive had enough. The combination of fear and adrenaline is exhausting. I take the left fork. Good choice. Through the curtain of fog I soon see the light of Christopher Drive in Forest Knolls below. I make my way toward it. The narrow path is now steep and slippery. Im careful not to loose my balance and fall in the dark. I step out of the forest and onto the wet pavement. Again I exhale in relief. The fog of my breath reminds me of the ghost I saw a short while ago. I take my pulse to measure the combination of exertion and fear; 96 beats per minute. Then I calm down and wonder, Do the people sleeping in these houses on this quiet residential street realize what powerful spirits exist only a few feet away? I distinctly felt the presence of those spirits this night. So you now ask, Is Sutro Forest REALLY haunted??? My answer Yes, it is. Haunted in the sense that it clearly communicates with the mind, the imagination, and the senses about the disturbing things that happened here in the past. It echoes the melancholy chants of Ishi, homesick for the woods he once knew. It invokes incredible sensitivities and feelings like Ive never experienced. The events that occurred here, and the people they involved as real as you or I - reach out and touch you as you walk the paths in the darkness of night. Something you just dont sense in daylight. Whether you live in The City or come here occasionally to visit, you are likely to see majestic Sutro Forest, either up close or from a distance. Next time you glimpse this amazing place, keep this story in mind. You will see the forest as more than just a beautiful tree-covered mountain. Theres much more here than meets the eye. Believe me, I know. Ive experienced it first hand. Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places! Police on horseback begin to approach demonstrators who gathered to protest the death of George Floyd, near the White House on June 1, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo) DOJ Charges More Than 80 With Federal Crimes Amid Rioting Since Floyds Death The Justice Departments (DOJ) efforts to restore law and order amid the riots and chaos that have occurred since George Floyds death have led to the arrest of dozens of individuals over the past two weeks. At least 81 individuals have been charged with federal crimes as of June 12, according to a DOJ document, obtained by The Epoch Times, that outlines details of the arrests made since late May when the nationwide protests began. Among those charges, about 40 were arrested for committing acts of violence including using Molotov cocktails, setting fires, damaging property, and looting. While many protests remained peaceful as people flooded the streets to call for change over police brutality and policing practices, some cities were faced with the violent activity that has led to significant property damage and more than a dozen deaths. Demonstrators march toward Lafayette Park and the White House to protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd, in Washington on June 2, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Senior officials have attributed the violent activity observed amid protests over Floyd, a black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police, to extremist organizations such as Antifa. Attorney General William Barr said in a press conference on June 3 that Antifa and other similar groups and actors of a variety of different political persuasions have been behind the recent violent activities in order to carry out their own separate agendas. Barr said these actors were capitalizing on the protests to engage in lawlessness, violent rioting, arson, looting of businesses and public property, assaults on law enforcement officers and innocent people, and even the murder of a federal agent. In Seattle, protesters have occupied and barricaded off part of the city, dubbed the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, after the police were driven out of the East Precinct building, which was the site of violent clashes. The occupation prompted President Donald Trump to call on state and city officials to take back the city. On June 11, some officers from the precinct returned to the building, where they remained on June 12, according to a police spokeswoman, as officials finalize plans to reclaim the building. The officers were there to assess the building, which was vandalized and had signs hung up stating, This space is now property of the Seattle people. The boarded-up Seattle Police Department East Precinct inside the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, Wash. on June 10, 2020. (Ernie Li/NTD Television) Barr has vowed to restore law and order to American streets and communities, stating that federal law enforcement efforts are focused on the violent instigators. We will continue to investigate, make arrests, and prosecute where warranted, he said in a speech on June 4. Arrests Amid Chaos The document released by the DOJ details the federal riot-related cases announced so far by U.S. attorneys across the country; as of June 12, there were 57 pending cases. Individuals were arrested for a range of alleged conduct, which includes pointing laser beams at law enforcement aircraft, setting police vehicles on fire, possession of firearms during the protests, theft and looting, inciting riots, and for impersonating a federal officer. One man, Loren Reed, 26, of Page, Arizona, was arrested June 2 for using the internet and telephone to make threats to burn a local courthouse. According to the complaint, Reed created a private Facebook chat aimed at convincing people to join a meet-up at the courthouse to participate in a riot. In that chat, Reed allegedly posted numerous messages related to burning government buildings such as the courthouse and local police department. Police had received a tip about Reed from a concerned citizen. In another case, Branden Michael Wolfe, 23, from St Paul, Minnesota, was charged with aiding and abetting arson at the Minneapolis Police Departments 3rd Precinct. Wolfe was arrested by police at a home improvement store after receiving a complaint that an individual wearing body armor and a law enforcement duty belt and carrying a baton was trying to enter the store, according to the complaint. State Police stand guard as smoke billows from buildings that continue to burn in the aftermath of a night of protests and violence following the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 29, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Wolfe was previously employed as a security guard at the store but was fired earlier that day. The complaint said at the time when police encountered him, Wolfe was wearing several items stolen from the 3rd Precinct, including the body armor, a police-issue duty belt with handcuffs, an earphone piece, baton, and knife. Police later recovered additional items belonging to the police department at Wolfes apartment, including a riot helmet, 9mm pistol magazine, police radio, and police issue overdose kit, the complaint stated. Similarly, three New York residents, Colinford Mattis, Urooj Rahman, Samantha Shader were charged in two separate indictments for allegedly trying to use improvised incendiary devices, commonly known as Molotov cocktails, to damage a New York City Police Department vehicle in May. The three were each charged with the use of explosives, arson, use of explosives to commit a felony, arson conspiracy, use of a destructive device, civil disorder, and making or possessing a destructive device. Very Focused Investigations on Individuals Questions about whether the far-left extremist group Antifa are involved in the rioting have been raised in recent days, following no signs of Antifa in federal criminal complaints. In an interview with Fox News, Barr explained that Antifa hasnt yet been mentioned in criminal complaints related to the rioting because federal authorities are still conducting comprehensive investigations into certain individuals with ties to the extremist group. We have some investigations underway and very focused investigations on certain individuals that relate to Antifa, Barr said during an interview with Fox News on June 8. But in the initial phase of identifying people and arresting them, they were arrested for crimes that dont require us to identify a particular group or dont necessitate that. Attorney General William Barr speaks during a roundtable with law enforcement officials in the State Dining Room of the White House on June 8, 2020. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) Barr said the investigation will look into the sources of funding behind the extremist groups and also on the coordinated tactics used by these groups during the protests. Some of it relates to an Antifa. Some of it relates to groups that act very much like an Antifa. As I said, theres a witchs brew of extremist groups that are trying to exploit this situation on all sides, Barr said. The Epoch Times has previously reported on the unprecedented and coordinated effort behind the riots, which has spanned several states across the country. Among these efforts include allegedly leaving materials such as bricks and water bottles filled with gasoline in convenient locations to be used to fuel rioting. Reforms President Donald Trump has announced a four-point plan to address police brutality and racial inequity in the United States amid calls for change from protesters. His plan includes pursuing economic development in minority communities, addressing health care disparities, issuing an executive order to encourage police departments nationwide to meet the most current professional standards, and expanding access to education by urging Congress to enact school choice nationwide. Trump said his administration has been working on many different elements to promote law, order, and safety, while he condemned the violence observed over the past two weeks. President Donald Trump makes remarks as he participates in a roundtable with law enforcement officials in the State Dining Room of the White House on June 8, 2020. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) What happened two weeks ago was a disgrace when you see that. What happened on numerous occasions over the last two weekspeople were killed. A number of people were killed, and it was very, very terrible and very, very unfair. A number of them were police officers. And it was a very unfair situation. We dont want to see that, he said. He said his plan would encourage police departments to meet the most current professional standards of force. That means force, but force with compassion, he said. But if youre going to have to really do a job, if somebodys really bad, youre going to have to do it with real strength, real power. Barr, who was there during the announcement, appeared supportive of Trumps plan. He reiterated DOJs commitment to supporting the presidents reform efforts. He said that he didnt think its the time to be tearing down our institutions in order to enact change, saying that America has been on a march in the last 50 years to reform its institutions, which he acknowledged had been explicitly discriminatory up until the last 60 years. We have to be mature about this, and when we see problems, we have to redouble our efforts to reform our institutions and make sure theyre in sync with our values, Barr said. Srinagar: Continuing with a spate of encounters that have taken place in the Valley in recent days, security forces on Saturday (June 13) killed at least two terrorists in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. "Two unidentified terrorists killed. Search going on. Further details shall follow," the Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet today, having earlier tweeted that an encounter had started in Nipora area of Kulgam, adding that police and security forces were on the job. A joint team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, 19 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army and the Central Reserve Police (CRPF) launched a cordon and search operation on receiving inputs about the possible presence of terrorists in Nipora area of Kulgam district on Friday night. As they approached the site, they were fired upon by the hiding terrorists. The security forces fired back, thus triggering an encounter. An official said that terrorists were asked to surrender before forces, but they fired bullets. Its the fourth encounter in south Kashmir this week. Earlier 14 terrorists including a top Hizbul commander, were killed in three separate encounters in Shopian district. In last one week, security forces have killed 16 terrorists, taking the toll to 95 in this year. Have you recently found yourself without work or spending an extended amount of time at home? Maybe you were laid off or had an injury leaving you homebound. The lawyers at Diamond & Diamond state that some medical injuries can leave victims recovering for weeks or even months after an accident. The first couple of days will probably be relaxing, but after that, you'll likely become bored. If you've run out of things to watch, we're going to tell you about the top Korean films to watch when stuck at home. Train to Busan If you love good zombie thrillers, then you should watch Train to Busan. It's filled with suspense, claustrophobia, while all the passengers on the train are stuck. Banker Seok-woo and his daughter Su-an board the train to visit her mother. The last person to enter the train has a nasty bite on her leg, which makes her turn into a zombie. The infestation starts to spread through the train, and it seems like Banker and Su-an might not make it to their destination. It's an exciting story with some gore and a father that will do anything to protect his daughter. The Beauty Inside If thrillers aren't your thing, but a love story is, The Beauty Inside will make your heart melt. It's a story about Kim Woo-jin, a young man who has an interesting life. Every day he wakes up as a different person. His closet is filled with various sized clothes and styles because he never knows how he'll wake up. You can imagine that this makes it difficult to find love, so he tries to avoid it. This all changes when he meets Yi-soo, who takes his heart instantly. He manages to get in three dates before falling asleep and waking up as someone else. This love story dives into what happens next with Kim Woo-jin and Yi-soo's relationship and tests unconditional love. Lucid Dream Lucid Dream is a psychological movie about Choi Dae-ho, an investigative journalist, and his son, who's kidnapped. So-Hyun, the doctor of sleep research, works with Choi Dae-ho to figure out what happened to his son. Dae-ho takes drugs and is hooked up to a machine to look inside his lucid dreams. This thriller dives deep into his psyche, and the mystery of his son's disappearance starts to reveal itself. If you enjoy movies that make you think and keep you on edge, then you'll love the story of Lucid Dream. Psychokinesis Looking for a movie that will make you laugh, but is also filled with action? Psychokinesis is a superhero tale with comedy throughout. Shin Roo-ni runs a fried chicken restaurant in Seoul but is faced with problems when a thug construction company comes to town and wants to build a mall where her restaurant is. Shin Roo-ni tried to take on the fight on her own, but couldn't do it alone anymore. Her mother tragically passed away, so she must contact her estranged dad, Seok-heon, who has some superpowers. These aren't anything compared to Superman or Batman, as Seok-heon isn't strong enough to take on the world. This comical story shows a superhero exploring his power to try to save his daughter's fried chicken restaurant. The Bottom Line These movies will make you laugh, cry, and keep you on the edge of your seat. Most of these are available to stream on Netflix. If you're stuck at home with nothing else to watch, try out these. Grab a bowl of popcorn, a blanket, and watch Train to Busan, The Beauty Inside, Lucid Dream, or Psychokinesis on a movie night at home. Amid rise in coronavirus cases across Goa, it has emerged that a health establishment - the Urban Health Centre (UHC) in Vasco da Gama, the states port town - is the single source for a bulk of cases in the state. Health authorities first realised they had a problem on their hands when staff members at this health centre began testing positive. It is believed that these health workers were deployed to work in Mangor Hill, a congested locality in the port town of Vasco da Gama, before it was declared as Goas first Covid-19 containment zone. Testing within the containment zone was stopped after the workers were found positive and a new team was brought in. Data released by the government has revealed that 24 out of the 34 staff working at the Urban Health Centre in Vasco tested Covid-19 positive which forced the shuttering of the centre. Tests on their family members have also come out positive. To protect themselves, the villages where they come from have gone into self-lockdowns. A security guard who worked at the UHC in Vasco, in turn, infected three members of his family and five others in the neighbourhood, forcing the authorities to demarcate a zone of restricted movement. At Morlem in Sattari, a village on the eastern frontier with Karnataka and deep within the Western Ghats, 15 persons have contracted the disease that can all be traced to a couple of workers from the village who were posted at the said health centre. Its a similar story for other villages in Goa - Guleli, Melaulim, Usgao - as well as Canacona in South Goa where cases were found after primary contact of the health workers was tested and found positive. The Health Authorities admitted to the lapse that led to the spread. Various active cases are of people from people who are working at the Urban Health Centre in Vasco but were from various parts of Goa. Now all of them (health workers) are being put up in hotels and residencies. We are equally concerned as from them it has gone to others across the state. We are trying to mitigate that and see that it doesnt happen again, Health Secretary Nila Mohanan said. The health workers were earlier being given the option of returning home at the end of their shifts, a practice that has now been stopped. The statement comes even as more staff members linked to the state health department have tested positive. On Saturday the Health Department conducted tests on all security guards at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, the states premier health facility, after a lone security guard working at the facility tested positive, sparking fears that the states main hospital too may be carrying the infection. With reference to a security guard working at GMC who was tested positive, we have conducted swab testing for all the guards and their family members. We have placed them under quarantine until their results are out, as per my discussion with the Collector, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said. I have also written to Secretary Health instructing that we conduct mass/random testing in all the areas where we have a positive case. Our team will ensure such testing is carried out. If required, based on the number of cases, we will declare the said ward as a containment zone, Rane added. Cases have also sprung up in the quarters of the Employee State Insurance (ESI) Corporation which is in the vicinity of the ESI Hospital which is Goas dedicated Covid-19 Hospital. Besides health workers, five drivers of the Kadamba Transport Corporation, the state owned bus service and four postal workers at the Vasco Post Office, have also tested positive. The Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu is said to be recovering after testing positive for COVID-19. Information available to Citi News indicates that the Minister has been receiving treatment at the University of Ghana Medical Centre in Accra over the past week. Multiple sources in the medical team at the hospital who confirmed the information to Citi News say the Dormaa Central MP was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday and is in a stable condition. Citi News checks at the Health Ministry has corroborated the story as information there suggests Mr. Agyeman Manu has taken a few days off from work and has not reported to work all week. The UGMC currently has 4 patients on admission at the ICU with several others in the main wards of the hospitals COVID-19 wing. The Health Minister who announced Ghanas first COVID-19 case in a night broadcast in March this year would be the first high profile government official to have confirmed positive for the novel Coronavirus. He is known for urging the public to be cautious of the virus during his regular appearances at the bi-weekly press briefings on COVID-19 by the Information Ministry which has been conspicuously put on hold for a while. The information is coming at a time the leader of government business in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah has lamented how MPs, Parliamentary Service staff and journalists who tested positive for the virus have refused to self isolate. Although no names have been mentioned, Mr. Mensah Bonsus lamentations suggest more than one person in the House of Legislature has tested positive and this could include MPs. Meanwhile, the Mayor of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly in the Western Region, Anthony K.K. Sam, has passed away due to an illness close associates have disclosed as COVID-19. A source at the UGMC in Accra where the MCE died told Citi News his Coronavirus case was compounded by a failure of the lung. citinewsroom C onservative and Labour politicians have united in condemning the violence that flared up at protests in central London on Saturday. Officers in riot gear and mounted police were pelted with bottles and at least one smoke bomb after a crowd of people, some from far-right groups, converged on Parliament Square on Saturday. Chants of "England" rang out around Whitehall as some protesters appeared to make Nazi salutes. Many of those present were drinking. Home Secretary Priti Patel slammed protesters, describing the scenes as "thoroughly unacceptable thuggery." She said on Twitter: "Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law. Violence towards our police officers will not be tolerated. London mayor Sadiq Khan also criticised the violence, tweeting: This is totally unacceptable. We will not tolerate attacks on our police and perpetrators will feel the full force of the law. It is clear that far right groups are causing violence and disorder in central London, I urge people to stay away. Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds also joined the condemnations, saying the protesters seemed "intent on causing violence and division." Police bosses implemented a Section 60 order, enabling officers to conduct street searches amid concerns some protesters had brought weapons and were "intent on causing harm". Met Police commander Bas Javid said: The safety of protesters, officers and the public this weekend is of the upmost importance, and it is for that exact reason why we have consulted with colleagues and partners, and decided it is proportionate to put in place a Section 60. It is our job to protect those who are coming into central London today, and this tactic is one of the best available to us, which allows us to seize offensive weapons that have absolutely no place on our streets at any time of the day. Whilst we believe there is no imminent threat to the public, we want people to be aware of why they may be stopped by Londons officers, spoken to, and possibly searched as well. Officers will, as always, be professional and courteous and I really want the public to speak to police if they have any concerns about why they are being stopped and spoken to. 20 people arrested, over 150 booked for attack on Hindu temple in Pakistan Pune: PM Modi bust removed from temple built for him by BJP worker; NCP workers stage mock protest How Nahru Khan is making devotees smile at the Pashupatinath Temple India oi-Briti Roy Barman Bhopal, June 13: When the nation is struggling in fighting against COVID-19 pandemic and everytime you switch on your television or open your newspaper to only get daily tally of coronavirus positive or death, this story will make you smile. The hero of the story Nahru Khan is a shining example of the Hindu-Muslim unity that the country can proud of. MP: A man, Nahru Khan has installed contactless bell at Pashupatinath Temple, Mandsaur. He says "We listen to azan, so I thought clanging of bells should also be heard. It works on proximity sensor (able to detect presence of nearby objects without physical contact)". #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/bjY13EqZk6 ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2020 As we know about imposed restrictions during the unlock 1.0 across the country to prevent coronavirus spread, temples are no exception. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News Coronavirus outbreak: India records more than 11,000 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours Nahru Khan from Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh found a way to play the bells in the temples without touching it as any physical contact is prohibited in the temples. Mandsaur philanthropist Naharu Khan said, 'We listen to azan, so I thought clanging of bells should also be heard. It works on proximity sensor. So I started working on the bell from the sensor, which does not need to touch the bell." Khan says that after three days of hard work, he has installed such a sensor in the Pashupatinath temple, under which the bell starts ringing automatically on showing hands and face. Sensors on bell The bell has a roller in the middle of the rod and a sensor on the bottom. When a devotee shows the hand or face below, it starts to rotate the roller inside the rod. The bell is tied to the roller, so the sensor roller pulls and leaves the rope. This rings the bell without hands. Devotees in the temple are very happy to see this censored bell. Significantly, since June 8, thousands of people have visited the temple till now and everyone is surprised and happy by the sound of the censored bell. A police officer has sparked fury on social media, accused of flashing a 'white power' sign at Black Lives Matters protesters. The officer, who was wearing a face mask, appeared to flash an 'OK' symbol while passing demonstrators in Sydney on Friday evening. The symbol has been co-opted by white supremacist groups in recent years - and his hand gesture sparked furious calls on social media for the officer to be sacked. A NSW Police Officer was recorded gesturing the 'white power sign' on his way to the Black Lives Matter protest on Friday night The officers were on the way to the protest at Hyde Park when one of their colleagues did the 'white power sign' But NSW Police said the police officer's hand gesture was totally innocent and he was simply responding to a group of women about the night being 'okay'. '(He) used a hand symbol as he was wearing a face mask,' a spokeswoman told daily Mail Australia. 'The officer has been spoken to and did not intentionally make a gesture that could be deemed offensive. 'He did not know the gesture had any other meaning'. The tweet had garnered attention from furious social media users calling for the police officer to be punished. 'Sack him immediately. He has no place in our police force,' one person wrote. 'Now I know why the cops suddenly discovered protective masks: to hide their identity,' another commented. 'NSW police need to be demilitarised and defunded,' another user stated. The officer signalled the 'white power sign' on his way to the Black Lives Matter protest on Friday night About 300 people gathered at the city's Hyde Park on Friday night to protest Indigenous deaths in custody, defying authorities which had refused the demonstration due to coronavirus fears. During the protest, police broadcast a message saying: 'This is a Long Range Acoustic Device', sparking a flurry of concerned tweets from demonstrators and state Greens Upper House MP David Shoebridge. A Long Range Acoustic Device - known as a LARD - can blast out deafening warning tones and is often to disperse protesters in the United States. NSW Police officers stand guard around a statue of Captain Cook in Hyde Park on June 12, 2020 in Sydney Protesters holding placards are seen during a Stop Black Deaths in Custody: Solidarity with Long Bay Prisoners vigil at Sydney Town Hall in Sydney, Friday, June 12 Protesters arrived at Sydney's Hyde Park for the unauthorised rally to stop Aboriginal deaths in custody A Long Range Acoustic Device - known as a LARD - can blast out deafening warning tones and is often to disperse protesters in the United States (stock of LARD) 'We're hearing police have just used a sound weapon against protesters,' Greens MP David Shoebridge tweeted. What is a Long Range Acoustic Device? A Long Range Acoustic Device - known as a LARD - is a device which sends messages and warning tones over longer distances and higher volume than normal loudspeakers A LARD is often used to disperse protesters in the United States. It look like a large black speaker. It reaches maximum continuous sound of up to 162dB, which can be heard up to 5.5km away. Anyone within earshot would be affected due to the high frequency. Advertisement But Assistant NSW Police Commissioner Mick Willing denied the allegations saying it was simply a 'normal loud hailer'. 'There is one issue I want to clarify out there about the alleged use of some sort of sound weapon by police,' he told the media. 'That is not the case, police officers used a normal loud hailer to issue a warning to the crowd.' A NSW Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that it was in fact a 'loud speaker' officers were using. Protesters were outnumbered by more than 600 police officers in the city on Friday night, in an event deemed unlawful because NSW Police wasn't formally notified. 'Black lives matter' and 'Not enough justice, too many coppers' was chanted by protesters as they marched through Hyde Park. Commissioner Willing expressed his disappointment that protesters disregarded the public health oder at an 'unauthorised event'. 'It was made very clear during the week that the protest was unauthorised, and people should put the health and wellbeing of themselves and others first, by not attending.' Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing denied the allegations saying it was a 'normal loud hailer' Police used a loud siren (pictured) asking the people to disperse and go home NSW Police wearing masks are seen during a Stop Black Deaths in Custody: Solidarity with Long Bay Prisoners vigil at Sydney Town Hall in Sydney, Friday, June 12 A 24-year-old woman from Panania was arrested after failing to comply with a move on direction. She was issued with a PIN for breaching a public health order and released. NSW Police will once again be out in force for Saturday's unauthorised protest which has been banned by the NSW Supreme Court. He warned demonstrators to 'stay at home' as officers will carry out the law and fine people $1,000 for breaching public health orders. 'I want to be clear about this - if people choose to break the law and attend this protest, police will not hesitate to take the appropriate action against them.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday stated: 'The very clear message is people should not attend those events because it is against the health advice to do so.' He said protesters should express their views 'in another way'. A protester gestures towards New South Wales police officers during a 'Rally Against Black Deaths In Custody' in Hyde Park on June 12, 2020 NSW Police officers are seen lined up at Town Hall during a 'Rally Against Black Deaths In Custody' on June 12 A woman holds up a sign which reads, 'Strongly Dislike the Police' at Town Hall on June 12, 2020 in Sydney, Australia The NSW Supreme Court earlier this week prohibited the 'Free the refugees' protest scheduled for Saturday afternoon on the basis the health risks 'outweigh the rights of public assembly and free speech'. The Refugee Action Coalition (RAC) said they would ignore the court's decision that declared Saturday's event a prohibited public gathering. In a judgement handed down late on Thursday, Justice Michael Walton granted a NSW Police application that opposed the rally on public health grounds. The rally, which is being organised by the Refugee Action Coalition (RAC), is scheduled to take place at Sydney's Town Hall on Saturday afternoon. Immediately following the decision, during which Justice Walton said the right to protest did not outweigh health concerns, the group's spokesman said the ruling would not change their plans. 'We'll still be holding an event this Saturday, urging people to participate,' James Supple said outside court. 'As the court said, it doesn't actually make it illegal to come to a protest, it just gives the police more powers. 'We'll be doing everything in our power to ensure it's a safe gathering and urging people to show some safety concern for the coronavirus measures.' NSW Police officers stand guard around a statue of Captain Cook in Hyde Park on June 12 Police stand guard in front of Town Hall waiting for the Illegal protestors on June 12, 2020 Police had asked RAC to postpone the protest, which is expected to attract around 150 to 200 people. But the group's lawyer, Emmanuel Kerkyasharian SC, told the court the protest was a matter of urgency given refugees were being held in custody against their will. He also argued the rally was no different to gatherings that were allowed in schools, airports and parliament. Mr Supple said RAC did not intend to take their case to the Court of Appeal and would instead push ahead with the protest in spite of warnings from authorities. Their warning comes after a protester, who attended last weekend's Black Lives Matter rally in Melbourne, tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday. NSW's two-week streak of no new locally-acquired COVID-19 appears over after Rose Bay Public School was closed on Friday while NSW Health investigated a possible case in a staff member. 'Further testing confirmed this is a case of COVID-19,' the department said in the evening. 'However, it should be stressed that the date of infection is still to be determined and this case may be an older infection.' When shale drillers in the worlds largest oil producer started shutting in oil wells that had suddenly become uneconomical, many in the industry breathed a sigh of relief. That would put a floor under oil prices, they expected. And with E&Ps in the spotlight, another part of the oil supply chain remained largely ignored: the midstream. One of the things that made this years oil industrys crisis different from most was that it affected every part of the supply chain. While usually the midstream and downstream would benefit from upstreams excessive production woes, that was not the case this time, because demand was destroyed by the pandemic. So when shale drillers in the United States started idling rigs and shutting in wells, they started affecting the revenues and viability of their midstream collection, storage, and transport partners. And while demand for oil storage indeed soared, demand for pipeline transportation fell off a cliff. Pipeline utilization rates in the U.S. fell sharply after the oil price drop in March, Wood Mackenzie analysts said earlier this month. Exploration and production companies are doing what they must to weather the crisis, but this is costing them and their pipeline operators. Shale is finally behaving the way shale was intended to behave flexibly and with an eye to short-cycle investment opportunities, Wood Mac upstream corporate research analyst Alex Beeker said in the report. They are doing whatever it takes to survive. Cuts of this magnitude were absolutely the right move, but balance sheets will still be tested this year. But, he added, Many are electing to defer drilling and completion activity, in violation of their minimum volume commitment contracts with midstream companies. Theyd rather pay a few million dollars in penalties than drill at current prices. Related: Saudi Arabia On Track To Secure Highest Oil Market Share In 40 Years Story continues A few million dollars would do pipeline operators good, perhaps, but how much good would that be compared with regular pipeline use fees for more than minimum volumes? Now add the chances of dozens of shale drillers going bust because of the crisis, and not being able even to pay these few million dollars in penalties, and the future looks bleak. Since the start of the year, pipeline companies have delayed capacity expansion projects equalling capacity of 1.4 million bpd, Argus reported last month. Some capacity expansion projects are still in the works, thanks to secured long-term contracts, and expected to come on stream on schedule, but the delays are not a good sign. U.S. shales largest independent producers reported a combined net loss of $26 billion for the first quarter of the year, the Financial Times reported in late May. And this wasnt even the worst quarter this year, as lockdowns in Western Europe and the United States only began in Q1 but their effects began to be felt fully only in the current quarter. But besides the losses, these top independent producers also incurred combined write-offs of more than $38 billion during the first quarter, according to Rystad Energy data. Seventeen shale companies have filed for bankruptcy since the start of the year. More are expected to follow. And it will take years before production recovers to pre-crisis levels if it ever does. It looks like midstream companies have a lot to lose, and just a few months ago, there was too much oil for the pipeline network to take. Oil production is already down by 1.2 million bpd from a year ago as of June 5, according to the Energy Information Administration. Prices continue lower than most producers need to restart drilling. And yet some are reopening the shut-in wells even at these low prices. This move is all too likely to slow down the coveted price recovery that would help most get back on their feet. Very little new drilling makes sense at $35 a barrel (/bbl). On a basin-wide average, the Permian is the only region that can make money at that price level. In order to see a meaningful recovery in drilling and completion activity, we need to see prices north of $45/bbl, Wood Macs Beeker said. Related: Oil Set For First Weekly Loss In Seven Weeks This means midstream operators will have to wait for the situation to get back to normal a while longer. But some of them are not waiting. Some are taking action to diversify to survive. Canadas Enbridge, one of the largest pipeline operators in North America, is looking to expand away from oil and into natural gas as well as renewable energy projects. We think having a diversified approach, having a gradual approach to the transition through natural gas and renewables makes a lot of sense, the companys chief executive Al Monaco said earlier this month. In that, Enbridge is an exception in the industry, but it may not be an exception for long. The oil crisis was unprecedented and completely unexpected. But once it did happen, whats to guarantee it wont happen again? Just like shale drillers learned to be more flexible after the 2014 crisis and to survive at lower production prices, so too must midstream companies learn to be more flexible after this crisis. And they may do well to diversify away from their core business. Big Oil is doing it, and it is doing it urgently. Maybe they are onto something that could work for the rest of the industry as well. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Read this article on OilPrice.com Credit: CC0 Public Domain France will gradually reopen its borders to countries outside the Schengen zone from July 1, the interior and foreign ministers said in a joint statement on Friday. The borders were shut in mid-March to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, but the European Union recommended on Thursday that the bloc reopen to some countries in the Balkans from July 1. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said in their statement that France's reopening would be in harmony with the rest of the EU. "This opening will be gradual and will vary according to the health situation in each of the third countries, and in accordance with the arrangements that will have been agreed at European level by then," the ministers said. Europe has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, accounting for almost half of the world's deaths. But the spread has slowed in many of the hardest-hit countries, including Spain, Italy and France, allowing the most restrictive measures to be lifted. Castaner and Le Drian confirmed that France would also lift all border restrictions with other Schengen countries from June 15. Spain remains under restrictions as Madrid enforces a quarantine on all overseas travellers and France has promised reciprocal measures. The Schengen borderless area covers most of the European Union as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP San Antonio Police Chief William McManus addresses the media amid an ongoing search for the shooting suspect. Facebook A man shot and wounded 8 people outside a San Antonio bar Friday night, according to a CNN report. Police said the man was part of a larger group that was denied entry to the bar because they were intoxicated. The victims include five women and three men, and all are in stable condition, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said at a media conference Saturday. The police were still searching for the shooter on Saturday. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Police are searching for a man who shot 8 people outside a San Antonio bar on Friday night, according to a CNN report. According to the report, the man grabbed "a long rifle" and opened fire outside the bar after he was denied entry for being intoxicated. The eight victims were wounded and were able to transport themselves to local hospitals, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said at a media conference Saturday. The victims include five women and three men, and all are in stable condition, McManus said. There were no fatalities. According to McManus, the shooter said "'don't you know who I am? I'm a UFC fighter from California," when his group was denied entry at the bar. He went back to his car and pulled out the gun before opening fire. Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage Saturday to help identify the shooter. This story is developing. Read the original article on Business Insider A woman was fired from her job at Thursday after her racist rant on social media went viral, prompting a public response from the company. In the video posted to Facebook Thursday, Jacqueline Michele DeLuca of West New York appeared to be driving as she recorded a 45-second, expletive-laden rant, apparently spurred by a bout of road rage. As she explained how a man in another car ran the ... stoplight and looked at me like it was my ... fault," DeLuca used the N-word multiple times, emphasizing the slur directly to the camera. She then called for violence against the Black Lives Matter movement. The video went viral Thursday, notching more than 1 million views. Hours later, her employer, Party City, posted a statement to its social media accounts condemning the video and announcing that the employee who produced and posted the video had been fired. DeLuca was not named in the statement. DeLucas rant was posted to Twitter by Isiah Christian, a 24-year-old Union City resident, on Thursday. Christian told NJ Advance Media that he knows DeLuca from living in the same town, saying that they have mutual friends and sometimes run into each other at parties. He said that the video was shared with him by a friend. Christian said DeLuca had been working at the North Bergen Party City location. The goal was not to make her go viral but to shed light on what Ive been through (and many other African Americans have been through) in this community, Christian said of posting the video on social media. He added that he is African and Latino, and DeLucas comments bothered him. Christian said that he had never known DeLuca to make racist comments before he saw this video. Never ever, Christian said. This is all new to me and everyone from around the way that knows her. She has a half African-American child. It was all new. Christians post of DeLucas rant has been retweeted on Twitter more than 35,000 times as of Friday morning. Later on Thursday evening, after Party City issued its statement, DeLuca posted an apology for the rant on her Facebook page. This is very hard to do being that my fear for everyone who chooses not to listen because no matter the situation or case to why I expressed myself this way in such a way will mean nothing. This is my apology to you ALL," DeLuca wrote. I regret using such words against a race I know everyone is behind for and I never meant to hurt anyone in anyway. I let anger get the best of me at the moment and I ask as a human to please forgive what Im trying to get across. "This is NOT who iam (sic) and for those who know me Im sorry again if this affected you and to those who dont know me im sorry x 100000000 because this is not someone I wished ppl to know me by but someone who is about change and equality and with everything going on, I was sucked in to the evil and confusion and with all that being said I wish to everyone around the world, I hope what life has become doesnt affect you the way it has affected me, DeLucas Facebook post concluded. That apology had been shared on Facebook more than 1,000 times as of Friday morning. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. More: Starbucks changes course, will allow employees to wear clothes that support Black Lives Matter Youth march in peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in Harrisburg Bostons Make Way for Ducklings statue wears Black Lives Matter sweater Inspired by the questionable shootings and deaths of the men in our community. If you had to choose between the two, which one would it be? Which of these feels more empowering to you? Which of these is most beneficial to your mental health? In a study on the mental health impact of participation in riots and protests, which consisted of 52 studies from 20 countries/regions, the following was discovered: The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder ranged from 4% to 41% in riot-affected areas. Following a major protest, the prevalence of probable major depression increased by 7%, regardless of personal involvement in the protests, suggestive of community spillover effects. Risk factors for poorer mental health included female sex, lower socioeconomic status, exposure to violence, interpersonal conflicts, frequent social media use and lower resilience and social support. Mental Health During and After Protests, Riots and Revolutions: A Systematic Review in Support of Social Protests, published in January, suggested that collective actions may reduce depression and suicide, possibly due to a collective cathartic experience and greater social cohesion within subpopulations. Conversely, in a study linking the connection between mental illness and the perception of power, it was found that there are higher concentrations of people with mental illness at both ends of the perceived power spectrum. The two ends are described as 1) those who feel supremely powerful, and 2) those who feel totally helpless, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley: Mental Illness Linked to Perception of Power. People prone to depression or anxiety reported feeling little sense of pride in their accomplishments and little sense of power, said lead author Dr. Sheri Johnson, a University of California Berkeley psychologist. In contrast, people at risk for mania tended to report high levels of pride and an emphasis on the pursuit of power despite interpersonal costs. So, on one end of the power spectrum reside feelings of powerlessness and helplessness, which weaken the immune system, making one more vulnerable to physical and mental illness. On the other end, an inflated sense of power which is among the behaviors associated with bipolar disorder and narcissistic personality disorder, which can be both personally and socially damaging. Here is a suggested balanced perspective for consideration that most successful and culturally intact communities practice. It is framed in a self-reflective activity for you to participate in. Read the following passage from an anonymous interview on cultural and racial differences. Insert the name of your community in the blank spaces: We want to see (blank) man happy, so we employ him. We eat together. We spend time with each other. We want his kids to be educated, so we invest in our own schools that offer our children the technical abilities to change the worlds power structure in our favor. We want to see the (blank) man safe, so we purchase and organize our own communities. We want him to remain (blank), so we reduce the outside influence of others ideologies and cultures. How did this activity resonate with you? Does your representative community inserted in this activity already behave in the manner suggested above? Does your community have the appropriate self-perception of power needed to implement these methods? If not, should it? Can it? The answers to these questions will reveal yourself perception of personal power. Specific to our community, consider all the issues of protest that have been had past and present. With regard to our future, evaluate the effectiveness of continued protest as a strategy. Lastly, determine the resulting collective impact to be had positively or negatively, on our state of mental health. Then ask yourself which would you choose, protest or power? Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-14 05:10:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PARIS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- France registered 24 new deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the country's toll to 29,398, according to fresh figures released by the National Public Health Agency. The latest single-day deaths were fewer than the 28 fatalities recorded a day before. Saturday also saw 526 new cases of infection, down from Friday's 726, taking the tally to 156,813. Meanwhile, hospital admissions continued to decline. Some 10,909 people remain hospitalized for coronavirus infection, compared with 11,124 recorded on Friday. Patients who needed to be put on ventilator dropped by 8 to 871. In a further move to return to normalcy, France will lift on June 15 all traffic restrictions at its European internal borders following a favorable development of the health situation in the country and Europe, said Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. By way of reciprocity, travelers arriving from Spain and Britain would have to observe a 14-day quarantine period on arrival in France. Visitors from countries outside the Schengen area would be able to enter the French territory without restrictions from July 1. "This opening will be gradual and will vary according to the health situation in each of the third countries, and in accordance with the arrangements that will have been agreed at European level by then," the ministers said in a statement. Early on Saturday, Health Minister Olivier Veran announced that Europe's Inclusive Vaccines Alliance (IVA) spearheaded by France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands had signed an accord with British drugmaker AstraZeneca to provide the region with 400 million doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccine once the vaccine is approved. First deliveries are planned by the end of this year, according to the minister. The drugmaker would produce 2 billion doses of the vaccine to make it available over the globe for no profit during the pandemic, he added. "This agreement allows us to secure a potential vaccine as a first guarantee in the context of strong international competition. We will need to continue these negotiations with our partners to reduce the risk of dependence on a single project," Veran said. He noted that the Alliance would continue with other pharmaceutical companies to increase the chances of accessing a vaccine "quickly enough and at the best cost." Enditem Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The 'Global 2-Phosphonobutane-1,2,4-Tricarboxylic Acid (PBTCA, CAS 37971-36-1) Market Outlook 2019-2024' offers detailed coverage of 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for 2-phosphonobutane -1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography. Request For Report Sample @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3769 The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from key industry participants. The global 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid market has been segmented into five major regions, namely, North America (U.S., Canada, and others), Europe (U.K., France, Germany, Russia, and others), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, and others), South America (Brazil, Argentina, and others), and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and others). Furthermore, the report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key vendors operating in this market. Get Complete TOC with Tables and Figures@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/3769 Key Regions - North America - Europe - Asia Pacific - Middle East & Africa - South America Key Vendors - Henan Qingshuiyuan Technology Co., Ltd. - Jianghai Environmental Protection Co., Ltd. - Lanxess AG - Shandong Taihe Water Treatment Technologies Co., Ltd. - Yichang Kaixiang Chemical Co., Ltd. - request free sample to get a complete list of companies Key Questions Answered in This Report - Analysis of the 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid market including revenues, future growth, market outlook - Historical data and forecast - Regional analysis including growth estimates - Analyzes the end user markets including growth estimates. - Profiles on 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid vendors including products, sales / revenues, SWOT, and market position, recent developments. - Market structure, market drivers and restraints. <<< Get COVID-19 Report Analysis >>> https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/3769 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Athens, Greece Sat, June 13, 2020 12:31 588 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde6946a 2 News greece,tourism,coronavirus,COVID-19,Britain,travel Free As Greece prepares to reopen for foreign visitors in a bid to get its crucial tourism sector back on its feet, the government said Friday that flights from coronavirus hotspots such as Britain would not be allowed in, at least for now. Tourism minister Harry Theoharis said that while regular international passenger flights would be allowed to take off and land again at the airports of Athens and Thessaloniki starting from Monday, the ban on arrivals from Britain will remain in place until July 1. "Our goal is for Greece to remain a safe country, looking forward to the tourism season," said health minister Vassilis Kikilias. Greece has fared much better than other European countries in the COVID-19 pandemic. It locked down in March and has recorded fewer than 190 coronavirus deaths among its 11 million residents. By contrast, Britain has seen more than 40,000 deaths and is the worst-hit country in Europe. But with tourism accounting for 20 percent of its gross domestic product and international travel virtually coming to a standstill as a result of the global lockdowns, Greece has been hard hit by the pandemic's economic fallout. Keen to market itself as a healthy holiday destination, Greece is reopening only gradually. Following the airports of Athens and Thessaloniki next week, regional and island airports will open on July 1 and ports also remain closed to ferries until then. Read also: Greece 'more than sea and sun', says PM in tourism launch Quarantine for some Greece said it will quarantine travelers for seven to 14 days from areas hardest-hit by the virus, as identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Non-essential overland travel will still be restricted Monday at borders with Turkey, North Macedonia and Albania, the government said. All access to and from Bulgaria is permitted. The health minister said an emergency network and additional resources had been put in place to cover dozens of Greek islands that are among the country's most popular destinations. The government has set aside nearly 450 beds for COVID-19 cases on the islands, and has hired nearly 700 additional health staff, Kikilias said. All-year hotels already reopened for business two weeks ago, and seasonal hotels and museums are to follow on June 15. Both staff and guests will be subject to regular tests. Rooms have also been set aside to quarantine anyone testing positive for the virus, and each hotel has to have a contracted physician on call. In 2019, Greece posted a record year with over 34 million visitors, but operators say a realistic goal for this season is for up to a third of that number. In her sojourn in India, Zhang Aixi experienced both love and hate. But of course, ones who cared for her hugely outnumbered the haters who stupidly blamed her for the Covid-19 outbreak. And they came along with her to the airport to bid her goodbye. I am taking back a lot of love! I will miss India! This has been a life-changing experience to see such love and compassion, Zhang told us before leaving for China. The young traveler had found a home away from home at Earth Saviors Foundation in Haryana. Zhang finally left for China on Monday in a special rescue flight. Before coming to Earth Saviors Foundation, Zhang had gone through a very difficult time. Zhang Aixi, daughter of a Chinese industrialist had come to India on a solo trip in January. She was living in a paying guest accommodation in Gurugram. As the government announced a complete lockdown to fight Covid-19, Zhang realised there was no way she could return to China. She lost her touch with her mother, and suffered a mental and emotional breakdown. With anti-Chinese sentiments at peak, Zhang had to encounter a lot of misplaced hate. On one occasion, some miscreants chased her and mocker her by calling her China Virus. Zhang became severely depression, and also had episodes of aggression. She could get no medical help and she was thrown out of the Gurugram PG. The Gurugram police officials tried finding her a safe place to live but NGOs and shelters were too scared to keep her due to Covid-19 paranoia. Finally, Haryana based NGO, Earth Saviours Foundation, came ahead to provide her shelter. Ravi Kalra, founder of the NGO and his team took very good care of Zhang. She got medical treatment for her nervous breakdown and she recovered quickly in the new atmosphere. Her mental state improved drastically and the residents of the shelter run by the NGO became her family. Zhang formed a deep bond with Kalra and his team. But she terribly missed her mom and longed to meet her. We connected Zhang to Hem Kusum, assistant professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Culture, Visva Bharti University, Santiniketan, West Bengal with whom she would happily talk for hours in her mother tongue. Kalra was constantly in touch with the Chinese Embassy to send Zhang back to China. He arranged Zhangs meeting with the officials to help her go back to her country. There were too many procedural hurdles. We lost hope many times. We are thankful to the Government of India, FRRO officers and all other concerned authorities that supported us. We somehow wanted to unite Zhang with her mom and God finally made it happen, says Kalra. Kalra says what goes around comes around in abundance, sooner or later, so he and his team will keep doing good. We will never discriminate among human beings. Some people may have hated Zhang for being a Chinese, but for us, she will always be family, he says. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse taxpayers have been billed more than $5 million in damages over the last three years to compensate people treated unjustly by police. In every instance, those people tried to punish the officers through a system thats meant to hold cops accountable. But when the police investigated their own, they found no wrongdoing. In one case, an officer used his badge to intimidate a woman into having sex with him. In another, officers Tasered and dragged a man with a disability. In another, officers beat and gave a concussion to a law-abiding citizen who had called them for help. None faced discipline from within the department. The Syracuse police disciplinary system is slanted to favor officers and is intentionally resistant to change, a syracuse.com/The Post-Standard review of legal cases and police contracts shows. Officers are shielded from public scrutiny by a complaint review process thats shrouded in secrecy, by a union that halts many reforms and by an internal affairs office thats traditionally failed to properly police the police. In many cases of misconduct, then, a victims only recourse is a court battle, which is expensive and can take years. In Syracuse, activists are calling for heightened oversight of the police department, which they say protects bad officers from punishment. Critics want to rebuild the system meant to hold police accountable and promote public trust. Lets stop thinking about reform and start thinking about transformation, said Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, head of the local chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union. The problems are too wholesale to keep doing what weve been doing before. A pattern of lax oversight Complaints against Syracuse police officers are handled internally by the department. History has eroded public faith that the department is up to the job. Charles Bonner, a civil rights attorney from San Francisco, has filed multiple lawsuits against the Syracuse police for alleged brutality, and has at least one more in the works. He said the department has repeatedly proved incapable of policing itself. The police union, the police chiefs, the internal affairs have built a fortress around their offices, he said. No matter what they do they will justify it. The police union president, Jeff Piedmonte, disagreed. He said police are called on to investigate officers because they understand the job. And they give out discipline when its needed. Lawyers investigate lawyers. Doctors investigate doctors, Piedmonte said. Were the ones who know what the job is. Several recent lawsuits suggest that process doesnt always work. In 2013, two officers Tasered a man with a mental disability, Brad Hulett, and dragged him off a Centro bus. The department cleared the officers of any wrongdoing. It was later revealed that the internal investigation was led by one of the officers uncle. The city settled a lawsuit with Hulett by paying him $2 million. The officers werent disciplined. In 2014, former officer Chester Thompson was accused of having oral sex with a woman who had a drug problem and mental health problems. Her family filed a complaint with the department. An internal investigation led to Thompson being counseled by a supervisor. He was allowed to remain on duty. Six months later, Thompson was fired, arrested and prosecuted after two other women accused him of forcing them into sex while he was on duty. In 2018, two officers were put on trial for brutalizing a man who had called for help resolving a dispute with his daughter. The officers threw Alonzo Grant off his stoop then punched and kicked him repeatedly. Grant was left with a concussion, a broken nose and a split lip. The officers charged Grant with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. They said Grant was highly agitated and punched his own screen door while walking out of his house. The district attorney dismissed those charges. Grant filed a complaint with the department. An internal investigation found the two cops did nothing wrong. So Grant sued. A jury awarded him $1.5 million and said the cops were wrong. The officers werent disciplined. The city is appealing the verdict. Kristen Smith, the citys attorney, said the city maintains its positions that the officers acted appropriately, so they should not be disciplined. Piedmonte said after the trial that the verdict made other cops nervous about doing their jobs. And he said the two officers who arrested Grant were upset. "They both know they didn't do anything wrong," Piedmonte said. Alonzo Grant, right, and his wife Stephanie Grant with his lawyers in back Charles Bonner and Jesse Ryder, Oct. 24, 2018. Grant won a suit against the city of Syracuse in a police abuse case. Piedmonte said this week he believes the verdict in the Grant case will be overturned in appeal. Juries can get things wrong, he said, and it doesnt mean that internal affairs didnt do its job. He also pushed back against the idea that officers get preferential treatment during internal investigations. I dont think [internal affairs] systemically clears officers day after day, because were arguing disciplines regularly, he said, referring to the union. Officers are disciplined. Even the fiercest critics of police accountability say they dont necessarily have a personal problem with officers. Most cops act professionally almost all of the time. But if bad cops arent punished when they break the rules, theyre emboldened, opponents say. Im not here to talk about police officers; Theyre individuals who are humans, who want to have a profession, go home to their families, be respected, Abdul-Qadir said. Im not here to dehumanize police officers. Im here about the institution of policing. And that needs to be changed. Process designed to shield cops The system for disciplining police officers is designed to be resistant to change. Its a precedent-based system in which discipline is based on whats been doled out in the past. Say, for example, that a new chief suspends an officer for one week for violating the departments demeanor policy. The union can contest that suspension. If previous chiefs only gave warnings for demeanor violations, an arbitrator would most likely rescind the suspension and deem a warning appropriate. Smith, the city attorney, said thats a huge barrier to discipline reform -- one the city is trying to overcome. When you bring in a chief with a different mind, he doesnt get a fresh slate, she said. Its hampered by whats happened in the past. Theres also no way for the public to learn about discipline after a complaint is filed. Common Councilor Tim Rudd filed a complaint with the department last year. Hed called police because he thought someone was burglarizing a home he was buying. An officer arrived and learned the suspected burglar was a handyman hired by the bank. In his complaint, Rudd described the officer as rude and dismissive. Rudd has been a frequent critic of the police contract as a councilor, and assumed the responding officer knew that. Rudd said his complaint was inconsequential, and pales in comparison to people who have had violent run-ins with officers. But it underscored the lack of transparency in polices response to citizen complaints. He was never told of any resolution of his complaint or any discipline -- even a verbal reprimand -- for the officer, he said. They wouldnt tell me what happened to the person, Rudd said. They say, Well, we cant tell you. Its all such a joke. Piedmonte said police send complainants a final decision on their complaints. He said the decision says whether the officer was disciplined, but does not detail the discipline. Thats all theyre looking for, Piedmonte said. They want their pound of flesh against the police. Jeff Piedmonte (right), the Syracuse police union president, said George Floyd shouldn't have died. At left is John Katko, now Congressman from Syracuse. Syracuse.com | File photo 2014. In 1993, the city established a Citizen Review Board to add another arm of accountability for police. That board has been hampered by police chiefs, the union and some lawmakers, for years. CRB leaders say thats improving under a new chief, but theres still a long way to go. Police departments are not good at policing themselves overall, said Peter McCarthy, chairman of the CRB. To this day, no officer has ever testified in a CRB hearing. In rare cases, the CRB has subpoenaed officers, who attend hearings with a lawyer and let the lawyer speak. Last year, the CRB received 100 complaints. It held seven hearings and found four of those complaints had merit. The board recommended discipline in those four cases. In each case, Chief Kenton Buckner disagreed. In 2018, the CRB recommended discipline in eight cases. Former Chief Frank Fowler disagreed with the board in seven of those. For the eighth case, he told the CRB merely that the officer had been addressed appropriately. He did not say what discipline, if any, was doled out. CRB Administrator Ranette Releford said transparency is slowly improving under Buckner. But the department still doesnt adhere to the discipline recommended by the board. I think the department needs to provide [discipline transparency] to the citizens to build the trust between the department and the community, she said. Bonner, the civil rights lawyer, said the Citizen Review Board should have more authority to hire, fire and discipline police to create true accountability. Piedmonte said the CRB is often biased against police and is less qualified than internal affairs to make decisions on discipline. They just want to embarrass the police, he said. They want to be able to say, Oh yeah, this cop got punished. Its going to make it more difficult to hire police or retain police. The power of the union In many cities -- Syracuse included -- the police union tends to be a major obstacle to reform. Things like officer discipline are dictated by the unions contract with the city. In Syracuse, that contract was written 20 years ago and signed by Mayor Roy Bernardi. Its been amended since, mostly through arbitration. But it has never been re-written. Mayor Ben Walsh and Chief Kenton Buckner share details on the officer-involved shooting early on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Buckner said the officer shot Jakelle Davis, 23, in the jaw after Davis tried to pull out a handgun. Davis is expected to survive. None of the officers on the scene wore body cameras. (Katrina Tulloch)Katrina Tulloch Last year, Mayor Walsh tried to remove discipline as a contractual issue and claw back control of disciplinary disputes. The move would have made those disputes public. The union fought him in court and won, though Walsh is appealing. The contract that exists today, that we live under, contains detailed provisions about how discipline is handled after discipline is handed down, said Smith, the city attorney. That current system in terms of arbitration is one of the largest barriers to accountability and reform. Walshs administration has made incremental reforms to policing, including rewriting use-of-force policies and securing funding for more body-worn cameras for officers. Chief Buckner beefed up internal affairs and moved the office outside the police headquarters last year. But Abdul-Qadir, the local NYCLU director, said not enough has been done, starting with the police contract, which he called atrocious. Councilor Rudd has argued for more than a year that the contract should be re-negotiated from scratch. The contract has been cobbled together by years of arbitration awards and agreements, some of which are handwritten and hard to read. Walshs staff consolidated all those agreements into one clean document, but its not signed by the union, so it isnt official. The union contract is not within the publics interest, Abdul-Qadir said. How can you hold officers accountable when you cant even find whats in the contract? Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, director of the CNY Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, speaks as community members demonstrate their support for the a bail reform law in front of the Onondaga County Courthouse in Syracuse.Michael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syr Rudd has spent much of his time on the Common Council clamoring for a better deal with police -- one that increases accountability for everything from overtime to discipline. Rudd said hes faced backlash from the union for his criticism. Piedmonte, the union president, has often labeled Rudd anti-police. Rudd said hes been refused service at establishments where police hold economic sway (though he wouldnt identify which). The union often relies on hardball tactics to flex its political power. When Chief Buckner promised to root out the departments bad apples who are rotten to the core, the union questioned his fitness for the job. They refused to march with him in the St. Patricks Parade, and filed a half-dozen grievances with City Hall. Piedmonte has said a lot of officers retired because of Buckner. In the most recent round of negotiations, Walshs staff offered bonuses to police to incentivize longevity, education, language skills and military experience. In exchange, new officers would have to live in the city -- a long sought-after requirement for police. But the Common Council rejected that deal, which would have cost an additional $19 million over four-and-a-half years. Both sides will now head to arbitration, where a third-party will decide on a deal. Abdul-Qadir wants to see the city strike a harder bargain on discipline. He said the contract should include specific language about fireable offenses, among other things. He also submitted legislation to the city more than a year ago on behalf of the NYCLU. He proposed a Right to Know law, modeled after a similar bill in New York City. It requires an officer to give someone a reason for why theyre being stopped for questioning. The officer must also leave a business card with his or her name and badge number. Abdul-Qadir said Mayor Walsh promised action on that law, but its been sitting idle for more than a year. Walsh said he supports the law in principle, but it needs to be reviewed to make sure its legal. He said thats taken longer than he would like. Thats why we say reform is not enough, Abdul-Qadir said. We can no longer expect that policing and the systems that shield officers from misconduct will do the right thing. Health savings accounts have always offered a valuable triple tax break: Your contributions are tax-deductible (or pretax if through your employer), the money grows tax-deferred and you can withdraw it tax-free for eligible medical expenses at any time. And recent changes to the rules and timely strategies make HSAs an even more important financial-planning tool. You can now withdraw money tax-free from the HSA for additional expenses, have more time to contribute for 2019 and you may be able to tap the account tax-free to pay health insurance premiums if you lose your job. Plus, a special strategy can help expand the HSA's tax benefits even further -- helping it serve as an emergency fund or source of tax-free money in the future. Here are the new rules and strategies to make the most of these accounts. New rules allowing tax-free withdrawals for over-the-counter medications. You can now withdraw money tax-free from an HSA for over-the-counter medications in addition to prescription drugs -- reversing a 2009 change that only allowed tax-free withdrawals for medications with a prescription. "Many people incurred needless visits to their doctor just to get a prescription for an over-the-counter medicine," says Roy Ramthun, president of HSA Consulting Services. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act permanently changed the rules and now permits tax-free HSA withdrawals for pain relievers, allergy medications, acne medicines, cold and cough medicines and other over-the-counter drugs, says Jeremy Miller, founder and CEO of HSAstore.com, which sells HSA-eligible products. "The change is effective for expenses paid as far back as Jan. 1, 2020," says Ramthun. "If people kept their receipts, they can start reimbursing themselves now if they want to." [Read: Flexible Spending Account Vs. Health Savings Account: Which Is Better?] Tax-free withdrawals for menstrual and feminine hygiene products. The CARES Act also made menstrual care and feminine hygiene products -- such as tampons, pads and liners -- HSA-eligible expenses starting on Jan. 1, 2020. You couldn't withdraw HSA money tax-free for these expenses in the past. "Since women spend, on average, $4,752 over the course of their lives on these products, being able to use FSA or HSA dollars will be a significant help," says Miller. Story continues Even if you're paying cash for these items now and keeping the money in the HSA for the future, hold onto the receipts so you can withdraw money tax-free from the HSA for these expenses later on. You can also use HSA money for many other drugstore items such as sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, first aid kits, thermometers, vaporizers, nasal sprays, as well as glasses, contacts and prescription sunglasses, says Miller, whose site has a detailed list of HSA-eligible items. Telehealth and coronavirus testing without a deductible. HSA-eligible health insurance policies must have a deductible of at least $1,400 for self-only coverage, or $2,800 for family coverage in 2020. Generally, all expenses must be subject to the deductible except for certain preventive-care costs. But HSA-eligible policies can now cover coronavirus testing and telehealth services without being subject to the deductible, too. Federal law requires insurers to cover coronavirus testing without any cost-sharing, but it's up to insurers to decide whether or not to waive the deductibles for telehealth services. This flexibility to provide first-dollar coverage for telehealth is temporary -- it applies to HSA-eligible policies that begin their plan year before Dec. 31, 2021. Tax-free HSA withdrawals for health insurance premiums when you're unemployed. Most health insurance premiums aren't HSA-eligible expenses, but there's a timely exception: You can withdraw money tax-free from the HSA for premiums if you're receiving unemployment benefits. Keep records of the dates when you started and stopped receiving unemployment benefits to provide evidence that the premiums are eligible expenses. You can also withdraw money tax-free from an HSA to pay COBRA health insurance premiums, even if you aren't receiving unemployment benefits (COBRA is a federal law that lets you continue your employer's health coverage for up to 18 months after losing your job, if your company has 20 or more employees). These rules aren't new, but they can help people who lost their jobs recently. [READ: Are Health Insurance Premiums Tax-Deductible?] Extra time to contribute to an HSA for 2019. When the IRS extended the 2019 tax filing deadline until July 15, 2020, it also extended the deadline to make HSA contributions. If you had an HSA-eligible health insurance policy in 2019 with a deductible of at least $1,350 for self-only coverage or $2,700 for family coverage -- whether you had coverage through your employer or on your own -- you still have time to contribute to an HSA. You can contribute up to $3,500 for 2019 if you had self-only coverage, or $7,000 for family coverage, plus an extra $1,000 if you were 55 or older. Your contribution amount may be prorated if you only had an HSA-eligible policy for part of 2019. The extended deadline can be valuable to individuals who can afford to set aside more dollars for emergencies or long-term savings, says David Speier, managing director of benefits accounts at Willis Towers Watson, an employee benefits consulting firm. And even if you worry that you can't afford to contribute to an HSA during this difficult financial time, consider that you can benefit from the tax deduction and start using the money tax-free for eligible expenses right away, such as for health insurance premiums if you're receiving unemployment benefits or COBRA premiums, in addition to other out-of-pocket medical expenses. "Any money you can put in the HSA has an immediate tax benefit," says Speier. "You could simply pay those expenses out of your pocket, or you could funnel it through the HSA and then take it out tax-free." A strategy to get bigger tax benefits. Expanding the definition of HSA-eligible expenses can help people who need to access the money now. "Given the financial situation of many people, being able to use the HSA as a spending account in the near term is helpful," says Speier. But you'll get an even bigger tax benefit if you can use other cash for your HSA-eligible expenses and let the money grow tax-deferred in the HSA for the future (you can usually invest your HSA money in mutual funds for the long term, in addition to a savings account). There's no time limit for withdrawing the money tax-free for any eligible expenses you incurred since you opened the health savings account -- even if it's years in the future. Because of this rule, it's a good idea to keep receipts for any HSA-eligible expenses you pay with other cash so you can take that money from the account without taxes or penalties later on. "Your HSA can become like a reserve fund for you," says Begonya Klumb, head of HSAs for Fidelity. "As long as you have qualified medical expenses, you can always reimburse yourself for those expenses with HSA dollars anytime." [Read: What Tax Credits Do I Qualify For?] Keep track of any money you pay for over-the-counter drugs or menstrual supplies you bought after Jan. 1, 2020, as well as other HSA-eligible drugstore items, co-payments, deductibles, prescription drugs and other eligible expenses you paid since you opened the account. If you're receiving unemployment benefits or on COBRA, keep track of how much you pay in premiums during that time. If you don't withdraw the money from the HSA for those expenses now, you can always tap the account tax-free for them later. Some HSA administrators, like Fidelity, offer tools that make it easier for account holders to organize receipts from eligible medical expenses and identify which ones they paid with money from the HSA and which they paid in cash and haven't been reimbursed yet from the HSA. "The tool that we give our customers access to allows you to keep those receipts forever," says Klumb. "You never know when you might need them." More From US News & World Report A letter signed by 54 African countries asks the rights body for a debate on police brutality against Black people. African countries called on Friday on the United Nations Human Rights Council to urgently debate racism and police brutality amid the unrest in the United States and beyond over George Floyds death. In a letter written on behalf of 54 African countries, Burkina Fasos ambassador to the UN in Geneva asked the UNs top rights body for an urgent debate on racially inspired human rights violations, police brutality against people of African descent and the violence against the peaceful protests that call for these injustices to stop. The letter, addressed to rights council president Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger of Austria, requested that this debate be held next week, when the councils 43rd session resumes, after it was interrupted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The call came after Floyds family, along with the families of other victims of police violence and more than 600 NGOs this week called on the council to urgently address systemic racism and police impunity in the US. For the council to consider such a request, it needs to have the backing of at least one country. With the request now coming from a large group of states, that increases the chances it will take place, a council spokesman told AFP. Fridays letter pointed to the case of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white officer, who has since been charged with murder, pressed his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Unchecked police brutality His death, which was caught on video and has sparked massive protests across the US and around the world, is unfortunately not an isolated incident, with many previous cases of unarmed persons of African descent suffering the same fate due to unchecked police brutality, it said. The letter, addressed to rights council president Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger of Austria, requested that this debate be held next week, when the councils 43rd session resumes [Denis Balibouse/Reuters] Sadly, the fates of many other victims attracted no attention, as they were not captured on social media for all to see, Ambassador Dieudonne Desire Sougouri wrote on behalf of the African Group at the council. While the letter called for a debate on racism around the globe, it, in particular, highlighted the situation in the US. The protests the world is witnessing are a rejection of the fundamental racial inequality and discrimination that characterise life in the United States for black people, and other people of colour, it said. Council President Tichy-Fisslberger will now announce on Monday a proposed day for the urgent debate, and unless there are any objections, which is unlikely, it will go ahead. Several countries are expected to address Floyds killing and concerns about police violence and racism in the US during the resumed 43rd council session, even without a special debate. But since the deadline for tabling fresh resolutions during this session expired back in March, they will only be able to call for concrete action within the confines of this extraordinary debate. John Fisher, head of the Human Rights Watchs Geneva office, voiced hope earlier on Friday, before the African Group letter went out, that the council would order some form of scrutiny of the US situation. There are underlying issues of systemic racism that need to be addressed and addressed meaningfully, he told journalists. UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2020) The United Nations believes the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Yemen does not reflect the actual severity of the outbreak in that country given the alarming 24 percent COVID-19-related fatality rate, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Friday. Yemen has so far reported 591 novel coronavirus cases and 136 COVID-19-related deaths, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University. "The [UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] notes that these numbers are not representative of the true severity of the outbreak," Dujarric said. "Yemen's health system does not have adequate capacity to test all suspected cases. All indications point to the rapid spread of the virus across Yemen. The case fatality rate observed is alarmingly high - 24 percent." Dujarric noted the COVID-19 death toll in Yemen is about four times higher than the fatality rate worldwide. While humanitarian actors do all they can to assist Yemen combat the outbreak, they lack the funding needed to continue running existing programs. "More than 30 of the 41 UN-supported programs in Yemen will close in the coming weeks if additional funds are not secured," Dujarric said. The United Nations is calling on all donors to urgently fulfill their pledges made at the conference earlier in the month and consider increasing support, Dujarric added. Taking note of the "gravity" of the coronavirus situation in the national capital, the Delhi High Court has directed the AAP government and the Centre to increase the number of beds and ventilators for COVID-19 patients. The direction was issued by a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan after the Delhi government informed it that till June 9 there were 9,179 beds for COVID-19 patients in the city and out of that 4,914 were occupied and remaining were available. The Delhi government told the bench that total 569 ventilators were available, out of which 315 were being utilised and remaining are available. "Considering the gravity of the situation, we hereby direct the respondents (Centre and Delhi government) to increase the number of the beds for COVID-19 patients and also try to increase the number of ventilators so that all COVID patients in need can get these facilities," the bench said in its order which was passed on June 11 but made available on Saturday. The court also said it expects all hospitals in the national capital to correctly upload the availability of real-time bed capacity data so that public may know in advance where to go if they are suffering from COVID-19. The order came while disposing a joint plea moved by several lawyers, through advocate Mridul Chakravarty, seeking proper implementation of containment guidelines, especially in Defence Colony of South Delhi, and to ensure availability of adequate number of beds for COVID-19 patients in hospitals in Delhi. Till Friday, June 12, the number of COVID-19 cases stood at 36,824 in Delhi with 1,214 people succumbing to the disease. The plea by the lawyers was disposed of by the court after the Delhi government said that the affected areas in Defence Colony have already been declared as containment zones. The Delhi government said they are strictly following all the guidelines and the directions issued by the Centre, which was represented by its standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia, and other competent bodies. The Delhi government also told the court it was also strictly observing the directions issued by the lieutenant governor. Taking note of the submissions, the bench said it saw no reason to declare the whole of Defence Colony as a containment zone. It noted that the Delhi government appeared to be taking steps to meet the difficulties of the public at large and that it was arranging beds from private hospitals in accordance with advice of experts. The bench asked the Delhi government to consider the suggestion of Chakravarty that ready to move in government flats be used to house and treat COVID-19 patients. The court said, "The world is presently going through COVID-19 pandemic affecting all sections of the society at large. In a matter like this, government should be given some degree of movement in joints. "There cannot be any hard and fast mathematical solution to such a problem. In a situation like this, experimental based solutions are to be tested." The bench further said the Centre and Delhi government appear to be aware of the fact that there is need of more beds for COVID-19 patients and therefore, they are issuing directions from time to time. "Both the central government as well as state government are issuing directions looking to the present needs of the society. "We expect from the respondents (Centre and Delhi government) that they shall scrupulously follow the guidance, directions and guidelines issued by the central government," the bench said. It also directed concerned authorities to look into the recent suggestions given by the Delhi Medical Association on June 6 with regard to dealing with COVID-19 cases. Arunachal Pradesh records highest single-day spike of 20 COVID cases; tally rises to 87 Brazil surpasses UK, now has second highest COVID death total 4 terrorists gunned down in 2 separate encounters in J&K India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 13: Four terrorists have been gunned down in two separate encounters in Kulgam and Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. Two unidentified terrorists were gunned down in the Nipora area of Kulgam district. The encounter began following concrete intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the area. In another encounter, two more terrorists were killed in the Lallan area of Anantnag. Based on an intelligence input, a joint operation was launched. The security forces lay a cordon in the area, following which the encounter took place. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News Six months on, Security Forces have already gunned down 100 terrorists in the Valley The data compiled by the forces says that in the encounters between April 1 and June 10, 68 terrorists including those of foreign origin have been gunned own. The highest number of terrorists to be killed at from the Hizbul Mujahideen. 35 of them from the Hizbul have been killed during this period. From January 2020, more than 100 terrorists have been killed. These include terrorist from the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad. In April alone the security forces conducted the maximum operations and managed to kill 28 terrorists. In May, 20 terrorists were eliminated. The data further says that in the first six months of the year, 35 terrorists from the Hizbul Mujahideen, four foreign terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, 10 local terrorists of the JeM and three from the Islamic State were killed. It may be recalled that last year, the Security Forces had killed 125 terrorists. May 11 was supposed to be the day. On that Monday, Mason City was finally supposed to go to court to defend itself against allegations from G8 Development that the city breached the contract in a hotel deal as a part of the River City Renaissance project. After years of lawsuits and threats of lawsuits, the two entities were set. But a component of the lawsuit itself involved delays so it became only natural for the case itself to be delayed. As of now, the lawsuit has been reset for Feb. 15, 2021, at 9 a.m. at the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse with five days currently allotted for the trial. That came after a joint request by both parties that there be a "new scheduling order with all relevant deadlines reset" because both believed that they would be unable complete all of the necessary discovery by trial time. In just one instance, it took almost two months for city representatives to receive initial disclosures from G8 owner Philip Chodur to the point that the city's lawyers from Ahlers Cooney filed a "motion to compel discovery." The relevant documents were finally received on Dec. 13, 2019, just two days before the deadline of Dec. 15. The next deadline for G8 to hit is July 20 when it needs to have its "expert." The deadline for the city is Sept. 18, and both parties have to Dec. 17 as the cutoff for "pleadings/motions/discovery." This current lawsuit was filed with the Cerro Gordo County District Court Clerk on Nov. 29, 2018 two months after Mason City hit the San Diego-based company with a notice of default for not providing full proof of financing to the Iowa Economic Development Authority for its plans to build a hotel as part of the River City Renaissance. Attorneys Stephen E. Doohen and Alexis Warner argued that G8 had complied with all of its obligations under its agreement with the city and that in fact it was the city that had "materially breached the contract." G8 had previously dropped a lawsuit against Mason City in January 2018 as a condition of entering into the recent agreement with the city that then fell apart as tangible progress failed to materialize and the project itself shifted to Gatehouse Capital. The legal matter isn't the only one dealing with breach of contract that G8's been involved with in the past several years. In 2015, G8 sued the Community Development Commission of Vista and the City of Vista claiming breach of contract over a development agreement reached in 2008. In that case, G8 was to build 81 condominiums, 27,000 square feet of commercial/retail space and 4,000 square feet of office space in one complex. In May when the city council approved $6.9 million in budget amendments for Fiscal Year 2020, one of the items listed said: "costs incurred on the G8 lawsuit." According to City Administrator Aaron Burnett, so far there have been $65,000 in expenses for the city, for the case, and those are being paid through existing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) money. When asked about where things stand with the case as far as the city is concerned, Burnett offered no comment on the "pending litigation." Jared McNett covers local government for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at Jared.McNett@globgazette.com or by phone at 641-421-0527. Follow Jared on Twitter at @TwoHeadedBoy98. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 5 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to 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. 15:00 | Lima, Jun. 13. Zamora said that the national average figure is crafted based on what happens in the country's regions, each of which presents a different situation nowadays, because there is clear decline in some of them, whereas the contagion curve is on the rise in others. In the case of Piura and Lambayeque, he said that both cities also show significant decreases in COVID-19 cases, and the increase has stopped in Tumbes. On the other hand, cities such as Ica, Arequipa and Trujillo currently register a clear rise. Concerning Lima, with 10 million inhabitants, Minister Zamora said that there is a marked decrease in COVID-19 infections in almost all districts, with the exception of Comas, located in the northern zone. "Comas is the last district because it is densely populated, and there is also overcrowding ; therefore, the contagion level is high and this causes the disease to stay in that area." Zamora recalled that the COVID-19 had started in middle-class districts and then moved to other areas. Lastly, Minister Zamora mentioned that the prevention message merely focused on ' Stay at Home ' is also being changed. "We are starting the economic reopening now. Thus, we are moving to the main message, which is 'Your Health First.'" "If you have to leave home, follow the three golden rules," he concluded. (END) RRC/MVB LEWISBURG The man accused of starting a seven-second exchange of gunfire in Lewisburg on June 1 told police there was animosity between the parties. It was a beef, Julio Abdiel Gonzalez of Sunbury told Buffalo Valley Regional Police following his arrest Thursday, court documents state. They had animosity against each other he is quoted as saying before he refused to answer any more questions. Gonzalez, who was taken into custody a day after his 24th birthday, also was wanted in Dauphin County on an escape charge Harrisburg police filed May 29. The driver of the car from which shots were fired, Justin R. Calzada, 24, of Northumberland, was arrested last week and is jailed without bail on attempted homicide and related charges. Gonzalez, a native of Puerto Rico, also is being held without bail on charges of attempted homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide and aggravated assault and discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure. Lewisburg residents Daevon Bodden, 19, and Jaheem Lewis, 18, who were on the front porch of a double house in the 1700 block of West Market Street, were the only ones wounded. Bodden was shot in the upper right thigh and Lewis suffered a grazing wound to the back of the neck. The attempted homicide charge lists five other victims who were inside including girls ages 2 and 5. Bullets fired from the car struck both sides of the double house and several other structures, investigators said. Seven .40-caliber shell casings were found on the porch floor and a bullet hole was observed in the center of the front door, police said. Discovered during an interior search after a warrant was obtained were additional casings on the living room floor and two .40-caliber Ruger handgun cases on a shelf at the top of the cellar stairs, they said. Bodden has admitted returning fire with a .40-caliber handgun, they said. A police affidavit gives this description of the shooting as captured on surveillance video: Lewis and Bodden were standing on the front porch of the double house continuously looking down West Market Street. Just before 7:30 p.m., a Subaru comes into view, Bodden leaves the porch and retrieves an object from the back porch. Bodden was standing next to Lewis by the front steps and both ran to the back of the porch and ducked down as shots were fired from the back passenger window of the car by a man holding a handgun in both hands. Bodden then stood up and fired multiple shots at the Subaru and a SUV that was following it. While discharging a handgun, Bodden entered half of the double house where a man and his 2-year-old daughter were watching television. Another surveillance video shows the Subaru being parked within minutes of the shooting and Calzada and two other men getting out. Calzada was taken into custody June 2 and, according to police, admitted he was the driver but would not identify the shooter. The SUV that had a bullet hole on the left side of the rear bumper was located the same day, they said. The SUV driver explained he was following the Subaru at Calzadas request because he was working on it, police said. He also described the shooting from his perspective, they said. Court records shows Gonzalez has been prosecuted in Dauphin County and Philadelphia. He pleaded guilty last June in Dauphin County court to state police charges of receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm without a license, driving under the influence of a controlled substance and driving without a license. He has at least one drug conviction in Philadelphia, documents state. Neither Buffalo Valley Police Chief Paul Yost nor Union County District Attorney D. Peter Johnson would comment on whether charges could be filed against Bodden. Yost previously said Bodden did not have a license to possess a firearm. 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. Boris Johnson allegedly axed the group as part of plans to streamline Whitehall - EPA Boris Johnson scrapped a team of senior ministers charged with preparing the country for a pandemic six months before the outbreak of coronavirus in the UK, according to a report. According to the Daily Mail, the group - called the Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingency Committee (THRCC) - was suspended by former prime minister Theresa May on the advice of Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill so that civil servants and ministers could focus on Brexit. The Government committee, which included Cabinet ministers such as Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, Michael Gove and Gavin Williamson, was abolished by Mr Johnson a few days after he entered Downing Street. The committee was axed without discussing virus control plans. On Friday night, a former Cabinet minister - who was a member of THRCC - told the Mail that it could have helped to Government to respond more quickly to the virus. "Once the pandemic took hold in Italy... alarm bells would have been ringing," the former minister said. "We would have stress-tested the Governments contingency plans for dealing with a pandemic." The committee was suspended by Theresa May as the Government worked on leaving the EU - GETTY IMAGES In July 2018, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, was the security minister behind a Home Office report that said THRCC was key to guarding the country against a pandemic. Mr Wallaces "biological security strategy" said a severe influenza outbreak was "one of the most significant civil emergency risks facing the UK". The report said: "Such an outbreak could have the potential to cause hundreds of thousands of fatalities and cost the UK tens of billions of pounds. "Significant outbreaks of disease are among the highest impact risks faced by any society, threatening lives and causing disruption to public services and the economy." The THRCC was a sub-committee of the National Security Council (NSC), which is chaired by the Prime Minister and contains intelligence chiefs and senior Cabinet ministers. Story continues Under Mrs May's leadership, 15 former Cabinet ministers - including Chancellor Philip Hammond, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt - sat on the THRCC, which was chaired by David Lidington. A former minister told the Mail that fears the UK was heading for a no-deal Brexit led to THRCC being scrapped in late 2018 by Sir Mark. "We were having to spend more time on EU exit strategy and less on everything else," the former minister said. "It was felt that if we were going to get our ducks in a row to prepare for the risk of a no-deal scenario we had to slow down on things including THRCC." The chairwoman of the National Security Council Committee, which oversees the NSC, has said she will investigate why the THRCC was cut in a cross-party inquiry into the Government's pandemic preparedness. Dame Margaret Beckett said: "The role of the Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingency sub-committee is exactly the kind of thing we will take an interest in." The Cabinet Office said: The Government has taken the right steps at the right time to combat this pandemic. We regularly test our pandemic plans. Google has announced that they are expanding Google Assistant features to nearly all smart devices globally. These features include Voice match support, the ability to adjust hotword sensitivity and the ability to set any smart device as the default when playing music. Voice match is a cool feature supported by the Google Assistant that enables it recognise and link up to 6 different people in a household. With it enabled and trained, the Google Assistant will personalized results and help, including calendar reminders or traffic to work according to the person requesting the information. Hotword detection sensitivity was first announced by Google back in April and will finally available globally to all smart home devices. It enables the user to adjust the sensitivity of detection of the Hey Google hotword on smart speakers and Smart Displays. With this, the user will be able to increase or decrease the sensitivity based on how quiet or noisy the room will be. The last feature that Google is rolling out is the ability to select a default speaker to play music in a household with multiple smart devices. The Default music speaker setting can be enabled in the devices setting menu in the Google Home app. It is clear that Google is pushing harder on its Google Home ecosystem, like for example in the recent Android 11 Beta, the power button menu now has shortcuts to the smart devices that are part of the Google Home app. Source Many residents of Sege, capital of the Ada West District in the Greater Accra Region, believe that COVID-19 affects only the rich, contrary to scientific facts. While some of them said the coronavirus may exist somewhere in the world but not Ghana, others said even if it was in the country, the number of infected people were being exaggerated because few Ghanaians were rich enough to contract it. The Ghana News Agency interacted with the community members to find out reasons behind their failure to comply with the COVID-19 protocols especially, the mandatory wearing of masks. All those interviewed said, they experienced shortness of breath any time they wore the mask hence their resolve not to use it even though it was mandatory and that it did not matter anyway. "I have about six masks but anytime I put one on, I start loosing my breath," a bread seller said. Another trader also stated that, "I sell nose masks myself but I don't wear it because I can't breath with it. What is the point anyway. This disease is not for us. " The GNA observed that majority of those who patronized the business area of Sege did not obey the protocol of mask wearing. They included commecial drivers, okada riders, traders, passers-by and local opinion leaders. Veronica buckets were still positioned at the markets, lorry parks and other public places in the community but some did not have soap and tissue roll for effective hand washing. Mr Vadis Ayiku Peaceman, Assembly member for SegeKoni electoral area, expressed disappointment at the refusal of the people to comply with the directives, reminding them that the "virus is not a hoax neither a sickness for the rich only." 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 SMS alerts for trading By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s): In a few months, each investor will get their Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) trading information as a mobile alert. When any activity happens in a Central Depository Account, it will be alerted to the investor through a SMS. We want to make it mandatory, Rajeeva Bandaranaike, CEO CSE told the Business Times. This came on the back of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) making initial steps to be more resourceful by permitting crucial CSE procedures to be done electronically. It approved amendments to the Stockbroker Rules, Central Depository Accounts (CDS) rules and public listing rules as part of the market digitalisation initiative to ensure electronic clearing and settlement at the CSE earlier this month. Initiated by the SEC CSE joint committee, the rules will allow the stock market to transition from a paper-based to an electronic-based environment helping investors to open CDS accounts, start trading and make settlements online eliminating visits to stockbrokers. So should another curfew be imposed, it can function smoothly. Most things will be communicated through email. The CSE will call for their emails and account details by next month. All accounts opened after 2017 have been done so with details of bank accounts, mobile numbers and email addresses, Mr. Bandaranaike said noting details of the remaining accounts will be collected. Within a months time we hope to get everything electronically activated. The rule amendments will aid the listed companies to send annual reports to their shareholders by email as well and dividends payments through electronic bank transfers. Investors are encouraged to make available their email addresses, bank account numbers and mobile numbers in the prescribed format to their stock brokers in order to continue to receive the relevant statements in an uninterrupted manner, a SEC media release issued last Tuesday said. Presently Internet-based trading is enabled through all stock brokers and the account creation and maintenance at the CDS and fund settlement between stock broker firms and banks are fully electronic and investors were urged to register for online trading and online banking services. But it has sent Zelenskys administration into damage control and led to an investigation of Poroshenko. Prosecutors issued abuse-of-office charges Wednesday against him in a separate matter. Poroshenkos name also has been dragged into 19 other cases looking at a range of alleged offenses from treason to the illegal import of artworks as a suspect in some and as a witness in others. America is contracting. It pulls back from the world, its people pull away from each other. Last weeks Wall Street Journal report that President Trump had ordered the withdrawal of slightly more than a quarter of our troops in Germany went unnoticed amid the domestic unrest following the police killing of George Floyd. The truth is that the two stories, foreign and domestic, are related. They are dual aspects of a loss of national self-confidence, an outbreak of intellectual and moral uncertainty, and an unpredictable, erratic, and easily piqued chief executive. Violence here, there, and everywhere is the result. The drawdown is not necessarily bad in itself. Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama reduced troop levels in Europe. What is troubling is not the policy per se but the way it was rolled out and the context in which it will be actualized. At the precise moment when it should be strengthening partnerships and expanding its presence to deter adversaries, including Russia and China, America sent another signal that its days of global leadership are coming to an end. The timing was inauspicious. Word leaked to the Journal a few days after German chancellor Angela Merkel rejected the presidents invitation to Washington in June (a senior U.S. official told the paper the two events were not connected). There was no presidential explanation, no public attempt to mollify European and NATO allies. And while Germany certainly could pay more for its defense, and Merkel has been recalcitrant on the Nord Stream II pipeline, alliance maintenance requires active measures from both sides. One of the reasons the postWorld War II liberal international order is unraveling is that transatlantic governments have too often put domestic politics ahead of shared interests. It is easy to forget this mutual concern for a world order of free governments and open commons of sea, air, space, and cyber. Institutional degradation makes it even easier. The former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. says the American people need to decide whether the organization is worth it, the French president calls NATO brain-dead, the German Constitutional Court rules the European Unions bond-buying program is illegal, the World Trade Organization is handicapped, and the American president pledges to halt funding for the World Health Organization. Story continues No open steps have been taken to reclaim or rebuild these institutions, or to build new counter-institutions that could carry out their original functions. The U.S.U.K. trade deal, which could be the cornerstone of a renewed transatlantic relationship, has been subordinated to the more pressing concerns of pandemic, recession, and protest. What characterizes international relations is conflict, antagonism, mistrust, disregard, and drift. This is the sort of environment that demands the forward presence of American forces to reassure host governments of our commitment to international security and to deter opponents from hostile action. Everywhere you look, however, America is leaving. We want out of Syria, out of Afghanistan, out of Iraq, out of Africa, out of Germany. In the coming years we may want out of South Korea, and even out of Japan. One or even several of these moves might be reasonable in isolation. Together they communicate to the world a disinterest in fulfilling the role of guarantor that America has played in international politics for generations. And the world has noticed. Violence surged in Afghanistan despite the peace agreement with the Taliban. ISIS has stepped up the pace of attacks in Iraq. China has surged troops along its border with India and ramped up its activity in the South China Sea, and on June 9 Chinese fighters violated Taiwanese airspace after a U.S. overflight. Russian bombers and fighters probe U.S. airspace, with one formation coming within eight miles of the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone on June 10. Kim Jong-un has severed communication with South Korea. Irans centrifuges keep spinning, and recently the Iranians constructed a fake U.S. aircraft carrier so that they can blow it up in live-fire exercises. The conditions of global disorder and domestic unrest that America experienced during the final years of the Obama administration have recapitulated (and magnified) themselves in advance of Novembers presidential election. The president faces three interlocking crises of public health, economics, and social instability. The emergence of a fourth crisis, involving national security and great-power conflict, has the potential to place incalculable strains on an already beleaguered system. An international flashpoint is not inevitable, but it has happened before in similar circumstances. The world always grows more dangerous when the superpower takes flight. More from National Review Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 03:54:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in Yemen's government-controlled provinces rose to 632 on Friday, as 41 new cases were confirmed. The Yemeni Health Ministry said in a brief statement that during the past 24 hours, the number of recoveries in the government-controlled areas increased to 28 since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus on April 10. Also, the government announced that the death toll from the deadly respiratory disease climbed to 139 in different areas under its control, including the southern port city of Aden. 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 Sanaa. Enditem Beyond the two high-profile, hotly-contested races at the top of the June 30 primary ballot the Democratic U.S. Senate tilt between former Gov. John Hickenlooper and former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, and the 4th Judicial District Attorney face-off between Republicans Mark Waller, an El Paso County commissioner, and veteran El Paso County prosecutor Michael Allen, the election is relatively quiet for local voters. In a new development around the bizarre case of a donkey's arrest in Pakistan, a local court has now released the animal. The donkey had been taken into custody after a case of illegal gambling was slapped on the animal. The eight men arrested in the case along with the donkey have also been released on bail. The one-of-its-kind incident took place in the Rahim Yar Khan region of Punjab province over the last weekend. The provincial police had then apprehended eight men accused of gambling on the outcomes of a donkey race and in doing so, they had arrested the donkey too. READ | Donkey Arrested In Pakistan For 'participating In Gambling'; Tied Up In Police Station The donkey, which found its name in the FIR, and its handlers were reportedly in possession of 120,000 Pakistan Rupees in cash. Speaking to media, the police officials had then said that the suspects were using the money to bet on a donkey race. The cops also added that all the suspects, including the animal, were arrested on the basis of prevention of gambling ordinance adding that investigations were underway. Donkey arrested for participating in a gambling racing in Rahim Yar Khan. Eight humans also rounded up, Rs 120,000 recovered. https://t.co/RIULiecduw pic.twitter.com/1FipntTR60 Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) June 7, 2020 Exporting donkeys to China The donkey's arrest comes at a time when the beast of burden is unprecedentedly important to the Imran Khan government. Export of donkeys to China for their barbaric use in traditional Chinese medicine is somewhat of a 'cash crop' in Pakistan; however, its efforts to meet China's demand has proved unsustainable as the donkey population has steadily dwindled in the country. However, as per the latest reports, there has been a recent rebound in the population, and as a result, news channels were seen holding celebratory debates amid Pakistan's perennial debt woes. READ | Balochistan: Pakistan Army Forced To Abandon Security Posts As Protests Erupt 'Spy pigeon' nabbed Last month, in another bizarre case albeit in a devious and heinous sphere of activity, a suspected spy pigeon from Pakistan was captured along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua. The pigeon, carrying a "coded message", was captured by residents of Manyari village in the Hiranagar sector soon after it flew into India's side from Pakistan. Locals captured it and alerted security officials about the same. Security agencies suspect the pigeon might be carrying the coded messages that were meant to reach handlers of Pakistani-backed operatives in the region. Earlier too, Pakistani agents have used such tactics to evade Indian attention and sent across messages on this side of the border to initiate infiltration bids. READ | Pakistan Army Battling With COVID-19, Many Soldiers And Officers Infected READ | Embattled Pakistan PM Imran Khan Jumps On Month-old Report, Offers India 'help' Amid COVID America is interrogating itself: on its streets and plazas, online and in the media. The death of George Floyd in police custody has sparked a revolution. He is not the first black man to die in such a manner, but there is a much greater intensity to the resultant protests. American ground has become more fertile for change. Look to the theatre. In 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop musical Hamilton became a tearaway success on Broadway and internationally. It tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who was George Washington's right-hand man and one of the founding fathers. Miranda's musical style is heavily influenced by jazz and hip-hop; the casting was racially diverse and largely non-white. The show was revisiting the American past in a way that reflected the diversity of the American present. In November 2016, vice-president elect Mike Pence attended Hamilton. He was treated to a post-show speech by Brandon Victor Dixon, the African-American actor playing vice-president Aaron Burr. Dixon spoke on behalf of the cast and producers: "We are the diverse Americans anxious you will not protect us," he said. This was an early, friendly warning from the stage of the Richard Rodgers Theatre to the Trump administration about the protection of minorities. Not for the first time, America gets explained to itself by the American musical. The following year, a controversial production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar was mounted in Central Park's Delacorte Theatre, with Caesar played as Trump, complete with over-long ties. It sparked noisy audience protests after the assassination scene and strong blowback from conservative media outlets. Funders Delta Airlines and Bank of America pulled their financial support. Julius Caesar has often been portrayed on stage as a real political leader - there had previously been an Obama-like Caesar - but the funding withdrawal indicates how sensitive business was and is around the Trump presidency. The street confrontations in American cities will remind Irish people of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, with the debate around rubber bullets and tear gas. Brian Friel's The Freedom of the City tackled these Irish events in 1973, not long after Bloody Sunday, when 13 unarmed protesters were shot dead in Derry. Friel's play is about a trio of ordinary protesters who take refuge from the riot in the Derry Guildhall and come to a tragic end. The street battles had climbed up on to the stage. Irish theatre has traditionally been highly politicised. The riots on the opening night of JM Synge's The Playboy of the Western World in 1907 are widely documented, neatly summarised in Lady Gregory's telegram: "The audience broke up in disorder at the word 'shift'." Abbey plays were seen as anti-nationalist by a section of society. Sean O'Casey's work of the 1920s provoked riots because of their robust engagement with republicanism. William Butler Yeats asked the question: "Did that play of mine send out certain men the English shot?" about the allegorical Cathleen Ni Houlihan (written with Lady Gregory) from 1902, which could be seen as a recruiting tool for Irish insurgency. In more recent times, the Abbey Theatre provided the stage for Rory O'Neill, aka Panti Bliss, to perform a post-show speech, 'Noble Call', during the run of The Risen People in 2014. Panti's description of the everyday aggressive homophobia experienced by Irish gay people went viral, attracting support from the likes of Graham Norton and Madonna. Panti used the material as the basis for her stage show High Heels in Low Places with Thisispopbaby. These events fed into the debate surrounding the marriage equality referendum of 2016. The theatre is often maligned as a conservative space where people go to simply rattle their jewellery. But theatrical talent can be relied on to rattle the status quo. To understand the street, it is always wise to look at the stage. Doctors at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital have informed the family of the Late Anthony K. K. Sam, former Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, that he died of pneumonia. "Before our father was moved from the Effia Nkwanta Hospital on Sunday to Accra, the doctors told us he had pneumonia," Mr Kweku Sagoe, Son of the former MCE, told the Ghana News Agency on Saturday. Mr Sagoe was reacting to speculations that his father might have died from COVID-19, after his driver was alleged to have contracted the disease without any proper isolation. "Our father had already tested negative for Covid-19 on two occasions and the third was done when he was taken to Accra on Sunday. We are yet to be given the results of that test". The Late Anthony K.K. Sam, born on October 17, 1957, died on Friday, June 12, at the University of Ghana Medical Centre. 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 CLEVELAND, Ohio More than 100 people marched Friday from FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns, to the Justice Center, the latest in a series of demonstrations designed to draw attention to police violence. Cleveland-native and Tuskegee University in Alabama senior Airreonna White-Smith formed the organization #ThisisWhyWeWalk during her summer break, in part, to honor her cousin Luke Stewart who died in a 2017 altercation with a Euclid police officer. I wanted to do something dedicated to specifically Cleveland victims, White-Smith said. I wanted to shine some light on those victims. Yes, we touch on whats going on around the rest of the world, but Cleveland is something that we should also put a little bit more focus on because this is our home and its happening here every day." Participants marched in the cool spring afternoon with signs that are commonplace at protests being held daily in big cities and small towns across the country, including: No justice, BLM, We demand justice," and Never ever ever happen again. Watch walk/protest in downtown Cleveland for victims of police brutality. Posted by cleveland.com on Friday, June 12, 2020 I really believe firmly that the powers in the people coming out and theres hundreds and thousands and millions of people in the streets in this country and international thats going to possibly bring in an opportunity for a new world," said Cleveland resident Hope, who declined to reveal her last name. Im here to oppose all of these murders to stand with all of the protesters and to march for an end to white supremacy." The demonstration marked the latest in a string of public events in the Cleveland area designed to draw attention to issues of race, inequity and policing in minority communities. The flash point came amid a global pandemic when a passerby filmed a Minneapolis police officer May 25 kneeling on George Floyd as he claimed I cant breathe, and called out for his mother. The most contentious demonstration in Cleveland happened May 30 in an afternoon of mostly peaceful protests that saw a small fraction of the thousands who marched from the downtown Free Stamp statue to the Justice Center turn violent. Cleveland Police and the Cuyahoga County Sheriffs Office admitted that they underestimated the potential of an angry outpouring that led to property damage at the beleaguered Justice Center and some looting of businesses in downtown Cleveland. Authorities arrested more than 100 people that night of the protests and the days following. Cleveland imposed a heavily criticized curfew to suppress the sort of angry outpouring and police riots that continued for days in cities throughout the country. The days of national unrest have since gave way to a series of ongoing Black Lives Matter demonstrations in major cities and small towns throughout the country almost daily. Read more crime stories at cleveland.com: 'Im going to Cleveland to riot: Pennsylvania men indicted on conspiracy charges involving Cleveland demonstrations Akron man charged in death of man found fatally beaten, set on fire Cleveland police launch internal investigation after officer captured on video hitting peaceful protester with baton during Justice Center standoff Cleveland Municipal Court will take online not-guilty pleas in certain cases, hold hearings via Zoom Feds arrest man accused of vandalizing Colossal Cupcakes during Clevelands George Floyd protests Nepali police arrested 10 protesters including foreign nationals from Australia, the United States and China on Saturday as hundreds staged a demonstration in Kathmandu against the government's handling of the virus crisis. Demonstrators have defied a nationwide lockdown for several days this week to demand better testing and quarantine facilities for returning migrant workers. Police official Sushil Kumar Yadav told AFP that seven of those arrested were foreigners. Three of them were Chinese, with one each from the United States, Australia, Canada and Norway, he said. "It has not been decided if they will be charged," Yadav added. At the protest on Saturday, participants showed up in masks, carrying banners reading "enough is enough". "This is a time of crisis and we need our government to be accountable," said one 23-year-old student, Alisha Shrestha, who was not arrested. While that protest ended peacefully, police had used water cannon, batons and tear gas to disperse demonstrations near the prime minister's residence earlier this week. Nepal imposed a nationwide lockdown in March in a bid to halt the spread of the pandemic. It currently has 5,062 cases of COVID-19, with 16 deaths. The home ministry has warned that protesters could face a six-month jail term if they stage rallies during the lockdown. Tens of thousands of migrant workers have returned however from India and the Middle East after losing their jobs, overwhelming testing and quarantine facilities. Demonstrators in Nepal have defied a nationwide lockdown for several days The home ministry has warned that protesters could face a six-month jail term if they stage rallies during the lockdown Protesters in Nepal are demanding better testing and quarantine facilities for returning migrant workers A police dash camera video shows one police officer arresting an Indigenous chief. At the same time, one other police officer is seen tackling him to the ground, punching him, and placing him in a chokehold. The chief's face is seen bleeding as he was handcuffed and placed inside the officials' vehicle. On Thursday, the video was given to the courts and broadcasted by several news media outlets, and have resulted in the majority of Canadians' shock. The event fueled the currently raging calls of the injustice of systemic racism, as reported by The New York Times. Eye-opening events For decades, people have accused police officers of racism against black and Indigenous Canadians. George Floyd's death sparked what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called "an awakening" which resulted in a massive wave of protests across the country calling for racial injustice. Police officers stopped the chief of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Allan Adam, from northern Alberta, for allegedly having an expired license plate. After a debate that laster for 12 minutes, authorities charged him with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. The video shows Adam growing increasingly frustrated in his conversation with police officers where he accused them of harassing his family. The vehicle, which officers claimed had an expired license plate, was impounded on a separate matter and given back to the chief a few days beforehand. According to The Guardian, when Adam swears at the officers, they demand him to get back inside his vehicle. When Adam's wife, Freda Courtoreille, stood near the back of their car, one officer briefly grabs her. The move prompts Adam to yell at the officer to keep his hands off his wife. Also Read: George Floyd's Brother Calls to End Violence, Peaceful Protests Instead As the argument continued, one police officer attempts to grab Adam's arm, and a few moments later, another law enforcement arrives at the scene and tackles the chief to the ground which also allegedly punched him as he was lying on the ground. The officer yells "F**k you, don't resist arrest!" The officer can also be heard repeatedly ordering to Adam to not resist before putting him in a chokehold. Adam's wife and onlookers can be heard pleading the officers to stop as officers pinned Adam to the ground. The chief was then handcuffed and taken away into custody as he was bleeding from the encounter. Horrific scene Trudeau commented on the video, saying that everyone has seen the horrific video of the indigenous chief's arrest and calls to have justice served. The prime minister stated he had several questions regarding the incident, as reported by Reuters. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) did not immediately comment on the arrest, the one responsible for overseeing the agency, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, said he would monitor the investigation closely. The RCMP previously reviewed the video and stated the officers' use of force was within reason. An independent agency in Alberta had recently started an investigation into the incident. Prime Minister Trudeau shared his thoughts that Canadian police officers should be equipped with body cameras. Related Article: Trump Calls George Floyd Protesters as "Thugs," Saying That Looting Will Lead to Shooting @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. George Papadopoulos, the low-level Trump campaign aide who was railroaded in the Mueller investigation, had a creepy series of events at his home near Los Angeles, just yesterday: An Australian man, likely an agent, just walked up to my wife trying to barge into my home to see George, showing her a fake number with one digit off of mine saying he has been talking to me. I have been vocal about Australias involvement in spygate. The police are involved George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) June 12, 2020 As this Australian agent was speaking to my wife and texting me showing her that it was me whom he was speaking to, I was texting her to call the police. She ended up taking a pic of his phone and the fake number he used to try to trick her into letting him in the house. George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) June 13, 2020 This Australian agent came to my home with a bogus number and a fake story to try and enter my home and to do who knows what. This comes days after my interview on @MariaBartiromo explaining Australias involvement in spygate and the declassified information beginning to come out George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) June 13, 2020 Scary. I took a screenshot of the false conversation he was showing me to get me to give me access to the house . The number was a set up number Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos (@simonamangiante) June 12, 2020 Here the screenshot pic.twitter.com/FMdFLeKbfj Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos (@simonamangiante) June 13, 2020 George and Simone had an incident today where an Australian man tried to get in their house fraudulently, the story is on their timeline.@GeorgePapa19 has been speaking out bigly about Australia + the Australian spy sent to trap him during the Coup. Interesting times we are in. https://t.co/lMdCgW19d2 theCOLOR13 (@vincentZwood) June 13, 2020 Very bizarre events today. Deep state is feeling the heat! George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) June 13, 2020 Did it have anything to do with your deleted tweet yesterday?? pic.twitter.com/EjJSx8VZIw TeeJay (@TeeJayEn09) June 13, 2020 Gets more strange by the minute. The Australian agent was texting with a landline number to try and enter my home while I was away. https://t.co/ogDKjRtaFI George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) June 13, 2020 It certainly sounds like something was going on. There's some sort of explanation for it, and it's not the realm of coincidences and pranksters. It sounds like someone affilated with either a government or an organization contracting with a government, such as Fusion GPS. It's redolent of the break-ins and buggings described by former CBS correspondent Sharyl Attkisson in her book 'Stonewalled,' which she has finally gathered enough evidence about to sue the government, notably Justice department deep stater Rod Rosenstein. It's also redolent of the terroristic break-in at the home of Venezuelan investigative journalist Alek Boyd, which has the fingerprints Fusion GPS all over it. Yet it had some pretty amateurish elements, which can be the case with government work, including some authentic spy operations, but not always. The Australian accent of the man attempting to enter - was it fake? Did someone want Papadopoulos to think it was real to throw the scent off? And it if really were the Australian government sending the man to trick his way into the residence, why would they be so obvious as to send someone with a clear Australian accent? Even an Australian can fake an American accent, or better still, they could get a real American for the role, the better to conceal their hand. It's clear from just that that some kind of amateur-hour was going on. The phone trick is worth noting, too. Why the one-digit-off trick which as it happens, was caught out either by Papadopoulos or his wife? Why couldn't they program a completely phony facade into the phone-face as seems likely a good hacker could do. It seems a government spy outfit would be able to manage that. But they didn't. Which suggests once again maybe some kind of contractor such as Fusion GPS. Papadoupoulos retweeted speculation that it might have something to do with a deleted tweet about wanting to hear testimony from former FBI supervisors Bill Priestap and Peter Strzok. He didn't say why he deleted that tweet, so the motives could be muddy. It's significant that Strzok and Priestap are ex-FBI supervisors, and maybe under some kind of pressure or protection in the aftermath. Maybe that points to involvement of a private spy outfit. It's good that Papadopoulos called the cops and got the cops involved, making any government concealment of effort in this case susceptible to press coverage and exposure, something spies abhor. The cops have investigative resources, too, and if sufficiently motivated might even be able to get to the bottom of the story. But based on Papadopoulos's tweets, they have apparently dismissed the case as a nothingburger, missing the political nuance, much the same way the flatfoots of the FBI told Lawrence Livermore astronomer Cliff Stoll, that the tiny monetary loss that he detected as proof of the work of East German hackers was a ridiculously small loss they shouldn't be wasting their time on, thinking the issue was about the money, not the evidence of a national security breach. Stoll's account can be read in his tremendously good book, The Cuckoo Egg. The story thus far has gotten very little press coverage. Yet it should, because unlike the Russia collusion hoax, there's a there there. Whoever investigates this story is likely to find something, given the mistakes and amateur hour blunders thus far evident. And the thread is going to lead somewhere big. As for Papadopoulos and his wife, they should get to safety. Someone knows where they live and really really really wants to get inside their home, either to plant a bug or monitoring device, or more sinisterly, plant evidence. Or maybe plant some poison, or some other pretext for a conveniently timed death. They don't know why someone would go to that much trouble to get into their house. If nothing else, it's someone who wanted in badly. Image credit: Twitter screen shot President of Belarus Aleandr Lukashenko accused his main political rival Viktor Babariko of corruption, Reuters wrote. Lukashenko did this after searches on June 11 at the offices of the Belarusian branch of the Russian Gazprombank. as the law enforcers looked into a case of tax evasion. Previously, Babariko was the leader of this branch. Lukashenko's oppoment has denied the allegations against him. He says that the raid was carried out to put political pressure on him. At the same time, Lukashenko rejects allegations that the searches are related to the elections. Viktor Babariko is considered Lukashenkos main rival in the presidential election to be held on August 9. He has close ties with Russia. As we reported before, in Belarus, which is expected to hold the presidential election on August 9, several cities continued to collect signatures for potential presidential candidates who could oppose the current head of state, Alexander Lukashenko. The official is going for sixth consecutive term At some point, about 1,350 people stood in lines at the same time in Minsk, on the square near the Komarovsky market, where signatures were collected, according to the calculations of the Vesna human rights center. Activists want to divert school police funding to hire counsellors and mental health workers to support students. In the wake of nationwide protests in the US, many districts are under pressure to remove police from schools. School boards in Minneapolis, Portland, Denver and Oakland are just a few that have decided to end or phase out their contracts with police departments. Al Jazeeras Rob Reynolds brings us this report. Yesterday, June 12, the Ukrainian delegation returned from France and underwent PCR testing for coronavirus. The tests were negative. This was reported by the press service of the president. "After returning from France, the entire Ukrainian delegation underwent PCR testing for coronavirus infections. Representatives of the President's Office and members of the Cabinet of Ministers received negative results - COVID-19 was not found," the statement said.It is also noted that the delegation was led by the Minister for Reintegration Oleksiy Reznikov, and included the head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, the Minister of Defense Andriy Taran, the Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oexandr Tkachenko, the deputy head of the President's Office Igor Zhovkva and adviser to the President Ruslan Demchenko.As of June 13, Ukraine recorded 30 506 cases of coronavirus. Of these, 13,976 people recovered and 880 died. The largest number of those who became infected are in Lviv, as well as in Kyiv. The approximate location where Robert Fuller was found. Google Maps The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department is investigating the death of Robert Fuller, a 24-year-old Black man, who was found dead hanging from a tree near Palmdale City Hall earlier this week. Authorities initially said he appeared to have died by suicide, but a "full autopsy is anticipated in the immediate future," the LASD said in a statement. The initial assessment of his death was met with public outcry, as people demanded the case be thoroughly investigated and possibly considered a hate crime. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention and crisis situations. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department is investigating the death of a Black man who was found dead Wednesday hanging from a tree near Palmdale City Hall. The body of the 24-year-old man, later identified as Robert Fuller, was spotted at 3:39 a.m. local time on Wednesday in the 38300 block of 9th Street East in Palmdale, officials said at a press conference Friday. Police and emergency responders arrived at the scene soon after and pronounced him dead. "Although the investigation is ongoing, it appears that Mr. Fuller has tragically died by suicide," Captain Ronald Shaffer, of the LA County Sheriff's Palmdale station, said during a press conference. A press release from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said a full autopsy is "anticipated in the immediate future." The line was met with outcry from those attending the press conference, with some people saying "no peace" and "that's a lie." "Remember what the first coroner said about George Floyd? We need another coroner," one attendee said, according to a livestream of the press conference. Story continues Another attendee cited the case of Breonna Taylor, who was shot eight times in her home when officers served a "no-knock" warrant. The incident report from Taylor's case reported her injuries as "none." The City of Palmdale posted on Facebook in response to Fuller's death, saying the city "extends its sincere condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of Robert Fuller who tragically passed away in Palmdale on Wednesday, June 10." An early press release linked his death to COVID-19 citing "extreme mental anguish" amidst the pandemic. "Many people are suffering extreme mental anguish and the City wants everyone to know that help is available," City Manager J.J. Murphy said in a statement. Officials deeming the death a suicide prior to the conclusion of the investigation contributed to community outrage. According to LAist, the mayor of Palmdale, Steve Hofbauer, admitted that "we should have stated it better," adding that they "were going off of what the coroner was telling the sheriff." Family members of Fuller set up a GoFundMe to assist with funeral costs; it has since garnered more than $75,000 at the time of publication. "Words can't describe how my family is feeling," the description of the GoFundMe read. "We grew up there in the Antelope Valley, we have so many friends, families that loved Robert." "We greatly appreciate everyone," the statement reads. "Thank you for standing with us during this difficult time." #JusticeforRobertFuller trended on Twitter as people demanded answers on whether his case was being investigated as a hate crime, and some marched outside the Palmdale Sheriff's Department. An unidentified person was also recorded giving an emotional speech to protesters who were at the site where Fuller was found. "Stop letting this stuff happen," they said in the video, fighting back tears. "... I was just saying about George Floyd, are we just going to wait until it's somebody we know? Now it is somebody I know, and it's not right." A petition made rounds on Twitter also shared by celebrity Kim Kardashian West demanding a full and thorough investigation for Fuller. As of 9 p.m. ET, the petition had gathered more than 40,000 signatures. "During such a heightened time with the Black Lives Matter movement and the city's quickness to call his death a suicide before any investigation, there is reason to believe that Robert's death was a lynching," the description of the petition read, adding that the Palmdale and the Antelope Valley have a "history of racism and negligence." "We demand the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Palmdale Station and the City of Palmdale to conduct a full, thorough investigation into Robert's death," the petition continued. "We demand security footage in Poncitlan Square to be presented and audio of the call placed when his body was found. We demand justice to be served for Robert and his loved ones." Read the original article on Insider Beijing authorities shut down a major seafood and produce market and locked down several residential complexes Saturday after 53 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the city, renewing fears that Chinas grip on the pandemic is not yet secure. Nearly everyone who tested positive had worked or shopped at the Xinfadi market, a wholesale market on the citys south side that sells seafood, fruit and vegetables, according to the Beijing health commission. More than 10,000 people work at the market, which supplies 90 per cent of Beijings fruits and vegetables, according to the state media. The virus was reportedly detected on cutting boards for imported salmon there. The developments prompted the authorities to temporarily shut down the market, to partly or completely close five others in the capital, and to lock down 11 nearby residential communities and nine schools that had reopened after lockdowns that were put in place to curb the virus. Beijing is also tightening traffic controls into and out of the city, barring interprovincial tour groups and suspending sporting events, according to official announcements and local news reports. Officials had already said Friday that they would suspend plans for students in first, second and third grade throughout the city to return to school Monday. China has taken aggressive steps to prevent a second wave, including testing almost all of the 11 million residents of Wuhan, where the outbreak began. The authorities appear to be especially wary of an outbreak in the capital. Before the new cases, Beijing had not reported any new locally transmitted cases for eight weeks. Seven of the 53 people who tested positive over the previous three days had shown symptoms, while 46 were asymptomatic, according to Beijing health officials. Of the seven people with symptoms, six had not left Beijing in the previous two weeks, officials said. The Beijing health commission said that at least three of the seven were employees of the Xinfadi market, including a 50-year-old purchaser for the market who was in serious condition and a 35-year-old salesman. Another three had visited the market, according to the state media. All 10,000 workers at the Xinfadi market will eventually be tested, according to The Beijing News, a state-controlled newspaper. Officials have already tested more than 1,900 workers at markets across the city, according to the citys health commission. Read more about: See Full Image Gallery >> Bend, Oregon's EarthCruiser not to be confused with Colorado-based EarthRoamer produces two overland adventure RVs that get top billing: The 2020 EarthCruiser FX and EXP, both based on the Fuso FE160G Class 4 medium truck chassis. Sold in two-door single-cab form since their introductions, the difference between them is that the FX fits a fixed roof living space, whereas the EXP is designed with a pop-top section allowing the truck to fit into a shipping container for international travel when the upper section is closed. As company GM Chad Knight told Autoblog, "The Fuso platform has been available in the dual cab for many years outside of the US, so EarthCruiser Australia has built a number of dual cab models" of the FX ad EXP. But the U.S. has only had two-door trucks available can you guess the next part? until now. With the arrival of a four-seater Fuso here, U.S. roamers can add friends and kids to their overlanding supply lists. Another unique feature of the American versions is their gasoline V8 engines. With diesel facing higher hurdles throughout the world and Fuso parent company Daimler cutting back on oil-burner development, EarthCruiser decided last year to retire the previous four-cylinder diesel here for a GM-sourced 6.0-liter Vortec V8 producing 297 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque, shifting through a six-speed Allison 1000 transmission. So now, not only does EarthCruiser build the only retail cabover adventure four-wheel-drive in North America, Knight told us the new model "is the first V8 4WD dual cab built anywhere in the world. The ones EC Australia have built are on the four-cylinder diesel truck." A 60-gallon fuel tank, 20 gallons more than what comes from the factory, can power long runs to the horizon. The only diesel necessary will be for the four-gallon tank that supplies the air and water heater. Next year, the company plans a switch to a Chevrolet Low Cab Forward chassis. Story continues Above all that, the Fuso dual cab which now qualifies as a salon houses four Scheel-Mann Vario captain's chairs. Cleaving in the two extra doors extends the rig's wheelbase by 34.5 inches to 168.5 inches, and the overall length by 39 inches to 289. Otherwise, the trucks haul all the same goodness that EarthCruiser has put into the 160 two-door units sold over the past 10 years. Although the company starts with a Fuso chassis, the end product is a long way from what left the assembly line. The FX and EXP get Hero two-speed transfer cases with exclusive gearing, full floating Dynatrac Pro 80 axles with ARB air lockers front and rear, Rad Flo 2.5-inch gas bypass shocks with remote reservoirs, and custom leaf springs. When needed, chassis articulation is helped by flexible mounts that let the box twist independently of the frame. The Method wheels with 37-inch Toyo Open Country M/T rubber provide 11.25 inches of ground clearance. As for the living space, which has always slept four people in stock trim, it makes more sense to say that it's got almost everything found in your home, more cleverly packaged and perhaps nicer to look at, sit on, and use, as well as enough storage to bring back chunky souvenirs from every land the EarthCruiser gets you to. And that's the standard truck; as we've seen with various hardcore go-anywhere rigs from around the world, only a buyer's imagination limits the optional upgrades. The 2020 EarthCruiser Dual Cab in its current incarnation starts at $420,000, and takes four months to build. Related Video: Click here to See Video >> The Pakistan government has formed a joint investigation team to probe the last month's plane crash in Karachi that killed 98 people. The joint investigation team (JIT) was constituted on Friday, comprising officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), to probe into the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash. "The three-member JIT headed by FIA Immigration Lahore Additional Director Imran Yaqoob is tasked to finalise the matter on top priority and submit the report to the government at the earliest," an FIA official told PTI. The official said the JIT has been constituted in compliance with the Senate Committee on Interior that had taken notice of the plane crash and asked the government to constitute a high-power committee. A four-member team of the Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board (AAIB) led by Air Commodore Muhammad Usman Ghani has already been investigating the crash. Besides, a French team also visited Pakistan to conduct an independent probe and collected evidence from the crash site as well as inspected the runway. The Pakistan government has said it will make the preliminary report of the AAIB team public on June 22. The PIA plane, with 99 people on board, crashed in the Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22, killing 97 people. Two passengers miraculously survived. A 13-year-old girl who was injured on the ground later succumbed to her injuries, taking the death toll in the incident to 98. The Senate Committee had recommended that the FIA Lahore should examine if the engineering branch of PIA at Lahore was being maintained as per the given international standards and how many times the small components of aircrafts had been made/repaired from local companies /workshops. The Committee said it was felt that the maintenance system of aircrafts had been deteriorating day by day and becoming irresponsible which was visibly noted over the past few tragic incidents. All aircrafts of PIA should be retested, overhauled and the maintenance must be done by PIA and the certificates with responsibility be given before bringing the aircrafts on the runway to avoid such incidents in future, following internationally acknowledged air safety rules to make Pakistani airspace safest for flying," it said. It also called for detailed record of the maintenance of the crashed aircraft, A-320. It is reported that error was being shown on the cockpit of the plane. Who was the authorised officer to sign the clearance certificate of the said plane? Was the clearance certificate also signed by the Captain? This plane remained under dry lease to China and what was its condition when this plane was received back from China? the Senate Committee on Interior questioned. It further said that Capitan Sajjad Gul made three Mayday calls requesting the ground staff that there was an error in the plane but his three emergency calls for emergency response could not convince the ground staff to response on his first call. Who was the staff member on the ground who declared the said emergency call as light one? It said that one could visibly see that both engines of the plane were on fire. While the plane successfully reached Karachi, the shutting of both engines of the plane was reported by the pilot. If the engines were shut, how the engines got fire? The committee questioned if the captain had shown the apprehension that both engines were shut and landing gear was stuck then why he was not allowed immediately on his first call with belly landing if the belly-landing facility was available at Karachi Airport? It will be a good opportunity for the local people to see what goes on during the festival, said Kenaston. Weather can be a factor in this event. Kenaston said they will not use any of the buildings this year, so all performances will have to be outside. There are some covered outdoor areas at the fairgrounds that may be used if possible, she added. Kenaston is expecting 50 to 75 campers to arrive for the event, which is lower than normal. The visitors to Wahoo can still be a benefit to the local economy that has been affected by the pandemic. The visitors will dine at restaurants and purchase food from local grocery stores because there will be no food provided at the fairgrounds, Kenaston said. Hopefully it will be a big boost for local business, she added. Kenaston is already working on the 2021 show, which she hopes returns to normal. All of the performers booked for this years show have already committed to next year, she said. Lashkar terrorist from Pakistan sentenced to 7 years in jail for plotting attacks in India Lashkar off-shoot TRF kills 3 civilians in J&K, says more to come Lashkar linked Bengal woman was trying to honey trap soldiers India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 13: The lady arrested by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) for her alleged links with the Lashkar-e-Tayiba had used the dark web to try and honey trap Indian soldiers. It may be recalled that the West Bengal police had arrested Tania Parvin (22) in March. The case was handed over to the NIA and the agency took her into custody. NIA officials said that she was using a WhatsApp number of Pakistan. She was also part of several groups and had many accounts on social media sites. Operation Desert Chase: How MI busted a Pakistan based honey trap case The police said that she was trying to honey trap Indian soldiers in lieu of information about the Indian Army. The investigation conducted by the police managed to establish her direct connection with the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. She was using the dark web to interact with the soldiers. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News Parvin is a first year student of masters' degree and she was arrested on March 17 from her house at the Malayapur village, which is on the Bangladesh border. The police found that she was in the process of befriending Indian soldiers. She was trying to honey trap them. However, she had not succeeded, preliminary investigations found. (Newser) President Trump dismissed "the passions and prejudices of the moment" and promised to "vanquish the virus" in his Saturday commencement speech at West Pointwhere roughly 1,100 graduates were socially distanced 6 feet apart at Plain Parade Field in New York, CNN reports. "This premier military academy produces only the best of the bestthe strongest of the strongand the bravest of the brave," Trump said as he read from a teleprompter. "West Point is a universal symbol of American gallantry, loyalty, devotion, discipline, and skill." Among other remarks in his nearly 30-minute speech: story continues below "What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment," he said, per Bloomberg. "When times are turbulent, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal." "To the 1,107 who today become the newest officers in the most exceptional Army ever to take the field of battle, I am here to offer America's salute. Thank you for answering your nation's call." "It is not the duty of US troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway places. When we fight, from now on, we will only fight to win." "We will vanquish the virus," he said, per CBS News. "We will extinguish this plague." "You came to West Point because you know the truth: America is the greatest country in human history. And the United States military is the greatest force for peace and justice the world has ever known." (Read more President Trump stories.) Deciding to Go Out Considerations for Events and Gatherings Operator: Welcome and thank you for standing by. At this time all participants are in listen-only mode until the question and answer session. You may press 1 to answer a question. This is being recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I will now turn it over to Paul Fulton. Thank you. You may begin. Paul Fulton: Thank you all for joining us today for this briefing to update you on the CDCs COVID-19-19 response. We are joined by director Dr. Robert Redfield and CDCs incident manager Dr. Jay Butler. Dr. Redfield will give opening remarks and Dr. Butler will discuss an MMWR being released later today as well as suggestions on how to navigate daily life as communities reopen. They will take your questions later. Limit your question to one and limit it to the information being presented today. If you have questions about other topics, contact the CDC media office, media@CDC.gov. At this time I will turn the call over to Dr. Redfield. Robert Redfield: Thank you, Paul. And thank all of you for joining us today. The CDCs COVID-19-19 response is now in its sixth month. While we are making progress, we have a lot of work ahead as we reopen America. CDC, like the scientific and public health institutions around the world, continue to learn a great deal about this new virus. We focus on how its spread among people, how its highly transmissible, and how people who are asymptomatic or presymptomatic can also contribute to spreading. Our recommendations have evolved based on the new information that becomes available, but it continues to be extremely important that we embrace the recommendations of social distancing, hand-washing, and wearing of face coverings when we are in public as some of the key defenses that we have against this virus. Later during this briefing Dr. Butler is going to discuss the findings of an MMWR that looks at how the American people have responded to these key public health recommendations during the pandemic. Dr. Butler is going to share specifics, but I wanted to take a moment to really say thank you to the American people for basically being selfless in taking on the precautions that we have requested of social distancing, wearing a face covering, and hand hygiene to protect the most vulnerable from the threat of COVID-19. I know the people are eager to return to normal activities and ways of life. However, its important that we remember that this situation is unprecedented and that the pandemic has not ended. As I said earlier, its going to be critical to continue to embrace the principles of social distancing, hand hygiene, and wearing a face covering in public. That is why today we are releasing some commonsense suggestions people can take to reduce their risk as their communities open up and they reengage in daily life and attend larger gatherings. Each of you have been active responders to this pandemic, making changes in your life and taking on new challenges in the face of this evolving health threat. We recognize how hard some of these changes have been and the consequence some of them have had on individuals and families and communities. So, once again, to the American people, I would like to say thank you for being the individual public health heroes that we need right now to fight this pandemic. Now Id like to turn this discussion over to Dr. Jay Butler, our COVID-19-19 incident manager, to discuss our recommendation. Jay Butler: Thank you, Dr. Redfield. Good afternoon and good morning, everybody. Its a pleasure to be able to speak with you today. We are now deep into a global pandemic caused by a virus that we didnt even know existed only six, seven months ago. So I suppose the bad news today is the pandemic is not over, and its important to recognize that. While COVID-19-19 is still making headlines everywhere, we know that the pandemic hasnt affected everyone everywhere in the same way. The good news is nationally we have been successful in flattening the curve. The number of new cases each day has been relatively plateaued over a prolonged period of time. But right now communities are experiencing different levels of transmission, and this is occurring as they gradually ease up on some of the community mitigation efforts and gradually reopen. We recognize that we are all getting tired of staying at home. People long for the life that they had back in December. As we live as we head into the summer months, we know that Americans will be looking forward to reconnecting with family and friends and be able to attend events, and we want that to occur as safely as possible. Today the CDC is releasing two online resources aimed at helping people make decisions about how to resume some activities while continuing to follow many of the public health recommendations that can still help us to all protect ourselves and our communities. Every activity that involves interacting with others has some degree of difficulty right now. We want to provide you with the information and suggestions you need to make decisions about which activities may be able to resume and what level of risk you may have to accept. Here is a general rule of thumb. The more closely you interact with others, the longer the interaction lasts and the greater the number of people involved in the interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. Understanding these risks and how to adopt different prevention measures can help you protect yourselves and others against the virus. We continue to ask everyone to follow the guidance of their state and local health authorities and also we all do our part to embrace prevention strategies, including social distancing as much as possible, maintaining a distance of at least six feet from other persons, washing your hands or using an alcohol-based hand cleaner on a regular basis, and wearing a face covering in public where appropriate. We actually practice what we preach here at CDC. So for face coverings we get into the building wearing one. The face covering that I wear, I use this instead of a tie or socks to express my personality. So I have one, a cloth-based covering made with patterns of grizzly bears and salmon on them to show my homage to my home in Alaska. I also have one with an Alaska state flag on it. So these steps of social distancing, hand hygiene, and face covering can help reduce the risk of COVID-19-19 spread and protect those most vulnerable to severe disease. Today were releasing the information on our website to help people make informed decisions about whether to go out and what precautions to take if they do. These documents give suggestions on things you can think about and questions you can ask both about how much COVID-19-19 activity there is in your community and what type of event or activity you are considering. We recommend that you get the answers to these questions and consider what they mean when making your decisions. These suggestions also provide practical tips for given situations. For example, when dining out, see if there is an option to sit outside or ensure that the tables are at least six feet apart so you can maintain social distancing. If you hit the gym, dont share items that cant be cleaned or sanitized after use, and refrain from high-fives and elbow bumps which involve getting closer than six feet to others. If your local library is open, see if curbside pickup is available. If you want to gather with friends for a cookout, as much as possible use single-serve options and remind guests to wash their hands before and after eating. Maintain social distancing, wear cloth face coverings when possible, practice hand hygiene, and avoid sharing frequently touched items. I recently was able to get together with some friends for the first time in about ten weeks, and it was nice to reconnect, and we were able to do these things and have a safer gathering that way. And, finally, for those interested in larger gatherings, we have also added a page or our website with suggestions to help people planning or attending events or gatherings as they prepare for enjoying larger events. Before we take questions, I want to mention a report that has been published in the MMWR today. The article underscores the fact that American people have taken mitigation efforts seriously to prevent the spread of sars-cov-2, and it demonstrates our countrys collective spirit in responding to the pandemic. This was an online survey involving adults nationwide, and particularly those from New York City and Los Angeles, and this was conducted in May to assess adherence to public health recommendations. Results of the survey showed that respondents generally supported stay-at-home measures and non-essential business closures. They reported often or always wearing face coverings in public areas, and they believe that their state restrictions were the right balance and not they believed sorry, let me try this again. They agreed that their states restrictions were the right balance of being restrictive and not too restrictive. So I want to thank the American people for helping us get through the last few months. This represents an incredible public health achievement, and the American people are responsible for that. The direction of the pandemic is in all of our hands, so lets wash those hands. And I ask for your continued efforts. I know its difficult to make changes to our daily lives. We are not out of the woods yet. In the coming weeks we could see increases in the number of cases of COVID-19 as states reopen and as there is an increase in public gatherings as we move into the summer across the country. Its too soon to tell if this will happen, but the CDC is working closely with state health departments to monitor the disease activity and to support responses to any increases. In addition, we must look ahead to the fall and winter. While what will happen is uncertain, we have to pull all our efforts towards gearing up for additional potential challenges that we see every fall and winter, and that is influenza. If anything, we must be overprepared for what we might face later this year. Getting a flu vaccine will be more important than ever as flu and COVID-19-19 could be circulating together as we move into the fall and winter months. So I look forward to taking your questions, and with that I will stop. Thank you, everyone. Paul Fulton: Thank you, Dr. Redfield, and thank you, Dr. Butler. We are going to take your questions now. Media, please remember to limit your question to one and limit your question to the information being presented today. If you have questions about other topics, please contact the CDC media office by emailing media@CDC.gov. Operator: Thank you. Well now begin our question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, press star then 1 and record your name clearly when prompted. If you need to withdraw your question, you may do so by pressing star, then 2. Our first question comes from Mike Stobbe from AP. Mike Stobbe: Thank you for taking my call. So there are two sets of guidance. One of them is about holding or attending mass gatherings. That includes political rallies. Can you comment on whether the CDC is saying that political rallies are okay right now? Jay Butler: Yeah, thanks for that question, mike. So, first of all, the guideline is really for any type of gathering, whether its the backyard barbecue or something larger. And its not intended to endorse any particular type of event, but to be able to be applicable to any type of event that may occur. So the most important things are some of those issues related to being able to maintain social distancing, having access to hand hygiene, encouraging face coverings, and, of course, not attending events if you are ill or have recently been exposed to COVID-19. Paul Fulton: Next question, please. Operator: Thank you. And our next question comes from Elizabeth Weise from USA Today, your line is now open. Elizabeth Weise: Thanks so much for taking my question. Looking at these guidelines, if the American public were to adhere to these maintaining social distance, hand hygiene, always wearing facemasks when out in public, do you think that we can keep levels of COVID-19 down until we have a vaccine? Is this a viable plan moving forward? Jay Butler: Thanks for that question also. Yes, the whole goal here is to continue to keep that curve as flattened as possible to delay onset of cases for two reasons. First of all, we want to make sure that critical infrastructure thats important for societal function as well as the availability of health care services is maintained and that none of these services are overwhelmed by a sudden increase in the number of cases. The second item is just what you touched on, is it increases the chances that there will be people who would benefit from a vaccination if they can avoid becoming infected before a vaccine is available. Paul Fulton: Next question, please. Operator: Thank you. And our next question comes from Betsy McKay from the Wall Street Journal, your line is now open. Betsy McKay: Hi, thanks very much. You know, as you have talked about, there has been a lot learned more about how this virus spreads through contact and large events and so forth. So I wondered, if cases do start going up again, do you think would widespread lockdowns be necessary once again? Or what more targeted interventions could be used in these cases? Jay Butler: Yeah, thank you for that question also. So, as we the most important thing is to be able to monitor what is happening in terms of peoples activity, what are the what is the degree of adherence, and then also monitoring the degree of transmission thats occurring through disease surveillance. If cases begin to go up again, and particularly if they go up dramatically, its important to recognize that more intensive mitigation efforts such as what were implemented in March may be needed again. And that is a decision that really needs to be made locally based on what is happening within the community regarding disease transmission. Again, Ill return to my opening comment that we know the pandemic is not over. Even looking at some of the serology data, the vast majority of Americans still have not been exposed to this virus. Paul Fulton: Next question, please. Operator: Thank you. And our next question comes from Lena Sun from the Washington Sun, your line is now open. Lena Sun: Thank you very much for taking my call, Dr. Butler, Dr. Redfield, and I hope we can continue this on a regular basis going forward. Regarding the mass gatherings, president trump has announced that he is going to hit the campaign trail next week. The RNC has also announced they are going to hold a convention and they are not going to ask people to wear masks. Given the considerations that you have put out here about wearing cloth coverings when people are singing or shouting or chanting, Im wondering whether you need whether the CDC is concerned about this way of seeding more infections as people are going to be in a closed indoor space and not wearing masks and what additional suggestions you might have. Jay Butler: Thanks for that easy question, Lena. So the guidelines I think speak for themselves, and they are not regulations. They are not commands. But they are recommendations or even suggestions, is I believe how its titled, of how you can have a gathering that will keep people as safe as possible. Paul Fulton: Next question, please. Operator: Thank you. Our next question comes from Dan Vergano from Buzzfeed News, your line is now open. Dan Vergano: Hi, thanks very much. You said its too soon to tell if this will happen about outbreaks, if people dont stick to these measures, but we are seeing signs in some states, Arizona notably, have increases that looks like its coming back. Is it too soon to tell if this will happen? The MMWR is embargoed for 1:00 p.m. But you have already sort of blown the results, so I was wondering if we can go ahead and report that? Jay Butler: Regarding the question about there are areas, as I mentioned earlier, where there is an increase in the number of cases that are reported and there is a number of different drivers of that as we contact actually, in some places have staff that are boots on the ground assisting our state, local, and tribal partners. Sometimes an increase is driven by increased availability of testing, sometimes its driven by outbreaks, and we have seen outbreaks in certain occupational settings, in long-term care facilities. Early on we saw clusters of infections in shelters for people experiencing homelessness, and sometimes there is in-case transmission in the community as well. In each area where we see an uptick, these are the questions we want to explore to determine whether or not its an issue of increased infection in the community or are we recognizing more infections through increased testing. Its important to know, of course, that certain proportion of people who become infected never develop any symptoms. So, as testing has become more widely available, some people are tested without any symptoms. There are a certain proportion of people who will be diagnosed and will help contribute to that increase in the number of cases in any given location. In some locations it will be a combination of all of those factors that are driving the increase. Paul Fulton: Thank you, Dr. Butler. All information presented during this telebriefing is embargoed to 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Next question, please. Operator: Thank you. Our next question comes from Tom Howell from The Washington Times, your line is open. Tom Howell: Thanks for doing the call. I have a question about testing. I wanted to know, we have heard a lot about the volume of testing and allowing people to get a test if they want one. Have you seen any strategies though in states or localities that seem to work in actually reducing transmission and amounts of wise allocation of resources? If so, what do those strategies look like? Thanks. Jay Butler: Sure. First of all, I think its important to recognize that testing is not something that in and of itself reduces transmission. Its been taking the test results and being able to make sure that people who are infected are then able to be isolated and reduce their exposures to other people. Right now we are actually in the process of working with the states on their plans for their strategies for testing, and this is using some of the funding that is available to them through some of the appropriations legislation, and there is a number of innovative ideas out there, including using university public health students to be able to increase the access to testing as well as follow-up of contacts of people who test positive. Other states are using state employees that have recently been laid off. Not laid off, furloughed. They are being brought back to work, to work on these issues. And so its really quite a variety of measures that are innovative that have been undertaken by state and local health departments around the country. Paul Fulton: Thank you. Next question, please. Operator: Thank you. Our next question comes from Rob Stein from National Public Radio, your line is now open. Rob Stein: Yeah, hi. Thanks very much for doing this and for taking my question. I wanted to follow up on a question a little while ago. So, yeah, so cases are going up in, you know, maybe 20 states around the country, and so what is CDCs thoughts about why the cases are going up? As you said, you have boots on the ground. Is this going up primarily because of increase in testing, or is it more that people arent following the guidelines? And a lot of public health experts say there has not been enough increase in cases, but Im curious, what is CDCs analysis of really what the situation is? Is the virus spreading more right now? The second question is, the country has flattened the curve. Its at a plateau. That still means 800 or more Americans are dying every day. Over the course of the summer, thousands more could die by the fall. Is that an acceptable level? Jay Butler: Yeah. So, in terms of the first part of the question, as I was saying earlier, its going to be variable in different parts of the country. There is no one answer to your question thats going to apply to every area. So thats why it takes really a deep dig into the situation to be able to look at that. So in terms of one of the ways we can begin to tease that apart is also to look at rates of hospitalization. Also looking at emergency department utilization for COVID-19-like illness because the test results in and of themselves only reflect a bit of the transmission thats occurring. We know that some people dont develop symptoms. We know that of those who develop symptoms, not everyone will be tested. And so we have other ways to look at what are some of the metrics for more severe illness. Are hospitalization rates going up? Are admissions to ICUs increasing? Right now, in looking nationally again, the hospitalization rates are going down, and in most of the places where we have looked at the increase in the recent week or two in the number of cases diagnosed we are not confirming dramatic increases in the number of hospitalizations. This is something that is ongoing and we will continue to monitor very closely. So thats by no means meant to suggest that this is not something that were not very concerned about and will be working on very closely. Robert Redfield: Rob, maybe Ill add one thing. This is Dr. Redfield. As Jay said, its multifactorial. One of the elements in that, and he mentioned each of the states are putting together their strategy, but because of the asymptomatic and presymptomatic presentation of this virus being much more common than was appreciated in the winter, one of the critical features, particularly in protecting people that are vulnerable, is to institute aggressive surveillance by doing antigen testing, viral testing in individual groups that are considered vulnerable. So there has been requests that all individuals that are residents of the 15,000 plus nursing homes in the united states undergo testing to see if there is sub-symptomatic infection. Same with prisons. Its also been encouraged to be extended to other risk settings, whether its certain meat packing plants, homeless populations, urban clinics, and different states to different degrees have operationalized that. Some states have almost tested every nursing home resident. So its not explaining everything, but I just, as jay said, its multifactorial. Clearly now there has been able to be expanded testing in what we consider vulnerable surveillance populations that I think is also contributing to some of the number increases. Paul Fulton: Thank you, Dr. Redfield. We have time for two more questions. Operator: Thank you. Our next question comes from Alexandria Kelly from The Hill, your line is now open. Alexandria Kelly: Hi, thank you for taking my call. Really good to hear from you guys again. I wanted to ask about a yahoo news article published June 10th. It said through presumably a leaked document from the CDC that coronavirus infections are spiking in the US. Even as they begin to decline in countries like Brazil and Spain, Italy, and Germany. Do you have any comment on the that? Jay Butler: I havent seen that document. Paul Fulton: You can follow up with us media@CDC.gov. Thank you. Next question, please. Operator: Our final question comes from Carl ODonnell from Reuters, your line is now open. Carl ODonnell: Hi, this is carl. So I just wanted to ask, there is a number of states, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina have, you know, significantly relaxed social distancing, and what we have seen is that that seems to have translated not only into higher case counts, which could be a function of testing, but also hire hospitalization rates. Do you guys have any concern that some states relaxed their social distancing measures too early? Jay Butler: So I think, first of all, its important to recognize that temporal association doesnt prove causation. Thats one of the reasons we dont sit back and look at the numbers, but also try to get visibility in the community of whats actually going on. And your question about hospitalization I think is spot on because that is one of the measures of whether or not there is more severe illness occurring or are we diagnosing more asymptomatic people. So, to reiterate something that Dr. Redfield mentioned, the important surveillance, to be able to understand the evolution of the pandemic is critical. Actually, if I could maybe return a second to the earlier question about rates of disease in the United States versus other areas. Its important to recognize that the degree of testing and surveillance in other nations actually can be quite different than in the United States. So while there are reports of a number of cases that occur throughout the world, its important to note that in some countries there is probably a much greater proportion of cases that go undiagnosed. And overall those numbers are probably a small proportion of the cases that actually occur. Robert Redfield: Let me say one thing, if I could, to everyone who tuned in. I do want to thank all of you. I said this many years ago when I started, several years ago when I started at CDC, that the public and the media that reports really are a critical partner with us in getting the public health information out that we want to get out to the American public. I am hopeful that we will continue to have these dialogues. I just want to thank you for taking the time. I want to thank you for what you do to help communicate the messages that we feel are important to get to the American public. So thank you. Paul Fulton: Thank you, Dr. Redfield. As a reminder, all the information we have shared today is embargoed to 1:00 p.m. Eastern. And well send out an email to the media list including links to these documents. Please continue to check CDCs website, CDC.gov/COVID-19-19, for the latest updates on our efforts. If you have further questions, please call our media line 404-639-3286 or email media@CDC.gov. Thank you again. Operator: Thank you for your participation in todays conference. All participants may disconnect at this time. GODADDY INVESTIGATION INITIATED by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates the Officers and Directors of GoDaddy Inc. - GDDY Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE: GDDY). On May 5, 2020, news outlets reported that the credentials of an unknown number of the Company's web hosting customers had been compromised through a data breach that occurred October 19, 2019. The Company confirmed that approximately 28,000 customers had been affected. KSF's investigation is focusing on whether GoDaddy's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to GoDaddy's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws. If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of GoDaddy shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 oremail KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-gddy/ to learn more. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200612005584/en/ 1 Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) Baz Luhrmann 2 Sweet Like Chocolate Shanks & Bigfoot 3 Hey Boy Hey Girl Chemical Brothers 4 That Don't Impress Me Much Shania Twain 5 Ooh La La Wiseguys 6 From The Heart Another Level 7 I Want It That Way Backstreet Boys 8 Kiss Me Sixpence None The Richer 9 Saltwater Chicane ft Maire Brennan 10 Canned Heat Jamiroquai Aussie film director Baz Luhrmann ('Strictly Ballroom', 'Moulin Rouge', 'The Great Gatsby') doesn't actually feature on the spoken word hit 'Everyody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)', nor did he create the melody. The words are narrated by voice actor Lee Perry while the song is a remixed version of Rozalla's 'Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)' from 1991, used in Luhrmann's film 'William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet'. The lyrics are from an essay called 'Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young' by columnist Mary Schmich, written as a mock speech to graduating students and published in the Chicago Tribune in 1997. The essay giving various pieces of advice on how to live a happier life - including the wearing of sunscreen - went viral on email. Luhrmann and his team were working on the remix of the Rozalla song when they came across the words erroneously attributed to American writer Kurt Vonnegut. An internet search revealed the true author and the day before the song was recorded, Schmich gave permission for the use of the words. 'The simple observations and ideas seemed to provide a profoundly useful guide for getting through life,' said Luhrmann. The unusual spoken word release was a top ten hit across Europe and later became an airplay smash in the US. It reached number one in the UK and Ireland after BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles championed the song on his show and in the press. She's MasterChef Australia's first female judge who is considered a fan favourite. And Melissa Leong told The Weekend Australian on Saturday that she's 'very humbled' by the show's success. According to the publication, the average live-to-air and catch-up audience is 1,105,000 viewers - representing a 45 per cent increase to last year. 'Very humbled': MasterChef's first female judge Melissa Leong (pictured), 38, weighed in on the show's stellar ratings in an interview with The Weekend Australian on Saturday In her usual self-deprecating manner, Melissa, 38, told the publication: 'Ratings aren't really within our control... (but) it's a wonderful thing to feel that it has resonated with the viewers in Australia and overseas.' The food writer and TV personality of Singaporean heritage went on to say that she can relate to the contestants as she knows what it's like to be judged. 'I know what it is like to put all of yourself in front of others and to be judged.' Melissa is not only a fan favourite but also revered among her peers. 'I know what it's like to put all of yourself in front of others': The food writer went on to say that she can relate to the contestants as she knows what it's like to be judged 'She's so intelligent': Melissa is revered among her peers. Anna Polyviou (pictured) who starred as a guest judge on the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons, told Daily Mail Australia this month that she's doing a 'fantastic' job Dessert chef Anna Polyviou who starred as a guest judge on the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons, told Daily Mail Australia this month that she's doing a 'fantastic' job. 'I think they (all three judges) are all incredible and doing a fantastic job, Melissa in particular. She is so intelligent and such a beautiful soul,' she said. 'She has been so encouraging to the contestants and has such a warm presence that resonates through the TV. She makes you fall in love with cooking all over again.' New panel: Melissa has joined fellow new judges Andy Allen (left) and Jock Zonfrillo (right) Melissa stars as a new judge on the panel alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen. The trio have replaced veteran judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston. MasterChef: Back To Win continues Sunday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten. Three Uzbek police officers have been arrested and charged with illegally detaining and torturing a man who then died in hospital, the Prosecutor-General's Office has said. State prosecutors said on June 13 that the police officers in the eastern city of Andijon detained a local man in May and tortured him. Prosecutors said the man, identified as A. Abdukarimov, was taken to hospital and died on June 11. Prosecutors added that Abdukarimov's relatives filmed his condition in hospital, where he was in a coma with extensive bruising on his arms and legs and had a tube in his mouth. The police officers were arrested on June 1 and the case was being investigated, prosecutors said. It was unclear on what grounds Abdukarimov was arrested. Last month, a United Nations review of Uzbekistan's human rights record expressed concerns about persistent torture in detention centers and limits on basic freedoms, according to Human Rights Watch. President Shavkat Mirziyoev has taken steps to implement reforms since coming to power in 2016. But rights watchdogs have expressed concerns about conditions in Uzbekistan, where rights abuses had been widespread under his predecessor, Islam Karimov. With reporting by Reuters History is instructive, not because it offers us a blueprint for how to act in the present but because it can help us ask better questions for the future. The Lexow Committee undertook the first major investigation into police misconduct in New York City in 1894. At the time, the most common complaint against the police was about clubbing the routine bludgeoning of citizens by patrolmen armed with nightsticks or blackjacks, as the historian Marilynn Johnson has written. The Wickersham Commission, convened to study the criminal justice system and examine the problem of Prohibition enforcement, offered a scathing indictment in 1931, including evidence of brutal interrogation strategies. It put the blame on a lack of professionalism among the police. After the 1967 urban uprisings, the Kerner Commission found that police actions were final incidents before the outbreak of violence in 12 of the 24 surveyed disorders. Its report listed a now-familiar set of recommendations, like working to build community support for law enforcement and reviewing police operations in the ghetto, to ensure proper conduct by police officers. These commissions didnt stop the violence; they just served as a kind of counterinsurgent function each time police violence led to protests. Calls for similar reforms were trotted out in response to the brutal police beating of Rodney King in 1991 and the rebellion that followed, and again after the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The final report of the Obama administrations Presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing resulted in procedural tweaks like implicit-bias training, police-community listening sessions, slight alterations of use-of-force policies and systems to identify potentially problematic officers early on. But even a member of the task force, Tracey Meares, noted in 2017, policing as we know it must be abolished before it can be transformed. The philosophy undergirding these reforms is that more rules will mean less violence. But police officers break rules all the time. Look what has happened over the past few weeks police officers slashing tires, shoving old men on camera, and arresting and injuring journalists and protesters. These officers are not worried about repercussions any more than Daniel Pantaleo, the former New York City police officer whose chokehold led to Eric Garners death; he waved to a camera filming the incident. He knew that the police union would back him up and he was right. He stayed on the job for five more years. Bystanders try to subdue the knife-wielding assailant in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, on June 12, 2020. (Jerry/The Epoch Times) Hongkonger Injured in Knife Attack While Defending Epoch Times Staffer Says He Has No Regrets A man who was hospitalized after defending an Epoch Times staffer during a knife attack in Hong Kong said he did not regret his actions and called for fellow citizens to safeguard the citys freedoms. Jerry, a part-time videographer with the Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times, was attacked by a knife-wielding man in a white shirt while covering a pro-democracy protest in Kwun Tong district at around 9 p.m. on June 12. The bystander, who the police had identified as a 21-year-old male at a Saturday press conference, grabbed the knife with his bare hands to stop the assailant. Police did not disclose his name. According to a friend who accompanied the victim at the hospital, the knife severed two nerves in his hand. He was scheduled for surgery Saturday morning, said Kwun Tong district councilor Kinda Li. Despite the serious injury, the man struck a defiant tone, expressing hope that Hongkongers could live up to their expectations and stand ready to defend their values. A lot of people might have the mentality that if I dont come out this time, I can do it next time, or that even if I dont come out, many others will. They therefore choose not to stand up, the friend told The Epoch Times, relaying his message. But this mindset is contagious. For six months last year, Hong Kong was rocked with mass protests against Beijings growing encroachment into the citys autonomy. Beijing last month imposed a national security law for the city, bypassing Hong Kongs legislature, which critics fear will crush the citys freedoms. The move reignited the pro-democracy movement, sparking several protests in recent weeks. The man said he believes pro-Beijing instigators like the attacker would not be so out of control if the two million Hongkongers who took to the streets to call for greater freedoms last June could come together to prevent similar acts of intimidation from recurring. Before the attack, the assailant shouted pro-Beijing slogans in front of a street stand adorned with pro-democracy slogans and images in an area nearby the Epoch Times photographer, according to Hong Kong media. Quite frankly, Im not scared to be stabbed to death on the street, what I fear is to see peoples hearts turning cold and apathetic, indifferent to everything around them, the 21-year-old said, according to his friend. The Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times in a statement expressed appreciation and respect toward the bystander, adding that they hope he can quickly recover. The outlet also condemned the violence of the assailant and urged Hong Kong police to investigate the incident and the persons background. A man threatens an Epoch Times staffer and other citizens with his knife in Hong Kong, on June 12, 2020. (Jerry/The Epoch Times) The attacker is in police custody. According to the police, the man is a 27-year-old male surnamed Kwong. They had found a knife box along with two and a half tablets during a body search. A fruit knife approximately 7.5 inches long was found on the ground at the scene. Kwong was charged with wounding and striking to cause bodily harm, as well as possessing poison. The Hong Kong Journalist Association expressed strong condemnation toward the violent attack on the reporter and called for a thorough investigation into the persons motivation. Jerry sustained minor hand injuries and did not request hospitalization. Amid all the Black Lives Matter protests, fans expected that the core members of The Firm will dominate royal family news in speaking out their support to the campaign. Unexpectedly, however, it was Meghan Markle who took the first step despite not being a senior royal anymore. The Duchess of Sussex gave a powerful speech during a virtual commencement ceremony in her former high school in Los Angeles about the death of George Floyd and her support to the Black Lives Matter protests. Royal fans applauded Meghan for the move, but they were also left disappointed byPrince William and Kate Middleton as they have not spoken up about the issue yet. Royal commentators Roberta Fiorito and Rachel Bowie revealed that royal watchers expected a lot from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who stepped up after Megxit and after Queen Elizabeth II took an indefinite leave due to the coronavirus pandemic. "I do feel like I am still waiting to hear from Prince William and Kate Middleton and the Queen," Bowie said during the Royally Obsessed podcast. "Maybe that is fruitless to continue to hold my breath for that." The two compared the Cambridges' lack of vocal support for the BLM to the efforts Meghan and Harry have been doing. Currently, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are conducting meetings quietly with key people and organizations connected to the BLM movement to educate themselves with the ongoing issue. Bowie also nicknamed William and Kate's silence as "deafening," which has caused Meghan to outshine Kate even more now. "I am disappointed, a lot of people say well in the U.S. it is a political issue, but it is not a political issue, it is affecting the entire world," the royal commentator went on. Meanwhile, Fiorito seconded Bowie's statements and added that it was disappointing not to see anything from the Cambridges, even from the Cambridges' official Instagram accounts. According to her, BLM is not just a campaign in the U.S. Rather, it is an international movement and it would have been better to hear something from the core members of the monarchy. Kate More Focused On COVID-19? This disapproval came after a story by Tatler claimed that Kate is "furious about the larger workload" she has to do after Prince Harry and Meghan left. The outlet added that Meghan's absence also pushed her to take dozens of royal engagements these past few weeks. Despite such criticisms though, royal experts previously applauded Kate and William for their new approach to royal engagements during the pandemic. During the "Heir Podcast," Omid Scobie and Maggie Rulli talked about the "raw" side of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Zoom calls and praised them for that. Rulli said that the approach allowed William and Kate to establish a closer relationship with the public even when they did not see them in the flesh. "You have been on royal engagements, you know how orchestrated these events are," Scobie said. "So there is something really refreshing about the organic nature of these Zoom calls." ALONE, the organisation which supports older people, has called for reform of housing and care supports provided to older people, saying the COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the flaws and gaps in the current system. ALONE has called on Government to commit to providing Housing with Support options which enable older people with medium to high support needs to live in the community, with the additional support they need to live independently, or semi-independently. 62% of all deaths from COVID-19 in Ireland have been residents of care homes. "ALONE and other organisations have been calling for Housing with Support options to be provided for older people for many years. While nursing homes have a vital role to play in provision of care for older people with high levels of need, they should not be the only option for older people who require additional support to live at home," said ALONE CEO Sean Moynihan. "We have worked with older people who have prematurely moved to nursing homes because they could not get the support they needed to live independently, and older people who are currently living at home and struggling to stay well, because those supports are not available." He continued, "The next Programme for Government must contain a commitment to alternative options, including Housing with Support, for older people. An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Minister for Health Simon Harris, as well as numerous other TDs and commentators, have referenced the need for change to the current system in recent weeks. We are asking them and all TDs not to forget this in the continuing negotiations for the Programme for Government. The COVID-19 outbreak has sadly highlighted what so many of us across this sector have known and been calling for, for many years: we need a system of care which provides fully funded home support for older people who want to live at home, as well as options which provide extra support for older people to live in the community." A single mother of three in Pennsylvania is behind on rent and bills. Her 7-year-old son has Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory syndrome. Another single mother in Alabama prays for better days after losing family members to COVID-19. She just got a job but cant cover the security deposit on the home she plans to move into with her toddler. And in Arizona, a single mother of two worries about her kids overheating in 100-degree weather. She works to support her children and brother, as well as her mother who is in the hospital with cancer. But she cant afford an air conditioner. Simone Gordon shares stories like these every day on Instagram, asking people to open their wallets and cover basic needs like baby formula, clothes, rent, medicine and groceries. Her account, The Black Fairy Godmother (@theblackfairygodmotherofficial), has become a base of operations for direct giving, generating urgent aid for Black women and women of color. Gordons grassroots network of volunteers regularly saves the day when community and government resources fall short. It was a beautiful thing, but then COVID-19 came," Gordon, 33, tells NJ Advance Media. The Bloomfield resident saw her daily requests triple from 30 to more than 100. Despite having lost her part-time waitressing job to the pandemic, Gordon says that during the first two months of the coronavirus crisis, she raised $150,000 for women and children in need. And she managed to do it while finishing the college semester and caring for her 10-year-old son, who has nonverbal autism. In May, Gordon won the Webby Special Achievement Award for using social media to aid women of color who have been severely impacted by COVID-19. Homeless in a pandemic When Gordon learned about the award, she thought it was a put-on. It was just unreal," she says. "You dont hear about people who come from small cities and towns in New Jersey getting these type of things. For mothers like Isabella in Kansas City, Missouri, Gordons work is all too real. Isabella, 28, who prefers to be identified by her first name, had been sleeping in her car for almost a year when she found out about The Black Fairy Godmother. At first, she was skeptical that anyone would actually help. But in the middle of the pandemic, with shelters packed, Gordon was able to get a hotel room for Isabella, her 6-year-old daughter and baby. She secured groceries for the family and had volunteers bring them water. For Mothers Day, she arranged for Isabella to receive flowers and dinner. After the month at the hotel was up, she moved the family to an Airbnb. I am just so thankful for her," Isabella says. She is just doing so much for all of the single ladies out there. Really, thats a blessing. If it wasnt for Simone I would still be homeless, living in my car, she says, her voice cracking. Shes an angel." Black people in New Jersey have been dying at disproportionate rates after contracting the coronavirus disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that during the pandemic, there has been a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups." If GoFundMe, PayPal, Cash App, Venmo and wishlists from Amazon and Target are the method, Gordons Instagram account is the message. Whether its $425 for a mother in California, $290 for a mother of a special needs child or grocery gift cards for a senior citizen, the needs are constant and specific. A link in her bio tells contributors she currently has more than 21,000 followers where and how to give. A group of 12 volunteers across the country work to manage the asks and donations. Every request Gordon receives is vetted through social media and video chat. She also has volunteers abroad, in places like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Greece. Felicia Gershberg, a volunteer in Sunnyvale, California, got involved by giving money. Now she helps by managing donated funds, making hotel reservations, paying electric bills and placing Instacart orders for women in need. You can give $25 to a big nonprofit and it feels like a drop in the bucket, but when you go to somebodys Amazon wishlist and buy a package of diapers you know exactly where its going," says Gershberg, 55. Simone Gordon working on a Christmas wishlist and dinner for families.Simone Gordon During the health crisis, Gordon has rushed assistance to women in her hometown of East Orange, like Angela Bynum. Bynum first got in touch with Gordon when she was volunteering to feed the homeless in Newark. She wanted to know if Gordon could help with donations. In August, she lost her ability to walk. Then she lost her job at a pediatricians office. It just so happens that I became homeless myself," Bynum, 48, tells NJ Advance Media. In the middle of everything else, she found herself taking care of a teenage cousin who she says was abused by a family member. But Bynum only qualified for $16 in food stamps each month. I can relate to women not being able to have food," Gordon says. People dont understand theres a lot of girls who are working as essential workers but theyre only getting food stamps that are $100 or $200. Formula doesnt cost a dollar, formula costs $10, $20 a can." Gordon had groceries delivered to Bynums home in March. At various other times, she has helped Bynum with rent and a hotel room as well as money for a bed, clothes, TV and laptop for her cousin. If it wasnt for Simone, I dont know what I wouldve done," Bynum says. Shes the fairy godmother, yes she is. The beginning of something big Gordons Black Fairy Godmother mission started years earlier, with another a single mother in need: herself. Living in Orange, she had lost her job at a bank and was working various temp jobs. Some of them lasted a month, some barely a few weeks. By 2016, she was struggling to cover basic needs, like diapers and formula for her son. She came across a Facebook group called Reparations: Requests & Offerings. The group, founded by the Seattle poet and conceptual artist Natasha Marin, is a project designed to address income inequality. People of color are invited to ask for something they need and white people are invited to offer services and support. Gordon posted her needs in the group. Four women in Maryland, California, Washington and Pennsylvania reached out to help. With their assistance, Gordon was able to get supplies for King (her sons nickname). They also paid her outstanding college bill for $768. Gordon had left Essex County College in 2008, but because the women also covered the cost of tuition $2,500 she was able to return. She now has one year left until she earns her associate degree in nursing. Next, she plans to study online for a bachelors degree and pursue a degree in public health at Rutgers University in Newark. Gordon says shes able to assist other women because she moved in with her parents, who helped her get out of a physically abusive relationship with her sons father. She prefers not to share details of her encounters with domestic violence, but says the experience helps her connect with many of the women she posts about. I see myself in them, she says. A visit from The Black Fairy Godmother can often help women avoid homelessness after a domestic dispute. Gordon knows that domestic violence and poverty dont let up because theres a pandemic. She started fundraising in 2013, gradually branching out from MySpace and Facebook, where she focused on mothers of children with special needs. Gordon embraced the Black Fairy Godmother name in 2016. Its just a women empowerment type of thing and it grew into something big," she says. Soldiers in a direct-giving army Gordon saw support for her work grow even more after two authors shared her efforts. Soon, her initial 100-follower count spiked by the thousands. First came Jennifer Pastiloff, author of the memoir On Being Human." Pastiloff, who is also known for her yoga workshops, met Gordon before she started her own Facebook group and encouraged her to get on Instagram. Gordon started passing along requests and Pastiloff shared them from her account. Shes one of my dearest friends now in real life," Pastiloff tells NJ Advance Media. She was able to raise $140,000 to feed those in need during the pandemic by following Gordons example of direct giving. The reason that people trust her and want to help is that shes in the trenches," Pastiloff says. Shes doing the work for no personal gain except to be kind ... Shes channeled by something greater than herself. After Pastiloff amplified The Black Fairy Godmother, Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and City of Girls" and noted Hunterdon County local, began sharing Gordons mission with her audience of nearly one million followers. Theres something so incredibly satisfying about helping her because the cry goes out on Instagram that morning and by the next day, someone has been possibly saved from homelessness, Gilbert tells NJ Advance Media. I just feel incredibly fortunate that Im part of her life and I get to be part of her mission, a soldier in her army, really. Most of my followers are white women," she says. "Its a long overdue and growing awareness of white women that call themselves feminists that we havent done enough to honor Black women in this culture and that needs to be remedied and that needs to be repaired and that needs this to be restored. Katie Kime, 34, a volunteer in Frenchtown, began following Gordon on Instagram after seeing a post from Gilbert. Kime had time to spare this spring after being laid off from her job at a coffee company, so she got in her car to shop for and deliver groceries to a senior in East Orange. Even after deliveries arrive, Gordon maintains connections with the women she helps, often assisting with jobs, housing and school. In 2017, she raised $1,000 for Teresa Akins in one hour. The money allowed Akins to move out of transitional housing with her teenage daughter. Ive never met her in person, says Akins, 46, of Aberdeen, Maryland. Ill just check to see how she is because shes doing so much. Shes amazing. She says she does not sleep and that is the absolute truth. I will see her online until 1 or 2 in the morning and back online at 5 or 6." In the time since that big save, The Black Fairy Godmother has returned to wave her magic wand over phone bills and school supplies, Akins says. The name fits her well. The Black Fairy Godmother is on Instagram @theblackfairygodmotherofficial. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Send a coronavirus tip here. Cannabis Edibles Nutrition Facts Label Even though the labeling module follows the OLCC regulations, we expect to see the adoption of the Genesis R&D Cannabis Labeling software by manufacturers selling cannabis edibles in other states with similar or less stringent labeling requirements. ESHA Research announced today a first-of-its-kind comprehensive software solution to assist manufacturers selling cannabis edibles in Oregon with recipe formulation, THC and CBD tracking, and regulatory-compliant product labeling. The Genesis R&D Cannabis Labeling module offers OLCC-compliant Nutrition Facts label templates, features to calculate and report required nutrients (calories, sodium, protein, added sugars, cholesterol, total carbohydrates, and total fat per serving), nutrient fields for tracking THC and CBD, and a product packaging report which lists required packaging elements. The OLCC has specific guidelines for what information is required on packaging, and how it should appear, Elizabeth Braithwaite, MPH RD, Product Manager at ESHA, said. Manufacturers risk having their product application rejected if information is missing or incorrect. Genesis R&D offers tools and data checks to help businesses meet the requirements more easily and accurately. When formulating a new cannabis edibles recipe, users can enter their own ingredients or use one of the more than 100,000 ingredients, recipes, and other food items included in the database. The program then calculates the nutrient breakdown of the recipe and displays it on the Nutrition Facts label and product packaging report. The program also comes pre-loaded with the required packaging symbols for hemp edibles, recreational marijuana edibles, or medical-grade edibles. When users create a new recipe, they are prompted to select the product type, and based on that selection the corresponding symbol (or symbols) will automatically appear on the Nutrition Facts label page and product packaging report. We were in a unique spot to meet the demand coming from local manufacturers looking for a compliant labeling and recipe development solution, Craig Bennett, CEO of ESHA, said. Even though the labeling module follows the OLCC regulations, we expect to see the adoption of the Genesis R&D Cannabis Labeling software by manufacturers selling cannabis edibles in other states with similar or less stringent labeling requirements. To learn more, visit the ESHA Website. About Genesis R&D Genesis R&D Product Development and Labeling Software assists users in all aspects of recipe development, including virtual recipe formulation and automatic generation of regulatory compliant Nutrition Facts labels. About ESHA Research ESHAs family of nutritional software products, services and databases are recognized as the industrys top choice for food and supplement development, labeling, nutritional analysis, and regulatory compliance. Our software programs and databases have been used all over the world, by food & supplement manufacturers, educational facilities, restaurants, healthcare facilities, and other industry institutions. In addition, ESHA Research offers software and regulatory compliance consulting and label-generation services. The Foreign Offices most senior diplomat has privately admitted a statue of 18th Century profiteer Clive of India may have to go. Amid growing tensions about Britains colonial past, Permanent Secretary Sir Simon McDonald made the concession in a Zoom call with Whitehall civil servants on Monday, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Taking part in a virtual meeting with Department for Business officials about Covid-19, Sir Simon strayed into a discussion about the controversial monument of Baron Clive of Plassey that stands between the FCO and the Treasury. The divisive imperialist is hailed by some for securing 200 years of British rule in India, but his personal enrichment made from plundering the region made him a controversial figure even in his lifetime. Permanent Secretary Sir Simon McDonald has privately admitted a statue of 18th Century profiteer Clive of India in Whitehall, London, may have to go And critics lay the blame for the Bengal Famine that killed ten million in 1770 squarely at Clives door, due to his punishing taxation and land reforms implemented when he was Governor of the region. Clives statue was erected more than 130 years after his suicide in 1774. Sir Simon also let slip that after an internal debate, some statues and paintings inside the Foreign Office may be offensive but are unlikely to be removed. However, the FCO last night distanced itself from its own Permanent Secretarys comments, insisting there were no plans to take down the statue and pointing out that responsibility for it lies with English Heritage. It added: The FCO is examining the statues and artwork within the department with a view to ensure it is more representative of the UK today, while preserving history. An FCO source admitted that Sir Simons office had been asked to review who had responsibility for the statue, but no decision had been made. A wide review is also taking place internally, with the source adding: With such a long history, there are elements that reflect artwork and individuals from a very different era. We are reviewing both what those elements are, and how best to address what they represent. Clive eventually returned to Britain and served as MP and Mayor of Shrewsbury, rich but deeply depressed The erection of the statue at the turn of the last century was controversial. To his fans, Clive of India is the profiteer who secured British rule in the region for two centuries, but his detractors say he was an unstable sociopath. The Shropshire-born clerk, who rose to the top of the East India Company (EIC), took his title from the anglicised name for the Bengali village Palashi, scene of his greatest victory. Despite having no military training, Clive rose up the ranks of the EIC after a series of stunning strategic victories over the Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal. Facing 50,000 men in 1757, Clives 3,000-strong private army was woefully outnumbered, but through tactical cunning and by bribing the Nawabs cavalry commander, he routed the Bengalis, leading directly to British dominance across India. With Clive as Governor, historian William Dalrymple writes: Bengals wealth rapidly drained into Britain, while its prosperous weavers and artisans were coerced like so many slaves by their new masters, and its markets flooded with British products. A proportion of the loot of Bengal went directly into Clives pocket. Clive eventually returned to Britain and served as MP and Mayor of Shrewsbury, rich but deeply depressed. Never accepted by aristocratic circles, he was eventually brought up on corruption charges. Despite seeing these off, he took his own life in 1774 and was buried in an unmarked grave. One of the troopers was struck in the leg with a bullet, police sources told The Times. State police indicated Saturday morning that trooper's injury was not life-threatening. The second trooper fatally shot Van Pelt during the exchange of gunfire, police confirmed. Van Pelt died from gunshot wounds, according to the coroner's office. Though that trooper attempted life-saving measures, Van Pelt died at the scene. He was pronounced dead at 1:45 a.m. The second trooper also applied first aid to his fellow officer after the attempts to save Van Pelt's life failed, police said. The injured trooper was being treated at Franciscan Health hospital in Crown Point, police said. Police are searching for a second suspect believed to have been parked alongside the black Mitsubishi before it was stolen. The suspect was believed to be driving a silver Toyota Corolla, which was later found abandoned at mile marker 202. Anyone with information on the suspect's identity and whereabouts or that saw the car on I-65 is asked to contact Detective Smith or Detective Rector at the Lafayette State Police Post at 765-567-2125. Peter Coleman, a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University and the director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution, says its also necessary to set the ground rules for what types of conversations you want to partake in with loved ones. He explains there is an important distinction between a debate and a dialogue. A debate is a closed process of persuading the other that youre right, Dr. Coleman said. A dialogue is a process of discovery, a process of learning. If the objective is to have a more nuanced understanding of whats important to the other person, then Dr. Coleman suggests being an engaged listener to open up the conversation. Practice active listening. Active listening is an important ingredient in any difficult dialogue. Dr. Israel explains that this type of communication involves listening to understand instead of listening to respond. She suggests that we repeat family and friends responses back to them. Coming from a place of curiosity can also be helpful during dialogues, she said. This doesnt mean compromising your own views, but being interested in someone elses experiences. For example, she suggested a conservative person might initiate a conversation with a more liberal relative by saying, I saw you post something on Facebook about defunding the police. Im not sure I agree with that, but I wanted to hear more about what that means to you. Take a break if you need one. Elizabeth McCorvey, a licensed clinical social worker based in Asheville, N.C., who was one of the developers of a curriculum designed to help therapists working with clients of color, says discussions are more productive when participants feel less emotionally charged. She advises taking deep breaths before speaking, and using coping mechanisms while the conversation takes place, such as drinking a glass of water or drawing, which may calm your nervous system and help you handle stress. The less agitated you are, then the less agitated the other person might be, she said. If the conversation becomes too emotionally distressing, she suggests taking a break and returning to it later. Set boundaries. Grace Aheron, the communications director for Showing Up for Racial Justice, a national network of groups that organize white communities to turn out for anti-racist action, says there are basic principles that should be respected in any conversation about police brutality and protesting. That black peoples lives matter is not something thats up for debate right now, she said. Theres a sanctity of human life. Her organization developed a tool kit to help people engage with specific arguments related to the protests and police violence. Contrast these two stories. First, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) used the National Guard to crush the violence. In an opinion piece written by the governor for Fox News, she says: America is a place where all voices can be heard. Free speech is one of our most fundamental rights. I see legitimate protests raising important concerns, and I hear those concerns. But I also see violent actors who are trying to do an end-run around public discourse. They want to intimidate and silence opposing views. They want to short-cut public debate through fear. They want to make people scared. This is un-American. Second, Gov. Inslee (D-Wash.) called out the National Guard, but they were unarmed. From his own website (emphasis added): "The National Guard is on stand by to assist the Seattle Police Department as requested by Mayor Durkan," Inslee said. "They will be unarmed and assist with infrastructure protection and crowd movement. They will only be utilized if absolutely necessary and we appreciate their efforts to help in this important work." In an analysis for RealClearPolitics.com, Susan Crabtree offered this perspective: Even though Washington National Guardsmen were unarmed, aerial drone photos of police clashing with protesters over the weekend show a line of soldiers standing immediately behind the Seattle Police, who were facing off against a sea of protesters. Eyewitnesses told RCP that the protests were much more violent than previously reported that there were pipe bombs thrown at police and guardsmen, that people were throwing bottles, rocks, fireworks and other "incendiary devices" and shining green lasers into the eyes of police and Guard soldiers. The religious left is confused. All over the web, these leftists post concerns about the use of force to stop mayhem. Even Christian right leader Pat Robertson of CBN and others like him were confused, as he criticized Trump's law-and-order crackdown on violent protesters outside the White House, some of whom may have attempted to torch nearby St. John's church. "You just don't do that!" So it seems the only way to settle the morality or immorality of stopping or giving free rein to violent protesters is to appeal to Scripture, the Constitution, and George Washington. First, Paul writes: For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. (Rom. 13:3-4, ESV) That passage teaches us that the state is called to protect the citizens by law enforcement. The church as such is not called to do this, so Paul, inspired by the Spirit, hands the sword (the weapon of the military and police) over to the state. Peter says the same thing, but in fewer words: Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. (1 Pet. 2:1314, ESV) No, those two verses do not teach submission to every law, but both passages reveal a general principle. Don't do evil like looting and then you won't be punished with the sword or other ways of stopping the violence, like arrest, for doing evil. Second, the Constitution says people may peaceably assemble, implying that they may not assemble violently. Amendment One: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging ... the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Some of the protests were peaceful and perfectly constitutional, but violent radicals twisted them into looting and mayhem. So how can the government stop violent protests? Third, let's turn to George Washington as our example of obeying the Constitution when protesters turned violent and wreaked mayhem across western Pennsylvania: The peace envoy failed. Washington met with his cabinet officials and presented evidence of the violence to Supreme Court Justice James Wilson, who ruled a military response was justified under the auspices of the Militia Acts of 1792. Washington assumed emergency power to assemble more than 12,000 men from the surrounding states and eastern Pennsylvania as a federal militia. The rebels had committed violence and mayhem, though they believed that their cause was just. Washington taught them by a show of force that uncontrolled and destructive violence was not the best pathway to achieve the complainants' goals back then. Neither is it today. In light of all these data, it is correct to conclude that Gov. Noem and Pres. Trump were morally right in calling out the National Guard to quell the violence. Further, the religious left and some on the Christian right were morally incorrect to tut-tut these wise political leaders who had to make tough calls in tense situations. Gov. Inslee is shortsighted to keep the National Guard unarmed. Finally, it is wrong to criticize the fantastic job that law enforcement does every day in tense situations when the officers stay within the law. To me, they are moral heroes. Please visit James Arlandson's website, where he has recently posted Does Heb. 7:110 Teach Church Policy of Tithing?, Can Christians Join the Military or Police Force?, Should the State 'Turn the Other Cheek'? and Is Our Sin Nature Embedded in Our Mammal Nature? A spike in reported coronavirus cases in Poland's coal mines has put the country on edge but residents worried about jobs are playing down the health crisis. The issue is particularly sensitive ahead of a hard-fought presidential election on June 28 in Poland, where miners are still a powerful voting bloc. Dominik Kolorz, head of the Solidarity trade union for the Silesian coal basin, told AFP he was concerned the increase in virus cases could serve as a pretext for the definitive closure of some mines. "We hope the government will go on to restore the mining sector," Kolorz told AFP, speaking in Katowice in southern Poland, the regional capital of Silesia. Miners and their families accounted for a high proportion of recent cases of coronavirus diagnosed in Poland, prompting the government to suspend work at 12 mines until the end of June. All of them belong to the JSW mining group and the PGG conglomerate -- Europe's two biggest coal companies -- and employ thousands of people. Poland depends on coal for 80 percent of its power needs but the closures are not expected to affect energy production as it has ample stockpiles. Its reliance on the dirty fossil fuel is a thorny issue within the European Union, with Warsaw refusing to implement the bloc's target of going carbon neutral by 2050. It has demanded more time to switch to green energy -- perhaps up to 2070 according to some sources. - Virus 'attacking the mines' - At JSW's Knurow-Szczyglowice mine, workers arriving for their shifts just before the suspension could be seen undergoing temperature checks and using hand sanitiser. A large orange emergency tent stood nearby and signs instructed employees to wear masks at all times in a region that has become the epicentre of the coronavirus crisis in Poland. The virus is "attacking in the mines" where cramped working conditions mean it can spread quickly, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday. But Slawomir Starzynski, a spokesman for the JSW mining group, emphasised that the cases detected at his company have mostly been mild or asymptomatic. "Of the 3,000-some employees from our mines who tested positive for coronavirus, only three or four had to be hospitalised," he said. Poland introduced anti-virus lockdown measures relatively early in March, which could account for its lower death toll from the disease than those of some western European countries. It recorded 28,577 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 1,222 deaths as of Friday. The government began easing restrictions last month, reopening restaurants, upping the public gathering limit to 150 people and scrapping the face mask requirement for those abiding by social distancing rules. Campaigning ahead of the rescheduled presidential election is also in full swing. The ballot was originally scheduled for May 10 but was postponed at the last minute because of the pandemic. But Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski has warned that the sharp rise in cases could mean restrictions being re-introduced nationwide to stop the spread. But in Silesia, the prevailing concern among miners was the future of their jobs. As he arrived for his shift at the Knurow mine, Krzysztof, 40, said: "I don't know what to think. "The mine is working fine. I don't know why they're closing it." A spike in reported coronavirus cases at coal mines such as the Ruch Zofiowka plant has put the country on edge but locals worried about jobs are playing down the health crisis The virus can spread quickly in mines' cramped conditions,Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has warned -- but one mining spokesman said cases detected at his company have mostly been mild or asymptomatic In the Silesia, the prevailing concern among miners is the future of their jobs A security worker checks the temperature of a van driver arriving at the Ruch Zofiowka coal mineat Jastrzebie Zdroj, southern Poland 100 years ago Quarrel, then death Michael Rohan, 25, of Schenectady, was arrested for the clubbing death of Dennis Cummings, 58, also from Schenectady but formerly a Cohoes native, after the two were allegedly drinking together in a saloon before engaging in a quarrel. Cummings emerged unscathed, but Rohan was said to have followed him, and witnesses recalled the two men wrestling under a bridge. It was here that Rohan allegedly struck the fatal blow to Cummings' head. Cummings managed to rise to his feet and stumble down the street until he collapsed, his moans attracting the attention of a nearby patrolman. He died before an ambulance reached the scene. A friend of Rohan's was also arrested on vagrancy charges and he told police that Rohan was a "dope fiend," who demanded money from Cummings. Times Union, June 13, 1920 50 years ago Who has to pay for this oil spill? Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. A futile effort to clean up 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of oil spilled from a yet-unidentified source into the Hudson River at the Port of Albany cost about $3,000 and the State Petroleum Council wondered where to send the bill. Despite nightlong efforts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard and the Council which had a new $1,000 "sea broom" rushed to Albany from Connecticut most of the escaped oil was swept away by shifting tides and the churning of waters by river traffic. Authorities agreed, however, that the incident provided valuable experience which would facilitate mopping up operations in future emergencies. Times Union, June 13, 1970 Looking Back is compiled by C.J. Lais Jr. and Azra Haqqie. Last month, Egypt sent medical aid to South Sudan as per presidential orders to help in the countrys battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Egyptian Ambassador in Juba Mohamed Qadah met Friday with South Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Beatrice Khamisa, where they discussed bilateral cooperation and aid by Cairo to the country to fight the coronavirus outbreak. According to an official statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said the two sides discussed boosting bilateral relations, as well as the Egyptian support to the South Sudanese efforts aimed at fighting the outbreak of coronavirus. During the meeting, Qadah and Khamisa also discussed security arrangements of South Sudan's peace agreement, as well as regional issues of common interest, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Khamisa praised the distinguished ties binding Juba and Cairo at all levels, and the Egyptian continuous support to South Sudan. South Sudan's top diplomat also hailed the Egyptian efforts aimed at restoring the security and stability in Africa's conflict zones. Last month, Egypt sent medical aid to South Sudan as per presidential orders to the military to help in the countrys battle against the coronavirus pandemic. So far, South Sudan has detected over 1, 600 cases of coronavirus and over 20 deaths from the contagion. The medical aid includes medicines, medical equipment, disinfectants, protective suits for medical staff and large quantities of formula milk. Search Keywords: Short link: The Golden Cross Health Care facility in Pasadena. (Raul Roa / TCN) More than 60 residents were evacuated from a skilled nursing facility in Pasadena late Thursday after the state suspended the facilitys license because of ongoing and serious quality of care concerns, including some related to the coronavirus outbreak, officials said. But other issues at the Golden Cross Health Care facility concerned routine patient care, said city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. They had several COVID-positive patients, but they were stable, Derderian said. But other concerns included elder abuse allegations that our police department is investigating and neglect. Golden Cross has reported a total of 72 coronavirus cases among residents, and eight have died, according to the most recent data from the Pasadena Public Health Department. In addition, 32 staffers have contracted the virus. Derderian said the city had identified at least 10 possible violations of state or federal laws at Golden Cross, including allegations the facility was failing to provide adequate nutrition and basic medical care to residents. The state is expected to play a major role in investigating and possibly prosecuting the facility, she said. Golden Cross administrators also attempted to conceal information about vulnerable patients from city officials, Derderian said. In emails provided by the city, a fire battalion chief wrote Wednesday that hed visited Golden Cross the day before and asked whether there were any patients in immediate jeopardy, and whether any had unstable vitals. Staff told him no, the chief wrote. On Wednesday morning, an official with the citys Public Health Department visited the facility and learned that there were more than six immediate jeopardy patients, the emails state. Later Wednesday, a fire official wrote that there were nine such patients. We found the facility outright lied to us about the condition of some of the patients there, Derderian said. A message left for an administrator of Golden Cross was not immediately returned Saturday. Story continues The city became aware of the situation several weeks ago, when inspections indicated that Golden Cross was not abiding by coronavirus-related health officer orders issued for senior care facilities, Derderian said. City officials immediately started working with licensing agencies and the state to try to rectify the concerns, but Golden Cross failed to take corrective action, she said. They had numerous opportunities to correct several issues, and these issues included the most fundamental functions of caring for these patients: sufficient nutrition and water, and basic medical needs, she said. About two weeks ago, a medical assistance team with the state Emergency Medical Services Authority was sent in to help run the facility, followed by a National Guard medical team, Derderian said. Both teams reported concerns about the poor quality of care and lack of improvement when the state issued multiple plans of correction, she said. The situation came to a head on May 7, when Pasadenas fire chief and health officer visited Golden Cross to assess the residents and personally saw that if we didnt take action swiftly, some of these patients could decline quickly, Derderian said. So thats when we were more aggressive with our reaction with the regulatory agencies to say, We need to move these patients out, she said. The California Department of Public Health issued a temporary suspension order for Golden Cross on Wednesday, the department confirmed. It was the first time a skilled nursing facility in the state had its license suspended since the coronavirus outbreak began, a representative said. The department declined to provide additional information about the specific allegations that prompted the suspension. The state also served the facility with an accusation to revoke its license to operate, Derderian said. Golden Cross can appeal the suspension order, but it gave the state the authority to depopulate the facility in the meantime, she said. The state attorney generals office ordered that residents be evacuated Thursday, she said. It took 12 hours to find new facilities for all 63 residents and prepare them for transfer, and more than 30 private ambulances to transport them, Derderian said. The effort was coordinated by the city fire department, and a representative for the Department of Justice was also onsite, she said. Though a large percentage of patients at Golden Cross had tested positive for the coronavirus, none required hospitalization, Derderian said. All residents have now been removed from the nursing facility, though some staff may have remained, she said. The facility has a history of complaints stretching back over a decade. A health inspection report from April noted more than a dozen deficiencies, including failing to obtain informed consent from residents before giving out medication, to provide appropriate ulcer care, to implement plans to prevent falls, and to properly label and store medicine. In one instance cited in the report, a resident had a catheter inserted, and the facility failed to follow up with the urologist to have it removed, risking a decline in or loss of the patients bladder function, inspectors wrote. Similar deficiencies were noted during inspections conducted in 2018 and 2017, according to reports released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In March 2018, the facility was cited after a caregiver, who appeared to be drunk, threw juice at a residents face, according to an inspection report. Authorities also cited Golden Cross Health Care in 2012 after state investigators found the facility failed to treat and prevent wounds, offered poor psychotic drug practices and failed to note cases of dehydration. An open wound on one resident was found to contain maggots, according to a report issued at the time. In 2008 and 2010, state officials substantiated complaints regarding issues including patient care and treatment of sores. Its a shame when the owners look at it as a business and have no care or compassion for these residents, Derderian said. They were basically heartless when it came to these residents that are under their care. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 14:28 587 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde6ed07 1 Environment Environment-and-Forestry-Ministry,WWF-Indonesia,conservation,orangutan,Kalimantan,environment Free The Environment and Forestry Ministry released a statement on Friday asserting its authority in conservation efforts in Indonesia. In response to the news of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the conservation of orangutans in Kalimantan, the ministry expressed three points. It emphasized that the management of all species, including in-situ and ex-situ data and information, was under the oversight of the Natural Resource and Ecosystem Conservation Directorate General. In an online press conference on June 4, WWF Indonesia finance and technology director Aria Nagasastra said a facial recognition tool prototype was being used to help identify individual orangutans, while a large database kept track of the animals. According to WWF Indonesia data, the orangutan population in Kalimantan had declined by more than 50 percent in the last 60 years. The ministry said that it and its partners had agreed to use the population and habitat data from the population and habitat viability assessment. Based data from 2016, it was estimated there were around 57,350 individual orangutans in an area of 160,139 square kilometers. The orangutan population is constantly monitored with the help of 21 sites. In Sebangau National Park alone, its population is considered stable with an estimate of 6,080 individual orangutans. Regarding WWF Indonesias statement that it had conducted assessments on the orangutans well-being and built a conservation area at Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan in 2005, the ministry said the park was converted from forest area based on a 2004 decree on restoring its function as a national park. The area is meant to protect the orangutan habitat in Kalimantan and is managed by Sebangau National Park Agency of the conservation directorate general. The ministry terminated on Jan. 10 a contract with WWF Indonesia that was supposed to last until 2023 and stated that it had not made a new agreement with the organization. (wng) Despite COVID, MR maintains tradition of greeting people View(s): Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is easily one of the most popular politicians in Sri Lanka with a powerful rural vote base. Last week, he marked 50 years since becoming an MP the youngest MP in the 1970 Parliament. Whether in power or not, there are hundreds who turn up to tell their woes and seek remedies. For each of them, it begins with two rituals on his part, bowing down and greeting them with clasped hands. It follows again when they depart. The advent of the coronavirus in Sri Lanka did pose problems for him. Distancing is not a word that Premier Rajapaksa is fond of. Yet, that is precisely what the health authorities insisted that he does do as a strict precautionary measure. So, in order not to turn away his callers, precautionary measures were put in force at his official residence at Wijerama Mawatha. Visitors had to first step on a tiny pool of water where a thick piece of foam floated. That is to ensure shoes, slippers or even bare feet are clean. Thereafter, a security officer took a temperature reading from the forehead of the visitor. Entry into the security room and personal details including phone numbers are recorded. This is just in case there is an unforeseen situation where the visitor could be easily contactable. Officials said no such eventuality has occurred so far. An interesting feature is that Premier Rajapaksa meets all those who have thus been cleared. There are men standing-by near doors to open or shut them, obviating the need for a visitor to place their hands on a door. They are served a cup of Belimal together with a piece of jaggery, a practice in the villages. This week, a group arrived from Kurunegala and Premier Rajapaksa intently listened to what they had to say. It related to the impending parliamentary elections. Questions followed, one after another, thereafter. Premier Rajapaksa asked whether things were put right after a politician had ordered the closure of 100 shops on the pavement. As the former MP from the Kurunegala District, he appeared thorough with the area. It is only when these rituals are over that Premier Rajapaksa takes up his other routine work at Temple Trees. TV fight between UNP and SJB politicos The bitterness between the United National Party (UNP) and the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) was on full display on Thursday night when former UNP MPs Ashu Marasinghe and Ashoka Abeysinghe appeared on a political programme of a private television channel. A heated exchange erupted between Mr Marasinghe, who is with the UNP and his former parliamentary colleague Mr Abeysinghe, now contesting from the SJB. The row was over a UNP constitution clause concerning the party leadership and the countrys presidency. Both accused the other of being ignorant of the UNP constitution. The exchange caused much amusement to the two speakers from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), former MPs Arundika Fernando and D V Chanaka. The two men shook hands with glee as the two opposition MPs went after each other instead of debating them. No big rallies, but cyber war in election campaign There was an unusual surge of activity in Sri Lankan social media sites since Wednesday, hours after the Election Commission officially announced August 5 as the date for the General Elections. With the sole purpose of promoting candidates, a number of new accounts, mostly with fake identities popped up on various sites including on Facebook, which millions of Lankans use. The cyber campaign is very real when some candidates hire unemployed youths fulltime to engage in this kind of positive campaign of boosting their presence in the digital space while mudslinging their opponents by spreading fake news and funny memes against them. Even some of the candidates personal and professional dealings are brought online to further damage their prospect of being elected using the freedom that anyone can write about anything on these platforms, even if it is defamatory to an individual. In the Tamil social media sphere, at least 500 new accounts most of them Fake IDs are actively engaged in election campaigning and mudslinging, even among the candidates of the same party, to secure a seat in Parliament. The Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) Jaffna district Youth Wing which has its own base of social media influencers and propagandists decided this week to take disciplinary action against candidates if they are found to be spreading fake news and mudslinging against fellow candidates or other party candidates. The move came after it was revealed that some candidates formed factions of their own support base targeting fellow candidates to gain more preferential votes. As one propaganda account of a candidate declared, it is just a start, we will reveal all about them soon, we are yet to see how social media sites can play a role in the upcoming polls in the absence of packed political gatherings and pocket meetings due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kiriella blasts health guidelines for polls Health officials have given stringent guidelines to the Election Commission to be issued to political parties when conducting their campaigns. The guidelines include severe restrictions on holding meetings. Some politicians have already voiced concern over the guidelines, with the latest being former Minister Lakshman Kiriella. He told a media briefing in Kandy that the guidelines had been drafted by people who had never conducted an election. They want us to give them lists of names of people who attend meetings. How are we supposed to get names of 100 or 500 people who attend our meetings? The EC has already stated that lines at polling stations could stretch for up to a kilometre if it maintains social distancing at polling stations. These guidelines have been drafted by those whove never conducted an election. They should have been drafted after first consulting the political parties, he stressed. Tamil activist Congressman seeks moment of glory The American pop icon Andy Warhol once famously said: everybody in this world is entitled to 15 minutes of fame. And Representative Tom Malinowski (Democrat from New Jersey), who was on a zoom conference with Tamil activists last month, made it to the pages of the New York Times with quote of the day. He rightly refers to the turmoil at home including police brutality, the threats of military force, and the use of pepper spray against demonstrators which results in US losing its moral authority overseas. Most sophisticated dictators dont argue theyre angels. They argue that America is sanctimonious and hypocritical because we do the same things they do, said Mr. Malinowski, a former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour in the Obama administration. One-time big boss drops bombshell It was a top-level meeting that is held weekly. There was pin drop silence when a onetime big boss, still in the forefront, dropped a bombshell. He told a top bureaucrat, now at the helm of affairs, to get back another major organisation dabbling in matters financial including foreign. That was the talking point among participants this week. The question they ask is whether the man will move out or stay put. Remand applications via video links In principal towns, including Colombo, courts will soon have facilities to video conference with prisons over remand applications. This is in the light of heavy financial commitments by Prison authorities to transport prisoners from where they are held to courthouses. A proposal to have this new system was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. According to the Justice Ministry, there are an estimated 15,000 remand prisoners in 23 prisons. From them, at least 5,400 are being taken to courts daily, according to the Justice Ministry. Karuna goes to Ampara, resorts to communal politics For Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known as Karuna Amman, the one time LTTE Commander in the East, surviving in politics is something relatively new compared to his knowledge in armed warfare. After he contested twice in previous Parliamentary elections from the Batticaloa district and got defeated repeatedly, this time he has moved to the Ampara district. To woo Tamil voters there, he is said to be spreading anti-Muslim sentiments among the Tamils who live side by side with Muslims in the district. On Wednesday, mega sized banners of Karuna Amman, like those of South Indian movie stars, were burned down near Kalmunai town by unknown persons in the early hours. Kalmunai police are said to be investigating the incident following a complaint. Commenting on the police inquiry, a Kalmunai resident said that the mega size banners were put up in violation of election regulations in the first place and now the police are investigating who damaged them. Isnt there a flaw in the police probe? UNP calls for full disclosure of funds received by Govt. to combat COVID-19 The UNP yesterday reiterated its call to reveal details of the funds received by the Government of Sri Lanka to battle the outbreak of COVID-19. The government must also reveal the details of the donated medical equipment that they have received since the declaration of a global pandemic by the WHO, a statement from the UNP said. The statement came after the Health Minister Pavithra Wanniaarachchi insisted that the World Health Organisation did not give the Ministry any funds directly, but only spent funds on COVID-19 control programmes. The UNP statement said the Minister has tried to avoid her responsibility by limiting her response to the contribution of WHO whose finances have already taken a sizeable cut. The Leader of the United National Party has stated that upon the WHO declaring a global pandemic, funds were made available to Sri Lanka to combat COVID-19. The Minister of Health, Nutrition & Indigenous Medicine, along with the WHO, in a statement said Sri Lanka has only received US $1.9 million from the world health body. Due to the present WHO controversy, which includes cutting of funding, the global health body does not have funds to distribute. However, it is another member of the United Nations system that handles development assistance which is responsible for funding to member states whose economies have been impacted by global pandemics. In addition we have also received funding from the Asian Development Bank, the regional development banking body of the UN, as well as direct contributions from foreign countries and organisations. This includes the European Union and its member states, the UNP said. The Health Ministry in a statement said that the claim made by the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe that the WHO had donated Rs 230 million to the Ministry was not correct. The Ministry explained that the WHO Colombo office had received funds directly from the WHO and their Colombo office was spending it on COVID-19 related programmes. The Rev. Phillip Davis wanted to be there, had to be there, as Easton hosted Black Lives Matter rallies on consecutive Sundays, May 31 and June 7. But the senior pastor at Greater Shiloh Church on South Side also has a compromised immune system that he had to keep in mind, with the coronavirus still posing a threat. So he offered a prayer and seeing "there was not enough social distancing," had to leave. I wanted to have my voice heard but I didnt march beyond the square and then I left, Davis said Friday. "Everybody should be wearing a mask out there and being mindful that if youve got symptoms, dont go. Use other platforms to get your message out. "Social media's a great way to do that without endangering other people, especially if you have a fever, cough, body aches -- all of these things are signs that something may be going on with your body." Across the Lehigh Valley and beyond, communities are balancing the rights that Americans have to assemble and to free speech with the need to continue the downward trend of COVID-19 that states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey have worked to obtain. Asked how to achieve that balance, Dr. Jeffrey Jahre, section chief emeritus of infectious diseases and senior vice president of medical and academic affairs at St. Luke's University Health Network, was clear: If protesters adhere to social distancing guidelines and wear masks as recommended, the risks should be minimal, he told lehighvalleylive.com. Lakya Davis, of Allentown, looks on from behind her protective mask as she gathers for a march and rally the afternoon of Thursday, June 4, 2020, along Hamilton Street in Allentown, in protest of the killing by police of George Floyd, a black man, on Memorial Day in Minneapolis.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com So far, heeding that message has been sporadic since protests over police violence against people of color has supplanted staying at home in the forefront of the minds of thousands of people in the Lehigh Valley. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday updated its guidance on gatherings, defined as a planned or spontaneous event indoors or outdoors, with a small number of people participating or a large number of people in attendance ... . The risk of COVID-19 spreading at events and gatherings increases as follows, the CDC says: Lowest risk: Virtual-only activities, events, and gatherings. More risk: Smaller outdoor and in-person gatherings in which individuals from different households remain spaced at least 6 feet apart, wear cloth face coverings, do not share objects, and come from the same local area (e.g., community, town, city or county). Higher risk: Medium-sized in-person gatherings that are adapted to allow individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and with attendees coming from outside the local area. Highest risk: Large in-person gatherings where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from outside the local area. According to the CDC: "SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is thought to be mostly spread by respiratory droplets released when people talk, cough or sneeze. It is thought that the virus may also spread to hands from a contaminated surface and then to the nose, mouth or eyes, causing infection. "Therefore, personal prevention practices (such as hand-washing, staying home when sick, maintaining 6 feet of distance, and wearing a cloth face covering) and environmental prevention practices (such as cleaning and disinfection) are important ways to prevent the viruss spread." Hundreds of people join Black Lives Matter organizers in protesting police brutality June 4, 2020, in Bethlehem.Sarah Cassi | For lehighvalleylive.com In Phillipsburg, a rally and march June 6 drew hundreds of people who crowded together, but who mostly wore their masks. Mayor Todd Tersigni said Friday that people have a First Amendment right to express themselves and a right to protest, but should wear a mask and do the best they possibly can do distance themselves. "It was well-organized and very peaceful," he said. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, under executive order, has carved out an exemption for outdoor religious services or political activity, such as a protest, from his limit of 100 people at gatherings. That cap is set to increase to 250 people on June 22 and 500 on July 3 -- if the downward trends in the states COVID-19 outbreak continues. Under Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfs three-tiered, color-coded reopening plan, the Lehigh Valley is in yellow and gatherings of more than 25 people are prohibited. In green-phase counties, that cap rises to 250 people. But even he joined hundreds in a march for social justice June 3 in yellow-phase Harrisburg. ... we are not restricting peoples right to protest," state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said at the time. "There are all obviously significant social issues that are present, that people feel that they need to have a voice, and so the governor is always supportive of that and is participating. In Philadelphia, where thousands jammed the citys grand Benjamin Franklin Parkway on June 6 to demonstrate against police treatment of black people and racial injustice, the citys health commissioner says there is concern that protests following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota will lead to a spike in virus infections in the city. But so far, theres no evidence of transmission yet, Dr. Thomas Farley said Thursday. During an online news conference he noted many of the protesters in Philadelphia were wearing masks and that in many cases they were keeping a distance from other people. Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said he's heard the question from citizens: "Why can't I get a haircut but 1,500 protesters can show up in Centre Square?" "People have the right to protest, it's protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution," he said. "The last thing I'm going to do is stop it." The city, which is hosting a Prayer & Peace Gathering March at noon Sunday in Centre Square, has asked organizers at Greater Shiloh Church to publicize that participants should wear masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. "I'll be there with a mask on but if others aren't they should really be asked by the leaders to put on one and if they don't, there's nothing we can do about it," Panto said. "The last thing I want to do is have the police enforce something that is not a law." Panto in a statement read aloud during Wednesday nights city council meeting addressed the battle against systemic racism and need for accountability. It can be read in its entirety at easton-pa.com. Mathew Vance, of Bethlehem, wears a protective mask with "I can't breathe" on it, as he joins among hundreds in Easton's Centre Square on Sunday, June 7, 2020, for a Black Lives Matter Circle of Peace, protest in the wake of George Floyd's death.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com Greater Shiloh's Davis sees the national groundswell in the wake of the deaths of Floyd and countless others as a real opportunity for change. "The rising generation has a voice that is resounding nationally and I think people are aware now that the systemic racism is cancerous not only to black folks but to white folks, too, and they have the capacity and the ability to mobilize quickly through the internet," he said. "I really feel like we're at a tipping point and the nation must respond appropriately. "I just feel like folks are ready for change, which of course is a long-term process, but this generation has a voice that resounds and it reverberates in the streets and through protests." Manuel Johnson, of Allentown, says a few words outside the Lehigh County Jail during a rally and march Thursday, June 4, 2020, along Hamilton Street in Allentown, in protest of the killing by police of George Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com The Associated Press contributed to this report from Philadelphia. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. China voices opposition to extension of arms embargo on Iran IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Beijing, June 12, IRNA -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says his country will not agree with the US move to make the UN approve extension of arms embargo against Iran. China will work with all relevant parties to safeguard the authority of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 and the effectiveness of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear issue, China Global Television Network (CGTN) quoted Wang as saying. Wang made the remarks through a letter sent recently to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Nicolas de Riviere. China is after accurate implementation of Resolution 2231. Resolution 2231 (2015) urges full implementation of the JCPOA on the timetable established in JCPOA and sets forth steps for the eventual removal of Security Council sanctions on Iran. JCPOA from which the US withdrew unilaterally in May 2018 is the outcome of multilateral diplomacy and a key factor in following nuclear non-proliferation system, Wang said. Wang urged the US to stop its unilateral sanctions, return to the correct track of observing the Iran nuclear deal and UNSC resolutions, work with all parties to maintain the international nuclear non-proliferation system, and maintain peace and stability in the Middle East, according to CGTN. "The United States, no longer a participant to the JCPOA after walking away from it, has no right to demand the Security Council invoke a snapback," CGTN cited Wang as writing in his letter. The Chinese foreign minister believes that keeping the nuclear deal alive is the sole way to solve nuclear dispute. Wang has stressed that the today priority is to carry out equal and step-by-step operation, move towards resumption of Iran's full implementation of the JCPOA along with guaranteeing the country's economic interests and restore balance between the JCPOA commitments and authorities. Despite the world criticism, the United States left the JCPOA- a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers, including the US, the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany. The withdrawal followed by Nov 2018 imposition of sanctions while the UNSC confirmed lifting of anti-Iran sanctions just few days after 14 July 2015 nuclear deal. Recently, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has tweeted that the US has no right to abuse UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to vilify Iran. "US has tried to heighten tension w/ Iran & bully others to follow." 1483**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Online teaching will be recognised as a formal method, in parallel with teaching in schools, following months of experimenting with the method as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, the education minister said. Online teaching will be recognised as a formal method, in parallel with teaching in schools (Photo: dantri.com.vn) Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha was speaking at a recent conference organised by the Ministry of Education and Training with local education departments and universities, reviewing and evaluating school-hosted online learning, and teaching programmes via television. With the slogan "Pausing school without stopping learning", local education departments reported that localities had implemented online learning and teaching via television during the months-long school closure period triggered by the coronavirus crisis. Minister Nha said that after this conference, the ministry would soon finalise the draft of online teaching regulations at schools and education institutions. When there is a legal basis, online teaching will be considered a form of formal teaching. The combination of online teaching and direct learning must continue to be implemented, according to the minister. Distance learning has been implemented for a long time, but this was the first time that the education sector has implemented the programme methodically, widely and with many positive signs. In the process of implementing the new model (online teaching) the education sector has received attention from the Vietnam Study Encouragement Association, Association of Vietnam Universities and Colleges. It proved that the education sector has potential and strengths to pioneer the application of technology, according to the minister. He also affirmed that online teaching was not only a temporary solution during the pandemic but also an important method to improve the quality of education from preschool to university level. Thereby, a lot of administrative procedures were reduced, knowledge and experience were shared, and pressure on teachers in school also decreased. An official survey showed that when schools were closed due to COVID-19, provinces gained an average of over 80 percent of students accessing online learning. This ratio in cities was more than 90 percent. However, the minister admitted online teaching was still facing some difficulties, due to poor internet infrastructure, transmission servers, limited interaction between teachers and students, especially in preschool and primary school; as well as students in remote and poor areas. Speaking about the general education programme, he said: The ministry will continue to streamline the programme, through evaluating the recent online teaching process, towards a streamlined and effective programme. Shorten the learning and teaching time but the quality and vacation time is still guaranteed, he said. Schools should improve advanced technology skills and pedagogy methods of online teaching for teachers. Students must also be guided to improve their self-awareness and responsibility, especially knowledge and skills, to prevent adverse impacts when participating in the online environment. The minister also warned that the management of students during days-off due to the pandemic was still poor, while students faced problems when they returned to school. VNS An Australian father has issued a disturbing warning after his slow cooker exploded while he prepared dinner for his family. The man posted a clip of the messy aftermath on social media showing shattered glass littered throughout his lamb chop and potato recipe, after the handle broke off the lid. Slow cooking aficionados are now warning other home cooks to be very careful when using the device. A popular slow cooker has exploded while an Australian father was preparing dinner for his family The man from Western Australia posted the video to the Facebook page Slow Cooker Recipes Australia The shattered glass is pictured throughout his family favourite lamb chop and potato recipe Although no one was hurt, the Western Australian man Jordan said: 'Bloody devastated about me lamb chops aye, been dreaming about them all day.' He asked the Slow Cooker Recipes Australia Facebook page if 'anyone ever had their lid just explode on them?' Several cooks said they had the same thing happen to them. 'Yep, my very first slow cooker years and years ago. Hasn't happened since but still scares me lol,' one user wrote. Another said: 'Yes it happened to me once. I went to put the lid back on after giving it a quick stir and the lid exploded everywhere. Wasn't happy.' Jordan said he was using a slow cooker by British manufacturer Russell Hobbs. 'Yes my Russell Hobbs lid shattered in the dishwasher,' a Facebook user said. 'Target had them on special for $39. So bought a new one.' According to members of the slow cooker group, the issue is likely caused by a fault in the glass tempering process. 'The glass hasn't been tempered properly so when it hits a high or cold temperature it combusts!' one user wrote. Another added: 'It's common with cheap glass, but usually explodes in the glass toughening (tempering) Furnace.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Russell Hobbs for comment. A progressive veterans group has slammed President Donald Trump for refusing to rename U.S. military bases named after Confederate generals, saying it is akin to naming bases after Al Qaeda chiefs. VoteVets, a left-leaning political action committee, published an online ad on Friday criticizing Trump for refusing to rename 10 bases that bear the names of generals who sided with the Confederacy. 'We'd never name bases after America's enemies, like Osama bin Laden,' the group tweeted along with the ad. 'Why does Donald Trump so desperately want to keep the names of other racist enemies on our Army bases?' Scroll down for video VoteVets, a left-leaning political action committee, published an ad on Friday comparing bases named after Confederate generals to fictional bases such as the one above Trump tweeted Wednesday that he would 'not even consider' renaming the bases The advertisement imagines military bases with names such as 'Camp bin Laden' and 'Joint Base Al-Zarqawi.' The ad blasts the Confederate figures as 'traitors,' saying they 'took up arms against the United States in defense of slavery.' The ad says Trump 'dishonors our service' when he declared earlier this week that he would never allow the names to be changed. Trump is battling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over renaming military bases that honor Confederate generals - and he's at odds with some in his own party as well. Pelosi swung forcefully against Trump on Thursday, saying it's time to remove symbols honoring Confederate figures from military bases and the U.S. Capitol as the pandemic and civic unrest force a national reckoning with racial discrimination. 'These names have to go from these bases, and these statues have to go from the Capitol,' the Democrat said at her weekly news conference. 'The American people know these names have to go.' The advertisement imagines military bases with names such as 'Joint Base Al-Zarqawi,' referring to the former leader of al-Quaeda in Iraq and co-founder of ISIS 'We'd never name bases after America's enemies, like Osama bin Laden,' the group tweeted along with the ad Confederate monuments have reemerged as a national flashpoint since the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes. Protesters decrying racism have targeted Confederate monuments in multiple cities, and some state officials are considering taking them down. Trump doubled down Thursday on his vow to not rename military bases honoring Confederate generals, even as NASCAR announced it would ban displays of the Confederate flag at its races. 'Seriously failed presidential candidate, Senator Elizabeth 'Pocahontas Warren, just introduced an Amendment on the renaming of many of our legendary Military Bases from which we trained to WIN two World Wars. Hopefully our great Republican Senators wont fall for this!' Trump said in a Twitter blast. But Senate Republicans, who are at risk of losing their majority in the November elections, aren't with Trump on this issue. A GOP-led Senate panel on Thursday approved a plan by Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, to have the names of Confederate figures removed from military bases and other Pentagon assets. The ban would be imposed within three years and was approved by a voice vote as a piece of the annual Pentagon policy bill. A commission would be set up to oversee the process. The provision is likely to be matched when the Democratic-controlled House takes up the measure in coming weeks. Trump is battling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over renaming military bases that honor Confederate generals - and he's at odds with some in his own party as well Confederate symbols in the military and on Capitol Hill are coming under attack as public opinion has dramatically shifted since Floyd's killing. 'The statues in the Capitol should embody our highest ideals as Americans, expressing who we are and who we aspire to be as a nation,' Pelosi wrote earlier. 'Monuments to men who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end are a grotesque affront to these ideals.' At her press conference, she said of Trump: 'He seems to be the only person left who doesn't get it.' The presence of statues of generals and other figures of the Confederacy in Capitol locations such as Statuary Hall - the original House chamber - has been denounced by African American lawmakers for many years. Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., was known to give tours pointing out the statues. But it's up to the states to determine which of their historical figures to display. Jefferson Davis, a former U.S. senator from Mississippi who was president of the Confederate States of America, is represented by one of two statues from that state. Pelosi, D-Calif., noted that Davis and Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens, whose statue comes from Georgia, 'were charged with treason against the United States.' Fort Benning in Georgia, the famous home of the United States Army Infantry School, is named for Confederate General Henry L. Benning Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the appropriate way to handle the statue controversy would be to continue the trend of states replacing them on their own. 'They can trade them out at any time ... a number of states are trading them out now,' McConnell told reporters. 'I think thats the appropriate way to deal with the statue issue. The states make that decision.' McConnell didnt say whether he supports renaming bases such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina, named after Braxton Bragg, a Confederate commander and slave owner. Senators on the Armed Services Committee approved the amendment on renaming the bases on a bipartisan voice vote. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said he supported the move, while Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said he 'did not oppose' it. Only one, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, voted against it in committee, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were unauthorized to discuss the private debate. 'I just dont think that Congress mandating that these be renamed and attempting to erase that part of our history is a way that you deal with that history,' Hawley later told reporters. 'I dont think turning your back on its how you deal with it, confront it and then move on.' Chairman James Inhofe, R-Okla., wanted assurances that local communities would have input, aides said. There was also a push to ensure some flexibility, for example, for commanders who served both sides. Exceptions are also made for grave markers, all but ensuring no disruptions at Arlington National Cemetery, aides said. The new commission will be made up of eight members, four from the Defense Department and four from both parties in the Senate. Inmates of the Central Jail here seem to have an easy access to mobile phones and internet. Two gangsters, Gurjant Singh alias Janta and Jagroop Singh alias Joopa, attacked jail guards when they recovered a mobile phone from them. The Division number 7 police have lodged a case against the gangsters for possessing mobile phone and attacking jail employees. The accused Gurjant Singh alias Janta of Saddu Shahwala of Ferozepur and Jagroop Singh alias Joopa of Chananke village are already facing trial in several criminal cases, including kidnapping, robbery and attempt to murder and possessing illegal weapons. Joopa and Gurjant were arrested by the Amritsar police in 2016 with weapons. Joopa is also a member of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang. Gurjant was again arrested by the Jagraon police in 2019 for possessing illegal weapons. According to Shiv Kumar, assistant superintendent of jail, the jail staff conducted a special checking in the jail on June 11. Both gangsters are lodged in the high security zone of the jail. When the jail staff, along with CRPF jawans, recovered the mobile phone from them, they attacked them in an attempt to snatch the mobile from them. ASI Harshpal Singh, investigating the case, said a case under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of Common intention) of the IPC and section 52 (A) of the prisons Act has been registered against the accused at the Division number 7 police station. The police will bring the accused on production warrant for questioning to know from where they had procured the mobile phone. FIRING AT JAIL INMATES HOUSE: CONSPIRACY HATCHED IN JAIL Investigators, probing the incident of firing at the house of Rishav alias Nannu, an accused in an attempt to murder case and lodged in the jail, have claimed that the conspiracy was hatched inside the jail. Three accused, who are lodged in the jail and had easy access to mobile phones, internet and social networking sites, had directed their accomplices to fire at the house of Rishav and district Youth Congress (central) president Shubham Arora. The Division number 3 police on Friday brought the three accused on production warrant from Ludhiana central jail for questioning. The police have booked a total of ten accused in the case. The accused, brought from the jail, are Manwinder Singh alias Nikka Jattana, of Jattana village of Mansa district, Manpritpal Singh Pratty of Jamalpur, Krishna Sahni of Sector 32 of the Chandigarh road. Nikka Jattana had taken the responsibility of attack through a Facebook post on Wednesday. According to the police, the accused had uploaded the post from the jail. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Photo: Getty Gold smuggling is costing the Democratic Republic of Congo 1.5m ($1.9m) in lost taxes according to a United Nations report. Production of artisanal gold in the African nation was 333.4 kilograms last year but the country only exported 39.4 kilograms, worth about 1m, according to Mines Ministry statistics. The huge discrepancy between production and export reflect the "significant smuggled volumes" of gold ending up in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates and Tanzania said the Group of Experts report. The UN report published on the Security Council website, estimates a minimum of 1,100 kilograms of gold was shipped in 2019 from Congos north eastern Ituri province alone. If exported legally it would have generated 1.5m in taxes. READ MORE: Coronavirus: Games Workshop to refund government payout as sales soar Some of the profits from the hand dug gold continue to fund militia in eastern Congo, the report said. The illegal gold trading evades the normal banking network and instead some refineries act as brokers, using cash payments, said the group. The annual report also highlighted that Congo is one of the regions largest artisanal gold producers, and yet one of its smallest official exporters." A report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2015 estimated between 10 and 15 tons of artisanal gold was produced in Congo each year. At current prices, that amount of gold would be worth up to 666 million, reports Bloomberg. READ MORE: Coronavirus: AstraZeneca signs deal to make vaccine for Europe Growing up, Prince Willam and Prince Harry were always close. Though they were on two different paths as the heir and the spare, their parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana made sure that they were always connected. The brothers remained close for years, with Prince Harry even revealing that his older brother pushed him to seek therapy when he was struggling with the loss of their mother. Unfortunately, the brothers bond was reportedly strained in 2016 when Prince William cautioned the Duke of Sussex about moving too quickly with his now-wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Prince Harry was reportedly deeply offended considering the fact that hes always embraced, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge as the sister hes never had. Now, following Megxit, the royal brothers have been repairing their relationship and it seems that amid all of the chaos and drama, and with the Susssexes moving to LA, Prince Harry is living out a lifelong dream of Prince Williams. RELATED: Prince William Was Obsessed With Doing Well in School, Source Says Prince William hasnt always embraced royal life Prince Harry had reportedly been unhappy as a member of the British royal family for several years. Though he adores his family, it seems that he still has long-held resentments about living life on a global stage, especially considering the tragic way his mother died. We are involved in modernizing the British monarchy. We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people, the Duke of Sussex told Newsweek. Is there anyone of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I dont think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time. Prince William has also shared his younger brothers sentiments in the past. Though the future Crowned King has fully embraced his fate, he resented the fact that he would be king for many years. We talked about our children, and [Princess Diana] said William often told her that he didnt really want to be king, and then Harry would say, If you dont want the job Ill have it, journalist Jeremy Paxman recalled. RELATED: Prince William Once Planned to Live in the US for a Few Years Prince William wanted to spend time in America away from the royal family When Prince William was a college student at St. Andrews University from 2001 to 2004, he enjoyed a level of normalcy and anonymity that hed never experienced before. The royal family and the university took his privacy very seriously, and his relationship with Kate even flew under the radar for some time. Upon graduation, Prince William considered taking some time away from his royal life in America. Having enjoyed a degree of privacy as a student at St Andrews, perhaps its not such a surprise that William has announced his intention to spend a few years living in the US after he finishes his degree, reporter Louisa Pearson explained at the time. Work in a gallery or auction house, and the possibility of a postgraduate degree, have apparently been discussed. Unfortunately, Prince William never got the opportunity to take a gap year in America. He went on to the Sandhurst Military Academy instead. RELATED: Prince William Is Beginning to Question If the Stiff Upper Lip Policy Is Still Relevant Prince Harry could be living out Prince Williams lifelong dream Now that the royal brothers are rebuilding their relationship, Prince Harry has reportedly been leaning on his brother. Moving to a completely different country is never easy for anyone, including Harry, US Weekly reports. And he wasnt expecting to be faced with so many obstacles. Prince William has urged his brother to return to London, at least until things calm down. However, Prince Harry is excited about this new phase of his life. He thinks life in LA is a breath of fresh air from his former duties, according to US Weekly. It appears, that Prince Harry is living out Prince Williams lifelong dream. So Catherine Martin of the Greens is going for the jugular. Nothing wrong with that. Nicey nicey never does the biz when climbing the greasy pole. Her unabashed bid for the top job also reminds us things are returning to normal in our post-lockdown world. We have traditionally cast the Greens as a cuddly group. Eating their lentils, in love with their bikes, and battling to save the planet. They seemed apart from the grubbier side of things. But no more. Old-style fear and loathing has brought a sourness to the surface, surprising in its venomous intent. During the apex of the Covid crisis, Ireland was forced in on itself. It was a time like no other. Stalked by a common enemy, there was a bonding and unity of purpose. But as the scare has eased, powerful instincts have come to the fore once more. There has been a huge psychosocial shift in the last few days. More mature folk still tiptoe cautiously. But almost everybody else just wants to get on with things. They may be operating with a certain degree of caution - but there is aching impatience for their lives to be the way they used to be. One old truth never went away. Regardless of circumstances, human nature remains an ever-changing constant. And so dormant desires are beginning to resurrect themselves. Ambition - and as a consequence the drive to get one over on an opponent - is as old as time itself. It's just a little ironic those perceived to be 'nice people' in the Greens are first out of the traps by way of embracing the skullduggery vibe. Back-stabbing and ruthless jostling for position is gathering pace in a grouping we somehow thought to be above that kind of thing. But there is no point moralising, just because a political collective washes dirty linen in public at an inopportune time. Self-interest trumps the national interest when personal ambition is on the line. If Catherine Martin is convinced now is the ideal time to unseat Eamon Ryan, then she is most unlikely to change her tune. However, this leadership battle is traumatising her party. There are wounds which will take long a long time to heal. Deputy Ryan this week had to rely on assurances from Labour and Fine Gael TDs he is not a racist. Enemies within his own tribe, seeking advantage for their candidate in the upcoming leadership set-to, would have us believe the opposite. His perceived guilt was based on a Dail reference as he backed the Black Lives Matter campaign. The assault on his reputation was a tawdry aside showing how personal things have become. Only a few days ago, Catherine Martin's husband, Green TD Francis Noel Duffy, had to apologise to Ryan. He had retweeted an accusation which said the current leader wanted a deal with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail just to garner a cabinet job for himself. It accused him of wanting to "creep off to a ministerial seat". And it came with a warning Ms Martin plans to "bury" him and the "old Greens". So the gloves are off. As of now, the party is split almost down the middle between two rival camps. More dirt will fly until somebody is declared the winner. Heavy hitters from Fine Gael and Fianna Fail must be looking on askance. Of course they are also practised in the dark arts. Within his own party, Micheal Martin has to watch his back. Even in Fine Gael, Leo's always aware the Simon Coveney camp watches and waits. In fairness, the Greens - with their numbers pivotal to a new government - could hardly remain innocents. Once they might have been regarded as effete, with a propensity to wrestle with their conscience, trying to do the right thing. But the Trevor Sargent era is truly over. A post-Covid world is taking shape. Any coalition arrangement will be harried and hyper. Regardless of what happens the junior party will remain in ferment. However, keeping all involved in a new government on edge might be no bad thing. It's a time of lost innocence for the Greens. They have embraced a hard-nosed way of doing things. How that will go down with voters - next time the party is judged at the polls - remains the great unknown. NEW DELHI -Shaukat Ali Shaikh worked as a doctor in India's financial capital, tending to a stream of patients inside a small clinic at a busy train station. But when the pandemic came for him, he couldn't get admitted to a hospital. The first hospital he went to told Shaikh, feverish and laboring to breathe, that it couldn't admit him because he did not have a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus. The next hospital was full. A close friend called five more, searching for a bed in an intensive care unit. All full. By the time Shaikh was admitted at a hospital through a personal connection late on the night of June 5, his condition had deteriorated, his nephew said. The 44-year-old father of three died less than 48 hours later. His coronavirus test result came back around the same time: positive. As India battles a growing number of coronavirus cases, its health-care system is starting to buckle. Some patients are facing a desperate struggle to access treatment: Government hotlines fail to respond, testing can take days and hospitals are full. The situation is especially dire in Mumbai, the epicenter of the country's outbreak. Home to more than 12 million people, Mumbai had just 14 intensive-care beds available for patients with covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, as of Friday. The other 99 percent of such beds were full. Delhi, India's capital city, is also facing a looming shortage of beds. Earlier this week, Delhi's chief minister said coronavirus cases in the city could skyrocket from the current 35,000 to more than 500,000 by the end of July. That means Delhi will need 80,000 hospital beds for covid-19 patients, he said - about 10 times the number available now. "There is a tsunami of trouble," said Vishal Chopra, a doctor who specializes in diabetes treatment in Mumbai. "And your system was never built to handle a tsunami." The Washington Post interviewed four families in Mumbai and Delhi who recounted how overburdened hospitals had turned away their sick relatives in recent weeks, saying they had no room. All four people ultimately died. Such stories are no longer uncommon, appearing with regularity in newspapers and on social media. The surge in coronavirus cases comes weeks after India began dismantling what was one of the world's most stringent lockdowns. The measure slowed the spread of the virus but did not reverse the trend of rising cases. In the meantime, it exacted an enormous human and economic cost in this nation of more than 1.3 billion people. India and two of its neighbors - Pakistan and Bangladesh - concluded that the cost of such lockdowns was too high to bear. With the restrictions withdrawn, cases are rising quickly in all three countries, turning South Asia into a new hot spot for the pandemic. Global health officials have expressed alarm at the current course of the virus in the region: Earlier this week, the World Health Organization urged Pakistani authorities to implement "intermittent lockdowns" to rein in the spread of infections. In India, the government has mandated mask-wearing and counseled physical distancing. It has not indicated if or when it believes infections will peak, except to say that moment is still "far away." Even as India's total number of cases has soared to around 300,000 - the fourth-highest in the world - senior health officials have refused to acknowledge that community transmission is underway. Compared with the United States and some countries in Europe, India has recorded relatively few deaths in the pandemic. About 8,500 people here have died of covid-19. Half of those deaths have occurred in the last three weeks, a sign of the rapid spread of the virus and the increasing pressure on an already weak health-care infrastructure. Government spending on health care in India is equivalent to just over 1 percent of its gross domestic product, far lower than the global average. Before the pandemic hit, India had only 0.5 hospital beds per 1,000 people, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, compared with 3.2 in Italy and 12.3 in South Korea. It also suffers from a chronic shortage of medical personnel. Now, authorities across the country are scrambling to build capacity as cases rise, turning stadiums, banquet halls, hotels and unused train cars into field hospitals or isolation facilities. In Mumbai, authorities have asked for medical personnel from other parts of the state and other parts of India to help in the effort. Deepak Baid, a physician in Mumbai who oversees a ward for 100 covid-19 patients in a government-run hospital, said many hospitals are already severely short-staffed. Some employees are either afraid to come to work or unable to get there due to transportation issues as the lockdown is gradually withdrawn, he said. His unit is nearly always full, Baid said, and the main thing it can offer patients is oxygen. Sometimes it is forced to take care of patients who need intensive care because of a dearth of such beds. The most difficult part, he said, is when patients arrive with critically low levels of oxygen in their blood. They "become unconscious gradually," he said, "and we can't do much about it." Chopra, the diabetes specialist, said he is seeing about 50 patients a day and at least 20 percent of them are testing positive for coronavirus. Some recover on their own at home, but for those who require more care, arranging a hospital bed is "practically getting impossible now." Four of his patients, all senior citizens, have succumbed to the virus in recent weeks. They include Viren Jadhav's father, an 80-year-old former banker with diabetes and heart disease, who came down with a fever and diarrhea last month. The family tried to get him admitted to Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital in Mumbai. Jadhav said he was told that a coronavirus test was required for admission - and that getting a result could take 48 hours. On May 14, a day after it collected a sample, the hospital called Jadhav to pick up his father's test: positive. But it had no beds available. Jadhav said his family called more than 20 hospitals, both private and government-run, to see if they could admit his father. None would confirm they had room, he said. By the time Jadhav's father was admitted to the publicly run SevenHills Hospital in Mumbai, his blood-oxygen level was dangerously low. The facility had a bed, but no space in its intensive care unit, Jadhav said. The next day, an ICU bed opened up, but it was too late: Vinayak Jadhav died two hours later. His father lost crucial time, Jadhav said. "You know that he is deteriorating," he said. "Why are you waiting?" Sujit Chatterjee, the chief executive officer of Hiranandani Hospital, said that admission to the facility depends on the availability of beds and that in Jadhav's case, none were available. A representative of SevenHills Hospital did not respond to requests for comment. The outlook is rapidly worsening in Delhi as well. Anil Goyal runs a bicycle repair shop in the city. His 75-year-old father, Motiram, tested positive for the coronavirus on May 30 while receiving treatment for a separate neurological ailment. The hospital treating him advised the family to transfer Motiram immediately to a facility for covid-19 patients. From morning until night, Anil, 55, together with his son and his brother, tried to find a bed with a ventilator in at least six such hospitals, both private and government-run. "All the hospitals turned us away," said Anil. The family petitioned the Delhi High Court for help, but to no avail. His father died on June 2, the same day the legal brief was filed. Anil believes his father might "have survived had he received treatment at the right time." Zuber Shaikh, the nephew of Shaukat Ali Shaikh, the doctor, thinks his uncle would have lived if the second hospital they visited that fateful afternoon had not been full. He was the sole breadwinner in his family and leaves behind a wife and three children ranging in age from 5 to 16. His eldest daughter is due to take the nationwide exam for a spot in the country's medical schools next month. "We are told to respect the front-line warriors like doctors, nurses, policemen," said Zuber Shaikh. But the hospitals "couldn't save one of their own." - - - The Washington Post's Tania Dutta contributed reporting. The Director of Health Services in Parliament, Dr. Prince Pambo has said there will be a challenge in determining the COVID-19 status of persons who access to Parliament. He said this in response to the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsus concerns over how some persons, who have been identified as contacts of persons with COVID-19 are still mingling with others in the House. The Suame legislator, who was speaking on the floor of Parliament on Friday observed that the conduct of such persons endangers other persons who still report to Parliament each day to work. The arrangement was that anybody who, unfortunately, tested positive will not be openly identified, but that the testing team will have the arrangement to contact them behind the curtain and have the situation managed. Mr. Speaker, that has been the arrangement but unfortunately, some people after contact has been made to them visit Parliament and endanger the lives of all of us. Dr. Pambo explained on Eyewitness News that the Majority Leaders comment might be borne out of the inability to establish whether guests visiting Parliament have either tested positive or negative for COVID-19. It will be difficult for Parliament to know who has tested positive or negative. And probably it is coming from the backdrop that Parliament has media people and all sorts of guests and visitors coming in and you do not necessarily have a way of establishing that every person coming to the precincts of Parliament has tested negative or positive. It is extremely difficult to say at any point in time that within the parliamentary precincts anybody walking there is negative or positive. Following the mass testing of Members of Parliament on the order of the Speaker of Parliament, Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, had insisted that two of his fellow Members of Parliament (MPs) and 13 parliamentary staff had tested positive for the novel coronavirus but Parliament subsequently rejected the claim. What happened in Parliament and what you heard [about MPs testing positive for COVID-19] is the fact. It is the truth, Mr. Muntaka insisted. Dr. Pambo had earlier indicated that the results of the tests will not be made public. He said the results will instead be made known individually to the persons tested without the involvement of Parliament. The exercise was meant not only for Members of Parliament but the staff of Parliament as well and other support staff who have a duty in the parliamentary precinct and the results will be made known to them individually, he said. ---citinewsroom Two more corona patients, including a woman, died in Assam on Friday, taking the state's death count to eight while a coronavirus-infected woman gave birth to a baby boy in Meghalaya, officials said. Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a tweet, said that two more people, including one in Silchar Medical College, succumbed to Covid-19, but did not give more details about the victims. Health officials in Silchar said that a 53-year-old woman cancer patient died in Silchar Medical College on Friday. The woman recently returned to Assam after taking medical treatment in Delhi. Sarma also tweeted that as on Friday night, the cases in Assam rose to 3,498 with 1,903 of them active. In Shillong, Meghalaya Health and Family Welfare Minister A.L. Hek said that a Covid-19 positive woman, a returnee from Delhi, has given birth to a boy at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences. Both the mother and the new-born are in good health, he added. Re-testing of the sample of the woman would be done after 14 days quarantine in the hospital and the sample of the new-born would also be tested, the Minister said. With the return of around four lakh natives to the northeast from other Indian states, the number of Covid-19 cases are rapidly rising in the region with total cases now 5,249, out of which 2,238 are active cases. Among eight northeastern states, Assam has witnessed the highest surge in Covid-19 positive cases since inter-state movement of people began with around three lakh people returning to the state from western and south Indian states since May 4. The other seven states also saw a spike. Tripura is second with 960 positive cases (678 active) followed by Manipur with 385 cases (312 active), 164 in Nagaland (134 active), 104 in Mizoram (103 active), 67 in Arunachal Pradesh (63 active), 44 in Meghalaya (21 active 21) and 27 in Sikkim (24 active). London, June 13 : Formula One chief Ross Brawn explained the changes that fans will have to get used to during this year's races in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. Formula 1, earlier this week, confirmed that the 2020 season will begin in Austria next month and also revealed details on the first eight races of a new calendar in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. "Because of the implementation of the procedures, we need to be safe and sure of the COVID-19 situation," Brawn was quoted as saying by Formula1.com. "The practises we have had in the past just can't be done. The very packed grid that was a feature of F1 racing just can't happen. "So every aspect from the time teams arrive to the time they leave has been thought through and it's not completely finalised, but we're working with the FIA to polish it." He stated that podium celebrations can't go ahead as usual due to social distancing norms while they are trying to figure out a new way of presenting the trophy without compromising on the safety of drivers and other officials. "The podium procedure can't happen [as it does now], but we're looking at doing something on the grid after the race," says Brawn. "One option would be to line the cars up on the track and the drivers will stand in front of cars. "We can't present the trophies, as you can't have someone in close proximity presenting a trophy, but we have worked it out, we have plans and procedures, we're looking at how we can present it on TV. "The drivers' parade won't happen as we can't put 20 drivers on the back of a truck and take it round the track, so instead we will interview with each one of them in front of the garage," he added. The 2020 season will kick off with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 5, followed a week later by a second race at the same track on July 12. The Hungarian Grand Prix will take place a week after that, before a break. Then there will be two back to back races at Silverstone (August 2 and August 9), followed by the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona (August 16). The Belgian Grand Prix will follow that on August 30, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza a week later on September 6. All the races will be supported by Formula 2 and Formula 3. On Friday, the Karnataka police suspended an inspector in Hubli Rural for failing to submit any chargesheet in the 'sedition' case against three Kashmiri students in the district. In another case where student-activist Amulya Leona was accused of sedition, Bengaluru police are now enquiring into whether action must be taken against any of its officials for having delayed filing of a chargesheet for 107 days. Action against these officers seems to have come after they failed to pursue the arrests they made of 'anti-national' elements with chargesheets in the court that must, by law, be filed within 90 days. And, while lockdown and logistical bottlenecks may have been among reasons for their failure to file chargesheets, another factor could well be that the police themselves find there wasn't much to go upon and hence dithered on following due process. The last week of January and early February saw a slew of sedition cases being taken up in different parts of Karnataka. First came a case against a school, a 10-year-old girl, her teacher and her mother for a play against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The second case related to the arrest of three Kashmiri students who were taken into custody in Hubli for a song they were alleged to have circulated. Later came the sedition accusation against Leona for having shouted pro-Pakistan slogans in an anti-CAA rally in Bengaluru. While the Bidar case accused got bail after a local court ruled that it did not prima facie find any offence of sedition in the school play, the other two cases have left four youth incarcerated for over 100 days behind bars, while the police tried to gather evidence on the allegedly seditious deeds. Significantly, in both Hubli and Bengaluru, the police have filed an investigation officer report with the court a day after lawyers for the accused filed for default bail plea as the chargesheets had not been filed for all of 90 days. This week, the three Kashmiri students -- all of them studying engineering on scholarships from the central government -- walked out of jail after 110 days when a Hubli court granted them bail after it noted that police had not filed chargesheets on time. Leona, too, has got bail now, after nearly 107 days in prison, again because the police did not file a chargesheet on time. "We have suspended the inspector in-charge, because to not file chargesheet within 90 days is dereliction of duty. Even assuming that background investigation of the accused could not be taken up because of the lockdown, at least a partial chargesheet must have been filed," said a senior police officer. But what led to the delay? Sources say that many within the force realise the case rests on a weak footing -- that the case made out against the Kashmiri students was based on statements that were hearsay, and that the video was never circulated by these students themselves, it was forwarded by one of their friends who had accessed their phones. "It is a joke of a case -- by no stretch of imagination can sedition be made out," says BT Venkatesh, a human rights activist and lawyer who has been working on this case. Advocate Prasanna R, who has represented the students, says that the intent of filing the case seems to have been to harass, rather than anything else. "We believe that the video was circulated by someone else, not by the three accused. His statement, too, is there in the remand application. So when they did not circulate it, where was the intent to create disharmony? Even the police informally tell us they all know the futility of this whole exercise," he says. The legal team is now trying to get the trial transferred out of Hubli, as the students and their lawyers had faced a lot of hostility in the court premises with heckling and protests by advocates of the districts. The lawyers also want to ensure the students can continue with their education, so they are able to get their engineering degrees. "These are highly meritorious students, toppers in their class. We are keen to ensure they can finish their degrees," Prasanna says, while noting that a case of this kind would obviously hamper their employment prospects and life in general. The investigating officer (IO) report against Leona, too, came a day after the lawyers filed for mandatory bail. They had attempted to file it on May 26 in different courts, but it was finally done only on June 2. On June 3, the IO filed a report in the court citing that she is a repeat offender and a troublemaker who could create law and order problems again. The delay in the IO's report was "purely procedural", says a senior officer in Bengaluru. "We had to wait for some forensic reports, so we are examining where it (the lapse/delay) happened and how it happened," he said. Leona's lawyers believe that here again the police probably dithered as they weren't sure of how strong their case was. "It is funny they think a 19-year-old girl could do so much against the Indian state. Even before her sloganeering of 'Pakistan zindabad, she had made her stand clear -- she had said India zindabad, Bhutan zindabad, Switzerland zindabad, every country. And they failed to file a chargesheet despite having a Special Investigating Team to probe her actions," says Prasanna. "Scapegoating has become a national sport... and these are all soft targets," he adds. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan reportedly said they are "disgusted by some of President Donald Trumps rhetoric but otherwise doubled down on beliefs that his posts should remain on Facebook. The remarks came on Thursday in response to a letter sent by scientists and researchers asking the pair to stop letting Trump intentionally spread misinformation and hate speech across the social network, reports Business Insider. The 143 scientists who signed the letter are funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which makes grants to organizations in science, education and justice. We take your concerns seriously and to heart, the couple wrote in a two-page response posted to Twitter by Recode reporter Teddy Schleifer. We are deeply shaken and disgusted by President Trumps divisive and incendiary rhetoric at a time when our nation so desperately needs unity. Protests: Why are some white people randomly gifting black people money? In the letter, the couple pointed out that Facebook and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative are two distinct entities. USA TODAY reached out to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for more information. The couple also pointed toward Zuckerberg's recent Facebook post which spelled out why the platform is leaving Trump's posts alone. NEW Mark Zuckerberg & Priscilla Chan have responded to the 270+ scientists at the @ChanZuckerberg Initiative who called on Zuckerberg to curb misinformation. Zuckerberg says he and Chan are "deeply shaken and disgusted by President Trumps divisive and incendiary rhetoric." pic.twitter.com/j5ziU15Ik9 Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) June 12, 2020 "We will continue to stand for giving everyone a voice and erring on the side of free expression in these difficult decisions even when it's speech we strongly and viscerally disagree with," Zuckerberg said in the post. Story continues The news comes as Facebook faces pressure to fact-check or remove charged posts made by the President. In May, the platform made a controversial decision to leave up one of Trump's posts about the Minneapolis protests. In the post, Trump warned, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. While the posts remained on Facebook, Twitter flagged similar content from the President as "glorifying violence." Trump has lashed out at Twitter and threatened to "strongly regulate" social media platforms. Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zuckerberg doubles down on Facebook's plan to allow Trump's posts Field Marshal Khalifa Haftars retreat from Tripoli should not be confused with Napoleons retreat from Moscow. Haftar was foolish to try to capture the Libyan capital it even surprised his foreign backers but he probably wont have to retreat very far. His main force is still intact, and it doesnt snow much in Libya. Its probably too generous to call what has been going on in Libya a civil war. After long-ruling dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, the country actually disintegrated into a series of city-states ruled by rival Islamist militias and every petty warlord got foreign backers because of Libyas oil wealth. Fifty years ago Khalifa Haftar was one of the young officers who helped Gaddafi overthrow the monarchy. Twenty-five years ago he was a CIA asset living in Virginia and promising to overthrow Gaddafi. Five years ago he became the Commander of the Libyan National Army and started subjugating the Islamist and terrorist militias that then dominated the east of the country (Cyrenaica). As he gained control of Cyrenaica and then the desert south of the country Haftars foreign backers multiplied France, Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates for thats where most of the oilfields, pipelines and oil terminals are. They also liked his strong anti-Islamist line. But they werent really interested in reuniting Libya, whereas Haftar was. The various Islamist militias that dominate the capital, Tripoli, and the broader western region of Tripolitania are really just local boys defending their protection rackets. They have no loyalty to the unelected Government of National Accord (GNA) that the United Nations calls legitimate. However the GNA has gained the support of Turkey, probably the strongest country in the Middle East. Why? Partly because under President Recep Tayyib Erdogan Turkey has become the key supporter of pro-Islamist regimes and parties throughout the Arab world (the GNA is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood), and partly because of oil. Still with me? Dont bother to take notes; there wont be a test. Turkey didnt instantly give military aid to the GNA when Haftar sent his forces west fourteen months ago to attack Tripoli. That had to wait until Erdogan had extorted a deal last December in which Libya promised to sell Turkey lots of oil and gas (although it couldnt deliver until Haftar was defeated). The leader of the GNA, Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, also had to agree to a deal in which Turkey and Libya carved up seabed rights in the Mediterranean in a way that gave Turkey valuable gas fields and froze both Greece and Cyprus out. (Both strongly objected, of course.) And then Turkey started sending arms, Arab mercenaries (also Islamist), armed drones, and Turkish military advisers to Libya. By early this year Haftar was also getting a lot of foreign help: arms shipments from the UAE and Egypt, thousands of mercenaries from Sudan, Chad and Niger, and even a couple of thousand Russian ex-special forces troops now working for the Wagner Group of mercenaries. But Turkeys bid was higher. Haftars last assault on Tripoli failed late last month, and the GNA-Turkish counter-offensive has already retaken all of western Libya. As I write militias from Tripoli and Arab mercenaries provided by Turkey are fighting in the outskirts of Sirte, Libyas third city and the gateway to the Oil Crescent, where the sea terminals of the pipelines are. If they take those, Haftar will be toast. Except that the alliance of evil, as Erdogan calls Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, France and the UAE, wont let that happen. More importantly, Russia wont let it happen and Russia flew more than a dozen state-of-the-art combat planes into a Haftar-controlled airbase last month. And whats extraordinary is that despite key words like oil and Middle East and Russia scattered all through this article, it hasnt been necessary to mention the United States even once. There was a telephone call between Erdogan and Donald Trump on Monday, but its unlikely to be relevant to the outcome. The likeliest outcome is that Turkey backs off, there is a ceasefire of some sort that freezes the lines, and there is a de facto division of Libya with a Haftar-led Russian client state in the east that shares the oil revenues with Tripoli. And then there will be a generation of quarrels over the shares. Gwynne Dyer s new book is Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work). Read more about: Representatives from the Texas Railroading Heritage Museum gave the Tomball Economic Development Corporation a presentation in late May asking for a $3.5 million loan to help begin construction, but the future of the museum remains unclear. Bill Capdevielle, THRM president, said they made a formal written request to the TEDC for a $3.438 million grant for the revised first phase of the project, which would allow the museum to open and create a covered space where the railcars could be stored. FUNDS NEEDED: Tomballs potential Texas Railroading Heritage Museum asking for $3M grant from TEDC The present problem THRM faces is moving the railcars, THRM Vice President Al Dykes told TEDC board members. THRM is currently paying more than $3,000 a month for where the cars are stored, and they have about $55,000 in the bank, giving them 18 months before they run out of money to pay rent. Either we can move into a museum and be a big asset to Tomball or well have to seriously think about disposing of the equipment, Dykes said. David Riddle, who sits on the THRMs board of directors, gave the presentation to TEDC along with Dykes and said he knew $3.5 million was a lot of money, but that other community partners would also participate if they knew Tomball was serious about building a museum. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Houston Symphony announces $11 million budget cut and 21 staff layoffs Dykes compared building the museum to waiting around a pool nobody wants to jump in, and said a grant from TEDC could lead to further funding. Nothing builds success like success, Dykes said. Chad Degges, a Tomball City Council member and TEDC board member, said he thought a private partnership with restaurants could be a draw and a long-term funding source for the museum, but said he didnt know how they would give the museum the grant without a long-term look at who is owning and maintaining the museum. We had those questions answered when we did the business park and then we were able to fund it, Degges said. I dont know how else to do it. TEDC did not vote on the grant, as only a presentation was scheduled for the meeting. TEDC Executive Director Kelly Violette said TEDC remained committed to their strategic goals, which includes supporting the development of the museum. We continue to work with the TRHM to assist with this project. The preliminary engineering is being done and will help define the site construction costs, Violette wrote in an email. This is a large and costly project and certainly very worthwhile; however, it will require numerous entities supporting its development to move it forward. Capdevielle said they are still trying to have the museum in Tomball, and that they are going to start requesting grants and donations from Tomball businesses. Getting that first grant is always the problem, then everybody follows, Capdevielle said. We need a leader. We need a big sponsor to come forth and make a large donation and set the bar. And then others will follow, but its getting that first one. paul.wedding@hcnonline.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 22:58:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIYADH, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia registered on Saturday 3,366 new coronavirus cases, increasing the total infections to 123,308. With the new cases, the active infections rose to 39,828, of which 1,843 are in critical condition, the health ministry tweeted. The country reported 1,519 new recoveries, bringing the recovered cases in total to 82,548. The death toll reached 932 with the reporting of 39 fatalities in the last 24 hours. Saudi Arabia and China have supported each other in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-February, the kingdom offered support to China to help fight the virus. A team of eight Chinese medical experts visited the kingdom in April to assist its anti-coronavirus fight. Enditem PSU automotive program one of 12 proposals chosen for federal grant Wednesday, June 10, 2020 11:00 AM News, Science and Technology Pittsburg, KS A $95,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture part of the U.S.D.A. will enable the Department of Automotive Technology at Pittsburg State University to purchase a hydraulic training board to train personnel in the agriculture industry. Currently, the closest such training is in Canada and Germany, noted Professor Tim Dell, coordinator of the departments diesel and heavy equipment emphasis. His department, working in partnership with the Kansas Center for Careers & Technical Education at PSU, will offer a total of 12 workshops for agriculture industry personnel over a span of three years. Three already are planned for late 2020 and early 2021. The workshops will be held in PSUs Kansas Technology Center and will be open to technicians, instructors, agricultural manufacturing personnel including engineers, field representatives, and hotline troubleshooters. The equipment to be purchased with the grant, a Bosch Rexroth training board, is double sided and allows two different groups to use it at a time, one per side. The workshops will allow participants to receive hands-on training for machine hydraulic systems, including open center, pressure compensating, pre-spool compensation, and post-spool compensation, said Dell, who will teach the workshops. The training will also include training on hydrostatic transmissions. Dell has taught at PSU for 21 years, having previously worked at Case IH as a hotline troubleshooter assisting dealers with inquiries on combine harvesters, four-wheel drive tractors, and cotton harvesters. He has authored two textbooks, Hydraulic Systems for Mobile Equipment and Heavy Equipment Power Trains and Systems. The grant is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Agricultural Workforce Training Grants Program. Other projects to be funded range from a new dual certificate and associate degree program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, to a workforce development program at Michigan State University in East Lansing. This work is supported by the Food and Agriculture Research Initiatives Agricultural Workforce Training Grant Program, Grant No. 2020-67037-31034/Project Accession No. 1022396, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Learn more about the KCCTE. Learn more about Automotive Technology. Buying a house in Sydney can feel like a futile exercise. Either that or one in financial humiliation and emotional-masochism. With skyscraper prices (that, in the best areas, dont even fall during a crisis) greasy realtors, competitive overseas buyers, switched on local buyers and Annoying Activewear Neighbours who treat every inspection as a chance to stickybeak, it can all feel a bit much. Either you make a premature purchase and spend the rest of your life in debt, or you waste countless weekends, months of patience and years of looking, only to come out without buying anything. No wonder so many people are now looking at Wollongong and Newcastle. If youre keen to find that happy medium though, and maybe even score a water-adjacent Sydney property of your own, then wed recommend taking a (digital) pew and listening to the insights of an expert. Enter: leading Eastern Suburbs real estate agent Gavin Rubinstein. DMARGE recently had an exclusive chat with Gavin to understand the biggest mistakes Eastern Suburbs property buyers are making right now. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Raine & Horne Potts Point (@rainehorneppeb) on May 9, 2020 at 7:08pm PDT One big regret Gavin sees all too often is: Waiting for the market to fall, (nobody can pick the bottom of the market) and missing out only to find themselves still looking 12-24 months later. Something many buyers could have done sooner is engage a reputable buyers agent to help them through the buying process, Gavin adds. Beware of paralysis by analysis one must be practical when buying real estate, but with the homes I sell, being family homes, most of which are unique there is an emotional factor that needs to be accounted for. The solution? According to Gavin, If it feels right, ticks 8 out of your ten boxes, is within budget and seems fair priced based on similar properties that have traded, dont waste time with moving forward because with supply issues in the East its questionable when another opportunity of the same calibre will come up again. Gavin then told us that smart buyers in Sydney, over the next three to five years, should: get into the market as soon as possible as well as look for opportunities where there is a spike in new listings. The boost in supply means more options for buyers and this puts downward pressure on prices. Edward Brown, director at Australias leading real estate provider Belle Property makes the same point. In fact, as he told us a few months back, one of the most common mistakes Australians make in a falling market is allowing themselves to be overly influenced by non-expert (and sometimes expert) opinions. Do your research, look at realestate.com.au, look at Domain, see whats been selling thats similar, get a bit of a feel for what things are worth and take that into your value every real estate agent, buyer, broker, all have an opinion its whether or not it has any relevance. Family members are always going to say dont pay more than such an such but what we always see is people having regrets that they should or would have paid more for a property, had they had their time around again. The opinion was said to them that they shouldnt pay any more, that they should walk away but one of the biggest mistakes people tend to make is they ask too many opinions of everyone and then pass up good opportunities. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Odrik Oliver (@odrikoliver) on May 12, 2020 at 11:25pm PDT Got it? Your sandy dream awaits. Read Next New Delhi: India's COVID-19 death toll crossed the 9,000-mark on Saturday with a record daily increase making it the world's ninth worst-hit nation in terms of fatalities, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed steps to contain the pandemic in areas where large numbers of cases are being detected. Indias COVID-19 tally of confirmed cases also saw the biggest single-day jump of over 12,000 and reached 3.11 lakh, as per the latest numbers announced by states and union territories. At a review meeting with senior ministers and officials, PM Modi also discussed augmenting of COVID-19 testing as well as the number of beds and services required to effectively handle the rising number of daily cases, particularly in large cities. Reviewed the COVID-19 situation across the nation during a high level meeting. We also reviewed the roadmap ahead, and steps to contain the pandemic in the parts where most cases are coming from. https://t.co/xqW6RszF21 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2020 The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that PM Modi directed Health Ministry officials to undertake an "emergency planning" in consultation with states and union territories in view of a government-appointed expert panel's recommendations on city and district-wise requirement of hospital and isolation beds going ahead. In the wake of a steep rise in the number of cases in Delhi and the projections made by the city government for the tally to reach 5.5 lakh by July-end, the PM also suggested Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to convene an emergency meeting with Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior officials to plan a coordinated and comprehensive response to handle the challenge. The Home Ministry confirmed that Shah and Vardhan will hold these meetings on Sunday. PM Modi is also scheduled to interact with state chief ministers and UT representatives through video conference on June 16 and 17 for his sixth round of such interactions over the COVID-19 pandemic, the last being on May 11. Taking note of the gravity of the coronavirus situation in the national capital, the Delhi High Court also directed the AAP government and the Centre to increase the number of beds and ventilators for COVID-19 patients. During PM Modi's review meeting, it was observed that out of the total cases two-thirds are in five states with an overwhelming proportion of cases in big cities. Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat, Pune, Indore and Kolkata are among severely hit cities by the pandemic. In its morning update, the Union Health Ministry said the total number of cases across India has risen to 3,08,993 with an increase of 11,458 new cases in 24 hours since Friday 8 AM, while 386 more fatalities were reported during this period to take the toll to 8,884. It added that more than 1.6 lakh people have already recovered, leaving close to 1.5 lakh active cases in the country. According to global real-time COVID-19 data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, India's count of recoveries is now the sixth-largest in the world after the US, Brazil, Russia, Italy and Germany. However, India has also entered the top-ten in terms of the number of deaths. It is now ranked ninth after the US, Brazil, UK, Italy, France, Spain, Mexico and Belgium. While the US has reported more than 1.14 lakh deaths so far, eighth-ranked Belgium has recorded 9,650 fatalities. In terms of the overall count of confirmed cases, India is ranked fourth after the US (more than 20 lakh), Brazil (8.3 lakh) and Russia (5.2 lakh). Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in India, reported 3,427 new COVID-19 cases and 113 deaths, including 69 from Mumbai, taking the state's overall case count to over 1.04 lakh and the toll to 3,830. Mumbai city alone has reported 56,831 cases and 2,113 fatalities so far. The state's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the government has reduced the rates of the COVID-19 tests conducted by private laboratories from Rs 4,500 to Rs 2,200. Gujarat reported 517 new cases and 33 more deaths, taking its case count to 23,079 and fatalities to 1,449. Of this, 344 new cases and 26 deaths were reported from Ahmedabad, taking the district's own tally to 16,306 cases and 1,165 fatalities. In Surat, the country's biggest diamond cutting and polishing hub, at least eight diamond units have been partially closed after some workers tested positive. In Uttar Pradesh, over 500 new cases emerged while 20 more died, taking its overall tally to over 13,000 and the death toll to 385. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed the fight against COVID-19 "a war against an invisible enemy" and asked officials to ensure proper arrangements in hospitals to treat patients. In West Bengal, a senior official said the state government will set up 200 'safe homes' to provide temporary shelter to the large number of migrant workers returning to the state to keep a check on the spread of coronavirus. The migrant labourers returning to the state will be provided shelter in the safe homes irrespective of them being asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic if they do not have enough space in their homes to follow the isolation norms. Tamil Nadu reported nearly 2,000 new cases to take its tally to 42,687, which includes more than 30,000 from Chennai itself. The state government announced appointment of 2,000 more nurses in state-run hospitals in Chennai and nearby districts. New cases were also reported from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, among other states and UTs. In Assam, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said 50,000 random tests would be conducted in Guwahati city following the recent spike in COVID-19 positive cases. The Union Health Ministry also came out with a revised treatment protocol to deal with the deadly infection, allowing use of antiviral drug Remdesivir in moderate cases and Hydroxychloroquine in patients during the early course of the disease. (With PTI inputs) BRIDGEPORT A New York man has been charged with sexually assaulting two young Trumbull girls and with possessing nearly five pounds of marijuana in his car, police said. Nicholas R. Hall, 26, of Wallkill, N.Y., was charged with first-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a child in the assault case. He was also charged with operating a drug factory and possession of marijuana. The ruling sparked an intense debate in legal circles. One judge said, "This reflects changing times when the traditional family unit is being dismantled and the roles of parents are shifting." The Supreme Court ruled recently that joint custody must be "decided cautiously" and sent back a ruling by a lower court that awarded the shared arrangement. The top court also ruled that divorcing couples seeking joint custody must live close to their children, both offer similar living conditions and obtain the consent of their kids. With around 110,000 couples divorcing each year in Korea, court are increasingly inclined to award custody of the children to one or the other spouse rather than both. Among the concerns voiced by the Supreme Court about shared custody was the constant need for children to move from one house to another and potential confusion among their parents' values. It said the negatives outweigh the positives in such arrangements. But Jeju district judge Jang Chang-guk wrote on the judicial intranet, "We must not automatically conclude that joint custody goes against the desires of children. There are cases when joint custody is essential from their perspective." Jang cited a case he handled where he asked the child if constantly packing and shuttling from one parent to another was cumbersome. The child responded, "That's okay. I love both my mom and dad." Lawyer Bae In-koo said the Supreme Court's latest ruling will trigger a serious debate on the issue, especially amid a growing trend of fathers gaining custody. In 2016, a study by the Seoul Family Court showed that only 8.6 percent of divorces ended with the father gaining sole custody of children under six, but that rose to 18.5 percent for kids in elementary school and to 30.4 percent for older children. Divorced fathers were given custody of young children if grandparents or other caretakers were at hand. In the U.S., courts took a dim view of joint custody until the 1970s, but now 16 U.S. states including Florida require joint custody to be the first priority. The Tax Office is sifting through thousands of tip-offs about businesses enrolled in the JobKeeper scheme allegedly ripping off employees. ATO Deputy Commissioner James OHalloran said the agency had received 3338 tip-offs about JobKeeper as of May 31, mostly from employees who believe they are not being paid correctly. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is awaiting a review of JobKeeper by Treasury this month. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "We can advise that the majority of calls are centred on the employee eligibility and payment issues between employers and employees," Mr O'Halloran said. "We take all information referred to us seriously and protect the complainants identity in accordance with the law requiring whistleblower protection." The airlines have asked for a judicial review of the quarantine measures. (PA) British Airways, EasyJet (EZJ.L), and Ryanair (RYA.L) said on Friday that they had launched legal action against the UK governments coronavirus travel quarantine measures, arguing that the rules will have a detrimental impact on the countrys tourism sector. In a statement, the airlines said that they had asked for a judicial review of the measures, which require passengers arriving in the UK to self-isolate for 14 days. Though the quarantine excludes travellers from the Common Travel Area, which includes Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands, the airlines said it will have a devastating effect on British tourism and the wider economy and destroy thousands of jobs. The measures came into effect on 8 June. Arguing that the UK was now past the peak of coronavirus cases, home secretary Priti Patel said that the country was now more vulnerable to infections being brought in from abroad. READ MORE: Germanys Lufthansa to axe 26,000 jobs But the travel industry has argued that the quarantine period could be a killer blow during a period in which airlines are already confronting an unprecedented crisis in coronavirus. The airlines said on Friday that there was no scientific evidence for the measures. They also rejected the idea that the UK could implement air bridges, referring to the suggestion that the government could sign travel deals with countries with low infection rates. The airlines have not yet seen any evidence on how and when proposed air bridges between the UK and other countries will be implemented, they said. Ryanair (RYA.L) chief executive Michael OLeary previously said the measures will significantly reduce European visitors to the UK. Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways owner IAG (IAG.L), said that the quarantine was irrational and disproportionate. But British Airways faced criticism for not attending last weeks government roundtable meeting about the quarantine measures. Story continues READ MORE: Airlines facing worst year in history due to coronavirus crisis Analysts have warned that airlines may collapse under the weight of the collapse in demand from travellers. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its financial outlook report earlier this week that the global airline industry would lose $84bn (66bn) this year. Revenue is expected to slump by 50% to $419bn. Financially, 2020 will go down as the worst year in the history of aviation, Alexandre de Juniac, IATAs director general said. A separate report from think tank the New Economic Forum warned that as many as 70,000 jobs linked to the aviation industry were at immediate risk due to the coronavirus pandemic. The report compared the expected collapse in aviation employment to the rapid decline of the UK coal industry in the early 1980s, which left lasting economic scars on many communities. The Pilot Tourism Plan is now officially authorised and 47 flights will arrive in the Balearic Islands from 5 German airports in the last two weeks of June. 39 flights will land in Majorca, 7 in Ibiza and 1 in Mahon in Minorca between June 15 and June 30. The first two planes are scheduled to arrive in Palma on Monday from Frankfurt and Dusseldorf. The first flight to Ibiza from Dusseldorf will land on Wednesday, June 17 and the flight to Mahon will arrive on June 27. The majority of tourists from the Germany market travel to Majorca, but there's a willingness to market flights that will distribute the tourists more evenly in the Balearic Islands. According to the Order published in the Official State Gazette or BOE on Friday, the State of origin of tourists and the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands must have an attack rate of less than 9 coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 7 consecutive days, to guarantee epidemiological equivalence. Tourists must be resident in the same State as the airport of origin. Tourists who enter Spain through tourist corridors must be able to prove that they have a round trip ticket from the airport and accommodation in the Balearic Islands for the entire period of their stay. Safe tourist corridors can only be established in Autonomous Community destinations with a designated entry point airport and the capacity to deal with public health emergencies of International importance. The origin, destination airport and airlines operating flights within safe tourist corridors, must be part of the Voluntary Monitoring Program for the Implementation of the EASA Operational Protocol for Covid-19 and have implemented the recommendations as of June 15, 2020 or from the moment the flights are made. Airlines must also report the maximum number of daily places they intend to market within the secure tourist corridor and provide passengers with a Public Health Form which they must have with them when they arrive in Spain. On arrival at the Airport, Foreign Health Personnel will carry out the necessary health controls, which will include documentary control based on the Passenger Location Card and any other paperwork deemed appropriate. Several groups are exempt from quarantine when they arrive in Spain, including Cross-border Workers, Carriers and Crews, Health Professionals who are working, provided theyve not been in contact with people diagnosed with coronavirus; those who enter the Spain through the Balearic Tourist Corridor due to the partial lifting of internal borders, and residents of Member States or associated Schengen countries who travel to Spain to work with the European Border & Coast Guard Agency. The percentage of deaths from COVID-19 in Gujarat is among the highest in the country, even as the number of tests remains among the lowest, government denials to the contrary notwithstanding. Numbers apart, the fact that the state was consistently trying to cut down on testing got some credence when on 10 May, it made mandatory for all private hospitals to get government approval before testing patients, who are admitted for other ailments, for the coronavirus. The percentage of deaths from COVID-19 in Gujarat is among the highest in the country, even as the number of tests remains among the lowest, government denials to the contrary notwithstanding. Numbers apart, the fact that the state was consistently trying to cut down on testing got some credence when on 10 May, it made mandatory for all private hospitals to get government approval before testing patients, who are admitted for other ailments, for the coronavirus. In response to a PIL, the Gujarat High Court rescinded the order on 29 May. Another evidence of the Gujarat governments alleged attempts to control COVID-19 data came in its own admission in the High Court that the likelihood of fear psychosis cannot be ruled out if COVID-19 testing is allowed in all asymptomatic cases, just for acquiring a feeling of safety and security. The government also took sanctuary in the guidelines by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and a report of a three-member expert team it had appointed. State Advocate-General Kamal Trivedi submitted an opinion by experts, claiming it to be in sync with ICMR guidelines, that COVID-19 testing should not be done for asymptomatic individuals, asymptomatic contacts of a positive patient or asymptomatic family of those in quarantine. With the governments continuous citing of ICMR, the High Court has also made it a party in the case. In the meantime, the Hight Court order on 29 May came as a big relief to countless hospitalised patients in Ahmedabads private hospitals, who were not being treated for want of government approval for the COVID test. Since 10 May in particular, the approvals took between 3 to 7 days, endangering the lives of patients who had serious ailments and needed urgent treatment. No convincing explanation was given by the government as to why approvals were taking such a long time, lending more credence to the now general belief that the Gujarat government was focusing more on managing the numbers, than on screening and tracing COVID patients. The one reason the government belatedly gave to the High Court, and that too on being specifically asked by the Bench, is that its decision (about controlling testing in private labs) is in tune with the prevalent policy of the ICMR and that it has no relevance or connection with the so-called artificial control of data regarding the number of cases in the State. How things changed As it is, it was only on 1 May, after several representations from the Ahmedabad Medical Association and the Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association that the Gujarat Government allowed private hospitals to conduct the tests. According to Dr Bharat Gadhavi of the HCG Hospitals, his hospitals must have taken 40 to 45 patients needing tests between 1-10 May, but after 10 May the number of admissions came down to five to seven. Approval for the tests took less than a day during the period above, which changed abruptly from 10 May. The order for compulsory government approval came simultaneously with the states drastic reduction of the number of tests, while the number of patients being discharged showed a significant rise. However, the government insists it is testing 3,000 to 5,000 cases per million which is double the national average of 2,200. It is another matter that states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra were testing more than 10,000 persons every day. Endangering patients lives Whatever the governments arguments, there are many examples of patients whose lives were endangered by the delay in getting approval. Like Vijay Mewani, 29, who was admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad on 21 May for a renal issue that he had developed after adverse effect of a medicine. No required surgery or treatment could be done without a COVID test and the hospital, like all other private facilities, was also abruptly told not to conduct it without the governments approval. After repeated emails and calls from our hospital, the government finally gave an approval after four days on evening of 25 May, said Vijays wife Sonali. After that it took more than 24 hours for the test reports to come thank god it was negative. But till then, my husband remained in the general ward. His case was negative, but what if any of the others around him were positive? Sonalis story is not unique or isolated. Thousands of other patients in Ahmedabad and other cities faced a similar situation, because of the delay in government approvals for the tests. In a majority of the cases, the approvals did not come, a senior surgeon in a reputed private hospital said, requesting anonymity. Octogenarian Rajnikant Patel, admitted in the HCG Hospital in Ahmedabad, for a hip displacement surgery after he had a fall in his home had to wait five days for the approval delaying the surgery he urgently needed. Doctors attending on Vijay Mewani and Rajnikant Patel said such delays could threaten somebodys life. And deaths have occurred because of the delay. Take the case of Shantaben Shah, 92, who complained of breathlessness on 21 May. After much difficulty her family got her admitted in a private hospital on 23 May and she was put on oxygen support. Five days later, Shantaben died, still awaiting government approval for her COVID test. She has not been counted among Ahmedabads coronavirus deaths since the test was never conducted. Simultaneously, her 62-year-old son Vijaybhai was admitted in another private hospital with COVID-like symptoms and had to wait a week to get government approval for the test. Circumventing HC order Significantly, three days after the high court directed that no approvals were required for pre-surgery COVID tests once the surgery has been recommended by the patients doctor, on 2 June, the State Health Department issued a directive that rattled private clinics again. The new order said that every person undergoing a COVID-test must be hospitalised. Reacting angrily to this, the Ahmedabad Medical Association has dashed off a strong letter to the Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi, stating that this goes against the grain of the High Court order. Dr Mona Desai, President of the AMA, wrote: The plain reading of the HC order would make it evident that there is no direction requiring the physician prescribing a COVID-19 test to hospitalise/admit the patient in respect of whom such a test is prescribed. Significantly, the letter added that the guidelines of both the ICMR or the Centre leave the decision to the treating doctor. Meanwhile, with Ahmedabads 1,200-bed COVID-designated Civil Hospital reporting a majority of deaths, many non-COVID patients have started avoiding going to the Civil Hospital out of fear since several doctors treating corona patients were doubling up in general wards too. Now, even private hospitals are reluctant to admit any patients. On 23 May, in a strongly-worded letter by the Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association, Jayanti Ravi demanded to know from the State Principal Secretary (Health) the reasons for restricting testing. The letter, signed by Association President Dr Bharat Gadhavi, vice-president Dr Anish Chandarana and secretary Dr Viren Shah, also warned: Please note that we will be forced to stop all COVID admissions at COVID hospitals and divert all of them to the Government hospitals, if this is not taken seriously. Private hospitals have also demanded a very liberal testing policy without requirement of government approval, pointing out that adequate US FDA approved testing kits are available, and the government has already capped the rates at Rs 4,000 for COVID testing by private labs. This article was first published in Citizen Matters, a civic media website and is republished here with permission. (c) Oorvani Foundation/Open Media Initiative. Iskra Lawrence is mastering the art of motherhood after welcoming her first child back in April with partner Philip Payne. And the British model is confronting her own white privilege as the couple raises their biracial son. She posted a video Friday to Instagram with Philip and their baby boy as they participated in the 'check your privilege' challenge, amid ongoing Black Lives Matter protests around the country. White privilege: Iskra Lawrence posted a video Friday to Instagram with partner Philip Payne and their baby boy as they participated in the 'check your privilege' challenge The 29-year-old wrote in the caption: 'I will fight to protect my family. Proactively continue to educate myself and never let fear hold me back from speaking up to injustices and discrimination. I love you @philipapayne and our perfect baby with all my heart.' They held up both their hands, as their son sat in Philip's lap and a voice listed off a series of systemically racist experiences common to Black people. The voice told them to put a finger down if they've been called a racial slur, have been followed around a store unnecessarily or have been stopped by a cop for no valid reason, among several other scenarios. By the end of the video, Philip ran out of fingers, and Iskra only had one down for 'if you've ever had to teach your child how not to get killed by the police.' Systemic racism: They held up both their hands, as their son sat in Philip's lap and a voice listed off a series of systemically racist experiences common to Black people Counting down: The voice told them to put a finger down if they've been called a racial slur, have been followed around a store unnecessarily or have been stopped by a cop for no valid reason, among several other scenarios Police brutality: By the end of the video, Philip ran out of fingers, and Iskra only had one down for 'if you've ever had to teach your child how not to get killed by the police' Happy family: Iskra previously posted a sweet TikTok with Philip, showing them when she was still pregnant, before cutting to a video of them in the same spot with their newborn Iskra previously posted a sweet TikTok with Philip, showing them when she was still pregnant, before cutting to a video of them in the same spot with their newborn. She shared a heartfelt message to their son late last month, following the police killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd. The body positive model wrote: 'This is my beautiful innocent black baby. As your mother I will protect you in anyway I can. But I know that will never be enough. Your skin colour will impact your life in a way I will never be able to understand. 'Your father @philipapayne will have to teach you things as a privileged white child I never had to learn. 'Your friends will need to be allies and speak up for you at times when simply being you could get you hurt or killed. Now its on all of us to educate ourselves.' analysis Ultimately, it took Chantal Revell, a descendant of the Khoi and San royalty, to initiate a change in South Africa's electoral system. This has been a contentious subject for almost 20 years. An official task team was set up to resolve it and it has gripped the attention of opposition parties, elevating the subject to an election campaign issue. South Africa's Constitutional Court has ruled that the country's Electoral Act is unconstitutional on the grounds that it doesn't allow citizens to be elected to the national and provincial legislatures as independent candidates. The case was brought by the New Nation Movement. This civil society group argued that the act infringed on the right to exercise individual political choices. Chantal Revell was the second applicant in the case. Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga's verdict is possibly a defining moment. By enabling independent candidates to contest provincial and national elections it promises to change various aspects of South Africa's life. The ability of independent candidates to stand in national elections offers a wide choice that could entice apathetic eligible voters into the process and attract others away from established parties. The primacy of individuals over parties, however, might also weaken associational life built upon civic values in favour of divisive identities. A hotbed of controversy The controversy around South Africa's electoral stemmed from the recommendations made by the electoral task team, led by former opposition leader Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert, in January 2003. Previous elections were administered by interim legislation and permanent legislation was required in time for the next election in 2004. The task team was mandated to probe whether the interim legislation, which prescribed voting for political parties - that is proportional representation - should be made permanent or revised. Composed of various experts from government, South Africa's electoral commission, the academy and the legal profession, the task team offered contrasting proposals. Most wanted the electoral system changed to a mixed one - providing for direct election of constituency representatives and for a political party. Others wanted to retain the system of voting for parties, which then decide whom to send to parliament. Parliament adopted the minority proposal. Retaining the proportional representation system met all four principles that the constitution envisaged for an electoral system: fairness, inclusiveness, simplicity and accountability. The majority view was unhappy that proportional representation fell short on enabling individual accountability. Nonetheless, it admitted that collective accountability was afforded through periodic elections. Parliament was not the only interest group persuaded by the minority view. The public, too, was enamoured with voting for parties that decided who to send to parliament. Part of the electoral task team's activities involved a public opinion survey undertaken by the Human Sciences Research Council. The survey showed that between 74% and 81% of South Africans felt that the proportional representation system was fair. They thought it enabled equal representation and made sure that parliament was as inclusive as possible, especially in relation to gender and race. But there was a feeling that members of parliament should be tied to particular constituencies. This was insignificant, though, in light of the general acceptance of the electoral system. Consequently, there was hardly any popular outcry about the inappropriateness of the electoral system. The Zuma factor The brouhaha over the electoral system coincided with the election of Jacob Zuma as president in 2009. Implicated in corruption and fresh from a rape acquittal, Zuma was a perfect picture of notoriety. So long as parties provided a fairly acceptable slate of candidates, voters did not mind much that they didn't elect them directly. It was the governing African National Congress's (ANC's) reaction to public disapproval of Zuma, and its consequent misuse of its parliamentary majority to stifle law enforcement agencies, that turned popular opinion against the proportional representation system. The ANC showed how powerless voters were under the system. It was also arrogant to the point of offending public sensibilities. Zuma's subsequent misconduct simply emboldened popular sentiment in favour of voters directly electing their own government leaders. Enabling independent candidates to contest provincial and national elections promises to go some way towards this end. The impact One possible outcome is that a wider choice of contestants could reverse the declining interest in the electoral process. For the 2019 election alone, for instance, more than 9 million eligible voters did not register to vote. The 26,756,649 who registered represented only 74.6% of the total voting age population. Even among those who registered to vote, only 66% of them showed up to cast their ballot on the day. This was a significant drop in turn-out rate from 73.48% in the previous election. New entrants into the electoral contest, therefore, could entice the uninterested eligible voters into the process. As for the current parties, the entry of new contestants presents mixed fortunes. Their current voters could abandon them for new entrants. Some voters aren't entirely happy with these parties, but vote for them because they lack alternatives. Electoral support for existing parties could drop. Another possible outcome could be that parties that sneak dishonourable candidates onto their lists could be forced to improve their nomination process. This could be the trigger the ANC needs to prioritise moral rectitude in the selection of party candidates. But it's uncertain whether this will happen. Independents could potentially tilt the balance of power. But the extent of that shift is unclear. As a result of Madlanga's ruling the country is likely to have a mixed ballot - constituency and proportional representation - in the next national election. This would simply be a replication of what currently happens at the local government level. Independents won't be able to contest the proportional representation ballots. These can only be cast for political parties. This means independents, assuming the 400 parliamentary seats are shared equally between constituency and proportional representation, will only contest 200 seats. It's highly unlikely therefore that independents will ever be in the majority to elect a president among them. Because they contest both ballots, parties are the only ones that could possibly get majority support, enabling them to elect a president from their midst. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Governance Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. It's not guaranteed, however, that voters will cast both proportional and constituency ballots. If a voter chooses a constituency candidate on strength of character, it is unlikely that the same voter would vote blindly on the proportional representation ballot. Unless the party has an equally credible list of leaders, it is unlikely to get the proportional representation ballot. While voting for a trustworthy party candidate, voters can spoil the proportional representation ballot as a statement of disapproval against the candidates on the party list. Hurdles to clear What might protect established parties against competition from independents is the likelihood of poor organisational infrastructure, inexperience and money. Their success is not guaranteed. Equally worth noting is that this new beginning may herald even more divisiveness in South African politics. Political parties often bring together diverse individuals around common values. They transcend primordial identities and promote overarching civic identities. The applicant who instigated this victory at the Constitutional Court, Chantal Revell, hopes to mobilise her ethnic group into political support. Rather than worry, perhaps one should welcome Revell's potential candidature as a test of the salience of ethnic politics in the Western Cape. This ruling portends multiple possibilities. Mcebisi Ndletyana, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Johannesburg By Trend One of the main goals is to provide energy, in particular renewable energy, to remote Azerbaijani settlements, gas supply to where is impossible, Director of the Energy Efficiency and Ecology Department of Azerbaijans Energy Ministry Alasgar Hasanov told Trend. According to him, the provision of remote settlements with renewable energy sources was envisioned in the strategic roadmap of the country. "In this direction, as you know, a project is being implemented to develop proposals related to remote settlements, where gas supply is not practical and to provide them with renewable energy sources," he said. "A consulting company was involved as well. Currently, the project is under development, then there will be proposals have been prepared and pilot projects selected to be submitted to the government. This is not only about renewable energy sources, but also electricity and liquid gas, as well as other alternative energy sources." Hasanov noted that all alternative energy sources are in the spotlight, and proposals will be prepared in accordance with this. "In general, providing remote settlements with renewable energy sources must be considered given the most cost-effective aspects of the application of new technologies. You know that in Azerbaijan almost all territories are provided with electricity," the director said. "The issue of developing renewable energy sources in certain territories is considered on the basis of personal initiative of consumers. The role of the state here comes down to the formation of the regulatory environment and the mechanism of legislative regulation," he added. It doesnt necessarily follow that a nationwide protest over police brutality would, for some, become a reason to take action against Confederate statues and other controversial monuments. But it has. In just the last week, protesters have knocked down Confederate statues in Richmond, Va., Nashville and Montgomery, Ala., as well as monuments to Christopher Columbus in Boston and St. Paul, Minn. This is because the George Floyd protests are not just about police violence. Theyre about structural racism and the persistence of white supremacy; about the unresolved and unaddressed disadvantages of the past, as well as the bigotry that has come to dominate far too much of American politics in the age of Trump. Born of grief and anger, theyre an attempt to turn the country off the path to ruin. And part of this is necessarily a struggle over our symbols and our public space. Another way to put this observation is that police brutality, the proximate cause of these protests, is simply an acute instance of the many ways in which the lives of black Americans (and other groups) are degraded and devalued. And while the most consequential form this degradation takes are material the Covid-19 crisis, for example, has revealed to many Americans the extent to which black lives are still shaped by a deep racial inequality that leaves them disproportionately vulnerable to illness and premature death there are also many symbolic statements of black worth, or the lack thereof, out there for all to see. Confederate statues like the ones in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy, or the smaller monuments that mark courthouses and town squares across the South, are visible reminders of a time when white society was nearly united in its subjugation of blacks. Erected decades after the end of the Civil War as the white South began to codify segregation and disenfranchisement into Jim Crow these statues set in stone the triumph over Reconstruction and the effort to make the South, and the nation, a democracy. And they marked the spaces in which they stood as essentially white territory. Expecting the government to come out with more packages, Ashima Goyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) on Saturday suggested that there should be a scheme like the one under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) for the urban poor. As lockdown eases, people go out and you may see more direct demand stimulus which may take the form of DBT (direct benefit transfer) or infrastructure spending. 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 Sydney, June 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on Finland outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets. Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Finland-Mobile-Infrastructure-Broadband-Operators-Statistics-and-Analyses Finland has developed one of most advanced mobile markets in Europe, and just as it was in the forefront of LTE developments so has it emerged as one of the pioneers in 5G. The regulator has auctioned spectrum in the 700MHz, 3.5GHz and 26GHz bands to enable network operators to extend the availability of LTE and 5G services nationally5G in Finland is crucial to realising the governments roadmap for providing data of at least 100Mb/s by 2025. Growth in the number of mobile subscribers has slowed, in line with the high penetration, while the market has shifted to mobile data and mobile broadband. To this end the network operators have concentrated on network upgrades, providing improved mobile broadband services to the 99% of the population already covered by LTE. Although market competition and regulated tariffs and termination rates have put pressure on operator revenue. This report provides statistics and analyses on the Finnish mobile market, including key regulatory issues, a snapshot of the consumer market, the growth of mobile data services and the development of emerging technologies and networks such as HSPA, LTE and 5G. Key developments: Regulator conclude 26GHz auction for 5G services; Telia Finland launches a commercial 5G network; DNA upgrades core and regional networks in preparation for 5G; Telenor completes its acquisition of DNA; Nokia and Telia deploy NB-IoT using spectrum in the 800MHz band; Telia and DNA make progress with joint mobile network to deliver services in Northern and Eastern Finland; Report update includes the regulator's market data to December 2018, telcos' financial and operating data to Q1 2020, recent market developments. Companies mentioned in this report: Telia, DNA, Elisa, Digita. Market analysis Mobile statistics General statistics Operator market shares Mobile data Short Message Service (SMS) Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) Mobile broadband Regulatory issues Spectrum regulations and spectrum auctions 450MHz 700MHz 800MHz 900MHz 1.8GHz 2.6GHz 3.5GHz 26GHz Roaming Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs) Network sharing Mobile infrastructure Digital networks 5G 4G (LTE) 3G Other infrastructure developments Machine-to-Machine (M2) Internet of Things (IoT) Major mobile operators Telia Finland DNA Elisa Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) Appendix Historic data Related reports List of Tables Table 1 Mobile data subscriptions by type 2006 2018 Table 2 Proportion of mobile data subscriptions by speed (Mb/s) 2014 2018 Table 3 Development of Telia Finlands mobile service revenue 2010 2020 Table 4 Development of Telia Finlands blended ARPU 2010 2020 Table 5 Change in the number of Telia Finlands mobile subscribers 2010 2020 Table 6 DNA annualised postpaid monthly ARPU 2007 2020 Table 7 Change in the number of DNAs mobile subscribers 2010 2020 Table 8 Growth in DNAs mobile revenue, by type 2013 2019 Table 9 Growth in DNAs mobile data traffic 2013 2019 Table 10 Change in Elisa Groups revenue 2010 2020 Table 11 Change in the number of Elisas mobile subscribers in Finland and Estonia 2010 - 2020 Table 12 Elisa mobile churn and proportion of data revenue 2008 2019 Table 13 Elisa mobile voice, SMS and data traffic 2008 2020 Table 14 Elisa mobile voice, SMS and data traffic 2008 2020 Table 15 Change in Elisas annualised ARPU 2010 2020 Table 16 Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate 1995; 1997; 1999 2009 Table 17 Historic - Mobile revenue as proportion of total telecom revenue 1998 2009 Table 18 Historic - SMS messages sent and annual change 1999 2009 Table 19 Historic - Telia Finland mobile financial data 2005 2009 Table 20 Historic - Telia Finland blended ARPU 2003 2009 Table 21 Historic - Telia Finland mobile subscribers 2002 2009 Table 22 Historic - DNA annualised postpaid monthly ARPU 2007 2009 Table 23 Historic - DNA mobile subscribers 2007 2009 Table 24 Historic - Elisa mobile financial data 2004 2009 Table 25 Historic - Elisa mobile subscribers in Finland and Estonia 2004 - 2009 Table 26 Historic - Elisa annualised ARPU 2008 2009 List of Charts Chart 1 Growth in the proportion of mobile revenue to total telecom revenue 2010 2018 Chart 2 Change in mobile network revenue 2006 2018 Chart 3 Change in mobile network tangible investment 2011 2018 Chart 4 Mobile subscribers and penetration rate 2009 2024 Chart 5 Calls and call minutes originating in mobile networks 2006 2018 Chart 6 Change in average mobile ARPU 2014 2018 Chart 7 Prepaid subscribers and proportion to total 2011 2018 Chart 8 Mobile market share of subscribers by operator 2006 2018 Chart 9 Growth in mobile data traffic 2006 2020 Chart 10 Growth in mobile data traffic 2009 2018 Chart 11 Decline in SMS messages traffic, annual change 2010 2018 Chart 12 Change in MMS messages traffic, annual change 2003 2018 Chart 13 Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers, and penetration 2009 2024 Chart 14 MTRs by operator 2005 2020 Chart 15 Growth in the number of M2M connections 2012 2018 Chart 16 Development of Telia Finlands mobile service revenue 2010 2020 Chart 17 Development of Telia Finlands blended ARPU 2010 2020 Chart 18 Change in the number of Telia Finlands mobile subscribers 2010 2020 Chart 19 DNA annualised postpaid monthly ARPU 2010 2020 Chart 20 Change in the number of DNAs mobile subscribers 2010 2020 Chart 21 Growth in DNAs mobile revenue, by type 2013 2019 Chart 22 Growth in DNAs mobile data traffic 2027 2019 Chart 23 Change in Elisa Groups revenue 2010 2020 Chart 24 Change in the number of Elisas mobile subscribers in Finland and Estonia 2010 - 2020 Chart 25 Elisa mobile voice, SMS and data traffic 2008 2020 Chart 26 Change in Elisas annualised ARPU 2010 2020 List of Exhibits Exhibit 1 700MHz auction results 2016 Exhibit 2 2.6GHz auction results 2009 Exhibit 3 3.5GHz auction results October 2018 Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Finland-Mobile-Infrastructure-Broadband-Operators-Statistics-and-Analyses This article is adapted from White Knight, the first episode of Slow Burns new season. In January 1989, former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke was inching closer to the American mainstream. Duke was locked in a runoff election with an establishment Republican named John Treen. They were running for a seat in the Louisiana State House, in a 99.6 percent white district in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie. Republicans in Louisiana loved Treens brother, Dave, the former governor. But John was seen as entitled and arrogant. He was the type of guy, one Republican said, who can tell you good morning and piss you off. Advertisement Treen had thought he could coast to victory on name recognition alone. When the race became a personality contest, he was severely outgunned. Hes a perfectly decent guy, as far as I know, says veteran New Orleans journalist James Gill. But [Treen] had nothing really to commend him. No charisma, no color, no style, no dash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement David Duke had the dash that Treen lacked. Dukes fans reveled in his youth and energy. Earlier in the 80s, hed remade his face with plastic surgery: a nose job, chin implant, and chemical peels. One 72-year-old woman said that seeing Duke at her door was one of the most thrilling moments of her life. Treen voters tended to be the very richest in District 81the type that belonged to Metairie Country Club. Dukes support was wider-ranging: middle-class people, working-class laborers, retirees. Many of the people that did like Duke were quick to dismiss his past with the Klan. I mean, I see nothing wrong with being white. Pro-white does not necessarily mean anti-black, one said in an interview that aired on ABCs Nightline. Advertisement Advertisement Treen himself was no great champion of civil rights. Hed once belonged to the segregationist States Rights Party. But he said his views on race had evolved, and he drew a bright line between his values and David Dukes. One of Treens campaign mailers showed Treen in his Navy whites at age 19, serving his country during World War II. Alongside it was a photo of 19-year-old Duke, dressed as a Nazi brownshirt. That image wasnt doctored: He really had worn a swastika. Instead of apologizing, Duke played the victim. He called that flyer character assassination, and made a show of tearing it up on local television. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican leaders were horrified by Duke, and by the prospect that hed stain the partys reputation. Ronald Reagan recorded a radio commercial supporting Treen, and the newly inaugurated President George H.W. Bush sent a pro-Treen letter to voters in the district. The Louisiana Republican Party backed Treen, too. Duke, meanwhile, positioned himself as the ultimate outsidersomeone who understood what it felt like to be put upon and forgotten. The race in District 81, he said, was me against the world. Duke was desperate for every vote, campaigning hard on District 81s busiest intersection on Election Day. Treen campaign volunteer Quin Hillyer, who was active in the Louisiana Young Republicans, was standing at that intersection too, and he remembers hearing Duke deliver a soothing message: I love everybody. And I really want to do this right. I would really appreciate your vote. Hillyer also recalls watching Dukes mood change in an instant. When there was nobody else around immediately to see, he all of a sudden made a beeline toward me and started yelling at me and snarling. And his face got all red. And, he said, Get off of my corner! This is my street corner. There are three other corners you can go to, get the hell out of here! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was one thing, these people said, that didnt influence their votes. Dukes opponent John Treen was one of the first people I spoke to when I started working on this season of Slow Burn. My main takeaway from interviewing Treen was that he still hated David Duke. Treen told me that Duke had spread a horrible lie about him during that 1989 race. Quin Hillyer got wind of it on Election Day: In addition to all the other things I heard, I distinctly remember one person going by and rolling down their window and said, No way Im voting for your guy. Hes a child molester. Advertisement John Treen wasnt a child molester. His brother, Paul, was facing charges of child sexual abuse. (Paul Treen would later plead no contest and be sentenced to probation.) But many voters thought it was John who had done something wrong, thanks to the Duke campaigns whispers. That smear followed Treen long after the race was over. I had people that for years later wereignored me or had things to say, ugly things to say to me, because, you know, that word got out, he told me. Advertisement I asked Treen what he would say if he could talk to Duke now. Advertisement I wouldnt speak to him. I would have nothing to say to him, he replied. Two months after we talked, Treen died of COVID-19. His obituary began with the race in District 81. David Duke won, officially, by 227 votes. For the former Klansman and the people who loved him, that narrow victory felt like a landslide. Plater Robinson, who was then an independent radio journalist, circulated through Dukes election night party, asking his biggest fans to explain what had just happened. We dont like people who are from another area who dont know the issues and dont know the people who are involved in this political race coming down here interfering in our politics and telling us how to vote, one voter told him. Advertisement But the most common answer Robinson heard was that Duke would lower taxes. We want change, we want something to be done, where we have to pay less tax and get more representation in the state. And thats [why] we voted for David Duke, to get better representation. Thats the bottom line, another said. There was one thing, these people said, that didnt influence their votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It wasnt a racial issue, one Duke fan said. It wasnt any racial issue, said another. Its economic all the way, explained a third. It was obvious to anyone who was paying even a scintilla of attention that a vote for Duke was a vote for the most extreme kind of prejudice. But by spending at least some of the campaign talking about taxes, Duke gave people in District 81 a cover story. He allowed them to claim that they simply liked his stances on the issues and the way he spoke his mind. Slate Plus members can listen to the first three episodes of Slow Burns new season now. Join Slate Plus for your ad-free feed, or subscribe to Slow Burn on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. A mother who was renovating her home has uncovered an incredible message that had been hidden on her wall for 22 years. The DIY-savvy mum was stripping her wallpaper when she found the secret message from Jon, the home's previous owner. 'If you ever need to wallpaper this room again, it will take 8 rolls of wallpaper,' the amusing message reads. The writing had been hidden under wallpaper for 22 years and was a clever message by the previous owner - who thought new owner might need it 'I bought just six rolls at $17 per roll on [December 5, 1997] and didn't have enough. It really pissed me off.' The note was then signed by 'Jon' on December 21, 1997. A picture of the discovery was posted to the 'Bunnings Mums' Facebook page, with the Queensland mother adding her own amusing caption. 'Only a DIY mum would be this helpful,' she captioned the snap, and included the laughing and heart emoji symbols. People commenting on the picture were impressed by the thoughtfulness of the writer. 'Thanks for the tip Jon. I hope you've finally gotten over it. I'm sure it's a story that's still told,' another person said. 'You can just feel the frustration,' another joked. 'This is absolutely brilliant,' a third added. The post has been liked by nearly 1,000 people since being posted on Saturday afternoon. The real Anamika Shukla from Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh, in whose name a teacher was allegedly drawing salary from more than 25 places and had earned over Rs 1 crore, has finally bagged a job at the private school in the district. BHD Memorial School in the district has offered a job of assistant teacher in the primary section to Anamika Shukla, after the incident went viral. I will always be thankful to News18 for showing my story and stood by me in such a difficult time, said Anamika Shukla. The story of real Anamika Shukla was first published by News18 when the entire country was in amaze on how a teacher named Anamik Shukla was working simultaneously at more than 25 locations and was drawing a salary of approximately Rs 1 crore in just 10 months. However, later it was unearthed that Anamika Shukla was never employed, instead her marksheets were used in fraudulent appointment of teachers in many districts of the state. A case was registered in Gonda after she gave a written complaint to the police in connection with the fraud case. I came to know through the media that many people are doing job by using my documents fraudulently. I am the real Anamika Shukla and I have put my side of the story to the BSA. I had applied for the science teachers post at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya school in 2017 but could not turn up for the counselling process at the time. I have never done a job at KGBV school and at the moment I am unemployed, she had said. Taking cognisance into the matter, state Basic Education Minister Satish Dwievedi had said, "From the probe, it was found that documents of Anamika Shukla, a teacher, posted in Badaut (in Baghpat) was used in eight other (total nine) Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya schools. A total payment of Rs 12.24 lakh was made to them in six districts and the detailed probe is underway. Besides Baghapat, documents of Shukla were used in KGBV schools located in Varanasi, Kasganj, Amethi, Aligarh, Raebareli, Allahabad, Saharanpur, and Amedkar Nagar. In many other places also the same documents were used but in some schools the candidate did not join or were absent at many places, the minister said. The incident came to fore when a digital database of teachers was being created. After much furore over the issue, Uttar Pradesh police had announced that the arrest of one Anamika Shukla on Saturday in Kasganj district. The SHO Kotwali even claimed that they were questioning the accused. Meanwhile, Shukla tendered her resignation to the Kasganj BSA through a friend who was detained at the office and later on it was claimed that Anamika Shukla was also arrested. It was being claimed in various media reports that Anamika Shukla is a resident of Mainpuri district. The UP Special Task Force has reportedly tracked down at least 26 more teachers who are either working by impersonating genuine serving teachers, or have fudged their educational certificates. In what could be just a tip of an ice-berg, these tainted teachers were tracked down to Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Balrampur, Shravasti, Deoria, Sitapur, Barabanki, Hardoi, Gonda, Unnao, Santkabir Nagar, Farrukhabad and Pratapgarh. According to a senior STF official, out of 26 tainted teachers, 13 have submitted the documents of other serving teachers, while 10 have fudged their educational marksheets. Also, three tainted teachers have been accused of using fake government transfer orders to get teacher job in far flung districts. Basic Shiksha Adhikaris of the above regions said districts have been asked to register FIRs against these teachers. Some of these tainted teachers have been serving for more than 20 years now while one of them is even scheduled to retire next year. The UP STF had launched many operations to nab these tainted teachers. In 2019, the STF had nabbed three such people from Sitapur who were taking salary for almost five years on the documents of someone else serving as a teacher simultaneously in Gorakhpur. As per information, the STF had busted as many as 253 such fraudsters since 2018. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. You don't know what you don't know. That was the tough lesson I learned in the late 1980s, when I was a cub reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press, following a week of night shifts that involved responding to at least two reports of homicide along the city's infamous "Main Street strip." In a conversation with a group of reporters the following week, I suggested the newspaper was wasting its time reporting on the murder of one poor Aboriginal person by another living in the same circumstances. It would be better, I argued, to write stories about the social issues at the root of violence. A veteran reporter put up the stop sign. "Wait, so the murder of an Aboriginal man is not news? You know, every murder victim is important to someone. That's racist." I thought about objecting but stopped. It was true; I'd devalued the life of a person largely based on their race. It was racist. Like many well-meaning white people, I didn't consider myself racist and largely still don't. But in that moment, I clearly did not think through the implications of my statement. It's highly unlikely only one in four Canadians have racist views. Instead, the poll might confirm just how reluctant we are to admit to our own racism. My hope has always been small moments of self-awareness can provide a lifetime of guidance. Or, put another way, when it comes to something as nuanced as racism, we need to think carefully before we speak. That is certainly an adage white people should keep in mind as we try to wrap our heads around the Black Lives Matter movement and the accompanying debate about equality, social justice and racism. In other words, to get to a better place, we're going to need to own our racism. Fortunately, most Canadians are not bereft of self-awareness. A recent Abacus poll revealed more than two-thirds of Canadians believe racial discrimination is real; 61 per cent agreed racism is built into our institutions. More interestingly, the poll showed 23 per cent of respondents admitted they had "a lot" or "some" racist views. Even so, based on what we see and hear around us, it's highly unlikely only one in four Canadians have racist views. Instead, the poll might confirm just how reluctant we are to admit to our own racism. Consider the recent news story about the Tuxedo Village Family Restaurant, which was vandalized in response to comments posted on social media by the owners, Dave Jones and Paulina Jojnowicz, about Black Lives Matter. "So now white people are going around and bowing down to and kissing the feet of black people to prove their (sic) not racist?" says a Facebook post from Jones that has since been taken down. "You know what this really proves right?? You're an easily manipulated dumbsh--t!" Jones later argued in a Free Press article nothing he or his wife said on social media was racist. "There was no racism in the post," he said. "I think they are taking it as a literal meaning when its not meant that way." Protesters gather on the west side of the Manitoba Legislative Building for a rally in support of justice for black lives in Winnipeg on June 5. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files) Jones and his wife clearly do not think of themselves as racist, and I'm going to bet they would deny having racist views if polled by Abacus. However, the post was racist and they would know that if they hadn't lost touch with the meaning of the word. Racism is defined in most sources as "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior." That is a broad definition that would catch most of us for something we said or thought. However, to avoid being labelled, many white people set the bar to qualify as a genuine racist much, much higher. They will argue a true "racist" is a hateful person of almost comic-book proportions who is actively seeking the oppression or eradication of an ethnic group. Think the former apartheid government of South Africa; think the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis. However, limiting the definition of racism to such extreme examples prevents us from seeing the more subtle ways we re-enforce it in day-to-day life. However, to avoid being labelled, many white people set the bar to qualify as a genuine racist much, much higher. Dan Lett | Not for Attribution A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world that is sent every Tuesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. We know people of colour have more trouble getting jobs, renting a house and being approved for a bank loan. We know minorities, particularly women, receive substandard health care. They are more likely to be followed around by security guards in stores. Recent studies in major cities show people of colour are four times more likely to be stopped and questioned by police. Minorities are over-represented in the justice system and drastically under-represented in most workplaces. White folk desperate to absolve themselves of being labelled racist will argue there are legitimate reasons behind all of those trends. They will ignore the fact racism is a vicious cycle: we do not discriminate against people because they are marginalized; they are marginalized because we discriminate against them. Some have racism baked into our world view. Others may stumble into racist views because they don't understand exactly what racism is or how it manifests. But with the world now focused on the issue of racism, not knowing what we don't know isn't a legitimate excuse any more. At some point, we must all realize before we can genuinely consider ourselves part of the solution to racism, we have to be honest about the ways in which we're still part of the problem. dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. In the past four days, Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft have announced major shifts in their facial recognition businesses. Amazon and Microsoft say they will temporarily stop providing their software to police departments, and IBM plans to stop working on the technology entirely. Privacy and racial justice advocates, who argue the technology can contribute to excessive surveillance and mistaken arrests, particularly among darker-skinned people, welcomed the announcements. But they say an emerging regulatory debate may ultimately determine whether the police can use facial recognition, and under what conditions. These companies got dragged kicking and screaming to this moment, but its still a win for people who are skeptical of facial recognition, says Justin Brookman, director of privacy and technology policy at Consumer Reports. However, self-regulation by public shaming is not a long-term strategy. Laws need to be in place to protect people. On Monday, Congressional Democrats introduced a bill, the Justice in Policing Act, that includes a ban on police use of facial recognition software to scan police body camera footage without a warrant. Facial recognition is widely used in law enforcement and can be a helpful tool in catching criminals and finding missing or abducted children. Amazon, a leader in developing the technology, didnt say it would stop working with federal clients, such as the FBI and immigration officials. Clearview AI, a facial recognition company focused on law enforcement clients, and Japans NEC, which provides facial recognition services to governments and private companies around the world, would not comment on their business plans. Both argue that facial recognition can be useful tools when used responsibly. As of 2016, the facial images about half of all American adults, culled from sources such as drivers licenses and photo IDs, were included in facial recognition networks for law enforcement, according to a Georgetown Law study. Story continues The research found that police departments across the country were able to consult databases controlled by the FBI, states, or private companies to verify the identity of people who have been arrested. In some cases, departments may even scan public or private surveillance cameras, looking for matches with people suspected of a crime. Facial recognition didnt play a role in the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, but the protests surrounding his death have reignited criticisms of police use of facial recognition and other surveillance technologies. This technology is just an extension of oversurveillance and overpolicing within communities of color, says Fabian Rogers, a community advocate from the Atlantic Plaza Towers Tenant Association, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Rogers and other tenants successfully opposed the installation of a facial recognition system by their landlords. Facial recognition systems are far more likely to falsely identify people with dark skin, according to a number of studies. A series of recent studies led by Joy Buolamwini, a computer scientist and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, have demonstrated that facial recognition technology is significantly less accurate when identifying women and people of color. A famous experiment in 2018 found that Amazons Rekognition software misidentified 28 members of Congress as accused criminals from a mugshot database. In a similar study last year by the ACLU, Rekognition incorrectly matched 27 black professional athletes to mugshots in a criminal database. We cannot rely on self-regulation or hope companies will choose to rein in harmful deployments of the technologies they develop, Buolamwini said in an email to Consumer Reports. I reiterate a call for a federal moratorium on all government use of facial recognition technologies. A Push for New Laws Big technology companies and privacy advocates both say they want the federal government to regulate facial recognition. Weve advocated that governments should put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology, and in recent days, Congress appears ready to take on this challenge, Amazon announced in a press release. We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules. Microsoft president Brad Smith made a similar statement at a press event Thursday morning. We will not sell facial recognition technology to police departments in the United States until we have a national law in place, grounded in human rights that will govern this technology, he said. However, some advocates question the tech industrys motives in calling for regulation. The specifics of Amazon and Microsofts statements are telling, Evan Greer, deputy director of the advocacy group Fight for the Future, said in a statement. Theyve been calling for the Federal government to regulate facial recognition, because they want their corporate lawyers to help write the legislation. In Washington state, a recently passed facial recognition law was written by State Sen. Joe Nguyen, who is also a Microsoft employee. Advocates say the law should have provided stronger protections. A few other states, most notably Illinois, have wide-reaching rules limiting the collection and use of facial recognition, but they mainly regulate private companies, not police departments. One of the most disturbing parts about police use of facial recognition is that we wouldnt know if its been used on protesters, says Albert Fox Cahn, founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a New York-based advocacy group based in New York City. In most jurisdictions, theres no requirement for police departments to acknowledge when these tools are being used. A handful of cities, notably San Francisco, have banned the use of facial recognition by municipal agencies, including the police. Boston is considering similar legislation. Rogers, the Brooklyn tenant, is skeptical that either tech companies or politicians will adequately address what he sees as excessive police surveillance. Even when government officials are forced to pay attention, they often fail to have a proper conversation with the communities that are actually affected, he says. I have to get involved because if I dont, the government is going to troubleshoot it from the big stakeholders perspective, rather than the perspective of the communities of people who look like me. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. Image courtesy of SamMobile Usually, Samsung would release a Lite version to their Galaxy device lineup and we were wondering when will it be the Galaxy S20 series turn. According to new reports, there is a Galaxy S20 lite version in the works and it could be called as the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. That sounds nice and all but that's really eye-catching is that the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is expected to be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset. Should it be true, this will really please the tech-savvy smartphone fans particular those who are big fans of Qualcomm. Besides that, other tech specs include a 128GB internal storage and OneUI 2.5 based on Android 10 out of the box. Previously, the Galaxy S10 Lite featured a Snapdragon 855 chipset which allowed consumers to purchase the phone at a lower flagship price. Reports say that the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition may be priced at $800 (~RM3418) but do take it with a pinch of salt. That said, compared with the official price of $999 in the US, the $800 price tag is fairly cut down. The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is said to appear alongside the upcoming Galaxy Note 20 series later this year. Would you get one if the rumours are true? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com. As a state senator, public school educator and father, I have my priorities clear. They have become even clearer and more urgent with the events of the past months: COVID-19, the economic disruption, and the killing of an unarmed black man. My priorities are education, empowerment and building a society where everyone, especially in times of crisis, survives and thrives. New Mexico will have a special legislative session beginning June 18 to deal with the budget and economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Budgets are moral documents that reflect what we value. My priorities will guide me and my votes. Two legislative sessions ago, together with Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, I secured funding for the Anna, Age Eight Institute for the data-driven prevention of childhood trauma. The health and education of children, including all students in public school, is the priority that motivated me to create this state entity committed to strengthening local systems of health, safety and learning. The institute is working to prevent childhood trauma and abuse by building healthy communities. When COVID-19 hit, the Anna, Age Eight Institute was already working in the counties of Dona Ana, Socorro, Rio Arriba, San Miguel and Taos Pueblo. These communities were already establishing ways to ensure timely access to medical care when the pandemic escalated. And these strategies to keep children safe from trauma are the very same ones needed to ensure all families have the resources and supports to manage during a pandemic and economic downturn one solution to help solve many interrelated problems. The institutes work is guided by the new book, 100% Community: Ensuring Ten Vital Services for Surviving and Thriving by institute co-directors Katherine Ortega Courtney and Dominic Cappello. It is a blueprint and manual for guiding community initiatives. The counties of Otero, Santa Fe and Valencia are now talking with the institute to ensure vital services are available to their communities through the 100% Community framework. Through a process of assessing, planning, action and evaluation, the framework empowers local leaders to identify gaps in vital services, like health care, and address them through collaboration and technology. Healthy communities have all 10 of the surviving and thriving services outlined in the 100% Community. Five of the services, coined the services for surviving, include medical and mental health care, food and housing security programs, and transport to services. The five services for thriving include parent supports, early childhood learning, fully resourced community schools with health clinics, youth mentors and job training aligned with the job market. Getting the 10 services up and running to serve 100% of county residents is the goal. The 100% Community is a groundbreaking model for addressing all sorts of disparities and challenges that have held back New Mexicans for decades. When I meet with people and talk about ensuring safe childhoods and strengthening schools, I always ask a simple question: How many of our students should be safe from trauma and empowered to succeed? The answer is a simple one: 100%. I then ask, what percentage of New Mexicans should have access to the services for surviving and thriving? Same answer: 100% As the special session approaches, we can reflect on what matters most in times of insecurity. Is it health care, education, job readiness or economic development leading to good jobs? It comes back to priorities, and those of your lawmakers. Connect with your state lawmakers and share what matters most and why. What we decide in the special session will impact the direction New Mexico takes. I will be voting to support children and budget adjustments that I feel give the best chance of ensuring 100% of New Mexicans have the resources to survive and thrive. Wildfire season has arrived in California, and the company behind some of the states worst blazes is again preparing to take drastic measures to prevent more catastrophes all while the whole state is simultaneously grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. Northern California is primed for a dangerous fire season as it emerges from a warm spring preceded by a winter with well below normal amounts of rain and snow. The situation poses a big test for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which is close to wrapping up its year-and-a-half-old bankruptcy case prompted by its responsibility for a series of horrific fires. PG&E has been trying to shore up its vast network of power lines that traverse 70,000 square miles from Bakersfield to Eureka. But none of that work will prevent the company from taking the controversial step of turning off electricity to prevent more fires during dry windstorms this year. After weathering intense criticism during last years fire-prevention blackouts, PG&E says it is working to make this years power shut-offs shorter and affect fewer people. But the company does not plan to hold back entirely on shutting down parts of its grid. The coronavirus wont keep the lights on, either, even as people spend more time working from home and staying inside. While were sensitive to that, wildfire is not, said Matt Pender, the director of PG&Es community wildfire safety program. Our decision-making criteria has not changed because of COVID(-19). Were not willing to take a risk of a catastrophic wildfire because of it. PG&E is so far mostly on pace with its 2020 fire safety program except one part that is important to narrowing the scope of the blackouts. As of late May, the company had installed more-resilient power poles, covered bare wires and buried some lines underground across 105 line miles. PG&E had also performed more intense tree trimming along 939 power line miles and is installing more weather stations and fire-watching cameras. Pender said the companys progress is well ahead of where it was the same time last year in multiple areas. Yet PG&E has fallen behind on installing sectionalizing devices that allow the company to better isolate the parts of the grid it shut down. Pender blamed the delay on a decision to switch the kind of technology it was using and said crews should still meet the 2020 goal of installing about 600 devices. Rachel Bujalski / Special to The Chronicle California has seen an uptick in fire activity compared with the same time last year, although fewer acres have been blackened. More than 2,300 fires burned about 6,600 acres, compared with 1,340 fires that burned 8,545 acres in the same period last year, said Amy Head, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Despite the smaller footprint, Head said she was absolutely concerned about the increase in the number of incidents. And Northern Californias unusually dry winter may mean an earlier start to the most dangerous part of fire season. The conditions were seeing right now for some of the fires weve had are more typical of July-type fire behavior, Head said. We are a bit ahead of schedule. The coronavirus presents new challenges for firefighters. Cal Fire might use multiple base camps to give its firefighters more room to physically distance and conduct daily briefings in shifts or broadcast them over the the radio, Head said. California has often experienced its most severe wildfires in the autumn months, when dry offshore winds blow through as trees and brush have gone several months without rain. Making matters worse, recent research shows that climate change has fueled a statewide fall temperature increase of about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of that, the states autumn days with extreme fire conditions have more than doubled in frequency since the early 1980s, according to a new study published in Environmental Research Letters. Though the increasingly damaging nature of California wildfires has also been shaped by such factors as forest management and development patterns, the research shows that climate is actually a pretty big part of the story, said UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain, one of the studys authors. The stage is set for 2020 fires to be much worse than 2019 if sparks start when the wind is blowing fast enough at the wrong time. And the pandemic only makes things worse. This year looks very different than last year, Swain said. Im hoping we get lucky. Im hoping that PG&Es interventions can prevent some of the ignitions during these high-risk periods, but I dont think we can count on that all the time. ... We have a potentially really complex fire season coming up. Noah Berger / Associated Press If and when PG&E responds to that risk with more blackouts, it intends to make the measure more limited than last year. On Thursday, regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission approved a plan from the company to use temporary generators to keep electricity flowing even as parts of the grid shut down. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The plan is intended for substations that connect to high-voltage power lines traversing riskier terrain than the lower-voltage lines that power homes and businesses in the area. Setting up a generator at the substation can keep those homes and businesses energized if PG&E turns off the higher-voltage line. Originally, PG&E wanted to permanently install generators at the substations it targeted. But Pender, the companys fire-safety program director, said executives concluded that wasnt a feasible approach this year, though its still on the table for the long term. The utilities commission has also established new rules about power shut-offs for all of the states investor-owned electric companies. The new requirements include making companies identify people with high-risk medical needs beyond those enrolled in electric bill discount programs and pushing utilities to restore electricity within 24 hours after the extreme weather passes. Commissioners also told utilities to conduct shut-off exercises in areas most likely to lose power, among other requirements. But the regulations dont go far enough to protect people from harm caused by the loss of electricity, especially those who rely on power for medical reasons, said Melissa Kasnitz, legal director of the Center for Accessible Technology in Berkeley. The harms when you turn off the power are very real and quite immediate, Kasnitz said. The risks of keeping the power on are (also) real I certainly dont want to minimize them. ... Im not saying this is an easy balance, but you cant pretend theres only one side to the equation. Kasnitz thinks regulators need to set a higher bar for when utilities can intentionally turn off their power lines because of fire risk. She said the bar should be higher still during the pandemic. Rachel Bujalski / Special to The Chronicle For now, PG&Es calculus about when to turn off power has not substantively changed, though the company does want each event to affect one-third fewer customers than it would have last year. PG&E says it has also grown its fleet of helicopters that inspect power lines and improved its weather forecasting technology. The companys Humboldt Bay power plant can now also keep power flowing directly to as many as 67,000 homes and businesses if PG&E chooses to turn off the grid in other areas because of fire danger. Before, those customers could lose power when lines connected to the plant shut down even if the extreme fire weather was all outside Humboldt County. Additionally, PG&E says it has strengthened its website, which crashed amid a surge in visitors during last years massive blackouts. The site can now handle as much as six times the highest amount of traffic it had last year, and has contracted with an outside vendor that can help provide capacity if all else fails, Pender said. J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris More than 200 workers at an export-focused textile plant in Guatemala have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and more results are pending in what could be one of the country's largest outbreaks, officials said Monday. Zulma Calderon, the health prosecutor for Guatemala's Human Rights prosecutor's office, said they began receiving reports in early May that infected workers were continuing to work at the K.P. Textil plant in San Miguel Petapa and the company wasn't taking protective measures. We asked then that the Health (Ministry) examine all of the personnel, she said. On Saturday, the Health Ministry said it believed the plant's outbreak stemmed from one infected worker. On May 12, the local health agency advised of six positive cases among the plant's at least 900 workers, but advised that plant management was not cooperating. Francisco Reyes, the K.P. Textil, S.A. plant manager, denied that authorities told him workers had tested positive before he decided to close the plant May 12 for two weeks. Now we're reorganizing the cafeteria to comply with distancing, he said. Guatemala reported Sunday more than 3,300 confirmed infections and 58 deaths. Outbreaks at other export-oriented plants have been reported elsewhere in the region, especially Mexico where border assembly plants tried to continue operating during the pandemic. Calderon, the health prosecutor, said she had asked authorities to establish a health cordon around the plant to try to avoid further spread. But the spread has likely already occurred. Petapa Mayor Mynor Morales said the factory's outbreak had deeply worried his city. The bustling working class bedroom community south of the capital is home to many export-oriented factories. After hearing of the positive results health workers tested people at some of the small food stores near the plant and got other positive results for the virus, he said. He was evaluating with his lawyers the possibility of presenting a complaint against the factory's owners to establish whether there was negligence on their part. Three men are being investigated as possible suspects in a May 29 arson in the 400 block of Beech Street in Gladwin. Gladwin City Police were called to the 400 block of Beech Street around midnight, when a makeshift explosive was thrown through a window. Material caught on fire in the house, but there were no injuries. As of Friday, no arrests were made, or charges filed in the incident. The Gladwin County Prosecutor is reviewing the case. One of the house residents, a 30-year-old woman, said she had an argument with one of the suspects 10 minutes prior to the incident, via social media. The man was reportedly bullying her. It is unknown if there is a connection between the social media incident and the fire. Gladwin Police Chief Eric Killian remains tight-lipped as the incident remains under investigation. Ten minutes after the argument, the victim said she heard a bang on the east side of the house and then saw flames. The victim said she was sitting on the floor rolling cigarettes when the blast occurred. Once she saw the flames, she began screaming and another resident of the house saw the flames. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and went outside to extinguish the fire. Investigators found a V-shaped burn on the siding of the house. Gladwin Fire Chief George Alward found a melted white plastic container with what appeared to be a cloth around the container. Inside there was a paper towel or a toilet paper roll. The remains were taken into evidence. Gladwin firefighters ensured the fire was out. Police joined by two Gladwin County deputies searched the area for possible suspects and evidence. Authorities located a gold lighter in the incidents vicinity. Authorities also discovered bike tracks through the wet grass. A witness said someone on a bike drove past three times. He said if the person drove by again, he was going to confront the rider because they appeared suspicious. Persons convicted of arson in Michigan face up to 20 years on prison and up to a $20,000 fine. Bomb attack kills 4 at mosque in Afghan capital Iran Press TV Friday, 12 June 2020 12:50 PM A bomb blast has ripped through a mosque in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, killing at least four people, including the prayer leader. The Afghan Interior Ministry said that the bomb exploded during Friday prayers at the Sher Shah Suri Mosque, which is located in the western part of Kabul. "Based on our initial information, at around noon, explosives placed inside the mosque detonated during Friday prayers," a ministry spokesman, Tariq Arian, said. Prayer leader Mofleh Frotan was among those killed in the attack. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. An attack on a mosque compound near a fortified diplomatic district in Kabul earlier this month was claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group. The United Nations (UN) has recently warned of an alarming uptick in violence against civilians and a "striking deterioration" in upholding international humanitarian law in Afghanistan. Violence has surged despite a deal between the Taliban and the United States. Official data shows that Taliban bombings and other assaults have increased 70 percent since the militant group signed the deal with the United States in February. Under the agreement, the US will withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, and the Taliban will refrain from attacking international occupying forces. The militants made no pledge to avoid attacking Afghan forces and civilians. The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in October 2001. While the invasion ended the Taliban's rule in the country, it failed to eliminate the group. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A young man suffered "life-altering injuries" when he was slashed across his face and body with a Stanley blade in an attack on the steps of a Dublin garda station, a court has heard. Graham McGuinness (28) is alleged to have carried out the assault on the man, whose face was so deeply cut his jawbone was left exposed. The injured man told gardai he feared he would have been killed if they had not intervened in the alleged attack outside Store Street Garda Station. Argument Mr McGuinness was granted bail subject to strict conditions and the case was adjourned at Dublin District Court. Mr McGuinness, with an address at a homeless hostel in Navan, Co Meath, is charged with assault causing harm and possession of a knife. The prosecuting garda told Judge Michael Walsh he was transporting a prisoner to the station at 12.30am on June 11 when he saw an argument taking place outside. There were a number of males involved and the garda met the alleged victim, who had deep cuts. He pointed to a man running away who, he said, was the culprit. The running man had something in his right hand and he fled on to the late-night bus to Navan. The garda said he saw the accused run up the stairs to the top deck and, realising he had nowhere to go, he came back down the stairs and "attempted to hide" the blade. The man "received serious, life-altering" cuts to his face, neck, back and arms, he said. The injuries included a cut to the right side of his face that was seven inches long and one inch deep, from his ear across his cheek. "I could see his jawbone exposed," the garda said. Another cut narrowly missed an artery, and a cut to the left arm was five inches long. It was alleged all the injuries were caused by Mr McGuinness using a blade. It happened 3m from the main door of the garda station, the court heard. The alleged victim was taken to the Mater Hospital. "He said if not for our intervention, it was his belief that he would have been killed," the garda said. Defence solicitor John Quinn applied for bail and the garda said he was only amenable to it under strict conditions. Judge Walsh said the allegations were "very, very serious" but said the accused was presumed innocent and granted bail, subject to independent sureties of 1,000 being approved by the court. Mr McGuinness must have no contact with the alleged victim, stay out of Dublin and observe a curfew. He was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear at Cloverhill District Court on June 18, for the directions of the DPP. Despite opening of trade with Afghanistan, zero import has been witnessed through the Attari-Wagah border, 28km from Amritsar, in the last 15 days. Indian traders suspect Pakistan governments design of not allowing free movement of trucks from Afghanistan as the reason behind this. They said that since opening of trade, many Indian importers had placed orders for goods from Afghanistan, but no truck was being allowed to cross the Chaman border in Pakistan. Cross-border trade and movement of passengers through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Attari had remained suspended for over two months as a precautionary measure to check spread of coronavirus. Trade between India and Afghanistan was resumed on May 28. And Pakistan had opened Chaman and Torkham border crossings for trade and civilian movement between Afghanistan and Pakistan mid-May. The ICP had been witnessing over Rs 1,000 crore trade with Afghanistan every year. Indian traders import dry fruit, herbs, cumin and liquorice (mulethi) from Afghanistan. On the first day of trade resumption, a truck of imported dry fruit from Afghanistan had crossed over at the ICP. However, from May 29 till date, no other Afghan truck has entered the ICP, said Land Port Authority of India (LPIA)s ICP manager Sukhdev Singh. Another LPAI official said, We got information that an Afghani truck carrying goods reached Wagah border in Pakistan two days ago, but the truck has not crossed over to India till Saturday. There may be some problems on Pakistan side due to coronavirus, which may have been hampering import. Indian traders have alleged the Pakistan government of deliberately not allowing import from Afghanistan to India. Pakistan is not allowing goods movement through the Chaman border, said Federation of Karyana and Dry Fruit Association president Anil Mehra. He demanded that the Imran Khan government should allow movement of trucks from Afghanistan and open trade between India and Pakistan. With opening of India-Pakistan trade the economy of both countries will be boosted and relations will be improved. We have demand resumption of Samjhauta Express between both the countries, said another Amritsar-based trader. In the wake of the Pulwama attack in February 2019, the Indian government had revoked the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status given to Pakistan and raised customs duty on every item being imported from Pakistan to 200%. Following this, import from Pakistan had dipped drastically. Pakistani had shut trade with India and Samjhauta Express operations after India abrogated Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. No live music, no dancing, no standing at the bar, no mingling basically, no craic. When I saw the new restrictions announced for pubs last month, I didn't flinch. In fact, it sounded all too familiar. I knew instantly what this situation would be like. Because what may seem like a nightmare to us Irish is just a normal night out where I live, in Belgium. What will be the absolute paring back of our culture is essentially normal pub life in many European countries. It now seems as if 40pc of pubs in Ireland will open on June 29 as sit-down restaurants. In essence, that's what a pub is in many parts of Europe. Now, we may be part of the EU, but we're not culturally very European. When it comes to socialising, we have very different habits from our continental friends. Will these new restrictions finally make real Europeans of us? Read More We've all been to pubs on the continent. We might have enjoyed a glass of wine in Paris, a Prosecco in Italy, a Gluhwein at a Christmas market. It's very pleasant. Europeans are less rowdy than we are. It's more about appreciating your drink and chatting with friends. Which is lovely. It's just you'd miss the craic. It's not about the drinking. At the end, it's all about the communication. It's the people and the interaction, the music, the storytelling, the banter between strangers that make our Irish pubs what they are. Lest I paint myself as an unassimilated foreigner who has refused to adapt to her host country's norms - let me tell you, I've tried. When I moved here, I stuck to Belgian haunts and convinced myself I'd soon become used to this way of life. But for a person who grew up on trad music, Irish dancing and singsongs, pub life here can seem very sedate. Europe's melting pot and the capital of the EU, Brussels sometimes seems chilled out to the point of being asleep. Nights out can feel like an eternal pub quiz - trapped at your table, you might never meet anyone new. It's an introvert's paradise. It's not just Belgium. In Germany, table service is very common, leaving little chance of a spontaneous conversation with strangers. In Sweden, people are fairly reserved and cultural norms reveal themselves in the pub. The concept of being a "regular" doesn't exist. "You could be going to a pub for 10 years and you're still going in as sort of a stranger. My uncle John Wrafter has been living there since 1989 and tells me what's different about pub culture. "You meet the people you were intending to meet; there's no banter or contact with anyone else," he says. "At times, I've got talking to people sitting beside me, but it's rare. People turn towards their own group and don't want to bother people around them. Whereas in Ireland you're polite by saying hello - you acknowledge each other's presence. That's a fairly big thing even though it sounds small, because when people do that, you feel we're all here together." The concept of being a "regular" doesn't exist. "You could be going to a pub for 10 years and you're still going in as sort of a stranger. Bar staff feel, even though I've seen this person many times, that I shouldn't be overly familiar with them. I'd be invading their privacy." Brecht Tessier, a bartender at famous Brussels bar Bizon, explains how Belgians drink. "We're all about having just enough to drink so you feel the joy of being tipsy but not too much that you can't hold a conversation," he says. "We have this culture where alcohol is always around - Trappist beer for the terrace, wine next to nibbles and dinner, a Scotch or brandy for dessert, and hence we are never really racing to finish everything. What I see a lot in Bizon, is that even the heaviest of drinkers clearly state: 'I'm getting drunk, I have to go home'." As for live music, "it's not at all something we see a lot, it's not in our culture. Singing in pubs would be awesome but also incite a lot of neighbour complaints". He says Belgians aren't overly outgoing. "We're 'bubble' people: we have our own bubble wherein we are safe and we know one another. It's not so likely that you'll go out and meet strangers and start a big chat," he says. There are many who find Belgian pub culture very appealing, such as Ronan Healy, a Kildare man who teaches English. "You wouldn't be talking to strangers as much as you would at home. And people are not necessarily trying to make each other laugh. In Ireland, it's all about making the other person laugh as loud as they can, that's where the noise comes from, that's when the craic gets up to 90. The Irish don't go out to sit down and enjoy their drink," he says. "But I love going into a Belgian bar in Brussels for the quality of the product, and appreciate the hour or two tasting three or four different beers. I love the Belgian beer. It's tasty - they put spices and things into it. That's what I appreciate the most." Healy likes the more measured pace of socialising here, which he considers just as fun, in a different way. "Beer can be very strong here, up to 13pc, so you quickly learn to appreciate the taste but you can't go mad. The Belgians adapt their drinking speed to the strength of the beer. It makes sense. It's different here, not better, not worse, just different". All this really means is that from now on, you will have to talk to the same people you went to the pub with for the entire night, so choose carefully. Peg Pellens is a Belgian flute player who loves her annual visit to the west of Ireland. "Irish people are very open and if you meet the people, you really meet the country and the culture. And, of course, we go for the music and the atmosphere," she says. It's not the same here, she tells me. "When Belgians go to a pub, most of the time we just stick with the people we came with. I think we are more closed. In Ireland, everybody just starts talking to you. In Belgium we would think 'what does this person want from me?'" As for spontaneous eruption into songs in a bar here in Belgium? "Oh no, no, no, we don't do that!" she says, laughing. So for anyone who is missing the holiday abroad this year, this is your chance to sample the European lifestyle at home. All this really means is that from now on, you will have to talk to the same people you went to the pub with for the entire night, so choose carefully. There'll be no straying from the table to Johnny at the bar or Mary over beside the toilets. I find it hard to imagine what a socially distanced drink will feel like in Ireland, but I sure wish I was there anyway. Have one for me, lads. And don't get too used to it. Don't forget how to have the craic. This is just a temporary departure from our sociable habits. And once we're Covid-clear, the session will be mighty. A decrepit five-bedroom house in an exclusive inner-city suburb could sell for more than $3.5million despite rotting floorboards and destroyed ceilings. But the run-down terrace in Darlinghurst, Sydney, has been hailed as a renovator's dream due to its size and prime location. 'It's just so big,' BresicWhitney agent Shannan Whitney told Domain. Pictured: The decrepit Darlinghurst terrace, which is on the market for $3.6million Red and white tape is hung inside the property's disintegrated living space 'You don't find anything of that size in such a good inner-city location and so, regardless of its condition, it's valuable.' The uninhabitable four-level home is 7.5m wide on 280sqm of land. The owner of 30 years - an elderly man - moved out of the home three years ago and his family have now decided to put the property on the market. The buyer's guide currently sits at $3.6million. The Domain listing reads: 'With five to six bedrooms, the sprawling residence is a rare chance to craft your dream home from a piece of Inner Sydney history.' Mr Whitney acknowledged it would take a lot of capital and work to bring the Surrey Street home back to a 'liveable condition'. The buyer's guide for the four-level Darlinghurst home (pictured) currently sits at $3.6million Thick black dirt covers the neglected kitchen space, which was painted in red Pictured: One of the two bathrooms inside the Darlinghurst terrace An investment of more than $1million into its renovation could lead to doubling the property's value. 'It could be worth $7million or $7.5million or $8million,' Mr Whitney said. Pictures from inside the home show dirt smeared across the neglected kitchen space, plaster hanging from the ceiling and paint peeling off the walls. With coronavirus restrictions eased, prospective homebuyers can now view the property for an inspection. It will go to auction on Saturday June 20. The run-down house comes with rotting floorboards and destroyed ceilings By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Opposition leaders in Delhi on Friday thanked the Supreme Court for showing the mirror to the AAP government over its shortcomings in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The apex court on Friday termed the state of affairs in Delhi hospitals as horrific given the corona crisis. Reacting to it, the Delhi government said it accepts the observations of the apex court and the city government will ensure the best possible treatment to each COVID-19 patient.Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said the Supreme Court has reprimanded the Delhi government for the poor treatment of coronavirus patients and for not handling the dead bodies with dignity. I would like to thank the SC that they took suo motu cognizance regarding the health of the people of Delhi. Being a responsible opposition, the Delhi BJP always conveyed shortcomings of healthcare and suggestions for improvement to the government but it was given a political colour, Gupta said.Gupta said even the Supreme Court considered that the Delhi government reduced corona testing and the bodies of COVID-19 victims were not properly taken care of in the hospitals. The BJP had asked the Delhi government to increase the testing of coronavirus suspected patients, present the correct figures of affected people and increase the number of beds, but it was busy in politics and rhetoric, Gupta charged. ALSO READ: Delhi government hospitals to have oxygen facility at all designated COVID-19 beds Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar Chaudhary said that the Supreme Court has asked the Delhi government why corona testing has decreased in Delhi, an issue which it has been highlighting for the past few weeks. This direction by the SC has shown the mirror to the Kejriwal government, which has been taking retrograde steps regarding the testing for corona patients... Instead of expanding the testing base in the capital to assess the exact position of the pandemic, the government has been shrinking the test facilities, Kumar said. Gambhir takes a dig BJP lawmaker Gautam Gambhir mocked the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government saying that the CM has blamed the Centre, testing facilities and neighbouring states for the spike in COVID-19 tally in the national capital, and his next point of attack is likely to be the Supreme Court itself. ALSO WATCH: (With PTI inputs) The Bighorn Fire backdrops a community along the western side of the Santa Catalina Mountains, in Tucson Ariz., on June 12, 2020. (Matt York/AP Photo) Firefighters Grapple With Triple-Digit Heat Against Wildfire TUCSON, Ariz.Hundreds of Arizona residents under an evacuation notice were allowed to return home Friday but were told to remain ready to leave at a moments notice as a wildfire burns in a national forest near Tucson. Firefighters are trying to keep the blaze in canyons and ridges and prevent it from moving downhill. The fire activity near the homes has dropped down due to the good work of our firefighters, said Adam Jarrold, public information officer for the fire management team. Most of the western United States is experiencing extreme dryness or drought, creating challenging conditions for wildfire season, Bryan Henry, meteorologist with the National Interagency Fire Center, said in a recent fire season outlook. Authorities have said southern Arizonas dry, hot weather and the steep, rocky topography have been the main challenges in fighting the fire. Friday was the hottest day yet for crews battling the blaze, with temperatures forecast to reach 107 in the afternoon. National Weather Service forecasters said temperatures were projected to remain in the triple digits through the weekend with a 10 percent chance of dry thunderstorms or potentially dangerous downbursts that bring only a trace of moisture but can kick up gusts of wind that feed flames. We do have some weather concerns, said incident meteorologist Gary Zell, who was stationed Friday at now-closed Catalina State Park. These guys are heroes, working all day in up to 107 degrees, said Zell, who has worked wildfires around the West for two decades. This is the first time Ive worked a fire in my hometown so Im pretty vested in making sure everything goes well. Wildfire air attack crews continue to battle the Bighorn Fire along the western side of the Santa Catalina Mountains, in Oro Valley, Ariz., on June 12, 2020. (Matt York/(AP Photo) Authorities said the fires growth slowed overnight Thursday but that it remained a threat. Flames have been visible from Tucson at night, and smoke from the fire plumed over a suburb Friday morning. Later in the day, an air tanker was seen spreading red fire retardant over the flames. The firefighting effort will get help from Federal Emergency Management Agency, which officials say has granted Arizonas request for federal funds. The fire, sparked June 5 by lightning, was only 10 percent contained as of Friday morning. The National Wildfire Coordinating Group said in its daily operation plan that containment may not be achieved for weeks. Pima County officials on Thursday issued an evacuation notice for approximately 300 homes in a area south of the Coronado National Forest. But the notice was pulled back late Friday afternoon after fire officials determined it was safe for them to return home, said Deputy James Allerton, a sheriffs department spokesman. Horses at the Catalina State Park Equestrian Center were transported out of the area for their safety. As of Friday, the fire had burned nearly 11 square miles of mostly brush and tall grass. Specialized crews were assessing potential threats to homes and other structures to identify access routes and develop contingency plans in case the fire spreads into residential areas. In the neighborhoods closest to the fire, sheriffs deputies checked IDs to confirm that people trying to enter were residents, as helicopters dropped water on hot spots. Sheriffs officials went door to door in neighborhoods on Thursday to notify residents of the evacuation notice, which a sheriffs spokesman said Friday wasnt mandatory. People are not required to leave, however we are telling people we may not be able to come back and assist if things start to burn, said Deputy James Allerton. No injuries or structural damage was reported, Allerton said. Travis Mayberry, an operations section chief for the fire management team, said Friday much of the fire was burning in terrain too rugged for grounds crews to work safely, particularly if they needed to escape quickly. Its not a great place for us to put people in to safely work, he said. Its just too steep. Wildfire air attack crews continue to battle the Bighorn Fire along the western side of the Santa Catalina Mountains, in Oro Valley, Ariz., on June 12, 2020. (Matt York/AP Photo) In Oro Valley, on another side of the Santa Catalina mountains, dozens of people parked their vehicles Friday afternoon alongside State Route 77 to watch three helicopters battling flames descending the slopes as smoke poured into the sky. The Pima County Sheriffs Department has been asking people to avoid the area during the fire unless they live or have business there to prevent traffic congestion and roadway dangers. Also on Friday, authorities in northern Arizona evacuated the Jacob Lake area where a small wildfire was burning near the Grand Canyons North Rim. The fire has burned over 3 square miles. By Matt York and Anita Snow YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenias National Security Service issued a statement over the leakage of data of citizens infected with the novel coronavirus, as well as their direct contacts. The statement says: According to media reports, data of nearly 3500 coronavirus infected patients and their direct contacts in Armenia have been publicized by Azerbaijani hackers. The National Security Service takes respective actions to clarify the details of the leakage of personal data of these people, as well as to find out the perpetrators. Information security expert Samvel Martirosyan said on Facebook that Azerbaijanis have publicized the data of nearly 3,500 coronavirus infected Armenians and direct contacts. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Former Conservative minister Sir Nicholas Soames said the incident, in which the word racist was scrawled on the monument during protests on Saturday last week, shows British society has lost its compass. It comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel reportedly called for the statue in Parliament Square to be uncovered immediately. Sir Nicholas backed PM Boris Johnsons condemnation of disorder during last weekends Black Lives Matter protests, and said London mayor Sadiq Khan was right to heed police advice and board up the statue and the nearby Cenotaph. Tory MP Nicholas Soames, who is the grandson of Winston Churchill, has said he is 'deeply upset' after his grandfather's statue was defaced / REUTERS I find it extraordinary that millions and millions of people all over the world who look up to Britain will be astonished that a statue of Churchill and the Cenotaph, our national war memorial, could have been defaced in this disgusting way, he told the Daily Telegraph. These people who are marching did not set out to do this, but a very, very small, extremely explosive group of people who have made a practice of hijacking entirely responsible demonstrations are behaving in an unspeakable and cowardly manner. It feels like a society that has lost its compass. The Churchill statue has been boarded up / AFP via Getty Images Graffiti was scrawled on Churchill's statue last weekend, as anti-racism protests triggered by the death of George Floyd, took place in the capital. Spray paint was used so the name plate read Churchill is a racist", while a Black Lives Matter sign was strapped to the belly of the statue. Banners with messages such as British Colonialism is to Blame and What if it was your son? had been left at the base of the column. His granddaughter Emma Soames also said she was "shocked" to see the statue boarded up but that she "completely understands why it has been necessary to do so". "It takes my breath away," she told BBC Radio 4's Today. "It is extraordinarily sad that my grandfather, who was such a unifying figure in this country, appears to have become an icon that is controversial." People take photographs in front of billboard with a slogan in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, near Westminster Bridge / AFP via Getty Images She said that history was being viewed "through the prism of the present", and that his record shows he was a man of "infinitely more good than bad". Ms Patel told the Daily Mail that Churchill was a hero of Britain who fought fascism and racism in this country and Europe. He has given us the freedom to live our lives the way we do today, she said, adding that the decision to board up the statue was a sad reflection on Mr Khans mayoralty. Had he (Mr Khan) called out the minority in particular who were subversive in a peaceful protest, and had he pulled up the thuggery in the right way, we would not be seeing the boarding up of our national hero. Friday BLM protests - In pictures 1 /26 Friday BLM protests - In pictures Activists, some wearing face coverings or face masks as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, hold placards as they attend a Black Lives Matter protest in Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images Activists, some wearing face coverings or face masks as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, hold placards as they attend a Black Lives Matter protest in Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen on the roof of a van Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters drive their van along Whitehall Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporter raises her fist during a rally in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen during a rally in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen during a rally in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen during a rally in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen during a rally in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters drive their van through Parliament Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporter are seen on the roof of a van Getty Images An elderly Irish man sits with a Black Lives Matter protester Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen during a rally in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen during a rally in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters drive their van along Whitehall Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen on a lion in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen on a lion in Trafalgar Square Getty Images Black Lives Matter supporters are seen on a lion in Trafalgar Square Getty Images A protester sings in Trafalgar Square during a Black Lives Matter rall AP A protester wears a mask in the style of one worn by 17th century plague doctors during a Black Lives Matter protest AP Mr Khan defended the decision to board up the statute, saying there were concerns that they could become a flashpoint for violence if rival protesters converged on them. We had intelligence that extreme far-right groups are coming to central London, ostensibly they say to protect the statues, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. We think that these statues may be a flashpoint for violence and we are worried about extreme far-right groups getting involved in violence, vandalism, disorder with those protesting as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. That is one of the reasons I am asking people to stay away from central London. London: Black Lives Matter George Floyd protest - In pictures 1 /33 London: Black Lives Matter George Floyd protest - In pictures People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally march on Vauxhall Bridge Road PA Demonstrators hold placards backdropped by the Victoria Memorial, outside Buckingham Palace AP People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally march on Vauxhall Bridge Road PA A protester shouts slogans in front of a line of police officers AFP via Getty Images People are seen wearing protective face masks as they demonstrate in a car REUTERS A demonstrator is seen during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square REUTERS Demonstrators wearing protective face masks and face coverings hold placard REUTERS Demonstrators are seen kneeling during a Black Lives Matter protest in Parliament Square REUTERS Demonstrators are seen during a Black Lives Matter protest in London REUTERS Demonstrators are seen during a Black Lives Matter protest in London REUTERS Demonstrators are seen during a Black Lives Matter protest in London AFP via Getty Images Protesters march towards the US Embassy AFP via Getty Images People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally march on Vauxhall Bridge Road PA People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally march on Vauxhall Bridge Road PA People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally march on Vauxhall Bridge Road PA Demonstrators block traffic outside Victoria Station AP Demonstrators hold placards backdropped by the Victoria Memorial, outside Buckingham Palace AP Demonstrators block traffic outside Victoria Station AP Youngsters shout slogans during a Black Lives Matter march AP People take part in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Parliament Square PA Youngsters shout slogans during a Black Lives Matter march AP Protesters hold placards as they attend a demonstration in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Protesters hold placards as they attend a demonstration in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Protesters hold placards as they attend a demonstration in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Protesters hold placards as they attend a demonstration in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images On Friday, the Prime Minister expressed his dismay at the growing focus on removing statues in the wake of the toppling of slave-trader Edward Colston in Bristol on June 7. More than 60 other statues are now listed as targets on a website called Topple the Racists. Boris Johnson said to take statues down would be to lie about our history. In a series of social media posts, he said: We cannot pretend to have a different history. Those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. The Metropolitan Police have told those planning on joining Saturdays anti-racism demonstrations they must be off the streets by 5pm. In an attempt to avoid a repeat of last weeks violent clashes with police, protesters have been told they must stick to the planned route from Hyde Park to Whitehall. Officers fear the anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US last month could be targeted by counter-demonstrations by far-right groups . EU diplomacy chief voices "serious concern" at US ICC sanctions Iran Press TV Friday, 12 June 2020 12:55 AM The EU's foreign policy chief has expressed "serious concern" over US President Donald Trump's order to impose sanctions on any International Criminal Court (ICC) officials investigating US troops, as it conducts a probe into wartime atrocities into Afghanistan. Josep Borrell says the EU stands behind the ICC and its role in "providing international justice," adding that "it must be respected and supported by all nations." In the latest attempt by the Trump administration to force the Hague-based tribunal out of the investigation into potential war crimes by US military and intelligence officials in the Asian country, Trump issued an executive order on Thursday, saying that the United States would block all American property and assets of anyone in the ICC involved in the probe. Trump administration officials said the ICC threatens to infringe upon American national sovereignty and accused Russia of manipulating it. Rights activists slammed Trump's executive order. Human Rights Watch said that Trump's order "demonstrates contempt for the global rule of law." ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda wants to investigate possible crimes committed between 2003 and 2014 including alleged mass killings of civilians by the Taliban, as well as US troops and members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The ICC investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan was given the go-ahead in March. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address AUSTIN, Texas Utah and Oregon put any further reopening of their economies on hold amid a spike in coronavirus cases, but there was no turning back Friday in such states as Texas, California, Arkansas and Arizona despite flashing warning signs there, too. One by one, states are weighing the health risks from the virus against the economic damage from the stay-at-home orders that have thrown millions out of work over the past three months. And many governors are coming down on the side of jobs, even though an Associated Press analysis this week found that cases are rising in nearly half the states a trend that experts attributed in part to the gradual reopening of businesses over the past few weeks. Texas, which saw new highs this week for hospitalizations and new COVID-19 cases, prompting Houston's top county official, Lina Hidalgo, to warn that "we may be approaching the precipice of a disaster," allowed restaurants to expand eat-in dining Friday to 75% of capacity, up from 50%. "Oh, yeah, I've been concerned," 32-year-old Renata Liggins said as she settled in front of a plate of brisket at Black's Barbecue in Austin and the number of people now hospitalized with COVID-19 in Texas climbed to its highest level yet, at over 2,100. But "it just feels I can finally breathe a little bit." Alabama, which began reopening in early May, has seen more than a quarter of the state's 23,000 cases come in the past two weeks as Republican Gov. Kay Ivey emphasized personal responsibility. And Arkansas, where both active cases and hospitalizations have more than doubled since Memorial Day, is letting restaurants seat more customers on Monday. "Regardless of what we see in the next week, we made the right decision to go ahead and lift some of these restrictions so we don't cause more damage to people's lives and their livelihood," GOP Gov. Asa Hutchison said. Arizona has become one of the most troubling hot spots in the U.S. as new cases have surged to more than 1,000 a day, up from fewer than 400 before stay-at-home orders expired in mid-May. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has given assurances the health care system can handle it, and Arizona Health Director Dr. Cara Christ said: "We are not going to be able to stop the spread, and so we can't stop living as well." Even California, the site nearly three months ago of the nation's first statewide stay-at-home order, entered the most expansive phase of its gradual reopening Friday, though its daily average of new cases is up by more than 600 from a week ago. Wineries in California started uncorking their bottles and welcoming people back to their tasting rooms, and hotels, zoos, museums and aquariums were also allowed to reopen. San Francisco restaurants resumed outdoor dining, and the San Diego Zoo opened on a limited basis. So far, only a small number of governors have shown a willingness to retreat, or at least hit pause. Republican Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah and Democratic Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon said they would halt lifting further restrictions for the time being as new cases flare. "As I've said before, reopening comes with real risk," Brown said in announcing a one-week pause that will affect, among other places, Portland, the state's biggest city. She said the increase in positive test results was caused in part by the reopening of some counties. Oregon reported 178 new cases Thursday, the highest count since the outbreak began. Elsewhere around the country, Iowa bars, restaurants, theaters and other businesses were allowed to pack in more customers. Swimming pools, senior centers and adult day care centers were also cleared to open back up. Iowa is still seeing hot spots, especially near meatpacking plants. While President Donald Trump has pushed hard for states to reopen, the decisions to charge ahead or go slow have not fallen neatly along partisan lines. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is a Democrat in the biggest blue state of them all. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott "is making pretty clear at this point he wants the economy to open," a worried Austin Mayor Steve Adler said. "My hope is that when he sees what kind of surge there's going to be, he does act at a state level." ____ Paul J. Weber and Andrew DeMillo of The Associated Pres wrote this story. DeMillo reported from Little Rock, Ark. Associated Press writers Andrew Selsky in Salem, Ore.; Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Ala.; and Bob Christie in Phoenix contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak People wearing protective masks observe to the graves with the remains of their relatives during a mass burial of coronavirus victims - Getty Images South America Brazil on Friday overtook the UK to claim the second-highest coronavirus death toll in the world, behind the United States. The countrys health ministry recorded 909 deaths in the past 24 hours, putting the total at 41,828, ahead of the UK's 41,481. Unlike the UK, Latin America's biggest economy remains far off flattening its coronavirus infection curve, with experts warning a peak of daily deaths may not arrive until August. Observers believe the actual number of cases in Brazil could be far higher than the confirmed figure of 828,810. Gravediggers are working 12-hour shifts in a race to keep up with the toll, while images showing lines upon lines of empty graves waiting to be filled have shocked the world. Newly dug, empty graves fill the Sao Luiz cemetery where Covid-19 victims will be buried in Sao Paulo, Brazil - AP Sao Paulo was forced to exhume the bones of people buried in the past and store their remains in metal containers to free up space in its graveyards. As Britains daily coronavirus death toll falls, with below 100 recorded last week for the first time since the start of lockdown, Brazils continues to hit the high hundreds. Yet President Jair Bolsonaro has dismissed the coronavirus as a "little flu," and berated state officials for imposing lockdowns. The far-right leader's opposition to lockdown and his downplaying of the virus has proved divisive in a nation already struggling with political dissent. Critics slammed Mr Bolsonaro on Friday after he called on supporters to film videos inside their local hospitals to prove they have not been overwhelmed by the pandemic. Mr Bolsonaro urged his backers to "find a way to get inside and film" to see whether intensive care units are in fact struggling, as has been widely reported. "Lots of people are doing that already, but more people need to," he told viewers on Thursday during his weekly live address on Facebook. "The information we have - I could be wrong, but... no one has died due to a lack of ventilators or intensive care beds. Maybe one case here or there." Story continues According to official figures, intensive care units in numerous states across Brazil have registered occupancy rates of more than 95 per cent during the pandemic. A man in a protective suit is pictured after burying a relative who died of Covid-19 on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa - AFP "Some areas are at a critical stage" in Brazil, World Health Organization emergencies director Mike Ryan told journalists in Geneva on Friday. Even as the virus has surged, states and cities across Brazil have begun to ease restrictive measures introduced more than two months ago. Meanwhile, shops and malls are being allowed to open for four hours a day in Sao Paulo, the epicenter of Brazil's crisis. Stores have been crowded in smaller cities. Latin America is the latest epicenter in the world's battle with the novel coronavirus, which emerged in China late last year. A year after San Francisco officials clashed over how to spend an extra $185 million, the state says a big chunk of the so-called windfall money was not theirs to begin with. San Francisco could be forced to repay about $180 million to a county education fund, going back to 2018, and lose an additional $60 million every year going forward. State officials say its because the city essentially took money that belonged to schools. The state says four other Bay Area counties Santa Clara, Marin, Napa and San Mateo did the same thing. They could face equally grim financial consequences, even as the coronavirus pandemic shreds their budgets. At the core of the dispute is the state Department of Finances conclusion that that counties incorrectly interpreted a formula used to determine whether they paid enough property tax revenue into funds that are distributed to public schools. Assemblyman Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat who chairs the Budget Committee, said the issue is a matter of fairness because the Bay Area counties made changes that allowed them to keep money that would otherwise have gone to schools. The system doesnt work if all of the counties dont respect and follow the same rules, Ting said. This is about equitable school funding, and money that should have gone to schools and didnt. For example, he said, one accounting maneuver allowed counties not to include charter school students in their pupil head counts, reducing what they paid into their education funds. The changes didnt directly affect individual school districts. Rather, the state says, it reduced how much revenue California has to spend on education overall because the counties kept more property tax money than they should have. But the counties are balking as the state tries to wrangle the money back, calling the Newsom administrations proposal an attempt to shift funds ... based on unsubstantiated allegations. San Francisco City Controller Ben Rosenfield said the states assertion is wrong. The dispute could ultimately wind up in court if the state proceeds with its plan. Were confident that our calculations are consistent with state laws and rules that govern them, are consistent with our colleagues in other counties, and have been blessed by the state in their prior reviews and audits of them, Rosenfield said in a statement. Theres also a chance that state and county officials could broker a compromise as California legislators race to pass a new state budget before midnight Monday, their deadline to pass a spending plan or go without pay. Combined, the five Bay Area counties could lose about $272 million a year if their funding formulas are changed, according the state Department of Finance. The nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office projected in March that the total could be closer to $350 million. The counties practice gave local officials windfalls of extra money to bolster services as the region struggled to confront the homelessness and affordable housing crises. Last year, Rosenfield shocked City Hall when he said San Francisco was suddenly getting $415 million from the county education fund. Based on rules set by the City Charter, more than half that money was squirreled away into budget reserves, the Municipal Transportation Agency, public libraries, tree maintenance, public schools, and child care and youth services. That left Mayor London Breed and the Board of Supervisors with $185 million left to spend at their discretion, which they argued about for months. The board ultimately decided to divide it up among homelessness, housing, energy independence and teacher salaries. They spent an additional $52 million on those programs from the citys rainy-day reserve, which is usually saved for a recession such as the one the city finds itself in now. Over the past year, much of the windfall money has been spent. Now, city leaders are furious that they could not only lose money going forward, but be forced to repay past funds. The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday opposing the states proposal. Supervisor Hillary Ronen called it an egregious and predatory attempt to grab desperately needed local revenue. It is ugly, and we have to stop it, she said. For the state to pretend to cover its shortfall by simply taking more money from local jurisdictions doesnt make any sense. The extra cash comes from the Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund, or ERAF, a state program that shifts a portion of local property taxes to public school systems in each county. County auditors then determine whether a fund has enough money for public schools and community colleges. If it does, most of the leftover money is returned to local governments with few restrictions on how it can be spent. Rosenfield said the fund is actually a shell game adopted by the state decades ago to require counties to spend more of their property tax revenue on education. That allowed the state, in turn, to spend less of its general fund budget on schools, he said. It costs San Franciscans hundreds of millions of dollars a year in local services, Rosenfield said. Rosenfield has said excess ERAF funds are typically indicative of high property-tax values and low student enrollment two factors San Francisco has had for years. Thats why it made sense that the city and other Bay Area counties would get the excess funding, he said. He cautioned the supervisors last year, however, that state legislators could propose changes to the fund that would affect whether the money is returned to the city. Regardless, the supervisors pushed forward. Dustin Gardiner and Trisha Thadani are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com, tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner, @trishathadani And so he offered a compromise: What if the country prioritized entry for people with family already in the United States? This way, Feighan reasoned, the countrys ethnic balance could change only so much. Since most Americans were white, their family members abroad would also be white. Johnson accepted the deal, which avoided scaring off pro-immigration liberals while easing the concerns of immigration restrictionists in Congress. Four months later, at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, the president signed the compromise into law as the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, abolishing the 1924 quotas. This bill that we will sign today is not a revolutionary bill, he promised. It does not affect the lives of millions. What happened over the following decades would surprise nearly everyone. The system of family preference that Feighan had insisted upon, hoping to sustain Americas white identity, instead opened the door to Asian, Latin American, African and Middle Eastern immigration at a scale never seen before. Demographers now predict that nonwhite Americans will outnumber white Americans within three decades. Ever since his inauguration, Donald Trump has been fixated on ending what anti-immigration conservatives call chain migration the very system Feighan had seized on as a way to limit nonwhite immigration. Recently, Trump administration officials have seized on the coronavirus pandemic as a pretext for reshaping the immigration system. In April, Mr. Trump signed an executive order suspending family-based immigration for parents and siblings of citizens. Many have denounced Mr. Trumps policies as an aberration from the ideal of a nation of immigrants a phrase popularized as the title of a pamphlet written by John F. Kennedy that became a best seller when it was published posthumously in 1964. But the United States has always struggled to balance different visions of what the country could or should be. In a landmark order, a division bench of Bombay high court (HC) on Friday said, We need to remind ourselves that despite nearing 75 years of our independence, despite the guarantees that Part III of the Constitution envisions, and despite the goals engrafted in Part IV of the Constitution which the State ought to strive to achieve, a society which can provide equal opportunities to all is yet a distant reality. The division bench comprised Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and justice Amjad Sayyad was hearing a clutch of petitions regarding the handling of the Covid-19 outbreak in Maharashtra. While listing failures on part of the state in its handling of the pandemic and the challenges faced by the poor and migrant workers during lockdown, the bench said, That misery of this degree could be brought about by the pandemic was indeed unimaginable. The pandemic and the resultant lockdown have destabilised the Indian economy, while wrecking the haves and the have nots alike. It has shown how pitiable the conditions of migrant workers in India are. India, as things stand now, can hardly think of a fair and just society any time in the near future. The bench pointed out factors which have been responsible for the spread of the pandemic in India including lack of preparedness to tackle a problem of such magnitude, insufficient testing kits as well as protective gear and generally inadequate healthcare infrastructure. It also noted that not sharing data led to limited awareness regarding Covid-19 among large sections of the population and criticised the coordination between the Centre and state. Further, the bench noted that it fell upon the judiciary to address citizens concerns when the legislative fails to do so. A judiciary, zealous and vigilant in safeguarding the rights of the people, is what the framers of the Constitution dreamt of and it needs no reiteration that by and large, the people of this nation have reposed faith and trust in the judicial institutions to rescue them in even the worst of situations, said the bench, going on to add that judicial propriety demands that we tread the path of caution and circumspection while criticising the role of the executive in the handling of the pandemic. Instead of adoption of a critical approach of the unintended failures of the executive, the exercise of the extraordinary power available under Article 226 of the Constitution has to be tempered by judicial restraint, it said. The bench then went on to quote parts of the famous tryst with destiny speech, delivered on the eve of India independence to the constituent assembly in 1947 by the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over, Nehru had said. The bench went on to state, If indeed tears and suffering are to be wiped from those who are ailing of Covid-19 and related matters, the nation expects service, ie seva, from each one of its citizens. It does not take much to serve. Failure to provide testing facilities for frontline workers at hospitals The division bench extended a Nagpur benchs order of June 1 and said that if any frontline/ healthcare worker at non-Covid hospitals/wards expresses willingness for being tested on RT-PCR method, the respondents shall proceed in that direction in accordance with the guidelines and protocol prescribed therefor by the ICMR [Indian Council of Medical Research]. The order came after senior advocate Mihir Desai, appearing for the non-governmental organisation Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, had contended that the state should extend the benefit of testing to asymptomatic workers. Desai said nearly 41,000 people, including doctor, nurses and other frontline workers, had contracted the virus and many policemen had also succumbed to Covid-19. He also pointed out a June 1 order of the Nagpur bench of the HC had said that even though the extant guidelines do not envisage testing of all frontline/healthcare workers, the state owes this to frontline workers to ensure minimisation of any risk to them. Appearing for the state, advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni sasid testing of asymptomatic frontline workers working in hospitals and containment zones, as declared by the relevant authorities, has been left to the discretion of such frontline workers. There is no mandatory direction for testing of all asymptomatic frontline workers. Kumbhakoni contended that the aim should be to test those who actually need tests, but had urged the court to issue directions to fine-tune the system so that testing kits are not wasted but there is maximum utilization of the available kits through pragmatic decision making. Senior advocate Anil Sakhare, appearing for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said a rational approach has to be adopted since theres a scarcity of materials. He said 3,500 to 4,000 tests are being conducted daily and said the court ought to leave the matter of deciding which frontline workers should be tested symptomatic or asymptomatic to BMC. Distribution of PPE Responding to a petition filed by Dayanand Stalin, the bench held that the neither the state nor BMC are under any obligation to distribute PPE to all and sundry. It found the plea that each healthcare worker treating non-Covid patients to be provided with PPEs justified to the extent of face masks and shields, gloves, goggles and sanitisation materials including soap, but not the full equipment which includes a body suit, covered shoes etc. Use of a full body-suit could create significant hazards such as physical and psychological stress, impaired vision, mobility and communication. Literature on ,PPEs which we have had the occasion to look into, sounds a caution that greater the level of PPE protection, greater would be the associated risk, the bench said. The bench said that distribution of PPEs must be need-based. We hope and trust that the state and BMC shall be rational in distribution of PPEs, and leave no room for complaint in regard to its distribution and the other kits in keeping with the demands of the situation, the bench noted. Price cap on pathological tests The bench held that it would leave it to the state to spread the net of free testing high and wide to cover maximum number of people in distress. The order came after the state brought to the notice of the bench a circular dated May 21, by which charges for treatment at private or charitable hospitals and health service care centres were capped. The petition was filed by Kurla resident Sarika Singh, who learnt from a police constable that he was asked to deposit Rs 2 lakh by a private hospital when he sought treatment for Covid-19. Advocate Varsha Jagdale informed the court that the exorbitant demand of the hospital was brought down to Rs 20,000 after the police threatened to charge the hospital for denying treatment to a patient. Beds in private hospitals for economically weaker sections Responding to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by non-governmental organisation Jan Swasthya Abhiyan and Mumbai resident Mehrwan Fashed, the bench gave full liberty to Maharashtra state to take punitive action against hospitals that fail to comply with the states directive of reserving 80% of available beds in private or charitable hospitals for the Covid-19 patients. The PIL asked the court to direct that beds in private hospitals be reserved for patients from economically weaker sections of society and that the cost of treatment at these hospitals should be borne by the state. Although 20% of the beds in the private/charitable hospitals are required to be reserved for the poorest and the poor, the situation arising out of the pandemic has compelled the State to take a proactive stand keeping in mind the need to reach out to all, said the bench. Covid-19 helplines Two PILs filed by activist Dayanand Stalin through advocate Aniket Kulkarni and lawyer Mutahhar Khan through advocate Sharan Jagtiani alleged the BMC-run Covid-19 helpline (1916) was ineffective because callers had long waits and those responding to the calls were not able to offer much help. The bench noted there was a divergence of opinion as some have got assistance from the helpline. Those who have been critical must realize the prevailing situation of the pandemic and that assistance of the level that could be expected or available in normal times may not now be on offer. That the MCGM [Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai] has to respond to more than 4,000 calls per day is an indicator of the load taken by the informers receiving the calls, said the bench. While noting that there was scope for improvement, the bench directed the state to see to it that other municipal corporations set up helplines similar to 1916. War room dashboard Multiple petitions raised complaints that it was difficult to get accurate information for available Covid-19 facilities, like beds and ventilators. Following the suggestions of petitioners, MCGM has devised a war room dashboard that uploads relevant information online. We record our satisfaction at such dashboard providing relevant information regarding the current status of the effects of the pandemic in the state as well as the data forming part of it. The only direction that we wish to make in this behalf is to direct the MCGM to upload on its website the entirety of the contents of the dashboard placed before us so that such data could benefit those in search of the available facilities, said the bench. Absence of grievance redressal cell A PIL by Sarika Singh and Mehrwan Farshed had pointed out there was no platform for grievances of those who could not get admitted or treated or were being charged excessively. We are of the considered view that the MCGM should, without any delay, explore ways and means to set up a grievance redressal cell before which complaints could be lodged online/offline. The IAS officer who has been deputed to monitor and oversee the activities related to COVID-19, or any other officer, shall be appointed as the head of the cell with instructions to act promptly as and when complaints deserving immediate intervention are received, said the bench. The Uber alternative Petitioners raised complaints regarding MCGM-run ambulances, which are insufficient now that the majority are transporting Covid-19 patients, and suggested roping in taxi aggregator apps like Uber to transport non-Covid patients to hospitals. MCGM has been using ambulances offered by NGOs as well as converting buses run by the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking into ambulances. The State and MCGM may consider requiring private ambulances to be made operational, provided of course requisite human resources are available to operate it. If indeed the platform of Uber can be utilized that could take care of a part of the problem, said the bench. ALBANY When New Yorks Chief Judge Janet DiFiore gave her State of the Judiciary speech in February, she made a surprising announcement: For the first time, her Office of Court Administration would review the circumstances leading to child deaths within the state's Family Court system. The reviews would not be a finger-pointing exercise, DiFiore said on Feb. 26, but rather "a responsible call to action," led by Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Edwina Mendelson, a former administrative judge in New York City's Family Court. But the task force, announced just weeks after the deaths of 6-year-old Davonte Paul in Troy and 8-year-old Thomas Valva on Long Island made headlines, has made no apparent progress after more than three months. Its exact mission remains uncertain. In an interview, Mendelson acknowledged some of the open questions: It still isnt clear which cases would be reviewed; if judges that made key rulings would be interviewed; or if reports critiquing court officials actions would be created or made public. We were working on that internally and thinking about it, Mendelson said. "But nothing has happened officially." The review team is supposed to consist of judges, lawyers and other experts but so far, no one besides Mendelson has been appointed. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Court Administration has been focused on responding to that crisis. But the fatality reviews remain highly important to us, Mendelson said. ABOUT THE FAMILY COURT SERIES PART 1: Children died despite warnings in New York Family Courts PART 2: After children die, questions of standards and biases PART 3: Before children died, investigations skirted state rules PART 4: Grieving parents look to Albany for Family Court reform CONTINUING COVERAGE: Editorial: The deaths of innocents After children die, counties find a way to avoid scrutiny There are potential issues to address. As the Times Union detailed in this series of articles, in at least five instances since 2014, a parent has filed a petition warning a Family Court judge of impending danger to a child from the other parent. In each instance, the judge delayed action, and the child was killed in the care of the allegedly dangerous parent. Key officials assigned to delve into Family Court cases attorneys representing children and mental health workers known as forensic evaluators lack enforceable standards for how they operate, and have been criticized in the wake of tragedies. Child Protective Services agencies, the most crucial cog in determining whether abuse allegations are valid, ignored basic protocols in dismissing abuse complaints ahead of the deaths of Paul and Valva. In recent years, grieving parents of children who have died in the Family Court system say they've had trouble getting their reform ideas before OCA leadership. Academics and attorneys representing domestic violence victims have felt similarly frustrated. These tragedies keep happening, and the excuse keeps being that these are isolated incidents, said Barry Goldstein, an author and attorney who represented domestic violence victims in New York for 30 years. The Office of Court Administration, led by DiFiore, doesnt like it that theyre missing abuse, that theyre getting it wrong, Goldstein said. But theres some very substantial research that theyre ignoring. Several Democratic members of the state Assembly and Senate have been working on legislation to address major issues in Family Court that does incorporate academic research. But COVID-19 has also upended the legislative session in Albany; it's unclear whether the efforts will gain further traction in 2020. 'One is too many' After Jacqueline Franchettis 2-year-old daughter Kyra was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2016, she tried to speak with officials that oversee the Family Court system about problems that emerged in her case in Nassau County Family Court. DiFiore wouldnt return calls or emails, Franchetti said. Lawrence Marks, the states chief administrative judge, wouldnt talk to her either. Franchetti finally got OCAs deputy counsel Janet Fink on the phone. Fink largely dismissed her concerns without knowing many of the details, Franchetti said, telling her she had a bad case. Asked if such deaths were isolated "bad cases," Mendelson told the Times Union that they were rare. Any loss of life, particularly the loss of life of a child, is so tragic, so disturbing, so horrific that we as a system want to react because one is too many, she said. I will also tell you from my many years as a Family Court judge, and a leader of the Family Court, it is rare to have a fatality for a child. Julianne Steinbrecher of Syracuse, whose ex-boyfriend was convicted of manslaughter in the 2014 death of her daughter Gabriella, also tried to meet with DiFiore. She wanted to relay concerns about a two-month delay in Onondaga County Family Court responding to her warnings of the father's recklessness, a delay that she believes contributed to her daughter's death. She wrote a letter to New Yorks chief judge in 2017. Instead of getting a meeting with DiFiore as requested, Steinbrecher got a letter back from Barbara Mule, an OCA staffer, indicating that the problem was already being solved. Please be assured that the court system takes very seriously the need for expeditious processing and calendaring of matters, particularly in the Family Court, Mule wrote. Despite serious budget constraints, the Office of Court Administration has been affirmatively working with the courts statewide to reduce the time from filing to appearance. In Onondaga Family Court, the impact of these efforts are apparent, as the time for calendaring of return dates has significantly decreased. This is not the type of response I was expecting, Steinbrecher replied in a letter back to Mule. Contrary to your statements, it is my belief that the Family Court Systems are far from operating at optimal levels. Send a tip This story is part of a Times Union series examining New York's Family Court system and some of the breakdowns that led to children dying. If you have any tips about family courts, please email reporter Chris Bragg at cbragg@timesunion.com. See More Collapse OCA declined to comment on DiFiore's refusal to meet with grieving parents. When DiFiore first announced the initiative in February, she said the child fatality review team would identify and correct gaps in the Family Court and child welfare systems. She promised to prevent future fatalities. "Every time a child dies from maltreatment, the publics faith in our courts is deeply shaken," DiFiore said in her speech. "It is up to us to lead the way in ensuring that children are protected from preventable harm." While that effort hasn't yet gotten off the ground, Mendelson said in an hour-long interview with the Times Union that DiFiore had already been trying to address frequent delays in Family Court. Too many delays Since Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo appointed her in 2015, DiFiores signature program, the Excellence Initiative, has been aimed at making New Yorks court system more efficient. Family Courts are run by individual counties but overseen by the Office of Court Administration. Mendelson said that OCA leadership has been meeting with Family Court officials, including judges. They've been looking at their data, the number of court cases that they have pending, Mendelson said. Judges and court leaders in the Family Courts throughout the state have been looking at how to ensure that all court appearances in all Family Courts are meaningful. If a court appearance is adjourned, that can lead to a delay in a case for months. Mendelson said OCA is emphasizing having adjournments only for a really good reason, a standard that every court appearance moves a case toward some level of finality. But she noted that Family Court appearances require many parties to be present: attorneys for the parents or other family members, sometimes multiple attorneys for children, and social service workers. In a 2016 report issued by the Center for New York City Affairs, Christine Gottlieb, co-director of the Family Defense Clinic at the New York University Law School, argued that some delays are caused by the legitimate need for caution, and some by inefficiency. Every institutional player all the law offices ask for too many adjournments," Golllieb stated in the report. "Like every lawyer, I occasionally have clients where its in their interest to push for delay, but judges should not give me an adjournment unless I have a damn good reason. Gottlieb suggested Family Court judges should be able to impose sanctions on those who show up for court unprepared. And if theyre not ready, she suggested, You have to put $100 per day into a trust fund for the children. You could set it up so theres an enforcement mechanism thats good for kids. Asked about this idea, Mendelson said some judges have issued fines in rare instances where the circumstances were appropriate and the lack of preparedness or failure to appear in court was significant enough. To do so on a routine basis, however, would raise legal questions and would likely have to be reviewed by an appellate court, she said. Mendelson said some Family Courts have created trial parts where judges hear cases from start to finish, rather than dealing with hundreds of different cases at different stages concurrently. Other courts are trying more mediation with substantial counseling to get all of the parties in the same room and see about resolving cases. In Family Court cases where one parent is abusive, however, this approach can be ineffective: A person alleging abuse would be unlikely to strike a settlement giving parental rights to an abuser. In child fatality cases, physical abuse often presages deaths. Despite dozens of child deaths in New York over recent decades, reviews of Family Court officials roles in the tragedies have never been performed before by OCA. But when DiFiore was district attorney in Westchester County, she created a child fatality review team. And so I think why this (task force) now happens is because Judge DiFiore has expertise and experience in this particular area, and she has decided to lead there, Mendelson said. Legislative fixes While Franchetti felt rebuffed by the Office of Court Administration, she has gotten a very different reception from several state lawmakers. Queens state Sen. James Sanders introduced a bill last week addressing an issue in recent cases: That before a child died, judges gave custody or unsupervised visitation to a parent without first resolving allegations of abuse. Under the legislation, if a parent files a sworn affidavit stating that another parent is abusive, a judge would be required to conduct a hearing within 30 days to consider any evidence, including medical records, Child Protective Services findings, police reports and sworn testimony. If the judge determines the accused person has committed child abuse, domestic violence against an intimate partner, or another member of the family, the abusing parent would not be awarded custody or unsupervised visitation except in limited circumstances. If the judge later determines the child's risk of harm has been minimized and "best interests" were served, the court could issue a written opinion reversing the restrictions. Sanders began working on the bill in January, after being buttonholed by Franchetti in an elevator of the Legislative Office Building. Another major priority for Franchetti has been the role of forensic evaluators. When a custody or visitation dispute between parents in Family Court reaches the point where a trial appears likely, the judge will often appoint a mental health professional to evaluate the parents. The resulting reports are highly influential in judges custody rulings. One major bill has already taken a strange turn. At a state Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing last October focusing on child safety in Family Court, the first witness to testify was Dr. Robin Lynch, a New York City psychologist in private practice. She is also chair of the child custody evaluation committee for the New York State Psychological Association, a trade group that represents the interests of 2,000 psychologists in the state. Lynch offered a damning portrait of forensic evaluations in New York, arguing evaluations werent being performed in systematic ways and that there wasnt enough oversight. She said most evaluators lacked proper training, and called for comprehensive, specialized training in domestic violence dynamics. It has been allowed to continue for far too long, Lynch said. There is nothing less than childrens lives at stake. In February, the Judiciary Committee chairman who had listened to Lynch testify, Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, introduced a bill aimed at those very issues. It would require OCA to create a statewide, publicly available roster of forensic evaluators; rules for training programs including domestic violence dynamics; and rules establishing a complaint and removal process. The bill would also create an advisory panel to develop a code of ethics and standards of practice. "There has to be a standard for evaluators, where they have to make a decision using A-B-C-D-E (criteria)," Dinowitz said in an interview. "It shouldn't make a difference who the evaluator is, whether it's a man or a woman. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. But in the months since the bills introduction, an influential firm has lobbied against the bill on behalf of the Psychological Association, despite Lynch's testimony. Since February, Park Strategies, founded by former Republican U.S. Sen. Al D'Amato and paid $4,100 a month by the association, has been lobbying legislative officials including Dinowitzs office. Dinowitz told the Times Union that the leadership of the Psychological Association "appears to be largely concerned about the impact of additional training requirements for their members" while "Dr. Lynch and other children advocates appear to be more focused on how the forensic evaluator system is structured." Dinowitz is working to amend the bill to reach "broader consensus among stakeholders," he said. Lynch said that when she testified last fall, and in her public comments since, she has not been speaking on behalf of the Psychological Association. The associations executive director, Lori Sales Cutler, said the group had problems with several elements of Dinowitz's bill, which she called "an overreach." "It would have negative consequences on those involved in sensitive custody cases," she said. "It would limit our ability to provide accurate assessments, and we fear that it would hurt those who we are trying and ethically obligated to help." The bill's training requirements would be established by OCA, but that office does not normally regulate professional activity, she said. Cutler called for a study of evaluators and their qualifications, rather than putting in standards without a "complete picture of who is conducting them and how they are conducted." Secret reports The Psychological Association has long been a roadblock to another bill seeking to make forensic evaluations less secretive. Under current law, there are significant restrictions on litigants access to forensic evaluators reports in their own cases. While the exact rules can vary between courts, often if parents are representing themselves, they can look at a copy of a report in the courthouse, but cant keep one. If represented by an attorney, they in some instances can see a copy in their counsels office, or as in Franchettis case are only allowed to be briefed by an attorney on the contents. Litigants cant even see the most crucial piece of evidence in the case, said Dr. Mo Therese Hannah, a psychologist and professor at Siena College. Its a violation of due process rights. Four years after her daughters murder, Franchetti is still not allowed to discuss many aspects of the evaluation in her case. Since 2013, Brooklyn Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein has introduced a bill to allow parents to have copies of evaluations, while also enabling judges to impose penalties if information were publicly leaked. It is supported by a number of groups representing domestic violence victims and passed the Assembly in 2019, but died in the state Senate. Nancy Erickson, a proponent of the Weinstein bill and an attorney who's long represented abused women in New York City, said the leadership of the Psychological Association was trying to protect themselves from scrutiny of flawed work. For instance, Erickson said, if the results of the evaluations were more transparent, they could reveal evaluators that do copy-and-paste jobs that are largely the same for different custody cases. Cutler said the Psychological Association opposed the bill because children may be discouraged from "telling the truth for fear of retribution from a parent" if litigants have greater access to the reports. In a March memo also in opposition, the New York State Bar Association's family law section cited concerns about litigants showing reports to children or others, stating the negative effects could be "irreparably harmful. The Bar Association argues it's questionable whether the possible contempt finding" in the Weinstein bill will be a sufficient deterrent to leaking. The Office of Court Administration's matrimonial committee has put forward a compromise proposal, which would make willful dissemination of such information automatic contempt of court. Queens Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, also on the Judiciary Committee, has introduced a bill that instead of trying to reform evaluations would get rid of them altogether. From my perspective, they are the common thread in the worst tragedies that weve seen, including Jacqueline Franchetti's, Hevesi said. They are a bad part of the process that should be excised the way you would excise a tumor. Forensic evaluators can be inherently biased if paid by one parent and not the other, and are unaccountable for their decisions, Hevesi said. If the bill passed, Hevesi could potentially see a role for a replacement official in Family Court, who would gather information about a case and give it to the judge. These people should not be making recommendations about which parent would get custody, as is currently common, Hevesi said. Hevesi also plans to introduce a sweeping bill impacting Family Court, to be called "Kyra's Law" for Franchettis murdered daughter. It would keep the best interest of the child as the main factor in custody decisions, but explicitly make child safety the primary criteria under that rubric. It's also expected to address a concept called "parental alienation," which can significantly impact custody rulings. According to domestic violence experts, a common tactic from abusers, who are primarily male, is to argue that their typically female former partner is "alienating" their child: psychologically manipulating the child to turn against the father, including through false abuse allegations. This argument can outweigh abuse allegations when Family Court judges make custody rulings, according to recent academic research, and was a factor in the case of Thomas Valva. At the Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing last October, Franchetti testified next to a large photo of her daughter holding her beloved Elmo doll. The mother's moving testimony prompted Dinowitz and Hevesi to introduce their bills. "I mean, your story, Kyras story makes me very sad. But it also makes me very angry," Dinowitz told Franchetti at the hearing. "If theres one thing I cant stand, its when were dealing with people in government who may not be doing their jobs. But usually when were dealing with somebody who is not doing their job, its that they didnt get a pothole fixed. But this .... Im hoping that I can channel my anger to try to do something productive." He wasn't the only one. Dozens showed up at the hearing in lower Manhattan, an informal network of people who say that while the Family Court system is meant to protect children, in their cases its done the opposite. We know the devastating consequences of doing nothing," Franchetti testified. "On behalf of Kyra, on behalf of all the other children who have been murdered, whose voices have been silenced, their stories will be told. Were not going away quietly. In the four years since her daughter died, Franchetti has maintained a list of parents that have been accused of killing a child amidst a legal dispute with the other parent. At the time of the hearing, it stood at 13. Eight months later, the list has grown to 16. A large number of artists, musicians and writers from Cork are among those commissioned by the Arts Council to produce new work as part of a support scheme initiated to assist them during the COVID-19 emergency period. Muscrai musicians Ger Wolfe and Peadar O Riada are among 32 from the county whose applications were successful. With all now notified of their award, artists will begin to create work across the full range of art forms, genres and areas of arts practice. In time, the public can expect to experience traditional arts, literature, dance, theatre, music, visual art, circus, film, opera and architecture, as well as work in specific areas of arts practice, such as for children and young people, and arts participation. Despite the exceptional nature and fast turnaround time of the scheme - called the Arts Council Covid-19 Crisis Response Award - demand from artists was very high, with almost 1,000 applicants, the agency said. "I especially welcome the many new artists who were successful under this round," said Culture Minister Josepha Madigan. "I realise that now is a particularly challenging time for artists to make work." The 1 million scheme is one of a suite of measures being introduced by the Arts Council to help support artists and arts organisations through the Covid-19 crisis. Other initiatives include honouring all existing funding commitments, and allowing grantees to draw down 90 percent of their funding to allow them fulfil in turn their own business commitments, especially to artists; the prioritisation and redirection of budgets and funding streams; a range of business guidance and assistance; and continued work with the Department of Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht and other government departments. Arts Council Director Maureen Kennelly said the body was very encouraged by the number and standard of applications. "They showed the depth and breadth of the arts in Ireland - with greater resources we could have awarded twice as many - and it is particularly heartening to see so many successful applications from artists not previously funded through the Arts Council. This also points to artists' particular and urgent needs at this time of crisis." The spokesperson of the Egyptian Irrigation Ministry Mohamed El-Sebaie said Egypt is keen on reaching consensus regarding the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during the ongoing online talks, which set off on Tuesday, but without returning back to square one. The irrigation ministries of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia started online talks on the GERD in the attendance of observers from the US, the EU and South Africa. The virtual talks come on the back of Sudan's endeavours to bring back the concerned parties to the table following an escalating war of words between Cairo and Addis Ababa. In an interview with MBC Masr satellite channel over the phone on Thursday, El-Sebaie said "Egypt is keen on achieving joint gains [for the three countries] without harming any party, and without returning back to point zero. I mean we will not start from the beginning." He stressed Egypts four conditions during the virtual meeting: Egypt demands confirmation from Ethiopia it would take no unilateral action on filling the dam until an agreement is reached; a specific timeframe from 9 to 13 June to reach an agreement on the filling and operation of the dam; talks should be based on the terms of reference to the Washington and World Bank-brokered document in February; and that the observers who have been attending the meetings act as facilitators. "We hope to reach [an agreement] that satisfies all sides ... and feel there is a genuine will on all sides to reach consensus... if there is no will, we will never reach consensus," he added. The spokesman noted that the Sudanese side doesn't support one side more than the other, adding that Sudan is a main partner in the negotiations because it has direct interests and each country is keen on attaining its objectives. "The target is not to reach a conflict of interests," he stressed. The ongoing talks are the first between the three sides since February, when the Washington and World Bank-mediated negotiations came to a halt after Ethiopia pulled out of a meeting in Washington. When talks between the three African countries reached a deadlock last October the US stepped in to act as an observer of negotiations. Search Keywords: Short link: Delhi HC asks Centre, Google to respond to mans plea to remove articles on his conviction in criminal case Who is Saurabh Kirpal? Indias likely to get its first openly gay judge of Delhi high court Delhi HC dismisses plea to stop publication, sale of Salman Khurshid's book : 'Ask people not to buy it' Ganga Ram Hospital approaches Delhi HC against AAP govt India oi-Briti Roy Barman New Delhi, June 13: Sir Gangaram Hospital, in Delhi, facing action on violation of provisions related to COVID-19, has moved the Delhi High Court. The hospital management has requested high court about the cancellation of the FIR lodged by the Delhi Police in this regard. The High Court will hear this on 15 June. Delhi LG forms high-level panel to suggest measures to tackle coronavirus outbreak in city Kerala flight rules: Only Covid negative passengers can fly in from the Middle East | Oneindia News After Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal warned private hospitals in Delhi FIR has been registered against Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on charges of violating ICMR testing guidelines for coronavirus. The FIR, filed on 5 June, was based on a complaint by Deputy Health Secretary Amit Kumar Pamasi. Delhi CM Kejriwal had said that strict action should be taken against the hospital that is doing black marketing of beds besides those who refuse to admit corona infected patients to the hospital. After the complaint of the Kejriwal government, the police has registered a case against the hospital. There is no response from the hospital yet regarding the case. With 3,08,993 COVId-19 case load, India now 4th worst hit nation The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has condemned the FIR against Sir Ganga Ram Hospital stating Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's warning to doctors and threatening hospitals for the admission and testing of Covid-19 patients is condemnable. "FIR on Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is highly condemnable and demoralizing for the whole medical fraternity," the DMA stated in its release. "Ganga Ram hospital and its doctors who have saved lakhs of lives in the last decades are being penalized and threatened," the released noted. "The order of Health and Family Welfare Department regarding guidelines for tracking and monitoring of every Covid-19 suspected cases tested in various accredited labs across Delhi wherein it was mandatory for the labs to collect sample only through the Delhi government's RT-PCR App. Further CDMO (Chief District Medical Officer) cum mission director, Central, mentioned that Sir Ganga Ram hospital is still not using RT-PCR app even till today (03/06) which is a clear violation of direction issued under Epidemic Disease Covid-19 regulation 2020," a copy of the FIR read. We need to move into the Shop at Home phase of the pandemic now | Vince Bzdek I returned from my maiden trip to Paris with stars in my eyes, romance in my head and a bottle of perfume. Almost a year later, Im still wondering whether the fragrance Ive been exulting in is actually a perfume or a linen spray. The label says something about eau and maison, which doesnt bode well from whatever I remember of high school French. I sometimes tell myself its their house fragrance a signature smell; when Im anxious, Im convinced it belongs on fabric and not skin. Sure, I could get some linguistic help and sort out the matter. But its so much more French to be suspended in this state of bittersweet unknowingness. The Proustian madeleine Where theres a French memory, there is, inevitably, Proust. The taste of madeleines, the little sponge cakes, is at the centre of the narrators nostalgic journey in the celebrated series of novels, Remembrance of Things Past (or in an alternative translation, In Search of Lost Time). In literary criticism, the Madeleine moment refers to a sensory trigger that releases involuntary memories, often related to childhood experiences. Now for Mumbai residents, a keen sense of smell isnt exactly a blessing. And yet there is that whiff of teatime nostalgia that emanates from the biscuit factory as the local train clatters past Vile Parle station, while Mahim Creek is still the noxious smell of early morning college lectures. Theres something about Play-Doh that will get me no matter how old and blase I grow. To smell it was to smell privilege in those long-ago years. But its the kitchen where the Proustian catalysts are generally found. The smell of promise evoked by khada masala sputtering in a blackening kadai. The comfort of butter melting on a blackening toast. The spicy seduction of star anise in a blackening Thai curry. (And there, in a nutshell, is my culinary biography.) The nose, like a devious tour guide, leads us into emotional terrain we didnt sign up for. And the worst part is, the effects of these sentimental detours linger long after the stimulus itself has been withdrawn. Sneeze the day I have in my weathered cotton bag a little roll-on attar that goes by the name of Earthy. For all the seductive offerings of Messrs Davidoff & Miyake, it is the heady fragrance of a raat ki raani or rajni gandha that best captures the pleasures of the subcontinent. Before Im accused of sounding like a poster girl for brown lit, waiting for the mangoes to ripen as I stain my hands with henna, let me steer my path east into Peninsular Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur may boast some of the tallest building and wildest nights, but the smell of the prickly fruit durian is so sharp and divisive, it would make a great politician. (Its taken a lot to avoid an urban malaise pun.) A few years ago, a friend returned from her honeymoon in Bali lamenting some smell that ruined the trip. Assuming she was talking about incense, I curbed my instinct to launch into a defence of a culture different from our own. But I, too, am oppressed by that sickly-sweet smell, invariably entwined with ritual and bereavement. It doesnt help that the fragrance that brings millions peace and calm merely incites me to sneeze violently. Like a crucifix to a vampire. Premium karma In recent times, luxury and ayurveda have melded in such a way that I cant tell good karma from an artsy package. Whats more, fragrances have pervaded spaces where they certainly dont belong. Whereas in Victorian times a languid (and consumptive) heroine would enclose heartfelt missives in perfumed envelopes, we now have toilet paper in several fragrances. Offices and showrooms (or modern museums, as theyve recently come to resemble) smell of synthetic lemongrass; cars like processed chocolate. With sexiness being poured out of bottles, Im afraid those hardworking pheromones might just shut shop forever. In literary criticism, the madeleine moment refers to a sensory trigger; but for Mumbai residents, a keen sense of smell isnt a blessing! Spending one whole summer in Goa has made me a lifelong fan of powerful (and eco-friendly) deodorants. But I feel weve gone too far with our cookie dough candles and strawberry lip balms. Of course, these days there could well be a race to launch premium scented hand sanitisers, combining the fragrance of meadows with the wistfulness of the ocean. With smell being such a powerful trigger, we need to be altogether more responsible. As the opening line of Marquezs Love in the Time of Cholera warns us: It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love. Follow @rehana_munir on Twitter and Instagram From HT Brunch, June 14, 2020 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch The Government is planning for the return of all pupils to schools in a considered gamble that fully reopening education facilities is not a threat to public health. It could mean schools applying different social-distancing rules than other parts of society to ensure that children are not facing a part-time return to the classroom in August/September. Teachers union leaders have warned that they will not tolerate a return to school that flouts whatever social-distancing rules are in place at the time. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Education Minister Joe McHugh sent clear signals of the Government's intent after a Cabinet meeting, which was given an update on planning for the reopening of schools. The Cabinet heard that a two-metre social-distancing rule would limit primary pupils to one day a week and post-primary pupils to two days a week. With a one-metre rule, primary pupils could attend for two-and-a-half days a week and some post-primary pupils for the same time, with others attending at, or near, a full-time basis. Mr McHugh said sending children for two or three days a week "is not a runner". "If we just bring back 20pc or 50pc of students we will do more damage because of educational neglect and potential regression," he said. Hygiene He said he wanted a "common sense approach" to reopening, with children and staff "far enough away from each other so that they are not breathing on, or touching, each other". It would have to be accompanied with good hygiene practices and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces. The Government was aiming for "a sustainable plan for reopening schools, which will protect the health of school communities while promoting the educational and development needs of the nation's children". The plan includes a commitment to extra funding for school cleaning and hand sanitisers. Mr Varadkar echoed Mr McHugh's sentiments. He said there were "difficulties" relating to social-distancing rules, but suggested "bespoke solutions", like the procedures being brought in for creches. The announcement sparked some fury with teachers unions. Teachers' Union of Ireland president Seamus Lahart said: "The oblique suggestion that classrooms could operate without social distancing is both odd and alarming. These workplaces cannot be treated as if they enjoy some magical immunity from the risk that characterises other workplaces." Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland general secretary Kieran Christie said it "would be very concerned if a differentiated approach to physical distancing is introduced for schools which deviates from that which pertains to wider society. Any deviation from the health advice available from the National Public Health Emergency Team would be unacceptable." Irish National Teachers' Organisation general secretary John Boyle said: "For an orderly and safe reopening of our schools, any decisions must be led by public health advice." Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 00:08:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Britain on Friday formally ruled out the possibility of an extended post-Brexit transition period, leaving business in uncertainty again. Michael Gove, the British cabinet office minister, said Friday in a tweet that he formally confirmed the decision. "I formally confirmed the UK will not extend the transition period & the moment for extension has now passed. On 1 January 2021 we will take back control and regain our political & economic independence," he said. Gove said Thursday that the British government is not gambling with the European Union (EU) over Brexit despite the stalled trade talks between the two sides, insisting that Britain will not extend transition period beyond Dec. 31. "Under no circumstances will the government accept an extension. Indeed, we have a domestic law obligation not to accept. Extending would simply delay the moment at which we achieve what we want and what the country voted for ... our economic and political independence," he told MPs in the House of Commons (lower house of parliament). Britain and the EU concluded their fourth round of talks last week, during which they made no progress on the most difficult areas where differences of principle are most acute, notably on fisheries, governance arrangements and the so-called level playing field. The focus will now switch to a crucial meeting next Monday between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Britain ended its EU membership on Jan. 31 but is still following EU rules during the transition period until Dec. 31 to enable a permanent future trade deal to be reached. During this period, Britain would have to pay into EU funds but have no say in laws imposed by Brussels. Enditem NORTH KOREA- Kim Jong-Un's younger sister is a prominent face in the nation's regime, but this time she has taken an atypical position, the regime's attack dog. While Kim Jong-Un continues to disappear from the public's eye for numerous occasions including the country's most important day, rumors circulated that Kim Jong-un's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong is being groomed to be the dictator's successor. The hopes that Kim Yo-jong will be a more temperate leader than her brother have been erased by her statements in public recently. According to Daily Express, Ms. Kim's remarks regarding the scattering leaflets about anti-regime dropped in from South Korea have exhibited inclination that leads to change. Ms. Kim described the distributors of leaflets as fools, riff-raff, and almost illiterate as leaflets are being floated into the nation using hydrogen balloons coming from the South. In the newspaper Rodong Sinmun, Ms. Kim wrote that humans scum little short of wild animals who betrayed their homeland are engrossed in such unbecoming acts to imitate men. She also added that they are barking wherein they should not so they better be called mongrel dogs, and since they are doing harm to others, it is the time for their owners to take account. Read also: North Korea Makes Millions Out of Sand, Breaks Sanctions Selling Them Compared to the statements coming from North Korean public officials when facing adversaries, it is usually constructed colorfully worded, however, Ms. Kim's statement is different, it is strong. She also asked the authorities from South Korea if they are ready to face the consequences of the rubbish-like mongrel dogs act who took no hesitation to slander the country, pointing their finger towards the nuclear issues in the meanest way and very untimely. The campaign which involves the leaflets is run by two brothers who were North Korea defectors. The brothers have been airdropping anti-Kim messages, small radio sets, US currency, memory drives loaded with bibles, and Soap operas from South Korea since 2004. 9News also reported that according to advocacy group Open Doors, they shared that owning a Bible in North Korea is a crime, and those caught having one with them are either sent to labor camps or executed right away. North Korea announced on Tuesday that they will separate all communications with the South, a move which is linked to the influence of Kim Yo-jong. It also follows the continuous advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile weapons program. The Successor of the Hermit Kingdom. Since her older brother made only a few public appearances since the start of the year, Kim Yo-jong now is rising in stature. In April, Kim Jong-un disappeared from the eye of the public, triggering rumors that he suffered a serious illness, while some claim that he is dead. But in May, Kim Jong-un reappeared to grace the opening of a fertilizer plant, and recently he attended a round table meeting of the Politburo. At the moment, the health status of the North's dictator still remains a mystery. However, speculations that he isn't in the best shape continue. Thus, if anything is to happen to the leader of the Hermit Kingdom, Kim Yo-jong is expected to take over the regime. Related article: Family of Abducted Japanese in North Korea Slams Kim Jong-Un, Calls Dictator a "Foolish Leader" @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Action Democratic Party (ADP) on Saturday expressed its willingness to welcome Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki, with open arms should the embattled governor decide to defect to the party. The National Publicity Secretary of the ADP, Adelaja Adeoye, made the announcement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. Mr Adeoye was reacting to the disqualification of Mr Obaseki by the Screening Committee of the All Progressives Congress, which barred the governor from participating in the partys primaries, scheduled for June 22. He said that the ADP was operating an open-door policy and that the party would gladly admit Obaseki and accord him every respect as a sitting governor. The ADP chieftain said, however, that the governor would have to follow the partys rules and abide by its principles should he decide to join the party to contest on its ticket. Yes, if Obaseki decides to join ADP today, the party will welcome him with open arms. The party runs an open-door policy. So we will gladly receive him. He is the sitting governor so we may give him some waivers and will accord him all the respect as the occupier of the number one office in the state. However, we will expect the governor to follow laid- down rules and abide by the principles of the party should he decide to join us to seek our ticket. We will also expect him to slug it out with governorship aspirants in the party to get the ticket. He will definitely enjoy some privileges as a sitting governor. We will accord him all the respect. Mr Adeoye said the ADP had yet to conduct its governorship primaries and that the window of opportunity was there for Obaseki to join and seek the partys ticket. READ ALSO: He said the party would adopt the indirect mode of primaries for its governorship tussle. On his view on the disqualification of Obaseki by the APC, Mr Adeoye said that what was playing out was a clear-power play in the ruling party. He said the same Mr Obaseki that was the bride of the party four years ago was being seen as not qualified for re- election by the APC. And, the aspirant they seem to favour was the same person they said destroyed the state some years ago. Mr Adeoye said the PDP and APC were over-rated in Edo, pointing out that ADP had a formidable structure and support, to win the governorship election. (NAN) The incessant use of the now dropped Charlotte Osei generated Electoral Commission (EC) logo by some media establishments in their graphics has attracted a reminder and correction that the image is no longer in use and should be discarded. A release from the election management body and signed by its acting Director of Public Affairs, Sylvia Annor, made an observation about the use of the old logo of the commission when carrying stories on the Electoral Commission. The release referred to the 4th December 2018 date on which the commission unanimously decided to revert to the original logo of the commission which image the election management body explained reflects the Coast of Arms of Ghana with a ballot box at the centre. It also depicts a hand casting its vote. The commission entreated defaulting media houses to make the necessary amends in future stories. Controversial Logo One of the striking actions undertaken by the former EC Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, was the replacement of the age-old logo of the commission, an action which drew heated debate from a cross section of Ghanaians. She hid behind the independence of the EC and eventually had her way even as Ghanaians had their say. The logo she came up with resembled an ancient Greek mystical image, with spiky designs feeding converging on a central point. Many claimed cynically it was a plagiarized work, but it was vehemently denied. At the time, Mrs. Charlotte Osei rebuffed claims that the commission had plagiarized the logo of a Turkish educational institute, Yedi Sistem, challenging the said institute to assert its rights under the law if indeed it felt there was something wrong. The then EC chairperson, addressing journalists at the launch of the commissions strategic plan, had maintained that we dont feel we have plagiarized their logo. Cynics claimed it represented a mystic sign. Most of the commissioners, it would be recalled, even opposed the change. During the unveiling of her pet logo, she had passed her infamous remarks, That is our new logo. We like it, we picked it, and it makes us happy! I dont think it looks like mine. I like mine better, the chairperson had said and had pointed out that it is not just about putting colours togethera logo is not just an artistic competition. The EC boss at the time also took the opportunity to explain the commissions new image which, according to her, was key to its underlined vision. According to her, the circle as in the new logo, represented unity, singular and unified in its purpose; the Blue also represented the stability and independence of the commission, and the inward-moving arrows reflected equality. She had also said that the use of red, gold and green represented the country Ghana, and the whole identity was a unified common purpose and vision that demonstrated the independence of the commission. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Jack and Mary Baird will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on June 27. Jack and the former Mary Hembrough were married June 27, 1970, at Grace United Methodist Church in Jacksonville by the Rev. Ronald Colton. They are the parents of two sons, Andrew of Winter Haven, Florida, and Casey of Grayslake. They are the proud grandparents of Maggie, Colin, Vivian, Annie and Charlie Baird. Jack retired as a union electrician with I.B.E.W. Local 193 after 36 years, having overseen many large building projects in the Jacksonville area during his career. Mary retired after 20 years as a QMRP with the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Developmental Disabilities. They lived near Murrayville for most of their 50 years together, moving to Florida in 2018. They will enjoy a dinner with their entire immediate family at their home in Winter Haven, Florida, at a later date. WASHINGTON When President Trump took the stage on Saturday to deliver the commencement speech at West Point, one of the new Army officers he addressed was an Indian-American woman breaking a barrier as old as the 218-year-old military academy. The woman, Anmol Narang, 23, a newly minted second lieutenant, became the first observant Sikh to graduate from the United States Military Academy, a milestone that comes as racism appears to be on the rise within the militarys ranks and as Sikhs still face discrimination in some of its branches. With the exception of the Army and the Air Force, the military largely prohibits its members from serving with turbans, unshorn hair or unshorn beards all of which are articles of faith for Sikhs. Lieutenant Narang, who grew up in Roswell, Ga., said military service was always in her blood. My grandfather was in the Indian Army, she said in an interview. It was always a big part of my life and something I was always interested in. Shields, Atlanta's police chief for less than four years, was initially praised in the days following Floyds death last month. She said the Minnesota officers involved should go to prison and walked into crowds of protesters in downtown Atlanta, telling demonstrators she understood their frustrations and fears. She appeared at Bottoms side as the mayor made an impassioned plea for protesters to go home when things turned violent with smashed storefronts and police cruisers set ablaze. Where to now, Mangala? View(s): My dear Mangala, I thought I must write to you when I heard you announce that you would not be running as a candidate from Sajiths party at the general election which Maco and others at his commission have now fixed for early August. This is despite submitting nominations as a candidate from the telephone party. Honestly, Mangala, your decision comes as a surprise. You have said, by way of explanation, that you want to quit parliamentary politics after more than 30 years because you were disappointed with what is happening in the Green party where the Green Man and Sajith are engaged in a bitter battle. It is true that the Grand Old Party is no longer what it was, and people like DS, JR and Preme (Snr) must be spinning in their graves at what their successors are doing today. I think the Green Man is more to blame because he has had so many chances for 25 years, but just doesnt want to go. However, my question to you is why this should bother you so much. After all, you have spent almost 20 of your 32 years in Parliament with the Blue party. You joined the Greens only about a dozen years ago, when you, along with the late Crown Prince Anura, fell out with Mahinda maama. At that time Mahinda maama was still in charge of the Blue party and you didnt hesitate to split that party by forming your own breakaway faction of the party calling it the SLFP (Mahajana) wing. That party didnt last long; it disappeared when you joined the Green party shortly afterwards. As someone well versed in the rough and tumble in politics, someone who himself formed a breakaway party and as one who is witnessing the slow death of the Blue party to which you gave most of your political life to, what is happening in the Green party now cant surely be that shocking? Mangala, now that you have decided to quit parliamentary politics, you must be wondering what you will be remembered for. Would it be mostly as a colourful Media minister, an efficient Foreign Minister or as a clever Finance Minister- or just another chap who changed colours to suit his needs? We do certainly recall your stint as Media Minister. Your vision was that the state media should be the mouthpiece of the government of the day. You need not worry, Mangala, your contribution as the minister in charge of the media in Paradise would be remembered long after you leave Parliament. It was under your watch that editors were charged with criminal defamation and hauled up before courts because they dared to report on comings and goings of your then boss, Satellite. And who can forget your celebrated remark that in this land, a journalist can be bought with a bottle of arrack? Your greatest strength was in correctly picking winners. When Satellite and her brother were fighting over the family heirloom of the Blue party, you took Satellites side; she won. Eleven years later, you smartly switched loyalties to Mahinda maama when his star was on the rise and he won too. You backed the wrong horse when Mahinda maama ran a second time but by then, you had broken ranks with him and you hadnt foreseen the victory in the Eelam war that kept him in power. Five years later, you were again on the winning side, backing Cheerio Sirisena, with Satellites blessings. Arguably, Mangala, that was probably your greatest achievement. It is no secret that it was you who hatched the plan to field a Blue party candidate with the blessings of the Green party, Satellite and Sobhitha hamuduruwo. It was the best bet to defeat Mahinda maama who seemed invincible then. If that was your greatest achievement, it was also your biggest blunder. Mahinda maama was defeated because he and those with him were becoming a law unto themselves but the duo that replaced him were an absolute disaster. What you had joined together, not even the Constitution could put asunder. Since then, we have seen you as a no-nonsense Finance Minister who imposed a hefty VAT risking unpopularity, and heard you as a Foreign Minister working to restore our image as a democratic nation. At every opportunity you also reminded us of the excesses of Mahinda maama and his clan. It does seem that the mature Mangala has mellowed with age but, although you lecture us on the brutality of Mahinda maamas regime, it was only a few years ago that you commanded a kurundu polu brigade which attacked Sajiths men staging a march against the Green Man at Matara! Yet this time, you were a candidate from Sajiths party, as opposed to running from the Green Party. That begs the still unanswered question, Mangala, as to whether you are one of the few principled politicians around or one of the many who simply switch sides to always be on the winning side? Nevertheless, we do admire your courage in commenting on issues without fear. You called Cheerio Sirisena a leech. You condemned saffron wearing thugs, saying Paradise will be blessed only by the Buddha and the Dhamma. It is a pity you didnt value such freedom of expression as Media Minister! Mangala, isnt it a great irony that you are following in the footsteps of your father, Mahanama, in an almost identical manner? He too spent most of his political life in the Blue party only to end his career becoming a member of the Green party and then not being returned at the last elections he contested! In withdrawing from parliamentary politics, you have left us in suspense saying that you would be embarking on a different mission. Whatever that means, we hope you wouldnt team up again with your friend, Satellite she seems to bring out the worst in you. By the way, we still wish you well. Yours truly, Punchi Putha PS: You were Mahanamas boy but you chose to name your biography after your mother, calling it Khemas boy. It told the story of an innocent fashion designer who made it big in politics. That is not surprising, is it, when they are essentially the same business cutting your coat to suit your cloth? Nearly a month after Midland County was devastated by the worst flooding event in local history, the path forward to recovery is still being charted. This week, Midland County detailed the three-phase "disaster recovery process" local residents should follow. The first phase comprised the local government's initial response to the emergency, which included working with voluntary agencies to care for the medical needs of local residents, along with food, shelter, personal care items and cleaning kits. During the second relief phase, residents are urged to focus on personal insurance and personal finances, as well as documenting damages to homes, vehicles and other structures, and immediate emergency costs to make their homes safe. Residents are also encouraged to seek help from local organizations such as 211 Northeast Michigan and the American Red Cross if applicable. If federal assistance is approved for Midland County individuals will still need to submit an application for further assistance. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans may provide financial assistance to homeowners, renters and businesses. Applicants must complete the SBA loan application and receive denial for a loan to be eligible for further assistance. If a SBA loan is denied, "other needs assistance" from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may include: medical, dental, funeral, personal property, transportation, and other expenses or losses. "It is important that residents know that all of these resources are most likely not able to meet all needs or make anyone whole, however, the different pieces coming together can assist residents and families in the recovery process," states the plan the city issued Thursday. The final phase involves "long-term recovery" efforts from volunteer, faith-based and community organizations through a coordination of services, which might include individual case management during which volunteers will help walk residents through the recovery process and connect families to resources expanded counseling services and rebuild/construction assistance. On Monday, Midland County Emergency Management Coordinator Jenifier Boyer said the county submitted flood damage assessments to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for 2,500 homes, businesses and nonprofits, with estimated losses of almost $175 million. The cost of public property damage and emergency response by governmental agencies adds on another $34 million to the total amount, Boyer said. "All damage assessments have been submitted to the State of Michigan to the governors office in hopes of a request for a major disaster declaration by the president," Boyer said. "Hopefully we'll get some answers in the next couple weeks regarding any federal assistance." Boyer encourages flood-affected residents, business owners and nonprofits to fill out a flood damage assessment if they have not already. A link to a flood damage assessment is at the top of the webpages for the City of Midland, Midland County and Midland 911. Grant Murschel, City of Midland director of planning and community development, said he does not want people to have unrealistic expectations of what FEMA funding will be able to do for them if the disaster declaration goes through. "It seems like the prevailing understanding is that FEMA is going to come in and make people whole again with the assistance that they can provide, and that's simply not the case," Murschel said. If there is individual assistance, Murschel said the average check from FEMA will be between $5,000 and $6,000. A disgraced gallery owner known as the art world's "mini-Madoff" -- a reference to jailed financier Bernie Madoff -- has been taken into custody on the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, according to federal prosecutors in New York, who have charged Inigo Philbrick in a $20 million fraud scheme. Vanuatu authorities expelled Philbrick at the request of the U.S. Embassy in Papua New Guinea. He was transported to Guam, where he is expected to be presented in federal court Monday. Philbrick was an art dealer specializing in post-war and contemporary fine art with galleries in London and Miami. He fled the country last year after he was accused of, among other things, selling the same piece of art to multiple buyers. "Inigo Philbrick was a serial swindler who misled art collectors, investors, and lenders out of more than $20 million," said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman. "You can't sell more than 100 percent ownership in a single piece of art, which Philbrick allegedly did, among other scams." MORE: Dealer finds storage locker holds valuable paintings Philbrick, who is charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, bought at auction a 1982 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat titled "Humidity" for $12.5 million, according to the criminal complaint. He allegedly told an investor he paid $18.4 million. The investor, the FBI said, wired Philbrick $12.2 million for a joint ownership stake. Philbrick allegedly then sold a second ownership stake to a different investor without disclosing it to either. PHOTO: Inigo Philbrick attends the opening of a Jean Royere Exhibition at Galerie Patrick Seguin London, Feb. 25, 2016, in London. (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) "Mr. Philbrick allegedly sought out high-dollar art investors, sold pieces he didn't own, and played games with millions of dollars in other people's money," said FBI Assistant Director Bill Sweeney. Philbrick also misrepresented the ownership in a 2010 untitled painting by Christopher Wool and a 2012 untitled work by Rudolf Stingel that depicted Pablo Picasso. MORE: Former DEA spokesperson who posed as covert CIA operative pleads guilty in elaborate fraud scheme Story continues The FBI said the three-year scheme began to fall apart in 2019 when investors and lenders started asking questions and demanded money. "Philbrick's unpaid debts mounted and various investors began demanding the return of their investments or artworks," the complaint said. His galleries closed and he fled the country. He had been living in Vanuatu since October 2019, federal prosecutors said. Inigo Philbrick, art world's 'mini-Madoff,' arrested on remote Pacific island for $20 million fraud: Prosecutors originally appeared on abcnews.go.com First lady Melania Trump reads the children's book "The Little Rabbit" by Nicola Killen during a recording on April 8, ahead of Easter. The White House A forthcoming book about first lady Melania Trump reveals some of the strategy behind her otherwise opaque public persona. "The Art of Her Deal," by the Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan, says Melania's 2017 Trump Tower holdout was part of an effort to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement with President Donald Trump. Melania remained in Manhattan in early 2017, at a great cost to taxpayers, to "amend her financial arrangement with Trump what Melania referred to as 'taking care of Barron,'" Jordan wrote, according to a Post write-up ahead of the book's release on Tuesday. Jordan wrote that part of the prenup renegotiation involved making sure Barron Trump, 14, would have a proper inheritance and a place in the Trump Organization; his dual American and Slovenian citizenship would allow him to work in Europe. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. It turns out there was a lot more to Melania Trump's 2017 Trump Tower holdout than previously known, according to a new book on the first lady. Set to be released on Tuesday, "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump" by the Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan takes a look behind the opaque public persona of President Donald Trump's third wife. When the first lady didn't move into the White House after the presidential inauguration in early 2017, the official White House line was that she did not want to disrupt her son Barron Trump's schooling. But according to The Post's write-up of the book ahead of its release, Jordan wrote that Melania was actually looking to "amend her financial arrangement with Trump what Melania referred to as 'taking care of Barron.'" Though it came at a great cost to taxpayers because of the Secret Service detail required in Manhattan, Melania's leverage play paid off, Jordan said. She ended up getting the prenup renegotiated to ensure that Barron, 14, would get a proper inheritance and dual citizenship in the US and Slovenia so he could work for the Trump Organization in Europe, according to Jordan. Story continues "She wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trump's oldest three children," Jordan wrote. According to The Post, the first lady is described in the book as more political and engaged in her own mythmaking than her perplexing public appearances may indicate. Jordan found that Melania didn't ever get a bachelor's degree, though she said under oath that she did, and that the former Slovenian model also failed to correct reports that lowballed her age. One of the more than 100 interviews for the book was with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who endorsed Trump and initially ran the transition before being ousted by Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law. According to The Post, Christie told Jordan that Melania was a crucial sounding board for her husband and was often his first call after he got back to his plane from a rally. "She always had commentary to give him, and I think that tells a lot about what he thinks of her," Christie told Jordan. Jordan said that the first couple were more similar than many Americans may believe. "They are both fighters and survivors and prize loyalty over almost all else," she wrote. Jordan added: "Neither the very public Trump nor the very private Melania has many close friends. Their loner instincts filter into their own marriage." Read the original article on Business Insider TDT | Manama When Bahrain recorded its 36th casualty of Coronavirus(COVID-19) pandemic yesterday in the form of a 48-year-old Bahraini woman yesterday, it came as a double tragedy to the victims family who also lost another member a few days back to the virus. The womans father, who contracted the virus during Eid festivities, also lost his battle to the virus just three days ago, said an Al Ayam report. The bereaved family was yet to come out of that heartbreak, when the tragedy struck them again. Reportedly, the womans family members contracted the virus during their Eid Al-Fitr celebration when her brother came in touch with another person, who had the infection. All family members, including their father, who had several underlying diseases, contracted the disease. The father was hospitalised soon into intensive care. However, despite desperate efforts, the medical team could not save his life. While they are still reeling from the shock of the loss, his 48-year-old daughter also lost her battle to the virus. The ministry of health, in a tweet, said the deceased was an active case and suffered from underlying and chronic health problems. Fortunately, their mother, Al Ayam report said, is free of the infection. The minister also yesterday tweeted another death from the infection, a 60-year-old expatriate man. He was also a registered active virus case and had underlying and chronic health conditions. The Ministry of Health said it is a difficult time for the individuals family and expressed its heartfelt condolences The patients, along with all other active COVID19 cases, had been placed in isolation and received extensive 24-hour treatment from a specialised medical team. The latest MoH report said, in Bahrain, there are currently 137 COVID-29 patients, of which 10 people are in a critical condition. The ministry said it conducted 8,916 COVID-19 tests on 11 June 2020 and detected 600 new cases. Out of the newly detected cases, 347 are expatriate workers, 249 are contacts of active cases, and four are travel related. Officials also recorded 414 recoveries yesterday, increasing total recoveries here to 11,903. There are now 17,269 virus cases in the Kingdom, for which the ministry has conducted over 403,036 tests. The number of active cases in the Kingdom now stands at 5,330, out of which 5,320 patients are health-wise stable. GCC round up Meanwhile, Coronavirus infections in the six-nation GCC states jumped to 311,321 as the toll rose to 1,667, as of yesterday. Saudi reported 36 more deaths and 3,921 new cases of the disease yesterday. The health ministry there added that 1,010 more people have recovered from the virus, taking the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 81,029. A total of 893 people have died from the virus in the Kingdom so far. The UAE recorded 513 new cases overnight, raising the countrys cases to 41,499. There were also one additional fatalities, putting the toll to 287. Another 1,217 people meanwhile were cleared of COVID-19 infections, bringing patient recoveries to 25,946. Kuwait yesterday reported 520 new cases of COVID-19 and six more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 34,952 and the death toll to 285. Oman recorded 1,117 new cases, bringing to 21,071 the countrys overall infections. Six more deaths from COVID-19 were reported, raising Omans total of such fatalities to 96. Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt continue to be cordial with each other; Alia is dating Ranbir Kapoor who was earlier in a relationship with Katrina. And the actor showed how graceful their relationship is when she was asked about Alia on a show. During her appearance on Neha Dhupias chat show No Filter Neha, Katrina was asked about what she would like to steal from Alia The actors answer was that she would like to steal her awards. When Neha had asked Katrina about her cordial relations with Alia and Ranbir, the actor had replied, Im taking this as a compliment. But yes, if someone like you, who knows me well, feels nice about my conduct, its a good thing. Im not trying to be saintly but its always easier to just make peace, be friends, to be loving. Im not doing this to make your life easier. But Im doing it to make my life easier. It genuinely is more peaceful and you feel lighter and happier when you dont hold on to any anger or grudges. The Bharat actor and Alia often comment on each others social media posts. Alia had reacted to a recent post by Katrina who shared a picture with her sister Isabelle on Instagram. Alia had commented, Pretty, and Katrina replied to her, I want some of the cake you made. Also read: Varun Dhawan grooves to his favourite song in the gym, says I aint classy. Watch The latter was referring to Alias recent posts about the paleo banana bread shed made from scratch. Alia had posted the glimpse of the bread on Instagram, with the caption, Stayed home & .. baked a little with the sister @shaheenb made the real chocolate cake & I made the grain free paleo banana bread #learntsomethingnew. Follow @htshowbiz for more Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 23:00:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. - - - - ADDIS ABABA -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across the African continent surpassed 225,105, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Saturday. The Africa CDC in its latest update said that the number of COVID-19 positive cases rose from 216,446 on Friday morning to 225,105 as of Saturday morning. - - - - MINSK -- Belarus reported 721 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking its nationwide tally to 53,241. The country also reported a record high of 1,351 new recoveries in the last 24 hours, with its total now standing at 29,111. - - - - KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait on Saturday reported 514 new cases of COVID-19 and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 35,466 and the death toll to 289, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Currently, 9,295 patients are receiving treatment, including 176 in ICU, according to the statement. The ministry also announced the recovery of 834 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 25,882. - - - - KATHMANDU -- Nepali government on Saturday confirmed the death of a second child from COVID-19 in addition to the death of another man, with the total death toll in the Himalayan country from the pandemic reaching 18. "A five-year-old boy from Nijgadh town of south-eastern Bara district died due to COVID-19 while undergoing treatment at Birgunj Health Care Hospital in neighbouring Parsa district on Friday," Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population said in a regular press briefing on Saturday. - - - - WARSAW -- Poland reopened its borders with European Union (EU) countries at midnight on Friday, ending a travel lockdown that was in place since March 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Border controls have been lifted at midnight between Poland and Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with the Polish-Lithuanian border reopened earlier on Friday. Citizens from other EU countries are allowed to enter the country, while Poles returning from abroad are no longer required to undertake 14 days of home quarantine. - - - - BEIJING -- Beijing confirmed six new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases on Friday, local authorities said Saturday. Apart from the two confirmed cases who are both employees of the China Meat Food Research Center in Fengtai District and were reported earlier Friday, another four cases were newly reported between 4 p.m. and midnight Friday, according to a press conference held Saturday morning. Enditem In his blog, Amitabh Bachchan expresses the joy of watching Gulabo Sitabo with his entire family. Shoojit Sircar's directorial, which witnessed a digital release yesterday (June 12, 2020), has received a mixed response from the netizens. Big B writes, "There is the immense joy of sitting down together with the entire family and watching a film.. an experience that has happened for the first time.. the release film at home and in the presence of the family .. blessed to be in such.." He further adds, "The GiboSibo released through Amazon Prime Video in 200 countries and subtitled in 15 different languages. The instancy of the project is the amazement and more of such is believed to be in the following and the experience and the verdict and results and reactions are in a state of uniqueness .. for there is no technology yet to discover the eyes balls or the footfalls, in their numbers .. or in the possible results." Amitabh Bachchan Dislikes Anything That Is Ugly: When Jaya Revealed What Kind Of A Husband Big B Is! Big B further shares, "For the moment there does not seem to be any indication of whether the audiences shall prefer to go to the theatres or not .. and the outcome of that shall decide the condition of the product.. we that are involved in the creative should do our work .. and let the others give opinion .. opinions matter .. the genuine opinion .. the ones salted and buttered in reverse often fall apart .. eventually of course the strength of the content survives .. we learn from constructive review .. from criticism .. it is an essentiality .. their capacity and wealth of opinion should be honoured." On a related note, Gulabo Sitabo also casts Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead role. Set in Lucknow, the movie is a quirky family comedy, penned by Juhi Chaturvedi. (Social media posts are unedited.) The arrest this week of a Nigerian Instagram celebrity has pitted Nigerian detectives against their counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and the United States, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. Nigeria and the U.S. launched the battle for the possession of Ramon Abbas, a.k.a.: Hushpuppi, following his arrest and detention by Emirati authorities earlier this week, according to two officials familiar with the development. Immediately we got confirmation that he had been arrested in Dubai, we all started fighting to get him, a senior Nigerian detective told PREMIUM TIMES on Friday. He is a subject of multiple and conflicting interests between Nigeria and the United States. Officials said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) has been leading Americas effort to take possession of Mr Abbas because many of those he allegedly scammed in years of advance fee fraud were Americans. Officials could not immediately estimate the financial value of Mr Abbas alleged fraud, citing poor cooperation from Dubai authorities, but they expressed confidence his exploits spanned across Europe, U.S. and Nigeria. Mr Abbas arrest was first rumoured on Nigerian social media Tuesday, but PREMIUM TIMES was unable to get official corroboration until Friday. Even then, two officials who confirmed knowledge of the arrest and offered preliminary information elected not to do so on the record fearing that American officials could jettison back channel negotiations that began on Thursday morning. PREMIUM TIMES also agreed not to identify both officials because their request satisfied its policy on anonymous sources. Nigerian officials said UAE authorities have frustrated all their attempts to obtain more than a cursory account of Mr Abbas arrest, including when and where he was held. They are even reluctant to tell us the preliminary charges that they have against him so we could weigh them with the charges that we have against him in Nigeria, one of the officials said. We know that the money involved would be much for the Americans, but we are optimistic that we will prevail in bringing him to Nigeria to face trial. The police in Dubai did not return an email seeking comments from PREMIUM TIMES. An e-mail to the Interpol was also not returned for several hours on Friday. Umar Garba, Nigerian head of Interpol, did not return requests seeking comments from PREMIUM TIMES. A telephone number for the FBI in Dubai repeatedly entered voicemail on Friday evening. It was unclear whether Mr Abbas has contacted a lawyer as of Friday evening. Our law enforcement sources said they were left to assume that since Mr Abbas Instagram page, which frequently saw a whirl of postings that carefully molded an opulent image of him, has seen no activities for the past one week, then his arrest must have come around the time rumoured on social media. A second official told PREMIUM TIMES that even though Mr Abbas was not declared wanted in Nigeria and not on Interpol red notice, his activities have been regularly analysed by detectives in Nigeria and abroad. He is not on the wanted list but his arrest is of interest to both the U.S. and Nigeria, the official said. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Nigerian authorities have begun tracking individuals within the country with suspected ties to Mr Abbas. Even though he has for years used his Instagram fame over 2.3 million followers as of this week to cultivate a symbol of wealth and envy on social media, little has been learnt of Mr Abbas background. Many of his followers acknowledged benefitting from his occasional cash giveaways, even though his source of affluence, which has long evoked the curiosity of bloggers, remained unclear, Mr Abbas appeared to be the highest-profile Nigerian to be arrested so far in 2020, months after several noted Nigerians, including Obinwanne Okeke and Ismaila Mompha, were arrested in August and October 2019, respectively, for their alleged roles on separate multinational fraud charges. While Mr Okeke and another set of about 80 Nigerians were arrested in the U.S. and charged there, Mr Mompha, who was reportedly friends with Mr Abbas, was arrested in Lagos by Nigerias anti-graft EFCC and slammed with multiple charges of financial crimes to the tune of N33 billion or $85 million. Ibrahim Magu, EFCCs top chief, told Lagos-based TVC on Friday that his agency had no prior involvement in Mr Abbas case. We are yet to be involved in the case of Hushpuppi, Mr Magu said, noting that Emirati authorities were yet to provide information on his arrest to warrant EFCCs cooperation. Nigerian officials admitted that the bulk of proceeds of Mr Abbas alleged fraud might have come from Americans, but Nigeria has a tenable interest in the case because his alleged co-conspirators live in Nigeria. We are not sure yet of the amount they are being accused of stealing, an official said. But we want our friends in the U.S. to know that many of his associates are in Nigeria and we will ensure equitable sharing of all forfeitures arising from the case. The Network for Community Planning and Development (NECPAD) is set to fight child labour in 30 fishing communities in 13 districts of Ghana through the Sustainable Nets project. Mr Paul Asamoah Kukwaw, the NECPAD Executive Director, said the project had a funding support from the European Union and would contribute to the elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a result of human trafficking in the fisheries sector. The beneficiaries are Pru, Sene East, and Atebubu in the Bono East Region; Asougyaman and Kwahu Afram Plains North District in the Eastern Region; Jasikan, Biakoye and Krachi East in the Oti Region; Kpando in the Volta Region; Awutu and Mfanstiman in the Central Region; and Ada and Ningo Prampram in the Greater Accra Region. Mr Asamoah said this at a sensitisation ceremony at Old Ningo to mark this years World Day Against Child Labour, on the theme: COVID-19: Protect Children From Child Labour, Now More Than Ever. He said the COVID-19 pandemic had great impact on economic activities globally of which Ghana was not an exception. He said in the context of increased household economic vulnerabilities, adolescent girls were exposed to more intense request to support their family income. This may put them at high risk of sexual exploitation leading to sexual and other forms of violence, migration, teenage pregnancy, and forced marriage, Mr Asamoah said. He called on stakeholders and opinion leaders to increase their commitments and efforts in support of actions to minimise the negative consequences of COVID-19 on the household and children. Mrs Esther Ofori Agyemang, Senior Labour Officer, Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, said ILO statistics indicate that children would be the hardest hit by the pandemic as 42 to 66 million of them could fall into extreme poverty in 2020. She advised that parents should not expose their children to the dangers of child labour in these challenging times, adding; lets work together to protect our children and eradicate child labour from our nation." She applauded the effective collaboration between the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation for the introduction of the Ghana Learning Television for school children. Mrs Agyemamg called for support to promote the right and education of children as well as effective social mobilisation for attitudinal change for the elimination of child labour and its worst forms. Naana Dugbakuwor Dugba II, Paramount Queenmother of Ningo Traditional Area, appealed to parents within the locality not to jeopardise the future of their children by engaging them in hash working conditions in order to make money. She said that deprived the children of their childhood education and the privilege of having a social life, adding; It is better to educate your child even though its benefits are long term." She said parents should not concentrate on the immediate gains but rather focus on the better future that their children would have. 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 U.S. Department of Education has informed Lehigh University that it will be reviewing the schools compliance with the Clery Act, a federal law named after a student who was raped and murdered in 1986 on the Bethlehem campus. Lehigh disclosed the review Friday in a letter sent to members of the Lehigh Black Student Union and posted on its website. The letter, signed by the universitys leadership and board of trustees, primarily addressed actions being taken to eliminate racist behaviors at Lehigh. The reference to the federal review was listed as part of a bullet point in the letter. The impetus for the review is unclear. A spokesman with the U.S. Department of Education on Friday afternoon declined to release any information specific to Lehighs case. A Lehigh spokeswoman declined to comment on the review beyond acknowledging that the university received notice on Wednesday and plans to fully cooperate. The Clery Act, which became federal law in 1990, requires all colleges and universities participating in federal financial aid programs to maintain and disclose campus crime statistics and security information. It is named after Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old Lehigh student who was raped and strangled in her dorm on April 5, 1986. The killer, Josoph M. Henry, is serving a life sentence without the chance of parole. The disclosure of the federal review comes as Lehigh grapples with scrutiny over how its handled allegations of institutional racism. Like in other communities across the country, many in Lehighs community have railed against policing policies in the wake of George Floyds death. The 46-year-old Black man died after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed a knee on his neck until he stopped breathing. Lehigh has its own police department. An open letter sent to university leadership on June 2 claims the university has failed to adequately address institutional racism. Lehighs student newspaper, The Brown & White, first reported the open letter. Lehighs climate is still unwelcoming to students, staff, and faculty of color, the letter says. Racist events, inside and outside the classroom, are framed as one-off, individual bad acts, rather than an opportunity for university leadership to take action against institutional racism. As of Wednesday, nearly 2,400 in the campus community had put their names on the letter. Faculty and staff joined students as signatories. Although Fridays letter to the Lehigh Black Student Union cites the Clery Act review, it does not address exactly how Clery Act compliance and Lehighs response to institutional racism could be intertwined. And although the U.S. Department of Education spokesman wouldnt speak specifically to Lehighs case, he pointed to guidance published on the Federal Student Aid website. FSA is an office of the U.S. Department of Education. A review may be initiated when a complaint is received, a media event raises certain concerns, the school's independent audit identifies serious noncompliance, or through a review selection process that may also coincide with state reviews performed by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) Audit Unit, the FSA site says. Once a review is completed, the Department issues a Final Program Review Determination. Lehigh has successfully defended several cases alleging racist practices in recent years. In February, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by a black professor claiming racial discrimination and retaliation. The professor had taken over duties previously held by James Braxton Peterson, the universitys former director of Africana studies who resigned in January 2018 after an internal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. Lehighs former director of diversity and outreach also lost a discrimination case against the university in December. Another former Lehigh professor, Hyun-Tae Jung, claimed he was discriminated against in 2018. He withdrew his federal lawsuit in 2019. Also, Lehigh was actively being monitored by the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights in a 2014 voluntary compliance agreement stemming from a complaint filed by an alumna. It alleged the university did nothing to prevent an environment of racial hostility on campus and came in the wake of an act of racially charged vandalism at UMOJA House, a multicultural dormitory. Fridays letter to the Lehigh Black Student Union acknowledges that the university still has more work to do. We have heard your call for change and for action to eliminate racist behaviors at Lehigh, the letter states. Thank you for taking a lead role and serving as a prominent voice in what is and will be a university-defining effort. Lehighs Board of Trustees and leadership are committed to working together toward that end. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Nick Falsone can be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. SPRINGFIELD Speaking during a prayer service for racial healing Friday at St. Michaels Cathedral, Bishop Mitchell Rozanski recalled murdered African American civil rights leader Medgar Evers as someone who would not shun the truth. He was a man who was strengthened to speak out against injustice, said Rozanski. Many times his life was threatened, but he would not shun the truth. He would not shun away from speaking what was in his heart and what he knew was right. Despite those many threats against him and his knowledge that there were many who wanted his voice silenced, he refused to give in. He refused to be silent. The service was planned in the aftermath of the recent Minnesota police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, and was held on the 57th anniversary of Evers assassination outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi, by a white supremacist. Medgar Evers gave his life, said Rozanski. Noting the cruel death of Floyd, he asked, Have we come any further in this struggle? Have we made any progress? FILE - This Aug. 9, 1955 file photo shows Medgar Evers, serving as state secretary for the NAACP, in Jackson, Miss. The Mississippi home of the slain civil rights leader is one step closer to becoming a national monument. The U.S. House voted Tuesday, May 15, 2018, to pass a bill that would establish the Medgar Evers National Monument in Jackson. The Senate must still vote on the measure filed by Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. As Mississippi's first NAACP field secretary, beginning in 1954, Evers organized protests and boycotts to fight segregation. He was assassinated by a white supremacist outside his family's Jackson home in 1963. (AP Photo, File) Rozanski has been bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield since 2014. On Wednesday he was named archbishop-elect of St. Louis, where he will be installed Aug. 25. The metropolitan archdiocese includes the city of Ferguson, Missouri, where six years ago the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer sparked national protests similar to those that have followed Floyds killing. Rozanski called Friday for a change of hearts. We gather in this church because we truly believe that there is an awakening for a change not merely of laws but a change of hearts, Rozanski said. When we gather together, we ask for that change personally, we ask for that change communally and we ask for that change nationally. We cannot merely come here today and pray for that change and leave these four walls and go to back to life as it is, accepting the status quo. We have to be converted, transformed. We have to realize how deep racism is implanted in hearts in communities, in our nation. We have to realize the part we play in it. It is not merely enough just not to be racist, but we are all called to be against racism and stand against racism in our nation. Pointing to the large cross of Christ hanging overhead, Rozanski asked those seated in the pews to reflect on what the cross really means and the implications the cross has especially as we grapple with racism today. We cannot look upon a man who suffered such a cruel death and fail to look upon others who suffer cruel deaths, Rozanski said. We cannot look upon the man who opened up his arms and stretched them out, giving his life for ours and live our lives, merely as individuals impervious to all that goes on around us. He added, Medgar Evers spoke his message out of love, out of love not just for his fellow African Americans. He spoke that message out of love for his fellow citizens of this country, for he realized that if you are mired in racism and if nothing changes, we cannot live the potential not only to which our Constitution calls us, but we cannot live the potential to which our God has called us, Rozanski said. So, in faith we gather here this evening as a people who truly in this nation seek a change of heart, praying that 57 years from now we will not have to grabble with the same issue that we do today. As America struggles to figure out how to fix systemic racism in police departments following the killing of George Floyd, we must also acknowledge that our countrys entire criminal justice system needs to be reformed. After all, while the United States represents about 4.4 percent of the worlds population, it houses around 25 percent of its incarcerated. Forty percent of those behind bars are African-Americans, who make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population. Another way of looking at the stark, discriminatory efficiency of the American model is that the system is working exactly how it was designed to, as a business, as my own story illustrates. On Sept. 25, 2018, I was paroled from San Quentin State Prison after serving 13 years for assault with a deadly weapon. I grew up in Californias Central Valley, mostly in a small town called Tulare. I entered foster care when I was 8 years old and was passed around often between group and foster homes. The feeling of being disposable was real for me at a young age. I always had a challenging relationship with my birth mother, and my father passed away before I really got a chance to know him. My world was not molded from opportunity and access, but from unprocessed trauma, abandonment and neglect. When I was 11, my best friend was murdered right in front of me. I still remember that moment vividly, the feeling of losing what little trust I had in the world. I joined a gang that same year because, though they might not have had the tools I needed to process things, at least they could relate to the pain I felt. Without proper guidance, I navigated the world I lived in to the best of my abilities. By my senior year I became a father, and soon after high school I had my second child. I told myself at that time I would do whatever it took to protect them from the world that left me so vulnerable. So when I learned that my 8-month-old daughter had been sexually molested, I lost it and decided to take justice into my own hands. I tracked down the man who had done it and shot him in the leg. Seven days later the police arrested me at my home. I was charged with attempted murder and went to trial, where I was judged by 12 of my peers who didnt know any of my life story, just what was written in the police report. I was found guilty of a lesser charge assault with great bodily injury and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Story continues Jason Jones in San Quentin State Prison. (Courtesy Jason Jones) I spent the first few years in prison projecting my anger with my life onto anyone and everyone. Then, in 2014, something interesting happened to me. I joined a computer coding program run by the Last Mile, a San Francisco nonprofit. Crazy thing is, I didnt even know what coding was before this program. I didnt grow up with a computer, let alone an understanding that people got paid to code them. I thought the program meant Id play solitaire for a couple of months and then quit. But then I realized I was good at coding and it was another way for me to articulate my thinking. I struggle with reading a lot. I read my first book in prison, but our classroom facilitator printed code out for me to read so I didnt have the challenge of all the technical jargon. We had this MIT graduate who came in and asked us to build an algorithm that could solve sudoku puzzles. He gave us 72 hours. I was able to do it in 48 hours. Belief is a powerful agent of change, and the founders of the coding program started saying they believed in me. For the first time in my life, someone told me I didnt have to be defined by my current situation. That ignited a thirst to learn, explore and be curious. I began to question things, starting with my own situation. I had also enrolled in the Prison University Project, the only college program in California that offers an associates degree to the incarcerated, and studied business, philosophy and psychology while I continued to learn coding. Finally I connected with some family on my fathers side and started to learn about him. To my surprise, I found out that he came to the U.S. from Samoa on a computer science scholarship. The one thing that he left me was the one thing that I love doing. So when I sit in front of my computer I dont just connect to the internet, I connect to my father. As I continued with the coding program, I met a filmmaker named Bradley Smith, from Google, who made a short documentary about my story. Three weeks before I was paroled, I signed a work agreement to start as a software developer with a tech company in San Francisco, which I started a month after my release. Coding gave me my first real opportunity in life, and when I was released from prison I began my parole in Oakland. I was surrounded by some beautiful people who taught me the difference between transactional love and unconditional love. One of those people eventually became my wife, and I felt like my life was starting to come together. But the system didnt recognize any of my growth or progress. It treated my situation as if I was stagnant and didnt have anything going for myself. To this day, I am still at the mercy of the system that isnt on my side. The conditions of my parole specify that I cant leave a 50-mile radius from my doorstep without permission. That greatly limits my advancement opportunities, such as when I had a chance to join a team from Stanford University that was building technology for the reentry space. Because of the travel restrictions, I had to remove myself from consideration. Even when permission to travel is granted, I have to get a further written OK to stay overnight, and I have to ask at least 10 days in advance, which means no spontaneous dates with my partner or unexpected life events. Another condition of my parole was that I was required to take anger management classes, even though I had already completed them when I was still behind bars. In fact, I got certified as an instructor for the course and taught it to other incarcerated folks. Yet after my release I was forced to take it a second time, and theres no arguing about it unless you want to be cited for a violation and risk being sent back to prison. Jason Jones. (Courtesy Jason Jones/Lightspeed Ventures) As my situation came into focus, I found myself asking why things are like this. The more I started looking for answers, the more I realized it had to do with a system designed to make money off the formerly incarcerated. The system is a business, and what its selling to society is the feeling of protection. When programs like anger management or domestic violence are run by the state, parole gets more funding for every person enrolled, which means there is an incentive to fill classes regardless of whether they will help those they are intended to. The same system criminalized me before I had committed any crime, and looked to turn a profit. While society largely turns a blind eye to the crimes committed by those of privilege, it scapegoats the communities like the one I come from, keeping their population underserved. My community is overpoliced and demonized by society. Institutionalized racism has perpetuated unconscious biases against people who look like me and against communities that look like mine. What is normal in my neighborhood is not accepted by mainstream society. For example, Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS, for short) is a risk assessment that is used by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to measure the threat of an individual while they are incarcerated. Each incarcerated person receives an assessment score, and it follows you even when you are paroled. The software for assessment cost the CDCR a lot of money to implement and use, but what disturbs me most is the data it generates based on roughly 100 questions about your upbringing. Has anyone in your family been arrested, been involved in gangs or drugs? Theres a vicious cycle at work here. Information about the community I was born into is used against me when the risk I may pose to society in the future is assessed. With COMPAS, the theory is that anyone who grows up in a poor or underserved community is a threat for the rest of their life, and state and federal resources are based upon that conclusion. Believe me, after spending years in jail, its hard enough adjusting to civilian life. You have to deal with managing your own expectations and those of others, reestablishing relationships with family and friends. The triggers that result from incarceration are everywhere, such as anxiety from loud noises, keys jingling or lights shining in your eyes. My body still becomes alert at 4 p.m. every day from being conditioned to stand for count. I had naively thought parole was there to assist with job placement, housing or mental health services. Instead, I find it hinders me from regaining my humanity and starting a normal family life. My wife and I are subject to random searches of my vehicle or our household. I have to plan around my parole officers schedule, and simple things like not answering his phone call can be seen as an attempt to go AWOL, which is grounds for a violation. When I successfully complete parole it will not be because of anything it has assisted me with, yet countless resources and funding are being poured into this system, like oil into an engine. If money, volunteerism and resources are going to be brought into this space, then it should be to actually assist people to get their lives back on track. Yes, I made mistakes and bad decisions in life that I learned and grew from, like any human being, but completing parole in its current version does not make society safer. It would be wiser to create a system that gives people leaving prison the tools to cope, process trauma, establish healthy relationships within a community and obtain marketable skills. We should get rid of the for-profit business plans of these systems that are designed to oppress. Instead, we should invest in people who suffer from an upbringing marred by poverty and neglect, and recognize that that doesnt have to be the end of the story. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Facebook fired an employee who had criticised Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to take action against inflammatory posts by Donald Trump this month, citing his tweet challenging a colleague's silence on the issue. Brandon Dail, a user interface engineer in Seattle, wrote on Twitter that he was dismissed for publicly scolding a colleague who had refused to include a statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement on developer documents he was publishing. Mr Dail sent the tweet a day after joining dozens of employees, including the six other engineers on his team, in abandoning their desks and tweeting objections to Mr Zuckerberg's handling of Mr Trump's posts in a rare protest at the social media company. Intentionally not making a statement is already political, Mr Dail wrote in the tweet, sent on 2 June. He said on Friday that he stood by what he wrote. Facebook confirmed Mr Dail's characterisation of his dismissal, but declined to provide additional information. The company said during the walkout that participating employees would not face retaliation. Mr Dail did not respond to a request for comment. Mr Trump's posts which prompted the staff outcry included the racially charged phrase when the looting starts, the shooting starts in reference to demonstrations against racism and police brutality held after the 25 May killing of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. Twitter affixed a warning label to the same post, saying it glorified violence. Facebook opted to leave the post untouched. Mr Zuckerberg defended his decision at a tense all-hands meeting with employees that week. During the meeting, Mr Dail tweeted that it was crystal clear today that leadership refuses to stand with us. Mr Dail again voiced objections this week after both Facebook and Twitter declined to take action against a Trump post that contained an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about Martin Gugino, a 75-year-old protester who was critically injured by police in Buffalo, New York. Trump's attack on Martin Gugino is despicable and a clear violation of Facebook's anti-harassment rules. It's again extremely disappointing that we (and Twitter) haven't removed it, he said. Internal dissent is often encouraged at Silicon Valley tech giants, but the companies have been accused of penalising workers who organise and air complaints publicly. Alphabet's Google fired at least five workplace activists late last year, while Amazon dismissed critics of its warehouse conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. Both companies denied firing employees for speaking out. Reuters With about 50 per cent of her forthcoming film Seetimaar shot before the lockdown intruded, Digangana is awaiting the rest of the shoot In a short span, Digangana Suryavanshi, who began her career with Jalebi and Fryday in Bollywood, has become a personality to reckon with in Tollywood too. Overnight, offers started pouring in from the South for the star. While she has a Telugu film Seetimaar opposite superstar Gopichand, she has in her kitty another Bollywood film with another big actor, of which she cannot discuss yet. On a telephonic interaction, Digangana tells us about how she began acting when she was a mere seven-year-old. My parents understood my passion for acting, but they were adamant that I complete my studies. So after my graduation from Mumbai University via a correspondence course, I decided to get back to pursuing my dream, says Digangana, who first appeared in Veera, a series on Star Plus. The Salman connect When she was around 18 years old, Digangana got a chance to do Bigg Boss 9. She still remembers the first time she met Salman Khan, onstage. No sooner did he meet me, he said, Kitne lambe baal hai aapke (such long hair you have). And until the shows end, hed always prod me to style my hair short, remembers the actress fondly. Digangana also remembers Salman hoping shed enter films. He was kind and motivating. He told me, If you want to do films, you have the time and age. I was 18 then. Soon, she was signed for Hippi, and before that Jalebi and Fryday released. Though it was not something I had planned in my head, I became a Southern Siren before my Hindi films released, points out the actress. BollywoodTollywood When asked why she chose to sign a Telugu release when she had two Bollywood releases waiting, she answers, One reason was that my position in Bollywood was dubious, given the number of people in my age group. Two, I want good roles that reach out to people. Hippi had a great content with a dominant female character. I thought it was the perfect launch for this industry. I, however, plan to do both Bollywood and Tollywood films, given the global reach Bollywood has. With about 50 per cent of her forthcoming film Seetimaar shot before the lockdown intruded, Digangana is awaiting the rest of the shoot. But for a Rajput girl who grew up in a metropolitan like Mumbai, Digangana did find Tamil and Telugu challenging. Her co-star Gopichand Digangana is in awe of Gopichand for his polite, calm and grounded personality. On the very first day of our shoot, while I was blabbering disclaimers that I could mess up the scene, he simply put me at ease, asking how I was doing and assuring me that the Telugu audiences would receive me well, the actress remembers. Burundis Constitutional Court has ruled that President-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye must be sworn in as soon as possible, following the death of Pierre Nkurunziza. A court ruling issued Friday and obtained by VOAs Central Africa service said, It is necessary to proceed as soon as possible to the swearing in of elected president Evariste Ndayishimiye." Nkurunziza died Tuesday at age 55 at a Burundian hospital where he had been taken two days earlier. The government said the cause of death was a heart attack. His wife was airlifted to Nairobi late last month to be treated for COVID-19, sparking rumors that Nkurunziza also died of the disease. Nkurunziza served three terms as Burundis president, taking over at end of a brutal civil war that killed an estimated 300,000 people. His decision to run for a third term in 2015 sparked protests and violence that killed hundreds of people and prompted hundreds of thousands more to flee the country. Ndayishimiye, a retired general who Nkurunziza picked as his successor, won the May 2020 presidential election, and his term of office was originally set to begin on August 20th. Ndayishimiye may now be sworn in as early as next week. Eddie Rwema contributed to this report. WEST POINT. N.Y. As the nation continues to grapple with its racial past, President Donald Trump urged West Points graduating class Saturday to never forget the legacy of soldiers before them who fought a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery. Trumps appeal to remember history came as his own relationship with the military is under strain from the unrelenting criticism he and Pentagon leaders have faced over their response to protests that erupted after George Floyds death in Minneapolis. It also came hours after Trump made what amounted to a rare concession for him: He rescheduled a campaign rally planned for Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 19. The day marks the end of slavery in the U.S., and Tulsa was the scene of a fiery white-on-black attack in 1921. What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment, Trump told more than 1,100 graduates at an unusual outdoor ceremony held during a pandemic. When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal. In the past two weeks, Trump has yelled at Defense Secretary Mark Esper for publicly opposing his call to deploy active-duty troops to quell the protests stemming from the killing of Floyd, who was black, by a white Minneapolis police officer. Trump also shut down Espers attempt to begin a public debate on removing the names of Confederate Army officers some of whom trained at West Point from military bases, an idea gaining momentum across the country. Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, risked Trumps ire Thursday by declaring he had made a mistake by accompanying Trump on a June 1 walk through Lafayette Square. It ended with the president posing with a Bible outside a boarded-up St. Johns Church. Milleys comments amounted to an extraordinary expression of regret by Trumps chief military adviser, who said his appearance led to the perception of the military becoming embroiled in politics, which in his view one shared by Esper is a threat to democracy. The events have stirred debate within the military and among retired officers. More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter reminding the Class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics. The letter, published this week on Medium, also alluded to the problems Esper and Milley encountered at the White House after Floyds death. Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests, they wrote. Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events. The principle of civilian control is central to the military profession. But that principle does not imply blind obedience. During the commencement ceremony, protesters denounced the president from boats and kayaks along the nearby Hudson River. Trump also used his first West Point address to remind the newly commissioned officers of the academys history and storied generals like Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was on this soil that American patriots held the most vital fortress in our war for independence, Trump said. He said the U.S. Military Academy gave us the men and women who fought and won a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery within one lifetime of our founding. This is your history. This is the legacy that each of you inherits, Trump continued, adding that it was bought with American blood spilled in battle. You must never forget it. Trump, however, was incorrect to say women had been trained at West Point for the anti-slavery fight; they were not allowed to become cadets until 1976. His remarks also overlooked numerous West Point graduates who served in the Confederacy, including President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Braxton Bragg. Some are now seeking the removal of Braggs name from North Carolinas Fort Bragg. In the speech, Trump leaned into his America first brand of foreign policy without uttering the phrase, telling the Armys newest officers their job is not to rebuild foreign nations, but to defend and defend strongly our nation from our foreign enemies. It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never heard of. He said America is not the policeman of the world, but warned adversaries that it will never, ever hesitate to act when its people are threatened. He thanked those in the military who helped the country respond to the coronavirus, once again calling it an invisible enemy from China. The president stressed the unity of a graduating class that came from every race, religion, color and creed. The class also includes citizens of 11 other countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, South Korea and Tanzania. Trump highlighted bigger defense budgets under his watch but falsely said he had destroyed 100% of the Islamic State caliphate in the Middle East; the group still poses a threat to the U.S. He noted he had directed the killing of two terrorist leaders and had created the Space Force. Trump also remembered a cadet who died in an accident last year and whose father is a Secret Service agent, and noted that both he and the Army share a birthday Sunday. Trump will turn 74, while the Army marks its 254th year of existence. Esper did not attend, but emphasized the principles of duty, honor and country in a video message, saying they will help guide the new officers in challenging times and in the face of new and emerging threats. Trumps appearance at West Point had been criticized as a political move that would put the graduates at risk since the academy is located up the Hudson River from New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. The Army defended the move, saying the cadets had to return to campus anyway for final medical checks, equipment and training. They had been home since spring break in early March.. For the ceremony, the newly commissioned second lieutenants wore face masks as they marched onto the parade field, but removed them after sitting for the socially distant ceremony required by the pandemic. Instead of shaking hands with the president, they exchanged salutes. Family and friends were not allowed to attend and had to watch online. At the end of the ceremony, five hulking helicopters flew low and slow over the field as the graduates tossed their white dress caps into the air. ___ AP National Security Writer Robert Burns and Associated Press writer Michael Hill in Albany, N.Y., contributed to this report. Interim bail granted to accused in 9 cases, including murder put on hold India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 13: The Delhi High Court has put on hold the interim bail granted by a trial court to an accused in nine criminal cases including murder, attempt to murder and extortion. By a common order of May 12, the sessions court granted the accused interim bail for 45 days in all the nine separate cases so that he could get married. However, the accused could not avail the relief, as in another murder case his bail plea was rejected both by a sessions court on May 16 and the high court on May 19. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News Delhi LG forms high-level panel to suggest measures to tackle coronavirus outbreak in city In that case, the high court on May 19 only granted him custody parole of one day -- May 20 -- from 12.00 pm to 5.00 pm so that he could get married and thus, he is presently in jail. On Tuesday, June 9, Justice Suresh K Kait put on hold the sessions court order of May 12 by which interim bail for 45 days was granted to the accused in nine other cases. The order came on the plea of the Delhi government, filed through its additional standing counsel Rajesh Mahajan, claiming that the sessions court passed the May 12 order in a "casual manner" and "without judicious application of mind". The high court while staying the sessions court order also issued notice to the accused and listed the matter for further hearing on June 23. In its petition, the Delhi government has contended that the accused was involved in multiple cases of heinous offences and therefore, he was not eligible for grant of interim bail as per the criteria laid down by the High Powered Committee. The committee, headed by a Delhi High Court judge, has been set up on orders of the Supreme Court to decongest jails to prevent spread of COVID-19 in prisons. The Delhi government has also contended that the May 12 order of the sessions court resulted in "gross miscarriage of justice" and therefore, it should be quashed. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, June 13, 2020, 11:00 [IST] SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Mayor London Breed announced Friday the city has settled a lawsuit filed by Tenderloin merchants and the University of California at Hastings, among others, demanding the city clean up the area's dirty and crowded streets and get homeless people in shelters. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Francisco on May 4 by UC Hastings, the Tenderloin Merchants and Property Owners Association, Fallon Victoria, Rene Davis, Randy Hughes and Kristen Villalobos. In the suit, the plaintiffs called on the city to address unsanitary conditions on the neighborhood's sidewalks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Under the settlement agreement, the city will remove up to 300 tents and encampments by July 20. That number represents about 70 percent of the tents and encampments documented during a recent June 5 census. The tents and encampments' occupants will be offered free COVID-19 testing and be relocated to a hotel room or another safe sleeping site. Additionally, the city will work to ensure the encampments are reoccupied. After reaching the 300-tent goal on July 20, the city will then continue to work toward reducing the number of tents in the Tenderloin to zero, according to the mayor's office. "COVID-19 has impacted many communities in our city, but we know that the Tenderloin has been particularly hard-hit," Breed said in a statement. "The challenges that existed around homelessness, mental health, and addiction existed before COVID-19 and they've only become more exacerbated now, but both the city and UC Hastings are committed to address the short-term challenges while we work towards long-term solutions," she said. UC Hastings Chancellor and Dean David Faigman called the settlement agreement "bold" and thanked Breed for "taking on the challenge of providing for the needs of the unhoused, and the whole of the Tenderloin community, in ways that have eluded her predecessors." He added, "All residents and merchants of the Tenderloin are indebted to her stewardship during these difficult times." Co-plaintiff Villalobos said, "These last few months have been frightening and frustrating, but I'm hopeful about the agreement that has been reached. I look forward to seeing the city take meaningful action to address both the temporary escalated crisis created by the pandemic, and the crisis conditions that already existed on our Tenderloin streets before it came along." "All of the neighborhood merchants will be happy that the city is not only moving the tents, but getting the unhoused people into shelters," Tenderloin Merchants and Property Owners Association Executive Director and manager of two restaurants on Larkin Street Rene Colorado said. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the city's shelter system had to reduce space by 75 percent to comply with social distancing, resulting in more people living on the streets, city officials said. The settlement announcement comes just one day after District 4 Supervisor Matt Haney, whose district covers the Tenderloin, held a hearing at the Supervisors' Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. During the hearing, Haney and frustrated neighborhood residents called for the city to implement its Tenderloin Neighborhood Plan and address crowded and unsanitary conditions on the streets. 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. Protest in French capital was generally peaceful but after three hours skirmishes broke out. Riot police fired tear gas to prevent thousands of anti-racism protesters marching through central Paris on Saturday, as a wave of anger continued to sweep the world following the death of African American George Floyd in the United States. The protesters gathered in Place de la Republique, where the crowd chanted No justice, no peace and some climbed the statue of Marianne, who personifies the French Republic. Police refused organisers permission to proceed to the Opera House. The protest was generally peaceful but after three hours, skirmishes broke out. Organisers urged protesters with children to leave as riot police charged pockets of protesters and projectiles were thrown at police lines. The outrage generated by Floyds death in Minneapolis last month has resonated in France, in particular in deprived city suburbs where rights groups say that accusations of brutal treatment by French police of residents of often immigrant background remain largely unaddressed. Let us breathe Assa Traore, sister of 24-year-old Adama Traore, who died near Paris in 2016 after police detained him, addressed Saturdays protest. The death of George Floyd has a strong echo in the death in France of my little brother, she said. Whats happening in the United States is happening in France. Our brothers are dying. Traores family say he was asphyxiated when three officers held him down with the weight of their bodies. Authorities say the cause of his death is unclear. One banner carried by the crowd in the Place de la Republique read: I hope I dont get killed for being black today. Another carried a message for the government: If you sow injustice, you reap a revolt. Myriam Boicoulin, 31, who was born in the French Caribbean island of Martinique, said she marched in Paris on Saturday because she wants to be heard. The fact of being visible is enormous, Boicoulin said. As a Black woman living in mainland France, she said, Im constantly obliged to adapt, to make compromises, not make waves to be almost white, in fact. Its the first time people see us, she told The Associated Press news agency. Let us breathe. Earlier this week, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner acknowledged there were proven suspicions of racism within French law enforcement agencies. His remarks drew condemnation from police unions, which said officers were being scapegoated for deep-rooted social ills. Police have held their own protests in cities across France this week. Before the protest, in the ethnically diverse Paris suburb of Belleville, one man of Algerian descent said he had been the victim of police violence but he doubted institutional racism ran through the force. Ive been insulted, hit even. But the police arent all the same, he told Reuters TV, identifying himself as Karim. Unfortunately, this minority is hurting the police. Far-right activists Far-right activists unfurled a banner with the words anti-white racism from the rooftop of a building overlooking the protest. Residents emerged onto their balconies and ripped it up using knives and scissors, to cheers from below. Officers prevented people attending the main rally from approaching the counter-demonstrators, but did not detain the far-right activists until two hours later, further angering the crowd below. Riot police then fired tear gas and charged unruly members of the main protest, urging them to disperse. The crowd initially planned to march through the city, but police decided to block them from moving, citing coronavirus concerns. Similar protests were also held on Saturday in cities around France, from Rouen in Normandy in the northwest to Marseille on the Mediterranean. Some demonstrators were encouraged that the French government responded to the past couple of weeks of Floyd-inspired protests by banning police chokehold and launching investigations of racist comments in private Facebook and Whatsapp groups for police. Protests took place in other countries on Saturday, including in several Australian cities, Taipei, Zurich and London. ZURICH (Reuters) - The Austrian government intends to make one-off payments to jobless people and boost spending on families with children as part of measures this year to cushion the blow from the coronavirus pandemic, its coalition leaders said. Measures to be approved at a cabinet meeting next week include payments of 450 euros ($506) to the unemployed and 360 euros per child under 18, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Greens party leader Werner Kogler told broadcaster ORF in interviews aired on Saturday. In addition, the government plans to cut the lowest income tax bracket to 20% from 25% and make the change retroactive to the start of this year. Kurz said the coalition government of conservatives and Greens would have more to say about the costs of the measures when the meeting wraps up on Tuesday. In May the government announced an aid package of up to 38 billion euros to keep companies and the economy afloat. On Friday it almost doubled the amount of debt it plans to issue this year to a record level. Austria plans to cut value-added tax (VAT) for restaurants and the culture sector to 5% until the end of the year to help them cope with the fallout, the government said on Friday. Austria has had nearly 17,000 confirmed cases of infection with the virus that causes respiratory disease COVID-19 and 677 reported deaths. Austrian economic output will shrink by 7.2% this year if there is no second coronavirus wave in the autumn, but even a resurgence milder than the first outbreak would deepen that to 9.2%, the country's central bank said this month. ($1 = 0.8886 euros) (Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Ros Russell) Hundreds of demonstrators angered by a deepening economic crisis rallied Saturday across Lebanon for a third consecutive day, after violent overnight riots sparked condemnation from the political elite. Protesting against the surging cost of living and the government's apparent impotence in the face of Lebanon's worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war, protesters in central Beirut brandished flags and chanted anti-government slogans. "We are here to demand the formation of a new transitional government" and early parliamentary elections, Nehmat Badreddine, an activist and demonstrator told AFP near the Grand Serail seat of government. In the northern city of Tripoli, young men scuffled with security forces, who fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds. The stand-off began after young men blocked a highway to prevent a number of trucks carrying produce destined for Syria from passing through, according to the official National News Agency. The Lebanese Red Cross said it treated nine people wounded in Tripoli. Prime Minister Hassan Diab in a speech condemned Friday night's violence and what he termed efforts to mount a "coup" against the government and "manipulate" the value of the Lebanese pound. "The state and the people are being subjected to blackmail," he said, vowing to defeat corruption in the country. Lebanon is caught in a spiralling economic crisis, including a rapid devaluation of the Lebanese pound, which has triggered a fresh wave of demonstrations since Thursday. Local media said the exchange rate had tumbled to 6,000 Lebanese pounds per dollar on the black market at one point Friday, compared to the official peg of 1,507 in place since 1997. - Symbolic funeral - In Martyrs' Square, the epicentre of protests in downtown Beirut, demonstrators dressed in black and with their faces whitened carried a coffin draped with the Lebanese flag in a symbolic funeral Saturday for their crisis-ridden country. President Michel Aoun has announced that the central bank will implement measures from Monday including "feeding dollars into the market", in a bid to support the Lebanese pound. Despite the pledges, some 200 young men gathered on mopeds in central Beirut on Friday night, some of them defacing shop fronts and setting fire to stores. Security forces fired tear gas to disperse them and some of the young men threw stones and fire crackers back. In Tripoli, demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at soldiers late Friday and damaged the facades of several banks and shops. Soldiers responded with tear gas. The next day, Diab called on officials to assess damage in central Beirut. Former premier Saad Hariri toured the area, condemning vandalism and riots. Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi said security forces would find those responsible for damaging property in the capital. Lebanon -- one of the most indebted countries in the world, with a sovereign debt of more than 170 percent of GDP -- went into default in March. It started talks with the International Monetary Fund last month in a bid to unlock billions of dollars in financial aid. Dialogue is ongoing. Unemployment has soared to 35 percent nationwide. The country enforced a lockdown in mid-March to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, dealing a further blow to businesses. Search Keywords: Short link: By Kevin Ryan June 12, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Governments have used psychological warfare throughout history to manipulate public opinion, gain political advantage, and generate profits. Western governments have engaged in such tactics in the war on terrorism as well as in its predecessor, the war on communism. In both cases, state-sponsored terrorism and propaganda were used to distort the publics perception of the threats, leading to increased governmental control of society and huge financial benefits for corporations. It appears that the same kinds of effects are being seen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the features and outcomes seen in the war on terrorism and the war on communism are evident in this new war on death. Therefore, its reasonable to wonder if the extreme response to COVID-19, and its associated virus SARS-COV-2, could be another psychological operation against the public. Considering facts about the disease and the disproportionate response emphasizes the possibility. If COVID-19 has been co-opted for manipulation of the public, through hyping the threat and pushing exploitive solutions, who is behind it and who benefits? Lets first review what features and outcomes the coronavirus scare shares in common with the red scare that drove the perceived threat of communism and the Muslim scare behind the perceived threat of terrorism. Here are a dozen characteristics that these perceived threats share. There are also differences between the COVID-19 pandemic response and the wars on communism and terrorism. One difference is that, for the virus, agencies dedicated to public health have taken the lead. Although the central characters that hyped the communism threat and the terrorism threat were sometimes the same people, they tended to represent military, diplomatic, or intelligence agencies. The primary actors driving the coronavirus lockdowns and associated control mechanisms are political leaders. However, the directives being acted upon come from the World Health Organization (WHO), an agency of the United Nations ostensibly responsible for international public health. Others controlling the coronavirus scare are national health agencies, most notably the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Kingdoms National Health Service (NHS). Are these agencies acting solely in the interest of public health? The WHO The common impression is that the entire matter began in reaction to events in China but even that is not clear. For example, the virus is said to have originated in the city of Wuhan and the first, limited, lockdown occurred in that area from January to March. China has since said that it warned the WHO about the virus during the first week of January. However, it is known that U.S. intelligence agencies were aware of the potential outbreak even before that, in November 2019. A Chinese spokesman later suggested that the U.S. military might have brought the virus to Wuhan during the military games held there in October. The first instance of an entire country being locked down for the coronavirus was in Italy. This occurred on March 9th based on advice from the Italian governments coronavirus adviser Walter Ricciardi, who said, The situation risks going out of control and these measures are necessary to keep the spread at bay. Ricciardi, a WHO committee member, later admitted that Italy had inflated the death counts from the virus, stating: The way in which we code deaths in our country is very generous in the sense that all the people who die in hospitals with the coronavirus are deemed to be dying of the coronavirus. Many have noted the inordinate influence of billionaire Bill Gates on the activities and direction of the WHO. As of 2017, this influence was seen as troubling, with health advocates fearing that: because the Gates Foundations money comes from investments in big business, it could serve as a Trojan horse for corporate interests to undermine WHOs role in setting standards and shaping health policies. Gates has been called a ruthless schemer by his Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and Allen is not alone in that assessment. Despite engaging in a costly public charm offensive, Gates is seen by many as a predatory and monopolistic opportunist hiding behind a false front of philanthropy. With regard to the coronavirus scare and Gates stated goal of vaccinating the entire world population, however, people should be most concerned that he has worked diligently on mechanisms of population control. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Of course, no one person controls the world yet so who is supposed to be running WHO, apart from Bill Gates? The face of the WHO is Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the director-general of the organization. Tedros has a poor history of ethics in leadership, with many accusations having been made against him including that he covered-up epidemics in the past. Alarms about Tedros began to go off immediately after his appointment in 2017, when he named Robert Mugabe, the former dictator of Zimbabwe, as a goodwill ambassador to the WHO. Mugabes rule over Zimbabwe was dominated by murder, bloodshed, torture, persecution of political opponents, intimidation and vote-rigging on a grand scale. This appointment indicated that Tedros judgment of goodwill was dubious at best. A letter from a group of American doctors that same year described why Tedros has become known as Dr. Cover Up. They wrote: Your silence about what is clearly a massive cholera epidemic in Sudan daily becomes more reprehensible. The inevitable history that will be written of this cholera epidemic will surely cast you in an unforgiving light. They added that Tedros was fully complicit in the terrible suffering and dying that continues to spread in East Africa. Problems at WHO didnt start with Tedros, however. After the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, evidence came to light that the WHO had exaggerated the danger and had spread fear and confusion rather than helpful information. It was later learned that Italy, Germany, France and the U.K. made secret agreements with pharmaceutical companies that obliged the countries to buy vaccinations only if the WHO raised the pandemic to a level 6. The WHO then proceeded to change its guidelines for defining a pandemic in order to accommodate those contracts, thereby increasing the publics fear despite the fact that the pandemic never became a serious threat. Although WHO has been praised for its work to reduce some illnesses like polio, it has also been found that drugs and vaccines recommended by WHO have been found to be harmful and without significant clinical effect. A comprehensive view suggests that the WHO is more of a corporate interest agency than an organization committed to preserving public health. Thats not surprising due to the fact that 80% of WHOs funding comes from voluntary contributions provided by private donors including pharmaceutical companies and industry groups like Bill Gates Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). nd since the worldwide response to COVID-19 has been directed and coordinated by an organization that works on behalf of multi-national corporations that stand to benefit, the idea that the coronavirus scare could be a psychological operation seems plausible. The CDC In the US, the CDC is also heavily influenced by corporate and political interests. This became clear when, in 2016, a group of senior scientists within the CDC filed an ethics complaint against the agency making that exact claim. They wrote: It appears that our mission is being influenced and shaped by outside parties and rogue interests. The scientists noted that, in order to pursue political objectives, definitions were changed and data cooked at CDC, even to the point of misrepresenting data to Congress. Like the WHO, the CDC has a history of pushing harmful vaccines. An example was covered in a 60 Minutes episode exposing the harm done by the Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 and CDCs urging that all Americans be injected with that harmful vaccine. The report revealed that the illness was hyped based on very questionable data and the vaccine caused neurological damage. The current Director of CDC is retired US Army doctor Robert Redfield, who is known for having led the Pentagons disastrous response to HIV-AIDS in the 1980s. A devout catholic, Redfield saw AIDS as the product of an immoral society. For many years, he championed a much-hyped remedy that was discredited in tests. That debacle led to his removal from the job in 1994. Public health reporter Laurie Garrett remarked: Redfield is about the worst person you could think of to be heading the CDC at this time. He lets his prejudices interfere with the science, which you cannot afford during a pandemic. The CDC is an agency within the department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Alex Azar, a lawyer and former pharmaceutical company executive, was appointed as Secretary of HHS in 2017. Azar has deep connections to the pharmaceutical industry and is known for having engaged in price gouging with his former employer. Azar is also known for leading the HHS response to the anthrax scare of 2001, the first known bioterrorism attack on the United States. The anthrax attacks were targeted against members of Congress and the media that were dissenting voices in the national discussion about the Patriot Act, the oppressive legislation introduced immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Although Muslims were first blamed through highly questionable evidence, it was ultimately found that the weaponized anthrax came from U.S. military laboratories. Azar was instrumental in defining the National Biodefense Strategy in 2018, working closely with John Bolton, Trumps National Security Advisor. Bolton, a neocon and member of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC), has a long history of pushing authoritarian policies and war. In the US the person most visibly in charge of the COVID-19 response is Anthony Fauci, who is the long-time director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Like Redfield, Dr. Fauci is a Catholic and has said that values he learned in his Jesuit education continue to guide him. After weeks of Fauci having led the coronavirus response in the US, it was learned that his NIAID had funded gain of function research at the Wuhan laboratory where the SARS-COV-2 virus is suspected of having originated. Faucis response to questions about that inexplicable coincidence was simply to denounce conspiracy theories rather than addressing the questions directly, much as others did when questioned about 9/11 foreknowledge. Whether SARS-COV-2 was genetically engineered in a laboratory, like the NIAID-funded Wuhan lab, is a subject that has become of interest to many scientists. The Wuhan laboratory is not the only place the US supports work like this, however, as the Pentagon funds such labs in 25 countries across the world. Located in places such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia, and Africa, these labs isolate and manipulate viruses like the bat coronaviruses from which SARS-COV-2 originated. This bat-research program is further coordinated by a group called EcoHealth Alliance. The manipulation of viruses for gain of function at US funded labs is, like the origin of the weaponized anthrax at US labs, evidence that bioterrorism and pandemics can be manufactured events. This is another way in which the coronavirus scare could reflect the war on terrorism and war on communism, both of which were driven by manufactured terrorist events. It is remarkable that Fauci funded work to manipulate coronaviruses then became the voice of the coronavirus pandemic response while also working closely with Bill Gates GAVI initiative. Fauci has boasted that NIAID and GAVI work together to push vaccines with outright collaboration between us in setting the standard of what is needed. This makes it easier to see that a new pattern of hyped pandemics resulting in increased population control and global vaccinations is not only possible but would be a very lucrative business model. The NHS and Corporate Nations By now its well known that the initial projections for deaths due to COVID-19 were massively overestimated and one academic paper was responsible for the panic. The lead author of that paper, Neil Ferguson of Imperial College, has since resigned in disgrace from his government advisory position. Much like the US governments explanation for destruction of the World Trade Center buildings, his estimates were based on computer models that cannot be shared with the public. As in the US, UK intelligence agencies have taken a leading role in managing the coronavirus scare. The terrorism expert who is expected to be the next chief of MI6 was selected to lead a new biosecurity centre to evaluate the coronavirus threat and enable rapid intervention. Additionally, the UK intelligence agency known as Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) was granted powers over the NHSs computer systems. GCHQ is known for engaging in illegal activities related to population control mechanisms such as mass surveillance. Totalitarian outcomes are further enabled with billionaire Peter Thiels CIA-initiated company Palantir managing the databases used by both the CDC and UKs NHS that drive COVID-19 decision making. For perspective, in 2009, Thiel said, I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible, providing another clue that public health and awareness are not the main priorities behind the coronavirus scare. The data behind the COVID-19 pandemic was never reliable, with test kits being inaccurate, government policies inflating the death counts, and the media focusing solely on fear-based predictions that are repeatedly proven false. Recently, scientists and government leaders from other countries, including Russia, Germany and Denmark, have begun speaking out about how the coronavirus threat has been exaggerated. The outcomes of the coronavirus scare have included huge windfalls for billionaires, financial institutions, and corporations. Legislation being passed in response to COVID-19 is largely beneficial to corporate interests. The outcomes for everyone else have been fear, unemployment, poverty, loss of freedoms, grave risks to democracy, and death. How this is possible is related to the fact that governments, and the nations they represent, are no longer what they were. In many ways, corporations have replaced governments as the drivers of public policy and, as with Peter Thiels Palantir, the publics interest is not their concern. Meanwhile, over two dozen companies have become larger and more powerful than many national governments. As a result, governments are now false fronts for corporations and the decisions they make, for example to lockdown citizens and remake their economies, are driven by profit-based strategies indifferent to public interests. In summary, the features and outcomes of the coronavirus scare reflect those of previous psychological operations including the war on terrorism and its predecessor, the war on communism. The people and agencies driving the coronavirus scare have a history of unethical behaviors, including hyping pandemics to push vaccines, and appear to seek long-term profits through implementation of a highly controlled society. Therefore, the response to COVID-19, if not the virus itself, can be seen as a psychological operation used to drive those outcomes. - " Source " - Post your comment below CAIRO The United Nations chief expressed horror at the discovery of at least eight mass graves in Libya in recent days and called for a prompt and transparent investigation into possible war crimes. The graves were uncovered after fighters loyal to Khalifa Hifter, whose 14-month campaign to capture Tripoli collapsed in recent weeks, retreated from Tarhuna, 40 miles southeast of the capital. The mass graves were a grim reminder of the atrocities on all sides of Libyas chaotic war, a conflict fed by foreign powers seeking strategic advantage or a share of the countrys vast energy reserves, but which is led by lawless Libyan militias that behave with impunity. Since he launched himself into the war in 2014, Mr. Hifter, who is backed by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, has sought to present himself as the leader of a disciplined, national military force. But his troops have faced accusations of serious crimes. An Aboriginal mother 'begged' police not to be separated from her baby, just hours before the four-month-old died, a neighbour has claimed . The 21-year-old woman was arrested last Sunday at a unit complex in Katherine East in the Northern Territory, following reports of 'quarrelling'. But her baby girl died while she was in custody. Police left the child, along with the woman's other five-year-old daughter, with their father and grandfather who had been drinking, the ABC reported. An Aboriginal mother 'begged' police not to be separated from her baby, just hours before the four-month-old died, neighbour Jason Fuller has revealed Local resident Jason Fuller told the national broadcaster: 'She was saying: 'I need my baby, I want my little girl' she was begging the cops, wanted to get back her child. 'And the cops refused and told her: 'look, it's five o'clock in the morning now - you have to wait for a couple of hours and then you come back and get your baby.' Mr Fuller said he heard the distraught mother return from custody a few hours later. 'When she got back from the watch house she was crying and smashing everything,' he said. 'She was crying herself to death.' Northern Territory police are not treating the baby's death as suspicious, but say a report will be prepared for the Coroner and a thorough investigation is underway. The tragic death comes one week after 60,000 demonstrators descended on Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide to protest against racial inequality and the rate of Aboriginal deaths in custody. Prominent figures within Katherine's Indigenous community are now calling for answers into why the woman was separated from her child. The 21-year-old mother was arrested last Sunday at a unit complex in Katherine East in the Northern Territory (pictured), following reports of 'quarrelling'. While in custody, her baby girl died 'What took place is totally unacceptable,' Jawoyn Association Aboriginal Corporation chairperson Lisa Mumbin said. 'I really believe there needs to be answers. 'There needs to be a gathering of leaders and more information and more action coming from the authorities, it's a very serious matter and it's very painful.' In the wake of the incident, Colleen Gwynne, the Northern Territory's Children's Commissioner has asked police for further information. 'The Children's Commissioner is aware of the tragic death of the baby in Katherine and received a briefing on Wednesday morning,' Ms Gwynne said. 'The Commissioner has formally requested further information and is undertaking preliminary enquiries including a review of family history and interactions with services.' Karthik K K By Express News Service MYSURU: There is an opportunity in every crisis. The complete lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic might have triggered unprecedented mass layoffs in various sectors, but the situation is silently creating jobs for those ready to work in fields. Over the last several days, social media posts and photos reading 'Wanted Farmers' are doing the rounds. It invites interested farmers having expertise in organic farming to join and in return they would be offered a salary ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 a month apart from free accommodation and food. With the entire country witnessing reverse migration and lay-offs due to the pandemic, it has given more space for employment and technology in the agriculture sector. Deepak, director of Mandya-based Grassroots Organic, who had posted 'Farmers Needed' on social media, said, "We have invited applications from those having expertise in organic and natural farming. Like the MNCs and software companies, we are also offering internship to those interested in the field and to those who have interest in farming to have a hands-on experience in it." "Many farmers and others, including those who worked in garments factories who were fired, have reached us after seeing our post. They are expressing their desire to be a part of our farming activity," he said. Welcoming this move, several experts and farmer leaders in the field said engaging the returned labourers, youths having minimal knowledge in the agricultural field and training interested folks would improve productivity and also revamp the sector. "Agriculture plays a major role in economic development of the country and the current economy slowdown and crisis due to Covid-19 can be addressed through farming. With lay-offs everywhere and no new job opportunities, it's right time to revamp and reinvent the agriculture field," said a farmer leader. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Algernon or Company) (CSE: AGN) (FRANKFURT: AGW) (OTCB: AGNPF), a clinical stage pharmaceutical development company, is pleased to announce today that it has received a receipt for the Companys final short form prospectus dated June 11, 2020, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario, to qualify the securities underlying 19,605,285 special warrants (the Special Warrants) issued by the Company on May 13, 2020. In accordance with the terms of a special warrant indenture dated May 13, 2020 between the Company and AST Trust Company (Canada), effective June 17, 2020, each Special Warrant will be automatically converted into one common share of the Company (a Share) and one common share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each Warrant is exercisable for one Share on or before May 13, 2022 at an exercise price of $0.55 per Share. For further information on the Special Warrants, please see the Companys news release dated May 13, 2020, a copy of which is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. About Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. Algernon is a drug re-purposing company that investigates safe, already approved drugs for new disease applications, moving them efficiently and safely into new human trials, developing new formulations and seeking new regulatory approvals in global markets. Algernon specifically investigates compounds that have never been approved in the U.S. or Europe to avoid off label prescription writing. Story continues Algernon has filed new intellectual property rights globally for NP-120 (Ifenprodil) for the treatment of respiratory diseases and is working to develop a proprietary injectable and slow release formulation. CONTACT INFORMATION Christopher J. Moreau CEO Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. 604.398.4175 ext 701 info@algernonpharmaceuticals.com investors@algernonpharmaceuticals.com www.algernonpharmaceuticals.com . The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. 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. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not in any way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: No securities exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) relating to product development, licensing, commercialization and regulatory compliance issues and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipate, expects and similar (including negative and grammatical) expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other securities regulatory authorities, general economic and financial market conditions and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. 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. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law. Bollywood actor Twinkle Khanna has responded to the appreciation showered on her mother and actor Dimple Kapadia by filmmaker Christopher Nolan and actor-filmmker Kenneth Branagh. Dimple makes her Hollywood debut with Christopher Nolans Tenet. Sharing a news item about Kenneth Branagh saying that Nolan and Tenet actor John David Washington were thrilled with Dimple, Twinkle tweeted, Mother hits it out of the park once again! There was a huge amount of excitement when we knew she was flying in and she pronounced herself very nervous. But then we heard about a rehearsal that she had with Christopher Nolan and John David Washington, and they both came away and said, Well, if thats nervous, I dont know what calm is. the actor told a publication. Because she was perfect and quite awesomely brilliant as far as they were concerned and also completely gracious and delightful with the crew. So she made a tremendous impression, the 59-year-old actor added. Branagh, who saw the release of his movie Artemis Fowl on Disney+ Plus this Friday, revealed that Kapadia has a pivotal role in Tenet. Shes got a really smashing part in Tenet. I know that our master director, Mr Nolan, was thrilled with her and our leading man, John David Washington was completely in love with her by the time they finished working together, Branagh told PTI. Also read: Step inside Akshay Kumar-Twinkle Khannas Mumbai home, a green paradise for nature lovers In a recent tweet, Twinkle had shared a picture of her daughter and wrote, We read together each afternoon. Often we write stories,illustrate them.I havent told her school has officially ended and we can discard this hour meant for math and spellings.We hold on to this time,learning how to turn the pockets of our imagination inside out #TheGiftOfTime. We read together each afternoon. Often we write stories,illustrate them.I havent told her school has officially ended and we can discard this hour meant for math and spellings.We hold on to this time,learning how to turn the pockets of our imagination inside out #TheGiftOfTime pic.twitter.com/hlNy7heQpE Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) June 11, 2020 Tenet is an espionage epic starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson as agents who set out to prevent World War III. Other plot details have been kept strictly under wraps, although the trailer seems to suggest an element of time manipulation. When the first trailer of Tenet dropped online, Twinkle showered praise on Dimple, calling her Superwoman. Look! Up in the sky! Its a bird! Its a plane! Its Superwoman! The iconic Superman line altered for Mother as she always sets the bar sky-high. #tenet, she tweeted, tweaking the oft-quoted line from Adventures of Superman. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 08:46:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People dine on the patio of a restaurant in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, on June 12, 2020. The province of Ontario allowed most regions outside the Toronto and Hamilton areas to reopen more businesses on Friday during the COVID-19 outbreak, including restaurant patios, hair salons and shopping malls. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested a 24-year-old man in the death of a 15-year-old boy in Cleveland. Authorities arrested Aaren Washington Friday afternoon at his apartment on Chardon Road on a warrant, according to a statement. He was taken into custody without incident. The killing happened on March 30 in the area of East 40th Street and Woodland Avenue in the citys Central neighborhood. Washington is accused of shooting the 15-year-old several times, including in the chest, the statement says. Members of the task force worked closely with Cleveland homicide detectives to identify and quickly locate this violent suspect, one wanted for killing a child," U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said. Read more crime stories on cleveland.com: Protesters gather at Cleveland Browns stadium, march to the Justice Center in dedication to those who died from police brutality Cleveland Municipal Court will take online not-guilty pleas in certain cases, hold hearings via Zoom 'Im going to Cleveland to riot: Pennsylvania men indicted on conspiracy charges involving Cleveland demonstrations Akron man charged in death of man found fatally beaten, set on fire Cleveland police launch internal investigation after officer captured on video hitting peaceful protester with baton during Justice Center standoff Parliamentary sitting weeks are hectic, gruelling and sometimes bruising affairs. Come Thursday evening, the nation's politicians usually want little more than to fly home and sleep. Their experience of the nation's capital is typically limited to the airport, COMCAR rides between their hotels and Parliament House, and a few favoured restaurants in Kingston. Barnaby Joyce on the campaign trail with candidate Trevor Hicks at the Royal Hotel in Adelong on Saturday night. Credit:Nick Moir But not this time. A quirk in the calendar meant Parliament sat on Friday (a rarity), and because it will sit again on Monday, most MPs are spending the weekend in Canberra. Sacre bleu. For a dozen Labor MPs the festivities began at Narrabundah restaurant La Cantina on Friday night for a dinner hosted by veteran MP Warren Snowdon. After more than four hours of peaceful protesting our coverage of the Black Lives Matter rally comes to an end. It was a moving sight at Langley Park this afternoon, as Indigenous elders handed the reins of the march to the younger generation of Aboriginal West Australians, who led the way amid chants of justice - now and always was, always will be Aboriginal land. Despite calls from Premier Mark McGowan to postpone the event, 7000 people from all ages and walks of life chanted, danced and sang in the rain in one of the biggest protests the state has seen in recent years. Thousands marched through Perth's CBD at the Black Lives Matter protest. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola We hope you enjoyed our live coverage. Have a good evening and stay safe. Bengaluru, June 13 : Questioned to justify the 'public emergency' under which the order was issued, the Karnataka government withdrew its notification that made factories work extra hours to increase production lost during the extended Covid-induced lockdown, an official said on Saturday. "We had informed the Karnataka High Court on Friday that the notification had been withdrawn, as normal operations resumed in factories after lockdown norms were relaxed for manufacturing and processing units across the state," an official of the state labour department told IANS here. In a surprise move, the state government on May 22 exempted all factories from the provisions of the labour laws pertaining to working hours on weekly and daily basis for three months till August 21. The order allowed factories to make their employees work for 10 hours a day and 60 hours in a week against 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week as per Section 5 of the Factories Act, 1948. Petitioner H. Maruthi, an activist representing factory and construction workers, challenged the order in the high court, contending that it was illegal and in violation of the labour laws in force in the state. Several trade unions and organisations affiliated to the Left parties also opposed the order and accused the state government of exploiting the adverse situation arising out of corona virus outbreak to force the labour work for more at the cost of their health and welfare. The high court told the state government that the order would be stayed if it did not withdraw it forthwith. The high court told state labour deputy secretary Sandhya Nayak that the prolonged lockdown was not a public emergency as per the section 5 of the Factories Act, which allows the state to exempt any factory from its provions. The All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) also termed the order illegal as it would amount to bonded labour. "The exemption is only for 3 months to increase factory production and make up for the loss of 40 mandays since March 25 when the lockdown was enforced and extended till May 3 for the industrial sector to contain the coronavirus pandemic," the official recalled. Press Release June 13, 2020 De Lima expresses solidarity with Hong Kong, likens China to a "sea slug" Opposition Senator has reiterated her support for pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong who continue to fight against threats to their civil liberties and political autonomy as China moves to impose a national security law in the city. In her commentary entitled "HK today, PH tomorrow: They are coming for us" published in social news network Rappler last June 3, De Lima said democracy fighters sacrifice their own life, liberty, and property for something bigger than themselves, such as social, political, and economic equality, and protection from oppression and tyranny. "As we watch the protesters in Hong Kong, [w]hat we ought to see are protesters that are fighting for democracy everywhere, including here in our own nation. Because that is the nature of democracy. To fight for it where you stand, is to fight with it alongside everyone standing for it everywhere," she said. "So I continue to stand with Hong Kong, as I have more than a year ago. Not just because their fierce and fearless protest leaders stood up for me when my freedom was taken, but, more importantly, because they are standing up for the Filipino nation when they stand up against the Chinese government's violent bullying," she added. Last May 28, China's parliament, the National People's Congress, approved the proposal to impose a new national security law for Hong Kong, which will pave the way for its Standing Committee to proceed to working out details of the legislation to be implemented in Hong Kong. The legislation, aimed at stamping out protests in Hong Kong, would ban "any acts or activities" that supposedly endanger China's national security and would likewise allow "national security agencies" - potentially Chinese security forces - to operate in the city. In highlighting the world's fight for democracy and against authoritarian regimes, De Lima recalled the statement by American civil war writer Edmund Wilson in 1962 which noted how history reminds people that many of the conflicts between human beings "are stimulated...by the same instincts as the voracity of a sea slug." De Lima said Wilson described sea slug as "a primitive organism" living at the bottom of the sea that "gobbl[es] up small organisms through a large orifice at one end of its body; confronted with another sea slug of only a slightly lesser size, it [gobbles up] that, too." De Lima continued that a "sea slug state", like China, feeds on its smaller neighbors to satisfy its own hunger for more territory, greater share of the world's wealth, and even greater power to lord over the nations it tramples on. "Sea slug states will try to gobble up everyone in its path. And as each victim falls, the sea slug grows, if not in morals and legitimacy, but surely it grows ever drunker with ideations of conquest and world domination, which will inevitably lead it to set its sights ever farther," she said. The lady Senator from Bicol maintained that people from different parts of the world should exert concerted effort to defeat a power-hungry sea slug of a state. "So it is clear to me that the world will be best served if it fights against a sea slug that seeks to overpower and dominate. Fight to defend democracy in Hong Kong, in Taiwan, and in the Philippines. Fight for us so that we can fight for you and with you," she added. De Lima also stressed that it behooves the Filipino people to stand for Hong Kong and to fight for Philippine freedom, which is threatened by the rule of Mr. Duterte, who is considered by many as China's lackey. "We must fight in order to secure for ourselves and our posterity the blessings of independence and democracy." We must fight to preserve what makes us human: that priceless opportunity to live as free men and women in our own land, and not slaves to some foreign power," she said. Coronavirus: Maharashtra records more than one lakh COVID-19 cases; Minister tests positive India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P Mumbai, June 13: With the number of COVID-19 cases on the rise, Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde on Friday tested positive for the novel coronavirus as the state breached the one lakh-mark. Maharashtra is the only state in India to breach the one lakh-mark so far. With a total of 1,01,141 cases and 3,717 deaths, this state contributes to one-third of the total virus load in India. With 1,366 new cases. Currently, Mumbai has a total of 55,451 cases. On Friday, the city's toll touched 2,044 as 90 more succumbed to the infection. Indian Army Chief on LAC tensions: Border situation is under control| Oneindia News As Covid-19 cases soar, PM Modi to hold fresh talks with chief ministers on June 16 and 17 According to reports, though Maharashtra reported the fastest growth rate of COVID-19 cases in India, it has performed better than Spain, Italy and the UK. However, health officials expressed worry over the state's death rate. At 3.6 per cent, the fatality rate in Maharashtra remains higher than the national average of 2.86 per cent. The state government data, till June 11, showed most of the virus-afflicted patients were in the age group of 31-40 years. Scientists looking at tuberculosis, polio vaccines to ward off coronavirus A data analysed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation until May 25 showed that 8.1 per cent of those aged above 60 years and 0.5 per cent of those aged less than 40 have died in Mumbai. It can be seen that Maharashtra has over 3,000 containment zones. State Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the containment zone tag is removed if no case were reported from the area in 28 days. While the guidelines that were laid down by the state mandate hospitalisation for only moderately to severely ill patients in order to ensure beds are available for critical patients, Munde was hospitalised as a precaution. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said on Thursday that Arizonans need to learn to live with the coronavirus. The Republican governor was responding to recent reports that the state was seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Arizona cases for the virus have exceeded 34,000 and over 1,180 people have died in the state, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Friday saw 1,654 new cases of coronavirus in Arizona, the most new cases reported in one day, AZ Central reports. 'This virus is not going away. There's not a cure for this virus, and there's not a vaccine for this virus,' Ducey said, according to KJZZ. The Republican governor was responding to recent reports that the state was seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations 'So this virus is something we need to learn to live with, and we need to make sure that we are protecting the most vulnerable in our society.' Ducey said that as of Thursday, hospitals have enough beds to treat patients, those who have the infectious disease and those with other illnesses. Hospitals have reported exceeding 80 per cent capacity for two consecutive days, according to the Department of Health Services. The governor pointed to a statement from the Health System Alliance of Arizona to bolster his argument. The alliance - which consists of several health organizations in the area - said they are 'well prepared' to manage the increasing number of hospitalizations. On Thursday, Ducey said that he supports Arizonans wearing face masks, especially whenever they are unable to keep safe distance from others 'That's what's most important when there is a rise in cases,' Ducey said. 'Because a rise in cases could result in a rise of severe illness that requires hospitalization. I want every Arizonan to be able to have the medical care and comfort and resources necessary and today we are able to provide that.' The sentiment was supported by Dr. Cara Christ, who said that the virus is here to stay said that Arizonans must adjust accordingly. 'We know that it's in the community. We are not going to be able to stop the spread. And so we can't stop living as well,' Christ said. Black Lives Matters demonstrators wear masks coverings over their faces while protesting racism and police brutality On Thursday, Ducey said that he supports Arizonans wearing face masks, especially whenever they are unable to keep safe distance from others. A mask awareness campaign is expected to be launched by state officials next week. Ducey won't take any additional steps, and is refusing to let local governments implement their own restrictions. 'I continue to believe that the government closest to the people is best, except during a pandemic,' Ducey said. Rajasthan Subordinate and Ministerial Services Selection Board (RSMSSB) has put out a notification for the recruitment of lab technicians and assistant radiographers Rajasthan Subordinate and Ministerial Services Selection Board (RSMSSB) has put out a notification for the recruitment of lab technicians and assistant radiographers. There are 1,119 vacancies of lab technicians and 1,058 of assistant radiographers. The online application form for these posts will be released on 18 June. The application process will end on 27 July. Those who want to apply will have to visit the official website of RSMSSB at Rsmssb.rajasthan.gov.in. The application fee for candidates belonging to general and other backward class (creamy layer) is Rs 450, while that for Rajasthan State backward class and OBC (non-creamy layer) is Rs 350. Those from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category will have to pay Rs 250. Eligibility criteria For lab technician: One should have passed senior secondary in Science with either Biology or Mathematics or its equivalent with Diploma in medical lab technician. Need to be registered with Rajasthan Para Medical Council and have working knowledge of Hindi and the culture of the state. For assistant radiographer: Candidates who want to apply for this post should have passed senior secondary in Science with either Biology or Mathematics or its equivalent with a degree in radiography course. They should also be registered with Rajasthan Para Medical Council. The minimum and maximum age limits for both the posts are 18 and 40 years. How to apply Candidates having SSO ID and password can directly go to the official website of RSMSSB to fill the application form. Click on the link for the particular post and fill the form by providing required details and pay application fee. Those who dont have SSO ID and password will have to first register by visiting the website of Rajasthan Single Sign On at sso.rajasthan.gov.in. Following which, they will be able to fill application form like other candidates. The troopers pursued Van Pelt as he fled, but one of the stolen cars tires went flat, so he slowed down and when he stopped the car, Fifield said, Van Pelt got out and started shooting, hitting a trooper. The three continued shooting until one of the troopers shot Van Pelt, at which point the trooper administered first aid but was unsuccessful, Fifield said. Good Morning, welcome to Information Nigerias Newspaper headlines for today, 13th May 2020. Here are the major headlines. Obaseki Disqualified From APC Primary Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki has been disqualified from participating in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) primary election scheduled for June 22nd. Advertisement Release My Aides From Detention, Aisha Buhari Tells IGP Adamu Wife of the president, Aisha Buhari has called on the inspector general of police, Adamu Mohammed to urgently release her detained aides from custody to avoid putting their lives in danger or exposure to Covid-19 while in their custody. 39.4 Million May Be Jobless Before Year End, Says FG The federal government of Nigeria has expressed fear that unless something is done about the covid-19 pandemic, at least 39.4 million Nigerians may be out of job before the end of the year. We Recovered N7.9bn Stolen By Rochas Okorocha EFCC The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has asked the former governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha to get ready for his days in court while revealing that about N7.9bn belonging to the state has been seized from him. Boko Haram Now An Industry, Says Lawan Senate President Ahmed Lawan has described the dreaded Boko Haram sect as an industry, rather than the religious sect it claimed to be. Kaduna Deputy Speaker Impeached After Four Months In Office Mukhtar Isa Hazo, deputy speaker of Kaduna state house of assembly, has been impeached after only four months in office. Alaafin: I Hold No Grudge Against Makinde The Alaafin of Oyo state, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi has downplayed rumors of a grudge between him and Seyi Makinde, the Oyo state governor over the citing of the police mobile squadron at Ago-Are. PDP Asks Senators To Reject Buharis Future Loan Plans The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has met and directed its members in the senate to object any future plan/request by President Muhammadu Buhari to apply for more loans for the country. Lagos Court Sentences Two Men To Death For Robbery A Lagos State High Court sitting in the Igbosere area has sentenced two robbers, Williams Udoh and Ubong Isaiah, to death for robbery. President Buharis Full Democracy Day Speech Information Nigeria brings to you the full speech of Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari, delivered in commemoration of the countrys 2020 Democracy Day celebration. TANZANIA, Tanzania - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep shock late Friday at the discovery of mass graves in Libyan territory recently recaptured from forces commanded by Khalifa Hifter, and called for a transparent investigation. The U.N. chief also called on Libyas U.N.-supported government to secure the mass graves, identify the victims, establish the causes of death and return the bodies to next of kin. He offered U.N. support in carrying it out, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The secretary-general once again reminds all parties to the conflict in Libya of their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, Dujarric said. The United Nations said earlier Friday that at least eight mass graves have been discovered, mostly in the town of Tarhuna, a key western town that served as a main stronghold for Khalifas east-based forces in their 14-month campaign to capture the capital Tripoli. The discoveries have raised fears about the extent of human rights violations in territories controlled by Hifters forces, given the difficulties of documentation in an active war zone. Philippe Nassif, Amnesty Internationals director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the group was working to verify the mass killings. We want to be able to go in, or have the U.N. go in, and collect evidence of potential war crimes and other atrocities ... so eventually a process takes place where justice can be served, he said. Last week, militias allied with the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli recaptured Tarhuna, some 65 kilometres (41 miles) southeast of the Libyan capital, their latest in a string of battlefield successes that reversed most of Hifters gains. Earlier, the government said it regained control of all of Tripolis entrance and exit points and Tripoli airport. Fathi Bashagha, the interior minister in the U.N.-supported government, said earlier this week that authorities were documenting evidence of alleged war crimes in Tarhuna, noting that preliminary reports indicated dozens of victims found in the citys mass graves had been buried alive. Bashagha also said that special investigative teams uncovered a shipping container in Tarhuna full of charred bodies, presumably of detainees, and blamed powerful militias loyal to Hifter for heinous crimes. A feared Hifter-allied militia called al-Kaniyat, notorious for its targeting of dissenters, had controlled the town. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker told reporters on Thursday he was troubled by reports that Tripoli forces had discovered bodies of civilians, in addition to land mines and other explosive devices in territory retaken from Hifters forces. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. Forces under Hifter launched an offensive trying to take Tripoli in April 2019, and the crisis in the oil-rich country had steadily worsened as foreign backers increasingly intervened despite pledges to the contrary at a high-profile peace summit in Berlin earlier this year. Hifters offensive is supported by France, Russia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and other key Arab countries. The government in Tripoli is backed by Turkey which sent troops and mercenaries to protect the capital in January as well as Italy and Qatar. The U.N. political mission in Libya said it convened a meeting with a delegation from Hifters forces on June 3 and another meeting Tuesday with a delegation from the U.N.-supported government. Guterres hopes that a cease-fire will be agreed soon, Dujarric said. Schenker said he sees the escalating proxy war between Russia and Turkey in Libya as a challenge to regional stability, as well as a tragedy for the Libyan people looking for peace and end to foreign intervention. Libya is teetering on the brink of a new escalation as Tripoli militias wage a campaign to recapture the coastal town of Sirte, which would provide access to the countrys vast oil fields under Hifters control. The intensified fighting has forced nearly 24,000 people to flee their homes in the last week, according to U.N. humanitarian officials. Despite intensified diplomatic activity to bring the sides to the negotiating table, Turkey appears keen to shore up its presence in western Libya. On Friday, Turkeys navy and air force conducted exercises in the Mediterranean Sea near Libya, officials said, an apparent show of backing for Tripoli. The Turkish military said the drill was meant to test and develop Turkeys ability to command and execute long-distance operations. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations, said the manoeuvrs took place in international waters and airspace off Libyas coast. The military said 17 warplanes, based in the central Turkish air base of Eskisehir, and eight frigates took part in Thursdays Open Sea Training. The drill lasted for eight hours and took place along a 1,000 kilometre (625 mile) -route from the Turkish coast and back. Turkeys escalating support, including armed drones and thousands of Syrian mercenaries, signals its desire to gain more leverage in the eastern Mediterranean. Ankara signed a maritime deal last fall with the Tripoli-based government that would grant it access to an economic zone across the Mediterranean, despite the objections from regional rivals Greece, Cyprus and Egypt. Turkey has said it will begin exploring for natural resources there within months. ___ Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Isabel DeBre in Los Angeles contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 10:35:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close THE HAGUE, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) has condemned U.S. authorized sanctions against its officials engaged in an investigation into possible war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The ICC said in a statement Thursday that the U.S. attacks "constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court's judicial proceedings." Earlier on Thursday, the White House said in a statement that U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized economic sanctions against ICC officials "directly engaged with any effort to investigate or prosecute United States personnel without the consent of the United States," as well as the expansion of visa restrictions against these officials and their family members. Noting that the U.S. sanctions represent "an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice," the ICC, which has 123 member states, vowed it would stand firmly by its staff and remain "unwavering in its commitment to discharging, independently and impartially, the mandate bestowed upon it by the Rome Statute and the States that are party to it." The ICC in March authorized an investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, including those that may have been committed by the U.S. military and the Central Intelligence Agency, which could lead to the indictment of U.S. military and intelligence personnel. The ICC was established when the Rome Statute took effect in 2002. It prosecutes crimes of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 21:31:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across the African continent surpassed 225,105, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Saturday. The Africa CDC in its latest update said that the number of COVID-19 positive cases rose from 216,446 on Friday morning to 225,105 as of Saturday morning. The death toll from the pandemic also rose from 5,756 on Friday morning to 6,040 as of Saturday morning. The continental disease control and prevention agency said that some 102,846 people who were infected with COVID-19 had recovered across the continent so far. Amid the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the African continent, the highly affected African countries include South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Djibouti, Nigeria, and Algeria, it was noted. The Africa CDC said that the northern African region is the most affected area across the continent both in terms of positive COVID-19 cases, as well as the number of deaths. Enditem In the span of two short months, getting to a doctors appointment has changed from ducking out of the office at midday and fighting traffic to launching a video app on a computer or smartphone for a consultation. The coronavirus pandemic, as it has with shopping, office work and socializing, is accelerating the adoption of technologies in the health care industry that allow people to conduct business and connect without leaving their homes or wherever else they happen to be. While telemedicine has been around for years, the necessity of providing medical care over the internet to comply with social distancing measures has eroded resistance to it. In other words, both doctors and patients have tried virtual medicine and found they liked it. COVID-19 has absolutely created a new opportunity for the health care sector, said Ashish Chandra, a health care administration professor at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Theyre more receptive to it than they were six months ago because theyve now done it. Long after the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, subsides, providers and health care experts expect virtual medicine to play a large and expanding role in delivering care. Some doctors plan to administer follow-up appointments and check-ups over the internet by working with patients to get technology for blood pressure and heart rate measurements into their smartphones. Doctors groups are also upgrading videoconferencing software and equipment and setting aside space for banks of computer screens to conduct virtual visits. Hospitals are doing more than just video calls with patients. Houston Methodist has adopted a virtual intensive care unit that allows doctors to beam into ICU rooms to check up on recovering patients which has proved especially useful when caring for COVID-19 patients. TECHNOLOGYS SHORTCOMINGS: Now more than ever, Houstons digital divide puts childrens education in peril The hospital system initially planned to introduce the $5 million program gradually, starting with a pilot this spring. But as COVID-19 patients began to fill the ICU, Houston Methodist decided to roll out the project in its entirety to protect doctors and patients from the virus. We went from 0 to 100 in terms of speed, said Roberta Schwartz, Houston Methodists chief innovation officer. The rush to get online Telehealth visits are expected to exceed 1 billion in 2020 due to the pandemic, according to researchers at Forrester, a technology research firm based in Cambridge, Mass. Thats up from about 36 million general visits Forrester analysts initially forecast for 2020. Major health care systems, such as Houston Methodist, offered some form of telehealth prior to the rush to get online during the pandemic, but the rapid spread of the virus drove hospitals and clinics that didnt use telehealth to quickly build and buy software to get doctors onto patients screens. In March, Harris Health System moved its patients in six days to MyChart, a virtual health care platform that allows video, phone and chat-style visits. UT Physicians signed a contract for telehealth software last year. The systems developers had just spent two weeks fine-tuning the programs and preparing a 12-cubicle hub for doctors to make virtual visits when the coronavirus outbreak came to Texas, said Andrew Casas, chief operating officer for UT Physicians, which has more than 2,000 doctors. About one in five visits in May occurred remotely, even as doctors offices began reopening Casas said. Many see 20 to 30 patients daily on the telemedicine platform. Dr. Erin Furr-Stimming, a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders and associate professor at UTHealths McGovern Medical School, was skeptical at first that the telemedicine program would benefit the entire system. She didnt see how virtual visits would work for most of her patients who have Parkinsons and Huntingtons diseases. But given mobility issues that some patients have because of their illnesses, telemedicine has offered an unexpected benefit in reducing their stress getting to appointments. I get to visualize patients in their home, Furr-Stimming said, and I really have a better idea as to what their challenges are at home. Technological divide Doctors said one of the most pressing concerns about the spread of telemedicine is the digital divide between those who can afford the smartphones, tablets, laptops and internet services and those who cant. Would patients have access? Furr-Stimming said. Its not within our control. Avenue360, a community health clinic system that serves Houstons poor, has run into similar problems with patients who may not own smartphones or computers and dont have easy access to the internet or stable WiFi connections. As a result, many patients are doing without medical check-ups, follow-up visits and other services during the pandemic because they fear exposure to the coronavirus, said Dr. Charlene Flash, president of Avenue360. To overcome that, Flash and her staff received a $297,000 federal grant to build mobile telemedicine clinics at public housing in the city. The money will fund computer rooms at low-income apartment complexes and grants for staffers to teach computer literacy and how to use the software. If we don't implement them very intentionally, Flash said, instead of narrowing health care disparities, you can unintentionally widen them even as you do new and innovative things. Systematic skepticism Telemedicine offers several advantages to providers, particularly during a pandemic. It allows doctors and hospital systems to see patients and conserve face masks, surgical gowns and disposable gloves. It also puts patients in a more comfortable environment, making them more likely share information about their conditions with their doctors. But some physicians remain skeptical, unsure that virtual care replace for in-person visits, said Clinton Phillips, founder of Medici, an Austin telemedicine software company. Researchers and doctors agree telemedicine is not a replacement for face-to-face contact. Some visits cant be conducted over a screen. Houston Methodist oncologist Jorge Darcourt said he worried he would not be able to monitor the size of tumors and other growths in breast cancer patients. I was concerned about the quality of care you could provide without being able to examine your patient, Darcourt said. TEXAS INC: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Doctors also worry about reimbursement rates for telemedicine, which can be half what insurers pay for in-person visits. Establishing comparable rates for telemedicine would make it more attractive to providers, said Phillips. To push virtual health care, Phillips said, you need to have some strong incentives. The new normal Although some long-time physicians were hesitant about providing medical advice and care over a video call, telemedicine visits have continued to climb at Houston Methodist. Houston Methodist doctors conducted an average of fewer than 200 patient visits a day in January and February. In recent weeks, its been closer to 4,000 patient visits a day, said Schwartz, the hospitals chief innovation officer. Doctors appreciate the ability to see more patients in a day, and in the future, many may take a hybrid approach, conducting tests and physical evaluations in person while going over test results and conducting routine check-ups via the internet. Physicians who used to hold up a phone, Schwartz said and tell me phones are not doctors, are now telling me they'll never return to the way they practiced before. gwendolyn.wu@chron.com twitter.com/gwendolynawu Peter Ayemoba, a 50-year-old man from Rafin-Sanyi in Suleja, Niger state, has narrated how he slept with his two daughters for seven yea... Peter Ayemoba, a 50-year-old man from Rafin-Sanyi in Suleja, Niger state, has narrated how he slept with his two daughters for seven years after he lost his wife. According to PUNCH, Ayemoba, who was recently arrested by the state police command, said the evil act started in 2013. He explained that after losing his wife, he started making efforts to bond with his daughters, who were then 15 and 13 years old. Ayemoba added that in the course of his quest to establish closeness, he lost control of himself and started having sex with them. I started sleeping with my daughters about seven years ago when I lost my wife in 2013. The death of my wife got me so confused that I did not even know when I started sleeping with my daughters, he said. The father of six said his daughters, who expressed worry with the development, had pressured him to marry a second wife to satisfy his sexual urges. He said he, however, told them that even if he marries a new wife, he could not resist sleeping with the girls who are currently 22 and 20 years old. My daughters, after noticing that I was doing something abominable, forced me to get another wife that would satisfy my sexual urge. But despite the marriage, I still made love to them at the slightest opportunity my new wife was not in the house, he said. Ayemoba also claimed he usually obtain the consent of the girls before having sexual intercourse with them. Whenever they rejected my sexual demand, I would tell them that I wanted to be closer to them since their mother was no more. At times I would threaten to kill them and commit suicide if they did not allow me to sleep with them, he added. He also recalled once backing his actions with the Bible to dismiss incessant complaints from his daughters. One day, I had to refer them to the Bible about Lot who had sex with his daughters and was not punished by God. I told them that the intercourse between a father and his daughters was normal and it is written in the Bible, he said. I suspect that somebody placed a curse on me, because what I have done in the past seven years is not ordinary, frankly speaking. Sensing his father would not turn a new leaf, the two girls decided to report the matter to a family member who in turn alerted the police and was consequently arrested. Ayemoba, however, expressed shock over his daughters decision to report the incident, claiming they voluntarily, willingly accepted to be having sex with me any time I demanded it. Frustrated police say they are unable to keep violent young criminals behind bars as gang numbers swell to more than 500 across Melbournes north-west. Police at the scene outside Brimbank Shopping Centre in Deer Park where a boy was stabbed to death on Tuesday. Credit:AAP Police sources, who fear theyll lose their jobs if named, say a revolving door of justice means very few of the hundreds arrested each year spend any time behind bars. They are speaking out after 15-year-old Solomone Taufeulungaki was fatally stabbed on Tuesday afternoon outside the Brimbank Shopping Centre in the western suburb of Deer Park. Police sources said youth gangs in the west were actively recruiting young members to commit violent crimes including car thefts, carjackings, brawls, swarming thefts and home invasions. "Unless it aggressively implements the lessons to be learned from successful nations, we fear the U.S. death rate may rise to 200 times that of China," warned the Time magazine. BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The sobering death rate in the United States is a result of the country's "sluggish" anti-epidemic response, said an article published recently by Time magazine. "The stark disparity in COVID-19 death rates between the U.S. and other countries illustrates the enormous difference between the effectiveness of the U.S. and successful countries' responses to the pandemic," said the article published Wednesday and titled "U.S. Response to COVID-19 is Worse than China's. 100 Times Worse." The article specifically made a comparison between the epidemic responses of the United States and China, as the former's death rate is now "100 times greater" than the latter's. "By Dec. 31, Chinese authorities had informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the threat. By Jan. 12, Chinese scientists had identified the virus that causes the illness and shared its genetic sequence with the world so that all countries could develop COVID-19 tests and begin working on a vaccine," the article said. The Asian country also implemented "a massive lockdown" in Wuhan and deployed thousands of medical staff to the city, sped up testing and contact tracing to isolate new cases, and built temporary medical facilities to hospitalize COVID-19 patients -- steps that have controlled the virus' spread at home, "buying time for other parts of the country to prepare," it said. This is a screen-capture of a Tweet posted by Gavin Yamey on June 10, 2020, who is a columnist for the Time magazine. (Xinhua) In contrast, the United States, due to a "much-delayed" response from the federal government and most state governments, "gave the virus weeks to spread unfettered and virtually undetected," it said. "Unfortunately, we see little sign that the federal government is mounting the kind of urgent, nationwide, coordinated approach that is need to reverse current trends," the article said, adding that the country lacks enough daily tests and contact tracing to safely end social distancing. Unlike some countries taking swift and coordinated actions, the United States has only obtained a "patchwork of varying state policies and often-contradictory messaging about safety measures," which will not only further endanger human health, but also harm the U.S. economy, it said. "Unless it aggressively implements the lessons to be learned from successful nations, we fear the U.S. death rate may rise to 200 times that of China," it added. My rage is black, even though I am merely a darker shade of Punjabi brown and my son slightly darker. I know I am not alone in this rage. The Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne. Credit:Justin McManus In my quiet suburban home, the rage wakes me at four in the morning, refusing to be shushed. Multiply that by millions around the world and you have an outrage that is definitely not in isolation. The final moments of George Floyds life cannot ever be unseen, right up to the moment he says his final I cant and calls for his mama, before his shirtless body lies limp on the road, unable to plead for that vicious knee to get off his neck. Still the knee remains there, despite angry pleas from caring passersby. My 17-year-old son says the racism is slightly different here to the US, where blacks were once bought like one might a kitchen appliance. The World Health Organisation on Friday expressed concern over the indirect impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women, children and youth. The agency during a press briefing in Geneva said the indirect effects of COVID-19 are already affecting the health systems in the low and middle income countries especially Africa. WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said the effects of COVID-19 on these groups may be greater than the number of deaths due to the virus itself. He also lamented over the escalating rate of community transmission of the virus in the low and middle-income countries. The agency on Thursday had warned that the coronavirus pandemic in Africa is accelerating with the virus spreading to rural areas after international travellers brought it to major cities. Mr Ghebreyesus said WHO is especially concerned about the impact on people who already struggle to access health services often women, children and adolescents. He said the pandemic has overwhelmed health systems in many parts of the world, which means women may be at greater risk of dying from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. According to him, early evidence also suggests that people in their teens and 20s are at increased risk of depression and anxiety, online harassment, physical and sexual violence and unintended pregnancies. He said to mitigate the effect of the virus in countries, WHO has developed guidance for health facilities and community activities on maintaining essential services, including for women, newborns, children and adolescents. This includes ensuring women and children can use services with appropriate infection prevention and control measures, and respectful maternal and newborn care, he added. Transmission WHO also said it has investigated the risks of women transmitting COVID-19 to their babies during breastfeeding. We know that children are at relatively low-risk of COVID-19, but are at high risk of numerous other diseases and conditions that breastfeeding prevents. Based on the available evidence, WHOs advice is that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of COVID-19, he said. READ ALSO: WHO advised that mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be encouraged to initiate and continue breastfeeding and not be separated from their infants, unless the mother is too unwell. WHO also detailed clinical guidance on how to breastfeed safely. The director of WHOs Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, Anshu Banerjee, said so far, experts have not been able to detect live virus in breastmilk, though fragments have been identified in several cases. So, the risk of transmission from mother, to child therefore, so far, has not been established, he said. Advertisement Traffic has surged by up to 25 per cent today compared to last Saturday as thousands of Britons gathered to take part in protests while others headed to beaches and queued outside pubs to lap up 75F sunshine. TomTom data shows that the roads around Brighton were 25 per cent busier at 4pm today compared to the same time last Saturday, and nine per cent busier on London roads today compared to last Saturday. There was also eight per cent more traffic in Bournemouth at 4pm today compared to last Saturday, and six per cent more traffic in Portsmouth today as well compared to last Saturday. The spike in motor congestion came as thousands of people took part in demonstrations across the UK, with 15,000 protestors alone gathered in Brighton along the seafront. Other Britons also took the opportunity to travel to some of Britain's beauty spots, including the Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs in Sussex and the Oxfordshire countryside. Pubs around the country were also taking advantage of a much-needed boost in customer numbers as some were seen with snaking queues of revellers waiting to buy cold beers and other drinks. These people are taking advantage of Boris Johnson's new 'support bubbles' rules, which allows people from two households to interact with each other at less than two metres apart. Traffic has surged by up to 25 per cent today compared to last Saturday as thousands of Britons gathered to take part in protests while others headed to beaches and queued outside pubs to lap up 75F sunshine. Pictured: Brighton seafront was thronged with people taking part in Black Lives Matter protests Britons also cooled down in the hot weather by flocking to pubs to buy cold beers and other refreshments. Pictured: There was a lengthy queue at this pub in Primrose Hill, north-west London The spike in motor congestion comes as thousands of people take part in demonstrations across the UK, with 15,000 protestors alone gathered in Brighton along the seafront (pictured, crowds in Brighton today) Other Britons have also taken the opportunity to travel to some of Britain's beauty spots, including the Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs in Sussex and the Oxfordshire countryside (pictured, at Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs on the Sussex Coast) The spike in motor congestion comes on the day the new 'social bubble' rules - which permit couples who have lived apart during lockdown to spend the night together - come into force (pictured, cyclists in Lower Shiplake, Oxfordshire today) TomTom data shows that the roads around Brighton were 25 per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday TomTom data shows that the roads around London were nine per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday TomTom data shows that the roads around Bournemouth were eight per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday Today, parts of the South and South East are expected to be sunny, while the sunshine spreads up to Scotland tomorrow The Met Office tweeted a forecast showing that the whole UK can expect hot weather and humidity today With 'support bubbles' in force, people itching to socialise after being confined to their homes since the 'stay at home' order was given on March 23 rushed outdoors on Saturday. Thousands flocked to Britain's beaches as global temperatures were 1.13F (0.63C) above average, according to the EU's climate change monitor. London, the Midlands and the South East saw sunshine and highs of 79F as people reunited over a BBQ, while the east, north and south-west experienced humidity and showers. Tomorrow, the sunny weather will continue for most of the UK, while showers will develop and will be locally heavy and thundery across Northern Ireland and western Britain. Thousands gathered in Brighton to take part in Black Lives Matter demonstrations and there were similar scenes elsewhere around the country This Brewdog pub, in London, was serving takeaway drinks to Britons looking for some refreshment in the hot weather In Newington Green, Islington, dozens of people gathered for a Black Lives Matter demonstration and many were seen breaking social distancing rules by sitting close together Dozens of protesters were crammed into the tiny patch of grass at Newington Green as they gathered in support of Black Lives Matter demonstrations In Chelmsford, protesters walked through the streets as they held banners in the air. One read, 'white silence is compliance' Brighton seafront was seen packed with people as they came together to join Black Lives Matter protests Brighton seafront was thronged with people who were flouting social distancing rules aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus Many protesters in Brighton wore masks but did not seem to observe social distancing rules while they held banners and placards at the seafront Protesters also stood on a bus shelter near the iconic Brighton Pavilion as others gathered in the road in front of them The Brighton protesters gathered near the famous pier as others sat on the cobbled beach behind them Despite the protests in Brighton, some locals took the opportunity to head to enjoy a drink on the beach Tourists get too close to the edge of the crumbling Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs on the Sussex Coast today At Birling Gap, in East Sussex sun-seekers flocked to the beauty spot to pose for pictures. Three young women, pictured above, daringly posed for pictures right on a cliff edge These tourists got a little too close to the edge of the crumbling white chalk cliffs at Birling Gap Boris Johnson this week gave the green light for two households to merge into 'support bubbles' from today, meaning they can interact indoors at less than two metres apart (pictured, Camber Sands, East Sussex today) TomTom data shows that the roads around Bristol were five per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday TomTom data shows that the roads around Portsmouth were six per cent busier at 4pm today compared to last Saturday The Met Office said that June 13 is the only date during the summer that a temperature of 86F or more in the UK has not been recorded, tweeting: 'It's Stat-urday #DidYouKnow June 13th is the only date during meteorological summer (June, July, August) that we have never recorded a temperature of 30C or more in the UK. 'Although its warm for some today we are not going to reach that mark this year'. Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey told MailOnline: 'We are looking at a showery picture for tomorrow, including heavy thunder in some areas and rain particularly in the east, north and south-west. 'There is a chance of sunny spells in between showers, but it's a fairly changeable, unsettled picture as we go through the weekend and into next week. 'Temperatures will pick up, though, and it could feel humid and close if you are under a cloud.' During the spells of sunshine tomorrow, the mercury could rise to as high as 79F (26C) in London, and just below in many other areas including Birmingham, Manchester and York. Temperatures are not expected to reach the 70s in Scotland, where it is likely to remain wet for most of the day. The rain is then expected to return on Sunday, with fog also likely in some areas, particularly in the north-east, with sunny spells again coming in between scattered showers. Despite the showers, though, some areas experienced temperatures of up to 75F (24C). 'The picture is not really changing into early next week as the unsettled weather continues,' Ms Maxey said. 'We're likely to see a mix of sunshine and strong showers, with a risk of thunderstorms for the first half of next week.' England in particular has been beset by rainfall in recent days, with more than double the amount of water falling in the first 10 days of this month, compared to all of May. Last month was the warmest May on record with global temperatures 1.13F (0.63C) above average, according to the European Union's climate change monitor. This London pub was one of many to adapt to social distancing as they served customers who were enjoying the nice weather This pub owner set up a stall to serve takeaway beer, cider and wine. Customers were seen waiting in a lengthy queue At this Brewdog pub in London, customers waited next to barriers to pick up a takeaway pint Many pubs around the country, including this one in Liverpool pictured on Saturday, remain closed as a result of lockdown measures but many are expected to reopen on Monday In Regents Park, central London, revellers sat by the lake as they enjoyed the nice weather in the capital People queued in the park to buy takeaway ice creams from the Boathouse Cafe The queue stretched quite a distance away from the cafe as dedicated Londoners waited for ice creams and drinks Others sat underneath the numerous trees to take some of the glare away from the sun Others enjoyed slices of pizza in Regents Park in scenes which were reminiscent of pre-coronavirus times In Kennington Park, South London, people gathered in small groups and were careful to sit some distance away from others They sat on the grass and on blankets to enjoy the sunny weather and warm temperatures in the capital Some Londoners were enjoying the sun while protests took place in many parts of the capital and elsewhere around the country The lifting of further restrictions this week is designed to help the UK's 'many lonely or isolated people' who are seen as struggling the most during the months-long lockdown. The PM said: 'I know how how difficult the past months have been for people cut off from their family and friends. 'There are still too many people, particularly those who live by themselves, who are by themselves and struggling'. He admitted that there would be many people disappointed by the restrictions on eligibility but cautioned that the change was not an excuse for a free-for-all. 'We are making this change to support those who are particularly lonely as a result of lockdown measures,' he said. 'It's a targeted intervention to limit the most harmful effects of the current social restrictions. 'It is emphatically not designed for people who don't qualify to start meeting inside other people's homes, because that remains against the law.' Protesters also gathered in Huddersfield to take part in Black Lives Matter demonstrations At Worcester Racecourse, protesters sat on the grass and stood close to each other, despite social distancing guidelines saying they should keep at least two metres apart Mr Johnson also confirmed shops could reopen on Monday if they abide by social distancing rules, as well as zoos, safari parks and drive-in cinemas. Churches and other religious buildings can also re-open for individual worship, but there was no further announcements in relation to the opening of pubs. In Brighton, thousands of protesters gathered to stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter demonstrations worldwide. Hundreds of BLM and pro-statue anti-protesters also rallied in cities across the country such as Liverpool, Newcastle, Brighton and Glasgow. Demonstrators and anti-protesters seen in videos and photographs from the rallies defied strict social distancing measures as they crowded together. One counter-protest banner read: 'Not far right just ordinary people of all races from Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, Newport etc. United to defend the Cenotaph to defend the memory of people who died so that we are able to have the freedom to protest.' London, the Midlands and the South East swa sunshine and highs of 79F today as people reunited over a BBQ, while the east, north and south-west experienced humidity and showers (pictured, walkers in Lower Shiplake, Oxfordshire today) With 'support bubbles' in force today, people itching to socialise are rushing outdoors (pictured, children walking through the Flax and Poppy fields in the sunshine, Lower Shiplake, Oxfordshire today) Among those gathered was a large contingent of bikers who parked their motorbikes next to the war memorial. Hundreds also flocked to George Square in Glasgow to 'protect' a war memorial. In an event organised by a group called the Loyalist Defence League (LDL), people congregated to stop vandalism to the Glasgow Cenotaph, erected to commemorate the lives of those who died in the First World War. In London, police were fighting to keep control of the streets as a BLM rally and a pro-statue counter protest descended into hooliganism after far-right thugs flooded into Westminster. Mounted officers and riot squads have been desperately battling to keep the two demonstrations separate, while coming under fire from both sides. Boris Johnson this week gave the green light for two households to merge into 'support bubbles' from today, meaning they can interact indoors at less than two metres apart (pictured, Camber Sands, East Sussex today) Tourists get too close to the edge of the crumbling Seven Sisters white chalk cliffs on the Sussex Coast today The Met Office last night tweeted a forecast for today showing sunshine in the South, South East, Midlands and parts of Wales Smoke bombs exploded in Trafalgar Square, which first swelled with flag-waving far-right yobs before they were driven out by police and the world-famous square was occupied by anti-racist and BLM activists, who marched from Hyde Park. The pro-statue rally included veterans dressed in military uniform as well as far-right thugs such as Britain First leader Paul Golding. Most statues, including that of Sir Winston Churchill, have been boarded up by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to prevent them becoming 'flash points' for far-right violence. But carnage still erupted in the heart of London as far right thugs peeled off from their rally in Parliament Square and began pelting cans and bottles at the police blockading the Cenotaph. The Metropolitan police are yet to announce any arrests. It sparked a wave of frenzied violence which saw both Black Lives Matter and hooligans caught on camera deliberately targeting constables. Skirmishes were seen breaking out between the two groups and both sides have been prowling through central London looking for violence. The lifting of further restrictions this week is designed to help the UK's 'many lonely or isolated people' who are seen as struggling the most during the months-long lockdown (pictured, cyclist in Lower Shiplake, Oxfordshire today) (Alliance News) - British Airways' treatment of its workforce during the coronavirus pandemic "is a national disgrace", UK members of Parliament claimed Friday. A report by the Commons Transport Select Committee accused the airline of a "calculated attempt to take advantage" of the crisis by cutting up to 12,000 jobs and downgrading the terms and conditions of the bulk of its remaining employees. The carrier, part of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, insisted no decisions have been made and it is doing everything it can to "sustain the maximum number of jobs". Other aviation companies have also announced thousands of redundancies, including easyJet PLC, Ryanair Holdings PLC, Virgin Atlantic, Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC and Airbus SE. The cross-party committee of MPs acknowledged that job losses in the sector "may sadly be inevitable" due to the huge reduction in air travel as a result of Covid-19. But it urged UK-based employers not to "proceed hastily" by making large numbers of people redundant while the government's furlough scheme is in place. Unions told the committee they are opposed to what they described as a "fire and rehire" approach being considered by British Airways. They stated the airline is proposing to give redundancy notices to most of its 42,000 workers and offer jobs with new terms and conditions to a proportion of them, if it cannot reach an agreement on job cuts and other changes. The minimum 45-day consultation period for some workers ends on Monday. BA has had discussions with pilots' union Balpa, including over the possibility of voluntary redundancies. But the other two main unions representing its workers a Unite and GMB a are not engaging in talks. The committee found that British Airways had received nearly GBP35 million from the government as of May 14 by furloughing 22,000 staff. Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways' parent company IAG, told the MPs that the amount of money the airline received from the scheme in April was equivalent to less than two days of staff wages. Unions have argued that the airline could survive even if all its planes were grounded for 12 months. The committee's report stated: "The behaviour of British Airways and its parent company towards its employees is a national disgrace. "It falls well below the standards we would expect from any employer, especially in light of the scale of taxpayer subsidy, at this time of national crisis." There have been calls from some MPs for British Airways to be stripped of some of its lucrative take-off and landing slots at Heathrow as punishment for the treatment of its workforce. Tory MP Huw Merriman, who chairs the committee, said: "We will continue to bring pressure where we can, including the airport slot allocation process. "This wanton destruction of a loyal workforce cannot appear to go without sanction by Government, parliamentarians or paying passengers who may choose differently in future. We view it as a national disgrace." British Airways said in a statement: "Merriman made clear several weeks ago that the Transport Select Committee's report would be 'fuelled by the kind and impassioned messages' he received, rather than the facts. "The facts are clear. The government has no plans to help the sector restart and recover as evidenced by the introduction of the 14-day quarantine regulation. "We find ourselves in the deepest crisis ever faced by the airline industry. A crisis not of our making but one which we must address. "We will do everything in our power to ensure that British Airways can survive and sustain the maximum number of jobs consistent with the new reality of a changed airline industry in a severely weakened global economy." Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "The case the company makes for sacking 12,000 and trashing the wages of those who stay on the workforce is full of holes because it is a transparent effort to generate profits out of a crisis. "BA is fooling nobody. Never before has the country witnessed such wholesale mistreatment of a UK workforce and such brutal industrial thuggery." The committee's report into the impact of the pandemic on the aviation sector also urged the government to abandon its 14-day quarantine rule at the end of June. It called for a "more targeted and nuanced border control policy", allowing people travelling from countries where the infection rate of Covid-19 is relatively low to enter the UK on a less restrictive basis. A government spokesman said: "We continue to work at speed to help protect the long-term future of the sector, however we will always put public health first, and we must not risk an extremely damaging second wave of the virus." By Neil Lancefield, PA Transport Correspondent source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Health Minister Greg Hunt has asked his department to review the results of an academic study linking the increase in youth suicide with a rise in antidepressants being prescribed to Australian children. The Curtin University study published in the peer-reviewed Frontiers of Psychiatry journal linked rising antidepressant use in children, adolescents and young adults (up 66 per cent) and youth suicide (up 49 per cent) in the decade to 2018, when 458 young Australians took their own lives. The Curtin University study linked antidepressant use in children, adolescents and young adults to youth suicide. Hayley, who asked for her last name not to be published, suffered nausea, headaches and suicidal thoughts when she tried to stop taking the antidepressant Arapax, which she had been prescribed from the age of 15 for obsessive-compulsive disorder. "My mind went to a pretty dark place during the withdrawal process," she told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Democratic Pa. Sen. candidate Amanda Cappelletti, center, defeated incumbent and fellow Democrat Daylin Leach in the June 2 primary. Campaign manager John Gillen and finance chair Sara Kelly are behind her in this June 10 photo taken in East Norriton, Pa. Read more The ladies loom large, and they are in charge. The growing political clout of Pennsylvanias liberal women exploded into view earlier this month as three-term Democratic state Senate incumbent Daylin Leach lost his 17th District seat in an extraordinary suburban Philadelphia primary challenge. The victor: a progressive woman with scant electoral experience. Her victory margin: a whopping two-thirds of the vote to Leachs one-third. Amanda Cappelletti pulled off her June 2 primary win in the middle of a deadly pandemic that made voting a challenge, and during protests against racism and police brutality against blacks that had our region, and the nation, utterly transfixed. Unlike Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who dethroned a powerful Democrat in an outsider upset two years ago in New York, Cappellettis bid was supported by both newcomer women to the party and establishment politicians who wanted Leach gone. READ MORE: Daylin Leach loses to Amanda Cappelletti in high-profile Democratic primary after #MeToo allegations Much of her money and muscle, however, came from elected and activist suburban women who came roaring into politics after the shock of Donald Trumps election in 2016. These women, now more than three years into Trumps presidency, are the reinvigorated party organization they had sought to transform. There are some people, even today, who say it is not your time, Cappelletti said as we shared an East Norriton park bench a few days ago to talk. There are more people who are excited for the shake-up and the change. Cappelletti is a 33-year-old lawyer with $200,000 in student loan debt and ambition. She is determined to restore the party to a place of moral conviction. She is a workhorse. As policy director for Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania she learned the importance of relationships in Harrisburg. Like other women Ive met who have become recently active in suburban Democratic Party politics, she is said to have a nuts-and-bolts focus on detail and strategy. Despite a low-key demeanor, she was fearless enough to take on a sitting state senator. Shes always giving me a hard time of Wheres the spreadsheet? campaign manager J.T. Gillen said with a chuckle as my conversation with Cappelletti shifted toward these leadership qualities. I was always Type A, Cappelletti added with a smile. My mom will share with you a story about how I cried at getting a Check-Plus instead of Check-Plus-Plus in first grade. Cappellettis mother is a onetime supermarket clerk and Democrat. Her father, a Republican, used to work in concrete as a laborer. The moral code they passed on to her: Make sure you spend your life helping people. She holds multiple advanced degrees but did not take a stab at politics until Trump won battleground Pennsylvania and, with it, the White House. She, like thousands I saw across the region, was galvanized by organizing rallies in 2017 and, eventually, ran for office herself. That fall, Cappelletti won a seat on the East Norriton Board of Supervisors. A year later, newcomer women in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties and Philadelphia swept into state House and Senate seats by wiping out Republican incumbents and cutting into GOP majorities in both chambers. To name just a few: Katie Muth ousted Sen. John Rafferty in Collegeville; Maria Collett defeated retiring Sen. Stewart Greenleafs son; and Jennifer OMara defeated Rep. Alexander Charlton in longtime GOP stronghold Springfield, Delaware County. As such women were storming the party, Leach came under fire for #MeToo allegations that he inappropriately touched female former staffers and made highly sexualized jokes. He denied the allegations and refused calls for his resignation including from Gov. Tom Wolf in late 2017. I wanted him gone, longtime Lower Merion Township-area State Rep. Mary Jo Daley told me this week. He was not the only progressive in Harrisburg anymore. There are a lot of us. And he was difficult to work with. READ MORE: Trump spurs a flood of political newbies to anger, then action in Philadelphia Leach has sued The Inquirer and one of its reporters over coverage of the allegations. The newspaper has stood by its reporting. When I called Leach for this column, he said he would not be challenging the results but criticized Cappelletti for sending negative fliers about him that referenced the #MeToo issues he continues to say were groundless. This is what McCarthyism looks like, Leach said. In August 2019, an emissary from Montgomery County Democratic circles called Cappelletti to see if shed be interested in chasing Leachs seat. I probably walked a whole block going uh, agh, uh, to the person on the phone, Cappelletti said as she remembered the call. I said, Give me 24 hours. She ran it by her husband and then a mentor from her days at Temple Law School. She said yes. A woman is asked seven to nine times more often than a man before she says yes to running for public office, Cappelletti told me. I decided I did not want to become a statistic. One look at her campaign finance reports will leave you gobsmacked by the power of Pennsylvanias ascendant women in Cappellettis race. Freshman Sen. Muth donated thousands of dollars. Fellow freshman Sen. Collett kicked in more than $15,000. Represent PA, a political action committee working exclusively to elect Democratic women to the overwhelmingly male state House, handed Cappelletti $10,000. (Wolf donated $25,000 through a PAC.) Daley, 70, a veteran of the states male-dominated political world, had been the first elected official to publicly endorse Cappelletti. And while her candidate is favored to defeat Republican Ellen Fisher in November, theres a broader message for party elders, she said. READ MORE: Pa. women are gunning for state House, Senate seats this year. It's huge - and about time. | Maria Panaritis It tells the Democratic establishment that you have to be looking out for these young candidates," Daley said as we talked outside her Narberth home. The ones who are not afraid to say things. Then, admiring a Cappelletti lawn sign on her property, Daley smiled and added: My Amanda won. - Fan Milk Limited has announced it would not pay dividends to shareholders for the 2019 operational year - It explained that the economic impact of the coronavirus has influenced the decision - Fan Milk Limited has informed the Ghana Stock Exchange of its decision Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Fan Milk Limited has announced its intent not to pay dividends to its shareholders for the 2019 operational year. The company consequently informed the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) about its decision. According to the company, the economic effects of the outbreak of the coronavirus compelled it to take the decision. READ ALSO: We asked banks to suspend the payment of dividend to avoid 2 challenges - BoG Per a report by thebftonline.com, it added that in the uncertain context of COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the Companys prudent balance sheet policy and to ensure financial flexibility, Fan Milk Limiteds Board of Directors have decided to pay no dividend for the year 2019. Fan Milks decision comes on the heels of directives to banks to refrain from paying dividends to shareholders. The directive came from the Bank of Ghana, which performs, amongst other functions, a supervisory role over the banks. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that despite the strong performance posted by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) in 2019, its board of directors did not approve the payments of dividends for the year. BoG recorded a profit of GHC1.8 billion for the year 2019, YEN.com.gh has learned. The 2019 result was twice the operating loss the central bank recorded in the preceding year. The realization of profit was attributed to the strong performance it posted for the year under review. READ ALSO: MTN Ghana suspends payment of dividends; postpones AGM 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 As many as 227 Indian nationals stranded in Finland, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia have been flown back home under the third phase of the mega evacuation exercise Vande Bharat. National carrier Air India on Friday evening operated its first passenger flight ever from the Finnish capital city Helsinki, bringing back the Indian citizens stranded in the four European countries due to the international travel restrictions following the coronavirus outbreak. Air Indias Country Manager in Israel, Pankaj Tiwari, whose office coordinated the repatriation flight told PTI that the AI 1184 flight landed in New Delhi on Saturday. The repatriation provided immense relief to stranded Indians, especially those who had come to Finland as tourists, business travellers, senior citizens who had been visiting their children and students who finished their academic year, Indias Ambassador to Finland Vani Rao told PTI. Among them were a couple who came to Finland for their honeymoon and got stuck for three months. Several are returning to India for medical attention and family emergencies, Rao added. While most of the stranded passengers were from Finland, 15 were from Estonia, some from Denmark and one from Latvia. The Air India flight also brought to Finland 168 people, including 15 infants, who were stranded in India. The special flight was a massive effort and a challenging one because Air India does not have any operations in Finland and all the logistics and ground support had to be handled by the concerned Finnish operators and was managed remotely by the Air India office in Tel Aviv, Rao said. This operation was very special as it was the first ever passenger flight from Finland to India by Air India. Another first was the scale at which thermal screening was carried out at the Helsinki airport -- in the last 15 years a thermal screening operation of so many passengers was not done in Helsinki on a single day, she said. The Finnish government, especially the foreign ministry, the border police and the airport management company, Finnavia, extended their cooperation and support to the inbound and outbound flights in coordination with the Indian embassy and the Air India office in Tel Aviv. The Indian community in Finland also came forward to volunteer in the efforts. While the mission was extremely challenging and needed coordination on several fronts, the happiness of the stranded Indians and their relief at finally heading back home made it completely worthwhile. For the embassy and the Indian community, an Air India flight landing at Helsinki was a moment of pride and a very memorable one, Rao said. Some Indians in Finland and Estonia who could not be accommodated on the flight, and are keen to go back to India, have been advised to take the Vande Bharat Flights from Frankfurt and Paris through direct booking. Handling operations at an offline location is challenging, but with the excellent support from the team of Embassy officials, local authorities in Finland and the Air India Team it was a seamless experience, Tiwari said. The third phase of the Vande Bharat Mission got underway on Thursday and will continue till July 2. Phase-III will have 432 international flights from 43 countries reaching 17 states and union territories. A total of 1,65,375 Indians have returned from abroad till Thursday under the evacuation mission, the first phase of which was launched on May 7. View this post on Instagram Personalized 10 inch pizza bagel !! Eat it by yourself or share with a friend only @ Heartland Bagels always Fresh & Delicious!!! #foodporn #bagels #pizzabagel #deliciousfood #heartlandbagels Representational Image (Torange.biz) The Congress has urged the Himachal government to ensure the procurement of apples by allowing buyers from outside to visit the state in the ensuring season. State Congress general secretary and Rohru MLA Mohan Lal Brakta said buyers from Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh usually come to the hill state to procure apples during each season but now their arrival is not certain in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The apple economy runs into around Rs 4,500 crore in Himachal with around 1.5 lakh families, mainly in Shimla, Kullu and Kinnaur districts,associated with it. The state government should relax norms for ensuring their visit to the state to buy apples, he added. Brakta told the media here on Friday that a Congress deputation led by its state president Kuldeep Singh Rathore had met Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur in this regard a few days ago. The Rohru MLA also stated that the apple growers were facing a shortage of Nepalese labour and cartons for the coming season. 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 Earlier on Thursday, Himachal Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj had held a meeting with apple growers in Shimla. After the meeting, he stated that around 47,000 of total 90,000 Nepalese labourers are already available in the state. The rest went to Nepal and are in touch with the apple growers, he added. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had talked to the external affairs minister about the availability of Nepalese workers, he added. The state government is ready to bring back Nepalese labourers in buses to Himachal from the Nepal border at Tanakpur in Uttarakhand, the minister said. Bhardwaj said buyers will also be allowed to come to the state with a minimum quarantine period. A march on Friday through St. Francisville addressed racial inequality and the area's plantation legacy. It followed nationwide protests over the death of a black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis. Geneva: Exiled Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugti, heading the movement in Balochistan, on Tuesday approached the Indian Embassy here seeking asylum in India and exuded confidence of a positive response from New Delhi. Bugti, who is leader of Baloch Republican Party (BRP), said he held talks with top Indian diplomats here about his asylum as well as that of a number of other Baloch leaders currently staying in Balochistan, Afghanistan and in some other countries. I went to the Indian embassy and held talks with Indian officials about it (asylum). I am confident that something positive will come out, Bugti told PTI. Asked whether he filed required papers for his asylum, Bugti, the grandson of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti who was killed by Pakistani forces 10 years ago, refused to share details saying the matter was very sensitive. He said Indias encouragement to the Baloch movement mean a lot for people of Balochistan and that in the meeting, various aspects of the entire issue were discussed. I am thankful to Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the issue of Balochistan in his Independence Day speech. It is a very good move. We are hopeful of Indias continued support, he said. Bugti said he will file the asylum application to the Indian government through the countrys embassy here within next 3-4 days. We have decided to formally file asylum papers to Indian government soon. We will follow the legal process for the application, Bugti told reporters here. He is currently living in exile in Switzerland. Yesterday, the Baloch leader had appealed to India to come out with a policy initiative so that people facing atrocities in Balochistan can come and feel secure in India. He said many more Baloch leaders may seek asylum in India and added we will see who all will need asylum (in India). Bugti had gone into exile in Afghanistan after the death of Akbar Bugti in 2006. The Pakistani government had pressured Afghanistan to extradite him following which Bugti shifted to Switzerland in 2010. He had reportedly survived multiple attempts on his life in Afghanistan. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Many of us have heard the phrase Plan B crop up from time to time in everyday conversations. But we probably have never seen so many businesses, organizations and individuals putting their versions of Plan B into action in such a short time span as has occurred during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Clearly, the health risks and safety concerns stemming from COVID-19 have prompted numerous contingency plans to be established, announced and carried out, in place of originally scheduled events and programs, over the past three months or so. Think for a moment about life here in Northeast Ohio. Since COVID-19 coincided with high school graduation season, commencement ceremonies had to be conducted much differently this year. Schools had to figure out ways to make graduations memorable and meaningful for seniors in the midst of state-mandated guidelines that limited the size of group gatherings and required social distancing between people who assembled in public places. As an example, consider how Fairport Harding High School put together a special ceremony for its 62 graduating seniors. The students received their diplomas on May 29 in the high school auditorium at different intervals throughout the day, in a system that prevented groups of graduates and their families from becoming too large or close together. All Harding seniors were given assigned times May 29 to come to the high school and secure their diplomas. Each student, along with a maximum of four guests, waited in their cars until being summoned into the school by a staff member. Once inside, each student was handed his or her diploma by parents or other guests, and then walked across the stage in the auditorium, carrying the cherished certificate. A professional videographer and photographer were on hand to capture the moment for each student, and then worked on creating a virtual commencement video for viewing at a later date. On the night of May 29, those graduates were invited to participate in a car parade that rolled through Fairport Harbor Village. A vehicle procession also played a prominent part in the 2020 Madison Memorial Day program, which took place with a format intended to protect participants and spectators from COVID-19. The events car parade, consisting of about 60 vehicles, had assembled in the Madison High School parking lot on Burns Road, then proceeded east on Middle Ridge Road, where the caravan was viewed by a line of about 50 veterans from American Legion Posts 112 and 601, as well as Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8548, which all are based in Madison. After the parade, veterans from the three organizations gathered around a group of flagpoles outside American Legion Post 112, and participated in a ceremony that included the laying of wreaths, an invocation, a guest speaker and rifle salutes. Although the program was billed in advance as a private function exclusively for veterans from the three organizations, some members of the general public attended, as well. Everyone on the Post 112 property, at 6671 Middle Ridge Road, abided by social-distancing guidelines throughout the event. Another tradition that will fall by the wayside in 2020, because of COVID-19, is the annual Lake-Geauga Fast Track 50 dinner and awards banquet. The group that sponsors Fast Track 50, an event that pays tribute to successful businesses and outstanding community organizations and leaders in the region, has canceled the events 2020 awards dinner and celebration, which was slated for early November. Although were disappointed to call off this years event, we believe the highest priority is to ensure the health and safety of our award winners, sponsors and program participants, and guests who would have attended the celebration, said Fast Track 50 Board of Trustees President Scott J. Marn. But the Fast Track 50 Board of Trustees will be developing an alternative plan for honoring this years winners perhaps an online event that can be attended remotely and is allowing extra time for applicants to enter the competition. Without a doubt, 2020 will be remembered as a year when COVID-19 turned Plan B into the preferred course of action for so many of us, either as spectators, participants or organizers, in Ohio and throughout the United States. WASHINGTON - Dozens of protesters descended Saturday evening on the District of Columbia home of Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, demanding that she defund the police as they chanted and danced to music at what they called a block party. The protesters, many of them with trans-led LGBTQ advocacy group No Justice No Pride, were met by a line of at least 22 masked police officers outside the mayor's home. But there were no altercations, even as dancers strutted and preened inches from officers' faces and flashed the middle finger at police at the end of performances. Although Bowser garnered national acclaim for painting "Black Lives Matter" on 16th Street near the White House, she has a fraught relationship with local Black Lives Matter leaders, who object to how she has handled police shootings in the nation's capital. A sweeping police overhaul bill passed by the District Council last week has put Bowser and District Police Chief Peter Newsham further at odds with activists. That tension was on full display Saturday. "She fake," No Justice No Pride organizer Pontianna Ivan said of the mayor, just before the crowd broke into chants of, "Where Bowser at?" Bowser was home at the time of the protest and left shortly after demonstrators departed about 8 p.m. A spokesperson for Bowser did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For much of Saturday, the protests against police brutality and racial injustice were smaller but showed no sign of letting up as demonstrations continued for the 16th straight day in District and in communities throughout the Washington region. As the sun set in the District, hundreds of peaceful protesters marched north on 15th Street toward Meridian Hill Park to voice their outrage over the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Earlier in the day, families, bikers and dog walkers, many wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts and "I can't breathe!" face masks, made their way to the blocks near Lafayette Square and the White House that have become the focal point of protesters for the past two weeks. The crowds who squared off against police in violent clashes at the outset of the protests had been replaced with visitors who came to take pictures of signs and murals that blanketed the area, including the yellow, large-block lettering reading "Black Lives Matter" on 16th Street between Lafayette Square and K Street NW. "I guess our time is now," said Barrington Mack, who rode his bike to the newly christened Black Lives Matter Plaza from his home. "All of our concerns have never been voiced like this since the '60s." Mack, 50, wore a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words: "I'm not a gentrifier. I've been here. DC Native." It was his first visit to the plaza since protests began in the District. He said seeing the display was a good start. "For me, it's a very important symbolic gesture," Mack said. "The District is acknowledging what we've been suffering for 400 years. We need discussions to bring unity and healing to our country." "And make sure you get this down," he added, pointing to a reporter's notebook. "Reparations should be the be-all and end-all of those discussions." Additional protest marches and gatherings Saturday were planned across the city and in neighboring suburbs, including Alexandria and Ashburn in Virginia and Gaithersburg, Mount Airy and Edgewater in Maryland. In Richmond, a few thousand people turned out on Monument Avenue for Virginia's 5,000 Man March Against Racism. After two weeks of alternately violent and peaceful nighttime protests in the city, the afternoon event felt like a festival. Amid the avenue's graffiti-covered Confederate monuments, straw sun hats and live gospel music mixed with Black Lives Matter T-shirts and chants of "no justice, no peace." "We should be spreading love - love and peace and kindness - because that's what's going to make the biggest difference," said Mario Powell, 23, handing out free hot dogs and fried fish sandwiches from Godfrey's, a downtown drag club. On the sidewalk, Jeffery Lamont Peters held a poster-size photo of his late nephew, Marcus-David Peters, a teacher fatally shot by Richmond police during a mental breakdown in May 2018. Marcus-David Peters was unarmed, naked and visibly disturbed when he lunged at an officer, according to police, who concluded the officer fired in self-defense. "Don't forget about what happened in your own backyard," Peters called out to the passing marchers. Though protests in Washington were calm Saturday, the fronts of most downtown buildings remain boarded up - a sign that property owners remained wary of tensions flaring again. Most visitors took advantage of the peaceful atmosphere and sparkling June weather to pay homage at the site of earlier, larger protests. Many brought their children with them. Andre McLemore stood Saturday with his two children, admiring the collection of signs remaining on the black fence outside Lafayette Square. McLemore, 49, said he decided to bring the children to the protest for the first time on Saturday because he had been worried in previous days about safety. "It was important for them to see the movement and the outrage, not only from black Americans, but from all the minorities," said McLemore, a federal contractor from Gaithersburg, Md. He said he recently has been having more conversations with his son, Donovan, about how to interact with police as he prepares to start driving. He said he tries to teach his children to love everyone, regardless of their race, but also to realize that not everyone feels the same. Early Saturday afternoon, dozens gathered in front of the White House for an impromptu open-mic session. Stacia Wright, 43, shared with the crowd that her 8-year old son recently told her, "Mommy, I don't want to go outside." She hadn't let him watch the video of Floyd's death but had tried to explain it to him, and to tell him that because of the color of his skin, he might be treated differently than his friends. But she also told him not to be scared. "We have a right to be able to tell our children that it's literally going to be okay," said Wright, of Laurel, Md. "I don't want to lie to my son." Wright, an event manager, said she hadn't brought her son to the protest because she wanted to check it out herself first, to protect him. But after seeing the peaceful families gathered, she said she wanted to bring him next week. The uptick in visitors, young and old, was also proving good for business. More than a dozen vendors set up tables along 16th Street selling T-shirts, masks and posters for those who wanted to proclaim their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Hassan McEachin, 26, had piles of T-shirts and masks for sale on his table at 16th and I. The Olney, Md., resident said he earned $5,000 in sales Friday and sold out of his supply. On Saturday, he brought hundreds of child-size shirts to sell. "A lot of people were asking for shirts for their kids yesterday, so I knew they would do well," McEachin said. Another vendor aimed at an even younger market: He was doing brisk business selling Black Lives Matter onesies for infants. Not all demonstrators in Washington on Saturday were voicing support for police reform and structural change. Two dozen people, most of whom were white, gathered on the Mall in a show of support for law enforcement - the first such event the nation's capital has seen in more than two weeks of protests over the killing of Floyd. The event, called "We Back Blue," aimed to give conservatives a voice in the ongoing national conversation about the role of police, according to a video posted to Facebook by organizer Melissa Robey. The schedule for the event included speeches and a march to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Throughout the day, different groups of racial injustice demonstrators made their way to Lafayette Square and Black Lives Matter Plaza. One group included dozens of lawyers, who marched from the headquarters of the National Bar Association on 12th Street to the White House, many of them wearing "Black Lawyers Matter" T-shirts. "We have been fighting injustice and inequality for 95 years," said Alfreda Robinson, president of the association, which is the nation's largest network of African American attorneys. "This was a moment. We would not have missed this moment." Robin Cooper, 49, packed into a van with a half-dozen friends Saturday morning and drove nearly four hours from her home in Philadelphia to reach the nation's capital in time for a Black Lives Matter rally hosted by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Cooper, who helped organize the rally and is president of Teamsters Local 502 in Philadelphia, said it felt wonderful to march with fellow Teamsters through the streets of Washington to speak out against police treatment of black Americans, which she views as a human rights violation. "Black lives are human lives, black lives are Teamster lives," she said. "I'm a Teamster, and I'm black, and I'm proud." By Express News Service THRISSUR: Local Self-Government Minister AC Moideen said the current spike in COVID-19 infections in the district was expected and there is no need for any major concerns in this regard. Addressing reporters after the review meeting on Friday, Moideen said the district administration had anticipated that the number of positive cases will go up to 350 after the arrival of expats. But the number of cases crossed only 200, which means the situation is still under control here. However, in a couple of cases health officials couldnt trace the source of the infection which is definitely a concern. In the case of infections through local transmission, it has been decided to conduct more antibody tests, he said. The district administration plans to conduct 1,000 antibody tests on those belonging to the vulnerable category. In the wake of rising COVID cases and dengue outbreak, markets in the district will remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday for the purpose of sanitisation. The district had reported 74 dengue cases in the last couple of days. A cleaning drive at the main markets in the district will be helpful in preventing the monsoon diseases as well, he said. The minister also warned of strict action if false information on COVID infections is spread through the social media. Responding to calls from elected representatives, including T N Prathapan, MP and Anil Akkara, MLA, for a complete lockdown in the district, Moideen said that the district administration cannot impose such restrictions on its own and it can only go by the existing guidelines. Containment zones will be monitored strictly and people should follow officials instructions, he added. UPDATE: Woman who died after Williams Township fire is identified INITIAL POST: Authorities were investigating a death at a house fire Saturday morning in Williams Township. The fire was reported about 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the 2000 block of South Delaware Drive (Route 611) in the township's Raubsville section. Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek confirmed one person was pronounced dead and that the investigation was continuing into the cause and manner of death. He declined to immediately release further information. Gary Graves, 58, lives next door to the fire scene and said he was alerted to the blaze by a couple driving down 611, who saw smoke and knocked on his door. He dialed 911 and could see light smoke coming from the second floor of the home. Graves said he knocked on his neighbors door and called the neighbors phone, but did not receive a response. The Williams Township Fire Co. has a station nearby and was at the scene within minutes. The Bethlehem Fire Department's K9 Silver arrives to help with the investigation into a house fire with a fatality Saturday, June 13, 2020, in the 2000 block of South Delaware Drive (Route 611) in Raubsville, Williams Township.Tony Rhodin | For lehighvalleylive.com Pennsylvania State Police with the Bethlehem Fire Departments K9 Silver were investigating, and the fire company was assisted by fire departments from Palmer Township, Wilson Borough, Lower Saucon Township and Riegelsville, along with the Easton Emergency Squad and Suburban EMS. 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. By Jan Wolfe June 11 (Reuters) - A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators on Thursday introduced legislation that would require Republican President Donald Trump to more systematically punish China for stealing U.S. technology. The bill requires the president to give Congress periodic updates on foreign companies and individuals that steal vital U.S. trade secrets and mandates the leveling of penalties, including economic sanctions. The legislation was introduced by Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and Republican Senator Ben Sasse. Van Hollen told Reuters the bill was a "direct approach" to combating China's use of illicit methods for acquiring rapid technological advances. "I think there is a big deterrent benefit to making it clear upfront that when we find this kind of theft, there will be penalties," Van Hollen said. The Chinese government has repeatedly insisted Washington has exaggerated the problem of intellectual property theft for political reasons, dismissing the industrial espionage allegations as groundless. Van Hollen and Sasse's bill would require the president to send a report to congressional committees every six months. The biannual report to Congress must list individuals or companies involved in serial theft of U.S. trade secrets that threatens U.S. national security or economic health. The legislation also requires the president to impose penalties on those companies, including "blocking sanctions" that generally freeze American assets and bar doing business with a U.S. business or person. The United States has long asserted that China fails to protect American intellectual property and steals it or forces the transfer of it. Trump has retaliated against Chinese intellectual property and trade practices by hiking tariffs and imposing limits on companies like Huawei Technologies Co. A Senate report released in November found that federal agencies responded too slowly as Beijing recruited U.S.-based researchers to transfer intellectual property from American laboratories, leaving U.S. taxpayers unwittingly funding China's economic rise. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe in Truro, Massachusetts; editing by Jonathan Oatis) (Corrects 7th paragraph to say lawmakers, not regulators, would impose carbon incentives) By Ann Saphir SAN FRANCISCO, June 11 (Reuters) - A report commissioned by a U.S. regulator on climate-related risks to financial markets, the first of its kind, will be ready next month and will include specific policy recommendations for federal oversight, the head of the panel preparing it said on Thursday. "This whole report is about everyone recognizing the urgency of addressing this very significant risk-management issue," said Bob Litterman, who chairs a 35-member panel formed last year by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to examine the threat that climate change poses to the stability of financial markets. He had expected the panel to wrap up its work in June, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the publication date. With much of the public's and government's attention on the coronavirus in recent months and now on the scourge of racism after the May 25 killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, "it's a very crowded space, no doubt about that," Litterman said. But he is not worried the report will fall on deaf ears, in no small part because its authors include such a broad range of industries, including Litterman's former employer, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, as well as oil producer BP Plc, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Dairy Farmers of America. Litterman declined to give a preview of the findings. "We all agree that we need appropriate incentives, and incentives are key to the allocation of capital," he said. Once lawmakers impose incentives that discourage emissions of carbon dioxide that contribute to planetary warming - via, possibly, a carbon tax - the reaction in financial markets could be sudden, and sharp, he said. "I think investors have been expecting the response to climate change to be a relatively long, drawn-out affair as it has been so far," Litterman said. "I would say, 'No.'" (Reporting by Ann Saphir in San Francisco; Editing by Dan Grebler) Correction: The last name of the Atlanta Police officer involved in the death of Rayshard Brooks was misspelled. His correct name is Devin Brosnan. ATLANTA An Atlanta police officer involved in the death of a Black man at a fast-food restaurant has been fired and another placed on administrative duty, authorities confirmed early Sunday. The moves follow Saturday's resignation of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields, who stepped down as the Friday night killing of Rayshard Brooks, 27, sparked a new wave of protests in Atlanta after turbulent demonstrations that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis had simmered down. The terminated officer was identified as Garrett Rolfe, who was hired in October 2013, Atlanta Police Department Sergeant John Chafee told USA TODAY. The other officer placed on administrative duty is Devin Brosnan, who was hired in September 2018. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Brooks, 27, was shot by an officer while fleeing during a struggle at a Wendy's drive-thru late Friday. Brooks had been asleep in his car at the drive-thru, causing other customers to drive around the car, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. Police were dispatched to the Wendy's around 10:30 p.m., and conducted a sobriety test on Brooks, who failed the test, according to the officials. "During the arrest, the male subject resisted and a struggle ensued," the Bureau of Investigation said. "The officer deployed a Taser. Witnesses report that during the struggle the male subject grabbed and was in possession of the Taser. It has also been reported that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over the Taser." One officer was treated for an injury and discharged after the confrontation. Brooks died in the hospital after surgery. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who announced the police chief's resignation, also called for the termination of the police officer who shot Brooks and for another officer to be placed on administrative duty. Story continues "While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do. I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force," Bottoms said. Bottoms said Shields would continue in a different role "to be determined" in the police department. "To the family of Mr. Brooks, there are no words strong enough to express how sincerely sorry I am for your loss. I do hope that you will find some comfort in the swift actions that have been taken today," she said. "And because of her desire that Atlanta be a model of what meaningful reform should look like across this country, Chief Shields has offered to immediately step aside as police chief so that the city may move forward with urgency in rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our community," Bottoms said. Bottoms called Shields a "solid member of APD for over two decades." Protestors block University Avenue and the onramp to I-75 northbound near the Wendy's fast food restaurant in Atlanta on Saturday, June 13, 2020, where Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, was shot by Atlanta police Friday evening during a struggle in a drive-thru line. Earlier on Saturday, several hundred people gathered in the parking lot of the Wendys where Brooks encountered the police. Some chanted "say his name" and carried signs that read "He didnt deserve to die" and "convict the killer cop." The restaurant was closed to patrons. Tyler Brown, 29, said he was one of the first protesters to arrive at Wendys Saturday morning after learning about Brooks death on social media. Brown, who lives just a few blocks away, said, the community is baffled at why the officer felt the need to kill Brooks. Honestly Im tired of it, Brown said. No matter what you do, youre unarmed, youre not a threat, youre down on the ground in handcuffs, and they still feel the need to put the knee on your neck or shoot you. Kayla Pruitt, 24, of Atlanta, said the cries from protesters in recent weeks seem to have fallen on deaf ears with police. Weve been out here for a couple weeks now and yall still killing folks, said Pruitt, who arrived Saturday at the Wendy's to protest police violence. Its like have yall heard nothing anybody has said? The peaceful protest suddenly turned violent around 8:30 p.m. after National Guard troops arrived toting guns. Some protesters began surrounding one police car and rocking it. Other protesters surged on the police and troops without touching them, forcing the law enforcement officials to walk backwards from the crowd. After a few minutes, the law enforcement officials released several canisters of tear gas into the crowd, sending the protesters fleeing in panic. Protesters later shut down an interstate highway in both directions and set fire to the Wendys restaurant where Brooks was fatally shot the night before, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It's unclear why Brooks was sleeping in his car at the drive-thru Friday night. Wendys surveillance video published by the Bureau of Investigations Saturday afternoon appears to show officers arriving in a vehicle to the drive-thru parking lot. The vehicle can be seen pulling up to another car, but the officers and Brooks cannot be seen in the video. About half an hour later, Brooks can be seen running away from two officers, who chase after him. As Brooks runs away, he turns back toward one officer and points the Taser, and that officer fires his weapon. Brooks falls to the ground and appears to remain motionless. As the two officers approach Brooks on the ground, bystanders can be seen getting out of their cars and recording video. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds said Saturday afternoon the agency had gathered surveillance video from the Wendy's, police bodycam video and bystander video posted to social media. The agency had spoken with at least one witness, who corroborated the videos, Reynolds said. "It does appear in the video that he is fleeing from the Atlanta police officers," Reynolds said. Reynolds said he not sure how many shots were fired. He did not comment on whether the officer's use of force was appropriate. "We have not digitally enhanced that video yet. We will," Reynolds said. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, Jr. said in a statement Saturday that his office had launched an "intense, independent" investigation of the incident, and that members of his office were on the scene shortly after the shooting. "Our thoughts and our sympathies are extended to the family of Rayshard Brooks as we must not forget that this investigation is centered upon a loss of life," Howard said. Bystander video of Brooks' encounter with the police began to circulate on social media Friday night. USA TODAY could not independently verify the video. Brooks' death comes amid thousands of protests worldwide against police killings of Black people following the death of Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer held his knee into Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes on Memorial Day. In a statement Saturday, the Georgia NAACP called for Shields and Bottoms to be held "accountable for the continued threat on innocent Black lives in their community." Protestors gather on University Ave near a Wendy's restaurant, Saturday, June 13, 2020 in Atlanta. "Atlantans woke up to disturbing videos and reports of Rayshard being killed by the Atlanta Police Department. At this time, we must address the over-saturated police presence in Atlantas Black communities. This is not the first time a Black man was killed for sleeping," the organization said in a statement. "The City of Atlanta must address this not only with their words, but also with their actions and budgetary decisions." The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force. Yes, investigations must be called for - but so too should accountability. Sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death. https://t.co/LKsiwA48Ll Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) June 13, 2020 Stacey Abrams, a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, condemned the shooting on Twitter Saturday morning. "The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force. Yes, investigations must be called for but so too should accountability," Abrams wrote. "Sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death." Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., said on Twitter that Brooks' death "reflects that low to no value was placed on his life." "Bottom line: #RayshardBrooks should be alive," she wrote. "Rayshards life shouldnt have even been endangered by a call to police because he was sleeping in his car in a drive thru. Im learning more and talking with community." Outside the Wendy's, Jonte Trotter said he traveled to Atlanta from Oakland, California, earlier this week to join the ongoing protests here. He said he was frustrated that police officers continue to use unnecessary force on Black men. It just shows that as a Black man myself, my life holds no value, said Trotter, 23, before police began clashing with the crowd. I can be killed at any time and it will be another hashtag, another protest. Theres no automatic justice over my life. Officials in Georgia have also attracted scrutiny in recent months for their handling of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. In February, 25-year-old Arbery, who was Black, was fatally shot by three white men while out jogging about two miles from his home in a neighborhood outside Brunswick, Georgia. It took more than two months for murder charges and arrests in Arbery's case, which was eventually handed over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. "I was just thinking ironically it was about a month or so ago I stood in front of you upstairs as the GBI got involved in the Arbery matter down in Brunswick," Reynolds said Saturday. "As with the Arbery matter in Brunswick, we will ask again for the communitys patience." In all, the bureau has investigated 48 officer-involved shootings this year, Nelly Miles, a bureau spokesperson, told USA TODAY. A Wendy's restaurant burns in Atlanta after demonstrators set it on fire Saturday night following the death of Rayshard Brooks, a Black man who was shot and killed by Atlanta police. Ibram X. Kendi, whose book How to Be an Antiracist hit No. 1 on the hardcover nonfiction list after Floyd's death as Americans sought to educate themselves about the nation's racist systems, tweeted that Brooks should not be blamed for his death. "I suspect racist Americans will argue #RayshardBrooks shouldn't have ran; he made the officers fear for their lives; his unarmed back threatened them; so they had to shoot him in the back. Or, we'll hear about apples when another murderous tree has fallen," he said. Shields released a statement Saturday offering her "deep and abiding love" for Atlanta. "I have faith in the mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve," she said. Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Rodney Bryant will serve as the interim chief, Bottoms said. Contributing: Becky Kellogg and Charles Ventura; Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta shooting: Black man dies after police shooting at Wendy's Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Atma Nirbhar Bharat: A mantra to mask failure? | Anand K Sahay by Anand K Sahay When the lockdown came without notice, and the regime left the 400 million informal sector in the lurch, the Indian state sat unmoved Now it is hard to find any classes of people, including among Prime Minister Narendra Modis followers, who believe that the PM has given leadership in the execution of the urgent twin tasks before the country of fighting the pandemic, and dealing with the economy after the unknown virus struck, or even before. The thali-banging, the cheap diya trick linked to a religious motif of the majority community, and the perverse showering of flower petals on hospitals by the Indian Air Force (a waste of the taxpayers money) even as medical professionals remain massively exposed to risk for want of appropriate gear, look especially decrepit as moves to raise morale. Indeed, looking back it is clear that these were acts of desperation by one who was low on ideas of any intellectual, social or political depth or sophistication. Rather, they resembled artifice of a small-time sorcerer who found himself in a corner. At any rate, these were hardly steps that would advance the fight against a virus. Whats important, though, is that the intent behind these rituals was the glorification of an individual as an innovative thinker, one who was heads and shoulders above other politicians. Some in the poodle media even sought to talk up the leader for wearing a munda, a sarong-like lower garment of common use in South India to which the PM is unwonted, as he stood by a tall temple lamp in televised images, as they thought this would raise his stature in the south. When the lockdown came without notice (as had demonetisation in 2016 with terrible consequences), and the regime left the 400 million informal sector work force in the lurch, forcing lakhs of them to embark on a very long march home, the Indian state sat unmoved, issuing meaningless directions. It refused to provide transport until pushed to do so by an angry public opinion, and even then it moved grudgingly, fitfully, grumpily, and minimally. It became quite apparent then that this government was not going to lift its little finger to help even when the people found their life-energy ebbing. What is still unfolding before us the march of the otherwise invisible millions seems far from over is the most tragic spectacle in independent India concerning the countrys poorest, and the governments pretty much point-blank refusal to assist them in any immediate or tangible way in this dire hour. The truth is that the whole world too has watched this in horror as disturbing pictures of our people at their most vulnerable have played out on television screens across the globe. The carefully cultivated image of Mr Modis New India, devised by the regimes spin machine and its media collaborators, lies in tatters. Today, it is truly New India versus Pareshaan India (or Mentally Exhausted India). The effect of this on our foreign policy cannot immediately be assessed but it is likely that after this we will be unable to look even the worlds poorest nations in the eye for some time to come. Some of them are in our neighbourhood, and thats bad news as the little frogs would have had the big frog figured out. For the big-league players, we might now just become an object of condescension, shorn of leverage, made to sweat for a seat in the reserves. After the migrant labour horror show, the question really engaging peoples attention today is this: Does the Beloved Leader have feelings for anyone, except himself? And, does he have any goals other than the 3 Ss of self-advancement, self-aggrandisement, and self-praise? Of no previous Indian leader has this been asked, and no other question is asked of leaders in places like North Korea, China, and lately the United States. It is no less than remarkable that the PM is yet to speak even in passing about the misfortune of the lakhs of migrant workers walking back home, such is his haughty aloofness and contempt for the poor. His acolyte finance minister has followed suit. Nirmala Seetharaman held tedious press conferences spread over the better part of the week after her leader did data jugglery to announce a Covid relief package of Rs 20 lakh crores, or roughly 10 per cent of the GDP, which was later revealed to be less than one percent of the GDP. She too steered clear of the subject of the Long March of the Migrant Worker. She was, in fact, peeved that a Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, had sat down by the roadside to speak to a cluster of labourers trudging back home to their distant village. Ever Orwellian, the PM has announced an Atma Nirbhar Abhiyaan a Campaign of Self-Reliance. If there are any soaring ideas that underpin it, we have not been told yet. But on the face of it, the voodoo scheme looks like being nothing more complex than a Fend For Yourself Campaign, and the Devil take the Hindmost. The 15-year-old Bihar girl, Jyoti Kumari Paswan, understood the meaning of Mr Modis words perfectly. She knew her government wouldnt stand by the likes of her. She picked up her father with a broken leg and pedalled on a second-hand bicycle from Gurgaon to their home in Darbhanga, 1,200 kilometres away. It was a profile in courage born out of the deepest existential doubts. Indias most needy have been thrown to the wolves. After 60 days of lockdown, the Covid positivity curve is rising aggressively (in Italy and China, among the worst hit nations, it flattened in 40 days) and the poor are the main victims. Since the regime loves false comparisons to make itself look good, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have done better. As for the economy, the prognosis is a growth rate of well below zero per cent. In such an hour, the government has opted to disrupt national unity on a religious and partisan basis. Over weeks, official pronouncements have sought to draw forced attention to the irresponsible behavior of a Muslim sect for the spread of the pandemic, shielding from view policy failings, and blamed non-BJP state governments and politicians. The government has also run amok arresting, during the lockdown, activists who had earlier opposed the discriminatory citizenship amendment law. Anand Sahay is a senior journalist based in Delhi. (Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle, May 29, 2020) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said the 22-year-old woman, who was arrested in West Bengal in March for alleged links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), used WhatsApp number of Pakistan, news agency ANI reported on Saturday. Tania Parvin, who was taken into custody by the agency on Friday in the state capital of Kolkata for questioning, had been a part of several groups on the social messaging site, according to ANI. She was arrested on March 19 from her residence at the Bangladesh-bordering Malayapur village, within Baduria police station jurisdictions in Basirhat police district. Police had said in March that Parvin, a first-year masters student, was trying to honey-trap Indian soldiers using Facebook and WhatsApp. Her direct connection with LeT operatives based in Pakistan has been established. She was using the dark web to interact with them. We expect her interrogation to provide us with further leads in busting the whole network, Ajay Kumar Nand, inspector general of STF, said. LeT, which is led by Hafiz Saeed and responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is one of the deadliest anti-India terror groups. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Judd Apatow isnt what youd call a pessimist. Cinema after the coronavirus pandemic? The industry will rise again. Comedy in the age of wokeness? That shouldnt be a hindrance. But ask him about Donald Trump and that buoyancy deflates. The US president is, I believe, a malignant narcissist, says the man behind films such as Knocked Up and This is 40. He doesnt have compassion. He is not intellectually capable of leading our country and he is not emotionally fit to run our country and everything thats happening is the natural result of that. Were speaking over the phone ahead of the release of Apatows latest film, The King of Staten Island. Its less than two weeks after Trump threatened to send the military to end a wave of protests against racism and police brutality in America. And its one day after the same president peddled a baseless conspiracy theory about a 75-year-old protester who was filmed falling to the ground and bleeding from his head, after being shoved by police. Its a tragedy that somehow he was elected, Apatow continues of Trump. There was a lot of voter suppression involved in his election, which is something the filmmaker is also vocal about on Twitter. To this day, he continues, were still not sure exactly what happened. Im hopeful that nobody new has decided they love him. And when people get to go to the polls [in November 2020], he will be removed. Theres a frustration in Apatows voice. Outrage, even. Generally, though, hes conversational and relaxed; maybe a little reserved, only occasionally emerging from beneath a showbiz veneer. And who could blame him? The 52-year-old has been a part of the comedy circuit since his teens, and its hard to overstate how much the American comedy landscape has been shaped by his work. The director, screenwriter, producer and comedian has helped bolster the careers of among others Steve Carell (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Lena Dunham (Girls), Amy Schumer (Trainwreck), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) and Freaks and Geeks stars Linda Cardellini, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps and James Franco. Scott Carlin (Pete Davidson) and Papa (Steve Buscemi) in The King of Staten Island (Universal Pictures) The latest beneficiary of the Judd Apatow treatment is Pete Davidson. The 26-year-old SNL star, who has made headlines over the years for reasons ranging from his love life (he was briefly engaged to Ariana Grande) to his openness about mental health, stars in The King of Staten Island, a bittersweet coming-of-age comedy drama directed and co-written by Apatow. The King of Staten Island is largely inspired by Davidsons personal life. Scott, the films protagonist, is a twenty-something slacker struggling to cope with the loss of his firefighter father; the real Davidson lost his dad, firefighter Scott Matthew Davidson, in the 9/11 attacks. It manages to be both funny and sensitive and somewhat of a feat in the contemporary movie industry, in a film co-written by men tackles male-female relationships in a way that doesnt feel sexist or cheap. The female characters Scotts mother Margie (Marisa Tomei) and his best-friend-slash-love-interest Kelsey (Bel Powley) are fully fledged, with aspirations of their own and a take-no-s*** approach to life that manages to ring true. In that regard, the film reflects its directors conviction that there is still ample room for comedy, even in an age when comedians are likely to suffer blowback if they are found to have said the wrong things. I feel like an enormous amount of people are doing remarkably strong work and do not appear to be holding back, says Apatow. There are people who are very sensitive to certain types of humour, and there are other people who like things that are more shocking and there is no arbiter who gets to decide what is appropriate. So its all very messy, and that scares people in comedy because theres really no way to know if youve made some sort of error. Or you think you didnt make an error, but maybe somebody else is offended. Citing his comedian friend Colin Quinn, he adds: In these times when you make the joke, you just need to mean it. You cant be sloppy about your thinking. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up One of Apatows longtime collaborators, Lena Dunham (Apatow was a executive producer on Girls), has faced a number of criticisms over the years, from allegations of racism to a furore after she publicly doubted a woman who had come forward with an accusation of sexual assault (Dunham has expressed regret for doing so). Nevertheless, Apatow, who describes Dunham as one of the most brilliant people Ive ever been around, still awards her his full support. I think she completely changed television with Girls, he says. There was no show like that before, and as a result there are way more female showrunners and a lot more very open, brave, daring television, from many different communities that didnt have those breaks. There are other people responsible, but she was a big part of changing that landscape. I think shes a great person. When youre in the public eye, people try to look for mistakes. And once in a while, theyre going to find one with everybody. Thats just a part of it that were all adjusting to. Seth Rogan and Katherine Heigl in the movie Knocked Up (Universal Pictures/screengrab ) (Universal Pictures/screengrab) Speaking of adjustment, 12 years have passed since Katherine Heigl had the temerity to describe Knocked Up, a romantic comedy directed, written and co-produced by Apatow, as a little sexist. The comments caused a backlash, and contributed to Heigls reputation for being allegedly difficult to work with. Now, Apatow is clear about his own feelings on Heigls criticism I didnt see it coming and it hurt my feelings but equally clear about the actors right to speak out. I think that everyone should be allowed to criticise anything. Thats how everything works: stand-up comedians, movies, television. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. Sometimes it just crosses over into this other thing, which is, should people be allowed to work or should they be cancelled if people disagree with something that someone said or made? People have always had debates about the quality of work and what it means, and thats good, unless it somehow turns toxic in some way. The King of Staten Island was originally destined for a theatrical release that would have positioned it as one of the first big comedies of the summer. But the coronavirus pandemic shut down cinemas across the world, meaning that the film is being released digitally instead. This could have been viewed as a setback, but Apatow is confident movies will survive even if the worlds largest cinema chain, AMC Theatres, has expressed doubts about whether it can remain in business. Therell be a vaccine or treatments which make the coronavirus much less dangerous. But before that happens, we all have to be very careful. It will be very difficult to make movies. It definitely will be different. But as soon as people are told its safe, he adds, that optimism abiding, they will be as populous as ever. The King of Staten Island is available to watch on VOD now (Newser) Authorities in the Southern California city of Palmdale are investigating the death of a 24-year-old black man found hanging from a tree near City Hall, which they originally described as an apparent suicide, prompting outrage in the community, the AP reports. A passerby reported seeing Robert Fuller's body around 3am Wednesday. Emergency personnel responded and found that he appeared to have died by suicide, Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said. Fuller's death has generated intense scrutiny, especially after nationwide protests rebuking the police killing of George Floyd. On Saturday, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the high desert city of 150,000, marching from the park where Fuller's body was found to the sheriff's station. story continues below More than 130,000 people signed an online petition demanding a full investigation into Fuller's death. Community members confronted city officials at a contentious news briefing Friday, asking why they were quick to label his death a suicide and demanding an independent autopsy. "I have doubts about what happened," Marisela Barajas told the Los Angeles Times. "All alone, in front of the City Hallit's more like a statement. Even if it was a suicide, that in itself is kind of a statement." Residents demanded surveillance video, but the city said there were no outdoor cameras around the time and place of the hanging. Lt. Kelly Yagerlener of the county medical examiner-coroner's office said a decision on the cause of death is deferred pending an investigation. A full autopsy is planned. (Read more cause of death stories.) (Corrects typographical error in first paragraph) June 12 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index opened higher on Friday, following its worst session in nearly 11 weeks after a sobering economic outlook from the U.S. Federal Reserve rattled investor sentiment. * At 9:30 a.m. ET (13:30 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was up 316.81 points, or 2.1%, at 15,367.73. (Reporting by Amal S in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi) British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has struck a deal to supply Europe with a coronavirus vaccine. The Cambridge-based firm has agreed to dish out up to 400million doses of its unproven jab in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. Its AZD1222 vaccine, developed by Oxford University, is currently being trialled on more than 10,000 people and results are expected in August. If the jab proves successful, AstraZeneca expects to dish out a billion doses globally by the end of 2020. It has already inked deals to produce 400million for the US and 100million for the UK. British ministers have agreed to pay for the doses 'as early as possible' and hope a third of those will be ready for September if proven effective. British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has struck a deal to supply Europe with a coronavirus vaccine AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot has said he expects to distribute a billion doses of the vaccine by the end of 2020 AstraZeneca struck the deal with Europes Inclusive Vaccines Alliance on Saturday, which guarantees the vaccine for Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. The agreement with AstraZeneca also aims to make the vaccine available to other European countries that wish to take part. The agreement comes despite the fact there are no certainties the vaccine will work. WHAT IS THE OXFORD VACCINE? The vaccine is called AZD1222 and is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) from chimpanzees that has been genetically changed so it is impossible for it to grow in humans. The intellectual rights to its vaccine are owned by the University of Oxford and a spin-out company called Vaccitech. Clinical teams at the Oxford University's Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group began developing the vaccine in January. It's a type of immunisation known as a recombinant viral vector vaccine. Researchers place genetic material from the coronavirus into another virus thats been modified. They will then inject the virus into a human, hoping to produce an immune response against SARS-CoV-2. This virus, weakened by genetic engineering, is a type of virus called an adenovirus, the same as those which cause common colds, that has been taken from chimpanzees. If the vaccines can successfully mimic the spikes inside a person's bloodstream, and stimulate the immune system to create special antibodies to attack it, this could train the body to destroy the real coronavirus if they get infected with it in future. It was developed so rapidly by Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology, and her team because they already had a base vaccine for similar coronaviruses. The team have gone through stages of vaccine development that usually take five years in just four months. However, Professor Gilbert said that none of the normal safety steps had been missed out. Advertisement Following an initial phase of testing on 160 healthy volunteers between 18 and 55, the study of AZD1222 has moved to phases two and three. It is now being trialled on more than 10,000 people, include children and the elderly, to see if it can prevent infection. But because there are now so few cases of the coronavirus in the UK (just 1,400 people are being diagnosed every day) real-world clinical trials are difficult. So Oxford has agreed to trial the vaccine on 2,000 healthcare workers in Brazil, where the virus is still rife. AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said: 'This agreement will ensure that hundreds of millions of Europeans have access to Oxford Universitys vaccine following approval. 'With our European supply chain due to begin production soon, we hope to make the vaccine available widely and rapidly.' The jab is being sold 'at cost', meaning AstraZeneca will make no profit from the supply of the vaccine in a bid to help halt the global pandemic. But this will only be the case until the World Health Organization (WHO) officially brings the global threat level down. Estimates suggests the world will need around 4.5billion vaccine doses to put an end to the pandemic. The virus is so hard to track and spreads so easily that experts believe it will continue to spread through the human population indefinitely, if a vaccine cannot be found. AstraZeneca announced a deal last month with Oxford BioMedica to manufacture the Covid vaccine at its manufacturing centre in Oxford. AstraZeneca will have access to the company's 84,000-square-foot factory and will turn out most of the clinical and commercial supply of the vaccine this year. The firm also announced a licensing deal with the Serum Institute of India to provide 1billion doses of the vaccine to low- and middle-income countries by 2021. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) in Norway and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in Switzerland, will help manufacture 300million globally accessible doses of the coronavirus vaccine this year. The vaccine is called AZD1222 and is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) from chimpanzees that has been genetically changed so it is impossible for it to grow in humans. The intellectual rights to its vaccine are owned by the University of Oxford and a spin-out company called Vaccitech. Clinical teams at the Oxford University's Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group began developing the vaccine in January. It's a type of immunisation known as a recombinant viral vector vaccine. Researchers place genetic material from the coronavirus into another virus thats been modified. They will then inject the virus into a human, hoping to produce an immune response against SARS-CoV-2. This virus, weakened by genetic engineering, is a type of virus called an adenovirus, the same as those which cause common colds, that has been taken from chimpanzees. If the vaccines can successfully mimic the spikes inside a person's bloodstream, and stimulate the immune system to create special antibodies to attack it, this could train the body to destroy the real coronavirus if they get infected with it in future. It was developed so rapidly by Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology, and her team because they already had a base vaccine for similar coronaviruses. The team have gone through stages of vaccine development that usually take five years in just months. Supporters of Lawyer Philip Addison are outraged over the party's decision to disqualify him and have urged that he goes independent. Lawyer Philip Addison, who rose to fame during the 2012 election petition hearing at the Supreme Court was disqualified from contesting the Akuapem North seat on the ticket of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). A spokesperson for the lawyer in an interview on Neat FM's Me Man Nti programme asked party executives to allow Philip Addison to compete. According to Addo Danquah, the incumbent, Nana Dokua Asiamah Adjei has not achieved anything in the constituency to be given another term. To those who are asking Lawyer Addison to leave the seat for the incumbent because she is a woman, the spokesperson asked the party why they are allowing Mike Ocquaye Jnr to contest the incumbernt Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya Constituency, Adwoa Safo? "We just want NPP to allow for competition, we are not against women but there must be a fair competition. Philip Addision's contribution to the party especially during the election petition cannot be downplayed. "Do we vote for change or for beauty? If for beauty then all the seats should be given to ladies . . . why dont you allow us to contest? If Nana Dokua Wins fine," he said. Disrespect For the Presbyterian Church Addo Danquah has disclosed how Nana Dokua disrespected the Presbyterian Church by severally disregarding their invitation. "I can tell you that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana invited the MP for eight times and she never honoured one; she is not a team player and so how do we work with somebody who is not listening to us. That is why we are calling for a competititon. Allow Philip Addison to join the competition, if he loses then fine, he stated. 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 Heat will continue to build across the northern Plains through the beginning of the week as high temperatures try to reach for the triple digit mark. An area of high pressure that built over the center of the country last week began to shift eastward this weekend, ushering in warmer air across the Plains. Heat encompassed the High Plains on Saturday. High temperatures ranged from the upper 80s to near 100 degrees Fahrenheit across eastern Montana and northeast Wyoming in the afternoon. Steamy conditions helped to fuel thunderstorms across parts of northern Montana and into southwestern Canada into Saturday afternoon. The strongest storms produced flooding downpours, hail and strong wind gusts. By Sunday, the main corridor of heat shifted eastward as the area of high pressure continued to move toward the northeastern U.S. Afternoon temperatures in the 70s to start the weekend, were replaced with 80s and 90s across parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota. Story continues Across portions of the northern Plains, the hot and humid weather provided fuel for a few severe thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and evening. Hail fell across portions of western North and South Dakota as storms rumbled across the area. Baseball-sized hail was reported just north of Reeder, North Dakota, early Sunday evening. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Afternoon temperatures are forecast to climb to similar levels on Monday, despite spotty showers or thunderstorms lingering across the area into Monday morning. By Tuesday, afternoon temperatures in the 90s will be widespread across the Upper Midwest. A few isolated locations may observe temperatures soaring into triple digits. "Venturing outside when the conditions are warm is very tempting for most but, be sure to drink plenty of water before stepping out the front door," AccuWeather Meteorologist Nicole LoBiondo stated. "Heat-related illnesses, like heat stroke, can come on rather suddenly." Strenuous activities should be saved for early morning or late afternoon, outside of the dangerous heat of the day. Near the northern border, a few cooling showers and thunderstorms will keep temperatures from reaching the 90s as a storm system moves into the Canadian Prairies. Locations in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest are expected to record temperatures around 10-20 degrees above normal for this time of year. Normal high temperatures for the middle of June range from the upper 70s in North Dakota to the middle 80s across Nebraska. Breezy conditions expected through the beginning of next week will keep AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures near the actual temperature, despite the building heat and increasing humidity. By Wednesday, the heat will shift east and high temperatures will reach the 80s across the Great Lakes after a mild start to the week. While Minnesota can expect another day of heat, cooler conditions are forecast elsewhere in the northern Plains as a storm system moving through central Canada drags a cold front into the Dakotas. AccuWeather forecasters are keeping a close eye on the potential for another round of severe weather across the northern Plains on Wednesday, as this cold front drags through the area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. Mumbai, June 13 : Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan caught up with his latest release "Gulabo Sitabo" on Friday at home with his entire family. "There is the immense joy of sitting down together with the entire family and watching a film .. an experience that has happened for the first time .. the release film at home and in the presence of the family .. blessed to be in such," Big B wrote in a blog post. "The GiboSibo .. released through Amazon Prime Video in 200 countries and subtitled in 15 different languages .. the instancy of the project is the amazement .. and more of such is believed to be in the following .. and the experience and the verdict and results and reactions are in a state of uniqueness .. for there is no technology yet to discover the eyes balls or the footfalls, in their numbers .. or in the possible results," he further wrote about the film, which saw a digital release on Friday. Directed by Shoojit Sircar, "Gulabo Sitabo" also stars Ayushmann Khurrana. D onald Trump has told US military graduates to never forget the legacy of soldiers who fought a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery. Mr Trumps appeal to reconciliation and remembrance at West Point academy in New York state comes at a time when his own relationship with the military is under strain, and as America struggles to confront racism. The US president and Pentagon leaders have faced unrelenting criticism over their response to the protests across the country following George Floyds death in police custody in Minneapolis. Mr Trump appeared to allude to those tensions as he addressed more than 1,100 graduates at an unusual socially-distanced outdoor ceremony held during the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump is displayed on a screen as he delivers remarks to West Point graduating cadets / REUTERS He told them: What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment. When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal. In the past two weeks, Mr Trump has denounced defence secretary Mark Esper for publicly opposing his call to use active-duty troops to quell the protests stemming from the death of Mr Floyd, who was black, after his neck was knelt upon by a white Minneapolis police officer. Mr Trump then shut down Mr Espers attempt to open a public debate on removing the names of Confederate Army officers from military bases. Gen Mark Milley, the US joint chiefs of staff chairman, further risked Mr Trumps ire on Thursday by declaring it had been a mistake for him to accompany Mr Trump on a June 1 walk through Lafayette Square in Washington DC. A portrait of deceased West Point cadet Christopher "C.J." Morgan rests on a chair beside his fellow graduating classmen / Getty Images The trip ended with the president holding up a Bible and posing for the news media outside St Johns Church, which was damaged by fire during the unrest. Gen Milleys comments amounted to an extraordinary expression of regret by Mr Trumps chief military adviser, who said his appearance led to the perception of the military becoming embroiled in politics, which in his view one shared by Mr Esper is a threat to democracy. The events have stirred debate within the military and among retired officers. More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter reminding the Class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics. The letter, published this week on Medium, also alluded to the problems Mr Esper and Gen Milley encountered at the White House after Mr Floyds death. They wrote: Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests. Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events. The principle of civilian control is central to the military profession. But that principle does not imply blind obedience. U.S. President Donald Trump salutes cadets at the beginning of the commencement ceremony on June 13, 2020 in West Point / Getty Images They added: We are concerned that fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions are failing to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to duty, honour, country. Their actions threaten the credibility of an apolitical military. During the commencement ceremony, protesters sailed along the nearby Hudson River in kayaks and boats to denounce the president. In his 22-minute address, Mr Trump thanked the newly commissioned officers for choosing to serve and reminded them of generals such as Douglas McArthur and Dwight D Eisenhower and the history of West Point. He said: It was on this soil that American patriots held the most vital fortress in our war for independence. It was the US military academy, he said, that gave us the men and women who fought and won a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery within one lifetime of our founding. The US leader continued: This is your history. This is the legacy that each of you inherits. More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter reminding the Class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics / Getty Images Mr Trump added that it was bought with American blood spilled in battle, saying: You must never forget it. However, Mr Trump also leaned into his America first brand of foreign policy, without using the phrase, telling the cadets their job is not to rebuild foreign nations, but to defend and defend strongly our nation from our foreign enemies. We are ending the era of endless wars, he said. It is not the duty of US troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never heard of. He said America is not the policeman of the world, but warned adversaries that the US will never, ever hesitate to act when its people are threatened. He also thanked those in the military who have helped the country respond to the coronavirus, which he once again called an invisible enemy that came from China. The president stressed the unity of a graduating class that came from across the country from every race, religion, colour and creed. The class also includes citizens of 11 other countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, South Korea and Tanzania. UK's Prince Harry has written a letter of encouragement and support to Private Joseph Hammond, a 95-year-old Ghanaian WW II veteran, who set himself a challenge of walking 3.2 km (two miles) every day for one week. The objective was to raise about $600,000 (500,000) to buy Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers and vulnerable veterans in Commonwealth countries. Mr Hammond said he was inspired by Capt Sir Tom Moore, a British veteran, who raised more than $35m for the UK's National Health Service. Prince Harry said that Private Hammond and Capt Tom More - who celebrated his 100th birthday during his campaign - had set an example to the world. Private Hammond, who met Prince Harry last year at the Field of Remembrance in London, said he was grateful for the letter. He was drafted into the Royal West African Frontier Force aged 16 to fight in WWII. Although he finished the seven-day walking challenge in May, the fundraising campaign continues. He has so far raised $35,000. The BBC caught up with him in May. 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 Twitter claims to be removing 7,340 accounts from a network favourable to President Recep Tayyip Erdogans AK Party. Turkey fiercely criticised Twitter on Friday for suspending more than 7,000 accounts that supported President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying the company was smearing the government and trying to redesign Turkish politics. Twitter said it was taking down 7,340 accounts from a network detected early in 2020 that it said was being used to amplify political narratives favourable to Erdogans AK Party. [This] has demonstrated yet again that Twitter is no mere social media company, but a propaganda machine with certain political and ideological inclinations, said presidency communications director Fahrettin Altun. In a written statement, he added that allegations these were fake profiles designed to support the president and managed by a central authority were untrue. He also said documents cited to support Twitters decision were unscientific, biased and politically motivated, and that it was scandalous to cite a report by individuals peddling their ideological views. Those remarks appeared to refer to a report by the Stanford Internet Observatory, with which Twitter shared its information, that said the network posted some 37 million tweets, promoting the AKP and criticising Turkeys main opposition parties. We would like to remind the company [Twitter] of the eventual fate of a number of organisations which attempted to take similar steps in the past, Altun said. In the past, Turkey has blocked access to Twitter, YouTube and online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. Yaman Akdeniz, cyber rights expert and professor at Istanbul Bilgi University, said the accounts removed by Twitter were only the tip of the iceberg of other questionable activity. This looks like a bot network that I think is not very active, he said, suggesting further investigation was needed. But it makes it official that bots are used in Turkey for political purposes. On Thursday, Twitter also said it removed more than 170,000 accounts tied to a Beijing-backed influence operation. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hameed Farzad (Reuters) Kabul, Afghanistan Sat, June 13, 2020 08:02 588 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde62916 2 Art & Culture Afghanistan,artist,mural,George-Floyd,united-states,Racism,black-lives-matter,police-brutality Free A group of artists climbed ladders up one of the many blast walls snaking through the Afghan capital Kabul this week to paint a mural of George Floyd in solidarity with the anti-racism protests kindled by his death in police custody. Floyd, an African American, died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while detaining him. Medical examiners ruled it a homicide and the officer was charged with second-degree murder. "George Floyd is a global figure now and he was killed in the United States because of the blackness of his skin," said Afghan artist Mehr Aqa Sultani, a member of local arts activist group ArtLords that painted the mural. "We want to say 'no' to discrimination because discrimination has no benefit for us." A video of Floyd's death sparked protests around the United States and the world against racism and police brutality in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Read also: Street art star unveils Paris mural to George Floyd, Adama Traore ArtLords have a high-profile presence in Kabul, painting messages of social justice and peace on the many blast walls that have been erected to protect buildings from militant bombs. Next to its mural of Floyd, the group painted a man with arms outstretched against the Iranian flag in reference to alleged abuses by Iranian police and border guards against Afghan migrants and refugees in recent months. After walking past the mural, Kabul resident Dost Muhammad Momand said it had been painful to watch the video of Floyd's death and that he identified with the constant fear of violence. "When that helpless man wanted to escape death, the police did not release him and caused his death," he said. "I also live in a country that has witnessed war for 40 years, a war in which discrimination exists." The Cinnamon Future of Tourism virtual conference takes on this timely theme to gain insight into the health and wellness tourism in Sri Lanka segment, understanding the competitive advantage, key traveler types, and wellness facilities operators can look to attract The second edition of the Cinnamon Future of Tourism Summit - Virtual Conference will be held on 16th June 2020 on the theme The Transforming Interface of Wellness Tourism. The conference will be on Facebook Live with speakers Ingo Schweder, CEO & Founder GOCO Hospitality, Asoka Hettigoda, Managing Director Siddhalepa Group and Katherine Droga Founder, Droga and Co., moderated by Dileep Mudadeniya Head of Brand Marketing, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts & Vice President, John Keells Group. Future of tourism The panelists who are knowledge experts in the field will discuss and deliberate their views on the emerging trend of Wellness Tourism in Sri Lanka post COVID 19. The global pandemic has created new challenges and resulted in new opportunities and collaborations in the field of wellness. The discussion will also include how wellness has changed travel: airports, airlines & lodging, the necessity to understand the wellness consumer, the relationship between wellness and hospitality and the ways in which hospitality businesses can optimize in the wellness space post COVID 19. The growing popularity of wellness tourism has seen it branching through many niches from nature emersion to sound healing and wellness sabbaticals. The industry has looked promising, with many people turning to health and wellbeing as a priority. However, the recent events relating to COVID 19 have given this industry a different turn, opening new opportunities to reach this growing segment. The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) estimated that wellness tourism was growing more than twice as fast as general tourism. According to a Global Newswire report, demand from millennials is promising with growth potential in urban wellness which includes spas in cities and towns. The Cinnamon Future of Tourism virtual conference takes on this timely theme to gain insight into the health and wellness tourism in Sri Lanka segment, understanding the competitive advantage, key traveler types, and wellness facilities operators can look to attract. Furthermore, areas of discussion will expand to Ayurveda the relationship to wellness, the ways to make it relevant with millennials and even the strategies to promote Sri Lankan wellness and Ayurveda. Commenting on the second edition of the FOT virtual conference, Dileep Mudadeniya, Vice President John Keells Holdings, Head of Brand Marketing Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts and CEO Cinnamon Life Mall stated The world is resetting with wellness in the forefront of tourism. The FOT Virtual Conference will discuss trends and predictions in wellness post COVID 19, the future of holistic wellness and the resurgence of Ayurveda, and how wellness brands and hotels can collaborate to launch interesting services and reach new customers. Cinnamon Future of Tourism Virtual Conference 2020, will be held on 16th June 2020, 3.00 4.00 PM on Facebook Live. Please register on www.futureoftourism.co or contact 71 7118111 for inquiries. Cinnamon Future of Tourism 2020 is in partnership with Xiteb as the Official Digital Partner. Dr Richard Quigley waited at the scene of the accident A doctor made an "error of judgment" when he drove into a cyclist, who was knocked off her bike and suffered several fractures, a court has heard. Richard Quigley's lawyer asked a judge to leave him without a criminal record over the accident, which was caused by a "momentary lapse of attention". Judge Colin Daly said he would consider the case and deferred a decision to next week. Dr Quigley (61), of Belgrove Lawn, Chapelizod, admitted driving without due care and attention at Bow Lane West, Kilmainham. Garda Derek Tubridy told Dublin District Court Dr Quigley was driving at 6.25pm and turned left, causing a cyclist to be knocked off her bike. There was no evidence of erratic driving, speed, alcohol or any other aggravating factors. It was "simply a case of a momentary lapse of attention while making a left turn", the lawyer said. It had been a "mere error of judgment". Embarrassed Dr Quigley waited at the scene for gardai and went voluntarily to the garda station. He was a medical physician with no previous convictions. The cyclist suffered injuries, and that matter was being dealt with in the civil courts, the lawyer said. Dr Quigley had "accepted full responsibility for his actions on the day in question". He had two adult children, had "toed the line all his life" and was "embarrassed to have come before the court". His lawyer asked Judge Daly to "dispose of it in a certain manner and leave him without a conviction". The accused had an unblemished record and was "anxious to avoid a conviction". Asked about victim impact evidence, Gda Tubridy said the cyclist was happy for him to speak on her behalf. She had sustained "a number of fractures" and was on crutches for a time. There had been a possibility she would need surgery, but this did not happen due to the Covid-19 crisis. "She is fully functional at the moment", the garda said. There was no evidence of damage to the car or bike and the garda agreed it had been a very slight collision. The Trump campaign scheduled its first post-Wuhan Virus rally in Tulsa on June 19. Trump supporters understood this to mean what it said namely, that the rally will be held in Tulsa on June 19. To the conspiracy theorists in the Democrat party, though, the date and place are a "racist dog whistle," a subtle gesture of solidarity to his alleged army of white supremacist supporters. This is yet another slanderous insult to a man who, when he was a Democrat, was honored for helping the black community and who, before leftists hurt the economy with Wuhan Virus madness, raised more blacks from poverty than any other president since Lincoln. The minute Trump's team announced the Tulsa rally, Democrats immediately connected imaginary dots with invisible lines to transform a generic campaign stop into a KKK rally. This post should function like the scene in the movie A Beautiful Mind when John Nash's wife realizes that her husband, who she thought was sane, is crazy. The Democrat party is John Nash. Here are the dots and lines: Outside the black community, most Americans don't know that June 19, 1865 is the day on which General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery in Texas. Not long after the war, blacks began to celebrate that date as Juneteenth. One would think that holding a rally on that Juneteenth could properly be viewed as a celebration of black freedom and emancipation, but that's not how leftists work. Because they've slandered Trump as a racist, anything he does on June 19 is also racist. But there's more... In 1921, Tulsa was the site of an awful racist attack on the Greenwood District, a bustling, self-sustained black community that was so successful that it was called the Black Wall Street. For two days, members of the KKK (the paramilitary arm of the Democrat party) and other white racists attacked the community, killing hundreds of residents and burning 1,000 houses. Ugly though this history is, it is not what has defined Tulsa for most Americans living today. To them, Tulsa is just a city in Oklahoma. Indeed, based upon my Facebook feed, even wokester whites didn't know about this ugly history. It was only after the Trump campaign announced his rally that I started seeing dozens of white friends post about the massacre, all with much the same comment: "I never knew this before. Oh, and Trump's a racist." Putting together those two somewhat arcane pieces of history, the Democrats have their latest narrative: BET : "Biden Campaign Calls Out Racist Trump Rally To Be Held Where Black People Were Massacred: Another dog whistle?" Vanity Fair : "Trump's Juneteenth Tulsa Rally Is The World's Least-Subtle Dog Whistle" Essence : "Trump Sends Dog Whistle To Base With Tulsa Rally On Juneteenth: The Vast Majority Of Black Americans Consider Donald Trump A Racist. His Decision To Hold A Rally On Juneteenth In Tulsa Offers Further Proof." CNN : "Trump's decision to hold a Tulsa rally on Juneteenth is no coincidence" People : "Trump Campaign Sets Controversial Rally Stop for Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Juneteenth amid Pandemic" (Note: People gets leftist bonus points for reinstating concern about the pandemic after ignoring it when it came to the protests and looting.) SFGate : "Kamala Harris: Trump's Tulsa rally is a deliberate 'welcome home party' for white supremacists" Hollywood Life : "T.I. Shades Donald Trump For Planning Campaign Rally In Tulsa On Juneteenth: It's A 'Dog Whistle' " Indy100 : "Morgan Freeman slams Trump for holding 'racist' rally for Juneteenth" Towelroad : "'Dog Whistle for White Supremacists': Trump Plans MAGA Rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa, Site of Horrific Race Massacre (VIDEO)" Trump's an excellent strategist, so I'd like to think he already has plans for dealing with this latest attack against him. He could use the rally to make his big "racial healing" speech, one that celebrates how far blacks have come in America since the original Juneteenth. Yes, there've been ugly times since then, but as we move through the 21st century, America is the least racist country in the world and, thanks to Trump's economy, blacks are poised to become the new economic powerhouse in America. Even if he gives such a speech, Democrats will still call him a racist and a liar. The reality is that, because the Democrats both frame and control the narrative, Trump's always in a lose-lose situation. If I were in Trump's shoes, what I would love to do is give a powerful speech about all the horrible things Democrats have done to blacks, from the antebellum South to Jim Crow to the welfare state (which made blacks dependent on government and emasculated their men by making them economically unnecessary to families) to the Democrats' continued refusal to recognize that blacks, who are the equal of all other people in the world, can withstand the stress of self-sufficiency and personal responsibility without the Democrat party hobbling them to keep itself in power. Hong Kong: Gov't stake in Cathay not long-term The Government's Cathay Pacific Airways rescue package includes a built-in mechanism for the company to repay the loans before the Government can exit, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said today. According to the plan announced earlier in the week, the Government will invest about $27.3 billion in Cathay Pacific comprising preference shares with detachable warrants of around $19.5 billion and a bridging loan of about $7.8 billion. Speaking to reporters this morning, Mr Chan said: One of the conditions for the Government to step in to invest in Cathay Pacific is that so long as the government loans and preference shares have not been fully repaid by Cathay Pacific, Swire Pacific has to remain as the controlling shareholder of Cathay Pacific." Noting that the rescue package was designed in such a way as to facilitate the Governments exit, he said the bridging loan has an availability period of 12 months from the day the package was announced. If they need to use the money they can drawdown, but they have to repay us within 18 months with interest. As the bridging loan is available for a limited period of 12 months only, so by that design, the bridging loan itself has an expiry date and has an exit mechanism. Regarding the preference shares, Mr Chan said the coupon rate will increase with the passage of time to incentivise Cathay Pacific to redeem them as early as possible. The coupon rate for the first three years is 3%, the fourth year 5%, and then 7% and 9%. Given currently the liquidity in the market is very ample, generally speaking, 7% or 9% coupon rate is rather high in terms of financial costs. So the design of this dividend rate applicable to the preference shares gives the incentive to Cathay Pacific to redeem our shares as early as practically possible. This story has been published on: 2020-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Credit: CC0 Public Domain For days now, Spain's daily coronavirus death toll has been on hold, generating widespread uncertainty about the real state of the epidemic that has claimed more than 27,000 lives. The health ministry's emergencies coordinator Fernando Simon, who for months has given a daily briefing on the pandemic's evolution, acknowledged the "astonishment" and "confusion" generated by the figures. On May 25, the ministry changed its method of collecting data on confirmed cases and fatalities, initially giving a daily death toll of between 50 and 100. But the figure then fell to fewer than five per day and on some days there were no deaths at all. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez even told parliament there had been "no deaths" for several days, prompting a backlash from the right and the far-right who have since accused him of hiding the real number of fatalities. "(The) biggest danger is communicating this idea that the epidemic is over because the virus is still present in our country although at much lower levels," warned Salvador Macip, an expert in health sciences at Catalonia's Open University. Stuck at 27,136 Simon has said the new system was set up to facilitate the rapid detection and isolation of any new outbreak and that the regions must provide a detailed breakdown of cases, rather than lumping all figures together. But last week he acknowledged that the overall number of deaths had remained "frozen" as a result of discrepancies in the figures, which he put down to delays in submitting data in certain regional areas. Since June 7, the number of dead has stuck at 27,136 while the regional authorities "review the information on deaths.. (until) they can give a precise death date which will give a clearer sequence," Simon said. But some regions have hit back, insisting they have submitted all the required data yet saying it wasn't reflected in the overall balance. Such was the case with Andalusia whose health minister Jesus Aguirre recently lashed out at the central government's "total lack of respect for the dead" in publishing lower figures than those submitted by the southern region itself. One problem with the new system is that it puts "excessive emphasis on reporting the previous day's figures" because if the data arrive after the deadline, they're not added to the daily total, explained Kiko Llaneras, a data analyst with El Pais newspaper. It has turned into "a source of huge disinformation" and in terms of communication it has "tainted the entire debate", he said. 'Not communicating clearly' The situation became even more chaotic this week after the National Statistics Institute (INE) and the Carlos III Health Institute published figures showing that Spain's death toll has been between 43,000 and 44,000 higher than it has been on average in recent years. And this "excess mortality" has further inflamed the opposition who point to it as proof the government is playing down the death toll. But the government has rejected such claims, saying such figures include those who died of other causes or had COVID symptoms and never had a PCR test. Such testing kits, which were very scarce at the start of the outbreak, have since become essential for confirming a new case and adding it to the overall figures. "It is normal that the death toll does not coincide with the excess mortality figures," explained Ildefonso Hernandez, spokesman for the Spanish Society of Public Health, saying similar situations occur during flu season and heatwaves. "Is the government hiding deaths under the carpet? No it's not. Is the government communicating clearly? No, it's not doing that either," he complained. "One of the fundamental issues is that the management of information and communicating figures in the epidemic has not been clear enough," agreed Llaneras. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP (Newser) "It's a pretty big honor." So said Capt. Emily Thompson after becoming the first woman to fly a stealth fighter jet into combat, Fox News reports. The Air Force says Thompson, call sign "Banzai," flew the F-35A Lightning II in a combat sortie and was launched by an all-female crew. "This is my first deployment so for me it was a pretty big deal, the first combat sortie for me. Of course being the first female, it's a pretty big honor," she says in a press release. "So just to be the person who gets that honor, that first, it just meant a lot." Where or when is unknown, but the Air Force Times notes F-35s from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings at Hill Air Force base were deployed in the United Arab Emirates on May 20. story continues below While Thompson broke ground, she's aware of the history behind her: "There's a lot of females who have come before me and there's a lot of females already flying combat sorties in other platforms," she says. Indeed, Air Force Lt. Col. Christine Mau became the first female F-35 pilot in 2015, and Fox News reported last August on Marine Capt. Anneliese Satz becoming the first Marine Corps female to fly an F-35. KHOU goes all the way back to Brenda Robinson, the first black female pilot in the US Navy in 1980. "I think it's a bright future," says Thompson. "There is a number of [women] already in the F-35 and I think the number is just going to continue to grow. It's a very supportive community, very open." (Read more US Air Force stories.) Advertisement Press Statement Says Presidents Silence on Violations Vindicates Our Partys Stance The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describes the President Muhammadu Advertisement Buharis Democracy Day address as a huge and unpardonable slap on the face of our nations democratic process. Our party stresses that President Buharis silence on the values of democracy as well as the myriads of violations under his watch has further vindicated its stance and that of majority of Nigerians that the Buhari administration has no regard for democracy and is not prepared to uphold its tenets in our country. The PDP notes that on the day Mr. President himself set aside to celebrate democracy, he had no democratic scorecard to present; thereby directly confirming that he had taken no step to uphold democratic practice in the last five years. Our party invites Nigerians to note that Mr. Presidents speech had no space for Chief MKO Abiola. This only goes to show that the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have no regard for Chief Abiola and the essence of June 12, but only used their nomenclature to gain selfish political capital. It is scandalous that on a day like this, President Buhari had no assurances on electoral reforms and credible election; which is the hallmark of democracy. President Buharis failure to express any commitments to electoral reform in his 38-minute pre-recorded address shows that his administration has no plans to guarantee credible elections in our country. Also, Mr. President had no words of assurance towards respect for our constitution, particularly the principles of separation of powers, federal character, equality, equity, fairness, transparency and respect for the sensibilities of our federal structure. Furthermore, President Buhari had no words of commitment on how to tackle the constitutional and human rights violations under his watch, including reported intimidation and brutalization of citizens, disobedience to court orders, arbitrary arrests, illegal detentions, extra-judicial killings as well as hounding of opposition and dissenting voices. Rather, Mr. President and his handlers sought to divert attention from their failures and violations associated with this administration by taking the nation on a merry-go-round of recycled false performance claims that are not backed by any empirical or verifiable data. By this speech, President Buhari failed to appreciate that the progress of any nation is hinged on credible elections, equity, justice and adherence to rule of law. Moreover, Nigerians have been at shock that while bandits were busy killing our compatriots in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Borno, Kogi and various parts of our nation, even on the eve of his broadcast, President Buhari was claiming that his government had secured the nation. It is even more distressing that Mr. President opted to use the COVID-19 pandemic to make excuses for the attack by the bandits even as he had no soothing words or decisive assurances for the victims beyond a cold passing comment lacking in expected human empathy. The PDP however urged Nigerians not to resign to despondency or allow the failures and violations of the APC administration to erode their faith in our democracy but remain united in their commitment to the stability of our nation. Signed: Kola Ologbondiyan National Publicity Secretary The surge in COVID-19 cases has stunned the Delhi government that was, till a few weeks ago, confident of its ability to manage the virus. At the end of May, it had even supported the idea of relaxing lockdown restrictions. At 10 am on 10 June, Delhi governments Corona Dashboard showed a total of 9,021 COVID-19 beds, of which 4,873 were occupied and 4,148 were vacant. Four hundred and ninety-four ventilators were available: 262 being used and 232 lying idle. These figures are updated by the Central and Delhi government and private COVID-19 treatment facilities. This dashboard has been showing around half the beds as unoccupied for many weeks. Yet, recent days have seen an outpouring of stories on social media about patients going from hospital to hospital and being turned away because no beds were available. Many social media posts alleged some hospitals were willing to give beds only for a hefty amount. In a country notorious for hoarding and black marketing everything consumable, activist-turned-politician Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not mince words as he openly accused a few private hospitals, without naming them, of black marketing COVID-19 beds. The chief minister also appealed to people not to visit hospitals unless "absolutely necessary." There is clearly a massive mismatch between the governments corona app, which claims to provide real-time information on hospital-wise bed availability, and the experiences of patients. The hospitals government and private are required to update the status as and when beds become available. The surge in COVID-19 cases, however, has stunned the Delhi government which was, until a few weeks ago, confident of its ability to manage the virus. At the end of May, it even supported the idea of relaxing lockdown restrictions. The rising numbers of positive tests led to the testing protocol being altered to leave out asymptomatic cases in order to manage scarce resources. Kejriwal also tried reserving beds for Delhi residents only, but was overruled by the Lt-Governor Anil Baijal. Delhi needs 1.5 lakh beds by end July The reality is that the Delhi governments efforts to manage healthcare in the face of the pandemic is proving a tough proposition. It may not yet have lost the COVID-19 battle, but could well be close to doing so. With around 18,000 active cases, things are not looking good. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia projected 5.5 lakh cases by the end of July, when the bed requirement will stand at 80,000. This projection was presented at a 9 June meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (of which Baijal is chairman). But just a couple of days later, Kejriwal said the requirement is likely to be over 1.5 lakh beds by the end of July. Baijal had on 7 June scrapped the Kejriwal governments order reserving all beds in hospitals under the Delhi government exclusively for the residents of Delhi. The reservation order was based on the need and fears that people from the National Capital Region (comprising 23 districts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan) in addition to Delhi would rush for the free treatment that government hospitals provide. Baijal cited the constitutional right to equality and right to life, which includes the right to health as he trashed the reservation order. A maze of numbers Dr Randeep Guleria, director of the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), described Sisodias projection of 5.5 lakh cases by July end as one of many mathematical models throwing up different numbers. Whatever the numbers may be, there is a shortage, a senior AIIMS doctor, on condition of anonymity, said. More so when people suspect they have symptoms and want to go for tests. And when asymptomatic people go for tests just to be doubly sure. Dr Arvind Kumar, chairman of the Center for Chest Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, denied allegations of patients being turned away when beds were available. At this moment, we have 300 COVID-19 positive patients he said. The Delhi government has directed 61 private hospitals to free up 20 percent of their beds for the use of COVID-19 positive patients. Health minister Satyendar Jain, speaking on hospital authorities who raised doubts that they'd be able to manage both COVID and non-COVID patients, warned that the government would simply declare them dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. Yet, the harsh truth is, beds are simply not available! Dr Naresh Dang, senior consultant at Max Super Specialty Hospital, Patparganj, confirming the acute shortage of hospital beds in the National Capital, painted a grim picture of the future. The number of patients is increasing so rapidly there aren't enough beds, said Dr Dang. It is not about the money. Patients are running from pillar to post for beds. Even doctors testing positive are finding it difficult to get a bed. My own patients are running from one hospital to the other for a bed, and it is not as if they want to be treated for free. But if all the 400 beds in a hospital are occupied, where will they go? High treatment costs A doctor at a private hospital who also did not wish to be identified explained the non-availability of beds thus: When patients arrive, a few things are required. First, they have to have a COVID-positive report to get a bed. They then ask about the cost and are told the rates depending on how much each hospital charges. Shocked, many of them bargain, want very low rates, and are told no beds are available at that rate. The high cost of treatment at private hospitals, which have packaged the costs, has only added to the woes of patients. Post Kejriwals charge that some private hospitals were indulging in profiteering, Saroj Hospital, one of six private hospitals that the Delhi government has converted into a dedicated COVID-only facility, issued a circular of its treatment costs: A minimum bill of Rs 3 lakh even if the patient is in the hospital for less than a day Advance payment of Rs 4 lakh for a shared room Rs 5 lakh for a single room and Rs 8 lakh for ICU The treatment charges are in packages, from Rs 40,000 a day in a shared room to Rs 75,000 a day in ICU and Rs 100,000 a day for ICU with ventilator. In the ICU, attending to every patient means five to six PPE kits, each costing at least Rs 1,000, said Dr Arvind Kumar of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital justifying the high costs. So around Rs 10,000 is spent on PPEs alone. Then there are charges for ventilators and ICU beds. The hospital, he pointed out, runs on money from patients, and 5,000 employees have to be paid. He underscored the fact that the Delhi government does not fund the hospital. For those who think it is the capitals VIP culture which possibly makes hospitals block beds for the ministers, politicians, bureaucrats, judges, senior lawyers and corporate biggies, it is scant consolation that they too, like senior Congress leader Manish Tewari, have sad stories to share. In a heart-wrenching tale, 52-year-old Anil Goyal of Shahdara in east Delhi knocked at the high court doors on 3 June, seeking directions to the Centre and Delhi government to provide a bed and a ventilator in a government facility for his 80-year-old father Moti Ram Arya, who tested COVID-19 positive on 31 May. By the time his plea was listed for hearing on 5 June, Arya was dead. Amarpreet, who works for Gates Foundation, too had a terrible experience. She took her father, who was running a high fever and had serious breathing trouble, to Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Hospital, a Central government-run dedicated COVID-19 hospital, where they refused to admit him. He died later that day. On the evening of 4 June, Varun Vats, a resident of Rohini in west Delhi, shared on Facebook the travails of trying to get himself tested for COVID-19 as he had come into contact with his cousin who had tested positive on 1 June and who had developed fever, cough, cold and headache. He was bounced from hospital to hospital, and lab to lab, including private labs, with all of them telling him the same thing: there were no testing kits, so he would have to wait for a couple of days. At Dr Lal Path Labs, the woman who took Varuns call said: Sir, these are government orders. Theres no testing at least for the next two to three days. This correspondent has learnt that the embassy of a central European country attempted to block 10 hospital beds and offered up to Rs 1 crore per bed. But it failed to clinch a deal. Building capacity: Short-term plans All this only highlights the fact that providing for the rapidly increasing need for hospital beds given the projected exponential surge in COVID-19 cases is going to be a Herculean task for the Kejriwal government. For now, the government is looking to convert four and five-star hotels in the neighbourhood of big hospitals into treatment centres. The health department is extending COVID-19 hospitals by linking big hospitals and nearby five and four-star hotels with an upper price cap of Rs 10,000 per day per bed, according to a press release issued by Baijals office. The hotels would provide beds, housekeeping, food as well as medical services. The government has, so far, linked eight hotels to hospitals, to act as extended COVID-19 hospitals and is in the process of similarly linking 19 more hospitals with hotels to tentatively add another 2,000 beds by 15 June, even though two hotels have moved the courts against this order. It does look like a minuscule number in the face of the massive requirement. So, the government is exploring the possibility of creating additional bed capacity in its sporting facilities. For now, they are considering making Pragati Maidan, Talkatora Indoor stadium, Thyagaraj Indoor stadium, Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium, Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium and Dhyanchand National Stadium into makeshift hospitals. Sources in the AAP said they could swiftly convert these into hospital beds, including beds with ICU facilities if the need arises. But there is little clarity on how all the necessary personnel and equipment will be procured. As Dr Dang said, It is not just about creating beds somewhere. A patient needs doctors, oxygen, nursing care just because you declare a hotel a hospital, it will not become one. A stadium will not become a hospital just by putting beds in it. They need to do a lot of things. Can all the required arrangements be done fast enough? Delhi is going to go the way of Italy. This article was first published in Citizen Matters, a civic media website and is republished here with permission. (c) Oorvani Foundation/Open Media Initiative. Shareholders in Urban&Civic plc (LON:UANC) may be thrilled to learn that the analysts have just delivered a major upgrade to their near-term forecasts. The consensus statutory numbers for both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) increased, with their view clearly much more bullish on the company's business prospects. Following the upgrade, the consensus from four analysts covering Urban&Civic is for revenues of UK88m in 2020, implying a chunky 16% decline in sales compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are presumed to shoot up 48% to UK0.081. Before this latest update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of UK64m and earnings per share (EPS) of UK0.05 in 2020. There has definitely been an improvement in perception recently, with the analysts substantially increasing both their earnings and revenue estimates. See our latest analysis for Urban&Civic LSE:UANC Past and Future Earnings June 13th 2020 Despite these upgrades, the analysts have not made any major changes to their price target of UK3.54, suggesting that the higher estimates are not likely to have a long term impact on what the stock is worth. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. There are some variant perceptions on Urban&Civic, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at UK4.30 and the most bearish at UK2.75 per share. There are definitely some different views on the stock, but the range of estimates is not wide enough as to imply that the situation is unforecastable, in our view. Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 16%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 13% over the last five years. Yet aggregate analyst estimates for other companies in the industry suggest that industry revenues are forecast to decline 3.0% next year. So it's pretty clear that Urban&Civic's revenues are expected to shrink faster than the wider industry. Story continues The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away from this upgrade is that analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates for this year, expecting improving business conditions. Notably, analysts also upgraded their revenue estimates, with sales performing well although Urban&Civic's revenue growth is expected to trail that of the wider market. The lack of change in the price target is puzzling, but with a serious upgrade to this year's earnings expectations, it might be time to take another look at Urban&Civic. With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Urban&Civic going out to 2023, and you can see them free on our platform here.. Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. 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. Tamil Nadu deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate appropriate measures to revive the real estate industry, which is facing several challenges owing to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Highlighting the difficulties and challenges faced by the sector, Panneerselvam, who holds the Housing portfolio in addition to Finance, said the real estate industry was a major contributor to the GDP and to growth, both directly and through allied industries. He wrote a letter to Modi on June 9 after having held detailed discussions with a delegation of real estate industry representatives earlier. "The real estate sector provides large employment opportunities for unskilled labour and for others across different segments," he said in the letter. "I request you to direct the ministries concerned to initiate appropriate measures for revival of the real estate sector," Panneerselvam added. He pointed out that the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India (CREDAI) office bearers have requested the Prime Minister's intervention to revive the sector. Earlier, during their meeting with Panneerselvam, CREDAI Tamil Nadu office bearers, led by their chairman S Sridharan, urged the Tamil Nadu government to consider reducing infrastructure and amenities charges and shelter fee. According to sources in CREDAI, the delegation also requested the government to reduce stamp duty in the state which was the highest in the country. The COVID-19 induced lockdown has severely impacted the real estate sector in the state,with the lack of workers being one of the key issues, in the absence of migrant workers. Real estate firms in Tamil Nadu employ a large chunk of migrant labourers, and a preliminary industry assessment has estimated that about 70 per cent of them had returned home after the joblessness forced due to the lockdown. Even natives of the state have returned to their respective districts, making it difficult for the projects to be taken forward and completed on time. Also Read: COVID-19 disruptions take currency, deposits share in household assets to highest 66% in March Also Read: Coronavirus crisis: India sees 11,458 new cases, 386 deaths in 24 hours; tally crosses 3 lakh mark (Natural News) God bless the truckers! News is breaking today that nearly 4 out of 5 truckers across America will refuse to make deliveries to cities where Democrats have de-funded or abolished the police. Truckers are the lifelines to cities, bringing food, fuel, medicine and other essential items into cities (which are artificial constructs that depend on imports just to survive). Sadly, truckers get little credit for their crucial role in keeping society running, and truckers put their lives at risk when they roll into Democrat-run cities that are collapsing into Black Lives Matter chaos and terrorism. (BLM is now understood to mean Burn, Loot and Murder.) The mad violence, looting and reparations demands of lunatic Left-wing terrorist groups means that trucks full of supplies are among the high-risk targets. Truck drivers arent fools, and they are increasingly deciding to avoid carrying loads into cities where anarchy-oriented Leftists / Democrats are de-funding or abolishing police. Just yesterday, the city council of Minneapolis voted to completely disband the police department. Once implemented, this will plunge Minneapolis into a third world scenario of lawlessness and total chaos, perhaps making Ilhan Omar feel right at home as she successfully brings the lawlessness of her home country to America. (Fact: Minneapolis, with an enormous number of immigrants from Somalia, is now the No. 1 radical Islamic terrorism recruitment city in America.) 77% of truckers say they will refuse to deliver to cities where police are de-funded Truck driving is historically ranked as one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. In 2018, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic reported truck driving as the most deadly job in the country, writes CDLlife.com, a site dedicated to commercial trucking. Truck drivers have spent the last year on the front line of a global pandemic and protests. Now many are fearful of what might happen if police departs disband or are defunded. CDL Life, which has a mobile app, ran a poll that asked commercial truck drivers if they would deliver loads to cities where police departments have been de-funded or abolished. So far, 77% of respondents said they would refuse to deliver loads to such cities. As CDLlife.com explains, some of the responses from truckers include: I will not deliver to an area with a disbanded police department. My life matter and I do this for my family. We are already at the mercy of these towns and cities with laws and hate against us for parking, getting a meal or even using a restroom. For my own safety and security of my customers loads, I have already informed my dispatcher that I will refuse all loads to cities that have defunded their police departments. if something was to happen and you have to take matters into your own hands, and then you risk being prosecuted for protecting yourself. As I wrote in January of this year in an important story that warned about a super supply chain crisis hitting Americas cities: Radical left-wing domestic terrorism groups such as Antifa routinely stage physical assaults on Trump supporters across America, using deadly weapons and mob violence to commit acts of intimidation against their political opponents. The idea that these radical left-wing groups might quickly escalate their tactics into city-wide chaos, murder and mayhem is no stretch of the imagination. This seems to be their plan. Yes, I wrote that in January. So dont believe those who say, Nobody saw this coming. We saw this coming! Without truck loads full of goods, every city collapses into total chaos within 96 hours By de-funding or abolishing police, radical left-wing Democrats (DEMONcrats) are deliberately pushing their own cities toward collapse and chaos so they can then blame Trump for all the problems they caused themselves. Every city in America collapses into chaos inside of 96 hours if the trucks stop rolling. Grocery stores, for example, only stock enough food for about 2-3 days of normal grocery shopping. Once the deliveries cease, the sudden increase in purchasing from the locals will wipe out grocery store shelves in less than 24 hours. If you thought the George Floyd riots were bad, that was just a tiny taste of what youll see once deliveries of food, fuel, medicine and consumer goods are halted. It also begs the question: Who will be stupid enough to drive trucks full of goods into left-wing cities that have collapsed into chaos and warlord autonomous zones where police are banned? Nobody, of course. Perhaps the city council members who voted to abolish the police can try to find an available rig and deliver a few truckloads of products themselves, but it wont be enough. Cities need a steady supply of large volumes of trucks to restock the shelves at grocery stores and big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes. Imagine the total panic when cities like Los Angeles run out of toilet paper and frozen burritos. And with Walmart now donating $100 million to left-wing terrorism-linked groups, it seems that even corporate America is so stupid that they will empower the very terrorists who are going to destroy the cities and gut their own retail stores (which will be mercilessly looted). Behold your new liberal utopia depicted in this video, as looters ransack the local Target store. This is whats coming to every city in America thats run by terror-supporting democrats: Heres another scene of what you can look forward to if you live in a city run by Democrats, a political party that now overtly supports left-wing terrorists, anarchy and lawlessness: And heres a scene from the Oakland riots from a few years ago, when looters ransacked a truck and set fire to buses. This is just a small taste of whats to come across Americas democrat-run cities: This underscores the critical urgency of getting out of the cities while you still can By destroying the rule of law, Democrats are making their cities unsafe for the execution of basic functions (such as commercial deliveries) upon which the citizens rely for basic survival. A city without police protection, run by left-wing warlords and Black Lives Matter terrorist gangs, is a city that cannot function. Yet this is exactly what Democrats are doing quite deliberately, including the Mayor of Seattle and the Governor of Washington, both of whom are actively supporting rogue left-wing terrorist cells that have already seized six city blocks of downtown Seattle and declared themselves to be a new sovereign nation. The critical takeaway from this is that every person living in a U.S. city needs to double down on their efforts to bug out from those cities as quickly as possible. This is not a temporary weekend getaway; it needs to be a permanent relocation out of the cities and into a low-density rural area. The cities are rapidly collapsing into a level of lawnessless that will soon lead to a collapse of food supplies. And once that happens, everything descends into chaos and gang warfare. The police will be unable to protect you. Heck, they cant protect you now. Democrat city leaders, if you can even call them that, have already proven that they will side with left-wing terrorists rather than protect their own citizens. Even though Americans who live in cities are paying sky-high property taxes that are supposed to provide services such as a 911 police response, the police are now being de-funded and abolished. Some sections of the cities such as in Seattle are being completely surrendered to terrorist groups like Black Lives Matter, which openly advocates the killing of police and executions of white people. Thus, even if you are paying the city property taxes, you arent getting city services. Instead, your cities are being handed over to terrorist cells with names like Black Lives Matter and Antifa, both of which are radical extremist terrorist organizations. Only rural America will fight back (and shoot back) against left-wing terrorist groups Since you cant rely on clueless Democrats to assert the rule of law, your only play at this point is to get out of the cities and create physical distance between yourself and the hoards of starving looters who will soon be attempting to scour the countryside, looking for food and shelter. Once the Black Lives Matter terrorists exit the cities and leave the protections of the corrupt Democrat mayors, they will enter rural counties where they will be met with an overwhelming kinetic response from armed rural citizens and sheriffs departments. The Black Lives Matter terrorist groups cant survive in rural America, because rural Americans will shoot back and hold their ground, unlike left-wing city dwellers who have been disarmed and transformed into weak-willed white guilt jellyfish who bow down and lick the boots of black extremist terrorist groups like BLM. If you wish to survive the collapse of the cities something Ive been warning about for many years your window of opportunity to get out is rapidly collapsing. In 2017, we published, ANALYSIS: The big cities most likely to collapse into violence and social unrest. In 2015, we published, Americas cities will collapse into utter chaos the day the EBT cards stop working. Early this year, I wrote about the super supply chain crisis, talking about how, Americas cities may collapse into war zones. From that story, published in January, before the pandemic was even news: James Lab issued a Dec. 17th press release in which he warned of nationwide riots that will impede truckers ability to make deliveries of products for Americans consumption. Those supplies include food, fuel, medicine, ammunition and other supplies on which Americans depend each day. Radical left-wing domestic terrorism groups such as Antifa routinely stage physical assaults on Trump supporters across America, using deadly weapons and mob violence to commit acts of intimidation against their political opponents. The idea that these radical left-wing groups might quickly escalate their tactics into city-wide chaos, murder and mayhem is no stretch of the imagination. This seems to be their plan. In other words, yes, we saw all this coming. We do you think I live way out in the country, far from any city, surrounded by rugged rural country? Its because my entire ranch is basically one giant rifle range, and I know the ranges and the ballistics holds for every landmark on the ranch. The zombies wont get far in rural Texas. You can bank on that. You should really watch the whole series of The Joy of Shooting that I filmed in central Texas with some of my military buddies. Over several episodes, they teach you the basics of shooting and self-defense. Check it out: New York, June 12, 2020 Authorities in Niger should immediately release journalist Samira Ibrahim Sabou and drop all charges against her, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Authorities arrested Sabou, editor with the privately-owned Niger Search news website and manager of the Mides-Niger news website, on June 10 after she responded to a court summons, according to her lawyer, Abdou Leko Aboubacar, and Sahirou Youssoufou, secretary-general of the Niger Press House, a local media association, both of whom spoke to CPJ over messaging app. The summons was issued in response to a defamation complaint filed by Sani Mahamadou Issoufou, the son and chief of staff of Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou, according to Leko and Youssoufou. The complaint stemmed from a May 26 post on Sabous official Facebook account that alleged a connection between the son of the boss of the country and an audit of the military, as discussed in a March 24 report by the Jeune Afrique news site. The post shared a screenshot of the Jeune Afrique article. Sabou frequently posts political commentary and links to her reporting on her Facebook page, where she has more than 60,000 followers. Authorities charged Sabou with defamation by a means of electronic communication under Article 29 of Nigers cybercrime law for her post, and for a comment made on the post by another Facebook user, Leko told CPJ. Sabou was placed in pre-trial detention in the civil prison in Niamey; if convicted, she could face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to five million West African francs ($8,650), according to Leko and the cybercrime law, which CPJ reviewed. Authorities in Niger should immediately release Samira Ibrahim Sabou and halt their use of the countrys cybercrime law to arrest and detain journalists, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. Nigers cybercrime law is just another disappointing example of the way criminal defamation persists across the continent, in defiance of international standards and African governments own commitments to freedom of expression. CPJ called Sani Issoufou Mahamadou for comment at a phone number provided by someone following the case, but the call did not go through. CPJ could not contact him through Twitter because he did not have direct messaging enabled. Sabou is the president of the local Association of Bloggers for Active Citizenship, previously worked with the government-owned Le Sahel and privately owned lEnqueteur newspapers, and is widely known for her writing on social media, according to Youssoufou. Nigers Press House issued a statement condemning Sabous arrest, and restating Nigers prohibitions on preventive arrests for press violations. The statement also noted that Niger had signed the Table Mountain Declaration, a regional pact advocating for the abolition of criminal defamation laws. CPJ could not immediately find contact information for the judge overseeing Sabous case. In March, journalist Kaka Touda Mamane Goni was also arrested in Niamey and prosecuted under Nigers cybercrime law for posts on social media, as CPJ documented at the time. A decision to stop airing a famous Fawlty Towers episode because of racial slurs has been reversed, following outcry from the show's co-writer John Cleese. The BBC-owned streamer UKTV announced on Friday it had temporarily removed well-known Fawlty Towers episode The Germans for review because it "contains racial slurs". Fawlty Towers: Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), Manuel (Andrew Sachs), Sybil Fawlty (Prunella Scales) and Polly (Connie Booth). But the platform announced it would be reinstating the episode in the coming days once "extra guidance" had been added to the beginning of the episode on Saturday morning. "We will be adding extra guidance and warnings to the front of programmes to highlight potentially offensive content and language," UKTV said in a statement posted on Twitter. Four health workers are among the 85 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Kerala on Saturday as the infection count soared to 2,406 and over 2.35 lakh people are under observation in the state. The active cases in the state touched 1,342 while 1,045 people have recovered from the infection, including 46, who were discharged today. Malappuram reported 15 cases, followed by Kannur with 14, Kozhikode (12), Alappuzha and Kasaragod (nine each), Palakkad (8), Ernakulam (7), Idukki and Thrissur (4 each), Pathnamthitta,Wayanad and Kottayam (one each), Health Minister K K Shailaja said. Of the positivecases, 53 had come from abroad, including 21 from Kuwait, and 18 from other states. Ten people were infected through contact, the Minister said in a press release here. At least2,35,418 people are under observation, 2,23,429in homes/institutional quarantine and 1,989 in hospitals, including 223 people admitted today. Malappuram has the largest number of coronavirus cases at 205, followed by Palakkad (176), Thrissur (151) and Kannur (128). Meanwhile, the state government relaxed the Sunday lockdown restrictions to allow devotees to visit places of worship, students to attend examinations and personnel for making arrangements for the exams. READ | Kerala University To Add More Centres, Conducts Re-exams And More Latest Updates READ | Chartered Flights From Middle East Shall Only Carry COVID Negative Passengers: Kerala Govt Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The 'Global Methyl N-Cyanoethanimideate & Ethyl N-cyanoethanimideate Market Outlook 2019-2024' offers detailed coverage of methyl n-cyanoethanimideate & ethyl n-cyanoethanimideate industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading methyl n-cyanoethanimideate & ethyl n-cyanoethanimideate producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for methyl n-cyanoethanimideate & ethyl n-cyanoethanimideate. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography. Request For Report Sample @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3777 The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from key industry participants. The global methyl n-cyanoethanimideate & ethyl n-cyanoethanimideate market has been segmented into five major regions, namely, North America (U.S., Canada, and others), Europe (U.K., France, Germany, Russia, and others), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, and others), South America (Brazil, Argentina, and others), and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and others). Furthermore, the report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key vendors operating in this market. Get Complete TOC with Tables and Figures@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/3777 Key Regions - North America - Europe - Asia Pacific - Middle East & Africa - South America Key Vendors - Lianyungang Yingrun Chemical Co., Ltd. - Nantong Tendenci Chemical Co., Ltd. - Ningxia Soochow Agrochemical Co., Ltd. - Shandong Sino-Agri United Biotechnology Co., Ltd. - request free sample to get a complete list of companies Key Questions Answered in This Report - Analysis of the methyl n-cyanoethanimideate & ethyl n-cyanoethanimideate market including revenues, future growth, market outlook - Historical data and forecast - Regional analysis including growth estimates - Analyzes the end user markets including growth estimates. - Profiles on methyl n-cyanoethanimideate & ethyl n-cyanoethanimideate vendors including products, sales / revenues, SWOT, and market position, recent developments. - Market structure, market drivers and restraints. <<< Get COVID-19 Report Analysis >>> https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/3777 Suffield, Connecticut authorities said they are investigating an accidental drowning in Congamond Lake Friday night. Western Mass News reported that details are few and officials said they would be releasing more information Saturday about the individual and the circumstances of the incident. Suffield police are being aided by Southwick police and Massachusetts State Police. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to West Point graduating cadets during commencement ceremonies at Plain Parade Field at the United States Military Academy on June 13, 2020 in West Point, New York. WEST POINT, N.Y. In his first graduation address to the cadets of the United States Military Academy, President Donald Trump touted the colossal defense budget and the creation of the U.S. Space Force while avoiding the recent debate over the administration's politicization of troops. "You came to West Point because you know the truth: America is the greatest country in human history. And the United States military is the greatest force for peace and justice the world has ever known," Trump told the more than 1,100 seated cadets at the academy's historic parade field. "As commander-in-chief, I never forget for one instant the immense sacrifices we ask of those who wear the nation's uniform," he said during the Saturday ceremony, which was altered for social distancing measures. "What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment," he added. Trump's speech to the Army's new second lieutenants at an in-person ceremony at West Point, comes at a particularly tumultuous time. More than 114,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus pandemic, double-digit unemployment plagues the nation, top defense officials face criticism for a political photo-op and widespread protests over police brutality have swept the country. "When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal," Trump said, appearing to acknowledge the palpable tensions of the past two weeks. Trump has faced criticism for his handling of the protests sparked by the death last month of George Floyd at the hands of police. The unarmed black man died after a white Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes. The officer has been charged with second-degree murder. The president took a moment during the ceremony to recognize the National Guard and its efforts of "ensuring peace, safety and the constitutional rule of law on our streets." Trump's address follows an extraordinary letter to the U.S. Military Academy's graduating class penned by a coalition of several hundred West Point alumni. "Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests. Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events," some alumni wrote in a letter posted on Medium. "The oath taken by those who choose to serve in America's military is aspirational. We pledge service to no monarch; no government; no political party; no tyrant," the group wrote, adding that they were "concerned that fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions are failing to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to Duty, Honor, Country." Confederate statues and obelisks, and monuments to Christopher Columbus across the country have been covered in black plastic, barricaded and removed after they were vandalized during George Floyd protests. Officials say their decision to cover and begin dismantling the monuments comes out of safety concerns for demonstrators. Protesters have been seen dangerously pulling down the monuments, and at least one was seriously injured and remains in a coma. In some cases the monuments have been immediately removed by local officials. In Dallas, city officials wrapped a 65-foot obelisk in black plastic and set up barricades in downtown as they requested a judge's permission to remove the Confederate war memorial. In Dallas, city officials wrapped a 65-foot obelisk in black plastic in downtown as they requested a judge's permission to remove the Confederate war memorial (pictured) Barricades also were set up around the obelisk in downtown Dallas A motion filed by city officials with the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas warns that the monument 'could seriously injure anyone nearby,' if toppled over by protesters, the Dallas Morning News reports. Additional cops were being deployed for a protest at the monument this weekend. However, the protest was moved as city officials filed their motion with the courts, a spokeswoman says. A statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbia, South Carolina, also had to come down and go into storage after several vandalizations this week alone. Mayor Steve Benjamin says it was taken down because of the destruction and as the city decides what to do next with the statue. 'I felt it was important that the statue's future be determined by the people of Columbianot by a passionate protester in the middle of the night,' Benjamin tells WIS News. 'A robust national conversation is ongoing about historical figures such as Christopher Columbus, to contextualize their often difficult legacies,' he adds. 'During this period, we look forward to engaging in our own discussions with the people of Columbia to find the most fitting way and location where the statue can be viewed and discussed in the best fitting historical context.' A statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbia, South Carolina, also had to come down and go into storage after several vandalizations this week alone. The statue's pedestal is picture after it was removed. Mayor Steve Benjamin says it was taken down because of the destruction and as the city decides what to do next with the statue A statue of Jefferson Davis, who was president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, was removed from the Kentucky state capitol rotunda in Frankfort. The statue came down immediately after the Historic Properties Advisory Commission voted for its removal, WKLY reports. 'It is long past due to remove a statue that some kids who come into this Capitol, a Capitol supposed to be the people's house and there for everybody, see as a symbol that they don't matter,' Gov. Andy Beshear said a day earlier. A statue of Jefferson Davis Jefferson, who was president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, was removed from the Kentucky state capitol rotunda in Frankfort. The statue appears across from a statue of Abraham Lincoln before it was taken down Friday Workers are pictured preparing to remove the statue of Davis from the rotunda The statue came down immediately after the Historic Properties Advisory Commission voted for its removal. A worker is pictured climbing a ladder to ready the statue for its removal A worker is pictured as he begins prying open the statue's base The extreme measures come as protesters have called for an end to systematic racism after the police-related slaying of Floyd on Memorial Day. Floyd, a 46-year-old black father-of-two, was killed during an arrest. He was alleged to have passed a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes when Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin pressed down on Floyd's neck with his knee for almost 9 minutes, causing his death. The deadly move cost Chauvin his job and got him charged with murder. Video of the incident taken by a bystander went viral and emboldened the Black Lives Matter movement in a national call for reforms. Some officials say they want to rethink where to put the monuments going forward. Another safety concern for protesters prompted the immediate removal of a Confederate monument in Decatur, Georgia. The 30-foot obelisk was found to be unsafe amid the Floyd protests, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Another safety concern for protesters prompted the immediate removal of a Confederate monument in Decatur, Georgia The 30-foot obelisk was found to be unsafe amid the Floyd protests, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution The county was ordered to be immediately remove the obelisk by a judge on Friday. The order from Judge Clarence Seeliger came after the city filed a complaint against DeKalb County. The statue was to be placed in storage until it gets a new home. DENVER - Former governor John Hickenlooper's ethics woes have unsettled a Colorado Senate race that Democrats consider one of their best chances of flipping a Republican-held seat, with the quirky brewery owner's reputation taking a hit with voters within days of the state's primary. The two-term governor and former Denver mayor is on the defensive after the Independent Ethics Commission found he violated a state gift ban in 2018 when he accepted a ride in a Maserati limousine at a conference in Turin, Italy, and traveled on a private jet owned by a home builder to Connecticut for the commissioning of the USS Colorado submarine. The commission voted Friday to impose fines of $2,750 on Hickenlooper - $2,200 for the private jet trip and $550 for the limousine ride in Italy. The penalty represents what is believed to be an estimate for each, although the commission said the lack of evidence presented by the two sides made it difficult to figure out the true costs. Earlier this week, Hickenlooper insisted voters would look past the violations. "I've campaigned twice in difficult elections, and it's clear I have a relationship with Coloradans through thick and thin," said the former petroleum geologist during a primary debate Tuesday. "They are going to recognize these as smear attacks." But Hickenlooper's behavior during a remote hearing held by the five-member panel last week overshadowed the ruling itself and injected momentum into the campaign of his primary opponent, former Colorado House speaker Andrew Romanoff. The winner of the June 30 contest will challenge Sen. Cory Gardner (R), considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the November election. The U.S. Senate seat is crucial to Democratic hopes of wresting the majority from Republicans, who hold a 53-to-47 advantage but are playing defense in more seats - 23 - including several in Democratic-leaning and swing states. After his short-lived run for president last year, Hickenlooper was considered an ideal Senate recruit for the Democratic Party - a well-known candidate who had won statewide twice and a former small-business owner who opened the first brewpub in Colorado. In his recent ads, Hickenlooper emphasizes how as governor he took the state from 40th in job creation to first. Facing ethics complaints, Hickenlooper, 68, refused to testify at the video conference and only appeared last week after the commission, some of whom he appointed while governor, held him in contempt of a subpoena. His taxpayer-funded attorney, Mark Grueskin, argued in a legal filing in May that the video conferencing format denied the candidate's due process rights to consult in person with counsel and asked for a delay. On Friday, Grueskin asked the commission to purge the contempt charge. The panel refused. With mail ballots arriving this week, the backlash from what one commissioner termed the former governor's "disrespect for the rule of law" is causing some voters to reconsider their preferred candidate. "I thought he was a good governor, and he did good things for the state," said Anne Holton, 72, a retired assistant attorney general and registered Democrat who planned to vote for Hickenlooper. "But if there were more to come out from the ethics commission, and if there were something I just thought 'I can't live with that,' I would vote for Romanoff," added the former state employee. "I always drop my ballot off at the last minute." Hickenlooper's ethics issues burst onto the national stage on June 5 when President Donald Trump tweeted about the commission holding the former governor in contempt saying he, "Got caught big time with his hand in the cookie jar. Should be the end of his Colorado Senate bid. Makes no difference, we already have a GREAT SENATOR." Gardner's unabashed embrace of Trump's policies on immigration and the environment is widely considered a liability in a state where Democrats swept the 2018 midterms, winning the governorship and both houses of the General Assembly. Polls over the past eight months consistently showed Hickenlooper beating the 45-year-old Yuma Republican by double digits in a state Hillary Clinton carried by five percentage points in 2016. "Republicans are going to be tied to the president whether they like it or not," said Jessica Taylor, Senate and governors editor for the Cook Political Report, which rated the race a toss-up. "I think Cory Gardner can run ahead of Trump, but can he run ahead of him enough to win?" she asked, saying Hickenlooper's ethics issues "have given Gardner an opening." Both Hickenlooper and Gardner hit the airwaves with six-figure ad buys recently, with Gardner highlighting how Congress enacted nine of his bills, his effort to bring the U.S. Space Command to Colorado and his work delivering protective equipment to the state during the coronavirus pandemic. There is no mention or image of Trump in the latest ad. Democratic campaign operatives said that regardless of the ethics scandal, they were confident Hickenlooper's widespread name recognition and popularity among voters will ensure that he prevails over Romanoff in the primary, and ultimately, Gardner in the general election. "I don't think this rises to the level of derailing a campaign - it's a storm in a tea cup," said Colm O'Comartun, former executive director of the Democratic Governors Association. "More and more in politics people have already made up their minds, and we are looking at a very small group in the middle who are swing voters." In Colorado, that group isn't so small. Four of every 10 voters are registered unaffiliated and are eligible to cast ballots in the primary. The remaining 60% is divided almost evenly among Democrats and Republicans. The once-purple Centennial State is tilting left, with liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., winning the March 3 presidential primary with 37% of the vote. Like Sanders, Romanoff supports Medicare-for-all and the Green New Deal, making him a favorite among Colorado's growing number of millennials. Hickenlooper favors strengthening the Affordable Care Act and supports a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Young people are phone banking for Romanoff, calling thousands of voters each week, seeking to boost the momentum provided by the ethics controversy. "Hickenlooper's the first person in history to be held in contempt by the ethics commission and that shows contempt for voters," said Michele Weindling, a regional organizer with the Sunrise Movement, a nonprofit formed to address climate change. "He defied a subpoena to testify because he didn't want us to have answers to his ethics inquiry before the primary." In the first of a series of debates before the primary, the former governor said Tuesday that "a dark money political group" was behind the ethics complaint filed in 2018 by former state Republican House speaker Frank McNulty. In the half-hour forum, Hickenlooper said commissioners absolved him of 95 out of 97 allegations in the document, including flights on company planes owned by friends. The constitutional gifts ban, enacted by voters in 2006, requires officials to report gifts that exceed a token value. Romanoff called on Hickenlooper to drop out of the race, saying that his questionable conduct endangered Democrat's chances of beating Gardner. "He represents a threat we cannot afford," said Romanoff, who lost two statewide races in 2010 and 2014 after he served eight years in the state House from 2000 to 2008. Even though he won the state caucuses and emerged from the state assembly with top billing on the primary ballot, Romanoff trails Hickenlooper in fundraising. Veteran independent pollsters in Colorado questioned if Romanoff could keep the former governor's ethics violations at the forefront for voters dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, economic fallout and the civic unrest after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. "The question is whether Romanoff can get it sufficiently in the political atmosphere," said Floyd Ciruli, director of the Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Denver. "It clearly hurt the governor's reputation as being honest - he's always tried to maintain a reputation of being clean," he added. "As a matter of fact, he took a shower once with his clothes on to argue he wasn't going to go negative in campaigns." Republicans, who concede that Gardner's allegiance to Trump endangers his reelection prospects, said that Democrats are nervous about how the ethics commission investigation will play out. They emphasized the panel dropped most of the charges in the complaint because they were outside the one-year statute of limitations, adding the record points to a pattern of improper travel. "The fact that the DSCC sent out one of their top lawyers to basically oversee the Hickenlooper defense is indicative of the concern they've got," said Dick Wadhams, a Republican political consultant and former state party chairman. Republicans argue that despite a reputation for being well-liked, Hickenlooper won reelection to a second term as governor in 2014 by about three percentage points and his initial run for the office in 2010 with 51 percent of the vote in a three-way race. "John Hickenlooper's popularity is an inch deep and a mile wide," said Colorado Republican Party Chairman Ken Buck, who is also a member of Congress. Healthwise patient education awarded top honors BOISE, Idaho, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthwise announced today that it received five Digital Health Awards for its patient education videos and content in the Health Information Resource Center (HIRC)s 2020 spring competition. Twice a year, HIRC honors the best digital health resources for consumers and health care professionals. Healthwise won a Gold award in the Digital Health MediaPublications category for A Storybook for Kids: Charlie Learns about Coronavirus . Children may have anxiety or fear about COVID-19. This online storybook about Charlie, the germ-buster, helps kids understand the coronavirus and how they can help stop the spread. The other four awards were in the Digital Health MediaVideo category. Were honored to be recognized by the Digital Health Awards for creating health education that is engaging, clear, and relevant for kids and adults. We support health literacy through plain language, compelling visuals, and effective storytelling, said Christy Calhoun, Chief Content Officer at Healthwise. Charlie Learns About Coronavirus represents our teams commitment to collaborative and creative work. The four award-winning videos reflect the intentional choices we make to reflect diversity and inclusion, health consumer perspective, and clinical accuracy. The winning storybook was one of over 70 COVID-19 videos, infographics, and articles that were created and offered free of charge to organizations and individuals as part of Healthwises nonprofit mission. The winning videos are part of more than 700 assets in the Healthwise Video Library. The videos help people manage their health, better understand surgeries and procedures, and make healthy lifestyle changes. Health education videos and visual content helps involve patients in their care and helps clinicians bridge cultural and health literacy gaps. Story continues HIRC is a national clearinghouse for professionals who work in consumer health fields. It aims to recognize digital health resources and entries that are web-based, mobile, wearable devices, media publications, or social media. About Healthwise Healthwise, a leader in evidence-based health education, technology, and services, is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help people make better health decisions. People have turned to Healthwise information more than 2 billion times to learn how to do more for themselves, ask for the care they need, and say no to the care they dont need. Healthwise partners with hospitals, electronic medical record (EMR) providers, health plans, care management companies, and health websites to provide up-to-date, evidence-based information to the people they serve. www.healthwise.org. 1-800-706-9646 'There have been gradual reopenings in Austria, Belgium, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Spain among other countries.' (stock image) Ireland is in a minority of countries in Europe where bars, cafes and restaurants still remain closed, according to a new analysis. They also include the UK and the Netherlands, according to an update from Hiqa, the patient safety body, on how countries are easing restrictions on Covid-19. There have been gradual reopenings in Austria, Belgium, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Spain among other countries. It stated that triggers for the decision to ease restrictions include declining or stabilising of new cases and deaths, low rates of Covid-19-related hospital admissions and sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment and ventilators in hospital settings. There was a gradual reopening of schools in Austria, Belgium, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Restrictions on wedding ceremonies have also been eased in a number of countries. In Belgium, weddings have been allowed to proceed subject to a maximum of 30 people. Other countries have also relaxed restrictions around funerals. Since May 4 attendance at funerals has been permitted in Italy, subject to a maximum of 15 people who must wear face masks. In Ireland, the number of people allowed to attend a funeral has increased to 25 immediate family members and in Belgium it has risen to 30. Gyms have reopened in the Czech Republic, Finland and Italy. The majority of countries, however, appear to have maintained closure of gyms but have proposed planned dates to reopen them, with Ireland scheduled for August. In the area of international travel, Austria will resume direct flights to 10 destinations within or close to Europe from next week. Residents in Denmark will also be allowed to travel to Germany, Iceland and Norway from Monday as these have been designated as low-risk countries under the controlled reopening of the country's borders. Meanwhile, the only European countries which have not passed their coronavirus peak are Sweden and Poland, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Lockdown measures in other European countries led to an 80pc decline in the virus's 14-day incidence since the peak on April 9. However, the 14-day incidence "was at the highest level yet observed" in Poland and Sweden, said the ECDC. The ECDC predicted a moderate acceleration across Europe in the coming weeks, which could place healthcare systems under stress if not checked rapidly However, government control measures could check and reverse upward trends within two to three weeks, it said. Andrea Ammon, director of the ECDC, stressed the importance of maintaining physical distancing, hand hygiene and "respiratory etiquette". Officials expressed concern the virus could spread among the tens of thousands who have crowded together in Europe's big cities to demonstrate against racism after the death in US police custody of George Floyd. Protesters are demanding to defund the police. Mayors are vowing to cut police budgets. Congressional Democrats are rallying around broad legislation to combat police misconduct. Senate Republicans tapped the only black lawmaker in their ranks to draft a conservative response. And more than two weeks after the killing of George Floyd in police custody, President Donald Trump plans to address policing at an event in Texas on Thursday. Public opinion around how the police treat black Americans is shifting fast. In the middle of it all is Kamala Harris. The California senator, who is widely seen as a leading contender to be Joe Bidens running mate, has taken on a prominent role fighting for a criminal justice overhaul. Harris is arguing that her experience as a prosecutor which was a liability for her during the Democratic presidential primary race gives her firsthand insight into changing a broken system. The New York Times spoke to Harris about the shifting politics of policing, the importance of smartphone video and, of course, the vice presidency. (The conversation has been edited and condensed.) Hi. Thanks for chatting today. You are the second black female senator in the countrys history. What does this moment feel like for you, personally? I mentor a lot of people. I will say to them that you will often find that you are the only one who looks like you in the room, be it around the conference table or in a meeting or wherever you are. But the thing to remember is you are never in that room alone. We are all in that room with you, expecting that you will use your voice, and use it with pride and use it in a way that represents all of those who are in the room with you but not physically there. It is part of the way that I approach my work and always have. Ive been in that situation for most of my career, as only the second black woman in the United States who was elected an attorney general of any state. I was the first black woman elected district attorney in the state of California. So its not a new experience. Sadly, we are still making so many firsts. President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and other prominent black figures in America have talked about being profiled. Have you had that experience of, say, being followed in a department store? Yes. And my family members have, too. But I just have to tell you, Im really sick of having to explain my experiences with racism to people for them to understand that it exists. Why do you think people want to hear that kind of personal testimonial? I dont know. I dont know why people keep asking the question. Maybe its because they really are still head-in-the-sand and coming to terms with the realities of America on the issue of race. Do you think were having a moment where the politics around this issue is starting to shift? Ive been out there with the protesters. I feel very optimistic when I see who is out there. I very much think of this as not a moment but a movement. And theres a specific thing that is different about this, and that is the significance of smartphones. I will tell you that probably over the last 10 years, my white friends would come up to me and say, Kamala, what is going on all of a sudden with all this excessive force? And I would say to them, You sound like a colonist. Because youre seeing it for the first time, you think youve discovered it. Communities and in particular the black community have been shouting and crying, mothers over their dead childrens bodies, been crying in deep pain about these things. But people turned a blind eye or they didnt believe it or they didnt want to believe it. But now, because of the smartphone, America and the world are seeing in vivid detail the brutality that communities have known for generations. You cant deny. You cant look away. Its there. I do believe people are seeing the injustice of it all and are prepared to take action in a way that weve not seen before. And that gives me hope. Of course, in Congress, that involves getting Republican support for legislation. Right, it does. But look at Mitt Romney God love him out there marching, and had the courage and the fortitude and the humanity to speak the phrase: Black Lives Matter. Are there any other Senate Republicans who you believe could work with you? There are a number. Honestly, the concern I have is just that, once again, the politics of fear. You see Donald Trump starting that up. Its a playbook that has worked over and over again, which is to present false choices, suggesting that if we have real change, if we shake up the system in a way that is about reimagining it and re-establishing norms based on what should be, chaos will occur. And I hope that my colleagues are immune and see it for what it is. The anti-lynching legislation that you first introduced in 2018 was blocked by Sen. Rand Paul last week. How should voters view his opposition to that bill? We are still, these hundreds of years later, having an argument in the United States Senate about whether lynching should be designated a federal crime. It speaks to the fact that we still have so much work to do, to not only acknowledge the history of our country but also acknowledge that we have yet to fully embrace, much less address, the systemic racism that has existed in America and the fact that black lives, in particular, have been legally, historically and currently been considered as less than human. So, tell me about the legislation you introduced this week, the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. In the context of everything were discussing, it is but one piece of it all. It is very specific and it is about police accountability. It is about making sure that theres accountability and consequence when people break the rules and break the law. It lowers the standard of criminal intent for an officer who has violated the constitutional rights of people. It gives the Department of Justice and state AGs more power to investigate entire police departments for patterns and practices of discrimination. Also, its about independent investigation. I know as a former prosecutor, no matter how well-intentioned the prosecutor may be when investigating the case of abuse or excessive force by a police officer, if that police officer works for an agency that you work with every day, at the very least there will be an appearance of conflict. Independent investigations would be required. Can I ask you about this idea of defunding the police? Whats your thinking on that idea? Well, its a concept. We do have to reimagine what public safety looks like. And heres the thing. It is status quo thinking to believe that putting more police on the streets creates more safety. Thats wrong. Its just wrong. You know what creates more safety? Funding public schools, affordable housing, increased homeownership, job skill development, jobs, access to capital for those who want to start small businesses, or who are running small businesses in communities. But, no, were not going to get rid of the police. We all have to be practical. But lets separate out these discussions. Many cities in our country spend one-third of their entire budget on policing. With all the responsibilities those cities have, one-third on policing? Put it in the context of the fact that over the last many decades, we have essentially been defunding public schools. If anyone thinks that the way were going to cure these problems is by putting more police on the street, theyre wrong. As you mentioned, you were San Franciscos district attorney and the attorney general of California, roles that became a bit of a liability in your primary campaign. Do you regret starting your political career that way? Let me tell you, the reason I made a very conscious decision to become a prosecutor was because I am the child of people who, like those today, were marching and shouting on the streets for justice. I am a child of community that was often on the not-great end of law enforcement, in terms of profiling and abuse. And the decision I made was, Im going to try and go inside the system, where I dont have to ask permission to change what needs to be changed. But one of the differences between then and now is the incredible leadership of Black Lives Matter, and that movement. Which put the pressure from the outside to counteract the obstacles from the inside that were not only reluctant to change but opposed to change. I dont regret it because I know we were able to make a change, but it certainly was not enough. I will get a lot of angry emails if I dont ask about your vice presidential prospects. I am curious whether you think the calculation has changed. Does America need to see a black woman in the White House with Joe Biden, given whats going on in the country? Im going to tell you what I honestly and deeply believe. Joe Biden has got to win this election. And I want him to choose whoever he believes, and whoever can help him win. Period. I know that sounds pretty coldblooded, but thats where I am. Hell make the best decision for him to win in November. And thats the bottom line. Lisa Lerer c.2020 The New York Times Company Since the foundation of the State in 1922, almost every important decision taken by a government has happened in this room. Situated in the bowels of the imposing Government Buildings, the Cabinet Room represents the epicentre of our political system. Many of the decisions taken in that room determine how we as a people live our lives. All of that is done behind closed doors with very few people involved. The vast majority of us never get to know the conversations that go on, the deals done, or the bitter battles fought between ministers. From the rocky early days of this Cabinet under Enda Kenny in 2016 to tackling Brexit and now Covid-19 under Leo Varadkar, this Fine Gael-Independent government has endured many turbulent times. Bedevilled at times with vicious backbiting, infighting, distrust and downright hostility, the outgoing Cabinet of this minority government has survived, against the odds, for more than four years. Described by Fergal Purcell, the former Fine Gael government press secretary as a very effusive or leaky Cabinet, what does emerge is a mere fraction of what actually goes on. The Cabinet room is the one place where the grandstanding stops and real uninterrupted business can get done, even with all the leaks, says one weary minister. But as this government draws to a close, ministers past and present, advisers and officials have all spoken about what really goes on in the room and how tensions both within parties and between them are never far from the surface. There are pricks in there who youd defend only for them to shaft you the next week, is the honest assessment of one minster. Inside the Room According to the rules, as laid out in the 91-page Cabinet handbook for ministers, in normal times, government meetings normally are held at 10am each Tuesday morning when the Dail is in session. But before the Cabinet meets, under Varadkar, Fine Gael ministers gather with the Taoiseachs top advisers, Brian Murphy and John Carroll, in the Sycamore Room upstairs for a political meeting at about 8.30am. Beforehand with Enda it tended to be more perfunctory, just going through the agenda. Now its far more political, much more useful with advisers in the room and so on, one Fine Gael minister says. Former taoiseach Enda Kenny. Leo is far more on top of the material than Enda was, without question. He reads everything, says one minister. Picture: Niall Carson But those Fine Gael meetings would tend to run on, much to the annoyance of the Independent ministers who would be made wait in the Cabinet ante room down in the basement. That is a legitimate criticism, that we would leave them waiting. Not that we would do it out of rudeness, but the FG pre-Cabinet would tend to run on. In the start they could have been waiting quite a while, the minister continued. Once the Taoiseach arrives down, the assembled ministers would then proceed into the Cabinet room itself, or the Council Chamber, in reference to the Executive Council which preceded the Cabinet structure between 1922 and 1937. Overlooked by portraits of previous leaders, the Taoiseach sits in the centre of the table with Martin Fraser, secretary general to the Government, to his left and further to his left sits the Attorney General, Seamus Woulfe. To the Taoiseachs right sits the chief whip. Directly across from the Taoiseach sits Tanaiste Simon Coveney and to his left sits Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe. All other ministers are seated in order of seniority based on the length of time they have sat at the Cabinet table. How it works Contrary to widespread belief, a Cabinet decision tends to come at the end as opposed to the beginning of a lengthy process. Cabinet is often not where decisions are taken at all. It is all done in advance by advisers and it is often a rubber-stamping exercise. The decision-making process is a long one and the final step in that is Cabinet before it goes to the Dail. Nobody brings a memo they know will be defeated, says one minister. The agenda for each government meeting is made up of memoranda brought by ministers and that agenda is confidentially available online to ministers, their private secretaries, secretaries general and other approved personnel such as special advisers in advance. Rarely will something get to Cabinet that has not been approved and cleared through the system. It normally will have been approved by ministers with a specific interest in a topic in advance. Leo has a civil servant called Andrew Munro, who is an assistant secretary in his department who is the gate keeper. He draws the agenda together and is the interlocutor between officials in your department and all other interested parties, says one minister. Political and press advisers would meet the day before Cabinet in a bid to co-ordinate communications strategy, but also to iron out any potential issues. If a problem did arise, often a call from a member of the Army Council Varadkar, Coveney, Donohoe could come to assuage any concerns, particularly in the independent ranks. Tanaiste Simon Coveney assuages concerns among independent ranks. Supposing someone had a memo and they had a worry about the Independents. The so-called sensible ministers would pick up the phone and say lets grab a coffee a day or two before Cabinet. Theyd say listen I know you have a problem with this but I would really appreciate your support on this thing. That would be regular enough, says one minister. Getting a memo through Cabinet can be all-consuming and you need to have your homework done if you are not to be embarrassed. Before you went to Cabinet, you would make sure you had plenty of ministers on board. Beforehand, you tick tack with everybody and you make sure everyone is ok and you have a majority in support. You also make sure to get the nod from the Taoiseach, privately and discreetly. Leo prefers a more informal, but intense style. He is far more hands-on. Leo is far more on top of the material than Enda was, without question. He would know the ins and out of everyones department. He reads everything. He gets really irritated if someone flings a memo at the last minute, says one minister. Presenting memos at Cabinet, several ministers confess, is a daunting prospect. It is like giving a best mans speech in that you dont eat the dinner as you are waiting to do your thing, you are not focusing on what is being said. You are building yourself up. Once you get your memo approved, you tend to zone out for 10 to 15 minutes in order to compose yourself, you wouldnt really know what is going on around you. Despite all the crime prevention in advance, it does not always go to plan. While it is rare that a memo not make it through, some notable examples have emerged. Memos get delayed sometimes due to workload but sometimes it happens when matters are not fully thought through. Simon Coveney, in 2018 in the run-up to the abortion referendum, tabled a proposal which would require a two-thirds majority in the Dail to amend any future abortion legislation. The media was informed the night before but by the time Cabinet was over, the proposal was dead in the water. Attorney General Seamus Woulfe. It was killed before Cabinet but he asked for the AG to give his view on it to give him political cover. But he overplayed his hand on that one and he knew it. Education Minister Joe McHugh recently tabled a proposal on reforming the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and according to many sources it emerged at the Cabinet that it was not ready to proceed. When he was OPW minister, Sean Canney had a memo about flooding which was kicked back. The Canney one was a bit of a mess and it was a case he hadnt properly squared it off with anyone, says one minister. Dealing with leaks One of the big changes under Varadkar was the clampdown on ministers bringing last-minute memos under the arm which had become far more prevalent under Enda Kenny. A practice usually kept for highly sensitive material or very incidental matters which cropped up late, the frequency of such memos irked Varadkar and he made clear they were to stop. It did open us up to leaking which was less than optimal and did us harm over the past three years, there was a very high level of things appearing in the public domain, when they shouldnt have, a source close to Varadkar says. Varadkar found it hard to clamp down. The feeling was that while there may have been some more obvious suspects, you rarely had hard evidence to confront anyone. To this day, there is an annoyance that Finian [Independent super junior health minister Finian McGrath] would say something at the end of the meeting and you know it was said for the benefit of reading it in the newspaper the following morning, claims one Fine Gael minister. Varadkars clear annoyance with leaks is seen by some of his ministers as ironic as he was suspected of being a prolific leaker himself when a minister under Enda Kenny. Varadkars style of chairing the Cabinet sharply differs to that of his predecessor. Their attitudes are very different. Leo lets things go a lot more. Things went quicker under Enda. Enda gave an impression he wanted to control where the conversation was going, Leo is more relaxed. Enda was more confrontational. Leo doesnt do confrontation. He likes peace and quiet. Enda was prepared to take it to the brink, says one minister. But the Covid-19 crisis has also had an impact. Leos style, in being more open to persuasion, is great if youre the one making the argument, but it is a pain in the arse if youre the minister bringing the memo In fairness, that wasnt the style before the election, they were far more efficient. It is fair to say that since the election and during Covid,[the meetings] have become more open season, a minister says. But Varadkar is something of a stickler for time and unlike Kenny would insist Cabinet finish at 1pm to allow him prepare properly for Leaders Questions. Unlike Enda, Varadkar prepares for Leaders Questions. Normally, he would insist Cabinet would finish at 1pm to give him enough time to prepare and to get some lunch. Cabinet would finish at 1pm, he would say we have 25 more items, well be back at 4pm to clear the agenda, one minister says. The Gate-keeper The first of two non-politicians who get to sit at the table is Martin Fraser, secretary general to the Government and the head of the civil service. A powerful and impressive figure, the music and sport-loving Dubliner is the only civil servant entitled to attend Cabinet. He sits to the immediate left of the Taoiseach by designation. Fraser is clearly a genius but he also has a temper and an arrogance. When he is brilliant, he is brilliant, but the very odd time he needs to be reminded he is not a member of the Cabinet, describes one minister. At the start of every meeting, Fraser reads out the minutes from the previous meeting and keeps a record of what is said. According to several ministers, Fraser and Varadkar have not always enjoyed the most harmonious relationship with some suggesting he was frozen out from the Taoiseachs inner circle when he took over in 2017. Others insist Fraser is definitely trusted by Varadkar and his judgement is hugely relied upon. The other non-politician who sits at the Cabinet table is the Attorney General. Seated by designation to the left of Fraser, Woulfe is the genial Fine Gael activist and Senior Counsel appointed in 2017 to replace Marie Whelan as the Governments lawyer at Varadkars behest. The 58-year-old Belvedere College educated rugby enthusiast is another trusted adviser upon whom Varadkar relies. Those close to the Taoiseach rate Woulfes abilities highly. Seamus is sharp, has a good political antenna and solid judgement. I couldnt fault him, Leo does rely upon him, says one minister. Others at Cabinet have a more mixed view of the AG. Woulfe caused controversy in March 2018 when at a lunch he likened Shane Ross controversial Judicial Appointments Bill to a dogs dinner. While his point related to Opposition amendments to the bill, it had the effect of further undermining the credibility of the legislation which was already deeply unpopular among Fine Gael ministers. Woulfe was seen by Shane Ross and the Independents to have acted politically in his utterances but this has been denied. That was something he made a mistake over. He should not have said it, one minister stated. Varadkar for his part was worried that the comments could ignite into a proper government crisis, but as one source says, he was relieved that it turned out to be a one-week wonder. The Independents The early days around the Fine Gael-Independent Cabinet table in 2016 were toxic. The relationship between the parties was awful at the start, really awful, admits one minister. With deep suspicions of each other, matters were not helped by Ross description of Kenny as a political corpse in his Sunday Independent column. In response, there was an active briefing campaign against Ross by Fine Gael ministers, which pissed off the Independent Alliance. We had loads of rows, in the first few months at Cabinet. Shane and Finian were in rows all the time. Every judge that was proposed, Shane and Finian were chasing them, checking their political affiliation and religion almost, says one minister. For some Independents it was akin to master and servant. They believe they are Cicero and we were the servants who needed to be schooled, says one about working with Fine Gael. What is not known is how close the Government came to collapsing over the issue of abortion. When then Independent TD Mick Wallace tabled a vote to liberalise abortion in July 2016, Ross, McGrath and the rest of the Independent Alliance felt they had to support it. The only problem was the then AG Maire Whelan said it was not constitutional and had to be opposed. The Alliance demanded a free vote on what they saw was an issue of conscience. Kenny was adamant such a free vote was not possible. Just six weeks into government, it looked like it was over. It got out of control and we didnt know where it was going, says one source. Several Alliance members made militant statements that they were voting with Wallaces bill. Kenny was apoplectic, warning he was not going to accept that. Ross and Kenny went eyeball to eyeball and when Ross went on Morning Ireland to say they were voting for Wallaces bill, the collision course was set. Ross made the commitment publicly then and he didnt know what was going to happen or how Fine Gael would react. It was the 11th hour and high stakes. At Cabinet, a very weakened Kenny eventually backed down at the last minute, but had he not, it was over, admits a minister. But the scars of those early battles have lingered. When Finian McGrath made ill-judged comments in 2019 to the media about the need to de-politicise the gardai, ministers Charlie Flanagan and Patrick ODonovan put the boot in. McGrath said he was thrown under the bus by Flanagan who called the comments bewildering and bizarre. That pissed us off, says one Independent source. Even in recent weeks there has been tension among the sides over what has seen to be active briefing against Katherine Zappone by Fine Gael ministers over the botched Childcare scheme for frontline workers. That has annoyed the hell out of us but because of Covid, we didnt make a huge deal of it. But they are the ones who lecture us about collective cabinet decision making and they were doing that to her, one minister stated. Shane Ross Without doubt, Ross became a lightning rod for controversy within Cabinet and beyond. Shane Ross became a focal point of controversy. While many ministers have said that since Varadkar became Taoiseach, the vast majority of relations have been cordial, there have been a small number of exceptions and Ross has generally been at the centre of them. The two big issues of annoyance with Ross were his quest to reform the judiciary and his controversial drink-driving legislation. It would really annoy us when Shane thought he was Minister for Justice. Sometimes, he had more interest in Charlie Flanagans brief than his own. Charlie was remarkably patient with Ross, says one minister. The attacks on Ross were not political, they were accurate. He rarely brings a memo from his own department, when he does you are not sure if he is across them properly or has he just been handed them by his officials. He picks fights on petty issues. I wouldnt be overly impressed by him, says another. Others have countered that because Ross and McGrath made such an issue of the judges, there was a tendency at Cabinet for the likes of Michael Creed and Flanagan to put him through the ringer when he was bringing a memo. Even those ministers who would be more supportive of Ross say he didnt play well with others. Shane could be very black and white, stubborn. He was too black and white and as a result made a lot of enemies, says one minister. The other matter which caused internal Cabinet conflict was the Minister for Transports drink driving legislation. While it had been painted as a Fine Gael versus Independent Alliance row, Cabinet sources say it was far more of an urban-rural divide. Paschal, Leo, Harris and Coveney were very supportive of Shane in terms of the main thrust of the bill. Others however like Ringer, Creed and Heather were opposed and that became quite fraught, a minister says. The Main Players Within any grouping, there are leaders and followers. According to all who contributed to this, one minister more than any other since 2016 held authority at Cabinet and that was Michael Noonan. Noonan had the experience and the hard yards behind him. When he spoke, which was not often, people listened. He held huge sway at Cabinet before he left. And at times he has been missed, says one minister. Donohoe since 2017 has occupied both finance ministries and while he has not matched Noonans experience, few doubt his ability. A good contribution at Cabinet should be 90 seconds. Paschal is very good at it. He says his three or four things, he always has his list. But most importantly, his contributions are informed and people listen, because they tend to be about money, says one minister. His relationship with Leo is the key axis in Government, says another. Tanaiste Simon Coveney is another who comes in for praise. Certainly one of the most diligent ministers, his colleagues say, even if he is prone to bouts of verbosity. Simon is great and hardworking but does tend to go on. Michael Creed could be one who would contribute and go on for a long time, it must be a Cork thing. Both Coveney and Creed tend to be quite long-winded. Coveney is very good if only he could be 10% quicker, quips one colleague. One minister who has enjoyed a resurgence in recent times is Simon Harris. Because of Covid-19, he has been brought into the inner sanctum of the Army Council as some ministers who are not in it call it. Minister for Health Simon Harris with a model of the National Childrens Hospital. One of the Governments worst moments was the mishandling of the project in December 2018 when the price tag jumped by 400m overnight. Picture: SamBoal/Rollingnews.ie A superb communicator, it is sometimes hard to get any media time with Harris doing three slots a day on TV and radio, says a senior colleague. There are some, including in Fine Gael, who clearly resent Harris high profile in the media with some labelling him a sole trader. One minister who is underrated according to colleagues is Eoghan Murphy, the Housing Minister. Described as one of the most intelligent people at the table by one independent minister, Murphy has also endured a torrid time in Housing. At the other end of the spectrum, ministers spoken to offered the names of Paul Kehoe, Michael Ring, Mary Mitchell OConnor, Zappone and Ross as either among the quieter or less effective people sitting around the table. Resignation at Dawn One of the most dramatic episodes that Varadkars government encountered was the circumstances which led to the resignation of his tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald in November 2017. That was a moment Ill never forget. And just how it happened was bizarre, says a minister. Following the inability of the Department of Justice to properly answer questions about the treatment of Sgt Maurice McCabe at the OHiggins Commission, Fitzgerald found herself at the centre of a political storm. After a weekend of crisis talks between Varadkar and Micheal Martin, the Taoiseach was left in no doubt that a resignation was needed for the Government to survive. Frances Fitzgerald: One of the most dramatic episodes that Varadkars government encountered was the circumstances which led to the resignation of his tanaiste in November 2017. Fitzgerald, who had been justice minister at the time of the OHiggins Commission, was in the firing line and pressure came on her to stand down to spare the country a general election. The night before Cabinet, there was a botched release of emails which appeared to cast doubt on Fitzgeralds position about what she knew of how McCabe was to be treated on the stand by lawyers acting for the Garda commissioner. The morning of Cabinet, Fitzgerald bowed to the inevitable and offered Varadkar her resignation in his office. It was a disastrous start to his term as Taoiseach. The normal pre-Cabinet meeting of Fine Gael ministers was cancelled. While her resignation was somewhat expected, it was still not fully clear what was going back and forth right to the last minute and nothing was quite inevitable that morning as to what was going to happen. Eventually, Frances appears down in the ante-room and had a cup of tea. She doesnt disclose her intention to any of us. Then the Cabinet meeting starts and she announces her resignation and left the Cabinet. It was like a political assassination before my own eyes. It was one of those moments and you ask yourself did that actually happen. It shows how you can be there one minute and gone the next, describes a minister. The Childrens Hospital One of the Governments worst moments was the mishandling of the National Childrens Hospital in December 2018 when the price tag for the project jumped by 400m overnight. It was a collective Cabinet mistake, described as a fuck up, by one minister. In a rush to clear the decks before the Christmas break, Simon Harris tabled a memo for Cabinet detailing the significant cost increase to the project. It was never properly communicated across Cabinet in a timely fashion what was going on. When it came, it came at the 11th hour at the last meeting of the year. All this other shit came from health on the same day, a minister says. The scale of the problem was underestimated by everyone, another minister now admits. No one foresaw just how big a deal it would become. When it did become a big deal, Harris cloaked himself in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and it worked and it damaged Paschal. It took Paschal some time to recover his credibility. Harris argued for the Government not to do a mea culpa but rather defend the cost increases. Harris was overruled and the Government came out with its hands up, but it was very damaging. Brexit Before Covid-19, without question the most consuming matter to confront this Cabinet was Brexit. Since the British referendum in 2016, the Irish Government went on a war footing to combat the fallout of the decision of the UK to leave the EU. Brexit: On the issue of the Irish border, several ministers have made clear that when it came to the return of border checks, the full truth was not being told. After Fitzgeralds resignation, Coveney was appointed Tanaiste and made Irelands Brexit Minister. As the crisis with Britain escalated, Coveney and Varadkar tightened the circle of trust as to what was going on and many at Cabinet felt excluded. It is true there were criticisms and concerns about Coveney becoming too controlling over Brexit. But at the same time, there was a general acceptance that he was doing a bloody good job of it so some people were prepared to go along with it, says one minister. Others are less content. It was not acceptable. Did we not learn anything from the banking crash when a small subset of people made a decision and members of the Cabinet were blindsided? Coveney was way too precious. Hed bollock you out of it when he felt you overspoke or stepped out of line, says another. Despite Varadkars clampdown on under the arm memos, Coveney began bringing quite a few of them, for fear of leaking, which angered many. Many would say how am I supposed to approve this when we were getting it for the first time as he delivered it. It was crazy, says a minister. On the issue of the Irish border, several ministers have made clear that when it came to the return of border checks, the full truth was not being told. I think when it came to the border, very few people knew the full story or answer. Of course, you would plan for all scenarios, thats prudent, but you dont necessarily share all of those plans to Cabinet, admits another. Given the sheer pace of events, those close to Varadkar have argued that with Brexit, it just simply wasnt possible to keep the 20 people at Cabinet constantly in the loop on it. Covid-19 A similar gripe has been articulated by ministers over the response to Covid-19. Several ministers, who are not on the Covid Army Council which comprises of Varadkar, Donohoe and Harris have complained that Cabinet has been effectively sidelined while a smaller group have made all the decisions. There too has been significant tensions between the politicians and the permanent government in the civil service as to who is in charge, ministers say. Tensions persist between civil service and politicians. I make that point clear at NPHET meetings and at Cabinet that politicians need to make the decisions. Yes, you listen to the advice but it was for the politicians to make the decisions, says one minister. Ministers point to the Cabinet meeting in Dublin Castle last Thursday week as a case of the Cabinet flexing its muscles over the civil service. It was a welcome reassertion of power by the politicians which had been missing for the previous month or so. Thats the first time in two months that we asserted our authority, explains one minister. However, tensions remain. There is a significant tension at the moment between the civil service and the current or outgoing government. There is a tension by the fact that you hear senior civil servants say certain decisions are a matter for the next government which does annoy us, admitted another. A treasure chest filled with gold, jewels, and antiques worth over $1 million was said to have been hidden by an eccentric 89-year-old multimillionaire by the name of Forrest Fenn in the Rocky Mountains in 2010. The public was then invited to join in in an epic treasure hunt. According to the BBC, hundreds of thousands of hopeful treasure hunters rose to the challenge. Many quit their jobs to embark on the search, some depleting their personal savings in the process, and some even losing their lives. On June 7, the former U.S. Air Force pilot and art gallery owner from Santa Fe, New Mexico, revealed to the news media that his hidden haul had finally been unearthed. I feel halfway kind of glad, halfway kind of sad because the chase is over, Fenn reflected, posting on his website. A man he did not know from back East, said Fenn, was the lucky conquistador. It was under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had not moved from the spot where I hid it more than 10 years ago, Fenn confirmed. Locator map depicting the Rocky Mountains of North America (al guy/CC BY-SA 3.0) The 20-pound (approx. 9-kilogram) chest, he explained, had been filed with 22 pounds (approx. 10 kg) of rare gold coins, antique jewelry, pre-Columbian animal figurines, prehistoric hammered gold mirrors, and ancient Chinese carved jade. Allegedly, it was a poem containing nine clues within Fenns 2010 autobiography, The Thrill of the Chase, that tipped the treasure finder off to the precise location of the multimillionaires hidden chest. The man, while wishing to preserve his anonymity, conceded to prove that he had found Fenns chest by sending a photograph for confirmation. [H]es shy, Fenn told Today. He doesnt want his name released. Neither Fenn nor the finder revealed the exact location of the treasure chest to the public. The hunt, while over, is not without its lingering controversies. At least five people, says the Santa Fe New Mexican, lost their lives while searching for Fenns riches. Addressing lobbies to call off the potentially treacherous treasure hunt in 2017, Fenn responded, It is always tragic when someone dies. Life is too short to wear both a belt and suspenders, he continued, speaking to The New York Times. If someone drowns in the swimming pool, we shouldnt drain the pool, we should teach people to swim. Additionally, as of 2020, a Chicago real estate attorney named Barbara Andersen plans to file an injunction against Fenn, claiming that she solved the riddle herself but was hacked by the man from back East, preventing her from retrieving the treasure. He stole my solve, Andersen claimed, reports the Santa Fe New Mexican. He followed and cheated me to get the chest. Andersen plans to file for ownership of the chest and prevent the finder from selling its contents in the meantime. Another unsuccessful treasure hunter, Brian Erskine, of Prescott, Arizona, is also taking Fenn to court. He claims that the treasure is either still at large or never existed to begin with. Erskine claims that he correctly identified the treasures location near the Million Dollar Highway between the towns of Silverton and Ouray in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, but that Fenn announced the treasures discovery by somebody else before Erskine could collect his haul. According to the Associated Press, Fenn maintains that the treasure hunt was simply an old-fashioned adventure, dreamed up and implemented to bring fun and fantasy into peoples lives. I congratulate the thousands of people who participated in the search, Fenn shared on his website, and hope they will continue to be drawn by the promise of other discoveries. June 12, 2020 Release Readout of Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper's Phone Call With the Philippines Secretary of Defense Delfin N. Lorenzana Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper spoke by phone today with his Philippine counterpart, Secretary of National Defense Delfin N. Lorenzana. Secretary Esper wished Secretary Lorenzana a Happy Independence Day and reiterated his support for a strong and enduring U.S.-Philippine defense alliance. Secretary Esper expressed his support for the Philippines Government decision last week to suspend the Visiting Forces Agreement termination, and reiterated how the agreement benefits both countries. Further, Secretary Esper and Secretary Lorenzana discussed a range of regional security issues including impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the South China Sea, counter-terrorism, and the Philippines plans for military modernization. Finally, Secretary Esper stated he is looking forward to seeing Secretary Lorenzana again at the next ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2218052/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 21:32:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Saturday reported 514 new cases of COVID-19 and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 35,466 and the death toll to 289, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Currently, 9,295 patients are receiving treatment, including 176 in ICU, according to the statement. The ministry also announced the recovery of 834 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 25,882. On May 31, Kuwait ended the full curfew and imposed a three-week partial curfew for a gradual return to normal life in the country. On Sunday, Kuwaiti Minister of State for Services Affairs and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Mubarak Al-Harees said that Kuwait plans to resume commercial flights in three stages. On Wednesday, Kuwait decided to open mosques after nearly three months of closure, as part of government's measures to restore normal life. 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 When Abraham Lincoln described Democracy as the Government of the People, by the People and for the People, he was quite clear that people who elect their government shall do so with utmost caution and with a conscious mind and those elected to represent shall work for the people and the elected government shall serve the people and will be in true sense be a Government for the People. But what we find in reality is quite contrary to this tacit assumption on which the parliamentary democracy is conceived as the best suited form of government for the People and by the People. Lincoln, a champion of humanism and liberty, connected democracys preservation with a new birth of freedom, and appears to have defined the word democracy in direct opposition to slavery. He is known to have written in his own handwriting on August 1, 1858. As I would not be a Slave, so I would not be a Master'. This expresses my idea of democracy, Lincoln said. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy, according to Abraham Lincoln. It is this tacit expression of the intent of those who govern and those who are governed coming to negate both the slavery and mastery together and not the one or other that forms the core of humanism and freedom in a democratic governance. Not surprising when Shri Narendra Modi soon after his appointment as the Prime Minister of India in his address to the nation on 15th August, 2014 announced from the precinct of the Red Ford in Delhi that he is the 'Pradhan Sevak' of the people of Indian Republic, it was echoing the same sentiments of the government for the people as that of Abrahim Lincoln. A sea change in the whole idea of governance was expected to be rolled out there after and rightly so as we find in many well intentioned programs and missions such as Swachh Bharat, Digital India, Make in India, Skill India, Start-up India and lately Atmanirbhar Bharat. It is also important to realize that the civil service cadre in India is labeled as public service and the government officers are referred officially as public servants. But whether the intent is translated into reality is a matter of deep concern. Especially now that after 72 years of India's independence we still find that neither the elected government nor the public servants work as servants of the people providing governance with empathy, Aatmiyata, and with a caring concern for the people at large. It is also remarkable that most of the time we are keeping our debates and discussions away from the burning issues like creating millions of job for our young people, India has approximately 675 million below the age of 25 years. All of them are desirous of a bright future for them in a democracy, a system of government we all cherish and are proud of. Likewise, maintaining a healthy environment to live a healthy life of 100 years as promised in the Vedic divine blessings 'Jivem Sarda Satam" is a major issue in a country like India where we find that before the Covid lockdown began, we had 14 out of 20 most polluted cities in the world in India. 5 of them are infact Delhi and the NCR towns including Gaziabad, Noida, Faridabad and the millennium city of Gurugram. But that is hardly a issue for debate or discussion in the august houses of people's representative nor is the issue of dirty drains carrying untreated sewage to our water bodies and holy rivers, knowing very well that over 60% of sewage remains untreated and is discharged directly into rivers and water bodies in India. We find no sense of urgency towards combating either the air or even making waste water treatment a major revolution in India. While the air and water pollution could have been aggressively pursued as part of mission Swachha Bharat. Digital India mission could have made its strong in roads in rural India as much of the Digital literacy is about self learning at which the young India is good at. But we remained largely urban centric in our approach to digital India as well as Skill India. Rural India is still away from the use of modern technology for agriculture, and horticulture and a wide variety of derivative activities based on digital India and Skilled India that could have made rural areas more productive and prosperous. Population explosion and slums in the mega cities are not yet the issues that receive due attention nor the education that is required to create a capable society conscious of its responsibilities towards meeting the challenges at hand and rising to the national and global aspirations. Further, knowing very well that almost every 2 minutes a person is killed in road accidents in India, road safety is still not a major issue for debate and deliberations of the policy makers nor is a talking point for the people at large who remain busy most of the time in avoidable inconveniences. The science and technology community in India is also at a loss that despite traffic jams were a reality in big cities, no efforts to implement Intelligent Transportation System, ITS are in sight on roads and expressways in India while these technologies have been deployed in advanced countries decades ago, the Government for the People there considered road safely a mandatory aspect of good governance. But who cares in India, even the scientific community is busy in multiplying its research publications and pursue its career objectives more than the caring concern to make science and scientific developments a major driver of people centric socio-economic development. Good governance is all about caring for the People, their social and economic aspirations and above all about the quality of life of a common man to whom the constitution guarantees liberty, fraternity, freedom and justice and thus the right to live with dignity, says Prof Sharma. We need to seriously ponder on our policies and programs to align them to our priorities of building a New India of our dream now that we have the opportunity to do so after COVID lockdown. Hence, let us take it forward as to what is that New India that we wish to create. In New India we do not wish to return to the world before Covid lockdown that was marred by deadly air and water pollution, traffic jams in cities, road accidents killing every two minute an Indian, skewed economic development creating a large economic divide, massive unemployment of young India and above all lethargy and large scale apathy and indifference. So how do we go about making a New India free from these avoidable ills and create a socio-economic environment that will make us proud of being citizens of a Nation that cares and that has the Government for the People. The Government for the People in India need to focus now on the people centric policies that shall create a New Normal in which the new wave of development shall thrive on a balanced approach to urbanisation and development in rural India where 70% plus population of Bharat currently resides and to which the skilled casual workforce has recently returned to after agonizing experience of shattering of their dreams in the city based industrial economy. These builders of modern India have gone home leaving a polluted world that served the interest of making rich more rich and poor even more poor. The New Normal of developmental policies and program need to now think out of the box to create jobs in millions in the countryside by Mass Entrepreneurship in areas that make countryside prosperous, happy and engaged in the main stream of national economy. Recent call of our Prime Minister to make India a leader in organic agriculture and agro-based food processing industries is just one example of what can be achieved by the Government for the People. Just imagine if the IT moves to countryside and the latest technologies of AI, Data Analytics, call centres, BPOs and whole lot of service enterprises spread their wings to rural areas, the bottom of the pyramid will become strong and will make Indian Economy bloom and blossom beyond our imaginations. But the Government for the People must go far beyond the economy and pay a great attention to quality of life of its people, ensure internal security of its people, make good quality education and health care affordable and accessible to a common man. The success of our democracy in India in the times to come will be judged not just by revival of the economy and the success of our foreign policy but by the caring concern for its people, creating a nation of law abiding citizenship and services that assure a high quality of life for the current and future generations of our people, says Prof PB Sharma Founder Vice Chancellor DTU and RGTU who is also the past President of Association of Indian Universities, AIU. Let us hope that the democracy in India truly becomes the Government for the People in both the intent as well as in its actions. Opposition Report Labels Russia's FSB A 'Second Government' By RFE/RL's Russian Service June 12, 2020 Russia's powerful Federal Security Service (FSB) has been transformed into a semicriminal structure that is functioning essentially as a "second government," according to a new report by the Dossier (Dosye) Center, which is funded by a former oligarch and staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The report, which was issued on June 11, is titled "How The FSB Determines The Politics And Economics Of Russia." The security agency is described in the report as the main support of Putin's ruling system, which has gained control over all other government institutions. In particular, it says, the Defense Ministry, the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor-General's Office, and the Interior Ministry are "dependent on the FSB." "In addition, representatives of the special services regularly influence the decisions of the courts, in violation of the independence of the judicial branch," the report says, adding that the lack of a separation of powers "threatens the security of the country." Khodorkovsky told RFE/RL's Russian Service that Dossier had been working on the report "for more than a year." "We conducted several dozen interviews with experts, including some who worked for the FSB in the past and some who are working there now, as well as with people who for one reason or another were forced to have dealings with that agency," he said. Khodorkovsky was once Russia's richest man and a powerful oligarch. He was arrested in October 2003 and later sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted of embezzlement and tax evasion in trials widely seen as politically motivated. Most of the assets of his Yukos oil company ended up under the control of the Rosneft state oil company, which is run by close Putin ally Igor Sechin. Putin pardoned Khodorkovsky in December 2013, and he now lives abroad. "The overall gist is that in a real sense you can call the FSB a 'second government of Russia,'" Khodorkovsky said. "That is, its activity in various areas of the public and economic life of the country far exceeds its constitutional authority." 'Monopolizing' Corruption Putin, a former KGB officer, has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since 1999. He served as head of the FSB in 1998-99. Many of the most powerful and formerly powerful figures in his ruling system -- including Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Rostec state corporation head Sergei Chemezov, former Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, and former Russian State Railways head Vladimir Yakunin have backgrounds in the Soviet and Russian security agencies. The Dossier report also charges that some 126 pieces of real estate in the greater Moscow area mostly lavish country houses that formerly belonged to the Soviet KGB were privatized at bargain rates by key figures in the current security forces and then sold for significant profits. Among those named in the alleged scheme were Yury Yakovlev, who headed the FSB's economic security department from 2008 to 2016; Viktor Cherkesov, the former head of the Federal Anti-Narcotics Agency; Patrushev; Sechin; and another head of the Federal Anti-Narcotics Agency, Viktor Ivanov. "The FSB, which is in charge of the fight against corruption and money-laundering in reality is providing cover for the whole Russian banking system in terms of money-laundering and cash flows," Khodorkovsky said, citing the 2019 case of former FSB officer Kirill Cherkalin, who was discovered to have 12 billion rubles ($185 million) in cash hidden in his apartment. "I would say that what is really happening isn't a battle against corruption but an effort to monopolize it," he said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia- fsb-second-government-khodorkosky- corrupption-putin/30667529.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In the wake of George Floyds death and ensuing social justice protests, the internet has become flooded with listings of black-owned restaurants to support. The concept of creating social equality through economic equity made the idea of supporting black-owned businesses appealing, but as local restaurateurs are finding, the support can be problematic and temporary. Support was strong last week for a few days, said Ariel Robinson, the general manager of black-owned Umana Restaurant and Wine Bar in Albany, but then the business tapered off. She predicts that the boost in support will come in waves, as topics related to race rotate through news cycles. With any kind of case, the support comes when it stays at the tip of peoples minds, Robinson said. The fleeting nature of social media means that unless the online posts continue to be shared over the next several weeks, they will fall from public view and potentially lead to a dip in support for black-owned restaurants. Emily Lang, the founder of the Facebook group Daily/Weekly Restaurant Specials in the Capital Region, said that part of the reason why she started her own listing of black-owned restaurants was because of a lack of availability of this information on government and business development websites. She wanted a comprehensive listing that would bring attention to black-owned restaurants. Lang, an economic development professional who has been working as a marketing professional for seven years and spent two of those years working with minority-owned businesses and restaurants, said that New York States Empire Development office offers a minority and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) program that any qualified business can earn certification from. The problem with MWBE certification is that the process is lengthy, requires hours of attention and the benefits only apply to businesses who might receive preferential consideration for construction contracts from New York State. The program is not designed to promote or endorse the minority-owned status of food-related businesses, although New York States Department of Agriculture and Markets, which operate Taste NY stores at New Yorks welcome centers across the state, requires MWBE reporting. In an emailed statement, Kristin Devoe, a representative from Empire State Development, said, Empire State Development is proud of its continued support for MWBE businesses throughout the state. ESD remains focused on ensuring business opportunities exist for groups that have been historically disadvantaged from fully participating in the economy, and our MWBE program promotes a vast array of businesses and industries statewide. Devoe said the goal for the program was to award 30% of state procurement contracts to MWBE-certified businesses, and that 29.13% of all state procurement contracts are currently awarded to those businesses, making New York States utilization of MWBE-certified businesses the highest in the nation, according to her statement. Devoe did not offer comment on if the state will expand contracts to food-related businesses who are MWBE-certified for catering opportunities, therefore encouraging more restaurants to file for MWBE certification and be listed on government websites. In Langs experience in marketing for restaurants, most food establishments do not have enough staff to handle daily operations of the restaurant and actively engage in marketing and MWBE certification. She also says the lack of free or affordable minority-focused programming and diverse boards for local business improvement districts (BIDs) hampers the progress and growth for minority-owned businesses. PREVIOUSLY: Black-owned restaurants, food businesses to support Rudy Bravo, owner of Spill'n The Beans on Third St. in Troy, said, The BID always sends resources for small business, but not particularly related to minorities. Bravo said since his business was promoted as being black-owned in the recent slew of social media postings, he has only seen a slight increase in business. Ive seen an increase but not as much as I would have thought. Ive seen more minorities coming in, he said. The majority of his business is from white customers, most of them students and business professionals who are in Troy during his hours of operation. (Spill'n The Beans does not have evening hours.) Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The push to support black-owned business as a result of racial violence is problematic to Bravo. I feel like because of what is happening, minority business shouldnt be the topic, he said. Supporting minority-owned business should be an ongoing endeavor and not an actionable task that can solve the problems of violence and racism. Just because you are a minority there shouldnt be a push to support you. People should support small business in general. If your restaurant is good, people should support it, Bravo said. Robinson does not anticipate long-term increase in business at Umana because, people lose interest and are creatures of habit. Theyll order from us once but then go back to ordering from some Italian restaurant twice a month. The listings are nice, but they detract from real issues of racial injustice and economic inequality. If anything, the postings have shown the disparities in the amount of black-owned businesses in the local business community. Troys BID lists 75 restaurants within downtown Troy, but does not denote which businesses are minority-owned. Only five restaurants from that list of them can be confirmed as black-owned; meanwhile, 17.37 percent of Troys population is listed as African-American, according to recent census reporting. Lang said until there are more black-owned restaurants in affluent communities that can afford to dine out several times a month, support for these restaurants will be a short-lived trend. These restaurants are not in the everyday lives of people who have the money to dine out, Lang said. She suggests people go beyond sharing crowdsourced round-ups of black-owned restaurants and leave positive reviews of the restaurant online or post the restaurant name, location and details of the food enjoyed (with a picture, if possible) in individual social media posts to boost black-owned restaurant visibility. We need to think beyond doing our duty of eating at these places. We need to be active advocates, Lang said, adding, we need to do a little better than changing Facebook photos to a black square Deanna Fox is a food journalist. www.foxonfood.com @DeannaNFox Chris Hemsworth in action in Thor: The Dark World, which Kenneth Branagh didn't direct (Image by Marvel Studios) When Kenneth Branagh directed Thor back in 2009, it was just the fourth installment to the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe. But even though it established Chris Hemsworth as the titular Nordic God and Tom Hiddleston as his meddlesome step-brother Loki, director Kenneth Branagh decided not to return for its sequel. Read More: Kenneth Branagh says 'Tenet' will help the film industry return to normal Instead, Alan Taylor directed Thor: The Dark World in 2013, which is sadly regarded as the worst film in the MCU. But why didnt Branagh return for The Dark World? Collider recently asked the legendary actor and director that very question, and it turns out that he needed to recharge his batteries after spending three years on Thor. Actor Kenneth Branagh attends a Service of Thanksgiving for Sir Peter Hall at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain, September 11, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay The way things work, there was a version of events where sometimes with these stories I like to plan them as trilogies, but its much harder in this world for that to work out because the stakes are so high youve gotta really see how the first one does. When the first one was finished, essentially it had been three fantastic years of my life, but I needed to recharge on something else. I was too close to the glass on that one, so I would definitely never say never again because it changed my life and changed my career and Im profoundly grateful for it. Read More: Kenneth Branagh's 'Artemis Fowl' to debut on Disney+ 12 June I wasnt ready to go straight into another one, but I like the idea of Id love to be planning something that was a three-parter in movie terms. That hasnt come along yet but maybe it will. Branagh has still been incredibly busy, though, directing Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Cinderella, Murder On The Orient Express, All Is True, and now Artemis Fowl, which has just hit Disney +, while Death On The Nile will be released before the end of the year, too. Rural paramedic Nadezhda Kononova is providing an indispensable lifeline to elderly villagers in isolated areas of northeastern Belarus. The country has stood out for its lack of official response since the start of the pandemic, with strongman Alexander Lukashenko repeatedly disputing the seriousness of the virus. Belarus, which has a population of more than nine million people, has reported more than 45,000 coronavirus cases and over 250 deaths. Since 2014, Egypt has adopted policies to engage in regional and international partnerships and to open up to all kinds of financing from global financial institutions to provide the required liquidity for mega projects, backing the private sector, and strengthening ties with these institutions. These policies have boosted Egypts net international reserves (NIRs), which had inched up to more than $45 billion in February 2020 before the COVID-19 outbreak hit the country. According to data from international institutions, 329 implemented and ongoing projects have been financed by 21 governments and international institutions across the world from July 2014 to May 2020 in 16 sectors, with investments close to $30 billion. Enabling Egypt to be an active global player and meeting the ambition of Egyptians to improve the efficiency of basic services are key objectives of Egypts National Vision 2030. Furthermore, Egypts sustainable development agenda constitutes a priority for the government for the sake of bringing about the prosperity of the people and pushing the national economy forward. In this regard, by 2030, Egypt targets to be among the top 30 countries in terms of the size of the economy, anti-corruption, market competitiveness, quality of life and human development. Accordingly, Egypt has tended to make use of the financial facilities introduced by the remarkable global financial institutions to finance projects that enable the country to achieve its agenda. In this context, Egypt has adopted an economic reform programme which was financed by a $12 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through a three-year extended agreement under the EFF facility from November 2016 to July 2019. The sums were provided to address the imbalances in the Egyptian economy, tackle the distortions of the economy, and to improve the macroeconomic indices after years of political and economic unrest. By the end of the programme in July 2019, the IMF said in its fifth and last review of the programme that Egypt had succeeded in achieving its programmes objectives, adding that Egypts macroeconomic situation had improved significantly since 2016. Over the last three years, the authorities have carried out an ambitious home-grown reform program that aimed to correct large external and domestic imbalance and promote inclusive growth and job creation. Critical macroeconomic reforms implemented under the program have been successful in achieving macroeconomic stabilisation, a recovery in growth and employment, and putting public debt on a clearly declining trajectory. Fiscal savings have been partly utilised to ease the burden of adjustment on the poor, according to the IMF review. Based on this, the IMF Executive Board has not hesitated to approve the new request for Egypt to get a new $2.77 billion loan under the rapid finance instrument (RFI) to tackle the COVID-19 crisis repercussions and maintain the gains of its economic reform programme, which reflects the IMFs trust in the Egyptian economy. The cooperation with the IMF is an example of Egypts cooperation with other financial institutions that trust the Egyptian economy and do not hesitate to extend all facilities to it. In this regard, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said that the stability of the economy that Egypt sought over the past four years encourages the financial institutions to work hand-in-hand with Egypt, and their extended facilities reflect their trust in the Egyptian economy in absorbing shocks and dealing with external challenges like the COVID-19 crisis. Such a solid base of international cooperation has paved the way for Egypt to make use of more facilities in its fight against the COVID-19 crisis, given that 100 financial institutions have announced they will stand with Egypt in containing the pandemics implications and maintain its economic reform programmes achievements. These institutions include the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the IMF, the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), USAID, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), UNDP, and others, in addition to the governments of Switzerland, Sweden, Japan and South Korea. For the sake of enhancing these ties, the Ministry of International Cooperation has launched a new global partnership narrative (P&P&P.. People, Projects and Purpose) with a special focus on backing the private, small and medium-sized enterprises sectors, the key engines of the Egyptian economy, amid the crisis. The new narrative, which was praised by the international institutions, aims at achieving sustainable development through leveraging partnerships in priority sectors. The three main pillars of this narrative are P&P&P: People at the Core, Projects in Action and Purpose as the Drive. Another important form of inclusive partnerships in promoting sustainable development is Public Private Partnerships, which contributes to identifying existing gaps, especially following COVID-19, and provides assistance across various sectors to millions of beneficiaries, thus enabling citizens to unleash their full power, according to the narrative. In an exclusive interview published on Ahram Online in May, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said that P&P&P is a way to make sure that Egypt is always on message, and that it collaborates in an effective and transparent manner. We have also initiated a sustainable development goals (SDG) Mapping Framework that outlines the approach for SDG mapping, in line with the UN Official Global Indicator Framework. This mapping exercise will lead to a consistent approach across all development partners, which is expected to contribute to a stronger narrative and result in effectively capturing and measuring the goals, Al-Mashat told Ahram Online. Collectivism plays an indispensable role in the COVID-19 fight, with multilateralism providing a platform for shared experiences, technical assistance and partnerships in launching and executing the projects. No country nor institution has the ultimate solution to COVID-19. It is through effective cooperation that we can progress towards a better future that serves the people, Al-Mashat said. Search Keywords: Short link: - Abronye DC says former president John Mahama is behind Ghanas increasing coronavirus cases - He explained that Mahama is praying for the rise in cases in order for the new voters registration exercise to be cancelled - Abronye DC was optimistic that Mahama will never prevail with his plans Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana The Bono Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Abrony DC, has accused former president John Mahama as the one behind the increasing COVID-19 cases in Ghana. Known in real life as Kwame Baffoe Abronye, the NPP Chairman said Mahama is behind the sharp increase in the cases. He reportedly made this claim in an interview with Odasani FM, according to a report sighted by YEN.com.gh on Ghanacelebrities.com. Abronye DC. Photo credit: Supplied. Source: UGC READ ALSO: McBrown celebrates birthday of step-son with video; fans praise her good heart Abronye DC explained that Mahama has been against the new voters registration exercise and he seeks to cancel it by the increase of the COVID-19 cases. He added that Mahama is happy the cases are increasing hoping that the will stop the EC from carrying out the new voters registration exercise. However, Abronye DC believes that Mahamas prayers will not come to pass. READ ALSO: Mzbel boldly responds to Ken Agyapong's claims that she slept with Nigel Gaisie in video Meanwhile, the issue of whether the new voters registration should be considered or not has become topical. The date has been slated for June 30. The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has maintained the new voters registration exercise will only destroy Ghanas democracy. READ ALSO: If Duncan-Williams son is not to be discussed, then leave Obinim alone - Bridget Otoo The success story of Rocky Dawuni | #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Duncan Williams son breaks the internet with videos doing it with 4 ladies 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 Even if the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is found guilty of murdering George Floyd, he will qualify to receive what could amount to around $50,000 a year in state pension payments. But how much of that money he will see is less certain: Members of Mr. Floyds family, who are expected to file a wrongful-death lawsuit against Mr. Chauvin and the city, may be able to seize his pension distributions if they obtain a sizable judgment. Some states force public employees who are convicted of serious crimes to forfeit their state pensions. But Minnesota does not, and the agency that distributes them said that could be changed only by legislative action. BRIDGETON A Vineland man was arrested after allegedly having sexual contact with five teen boys while posing as women on social media, authorities said Saturday. Shumar Murphy, 21, of South Myrtle Street, was charged with one count each of endangering the welfare of a child, sexual assault and theft by extortion, as well as five counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of criminal coercion, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said in a news release. Cumberland County jail inmate tests positive for COVID-19 BRIDGETON A Cumberland County jail inmate has tested positive for COVID-19, county officia Murphy connected with the victims from January 2016 to June 2019 over social media, using multiple accounts and posing as different women, the release states. Authorities said Murphy used the accounts to meet and communicate with teenage boys and entice them to send him nude photos. After Murphy got the images from the teens, he would try to coerce them into engaging in sexual conduct with him in exchange for not posting the images online, the release states. He also allegedly demanded money from one victim in exchange for not posting the images online. Authorities believe there are more victims, according to the release. Anyone with information can call Vineland police Detective Luis Rodriguez at 856-691-4111, ext. 4653. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In contrast to the English, the Swiss are not particularly known for their sense of humour. Known we are squared rather than bunzlig, small, on time and accurately. Nevertheless, the country has some of the Comedy-posters-signs. You think of Emil, the skits in the ' 70s with its TV-not only in Switzerland but in the whole German-speaking region has celebrated successes. Or Hazel Brugger, who does this today. But what's so funny, the Swiss are actually? And what we are to be laughed at? This questions has devoted an exhibition in the Swiss national Museum in Schwyz. The rooms of the Museum are reminiscent of a tour through a house to find a toilet, a lounge, TV room. "This is due to more blocks of the subject. Humor is found everywhere in everyday life," explains Pia Schubiger, exhibition curator of the "Made in Switzerland". Where to put, finally, better TV skits and Swiss film Comedy scene in the style of the 60s furnished TV room? Of "Giacobbo/Muller" to Alfred Rasser (1907-1977) alias service-soldier Lappli and Charles Adrien Wettach (1880-1959) as a Clown Grock everything is help. Sofas and chairs invite you to Sit down, but especially to the common: "Laughing together With someone is something to see funny than to be alone. The Joint is Central," says Schubiger more. ridicule in the font What was criticized during the Corona again and again, in the Bauernstube its place: the provincial spirit. Only upon closer Inspection you realize that the carefully lined-up cushions on the bench to serve not only the comfort, but also amusement. Embroidered her with Lampoons, which were fixed in 1712, in Solothurn, to a bridge. So it reads for example: "Appenzell'd like to be funny, you skill but nit." Also, magazines can be funny. Proof of this is the "nebelspalter" is. The satirical magazine has been published since 1875 without a break, and is the oldest in the world! Through his lyrics and risque cartoons, he influenced whole generations in their political and humorous understanding. For the exhibition, the magazine has asked cartoonists from all over Switzerland to make a Illustration for topic "How ur works?". Together with individual pieces of selected Swiss cartoonists such as, for example, Patrick Chappatte (53), who signed for the "New York Times", drag it like a red thread through the whole exhibition. Can one do this? in addition to the different Transmission and presentation of types of humour, the exhibition also deals with the understanding. Children will not find the same things funny as a Teenager, women laugh about different than men. It is shown among other things in the toilet room. In the style of a Discoklos the walls are littered with writings and Graffiti. To read so-called latrines jokes are usually rather coarse. "This is precisely the issue. Just after #MeToo, you can ask whether you are allowed to wear such drawings at all. How far Humor should go?", so Schubiger. Updated Date: 13 June 2020, 06:47 Militarisation of democracy or democratisation of the military? By Gamini Weerakoon Doublespeak View(s): View(s): First on America: A video showing an unarmed and manacled American black man being killed by a white policeman placing his knee on the victims neck for more than eight minutes resulted in the eruption of mass protests and riots in cities across the American continent stretching from the Pacific to the Atlantic Oceans. Protests particularly in Washington around the White House with thousands gathering around it caused the presidents Secret Service much concern. It was reported President Trump was taken to an underground bunker to ensure his safety. The next day Trump in his inimitable way denied being taken down to a bunker at night and said he had visited the bunker only during the day briefly, to inspect it. The security situation in Washington was no doubt causing much concern. Trump had warned governors of the American states that if they were unable to restore law and order in their states, with their state National Guards, he would call in regular combat troops. This threat of deploying troops of the regular armed services to combat political forces ordinary civilians exercising their constitutional right to protest was condemned not only by former retired service commanders and some former defence secretaries but also by high ranking military chiefs in service. Commentators pointed out that the military keeping out of politics was one of the oldest traditions of the American constitutional order. There had been only few exceptions in history such as during Fugitives Slave Act and the Civil War. The armed services had created the rule that they should never be deployed against American citizens. Thats why they enjoy the broad confidence of the American public, political observers noted. Both former army generals and even those in active service openly resisted President Trumps moves to deploy the armed services in the current crisis. It was reported about a week ago that in Washington 5,000 troops from the National Guard troops to the District of Columbia and a dozen states were rushed to Washington to crack down on protestors and occasional looters. US media reports also said that senior army leaders made a concerted effort to prevent a calamitous outcome if Trump ordered combat troops from the 83rd Airborne Division waiting just outside the city limits on to the streets of Washington. These army leaders had leant heavily on the Home Guard commands to carry out aggressive tactics against protestors to prove that they could do the job without the help of active duty forces. However, questions are being raised on whether regular troops had been deployed to quell protests stages in Washington. It has been reported that the army is investigating a report of the use of a Black Hawk helicopter that had been used to terrorise protestors in Washington. It is also been reported that national Guard have requested written guidance for permitting troops without military licences to drive vehicles around Washington. Former military leaders some who held high political office were scathing in their criticism not only of Trumps political leadership and treatment of the black minority but came down hard on the use of the military including the Home Guards to quell the protestors. Some of them included: four-star General Colin Powell who was Secretary of State under Republican President George Bush, Admiral Mike Mullen (Retd), Michael Hayden former Air Force Four Star General, former General John Kelly a former Trump White House Chief of Staff, former Secretary of Defence, James Mattis. The most telling blow came from Trumps current Secretary of Defence Mark Esper on June 03. He said: Active Duty military troops should not be sent to control the wave of protests in American cities, at least for now. Commentators said the words of the Defence Secretary in Trumps cabinet directly contradicting his leaders statement reflected the turmoil among Pentagon officials over the conduct of Trump. American troops on the streets could be seen as participating in a move towards Martial Law. The betting among Washingtons political observers is on how long Mark Esper would last in White House. Militarisation in Sri Lanka? Attempts to use combat troops trained to fight foreign adversaries against American citizens was not a part of the political strategy of Donald Trump but it fell upon him by misfortune with the Covid 19 Pandemic threatening his chances for re-election as president. In Sri Lanka, the move for militarisation came with the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president in November last year. The reputation of a strong authoritative leader was associated with Rajapaksa by supporters of the Rajapaksa family when it became apparent that he would be the next presidential candidate because Mahinda Rajapaksa would not be able to run for a third presidential term due to constitutional amendments. On being elected President, Gotabaya appointed some former military officers to key government positions normally filled in by professional civilians or members of the administrative service. The appointment of a Presidential Task Force by a gazette extraordinary on June 3 appears to be a move to gain control of government administration by those associated with the military. The 13-member Presidential Task forces comprises 10 high ranking military men, past and still in service as well as three police officials in service. The grandiose title of the task force: Presidential Task Force to build a Secure Country, Disciplined, Virtuous and Lawful Society. This is in accordance with the powers vested in President Rajapaksa by Article 33 of the Constitution states the gazette extraordinary. Military personnel building virtuous societies is perhaps a first time in world history but this is also time for an impending Parliamentary Election. The powers vested in this military dominated outfit involves; curbing illegal activities of social groups which are violating the law; prevention of the drug menace; taking measures for legal action against those responsible for illegal and anti-social activities conducted in Sri Lanka while located in other countries and investigation and prevention of illegal and anti-social activities around prisons. The most extraordinary powers vested in this Task Force by this gazette extraordinary are that; All government officers and others to provide all possible assistance and provide all information to the Task Force. It is called upon to report to the Secretary to the President all cases of delay or default on the part of any public officer of any ministry, government department, state corporation or other similar institution in the discharge of duties and responsibilities assigned to such pubic officers or such institution. Prima facie, could not this order usurp powers and functions normally reserved for civilian authorities under the rule of law and established constitutional principles? The question could be posed whether we are shifting from what is normally accepted as the rule of law to military law. On the other hand, it could be argued that the movement of military personnel to key civilian positions may not necessarily mean a departure from the normal practices of public administration. It could be for a more efficient civilian administration by military personnel. On the whole it could be considered democratisation of military administration instead of militarisation of democratic civilian administration. It may be all doublespeak in the post-Covid Era. But all this would be subject to the next Parliamentary Election to be held presumably on an auspicious day of August 5. (Gamini Weerakoon is a former editor of The Sunday Island, The Island and Consulting Editor of the Sunday Leader) Protests in the wake of African American George Floyd's killing by a white police officer in the US have led to the unceremonious toppling and vandalism of statues of controversial historical and political figures. Here are five symbolic examples: Bristol: slave trader Edward Colston On Sunday, in England's southwestern port of Bristol, protesters pulled down a bronze statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston and dumped it in the local harbour. Colston was a leading figure in a royal slave trading company that sold 100,000 west Africans in the Caribbean and the Americas after first branding its initials on their chests. But his name remains attached to streets and buildings in honour of his funding of local hospitals and schools for the poor, and officials fished the statue out. US: Christopher Columbus Overnight on Tuesday, in Boston, a statue of Christopher Columbus was beheaded, in the park named after him. A Columbus statue was also vandalised in downtown Miami with red paint, and another was dragged into a lake earlier in the week in Richmond, Virginia. The Italian explorer, long hailed as the so-called discoverer of "The New World," is considered by many to have spurred years of genocide against indigenous groups in the Americas. He is regularly denounced in a similar way to Civil War generals of the pro-slavery South. US: Jefferson Davis On Wednesday, a statue of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America during the 1861-1865 Civil War, which opposed the pro-slavery South and the abolitionist North, was toppled in Richmond, Virginia. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the same day for removal of 11 Confederate statues from the US Capitol, part of a nationwide push to dismantle such memorials after the Floyd killing. According to a 2016 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SLC), which is specialised in extremist movements and civil rights, more than 1,500 confederate symbols are still on show in public places in the US, most in the South. Belgium: Leopold II The Belgian port city of Antwerp took down a statue of late King of the Belgians Leopold II on Tuesday, days after it was daubed with red paint by anti-racism protesters. Statues of Leopold have long been a target of activists because of his record of brutal colonial rule in Belgium's former central African colonies, notably the then "Congo Free State", now the independent Democratic Republic of Congo It has been removed by officials from its public pedestal next to an Antwerp church and taken for restoration to a museum where it will be examined before deciding what steps to take next. Churchill: graffitied in Prague, London In Prague a statue to Britain's World War II leader Winston Churchill was covered in graffiti early on Thursday, daubed with the words "Black Lives Matter" in solidarity with the anti-racist movement in the US. He has come under fire for spending lockdown at his second home in Cornwall. Yet Gordon Ramsay, 53, appeared care-free when he chased his adorable lookalike son Oscar, 14 months, around their living room on Friday. The celebrity chef was having a laugh with the tot before he momentarily panicked that their adorable sleeping cat was dead. Sweet: Gordon Ramsay, 53, appeared care-free when he chased his adorable lookalike son Oscar, 14 months, around their living room on Friday Oscar paraded around the living room with one shoe on while Gordon asked: 'Excuse me, hey, where's your shoe?' The toddler ran away from his dad and accidentally bumped into the arm chair where their cat was sleeping. Gordon then walked over and asked: 'Is he dead?' before giving him a nudge and waking him up. Last month, Gordon claimed lockdown has been an 'absolute nightmare for all of us', after the chef was blasted by locals for moving to his second home in Cornwall. Panic: The celebrity chef was having a laugh with the tot before he momentarily panicked that their adorable sleeping cat was dead The star was spotted a number of times on long excursions when outings were limited to an hour a day after relocating. Gordon, announcing the reopening of his restaurant The Narrow in Limehouse, said of lockdown: 'I know this lockdown has been an absolute nightmare for all of us but tomorrow at midday we're going to open for an amazing barbecue down on The Thames at The Narrow. 'It's in the Limehouse Link, a beautiful setting but more importantly, honestly, a long time coming.' Gordon also confirmed this month that he will reopen a second London restaurant, gastro pub York & Albany, for takeaway service. Tough times: Last month, Gordon claimed lockdown has been an 'absolute nightmare for all of us', after the chef was blasted by locals for moving to his second home in Cornwall Outings: The TV personality has previously sparked criticism online for supposedly flouting lockdown rules (pictured with son Oscar in April) Picturesque: Gordon later shared a snap of a beautiful rainbow Meanwhile, Gordon has taken out loans to shore up his restaurant empire which has been shuttered by the coronavirus lockdown, it was revealed last week. He has registered charges with Barclays against 16 companies, which includes those managing some of his Michelin star outlets, according to the Sun. The loans will provide a lifeline to companies which manage some of the TV chef's flagship eateries, such as London's Savoy Grill and Petrus. Gordon also recently prompted outrage by using the government's taxpayer funded furlough scheme to pay 500 workers sacked in March. Here we go again: Gordon caused outrage after fronting a new Stay at Home advert, despite ferrying his entire family from London to their lavish second home A secret report by Canada's spy agency, finalised just hours before Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's arrest in Vancouver in 2018, describes how her impending detention would "send shockwaves around the world" and provides evidence of "coordinated state misconduct" between the US and Canada against her, according to her lawyers. The two-page Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report bolsters Meng's case that she is a victim of an abuse of process, her lawyers said. Completed the morning of Meng's arrest on December 1, 2018, the report, according to the lawyers, says "advanced communication to the CSIS came from the [US] FBI". Meng's lawyers said it also provides a timeline for the forthcoming operation at Vancouver's international airport. "CSIS's knowledge that Ms Meng's arrest would not be effected until 'approximately 16:00 Vancouver time' is troubling, since it is consistent with CSIS knowing that the CBSA [Canada Border Security Agency] would first detain, search and interrogate Ms Meng upon her arrival at YVR [airport] at 11.30am," her lawyers said in a newly disclosed motion. Meng's lawyers have argued that her rights were abused when she was questioned and searched by CBSA officers before her arrest, and that this was not a normal border procedure but a covert and illicit evidence-gathering exercise conducted on behalf of the US' Federal Bureau of Investigation. The existence of the two-page CSIS report was disclosed late Thursday, when federal court documents relating to the matter were shifted to a public court registry from a "designated" registry. The report itself was not made public. Meng Wanzhou leaving British Columbia Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver after being granted bail on December 11, 2018. Photo: CTV alt=Meng Wanzhou leaving British Columbia Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver after being granted bail on December 11, 2018. Photo: CTV Story continues Meng, Huawei Technologies' chief financial officer and a daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, is fighting against extradition to the United States, where she is wanted to stand trial on fraud charges. Her arrest triggered a crisis in China's relations with both the US and Canada, and she remains under partial house arrest in Vancouver on C$10 million (US$7.3 million) bail. Canada's attorney general provided the CSIS report to Meng's lawyers on April 23 " a "late disclosure", they said " but it was redacted. A further six documents related to the report were disclosed on June 2, but are also "heavily redacted" on national security grounds. The material is described in a June 5 motion from Meng's lawyers seeking the appointment of a special court officer with security clearance, known as an amicus curiae, to discuss the secret material before a judge in closed-door sessions. The amicus would not be allowed to disclose the secret information to Meng or her lawyers. The attorney general, representing US interests in the extradition case, consented to the appointment of the amicus, which was ordered on Wednesday. The amicus, whose fees will be paid by Meng, is Anil Kapoor, a Toronto barrister. Meng's lawyers " Richard Peck, Eric Gottardi, David Martin and Scott Fention " said in their motion that deciding whether it was reasonable to withhold the redacted material on national security grounds should not be made with only the attorney general's lawyers making the case before a judge. The report, they contended, underscored "the seriousness of the coordinated state misconduct that is the focus of the applicant's abuse of process allegations". "The author of the CSIS report also was aware that the arrest of Ms Meng would be a high-profile political event, saying 'the arrest is likely to send shockwaves around the world'," the lawyers wrote. Meng's lawyers quoted the report as saying "FBI will not be present in an effort to avoid the perception of influence". "The CSIS report makes plain that not only was CSIS involved in communicating with the FBI and others regarding the planning of Ms Meng's arrest ... but that the CSIS had an ongoing role after the arrest," they said. "The latter is supported by the CSIS report's closing line, 'Updates will be provided on a regular basis as this issue develops'." The report "was also pre-occupied with when the news of Ms Meng's arrest might become public and states that the timing of the arrest 'may delay Chinese recognition of the event'". At the time, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping were at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and they dined together on the evening of December 1. In a response Monday to the motion, the National Security Group at Canada's Department of Justice consented to Kapoor's appointment as amicus, but disputed aspects of his role. It cited case law that "the amicus is bound by a duty of loyalty and integrity to the court and not to any parties to the proceedings". "In short, playing a role that sometimes may be opposite to that of the Attorney General does not make the amicus a defence counsel," National Security Group lawyer Andre Seguin wrote. "The work done by the amicus undoubtedly will benefit the applicant. But the role is not adversarial in nature," he added. Meng Wanzhou leaves her home to attend a court hearing in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 27. Photo: Reuters alt=Meng Wanzhou leaves her home to attend a court hearing in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 27. Photo: Reuters In her order on Wednesday appointing Kapoor, the Federal Court's Madam Justice Catherine Kane said that "the amicus will keep confidential from the Respondent [Meng], her counsel, and any other person not participating in the in camera ex parte hearing, all information and documents to which the amicus had access". Meng's extradition hearings are to resume in the British Columbia Supreme Court on Monday, with a case management conference to chart a schedule for the proceedings, which were thrown into disarray when the Covid-19 outbreak halted normal operations of the Canadian courts. The case is expected to last into 2021, but appeals could drag out the process for years. Meng is accused of defrauding HSBC by deceiving the bank about Huawei's business dealings in Iran, supposedly in breach of US sanctions. Her arrest threw US-China relations into a tailspin, with Trump saying soon after that he might intervene in the case if it was in US economic interests. Meng's lawyers have cited those comments as proof that she is being treated as a political pawn. Beijing's relationship with Ottawa was also upended. Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested by China and accused of espionage, but their treatment is widely regarded in Canada as retaliation and hostage-taking by Beijing. 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. Advertisement A Wyoming ranch is renting out its nine lavish cabins for a steep price tag of $25,000 a night, allowing those lucky enough to afford it a prime location to get away from the coronavirus. Magee Homestead, nestled in Saratoga, even has a minimum price tag of $175,000 for those hoping to stay at least seven nights. Part of the high end Relais & Chateaux group of hotels, Magee Homestead is located on 30,000 acres of private land that is fully accessible to guests who love being surrounded by nature. Magee had been planning on staying closed for the entire 2020 season, only keeping their Lodge and Spa business opened for interested families, CNN Travel reports. Magee Homestead, nestled in Saratoga, Wyoming, is letting guest rent out their nine cabins for a whopping $25,000 a night Plenty to see: Part of the high end Relais & Chateaux group of hotels, Magee Homestead is located on 30,000 acres of private land that is fully accessible to guests who love being surrounded by nature Cozy! Each home features classic Western interior decor and captivating views Management planned to consolidate staff to just one property, thinking the Lodge would attract the most visitors. But soon they 'started to get a lot of inquiries about private buyouts,' said proprietor Jeremy Belnap. 'Families were really interested in getting away; traveling, dreaming and seeing their families again, if they weren't all in quarantine together,' he said. 'So, we thought it made a lot of sense to open up to buyouts.' A few weeks after announcing availability, four groups booked to stay. One group plans to stay for 14 days. Magee Homestead is part of the Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming. Guests can go there to get a fine selection of food Stay active: Guests staying at the resort have plenty to do, including practicing their archery See the sights! Visitors can also take part in Polaris Ranger all-terrain tours and even have the option to to have a wild paintball session on top a hilltop 'We'll probably do eight to 10 weeks of business there this summer,' Belnap added. The normal schedule normally runs from June 20 to the end of September, so the property has been able to salvage a decent portion of their season. Rooms are normally $1,000 a night per person, with a minimum of two guests per room. Belnap and his staff are able to expand experiences with private buyouts, however. 'We'll iron out all of their likes and dislikes,' Belnap explained. 'If they really want to do an Italian or Mexican night, we'll create it. We can really get custom with the group's desires.' Everyone gets a room! In total, there are 12 bedrooms that can take a group of upwards of 27 people in one group The massive property includes rivers, mountains and lush prairies Those looking to indulge in spa services can enjoy them in private rooms or in the outdoor teepee The resort is taking extra precautions to ensure safety in response to the coronavirus, with all staff required to wear masks - and gloves when needed. The hotel will provide optional ones for guests. A dedicated team watches over each group's stay, so that random staff don't come and go from each property. 'You can build relationships [with the staff], but also know that you don't have a different server every single day, exposing yourself to that many more people,' added Belnap. Since the property is closed to all but one party at a time, there is no need to space out tables in the dining room. 'If you have the whole place to yourself, there will be some amount of normalcy,' said Belnap. A stylish path leads guests through the nine historically restored cabins. This lavish bathroom features a pristine bathtub and a large walk-in shower Target practice: There is also a on-site gun range at the property Magee's spa includes both an outdoor pool, cabanas and an indoor grotto Each home features classic Western interior decor and captivating views. The largest of them has three bedrooms and a full kitchen. In total, there are 12 bedrooms that can take a group of upwards of 27 people in one group. The property provides horseback trail rides, Polaris Ranger all-terrain tours and even the option to take part in a wild paintball session on top a hilltop. There is also a on-site gun range at the property Magee's spa includes both an outdoor pool, cabanas and an indoor grotto. Guests can even fish in the many creeks and rivers on the property This cabin is surrounded by sprawling hills Those looking to indulge in spa services can enjoy them in private rooms or in the outdoor teepee. Aestheticians at Magee are wearing gloves and face shields. Magee's has 25 staff members normally on site to handle guest's needs. Food is Magee's speciality, with the guest having the option to take a short trip to The Farm - a complex located at the Brush Creek Ranch where diners can enjoy a restaurant, brewery, distillery, creamery and bakery. Food from the Ranch can also be procured for guests and private dining is available at Magee. A dedicated team watches over each group's stay, so that random staff don't come and go from each property A 44-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stabbing his mother-in-law to death at Virar in Maharashtras Palghar district, police said on Saturday. The police on Friday arrested Manvelpada resident Rakesh Kadrekar after he allegedly stabbed his mother-in-law Malini Salve (62) to death during a domestic dispute, an official said. The incident took place on Friday morning, when the accused picked a quarrel with his wife Shraddha and Salve and the couples 14-year-old son intervened, the official said. The accused, in a fit of rage, attacked the elderly victim with a knife, following which she sustained serious injuries and died on the spot, he said. The victims body was sent for post-mortem, while a case has been registered against Kadrekar under section 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC at Virar police station, he added. CHICAGO, June 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- People using Abbott's FreeStyle Libre, a sensor-based glucose monitoring system, experienced a considerable decrease in ketoacidosis-related hospitalizations52% for type 1 diabetes and 47% for type 2 diabetesaccording to the study titled "Dramatic Drop in Ketoacidosis Rate after FreeStyle Libre System Initiation in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in France, Especially in People with Low Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG): A Nationwide Study," presented today at the American Diabetes Association's (ADA's) 80th Virtual Scientific Sessions. The trial, known as the "RELIEF" study, is the largest study to date on the impact of the FreeStyle Libre system on rates of hospitalization for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition that is generally preventable through close glucose monitoring. Researchers retrospectively analyzed DKA rates using ICD-10 codes (E10.1, E11.1), on the French national claims database, among 33,203 people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and 40,955 people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who used the FreeStyle Libre system between August 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. DKA rates were recorded in the year prior to the first FreeStyle Libre sensor claim and in the year after. The data analysis revealed: Overall, yearly DKA rates were reduced after FreeStyle Libre system initiation by 52% for patients with T1D and 47% for patients with T2D. Results were most marked in the sub-population of patients who did not use self-monitoring blood glucose testing (SMBG) in the year prior to FreeStyle Libre system use (60% reduction for patients with T1D and 51% reduction for patients with T2D). People with the most regular use of SMBG testing (more than five blood glucose test strips reimbursed per day) also experienced marked reductions in hospitalizations (59% for T1D and 52% for T2D). A reduction in hospitalization rates for DKA was observed among patients treated with multiple daily injections, as well as patients who used continuous insulin infusion. "This was a dramatic reduction in ketoacidosis-related hospitalization rates among patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetesespecially among people who previously had very low self-monitoring of blood glucoseand supports the use of intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring systems like the FreeStyle Libre for individuals who are at risk for diabetes related complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis," said lead study author Ronan Roussel, MD, PhD, chief of the endocrinology, diabetes, and nutrition department at Hopital Bichat, Federation de Diabetologie, AP-HP, Paris, France. "It is plausible that the use of the FreeStyle Libre system allowed people to detect and limit persistent hyperglycemia, and subsequently prevent ketoacidosis. Although preventing ketoacidosis has traditionally relied on intensive self-monitoring of blood glucose, there is growing literature that shows this has not helped reduce the overall incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis. The positive results of this study demonstrate that intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring may have significant implications for patient-centered clinical care and, given the increased burden of ketoacidosis on healthcare utilization and expenditure, it may have a positive impact on long-term economic health outcomes." Research presentation details: Dr. Roussel presented the research during the following session. Session: Glucose Monitoring and Sensing Glucose Monitoring and Sensing Date: Saturday, June 13 , 8:00 10:00 a.m. CT (all sessions will be recorded and available for viewing for up to 90 days) , 8:00 (all sessions will be recorded and available for viewing for up to 90 days) Abstract: 68-OR For more information or to schedule an interview with Dr. Roussel, please contact Daisy Diaz by phone at (703) 253-4807 or by email at [email protected]. About the ADA's Scientific Sessions The ADA's 80th Scientific Sessions, the world's largest scientific meeting focused on diabetes research, prevention and care, is being held virtually June 12-16, 2020. Leading physicians, scientists and health care professionals from around the world will unveil cutting-edge research, treatment recommendations and advances toward a cure for diabetes. Though the conference will be remote this year, attendees will receive exclusive access to nearly 2,000 original research presentations and take part in provocative and engaging exchanges with leading diabetes experts. Learn more and register at scientificsessions.diabetes.org and join the Scientific Sessions conversation on social media using #ADA2020 and #ADAGoesVirtual. About the American Diabetes Association Every day more than 4,000 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes in America. More than 122 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes and are striving to manage their lives while living with the disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For nearly 80 years the ADA has been driving discovery and research to treat, manage and prevent diabetes, while working relentlessly for a cure. We help people with diabetes thrive by fighting for their rights and developing programs, advocacy and education designed to improve their quality of life. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn). Contact: Daisy Diaz 703-253-4807 [email protected] SOURCE American Diabetes Association Related Links http://www.diabetes.org Europe will partially reopen on Monday allowing Britons to travel abroad for their holidays this summer. People crowded a beach in Barcelona, Spain, to sunbathe, play and swim in the first weekend that everyone is allowed to go to the beach. In a move recommended by the European Commission (EC), border controls are to be lifted between Schengen member states from June 15. It is the first weekend that everyone is allowed to go to the beach in Barcelona Even though the UK doesn't have an EU status, it is included on the lists which allow entry into several nations, The Telegraph reported. The UK foreign office continues to advice against all travel abroad unless it is essential and those who return will have to quarantine for 14 days. Some countries have chosen a different approach to opening their borders. For example, Italy opened its borders to EU nations and the UK on June 3. Meanwhile Spain is imposing a 14-day quarantine on arrivals until July 1. Beach goers lay on beach towels and paddle in the sea on a Barcelona beach as they sunbathe, play and swim The EC on Thursday recommended that Schengen member states prolong the restrictions on non-essential travel until the end of this month. France is one of the countries set to open its borders to visitors from the EU and UK on Monday. The country has a voluntary self-isolation but its quarantine is not enforced with fines and is a request made to British visitors. Benidorm, Spain, is also preparing to open its beach from Monday with a list of strict new guidelines imposed by the Mayor Toni Perez and its town hall. Beach cordons segregating the over 70s and making one way entrances and exits to the sea are being put in place. Benidorm is preparing to open its beach from Monday with a list of strict new guidelines There will be a one way system with different entrances and exits to the sea Signs have also been erected with a new list of rules including walking on your right, banning games and respecting the safety distance of two metres in the water. The children's play area will be closed and beach goers will be required to respect the safety distance of six metres between the hammocks. There is a mandatory use of masks if there isn't a two metre distance. Spain is imposing a 14-day quarantine on arrivals until July 1. Pictured: Benidorm is preparing to open its beaches from Monday Signs have been erected with a new list of rules including walking on your right and respecting the safety distance of six metres between the hammocks Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12) The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has denounced the reported illegal arrest and police brutality endured by a team of environmental law enforcers in the hands of Puerto Princesa City police on Wednesday. Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said he is "furious" and demanding a swift resolution of the case involving Puerto Princesa City Police Director Col. Marion Balonglong and his men. It is totally unacceptable that these environmental enforcers who continue to perform their duties despite the COVID-19 pandemic have to suffer violence at the hands of the police, who should be assisting them in their operations, Cimatu said in a statement issued on Friday. The Puerto Princesa City police director reportedly arrested and held at gunpoint eight employees of the DENR and two others, who were doing their field work at a coastal village at Barangay Iwahig in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on June 10. According to reports, the DENR personnel were conducting an investigation on the illegal occupation and massive mangrove cutting at Sitio Bucana when they were intercepted by Balonglong and his men. Balonglong allegedly kicked and punched at gunpoint one of the forest rangers identified as Roldan Alvarez. The environmentalists were reportedly brought later to the police station in Barangay San Pedro, and were released following a dialogue between Balonglong and Felizardo Cayatoc, an officer of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), who approved the DENR operation. When queried about the incident, Philippine National Police spokesperson Brigadier General Bernard Banac told CNN Philippines that investigators are still obtaining an official report from the police regional office in MIMAROPA regarding the case. Cimatu said he has forwarded the matter to Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Ano, who has supervisory authority over the PNP. As much as Im furious at what happened to my men, I hope this incident wont affect the cordial relationship and collaborative partnership the DENR has with the PNP in the fight against environmental crime, Cimatu said. Bengaluru, June 13 : On the successful completion of a pilot project in Karnataka's Ramanagara district where women self-help groups (SHGs) have acquired a new skill set to assess property tax, a minister on Saturday said here that the project can be extended all over the state in the near future. "After discussing with the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj departments, it would be expanded across the state," said Deputy Chief Minister C. N. Ashwathnarayan who also handles the Skill Development Department. In the pilot project, the department has empowered women with skills to measure properties such as buildings and assess their taxes, including training them how to navigate the difficulties created by the Covid pandemic. Ashwathnarayan witnessed the women surveying three village panchayats as part of the project and interacted with them. "Through this, each woman would earn between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 a month," he said, adding that the women can also collect the taxes from the property owners. The Deputy Chief Minister said the government will extend all help to the SHGs. Under the pilot project, the women surveyed properties in Ramanagara district revenue department's Lakshmipura, Bannikoppa and Kanchgaranahalli areas. Under the aegis of the revenue department, the women surveyed as many as 3,116 buildings. A Sunday rally on the Capitol steps hopes to bring together law enforcement and Harrisburg residents who want to improve the dynamic between the two. City activist and organizer Kevin Maxson said he wants people to walk away with a better understanding of what it means to be black and considered unequal in society. The rally is scheduled for 1 p.m. I just want to make sure our community understands what were fighting for, Maxson said. We deserve to know our contribution to this planet and to be recognized for that. The Harrisburg native is using the event to educate the community on black history, and create a blueprint for change moving forward. Harrisburgs youth and law enforcement are encouraged to attend and have a discussion on resolutions for the inequalities in the local black community, Maxson said. I dont want to leave nobody out when they can be a part of this change, he said. Maxson has proposed creating a Law Enforcement Diversity," program that teaches children about what police officers do and how they could become one. If you dont agree with the polices actions, the most natural resolution would be to integrate into law enforcement people who better understand the community, Maxson said. He also wants to see a reduction in the citys gun and gang violence. Mayor Eric Papenfuse plans to be there, Maxson said. A number of people are slated to speak, including Cole Goodman, an executive board member of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Maxson said everyone is encouraged to attend and participate in discussion. READ MORE: Protests cost Harrisburg $50,000 in police overtime, thousands more in vehicle damage Deer runs into protesters during march along N.J. highway, critically injuring one Woman charged with killing girlfriend at Pinchot Park claimed theyd been attacked, left behind dead dog: state police New Delhi/Kathmandu: The Lower House of Nepal's Parliament on Saturday (June 13, 2020) voted unanimously to amend the Constitution to redraw the country's new political map, laying claim over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura along the border with India. According to reports, leading Opposition parties, including Nepali Congress (NC), Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), voted in favour of the government bill to amend Schedule 3 of the Constitution to update the national emblem by incorporating the new controversial map. A two-thirds majority was required in the 275-member House of Representatives or the lower house to pass the bill. It may be noted that Nepals Parliament had on June 9 unanimously endorsed a proposal to consider the Constitution amendment bill to pave way for endorsing the new political map amid the border row with India. Now, the bill will be sent to the National Assembly where it will undergo a similar process. The ruling Nepal Communist Party commands a two-third majority in the National Assembly. The NA will have to give lawmakers 72 hours to move amendments against the bill's provisions, if any. After the National Assembly passes the bill, it will be submitted to the President for authentication, after which the bill will be incorporated in the Constitution. The government on Wednesday formed a nine-member team of experts to collect historical facts and evidence related to the area. Diplomats and experts, however, questioned the government's move, asking why the task force was formed when the map has already been released and approved by the Cabinet. India, on the other hand, has been maintaining that these three areas belonged to it. "We have already made our position clear on these issues. India deeply values its civilisation, cultural and friendly relations with Nepal," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Anurag Srivastava had said on June 11. The ties between the two countries came under severe strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 80-KM-long road on May 8. Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory. In his comments on Thursday, Srivastava also spoke about how India has been reaching out to friendly neighbouring countries including Nepal in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modis initiative to chart out a common strategy to combat COVID-19 in the region. Gilead Sciences Inc has said it has signed licensing pacts with four more firms, including three from India and one from Egypt, for manufacturing and sale of its antiviral drug remdesivir, the first treatment to show improvement in Covid-19 trials. Dr Reddys Laboratories Ltd, Biocon arm Syngene International Ltd, Zydus Cadila Ltd, and Egypt-based Eva Pharma Pvt Ltd are the companies Gilead has entered into non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with. The company had signed similar pacts with Cipla Ltd, Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd, Hetero Drugs Ltd, Mylan and Pakistan-based Ferozsons Laboratories last month. Zydus Cadila also said on Friday it signed a non-exclusive licensing pact with Gilead Sciences Inc to manufacture and market remdesivir. Gilead said in a release that the terms for all nine companies are the same. The pact will allow these companies to manufacture remdesivir for distribution in 127 countries, which consist of nearly all low-income and lower-middle-income countries, as well as several upper-middle- and high-income countries that face significant obstacles to healthcare access. The licenses are royalty-free until the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern status for Covid-19 or until an alternative drug or vaccine is approved against the fatal respiratory disease, whichever is earlier. The nine companies, under the licensing agreements, have the right to receive a technology transfer of the Gilead manufacturing process for remdesivir which will enable them to scale up production more quickly, as well as set their own prices for their products. Remdesivir has received emergency use authorisation (EUA) in the US, India and a few other countries for the treatment of Covid-19 after preliminary results from two trials, including one by US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, showed some promise. However, the safety and efficacy of remdesivir to treat Covid-19 are still being evaluated in multiple Phase 3 clinical trials that are underway. Remdesivir is also part of WHOs Solidarity Trial which is underway across the world, including at over half a dozen sites in India. The Drug Controller General of India had on June 1 granted the marketing authorisation to Gilead Sciences anti-viral drug remdesivir injection 5 mg/mL and Remdesivir lyophilised powder for injection 100 mg for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 in adults and children hospitalised with severe disease. (With agency inputs) People are defacing my history and my culture, said Dave Allen, a 30-year-old lawyer from London who had joined the counterprotest. Thats why these people are here, because we feel were getting attacked. Videos shared on social media showed mounted police officers standing guard in Parliament Square in front of boarded-up statues and repelling far-right protesters who threatened and punched them. The confrontations in London came days after racism protesters tore down a statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century slave trader, in Bristol, and others scrawled racist on a Churchill statue in Parliament Square. The statue of Churchill, a usually revered figure in Britain who steered the country through World War II, was later covered to protect it. Mr. Johnson called the episode absurd and shameful in a Twitter posting on Friday in which he acknowledged Churchill had sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial. In Paris, some 15,000 people rallied to demand justice for Adama Traore, a 24-year-old who died in 2016 after the police had arrested him. Amid the overwhelmingly young crowds, demonstrators waved signs reading No justice, no peace and Black Lives Matter, less than two weeks after 20,000 protesters had assembled in front of a Paris court for Mr. Traore. The Saturday protests were organized by The Truth For Adama, an advocacy group led by Mr. Traores sister, Assa Traore. The rally remained largely peaceful, although police officers threw tear gas and clashed with protesters in the late afternoon. In France, we have a tendency to deny thorny issues like race, said Isabelle Blanche, a 41-year-old black protester who came with her brother. She said that it had taken Mr. Floyds death in the United States for people to finally wake up. Wearing a black T-shirt bearing the inscription Justice for Adama, Oceane Loimon, an 18-year-old black protester, blamed the French authorities for refusing to address police brutality, but as she pointed to the crowds on the plaza, she said: They cannot ignore it anymore. BAGHDAD - Two rockets hit an Iraqi base frequented by U.S. troops north of Baghdad late Saturday without causing any casualties, Iraqs military said, the third such attack this month and just days after Washington and Baghdad launched strategic talks. The Katyusha rockets struck Camp Taji and caused minor damage but no injuries, according to the Iraqi military statement. In March, two Americans and one British soldier were killed following a barrage of rockets on Camp Taji, which has been used as a training base for a number of years. The first session of the much-anticipated strategic talks between the U.S. and Iraq began Thursday, and is to lay the agenda for the months ahead, including the presence of U.S. troops in the country, Iran-backed militia groups acting outside of the state and Iraqs dire economic crisis. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker, in comments to reporters in Washington following the session, said Iraq had committed to moving ahead and undertaking their obligations, with regards to militia attacks targeting the American presence. Saturdays attack appears to have been a test of this commitment. A statement from Iraqs joint operations command following the attack said orders had been given to launch an investigation to reveal these entities that, despite our warnings to them, seek to weaken Iraq. A day before the talks began, a rocket landed a few hundred meters (yards) from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdads fortified Green Zone. Another rocket attack on Tuesday struck the periphery of Baghdads airport, which includes a military base used by U.S. troops. There were no reported casualties or damage. The U.S. has accused Iran-backed militias of carrying out such attacks in the past. Several attacks targeted U.S. interests early in March, including three military bases known to house U.S. troops. The U.S.-led coalition has withdrawn from several bases across Iraq in a planned drawdown. Advertising guru Russel Howcroft will replace 3AW veteran John Burns and join Ross Stevenson in the coveted breakfast timeslot later this year. Howcroft, a panellist on the ABC show Gruen, has resigned as chief creative officer at accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers and will begin his new role on radio in August. Russel Howcroft at his home in Melbourne. Credit:Eddie Jim The appointment marks one of the biggest shake-ups at 3AW in years, with Stevenson and Burns having greeted Melbourne's early-risers for the past two decades. (3AW's owner, Nine, is also the owner of this masthead.) The pair have been Melbourne's top-rating breakfast hosts for more than 140 consecutive radio surveys practically their entire time on air. They currently command a 17.3 per cent share of Melbourne's breakfast market, well above the ABC's breakfast presenter Sammy J (11.8 per cent) and Gold FM's Christian O'Connell (9.4 per cent). London, June 13 : Turkey has slammed Twitter for removing thousands of accounts based in the country that supported President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying these were not "fake" profiles designed to support the president. Twitter has purged 7,340 accounts in Turkey, saying these were employing coordinated inauthentic activity primarily targeted at domestic audiences within the country. "This has demonstrated yet again that Twitter is no mere social media company, but a propaganda machine with certain political and ideological inclinations," presidency communications director Fahrettin Altun was quoted as saying in an Al Jazeera report on Saturday. He said documents cited to support Twitter's decision were unscientific, biased and politically motivated. Turkey has blocked access to Twitter, YouTube and online encyclopaedia Wikipedia in the past. On Friday, Twitter disclosed 32,242 accounts to its archive of state-linked information operations - the only one of its kind in the industry - linked to China, Russia and Turkey. "Based on our analysis of the network's technical indicators and account behaviours, the collection of fake and compromised accounts was being used to amplify political narratives favourable to the AK Parti, and demonstrated strong support for President Erdogan," said Twitter. Twitter also disclosed it has removed a fake network comprising over 1.73 lakh accounts that were linked to a state-backed campaign in China. (Photo : Photo by Goh Rhy Yan on Unsplash ) Warning! Worst Hacking and Data Breaches of 2020 (So Far) That'll Make You Think if You're Safe (Photo : Photo by Nahel Abdul Hadi on Unsplash ) Warning! Worst Hacking and Data Breaches of 2020 (So Far) That'll Make You Think if You're Safe With all that's happening around the world, technology turns more powerful every single day. But, anything powerful can also be dangerous. Within the first months of 2020, several cases of hacking and data breaches were already reported. This makes us think: how safe are we in the online world? Here are the top 6 worst hacking of 2020, so far. The biggest hacking of 2020 T-Mobile Hack T-Mobile, one of the most famous and used mobile telecom company in the United States, is the first in our list of hacked companies of 2020. In March, the telecom giant expressed an apology to all their customers after a successful hacking happened on their main database. "Certain T-Mobile employee email accounts, some of which contained account information for T-Mobile customers and employees," were the ones that the hacker got accessed. T-Mobile did not specify how many users were affected by the data breach but recommend users to change their passwords immediately. EasyJet One of the biggest and controversial hacking of 2020 is the EasyJet Airline breach. Tech Times reported that over 2,000 customers had stolen credit cards, and over 9 million were affected by the massive breach. The airline described the hacker as 'highly-sophisticated' for him to enter their 'secured' database. Marriott Hotel Marriott Hotel's second-largest hacking in history happened this year. It was reported that over 5 million of the luxury hotel's customers were faced with serious cyber attack risks due to this hacking, which happened in March. The report said that within six weeks only, the hackers have already breached the record of millions of clients. Nintendo Switch hack As everyone stays at their homes, gaming has been a stress reliever for most of us. However, in April, Nintendo Switch users were compromised with the stressful hacking. As reported by Tech Times, the company announced that over 160,000 of its users experienced massive hacking with their bill payments, especially using PayPal. "We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and concern to our customers and related parties," Nintendo Switch said in the post, which translated from Japanese. "In the future, we will make further efforts to strengthen security and ensure safety so that similar events do not occur." Netflix and HBO Piracy On Thursday, June 11, we reported that authorities found an illegal streaming site, offering movies and shows exclusively for Netflix and HBO users. The hackers offer lower prices of the company's subscriptions and steal them from other original users. 11 were arrested, and police collected $17 million in assets related to their schemes. Zoom Since the pandemic forces people to stay in their homes, teleconferencing had been a major necessity for all of us. And surprisingly, the Zoom app came to the rescue. But, it did not go easy for the company. Zoom was reported with thousands of complaints of their security system involving the famous Zoombombing. In April, over 300 personal Zoom accounts were stolen by a hacker and posted on the dark web. ALSO READ: Hack Warning! Before Downloading COVID-19 App, Here's What You Should Know 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. UK extends commitment to fight violent extremism in the Sahel Three RAF Chinooks and 100 personnel will remain in Mali as UK extends its commitment to supporting French counter-terrorism operation 12 June 2020 Personnel from RAF Odiham have been deployed in non-combat roles in Mali since 2018 with the aircraft contributing a unique logistical capability to the French-led operation. The Chinooks and aircrew allow French troops to cover a much larger field of operations by moving personnel to the front-line of activity, eliminating the need for dangerous road moves, and help move vital support equipment to strategic locations. Since arriving in Mali the RAF has clocked over 2,000 hours of flying and moved over 13,000 passengers and 1,100 tonnes of equipment. Currently, the Chinooks are being flown by aircrew from 18(B) Squadron and are supported by personnel drawn from across the RAF and British Army. The conditions are often challenging, with over 40 degree heat in the summer months and regular sandstorms. Alongside international partners, French forces operate across the Sahel to counter the threat from militants linked to groups such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh. Forces deployed on this mission have had a number of successes and recently killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and several other high-profile members of the group. Today, June 12, Defence Minister James Heappey joined a remote conference with over 15 Defence Ministers of the Coalition for the Sahel to highlight our growing role in the region and help co-ordinate the international response. The aim of the Coalition, launched by France, is to coordinate international activity in the Sahel and promote long-term stability in the region. Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey said: "West Africa is as important to the United Kingdom as it has ever been and we have many friends and allies in the region who share our desire to promote peace and prosperity." "Combating extremism in the Sahel is vital for the security of the wider region and the UK will play it's part tackling the declining security situation." Marked by chronic poverty, instability, high levels of gender inequality, and acute vulnerability to the effects of climate change, the Sahel is one of Africa's poorest and most fragile regions. The scale and spread of terrorist violence and conflict continues to increase. UK support to the region goes beyond military commitments, with the Government supporting development in the region and providing life-saving support and protection to those most in need. The UK is one of the largest humanitarian donors to the region, and has contributed over 500m in bilateral development and humanitarian assistance since 2015. With COVID-19 now an additional challenge in the Sahel, a significant part of the UK's 764m contribution to the global COVID-19 effort will be channelled to the region. Later this year the UK will deploy 250 personnel to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali, also based in Gao. Responding to a UN capability gap, personnel from The Light Dragoons and The Royal Anglian Regiment will form a long range reconnaissance capability, providing greater awareness of possible threats and contributing to the protection of civilians. Initially deploying for three years as part of a 12,500 strong international force, the UK contribution will assist the UN mission as it seeks to deliver long-term and sustainable peace in Mali. By working to stabilise fragile states and tackle the root causes of conflict, the UK is helping to prevent conflict from spilling over to neighbouring states. This deployment will, alongside the UK's broader development and diplomatic efforts, help address the increasing instability in the region, protect the civilian population, and strengthen the authority of the Malian Government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Prince County Horsemens Club, in cooperation with the Red Shores Summerside, has agreed to a scheduled racetrack closure to allow for maintenance preparation for the upcoming race season in Summerside. The racetrack needs repair to recondition to original specifications and requirements. The racetrack will be closed beginning on Tuesday, June 15 at 7:00 a.m. until Friday, June 19 at 5:00 p.m. The PCHC has optional availability prior to 7:00 a.m. daily and after 5:00 p.m daily for light exercise for on-track trainers only. (Red Shores) She welcomed her first child, daughter Frankie Violet, with husband Jake Wall in October last year. And on Saturday, Jennifer Hawkins looked absolutely smitten as she cuddled up to the seven-month-old in adorable photos shared to Instagram. Dressed in activewear at what looked to be the couple's $20million mansion in Sydney's Newport, the 36-year-old model could not wipe the smile off her face. 'Couldn't love you more if I tried!' Jennifer Hawkins, 36, looked smitten as she cuddled up to seven-month-old daughter Frankie Violet in photos shared to Instagram on Saturday Jennifer wore a grey and black casual ensemble, and cradled little Frankie in a grey leopard print baby carrier. The entrepreneur styled her blonde locks out and showed off a radiant complexion. Jennifer gazed affectionately at Frankie who looked cute as a button in a beige top, pink pants, a grey beanie and matching socks. Her pride and joy: Dressed in grey and black activewear, the entrepreneur could not wipe the smile off her face as she enjoyed quality time with her baby girl Proud mother: Jennifer wrote in the post's caption: 'Frankie girl!!! Couldn't love ya (sic) more if I tried! Beautiful day today.' Pictured in a prior Instagram post Every inch the proud mother, the media personality wrote in the post's caption: 'Frankie girl!!! Couldn't love ya (sic) more if I tried! Beautiful day today.' Jennifer announced Frankie's birth in an Instagram post on October 22. The former Miss Universe Australia first revealed she and husband Jake, 37, were expecting a child together in May last year. Power couple: Jennifer announced Frankie's birth in an Instagram post on October 22. Jennifer and husband Jake Wall, 37, are pictured in January 2017 Priorities: Jennifer expressed her desire to start a family in September 2018, following her departure from Myer after 12 years as the department store's ambassador Jennifer expressed her desire to start a family in September 2018, following her departure from Myer after 12 years as the department store's ambassador. Speaking at her final runway show for the retailer, she told the Herald Sun: 'I'd love to have a family, it's taking the time to look ahead. I want to have the time to be able to do that.' Jennifer married property developer Jake in Bali, Indonesia in 2013, after eight years of dating. FOR a while after the pandemic began, Zoom seemed new and fun. We rearranged our lighting to our best advantage and made sure our cameras werent shooting directly up our noses. We put up funny background screens, even on work calls Hey Rob, is that a brontosaurus in your swimming pool? we cackled stupidly. It was during this period that endless jokes were made about not wearing pants. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2020 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion FOR a while after the pandemic began, Zoom seemed new and fun. We rearranged our lighting to our best advantage and made sure our cameras werent shooting directly up our noses. We put up funny background screens, even on work calls "Hey Rob, is that a brontosaurus in your swimming pool?" we cackled stupidly. It was during this period that endless jokes were made about not wearing pants. That was Phase 1. Zoom usage skyrocketed, company officials said, to 300 million daily meeting participants. Three hundred million people all forgetting to unmute themselves in a single day. What a riot! Jamie Lee Finch / Columbia Daily Tribune Files Gathering on video-conferencing apps was fun at the start, but the bloom is definitely off Zoom now. But all that hilarity couldnt possibly last. First came the reports of Zoom-bombing trolls who swooped into university classes or AA meetings or church services to shout obscenities. Then we started hearing about young people getting dumped or "zumped" over the app. And, of course, these things were inevitable. If video chatting was going to replace personal interaction, then sooner or later it had to accommodate all kinds of conversations. Parents would yell at their kids over the app, bosses would yell at their workers and romantic partners would yell at each other and break up. It cant be fun and games and sexting all the time, kids. "The internet connection wasnt great," complained one zumpee, writing in BuzzFeed about her virtual break-up with her boyfriend. "We kept freezing." Then came the stories about people losing their jobs over Zoom. WW International the company formerly known as Weight Watchers even conducted a mass firing over Zoom. Its unclear how many people were laid off at once, but it was enough that the companys chief financial officer told the New York Times, "It wasnt practical to have all of the conversations be one-on-one," which seemed like an insensitive answer from a company built on the concepts of self-image, self-esteem and "wellness." Uber laid off more than 3,500 people over Zoom. But Zoom firings were inevitable too. More than 35 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last three months, and most were not in the office when the news came down. Its got to be unpleasant and impersonal to be axed remotely over a video call (although there is not all that much warmth and intimacy in a traditional face-to-face firing either). Disembodied virtual firings are not even the worst of it. In Singapore on May 15, a man convicted of a relatively small drug offence was sentenced to death by a court over Zoom. The defendant, Punithan Genasan, was on the call from prison; the prosecutors, defence lawyers and judges were in various locations. I guess you could argue that a death sentence is such bad news in itself that learning about it over Zoom is the least of ones problems. But still it seems shockingly callous and inhumane. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International agreed. Finally, last month, Zoom hit what we have to hope is rock-bottom: a 72-year-old man from Amityville, Long Island, was on a Zoom call with about 20 other people when his son came into the room and stabbed him more than a dozen times. Police say the other participants, horrified, watched the son beat up his father, and then watched the father "fall off the screen," where he was killed. Video calls dont get much darker than that. Still, we cant blame Zoom not for the zumping or the death sentence or any of it. Technology, at least in this case, is just technology; its relatively neutral. It is we humans who do all the same nasty things on Zoom, FaceTime and Skype that we do on the telephone and through the mail and when we see each other in real life. Just as a television can show Saturday morning cartoons or hardcore porn, and just as email can be used to send love letters or break-up notes or pink slips, it is we, not our tools, who are at the root of the problem. Zoom doesnt kill people, people do. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. When I was six years old, I went with my father to the 1964 New York Worlds Fair, where Bell Telephone was showing off its new futuristic "Picturephone." I got to talk to my dad all the way on the other side of the room while watching his moving image on a small, black-and-white video screen, and I felt like I had been briefly transported into the world of science fiction. He and I had seen the future and figured wed be regularly speaking to each other on Picturephones in just a few years, with what Bell scientists described as "an enhanced feeling of proximity and intimacy with the other party." Bell even boasted the device could "help solve many social problems." Forgive me. I was a child, and I believed in progress and a world that was getting better and better. Instead, it took half a century before people adopted this technology for day-to-day use, and then only a very small fraction of that time before we turned it to our own cruel human purposes. Nicholas Goldberg is an associate editor and op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times Mumbai, June 13 : Actress Chahatt Khanna is boycotting all Chinese applications and has blamed China for bringing the novel coronavirus into the forefront. "China has been on the forefront on bringing this virus. We all know the motive behind the virus. They need to be taught a lesson. By boycotting goods and their services we are taking a step ahead. We are opening more doors for Indian services," Chahatt said. "If 1.3 billion Indians do it, it's a huge setback. They are on our borders trying to grab our land. We have to give it to them from where we are. This is high time," she added. Chahatt urged everyone to stay indoors amid coronavirus outbreak in the country. "We got to stay safe and indoors as much as possible. The situation is not in control anymore," she said. The administration of United States President Donald Trump plans to reinterpret a Cold War-era arms agreement between 34 nations with the goal of allowing US defence contractors to sell more US-made drones to a wide array of nations, three defence industry executives and a US official told Reuters news agency. The policy change, which has not been previously reported, could open up sales of armed US drones to governments such as those of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, which in the past have been forbidden from buying them under the 33-year-old Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) agreement, said the US official, a former US official and one of the executives. It could also undermine longstanding MTCR compliance from countries such as Russia, said the US official, who has direct knowledge of the policy shift. Reinterpreting the MTCR is part of a broader Trump administration effort to sell more weapons overseas. The administration has overhauled a broad range of arms export regulations and removed the US from international arms treaties including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the Open Skies Treaty. Sidestepping the accord would allow US defence contractors General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc and Northrop Grumman Corp to break into new markets currently dominated by less sophisticated offerings from China and Israel, which do not participate in the MTCR. Heidi Grant, the Pentagons Director of Defense Technology Security Administration, declined to comment on the pending MTCR policy change but said the US military is eager to see drone sales expanded to more countries. Such sales would bolster the militaries of allies and replace drones sales from other nations, she said. If we are unable to meet this growing demand, we shoot ourselves in the foot, Grant told Reuters. She said the drones would help allies fight terrorism, establish border control and generally help stop threats before they reach the US. Grant declined to name specific nations the Pentagon believes should get more US-made weapons. The US Department of State, which makes final decisions on drone sales, declined to comment on the policy change. The White House also declined to comment. US agencies including the departments of Commerce, Energy, Justice and Homeland Security agreed to the change in May, and the State Department is expected to approve the first drone sales under the new interpretation as soon as this summer, said the US official and industry executives. They said the administration has already notified Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, the two major US drone makers, of its plans. The change is scheduled for a review by the White House National Security Council at its June 16 meeting, said one of the executives and a former US official with knowledge of the internal policy discussions. The council is expected to support the policy change and discuss a possible White House announcement, they said. The Trump administration is pressing ahead with its revamp of drone export policy under pressure from US manufacturers and despite objections from human rights advocates, who warn of the risk of fuelling instability in hot spots including the Middle East and South Asia. Expanded sales of armed drones could increase global conflicts, said Rachel Stohl, a weapons expert at the Stimson Center in Washington, a think-tank focused on security issues that opposes weapons proliferation. Once they leave US control, we lose our ability to influence how and where they are used, she said. Lowering the bar Under the State Departments current interpretation of the MTCR, all sales of large drones are subject to what is known as a strong presumption of denial, which has made approvals rare. But the high bar to get a deal greenlighted will be removed, signalling to previously forbidden customers that their orders have a much better chance of approval, according to the official, the former official and one of the defence executives. Reuters could not determine what specific criteria the State Department will use in scrutinising weapons deals under the new interpretation. Until now, only the United Kingdom, France and Australia have been allowed to buy large, armed drones from US manufacturers, according to data collected by The Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College in New York state. Jordan, Romania, Saudi Arabia and UAE have shown interest in purchasing US systems and will be among the first customers in line when the US policy changes, one of the industry executives said. Officials from the Washington embassies of those nations did not respond to requests for comment. The US official and the former official said any country where US forces are operating drones in the counterterrorism fight, such as Kuwait, could be a potential customer for lethal drones. The Embassy of Kuwait in Washington did not return a request for comment. US drone manufacturers face growing competition overseas, especially from Chinese and Israeli rivals who have far fewer rules limiting sales. The defence contractors are vying for a larger share of the global military drone market for which the Teal Group, a market research firm, forecast annual sales, research and development will rise from $15.8bn in 2020 to nearly $20bn by 2029. Bart Roper, Senior Vice President for Strategic Development at General Atomics, said the firm has been limited under current policy and that a liberalisation of the rules could result in hundreds of new sales. Roper, who did not confirm the policy change, said there is strong interest from Middle East and Southeast Asian customers that have been forced to purchase aircraft from the Chinese because of a lack of US alternatives. A Northrop Grumman spokesman added that increased drone exports would lead to closer work on the technology with allies, helping keep US drones state-of-the-art. Missile pact The MTCR agreement originally signed in 1987 by the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK focused on stopping the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The pact has been credited with slowing or stopping missile programmes in countries such as Egypt, Argentina and Iraq. The MTCR policy shift has been under consideration by the Trump administration since 2017, but has been delayed several times as the US has grappled with objections within the government and from other nations in the agreement, two of the executives and the current and former officials said. Some state department officials objected to the change for fear that advanced weaponry would be sold to governments that have abused human rights, the former official said. The US plan is to reinterpret its treatment of drones that fly slower than 800km/h (500 mph), including Reapers and Global Hawks. Global Hawks, made by Northrop Grumman, are not armed and are typically used for surveillance. Reapers, made by General Atomics, are used for both surveillance and air strikes including the recent US strike that killed top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January. The MTCR currently classifies such drones as cruise missiles and therefore subject to high export restrictions because of the technical specifications for unpiloted aircraft in the 1987 pact. Under the reinterpretation, the US will treat these drones as if they belong in a lower category that falls outside MTCR jurisdiction. The Pentagons Grant said boosted sales of sophisticated weaponry can strengthen US alliances and help allied militaries safeguard US interests. It also enables cooperation with allies when they use the same equipment, and would speed efforts to replace or repair drones in combat. Over time, she said, boosting sales of the drones could also lower their cost to the US government by giving defence contractors economies of scale. SUNDAY, JUNE 14 FAMILY Youngsters can catch The Wiggles in a live-streamed show at the Opera House as the skivvy-clad foursome play their catchy tunes, including their latest single, the timely and educational track Social Distancing. 4pm, free, sydneyoperahouse.com Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti. MONDAY, JUNE 15 MUSIC In honour of Richard Tognettis 30th year as artistic director of Australian Chamber Orchestra a digital season spotlighting his tenure has begun (until June 21). To kick things off music lovers can today watch online a new ACO HomeCast of Tognetti playing music for solo violin by JS Bach. 6pm, free, aco.com.au William Sessions, the scrupulously straight-arrow director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1987 to 1993 who faced down the agency's old-boy network to start bringing in more black, Hispanic and female agents, only to be fired for petty financial misconduct, died June 12 at his son's home in San Antonio. He was 90. The cause was complications of congestive heart ailment, said his daughter, Sara Sessions Naughton. Sessions bitterly fought a Justice Department report that accused him of abusing the perks of his job - avoiding taxes on his use of an FBI limousine and contriving work-related trips to meet relatives, among alleged violations. He refused to resign and ultimately was dismissed by President Bill Clinton in July 1993. Proclaiming his innocence, he and his fiercely protective wife, Alice, blamed the report on disgruntled agents, saying they were unhappy with Sessions's independence and his shake-up of the FBI's traditional order created under J. Edgar Hoover, who had ruled the agency from 1924 until his death in 1972. In addition to his own internal struggles with the agency, Sessions weathered sharp public criticism during his tenure for his handling of the fatal Ruby Ridge shootout in Idaho in 1992 and the fiery siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993. Only the third Senate-approved director since Hoover - there were several acting directors as well - the austere, teetotaling Sessions made his mark as a strict but principled federal prosecutor and then judge in West Texas before President Ronald Reagan tapped him for the FBI post in November 1987 to succeed William Webster, another federal judge. In a typically self-effacing quip about his tough-lawman image, Sessions said at the time, "I don't wear a gun belt. I don't have any cowboy boots to my name. If I'm a West Texas tough guy, it's only because we have dealt with difficult problems out here." In retirement, even though a supporter of capital punishment, he joined other former judges, as well as civil liberties lawyers and several members of Congress in calling for clemency for two high-profile death row inmates in Texas and Georgia. In letters and briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court, he argued that the murder trials of the two had been so fundamentally botched, including by the use of questionable police lineup tactics and the participation of unprepared defense lawyers, that the pair should be spared the death penalty. "When a criminal defendant is forced to pay with his life for his lawyer's errors, the effectiveness of the criminal justice system as a whole is undermined," Sessions and others wrote to the high court. One inmate's sentence was ultimately commuted to life. The other inmate was executed. Sessions also won lasting public support from Coretta Scott King, the widow of the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., for his efforts in recruiting and promoting minority agents within the FBI - an agency that had conducted controversial surveillance of King and his organization under Hoover in the 1960s. Sessions's recruitment endeavors were a reaction largely to discrimination lawsuits by black and Hispanic agents and resulted in modest gains during his tenure - the black proportion of agents grew from 4.2 percent to 5 percent, for example - a pace he blamed in part on interference by FBI insiders. - - - William Steele Sessions was born on May 27, 1930, in Fort Smith, Ark., the son of a prominent Disciples of Christ minister. The family, including a daughter, Toveylou, moved about the Midwest in the 1930s as the father changed pulpits and achieved notice for writing the "God and Country" handbook for the Boy Scouts of America. The future FBI director remained an avid canoeist and mountain climber, and Scouting became a tradition across generations in the Sessions family. At the end of World War II, the family moved to Kansas City, Mo., where Sessions finished high school in 1948. With the outbreak of the Korean War, he enlisted in the Air Force and became an airborne radar intercept instructor, mustering out as a captain in 1955. While in the service, he married Alice Lewis, daughter of an offshoot Mormon minister. She died in December 2019. In addition to his daughter, of Weston, Conn., survivors include three brothers, Louis Sessions of Dallas, former representative Pete Sessions, R-Texas, of Waco and Mark Sessions of San Antonio; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. A son, Jonathan, died in infancy. Sessions and his wife first lived in Waco, Texas, where he studied at Baylor University on the G.I. Bill and finished an undergraduate degree in 1956 and a law degree in 1958. He entered 10 years of private practice in Waco, then took a job with the Justice Department's criminal division in Washington in 1969, prosecuting obscenity, voter fraud and draft-evasion cases. A moderate Republican, he was named U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas by President Richard M. Nixon in 1971. Three years later, President Gerald R. Ford elevated him to judge in the district. He became chief judge in 1980 and held that position until Reagan brought him back to Washington in 1987 to run the FBI. In the still-insular world of the FBI, Sessions was an outsider, resisted by many in the agency hierarchy. He initiated changes that upset some but encouraged others in and out of the FBI, including his patrons in Congress. He started an affirmative action program for hiring and promoting more minorities and pushed for higher pay and modernized data-processing equipment. He defended the FBI's controversial Library Awareness Program in the late 1980s that encouraged public libraries to report "suspicious" individuals who might be Soviet operatives. But he disciplined six bureau employees who had been involved earlier in extensive surveillance of the Committee in Solidarity With the People of El Salvador and other left-leaning groups opposed to U.S. policy in Latin America. In the 1992 Ruby Ridge incident, the bureau was criticized in an internal probe for overreacting when an FBI sniper killed unarmed Vicki Weaver and her son in a shootout with an anti-government survivalist group in the northern Idaho wilderness. Similarly, just before Sessions's dismissal in 1993, the FBI, along with other federal agencies, was blasted for its handling of the 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian sect's compound in Waco that ended in an assault and spectacular fire. At the end of the confrontation, 76 people were dead. The breach between Sessions and the bureau became public earlier, in 1989, when he ordered agents to investigate the Republican-controlled Justice Department's role in U.S.-backed agricultural loans to Iraq that were diverted to arms purchases, a scandal dubbed Iraqgate by the media. Shortly after that, the Justice Department started an ethics probe into Sessions's conduct as director, a tangled process climaxing in January 1993 with a scorching 161-page report issued by Attorney General William Barr (who is now in the same role under President Donald Trump), accusing Sessions of gouging the government, frequently for petty gain, and questioning his fitness to serve. According to the report, he artfully arranged business-related flights on FBI aircraft to visit his daughter and other relatives and dodged tax liability on the use of his official limousine to and from home by keeping an unloaded gun in the trunk to establish an on-duty status - what Barr called "a sham arrangement." Most notable was that Barr ordered Sessions to reimburse the government $9,890 for the cost of a decorative wooden fence installed around the director's Washington home that did not meet the metal security standards that Barr said were required. Sessions disputed the report's findings point by point, saying he had cleared many of his actions with FBI lawyers and found the report riddled with errors and false conclusions. He did agree, however, to make partial repayment for the fence. "This process has been conducted without the barest element of fairness, marked by press leaks calculated to defame me," he said in a statement. More important, he added, the report accepted accusations, largely without question, by an agent he had fired from his personal security detail. Alice Sessions took a broader view. In May 1993, she told Texas Monthly magazine that she sensed long before her husband that the old-guard hierarchy of the FBI wanted to isolate and ultimately dump him, and that the Barr report was the vehicle for it. She was joined in this suspicion by Curt Gentry, a historian and critically acclaimed Hoover biographer who, according to Texas Monthly, sent her a lengthy memo outlining his findings about FBI resistance not only to Sessions, but also to other post-Hoover directors appointed from outside the agency. Sessions's mistake, Gentry said, was failing to recognize that he was dealing with a "palace revolt, the attempt of a small cabal, numbering probably no more than a half dozen senior officials, to recapture control of the bureau." Except among the Hoover loyalists, Sessions enjoyed a reputation for fairness, political independence and exacting standards, especially from the bench. "His style is not to bully," said civil liberties lawyer Maury Maverick Jr., who battled Sessions in draft-resistance cases in the 1970s, "but if you are a crook and stick your neck in a noose, he will hang you and smile like Jesus while he's doing it." New York Mayor Bill de Blasio looked out into a sea of protesters at a memorial with George Floyd's brother in Brooklyn and delivered a bold promise: He would transform the New York Police Department. "Change that you can see and believe, because you will see it with your own eyes," he declared. The response from many of the black protesters was withering. Obscenities and chants of "resign" and "I can't breathe" filled the air, drowning out de Blasio. Some demonstrators turned their backs on him as he spoke. After 90 seconds, he turned the microphone over. De Blasio took helm of New York City as a white mayor who tied his fortunes to black constituents, perhaps more than any big-city mayor in the nation. He vowed to attack the inequities that left blacks and Latinos behind, and promised to rethink police tactics using his biracial son, Dante, to star in a viral ad about stop and frisk. But now, with the city in tumult after more than two weeks of protests, many of de Blasio's black advisers and supporters have abandoned him a blow to the mayor's core political identity, one that threatens to taint his legacy and erode his last and most faithful constituency. "We once thought de Blasio was with us," said the Rev. Kevin McCall, a civil rights activist who organized last week's memorial. "But he flipped the script on us." McCall futilely pleaded with the crowd to show the mayor some respect. The problem, he said, was that the mayor had lost his credibility with New Yorkers, especially in the black community. As the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated racial disparities in health and policing, and protesters flooded the streets to call for justice, de Blasio made a series of missteps that has many black leaders questioning his commitment to rethinking policing and to addressing issues of inequality. When asked about a video of two police cruisers being deliberately driven into protesters, the mayor defended the officers involved. Other images of the police in violent clashes with protesters flooded social media, but de Blasio typically said that he had not seen them. When images of looting circulated on the news, the mayor imposed a curfew that was aggressively enforced by the police, who arrested hundreds of protesters. De Blasio further alienated many demonstrators by praising the police for exercising restraint. Former advisers publicly questioned the mayor's commitment to overhauling the Police Department. Hundreds of current and former mayoral staff members demonstrated against him. And even when de Blasio called for the officer involved in Floyd's death in Minneapolis to be immediately charged, it only underscored how the mayor had steadfastly refused to fire the officer whose chokehold led to the death of Eric Garner, a Staten Island man, in 2014. "You can no longer hide behind your black wife and children, not anymore," Jumaane Williams, the city's public advocate, said last week during an online news conference. "You're exposed now." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Williams, who is black, added, "We are at a time when we are asking you to do the things you said you were going to do." De Blasio has had his share of accomplishments aimed at reducing income inequality; early in his tenure, the mayor began a "pre-K for all" program that he has since expanded to many 3-year-olds. He has also raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour and implemented paid sick leave. Still, the mayor has faced questions from black leaders about his commitment to overhauling criminal justice. Under de Blasio, the Police Department fought in court to expand the interpretation of a 1970s-era law in the state's civil code known as 50-a, so that it could shield the results of disciplinary hearings against individual officers. The state Legislature voted to repeal the law this week. The mayor also questioned a bill that would criminalize the police use of chokeholds and was opposed to closing Rikers Island, stances that he eventually changed once it became obvious they would become state law. "If he was anyone else, black people wouldn't have expected any more than we are getting right now," said Tyquana Henderson-Rivers, who was de Blasio's deputy chief of staff when he was on the City Council and deputy campaign manager during his successful race for public advocate in 2009. Henderson-Rivers, now a political consultant, said de Blasio was once someone "we thought we could trust and who understood the plight of what was happening in our communities." WOOD RIVER Four more coronavirus cases were reported Friday by the Madison County Health Department, but no new COVID-19 related deaths were announced. Currently, the countys virus death toll stands at 65 unchanged since June 3 with a total case count of 686. Statewide on Friday, there were 595 new cases and 77 new deaths reported. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health website, there are now 131,198 cases statewide and 6,260 deaths. In the past 24 hours, 24,774 tests have been completed in Illinois for a statewide total of 1,147,101. The seven-day statewide positivity percentage for June 5-11 is 4 percent. The Madison County figures include 106 people hospitalized and 464 recovered, meaning they have completed isolation. A total of 8,809 tests have been completed in the county. IDPH information by ZIP code Friday showed additional cases in the Bethalto, Highland and Hillsboro areas. As of Thursday 118 cases have been reported in 62025 (Edwardsville), 109 in 62002 (Alton), 91 in 62040 (Granite City/Pontoon Beach), 90 in 62234 (Collinsville), 75 in 62034 (Glen Carbon), 31 in 62060 (Madison), 26 in 62095 (Wood River) and 62035 (Godfrey), 24 in 62010 (Bethalto) and 21 in 62294 (Troy). There were 16 cases in 62052 (Jerseyville); 15 in 62249 (Highland); 14 in 62056 (Litchfield); 13 in 62090 (Venice); 12 in 62012 (Brighton) and 62024 (East Alton); 11 in 62062 (Maryville); nine in 62069 (Mt. Olive); eight in 62018 (Cottage Hills); and seven in 62088 (Staunton) and 62049 (Hillsboro). The IDPH is releasing case numbers by ZIP code for areas with more than five cases. Numbers are not released in ZIP codes with fewer cases to protect the privacy of patients. The information is available online at www.dph.illinois.gov. More Information COVID-19 cases by county St. Clair County - 1,392 (107 deaths) Madison - 686 (65 deaths) Clinton - 203 (17 deaths) Monroe - 106 (12 deaths) Macoupin - 46 (2 deaths) Montgomery - 41 (1 death) Jersey - 28 (1 death) Bond -12 (1 death) Washington - 19 Greene - 7 Calhoun - 1 Sources: Illinois Department of Public Health and Madison County Health Department. See More Collapse Additional cases were reported Friday in St. Clair, Monroe, and Clinton counties in the Metro East, according to the IDPH website. No additional deaths were reported in the Metro East, according to the IDPH. The Intelligencer will release updated figures on Monday. For the latest information on COVID-19 or coronavirus resources, visit the Madison County Health Department online at www.madisonchd.org or on Facebook @MadisonCHD. Also, visit www.co.madison.il.us for more news and a daily update or on Facebook @MadisonCountyIL. Neil Newhouse, a leading Republican pollster, said that both private and public polling indicated that Americans, regardless of political affiliation, had markedly negative feelings toward China over issues including trade and technology theft. It becomes an easy punching bag for politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, he said in an interview. For Republicans in particular, Mr. Newhouse said, the strategy allows them to go on offense, to be aggressive, to take a strong position. The hope, according to strategists advising Senate campaigns, is that China will become a wedge issue, forcing candidates to take a position viewed through the lens of either strength or weakness, and putting America first as Mr. Trump often frames it or letting the nation lag as a global leader. The strategy was devised, at least in part, by Brett ODonnell, a veteran Republican strategist with ties to two of the partys fiercest China hawks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas. In a 57-page memo circulated to candidates in April by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Mr. ODonnell outlined a coronavirus messaging strategy that focused on attacking China and largely avoided mention of Mr. Trump. Predicting that candidates are likely to field questions about whether Mr. Trump was at fault for the nations response to the virus, Mr. ODonnell advised: Dont defend Trump, other than the China travel ban attack China. The memo was first reported by Politico. China hawks like Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, argue that the message has long resonated with voters at home. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) The National Privacy Commission has invited Facebook Philippines for a meeting on June 16 to discuss the mystery in the surge of dummy accounts on the social media platform. In a statement on Saturday, the NPC said the formal meeting was set "to seek more information regarding the numerous reports of impostor Facebook accounts." "The National Privacy Commission is focused on probing the cause of the 'privacy panic' triggered by these impostor accounts and instituting remedial measures to protect Filipino Facebook users," Privacy Commissioner Raymund Liboro said. He added that the commission is also coordinating with other government agencies conducting a separate investigation into the issue, including the Department of Justice. Tug-ani, the official student publication of the University of the Philippines-Cebu, first reported on June 6 that several Facebook profiles bore the names of its students. The discovery came a day after the arrest of some students who joined a protest in front of the school against the controversial anti-terrorism bill. More netizens sounded the alarm after seeing empty Facebook profiles bearing their names. They suspect that vocal government critics have been targeted after some of them started receiving threats from the dummy accounts. Facebook on Thursday said their initial probe showed no evidence of "coordinated or malicious activity." It expressed its commitment to validate the authenticity of the accounts and remove any profile that violates its policies. It provided no data yet on how many pages have been taken down. Liboro earlier told CNN Philippines it was too early to determine whether the case was brought about by an internal glitch or external factors, as claimed by some groups. Iowans are amazing. The level of civic engagement among our citizens is unrivaled. We proved that once again when voters turned out in record numbers to cast their ballots in the June primary election. Despite an ongoing pandemic and civil unrest across the state, Iowans were determined to make their voices heard the best way possible: by voting. More than 520,000 votes were cast in the June primary, shattering the existing record of 449,490, set in 1994. Despite unprecedented obstacles, it was a smooth and secure election. The credit goes to Iowa voters, poll workers and county auditors. I am so proud of everyone who participated and the people behind the scenes in all 99 counties that made it happen. This election was a terrific example of counties, state agencies and the federal government working together to ensure Iowans could vote safely. Congress and President Trump made funds available through the Cares Act that allowed us to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and other resources to the counties. Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Iowa National Guard delivered masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer so Iowans could vote safely at the polls. County auditors exuded grace while under extreme pressure and worked to find creative solutions for unprecedented problems. Poll workers ushered voters through the process on Election Day while minimizing the risk of spreading COVID-19. This summer marks the centennial anniversary of women gaining the long overdue right to vote with the ratification passage of the 19th Amendment. More than anyone else, Iowan Carrie Chapman Catt deserves credit for its passage. The record turnout in this primary election was great tribute to her legacy. Although Election Day is over, our work is not complete. Every county will conduct post-election audits in randomly selected precincts to help ensure the accuracy of the vote. That is one of many protections we put in place to protect Iowas elections. We believe in making it easy to vote, but hard to cheat. Thank you to everyone involved for pulling off a record-breaking election during a state health emergency. Paul Pate is Iowa's Secretary of State. Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In celebration of providing 10 years of service to Stanford, Collegeboxes is offering 10% off all storage fees on orders that include the storage of boxes this summer. Students signing up by June 30 will enter the promo code "STAN10" on the website, or mention it when calling. Call (866) 269-4887 or email [email protected] for more information. "Collegeboxes is designed to assist students in every step of their college adventure, from the first move to campus, to the post-grad trip, to the new job location," said Dain Howell, Director of Collegeboxes. "We're proud to serve one of the world's leading academic institutions and look forward to the next 10 years of service at Stanford." The average student travels more than 300 miles to school, which causes logistics problems for many families. Collegeboxes offers a solution by allowing students and their families to ship mini fridges, mattress toppers and storage bins to and from school with the Ship to School and Summer Storage services. Collegeboxes provides U-Box portable moving and storage containers to Stanford students. Each container can fit 1-2 rooms of household items. U-Box containers are delivered to any of the four on-campus locations during summer move-out, stored off campus for the summer, and then delivered back to campus for September move-in. Moving during COVID-19 When schools suspended classroom instruction and evacuated campuses due to COVID-19 precautions, Collegeboxes was able to help students and schools by adding packing services to its service offerings. The packing service allows local Collegeboxes teams to come into a residence, pack a student's belongings based on their personalized instructions, and ship or store those items at the student's request. Because Collegeboxes is backed by U-Haul, whose services are available throughout the U.S., it can assist students at almost every school in the country from small colleges to the largest universities. And Collegeboxes can be available to help on short notice. As an essential service provider, U-Haul remains open to meet the needs of its communities. For details on what U-Haul has done to enhance cleaning protocols, protect Team Members and customers, and encourage the use of programs that inherently promote social distancing and contactless business, please reference our multi-media press release: "Moving Safely and Smartly during the COVID-19 Pandemic." About U-Haul Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 167,000 trucks, 120,000 trailers and 43,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 697,000 rooms and 60.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S. Contact: Andrea Batchelor Jeff Lockridge E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 602-263-6981 Website: uhaul.com SOURCE U-Haul Related Links www.uhaul.com New Delhi, June 13 : To take stock of Covid-19 situation in the national capital, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a review meeting, here on Sunday, sources said on Saturday. Shah and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will hold the meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at 11 a.m. The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) members would also take part in the meeting, the Home Ministry tweeted. The move comes as the number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi stood at 36,824, including 1,214 deaths and 13,398 recovered/migrated/discharged. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) French police staged protests for a second day Friday over claims of racism in their ranks, assailing top officials for failing to defend the force against allegations amplified by US unrest over the death of George Floyd. Several dozen officers blocked traffic in a wildcat march down the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, carrying banners proclaiming: "No police, no peace!" and: "The police arenat racist." Masked police in northwest Rennes attached handcuffs to the gates of the local authority building. Border police at Orly airport south of Paris and officers in Bordeaux, Marseille and other cities threw handcuffs, armbands and other equipment on the ground while standing in formation, with many shouting for the resignation of Interior Minister Christophe Castaner. Castaner infuriated officers this week with a pledge of "zero tolerance" for police racism after 20,000 people massed at the Paris courthouse on June 2 in an echo of the Black Lives Matter protests in America. He also said police would no longer be allowed to use chokeholds to detain suspects, a move derided by many officers as an unfeasible concession that could make their jobs more perilous. "The police are not racist... they save people's lives no matter the colour of their skin," Fabien Vanhemelryck, head of the Alliance union, told journalists on Friday. Patrice Ribeiro of the Synergie union charged: "We're being spit on, and why? Because at the highest level of the government they're afraid of a noisy minority." Castaner met police representatives on Thursday and Friday. "It's not just the interior minister... the president must make sure the police are respected," Vanhemelryck said. New protests against alleged police violence and racism have been called for Saturday in Paris and other cities. Some police unions have threatened to carry out only minimal duties, since France forbids strike action by law enforcement agents. President Emmanuel Macron could address the heightened tensions in a televised speech to the nation on Sunday. - 'Progress, not invitations' - Protesters alleging police violence have rallied around the case of a young black man, Adama Traore, who died in police custody in 2016 in a Paris suburb. Traore's sister has long demanded that the officers who apprehended him be charged with murder. The family contests expert reports exonerating the officers, including one last month that said Traore died of heart failure possibly brought on by underlying health conditions. An investigation into his death is under way, with prosecutors announcing this week that two witnesses have been called to give testimony in July. French police have often faced accusations of excessive violence, with some incidents caught on video sparking widespread outrage. On Wednesday, the country's human rights ombudsman announced an investigation into the arrest of a 14-year-old boy last month that left him with severe facial wounds and broken teeth. He claimed officers kicked him. Of nearly 1,500 complaints against law enforcement officers last year, half were for alleged violence, according to the force's oversight body. The public mood was further inflamed this month when media outlets published postings from a private Facebook group where police members repeatedly used racist and sexist terms and mocked victims of police brutality. Two people were transported by ambulance from a two-alarm fire that destroyed an Agawam home Friday at about 9:15 p.m. night. Agawam Fire Chief Alan Sirois said one of the injured was pulled from the burning building at 15 Bailey St. by firefighters as they conducted their initial search the structure. Sirois said the rescue was made under, difficult fire conditions. Witnesses said the second injured individual was found in the front yard of the home by first responders and immediately transported. Both of the injured were taken to the Baystate Medical Center. Sirois did not comment on the condition of either of the injured. The first firefighters at the scene found heavy flames and thick black smoke coming from the east end of the home. Both the first and second floors received heavy fire damage, Sirois said. He called the structure, a total loss. Shortly after Agawam fire personnel arrived at the scene, Sirois called for mutual aid from area fire departments Electrical service was disconnected from the house as firefighters overhauled the structure looking for extensions of fire into the framing. Four people were living in the home at the time of the fire. Sirois said the fire remains under investigation by the Agawam Fire Department, Agawam Police Department and the State Fire Marshal. Kansas City 12th & Oak Worker Voter Vacay Considered KC mulls letting city workers have paid day off for working polls Kansas City is considering letting city workers have a paid day off if they work at the polls on Election Day.Because of worries about the virus and perpetual shortages of poll workers, Kansas City consolidated some voting stations for the city election this month."That's a big challenge for us. Free Rides Funded KCATA to receive $53.1 million in CARES Act funding KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) is receiving $51.3 million in a grant as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Friday. The funding will support KCATA's operations throughout the Kansas City area during the COVID-19 crisis. Tigers Stand Up For Sally Hemings' F-Boy University of Missouri will not remove Thomas Jefferson statue KANSAS CITY, Mo. - University of Missouri officials said Friday that they do not plan to remove a statue of Thomas Jefferson that sits on Francis Quadrangle at the Columbia campus. An online petition circulating calling for the removal cited the fact that Jefferson owned slaves and fathered children with one of his slaves. Fear Kansas Gunk KDHE warns residents of blue-green algae at 6 Kansas lakes The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), issued its listing of public health advisories for Kansas lakes due to blue-green algae. Freedom Will Soar Again In The Golden Ghetto??? Injured Bald Eagle rescued in Overland Park Twitter: @OverlandPark_PD SOURCE: Twitter: @OverlandPark_PD Overland Park, Kansas, police say an American Bald Eagle was rescued after it was found in distress Friday morning. Police said in a tweet that the eagle was found injured near West 108th Street and State Line Road. "Seems as if the Bald Eagle made contact with an electrical wire," police said. JoCo Summer Not-So-Fun Beach, sprayground at Lake Olathe one of few opening around the metro OLATHE, Kan. - Families looking for a place to cool off will be happy to learn that the city Friday opened its beach and sprayground at Lake Olathe. This is one of the few places in the metro area where folks might be able to enjoy a couple of hours at the beach this summer. Weekend Hotnes Awaits Feeling toasty Saturday Hide Transcript Show Transcript GENERALLY SPEAKING FOR MOST OF US, DRIVE. 86 BY 7:00 P.M. AND HERE COME THE 70'S FOR THE REST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD HERE. BY MIDNIGHT, I THINK WE WILL BE LOWER THAN THAT AND WILL CONTINUE TO DROP DOWN A LITTLE BIT BY TOMORROW MORNING, BUT NOT THAT HIGH. Just a few items for our late night denizens that are still worth a look and over a better vantage of this cowtown . . .for right now . . . Groups laud Trump administration's rollback of Obama-era rule that redefined sex Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Conservative groups are applauding the Trump administration's announcement on Friday that it's scrapping an Obama-era federal regulation requiring healthcare providers and insurers to perform gender-transition procedures and abortions against their medical judgment or religious convictions. Mary Beth Waddell, a senior legislative assistant for Family Research Council, said her group "fully supports" the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' decision as it would "ensure Obamacare isn't used as a vehicle to advance transgender or abortion politics." The Obama administration's 2016 regulation redefined sex discrimination in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to include termination of pregnancy and gender identity, which it defined as "one's internal sense of gender, which may be male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female." HHS said in its announcement Friday that it "will enforce Section 1557 by returning to the government's interpretation of sex discrimination according to the plain meaning of the word 'sex' as male or female and as determined by biology." After the announcement of the change in policy, long sought by religious and conservative groups, the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List called President Trump "the most pro-life president our nation has ever seen." "Today he delivered another important victory for conscience in America," the network of more than 837,000 pro-life Americans nationwide said in a statement. Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie, policy adviser for The Catholic Association, said all Americans not only healthcare professionals who put the welfare of their patients and the integrity of science ahead of social ideologies "can applaud the Trump Administration's move to revise HHS Section 1557." Preventing "discrimination on the basis of sex" was intended to ensure that women are treated on par with men, Christie explained. "Changing the definition of sex to mean 'gender identity' and to include unfettered access to abortion would not have protected the vulnerable." Instead, he continued, "it would have made it impossible for doctors to decline to perform ethically problematic procedures (like late-term abortion) and experimental and dangerous ones (like the removal of healthy organs from young patients with gender dysphoria.)" The government, she added, should not be in the "business of social engineering," nor interfere in the way of "sound medical ethics and patient care." Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the SBA list, argued that abortion is not healthcare and said the government should never mandate it. "The Obama/Biden administration sought to expand abortion at every turn, even trying to reinterpret federal law to define abortion as a civil right," she said. The group GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, or GLAD, argued that the Trump administration's interpretation of Section 1557 "contradicts" the Affordable Care Act. "It's contrary to established case law, dangerous to transgender people, and can't survive legal challenge," GLAD's Jennifer Levi said in a statement, according to The Washington Times. Waddell explained, however, that many people in the medical community are opposed to performing gender transition procedures because of the "severe negative, psychological, and physical impacts" suffered by patients after these operations. "These negative impacts have only become more apparent in the last four years since the Obama rule was adopted," she said. The Obama rule, she added, "failed to recognize the many unintended consequences to patients particularly those identifying as transgender." Men and women often get "different doses of medications and even different ones altogether," she explained. "Men and women sometimes exhibit different symptoms for the same disease. Treating a person differently based on their self-professed gender and not their biological make-up can be not only harmful, but deadly." Dannenfelser lauded Trump and HHS Secretary Alex Azar "for standing firmly on the side of the majority of Americans who reject taxpayer funding of abortion." The 2016 regulation was not enforceable as the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas had vacated the rule last fall for violating the Administrative Procedure Act and the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The new federal policy now complies with court rulings. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 20:12:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned Afghanistan's ambassador to Tehran over recent offenses against the Iranian diplomatic missions in Afghanistan, according to Tasnim news agency. During the meeting, Iran's Foreign Ministry representative expressed concerns about the impact of such moves by some Afghan political groups on the neighborly relations between Iran and Afghanistan. A number of Afghan political groups recently caused offenses on the Islamic republic's embassy in Kabul and other missions in Afghanistan over the death of some Afghan nationals who were planning to enter Iran "illegally" last month. Besides, the gathering protested against what they called mistreatment of Afghan nationals by Iran's security forces after three Afghan migrants were killed and a number of others injured when a vehicle of human traffickers crashed in Iran's central province of Yazd. Enditem Holidaying in Sri Lanka in a safe and secure environment By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s): Healthy travels are the order of the day with focus on safe and secure certifications a key requirement when visiting Sri Lanka in future that is set to be the new normal as per guidelines issued by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). Future visitors will be allowed if they stay for a minimum of five nights at SLTDA registered Safe & Secure certified four and five star establishments only. Upon arrival the first night the tourist needs to book accommodation in proximity to the airport either in Colombo, Negombo or Mattala, Hambantota depending on their point of entry until PCR test results are obtained. The visa free status and on arrival visas will be suspended until further notice and an online visa must be obtained for US$100. Tourists are required to produce a negative PCR report obtained from an accredited laboratory 72 hours prior to landing in the country and this needs to be submitted to immigration authorities with a detailed itinerary of their stay and all information is stored in a centralised database. Thereafter a PCR test will be conducted at the airport following which the guest will have to stay the first night at a hotel in proximity to the airport. At the airport the tourist police will clear tourists after ensuring they have a detailed travel plan that includes transportation and accommodation and their records of passport numbers with details of the pickup vehicle and driver also obtained. Following this the tourist will be allowed to travel to their hotel and during their stay a repeat PCR test will be conducted in 5-7 days after arrival or if the guest develops respiratory symptoms, whichever comes first. Another PCR test will be carried out for those staying a longer period between 10-12 days after arrival in Sri Lanka. Tourists will be permitted to tour the country but group photographs are permitted only if the recommended physical distance can be maintained and no stops are allowed at locations that are not certified by the SLTDA or not part of the itinerary. Also moving in areas where the local communities are found is not permitted at this moment. Travellers can move around in registered taxis and or any other motor vehicles with a limited number of passengers but this requirement is relaxed if a family is travelling together. Tourists are not allowed to use public transport at this stage. Tourists are to purchase tickets online prior to visiting any tourist attractions and avoid crowding while on tour. Tour operators are to carry out regular temperature checks on tourists as well and keep an eye for any respiratory symptoms that should be recorded. Guests at hotels will continuously be checked for their temperatures when entering areas like the restaurant and other locations. While they are allowed to stay on the beaches the pool services will not be made available at this stage. Welcome drinks are discouraged but authentic hot beverages are permitted that will enhance immunity. No straws or decorations are allowed. While buffets will be available hotel staff will be serving guests so no common cutlery is touched, a sneeze guard will be in place. All hotels based on room capacity must have an adequate number of isolation rooms that are suitable, comfortable and well laid out to be arranged which are equipped with necessary medical equipment, medicines, disinfectant and PPEs as per the directions given by the health authorities. Visitors running a temperature will be subjected to a medical check-up before being permitted to enter the guest rooms and will be asked to stay in the isolation rooms. Further, hotels are not to offer valet parking; bars will be open but drinks will be served only at the seats not at the bar counter; and dancing and dance floors are also not recommended at this moment. Guests need to inform staff prior to coming for meals as seat allocations will be made in the restaurants. You will also not get to see the humble salt and pepper shakers but on request these will be provided in packets. Dont be surprised if the menu card is on a screen or under a glass on the table. All departing passengers are to fill a Health Declaration Form as a pre-requisite for embarkation and they also need to produce a PCR test report hence they are advised to obtain this check prior to heading to the airport. But some things will never change like the age old Sri Lankan traditional greeting Ayubowan that will be the only way we will continue to welcome our guests. Taurangas deputy mayor will retain her position after a councillor has rescinded his signature from a letter asking for her to be removed. Councillor Kelvin Clout has withdrawn his signature from the requisition letter asking for newly appointed deputy Tina Salisbury to be removed and for a vote to a select a new deputy to occur. Clout says he came to the conclusion that Salisbury will make a very good deputy mayor and that he wants to move on and focus on the challenges and opportunities Tauranga has. Mayor Tenby Powell announced Salisburys position at a council meeting on June 2 after Larry Baldock resigned as deputy. Baldock resigned following a requisition letter sent by six councillors including Clout asking for his removal as deputy. The councillors that sent the letters are John Robson, Dawn Kiddie, Kelvin Clout, Bill Grainger, Steve Morris and Andrew Hollis. Clout says he and the other five councillors sent the first letter to address the internal working environment they had as elected members. There was a disconnect between the mayor and the councillors, so the working environment internally was not helpful. In terms of the mayor wanting to move the city forward that's quite difficult without the support of the council. I just felt that the stand the six of us took was to really try to address that issue and I believe that has been addressed and that strong message has been received. I admit that it was quite a radical move. After Powell appointed Salisbury the same six councillors sent another requisition letter on June 2 asking for her to be removed as deputy and for a vote to elect a new one to occur. With Clout withdrawing his support for the removal of the deputy mayor and the election of a new one, the process ceases because there is a lack of majority. Clout says he feels the disconnect has been addressed because Powell has engaged much more with some of the councillors over recent weeks. There is a commitment from him that he will increase that engagement and collaboration with us, his councillors, because I think he recognises that for the long-term to get things done over three years you need the support of your councillors. Steve Morris says the purpose of the first letter was to enhance democracy at the council and to try and create more transparency in the mayoral office. "The letter was signed first of all to enhance democracy because theres been, unfortunately, an authoritative style leadership deployed. Councillor Steve Morris. File image/SunLive. Morris is disappointed Clout withdrew from the letter but says he is entitled to change his mind. I'm disappointed that hes withdrawn from the letter because I think that the democratic process needed to happen but he's entitled to change his mind if he wants and he has to stand by that. Morris says since sending the requisition letter there has been no engagement with him from Powell or Salisbury. I haven't heard from the deputy mayor nor the mayor. He hopes that Clout is right about the mayors commitment to increase engagement and collaboration. If he thinks that the mayor is going to change his behaviour, I sincerely hope that he is right. Clout says he wants to put the letter behind him, accept Powells choice of deputy and get on with the job the councillors have been elected to do. He says deciding to withdraw from the letter was one of the hardest decisions he has had to make in his political career. It was a hard decision for me to make, but I feel for the sake of the city, I just really felt I did need to make it. I honestly feel like the actions we took, had an impact and I believe it is now time to put this behind us and to move on for the sake of our city. Powell agrees saying, it's time to put this behind us and move forward together. "I'm pleased Kelvin has withdrawn from the letter of requisition which shows an open mind to giving Tina an opportunity to prove herself as deputy mayor and, importantly, for Tina and I together to lead council positively going forward". "This is a period of major cultural change for Tauranga City Council at both elected member level and in terms of the wider organisation. Periods of major change are always dynamic and often tumultuous; we will get through this and work better together for the city. There were three other matters set out in the letter that Kelvin is still in support of which will be addressed at a council meeting on June 16. These are appointment of chairs and deputy chairs to the Standing Committees, Smartgrowth Leadership Group appointees and the possible changes to the remuneration schedule. Some nearby houses and factory workshops collapsed, the Wenling city government said in a social media post. Xinhua said that rescuers were looking for people in the debris. It did not say what the truck was carrying. Libya Dozen migrants feared drowned in capsizing A dozen people were missing and feared drowned off the coast of Libya on Saturday after a boat carrying around three dozen migrants bound for Europe capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, a U.N. official said. Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, said the shipwreck took place off the coastal town of Zawiya. The town is about 30 miles west of the capital, Tripoli. She said that among the missing were two children, and that at least 20 migrants from Chad, Nigeria, Egypt and Sudan were rescued and returned to Libya. France Nation has surplus of 20 million masks At 225, Odisha on Saturday registered its biggest single-day surge of Covid-19 cases taking the total number to 3,723. Of the total new cases, 196 were reported from quarantine centres while the other 29 were local contacts, said health and family welfare department officials. Cuttack district registered the highest number of cases with 92 followed by Ganjam (20) and Khordha (19). However, with 2,474 persons discharged from various Covid hospitals, the total number of active cases in the state now stands at 1,236. The surge came even as the state government continued to curb movement of people in 11 districts by imposing weekend shutdowns. Beginning this month, the state government has enforced complete shutdown in the districts amid a spike in cases. Odisha was among the first states to impose lockdowns from March. During the lockdown, state police collected a penalty of Rs 1.25 crore from people caught in public places without a face mask While the rising number of positive cases is almost matched by number of recoveries, what is worrying the officials is the rising trend of frontline workers like doctors, nurses and policemen getting infected. On Saturday, two women doctors, working at Narla Community Health Centre of Kalahandi district tested positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of infected doctors in Odisha to 16. Kalahandi district collector Parag Harshad Gavalli said the doctors reportedly contracted the disease after coming in direct contact with a returnee from Telangana. The returnees visited the CHC by breaking home quarantine protocols. Three days ago, chief minister Naveen Patnaik too had raised concerns about more and more healthcare workers getting infected. I am distressed to note that over the past few weeks there have been instances of healthcare workers getting infected with Covid-19. This points to a probable breach in maintaining infection control practices. I would like to emphasize again that you are the strength of the people in this long war. Please first ensure your safety and the safety of your team, Patnaik had said. Odisha has already announced ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh for the next of kin of doctors, nurses and health workers who die of Covid-19 while performing their duties. In Ganjam district, two police personnel too tested positive. Chhatrapur sub divisional police officer and inspector of Chhatrapur police station tested positive. On Friday, a havildar of Motu border check post in Malkangiri district had tested positive for coronavirus. In a related development, a Covid-19 patient who had fled a hospital in Bhubaneswar on Friday, was nabbed by locals. The patient, a 77-year-old man from Bhadrak district had tested positive for Covid-19 at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. While his family members were admitted to the AIIMS, he was shifted to a Covid hospital in Bhubaneswar. While his registration process was underway, the man walked out of the hospital. He was later caught by a few locals at a vegetable market in the city. Meanwhile, the district administration of Ganjam, the Covid hotspot of Odisha, joined three other districts in banning mass congregations for the popular Raja festival, the celebrations of which began on Saturday. Ganjam collector Vijay Amruta Kulange said restrictions would remain in place till June 16. Earlier, Keonjhar, Khurda and Balasore districts had imposed curbs on Raja celebration. In another development, the Odisha government has sought expenditure details of quarantine centres being run in various gram panchayats. Odisha has set up 16,813 quarantine centres in 6,798 gram-panchayats with 7,62,091 beds. In a letter to all district collectors, panchayati raj secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh said to maintain the financial propriety, the civil construction work of each of the quarantine centres should be measured, and total expenditure incurred on all items of work like civil construction, electrification, bed, bathroom, toilet and drinking water be assessed. Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said on Saturday that the fourth day of the tripartite negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan ended with an agreement to meet again virtually on Monday 15 June. The tripartite negotiations, which were brokered by Sudan, were initially planned to end on Saturday. South Africa, the US and the EU attended as observers in the four-day negotiations in the latest bid to seal a deal on the controversial dam. "The four-day negotiations demonstrated that there are many fundamental issues that Ethiopia continues to reject," the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation said in a statement, adding that these issues include provisions that reflect the legally binding nature of the agreement, or the creation of a legal dispute settlement mechanism. This is in addition to Ethiopia's total rejection of addressing technical issues relating to the mitigation measures for drought and prolonged drought as well the measures addressing prolonged periods of dry years, the statement noted. The ministry said that Egypt reaffirmed that these measures are considered "essential" in any agreement that relates to an existential matter affecting the lives of over 150 million citizens of Egypt and Sudan. In parallel, the Sudanese Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation issued a statement on Saturday following the end of the fourth day of the tripartite meeting saying that it will prepare a consensus draft to be discussed on Monday. "Today's meeting ended with Sudan being tasked with preparing a new consensus draft based on the comments of the three countries during their Saturday's meeting, provided that the three parties return to negotiation on Monday afternoon to discuss the draft and assess the negotiation process, and consequently the next steps," the Sudanese ministry said. Regarding Saturday's meeting, the Sudanese statement explained that its discussions took place on the basis of another consensus proposal prepared and sent by Sudan after the previous meeting. Earlier on Saturday, the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation spokesman described the talks as "faltering," which he blamed on Ethiopias intransigence. The ongoing stretched negotiations come months after talks stalled last February during US sponsored meetings in Washington. The US, represented by the Treasury Department, along with the World Bank stepped in last year to host tripartite negotiations that began in November and lasted till February after years-long negotiations between the three countries hit a dead end. Following the four months of negotiations brokered by Washington, during which the three nations initially agreed on mitigation mechanisms to adjust the filling and operation of the dam during dry periods and drought, the US and the World Bank drafted a deal that was due to be signed in late February. Ethiopia skipped the last round of talks and only Egypt initialled the deal. Last Thursday, the Egyptian irrigation ministry said that Egypt and Sudan had expressed concerns about a new Ethiopian proposal on filling and operating the mega-dam, saying it backtracks on previous negotiations. The Ethiopian document completely backtracks on the principles and rules that were agreed upon between the three countries during the negotiations sponsored by the United States and the World Bank. It also brushes aside all the technical understandings reached in the previous rounds of negotiations, read the Egyptian statement. Ethiopia should revise its position, which impedes any possibility of reaching an agreement. Egypt stresses that Ethiopia should not take any unilateral action in violation of its legal obligations, especially the Declaration of Principles in 2015, read the Egyptian statement. Ethiopia has reneged on the 2015 Declaration of Principles deal that obliges the three African countries to reach an agreement on the guidelines of filling and operating the dam, telling the UN Security Council (UNSC) in a 14 May letter that it does not have a legal obligation to seek the approval of Egypt to fill the dam. Article 5 of the Declaration of Principles stipulates that all three countries should reach an agreement on the rules of filling and operating the 6,000-megawatt dam before starting the process of filling the reservoir. Ethiopias 22-page letter to the UNSC came in response to an Egyptian letter sent to the president of the UNSC on 1 May stressing Egypts "unwavering commitment" to concluding a comprehensive agreement on the GERD based on the 2015 deal. According to the Egyptian letter, the Ethiopian prime minister sent on 10 April a letter to the president of Egypt and the prime minister of Sudan proposing they agree to an Ethiopian plan covering only the first stage of the filling of GERD. The Ethiopian proposal was rejected by both countries, the Egyptian 17-page letter said, stressing that any agreement on the GERD must be comprehensive and "must regulate the complete process of filling the dam and its operation." Ethiopia hopes the massive $4.8 billion megaproject on the Blue Nile will allow it to become Africas largest power exporter. But Egypt, which relies on the Blue Nile for 85 percent of its freshwater, fears the dam will diminish its water supply, which is already below scarcity level. Egypt has a water share of around 570 cubic metres per person annually, well below the water scarcity level of 1,000 cubic metres per person per year. The figure is expected to drop further to 500 cubic metres by 2025. Search Keywords: Short link: A 12-year-old girl was wounded in a double shooting Friday night in West Philadelphia, police said. The shooting happened shortly after 9 p.m. in the 1300 block of North Wanamaker Street, police said. The girl was shot once in the right leg. No further information was available on her. An unidentified male was shot in the jaw. He was taken by police to Lankenau Medical Center. His condition was not immediately available. Police reported no arrests and no other details were available. Political Pundits Warn of More Violence to Come in Towns in Myanmar's Volatile Rakhine State 2020-06-12 -- The intensified conflict between the Myanmar military and the ethnic Arakan Army (AA) in war-ravaged Rakhine state could now spread to towns and cities amid an atmosphere of growing lawlessness following a knife attack on a government army officer and the abduction of another soldier in an urban area, political analysts said Friday. The forecast comes as the 17-month conflict in northern Rakhine state and in the Paletwa township of neighboring Chin state shows no signs of letting up. The situation is expected to grow worse following the AA's demand on May 29 that all government administrative offices and military armed groups immediately leave the state, where the predominantly Buddhist force seeks greater autonomy for ethnic Rakhine people. The knife attack on the military officer by an unknown assailant occurred on Thursday morning at a market in Ponnagyun town. Both soldiers were dressed in plainclothes. Myanmar forces said that the injured man was being treated at a hospital, while a soldier with him had been abducted. They also said that the AA or civilians with links to the outlawed group could be responsible. Political analyst Maung Maung Soe noted that similar attacks on government soldiers have taken place in the towns of Mrauk-U, Maei, and Kyauktaw. "In Mrauk-U, there has been more than one shooting incident in the city,' he added. "The AA has launched these kinds of combat attacks to intimidate the military forces and limit their movements in the area. " On Wednesday evening, four unknown men robbed a Kanbawza Bank branch in Rakhine's capital Sittwe, stealing 180 millions kyats (U.S. $127,000), according to state authorities, in another sign of the deterioration in rule of law in the volatile state. Officials from the bank told RFA that they are reviewing CCTV footage of the robbery and working with local police to identify the assailants. Oo Hla Saw, a lawmaker who represents the Mrauk-U township constituency, said incidents such as random violence attacks and major theft are not new in Rakhine state and will continue in the future. "These kinds of incidents are happening every month, and they frighten the local people," he said. "There will be more crimes like this in the future." One problem is that civil administrative bodies and law enforcement officers are not responsive and are avoiding dealing with such crimes when they do occur to ensure their own safety, Oo Hla Saw said. "We will see more horrifying crimes occurring, regardless of political or personal reasons," he added. Kyaw Zaw Oo, a state lawmaker and spokesman for the Rakhine Leading Party, said civilians do not appear bothered by horrifying attacks and other incidents in some towns in northern Rakhine state. "I don't think these situations are very concerning to ordinary working-class people in cities like Sittwe," he said. "They might be concerning for the authorities, with regards to the AA's announcement on May 29. But civilians are not very concerned about the AA." Increased anxiety AA spokesman Khine Thukha had no comment on the knife attack and abduction in Ponnagyun, but blamed the deterioration of rule of law on the government army. "The deteriorating condition in Rakhine state has been caused by military troops firing on Rakhine civilian villages and increased anxiety among city dwellers," he said. He also said that Myanmar soldiers could be robbing banks in towns. "The military could be responsible for the robberies of private banks because they are located in government-controlled areas," Khine Thukha said, adding that government troops recently had committed similar break-ins and thefts of mobile phone shops at the Ponnagyun market. The Myanmar military is creating instability in the state on purpose so it can impose martial law there, he said. Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, however, raised the possibility that the AA was responsible for the robbery of the Kanbawza Bank branch in Sittwe. "We cannot tell for sure if AA troops were involved in Kanbawza Bank robbery, but we are certain that the AA is responsible for the attack and abduction at the Ponnagyun market." He also said that the Arakan force was trying to undermine rule of law in Rakhine because they had announced their intention of replacing the current state administration with that of their own. In later May, the AA conducted a retaliatory attack on a border guard outpost in Rakhine state, killing four policemen and capturing six others. The AA also seized three family members of the officers, but later released them. Arakan Army soldiers ambushed the outpost to strike back at government soldiers for an attack on the AA in Paletwa township, which the ethnic army also claims as its territory. The fighting, most of which has taken place near villages outside urban areas, has left more than 250 civilians dead and injured 570 others during the period from December 2018 to May of this year, according to figures compiled by RFA's Myanmar Service. The armed conflict also has displaced more than 160,000 civilians, according to the Rakhine Ethnic Congress, a local relief group. Reported by RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content June not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greet each other before their private meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images) To the editor: The L.A. Times Editorial Board frames the U.S. exit from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the Open Skies Treaty as a Trump administration assault on arms control. The problem is not the current administration alone but Russian noncompliance. In the Obama administration's final arms control compliance report, the State Department declared, "The United States has determined that in 2015, the Russian Federation continued to be in violation of its obligations under the INF Treaty not to possess, produce, or flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) with a range capability of 500 km to 5,500 km, or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles." Efforts to get Moscow back into compliance failed then and now. On Open Skies, Russia has breached an agreement that I helped negotiate as a State Department foreign affairs officer. Contrary to the view that U.S. withdrawal is "insane," Open Skies never was a significant contributor to arms control or intelligence, and its contribution to confidence building has been undermined by Moscow's violative behavior. Bennett Ramberg, Los Angeles The writer served as a foreign affairs analyst in the State Department Bureau of Political-Military Affairs in the George H.W. Bush administration. .. To the editor: Compared to our current crises, nuclear treaties may seem a back-burner issue. But President Trump's withdrawal and threats to leave multilateral treaties with Russia and Iran, signed by presidents of both parties, will isolate us and remove important constraints on the use of nuclear weapons in war. Combined with his plans to develop new hypersonic missiles and resume nuclear weapons tests, there is real reason for alarm. As someone who is old enough to remember the aftermath of Hiroshima and the ensuing nuclear arms race, I hope that the importance of weapons agreements to our global future will play a major role in election debates. Our survival could depend on it. Dee Abrahamse, Long Beach Iran has asked France to decrypt the black boxes from downed Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, sources close to the investigation said. The Iranian envoy to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal said the Islamic Republic had enlisted the help of France's BEA air accident agency to download and read the data on the flight recorder, AFP reported. At the same time, BEA denied to AFP that it had been asked -- but added that it was "ready to look at any request" from Iran. The Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane (flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after it took off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on January 8. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). They all died. Iran's official in the International Civil Aviation Organization agreed in March to hand over the black box flight recorders to France or Ukraine for analysis, but this has not been done so far. Six people charged with the downing of flight PS752 were detained in Iran. ish NEW DELHI: Ahead of his meeting with the chief ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (June 13, 2020) met senior ministers and officials to review the countrys preparedness in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a detailed meeting with senior ministers and officials to review Indias response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting reviewed the national level status and preparation in the context of the pandemic, a tweet from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. A tweet from PM Modi's official Twitter handle also confirmed the development. Reviewed the COVID-19 situation across the nation during a high level meeting. We also reviewed the roadmap ahead, and steps to contain the pandemic in the parts where most cases are coming from. https://t.co/xqW6RszF21 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2020 The meeting was attended by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Principal Secretary to PM, Cabinet Secretary, Health Secretary, DG-ICMR and other members of the Empowered Groups. According to the Prime Ministers Office, the meeting also took stock of the situation in different states. It was observed that out of total cases two-thirds are in 5 states with an overwhelming proportion of cases in big cities, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. The PM took cognizance of the recommendations of the Empowered Group on city and district wise requirements of hospital beds/isolation beds which will be required and instructed Health Ministry officials to undertake emergency planning in consultation with the States/UTs, the PMO said. PM Modi suggested that Home Minister and the Health Minister should convene an emergency meeting with L-G, and CM of Delhi in presence of all senior officials from the Centre, Delhi Govt & Municipal Corporations to plan a coordinated & comprehensive response to handle the rising cases of COVID19, the PMO said. The present and emerging scenario of the COVID-19 disease in Delhi, which reported its biggest single-day spike with 2,137 cases on Friday, was discussed and the projections for the next two months were deliberated. In view of the challenges being faced, particularly by the large cities, it was discussed to augment testing as well as the number of beds and services to effectively handle the peak surge of daily cases, the PMO said. PM Modi will hold a fresh round of consultation with chief ministers of states and Union Territories next week as the country gradually emerges out of coronavirus lockdown. According to the PMO, the PM will interact with CMs of 21 states/UT on June 16 and June 17 via video-conference. PM @narendramodi will interact with state Chief Ministers on the 16th and 17th. pic.twitter.com/RWGeanxgHd PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 12, 2020 He will hold interaction with the chief ministers of Punjab, Assam, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Himachal, Chandigarh, Goa, Manipur, Nagaland, Ladakh, Puducherry, Arunachal, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadar Nagar Haveli & Daman Diu, Sikkim & Lakshadweep on June 16 and 17. The meet comes against the backdrop of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country. Under "Unlock 1.0," the Centre and state governments have eased several restrictions for the public and businesses to ensure that economic activities hit by the lockdown gather momentum. This would be the Prime Minister's sixth round of consultation with the chief ministers, the last being on May 11. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with all the chief ministers over the telephone in the last week of May, just before lockdown-4 was to end. It may be noted that the country reported more than 11,000 cases in the last 24 hours for the very first time since the outbreak, making it the highest jump recorded in a day. The total tally has now crossed 3 lakh while the death count is at 8,884, as per the Health Ministry's data in the morning at 8 AM on Saturday. India is currently the fourth-worst affected country in the world after the United States, Brazil and Russia. While the US has more than 20.48 lakh cases, Brazil and Russia have 8.28 lakh and 5.19 lakh COVID-19 infections respectively. Raipur: The police in insurgency-hit Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh have launched a novel initiative to encourage Naxals to give up arms and join the mainstream by urging them to return to their villages. Under the initiative named in local Gondi dialect as 'lon varratu', meaning 'return to your village', the police have started putting up posters and banners in the native villages of the Naxals, who carry cash rewards on their heads, mentioning their names and making an appeal to them to become a part of the society. The exercise was launched on Friday, police said. These posters and banners also mention the mobile numbers of local senior police officials so that those Naxals who are willing to surrender may contact them, police said on Saturday. "As a part of the initiative, a list of 13 Naxals, including four women, was pasted outside a panchayat building in Chikpal village," Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told PTI. These ultras, hailing from Chikpal, carry rewards ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 8 lakh on their heads and are active in south Bastar, he added. This is the first of its kind initiative started in the state's Bastar region, which has been fighting the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) over the last three decades, he claimed. "In the posters and banners, we have mentioned the names of the cadres, their ranks and reward amount, along with a message urging them to quit Naxalism and avail the benefits of surrender and rehabilitation policy of the state government," he said. Pallava said that in many cases, villagers think that those who have left the village might have moved to neighbouring states in search of jobs, but disclosing the names of Naxals in public domain will help them identify those who have taken up arms. "We are making a village-wise list of reward carrying Naxals mostly working in Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon districts by consulting with the local police," he said. Presently, 25 worst Naxal-hit villages, from where more than five reward-carrying Naxals hail, will be covered under the initiative. Roughly 200 Naxals, who are from Dantewada, carry cash rewards on their heads, Pallava said. Names of all such Naxals from the district will be assembled in one booklet, which will then be distributed to all public representatives, administrative officers and personnel of other departments, he said. "We have also initiated interaction with the family members of these Naxals to persuade them to motivate their kin, who have joined the outlawed CPI (Maoist), to surrender and lead a normal life," he said. "In coordination with the district administration, a plan is also being prepared to construct small residential colonies in each village under government scheme for families of these Naxals and also provide other facilities to them," he said. These families will be treated as Naxal-affected and we would request them to give a public call to their kin, who have taken up arms, to shun violence and get rehabilitated in their respective villages, he added. Letters to the Editor View(s): Let not so called law-makers break all new normal rules in the face of polls COVID-19 in its wake has already succeeded in injecting a sense of discipline, law and order to our lifestyles. Above all, our populace which is generally more inclined towards religious and cultural observances compared to other countries in the region, made the supreme sacrifice of compromising their democracy and human rights by confining themselves to their homes during their most revered festivals. Chronologically speaking, the Christians didnt attend their most sacred Easter services; the Sinhala and Tamil people refrained from engaging in their New Year rituals such as visiting parents, close relatives and engaging in games etc.; the Muslims didnt have their compulsory religious observances during Ramadan; the Buddhists representing the main religion of the country sacrificed their most revered open homage to Lord Buddha and age-old religious practices and rituals during both Vesak and Poson. Thus, all the devotees gave up many of their usual practices and found solace by being at home listening to sermons and watching appropriate programmes delivered by the mass media. They even sacrificed paying due respects to their departed kith and kin and complied with the Government regulations such as limiting attendance at funerals. The question now arises as to why our small coterie of politicians numbering less than 5,000 hide behind the shields of Democracy and free and fair elections and insist on their pound of flesh in terms of having public political meetings and house to house campaigns which undoubtedly are positive catalysts of COVID Community Transmission during the oncoming General Elections. These so-called law-makers have already set the norm and exhibited their penchant for breaking all the laws during the funeral of Minister Thondaman. As we know, the Information Technology revolution now allows any information to be brought to any rural household with the availability of smart phones, TV and FM Radio. Working from home and video conferencing are fast becoming the order of the day with improved productivity and numerous attendant benefits. Thus, the present-day voter can easily make up his mind, provided the mass media inform them of each partys election manifestos and the profiles of the candidates. This should be made available in simple language. In this background, we urge the authorities to agree and adopt the following measures during the oncoming election campaign. 1) Ban all public political meetings and house to house campaigning. Instead, provide free limited mileage to candidates and/or party heads in the radio and electronic media in an unbiased manner. This will save the time, money and energy of all monitors as well as of the public. 2) Provide free postal services to all head offices of contesting parties/alliances to distribute their manifestos and profiles of their candidates under the category of printed matter. 3) All media institutions should cooperate with the Elections Commission to provide a balanced coverage for the contesting parties. 4) All public poster campaigns should be banned. The benefits to the country and public are enormous and easily outweigh the drawbacks. All the above across the board measures should be subject to the guidelines of the Elections Commission who should monitor the entire process. They surely are gracious blessings in disguise that will herald a new normal to Sri Lankan politics! Bernard Fernando Moratuwa Hong Kong was never a democracy under Chris Patten We are Hong Kong, read the headline to the article by Chris Patten, in the Sunday Times of May 31. And who, may I ask, are WE? The answer is obvious to Mr Patten We, the British! of course! The startling and unexpected events of the previous week in Donald Trumps America, have given a new twist to the diatribe by Patten, which appeared exclusively in the Sunday Times, on May 31, just before the nationwide riots in USA. Will Lord Patten now roundly condemn the brutish violence of American cops, which the world saw on TV throughout this week? I think not. Who is Chris Patten, anyway? Chris Patten was the 28th Governor of Hong Kong, (HK), a territory forcibly occupied by the British, since 1842. He won a scholarship to Oxford University and entered politics. Immediately after he lost his seat, after playing a role in the Conservative Party victory of the 1992 UK General Election, he was duly rewarded with the HK Governors post. The British exploited Hong Kong for 156 years, mainly because Queeen Victorias government decided to forcibly export opium from the British-colonized Indian subcontinent into China. It was a lucrative trade on which the Empire was built. To this day, areas thousands of miles away from Britain, such as the Falklands (part of Argentina), and Gibraltar, are held by the Brits, proving the warning of Chairman Mao political power flows out of the barrel of a gun. Nevertheless, it must be noted that the Brits were the best colonialists, and it can be argued that we ourselves would have been better off, economically, had they remained longer than they did! (The Brits did not exhibit the systematic brutality of the Belgians in the Congo, or the Spanish, or Turkey whose genocide against the Armenians is nowadays well recognized. During his stint as Governor of HK, Patten acted with an impudence which Hong Kongs rightful owners, (the Chinese), bore with remarkable fortitude. And the hypocrisy that is typical when Britannia rules the waves.(i.e- the waiving of the rules), is all too evident. For example Patten laments in the Sunday Times, that, (in Hong Kong) The Police, whose behaviour including the unchecked use of teargas and pepper spray- led to a small minority of the protesters to resort to unacceptable violence. Readers should note Pattens oblique justification of the violent protests while covering his back with the use of the one word unacceptable. (In the first place, the demonstrators who rioted violently in HK were NOT a small minority, and the good Lord Patten knows that only too well!). If the US can unilaterally back out of a nuclear treaty, the World Health Organization, and missile treaty, what is a joint declaration in comparison? And, even while he was their British governor, Hong Kong people had NO vote. It was never a Democracy! Patten refers to the Rule of Law and the freedoms it protects as he calls it. Under Chris Patten, this NEVER included the Hong Kong peoples right to a free, democratic vote. Patten has the audacity to conclude with Confuciuss words- A gentleman would be ashamed, should his deeds not match his wordsWell.! Jayanta Kurukulasuriya Rajagiriya Ode to the human spirit Our lives were happy and peaceful When came a virus, deadly and fearful Fever and cough were its game COVID-19 was its name. Face-masks and sanitizers were simply a must In handwashing and distancing, we placed our trust Curfews and lockdowns were strictly enforced Pick-me and Uber delivered food unexposed Doctors and nurses worked through the storm Attendants and labourers were in fine form The police and army did more than their share Of street-vendors and traders, we are aware We wait in hope of a breakthrough or miracle Hydroxychloroquine was more of a debacle Remdesivir is a drug that holds promise The holy grail, a vaccine, we will cherish The human spirit is an indomitable force From plague and pestilence, we still arose COVID-19 may have us in a spin In the end, however, humans will win Dr. Imtiaz Ismail Via email Drug lords and empty political rhetoric This government promised to take action against drug lords. Although they have shortcomings, two politicians who spoke against these drug lords Ranjan Ramanayake and Dr. Rajitha Senaratne are now under pressure. These drug lords have immense influence in the media and politics. The former President said he would hang drug traffickers who conduct drug business from prisons, and tried to release one of these drug lords with immense influence in the media. Now certain politicians also want to release some of these drug lords from prison. It is in the interest of the country and its people to take action against these drug lords. Pujitha Devendra Road widening should not be at the cost of landowners The Wadduwa-Morontuduwa road was rehabilitated and completed in December 2019. The acquisition of land was done under the Land Acquisition Act about two years ago. I am one of the landowners who have not been paid compensation up to now. Road widening is good but not by putting the innocent landowners in trouble. It is with great pain of mind that I write this letter. I would be thankful to the minister in charge if action is taken and the money is paid at least now. M.D.B.Goonetilleke Wadduwa MPs have slammed British Airways for the treatment of its staff during the coronavirus pandemic, branding their behaviour 'a national disgrace.' Several aviation companies across the world, including Ryanair, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic, have been making staff redundant due to the lack of air travel caused by the global health crisis. But the Commons Transport Select Committee announced that, despite job losses in the airline industry being inevitable in the current climate, BA cut 12,000 jobs and downgraded the terms and conditions of the bulk of its remaining employees. The behaviour of British Airways towards its staff has been branded a 'national disgrace' by some MPs. The Commons Transport Select Committee published a report stating that BA cut 12,00 jobs and received 35million from the Government by furloughing 22,000 staff The cross-party committee also discovered that the company received 35million from the Government as of May 14 by furloughing 22,000 staff. The commitee report said: 'The behaviour of British Airways and its parent company towards its employees is a national disgrace. 'It falls well below the standards we would expect from any employer, especially in light of the scale of taxpayer subsidy, at this time of national crisis.' British Airways had previously said it would be doing all they can to 'sustain the maximum number of jobs'. Committee chair and Tory MP Huw Merriman said: 'We will continue to bring pressure where we can, including the airport slot allocation process. 'This wanton destruction of a loyal workforce cannot appear to go without sanction by Government, parliamentarians or paying passengers who may choose differently in future. We view it as a national disgrace.' While the cross-party committee agreed that job losses in the aviation industry are inevitable due to the coronavirus pandemic, it condemned BA's behaviour, with chair Huw Merriman describing it as a 'wanton destruction of a loyal workforce' Unite general secretary Len McCluskey added: 'The case the company makes for sacking 12,000 and trashing the wages of those who stay on the workforce is full of holes because it is a transparent effort to generate profits out of a crisis. 'BA is fooling nobody. Never before has the country witnessed such wholesale mistreatment of a UK workforce and such brutal industrial thuggery.' The committee report also called on the UK Government to end the 14-day quarantine rule at the end of June. The government rule began on Monday and is expected to cost the UK economy 650million. Several aviation companies, including BA, are set to legal action against the Government. The report also condemned the Government's decision to introduce a 14-day quarantine for all UK arrivals from June 8. The commitee called for the decision to be scrapped for the end of June In response to the committee report, British Airways said: 'Mr Merriman made clear several weeks ago that the Transport Select Committee's report would be 'fuelled by the kind and impassioned messages' he received, rather than the facts. 'The facts are clear. The Government has no plans to help the sector restart and recover as evidenced by the introduction of the 14-day quarantine regulation. 'We find ourselves in the deepest crisis ever faced by the airline industry. A crisis not of our making but one which we must address. 'We will do everything in our power to ensure that British Airways can survive and sustain the maximum number of jobs consistent with the new reality of a changed airline industry in a severely weakened global economy.' A Government spokesman said: 'We continue to work at speed to help protect the long-term future of the sector, however we will always put public health first, and we must not risk an extremely damaging second wave of the virus.' Amid a massive spurt in coronavirus cases in India, experts on Saturday came down hard on the ICMR for its sero-survey findings to assert that there was no community transmission of Covid-19, saying it was not reflective of the current situation and the government was showing obstinacy in accepting the truth. Emphasising that community transmission was on in many parts of the country, the experts asked the government to admit it so that people dont get complacent. The assertion by experts from the field of virology, public health and medicine came after Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava at a media briefing on Thursday said that India is definitely not in the community transmission stage of Covid-19 spread while releasing the findings of the survey. Indias first sero-survey to monitor the trend of coronavirus infection transmission found that 0.73 per cent of the 26,400 people surveyed from about 65 districts were exposed to coronavirus. AIIMS former director Dr M C Mishra said there is no doubt that there has been community transmission in several parts of the country. With the mass exodus and the country unlocking, it has become more rapid and the disease has reached areas where there were no cases. It is high time the government comes to fore and acknowledges it so that people become more alert and do not become complacent, Mishra told PTI. Talking about the ICMR sero-survey, he said the sample size of around 26,400 people is quite inadequate to capture the scale of the spread of the infection, especially keeping in mind the large population and the diversity of the country. Leading virologist Shahid Jameel said India reached the community transmission stage a long time ago. Its just that the health authorities are not admitting it. Even ICMRs own study of SARI (severe acute respiratory illness) showed that about 40 per cent of those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 did not have any history of overseas travel or contact to a known case. If this is not community transmission, what is, said Jameel. CEO of Wellcome Trust/Department of Biotechnologys India Alliance and best known for his extensive research in Hepatitis E virus and HIV, Jameel said an important point to consider is the sensitivity and specificity of the test that ICMR has not revealed, and even a one percent change would make a big difference in the results in areas of low prevalence. Noted lung surgeon Dr Arvind Kumar said that even if the ICMR argument is accepted, it cannot be denied that community transmission is happening in places like Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. India is a vast country and every state is experiencing the virus differently and peaking at different times, said Kumar, who works at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here. The antibodies take two weeks to develop so the survey is reflective of April. In April, we were in the best possible state. Based on a study representing the April situation, saying that we are not in community transmission is a wrong statement, he told PTI. Chairman of one of the empowered groups set up to deal with the pandemic and NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul had said the results of the survey indicate the situation of the country around April 30 as the study was conducted mostly around third week of May and antibodies against an infection take around 15 days to develop. While the sero-survey to estimate the fraction of population infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the general population has been completed, the survey in containment zones of hotspot cities is ongoing. Indias Covid-19 tally breached the three-lakh mark on Saturday with a record single-day spike of 11,458 infections, while the death toll rose to 8,884 with 386 new fatalities, the Union Health Ministry said. With a Covid-19 caseload of 3,08,993, India is now the fourth worst-hit nation by the pandemic. The ICMR is doing a study of containment areas and that study will throw up much higher numbers that are likely to fall in the criteria of community transmission, Paul added. Dr Ravi Shekhar Jha, Head of the Department, Pulmonology, Fortis Escorts Faridabad, said he strongly feels that community transmission has occurred. The government has stopped contact tracing. Earlier the government was doing rigorous contact tracing, but in the last 7-10 days no government, in Delhi or anywhere, is doing it. They know community transmission is happening, but are not accepting it, Jha told PTI. On sero-survey, he said it has been done in places where there were not many cases and it should have been carried out in Dharawi or Delhi. If these surveys are not done in proper places then there is no point in doing it, he said. It (survey) is definitely not reflective of the current situation. In the end of April we were in a reasonably good position anyways, he said. Dr Vikas Bajpai, assistant professor, Centre for Social Medicine and Community health at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said if the government has decided that obstinacy and blindness to truth is going to be a matter of policy for it in fighting against this Covid-19 pandemic then it is pointless to try and make them see reason. Community transmission is a stage when you are not able to track down the source of infection of a positive case despite thorough contact tracing. Then it is presumed that the virus is in general being transmitted in the community, he said. Hitting out at ICMR, he said it has mentioned that the study does not include data from the containment zones and the spread of the virus was not uniform everywhere. So if you exclude the most active areas of transmission which are the containment ones obviously the prevalence rate you will arrive at will not reflect the reality, Bajpai added. Dr Manoj Goel, Director and Head, Pulmonology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, said it would not be right to believe that there is community transmission at the national-level, but it is definitely happening in certain cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The ICMR sero-survey found that lockdown and containment measures were successful in preventing rapid spread of the disease, but a large proportion of the population still remains susceptible. Bhargava had said the study surveyed a total of 83 districts with 26,400 people enrolling for it and 28,595 households were visited. The surveyed districts were categorised into -- zero cases, low incidence, medium incidence and high incidence--- and were selected based on incidence of reported Covid-19 cases as on April 25. The findings shared with the media stated that data from 65 districts has been compiled till now. Whoops! Gaffe-prone Joe Biden (basement-dweller Democrat seeking the presidency) did it again! Appearing on the late-night Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Biden accidently revealed the desperate modern Democratic strategy by projecting supposedly future President Donald J. Trump (R)'s action. Joe Biden said he believes President Trump will "try to steal" the election in November and that he is "absolutely convinced" the military will escort Mr. Trump out of the White House if he loses the election and doesn't leave. The presumptive Democratic nominee said ensuring a fair vote is his "single greatest concern." "This president is going to try to steal this election," Biden said Wednesday in an interview on "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah." "This is the guy who said all mail-in ballots are fraudulent, voting by mail, while he sits behind a desk in the Oval Office and writes his mail-in ballot to vote in a primary." In other words, Biden and the Democrats think Trump will behave as the Democrats have from the second Trump was declared the surprising (to some) victor of the 2016 presidential election. Mentally, emotionally they have never left the White House, never conceded their loss. Yes, the loss was hard, but other election losers manage to eventually overcome their disappointment publicly, at least and move on. Not Hillary Rodham Clinton (D), not the Democrats. Acting like rulers in exile overthrown by an illegal coup, the Democrats are doing whatever it takes to "escort Mr. Trump out of the White House." False charges of Russian collusion. Impeachment. Illegally spying on the campaign. Who knows what other forms of sabotage. Accusations of voter fraud, Democratic voter suppression in states they narrowly lost. Hillary Clinton's bitterness sours her every public action; daughter Chelsea is equally rancid. Yep, it is all there and more in Biden's rambling, rambling prophecy Wednesday night. It is a prophecy, all right a frightening glimpse into what Democrats have planned for the remainder of the campaign and what they plan to do if hopefully, oh, please! they once again lose on November 3, 2020. A glimpse. The Democrats will stop at literally nothing to regain the presidency and dominate other branches they sincerely believe are rightfully theirs, embedded in the Constitution. The Democrats' total inability to concede defeat has divided the country, destroyed any sense of unity in these troubled times. It is three and a half years past the time that we evict and escort the Democrats out of the White House that they haven't left. Let's do it now. And be prepared from November 4, 2020 to continue doing it if the Democrats lose. Image: Marc Nozell via Flickr. The coronavirus turned life upside down for everyone in the Lehigh Valley, and public schools were no exception. The worldwide pandemic forced schools to shut down in March and offer online instruction for the remainder of the year. Now that Lehigh and Northampton counties have entered the yellow phase of Gov. Tom Wolfs coronavirus containment plan, his stay-at-home order is lifted. Locals are hopeful the Valley will soon enter the green phase of recovery. So what does this mean for Easton Area schools? That all depends on the color phase were in when school is scheduled to start. Easton Area School District administrators presented a PowerPoint presentation Tuesday at the school board meeting made available to the public on Zoom video. The plan has contingencies depending on which color phase the region is in. If were back in the red phase, schools will stay closed and instruction will continue online. If were in the green phase, traditional instruction will resume, with guidelines being closely followed. Parents concerned about the virus can opt to enroll their children in Eastons cyber academy. If were in the yellow phase, schools will undertake a hybrid or remote teaching and learning. Social distancing requirements will be in effect, which means the district will need to drastically reduce the number of children in each school. The school district is weighing alternatives to accomplish this goal which include: Offering classes on alternating days to limit the number of children in school Arranging students by last name to assist with the teacher-student ratio, or another identifying method resulting in the desired class size outcome Crafting schedules based on students instructional and medical needs Half-day sessions I know this is really just the beginning of what is going to be a tremendous amount of work, school board member Meg Sayago said, adding shes grateful for the amount of work administrators are putting in to prepare for school. School board member Edward Keegan said its important for the school district to stay in touch with other school districts and share ideas for how to offer instruction during a worldwide pandemic. It sounds like were going to have to think out of the box on many of these things, Keegan said. Keegan said the district is fortunate to offer an in-house cyber academy. His daughter attended the cyber school for a half year, he said. He thinks the cyber school will see a spike in enrollment if the district opens under the yellow or green phases. I think people are going to say Whatever color it is, were still not coming back. What can you do for us? Keegan said. The Bethlehem Area School District had similar discussions last week about online vs. in-school vs. hybrid learning. It is adding 100 more seats in its cyber academy and is budgeting to buy more chromebooks and mobile hot spots. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. By PTI NEW DELHI: India on Saturday termed as untenable the "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims by Nepal after its lower house of parliament unanimously approved a new political map of the country featuring areas which India maintains belong to it. In a sharp reaction, India said Nepal's action violates an understanding reached between the two countries to resolve the boundary issues through talks. The House of Representatives or lower house of the Nepalese parliament unanimously passed the constitution amendment bill providing for inclusion of the country's new political map in its national emblem. The Nepalese parliament's overwhelming support to approve the proposed legislation is seen as a huge snub to India as it signalled the political consensus in Nepal in toughening its stance on the border dispute with New Delhi. "We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a Constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter," Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava said. "This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues," he said. The Nepalese government under the leadership of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli went ahead with the vote disregarding the strong opposition to the move by India which, for decades, has maintained friendly relations with the Himalayan nation. In a show of unprecedented national unity, opposition parties including the Nepali Congress (NC), Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) too voted in favour of the new map laying claim over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura along the border with India. It is learnt that India had reached out to several political parties including the Nepali Congress but it did not yield any result. The assessment in New Delhi has been that Nepal went ahead with the new map following strong support by China to the Nepal Communist Party government headed by Prime Minister Oli. The bill will have to be cleared by Nepal's National Assembly, the upper house of parliament, and then approved by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari before it becomes a law. The ties between the two countries came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8. Nepal protested the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through its territory. Days later, Nepal came out with the new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories. India too had published a new map in November 2019 showing the areas as its territories. After Nepal released the map, India reacted sharply, calling it an "unilateral act" and cautioning Kathmandu that such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it. "This unilateral act is not based on historical facts and evidence. It is contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve the outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue. Such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India," the MEA said last month. In the midst of the row, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane said that there were reasons to believe that Nepal objected to the road at the behest of "someone else", in an apparent reference to a possible role by China in the matter. The comments triggered angry reactions from Nepal. The Lipulekh pass is a far western point near Kalapani, a disputed border area between Nepal and India. Both India and Nepal claim Kalapani as an integral part of their territory - India as part of Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district and Nepal as part of Dharchula district. Nepalese Prime Minister Oli has been asserting that Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura belong to his country and vowed to "reclaim" them from India. President Donald Trump plans to address the new graduating class of the West Point military academy Saturday, as relations with the Pentagon fray over accusations that he has politicized the US military. Tensions have soared in two weeks since Trump threatened to call out active duty troops to deal with anti-police brutality protests around the country, and then staged a surprise photo op with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chair General Mark Milley at a site that had been forcefully cleared of protesters. Esper's job was reportedly in the balance last week after he took the extraordinary step of breaking with the president by declaring he would not support calling up regular troops to stifle protests. And Trump's actions drew scathing criticisms from former Pentagon chiefs -- including Esper's predecessor James Mattis, who accused Trump of deliberately dividing the country, abusing his power and making "a mockery" of the US constitution. On Thursday, Milley said he regretted his presence at Trump's side on June 1, when National Guard fired smoke bombs and pepper balls to clear hundreds of peaceful protestors from outside the White House so the president could walk across and pose for pictures at a nearby a church. Trump's display, with Milley wearing his camouflage battle uniform, drew strong criticism that he had turned the Pentagon into a political tool of repression. "I should not have been there," Milley told graduates of the elite National Defense University, adding that his presence "created a perception of military involvement in domestic politics." - Battling for reelection - The fracture in civil-military relations weighs on Trump's address to the 1,110 graduating cadets at the picturesque West Point campus, north of New York City. The event is clearly important to Trump, who wants to be seen as a tough leader as he battles for reelection in November against Democrat Joe Biden, who Trump labels "weak." The academy had been shut and students sent home because of the coronavirus pandemic. But Trump announced in April that he would address the graduates in person. So cadets were recalled and put through weeks of COVID-19 quarantine and testing. About 1.5 percent have tested positive, Pentagon officials say. It was not known what Trump plans to say Saturday. But he has flatly rejected the Pentagon's criticisms, arguing it was crucial to use force against protestors. He derided Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general who garners deep respect in the US military, as "our country's most overrated General." "You have to dominate the streets," he said Monday, defending the June 1 action. Asked in a Fox News interview that aired Friday about Esper and Milley, Trump replied, "If that's the way they feel, I think that's fine." "I have good relationships with the military," he said. "Now we have the greatest military we've ever had." - Deeper strains - The strains with the Pentagon go deeper than the protests. Trump controversially overrode top Pentagon generals in 2019 to protect a Navy Seal, Eddie Gallagher, accused of war crimes and convicted of misconduct. The president has also forced the Pentagon to divert billions of dollars from other projects to build a wall along the southern US border with Mexico. And his precipitous efforts to withdraw US troops from abroad -- including a reported plan to slash troop levels in Afghanistan before the election -- have also upended plans by the defense establishment. All of that took place in the public eye, ensuring that the graduating cadets are aware of it. In an open letter this week, several hundred West Point alumni warned the new graduates of being used by politicians. "Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests," they wrote. "Politicization of the Armed Forces puts at risk the bond of trust between the American military and American society." Graduation Day at the US Military Academy at West Point in 2019 Donald Trump walks with Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley (R) at his side and Defense Secretary Mark Esper (middle) just behind him on June 1 to a church near the White House where Trump posed for pictures Law enforcement force peaceful protestors out in preparation for President Donald Trump and top advisors to take pictures at a church near the White House on June 1 MILTON State police have released little information about what they say was a murder-suicide in Northumberland County on Wednesday. They said the bodies of Brenda Hurst, 58, and her 14-year-old son were discovered on their Phillips Road property near Milton shortly after 1 p.m. Hurst shot her son, who was not identified, and then herself, they said. The motive is unknown, they said. Investigators would not say if the shooting occurred outside or inside a structure. Northumberland County Coroner James F. Kelley referred all inquiries to state police. A spokesman said it is department policy not to release the names of juveniles. 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. On Thursday morning, the French daily Le Figaro reported that President Emmanuel Macron told a video conference with a very restricted group of London donors to his 2017 campaign that he was considering resigning. The report points to a deep crisis of the French ruling elite: the only resignation by a French president since the fall of the fascist regime in 1944 was General Charles de Gaulle in 1969, when he was confronted by his defeat in the referendum he sought in response to the May-June 1968 general strike. Le Figaro writes: According to one of the participants, Emmanuel Macron explained that he was considering the possibility of resigning, to trigger, in the weeks or months to come, an early presidential election. The head of states aims are clear: to regain political control in a difficult period, convinced that he is taking his opponents by surprise. He confirmed this to his audience, who were asked to provide him with funds: I am sure I will win because there is no one else. Contacted by Le Figaro before the article was published, the presidential palace confirmed that Macrons resignation was possible, but not decided upon. The presidency said that as a matter of principle, we do not rule out any possibility, but that the hypothesis of a resignation has never been on the agenda or even raised in a meeting at the Elysee. It added, We are entering a cycle of reflection and consultation. In this context, everything is being looked at. Later, faced with questions from the media, the Elysee denied the Le Figaro report. The president of the Republic has never mentioned his resignation and has never participated in a video conference with donors, the Elysee told AFP, without specifying whether he had used other terms or participated in the discussion by other technical means. Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye simply said that Its rather crazy, I must confess, to imagine a resignation of the president of the Republic. Even though the Elysee has not clarified the issue, the coronavirus pandemic and the international protests against the police murders of George Floyd and Adama Traore have profoundly destabilized the government. Already weakened by the yellow vest protests and the rail workers strikes against its pension reform, Macron faces a deep economic and political crisis brought on by the pandemic, spreading worker anger around the world, and growing lack of confidence in the ruling class. Macron delivers his speech tomorrow to outline the next phase of the end to the lockdown from a clearly weak position inside the ruling class. Already, on May 19, the presidential party had lost its majority in the National Assembly, with 16 deputies from Macrons Republic On The Move (LRM) party leaving to join former Socialist Party ecology minister Delphine Batho in an Ecology, Democracy, Solidarity (EDS) group. LRM retained only 288 deputies, whereas 289 deputies are required for a majority of the 577 seats in the Assembly. The media reported that EDS members considered the Macron line too far to the right. EDS deputy Aurelien Tache tried to give an antifascist veneer to his group, claiming that he was fighting against a neo-fascist victory in the next presidential elections: If we do not make progress and if we do not have results very soon, unfortunately, in 2022, the French may choose the worst. The press is also fuelling the rumour that Macron is going to separate from his Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who came from the Gaullist Republicans party. The author of Thursdays report, Figaro Magazine editor Carl Meeus, has posted numerous Tweets highlighting Philippes higher popularity rating than Macron and posing the question: A message for @EmmanuelMacron? Conflicts at the highest levels of the state apparatus reflect the magnitude of the global economic and social crisis triggered by the pandemic, and the class struggles it sets in motion. The pandemics shutdown and the subsequent containment needed to stop the transmission of COVID-19 caused the worst recession since the 1930s. The GDPs of France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy are expected to fall by between 11 and 15 per cent in 2020, while government debts will soar. French debt will be 115 or 120 percent of GDP, an unsustainable level in the long term. Already the consequences for employment have been harsh. In May, more than 40 million European workers were on unemployment assistance, including 12.4 million in France, 10.1 million in Germany and 7.5 million in the United Kingdom. More than 500,000 workers have lost their jobs in France in the first quarter of the year, mainly due to a record decline in temporary agency worka 40 per cent drop, compared to 14 percent in the 2008 crash. The Macron government, the political establishment and trade unions are complicit in the preparation of massive attacks by banks and employers against workers. Many media outlets are counting on an unprecedented wave of layoffs in the autumn. According to Les Echos, Labour Minister Muriel Penicaud is preparing to reduce lockdown-related unemployment payments from 84 to 60 per cent of salaries. Through various manoeuvres, including the debate over Macrons future, the ruling elite is preparing for a class confrontation between workers and the financial aristocracy and its political and union servants. While Jerome Fourquet at the IFOP polling institute predicts that as in 20082009, we could see acts of violence with factory occupations and people who have nothing left to lose after the announcement of layoffs, the bureaucrat Stephane Flegeau of the General Labor Federation (CGT) warns Le Monde: There will be enormous tensions in the industry. Many employees are infected or affected by deaths among their loved ones. Macrons statement that there is no one against him except Marine Le Pen and the neo-fascists, if true, would only underscore his own complacency. In fact, a neo-fascist regime might well emerge from the fall of his government, as might a whole range of other political alliances within the political elite. All of them, even those who do not claim to be part of the fascist legacy of the Vichy regime, would carry out violent economic and political attacks on workers. The fact that US President Trump has considered sending troops to shoot demonstrators against the police murder of George Floyd highlights the fact that throughout the world the financial aristocracy wants is moving toward military dictatorship. In 2017, the Party for Socialist Equality called for an active boycott of the second round of presidential elections, insisting that only an independent mobilization of workers against the winner, whether Macron or Le Pen, would prevent them from implementing a fascistic policy. Macrons presidency has fully confirmed this warning. He has not only violently repressed the yellow vests and imposed drastic austerity, but waged neo-colonial war in Mali and hailed collaborationist dictator Petain as a great soldier. The anger of young people and workers has already exploded internationally in demonstrations against the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. This movement raises the question of the unification of workers and young people internationally. Faced with the yellow vests and protests against the murder of George Floyd, French intelligence is worried about a convergence of the existing struggles over the social crisis and the racial crisis, that is to say, a convergence between the workers who are already demonstrating against inequality, and broad working masses, including those of immigrant origin, who are preparing to enter the struggle. In the face of the staggering of the Macron government, the only viable policy is to build an international political leadership to provide this developing movement with the political perspective required to seize power, overthrow capitalism, and reorganize economic life on the basis of social needs and not private profit. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 20:44:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Saturday by 20 cases to 1,442, while the death toll went up by one case to 32, the National News Agency reported. Lebanon has been continuing to repatriate Lebanese nationals stranded in foreign countries. Three Middle East Airlines airplanes are expected to arrive on Saturday from Jeddah, Frankfurt and Paris. Arrivals will be taking PCR tests in countries of their departure and will be subject to precautionary measures upon arrival to Lebanon. Lebanon has been fighting against COVID-19 since Feb. 21. The country has received several donations from different countries for the fight against COVID-19. China on Thursday donated a new batch of medical supplies to Lebanon. The donation, including 17,500 masks, 1,500 protective gears, 1,320 goggles and 1,000 shoe covers, will help public hospitals in Lebanon in the fight against COVID-19. Enditem Bengaluru, June 13 : The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police office of the city was sealed until Sunday after a suspect tested positive for COVID-19, an official said on Saturday. The office was sealed on Friday for sanitization. "CCB office has been sealed until Sunday following an Ola cheating case suspect testing positive for the virus," told Deputy Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Jain to IANS. On testing the four Ola case suspects who fleeced the startup of lakhs of rupees misusing technology after interrogating, one of them tested positive. Used for locking up suspects during police custody, the facility can accommodate up to 10 people. Different wings of the department such as economic offences wing, anti-narcotics wing and others use the common lock up to house suspects. Once the suspects or accused are produced in a court and ordered judicial custody, they are shifted to a larger prison. Meanwhile, 22 policemen who work in the CCB areA under institutional quarantine and will be administered Covid test after five days. The CCB office is centrally located in this tech city inside the Police Commissioner office on Infantry Road near the Cubbon Park, High Court and Vidhan Soudha. Meanwhile, another police station in the city, Shankarpuram, is currently being sanitized after a sub-inspector on leave tested positive for the virus. "Shankarpuram police station has not been sealed off, it is being sanitized after a police sub-inspector tested positive," told Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohini Katoch Sepat to IANS. Currently, the infected inspector has been shifted to a designated hospital in Dharwad as he is on leave. "Seven policemen have been sent to institutional quarantine and another 11 to home quarantine," she said, following the incident. The inspector is suspected to have picked up the infection somewhere as he took leave for his wedding and was busy making arrangements for the occasion such as shopping and other works. He was also not suspected to have been in contact with anybody in specific when he was at the station on duty. "We assume that during his preparation for marriage and going here and there only he has contracted the virus. We don't know exactly. He was never on any specific bandobast," she said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) This story was first published in 2020. It was updated in June 2021. Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, has been celebrated by African-Americans since the late 1800s. But in recent years, and particularly following nationwide protests over police brutality and the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other Black Americans, there is a renewed interest in the day that celebrates freedom. The celebration continues to resonate in new ways, given the sweeping changes and widespread protests across the U.S. over the last year and following a guilty verdict in the killing of Mr. Floyd. Heres a brief guide to what you should know about Juneteenth. What is Juneteenth? On June 19, 1865, about two months after the Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., Gordon Granger, a Union general, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African-Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. General Grangers announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two and a half years earlier on Jan. 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln. WATERLOO REGIONThroughout the region people are meeting at restaurants for the first time in months, and raising a glass to toast the arrival of Stage 2. Friday marked the next steps in Ontarios plan to reopen after shutting down in March to control the spread of COVID-19. As long as proper safety measures were in place, restaurants were permitted to reopen their outdoor eating venues. Oh my god, Im so excited the patio is open. Im beyond words, said Diane Emmerson. The Palmerston resident drove into Kitchener today for an appointment and stopped in at the patio at Moose Winooskis on Heldmann Road shortly after it opened. Theres something about eating outside, she said, looking off toward the groups spaced out around the building. Servers wore black masks and seemed to give customers space when they approached the table. Bill Siegfried, the restaurants vice-president of operations, said when Premier Doug Ford announced Monday that Waterloo Region would be entering Stage 2 of reopening, the reservations came flooding in. As soon as he said patios could open on Friday, the phone started ringing. The restaurant spread tables apart on the patio, and placed other tables around the building. In the coming weeks, the business hopes to expand their seating further, opening more tables on a pad beside the existing patio. When that happens, theyll be hiring more staff. Siegfried said the guidance from the province has been ambiguous, but theyve been working directly with the local public health unit to plan their reopening. Not all regions around the province are moving into Stage 2. Toronto, York, Hamilton, Peel and others are still in Stage 1 and patios in those regions are not allowed to reopen. People have had it. Theyre tired of being shut in, Siegfried said. He said tables for the weekend booked up on Wednesday. Karen Ball and Bethany Parkinson met up for a bite at Borealis Bar and Grille in Kitchener on Friday. Over the past three months, the pair have been hanging out on hikes or in backyards, but maintaining a physical distance. Now theyre sitting across from one another at the table. It feels like such a luxury, Ball said, adding she took for granted the ability to see other people who are living their lives around us. Weve been waiting a long time for this, Parkinson said. On Friday the province updated public health recommendations, encouraging people to form social circles of no more than 10 people. This would allow for people in different households to meet together without the need to stay physically distant from one another. Once a circle is established, thats it. No one could be part of more than one circle. This change was good timing on patios around the region, friends and colleagues met together for the first time in months. Neil Robinson is the managing partner of Borealis Kitchener. The restaurant only has 10 tables on their patio but theyre looking at expanding to the parking lot. Instead of serving staff, managers are serving the public, and people have to order from the bar. This is super exciting for us, he said, but noting its different than how it was before COVID-19. Reservations are taken to limit lines from walk-ins, but also to help provide information to public health if any contact tracing needs to be done. In downtown Kitchener, Bobby OBriens opened its patio, putting Xs on every other table to keep people spread out. Hand sanitizer is available at the front of the line and servers watch as customers use it before entering. Standing in line, Corey Morris and Teana Cantave said they were relieved to see other people again, even at a distance. With Stage 2 moving along, it shows theres hope for later in the summer, Cantave said. Morris noted it was a historic day. Hopefully well never see something like this again. (Natural News) On the night of May 30, a Walmart on East Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, Florida was ransacked by hundreds of looters. According to surveillance videos released by state authorities, the looters made off with more than $100,000 worth of merchandise. The incident happened during the height of the rioting and looting wave that swept across the United States after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office (HCSO) released the footage on Thursday, and deputies and officials from the office are asking the public to help them identify any of the looters caught in the surveillance footage who swept the superstore clean. DO YOU KNOW THEM? The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office is asking for help identifying approximately 200 looters who broke into a Tampa Walmart and stole more than $100,000 worth of merchandise. DETAILS: https://t.co/p0nEI0LwPb pic.twitter.com/lxKFhDTodM FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) June 11, 2020 According to a statement made by the HCSO, the mass looting incident occurred at around 9:10 p.m. The targeted Walmart was closed as a precaution due to the wave of rioting and looting sweeping the country, but several individuals armed with blunt instruments such as hammers were able to force their way into the store by breaking the glass at the entrance. In the surveillance footage, waves upon waves of looters, many with covered faces, were seen racing through the Walmarts aisles, grabbing valuable merchandise. By the end of the footage, the criminals were seen leaving the ransacked superstore one man was even seen hauling off a large, flat-screen television with his bare hands. HCSO detectives believe that approximately 200 people entered the store and participated in the looting. Walmart employees reported that the incident cost the store around $116,000 in property damages and stolen merchandise. Not only is this violence completely unacceptable, it was disrespectful to the protesters who were out there that night trying to express their message in an impactful way, said HCSO Sheriff Chad Chronister. We are actively working to identify each and every one of these suspects and ask the public to provide any information they may have, he added. Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he thanks police officers across the United States for working around the clock and doing their best to protect life, property and society as a whole during this wave of engineered rioting. Looting and rioting to cost the United States hundreds of millions of dollars According to the Anderson Economic Group (AEG), a consulting firm specializing in business valuation and market analysis, the looting and rioting damages in 20 of the countrys largest metropolitan areas will cost the country upward of $400 million. Their analysis covers the period of the worst rioting between May 29 and June 3, which means it may be safe to say that the overall cost of the riots and looting has gone up significantly since then. AEGs analysis includes property damage, stolen and damaged inventory, reconstruction costs and lost wages related to the closure of businesses. Their analysis only covered the private sector, and it does not include how much federal, state and local governments have spent over the six days of rioting. (Related: Looting has turned parts of Chicagos South Side into a FOOD DESERT residents unsure where to get a healthy meal.) In New York City, where many businesses were similarly damaged and looted, the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research believes that the cost in damages and theft will be in the tens of millions of dollars. The estimate takes into account the cost of the pilfered merchandise and what businesses will most likely need to spend for repairs, increasing security and insurance payments. In the Twin Cities area of Minnesota alone, where George Floyd died and the riots began, the insurance industry is estimating that the claims will cost insurers no less than $25 million; however, this does not represent the extent of the damage done on Minneapolis and St. Paul. Local business owners and insurance experts have estimated that the overall costs of the damage could exceed $500 million, making the Twin Cities riots the second costliest period of civil unrest in American history. The wave of criminality and engineered rioting the United States is currently experiencing can be difficult to keep up with. Rioting.news publishes up-to-date and unbiased articles about the recent events. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk ABCActionNews.com AndersonEconomicGroup.com FoxBusiness.com NYPost.com MarketWatch.com StarTribune.com LIEUTENANT Colonel Ennis Grant has been appointed as the first commanding officer of the TCI Regiment. The veteran police officer and TC Islander has already started in the new role and is working with, and being mentored by, the UK military. "We were fortunate to have had such a well-qualified candidate apply, a press release from the Office of the Governor said on Thursday (June 11). Grant currently commands the Maritime Branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police and the Cadet Force, and has links with the US Coast Guard and UK military. He will spend the first year of his appointment on secondment from the force. In the coming months as the TCI Regiment forms, Grant will develop relationships with his counterparts in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Bermuda. The regiment will have two primary roles. The first is to be in direct support of the Maritime Police, in a role very similar to that being conducted by the Royal Marines during this period. And also, to provide a contingent force capable of preparing and supporting the Islands at time of a natural or other disaster. "Beyond those operational roles the regiment, its ethos and its character, will develop into a proud symbol of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the release said. "Lt Col Grant - as its first commanding officer - will set the tone of this early and important period in the regiments formation. Positions for the five further permanent staff who will join Grant in setting up the regiment will now be advertised. Some of these posts will involve training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst starting in September. The 40 reserve (part-time) posts - the non-commissioned officers and marines - of the regiment, will be recruited later in the year. Shortlisted candidates will be assessed over several days drawing on the methodology used by the UKs Army Officer Selection Board. This includes physical assessment, written communication, led and leaderless command tasks, interviews and the ability to plan and conduct a detailed appreciation of a complex task. "Candidates should expect to be under some physical and mental pressure throughout. We hope the best in TCI will apply, the Office of the Governor said. "We are looking for leadership potential that can be developed, so no one should be discouraged from putting their name forward for lack of experience. Training will be excellent. The selection process will be overseen by the new commanding officer of the TCI Regiment and UK military staff who have, themselves, been instructors at Sandhurst. Rents for inner Sydney apartments have been slashed by up to $400 a week as desperate landlords grapple with a shrinking pool of tenants and rising vacancies. Housing experts say the current rental market is a 'tenant's dream' following the coronavirus crisis as renters now have power to negotiate their own terms for agreements like price reductions or keeping pets. Thousands of workers lost their jobs when the government imposed a lockdown in March leading to many people leaving the city or returning to their homes overseas. This has resulted in oversupply of apartments, a happy situation for bargain hungry tenants. 'You can get a better place on better terms like a shorter lease or be allowed pets where they werent previously allowed,' Find My Rental Property director Melissa Maimann told Realestate.com.au. This apartment on Kent Street was $1,250 and but now it's $990 after the landlord failed to find a tenant The modern apartment faces north east and is described as perfect for a family The stylish unit has three bedrooms and a balcony with views overlooking the city Ms Maimann said the rental climate is particularly beneficial for those looking for a home within the city's inner suburbs, usually populated with international students, travellers and hospitality workers. Last month, almost one in seven rental units in the CBD and surrounding suburbs were empty, with rents an average of 18.4 per cent lower than March, SQM Research data revealed. Prices plummeted at a similar rate in Glebe, while unit rents in Kirribilli and Lavender Bay dropped an average of nearly 15 per cent over the past three months. In Pyrmont, Surry Hills and Mosman, rents nosedived about 10 per cent. Renters' agent Marcelle Wever, of Sydney Rental Search, said some properties were available at prices last around the mid-2000s. 'Landlords are desperate,' she said. 'There are more properties available near the city than I have ever seen.' A George St apartment is now on offer for $800 per week, a $400 drop from its going price in January The three bedroom apartment is located in the heart of Sydney's CBD The central city property is one of many vacant properties amid the pandemic Finder.com.au insights manager Graham Cooke said it was an ideal time to upsize for those willing to move. Some of the most heavily discounted apartments include luxurious units in the heart of the city's CBD. A three-bedroom unit on the 12th floor of a building at 591 George St listed for $1,200 per week in January, was recently relisted for $800. Another three-bedroom unit at 361 Kent St was recently listed for $900 per week, a $260 drop from the rent in 2017. There are similar deals on offer for homes in nearby Elizabeth St and Clarence St, while multiple Ultimo properties are going for $100 less a week. Multiple apartments in Sydney Olympic Park are also available with $50 to $100 discounts. Fathers Day is a day for toasting dad, to celebrate the work he does. If hes more of a whiskey man, we understand. But if he prefers tequila, rum, gin, champagne, or some other spirit, here is a great selection of options you can buy at your local shop or order online and ship straight to his door. Some bottles make for great mixers, some are designed to be sipped neat, while yet others are designed for a celebratory Fathers Day toast. Chances are, hell appreciate one of these bottles way more than a tie or cufflinks. Wheres he gonna wear them anyway? For us dads, Fathers Day is one to drink in from first light till midnight (or even a little past) and a cognac is the perfect spirit to cap off a beautiful day. Its a glass meant to be sipped slowly and savored in meditation. Remy Martin XO is a perfect indulgence for a cognac drinker. A blend of the Cellar Masters 400 different varieties, this fine Champagne cognac will treat any fathers taste buds to notes of orange peel, spice and nuts. $170.00 If your pops likes his martinis made of Vodka, buy him a large format bottle of Belvedere. Distilled from 100% Polska rye, the brands own natural well water, and zero additives, this Polish vodka has a lovely weight in the mouth that you can still feel after its been iced. The grain spice leads to a clean, crisp finish whether he prefers olives or a lemon twist. $35.00 Dads in the know have been calling for Hendricks in many of their gin cocktails for a bit now. The Scottish maker uses eleven different botanicals to give the spirit flavor and depth and further infuses the gin with rose and cucumber. So consider garnishing your martini or G+T with a slice of cucumber in lieu or olives or lemon for a more herbaceous flavor. $35.00 A good blanco tequila should be a fixture on any bar and Patron Estate Release is an excellent limited edition bottle. Its distilled from 100 percent Weber Blue Agave harvested and cultivated on the grounds of Hacienda Patron. Its 84 proof and delicious neat or on the rocks. We like to skip the fruit garnish to better appreciate this Blancos tasty herbal and citrus notes. Story continues $100.00 To make his Gracias A Dios mezcal, Maestro Mezcalero Oscar Hernandez uses a one-horse powered stone grinder to crush the Oaxacan agave from which its distilled. Its a crisp glass with a pleasant smoke and a light minerality. Notes of lemon, anise, and ginger are complimented with a honeyed agave sweetness. So, dad can drink it neat or use a good pour to upgrade his margarita game. $42.00 Amari are all the rage and even if your dad hasnt fallen into the trend, maybe its time to give him a push with Averna. This Sicilian amaro has become a bit of a byword for bartenders looking to spice up their cocktail list. Its thick and luscious glass, not as bitter as some but lovely to sip as a digestif thanks to notes of anise, rosemary and citrus. $33.00 To make their Old Rum, iconic Bermuda rum-maker Goslings uses the same recipe they follow to craft their staple Black Seal rum but let it age longer in oak. Perfect for sipping, its a sumptuous glass, thick with molasses, cherries, wood, spice and a touch of tobacco. Perfect for a pirate at 40 and beyond. $99.00 If your father is a seasoned tequila drinker, may we recommend Casa Noble Single Barrel Extra Anejo Tequila. Its certified organic and triple distilled entirely from blue weber agave. This anejo a fantastic glass thanks to a lengthy spell in lightly toasted white French oak. Rich with notes of vanilla, chocolate and nuts, its a sipper not meant for mixing. $130.00 Most gift sets include a bottle and a two lamely branded tumblers. But this one from Absolute Elyx features some great vodka and a cool copper pineapple tiki-style cup. The juice is Swedish maker Absoluts handcrafted vodka. Manually distilled from winter wheat grown on a single estate in Ahus, Sweden. Its an easy drinker, clean, slightly sweet with a light pop of citrus, perfect for whipping up a Swedish Mule to imbibe from dads handsome new chalice. $150.00 If pops likes to let corks fly, best buy him a swell bottle of the bubbly. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne is blended entirely from Chardonnay, which makes it wonderfully fruity and floral with just the right amount of acidity, perfect for celebrating dad on his special day. $75.00 Related Articles: The post The Best Champagne, Cognac, Mezcal, and More to Toast Dad This Fathers Day appeared first on Fatherly. The Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce will hold a virtual Networking Breakfast from 8-9:30 a.m. June 18. To attend, visit https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8289436490. Connecticut author, PR exec, marks new release Connecticut author and Marine veteran Ron Winter has released his latest work, Victory Betrayed, Operation Dewey Canyon, according to a release. The operation was the last major U.S. Marine battle in the Vietnam War, the release said, and was an overwhelming success for allied forces, preventing communist troops from launching coordinated assaults against South Vietnamese cities for the next two years. Yet, while the Marines and their South Vietnamese counterparts decimated communist forces, even crossing into Laos and taking control of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, forces in the U.S. worked to undermine their victory, prolonging the conflict to the benefit of the North Vietnamese, according to the release. Winter details how American bureaucrats reacted negatively to the Marine victory, the release said, and how Congress then prevented further incursions into Laos or Cambodia. The Marines who fought there deserve recognition for their courage, valor and decisive victory over communism, Winter said in the release. According to the release, Winter served four years in the Marines, including 13 months in Vietnam as a helicopter machine gunner, in HMM-161 and HMM-164, units that flew support for Operation Dewey Canyon. He flew 300 missions and was awarded 15 Air Medals, Combat Air Crew wings, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and other decorations, it said. Winter, a public relations executive with Trumbull-based Michael J. London & Associates, also is available for speaking engagements, the release said. For more information, visit www.ronaldwinterbooks.com. Merkle among Hartford Business Journals 2020 Women in Business honorees Cynthia C. Merkle, president and CEO of Union Savings Bank and chairwoman of the board of directors for the Connecticut Bankers Association, recently was named a winner of Hartford Business Journals 2020 Women in Business awards, according to a release. Merkle was among 15 honored this year. According to Hartford Business Journal, the release said, the award recognizes women who are making a significant difference within their organizations and the community. The honorees are senior level executives and entrepreneurs who demonstrate business savvy, confidence in themselves and their organizations, and a strong track record of professional success. Im truly honored that the readers of Hartford Business Journal nominated me, grateful to the panel of judges, and humbled to receive this important recognition, Merkle said in the release. Im also thrilled to be included with this great group of highly-respected women. The number of women in leadership roles has increased dramatically, but there is more work to be done. Its important to encourage all women especially our youth to set their goals high. This award helps shed some light on this important topic. Merkle also is chairwoman of the board of trustees at Endicott College and vice chairwoman of the board of directors for the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce, the release said. Albertus board gets new members NEW HAVEN Albertus Magnus College is welcoming two new members to its board of trustees, according to a release from the college. Almuna Hope Kingston Cahoon, a partner at KPMGs Stamford office, and Sister Susan Olson, O.P., from the colleges sponsoring congregation, the Dominican Sisters of Peace, joined the board in June for three-year terms, the release said. The presence of Hope and Sister Susan will be welcome and timely, Albertus President Marc M. Camille, Ed.D., said in the release. We have begun the important work of implementing the Colleges new strategic plan, Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century in support of our Growth Mindset, and the experiences of Hope and Sister Susan will complement those of their Board colleagues. Hope and Sister Susan champion what continues to differentiate Albertus: our Catholic identity and Dominican mission that form the core of the values- and liberal arts-based education that for nine decades has prepared graduates for a lifetime of career success and civic engagement. Yawson receives Quinnipiacs James Marshall Award HAMDEN Robert Yawson of Wallingford, associate professor of management at Quinnipiac University, has been named the 2020 recipient of the James Marshall Award for Service to the university community, according to a release. The Faculty Senate created the award following the death of James Marshall, a health management professor, in 2002, it said. I have had the pleasure of working with Robert for the past two years and can attest to his unwavering commitment to the university through his work as a senator and chair of the University Education Committee, Faculty Senate Chairwoman Bernadette Mele, clinical associate professor of diagnostic imaging, said in the release. On behalf of the Faculty Senate, I am honored to have presented this award to Dr. Robert Yawson for his extensive service contributions, particularly the positive impact he has had on peers and students from across the university. Yawson said the award means that your colleagues appreciate what you do. The James Marshall Award is a testament to my humanity and the humanity of us all, Yawson said in the release. I was brought up with the belief that service to fellow humans and society in general, is service to God. Having been born and raised in a communal living society where everyone is the neighbors keeper has instilled in me the value of service and volunteerism. I see service as a valuable and meaningful component of my academic responsibilities, and thus being recognized this way is humbling. By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/06/12 Ji Jin-hee has experienced a major boost in brand positivity thanks in part to "Designated Survivor: 60 Days" in which he played the leading role. In that drama, Ji Jin-hee portrays a noble technical specialist working in a byzantine political system in a commanding position for which he was completely unprepared. Consequently, Ji Jin-hee now does promotional work for legal services, public water safety, and asset management services, among others. Advertisement The news is not so surprising as it seems, nor necessarily that related to "Designated Survivor: 60 Days" to begin with. After all, Ji Jin-hee has a long-standing eleven year contract with an insurance company based in part on his ability to project comfort and authority. Much of his past drama work, from "Dae Jang Geum" to "Dong Yi" to "The Great Seer" traded on these talents. The shift appears to have created some scheduling conflicts when it comes to Ji Jin-hee taking on new acting work, with his only confirmed upcoming role to be a special appearance in the Netflix drama "Move to Heaven". His name has come up in regards to the upcoming drama "Undercover", but that drama is still very early in production with no confirmed cast. Most recently Han So-hee of "The World of the Married" fame has considered signing up for the remake of the British drama of the same title. Written by William Schwartz Lion-shaped monuments at Lychakivske cemetery Open source The hurricane, which took place in Lviv on June 11, destroyed dozens of trees. That damaged more than 70 monuments. The director of the Museum Lychakiv Cemetery Mykhailo Nagay said this to Gal-Info news agency. Now part of the damaged objects remains under littered trees and branches. To restore the consequences and clear the way, restorers will need at least a week. Nagai noted that none of the people were injured during the hurricane. We have just begun to eliminate the effects of the weather. The work will continue for about a week. Fortunately, there are no critically damaged objects that could not be restored. However, there are still some that are substantially damaged and scattered over fragments. There are about five valuable sculptures that took damage. They are all in the old part of the cemetery," the director said. He added that the sculptures of the beginning of the 19th century will be included in the program of Ukrainian-Polish cooperation for restoration, and the museum workers will restore the rest on their own. According to Mykhailo Nagay, the graves of famous people and valuable monuments were not affected. Also, the burial field of the Ukrainian army soldiers, Heroes of Heavenly Hundred, the field of honorary graves were not damaged, because they are outside the reach of trees. So far, the amount of damage has not yet been calculated. Currently, the museum staff eliminates the effects of bad weather on its own, but it will be necessary to attract special services. As we reported before, in France, the Louvre Museum was temporarily closed for visiting due the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski) Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Golden, looks for papers on her desk about issues with the Catholic Church and legislation she was sponsoring on sexual abuse during an AP Newsmaker interview with reporter Colleen Slevin at the Capitol in Denver, on Wednesday, May 10, 2006. Google has removed several of malicious Android apps from the Play Store after multiple reports stated the programs were overloading user devices. There were more than thirty apps that Google identified to be a threat, which would flood users with intrusive advertisements and randomly-occurring redirects. A single cybercriminal group was reportedly the developers of all the apps. The apps they developed were a way for them to get their services into the Google Play Store by tinkering with the functions inside the programs so that they could sneak past Google's anti-adware protection. Most Of The Malicious Apps Were Beauty Apps The security firm known as White Ops identified the ad-spamming apps. White Ops reported their findings to Google so that the apps could be taken off the Play Store. According to the White Ops report, the majority of the malicious apps were related to beauty or filter packages. It included selfie apps and apps that advertised as ones that would apply filters over the user's pictures. When the user downloaded any of the apps and installed it, they would be barraged with random ads, and they would be randomly redirected to random websites. The apps hid their icons so that they could hide from users that didn't know another way to uninstall the apps. Most of the apps seemed to be versions of other services, but the cybercriminals modified or amended them. These other services didn't get much attention from Play Store users until the anti-adware code was removed. Initially, Google accepted a lot of malicious apps into the Play Store. It only took two weeks, however, for Google to find out that these apps were malicious and they removed them promptly. Despite only lasting two weeks on the Play Store, White Ops found out that more than half a million users downloaded the apps overall. Read Also: FBI Warns Mobile Banking Apps Highly Targeted by Hackers: Here's How to Secure Your Accounts How The Malicious Apps Got Past Google's Security Measures The cyber criminals wanted to get their apps back in the Play Store, so they attempted to trick Google using a variety of tricks. Most of them involved getting rid of the malicious code in its entirety. The lack of malicious code tricked Google's Play Store into accepting these apps. Although soon afterward, the apps would be updated with the malicious code put back into it, which continued the intrusive ads and random redirects. Another technique they applied was inserting Arabic characters, which included Quran verses, instead of English in the source code of the apps. This technique disguised the malicious features, which got through into the Play Store. Google has removed all the malicious apps, and they stated that they will beef up their security on suspicious apps like the ones that White Ops found. Read Also: Beware Of This Fake Ransomware Decryptor. It Makes Things Even Worse! NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 19: Actor Rupert Grint attends Apple TV+'s "Servant" World Premiere at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on November 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage) Rupert Grint is the latest Harry Potter cast member to speak out about JK Rowings recent transgender comments. Grint joined his fellow Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in admonishing Rowling, by releasing a statement to The Times, via BBC. Read More: Eddie Redmayne opposes J.K. Rowling's transgender remarks Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment. I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers." Rowling was instantly condemned last Saturday after she posted tweets criticising the phrase, people who menstruate. On Wednesday she released a lengthy blog post defending her position, which was instantly denounced, too. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 12: Author J.k. Rowling arrives at the RFK Ripple of Hope Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on December 12, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) Rowling wrote, I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal [i.e. cisgender] girls and women less safe. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels hes a woman then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth. Not only were Rowlings comments attacked, but the timing of them, too, as they came on the day of the biggest Black Lives Matter protests yet, and during Pride Month. Read More: What J.K. Rowlings Anti-Trans Views Could Mean for Fantastic Beasts Franchise and Harry Potter Fans Its not just cast members that have called out Rowling, though, as Steve Kloves, who wrote seven out of the eight Harry Potter movies, released his own statement to Variety. Our diversity is our strength. In these challenging times, its more important than ever that transgender women and men, and people who are non-binary, feel safe and accepted for who they are. It seems very little to ask. The Islamist militant group al-Shabab has dropped its initial dismissal of the Covid-19 pandemic, announcing that it has opened a "treatment centre" for people who test positive for the disease in Jilib town in southern Somalia, an area under their control. Al-Shabab's Radio Andalus reported that the group had also introduced a new 24-hour hotline for any of the town's residents who exhibit coronavirus symptoms to call. It did not say how many people had tested positive for Covid-19. The broadcast also did not mention whether the group had any testing kits or if their health workers were capable of detecting infections. Earlier this month, al-Shabab cleric Mohamed ala-Mohamed urged people to protect themselves from Covid-19 by drinking herbal concoctions, particularly touting turmeric powder and a number of other herbal mixtures as a remedy. Somalia's health ministry gives daily updates on coronavirus figures, but it is not clear if its statistics include those from al-Shabab-held areas. When the virus was first detected in Somalia in March, al-Shabab dismissed it as "God's punishment". In April, senior al-Shabab leader and preacher Fuad Shongole,said, God sent the virus to punish the non-Muslims. In April, the group's spokesman, Ali Mohamud Rage also said Covid-19 was a punishment from God on "non-Muslim countries for the injustices and transgressions against Muslims". Al-Shabab is allied to al-Qaeda and has been launching a series of attacks to depose the internationally recognised government based in the capital, Mogadishu. 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 The man accused of shooting and killing a deputy sheriff in Mississippi allegedly while in custody for another crime was captured after a day on the run. Steven Joaquin Blackwell, 22, was taken back into custody Saturday at about 2 p.m., according to Jackson ABC affiliate WAPT. On Friday afternoon, police in Simpson County were called for a report of a police-involved shooting near a Region 8 mental health facility. When officers arrived, they said they found Simpson County Deputy Sheriff James Blair had been shot. Blair was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died. Blair, 77, had been transporting Blackwell, who was in custody for a "chancery court writ," police said. PHOTO: Steven Joaquin Blackwell, 22, is wanted for the fatally shooting a Simpson County Deputy. (Hinds County Sheriff's Office) Chancery Court handles domestic matters, sanity hearings, land records and juvenile matters. Simpson County Sheriff Paul Mullins said at a press conference Friday night that Blackwell was considered armed and dangerous. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co-workers of Simpson County Deputy James Blair following yesterdays tragic incident. We are thankful for his service. May God bring you peace. #officerdown pic.twitter.com/bI9GTYmCQZ Hinds County Sheriff's Office (@CountyHinds) June 13, 2020 Blackwell was last seen wearing only white boxers on Highway 149 near the D'lo Truck Stop in Braxton. He is described by police as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, 175 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. Authorities are asking for anyone with any information about the case to call the sheriff's office at 601-847-2921 or Central Mississippi Crime Stoppers 601-355-TIPS (8477). A Blue Alert has been issued for Steven Joaquin Blackwell 22 Y/O Black Male 5 feet 8 inches tall wanted in connection with an officer involved shooting in Simpson County. The subject is Armed and Dangerous. Do not approach this subject. Call 911 immediately!!!! pic.twitter.com/AFyGg0HwL4 MHP Jackson (@MHPTroopC) June 12, 2020 Blair served in law enforcement for over 50 years and is survived by his wife and grandsons, whom they're raising after his daughter died, according to The Officer Down Memorial Page. Escaped inmate accused of killing sheriff's deputy in Mississippi captured originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Macario Ramirez, who championed the Chicano cause in Houston and whose folk art gallery, Casa Ramirez, has been a decades-long mainstay in the Heights, died Wednesday of a heart condition, his family said. He was 86. Ramirezs store which bills Folk Art, Good Causes and Cultural Traditions on the sign above its door is a centerpiece of the dynamic retail scene on 19th Street. Every autumn, it bursts to life in celebration of the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Ramirez and his wife, Chrissie, erected altars, or ofrendas, that would draw crowds to their storefront. Some of them celebrated legends from Selena to Cesar Chavez, and others marked more personal devotions to an acquaintances recently departed loved one. It was considered an honor to be invited to make an altar at Casa Ramirez, friends said. The couple taught classes for community members and students on how to make the altars and the sugar skulls that go with them. To me, if you look at what the mission of the store was, the way that he had it outlined, it was about art, and it was about culture, and it was about good causes, said Charlotte Aguilar, a longtime friend. I think thats the important part for him Really, he was one of the first people to celebrate the multicultural aspects of Houston and the diversity, and help people understand that was an asset. He manned the store with a twinkle-eyed kindness, according to customers. More than 400 people flooded a Facebook post announcing his death this week with comments of memories and condolences. One called him a beacon of calm and hospitality. Ramirez was born May 29, 1934, in San Antonio, one of six kids reared by Mexican immigrants. He was a seasonal migrant worker as a child, spending summers on farms with his family in Michigan and Wisconsin. In an oral history interview with Texas Christian University, he recalled going to school in the poor neighborhoods of San Antonio and noticing the stark disparity compared to wealthier, whiter parts of the city. It was a combination of good and not good. Not good, because I realized what was wrong with the city at a young age, he said of his childhood. It wasnt a good feeling. That was a down part of growing up in San Antonio, knowing that you had less than what you needed for your family. He excelled in school and earned a degree in political science from St. Marys University, paving an early career in management consulting and working with the federal government. He set up training programs with the Department of Labor in San Antonios West Side barrios. He was then a civilian adviser with the Department of Defense, establishing language programs in South Vietnam during the war, and later in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. In Houston, Ramirez channeled his upbringing in his activism, speaking out for the Hispanic community and protesting for equity in institutions, from Houston Independent School District to the news media. He would call, and I would just go, said Richard Reyes, director of the Talento Bilingue De Houston Center. I would round up the neighborhood, the people I worked with, and we would just go. We trusted him that much. Long after others would acknowledge a lost cause, Aguilar said Ramirez would still venture out and walk with his sign, advocating by himself. In a 2008 interview with La Voz, Ramirez said he considered his activism his greatest accomplishment in life. Although they do not go out on the streets with me when necessary, they come here (to Casa Ramirez) and tell me: Macario, thank you. That has impact, that I am an activist. He opened Casa Ramirez in the 1980s as an ode to his late father, a laborer and jeweler who sold items from a small coffee table that he would set up in the streets of San Antonio. The diversity that Casa Ramirez embodies wasnt always welcome, Aguilar said. When Ramirez first started making ofrendas in the Heights, there was some push-back in the community. They saw the skulls and worried it was a satanic practice, Aguilar said. He educated people and really made them understand, were in the minority of people that view death as an ending, Aguilar said. That was a huge thing that he kept chipping away. The deeply personal altars there were ones devoted to AIDS victims, others to victims of gang violence were the stores greatest draw. One year, a couple decades ago, a young student at nearby Hamilton Middle School was shot to death, Aguilar said. Ramirez invited the family to make an altar, and they gave him the bloodied shirt that the student was wearing when he was killed. A few years ago, he welcomed them back on the shootings 20th anniversary. That was just the kind of thing, where you would be able to celebrate somebody, an idol you had, but you would go in there and learn about something very stark, Aguilar said. Its always been a very powerful, very personal thing. Reyes said he went to the store Saturday, which was open, to help Chrissie make an altar for Ramirez. He started doing it just like Ramirez taught him collecting some favorite items and foods. But Chrissie reminded him they werent doing that yet. When he was alive, Ramirez would often recommend customers wait a year before making an ofrenda. Theres time to celebrate the dead, he would say. But first they must be mourned. This is something I knew as a black man, as a citizen of the United States, that needed to be addressed 30 years ago, but I wasnt in a position to address it, he said Thursday. But now I am, and it needs to be addressed and it appears the timeliness is there. When it was first announced that schools in South Africa would be reopening on June 1, I was gripped by worry like most caregivers. I immediately emailed my childrens school principal with my concerns about my children returning, even though my children are not in grades 12 and 7, which were scheduled to go back first. The children and I have severe chronic rhinitis and a variety of allergies that have had various respiratory consequences over the years. Before we got the medical care that we needed, all of us had been hospitalised at some point and I have had two major surgeries related to this. Over and above that, my grandmother now lives with us. She is over 70 and suffers from hypertension, which puts her in the high-risk category. The principal responded to my concerns in the most empathetic way and suggested that I reach out to our doctor to discuss the issue, also assuring me that we would be able to make a plan for my children to resume their education, whatever happens. While this has been comforting, the children and I are only as safe as our community and society are. We do not live insular lives in which we have no contact with the world outside our home. But most importantly, even if we could somehow live insulated lives, our survival is deeply intertwined with others because of our shared humanity. As places consider when and how to reopen, too frequently it has felt like collective health and care have been reduced to a matter of individual choice, which has also been incentivised by the governments current approach to the crisis. The plan to reopen schools came hot on the heels of warnings from New York and London about children falling severely ill, and even dying, from inflammatory complications possibly linked to COVID-19. News then followed that more than 200 schools in South Korea had to close just one day after reopening, and the reopening of others had to be postponed, following a significant rise in coronavirus infections in the country. Closer to home in the Western Cape, which has the highest number of coronavirus infections and related deaths in South Africa, 32 schools reported that they have COVID-19 cases among their staff days before their scheduled reopening. And over the last few weeks, we have had alarm bells raised about schools not being ready to reopen, from teachers unions and school governing bodies. All these understandably drove the concerns of caregivers about their children returning to school. Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga failed to respond empathetically to these concerns, instead callously telling concerned caregivers that her department is not forcing anything down [their] throats and that they have the option to keep their children at home. But that is no solution. The department should be engaging with caregivers, learners and communities, whose support and confidence is crucial for the success of any plans related to education. Predictably, less than 24 hours before children were meant to go back, the minister released a statement saying the reopening has been postponed to June 8 because a substantial number of schools were not ready to reopen. Eventually, despite continuing concerns and uncertainties, pupils in grades seven and 12 were allowed to return to their classrooms last Monday. Putting the burden on workers Late last month, Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi said employees have a right to refuse to work if they have a reasonable belief that the necessary precautions have not been put in place to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. While this is a welcome policy, it cannot guarantee the safety and financial stability of most workers. Nxesi himself admits that many employers across the country are not doing enough to guarantee the safe return of their employees. Despite the governments reassurances, the workers who decide to stay at home due to safety concerns risk being unlawfully dismissed. While such cases of unlawful dismissal can be referred to the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), it may take a long time for each case to be resolved, given the expected rise in the number of cases that are being referred to the council. Moreover, many workers in South Africa, and especially Black workers, are under increasing pressure to go out and eke out a living amid continuing threats, as they do not have the option to work from home and there is no safety net to keep them financially afloat if they choose not to work. There has also been a significant increase in the prices of basic food items since the beginning of the lockdown, increasing the pressures on many workers to return to work. And all this happens against a backdrop of an exploitative labour market, an unemployment crisis and widespread food precarity that preceded the pandemic. So, instead of leaving it to workers to decide whether they should go back to work, more must be done to enforce employers to take the necessary precautions to guarantee the safety of those they employ. In the face of an invisible virus that renders physical connection a threat, it is tempting to focus on individual safety. Especially as this crisis unfolds in a culture steeped in neoliberalism in which human relations are defined by competition, individualism and instrumentality. But turning to individual solutions will only serve to reinforce a status quo that has created and maintained by rising inequality, heightened authoritarianism, white supremacy, and indeed many of the inequalities that are now being amplified by the pandemic. Fortunately, across the world, we are seeing powerful examples of collective imagination and action at work. In Cape Town, unlikely communities are forming ties to collectively respond to COVID-19. In various cities across the United States thousands have taken to the streets, risking infection, to protest against the state violence inflicted on Black people. In Brazil, reportedly the biggest protest against the Bolsonaro government took place during the lockdown. It is the collective, political imagination of these movements and the many other ways people are both maintaining and forging new connections to each other that we should be drawing inspiration from inspiration to defy a logic that would have us turn towards self-reliance, at a time when it is our interdependence that makes us powerful. Together, we can be powerful enough to not only shelter each other through the current crisis, but also to both imagine and actively build a better world that must come out of this crisis. A just world for which there is no evidence, but yet is possible if fought for, as we have learned from those who came before us who have had to do the same over and over again. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 11:00:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Jiang Li BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- American Broadcasting Company (ABC) News recently cited a new study released on the DASH academic platform of Harvard University to suggest that the coronavirus epidemic might have been spreading as early as August last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Many scientists have quickly come out to dismiss the study. Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization Health Emergencies Program, said Wednesday that the study should not over-interpret the change in the number of cars in those hospital parking lots in Wuhan and associate it with the epidemic. As a matter of fact, the ill-founded study has gone far beyond simply over interpreting its limited findings. For starters, this highly prejudiced study has, intentionally or not, become an accomplice in a vicious campaign to smear and scapegoat China waged by a handful of people in the United States. Already, this study has been widely exploited by some U.S. politicians and media outlets as a new evidence to prove China's lack of transparency in the epidemic. And it seemed that those who worked on the study already jumped to their conclusion even before the project began. Also, the research paper, which has merely drawn its conclusion from several satellite images and internet search queries, is filled with loopholes and factual errors, and is in no way to match the criterions required in a serious academic research. One is that the DASH academic platform is only an open database to collect research materials of Harvard's research faculties, not peer-reviewed journals. Thus, this very study is more of a post in a public cyber chat-room, and is far from representing the academic standards of the Harvard Medical School. Moreover, one of the authors of the research also contributed to the ABC News story exclusively reporting the study. This "coincidence" has raised doubts over the intention behind the coverage. What is also absurd is one key evidence the study has used to prove its case. The paper tried to argue its point by evoking the search volumes of "coughs" and "diarrhea" in September 2019 on Baidu, a Chinese search engine. Yet other researches have found out that the internet search increases of those two key words in the same month of 2017 and 2018 both surpassed that of September last year. By their ridiculous logic, the COVID-19 pandemic might have broken out many years ago. Perhaps the most harmful aspect of the study is that it has touted false information to the public, and spread "paperdemic" amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when disinformation can be even more lethal than the virus itself. A Reuters report recently argued that "while speedy scientific analysis is highly useful if it's good, flawed or misleading science can sow panic and may make a disease epidemic worse by prompting false policy moves or encouraging risky behaviour." Right now, the deadly pathogen has already infected more than 7.6 million people and claimed the lives of over 420,000 worldwide. This is a moment when scientists and academic researchers should treat their professions in a prudent manner, and use their expertise to help vanquish the disease as early as possible. Any act of "paperdemic" like this so-called Harvard study will only be an insult to science and a shame for the researchers themselves. Enditem China Insider: Chinese Investors Arrested for Protesting Against FinTech Company Multi-Billion Scam Honest News Straight to Your Home. Try the Epoch Times yourself, and get a free gift. On June 5th, victims of the NCF Group scam protested in front of the Xinhua Center in Shanghai, were violently dispersed by the police. / Backed by many CCP officials, NCF Group a subsidiary of Chinas UCF Holdings Group remains scot-free, even though the fraud bilked more than $10 Billion from investors. / Investors from all over the country have been trying to take legal action, yet no police authority is willing to file a case. 00:42 China FinTech Scam Victims Violently Dispersed and Arrested 05:41 Poor Quality Masks Led to Massive Price Drop of Raw Materials in China 11:41 Chinese Yuan Registers Lowest Value in History 13:22 Chinese Residents: CCP Took No Action in Disaster Relief 18:00 Sign the Petition at Reject CCP: rejectccp.com #CCPvirus #Wuhan #COVID-19 #Coronavirus Sign the Petition to Investigate, Condemn, and Reject the Chinese Communist Party https://rejectccp.com China Insider Jun 13 Thanks for joining us Livestream will begin shortly A fathers equation with his daughter is considered to be one of the most cherished bonds, and actor Kunal Kemmu feels extremely lucky to be a "pappa" to two-year-old Inaaya. In an interview with IANS, the actor spoke about his bond with his little girl and the concept of parenting during the coronavirus pandemic. "Inaaya is the best thing that ever happened to me. Every day she brings a lot of positivity and happiness in Soha's and my lives. She's the one who helped me to survive this lockdown in the most positive manner. She has brought routine in our lives. "She wakes up early, so we also have to wake up early and spend our day according to her routine. We have become more disciplined because of her. I am loving this fatherhood phase," Kunal expressed. Kunal also shared how his daughter has somehow understood the ongoing health crisis. "She is very small to understand the ongoing pandemic but, yes, she knows that something is not right. So when I asked her why can't we go out, she cutely responded saying, 'pappa coronavirus is there'. Soha and I have been trying our best to entertain her and keep her busy. We play, dance, sing and paint with her. We have been together with Inaaya all the time during the lockdown, so she also does not complain about not being able to go to park or play with her friends." Speaking of Kunal's work projects, he was last seen in Mohit Suri's thriller "Malang". In the film, Kunal came out as a surprise package and stunned everyone with his dark side as a villainous cop, Michael Rodrigues. He is now awaiting the release of his film "Lootcase" and the second season of his web show "Abhay". "I am grateful to be in a position to have a film like 'Malang' in my career. The way audience appreciated my role and gave me so much love, I could not have asked for more. I just want to explore new characters with each film. I don't want to limit and restrict myself. I have always wanted to become a versatile actor," Kunal added. Follow @News18Movies for more Popocatepetl volcano news & eruption update Background: Volcan Popocatepetl, whose name is the Aztec word for smoking mountain, towers to 5426 m 70 km SE of Mexico City to form North America's 2nd-highest volcano. The glacier-clad stratovolcano contains a steep-walled, 250-450 m deep crater. The generally symmetrical volcano is modified by the sharp-peaked Ventorrillo on the NW, a remnant of an earlier volcano. At least three previous major cones were destroyed by gravitational failure during the Pleistocene, producing massive debris-avalanche deposits covering broad areas south of the volcano. The modern volcano was constructed to the south of the late-Pleistocene to Holocene El Fraile cone. Three major plinian eruptions, the most recent of which took place about 800 AD, have occurred from Popocatepetl since the mid Holocene, accompanied by pyroclastic flows and voluminous lahars that swept basins below the volcano. Frequent historical eruptions, first recorded in Aztec codices, have occurred since precolumbian time. --- Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution - Popocatepetl information Kate Middleton has been a subject of pregnancy rumors since she married Prince William. Although the Duchess of Cambridge already have three adorable children, people are yearning to see more cuties from the royal couple. A new story saying Kate Middleton is pregnant was relesed on a tabloid, bringing joy and cheers from her followers. Woman's Day magazine started the rumor about Middleton's pregnancy saying that she was seen "sneaking into a London hospital" with her husband. The report also added that said doctor's visit is a pre-announcement checkup. Of course, the first person to know about alleged pregnancy is Queen Elizabeth. The royal pair was said to have visited her to reveal the good news. According to the report, the baby is a girl. It said that Kate is very happy to create a balance in her family by having two boys and two girls. The source said that despite having hard pregnancies, Kate is willing to have another baby since it is her dream to emulate the Queen. The suspicious publication also said, "William is just beside himself. He's so proud of his family and what Kate's given him. He's fussing over her as usual, but it's so nice to see him soften." Although the baby news would be great, this is a false story. Kate has been seen in public in many instances but she doesn't have a baby bump. Gossip Cop debukned this rumor calling the story "nonsensical." The debunking website also pointed out that Woman's Today has released other fake articles about the royals involving Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Also Read: Stepping Down the Royal Family Saved Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Marriage Latest Video Message from Kate In a video, Kate encouraged UK citizens to join her "Hold Still" virtual photo exbihit which will showcase the UK during the pandemic. It is a given fact that the world has seemingly stopped due to the virus spread since everyone needs to stay indoors. According to Hapers Bazaar, over 12,000 photos was already submitted for the project. Kate will be selecting 100 images that will be part of the exhibition with National Portrait Gallery. Related Article: Kate Middleton Furious! Tabloid Reports False News About Duchess' Attitude, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Da 5 Bloods Director - Spike Lee Cast - Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Chadwick Boseman, Jonathan Majors, Jean Reno In Da 5 Bloods, director Spike Lee attempts to unpack the entire history of the black American wartime experience from honouring the first black man who died fighting for a country that didnt fight back for him, to something as urgent as the murder of George Floyd. This isnt an easy task, but Da 5 Bloods, out on Netflix, isnt a straightforward film. Its story spans decades, and sends four black Vietnam veterans back to their old battleground in a quest to locate and repatriate the remains of their commander, who was killed in combat. But the bloods have an ulterior motive, too. During one of their skirmishes in the war, they came across a stash of gold, which they promptly hid. Now, years later, each of them damaged in their own way while one of them is broke, another is riddled with PTSD they decide to combine their rescue mission with a treasure hunt. Watch the trailer for Da 5 Bloods here On paper, that premise would probably remind you of The Treasure of Sierra Madre. But what Lee is trying to do here is to re-contexualise the war movie and popular cinema from a black perspective. Indeed, the original script by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo called for white soldiers to return to Vietnam. But Lee and his BlackKklansman collaborator Kevin Willmott subsequently performed a rewrite and retooled Da 5 Bloods into what is unmistakably a Spike Lee joint. Despite laying down their lives for America, in war after war, black people find no representation in movies about those wars. Some years ago, Lee publicly criticised filmmaker Clint Eastwood for completely ignoring the contribution of black soldiers in his back-to-back World War 2 movies, Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, which were released in 2006. Almost as a retort, Lee released the first war film of his career, Miracle at St Anna, in 2008, and arranged for a print to be sent to Eastwood. Da 5 Bloods is his retort to decades of Hollywood storytelling from a white perspective. Lee is snatching the narrative away from the powerful white men in charge of shaping it, and rewriting it methodically, patiently, and furiously. Jonathan Majors, Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis and Isiah Whitlock Jr in a still from Spike Lees Da 5 Bloods. (DAVID LEE/NETFLIX) Some of his tricks are downright petty, but glorious to behold. Take, for instance, his reprisal of the Ride of the Valkyries, perhaps the most popular piece of music to be associated with the Vietnam War, iconic for its emphatic use in director Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now. In Da 5 Bloods, the same bombastic song plays not when white American soldiers are going to decimate an entire village, but when a bunch of out-of-shape, middle-aged black men are gliding glacially down a stream. Lees big stylistic flourish in Da 5 Bloods, however, is to fiddle around with aspect ratios and film formats in the flashback sequences. Paired with his ingenious idea to retain his older central cast for these sequences, Lee achieves something quite special. By capturing the war scenes in 16 mm (as opposed to large format digital cinematography for the present-day sequences), and framing them in a 4:3 aspect ratio, Lee instantly evokes memories of the Vietnam War, as it was televised back in the day. These are not just his memories, the filmmaker seems to be saying, but the audiences as well. Were in this together. And none of those memories likely involve black people. Theyve been left to struggle alone; ignored, written out of the story. Necessity is the mother of invention they say, and perhaps because Lee couldnt afford to digitally de-age his characters in the manner that Martin Scorsese did in The Irishman, he leaves them cosmetically untouched in the flashbacks no de-ageing makeup, no visual effects. Theyre simply old men, whove reinserted themselves into the past. But one of them is stuck in time. Chadwick Boseman plays the fifth blood, the fallen Stormin Norman, opposite a central cast that includes veteran character actors Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Norm is described by his old friends as our Malcolm and our Martin it was Norm who suggested that they use the discovered treasure to help their community back home; to treat it as the reparations that they are owed. And Boseman delivers a performance befitting a movie star. One brief shot in particular, in which Lees camera tracks the Black Panther actor as he fires a rifle into the trees, wouldve surely elicited whoops among the crowd had the movie been released in theatres. Chadwick Boseman in a flashback scene from Spike Lees Da 5 Bloods. But standing tall, and almost as isolated from the rest of the cast as his character, is Lindos performance as the PTSD-ridden Paul. Hes the only member of the bloods who voted for Donald Trump, and proudly wears a Make America Great Again hat. Its just one of the many ways that Paul has chosen to lash out at a world he feels has let him down. Lee said in an interview that Lindo would immediately take the hat off the second he called cut. While the rest of the bloods have moved on from their traumatic past in one way or another, Paul is the only one still struggling with it. Hes the wildcard, and several of his scenes are among the best in the film. One, towards the end of the movie, in which he delivers a monologue directly into the camera his eyes manic with decades of exploding energy as he preaches the Gospel of Spike Lee is a sight to behold. Also read: When They See Us review: Netflix and Ava DuVernay are doing the Lords work With two-and-a-half hours to work with, the legendary filmmaker not only addresses pertinent themes like the idea of the oppressed turning into the oppressor, and the sheer urgency of resisting Trump, but also finds time to insert all his directorial trademarks the double-dolly shot, the quick-cutting hugs, and that intense fourth wall-breaking monologue. Da 5 Bloods couldnt have been more timely, with its quick postscript that honours the Black Lives Matter movement, and the overwhelming sense of pride that it exudes. Every time a black person of significance is mentioned in conversation, Lee cuts to either archive footage or still photographs of them, in a way inspiring himself and his characters as they go along on their majestic mission. But this timeliness is a part of the tragedy that the film is trying to address. As long as the blood of minorities across the world continues to be spilled, stories such as this will always be relevant. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar MarCom Collective assigns Ernst & Young to study industrys economic significance View(s): The MarCom Collective has commissioned Ernst and Young Sri Lanka (EYSL) to undertake a comprehensive study on the countrys marketing communications industry and its contribution to the Sri Lankan economy. The Collective is a group of associations, businesses and professionals from the marketing and advertising industry that came together following the crippling impact of COVID-19, it said in a media release. The sector comprises a diverse range of businesses connected to marketing communications including Advertising, Market Research, Event Productions, Photography, Video and Audio Productions, Media Planning, Digital, Public Relations, Outdoor Advertising, Tele / Broadcast Media (TV, Print, Radio and on-line media), Activations and Printing and Packaging. Following the lockdown, the MarCom Collective conducted an initial survey of all businesses connected to advertising and promotions and received responses from 659 organisations from across 12 sectors. The Collective believes that this sample could be underrepresented and only accounts for about 50 per cent to 60 per cent. Post this survey, it commissioned EYSL to gain deeper understanding of the industry which is in urgent need of recovery and critical to the countrys economic revival, the release said. The Collective seeks to ascertain the value of the industry in terms of revenue generated and employment offered. Benchmarking the industry against other key industries to value its contribution to the local economy, it will also shed light on the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the sector. The added perspective offered by this study will help the industry better engage with key stakeholders including the government. We started our financial year with the Easter Sunday bombings and ended the year with COVID-19. The last quarter of 2019 / 20 saw an average decline as much as 50 per cent of revenue over the same quarter of the previous year. The prospects for the forthcoming financial year are also uncertain with a new world to contend with. With bulk of our costs being fixed in nature, we have little leeway to manage, unless we all decide to downsize our operations, which would be detrimental to the economy and also lead to other social issues. We want to avoid this, as the MARCOM industry has a pivotal role to play in stimulating demand, towards reviving our economy, said Roshani Fernando, President Market Research Society of Sri Lanka and Partner Quantum Consumer Solutions. Following the 8-week deep dive, EYSL will work alongside the MarCom Collective to develop a roadmap to strengthen the industry and identify areas in which it can support the governments efforts to rebuild the economy. In reaction to the current climate, consumers values are shifting with strong motivations to protect family, employees, customers, and the community. To get the economy moving we need to galvanise demand around these changing consumer values and motivations. In this context the Marketing and Communication industry has a pivotal role to play in steering society and the commercial world from the now to the new normal and beyond. We are excited about the prospect of providing the required impetus by partnering the MarCom Collective to conduct a comprehensive study on the sector and to develop a roadmap for the revival of the industry, said Arjuna Herath, Senior Partner and Head of Advisory, Ernst & Young, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Any Democratic aspirant, John F. Kennedy said when he announced his presidential candidacy 60 years ago, should be willing to submit to the voters his views, record and competence in a series of primary contests. Nothing in Kennedys words would seem strange today; Americans vote for president by first voting for party nominees. But in 1960, his declaration was historic. For more than 120 years, national political conventions were where governors, mayors, members of Congress and their cronies gathered to negotiate policy and cut deals while knitting together presidential ticketswithout much direct input from the public. Primaries had been an innovation of the Progressive Era, but remained relatively rare through most of the early 20th century. In 1920, for example, just 18 states held contested Republican primaries, and Sen. Warren Harding won only his native state of Ohio. But as Hardings campaign manager, Harry Daugherty, explained, it was the party insiders who really mattered. About 11 minutes after 2 on Friday morning of the [Republican] convention, Daugherty told reporters, when 15 or 20 men, bleary-eyed and perspiring profusely from the heat, are sitting around the table, some of them will say: Who will we nominate? At that decisive time, Daugherty added, the friends of Sen. Harding can suggest him and afford to abide by the result. I dont know but ... I might suggest him myself. Harding was in fact nominated that year, on the 10th ballot, after GOP leaders literally met in a smoke-filled room at Chicagos Blackstone Hotel and settled on him as a compromise candidate. Thats how things worked: Party leaders like governors, senators and big-city mayors controlled convention delegates. And successful candidates were typically officeholders from large states who spent years working their way through party machinery and building networks of regional alliances before emerging as potential nominees. On Jan. 2, 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy formally announces at a news conference in Washington that he is a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Eventually, the rise of mass communications and transportation made it much easier for politicians to build support beyond their local bases. And as Americans grew more prosperous and educated, especially after World War II, voters began to shake off the political influence of big-city bosses. A few ambitious and prescient candidates sensed these trends and ran for president while circumventing party insiders. Story continues But no full-blown outsider succeeded until Kennedy. When JFK announced he was running for president in 1960, he didnt have the support of a single major Democratic constituency or interest group. Organized labor and civil rights organizations backed Sen. Hubert Humphrey, a redoubtable liberal from Minnesota. White-collar liberals, including Eleanor Roosevelt, adored Adlai Stevenson, the intellectual former governor of Illinois who had lost presidential races to Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956. Congressional Democrats and many Southerners favored Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson. Harry Truman, the most recent Democratic president, was for Sen. Stuart Symington, who shared his home state of Missouri. It was easy for party elders to see Kennedy as little more than a collection of downsides: an absurdly young millionaire playboy Roman Catholic junior senator. In addition to his familys money, however, Kennedy had one great asset: himself. Before he formally launched his candidacy, Kennedy spent nearly five years developing a national campaign. Through harnessing volunteers, consolidating his local political base, delivering speeches around the country, publishing a hit book and magazine articles and making television appearances, Kennedy did everything he could to build, in todays terms, a powerful personal brand. He attained a level of celebrity matched by few Americans, inside or outside of politics. He put it to the test in a series of primaries. And he wielded his victories as a giant magnet, pulling old-guard Democrats looking to support a winner into line. By the time JFK gave his acceptance speech calling on citizens to face the challenges of the New Frontier at the 1960 Democratic convention, he had already kicked the struts out from a power structure that didnt realize how close it was to collapse. Kennedy forever changed the presidential nominating systemprobably his least-understood significant political accomplishment. Afterward, as American politics accelerated its shift toward equating legitimacy with popularity, primaries and caucuses effectively took the place of successive rounds of convention ballots. Establishment favorites, like Walter Mondale in 1984 or Mitt Romney in 2012or Joe Biden this yearwould have to slug it out in the field with insurgent opponents to demonstrate they deserved nomination. When competitors offered starkly different visions for their party, as George W. Bush and John McCain did in 2000, it was voters who would decide which prevailed. Relatively little-known but talented candidates, like Bill Clinton in 1992 or Barack Obama in 2008, could build name recognition and support through early state wins. And with the brakes off, parties would follow their bandwagons, wherever they led. As one candidate described the modernized nominating standard: Our campaign received more primary votes than any GOP campaign in history. No matter who it is, no matter who they are, we received more votes. The only way you could have done it. That winner was Donald Trump. Galling as it may be to many JFK fans, Trump won by applying a lesson that Kennedy was the first to learn and exploit: Presidential nominations are now popularity contests. John F. Kennedy first ran for public office in 1946, the year after World War II ended, with the slogan: The New Generation Offers a Leader. He realized, earlier and better than his political rivals, that the war was the defining experience of young adults born in the 20th century. Sixteen million Americans had shared military service and defeated fascism, and were ready to take on new challenges, from raising families to rebuilding Europe and Japan to launching rockets that could reach space. Kennedy spoke to them in a pragmatic liberalism that was shaped by that service. Most of the courage shown in the war came from mens understanding of their interdependence on each other, he said in that 1946 congressional campaign. We must have the unity we had during the war. Kennedy served three terms in the House of Representatives, then won election to the U.S. Senate in 1952. But before he could advance his ambitions for national office, he had to overcome two serious obstacles. One was his health. For most of his adult life, JFK was far sicker than he ever let on. He had Addisons disease, a degeneration of the adrenal glands whose diagnosis was usually fatal until doctors discovered in the 1940s that it was treatable with cortisone. Kennedy was also wracked by agonizing back pain, which continued after he had a herniated disc removed in 1944. He suffered from allergies, digestive issues and venereal disease. As Robert Kennedy once joked to a friend, If a mosquito bites my brother, the mosquito dies. Forced to use crutches during and after his 1952 Senate campaign, Jack Kennedy decided to risk spinal fusion surgery in October 1954 rather than continue hobbling through crippling discomfort. His resistance reduced by his adrenal insufficiency, Kennedy contracted an infection that nearly killed him. He received the last rites of the Catholic Church twice, needed a second operation the following February and wasnt able to return to the Senate until May 1955. During his protracted recovery, however, while he was often barely able to move, Kennedy finished work on a task that would mark him as someone special in the national consciousness: Profiles in Courage, a book that detailed critical events in the lives of eight U.S. senators who risked (and sometimes lost) their careers to stand for what they believed was right. At various points in his research, Kennedy wrote on a board while lying flat; at others, he dictated to stenographers brought to him by his tireless aide Ted Sorensen. The final result, which owed at least as much to Sorensen as JFK, was a bestseller in 1956, quickly finding a sweet spot with a reading public interested in both history and aspirational stories. Profiles in Courage then won the Pulitzer Prize for biography. And rather suddenly, to Americans of any political stripe, Kennedy wasnt just a good-looking war hero and young father, but also a public intellectual. To go national, Kennedy also had to master the politics of his own backyard. From the days of his earliest campaigns, Kennedy strove to keep his own burgeoning organization apart from the patronage-driven bosses who ran Democratic politics in Massachusetts. Men like House Majority Leader John McCormack of Boston, who was personally a quiet and polite man, but whose brother Edward, nicknamed Knocko, was a 300-pound bootlegger-turned-barkeeper and bookmaker who intimidated opponents on his brothers behalf. Or William Onions Burke, a fleshy, flashy farmer and tavern owner whom McCormack installed as state Democratic chairman. JFK wanted to make a generational break from shabby Irish Catholic pols, not to tangle with them. And for a while, he and the machines coexisted. But in the spring of 1956, after Kennedy, then a U.S. senator, had already endorsed Stevensons bid for a second Democratic presidential nomination, the conservative Boston Post encouraged readers to vote for McCormack as a favorite son in the Massachusetts primary. After McCormack crushed Stevenson by more than a dozen percentage points, Burke let loose. Anybody whos for Stevenson, he said, ought to be down at Princeton listening to Alger Hiss, referring to the accused spy and convicted perjurer who had just been released from prison and given a talk at his alma mater. To anybody attuned to political insult, the chairman of the state party had pegged its U.S. senator as a communist sympathizer, if not a traitor. JFKs response was straightforward: He would destroy Onions Burke. Gunning for Burkes ouster as state party chairman, Kennedy had his staff spend the next three weeks researching the personal lives and habits of each of the 80 members of the Massachusetts Democratic state committee. The senator visited dozens of them to lobby for Burkes replacement, and the battle quickly became what Kennedy called a brawl of monumental proportions. His foes, who initially held an edge in committee votes, loudly accused him of bribery and job-trading. And when he met Burke for breakfast and suggested the chairman resign, Burke responded by saying that if Kennedy tried to take him down, JFK would have his brains knocked out. Jacqueline Kennedy remembered this fight as the only time she saw her husband really nervous, and it climaxed at the state convention in Boston on May 19, 1956. Burke, Knocko McCormack and their pals barreled out of an elevator at the Hotel Bradford and stormed past off-duty cops hired by the Kennedy team, into the room where Democratic committee members were gathered. The two candidates for state chairman almost settled matters by fistfight, said JFK aide Larry OBrien. There was shouting and confusion, and as the roll call began, one member whod gotten drunk attempted to vote twice. President Harry Truman and Rep. John W. McCormack (D-Mass) (center) discuss a report on Dorchester, Massachusetts plan to lower prices, April 11, 1949 in Washington. With the senator waiting anxiously in a suite upstairs, his forces prevailed. A Kennedy man became chairman, meaning JFK would control the state party and the Massachusetts delegation at national conventions in 1956 and beyond. Today, the whole episode is hardly part of the JFK legend. To the extent historians bring it up at all, its to show how Kennedy proved he could get down and dirty and battle street-level pols on their own turf. But its likely that Kennedy himself took another lesson, just as critical: He should never have allowed McCormack to win the Massachusetts primary in the first place. Letting a powerful rival gain that kind of public edge had empowered McCormacks ally Burke, and drawn Kennedy into a fight he couldnt afford to lose. Ever afterward, as JFK relentlessly built his own celebrity, he would use his own popularity to intimidate opponents, and never again permit the reverse. Eventually, the alternate organization he assembled became a new Democratic machine, at least in Massachusetts, based less on old forms of patronage and more on his own appeal. As the 1956 Democratic national convention approached, Kennedy began generating serious buzz as a potential running mate for Stevenson. JFK was intrigued enough that he had Sorensen compile and leak a 16-page memo arguing that putting a Catholic on the ticket could be a net gain for the Democrats, by helping to win back some of the millions of urban and suburban voters who had abandoned the party for Eisenhower. But the politics of religion were complicated. Only once had a Catholic ever run for national office: former New York Gov. Al Smith, who was crushed by Herbert Hoover in the 1928 presidential race. Many ProtestantsSouthern evangelicals as well as liberal intellectualsstill believed the Vatican would influence or even control a Catholic president, and surveys showed 25 percent of Americans wouldnt vote for a Catholic candidate. So Kennedy let slip his interest in the vice presidency, but he was very wary of doing or saying anything that might suggest he would try to appeal to Catholics as a bloc. As he later wrote to Sorensen: The question is how many will vote for Kennedy, who among other things, seems to be a Catholic. Once we get into the argument about there being a Catholic vote we are on very treacherous grounds indeed. The answer extended Kennedys demolition of the Boston Irish stereotypes embodied by Onions Burke and Knocko McCormack: JFK would transcend tribal identities by running as a star. Kennedy impressed national television audiences twice at the 1956 convention: He narrated a documentary history of the Democratic Party, and he gave Stevensons nominating speech. Stevenson, not the most decisive of politicians, then jolted the proceedings by announcing he would leave the choice of his running mate to the delegates. For the next 12 frenzied hours, half a dozen Democratic rivals worked to whip up support, genuinely unsure what the results would be. That was barely enough time to get Kennedy for Vice President banners printed. And the following night, Sen. Estes Kefauver, a Tennessee populist who had run against Stevenson in the primaries and who was better organized for such a fight, narrowly beat JFK for the VP slot. Kennedy won by losing in 1956, as former Boston Globe columnists Thomas Oliphant and Curtis Wilkie have written. For one thing, he didnt land on a ticket that won just seven states in November. More important, the brief, intense battle showed JFK that inside the Democratic Party, while some influential governors, mayors and congressmen were anti-Catholic, others simply worried that religion would prove to be a losing issue. Still others who were Catholic themselves were eyeing their own runs for higher office and didnt want any co-religionist to short-circuit their plans. But all of them shared one ambition: staying in power. And they would support whatever national candidates would get them and their local allies the most votes in November. Kennedy intimates Kenneth ODonnell and David Powers explained the lessons they learned: Whether or not John J. Smith will make a good president or vice president is beside the point. Will his name on the ticket help Joe Blow, my candidate for governor in Maryland or North Dakota? And that meant there was no reason to wait for an even bigger prize. I learned, JFK said three weeks after the convention, that it should be as easy to get the nomination for president as it was for vice president. Kennedy made more than 150 speeches in 24 states over the six weeks following the 1956 convention, working for the Democratic ticketand building his own connections to voters and politicians around the country. When Stevenson lost to Eisenhower by an even bigger margin than he had in 1952, nobody blamed Kennedy, whose popularity just kept growing, and who never really stopped campaigning. In 1957, JFK was on the cover of Life in March and Time in December. The educational TV program Omnibus dedicated an episode to Profiles in Courage in February, while an ABC show called Navy Log dramatized Kennedys PT-109 heroics in October. Kennedy gained a seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee andastonishingly, to his Irish Catholic family and friendsthe Harvard Board of Overseers. He got invitations to more than 2,500 speaking engagements that year, and accepted nearly 150 of themnot including campaign speeches around Massachusetts, where he was up for reelection in 1958. For that Senate campaign, Kennedy left no stone unturned even though he was a prohibitive favorite. He started early, blanketed the state with reports of what he was accomplishing for Massachusetts, spent nearly every weekend talking to local groups and cultivated Republican-tilting newspapers. He deployed his personal political organization, where top supporters in every city or town were called secretaries, to drive up turnout among independents as well as traditional Democrats. And he won reelection with more than 73 percent of the vote; his 873,000-vote margin was the biggest in the country in 1958, and in the history of Massachusetts. Kennedys Senate reelection bid was nearly round-the-clock, media-savvy and centered on the candidate, not his partyrunning alone, said historian James MacGregor Burns. Burns didnt mean that as a compliment, but it accurately described Kennedys template. And as it became clear he was aiming even higher, JFK and his brother and campaign manager Robert added three more innovations, essentially creating the modern presidential campaign. For one thing, with Sorensens help, Kennedy landed appearances and bylines not just in policy journals like Foreign Affairs, but also in magazines that werent conventionally political at all, like Redbook and Living for Young Homemakers. This was part of his political marketinga tactic that was still in its infancy, and that some candidates still dismissed. Stevenson, for example, had complained in 1952 that the idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal is the ultimate indignity to the democratic process. In contrast, Joe Kennedy Sr. said about his son: Well sell him like soap flakes. For another, in December 1958, Sorensen met with Louis Harris, one of the nations top pollsters, and soon afterward, Kennedy guaranteed Harris $100,000 for political surveys and analysis. While some savvy earlier politicians had used polls to gauge their standing with voters, JFK and his advisers took opinion research to another level. Harris took 66 polls for Kennedy during the 1960 campaign. And his reports offered more than horse-race snapshots: They guided JFK toward issues, such as support for Medicare, that primed his image as a forward-looking candidate. (Wild but true: Richard Nixon, who was Eisenhowers vice president, also relied on polls, and before he and Kennedy were opponents, their two staffs occasionally and secretly traded data.) Finally, in 1959, the still-unofficial Kennedy campaign took over a private jet Joe Kennedy had bought. Jack Kennedy named the twin-engine Convair after his newborn daughter Caroline, and the plane made it much easier to travel long distances. So JFK was able to spend even more time hopping from state to state, rather than crafting legislation or attending hearings, in utter contrast to rivals who were also senators, like Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey. (Kennedy missed 93 of the 117 meetings the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee held in 1959.) By the turn of the decade, through remarkable charm, hard work in precincts all around the country beyond Washington, D.C., a feel for where the nation was heading and boatloads of cash, Kennedy had amassed widespread popularity and established connections with local Democratic networks, yet owed virtually nothing to the national party or its chieftains. This seemed an optimal combinationyet JFK understood it could all mean nothing unless he could demonstrate its power. If he swept the primaries, as Sorensen wrote later. Only in this way could [Kennedy] demonstrate his electability, prove that a Catholic could win, scatter the favorite-son candidates, pick up a bloc of committed delegates and knock one or more competitors completely out of the race. A few earlier candidates had tried to wrest presidential nominations by appealing directly to public opinion. In 1912, former President Theodore Roosevelt turned on his successor and battled William Howard Taft for the Republican nomination. Primaries were just coming into vogue, and of the 13 he entered, Roosevelt won nine. But Taft kept his grip on state conventions where local leaders chose delegates, and repelled the challenge. In the spring of 1940, businessman Wendell Willkie registered at just 3 percent among Republican voters in the Gallup poll. But as Nazi armies stormed across Western Europe, the internationalist Willkie made a string of high-profile speeches, launched a heavy advertising campaign and gained the support of important media outlets, such as Time, Look and the Saturday Evening Post. Willkie figured out how to use magazines as well as radio to his advantagehe even appeared on Information Please, the Jeopardy! of its day (and he did well)and rode his rising profile to the GOP nomination. But he lost the general election to Franklin Roosevelt. In 1952, Sen. Kefauver, who made a national name for himself by holding anti-corruption and antitrust hearings, beat President Harry Truman in the New Hampshire primary, after which Truman announced he wouldnt run for a third term. Kefauver, who campaigned in a coonskin cap and sometimes on a dogsled, won most of the primaries that year, but Adlai Stevenson, who hadnt even run in the primaries, gained the Democratic nomination anyway, because Truman and other party leaders backed him. In 1956, both men tried again. And even though the bosses still hated Kefauver, they couldnt simply block him. By then, American politics had evolved to the point where a candidate had to show strong public support for his nomination to be acceptable. Stevenson was compelled to enter the primaries, where he won a majority of votes. By 1960, party leaders were more susceptible to public opinion than in Teddy Roosevelts day. And Kennedy was more popular than either Willkie or Kefauver were when they launched their bids. JFK planned to exploit both sides of that equation, becoming, as he put it, a total politician. Privately, Kennedy would use his popularity to pressure insiders into supporting him. And publicly, he would keep building that popularity through primary wins. His first major triumph came after a secret winter meeting at a Pittsburgh motel with Ohio Gov. Mike DiSalle, a Catholic who had toyed with backing another Democrat or running for the nomination just to keep hold of Ohios delegates. Kennedy bulldozed DiSalle by telling him that unless DiSalle endorsed him, he would enter the Ohio primary himselfand he shared a batch of Harris polls predicting Kennedy would beat DiSalle in the governors own backyard. DiSalle gave in, and in January 1960, he became the first big-state leader to throw his support to JFK. (When DiSalle died in 1981, the first line in his New York Times obituary called him a champion of the Kennedy political fortunes.) Kennedys most important primary contests were two now-famous battles with Humphrey. In Wisconsin, Humphrey, an ally of farmers who was from the neighboring state of Minnesota, was like a third senator. But he was soon overwhelmed by Kennedy surrogates and Kennedy money. I feel, he said, like an independent merchant competing against a chain store. On April 5, Kennedy won 56 percent of the primary votethough Humphrey carried four of Wisconsins 10 congressional districts, and his supporters were able to claim his loss reflected a Catholic-Protestant split in the electorate. Sen. John F. Kennedy, left, is accompanied by his West Virginia campaign chairman, State Senator Ward Wylie, center, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., right, as he tours Mullens, W. Va., during his bid for presidency, April 27, 1960. Thus Kennedy was forced to proceed to West Virginia, whose population was 95-percent Protestant. Humphrey was backed by John L. Lewis, the revered leader of the United Mine Workers; JFK got the endorsement of Franklin Roosevelt Jr. (The Kennedy campaign even had Roosevelts letters of support postmarked in Hyde Park, N.Y., birthplace of FDR, who had died 15 years earlier.) Humphrey unsubtly chose Give Me That Old-Time Religion as his campaign song, and Kennedys polls showed wildly fluctuating results. But JFK had far more money for TV advertising, bested Humphrey in their televised debate, and found West Virginia voters willing to give him a hearing. Nobody asked me if I was a Catholic when I joined the United States Navy, he said at a rally in Morgantown, directly confronting the religious issue for the first timeand the crowd seemed impressed. On May 10, Kennedy crushed Humphrey, 61 percent to 39 percent, in the primary. Meanwhile, Kennedys other potential opponentsJohnson, Stevenson, Symingtonstayed out of the fray, hoping he would stumble and they could broker deals for the nomination. Kennedy foresaw this development even as he considered it fatal for their chances. If the voters dont love them in March, April or May, they wont love them in November, he said on the campaign trail. And Democratic voters did love Kennedy. He rolled up huge totals as a write-in candidate in Illinois (65 percent) and Pennsylvania (71 percent) without even campaigning in either state. He got 81 percent of the vote running against two local candidates in Indiana. On the same day as West Virginia, he gained 89 percent in Nebraska, which was contested only by Symington. A week later, he collected almost four times as many votes as Sen. Wayne Morse in Maryland. And on May 24 in Oregon, he had to face Johnson, Humphrey, Symington and favorite-son Morse, all on the ballot because that state uniquely required all candidates to be listed, whether or not they formally entered the primary. Kennedy won a 51-percent majority. Kennedys primary wins shattered doubts about his electability. National polls that included all potential candidates had shown Kennedy and Stevenson running neck and neck among Democrats throughout 1959, but by the end of May 1960, JFK had built a 2-to-1 lead. And local Democratic leaders began to line up for him, one after another. On May 15, Carmine DeSapio, who ran the Tammany Hall machine in New York City, threw his support to JFK. In Michigan, polls showed Kennedy with more support than all other Democratic candidates combined, and on June 2, its governor, G. Mennen Williams, pledged 42 of his states 51 convention delegates to Kennedy. JFK and his inner circle took particular pleasure in corralling the support of Pennsylvania Gov. David Lawrence, a Catholic who firmly believed the country at large would not tolerate a Catholic president. Kennedys massive write-in showing and endorsements from party officials in Philadelphia forced Lawrence to realize that whatever he said, his states delegates were going to vote for JFK. So just before the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in July, he hopped aboard, announcing that it would be running against public sentiment if we didnt support Kennedy. When Stevenson finally decided, at the convention, to throw his hat in the ring, he asked Chicago Mayor Richard Daley how much help he could get in their home state. Governor, youre going to look foolish running for this nomination, because youll get no support from Illinois, Daley replied, according to ODonnell and Powers. These delegates werent for you in 1956, either, but I made them vote for you then. I cant do that again. After Stevensons name was put up for nomination, the convention delegates went crazy, cheering, chanting and stomping for nearly half an hour for the man who had twice taken on the phenomenally popular Eisenhower. But their support was almost entirely sentimental. Kennedy, watching on TV, reassured his father: Dont worry, Dad. Stevenson has everything but the votes. He was correct. In this July 14, 1960, photo, U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy tells Democratic convention delegates, we will carry the fight to the people in the fall and we shall win, during a brief appearance on the rostrum of the Los Angeles Sports Arena in Los Angeles, where he was nominated as the partys presidential candidate during the Democratic National Convention. Lyndon Johnson did take some serious old-school shots at Kennedy during the 1960 convention. Talking to delegates and reporters, LBJ attacked Kennedys truancy in the Senate and brought up his faith. He also questioned JFKs health, once calling him a scrawny little fellow with rickets. But by summertime, it was far too late for Johnsons game of trading chits and charming-slash-bullying fellow pols into coalitions. And Kennedy knew why. Could you imagine me, having entered no primaries, trying to tell the leaders that being a Catholic was no handicap? he asked. When Lyndon said he could win in the North, but could offer no concrete evidence, his claims couldnt be taken seriously. Even in states without primaries, even for an uber-boss like Daley, even for a master insider like LBJ, control of presidential nominations was slipping away, from party elders to the public. And the tipping point had arrived. Kennedy got 806 votes, a majority, on the first ballot of the 1960 convention, Johnson 409, Symington 86, Stevenson 79.5. Every now and then since 1960, national parties have tried to insulate nominations from raw public opinion. For example, in the 1980s and again over the past decade, Democrats added hundreds of superdelegates, essentially party insiders who are free to vote as they please, to their conventions. And every four years, pundits and consultants love to chatter about brokered conventions, as though the brokers retain their old authority. But nobody has been able to put the genie back in the bottle. Candidates who organize early, develop name recognition, raise money, fight for support and build national popularity are hard to stop, whatever their insider support or ideology, especially when they run against fractured opposition. And those who hold plurality support among voters by the time the primaries end have proven impossible to stop. Party elites couldnt halt Barry Goldwater or George McGovern or Jimmy Carter or Donald Trump. By themselves, they couldnt beat Bernie Sanders or nominate Mike Bloomberg in 2020, either. Beginning in South Carolina in February, Democratic voters took their partys nomination and handed it to Biden. Talking with his friend Jack Kennedy in 1962, Ben Bradlee, then the Washington bureau chief for Newsweek, cracked a joke about the qualifications of the presidents brother Ted, who was running for the U.S. Senate at the age of 30. What do you mean? JFK asked sharply. He has to win three separate contests: the convention, a Democratic primary and then the election. Winning was itself the real qualification. Winning would define both legitimacy and strengthand lead to more winning. Thats never been truer than in the age of Trumpand it became irreversible under Kennedy. Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has announced her intention to seek a second term as leader of the Japanese capital. Koike launched her re-election bid at a news conference on Friday. She said the urgent issue for Tokyo is to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. She noted the fight against the virus is not over and that she wants to lead efforts to prepare for a possible second wave of infections. She added the fight must be won so a blueprint for Tokyo in the post-pandemic era can be drawn up. Koike indicated that she will not ask any political party to support her. Fifteen other people have announced their candidacy for the gubernatorial election that will be held on July 5. Koike is 67 years old. She became Tokyo's first female governor four years ago by beating a candidate supported by the governing coalition as well as other hopefuls. Don't mention the war? At the moment it's a bit hard to avoid it. Whisked off the virtual shelves faster than two-for-one-night at your local video store, Gone With the Wind, Little Britain, Come Fly With Me, The Mighty Boosh, The League of Gentlemen, Angry Boys, Summer Heights High, We Can Be Heroes and Jonah From Tonga are now heaped on a cultural bonfire. The Fawlty Towers cast: Andrew Sachs as Manuel; John Cleese as Basil; Connie Booth as Polly and Prunella Scales as Sybil. And at the top, the iconic British comedy Fawlty Towers the latest casualty of what looks to be a book-burning for the digital age, whipped up by anger on all sides of the cultural, racial and political divide. But as with most headlines, all the nuance is hidden in the fine print: in almost all cases the programs are available on a number of platforms and in a number of formats, and while the stories and the Twitter hand-wringing sounds alarming, the truth is almost all of them remain obtainable. Mumbai, June 13 : Television actress Mohena Kumari has returned home from the hospital despite still being COVID-19 positive. The actress took to Instagram Stories to inform that she and the rest of her family members, who are still COVID 19 positive, are living in isolation at home. "Hi everyone ! I'm back home... but we are still covid-19 positive. We are in complete isolation. We don't know how long it will take to get the negative test. We were in the hospital for 10 days and I probably had the virus in my body 5 days before that... so hopefully a few more days and We will hopefully beat the virus. But till then we have to follow extremely strict rules. Nonetheless We are all feeling much better health wise and n the mind too. Thanks for all the support once again," shared the actress on Instagram Story. The "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai" actress tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month. Her husband Suyesh Rawat, father-in-law Satpal Maharaj, who is Uttarakhand's tourism minister, and mother-in-law are also COVID 19 positive. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Kathyrn Lueders started her work for NASA in 1992. After almost three decades of contributions to NASA, Kathy Lueders has become the first women to head the Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate. Kathryn Lueders successfully oversaw the May 30, SpaceX launch, which was the first-ever commercial take-off from NASAs Florida launch station, the Kennedy Space Center. Also Read | Fact Check: Did NASA Receive An SOS Call From Another Galaxy? Kathy Lueders promoted after NASA, SpaceX launch Kathryn Lueders promotion was announced by the NASA head administrator Jim Bridenstine on Twitter. Kathryn has been overseeing several programmes including the exhaustive testings for SpaceX, Boeing and more such giant projects. The current programs of commercial NASA space flight partnership was developed a decade ago under then-president Barack Obama. The change invited many innovations under testing phases to launch commercial flights into space, as per reports. Kathy Lueders is now the first female Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate as per Jim Bridenstine Kathy Lueders has been selected to lead @NASAs Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate. Kathy has successfully managed both the Commercial Crew & Commercial Cargo programs and is the right person to lead HEO as we prepare to send astronauts to the Moon in 2024. pic.twitter.com/393vPTdXwb Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) June 12, 2020 Also Read | NASA Awards Astrobotic With $200 Million To Launch water-hunting Rover To Moon Kathy Lueders' future duties Kathryn Lueders henceforth will be working on launching the first woman into space, in a future plan to the moon by 2024. For this purpose research and testing will happen with SLS rockets and Orion capsules. NASA is still deciding on which company will be making the moon landing equipment. Kathryn Leuders and many are working to achieve the feat. Who is Kathy Lueders? Kathryn Lueders has the designation of program manager for NASAs Commerical Crew Program. While essaying the role, she has to overlook the relationship, roles of private and commercial companies to fly commercial spacecraft into the low-Earth orbit and later develop technologies to launch passenger and crew flights into International Space Station (ISS). According to the official website of NASA, Kathryn Leuders looked at the program which helps commercial development and certification for secure transportation of NASA astronauts. Kathryn Lueders has acted as the 5-month program manager after serving as the deputy program manager. Also Read | Saturn's Moon Titan Drifting 100 Times Faster Than Previous Estimations: NASA Kathy Lueders office is headquartered out of Kennedy Space Center in Florida and has sub-offices in field centres of NASA like the Johnson Space Center based out of Houston, as per the official website of NASA. Lueders has also served as ISS Programs Transportation Integration Manager before being bumped up to the deputy managers post. During the time, she was in charge of all the commercial cargo supply and international partner vehicles. She dealt with international space organisations such as the Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. Japanese Space Agency's H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) and the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). Kathy Lueders' NASA career kicked off in 1992. She started out at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. Her task was to oversee and manage the Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System and Reaction Control Systems Depot. She later moved to ISS and served in different departments namely ISS Logistics and Maintenance, Vehicle Systems Integration and Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Integration. All were managerial positions at the organisation. According to the official website of NASA, Kathy Lueders has a Bachelors in Business Administration in Finance. She acquired it from the University of New Mexico. She also studied the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in industrial engineering. The location for the studies was New Mexico State University. Also Read | Former NASA Astronaut Kathy Sullivan Becomes First Woman To Reach Earth's Deepest Point Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Centenarian Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Corona trauma | Sankar (...) by Sankar Ray Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the US poet, painter and social activist, who crossed 101 years on 24 March 2020, who founded the iconic San Francisco bookshop City Lights that famously brought out Allen Ginsbergs Howl in 1955 and faced the anger of American imperialism, is in a sanguinary agony. The publication of Ginsbergs poems sparked an obscenity trial, although the court dismissed the charges. The poem became an anthem for the Beat Generation. Ferlinghetti used to say, " A bookstore is a natural place for poets to hang out. And they started showing up there."For the West Coast intellectuals, City Lights remained for all these decades magnetic. It was a tourist destination as well. Now the historic bookshop faces closure threat by Covid 19 and lunatic strain of Trump-ed fascism. Admirers and readers has raised almost half a million dollars in four days in response to an appeal from the publishers to confront the menace of the coronavirus pandemic. Crowned as San Francisco poet laureate, he wrote: I am signaling you through the flames. / The North Pole is not where it used to be. / Manifest destiny is no longer manifest. / Civilization self-destructs. It reflects the agony of our planet, shaken by what Frederic Lordon coined as Coronakratch in Le Monde Diplomatique on 11 March the World Health Organisation declared a pandemic. One remembers Ferlinghettis poem Trump Trojan Horse, written 4 July 18: Homer didnt live long enough/To tell of Trumps White House/Which is his Trojan horse/From which all the Presidents men/Burst out to destroy democracy/And install corporations/As absolute rulers of the world/Evermore powerful than nations/And its happening as we sleep/Bow down, oh Common Man. He wrote the poem in 2017. He appealed the people to rise but to bow down. He appealed to the American people who uphold the tradition of American culture and understand the meaning of the Statue of Liberty to rise against Trumps totalitarianism. He went on keeping the elections in November in mind calling for action against the paralyzing apoplexy of the daily news. Maybe itll be an organization that deserves your donation; maybe itll be an issue that deserves greater awareness. Whatever it is, our aim is to remind you, and ourselves, of the big and small things we can do to work toward justice and change. Born as Lawrence Monsanto Ferling in a family of immigrants of Italian origin, Ferlinghetti has consistently been an advocate for the underdog. This was in sync with his own life story- a tale right out of Dickens. His father died shortly before he was he was born, and his mother has committed to a mental hospital shortly after. He was raised by an aunt, and then by foster parents. Little wonder, his autobiographical novel, Little Boy, begins as follows "Little Boy was quite lost. He had no idea who he was or where he had come from." Ferlinghettis poetry rejects an elitist conception of art and the artists role in the world. Amidst day-to-dayness, his poetry picks civic themes - never simply personal or polemical, while sticking to his commitment to tradition and universal reach. His politics is philosophical anarchism . Remember his poem Underwear, where an aggrieved narrator tells shocking problems associated with undergarments that were a humorous analogy with totalitarianism: Underwear controls everything in the end/ Take foundation garments for instance/ They are really fascist forms/of underground government/making people believe/something but the truth/telling you what you can or cant do. One seems compelled to remember Ginsbergs Howl, Parts I & II,For Carl Solomon. I saw the best minds of my generation/ destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,/dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn/ looking for an angry fix,/angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient/ heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,/who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed /and high sat up smoking in the / darkness of cold-water flats floating across/ the tops of cities contemplating jazz,/who bared their brains to Heaven under the El/ and saw Mohammedan angels staggering on tenement roofs illuminated," Geneva, June 13 : The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is "especially concerned" about the impact of COVID-19 on women, children and adolescents. Speaking at a virtual press conference from Geneva on Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the indirect effects of COVID-19 on these groups may be greater than the number of deaths due to the virus itself, Xinhua news agency reported. "Because the pandemic has overwhelmed health systems in many places, women may have a heightened risk of dying from complications of pregnancy and childbirth," he said. The WHO chief added that WHO has developed guidance for health facilities and community activities on maintaining essential services, including for women, newborns, children and adolescents. As for the risks of women transmitting COVID-19 to their babies during breastfeeding, Tedros told reporters that based on the available evidence, WHO's advice is that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of COVID-19. "Mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be encouraged to initiate and continue breastfeeding and not be separated from their infants, unless the mother is too unwell," he said. Saying that early evidence suggests people in their teens and 20s are at greater risk of depression and anxiety, online harassment, physical and sexual violence and unintended pregnancies, Tedros also highlighted the "dramatic impact" of the virus on adolescents, as school and university closures may limit their access to preventive services. Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes: Strictly Necessary Cookies We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a sale of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more. Functional Cookies We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a sale of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more. Performance Cookies We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a sale of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more. Sale of Personal Data We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated sale of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website. Social Media Cookies We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated sale of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website. Targeting Cookies We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated sale of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website. MIRAMICHI, N.B. Quebecs police watchdog says it has been called in to investigate a report of an RCMP-involved fatal shooting of a man in New Brunswick. The independent police investigation agency, the Bureau des enquetes independantes, says it has been told that Mounties responded to a report of a disturbed person in the Miramichi area on Friday night at around 8 p.m. It says preliminary information indicates RCMP officers found the man armed with a knife in a building and used an electronic stun gun on him several times without success. Investigators say the man was allegedly shot when he charged police, was given first aid and transported to hospital where he was declared dead. It says eight people have been assigned to determine what happened. New Brunswick RCMP were not immediately available for comment. Metepenagiag First Nation Chief Bill Ward wrote on Facebook: Im so mad and sad, I dont know what to think. Ward told CBC that one of their community members had been shot by RCMP, but that he couldnt confirm any further details. This is the second time this month that police in New Brunswick have been involved in a fatal shooting. Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old woman from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, was shot last Thursday when police arrived at her home in Edmunston, N.B. in response to a request to check on her well-being. Edmundston police say their officer encountered a woman with a knife making threats. Moore was shot and died at the scene despite attempts to resuscitate her. Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the incident on Friday night to contact them through www.bei.gouv.qc.ca. With files from The Canadian Press. Read more about: No fines have been issued to asylum seeker advocates at Melbourne protests on Saturday, despite stern warnings from Victoria Police that gatherings of more than 20 would result in COVID-19 social distancing breaches. More than 50 people attended a rally outside the Mantra Hotel in Preston, one of eight protest sites across Melbourne on Saturday afternoon, despite warnings earlier in the week that fines would be issued if any individual protest exceeded 20 people. Refugee activists gather at the Mantra Hotel in Preston. Credit:Jason South At least eight police officers were on location to watch over a scattered crowd of more than 50, who came to highlight the plight of 65 asylum seekers who have been detained in the hotel under guard for at least seven months. Police did not move on any protesters during the hour-long rally which called for the release of refugees in detention at multiple sites across Australia, including the Mantra, and for those people to be released into the community and given permanent protection. Michael Maloney / SFC Authorities are combing the Trinidad Bay area of Humboldt County for a missing kayaker after finding an empty kayak at Luffenholtz Beach on Friday. The missing 19-year-old man, who was not immediately identified, was last seen wearing a yellow vest as he steered his watercraft out to sea. Emergency responders received a call at 4:30 p.m. Friday to report he had vanished. About the same time, they found the unmanned kayak on the beach. Temple Anshe Amunim Names New Rabbi PITTSFIELD, Mass. Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch has been named the permanent spiritual leader of Temple Anshe Amunim, a congregation serving the Reform Jewish community of Pittsfield, effective July 1. Rabbi Hirsch has served the congregation in an interim role for the last two years supporting their period of transition. "In the last two years, Rabbi Hirsch has become a beloved member of our congregational community. In good times and bad, particularly during this pandemic, she has provided our members with wisdom, stability, inspiration and forward thinking," said Joshua M. Cutler, president of Temple Anshe Amunim's Board of Trustees for the last two years. "As we continue to celebrate our 150th anniversary this year, we are delighted that Rabbi Hirsch will lead us for many years to come as we enter our next 150 years as a temple." In her time with the congregation, Hirsch has overseen numerous aesthetic and safety upgrades to the synagogue's building, grown the congregation's popular Saturday morning Torah Study sessions, and has developed programming for the congregation and the community which incorporates music, physical and outdoor activities, yoga and meditation, and experiential connections to Judaism. Hirsch has also served as the director of the congregation's religious and adult education programs, guiding students of all ages. During this unprecedented period of social distancing, Hirsch has seamlessly been able to pivot the congregation from sanctuary-based worship and programming to virtual Zoom offerings, which has allowed the congregation to continue to be meaningfully enriched, and has allowed for greater connections to the larger community beyond the Berkshires. "It is my sacred honor to serve Temple Anshe Amunim, an historic congregation with a bright and innovative future," Hirsch said. "I am eager to continue to partner with our lay leadership and to represent our synagogue in the broader community." Hirsch, a New England native and a graduate of Brown University, was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. While in rabbinical school, she was honored as a Wexner Graduate Fellow and Tisch Fellow. Prior to her time at Anshe Amunim, she served as the rabbi and one of the directors of Camp Eisner in Great Barrington. In the greater community, Hirsch has been active in Jewish and community organizations, provided invocations and benedictions for numerous community gatherings, and has taught at Berkshire Community College's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Rabbi Hirsch lives in Great Barrington with her husband, Rabbi Neil P.G. Hirsch, who serves at Hevreh Of Southern Berkshire, and their son, Lior. A formal installation ceremony for Rabbi Hirsch will be held at a date to be announced. The covid -19 Rapid Response Team of the National Democratic Congress has advice the Akufo-Addo led government to take the necessary steps to control the rising spread of the covid-19 pandemic in the country. According to them, the only realistic window of opportunity available to Ghana to put in an effective mechanism and provide the required materials to control the spread of the viral disease. A member of the team who doubles as a ranking member committee on Health and Member of Parliament for Juaboso constituency, Kwabena Mintah Ankadoh expressed dissatisfaction about the increasing numbers of the covid-19 cases in the country It is about time the government should invest more resources in the fight against covid 19 because it looks like the country is losing the fight, he said. He said most treatment Centres even lacks PPEs to provide care for the infected patients, which endangers the lives of the health professionals. He added that with the easing of restrictions by President Akufo-Addo the government should also be ready to equip and provide more resources to fight against the Coronavirus. The rate at which the numbers are rising puts the country at very high risk, he added. ---Kingdomfmonline.com Kano Not fewer than 30 lecturers with the Bayero University in Kano have lost their contract appointments to noncompliance of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, with the Federal government directive to enroll in the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System, IPPIS. This was coming as the institution authorities insisted that those affected were not more than 10. It was gathered that out of 1,776 academic staff of BUK, about 40 members have so far registered on IPPIS, defiling the directive of Academic Union body, ASUU. Some of the affected lecturers have confirmed that their termination of appointment by the institution was as a result of noncompliance to IPPIS. The University's Vice-chancellor, Professor Mohammad Yahuza Bello who confirmed the development however insisted that those affected were not more than 10. Bello said that the contract staffs were not accommodated in the IPPIS platform, explaining further that the decision became necessary because of the inability of the university to pay their salaries. The Vice Chancellor however said that the university is no longer generating revenue to meet over N18 million monthly salaries of the affected lectures hence the decision. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 16:09 587 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde72e7c 1 Politics Balikpapan,protester,PGI,Papuan-students,church,Racism Free The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) has released a statement, conveying "deep concerns" over the handling of seven Papuan protesters who face treason charges at the Balikpapan District Court in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. [We express our] deep concerns over the handling of demonstration cases that do not prioritize a cultural approach and humanitarian dialogue. The criminalization of young people that has led to the current judicial process will increasingly trigger distrust among the Papuan people in the process of law enforcement in Indonesia, PGI spokesperson Irma Riana Simanjuntak wrote in the statement. The seven defendants on trial are Buchtar Tabuni, an executive of pro-independence group United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Agus Kossay and Stevanus Itlay from the National Committee of West Papua (KNPB), Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) student union head Alexander Gobay, Cenderawasih University student union head Ferry Gombo and USTJ students Irwanus Uropmabin and Hengki Hilapok. Read also: Human rights watch urges authorities to free Papuan activists on trial for 2019 protests They were involved in a wave of antiracism protests that swept Jayapura, Papua, in August 2019. The seven were arrested in Jayapura in September and were later moved to a Balikpapan jail for security reasons. The August protests were sparked by an incident in which Papuan university students living in a dormitory in Surabaya, East Java, were subjected to physical and verbal attacks by security personnel and members of mass organizations, who had accused the students of refusing to celebrate Indonesias 74th Independence Day. Security personnel reportedly banged on the dormitorys door while shouting insults referring to the students as monkeys, pigs and dogs. Read also: Prosecutors seek up to 17 years for Papuan protesters accused of treason The PGI has raised concern over the prosecutors plan to seek five to 17 years of imprisonment for the students, deeming it "far from fair and appropriate". Irma contrasted the sought punishment with the sentence received by Syamsul Arifin, who had been sentenced to five months of imprisonment for hate speech and racial slur in Surabaya. The prosecutors had demanded eight months of imprisonment for Syamsul. We pray that the panel of judges get wisdom from the Almighty to consider the background of the defendants that were dragged into this case, Irma said. [Because they are] fighting to defend the dignity of Papuans against racism done to the students in Surabaya. Irma also urged the government and Papuans to avoid violence and instead use civil discussion to solve problems and promote peace in the countrys easternmost region. The Delhi High Court has directed the government to increase the number of beds and ventilators for Covid-19 patients and also told them to consider using ready to move in government flats in the city as Covid-19 hospitals. The court told the government on Thursday that it could put beds and other infrastructure to accommodate infected patients in those houses. The detailed order of the court was uploaded on Saturday. During the hearing, a bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan also asked all the hospitals in the city to upload the correct availability of realtime bed capacity data so that citizens would know about the bed capacity in hospitals in advance. The directions came while the court was disposing of a joint plea moved by several lawyers of Charter law chambers, through advocate Mridul Chakravarty, seeking proper implementation of containment guidelines, especially in Defence Colony of South Delhi (around 11 houses in C block had cases of Covid-19), and to ensure the availability of enough beds for Covid-19 patients in hospitals in Delhi. On June 11, advocate Chakravarty, appearing for the petitioners, contended that the Delhi government had not declared Defence Colony as a containment zone as per the guidelines issued by the Centre. He also submitted that more beds are required for Covid-19 patients as their number is exploding. Appearing for the Delhi government, its additional standing counsel Shadan Farasat, told the court that till June 9, they had 9,179 beds in the city, of which 4,914 beds have already been occupied and the rest are available for new patients. He also submitted that there are a total of 569 ventilators, of which 315 are being utilised and the remaining are available for use. He further assured the court that they are strictly following all the guidelines and directions issued by the Centre and by other competent bodies. Following arguments, the bench said that since a group of 11 houses in C block has already been made a containment zone, there was no reason to declare all of Defence Colony a containment zone. The court also said that the world is presently going through Covid-19 pandemic affecting all sections of the society at large, and in a matter like this, the government should be given some degree of movement. It said that both the Centre and the Delhi government are aware of the situation and have been issuing directions from time to time. There cannot be any hard and fast mathematical solution to such a problem. In a situation like this, experimental based solutions are to be tested [sic]. During the hearing, advocate Chakravarty, the counsel for the petitioners, also suggested that there are ready to move in government flats available in the city which could be utilised as Covid-19 hospitals. The court, while appreciating the suggestion, asked the Delhi government to consider it when they formulate or amend their policy decisions. It also asked the government to consider the suggestions made by the Delhi Medical Association on June 6. The internet is an amazing thing, and it can be both wonderful and terrifying. Whether youare worried about companies or governments tracking your every digital move, thereas no question that privacy is a big issue in the modern world. Thatas why connecting through a VPN (virtual private network) is such an important step in protecting your privacy. VPNs are popular around the world. They can transform your internet experience, provide you with amazing resources and even let you glimpse the internet through the eyes of someone living in another country. Click here to see an example of a great VPN. Thatas why VPNs are popular in and out of Japan. If you want access to Japanas robust internet, or if you want protection while youare in Japan, you need to know how to use a VPN. This will help you understand the expectations associated with either case. Using a VPN With a Japanese IP Routing your VPN through Japan comes with a number of advantages and disadvantages. Many of those depend on where you are. The experience when youare traveling through Mongolia will be different from sitting in an apartment in southern California. With that in mind, here are a few expectations that will help you understand the experience. Unlocking Content One of the reasons to go specifically through Japan is Japanese content. Whether youare a big fan of anime or creative game shows, there are a lot of entertaining resources that only come out of Japan. If you want access to Japanese broadcasts and content, routing your VPN through the country is the best way to unlock that content. Just a few of the most popular streams and channels to unlock include a TV Tokyoa Wowow TVa Fuji TV Routing through Japan will also expose you to Japanese content on international sites like Netflix and Amazon. Seeing whatas popular in another country can be a lot of fun, and the Japanese market is big enough that these major players bring a lot of entertaining stuff to the table. Privacy The leading reason to use a VPN is for privacy. No one knows who or where you are because your location is protected by the VPN. When you surf the web in the U.S. form a Japanese IP (as an example), you get an extra layer of privacy. You also get double the regulation, which in this case, can be useful. You see, Japan and the U.S. each have their own set of privacy regulations. While some rules will overlap, other rules donat. When a site caters to foreign web surfers, they have to be in compliance with both sets of regulations. This is why you get cookie prompts on most major sites. They have to do that to me EU rules. So, when you surf in the U.S. while routing through Japan, you invoke a doubled set of privacy protection. This particular pair of countries is good because the privacy regulations are useful without bogging down your overall access to the internet. Performance There is an issue to consider when routing through Japan. No matter what other country youare in, youare routing across an ocean. That definitely can impact connection speeds and your overall internet performance. With a high-quality VPN, you wonat notice lag and problems, but on free VPNs, youall notice that everything is being redirected through a server across the world. Using a VPN While in Japan The second case is using a VPN while youare already in Japan. You have two options. You can use a foreign IP to gain international advantages, or you can use an in-country server to get the bonuses of a VPN without some of the disadvantages. Staying in-Country for Performance While in Japan, there are plenty of VPN servers that are local but still offer protection. When you take advantage of these servers, you can get connection speeds so high that you donat notice any slowdowns or lag whatsoever. Japan has great internet infrastructure, so a local connection can be lightning fast. Youare still getting the privacy protection of the VPN. Thatas great to protect you from website data tracking, and it can keep you out of certain kinds of trouble too. For visitors to the country, the VPN is just one more security layer that wonat hurt. Additionally, you can get access to regional content that might let you view a show sooner than you could locally. Getting out of Japan When youare in Japan, you can use your VPN to the same benefits that are listed above. You can route through a country like the U.S. to increase your privacy protection. This is extra important for visitors who arenat familiar with Japanese internet laws and might accidentally stumble into trouble. As an example, torrenting is a big no-no in Japan. You can also route through foreign countries to gain access to their content. Two of the most common routing destinations for Japanese browsers are the U.S., Malaysia and a few key European countries. Both provide massive amounts of content, and thereas no reason you should be denied because of your location. Privacy is another issue. Japan does have some laws, but the very best countries for protecting privacy are around the world. Theyare in that list of European countries, and if you want to be completely sure that none of your data is at risk of exposure, routing through those countries can offer a lot of protection. In fact, some of those countries have such good privacy protection that VPN companies set up their businesses there. Along these same lines, you can explore the many different curators of online content at major providers like Netflix and Amazon. Once youave started exploring their options from different countries, you might get hooked. Using a VPN in General Regardless of where you are or where youare routing your IP, there are some expectations that are universal to the VPN internet experience. These mostly come down to the services offered and the performance of the VPN servers, but knowing the trade-offs and advantages behind these variations is the only way to make sure you choose a good VPN provider. While youare reading these, keep in mind that extra services can negatively impact performance, but they donat have to. Performance We already touched on this lightly, but itas important to understand how VPNs impact performance. When you use a professional VPN, you are routing all of your traffic through a selected server. That server is treated as the final destination by any site or app you use, and the server then privately relays packets to you. This adds a step to everything you do online, and distance does matter. If youare routing through a server that is 10,000 miles away, youare likely to get more lag than if you route to something 10 miles away. Itas just physics. That said, the VPN provider has a lot of say in your experience. Internet pipelines are so fast that itas possible to have a lagless interaction with people across the world. Those speeds just usually arenat free. Additionally, VPN providers can do things like throttle your bandwidth or restrict your access to certain sites or regions. In most countries, VPNs are not regulated the same way as internet providers. They can treat your experience however they like. Because of that, you want a VPN provider that will give you a great experience because they want your business. Itas pretty straightforward stuff. Protection The amount of protection you get from a VPN will also depend on the provider. With any VPN (that actually works), your identity is protected. The fact that youare routing through a server on a secured connection doesnat change. What does change is additional security and protection that can come with your VPN. Competitive providers will add some bells and whistles to the package to entice you to their services. These can include ad blockers, server optimizers (that connect you to the fastest active server in the country you choose), location randomizers (if youare really worried about privacy), higher levels of encryption and more. Your VPN experience hinges almost entirely on who you choose to provide it, and additional protections and features are a major part of that. Extra Features There are extra features that can make the experience easier and more enjoyable. These are things like automatic connections, multiple simultaneous VPNs, double VPNs, torrenting and content unlocking services. A VPN doesnat need these things to be effective, but when these features are built into the software, it makes everything easy and convenient. That summarizes what you can expect if you start using a VPN in Japan. We covered routing into and out of Japan, as well as some general rules for using a VPN. Altogether, you have a real chance for an excellent internet experience that maximizes privacy and protection without impacting performance. If you want to enjoy all of those benefits, you need to start looking for a VPN service that works for you. Otherwise, stay safe on the internet and check back in for more vital advice to living online. Mama June agreed to meet with daughter Pumpkin for a one-on-one after more than six weeks apart in last week's From Not to Hot: Family Crisis. This week finally brought some sense of clarity to mother and daughter, as they attempted to repair their family. She immediately broke out into tears as she stepped into the production office to meet with Pumpkin and Dr. Ish. Emotional reunion: Mama June immediately broke out into tears as she stepped into the production office to meet with her daughter Pumpkin for the first time in over six months on this week's From Not to Hot: Family Crisis June said in a confessional: 'I may not have seen my kids in a long f***ing time, but I've never forgot about them. I know we f***ed up. That kills me.' It was a bittersweet reunion, as they shared a hug and prepared to dive into the matriarch's issues. Pumpkin was surprised by her mom's appearance, as she was used to June getting her hair and nails done every other week: 'Mama looks like hell. It's really strange for me to see my own mother like this.' June admitted that she'd just rolled out of bed and threw on some clothes, which made Pumpkin glad she didn't bring her little sister Alana. Hug it out: It was a bittersweet reunion, as they shared a hug and prepared to dive into the matriarch's issues Bad habit: June went on to admit that they were doing 'a couple ounces [of meth] a day': 'Our habit was $2500 a day, if not more' 90% good: But she added: 'For the past couple months, we've been, I would say 90% good' Stepping up: Pumpkin brought up how difficult it was to have to raise her teenage sister, especially with Jennifer and Sugar Bear fighting for custody The mother-of-four then revealed that she sold the house because they needed the money and it only carried bad memories, but boyfriend Geno didn't want to sell. She explained that they were staying in motels because they were cheap, and Geno asked about the kids constantly. But Pumpkin wasn't easily convinced: 'I don't believe a word mama's saying. There's no way that Geno didn't want to sell that house. 'I feel like Geno filled mama's head up with a bunch of s*** for her to say to me, so that he could be made out to be "the good guy." But listen here, we already know your game, Geno.' June went on to admit that they were doing 'a couple ounces [of meth] a day': 'Our habit was $2500 a day, if not more.' But she added: 'For the past couple months, we've been, I would say 90% good. If this was four or five months ago, I would have been high as f*** when I came up in here.' No consequences: She also told Mama June she should have pled guilty in her recent trial: 'You have to understand too that we can't continue to come around and you not suffer any consequences' Whatever it takes: June responded: 'I don't think forever I should have to suffer. If you want to try to make this work, I'm willing to do whatever the f*** it takes' Ground rules: Her daughter then laid out some demands, telling June if she wants to see her family, she has to get a working phone, take a weekly drug test and do an inpatient rehab program Pumpkin then asked why she's still with Geno, the way he treats her, to which she responded: 'I promise you he's never laid a hand on me. I don't care what anybody's told you.' June also said she didn't remember calling the cops on Geno when he threatened to kill her. Pumpkin brought up how difficult it was to have to raise her teenage sister, especially with Jennifer and Sugar Bear fighting for custody. She also told Mama June she should have pled guilty in her recent trial: 'You have to understand too that we can't continue to come around and you not suffer any consequences.' June responded: 'I don't think forever I should have to suffer. If you want to try to make this work, I'm willing to do whatever the f*** it takes. How do you not see that I'm begging?' Her daughter then laid out some demands, telling June if she wants to see her family, she has to get a working phone, take a weekly drug test and do an inpatient rehab program. Drug test: June enthusiastically agreed to do a drug test on the spot, even offering Pumpkin to go into the bathroom with her Testing positive: Dr. Ish soon came back with the test results, which were positive for cocaine, even though she said she hadn't used in three months Sticking to her story: June broke out into tears, swearing up and down that she wasn't using, as her daughter comforted her Crying for help: Pumpkin said: 'I really thought that I was gonna be mad if mama's drug test came back positive. But mama's reaction is showing me that she's basically crying for help' The last part was where June drew the line: 'To me, inpatient is not something that I'm willing to do, because I don't want to be cut off from everything. You can't talk to somebody for two weeks. You can't do this, you can't do that.' 'But I'm willing to do an outpatient thing,' she offered, which turned out to be a compromise Pumpkin was willing to make. She told her mom: 'Literally, I'm not asking you to take giant f***ing leaps. What I'm telling you is, it's either these three things or nothing at all... I mean, you don't skip a f***ing day. It shows Alana that mama's taking the effort and wants us around again.' June enthusiastically agreed to do a drug test on the spot, even offering Pumpkin to go into the bathroom with her. They shared a laugh as she peed on her hand, as Pumpkin said in a confessional: 'This is the mama that I miss, the person we all used to crack jokes with. You'd always have a good time when you were around her. And that's what I miss. 'I don't miss the shady "lemme go hide out in Alabama and get arrested" type June. I miss this mama.' Family time: After her reunion with Mama June, Pumpkin took husband Josh, daughter Ella and sister Alana to dinner with Aunt Doe Doe and cousin Amber Not yet: She filled Doe Doe in on the one-on-one, but admitted that she hadn't told Alana yet, because she didn't want to set her up for disappointment Spilling the beans: Amber ultimately spilled the beans at dinner when she asked Pumpkin how the meeting went Filling her in: Alana seemed confused and upset to be left in the dark, but Pumpkin explained she didn't want to get her hopes up, filling her in on everything Back to normal: The Toddlers & Tiaras star said in her confessional: 'In my perfect scenario, it would be her actually going to rehab, and then she'd come home, and we'd all just go back to how we was before' Dr. Ish soon came back with the test results, which were positive for cocaine, even though she said she hadn't used in three months. June broke out into tears, swearing up and down that she wasn't using, as her daughter comforted her. The doctor told her it could be a false positive if she'd taken Sudafed recently, and June offered to take a blood test. Pumpkin said: 'I really thought that I was gonna be mad if mama's drug test came back positive. But mama's reaction is showing me that she's basically crying for help. 'I wanna be there for her, and I want her to be part of the kids' lives. So, I'm willing to give it another chance.' Although everyone seemed content with moving forward and getting June help, Pumpkin was worried that she wouldn't follow through if she was able to go back home to Geno after her outpatient program. After her reunion with Mama June, Pumpkin took husband Josh, daughter Ella and sister Alana to dinner with Aunt Doe Doe and cousin Amber. She filled Doe Doe in on the one-on-one, but admitted that she hadn't told Alana yet, because she didn't want to set her up for disappointment. Off to rehab: After June called the rehab center, Pumpkin agreed to drive her to her first day in the program Outpatient: She told her mom she was worried about her going back to Geno after outpatient, but June didn't want to go to inpatient, where she wouldn't feel like she had her freedom Not a joke: June acted very casual about the program, which made Pumpkin worried she thought it was all a joke: 'I need mama to take this whole rehab thing very seriously. Because it's either you do this or you won't see us again, and I'm done' Amber ultimately spilled the beans at dinner when she asked Pumpkin how the meeting went. Alana seemed confused and upset to be left in the dark, but Pumpkin explained she didn't want to get her hopes up, filling her in on everything. The Toddlers & Tiaras star said in her confessional: 'In my perfect scenario, it would be her actually going to rehab, and then she'd come home, and we'd all just go back to how we was before.' Three days after their reunion, Mama June's drug test came back from the lab, showing she tested negative for cocaine, but positive for a 'dangerous amount' of over-the-counter cough medicine. After June called the rehab center, Pumpkin agreed to drive her to her first day in the program. She told her mom she was worried about her going back to Geno after outpatient, but June didn't want to go to inpatient, where she wouldn't feel like she had her freedom. June acted very casual about the program, which made Pumpkin worried she thought it was all a joke: 'I need mama to take this whole rehab thing very seriously. Because it's either you do this or you won't see us again, and I'm done.' When they arrived at the treatment center, they filled in the drug counselors on their situation, and the professionals told her she needs to cut out bad influences, which Pumpkin said includes Geno. Checking in: When they arrived at the treatment center, they filled in the drug counselors on their situation Bad influences: The professionals told her she needs to cut out bad influences, which Pumpkin said includes Geno Update: As June went to meet with her therapist, Pumpkin stepped outside to call Dr. Ish with an update, telling him she doesn't seem to be taking it seriously and only appears to be pleasing the court, not doing it for her family Sober thoughts: 'She's still thinking like a drug addict,' the doctor told her, urging her to be patient and assuring her she'll begin to have 'sober thoughts' again As June went to meet with her therapist, Pumpkin stepped outside to call Dr. Ish with an update, telling him she doesn't seem to be taking it seriously and only appears to be pleasing the court, not doing it for her family. 'She's still thinking like a drug addict,' the doctor told her, urging her to be patient and assuring her she'll begin to have 'sober thoughts' again. While meeting with her therapist, June admitted she still uses Xanax for anxiety, which was 'street medicated' as her medication lapsed. The therapist told her that anxiety and lack of sleep are triggers, and her current routine will push her back to using. June then defended Geno once again, telling her that he only drinks beer, and not even every day. Her therapist clarified that Geno has relapsed, since he's using 'any type of mind or mood altering substance.' Mama June ultimately appeared ready to do the work, as she wanted to prove to her kids that she's not as bad as she's made out to be. Triggering behavior: The therapist told her that anxiety and lack of sleep are triggers, and her current routine will push her back to using Super cyclone Amphan wrecked havoc on Kolkata and four other districts of West Bengal. Most parts of Kolkata faced power cuts for days at a stretch but I have been fortunate enough to have a roof over my head... Most people from Sunderbans still do not have a roof over their head and two square meals a day, Ankan Sarkar, 30, tries to summarise the devastation that claimed over 80 lives recently. Sarkar is one of those who are trying to ease the pain of those who lost everything they had: Family members, livelihood, meagre savings and the most crucial of them all, a place ... Last week, Senator Bernie Sanders wrote a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer politely requesting far-reaching reforms to address the issue of police brutality. Amid nationwide calls against police violence, Sanders proposals include multiple appeals to increase the funding for police departments and to give police officers a pay raise. The letter states that in order to modernize and humanize police departments we need to enhance the recruitment pool by ensuring that the resources are available to pay wages that will attract the top tier officers we need to do the difficult work of policing. With regard to the epidemic of police murder, Sanders merely calls for the establishment of independent police conduct review boards that would have the authority to refer police violence to federal authorities for investigation. Clearly, he states, we need to enhance federal funding for such investigations. Sanders and Biden In a lengthy interview with the New Yorker magazine released on Wednesday, Sanders was asked about his proposal to increase police department funding. In his response, he denied calling for an increase in funding but doubled down on his call for pay raises for police officers: I didnt call for more money for police departments. I called for police departments that have well-educated, well-trained, well-paid professionals. Sanders told the New Yorker, I think we want to redefine what police departments do. He concluded by stating that anyone who thinks that we should abolish all police departments in America, I dont agree. It is difficult to state Sanders position more plainly than he does himself. Beyond the police officer pay raises, the mild reformist measures that Sanders proposes to transform or redefine the police department broadly fall into one of two categories: either they would never be passed by Congress or, if passed, they would amount to nothing more than lipstick on a pig, as the saying goes. The real significance of Sanders proposals is that he is openly defending the police against those who are calling for its defunding or abolition. There is nothing that distinguishes Sanders proposals from any other Democratic Party politician. Under the Obama administration, police killings raged in the US unabated. Obama responded to the killing of Eric Garner in 2014, a police murder that bears a striking resemblance to the killing of George Floyd, by making similar calls for patience and persistence. At the time Obama proclaimed that this was the time to start a conversation. The Obama administration proposed various commissions and bodies supposedly tasked with addressing police violence. Obama went on, however, to continue funneling military equipment to police departments and defending cops whenever cases of police abuse came before the Supreme Court. Sanders position boils down to an absolute defense of the police, which are an instrument of class rule. Police violence and police repression of mass protests against this violence express this essential role. Sanders attitude to the police, moreover, is inextricably connected to his defense of the state and in particular the Democratic Party, one of the twin parties of the ruling class. In the 2020 elections, Sanders is attempting to reprise his role in 2016 by channeling opposition behind the Democratic Party. In response to a question on his efforts to support Clinton in the 2016 election, Sanders told the New Yorker, I did everything that I could in 2016 to move the Democratic Party in a more progressive way and to see that Hillary Clinton was elected. I worked very, very hard in trying to do that. Sanders then argued that the difference now is that he has a better relationship with Biden then he had with Clinton. He added: Biden has been much more receptive to sitting down and talking with me and other progressives than we have seen in the past. Sanders must take his former supporters to be fools. Is one supposed to believe that Biden will be convinced to implement progressive reform based on Sanders friendly relationship to his good friend Joe? Support for Joe Biden means support for the social interests that he represents and the program that he is advancing. Biden has spent nearly five decades as a faithful servant of the ruling class. He has an extensive record of support for war, austerity, capital punishment and mass incarceration. Furthermore, Biden has made clear that he plans to run a right-wing campaign that includes a major escalation of military tensions with Russia and China. As in 2016, Sanders is insisting that everything must be done to defeat Trump. However, the Trump administration is a product of the capitalist system. It is acting at the behest of the financial oligarchy, which the Democrats represent as well. Moreover, the channeling of social anger behind the right-wing Clinton campaign in 2016 was what allowed Trump to posture as an opponent of the status quo and created the conditions for his victory. Since Trump came to power, the Democrats have worked hand over fist to suppress popular opposition to his administration and have instead elevated the most right-wing military figures as the official opposition. The DemocratsSanders includedhave said nothing about Trumps efforts to overturn the Constitution and establish military rule. Instead, they have relied on the military as the arbiter of politics in the United States. It is notable that in Sanders interview with the New Yorker he made a point of praising General James Mattiss condemnation of Trumps response to the protests, saying that he was very impressed by the generals statement. Mattis earned the nickname Mad Dog for leading the bloody US campaign to retake the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2004 and boasted to his troops during his command of US forces in Afghanistan that it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot Afghans. Sanders has proven again and again his commitment to upholding the interests of the American ruling class abroad through his consistent votes for the military budget, his support for the war in Afghanistan, his calls for dronesall of that and moreand his statement just this year that some wars are necessary. It should come as no surprise that he supports the defense of these same interests at home. While Sanders is attempting to play the same role that he did in 2016, he is doing so under incredibly explosive conditions in which the class antagonisms within the US are bursting at the seams. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the corporate and financial oligarchy, after doing nothing to protect the population, moved quickly to transfer trillions of dollars into the coffers of corporations, big business and Wall Street. All of these policies have been unanimously endorsed by the Democratic and Republican politicians alike, including Sanders himself. Whatever their tactical differences, the entire political establishment, Democratic and Republican, defends the police forces of the state and is preparing to use them against growing social opposition in the working class. Sony on Thursday finally took the wraps off its highly-anticipated PlayStation 5, showing the world for the first time what the next-generation console looks like and providing a glimpse at a wide variety of games that will hit the system between now and 2021. But Sony (SNE), which surprisingly revealed two versions of the console, one with a disc drive and the other without one, still hasnt provided the most important news about the PlayStation 5: Its price. So far, the PlayStation 5 is shaping up to be a worthy successor to the wildly-popular PlayStation 4, but that could change dramatically if Sony doesnt get the price right. Pricey mistakes The PlayStation 5 has the makings of quite a pricey piece of technology. From its high-powered graphics to its custom solid-state drive, the system, according to Bloomberg, is estimated to be between $499 and $549 at launch, significantly more than the $399 price of the PlayStation 4 at launch, and far more expensive than Nintendos (NTDOY) Switch, which starts at $299. We should hear more about pricing ahead of the PlayStation 5s launch this holiday season. Microsoft (MSFT) is also getting set to launch its own next-generation console in the Xbox Series X. That system, which will be more powerful than Sonys, also doesnt have a price yet, but will likely be in the same relative neighborhood as Sony. Sony's PlayStation 5 will need to be priced right if the company hopes it to lead the next console generation. (Image: Sony) Both Sony and Microsoft have made pricing mistakes that hurt long-term console sales for their platforms. In 2006, Sony launched its PlayStation 3 console for $499 and $599 depending on the amount of storage included. Microsoft, meanwhile, launched the Xbox 360 in 2005 at $299 and $399 depending on features you wanted. Gamers, naturally, balked at the PlayStation 3s initial pricing, opening the door for the Xbox 360 to take off. In its first attempt at a console, the original Xbox, Microsoft sold just over 24 million units, far less than the 155 million PlayStation 2 units Sony sold. But the high price of the PlayStation 3 gave Microsoft an edge, and in the end, the companys lifetime Xbox 360 sales were on a par with Sonys, with the Windows-maker selling more than 84 million units to the PlayStation 3s 87 million units. Microsoft's Xbox Series X will go head-to-head with the PlayStation 5 this holiday season. (Image: Microsoft) With the current console generation, Sony flipped the script, selling the PlayStation 4 at launch for $399, while Microsoft sold the Xbox One for $499. The result? Sony has sold roughly 110 million units of the PlayStation 4, while Microsoft has sold just 47 million units of the Xbox One, according to VGChartz. Whats more, Nintendos Switch, which is significantly less powerful than the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, has eclipsed the lifetime sales of the Xbox One, despite Microsofts console launching in Nov. 2013 and the Switch launching in March 2017. A lower cost option Sony may be able to escape any pricing controversy, though, thanks to its decision to launch two versions of the PlayStation 5. The version without a drive could cut the price of the console by tens of dollars. With gamers increasingly turning to digital game downloads, it makes sense that Sony would offer a digital-only version of its latest system. Microsoft is expected to do the same thing with the Series X and has already released a console without a disc drive in the Xbox One S. Sony's digital-only PlayStation 5 could sell for as much as $50 less than the standard PlayStation 5. (Image: Sony) The lack of a disc drive in the PlayStation 5 and Series X could also bode well for game publishers, according to a research note by Piper Sandler analyst Yung Kim. Including our expectation for an acceleration amid covid as consumers stayed at home, we believe a disc-free PS5 option, along with an expected similar skew for Microsoft's Xbox Series X, could boost [full game downloads] even further, Kim wrote in his note. We continue to believe the march toward 100% full game downloads (FGDL) on console (PC FGDL is virtually 100%) can drive material op margin expansion for each of the publishers. Sonys console will come out of the gate with the wind at its back thanks to the success of the PlayStation 4. Gamers who have fallen for the companys first-party titles are sure to look to the PlayStation 5 as their first option for a next-generation console. But if the company cant get the pricing for the system right, it could suffer the same fate as the PlayStation 3. Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com over via encrypted mail at danielphowley@protonmail.com, and follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley. More from Dan: Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit Your browser does not support the audio element. Khanh Van, known to friends and family as Shayne, knew her transformation from male to female wouldnt be a walk in the park, but she also knew that life in the wrong body wouldnt be any easier. >> (Part 1) Young Vietnamese braves 20-year transitioning to feel comfortable in own body 21-year-old Shayne spent six weeks in the hospital recovering from her gender reassignment surgery, about twice as long as the average patient, though she says her painful recovery was nothing compared to the tortured life she lived as a female trapped in a mans body. It took Shayne six weeks to recover from her gender reassignment surgery. Thats six weeks of pain and agony. Six weeks of physical healing and second-guessing. Was it the right decision? Would she later regret her choice? Was the pain worth it? Now, months after her recovery, she believes it was the best decision shes ever made. Her new life, as a woman in a body she feels comfortable with, is everything she had hoped for and more. Two options For as long as she can remember, Shayne has felt like a female trapped in a males body. Though her well-to-do family has always supported her, for Shayne, a familys love just couldnt make up for the piece of her that was missing: a truly feminine body. In 2019, she decided she was finally ready to live as the person she was meant to be and journeyed to Yanhee Hospital in Thailand for gender reassignment surgery. At Yanhee, doctors told her she had two choices. Option one was to use her existing penile skin to create a vagina. The cost would be VND160-190 million (US$6,900-8,230) and the risks included extreme tightness of the vaginal canal if she didnt engage in regular sexual intercourse or postoperative dilation routines during the first few years following the surgery. The second option was a primary vaginoplasty surgery that would involve doctors harvesting tissue from the sigmoid colon to build a neovagina. Vaginoplasty was twice as expensive, but far less risky than the first option. Shayne chose option two. She was admitted to the hospital the day before the surgery and began a bowel cleanse that prohibited her from drinking or eating for an entire day. She then underwent a 10-hour surgery. I felt so cold when I woke up. I was trembling like a leaf, she said. My whole body felt really bad. My legs hurt, my back ached, and my head was throbbing, but the organ they operated on was in no pain at all, perhaps because of the anesthesia, she said. Khanh Van, or Shayne, following her gender reassignment surgery is seen posing for a photoshoot in this supplied photo. Worth the pain Shaynes family and friends werent shy about questioning her decision to undergo such an invasive operation. After all, they loved her and were worried about the risks. Afterwards, she was happy to report to everyone that she believes she made the right decision. It hurt, but not that badly. It was the feeling afterwards that was most unbearable, she said, referring to the six days immediately following the surgery when she was allowed no food or drink and had to rely on receiving nutrients through intravenous administration. I was never a very healthy girl, but after an entire week without food I must have looked like a zombie, she said. It was all a haze until the following week when they finally allowed me a bit of soup and water. While most patients who undergo gender reassignment surgery stay in the hospital for 12 days and then remain in Thailand for an additional week for post-operation monitoring, Shayne was told to stay an additional three weeks due to her bodys poor reaction to the surgery. It was five weeks in total. I got really stressed out. Every day the doctor gave me some drugs. Every day they gave me anesthesia while cleaning my scars, she said. I had tubes plugged into my body and it was really hard to sleep at night. At one point she even questioned her own decision, crying to her mother that I just want to go home. But after those five weeks passed, Shayne felt like a whole new person. After another week at a hotel in Thailand for monitoring, she was ready to head home. A gender reassignment surgery is not too hard to bear, but you need to be physically prepared. It takes time to recover too. You need 3-6 months for your body to fully recover, Shayne said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A notorious criminal branded 'Australia's most evil woman' for arranging her father's murder is back in court over a boozy fight with a friend. Belinda van Krevel was jailed for six years in 2003 over the 'Satanic' slaying and spent two more behind bars for stabbing her boyfriend in the neck. The 39-year-old spent Thursday night in lockup after allegedly brawling with Catherine Stanley-Smith at a house in Wollongong. Wollongong Local Court heard the pair were celebrating the arrest of van Krevel's allegedly abusive ex, and came to blows over how to share some marijuana. Scroll down for video One of Australia's most notorious prison inmates, Belinda Van Krevel, 36, (pictured) has sensationally revealed to Daily Mail Australia that she would swap her freedom for a jail cell if her beloved serial killer brother could take her place Van Krevel's brother Mark Valera, (pictured) is serving two life sentences with no possibility of parole for brutally murdering two men, David O'Hearn and Wollongong Mayor Frank Arkell, in the late 1990s The Illawarra Mercury reported that the ensuing melee allegedly involved the women pulling each other's hair and van Krevel choking Ms Stanley-Smith with her hands around her throat. She is accused of then punching her in the head twice before a neighbour heard the scuffle and ran over to break up it up. Van Krevel allegedly got around this separation by throwing ceramic statues and glass candle holders at her friend, hitting her in the face. Facing two assault charges, van Krevel claimed through her lawyer that she was the victim and was acting in self-defence. Magistrate Michael Love released her on bail until her next court appearance in July, ordering her to abstain from drugs and alcohol. Port Kembla Court will also hear a restraining order application police took out against van Krevel on behalf of Ms Stanley-Smith. The case continues. Life after jail for Belinda van Krevel Ms van Krevel has until recently lived a quiet suburban existence, spending her days hanging out with friends, snacking on Burger Rings and talking about getting fit. In a 2017 interview with Daily Mail Australia she sensationally revealed she would swap her new free life in for a jail cell, if her serial killer brother could take her place. 'He is a better person than me,' she said as she sipped Woodstock Bourbon and Cola and refused to take off her dark sunglasses. Her sibling, Mark Valera, is serving two life sentences with no possibility of parole for brutally murdering two men, David O'Hearn and Wollongong Mayor Frank Arkell, in the late 1990s. They were heinous crimes. Arkell's head was smashed with a lamp and tie pins were found stuck in his eyes and cheeks. Meantime, O'Hearn was decapitated and his body mutilated. Images taken at a crime scene following a brutal murder of David O'Hearn The word 'Satan' and a pentagram drawn in his victim's blood by Mark Valera before he handed himself in to police 'My brother protected me my whole life,' Van Krevel said. 'If he wasn't here I wouldn't be here anymore. I live for my brother.' She thinks about him 'every day'. (The pair have both claimed in court to have been sexually abused as children.) 'He doesn't like to talk about (the killings). It's not something to be proud of,' Van Krevel said. 'I'm sure no 19-year-old wants to be abused their whole lives and be able to commit an offence to what my brother committed.' In the interview, Van Krevel hit out against the media's description of her as 'Belinda Van Evil' as sensationalism used to 'make money'. That interview almost two years after Van Krevel was released from her most recent jail stint. Then, she was found guilty of stabbing her lover Marshall Gould five times in the neck, arm and leg in an attack she claims not to remember. 'It was completely out of character for me to do that,' she said. 'It is! I'm not a violent person at all'. The 36-year-old now lives a quiet suburban existence, spending her days hanging out with friends, snacking on Burger Rings and talking about 'getting fit' Van Krevel says her serial killer brother, Mark Valera, is 'a better person than me' and stridently defends her never-to-be-released sibling Her beloved brother's name is seen tattooed on her arm. Van Krevel says 'if he wasn't here I wouldn't be here anymore. I live for my brother' Van Krevel says she thinks about her brother 'every day' but admits she hasn't gone to visit her sibling in years Van Krevel was also found guilty of stabbing her lover Marshall Gould five times. The pair are pictured together above Marshall Gould speaking on 60 Minutes about the frenzied attack by Belinda Van Krevel when he was stabbed at least five times on a night in 2013 She earlier served four years in prison for masterminding her father Jack's slaying in August 2000. He was hacked to death by her then boyfriend as she sat in the next room with a child. She described her father as a 'monster'. Van Krevel famously told others before the murder that she hated her father and wanted him dead. Speaking generally about her life in 2017, Van Krevel insisted everything was on track and she is 'doing something right'. Being out of jail makes her feel 'guilty' sometimes, she said. 'I like to have a little bit of fun but it also makes me feel a little bit guilty at the same time,' she said. 'Because there's good, very good people out there who are locked up. Van Krevel served four years in prison for masterminding her father Jack's slaying in August 2000. He was hacked to death by her then boyfriend as she sat in the next room with a child Van Krevel seemed to be keeping out of trouble recently, at least until last Friday, when she is allegedly stole a red handbag from an elderly woman The criminal fiend says being out of prison makes her feel 'guilty' as she 'likes to have a little bit of fun' 'Why should I be out there having fun? 'But then I think to myself, my brother wants me to be happy.' But she said she hadn't gone to visit her sibling in years. She just couldn't bear it anymore, she said. The once a week, 45 minute meetings were 'too repetitive', she said. And it was becoming 'harder and harder' each time. 'You don't want to leave,' she said. UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2020) The UN Security Council is calling on its international partners to provide support to Central African countries amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, French Ambassador to the United Nations Nicolas de Riviere said in a statement on Friday. "Security Council members acknowledged the multiple socio-economic, humanitarian, political and environmental challenges the countries of Central Africa are facing," de Riviere, who presides with the Security Council in June, said. "In the face of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the region, they called on international partners to provide support to help the countries of the region overcome its consequences." The Security Council also expressed support for the calls made by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the African Union for a global ceasefire and encouraged parties to the conflicts in the region to respond to the call positively. Earlier on Friday, UN Special Representative for the Secretary-General for Central Africa Francois Lounceny Fall told the Security Council that the economic crisis in the region is a major consequence of the pandemic. Fall said Central Africa is expected to face a 2.3 percent economic contraction, with the risk of social unrest and governments lacking resources needed for the smooth functioning of national institutions and financing of critical reforms. As of June 11, the region has reported nearly 22,000 novel coronavirus cases and 462 deaths. Domestic workers have always been on the frontlines, COVID-19 just made it clear As an In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) provider who cares for seniors and people with disabilities, I am a caregiver on the frontlines of this pandemic. As a Black woman, I am also at a higher risk of dying should I become infected with COVID-19. This dangerous intersection of race and occupational hazard is not unique to me. The essential workforce contains a disproportionate percentage of black people. Once again, we are the glue keeping this country together while little is being done to protect our health and safety. Along with our heroic black doctors, nurses and researchers helping to fight this pandemic, many black people are out there delivering food, stocking shelves, and maintaining our utilities; all the while knowing their risk of death from the virus is exponentially higher than the general public. And, like me, many are caring for others while being left out of considerations for personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies at almost every level of government. I became a caregiver in 2008, when I left my corporate job to care for my sick mother. When my mother passed away and my brothers condition worsened, I joined the IHSS program as his full-time caregiver. Now, I provide around-the-clock care for my brother who was diagnosed with a mental disability at a young age. I am also on call for various IHSS clients who do not have enough food, medicine and other necessities and who do not have a live-in caregiver to provide these essential items. The care I provide keeps my community healthy and safe. ADVERTISEMENT Over half a million low income seniors and people with disabilities receive care through the IHSS program. Made up of a workforce that is majority women of color, we grocery shop, cook, clean, drive our clients to appointments, and even perform paramedical services. Now more than ever, our clients depend on us to make it through the week. I am alarmed at how quickly health inequities, fueled by years of racism, classism and the legacy of slavery, have emerged. We are seeing data from around the country that shows that people in black and brown communities are dying from COVID 19 at disproportionately high rates, likely due to higher incidence of underlying health conditions as well as lack of access to testing and treatment. Historically, domestic workers have been marginalized and excluded from worker protections specifically because it was work usually done by women of color. Its a power dynamic that traces back to slave times when Black women were forced to work for slave ownersnot only as cooks and housekeepers, but as caregivers for their family members. Women of color continued to make up the largest share of the domestic workforce for centuries. This holds true even today. Those caring for these IHSS clients, like me, are mostly women (79%) and people of color (63%). We assumed roles as caregivers and wetnurses, and effectively became the backbone of the feminism movementtaking care of middle class womens households while they struggled to join the workforce and break the glass ceiling. For all the support domestic workers provided to equality movements, we were rewarded with exclusionary labor laws that banned us from organizing and shut us out of health and unemployment benefits. Some things have changed, but many of these exclusionary practices still affect the lives of thousands of California domestic workers today. We still do not have all of the state and federal labor protections afforded to other workers, and now we have been thrust to the frontline of this pandemic with little to no protection or support from the counties that run the IHSS program. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, IHSS caregivers like me were not given any PPE in most counties. That means we did not have access to any N95 masks, gloves, or sanitation supplies, even though we work in the most intimate situations with the most vulnerable populations. It wasnt until caregivers in unions intervened directly with each county and at the state level that we were able to get access to a limited supply, but its simply not enough. Considering the critical services we provide, its shameful that we had to remind these local governments that we, too, need protection. ADVERTISEMENT The reality for many caregivers is that we are underpaid, overworked and disregarded. That needs to change now. We need to be paid a wage we can live on, and, as many of us are paid minimum wage or have a contract based on the minimum wage, we need to ensure the minimum wage increase to $14, scheduled for January 1, 2021, is not delayed or postponed. It is essential that those most disproportionately impacted by this pandemic can pay our bills and feed our families. We are an integral part of the healthcare system and we keep over half a million vulnerable clients from unnecessary hospitalization and costly institutionalization. Now we are truly risking our lives to do it. Our position in the labor market is a legacy of the worst crime in American history. We deserve, at the very least, recognition of what we contribute. Camilla Bradford is an IHSS home caregiver in the Inland Empire working on the frontlines of this pandemic with virtually no protective equipment. She is a member of United Domestic Workers (AFSCME Local 3930). Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Nuclear arms control: What happens when US and Russia let it lapse? | Fred (...) In less than a year, the world could enter a period free of nuclear arms control treaties for the first time in more than a half-century. Is such a state of affairs sustainable? by Fred Weir MOSCOW The world is sleepwalking toward a period free of nuclear arms control, as New START, the last remaining nuclear weapons treaty, is set to expire next February. This dark horizon has been approaching for quite a while, but the political will to avert it has collapsed. The Trump White House has spent its term withdrawing from arms control treaties - the latest being the Open Skies Treaty last month - and shows little interest in extending New START. And Russia has not been able to woo the U.S. back to the negotiating table, despite a desire to keep the process going. Now the biggest nuclear powers appear ready to plunge back into the strategic chaos that prevailed in the early 1960s, before the Cuban missile crisis focused the minds of terrified U.S. and Soviet leaders and led them to initiate a multigenerational effort to construct what became a comprehensive system of nuclear arms control. In the early 1960s "we walked up to the edge of the nuclear abyss with the Cuban missile crisis. Then we walked back and started negotiating," says Alexandra Bell, senior policy director for the Washington-based Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. "In retrospect, we were lucky to make it out of there alive the first time. Arms control gave us guard rails against chaos. It will be really bad if, for the first time in 50 years, we dont have any on-the-ground insight into each others military forces." Arms control waning The wake of the Cuban missile crisis brought not only restraints on the once-burgeoning numbers and types of new weapons, but also reduced tensions with trust-building measures, channels of regular communication, and reliable verification mechanisms. That structure survived the end of the Cold War, as did the massive, global-life-threatening nuclear forces of the U.S. and Russia. Several U.S. presidents added their own contributions to the network of accords. As recently as a decade ago Barack Obama inked New START, the deal that made the deepest-ever reductions to strategic nuclear arsenals, with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. But the edifice erected by Cold War-era leaders has been gradually unraveling since George W. Bush unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which had served as a keystone for the whole system by placing tough caps on defensive systems. That had ensured absolute mutual deterrence in the form of mutual assured destruction (MAD), thus making the very idea of nuclear war unthinkable. Things have been shaky ever since, though arms control experts on both sides have insisted until recently that the system might be revived if leaders wanted it. But the Trump administration, which seems averse to any limitations on U.S. power, has buried the whole idea by tearing up quite a few international treaties. Specifically, it recently pulled out of the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty, which had banned an entire class of nuclear missiles and was dubbed "the treaty that ended the Cold War." In May, Mr. Trump announced the U.S. will be leaving the Open Skies Treaty, a 2002 agreement signed by 34 nations, which supports arms control by allowing countries to overfly each others territory on demand. Most U.S. allies have complained that leaving it will be a destabilizing act. Next, Mr. Obamas New START, which had allowed for 18 on-site inspections per year, will expire in February without earnest efforts - of which there is little sign - on both sides to extend it. Divided intentions The Trump administration says that alleged Russian violations have made the old agreements unworkable, and that new players such as China have become full-fledged strategic nuclear powers that would need to be included in any fresh arms control regime. U.S. arms control experts agree with the White House that Russia has sometimes violated agreements around the edges. And many Russian experts admit that Russia has been less than fully transparent, and has often tried to play technical issues to its advantage. But there is strong evidence that the Russians never wanted to wreck the process. As the U.S. was pulling out of the INF Treaty, for example, the Kremlin rushed to propose new talks, and offered to let U.S. inspectors examine the missile that was the alleged source of the "violation" claim. The Trump administration pulled out anyway. The Kremlin has always valued the arms control process because it was the only arena where they face the U.S. across the table as equals. Alexander Golts, an independent Russian analyst who is presently at Uppsala University in Sweden, says that the Kremlin uses arms control to stave off global isolation over other issues. "One of the goals of Russian foreign policy is to restart talks about these treaties, not to let them die," he says. "At least the Russian approach creates the opportunity to talk. Trumps way is much more primitive. He and his people see no need to tie the U.S. down to any obligations at all. He is absolutely sure of U.S. superiority in any situation. Its a false perception, but that seems to be where we are today." Mr. Trumps own chief arms control negotiator, Marshall Billingslea, explicitly expressed that view recently, saying that the U.S. doesnt want a new arms race with Russia or China, but is fully prepared to defeat them the same way the U.S. won the old Cold War. "We know how to win these races, and we know how to spend the adversary into oblivion," he said. No choice but to come back to the table Andrei Kortunov, head of the Russian International Affairs Council, which is affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, says new forms of arms control will undoubtedly be needed in the future. The most dangerous thing about the present moment is that the old tried-and-true framework is being destroyed before any new controls have been even envisioned. The dangers of miscalculation or misunderstanding will multiply amid that vacuum, he says. "Over the past 50 years we have developed a common strategic culture with our American counterparts. We were talking the same language, and everyone knew what the terms meant." If that common culture, all the mechanisms of dialogue, trust-building, and verification are lost, Russia will probably not try to match the U.S. missile for missile as the USSR did in the past, he adds. "In the absence of any arms control, it will become almost impossible for the U.S. to know what we really have or what we may be able to do. Russia is likely to follow a policy of strategic ambiguity, to keep them guessing as a means of deterrence. That would be a very dangerous state of affairs, one that nobody would wish for," Mr. Kortunov says. Ms. Bell says the U.S. and Russia will eventually come back to the table. "Between us, Russia and the U.S. have more than 90% of all existing nuclear weapons, and we are the only two countries capable of posing an existential threat on that scale," she says. "So, asking if Russia is a good partner is the wrong question. We basically have no choice but to start a sustained new conversation with them." Mr. Kortunov agrees. "Eventually well have to devise new forms of arms control to ensure strategic stability. Probably it will be different, encompassing 21st century realities like space, cyber, and artificial intelligence. And it will have to be multilateral. Lets hope we wont have to go through some new Cuban missile crisis before we get to that point." Courtesy: Christian Science Monitor, June 1, 2020 Beachgoers recently came across a giant alive squid, a marine species, washed up on the shores of Britannia Bay, located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Estimated to be around 200-300 kg, people who found tried to roll the squid back into the water, but couldnt do it. In the end, they decided to leave the animal to die in dignity, reported News24.com quoting Richard Davies who had his encounter with the animal. It was sad because I could see it was dying," Davies told the portal. "It was still pumping out ink and I touched one of its tentacles which sucked onto my hand and I actually had to use some force to remove it, said Davies. Soon the people informed marine biologists of the discovery and the news report said the rare creature has been preserved by Iziko Museums. Currently, the menagerie has a collection of 19 giant squid. The report further said the animal is not fully grown, as it is measured over 4 meters. Speaking to the portal, Dr Wayne Florence marine biologist and curator of marine invertebrates for the Iziko Museums of South Africa, said, since this giant squid is just over 4m in total length, based on expert opinion of other larger specimens, this beast was probably less than two years old. Florence said in 1992 the largest squid was discovered in South Africa and it measured 9.1 meter. Mr. Luckey grew up on Staten Island. He was 17 when Eric Garner died in a police chokehold not far from where he lived. Mr. Martinez grew up in Queens. One of his relatives was a police officer. They met as students at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. On a recent Friday, they snaked through Downtown Brooklyn, past Park Slope and onto Eastern Parkway. Mr. Luckey had been protesting nearly every day for a week. The faces on the streets were becoming familiar. Hey, I remember you, Mr. Luckey said to two young women who were walking in his direction along Eastern Parkway. Is it still going on? They recognized him, too. They told him how much further to walk to meet up with the nights remaining protesters. Stay safe, they said to each other. Its the refrain of the streets now: Stay safe. Neither Mr. Martinez or Mr. Luckey belong to an established organization. They follow no particular leader. There are many leaders, they say. Some are the bicyclists who whistle and clear the path for marchers. Others lead chants. Suddenly, in a crowd of hundreds, someone else will command the group to kneel in one of the busiest intersections in Brooklyn, bringing the streets to a startling near-silence. The first person who makes their presence known is the leader, Mr. Martinez said. Mr. Luckey was arrested last week and spent eight hours in police custody. He had taken a day off to recuperate and then headed out again. The UN found that the weapons used in that attack and others were of Iranian origin, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Photo: Reuters/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Cruise missiles that slammed into a Saudi oil complex last year probably came from Iran, the United Nations concluded in a confidential report. This finding supports US allegations that the Tehran government was behind the attack, which sent tremors through energy markets. The UN found that the weapons used in that attack and others were of "Iranian origin", Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the semi-annual report which was sent on Thursday to the Security Council. Guterres also pointed out that "these items may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with" UN resolutions. Missiles and a swarm of drones set off fires at the crude processing plant in Afif in May 2019, causing extensive damage. The Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have been battling a Saudi-led coalition in that country's civil war, claimed responsibility. However, once the planning and military sophistication that went into the assault became apparent, suspicion quickly shifted to the Iranians, who have been supporting the Houthis. Investigators analysed the debris of cruise missiles and drones in that attack and attacks on the Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The investigators concluded that the delta-wing drones deployed in the attacks were of Iranian origin. The findings come as the Trump administration seeks to renew a UN arms embargo on Iran that's set to expire this year as part of the 2015 nuclear deal, from which US President Donald Trump has withdrawn. Russia and China have already said they won't support it. [June 13, 2020] Burden of COVID-19 on the Market & Rehabilitation Plan | Call Center Outsourcing Market 2019-2023 | Increasing Use of RPA in Call Centers to Boost Growth | Technavio Technavio has been monitoring the call center outsourcing market and it is poised to grow by USD 13.54 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200613005017/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Call Center Outsourcing Market 2019-2023 (Graphic: Business Wire). Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. Technavio's in-depth research has all your needs covered as our research reports include all foreseeable market scenarios, including pre- & post-COVID-19 analysis. Download a Free Sample Report The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Atento S.A., Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Concentrix Corp., Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd., Sitel Group, StarTek Inc., Sykes Enterprises Inc., Teleperformance (News - Alert) SE, Transcom WorldWide AB, and TTEC Holdings Inc. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing The increasing use of RPA in call centers has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, low employee engagement and rising security concerns might hamper market growth. Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct & indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations. https://www.technavio.com/report/call-center-outsourcing-market-industry-analysis Call Center Outsourcing Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Call Center Outsourcing Market is segmented as below: End-user IT And Telecom BFSI Healthcare Retail Government Other End-users 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=IRTNTR32175 Call Center Outsourcing Market 2019-2023: Scope Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The call center outsourcing market report covers the following areas: Call Center Outsourcing Market Size Call Center Outsourcing Market Trends Call Center Outsourcing Market Industry Analysis This study identifies the increasing adoption of cloud communication in call centers as one of the prime reasons driving the call center outsourcing market growth during the next few years. Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Call Center Outsourcing Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023 Detailed information on factors that will assist call center outsourcing market growth during the next five years Estimation of the call center outsourcing market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the call center outsourcing market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of call center outsourcing market, vendors Table of Contents: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Preface 2.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2018 Market size and forecast 2018-2023 FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition MARKET SEGMENTATION BY END-USER Market segmentation by end-user Comparison by end-user IT and telecom - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 BFSI - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Healthcare - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Retail - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Government - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Other end-users - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Market opportunity by end-user CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Europe - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 APAC - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 South America - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 MEA - Market size and forecast 2018-2023 Key leading countries Market opportunity DECISION FRAMEWORK DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challenges MARKET TRENDS Increasing use of analytics solutions in call centers Increasing adoption of cloud communication in call centers Strategic partnerships and acquisitions among market participants VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Atento S.A. Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA Concentrix Corp. Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd. Sitel Group StarTek Inc. Sykes (News - Alert) Enterprises Inc. Teleperformance SE Transcom WorldWide AB TTEC Holdings Inc. APPENDIX Research methodology List of abbreviations Definition of market positioning of vendors 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/20200613005017/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] A 65-year-old farmer was allegedly shot dead by another farmer over a land dispute at Jhorran village of Raikot here on Saturday morning. The deceased has been identified as Jarnail Singh, 65, of Jhorran village. As per the police, Jarnail had bought a 6-acre land from the accused, Gurwinder Singh, 45, of the same village. Though the land had been transferred in his name, Jarnail Singh still owed 4.5 lakh to Gurwinder. Whenever Gurwinder used to ask for the remaining amount, the victim allegedly used to accuse him of not giving him the entire possession of the land. Gurwinder reportedly wanted to sell another chunk of his land, but Jarnail was allegedly not letting any deal materialise by instigating the other villagers. Jarnail was allegedly threatening the villagers that if anyone buys the land from Gurwinder, he will stop the water supply to the person from the common tubewell in the village, inspector Harjinder Singh, SHO at the Hathur police station, said. The SHO added that on Saturday, Gurwinder called Jarnail to the field at 6.15am to settle the matter.Both of them decided to meet in the fields. Gurwinder carried his .12 bore rifle along. Both of them indulged in a verbal spat and, in a fit of rage, Gurwinder took out his rifle and shot Jarnail from point blank range. The bullet hit Jarnail in his chest and he died on the spot, said the SHO. A case of murder has been registered against Gurwinder at the Hathur police station following a statement of Kamaljit Kaur, daughter-in-law of Jarnail, he added. The victims two sons are settled in Manila of Philippines and in the US. Jarnail had also returned from Manila a few months ago. First responders load a patient into an ambulance from a nursing home where multiple people have contracted COVID-19 in Chelsea, Mass., on April 17, 2020. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images) Massachusetts Records Lowest COVID-19 Increase Since April 15 Massachusetts has recorded the lowest rate of CCP virus increase, however, authorities express concern that people under the lockdown have stopped visiting doctors and hospitals for other health issues. People arent stopping having heart attacks and strokes because of the pandemic, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said during a visit to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston on June 12. Azar was joined by Gov. Charlie Baker on the tour. Baker said that the seven-day average positive test rate for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus for the state decreased again to 3.4 percentwhich according to him means an 88 percent reduction in the positive tests since April 15. Azar said in the Boston area, colonoscopies, mammograms, and joint replacements decreased by 90 percent during the pandemic just because people are not seeking needed medical care. Glad to visit @BIDMChealth with @SecAzar to tour COVID-19 test kit assembly areas and primary care practice. Massachusetts response to #COVID19MA has been driven by our world class health care system, anchored by institutions like Beth Israel. WATCH: https://t.co/vK6i6iHIx8 pic.twitter.com/HAIO5gG2P3 Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) June 12, 2020 Cardiac surgeries decreased by 70 percent and stroke hospitalizations went down by 58 percent and heart attack hospitalizations by 33 percent. As the hospitals came under stress from the COVID-19 pandemic, non-essential hospital visits were stopped. Phase 1 reopening last month allowed all emergency visits and the phase 2 opening allowed routine doctors office visits, dentist appointments, and vision care. Weve got to balance the health risks of the virus against the health risks of forgoing all of this necessary medical care, Azar said. Federal Governments Work on Vaccine During his visit to Beth Israel, Azar said for the federal government to meet its early 2021 deadline for the CCP virus vaccine, it will have to pull the inefficiency out of various drug development timelines. President Trump was confronted by the drug companies timelines and found them to be unacceptable, he said. Normally, the drug companies progress stage by stage with timed delays in between, then scale up manufacturing. What were doing is deploying the entire power and financial resources of the federal government to advance all those timelinesnever compromising on the safety or efficacy, but rather reducing inefficiency. Azar said the Trump administration has set a goal of administering 300 million doses of vaccine by early 2021. Azar and Baker also talked about the vaccine that Beth Israel has been working on with Johnson & Johnson. Provides a significant amount of optimism to all of us who are looking for both treatments and vaccines as a big part of how wenot only here in Massachusetts but around the country and across the globedeal with COVID-19 as we go forward, said Baker. New Jersey churches and temples are allowed to reopen for public services this weekend, but many will continue to worship online and others will host outdoor gatherings because of crowd limitations and mandatory safety procedures put in place by the state. Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Tuesday that all churches, temples and other religious institutions are allowed to immediately reopen for indoor services. However, these services must be limited to 50 people or 25% of a buildings capacity whichever number is lower. In addition, all worshippers must wear face coverings and remain 6 feet apart, but family members can stay together. In light of these guidelines, numerous places of worship throughout New Jersey are continuing to offer live-stream worship services in place of reopening their doors. Some have elected to reopen for small indoor public gatherings that are first come, first served or reservation-only, and others have reimplemented outdoor services only. A Noontime Catholic mass at Holy Cross Church in Trenton.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Here is a county-by-county breakdown of the worship services being offered this weekend and in upcoming weeks. Indoor services are marked in bold type. Atlantic County Asbury United Methodist Church in Egg Harbor Township provides a weekly worship service at 10 a.m. on its Facebook page and YouTube channel. Church By The Bay in Galloway Township plans to reopen its church for worship services on July 5. The church will continue to stream Sunday services at 10 a.m. as well as a daily prayer at 8 a.m. Fresh Start Church in Egg Harbor Township is streaming Sunday services at 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Good Shepherd UMC in Northfield streams worship services at 10:30 a.m. on Facebook. Greentree Church in Egg Harbor Township plans to hold an outdoor service every Sunday morning at 10 a.m., weather permitting. Attendees should bring a blanket or lawn chair and practice social distancing. Live stream services will continue for those unable to attend or if the service is canceled due to weather. Life Point Church in Pleasantville is offering in-person outdoor and indoor services on Sundays at 11 a.m. An indoor service will also be offered at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. Live-stream services will continue to be streamed at 11 a.m on Sundays. Lifegate UMC in Somers Point streams worship services at 9 a.m. on Facebook. Mainland Baptist Church in Galloway streams live services on its Facebook page and YouTube channel on Sundays at 9:30 a.m., 10:40 a.m. and 6 p.m., as well as on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. The church also hosts a drive-in service at 10:40 a.m. on Sundays. Northfield Church of Christ is offering a recorded service on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Praise Tabernacle in Egg Harbor Township is offering in-person services at 9 and 10:30 a.m. beginning Sunday. These services will also be streamed online on Facebook and YouTube. Reformation Lutheran Church in Absecon will host an outdoor service on Sunday at 9 a.m. The church will continue to broadcast live worship services at 9 a.m. on Sundays via its Facebook page. The United Methodist Church at Absecon is offering a Contemporary worship experience on its YouTube channel at 9 a.m. on Sundays, followed by a Traditional worship experience with pipe-organ and a soloist at 11 a.m. Bergen County Abundant Grace Christian Church in Rutherford provides live stream services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. via Facebook and YouTube. Bible Baptist of Hasbrouck Heights is offering indoor services at 9 and 11 a.m. on Sundays beginning this weekend. The church will continue to stream services on its website and Facebook at 11 a.m. on Sundays. Church Alive in Lyndhurst is offering services on Sundays at 9 and 11 a.m., as well as 12:45 and 6 p.m. on its YouTube page. The church is offering drive-in services on Sunday, June 21 at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Church at Bergen in Paramus is streaming at 9:15 and 11 a.m. on Sundays via YouTube. The Church of the Atonement in Tenafly is offering YouTube services on various days and live prayer services at 7 p.m. on its Facebook page daily. The Church of the Good Shepherd in Fort Lee is streaming Sunday services at 10 a.m. on Facebook and YouTube. These are Episcopal Church services offered in both English and Korean. Bible Study sessions are also being conducted virtually on Tuesdays; please contact the church to join in. Church of Jesus in Paramus is streaming a worship service on Sundays at 10 a.m. via YouTube. Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River is reopening this Monday for 9 a.m. Masses from Monday through Saturday. Online weekday and Sunday masses will continue. The Church of Saint Mary in Closter streams services on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on Facebook. Cresskill Congregational Church is offering worship services on its Facebook page on Sundays at 10 a.m. as well as a short video devotional on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. Fardale Trinity Church in Mahwah is offering a worship service on its Church Field this Sunday at 9:45 a.m. The church will continue to stream the entire service live through Facebook. First Baptist Church, Englewood offers virtual church services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on Facebook. Worshippers can also access the service by calling in at 712-770-5505, using access code 902715#. A mens prayer line is also being offered by the church at 9 p.m. daily, which worshippers can access by dialing the same number. First Presbyterian Church of Englewood is streaming Sunday worship services at 9 and 11 a.m. at fpce.live and its Facebook page. The church is also reaching out to children and families through their website and by using Zoom for church school classes, Meet-Ups and Teen Fridays. First Presbyterian Church of Rutherford is offering live streaming worship services at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Rev. Peter Wilkinson is also hosting a live meditation at 4 p.m. daily. The First Reformed Church of the Palisades in Fort Lee is live streaming Sunday services at 10:30 a.m. on Facebook. Grace Redeemer Church in Glen Rock has an online service that streams at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Recorded sermons can also be viewed on the churchs YouTube page. Hindu Samaj Mandir of Mahwah has reopened for Ganesh Ji Aarti outside each day from 7 to 8 p.m. The temple will continue to offer online priest services, for which temple priests will be available via video call from Mandir Darbar and guide the devotee step by step to perform the Puja/event. Interested individuals should contact Temple Manager Raji Natarajan at (201) 916-6881 or manager@hindusamajmandir.org and provide the following information: Their first and last name, phone number, email address, the type, time and date of Puja/event and their preference of priest language. Upon receiving this information, the temple manager will call the devotee to confirm the Puja/event and details about service fees. HOW Church in Garfield live streams services on Sundays at 10 a.m. in English and at noon in Spanish. India Christian Assembly of New Jersey in Hackensack streams worshipping services every Sunday in two different languages a Malayalam Bible Study and Worship at 9:30 a.m. and an English Worship at 10 a.m. Viewers can access these services via YouTube or Facebook. Jesus Lamb of God Fellowship in Bergenfield offers live stream worship services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on its Facebook page. Living Gospel Baptist Church in Rutherford has reopened for in-person gatherings on both Sundays at 11 a.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. The church will continue to offer Zoom for all services. Metro Community Church in Englewood live streams at 11:30 a.m. each Sunday. New Hope Baptist Church in Hackensack is live streaming Sundays at 10:45 a.m. New Mercy Palisades Church in Palisades Park is streaming Sunday worship services at 10 a.m. via Facebook. North Jersey Vineyard Church in South Hackensack offers live stream services every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in English and 12:15 p.m. in Spanish. The church is also live streaming daily messages and prayers on Mondays through Fridays at noon. Praise Church in Garfield streams services on Sundays at 9:15 a.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on Facebook. Ramsey Presbyterian Church is holding online services at 10 a.m. on Sundays. St. Anne Roman Catholic Church in Fair Lawn will reopen for weekday Masses on June 22, and for weekend Masses on Saturdays at 5:15 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. All Masses will continue to be live streamed. St. Anthony of Padua Episcopal Church in Hackensack is streaming various Mass services throughout the week, primarily on Sundays and Thursdays. On Sundays, the services are streaming at 8 a.m. in Spanish, 10:30 a.m. in English and 12:30 p.m. in Italian. St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Ramsey will reopen for 10 a.m. weekday Masses on Monday. Mass will continue to be live steamed. Burlington County Browns Mills United Methodist Church streams services every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. concurrently on Facebook and YouTube. Each service includes praise & worship, childrens messages and weekly virtual hymn singing. Individuals can learn more about virtual hymn singing here. The church has also placed candles with the names of more than 104 community members working on the frontlines of the battle against the coronavirus that are lit during each Sunday service to honor their service and pray for their safety. Church Without Borders in Medford is offering a live stream of its Sunday service on its Facebook page at 10 a.m. Columbus Baptist Church is live streaming Sunday services at 10 a.m. on Facebook. All archived sermons can be found on the churchs YouTube page. Converge Church in Moorestown is offering Sunday services at 10 a.m. on YouTube and Facebook. The church also provides children and youth services on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Fellowship Community Church in Mount Laurel streams at 8, 9:15 and 11 a.m. on Sundays. First United Methodist Church in Moorestown offers worship movies released every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. The Haven Church in Burlington Township is streaming services on Facebook and YouTube at 5 and 7 p.m. each Saturday, with fellowship time in between those times available via Facebook. HOPE Community Church in Moorestown is live streaming services every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Marlton United Methodist Church offers worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. on Facebook and YouTube. Mary Mother of the Church Parish in Bordentown has reopened St. Mary Church and Holy Assumption Church for public services the former on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. and Sundays at 8 a.m., and the latter on Wednesdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. St. Mary Church will live stream services at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays and offer a drive-to Communion at the church afterwards, and Holy Assumption Church a 11 a.m. service on Sundays with a drive-to Communion afterwards. Pembertons First Baptist Church will reopen for worship services on Sunday at 11 a.m. This service will continue to be streamed via YouTube. Second Baptist Church of Moorestown is live streaming Sunday morning services at 10 a.m. on YouTube and Facebook. Prayer meeting is open to all at 7 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays (Bible Study) and Fridays via Zoom. Sovereign Grace Church in Marlton live streams its Sunday services at 10 a.m. each week. Tabernacle Baptist Church in Burlington is streaming worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. and a Bible Study on Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. on its website. Pastor Cory Jones is also posting videos on Facebook each Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. The church has placed candles with the names of more than 104 community members working on the frontlines of the battle against the coronavirus that are lit during each Sunday service to honor their service and pray for their safety.Courtesy Pastor Daeil Min of Browns Mills UMC Camden County Audubon United Methodist Church is providing online Sunday services at 10:30 a.m. Bethel Church in Cherry Hill is streaming services at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays on YouTube. Brooklawn United Methodist Church is live streaming its 11 a.m. worship services each Sunday on Facebook. The services are recorded and can be viewed at any time on Facebook, or by visiting the News tab on the churchs website. Centenary United Methodist Church in Berlin is streaming Sunday services at 10 a.m. on Facebook and YouTube. Chews United Methodist Church in Glendora is offering live stream worship services each Sunday at 11 a.m. The Church of St. John the Evangelist in Blackwood is offering an online Sunday Eucharist via Zoom and Facebook at 10 a.m. The Connect Church in Cherry Hill is offering 11 a.m. Sunday services on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Throughout the week the church is also continuing to host its small groups virtually, as well as providing a childrens service that streams live at noon on Sundays. Diocese of Camden has allowed daily Masses to begin starting June 9, with Sunday-obligation Masses beginning this weekend. The Diocese offers a link to several streamed services offered by its churches. Ferry Avenue United Methodist Church in Camden is offering Sunday Worship services at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. Grace Bible Church in Barrington is reopening the church for a 10:15 a.m. service on Sundays. The service will also be live streamed. The church will continue to hold Zoom meetings for bible studies during the week for its mens, womens and childrens groups. Haddonfield United Methodist is streaming contemporary services on Sundays at 9 a.m. and traditional services at 10:30 a.m. Loving Grace Alliance Church in Atco offers online services every Sunday at 10 a.m. followed by an online prayer and fellowship. The church also offers online fellowship and Bible studies throughout the week online. Mount Olivet Seventh-day Adventist Church in Camden is streaming services via Facebook and YouTube. Saint Michaels Lutheran Church in Cherry Hill is streaming Sunday Worship services at 11 a.m. on Facebook. Sicklerville United Methodist Church is streaming services on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on its Facebook page. The church is also offering Sunday services at 10:30 a.m. and a live prayer on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. on its Encounter Facebook page. Solid Rock Baptist Church in Berlin, which reopened its doors for services last month in violation of state guidelines, will continue allowing worshippers to register for in-person Sunday church services at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. The 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. services will be live streamed. Sunday Mass at 10 a.m. will continue to be live streamed. Westmont United Methodist Church in the Westmont section of Haddon Township is offering a live service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings on Facebook Live. World Harvest Christian Center in Pennsauken is offering services on Facebook at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Cape May County Coastal Christian of Ocean City offers live services on Sundays on 9 and 11 a.m. on its website and app as well as on its Facebook page and YouTube page. The church also offers a Q&A with its pastors on Mondays at 12 p.m. and a mid-day prayer on Tuesdays at 12 p.m. on Facebook. Coastal Christian also provides several other ministries including childrens, recovery, support, mens and womens via Zoom. All of the churchs content is archived on its sites. First Assembly of God in Cape May will reopen for indoor services on July 5. Until then, the church will continue to offer drive-in services on Sundays at 11 a.m. and live stream its services on its Facebook page each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Wildwood will resume in-person worship services on June 21 with an 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. service. The church will continue to stream services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Cumberland County Bethany Grace Community Church in Bridgeton is offering a Sunday worship service that streams at 11 a.m. The church is also offering a Bible Study every Monday at 6 p.m. and a Thursday Evening Prayer Meeting at 7 p.m. These services are all accessible via Zoom or at the churchs YouTube page. Chestnut Assembly of God in Vineland is live streaming Sunday services at 10 a.m. Young adults, youth and childrens groups are available weekly via Zoom and information to join is available by contacting ministry leaders. Cohansey Baptist Church in Roadstown goes live each Sunday at 10:15 a.m. on its Facebook page. Fairton Christian Center is offering an indoor services at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. this Sunday. Sunday School will be held indoors at 8:45 a.m. and Youth Group at 6 p.m. in the Chapel. The 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. services as well as the Sunday School will also be available via conference call and Zoom. Super Church for Kids at 12 p.m. will be streamed on Facebook. Higher Places Ministries in Vineland is live streaming Sunday services at 10 a.m. as well as Bible Study at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Gen-X Youth Ministry at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Kingdom Kids is also being streamed at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. In His Image Ministries in Bridgeton is streaming Sunday services at 11 a.m. and Bible Study and Prayer every Wednesday and Friday at 6 pm. New Life World Outreach in Millville will reopen this Sunday for an 11 a.m. service. Shiloh Seventh Day Baptist Church in Shiloh is hosting an outdoor worship service on Saturdays at 9:45 a.m. The service will also be live streamed on YouTube, Facebook and the churchs website. For further information, please contact shilohsdb@gmail.com. Spirit & Truth Worship Center in Bridgeton offers live streaming services on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. via Facebook and YouTube. Westpark United Methodist Church in Bridgeton holds a live stream Sunday worship at 10:30 a.m. on YouTube. Gov. Phil Murphy delivered remarks at the Saint James A.M.E. Church in Newark back in 2018.NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Essex County Allen AME Church in Newark is streaming services at 10:05 a.m. on Sundays, which worshippers can tune into by calling 1-701-779-9754. Bedrock of Gods Word Ministries in Irvington is live streaming services from 9 to 10:30 a.m. each Sunday. Bethany Baptist Church in Newark is live streaming on Sundays at 8 and 11 a.m. Bethel Baptist Church International in Orange is streaming services on YouTube. Bethel New Life Community Outreach Church in East Orange provides virtual services via Facebook every Sunday beginning at 11:30 a.m. Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green is live streaming Sunday worship services at 10:45 a.m. The church is also live streaming an hour of sacred music at 5 p.m. on Sundays and hosts a 7 p.m. prayer gathering on Wednesdays. For public health reasons, the Church on the Green will remain closed at least through Sept. 12. Brookdale Christian Church in Bloomfield is resuming in-person worship services on Sunday, June 21, at 10:30 am. Live stream services will continue to be available on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on Facebook and YouTube. Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Essex Fells is offering online Sunday services at 10:15 a.m. The Center for Spiritual Living North Jersey in Caldwell is live streaming its 11 a.m. Sunday services on Facebook. Central Presbyterian Church Of Montclair is streaming on Sundays at 10 a.m. Centro de Sanidad Refugio de Esperanza in Newark is streaming prayer service on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. and worship service on Sundays at 11 a.m. Church Iglesias Adoradores Del Altisimo in Newark streams Spanish services on Fridays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. Citadel of Hope Mission in East Orange is streaming Sunday services at 11 a.m. via Facebook. Community Church of Cedar Grove offers online Sunday services at 10 a.m., as well as a lunchtime prayer from noon to 1 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and childrens story times every evening at 8. Congregation Beth El in South Orange streams virtual services; worshippers can learn more information by viewing the congregations calendar here. Congregation BNai Jeshurun in Short Hills streams each 5:30 p.m. Shabbat and offers TBJ TV, where viewers can discover synagogue members delivering readings of childrens books and acoustic performances of songs. Covenant Presbyterian Church in Millburn is offering an outdoor service this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. that will also be live streamed. In the event of inclement weather, two services will be held in the sanctuary at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The Crossing Church in Livingston streams virtual services at 11 a.m. on its website, Facebook, and YouTube. The church also hosts small groups for men, women, and youth throughout the week, a mid-week prayer service, as well as various other events. There are also Sunday school lessons available each week for kids. Elmwood United Presbyterian Church in East Orange is streaming Sunday services beginning at 9:30 a.m. First Hopewell Baptist Church in Newark is streaming via Zoom at 11 a.m. on Sundays. Glen Ridge Congregational Church is offering virtual, live streaming worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. Greater Harvest Baptist Church in Newark live streams Bible study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and a Sunday school and Worship service on Sundays at 9 a.m. via Facebook. Imani Baptist Church of Christ in East Orange meets via Zoom on Sundays at 11 a.m. Kol Rina in South Orange streams services on Fridays at 5:45 p.m. and Mondays at 8 p.m. Worshippers can call 1-855-6MINYAN for more information. Masjid Waarith ud Deen, with locations in Irvington and Newark, holds online Friday Reflections at 1:15 p.m. on it Facebook page. Messiah Baptist in East Orange offers live stream services every Sunday morning at 10 a.m on YouTube. Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark is streaming Sunday morning worship services at 7:15, 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. Individuals should also check their cable provider to view the weekly message on the Impact Network streaming every Saturday at 4 p.m and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Worshippers can also tune in on Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. for online Bible Study. Montclair Community Church in Upper Montclair streams on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. via YouTube. Morrow Memorial United Methodist Church in Maplewood is offering services every Sunday at 7 a.m. on its YouTube and Facebook pages. In addition, the church offers multiple small group discussions throughout the week via Zoom. Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Newark offers online services at 11 a.m. Sundays. Newark Church of Christ is offering Sunday morning worship services led by Dr. Eugene Lawton at 11:00 a.m. on its Facebook page and YouTube channel. Worshippers can also live stream Thursday evening Bible study at 6:00 p.m. New Hope Baptist Church of East Orange is offering a Sunday worship service at 11 a.m., Wednesdays in the Word on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and a 12 p.m. prayer on Fridays via Facebook. Nutley Abundant Life Worship Center streams a 10 a.m. Sunday worship on its Facebook page each week and a Bible Study/Time at 7 p.m. each Thursday. Oheb Shalom in South Orange streams a Shabbat Morning Service on Saturdays at 9:45 a.m., Zoominyan on Sundays at 9 a.m. and Mondays to Fridays at 8 a.m., Kabbalat Shabbat Live on Fridays at 6 p.m., and Havdalah on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church in Newark will resume its daily 8:30 a.m. Mass on Monday. The following Sunday, June 21, Sunday masses will begin 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m. (Italian), and 12 p.m. Our Lady of Sorrows Church in South Orange is reopening on Monday, June 15 for Masses at 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Saturdays. Sunday Masses and the Saturday Vigil will return on the following weekend, with the Vigil at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday Masses at 8, 10, and 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass at 10 a.m. will continue to be live streamed. Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Verona will resume its 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. daily Masses on Monday, and Sunday Masses will resume the following weekend. The church will continue to live stream on Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. The Masses are available on the churchs YouTube page for later viewing. Park United Methodist Church in Bloomfield is live streaming Sunday worship services at 11 a.m., Wednesday prayer services at 7 p.m. and memorial services on the 30th of each month at 7 p.m. via Facebook. Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Newark is streaming via Facebook every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Prayer is held every morning at 7 a.m. via conference call at 712-770-4160, access code: 686230#; Sunday School at 9 a.m. via conference call at 712-770-4160, access Code: 686230# and Zoom meeting ID: 385-446-973; and Tuesday Evening Bible study at 7:30 p.m. is held via conference call at 712-770-4160, access code: 686230# and Zoom Meeting ID:5137568127. Roseville Presbyterian Church in Newark is streaming services online at 10 a.m on Sundays. St. Francis of Assisi American National Catholic Church in Glen Ridge is offering Mass on the lawn, located at the right-side of the entrance to the parish, on June 14th at 11 a.m. This and Daily Masses at 12 p.m. will continue to be live streamed. St. Georges Episcopal Church in Maplewood live streams Sunday worship at 10.30 a.m. on Facebook. The church also offers Compline on Facebook at 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays. Saint James A.M.E. Church in Newark and South Orange offers a Live Stream Sunday Worship Experience at 9 a.m. Individuals can also listen to the worship live by calling the prayer conference line at 9 a.m. Dial 605-475-3270 and use access code 882198#. St. John Baptist Church in Newark holds a live stream service every Sunday at 11 a.m. St. Matthew A.M.E. Church in Orange streams Sunday worship services at 9 a.m. Worshippers can call (929) 205-6099 using Meeting ID 9736781217. If individuals desire to connect by video, they should send email to pastorwilson@stmatthewame.org. The church is also offering a Daily Prayer at 6 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. accessible by calling (206) 806-9984, as well as Bereavement and Depression Support Groups every Monday at 7 p.m. accessible by calling (301) 715-8592 using Meeting ID 912600905. Moreover, there is a Pastors Bible Study on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. accessible on its Facebook page or by calling (929) 205-6099, Meeting ID 498832190 and a Weekly Nutrition Class on Thursdays at 11 a.m accessible by calling (929) 205-6099, Meeting ID 8668622387. St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Montclair is live streaming Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and Mondays through Thursdays at 12 p.m. St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Bloomfield is offering in-person Weekday Masses at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Beginning the weekend of June 21, Masses will be offered in-person on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 12 p.m. Online Sunday services will continue to be offered via YouTube. Temple Beth Shalom in Livingston has moved all programming, preschool activities, religious school activities and religious services to a virtual environment, offering morning services on Sundays at 9 a.m. and on Mondays through Fridays at 7:30 a.m. Evening services are offered on Sundays through Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Erev Shabbat services on Fridays at 6 p.m. and Havdalah on Saturdays at 8:45 p.m. though this time is subject to change. All services and activities are being conducted on Zoom and worshippers can receive login information by emailing office@tbsnj.org. Temple Bnai Abraham in Livingston is offering live services on its Facebook page, including Tot Shabbat for children under five at 5:45 p.m. and Erev Shabbat services at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays and Shabbat services at 10 a.m. and Havdalah services at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield streams both Friday night and Saturday morning services on YouTube. Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange has moved all its programming, school and religious services to a virtual environment, including Friday evening services that are streamed at 6 p.m. on Zoom. Union Congregational Church in Montclair is streaming services on Sundays at 10 a.m. via Zoom. Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair is offering online Sunday services at 9:30 a.m. via Facebook. The United Presbyterian of West Orange is holding services virtually every week at 9:30 a.m. on Facebook and Zoom. Vincent United Methodist Church in Nutley is live streaming its worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. on Facebook. Wyoming Presbyterian Church in Millburn is streaming Sunday services at 10 a.m. The church will not reopen until September 12 at the earliest. Gloucester County Bethel United Methodist Church in Sewell is worshipping via Zoom on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. The call in number is 1-646-558-8656, with a Meeting ID of: 678 187 0588. Evangelical United Methodist Church in Clarksboro will be worshipping outside this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The church will also continue to live stream its services. Faith Tabernacle Community Church in Clayton is offering drive-up services every Sunday starting at 10:30 a.m. Services are held rain or shine. Fellowship Bible Church in Sewell will host services on Lukes Field on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. These services will also be live streamed on the churchs website, Facebook page, or YouTube channel. In the event of rain, three services will be held in the auditorium. First Presbyterian Church of Clayton live streams on Sundays at 11 a.m. Additionally, the church offers virtual posts every weekday: Mental Health Monday, Truth Tuesday, Worship Wednesday, Thankful Thursday and Funny Friday. The First Presbyterian Church in Pitman is live streaming Sunday worship services at 10 a.m. and hosting an evening prayer meditation via Zoom each weeknight at 8 p.m. The church is also offering activities for take home" Sunday School and conducting two minute Bible Studies. Moreover, Pastor Drew is providing videos for worshippers of the church, including a childrens book reading. Franklinville and Newfield United Methodist Churches are offering a combined online worship experience called Comfy, Cozy Church that is live on its Facebook pages (Franklinville and Newfield) and on its Comfy Cozy Church YouTube Channel each Sunday at 10 a.m. Gloucester County Community Church in Washington Township is reopening its doors for Sunday services at 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. on June 21. A representative of the church confirmed with NJ Advance Media that up to 250 people can register online fo these services, although indoor gatherings remained limited by the state to 50 people or less as of present day. These services will be streamed online. Grace Church in Swedesboro will host a drive-in service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Living Hope Worship Center in Logan Township streams its services at 8 a.m. each weekday, plus 7 a.m. on Wednesdays and 11 a.m. on Sundays on its Facebook page. Mercy Hill Presbyterian Church in Sewell will resume on Sunday at 10 a.m., with all parishioners required to RSVP online. The church will continue to offer a live stream on its website of its Sunday services. Open Bible Baptist Church in Williamstown will be hosting in-person services on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. The church is also offering a 10:30 a.m. virtual service on Sunday available via YouTube. Pitman United Methodist Church is broadcasting a live stream service on its websites Live Stream Page at 10:15 a.m. on Sundays. Recordings of previous services are also available. RockLife Church in Swedesboro is streaming Sunday Worship services at 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday Bible Study at 7 p.m. St. James Lutheran Church in Pitman offers live stream services on its Facebook page on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church in Williamstown is offering a drive-in service this Sunday at 10 a.m. that will also be live streamed. St. Matthews Church in Williamstown offers online services as well as other services. The United Methodist Church of Mantua will be regathering for worship on July 5 at 9:30 a.m. Live stream services will continue. Verga United Methodist Church in West Deptford offers online services every Sunday at 11 a.m. via YouTube or on its website. Courtesy of Franklinville and Newfield United Methodist ChurchesCourtesy Franklinville and Newfield United Methodist Churches Hudson County All Saints Episcopal Parish in Hoboken is streaming 10 a.m. Sunday worship services. The Church of St. Paul and Incarnation in Jersey City live streams on Sundays at 10 a.m. Cityline Church in Jersey City hosts online services on Sundays at 9:20 a.m. in Spanish and 11 a.m. in English. Online prayer service in English and Spanish is offered on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Youth online meetings and young adult meetings are on Fridays at 8:05 p.m. Evangelical Gospel Tabernacle in Bayonne will reopen on June 21 for Sunday morning worship services. Gospel Tabernacle of North Bergen broadcasts live at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City streams services every Sunday at 11 a.m., but is encouraging worshippers to tune in by 10:55 a.m. The church also offers morning & evening prayer every day of the week, as well as choir practice, Sunday School and adult book forums all available through Zoom. Grove Reformed Church of North Bergen holds online worship services on its Facebook page every Sunday at 10:45 a.m. Prayer requests can be received at the church website. Heavenly Temple Church of God in Christ in Jersey City streams worship services every Sunday at 1 p.m. and Bible Study every Thursday at 7 p.m. The call-in number is (253) 993-3074. Hoboken Grace is streaming weekly services at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. every Sunday. The Hub Church in Jersey City is live streaming on Facebook and Youtube every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The church is also providing online groups for men, women and youth every Tuesday using Zoom, links to which are provided on the churchs social media pages. Prayer is available by emailing pray@jchubchurch.org. Mount Pisgah AME Church in Jersey City is streaming on Sundays at 10 a.m. Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph Church in Hoboken is offering Sunday Masses at Our Lady of Grace Church at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and at St. Joseph at 10 a.m. beginning June 21. Daily Masses are offered in the Our Lady of Grace Chapel. The Purpose Church in Jersey City streams a Sunday service at 9:30 a.m. in addition to a number of virtual events throughout the week, including workout sessions, comedy shows, craft lessons and cooking classes. Redeemer in Jersey City is offering a live stream of its services every Sunday on its YouTube page at 10:30 a.m. as well as virtual small prayer groups throughout the week. St. Francis Church in Hoboken will resume daily 8 a.m. Masses on Monday. On the weekend of June 20, the church will resume weekly mass with its Saturday 5 p.m. Vigil. Mass on Sunday, June 21, will be at 9:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 6 p.m. Live stream Mass will move to 9:30 a.m. but will be at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 14. Saint Stephens Roman Catholic Church in Kearny resumed the celebration of Daily Mass on Monday. Daily Mass will be offered at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday; the church doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and everyone must be in Church by 8:55 a.m. Tapestry Church in Jersey City is providing online worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. and noon. The United Synagogue of Hoboken live streams its services every Friday at 6:30 p.m. and every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Woodcliff Community Reformed Church in North Bergen is streaming Sunday morning worship services at 11 a.m. Hunterdon County Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Pittstown is live streaming on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Recorded videos of the services are available on Facebook. Clinton Presbyterian Church is offering online services on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Worshippers can call 908-735-5029 or email the pastor, Tracey Henry, at tracey4cpc@gmail.com for details. Clinton United Methodist Church is presenting Sunday worship services via its YouTube channel at 10 a.m. each week. Clinton UMC is also offering online prayer on Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on its Facebook page. First Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hunterdon County is offering an 8:30 a.m. online discussion of the topic of the day on Sundays, to be followed by Rev. Seth Fisher leading the regular online service at 10:30 a.m. Virtual summer services go from June 21 to September 6, with a variety of speakers and discussion topics; the long-format services resume on September 13, with the Ingathering & Water Communion. The Flemington Jewish Community Center offers Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday night, Sabbath morning, Havdalah and Sunday morning services, along with various classes. Individuals can contact the centers office at office@flemingtonjcc.org for more information. Flemington Presbyterian Church offers online services on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. live via its Facebook page. Frenchtown Presbyterian Church is offering virtual Sunday Schools at 10 a.m. The Frenchtown United Methodist Church offers livestream worship services on its Facebook page at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Grace Fellowship in Milford is holding its Sunday morning worship services outside at 10:30 a.m. The service will be live streamed with plans to on the churchs Facebook page. The Kingwood United Methodist Church offers livestream worship services on its Facebook page at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Landmark Christian Church in Flemington is live streaming services on Facebook every Sunday at 3 p.m. The Lebanon Reformed Church posts a recorded worship service on Saturday evenings on YouTube. The service, along with the Sunday bulletin, can also be accessed through the churchs website. Living Waters Lutheran Church in Ringoes offers an online worship every Sunday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Or Chadash, The Reform Temple of Hunterdon County in Flemington is hosting virtual Shabbat services on Fridays at 7 p.m. South Ridge Community Church in Clinton is hosting live stream services at 9 and 10:45 a.m. on Sundays and 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. Spruce Run Lutheran Church in Glen Gardner has both online worship and Sunday School through its website. Stanton Reformed Church live streams worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays via YouTube. Individuals can follow along with the Sunday bulletin, which is available on their church website. The church also has an active Facebook page which features a story time for children on Thursdays at 3 p.m. St. John the Evangelist in Lambertville is offering in-person Masses beginning Saturday. Saturday Mass will be held at 5 p.m., and Sunday Masses at 8 and 11 a.m. The church will continue to streaming Sunday Masses at 11 a.m. Three Bridges Reformed Church is offering live streamed Sunday services at 10 a.m. Zion Lutheran Church in Oldwick is offering a Facebook streaming worship at 11 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Sunday morning worship is pre-recorded and posted on both Facebook and YouTube. Mercer County Beth El Synagogue in East Windsor is streaming multiple services this week, including a Tot Shabbat on Friday at 4 p.m.; a Mincha and Abbreviated Kabbalat Shabbat Service on Friday at 6 p.m. available on Facebook and Zoom; a Havdalah Service on Saturday at 8:45 p.m.; Minyan on Sunday at 8:45 a.m.; a Maariv and Yom HaShoah Service on Monday at 8 p.m.; a Maariv Service on Wednesday at 8 p.m. and Minyan on Thursday at 7:15 a.m. Calvary Chapel of Mercer County in Ewing is reopening the church for outdoor gatherings beginning Sunday at 10 a.m. Wednesday evening services will be held indoors. Sunday services will continue to be streamed at 10 a.m. on the churchs Facebook page. The Catholic Community of Hopewell Valley is opening its churches for daily Mass beginning Monday and weekend Mass beginning June 13. Masses will continue to be live streamed on Facebook. Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction offers many virtual gathering opportunities, including worship services. Friday night services can be accessed by the public on its YouTube channel, and Zoom passwords can be requested for all of the synagogues virtual events by emailing password@bethchaim.org. Fellowship Capital City in Trenton will worship outside if location and weather permit it. The church will continue to offer a live stream service on its Facebook page Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and also post devotional videos throughout the week. Greater Is He Ministries in Trenton streams services on Sundays at 11 a.m. on Facebook and Zoom and offers a Tuesday Bible Study at 7:30 p.m. Higher Ground Church in Ewing is live streaming its Sunday services at 11 a.m. on its YouTube channel and Tuesday and Thursday night fellowships at 6:45 p.m. through the Zoom app. Hopewell United Methodist Church is streaming services at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Lifechange Church in Ewing streams Sunday worship services at 9 and 11:30 a.m. Mount Pisgah AME Church in Princeton worships via conference call on Sundays at 10 a.m. The contact information is: (515) 604-9517, access code 646 438#. Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton posts a link to its weekly online worship service on Sunday mornings for worshippers to view at their own convenience. Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Princeton Junction is live streaming worship services from its Facebook page. Regular Sunday worship is at 9:30 a.m. and other seasonal live streamed services can be found in the churchs Facebook events calendar. Princeton Meadow Church will reopen for worship services at 9 and 10 a.m. on Sunday in a modified format. The church will live stream its services on its Facebook page. Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Hamilton streams a live service on Sundays at 10 a.m. An archive of past services is also available on its website. Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton is live streaming its Sunday services at 8 and 11 a.m. on its Facebook page and YouTube channel. Slackwood Presbyterian Church in Lawrence Township uploads a video to YouTube at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning so that people can watch it with their families at a time thats convenient to them and replay it if necessary. St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Hightstown will reopen for in-person Sunday services this weekend, with an English worship at 9 a.m. and a Spanish one at 12 p.m. Weekday in-person Masses have been reinstated. Masses will continue to be live streamed on the churchs Facebook page. St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church in Ewing offers live worship with the Zoom app and on its Facebook page every Sunday at 10 a.m. The United Presbyterian Church of Yardville is live streaming a shortened service on Sundays at 11 a.m. The church has other resources available on its website and on its Facebook page. Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church in Princeton streams Sunday services at 10 a.m. Bishop James F. Checchio spoke during the Metuchen Diocese Blue Mass at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in 2019.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Middlesex County Abundant Life Family Worship Church in New Brunswick is streaming services on Sundays at 9 a.m. and Thursdays at 7 p.m. Bayard Street Presbyterian Church in New Brunswick live streams Sunday services at 10:30 a.m. Calvary Chapel Old Bridge is live streaming services at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays and 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Metuchen will begin in-worship services on Sunday, with Masses at 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am and 12:00 pm and Saturday evening Masses will be discontinued for now. The cathedral will implement a 25% capacity and require social distancing among worshipers. Central Jersey Church of Christ in North Brunswick is offering services in English and Spanish on Sundays at 10 a.m. Christ Church South Amboy and Trinity Episcopal Church in Matawan are jointly streaming services every Sunday at 10 a.m. on Zoom. The Meeting ID is 825 4380 6971, with password: 6LZfiBOr. To dial in by phone, worshippers should call 646-558-8656 and enter meeting number: 82543806971#, and password: 324844#. Christ United Methodist Church in Piscataway offers online worship services each Sunday via YouTube and Facebook. In addition, the church offers a weekly 30-minute prayer meeting each Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Facebook. Community Presbyterian Church of Edison offers services on Sunday mornings on its YouTube channel. Cranbury Presbyterian offers online services on its Facebook page. Diocese of Metuchen is offering an assortment of live streaming services. Epic Church International in Sayreville streams services on Sundays at 8 and 10:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 6 and 7:15 p.m. through its website and Facebook. Installments of Epic Kidz and Epic Kidz Jr. videos are available with resources for working at home with children. Epic Youth connects with teens on several platforms including Instagram, Zoom, Twitch and TikTok. First Baptist Church in Perth Amboy is live streaming its services on its Facebook page on Sundays at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. First Presbyterian Church at Dayton in South Brunswick is offering live stream worship services at 10 a.m. on Sundays. First Baptist Church of Metuchen is live streaming services on Sundays at 11 a.m. Grace Church of North Brunswick is offering online services each Thursday night at 7:30 and Sunday morning at 11. Hungarian Reformed Church of Carteret offers an English worship service at 8:30 a.m. on Sundays and a Hungarian worship service is at 9 a.m. on Sundays. The church said it plans to take extra time to reopen as several elderly members are not comfortable to attend services in person just yet. Kendall Park Baptist Church live streams its Sunday services at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., as well as its Wednesday services at 7 p.m. Kingston Presbyterian Church is live streaming worship services on Facebook at 11 a.m. on Sundays. The church said its awaiting guidance from leadership on whats needed to reopen. Life Mission Worship Center in Hopelawn is streaming an online service every Sunday at 2 p.m. Metro Park Assembly of God in Iselin has launched multiple online Sunday services at 9 and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Youth services for students ages 12 to 17 can also continue to meet during the week online through an online app. Metuchen Assembly of God is broadcasting live services on its Facebook page Sundays at 10:30 a.m. New Destiny Family Worship Center in North Brunswick is live streaming its services on its Instagram and Facebook pages on Sundays at 11 a.m., Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Fridays at 8 p.m. New Durham Chapel in Piscataway is offering live-stream services at 11 a.m. on Sundays on its website and YouTube channel. Sunday evening worship at the chapel will resume on Sundays at 6 p.m. with strict measures, including social distancing and masks. Temperatures will be taken upon entry with a touchless thermometer. North Stelton A.M.E. Church in Piscataway streams live worship each Sunday at 10 a.m. and Bible Study each Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Facebook and YouTube. For audio only, persons can connect by calling (978) 990-5000 and entering Access Code: 359303. Pentecostal Church Of God IM in Carteret streams services on Sundays at 12 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Point Community Church in East Brunswick streams worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. on Facebook. Point Community Church in North Brunswick streams worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m. on Facebook. Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro streams its church services on Facebook, YouTube and its website, including a Sunday service that streams at 9:45 a.m. Sacred Heart Catholic Church in South Plainfield live streams a 9 a.m. daily Mass as well as a 5 p.m. Mass on Saturdays. Simpson United Methodist Church in Old Bridge is streaming Sunday SONrise services at 8:30 a.m. and traditional services at 10 a.m. St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Perth Amboy streams its weekly services on Sundays at 9 a.m. (and other times as indicated) on its Facebook page. St. Joseph Parish in Carteret is live-streaming Sunday Masses at 10:30 a.m. St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Edison is making preparations to reopen but is awaiting supplies and planning modifications for in-person worship. In the meantime, the church plans to offer outdoor services starting on June 27 at 5:30 p.m. For now, live streaming will continue on Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. St. Pauls in Milltown is offering a live-stream service at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays on its Facebook page. The United Methodist Church at Milltown offers a live stream service Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a..m on its Facebook page. Worshippers can also watch recorded services at a later point on YouTube. The Unitarian Society in East Brunswick offers online meditation three times each week. Sunday services are offered at 10:30 a.m., plus family chapel, called Spirit Lab, is offered on Sunday evenings for families and children. The church also streams a Wednesday evening Connection Circle service, where individuals can check in and communicate with one another. Monmouth County Bayshore Christian Fellowship in Keyport is streaming its church services on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. on Facebook and YouTube. Chinese American Bible Church in Freehold offers Sunday services in Chinese at 9:30 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. The church also offers an English Prayer Meeting on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. and a Chinese Prayer Meeting on Fridays at 8 p.m. Moreover, the church is streaming English Adult Fellowship every Sunday at 7:30 p.m., a Young Adult Fellowship every Friday at 9:30 p.m. and an English Ladies Fellowship on the first Saturday of each month at 9:15 a.m. Colts Neck Community Church is offering outdoor services on Sunday at 9 a.m. and at 10:0 a.m. The church will also live stream services at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays and at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Pastor Chris Durkin can also be heard on the Bridge FM 98.7FM. Colts Neck Reformed Church is live streaming worship services at 9:15 a.m. Sundays on Facebook. Cornerstone Calvary Chapel in Howell will hold outdoor services on Sunday between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. with strict measures in place. The church will continue to stream services live on Facebook and YouTube on Sundays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Faith Baptist Tabernacle of Asbury Park is offering live stream services on Sundays at 9:30 a.m as well as a Word Bible Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on its YouTube and Facebook pages. First Baptist Church of Matawan will resume in-person worship services outdoors starting Sunday at 10:15 a.m. and will also live stream. First Baptist Church of Red Bank is offering virtual services on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. The services are contemporary in style and music. First United Methodist Church: Oakhurst is offering weekday morning messages at 6 a.m. and Sunday worship services at 9:30 a.m. on both its Facebook page and YouTube channel. The church said its currently working on creating a plan for reopening in a fashion that will be safe for all. Grace Bible Church in Wall Township is holding online church services every Sunday morning on YouTube, including a sermon from Pastor Randy, song and prayer suggestions and discussion questions. Gethseman Lutheran Church of Keyport is offering its Sunday service on its website on at 10:30 a.m. The church is also offering virtual Sunday school on its YouTube channel. Hamilton United Methodist Church in Neptune is streaming online worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. Holmdel Community United Church of Christ streams Sunday services at 10 a.m. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Red Bank is streaming Sunday services at 10 a.m. Lincroft Presbyterian Church offers various online programs including Sunday worship services at 10 a.m., starting at 9:40 a.m. via Zoom; Companions on the Journey on Thursdays at 12 p.m. via ZOOM; Monthly on Monday Mens Group discussion at 7:30 p.m. (next meeting is on May 25); and Monthly on Tuesday Womens Group discussion at 11 a.m. (next meeting is on May 26). The church posts its weekly Sunday services on YouTube and offers online recorded services/sermons that are available on its Virtual Church page. Worshippers can learn about the churchs latest news and events on its Facebook page. Long Branch Covenant Church is streaming online services on Sundays at 10 a.m. The Lutheran Church of the Reformation in West Long Branch is offering a live stream of its Sunday worship services starting at 9:30 a.m. on Facebook and on YouTube. Manasquan United Methodist Church offers weekly online worship at 9 a.m. on Sundays on its Facebook page, which are posted later on the churchs YouTube channel. Middletown United Methodist Church live streams worship services every Sunday at 10 a.m. that are accessed through its website or Facebook page. Services blend contemporary praise band songs with organ, and are accompanied by traditional hymns, a childrens message bag, scripture and an opportunity to lift up names in prayer. Daily devotionals are also live streamed every weekday before 10 a.m. North Shore Fellowship, with locations in Fair Haven/Rumson and Holmdel, is offering a live streaming of its church services on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Facebook. The church is also offering Zoom childrens ministry, youth group, prayerand mens and marriage meetings throughout the week; individuals can reach out to info@northshorenj.org for more information. Monmouth Community Christian Church in Middletown is offering live stream Sunday worship services in Mandarin at 9:45 a.m., in both English and Cantonese at 11:15 a.m. Monmouth Worship Center in Marlboro plans to hold an outdoor service in the parking lot on Sunday at 11 a.m. with social distancing and masks required. It will continue to offer virtual Sunday services at 8 a.m. on its website, Facebook and YouTube. The church also streams live Spanish services at 11 a.m. on Sundays via Facebook and offers a phone conference prayer at 7:13 p.m. on Sunday nights using dial-in number (712) 775-7100 and passcode 676059. New Monmouth Baptist Church streams services on Sunday mornings at 8:45 a.m. and posts a Digital Worship Guide on its website and YouTube for both adults and kids. The church also hosts a Zoom Prayer Meeting on Mondays at 8 p.m. Ocean Grove Church at St. Pauls hosts online services throughout the week, including worship services at 9 and 11 a.m. on Sundays. The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA) is offering online worship services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. via YouTube and on its website. The Presbyterian Church of Morris Plains worships live online at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays. Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Howell will restart in-person services on Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. and will continue live streaming services on Sundays at 10:15 a.m. on its Facebook page. Searchlight Church, with locations in both Long Branch and Ocean Township, is streaming online services on Sundays at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., as well as a daily Bible study at 10 a.m. every weekday on its YouTube or Facebook page. Spotswood Reformed Church offers live streaming through its Facebook Group SRC Online Worship Group on Sundays at 10 a.m. Evening devotion services are held Monday through Saturday at 6 p.m. St. George Greek Orthodox Church is offering Sunday worship at 8:30 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. St. Johns United Methodist Church of Hazlet has online worship services at 10 a.m. on Sundays. The church is also offering daily devotions every day at 7 a.m. St. Peters Church in Freehold is streaming services on Sundays at 10 a.m. via YouTube. Tower Hill Church in Red Bank provides virtual services and programs on its Facebook page, including live services at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays as well as Daily Devotionals at 10:10 a.m. Trinity Episcopal Church in Matawan and Christ Church South Amboy are jointly streaming services every Sunday at 10 a.m. on Zoom. The Meeting ID is 825 4380 6971, with password: 6LZfiBOr. To dial in by phone, worshippers should call 646-558-8656 and enter meeting number: 82543806971#, and password: 324844#. Trinity Episcopal Church in Red Bank is live streaming Sunday services at 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. on Sundays, a childrens program at 9:10 a.m. on Sundays and daily devotions at 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. All services are available on Facebook. Morris County Abiding Peace Lutheran Church in Budd Lake is streaming services at 10 a.m. on Sundays. The Community Church in Kinnelon streams a 10 a.m. service every Sunday via Facebook and Vimeo. The Community Church of Mountain Lakes, a member congregation of the United Church of Christ, is offering services on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. on YouTube. Evangel World Outreach Center in Boonton is streaming services via YouTube. First Pentecostal Church of Dover (Primera Iglesia Pentecostal De Dover) offers worship services every Sunday at 10 a.m. on its Facebook page and also offers Bible Study every Thursday at 7:30 p.m., also on Facebook. Both services are in Spanish. First Presbyterian Church of Stirling is streaming services every Sunday at 10 a.m. Grace Church on the Mount in Netcong and Randolph is streaming services on Facebook as well as a Watch Party that people can join at 8:30, 9:45 and 11:15 a.m. and at 6 p.m. Sermons are available after 8:30 p.m. online and on the churchs app. Hillside Lutheran Brethren Church in Succasunna is offering a live streaming worship service at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Recorded sermons can also be viewed on the churchs YouTube page. Notre Dame of Mount Carmel in Cedar Knolls will reopen the weekend of June 20-21. The church offers daily Mass online at 12 p.m. and a Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m. The church also live streams the Rosary every evening at 7 p.m. and Adoration and Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 3 p.m. Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton live streams its daily 8 a.m. Mass services. The Pompton Plains Reformed Bible Church live streams a Lords Day Morning worship at 9:30 a.m. and Evening Worship at 6 p.m. Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township is offering virtual worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. St. Cecilia Church in Rockaway will resume in-person services this weekend with strict measures, with Saturday being held at the parish cemetery at 7 p.m. and Sunday at the church. St. Clement Pope & Martyr Church in Rockaway Township will reopen in-worship services this weekend with restrictions. St. Johns Episcopal Church in Dover offers a live streaming of Mass at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Evening prayer and other prayer services are also available on the churchs Facebook page. St. Luke Parish in Long Valley will restart in-worship services this weekend with strict measures. St. Margaret Roman Catholic Church in Morristown offers Mass services at 10 a.m. in English and 12 p.m. in Spanish on their Facebook page. The Holy Hour will also be streamed at 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. St. Peters in Morristown is offering live stream services at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Succasunna United Methodist Church is offering live stream worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. Each service can be streamed on Facebook or YouTube and are of a blended contemporary and traditional character with music from the churchs praise band and choir. Trinity Baptist Church in Montville offers a live stream of three services every Sunday a Bible Class at 9:30 a.m., Morning Worship at 11 a.m. and Evening Worship at 5:30 p.m. Multiple streams and a call-in-by-phone option are available to accommodate different connection speeds. United Presbyterian Church in Flanders is streaming Sunday worship services at 9:50 a.m. Like other churches in the Archdiocese of Newark, Our Lady of Grace Church in Hoboken, seen in a file photo, has suspended all Masses.EJA Ocean County Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Jackson is offering virtual worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m. on its Facebook page. Debows United Methodist Church in Jackson is streaming a worship service at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays. Episcopal Church of The Holy Innocents in Beach Haven is offering a variety of services and other events via live stream, including Sunday Masses at 9:30 a.m. Jackson Church is streaming services on Sundays at 10 a.m. The church is also offering weekly Bible lessons geared toward preschool- and elementary-age children at 9:45 a.m. Sundays. Midweek virtual classes and fellowship groups streamed through the church include a Bible study from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, a womens Prayer Group and Book Discussion at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays and a Christian Friends Forever or Special Needs Fellowship at 6:30 p.m. Fridays. New Beginnings Church, with locations in Brick and Bayville and a third opening soon in Wall Township, offers live streamed services on Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. The Presbyterian Church of Toms River is live streaming Contemporary Worship services on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m., as well as Traditional Worship services on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. St. Luke in Toms River said in-person services will resume this weekend with strict measures in place. The church will continue to live stream its Sunday Mass at 11 a.m. St. Marys Parish in Barnegat will resume in-worship services this weekend. The church will use its downstairs hall for additional seating. Once capacity is reached, worshipers can remain in their vehicles and listen on the radio and receive communion after Mass. Distancing and masks will be required per state guidelines. St. Paul Lutheran Church in Beachwood holds live online worship services every Sunday at 9 a.m. on its YouTube page. United Methodist Churches of Long Beach Island has a video for worship premiere each Sunday at 10 a.m. on YouTube. The church also mails or emails worship materials to its parishioners. Wellspring Church in Toms River is offering a live stream of its worship on its YouTube channel and Facebook page on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., as well as a Monday session at 7 p.m. Passaic County Calvary Temple International in Wayne live streams on Facebook, YouTube and Church Online on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Prayer & worship is live streamed every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on the same platforms. The church is also offering two adult Bible study classes Wednesdays at 7 p.m. that individuals can sign up for on its website. Teen services on YouTube take place Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m and kids services resources are available online. For more information, worshippers can download the Calvary Temple International app available on all app stores. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson will open this weekend with strict measures. Worshipers will be required to wear masks except for children under 2 and volunteers will keep tabs on the number of people attending to meet capacity guidelines set by the state. Masses will be offered in the cathedral and gym at the same time. The 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. services will continue to be livestreamed. First Lutheran Church in Clifton offers recorded worship services on its YouTube channel. The worship service includes a Childrens Message and Sermon in addition to hymns and a solo each week. First Passaic United Methodist Church offers online services at 11 a.m. on Sundays on its website. The church also regularly posts videos on its Facebook page and Instagram. The Gathering Place Church of the Nazarene in North Haledon live streams on Facebook on Sundays at 5 p.m. Hawthorne Gospel Church is live streaming services at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays. Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Wayne live streams its 10 a.m. Sunday services. Oasis of Grace in Wayne is offering Family Bible Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Devotionals and Prayer on Fridays at 8 p.m., Pre-service Prayer on Sundays at 12 p.m. and a church service on Sundays at 1 p.m. The Packanack Community Church in Wayne airs a Sunday morning service on YouTube. Rockpoint Community Church in North Haledon holds live stream church services every Sunday at 10 a.m. on YouTube and Facebook. Roger Williams Baptist Church in Passaic is streaming services led by senior pastor Dr. WB Davidson. Saint Clare Roman Catholic Church in Clifton is live streaming Mass on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Skyline Church in Bloomfield is live streaming Sunday services at 9 and 10:45 a.m. St. John Kanty Roman Catholic Church in Clifton is live streaming Sunday Mass in English at 8:30 a.m. and in Polish at 10 a.m. on its YouTube channel. St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Paterson is offering a Mass service in English at 8 a.m. and in Spanish at 11 a.m. on Sundays. Templo Calvario in Wayne live streams Spanish services on Sundays at 12:30 p.m. on Facebook and YouTube. The church also holds a family-focused Bible study on Mondays at 7:30 p.m., a tabernacle-focused Bible study on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and a prayer service on Fridays at 7:30 p.m., which are all live streamed on the same platforms. Salem County Alloway United Methodist Church offers online worship on Sundays at 11 a.m. on its Facebook page. All services may also be viewed on YouTube. Calvary Baptist Church in Carneys Point offers streaming services on its YouTube page at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays. Canton United Methodist Church offers online worship on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on its Facebook page. The services are also available on YouTube. Elmer Presbyterian Church is streaming Sunday worship services at 10 a.m. on YouTube. Elmer United Methodist Church offers a live stream worship service every Sunday at 10 a.m. Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Auburn offers Sunday Worship services at 9 a.m. on Facebook. New Hope United Methodist Church in Penns Grove offers a live stream worship service on Sundays at 11 a.m. The church also offers Wednesday and Friday morning prayer at 9 a.m. and evening prayer at 6 p.m. Pittsgrove Baptist Church offers a live streaming service at 10 a.m. on Sundays on its Facebook page. Second Baptist Church in Pedricktown offers Sunday morning services at 11 a.m. A Bible Study is held on Wednesdays at 6 p.m., followed by a prayer service at 7 p.m. Sharptown Church in Pilesgrove Township is streaming Sunday worship services at 8:30 and 11:15 a.m. In addition, Sharptown is hosting daily messages from the staff live at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Somerset County Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church is offering a streamed service on Sundays at 10 a.m. Bishop Janes United Methodist Church in Basking Ridge regularly streams on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Bound Brook Presbyterian Church is streaming its Sunday mass from 9:50 to 11:30 a.m. Branch Point Church in Bridgewater is streaming online services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. on Facebook. Bridgewater United Methodist Church is providing online worship services on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. on YouTube. Calvary Community Church of East Millstone (Somerset) is resuming in-person Sunday services at 11 a.m. while also continuing its live stream services on YouTube and Facebook. Worshippers can register here each week to attend in-person services, and read the churchs safety plan for handling COVID-19. All past Sunday sermons are available online here for viewing. Crossroads Community Church in Somerville is streaming Sunday services at 10:30 a.m. First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens is streaming a Virtual Revival at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. The church regularly live streams services on Sundays at 10 a.m. Grace Community Church in Bridgewater is posting sermons every Sunday morning accessible via its website or YouTube. Hillsborough Reformed Church at Millstone is streaming live on Facebook on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Immaculate Conception Church in Somerville will resume in-person services on Mondays through Saturdays at 8 a.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m., and Sundays at 7:30, 9, and 11 a.m. in English, and 1 p.m. in Spanish. The church will continue to offer Mass online at 8 a.m. on Mondays through Saturdays, 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and on Sundays at 9 a.m. in English and 1 p.m. in Spanish. A Dramatic Reading of the Declaration of Independence will held held under the flagpole of the church on July 5 at approximately 8:45 a.m. Kingston Presbyterian Church is live streaming every Sunday at 11 a.m. on Facebook. Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church is providing an online worship experience on Sundays at 9:15 a.m. or later. The church is also offering small groups online. Millington Baptist Church in Basking Ridge offers Sunday morning online worship opportunities at 9 and 10:45 a.m., as well as other opportunities throughout the weekdays for people to connect online. Montgomery Evangelical Free Church in Belle Mead is hosting services at 10 a.m. each Sunday on Facebook and YouTube. North Branch Reformed Church in Bridgewater regularly posts sermons and other videos including a live stream of its 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass on its Facebook page. Point Community Church in Somerset streams Sunday services at 9:30 a.m. on Facebook. Rutgers Community Christian Church in Somerset is offering Sunday worship services in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. On regular Sundays, English Worship streams from 9:15 to 10:25 a.m., Cantonese Worship from 9:15 to 10:25 a.m., Mandarin Worship from 11 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. and a Childrens Worship in English from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Somerset Hills Baptist Church in Basking Ridge is streaming Sunday services at 10:30 a.m. on Facebook. St. Josephs Parish in Hillsborough is offering live stream masses on a daily basis. Worshippers can tune in to the churchs Youtube channel at 8:35 a.m. from Monday through Friday, at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday or at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Gladstone is streaming its 10 a.m. Sunday Masses as well as other church services on its YouTube page. St. Marys Byzantine Catholic Church in Hillsborough streams services online, keeping a schedule of services available each week on its Facebook page. Regular Sunday streams are at 9:30 a.m. St. Marys-Stony Hill Roman Catholic Church in Watchung is live streaming its daily Masses at 8 a.m. St. Matthias in Somerset is posting Mass services beginning at 5 p.m. every Saturday on its YouTube channel. Stonecrest Community Church in Warren is offering online services on Sundays at 9 and 11 a.m., which are available for playback at their conclusion. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills in Somerville offers a virtual worship service via Zoom each Sunday morning at 10:30. United Reformed Church in Somerville is offering Sunday worship services. Zarephath Christian Church in Franklin Township streams services at 9 and 11 a.m. on Sundays. Its also conducting a survey about reopening soon. The Holy BibleKalamazoo Gazette Sussex County Christian Faith Fellowship Church in Hardyston will hold a live auditorium style church service at 10 a.m. Worshipers can also go into the church building to watch the service inside. Livestreaming will continue to be offered on Facebook Live. The First Presbyterian Church of Sparta is streaming online church services on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. Frankford Plains United Methodist Church in Augusta is offering a live stream Mass service each Sunday at 10 a.m. Institute for Spiritual Development in Sparta is offering online Sunday services at 10:30 a.m. Sparta Evangelical Free Church is streaming its Sunday Worship as well as its 4Real Childrens Ministry service at 8:15 a.m. on Sundays. Sparta Youth can also meet virtually at 5 p.m. each Sunday. Sparta United Methodist Church is offering live stream worship each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. that is accessible through Facebook. Unity of Sussex County in Lafayette is streaming Sunday services on Facebook. Western Hills Christian Church in Andover is hosting its services online via live stream on its Facebook page, including a 10:30 a.m. Sunday service. Union County Agape House of Worship in Roselle streams services on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m on its website, Facebook and YouTube. The Agape Family Worship in Rahway streams its services Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9 and 11 a.m. The Asian Indian Christian Church in Berkeley Heights offers an online worship service every Sunday at 10 a.m. Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit is live streaming its Sunday services at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. on its Facebook page and YouTube channel. Bethel AME Church in Vauxhall is offering a virtual Wednesday morning meditation and prayer at 6:01 a.m. with call-in number 515-606-5181 and access code 35159, as well as a Sunday worship experience at 10:01 a.m. with call-in numbers 408-638-0968 and access code 753846633. Calvary Assembly in Springfield hosts online sermons Sundays at 9:30 and 11 a.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. The church also provides daily inspirational mini-sermons on its Facebook page. Calvary Chapel in Elizabeth is pre-recording its Sunday morning services. Calvary Church in Summit is offering live-stream services. On Sundays at 10:30 a.m., the Morning Prayer will be live-streamed on Facebook Live. On Tuesdays at 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 8 a.m., services are offered via conference call. For more information, email info@calvarysummit.org. Calvary Tabernacle in Cranford is offering online services on Sundays at 10 a.m. Christ Church in Summit holds services online at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays. Comunidad Cristiana in Elizabeth streams its services on Facebook, including Mass services at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays. Cranford United Methodist Church is streams regular Sunday services at 10 a.m. Crossroads Christian Fellowship in Union Township has an online service Sunday at 10 a.m. at this web address. The church also offers a livestream for prayer meetings at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. Previously recorded services can be viewed on its Vimeo channel and also on the church website. Emmanuel Tabernacle Assembly of God in Linden streams live Sunday services at 10 a.m. and a Bible Study on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. via Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The church also offers a Prayer on Fridays at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Evangel Church in Scotch Plains is streaming Sunday services at 9 and 11 a.m. and 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. The church is also streaming services for the Deaf Community on its website. Faith Lutheran Church in New Providence is live-streaming services at 10 a.m. First Baptist Church of Linden is offering Sunday worship services led by Reverend Dr. Derrick R. Dumas. on its Facebook page at 10:30 a.m. Worshippers can also stream Prayer meeting and Bible study at 7 p.m. First United Methodist Church Westfield is live streaming worship services on Facebook and YouTube every Sunday at 10 a.m. Hermanos Unidos En Cristo in Cranford is streaming services from Mondays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. on its YouTube page. International House of Prayer Eastern Gate in Cranford is streaming services at 10:30 am. on Sundays. Kingdom Praise Ministries in Plainfield is offering live streaming services on Facebook and YouTube every Sunday starting at 11 a.m. These services are available on demand throughout the day and can also be shared via the churchs social media accounts. Liberty Church in Union is streaming on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Living Word Church in Union offers an online service at 10:45 on Sunday mornings. Metropolitan Seventh Day Adventist Church in Plainfield has regular services that take at place at 12 p.m. on Saturdays and are accessible via Facebook or YouTube. Mount Olive Baptist Church in Plainfield is streaming a Resurrection Sunday service at 10 a.m. on both Facebook and YouTube. Mount Zion A.M.E. Church in Plainfield is offering worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m. Worshippers should contact Rev. Reginald McRae Pastor at revmcrae@mountzionplainfield.org to receive an invite to the churchs Webex meeting room or information for a conference call by phone. New Providence Presbyterian Church is live streaming its Sunday services at 9:30 and 11 a.m. Oasis Christian Centre in Rahway is offering Sunday services at 10 a.m. Oasis Church in Clark will begin in-person services starting Monday at its worship space in Meaney Hall at 9 a.m. The churchs next phase to reopen will start on the weekend of June 28-29 with restrictions. The Parish Community of St. Helen in Westfield is live streaming its daily and Sunday masses on its YouTube channel. Daily Mass is at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday Mass is at 9:30 a.m. The church is also streaming a prayer with its priests at 7 p.m. on Mondays and Worship Wednesdays at 6 p.m. The Presbyterian Church in Westfield offers a live service at 10 a.m. each Sunday on Facebook. The church also offers full pre-taped services with a scripture reading, sermon, music and a childrens message on its website. Renaissance Church in Summit is offering online services on Sundays at 9 and 11 am. Services are also available online after the live times. Prayer meetings are taking place online on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and groups are also meeting online, including the Rays of Hope Support Group, which is for families of loved ones struggling with substance abuse. Saint Bartholomew the Apostle Church in Scotch Plains is live streaming its Weekday Mass services at 9 a.m. and its Sunday Masses at 10 a.m. St. Johns Baptist Church in Scotch Plains offers a few ways to tune in. Its Sunday services are available to watch on YouTube and also via AM radio on station 1070. The radio broadcast starts at 8 a.m., which is followed by the live stream at 10. St. Johns also offers a weekly prayer call every Wednesday and Sunday at 7 a.m. Worshippers can dial (425) 436-6308, with access code 312522 to join. St. Johns Lutheran Church in Summit holds weekly services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on Facebook. Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church in Elizabeth streams a Sunday Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m., as well as other services throughout the week. St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Summit offers live stream Masses daily at 8:30 a.m., followed by an hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. On Sundays, the church provides three live streamed Masses: a Mass for families at 9 a.m., an English Mass at 10:30 a.m. and a Spanish Mass at 12 p.m. All of these can be accessed on the churchs website, its Facebook page or its YouTube page. The church also broadcasts its Sunday English Mass and its Sunday Spanish Mass on its local channel HTTV at 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively. Saint Thomas the Apostle Byzantine Church in Rahway is live streaming Liturgy at 9 a.m. on Sundays. The church is also offering informational and inspirational messages as well as video lessons for Lent. Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael in Springfield is offering a virtual daily minyan via Zoom beginning at 7:30 a.m. Temple Sinai in Summit hosts Shabbat services using Zoom at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, and prior to that an early Shabbat for young families between 5 and 5:30 p.m. The temple is also hosting a virtual Torah Study at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday. Townley Presbyterian Church in Union is streaming services on Sundays at 10 a.m. The United Methodist Church of Linden offers worship services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m., as well as Bible study and prayers on Wednesdays 7 p.m., all accessible via conference call. The dial-in number is (425) 436-6343, with access code: 376869. The United Methodist Church of Summit is live streaming worship at 10:30 on Sunday mornings through Facebook. Zion Lutheran Church in Rahway offers daily Morning Prayer at 7:15 a.m. and Sunday worship at 10 a.m., as well as weekly Bible studies on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., all via Zoom. Warren County The Church of the Covenant in Hackettstown is live streaming services at 10:40 a.m. and 6 p.m. every Sunday. First Lutheran Church of Stewartsville is posting services every Sunday on its website and on YouTube. The First Presbyterian Church of Hackettstown offers a live stream of its Sunday services at 10 a.m. on its Facebook page. The First Presbyterian Church of Washington offers daily devotions on Facebook as well as a Sunday Live Facebook service at 10:30 am. The First United Methodist Church of Blairstown offers Sunday worship via Facebook Live and Zoom on Sundays at 10 a.m. In addition, the church offers a Daily Pause to Pray and Praise at 8 a.m. on Facebook Live @fumcblairstown. Grace Lutheran Church in Phillipsburg continues to offer live stream worship services at 10 a.m. on Sundays as it makes plans to prepare for in-person gatherings. Marksboro Community Church in Blairstown has online services at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday. The church also has live prayer on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. via Amazon Chime; interested individuals can call the church for log in information or for any prayer requests at (908) 386-6654. Oxford Second Presbyterian Church posts links to its recorded worship services by 8:30 a.m. each Sunday. Links to current and past services and resources can be found on its website and YouTube channel. Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Phillipsburg offers online Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m. St. Judes in Blairstown will allow vehicles to park in the front and listen to services through outdoor speakers. Communion will be distributed to worshipers in their cars. Weekday in-person masses will resume starting Monday at 9 a.m. with strict measures. St. Mary Catholic Church in Alpha will reopen this weekend with restrictions but parishioners will need to register to attend according to its website. St. Philip & St. James Church in Phillipsburg will resume services this weekend with strict measures. Those wanting to attend should call before Friday. Trinity Church in Hackettstown is offering a live stream of its Sunday service at 9:15 a.m. Washington Greenstone United Methodist Church is pre-recording its Sunday services and making them each available online. Other worship services A Prayer Service with Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin was live-streamed from the Lady Chapel on May 1, 2020 for the Reconsecration of the United States and Canada to Mary the Mother of the Church.Courtesy Archdiocese of Newark A number of other places of worship with no or multiple locations or at a location between multiple counties throughout the state are also providing virtual services, including: All Saints Anglican Parish, which has a main sanctuary in Belleville but during the pandemic is leading services from its Mary Chapel in Kearny, streams a Sunday Eucharist at 12 p.m. as well services on Thursdays and Fridays at 3 p.m. via Facebook and YouTube. Archdiocese of Newark, which includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the counties of Bergen, Union, Hudson and Essex, is allowing its parishes to reopen for Daily Masses on Monday and Sunday Masses on June 21. More information can be found here. Allentown Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Monmouth and Mercer counties, is live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Bethany Church, with locations in Wyckoff, Washington, Wanaque, Parsippany and Union, streams online services on Sundays at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. and has online teaching services on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Cathedral International, with locations in Perth Amboy, Asbury Park and Plainfield, is offering full virtual worship experiences on Sundays at 6:30 and 9:30 a.m. and noon. The Chapel, which has locations in Lincoln Park, Wayne and Montclair, is offering a Sunday classic service at 8:45 a.m. and two Sunday Modern services at 10 and 11:15 a.m., with live worship and a message from senior pastor Dave Gustavsen. In addition to that, children and adults can visit the churchs website for Sunday morning online classes, as well as for online groups that meet during the week. Christ Church has locations in both Montclair and Rockaway and streams four services on the weekend: Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The church is also offering a childrens (ages 5-11) and teens (ages 12-17) devotional on Mondays at 7:15 p.m. and a college and young adults prayer service on Tuesday evenings. Moreover, Christ Church is streaming The 20/20 Experience, which encompasses 20 Minutes of Hope on Wednesdays and 20 Minutes of Prayer on Fridays, both at 7:15 pm. Diocese of Trenton, which includes the counties of Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer, allowed its parishes to reinstate weekday Masses on June 8, and will allow them to continue weekend Masses this weekend. Further directives can be found online. Emergence Church, which similarly has sites in numerous areas throughout New Jersey, is offering its own virtual set of Sunday services at 9, 10:15 and 11:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., as well as online Daily Devotions on weekdays. The Episcopal churches of New Jersey are offering an assortment of online worship resources. The Eternal Word Television Network broadcasts its live Mass every day at 8 a.m., which is rebroadcasted several times throughout the day. Evangel Chapel is streaming on 10:30 a.m. services on Sundays in Spanish and for its Bridgewater and Clinton locations. The Life Christian Church has locations in both West Orange and Paramus. On regular Sundays, the church live streams services at 9 and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. The church has also created new services to serve the community during this time, including virtual small groups, live-streamed prayer times and a Prayer Line and a Help Line monitored by the Pastoral Team. Finally, the church recently launched TLCCTV, which streams daily programs including childrens programming, live acoustic music shows, interactive Bible reading time and broadcast of popular sermon messages. Liquid Church, a non-denominational Christian church with several locations across the state, has long featured an online service that streams at 6 and 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 9 and 11 a.m. and 1, 6 and 8 p.m. on Sundays. True North Church, with locations in in Mullica Hill and Collingswood, offers streaming worship services online starting at 7 a.m. on Sundays and on-demand throughout the day. The church also provides a separate kids service to stream on-demand with downloadable activities including crafts and games. True North Youth (students in grades 7-12) posts weekly online services every Wednesday through IGTV. The church also uploads digital content throughout the week on both Facebook and Instagram and hosts community groups meeting online through various platforms. Word on Fire airs a live Mass conducted by Bishop Robert Baron every morning at 8:15 a.m. United Methodists of Greater New Jersey are offering an assortment of online worship resources available within counties across the state. Worshippers can find a full breakdown of the services available in their county here. If your church, temple or other house of worship has established a reopening plan, please send an email to cfassett@njadvancemedia.com to have the information featured in an article published by NJ Advance Media. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. Nestor F. Sebastian may be reached at NSebastian@njadvancemedia.com. In a collaborative effort, the Moreh police and commandos on Friday seized arms, ammunition and brown sugar in two different operations. In the first operation, the police arrested three persons and confiscated arms and ammunition from a car commuting towards Imphal from Moreh at Kondong Lairembi police check-post. During this operation, the driver identified as Khaijamang Touthang was arrested. The combined team of Moreh Police and commandos seized six fourth generation Glock 21 pistols with 12 magazines, six cleaning rods, 12 pairs of pistol grips and 6 'H' shaped plastic fiber accessories. READ | Protester hit in face by police rubber bullet wants answers In the second operation on the same day, the district police and commando personnel arrested two other persons. The culprits included a woman who was caught with possession of around 839 grams of brown sugar at the Kondong Lairembi check-post. The detained persons have been identified as Zamkhosei and Vakneijem Gangte. They were driving in a vehicle towards Imphal from Moreh. The joint team of Moreh Police and commando personnel carried out thorough checking of the vehicle at Kondong Lairembi check-post under the direction of M Amit, Additional SP Operations Tengnoupal. READ | Police registers FIR against college in Pune for conducting exams amid COVID-19 The police informed that 70 packets of brown sugar which included 44 packets in soap cases and 26 packets without soap cases. The packets weighed around 839 grams and were found concealed inside the back seat of the vehicle. According to the preliminary interrogation, the accused Zamkhosei, and the woman passenger, Gangte, was aware of the contraband item. The contraband items belonged to the driver of the vehicle, police added. The arrested persons and the seized items have been handed over to Moreh Police Station for further necessary legal action. READ | Bihar man recalls harrowing tale of police intimidation and brutality across Nepal border READ | Madhya Pradesh: Looting at ration distribution event, police register case (With inputs from ANI) A mum has issued a chilling warning after her toddler found a rusty blade inside a popular Kmart toy. Sally Barnden from Gympie, in Queensland, said she got the 'fright of her life' after her son Henley, two found the makeshift boxcutter inside a 'Paint Your Own Pets' toy. Her partner Renee King told the Gympie Times they opened up the toy to play with it when they made the shocking discovery. A mum has issued a chilling warning after her toddler found a rusty blade inside a popular Kmart toy 'We got given a paint and dog set and I half pulled out the plastic inside, grabbed the ceramics to paint with Mackinlee (6) and then shoved the plastic moulding back in,' she said. 'I left it on the table because it was rubbish and Mackinlee and I were going to paint and then Henley has grabbed the box and then the knife thing has fallen out and he has walked over to Sally.' Ms Barnden shared her version of events on Facebook, to warn other parents about the potential dangers. 'We cleaned the house last night and the only thing left out on the table was a Kmart paint and Dog Set which the box was now on the floor,' she said. Her partner Renee King told the Gympie Times they opened up the toy to play with it when they made the shocking discovery Ms Barnden said the toy was bought by a friend Kmart in the Logan Hyperdome. But she said when they called to complain staff provided an inadequate response. The mother of two claimed the store told her this kind of thing 'happened a lot' and offered a refund. 'I am sorry but a refund would not be cutting it, if Henley had cut himself on this very sharp, and very rusty blade!?!!?!' she wrote. The mother claimed the knife fell out of a box from a children's toy bought at Kmart 'I am so grateful and blessed that Henley brought it straight to me, and there was no damage. 'I can't even imagine what would have happened with another family, imagine kids discovering this, and thinking it was a toy considering it came from a kids art set.' Kmart Hyperdome was contacted for comment but a manager told Daily Mail Australia they they were unaware of the complaint. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kmart Australia for comment. Life is extremely valuable but are some lives more valuable than others? Should life be saved at "all costs"? Value is a concept that has many dimensions: financial but also emotional. Assigning a financial value to a life appears cynical, yet it is justified by the fact that public funds are normally not unlimited. Hence, if a government spends 100m now to save lives, that money will not be available to finance another project that could also save other lives. So, for governments, it is morally imperative to compare the number of lives saved in both scenarios to maximise the use of public spending. More simply put, governments need to benchmark their investments based on the value of a life. Yet those calculations do not appear to have been made in the case of Covid-19. How do economists calculate the financial value of a life? To determine the price of life, two methods are traditionally used. The first is to estimate the loss to society from the death of an individual. Once dead, an individual no longer works and therefore no longer creates wealth for society. The method is quite crude and cynical. In the case of the Covid-19 crisis, it is not really applicable as 90pc of the people likely to die of Covid are older than 65, which corresponds to the retirement age. Using this method may lead us to conclude that their lives were valueless. This would be factually and emotionally incorrect as nobody actually believes that a retired person's life is worthless. The second option is more common and more palatable from an ethical standpoint. It starts from the amount that citizens are ready to pay to reduce their risk of death. It is known as the "value of statistical life" and serves as the basis for high-stakes decisions that involve trade-offs between public safety and economic cost. That figure varies greatly. It is around $10m in the USA, about 3m in some European countries. But is losing life at 20 or at 90 the same? Emotionally, it is probably more horrible to lose a twenty-year-old son than a ninety- year-old grandmother. Similarly, to adjust for the number of years an individual could live, economists calculate the Value of Life Years (VOLY). For Europe, estimates vary greatly but a reasonable estimate would be around 120,000. The value of a Covid-19 life In order to know the value of a saved Covid-19 life, we would need a few figures. First we need the cost of the "investment". In this case, this equates to the cost of confinement. According to the ESRI, Ireland will experience a real GDP loss of 12.4pc for 2020 - equating to around 45bn. However, can this loss of GDP be fully attributed to the lockdown? In truth, there are too many variables to come up with an agreed estimate. All we know is that the cost will be gigantic. Second, we need to estimate the number of lives saved or, to be exact, the number of years of life lost (YLL) if the lockdown had not been implemented. For Ireland, there is no estimate of the overall number of lives saved. All we may guess is that the years of life lost due to Covid may be relatively small at an individual level, as the average age of the people dying of Covid-19 is equal to the current life expectancy in Ireland - 82 years old. So to summarise, given the huge costs implied by the confinement and the relatively low number of years of life gained per saved individual, the ultimate cost per Covid life saved should be considerably higher than the 120,000 per year traditionally used. In addition to those direct financial costs considered so far in the estimation, confinement comprises other additional costs for society such as the education deficit for our children and restriction to freedom of movement. The lockdown also threatens lives in the Third World and food insecurity is on course to affect 300 million people. Finally, there is possibly a very dangerous domino effect of the lockdown. Economic crisis leads to malnutrition consequences, immigration effects, "populist" reactions, and eventually some geopolitical effects. There may be some indirect benefits of the confinement - a reduction in pollution or increased quality of life for some - but the net costs and risks associated with the lockdown are colossal. Why are Covid lives so valuable? Why so many sacrifices to save lives? This cost-benefit analysis never took place and we could assume that even if it had, the public opinion may have still asked for lives to be saved now at "all costs". Why? First of all, there is a timing issue. Lives saved through the lockdown were saved today when the true financial cost and the economic devastation triggered by the lockdown will be felt tomorrow. As this will become clearer in the next few months, the support for further lockdown measures may diminish. Second, as stated earlier, value has a financial but also emotional dimension. There is also actual value and perceived value. In this case, the emotional and perceived value of a Covid life has been hyper-inflated. In Ireland, about 32,000 people die every year. The deceased have approximately the same age profile as the Covid victims. They die of cancer, the flu, heart attacks, car accidents, old age etc. They die with the complete indifference of the media. Contrast this with the daily coverage of the 1,700 Covid deaths over the last three months - daily counts, reports on TV, radio, newspapers with sometimes a dedicated section such as "Lives lost to Covid", and ministerial condolences. Marketers understand that perceived value affects willingness to pay and they spend millions in advertising to influence our perception of their brand. Similarly, our perceived value of Covid life has been influenced by the fact that Covid-19 has been the single most important news item for the last four months. Time will tell whether the actions taken in the emergency of the pandemic were wise. Personally, I am concerned that the billions lost to confinement will not be available to tackle the existential threats to the future of our children such as wealth inequality and climate change. Young lives matter as well. Laurent Muzellec is a Professor at Trinity Business School Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 13:52:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Indian policemen are reflected in the water as they stand guard in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, June 13, 2020. Two militants were killed Saturday in a gunfight with government forces in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The gunfight broke out at village Lallan of Kulgam district, about 65 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. (Xinhua/Javed Dar) SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Two militants were killed Saturday in a gunfight with government forces in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The gunfight broke out at village Lallan of Kulgam district, about 65 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "A joint operation was launched in the early hours today on specific intelligence information suggesting the presence of militants," a police official posted in Kulgam said. "No sooner the joint contingents approached the suspected area, it came under heavy fire triggering the gunfight." Indian army spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said two militants were killed in the stand-off. Immediately as the gunfight started, authorities fearing street protests snapped mobile internet service in the district. Police said the identity of slain militants was being ascertained. However, local media reports identified them as local cadres. The government forces have not suffered any damage in the gunfight. On Wednesday five militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with government forces in adjacent Shopian district. According to police officials over 90 militants were killed in gunfights with government forces since the beginning of this year. Last month a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit Riyaz Naikoo along with his accomplice were killed in a gunfight in the region. A civilian was also killed and several others injured following the clashes during the gunfight. Fairleigh Dickinson University logo While the University also is facing financial challenges due to the pandemic, we are committed now more than ever to helping our students afford an FDU education and to providing the most value we can for your hard-earned dollars, announced University President Christopher Capuano. To provide support to many members of the FDU community hit hard by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University will freeze the undergraduate tuition rate at this years level for the 2020-21 academic year. There will be no tuition increase for the coming year. Also, the University has simplified the structure of its graduate tuition rates and reduced the costs of many of its graduate programs. Lastly, there will only be a modest increase in fees. While the University also is facing financial challenges due to the pandemic, we are committed now more than ever, and in every way that we can, to helping our students afford an FDU education and to providing the most value we can for your hard-earned dollars, announced University President Christopher Capuano, in an email to the University community. Supporting FDU Students Many students and their families have struggled because of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The University has enacted several measures to support our students financially. The University issued pro-rated refunds and credits for those who were forced to leave their dormitory rooms during the spring semester. These credits and refunds totaled nearly $6.5 million. In addition, FDU applied for and received a CARES act stimulus award that provided support for the University and nearly $3 million for students directly as emergency aid grants. These grants were distributed to more than 1,600 students who completed an application process to qualify. The University also created a Student Emergency Fund, to help our students deal with the effects of the crisis. FDU provided discounts for students taking multiple summer courses. Classes run through August 8. Stay up to date with all University COVID-19 announcements here About Fairleigh Dickinson University Devoted to the preparation of world citizens, Fairleigh Dickinson University offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including doctoral programs in pharmacy, nursing practice, clinical psychology and school psychology; and an AACSB-accredited business school. Degree programs are offered on two New Jersey campuses and at two international campuses: Wroxton College, in Oxfordshire in England, and the Vancouver Campus, in British Columbia, Canada. To learn more, click here. Media Contact: Dina Schipper Executive Director, Communications and News Fairleigh Dickinson University Cell: 201.543.9762 schipper@fdu.edu US President Donald Trump on Saturday called the novel coronavirus an invincible enemy and exuded confidence that America will be able to defeat it soon. The Covid-19 pandemic that started from China last December has so far killed 116,000 Americans and over two million have tested positive. We will vanquish the virus. We will extinguish this plague, Trump said in his commencement address at the 2020 US Military Academy at West Point Graduation Ceremony. Trump used the occasion to thank the US military in the successful fight against the novel coronavirus. The depth and breadth of the US Militarys contributions to our society are an everlasting inspiration to us all. I want to take this opportunity to thank all members of Americas Armed Forces in every branch - active duty, National Guard, and reserve - who stepped forward to help battle the invisible enemy - the new virus that came to our shores from a distant land called China, he said. Trump has repeatedly said that the deadly coronavirus originated from a virology lab in Chinas Wuhan city before it spread across the world. MUMBAI and HYDERABAD, India, June 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KFin Technologies Private Limited. ("KFin" or the "Company", formerly known as Karvy Fintech Pvt. Ltd.), one of India's largest Registrars and a market leader in the investor servicing industry, has appointed Sreekanth Nadella, presently the COO of KFin, to take charge as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company with effect from June 15th, 2020. Sreekanth takes over from Ganesh Venkatachalam, the current Managing Director & CEO of KFin, who leaves the Company on June 12th, 2020, after an illustrious twenty-five-year career. Under the leadership of Ganesh, KFin has been able to build not only a strong suite of investor services in India but also expanded operations to South-East Asia and Middle-East. Ganesh shall continue to work with the Board of the Company in an advisory capacity to support the transition. Sreekanth, a Chartered Accountant by training, brings over 20 years of experience in leadership capacity across functions of finance, operations, IT & ITES, strategy consulting, transformation, and delivery across diverse industries. He has been working as the Chief Operating Officer of KFin since June 2018. Before KFin, Sreekanth held leadership roles with various organizations including IBM Global Services, Capita, and Accenture. Mr. M. V. Nair, the Chairman of the board of directors of KFin, said, "Ganesh has been a wonderful leader to the employees of KFin, a true and valued partner to our customers, and an industry veteran whose work and vision has forever transformed the investor services industry in India. Ganesh's sincere endeavors have been instrumental in helping KFin set high standards of service and business ethics in the industry. The board of directors and the entire KFin team would like to thank Ganesh for his leadership and relentless service over the last two and half decades. On behalf of the entire board, I am also delighted to welcome Sreekanth to his new role. Sreekanth has shown exemplary leadership in the role of COO of the company over the last 2 years and we are thrilled to have a talented and energetic leader like him who, along with KFin's highly capable management team shall lead the company in its next phase of growth. We wish him all the success." Mr. Ganesh, the outgoing Managing Director and CEO of KFin, said, "I am extremely proud of what KFin has achieved over the last 25 years due to hard work put in by the employees, and leadership provided by the entire management team. I feel fortunate to have led an outstanding team and contributed my bit to the organization's success. I am grateful to the board of directors, my colleagues, and all employees of KFin who posed their trust and faith in me throughout my tenure in the Company. I remain excited about the future potential of KFin." Mr. Sreekanth Nadella, the incoming CEO of KFin, said, "I am grateful to the board of KFin for giving me this opportunity. I would also like to thank Ganesh for being a wonderful leader and mentor during my role as the COO of the company. Over the years, the Company has significantly transformed and diversified its business and also contributed towards industry growth. I am fortunate to be working alongside an extremely talented team with deep operational expertise which, along with leadership support from the Board, shall help KFin continue to build an innovative, enterprising, and technology-driven organization and play a leadership role in investor services industry in India and abroad." About KFin Technologies Private Limited: KFin Technologies serves the mission-critical needs of asset managers; with clients spanning mutual funds, AIFs, wealth managers and corporates in India and abroad. It serves corporate issuers as a Registrar and Transfer Agent and provides outsourcing services for select financial services firms. The company also provides back-office operations and data processing services, besides being a central record-keeping agency under the National Pension System. Media contact: Sohini Basu Thakur [email protected] SOURCE KFin Technologies The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has said the party followed its constitution in disqua... The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has said the party followed its constitution in disqualifying Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki. Obaseki was on Friday, disqualified from contesting in the APC primaries, ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state. Oshiomhole, speaking on Channels Television, said the partys decision was subject to appeal. We are just following our party constitution. We have a screening committee, they turned out a report. And the report is subject to the appeal committee for anyone who chooses to appeal against the findings of the screening committee. The purpose of the screening is to take nothing for granted. And until they go through the appeal process, I as the National Chairman cannot comment on it, Oshiomhole said. Obaseki on his part, rejected the disqualification and has made it clear he will not appeal the committees verdict. The Governor is rumoured to be considering defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who have expressed an interest in accepting him back. Pool/Getty Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) campaign spokesman acknowledged on Friday that he had copied large portions of a general election strategy memo from a similar document he had put together while working on Ed Gillespies 2017 bid to be governor of Virginia. The memo, which was released this past March, laid out an optimistic case for Tillis chances of re-election in North Carolina following former state senator Cal Cunninghams emergence from the Democratic primary. But many of the arguments used the same language as a June 2017 memo that Gillespies campaign sent out after now-Gov. Ralph Northam emerged from his primary campaign. As we begin the general election phase of the 2017 race, the Gillespie campaign is in a very strong position both internally in terms of organization and resources, and externally in terms of the candidates positions on the pressing issues facing the Commonwealth, read the Gillespie memo, which went on to tout the campaigns robust ground game and slam their supposedly far-left opponent. As we begin the general election phase of the 2020 North Carolina Senate race, the Tillis campaign is in a very strong position both internally in terms of organization and resources, and externally in terms of the candidates positions on the issues that matter to the people of North Carolina, the Tillis memo read, which went on to tout the campaigns robust ground game and slam their supposedly far-left opponent. Thats just one part where the memos mirrored each other. Tillis campaign memo also features multiple sections that are identical to Gillespies, right down to the same turns of phrase and political cliches. According to their respective memos, both candidates begin the general election right where they want to be firmly in the center-right and boast an army of supporters who are ready to win in November and who are ready to work to make that happen. And for each candidates Democratic opponents, their primary victory was a costly one both financially and politically. Story continues In a statement to The Daily Beast, Tillis spokesman Andrew Romeo acknowledged that he had crafted both memos and said doing so was a mistake. I worked on the Gillespie campaign, Romeo said. The race narratives for both campaigns were similar. In my experience, campaign memos tend to follow a similar structure and format. But that doesnt excuse how closely I crafted the Tillis memo to the Gillespie one. Its my mistake and mine alone, as no one else from the Tillis campaign knew about the Gillespie memo. It wont happen again, and Ill accept any disciplinary action from the campaign. The political environments facing Tillis and Gillespie differ in important ways. By 2017, Virginia had become a state that favored Democratic candidates, while the North Carolina of 2020 is a fiercely-fought battleground where Republicans have long dominated. Tillis has the advantage of incumbency over an opponent who currently does not hold office, while Gillespie was running against a sitting lieutenant governor. Nevertheless, the use of the Gillespie memo as a boilerplate for the Tillis campaigns own election outlook invites some unfavorable analogies. A longtime GOP operative, Gillespie ended up being caught between an increasingly liberal electorate and an increasingly Trump-loving base. He ultimately chose to focus on the latter, closing the campaign by warning about MS-13 gangs taking over Virginia. That embrace of Trumpism resulted in a general election loss of nine pointsthe worst showing for a Republican candidate for governor in Virginia in 30 years. A similar political landscape now faces Tillis: Democrats are more optimistic about their chances in North Carolina, and the senators bid for a second term is likely to be one of the hardest-fought Senate races in the country this November. That, plus the fact that both Democratic candidates faced more liberal primary challengers, could have made the grafting of Gillespies campaign rationale onto Tillis seem sensible. Thom Tillis Went Full Trump. Now Hes D.C.s Most Vulnerable Republican Both memos analyze their opponents in the same way, declaring that the Democratic primaries turned the conventional wisdom on its head. Prior to the entrance of [progressive challenger] Tom Perriello into the race, it was widely assumed that the Republican Party would have the fierce, angry and extremely ideological primary, while [Northam] would simply spend his time raising money and playing to the political middle, reads Gillespies memo. What a difference half a year makes. Likewise, the Tillis memo reads: It was widely assumed that Senator Tillis would have the difficult primary that would pull him to the right, while Cal Cunningham would simply spend his time raising money and pandering to the political middle. What a difference six months makes. While the Democrats were busy seeing who could getor racefurthest to the left, each GOP campaign memo theorizes, they were able to unite their own parties. Memos like these are meant, primarily, for public consumption and dont often provide honest reflections of the internal campaign mindset. In the case of Gillspie, the memo did not convey the actual realities of the race. The former top Bush aide would struggle in the general election due to his inability to unite his party. In the primary, he barely defeated his ultraconservative rival, Corey Stewart, who ultimately never endorsed him. Northam, meanwhile, was able to consolidate Democratic support after defeating Perriello, who promptly endorsed him. Though Tillis managed to scare off a serious primary challenge from the right, hes faced criticism after announcing hed vote to block the presidents controversial move to use emergency funds to construct the border walla position Tillis later reversed under fire. Since then, North Carolina Republicans have questioned why Tillis hasnt more vocally defended his colleague, Sen. Richard Burr, who is under federal investigation over his stock trading activity amid the coronavirus outbreak. It was, in the end, Gillespies tortured relationship with the GOP base that ended up persuading him to move, over time, to the extremes of his partysomething he acknowledged after he lost. In a postmortem interview with David Axelrod, the Obama strategist, he said his campaign consultants were telling him to run the MS-13 ads rather than ads on what he wanted to focus on: supposedly those touting criminal justice reform. Clearly, [the MS-13 ads] didnt work. Did it create a backlash? he asked. I dont think so. But I dont know. 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. Nadezhda Alyokhina was hauling a refrigerator home with a friend when the first of a string of deadly hostage dramas began to unfold in the south of Russia 25 years ago. Chechen militants led by Shamil Basayev on June 14, 1995, took about 1,500 people hostage and seized a hospital in Budyonnovsk, in Russia's southern Stavropol region. As she was driving the city streets, Alyokhina said she witnessed firsthand as the militants rounded up hostages across the city. "A woman...was running down the street, a man with an automatic weapon behind her. I thought it was her husband chasing her," Alyokhina told Current Time, a Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. "He then pointed in the direction of our car. These guys were armed to the teeth, and fired on whatever they wanted to. They saw a house they didn't like, broke down the front gate, and shot out the windows. It didn't matter who they shot at -- kids, men, women, it was all the same, " Alyokhina recounted from the family furniture store in Budyonnovsk, adding she was convinced she would die that day. When it ended five days later, a total of 129 people would be dead owing to the militant assault and a botched Russian commando raid. As for Basayev and his fighters, they were given free passage out of the city after agreeing to release their hostages. Human Rights Watch in 1996 called the assault in Budyonnovsk "perhaps the most heinous humanitarian law violation known to have been committed by Chechen forces." The hostage drama would not be an isolated incident -- it was to be followed by the Beslan, Nord-Ost, and Kislyar-Pervomaysk hostage crises -- nor would the reaction of Russian forces, who would come to rely on an array of tactics to deal with hostage crises, usually with much innocent blood spilled. In December 1994, the Russian Army marched into Chechnya, a restive region in Russia's North Caucasus where separatists yearned for independence from Moscow. Basayev organized the defense of Grozny, the regional capital that would eventually be reduced to rubble as a result of Russian bombing. Basayev began his campaign against Russian rule over Chechnya in 1991, when he participated in the hijacking of a Russian passenger aircraft flying from the southern town of Mineralnye Vody to Turkey and onward to Grozny. Also in 1991, he signed up with the unofficial Confederation of Peoples of the Caucasus, and in 1992 led a battalion of volunteers from the North Caucasus who fought on the side of separatist region Abkhazia in its 1992-93 war against Georgia. Seeking Revenge In May 1995, some 11 members of Basayev's family, including a wife and two children, were killed in a Russian bombing raid on his home village of Vedeno. Apparently in retaliation for their deaths, Basayev and a group of some 130 fighters set out to drive north into the Russian heartland to stage a major reprisal. On June 14, 1995, they made it as far as Budyonnovsk, where they were halted by traffic police. The militants led by Basayev seized several administrative buildings in the city, taking about 1,500 people hostage in the process. They eventually took refuge in the main city hospital, where Basayev demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities in Chechnya and the start of peace negotiations. After two attempts by Russian forces to free the hostages failed, resulting in the deaths of some 100 people, Basayev negotiated their release and his own safe conduct back to Chechnya live on Russian television with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who was later excoriated for allowing the Chechens to escape while Basayev was lionized by many Chechens for that feat. In August 1996, Basayev played a key role in the successful attack on Grozny that led to the signing of a cease-fire and the Khasavyurt accord that ended the war. In 1997, Basayev ran unsuccessfully for president of Chechnya, although he later held various government posts, including prime minister. In late 1999, however, he and fellow field commander Khatab launched ill-fated incursions into neighboring Daghestan that helped lead to a new war. Basayev, Russia's most wanted man, was killed by Russian special forces in neighboring Ingushetia in 2006. 'Blood Everywhere' For those like Alyokhina who were taken hostage in Budyonnovsk in June 1995, his legacy is not remembered kindly. Now in her 50s, Alyokhina said that as the militants marched the hostages down Pushkin Street toward the hospital, she felt resigned that they were to be killed, given the carnage she had witnessed. "I can never forget that feeling that I was being marched away to die. I still have that feeling today. We had seen how they had killed people," Alyokhina said, adding she was one of several women used as human shields by the Chechen gunmen during the five-day ordeal. Nikolai Karmazov saw up close the scale of the violence, working as a doctor in the besieged hospital in the trauma unit. "There was blood everywhere, and no place to get help," Karmazov told Current Time. "I had to work at gunpoint. They almost shot me twice because I didn't treat the militants first, but those who needed help most: those with gunshot wounds, with blood coming out from tourniquets," Karmazov explained, added the situation calmed a bit after a Basayev deputy intervened. The siege at the hospital came to an end on June 20 when the Chechen militants rode in a slow convoy of buses out of Budyonnovsk -- including more than 100 people acting as human shields -- in keeping with the deal negotiated between Basayev and Chernomyrdin. Among the voluntary hostages was human rights activist Valery Borshchev. He arrived in Budyonnovsk as part of a team of negotiators. "We got on buses. A hostage would sit by the window, so if they shoot, they would kill him, and the militant would be sitting next to him," Borshchev recalled. "Some people then came on the bus and handed out papers for us to sign, which said: 'I so-and-so voluntarily join Basayev's gang. I take full responsibility for my decision,'" Borshchev explained, adding that he kept the paper, refusing to sign it, like many others. Russia's heavy-handed handling of the Budyonnovsk crisis would be repeated in other hostage showdowns with Chechen militants. "The Russians have got huge pride, huge arrogance, but their military is not very effective. It's full of conscripts," Paul Beaver, an intelligence and defense analyst, told RFE/RL in 2004. Russia's hunt for the Chechen fighters involved in the Budyonnovsk hospital raid continued over the years. In the most recent convictions, two Chechen men were sentenced to prison in December 2017. The North Caucasus Regional Military Court in the city of Rostov-on-Don found Ramzan Belyalov and Magomed Mazdayev guilty of hostage taking and organizing a terrorist attack and sentenced them to 15 and 13 years in prison, respectively. Both pleaded not guilty. Besides Basayev, six other participants in the attack had been killed, 26 sentenced to prison terms and 23 are still being sought, according to Russia's Investigative Committee in 2015. Written by Tony Wesolowsky based on reporting by Current Time correspondent Yevgenia Kotlyar When Melania Trump stayed behind in New York after her husband's presidential inauguration, she said it was because she didn't want to interrupt their then-10-year-old son Barron's school year. News stories at the time concentrated on an apparent frostiness between the first couple and the exorbitant taxpayer costs to protect Melania and Barron away from Washington. Those stories are true, but Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan reveals in a new book that the first lady was also using her delayed arrival to the White House as leverage for renegotiating her prenuptial agreement with President Donald Trump. The campaign had been full of harsh news about Trump's alleged sexual indiscretions and infidelities, from the "grab them by the p---y" Access Hollywood tape to an affair with Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal; Melania learned new details from the media coverage, Jordan writes. The incoming first lady needed time to cool off, and "to amend her financial arrangement with Trump - what Melania referred to as 'taking care of Barron,' " Jordan writes in "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump." Melania's original prenup had not been incredibly generous, Jordan reports. But she has been married to Trump longer than both his ex-wives and had bargaining power: Her perceived calming effect on him was so great that Trump's pals and at least one of Trump's adult children exhorted her to come to the White House as soon as possible. The 286-page book, which plays off the title of Trump's well-known business guide, is a deeply reported look at the rise of the country's only immigrant first lady since Louisa Adams. For her book, Jordan conducted more than a hundred interviews, with everyone from Melania's Slovenian schoolmates to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and lays out an argument that Melania Trump is as devoted to her own mythmaking as her husband. "Both are avid creators of their own history," Jordan writes, arguing that the #FreeMelania hashtag ought to be retired because of her consistent support of her husband and her moves to stay in the White House. "She is ... much more like him than it appears," Jordan adds. Jordan, a longtime Post reporter who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2003, secured a rare one-on-one interview with Melania while covering the 2016 campaign. The Post received a copy of her book ahead of its June 16 release date. The reporting goes back to Melania's childhood in a small town in Slovenia, then part of Communist Yugoslavia, where her mother was a patternmaker in a children's clothing factory and her father, who joined the Communist Party at one point, was a chauffeur and repaired cars. Melania was walking runways by age 7, modeling clothes her mother made, and sat for a photo shoot at 16. The mythmaking, Jordan writes, began early, when she would fail to correct reporters who cited her age incorrectly, always younger than she was. Despite saying she wouldn't get plastic surgery, three photographers who worked with her said they've seen the scars. She attended a highly competitive architecture program at the University of Ljubljana, but did not graduate, though she claimed in sworn testimony to have a bachelor's degree. There's also little evidence to suggest her claims of being able to speak four or five languages fluently are true. "Photographers and others who have worked with her over the years - including native speakers of Italian, French, and German - told me that they never heard her use more than a few words of those languages," Jordan writes. Reporting in the book suggests she only speaks English and Slovene fluently. Meeting Trump accelerated that mythmaking, as he introduced her around the city as a "supermodel" when that was not true. Jordan found little evidence even of the story of how they met - he saw her at a club during Fashion Week in 1998 with a more famous model, but was fixated on Melania, who refused to give him her phone number. Multiple sources, including a German modeling agent she was working for that year, told Jordan that they had heard Melania was already dating Trump before the timeline they laid out. The ease of Melania's mythmaking has been aided, Jordan posits, by a pattern in her life of making clean breaks with her past. Old friends from Slovenia said they'd never heard from her again. Once-close friends from her New York City years say the same thing happened to them. She "would seize an opportunity and put great effort into it. Then she would move on and never look back," Jordan writes. As much as she and Trump seem like complete opposites, Jordan writes, "They are both fighters and survivors and prize loyalty over almost all else. ... Neither the very public Trump nor the very private Melania has many close friends. Their loner instincts filter into their own marriage." That includes the separate bedrooms both at the White House and whenever they travel, or how they'll often be in the same building but not the same room. They also seem to love each other, according to people who witnessed their early courtship, and others who have seen their relationship in the White House go from frosty to warm again. What emerges is a picture of personal ambition similar to Trump's. In 1999, when he ran for president on the Reform Party ticket, she gave interviews musing about becoming the next Jackie O. Later, she echoed Trump's calls for then-president Barack Obama to produce his birth certificate, an alignment with the "birther" attacks primarily driven by Trump. "There is ample evidence that from the very beginning," Jordan writes, "Melania not only accepted and embraced Trump's political aspirations but was also an encouraging partner." According to Roger Stone, the Trump mentor who is set to go to prison for 40 months on convictions ranging from witness tampering to lying to investigators with the Mueller Report, Melania always encouraged Trump to run for president. "She's the one who ultimately said: 'You know, Donald, stop talking about running for president and do it. ... And if you run, you're going to win,' " Stone told Jordan. On the campaign and in the White House, Melania has been Trump's sounding board. Christie said Melania was always Trump's first phone call when he got on a plane after a rally he knew had been televised. He'd ask what she thought, and, said Chris Christie, "She always had commentary to give him, and I think that tells a lot about what he thinks of her." She was a key reason Trump chose Mike Pence as his running mate, after Trump arranged a weekend for Melania to get to know him and his wife, Karen. She argued Pence would be a better choice than Christie or Newt Gingrich. "She believed that he would be content in a No. 2 spot and not gun for the top job," Jordan writes, "which was something she could not say about the other two." Her influence showed when she issued a rare statement of condemnation about deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel, which resulted in the adviser's termination. Had the coronavirus not forced their cancellation, she would have done her first solo fundraisers for the 2020 campaign in March. "She has told people she wants to win re-election," Jordan writes. Many of her moves of late point in that direction, from placing the Medal of Freedom around talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh's neck to clapping along as Trump called the FBI "scum" in his speech after his acquittal from impeachment charges. Observers in the White House had noticed an uptick in her mood by mid-2018 that might account for her being so willing to fight for a second term. According to three people close to Trump, Jordan writes, Melania had finally renegotiated the prenup to her liking. She'd already been looking out for Barron's future by making sure he had dual citizenship in Slovenia, which will position him to work in Europe for the Trump Organization when he comes of age. Now, she'd made sure he wasn't shut out of the family business. Jordan writes: "She wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trump's oldest three children." Gavin Williamson's Cabinet future is in doubt after growing anger on the Tory backbenches over the failure to open schools before the autumn. The Education Secretary is tipped to be one of the high-profile casualties of Boris Johnson's next reshuffle, following his humiliating U-turn over the target to get all primary school pupils back in the classroom before the summer holidays. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss is also on the Prime Minister's hit-list following rows over the terms of a new trade deal with America. The Education Secretary (pictured) is tipped to be one of the high-profile casualties of Boris Johnson's next reshuffle, following his humiliating U-turn over the target to get all primary school pupils back in the classroom before the summer holidays International Trade Secretary Liz Truss (pictured) is also on the Prime Minister's hit-list following rows over the terms of a new trade deal with America Cabinet rivals have accused her of being prepared to allow cheap, sub-standard products such as chlorinated chicken to flood the UK market and hit the British farming industry. Ms Truss's allies angrily deny the claims. But her career prospects are unlikely to be helped by the fact she is understood to be on the opposite side of the argument from Mr Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds an animal welfare campaigner. Mr Williamson infuriated overstretched parents when he said full-time schooling for all pupils would not now resume before September. The former Defence Secretary famous for keeping a pet tarantula in his office when he was Chief Whip has looked a far more subdued figure since taking on the education portfolio. Last night, former Cabinet Ministers were privately scathing about Mr Williamson for giving the impression that Left-wing teaching unions were somehow dictating when schools returned. One said: 'Gavin was a very good Chief Whip but he was far better being in the shadows in that role than on the front line, galvanising the campaign to get the schools back. 'He should have been talking to the academies which are not under council control.' Another ex-Cabinet Minister pointed the blame at Mr Johnson for wanting a 'Cabinet of short poppies where the Ministers just don't challenge the PM'. Allies of Mr Williamson dismissed the attacks as 'nonsense' and pointed to a Number 10 announcement on how he and Mr Johnson were working together to let children catch up on lost lessons during the summer and open all schools in September. There are also new plans to open primary schools to additional year groups from this week. The expected ministerial changes are being dubbed the 'night of the short knives' because the big four in the Cabinet Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured right), Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured left), Home Secretary Priti Patel and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove look set to keep their jobs. The mooted reshuffle could come sooner than the expected time at the end of July just before summer recess if Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick is forced to resign over the row about his approval for a Tory donor's property scheme. The expected ministerial changes are being dubbed the 'night of the short knives' because the big four in the Cabinet Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove look set to keep their jobs. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has faced criticism over his record on issues such as testing rates, but his position is said to be safe while the Covid crisis continues. A source said: 'To dump Hancock now would be an admission of failure.' (Newser) What appears to have been a neighbors' tiff led to the murder of a popular gospel radio host, say police, who are now on the hunt for her killer. The Baltimore Sun reports that 57-year-old Tyra Womack, an announcer on WEAA's Gospel Grace program for more than three decades, was gunned down Wednesday night in front of her home in the Lauraville neighborhood of Baltimore, where medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene. "This was a senseless, tragic murder, as many are," a Baltimore Police spokeswoman said, adding that the shooting seems to have been prompted by a dispute between neighbors. Per a Baltimore PD Facebook post, authorities are now looking for suspect Richard Sylvester Green, 56, who is said to be 5-foot-10 and about 180 pounds, and "should be considered ARMED AND DANGEROUS." story continues below In addition to appearing on Gospel Grace, Womack also worked as an administrative assistant for the US Postal Service, per her LinkedIn. Friends and family are "numb" at the news of her murder. "You're traumatized, because she's one of those unlikely people" to get killed like this, the head of the First Apostolic Faith Church tells the Sun, adding that Womack's family had attended the church for generations. "We are heartbroken about her passing and remember her beautiful, gentle, sweet spirit today," WEAA wrote in a tweet Thursday. A WEAA post online notes Womack, who also went by Tyra Phillips, is survived by her mother, sister, and son. Police are asking anyone who may know where Green is to call 911 or 410-637-8970. (Read more Baltimore stories.) By Trend Azerbaijan's State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources (SAARES) is implementing a new pilot program within a project on alternative energy supply to remote settlements, villages and areas in 2020, Deputy Chairman of the State Agency Jamil Malikov told Trend. According to him, through SAARES in some regions of the country, technology for using thermal pumps for providing the settlements with hot water, heating of houses has already been tested. "At the same time, gas stoves working on liquefied natural gas can be also used," he added. One of the most important spheres of activity of the Agency this year is the establishment of alternative energy supply in remote settlements, villages and areas. For this purpose, the agency chose 12 pilot projects to be implemented in villages of the country's Lankaran, Guba, Sheki-Zagatala and Samukh-Shamkir regions. Within the projects, SAARES develops proposals on the possibility of using alternative energy sources. Presently, Azerbaijan is taking sequential steps to develop alternative energy. In this regard, negotiations are underway with foreign companies and investors, including companies from China, the UAE, the US and the EU. MUSKEGON, MI Big Red pride filled the streets of Muskegon Friday evening as the community gathered to celebrate the Muskegon High School Class of 2020. Although they havent yet had a traditional commencement ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic, Muskegons graduating seniors had a chance to celebrate their completion of high school with a Class of 2020 Parade on Friday, June 12. Student donned their caps and gowns as they paraded around Muskegon High School in decorated cars to cheering friends and family members that lined the streets. The parade was not only a chance for graduating seniors to celebrate their graduation, but also an opportunity for the greater Muskegon community to celebrate the accomplishments of the class of 2020, which has lost a number of in-person events during the COVID-19 crisis. We want to seize every opportunity with the class of 2020 because of how much they sacrificed senior year," said Muskegon Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Cortez. "So every time we can do something special, thats what were aiming to do. Graduating seniors were glad to be able to celebrate their accomplishments with their peers. Im excited that the community is coming together to celebrate graduates as best as they can in the circumstances," said Mia Snowden, this years valedictorian for Muskegon High. "Im excited to be able to go out there and be with my classmates and just be able to celebrate our accomplishments. The parade is only part of the ongoing festivities for Muskegon High School to celebrate its graduating seniors. Cortez said administrators are also planning to host an in-person commencement ceremony once health officials deem it safe enough. The district had initially announced plans for a socially distanced ceremony, where each student could walk the stage to receive their diploma in front of six family members of their choosing. However, the idea was vetoed after students expressed to Cortez that they wanted to graduate together as a class. It has taken really different thinking when it comes to this, trying to think outside of the box to be able to keep everyone safe, yet at the same time, give them a very memorable experience," Cortez said of the parade. More on MLive: Muskegon abruptly closes Nelson Elementary School to mitigate predicted $2.4M revenue cut Muskegon High cancels socially distanced commencement after idea vetoed by students Free coronavirus testing available for all Muskegon County residents this weekend BERLIN - People have taken to the streets of Berlin, London, Paris and other cities around the world to demonstrate in support of Black Lives Matter protesters in the United States and to vent anger over President Donald Trumps response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. But at the top, the leaders of traditional allies of the United States have taken pains to avoid criticizing Trump directly, walking a fine line to reconcile international diplomacy with domestic outrage. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau let silence speak for itself when asked to comment on the decision to forcibly clear peaceful protesters outside the White House to make way for a Trump photo-op at a nearby church, standing pensively at his lectern apparently mulling his answer for more than 20 seconds before answering that Canada also suffered from systemic discrimination never mentioning the American president. We need to be allies in the fight against discrimination, we need to listen, we need to learn, and we need to work hard to fix, to figure out how we can be part of the solution on fixing things, he said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel sidestepped questions from ZDF public television about Trump last week, saying the killing of Floyd was really, really terrible. Racism is something terrible, and society in the United States is very polarized. When pressed, she conceded that Trumps political style is a very controversial one but would go no further when asked if she had confidence in him. A combination of factors are at work, including diplomatic courtesy but also pragmatism based on the possibility that Trump will be reelected to another four years in November, said Sudha David-Wilp, deputy director of the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund think-tank . It wouldnt be proper for his peers to criticize, especially when its very obvious that they are concerned that the United States is going through an incredibly difficult time you have the triple whammy of an economic depression, health crisis and now, of course, social unrest due to questions of racism, she said. But she said its difficult for leaders like Trudeau and Merkel, who are seen as defenders of liberal democracy, and President Trump has trampled on many of the values that undergird liberal democracy, such as the protection of minorities, such as the freedom of assembly, such as the freedom of the press. Merkels verbal gymnastics could have been anticipated in more than 14 years as chancellor, she has steered clear of ever critiquing allied world leaders but even leaders who typically support Trump, like Hungarys Viktor Orban or Israels Benjamin Netanyahu have stayed silent on this issue. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has sought to cultivate close ties with Trump, called Floyds death appalling and said people have a right to protest to make their feelings known about injustices such as what happened to George Floyd but urged peaceful demonstrations. Britain has seen several protests turn violent, and last weekend demonstrators in Bristol toppled the statue of a 17th-century slave trader. They also spray-painted an iconic statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London, calling him a racist. Asked Wednesday in Parliament to name Trumps good qualities, Johnson stuck to generalities. Mr. Trump, he has, amongst many other things, he is president of the United States, which is our most important ally in the world today, Johnson said. Whatever people may say about it, whatever those on the left may say about it, the United States is a bastion of peace and freedom and has been for most of my lifetime. Frances Emmanuel Macron, who has in the past steered clear of criticizing Trump specifically but has been vocal in speaking out against policies like the wine tariffs introduced by the administration, has not made a public appearance since Floyd was killed on May 25. Floyd died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped responding. Three days later, another black man writhed on the street in Paris as a white police officer pressed a knee to his neck during an arrest. France had several protests over the past week, with growing pressure on the government to address accusations of brutality and racism within the police force. Macrons office said the president is closely monitoring the events in France and the United States but he did not wish to speak for the moment. Hes expected to address the nation Sunday but his office did not give further details. A few leaders have spoken out more strongly, like Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who criticized the response to the protests in the U.S. as authoritarian when pressed in parliament last week for an explicit response on Floyds killing. I share and stand in solidarity with the demonstrations that are taking place in the United States, he said. And Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg told the countrys NTB news agency last week that she was deeply concerned about what is happening in the United States. The fundamental challenge of making minorities feel part of a society is essential. We must all work with that, she said. One has to try to bridge the gap. It is not good for any society to be as deeply divided as the United States is now. Ghanas President Nana Akufo-Addo said last week that it cannot be right that, in the 21st century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the problem of systemic racism. And South African President Cyril Ramaphosa noted the naked racism in the United States, calling the protests a turning point. Neither mentioned Trump by name. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not weighed in, but Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the situation in the U.S. ridiculous. I would like to believe that before showing their zeal in protecting the rights of the suppressed and dissenters in other countries, U.S. authorities will start to scrupulously observe democratic standards and ensure the freedoms of their citizens at home, she said. _____ Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui in London, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Cara Anna in Johannesburg and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report. The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, on Friday, indicated that some Members and Staff of Parliament, and Journalists covering proceedings in the House have tested positive for the new Coronavirus in the recent test carried out in the House. He said the testing team had informed them of their status. The Majority Leader, subsequently, advised them to stay away from the Legislature. He said some people who were contacted by the testing team, however, ignored the appeal from them and visited Parliament to endanger the lives of all members. Unfortunately, some people have elected after contact is made with them to ignore the appeal from the testing team and visit Parliament and they endanger the lives of all of us. Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu made the appeal when he read the Business Statement for the Fifth Week ending Friday, 19th June, 2020. Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also explained that the Speaker and Leadership of Parliament arranged for members, staff and journalists to be tested for the virus. However, those who tested positive would not be openly identified but contacted behind the curtain and to have their situation managed. Mr Speaker, it is important to remind all of us, MPs, Staff and Journalists, we need to be protective of one another. Mr Speaker, you and Leadership arranged for all of us to test for the Coronavirus disease, which has unfortunately engulfed this country. The arrangement was that anybody who unfortunately tested positive would not be openly identified but the testing team would have an arrangement to contact them behind the curtains and have the situation managed, he added. Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also appealed to MPs, Staff and Journalists who had been contacted behind the curtain and had not submitted themselves to the testing team to do so. Mr Speaker, we want to appeal to MPs, Staff and Journalists who have been contacted behind the curtain and who are not submitting themselves to the testing team. You are imperilling the lives of all of us, he said. The issue, Speaker, is if you submitted yourselves and tested negative as some of us have, I have submitted myself on two occasions and tested negative it does mean I am out of the wood. If somebody tested positive and comes close to me chances are that I may contract the disease and that goes for everybody. Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the testing team was getting frustrated and thus made appealed once again to members, staff and journalists, saying if you are contacted please dont come and imperil the lives of people. Yesterday, it was observed that one person who has been spoken to have gotten close to some MPs and was engaging them, even though he has been spoken to. So please lets be on the watch out for one another. Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also announced that the Speaker intended to arrange for the testing team to be in the House for third time so that MPs, Staff and Journalists who could not submit themselves the other time could take opportunity for the last time. The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, in a remark, urged colleague MPs and Staff of the Parliamentary Service to do a little more than just respect the Speakers orders and directive relative to COVID-19 whether it was testing or isolation. He maintained that the medical records of any individual remained the confidential record of that person and people must respect it. He said the fact that somebody had undertaken an examination in COVID-19, a public health problem, did not necessarily mean that people could just share the medical record of that person. Mr Speaker, it is not for nothing that you are the Head of this House and all of us must respect your directive on the matter, he added. The Speaker, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye, directed the Marshall of Office of Parliament to deal with research assistants who had been flouting an earlier directive to stay away from the House due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease. Prof Oquaye also urged MPs, Staff and Journalists who had not submitted themselves to testing to heed to his directive to do so. I have directed that every person who operate from here an MP as official or a media person as an invitee must heed our directive to do a test, he added. We are arranging for another time for the relevant personnel to come to your doorstep after that those who dont want to test, dont want enter our premises. He said no person had the right to endanger anothers life, adding that it was a human rights issue. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Toilet roll isn't the only thing people have been stockpiling during quarantine - skincare has enjoyed a major boost since the world locked down. Retailer John Lewis reported that sales increased 183% in April, as many of us stuck at home sought to change up our regimen. But if talk of 'acid toning' still leaves you confused, and you can't tell whether your skin is dry or dehydrated, a new book arriving this month will answer all your questions. Simply titled Skincare, it is the first book from Caroline Hirons, the blogger and businesswoman who commands an audience of millions on her website and on social media. A trained aesthetician, 50-year-old Hirons stands apart from the majority of beauty influencers thanks to her 20-plus years of industry experience and her no-nonsense advice. She's been dubbed 'the most powerful woman in beauty', and products she recommends regularly sell out worldwide within hours of her posts. But you won't see her pouting in a sheet mask (one of the many trends she bluntly tells to "get in the sea") or swanning about on an influencer getaway to Bora Bora. Instead, she writes and films in her London office, with minimal make-up and hair swept into a familiar bun, her voluminous eyelash extensions the only hint of her line of work. "I don't really put myself in that arena, purely because I'm older and a businesswoman," she says of the beauty blogger world. "This is something I do for a living, not a competitive role I need to excel at. If I did see it that way, I doubt I'd have lasted, because I'm not about to go on a press trip in a bikini - my kids are the age of most of the big influencers!" As we speak, Hirons is in lockdown with her husband Jim, a musician, in London. They have four children, Ben (28), Daniel (25), Ava (18), and Max (15), the two eldest of whom are involved in her business. The youngest is keen to get a look-in, too. "They all sort of have different parts to play. Ben generally helps me out if I need editing help, and Max wants to be head of IT but as he's only just doing his GCSEs, we'll see where that leads. He says things like, 'If I'm your head of IT, do I get a new computer?' And I say, 'Nice try, son'." After the UK and the US, Ireland is Hirons' third-biggest audience and when she makes personal appearances, her followers turn out in droves. With a blog that has attracted 120 million views, plus 18 million views on YouTube and 43,000 self-described "Freaks" in her Facebook group, why did Hirons decide to go old-school and write a book? "My readers were saying, 'I know I can go online and find it all, but my mum doesn't and my little sister doesn't'. It was a lot of comments like that where I thought writing a book might be useful," she explains. "I didn't grow up thinking, 'I want to be an author someday, I want to be on the Amazon bestsellers charts'. I've never thought like that, but the fact that it's happened is brilliant." As a child in Liverpool and Mississippi, Hirons says she didn't harbour dreams of working in beauty, but skincare was an important part of her upbringing. "I had no plans to work in the industry until I was working in the industry, and then it was like the penny dropped and everything made sense. When I was younger, I didn't have much thought of what I wanted to do," she recalls. "My mum and my grandmother gave me a really good appreciation for skincare. I asked my mum [if I could] wear make-up and she said, 'That's fine, but you have to wash your face properly if you do'." Hirons remembers glamorous days visiting her grandmother on the Guerlain counter in Liverpool, before she and her parents moved to America when she was four. Her mother followed in those stylish footsteps by getting a job at Helena Rubinstein when they returned to the UK. Years later, after Hirons moved to London and had her first two children, she started working in retail, and joined the Aveda team in Harvey Nichols at the height of its fame. Expand Close Caroline Hirons / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Caroline Hirons "It was the golden days. The internet didn't exist, everybody had to go shopping for what they wanted, and the shops were always really busy. It was just a really good laugh," she says. During staff training for treatments, Hirons made up her mind to qualify as a beauty therapist, and completed an evening course at the renowned Steiner Beauty School while working at Space NK in the day. She set up her own consultation business in 2009 and her blog the following year. "There was no one really talking about skincare," she remembers. "It was all very make-up-focused, and nails were huge. It was a prime time to do [the blog]. People say, 'How did you plan?' There has never been a plan, literally ever. I don't know if you can plan for that kind of success." Readers were immediately drawn to Hirons' straight-talking approach. She railed against face wipes (still her biggest bugbear), sang the praises of Biologique Recherche's acid toner P50 (still her favourite product), and was unsparing in describing what a product could and could not do. "I was one of the first people in the skincare world to talk about things it wasn't popular to say," she says. "I think in the early days, it was more shouty than it is now. I certainly toned down the blog, because once you get an audience, you kind of have a responsibility to just deliver the information and not bring emotion into it." As Hirons dialled it down, the rest of the beauty blogosphere exploded in response to the internet's insatiable appetite for 'tea'. Last summer, a feud between YouTubers James Charles and Tati Westbrook made its way into the mainstream, with newspapers publishing explainers on the unfolding drama. On Instagram, the anonymous account @EsteeLaundry operates as a sort of industry watchdog, calling out cultural appropriation, fake reviews and workplace bullying. And on YouTube, the current vogue is to film reactions to celebrity skincare routines. But Hirons says that, apart from flagging irresponsible advice, she has no desire to wade in. "I can see what kind of posts really drive traffic. It's easy to get a big following if you want to go down a certain road of drama and exposes, and I've never really been interested in that. I'm coming from a much more educational standpoint," she explains. "I see how giving criticism can attract a following - my two biggest posts on the blog are me having a pop at a brand." In 2018, she reviewed millennial favourite Glossier's Solution, an acid toner, writing that it was "not a sophisticated formula" and "hard to recommend for anyone", rejecting claims it was "better than P50". It's now her most popular post ever. When Glossier's social media team promptly took to Instagram Stories to do a side-by-side comparison with P50, she cringed, and published a follow-up telling the brand: "It's time to grow up." "That made me realise the power of the blog. I thought if Glossier are taking it that seriously, it must have some effect on the industry," she says, adding that she's "good friends with Glossier now", and has learned to "wield the power" of her voice carefully to lobby brands to reformulate disappointing products and packaging. "It would be easy to do that kind of thing every day and be reactionary rather than try and be proactive in helping people. That's kind of where my head is at when I'm writing a blog post." She doesn't shy away from the truth, though, which is what has made her followers so loyal in a landscape where the credibility of many bloggers is called into question, with readers sceptical about whether they are getting the full story about a product or just another sugar-coated rave. For Hirons, bloggers' reluctance to offer criticism comes down to sexism. "Because we're women, we're always told to watch our tone and make sure we're seen and not heard. That's the generation I was raised with, though thankfully my mother didn't raise me that way," she says, pointing out that male critics rarely feel such reluctance to speak out. "I think in terms of gaming and restaurant critics, they're revered - there are people who wait to see what a gaming critic has to say about something, and if he absolutely destroys a game, that game is dead in the water." Now, of course, Hirons is hugely revered, and fans all over the world are waiting to get their hands on her book, a straightforward guide designed to help readers "navigate the world of skincare simply and succinctly". The bulk is devoted to building a good routine, as Hirons breaks down skincare myths and gives advice on everything from double cleansing to retinoids, with colour photographs to illustrate how much product you should use at each stage. Elsewhere, she explains the difference between skin types and conditions, how to adapt your routine as you age, and what you should have in your kit, with tips on where to invest and where to save. She also includes a section busting industry jargon, detailing her problems with "clean beauty". Given the increased interest in all things green, are we set to see a boom in clean brands? "God, I really hope not," Hirons sighs. "All they do is tell people what's not in their products. Imagine buying a bag of mixed salad that says 'Does not contain banana peel'. It's that irrelevant! 'We don't contain formaldehyde' - why would you put formaldehyde in a serum?! It's not the green industry as a whole, because you'd hope the industry would have some positive effect on sustainability, but if you let them lead with bad messaging, how do they not see this will be seen as a negative by the consumer?" She also lambasts celebrities who swear they "only ever use soap and water" on their faces: "The jig is up, people." Understandably, then, when Hirons decided to get Botox and cheek filler last year, she covered her experience comprehensively. Expand Close Caroline Hirons / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Caroline Hirons "I just looked in the mirror one day and said, 'Time for some help'. I'd been on hormones and I'd lost some weight, which actually makes you look slightly more gaunt, and then my mother-in-law died so we were grief-stricken as a family for a couple of months. As it got closer to Christmas, I looked in the mirror and thought, 'God, you look tired, you look like you could do with a boost'. "So, I went to see a dermatologist and had some filler around my temple area, just a teeny bit to sort of dabble, and I was really happy with it. I thought, 'You know what, that's made me feel so much better'. That and a combination of being on the right HRT regimen, you can really see the difference in your skin. For me, it was a no-brainer. I'd never said I'd never do it, I thought maybe I will one day, and then I woke up one day and it was one day." Hirons is adamant that injectables won't negate poor skincare, and must be combined with a good routine to improve the surface as well as the structure of skin. She's also frank about the limitations of skincare - there's only so much you can do without a laser, a needle or a knife. Tweakments, she observes, will "probably become the norm". "To me, it's no different to people who bleach their hair. Yes, it's more invasive, but only as far as you wanna go," she argues. One thing she would like to see change is how we talk about injectables. "I'd like the shame to come away from it," she says. "Anyone who has anything to say about what someone does with their body just has a monumental nerve, to be honest, especially if it's a man talking about a woman. And other women do it, too. It's no one else's business, full stop." She hopes that her book will encourage people to "take skincare seriously", and laments those who dismiss it as a frivolous enterprise. "Very shortly after lockdown happened, people were saying, 'You shouldn't be encouraging people to buy things online, what about the postman?' I was immediately saying, 'No, no, no!'" she cries. "You shower every day, you brush your teeth every day, you wash your hair every day, and you take care of your face every day. Skincare is self-care." Skincare by Caroline Hirons is published on June 25 (HQ, HarperCollins) in paperback, eBook and audiobook A rough guide: Vitamin A and retinoid This is one of the products I'm most frequently asked about, and potentially one of the most confusing. All you need to know is that it's all vitamin A. In the same way that white sugar, brown sugar and maple syrup are all sugar, retinoid is the family name for any vitamin A product. Other ways you might see this ingredient listed on packaging are: retinol, retinal, retinyl palmitate, tretinoin, retinaldehyde, retinyl retinoate, hydroxypincolone retinoate or adapalene. Originally discovered as having beneficial side effects when treating acne, vitamin A is widely considered to be the gold standard of skincare because it is scientifically proven not only to reverse the signs of ageing, but also shown to prevent them. HOW TO USE Use after cleansing, and make sure your skin is dry before you start. General guidance is to use vitamin A in the evening, but some newer formulas state that they can be used during the day. Always use an SPF (in your morning routine). Start with a milder percentage and work your way up. The percentage will vary depending on the type of retinoid. Generally one full cycle (one tube or jar) of a product is enough to build up resistance and move up to the next strength. Less is more. You will be directed to use a pea-sized amount of prescription-strength formulas; however, you can use a little more of over-the-counter formulas. Avoid the eyes, the area around the nostrils, corners of the mouth and neck. Most people are put off using a vitamin A product because they weren't told how their skin would initially react. Vitamin A, at its core, is designed to resurface the skin, stimulate collagen production and reverse the signs of ageing. This doesn't happen overnight, and might require a bit of a journey. It can be a shock if you were expecting to wake up 10 years younger, but actually you might wake up looking like you've had an allergic reaction, but it is worth it - it just takes a little while to get there. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU START Redness. Dryness. Patches of flaking skin. Generally irritated skin (in varying degrees, depending on the formula). I'm really selling it to you, aren't I? This reaction is completely normal and to be expected. To encourage you to keep going, this is what you do while your skin is acclimatising: Your first port of call is to buffer the product. This means weakening the formula by adding in a layer of moisturiser either before or after you apply the retinol. Avoid foaming products, especially cleansers, as they will be too drying. Avoid powders and heavy foundations. They will make the flaking look so much worse. I refer to my skin as 'sausage roll pastry' when it's at this stage. However, life goes on and if you want to wear make-up, you need a really good moisturiser instead of a primer. I've found Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre works really well for me. The mineral oil base, on this occasion, is a plus, as it stops your skin from taking the water from your foundation and going flaky and patchy. Oils are your friend. Squalane and jojoba oils are really light and, unlike some heavier oils, won't stop the retinol from working. When I'm using retinols, I have a squalane oil on me at all times and use it throughout the day. WHAT TO EXPECT ONCE YOUR SKIN ACCLIMATISES Smoother skin. Glowing skin. Fewer visible lines. Better skin tone and elasticity. Plumper skin. More hydrated skin. HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU USE IT? As the great Kate Somerville says, use your vitamin A according to the decade you're in. If you're in your 20s, use it twice a week; 30s, three times a week; 40s, four times a week; and so on. WHEN WILL YOU SEE THE EFFECTS? In line with your age, and how much there is to repair, how quickly you'll see results will vary: Over 40: 1 month. 30-40: 2 weeks. 20-30: strangely longer, as you don't have much to fix. Because the side effects do not show on your skin immediately, you may be tempted to use more than suggested, and apply it more frequently. Do not do this. Seriously. I mean it. Don't. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'VE OVERDONE IT? Somebody says, 'Oh my God, what has actually happened to your face?' Your normal moisturiser stings. Your skin feels burned and is sore. This is beyond dry or uncomfortable. It is literally painful to the touch. A gust of wind would make you wince and you feel like your face is going to fall off. It's sore around your nostrils or the corners of your eyes and eyelids. Blistering/bleeding (just stop already). The severity of your reaction, and how long you attempted to use vitamin A for before stopping, will dictate how soon you can try again. Apply a lot of nourishing products while your skin recovers, give it a couple of weeks or longer for your skin to return to normal, then try it again once more, but buffer it and go slowly. Extracted from Skincare by Caroline Hirons Expand Close Skincare by Caroline Hirons / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Skincare by Caroline Hirons Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 23:13:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PYONGYANG, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior diplomat of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) urged South Korea on Saturday to stop "nonsensical" talk about denuclearization. Kwon Jong Gun, director general of the Department of U.S. Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency that "it is really preposterous to hear the balderdash of South Korean authorities -- who do not have either any qualification to discuss or the position to poke their noses into the matters between the DPRK and the U.S., to say nothing of nuclear issues -- commenting on the resumption of DPRK-U.S. dialogue and interpreting the issue of denuclearization at their own choice." Kwon said it is not because there is not a mediator that the DPRK-U.S. dialogue has broken down and the denuclearization blown off, but it is because "conditions are not met" for denuclearization. Negotiations between the DPRK and the United States were stalled after the summit between the top leaders of the two countries in Hanoi in February last year failed to reach an agreement on the denuclearization process in the Korean Peninsula. "I want to make it clear that we will continue to build up our force in order to overpower the persistent threats from the United States, and such efforts of ours are in fact continuing at this point of time," Kwon said. "If they want to deal with us, they will have to approach us after racking their brains and finding a different method," as "we are not what we were two years ago," he added. On Tuesday, the DPRK cut off all inter-Korean communication lines in protest against South Korean authorities for allowing "defectors" to fly leaflets across the border, which it described as a hostile act which breached a series of peace agreements between the two sides. Enditem Trump Calls CHAZ Domestic Terrorists; Chinas Propaganda and Censorship Exposed President Donald Trump declared that terrorists have taken over part of Seattle with the takeover of part of Capitol Hill by protesters to create the CHAZ site, or Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. Trump said over Twitter that Domestic terrorists have taken over Seattle, and said if local government officials dont take it back, then he will. The Washington Governor told Trump to stay out of Washingtons business, and the Seattle Mayor came out in support of the protesters, calling their actions an act of patriotism. Meanwhile, videos and claims from the ground point to potential extortion of local businesses, and armed protesters creating justice through mob rule. And tech companies Apple and Zoom are being criticized for folding to Chinese government censorship. Zoom is accused of shutting down accounts around the Tiananmen Square Massacre memorial, and of the Hong Kong protests. Apple is accused of removing a podcast app that could allegedly help Chinese people access uncensored information abroad. These stories and more in this episode of Crossroads. Crossroads is an Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube. Tehran has dismissed a United Nations report presented by the secretary general about the Iranian origin of missiles used in strikes against Saudi Aramco oil processing plants in May 2019. A Reuters report said on June 12 that that the agency has access to a report by UN Chief Antonio Guterres that stresses the missiles used in the strike on the crude processing plant in Afif in eastern Saudi Arabia last year had "Iranian origin." This was part of a routine report the UN secretary general presents to the Security Council once in every six months about the implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The report lends support to U.S. allegations about Tehran being behind the attacks that temporarily halved Saudi Arabia's oil output at the time and affected the international oil markets. Tehrans reaction could have been expected as the UN report weakens the diplomatic position of the Islamic Republic and its allies, Russia and China to oppose the U.S. demand of prolonging a UN arms embargo against Iran. By dismissing a report endorsed by the secretary general and calling the UN inept in analyzing weapons, Iran could be further isolating itself. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi wrote in a tweet that "Iran rejects allegations in a UN Secretariat report," and stressed that "the Iranian origin of arms is a fallacy." Taklht Ravanchi charged that "UN Secretariat lacks capacity, expertise and knowledge to conduct investigations," and concluded that it "Seems the USwith its history of Iran-bashingsits in the driver's seat to shape UN assessments". Meanwhile a press release issued by the Iranian delegation at the United Nations claimed that "some of the alleged seized arms which have been examined were found not to conform to the ones manufactured by Iran." The statement added: "The report has based its findings on the alleged seizure of arms by the United States, as well as the attacks on Saudi Arabia , reproducing the exact claims made by the United States." The Iranian delegation's statement also charged that: In an extremely unprofessional conduct, only some images such as media pictures of military exhibitions have been used to verify and conclude about the alleged similarities of some items," adding that the methodology seriously undermined the credibility of the report. "In the absence of solid and reliable technical information, one cannot but consider the allegation against Iran as politically motivated," said the statement by the Islamic Republic of Iran's UN mission. This comes while the report by Reuters says cruise missiles or parts thereof as well as some of the parts used in the drones that deployed in the strikes bear marks in Persian and are similar to products manufactured by an Iranian commercial firm. Meanwhile, an AP report on February 1 quoted UN experts as saying that the technical specifications of some of the weapons and drone parts used by the Yemeni Houthis are similar to Iranian-made products. In another development, the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran also reacted angrily to the UN Chief's report and accused the UN chief of "Levelling accusations against other states using self-created processes and arbitrary procedures is a dangerous heresy," adding that such accusations are "unacceptable." The Iranian Foreign Ministry also said that such accusations "will cause severe damage to the credibility and undermine the integrity of the United Nations," and warned the "UN Secretariat not move in the pre-planned US scenario to prevent the lifting of Iran's arms restrictions and not assist a violating State in this dangerous process by circulating such unlawful reports. The United States itself is the gravest violator of Security Council Resolution 2231, and no one can clear the name of that State from systematic violations of international rules." The Iranian Foreign Ministry was referring to the United States withdrawal from the JCPOA and its declared position against putting an end to the arms embargo against Iran in October as part of the nuclear deal. The United States representative for Iran, Brian Hook said last week that Iran is on the frontline of funding terrorism and ending the arms embargo against Tehran will give it another opportunity to destabilize the region. The United States has prepared a draft resolution and handed it to Russia and Western countries. China and Russia are against renewing the arms embargo and say the United States has pulled out of the JCOA, so it cannot have a say on matters relating to the agreement. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, says the JCPOA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 are two different matters, stressing that the resolution still recognizes the United States as a "participating" state. John Boltons new book The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir scheduled for release on June 23rd has the promoted bombshell revelation that he thinks Democrats committed impeachment malpractice by limiting the scope of Trump trial. Publisher Simon & Schuster realized a press release for Boltons upcoming book The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, and it reveals that Bolton believes The House committed impeachment malpractice by keeping their prosecution focused narrowly on Ukraine when Trumps Ukraine-like transgressions existed across the full range of his foreign policy. This indicates that Bolton believes that President Trump committed even more impeachable offenses than what had been documented in House impeachment hearings last year and should have been removed from office. This revelation from John Bolton argues in his new book Donald Trump had committed other impeachable offenses that will turn up the heat on the Presidents reelection bid as he sinks to a 14% deficit in Nate Silvers FiveThirtyEight.com. The presidential approval poll as of June 12th shows a 54.8% disapproval and a 40.8% approval rating. The Presidents low mark in the Nate Silvers polling was in December of 2017 when he was sitting at 36.4%. Source: FiveThirtyEight.com Among those polled who are likely to vote in the November election, 41.5% approve of the President, and 54.7% disapprove. Nate Silvers polling averages show Trump down to Biden 13.2%, which confirms that he has a clear lead over President Trump in the national polls. But recent state-level surveys also give Biden an edge over Trump in many key swing states. A bombardment of scandals, outrages, distasteful revelations, and a potential crushing Supreme Court decisions are coming out lead by Boltons upcoming book. That will be followed by others like the one being written by his former lawyer Michael Cohen who is likely to confirm that Trump is Individual#1 referred to in his indictment and elocution that lead to his three-year prison sentence. All of this means if President Trump believes the first five months of 2020 has been rough, the next 144 days before the election is going to much harsher. Many people are turning on him, and many are prominent Republicans. Crowds Baghdad, Washington affirm commitment to US troop withdrawal, Iraqi premier says Iran Press TV Friday, 12 June 2020 9:18 AM Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi says Baghdad and Washington have affirmed their commitment to the withdrawal of US troops from the Arab country, months after Iraqi lawmakers passed a resolution calling on the government to end all foreign troop presence. Kadhimi, however, did not give any timeline for the troop pullout. The prime minister said the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue by video conference discussed the future of the presence of American forces, and recognized the Iraqi parliament's decision on the pullout of foreign troops from the country. A joint statement said the United States promised to reduce troops from Iraq over the coming months. "The two countries recognized that in light of significant progress towards eliminating the ISIS threat, over the coming months the US would continue reducing forces from Iraq," it said, without giving figures. "The United States reiterated that it does not seek nor request permanent bases or a permanent military presence in Iraq," it said. Iraq, in turn, promised to protect bases housing US troops after a series of rocket attacks blamed on pro-Iranian paramilitary groups, the statement added. 'Sovereignty of Iraq red line in Baghdad-Washington talks' Iraqi legislator Abbas al-Zameli has described the country's sovereignty as the red line in negotiations between Baghdad and Washington. "We have a fundamental and major point as regards Iraq-US talks. Anything can be negotiated except for the country's sovereignty and independence, as they are considered as a red line," Zameli said in an exclusive interview with Arabic-language al-Maalomah news agency. He added, "We support the prime minister in his efforts to safeguard the sovereignty of Iraq and remove all foreign forces from the country. We cannot comprise on the withdrawal of all foreign forces, including Americans, from the country." 'US military presence in Iraq source of concern for regional states' Hassan al-Fadam, a lawmaker from the National Wisdom Movement political coalition, said the presence of US forces in Iraq has become a source of concern for many regional countries, emphasizing that the parliament is closely monitoring the course of dialogue between Washington and Baghdad. "The Council of Representatives supports the dialogue between the United States and Iraq, and is keeping an eye on the outcomes of the talks. It is necessary to review the strategic agreement with the US and expedite the departure of the (American) forces, which has become a source of concern and annoyance for many countries in the region," Fadam told al-Maalomah news agency. He added, "Our security forces and the Popular Mobilization Units are able to score territorial gains without the need from any foreign forces. The dialogue should be within the context of Iraq's need to keep some of the trainers, and that their presence should be under the supervision of the Iraqi government." Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country following the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq's PMU, and their companions in a US airstrike authorized by President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport two days earlier. Later on January 9, former Iraqi prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the move. The 78-year-old politician said Iraq rejected any violation of its sovereignty, particularly the US military's violation of Iraqi airspace in the assassination airstrike. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PARIS - After a 14-hour battle, firefighters extinguished a blaze that broke out on a French nuclear submarine during renovation work. The Defence Ministry said no one was injured, and insisted the risk of radioactivity released by the fire is zero because the vessels nuclear fuel and all its weapons had been removed before the renovations began in January. But it took 100 firefighters from three different emergency services as well as specialized submarine teams more than 14 hours to put out the blaze, the ministry said. It is unclear whether the ship is salvageable. The fire broke out Friday morning in the Mediterranean naval port of Toulon, and was extinguished after midnight, the ministry said in a statement Saturday. All workers and sailors aboard the submarine when the fire broke out were safely evacuated, the regional maritime authority said. Local newspaper Var-Matin published images of white smoke rising from the port, and reported that some of those aboard fled via the submarines torpedo holds. The submarine, named Perle, is the most recent of Frances six Ruby-class nuclear attack submarines, and entered service in 1993, the official said. Victoria Beckham has shared snaps of her four children wearing her new 95 charity T-shirts to celebrate Pride month after facing backlash over the garment. The fashion designer, 46, has received criticism from her LGBTQ+ fans over the price of the T-shirt as well as the percentage she was planning to donate to charity. When advertising the item earlier this week on her Instagram page, Victoria revealed 25 per cent of sales would aim to combat LGBTQ+ youth homelessness in the UK. Listen! Victoria Beckham has shared snaps of her four children wearing her new 95 charity T-shirts to celebrate Pride month after facing backlash over the garment (pictured Harper) On Saturday, Victoria shared a montage of each of her children wearing the white T-shirt which features the words 'listen without prejudice' in rainbow lettering. Her daughter Harper, eight, and sons, Cruz, 15, Romeo, 17, and Brooklyn all posed with the garment on, as well as Brooklyn's girlfriend Nicola Peltz, 25. She captioned the snaps: 'The kids in their Pride tees. Sound on for @georgemofficial! kisses vb.' Backlash: The fashion designer, 46, has received criticism from her LGBTQ+ fans over the price of the T-shirt as well as the percentage she was planning to donate to charity (pictured Romeo) Love is love: On Saturday, Victoria shared a montage of each of her children wearing the white T-shirt which features the words 'listen without prejudice' in rainbow lettering (pictured Cruz) Victoria also previously shared an image of herself in the T-shirt, where she sported a radiant make-up look and accessorised with a delicate gold necklace. The mother-of-four wrote: 'I've always felt a deep connection to the LGBTQ+ community and am proud to help support their continued message of positive change and inclusivity. 'My Pride t-shirt this year features the name of @georgemofficials iconic 1990 album, released exactly 30 years ago and used with the blessing of his estate. Promote: Her daughter Harper, eight, and sons, Cruz, 15, Romeo, 17, and Brooklyn all posed with the garment on, as well as Brooklyn's girlfriend Nicola Peltz, 25 (pictured) Controversy: Victoria also previously shared an image of herself in the T-shirt, where she sported a radiant make-up look and accessorised with a delicate gold necklace 'He was a true icon and the album, his music, and this t-shirt are reminders to always be kind and listen to one another - something I wholeheartedly believe in and a message I live by every day. '25% of all sales of this shirt will go to @aktcharity and its work to combat LGBTQ+ youth homelessness in the UK. kisses xx VB'. Despite Victoria's good intentions, many fans were unhappy, claiming that she should be donating 100% of the T-shirt's profits to charity given its already-high price tag. The mother-of-four wrote: 'I've always felt a deep connection to the LGBTQ+ community and am proud to help support their continued message of positive change and inclusivity One wrote: '95 your having a laugh! I'll just donate 20 and write it on an old t-shirt,' while another added: '95 though!' A third posted: 'Are you really charging 95 for a t-shirt and only donated 25% scandalous Mrs Beckham.' 'For a 95 t-shirt I'd expect more than 25% to go to charity, one fan wrote with another adding: 'This is lovely and a great message also good % goes to charity BUT 95 for a tee still too much for me.' MailOnline contacted representatives for Victoria Beckham for comment at the time. Amid nationwide discussions on police use of force, Massachusetts lawmakers introduced a new bill to set stricter standards for police officers. The bill, An Act Relative to Saving Black Lives and Transforming Public Safety, was filed in the House by Rep. Liz Miranda, of Boston, with more than three dozen co-sponsors, and in the Senate by Sen. Cindy Creem, of Newton. The bill would ban the use of chokeholds, tear gas, rubber bullets and police dogs to attack a person by law enforcement officials in Massachusetts. The bill would also require all Massachusetts officers intervene if they witness any officers use unreasonable force. If they fail to, the officer shall be disciplined, and, depending on the seriousness of the violation, may be decommissioned and terminated from their position, the bill states. If passed, the use of force used by a Minneapolis police officer prior to George Floyds death, would be banned. Floyd was held down with a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes by Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, constricting his breathing and eventually causing him to be unresponsive. In video captured by witnesses, Floyd is heard pleading that he is struggling to breathe and in severe pain, as Chauvin remained with his knee on his neck. George Floyd arrest Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was pronounced dead shortly after at an Minneapolis hospital. Chauvin, a 44-year-old officer who served with the Minneapolis Police Department for nearly 19 years was subject to at least 18 prior complaints, department internal affairs records show. The day following Floyds death, Chauvin and the three other officers involved in his arrest - J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao - were fired. Four days after his death, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder. The charge was later upgraded to second-degree murder and charges were filed against the other three officers, two of whom also pinned Floyd down, according to Minnesota prosecutors. In weeks since Floyds death, protests have been held in every state, including multi-day protests in numerous communities across Massachusetts. More than 10,000 people have been arrested in the protests, with the county growing by the hundreds daily. Los Angeles has had more than a quarter of the national arrests, followed by New York, Dallas and Philadelphia. In responding to the protests, some police departments have utilized pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse crowds. Protesters - as well as some non-participants in the events, including people traveling through the protest areas and journalists - have been injured by the use of such weapons. In this June 1, 2020, file photo, a protester, who appears to have a bruise from a rubber bullet, raises his arm shortly before being arrested for violating a curfew n the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)AP Additionally, the legislation would ban no-knock warrants, requiring all officers executing a search warrant knock and announce their presence and purpose before forcibly entering a residence. Breonna Taylor, a Louisville, Kentucky woman, was fatally shot by police when they broke down the front door of her familys home around 12:40 a.m. on March 13 to execute a search warrant. Her family has described the action by police as a botched raid and the suspect police were looking for was already in police custody. After knocking down the front door, Louisville officers said they fired after they were met with gunfire from inside the home. Taylors family said she was in bed with her boyfriend who grabbed his gun and fired, fearing a home invasion, while she dialed 911. Taylor was shot eight times. Breonna TaylorTNS Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo expressed support this week for a ban on chokeholds and mandating officers intervene when they witness unreasonable use of force. Senate President Karen Spilka announced this week that Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz will serve as the head of a newly-formed advisory group on racial justice. Almost 18 million people have signed an online petition on Change.org seeking Justice for George Floyd, the black Minneapolis man who died at the hands of a white police officer last month, galvanizing worldwide outrage and protests. But the petition, the largest in the San Francisco firms history with more than 17.5 million signatures as of Friday afternoon, has also stirred controversy. Many signers have contributed money, which, like other donations to Change.org, goes to the company rather than to the cause named on the petition. More than 130 former Change.org employees are pushing back. They say the groups requests for contributions siphon resources away from organizations that do deeper, long-term, community-based organizing for Black lives and liberation. The petition calls for signers to become a hero by chipping in, but these donations do not go to George Floyds family, or to organizations fighting for Black lives, said an open letter to Change.org leaders on Medium.com from the ex-employees. Rather, these contributions serve to market the petition and Change.org itself via billboards and digital ads. Change.org, which says it is the worlds largest petition site with 390 million users globally, said in an emailed statement that it is taking the criticisms to heart. In a process led by Black staff, were actively working on how the record-breaking number of signatures on Kellens petition, and the money contributed to promote the campaign can be of most service to this historic movement, it said. (Kellen is a 15-year-old from Oregon who started the Justice for George Floyd petition.) Venture-backed Change.org is a B Corporation, a for-profit company that addresses social and environment problems. It says 100% user generated revenue is how it keeps the worlds largest petition site free. Signers contributions go toward promoting a specific petition, and to pay for Change.orgs overhead and, presumably, eventual profits. There is a lack of clarity that comes in part from their being a dot-org, from couching the contributions in the language of a nonprofit, and appealing to peoples desire to do real good, said William Winters of Oakland, an activist and entrepreneur who worked at Change.org as a senior campaigner from 2011 to 2013. Hes among those spearheading the open letter. One telling incident, he said: Another former employees elderly parents wanted to support activism around George Floyds death, so they donated on Change.org, not realizing that the money just goes to the company itself. Change.orgs goal is to help regular citizens amplify their voices on issues that they care about. Online petitions that draw numerous supporters can pressure policymakers to respond to their demands, the company says creating a real-world impact. While Change.org promotes itself as a social justice organization, its petitions span the political spectrum, including many that progressive supporters find distasteful, such as ones seeking more police at Black Lives Matter protests and urging President Trump to build the wall he has long sought at the Mexican border. Change.org hosts numerous petitions advocating against racial justice and leaders of color including multiple petitions calling for Black Lives Matter to be labeled a terrorist group, the ex-employees letter said. The company said its service is open to anyone, but it removes content that incites violence or hate, is bullying, has misinformation or is started by hate groups. It relies on users to report such violations. The letters signers want Change.org to disclose how much money the petition raised and to donate it to Floyds family and organizations seeking to end violence against black people. They requested similar disclosures and donations for petitions seeking justice for Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, two other black people killed this year in encounters with police or former police. The Taylor petition was the second-largest in Change.orgs history, with 6.7 million signatures as of Friday. Generally, Change.org promotes petitions by advertising them to its 100 million monthly visitors or emailing past signers. External ad spending can happen when more users pay unusually high amounts to promote a petition. With the Floyd petition, Change.org paid for 119 billboards in Minneapolis and New York that directed people to the petition, as well as for online advertising. It says this was its largest-ever advertising spend. The George Floyd petition no longer has a banner requesting contributions. Change.org said more than 650,000 people contributed to promote it. If all of them put in the $3 that the petition originally requested, it would have added up to nearly $2 million. If Change.org tells users in a very clear way, not in fine print, We use the money to show (the petition to) other users, primarily of this platform, and to pay for the staff and infrastructure to keep this ship afloat, I would have less of a problem with it, Winters said. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Change.org did not directly reply to a question about whether it has ever generated a profit, instead saying that it invests all contributions into tools and support for people who start petitions. In 2018, 1.6 million people chipped in to promote Change.org petitions, including 98,000 who became members, making monthly contributions to support it, according to its most recent impact report. User-generated revenue in 2018 totaled $24.3 million, but the companys expenditures were larger $32.7 million. Change.org spent $17.4 million on staff and $15.3 million on platform costs, hosting, rent, taxes and software, the report said. Of the staff costs, $4.2 million went to expert campaigns support staff in eight countries who help ordinary people mobilize supporters. The report said Change.org made up the shortfall between income and expenses with venture capital from a $30 million-plus round in 2017 led by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, joined by existing funders Bill Gates, Evan Williams and Sam Altman. Change.org has raised $72 million in venture backing, according to Crunchbase. Michael Cornfield, research director at the Center for Political Management at George Washington University, sees the situation as nuanced. Its not unethical for petition collecters to accept donations, he said. Still it would be wise and decent (for Change.org) to disclose their rate and perhaps take a special discount in view of the extraordinary situation, he said in an email. The former employees would be wise and decent to ratchet down their ethical claims pending such a move. The company could designate some options for donating surplus contributions and let the petition signers decide, he suggested. The ex-employees said in their letter that they went public in accordance with Change.orgs own values that leveraging collective action is the most effective way to create change. We care deeply about Change.orgs mission as we know do you and we believe these changes would restore trust in the platform, they wrote. Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid Sitamarhi (Bihar) [India], June 13: Lagan Kishore, who was detained by Nepals security personnel yesterday after firing near India-Nepal border, returned to Sitamarhi district of Bihar on Friday after being released by them. We ran to return to India when they started firing, but they dragged me from the Indian side, hit me with a rifle butt and took me to Nepals Sangrampur. They told me to confess that I was brought there from Nepal. I told them you can kill me but I was brought there from India, said Lagan Kishore while speaking to ANI. My son and I was at the border to meet my daughter-in-law (a Nepali national). Security personnel from that side hit my son. They asked me to shut up when I asked why did they do that. They called up 10 more security personnel, they came to the border and fired bullets in air, he added. An unprecedented incident of firing on Indians took place on Friday morning when some locals were going to Nepal as their daughter in law was there. Nepal security personnel started firing on them in which one person died. Also Read: After Supreme Courts rebuke, AAP leader Sanjay Singh urges Centre to amend ICMR guidelines to increase Covid-19 testing Also Read: Indias envoy TS Tirumurti to UN: Will bring Indian ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam to world According to the DG, during the firing three persons suffered injuries and one person died. A total of three persons have suffered injuries. Another person Vikesh Yadav succumbed to injuries. Two others who have sustained injuries have been identified as Umesh Ram and Uday Thakur, DG SSB Kumar Rajesh Chandra had said while speaking to ANI. Also Read: Former PM HD Deve Gowda elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 13, 2020 08:49 588 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde6442a 4 National Veteran,Indonesia,survey,Kompas,elderly,welfare,war-veteran Free A majority of people feel the government does not care enough about the welfare of the nation's veterans, according to a poll conducted by Kompas daily. The online survey, conducted from May 19 to 23, found that 64.3 percent of 515 respondents polled across 26 provinces in Indonesia felt that veterans and their families were not properly looked after, with only 18.2 percent respondents saying they were quite well-off. Moreover, 56.3 respondents believed that the government did do enough to secure the livelihoods of the country's veterans, kompas.com reported while citing the survey, which had a margin of error of 4.65 percent. They highlighted three basic needs of veterans that were insufficiently met. Some 35.5 percent of respondents said that veterans were not properly housed, while 27.5 percent touched on the need for food assistance and 21.3 percent highlighted the issue of access to proper health care. Read also: Elderly: 9% we rarely talk about The government increased the amount of financial aid for veterans on January 2018, with veterans and family members of veterans who have been granted posthumous awards receiving Rp 938,000 (US$65.98) per month. Moreover, veterans also receive a monthly allowance ranging from Rp 1.5 million to Rp 2 million. However, many believe that the assistance is still not enough to support veterans and that the country should do more to improve their welfare. Ninety-five percent of respondents agreed that veterans should not have to pay Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) premiums. Meanwhile, 70.1 percent of respondents suggested that veterans should get free public transportation access. Furthermore, 75.4 percent respondents agreed that veterans should be exempt from land and building tax (PBB), which has been granted by several regional administrations, including the Jakarta administration. Through Jakarta Gubernatorial Regulation No. 42/2019, veterans are one of the groups who are not required to pay PBB on their properties, and are allowed to release at least one asset from tax liabilities. (dpk) My cousin got right to the point. Dont come here, he warned from his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. This, not because the temperatures are already hovering around 107 degrees or because four major fires are burning through thousands of acres across the state or because, well, Arizona. No. Because our neighbor to the west is experiencing a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalization rates, higher than any time since the pandemic first slithered into that state, the worst of any state as tracked by covid19-projections.com and the state with the highest rate of positive COVID-19 tests as tracked by Johns Hopkins University. All this comes nearly a month since Arizona stay-at-home orders expired. Not many wearing masks, my cousin said. We rushed to open and now paying for it. Our neighbor to the east is also experiencing spiking rates of COVID-19, leading one Texas official to ominously declare Thursday that the state is on the precipice of a disaster. Other states, too, are showing signs that a second wave is underway and this before the effects of Black Lives Matter protests have surfaced. New Mexico, too, has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, though on Thursday Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her administration said the rise is mainly because of an outbreak in the Otero County Prison Facility and the continuing spread across the Navajo Nation in the northwestern part of the state. Our COVID-19 peak, they say, hit last month. Things are still going relatively well, they say. For nearly three months most of us hunkered down, stayed stuck in our houses and shopped online, scared, sullen and sad that seeing our loved ones had to occur through Zoom or drive-by parades. But we did it. And it shows, they say. So yay us! Our state is returning to a semblance of normalcy now, warily and, some would argue, inequitably. Weekly, Lujan Grisham and her team explain their reasoning, lay out their statistics, balance our lives with our livelihoods. They remind us repeatedly that reopening the state is not an invitation to resume life as we knew it circa February 2020, that we must remain vigilant of our unseen foe, stay home, maintain distance, wear a mask, wash hands, rinse, lather, repeat. Complacency when it feels like everything is alright is what creates more risk, Lujan Grisham admonishes. But not everybody is listening anymore. Or caring. Already, many have put the virus on mute, whether through desire, defiance, confusion or ignorance. Perhaps nothing is more emblematic of that than the mask, wearing one being one of the easiest things we are being asked to do to help slow the spread. My 13-year-old and I were waiting in line to get into Home Depot. About 20 of us all wearing masks, one friend remarked. Dude walks up not wearing a mask, saying Im not afraid of coronavirus; coronavirus should be afraid of me.' Another reported not seeing a single person wearing a mask during his commute through Downtown Albuquerque on Friday. There is some delusion-level wishful/magical thinking afoot, he said. If we wear masks, we can help slow transmission. Were we always a nation of knuckleheads? Well, perhaps. We are a nation, after all, whose president refuses to wear a mask when cameras are present and whose plans to resume his rallies next week include a demand that attendees sign a waiver releasing his campaign of any liability should they fall ill or dead with COVID-19. And it didnt help that federal health officials, including the once ubiquitous Dr. Anthony Fauci, flip-flopped on the merits of the mask. (Friendly reminder: Although Fauci initially expressed doubt about masks, he now says he has no doubt that people not masking up are increasing the risk of spreading the virus.) Restaurants and other businesses report enduring confrontations with those who dont ascribe to the no shoes, no shirts, no masks, no service rules. We go home in tears to our kids after a long day with most days being threatened because we have multiple signs up reminding customers to wear a mask or have requested them to wear a mask, a Facebook post on Chile Chicken Nashville Hot Chicken read. We arent trying to upset anyone. It is not OK to threaten the safety of our team. It is never OK to threaten the safety of anyone. In a time of uncertainties, caring and kindness are needed much more now than ever. Every day, we read the new numbers on how many people tested positive for COVID-19 and how many died, and it feels like were forgetting that behind every number is a human being. The numbers decrease, and it feels like were forgetting that they do because we wear our masks, keep our distance, stay home, stay safe, that our caring and kindness is saving lives. So keep wearing those masks. Keep doing what most of us are doing. It wouldnt take much for New Mexico to become another Arizona, another Texas. That precipice of disaster is not as far away as we might like to think. UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline at 730-2793, jkrueger@abqjournal.com, Facebook or @jolinegkg on Twitter. Ricketts rejected a proposal by Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings, which was endorsed by 24 other senators, urging him to require that residents of long-term care facilities who have tested positive for COVID-19 be relocated, quarantined and cared for at some separate location in order to protect other vulnerable residents at nursing homes. "Hospitals are not overwhelmed with COVID-19, but nursing homes and long-term care facilities are being overwhelmed," Halloran wrote. "Nebraska's elderly are not expendable," he stated. Ninety-eight residents of long-term care facilities have died after contracting the virus and that toll represents half of the virus-related deaths in the state, Halloran noted. Ricketts said "the best practice is to isolate (those residents) at the facility where they live rather than disrupt them if they do not need acute care." "If a long-term facility can no longer appropriately staff (those needs), we will move the residents out," he added. Ontarios Ministry of Long-Term Care announced last Sunday that the military will be deployed to a sixth Ontario seniors home to deal with the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Since early May, Woodbridge Vista Community Care, located in Vaughan, a Toronto suburb, has seen at least 22 deaths among its residents due to COVID-19, and over 110 infections among residents and staff. At the request of Ontario Conservative Premier Doug Ford, some 275 Canadian Armed Forces medical staff and soldiers have been deployed since May 7 at five other long-term care facilities in the Greater Toronto area: Eatonville Care Center, Hawthorne Place Care Center, Orchard Villa, Altamont, and Holland Christian-Grace Manor. As in neighbouring Quebec, COVID-19 has ravaged Ontario seniors homes and long-term care facilities. Residents of Ontario long-term care facilities account for more than 1,950 of Ontarios 2,498 COVID-19 fatalities. At least ten staff members have also died, and hundreds of other caregivers have been infected. The vast majority of the care home deaths have been at for-profit facilities, where wages, staff levels and working conditions are generally even lower than what generally prevails in a sector long notorious for low pay and precarious part-time employment. A CBC analysis of the fatalities at care facilities in Ottawa and the eastern Ontario region as a whole found that 82.5 percent were at for-profit homes, with non-profit and municipal-administered facilities accounting for the remainder. In an attempt to quell a growing public outcry, Ontarios Minister of Long-Term Care, Dr. Merrilee Fullertonherself, not coincidentally, an advocate of two-tier health careannounced in mid-May the establishment of an independent, nonpartisan commission to investigate what she conceded was a broken long-term care system. Only days later, after the release of a report from the military had exposed systematic neglect and abuse of patients at the Ontario care homes where it has been deployed, Premier Ford was forced to announce his government was temporarily taking over management of five long-term care facilities (see: Ontario takes over five nursing homes after military exposes systematic negligence). A virulent advocate of privatization, deregulation, and ultra-low taxes for business and the rich, Ford demagogically threatened to to take over more homes, pull licences, and shut down facilities. We will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, he vowed. But, even as Ford said this, he attempted to cover for the nursing home industry, declaring that he is convinced most are good operators. Military report details horrendous conditions Released on May 20, the militarys report details the horrendous conditions Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) medical staff and soldiers encountered at the five Ontario long-term care facilities (LTCF) to which they had been deployed. Of these, all but one was for-profit. We have sought, says the report, to make observations that are strictly factual in nature and not meant to assess or pass judgement on LTCF leadership or staffs. However, the severity of the crisis in long-term care facilities is so overwhelming that the clinical language in the report cannot mask it. The report points to crying deficiencies at all five of the LTCFs, including shortages of even the most basic medical supplies, such as dressings for wounds and clean linen. Even vital medications were expired at one facility. It notes that a culture of fear surrounding the use of supplies exists at some of the homes, because they cost money (fluid bags, dressings, gowns, gloves, etc.). Issues with the misuse and/or reuse of PPE were reported at most of the facilities. N95 masks were provided to staff without fit tests, compromising their effectiveness. Other equipment, such as gloves, masks, and gowns, were reused among multiple patients, thus bringing multiple healthy patients into contact with contaminated equipment. At Hawthorne Place, for instance, there was a near 100 percent contamination rate for equipment. Infection prevention and control was virtually nonexistent, with the military report noting that little to no disinfection had been conducted at the facilities prior to CAF operations. Significant gross fecal contamination was noted in multiple patient rooms. Insect infestation, rotting food, reuse of contaminated catheters, reuse of materials after sterility had been compromised, and a litany of other violations were detailed at all of the facilities. Staff shortages and inadequate staff training were also cited in the report as major problems. At one facility there was just one registered nurse on duty for 200 patients. Given the dearth of staff, the report not surprisingly found caregiver burnout at Orchard Villa. Private providers raking in millions amid mass death An investigative analysis of the for-profit homes by the Toronto Star found that residents of the for-profit facilities were at least twice as likely to contract the virus and die as those in government-run facilities. It noted that a study by the Ontario Health Coalition conducted in 2019, long before the novel coronavirus had appeared, showed that residents at for-profit LTCFs had a ten percent higher risk of mortality. The Star also found that even before the pandemic, for-profit homes had 17 percent fewer workers. On average, there was just one personal support worker (PSW) for every 8 to 12 residents. This ratio fell to one PSW per 25 residents on the night shift. Low staffing levels are directly linked to the issues cited in the military report concerning continuity of care. Despite the confusing, byzantine patchwork of for-profit, government-run, and non-profit long-term care facilities, the provincial government provides a majority of the funding to all three types of facilities. The provincial government spends $4.3 billion a year, doling out the money to nursing homes in four envelopes covering nursing and personal care; programs and support services; raw food; and other accommodations. The last envelope can be used to cover costs related to property, food preparation, and laundry; and unlike the other three envelopeswhere any surpluses must be returned to the governmentfunding from other accommodations can be kept by for-profit operators as profit. Siena Senior Living, the for-profit provider operating Woodbridge Vista Care, has paid out at least $15 million to shareholders over the past four months, according to a Global News report. The company was recently forced to fire an executive after she was overheard insulting family members of residents who had succumbed to COVID-19 at an online town hall meeting. Joanne Dykeman, the executive vice-president of Siena Senior Living, was heard to say, Here comes another bloodsucking lawsuit. A review of the publicly traded, for-profit homes reveals that the corporate comments about bloodsucking residents and their families turn reality on its head. According to a 2015 Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care report, 57.1 percent of Ontarios 78,000 long term care beds are owned by the for-profit sector. Siena, Extendicare, and Chartwell own over 140 of Ontarios 627 long-term care facilities. Altamont Care Community in Scarborough, which is owned by Siena Senior Living and has suffered 52 deaths from the pandemic, reported a $7.5 million profit in 2019, down from $21.8 million in 2017. The military report cited this particular home for its many malnourished residentsneglect that it said was bound up with chronic understaffing. Extendicare owns Orchard Villa, where 77 residents have died, and 96 staff and 225 residents have tested positive for COVID-19. Extendicare reported revenue of $1.13 billion in 2019, $28.6 million of that being profit. Rykka Care Centers, which owns Hawthorne Place Care Center in North York, where 46 people have died, and Eatonville Care Center in Etobicoke, where 42 people have died, is privately held. It is at these homes that the military report said there was a veritable culture of fear among PSWs for their jobs, and where workers were found to be afraid to use basic supplies like sanitary wipes because they cost money. Evidently, the values listed on Hawthorne Place Care Centres website. PEOPLE, with the last E standing for Efficient Use of Resources, Conserve, Innovate, Share, are taken literally by company management, right down to the use and reuse of PPE. The squalor that many of the residents lived and died in stands in stark relief to the $138 million in executive bonuses and the $1.5 billion paid out to shareholders over the past decade by Siena, Extendicare, and Chartwell. The Board of Directors of Chartwell, which is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, is chaired by former Ontario Premier Mike Harris. Harris takes home $237,000 from this part-time position, while the majority of workers at Chartwell facilities are only paid minimum wage. Chartwell Ballycliffe Long Term Care Residence and Chartwell Westbury Long Term Care Residence have reported 33 and 22 resident deaths, respectively. The vast expansion of the multibillion-dollar for-profit elderly care industry in Ontario over recent decades would not have been possible without the complicity of the trade unions, which have systematically suppressed all working-class opposition to privatization, wage-cutting, and the gutting of workplace rights. The unions sabotage of the mass movement against Harriss Common Sense Revolution during the late 1990s gave the Progressive Conservative government a free hand to, among other things, vastly expand the involvement of the private sector in health care by slashing health spending and privatizing services. During the 15 years of union-backed Liberal rule from 2003 to 2018, none of these reactionary changes were overturned. On the contrary, austerity budgets for health care and other social services continued, leaving Ontarios hospitals and care services in a disastrous state (see: Canada: The unions suppression of the 1995-97 anti-Harris movement: political lessons for today). Since coming to power two years ago this month, the Ford government has made things still worse, including by virtually suspending provincial inspections of long-term care facilities. In 2019, just nine of the provinces 630 care homes were subject to a full inspection, and non-scheduled inspections were all but abolished. If inspectors continue to work at such a pace, it would take 70 years to inspect all of the provinces long-term care homes just once. The Ford governments cutting of inspections was part of a much broader austerity agenda that has provoked mounting opposition from health care workers, teachers and the working class as a whole, but which the unions have done everything in their power to suppress. This record makes all the more cynical the launching by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) of a campaign to bring the long-term care system under public ownership. This stunt, which calls upon CUPE members to direct appeals to the very parties that bear responsibility for facilitating the expansion of the lucrative private care sector, is a miserable manoeuvre aimed at containing the mounting anger among health care workers over the catastrophic working conditions they confront. US ramps up Syrian oil plunder, dispatches 50 tankers to Hashakah Iran Press TV Friday, 12 June 2020 10:19 AM The United States has reportedly deployed dozens of tankers to Syria's energy-rich northeastern province of Hasakah as Washington is fiercely vying with some of its regional allies to seize oil reserves in the war-battered country and plunder natural resources. Syria's official news agency SANA, citing local sources requesting not to be named, said a convoy of 50 tankers rumbled through the Waleed border crossing and entered the Jazira Region on Thursday. The sources added that the vehicles later headed toward the Iraqi territory. Since late October 2019, the United States has been redeploying troops to the oil fields controlled by Kurdish forces in eastern Syria, in a reversal of President Donald Trump's earlier order to withdraw all troops there. The Pentagon alleges that the move aims to "protect" the fields and facilities from possible attacks by Daesh, ignoring the fact that Trump had earlier suggested that Washington sought economic interests in controlling the oil fields. Syria, which has not authorized the presence of the US military in its territory, says Washington is "plundering" the country's oil. The presence of US forces in eastern Syria has particularly irked the civilians, and local residents have on several occasions stopped American military convoys entering the region. Earlier this week, the US military sent a new convoy of trucks carrying military and logistical equipment to the northeastern province of Hasakah. Unnamed local sources in the town of Yaarubiyah told SANA at the time that a convoy of about 50 vehicles had crossed the al-Walid border crossing into Syrian territory on June 7. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 21 Pro Video According to SAPD, 8 people were shot at a bar located on the North Side late Friday night. Police responded to the scene at 8134 Broadway Street at around 11:30 p.m. near the parking lot of the Rebar. The French Government on Friday announced that they have launched a coalition of European and West African allies to combat rising influence of ISIS and Al-Qaeda backed militias in the region. France also aims for further cooperation between special forces in the region. France currently has over 5,000 troops stationed in the region and has had a heavy presence in West Africa since 2013. Mali asked for help to regain territory from Tuareg rebels in 2013. However, the insurgency has spread to Niger and Burkina Faso. The Coalition earlier announced in January after attacks from Islamist militants killed over 200 soldiers. Nigers Foreign Minister Kalla Ankourao said : we can now hope that the setbacks suffered by our armies during the second half of 2019 and the difficulties implementing implementing our development projects are behind us. The coalition will be made up of Mali, Burkina Faso,Chas, Niger and Mauritania plus French troops under a single command. The situation along Indias borders with China is under control, Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Saturday in Dehradun. Naravane said that the ongoing series of high delegation-level talks with the Chinese side has been followed up with meetings at the local level between the commanders of equivalent ranks. Chief Naravane said that through the continued dialogue, it is hoped that all perceived differences between India and China will be set to rest. We are hopeful that through the continued dialogue were having, all perceived differences that we (India and China) have will be set to rest. Everything is under control, he said. Talking about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, chief Naravane said that in last 10-15 days alone, more than 15 terrorists have been killed. All of this has been because of very close cooperation and coordination between all security forces operating in J&K, he said. Most of the operations have been based on information provided by the locals themselves which goes to show that they are also absolutely fed up with militancy and terrorism and they want that the situation should return to normal, the army chief added. General Naravanes comments came while he speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Passing Out Parade (POP) of Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun. Also read: Chinese diplomat tweets a twist to Ladakh standoff, sees link to Article 370 As a result, a lot of disengagement has taken place and we are hopeful that through the continued dialogue we're having, all perceived differences that we (India and China) have will be set to rest. Everything is under control: Army Chief General MM Naravane https://t.co/dZsaRNT4ON ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2020 This comes a day after Indian and Chinese army delegations, led by major general-ranked officers, on Friday held discussions in eastern Ladakh again to resolve the standoff between border troops. This was the fifth round of meeting between the two major generals to break the stalemate that began with a violent confrontation between rival patrols near Pangong Tso on the night of May 5-6. Fridays meeting between major general Abhijit Bapat, commander of the Karu-based HQs 3 Infantry Division, and his Chinese counterpart went on for nearly five hours, said an officer. Most of the operations have been based on information provided by the locals themselves which goes to show that they are also absolutely fed up with militancy & terrorism and they want that the situation should return to normal: Army Chief General MM Naravane https://t.co/mrv7HsowsT ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2020 Besides this, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reviewed Indias military preparedness in eastern Ladakh and several other sensitive areas along the Line of Actual Control in Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. Singh was briefed by Army chief Naravane at a high-level meeting which also saw Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria in attendance. Naravane gave a detailed account of the overall situation in eastern Ladakh. Indian and Chinese military officials are engaged in high delegation-level talks in a bid to resolve the month-long row over the Line of Actual Control. The armies from the two sides are locked in an over five-week standoff in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh. The $15 million that Ontario pledged Friday to help agri-food operations fight COVID-19 falls short of whats needed, groups representing migrant workers say, as the number of workers infected hit 629. Theyre throwing money without making fundamental change, said Syed Hussan of Migrant Workers for Change, who called for legislation requiring physical distancing in greenhouses, farm workspaces and bunkhouses, and inspections to verify it. Workplaces with COVID-19 cases must be shut down until worker safety can be guaranteed, and workers must be given full income support. The Windsor-Essex County Heath Unit reported outbreaks Friday at nine farms in the Lake Erie towns of Leamington and Kingsville, capping a week during which testing found almost 90 more local workers have contracted the highly contagious virus. That makes the border region Ontarios hot spot for COVID-19 infections among migrant workers, with 280 cases to date, followed by Haldimand-Norfolk with 164, Chatham-Kent at 103, Niagara with 60, London-Middlesex at 21 and Huron County with one. The group Justicia for Migrant Workers calculated the 629 cases on southern Ontario farms from public health and media reports. The figure is one-third higher than Ontarios chief medical officer Dr. David Williams indicated Thursday. Justicia spokesman Chris Ramsaroop said the $15 million up to $7,500 per farm announced by the province to improve workplace and bunkhouse protections is a Band-Aid solution that wont go far with hundreds of farms employing migrant workers, and the larger ones having as many as 200 or 300. More proactive inspections are needed particularly in bunkhouses where beds are supposed to be two metres apart along with an end to exclusions under workplace safety laws for agricultural workers and more protections from reprisals, he added. The government notes there have been at least 158 inspections. Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman said the $15 million will help farmers adapt to the new COVID-19 reality with additional health and safety measures. Two migrant workers have died in Essex County and at least five more in southern Ontario are in hospital, two in intensive care, said Hussan, the executive director of the alliance. Another $7,500 per farm is saving nobody. Thats a public-relations move, added Hussan, who released a report this week saying thousands of temporary foreign workers on farms have trouble protecting themselves from the highly contagious virus. Under the enhanced farm assistance program, the province will cover 70 per cent of the cost of approved projects at agri-food operations up to the cap. Measures can include alternate transportation for workers to avoid crowding on buses. New Democrat MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex) said there are no concrete directives in place for personal protective equipment for migrant farm workers. Cutting cheques to farmers and leaving it up to them to handle this public health emergency on their own is a disastrous plan. Ramsaroop said farm workers have the right to workers compensation if they have been diagnosed with COVID-19, but only 132 claims have been filed. The alliance said migrant workers need permanent resident status in Canada so they can speak up without fear about health and safety concerns in the pandemic. Read more about: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on June 12 predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in several parts of the country over the next 24 hours. It also issued a red warning in Telangana, coastal Karnataka, Goa and the Konkan region. As per the IMD forecast, parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh will receive moderate to heavy rainfall. Modified Forecast for today and tomoorow pic.twitter.com/RRJNhgrl5T IMD Weather (@IMDWeather) June 12, 2020 The prediction comes in view of a low-pressure system that has formed over the west-central and adjoining northwest region above the Bay of Bengal. It is now hovering over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. An Indian Express report quoting the weather department states that the low-pressure system would travel west-northwestwards over the next few days, making Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, and parts of Uttarakhand experience lightning and thundershowers. Meanwhile, monsoons are set to announce its timely arrival in Maharashtra this year with heavy rainfall in Mumbai on June 13 and 14. As per IMD prediction, several parts of Mumbai can expect very heavy rainfall on June 14, also bringing down the temperatures by at least three degrees Celsius. Thundershowers are also expected over Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha districts over the weekend. Fishermen have been advised to not venture into the sea as gales reaching 50-60 kmph are likely along the coasts of Karnataka and Maharashtra. However, the dry weather spell will continue in several parts of the country, including the possibility of heatwave conditions in Rajasthan from June 13 to 16. A longtime Jacksonville public servant and committed member of the Jacksonville community known for being a problem solver and for the comforting meals she cooked died Friday. Authorities have confirmed the death of Morgan County Treasurer Jenny Geirnaeirt in a single-car accident Friday morning. Geirnaeirt, 49, died at the scene of the accident about 6:30 a.m. Friday at Old State Road and Wallbaum Lane, according to Morgan County Coroner Marcy Patterson. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Jenny, Patterson said. This is a tremendous loss to their family and our entire community. A lifelong Jacksonville resident, Geirnaeirt was appointed Morgan County treasurer in 2015 when previous treasurer Gayla Hornbeek retired. She was re-elected in 2018. Prior to becoming treasurer, Geirnaeirt served as a Ward 4 alderman from 2009 to 2015. Last year, she won the Illinois County Treasurer of the Year award for Zone 2 from the Illinois Treasurers Association. Geirnaeirt also served as legislative director for state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer. She operated Davidsmeyers Jacksonville office and also had served under former state Rep. Jim Watson. Geirnaeirt had several other roles in the community, including involvement with the Routt/Our Saviour Dreams Committee, Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, the Strawn Art Gallery and the Beaux Arts Ball. City and county officials who knew and worked with Geirnaeirt remember her as a hard worker who was full of life with a strong dedication to her friends and family. Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard said Geirnaeirt was one of his best friends who he would talk to daily. Ezard has known Geirnaeirt since they were teenagers and recalled how quickly she would come to comfort people with a cooked meal. If anyone was going through a hard time she would cook for them, Ezard said. If you needed someone to have a beer with theres Jenny. Coworkers in the county praised Geirnaeirt for always being willing work through any issue that came her way and for helping to make the county courthouse more efficient any way she could. She was a dear friend above all else, Morgan County Chairman Bradley Zeller said. Morgan County Vice Chairman Ginny Fanning said Geirnaeirt was a go-to gal for members of the community who had problems with which they needed help. She brought a spark to every situation, Fanning said, She was such a joy to be around. Im saddened by the tragic death of Jenny Geirnaeirt today. My heart goes out to Jennys family and all of her many friends, State Senator Steve McClure said. She was a great person, dedicated mother, and tremendous public servant. I hope her memory will serve as an inspiration for a life of service to family and community. Those who knew her agreed Geirnaeirts unexpected death would be felt by the whole community. Its just not going to be the same as life goes on, Ezard said. It really stings when you talk to someone daily and youre not going to be able to talk to them anymore. Geirnaeirt is survived by her husband, Terry, and her three children, Grace, Lilly and Owen. The Morgan County Coroners Office and the Morgan County Sheriffs Department are continuing the investigation into the crash. 13.06.2020 LISTEN A suspected armed robber has been beaten to death by some Charia community members over a robbery attack. The Upper West Regional Police Command in a statement said: Two unidentified men suspected to be of Fulani descent, armed with single barrel guns attacked Karim Yahaya, a Fulani herdsman at his cottage at Charia and attempted to rustle his cattle. This followed, an alarm raised by the wife of the victim Miriam Muyer and the community members lynched one of the suspects whilst the other managed to escape. On this account, the police have mounted a hunt for the accomplice. ---citinewsroom Even today, it still shapes our lives and politics. I am talking about the discomfort some feel when black and brown people are perceived to have risen above their station. The birtherism movement that challenged the fact of Obamas citizenship was fueled by those who had difficulty accepting a black family in the White House a backlash that elevated the person who lives there today. This is not to say that racial resentment percolates in everyone who voted for Trump. We know that is not true. But we also know that a number of studies have shown it was a factor for a large percentage of voters. Trumps appeal was not just about economic anxiety. YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. Defense minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan visited on June 12 the military units located in the south-eastern direction of the border to follow the organization process of the service, the ministry told Armenpress. The minister also visited the military units where construction works are underway aimed at improving the service conditions of soldiers. At the end of the visit Minister Tonoyan held a consultation with the commanding staff and gave respective instructions. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan There is a funny moment in an otherwise striking apology from Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In a prerecorded speech for the National Defense University commencement ceremony Thursday, Milley flatly said that he should not have been there, referring to his appearance beside the president in a photo-op at Lafayette Square. He was responding to a growing fissure between the Trump administration and the U.S. military, and he went on to say that his appearance, in full military dress, immediately after federal authorities had forcibly removed peaceful protesters from the square, was inappropriate: As many of you saw the results of the photograph of me in Lafayette Square last week, that sparked a national debate about the role of the military in civil society, Milley said. I should not have been there. My presence in that moment, and in that environment, created the perception of the military involved in domestic politics. The funny moment? Its his use of the word perception. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Time and time again, the president does dangerous, criminal, unconstitutional and illegal things, and the people who aid and abet him apologize for the fact that it looks bad. What exactly was Milleys role here? He let himself be invoked in a phone call earlier that day, between President Donald Trump and governors from around the country, as Trump urged them to dominate the streets. Trump announced that Milley, the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military, would be in charge, and then we all saw his jaunt through Lafayette Square in battle fatigues. Which means this was not about a perception of the military injected into domestic politics but about the actual fact of the military injected into domestic politics. The fact that Milley has come to regret and deplore his role in the chilling set piece doesnt change the fact that for a few hours on June 1, Donald Trump sought to have the National Guard, the 82nd Airborne Division, a Black Hawk, and a Lakota helicopter quell a peaceful protest, and that some of those actions actually came to pass as the military scrambled to mollify him. Advertisement Advertisement I raise this not to vilify Milley, now one of many military leaders who has found himself in the unenviable position of having to explain why so very many military leaders have succumbed to Trumps most violent, unconstitutional, and malevolent impulses, and ended up having to apologize for them later. After all, we witnessed in the days after the brinksmanship at Lafayette Square the spectacle of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis calling out the use of the military for domestic political purposes. Mattis implicitly accused Milley of allowing troops to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizensmuch less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside. And in the days following Mattis broadside, we have seen members of the military break with the president over removal of the names of Confederate leaders from military bases, and a letter posted Thursday on Medium, from hundreds of West Point alumni warning the Class of 2020, to whom Trump will be delivering an address on Saturday, to uphold its oath to the Constitution and not to a political leader. So fragile is this moment between the commander in chief and the military that the president now claims that when he told governors last week to dominate the streets he really meant that he intended to have them dominate with force and compassion. What we saw happen on Lafayette Square wasnt a problem of perceptionit was a problem of reality, a reality that was swiftly and thankfully revoked and regretted, yes, but a reality nonetheless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heather Digby Parton gets at the meat of the problem when she notes that this episode illustrates one of the ongoing destructive dynamics of the Trump administration. The president makes mad demands and, in order to keep him from doing his worst, people around him appease him with flattery or come up with slightly less bad options and then scurry to carry them out. The result, she writes is that in the process, so many of them destroy their credibility and their reputations. Even if they succeed in short-circuiting the very worst of Trumps impulses, their willingness to appease him always produces bad outcomes anyway. But I would go one further: Its not simply that Trump keeps taking us to the very brink of constitutional crisis at which point the people around him manage to mitigate the worst of it while destroying their own careers and reputations in the process. Its that time and time again we actually cross the brink into constitutional crisis, and then comfort ourselves with claims that it never actually happened, or that it just appeared to have happened. Advertisement Advertisement The fact that Milley now feels bad about striding around a public space where peaceful protesters were attacked by law enforcement officials doesnt mean he merely created an appearance of a crisis. It means he helped provoke a crisis and now feels badly about it. The fact that Don McGahn wrote a letter to a secret file saying that he felt bad when the president told him to do illegal things doesnt create an appearance of illegal activity. Time and time again, the president does dangerous, criminal, unconstitutional and illegal things, and the people who aid and abet him apologize for the fact that it looked bad. It looks bad because it is bad, and nobody is off the hook afterward for saying that had there been a second take with a better script and a more able director, it would not have been a problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im mindful of this dichotomybetween how things look and how they really areonly because those West Point cadets waiting to hear from their commander in chief on Saturday have evidently been warned by Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the superintendent at West Point, that, according to the Washington Post, their task is to try to tune out the political debates: Theyre going to lead our nations sons and daughters and support our Constitution, defend it, and perhaps even die for it, Williams said. Ive told them to focus on the things you can control. These young men and women will carry our values and our ideals all around the world. Were steadfast on those things, despite what may be happening around them. This would be really good guidance were these cadets listening to an address by say, Keira Knightley or a talking horse. But they are being addressed by the president of the United States, and the movie they are being instructed to tune out is the reality of a situation in which the president sought to use the militarythat would be themto put down a peaceful domestic protest. That isnt something cadets should avoid contemplating; its something that should terrify them. There are exceptions to the rule, but more often than not with this administration, the things that cause an appearance of constitutional catastrophe do so because they are, in fact, constitutional catastrophes. And while it would be nice to be able to change the channel, tune out the politics, and oopsie our way out of meaningful accountability, the very last people for whom that line should be fuzzed over are the young men and women who need most desperately to understand the difference. For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to The Gist on Apple Podcasts or listen below. ST. PETERSBURG, Russia Through the thin wall separating her from her neighbors, Dr. Anzhela Kirilova began to hear the rasping cough associated with Covid-19 sometime in May. That was hardly a surprise, as a few weeks earlier her neighbors had heard the same cough coming from her room. Dr. Kirilova, who works in a Covid-19 ward at a hospital, said she had tried to warn the single man and the young family with whom she shares the four-room apartment, suggesting they wear masks in the kitchen. They said, We dont care, and well do what we want, she said with a shrug. For residents of Russias communal apartments a relic of the Soviet Union but still home to hundreds of thousands of people, most of them in St. Petersburg self-isolation to fend off the coronavirus is hardly an option. A Victorian GP and a Sydney primary school teacher have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Eight new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Victoria on Saturday, with six of those in quarantine, the state's health department said. The male GP is asymptomatic and caught the potentially deadly virus from a close contact, who also showed no symptoms. He worked at three clinics in the state including Croyden, Lilydale and Coburg, according to the department. Another recently diagnosed coronavirus case was a close contact of a Rydges hotel worker, where returned travellers are currently quarantined. A Victorian GP and a Sydney primary school teacher have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Pictured: Medical practitioners work at a drive through testing clinic in Melbourne The male GP is asymptomatic and caught the potentially deadly virus from a close contact, who also showed no symptoms (stock image) In New South Wales, another school employee has been confirmed to have COVID-19, with all students considered close contacts and directed to self-isolate. The NSW Education Department confirmed in a statement on Saturday night that Laguna Street Public School, in southern Sydney, would stop on-site learning until June 24. 'The school has commenced contact tracing and upon advice from NSW Health all students at the school have been deemed as a close contact and should commence self-isolating,' the department's statement said. 'The staff member has had contact with most students at the school during the period they may have been infectious.' It comes after a staff member at Rose Bay Public School in Sydney's eastern suburbs was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Friday. The Rose Bay case was one of four newly-confirmed cases as of Saturday morning, along with a locally-acquired case still under investigation. In New South Wales, a staff member at Laguna Street Public School (pictured), in southern Sydney, tested positive to COVID-19 It caused the school's closure on Friday, but authorities are investigating whether it is an older infection. 'The date of infection is still to be determined and this case may be an older infection,' NSW Health said in a statement on Saturday. 'The source of infection is also being investigated. As a precaution, all close contacts of this case are being identified and advised of the need to isolate and monitor for symptoms.' Meanwhile, the confirmation of the locally-acquired case - a man in his twenties - brought an end to the state's two-week streak of having no recorded community-transmitted infections. The young man had not attended any mass protests, such as last Saturday's Black Lives Matter demonstration. 'It is understood this case did not attend any recent mass gathering, including protests,' NSW Health said in a statement. It comes after a staff member at Rose Bay Public School in Sydney's eastern suburbs was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Friday The two other confirmed cases on Saturday were travellers in hotel quarantine. 'The virus may still be circulating in the community. People with mild symptoms or those who show no obvious symptoms can unknowingly pass it to others,' NSW Health said. It follows two days of record testing in the state, with 14,127 tests carried out in the latest 24-hour reporting period. NSW Health warned people with 'mild symptoms or those who show no obvious symptoms can unknowingly pass it to others'. Authorities have urged anyone feeling unwell, even with the mildest symptoms such as a runny nose or a scratchy throat, to isolate from others and get tested. There have been 3,119 cases of coronavirus in NSW with 47 currently being treated and none in intensive care. Queensland also recorded one new coronavirus case overnight, bringing the total number of active cases in the state to five. The case is the fifth in a week for the Sunshine State. A total of 1,065 infections have been recorded in Queensland to date. Trumpland is a world where a passport stamped Caucasian is needed, preferably with the male box ticked too. Anyone lacking the foresight to be born white can expect difficulties. During his three and a half years as Potus, Donald Trump didn't invent his nation's racial problems - a history of slave-ownership followed by Jim Crow laws enforcing racial segregation laid the groundwork there - but his trademark rhetoric has fuelled the flames. His conspiracy theory tweet suggesting a 75-year-old protester shoved and injured by Buffalo police could be an agitator is a case in point. It's a smear. But not one beneath President Trump, apparently. Now, he is preparing for a series of rallies to run for the presidency again, the first of them next Friday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is a perception within the US that American values are the envy of the world. To accuse someone of being un-American is quite the insult - it suggests an individual's behaviour is incompatible with lofty American standards. In which case, it's a mystery why more Americans, especially within the Republican party, haven't called President Trump out on his un-American behaviour. Unless American values have altered? And innuendo, mockery and downright lies, all used to sow division, are the new industry standard? Some signs of dissent are apparent. The highest ranking US military officer this week disassociated himself from his commander-in-chief's actions, when General Mark Milley apologised for appearing in a photo opportunity with a bible-toting president after demonstrators were teargassed. But disagreement with the Trumpland ethos is less vocal than it should be. Take his insistence on holding election rallies when mass gatherings are regarded widely as unsafe. He knows this, despite making a series of misleading claims about Covid-19 and his administration's handling of it. A disclaimer must be signed by anyone wanting to attend a rally, excusing him from any responsibility if infection occurs. His country has had two million cases of coronavirus infections and at least 114,000 deaths. More people have died from the virus than US military personnel during the Vietnam War, as reporters reminded him earlier this week. But President Trump wants rallies and President Trump is getting them. Supporters are asked to tick a box which reads: "By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to Covid-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to Covid-19 and agree not to hold Donald J Trump for President, Inc liable for any illness or injury." These rallies lend him validation. But he's encouraging his followers to put their health at risk to feed his ego. And maybe, too, because his Democratic rival is leading in the polls currently. President Trump is relying on his rallies to rouse his core vote. Joe Biden will never have a better chance of gaining the Oval Office than by riding the wave of the Black Lives Matter movement. But he is error-prone, besides having been a Washington insider for half a century. And nothing is beyond President Trump - neither the law nor custom and practice mean anything to him compared with his terror of appearing to be a loser. Each candidate takes a different approach to postal voting. Joe Biden and the Democrats support it on public safety grounds but Trump warns against it on the grounds of potential fraud. "It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history," he tweeted. Again, public safety is irrelevant to him. "Now is the time of monsters." The words are the Italian philosopher Gramsci's, incarcerated by Mussolini, who noted that the old world was dying and the new world was struggling to be born. This happens cyclically - time will tell if we are living through just such a period. In the past, protests against President Trump have consisted largely of the marginalised or minorities who couldn't dent his position, let alone sweep him away. Can current demonstrations for racial justice achieve critical mass? The US is synonymous with the American dream, yet today it is a tarnished place where the dream has rusted over. President Trump managed to seize power because too few were living that dream but what has he done to set that right? Increased employment for blacks, you may say. Perhaps in low-level jobs. But genuine equality of opportunity is a myth. Besides, the impact from economic decisions frequently take years to filter through - any upturn on his watch can't be credited to him alone. Looking on from Ireland, we see a great nation which has lost its footing. Here, we are accustomed to regard the US as a friendly big brother; a world power in our corner thanks to the Irish-American lobby. That wasn't always the case - US interests always took precedence - but US support has made a difference for Ireland. It mattered during Brexit negotiations with Britain over trade discussions, and was vital during the peace process. And during the early years of our State's history, the politically organised Irish-American lobby forced the independence issue on to the agenda and pressed the US government to recognise the Free State. This was pivotal for Irish politicians on the world stage. America had its own colonial revolution, of course, but without the Irish-American influence its leaders would have left the Irish question to British domestic politics, as President Woodrow Wilson insisted it should be. We know what we owe America. But what of America's debt to its founding ideals? The US is accustomed to think of itself in terms of American exceptionalism: Ronald Reagan referred to the "shining city on the hill" and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright spoke of her "indispensable nation". Its presidents have a tendency to view themselves as leaders of the free world. Every international power thinks it is exceptional. Britain was bearing "the white man's burden", as Rudyard Kipling characterised it, France rationalised its colonies as "la mission civilisatrice", or the civilising mission, and other colonisers have expressed similar views. Clearly, that exceptionalism doesn't stand up to scrutiny. But many have looked up to America, despite its faults, and are dismayed to see it diminished by Trump - who was elected in plain sight, destructive agenda and all. With his dog-whistle rhetoric, he baits and belittles others. Hilary Clinton was Crooked Hillary, Elizabeth Warren was Pocahontas; from Muslims to Mexicans, people have been demonised. This is a man who promotes racism for votes; supporters cheered as he told an audience that coronavirus had many names but he preferred to call it "the plague from China". News is fake unless he tweets it. Nepotism is wrong unless you're a Trump. The Republican party has chosen the coward's way of endorsing President Trump and his destructive Trumpland for the White House again. Whether or not he wins in November, that party has failed. Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as unfit to occupy the office of ... Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as unfit to occupy the office of a president. Omokri lamented that President Buhari cannot govern his own home, least of all a nation. The former presidential aide was reacting to reports of gunshots heard in the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Shots were allegedly fired by an aide to Buharis wife, Aisha during a misunderstanding between the First Lady and the Presidents Personal Assistant, Sabiu Yusuf. The scramble and gunshots were said to have led to the arrest of Mrs Buharis aide. In a series of tweets, Aisha Buhari yesterday called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Adamu to release her aide. Reacting, Omokri lamented that such was never heard during the administrations of ex-Presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa YarAdua and Jonathan. In a post on his Facebook, Omokri wrote: Look what General Buhari has reduced Nigerias Presidency to. For 16 years of Obasanjo, Yaradua and Jonathans rule, this never happened. If there is a civil war in Aso Rock, can we have peace in Nigeria? Buhari cant govern his own home. How then can he govern the nation? Is this man a fit and proper person to hold the office of President of Nigeria? How long can we continue drifting aimlessly? Vientiane, June 13 : The Laos government announced that the country had overcome COVID-19, after discharging the last of its 19 hospitalized patients and not having registered any new cas in 59 days, local media reported Saturday. "Laos has won a major victory in the first campaign against this ruthless enemy," Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith announced at a press conference on Friday, local website The Laotian Times reported. The isolated nation of Laos was one of the last countries to detect the first cases of COVID-19 within its borders, on March 24, when a 36-year-old tourist guide who had accompanied a group of Europeans with the coronavirus and a 28-year-old man who had attended a conference in Bangkok were diagnosed, reports Efe news. The delay occurred largely as a consequence of the lack of tests and, to date, 8,926 have been carried out in this country of just over 7 million inhabitants, where only 19 cases have been detected and no deaths have occurred, according to collected data on the website of the National Committee for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19. The country imposed strict measures to contain the pandemic on May 30, which included the mandatory quarantine of all citizens except to buy essential goods or visit hospitals, the prohibition of travel to other provinces and the total closure of its borders, as well as establishments such as bars, restaurants or gyms. The measures were easedat the end of May, with the opening of educational centres or the authorization of sporting events, although if spectators, and also that of movie theatres, but the borders remain closed, except in special cases and with express authorization. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Oxfam in Bray is calling for donations and also volunteers as they re-open, alongside their Friends-themed 'Joey Challenge'. The Bray store will open on Thursday, June 11, with reduced hours. Anyone who can volunteer their time to help man the store can call in, send an email to bray@oxfam.org, or ring 01 2864173. The Joey Challenge encourages people to showcase their unwanted items by re-creating the infamous scene when Joey Tribbiani puts on as many layers of clothes as possible. People are being asked to gather their items for donation and show Oxfam what they have - Joey style - by taking a photo of you and your donations, posting on Instagram or Facebook, and including the hashtag #JoeChallenge4Oxfam, before nominating a friend. At the start of April, along with many other businesses, Oxfam Ireland made the difficult decision to close its network of shops - to protect staff, volunteers and customers - and to play its part in the country's response to Covid-19. Mary Rogers, manager of Oxfam Bray said: 'Our shops play a vital role in raising much-needed funds for Oxfam's work globally - they are central to ensuring we can continue to protect and support some of the most vulnerable people in the world. 'We are calling on local people to drop their donations of clothes, accessories and bric-a-brac to us at 8 Quinsboro Road. 'The reality is, after more than two months of closure, your donations are needed more than ever - especially as we respond to the threat of Covid-19 in some of the most fragile places on earth.' For the Joey Challenge, people can go original by putting on as many layers of clothing as possible, or try sum alternatives such as hanging all your donations on the washing line, over the bannister, or over your arms. They can make tall piles of donations and see how high they get; put on a fashion show, or come up with unique ideas. Shop opening times may vary in the initial weeks after re-opening. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world economy, including India, leading to significant decline and volatility in economic activities. Castrol India has reported a decline in its revenues as well as net profit for the First Quarter (Jan - March 2020). Castrol India reported revenue from operations at Rs 688 crore (as against Rs 976 crore in Q1 2019); while the companys profit after tax stood at Rs 125 crore (Rs 185 crore in Q1 2019). The manufacturing facility of Castrol India at Patalganga (Maharashtra), Silvassa and Paharpur (West Bengal) were closed on March 23, 2020 following the country-wide lockdown due to the pandemic. The company has since obtained required permissions and commenced partial operations at all its three manufacturing facilities from May 2020. Sandeep Sangwan, Managing Director, Castrol India, commented, The first quarter of 2020 has been unprecedented with an overall slowdown in the economy, liquidity crunch as well as the break-out of the global COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of which, the overall lubricant industry in the country has been hit by severe demand and supply disruptions. Adding further, Sangwan said, Castrol India was resilient and stepped up in managing this extraordinary situation with three clear objectives protecting people, supporting communities and protecting the financial health of our business. We have taken various measures to support employees, support staff, distributors and suppliers during these difficult times as #IndiaFightsCorona. We have also stepped up and made contributions to impacted communities in several ways. Our CSR efforts have been focused on helping government hospitals, essential service workers, mechanics, truckers, migrant workers and labourers affected by the crisis. Castrol India continues to work on numerous cost control actions, working capital management as well as efficiency programmes to drive margins and protect the companys finances. As part of our strategic delivery, we sustained our efforts to drive consumer communication and customer acquisition across key geographies and markets. We renewed our long-term partnership with JCB, the largest off-road vehicle manufacturer in India. Readying ourselves for a low carbon future, we entered into agreements for EV fluids with OEMs in India including MG Motors and Tata Motors, as well as to supply lubricants to various OEMs for their BS-VI compliant vehicles, Sangwan added. The company will continue to monitor the dynamic nature of the ongoing crisis and evolve to protect the health and long-term sustainability of its business. Sangwan said, Our current strong liquidity position gives us confidence to be able to meet the near-term challenges. We are committed to our overall strategy and growth agenda which will help us realise our potential when normalcy is restored. London: Hunters have killed one of the world's best-known silverback gorillas in Uganda in what is understood to be the first such slaying in a decade. Rafiki, who was the leader of 17 endangered mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the east African country, was found dead with severe internal injuries. Rafiki, the silverback gorilla. Credit:Twitter/UWA One of only a thousand mountain gorillas in existence, it died after being stabbed with what is believed to have been a spear. Four men have been arrested - and, if convicted of killing an endangered species, they face sentences of life imprisonment or fines of up to 4.3 million ($7.8 million). The men are expected to be charged under a new wildlife protection law that was passed last year. Rafiki - its name translates as "friend" in English - was declared missing on June 1. Its body was found the next day after a search party was sent out. By midweek, another surprising front opened up in the new Civil War over symbols. President Donald Trump overruled an announcement by his own secretary of defense that he would consider changing the names on military bases across the South that had been named after Confederate generals. I dont know if the president knows much about history, but he certainly knows where his core constituents are concentrated. The higher education regulator does not believe any universities are at immediate risk of closure because of the financial blow from the coronavirus pandemic but predicts the disruption will leave institutions smaller and force them to focus on core strengths. Professor Nick Saunders, chief commissioner and acting chief executive of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, said there would be a "very painful" period for universities, with cuts to staff and research, but the sector would survive. Universities face a 'very painful' period, according to their regulator. Credit:Simon Schluter "We have done our own analysis ... particularly with regards to liquidity and cash flow positions, during the end of the 2018 period through the audited accounts, and based upon those numbers, we haven't identified any university that looks like it's going to suddenly, unexpectedly get into dire financial straits in the near future," he said. Professor Saunders, a former vice-chancellor of the University of Newcastle, said institutions would need to make cuts in response to the major losses in international student revenue "and that, in the immediate term, is going to mean that they're going to be smaller institutions". Twelve people were arrested after they thrashed youths in a Dalit locality in Azamgarh and charged under the stringent NSA, a senior officer said on Saturday Azamgarh: Twelve people were arrested after they thrashed youths in a Dalit locality in Azamgarh and charged under the stringent NSA, a senior officer said on Saturday. The police also suspended the SHO of Maharajganj Police Station under which Sikandarpur Aima village falls where the incident triggered by the alleged molestation of some Dalit girls by a few men from another community took place. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati praised the state government saying, "In the Azamgarh molestation case involving a Dalit girl, the action initiated by UP chief minister is better late than never. This is good. But, it would be better, if similar action was initiated in cases pertaining to sisters and daughters in the future as well." In another tweet, Mayawati said, "The molestation of any Dalit girl or those from any other religion and caste, be it from Azamgarh, Kanpur or any other district, must be condemned." Those arrested were identified as Pervez, Faizan, Noor Alam, Sadre Alam, Hamir, Asif, Meraj and Suhail, police said. Under NSA, a person can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if authorities are satisfied that they are a threat to national security or law and order. According to police, the incident took place on Wednesday evening when the girls belonging to the Dalit community were molested near the village tubewell. "When residents of the Dalit locality resisted, they were attacked with sharp-edged weapons and sticks. In the police complaint, 9 people were named while 10 were unidentified," Superintendent of Police of Azamgarh, Triveni Singh said. "Of them, 12 have been arrested and action is being initiated against them under the NSA," Singh added. A cash reward of Rs 25,000 has been announced for information on the absconding accused, he said. MSU Extension of Midland County and cooperating parent educators sponsor the Parent's Corner. Send submissions to Midland County MSU Extension Educator, Lisa Treiber, 220 W. Ellsworth St., Midland, MI 48640. Walk Midland Chippewa Nature Center is the Wednesday location for Walk Midland, a City of Midland Parks and Recreation program in partnership with MidMichigan Health, Chippewa Nature Center and Greater Midland Corporate Wellness. CNC will be hosting the walking location from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 14-Aug. 5. Walkers, please bring your own writing utensil for check-in and practice social distancing with those outside your household. Participants will be eligible for weekly prizes as well as the grand prize trip for two to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island over Labor Day weekend. Visit the CNC website and check out their monthly calendar to learn more or visit www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/walk to learn about other daily sites to walk. Food Safety Q & A MSU Extension will be hosting weekly live chats online at 10 a.m. each Monday, discussing current trending information. The next Food Safety Q & A will be on June 15, to discuss Freezer Jam, So Easy and Delicious. Learn the step by step directions for making freezer jam. In this short presentation discover how easy it is to make and the differences between freezer jam and preserved jam. Participants are encouraged to ask their questions during the Q & A portion of the event. Food safety educators will be available for this session and will provide the most up-to-date research-based information. To register for this session visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/events/food-safety-q-a-freezer-jam There is no charge. For more information contact Kellie Jordan, jorda136@msu.edu. Facebook Live Story Hour Join Steve Frisbee, camp director and Chippewa Nature Story Hour host for a Facebook Live Story Hour from 11 to 11:20 a.m. June 1. Steve will share a story or two along with backyard, nature-themed ideas for play, crafts and outdoor explorations for children ages 3 to 9. Just search Chippewa Nature Center on Facebook to find the live event. Online Cottage Food Law Class MSU Extension will be offering an online program Cottage Food Law class from 6 to 8 p.m. June 16. Learn the basics about the law with representatives from the MSU Extension Food Safety Team, the MSU Product Center and the Michigan Department of Agriculture. There is no charge. To register visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/events/michigan-cottage-food-law-workshop-june-16-2020 For more information contact Beth Waitrovich, waitrovi@msu.edu. Emergency Preparedness MSU Extension is offering a Lunch and Learn series during the month of June on emergency preparedness. This week's topic: Are you prepared for an emergency? Learn how to make an Emergency Preparedness Kit during this session. Join Food safety extension educators for a short presentation, then have your questions ready to ask during the Q & A portion of the event. To register for this free informative session set for noon June 19, visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/events/emergency-preparedness-june For more information contact Joyce McGarry mcgarry4@msu.edu Safe Food = Healthy Kids Looking for a training for your childcare center or home? Michigan State University Extension is hosting several online sessions with education credits. Learn what the best practices are for food safety to help keep kids safe. Topics include cleaning and sanitizing, cooking, storing food, common allergens and personal hygiene. The workshop can count toward annual training hours for licensed childcare providers. This is also an approved training of Great Start to Quality. The next class will be offered from 1 to 4 p.m. June 23. Register at https://events.anr.msu.edu/SFHKSummer2020?/ or email treiber@msu.edu. There is no charge to participate. Other dates will be offered throughout the summer they are included on the link listed. Walking Paths at CNC Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S. Badour Road, Midland, has 19 miles of trails open dawn-to-dark open daily for walking. CNC is committed to providing an opportunity for healthy outdoor recreation, solace seeking, restorative time in nature and exploration for all ages during this challenging time. Currently all CNC trails remain open. CNC is asking everyone to maintain a 6-foot distance from people outside your household while enjoying the trails. In an effort to aid in protecting the public and reduce the spread of COVID-19, all the buildings are closed until further notice. CNC encourages you to explore the Resources for Home Learning web page www.chippewanaturecenter.org and Facebook www.Facebook.com/cncmidland for resources outdoor and connection. Ho Chi Minh City police officers captured two suspected robbers following a wild bike chase through many streets in the southern metropolis earlier this week. A video of the pursuit went viral on Facebook on Friday. The chase involved police officers from a special crime-fighting task force of Phu Nhuan District Police, according to the results of a verification process by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. In the early hours of June 9, the policemen, in plainclothes, spotted two men riding a motorbike at high speed from District 3 to Phu Nhuan District. The team decided to chase after the two men, suspecting that they had robbed someone and were on their way to escape. The long pursuit continued through multiple streets, with the robbery suspects using weapons and pepper spray to deter the officers at some points. The high-speed chase only came to an end when the two suspected criminals lost balance and fell as they made a sharp turn at the intersection of Truong Dinh and Nguyen Du Streets in District 1. A video shows police officers chasing two suspected robbers on motorbikes at high speed through multiple streets in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam before capturing them, June 9, 2020. As the men tried to run away on foot, the police officers were able to tackle the two suspects to the ground and put handcuffs on them. The suspects motorbike burst into flame shortly after the arrest. At the police station, the two robbery suspects were identified as Nguyen Huu Tin, 27, from Binh Chanh District, and Linh Thai Bao, 37, from Tan Phu District. Both of them tested both positive for narcotics. Tin and Bao admitted they had snatched a bag containing a mobile phone and VND3 million (US$130) in cash from a person on Hoang Sa Street in District 3 that morning. The criminal task force has handed over the suspects and material evidence to District 3 Police, which are holding both men for an investigation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Washington: The US space agency has selected new head for its human spaceflight mission as it successfully sent two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the US soil, and now aims to land humans on the Moon by 2024. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has selected Commercial Crew Program Manager Kathy Lueders to be the agency`s next associate administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate. Since 2014, Lueders has directed NASA`s efforts to send astronauts to space on private spacecraft, which culminated in the successful launch of Demo-2 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30. "Lueders gives us the extraordinary experience and passion we need to continue to move forward with Artemis and our goal of landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024," Bridenstine said in a statement late Friday. Steve Stich has been named Commercial Crew Programme Manager. Lueders began her NASA career in 1992 at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. She later moved to the International Space Station (ISS) programme and served as transportation integration manager, where she led commercial cargo resupply services to the space station. "She has a deep interest in developing commercial markets in space, dating back to her initial work on the space shuttle programme. From Commercial Cargo and now Commercial Crew, she has safely and successfully helped push to expand our nation`s industrial base," said Bridenstine. Marking the beginning of a new era in the US space programme, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on May 31. This was the first-ever crewed mission for Elon Musk-run SpaceX. This was also the first crewed launch from the US after the government retired the space shuttle programme in 2011. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday called for strict checking of entrants from other states and UTs, particularly Delhi where coronavirus cases were rising. Singh, however, made it clear that Punjabis were welcome to come from Delhi for COVID treatment in the state after getting their beds reserved in a medical facility here on the recommendation of a Delhi hospital. The chief minister was responding to a question from a Punjab resident working in Delhi during his Facebook Live 'Ask Captain' session. On the issue of sealing Punjab's borders with other states, Singh said while Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh have sealed their borders with Punjab, people were coming from Haryana and Delhi every day in large numbers. On Friday alone, 6,500 vehicles entered Punjab from Delhi and Haryana, which translated into about 20,000 people coming from these states on a single day. His government was mulling ways to make entry norms more stringent, given the increasing number of positive cases in the state, the chief minister said, adding that of the total of 2,986 cases in Punjab, 1,471 were outsiders and their contacts. Though the state was still performing relatively better than many others in the country, cases in Punjab were also continuing to spiral, necessitating tough measures, a statement quoting the CM said. While nobody likes restrictions, he had been forced to impose weekend and holiday curbs to protect lives, Singh said, adding that restrictions on inter-state movement on these days were also intended to check unnecessary socialising. Pointing to the spike of 117 cases in a single day in the state, the chief minister attributed the sharp rise to the influx of people into the state, which has witnessed the entry of as many as 43,000 people in just one month. In addition to people landing in Amritsar from Dubai and other places, trains culminating in the city were also adding to the deluge of people, he said, adding that the three cities of Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana have seen the maximum cases. Restrictions were important to check the spread further to other districts such as Pathankot, Patiala and Gurdaspur, he added. Another reason for more cases being recorded was the increased testing in the state, which had gone up from the initial 700 to 11,000, Singh said, adding that the state government was in the process of procuring the latest machines to increase the number of tests further to 20,000 a day. So far, a total of 1,65,000 tests had been conducted, he said, quoting experts as saying that testing was the only vaccine at present against coronavirus. He said testing facilities would soon be established in Pathankot and Gurdaspur so that people from these cities need not go to Amritsar for getting their tests done. To further scale up the fight against the disease, the health department is also in the process of completing training of more medical staff, he added. In reply to a question, the CM hoped that the situation would not arise wherein the state's health infrastructure would get overwhelmed. Already, the state government was allowing asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms to remain in home isolation to ensure that there is no major burden on the health system, he said. Singh said all deputy commissioners were being directed to check meat shops to see if any meat was being sold without protocols to avert any virus spread from this source. From the experiences of Canadas Black police officers to the state of COVID-19 in Ontario right now, weve selected some of the best long reads of the week from thestar.com. Want to dive into more long features? Sign up for the Weekend Long Reads newsletter to get them delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday morning. 1. Is Ontario ready for double bubbles? Tim Sly, an epidemiologist and professor emeritus at Ryersons School of Occupational and Public Health, says there seems to be an inaccurate perception that were nearly through with this pandemic. With no vaccine or herd immunity, the virus isnt defeated, and people are still susceptible to infection, he says, adding that lowered case counts are unreliable because of the asymptomatic numbers. 2. Heartbroken and conflicted: Canadas Black police officers open up about George Floyds death and anti-racism protests Carl Cartright, an inspector with the Ottawa Police Service, says he hasnt been able to bring himself to watch the entire video of a Minnesota police officer pressing his knee on the neck of an unarmed Black man who later died. Its very hard not to put yourself in George Floyds position, says Cartright, the son of Haitian immigrants. It could easily have been me. Even after 26 years in policing, Cartright acknowledges he still wrestles with what he calls a duality in roles, simultaneously trying to fulfil the expectations placed on him by the city and by the Black community. 3. The nice ladies of child care are furious at lack of lead time and financial support from the province on daycare reopening The government is assuming the nice ladies of child care will just go back to their programs, move some furniture around and make this work the way we always have, said Carolyn Ferns, of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care. But what I am hearing from the sector is different from what I have ever heard before. They are just beside themselves. They say this is insulting. The government is expecting them to do something that is just impossible without proper support. 4. This incredibly rare white grizzly has emerged in Banff. Why experts hope you never see it Buzz about the unusual animal has been building ever since late April, when it was spotted in Banff National Park as a family drove by. The photos made the local news. In the weeks since, the bear has made international headlines and locals have given it a name. Park officials say theyve already encountered tourists pulling over on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway, hoping for a glimpse. 5. Why cant the GTA lift COVID-19 restrictions? These 5 charts explain our lockdown limbo, how the virus is multiplying and more The GTA is still driving new COVID-19 cases in the province, accounting for about 86 per cent of the total one day last week. The inability to scale back cases here could be due to a number of reasons, including increased testing, which has led to the discovery of more positive cases, or an increase in public gatherings, said Dr. Jennifer Kwan, a family physician whos been tracking COVID-19 data in the province. 6. Should breastfeeding mothers take codeine for postpartum pain? Doctors re-examined a 2005 tragedy and found new information that raises questions about what regulators have been telling us For more than a decade, health agencies around the world have cautioned against prescribing codeine to nursing mothers for pain relief following childbirth, warning that dangerous levels of morphine, a byproduct of the drug, can pass through breast milk. A new paper by two pharmacologists at Sunnybrook Hospital casts doubt over the evidence underpinning this clinical guideline. That evidence stems largely from an influential Toronto case report in which researchers at the time blamed the 2005 death of a 13-day-old baby on morphine-laced breast milk, sparking widespread concern about codeine and breastfeeding. 7. COVID-19 cases are rising among young people in hot spots including Toronto, Peel and Hamilton While some suspect the demographic shift could reflect a change in testing patterns, medical officers and health workers are pointing to other factors like workplace outbreaks, housing arrangements and lockdown fatigue coupled with an invincible attitude amongst younger people who might feel insulated from COVIDs worst effects even though deaths and severe outcomes have been reported in these age groups across the province. 8. Im a young Black man in Canada and Ive found my voice. Here I am I feel like people often exclude Canada from the narrative of racism, but my experiences growing up Black have suggested otherwise. While theres no playbook to being Black in Canada, I tried my best to stay in line with the things my parents taught me: dont wear your do-rag in public, no baggy clothing, dont raise your voice, get an education, keep your hands where they can see you, etc. My whole life I tried to do the right things to keep the target off my back. It took a while for me to realize that no matter what I did I could never fit into a system that was not meant for me, writes Jordan Marlowe. 9. Can the members of Doug Fords mysterious command table please stand up? Bafflingly, the government wont say who exactly is at the command table. And in the health crisis of a generation, knowing who is giving the advice doesnt seem an unreasonable ask, writes Bruce Arthur. Well, weve brought out a number of doctors, a lot of doctors, personally, they dont want their names out there, said Ford. 10. Why for-profit nursing home operators will likely leave the sector of their own accord The for-profit model of nickel-and-diming LTC care and caregivers accounts for the severe staff shortages and lack of adequately trained staff that made the LTC sector dysfunctional long before the pandemic, writes David Olive. And that models widespread application explains why horrific pandemic fatality counts have been reported at the GTAs non-profit and municipal homes as well as the for-profits including one operated by the Salvation Army and another by the City of Toronto. 11. Time to rethink policing in Toronto? Here are some ideas about what that might look like Are there jobs police are doing that could be better and perhaps more cheaply done by others? Are there programs, like the mobile response teams in Oregon, made up of a medic and a nurse, that could be adapted to Toronto? Another idea comes from the Indigenous community unarmed, trained safety officers who work on daily supports that build trust. Could something like it work in a megacity? 12. Why is it so hard to get rid of bad apples in police departments? Police officers are entitled to the same protections and presumption of innocence as anybody else, says Darryl Davies, a criminology lecturer at Carleton University tells Rosie DiManno. While were seeing a lot of events play out on video these days, until it is officially tested in a court of law, that officer hasnt been convicted of anything. Even when it looks like a slam dunk, that person could be acquitted. 13. The Stratford Festival admitted its own systemic racism and gave Black artists a chance to speak out The festival handed its social media channels for 72 hours to a group of Black artists and artisans. Ojibway actor Dillan Chiblow tweeted that after a performance of the musical Children of God, which is about residential schools and features a mostly Indigenous cast, an audience member remarked that the cast members were good enough to be in real musicals. 14. Meet the pilot whos painting pictures through the sky of Nova Scotias heartbreaking year For the past two-and-half months, Dimitri Neonakis has been painting the story of Nova Scotia in 2020 in the sky. And there have been a lot of stories to tell, few of them good. Expatriates from Kerala are unhappy with the Kerala governments decision to seek Covid-19 test results of all passengers returning by chartered flights from the Middle East. The minister of state for external affairs, V Muraldeedharan, also differed on the move. From June 20, all private chartered flights departing to Kerala from Middle-East countries shall only carry passengers who have been tested for Covid-19 infection and shown to be negative. A test certificate to that effect should be carried by the passenger. It applies to all flights for which consent letters were issued earlier, said the government order issued by state principal secretary K Elangovan on Friday. Anwar Naha, leader of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre, an outfit working among expatriates in the Gulf, said, It is highly unethical and discriminatory. The government also insists the certificate should be obtained at least 48 hours before the flight. In some countries, it is a tedious process and a costly affair. We have no idea why the government is troubling people who are eager enough to reach their country. There are least 18 lakh people from the state working in the Gulf. Muraldeedharan said that such conditions will put extra pressure on expatriates. He had earlier locked horns with the state government saying it was more interested in maintaining its records rather than brining back stranded expatriates. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A hedge fund industry group says Hong Kong continues to attract new firms, downplaying speculation that money managers are fleeing the city over China's attempt to enact a national security law in the city. At least six hedge fund managers have set up shop in Hong Kong this year, according to the Alternative Investment Management Association. Although some Hong Kong firms are seeking licenses to expand in Singapore, they aren't abandoning their home base, said Jack Inglis, chief executive officer of the group. "While the anticipated new security laws undoubtedly give rise for concern, it is far too early to predict an end of its hedge fund industry," Inglis wrote in his regular update to members on Thursday. He added that Hong Kong remains the largest centre for hedge funds in the Asia-Pacific region. Hong Kong saw months of social unrest from the middle of last year as pro-democracy protesters clashed with police, disrupting businesses and tourism. Tensions have risen further over the proposed security law that opponents say could curtail essential freedoms in the former British colony that returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 under the "one country, two systems" promises. The London-based industry group, whose 2,000 corporate members manage more than US$2 trillion in hedge and private credit funds, rarely wades into politics. Inglis's comments echoed those of others who say that the industry has taken a more nuanced approach to the issue. "The details of the new security laws are not yet known, and our Hong Kong members are telling us they are taking a wait-and-see approach," Inglis wrote. "It would never be an easy decision to relocate." Thirty-two new funds started in Hong Kong last year, while the number of firms grew by a third over the past five years, boosting assets under management by 85 per cent. The association said it has 251 members in Hong Kong managing more than US$100 billion. Story continues Large firms operate in both Hong Kong and Singapore, while medium- and small-sized firms have good reasons to remain in Hong Kong, he said, citing the predominance of locals in the industry workforce and the proximity to China's stock markets. "Singapore too continues to build on its reputation as a hub for hedge fund managers and more recently also as an onshore domicile for fund vehicles," Inglis said. "This is not an either/or situation." While some Hong Kong-based managers are expanding to Singapore to help attract talent, some Singapore peers have been making the opposite move for the same reason, he added. Myriad Asset Management and Optimas Capital are among Hong Kong-based managers that expanded to Singapore last year. Both began preparatory work before the unrest, according to people with knowledge of the matter and documents seen by Bloomberg News last year. "Having offices in two of the region's biggest financial centres greatly enhances the talent pool to draw from," Inglis said in the letter. 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. As much as 45 percent of people infected by the novel coronavirus behind the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic never show symptoms of the disease, according to a review of studies which suggests that the virus may silently damage the bodies of these asymptotic individuals. Scientists, including Eric Topol from the Scripps Research Translational Institute in the US, analysed public datasets on asymptomatic infections of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. The findings, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, suggested that asymptomatic people may account for approximately 40 to 45 percent of SARS-CoV-2 infections, playing a significant role in the spread of the disease. Based on the study, the scientists highlighted the need for expansive testing and contact tracing of infected individuals to mitigate the pandemic. "The silent spread of the virus makes it all the more challenging to control," said Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and professor of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research. 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 "Our review really highlights the importance of testing. It's clear that with such a high asymptomatic rate, we need to cast a very wide net, otherwise the virus will continue to evade us," he added. In the study, Topol and his team collected information from testing studies on 16 diverse cohorts from around the world. The scientists noted in a statement that these datasets were gathered via keyword searches of PubMed, bioRxiv and medRxiv, as well as Google searches of relevant news reports. They said the analysis included data on nursing home residents, cruise ship passengers, prison inmates and various other groups. "What virtually all of them had in common was that a very large proportion of infected individuals had no symptoms," said Daniel Oran, another co-author of the study. "Among more than 3,000 prison inmates in four states who tested positive for the coronavirus, the figure was astronomical -- 96 percent asymptomatic," Oran said. According to the review research, asymptomatic individuals are able to transmit the virus for an extended period of time, perhaps longer than 14 days. The scientists noted that the viral loads are very similar in people with or without symptoms, but it remains unclear whether their infectiousness is of the same magnitude. To resolve that issue, they said, large-scale studies that include sufficient numbers of asymptomatic people are needed. The absence of symptoms may not imply an absence of harm, the researchers concluded. Citing an example, they said CT scans conducted on asymptomatic individuals on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, appeared to show significant lung abnormalities, raising the possibility of the virus silently impacting lung function. "Although the latter infected persons reported no symptoms, some actually had subclinical changes in their lungs. When computed tomography scans for 76 of these persons were examined, 54 percent showed lung opacities," the researchers wrote in the study. The scientists believe that further research is needed to confirm the potential significance of this finding. They said the lack of longitudinal data makes distinguishing between asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals difficult. An asymptomatic individual, the researchers said, is someone who is infected with SARS-CoV-2, but never develops symptoms of COVID-19, while a presymptomatic person is similarly infected, but will eventually develop symptoms. According to the scientists, longitudinal testing, which refers to repeated testing of individuals over time, would help differentiate between the two. "Our estimate of 40 to 45 percent asymptomatic means that, if you're unlucky enough to get infected, the probability is almost a flip of a coin on whether you're going to have symptoms," Oran said. "So to protect others, we think that wearing a mask makes a lot of sense," he concluded. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here There's nothing new about celebrities promoting products online. Be it gadgets, clothes, or makeup, it's very common these days given how popular the "Influencer" market is, currently. But there have been some really funny instances where celebs were caught promoting an Android phone via tweeting about it from their iPhones. Today, we'll be talking about 5 such celebrities who were caught promoting Android phones via an iPhone - 1. Anushka Sharma For Google Pixel Back in 2018 when Anushka Sharma was trying to promote the Google Pixel 2's camera, she tweeted out pictures taken with the devices. The photos looked incredible, no doubt, but the tweets were sent using an iPhone. YouTuber Marques Brownlee noticed it and instantly tweeted about the same. Ok I dont even want to know how this keeps happening but its hilarious pic.twitter.com/sUuHVh4exw Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) September 4, 2018 2. Katrina Kaif For Redmi Xiaomi decided to go with a celebrity endorsement for the first time with Katrina Kaif for the selfie-centric Redmi Y1 in 2018. The brand launched a 30-second ad showing Katrina Kaif taking pictures from a smartphone. But which one? Well, the ad was updated but the initial edition of the ad was showing an Instagram screen straight out of an iPhone. Funny! techpp redmi 3. Sania Mirza For OnePlus Sania Mirza also promoted the OnePlus 3T back in the day on Twitter saying how she's in love with her new phone. But she tweeted that via an iPhone. Maybe Twitter just works better on an iPhone. No? Okay. Twitter 4. Gal Gadot For Huawei Gal Gadot with the Huawei ad... tweeted from an iPhone. Niceeeee pic.twitter.com/aEKJVwoyBL Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) April 24, 2018 Our Wonder Woman was also promoting a Huawei phone. It was the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, an incredible phone and probably one of the best devices to come out at that time. But she sent out that tweet via an iPhone. YouTuber Marques Brownlee jumped in again and pointed out on Twitter and he eventually got blocked by Gal Gadot for doing that! 5. Ellen DeGeneres For Samsung Remember the epic Oscar selfie that broke the records for having the most retweets? Well, that selfie was taken on a Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Quickly after taking that picture, she went backstage and took a selfie with Channing Tatum that she posted on Twitter via an iPhone. Crazy how these celebs just can't ditch their iPhones. ellen Well, now that you know about all these celebs, just allow us to tell you that they all covered their mistakes by deleting the tweet. Simple, right? You can't edit a tweet, but you can always delete it and make it look like it didn't happen. In their defence, we don't blame the celebs. It's more like their PR's fault. We doubt if celebs even have time to think about all this "Tweeted via iPhone" thing. Anyway, we still love each and every one of these celebs, and it doesn't change how we feel about the gadgets we use. We just wish, they were more careful. India, the fourth worst-hit country in the world, recorded more than 11,000 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 386 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union health ministry on Sunday. There were 11,458 new Covid-19 cases and 386 deaths between Friday and Saturday, taking Indias infection tally to 308,993with the latest 100,000 cases added in just the last 10 daysand its toll to 8,884. The previous 100,000 cases took 15 days and the first 100,000 cases took 78 days after the coronavirus disease was reported in the country in late January. A little under a quarter of all cases have been reported just in the last week and the cases doubling in the last 17 days. Also read: Covid-19 infection rate jumped by 21% in 12 days in Delhi, recovery rate dropped According to the health ministrys dashboard, 154,329 patients have recovered from Covid-19 or nearly 50% of people who contracted the respiratory disease have been discharged from hospitals so far. The active cases stood at 145,779 and the number of recovered patients in the country has been outnumbering that of active cases since Tuesday now. The United States, Brazil and Russia are the other countries to report more than 300,000 cases of Covid-19. Most of Indias Covid-19 cases have been reported from four states of Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Also read: Govt reviews use of HCQ and antibiotic combo in treating Coronavirus cases Maharashtra has breached the one lakh-mark and now has 101,141 infections with 3,717 deaths. In Tamil Nadu, there are 40,698 Covid-19 cases and 367 fatalities, while Delhi has reported 36,824 infections and 1,214 deaths so far. Gujarat has a higher number of deaths than the national capital at 1,415 but its case tally is 22,527. West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have also seen a rising number of Covid-19 cases. More than 7.6 million infections of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, and 425,330 deaths has been reported across the world since the virus was first reported in Chinas Wuhan in December last year. The Week In Russia: Minneapolis, Minsk, Moscow, And The Future Of Putin's Rule By Steve Gutterman June 12, 2020 Within a few weeks, barring the truly unexpected, Vladimir Putin will have the option of seeking two more six-year stretches as Russian president after his current term expires in 2024, meaning he could remain in the Kremlin until May 2036. So why does talk of a post-Putin era -- a prominent topic after his election two years ago to what was supposed to be his final term, at least until 2030 -- persist? Several reasons. For one thing, there are his poll numbers. For many world leaders, they remain enviable, but if they were once unassailable, that does not seem to be the case any longer. Putin still outpolls other Russian political figures in most cases, but the results of two recent surveys by the independent Levada Center point to declines that cannot have gone unnoticed by the Kremlin -- and in one case clearly did not, as the state has lashed out at Western media outlets that published its results. One Levada poll showed Putin's job-approval rating at 59 percent in April, the lowest it has been since he was a novice prime minister in 1999. In the other poll, in May, exactly one-quarter of the respondents named Putin when asked to name politicians they trust -- far below the 59 percent who named Putin when Levada began asking the question in 2017. Putin's result was much higher than second-placed Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister, at 14 percent. And the government has pointed out that, when respondents are asked simply whether or not they trust Putin, his ratings are substantially higher. But with 25 percent of the population naming Putin when asked which politicians they trust, it might be hard to argue that there is no alternative. And that essentially was Putin's argument, implied if not stated outright, for the option of seeking reelection in 2024 and again in 2030: Late last year, he started talking about the need for stability going forward -- remarks that some analysts saw, accurately, as hints that he was not necessarily going to stick with the constitutional limit of two consecutive terms. Uninspired? A new Levada poll seemed to strike another blow at the idea that there is no alternative to Putin. Asked to name Russian public figures who inspire them, 8 percent named Putin and 4 percent named one of his best-known foes, Aleksei Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and opposition politician who is ignored or vilified by state TV, whose name is rarely uttered publicly by top officials, and who was barred from challenging Putin in the 2018 election due to convictions in criminal cases he contends were fabricated. But Navalny edged out Putin among people aged 40-54 and the two tied among people aged 25-39. Some of Putin's poll numbers have been falling for a few years, but they appear to have taken an additional hit from the coronavirus, as Russians question the state's response to the pandemic and worry about their future economic security. In a move that may have been influenced in part by concerns that the public mood might not improve much in the coming months, Putin has decided that the nationwide vote on constitutional changes -- including the one allowing him to seek two more terms reelection -- will be held on July 1. It had been planned for April but was postponed -- like the Red Square military parade marking 75 years since the Nazi defeat in World War II, which will now be held on June 24 due to the coronavirus. The vote, which is not required by law, appears aimed at putting a stamp of public approval on the possibility of two more terms for Putin -- and by extension on the idea that he is indispensable. But for some Russians, it seems certain to damage his legitimacy rather than deepening it. When Putin faced term limits in 2008, he played by the rules, stepping aside into the prime minister's post for four years and steering Dmitry Medvedev into the presidency. When he announced in 2011 that he would seek to return to the Kremlin the following year, Russians hoping for change were dismayed if not surprised -- and he weathered their anger, cracking down on a wave of protests and using a combination of popularity and levers of power to win another term in 2018. 'Gone Too Far' This time, instead of playing by the book he is rewriting it: tailoring the constitution to fit his plans rather than the other way around. "Since the very beginning of the constitutional reform back in January, the state has been making up the rules as it went along, ignoring established procedures," Tatyana Stanovaya a political analyst and nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center, wrote in a June 9 article. "I'd venture to predict that this vote will be a turning point when it comes to Putin's perceived legitimacy in Russia," journalist Leonid Ragozin wrote on Twitter on June 10, adding: "Gone too far." Another upcoming vote -- not in Russia but in neighboring Belarus -- may also be giving Putin something to worry about, at least going forward. Ahead of an August 9 vote in which he is seeking a new term, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is facing a perhaps unprecedented challenge to his authoritarian rule since he was first elected in 1994. Belarus is about the closest thing Russia has to an ally. They have close military and trade ties and are long-time partners in a Union State that exists mainly on paper and in some offices. Relations between Moscow and Minsk are often strained, and tension has been high in the past few years, as Lukashenka has sought to resist Russian pressure for closer integration -- suggesting that Putin wants to curtail his Belarus's sovereignty. But, if Lukashenka is voted out or driven out of the presidency and replaced by someone "brought to power by the people," it would be an "unimaginable blow to the current Russian regime," according to Vladislav Inozemtsev, an economist and director of the Moscow-based Center for the Study of Post-Industrial Society. "The events in Belarus are being underestimated in Russia at the moment, and that's a mistake," Inozemtsev wrote in an article in the Moscow newspaper MK on June 7, comparing developments there to the protests that swept entrenched leaders from power in Ukraine in 2014 and Armenia in 2018. "They show, in my view, how unstable post-Soviet authoritarian regimes are in this fast-changing world." 'Culture War' Events in the United States are also making waves in Russia, where many are airing their views about the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of police in the Midwestern city of Minneapolis on May 25, and about the protests against racism and injustice that have ensued nationwide. "A culture war like the one that has been waged in the United States for 30 years or more, between 'conservatives' and 'liberals,' has unfolded for real in Russia," journalist and commentator Konstantin Eggert wrote in a June 9 column in the online media outlet Snob. "I don't believe that the current regime is irreplaceable, and I believe that it will soon leave the stage," Eggert wrote. Russian responses to the U.S. developments "have revealed that a fierce ideological war for the future of Russia after Putin has already begun," he added. "At the moment, it's hard for me to imagine that it will end in a compromise." Stanovaya, whose article was headlined "Putin's System Has Run Out Of Ideas," suggested that Russia's leadership is adrift but still has staying power -- making for an uncertain future and raising the prospect of "permanent destabilization." "The regime appears increasingly precarious, but this is not to say that it will collapse: it still has plenty of resilience, and the public is disoriented and fearful of things getting worse," she wrote. However, she added, the state "will be unable to enter into dialogue should the public start to become politically active, and it is losing its consolidation, making it unable to speak with one unified voice." "There is a risk that battling a public challenge will turn into a form of survival for some power groups, while others, amid the lack of unity, will move closer to those who are discontented and turn contact with them into an asset," Stanovaya wrote. "All of this will lead to a change in priorities. For much of the elite, a situation of permanent destabilization will no longer be a major threat, but a survival tactic." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/week-in- russia-minneapolis-minsk-moscow-future- putin-rule/30667768.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Here is a look at the most important headlines in criminal justice on Staten Island during the past seven days: Disturbing new abuse charges against admitted predator therapist Gilberto Suero, 52, a convicted sex-offender, faces new charges for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl when he was a psychotherapist in Dongan Hills. (Staten Island Advance) An admitted child molester faces new accusations that he sexually abused a fourth girl who was a patient of his psychotherapy practice in Dongan Hills. Gilberto Suero, 52, who now lives in upstate Endicott, pleaded guilty in August 2017 after he was accused of abusing three other female victims, according to law-enforcement sources and Advance records. NYPD: Man, 32, struck in the face in Stapleton, suffers facial lacerations A 32-year-old man suffered injuries after being struck in the face with an unknown object Monday night, an NYPD spokesman said. The circumstances that led to the incident were not immediately clear. NYPD vehicles could be seen outside of the Stapleton Houses just after 7 p.m. as officers responded to the scene. Police said the man suffered lacerations to his eye and ear. Click here for the full story. He faces drug charges after raid on Great Kills home Police armed with a search warrant raided the residence of Kenneth Griffin, on the 500 block of Miles Avenue, on May 22 at about 4:10 p.m. and arrested the suspect, according to the criminal complaint. Officers looking in Griffins bedroom on the second floor found two clear plastic bags of methamphetamine, a scale with residue of that drug, plus nine strips of addiction-treatment drugs buprenorphine and naloxone, the complaint alleges. The quantities seized and the packaging indicated that the meth was intended for sale, according to the complaint. Click here for the story. Hes accused of robbing 7-Eleven in Sunnyside, hiding in backyard Authorities allege a 27-year-old man robbed a 7-Eleven early on a recent morning then hid in a nearby backyard. Pasquale Mevo, of the 400 block of Caswell Avenue in Graniteville, is accused in the incident on June 2 around 4:25 a.m. at 1200 Victory Blvd., according to the criminal complaint and police. Mevo was arrested a short time later by police in a fenced-in backyard several blocks away on the 100 block of Logan Avenue. Click here for the full story. Cop sues driver who allegedly knocked him down during traffic stop Alexandra Goode allegedly rolled up the window of her Jeep on the officer's arm and pulled away, knocking him to the ground. The incident occurred on South Avenue and Wemple Street in Mariners Harbor on Sept. 18, 2019. Officer Brian Mullarkey has sued Alexandra Goode over an early-morning incident last Sept. 18, when Goode allegedly knocked him down with her Jeep and injured him during a traffic stop in Mariners Harbor. Goode is already facing criminal charges including assault, drunken driving, reckless endangerment and leaving a scene involving an injury stemming from the 12:13 a.m. episode. A civil complaint alleges Goode, 25, a Mariners Harbor resident, was intoxicated and drove the Jeep in a dangerous, negligent, reckless and careless fashion. Click here for the story. Have you seen this motorcycle? NYPD asks for tips to find stolen bike Police are trying to find this motorcycle stolen from Gloria Court in Graniteville. (Courtesy of NYPD) The NYPD is asking for the publics help to find a motorcycle stolen from a home in Graniteville. The black cycle with New York plates 44UB98 was reported missing from Gloria Court on Tuesday, according to a post on the 121st Precinct Twitter feed. People with information are urged to contact the 121st Precinct Detectives Squad at 718-697-8712 or the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 (TIPS) Click here for more information Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 16:08:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close FIROZ KOAH, Afghanistan, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Seven Afghan policemen were killed in a Taliban militants' attack in the country's western Ghor province Friday night, a local official confirmed Saturday. The incident happened late on Friday night, when a group of Taliban militants launched a massive attack on a security checkpoint in Abak area of Pasaband district, district chief Fakhruddin Khan told Xinhua. "Seven policemen were killed, one was wounded and another was missing in the brutal attack led by Mullah Ahmad Shah, the Taliban's deputy shadow governor for Ghor and Mullah Mustaf the militants' divisional commander in the province," Khan added. Taliban militants have also suffered casualties during the overnight clash, the district chief noted, giving no details about the exact number of casualties on the militants' side. The province, 360 km west of the country's capital Kabul, has been the scene of heavy clashes for long years. Violence is lingering in the war-torn country after a peace deal was signed between the United States and the Taliban in Qatar late in February, which paved the way for a phased U.S. force withdrawal. According to the agreement, all U.S. and NATO forces will withdraw from Afghanistan by July next year, but a batch of U.S. troops may remain in Afghanistan to provide security for U.S. diplomatic mission. Enditem For almost three months they have been locked down, deprived of the simple joys they had found in life's later years. The tables in the dining room were empty. The bingo room was silent. They were confined to quarters, quarantined against a virus that has attacked the elderly harder than anyone else. At a stage when the rest of the nation came together with their nearest and dearest, they spent most of their time by themselves, in their rooms, without visitors. Next week, however, hundreds of older people will finally be reunited with loved ones as nursing homes begin to open their doors once again to visitors. The phased re-opening of facilities that no longer have an outbreak will be subject to a number of stringent rules - visitors will be limited to daytime visits of less than 30 minutes, each visitor will be allowed a maximum of one visit per week, and surgical masks must be worn in some cases. Despite the rules, for the residents, who have been living behind closed doors for so long, the joy of reconnecting will mark a return to some semblance of normality. However, the battle against Covid-19, particularly in nursing homes where it has taken more than 1,000 lives, is far from over. "We must not forget what happened," said Amanda Phelan, Professor of Ageing and Community Nursing at Trinity College Dublin. "This can happen again. If it happens again, there is potential for nursing homes to be at risk. How will a second surge impact on them? "They will have to be really cautious when letting visitors in, given what we know about how infectious this virus is and what happened in the sector before. There will undoubtedly have been local issues that could have been done better, but on the whole, I think they have a better grip now on what should be done." Ms Phelan points out that the crisis was not unavoidable. Ireland had a head start in learning from the experience of Italy in the second half of February that older people were especially vulnerable to the disease. "The stress in the nursing homes has been huge because there was a reactionary rather than proactive approach from the start," she said. "The surge was in the nursing homes and when you look at the statistics, they should have been given more prominence. "The policies [on how to deal with the virus] have been changing almost weekly. "It's very stressful if you are running a nursing home that something was OK last week and it's not this week. "But that's also part of an evolving process in terms of learning more about the virus itself. Infection control if different everywhere because of Covid-19." Nursing Homes Ireland CEO Tadhg Daly has previously said there were "gaps in the preparation by the State" in the early stages of the pandemic. He added: "What we have to do now is learn the lessons and make sure we are ready for any future pandemic or second wave." Responsibilities He was responding to comments by the head of the Health Service Executive (HSE), Paul Reid, who last month said there were obvious gaps in the clarity of responsibilities in the overall governance and oversight of private nursing homes during the virus outbreak. Even though the number of new deaths from the coronavirus has been decreasing, the legacy of the pandemic in this country is already bound up in nursing homes. To date, there have been 1,030 Covid-related deaths in residential care facilities. It accounts for 63pc of the total deaths. Some 900 of these were residents of nursing homes, which represents 55pc of all deaths. After such a toll, the nation faces a reckoning over its care of the elderly, regardless of what happens in coming months. As the loved ones of those who have died are left counting the cost, calls have been made for a probe into what may have gone wrong. Families have called for an investigation into the deaths of 22 residents at Dealgan Nursing home in Dundalk, Co Louth. A staff member at St Mary's Nursing Home in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, has made a protected disclosure. Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty has called for an inquiry into The Rock nursing home in Co Donegal, where almost half of residents died from the virus. "Unfortunately, I don't think anyone will be held accountable," Sinn Fein's health spokesperson Louise O'Reilly told the Irish Independent. "I do think that when the families come to terms with what has happened, they will want answers. They deserve answers. "For a lot of them, who are still grieving, the enormity of it all hasn't sunk in yet. They are still dealing with their loss. "I think an inquiry into what happened is inevitable and unavoidable at this point. "If there isn't an independent probe into what happened, we will have a situation where this is taken up as a campaign by grieving families. "I don't believe this can just be swept under the carpet. "Lessons should be learned and while it is good that visits are being started again in many of these facilities, we can't forget about the deaths that have occurred." This week, Dr David Nabarro of the World Health Organisation said, internationally, 25pc of Covid-19 fatalities are from long-term residential care settings, including care homes. Ireland's figure, as stated above, is 63pc. Dr Tony Holohan, the country's chief medical officer, argues that unlike many other countries, Ireland has reported comprehensively on probable deaths and confirmed deaths, thus making comparisons unfair. But even factoring in Ireland's approach to counting cases, the comparative figures are stark. Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland Last week, Dr Holohan said that the time was right to allow visitors back into nursing homes. His recommendations have now paved the way for some of the most vulnerable in society to arrange a joyful reunion with their loved ones. For those who have died from Covid-19, and the friends and family who used to visit them, there will be no such joy, said Marcus De Brun, who quit the Medical Council over the handling of the pandemic in the homes. "It's a pity that there is so little being said on behalf of these people who have died," he said. "Many of them died deaths that certainly could have been prevented. "A lot of people think these people were going to die anyway so it's not a big deal. "On average, 15 years of life expectancy was taken away, according to a recent UK report on those who died in nursing homes. "In the nursing home I work in, I would have one or two deaths in a six or 12-month period - we had 15 in two and half months. "It's been horrible, like a warzone. "You are watching someone in the bed, arching their back, struggling for a breath and you essentially have nothing to offer them. "It's a terrible tragedy but you wonder if there is a general attitude towards older people in society. "If over 1,000 children had died we would be living in a completely different reality now in terms of accountability," he said. Saturday, June 13th, 2020 (4:53 am) - Score 3,108 The Scottish Governments Minister for Connectivity, Paul Wheelhouse, has confirmed that their new voucher scheme for poorly served areas (i.e. those that cannot access superfast broadband 30Mbps+) is set to go live this summer. The scheme will be accompanied by a new online premises level eligibility checker. At present Scotland is busy entering the deployment phase for their 600m R100 (Reaching 100%) programme, which has so far awarded two of its three contracts Central (LOT 2) and Southern (LOT 3) to BT (Openreach). Meanwhile an unspecified legal challenge by UK ISP Gigaclear against the proposed award of LOT 1 (North Scotland / Highlands) to BT (here) continues to delay the agreement. NOTE: R100 focuses on the final 5-6% of premises without superfast connectivity or any future upgrade plans, which reflects around 150,000 premises. The LOT 2 contract with BT will upgrade at least 47,000 of these, while LOT 3 will do around 26,000. Nearly all with gigabit-capable R100 focuses on the final 5-6% of premises without superfast connectivity or any future upgrade plans, which reflects around 150,000 premises. The LOT 2 contract with BT will upgrade at least 47,000 of these, while LOT 3 will do around 26,000. Nearly all with gigabit-capable FTTP Under the current plan engineers will reach around half of the target premises in both lots approximately 23,000 in Central and 12,000 in the South by the end of 2021, with the majority of the build completed by the end of 2023 (a couple of years later than originally planned). On top of that the R100 programme has also been busy developing a new voucher scheme, although until now we only knew that this would launch later in 2020. Paul Wheelhouse said: (responding to a question from Edward Mountain MSP) As Mr Mountain knows, broadband provision, like all telecoms issues, is a reserved matter. The Scottish Government is intervening to address market failure, and the R100 programme will deliver, although we have clearly been delayed by the current legal proceedings, which we cannot fast track-we will have to wait for their outcome. I assure Mr Mountain and everyone whom he represents in the Highlands and Islands that they will be eligible for the voucher funding that will be available from this summer onwards. Through the online checker that we are developing to provide information at a premises level, his constituents should be able to tell whether they are eligible for R100 and when it will deliver to their premises. If that is likely to be beyond the end of 2021, they will be able to use the voucher funding to deliver a solution. At this stage we still dont know much about the voucher scheme itself, except for a few bits. Anyone (homes and businesses) who will not be able to access superfast broadband through the R100 programme by the end of 2021 even if R100 will ultimately reach them will be eligible for the voucher once it goes live this summer. The scheme will also allow people to obtain superfast broadband via other technologies than just fibre, such as satellite, fixed wireless access or mobile broadband (4G / 5G). We tend to view the inclusion of Satellite as being somewhat of a weak fix, although if SpaceX or similar companies can ever produce an affordable ultrafast broadband option from their growing network of LEO spacecraft (due to go live soon-ish) then that could become attractive again. The lack of diversity in publishing is a topic that has been discussed in the industry for years. And while some companies have been hiring more people of color and releasing more titles by and about underrepresented groups, the industry is still largely run by, and largely publishes books by, white people. The most serious challenge to that structure may have come last week, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis Police Department. On June 8, a group of more than 1,100 workers across the book and media industries, most of them junior staffers, stepped off the job in a day of solidarity to speak out against racist murder, white supremacy, and racial capitalism. The groups statement was crafted collectively and shared via email and a Google document. We protest our industrys role in systemic racism, its failure to hire and retain a significant number of Black employees or publish a significant number of Black authors, and its pursuit of profit through books that incite racism, the letter said. Participants were asked to use the day to support the black community by doing such things as protesting, organizing, and fund-raising, in addition to donating the days pay to a number of social justicerelated and anti-racist causes. Upcoming plans for the collective involve the development of a democratic process for organizing and decision-making, the statement continued. Building collective power and having an activated base first is necessary to achieve this kind of action down the line. Danny Vazquez of Farrar, Straus and Giroux was one of the five Macmillan staffers, four of whom identify as BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) and one of whom is white, who drafted the initial language for the action. The action, Vazquez said, was created in response to the emails that CEOs of the Big Five publishing companies sent to their companies addressing the protests and the current political climatestatements the group considered inadequate in addressing issues pertaining to white supremacy, racial capitalism, and the murders of black people at the hands of police. The collective action drew the attention of three of the trades Big Five publishers. Penguin Random House had the most comprehensive response. In a letter sent to its American employees, the board of PRH US acknowledged that though the company has made progress in diversifying its workforce and the types of books it publishes, it must do more on both counts. PRH, noting that it has published groundbreaking Black authors, stated that our company and our industry havent published enough works by authors of color. We can, and must, do much more, and in particular, we must live up to our goal of publishing books for all readers. PRH also said that to publish more diverse books, the company needs to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce and culture. Among the actions announced by PRH are a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative, an increase in its donation to We Need Diverse Books, and an expansion of its partnership with WNDB that includes becoming the inaugural sponsor of the Black Creatives Fund, which will focus on encouraging and amplifying the work of black creatives who have written adult or childrens books. PRH is also upping its anti-racism training and making it mandatory for all employees. The company also promised to share with employees statistics related to its current workforce demographics, and those findings will be used to set clear goals for increasing PRHs diversity at all levels. To increase the number of books it publishes by people of color, PRH is conducting an audit of its publishing programs to set a baseline from which it can measure improvements. The day of solidarity led Hachette Book Groups executive management board to expand its current initiatives for increasing diversity and to begin work on other important changes, according to a spokesperson. Among the initiatives in the works are sharing with all employees metrics that HBG has previously shared with managers on staff diversity and list diversity, setting goals for hiring diverse staff and publishing diverse voices, expanding unconscious bias training, and accelerating equity and inclusion training for senior managers. These broad diversity initiatives will include specific actions to support the discovery and publication of Black voices and the recruitment and hiring of Black applicants, the spokesperson said. Simon & Schuster issued a statement noting that the company agrees with its employees on the need for change. We are committed to working with our employees, authors and the publishing community to make our company and our industry a safe and inclusive environment for all, and a publisher of works that represent the breadth and depth of our diverse population, the statement read in part. HarperCollins and Macmillan did not respond to a request for comment. Criticism of the way the Poetry Foundation has been managed, particularly with respect to its treatment of underrepresented groups, led to the resignations of foundation president Henry Bienen and board chair Willard Bunn III last week. The resignations came shortly after the foundation received an open letter from a group of its fellows and programmatic partners, signed by more than 1,800 others, that was critical of the organizations June 3 statement on the killing of George Floyd. We find this statement to be worse than the bare minimum, the letter read. For years, your constituents have been calling on the Foundation to redistribute more of its enormous resources to marginalized artists, to make concrete commitments to and change-making efforts in your local community and beyond. Advance discrepancies The day of solidarity is not the only thing that shook publishing. Several hundred authors took to Twitter to publicly share what they were paid for their books under the hashtag #PublishingPaidMe. Most of the information related to advances rather than royalties. The intention of the campaign, which was created by author L.L. McKinney, is to expose the disparity in book advances between white and black authors. Some people of color, such as Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give, declined to reveal specifics. She tweeted that she was the exception, not the rule, adding, The rules have to change. Among the authors who were candid was National Book Awardwinner Jesmyn Ward, who wrote, Even after Salvage the Bones won the NBA, my publishing company did not want to give me 100k for my next novel. My agent and I fought and fought before we wrestled our way to that number. In creating #PublishingPaidMe, McKinney tweeted, When books by white authors dont perform, theyre likely to get another chance and another 100k advance. When books by Black authors dont perform, the ENTIRE demographic gets blamed and punished. Black authors are told our books dont sell. No one wants them. #PublishingPaidMe is part of a bigger conversation about the system issues in publishing that Black people face. Issues weve been talking about, and screaming about, for years, but weve largely gone ignored. Several authors noted that information on advances alone does not give the full picture. N.K. Jemisin wrote a long thread elucidating her thoughts on the situation: A lot of people are treating advances like the earnings for a book, and... no. Basically advances indicate what the publishing industry *thinks* readers will like in the future, so they are effectively attempting to peer into a crystal ball when they do this. Since these are big corporations and not fortune tellers, some hard facts go into this guess: the authors previous sales, for one. Sales of comparable books by comparable authors. Jemisin added, But heres where hard facts start to slip and other factors start to slip in, like, who are my comparable authors? Who is trying a different subgenre of SFF with every series, a different style, etc., like me? IDK. How many readers *like* authors who jump around like that? And this is America 2020, where for the past X years weve had to endure targeted marketing based on demographics. Sitamarhi : , June 13 (IANS) The Nepal police on Saturday released an Indian national a day after it opened fire on a crowd at a border area under Sonbarsa police station. Lagan Yadav was taken away by Nepal police yesterday following the firing incident at Jankinagar area in which one person was killed and two others were injured. Sitamarhi Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said Lagan Yadav has been released by the Nepal police. On Friday angry villagers had protested the killing of Vikesh Yadav, who died in Nepal police firing, and demanded that Lagan Yadav be released by that country's police. Lagan Yadav has alleged that Nepal police had taken him away from an Indian border area and that he was beaten up. Meanwhile, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which is part of India's Central Armed Police Forces, said in Patna that the Sitamarhi incident was a local issue and that there was no tension along the Indo-Nepal border. SSB's Inspector General Sanjay Kumar told IANS that the local administration is looking into the Sitamarhi incident. He said there was no controversy involving the SSB and the Nepal police. Kumar said that people belonging to both sides of the border had family relations and that there was a daily movement of people from across the border. "Quarrels and squabbles do happen, but these are sorted out at the local level," he said, ruling out any tension along the border. He said patrolling along the border during Covid-19 lockdown has been intensified and that people's movement was restricted. People were inconvenienced due to the lockdown, he added. He said the Bihar-Nepal border was open and that SSB had 94 posts along that part of the border. Each post has a platoon-size force (around 25 men), he added. President Donald Trump on Saturday addressed the new graduating class of the West Point military academy, praising the righteous glory of the American warrior but largely side-stepping recent controversies over racial unrest and the militarys role in putting it down. America is the greatest country in human history, Trump told the 1,107 newly minted second lieutenants as they sat, well-spaced, under a bright sun on the parade ground of the US Military Academy. But he made no direct mention of the recent racial turmoil and only glancingly referred to recent dissent from top military figures over his threat to employ active duty troops to put down protests. Trumps closest mention came when he said, I also want to thank the men and women of our National Guard for responding to challenges from hurricanes and natural disasters to ensuring peace, safety and the constitutional rule of law on our streets. The president, who was introduced by the academys first black superintendent, Lieutenant General Darryl Williams, also referred only passingly to the nations racial challenges. The army was at the forefront of ending the terrible injustice of segregation, he said, and it was West Point graduates who led the fight in the Civil War to end the evil of slavery. Trump did not mention that one West Point barracks still bears the name of General Robert E. Lee, who led the break-away Confederate forces during that war, which brought an end to slavery. Trump has rejected recent demands to rename US military bases bearing the names of Confederate officers. Rising tensions Tensions between Trump and the military had soared since he threatened to call out active duty troops to put down sometimes violent protests when racial turmoil broke out recently. Defense Secretary Mark Esper took the exceptional step of publicly denouncing such use of the troops. And Espers predecessor, James Mattis, accused Trump of deliberately dividing the country and making a mockery of the US constitution. On Thursday, General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said he regretted his presence at Trumps side on June 1, when National Guard troops fired smoke bombs and pepper balls to clear peaceful protestors from outside the White House so the president could walk across and pose for pictures at a nearby church. I should not have been there, said Milley, adding that his presence created a perception of military involvement in domestic politics. Trump later derided Mattis, a respected retired marine corps leader, as our countrys most overrated general. Battling for reelection The fracture in civil-military relations hung over Trumps address to the cadets at the picturesque West Point campus, situated in green hills north of New York City. The president clearly wants to be seen as a tough leader as he battles for reelection in November against Democrat Joe Biden, whom Trump labels weak. The academy had been shut and students sent home because of the coronavirus pandemic. But Trump abruptly announced in April that he would address the graduates in person. So cadets were recalled and put through weeks of COVID-19 quarantine and testing. They wore masks as they marched onto the field; Trump, as usual, did not. Asked in a Fox News interview that aired Friday about Esper and Milley, Trump replied, If thats the way they feel, I think thats fine. I have good relationships with the military, he said. But Trumps strains with the Pentagon have long roots. Deeper strains He controversially overrode top Pentagon generals in 2019 to protect a Navy Seal, Eddie Gallagher, accused of war crimes. He also forced the Pentagon to divert billions of dollars from other projects to build a wall along the border with Mexico. And his precipitous efforts to withdraw US troops from abroad including a reported plan to slash troop levels in Afghanistan and an abrupt decision to pull thousands of troops from Germany have upended Pentagon plans. An internationally renowned advanced nurse practitioner at the CUH who has also helped poverty stricken African communities fight disease has been honoured with the May Cork Person of the Month award. Pat McCluskey has worked as a wound care nurse at the hospital for more than three decades and will be a well know and reassuring face to many people from across Cork city and county who have been under her care during that time. What people may not know about Pat is that since 2015 she has been working with the charity 'Facing Africa', which was founded in 1998 by retired entrepreneur Chris Lawrence and his wife Terry and to help people in Ethiopia suffering from a devastating condition called Noma. A condition that typically affects people living in extreme poverty, Noma is an opportunistic condition resulting from untreated oral infection that leads to severe disfiguring of the moth and face. Such is the appearance of sufferers it can all too often result in them being treated as social outcasts and ostracised by their own communities. However, if caught early, enough, it can be treated through the use of antibiotics and nutritional rehabilitation. Pat, who lives near Ballincollig, is no stranger to Africa having worked in Zambia as a newly qualified midwife/nurse during the early 1980s and it has always been an ambition of her to work there again once she had gained more experience. In 2015 Pat along with two anaesthetists, Dr Patrick Seigne and Dr Peter Lee and a nursing colleague Ann Higgins all from the CUH travelled to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa with a team of plastic surgeons and nurses from the UK under the umbrella of 'Facing Africa'. Each year she has returned to Ethiopia with the charity, with anaesthetist Dr Dan Mullane and nurses Sheila Lordan, Catherine Kingston and Eileen Foley from the CUH joining her on her most recent 'May Mission'. The teams assess patients at the Facing Africa house in Managesha before performing initial and reconstruction surgery in a rented theatre at an Addis Ababa hospital. The teams also provide training to Ethiopian nurses, reducing the number of Irish volunteers needed to participate on the annual missions. Most recently Pat has faced new challenges at the CUH during the COVID-19 pandemic, most specifically in the area of pressure damage to the skin among patients who are being ventilated. "Patients are nursed in the prone position, which is very rare. This can cause very problematic wounds, a side effect of the illness which has been well documented from China and elsewhere," said Pat. A key element of her role has been to treat and minimise further discomfort to people hospitalised due to the disease and to support her nursing colleagues. Pat said she was "delighted" to have been nominated for the Cork Person the Month awards. "I do not do the work that I do for recognition. It's not a hardship and I have loved my nursing career. I am proud to be a nurse in CUH during this current epidemic where the management and team work across all disciplines has been inspirational," she said. Pat said the annual fortnightly trips to Ethiopia were hugely enjoyable experiences, paying tribute to the Lawrence's for having the compassion and drive to set up Facing Africa. "Chris and Terry are extraordinary people who run a superb operation and look after the teams so well. In addition, the Ethiopian people are really warm, welcoming and fun-loving," she said. Awards organiser, Mallow native Manus O'Callaghan, said Pat was a thoroughly deserving winner of the monthly accolade. "Pat McCluskey is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, with a big reputation amongst the medical community in Cork, Ireland and Internationally, in wound care management. She also lectures on the subject at many national and international conferences," said Manus. "No one, of course, appreciates her work more than the thousands of people she has treated in Cork and Africa over the years. She selflessly devotes her time to improving people's quality of life, and helps to alleviate their suffering. We thank her for her bravery during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her ongoing commitment to the Facing Africa mission," he added. Pat McCluskey will now go forward for possible selection as the 2020 Cork Person of the Year. Dublin, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "South Africa Gift Card and Incentive Card Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook) - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2024) - Covid-19 Update Q2 2020" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report details the impact of the economic slowdown along with changes in business and consumer sentiment due to the disruption caused by Covid-19 outbreak on gift card industry in South Africa. Historically, the gift card market in South Africa has recorded a steady growth with a CAGR of 19.0% during 2015-2019. However, the gift card market in South Africa is expected to be impacted across retail and corporate segments due to disruption caused by Covid-19 outbreak. Though growth of gift card industry will be impacted due to the pandemic, there are certain segments such as self-use which will gain significant market share. Adoption of e-Gift cards is also expected to increase significantly over the next 4-6 quarters. There are interesting trends emerging across various segments, which are expected to fundamentally reshape the gift card industry dynamics. Despite near-term challenges, the medium to long term growth story of gift cards in South Africa remains strong. The gift card industry in South Africa will continue to grow over the forecast period and is expected to record a CAGR of 14.8% during 2020-2024. The gift card market in the country will increase from US$ 815.4 million in 2019 to reach US$ 1,378.9 million by 2024. The growing e-commerce market in the country is one of the factors that is driving the market growth in South Africa. With online sales growing at 25-30% annually and the e-commerce market expected to reach US$ 6 billion by 2022, the spending on gift cards is also expected to increase. The rising trend of gift card usage has drawn foreign companies to explore the market in South Africa. For instance, in March 2020, InComm , a payments technology company, launched its gift cards in partnership with Flash and Pepkor Group. The gift cards include gaming, ride-sharing, content, and streaming gift cards via Flash and Pepkor's retail network effectively making these cards available in every South African region. This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of gift cards and corporate incentive cards market along with consumer behaviour and retail spend dynamics in South Africa. With over 200 KPIs at country level, this report provides comprehensive understanding of gift and incentive card market dynamics. The report includes raw data along with structured dashboards, charts, and tables in an interactive Excel format. Key report features: Story continues Provides detailed view of overall spend on gifts, broken down by retail and consumer segments. For both retail and consumer segments, this report provides a breakdown of spend on gifts by product categories and retail sectors. Provides in-depth analysis of opportunities in both open loop and closed loop prepaid gift card categories. Assesses consumer behaviour by type of consumer, gifting occasion, digital gift card and market share by retail sectors. Details six essential KPIs: number of cards in circulation, load value, unused value, average purchase value, average value per transaction, and value of transactions. Provides detailed market dynamics of corporate incentive cards, broadly segmented in three categories - consumer incentive card, employee incentive card, and sales/partner incentive card. It details market size and forecast at category level, by functional attribute and by corporate consumer segments. Provides market size and forecast for digital gift cards, broken down by retail and corporate buyers. It also includes gift card spend by occasion and digital gift card adoption by company size. Provides market estimates and forecasts to assess opportunities in open loop and closed loop gift and incentive card segments across consumer segments. Identifies and interprets key KPIs related to gift card dynamics including spend by age, gender, and income level. Breaks down retail spend across retail sectors to provide detailed insights on consumer behaviour and changing dynamics of gift card spend. Provides market share of closed loop gift cards by key retailers in South Africa. Provides market share by distribution channel - online vs offline sales and 1st party vs 3rd party sales. Companies Mentioned Shoprite Holdings Ltd Pick 'n' Pay Stores Ltd Internationale Spar Centrale BV Wal-Mart Stores Inc Woolworths Holdings Ltd Edcon Holdings Ltd Pepkor Holdings Ltd Steinhoff International Holdings Ltd Mr Price Group Ltd Clicks Group Ltd Foschini Group Ltd, The Truworths Group Pty, Ltd For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kgq56p About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Rep. Cleaver Leads Congressional Call For Facebook To Strengthen Policies In Order To Limit Violence And Paid Political Disinformation June 12, 2020 Today, United States Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), joined by 17 colleagues in the House of Representatives, delivered a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling on the tech company to revise its policies governing the incitement of violence and political micro-targeting on its platform. Rep. Social media regulation is the future and this town's highest ranking elected official is leading the way . . . Read more: Five years before the novel coronavirus ran rampant around the world, saiga antelopes from the steppes of Eurasia experienced their own epidemic. Millions of these grazing animals -- easily recognizable by their oversized snouts -- once migrated across what is today Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Georgia and more. But then, over the span of three weeks in 2015, nearly 200,000, or two-thirds of their existing population, sickened and died from a bacterial infection. Today, the a little more than 100,000 saiga are hanging onto survival in a few pockets of Eurasia. The decline, and uncertain fate, of the saiga is a story that resonates with Joanna Lambert. She's a conservation biologist at the University of Colorado Boulder and a coauthor of a paper published this week in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. The study explores the current state of ungulates, or hoofed animals like the saiga, in the western U.S. and around the world. Lambert, who has studied ecological communities in both North America and Equatorial Africa, explained that many of these creatures aren't well-known outside of their home regions. But when these animals disappear, entire ecosystems can reshuffle, occasionally beyond recognition. "We're losing these animals without people ever knowing they were there in the first place," said Lambert, a professor in the Program of Environmental Studies at CU Boulder. advertisement For the researcher, the study's publication marks an opportunity to reflect on how she stays hopeful even amid tremendous losses -- and how to talk about the natural world during a period of unprecedented social upheaval. "I tell my students, 'I have to give you the facts. This is the world you're growing up in, but don't let that paralyze you,'" Lambert said. Unsung species The new research was led by Joel Berger of Colorado State University and also included scientists from Bhutan, Argentina and Chile. The team decided to look at ungulates because -- with a few exceptions like rhinos and elephants -- they don't usually pop up in brochures for conservation organizations. But, Lambart said, they're still in trouble: Huemel, for example, once roamed across the Patagonia region of South America. Today, a little more than 1,000 of these fluffy deer still live in the wild. The tamaraw, a pint-sized buffalo from the Philippines, is down to just a few hundred individuals. advertisement "The whole world knows the stories of pandas and mountain gorillas, but there are untold numbers of unsung species that come and go without the world's attention," she said. Their cases also show just how complicated conservation can be. Lambert has spent years trekking the grasslands and forests of Yellowstone National Park to study wildlife. After federal officials killed all the park's wolves in the 1940s, elk herds there began to multiply -- big time. Head counts for these herbivores surged from a few thousand individuals to tens of thousands, and they devoured once-abundant plants like cottonwood and willow trees. "When you pull one species out of its community, or if you add a new one in, the entire assembly changes," Lambert said. "That has been the history of what humans have done on the planet." When the park brought wolves back in the 1990s, and elk numbers dropped back down, something unexpected happened: beavers, which had also disappeared from Yellowstone, began reappearing, too. The furry swimmers, it turns out, depend on those same tree species to build their dams. "In many cases, we don't know what rules these ecosystems followed in the past," she said. "Even when we do know, it doesn't matter because we now have this added element of human tinkering." Ecological grief Lambert has also struggled to keep going as a conservation biologist as the wilds around her field sites in Africa and North America dwindled, then vanished entirely. "As I returned each year from the field, it was taking me longer and longer to recover from a sort of existential depression," she said. "I realized that I have been profoundly impacted by the losses I've seen." Many of Lambert's students feel similarly hopeless, a phenomenon that psychologists call "ecological grief." She tells them to focus on the success stories, however rare they are. Protected areas like Yellowstone have saved countless animals from extinction and have given others like wolves new chances at survival. Lambert is also providing scientific guidance around proposals to return wolves to Colorado. And there are still a lot of animals out there -- including the few remaining herds of big-nosed saiga. "We need to fight like hell to keep all that," she said. The deployment of U.S. military intelligence units on American soil in support of domestic law enforcement operations is unusual, but it has happened before. In 2002, at the request of the F.B.I., the Army deployed secret surveillance planes as part of a broadening effort to catch a sniper in the Washington area. To do so in support of ferreting out foreign interference here for example, to determine if another country was trying to provoke greater unrest on the streets would be even more unusual. American military officials said on Friday that they were not aware that had happened during the recent protests. Intelligence and Pentagon officials said they had been closely monitoring the protests for any sign of attempts by Russia or other foreign powers to seize on the racial tensions, but so far they have noted only public statements by Russian officials criticizing the United States for its handling of the demonstrations. The Russian government has in recent months increased efforts to inflame racial tensions in the United States as part of its bid to influence the presidential election in November, including trying to incite violence by white supremacist groups and to stoke anger among African-Americans. Russias lead intelligence agency, the S.V.R., has apparently gone beyond methods of interference in 2016, when operatives tried to stoke racial animosity by creating fake Black Lives Matter groups and spreading disinformation to depress black voter turnout. Now, Russia is also trying to influence white supremacist groups, American officials said. Our country faces a myriad of foreign bad actors attempting to interfere in our political process, and those threats are only likely to increase as we approach the 2020 elections, Mr. Schiff said in a statement. Constant vigilance, robust congressional oversight and greater transparency will be necessary to combat that interference. Police had been called on Rayshard Brooks for falling asleep in a car blocking the drive-through lane of a restaurant. Demonstrators have taken to the streets in Atlanta in protest against the fatal shooting by police of a Black man who had fallen asleep in his car while waiting in line at a fast food drive-through south of downtown. The Friday night incident comes at a time of heightened tension over police brutality and calls for reforms across the United States following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Police had been called on 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks for sleeping in a car blocking the drive-through lane of a Wendys restaurant on Friday night. After Brooks failed a field sobriety test, the officers attempted to place him into custody, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI), an independent agency that has been asked by the Atlanta Police Department to investigate the killing. According to the GBI, Brooks resisted arrest and a struggle ensued, leading an officer to deploy a Taser. When the Taser did not work, Brooks reportedly tried to take it from the officer. A second officer then tried to use a Taser on Brooks, but it had no effect, Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Timothy Peek told reporters after the incident. During the tussle, Brooks was shot and later died at a local hospital. The GBI said in a statement it was investigating reports that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over the Taser. A crowd of demonstrators gathered at the scene of the shooting on Saturday. The president of the Georgia NAACP, the Reverend James Woodall, has called for the firing of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper. The GBI said it was reviewing video footage of the incident taken by witnesses. That video, which was posted on social media, shows Brooks on the ground outside his car, struggling with two police officers. The shooting later occurs out of frame. Atlanta was among many large US cities where large crowds of protesters have taken to the streets in recent days. People are upset Gerald Griggs, a lawyer and vice president of Atlantas NAACP chapter, estimated there were 150 people protesting at the scene as he walked with them on Saturday afternoon. The people are upset, Griggs said. They want to know why their dear brother Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed when he was merely asleep on the passenger side and not doing anything. Even though Brooks struggled with officers, Griggs said, they could have used nonlethal force to take him down. The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force. Yes, investigations must be called for but so too should accountability. Sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death. https://t.co/LKsiwA48Ll Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) June 13, 2020 Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said his office has also launched an intense, independent investigation of the incident. Stacey Abrams, the Georgia Democrat who gained national prominence running for governor in 2018, tweeted on Saturday of the shooting that sleeping in a drive-thru must not end in death. The killing of #RayshardBrooks in Atlanta last night demands we severely restrict the use of deadly force, Abramss tweet said. Yes, investigations must be called for but so too should accountability. The officers involved in the shooting were not immediately identified. Madhya Pradesh governor Lalji Tandon, 85, was admitted to Medanta hospital in Lucknow after he complained of body ache and fever on Saturday. He was initially admitted to an isolation ward, but was moved to a private one when his coronavirus test report came negative. Governor Lalji Tandon has been running fever for the last few days but he is Covid-19 negative. His report confirms urinary tract infection. He has been advised complete bed rest and is attended by a team of doctors, said Medanta hospital director Dr Rakesh Kapoor. Since governor Lalji Tandon is also a diabetic, care is being taken to save him from other infections. Meanwhile Manohar Lal Dubey, secretary to the MP governor, on Saturday said, The information that I have is that the governor got himself admitted for some check-up. Madhya Pradesh Raj Bhavan had reported eleven Covid-19 positive cases till June 9 when Tandon left for Lucknow on a 10-day leave. Tandon reached Lucknow from Bhopal on Tuesday. He is scheduled to return on June 19. Of the 11 coronavirus cases found on MP Raj Bhavan campus, 10 are Raj Bhavan employees and their family members. Earlier on June 9, Dubey had said: The governor has gone home on a 10-day leave and it has nothing to do with Covid-19 patients found at Raj Bhavan. In fact, the latest patient happens to be a labourer who was engaged in construction work in the Raj Bhavan and he tested positive about a week earlier. The employees who tested positive for coronavirus were shifted to some other place and the Raj Bhavan at present has no presence of any Covid-19 patient. Reversing course just two days after news reports sparked a social media backlash, Starbucks says it will now allow employees to wear T-shirts and accessories in support of Black Lives Matter. "We see you. We hear you. Black Lives Matter. That is a fact and will never change," the company said in a letter posted Friday. "This movement is a catalyst for change, and right now, it's telling us a lot of things need to be addressed so we can make space to heal." Earlier this week, and first reported by BuzzFeed, the company turned down a request from baristas and other employees who wanted to show their support for the BLM movement. In a memo to its 250,000-member workforce, Diversity Officer Zing Shaw said "there are agitators who misconstrue the fundamental principles of the Black Lives Matter movement - and in certain circumstances, intentionally repurpose them to amplifying divisiveness." The decision sparked backlash on social media, including calls to boycott the company, and came just days after Starbucks had issued a "Black Lives Matter" statement of solidarity and committed $1 million to racial justice groups as protests broke out across the country following the death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody. On Friday, in a posting signed by Shaw, Chief Operating Officer Roz Brewer and Executive Vice President Rossann Williams, the company said it is producing T-shirts with "Black Lives Matter" and other slogans for staff in the United States and Canada to "demonstrate our allyship and show we stand together in unity." Employees, which the company refers to as "partners," will have the option to wear them while working. A company spokeswoman declined to say what exactly prompted the reversal - whether it was two days of social media calls for boycotts against the coffee chain or the current unrest in Seattle, the company's home base and where protests have led to an activist takeover of a four-block, police-free autonomous zone. Hailey Glick, who has worked as a Starbucks barista in Raleigh, N.C., since September, said she learned of the initial denial of BLM attire through an unofficial employee Facebook group. She said she initially thought the company was simply applying its official dress code policy, which prohibits personal accessories that advocate for a political, religious or personal issue - until her co-workers pointed out that the company sends employees shirts, cups and other merchandise to wear while on the clock during Pride Month. "If we can stand up for LGBTQ rights, why can't we stand up for black lives and people of color?" she said. Glick's manager knew she attended protests in Raleigh and was supportive, she said, but that might not be the case at stores in other cities. "I was very pleased with the reversal of the decision, and I think it's the right move. The only thing that I think makes me hesitate and probably makes the company hesitate too is how and where we draw the line," Glick said. "What's to stop someone wearing a MAGA hat or a MAGA shirt or a MAGA pin? I think what it ultimately comes down to is our values as a company." Bryant Simon, a historian at Temple University who wrote a book about Starbucks and American culture in 2009, said the company's initial position was a "particular Starbucks dance." The reversal, he said, came as a surprise. "Lots of mass companies with a really big audience don't want to have a public political statement and alienate their audience," he said. "They can't be Ben & Jerry's. They're just too big of a company for that. Their audience is too big, their investments are too big, their stores are in too many places for them to make a statement as strong as Ben & Jerry's did." What's tricky about Starbucks, Simon said, is that it markets its "third place" for customers (after home and work) without embracing the political discussion that comes with public spheres. It's not just about the coffee. "A kind of political presence has always been part of Starbucks proposition, the idea that they could make a difference in the world," he said. "You're buying some kind of identity, and that identity has a politics to it, but that's something that is kind of a slippery slope when you're a mass company." It's not the first time the company has been in the spotlight for racial issues. When a female employee at a Philadelphia Starbucks store called the police on two black men sitting inside in April 2018, protests and a legal battle with the city's police department thrust the company into reckoning with racial bias on a larger corporate scale. The company closed more than 8,000 of its U.S. stores the following month for an afternoon of anti-bias training. Christina Chang, a diversity and equity consultant in Seattle, said she often uses that case in her anti-bias workshops with predominantly white groups as an example of how institutionalized racism shows up in day-to-day life. "In the midst of everything of that's happened, they are still so flat-footed," she said. "How is that possible? The reason it's possible is that at the end of the day, you still don't have diversity at the top. You still don't have people of color with different experiences who will sit down with them and say, 'Hey that's not cool.'" Simon said he thinks that the company's quick reversal is a case study for how the broader American public has mostly changed its attitude toward the Black Lives Matter movement. Responses to the company's quick reversal has been nuanced, ranging from applause and returning customers, to those who have now pledged to buy their coffee elsewhere rather than be served by a barista in a Black Lives Matter shirt, to racial justice activists who feel the company's response was disingenuous and too little, too late. "In this moment, when everybody is waking up, and for Starbucks to do this . . . it's unforgivable," Chang said. "No, we do not stop boycotting Starbucks. . . . They have struck out." Starbucks suffered a $3 billion hit to revenue since the pandemic began sweeping across the United States in March, forcing the company to temporarily shutter half of its 8,000 company-owned U.S. stores for nearly two months. Glick said that during that time, Starbucks sent employees surveys to fill out about how their communities were affect ed by the pandemic and what local organizations were working to address those needs, which resulted in company donations. She said she's expecting to receive a similar survey in response to racial injustice protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. But Chang isn't hopeful that the company culture will change until its board, leadership and store management reflects the racial and gender diversity of the country. "The only way it's every going to change is if we actually have representation at the top," she said. "Not tokenism, not, 'Oh we hired a chief diversity officer' so we're done." An alleged Queensland bikie gang member has faced court accused of importing 25 litres of the sex drug Gamma-butyrolactone into Australia. Bryan James Cutts, 26, allegedly attempted to air-freight about $100,000 of the drug from China to Brisbane, Australian Federal Police say. But the Australian Border Force intercepted the drugs in Sydney sparking a joint agency investigation, which included Queensland Police. Cutts appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. Bryan James Cutts, 26, is accused of importing 25 litres of the sex drug Gamma-butyrolactone (stock) He was granted bail to appear in the same court on July 3. Gamma-butyrolactone or GBL is commonly referred to as the party drug: liquid ecstasy, fantasy, or 'coma in a bottle'. It has also been used to stupefy rape victims. 'What people are actually ingesting is an industrial chemical solvent found in paint strippers and stain removers and it can be fatal, even in tiny doses,' AFP Detective Superintendent Crime Northern Command Todd Hunter said in a statement. GBL can also cause memory loss, respiratory difficulties, loss of consciousness and coma, he said. The maximum penalty for importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug is life imprisonment. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The 'Global Sodium Hexametaphosphate (CAS 10124-56-8) Market Outlook 2019-2024 ' offers detailed coverage of sodium hexametaphosphate industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading sodium hexametaphosphate producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for sodium hexametaphosphate. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography. Request For Report Sample @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/3770 The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from key industry participants. The global sodium hexametaphosphate market has been segmented into five major regions, namely, North America (U.S., Canada, and others), Europe (U.K., France, Germany, Russia, and others), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, and others), South America (Brazil, Argentina, and others), and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and others). Furthermore, the report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key vendors operating in this market. Get Complete TOC with Tables and Figures@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/3770 Key Regions - North America - Europe - Asia Pacific - Middle East & Africa - South America Key Vendors - Aditya Birla Chemicals (India) Limited - Innophos Holdings, Inc. - Yichang Kaixiang Chemical Co., Ltd. - Shifang Sundia Chemical Industry Limited Company - Jiangyin Chengxing Industrial Group Co., Ltd. - Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Group Co., Ltd. - request free sample to get a complete list of companies Key Questions Answered in This Report - Analysis of the sodium hexametaphosphate market including revenues, future growth, market outlook - Historical data and forecast - Regional analysis including growth estimates - Analyzes the end user markets including growth estimates. - Profiles on sodium hexametaphosphate vendors including products, sales / revenues, SWOT, and market position, recent developments. - Market structure, market drivers and restraints. <<< Get COVID-19 Report Analysis >>> https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/3770 Writers Guild of America West's Committee of Black Writers' vice chair, Bianca Sams, left, and co-chairs Hilliard Guess and Michelle Amor. (WGAW) Black writers are calling for Hollywood to revamp its hiring and to show accountability for the lack of progress among creators of color in film and television. The Writers Guild of America West, in the first move of its kind by the union, published an open letter Friday from its Committee of Black Writers (CBW). The "Letter to Hollywood" calls for a wholesale change in the way the film and TV industry hires writers and for studios to partner with schools to prepare Black creators for entry into the industry. It also demands accountability in the industry for pledges made in recent days by studios, networks and production companies to support the Black Lives Matter movement with resources and operational changes. "Either you commit to a new, institutionalized system of accountability with and to Black writers, or you prove that youre putting on just another strategic, virtue-signaling performance deemed necessary to survive the times," the writers said in the letter, signed by Michelle Amor and Hilliard Guess, co-chairs of the CBW, and Bianca Sams, its vice chair. This is the first time the union has released a letter from one of its committees; the Writers Guild of America West Board of Directors said in a statement that "[we] felt strongly that we wanted to amplify [the CBW's] message." Hollywood companies, led by Netflix and followed by others including Walt Disney's Hulu, CBS and Warner Bros., have shared messages of support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of protests over the killing of George Floyd. But the writers said more needs to be done to address financial inequities and lack of access that prevent Black creators not only from stepping onto the ladder in Hollywood but progressing through the ranks. "We Black writers who have 'made it' in Hollywood have still been denied jobs at all levels, passed over for opportunities we were qualified for, rejected from writers rooms because of a 'lack of experience,' unsupported when seeking to create content specifically for Black audiences, critically underpaid and mistreated compared to white counterparts, and historically ignored during awards season," the CBW wrote in the letter. Story continues The letter describes the long legacy of Hollywood productions and systems that exclude Black writers and other creators of color, recalling how contemporary cinema was launched a century ago with the film "The Birth of a Nation." The D.W. Griffith movie, written by two white men, "validated violently racist stereotypes of Black people," the CBW wrote, as well as glorified the Ku Klux Klan and spread racist propaganda. The 1915 silent epic is widely acknowledged as having fueled the rebirth of the Klan in the early 1920s. The committee cited the union's recent 2020 Inclusion Report, which found that systemic discrimination against writers from underrepresented groups remains pervasive, with white writers scoring 80% of all film jobs in 2019 while Black writers only got 5.6% of writing jobs, according to UCLA's 2020 Hollywood Diversity Report. "Some have tried to blame this on a shortage of Black writers, yet there are at least 808 self-identified Black writers in the Guild; we have been here, ready to work," the writers said. (WGAW membership overall is around 10,000.) "When you need us (and you will need us), you now know where to find us," the letter concluded. "Have your people call our people." MIDDLETOWN Community members are working to to help the family of the Green Street woman who lost her life Monday following a fatal stabbing. Middletown High School ELA interventionist Louis Vollono set up a GoFundMe page this week, For the Benefit of the Burruss-Bigaud children to raise funds for a college fund to pay for the education of Quanisha Burruss children. Burruss was the victim of domestic violence, police said. The suspect, William Bigaud, 37, was captured in Georgia Wednesday, and will be charged with murder, according to Middletown police. By Friday afternoon, Vollonos drive had collected $470 of its $50,000 goal. A second fundraiser, Quanisha Nisha Burruss & Family, on the same platform, was set up this week by Burruss good friend and neighbor, Middletown Planning and Zoning Alternate Commissioner Shanay Fulton. It had garnered nearly $10,000 of its $15,000 goal by Friday afternoon. She was a loving mother, friend and hard worker. Her death has shaken our close-knit Green Street Community. We collectively decided to help the family with any needs they may have. We love and miss you Nisha. Sleep in peace, wrote Fulton. Fulton spoke Friday afternoon about her friend, whom she saw almost every day. Her children are friends with Burruss children. They shared very similar stories of domestic abuse, as well as many laughs together, she said. Burruss was very involved in her boys life. Burruss attended the May 30 Black Lives Matter march downtown, which made Fulton proud. Fulton said its very important for victims to prepare if they ever need to flee for their safety. Dont be afraid to call police is one of the most important pieces of advice she gives people. Break the stigma of not pressing charges. Have an exit plan. Its also vital to set up a way to call for help in the case the victims phone is taken, have a place to stay, have a bag packed, and put aside whatever money they can to aid them, she said. . Some of the emotions of the past have resurfaced with the loss of her friend, something common for victims, Fulton added. I wish she would have shared more of what she was going through. Sharing custody with the abuser, courts sometimes dismissing the matters, and repeated legal proceedings can be very difficult , Fulton added. Vollono, who has three children, knows the youths post-secondary education will be expensive. This is really going to be a beginning for them, he said. His Middletown Public Schools colleagues strive to educate the whole child, he said. Were teachers, but, as a teacher, our lessons extend far beyond the four walls of a classroom. Vollono hopes the community will support these efforts. I believe it takes a village. This is a time for Middletown, and our state, to show what a village we can be. He intends to distribute funds raised to whomever is appointed the legal guardian of the children. A candlelight vigil is planned for 5 p.m. Saturday at Harbor Park on deKoven Drive. Organizers ask participants to wear face masks and practice social distancing measures for their health and safety. Victims of domestic violence or those who know someone in that situation may call the statewide domestic violence hotline at 888-774-2900 (English) or 844-831-9200 (Spanish) or visit 211.org. The National Domestic Violence Hotline, at 800-799-7233, provides crisis intervention and referrals to service providers throughout the United States. After children die, questions of standards and biases Part 2 Family Court judges handle dozens of cases a day, and lack time to independently investigate allegations that a parent is abusing a child. Often a forensic evaluator is hired to review accusations and give an opinion to the judge, who typically follows the evaluator's recommendations. Another key official, the attorney for the child, ideally can provide insight about the truth of allegations as cases proceed. These officials have power over contentious Family Court cases, but there are almost no guidelines or standards for them to follow, and critics say they've failed in recent cases of child deaths. Absent rigorous investigation, an argument called "parental alienation" has led to abuse allegations being brushed aside. China has reported six new domestic coronavirus cases Lockdowns were imposed in parts of Beijing on Saturday to try and prevent the spread of a new coronavirus cluster, highlighting the challenges that lie ahead even for places where outbreaks are under control. It came as Brazil claimed the unenviable position of having the second-highest virus death toll worldwide behind the United States, with no sign the infection rate is slowing in Latin America. After COVID-19 was first detected in central China last year, the vast Asian country largely eliminated transmission within its borders through hyper-strict lockdowns that were emulated across the globe. But as the government reported six new domestic cases, most linked to a meat market in southern Beijing, people were forced indoors at several nearby residential estatesmarking a painful step backwards in the city's return to normality. Officials said the district has established a "wartime mechanism" and "field command centre" to deal with the fresh outbreak, as paramilitary police were seen around the market hotspot and a mass testing campaign linked to the cluster was announced. Worldwide, the pandemic has killed more than 425,000 people and infected more than 7.6 million, while wreaking large-scale economic devastation. Brazil claimed the unenviable position of having the second-highest virus death toll worldwide Latin America has emerged as the latest epicentre of the respiratory disease, believed to have jumped from an animal to humans at a Chinese market that sold wildlife. Brazil's health ministry recorded 909 deaths in the past 24 hours, putting the total at 41,828meaning the country of 212 million people has now surpassed Britain's death toll. "Some areas are at a critical stage" in Brazil, with intensive care unit occupancy levels of more than 90 percent, World Health Organization emergencies director Mike Ryan told journalists in Geneva. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who threatened last week to quit the WHO over "ideological bias", has dismissed the virus as a "little flu", and berated state officials for imposing lockdowns. US states see rising cases World health officials have warned that the virus is far from contained. "The fight is not over," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week. Officials said the southern Beijing district has established a 'wartime mechanism' to deal with the fresh outbreak In the US, which has confirmed the most COVID-19 deathsover 114,000more than a dozen states, including two of the most populous, Texas and Florida, reported their highest-ever daily case totals this week. "It's important that we remember that this situation is unprecedented. And that the pandemic has not ended," Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a media briefing on Friday. Nevertheless, US President Donald Trump and many local officials remain determined to get the world's biggest economy back on track. The virus and resulting lockdowns have caused a spike in US unemployment44.2 million people have filed claims for jobless benefits since mid-March. Europe is pushing ahead with its exit from lockdown, with a number of countries preparing to reopen borders on a limited basis on Monday after the EU Commission urged a relaxation of restrictions. World health officials have warned that the virus is far from contained France said it would gradually reopen its borders to non-Schengen countries from next month, and Germany said it would end land border checks on Monday. Greece said it would welcome tourists again, though Britons remain barredand visitors from Italy, Spain and the Netherlands must undergo tests on arrival. Court action In several European countries the focus has shifted to the courts and who might eventually be pinned with the blame for the global financial and health crisis. In Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by the virus, prosecutors questioned Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over his government's initial response. In the country's northern Lombardy region, an investigation has been launched into why a quarantined "red zone" was not enforced around two towns sooner. And in Bergamo province, 50 victims' family members filed complaints this week over how the crisis was handled. Europe is pushing ahead with its exit from lockdown In Italy's Bergamo province, 50 victims' family members filed complaints this week over how the crisis was handled "All investigations are welcome. The citizens have the right to know and we have the right to reply," Conte said this week. Elsewhere, British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair launched legal action against the British government over a "flawed" 14-day coronavirus quarantine system introduced this week. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2020 AFP She's a passionate advocate for diversity in media. And in The Sunday Telegraph's Stellar magazine, former SBS host Jan Fran said we still have 'a long way to go'. The 35-year-old, real name Jeanette Francis, told the publication that she would love for 'brown people' to be normalised on TV. 'I would love for brown people on TV to be normalised': Former SBS host Jan Fran, real name Jeanette Francis (pictured), 35, said we have 'a long way to go' in achieving diversity in the industry, in The Sunday Telegraph's Stellar magazine 'I would love to get to the point where I'm not talking about 'brown people on TV', [but] where brown people on TV is normalised,' she said. 'But to have that normalised, we have to have brown people on TV, and to have brown people on TV, you have to agitate. It doesn't just happen.' Jan, who was born in Lebanon and grew up in Sydney, went on to say that while many have been lobbying for change, there is still more work to be done. 'It's a good step in the right direction and it's credit to the people who have been pushing for this for decades. But we still have a long way to go,' she said. 'It doesn't just happen': Jan, who was born in Lebanon and grew up in Sydney, went on to say that while many have been lobbying for change, there is still more work to be done Jan, who joined podcast The Briefing in late April, and is a guest presenter on The Project, announced she was leaving SBS' The Feed in July last year. The current affairs program features documentaries, investigations, interviews and political satire. At the time of her departure from the network, Jan said in an official statement: 'I started as an SBS cadet and the fact that I lasted as long as I did is a testament to one, how lazy I am, but two, how good SBS has been to me this last decade. Jan explained: 'It's a good step in the right direction and it's credit to the people who have been pushing for this for decades. But we still have a long way to go' 'I've had so many opportunities, worked with so many wonderful people and made friends for life. 'SBS gave me so much room to grow and I thank all the bosses I've had who trusted me and/or were too busy to go over what I'd actually written until it went to air. 'I wouldn't be the person nor the journo I am today if it wasn't for SBS. Honestly, who else is going to let me say half the s**t I say on air?' Zurich Insurance Group has announced the appointment of Belinda Bates (pictured) to the newly created role of senior risk consultant for climate change for commercial insurance. Risk management tools that can help businesses quantify the impact of climate change are in high demand, as climate change-related risks have increased in frequency and severity, said James Shea, CEO of commercial insurance. Businesses recognise the need for a comprehensive resilience approach that considers the changing environments in which they operate, and which helps them prepare for potential future challenges. Hong Kong police on Saturday said they had reprimanded an officer who shouted "I can't breathe" and "Black Lives Matter" as his unit dispersed reporters covering a pro-democracy rally the night before. The officer was part of a team of riot police responding to protests on Friday evening in Yau Ma Tei district. In a video posted online that quickly went viral, he could be heard saying "I can't breathe" at the press as reporters were asked to move back. He could also be heard saying "Black Lives Matters, here is not America." The phrase "I can't breathe" has been embraced by racial justice protesters in the United States following the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25. Floyd died after gasping the phrase as the officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Hong Kong's police force said the officer had been reprimanded for his comments. "The officer has been rebuked and reminded to always present himself professionally and enhance his sensitivity," the force said in an email statement. The same officer, identified by his badge number, had shouted "Black Lives Matter" to an AFP journalist the same evening. When asked what he meant by the phrase, he replied: "That means we are the best in the world." China, alongside Hong Kong's police and city leaders have seized on the US police response to racial justice protests in recent weeks as a way to exonerate its own reaction to pro-democracy protests in the city. Hong Kong police spent seven straight months last year battling huge and often violent protests, hammering the force's reputation. More than 9,000 people have been arrested, while officers fired about 16,000 tear gas rounds and shot three people with live rounds, all of whom survived their wounds. Rights groups and protesters accuse officers of regularly using disproportionate force and an independent inquiry into the police has been a core demand of the democracy movement for the last year. Police have denied all brutality accusations, saying their force matched that of protesters. Last month the city's police watchdog cleared the force of any wrongdoing. The finding did little to mollify protesters who have long accused the wacthdog of being stacked with government loyalists and lacking teeth. A group of international experts quit an advisory panel last year saying it was not equipped to properly investigate the police. The coronavirus outbreak and arrests enforced calm on the city for the first four months of 2020. But protests have restarted -- albeit on a smaller and less violent scale -- especially after Beijing announced plans to impose a national security law on Hong Kong last month. Protesters on June 12 marked the one-year anniversary of major clashes between police and pro-democracy demonstrators Servion Global Solutions (Servion), a leading Contact Center and Digital Customer Experience (CX) solution provider announced today it has achieved Cisco CMSP Master Certified Partner Status in United Kingdom, placing it among a select group of partners that can sell, install and manage Cisco Contact Center and Collaboration solutions in United Kingdom. Servions Cisco partner certifications now include: Cisco Webex Calling that allows Servion to help small to mid-sized businesses with a range of cross-architecture solutions, including design, collaboration, implementation and managed services Cisco Collaboration SaaS Authorization that allows Servion to quote, design, deploy and manage Webex Cloud and on-prem solutions Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise Satellite Authorization that allows Servion to sell, deploy and manage Cisco Unified Contact Center solutions targeted to the high-end enterprise contact centers Cisco Cloud and Managed Services Master Partner for Collaboration and Contact Center that Servion leverages to run contact center solutions with lower TCO. Servion, a Cisco Advanced Technology Partner since 2006, employs over 250 Cisco-certified Contact Center Sales specialists, Pre-Sales Engineers, Implementation consultants, CX Managers and has implemented more than 200 Cisco on-prem and cloud contact center solutions. With one of the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS of 65) in the industry, Servion is excited to bring its expertise and innovation to its UK clientele. Servions platform-driven 24 x 7 end-to-end proactive managed services is a unique value proposition and allows enterprises to focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences instead of worrying about daily operational challenges. "We have been rapidly expanding our client base in United Kingdom and the Cisco CMSP Certified Partner Status strengthens our partnership with Cisco and further qualifies us to work with leading enterprises in United Kingdom, said Laurent Philonenko, CEO at Servion. This certification further enhances our teams expertise to deliver the most innovative contact center and collaboration solutions to our customers." Dutch English Regulated Information Nyrstar releases notice for the two Extraordinary General Shareholders Meetings to be held on 30 June 2020 13 June 2020 at 07.00 CEST As announced in detail on Wednesday 10 June 2020, Nyrstar NV (the Company) today issued the notice for the two extraordinary general shareholders meetings to be held on 30 June 2020. In accordance with the press release of the Company of 10 June 2020, the meetings will be held with the same practical modalities and procedure as the annual general meeting scheduled on 30 June 2020 and therefore in a virtual format in accordance with the Royal Decree no. 4 of 9 April 2020 containing various provisions on co-ownership and company and association law in the context of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic (the Royal Decree no. 4), where shareholders are also offered the possibility to ask questions via a chatbox during the meetings and to vote during the meetings. The practical modalities of the meeting have been published on the Company's website (https://www.nyrstar.be/en/investors/share-and-bondholder-information/shareholder-meetings) and will also be made available to shareholders who validly register for the two extraordinary general meetings and the annual general meeting. The two extraordinary general shareholders meetings will be held on 30 June 2020 at 11:00 a.m. CEST at Bluepoint, Filip Williotstraat 9, 2600 Antwerp, Belgium. The full notice, including agenda, proposed resolutions and explanatory note can be found on the Nyrstar website: https://www.nyrstar.be/en/investors/share-and-bondholder-information/shareholder-meetings. About Nyrstar The Company is incorporated in Belgium and, following completion of the recapitalisation/restructuring has a 2% shareholding in the Nyrstar group. The Company is listed on Euronext Brussels under the symbol NYR. For further information please visit the Nyrstar website: www.nyrstar.be. For further information contact: Anthony Simms - Head External Affairs & Legal M: +41 79 722 2152 anthony.simms@nyrstar.com Attachment The ones that got away A.S.H. Smyth introduces a new and nearly-photographic series View(s): View(s): Weve all been there especially in the age of phone-photography. You see a brilliant moment start to unfold before your eyes and then, while youre still struggling to get your camera out of your pocket, the lights have changed, the smokes blown clear, the child has gone from gorgeous grin to total meltdown. And then you tell your friends about it, and sound just like the fisherman with his unverifiable stories of the one that got away. Not surprisingly, a lot of these near-misses do indeed involve the animal kingdom birds, particularly. On the day that I first pitched this article I had not only narrowly missed a photograph of two crows weirdly crashing into one another on my balcony, but had also been reading an article by a friend of mine in Argentina describing a similar incident on his balcony in Buenos Aires. Today, Ive been reviewing a book in which the author, a conservationist, missed a recording of the only great gray owl hed ever heard about in Eastern Russia because he couldnt get his phone out of his waders in time. The fault, these days, may well be in our expectations that we are all photographers, and can all take gallery-worthy pics of anything and everything, all of the time. In which belief, of course, we are no doubt too often supported by astonishing advances in technology and/or rewarded with outrageous flukes. And then theres Instagram. Of course, a great many things can still go wrong. Im not much of a photographer; but plenty of my own examples spring to mind, alas. An Ethiopian petrol station full of cows at dusk (flat batteries). A pair of eagles birds again!! fighting in the sky above the Kruger Park, seen, perfectly framed, through the sunroof of a 44 (driving the 44). The lashing, ten-foot black snake I nearly ran over while on a motorbike to Adams Peak (too busy screaming). A magical double- if not triple-exposure of the French walled town of Carcasonne (album lost: no explanation). A strange little ground-level statue of the Norman bishop-architect Gundulf, set in an eight-inch stone niche, at 90 to the road, in my home town (impossible to photograph). Another herd at daybreak on a KwaZulu-Natal farm, haloed with dust, like an antique sepia shot (no camera). A man out painting in a South London park, complete with beret and easel, the whole autumnal treescape duplicated on his four-foot canvas (I had the dog on a lead, and couldnt risk a sneaky snap in case the guy realised and I had to explain that he looked like Johnny the crazed, melanophiliac painter from The Fast Show). I take no pleasure in the knowledge that it is not just me. My mother-in-law recently set up a camera (a real one, on a tripod and everything) in her apartment in Mount Lavinia, to catch a kingfisher damn birds!!! which had been bathing in a water tank atop a nearby roof. No fewer than three of the colourful creatures duly arrived the following morning, and she heard them, and set about taking some wonderful pictures beep, beep, beep until she discovered that that beeping noise was actually the camera telling her the memory card was in some other place entirely. Near misses, roads not taken, not having your camera on you (barely even a thing these days, to my wifes routine frustration); lens-cap still on, fingers in the picture, darkroom screw-ups; archival fires, digital corruption, your box of glass plates falling through the Antarctic ice; the FBI kicking your door in and demanding you surrender all the negatives, or just your five-year-old son opening the camera and exposing all the film of the family holiday to Zululand in 1993. These things have happened to the best of us. But a couple of conversations over the years here in Sri Lanka had led me to wonder if professional photographers must surely not also experience their fair share of almost-Pulitzer catastrophes. An unfair share, in fact, since theyre out there taking pictures that much more than all the rest of us? And wouldnt they, more so than we mere mortals, have terribly acute and bitter memories of what it was theyd nearly photographed? So I began to ask the handful of photographers I knew, and sure enough For that, though, youll need a copy of next Sundays newspaper. The shot that he got Till then, one more, unusual way to lose a photo. In January 2014, just after I got engaged, my wife-to-be and her parents and I all went on a trip to Wilpattu National Park, in the hope, of course, of seeing leopards. We took a couple of half-day drives, and saw the obvious things, but not the other obvious things, and then, as always, as it was starting to get late and everyones backsides were getting tired, some other vehicle suggested there might have been a leopard sighting in the area. We pulled over beside a shortish, bushy tree to turn around, or cut the engine, or what I dont know. And we were all still staring down the track when one by one we became aware that a young(?) leopard was sitting not five metres from us, on the right side of the Jeep. There was theatrically-hushed chaos as everybody tried to get their cameras ready asap; but surprisingly the leopard didnt budge. And for about five minutes more, he sat up statuesquely, yawned, showed off both profiles, and then wandered round the front of the vehicle and, crossing the sandy road, lay down and rolled around a bit for all our benefits. Amidst all this, my father-out-law (a keen and capable photographer) and I were snapping away furiously on both of his two proper cameras, except that one apparently had the wrong type of lens on, so every half-dozen shots or so wed swap, to make sure wed got all the bases covered. And then we drove back to their house in Colombo, feeling very pleased with ourselves, and all the image files went onto an external hard drive, and the next time I saw that leopard it was printed and framed and quite literally had my father-in-laws name on it. (Perhaps he knew one day Id try to claim it in the papers.) And so that photograph was got only possibly, allegedly, not by me. Still, it doesnt do to take these things too seriously: so above is the picture of Panthera pardus kotiya, in Wilpattu, as taken by the late Gamini Molligoda, 19422018. The Kenner City Council meeting on March 5 lasted more than three hours. But the headaches it caused have lasted longer than three months. The latest came after Attorney General Jeff Landry issued a letter to the council on Thursday saying the way the gathering was conducted violated the state's open meetings law and that the city could face state action if the problems aren't corrected in future meetings. The March meeting was already controversial. Following a lengthy public comment period, the council approved a measure that gave Mayor Ben Zahn the power to move the city's garbage pickup contract from longtime vendor Ramelli Janitorial Services to Sidney Torres' IV Waste. Ramelli, who was in the middle of a 10-year non-exclusive contract, reacted angrily, suing the city and Torres in state courts in Orleans and Jefferson parishes as well as in federal court. Those cases are ongoing; the council has twice voted to affirm its support of the IV Waste contract. Landry's letter which seems unlikely to influence the course of that litigation was prompted by complaints from two unnamed constituents who asked him to look into whether the March 5 meeting was held in accordance with Louisiana's open meetings law. At that meeting, Kenner resident Traci Fernandez had her cell phone seized while she was recording the meeting due to what she was told was a prohibition on recording, a regulation Landry said violates state law. The council also attempted to limit the number of public speakers at the meeting, something Landry said was "never allowed," though he said the council would be free to limit the time for each speaker. He also warned the council about participating in "walking quorums," or meetings where small groups of council members -- fewer than a full quorum -- meet to discuss issues, something Landry described as an attempt to circumvent the law. Prohibiting audience members from recording meetings with their cell phones violates Louisiana Revised Statute 42:23, which explicitly allows such meetings to be broadcast or recorded, Landry said. The city argued in return that the council has the right to set rules that will maintain order and decorum and that a council resolution had determined that all cell phones, pagers and electronic devices must be turned off or silenced during the meeting. Landry conceded that the council does have the right to establish rules, but "the prohibition of the use of cell phones as recording devices is more restrictive than necessary to ensure decorum and violates the rights of citizens to record the meeting," the letter says. Landry also criticized a rarely invoked council rule that limits the number of people who can speak during the public hearing to five in favor and five against. During the March 5 meeting, Councilman Gregory Carroll moved to suspend the rule after he saw how many people wanted to speak on the issue, Landry's letter says. "Councilman Carroll did the right thing in that moment; however, this should never have been necessary as Kenner City Council Rule 15.4 is in direct violation" of state law, the letter says. "No provision of the Louisiana Open Meetings Law grants a public body the authority to limit the amount of people who are allowed to speak." Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Councils are allowed to limit the amount of time for each speaker, but not the number of speakers, the letter says. The last warning the letter delivers concerns a comment Zahn made at that same meeting, when he mentioned that had met with three councilmembers at one time to brief them on matters related to the garbage contract. Such meetings could constitute a "walking quorum," or a procedural move by which council members get around open meetings laws by gathering privately in small groups to share their views. The council should take immediate action to amend its rules to bring them in line with Louisiana's open meetings law and end the use of walking quorums, the letter says. Landry offered his office as a help. "Our office would like to schedule a training for the Kenner City Council," the letter concludes. City Attorney Edward Rapier said that the city's intent is to comply with the open meetings law and that the Attorney General's suggestions are being reviewed. Council Chairman George Branigan said he was not against making the changes Landry suggested. "We got to fix that, then," he said in regards to the rule on limiting speakers. "My feeling is I don't care how many people talk." Branigan also said he didn't care if people recorded the meeting, noting that meetings are broadcast and put on YouTube as a matter of course. "I don't think this council body is trying to do anything wrong," he said. Landry's letter didn't delve into the specifics of the dispute between Ramelli and the city, but it cited the ongoing litigation as the reason his office wasn't pursuing enforcement actions against the city. "Such enforcement action may become necessary in the future if the Council Rules and practices remained unchanged," the letter says. The ongoing lockdown and shooting restrictions have given our celebrities the impetus to update fans and followers on their lives through social media. In addition to workout sessions and home photoshoots, Bollywoods divas have also been sharing what goes on their plate. Kriti Sanon, isnt shying away from giving in to her food cravings once in a while. Recently, the Luka Chuppi actress took to Instagram to share a picture of a multigrain chocolate babka which she had baked from scratch. wrote, Freshly baked Multigrain Chocolate Babka!! Ok i think i am obsessed with baking! #KriticalBaking #Babka. Mean-while, Kabir Singh actress Kiara Advani has been fighting her food cravings and keeping her eating habits in check. Sharing a photo of her breakfast yesterday, Kiara teased her followers with a bowl full of papaya. She captioned it, Pa Pa yaaaaaa. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dina Indrasafitri (The Jakarta Post) Alice Springs, Central Australia Sat, June 13 2020 Indonesian batik artist Agus Ismoyo recalled a chance meeting in Yogyakarta over 30 years ago that eventually led him to travel to the remote desert lands of Australia. That day, Ismoyo gave directions to the late Australian curator, Michael OFerrall, in Yogyakarta. OFerrall was actually looking for another artist, but further conversations and meetings between him and Ismoyo ensued nonetheless and OFerralls interest in Aboriginal art struck a chord with Ismoyos preference for traditional arts over pure modern aesthetics. I was getting a bit bored with the aesthetics of art, Ismoyo said in an interview. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Musical artists today are enormously talented, but many classic rock fans have a soft spot for the rock stars of the 60s and 70s. For any classic rock fan, musical group Fleetwood Mac is one of the best examples of the music of that era. Frontwoman Stevie Nicks is, of course, a legendary queen and perhaps the most recognizable member of the band her voice and style inspired a generation. However, its Fleetwood Mac for a reason: Mick Fleetwood co-created and played drums for the group, and he was often depended upon as its de facto leader and backbone. Fleetwood wrote some of the bands most famous songs that people still recognize today, including The Chain (which he wrote together with the other members of the band) and These Strange Times, one of Fleetwood Macs newer tracks. Rumours was arguably Fleetwood Macs most skillful, emotionally raw album of all time. Fleetwood revealed that he has a learning ability to thank for the memorable drumming pattern in one of Rumours (and the bands) most famous tracks, Go Your Own Way. Who is Mick Fleetwood? Mick Fleetwood | Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Fleetwood founded his band, Fleetwood Mac, in 1967 with Peter Green and John McVie, who play the guitar and bass, respectively. As a child, Fleetwood spent many of his years in Egypt and Norway because his father was in the military, but he dropped out of school and left his family to live in London to pursue his musical dreams when he was only 15 years old. In their original days, Fleetwood Mac played blues-style music around London. Although there were many changes in the bands line-up through the 60s, Fleetwood himself remained a steady presence. Many of the members suffered from addiction and mental health issues, and Fleetwood served as a mediator in all of the groups troubles. However, Fleetwood famously faced trouble of his own when he found out that his wife was cheating on him with another member of the band. In the 70s, Fleetwood invited Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham to join the band, which helped Fleetwood Mac to find the commercial success that they are known for today. Rumours is filled with drama RELATED: Why Lindsey Buckingham Is Reportedly Feuding with Fleetwood Mac Again One of those successes that the band achieved with their new line-up including Nicks and Buckingham was Rumours, which was recorded against a backdrop of intense personal drama. While Fleetwood Mac was recording the album, Nicks and Buckingham had just split up, causing obvious tensions within the band. Bassist McVie and his wife Christine, who also had become a member of the group, were in the middle of a divorce. Fleetwood himself was also going through his own divorce from his second wife, and ended up having an affair with Nicks. Drama, to say the least! However, this might have worked in the musicians favor, as Rumours is filled with heartbreaking and honest lyrics and features some of Fleetwood Macs most famous songs of all time, including Go Your Own Way. How Fleetwoods dyslexia helped him with the drums on Go Your Own Way Buckingham asked Fleetwood to mimic The Rolling Stones drum pattern from Street Fighting Man while they were writing and recording Go Your Own Way. However, when Fleetwood tried to do this, his dyslexia caused him to drum a unique beat that ended up being perfect for the song. Fleetwood has spoken out about how dyslexia has affected his creative process. Dyslexia has absolutely tempered the way I think about rhythm and the way Ive played my instrument, he wrote in his memoir. I really had no idea, nor the ability to explain in musical terms, what I was ever doing in a particular song, he added. It seems like he really didnt know how he came up with the genius drumming pattern, and couldnt explain it to fellow musicians who wanted to imitate him. Thats one huge win for neurodiversity! A new Italian restaurant has opened in Lake Geneva, but with a style of presentation that has been modified to account for the coronavirus pandemic. The Cuoco Pazzo Eatz & Drinkz restaurant, 393 N. Edwards Blvd., officially opened for business May 29. The restaurant is located in the former Red Geranium restaurant building, which closed in January after about 35 years in business. Cuoco Pazzo owner Eric Webber said he is excited that his new Italian restaurant has opened, although he had to alter plans because of the contagious coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Webber initially was going to call the restaurant Cuoco Pazzo Antipasto Bar, which would have featured a self-serve bar with Italian meats, cheeses and other selections that customers could gather themselves. Webber, however, decided that to switch instead to a dine-in, sit-down option. With COVID and everything, we completely had to change the concept, he said. Basically the salad bar and self-serve concept isnt going to happen now. Cuoco Pazzo offers several Italian and pasta dishes, including shrimp puttenesca, meatballs and linguine, beef ravioli, portobella lasagna, crab and shrimp manicotti, and Tuscan-style ribeye steak. Lake Geneva Mayor Charlene Klein is among those voicing excitement that a new restaurant has opened in Lake Geneva and that a new purpose was found for the former Red Geranium site. I think its great that we have another dining option here, Klein said. And I am especially happy that the building is remaining. The Red Geranium was a popular spot among both visitors and local residents. Known for its prime rib, grilled salmon and barbecue ribs, the dining room also featured art exhibits, fashion shows and other special attractions. Customers were disappointed in January when restaurant owner Dotty Swatek decided to close the doors. Stephanie Klett, president of the VISIT Lake Geneva tourism and business organization, said she was excited about another dining option being offered in the Lake Geneva region. Right now, any new business opening is a celebration, Klett said. County property records that the buildings former owner, Swatek Sales Corp., sold the restaurant property on March 5 for $1.5 million to a buyer identified as RGLG LLC. State business records indicate that RGLG LLC registered with the state in February, showing a registered agent in Fort Atkinson. Webber operates another restaurant in Fort Atkinson. Webber said Cuoco Pazzo currently has nine employees, and he hopes to add three more. Several menu items also are offered at his Fort Atkinson restaurant, Magiami Italiano, which has been in business for about eight years. So far in Lake Geneva, his most popular menu item seems to be pasta rags, which include torn sheets of pasta with braised beef and crumbled gorgonzola cheese, topped with a three-cheese cream sauce. The new restaurant has drawn a positive response, and Webber said he hopes to soon see repeat customers. We want to maintain a great business after the summer, and make sure locals are comfortable eating here, he said. The new restaurant includes a bar offering beer and wine. The city approved a Class B liquor license, so Cuoco Pazzo can start offering cocktails, too. Webber said he was happy to obtain the license, considering that he was in competition with other restaurant owners seeking the license. That was a little stressful, but Im glad that all worked out, he said. Cuoco Pazzo has implemented other safety measures to combat the threat of spreading coronavirus. The restaurant is using disposable paper napkins, washable fabric tablecloths, and seating at every other table for social distancing. Employees are required to use hand sanitizer, and tables are cleaned regularly. Were trying to do all the right things, he said. The biggest challenge has been finding employees comfortable working in a restaurant during the coronavirus outbreak. Employees and customers are not required to wear face masks inside the establishment. Im feeling anyone who is coming out to dine is coming out to dine, Webber said. So, theyre comfortable with being in a public place. Webber spent a few months giving the old Red Geranium a bit of remodeling before he opened his doors. He voiced confidence that it is an ideal location for his new restaurant. I fell in love with the place the first time I walked through it, he said. Its just a great building. Klett said having more restaurants available will attract visitors to the area. Local tourism spending is near one-fourth directed at food and beverage sales. Plus, she said: Who doesnt love Italian food? 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. Afghan officials say at least 17 people have been killed in a string of attacks across the country. There was no claim of responsibility for the series of attacks on June 13. Violence in the country has spiked in recent weeks despite progress toward the launch of direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government over a permanent cease-fire and future power-sharing deal. Gunmen killed eight people in the eastern province of Khost, the spokesman for the provincial police chief said. Spokesman Adel Haidar said Abdul Wali Ekhlas, a candidate in last year's parliamentary elections, was among those killed in the Ali Sher district. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. In the eastern province of Logar, a local official said gunmen stormed a house in the provincial capital, Pul-e Alam, killing a woman and her three daughters. In the northeastern province of Badakhshan, the provincial spokesman for the police chief said a pro-government militia commander and three of his men were killed by gunmen. Meanwhile, a cleric was gunned down by gunmen in the northern province of Takhar. On June 12, a pro-government cleric was killed in an explosion in the capital, Kabul. Also on June 12, an official in the central province of Ghor said Taliban militants stormed a police checkpoint and killed 10 police officers. Based on reporting by dpa, AP, and AFP Dial C for a crime from prison By Sandun Jayawardana and Chris Kamalendran View(s): View(s): Following a presidential directive, raids yield 87 mobile phones and 50 SIM cards in jails Underworld and drug mafia turn prisons into operation headquarters to direct crimes Some prison officials in collusion with inmates; new Prisons Chief speaks of challenges Attempts to prevent criminals from directing drug smuggling and other serious crimes from prison are faced with a multitude of challenges, including severe overcrowding, an under-strength prison intelligence unit, corruption and inmates resorting to all kinds of subterfuges. The authorities have gone into high gear since President Gotabaya Rajapaksa directed that immediate action be taken to halt crimes perpetrated by underworld kingpins and drug mafia from prisons. The President was especially insistent that action be taken to stop the use of mobile phones within prisons, as this is seen as the main method used by imprisoned criminals to direct their operations from behind bars. There have been allegations for years that certain individuals are able to direct criminal operations even when in prison. Last month, the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) seized 226 kilograms of heroin hidden in sacks of rice from a house in Welisara. The PNB claimed that the drugs had been kept there on the instructions of an alleged underworld leader known by the alias Kosgoda Tharaka, who is currently in prison. Police have also alleged that several other large consignments of drugs seized in the country have been traced back to alleged drug lords who are either in remand custody or serving sentences. A three-member committee appointed to probe the ambush of two prison buses that left five inmates and two prison guards dead in Kalutara in February, 2017 found that illegal use of mobile phones had become endemic within the countrys prisons mainly due to the conduct of corrupt prison officers. It noted that the ambush, in which the notorious underworld leader Aruna Udayanga Pathirana alias Samayang was killed, could not have been successfully carried out without information about the movements of him and his associates being fed to the assailants from within the Kalutara prison. Justice Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told a news conference this week that the authorities had been unable to halt the use of mobile phones inside prisons for a number of reasons. We cant instal jammers inside Welikada prison for example, as they would affect nearby houses and offices. Given difficulties such as this, it will take some time for us to resolve this issue. He also said attention has been drawn to relocating prisoners on death row and those sentenced for serious crimes to an island in Batticaloa that currently houses a leprosy hospital. Only two patients remain at the hospital and discussions are underway with health authorities to remove them elsewhere and the buildings to be handed over to the Prisons Department, he revealed. The Prisons Department top rung was shuffled recently following the Presidents directive, with Thushara Upuldeniya appointed as the new Commissioner General of Prisons on June 3. A string of raids at various prisons began along with his appointment. By Thursday, 87 mobile phones along with more than 50 SIM cards were seized in search operations conducted at the Negombo, Magazine, Colombo Remand, Boossa and Kalutara prisons. These included a mobile phone recovered from the Boossa prison cell where suspected drug kingpin Kanjipani Imran is being held. The biggest detection was made at the Negombo Prison: 61 mobile phones, 51 SIM cards, 16 grams of heroin and 2 grams of cannabis were among the items that were seized during a search operation there. These discoveries suggest the level of connivance among some prison officials, the newly appointed Prisons Commissioner General Upuldeniya acknowledged. However, he stressed that this was not the only reason. Aside from corrupt prison officers, mobile phones are smuggled in by visitors who come to see inmates. Some inmates also smuggle in their person, phones passed onto them when they are brought outside the prison to appear in courts, or to be transferred to another prison or while they are first taken to prison. It is also noted that in prisons situated in densely populated areas such as Colombo, people simply throw parcels of contraband from outside into the prison ground. The Prisons Commissioner General said mobile phones seized by them were handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for investigation. To prevent contraband such as mobile phones from entering prisons, a host of measures need to be taken, Mr Upuldeniya remarked. Constant and thorough searches was one measure. However, new technologies should be used in these searches. Security should also be strengthened outside the prison premises, he added. An incident last week at the Angunukolapelessa prison highlights the difficulties faced by the authorities to stop contraband from being smuggled into prison. Special Task Force (STF) personnel who have been added to strengthen security outside the prison had been alerted when an inmate walked through a security scanner. A search found five small mobile phones hidden in his rectum. Angunukolapelessa is one of two prison complexes where the STF is currently deployed to strengthen security outside the complex, the other being the Boossa prison. Organisations working for the protection of prisoners rights have raised concerns regarding their presence, particularly over allegations they are being deployed routinely to search prisoners inside the complex in violation of the Prisons Ordinance. Mr Upuldeniya denied these allegations, and claimed that STF personnel are being deployed jointly with prison officials to conduct spot checks outside the prison walls on the request of the superintendent of that particular prison. Searches inside the cells are conducted mainly by the Prison Intelligence Unit, he added. Mr Upuldeniya, who earlier served as the Commissioner in charge of Prisons Intelligence, noted that much needed to be done to improve the Prison Intelligence Unit, which he said was understrength. We need to increase the number of officers in the unit as a matter of priority. Their training must also be improved. We are holding talks with the Ministry of Defence and state intelligence agencies to look at ways of strengthening our intelligence unit. We are also hoping to establish a joint mechanism whereby we coordinate and share intelligence with other state intelligence services. Other preventive measures include separating identified high-profile inmates from the rest of the prison population and placing them in new maximum security prisons, otherwise known as a Supermax Prisons. Regarding the prison population, severe overcrowding is one of the major issues. This also poses difficulties in preventing crimes from being directed from prison. According to Mr Upuldeniya, overcrowding in prisons is currently at 173 percent. Some prisons such as the Colombo Remand Prison and Magazine Prison, however, are overcrowded by as much as 300 percent. The authorities are hoping to shift some of these densely populated prisons in urban areas to rural locations. The Prisons Department says the new prisons will be built according to international standards and will have necessary facilities for all prisoners. While actions are being taken to eradicate mobile phone usage in prisons, the Prisons Commissioner General said they also need to provide facilities for inmates to communicate with their loved ones, albeit with certain restrictions. The Welikada prison currently has a group of phone booths for inmates to speak to their families. The booths are operated through a fingerprint scanner, with each inmate having a specific account, to which their families can reload money for calls. This facility is currently not available in other prisons. Due to the restrictions on visitors imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic however, all other prisons in the country have also been provided with a phone each for use by inmates to communicate with their loved ones toll-free, though this facility is only until the pandemic is over and visits are allowed to resume as normal. The plan is to establish similar phone booths to those at Welikada prison in other prisons as well, according to the Prisons Department. No one is born a criminal, dont demonise all prisoners: Rights group Instead of addressing systemic injustices within the prison system, the Government is attempting to use the issue of a small percentage of prison inmates directing crimes from within prison to demonise all prisoners, an organisation for the protection of prisoner rights charged.Attorney-at-Law Senaka Perera, Chairman of the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP), claimed the Government was trying to victimise all prisoners for the crimes perpetrated by a minority. I would say only about 10% of inmates are involved in such crimes, but authorities are targeting the other 90% as well.Mr Perera pointed to the recent death of a remand prisoner at the Mahara Prison. Authorities claimed he died after falling off the prison wall in a failed escape attempt. Mr Perera however, said they had information that the inmate was beaten to death by prison guards, before authorities affected a cover-up. He added that another inmate who witnessed the incident was willing to give a statement. He was transferred to the Polonnaruwa Prison. We went there to obtain a sworn affidavit from him but prison authorities did not allow us to do so. As such, we intend to file legal action to compel them to let the witness give a statement. The CPRP head pointed out that there have been many incidents over the years where dozens of inmates were massacred within prisons. The pattern has been the same at Welikada, Bindunuwewa, Kalutara, Anuradhapura and others. The perpetrators have not been brought to justice. The reason why victims wont receive justice is because prisoners are voiceless and those who are witness to such crimes cannot speak out since they themselves are within the prison and are at the mercy of authorities, he pointed out. As an example, he revealed that some prison inmates who were brutally assaulted by prison officers at the Angunukolapelessa prison two years ago claim they werent assaulted, despite CCTV images showing them being attacked. Moreover, current rehabilitation concepts used in the countrys prisons were themselves outdated, he argued. Rehabilitation is not simply about observing sil, growing flowers or even vocational training. We know that many of those prison inmates are repeat offenders. They go in and out of prison. If our rehabilitation system works, this should not happen. We need to understand that no one is born a criminal but that they turn to crime due to various social anomalies. Many become hardened criminals within the prisons themselves. We must try to eradicate the criminal mindset they are under, he emphasised. He also lamented that society was being conditioned to look upon all prison inmates as criminals and advocate their exclusion. Every prisoner is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law, yet in this country, prison inmates in remand arent even afforded the right to vote. This is a fundamental violation of their human rights. We have filed a case at the Supreme Court over this matter and hope the court will give a ruling before the next parliamentary elections, he stressed. Overcrowding of prisons a glaring problem Stats provided by the Department of Prisons reveal just how glaring a problem overcrowding of prisons is.The countrys prisons only have authorised accommodation for 11, 762 inmates. Yet, from 2010 onwards, the prison population has never gone below 17, 000 and has been on an upward trend over the last three years, with 19, 278 in 2017, 20, 384 in 2018 and 24, 446 in 2019.Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya stated that the current prison population as at June 2020 is 24, 772. This means that as many as six inmates are now housed in a cell meant for one person.The sheer number of unconvicted inmates has been the reason for overcrowding, as the stats show, pointing to the much discussed topic of delays in the judicial system. Proposals on restructuring Prisons Department handed over to Justice Minister Based on a concept by newly appointed Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya, the Prison Superintendents Union this week, drafted a set of proposals on restructuring the Prisons Department. The proposals were handed over to Justice Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva this week by Mr Upuldeniya in the presence of Secretary of the Prison Superintendents Union, Jagath Weerasinghe. Among the proposals to strengthen the security of prisons, the union has proposed installing CCTV cameras in every prison and for them to be linked into a single network to enable the Commissioner General and other senior officials to observe. It has also been proposed to remove unauthorized structures built near protective walls of prisons in urban areas and to prohibit any new structures being built nearby. This would prevent people from throwing various contraband into the prison grounds, which is currently a major security issue at these prisons, the proposals note. The union has also proposed that new equipment such as body scanners should be installed at the entrance to every prison to check prison inmates who return from outside as they try to smuggle in mobile phones and other contraband on their person, while the installation of jammers in prison wards has also been recommended. Proposals have also been made to reduce overcrowding. They include working with the police and Justice Ministry to draft a mechanism whereby those convicted of narcotics offences can serve out a period of their sentence in prison and then be transferred to work camps and amending the Bail Act to make it easier for those in remand for minor offences to post bail. Tackling corruption in criminal justice system biggest challenge Corruption at the highest levels of the criminal justice system will always be the main challenge in preventing crimes being carried out from within prisons, a senior retired police officer told the Sunday Times. Retired Senior Deputy Inspector General (DIG) H.M.G.B. Kotakadeniya singled out corruption within the system as the main reason for mobile phones, drugs and other contraband being smuggled into prison and crimes directed from inside jail. There are honest prison officers, but they also face threats. Some years ago, a jailer was stabbed on a bus in Borella. Action should be taken to protect them, otherwise, they will also be forced to look the other way, he stressed. The retired Senior DIG argued that it will be difficult for corruption to take hold of senior officials stand firm. If they do that, it will make it harder for junior officers to succumb. He noted that ideally, the STF should not be used in prisons at all. They are an elite unit formed to fight terrorism. The fact that they have to be used for searches is evidence that prison officials arent doing their jobs, he added. He argued there was a symbiotic relationship between politicians, police, criminals, judiciary and the prisons system which needed to be broken. Retired SDIG Kotakadeniya was hopeful that the situation will improve as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa understood that corruption in the system is the main issue, but warned it will fail if politicians prevent officials from doing their jobs. The widow of Li Wenliang, the 34-year-old Wuhan whistleblower doctor who succumbed to the COVID-19 in February, has given birth to their baby, the couples second child. His wife Fu Xuejie shared the heartwarming news on Chinese social media platform WeChat. She delivered a baby boy, the Chinese state-run Litchi News reported. "Can you see it from heaven? The last gift you gave me was born today. I will definitely take good care of them," she wrote on WeChat. With the post, Fu shared the image of the final gift from her late husband Li the baby boy. Li, one of the eight whistleblowers who warned other medics of the coronavirus outbreak but were reprimanded by the police, died of the pandemic a week after he sent out word to doctors. He was the first to report about the virus way back in December last year when it first emerged in Wuhan, the provincial capital of China's central Hubei province. He dropped a bombshell in his medical school alumni group on the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat that seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed with a SARS-like illness and quarantined in his hospital. Li explained that, according to a test he had seen, the illness was a coronavirus a large family of viruses that includes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which led to 800 death in China and the world in 2003. Li told his friends to warn their loved ones privately. But within hours screenshots of his messages had gone viral - without his name being blurred. "When I saw them circulating online, I realised that it was out of my control and I would probably be punished," Li was quoted as saying CNN. Soon after he posted the message, Li was accused of rumour-mongering by the Wuhan police. He was one of several medics targeted by the police for trying to blow the whistle on the deadly virus in the early weeks of the outbreak. In death, Li became the face of simmering anger at the ruling Communist Party's controls over information and complaints that officials lie about or hide disease outbreaks, industrial accidents, natural disasters and financial frauds, while punishing whistleblowers and independent journalists. Soon after his death, China exonerated the doctor in a startling admission of error by the ruling Communist Party that generally bodes no challenges to its authority. KAMLOOPS,, B.C. - A civil lawsuit has been filed in B.C. Supreme Court over the death of a man in Whistler, B.C., alleging four RCMP officers used excessive force when they tried to take him into custody. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2020 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police "E" Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. A civil lawsuit has been filed in B.C. Supreme Court over the death of a man in Whistler, B.C., alleging four RCMP officers used excessive force when they tried to take the man into custody. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck KAMLOOPS,, B.C. - A civil lawsuit has been filed in B.C. Supreme Court over the death of a man in Whistler, B.C., alleging four RCMP officers used excessive force when they tried to take him into custody. Jason Koehler's family alleges in the lawsuit that Koehler died shortly after being jolted with a Taser, pepper sprayed and beaten with police batons on March 8. The statement of claim filed June 11 says police were called to a restaurant in Whistler for a report of a disturbance and when police encountered Koehler, they made limited efforts to de-escalate the situation. The attorney general of Canada, B.C.'s solicitor general and four unnamed officers are named in the lawsuit. No statements of defence have been filed in the case. The allegations in the lawsuit have not been proven in court and neither the attorney general nor the solicitor general were immediately available for comment. An RCMP spokesman said the force had no comment because the matter was before the courts. Koehler was not violent with police, was unarmed and communicated his willingness to peacefully leave the restaurant while raising his hands above his head, the lawsuit says. "Jason Koehler's last words to the RCMP were 'Don't kill me,' " the lawsuit alleges. It says Koehler lost consciousness at the scene as the four officers beat him and he could not be revived. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward. "RCMP members did not have reasonable grounds to arrest Jason Koehler and, in any event, RCMP members used excessive force in attempting to arrest (him)," the statement of claim says. B.C.'s police watchdog announced on the same day as the confrontation that it was investigating to determine if police actions or inactions were responsible for the man's death. 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. The Independent Investigations Office said in a news release on March 8 that officers had responded to a report about an intoxicated male in Whistler Village. "During the interaction with police, both OC (pepper) spray and a conducted energy weapon were deployed," the release said. The court document says Koehler, who operated a smoking accessories store in Whistler, suffered from mental health issues which had previously brought him in contact with police. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Koehler's mother, father, brother and son. It asks for general and aggravated damages, funeral expenses and compensation for loss of guidance and financial support. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2020. It's been a rough week for Christopher Columbus. He got off easy in Wilmington, Del., and Columbia, S.C., where officials removed him from his pedestal and locked him up in storage. But in a park in Boston's North End, somebody beheaded the Italian explorer. Police put crime scene tape around the decapitated head as it lay on the ground. Things aren't looking up for the body either - it's going into a warehouse for now. Columbus suffered the grisliest fate in Richmond, Va.'s Byrd Park. Protesters lassoed him, yanked him to the ground, set him on fire and then drowned him in a lake. In San Francisco, however, the bronze statue of Columbus that stands in Pioneer Park below Coit Tower has so far avoided dismemberment, immolation or submersion. In October, it was doused with red paint to symbolize blood, and the words "kill all colonizers" were painted on the concrete that encircles the sculpture. In recent days, Black Lives Matter protests that targeted monuments linked to slavery, the Confederacy and oppression of people of color in the wake of George Floyd's death have expanded to include those associated with the exploitation and genocide of indigenous peoples. Benjamin Crump explained that the Floyd family 'intends on holding Derek Chauvin fully accountable in every aspect, criminal and civil.' Chauvin has been charged with second degree murder but he could still receive his pension The lawyer for George Floyd's family said that they will file a civil lawsuit against Derek Chauvin for kneeling on Floyd's neck, sharing that they plan to hold the officer 'fully accountable'. Benjamin Crump announced the news this week while appearing on CNN as protests continued to demand justice for the killing of Floyd and an end to police brutality and racism in America. Crump explained that the Floyd family 'intends on holding Derek Chauvin fully accountable in every aspect, criminal and civil'. The lawyer has also demanded a change in the police department. 'It wasn't just the knee of Derek Chauvin that killed George Floyd in Minneapolis, it was the knee of the entire police department. Because when you have that kind of culture and behavior of a police department, it is foreseeable that something like this is going to happen,' he said. Crump stressed that it was crucial for there to be transparency in how police officers are fired. Scroll down for video Crump explained that the Floyd family 'intends on holding Derek Chauvin fully accountable in every aspect, criminal and civil' (Family members pictured at the funeral in Houston) The lawyer stressed that it was crucial for there to be transparency in how police officers are fired. Floyd's son, Quincy Mason Floyd is seen left with family attorney Crump 'We have to terminate people when they use these bad policies, despite what the police unions say, because if we don't terminate them, it is absolutely predictable that you'll have somebody do a chokehold or neck restraint for 8 minutes and 46 seconds because they know there's no accountability,' he said. 'There's no discipline when they do this to black people in America.' Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder but could still receive more than $1million in pension benefits during his retirement years even if convicted. After Floyds death, Chauvin was fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. It took authorities four days to arrest and charge him amid intense pressure. It took Minneapolis four days to arrest officers for Floyd's death. he is pictured above with hsi daughter Chauvin's pension is determined by multiplying three per cent by the total years of his service, which is nineteen years. That number would then be multiplied by his average wage during his 'high five' period. If Chauvin filed for retirement after he turns 55, he would be eligible to receive annual payments of around $50,000, according to CNN. That means that over a 30-year period, Chauvin could receive at least $1.5million, though this would not include any cost of living increases. The payments could be even higher if Chauvin accumulated significant overtime. Antonio Garcia and his wife, Carmen, arrived at the church in Missouri City three hours before the food and mask distribution was set to begin on Saturday. And he was far from the first in line. The 52-year-old has been out of work for two months after losing his job as a warehouse worker during the shutdown from COVID-19. It was his first time at such a site. We dont like it, he said, wincing a little, as two boxes of food, along with face masks and hand sanitizer were loaded into the trunk of his aging Toyota. But we have to. The midday event at Missouri City Baptist Church was mobbed as a nearly mile-long line of cars idled on the adjacent suburban street, waiting their turn. The turnout, organizers said, is a stark reminder that the intertwined health and economic crises are far from over. Im extremely worried, said Dr. Kathy Flanagan, president of the Houston Medical Forum, an association of black physicians founded in 1926, and serves on the medical care subcommittee of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turners Health Equity Task Force. We need to get the word out. Again, she said. Last week, Texas set a record for COVID-19 hospitalizations in four out of five days. One Houston hospital reported it had to expand its covid unit to keep pace with new admissions. And at the citys safety-net hospitals, last week marked the highest level yet of patients with the virus. Simultaneously, even as the state has now mostly reopened its businesses, the unemployment rate last week remained more than six times higher than before the shutdown, with 90,000 Texans filing for unemployment benefits, according to the Department of Labor. On Saturday, each family received two boxes of food, including apples, oranges, beans, soup, canned vegetables and onions. The next stop was a tent where volunteers distributed at least two masks per car, depending on the number of occupants. They also received bottles of hand sanitizer. There were 500 two-box sets available for distribution. By about 1:20 p.m., they were gone and everyone in line received one, said Flanagan. The pandemic is still in our city and the virus has exacerbated food and economic insecurities, especially in under-served communities, said Turner, who was among the community leaders present. RELATED: Editorial: COVID-19 spike is taking Texas to the edge, but we can keep from jumping over Im really here for the masks, said Bernice Brown who had been waiting more than two hours in the line of cars. The 67-year-old from Missouri City knows what the virus can do and it scares her, especially since she already has respiratory problems. Her friends husband died from it a few weeks back. The suffering the entire family went through is not something she will easily forget. In fact, she will not even allow her two adult sons to come inside her house because she thinks they do not take enough precautions. Instead they visit outside, from the driveway. Look, I understand that youre tired of being stuck at home and want to go do things again, but when you know what its like, when you know someone who has had it :, she said, her voice trailing off as she summons the right words to tell those who are taking risks. Just, no, yall The Australian Ballet has been accused of displaying a lazy approach to expressing support for the Black Lives Matter campaign after it posted a black square on social media. The national ballet company received some negative comments to the post, which was accompanied with the hashtag blackouttuesday, as Instagram users questioned the diversity among its dancers. The Australian Ballet's 2016 production of Swan Lake. Credit:Penny Stephens "This is a lazy attempt from your pr to go with the grain and virtue signal ...," wrote Alexandra Pullen (whose Instagram handle is @healthy_ballerina). Another Instagrammer, @mariarusuuu wrote: "This is lazy, virtue signalling, and the absolute bare minimum." Celebrities, companies and other users posted black squares on social media earlier this month as an expression of outrage sparked by the death in police custody of George Floyd in the United States. My pile of leftist insanity that has emerged in the Age of George Floyd is now getting quite deep, but I want to concentrate on just a single story today. You may recall my item here on Rioters for Trump on June 1, in which I passed along the scholarly work by Princetons Omar Wasow (a standard issue academic liberal or leftist as near as I can tell), in which Wasow crunched the data and concluded that rioting helps Republicans and hurts Democrats, so much so that he thinks the rioting in 1968 pushed Richard Nixon over the top. Wasows complex regression model is susceptible to the usual criticisms, but it is a serious piece of work and deserves to be treated as such. But thats not what has happened. New York magazines liberal columnist Jonathan Chait (the person who famously wrote an article entitled I Hate Bush in The New Republic back around 2004 or so) reports on the story of David Shor, a former Obama campaign analyst who, until last week, was working for Civis Analytics, a Democratic-leaning campaign consulting group. Shor had posted a Tweet summarizing the Wasow article as follows: Well, as the clickbait heads say on the Interwebs, youll never guess what happened next! Of course you can guess: a firestorm from the cancel culture left. Among the threads attacking Shor, this may be my favorite: Shut up, he explained. Chait takes it from here: It is easy to see why a specialist in public opinion whose professional mission is to help elect Democrats while moving the party leftward would take an interest in this research. But in certain quarters of the left though not among Democratic elected officials criticizing violent protest tactics is considered improper on the grounds that it distracts from deeper underlying injustice, and shifts the blame from police and other malefactors onto their victims. . . At least some employees and clients on Civis Analytics complained that Shors tweet threatened their safety. The next day, Shor apologized for tweeting Omars paper: This straightforward groveling was not enough to save Shor. Chait continues: Civis Analytics undertook a review of the episode. A few days later, Shor was fired. Shor told me he has a nondisclosure agreement preventing him from discussing the episode. A spokesperson for Civis Analytics told me over email, Out of respect for our employees and alumni, Civis does not publicly discuss personnel matters, and we dont plan to comment further. From here Chait engages in an extended hand-wringing about the ill-liberalism of the progressive left, all while affirming that the greatest threat to the liberal idea comes from the right, as if this boilerplate will protect Chait from the mob when it comes for him. Who has allowed the progressive left to become a rampaging mob, getting their way at just about every turn? I wonder if Chait owns a mirror. Reminder: Next week, Neil Youngs long-awaited (and its long-awaited) Homegrown album that he recorded in 1974 will finally be released. Young previously shared Try from the album that he once considered way too personal to release. That song featured Levon Helm and EmmyLou Harris. Today, hes shared another tune from the collection. Click here to read the full article on SPIN. More from SPIN: Vacancy is a stompy rocker that is more accustomed to the impending era with Crazy Horse that would come to define the latter part of the 70s that is sharply reflected on Live Rust. This tune would have been at home on that collection. Though he hasnt released one in a few weeks, Young has been active during the quarantine. Hes shared five Fireside Sessions livestreams, including the last one that featured guest appearances by the animals from his barn at his home in Telluride, Colorado. Recently, Young penned an essay about the George Floyd murder and the importance of the Black Lives Matters protests. As an old white guy, I dont feel threatened by my black brothers, Young wrote. I welcome him and his sisters. We have to deal with our white insecurities. I dont feel any of those insecurities myself, (I have my own in other places). I will stand with my black brother. I want a better world for us all together. My black brothers and sisters have suffered long enough. He also shared a powerful version of Southern Man as well. Listen to the song below. To see our running list of the top 100 greatest guitarists of all time, click here. The police chiefs of Alberta's two largest forces say they acknowledge the existence of systemic racism in policing, but insist work to stamp is out is underway, and that they're dedicated to doing more. Calgary Police Service Chief Mark Neufeld and Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee appeared on the CBC call-in show, Alberta at Noon, for an hour on Friday to discuss racism in policing. Neufeld said he's learned a lot in recent weeks. Just a few days ago, he said he was "not so sure" if there was systemic racism in his police force. Neufeld said he's been thinking about systemic racism in policing since the protests broke out across the United States and Canada, after George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, was murdered during an arrest. "I guess I've been struggling with that since the protests," Neufeld said. "I've heard some difficult stories that concern me, frankly." In Alberta this week, multiple people have come forward about their own experiences with police. Thousands have marched to demand change, and Albertans have watched as videos surface that illustrate police actions. In one such video, a police officer tackles and punches Chief Allan Adam in the head during an arrest. Top officer tries to 'reconcile' racism with progress Neufeld said that while he's hearing of those events, he is also noticing "people in our organization that are committed to preventing racism and discrimination. "The acknowledgement that systemic racism exists in policing is important," the Calgary police chief said. "But saying so almost seems to ignore the progress that we've made and dismiss the good work that's been done by so many people that worked hard to try to address it." McFee, who is Metis, said he has spent years trying to address systemic discrimination in policing, in part by consulting with other forces around the world. "Do I think the Edmonton Police Service is racist in its belief and is it something that's held by the majority people? Absolutely not. I am 100 per cent confident in that," he said. "Do I think systemic racism has played a role and there is some unconscious bias? Absolutely." Story continues Trevor Wilson/CBC Neufeld said the last few weeks have been a learning experience for him, and that he has tried to speak to people in and outside the Calgary Police Service to "better understand how to reconcile what I suppose are really sort of two truths." "And the first is that, yes, as Dale just mentioned straight up, there is systemic or structural racism in policing in Canada and including here in Calgary," he said. "The second, though, is that even as it continues to exist, our people don't want that to be the case and they have made progress." Defunding 'counterproductive,' chief says The two chiefs said they have ideas for solutions but want to see those come after the community has had time to grieve. They said they're focusing on listening right now. McFee said that he wants to ensure police train and recruit in a way that reduces systemic racism, and that they can make full structural issues that don't push the problem to a different organization. McFee's police force is facing a petition calling for it to be defunded, as city councillors are considering in Minnepolois. Both chiefs said they oppose defunding the police. However, they said they hoped to see changes that would reduce the role of police in certain situations. Both talked about how policing was not doing well at balancing law enforcement and public health. They said that until such a balance can be found in conjunction with other organizations, they felt police services should remain funded as is. "I feel that it would be counterproductive to just simply move away from something without knowing exactly what we're moving toward," Neufeld said. The two said they felt police are too often intervening in mental health calls that would be better managed by health professionals. McFee said he wants to see the Police Act changed to allow for the independent review of more broad-based complaints. Earlier this week, he promised a new reconciliation effort to fix the process. He also called for diverse people from many backgrounds to work together on solutions. "We need a different look at this," he said. "If we don't focus on structure, we're going to miss the biggest piece here." Cases of COVID-19 appear to be persistent but relatively under control in Japan. However, the social and economic knock-on effects of the pandemic are only just beginning to reveal themselves. People in tiger suitsa livelihoods are becoming threatened, non-Mario-kart attractions are struggling to stay afloat, and some people have gone months without setting foot on public transportation, to name but a few. Now, it looks as if the landscape of Osakaas Shinsekai and Dotonbori areas may become a lot bleaker with the announced closing of Zuboraya restaurants in each area. Some readers may not know this restaurant, which specializes in fugu by name, but will probably recognize its giant pufferfish lanterns that hang in front. Osaka has long embraced all which is gaudy, and in the ecosystem of ostentatiousness the Zuboraya fugu lantern stands proudly at the top of the food chain, jutting far out from its storefront in bold defiance of the mere concept of zoning by-laws. Itas been used countless times as an establishing shot for Osaka in movies, television, and video games. In fact, simply Google Image searching Osaka (ae) will bring back more than a few photographs of the iconic fish. Pakistan's former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, becoming the latest top political figure to contract COVID-19 that has claimed 2,551 lives and infected 132,405 people in the country. Gilani, 67, tested positive after attending a hearing of the National Accountability Bureau in a corruption case. On Thursday, Shehbaz Sharif, chief of the Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, tested positive for the coronavirus after he appeared before the NAB in a money laundering case. Gilani's son Kasim Gilani announced on Twitter that the former premier had tested positive for the coronavirus. "Thank you Imran Khan's govt and National Accountability Bureau! You have successfully put my father's life in danger. His COVID-19 result came positive," Kasim said. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi also tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday. Pakistan's COVID-19 cases reached 132,405 after a record 6,472 new infections were detected, while 88 more people have succumbed to the coronavirus, pushing the death toll to 2,551, the health ministry said on Saturday. The ministry of national health services said a record 29,850 tests were done in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of COVID-19 tests conducted in the country to 839,019. "So far, 50,056 people have recovered across Pakistan, making it a significant count," it said. Out of the total 132,405 cases detected so far, Punjab has recorded 50,087. A total of 49,256 infections have been reported in Sindh, 16,415 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 7,866 in Balochistan, 7,163 in Islamabad, 1,044 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 574 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. At least 88 people have died in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 2,551, the ministry said. 1 of 2 India records 11,458 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, tally crosses 3 lakh India records worst single-day coronavirus spike so far; 11,458 fresh cases push total to 3,08,993; death toll rises by 386, says Health Ministry. Active Covid-19 cases in India reach 1,45,779 while 1,54,329 patients have been cured, death toll mounts to 8,884, says latest data by Health Ministry. Globally, 7,632,377 people have been infected with the virus and at least 425,385 have died. The United States, with over 2 million infections remains the worst-hit country. Maharashtra to fix cost for Covid-19 test at Rs 2,300 to Rs 2,400 in private labs. Maharashtra breaches a lakh mark in Covid-19 cases today. 3493 new cases, total toll now 10,1141. 129 people died due to Covid-19 on Friday, death toll now 3,717. Maharashtra accounts for one-third of India's cases. Tamil Nadu became the second state in India to confirm 40,000 coronavirus cases. At least 1,982 diagnosed positive for the virus in the last 24 hours. Delhi on Friday recorded its highest single-day jump in coronavirus cases after 2,137 new infections were reported on Friday. The Delhi government said that 71 deaths and 667 recovered/migrated/discharged today. Total number of positive cases here stands at 36,824, including 1214 deaths and 13,398 recovered/migrated/discharged. With 495 new COVID-19 cases, Gujarat's count rose to 22,562 on Friday while death toll reached 1,416 with 31 more fatalities, said a health official. Rajasthan has reported 118 new Covid-19 cases, 3 deaths today, taking the total tally to 12,186, says Rohit Kumar Singh, ACS, Medical and Health, Rajasthan. MP's COVID-19 tally mounts to 10,443 with 202 new cases. Uttar Pradesh on Friday reported 20 more coronavirus deaths and 528 fresh cases, the biggest single-day spike so far, officials said. The death toll in the state now is 365 with the coronavirus tally reaching 12,616. Principal Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said 7,609 of the total infected have recovered. The state has 4,642 active COVID-19 cases. Read More... Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-13 12:14:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GENEVA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) human rights office said Friday that it is deeply concerned over the U.S. sanctions against some International Criminal Court (ICC) officials engaged in an investigation into possible war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. "The independence of the ICC and its ability to operate without interference must be guaranteed so that it can decide matters without any improper influence, inducement, pressures, threats or interference, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reasons," Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told a briefing here. "Victims of gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law and their families have the right to redress and the truth," he added. The White House said in a statement Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized economic sanctions against ICC officials "directly engaged with any effort to investigate or prosecute United States personnel without the consent of the United States," as well as the expansion of visa restrictions against these officials and their family members. The ICC in March authorized an investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, including those that may have been committed by the U.S. military and the Central Intelligence Agency, which could lead to the indictment of U.S. military and intelligence personnel. Enditem Growing up in a predominantly white town, I realized from a young age how much different my life was from my peers, simply because of the color of my skin. Just being a part of the black community makes you remember certain firsts in your life. You remember the first time your parent warned you about what to do when a police officer approaches you, you remember the first time someone directly commented on the color of your complexion, or the first racial incident that you faced directly; more importantly, you remember the first time you truly realized that you are in fact an African American in the United States. I remember it was junior year when I fully grasped the idea that not everyone saw racism the same way I did. I recall sitting in my class feeling powerless after having a disagreement with a teacher over whether the heinous act of blackface was wrong. My educator argued that it was freedom of speech and implied it shouldnt be as controversial as it is now. At that moment, I realized the importance of knowing my history. I had absolutely no clue how to rebut her statement. I always knew that something like blackface was wrong, but I never had a real understanding of why. With everything currently going on in our country regarding racism and police brutality, it is important that we remain educated on the issue and continue to stay informed. I truly believe that it is impossible to combat an issue this large without being informed on every aspect we are fighting. I also believe it is important to continue to inform others on what is going on. We all have a platform, whether big or small. It is crucial that we utilize any platform we have to continue to spread awareness about this issue and make information accessible to those in need of it. The absolute worst thing we can do right now is stay quiet about the issues occurring in this world. To be silent is to be complicit. Not spreading awareness, speaking out or acknowledging the problem simply gives power to the oppressors. Their main goal is to silence us and ignore the treatment of the black community. Now, more than ever, is the time for us to stand up to these injustices, starting with the issues going on within our own communities. It takes roughly 6 months to become a police officer in the state of Connecticut. Thats less than a year going through the academy. Anyone who really wanted to could become a police officer and gain an abundance of power instantly. These officers have sworn to protect and serve our communities, so why is it that the individuals within this profession are feared the most? Perhaps it is because in most cases an officer no longer takes on the job of just an officer. When it comes to detaining a black individual, the officer involved easily can go from a cop to a judge, to a jury, and eventually an executioner. Every time a police officer makes the decision to pull their trigger, apply a bit more pressure when detaining, or act irrationally, another helpless life is taken from this earth. The harsh truth is that in a lot of cases, black men and women wont have the chance to defend themselves in a court of law following an incident, because an officer came to a ruling for them. We live in a world where an officers first instinct is to shoot first, ask questions later, and its taking the lives of members of the black community at a rapid pace. The brutality that African Americans face on a daily basis shouldnt be excused simply because it occured in the hands of an officer on duty. No one, despite their position, has the right to take away the life of an innocent man or woman. The issue of police brutality, however, is just the surface of what need to be addressed. We havent even touched upon the overcrowding of minorities in our prisons, lack of black educators, lack of diversity in office, discrimination in housing, and public health equity. The black community has been fighting for years to be treated as equals in a world where we are seen as less-than. Now is the time that we as a community must work together to stop this oppression once and for all. Maliqa Mosley-Williams is a senior at Ansonia High School. She will attend the University of Hartford in the fall. A note from James Walker: As a guest editor overseeing some of the content you will read as the nation grapples with the deaths of unarmed black people, I want to give a voice to the people of Connecticut at this crucial time in Americas history. I hope the voices from our neighbors -- young and old and ethnically diverse -- will open the door to constructive and honest conversations on systematic racism and what we, as Nutmeggers, can do about it. This is part of a national conversation taking place after the death of George Floyd sparked riots and protests and former officer Derek Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder for causing his death. This series includes the voices of 11 people from some of our communities around the state. These are their experiences and thoughts on what is taking place in the country today. I would also like to know your thoughts -- because all voices are needed regardless of point of view. Add your voice to the discussion by emailing me at realtalkrealpeoplect@gmail.com. Last week, we suggested that for a truly diverse venture industry, the limited partners that provide investing capital to VCs -- institutions like universities and hospital systems -- need to start incorporating diversity mandates into their work. Say a venture firm wanted to secure a commitment from the University of Texas System; it would first need to agree, in writing, to pour a certain percentage of its capital into startups founded by underrepresented groups. Given how fragmented the world of institutional investing is, the idea might sound impracticable. But Lo Toney, one of a small but growing number of Black VCs in Silicon Valley, suggests it might actually be inevitable. He points, for example, to pension funds like the California Public Employees' Retirement System, which manages the assets of 1.6 million employees, many of whom "look like me," says Toney. Imagine what might happen if they started asking more questions about who is managing their money. Not that Toney is waiting on this development. He doesn't need to. As a former partner at Comcast Ventures, then GV, Toney was able to secure Alphabet as the anchor investor in his own investment firm, Plexo Capital, whose debut vehicle has been funding venture outfits, as well as making direct startup investments. Now, with renewed attention being paid to the lack of people of color throughout the startup industry, Plexo has LPs knocking on its door again, and Toney's plans for that second fund involve not just helping his current fund managers but helping more investors of color form venture firms of their own. It's an extension of work that's already in progress. Plexo, which closed its debut fund last year with $42.5 million -- including from the Ford Foundation, Intel, Cisco Systems, the Royal Bank of Canada and Hampton University -- already has stakes in 20 funds, including Precursor Ventures, Ingressive Capital, Kindred Ventures, Equal Ventures, Boldstart Ventures and Work-Bench. Story continues Most are run exclusively or in part by people of color. "We have enough reports from the Harvards and the McKinseys of the world to show us that diversity at all levels matters," says Toney. "We see better performance from companies with diverse boards, public companies with diverse management teams; when there are diverse managers, we see better performance." With his second fund, he's hoping to turn the dial even further. More specifically, he says, Plexo aims to "develop a Y Combinator of sorts" that enables "a great investor" to transition into "a great fund manager." Part of the idea is to institutionalize the work that Plexo already does in an ad hoc way around helping managers to prepare marketing materials, pitch their strategy to both high-net-worth individuals and institutions and manage LP communications after that base of investors has been established. And those are just three aspects of the many elements of fund management with which Plexo can help, he says. Plexo is also exploring "putting a strategy in place [to] help a lot of these younger GPs with working capital, to be able to incur the expenses that it takes to start a fund, [given that] it can take, on average, a million dollars." (That's taking into account no salary during the fundraising process, travel expenses, service providers and the money that a general partner typically has to kick in to the fund.) It's a model that Plexo thinks it can use to move things along faster than were it solely investing in individual companies. Still, Plexo can't do it alone. Neither can its friends and allies, including Elliott Robinson of Bessemer Venture Partners, Frederik Groce of Storm Ventures and Sydney Sykes of the retail startup Dolls Kill, all of whom separately steer a young organization called BLCK VC that works to connect and advance Black venture investors. Toney remains especially concerned over the few people of color at bigger and later-stage venture firms -- investors who might otherwise have the networks and know-how to support Black entrepreneurs as their startups mature. It's a valid worry. According to a 2018 report in The Information, there were just seven Black decision-makers at the 102 venture firms with more than $250 million under management, and those numbers are relatively unchanged today. The dearth is particularly glaring for Black investors who are women. The industry could, slowly, over time, grow more inclusive of underrepresented groups. But it would happen faster if institutions that accept federal funding or else manage the money of public employees decided to focus more on the issue. In fact, it's conceivable that the constituents of these institutions -- including donors and employees through their pension fund contributions -- eventually insist on it. "There's often not really a collective realization of the power and influence that one can have within our asset class to actually affect change," says Toney. "I suspect -- and I don't know this, and I'm not part of any initiatives -- that we'll see more of these [pension] funds take a stance, and that [this shift] will come from the bottom up, from their employee base." It might not take much to get the ball rolling. "They could put the pressure on our industry even simply asking questions [including]: 'How many Black partners do you have?' 'How many women do you have?' 'What does the composition of your portfolio look like?' " "Even just asking those questions as a first step -- that in and of itself would affect change," he says, "because who wants to look bad when answering those questions?" For the first time in three years, the US Navy has mobilised three aircraft carrier strike groups to the Pacific as a part of a provocative military build-up against China. The deployments underscore the strategic shift by the Pentagon from the so-called war on terror to great power competition that heightens the danger of conflict between nuclear-armed powers. As of Thursday, the nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and their associated groups of destroyers and cruisers set to sea in a massive show of force. While there are no details of their planned movements and exercises, all will be operating in the Western Pacific in strategically sensitive waters off the Chinese mainland. An F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet is seen on the deck of the U.S. Navy USS Ronald Reagan in the South China Sea, 2018 [Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung] USS Theodore Roosevelt, which has been sidelined in Guam after a major outbreak of COVID-19, is now operating in waters off Guam. The USS Nimitz strike group left the US West Coast earlier this week while the USS Ronald Reagan together with its battle group has left its base in Japan and is currently operating in the Philippine Sea. In comments to the Associated Press about the deployments, Rear Admiral Stephen Koehler, director of operations for the US Indo-Pacific Command, specifically referred to China as the chief target. He accused Beijing of slowly and methodically building up military outposts in the South China Sea and putting missile and electronic warfare systems on its islets. Koehler declared that the US ability to be present in a strong way is part of the competition youve got to be present to win when youre competing. He then boasted: Carriers and carrier strike groups writ large are phenomenal symbols of American naval power. I really am pretty fired up that weve got three of them at the moment. The dispatch of three aircraft carrier battle groups to waters near China comes as the Trump administration has deliberately inflamed tensions with Beijing by blaming it for the global COVID-19 pandemic. Without a shred of evidence, Trump has accused China of covering up the outbreak and given credence to far-right conspiracy theories that the virus originated in a Chinese laboratory. While Trump is attempting to deflect attention from his own criminal negligence in dealing with the pandemic, the scapegoating of China is part of Washingtons aggressive efforts that began under President Obamas pivot to Asia to undermine and confront Beijing. US strategists regard China as the chief obstacle to American imperialism halting its historic decline and reasserting its global hegemony. Under President Obama, the Pentagon launched a rebalance to the Indo-Pacific to station 60 percent of its naval assets and warplanes in the region by 2020. As part of this strategy, the US has been restructuring its extensive bases in Japan, South Korea and Guam, forging basing agreements throughout the region, including in Australia, Singapore, India and Sri Lanka, and strengthening military alliances and strategic partnerships. In the current standoff with China, the Trump administration has encouraged Indias dangerous confrontation with China along their contested border. Both sides have mobilised thousands of troops who face each other at several points along their mountainous border areas. The two regional powers, both of which are nuclear-armed, fought a border war in 1962 and the border disputes have never been resolved. The deployment of aircraft carrier strike groups is just part of the US build-up of military forces in the Western Pacific. Fox News reported this week that the US Air Force has deployed nuclear-capable B-1B Lancer bombers to Guam last month that have been conducting operations over the South China Sea. The Air Force has also sent long-range, high altitude Global Hawk drones to Japan to carry out surveillance in the Western Pacific. Under the Trump administration, the US Navy has stepped up its so-called freedom of navigation operations that deliberately violate territorial waters claimed by China around its islets in the South China Sea. In late April, the Navy carried out two South China Sea operations in as many days followed by another on May 7. On May 28, the guided missile destroyer USS Mustin passed within the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit of Woody Island in the Paracel group that has been occupied by China for decades. Washingtons claim that it is simply asserting freedom of navigation is a fraud. The US Navy is determined to maintain a presence in the South China Sea which is critical to the Pentagons AirSea Battle plans for a massive assault on Chinese military bases in the event of war. The South China Sea is adjacent to sensitive Chinese military bases on Hainan Island, including for its nuclear submarines. The US Navy has also increased its transits of the Taiwan Strait that lies between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan which China claims as part of its territory. On June 5, the guided missile destroyer USS Russell passed through the narrow straitthe second US warship to do so in three weeks and the seventh this year. The Chinese state-owned media responded by branding the transit as another provocative move. Taiwan is another sensitive flash point that the Trump administration is deliberately inflaming. While not officially abrogating its One China policy recognising Beijing as the legitimate government of all China including Taiwan, Trump has steadily strengthened diplomatic and strategic relations with Taipei. He has backed Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen whose Democratic Progressive Party advocates a more independent role for Taiwan from China. The carrier group deployments follow a further escalation of tensions between the US and China when Taiwans defence ministry allowed a US Navy cargo plane to make an unprecedented flight through Taiwanese air space on its way from Okinawa to Thailand. Beijing responded by condemning the incident as provocative. The Trump administrations dangerous escalation of military tensions with China coincides with the global crisis of capitalism revealed and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like his counterparts around the world, Trump is not only preparing class war against the working class, but is driven to force rival powers to bear the lions share of the burden of the economic crisis. The reckless US military intervention in areas of key strategic importance for China risks a confrontation, whether by accident or design, that could rapidly spiral out of control into a catastrophic war that would envelop the world. Close Trump ad trails new rallies despite coronavirus pandemic Donald Trump attended the US Military Academy's graduation for West Point in New York on Saturday, where he gave a commencement speech warning against "passion and prejudice" during moments of that are "turbulent" and "rough". The comments came nearly two weeks after the president threatened to deploy the military to cities across the United States to control Black Lives Matter protests, which out of anger towards police brutality displayed against African Americans. Mr Trump also mentioned the coronavirus during his speech, declaring how the US will "vanquish" the "invisible enemy", just a few days after cases in the country topped 2 million people and the CDC warned the death toll could reach 130,000 by 4 July. Following the graduation ceremony, the president returned to his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey where he is staying for the weekend. The Trump campaign faced backlash this week for scheduling Mr Trump's first campaign rally since the start of the coronavirus pandemic on Juneteenth in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In a move not often seen by the president, he bowed to pressure and moved the date of the rally to prevent further backlash. Now the rally would take place on 20 June. Conversations surrounding the president's controversial walk from the White House to St John's Episcopal Church last week only continue, as the Secret Service amends its initial statement about the event. The agency previously said no pepper spray was used on protesters in Lafayette Park as a means to disperse the crowd so Mr Trump could make his walk. But now the agency has said one employee used the pepper spray "in response to an assaultive individual". Though it now seems easy to forget, we remain locked in a battle with the novel coronavirus. It has been 93 days since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic; a declaration that brought with it unprecedented restrictions on our liberties and to our livelihoods. That we all willingly obeyed those orders is a notion fundamental to a democratic society: the consent of the citizen to submit to the authority of the government. But the mass protests of past weeks have shown a fraying of this social contract, Prompted by an angry outcry to a long simmering wrong, the Black Lives Matter movement has caught on where the anti-lockdown movement has fizzled out. The BLM protests are, as I wrote here last week, justified and long overdue and the anti-quarantine movement was never more than a radical fringe. But the outcome and the dangers, vis-a-vis the coronavirus, are much the same. While it is dangerous to confuse the real medical risk of these protests with their ideological or political value, we have seen public health authorities trip over themselves to somehow sanction them. They seem suddenly desperate to inoculate themselves against the criticism that it remains irresponsible to gather in large groups, even outdoors, even in a mask. It was just a month ago that irresponsibility was the charge levelled against those who protested the COVID-19 lockdowns. It was only two weeks ago that health and political authorities alike were condemning youth in Trinity Bellwoods park, going so far as to label them reckless and selfish. But governments have now run into a brick wall when it comes to public compliance. Terrified of losing their moral authority to govern, their power of moral suasion, the tail is, once again, wagging the dog with public health authorities repeatedly contorting themselves or playing catch-up to shifts of opinion and behaviour among the public. As the social contract frays, the more pronounced this phenomenon becomes, and the more the authority of government will erode. Public health authorities can issue endless reminders about best practices but now that every leader from the prime minister on down has participated in a mass gathering, the governments dissuasive power against gathering in large groups has melted like a popsicle in the summer sun. This fraying will only get worse, I predict. Whether it is because of the warm weather, general quarantine fatigue after three long months, deteriorating mental or financial health, people are simply ceasing to do what the government asks. And why should they? It is not as if our leaders have modelled good behaviour. If others are not willing to follow the basic rules of the social contract, it is rather easy to understand those who choose to abandon quarantine to join a growing popular protest movement. After all, condemning untold instances of appalling police brutality seems to many a reasonable and necessary thing to do. Public health authorities like Dr. Anthony Fauci are, of course, of a different view. Fauci sternly warned this week that the protests are the perfect setup for spreading the virus. The challenge for governments is that it will take a couple of weeks to see if he is right. And while we wait, it will be difficult for authorities to convince the public that the risk is real when Toronto public health authorities recently quietly confirmed that we saw no such spike after the gathering in Bellwoods. And so, it is becoming clear that we have collectively decided that, regardless of what we are told, we are done with COVID-19. But the virus is not done with us far from it. And therein lies the challenge facing those who lead our democracy. What happens when the people decide they have had enough? What happens when the people decide that they will no longer blindly, unquestioningly accept your instructions? What happens when science and instinct and experience leads you in one direction and the people lead you in another? Those are questions that will preoccupy our leaders through the doldrums of summer. And their answers will live on much longer in the health of our nation and the political fortunes of their parties. Cybersecurity researchers at Reason Labs, the threat research arm of security solutions provider Reason Labs , today disclosed details of a vulnerability they recently discovered in the Facebook Messenger application for Windows.The vulnerability, which resides in Messenger version 460.16, could allow attackers to leverage the app to potentially execute malicious files already present on a compromised system in an attempt to help malware gain persistent/extended access.Reason Labs shared its findings with Facebook in April, after which the social media company quickly patched the flaw with the release of an updated version of Facebook Messenger for Windows users via the Microsoft store.According to researchers, the vulnerable app triggers a call to load Windows Powershell from the C:\python27 path. This path is typically created when installing version 2.7 of the Python and does not commonly exist in most Windows installations.Attackers can hijack such calls that attempt to load potentially non-existent resources to covertly execute malware. Moreover, since the targeted directory is also in a low-integrity location, malicious programs could access the path without administrator privileges.To test if the flaw is exploitable, the team created a reverse shell disguised as Powershell.exe and deployed it into the Python directory. They then ran the Messenger app, which triggered the call, successfully executing the reverse shell, thus proving that malicious actors could exploit the flaw for persistent attacks.Conventionally, attackers employing persistence methods rely on registry keys, scheduled tasks, and services to maintain active access to a system. This particular type of vulnerability is considered to be more complex to exploit.Attackers need to observe if an app is making an unwanted call or dive deep into an app's binary code to find a function that makes such a call.The vulnerability has been fixed in version 480.5, which is the most recent release that Reason tested. Users who are running the flawed version should update to the latest release.While there has been no indication that the flaw has been exploited before Reason's discovery, such vulnerabilities are highly risky.Malicious actors can use such flaws to maintain access to devices for extended periods. Such persistent access can allow them to perform other hacks, including ransomware implantation and data exfiltration and breaches.Threat groups also use persistent methods to perform specialized hacks targeting financial institutions, government offices, and other industrial facilities.In addition, the threat could have been widespread had the vulnerability been exploited. Facebook Messenger has 1.3 billion active users a month. While this figure accounts for all users across devices, many access the service through their Windows-based machines.This becomes even more worrying considering that messaging apps are seeing significant use during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Due to travel restrictions, lockdowns, and forced work-from-home arrangements, users rely heavily on messaging apps and video conferencing tools to communicate and collaborate.Facebook's Messenger is among the popularly used apps. In March, Facebook reported a 50 percent increase in messaging and a 1,000 percent increase in time-in-group in calls with three or more participants. If you have recipes or tips to share, or a request, send to Conversations with Gin, P.O. Box 334, Clute TX. 77531, or ginscolumn@hotmail.com. The Delhi government is planning a 10,000-bed makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients under a sprawling tent in south Delhi to prepare for a projected surge in cases in the city. The planned COVID-19 facility will come up at the south Delhi campus of spiritual organisation Radha Soami Satsang Beas. The lush green campus is located near the Delhi-Haryana border. The COVID-19 facility, which will be 1,700 feet long and 700 feet wide, will have 200 enclosures with 50 beds each, said Vikas Sethi, secretary of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Bhati Mines. This makeshift hospital will be the largest such facility in the city so far. The work is expected to be completed by the end of June, he said. The metal tent has lights and fans installed. Coolers will be needed considering the heat. The medical staff can also be accommodated in a building on the campus, he added. The spiritual organisation gave its approval for the makeshift hospital two-three days ago. According to the Delhi governments estimates, coronavirus cases in the national capital are likely to breach the 5 lakh-mark by the end of July. Around one lakh beds will be needed for COVID-19 patients. The city has a total 9,647 dedicated COVID-19 beds in state-run, central and private hospitals. Of these, 5,402 are occupied. The Delhi government has also started the process to identify community halls and stadiums which can be converted into makeshift COVID-19 hospitals. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON His mother told him, Dont go to university. Its a waste of money. Youre not going to be able to work after. Angel had every reason to give up, but he didnt not even after a global pandemic stole from the Class of 2020 the face-to-face traditions of a high school graduation, and not after the death of another black man in the hands of police magnified that inextricable weight in the lives of undocumented graduates: fear. Nearly 100,000 undocumented students are expected to graduate from high school in the United States this year, about 2,000 of them in Arizona. Inspiring and resilient is how Reyna Montoya, the founder of Aliento and a DACA recipient, described them. Even though so many doors have been closed in their faces, she said, theyre figuring out new pathways, new solutions, new ways to be themselves. That, to me, is the essence of the human spirit. I reached out to Angel because in the face of so much anger and despair, I needed to feel inspired. I also wanted to understand where his resilience comes from. We are both immigrants. Our skins have the color of caramel. Our names have an other-ness ring, though its a ring that can also represent the sound of the future in a fast-changing United States. What keeps you going? I asked him as we met in the same virtual classroom where I had taught the last weeks of the spring semester. Angel shrugged, as if going were his only choice. My goal is to go to college. Thats why Im here. Thats why Im in the United States. Im in the United States to be better, he said. I know that government funding and being low-income just wont do it. So, I told myself, Im going to look best on paper. Im going to join all the clubs. Im going to hold leadership positions. Im going to join all honors classes, all A.P. classes, get straight As, be the best student I can possibly be. He did all that and more, some of it before classes moved online and some after. The change, he said, didnt seem to hit him and his undocumented classmates as hard as it hit those who are U.S. citizens, maybe because we have been fighting that uncertainty all our lives. Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan caught up with his latest release "Gulabo Sitabo" on Friday at home with his entire family. "There is the immense joy of sitting down together with the entire family and watching a film .. an experience that has happened for the first time .. the release film at home and in the presence of the family .. blessed to be in such," Big B wrote in a blog post. "The GiboSibo .. released through Amazon Prime Video in 200 countries and subtitled in 15 different languages .. the instancy of the project is the amazement .. and more of such is believed to be in the following .. and the experience and the verdict and results and reactions are in a state of uniqueness .. for there is no technology yet to discover the eyes balls or the footfalls, in their numbers .. or in the possible results," he further wrote about the film, which saw a digital release on Friday. Directed by Shoojit Sircar, "Gulabo Sitabo" also stars Ayushmann Khurrana. The film is a quirky tale of two slimy scheming foxes, a landlord and tenant. Set in Lucknow, this is the first big budget Hindi film to opt for a direct release on OTT. A Rising Sun Films Production, the movie was ready for an April release but owing to the coronavirus-induced shutdown the filmmakers decided to take the digital route. The decision of taking it directly to Amazon Prime Video has also started a tug of war between Bollywood producers and exhibitors. Follow @News18Movies for more Pharma giant AstraZeneca struck a deal Saturday with Europes Inclusive Vaccines Alliance to supply up to 400 million doses of an experimental Covid-19 vaccine, as efforts to boost manufacturing capacity continue at pace. The alliance, which was forged by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands to speed up production of a vaccine, is set to take delivery of the vaccine being tested by the University of Oxford by the end of 2020. The agreement with AstraZeneca also aims to make the vaccine available to other European countries that wish to take part. The cost is expected to be offset by funding from the governments. This agreement will ensure that hundreds of millions of Europeans have access to Oxford Universitys vaccine following approval, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said. With our European supply chain due to begin production soon, we hope to make the vaccine available widely and rapidly. The agreement is the latest in a series to make the vaccine even though it is not certain it will work. But so desperate is the need that scaling up of manufacturing continues despite the risk. The Anglo-Swedish company recently completed similar agreements with Britain, the United States the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for 700 million doses. A license also has been agreed with the Serum Institute of India for another 1 billion doses. The vaccine was developed by Oxford Universitys Jenner Institute, working with the Oxford Vaccine Group. Testing of the experimental Covid-19 vaccine began in healthy volunteers in Britain in April with over 1,000 people aged 18 to 55. Another round with 10,000 volunteers began last month. Other companies, including Moderna and Sanofi, are racing to develop and produce a vaccine against the new coronavirus, a step experts say will be crucial to allowing countries to ease their lockdowns and restrictions on public life. HEALTH minister Obadiah Moyo is in the dog box after the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) opened a docket to probe his qualifications and controversial coronavirus deals following a complaint by a private citizen, the Daily News reports. This comes as Zacc and the police have also questioned senior officials at the ministry of Finance, the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Praz) and medical supplies firm NatPharm over the procurement of Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPEs). It also comes as it has emerged that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has ordered that a contentious US$60 million PPE deal be cancelled, after Interpol raised the red flag on the credibility of Drax International one of the firms that supplied materials to the government for the management of the disease. Yesterday, Zacc confirmed to the Daily News that it had opened an investigation into Moyo after receiving a complaint filed by human rights activist Makomborero Haruzivishe on Thursday. The probe has been recorded under report number RRB 000359. We are going to investigate all the cases brought to and recorded by the commission. I would not want to say so and so has brought what case, but I can confirm that investigations are under way. We are also investigating cases, including those to do with the procurement of Covid-19 materials after we received reports to that effect, Zacc commissioner and spokesperson John Makamure said. Besides the reports from individuals, this (case) has also been playing out on social media, hence we were obliged to act. So, we are indeed talking to ministry of Health officials, the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, as well as NatPharm, Makamure further told the Daily News. Moyo was not answering his phone yesterday when the Daily News tried to talk to him. In his written complaint, Haruzivishe said besides probing the procurement of Covid-19 equipment, Zacc should also investigate allegations that Moyo was not a trained medical doctor, contrary to his claims. I am writing to you requesting an investigation into a case of highly suspected corruption on the medical qualifications of Dr Obadiah Moyo, who also happens to be the minister Health and Child Care, and cases of exposed grand corruption surrounding Covid-19 supplied goods, and granting tenders to bogus and briefcase companies. I would further like to bring to your attention the unearthing of corruption of earth-shattering proportions in the ministry of Health which is under the stewardship of Moyo, involving Covid-19 tenders. At a time when millions across the world, Zimbabwe included, have succumbed to the coronavirus pandemic, Moyo is abusing his ministerial position by awarding highly inflated tenders to shelf companies , Haruzivishe further alleged in his complaint sent to Zacc chairperson Loice Matanda-Moyo. The shelf companies, Drax International, Jaji Investments and Satewave have since been exposed to be bogus, that they do not have capacity to deliver and are only avenues of massive corruption for crooks like (name supplied but withheld) who are working hand in glove with Moyo, Haruzivishe added. He also questioned why test kits that allegedly cost US$2 each were being sold to the government for US$34 each by Drax International. Considering that on the attached invoice 15 000 kits were sold, US$480 000 was looted at one go. Another incident is with Jaji Investments which paid six (US) cents per kit and charged the government US$14,75 per kit. It was paid US$66 375 for equipment valued at US$300. Moyo is believed to have direct interests in the deals and he even lied that the test kits were from Namibia when they were brought from China, Haruzivishe alleged further. This comes as the government has pulled the plug on the US$60 million deal, whose controversy has overshadowed Zimbabwes fight against the lethal coronavirus. The Daily News has been told exclusively that Mnangagwa long ordered the cancellation of the Drax deal, as well as stopping the attendant payments, after police commissioner- general Godwin Matanga briefed him over concerns by Interpol which had said the company was blacklisted. Something else also happened and this is the unsaid story. Godwin Matanga, the police commissioner-general, then brought a security report from Interpol which said this company (Drax International) had been blacklisted by Interpol. No one knows that, people are busy focusing on the pricing issue. Cabinet then took a decision that over and above the companys abuse of pricing they are also on the Interpol blacklist, and thus supply contract must be cancelled. As far as we are concerned there is no connection between Drax International and the first family, Mnangagwas spokesperson, George Charamba, told our sister publication Daily News On Sunday yesterday, which will run his explosive interview in its edition tomorrow. Secondly, this is not a live issue. The government had long dealt with this issue well before it even hit the headlines. What you are looking at is not even smoke, these are the dead embers of a fire that was long put out. The instruction to stop and cancel the supply came from the president. It was not even the Cabinet. In fact the matter was raised from the Presidents Office, Charamba said further. Remember the Presidents Office is not only reliant on information from line ministers, we have our own sources of information. There is not a single minister who is privy to the security report, the security report is for the presidents eyes only and that is where the Interpol issue was raised and he (Mnangagwa) took a decision based on that, he added. Moyo has come under growing fire from many quarters over his ministrys handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. His suitability for the job and his qualifications have also been under the spotlight resulting in the complaint by Haruzivishe to Zacc, who says that Moyos name does not appear on the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe register. His suitability for the job and his qualifications have also been under the spotlight resulting in the complaint by Haruzivishe to Zacc, who says that Moyos name does not appear on the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe register. The minister (Moyo) also says he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, yet a search on the colleges register does not show his name. This worries me as a citizen and I wonder if the qualifications he boasts of were obtained fraudulently. I also wonder if that could be the reason why he has dismally failed to deal with the health care crisis in the country. Connecticut police officers are now required to intervene and stop unreasonable, excessive or illegal use of force by another officer and the use of chokeholds are banned, according to Milford Police Chief Keith L. Mello, chairman of the state Police Officers Standards and Training Council. Mello said the POST Council met Thursday in a special meeting to address the matter of the use of chokeholds in policing and the obligation of officers to intervene when another officer commits misconduct. All police departments in Connecticut must comply with standards set forth by the POST Council. The standard in this case does not provide police departments with policy language, only the requirement to include language equal to, or greater than the standard, Mello said. Police departments are required to update their policy to reflect these changes. Officials and police agencies across the nation have opted to revisit police department policy on chokeholds and intervention in a case of excessive force after the death of George Floyd. Floyd died in Minneapolis on Memorial Day after then-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes while Floyd was face-down and not resisting. Floyd repeatedly stated he could not breathe, video footage of his arrest showed. Three other officers were on scene during the arrest. In Connecticut, Mello said officers get training at the recruit level of their obligation to intervene and report misconduct. We are also aware that many, but not all municipal police departments have these requirements within their department policies, Mello said, adding that because of that, the Council amended the Connecticut Law Enforcement Standards and Practices use of force policy. The policy requires officers to deploy de-escalation or calming strategies or verbal warnings before use of force when feasible. The policy prohibits the intentional use of a chokehold or other method of restraint applied to the neck area of another person, including an arm bar hold, a carotid artery hold, a lateral vascular neck restraint. Neck restraint or hold with a knee or other object is prohibited, the policy states. The use of a choke hold or neck restraint may only be used when the use of deadly physical force is authorized. Officers are required to intervene and stop unreasonable, excessive or illegal use of force by another police officer, the policy states. The policy requires an officer who directly observes a use of force that is unreasonable, excessive or otherwise in violation with the agencys use of force policy and/or a violation of state or federal statute, shall contact a supervisor as soon as practicable. Any officer with knowledge of excessive force against a person must also submit a written report on the matter for a supervisor in a timely fashion. The policy states that retaliation against any officer that intervenes in these cases, reports misconduct or cooperates in an internal investigation is prohibited. And although all police departments are required to have a use of force policy, the POST Council has also created a subcommittee to establish a uniform use of force policy for all municipal police departments, Mello said. President Donald Trump praised the use of tear gas and other force to disperse Minneapolis protesters, calling it a "beautiful scene" and describing the National Guard's actions "like a knife cutting butter". "I'll never forget. You saw the scene on that road . . . they were lined up. Man, they just walked straight. And yes, there was some tear gas and probably some other things," Mr Trump said in opening remarks at a roundtable on policing and race. "And the crowd dispersed and they went through. By the end of that evening, and it was a short evening, everything was fine." Mr Trump's event at a conservative, evangelical and predominantly white church in Dallas on Thursday afternoon came as the White House has yet to announce what new measures it might support in response to the protests against racial injustice that have gripped the nation since the killing of George Floyd by a police officer. Mr Trump did not mention Mr Floyd by name in his remarks but suggested the work of confronting bigotry and prejudice will "go quickly and it'll go very easily". "But we'll make no progress and heal no wounds by falsely labelling tens of millions of decent Americans as racist or bigots," the president said. He has largely criticised the protests that took place in cities across the United States, including Minneapolis where Mr Floyd was killed. Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz activated its National Guard after three nights of protests and violent riots; on Thursday, Mr Walz endorsed a package of sweeping police reforms. In response to the national reckoning over police brutality and America's systemic racism, Democrats unveiled sweeping police reform legislation, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only black Republican member of the Senate, is spearheading proposals in his chamber. Mr Trump offered some broad outlines of the steps he might embrace to answer the national demand for action. He told the roundtable participants he was working on an executive order to "encourage police departments nationwide to meet the most current professional standards for the use of force, including tactics for de-escalation". He defended police officers and slammed calls to "defund" them, saying it means people want to get rid of law enforcement. Most advocates use the term to mean the reallocation of police budgets to social services including housing and education. "We have to respect our police. We have to take care of our police. They're protecting us. And if they're allowed to do their job, they'll do a great job," Mr Trump said. "And you always have a bad apple. No matter where you go, you have bad apples and there not too many of them." Hours after the event, Mr Trump weighed in on the debate in more provocative terms. "The Radical Left Democrats: First they try to take away your guns. Then they try to take away your police!" he tweeted. The president's more concrete actions in recent days appear aimed at his political base rather than the multiracial nation he governs. That includes publicly rejecting the idea of renaming military bases whose names honour Confederate military figures - an idea that had been under consideration at the Pentagon - and threatening a federal response to "ugly Anarchists" protesting in Seattle. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: With government hospitals discharging Covid patients with mild symptoms, a few private hospitals in the city have begun offering home isolation support to patients on a pilot basis. This means that after discharge, Covid patients with mild symptoms would be monitored for complications or comorbidities at their homes, virtually. The week-long plan roughly offers four consultations with doctors via video call, and also sends in a nurse if the patient requires any assistance. These services are being offered to patients over the age of 45 and/or with co-morbidities so that the progress of the disease and the symptoms can be monitored remotely using oxygen saturation machine, pulse oximeter, cardiac monitoring app, temperature recording app among others, said Dr Rahul Medakkar, CEO of Continental Hospital. Nurses will be sent in for personal assistance only if the need arises. A similar system is being undertaken in Delhi, where two major private hospitals have entered the market offering the such services. In fact, many have opted the same with hospital beds becoming a scarcity. In Hyderabad, where Covid cases are skyrocketing, this may soon be commonplace. Some hospitals are looking at how these services can be packaged, as the disease itself has no specific treatment. For Covid-19, you can only offer symptomatic care. There isnt much to offer medically. The service will, however, give a sense of care to the patient, said a private hospital representative. Mayor undergoes Covid test for second time Hyderabad: A day after his driver tested positive for Coronavirus, Hyderabad Mayor Bonthu Rammohan underwent a Covid test on Friday. The test results are still awaited. The Mayor underwent the test for the second time. He got himself tested a few days ago after learning that a person from a cafe, where the Mayor had tea while participating in Pattana Pragathi, tested positive for the virus. On June 5, the Mayor gave his samples at Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), Department of Microbiology, Osmania Medical College and the interim test report found the samples negative Savannah Curran, Holly Butler, Elsie OConnor and Abby Kate OKeeffe from Canon Sheehan Primary School, Doneraile were among the first to try out the electric bottle filling station at the school. Primary schools across Cork are following the lead of eco-friendly pupils from Canon Sheehan NS in Doneraile under an initiative aimed at reducing the amount of single-use plastic. Last year the school joined forces with Cork County Council for a pilot scheme that saw an electric water bottle filling station installed on the campus after 5th and 6th class pupils became concerned at the volume of single use plastic bottles they use each year. They worked out that between the 128 pupils and 12 staff at the school, this amounted to more than 23,000 bottles most of which wound up in the bin after just one use. "This is avoidable and something we wished to change. The impact of plastics on our planet is terrible. It ends up in the oceans, on roadsides or in the ground. As a pilot school we are encouraging other schools in Cork County to follow our lead," said the pupils. The filling station is a contactless machine that is operated by a sensor which recognised when a bottle is placed under its nozzle and keeps track of the number of filtered water refills it supplies. The success of the initiative prompted Cork County Council to run a competition inviting schools from across the county to apply for one of the stations. Each application was assessed on criteria demonstrating the need for a refill station and its potential to reduce single use plastics on the school campus in the long-term. In addition, each applicant school had to detail previous environmentally friendly initiatives they had implemented and demonstrate a commitment to raise awareness of the refill stations in within the school and to the wider local community. A total of 16 primary and secondary schools, including five from the north Cork area, were successful and will now have water stations installed on campus. The costs of these, approximately 1,300 is being covered by Cork County Council. The north Cork schools to receive the stations are: Colaiste an Chraoibhin, Fermoy; St. Joseph's Convent NS, Charleville; Nagle Rice Secondary School, Doneraile; Convent Primary School, Mallow and Rathduff NS, Grenagh. County Mayor Cllr Ian Doyle said it was wonderful to see the enthusiasm with which young pupils have adopted the scheme. "Cork County Council is delighted to be involved in such a fantastic initiative to reduce the use of single plastic use. It is very important that we teach our children the value of looking after the environment and sustainability. Providing such a facility in their place of learning teaches them this on a regular basis," he said. The widow of Li Wenliang, the 34-year-old whistleblower doctor from Wuhan who raised the alarm about Covid-19 in China last year, has delivered their baby. Li died from coronavirus in February, his wife Fu Xuejie was pregnant with their second child. Fu Xuejie shared the baby boys image on instant messaging app WeChat on Friday and described the newborn as the final gift from her late husband. Li, who worked as an ophthalmologist at the Wuhan central hospital, was arrested by Chinese authorities for spreading rumours. He was trying to sound an alarm about Covid-19 situation in the country which quickly assumed the shape of a pandemic. On December 30, Li chanced upon a test result of a patient who had been admitted to his hospital with a new, unidentified disease. He shared the information on a private WeChat group with seven other friends, saying that from the results it looked like SARS - an epidemic which killed hundreds in China in 2002-03. Li later said he only wanted to warn friends about the disease but his post went viral. The doctor and his friends were soon summoned by the Wuhan police for spreading rumours and were forced to sign a confession. After his release,Li he went back to the hospital and started working but contracted Covid-19 from a patient. Li was hospitalised on January 12 and in the following days, his condition deteriorated. He was admitted to the intensive care unit and tested positive for Covid-19, he subsequently lost his life. The virus outbreak that started from China has affected almost every country in the world with over 7 million people infected and more than 4 lakh people killed by the deadly contagion. During a week in which COVID-19 cases in western Wisconsin spiked, local county health departments have partnered to create the Coulee COVID-19 compass. The project launched June 10 and is designed to measure risk assessment in the following categories: infection rates, health care capacity and public health capacity. COVID-19 doesnt respect county borders, so collaboration and partnerships with neighboring counties are critical, said Sharon Nelson, director of the Monroe County Health Department. The project was originally launched in La Crosse County May 29. Monroe County is joining the effort along with Buffalo, Crawford, Jackson, Trempealeau and Vernon counties. Nelson said the COVID-19 compass will allow the public to view data from neighboring counties and the region at the glance and guide recommendations for each countys residents. The compass responds to data so we can make timely recommendations on current risks, Nelson said. The tool is responsive because we can anticipate that COVID-19 will ebb and flow in our communities. The rollout comes during a week when Monroe County reported 13 new cases of COVID-19. Three were announced Thursday followed by two more Friday. None of the patients were hospitalized. Through Friday afternoon, the county reported 29 cases since mid-March with one death and 17 recoveries. La Crosse County reported eight new cases Friday. All eight three women and five men are in their 20s. Nationwide, there have been over two million confirmed cases and 115,000 fatalities. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Today, a rabble of overweight, tattooed thugs hurled insults, cans and bottles at the police. Officers with shields and riot gear scrambled to contain the violence a short walk from the heart of government. This was co-ordinated law-breaking. We are supposed to be in lockdown, remember, confined to our homes while the R-rate hovers close to one. But the rioting was all too predictable from the moment the police, politicians and other prominent figures decided to indulge the Black Lives Matters (BLM) demonstrations all around Britain last weekend. At the start, many of the BLM campaigners had a noble cause. Yet their gatherings were in defiance of lockdown guidelines and spilled over into violence and destruction. Police officers were injured. Property was destroyed. The smell of double standards is hard to avoid. Today, a rabble of overweight, tattooed thugs hurled insults, cans and bottles at the police. Officers with shields and riot gear scrambled to contain the violence a short walk from the heart of government. Pictured: Counter protestors jeer at opponents in Trafalgar Square Yesterday, the police behaved as they should. Properly equipped, they contained a lawless mob and protected public property. Politicians and commentators were outspoken in their criticism of the thugs. But where were they last weekend? The politicians were calling the protestors peaceful or even praising them. And the police in some cases not only kneeled before the mob but then, as it turned violent, ran away from them. No wonder people were angry at that sight. Permitted lawlessness only encourages more of the same. And adds to the madness in the air at the moment. Anarchy is breaking out. Where are the brakes on this thing? Does anyone know? Why is it that the Cenotaph in Whitehall must be boarded up, and the statue of Winston Churchill? How did a debate on police racism in the US turn into an attack on almost everything in Britains past, not to mention protests and now counter-protests and rioting across European cities? This is a very dangerous moment. Yes, some part of the current unrest is a reaction to the lockdown. There are consequences when you consign the whole country to our homes for nearly three months. This was co-ordinated law-breaking. We are supposed to be in lockdown, remember, confined to our homes while the R-rate hovers close to one It is also true there are segments of the population who feel racism is the single most important issue in our country. They portray Great Britain as a hell-hole, a vile society, with white supremacy and institutional racism everywhere. An even greater part of the population profoundly disagrees. But where is the debate? How did protests against a policeman killing an unarmed black man in Minnesota last month lead to the cancelling of Fawlty Towers, the destruction of statues and assaults on the police by two different sets of thugs? The fact is that police chiefs set a dreadful example last weekend, standing by in the face of mass law-breaking. Why? Because like our whole society they fear that opposing any action by BLM will lead to accusations of racism. And now we see the consequence of this retreat from reason. The destruction of our monuments, mob rule on our streets and festering hatred on the internet. What happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis was appalling. The arresting policemans actions were callous, brutal and indefensible. But why have people decided to apportion the blame so far and wide? These protestors are using the actions of a policeman in Minnesota (currently charged with murder and awaiting trial) to push for the erasure of British history and culture. But the rioting was all too predictable from the moment the police, politicians and other prominent figures decided to indulge the Black Lives Matters (BLM) demonstrations all around Britain last weekend What we are seeing is nothing less than an attempt to reshape Britain in the image of militant groups and the ideologues of the Far-Left. And to do so they are crushing debate and punishing dissent using classic tactics of moral intimidation. Across the country, people fear that remaining silent is somehow to support the violence meted out to George Floyd: an oboe recital on Radio 3 was interrupted by a trembling speech about his killing; a presenter on the BBC2s Springwatch used the return of the wild beaver to Cornwall to use as a counterpoint to events in Minnesota. Speak out against BLM as Nigel Farage did last week and you might lose your job. As he did. People learn from such punishments and shaming, and most of the media like everybody else has been intimidated into agreeing with the protests, for fear of seeming to condone racism. Police officers were injured. Property was destroyed. The smell of double standards is hard to avoid Why has our culture become like this? Are we Communist eastern Europe, where people have to condemn people with whom they are associated in case they are condemned in turn? Whatever happened to polite disagreement? Or healthy debate? The crowd behaviour at the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol last weekend was deranged. Whatever the rights and wrong of the statue, the manner in which it came down was shocking. It was a clearly organised, pre-planned event. But look at the heat of that crowd, jumping up and down on the toppled statue, as though he had been a dictator who had oppressed them all their lives. Even more shocking was the fact that the police stood by, with police chiefs justifying that decision and the citys mayor congratulating the mob on their actions. That move was deeply significant. Because we know from history that at such moments crowds of this kind are interested in one thing above all: testing the limits, seeing how far they are permitted to go. In failing to realise this, the polices top command have been cowards. Since then we have seen attempts to bring down statues of the founder of the Scouts, Robert Baden-Powell and the renaming of a building in Liverpool named after Gladstone. And the anti-statue movement has spread outward. Gone With The Wind has gone from streaming services for wrong-think, as have comedy series like Little Britain and The League Of Gentlemen. Can anyone explain convincingly why things made only a decade ago are now so threatening? No. Any more than we can explain how any child in Britain of whatever ethnic background is going to benefit from this demented cultural purge. Members of Minneapolis City Council have announced their intention to dismantle the citys police department. As though American cities have not just had a taste of what a loss of law and order looks like. One member of the city council Jeremiah Ellison announced a dramatic rethink on how we approach public safety. Perhaps he and his colleagues could set up a Committee on Public Safety, as Robespierre and Co did after the French Revolution with such striking success. If pushed, America could well find itself amid another revolution. As it is in America, so it could be here, not least because there has been a near-total absence of authority so far. This country needs to recognise what we are facing. Yes, there are some people genuinely protesting because of Minnesotan policing. Others are just happy to get out of the house and be praised for their nobility in doing so. But among them lie people with the most hostile imaginable view of this country, people who will not stop until they have trashed all of our history and forced everyone into feeling some undue sense of shame over it. They and the vacuum left by our political leaders have now created a counter-force. One that thanks to its thuggery will give further ammunition to their opponents. Well count me out. I am proud of our history. Like millions of other British people I have my own attitudes and criticisms towards parts of it, and am open to debating it all. But I dont see why these cultural revolutionaries should be able to push their one-sided, hostile version of our country unopposed. If they do, I worry deeply about what greater reaction they might produce. This nation has been an extraordinary force for good in the world. If it hadnt been, and we werent the tolerant country that we are, then why would people from all over the world have come here and want to come here still? Like all countries including America there are things we can do to improve. Nobody doubts that. But we cannot leave our future to the rule of mobs neither to the thugs of yesterday, nor to the anti-racists who would destroy our economy and erase every aspect of our culture that isnt to their liking. Save Sir Winston! Sign the Mail petition urging Boris Johnson to publicly promise that Churchill's statue will NEVER be torn down By Michael Powell and James Heale and Mark Nikol for the Mail on Sunday The Mail on Sunday today calls on our readers to help block any attempt to remove the statue of Sir Winston Churchill from outside the Houses of Parliament. Our petition urges Boris Johnson to make a public pledge that the monument to Britain's celebrated wartime leader will never be moved after it was attacked by anti-fascist and Black Lives Matter protesters last weekend. Churchill's granddaughter alarmed war veterans, MPs and historians yesterday by suggesting the iconic sculpture may be safer in a museum. London Mayor Sadiq Khan had the statue in Parliament Square boarded up with large metal sheets on Friday amid fears it would be targeted by protesters a move Mr Johnson branded as 'absurd and shameful'. Please enter your details here to sign the letter below Thank you for signing The Mail on Sunday's Save Churchill petition. The petition will be sent to Downing Street but your personal data will be held by DMGT in accordance with this 'petition' and will not otherwise be shared with any third parties. For more information on how we store and process data please visit our privacy policy here. If the form does not appear correctly, please show your support by filling it in by clicking here >>> If you are an Android user and you cannot find the 'submit' button, please enter your details and press the 'enter' button on the keyboard of you phone or tablet device Activists daubed the words 'was a racist' under Churchill's name on the statue during angry anti-racism protests last weekend. His granddaughter Emma Soames told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she felt 'extraordinarily sad that my grandfather, who was such a unifying figure in this country, appears to have become a sort of icon through being controversial'. She said if people were 'so infuriated' by seeing the statue, it may be 'safer' in a museum. But Churchill's grandson Nicholas Soames swiftly condemned any attempt to move it from the spot the former PM had chosen before he died in 1965. 'I will have nothing of taking statues down and putting them in museums,' he said. People stand near the boarded up Churchill statue at Parliament Square in London yesterday Sir Nicholas told protesters to 'read your history and grow up', and said it was 'rubbish' and a 'lunatic representation' to call his grandfather racist. He told LBC: 'All his life he fought fascism.' Churchill, who was Prime Minister twice, is considered a national hero and often leads polls on who was the greatest-ever Briton. His picture was chosen to appear on the new polymer 5 notes. However, critics say his legacy is tarnished by controversial remarks he made about different races and his role in the Bengal famine in 1943 after Allied forces halted food supplies, leading to an estimated 3 million deaths. Mr Johnson, who wrote a biography of Churchill in 2014, acknowledged the former PM had expressed opinions which were 'unacceptable to us today', but he remained a hero for saving Britain from 'fascist and racist tyranny'. However, Mr Johnson was coming under increasing pressure last night to promise that the statue was going nowhere, amid a chorus of support for our petition. A worker cleans graffiti from the plinth of Churchill statue at Parliament Square on Monday Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'Churchill is the greatest Briton without any question who has saved this country and the whole free world from the terrible tyranny of Nazi Germany. I want the Prime Minister and those in authority to make it clear the statue will never be removed from its plinth.' Last night, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also backed our campaign, saying: 'Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square stands as a tribute to his leadership and the Allied victory in the Second World War. It should not be moved.' Colonel Richard Kemp, former British Army commander in Afghanistan, said: 'Even to consider relocating the statue of Churchill is shameful. He was responsible for saving this country from the tyranny of Nazism perhaps the most racist regime in history. Accusations of racism made against him are largely based on deliberate misrepresentations of history.' A protective covering surrounds the Winston Churchill statue at Parliament Square on Friday Former Chancellor Lord Lamont admitted that some of Churchill's views belonged in the past but 'he was a great man who saved this country from an evil regime. He has been an inspiration through the ages and remains so.' Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a former Royal Navy commander, added: 'Churchill should stay put. You have to look at his overall contribution. People calling for him to be moved are clueless as to the nuances of history. 'Statues stimulate debate you don't have to agree with everything that figure did or said.' Rusty Firmin, an SAS hero who took part in the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, said: 'Many of these people calling for the statue to be removed wouldn't have been here today if the Nazi war machine had defeated us and our allies. So surely Winston Churchill defended all races? That statue could have easily been Adolf Hitler.' Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pictured at 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday Author Shrabani Basu, who has written books about the British Empire, said there were 'two sides of Churchill', and 'we need to know his darkest hour as well as his finest hour'. But Ms Basu said she did not want to see the statue removed from Parliament Square. Tory MP Matt Vickers was one of several parliamentarians who arrived to clean the graffiti off Churchill's statue last Monday. He said: 'Winston Churchill is one of Britain's greatest figures and it is shameful that his statue was boarded up. We cannot allow rule by the mob to destroy the hard-won freedoms and rights he secured for us.' Andrew Roberts, historian and author of Churchill: Walking With Destiny, said: 'As well as being a Tory PM, Churchill was a Liberal for 20 years and a founder of the welfare state, so The Mail on Sunday's excellent campaign is something that all Britons should be able get behind, regardless of politics.' FILE PHOTO: The company logo for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is displayed on a screen on the floor at the NYSE in New York By Anthony Deutsch AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - AstraZeneca is in talks with Japan, Russia, Brazil and China about supply deals for its potential coronavirus vaccine, its chief said on Saturday, as the British drugmaker prepares to publish the results of the first phase of tests. The British regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the start of Phase III trials of the vaccine after studies showed sufficient efficacy and safety, Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said on a call with reporters. His comments came after the company pledged to deliver 400 million doses of its vaccine to European countries, its latest supply deal for the drug as governments around the world scramble to gain access to the drug to combat the pandemic. The Netherlands, Italy and Germany will play a big role in manufacturing the drug in Europe, he said. Soriot said the company expects to know by the end of the summer if the vaccine, which he said would cost a few dollars per dose, works. (Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; Writing by Josephine Mason; Editing by Louise Heavens) Hot on the heels of the Black Lives Matter movement across the US, IT services giant Infosys Limited's American arm is facing a race discrimination suit in a Texas district court filed by its former diversity chief. Plaintiff Davina Linguist, who's a US national of Afro-American race, has accused Infosys of firing her from the company after she testified against it in an earlier class-action lawsuit. In October 2016, Linguist sat for a deposition in Koehler vs Infosys Technologies Ltd, a class action lawsuit which challenged Infosys' pattern and practice of "discrimination against non-Indian employees". During her deposition, she had testified while accusing Infosys of "discriminatory practices, including the fact that Infosys managers obstructed her efforts to increase the non-South Asian diversity of Infosys' workforce". She also accused that Infosys' counsel attempted to intimidate her by asking her irrelevant and invasive questions about her home life, her family members, her children, and her husband's business. Linguist alleged that soon after her deposition, Infosys retaliated, stripping her of her title as the head of diversity recruiting (and replacing her with an individual with no relevant experience) and demoting her. On March 7, 2017, she alleged that she was forced to resign from her position at Infosys. Also read: Infosys workforce increases 166% in 10 years but electricity consumption only 20% The plaintiff has now sought a jury trial in Texas court and has sought compensation, including salary, employment benefit and compensatory damages. The tech giant has denied all allegations of discrimination, saying it would defend itself in the court of low. The company has said it treats everyone fairly while providing equal opportunities for all workers. For those having concerns, employees can report to Infosys' multiple avenues, the company has said. Notably, following the death of 46-year-old Minneapolis resident George Floyd, several companies are facing questions over racial discrimination at workplaces. Thousands of people across the world are taking to the streets in the US, European and Asian cities, demonstrating in support of protests against race discrimination and police brutality. Meanwhile, in April, another Indian tech giant Wipro also faced a fresh class action suit by five of its former employees in the United States, alleging the company practices discriminatory policies in promotions, hikes and termination of employment against employees who were not of South Asian or Indian origin. The suit was filed in the district court of New Jersey on March 30. In the suit, the plaintiffs alleged that Wipro "operates under a general policy of discrimination in favour of South Asians and against individuals who are not South Asian and not Indian". "This general policy of discrimination manifests itself in the same general fashion concerning Wipro's hiring, staffing, promotion, and termination decisions," the suit said. They have now sought a jury trial in the case. Also read: Infosys CEO Salil Parekh's pay package increases to Rs 34.27 crore in FY20 Kathmandu, June 13 : Conservationists are satellite tracking red pandas in the mountains of Nepal to find out more about the factors that are driving them towards extinction, a media report said. The mammals are endangered with numbers down to a few thousand in the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China, the BBC said in the report on Friday. The red panda was initially considered a relative of the raccoon because of its ringed tail, and was later thought to be related to bears. Ten red pandas have been fitted with GPS collars to monitor their range in the forests near Mount Kangchenjunga. The GPS collars are said to be working well and yielding "exciting data". The six females and four males are being tracked and photographed using camera traps in a conservation effort involving scientists, vets, government officials in Nepal and conservation group Red Panda Network. "This is a great milestone in red panda conservation", said Man Bahadur Khadka, director general of Nepal's department of forests and soil conservation. Conservationists in Nepal hope the study over the course of a year will give valuable data about how to better protect one of the last remaining populations. Ouster: Shareholders are seeking the removal of Aryzta chairman Gary McGann from the board A group of Aryzta shareholders led by Veraison Capital say they regret "the delaying tactics of the board of directors" in relation to the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), which they requested be held last month. The group, which together owns about 18pc of the Swiss-Irish company, are seeking to remove Aryzta CEO Kevin Toland from the board and eject chairman Gary McGann. The Cuisine de France owner has said it will hold the EGM in August following a strategic review of the business, which is within the period allowed for holding the meeting. Mr Toland, who the activists want to see remain as CEO, was parachuted into the company in 2017 to help turn the group around. Aryzta's customers include the likes of McDonald's and Subway, as well as big-name retailers. The activist shareholders want to oust four board members and replace the chairman with their own nominee. "The deliberate delay of the EGM leads to the unacceptable situation that the strategy review announced at short notice on 13 May should be completed before EGM and thus before a comprehensive renewal of the board of directors," Veraison said in a statement yesterday. "Since 2017, the existing board of directors has failed to set the right strategic course to focus and reduce the complexity of Aryzta. "This has led to enormous value destruction for shareholders. It is unacceptable that before a renewal of the board and without taking all stakeholders into account, the strategy review, neglected for a long time, is now to be concluded on short notice with an investment bank," it said. "Under no circumstances can this be in the best interests of the company." In the lengthy statement, Veraison said the determination of company strategy should be carried out by a board "that manages the company on behalf of the shareholders over the longer term". "We are convinced that the proven industry expertise of the independent candidates Urs Jordi, Heiner Kamps and Armin Bieri would bring valuable expertise to the ongoing strategy process," it added. Last month Aryzta hired Rothschild to advise it - a move that suggests no option, including a sale or radical restructuring, is off the table. When contacted by the Irish Independent yesterday a spokesperson for Aryzta said it had noted the statement from Veraison, declining to comment further. In a trading update last month that covered the three months to April 30, Aryzta's third-quarter organic revenue slumped 21.5pc year on year as the coronavirus pandemic struck. Overall revenues fell 24pc to 644.2m. Trading had been in line with expectations until March 15 and then suffered badly as lockdowns and business closures were imposed across the globe. Over the three months it was most badly hit in its European market, where revenue declined by 23.5pc. In North America, turnover fell by 20.4pc. Shares in the group were down over 5pc in Dublin yesterday afternoon. THE HAGUE, Netherlands, June 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia are severe inherited blood disorders, often referred to as "hemoglobinopathies." They predominantly affect the Black and Asian ethnic minority populations in England. To ensure good standards and equitable access to care, the National Health Service in England has recently commissioned a model of regional care networks overseen by a new body, the National Haemoglobinopathy Panel. This organizational structure has enabled a rapid response to the COVID-19 epidemic and enabled collection of national data on new cases and outcomes to determine if hemoglobinopathy patients are at risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes. We present an analysis on data collected up to June 5th indicating that the majority of cases have been mild, and in particular children do not appear to be at increased risk. However, the data suggests that adults with SCD may be more vulnerable to adverse outcomes. Therefore, we recommend that isolation precautions should be lifted cautiously, and that new therapies and vaccination for COVID-19, when available, should be prioritized for this patient group. Presenter: Dr Paul Telfer Affiliation: Queen Mary University of London, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK Abstract: #LB2606 REAL-TIME NATIONAL SURVEY OF COVID-19 IN HEMOGLOBINOPATHY AND RARE INHERITED ANEMIA PATIENTS About the EHA Annual Congress: Every year in June, EHA organizes its Annual Congress in a major European city. This year due to the COVID19 pandemic, EHA transformed its physical meeting into a Virtual Congress. The Congress is aimed at health professionals working in or interested in the field of hematology. The scientific program topics range from stem cell physiology and development to leukemia; lymphoma; diagnosis and treatment; red blood cells; white blood cells and platelet disorders; hemophilia and myeloma; thrombosis and bleeding disorders; as well as transfusion and stem cell transplantation. Embargo: Please note that our embargo policy applies to all selected abstracts in the Press Briefings. For more information, see our EHA Media and Embargo policy here. Website: ehaweb.org Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/622259/EHA_Logo.jpg SOURCE European Hematology Association (EHA) Related Links https://ehaweb.org Wearing face masks in public is the most effective method to prevent person-to-person spread of the coronavirus, a new study says, adding that it is the only way to prevent airborne transmission of the virus. Comparing data from the first pandemic epicentre in Wuhan in central China, Italy and New York city, the researchers argue that non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) like social distancing, quarantine and contact tracing work the best when people wear masks. This protective measure alone significantly reduced the number of infections, that is, by over 78,000 in Italy from April 6 to May 9 and over 66,000 in New York City from April 17 to May 9, the researchers from Texas A&M University, the University of Texas, the California Institute of Technology and University of California wrote in the paper. It said both the WHO and the US Centres for Disease Control largely ignored the importance of airborne transmission route of the disease even though both emphasised the prevention of contact transmission. It was only last week that the WHO changed its advice on face masks, saying they should be worn in public where social distancing is not possible. It said new information showed masks could provide a barrier for potentially infectious droplets -- a validation of this research paper. The organisation had earlier said there was not enough evidence to say that healthy people should wear masks. The WHO DG Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on June 6 that in light of evolving evidence, the WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments. The new study therefore is particularly relevant to India because wearing a mask is the most inexpensive yet effective way to prevent human-to-human transmission of the virus, if the findings of the study are to be believed. The paper says that government-mandated wearing of masks helped China in flattening the pandemic curve even as the numbers rise globally. In contrast to China, wearing face masks was not mandated and was unpopular in most of the western world during the early outbreak of the pandemic. Advice on the use of face masks was not issued until April 6 by the WHO, writes one of the authors Renyi Zhang from the department of atmospheric sciences, Texas A&M University. The peer-reviewed paper was published on June 11 in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) USA journal: analysis reveals that the difference with and without mandated face covering represents the determinant in shaping the trends of the pandemic. This protective measure significantly reduces the number of infections. Other mitigation measures, such as social distancing implemented in the US, are insufficient by themselves in protecting the public. Why is wearing a mask critical to combating the pandemic? Renyi Zhang explained that face covering prevents both airborne transmission and contact transmission. On the other hand, social distancing, quarantine, and isolation, in conjunction with hand sanitising, minimise contact (direct and indirect) transmission but do not protect against airborne transmission. With social distancing, quarantine, and isolation in place worldwide and in the US since the beginning of April, airborne transmission represents the only viable route for spreading the disease, when mandated face covering is not implemented. We conclude that wearing of face masks in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent interhuman transmission, and this inexpensive practice, in conjunction with extensive testing, quarantine, and contact tracking, poses the most probable fighting opportunity to stop the Covid-19 pandemic, prior to the development of a vaccine. Around 200 protesters gathered in Kathmandu on Saturday to protest against the government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Protesters held banners reading "enough is enough", demanding more testing and condemning alleged corruption by officials in the purchase of equipment and testing kits. Earlier this week, police fired tear gas and water cannon to break up a protest near a road leading to the prime minister's office. The government has eased the country's lockdown to allow businesses to open and some vehicles to return to the roads. As of Saturday, Nepal's Health Ministry has reported 5,335 cases and 18 deaths. Travis Russell This Mud Bay moose calf was repeatedly approached by people trying to pet and feed it, despite warnings from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Eventually the calf was relocated with the hope that it will be able to reunite with its mother. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Here is our weekly roundup of coronavirus facts, figures and numbers regarding Cleveland, Ohio, the United States and the world June 6-12. June 6: Worldwide, more than 6.7 million cases of coronavirus are reported, according to Johns Hopkins University. Brazil's death toll tops 35,000. June 7: The state health department says 38,476 Ohioans have confirmed infections of coronavirus, and 2,377 have died. Five new related deaths, and 19 new cases, are confirmed by the city of Cleveland. Total number of cases among Cleveland residents is 1,726, with 62 deaths. June 8: Total coronavirus cases in Ohio reaches 38,837, including 2,404 deaths. Summit County reports 184 coronavirus-related deaths, putting it fourth in the state behind Franklin (300), Cuyahoga (283), Lucas (266) and Mahoning (195). Cleveland confirms 20 more cases, pushing the city's tally to 1,746, with 68 deaths. New York City gets ready to reopen, exactly 100 days since its first case of coronavirus was confirmed. More than 205,000 New Yorkers have been infected, and nearly 22,000 have died. Weeks ago, as many as 800 people were dying on a single day. June 9: It is reported that Cedar Point Amusement Park will open Thursday, July 9, to season passholders initially, with advanced reservations, masks and temperature checks required. GOJO Industries, maker of Purell and other sanitizers, buys a 325,000-square-foot facility in Maple Heights. At least 39,162 Ohioans have had coronavirus. Of these, at least 2,421 people have died. Cleveland confirms 17 more cases and no new fatalities. The city has 1,763 confirmed cases and 453 probable cases. For the second day in a row, Texas shows a record number of hospitalized patients with coronavirus, which Gov. Greg Abbott says he is monitoring as businesses continue reopening. June 10: At least 2,457 Ohioans have died with confirmed or probable coronavirus. The state has had at least 39,575 confirmed or probable coronavirus cases. Cleveland confirms 15 more cases and two new fatalities. The city has a total 1,778 confirmed cases and 70 deaths. Legislation to permanently allow Ohio establishments to sell alcoholic beverages for carryout or delivery, or to drink in adjacent parking lots, passes the Ohio House 84-8. It is one of several measures aimed at helping boost businesses for restaurants and bars feeling the economic brunt of coronavirus restrictions. June 11: Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton announced her resignation. She will remain as the governors chief adviser on health issues, Gov. Mike DeWine says. Ohio now has at least 40,004 confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus. The number includes at least 2,490 confirmed and probable deaths. Cleveland confirms 11 more cases and three new fatalities, bringing the city's total to 1,789 confirmed cases and 71 deaths. When Cedar Point and other amusement parks reopen in July, they will require all guests over age 2 to wear a face mask to prevent the spread of the virus. It's also announced that the Summit County Fair will go on with restrictions in place Wednesday, July 29, through Sunday, Aug. 2. The Houston Chronicle reports "A large, ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 places the Houston area on the second-highest of four public threat levels unveiled by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. If troubling trends continue, including an increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, the county health department again would recommend residents stay at home except for essential errands, such as buying groceries and medicine, she said." June 12: More than 2,500 Ohioans have died of coronavirus. It is announced that, because of coronavirus restrictions, the 2020 GOP Convention will be held in Jacksonville, Florida, instead of Charlotte. Today is the day film and television production employees in California can go back to work. According to CNBC, "Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says the state reported 731 new coronavirus cases since Thursday, the largest daily jump in the state since the outbreak began." Previous coverage Coronavirus timeline: Restrictions mount throughout Northeast Ohio Coronavirus timeline March 21-27 Coronavirus timeline March 28-April 3 Coronavirus timeline April 4-10 Coronavirus timeline April 11-17 Coronavirus timeline April 18-24 Coronavirus timeline April 25-May 1 Coronavirus timeline May 2-8 Coronavirus timeline May 9-15 Coronavirus timeline: May 16-22 Coronavirus timeline: May 23-29 Coronavirus timeline: May 30-June 5 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. Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth GH25,000 to the Swedru Council of Churches to enable them to follow the COVID-19 protocols while church services resumed. The Items were 25 veronica buckets with stands, 100 boxes of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, 100 bottles of liquid soap, 100 packs of tissue papers, 25 thermometer guns, 25 hand washing bowls, 3,000 hand gloves, and 2,000 nose masks. As part of measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19, some restrictions were outlined by President Akufo-Addo and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) among which was the ban on social and religious activities. Mrs Morrison said the easing of the restrictions imposed by the President on social gatherings, funerals, Pubs, and others was to prevent overcrowding and safeguard the health of Ghanaians. The Minister who is also the Member of Parliament for Agona West urged the churches to disinfect their premises as it was one of the conditions for easing the restrictions. She cautioned pastors and Church leaders to ensure that the health and social distancing protocols were observed. She said, three people, have tested positive for the COVID-19 in Agona West and urged residents to heed to social distancing, wearing of nose masks and use of hand sanitizers as a means to contain the virus. According to the Minister, the COVID-19 pandemic had devastated global economies including Ghana, and assured that the government was working around the clock to reverse the economy to improve the living conditions of Ghanaians. Reverend Christian Essandoh, Chairman of Swedru branch of Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Councils on behalf of the churches thanked the Minister for the kind gesture. Rev Essandoh who is also the Central Regional Superintendent of Assemblies of God Church urged all the churches to disinfect their premises before church services resumed. The Very Reverend Prince Sackey, Synod Secretary of Winneba Diocese of Methodist Church said the pastors and church leaders have taken a serious view of the pandemic, hence, enough preparations were being made before services resumed. He said the Churches appreciated the efforts made by the government since the outbreak of the Pandemic three months ago and the huge resources pumped into it to ensure the safety of Ghanaians. Rev Sackey reiterated calls on all Churches to abide by the protocols to help win the fight against the disease. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Every crisis comes with its learning. For businesses that fall in the discretionary spending category, the learning has been steep, leaving them with no options but to evolve fast if they want to survive. Many will find themselves discarded by the wayside. Luxury goods companies, which, like most industries have had their consumers disappear, face a flat future unless they can innovate. Internationally, brands such as Ermenegildo Zegna are doing so to avoid rising market stagnation. Zegna planned a radically new digital format show after the summer Milan fashion season was cancelled. Creative director Alessandro Sartori promises that the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Summer 2021 collection, which will open in the first half of July, will be a phygital (physical meets digital) experience. It will almost be a digital movie, a blend of live performance with a pre-recorded environment made using CGI technology, where you layer frames one over the other. London-based young fashion designer Steven Tai has reached his buyers through virtual look books and 360-degree gifs that allow them to view the entire look. He says that half of what he has sold during the lockdown was due to such digital tools. Kala Ghoda store of Payal Khandwala. Indias nascent indigenous luxury industry, blindsided by the long lockdown, have begun revisiting their business formats. Designer Payal Khandwala says the transformation will be three-fold. Production will change with staggered shifts, social distancing and work-from-home. The distribution will change. Physical stores are likely to be a deterrent for a while. Our focus will have to shift to online sales and virtual shopping. The disrupted supply chains will continue for some time, with no cash flow, remote weavers being harder to access, and travel becoming tougher. Payal Khandwala. Outhouse Jewellery is among the few young jewellery brands to state that they have seen some people spending online, even during the lockdown. Since a lot of celebrations are taking place virtually, people like to dress up. They are going back to embracing the process of getting ready, say co-founders Kaabia and Sasha Grewal. For brands such as Colorbar and Kaya Ltd, which are dependent on sales through physical stores, the change has been drastic, but transformative and enduring. Even though few retail stores are now beginning to open, we still have a long way to go, says Samir Modi, MD, Modi Enterprises, which owns the Colorbar cosmetic brand. Samir Modi, Founder and Managing Director, Colorbar. Younger lifestyle and luxury brands have unsurprisingly been more nimble-footed, converting to digital platforms quickly. Bespoke shoemaker Jyoti Narula, the founder of JoeShu, says. We have used the time to improve processes, cut redundancies and focus on product innovation. We have strengthened our online presence across all relevant digital marketplaces. We plan to launch virtual store visits, taking visitors through the process of show selection. Launching new segments Brands such as Okhai have collaborated with artisans to launch new verticals. Okhai is a clothing brand that generates livelihood options for rural women artisans. During the lockdown we wanted to help other artisans, so we began launching other products which werent clothing, such as Studio Coppres products or Kadam Haats beautiful range of homeware. They did extremely well and we extended the collection to include work by other artisans and groups. We plan to continue this artisanal business vertical even after the lockdown. There is an upsurge of interest in handmade products, says Kirti Poonia, the head of the brand which is backed by the Tatas. Jyoti Narula, Founder, JoeShu. By the end of May, Okhaiwhich works with young designers from NID and other design schools, besides emerging designers from within the artisan communitieshad reached over 40,000 customers and recouped 70 percent of last years sales. The sale of Kadam Haat products such as bread baskets, laundry baskets and like amounted to Rs 5.5 lakh and growing. Brands need to focus on developing an intriguing brand story and amazing photography. I always tell the team, Were selling photos, says Poonia. The beauty segment has been the worst hit and requires reaching out to consumers as a long-term strategy. We are aware that people would not like physical make-up tutorials and makeovers in the current situation, says Samir Modi. We have drawn up a robust launch calendar, prioritising products that are relevant to the needs of our consumers, through ColorbarCare. Ankur and Priyanka Modi. The brand is investing in solutions-based skincare products such as hygiene wipes, hand hygiene and hand creams. Samir Modi informs that the strategy has helped them increase sales by almost over 40 percent after the delivery of non-essentials opened up. Our new consumer acquisition is to the tune of 60 percent. Many are from smaller towns and cities which arent major containment zones, with a discernible increase in cart values. The emergence of a digital marketplace Digital is the big marketplace, a trend that is likely to super-accelerate. However, discretionary spend consumers arent just going to come to your website to buy unless there is a strong hook and an experience built within. Three-layered necklace from Outhouse is priced at Rs15,500. Rajiv Nair Group CEO of Kaya Limited, which runs the popular upmarket Kaya Skin Clinics, says, We are re-building our e-commerce platform and will have omni-channel capability soon. We see great potential in hyperlocal deliveries through our tie-up with partners such as Swiggy. Kaya has seen online sales grow sequentially by over 40-50 percent over the last three years and expects the e-commerce business to be about Rs 22 crore in FY21. Khandwala is offering an online personal shopper experience to retain some of what might be lost when her buyers are not able to access the physical stores. Through our virtual and home shopping experience in Mumbai and Bangalore, our senior client service executives guide, recommend and offer customised sizing options to clients via telephone and video calls. It includes 360 videos and images of the products. Once a garment is selected, the executives organise to have it pre-steamed (sealed in sanitised packaging) and delivered to buyers via a local delivery service. For a client's safety, we ensure that all garments remain untouched for a minimum of 48 hours. The client then has the option to keep the garment or return it within 24 hours for either an exchange or refund. This allows our patrons the added luxury and attention of an individual professional, says Khandwala. Penny Moccasins Tan from JoeShu. WhatsApp and virtual calling have emerged as the new sales platforms. Amrapali Jaipur is selling their precious jewellery through virtual platforms such as WhatsApp and video conferences. We try and educate our clients about various techniques, understand their requirements and develop new designs, says creator and jewellery designer Tarang Arora. I believe Indians will go back to investing in gold, a habit we had let go of. Investments for the future will be the trend in discretionary buys. Tarang Arora, Creative Director and CEO, Amrapali Jewels. Amrapali had a pre-COVID online strategy for its brand Tribe Amrapali, which saw sales drop by 20 to 30 percent. Once the government started allowing logistics companies to move in certain zones, we are now on 100 percent. Young jewellery brand Vaitaanika is reaching out through personal video calling. It is an effective way to bridge the gap, says founder Ageerika Hair. There was a time when jewellers visited the homes of their patrons to display and sell their wares. As lockdowns lift, we plan to adapt ancient ways of selling: taking appointments from our clients and carrying jewellery pieces to their homes. Brands such as AMPM, which focused largely on touch-and-feel experience, have been forced to shift their centre of attention. Ankur Modi, the founder of the AMPM fashion label, says, Before the lockdown, our retail structure was segregated in 90:10 format, where 90 percent of their energies were focused on offline sales and 10 percent of the revenues came from online buyers. Now the ratio would dramatically change to 50:50, and we will put equal emphasis on both revenue streams for at least the next year. Ageerika Hari, Founder, Vaitaanika. While the brand has been booking orders, the deliveries are just about beginning. During the lockdown, the sales were down to 20 percent even on their e-commerce store. With the recent relaxations, we were able to process a part of the previous orders and have seen a small uptick in new orders online, says Ankur Modi. They will continue to work with only a percentage of the workforce and push their current merchandise that is on floors. Poonia says that India will see the emergence of new e-marketplaces. Instagram is too crowded, Facebook dead, ads too expensive. You need to launch and sell through good marketplaces who have already acquired the customers. This wont be easy but if your product is amazing, and you can gain access to the team and a little focus, you can do wonders. She sees more manufacturing for the urban market being outsourced to rural areas, which is where reverse migration will help. In these areas, COVID has not had an impact and the cost of production is much lower than in metros. This manpower is now digitally connected for you to remotely work with them. Kaya Ltd. has begun investing large-scale in technology. Through a new web consult platform, we have been able to offer web consulting services to our clients for the past two months. We have tied up with Medlife for the supply of prescription drugs to our clients, recommended by Kaya doctors. Unified e-commerce and platforms such as WebConsults will help us reach a larger part of Indian consumers through our 130 doctors. Colorbar has leveraged technology to launch a virtual reality app and offer customer-training make-up master classes for their new product launches. Eye Promise Trinity Pendant from Outhouse - Rs.6,500. Using the app, customers are digitally able to try out various shades on their face. The colours will reflect on the digital impression of their face, doing away with the need for a make-up artist, says Samir Modi. Indian jewellery and fashion brands such as Outhouse Jewellery and JADE by Monica and Karishma had been hosting virtual styling and bridal consultations sessions. We were already hosting them for our international clientele and have extended the service to our Indian buyers through our e-commerce platform, reveals partner-founder Monic Shah. Monica Shah of JADE by Monica & Karishma. The challenge lies in replicating an experience similar to seeing a lush and indulgent couture piece in person. When someone walks into our store, its a complete sensory experience. Users are likely to miss out on that. But we are working on creating a lovely, seamless experience for online consults, she adds. The shift has to be in an entrepreneurs mindset. You have to spend more time online, communicating with your buyer and your audience, says Palak Shah, founder of Ekaya BANARAS, a luxury Banaras saree label. And this is round-the-clock interaction. We will now have to look at every buyer as an influencer. We will have to available 24 hours through our various digital platforms. Ekaya plans to shift a large part of its business online and through Instagram, though their first choice remains the physical stores because of the lavish retail experience they offer. A shift to conscious consumption Bhava from Vaitaanika. As a brand, AMPM is famous not just for its minimal aesthetics but also ethical sourcing of raw materials and its timeless classic designs. Ankur Modi contends that they have seen a positive shift towards conscious consumption. This means that businesses, big or small, will have to re-assess their long-established strategies and focus on providing the customers with real value and transparency. We do think the audience will become even more discretionary and will look at many factors surrounding a brand before endorsing one. We are designing investment-worthy pieces for a lasting wardrobe and working with native artisans to support the Handmade in India movement. Affordable luxury brands such as Outhouse expect to bounce back faster. Celebratory events and weddings may have minimal attendees and people will back to shopping and building an inventory of accessories and clothes. Designers are rethinking of ways they can produce and market affordable luxury. We are catering to the millennials who like to invest in cutting-edge design, quality and experience, say the Grewals. Sasha and Kaabia Grewal. Outhouse plans to launch fewer collections. Well try to recycle metal and re-use to avoid resource wastage. The brand is changing its bags to organic vegan leather and launching multi-functional pieces of jewelsa neckpiece that is also a bracelet, for instance. Deepali Nandwani is a journalist who keeps a close watch on the world of luxury. WATERLOO REGION Waterloo Regional Police arrested two men in two separate child luring investigations In one investigation, police were contacted by a complainant south of the border about a person in Waterloo who was speaking with children on a kids chat website. On Friday, a 38-year-old Waterloo man was arrested and is facing charges of luring a child and breach of probation. The other investigation was started by the OPP Child Exploitation Unit and led to the search of a Kitchener residence on Friday. A 23-year-old Kitchener man is charged with luring a child and making sexually explicit material available to a child. The Rodong Shimmun released a photo June 8 of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attending a meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea the previous day. Yonhap North Korea said Saturday that South Korea should stop "nonsensical" talk about denuclearization, saying Seoul was unqualified to discuss or "poke its nose into" nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang. Kwon Jong-gun, director-general of the department of U.S. affairs at North Korea's foreign ministry, made the remark in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, saying the South talking about denuclearization was like "burping after drinking still water." "It is really preposterous to hear the balderdash of the South Korean authorities who do not have either any qualification to discuss, or the position to poke their noses into, matters between the DPRK and the U.S., to say nothing of nuclear issues are commenting on the resumption of DPRK-U.S. dialogue and interpreting the issue of denuclearization at their own choice," he said. The DPRK is the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. STEPANAKERT, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan visited today the correctional department of the Police in the town of Shushi, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. The President was accompanied by Ombudsman Artak Beglaryan and Chief of Police Ashot Hakobjanyan. President Harutyunyan toured the departments correctional facility and the pre-trial detention place, got acquainted with the conditions and talked to the detainees and the staffers of the department. The President said cases of torture and ill-treatment should be ruled out in correctional facilities. The Ombudsman and the Police Chief presented their observations and proposals relating to the prevention of torture, the problems caused by the state of emergency, as well as other issues. The President of Artsakh assured that soon practical steps will be taken to solve some issues, including creation of an opportunity for a video call, improvement of building conditions, etc. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Bray woman Emer O'Neill was one of a group of people to gather at the bandstand in Bray last Saturday afternoon for an 'All Eyez On USA' demonstration, showing solidarity with black American people and to oppose racism, following the killing of George Floyd in America. Emer, who is a teacher at North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School in Bray, posted a video on social media last week, talking about her own experiences. She thought very carefully before posting the video, talking it over with her husband before doing so. 'I wasn't sure about posting it, and didn't know if I was ready. But as a black Irish woman in Ireland I thought my message needs to be heard.' It has now been viewed more than 25,000 times and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 'I haven't received a single negative comment,' said Emer. People have apologised to her on behalf of those who were racist towards her, and reassured her that they are raising their children to be anti-racist. 'It made me so proud of the people of Ireland and lifted a weight of anger and hurt from me. I can't put into words the beautiful things people said and the support they have shown. They have made promises that they won't allow this to be just a passing trend, but will mean real change in their lives.' She, along with former election candidate Anne Waithira Burke, addressed supporters who held a socially distanced protest in Bray at the weekend. Emer felt compelled to raise her own voice and join in the fight. 'I've yet to be able to watch the George Floyd video because it brings too much pain to even think about what happened to him let alone actually bear witness to it,' she said on her video. She said that she has 'lost count' of the amount of times she has been called the n word. 'I've had stones thrown at me, I've been physically hit... People have made fun of my hair, the way that I look. I've been discriminated against, judged, made feel like I was a piece of dirt and inferior to those around me,' she said. Emer, who lived in America for 10 years, said that racism is a taught thing, which then becomes a learned point of view and then a way of life. 'It only stops with changes in mentality, and growth,' she said. 'The racism that I've experienced has never been life threatening. I've never felt my life would be ended because of my colour. 'I'm thankful that I can walk to and from the shop and enter my own home, go for a run, hold my phone and most importantly breathe. I can do all of these things without feeling that the gardai, the ones there to protect me, would be the ones to kill me. 'It's not enough to be quietly non-racist,' she said. 'Now is the time to be vocally anti-racist. To stand together and to show that all lives matter.' P olice and protesters have clashed in central London after hundreds gathered in the streets around the Houses of Parliament and Whitehal to "guard" statues as part of a counter-demonstration against anti-racism protests. Officers in riot gear were pelted with bottles and at least one smoke bomb after a crowd of people, mainly white men, converged on Parliament Square, before moving onto Trafalgar Square and a wider area around Victoria station on Saturday, with many breaking the police curfew by remaining in the area past 5 pm. Among those gathered was Paul Golding, leader of the far-right group Britain First, who had called on supporters to descend on the capital, claiming authorities had "allowed vandalism against national monuments". As the number of protesters grew, there appeared to be clashes with police on foot and on horseback, as bottles were hurled. Chants of "England" rang out around Whitehall as some protesters appeared to make Nazi salutes. Many of those present were drinking. Home Secretary Priti Patel condemned the violence, describing it as "unacceptable thuggery". Sharing a video of protesters facing off with police, she wrote on Twitter: "Throughly [sic] unacceptable thuggery. Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law. Violence towards our police officers will not be tolerated. Coronavirus remains a threat to us all. Go home to stop the spread of this virus & save lives." Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds joined the condemnations, saying the protesters seemed "intent on causing violence and division." The latest protests come after a series of anti-racism demonstrations across the country, sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody. Last weekend, a statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was defaced, while protesters in Bristol toppled a statue commemorating slave trader Edward Colston. London's branch of Black Lives Matter had arranged further protests this weekend, prompting statues to be boxed up, but called it off on Friday amid fears of clashes with far-right groups. However, around 200 anti-racist activists gathered early on Saturday afternoon in Hyde Park and began walking towards Trafalgar Square. Speaking in Westminster, Mr Golding said people had come out in London because they were "fed up" with the recent demonstrations. I am extremely fed up with the way that the authorities have allowed two consecutive weekends of vandalism against our national monuments," he said. Paul Golding shakes hands with a fellow protester / PA Anyone who comes along today to try and vandalise them will probably be dealt with by all of these Englishmen that turned up, and theyre fed up as well. As well as the statue of Churchill, others have been covered up, including one of former South African president and anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela. A crowd of right-wing protesters in central London / Getty Images Mr Golding said: Why should we have a communist terrorist mass murderer in the capital city of England? It doesnt make any sense. We would like to see that one go, on good grounds, but the rest of them are our historical heritage. A protester in central London / AP When asked why demonstrators had gathered during a pandemic, with few wearing masks, Mr Golding, who was found guilty of an offence under the Terrorism Act in late May, referenced the large anti-racism protests of recent weeks. If its good for one, its good for the other, he said. Many of the protesters were gathered around the Cenotaph in Whitehall singing the national anthem. Several were seen wearing military-style hats or jackets. Protesters in central London / PA One protester from south London, holding a flag with the slogan "All Lives Matter" said the anti-racist protesters should have left the statues alone. She said: "Its the past. Youve just gotta learn to live with it, theyve done what theyve done but its still in the records they did good things. Ive got things I dont want to remember, but I wouldnt go smashing things up because of it. A protester in central London / PA A line of police officers blocked more protesters from accessing the Cenotaph. Nick Lowles, of anti-fascist group Hope not Hate, wrote on Twitter: "Oh what a surprise, hooligans and far right are causing trouble and bottles are being thrown at the police... Who would have guessed these peaceful soles [sic] could be so aggressive..." Daisy, a 26-year-old from nearby Pimlico, saw the protesters while she was out on a run at 10.30 this morning and said many were already drinking alcohol. Describing the crowds, she said: "They were all drinking beers and there was already loads of cans lying round on the floor treating it like it was some sort of football away-day. "It was a really tense and hostile atmosphere. I didnt stay too long... it was really uncomfortable." On Saturday morning, police implemented a Section 60 order for a large area of central London, giving them greater powers to conduct stop-and-search amid concerns some protesters had brought weapons and were "intent on causing harm". A spokesperson added: The safety of protesters, officers and the public this weekend is of the upmost importance, and it is for that exact reason why we have consulted with colleagues and partners, and decided it is proportionate to put in place a Section 60. It is our job to protect those who are coming into central London today, and this tactic is one of the best available to us, which allows us to seize offensive weapons that have absolutely no place on our streets at any time of the day. Whilst we believe there is no imminent threat to the public, we want people to be aware of why they may be stopped by Londons officers, spoken to, and possibly searched as well. Officers will, as always, be professional and courteous and I really want the public to speak to police if they have any concerns about why they are being stopped and spoken to. Protesters mostly kept to Parliament Square before moving in large groups a few hundred metres to Trafalgar Square, where they remained hemmed in by police. A protester confronts police officers in central London / PA The London protests come as similar demonstrations took place in other UK cities. Anti-racist protesters faced off against a group called "Defenders of Newcastle" in the north-eastern city, separated by lines of police. Meanwhile a group of people in Tamworth, Staffordshire, gathered around a boarded-up statue of Sir Robert Peel, while protesters also gathered in Brighton and Bristol. Additional reporting by PA. US, Iraq Affirm Their Commitment to US Troop Withdrawal By VOA News June 12, 2020 The United States and Iraq have affirmed their commitment to the reduction of the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, without giving a timeline. In a joint statement on the U.S.-Iraq strategic dialogue issued Thursday, the two countries recognized the progress made in eliminating the Islamic State threat, which allows the U.S. to continue to reduce its forces in Iraq over the coming months. The U.S. will further discuss with the Iraqi government the status of its remaining forces in the country, as they "turn their focus towards developing a bilateral security relationship based on strong mutual interests," the statement said. As the U.S. reiterated its commitment to not keep permanent bases or a permanent military presence in Iraq, the Iraqi government said it remains committed "to protecting the military personnel of the International Coalition and the Iraqi facilities hosting them." The statement said the U.S. and Iraq will continue their cooperation on economic and energy fields, as well as on political issues. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The comedian Jay Pharoah says he was recently stopped and handcuffed by Los Angeles police, with one officer kneeling on his neck in a restraint similar to the one that ended in George Floyds death. In a video posted to Instagram, the former Saturday Night Live actor said he was exercising in Los Angeles when four officers approached him with guns drawn, handcuffed him and held him to the ground . Pharoah said the incident took place about a week before Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed by two white men while jogging in Glynn county, Georgia. He said the officers told him he was held because he fit the description of a black man in this area, with gray sweatpants on and a gray shirt. Security footage included in the video appears to show Pharoah walking down a sidewalk when a police officer runs up to him from behind with his gun pointed at him. Another officer on foot joins that officer, also with his gun drawn, as a police cruiser rolls onto the scene. Two officers quickly exit the vehicle, one with his gun pointed. The security footage appears to show the officers gathering around Pharoah to handcuff him as he lays spread out on the ground, and one officer putting his knee on Pharoahs neck. Related: Capturing the cry for change: photographers on the BLM protests They tell me to get on the ground, spread my arms out, Pharoah said in the video. They put me in cuffs. The officer takes his knee, puts it on my neck. It wasnt as long as George Floyd, but I know how it feels. Pharoah, who during his stint on Saturday Night Live portrayed Barack Obama, told the officers to look him up on Google. You will see that you made a big mistake, he said he told them. The officers released him a minute later. Jay Pharoah: It could have easily turned into another situation if I wasnt who I am. Photograph: Evan Agostini/Invision for Chase Sapphire We are aware of the Instagram post and are looking into it, said the Los Angeles police spokesman officer Drake Madison. The Guardian has not independently verified the footage. Pharoah said he was sharing the story because while he could have been an Ahmaud Arbery or a George Floyd, he wasnt. Im still here to tell my story, he said. Story continues Pharoah went on CBS The Talk to discuss the incident in an episode scheduled to air on Monday. On the show, he described the kneeling as totally gratuitous. They didnt have to do that, he said. I was just trying to exercise, he said. It could have easily turned into another situation if I wasnt who I am. And the point is that being black in America is just that, being black in America. Other people cant level with the same fears I have. Leaving the house, we should not have to fear going to the grocery store, going to get some gas, running down the street. Its called human civility. Thats what it is. Its called being a human. Thats why everyone is out protesting. Corona put us in the house, and George Floyd took us out of it. In the Instagram video, Pharoah said that before this encounter, he had never been in handcuffs. His parents had tried to protect him from the realities of racism, he said, but now he beseeched all black men to educate themselves on the law so that if police ever stop them, we have the knowledge and we have the power to overthrow. Be in the know, he ended his video. Im Jay Pharoah, and Im a black man in America. And my life matters. Black lives always matter. American student Sam Goldstein thought he had the perfect plan for this year. After securing a prestigious Fulbright scholarship from the US government to research excavated manuscripts from the Warring States Period (475-221BC) in China for a year, he flew to Shanghai in January. After deciding where he wanted to live, he started looking at flats and even met up with his fellow academics at the city's Fudan University. But two weeks after Goldstein arrived, the Chinese government went on high alert in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, while the US issued travel warnings, so he returned home to the US. Five months on, work on his dissertation has halted and his scholarship has been suspended. He said he feared that the tensions between Beijing and Washington might stop him ever going back to China. Goldstein is by no means a lone example. Expatriates in China and others with ties to the country have been getting increasingly rattled in recent months as the hostility between the US and China " over trade, geopolitics, technology and, most recently, the coronavirus " has steadily increased. US President Donald Trump has announced visa restrictions for Chinese students and state media journalists, imposed controls on Chinese technology firms and threatened to revoke Hong Kong's special status after Beijing announced its plan to introduce a national security law for the city. China, meanwhile, has revoked the visas of American journalists, despite its leaders vowing to continue welcoming foreigners and opening up the country's markets. James Palmer, a British editor at US news magazine Foreign Policy " who spent more than 10 years living in China " said the situation was not looking good for foreigners in the country. "I think it's going to be really bad on multiple levels," he said. "The everyday frustrations around visas will sharply increase; you can expect much more paperwork, fewer loopholes." Story continues He said he also expected anti-foreigner sentiment to rise, saying Chinese people might become more wary of outsiders. James Palmer, a Briton who spent more than 10 years living in China, says the situation is not looking good for foreigners in the country. Photo: AFP alt=James Palmer, a Briton who spent more than 10 years living in China, says the situation is not looking good for foreigners in the country. Photo: AFP Goldstein said he was not surprised by Washington's moves but feared how China might respond. "It's probably going to escalate," he said. "If it affects anyone it will probably affect me. If Trump bans graduate students, then China could ban graduate students too." The Ministry of Education in Beijing said late on Friday that it was against "politicising students studying abroad" and that it welcomed people of all countries to study in China. Goldstein said that while his scholarship might be reinstated after the summer, he was unsure if he would be able to return to China by then and had therefore been looking at alternative places to study, including Taiwan and Singapore. For those with businesses and families already established in China, the uncertainty is even worse. The owner of a language consulting firm, who asked not to be named, said many of his friends were simply hoping to ride it out. "They have houses, dogs, wives and kids, and the kids are at school," he said. "It's not like they can just put a few things in a suitcase, pack up and leave. They're quite invested." The businessman, who is married to a Chinese woman, said he had thought about leaving China and had asked around for jobs, but hoped it would not come to that. The couple are trying for a family and have two dogs, a cat and a 10-year lease on their flat. "I fear the political environment will deteriorate to such a degree that it will be either uncomfortable for me to live in China, I'll face hostility or I just won't get my visa, because of some sort of political measure," he said. In May, Chris Buckley, a veteran Beijing correspondent for The New York Times, became the latest foreign journalist to be forced to leave China after his visa was not renewed. Jeremy Goldkorn, the South African editor-in-chief of SupChina.com, said that while the US and China had clashed before " most notably in 1999 when the US bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, sparking anti-US sentiment at home " there no longer seemed to be a desire on either side for reconciliation. "The two governments [in 1999] found ways to de-escalate tensions," he said. "This time, no one wants to de-escalate. I hope for the best, but fear the worst." 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-06-14 03:43:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Desert locusts have inflicted the southern and eastern region of Iran, Mohammad Reza Mir, a spokesman for the Agriculture Ministry's Plant Protection Organization said on Saturday. "Khorasan Razavi (in the east) has recently joined the provinces invaded by the pest, so the battle is currently taking place in eight Iranian provinces now," Mir was quoted as saying by Eghtesadonline news website. "Sistan-Baluchestan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Kerman, South Khorasan, Fars and Khuzestan provinces have already been infected," Mir said, adding that desert locusts have been fought in the areas with over 378,494 hectares in the country so far. Sistan-Baluchestan, in the southeast, is the worst-hit province where the pest has been confronted on more than 170,640 hectares, he noted. The official added that no damage has been caused to orchards and farms in the infested provinces so far. Plans are underway to use drones to battle the pest in mountainous and inaccessible areas such as swamps, said Mir. This year chemical pesticides will be used on nearly one million hectares, he added. Mir noted that locust invasions will become more intense in Iran in late July. Last month, the Iranian Agriculture Ministry said that the army would help fight locust invasion in the south of the country. Gerold Bodeker, the representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to Iran, said in April that FAO had boosted its emergency technical cooperation project to help Iran battle swarms of desert locusts. FAO would grant Iran with a total of 500,000 U.S. dollars under an "urgent action for capacity building" to control desert locusts infestation in Iran, Bodeker said. On March 10, Iran announced that huge swarms of desert locusts arrived in the southern region of Iran. Enditem FAL Could blockchain encourage the planting of trees? Santtu Perkio/Unsplash 1. Boosting transparency 2. Enforcing commitments 3. Increasing ambition 16 million tons of carbon a year below zero. Microsoft will be #carbon negative by 2030: https://t.co/H3e0tYqlnH pic.twitter.com/BH4gcFqo9b Microsoft On the Issues (@MSFTIssues) January 16, 2020 No panacea New mechanisms are evidently needed. Blockchain is one technology that has the potential to boost global cooperation for climate action, as I explore in new research . Blockchain is a data structure that stores information as a series of cryptographically linked blocks, which are distributed simultaneously to all participants in a network. The information stored on a blockchain is tamper-resistant. This is useful for generating a single source of truth for any kind of information.Blockchain technology provides the building blocks for what are known as decentralised autonomous organisations , which have been discussed (and criticised) as potential alternative governance mechanisms at the national level . But the benefits of such a decentralised organisation at the international level would be much higher.Imagine a decentralised climate organisation, based on blockchain, in which states, companies, and individuals participate and whose interactions are facilitated by so-called smart contracts . These contracts are pieces of computer code running on top of the blockchain, which makes them virtually unstoppable. A common token let us call it greencoin allows climate commitments by states to be linked with the flourishing ecosystem of transnational climate initiatives and individual climate action.Such an organisation would help get the world together to act against climate change in three ways.Coordinated action against climate change requires better information. One important task is to ensure that different stakeholders do not claim carbon credits for the same carbon-offsetting activity, such as two companies paying for the same forest to be planted.To avoid such double-counting , a publicly shared digital ledger of carbon credits, as currently piloted by the Pacific Alliance nations, would offer a more cost-effective solution than a central agency settling transactions of carbon credits.Another (more challenging) task would be to verify that carbon-offsetting activities have actually occurred. Blockchain technology, combined with information feeds such as internet-of-things devices, could tap new information sources.Meanwhile, smart contracts offer an efficient way to reward critical tasks like verifying emission reductions and adaptation measures at the local level Climate change is an area ripe with broken promises. Consider the decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. In other countries, worries have grown that the Covid-19 pandemic will thwart government efforts to honour their climate-related commitments.Through smart contracts, blockchain technology could mitigate the risk of backsliding, provided that states underpinned their commitments with a monetary deposit . If states fail to comply with their emission reduction targets, their deposit could be taken and redistributed as greencoins to those that have abated carbon emissions, for example by planting trees , or other climate action More effective enforcement of commitments through smart contracts is only possible where resources have been staked upon commitments. An added benefit of eliminating uncertainty around enforcement is to entice more ambitious climate commitments from those who are concerned about being cheated upon by more powerful bodies.Business as usual will not be enough to confront the impending climate crisis. A decentralised climate organisation would allow progressive transnational bodies to buy pro-climate transformation in laggard countries.For example, transnational corporations including Apple, Google and Walmart, ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, and other firms criticised the US decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Under a decentralised climate organisation, they could have devised smart contracts offering compensation to affected workers in exchange for more robust commitment by the US government to decarbonise the economy.A related benefit of this approach would be to make their demands transparent, which would help less powerful bodies hold corporations to account on their climate-related pledges. For example, Microsoft recently announced it would invest $1bn to become a carbon-negative enterprise. This is all very well, but it could be rhetoric. If Microsoft underpinned this pledge by a smart contract with an appropriate stake, it would become inevitable, with huge benefits for everyone whose fortunes depend on powerful players like Microsoft following through on their promises.A decentralised climate organisation would combine the resources of billions and unite their efforts in combating climate change. Anyone in a blockchain network connected to the system could earn greencoins by planting trees (like mining in the Bitcoin system). This would be profitable because greencoins have real value they would be linked to the international commitments by states that have staked monetary resources on them.People could also purchase greencoins to support climate action. By increasing the exchange value of greencoins, these people would provide incentives for more rapid tree-planting. Blockchain technology is ideally suited to settle these transactions automatically, provided appropriate systems for verification and the incentive system underlying effective decentralised verification are in place.Blockchain-based climate governance has undeniable theoretical benefits, but there would be significant obstacles to its realisation.While the blockchain ensures that once-recorded data is tamper-resistant, it can do little to ensure that the data that is brought onto the blockchain can be trusted. Startups like Chainlink have proposed decentralised networks of information feeds as a promising solution to this problem, but for some applications, suitable solutions are hard to find.A blockchain-based climate organisation might not come to fruition if key players decided not to join. Powerful states or companies might be especially unwilling to participate in a system that makes broken promises immediately transparent and that automates the punishment process. But as long as there was enough momentum, they might slowly be incentivised to get involved.A virtual entity for climate governance would also require people to accept to be governed by algorithms. And at the moment, this might be the hardest challenge of all.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 12: Actor Simon Pegg attends the European Premiere of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' at Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) Simon Pegg might have only had a tiny role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as junk boss Unkar Plutt, but it still resulted in one of the best days of his life. Pegg admitted as much during a recent in-depth interview about his career with Vanity Fair, as working on the blockbuster gave him the opportunity to spend time with Carrie Fisher. I started going down to the set and I got all my makeup design and met everybody, and being around that set was just amazing for me as a fan of Star Wars growing up, cause it felt very much like the Star Wars I grew up with. Read More: Simon Pegg reveals 'Hot Fuzz' sequel would've gone to 'the big city' And, of course, Carrie Fisher was there, and Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford, and these are the people that I idolized as a kid, and so, to get to be hanging out with them was a real dream come true. I had such a huge crush on Carrie Fisher when I was a kid. She was like my first sort of stirrings of romantic love. And I got to spend a little time with her. More than that, though, Pegg makes it sound like his time with Fisher was an utter delight that bordered on the romantic. Pegg even decided to tell the actress that he loved her. Carrie Fisher poses for cameras as she arrives at the European Premiere of Star Wars, The Force Awakens in Leicester Square, London, December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Paul Hackett We had a lovely day when we wandered around the set of the Resistance base together arm in arm. And we were just sort of chatting and I turned around and we were looking at each other. And I was looking into her eyes and it was the same eyes. Obviously it sounds really obvious to say it, but I was looking into those eyes that sort of captivated me as as kid. And I said You know, Ive always loved you. And she grabbed my hand and looked at my wedding ring and said, F***, you! It was the best day of my life. Read more: Pegg reflects on Shaun of the Dead Peggs tale is just one of thousands of examples of Fishers famous wit, something that the world has been longing for even since the beloved actress, writer, and comedian died at the age of 60 on December 27, 2016. The contractors who engaged the road sweepers across Lagos metropolis are responsible for their upkeeps, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has said. Ibrahim Odumboni, the Acting Managing Director of LAWMA, made the clarification on Saturday in Lagos. Mr Odumboni was reacting to the recent protests by some of the street sweepers over non-payment of their monthly salaries and general welfare. He said the agency was ensuring that the government of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu achieved its aim of cleaner Lagos. The people saddled with tidying up the roads in the state work under some of the harshest conditions, a PREMIUM TIMES report in February showed. The acting managing director said the sweepers were engaged by contractors and they should be responsible for their upkeeps. Mr Odumboni said, in spite of this, the state government prioritises the cleaners welfare and wellbeing, hence, they were given adequate care, supports and protection. READ ALSO: LAWMA has made the April payments to our sweeping contractors for onward disbursement to their staff members. In addition, efforts are being made to ensure prompt release of subsequent payments, not only for May, but all future payments. The authority, and indeed the state government, appreciate the great work our workers are rendering, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic period. We, therefore, assure them that we will continue to pay optimal premium to their welfare. We appreciate everyone who has shown concern and understanding toward our efforts in ensuring a consistent and sustainable cleaner Lagos, Mr Odumboni said. (NAN). Indian-American entrepreneur from Silicon Valley Ajay Jain Bhutoria has been elected as a delegate for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for the partys national convention in August. The Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Wisconsin in August would formally nominate Biden, 77, as the partys candidate for the November 3 presidential elections. In the presidential elections, Biden will challenge Republican incumbent Donald Trump, 73, who is seeking re-election. On the National Finance Committee for the former vice president, Bhutoria is a prominent national bundler for the Democratic Party. He was elected as a Biden Delegate for the California District 17th National Convention District-Level Caucus this week. The election was held through online ballot. As a strong supporter of Biden, Bhutoria has been instrumental in bringing together the issues of Asian Americans to forefront. He is working with the DNC to have the Democratic Party website translated into Asian American languages. Also on Asian American Pacific Islander Leadership Council for Biden, Bhutoria is bringing together the Asian Americans to vote for him, primarily South Asians. He worked on the National Finance committee for Hillary Clintons election in 2016, raising between USD 500 to USD 1 million. Bhutoria has also worked with the Obama-Biden administration on many issues, including free community college initiative around the country. The veteran Democrat served as the 47th vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 during the presidency of Barack Obama. PTI LKJ CPS AKJ CPS SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A television commercial (TVC) promoting Da Nangs tourism is being aired multiple times daily from June 5 until the end of the month on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)s BBC World News channel for the Asia-Pacific region. According to an agreement signed between the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center and the BBCs media representative, the 30-second TVC is expected to promote Da Nangs spectacular attractions to potential visitors overseas. My Khe Beach which was named one of the planets most beautiful beaches by Forbes magazine in 2013, the landmark Golden Bridge located in the Ba Na Hills resort, Son Tra peninsulas magnificent red-shanked douc langurs, and various local festivals are featured in the commercial. The TVC also provides viewers with sneak peeks into Da Nangs mouth-watering specialties such as banh xeo (Vietnamese rice pancake) and thit heo cuon banh trang (boiled pork and fresh herbs rolled in rice paper), two of the most delicious and popular dishes of the Vietnamese central region. A television commercial about Da Nang being aired on the BBC World News channel for the Asia-Pacific region between June 5 and 30, 2020. The commercial is being broadcast daily on the British channel during several time slots between 6:00 am and 12:00 am from June 5 until the end of the month. This is a major event aimed at reviving the local economy, especially the tourism sector, at a time when most of the worlds population are unable to embark on trips abroad because of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, said a representative from the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center. Da Nang authorities hope the TVC will leave a distinct impression of Da Nang on potential international visitors so that when Vietnam eventually reopens its borders to foreigners, the central city will be a magnet for holiday seekers. Visitors look at an ancient sculpture at the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang, Vietnam. Photo: Truong Trung / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Everything is interconnected: Genuine care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice, and faithfulness to others, Pope Francis wrote in a tweet marking World Environment Day on Friday, 5 June. For the occasion, the Holy Father sent a letter to the President of Colombia, which was designated by the United Nations as this years host country for World Environment day. Due to the Covid- 19 pandemic, celebrations took place virtually. The following is the English text of the Popes letter, which he wrote in Spanish. To His Excellency Ivan Duque Marquez President of the Republic of Colombia I am pleased to greet you, the organizers and the participants in the World Environment Day, which would have been held in person this year in Bogota, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic will be held virtually. This challenging situation reminds us that in the face of adversity, new paths always open in order for us to be united as a great human family. The protection of the environment and respect for the biodiversity of the planet are issues that affect us all. We cannot pretend to be healthy in a world that is sick. The wounds inflicted on our mother earth are wounds that also bleed in us. Caring for ecosystems demands a look to the future, one that is not concerned only with the immediate moment or that seeks a quick and easy profit, but rather one that is concerned for life and that seeks its preservation for the benefit of all. Our attitude toward the present state of our planet should indeed make us concerned for and witnesses to the gravity of the situation. We cannot remain silent before the outcry when we realize the very high costs of the destruction and exploitation of the ecosystem. This is not a time to continue looking the other way, indifferent to the signs that our planet is being plundered and violated by greed for profit, very often in the name of progress. We have the chance to reverse course, to commit ourselves to a better, healthier world and to pass it on to future generations. Everything depends on us, if we really want it. Recently we celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si, which drew attention to the cry that mother earth lifts up to us. I would also invite all of you to participate in the special Year that I have announced to reflect in light of that document and, together, to become more committed to the care and protection of our common home, and of our most vulnerable and marginalized brothers and sisters in society. I encourage you in this task that lies before you. I trust that your deliberations and conclusions will always foster the building of an increasingly habitable world and a more humane society, where all of us have a place and no one is ever left behind. I ask you, please, to pray for me. May Jesus bless you and the Blessed Virgin watch over you. From the Vatican, 5 June 2020 Franciscus Ugandan wildlife authorities have arrested four men in connection with the killing of a 25-year-old popular male gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on Friday, June 12. The silverback gorilla, named Rafiki, was the leader of the Nkuringo - a gorilla group and was hugely popular among tourists. Rafiki went missing on June 1 and his body was found the next day after a search operation was launched by the wildlife authority. UWA in an official statement informed that a detailed investigation was carried out following the death of the Silverback gorilla and the post-mortem report revealed that the ape sustained an injury by a sharp device/object that penetrated the left upper part of his abdomen, injuring internal organs. READ | Gorilla weighing 210 kilograms airlifted from Johannesburg zoo for medical examination The statement further revealed that UWA investigators had found the main suspect in a nearby village on June 4. At the time of arrest, the suspect was caught with the meat of bush pig and several other hunting devices including a spear, rope snares, wires snares, and a dog hunting bell. According to UWA, the man confessed to killing Rafiki in self-defence when he came upon the gorilla while hunting for a wild pig in the park. The four suspects are currently at Kisoro police station awaiting trial in the court of law. READ | Baby gorilla badly injured in family skirmish at Seattle zoo We have arrested four people over the death of Rafiki, the Silverback of Nkuringo Gorilla group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. They will be prosecuted in the courts of law. See statement below; pic.twitter.com/Hf17vfsmL3 Uganda Wildlife (@ugwildlife) June 12, 2020 About Nkuringo group Rafiki belonged to the famous Nkuringo group: the first group to be habituated in the park in 1997. At the time of Rafiki's death, the group had 17 members, including one silverback (Rafiki), three blackbacks, eight adult females, two juveniles, and three infants. READ | 'Selfless love': Gorilla reunites with human friend after 12 years, watch READ | Mike Tyson once offered a zookeeper $10,000 to let him fight a silverback gorilla Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - In the last five years, the bilateral ties between Rwanda and neighboring Burundi have seen dramatic fluctuations until this week when Rwanda officially sent a congratulatory message to the newly elected Burundian leader, General Evariste Ndayishimiye, winner of the 20 May presidential poll If you're looking to explore Canada this summer, you'll first have to navigate the fluctuating patchwork of travel restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus throughout the country. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 12/6/2020 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. This July 13, 2010 photo shows the road along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. If you're looking to explore Canada this summer, you'll first have to navigate the fluctuating patchwork of travel restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus throughout the country. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Glenn Adams If you're looking to explore Canada this summer, you'll first have to navigate the fluctuating patchwork of travel restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus throughout the country. Here's a look at some of the rules for each province and territory: Newfoundland and Labrador On July 3, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. eased inter-provincial travel restrictions within the region, creating a so-called ``Atlantic bubble.'' The move comes as COVID-19 cases on the East Coast have dipped in recent weeks. Atlantic Canadians can now travel within the region without having to self-isolate when arriving in another province. Visitors from provinces and territories outside the region are still required to self-isolate for two weeks and adhere to local entry requirements. However, once the self-isolation period has passed, those visitors will also be allowed to travel within the Atlantic region. If all goes well, Newfoundland Premier Dwight Ball has suggested that restrictions on out-of-region travellers may be further relaxed in his province on July 17. Residents, meantime, can travel freely within the province, including to second homes, parks and campgrounds. Nova Scotia Each province in the Atlantic bubble has its own process for tracking and monitoring travellers. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil has said border monitoring will involve asking people for identification in order to verify which province the traveller is from. Those with identification from outside the Atlantic region are required to self-isolate. There's no set date for the removal of that requirement, and the provincial government says its timeline for rolling back restrictions is subject to change. People don't need permission to enter Nova Scotia, however, those arriving from outside the Atlantic bubble are required to self-isolate for 14 days. There are no restrictions on movement within the province, but travellers are asked to abide by guidelines on physical distancing and gatherings. Private campgrounds have reopened, but only at 50 per cent capacity and they must ensure public health protocols are followed, including adequate distancing between campsites. Cottagers can visit their vacation homes. Prince Edward Island As part of the travel bubble, all Atlantic visitors to P.E.I. must fill out a self-declaration form online and provide a copy to border officers before entering the province. They are also subject to public health and proof-of-residency screenings. Seasonal residents must apply for approval to travel to the province. New Brunswick New Brunswick amended some of its strict border controls just before it joined the Atlantic bubble. New Brunswickers no longer need to self-isolate when returning from work trips in other parts of the country. Non-residents are also allowed to visit family in the province if they're symptom-free and self-isolate for the first two weeks of their trip. The same conditions apply to non-residents who own property in New Brunswick. Quebec Quebec has reopened travel within most of the province, but officials encourage people to limit trips between regions. Quebecers are allowed to vacation in other parts of the province, but are asked to follow safety precautions. Recommendations include planning your itinerary around local health measures, allowing extra time for delays and limiting non-essential pit stops on the road. Police checkpoints remain in Nunavik and the Cree Territory of James Bay to limit non-essential travel into the territories. There are no border closures or self-isolation requirements for out-of-province travellers. Ontario Ontario strongly discourages non-essential trips, but has yet to lay out formal rules about travel. In the meantime, ferry service between the city of Toronto and the Toronto Islands resumed on June 27. Manitoba In general, travellers coming to Manitoba from outside the province are required to self-isolate for two weeks. However, people from Western Canada or northwestern Ontario can now travel without self-isolating, so long as they haven't left the region for the prior two weeks and don't have COVID-19 symptoms. The exception applies to British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the region of Ontario west of Terrace Bay. Certain types of out-of-province professionals are also exempt from self-isolation requirements, including health-care providers, law enforcement and infrastructure workers. Members of professional sports teams or film crews are also exempt if they're symptom-free and self-isolate at home for two weeks prior to entering the province. Manitoba has also eased restrictions prohibiting travel north of the 53rd parallel to allow residents of Western Canada and northwestern Ontario to visit campgrounds, cottages or parks. They're asked to travel directly to their destination, and avoid going into remote or First Nations communities. Additionally, the province has lifted a rule that only allowed people to travel to northern communities for reasons such as work, child custody arrangements and camping. Saskatchewan There aren't self-isolation requirements for travellers entering Saskatchewan. However, officials recommend that returning residents monitor for COVID-19 symptoms for two weeks, and visitors are asked to abide by public health measures. The province lifted a ban on non-essential travel in the northwest on June 7, but then reversed course to restrict travel to certain high-risk communities in the region. Northern public health officials are cautioning against non-essential travel between northwest Saskatchewan and northern Alberta until further notice. They're also urging northern Saskatchewan residents who cross the border to self-isolate for two weeks upon return. Recreational travel within the province is permitted, but the province that warns there are restrictions that could impact your trip. Some private campgrounds and regional parks have reopened. But only Saskatchewan residents are allowed to camp in provincial parks. Alberta Albertans are allowed to travel within the province, including to vacation homes, cabins, hotels, campgrounds and national and provincial parks. Travellers are asked to abide by physical distancing guidelines and use the province's mobile contact tracing app while out in public. There are no border closures or checkpoints. However, officials are advising against non-essential travel in or out of the province until the next phase of Alberta's reopening strategy. British Columbia British Columbia has relaxed restrictions on travel within the province as data suggests that COVID-19 cases have tapered off. Hotels, motels, spas, resorts, hostels and RV parks are now allowed to resume operating. Most provincial campgrounds, trails and other recreation sites are also open. However, Premier John Horgan warned British Columbians to plan their trips carefully, because some communities may not be ready to welcome back visitors. Indigenous leaders from Vancouver Island, the Central Coast and the Interior have raised concerns that the reopening may put Indigenous communities at risk. In a Facebook post on June 20, Gaagwiis Jason Alsop, president of the Council of the Haida Nation, said the island is still closed to non-residents, and will not reopen for at least three weeks. Horgan said he is consulting with Indigenous leaders about their concerns. The premier also discouraged non-essential travel to or from other provinces, including Alberta. However, he said B.C.'s borders remain open, and entreated out-of-province visitors to abide by public health protocols. Access to some roads crossing into Yukon and Northwest Territories is restricted. Nunavut As of June 15, residents of Nunavut and Northwest Territories were again allowed to cross the border without self-isolating, as long as they haven't left their territory in the two weeks prior to their trip. N.W.T. residents have to fill out a form before they can enter Nunavut, and providing false information can result in a fine. Travel from the rest of Canada is still banned. Residents who want to fly back to Nunavut must first spend two weeks isolation in either Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton or Yellowknife. After that, asymptomatic residents have to be cleared and get a letter signed by the territory's chief public health officer in order to board a plane back home. Northwest Territories The borders are closed to leisure travellers, except for Nunavut residents. Anyone who tries to drive across a border checkpoint without permission faces a ticket if they proceed. The fine for travel offences is $1,500, with a $225 victim surcharge, that can be handed out daily. N.W.T. residents who return from out-of-territory travel must self-isolate in one of four communities: Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay River or Fort Smith. Residents who travel outside their small communities also have to self-isolate before returning home. There are special passes for travel between the N.W.T-Alberta border in the Fort Smith area. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Yukon Residents from British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut can now travel to Yukon without first having to self-isolate for two weeks. All residents from other parts of Canada can travel to Yukon, but must self-isolate for 14 days in Whitehorse when they arrive in the territory. People entering a Yukon airport building or terminal have to wear a non-medical mask or face covering. Territorial parks and campgrounds have reopened for summer and outdoor gatherings can include up to 50 people. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2020. It was updated July 6, 2020. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Andrew Marszal (Agence France-Presse) Los Angeles, United States Sat, June 13, 2020 15:31 587 fc6853813033f564188675f8bde71ba5 2 People George-Takei,star-trek,television,protest,race,Racism,united-states,Diversity Free George Takei, the pioneering Asian American Star Trek actor and LGBTQ icon, said massive anti-racism protests this month show the US is "making progress" on diversity, but warned the pandemic is renewing deep-rooted prejudices. Speaking to AFP ahead of his address at the University of California Los Angeles' virtual commencement Friday, Takei said the tens of thousands marching over George Floyd's death in police custody inspired confidence in the next generation. But -- drawing on his childhood in US wartime internment camps, and decades trapped in the closet due to Hollywood homophobia -- he urged youth to stand firm on minority rights. "We are making progress, but that involves active participation," he said. "As a society, we are moving, inching forward." The star best known for playing Sulu in the original Star Trek has spent decades campaigning for social justice. At 83, he is not marching this time, but the protests remind him of the 1960s, when he met Martin Luther King, Jr. after performing in civil rights musical Fly Blackbird. "He said, thank you very much, and especially you, as an Asian man -- I was the sole Asian in that cast, I usually was back then," said Takei. "There weren't other Asians involved in the civil rights movement." Now, with young people of all backgrounds marching against racism, Takei praised the next crop of activists. "You, the infinitely diverse hi-tech class have the whole of human history, the glorious and the ugly, as your launching pad," he said later in his UCLA address. "Stretch as far as you can," he added. "Boldly go where no one has gone before." Read also: Actor George Takei's manga on internment promotes lesson for future 'Categorized as aliens' But, speaking to AFP, Takei warned the coronavirus pandemic is exposing racism beyond prejudice against the black community -- such as against Asian Americas, fueled by President Donald Trump's references to the "Chinese virus". "In the New York subway, an Asian American woman was spat at... in Texas, an Asian American family was stabbed by this person, because they 'brought the virus to this country'" he said. It serves as a painful reminder of the years Takei's Japanese-origin family spent in World War II internment camps in the US. "My history is being repeated again, in this day and age, because of this pandemic," he said. "I was born right here in Los Angeles, California... we're Americans," he said. "And yet, we were categorized as aliens simply because we look like the people that bombed Pearl Harbor." Soldiers with bayonets on their rifles forced Takei's family from their home and into "barbed wire prison camps." "I don't mean to compare my background with the graduating generation, but they have uncertainty in their lives," he said. Read also: Steve Carell? Real US Space Force chief wanted Bruce Willis to play him 'Torturous' The coronavirus has also meant Pride parades set for this weekend commemorating the "Stonewall riots" have largely been scrapped. The June 1969 riots sparked by repeated police raids on the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, proved a turning point in the gay rights struggle. Takei expressed regret at remaining "silent" on LGBT rights until he was spurred to come out by then-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto of same-sex marriage in 2005. He had feared losing acting jobs -- Star Trek was canceled in 1969, the same year as Stonewall, leaving him in need of work. "I was closeted most of my adult life... that was torturous. I wanted to speak out," Takei added. Ironically, the cult actor said coming out has increased his job offers, including multiple cameos as himself in sitcoms such as The Big Bang Theory. But issues of racism, police brutality, and a row involving Harry Potter author JK Rowling this week in which she was accused of transphobia, serve as poignant reminders of the progress still needed, said Takei. "The root of this kind of bias is all the same, whether it's race, or race combined with war in our case, or by gender identification, it's the same," he said. "It's hate -- irrational hate." Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 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 the appointment of professor Dr. Joseph Geraci to its Advisory Board. Dr. Geraci, founder of NetraMark Corp., has significant expertise in precision medicine, molecular medicine, mathematics, and machine learning technologies, and over the past ten years, has focused on understanding complex disease states, as found in oncology, psychiatry, neurodegeneration, and aging via the use of machine intelligence. He is currently involved in the development of technologies that can be used for drug repositioning, discovery, and subpopulation discovery, and invented a novel paradigm of machine intelligence applied to better understand what drives human disease. As a professor at Queen's University, Dept. Pathology and Molecular Med, Dr. Geraci is currently engaged with projects in oncology, psychiatry, and COVID-19. "Dr. Geraci is a scholar, and one of Canada's most prominent PhDs and scientists. He has a big brain... I mean a really big brain! His expertise in the field of machine learning, applied to help patients with different types of ailments, and his technological development background for drug research will be a tremendous asset to help build out Red Light Holland's medical and scientific division. As we've made clear to our investors, a core aspect of Red Light Holland's overall mission is to promote the study and research of the benefits of psilocybin. Adding Dr. Geraci to our team puts us in a position where we are now one step closer to trying to make a difference to alleviate humans suffering across the world," said Todd Shapiro, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Director. Story continues Dr. Geraci added, "I am excited to be joining Todd and his entire team at Red Light Holland as an Advisor. My opinion is that they are in a unique and powerful position to influence the future of medicine. My experience with systems biology coupled with my bleeding edge understanding of machine intelligence puts me in a position to augment their scientific and medical efforts. Red Light Holland can have a massive impact on healthcare and it excites me to be able to help light the way into this future for them." In consideration for his services, the Company authorized the grant of 500,000 incentive stock options to Dr. Geraci, with each such option entitling the holder thereof to acquire one common share in the capital of the Company for a period of 3 years, at an exercise price of $0.15 per common share, and vesting over a 12 month period. The securities to be 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 & Director Tel: 647-204-7129 Email: todd@redlighttruffles.com Website: https://redlighttruffles.com/ Forward-Looking Statements Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) 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, forward-looking financial information and other metrics presented herein are not intended as guidance or projections for the periods referenced herein or any future periods, and in particular, past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results of the Company in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast or projection of the Company's future results. 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/57764 In such a situation, tension between the two countries has increased manifold. On May 27, people of both countries came face-to-face as the waters of the mountain rivers were blocked at Bhikhnathori border in West Champaran district. Tension also prevails in the villages around the Valmiki Tiger Reserve due to the blocking of the water flow. Tension is also prevailing on the Chhaudadano border of East Champaran. Here the officials of both the countries had to intervene after a fight broke out between two villages on both sides of the border. The relationship between India and Nepal is often termed of 'beti-roti' ties resulting in a tight knit community where shared culture and marriages along with trade across the border is quite common. Ties between the two countries soured after Nepal released a political map showing Indian territory as theirs. More recently on Friday, in the Sonbarsa police station area of Sitamarhi, the death of one person in firing by Nepal Sashastra Bal jawans, added to the bitterness in the relationship. While Indian borders with other countries are heavily guarded, the India-Nepal border is open. Anybody can move to the other side anytime with no restrictions imposed. Many residents of Bihar have land in Nepal, while many more have relations in the neighbouring country. The soldiers posted as guards on the frontiers also played their role in strengthening the ties, but recent events have created fissures in this relationship. The Sashastra Seema Bal has pointed to a local dispute behind the Sitamarhi firing incident. Ajay Pandey, former secretary of a NGO -- Media for Border Harmony, says that ever since the Left-backed government was formed in Nepal, tension has increased on the border. He says, "You should talk to the people on both sides, even today sweetness prevails in the villages on both sides. After the coming of the Left-backed government, the bitterness in the relationship, (which people call beti-roti), has increased. The tense situation at the border still prevails. Small issues turn into big controversies." The leader of the Madhesi movement and MP Pradeep Yadav has blamed the Nepal government for the souring relationship between the two countries. He said there is a need to improve the situation and make the relationship more sweet and strong, instead of bitterness. Yadav has threatened to revive the Madhesi movement if the current situation continues. Arjun Bhartiya, a resident of Raxaul situated on the Indo-Nepal border, and an expert on Indo-Nepal relations, says there have been many such incidents in recent times which have made people suspicious. He said there is no doubt that tension is prevailing along the border at the moment, but there is room for improvement. He said there are many villages along the border which are completely dependent on each other. Recently, the borders were sealed due to the corona pandemic, which caused major problems for the inhabitants there. The SSB however looks at it from a different angle. IG Sanjay Kumar says there is no tension on the India-Nepal border. He said it is an open border and people from both the countries come and go all the time. Sometimes there are disputes which are resolved. --IANS hindi-skp/bg In the wake of George Floyds death at the hands of a Minneapolis cop, New York state legislative leaders rushed to pass a host of police-reform measures, with no rhyme or reason. One bill is awful: It creates a right to sue if you think youve been racially profiled a huge gift to ambulance-chasing lawyers. A couple are fine: Criminalizing the use of chokeholds may be unnecessary the NYPD already bans them, after all. But it sends the right signal if New York law enforcement is to have the support and cooperation of all the communities it serves. And at long last theres the repeal of the 50-a law, which treats individual officers discipline records as top secret. For far too long, this has made it near-impossible for the public and press to identify bad cops. But the rest of the package is, at best, smoke and mirrors. The Police Statistics and Transparency Act, for one, mandates statewide collection and reporting of policing data to promote transparency and evaluate the effectiveness of existing criminal-justice policies. More paperwork wont solve any problems of police misconduct nor remotely placate the nightly marchers. Another bill requires police departments to promptly report the discharge of a firearm. Dont they anyway? The State Police were already moving to require body cameras for all troopers, so a law requiring it was unnecessary. And formally banning cops from interfering with citizens recording videos creates no new rights. The silliest may be the Amy Cooper law, criminalizing the false reporting and biased misuse of 911 for complaints fueled by racial or ethnically motivated fear: 911 abuse was already illegal; this is just pandering to social-media hysteria. Lawmakers need to avoid rolling over to cop unions with laws like 50-a, but beyond that its a matter for the mayors and other electeds who actually control police departments. New York Post George Floyd and his family were owed a memorial to his full but tragically shortened life. Tuesday was a day of preaching and singing, praising and remembering. He was always more than a man who was killed at the hands of Minneapolis police, even before his death reignited a national movement. He was a college athlete and father, a tall and gentle man whod had interactions with the law but tried to move beyond them, a man who embraced his church and whose beloved mothers name was reportedly tattooed on his body. These were the kinds of memories being celebrated on Tuesday in Houston and around the country. But President Donald Trumps mind was apparently elsewhere. Tuesday morning he tweeted a wild conspiracy theory about the 75-year-old Buffalo protester who was shoved by an elite police unit last week and had his head cracked open. Martin Gugino, who spent a lifetime protesting injustice and demanding peace, had gone out to protest Floyds death. Two men, one black and one white, connected by brutal policing. Gugino spent days in the hospital because of his injury he told a reporter Tuesday he was Just out of the ICU which officers noticed but ignored as he lay motionless on his back, blood pooling around his head. Two officers involved were charged with assault. But Trump told his 82 million Twitter followers Tuesday morning that Gugino could be an ANTIFA provocateur. He speculated that the senior citizen was appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment, a zany charge that appeared on a blog called The Conservative Tree House that suggests without real evidence that Gugino was attempting to capture the radio communications signature of Buffalo police officers. Trump cited in his message One America News Network, which spread the conspiracy. Pick which part of Trumps tweet is most infuriating. The fact that the leader of the free world whose intelligence community consists of 17 agencies gets his information from a baloney blog and bad TV outlet? Floyd deserves better. He deserves a president who would try to heal the nation, not fan the flames of conspiracy. He deserves decades more to live, not a spot next to his deceased mother in an early Texas grave. He deserved better than he got, from life during his hard years on earth and from the president after death. America does, too. Newsday Remember in 2005 when thousands of area residents turned up for the Stop Hate rally in Plattsburgh? Lets do it again on Saturday. Thats when a No Justice, No Peace, Walk for Change rally is planned for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Trinity Park in Plattsburgh. It will have to be a little different this time, coming, as it does, in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic. But the message is so crucially important that we encourage people to show up and hope the city will close nearby streets so everyone can spread out and social distance as much as possible. This rally will look different from the one that drew thousands of people to downtown Plattsburgh to oppose what turned out to be a small protest by the vitriolic Westboro Baptist Church. But the message is the same: Hate is wrong. Love - of everyone - is the only true path forward. Back then, the North Country demonstrated its opposition to the homophobic message promoted by the Westboro publicity-seekers, who were reacting to Plattsburgh having elected an openly gay mayor, Daniel Stewart. Area churches and synagogues got involved then, and we urge them to do so again this Saturday. It is a perfect time, as faith services are limited, to devote effort toward organizing a response to racism, which is a type of hate. Plattsburgh Press-Republican Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields has resigned, according to city Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Shields had served in the position since December 2016. Shields will continue with the department in a role to be determined. "It has become abundantly clear that over the last couple weeks in Atlanta is that while we have a police force full of men and women who work alongside our communities with honor respect and dignity," Bottoms said in a statement. "There has been a disconnect with what our expectations are, and should be as it relates to interactions with our officers and the communities in which they are entrusted to protect." "Chief Erica Shields has been a solid member of APD for over two decades, and has a deep and abiding love for the people of Atlanta," she continued. "And because of her desire that Atlanta be a model of what meaningful reform should look like across this country Chief Shields has offered to immediately step aside as Police Chief so that the city may move forward with urgency and rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities." MORE: Man dies after being shot by Atlanta police at Wendy's, GBI investigating Former Assistant Police Chief Rodney Bryant will serve as interim police chief as the city immediately launches a national search for new leadership to repair trust within the community. The move comes just hours after a man, identified as Rayshard Brooks, was shot and killed by police at a Wendy's drive-thru after police said he pointed a Taser at an officer while running away from law enforcement. "I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do," Bottoms said in a press conference regarding the officer's actions. "I do not believe this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer." PHOTO: In this May 30, 2020, photo, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announces a 9 p.m. curfew as protests continue over the death of George Floyd. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File) Shields had also called for the officer's immediate termination and said the other officer involved has been placed on administrative duty. Story continues "For more than two decades, I have served alongside some of the finest men and women in the Atlanta Police Department," Shields said in a statement following her resignation. "Out of a deep and abiding love for this City and this department, I offered to step aside as police chief. APD has my full support, and Mayor Bottoms has my support on the future direction of this department. I have faith in the Mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve." MORE: 6 Atlanta police officers charged in forceful arrests of college students in car Bottoms expressed condolences to the family of Brooks. "There are no words strong enough to express how sincerely sorry I am for your loss," the mayor said. "I do hope that you will find some comfort in the swift actions that have been taken today and the meaningful reforms that our city will implement on behalf of the countless men and women who have lost their lives across this country." PHOTO: Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields speaks at a press conference on Thursday, March 21, 2019. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Calls for a change at the top of the department grew Saturday in the wake of Brooks' shooting. "The Atlanta Police Department continues to terrorize protestors and murder unarmed Black bodies," the NAACP said in a statement. "Its time for new leadership and a change of policing culture. Stand with us and call for her immediate resignation." The shooting comes less than two weeks after six Atlanta police officers were charged for the forceful arrests of two college students sitting in their car on June 2. The two were shocked with stun guns and physically pulled out of the car though they did not appear to be involved in protests in the area. Among the charges for the officers were aggravated assault, pointing or aiming a gun, simple battery and criminal damage to property. ABC News' J. Gabriel Ware contributed to this report. This report was featured in the Monday, June 15, 2020, episode of Start Here, ABC News daily news podcast. "Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigns in wake of fatal shooting originally appeared on abcnews.go.com NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / June 12, 2020 / When running a business or brand, you know that it's hard to be successful if you don't market yourself correctly. With the many brands and enterprises people come across every day, it can be hard to make yourself stand out from the crowd. This is why marketing is essential. Without marketing, nobody would know who you are, and therefore, nobody would buy what you're putting on the market. But where do you even start with marketing? Well, fortunately for you, you can partner up with Avail Consultants and let them take care of your marketing needs. Avail Consultants is a full-service digital consulting company designed to stay on top of trends and capitalize on the present market. And at Avail, they pride themselves on providing their clients with the future of digital marketing. Avail Consultants boasts a dynamic mix of new and seasoned professionals who have experience working at Google, Facebook, and many top-tier agencies in the industry. And they strive to be one step ahead of the competition. Avail has made it their number 1 priority to ensure that the company is structured to incorporate contemporary services for their clients consistently. And their well-equipped marketing team, makes sure that they can effectively implement those strategies and product offerings for their clients. The team is driven by results and providing the highest possible return on investment for their client base. In every aspect, whether it's creative content, proactive or reactive digital marketing, they establish omnipresence for their clients, and that is what led to success in their niche. As a result, they have established a foothold in five of the nation's most prominent markets, with offices in Los Angeles, California, Austin, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, New York, New York, and Chicago, Illinois. Avail Consultants offer various services. These include highly targeted social media marketing and highly targeted search engine marketing. They also provide graphic design, logo design, rebranding, and search engine optimization. They will also do creative content with you, including video/commercial production and photography. And last but certainly not least, they offer website design & development, as well as social media management. Their expertise, though, lies in business growth, strategic development, and creative branding. Avail Consultants will analyze the data you need to know about customers and the market. And with this data, you can grow your brand or business to the best that it can be. They are looking to offer these services to small businesses and corporations looking to expand their reach in digital space. Avail also works with entrepreneurs, professional athletes, and musicians who are looking to optimize their brand presence and authority. Recently, the company has expanded its reach and explored several service-based industries, including automotive, medical, real estate, government education, and law. With all this experience and expertise, it's clear that if you're looking to make waves in the digital market, Avail Consultants is the group for you. To know more about how digital marketing can help your brand, book a strategy consultation with Avail Consultants at www.avail-consultants.com today! You may also give them a call on 18009281336 or send them an email at connect@avail-consultants.com. SOURCE: Authority Titans View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/593802/Avail-Consultants-Is-the-Digital-Marketing-Group-You-Need-to-Make-Your-Business-the-Best-It-Can-Be Amora Collins hugs Hallandale Beach police officer Capt. Megan Jones during a protest being held against police brutality as well as the recent death of George Floyd, in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on June 3, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) A Time of Reckoning to Repair Racial Tensions Commentary If you dont agree that black lives matter, you should stop reading now. Conversely, if you believe blacks in America are victims of a deadly conspiracy of systemic police racism, you may want to look away. The facts simply do not bear out that claim. Yes, we have heard about a horrific series of black citizens killed by police. But over the years, there have been many more white citizens killed by police. Precise numbers are not known because, almost unbelievably, no one is keeping track. There is a federal law called the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013, but it has largely been ignored by both states, which are required to report such deaths, and the Justice Department tasked with compiling and analyzing the information. To fill the void, in 2015, The Washington Post started keeping track of every on-duty police officer shooting. Lets look at last years figures. There were 1,004 police involved shootings in 2019. Of the 802 cases in which the race of the suspect was available, we see that 371 were white, and 236 were black. Given that blacks make up only about 13.5 percent of the U.S. population, African Americans were disproportionally killed more often than whites. Additionally, as the Posts data shows, black suspects were more likely to be armed with a deadly weapon at the time of the fatal incident. As for the oft-repeated claim that police routinely target unarmed black men, this startling fact from the Posts 2019 tally: There were just 10 fatal cases involving a black citizen who carried no weapon. Make no mistake; one case is one too many. But 10 cases in a population of 330 million people is hardly a routine or systemic occurrence. Now, lets drill down on those 10 fatal cases. It is undisputed that in five of them, the perpetrator attacked the officer first either during the commission of a crime or as they were being pursued on outstanding warrants. In another case, the officer struggled with a mentally ill man suspected of burglary, and it was determined that his weapon discharged accidentally. That leaves four remaining casesand in two of those, the officers were criminally charged. One policeman in Newark, New Jersey, is now charged with manslaughter, and another in Fort Worth, Texas, now faces trial for homicide. Facts are facts. Street protestors who carry signs about black genocide or white terrorism in America are either grossly uninformed or lying for effect. Is there racism in the United States? Without a doubt, Im sad to say. But last year was the safest year for suspectsblack or whitesince The Washington Post started tracking police involved shootings. It was not, however, the safest for police. Forty-eight law enforcement officers were murdered on the job last year. It is high time and positively right for us to question deadly police actions and to demand more accountability from law enforcement. It is also way past time for all citizensespecially minoritiesto demand an end to gratuitous police brutality. Police work for us, and we all should be treated with respect. By the same token, protestors must come to grips with some harsh realities. The biggest threat to people of color does not come from police; it comes from criminal elements within their own communities. Crime is generally intraracial. White killers overwhelmingly slay other whites, and the same holds true in black societies. FBI statistics from 2018 concluded when a murder victim was black, 88 percent of the time, the culprit was also black. The truth is, there are some black folk who do bad things. The sad truth is that their victims are most often other black people, professor John Hudgins wrote recently in the Baltimore Sun. Hudgins, an African American professor of sociology at Coppin State University, urges other blacks to look within to help end the violence. We must realize that some black people are a much greater threat to other black people than the Ku Klux Klan or the White Citizens Councils, he wrote. The scab that hid this nations racial tension has been torn off. We only heal if everyone accepts responsibility for their prejudices, admits their failures and marches forward in calm solidarity to bring this country together. Otherwise, welcome to the new normal. Diane Dimond is an author and investigative journalist. Her latest book is Thinking Outside the Crime and Justice Box. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Photo: The Canadian Press A combine harvests soybeans in rural Blair, Neb., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. The federal government says its analysis of the impact the carbon tax is having on grain farmers is based on numbers given to the government by farmers themselves. Grain farmers are adamant that Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau was wrong when she said this week grain farmers were, at most, paying $819 a year in carbon tax to dry their products, so they don't need a break on the federal carbon tax. "The estimates range from $210 to $819 per farm and 0.05 per cent to 0.42 per cent of total farm operating expenses," Bibeau said in a news conference Tuesday. Markus Haerle, chair of the Grain Farmers of Ontario, says the carbon-tax bill for drying corn from his 800-hectare farm in St. Isidore, Ont., was $8,500 last fall, and that he is not alone. Late Friday, Bibeau's spokesperson said the figures Bibeau gave were averages that vary by province, and particular farmers might pay much more. Ontario farmers, along with grain-growers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, are asking Bibeau to reconsider her determination not to exempt grain-drying from the carbon tax. "It's very disappointing," said Haerle. Ottawa does exempt fuel used to run farm vehicles, and partially exempt fuel to heat commercial greenhouses, mainly because of competitive pressures with American farmers who don't pay the carbon tax, plus a lack of greener alternatives. Ottawa's carbon tax, which started at $20 per tonne of greenhouse-gas emissions produced and is rising $10 each year until it hits $50 in 2022, is applied in provinces without their own equivalent prices. Right now it applies at $30 a tonne in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. At $20 a tonne, the price adds about 3.9 cents to a cubic metre of natural gas and 3.1 cents to a litre of propane, the two fuels used to run grain dryers. After a wet, late spring and an early, snowy fall, farmers last year were turning to grain-dryers more than usual and upped their lobbying efforts to get grain-drying exempted from the carbon tax as well. Bibeau asked provincial governments and farm groups to submit their costs and then analyzed those submissions. It took Bibeau's office four days to release the specific data that went into its calculations. The Alberta government estimated the cost in that province to be 16 cents an acre on average for all grains and oilseeds. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan said it was about 51 cents an acre to dry wheat. Keystone Agricultural Producers in Manitoba said it was $3 an acre for corn, based on a survey of its members. And the Grain Farmers of Ontario estimated $5.50 an acre for corn and about $2.18 for all grains. Bibeau's department then took the numbers provided by the farmers and did its own analysis, adjusting the submitted figures so they could be compared directly to each other. That included tossing out Keystone's $3 estimate altogether, because it only applied to corn, which made up just five per cent of all Manitoba farms, and using Saskatchewan's 51 cents for Manitoba instead. As well, they applied that 51 cents to all grains in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, not just wheat. With those numbers, and using the total number of grain and oilseed farms, and their size, Bibeau's officials concluded Alberta farmers were paying on average $210 a year in carbon tax to dry grain, $723 in Manitoba, $774 in Saskatchewan, and $819 in Ontario. The analysis notes smaller farms would pay less and larger farms would pay more. Todd Lewis, chair of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said the numbers don't make sense to him, with some of his farmers spending upwards of $10,000 in carbon tax on grain drying. Haerle said he thinks the government must have taken the total costs and divided them by the total number of grain farms, rather than just those that have grain dryers on their own properties. The charts provided to The Canadian Press Friday night appear to confirm Haerle's belief. Haerle said some farms have their grain dried at the elevator, and not all of the elevators raised their prices to reflect the cost of the carbon tax, which he said makes the government's method of taking the total cost and dividing it by all grain farms a poor reflection of what farmers are actually paying. Plus, said Haerle, it costs more to dry corn than other grains, and for his personal experience, in 2019 he only used dryers on corn, which means the government's analysis would vastly underestimate how much it cost a farm like his. Haerle also said unlike most businesses, farmers don't set the prices they get for their products, so they can't raise their prices to pass on the cost to consumers. Lewis said there are ways to make grain dryers more efficient but they are very expensive up-front and the tax is so much it is going to mean farmers don't have the money to invest in upgrades. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Since the horrific killing of George Floyd, the moral outrage in our nation is palpable. Moral consensus, however, is not. While some cry out against violence by police, others cry out against violence against police. Systemic racism is either the most important problem we face, some say, or it doesnt exist at all, others say. We must defund the police, according to some, and we must support the police, according to others. Certainly, the debates over what exactly is wrong with this world and what must be done to fix it will continue. In the meantime, we ought not miss what the moral outrage, even when wrongly conceived or violently expressed, reveals about who we are and the kind of world we live in. In his discussion of morality and the meaning of the universe in Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis observed that humans are irrepressibly moral creatures. We believe that there is such a thing in the world as justice. That we protest when we see behavior we believe to be unjust, especially when directed at us, reveals that we believe there is a way the world should be. A man does not call a line crooked, Lewis wrote, unless he has some idea of a straight line. But where does even that idea of a moral straight line, of justice and morality, come from? Why do we even think in terms of justice and morality in the first place? Any naturalistic worldview, built on atheism and concluding the world is merely a product of natural causes and forces, cannot explain the existence of justice and morality. In fact, not only does such a world not offer any grounding for the very ideas of justice and morality, but it cant explain why we would think in those terms. If the whole universe has no meaning, Lewis wrote, we should never have found out that it has no meaning; just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning. But not only do we clearly believe that justice and morality exist in the world, and that we can know what is just and right, we think others should know it too. Lewis unpacks this brilliantly: Whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real Right and Wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later. He may break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him, he will be complaining Its not fair before you can say Jack Robinson. The protesting and rioting and angry social media posting and breathless news reporting run the gamut of helpful to unhelpful, righteous anger to unrighteous opportunism. And yet, we are seeing across the nation and around the world, a fundamental feature of humankind and the world we live in. There is an expectation that such a thing as justice exists, and that it should be done. Clearly, this reveals the silliness and bankruptcy of moral relativism, in which every act is simply a matter of preference and convenience. Youll never see anyone taking to the streets carrying signs that say, End police brutality. Its inconvenient. Lewis concludes his discussion of the moral law by wrestling with the desire we hold for a world in which justice is actually done, in which no one is ever murdered and in which racism and violence against innocents are unthinkable. Our ability to imagine this world in which wrongs are all made right reveals much about us, too. Later in Mere Christianity, Lewis argues that no human longing exists unless its fulfillment also exists. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, Lewis wrote, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. So, we live in a world where the very ideas of justice and morality exist. We are creatures able to think in terms of justice and morality, expect others to as well, and who imagine a better world, in which all wrongs are made right and justice prevails. What explains this? Atheism cannot. Eastern pantheisms that ultimately fail to distinguish between good and evil cannot. But, a good God, Who is the ultimate source of reality and creates us in His image, giving us moral freedom, and promising to restore all things? That explains it. Originally posted at breakpoint.org Chinese peacekeeping force resumes UNIFIL humanitarian demining operations PLA Daily Source: China Military Online Editor: Li Wei 2020-06-12 17:37:29 By Niu Yanli BEIRUT, June 12 -- The 18th Chinese peacekeeping multi-functional engineer contingent to Lebanon went to the area near the "Blue Line" between Lebanon and Israel to carry out humanitarian demining missions recently. This marks the official resumption of humanitarian mine clearance operations by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that had been interrupted for 10 years. Chinese demining peacekeepers to Lebanon have passed the qualification assessments conducted by the UN and Lebanon authorities separately in April this year. After preliminary minefield survey, they had been to the new minefield for the first time on June 1, but were forced to return because of the sensitive and complicated local situation. After coordination by the Lebanese government forces, Chinese minesweepers were able to enter the minefield three days later. The new minefield is an anti-tank minefield. This time, Chinese peacekeepers divided the field area according to various functions and identified safe and dangerous zones with cordon. The mine-clearing work is carried out in an orderly manner. As of June 10, they have cleared 60 square meters in the new minefield. Humanitarian mine clearance is an operation aiming to restore the safe living environment and the normal use of land for the local people. From 2006 to 2010, UNIFIL carried out humanitarian mine clearance within the framework of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. For various reasons, this operation was suspended in 2010. Since then, UNIFIL has focused on combat mine clearance operations, mainly to provide security for the operations such as "Blue Line" identification, "Blue Line" patrols, and channel maintenance. In January this year, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the United Nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Humanitarian Demining, which authorized UNIFIL to carry out humanitarian demining operations within the UN Mission's area of operation in south Lebanon. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps re-election campaign will not say what precautions it will enforce at its Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally next week after making supporters who sign up to attend agree not to hold the campaign liable if they get the coronavirus. Trump campaign officials declined to comment to NBC News on Saturday, one week out from the presidents first campaign rally since early March, on what, if any, guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control they planned to enforce in Tulsa. The event, which was originally scheduled for Friday, June 19th, or Juneteenth, which is the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, could attract more than 19,000 people inside the venue, and possibly thousands more outside. The event would fall into the highest risk category, according to the CDCs own new guidelines issued on Friday, which characterizes those as large in-person gatherings where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from outside the local area. Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale suggested that he was considering adding a second event to accommodate the more than 200,000 to 300,000 attendee sign-up requests they claim to have received for the rally. There are typically significantly fewer attendees at Trump rallies than the numbers floated by Parscale, but still enough to be considered a high risk. The new CDC guidance also states clearly that cloth face coverings are strongly encouraged in settings where individuals might raise their voice (e.g., shouting, chanting, singing)" - all behavior typical of a political rally. The campaign did not say if it would take temperatures, encourage face masks or block the venue in any socially distant way. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, has described attending political rallies as risky. The best way you can avoid either acquiring or transmitting infection is to avoid crowded places, to wear a mask whenever youre outside and if you can do both, avoid the congregation of people and do the mask, thats great, Fauci said on a recent ABC News podcast. Story continues The online invitation form for the rally asks people to waive their rights to sue if they get sick. "By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.," the rally site or organizers "liable for any illness or injury," the form says. In a rare reversal from the president, Trump tweeted that he would move his Tulsa rally to Saturday, June 20, after he was heavily criticized for being insensitive and disrespectful for holding a political event on a day with significant importance to black Americans, especially given the recent protests after the death of George Floyd. The city is also the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst outbreaks of racist violence in American history. The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened military action against South Korea as she bashed Seoul on Saturday over declining bilateral relations and its inability to stop activists from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. Describing South Korea as an enemy, Kim Yo Jong repeated an earlier threat she had made by saying Seoul will soon witness the collapse of a useless inter-Korean liaison office in the border town of Kaesong. Kim, who is first vice department director of the ruling Workers Partys Central Committee, said she would leave it to North Koreas military leaders to carry out the next step of retaliation against the South. By exercising my power authorized by the supreme leader, our party and the state, I gave an instruction to the arms of the department in charge of the affairs with enemy to decisively carry out the next action, she said in a statement carried by the Norths official Korean Central News Agency. If I drop a hint of our next plan the (South Korean) authorities are anxious about, the right to taking the next action against the enemy will be entrusted to the General Staff of our army, she said. Our army, too, will determine something for cooling down our peoples resentment and surely carry out it, I believe. Kim Yo Jongs harsh rhetoric demonstrates her elevated status in North Koreas leadership. Already seen as the most powerful woman in the country and her brothers closest confidant, state media recently confirmed that she is now in charge of relations with South Korea. The liaison office in Kaesong, which has been shut since January due to coronavirus concerns, was set up as a result of one of the main agreements reached in three summits between Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in 2018. Moons government had lobbied hard to set up nuclear summits between Kim and President Donald Trump, who have met three times since 2018. At the same time, Moon also worked to improve inter-Korean relations. But North Korea in recent months has suspended virtually all cooperation with the South while expressing frustration over the lack of progress in its nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. The North declared over the past week that it would cut off all government and military communication channels with the South and threatened to abandon key inter-Korean peace agreements reached by their leaders in 2018. They include a military agreement in which the Koreas committed to jointly take steps to reduce conventional military threats, such as establishing border buffers and no-fly zones. They also removed some front-line guard posts and jointly surveyed a waterway near their western border in an unrealized plan to allow freer civilian navigation. In an earlier statement last week, Kim Yo Jong said that the North would scrap the military agreement, which is hardly of any value, while calling North Korean defectors who send leaflets from the South human scum and mongrel dogs. Her statement on Saturday came hours after a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official said that Seoul should drop nonsensical talk about the Norths denuclearization, and that his country would continue to expand its military capabilities to counter what it perceives as threats from the United States. The comments by Kwon Jong Gun, director-general of the ministrys U.S. affairs department, were in response to South Koreas Foreign Ministry, which had told reporters that Seoul would continue to work toward improving bilateral relations and reviving nuclear negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington. In response to North Koreas anger over the leaflets, South Koreas government has said it would press charges against two defector groups that have been carrying out border protests. The South also said it would push new laws to ban activists from flying the leaflets across the border, but theres been criticism over whether Moons government is sacrificing democratic principles to keep alive his ambitions for inter-Korean engagement. For years, activists have floated huge balloons into North Korea carrying leaflets criticizing Kim Jong Un over his nuclear ambitions and dismal human rights record. The leafleting has sometimes triggered a furious response from North Korea, which bristles at any attempt to undermine its leadership. While Seoul has sometimes sent police officers to block the activists during sensitive times, it had previously resisted North Koreas calls to fully ban them, saying they were exercising their freedom. Activists have vowed to continue with the balloon launches. We should not lend an ear to and trust the trite language let out by (the South) for only forms sake as they always make a fuss belatedly, nor pardon the sins committed by the betrayers and human scum, Kim Yo Jong said. Getting stronger day by day are the unanimous voices of all our people demanding for surely settling accounts with the riff-raff who dared hurt the absolute prestige of our supreme leader ... and flied rubbish to the inviolable territory of our side. Nuclear talks faltered at Kims second summit with Trump in Vietnam in February last year after the United States rejected North Koreas demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities. Trump and Kim met for a third time that year in June at the border between North and South Korea and agreed to resume talks. But an October working-level meeting in Sweden broke down over what the North Koreans described as the Americans old stance and attitude. On the two-year anniversary of the first Kim-Trump meeting, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon said Friday that the North would never again gift Trump with high-profile meetings he could boast as foreign policy achievements unless it gets something substantial in return. Protesters once again marched in large numbers across the Bay Area on Saturday, in a sweeping demonstration against racial injustice. In San Francisco, well over 1,000 protesters converged peacefully on City Hall after marching from Mission High School to demand the defunding of the San Francisco Police Department. The protest temporarily shut down portions of Market Street, as well as other streets along its path, including freeway entrances. In the East Bay, more than 1,000 demonstrators, many of them families and most carrying signs, marched from the Rockridge BART Station in North Oakland into Berkeley in a protest against racism. In Vallejo, where 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa was fatally shot by police in early June, officers closed streets near the main police station and asked drivers to avoid the area as a march wound through. In front of San Franciscos City Hall, Aleah Trejo, 16, held a sign that read Black and Brown Lives Matter. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Aleah, who drove in for the protest with a group from the north of the city, said she is Mexican and had drawn the countrys flag on her sign. We all need to be heard, she said, adding that there were too many instances of people of color being treated unfairly by police. In Berkeley, the huge demonstration, sponsored by Bay Area labor councils, ended up at UC Berkeleys Sproul Plaza. Marchers repeatedly chanted Black Lives Matter and the names of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, recent victims of police violence. Their calls grew louder as they filled Telegraph Avenue, where shouts echoed off the buildings. The protesters included many families, who marched with babies in backpacks and toddlers in strollers. Jessica Ludy and Scott Sadlon, both 39-year-old Oakland residents, brought their 15-month old, Lucia, who rode in a stroller and occasionally held a sign reading Babies for Anti-Racism. Its important that from a young age she learn to become anti-racist, Ludy said. Its really meaningful for us to be here and to bring the whole family. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle It was Lucias first protest. She smiled and opened her eyes wide when asked for her impression, but offered no comment. Casey Koppelson, 35, a Berkeley consultant, said she and her husband brought along their daughter, 3-year-old Frankie, so she could see it and understand where her parents are going. Frankie was participating in her sixth protest. Some have been in New York, some in the East Bay. 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 Sproul Plaza the site of huge demonstrations during the 1960s Free Speech Movement speakers called for defunding the police and political change, including voting President Trump out of office. Now Playing: Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, local artists and community members paint over boarded-up storefronts in Downtown Oakland. The grassroots project responds to the civil unrest over police violence and systemic racism, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Video: Caron Creighton Stay in the fight, stay in the streets, said Yvonne Williams, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union local that represents AC Transit drivers. Freedom is never given. It is exacted. The march and rally drew to a close with the crowd taking to its knees for eight minutes and 49 seconds, the amount of time Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyds neck. While people knelt, speakers read the names of black men and women who died of police violence. The protest concluded with the crowd singing We Shall Overcome, a gospel song that became a hallmark of the 1960s civil rights movement. San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Steve Rubenstein and Lauren Hernandez contributed to this report. Michael Cabanatuan and Chase DiFeliciantonio are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan, @chasedifelice Warning: Carolyn Fairbairn fears banning Huawei could damage the economy The boss of Britain's biggest business group has waded into the row over Huawei's role in the nation's 5G network, warning moves to restrict the Chinese firm's involvement could 'damage' economic recovery. CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn said the nation's future economic revival is already being labelled a 'digital first' recovery, with many employees working from home and firms seeking innovative ways to adapt and boost productivity. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come under huge pressure to reduce Huawei's part in the rollout of 5G mobile internet as anti-Chinese sentiment among Tories escalates in the wake of the pandemic. Huawei is supplying the equipment used to build the UK's 5G network, but last month it emerged that Johnson had drawn up plans to end the firm's involvement altogether by 2023. Fairbairn said: 'Huawei has been an important contributor getting 5G rolled out and that's going to be an important part of our economic recovery. 'It's going to be part of [Johnson's pledge of] 'levelling up' the entire country. Be very careful about taking a decision that really damages our ability to recover. 'The digital transformation is going to be central to the recovery in the UK and you have all sorts of reasons why you want to continue at full speed. We need to make sure we take decisions that really are the right ones for the country and we're not forced into a binary choice that harms us.' In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Fairbairn said Britain is entering a crucial stage in its economic future with decisions on key sectors such as hospitality yet to be given clarity on reopening, confusion over 14-day quarantine measures for arrivals at airports, and schools still partially closed. 'We're in a race against time,' she said. 'The end of October is going to be such a difficult moment when the furlough scheme unwinds. We need our political decisions to line up with that and it doesn't feel as though we are at the moment. 'We need to get ahead of that and do everything we can to get businesses to open successfully and safely. 'I hope over the course of July we start to see the ticking off of those decisions and the clarity that business needs to open really safely and protect as many jobs as we can.' She added: 'We need to avoid seeing the economy and health as a trade-off. There will be dramatic health implications from a serious and deep depression and unemployment has a well-documented impact on health. 'The thing we should be most worried about is unemployment and redundancies.' The CBI has sent a recipe for recovery to the Government ahead of July's mini-Budget. It concentrates on calling for job creation and the protection of existing jobs. Liberal MP and former diplomat Dave Sharma says Australia and its western allies need to welcome Russia back into the world's most exclusive group of nations, likening the globe's challenge in containing China to when it needed to confront the Soviet Union. Comparing the threat of a rising China to when former United States president Richard Nixon turned to Beijing to contain the Soviet Union, Mr Sharma said the "main US rival for global leadership today, China, has the confidence of the Soviet Union of old". Liberal MP Dave Sharma says Russia should be welcomed back into the fold to contain China. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The comments are in stark contrast to the position of other countries in the G7, particularly Canada, which have rejected US President Donald Trump's move to bring Russia back into the group of nations. Russia was kicked out of the group - then called the G8 - over its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Mr Sharma's stance will also be met with pushback in many sections of Australia that have not forgotten the role of the Russian government in the shooting down of MH17, which killed 38 Australians. Enter Lord Thranduil and then there were more By Tera Jayewardene View(s): View(s): From beautifully detailed cosplays to intricate clay polymer statues that bring the characters to life, Aishwarya Tennekoon, an architecture student at the University of Moratuwa dreams of directing and supplying SFX props and costumes to the local film industry. Having made statues since he was a child, in 2017 he started his own workshop where he sells his creations. Here he talks of his passion for both cosplay and sculpture. Q: What sparked your interest in cosplay? Actually I was a passionate sculptor, prop and model maker. Ive been making models for commissions for years. And then after all these comic conventions came up, people started commissioning me to make cosplay costumes and props for them. So after I started making costumes it sparked my interest too. So for the first time I cosplayed back in 2017 as Lord Thranduil from The Hobbit movie trilogy. Q: How did you get into making statues? Did your cosplay experience influence this? Actually my sculpting and prop making experience is what influenced me into making cosplay costumes. Since I was a child I was eager to do handcrafts, drawings and paintings. I also enjoyed watching movies and cartoons a lot. As a big cartoon fan, I wanted to collect action figures of those characters I loved but was unable to afford them back then. So eventually these two interests got combined and I started making them by myself (models and statues of characters, buildings, vehicles, terrains) that appeared in my fav movies, video games and cartoons. So thats how basically I got into making statues and models. I started this when I was 8 years old. So Ive been doing this for almost 15 years now. As requested by many, back in 2017 I started my own workshop (TENAI Workshop) and began selling my creations. Then back in 2016 people started commissioning me to make cosplay costume too. Ever since I also specialize in making costumes, props and armour for cosplayers and for the local film industry. And now Im selling these to both local and international clients. Very recently I made costumes for an upcoming film by one of Sri Lankas pioneer film directors as well. Q: Describe the process and materials involved So the basic process for model making and sculpting is, first you need to have a proper idea about the details, proportions and colours of the character/model youre going to make. Because we are going to create something 3D. To do that I collect as many photographs or videos of the character (front, side and back views) So after going through all the photos and taking a clear understanding of the design, we can go ahead and make an armature (if its a statue). Armature is like a supporting stand which we can use to sculpt the character around it using clay. Once the armature is ready you can start sculpting by referring to those photographs. If its a model of a building or a vehicle you wont need an armature, instead you can make the templates and start building it. And when it comes to cosplay costumes and props, again you need to gather as many images related to the design. And then you can start making templates for the costume. I normally make my own templates according to my measurements from scratch. But if youre not good at creating them on your own some templates are available online too. And then you can choose the materials and start to make the costume using the templates. And normally when it comes to sculpting I mainly use either polymer, clay or papier mache. For cosplay costumes and props I mainly use EVA foam and fabric and sometimes rubber, fibre and cardboard as well. For the paint job I mainly use acrylics and spray paints. Q: What prompted you to make the sculpture of Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha bringing the Sacred Tooth Relic to Sri Lanka? Ive been making polymer clay statues for almost five years now. And all this time I sculpted characters related to Hollywood movies, animations and video games. So I wanted to do something different. Something of ours. And then suddenly this painting came into my mind. Its one of my favourite murals since childhood. So starting another chapter, I decided to give life to the famous mural which depicts Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha bringing the Buddhas Sacred Tooth Relic from India to Sri Lanka for safekeeping, which is painted at Kelaniya Temple by renowned artist, Solias Mendis. Q: Tell us about your other creations any particular favourites? So far my favourites are the Tower of Sauron replica from The Lord of the Rings and The Road Runner vs Wile E. Coyote diorama. The Tower of Sauron replica was the turning point of my life. Its the first replica I exhibited at a comic convention. And then I got recognized by the Sri Lankan geek community. Besides Im satisfied with the outcome. Its a 1m tall replica made out of cardboard, papier mache, plaster and wooden sticks and took me more than three months to complete. And then the Road Runner diorama is the best statue Ive sculpted so far because of its unique armature design made to express the anti-gravity poses of the characters. I even got a lot of feedback from international sculpture artists for that piece. Besides I personally loved how it turned out, with good proportions and colour composition. Q: How do you balance your architecture studies with your hobbies? Well, there are times that I get super busy with my course work. At such times Im holding all the other work back for a while and give the main priority to it. Other than that I spend whatever free time I get making stuff. Q: Any special dreams/ ambitions related to your passions? My main dream is to give my service to the local film industry in terms of directing and supplying special effects props (for SFX) and costumes. This technology is not being practised much in the local cinema industry yet. So Im hoping to develop that and use it for local movies in the future. Q: Is there anything you would like to add that I havent asked you about? Many who are interested in getting into sculpting and prop making keep asking me for advice. I would like to say, as a beginner dont try to start big. Just start with what you have. Start right now. And make sure you keep practising and dont give up. Because practice makes you perfect and doing something for a longer period of time will definitely make you a skilled and an experienced person in the field. Also do it with passion- that will result in creative and unique creations. See Aishwaryas work on FB and IG pages (TENAI Workshop): FB: https://www.facebook.com/tenai2017/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/tenaiworkshop/ WEST POINT PLEASANT, N.J. - As the nation continues to grapple with its racial past, President Donald Trump urged West Points graduating class Saturday to never forget the legacy of soldiers before them who fought a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery. Trumps appeal to remember history came as his own relationship with the military is under strain from the unrelenting criticism he and Pentagon leaders have faced over their response to protests that erupted after George Floyds death in Minneapolis. It also came hours after Trump made what amounted to a rare concession for him: He rescheduled a campaign rally planned for Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 19. The day marks the end of slavery in the U.S., and Tulsa was the scene of a fiery white-on-black attack in 1921. What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment, Trump told more than 1,100 graduates at an unusual outdoor ceremony held during a pandemic. When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal. In the past two weeks, Trump has yelled at Defence Secretary Mark Esper for publicly opposing his call to deploy active-duty troops to quell the protests stemming from the killing of Floyd, who was black, by a white Minneapolis police officer. Trump also shut down Espers attempt to begin a public debate on removing the names of Confederate Army officers some of whom trained at West Point from military bases, an idea gaining momentum across the country. Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, risked Trumps ire Thursday by declaring he had made a mistake by accompanying Trump on a June 1 walk through Lafayette Square. It ended with the president posing with a Bible outside a boarded-up St. Johns Church. Milleys comments amounted to an extraordinary expression of regret by Trumps chief military adviser, who said his appearance led to the perception of the military becoming embroiled in politics, which in his view one shared by Esper is a threat to democracy. The events have stirred debate within the military and among retired officers. More than 500 West Point graduates from classes spanning six decades signed an open letter reminding the Class of 2020 of its commitment to avoid partisan politics. The letter, published this week on Medium, also alluded to the problems Esper and Milley encountered at the White House after Floyds death. Sadly, the government has threatened to use the Army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow Americans engaging in these legitimate protests, they wrote. Worse, military leaders, who took the same oath you take today, have participated in politically charged events. The principle of civilian control is central to the military profession. But that principle does not imply blind obedience. During the commencement ceremony, protesters denounced the president from boats and kayaks along the nearby Hudson River. Trump also used his first West Point address to remind the newly commissioned officers of the academys history and storied generals like Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was on this soil that American patriots held the most vital fortress in our war for independence, Trump said. He said the U.S. Military Academy gave us the men and women who fought and won a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery within one lifetime of our founding. This is your history. This is the legacy that each of you inherits, Trump continued, adding that it was bought with American blood spilled in battle. You must never forget it. Trump, however, was incorrect to say women had been trained at West Point for the anti-slavery fight; they were not allowed to become cadets until 1976. His remarks also overlooked numerous West Point graduates who served in the Confederacy, including President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Braxton Bragg. Some are now seeking the removal of Braggs name from North Carolinas Fort Bragg. In the speech, Trump leaned into his America first brand of foreign policy without uttering the phrase, telling the Armys newest officers their job is not to rebuild foreign nations, but to defend and defend strongly our nation from our foreign enemies. It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never heard of. He said America is not the policeman of the world, but warned adversaries that it will never, ever hesitate to act when its people are threatened. He thanked those in the military who helped the country respond to the coronavirus, once again calling it an invisible enemy from China. The president stressed the unity of a graduating class that came from every race, religion, colour and creed. The class also includes citizens of 11 other countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, South Korea and Tanzania. Trump highlighted bigger defence budgets under his watch but falsely said he had destroyed 100% of the Islamic State caliphate in the Middle East; the group still poses a threat to the U.S. He noted he had directed the killing of two terrorist leaders and had created the Space Force. Trump also remembered a cadet who died in an accident last year and whose father is a Secret Service agent, and noted that both he and the Army share a birthday Sunday. Trump will turn 74, while the Army marks its 254th year of existence. Esper did not attend, but emphasized the principles of duty, honour and country in a video message, saying they will help guide the new officers in challenging times and in the face of new and emerging threats. Trumps appearance at West Point had been criticized as a political move that would put the graduates at risk since the academy is located up the Hudson River from New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. The Army defended the move, saying the cadets had to return to campus anyway for final medical checks, equipment and training. They had been home since spring break in early March.. For the ceremony, the newly commissioned second lieutenants wore face masks as they marched onto the parade field, but removed them after sitting for the socially distant ceremony required by the pandemic. Instead of shaking hands with the president, they exchanged salutes. Family and friends were not allowed to attend and had to watch online. At the end of the ceremony, five hulking helicopters flew low and slow over the field as the graduates tossed their white dress caps into the air. ___ AP National Security Writer Robert Burns and Associated Press writer Michael Hill in Albany, N.Y., contributed to this report. BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 13 Trend: The joint statement by European Parliament members reiterated the well-known position of the international community on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said spokesperson for Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva, Trend reports. She was answering the question of the media on the recent joint statement by the members of the European Parliament with regard to the construction by Armenia of the third highway connecting the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan with Armenia. The joint statement by the members of the European Parliament (EP), the chair of the Delegation to the Parliamentary Partnership Committees of the EU and the countries of the South Caucasus, MEP Marina Kaljurand, EPs standing rapporteur on Armenia, MEP Traian Basescu and EPs standing rapporteur on Azerbaijan, MEP Zeljana Zovko in fact reiterated the well-known position of the international community on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. All the members of the international community, except the aggressor state Armenia, unequivocally support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders and numerous decisions and documents adopted by the international organizations with the related UNSC resolutions on top, demand the complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying Armenian forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. We appreciate the position of the MEPs, which is based on international law, as well as the EU Council Conclusions of 11 May 2020 on EaP Policy beyond 2020. As the document states respect to international law, including territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty is our shared commitment to building a common area of shared democracy, prosperity and stability. This position was also stated clearly in accordance of the basic and institutional legal norms, values and principles of EU itself. When it comes to hysteria in Armenia on this regard, let me remind that the joint statement of the members of the EP is just expressing the hard facts, nothing more. We recall on the authorities of Armenia to prepare their population to peace, rather wasting their time on questioning the firm position of the international community. Durable peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region are achievable, only after the consequences of Armenias aggression are removed, thus ensuring that its armed forces are withdrawn from the territories of Azerbaijan, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is restored within its internationally recognized borders and the human rights and fundamental freedoms of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani internally displaced persons are guaranteed, said Abdullayeva. Boris Johnson said colonialism in Africa should never have ended and downplayed Britains role in the slave trade, an article written by the prime minister while he was a Tory MP reveals. Critics are urging Mr Johnson to explain whether he still holds the views expounded in the 2002 piece, where he argued that Africans would not have grown the right crops for export without British direction. The continent may be a blot, but it is not a blot upon our conscience, he wrote. The problem is not that we were once in charge, but that we are not in charge any more. The prime minister this week argued for the retention of controversial statues of slavers and British colonialists in UK cities, which he said should stay up because they teach us about our past with all its faults. But the article, written while Mr Johnson was editor of The Spectator magazine, reveals that the prime minister in fact has held an active admiration for Britains colonial activities on the continent. Recommended Boris Johnson book depicts Jews as controlling the media Consider Uganda, pearl of Africa, as an example of the British record. Are we guilty of slavery? Pshaw. It was one of the first duties of Frederick Lugard, who colonised Buganda in the 1890s, to take on and defeat the Arab slavers, Mr Johnson says in the piece. And dont swallow any of that nonsense about how we planted the wrong crops. Uganda teems, sprouts, bursts with vegetation. You will find fruits rare and strange, like the jackfruit, hanging bigger than your head and covered with green tetrahedral nodules. Though delicately perfumed, it is, alas, more or less disgusting, and not even Waitrose is pretentious enough to stock it. He continues: So the British planted coffee and cotton and tobacco, and they were broadly right. It is true that coffee prices are currently low; but that is the fault of the Vietnamese, who are shamelessly undercutting the market, and not of the planters of 100 years ago. If left to their own devices, the natives would rely on nothing but the instant carbohydrate gratification of the plantain ... the colonists correctly saw that the export market was limited. Suggesting that one way to boost the economy of African countries would be for British tourists to holiday in them, Mr Johnson wrote: The best fate for Africa would be if the old colonial powers, or their citizens, scrambled once again in her direction; on the understanding that this time they will not be asked to feel guilty. Boris Johnsons spokesperson declined to comment on the article when approached by The Independent. Opposition MPs urged the prime minister to consider his comments and explain whether they still represented his views today. The continent may be a blot, but it is not a blot upon our conscience. The problem is not that we were once in charge, but that we are not in charge any more. Boris Johnson Boris Johnson is the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The history of the UK, Windrush, empire, colonialism should be told with sobering accuracy, Labour MP Dawn Butler told The Independent. In order to make sustainable progress we need the current PM who has power and privilege to reflect on what he has said and written. I urge the PM to review his previous articles, books and statements and to re-examine them through the brutal lynching that he watched of George Floyd and say whether he regrets anything of what he has said, done or written in the past. Ms Butler said it was important not to misrepresent or whitewash history, adding: This Etonian attitude affects everyone who is not in that inner circle, no matter your colour. Instead of viewing history through rose-tinted glasses maybe it is time to look at history through the lenses of a very visible modern-day lynching. The shadow secretary of state for women and equalities, Marsha de Cordova, said: Boris Johnsons past comments are an example of why we need to educate people about the impact of colonialism. The legacy of British colonialism and its role in the slave trade is a scar on our society. To infer this is something to be proud of, and that African countries are worse off because they are no longer ruled by the empire, is an insult to millions. Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Show all 16 1 /16 Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The Edward Colston statue has been pulled down by Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol. Colston was a 17th century slave trader who has numerous landmarks named after him in Bristol. Pictured is the statue covered up before it was pulled down Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters pulling down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston William Want Twitter account/AFP Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters pulling down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston William Want Twitter account/AFP Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest A protester presses his knee into the neck of the Edward Colston statue Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The protest rally was in College Green, Bristol Ben Birchall/PA Wire Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The Edward Colston statue is defaced Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest A crowd gathers Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters dragging the statue of Edward Colston to Bristol harbourside PA Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest The statue is rolled along the street before being dropped into a nearby river SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Tom Wren / SWNS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Protesters throw the statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour PA Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest Ben Birchall/PA Wire Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest TWITTER/SELLOTTIE via REUTERS Slave trader statue pulled down and thrown in river at Bristol protest PA Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrats equalities spokesperson, said: It is vital that the prime minister today makes clear that the language he may have used and comments made in the past are no longer reflective of his views. Across the UK there is a collective discussion happening on how as a nation we deal with our history and the racism and prejudice that is part of that. It is the prime ministers duty to show leadership on this. We need to do more to tackle racism in the UK and if we truly want to change society, we must eradicate the existing injustice. Liberal Democrats are clear that we want to see a government-wide plan to tackle Bame inequalities so that we can finally enact change for all those fighting for justice and equality. A Japanese high court on Thursday upheld a lower court's decision that the French head of Mt Gox, a Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange that went bankrupt after a massive hacking attack, was guilty of manipulating electronic data but not embezzlement. The Tokyo District Court last year sentenced Mark Karpeles to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years. The suspended sentence means Karpeles, a French citizen, will not have to serve jail time. He says he is innocent and appealed to clear his name. Karpeles has insisted he did not pocket client funds that went missing when Mt Gox collapsed in 2014. He said he is not yet sure what he will do next. "Today's verdict was unfortunate, and I am reviewing its contents alongside my lawyers and will decide how to proceed from there in the coming days," he said late Thursday. Karpeles was arrested in August 2015 and spent 11 months in detention while awaiting trial in a case that drew global attention, as cryptocurrencies were then relatively new. Pham Duy Khuong - Managing director, ASL Law Considering the practical conditions of countries in the ASEAN, the mechanism of co-operation is still not highly feasible. That comes from various difficulties. First, the economic gap among countries in the region is still large from the infrastructure to capacity of development. With this gap, it is difficult to create a mechanism to balance benefits among countries when attracting high quality foreign direct investment (FDI). Second, ASEAN countries are still developing, so they still put their national interests first to focus on developing with their own FDI attracting policies to compete with the others in the region. Therefore, it will be difficult to promulgate a general agreement for long-term interests in the region. Third, high-quality FDI requires high quality human resources, but there are some low-level developing nations here that cannot meet the conditions for such a thing. Hence, high-quality FDI will also only focus on highly developed countries in the region. And the last one is that there are still many problems in establishing a general legal institution because each country has its own attraction policy to create its own competitive advantage. However, conducting a general mechanism for this can be carried out emitting from various advantages. The ASEAN has had general transport agreements that facilitate movement between countries. From that, this is a basis for the formation of a common production base and common economic zones in the community. Peter Ryder - CEO, Indochina Capital According to the 2019 World Investment Report, FDI inflows to Southeast Asia were up 3 per cent to a record level of $149 billion, mostly driven by investment in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. The disruption caused by COVID-19 has pushed multinationals to restructure their supply chains to be more resilient, and the ASEAN is well-positioned to benefit from the potential wave of relocation and FDI. The advantages of a co-operative ASEAN, united to compete against the likes of China and India, would mean increased FDI inflows and potentially a higher standing on the global stage. Due to the regions connectivity with China and the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, moving production to Southeast Asia can be an attractive proposition for foreign investors, as we are seeing lower production costs being offered by regional nations. There is also potential to maintain their distribution to China while tapping into the ASEANs large population and market size: the bloc is home to a young, increasingly urbanised, aspirational population with growing spending power, which will be bolstered by increased FDI inflows. Nonetheless, there is still substantial investment needed to improve connectivity between ASEAN nations. Intra-ASEAN logistics remain expensive and progress towards integration with the ASEAN Economic Community has slowed. There is also competition between ASEAN nations to attract FDI, as each country provides different incentives to foreign investors. Leon Cheneval - Business and Product Development, Real Estate Data Network Co-operation within ASEAN nations to compete for FDI would be advantageous for the investor. The pandemic had slowed many companies in their decision-making process but that said we see them bouncing back very quickly. Central investment organisation would allow potential investors to quickly analyse the potential opportunity. Such an organisation or programme would allow for faster movement of FDI and place it into the best fit solution. A common shared marketplace would be advantageous as the entity can address quickly, accurately, and with greater transparency the ideal FDI solution so investors can make informed decisions. However, we are of the opinion that such collective information is still difficult to find and analyse, and this is a notable restriction for investors. An ASEAN common-share organisation would need to be well organised and well represented by each member state. The main concern would be the competitive nature of the region. Perhaps Vietnam is well advised to create a central working group that can assist such companies and be government supported so that information can be provided quickly and accurately. Review of laws has been the countries focus in the past and continues so streamlining or removing ambiguous legal text is a strong recommendation. Finally, the working group would seek out quality FDI suited to key projects from infrastructure to renewal energy and the real estate sector. Burkhard Schrage - Manager of School of Business & Management Program, RMIT University (Vietnam) The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is the appropriate forum to discuss economic co-ordination between its 10 individual member states to strengthen competitiveness in the global race to attract FDI. ASEANs socio-economic diversity must be turned into an advantage. Thats not easy: states need to identify national competitive advantages and specialise more on specific products or industries while establishing an intra-ASEAN value chain. Co-operation, rather than competition, between member states will strengthen the overall competitiveness of the region. This also means that countries need to cease supporting industries in which they do not have a competitive advantage. The economic integration of the ASEAN is critical as China and India receive large market-seeking FDI: Tesla is building its $2 billion automotive plant near Shanghai to produce cars for the Chinese market, not in order to benefit from low labour cost. The AEC is the fifth-largest collective in the world in terms of GDP (with China second and India eighth) and therefore will become an attractive market-seeking investment destination. The recent AEC blueprint lays out strategic goals for 2025 such as increased integration and cohesiveness, strengthened competitiveness, more innovation, and enhanced connectivity and sectoral co-operation across the member states. These goals are surely in the right direction to increase the long-term competitiveness of the region. VIR QAnon is a conspiracy theory that didn't exist until a few years ago. It's actually a webbed network of conspiracy theories that, at its most basic, alleges there is a secret group of elites working to get President Donald Trump out of office. There are allegations of pedophilia mixed in there, too. So what's up with two congressional candidates who have embraced this relatively new conspiracy theory winning their primaries in 2020? One even has a good shot of going to Congress. In May, Jo Rae Perkins won a Republican Senate primary in Oregon after saying she supports the conspiracy theory. And on Tuesday, Marjorie Taylor Greene made it to an August runoff in a competitive Republican congressional primary in northwest Georgia. Greene is now a pretty sure bet to make it to Congress: She beat her runoff opponent by 20 points in the primary, and the district is a safe Republican one. Experts on conspiracy theories and political psychology warned about reading too much into these wins. "Two is not a trend," said Joseph Uscinski at the University of Miami, who has written a book about why people believe in conspiracy theories. He said there is probably more we can take away from the roughly 50 QAnon supporters who are running for Congress this year. Their campaigns suggest adherents of a fringe theory feel emboldened to come out of the shadows under Trump. QAnon believers tend to support other conspiracy theories about government, experts said. And Trump has tacitly breathed life into these ideas. The central theme around QAnon fits his argument that he's an outsider being dragged down by (mostly Democratic) lawmakers who feel threatened by him and the change he brings to governing. Trump hasn't explicitly endorsed QAnon, but he seems aware that its adherents align with his base. He has retweeted QAnon supporters, and there has been a growth of "Q" signs at his rallies. Perhaps just as important, he has embraced other conspiracy theories. His first big step into politics was when he alleged that President Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States. In just the past few weeks, he has pushed conspiracy theories about the death of a congressional staffer of a now-prominent MSNBC host, or that a 75-year-old Buffalo protester knocked unconscious by police was actually antifa. "We have a current president who uses conspiracy rhetoric arguably more than any other president in modern history," said Joanne Miller, who studies the political psychology of conspiracy theories at the University of Delaware. All of those dynamics have encouraged QAnon supporters to step into the mainstream, such as running for Congress. "These people feel emboldened," Uscinski said. "They feel like their issues are getting addressed - and that is they hate the establishment and want to blow it up. Trump built this coalition with these folks, and they feel like they're a part of it and this is their time." Liberal research firm Media Matters has tracked 50 QAnon supporters running for Congress. Most of them have lost their primaries already. A handful automatically made it on the general election ballot in California because of election laws that send the top two on, but for now most don't seem to have momentum to actually win. Greene in Georgia seems the most likely to actually make it to Congress. But experts are still hesitant to call that a trend signaling QAnon's ascendancy into the mainstream. The dynamics in the races where these candidates have actually won could help explain why they did. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is the heavy favorite to win reelection, so Oregon Republicans didn't really try to put up a major candidate. (Still, Perkins beat three other candidates.) The Georgia race is a bit more difficult to parse. There were six Republican candidates running for the seat left vacated by retiring Rep. Tom Graves, R. That tends to slice the electorate so that a candidate with a relatively small base of support can win. Outside her QAnon affiliation, Greene fits the profile of a competitive Republican candidate. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution described Greene, who owns a construction company and relocated to the district to run, as a prominent candidate. She said she has the endorsement of Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a prominent conservative in Congress. And she received donations from a political group associated with another prominent conservative, Mark Meadows, who is now Trump's chief of staff. So maybe luck played a role in these candidates winning. Maybe some voters weren't aware of their affiliations. Maybe some didn't care. "It's really hard to pin this on: They got elected because of QAnon," Miller said. But she said you could also argue the flip side: Shouldn't these candidates' embrace of such baseless allegations about government be disqualifying to serve in government? It's not like they tried to hide or shy away from their beliefs. "Q is a patriot," Greene said in a YouTube video posted in 2017, referencing the anonymous leader (or leaders) of the conspiracy theory. "We are seeing more and more people getting emboldened as we see more and more information get out there," Perkins told The New York Times in an interview in May after she won, talking about QAnon supporters helping her win. "And as people put together more and more pieces of the puzzle, they can see, yeah, this is real." For those still perplexed about how QAnon has reached from the dark corners of the Internet to campaigns for Congress, it may help to step back and talk about the psychological reason people tend to grab onto conspiracy theories: "People believe because they feel powerless, uncertain, or they feel like they lost some control," Miller said. Certainly, a lot of Americans are anxious now. "It doesn't mean we'll end up believing in conspiracy theories," Miller said, "but we all seek explanations, seek to understand why. Because if we can come up with a reason and an explanation, at the very least we think it's going to help us regain some control. That 'knowledge' in some sense is control." Conspiracy theories can also help bolster people's world views, Miller said. So if QAnon is gaining any momentum right now, perhaps it's driven by Trump's drop in poll numbers. Instead of reckoning with the fact the president may lose his reelection, QAnon offers an opportunity to blame a secret group of elites, alleged pedophiles or society for their struggles. But experts say to keep in mind that QAnon is still on the fringes of society. "I'd be worried if it was a trend," Uscinski said. "I'm not sure that winning is a trend for these folks." "Are we going to see anytime soon a QAnon caucus in Congress, like there's a tea party caucus?" Miller said. "I think we are far from that." Flash The International Criminal Court (ICC) has condemned U.S. authorized sanctions against its officials engaged in an investigation into possible war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The ICC said in a statement Thursday that the U.S. attacks "constitute an escalation and an unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law and the Court's judicial proceedings." Earlier on Thursday, the White House said in a statement that U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized economic sanctions against ICC officials "directly engaged with any effort to investigate or prosecute United States personnel without the consent of the United States," as well as the expansion of visa restrictions against these officials and their family members. Noting that the U.S. sanctions represent "an attack against the interests of victims of atrocity crimes, for many of whom the Court represents the last hope for justice," the ICC, which has 123 member states, vowed it would stand firmly by its staff and remain "unwavering in its commitment to discharging, independently and impartially, the mandate bestowed upon it by the Rome Statute and the States that are party to it." The ICC in March authorized an investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, including those that may have been committed by the U.S. military and the Central Intelligence Agency, which could lead to the indictment of U.S. military and intelligence personnel. The ICC was established when the Rome Statute took effect in 2002. It prosecutes crimes of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. BELCHERTOWN Selectmen, the town moderator, town clerk and legal counsel, during a Friday afternoon meeting, agreed to postpone next weeks annual Town Meeting until June 27, a Saturday, at 9 a.m. The meeting will convene both inside and outside at the high school gym. The postponement was decided to give municipal officials enough time to figure out how best to accommodate registered voters who will be participating outdoors. Town Meetings are usually held in the Belchertown High School auditorium during the month of May. Because of public health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this years meeting initially was pushed back until June 16, and was to be held inside the high school gym to allow attendees to stay at least 6 feet apart from one another. The high school is at 142 Springfield Road. Chairman Ed Boscher said Friday the Board of Selectmen recently received a petition signed by 100 residents asking that accommodations be made for those wishing to remain outside the building and still participate. Following some discussion and a walk around the grounds outside the gym, the officials agreed that postponing Town Meeting was the best way forward. They said there would not be enough time to adequately plan for the outside component were it held next week. Town Meeting will act on whether to approve a $53.2 million budget for the fiscal year that starts on July 1. The proposed budget represents a 1.9% spending increase from this year. The three greatest proposed increases are to sanitation and environmental services, by $386,084 or 18%, pension and insurance costs by $340,298 or 7% and public schools by $285,596, a 1% increase to $31.6 million. 33 Belchertown High School celebrates seniors with a Class of 2020 Parade Related Content: More than 1000 protesters are tipped to block Brisbane streets on Saturday as part of a national day of refugee action, against advice from Australia's Chief Medical Officer. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who on Thursday called for protesters to be charged if they broke social distancing rules, on Friday rejected calls by Queensland Coalition MP Andrew Laming for attendees to be stripped of welfare payments. A refugee supporter walks by holding a sign as asylum seekers who are being held in detention at an inner city motel are seen protesting in Brisbane. Credit:Dan Peled/AAP Police charged or fined four people on Friday after protests at a makeshift Brisbane immigration facility ramped up. About 120 refugees and asylum seekers transferred from offshore detention for specialist medical treatment are being held at the Kangaroo Point hotel. A resident at Camden, New Jersey, says the creation of a new, disciplined county police force makes his street safer. Demonstrators and some politicians across the United States have been calling for major changes in the way police operate. In some cities, like Minneapolis where George Floyd was killed in police custody, moves have been made to dismantle police departments. Al Jazeeras Kristen Saloomey visited a city that did just that. An activist who stood beside actor John Boyega at a Black Lives Matter protest has been revealed as a hard-left firebrand who called an injured policewoman 'stupid' and condoned shooting racist police officers. Gary McFarlane, a member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), took part in the Hyde Park protest with the Star Wars actor last weekend, as reported by The Times. The 28-year-old movie star gave an impassioned speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in Hyde Park following the killing of George Floyd in the US. Pictured next to him at one point during the protest was Mr McFarlane who previously tweeted about film Queen and Slim, in which one of the character's shoots a police officer. He said: '#minneapolisriots Queen & Slim showed how to deal with racist cops. Make it real!' The 28-year-old movie star (pictured centre) next to Gary McFarlane (pictured right) at the The 59-year-old also shared a video of the police woman injured after she rode her horse into traffic lights at a BLM protest in central London and labelled her 'stupid'. Mr McFarlane has appeared on both Russia Today and the BBC and is described as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. He is a long-term party member of the SWP, an anti-capitalist political party, which this week ran a series of Zoom meetings for members on how to capitalise on the BLM movement. But the BLM - who previously split with the party in 2016 over allegations that the group failed to correctly follow up rape allegations made by two female members - has again distanced itself from the group. A statement last night said: 'None of the leadership of BLM are, or have ever been members of the SWP. Any groups which are part of SWP and claim to be part of BLM have nothing to do with us.' Dr Remi Adekoya, a political science lecturer at Sheffield University, also slammed the fringe-left wing party for trying to take over the movement. Participants in a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Hyde Park, London, in memory of George Floyd who was killed on May 25 while in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis He said: 'It could turn the British population against the BLM movement and that is going to come back and bite us people of colour. 'It's not going to bite white members of the Socialist Workers Party.' Khalid Mahmood, a Labour MP, also criticised the 'fringe' party, saying the group 'jumps on all sorts of bandwagons' and 'try and seek attention'. He added: 'They are trying to infiltrate. There are people associated with that with a harder element, and a harder edge.' A spokesman for the SWP told The Times: 'The SWP has not attempted to hijack the BLM movement. The SWP supports the BLM protests in the US, Britain and across the world. They are a welcome response to societies saturated with racism. 'We have not sought to take over the movement.' The spokesman added that : 'Gary McFarlane is a longstanding anti-racist and socialist. He set up one of the BLM groups that were founded in 2016 in London. 'He has never presented himself as a leading organiser of the present demonstrations.' By Express News Service BHOPAL: State BJP vice president and former MLA Sudarshan Gupta and his supporters have been booked by police in Indore for throwing social distancing norms to the winds while organizing Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar's birthday celebrations on Friday. A case under Section 188 of IPC was registered against Gupta (the ex MLA from Indore I seat) and his aides for violation of prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 of CrPc. Gupta and his supporters had organized the birthday celebrations of Tomar in Indore's Malharganj area on Friday. Social distancing norms went for a toss at the celebrations in the open ground as packets of food grains were distributed among a large crowd without following the social distancing norms. Taking cognizance of the violation of prohibitory orders during the birthday celebrations, the case was registered by local police at Malharganj police station, the DIG-Indore HN Chari Mishra confirmed to The New Indian Express on Saturday. Earlier, on Friday around 25-30 opposition Congress workers were arrested for holding a protest in Indore sans permission. Those arrested included the party's Indore unit president Vinay Baklliwal. The Congress leaders were staging a protest against state CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday in the wake of a leaked audio clip recently in which Chouhan is heard saying to his party workers that the Congress government in the state was toppled in MP after a decision by the BJP central leadership. The state's largest and most populated city Indore is the prime COVID hotspot of MP with around 4000 cases and 164 deaths so far. The Malharganj area where the ex BJP MLA had organized the celebrations to mark the Union minister's birthday also houses one of the containment areas of Indore. OTTAWA - The federal minister in charge of regional economic development says more needs to be done to help companies in the centre of Canada's biggest cities so they can stay open through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2020 (587 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Economic Development Melanie Joly rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. The federal minister in charge of regional economic development says more needs to be done to help companies in the centre of Canada's biggest cities so they can stay open through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - The federal minister in charge of regional economic development says more needs to be done to help companies in the centre of Canada's biggest cities so they can stay open through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Melanie Joly says cities like Toronto and Montreal continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic, with case numbers fuelling restrictions that have kept workers home and businesses closed. Usually, the economic development agencies Joly oversees are meant to support smaller communities that struggle more than urban centres. But she says downtown cores will need more attention as the restrictions ease and economic activity resumes, part of what Joly describes as more targeted regional help during what is expected to be an uneven rebound across Canada. The Bank of Canada has warned the desired economic recovery in the second half of the calendar year won't be as sharp or sustained as the downturn the pandemic caused. Nor will it happen at the same time and rates across various regions, with the oilpatch in the West likely suffering longer if oil prices don't fully rebound. A report this week from BMO Capital Markets forecasted single-digit economic declines in all provinces this year due to the pandemic, but noted the drop in GDP will be deeper and the jobless rates above the national average in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador due to lower oil prices. Joly says her officials are delving deeper into the regional data as they craft the next phase of pandemic-related aid, moving from liquidity measures toward helping companies connect with customers. As Joly put it in an interview this week, it will be like coming out of the "fog of war" during the early days of the pandemic towards a reopening and recovery. That will include looking at the uptake on the $962 million given to regional development agencies for companies that can't access the larger programs the Liberals have rolled out, and whether there is a need to support certain regions hit harder than others. She pointed to a Thursday announcement as an example, where the Liberals partnered with the Ontario government to provide funding to help retail companies build a digital presence. Federal coffers contribute $50 million to the program, while the province is kicking in $7.65 million. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Joly says that kind of program addressed a need for Ontario companies to build a digital presence if in-person shopping is slow to pick up. She says "main street" Canadian companies in general have been slower to adopt online shopping compared to their American counterparts. The funding is designed to address the cost of going online that can act as a barrier to change in the retail sector, she says. "Retail was going through an array of changes before the pandemic, and the pandemic made it very crystal clear that we needed to make sure that our retail sector, particularly our main street businesses, were able to reach their customers in different ways," Joly says. "That's why we're using this crisis as an opportunity to help businesses grow and that's why we're providing this help." Federal support through the pandemic has had varying degrees of success. The total spending package now tops $153.6 billion, not including roughly $80 billion in federal loan programs, as detailed by the Finance Department in its latest report to MPs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2020. EUGENE Starting Monday, the University of Oregon is requiring the use of face coverings by anyone on its campuses with limited exceptions. Faculty, staff, students, visitors, and vendors will be required to wear masks, cloth face coverings, or face shields when in UO owned, leased or controlled buildings" unless alone in an enclosed room, the university announced Friday night, the last day of the schools spring quarter. Face coverings are recommended outdoors when on UO property and when physical distancing expectations of at least 6 feet and not in groups cannot be met. UOs requirement is subject to change should guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) for combating the spread of COVID-19 change. Limited exception do exist to the protocols, specifically if someone has a physical or mental condition or is disabled and unable to wear a face covering, if they were complying with best practices or regulation for a specific job or task, when exercising indoors where barriers are provided or physical distancing can be achieved, while eating, and when a student is in their own residence hall room. dallas police Dallas Police Department via Twitter Apple launched a feature called Shortcuts in 2018, an app that lets you write scripts for the iPhone. One widely shared shortcut is called Police, which records police interactions and texts a predetermined contact that you've been pulled over. It also sends a video of the encounter to your contact. The creator says the shortcut can be adapted for other situations. Apple launched a feature for Siri in 2018 called Shortcuts that lets you streamline tasks with a single Siri command, and now it's in the spotlight once again. That's because one iPhone user created a shortcut that prompts your iPhone to record police interactions after saying the phrase: "Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over." The app has begun circulating again recently as protests against police brutality have erupted across the United States in response to the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck. Robert Petersen of Arizona developed the shortcut, called Police, which monitors police interactions so you have a record of what happened. Once the shortcut is installed and configured, you just have to say, for example, "Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over." Then the program pauses music you may be playing, turns down the brightness on the iPhone, and turns on "do not disturb" mode. It sends a quick text to a predetermined contact to tell them you've been pulled over, and it starts recording using the iPhone's front-facing camera. Once you've stopped recording, it can text or email the video to a different predetermined contact and save it to Dropbox. To get it to work, you must first run another shortcut in the Shortcuts app, then open the "Settings" menu, choose "Shortcuts," and toggle the "Allow Unstrusted Shortcuts" switch. "It seemed to me that if you're getting pulled over it couldn't hurt to have a recording of the incident," Petersen said to Business Insider in a direct message in 2018. "The police these days in many places have body cams, so this could be the civilian equivalent." Story continues DesiBAE aka Big Horchata (@sarcasticstyle) June 10, 2020 The idea of a hands-free mobile app for fraught interactions isn't new since 2012, the American Civil Liberties Union and others have developed apps to record and livestream encounters with the police. While he didn't base the shortcut on existing apps, Petersen said he was inspired by projects by digital-rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Petersen said that most responses he'd received after initially posting the shortcut in September 2018 had been positive and that some people had told him they want to adapt it to different potentially dangerous situations. Some people "say they've had issues in the past with the police, and one woman planned on using the shortcut to help with a stalker issue she was having with an ex-boyfriend so that she could send her location to family quickly should anything occur," Petersen said. "That's one of the great things about Shortcuts: Anyone can edit a shortcut someone else has made to suit their specific needs," he added. With a little bit of logic and know-how, Shortcuts lets you stitch together several apps and create a script that can be activated by pressing a button or using Siri. Of course, there are many other ways to use Shortcuts, too, like saving Instagram photos, sharing the song you're listening to, or creating a morning routine that activates your lights and plays a song. You don't need to be a programmer to create your own shortcut Siri Police Screenshot You can examine all the steps a shortcut takes and all the apps and services it uses so you can be sure that the script isn't, say, uploading your data to a random server when you use a shortcut you didn't write. The entire recipe for the Police shortcut can be accessed in the Shortcuts app. Petersen said he didn't have a background in programming but knew enough to get around and had written scripts for macOS in the past. He added that he was an Apple fan and was surprised that the company had introduced this kind of feature for power users given its tendency to keep things simple and locked down. If you're interested in making your own shortcuts, Petersen has some advice. "The platform has a lot of potential, and if you read the Apple user guides and consult with others on forums, or just look at how other people's shortcuts work and 'reverse engineer' them to your own needs, you can learn a lot quickly," he said. You can download the Police shortcut here. Make sure you have the Shortcuts app installed. Read the original article on Business Insider Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain Diya Aur Baati Hum actor Deepika Singh posted a video on social media on Friday seeking help from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after her mother tested positive for Covid-19 but hospital allegedly refused to hand over the report. In the message which has gone viral, the actor said Delhis Lady Hardinge Medical College did not give the medical report to her parents due to which her mother cannot get admitted in a hospital. She further said her parents live in a joint family of 45 people and others are at risk too. My mom & dad are in Delhi. Mom has been diagnosed with Covid positive & Lady Hardinge hospital didnt give reports only allowed my father to click its picture. I really hope the concerned personell are reading this and my mom there receives some relief. @ArvindKejriwal @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/kXzjhZZ73x Deepika Singh Goyal (@deepikasingh150) June 12, 2020 My mom has been diagnosed with Covid positive. My mom & dad are in Delhi. The test has been done in Lady Hardinge hospital & they didnt give reports. They only allowed my father to click its picture. I really hope the concerned personnel are reading this and my mom there receives some relief. We need your help, Deepika wrote with the message in which she tagged CM Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She went on to emphasise that they cannot get her mother admitted to a hospital without the report. The family lives in Delhis congested Paharganj area. The actor said in the message, My mother has never felt so weak in her life. Even my grandmother has breathing issues. There are 45 people in the house, and now everyone is at risk. My mother had not even stepped out and so we dont even know how she got infected. We need to get everyones test done. Also, everyone is telling her that she should isolate herself at home. But what about the medicines and other care elements. We have no clue what to do. After deputy commissioner Abhishek Singh tweeted that the actors mother has been admitted on Saturday morning, she replied, No not yet... shes at home. My Grandmother is serious, shes has breathing difficulty they admitted her in Jeevan nursing home . I want their admission in Gangaram hospital also m grandmother & father test to be done in the morning. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The State House website (statehouse.gov.ng) is marred by outdated information months after some changes occurred in the government, PREMIUM TIMES findings show. Despite President Muhammadu Buharis recent appointment of a new Chief of Staff, the official website carries the details of the former, late Abba Kyari. Also, long after he was redeployed, the website has the name of Jalal Arabi as the State House Permanent Secretary. After proper scrutiny, this newspaper also observed that the positions of ministers who were redeployed months ago are yet to be corrected on the website, exposing readers to the danger of misinformation. According to the website, the Chief of Staff to the President is still Abba Kyari, appointed August 27, 2015. On April 17, Mr Kyari died from COVID-19 after a month-long struggle with the deadly disease. About a month after, Mr Buhari announced former minister of external affairs, Ibrahim Gambari, as his Chief of Staff. The 75-year-old Kwara-born diplomat replaced the former but the government official website continues to show that Mr Kyari manages the presidents schedule and correspondence, and any other duties that may be assigned by the president. PREMIUM TIMES understands that on March 23, the Head of Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, announced the redeployment of Jalal Arabi from the State House to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. He was replaced with Tijani Umar, who was redeployed from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. Jalal Arabi still showing as Permanent Secretary of the State House Letter of redeployment of State House Permanent Sec Meanwhile, months after the changes, the government website still names Mr Arabi who was appointed November 2015, as the State House Permanent Secretary. In addition, months after he appointed his cabinet in 2019, President Buhari approved the immediate redeployment of two Ministers of State. A screenshot of page of Buharis cabinet members Mr Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs is to move to the Ministry of Labour and Employment as Minister of State, Willie Bassey, the Director Information at the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation said, in a statement then. Senator Tayo Alasoadura is to move to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs as Minister of State. This redeployment takes effect from today, Tuesday 24th September, 2019, the official added. Months after the changes, the government website still attaches the duos former role to them. Critics react Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, critics wonder why the media unit of the presidency fails to update the relevant information needed about Nigeria. Lekan Olonode, an ICT specialist said a credible website is known with the kind of information it feeds the audience with. It is a shame that the website is not updated with relevant information. Page indicating Abba Kyari as current Chief of Staff Some people are not familiar with the activities and changes that occur in government and governance, the official site should serve as a guide and not further misinform people with the kind of information it delivers to audience A public affairs analyst, Foluke Ayeni, wondered why the presidents spokesperson, Femi Adesina, promotes his personal website at the expense of the site considered official. It is funny that Mr Adesina every time updates his personal website with the official information about the government, yet, the last time we had Buharis speech on the state house website was March, she said. Mr Adesina and Garba Shehu, President Buharis spokespersons, did not returns calls or reply text messages at the time of this report. A man drowned after getting caught in a current and going over a waterfall at a national preserve Thursday in Alabama, authorities said. He was identified as Michael Andrew McCollum, 18, NBC affiliate WVTM of Birmingham reported, citing the National Park Service. An email to a park service spokesman seeking comment from NBC News was not immediately returned Friday night. Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama, on Facebook said it was saddened by the death of McCollum, a recent graduate, and expressed condolences to his family and teachers. Image: Hoover teen dies after going over waterfall at Little River Falls (WVTM) The incident happened around 5:20 p.m. Thursday while the man was floating on the river above the Little River Falls with friends, the park service said in a previous statement. "The individuals friends got off the river approximately 80 feet before the waterfall, but the individual was caught up in the current and last seen going over the waterfall and he never resurfaced from the pool below," the park service said. Rangers, a rescue squad, medics, sheriff's officials and state troopers all responded, and divers recovered the victim's body at 6:37 p.m. Thursday, the park service said. Little River Falls is within the Little River Canyon National Preserve, which is in the northeastern part of Alabama. The park's website says that Little River Falls is a 45-foot waterfall. Ejaz Kaiser By Express News Service RAIPUR: In a unique initiative, the Chhattisgarh Police in Dantewada is taking the fight against the left-wing extremism to a different level. The cops are now are releasing the profiles of hardcore Naxals in public domain in an attempt to seek their Ghar Wapsi. Spelled out in a local Gondi dialect, the campaign is cited as Loan Varatu (Return to your home). A team led by Dantewada district police chief Abhishek Pallava carried out a thorough research into the available records on Maoist cadres and documented it identifying the most wanted cadres of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) with their addresses, the position they hold, the rewards they carry and the weapons they posses. Their details are to be pasted in panchayat building and other public places besides sharing with the local elected representatives. Hardcore Maoists from Dantewada are deployed in other districts, similarly from other places or even adjoining states, the rebels have come to our district and engaged with the local members. Accordingly, we prepared two separate booklets (documents) carrying relevant information about them. They are like a Pravasi Naxali (Migrant Maoists) on the move. Many of their families and the tribal settlements might not even know that the familiar faces of their villages have joined the Maoist group. So such villagers working in any Maoist hierarchy would no longer remain anonymous, the doctor-turned-IPS officer of 2013 batch told The New Indian Express. To start with, the programme has been launched from Chikpal village. As per the Dantewada police, there are around 30 villages in the district with each having over 5 hardcore Naxals. We are first targeting these villages. From the high-focused rural hamlets for which the data would initially be released, we will then move to those places inhabited by the lesser number of Maoists carrying rewards on their head, Pallava said. The booklets would be handed over to the sarpanch of gram panchayat for their information. Many a time when their bodies (after the encounter) brought to the respective villages, the tribals stand up and protest against the police citing the innocents have been killed by the forces. The Loan Varatu programme will bring in the transparency in the anti-Maoist operations and clear the allegations on fake encounter charges the police had to face in the virtual war zone, the SP averred. The district police are in the process of preparing lists of hardcore Maoists for every village. So, if the local people believe, anyone listed is an innocent villager and not Maoist, they can then approach the police and facilitate their surrender. In Dantewada, there are 236 gram panchayats and the police believe the hardcore Maoists are based in around 80-90 villages. Under the programme, the police will appeal such Maoists and their families to relinquish Maoist organisation, get benefits from the surrender and rehabilitation policy of the state to live a life of dignity. Hyderabad: The Telangana Police on Friday (June 12) rescued a five-year-old who was employed as a domestic help in Hyderabad by a physically-challenged woman. According to the police, the minor girl was allegedly physically assaulted by her employer and had burn injuries and a few stitches marks on her body. The girl, who had been working as child labour, was employed at the residence of the woman, identified as Seema, at Wahed Nagar area within Chaderghat Police Station limits. Confirming the incident, Polishetty Sateesh, Inspector, Chaderghat Police Station told ANI, "We received a complaint at around 3:30 PM on Friday that a 5-year-old girl was being used as a child labourer and physically abused by a physically-challenged lady named Seema." "We immediately raided her residence and rescued the child and handed her over to the Child welfare," he added. The police registered a case against the woman and an investigation is underway. KITCHENER Two people are facing charges after a cube van was stolen from a U-Haul lot in Kitchener. On Thursday just before 5 a.m., police were called to a break-in at the lot on Fairway Road South where the vehicle was taken. On Saturday, just after midnight, officers found the stolen cube van and arrested two Kitchener residents. A 45-year-old man and 28-year-old woman are charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000. Director Justin Kurzel and scriptwriter Shaun Grants True History of the Kelly Gang is loosely based on Peter Careys Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same title about the late 19th century Australian bushranger Ned (Edward) Kelly. The film had a brief season in Australian cinemas early this year and is currently available on video-streaming platforms. Kelly, who is widely known in Australian folklore as an anti-establishment outlaw, has been the subject of numerous biographies, films, poetry and songs. Australian artist Sidney Nolans iconic series, painted in 194647, about the bushrangers life is a striking and influential work. Bushranginga form of banditry in 19th century Australiainitially emerged between 1790 and 1830 as an escape from, and form of survival against, Australias tyrannical convict labour system. In the latter part of the 19th century, bushranging developed in response to endemic rural poverty and was animated to a large extent, particularly with Kelly, by hatred of wealthy landowners (the so-called squattocracy) and the colonial state apparatus and its vicious and corrupt police force. George McKay in True History of the Kelly Gang Kurzels True History of the Kelly Gang is the 16th movie devoted to Kelly. The first of these was an hour-long account in 1907 directed by Charles Tait and reportedly the longest-ever feature film up to that time. Other better-known versions include one by British director Tony Richardson in 1970 starring the Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, and another in 2003 directed by Gregor Jordan with Heath Ledger in the lead. Kurzel (Snowtown [2011], Macbeth [2015], Assassins Creed [2016]) is a decent filmmaker whose often striking imagery and atmospheric style can be effective. His latest film, however, is a disappointing and unconvincing work that bears little resemblance to Careys book or the real Kelly story. While True History in the films title is meant to be ironic, Kurzel and his writing partner Shaun Grant have adopted an anything goes approach. Grant told the Guardian newspaper: You know that history aficionados will say that didnt happen! But you cant please everyone. And who really knows what happened back then? Im all for messing with it and playing with it. Kurzel and Grant, of course, are free to interpret the story any way they please, but it is precisely this playful messing that sinks the film. Rather than truly explore the historic context that produced Kelly, the movie is dominated by contemporary identity preoccupations and muddled references to the outlaws psychological motivations. There are ambiguous Freudian allusions to Kellys relationship with his parents, suggestions of so-called toxic masculinity and repressed homosexuality, along with passing references to national identity and individual destiny. Viewers, however, are given almost no understanding of why Kelly and his gang were so feared by the colonial elite. The film also offers no serious indication of the popular loathing of the police and its oppressive operations. Likewise, True History of the Kelly Gang says nothing about the widespread opposition to Kellys execution amongst the rural poor and urban workers. Kelly, whose Irish-born parents were poverty-stricken small farmers, was born in 1855, the third son in a family of eight. After the death of his father, the 14-year-old Kelly was apprenticed to Harry Power, a notorious bushranger. Before he had turned 20, Kelly had served two prison terms on charges he always insisted were falseone for six months over a minor offence and then three years for allegedly receiving a stolen horse. Kelly, along with his mother Ellens second husband George King, later ran a livestock-stealing operation. In 1878, Kelly and his mother were involved in a violent confrontation with Police Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick, a notorious drunk, in the family home. While Kelly and his brother Dan went into hiding, Ned was indicted for attempted murder. His mother was arrested and found guilty of aiding and abetting the attempted murder and sentenced to three years hard labour. Over the next two years Ned, friend Joe Byrne, Dan Kelly and Dans friend Steve Hart, robbed banks and hid out in the dense bushland of the Victorian colonys northeast, sustained by a wide circle of local sympathisers. Kelly won widespread support, especially when he began burning the mortgages of small farmers during bank robberies, and following the part publication of his 56-page Jerilderie Letter in which he tells his side of the story. The letter, which was dictated to Joe Byrne during the gangs bank robbery and two-day takeover of the New South Wales town of Jerilderie in 1879, is regarded by several historians as one of the first written appeals for an Australian republic. The letter, which was sent to a Victorian politician, denounces the police, the Victorian colonial government and the British Empire, and demands an end to ongoing police harassment of his family and other small landholders. It was this roughly expressed but passionate declarationspellbinding in parts and still studied in some Australian schoolsthat inspired Peter Careys cleverly conceived novel. It will pay Government to give those people who are suffering innocence justice and liberty, Kelly declares. If not I will be compelled to show some colonial stratagem which will open the eyes of not only the Victorian police and inhabitants but also the whole British army, and no doubt they will acknowledge their hounds were barking at the wrong stump, and that [Constable Alexander] Fitzpatrick will be the cause of greater slaughter to the Union Jack than Saint Patrick was to the snakes and toads in Ireland (see: Jerilderie Letter). Police harassment of the Kelly family and other dirt-poor, heavily indebted small farmers known as selectors had little to do with stopping livestock thieves or bank robbers. Suppression of the so-called Kelly Outbreak was the colonial authorities response to anyone attempting to challenge their domination or promoting republican and other rebellious sentiments. Kelly and his gang were eventually tracked down, following major police mobilisations and mass arrests of alleged supporters in northeastern Victoria. It followed the gangs failed attempt to derail a large trainload of police hunting the outlaws, and a bloody 12-hour siege in Glenrowan when Kelly confronted police in steel armour and helmet. Weighing in at over 41 kilograms, the armour temporarily protected him from police bullets. Ned Kelly, a day before his execution, 11 November 1880 While the rest of the gang were shot and killed, Kelly was captured, put on trial, found guilty of murder, robbery and other charges and sentenced to death. Large public meetings supported Kelly and a 32,000-strong petition called for his reprieve, but the 25-year-old was hanged on November 11, 1880. Thousands of workers in Melbourne, the Victorian capital, poor farmers and itinerant rural workers recognised that Kellys execution was a grave injustice. A royal commission in 1881, in fact, confirmed many of Kellys allegations against the police. The six-month investigation and its 721-page report substantiated widespread state corruption and led to the reprimand, suspension or demotion of numerous police officers. Apart from True History of the Kelly Gangs opening narration, which briefly mentions Irish oppression, the film provides only limited social context. No other poor rural families or main characters, even those in the gang, are given serious attention. Ned (George MacKay) and his mother, Ellen (Essie Davis), in fact, are the only characters actually explored, however confusedly, in the entire film. The film is divided into three sections. The first, which deals with Kellys boyhood and his teenage years with Harry Powers (Russell Crowe)is relatively engaging. The later parts of the moviewith Kelly presented as a sort of punk rocker and the gang engaged in cross-dressing and wearing war paintare bewildering and monotonous. True History of the Kelly Gang Arguably the worst aspects of the film are those that present Kelly and his family as self-destructive or, as Constable Fitzpatrick later declares, You Kellys cant even help yourselves. Fitzpatrick (Nicholas Hoult) is not portrayed as the corrupt and drunken figure that he was in Careys book and in reality, or part of a repressive state apparatus. The film ends with Thomas Curnow, a local schoolmaster who betrayed the gang, addressing a large crowd in the Victorian State Library. Curnow is given a standing ovation after declaring that Kelly was nothing more than a horse thief and murderer. Theres no indication here of the popular anger at the injustice of Kellys execution. The Kelly family, and others like them, were not an aberration. As a former police trooper noted in a Queensland newspaper at the time: You will find hundreds of such families around any township in these coloniespoor devils, not originally bad, until a fussy or an ignorantly ambitious policeman makes them so for some one of these mistakes, which are often magnified into crimes. True History of the Kelly Gang is a wasted opportunity. It could have been used to explore the sharp social divide that dominated late 19th century Australia and the real nature of the colonial elites repressive state apparatus. The Kelly Outbreak, as it was officially known, and its suppression was a sign of things to come. About ten years later, colonial police and military troopers were unleashed to brutally crush a determined nationwide strike by tens of thousands of sheep shearers and urban industrial workers. It was the largest and most violent state attack on the working class at that point in Australian history. A white woman linked with three racist attacks against Asian people has been identified by Californian police. Lena Hernandez, 56, was named the 'Torrance Karen' this week after a video emerged of her verbally harassing a woman who was exercising in Wilson Park and telling her to 'go back to whatever f****** Asian country you came from'. After the video went viral, a 42-year-old father came forward with a second video in which the same woman was seen telling him to 'go home' and that he would be 'f****d to death' while his eleven-year-old son waited nearby. Another woman came forward on seeing the video to say that the same woman had abused her in a nearby mall last October 2019. Scroll down for video Police have identified the woman who launched a racist rant at an Asian woman exercising at Charles H. Wilson Park in Torrance, California, as 56-year-old Lena Hernandez On the same day, June 10, Hernandez was filmed in this second video abusing an Asian-American father in the same park as his eleven-year-old-son waited nearby Hernandez has also been linked to a third racist incident in October 2019 in which she is said to have pushed a woman to the ground. She is pictured here after the alleged attack 'This unfortunate incident involved an older female suspect verbally assaulting a custodian and then physically assaulting another individual who was acting as a good Samaritan when they attempted to intervene,' Torrance Police Chief Eve Berg said of the October incident at a Friday press conference. Crime reports were taken for all three incidents, according to ABC7. Police announced Friday that they had identified the woman in the video and pictures as Hernandez and they were trying to locate her. Torrance Mayor Patrick J. Furey said that the actions seen the videos will not be tolerated and that it was under investigation. 'Public safety is a high priority in the City of Torrance. And, all visitors to our open spaces should always feel safe and free to exercise while practicing social distancing without conflict. Conduct like that displayed on the video cannot be tolerated,' he said to NBC Los Angeles. Police chief Berg would not reveal Friday, however, if Hernandez has committed any crime, according to CBS. 'We are talking to the city attorney's office as we speak,' said Berg. 'I don't know what sections there are because a lot of this might possibly not rise to the level of a crime, and yet some of it may. 'But I'm going to leave that to the investigators who have all the information. I don't have all that information.' Hernandez' racist tirades first came to public attention on Wednesday after friends of alleged victim Sherry Berry shared a video she recorded of a white woman shouting racist abuse at her. The disturbing incident, which was captured on cell phone footage, happened on a set of stairs at Charles H. Wilson Park in Torrance. Berry was working out on the staircase when the other woman now identified as Hernandez - bumped into her. The younger woman responds to the bump by saying 'Jesus' just seconds before Hernandez launches into a racially charged tirade. Hernandez first came to the public's attention on Wednesday when Sherry Berry filmed her verbally assaulting her and telling her to 'go back to whatever f****** Asian country you belong' Friends of the Berry said she often records her workouts and happened to catch the racist moment on Wednesday. Pictured, Sherry Berry exercising before the incident began 'Hey, listen to me! We don't play games here anymore. Next time you ever talk to me like that you're going to get you a** kicked by my family. They're going to f*** you up!' Hernandez says. Berry questions what she did to cause the sudden outburst, but the older woman continues to hurl insults and says, 'because you're an a******.' 'Why don't you go somewhere else?' Hernandez says. 'Get the f*** out of this world, get the f*** out of these stairs, go back to whatever f****** Asian country you belong in! 'This is not your place; this is not your home. We do not want you here!' the woman adds. She then added: 'You put that on Facebook, I hope you do because every f****** person will beat the crap out of you from here on out. 'Don't you ever say, 'oh Jesus' to me when I want to use the stairs you little b****.' The victim points out that there are other stairs located throughout the park, but this does not quell the woman's verbal attack. 'You are a sick, f****** ignorant teenager... Who wears black in California sun? Who the f*** wears black? Are you an idiot? You wear black in California sun? Seriously?' After Berry's video went viral, a 42-year-old father who wished to remain anonymous shared a further video from June 10, the same day of Berry's run-in with Hernandez, which shows her hurling racist abuse at him at the same park. A second video of Hernandez was posted from the same park on the same day 'I am not a racist person You need to go home,' Hernandez is heard telling the 42-year-old father in the second video to emerge of her engaging in a racist tirade His eleven-year-old son was also in the car and witnessed the abuse as Hernandez is heard telling the man to 'go home' on the orders of her government. Hernandez also mocks the man which accents and by calling him 'Chinaman'. 'I am not a racist person. You need to go home,' she says. 'I am from here,' he answers, to which she says, 'I don't care about your Facebook. You know how many people can't stand you being here. I don't play games, you play games, I play games where you get f****d to death.' As the man gets out of his car to take her license plate number, Hernandez continues with her mocking accents and pretending that she can't understand him. 'Do you know who my family is? Do you know who your family is?' Hernandez continues. 'Go home this is from my government. Go home, you are so f****d, you're gonna get f****d, your kids are gonna get f****d. This is my country, and this is my government. Go home.' After seeing Sherry's video, Kayceelyn Salminao also came forward to say that she had filed a police report against who she believed to be the same woman last October. She shared pictures of a woman who looks to be Hernandez from the day as she claimed that it was the same person who had attacked her at the Del Amo mall on October 11, 2019. Kayceelyn Salminao posted these pictures to Twitter on Wednesday after seeing Berry's video. She said that the woman who she pictured after an assault here seemed to be the same person Salminao said the woman had pushed her to the ground after she intervened to stop Hernandez alleged shouting at a janitor. Pictured is allegedly Hernandez walking away 'Photos of her walking away while I was waiting for the cops,' she wrote. 'This white lady!' Salminao had come to the aid of a janitor, she says, who Hernandez was alleged shouting at for no reason when the other woman became physical with her. 'She came out and physically shoves me to the ground, I physically fell to the ground. She points at me and says you better not get up or else,' Salminao told CBS Los Angeles. 'She grabs my hair; she pulls my head down and then she's starting to hit me on the back of my head. She's saying all those really mean words just like the video.' Salminao's husband rushed to her aid and she was able to take pictures of Hernandez before she left. She filed a police report after the incident but did not hear back from the authorities. 'Who else has she done this to?' Salminao asked. Police have asked any member of the public who has encountered Hernandez to contact them. Berg said that police had visited multiple locations to find the suspect but have not had any success. She added that they are looking at the possibility that mental illness may have played a role in the incidents. The videos emerged during protests for racial justice across the United States. After the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, has sparked widespread demonstrations opposing systematic racism. Instances of racism against Asian Americans have also surged during the coronavirus pandemic with several examples recorded on a representative list by the Anti-Defamation League. Television actress Deepika Singh on Friday appealed to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his government to help her family after her mother tested positive for Covid-19. The Diya Aur Baati Hum actress shared on social media that her mother's tests were done at Delhis Lady Hardinge Medical College but the hospital has not handed over the original reports to her parents yet, making it difficult for her mother to get admitted to a hospital. Deepika also added that she has a joint family of 45 members, and everyone is at risk at the moment. She also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her appeal for urgent assistance. Sharing the video on her Instagram, Deepika wrote, "My mom has been diagnosed with Covid positive. My mom & dad are in Delhi. The test has been done in Lady Hardinge hospital & they didnt give reports. They only allowed my father to click its picture. I really hope the concerned person is reading this and my mom there receives some relief. We need your help." In the video, Deepika shared, My mother has never felt so weak in her life. Even my grandmother has developed breathing issues. There are 45 people in the house, and now everyone is at risk. My mother had not even stepped out anywhere so we have no clue about how she got infected. We need to get everyones test done." Italy's prime minister has stayed 'totally calm' after a three-hour grilling on his response to the coronavirus pandemic - saying 'I have nothing to fear'. Prosecutors are looking to launch a probe into the Italian government's handling of the deadly virus after it killed 34,223 people in the country. 'I explained everything to prosecutors. I am totally calm,' Giuseppe Conte said in an interview published on Saturday, a day after his meeting with chief prosecutor Maria Cristina Rota. 'I detailed all the stages in these terrible days during which we fought an invisible enemy. I have nothing to fear,' the premier told La Stampa newspaper. Conte said he believes he 'acted based on science and conscience,' adding: 'I have the serenity of one who always carried out each step with the scientific technical committee.' Prosecutors are looking to launch a probe into the Italian government's handling of the deadly virus after it killed 34,223 people in the country. Pictured, PM Giuseppe Conte at a press conference on June 11 'I am not expecting to receive a notice of an opening of a judicial investigation. I have never feared one.' Italy was one of the hardest-hit countries in the world after the virus spread rapidly through the nation's north. Chief prosecutor Ms Rota and her team are trying to find out why a lockdown was not enforced early in the health emergency around the towns of Nembro and Alzano in the northern province of Bergamo. Health experts say had the area been quarantined, many lives would have been saved. The team has already met with senior officials in Lombardy, who say it was up to Rome to decide whether certain areas should be shut. Conte has countered that regions had full discretion to close certain areas where the virus had begun to flare in late February and early March. 'As I have already told investigating magistrates, the chronology of events is very clear,' the premier told La Stampa. Bergamo prosecutor Maria Cristina Rota makes a statement to journalists in front of Palazzo Chigi, the seat of the Government of the Italian Republic and the residence of the Prime Minister 'In light of the epidemiological framework available to us during the first week of March, it would have made no sense to close only the towns of Alzano and Nembro,' he said. 'Our problem at that moment already was to study drastic and immediate solutions for all of Italy. And that's what we did.' The first town in Italy to be quarantined was Codogno, about an hour south of Nembro and Alzano, on February 21. Another nine towns around Codogno were subsequently locked down before the entire region of Lombardy and 14 provinces in neighbouring regions of Veneto, Piedmont and Emilia Romagna were quarantined on March 8. Conte imposed a nationwide quarantine on March 10. Cuban Doctor Roberto Arias Hernandez (R), specialized in internal medicine and member of a team of Cuban doctors who came to Italy two months ago to help fight the coronavirus outbreak, wearing personal protective equipment It was revealed earlier this week that more than half the residents tested in Italy's northern province of Bergamo have COVID-19 antibodies, amid an ongoing debate into what protection they provide from the virus. The city was hit hard by the pandemic that was first detected in February and prompted a strict lockdown that has devastated the economy. Just last week the country moved into the final stages in easing its lockdown restrictions after almost 34,000 coronavirus deaths, with some 235,000 confirmed cases. Blood tests of 9,965 residents between April 23 and June 3, showed that 57 per cent had antibodies indicating they had come into contact with the coronavirus, the survey showed. FMedical staff member are seen next to patients suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the intensive care unit at the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Bergamo, in May this year Health authorities in Bergamo said the results were based on a 'random' sample which was 'sufficiently broad' to be a reliable indicator of how many people had been infected in the province, which became the epicentre of Italy's outbreak. In a separate statement issued later, the Bergamo health agency said that most of those in the sample were residents of the worst-hit areas. Many had already been put under quarantine, the statement added. The study also suggests the area may be approaching 'herd immunity', that experts believe could be at around 60-65 per cent. Herd immunity is when enough people become resistant to a disease - through vaccination or previous exposure - that it can no longer significantly spread among the rest of the population. However, scientific experts cannot say for certain if having antibodies means that you are immune from getting the disease again. Antibodies were found in just over 30 per cent of the 10,404 health operators tested although they are generally considered more at risk than other people. Graves of people who recently died due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are seen at the cemetery of Nembro, near Bergamo, on May 13 In a report released in early May, national statistics institute ISTAT said the number of deaths in Bergamo was up 568 per cent in March compared with the 2015-2019 average, making it Italy's worst-hit city in terms of deaths. Its hospitals were overwhelmed by infected people and, with morgues unable to keep up, convoys of army trucks carrying away the dead became a chilling symbol of the global pandemic. Bergamo province has reported 13,609 coronavirus cases, official data showed on Monday. ISTAT and the health ministry have launched a nationwide blood testing campaign, aiming to test a representative sample of some 150,000 people to understand the extent of Italy's COVID-19 epidemic. Italy has reported almost 34,000 coronavirus deaths, with some 235,000 confirmed cases. The Lombardy region, which includes Bergamo, has registered over 16,000 deaths. (Newser) About half of the world's mountain gorillas can be found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. That number has just fallen by one, after local wildlife authorities say a male gorilla popular with tourists was killed by a poacher, per Reuters and the BBC. The Uganda Wildlife Authority calls the death of Rafiki, a 25-year-old silverbackwho went missing on June 1 and whose body was found the next day in the UNESCO park in Buhomaa "big blow." Rafiki's death appears to have been caused by a spear that pierced his internal organs, per a probe by the UWA, which notes four men have been detained, one of them with rope, spears, and wild hog meat in his possession. The New York Times identifies that poacher as Byamukama Felix. The paper notes that the last time a spear fatally wounded a mountain gorilla was in June 2011, per the International Gorilla Conservation Programme. story continues below The UWA notes that Felix claimed he killed Rafiki in self-defense when the gorilla charged at him. "Whereas the purposeful targeting of mountain gorillas by poachers is rare, this incident highlights the threats posed to mountain gorillas," the head of the IGCP says. A UWA rep says Rafiki's death may have dire consequences for the 17-member gorilla group he led, noting his killing "leaves the group unstable ... [with] the possibility that it could disintegrate." The UWA says in a statement that the four detained men are being held at a local police station as they await trial; charges against them are unclear, though they could face life in prison or a fine of $5.4 million if convicted of killing an endangered species, per the BBC. Both the World Wildlife Fund and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund note there are only about 1,000 or so mountain gorillas left, though their numbers have been rising. (Read more gorilla stories.) (EDITORS NOTE: Check out our two special graduation sections that will appear in the Staten Island Advance on June 21 and June 28. The sections will contain letters from Island celebrities wishing the graduates well, senior profiles, feature stories and lots of photos like the ones seen below. Parents and grandparents wanting to take out an ad for that special graduate are asked to call 917-525-9362. Ads are only available for the June 28th section.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- To say Tottenvilles Angelina Zmyslony has come a long way since middle school would be a huge understatement. A special needs student in elementary school and junior high school, Zmyslony made tremendous strides in high school, working her way up to the Institute, Tottenvilles s top academic program. All the Eltingville resident did at Tottenville HS was rack up a 100.41 cumulative average while on an individual education plan. A school advisor revealed she took four years of AP social studies, two years of AP English and pre-calculus. In addition, she completed a double-period of AP chemistry and AP biology and completed three years of honors level of Spanish. Shes done some outstanding things at our school, praised Jim Munson, an assistant principal at Tottenville. To see how far shes come and grown as an individual is amazing." Shes planning on achieving high marks at the next level and is excited about what the world has to offer. College attending: City College of New York (CCNY) Favorite subject: Science because you can apply it everyday life and its fascinating. Extracurricular activities: President of the DIY (Do It Yourself Club). Its a very artistic club where you hand out the same material to different students and its fascinating because they will all create very different things from that material. She is also a member of the National Honors Society. One shining HS moment: Being in the Institute at Tottenville is the shining moment for me because it shows how much progress I made and how far Ive come in the four years here. Something you might not know about me: I really enjoy video games on my X-Box. My favorite is Fortnite. Ever since Ive been quarantining Ive been playing it a lot. (CNN) - A New York protester who was seriously injured when a police officer pushed him to the ground in Buffalo is still hospitalized in severe pain nearly a week after the incident. His lawyer said he is recovering from a brain injury and is starting physical therapy. As heartbreaking as it is, his brain is injured and he is well aware of that now, lawyer Kelly Zarcone He feels encouraged and uplifted by the outpouring of support which he has received from so many people all over the globe. It helps. He is looking forward to healing and determining what his new normal might look like. A video captures Martin Gugino walking up to police just before he was pushed down, causing his head to bleed. Gugino reportedly had a good chuckle over President Donald Trump's conspiracy theory tweet suggesting the 75-year-old man was an Antifa provocateur. Like thousands of Americans across the country, the man was peacefully protesting against racial injustice and police brutality after the death of George Floyd. When asked for public comment, Gugino's only comment was that black lives matter and people should continue to protest peacefully. Two suspended officers face charges in the incident. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan had a phone talk on Friday with his Canadian counterpart Francois-Philippe Champagne, the MFAs press service reported. The FMs discussed the situation in the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of international cooperation and the use of collective forces to overcome it. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan presented to his colleague programs implemented to mitigate the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic. In this context, Mnatsakanyan praised the readiness of international partners to provide aid to Armenia and the Armenian people. The ministers also raised a wide range of issues related to the bilateral agenda, expressing satisfaction with the dialogue established at different levels. The two also expressed their readiness to take practical steps towards maintaining the positive dynamics of the Armenian-Canadian relations and the inclusion of new areas of cooperation. In this regard, an exchange of views took place on expanding cooperation in the fields of creative education, information technology, agribusiness, food safety, and other industries. The sides also touched upon effective cooperation based on mutual aid within the international organizations and prospects for its expansion. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan presented to Francois-Philippe Champagne the priorities of Armenias chairmanship of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and praised Canadas efforts towards women's rights and the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, as well as protecting the rights of children in armed conflicts. The FM also touched upon the steps taken by Armenia in the direction of stimulating the agenda for the prevention of genocide, highly appreciating the established close cooperation with the Canadian side in this regard. During the phone talk, the sides also discussed a number of urgent issues on the international and regional agenda, the MFA noted. Tony Scwartz talking to MSNBC on Friday: (MSNBC) The co-author of Donald Trumps 1987 book, The Art of the Deal, has labelled the president a psychopath, and speculated that he might try to steal Novembers presidential election. Tony Schwartz, the co-author of Mr Trumps first book, made the comments when asked about an interview given by Joe Biden on Thursday, in which the former vice president suggested that Mr Trump would refuse to leave office if he loses in November. Its my greatest concern, my single greatest concern. This president is going to try to steal this election," Mr Biden said in the interview during an interview with Trevor Noah, of The Daily Show. He added that in such a scenario, the US military would intervene: I promise you, I am absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch. Mr Schwartz said he agreed with Mr Biden's fears "100 per cent," and that he believed Mr Trump will do everything he can" to try to steal the election. Thats what it will come down to and the question is: On whose side does the military stand? Does it stand on the side of democracy? Or does it stand on the side of the commander in chief, even if those circumstances suggest he should no longer be commander in chief?" Im not in any way confident what that outcome will be, Mr Schwartz told Ari Melber of MSNBC on Friday. He is, as I have written on Medium, he is, a psychopath. Meaning, he is missing the two ingredients that are critical and common with human beings," Mr Schwartz said of the president. Number one, conscience, and number two, empathy. So, he lacks both of these qualities, and therefore anything goes for Trump. As soon as he leaves office, his life, for all practical purposes from his perspective, is over, he added. In reaction to Mr Bidens comments, Tim Murtaugh, communications director for the Trump Campaign, told The Independent: This is just another brainless conspiracy theory from Joe Biden as he continues to try to undermine confidence in our elections. Story continues It was the Obama Administration that tried to subvert an election by spying on the Trump campaign in 2016 and Biden himself was part of the effort to sabotage the incoming Trump Administration because they couldnt live with President Trumps victory, he said. President Trump has been clear that he will accept the results of the 2020 election. Read more Biden: Military will escort Trump if he refuses to leave White House Kim Yo-jong North Korea will take its next step against South Korea, for what it claims to be Seoul's betrayal and crimes against the communist state, it said Saturday, adding that its army has been entrusted to plan and take any necessary action. "I feel it is high time to surely break with the South Korean authorities. We will soon take a next action," Kim Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), said in a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency. Kim is also younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "By exercising my power authorized by the Supreme Leader, our Party and the state, I gave an instruction to the arms of the department in charge of the affairs with enemy to decisively carry out the next action," the statement said. She added, "the right to taking the next action against the enemy will be entrusted to the General Staff of our army." The statement came about a week after Yo-jong threatened to cut off all communication with South Korea and scrap a military agreement aimed at reducing tension between the separated Koreas, citing South Korean activist groups and North Korean defectors sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into the North. "Clearly speaking, the South Korean authorities will be forced to pay a dear price if they let this situation go on while making sort of excuses," she said in a statement released on Thursday. Fox News host Harris Faulkner gave President Donald Trump every opportunity to calm tensions over racist police brutality during an interview in Dallas that aired, in part, Friday afternoon. He either had no interest in doing so or was ultimately incapable. Faulkner began her interview by asking Trump if he was the right president to unite all of us, given everything thats happening right now. Well, I certainly think so and I certainly hope so, Trump replied. He proceeded to call the riots over the police killing of George Floyd unnecessary, blaming mayors and governors for failing to keep things under control. You can call them protesters, you can call them riots, there were different nights, different things, he said. After telling Trump that were intelligent enough to know the difference in this country between protesters and rioters, Faulkner asked the president what he thinks the protesters want and need from their leaders right now. Instead of addressing their legitimate outrage about systemic racism and police brutality, Trump suggested that many of them just didnt know why they were out on the streets. They were there for a reason, perhaps, but a lot of them really were there because they were following the crowd, he said. Allowing that police killing unarmed black men and women is a terrible thing, Trump told Faulkner, You know that better than anyone would know it. When Faulkner pushed him to speak directly to those protesters concerns, he said, I think its a shame, I think its a disgrace and its gotta stop. But then he added, At the same time, we have incredible people in law enforcement and we have to cherish them and take care of them. While Trump said he doesnt like police using chokeholds, he went on an extended rant defending their use. You grow up and you wrestle and you fight, or you see what happens, he said. Sometimes when youre alone and youre fighting someones whos tough and you get someone in a chokehold, what are you going to do? He said cops cant just let go and start all over again because theyre not allowed to perform that maneuver. Story continues The concept of chokeholds sounds so innocent, so perfect, Trump added. With that being said, it would be, I think, a very good thing that generally speaking, it should be ended. Thats interesting, Faulkner replied, before moving on to ask the president about his tweet that read, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. She asked, Why those words? When Trump said its an expression that hes heard over the years, she interrupted to ask, Do you know where that comes from? I think Philadelphia. The mayor of Philadelphia, Trump said tentatively. No, it comes from 1967, Faulkner corrected him, going on to explain that it was the chief of police in Miami. He was cracking down. And he meant what he said. Instead of taking in what Faulkner said, Trump talked past her, saying, Well, it also comes from a very tough mayor, referring to former Philadelphia police chief and Mayor Frank Rizzo, whose statue was torn down by city authorities last week. Trump insisted that he didnt mean the tweet as a threat, even if thats how people took it. Trump also denied that planning his first big campaign rally since the coronavirus pandemic started, on Juneteenth in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was an intentional racist dog whistle, but instead he views it as a celebration. Dont think about it as an inconvenience, think about it as a celebration, he said of the June 19 rally. It wasnt done for that reason, but its an interesting date. At another point in the chat, Trump boasted that I think Ive done more for the black community than any other presidentand lets take a pass on Abraham Lincoln because he did good although its always questionable, you know in other words the end result, before Faulkner interrupted to say, Well, we are free, Mr. President. Trump did not further elaborate on what, in particular, about Lincolns legacy was questionable. Later, Faulkner asked Trump if he can be both the law and order president and consoler-in-chief. Without missing a beat, the president said, Yes, I think so. Fox & Friends Forces Kayleigh McEnany to Defend Trumps Buffalo Protester Conspiracy 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. PITTSFIELD A Pittsfield man charged with first-degree murder has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. David M. Sampley, 65, agreed to a June 5 stipulated bench trial, during which Judge Frank McCartney found him not guilty by reason of insanity. Pike County States Attorney Zachary Boren said McCartney reviewed all the evidence that would have been submitted during a regular trial and each side agreed on what would have been said. The defense would have called (Springfield-based psychologist) Terry Killian, who would have testified that it was reasonable that Sampley was insane at the time and not able to appreciate the criminality of his actions, Boren said. After consulting with the Appellate Prosecutors Office, Boren was unable to find a reason to challenge Killians testimony, he said. There also was support from the victims family. Sampley originally was arrested on charges of domestic battery, aggravated domestic battery and aggravated criminal sexual assault in connection with the death of Sharon K. Welch, 61, of Pittsfield. Police responded about 7 p.m. June 4, 2018, to Welchs home in the 600 block of Clarksville Road and found Welch inside, unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at 7:40 p.m. June 4 at Illini Hospital. According to court documents, Sampley was charged with aggravated domestic battery after police said he intentionally strangled Welch by forcing a sock into her mouth. He also is accused of pushing and walking on Welch that evening, as well as committing a sex act. He was found unfit to stand trial on June 25, 2018, and was lodged at McFarland Mental Health Center; he was found during a Jan. 22, 2019, court hearing to have been restored to fitness. A commitment hearing has been scheduled for 1 p.m. July 23, following an evaluation by the Illinois Department of Human Services. The department will issues a recommendation to the judge, who will determine the level of commitment. COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE:GGB) (GGBXF) ("GGB" or the "Company") announced today that Brian Logan is stepping down as Chief Financial Officer, effective July 15, 2020. Mr. Logan has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company since January 2019. Randy Whitaker, GGBs Interim Chief Executive Officer, commented, On behalf of GGB, I want to thank Brian for his many and significant contributions during his tenure as CFO of the Company. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours. The Companys senior accounting employees will assume Mr. Logans duties following his departure and will report directly to interim Chief Executive Officer Randy Whitaker while the Company continues with its previously announced sale and investment solicitation process as part of ongoing insolvency proceedings under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (Canada). About Green Growth Brands Inc. Green Growth Brands creates remarkable experiences in cannabis. The companys brands include CAMP, The+Source, and 8 Fold. GGB is continuing its cannabis operations throughout the U.S., via dispensaries in Nevada, Massachusetts and Florida. Learn more about the vision at GreenGrowthBrands.com. For investor relations inquiries, please contact: North Korean youth and students march from the Pyongyang Youth Park Open-air Theatre to Kim Il Sung Square during a protest demonstration to denounce South Korean policy against North Korea and defectors from the North, in Pyongyang, North Korea Monday, June 8, 2020. The signs read " Give us an order (to punish South Korea)." North Koreas State Security Department is hunting down and arresting residents who spoke positively of defectors and refugees who have escaped to South Korea after those arrested were forced to participate in recent protest rallies against the escapees, sources inside the DPRK told RFA. RFAs Korean Service reported that one such rally, occurring over the weekend in Pyongyang, was a response to defector and refugee groups in South Korea sending propaganda leaflets by balloon into North Korean territory from a launching point south of the inter-Korean border. Leaflet campaigns are a common tactic of opponents of the North Korean regime and human rights groups in the South. They contain information that the Pyongyang government withholds from its citizens, as well as items such as U.S. dollars or USB flash drives containing videos that are banned in North Korea. Sources told RFA that although the governments objective was to denounce the activities of the escapees in the South, by forcing citizens to participate in the protest they had inadvertently made them aware that the former North Koreans enjoy more freedoms now as citizens of South Korea. Sources in North Korea told RFA Thursday that the State Security Department secretly monitored participants of the protest rallies, which apparently occurred in places other than Pyongyang. The department has arrested citizens who avoided the rallies and those who made complaints or spoke positively of the escapees. A worker at a chemical complex in South Pyongan province who was called in by an official from the State Security Department has not returned home after two days, a South Pyongan resident who requested anonymity told RFA on Thursday. After participating in a rally condemning North Korean defectors on the 6th, he told a close acquaintance that the defectors [in South Korea] are people who seriously do important work. This caught the ear of a security official, the source said, using the politically charged term defector which colloquially refers in both North and South Korea even to refugees from the North. Western human rights organizations like to make a distinction between defectors, who had connections to the North Korean government or military at the time they escaped North Korea, and refugees, laypeople who left the North usually for economic reasons. The source said that the security officials had been investigating participants at the rally held at the chemical company. After the rally in the chemical complexs front yard, which was mandatory for all the factory workers to attend, there was another demonstration by the Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League the next day, the source said. The league is the countrys main youth organization, modeled after the Soviet Komsomol. After the demonstration, the security department official at the factory secretly investigated the responses of the rally participants and arrested the absentees and three young men who talked about the rally, the source said. Authorities are responding sensitively to public opinion on the rally because they want to protect the authority of the highest dignity, said the source, using an honorific term to refer to Kim Jong Un, who was highly criticized on the leaflets that sparked the government-organized demonstrations. No one knows who else may be caught by the State Security Departments investigation, the source said. But the source said that rounding up participants for thought crimes would only cause the people to resent the cult of personality centered on the Kim family even more. The stronger the authorities crack down on the residents who criticize demonstrations against defectors and continuously hold these forced demonstrations [where we must] call for the elimination [of those] critical to the highest dignity, the colder the public sentiment toward the highest dignity is, said the source. Residents are questioning the authorities overreaction, saying that the power of North Korean defectors in South Korea has grown large enough [that we are being told to] deal with them as enemies, [of the state] the source said. Demonstrations were held in North Pyongan province as well, according to a local source who requested anonymity for security reasons. On the 7th, a local party organization called in farmers who were busy finishing rice planting to criticize North Korean defectors, saying they had the audacity to punch the sun in the sky, the second source told RFA Friday. North Korean leaders are often compared to celestial objects as a matter of deep reverence. [Authorities] urged [the farmers] to concentrate on [their work] in the spirit of crushing traitors, said the second source. The sudden shift in government rhetoric was jarring for the farmers. Some are dumfounded by the propaganda, saying it is as if our enemy has suddenly been changed from the U.S. to North Korean defectors, the second source said, suggesting it is uncommon for the government even to acknowledge people who have escaped from the country, as they want to hide their existence from the public. They found it especially uncharacteristic of authorities to be critical of escapees because in areas of the province near the Chinese border, they are able to extract bribes from persons connected with former citizens who now reside in South Korea. Authorities, including the State Security Department, love the people in the Ryongchon area because there are a lot of smugglers and families of North Korean defectors who bribe them often, said the second source. Even the language used by the authorities to refer to escapees has now become harsher, the source said. Prior to now, the authorities usually called residents who went to South Korea illegal border crossers, but I dont know why they are [suddenly] using the new term defectors, the second source said, saying that the switch in language makes their crimes sound more serious. Illegal border crossers can refer to anyone who has fled the country by crossing the Sino-Korean border, regardless of where they end up. The term has a much less treasonous nuance to it than defector. Residents who have heard the new term defectors are envious of the fact that the defectors [are able to] successfully settle in South Korea, not only because they are able to help their families still [in North Korea,] but also because they enjoy the freedom to criticize the highest dignity. Reported by Hyemin Son for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. In Sri Lanka, we are proud to note that we have tried to use technology in a methodical and ethical way as what our Defence Secretary, Major General Kamal Gunaratna has emphasised. There was no need to use water cannon, no need for tear gas, no baton charging. We want to live for the future for our children and grandchildren. by Victor Cherubim Two hundred and fifty years of slavery, ninety years of Jim Crow. sixty years of separate but equal, thirty-five years of racist housing policy is highlighted in an article in The Atlantic . Ta Nehisi Coates states, until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. Future after Covid-19 What eleven weeks COVID-19 has done to the world is unbelievable. It has besides causing heath havoc, awakened an awareness which has been dormant over years, if not centuries. Why are people who have experienced discrimination, as well as those who have not, formed a coterie of the willing, to start protests all over the world, not only to go on the street to demonstrate, but to take the law into their own hands and vent their grievance by starting to topple icons of white supremacy standing on pedestals in towns and cities in the civilised world? Everyone knows that Winston Churchill. a warrior against racism, protestors defacing his pedestal out Parliament is not only a slur against decency but is a disgrace. Kids can attend demonstrations but not go to school While kids in UK are attending protest marches including the Black Lives Matter rally, think of what the German school children are doing right now. They are sitting exams. We are told there wont be exams in UK this year. British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has said he would first relax the 2-metre rule before he gets children back to school. Everyone knows that the children were bored out of their brains at home, so getting schools open is the cry of not only politicians in the Labour Opposition, but indeed of children, who are wanting to get their parents back to work to reboot the economy. They claim even McDonalds has opened, Commentators have accused the government of no strategy, no planning, no direction, no imagination. But with the pandemic, nobody is taking chances. The harmful deployment of technology On the flip side of the coin, we hear that Amazons facial recognition software Rekognition tool for law enforcement has been put on temporary ban at least for one year after also IBM announced it is pulling out of the face recognition and identity market. This is partly also due to the backlash after the protest marches around the world. Researchers Joy Buolamwini and Deborah Raji had pointed out that by selling this discriminatory tech to Police forces, it poses danger to black and brown communities. Pressing the pause button on the use of this technology by law enforcement in the US is a positive step. But who allowed this open door for privacy and civil liberty in the first place? Was there a lobby in Congress to allow Amazon the sale in the market in the first place? There is no guess, money talks. Amazon has made huge sums of money by selling this discriminatory technology to Police Departments around the world. It was not only Amazon, but Clearview AI, another recognition technology was able to identify people by comparing photos to a database of images, scraped from social media and other sites. Clearview AI is now facing multiple lawsuits for allegedly tracking photos without peoples consent. Benefits of technology living in the future Apart from individual benefit, new technology should be beneficial to society too. Of course, technology has made things cheaper and more affordable to the public. In Sri Lanka, we are proud to note that we have tried to use technology in a methodical and ethical way as what our Defence Secretary, Major General Kamal Gunaratna has emphasised. There was no need to use water cannon, no need for tear gas, no baton charging. We want to live for the future for our children and grandchildren. Of course, we are not having the same problems as those in the West. At least one person was killed and a dozen others wounded in a rare bomb blast in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi on Friday, officials said. Rawalpindi, Pakistan's fourth-largest city, is known for its military garrison and adjoins the capital Islamabad. The explosion took place Friday evening at a popular market, a stone's throw from Pakistan's heavily guarded military headquarters. "One killed, while 12 others were injured in an explosion. The explosive was planted in an electric pole", Rawalpindi police spokesman Sajjad ul Hassan told AFP. Rawalpindi police chief Ahsan Younas confirmed the bomb explosion and toll. An AFP photographer saw broken glass from shop windows at the cordoned-off site. Most shops were already shut at the time of the blast. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Hassan said it was an attempt at "organised terrorism". Pakistan has seen a dramatic improvement in security in recent years. This is the first bomb blast in Rawalpindi since 2015, the same year the army intensified a crackdown on militants. Analysts however still warn that Pakistan has not yet addressed the root causes of extremism. SAO PAULO - Brazils biggest metropolis has an unorthodox plan to free up space at its graveyards during the coronavris pandemic: digging up the bones of people buried in the past and storing their bagged remains in large metal containers. Sao Paulos municipal funeral service said in a statement Friday that the remains of people who died at least three years ago will be exhumed and put in numbered bags, then stored temporarily in 12 storage containers it has purchased. The containers will be delivered to several cemeteries within 15 days, the statement said. Sao Paulo is one of the COVID-19 hot spots in Latin Americas hardest-hit nation, with 5,480 deaths as of Thursday in the city of 12 million people. And some health experts are worried about a new surge now that a decline in intensive care bed occupancy to about 70% prompted Mayor Bruno Covas to authorize a partial reopening of business this week. The result has been crowded public transport, long lines at malls and widespread disregard for social distancing. Many health experts predict the peak of Brazils pandemic will arrive in August, having spread from the big cities where it first appeared into the nations interior. The virus has so far killed almost 42,000 Brazilians, and Brazil passed the United Kingdom on Friday to become the country with the worlds second highest death toll. Dr. Michael Ryan, the World Health Organizations emergencies chief, said Friday that the situation in Brazil remains of concern, although acknowledged that intensive care bed occupancy rates are now below 80% in most areas of the country. Overall the health system is still coping in Brazil, although, having said that, with the sustained number of severe cases that remains to be seen, Ryan said. Clearly the health system in Brazil across the country needs significant support in order to sustain its effort in this regard. But the data we have at the moment supports a system under pressure, but a system still coping with the number of severe cases. The experts arent the only ones with concerns. At Sao Paulos biggest cemetery, Vila Formosa, Adenilson Costa was among workers in blue protective suits digging up old graves Friday. He said their work has only grown more arduous during the pandemic, and as he removed bones from unearthed coffins, he said he fears what is to come. With this opening of malls and stores we get even more worried. We are not in the curve; we are in the peak and people arent aware, Costa said. This isnt over. Now is the worrisome moment. And there are still people out. In April, gravediggers at Vila Formosa buried 1,654 people, up more than 500 from the previous month. Numbers for May and June arent yet available. Before the pandemic, Costa said, he and colleagues would exhume remains of about 40 coffins per day if families stopped paying required fees for the plots. In recent weeks that figure has more than doubled. Remains stored in the metal containers will eventually be moved to a public ossuary, according to the statement from the citys funeral office. Its superintendent, Thiago Dias da Silva, told the Globo network that containers have been used before and they are more practical and affordable than building new ossuaries. Work has been so busy in Sao Paulo cemeteries since the outbreak began that one of Costas relatives was buried only a few meters (yards) from where he was working one day without him even knowing. I only found out the next day, he said. Three other people he knew have also died from the virus. People say nothing scares gravediggers. COVID does, Costa said. Advertisement By Associated Press Jun. 12, 2020 | FRANKFORT By Associated Press Jun. 12, 2020 | 04:08 PM | FRANKFORT A Kentucky commission has voted to take down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis from the state Capitol. The panel supported a push from the governor as the country faces protests against police brutality following the deaths of African Americans in encounters with police. The Historic Properties Advisory Commission voted 11-1 Friday to move the 15-foot (4.5-meter) marble statue of Davis to a state historic site in southern Kentucky where the Confederate leader was born. "Today has been a historic day in the Commonwealth," said Governor Andy Beshear. "Pursuant to my request, the Historic Properties Advisory Commission met and, in a bipartisan vote, voted to remove the Jefferson Davis statue from our Rotunda. It was past time for this vote and for this action. But what it will mean is that we get a little closer to truly being Team Kentucky that every child who walks into this Capitol feels welcome, and none of them have to look at a symbol and a statue that stands for the enslavement of their ancestors. Today is a move toward showing that everybody is welcome in this building and that our government should work for the betterment of every single Kentuckian that we have systematic issues that we must address, but that now is the time to truly move forward, to truly make progress and to show that Team Kentucky includes every single Kentuckian." The decision came two days after another Davis statue was toppled by protesters in Virginia. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 12, 2020) - Oxford Investments Holdings Inc. (OTC Pink: OXIHF) ("Oxford" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its Florida-based subsidiary, Pioneer Green Farms LLC. ("Pioneer Green"), has commenced hemp cultivation operations in Florida. Drymon's Citrus Nursery ("Drymon's") of Sarasota, Florida, has been granted a hemp cultivation license by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Plant Division. Pioneer Green has a license agreement with Drymon's, whereby Drymon's is the license holder and will operate the project on behalf of Pioneer Green. Cultivation will commence immediately at the Pioneer Green farm property near Sarasota, which currently has four 30ft x 100ft greenhouses specializing in clone production. The Company plans to build an extraction plant on the site, which will produce full spectrum CBD oil. It is expected that once hemp cultivation is fully operational, each greenhouse could produce three crops per year. The immediate plan is seeding, cloning and cultivation. Under the terms of the State license, all hemp cultivation plots are to be sampled for THC content within 15 days of harvest, hemp cultivation must follow the environmental containment and transportation plan that was submitted with the application, and Drymon's must reapply for a license to cultivate hemp in Florida after 12 months of receiving its certificate. Clones are rooted cuttings that are genetically identical to the plant they were taken from. Through cloning, you can create a new harvest with exact replicas of your best performing plants, which can provide a level of consistency, stability and sustainability. "We are excited to finally begin our hemp farming operations in Florida. This will be a major component in our strategy of building a fully vertically-integrated seed-to-shelf hemp-based CBD company. Our plan is to create specific genetic strains of high quality hemp that will have a high degree of consistency and can lead to significantly higher profit margins. Any excess product that we can't use in our CBD production, we plan to sell to other growers and CBD producers," stated Michael Donaghy, President of Oxford. "The current ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the overall economy and the hemp-based CBD industry in particular. Fortunately for Pioneer Green, we can use this downtime to grow and test our initial clone crop and prepare for when the economy returns to normal." Story continues Contacts: Oxford Investments Holdings Inc. Michael Donaghy 1-727-304-8003 Website: www.pioneergreenusa.com About Oxford Investments Holdings Inc. Oxford Investments Holdings Inc., is building a vertically-integrated hemp-based CBD business. Its Florida-based subsidiary, FloraCana Consultants Inc., is marketing the sale of CBD store franchises and license agreements throughout the United States under the "Pioneer Green USA" brand. The Company currently has three licensed stores operating in Florida and plans to expand into Canada once Health Canada legislation around hemp-based CBD is established. Its online CBD sales division, Lyf Partnerships LLC, is engaged in the sale of a variety of "Lyf" branded hemp-based CBD products through its website as well as other online distribution channels. Oxford's Pioneer Green Farms LLC subsidiary is engaged in hemp cultivation in Florida. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS DISCLAIMER: Statements in this press release, which are not historical, are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, risks associated with the Company's financial condition and prospects, legal risks associated with product liability and risks of governmental legislation and regulation, risks associated with market acceptance and technological changes, risks associated with dependence on suppliers, risks relating to international operations, risks associated with competition and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with securities regulatory authorities. These risks may cause results to 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/57762 Dave Chappelle is returning to the stage and addressing George Floyd's death. In a new Netflix special titled 8:46, the comedian appeared in Yellow Springs, Ohio in his first gig since the Coronavirus pandemic cancelled many shows. But instead of cracking jokes, Dave provided some commentary on George's death, which has resulted in protests around the world for close to two weeks. He began by describing his experience living through the Northridge, Calif., earthquake that was "absolutely terrifying." "That earthquake couldn't have been longer than 35 seconds. This man kneeled on a man's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Can you imagine that? This kid thought he was going to die. He knew he was going to die," Dave shared, recalling George's death at the hands of the Minneapolis Police. "He called for his mother. He called for his dead mother. I've only seen that once before in my life and it was my father on his death bed called for his grandmother. When I watched that tape, I understood this man knew he was going to die." Inspiring Moments from Black Lives Matter Protests The Emmy winner continued, "People watched it. People filmed it. And for some reason, that I still don't understand, all these f--king police had their hands in their pockets. Who are you talking to? What are you signifying that you can kneel on a man's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds and feel like you wouldn't get the wrath of God? That's what is happening right now." Three Minneapolis police officers were later charged with aiding and abetting murder. They remain in jail except for Thomas Lane who was released on bail Wednesday. "We are happy that he's out," his attorney told E! News. "It's much easier to defend a client who's out of jail. Now we can defend the case as we intended to." Another officer, who held his knee on George's neck, was charged with second-degree murder. He remains in jail with bail set at $1.25 million and has yet to enter a plea. All four officers were fired. Story continues While Dave said he didn't mean to get "heavy" in his return to the stage, the comedian told the crowd that he had to say something. The audience would later clap in support of Dave. "He told the police he couldn't breathe. One of the hardest parts of the tape to listen to, he said please.' I can't tell you. As a man watching another man go through something like that, what it makes you feel like," Dave shared. "I didn't watch the tape for a week. But when I finally watched it, I understand nobody is going home. Anyone who sees this, well they are going to be furious." While the special can be watched in full on Netflix, many are also able to view the 27-minute special on YouTube. In less than one day, close to 2.5 million people have watched. "Normally I wouldn't show you something so unrefined, I hope you understand," Dave wrote in a note posted on YouTube. "To find out more about how you can support the Equal Justice Initiative go here." ODonnell also called for a vote to withhold information about whether NorthWestern supported post-coal era transition funding for the community of Colstrip. To date, NorthWestern has declined requests that the put money toward helping the greater Colstrip region transition to a time when the power plant no longer exists. Other owners have put up money. Puget committed $10 million to the Colstrip community in 2017. Avista Corp., committed $3 million last November. NorthWestern stated that whether it supports transition funding had no relevance on its purchase of Pugets CU4 share. Because it hadnt included those costs in its application to purchase Pugets share, the utility said the commission couldnt force it to respond. The commission voted to 4-1 to deny the transition funding information, with Koopman dissenting. Koopman had earlier said any transition funding from NorthWestern should be a chartable contribution that customers werent expected to pay. O'Donnell had also proposed denying information about historic coal costs. Groups had indicated the coal information would indicate whether fuel prices were driving up the costs of Colstrip power. No one on the commission agreed with O'Donnell and the coal information will be provided.